After the II World War, literary anthology has become one of the most important means of representing Ukrainian literature, and it has changed depending on the definition and redefinition of the writer's status. In the meantime, in the Soviet literature under the supervision of the Academy of Sciences, there appear multi-volume editions constructing the figure of the writer as a participant in the socialist reorganization of reality, emigration anthologies develop the myth of the writer as the creator of the textual world, becoming a new "common place" for the entire cultural community. Literary anthologies published after the collapse of the USSR (whose number has grown manyfold) reflect all the problems of transforming the identity of the author from the prophet to the player in an uncertain reality, as well as various models of mythologizing creativity from romanticism to postmodernism. In this context, the change in the genre of anthology becomes especially noticeable; it gradually moves from the collection to the project. On the one hand, commercialization of literature in market conditions and the transformation of the writer into a "producer" of textual goods are visible. On the other hand, next to the classic writer who, in a manner recognized by readers, represents aesthetic values, there emerges the figure of a writer as a public intellectual who undertakes the challenge of creating new meanings and new forms of expression on current issues.


Most work in automatic facial expression analysis seeks to detect discrete facial actions. Yet, the meaning and function of facial actions often depends in part on their intensity. We propose a part-based, sparse representation for automated measurement of continuous variation in AU intensity. We evaluated its effectiveness in two publically available databases, CK+ and the soon to be released Binghamton high-resolution spontaneous 3D dyadic facial expression database. The former consists of posed facial expressions and ordinal level intensity (absent, low, and high). The latter consists of spontaneous facial expression in response to diverse, well-validated emotion inductions, and 6 ordinal levels of AU intensity. In a preliminary test, we started from discrete emotion labels and ordinal-scale intensity annotation in the CK+ dataset. The algorithm achieved state-of-the-art performance. These preliminary results supported the utility of the part-based, sparse representation. Second, we applied the algorithm to the more demanding task of continuous AU intensity estimation in spontaneous facial behavior in the Binghamton database. Manual 6-point ordinal coding and continuous measurement were highly consistent. Visual analysis of the overlay of continuous measurement by the algorithm and manual ordinal coding strongly supported the representational power of the proposed method to smoothly interpolate across the full range of AU intensity.


Few areas of Australian public policy have undergone such rapid change as vocational education and training (VET) in recent years. The introduction of private provision, known as 'contestability', has radically reshaped the VET sector. Contestability was first embraced in Victoria in 2009 in response to a widespread skills shortage, with other states since following suit. The objectives of contestability were to increase the supply of qualified trainees, while attracting greater private investment and improving quality through competition. In a 2008 paper, Per Capita called for a new market design in vocational training based on contestability (Cooney, 2008). Now, five years on, we evaluate the experience of contestability in Victoria against its original objectives. We find that it has succeeded in one of its primary goals: dramatically lifting the supply of new trainees. However, there have been unexpected and damaging consequences elsewhere. The 'uncapping' of the market has led to a bubble which has resulted in a $300m p.a. blow-out in public spending on VET. This type of bubble is common in sectors where public funds are newly made available to private providers – employment services and household solar energy systems are two recent examples. A related feature of such bubbles is that new entrants offer variable quality. In the case of VET, employer groups report falling confidence in the quality of skills delivered by the training system. The response of the Victorian Government to the blow-out has been to cut back annual spending by around $300m; these cuts have fallen largely on TAFEs, the traditional public training providers. We believe this is a detrimental step as it undermines TAFEs' ability to deliver their statutory community service obligations which assist disadvantaged and disabled students. In addition, it weakens the financial viability of TAFEs, which is particularly concerning in thin regional markets poorly serviced by private training providers. Taken together, this is an unacceptable state of affairs. For the economic and social health of Australia, it is critical that we get this system of human capital investment right. While it is commendable that supply has increased and government has reined in overspending, Australia cannot afford to settle for declining quality in its training sector and the dilution of the distinctive community services offered by TAFEs. To address this situation, this report proposes four principles that should underpin the next stage in the market design of the VET sector in Victoria. First, we recommend the retention of uncapped public subsidies in skills shortage areas only. Capping should be returned in other areas. Secondly, we call for a streamlined subsidy structure which removes the extraordinary complexity of the current regime and delivers the highest subsidy to skills shortage areas courses. Thirdly, we demand the reinstatement of dedicated public funding to TAFEs to allow them to deliver their community service obligations. This could be paid for by tightening eligibility for Recognition of Prior Learning programs and foundational courses. Finally, we call for an independent Ombudsman to oversee the regulation of the sector. This role would replace the current undesirable structure in which government acts as purchaser, provider and regulator. We are confident these principles offer a sustainable, high quality future for the VET sector, both in Victoria and in the other states currently redesigning their training provision. Australian trainees and their employers deserve nothing less.


We study the impact of SEC enforcement on information leakage by corporate insiders. We find, for the first time, that SEC enforcement has a significant and immediate deterrent effect on insider leakage. Furthermore, enforcement actions undertaken after a long period of SEC enforcement inactivity display a more significant effect on leakage, consistent with predictions that insiders adapt their behavior depending on how active they perceive the regulator to be. We also study SEC escalations in sanctioning and find that they have a particularly notable deterrent effect, changing insider leakage behavior for approximately 24 months. Our results suggest that capital markets regulators need to intervene on a regular basis in order to maintain deterrence of undesirable behavior.


Message passing is the core of most graph models such as Graph Convolutional Network (GCN) and Label Propagation (LP), which usually require a large number of clean labeled data to smooth out the neighborhood over the graph. However, the labeling process can be tedious, costly, and error-prone in practice. In this paper, we propose to unify active learning (AL) and message passing towards minimizing labeling costs, e.g., making use of few and unreliable labels that can be obtained cheaply. We make two contributions towards that end. First, we open up a perspective by drawing a connection between AL enforcing message passing and social influence maximization, ensuring that the selected samples effectively improve the model performance. Second, we propose an extension to the influence model that incorporates an explicit quality factor to model label noise. In this way, we derive a fundamentally new AL selection criterion for GCN and LP--reliable influence maximization (RIM)--by considering quantity and quality of influence simultaneously. Empirical studies on public datasets show that RIM significantly outperforms current AL methods in terms of accuracy and efficiency.


Escaping the Time/Pitch Matrix: Teaching contemporary music practices to university students from a popular music background

Standard music notation attempts to give a comprehensive account of music by conceiving of a matrix of (i) metric rhythms and (ii) scales drawn from the chromatic scale, along with additional symbols signifying (iii) the dynamics and articulation. This pitch-time lattice, as it has been called by Trevor Wishart, is a system well designed to describe note-based music but it is insufficient to describe the full range of contemporary vocal and instrumental music (let alone music beyond these boundaries), and yet there persists an historical and mainstream subscription to teaching music firstly by introducing pulse, meter and metric rhythms, and then adding melody, counterpoint and harmony. Once these two parameters have been dealt with, possibly with brief attention paid to dynamics and timbre, the teaching ends or moves beyond consideration of musical parameters into matters of structure, concept or genre.

Whilst academic books for undergraduates can be very useful in providing contextual references, the teaching approaches from these books assume either classical music background with a focus on notation and note-based music, or a popular song background with a focus on song-writing and production. A different approach is here recommended if the use of musical parameters from a broader variety of contemporary music is to be studied. This paper is focused on music composition pedagogy regarding university students primarily from a popular music background and at the start of their undergraduate experience. It seeks to offer a model for best preparing these students to innovate within their vocal and instrumental music composition.

It does this through description of one of the composition strands developed over a number of years for the Music course at the University of Central Lancashire and measuring it against Lupton and Bruce's composition pedagogical model and its four themes – Learning from the masters, Mastery of techniques, Exploring ideas, and Developing voice. Although originally structured around a study of Time, Pitch and Articulation, in its current form, students on this module spend the first seven weeks working through the topics of Loops, Scales, Voice, Drones, Points and Noise. The six introductory sessions comprise short lectures, audio examples, discussions and practical exercises and each lead to short pieces of music composed by groups of 4-6 students in response to the topics presented. The Loops and Scales sessions promote inventiveness within the lattice. Freed from the obligation to focus within a session on any one musical parameter, the Drones, Noise and Points sessions allow students to consider how the examples played and the pieces produced in workshop use time, pitch, timbre, texture and dynamics to achieve their different effects. The Voice session takes as its primary aim the acknowledgement that although singing is the obvious way of fitting within the pitch-duration lattice, the voice has a far greater repertoire than that and a wide variety of examples are used to demonstrate how any vocal technique is a viable means to generate musical material.


Other copy "Every open-minded conservative investor should read this book."-Lawrence G. McMillan, author of Options as a Strategic Investment"The author's option trading guidelines include important issues often overlooked by investors. Attention conservative investors! Michael Thomsett's Options Trading for the Conservative Investor has hit a bulls eye...for you!"-Marty Kearney, The Options Institute, Chicago Board Options Exchange"Michael Thomsett has done a terrific job of showing how a conservative investor can use certain option strategies to his advantage. He spells out how that investor can utilize options to provide income, to protect stock holdings, or even as a substitute for stock itself. Every open-minded conservative investor should read this book."-Lawrence G. McMillan; publisher, The Options Strategist newsletter; president, McMillan Analysis Corporation; author, Options as a Strategic Investment"This book is a must for the diligent investor. Perfectly timed for these uncertain markets, Michael Thomsett provides a lucid guide for how to approach options trading conservatively, yet also focuses on the fundamental need for good returns and provides real examples throughout."-Guy Cohen; author of The Bible of Options Strategies and creator of OptionEasy (www.optioneasy.com)If you're an investor concerned with preserving capital, maximizing predictability, and maintaining consistently strong returns, your best solution just might surprise you: Options. In Options Trading for the Conservative Investor, Michael C. Thomsett reveals a narrow band of options strategies that can help you improve results as you systematically reduce unnecessary risk throughout your portfolio.Thomsett, author of the global best-seller Getting Started in Options, writes in simple, nontechnical language, uses real examples, and guides you through every strategy-one easy step at a time. He's made this book simple and visual enough for any experienced investor to use, even if they have no experience trading options. Thomsett is also the author of Stock Profits: Getting to the Core (Financial Times-Prentice Hall 2004), The Leaps Strategist (Marketplace Books 2004), and Investment and Securities Dictionary (McFarland & Company 1986).Thomsett systematically covers several options strategies optimized for conservative investors, including covered call writing on carefully selected stocks, contingent purchase strategies, and powerful "combination" strategies that produce cash to bolster current income. No matter how cautious an investor you are, this book will give you powerful new tools for achieving your financial goals-without losing a moment of sleep. Fundamental ground rules for conservative options investors What you should know and believe before you get started How options fit into your conservative trading strategy Deciding what stocks to buy or sell options on-and what to avoid Examples and case studies based on an actual model portfolio Practical guidance for leveraging each strategy with your own portfolio Practical "rescue" strategies Recovering your investments when market values have fallen How to take profits without selling stock Step-by-step techniques based on long puts and short callsImprove Returns-Without Added Risk! Easy, step-by-step options strategies for increasing income and protecting capital Preserving your spending power after inflation and taxes Avoiding unacceptable market, liquidity, and diversification risks Protecting your profits without losing invested positions No options experience necessary! By Michael C. Thomsett, author of the worldwide best-seller Getting Started in Options, 6th Edition (John Wiley & Sons 2005)The world's #1 options author has written the definitive options guide for conservative investors! One step at a time, you'll discover how to use options to increase yields, reduce risks, protect existing positions, and ride safely through any market down cycle. Want double-digit returns without heart-pounding risk? Here are the options you've been searching for!© Copyright Pearson Education. All rights reserved.


Spectral interferences to Raman bands due to laser-induced fluorescence are examined in exhaust gases from an internal combustion engine operating on different fuels and fuel/air mixtures. A broadband fluorescence spectrum is observed in all cases, but the relative fluorescence intensity depends strongly on the particular engine operating condition. Elimination of the fluorescence background by various exhaust conditioning devices confirmed the fact that aerosols of hydrocarbons or other organic compounds are the principal source.


Recent decisions have suggested a possible degree of support amongst the Irish judiciary for suspended declarations of invalidity. It has been argued (notably in Canada by Peter Hogg and Alison Bushell) that the suspended declaration is an aspect of what they characterise as a dialogical relationship between the courts and the elected branches of government. However, the notion of judicial review as dialogue is criticised by other such as Christopher Manfredi and James Kelly.It is argued here that the suspended declaration might more appropriately be regarded as reflective of a relationship of collaborative constitutionalism.Having considered arguments from institutional capacity and constitutional theory, it would appear that the adoption of the suspended declaration of invalidity as a remedy by the Irish courts may bring substantial benefits. The suspended declaration of invalidity is a remedy which would allow the courts to move beyond a binary choice between declaring a measure to be valid or invalid and develop a more carefully calibrated response in those limited situations where the preservation in force of an unconstitutional law is preferable to the legal discontinuity that would otherwise result.The piece concludes by considering what criteria might be used to identify when a suspended declaration is appropriate. It suggests that the Canadian jurisprudence on this issue is unduly strict and that the Irish courts should favour a more expansive approach.


The overall performance of watershed development programmes has been examined in the state of Tamil Nadu. The impacts of major watershed development programmes have been outlined in terms of biophysical impacts, environmental impacts, socio-economic impacts and overall economic impacts. It is pointed out that the watershed development activities have made significant positive impacts on various biophysical aspects such as soil and water conservation, soil fertility, soil and water erosion in cropped area, changes in cropping pattern, cropping intensity, production and productivity of crops. Watershed development activities have shown significant positive impacts on water table, perenniality of water in wells, water availability for cattle and other domestic uses, etc. The overall economic impacts have been evaluated in terms of NPV, IRR and BCR. The peoples' participation in watershed development activities has been found satisfactory but the optimal level is yet to be achieved. Training of farmers has been found effective in disseminating technical knowledge. According to the study, the future strategy should be the movement towards a balanced approach of matching the supply-driven menu with a set of demand-driven activities. Peoples' participation, involvement of Panchayati Raj Institutions, local user groups and NGOs along side institutional support from different levels, viz. the Union Government, the state, the district and block levels should be ensured to make the programme more participatory, interactive and cost-effective. Convergence of various rural development programmes around the watershed could be ensured to promote holistic development of watersheds. For its continued success, the programme, should be economically efficient, financially viable, technically feasible and socially acceptable while ensuring equity. For, sustainable development, regular and routine monitoring of environmental parameters is important as environmental enhancement increases the credibility and acceptability of the programme.


Here, secondary crystallization kinetics of high induction, low loss HTX002-type nanocompositealloys with the compositions (Fe65Co35)79.5+xB13Nb4−xSi2Cu1.5 (x = 0-4) and (Fe65Co35)83B10Nb4Si2Cu1 are reported. The magnetization of the alloys was measured through the thermal cycle of 50 °C-700 °C-300 °C-800 °C-300 °C-900 °C-200 °C by vibrating sample magnetometry. In (Fe65Co35)79.5+xB13Nb4−xSi2Cu1.5alloys, the stability of the (Fe,Co,Nb)23B6 (23-6) phase is increased with increasing Nb content. In the x = 4 alloy, (Fe,Nb)2B is the only secondary crystalline phase to form, demonstrating that Nb is necessary for the 23-6 phase to form. The (Fe65Co35)83B10Nb4Si2Cu1alloy forms the 23-6 phase more readily than the x = 0 alloy, likely due to the lower B content. The kinetics of secondary crystallization are important to assess long-term ageing effects on the metastable microstructure at elevated temperatures.


Low rank matrix recovery has shown its importance as a theoretic foundation in many areas of information processing. Its solutions are usually obtained in batch mode that requires to load all the data into memory during processing, and thus are hardly applicable on large scale data. Moreover, a fraction of data may be severely contaminated by outliers, which makes accurate recovery significantly more challenging. This paper proposes a novel online robust low rank matrix recovery method to address these difficulties. In particular, we first introduce an online algorithm to solve the problem of low rank matrix completion. Then we move on to low rank matrix recovery from observations with intensive outliers. The outlier support is robustly estimated from a perspective of mixture model. Experiments on both synthetic and real data are conducted to demonstrate the efficacy of our method and show its superior performance over the state-of-the-arts.


The subject of this work is the nature and significance of belonging and its intersection with human identity and being in the world. Its main impetus is towards addressing the
question of belonging as it arises in present day Australia, where, in connection with
national identity, it remains a highly politicized and contested issue. The telling of stories
about Australian belongings not only provides insights into the shape and complexity of
the contemporary Australian debate, but also serves to illustrate how, in the presentation
of belonging as having multiple and competing manifestations, what it is to belong per se
is rendered indistinct. This exemplifies the key problem where belonging is concerned.
While belonging is invoked as an issue of crucial existential concern in public discourse
and across a broad range of disciplines, there is an apparent and troubling lack of
conceptual or linguistic apparatus according to which the notion can be grasped and
critically analysed. The object of this work is to explore and redress this problematic
situation. Clearly, consideration of belonging also involves identity and consideration of
how these two concepts are articulated together in theory. This latter question is explored
by surveying the theoretical and conceptual frameworks from which 'senses' of identity
and belonging commonly articulated in Australian discourses (and elsewhere) appear to
have evolved. What is discovered, however, is the inability of these models, which
operate on the assumption that belonging is a product of the relation of a person, or
people, to something else (society, history or environment) to encapsulate logic capable
of supporting the key premise. If we accept that what is at stake in the question of
belonging is our identity as persons (and this is also what almost all theoretical models
suggest), then looking outside of the self to something else for belonging will not do.
What is needed to properly articulate belonging is a model that presents a relational
account of being in the world and an ontological structure that allows us to see belonging
from the inside, so to speak. Although humanistic geography (what is referred to here as
the 'geographical school' of phenomenological inquiry) promises both, it is shown how
research of this genre is necessarily constrained by its methodology. There is more to
being 'inside' a place than knowing it. The phenomenological account must be folded
back in order to disclose its ontological core. It is here that the work of a small number of
key figures developing a Philosophy of 'Place' (and the Heideggerian notions it brings
with it) has been crucial. Place in these terms is understood as a primary ontological
structure that gathers and holds together those things—social, historical and physical—
that belong to it. By turning the ontology of place inside-out, we are able to see clearly
that people are also gatherers and holders of place. The belonging relation that pertains
within place is somehow also within the self. The belonging self can now be understood
in its own terms—as an ontological structure that is capable of drawing together and
unifying the different elements that belong properly to it. Such an ontology of the self is
found in the work of Kierkegaard, and from that is drawn the theory of belonging qua
correct relation. Belonging qua correct relation represents an entirely new way of
understanding, in existential terms, what it is to belong (or not), not only in the Australian
context, but wherever and whenever the question arises.


Abstract Heat losses, heat remnants, and solidified layer thickness were calculated using a single-sphere film-boiling model. Debris particles of the quenched TROI (Test for Real cOrium Interaction with water) experiments were the target of analyses. The single-sphere film-boiling model can provide the order of triggerability and exponential potential at fuel-coolant interactions of various melt materials. For the triggerability, a system with a small particle size and large thermal conductivity induces a larger heat loss and a more voided mixture, which means a less triggered system. The explosion potentials are dependent not upon the triggerability but upon the heat contents of the mixture melt particles that can participate in a steam explosion. The calculated solidified layer thickness ratio to the radius of the melt particle, defined as a fragility factor of a melt particle in this paper, also maintained consistency with the order of triggerability and was evaluated by the heat loss. The breakup sizes for various melt materials were analyzed with several types of breakup models. A dynamic breakup model to deal with transient velocities can explain the different breakup sizes of various melt materials.


Disruptive luxury is a recent addition to the lexicon of luxury. Understood as both a practical and philosophical antidote to luxury's entrenched patterns of production and consumption, the term disruptive is proving to be as indeterminate as the word luxury itself, with its complex historical and cultural formations. This article will briefly explore some of the possible meanings of disruptive luxury, before focusing on new technology, especially rapid prototyping or 3-D printing, as a possible route to luxury's disruption. Utilizing a fashion spread from American Vogue of 1977 to bring into focus the traditional alliance between the luxury trades and new technology, the article will then explore the cultural, economic, and aesthetic similarities between the current "gilded age" of luxury consumption and the art nouveau designers and clientele of the belle epoque and ask whether established luxury will even notice, let alone "feel the force" of, the disruption.


This thesis describes an investigation of feedback processes during Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) second language writing classes. The research explored the various feedback methods used for VCE second language students' writing; the findings suggest possible effective feedback methods that effectively develop and maintain students' writing skills. My research was based on the premise that the "voice" of students is vital to both the analysis and discussion of specific feedback methods and how these are valued in their writing. I reviewed feedback methods and sought to document and identify the benefits of feedback on students' writing compositions. Existing literature indicates that feedback is a consequence of performance on tasks. The function of feedback is based around three important questions: Where am I going? How am I going? Where to next? (Hattie, 2009, p. 177). Students and teachers seek answers to those three questions in any feedback process; it is with these answers that they are able to create a productive and effective learning environment. Recent research points to levels and steps that can be used to answer the three feedback questions. These steps are in accordance with Hattie's (2009) well-known study in the field. The first, 'Task' level, relates to how well tasks are understood by the learner. The 'Process' level links understanding of the effective process needed to understand. The third level, 'Self-regulation' or 'Self-monitoring', involves modifying and adapting learner skills towards actions and self; this also involves the level and skill of personal evaluation. The research question at the heart of this thesis is: how does Hattie's feedback model translate into actual feedback processes commonly used for VCE second language writing? What are VCE students' perceptions and understandings of the most effective feedback strategies on second language writing tasks? My study involved the analysis of responses from students in their last year of secondary education studying Chinese, French and Japanese as second languages. A mixed methods research design involving surveys and semi-structured interviews was used to collect data.


Intraocular pressure (IOP) and tear production are commonly affected by general anaesthesia. It is necessary to have a good control of both to guarantee successful ophthalmic surgery. The purpose of this research was to evaluate if the protocol based on the administration of morphine-alfaxalone-midazolam as premedication, alfaxalone as induction and sevoflurane as maintenance, can induce changes on IOP and Schirmer's tear test (STT-1) in healthy dogs. Twenty-two adult mixed-breed dogs scheduled for an ovariohysterectomy were enrolled for the study. IOP and STT-1 were registered at baseline (T0), 5 minutes (T1), 10 minutes (T2) and 15 minutes (T3) after premedication with a morphine-alfaxalone-midazolam combination; 5 minutes (T4) after induction with alfaxalone and 15 minutes (T5) and 25 minutes (T6) after maintenance with sevoflurane. A one-way analysis of variance was performed to analyse the difference between IOP and STT-1 over time, respectively. The present study shows a slightly statistically significant increase in IOP (P<0.05) after premedication, induction and maintenance that can be associated with this anaesthetic protocol. STT-1 showed a statistically significant reduction during all the procedures (P<0.001). These results should be taken into consideration, especially in dogs with damaged corneas, in those predisposed to glaucoma and in those due to undergo intraocular surgery. Ocular lubrication is necessary if this protocol is used.


Abstract A 20-year-old patient presented to the emergency service with radial distal epiphysis after a minor trauma. The radiological examination indicated a fracture at the radial distal epiphysis on the background of a tumor that occupied the radial epiphysis in its entirety, with cortical burglary in some places. When consulting the oncologist, a surgical intervention for biopsy material harvesting was performed. The anatomopathological exam showed: multiple fragments microscopically representing a tumor proliferation consisting of two cell populations, mononuclear cells, densely cellular and strobe pattern; areas of infarction, haemorrhage areas, rare intratumoral osteoid formation zones; appearance of giant cell tumor. The immunohistochemical examination confirmed the anatomopathological diagnosis adding, therefore, the aggressive character and the local relapse. The oncologist decided that it did not require oncology treatment but only orthopedic treatment. Orthopedic treatment required repeated surgery at intervals of about 5 months apart, caused by tumor recurrence. The first intervention consisted of 1/ 3 distal radius resection and replacement with a graft harvested from the peroneum. Tumor recurrence after 5 months required extirpation of tumor tissue and filling of caries caused in the graft with a fluid bone substitute. Recurrence after another 5 months required removal of the graft that was invaded by the tumor and cubitusmetacarpal arthrodesis fixed with a screw plate. Currently, the patient is undergoing complementary oncology treatment finally initiated by a medical oncologist.


Emulab is a large-scale, remotely-accessible network and distributed systems testbed used by over a thousand researchers around the world. In Emulab, users create "experiments" composed of arbitrarily interconnected groups of dedicated machines that are automatically configured according to user specifications. In the last year alone, users have run over 18,000 such experiments, expecting consistent and correct behavior in the face of the ever-evolving 500,000 line code base and 3,000 discrete hardware components that comprise Emulab. We have found normal testing to be insufficient to meet these expectations and have therefore provided continuous, automatic validation. This paper describes Linktest, an integral part of our validation framework that is responsible for end-to-end validation during the configuration of every experiment. Developing and deploying such a validation approach faces numerous challenges, including the need for a code path entirely independent of the rest of the Emulab software. We describe our system's motivation, its design and implementation and our experience.


This data set contains the sea floor topographic contours, sun-illuminated topographic imagery, and backscatter intensity generated from a multibeam sonar survey of the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary region off Boston, Massachusetts, an area of approximately 1100 square nautical miles. The Stellwagen Bank NMS Mapping Project is designed to provide detailed maps of the Stellwagen Bank region's environments and habitats and the first complete multibeam topographic and sea floor characterization maps of a significant region of the shallow EEZ. Data were collected on four cruises over a two year period from the fall of 1994 to the fall of 1996. The surveys were conducted aboard the Candian Hydrographic Service vessel Frederick G. Creed, a SWATH (Small Waterplane Twin Hull) ship that surveys at speeds of 16 knots. The multibeam data were collected utilizing a Simrad Subsea EM 1000 Multibeam Echo Sounder (95 kHz) that is permanently installed in the hull of the Creed.


Since the end of the Mexican Revolution in 1917, the state has engaged in vigorous campaign to forge a unified national identity. Within the context of this effort, Indians are at once both denigrated and romanticized. Often marginalized, they are nonetheless subjects of constant national interest. Contradictory policies highlighting segregation, assimilation, modernization, and cultural preservation have alternately included and excluded Mexico's indigenous population from the state's self-conscious efforts to shape its identity. Yet, until now, no single book has combined the various elements of this process to provide a comprehensive look at the Indian in Mexico's cultural imagination. Indigeneity in the Mexican Cultural Imagination offers a much-needed examination of this fickle relationship as it is seen through literature, ethnography, film and art. The book focuses on representations of indigenous peoples in post-revolutionary literary and intellectual history by examining key cultural texts. Using these analyses as a foundation, Analisa Taylor links her critique to national Indian policy, rights, and recent social movements in Southern Mexico. In addition, she moves beyond her analysis of indigenous peoples in general to take a gendered look at indigenous women ranging from the villainized Malinche to the highly romanticized and sexualized Zapotec women of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. The contradictory treatment of the Indian in Mexico's cultural imagination is not unique to that country alone. Rather, the situation there is representative of a phenomenon seen throughout the world. Though this book addresses indigeneity in Mexico specifically, it has far-reaching implications for the study of indigenaety across Latin America and beyond. Much like the late Edward Said's Orientalism, this book provides a glimpse at the very real effects of literary and intellectual discourse on those living in the margins of society. This book's interdisciplinary approach makes it an essential foundation for research in the fields of anthropology, history, literary critique, sociology, and cultural studies. While the book is ideal for a scholarly audience, the accessible writing and scope of the analysis make it of interest to lay audiences as well. It is a must-read for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the politics of indigeneity in Mexico and beyond.


Excerpt] This research project commenced initially in August 2002 and was initiated by the Disability Cluster Group – a network of local disability groups and service-providers, facilitated by the Bray Partnership. The Disability Cluster Group established a Disability Research Steering Committee for the project which, in turn, employed 80:20 Educating and Acting for a Better World – a non-governmental development education organisation – to undertake the research. The core objective of the work is to explore and move forward the agenda relating to direct payments in the East Coast Area Health Board (ECAHB). This is primarily a piece of qualitative research focusing on the many elements that make up a direct payment scheme from a number of stakeholder perspectives. In terms of the cross-border comparative element of the research, 10% of the total number of direct payments users in NI were interviewed. Given low overall numbers of direct payments service users, this figure is too limited for any significant statistical analysis. Instead, they serve to highlight some of the issues, experiences and challenges associated with introducing direct payments for a number of people with disabilities in Northern Ireland and allows for a range of conclusions to be drawn out.


Any evaluation of the benefits of policy-oriented social science research faces fundamental difficulties. These include the uncertainty in determining a causal link between research and the outcome of a policy or the value of a policy outcome. Nonetheless, firm connections can be established between policy research and policy outcomes if there are strong links that bridge the gaps between social science research and the various parts of the policy process. These connections can be established often enough to make it possible to learn about the relationship between research and outcome and the key variables that affect the social profitability of the underlying research. This essay uses the author's experience with agricultural price policies in Asia, Indonesia in particular, to examine these connections. Four issues pervade the analysis of price policy in Asia: How does an analyst know what policy is best? How can an analyst best communicate the results of research to policymakers? Can a new policy be implemented? Does the new policy work? This last issue, the evaluation of policy, is often neglected, but it can provide an important input into the design of policy and should be made an integral part of any policy process. The author's experience in Indonesia suggests four factors that can make policy-oriented research successful. First, the analyst should be involved with the same policymakers or in the same policy setting for the long term. Second, there is a need to find a balance between keeping analysis and advice confidential and the ultimate publication of the key models and results. Third, the analysts should rely on the analytical paradigms of the mainstream of the economic profession even while examining deviations from their underlying assumptions. Lastly, there should be continuing demand from policymakers for problem-oriented analysis.


Title of dissertation: PHYSICAL ASPECTS OF VLSI DESIGN WITH A FOCUS ON THREE-DIMENSIONAL INTEGRATED CIRCUIT APPLICATIONS Zeynep Dilli Doctor of Philosophy, 2007 Dissertation directed by: Professor Neil Goldsman Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering This work is on three-dimensional integration (3DI), and physical problems and aspects of VLSI design. Miniaturization and highly complex integrated systems in microelectronics have led to the 3DI development as a promising technological approach. 3DI offers numerous advantages: Size, power consumption, hybrid integration etc., with more thermal problems and physical complexity as trade-offs. We open this work by presenting the design and testing of an example 3DI system, to our knowledge the first self-powering system in a three-dimensional SOI technology. The system uses ambient optical energy harvested by a photodiode array and stored in an integrated capacitor. An on-chip metal interconnect network, beyond its designed role, behaves as a parasitic load vulnerable to electromagnetic coupling. We have developed a spatially-dependent, transient Green's Function based method of calculating the response of an interconnect network to noise. This efficient method can model network delays and noise sensitivity, which are involved problems in both planar and especially in 3DICs. Three-dimensional systems are more susceptible to thermal problems, which also affect VLSI with high power densities, of complex systems and under extreme temperatures. We analytically and experimentally investigate thermal effects in ICs. We study the effects of non-uniform, non-isotropic thermal conductivity of the typically complex IC material system, with a simulator we developed including this complexity. Through our simulations, verified by experiments, we propose a method of cooling or directionally heating IC regions. 3DICs are suited for developing wireless sensor networks, commonly referred to as "smart dust." The ideal smart dust node includes RF communication circuits with on-chip passive components. We present an experimental study of on-chip inductors and transformers as integrated passives. We also demonstrate the performance improvement in 3DI with its lower capacitive loads. 3DI technology is just one example of the intense development in today's electronics, which maintains the need for educational methods to assist student recruitment into technology, to prepare students for a demanding technological landscape, and to raise societal awareness of technology. We conclude this work by presenting three electrical engineering curricula we designed and implemented, targeting these needs among others. PHYSICAL ASPECTS OF VLSI DESIGN WITH A FOCUS ON THREE-DIMENSIONAL INTEGRATED CIRCUIT APPLICATIONS


OBJECTIVE
To describe a case of bilateral superior and posterior semicircular canal dehiscences, and the use of a unilateral transmastoid approach to address both right-sided defects simultaneously.

CASE REPORT
In a patient with right-sided hyperacusis, bilateral dehiscence of both the superior and the posterior semicircular canals was identified, located adjacent to the common crus, together with a right-sided, anterosuperiorly positioned sigmoid sinus and a high-riding jugular bulb. Results for audiography and cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potential testing were consistent with right-sided semicircular canal dehiscence. At surgery, a right-sided transmastoid approach provided access to plug both defects simultaneously, following posterior mobilisation of the sigmoid sinus. The patient's hyperacusis was completely resolved, with a 10-30 dB improvement in his right ear air conduction hearing, without decrement in bone conduction.

CONCLUSION
In properly selected patients, a transmastoid approach can be used to effectively manage superior semicircular canal dehiscence and posterior semicircular canal dehiscence simultaneously. Pre-operative computed tomography is recommended to evaluate the dehiscence sites and to identify complicating vascular anatomy.


Given the assigned health inequalities faced by sexual minorities, it is fitting to assess whether m-health could be associated with better health-related outcomes for these sexual minorities. The present study examines associations between m-physical and m-mental health apps and sexual minorities' physical and mental health status in Greece. The study utilized three waves of panel data collected in 2018, 2019, and 2020. The findings indicated associations between the use of m-physical and m-mental health apps and increased physical and mental health status for sexual minorities. The work concludes that m-health could enhance informational capabilities associated with increased levels of physical and mental health for sexual minorities. Indeed, the study found that, during the COVID-19 pandemic, sexual minorities experienced physical and mental health deteriorations. Interestingly, the estimates indicated that the association between the use of m-physical and m-mental health apps and increased mental health status for sexual minorities was stronger during the COVID-19 pandemic than before. The study suggests that tracking health-related information through m-health apps during periods of increased uncertainty could be associated with better health prevention and management. If m-health apps can alleviate adverse physical and mental health symptoms for sexual minorities, their potential should be considered.


We present a network framework for evaluating the theoretical performance limits of wireless data communication. We address the problem of providing the best possible service to new users joining the system without affecting existing users. Since, interference-wise, new users are required to be invisible to existing users, the network is dubbed PhantomNet. The novelty is the generality obtained in this context. Namely, we can deal with multiple users, multiple antennas, and multiple cells on both the uplink and the downlink. The solution for the uplink is effectively the same as for a single cell system since all the base stations (BSs) simply amount to one composite BS with centralized processing. The optimum strategy, following directly from known results, is successive decoding (SD), where the new user is decoded before the existing users so that the new users' signal can be subtracted out to meet its invisibility requirement. Only the BS needs to modify its decoding scheme in the handling of new users, since existing users continue to transmit their data exactly as they did before the new arrivals. The downlink, even with the BSs operating as one composite BS, is more problematic. With multiple antennas at each BS site, the optimal coding scheme and the capacity region for this channel are unsolved problems. SD and dirty paper (DP) are two schemes previously reported to achieve capacity in special cases. For PhantomNet, we show that DP coding at the BS is equal to or better than SD. The new user is encoded before the existing users so that the interference caused by his signal to existing users is known to the transmitter. Thus the BS modifies its encoding scheme to accommodate new users so that existing users continue to operate as before: they achieve the same rates as before and they decode their signal in precisely the same way as before. The solutions for the uplink and the downlink are particularly interesting in the way they exhibit a remarkable simplicity and an unmistakable, near-perfect, up-down symmetry.


The benefits of evaluating a new technology in a whole-farm context using a linear programming framework are well known. Linear programming allows the joint evaluation of concurrent farm activities, while considering the costs and returns of all enterprises and any resource adjustments imposed by adoption of the technology. This Report provides a rationale for and description of a whole-farm linear programming model that can be used for the economic evaluation of new technologies that are applicable to beef/sheep grazing farms typical of the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales. In this farming system, the whole-farm focus incorporates various aspects of the pasture base, resource constraints and sheep and cattle interactions. An overview of economic tools that are available to assess technologies at the farm level is provided first, listing some of the major benefits and limitations of each of these various techniques. A representative farm for the selected farming system is then developed and a whole-farm linear program based on this representative farm is described in some detail. A series of modelling experiments is undertaken to examine variations of the base model and their impact on the resulting technology evaluation. An example technology, involving the genetic improvement of beef cattle for improved feed efficiency (NFE), is evaluated. The optimal farm plan for a "typical" (single) year is generated, given the objective of maximising farm total gross margin. Three enterprises are selected: 1,108 first-cross ewes, 1,732 Merino wethers and a beef herd of 127 cows producing 18 month old heavy feeder steers (HFS) at 448kg liveweight and excess heifers sold as 9 month old weaners. For this farm plan, the annual operating budget shows a total gross margin for the farm of $86,191. The optimal farm plan for the representative farm is found to be sensitive to relatively small changes in input or output prices and production parameters. Only small improvements in a number of the individual enterprise gross margins would result in them displacing the currently selected enterprises. These results suggest relatively similar profitability levels between these sheep and beef enterprises. This would be anticipated given that all the enterprises described in this report were identified by local experts as being common in the Northern Tablelands. Further, the relatively small differences in enterprise profitability when viewed in a whole farm context also reflect the similar resources that each of the enterprises require, making them readily substitutable. For new technologies that have dynamic attributes, measuring the cashflow over time becomes important. Genetic traits in ruminants that have long biological lags are such technologies. This means that a single-year equilibrium model will be unable to effectively measure the costs of introducing the new technology over time. In the case of the NFE technology in beef cattle, any herd expansion that is possible as a result of the trait is measured by the opportunity cost of heifer sales forgone that are instead retained to increase the breeding herd. These herd dynamics can be represented explicitly within a multi-period version of a whole-farm LP model. The NFE cow enterprise is offered to the model, with the initial sheep enterprises set the same as the base case (1,108 prime lamb producing ewes, 1,732 19-micron Merino wethers). The model again selects 127 HFS producing cows in the first year, but the new optimal farm plan is to invest in the new technology by purchasing NFE-superior bulls in successive years and expanding the cow herd while concurrently decreasing the scale of the Merino wether enterprise. Substitution of Merino wethers for NFE cows occurs up to year 12 after which additional breeding cows are possible from their increasing net feed efficiency alone. There is an increase in cow numbers of 12.6 per cent by year 25, which equates to an improvement in the NPV per breeding cow per year over the base herd of $5.02, using a 5 per cent discount rate. Other experiments reported include adding constraints for fixed costs, family drawings and an overdraft facility; alternate discount rates for the NPV calculations; alternate terminal values for the livestock assets at the end of the simulation period; and a post-optimality risk analysis. This study has highlighted several additional benefits of evaluating a technology in a whole-farm multi-period linear programming framework. First, apart from determining the type and size of the optimal farm enterprise mix and the optimal value of the objective function, whole-farm multi-period linear programming also provides important additional information including shadow costs and prices and constraint slacks, and how they change over time. Shadow costs of activities show how sensitive the optimal farm enterprise mix is to changes in the gross margins of alternate farm activities not included in the current farm plan. The shadow prices for resources indicates how much a farm manager could pay for additional units of a limiting resource, for example, additional labour. Second, in terms of the specific NFE technology examined in this report, it would appear that there may well be regions where such feed efficiencies may be of greater benefit due to particularly large variations in pasture growth patterns throughout the year. The Northern Tablelands with its recognised winter feed deficit may be one such area. This information may be of benefit to researchers in extending the NFE technology to farmers. Third, the deterministic multi-period version of the model highlighted the impact of the inclusion of overhead and capital constraints in the modelling process in determining the potential adoption of a technology by a farm manager. The availability and cost of capital is shown to influence the extent to which the NFE technology may be adopted by an individual farm business. Fourth, from a modelling perspective, the effect of uncertain terminal values and the bearing that they have on measuring the level of adoption of a new technology is an area for further investigation. Finally, the impact of risk was assessed in this study post-optimally by the inclusion of stochastic output prices in the optimal whole farm budgets. This is an area for further research, including the potential of alternate modelling techniques such as MOTAD programming or stochastic dynamic programming. However due to size constraints, such approaches may necessitate trade-offs in terms of the detail of whole-farm models to which they are applied.


Lungfish first appeared in the geological record over 410 million years ago and are the closest living group of fish to the tetrapods. Palaeoneurological investigations into the group show that unlike numerous other fishes—but more similar to those in tetrapods—lungfish appear to have had a close fit between the brain and the cranial cavity that housed it. As such, researchers can use the endocast of fossil taxa (an internal cast of the cranial cavity) both as a source of morphological data but also to aid in developing functional and phylogenetic implications about the group. Using fossil endocast data from a three-dimensional-preserved Late Devonian lungfish from the Gogo Formation, Rhinodipterus, and the brain-neurocranial relationship in the extant Australian lungfish, Neoceratodus, we herein present the first virtually reconstructed brain of a fossil lungfish. Computed tomographic data and a newly developed 'brain-warping' method are used in conjunction with our own distance map software tool to both analyse and present the data. The brain reconstruction is adequate, but we envisage that its accuracy and wider application in other taxonomic groups will grow with increasing availability of tomographic datasets.


Summary

1. Regulation of rivers for human demands has led to extensive forest dieback on many floodplains. If these important ecosystems are to be maintained under future drier climates, we need accurate tools for predicting forest dieback. In the absence of spatially explicit flooding histories for many floodplains, changes in groundwater conditions may be a good indicator of water availability and, therefore, an important environmental indicator.

2. Eucalyptus camaldulensis forests of Australia are an acute example of forest dieback, with 70% of the Victorian Murray River floodplain dying back. We quantified the relationship between forest dieback and ground water across this extensive floodplain (c. 100 000 ha of forest over 1500 km of river length).

3. A combination of extensive ground surveys, remotely sensed data and modelling methods was used to predict forest dieback at the time of the survey and in the past. This approach provides a valuable tool for accurately monitoring forest condition over large spatial scales. Forest dieback was estimated to have increased from 45 to 70% of the floodplain between 1990 and 2006.

4. Accurate groundwater data (depth and salinity) over a 20-year period were obtained for 289 bores and summarised using nonlinear regression. Groundwater depth and salinity were strong predictors of stand condition. This suggests that changes in groundwater conditions could be used to signal areas vulnerable to forest dieback and prioritise the limited water available for managed flooding.

5. In the upper Murray, where ground water is predominantly fresh ( 30 mS cm−2). These regional differences in response of the same tree species to groundwater conditions show that our understanding of the drivers of forest dieback is best achieved at spatial and temporal scales representative of the problem.


Book description: Unique in bringing an interdisciplinary approach to the Out of Africa hypothesis.
This is the first volume to address directly the question of the speciation of modern Homo sapiens. The subject raises the issues of the nature of the species, our defining characteristic (it is suggested it is language), and the brain changes and their genetic basis that make us distinct. The British Academy and the Academy of Medical Sciences have brought together experts from palaeontology, archaeology, linguistics, psychology, genetics and evolutionary theory to present evidence and theories at the cutting edge of our understanding of these issues.
Palaeontological and genetic work suggests that the transition from a precursor hominid species to modern man took place between 100,000 and 150,000 years ago. Some contributors discuss what is most characteristic of the species, focussing on language and its possible basis in brain lateralization. This work is placed in the context of speciation theory, which has remained a subject of considerable debate since the evolutionary synthesis of of Mendelian genetics and Darwinian theory. The timing of specific transitions in hominid evolution is discussed, as also is the question of the neural basis of language. Other contributors address the possible genetic nature of the transition, with reference to changes on the X and Y chromosomes that may account for sex differences in lateralization and verbal ability. These differences are discussed in terms of the theory of sexual selection, and with reference to the mechanisms of speciation.
These essays will be required reading for those interested in the nature and origins of the species, and specifically human abilities.


This article investigates how and to what extent the power of collective although imprecise intelligence can be employed in smart cities. The main visionary goal is to automate the organization of spontaneous and impromptu collaborations of large groups of people participating in collective actions (i.e., participAct), such as in the notable case of urban crowdsensing. In a crowdsensing environment, people or their mobile devices act as both sensors that collect urban data and actuators that take actions in the city, possibly upon request. Managing the crowdsensing process is a challenging task spanning several socio-technical issues: from the characterization of the regions under control to the quantification of the sensing density needed to obtain a certain accuracy; from the evaluation of a good balance between sensing accuracy and resource usage (number of people involved, network bandwidth, battery usage, etc.) to the selection of good incentives for people to participAct (monetary, social, etc.). To tackle these problems, this article proposes a crowdsensing platform with three main original technical aspects: an innovative geo-social model to profile users along different variables, such as time, location, social interaction, service usage, and human activities; a matching algorithm to autonomously choose people to involve in participActions and to quantify the performance of their sensing; and a new Android-based platform to collect sensing data from smart phones, automatically or with user help, and to deliver sensing/actuation tasks to users.


Endovascular obliteration of intracranial aneurysms with preservation of the parent artery (endosaccular occlusion) has been advocated for patients who fail or are excluded from surgical clipping and cannot undergo Hunterian ligation therapy. To clarify the effect that endosaccular occlusion has on the presenting neurological signs, 26 patients with aneurysms and symptoms related to mass effect who underwent this therapy were followed for a mean of 60 months. Only patients with objective neurological deficits who had not suffered a hemorrhage were included in this series. Response to therapy was classified into one of three groups: "resolved," if the patient had complete resolution of presenting signs; "improved," if significant and sustained improvement was recorded in the neurological examinations, and "unchanged," if no change was observed. Thirteen patients (50%) were classified as resolved, 11 (42.3%) as improved, and two (7.7%) as unchanged. A comparison of patients classified as resolved with those who were improved revealed that the former group had less wall calcification (30% vs. 60%) and a shorter duration of symptoms. Patients with neurological sign resolution (62%) were more likely to have totally occluded aneurysms on late follow-up arteriograms than those who had improvement (28%) or were unchanged (0%). This study suggests that endosaccular embolization therapy can improve or alleviate presenting neurological signs unrelated to hemorrhage or distal embolization in the majority of cases.


Drug Induced liver injury (DILI) is a major problem in the clinic and a big economic treat to the pharmaceutical industry. DILI is often missed in preclinical stages of drug development as it occurs only in rare cases. Adaptive cellular stress responses are paramount in the healthy control of cell and tissue homeostasis and generally activated during toxicity in a chemical-specific manner. Only in susceptible individuals drug exposure can not only activate stress responses, but also switch on cell death signaling leading to liver injury. Therefore, monitoring adaptive stress response activation is key in prediction of DILI. In this thesis we established a platform containing a panel of distinct adaptive stress response reporter cell lines based on BAC-transgenomics GFP tagging in HepG2 cells. We validate and test these reporters in chapters 2 and 3. In chapter 4 we validate the system in a 3D environment where HepG2 cells show an enhanced liver like phenotype. In chapter 5 and 6 we show this reporter system can also be used for mechanistic research by unraveling crosstalk between DNA damage and Nrf2 signaling and by identifying novel regulators of Nrf2 signaling. Together, this thesis contributes to a more elaborate understanding of DILI.


Abstract New chemical (EMP, SIMS) and structural data are reported for a suite of crystals of oxo-mangani-leakeite and mangano-mangani-ungarettiite from their common type locality, the Hoskins mine (New SouthWales, Australia). Notwithstanding the low OH content, FTIR analysis of selected samples has provided considerable information on short-range order in these Mn3+-rich amphiboles, and shows that Li is associated with occupied A sites and is linked to the oxo-component at the O(3) site. Comparative analysis of all available data allows us to: (1) further improve our understanding of the crystal-chemistry of these very peculiar compositions of the oxo-amphibole group; and (2) calculate reliable site-populations. The proposed limited compositional variability has been confirmed. The two amphiboles have completely different arrangements of CR3+ cations. In oxo-mangani-leakeites, those CR3+ cations related to the oxocomponent occur at the M(1) site, whereas those CR3+ cations related to the leakeite charge-arrangement occur at the M(2) site. In mangano-mangani-ungarettiite, all CR3+ cations order at the M(1) and M(3) sites, and local bond-valence requirements are satisfied by the presence of Mn3+, which assumes a strongly distorted coordination due to its degenerate eg electronic state. Therefore, the inverse patterns observed for both cation-ordering and deformation of the octahedra are incompatible with solid-solution between these two species that coexist at the Hoskins mine.


: Myzus cerasi Fabr. is a cosmopolitan species colonizing plants from families Cruciferae , Plantaginaceae , Rosaceae , Rubiaceae and Scrophulariaceae , as hosts. Myzus cerasi causes curling and distortion of the leaves by establishing large leaf nests colonies on top of shoots. It is very dangerous in nurseries and young plantations. We investigated host preference of Myzus cerasi to 49 half-sib lines of Prunus avium L. from six different populations based on the intensity of leaf damage. Populations of Prunus avium are Kalinovik, Višegrad, Milići, Ribnik, Prnjavor and Vlasenica, all from Bosnia and Herzegovina. According to the results of hierarchical analysis of variance, the effect of differences between examined wild cherry populations were not significant, while the main contribution to the total expected variance was found for half-sib lines within populations (45.6%) and for plants within lines (52.5%). Out of 49 examined half-sib lines there were eleven lines that had less than 20% of damaged leaves, while there were no lines that had no damage. However, out of 432 examined plants, 49 of them had no damage from examined pest (11.3%), while 149 of examined plants (34.5%) had less than 20% of damaged leaves. Only populations Kalinovik and Ribnik had no lines with less than 20% of damaged leaves, while in every population there were found plants that were not damaged by pest. Gained data suggest that every examined population could be an object of selection for the tolerance on the attack of Myzus cerasi . Also, genotypes with no or tolerable damage might be vegetatively propagated and used in breeding programs.


This article reports on the findings of a more sophisticated and demanding re-analysis of a data set collected and analyzed by Spangenberg and Theron (1997) to examine the validity of a Performance Management audit questionnaire. LISREL 8 was used for a confirmatory factor analysis to determine the fit of the measurement model that guided the construction of the Performance Management Audit Questionnaire (PMAQ). The findings reported here corroborate the position explicated in Spangenberg and Theron (1997) that the PMAQ provides a content valid measure of the Performance Management domain as conceptualised by the systems model.


The sustainability of malaria control in Africa is threatened by rising levels of insecticide resistance, and new tools to prevent malaria transmission are urgently needed. To gain a better understanding of the mosquito populations that transmit malaria, we sequenced the genomes of 765 wild specimens of Anopheles gambiae and Anopheles coluzzii sampled from 15 locations across Africa. The data reveal high levels of genetic diversity, with over 50 million single nucleotide polymorphisms across the 230 Mbp genome. We observe complex patterns of population structure and marked variations in local population size, some of which may be due at least in part to malaria control interventions. Insecticide resistance genes show strong signatures of recent selection associated with multiple independent mutations spreading over large geographical distances and between species. The genetic variability of natural populations substantially reduces the target space for novel gene-drive strategies for mosquito control. This large dataset provides a foundation for tracking the emergence and spread of insecticide resistance and developing new vector control tools.


An illustrated examination of laboratory architecture and the work that it does to engage the public, recruit scientists, and attract funding.

The laboratory building is as significant to the twenty-first century as the cathedral was to the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. The contemporary science laboratory is built at the grand scales of cathedrals and constitutes as significant an architectural statement. The laboratory is a serious investment in architectural expression in an attempt to persuade us of the value of the science that goes on inside. In this lavishly illustrated book, Sandra Kaji-O'Grady and Chris L. Smith explore the architecture of modern life science laboratories, and the work that it does to engage the public, recruit scientists, and attract funding.

Looking at the varied designs of eleven important laboratories in North America, Europe, and Australia, all built between 2005 and 2019, Kaji-O'Grady and Smith examine the relationship between the design of contemporary laboratory buildings and the ideas and ideologies of science. Observing that every laboratory architect and client declares the same three aspirations—to eliminate boundaries, to communicate the benefits of its research programs, and to foster collaboration—Kaji-O'Grady and Smith organize their account according to the themes of boundaries, expression, and socialization. For instance, they point to the South Australian Health and Medical Institute's translucent envelope as the material equivalent of institutional accountability; the insistent animal imagery of the NavarraBioMed laboratory in Spain; and the Hillside Research Campus's mimicry of the picturesque fishing village that once occupied its site. Through these and their other examples, Kaji-O'Grady and Smith show how the architecture of the laboratory shapes the science that takes place within it.


Variations of Raman spectra of phase C, or the superhydrous phase B, were investigated up to about 420 kbar at room temperature and in the range 80–873 K at atmospheric pressure. With the exception of the 3355 cm -1 OH band, the frequency of all observable Raman bands of phase C increases monotonously with increasing pressure. However, the frequency for the two well-defined OH bands at pressures greater than about 100 kbar depends strongly on the presence of shear stress. With the exceptions of the three OH bands and the ambient 325 cm -1 band, the frequency of all other Raman bands of phase C decreases with increasing temperature within the experimental uncertainties and the range investigated. Phase C appears to be intact up to the highest temperature attainable in the present study. However, Raman spectra obtained at various conditions seem to suggest that amorphization may start to occur in phase C above 773 K, but dehydration is not completed at the highest temperature studied. It is interesting to find that amorphization occurs at lower temperature than dehydration in phase C. The pressure and temperature effects on the Raman frequencies of phase C are different in many aspects from those observed earlier in phases A and B.


Every year approximately 400 000 pedestrians are killed worldwide in road related injuries where children and elderly are the most exposed age groups. The design of the front-end of a vehicle and the structural stiffness have a significant influence on the kinematics and injury risks of the pedestrian body. To create a clearance between the rigid hood structure and the hood, the hood is lifted. A lifted hood does however not provide protection over the cowl, windscreen and A-pillar areas.This study is performed at Autoliv Sverige AB and the purpose is to examine how fast the hood can be lifted 100 mm using a pedestrian protection airbag. The airbag give an extended protection while covering the cowl, windscreen and A-pillar areas.A concept generation session was performed where modifications of the current pedestrian protection airbag, for a faster hood lift, were proposed. The generated concepts proceeded to a concept screening session where the Autoliv evaluation matrix was used.The selected concepts went further to static testing where the performance of each concept was tested. The performance include the lift time of 100 mm for the most rearward section of the hood, positioning of the cushion and pressure distribution. The tests were carried out in a room temperature environment.To conclude the thesis work, one winning concept could not be obtained. Two concepts excelled themselves from all the concepts and a difference in the performances between these two concepts could not be found.In this thesis no calculations on costs such as material costs and manufacturing costs has been made. This can be the major aspect on choosing one winning concept but due to the fact that there is no time for a cost analysis in this thesis, the PPA development team will take over.


This paper presents the real possibility that commercial mobile tracking and monitoring solutions will become widely adopted for the practice of non traditional covert policing within a community setting, resulting in community members engaging in covert policing of family, friends, or acquaintances. This paper investigates five stakeholder relationships using scenarios to demonstrate the potential socio-ethical implications that tracking and monitoring people will have on society at large. The five stakeholder types explored in this paper include: (i) husband-wife (partner-partner), (ii) parent-child, (iii) employer-employee, (iv) friend-friend, and (v) stranger-stranger. Mobile technologies such as mobile camera phones, global positioning system data loggers, spatial street databases, radio-frequency identification and other pervasive computing, can be used to gather real-time, detailed evidence for or against a given position. However, there are currently limited laws and ethical guidelines for members of the community to follow when it comes to what is or is not permitted when using unobtrusive technologies to capture multimedia, and other data that can be electronically chronicled. The evident risks associated with such practices are explored.


The activity of several components of the vascular system appears to be diurnally regulated. Endothelial cell activation, leukocyte and platelet interactions and lipoprotein metabolism have all been shown to vary with time of day, but whether these variations are due to the endogenous circadian clock, exogenous factors, such as the light-dark cycle, or an interaction between the two remains to be determined. Endothelium-dependent vasodilation also varies diurnally. This rhythmicity is lost in individuals with established coronary disease has been shown to occur in the early stages of atherosclerosis. The incidence of coronary events appears to be higher in the early hours of the morning, this may be related to heightened activity of the autonomic nervous system at this time. Higher circulating levels of catecholamines in the morning are associated with increased vascular tone, affecting circulating blood volume and blood pressure. Time dependent variations may be of particular significance for individuals with disrupted circadian rhythms, including rotating shift workers, transmeridian travellers and blind individuals with no light perception. Variations in endothelial function are observed during the menstrual cycle, varying with circulating oestrogen levels. Oestrogen deficiency in postmenopausal women may contribute to endothelial dysfunction, together with other modifiable risk factors. The absolute risk of coronary disease is greater for men than for pre-menopausal women. Following the menopause gender differences in coronary risk are thought to diminish, although this remains controversial. This review focuses on the influence of both endogenous biological rhythms and environmental factors on the function and health of the human vascular system.


This article presents an approach of numerical modelling of I-beam crane jib, with using the finite element method particularly the most loaded elements at different speeds. One of the possible methods for use in the design process of hoisting dynamics modelling and its effects on the load-carrying structure for the marine jib crane is shown. For proper modelling, the impact of the load and hoisting speed on the load-carrying structure jib, dynamics simulations of hoisting the load using Matlab-Simulink software were carried out and in the field of finite element method. To carry out such a simulation, hybrid calculations had to be applied, where the response from the phenomenological model based on solving a system of differential equations of motion in Matlab-Simulink was used to stimulate the crane I-beam jib during the FEM simulation, which permits to determine dynamic properties of the load-carrying structure for two example different hoisting speeds. The basic strength parameters for a typical light marine jib crane, obtained in the case of static calculations and using the proposed approach between the two computing environments were compared.


The United States has long struggled to reform its federal income tax code. Despite enthusiastic and widespread bipartisan support for tax reform laws that would eliminate special-interest loopholes, the legislative process has been paralyzed when it comes to passing these laws. This Article proposes a solution to this seemingly intractable federal tax lawmaking paralysis. This paralysis arises because tax reform spreads its benefits among broad groups while concentrating its costs on narrow ones. Political science theory accurately predicts that laws with this cost-benefit allocation will fail. However, federal lawmakers can overcome tax lawmaking paralysis by distributing tax reform's costs and benefits differently. In particular, the federal government can do this by following the examples of states that have successfully escaped tax lawmaking paralysis by earmarking taxes for specific purposes. This Article examines the phenomenon of earmarking and examines several instances of earmarked state taxes. In so doing, this Article argues that earmarking tax revenues for particular purposes offers an opportunity for lawmakers to permanently reform the tax code at last.


There is considerable interest among computational linguists in lexicalized grammatical frameworks; lexicalized tree adjoining grammar (LTAG) is one widely studied example. In this paper, we investigate how derivations in LTAG can be viewed not as manipulations of trees but as manipulations of tree descriptions. Changing the way the lexicalized formalism is viewed raises questions as to the desirability of certain aspects of the formalism. We present a new formalism, d-tree substitution grammar (DSG). Derivations in DSG involve the composition of d-trees, special kinds of tree descriptions. Trees are read off from derived d-trees. We show how the DSG formalism, which is designed to inherit many of the characterestics of LTAG, can be used to express a variety of linguistic analyses not available in LTAG.


*International trade of food and feed (expressed as protein content) has increased eightfold during the last 50 years. Nowadays a small number of countries are feeding the rest of the world. Population growth but also a change to higher animal-protein diets are important drivers of the observed changes.

*The increasing disconnection between crops (land) and livestock is producing a decrease in nutrient use efficiency at the global scale and a rise in pollution issues.

*In Spain, a transition from the so-called Mediterranean diet to a diet with very high share of animal protein that is similar to North American and North European diets, that are much unhealthier, is the main driver of a dramatic increase in the nitrogen (N) pollution. The huge production of animal products is fuelled by feed imports that today equal national crop production.

*Despite Spain produces commodities for export, the net balance of N2O emissions of the agricultural system in 2009 indicated that the emissions associated to the production of imported food and feed are higher. A large part of the net N2O emissions associated with imported agricultural commodities is coming from non-Annex B countries and therefore substantial emission leakage is occurring.

*Making the most sustainable use of crop by-products is not necessarily incentivised by policies on agricultural commodity markets, which may have a remarkable and undesired effect on the carbon footprint of livestock products (e.g. milk).

*Localization of vegetal and animal production, the reduction of food waste, as well as control of diet, are key factors for world food security and environmental safety.

*Less intensive farming could be viable if nutrient losses along the food chain are sharply decreased and human diet shifts are also occurring. Linking appropriately policies that deal with food, agriculture, waste, health, climate change, biodiversity and energy are needed to effectively reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions globally.


Chalcogenide and chalcopyrite photovoltaic (PV) technologies are highly suitable for solar energy conversion because of their high efficiency, long‐term stable performance, and low‐cost production. However, the absorber materials that are used, such as indium, gallium, and tellurium, are regarded as critical, and their limited availability can hinder market expansion. Therefore, we assess how material efficiency measures along the PV module's life cycle can reduce the net material demand of the absorber materials and thus the material costs. In order to estimate the material flows, we developed a closed‐loop model for the life cycle representing the phases module production, module collection, module recycling, and refinement. In order to reflect the variety and uncertainty in each phase, we compose three different efficiency scenarios by varying material efficiency measures on process and product levels. For each scenario, we compute the life cycle material costs based on the computed material flows. The results show that, in the long term, the material demand can be reduced down to one fourth of the required feedstock for module manufacturing; that is, three fourths of the absorber material stays in the life cycle in a very efficient scenario. Thus, total material costs along the life cycle could be significantly reduced, because the costs for material recycling are lower than the costs for "new" technical‐grade material. This reduction in life cycle material costs means that cadmium telluride– and copper indium gallium diselenide–PV can still be financially viable even if the price of the absorber materials increases significantly. Hence those technologies will still be competitive against crystalline silicon PV in the mid to long term.


Haptic augmented reality (AR) mixes a real environment with computer-generated virtual haptic stimuli, enabling the system to modulate the haptic attributes of a real object to desired values. This paper reports our second study on this functionality, with stiffness as a goal modulation property. Our first study explored the potential of haptic AR by presenting an effective stiffness modulation system for simple 1D interaction. This paper extends the system so that a user can interact with a real object in any 3D exploratory pattern while perceiving its augmented stiffness. We develop a complete set of algorithms for contact detection, deformation estimation, force rendering, and force control. The core part is the deformation estimation where the magnitude and direction of real object deformation are estimated using a contact dynamics model identified in a preprocessing step. All algorithms are designed in a way that maximizes the efficiency and usability of the system while maintaining convincing perceptual quality. In particular, the need for a large amount of preprocessing such as geometry modeling is avoided to improve the usability. The physical performance of each algorithm is thoroughly evaluated with real samples. Each algorithm is experimentally verified to satisfy the physical performance requirements that need to be satisfied to achieve convincing rendering quality. The final perceptual quality of stiffness rendering is assessed in a psychophysical experiment where the difference in the perceived stiffness between augmented and virtual objects is measured. The error is less than the human discriminability of stiffness, demonstrating that our system can provide accurate stiffness modulation with perceptually insignificant errors. The limitations of our AR system are also discussed along with a plan for future work.


Addressing teacher turnover is critical to stemming the country's continuing teacher shortages. It is also important for school effectiveness, as the academic and financial costs of teacher turnover to student learning and district budgets are significant. Using the most recent nationally representative data from the National Center for Education Statistics' Schools and Staffing Surveys, the authors detail which teachers are leaving, why, and which students are most impacted. The study finds higher turnover rates in the South; among mathematics, science, special education, English language development, and world languages teachers; in schools serving students of color and from low-income families; and among teachers of color. The study also finds that several factors are associated with higher turnover rates, including lack of administrative support, teacher salaries, and alternative certification. The paper reviews policy strategies that can address teacher turnover.


Unreinforced masonry (URM) structures have a low resistance against lateral loading and are vulnerable to earthquake and wind effects due to their low flexural capacity and relatively brittle mode of failure. Strengthening of the masonry walls against lateral loading usually aims for increasing their load bearing capacity and ductility. The application of fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) composites as externally bonded reinforcement in repairing and strengthening of masonry walls has become more attractive than the traditional methods.
Determination of the flexural out-of-plane behaviour of FRP strengthened masonry walls with different types and configurations of FRP composites is the main objective of this research. Experimental program has been developed including small-scale and large-scale experiments. In addition, theoretical finite element (FE) modelling has been developed and verification of the models via comparison with, experimental results is conducted.
Small-scale experiments are designed to measure the mechanical properties of masonry and mortar samples. As a result, the values of elastic modulus and compressive strength has been evaluated and used as material properties for the FE model.
For large-scale experiments, seven specimens of masonry walls were constructed with clay bricks and mortar. Six samples were constructed as thin masonry walls with 1/2 brick thickness equal to 102.5 mm and one full brick thick sample was constructed with 215mm thickness. The walls are strengthened with different types and configurations of FRP materials. The specimens are subjected to uniformly distributed lateral load, applied by an airbag, on one side and over the whole surface of the wall.
Theoretical FE models are developed using ANSYS software and are verified via comparison with the experimental results. Further analysis on the behaviour of FRP, strengthened walls have also been conducted.
The results show that the use of FRP strengthening has increased the out-of-plane capacity of URM walls by almost 3 times and significantly improved the ductility of the walls. The comparison of the load-deflection graphs from the theoretical modelling with the corresponding results from experimental investigation shows good compliance in elastic range of loading.


Volatility in exchange rates is a prominent feature of open economies, a fact which has motivated elaborate attempts in many countries at exchange rate management. This paper analyzes quantitatively the welfare effects of exchange rate risk in a general two-country environment. It finds that the effects of uncertainty tend to be small for the types of simplified cases considered in past literature. But it identifies other cases, not considered previously, in which these effects can be significantly larger. These include habit persistence, where agents are more sensitive to risk, and also incomplete asset market structures which allow for asymmetries between countries. The latter case suggests that countries which are hosts to an international reserve currency, such as the U.S. or members of the euro zone, may accrue


The smart grid is a new advanced electrical network promoted by the government to address environmental sustainability, energy generation, distribution and consumption efficiency issues. As one of the enabling technologies, Advanced Metering Infrastructure refers to systems which measure, collect and analyze energy usage, and interact with advanced devices such as smart meters through various communication media either on request or on pre-defined schedules. This paper focuses on proposing the technical requirements imposed on the communications network for AMI. Then we examine each of the proposed AMI consumer application standards found in open literature based on these requirements. We will discuss the system engineering approach taken by NIST/EPRI to develop standards for smart grid and AMI and highlight outstanding security and interoperability issues concerned for deploying smart grid AMI. We compare the performances of consumer application standards in addressing these open issues. Finally, we conclude and propose our future work. Keywords-smart grid; AMI; IP-based


A two-step scheme for image compression that takes into account psychovisual features in space and frequency domains is proposed. A wavelet transform is first used in order to obtain a set of orthonormal subclasses of images; the original image is decomposed at different scales using a pyramidal algorithm architecture. The decomposition is along the vertical and horizontal directions and maintains the number of pixels required to describe the image at a constant. Second, according to Shannon's rate-distortion theory, the wavelet coefficients are vector quantized using a multiresolution codebook. To encode the wavelet coefficients, a noise-shaping bit-allocation procedure which assumes that details at high resolution are less visible to the human eye is proposed. In order to allow the receiver to recognize a picture as quickly as possible at minimum cost, a progressive transmission scheme is presented. The wavelet transform is particularly well adapted to progressive transmission.<<ETX>>


Warming of the climate system is beyond argument, as shown by observations of increases in average air and ocean temperatures, the widespread melting of snow and ice, and rising global sea levels. But as the messages from scientists become increasingly explicit, the gap between the need for action they project and the climate policy the world leaders put in place remains. The purpose of this guide is to increase public understanding about the urgency of action to combat climate change and its impacts.


We talked to Rob Warner, at Building Resilience, to find out how people are looking at new methods to survive these challenging times.
We live in tough times. Reports abound of financial squeezes, major organisational change, retrenchments, crime, corruption and inefficient government. It's easy to feel anxious and even fearful which inevitably affects our emotional and physical well-being. The consequence can be diminished productivity at work and impaired relationships both at work and home.
So what can you do to cope with these tough times, to deal with the stresses you inevitably encounter and, critically, still live a life in which you still experience joy and happiness?


This study focuses on three series of manuscript fragments dating from the seventh to the tenth century where passages of the Psalter were copied. Most of the fragments are currently preserved at the Library Abbey of Sankt Gallen, and their digital reproductions are available on Fragmentarium: Cod. Sang. 1395 II, pp. 336-361 [F-4b1o]; Cod. Sang. 1395 III, pp. 368-391 [F-jo7w]; and Cod. Sang. 1397 V, pp. 1-12, 37-42 [F-i8qo]. These fragments provide the basis for identification of the primary characteristics of their original codices as well as information on the texts they transmit: their content, the version of the Psalter used, marginal notes, and the use of the manuscripts after they were copied. Likewise, the subsequent reuse of these manuscripts, once transformed into fragmentary material, is reconstructed, specifically concerning their dispersal in several libraries, being bound in host volumes, evidence from offsets, and traces of missing fragments). This study leads to some basic methodological conclusions on how to deal with collections of fragments, emphasizing the vast and fruitful research opportunity presented by such collections, especially the collection of manuscript fragments at the Library Abbey of Sankt Gallen.


Abstract The choice of the Callovo-Oxfordian formation in eastern France for construction of a proposed repository for high-level, long-lived radioactive waste (HLW) is based primarily on the low hydraulic conductivity of the clay-rich host rock. This property is also intrinsically linked to a low capacity of the rock to evacuate the significant amounts of hydrogen gas generated over time by processes such as anoxic corrosion of metallic materials and radiolysis of organic waste. The effects of hydrogen production on the behavior and safety performance of the disposal system components must be evaluated for the operating and postclosure periods of the repository. In order to do this, numerical simulations using TOUGH2-MP were performed on a vitrified waste (HLW) disposal cell and its access drift, for the operating period. The objective was to investigate generation and transfer of hydrogen within and outside the disposal cell, coupled with the desaturation of the access drift near field due to the combined action of drift ventilation and the coupled behavior of dry air and hydrogen within the disposal cell. Particular attention was focused on the form of hydrogen (expressed or dissolved), total gas pressure buildup, degree of gas saturation, gas transport pathways, gas concentrations, and gas exchanges between the disposal cell and the access drift. Simulation results show the validity of the conceptual assumption based on anoxic conditions in the useful part of the disposal system. The major part of the hydrogen comes to the access drift during the operating phase. Internal boundaries between interface zones and concrete lining are preferential pathways for the gas transfer.


The BL Lacertae object 0735 + 178 has been mapped with global VLBI arrays at four epochs from 1979 to 1983. The hybrid maps presented in this paper show a complex structure with a component separating from the core with an apparent transverse velocity of almost-equal-to 7.9 c. We suggest a model in which new components are born in the core during an outburst, initially move away towards northeast and then at a distance of almost-equal-to 4.2 mas turn towards the southeast. At this point, the component does not show any discernible motion away from the core. We suggest that the jet curls towards the south and towards the observer and at this point has its minimum viewing angle, with maximum boosting and minimum apparent velocity. We associate the outburst of 1989 with the event when a superluminally moving component reaches this point.


We discuss the uniqueness of natural and geographical conditions for tourism in the Sheki-Zagatala region of Azerbaijan In this article. The role and place of tourism in the development of the national economy are considered, the tourist potential of the region is characterized, the ways of tourism development are determined. The need to develop a new strategy for the development of urban planning organization and improving the design of recreation and tourism complexes is noted. It is analyzed the opening of a new corridor linking Nakhichevan with the western regions of Azerbaijan and, accordingly, Turkey with Central Asia, which will significantly affect regional development, including opening up wide opportunities for the development of tourism in the region.


Abstract Cities are increasingly influenced by novel and cosmopolitan values advanced by transnational technology providers and digital platforms. These values which are often visible in the advancement of the sharing economy and smart cities, may differ from the traditional public values protected by national and local laws and policies. This article contrasts the public values created by digital platforms in cities with the democratic and social national values that the platform society is leaving behind. It innovates by showing how co-regulation can balance public values with platform values. In this article, we argue that despite the value-creation benefits produced by the digital platforms under analysis, public authorities should be aware of the risks of technocratic discourses and potential conflicts between platform and local values. In this context, we suggest a normative framework which enhances the need for a new kind of knowledge-service creation in the form of local public-interest technology. Moreover, our framework proposes a negotiated contractual system that seeks to balance platform values with public values in an attempt to address the digital enforcement problem driven by the functional sovereignty role of platforms.