Modulation of the amplitude of externally injected electron cyclotron (EC) power is a frequent method used to determine the radial power deposition profile in fusion plasmas. There are many tools to analyze the plasma response to the power modulations in quasi-stationary conditions. This paper focuses on the unique ability of the break-in-slope (BIS) method to retrieve a quasi-instantaneous estimate of the power deposition profile at each power step in the modulation, an outcome particularly relevant to track the power deposition location in nonstationary conditions. Here, the BIS analysis method is applied to the signals of a fast and high radial resolution wire-chamber soft X-ray camera in the Tokamak à Configuration Variable (TCV) where the plasma magnetic configuration and thus the EC resonance location are varied during the plasma discharge. As a step to validate this technique before real-time control experiments, the time-varying EC power deposition location of a single beam is successfully monitored by off-line BIS analysis. Simultaneous tracking of two EC beams deposition locations gives promising results. PACS numbers: 52.25.Os, 52.35.Hr, 52.50.Sw, 52.55.Fa, 52.65.Ff, 52.70.La Submitted to: Plasma Phys. Control. Fusion


Recently Echinothrips americanus and Microcephalothrips abdominalis were introduced in Europe, respectively, in 1989 and 1994. Both species can be easily identified and are known from interceptions in the international trade on different ornamental hosts. E. americanus is spread mostly with Araceae and M. abdominalis is found on the intensively cultivated Tagetes. Both thrips species can occur on many ornamentals without showing obvious damage. This occurrence without damage on commercial crops and the development on weeds hampers the effectiveness of measures to prevent spread. Both are reported here new for Hungary and additionally M. abdominalis is found for the first time in Croatia. Characters and photographs for the identification of both species are given. The species are compared with some other species described within Echinothrips and Microcephalothrips.


Numerical methods are important in computational neuroscience where complex nonlinear systems are studied. This report evaluates two methodologies, finite dierences and Fourier series, for numerically integrating a nonlinear neural model based on a partial integro-dierenti al equation. The stability and convergence criteria of four finite dierence methods is investigated and their eciency determined. Various ODE solvers in Matlab are used with the Fourier series method to solve the neural model, with an evaluation of the accuracy of the approximation versus the eciency of the method. The two methodologies are then compared.


[1] An algorithm to retrieve optically thick ice cloud microphysical property profiles is developed by using the GSFC 9.6 GHz ER-2 Doppler Radar (EDOP) and the 94 GHz Cloud Radar System (CRS) measurements aboard the high-altitude ER-2 aircraft. In situ size distribution and total water content data from the CRYSTAL-FACE field campaign are used for the algorithm development. To reduce uncertainty in calculated radar reflectivity factors (Ze) at these wavelengths, coincident radar measurements and size distribution data are used to guide the selection of mass-length relationships and to deal with the density and nonspherical effects of ice crystals on the Ze calculations. The algorithm is able to retrieve microphysical property profiles of optically thick ice clouds, such as deep convective and anvil clouds, which are very challenging for single-wavelength radar and lidar. Examples of retrieved microphysical properties for deep convective clouds are presented, which show that EDOP and CRS measurements provide rich information to study cloud structure and evolution. Good agreement between IWPs derived from an independent submillimeter-wave radiometer, CoSSIR, and dual-wavelength radar measurements indicates accuracy of the IWC retrieved from the dual-wavelength radar algorithm.


Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and the heart failure (HF) that often follows are the leading causes of death and disability in Europe and worldwide. As such, new treatment strategies are needed to protect the heart against acute ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI) in order to preserve cardiac function and prevent adverse left ventricular remodeling and HF – a strategy termed "cardioprotection." Despite intensive experimental and clinical research since the discovery of the remarkable cardioprotective effect of ischemic preconditioning more than 3 decades ago, there are currently no effective cardioprotective therapies in clinical practice. The challenge has been to successfully translate novel cardioprotective therapies discovered in experimental studies into the clinical setting for patient benefit. This EU-CARDIOPROTECTION COST Action CA16225 will address this challenge by setting up a pan-European research network of leading experts in experimental and clinical cardioprotection, to jointly develop innovative strategies for translating novel cardioprotective therapies into the clinical setting. This will be achieved through 4 main research objectives, each linked to the activities of a Working Group (WG): (1) WG1 New Targets: to use innovative strategies to discover novel targets for cardioprotection, given that many of the established cardioprotective targets have so far failed; (2) WG2 Combination Therapy: to investigate the effects of using combination therapy directed to multiple targets as an innovative cardioprotective strategy, given that single-targeted approaches to cardioprotection have so far failed; (3) WG3 Confounders: to use more clinically relevant animal AMI/HF models for testing novel cardioprotective therapies which take into account the confounding effects of co-morbidities and co-medications, given that many of the failed clinical studies have been based on therapies developed using juvenile healthy animal models; and (4) WG4 Consortium: to set up a European network of research centers (called the European Cardioprotection Consortium (ECC)) for multi-center randomized placebo-controlled testing of novel cardioprotective therapies in small/large animal AMI/HF models, and in AMI/HF patients, in order to improve the rigor of pre-clinical and clinical testing of novel cardioprotective therapies. In summary, the overall objective of the EU-CARDIOPROTECTION COST Action CA16225 will be to improve the translation of novel cardioprotective therapies into the clinical setting for patient benefit.


The Roberts Court will likely be remembered for its decision to uphold the Affordable Care Act, its same-sex marriage-rulings, and its decisions in First Amendment and corporate-speech cases; but this Court should also be remembered for ushering in the era of digital Fourth Amendment rights. The Court has not only addressed how Fourth Amendment standards will apply to changing communications technologies, it has also gone out of its way to learn and understand how new technologies will affect the balance of power between the government and citizens. We have come a long way from Chief Justice Roberts' question during oral argument in City of Ontario, California v. Quon: "[M]aybe everyone else knows this, but what is the difference between a pager and e-mail?"In Riley v. California the Court answered — in a unanimous, nine- to-zero decision — the question of whether the police must obtain a warrant prior to searching an individual's cell phone incident to a lawful arrest. The Court said, simply and unequivocally, yes, "get a warrant." Moreover, the Court directly addressed the impact of ever- expanding digital storage, the proliferation of smartphones, and the implications of encryption and access to cloud-based services. The opinion reflected the Court's newfound understanding of modern communications technologies and their impact on civil rights. It stands as one of the strongest and clearest proclamations of Fourth Amendment rights in the Court's history.This article will explore the implications of the Riley decision on future Fourth Amendment cases, including cases challenging the bulk collection of telephone metadata. The article will review the background of Riley and the search-incident-to-arrest doctrine, and describe the new categorical rule adopted by the Court. The article will then consider how the Riley decision will affect lower court rulings on important Fourth Amendment issues: the scope of the search-incident-to-arrest and border-search exceptions, whether the collection of metadata and location information is a search, and the rules governing seizure of electronic records.


Stimulated by social scientists' and especially social psychologists' contributions during World War II, as well as by America's post-war economic and population growth, the period from 1945 to 1970 was widely viewed as a "Golden Age" for American social science. Interdisciplinary social psychology arguably was in the vanguard of these developments. Progress since then have been variable and in some ways negative for social psychology, not only as an interdisciplinary field, but also within its parent disciplines of psychology and especially sociology, where social psychology could plausibly become extinct within twenty-five years. The decline of social psychology as a field and a broad influence on the social sciences, society, and public policy has coincided with a rise of economics to an analogous vanguard position. Understanding the reasons for and implications of these trends has been limited, with a focus on analyses of developments within particular disciplines. However, developments across the social sciences, and society more broadly, are equally or more important to understanding these trends. Future prospects also depend heavily on these broader societal forces, but the inertial tendencies of trajectories since 1970 within and between social science disciplines and fields will necessarily play a major role. The twenty-first century offers the prospect of renewed importance of social psychology in a more interdisciplinary and integrated set of social and policy sciences, if social psychologists and the parent disciplines of sociology and psychology are prepared to capitalize on and take leadership of emerging opportunities.


The present study aimed at investigating the effect of using e-mail on developing EFL writing skills among first year experimental secondary school students. The study followed a pretestposttest experimental-control group design. The study sample consisted of 60 students from Fakus Experimental Secondary School and was divided into two groups: 30 students for the experimental group and 30 students for the control group. For identifying the most important EFL writing skills required for first year experimental secondary school students, a writing skills list were developed .Then, a pre-post e-mail-writing skills test, free-writing test and a rubric for scoring the tests was developed. Students in both the experimental and control group were pretested using the e-mail-writing skills test and the free-writing test. Then, students of the experimental group were taught through the program of e-mail and writing and students of the control group were taught in the traditional method. Finally, students in both groups were posttested using the same instruments. The study showed that; first, the experimental group outperformed the control group in the post-test of e-mail-writing skills test and the posttest of free-writing. Second, there was statistically significant difference between the mean scores of the pre-post e-mail writing skills test and the pre-post free-writing test of the experimental group at 0.05in favor of the post-tests. This difference can be attributed to using e-mail .Hence, it was concluded that the program of e-mail and writing proved to be highly effective in developing first year secondary school students' EFL writing skills.


An Ad Hoc network is a wireless network without any stationary infrastructure of any kind. The nodes should be able to communicate with each other using wireless links, where a packet might traverse multiple links from the source to the destination. Every node in the network acts as a router, forwarding packet from one node to another. Since Ad Hoc networks are wireless and the nodes often battery driven, it is very important that the routing protocol in use can handle a large degree of node mobility and at the same time be very energy efficient. This is not an easy thing and a numerous routing protocols for wireless Ad Hoc networks have been proposed. Our goal was to simulate and make a literature study of three completely different routing protocols for wireless Ad Hoc networks: the Dynamic Source Routing protocol (DSR), the Topology Dissemination Based on Reverse-Path Forwarding protocol (TBRPF), and the Zone Routing Protocol (ZRP).


Abstract Objective To examine the association between breakfast consumption and physical activity in a well-characterised sample of English children. Design Cross-sectional study using food diaries to record breakfast consumption and accelerometry to assess physical activity. Setting Norfolk county, England. Subjects Children (n 1697) aged 9–10 years from the SPEEDY (Sport, Physical Activity and Eating behaviour: Environmental Determinants in Young people) study. Results Boys who consumed a poor-quality breakfast based on dairy product, cereal and fruit intakes spent approximately 7 min more time in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) during weekday afternoons and evenings compared with those who did not consume breakfast (P < 0·05). On weekend days, boys who consumed a poor- or good-quality breakfast spent approximately 6 and 5 min less time respectively being sedentary during the mornings compared with breakfast non-consumers (P < 0·05). Boys who consumed a good-quality breakfast spent almost 3 min more in MVPA during the morning on weekend days compared with non-consumers, and boys who consumed a poor- or good-quality breakfast were 22 % and 16 % more active overall respectively than breakfast non-consumers (P < 0·05). During the rest of the day, boys who consumed a good-quality breakfast spent about 11 min less time being sedentary (P < 0·05) and 7 min more time in MVPA (P < 0·01). Conclusions Although some associations between breakfast consumption and physical activity were detected for boys, the present study does not provide strong evidence that failing to consume breakfast, or having a low energy intake at breakfast time, is detrimental to children's physical activity levels.


Recordkeeping is about "making and maintaining complete, accurate and reliable evidence of business transactions in the form of recorded information." Yet the research on electronic record management systems (ERMS) has not focused on the problem of long-term preservation of electronic records. The aim of this paper has been to further elaborate the challenges long-term preservation impose on recordkeeping strategies and when the record quality criteria of evidentiality, integrity, authenticity of records is to be fulfilled. The research has been carried out as a qualitative case study in a large railway infrastructure construction project, where many records are operational for more than 100 years. In this research we can conclude that the long-term preservation issue is difficult to take into consideration if proactive strategies are not adopted. It is also important not to separate the current recordkeeping strategy from long-term recordkeeping strategy.


An asynchronous sequential network is an interconnection of several asynchronous sequential circuits. Asynchronous networks are classified according to the relative time delay of the individual circuit's feedback signals and input signals. They are also classified by the manner in which the circuits interact. In addition, another network model uses duplicate paths for the feedback signals and the input signals of a circuit where the duplicate paths have differing delays. The partition theory of Hartmanis and Stearns [5] is used for characterizing some of the network types in a manner analogous to the characterization of synchronous sequential networks. The special case where each circuit in the network has only two states is equivalent to specifying a state assignment for the overall network and this leads to a characterization of some state assignments for asynchronous circuits. In particular, any arbitrary state assignment for the network which has duplicate paths and delays is shown to be free of critical races, and another network model leads to a variation of the minimum transition-time state assignments which in certain cases may require fewer state variables.


Reproductive success of co-operatively-breeding slender-tailed meerkats (Suricata suricatta) in the Kalahari was monitored over four breeding seasons and 26 band years, concentrating on three focal bands. Breeding was strongly seasonal, with peak numbers of births coinciding with maximum rainfall between January and March. Breeding seasons were extended, and more litters were produced, during the years with above average rainfall. For dominant females, the mean annual rate of litter production was 1.9 ± 0.8 litters per year and short interbirth intervals (mean = 90 %pL 18 days) indicated that females came into oestrus within three weeks of giving birth. Births were synchronous within but not between bands. Major known causes of kitten mortality were cold weather and predation, and losses mainly occurred between three and five weeks of age. Sixty-seven percent of juveniles survived between emergence from the den at three or four weeks old and attainment of effective foraging independence at 12 weeks. There were no significant effects of birth date within the season upon litter size or survival. Several incidents of apparent infanticide were recorded. These meerkats were highly co-operative and adult band members assiduously guarded and provisioned the kittens. Nevertheless, regression analysis showed that neither rainfall (an index of prey availability) nor band size variables accounted for much variance in juvenile survival to 12 weeks, which appeared to be heavily influenced by chance events such as flash floods. In contrast, rainfall between January and March had a significantly positive effect on the total number of juveniles produced during the breeding year.


Monthly US data on payroll employment, civilian employment, industrial production and the unemployment rate are used to define a recession-dating algorithm that nearly perfectly reproduces the NBER official peak and trough dates. The only substantial point of disagreement is with respect to the NBER November 1973 peak. The algorithm prefers September 1974. In addition, this algorithm indicates that the data through June 2008 do not yet exceed the recession threshold, and will do so only if things get much worse.


Abstract Small island states, due to their size, remoteness and dependence on foreign capital, are often susceptible to various global disruptions and crises. The effects of such crises can be chaotic, seriously damaging their economies and altering their systems. However, in the context of tourism crisis management, linear approaches are predominant overlooking the chaotic characteristics and transformations of the complex tourism system. In response, this research investigates the implications of the economic crisis and the interaction effects of unforeseen events, on Cypriot tourism through a chaos theory perspective. Based on semi-structured interviews, archival document analysis and a pertinent literature review, findings indicate that the evolution of Cyprus tourism was not a linear process, but instead iterative, characterised by interactions of several endogenous and exogenous events that have shaped its systemic transformation. The research reveals the lack of comprehensive policy responses to crises that would enable the sustainable tourism development of Cyprus. The paper concludes that it is imperative for small island states to understand holistically the interrelated dimensions of crises and therefore mitigate their detrimental consequences. To this end, tourism policy needs to realise that crises and sustainability are not linear processes but evolving systemic configurations that necessitate the preparedness of tourism policy-makers and stakeholders to anticipate change and swiftly respond.


DRAMP was approached by the ARM/Lion Ore JV during July 2006 to conduct a feasibility study and Control Budget Estimate for a new Greenfield's project for their NKOMATI Ni mine 45km east of Machadadorp. The scope included the evaluation and review of previous studies as well as a techno-economic trade off on four possible comminution circuits ranging from conventional crushing and ball milling to fully autogenous milling. The following document encapsulates the thought process, decisions and the references used in selecting the final comminution route for the new 375ktpm MMZ concentrator. Apart from the pilot test work performed, design simulations from a number of sources, performance results from a recently commissioned 100ktpm MMZ concentrator, together with an understanding of the geology and mineralogy of the ore body and possible variations in the characteristics of the ore body over the life of mine was assessed. The results from all the above mentioned work indicated that it would be possible to treat the MMZ ore at the desired throughputs to the desired grind sizes in a fully autogenous grinding (ABC-type) circuit. Autogenous milling is generally considered as being one of the higher risk milling circuits. This is mainly due to the fact that the ore, which is utilised as the grinding media, could be variable in terms of hardness and mineralogy / geology. Nevertheless, it is a very popular route as the cost benefits, more specifically the operating cost, are normally very attractive. This is especially the case when large low grade ore bodies are evaluated. In North / South America, autogenous and semi-autogenous grinding circuits have been successfully employed during the past 20 years on large scale low grade operations. Taking all the above factors into account, the DRA/Nkomati project team recommended an autogenous circuit with the option to add steel to both the primary and secondary mills (if required) for the new operation in order to create the opportunity for significant operating cost savings. One has to bear in mind that all the new design simulations and decisions are based on previous work and potential unknown variations within the ore body will never be fully understood until the pit is operational for some time.


This dissertation reports the research work that was conducted to propose a non-volatile architecture for FPGA using resistive switching devices. This is achieved by designing a Configurable Memristive Logic Block (CMLB). The CMLB comprises of memristive logic cells (MLC) interconnected to each other using memristive switch matrices. In the MLC, novel memristive D flip-flop (MDFF), 6-bit non-volatile look-up table (NVLUT), and CMOS-based multiplexers are used. Other than the MDFF, a non-volatile D-latch (NVDL) was also designed. The MDFF and the NVDL are proposed to replace CMOS-based D flip-flops and D-latches to improve energy consumption. The CMLB shows a reduction of 8.6% of device area and 1.094 times lesser critical path delay against the SRAM-based FPGA architecture. Against similar CMOS-based circuits, the MDFF provides switching speed of 1.08 times faster; the NVLUT reduces power consumption by 6.25nW and improves device area by 128 transistors; while the memristive logic cells reduce overall device area by 60.416μm2. The NVLUT is constructed using novel 2TG1M memory cells, which has the fastest switching times of 12.14ns, compared to other similar memristive memory cells. This is due to the usage of transmission gates which improves voltage transfer from input to the memristor. The novel 2TG1M memory cell also has lower energy consumption than the CMOS-based 6T SRAM cell. The memristive-based switch matrices that interconnects the MLCs together comprises of novel 7T1M SRAM cells, which has the lowest energy-delay-area-product value of 1.61 among other memristive SRAM cells. Two memristive logic gates (MLG) were also designed (OR and AND), that introduces non-volatility into conventional logic gates. All the above circuits and design simulations were performed on an enhanced SPICE memristor model, which was improved from a previously published memristor model. The previously published memristor model was fault to not be in good agreement with memristor theory and the physical model of memristors. Therefore, the enhanced SPICE memristor model provides a memristor model which is in good agreement with the memristor theory and the physical model of memristors, which is used throughout this research work.


We examined the dose-dependent effects of DNA-damaging agents on G1 arrest in isogenic human cell lines differing in their p53 status. As expected, 5 or 20 Gy of ionizing radiation induced a p53-dependent G1 arrest. In contrast, UV light or actinomycin D induced a modest G1 arrest that was p53-dependent only at lower doses. At higher doses, cells were arrested in G1 in a p53-independent manner coinciding with inhibition of RNA synthesis and abolished cyclin E expression. Interestingly, expression of cyclin E was enhanced after exposure to moderate doses of UV light and actinomycin D, and this enhancement was suppressed by wild-type p53. We propose that agents inducing transcription-blocking DNA lesions will at higher doses inhibit the progression of cells into S phase by a p53-independent mechanism involving the attenuation of E2F-mediated transcription of genes, such as cyclin E.


A method of managing serious burns which is in use at Groote Schuur Hospital has been descriptionbed. The prompt treatment of shock is emphasized and it is suggested that burns exceeding 10% of the body surface of adults and 6%of the surface of children should be regarded as serious. Intravenous therapy and ancillary methods of treating shock are descriptionbed. It is pointed out that the burns should be cleansed in an operating theatre and that general anaesthesia should be used. Two methods of local treatment, viz. exposure and absorbent dressings, are descriptionbed. The exposure method is preferred in children. The value of general treatment and repeated blood transfusions is noted, the subsequent care is outlined, the control of infection is discussed, precautionary measures against scarring and deformity are descriptionbed and the value of grafting deep and infected burns is stressed. Details of patients treated over a period of one year are briefly discussed and 40 cases in children are analysed. The mortality in this series was 2%and the average stay in hospital was 7 weeks. The survivors include a boy of 10 years who sustained deep burns covering 65%of his body surface. With the aid of blood transfusions, ACTH and repeated skin grafts he is now well, with minimal deformity. In conclusion the great value of early skin grafting is re-emphasized.


Titania represents an important compound for property modifications in the widespread family of soda lime silicate glasses. In particular, such titania-containing glasses offer interesting optical and mechanical properties, for example, for substituting lead-bearing consumer glasses. Here, we provide a systematic study of the effect of TiO2 on the structural, thermal, and mechanical properties for three series of quaternary Na2O–CaO–TiO2–SiO2 glasses with TiO2 concentrations up to 12 mol% and variable Na2O, CaO, and SiO2 contents. Structural analyses by Raman and magic-angle spinning Si NMR spectroscopy reveal the presence of predominantly four-fold coordinated Ti atoms in glasses of low and moderate TiO2 concentrations, where Si–O–Si bonds are replaced by Si–O–Ti bonds that form a network of interconnected TiO4 and SiO4 tetrahedra, with a majority of the nonbridging oxygen ions likely being located at the SiO4 tetrahedra. At higher TiO2 contents, TiO5 polyhedra are also formed. Incorporation of TiO2 strongly affects the titanosilicate network connectivity, especially when its addition is accompanied by a decrease of the CaO content. However, except for the thermal expansion coefficient, these silicate-network modifications seem to have no impact on the thermal and mechanical stability. Instead, the compositional dependence of the thermal and mechanical properties on the TiO2 content stems from its effect on the network energy and packing efficiency.


We present a non-cooperative game-theoretic approach for the distributed resource allocation problem in the context of multiple transmitters communicating with multiple receivers through parallel independent fading channels, which is closely related with small-cell multi-user orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) networks, e.g., Wi-Fi hotspots. We assume that all the transmitters are rational, selfish, and each one carries the objective of maximizing its own transmit rate, subject to its power constraint. In such a game-theoretic study, the central question is whether a Nash equilibrium (NE) exists, and if so, whether the network operates efficiently at the NE. We show, for independent fading channels, there almost surely exists a unique NE. Finally we present the behavior of average network performance at the NE through numerical results, and we compare the optimal centralized approach with our decentralized approach.


Feature
 Issue on Optical Wireless Communications (OWC) We investigate
 the design and the accommodation of a quantum communication transceiver in an
 existing classical optical communication terminal on board a satellite. Operation
 from a low earth orbit (LEO) platform (e.g., the International Space Station) would
 allow transmission of single photons and pairs of entangled photons to ground
 stations and hence permit quantum communication applications such as quantum
 cryptography on a global scale. Integration of a source generating entangled photon
 pairs and single-photon detection into existing optical terminal designs is
 feasible. Even more, major subunits of the classical terminals such as those for
 pointing, acquisition, and tracking as well as those providing the required
 electronic, thermal, and structural backbone can be adapted so as to meet the
 quantum communication terminal needs.


The margins of sheet fl ows—pāhoehoe lavas emplaced on surfaces sloping <2°—are typically delineated by structures that form to accommodate vertical fl ow infl ation. We refer to these structures as infl ation rifts. The surfaces of infl ation rifts almost always exhibit bands of varying color and texture. Various explanations for the bands have been proposed, but active band formation has never been documented. In order to test our hypothesis that banding is caused by changes in the infl ation rate, we collected time-lapse photographs of the margin of an actively infl ating fl ow and simultaneously measured the height of the fl ow with an extensometer. Data collected over a period of ~1 d indicate that the height of the fl ow margin changed in a stepwise manner and that rate changes correlate with band formation. This confi rms our hypothesis. Infl ation and rift-band formation is probably cyclic, because the pattern we observed suggests episodic or crude cyclic behavior. Furthermore, some infl ation rifts contain numerous bands whose spacing and general appearances are remarkably similar. We propose a conceptual model wherein the inferred cyclicity is due to the competition between the fl uid pressure in the fl ow's liquid core and the tensile strength of the visco elastic layer where it is weakest—in infl ation rifts. The viscoelastic layer consists of lava that has cooled to temperatures between 800 and 1070 °C. This layer is the key parameter in our model because, in its absence, rift banding and stepwise changes in the fl ow height would not occur.


Dilute nitric, sulfuric, and perchloric acids are applicable as solvents for spectrophotometry up to 250°C over the following ranges: 0 to 1.0 f HNO3 from 0.6 to 1.2 μ; 0 to 0.2 f H2SO4 from 0.25 to 1.2 μ; and 0 to 1.0 f DClO4 from 0.25 to 1.8 μ. Each of these acids reacts measurably with the titanium cell wall and the sapphire windows at rates which increase with acidity and temperature. This corrosion affects the spectral measurements as a function of time and is associated with deterioration of cell window surfaces and the presence in the sample of dissolved and suspended corrosion products. These results are part of our more general program for the development of equipment and technique for routine spectrophotometry of pure liquids and solutions over a wide range of temperature and pressure.


We study a coordination game with randomly changing payoffs and small frictions in changing actions. Using only backwards induction, we find that players must coordinate on the risk-dominant equilibrium. More precisely, a continuum of fully rational players are randomly matched to play a symmetric 2 x 2 game. The payoff matrix changes according to a random walk. Players observe these payoffs and the population distribution of actions as they evolve. The game has frictions: opportunities to change strategies arrive from independent random processes, so that the players are locked into their actions for some time. As the frictions disappear, each player ignores what the others are doing and switches at her first opportunity to the risk-dominant action. History dependence emerges in some cases when frictions remain positive.


This paper compares the sources of wage growth of young male workers in two countries with very different labor market institutions, the United States and Germany. The author first develops a simple method for decomposing wage growth into components due to general human capital accumulation, firm-specific human capital accumulation, and job search. The empirical analysis uses data from administrative records (Germany) and the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (United States) for cohorts entering the labor market in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Although the two countries differed substantially in mobility rates, they were similar in the sources of wage growth, with general human capital accumulation being the most important single source and job search accounting for an additional 25% or more of total wage growth. There is no evidence that returns to firm-specific human capital accumulation were higher for German apprentices than for U.S. high school dropouts or graduates.


Designers will always face the challenge of designing well-performing buildings using what are often conflicting and competing objectives. Early stage design decisions influence significantly the final performance of a building and designers are often unable to explore large numbers of design alternatives with respect to the performative criteria set for the project. This research outlines a "creative optimization workflow' using a Multi-Objective Optimization (MOO) engine called Octopus that runs within Grasshopper3D, a parametric modeling tool, and simulation software DIVA for daylight factor analysis. The workflow utilizes a "creative optimization tool' which allows the designer to explore, sort and filter solutions, and analyze both quantitatively and qualitatively the trade-offs of the resultant design solution space. It enables the designer to visually compare alternative solutions in a gallery and subsequently analyze trade-offs through a radar-based chart, parallel coordinate plot graphs and conditional domain searches. This feedback tools allows the designer to quickly and efficiently identify potential solutions for either design development or to select preferred solutions for further optimization, i.e. "optimizing creatively'. A retrospective design case study, the "De Rotterdam' building, is used to demonstrate the application of the tools. The workflow demonstrates the ability to reduce design latency and to allow for better understanding of design solutions. Additional research is needed to better understand the application of MOO in the early stages of design; and the further improvement of the creative optimization tools to accommodate the designer's need for a more dynamic and synergistic process.


Importance The rabbit is the primary animal model used to investigate aspects of nasal surgery. Although several studies have used this model, none has provided a comprehensive analysis of the surgical anatomy and techniques used to gain access to the rabbit nasal fossae and septum. Objective To describe and optimize the surgical anatomy and approach to the rabbit nasal vault and septal cartilage. Design, Setting, and Participants In an ex vivo animal study conducted at an academic medical center, preliminary cadaveric dissections were performed on rabbit head specimens to establish familiarity with relevant anatomy and rehearse various approaches. Live Pasteurella-free New Zealand white rabbits (3.5-4.0 kg) were used to further develop this surgical technique developed here. Access of the nasal vault was gained through a midline nasal dorsum incision and creation of an osteoplastic flap with a drill. Submucosal resection was performed with preservation of the mucoperichondrium. All rabbits were monitored daily for 4 weeks in the postoperative period for signs of infection, pain, and complications. The study was conducted from June 1, 2014, to December 1, 2014. Main Outcomes and Measures Surgical anatomy and techniques used to gain access to the rabbit nasal vault and harvest septal cartilage. Results Four Pasteurella-free New Zealand white rabbits (Western Organ Rabbit Co), ranging in age from 9 to 12 months and weighing between 3.5 and 4.0 kg, were used in this study. Initial dissections demonstrated the feasibility of harvesting septal cartilage while preserving the mucoperichondrial envelope. Access to the nasal vault through this 3-osteotomy approach allowed for maximal exposure to the nasal cavity bilaterally while maintaining the integrity of the mucoperichondrium following septal cartilage harvest. The maximum amount of bulk, en bloc, cartilage harvested was 1.0 × 2.5 cm. Following surgical dissection, all animals maintained adequate airway patency and support to midface structures. Furthermore, all specimens preserved the integrity of the mucoperichondrium, septum, vascular anatomy, and airway dynamics. No operative complications, postoperative airway compromise, or infections were observed. Conclusions and Relevance Access to the rabbit nasal vault and septal cartilage is feasible through a variety of surgical approaches and techniques. To date, this is the first study to meticulously document and review the surgical approaches to the rabbit nasal cavity. This approach describes a novel, 3-osteotomy method of accessing the nasal cavity bilaterally and successfully harvesting rabbit septal cartilage in a submucoperichondrial plane. The ability to preserve native anatomy and function allows for improved outcomes in translational and animal guided clinical research. Level of Evidence NA.


Female labour supply is an important outcome for measuring gender equality and is therefore regarded as one of the key indicators for women's empowerment. The empowerment of women through greater labour force participation is well documented in the literature. We argue, however, that the relationship between female labour force participation and empowerment is endogenous. We instead turn our attention to understanding whether greater female household autonomy causes participation in the labour market in the first place. Using the roll out of banking cards associated with the South African government cash transfers as an exogenous shock, we show that financial inclusion improves women's decision making power in the household. In response to this redistribution of bargaining power in the household, we provide evidence of increased female labour force participation. Our results show that becoming a primary decision maker leads to a 92 percentage point increase in the probability that women participate in the labour market.


OF DISSERTATION LAYERED, FLEXIBLE DRUG DELIVERY FILMS FOR THE PREVENTION OF FIBROTIC SCAR TISSUE FORMATION Open wounds account for about 50% of military injuries and 10% of non‐fatal traffic injuries. Scar tissue formation in these wounds may be reduced or prevented if treated with a combination of molecules whose release is tuned to the healing phases. The goal of this research was to develop flexible, layered drug delivery films for sequential, localized release of anti‐inflammatory, anti‐oxidant, and anti‐fibrotic molecules to soft tissue. Films were composed of cellulose acetate phthalate (CAP) and Pluronic F‐127 (Pluronic). To impart flexibility, plasticizers, triethyl citrate (TEC) or tributyl citrate (TBC), were added. Mechanical analysis was performed on films as prepared and following phosphate‐buffered saline incubation to determine property changes after implantation. Tensile tests revealed higher plasticizer content increased film elongation but decreased elastic modulus and ultimate tensile strength. TEC films elongated twice as much as those with TBC. After incubation, properties increased because plasticizer leached from films. Micro computerized tomography and scanning electron microscopy determined how erosion and plasticizer leaching affected the film's structures before and after incubation. Porosity increased as plasticizer content increased; however, plasticizer content did not significantly affect erosion rates. Next, effects of drugs with plasticizers on film erosion, release, and mechanical properties were investigated. Films were loaded with quercetin, an anti‐oxidant, or pirfenidone, an anti‐fibrotic, and plasticized with TEC or TBC. TEC‐plasticized films containing quercetin released drug at a slower rate than TBC films. Pirfenidone‐loaded films released drug at a faster rate than erosion occurred for both plasticizers. Increased pirfenidone loading resulted in significantly higher modulus and decreased elongation, an anti‐plasticizer effect. Increasing quercetin loading significantly increased elongation. Size, solubility, and structure differences between quercetin and pirfenidone affected drug interaction with the films and the consequent mechanical and release properties. Cell studies found TBC to be toxic even in low concentrations. Consequently, only TEC was further analyzed. Layered devices containing two drugs demonstrated sequential release regardless of drug order. Plasticizer concentration did not significantly affect the release profiles. Lastly, in vitro and in vivo 9‐layered device studies sequentially released drugs confirming the research objective: sequential, local release of anti‐inflammatory, anti‐oxidant, and anti‐fibrotic molecules from CAP‐ Pluronic films.


Numerous studies of media and communication processes employ the notion of practice under various working definitions. Recently, there has been growing interest and recurrent reference to a formal philosophical system developed by Theodore Schatzki and labeled "practice theory." Some scholars have stated an alignment with Schatzki's practice theory and suggested that its application in media studies marks a new "practice turn." This article argues that before we decide whether to accept practice theory as the foundation of a new paradigm, we need to take a critical look at its powers and limitations and the ways in which its conceptual instruments need to be adjusted to effectively address the key questions asked in media studies. The article offers a critical assessment of some of the main premises of practice theory. It focuses specifically on what role this theory assigns to material entities and human agency in the constitution of social life. On that basis, it proposes ways in which practice theory could be put in a productive dialogue with other approaches in media studies.


Background Among HIV-infected individuals with CD4 less than 200 cells/mm3, tuberculosis often has an atypical presentation, is more likely to be disseminated and is diagnostically challenging. We sought to understand the genotypic discordance of concurrent sputum and blood M. tuberculosis (MTB) isolates from HIV-infected individuals. Methods From a prospective diagnostic accuracy study with 182 HIV-infected culture-positive TB adults, isolates were obtained from 51 of 66 participants who were MTB culture-positive by both sputum and blood. Isolates were subjected to susceptibility testing to 1st line drugs, spoligotyping and 24 locus- MIRU-VNTR. Results The median age of the participants was 31 (IQR; 27–38) years and 51% were male. The median CD4 count was 29 (IQR; 10–84) cells/mm3 with 20% taking ART; 8.0% were previously treated for TB, and 63% were AFB smear-negative. The isolates belonged to two of the main global MTB-lineages; East-African-Indian (L3) 17 (16.7%) and Euro-American (L4) 85 (83.3%). We identified 26 (51.0%) participants with discordant MTB-genotypes between sputum and blood, including two patients with evidence of mixed infection in either compartment. Having discordant MTB-genotypes was not predicted by the MTB-lineage in either blood or sputum, CD4 cell count, or any other clinical characteristic. Conclusions There is a high genotypic discordance among M. tuberculosis concurrently isolated from sputum and blood of HIV-infected individuals. These findings suggest that infection with more than one strain of M. tuberculosis occurs in at least half of patients with advanced HIV infection.


English Due to the aging of the population, the absolute number of subjects affected by age-related diseases is expected to increase as well as their coexistence – known as multimorbidity. The aims of this thesis were to evaluate the prevalence, distribution and patterns of chronic multimorbidity in the elderly population, and its impact on disability, functional decline and mortality. The data were gathered from the Kungsholmen Project (Study I, II, and III) and from an Italian database on the hospitalized elderly (Study IV). The Kungsholmen Project is a longitudinal population-based study on 75+ year-old people, living in Stockholm, Sweden, who were clinically re-examined every three years. The Italian database includes clinical data from 923 patients, 65+ year-old, admitted to an acute geriatric ward in the Spedali Civili Hospital, Brescia, Italy. Study I. Cardiovascular and mental diseases emerged as the most common chronic disorders in both men and women. However, cardiovascular diseases reached a plateau after 75 years (55%), whereas mental disorders continued to rise with increasing age from 18% in the 77-84 year-old to 36% in 85+ year-old subjects. The prevalence of multimorbidity was 55%. Older age, female gender, and lower education were independently associated with a more than 50% higher occurrence of multimorbidity. Study II. Heart failure and visual impairments were the diseases with the highest comorbidity (mean: 2.9 and 2.6 co-occurring conditions, respectively) while dementia had the lowest (mean: 1.4 comorbidities). Further, heart failure very rarely occurred without any comorbidity (0.4%). The observed prevalence of comorbid pairs of conditions exceeded the expected one for many circulatory diseases, and also for dementia and depression, which were further correlated to hip fracture and cerebrovascular diseases. The cluster analysis showed five clusters, three of which grouped circulatory, cardiopulmonary, and mental diseases. The last two clusters included only one disease (diabetes and malignancy) together with their consequences. Study III. During a 3-year follow-up, of 1099 old persons, 363 died and 85 showed functional decline. The number of chronic conditions incrementally increased the risk of functional decline. The Relative Risk (RR) increased from 1.5 in subjects with one disease to 8.0 in persons with 5+ diseases. However, this was not the case for mortality. Baseline disability had the highest impact on survival, independently of the number of diseases (RR= 7.8; 95% Confidence Interval (CI) = 4.6-13.4 in subjects with one disease; RR= 6.9;95% CI=4.2-11.3 in those with 2+ diseases) and amplified the effect of multimorbidity on further functional decline (RR= 11.6;95% CI= 4.1-32.9 for persons with both multimorbidity and disability). Study IV. In a cohort of geriatric patients, older age, poor cognitive status, and depression were associated with functional disability at hospital discharge in all age groups, whereas multimorbidity was independently correlated with disability only in the older patients (75+ yrs) (OR=1.5;95%CI=1.2-2.0), in particular among those who were cognitively impaired (OR=4.0;95%CI=2.0-8.1). Cognitive impairment and depression showed an additive effect on disability especially in the younger patients (65-74 yrs). In conclusion, multimorbidity is the most common clinical situation in the aging population, affecting mostly the very-old and women. Poor education is associated with an increased risk of multimorbidity, suggesting that risk behaviors learnt in early life may still affect the health status of old persons. Disability and functional decline increase with increasing number of chronic conditions. Moreover, the impact of multimorbidity on disability differs depending on age and could be severer in the cognitively impaired elderly. Finally, disability seems to have greater impact on survival than multimorbidity. Assessing multimorbidity, disability and depression leads to the identification of groups of old persons particularly at risk of functional decline who should be a target for clinical and preventative intervention.


Context. The formation and early evolution of high- and intermediate-mass stars towards the main sequence involves the interplay of stars in a clustered and highly complex environment. To obtain a full census of this interaction, the Formation and Early evolution of Massive Stars (FEMS) collaboration studies a well-selected sample of 10 high-mass star-forming regions. Aims. In this study we examine the stellar content of the high-mass star-forming region centered on IRAS 06084-0611 in the Monoceros R2 cloud. Methods. Using the near-infrared H- and K-band spectra from the VLT/SINFONI instrument on the ESO Very Large Telescope (VLT) and photometric near-infrared NTT/SOFI, 2MASS and Spitzer/IRAC data, we were able to determine the spectral types for the most luminous stars in the cluster. Results. Two very young and reddened massive stars have been detected by SINFONI: a massive young stellar object (YSO) consistent with an early-B spectral type and a Herbig Be star. Furthermore, stars of spectral type G and K are detected while still in the Pre-Main Sequence (PMS) phase. We derive additional properties such as temperatures, extinctions, radii and masses. We present a Hertzsprung-Russell diagram and find most objects having intermediate masses between ∼1.5–2.5 M� . For these stars we derive a median cluster age of ∼ 4M yr. Conclusions. Using Spitzer/IRAC data we confirm earlier studies that the younger class 0/I objects are centrally located while the class II objects are spread out over a larger area, with rough scale size radii of ∼0.5 pc and ∼1.25 pc respectively. Moreover, the presence of a massive YSO, an ultracompact H ii region and highly reddened objects in the center of the cluster suggest a much younger age of <1 Myr. A possible scenario for this observation would be sequential star formation along the line of sight; from a cluster of intermediate-mass to high-mass stars.


Lipid droplets are intracellular energy storage organelles composed of a hydrophobic core of neutral lipid, surrounded by a monolayer of phospholipid and a diverse array of proteins. The function of the vast majority of these proteins with regard to the formation and/or turnover of lipid droplets is unknown. Our laboratory was the first to report that microsomal triglyceride transfer protein (MTP), a lipid transfer protein essential for the assembly of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins, was expressed in adipose tissue of humans and mice. In addition, our studies suggested that MTP was associated with lipid droplets in both brown and white fat. Our observations led us to hypothesize that MTP plays a key role in lipid droplet formation and/or turnover. The objective of these studies was to gain insight into the function of MTP in adipocytes. Using molecular, biochemical, and morphologic approaches we have shown: 1) MTP protein levels increase nearly five-fold as 3T3-L1 cells differentiate into adipocytes. 2) As 3T3-L1 cells undergo differentiation, MTP moves from the juxtanuclear region of the cell to the surface of lipid droplets. MTP and perilipin 2, a major lipid droplet surface protein, are found on the same droplets; however, MTP does not co-localize with perilipin 2. 3) Inhibition of MTP activity has no effect on the movement of triglyceride out of the cell either as a lipid complex or via lipolysis. 4) MTP is found associated with lipid droplets within hepatocytes from human fatty livers, suggesting that association of MTP with lipid droplets is not restricted to adipocytes. In summary, our data demonstrate that MTP is a lipid droplet-associated protein. Its location on the surface of the droplet in adipocytes and hepatocytes, coupled with its known function as a lipid transfer protein and its increased expression during adipocyte differentiation suggest a role in lipid droplet biology.


ABSTRACT Copious research on Social Cognitive Career Theory has found student self-efficacy substantially related to persistence in engineering programs. The present exploratory study investigated the associations among faculty encouragement (a specific type of verbal persuasion in college context) and students' self-efficacy, outcome expectations, and intent to persist in engineering majors using a sample of first-semester engineering students at a mid-sized public university. Analytical data were collected from 205 first-year engineering students in the fall semester at a mid-sized public four-year university in the United States. Results show that students' perception of faculty encouragement can statistically significantly contribute to students' self-efficacy and outcome expectations, supporting the hypothesis that student-perceived faculty encouragement was a source of self-efficacy and outcome expectations. Further, although students' perception of faculty encouragement can influence students' intent to persist, the effect was not directly transmitted; rather, it was found only through an indirect path via self-efficacy.


The poetry that emerged from the trenches of WWI is a remarkable body of work, at once political manifesto and literary beacon for the twentieth century. In this passionate recreation of the lives of the greatest poets to come out of the conflict, Nicholas Murray brilliantly reveals the men themselves as well as the struggle of the artist to live fully and to bear witness in the annihilating squalor of battle. Bringing into sharp focus the human detail of each life, using journals, letters and literary archives, Murray brings to life the men's indissoluble comradeship, their complex sexual mores and their extraordinary courage. Poignant, vivid and unfailingly intelligent, Nicholas Murray's study offers new and finely tuned insight into the - often devastatingly brief - lives of a remarkable generation of men.


Abstract The conclusions of EFSA following the peer review of the initial risk assessments carried out by the competent authority of the rapporteur Member State Italy for the pesticide active substance propanil and the assessment of applications for maximum residue levels (MRLs) are reported. The context of the peer review was that required by Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council. The conclusions were reached on the basis of the evaluation of the representative use of propanil as a herbicide on rice. MRLs were assessed in rice. The reliable endpoints, appropriate for use in regulatory risk assessment and the proposed MRLs, are presented. Missing information identified as being required by the regulatory framework is listed. Concerns are identified.


Title of dissertation: DYNAMIC DISCRETE CHOICE MODELS FOR CAR OWNERSHIP MODELING Renting Xu, Doctor of Philosophy, 2011 Dissertation directed by: Assistant Professor Cinzia Cirillo Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering With the continuous and rapid changes in modern societies, such as the introduction of advanced technologies, aggressive marketing strategies and innovative policies, it is more and more recognized by researchers in various disciplines from social science to economics that choice situations take place in a dynamic environment and that strong interdependencies exist among decisions made at different points in time. The increasing concerns about climate change, the development of high-tech vehicles, and the extensive applications of demand models in economics and transportation areas motivate this research on vehicle ownership based on disaggregate discrete choices. Over the next five to ten years, dramatic changes in the automotive marketplace are expected to occur and new opportunities might arise. Therefore, a methodology to model dynamic vehicle ownership choices is formulated and implemented in this dissertation for short and medium-term planning. In the proposed dynamic model framework, the car ownership problem is described as a regenerative optimal stopping problem; when a purchase is made, the current vehicle state (vehicle age, mileage driven, etc.) is regenerated. The model allows the estimation of the probability of buying a new vehicle or postponing this decision; if the decision to buy is made, the model further investigates the vehicle type choices. Dynamic models explicitly account for consumers' expectations of future vehicle quality or market evolution, arising endogenously from their purchase decisions. Both static and dynamic formulations are applied first to simulated data in order to test the ability to recover the true underlying parameters of the synthetic population. Results obtained attest that the dynamic model outperforms the static MNL in terms of goodness of fit, parameters bias and predictive power. In particular, it is found that MNL captures the general trends in choice probabilities, but fails to recover peaks in demand and behavioral changes due to rapidly evolving external conditions. The extension to a real case study required a data collection effort. A preliminary pilot survey was designed and executed in the State of Maryland in fall 2010; the survey was self-administrated and web-based. Choices were made under the hypothesis that an interval time period of six months passed from a decision to the successive decision and choices over a hypothetical time period of six years were recorded. Finally, the application of dynamic discrete choice models to vehicle ownership decisions in the context of the introduction of new technology is proposed. Results from the real case study confirm our initial expectations, as the model fit is significantly superior to the fit of the static model. DYNAMIC DISCRETE CHOICE MODELS FOR CAR OWNERSHIP MODELING


How are formal management controls designed and used in research & development (R&D)? The purpose of this study is to explain how such systems are designed and used in formulating and implementing strategies in a pharmaceutical product development organisation. The study uses a contingency approach to investigate how the control system is adjusted to the business strategy of the firm. A case study was conducted in AstraZeneca R&D where strategic planning, budgeting, project management, goals and objective systems and the reward systems were studied.Managers, external investors and researchers increasingly recognize the strategic importance of R&D activities. This has inspired researchers and practitioners to develop formal systems and methods for controlling R&D activities. There is, however, previous research in which a resistance towards using formal control systems to manage R&D was observed. This contrasts the general perception of management control systems as important in implementing and formulating strategies.The results of this study show that formal management control have an important role in managing R&D. It also explains how the system is adjusted to the business strategy of the studied firm. Different control systems (e.g. budget, project management) were found to be designed and used in different ways. This implies that it is not meaningful to discuss whether the entire control system of a firm is tight or loose and/or used interactively or diagnostically. Rather, the systems may demonstrate combinations of these characteristics. The control systems of the studied firm were found to be used differently in the project and the functional dimensions. The control systems were also designed and used in different ways at different organisational levels. Comprehensive and rather detailed studies of control systems are called for in order to understand how they are designed and used in organisations. Such studies may explain some contradictory results in previous studies on how control systems are adjusted to business strategy.


Coral reefs in the southern Persian/Arabian Gulf have become increasingly degraded in the past two decades, mainly due to recurrent mass coral bleaching events. The recovery of these reefs will be largely contingent upon the arrival and settlement of coral larvae and their post settlement growth and survival. Spatial and temporal patterns of coral settlement were quantified on 10 sites spanning >350km of the southern Gulf using settlement tiles for two years when consecutive bleaching events occurred. Coral settlement was highly seasonal, with peak settlement occurring in summer each year (>95% of spat), with the remainder of settlement in autumn. Coral settlement was >2-fold greater in the first year (928spat) compared to the second year (397spat) representing overall settlement densities of 95 m-2 yr-1 versus 40 m-2 yr-1. The dramatic declines in larval settlement between years suggests bleaching-related impacts on fecundity occurred during the gametogenic cycle late in the first year, as well as impaired survivorship of larvae and/or spat during the second year when severe bleaching coincided with the peak settlement period. Poritids and merulinids ('others') comprised 4% and 94% of the spat, respectively, while acroporids were virtually absent (1 recorded spat), suggesting the continued extirpation of this formerly dominant group and a continuing shift towards more stress-tolerant assemblages. Settlement rates in the southern Gulf are low in comparison to other marginal reef environments, and the bleaching-related suppression of settlement observed here suggests that larval supply is unlikely to be sufficient to support recovery of these increasingly degraded habitats. Given the increasing frequency of bleaching events in the southern Gulf the prognosis for the future of regional reefs is grim.


Techniques for eliminating variables from a system of nonlinear equations are used to find solutions of the system. We discuss how these methods can be used to attack certain types of symmetric block ciphers, by solving sets of equations arising from known plain text attacks. The systems of equations corresponding to these block ciphers have the characteristics that the solution is determined by a small subset of the variables (i.e., the secret key), and also that it is known that there always exists at least one solution (again corresponding to the key which is actually used in the encryption). It turns out that some toy ciphers can be solved simpler than anticipated by this method, and that the method can take advantage of overdetermined systems.


Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are obligate root symbionts that can protect their host plant against biotic stress factors such as plant-parasitic nematode (PPN) infection. PPN consist of a wide range of species with different life styles that can cause major damage in many important crops worldwide. Various mechanisms have been proposed to play a role in the biocontrol effect of AMF against PPN. This review presents an overview of the different mechanisms that have been proposed, and discusses into more detail the plausibility of their involvement in the biocontrol against PPN specifically. The proposed mechanisms include enhanced plant tolerance, direct competition for nutrients and space, induced systemic resistance (ISR) and altered rhizosphere interactions. Recent studies have emphasized the importance of ISR in biocontrol and are increasingly placing rhizosphere effects on the foreground as well, both of which will be the focal point of this review. Though AMF are not yet widely used in conventional agriculture, recent data help to develop a better insight into the modes of action, which will eventually lead toward future field applications of AMF against PPN. The scientific community has entered an exciting era that provides the tools to actually unravel the underlying molecular mechanisms, making this a timely opportunity for a review of our current knowledge and the challenges ahead.


The experience of a life threatening illness not only impacts upon the patient directly but upon their close others. Partners have been identified as particularly vulnerable to the adverse responses and outcomes associated with their loved one's diagnosis and prognosis. Research on partners' responses to a life threatening illness has predominantly focused on negative aspects stemming from the stressors of their role of caring for the patient together with distress and pathological outcomes from their experiences. What is less known is partners' capacity for resilience and adaptive responses to their loved one's illness. Adopting a salutogenic perspective, this thesis explored partners' responses to their loved one's life threatening illness acknowledging the potential for both positive and negative outcomes. Firstly, a review of the literature regarding partners' responses and outcomes to life threatening illnesses was undertaken to identify research deficits in this area to date. This analysis of existing literature highlighted the need for more balanced investigation of partners' responses, finding an overemphasis on pathogenic outcomes whilst largely neglecting experiences of resilience and adaptive responses in this population. Additionally, the need for more multi-method research design and use of objective physiological measures of adaptation was deemed warranted. Based on review recommendations, an exploration of both positive and negative pre, peri, and post trauma factors known to influence adaptation was conducted with partners identified as high or low in resilience in order to determine whether these groups could be differentiated on self-report, clinical interview of post-trauma symptomatology, and physiological measures of adaptation.
Study 1 explored pre trauma factors comprising optimism, mastery, and trauma history. Optimism was found to be the only factor which differentiated partners varying in their degree of resilience. High resilience partners reported greater optimism than partners identified as low in resilience. Partners' psychophysiological and psychological responses to illness related events (diagnoses, treatment, fear of recurrence) comprised the peri-traumatic exploration in Study 2. Against expectations, high and low resilience partners were unable to be differentiated in their responses on these measures. These results are the first to provide an objective measurement of partners peri-traumatic responses based on degree of resilience.
An exploration of partners post trauma responses considered the factors of coping style, social support, post-traumatic stress symptomatology, and other psychological symptoms. As anticipated, partners low in resilience scored significantly higher on all negative psychological symptoms measured than partners high in resilience. In line with expectations, a strong trend was found for high resilience partners to report greater satisfaction with the social support received from family and friends. Partners satisfaction with the support received from patients was found to be indistinguishable between the resilience groups. Against expectations and findings from previous studies, however, was a failure to differentiate low and high resilient partners by their coping styles.
This exploratory research reflects a novel examination of partners' responses with consideration to resilience in both positive and negative responses to their loved ones' illness. The presented series of studies have expanded existing knowledge regarding factors influenced by partners' resilience, and aided in identifying those struggling to adapt to the experience of their loved one's life threatening illness. In turn, findings from these studies emphasize the need for interventions to bolster resilience, optimism, and support in low resilient partners facing the challenges experienced in their loved one's life threatening illness. However, further research adopting similar intensive designs is warranted to determine whether the results of the current series of studies are replicated with larger scale samples.


Computational autopoiesisthe realization of autopoietic entities in computational mediaholds an important and distinctive role within the field of artificial life. Its earliest formulation by Francisco Varela, Humberto Maturana, and Ricardo Uribe was seminal in demonstrating the use of an artificial, computational medium to explore the most basic question of the abstract nature of living systemsover a decade in advance of the first Santa Fe Workshop on Artificial Life. The research program it originated has generated substantive demonstrations of progressively richer, lifelike phenomena. It has also sharply illuminated both conceptual and methodological problems in the field. This article provides an integrative overview of the sometimes disparate work in this area, and argues that computational autopoiesis continues to provide an effective framework for addressing key open problems in artificial life.


Laser Doppler (LDI) and laser speckle imaging (LSI) are two optical non-invasive techniques that are used to obtain 2D maps of blood flow in biological tissues. Each of these techniques has some benefits and drawbacks for measuring the blood flow. LSI is a true real-time imaging technique, but less sensitive to changes of flow parameters such as speed and concentration. In contrast, LDI has superior measurement accuracy but it is not a real-time technique. Recently we have developed a blood-flow imaging system that combines both imaging modalities with a gain in speed and accuracy. Using a single integrating CMOS image sensor for measuring both the Doppler signal spectrum and the image speckle contrast flow-map images are produced. In LDI mode, the flow map refresh rate is 1.2 seconds per 256x256 pixels image. In LSI mode the frame rate is 10 flow-map images per second. We present the basic design and in-vivo performance of this new hybrid imaging system. Subsequently, we discuss the potential of the new instrument for future implementations into clinical research.


I. OVERVIEW When the World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement was signed in Marrakesh in 1994, its new procedures for implementing dispute settlement rulings were widely praised as a decisive improvement over the procedures codified and practiced under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). The U.S. Statement of Administrative Action (SAA) accompanying the transmittal of the Uruguay Round Agreements Act (URAA) to the U.S. Congress characterized those improvements as follows: [C]ountries that bring successful challenges will be authorized to withdraw Uruguay Round trade benefits from the offending country if, after a reasonable period following adoption of the panel or Appellate Body report, the matter cannot be settled in a mutually satisfactory manner. These changes mean that when the United States brings a successful challenge against another government under the DSU, the United States will have improved leverage to insist that the defending government remedy its violation.(1) Today, as the WTO concludes its fifth year of operation, its dispute settlement implementation procedures (and the SAA assessment of them) are still being tested and debated. Thus far, only 26 of the 185 cases, or 14% of the total case load, that have gone to WTO dispute settlement(2) have even reached the point where the implementation procedures established under the Understanding on Rules and Procedures Governing the Settlement of Disputes (DSU) apply.(3) In fourteen of those, the offending member either fully implemented or agreed to implement in a manner acceptable to the winning party.(4) Six have led to non-compliance procedures,(5) and the remaining six are still awaiting either final implementation,(6) or the establishment or expiration of their "reasonable period of time" for implementation.(7) Because WTO rulings have been implemented to the satisfaction of the winning parties more often than not under the new WTO procedures, some may insist, on the basis of that record, that the implementation procedures function in an effective manner. The instances of non-compliance over the last year, however, have been divisive and well-publicized. Consequently, they have substantially undermined that view and raised questions about the adequacy of the current implementation rules and procedures. The disputes over non-compliance that have cast doubt on the system are principally those that have led to formal non-compliance action, which thus far have included EC--Bananas,(8) EC--Beef Hormones,(9) Australia--Salmon,(10) Australia--Leather,(11) Brazil--Export Financing Programme for Aircraft,(12) and Canada Measures Affecting the Export of Civilian Aircraft.(13) Because these more contentious cases have required fullest recourse to the new WTO implementation procedures, they offer the best barometer of what has worked under that system and what has not. Among the several lessons that can be derived from the noncompliance cases, one is that the existing DSU text contains obvious ambiguities and drafting oversights that need to be corrected. Another is that its implementation procedures, when used to their fullest extent, create an undesirably long timetable for the injured party. Still another is that improved incentives or sanctions are needed under the DSU to help achieve the WTO's implementation objective of "prompt compliance."(14) Beyond the reform guidance they offer, the non-conformity cases also raise more challenging questions about the future of the WTO system. They pose, in particular, the issue of whether the European Community (EC), the largest WTO member, will ever properly implement dispute settlement rulings, especially in the area of agriculture, and what it will imply for the system if it does not. More broadly still, the cases pose the question of whether the WTO, faced with a growing array of challenging cases--from U. …


This study focusses on the visual evaluation of the surface of Tencel/cotton blend fabrics throughout production and cleaning processes. The results showed that pilling increased with consecutive laundering and dry-cleaning processes. Entanglements were mostly observed during the tangling of fibrils on the laundered fabrics, while pills were formed by fibre entanglements in/on the dry-cleaned ones. More fibrils were observed on the abraded parts of fabric samples taken from the initial laundering cycles. No clear difference was observed between the broken fibre ends and surface appearance of the laundered and drycleaned fabrics. The crease recovery capability of the laundered fabrics appeared to be slightly below that of the finished fabric, while dry-cleaned fabrics had slightly better crease recovery properties than the laundered ones.


Real Time Control (RTC) has become an accepted technique for improving the performance of Urban Drainage Systems (UDS) due to its flexibility and sustainability. Numerous implementations of RTC have been reported during the last decades. At the same time, guideline documents and state-of-the-art reports have been published. Whereas the general aspects and challenges of planning and installation of RTC systems are well covered, there is a lack of information about the adequate equipment for RTC of UDS. After identifying and briefly discussing the basic components of RTC systems for UDS, this paper describes the specific components in detail. This comprises the introduction of available technologies for sensors, actuators, controllers and telemetry systems in the context of RTC and the discussion of their potential and limitations. Lessons learned from the field operational experiences and future trends and challenges are identified.


The flux distribution resulting from the light from an emitting surface being scattered by reflection from an irregular mirror surface is formulated. The particular case of the limb-darkened sun, a parabolic mirror, and a plane focal surface are analyzed using an example of geometrical scattering that occurs for thin metal optical surfaces possessing a show-through due to honeycomb backing. A matrix algorithm for computing the flux distribution is developed.


The competence of neurons to regenerate depends on their ability to initiate a program of gene expression supporting growth and on the growth-permissive properties of glial cells in the distal stump of the injured nerve. Most studies on intrinsic molecular mechanisms governing peripheral nerve regeneration have focussed on the lesion-induced expression of proteins promoting growth cone motility, neurite extension, and adhesion. However, little is known about the expression of intrinsic chemorepulsive proteins and their receptors, after peripheral nerve injury and during nerve regeneration. Here we report the effect of peripheral nerve injury on the expression of the genes encoding sema III/coll-1 and its receptor neuropilin-1, which are known to be expressed in adult sensory and/or motor neurons. We have shown that peripheral nerve crush or transection results in a decline in sema III/coll-1 mRNA expression in injured spinal and facial motor neurons. This decline was paralleled by an induction in the expression of the growth-associated protein B-50/GAP-43. As sema III/coll-1 returned to normal levels following nerve crush, B-50/GAP-43 returned to precrush levels. Thus, the decline in sema III/coll-1 mRNA coincided with sensory and motor neuron regeneration. A sustained decline in sema III/coll-1 mRNA expression was found when regeneration was blocked by nerve transection and ligation. No changes were observed in neuropilin-1 mRNA levels after injury to sensory and motor neurons, suggesting that regenerating peripheral neurons continue to be sensitive to sema III/coll-1. Therefore we propose that a decreased expression of sema III/coll-1, one of the major ligands for neuropilin-1, during peripheral nerve regeneration is an important molecular event that is part of the adaptive response related to the success of regenerative neurite outgrowth occurring following peripheral nerve injury.


1. In twenty-one tests in six subjects without, and three with, pancreatic disease, the maximum volume and bicarbonate output of the duodenal aspirate in response to intravenous infusion of pure 'GIH' secretin was significantly higher with 4 than with 2 units kg−1 h−1, and there was no consistent change in these outputs after 8 units kg−1 h−1. 2. The optimum maximum dose of secretin in man is probably 4 units kg−1 h−1.


Book synopsis: This edited volume reflects on the multitude of ways by which humans shape and are shaped by the natural world, and how Archaeology and its cognate disciplines recover this relationship. The structure and content of the book recognize Graeme Barker's pioneering contribution to the scientific study of human–environment interaction, and form a secondary dialectic between his many colleagues and past students and the academic vista which he has helped define. The volume comprises 22 thematic papers, arranged chronologically, each a presentation of front-line research in their respective fields. They mirror the scope of Barker's legacy through a focus on transitions in the human–environment relationship, how they are enacted and perceived. The assembled chapters illustrate how climate, demographic, subsistence, social and ecological change have affected cultures from the Palaeolithic to Historical, from North Africa and West-Central Eurasia to Southeast Asia and China. They also chronicle the innovations and renegotiated relations that communities have devised to meet and exploit the many shifting realities involved with Living in the Landscape.


This widely-used book presents a clear description and analysis of the major approaches and methods used in second and foreign language teaching. Methods and approaches covered include: grammar translation, the direct method, situational language teaching, the silent way, total physical response, the natural approach and suggestopedia.


As a part of this world's continuous evolution and technological advancements, smart materials and functional composites have become an attractive topic. In many cases, these new functional composites are replacing the traditional engineering material due to their customizable mechanical properties. This thesis analyzes and demonstrates the signal response, sensing capabilities and structural properties from Carbon/Glass Fiber Reinforced Plastic Composites (CFRP) with embedded Lead Zirconate Titanate particles (PZT). The added PZT particles function as actuators, giving the composites a functionality. The PZT quantity inside each composite was variated to study better and characterize the mechanical and electrical properties; the variations were of 0%, 5%, 10%, 15% and 20% of the total weight percentage. The functionality is then demonstrated by setting up custom pyroelectric and piezoelectric tests; the sensing capability is observed at the cost of some mechanical properties. The mechanical properties including strength, stiffness, toughness and density were obtained by applying the appropriate ASTM standards. The composites are fabricated using a modified autoclave molding procedure that adapts the vacuum bag method. The CFRP composite is composed of three woven glass fiber laminas sandwiched by three woven carbon fiber laminas on each side. The PZT wt.% is embedded onto the System 2000 resin that is used as the matrix. The thesis demonstrates that the CFRP composite with PZT powder gains a function at the cost of some mechanical properties. This obtained function categorizes the CFRP composites a functional material, also as the wt.% is increased a better sensing response is obtained but still at the cost of mechanical property decay. The functional composites created can be utilized in the fields of energy harvesting, temperature sensing, and structural health monitoring.


This article explores the origins of researcher development in British universities. Its principal aim is to provide a coherent, and reasonably succinct, account of the evolution and development of researcher development that is as consistent as possible with what is known about the
 development of the Western university, the history of the research doctorate and the emergence of the research university. The main conclusion is that the origins of researcher development in the modern university can be found in the philology of the early modern university, which in turn
 emerged from the accumulation of knowledge in Western Christendom from other places and other times. Other conclusions are that there was little researcher development in the medieval university, and that the 'traditional' model of researcher development, centred on the PhD, is much more recent
 than is commonly supposed, so that, from a long-term perspective, the 'traditional model' may be but one stage in its continuing development. The article also develops a model that locates researcher development within a series of intellectual contexts: from the research process itself, to
 the advancement of knowledge more generally, and, finally, to changes in conceptions of knowledge itself.


In many machine learning applications, it is necessary to meaningfully aggregate, through alignment, different but related datasets. Optimal transport (OT)-based approaches pose alignment as a divergence minimization problem: the aim is to transform a source dataset to match a target dataset using the Wasserstein distance as a divergence measure. We introduce a hierarchical formulation of OT which leverages clustered structure in data to improve alignment in noisy, ambiguous, or multimodal settings. To solve this numerically, we propose a distributed ADMM algorithm that also exploits the Sinkhorn distance, thus it has an efficient computational complexity that scales quadratically with the size of the largest cluster. When the transformation between two datasets is unitary, we provide performance guarantees that describe when and how well aligned cluster correspondences can be recovered with our formulation, as well as provide worst-case dataset geometry for such a strategy. We apply this method to synthetic datasets that model data as mixtures of low-rank Gaussians and study the impact that different geometric properties of the data have on alignment. Next, we applied our approach to a neural decoding application where the goal is to predict movement directions and instantaneous velocities from populations of neurons in the macaque primary motor cortex. Our results demonstrate that when clustered structure exists in datasets, and is consistent across trials or time points, a hierarchical alignment strategy that leverages such structure can provide significant improvements in cross-domain alignment.


Gorbachev's new thinking on superpower relations assumes that struggle between two opposing world systems no longer characterizes the present era. This second volume in the East-South Relations series explores the implications of Gorbachev's new thinking for regional conflicts. Because these conflicts jeopardize tranquil relations between the United States and the Soviet Union, they are perceived as contrary to the new spirit of global cooperation. This volume suggests that the accords on Southwest Africa may illustrate how the superpowers will resolve conflict, and shows how smaller powers may now have new roles cast for them by the superpowers. In 1975, Soviet-Cuban assistance to the Leninist-oriented Movement for the Popular Liberation of Angola (MPLA) was the first extensive Soviet-allied military intervention in the Third World. While the Soviet-backed Cubans propped up the MPLA, the South Africans intervened, on a smaller scale, in support of the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) under Jonas Savimbi. After 1985 UNITA began receiving United States support, and a military stalemate ensued. The contributors to this volume analyse how the Soviet Union and the United States used this stalemate to move the MPLA, Cuba and South Africa to settle not only their differences, but also the vexing question of the Independence of Namibia. Central issues explored are how and why South Africa and Cuba got into the Angolan arena, why they stayed so long, and why they saw fit to get out. While the authors differ on the forces at work, their debate is itself enlightening, and offers valuable insights into the policy options of regional powers. The contributors also review further steps, beyond military disengagement, needed to finally resolve the Angolan civil war, and ensure regional stability. They assess the potential for breakdown of the accords, and the likely consequences should this occur. "Disengagement from Southwest Africa "will interest policymakers and researchers concerned with developments in southern Africa and Cuba, and with relations between the superpowers.


We address the cost-efficient operation of an energy production system under renewables uncertainty. We develop an MDP model for an idealized system with the following features: (1) perfectly predictable power demand, (2) a renewable power source subject to uncertain forecast, (3) limited energy storage, (4) an unlimited fast-ramping power source, and (5) a slow-ramping power source which requires (optimal) planning. A finite-horizon stochastic optimization problem is introduced to minimize the overall cost of operating the system, and then solved numerically using standard approaches (based on backward induction) and available data. In contrast with the unit commitment problem which is traditionally optimized for a single planning frame, we show in simple scenarios that it may be beneficial to optimize over a few planning frames, and that there is no benefit to considering longer (e.g., infinite) horizons. We discretize the state space in an attempt to mitigate the curse of dimensionality usually associated with numerically solving MDPs. We note that few discretization states already yield a significant decrease in the total cost.


In recent years the use of computer-generated slides to accompany live presentation has become increasingly common. There is a potential for using computer graphics to increase the effectiveness of this type of presentation. The hardware for generating and projecting complex scenes and animation is in place, yet few efforts have been made in creating software to fully utilize these capabilities.
This dissertation presents a system, called SLITHY, for giving live presentations accompanied by rich animated slides. This system has been developed and refined through several iterations of creating animated talks, then trying to simplify the authoring process by improving the system itself. We show some examples of presentations we've created with the system, as well as some from outside users who have used our system to present their own work.
As we repeated the design cycle, we were also learning what types of animation were best suited for use in presentation. In this work we summarize our accumulated experience as a set of presentation animation principles. It is certainly possible to use animation poorly, but we believe that having a set of broadly applicable guidelines can assist presentation authors in applying these new tools in ways that enhance rather than detract from their subject matter.


Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine are three participating states of the European Partnership that have chosen to conclude Association Agreements with the European Union, often at the expense of relations with their most powerful neighbour, Russia. They are also rather similar in their levels of democratic development. Within a post-Soviet space, they stand out for their relatively high level of democratic freedoms and political pluralism; none of them, however, can be considered a consolidated democracy, and most analysts describe them as uncertain or hybrid political regimes that combine features of autocracy and democracy. This paper offers a comparative analysis of the three countries' political systems and aims to interpret both the roots of their relative success, and the nature of the deficits that prevent them from consolidating their democratic institutions. Among these deficits are problems stemming from ethnic, regional and cultural conflicts; strong and weak features in their general constitutional systems; the links between democratic development and government capacity to produce public goods; state capture (including control over the most influential media organisations) by powerful oligarchs and endemic corruption; underdevelopment of political parties and party systems; insufficient trust towards institutions of electoral democracy and a resulting propensity to use extra-constitutional means of political struggle. Civil society organisations have also failed penetrate the wider public and the anti-liberal discourse of traditionally dominant churches and anti-Western media and civil society groups is often supported by Russia. Despite these structural challenges, the commitment to European values and norms demonstrated by societies in these three countries gives hope that they can eventually consolidate their democratic institutions. It is argued that closer ties to the EU are important in explaining their relatively high level of democratic development. For this reason, the consistent and enhanced commitment of the European Union to this region is crucial to their continued success in this area.


Background Although palliative care is an important public healthcare issue worldwide, the current situation in the Asia-Pacific region has not been systematically evaluated. Objectives This survey aimed to clarify the current status of palliative care in the Asia-Pacific region. Methods Questionnaires were sent to a representative physician of each member country/region of the Asia Pacific Hospice Palliative Care Network (APHN). The questionnaire examined palliative care service provision, information regarding physician certification in palliative care, the availability of essential drugs for palliative care listed by the International Association for Hospice and Palliative Care (IAHPC) and the regulation of opioid-prescribing practice. Results Of the 14 member countries/regions of the APHN, 12 (86%) responded. Some form of specialist palliative care services had developed in all the responding countries/regions. Eight member countries/regions had physician certifications for palliative care. Most essential drugs for palliative care listed by the IAHPC were available, whereas hydromorphone, oxycodone and transmucosal fentanyl were unavailable in most countries/regions. Six member countries/regions required permission to prescribe and receive opioids. Conclusions The development of palliative care is in different stages across the surveyed countries/regions in the Asia-Pacific region. Data from this survey can be used as baseline data for monitoring the development of palliative care in this region.


The idea of prefiguration is widely assumed to derive from anarchist discourse; it involves experimenting with currently available means in such a way that they come to mirror or actualise the political ideals that inform a movement, thus collapsing the traditional distinction between means and ends. Practically all the literature on prefiguration has so far focused on structural, organisational and interactional issues – specifically, how activist communities attempt to create in their own interactions and in the way they organise their work the kind of society they envision: non-hierarchical, non-representational, inclusive, respectful of diversity. This article explores the extent to which volunteer subtitling undertaken by disparate individuals for collectives connected with the Egyptian Revolution supports or undermines the prefigurative agendas of these collectives. In doing so, it tentatively extends the current definition of prefiguration to encompass textual, visual and aesthetic practices that prefigure activist principles and actualise them in the present, focusing in particular on the level of experimentation involved in such practices.


Paradata are a valuable source of information to better understand the response process and to determine how the data collection processes can be improved. Currently, a debate is ongoing in academia and in the professional associations of market, opinion, and social research concerning the need to inform respondents about the collection and use of their web paradata. Unfortunately, research is lacking on the design of informed consent for web paradata use and its possible consequences for respondents' willingness to share their paradata, completion of a survey, and response behavior. The aim of this study is to provide guidance to the survey practitioner on the optimal design of informed consent for web paradata use based on experimental evidence.


ABSTRACT Despite Russia's increasing clout and assertiveness in its region, Turkey has chosen to improve its relations with Russia, rather than balance against it through its Western allies. Turkey's unexpected strategic partnership with Russia is best seen as an example of bandwagoning for profit. It is an assertive bandwagoning with the objective of countering Kurdish separatism, an imminent problem in the Turkish ruling elite's ranking of threat perceptions. The empowerment of Syrian Kurdish groups under the protection of the United States has moved Turkey closer to Russia. A long-term alliance between the two, however, depends on reconciliation of their differences which are deeply rooted in historical and geo-political factors.


Public concern resulting from unconventional coal seam gas (CSG) exploration and production has become a contentious planning issue in regional Australia, with public concern drawing attention to government planning obligations. To assist Lismore City Council (Northern New South Wales) in its deliberations on the topic, a referendum-style poll on the issue of CSG industry development was held in conjunction with the local government elections of September 2012. The poll question, 'Do you support CSG exploration and production in the Lismore City Council area?', elicited a poll response rate of 97% of eligible voters, of which 87% voted 'no'. This paper reports the results of an exit poll survey using the Theory of Planned Behaviour to frame motivations behind the poll result, and examines the role of the poll and exit poll survey in providing a process of deliberative democracy in the context of the CSG debate. Key details highlighted by the results were that non-supporters of CSG exploration were primarily concerned about water quality, while supporters saw the primary benefit being regional employment. Emerging themes of this study are the need for more independent research on potential risks and benefits of CSG developments, increase in institutional transparency, and the development of renewable alternatives. The study concludes that the principles of deliberative democracy involved in the Lismore City Council poll and subsequent exit poll survey have provided an opportunity for a more open discussion and genuine discourse within the CSG debate.