We present a comparison between the modified Monte Carlo algorithm (MMCA) and a recently proposed ray-tracing algorithm named as photon-tracing algorithm. Both methods are compared exhaustively according to error analysis and computational costs. We show that the new photon-tracing method offers a solution with a slightly greater error but requiring from considerable less computing time. Moreover, from a practical point of view, the solutions obtained with both algorithms are approximately equivalent, demonstrating the goodness of the new photon-tracing method.


It would seem to be a relatively uncontroversial claim among scholars, activists,and policymakers that corporations are significant contributors to the shape and content of national and transnational regulation and that their contributions have significant effects on social welfare. Yet, despite this general consensus, scholars have focused little attention on explicating the precise mechanisms through which corporations contribute to transnational regulation and governance or the extent to which the social welfare effects of regulation and policy may be attributable to corporate activity. In this Article, I suggest the broad contours of a methodology for beginning to think about the question, "How do corporations govern in the transnational arena?" In so doing, I explore how scholarly attention to the role of corporations in transnational regulation and governance can contribute to the development of a richer understanding of the functioning and effects of the existing transnational governance regime. At the same time, through an analysis of some examples drawn from twelve years of practice as a transnational business lawyer, I suggest how an understanding of transnational governance, enriched through a focus on corporate activity and decisionmaking, can expose new sites for political contestation and new strategies for intervention by regulators, policymakers, and activists seeking to harness and shape corporate power for the public good.


Abstract Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a highly malignant disease that develops after asbestos exposure. Although the number of MPM cases is predicted to increase, no effective standard therapies have been established. The novel radiosensitizer α-sulfoquinovosyl-acylpropanediol (SQAP) enhances the effects of γ-radiation in human lung and prostate cancer cell lines and in animal models. In this study, we explored the radiosensitizing effect of SQAP and its mechanisms in MPM. The human MPM cell lines MSTO-211H and MESO-4 were implanted subcutaneously into the backs and thoracic cavities of immunodeficient KSN/Slc mice, then 2 mg/kg SQAP was intravenously administered with or without irradiation with a total body dose of 8 Gy. In both the orthotopic and ectopic xenograft murine models, the combination of irradiation plus SQAP delayed the implanted human MSTO-211H tumor growth. The analysis of the changes in the relative tumor volume of the MSTO-211H indicated a statistically significant difference after 8 Gy total body combined with 2 mg/kg SQAP, compared to both the untreated control (P = 0.0127) and the radiation treatment alone (P = 0.0171). After the treatment in each case, immunostaining of the harvested tumors revealed decreased cell proliferation, increased apoptosis and normalization of tumor blood vessels in the SQAP- and irradiation-treated group. Furthermore, hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) 1 mRNA and protein expression were decreased, indicating reoxygenation in this group. In conclusion, SQAP improved hypoxic conditions in tumor tissue and may elicit a radiosensitizing effect in malignant mesothelioma models.


The globalisation of business and the growth of the digital networked economy means that virtually any business process can be undertaken by someone else, somewhere in the world. To achieve business transformation within the UK Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector, BT is taking a strategic approach to outsourcing: this has resulted in a rapid and substantial increase in the outsourcing and offshoring of ICT development, maintenance and support contracts. Each and every outsourcing decision could have major security, legal, regulatory and contractual impacts. It is generally recognised that risks are likely to be compounded when outsourcing to companies based in countries that have different political, economic and cultural environments and, subsequently, that security assessments must be augmented to address this. However, difficulties can occur with the ongoing ownership of responsibilities for outsourced information and its processing, particularly when a number of vendors may be involved with the same product or service. Outsourcing security risks are becoming increasingly dynamic and complex, have major business implications and require both tactical and strategic responses. This presents many challenges for corporate security functions and, to be effective, security assessments must feed into business risk assessments and decisions. This paper describes the approaches taken by BT to ensure that security risk assessments are conducted within a consistent framework and integrated into decisionmaking processes for outsourcing ICT contracts. Specific tools and techniques have been developed to ensure that engagement with stakeholders is effective and timely, that risks and requirements are identified and understood, and that risk mitigation and management strategies are implemented within appropriate compliance and governance frameworks. The method employed by BT is based on the UK Government's Infosec Standard No. 1: Residual Risk Assessment Method (IS1) and has been tailored to suit a commercial environment. To implement the method, many sources of security profiling data have been consolidated from across the business to create a full picture of information confidentiality, integrity and availability risks; this includes legal and regulatory issues and BT's responsibilities as a fundamental component of the UK Critical National Infrastructure. This has enabled new approaches to categorising systems and applications in terms of data value and impact. To cater for the 'industrial scale' volume of outsourcing requests, automation has been introduced to enable consistent and speedy assessments and to improve the means of communicating the results to stakeholders. The paper also highlights the importance of a taking a hierarchical approach to conducting risk assessments and setting security requirements – within the context of system and contract lifecycles  and the need for effective protective monitoring and audit regimes.


Zinc chloride has the importance in pharmaceutical/nutraceutical industries for the prevention and treatment of several diseases. The objective of the current study was to investigate the impact of The Trivedi Effect®-Energy of Consciousness Healing Treatment (Biofield Energy Healing Treatment) on physical, structural, and thermal properties of zinc chloride using PXRD, PSD, FT-IR, UV-vis, TGA, and DSC analysis. Zinc chloride was divided into two parts. One part was denoted as the control without any, while the other part was defined as the Trivedi Effect® Treated sample, which received the Trivedi Effect® Treatment remotely from eighteen renowned Biofield Energy Healers. The PXRD analysis revealed that the crystallite size and relative intensities of the PXRD peaks significantly altered in the treated sample compared with the control sample. The crystallite size of treated sample was decreased by 4.19% compared with the control sample. The particle size at d10 and d50 of the Biofield Energy Treated sample decreased by 4.72% and 2.70%, respectively compared with the control sample. But, the particle size of the treated sample increased at d90 by 0.83 compared with the control sample. Consequently, the surface area was increased by 3.22% in the treated sample compared with the control sample. The FT-IR spectroscopic analysis revealed that Zn-Cl stretching in the control and treated sample was at 520 cm-1 and 521 cm-1, respectively. The UV-vis analysis exhibited that the wavelength of the maximum absorbance of the control and treated samples was at 196.4 and 196.2 nm, respectively. The TGA thermograms revealed two steps of the thermal degradation and the weight loss of the treated sample was significantly reduced by 22.54% in the 1st step of degradation compared with the control sample. The DSC analysis showed that the enthalpy of decomposition was significantly increased by 34.9% in the treated sample (89.17 J/g) compared with the control sample (66.10 J/g). Overall, DSC and TGA analysis indicated that the thermal stability of the treated sample was increased compared with the control sample. The current study anticipated that The Trivedi Effect®-Energy of Consciousness Healing Treatment might lead to generate a new polymorphic form of zinc chloride, which would be more soluble, stable, and higher absorption rate compared with the control sample. Hence, the treated zinc chloride could be very useful to design the various forms of nutraceuticals and pharmaceutical formulation which might be providing a better therapeutic response against inflammatory diseases, immunological disorders, aging, stress, cancer, etc.


Abstract Cancer chemopreventive agents such as N-4-(hydroxyphenyl)retinamide (4HPR) are thought to prevent cancers by suppressing growth or inducing apoptosis in precancerous cells. Mechanisms by which these drugs affect cells are often not known, and the means to monitor their effects is not available. In this study endogenous fluorescence spectroscopy was used to measure metabolic changes in response to treatment with 4HPR in ovarian and bladder cancer cell lines. Fluorescence signals consistent with nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH), flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) and tryptophan were measured to monitor cellular activity through redox status and protein content. Cells were treated with varying concentrations of 4HPR and measured in a stable environment with a sensitive fluorescence spectrometer. Results suggest that redox signal of all cells changed in a similar dose-dependant manner but started at different baseline levels. Redox signal changes depended primarily on changes consistent with NADH fluorescence, whereas the FAD fluorescence remained relatively constant. Similarly, tryptophan fluorescence decreased with increased drug treatment, suggesting a decrease in protein production. Given that each cell line has been shown to have a different apoptotic response to 4HPR, fluorescence redox values along with changes in tryptophan fluorescence may be a response as well as an endpoint marker for chemopreventive drugs.


The construction of physically relevant low dimensional state models, and the design of appropriate measurements are key issues in tackling quantum state tomography for large dimensional systems. We consider the statistical problem of estimating low rank states in the set-up of multiple ions tomography, and investigate how the estimation error behaves with a reduction in the number of measurement settings, compared with the standard ion tomography setup. We present extensive simulation results showing that the error is robust with respect to the choice of states of a given rank, the random selection of settings, and that the number of settings can be significantly reduced with only a negligible increase in error. We present an argument to explain these findings based on a concentration inequality for the Fisher information matrix. In the more general setup of random basis measurements we use this argument to show that for certain rank r states it suffices to measure in O ( r log d ) bases to achieve the average Fisher information over all bases. We present numerical evidence for random states of up to eight atoms, which suggests that a similar behaviour holds in the case of Pauli bases measurements, for randomly chosen states. The relation to similar problems in compressed sensing is also discussed.


Background: The choice of primary hemiarthroplasty or total hip arthroplasty in patients ≥80 years of age with a displaced femoral neck fracture has not been adequately studied. As the number of healthy, elderly patients ≥80 years of age is continually increasing, optimizing treatments for improving outcomes and reducing the need for secondary surgery is an important consideration. The aim of the present study was to compare the results of hemiarthroplasty with those of total hip arthroplasty in patients ≥80 years of age. Methods: This prospective, randomized, single-blinded trial included 120 patients with a mean age of 86 years (range, 80 to 94 years) who had sustained an acute displaced femoral neck fracture <36 hours previously. The patients were randomized to treatment with hemiarthroplasty (n = 60) or total hip arthroplasty (n = 60). The primary end points were hip function and health-related quality of life at 2 years. Secondary end points included hip-related complications and reoperations, mortality, pain in the involved hip, activities of daily living, surgical time, blood loss, and general complications. The patients were reviewed at 3 months and 1 and 2 years. Results: We found no differences between the groups in terms of hip function, health-related quality of life, hip-related complications and reoperations, activities of daily living, or pain in the involved hip. Hip function, activities of daily living, and pain in the involved hip deteriorated in both groups compared with pre-fracture values. The ability to regain previous walking function was similar in both groups. Conclusions: We found no difference in outcomes after treatment with either hemiarthroplasty or total hip arthroplasty in active octogenarians and nonagenarians with a displaced femoral neck fracture up to 2 years after surgery. Hemiarthroplasty is a suitable procedure in the short term for this group of patients. Level of Evidence: Therapeutic Level I. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.


This thesis is concerned with quantum well semiconductor lasers that operated at optical communication wavelengths around 1550nm. It concentrates on lasers that are made from the latticed matched InGaAs/InAlGaAs material which have less temperature dependence of their threshold current in comparison to the established phosphorous quaternary semiconductor material. In particular, multiple width quantum wells (which is also referred to as asymmetric wells) are employed in the active region to broaden the gain spectrum. A conventional identical width quantum well structure is also employed in order to assess the advantages of including multiple width wells in the active region. The comparison between the multiple and identical well structures included carrying out spectral TE and TM gain and internal optical loss measurements. Spectral absorption measurements are also presented for both multiple and identical width quantum well devices. This was carried out in order to study the quantum well band edge shift with increasing reverse biased electric field applied perpendicular to the quantum well layers, a process commonly known as quantum confined Stark effect. First colliding pulse mode-locked operation in lasers made from the multiple width quantum well material is also demonstrated. The electric field auto-correlation experiment has been carried out, using both the multiple and identical width quantum well lasers, in order to investigate the influence of the gain broadened material on the pulse width obtained from the mode-locked operation.


Abstract. Combining ocean models and proxy data via data assimilation is a powerful means to obtain more reliable estimates of past ocean states, but studies using data assimilation for paleo-ocean state estimation are rare. A few studies used the adjoint method, also called 4D-Var, to estimate the state of the ocean during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). The adjoint method, however, requires the adjoint of the model code, which is not easily obtained for most models. The method is computationally very demanding and does not readily provide uncertainty estimates. Here, we present a new and computationally very efficient technique to obtain ocean state estimates. We applied a state reduction approach in conjunction with a finite difference sensitivity-iterative Kalman smoother (FDS-IKS) to estimate spatially varying atmospheric forcing fields and to obtain an equilibrium model simulation in consistency with proxy data. We tested the method in synthetic pseudo-proxy data experiments. The method is capable of very efficiently estimating 16 control variables and reconstructing a target ocean circulation from sea surface temperature (SST) and oxygen isotopic composition of seawater data at LGM coverage. The method is advantageous over the adjoint method regarding that it is very easy to implement, it requires substantially less computing time and provides an uncertainty estimate of the estimated control variables. The computing time, however, depends linearly on the size of the control space limiting the number of control variables that can be estimated. We used the method to investigate the constraint of data outside of the Atlantic Ocean on the Atlantic overturning circulation. Our results indicate that while data from the Pacific or Indian Ocean aid in correctly estimating the Atlantic overturning circulation, they are not as crucial as the Atlantic data. We additionally applied the method to estimate the LGM ocean state constrained by a global SST reconstruction and data on the oxygen isotopic composition of calcite from fossil benthic and planktic foraminifera. The LGM estimate shows a large improvement compared to our first guess, but model-data misfits remain after the optimization due to model errors that cannot be corrected by the control variables. The estimate shows a shallower North Atlantic Deep Water and a weaker Atlantic overturning circulation compared to today in consistency with previous studies. The combination of the FDS-IKS and the state reduction approach is a step forward in making ocean state estimation and data assimilation applicable for complex and computationally expensive models and to models where the adjoint is not available.


This thesis investigates the use of cylinder pressure measurements for estimation of the in-cylinder air/fuel ratio in a spark ignited internal combustion engine.

An estimation model which uses the net heat release profile for estimating the cylinder air/fuel ratio of a spark ignition engine is developed. The net heat release profile is computed from the cylinder pressure trace and quantifies the conversion of chemical energy of the reactants in the charge into thermal energy. The net heat release profile does not take heat- or mass transfer into account. Cycle-averaged air/fuel ratio estimates over a range of engine speeds and loads show an RMS error of 4.1% compared to measurements in the exhaust.

A thermochemical model of the combustion process in an internal combustion engine is developed. It uses a simple chemical combustion reaction, polynomial fits of internal energy as function of temperature, and the first law of thermodynamics to derive a relationship between measured cylinder pressure and the progress of the combustion process. Simplifying assumptions are made to arrive at an equation which relates the net heat release to the cylinder pressure.

Two methods for estimating the sensor offset of a cylinder pressure transducer are developed. Both methods fit the pressure data during the pre-combustion phase of the compression stroke to a polytropic curve. The first method assumes a known polytropic exponent, and the other estimates the polytropic exponent. The first method results in a linear least-squares problem, and the second method results in a nonlinear least-squares problem. The nonlinear least-squares problem is solved by separating out the nonlinear dependence and solving the single-variable minimization problem. For this, a finite difference Newton method is derived. Using this method, the cost of solving the nonlinear least-squares problem is only slightly higher than solving the linear least-squares problem. Both methods show good statistical behavior. Estimation error variances are inversely proportional to the number of pressure samples used for the estimation as predicted by the central limit theorem.


A field study on the economic performance indicators for coastal fisheries are needed in order to implement fisheries policy in Khanh Hoa as well as in Vietnam. The research project "Economic performance indicators for coastal fisheries the case of pureseining in Khanh Hoa" established to fulfill these demands. A questionnaire about technical characteristics and economic data is used for data collection through interviews with vessel owners. This paper presents preliminary findings for 100 purse seiners, representeing 10% of the total population, in Nha Trang and Cam Ranh (Khanh Hoa province) in the group of vessels with engine power of less than 90 HP. The following indicators are presented: gross revenue, gross value added, gross cash flow, net profit and crew share. The results show that the coastal purse seine fishery in Cam Ranh is more profitable than in Nha Trang for each engine power group. The owner of an average purse seiner of all groups of horse power in both locations of Nha Trang and Cam Ranh is not only capable paying for all expenses, but also has a reward for the operating year. The boat owner of an average vessel in the group of horse power of 75 < 90 Hp has the highest values of annual gross cash flow and net profit following location. Thus, the annual average of crew shares for this group of horse power was quite high. It was almost 2.0 times more than the average earnings of labor in the whole country. The boat owners of the engine power group of < 20Hp and 20-<45Hp have lowest values of annual vessel gross cash flow and net profit following location. Thus, the annual average of crew shares for those groups of horse power is quite low. They are almost 1.2 times more than the average earnings of labor in the whole country. Regression analysis of gross revenue using technical characteristics as independent variables is performed, and the results are demonstrated. The technical factors that impact on the gross revenue are the length of net, fishing experience of skipper and location. These are significant factors impacting on the gross revenue. Further work will include collection of more data, which will be analyzed with stronger techniques for in depth analysis such as Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) or Stochastic Production Frontier (SPF).


This is the first report of air pollution monitored in Greece's Tripolis Plateau. We investigated ambient ozone concentrations and estimated its phytotoxicity potential based on three approaches: i) continuous instrumental monitoring at one station in the town, ii) phytodetection mapping with Bel-W3 tobacco plants in a network of 15 stations and iii) evaluation of ozone phytotoxicity by using the resistant (NC-R) and the sensitive (NC-S) white clover genotypes (the latter group was either sprayed or not sprayed with Ethylenediurea (EDU) or Azoxystrobin as ozone protectants). The hourly ozone concentrations often exceeded 70 nmol mol. The average ozone concentration during the early afternoon hours (12:00-19:00) for June, July and August was 65.4 nmol mol. The monthly AOT40 (accumulated ozone mixing ratios over the threshold of 40 nmol mol) value was higher in July (9,123 nmol mol h) and lower in October (2,022 nmol mol h). The Bel-W3 plants showed characteristic ozone-induced visible foliar injury symptoms at all the stations of the network, suggesting that ozone was at phytotoxic levels not only in the town, where it was measured, but also throughout the plateau. The white clover revealed a reduction of the epigeous biomass of the NC-S by 36-57% in five harvests. The application of EDU prevented biomass reduction in the NC-S genotype, while Azoxystrobin did not offer significant protection. These results indicate that, in rural areas of Greece, ambient ozone occurs at potentially phytotoxic levels, at least for sensitive plant species.


This book addresses one of the enduring questions of democratic government: why do governments choose some public policies but not others? Political executives focus on a range of policy issues, such as the economy, social policy, and foreign policy, but they shift their priorities over time. Despite an extensive literature, it has proven surprisingly hard to explain policy prioritisation. To remedy this gap, this book offers a new approach called public policy investment: governments enhance their chances of getting re-elected by managing a portfolio of public policies and paying attention to the risks involved. In this way, government is like an investor making choices about risk to yield returns on its investments of political capital. The public provides signals about expected political capital returns for government policies, or policy assets, that can be captured through expressed opinion in public polls. Governments can anticipate these signals in the choices they make. Statecraft is the ability political leaders have to consider risk and return in their policy portfolios and do so amidst uncertainty in the public's policy valuation. Such actions represent the public's views conditionally because not every opinion change is a price signal. It then outlines a quantitative method for measuring risk and return, applying it to the case of Britain between 1971 and 2000 and offers case studies illustrating statecraft by prime ministers, such as Edward Heath or Margaret Thatcher. The book challenges comparative scholars to apply public policy investment to countries that have separation of powers, multiparty government, and decentralization.


This article relates computer gaming to the social psychology of identity, focusing the notion that identity construction has a reflected character not only in virtual reality but also in real life. This gives a tight correspondence between the two, although the screen construction of identity goes on in greater independence of real other persons. Gaming has the trait that it contracts several events at one point in space and time. This provides for two extremes of identification: functional and existential identification, which are tightly coupled in gaming, but also for the element of meaning creation in gaming, where the step from concrete action to mental act is short, as well as for the processes of anticipatory identification that are found in it. This gives a high emotional intensity to it. The analysis is based on a theoretical sketch of stages in the act, building on the work of G. H. Mead.


PURPOSE
To revise the code of ethics for nurses in Taiwan.

DESIGN
Citizen consensus conference, Delphi-technique, and questionnaire survey were used in the revising process.

METHODS
Citizen representatives were recruited for a 5-day citizen consensus conference to develop a first draft of the revised code. Further modification resulted from three rounds of communication with Delphi technique among experts. Three conferences for nursing professionals were conducted where questionnaire surveys were administered. The final draft was approved by the general assembly of Taiwan National Union of Nurses Associations.

FINDINGS
A revised code of ethics for nurses in Taiwan was proposed in six parts and 27 articles including: the fundamental responsibilities of nurses (1), nurses and clients (12), nurses and professional services (4), nurses and social interactions (4), nurses and teamwork (3), and nurses and professional growth (3).

CONCLUSIONS
The citizen consensus conference was helpful in identifying the general public's expectation of nurses in the revision process. The revised Taiwanese code of ethics for nurses has new elements, including environmental protection, personal safety, lifetime learning, and self-care.


The presented work sets out a research programme with the core aim of developing digital manufacturing capability for integration into the Integrated Product Process Development (IPPD) process. As part of the business process the key phase being addressed is the concurrent integration of manufacturing requirements at the stage when design geometry has been released. The digital manufacturing platform is used t o provide simulations of the assembly process that have been developed in order provide simultaneous estimation of the associated learning curves, cycle time, recurring cost and throughput. These estimation processes form research projects within their own right as part of their development within the overall programme framework. Consequently, their findings will be presented at this stage in the programme . The integration of Lean principles at the programme and functional levels will also be addressed as t he Lean approach underwrites the entire programme. Fundamentally, the compression of lead time, increase in value added effort and reduction in waste and inefficiency are the key Lean challenges being addressed. Consequently, a Lean Implementation Methodol ogy will be presented while the Lean characteristics of the functional development will also be highlighted. The later also includes the development of a Lean Flow Accounting Methodology which addresses the Lean flow of work through a plant in order to max imise value added effort according to a top -down assessment of financial value and optimal through -put, thereby reducing Work In Progress (WIP).


Press coverage of the 1888 mutilation murders attributed to Jack the Ripper was of necessity filled with gaps and silences, for the killer remained unknown and Victorian journalists had little experience reporting serial murders and sex crimes. This engrossing book examines how fifteen London newspapers - dailies and weeklies, highbrow and lowbrow - presented the Ripper news, in the process revealing much about the social, political, and sexual anxieties of late Victorian Britain and the role of journalists in reinforcing social norms. L. Perry Curtis surveys the mass newspaper culture of the era, delving into the nature of sensationalism and the conventions of domestic murder news. Analyzing the fifteen newspapers - several of which emanated from the East End, where the murders took place - he shows how journalists played on the fears of readers about law and order by dwelling on lethal violence rather than sex, offering gruesome details about knife injuries but often withholding some of the more intimate details of the pelvic mutilations. He also considers how the Ripper news affected public perceptions of social conditions in Whitechapel. 'It is a major contribution to cultural history', Christopher Frayling, Rector of the Royal College of Art, London 'An excellent book that offers a new angle on an always fascinating subject', John Davis, Queen's College, Oxford L. Perry Curtis, Jr., is professor of history and modern culture and media at Brown University, Rhode Island.


This paper provides an asymptotic performance evaluation of network-based or multilateral positioning systems, where the times and/or angles of arrival of the signals traveling from a mobile station (MS) to a set of fixed stations (FSs) are used to estimate the MS's position. The effects of the various system-design parameters as well as the effects of biased bearing and time measurements are analyzed, and explicit formulas are derived. Biased measurements can result, for example, from hardware calibration errors or multipath effects, including the lack of line of sight (LoS). Among other results, it is shown that only a few system and cellular parameters can be used to minimize their nuisance effects. The mathematical analysis is based on the Cramer-Rao lower bound (CRLB) and the maximum likelihood theory. It is completed with numerical simulations and a discussion of the positioning performance for two important second-generation cellular systems, GSM and IS-95.


One of the determinant factors contributing to the professional development of teachers is the school manager, since the school managers' administration manner determines the speed and capacity of development. With this study, the managerial approaches adopted at schools and their effects on teachers' professional development are aimed to be found out. That's to say, within the context of the study, it's aimed to have a general knowledge of management approaches adopted by the directors at educational institutions and also to clarify the contribution of the managers to the professional development of the teachers. Parallel to the research objective, various research questions were formulated. Since the research aims to explain the substantial situation as it exists, it has descriptive quality. Besides, in the study, single and relational screening models are employed. The research results show that schools often use classical and neoclassical management approaches. Additionally, according to the teachers participated in the study, the school principals adopt classical management approach mostly in comparison to neoclassical management approach. If we look at the professional development of the teachers from the viewpoint that it is a contribution for the professional development, we understand that the school principals are close to the neoclassical approach.


Managing ecological systems, which operate over large spatial scales, is inherently difficult and often requires sourcing data from different countries and organizations. The assumption might be made that data collected using similar methodologies are comparable, but this is rarely tested. Here, benthic video data recorded using different towed underwater video systems (TUVSs) were experimentally compared. Three technically different TUVSs were compared on different seabed types (rocky, mixed ground and sandy) in Kingmere Marine Conservation Zone, off the south coast of England. For each TUVS, species metrics (forward facing camera), seabed impact (backward facing camera) and operational performance (strengths and limitations of equipment and video footage) were compared with the aim of providing recommendations on their future use and comparability of data between different systems. Statistically significant differences between species richness, density, cover and assemblage composition were detected amongst devices and were believed to be mostly due to their optical specifications. As a result of their high image definition and large field of vision both the benthic contacting heavy and benthic tending TUVS provided good quality footage and ecological measurements. However, the heaviest TUVS proved difficult to operate on irregular ground and was found to cause the most impact to the seabed. The lightest TUVS (benthic contacting light) struggled to maintain contact with the seabed. The benthic tending TUVS was able to fly over variable seabed relief and was comparably the least destructive. Results from this study highlight that particular care should be given to sled and optic specifications when developing a medium‐ or long‐term marine protected area monitoring programme. Furthermore, when using data gathered from multiple sources to test ecological questions, different equipment specifications may confound observed ecological differences. A benthic tending TUVS is recommended for benthic surveys over variable habitat types, particularly in sensitive areas, such as marine protected areas.


The PI3K-PKB-FOXO signalling module plays a pivotal role in a wide variety of cellular processes, including proliferation, survival, differentiation and metabolism. Inappropriate activation of this network is frequently observed in human cancer and causes uncontrolled proliferation and survival. In this thesis we have identified novel phosphorylation and transcriptional targets of the PI3K-PKB-FOXO signal transduction pathway. We identified eIF4B as a novel PKB substrate by phospho-proteome analysis after activation of PKB, thereby revealing a novel mechanism by which PKB can regulate translation. We demonstrate that phosphorylation of eIF4B by PKB on Ser 422 activates eIF4B, resulting in increased translation initiation. Furthermore, we focussed on identification of novel transcriptional targets of the FOXO transcription factors through global microarray analyses. We identified Id1, and JAK2 as FOXO transcriptional targets, which might be involved in oncogenic transformation. We demonstrate that FOXO3-induced downregulation of Id1 results in erythroid differentiation of a chronic myeloid leukemia cell line. These results indicate that inactivation of FOXO3 and consequent increased Id1 expression is critical for maintenance of the leukemic phenotype. In addition, we performed microarray analyses after inducible activation of constitutively active PI3K, PKB, FOXO3 and FOXO4 to identify novel transcriptional targets involved in survival and stress resistance. Utilising this unique "pathway" approach, we identified glutamine synthetase (GS) as being transcriptionally regulated by PI3K-PKB-FOXO signalling. Activation of PI3K or PKB results in downregulation of GS expression, while activation of either FOXO3 or FOXO4 induces an upregulation. The increase of GS expression correlates with increased GS activity and increased glutamine levels. After activation of FOXO3 the increase in glutamine levels induces autophagy, which is important for survival of the cells. These data show that the PI3K modulates glutamine metabolism and reveal a novel mechanism by which the PI3K-PKB-FOXO signalling module regulates autophagy. This might contribute to the tumour suppressive function of FOXO transcription factors through protection of cells from the build-up of cellular damage. Overall, the characterisation of these novel targets reveals previously undiscovered signalling pathways and biological functions regulated by PI3K-PKB-FOXO signalling and provides novel targets for the development of anti-cancer therapeutics.


The general principles relating to construction and operation of semiconducting metal oxide materials as gas sensitive resistors are discussed. The adsorbed oxygen model of sensor response is presented as the origin of the gas sensitivity of the conductivity of these materials. Microstructure is also noted to affect sensor response and various studies, simulations and models from the literature are presented and discussed. Based on a combination of the model developed by Williams et al. and the linear form of the empirical equation for sensor response the model that will be used in the present work is developed. Two batches of sensors made using two chromia raw material powders of differing particle size were obtained from City Technology Ltd. Groups of these sensors were sintered at different temperatures to generate sensors having different microstructures. The different sintering temperatures produced clear gradations in the microstructures of the sensors, observed using scanning electron microscopy. These sensors were then systematically tested to carbon monoxide (CO) and propane at a single operating temperature of 400 C. A further group of sensors created from the batch of sensors made from fine chromia raw material were sintered at a single temperature of 775 C but were operated at temperatures of 350, 400 and 450 C and tested to CO with exposures of 1800 second duration. The results of all the gas tests were successfully processed so as to obtain solutions to the microstructural model developed for the steady state and transient cases. The trends of the microstructural, sensitivity and time constant parameters with sintering temperature, microstructure, operating temperature and exposure length are successfully discussed with reference to how the model accounts for these trends. The unexpected or unusual results are explained in terms of potential inaccuracies in the model or how it has been applied in this work.


We're all familiar with the warning, "Don't believe everything you see or hear." Bill Press, the popular co-host of CNN's "Crossfire," will have you wondering whether you should believe anything at all. "Spin" -- intentional manipulation of the truth -- is everywhere. It's in the White House, in the courtrooms, in headlines and advertising slogans. Even couples on dates -- not to mention book jackets -- are guilty of spin. Now, analyst Bill Press freeze-frames the culture of spin to investigate what exactly spin is, who does it and why, and its impact on American society as a whole. Depending upon who is doing it, spinning can mean anything from portraying a difficult situation in the best possible light to completely disregarding the facts with the intent of averting embarrassment or scandal. Using examples drawn from recent history -- the Clinton presidency, the Florida recount, and the Bush White House -- Press first probes spin's favorite haunt: politics. In addition to surveying the incarnations of spin in the fields of journalism, law, and advertising, Press also chews on the spin of sex and "dating," a word that has become the very embodiment of spin. Perhaps surprisingly, however, Press argues that spin isn't all bad, and that without it the harsh truths of our times might be too tough to swallow. With the same keen sense of humor that helped make CNN's "Crossfire" television's premier debate show and the limited run of "The Spin Room" so popular, Press turns the tables on the prime purveyors of spin -- called "spin doctors" -- noting some of their biggest guffaws and blunders. As Press notes, it has become abundantly clear that the twenty-first century,beginning as it has with a president who was "spun into office," will be a fertile stomping ground for spin.


The authors describe a program aimed at creating and nurturing literacy opportunities and successes for area children, adolescents, and adults while simultaneously helping all participants develop an appreciation of their language and of their culturally diverse community. Fitchburg, Massachusetts, originally a mill town, is a community with a rapidly expanding African American, Asian, and Hispanic (particularly Puerto Rican) population. It is also the site of Fitchburg State College, a regional institution with approximately 5,000 undergraduate students. In 1990 the college was awarded a federal Student Literacy Corps grant, which led to the establishment of the Literacy Corps Program. The program's primary goal is to create and nurture literacy opportunities and successes for area children, adolescents, and adults while simultaneously helping all participants develop an appreciation of their culturally diverse community. Those served by the program include whites, African Americans, Hispanics, Asians, Native Americans, and Pakistanis. Program Description A new elective course, "Literacy Corps," was developed for college students who wish to take part in the program. Undergraduate students from a variety of college majors enroll in this course and meet with an instructor one evening per week. Required readings and class discussions provide the students with a foundation of knowledge regarding pertinent issues in literacy education, including bilingual education, the use of various dialects of English, the influence of bilingualism on literacy development, approaches to reading instruction for newly literate adults, literacy assessment, and how literacy might affect one's economic and social development. Decisions about the course were shaped by the fact that many of the participating students are not education majors or are first- or second-year students with little training in or familiarity with literacy development and tutorial situations. For example, we had to consider the backgrounds of our tutors as we selected and developed the assessment tools they would use. Likewise, all decisions regarding the discussion topics for the weekly seminars or the type of instruction, guidance, and supervision that the course instructor would provide throughout the semester were influenced by the inexperience of our tutors. Each school or community agency involved with our program identifies individuals who are most in need of tutorial services to foster their literacy development. The college students then administer a series of informal assessments to gather information concerning the tutees' feelings about reading and writing, their current abilities and performance, their reading behaviors, their interests and future goals, and the resources currently available to them. Informal assessment procedures are used because they are more flexible and can be readily adapted to differing situations.(1) After analyzing the information gathered from the assessments, the college student, the tutee, and the classroom teacher or site manager work together to develop a study plan. The college students provide the learning tools for their tutees, assist them with instructional strategies, give encouragement and moral support, and closely monitor their successes and setbacks. The pairs work as teams to allow tutees to travel along personal paths of literacy development, and the college students also work cooperatively and intensively with the site managers or teachers to meet the needs of the tutees. In addition, parents and families are contacted to let them know that the tutoring relationship has been established. They are asked to evaluate their child's or family member's progress at the end of the semester using an attitudinal scale developed by Anthony Fredericks and Timothy Rasinski.(2) Each weekly class meeting for the college students begins with a session in which they express any concerns or problems they have regarding their tutoring. …


Formalizing a student model for an educational system requires an engineering effort that is highly domain-specific. This model-specificity limits the ability to scale a tutoring system across content domains. In this work we offer an alternative, in which the task of student modeling is not performed by the system designers. We achieve this by using a reciprocal tutoring system in which peer-tutors are implicitly tasked with student modeling. Students are motivated, using the Teacher's Dilemma, to use these models to provide appropriately-difficult challenges. We implement this as a basic literacy game in a spelling-bee format, in which players choose words for each other to spell across the internet. We find that students are responsive to the game's motivational structure, and we examine the affect on participants' spelling accuracy, challenge difficulty, and tutoring skill.


Transradial artery access for percutaneous coronary intervention is associated with lower bleeding and vascular complications than transfemoral artery access, especially in patients with acute coronary syndromes. A growing body of evidence supports adoption of transradial artery access to improve acute coronary syndrome–related outcomes, to improve healthcare quality, and to reduce cost. The purpose of this scientific statement is to propose and support a "radial-first" strategy in the United States for patients with acute coronary syndromes. This document also provides an update to previously published statements on transradial artery access technique and best practices, particularly as they relate to the management of patients with acute coronary syndromes.


Over the course of the past thirty years, there has been an explosion of work on sexuality, both conceptually and methodologically. From a relatively limited, specialist field, the study of sexuality has expanded across a wide range of social sciences. Yet as the field has grown, it has become apparent that a number of leading edge critical issues remain.

This theory-building book explores some of the areas in which there is major and continuing debate, for example, about the relationship between sexuality and gender; about the nature and status of heterosexuality; about hetero- and homo-normativity; about the influence and intersection of class, race, age and other factors in sexual trajectories, identities and lifestyles; and about how best to understand the new forms of sexuality that are emerging in both rich world and developing world contexts.

With contributions from leading and new scholars and activists from across the globe, this book highlights tensions or 'flash-points' in contemporary debate, and offers some innovative ways forward in terms of thinking about sexuality – both theoretically and with respect to policy and programme development. An extended essay by Henrietta Moore introduces the volume, and an afterword by Jeffrey Weeks offers pointers for the future.

The contributors bring together a range of experiences and a variety of disciplinary perspectives in engaging with three key themes of sexual subjectivity and global transformations, sexualities in practice, and advancing new thinking on sexuality in policy and programmatic contexts. It is of interest to students, researchers and activists in sexuality, sexual health and gender studies, especially those working from public health, sociological and anthropological perspectives.


Abstract We studied the presence and movements of Song Thrush along the southern Tyrrhenian coast line in the region of Campania, from 2013 to 2016, in order to establish the timing of northward migration. We captured and ringed 150 birds with standardised mist-netting. There was little evidence of migration from the second 10-day period of January, when the trapping began, until the first 10-day period of February. There were no peaks due to the arrival of migrant birds though an increase in captures was recorded during the second 10-day period of February with a very considerable peak during the second 10-day period of March. The mean body mass showed significant increases from the third 10-day period of February, with the highest values recorded in March, also reflected in the accumulation of subcutaneous fat; 91% of subjects with fat scores 3 and 4 were concentrated between the third 10-day period of February and the third 10-day period of March, while the first birds with fat appeared only in the first 10-day period of February. Analysis of several recoveries of thrushes ringed in Campania, in other Italian regions and in other countries, confirms the presence of these birds in Campania in the period between the third 10-day period of January and the third 10-day period of March. The data gathered during the four years of this investigation provide a fairly clear, though not conclusive, picture of the temporal trend of pre-nuptial migration of Song Thrush, which never began before the second 10-day period of February, although it is possible that some birds on migration may be present in the previous 10-day period.


Acoustic target strengths (TSs) of the 2 most common large medusae, Chrysaora hysoscella and Aequorea aequorea, in the northern Benguela (off Namibia) have previously been estimated (at 18, 38 and 120 kHz) from acoustic data collected in conjunction with trawl samples, using the 'comparison method'. These TS values may have been biased because the method took no account of acoustic backscatter from mesozooplankton. Here we report our efforts to improve upon these estimates, and to determine TS additionally at 200 kHz, by conducting additional sampling for mesozooplankton and fish larvae, and accounting for their likely contribution to the total backscatter. Published sound scattering models were used to predict the acoustic backscatter due to the observed numerical densities of mesozooplankton and fish larvae (solving the forward problem). Mean volume backscattering due to jellyfish alone was then inferred by subtracting the model-predicted values from the observed water-column total associated with jellyfish net samples. Zooplankton-corrected echo intensity/jellyfish density data pairs were in close agreement with linear relationships deter- mined previously from uncorrected data. Small sample sizes precluded recalculation of TS, but non- parametric pair-wise tests failed to detect any significant differences between echo intensities for jel- lyfish densities observed in the present study and echo intensities predicted for those densities by density-intensity relationships arising from the previous study. Previous linear density-intensity relationships had y-axis intercepts greater than zero. On the assumption that the positive intercepts were due to backscatter from unsampled mesozooplankton, new TS relationships were calculated from downward-adjusted density-intensity relationships. New values agreed closely with TS esti- mates determined elsewhere using single-target echo detection techniques. Given that estimates of jellyfish TS appear robust, it should now be feasible to identify jellyfish acoustically at sea and to assess their abundance, even in the presence of mixed mesozooplankton assemblages.


The most destructive fungal disease of soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] is Phytophthora root rot. The most common method of protecting soybean from Phytophthora root rot utilizes specific resistance genes, but continuous selection pressure exerted on the pathogen frequently causes resistance genes in soybean to become ineffective. Infected plants which exhibit tolerance often yield nearly as well as uninfected resistant plants and prevent the buildup of races capable of overcoming resistance genes. Experiments were initiated to obtain information concerning the genetics of tolerance to Phytophthora root rot, The objectives were to: (i) compare parent-offspring regression, correlation, and realized heritability estimates of tolerance, (ii) compare heritability and phenotypic variation among single-, three-way, and double-cross populations, and (iii) correlate non-infected yields with tolerance and maturity. Ten F 3:4 populations were screened for tolerance in the F, and F 4 generations by the inoculum layer method. Heritability estimates were low, ranging from 0.17 to -0.10 when obtained through parent-offspring regression. These estimates were not separable from zero because of the magnitude of their standard errors. Parent-offspring correlation estimates were larger than parent-offspring regression estimates, and ranged from 0.43 to 0.19. Realized heritability was estimated by selecting the 20% highest and lowest tolerant lines within each population. These results were generally larger, ranging from 0.80 to -0.13, and suggested that relatively high tolerant lines may be identified through selection. The number of parents composing a population did not influence heritability or phenotypic variation within populations. Most correlations among yield, tolerance, and maturity were non-significant. Tolerance levels within populations should not vary with maturity. The inoculum layer method may not be sensitive enough to allow accurate screening of germplasm with low tolerance levels.


Some Fourth Amendment doctrines distinguish between searches executed by police and others, being more demanding of the former. We explore these distinctions by offering a simple theory for how "police are different," focusing on self-selection. Those most attracted to the job of policing include those who feel the most intrinsic satisfaction from facilitating the punishment of wrongdoers. Thus, we expect police to have more intensely punitive preferences, on average, than the public or other governmental actors. Some experimental evidence supports this prediction. In turn, stronger punishment preferences logically lower one's threshold of doubt — the perceived probability of guilt at which one would search or seize a suspect. That police have a lower threshold of doubt plausibly justifies more judicial scrutiny of police searches than of nonpolice searches (as well as more-permissive rules when police perform tasks outside the scope of law enforcement). We also consider and critique Bill Stuntz's alternative explanation of the relevant doctrine.


The paper Endeavors to investigate the magnitude and direction effect of inflation on the gross domestic savings. In doing so, the writers undertake different diagnostic tests such as Augmented Dicky Fuller unit root tests, Ramsey functional misspecification test (RESET) hetroscedasticity, autocorrelation etc. Moreover, we use the Engle-granger co-integration approach to test the existence of long run associations among economic variables. Accordingly, the model doesn't confirm the existence of long run relationships and hence the short run model suggests that there appears an inverse relationship between macroeconomic uncertainty (inflation) and gross domestic savings. Moreover, the result reveals insignificant influence of real interest rate and a significant and positive effect of real GDP on savings.


Background/Significance: Bihar is one of India's most populous states with the highest TFR and very low level of CPR. BBC Media Action is implementing a 5 yr. grant from BMGF to shape demand and practices around 9 family-health behaviours including FP. Present paper is based on the analysis of benchmarking survey data on FP. Methodology: The evaluation design adopts a pretest-posttest design with appropriate statistical controls. A multi-staged cluster sampling approach used, sample size of 7646 respondents was spread across 200 PSUs from Bihar. Findings: Findings suggest a very low use and very high unmet need post birth. About 12% women using modern FP method during 1st yr. of birth and only 9% using within 6 months. 2/3 extended postpartum women expressed unmet need (limiting 40%; spacing 27%). Program lessons learned: Program needs to identify women with unmet need during extended postpartum period and communication should target the identified triggers-barriers.


We determined the antibiotic susceptibility and genetic mechanisms of resistance in clinical strains of Acinetobacter baumannii from Istanbul, Turkey. A total of 101 clinical strains were collected between November 2011 and July 2012. Antimicrobial susceptibility was performed using the Vitek 2 Compact system and E-test. Multiplex PCR was used for detecting bla(OXA -51-like), bla(OXA -23-like), bla(OXA -40-like) and bla(OXA -58-like) genes. ISAba1, bla(IMP -like), bla(VIM -like), bla(GES), bla(VEB), bla(PER -2), aac-3-Ia and aac-6'-Ib and NDM-1 genes were detected by PCR and sequencing. By multiplex PCR, all strains were positive for bla(OXA -51), 79 strains carried bla(OXA -23) and one strain carried bla(OXA -40). bla(OXA -51) and bla(OXA -23) were found together in 79 strains. ISAba1 element was detected in 81 strains, and in all cases it was found upstream of blaOXA -51 . GES-type carbapenemases were found in 24 strains (GES-11 in 16 strains and GES-22 in 8 strains) while bla(PER -2), bla(VEB -1), bla(NDM -1), blaIMP - and blaVIM -type carbapenemases were not observed. Aminoglycoside modifying enzyme (aac-3-Ia and aac-6'Ib) genes were detected in 13 and 15 strains, respectively. Ninety-seven (96%) A. baumannii strains were defined as MDR and of these, 98% were extensively drug resistant (sensitive only to colistin). Colistin remains the only active compound against all clinical strains. As seen in other regions, OXA-type carbapenemases, with or without an upstream ISAba1, predominate but GES-type carbapenemases also appear to have a significant presence. REP-PCR analysis was performed for molecular typing and all strains were collected into 12 different groups. To our knowledge, this is the first report of GES-11 and OXA-40 in A. baumannii from Turkey.


: We analyze how to best combine information on both parents' socioeconomic status (SES) in intergenerational research. This can be done by utilizing separate measures for either parents, taking averages over parents, or only using the highest value across parents – the latter commonly referred to as the dominance approach. We assess how much of the sibling correlations in education, occupation, and earnings that are explained by parents' SES in the same dimensions using the different operationalizations. The dominance approach performs substantially poorer than the other models. We end with a discussion of the implications for research on mobility and using SES background as a confounder.


Fossorialism is a beneficial adaptation for brooding, predator avoidance and protection from extreme climate. The abundance of fossilised burrow casts from the Early Triassic of southern Africa is viewed as a behavioural response by many tetrapods to the harsh conditions following the Permo-Triassic mass-extinction event. However, scarcity of vertebrate remains associated with these burrows leaves many ecological questions unanswered. Synchrotron scanning of a lithified burrow cast from the Early Triassic of the Karoo unveiled a unique mixed-species association: an injured temnospondyl amphibian (Broomistega) that sheltered in a burrow occupied by an aestivating therapsid (Thrinaxodon). The discovery of this rare rhinesuchid represents the first occurrence in the fossil record of a temnospondyl in a burrow. The amphibian skeleton shows signs of a crushing trauma with partially healed fractures on several consecutive ribs. The presence of a relatively large intruder in what is interpreted to be a Thrinaxodon burrow implies that the therapsid tolerated the amphibian's presence. Among possible explanations for such unlikely cohabitation, Thrinaxodon aestivation is most plausible, an interpretation supported by the numerous Thrinaxodon specimens fossilised in curled-up postures. Recent advances in synchrotron imaging have enabled visualization of the contents of burrow casts, thus providing a novel tool to elucidate not only anatomy but also ecology and biology of ancient tetrapods.


We investigate the influence of exchange rate regimes on the foreign exchange exposure of emerging market firms. Using a sample of 1523 firms from 20 countries for the period December 1999 to December 2010, we find that about half of the firms are significantly exposed to exchange rate fluctuations. We find that non-floating exchange rate arrangements are associated with more widespread exposure as well as a greater magnitude of firms' exposure. Cross-sectional analyses suggest that the exchange rate regime is an important determinant of firm-level exchange rate exposure for emerging market firms, and that pegged exchange rate regimes amplify exposure. This result holds after controlling for a wide range of potential determinants of firm-level and country-level foreign exchange exposure. Our findings suggest that exchange rate regime matters at the micro as well as the macro level; non-floating regimes fail to protect firms from exchange rate exposure.


The aim of this study was to ascertain the influence of natural zeolite, consisting mainly of clinoptilolite and mordenite, as a component of the litter material in broiler houses on the performance of the broilers and on some litter characteristics. Live weight gain, feed consumption, feed efficiency, viability and leg and body abnormalities of broilers, and litter moisture content were measured during a six-week experimental period. A broiler house was divided into 12 sections using 1 m high duralite partitions that prevented air exchange between sections and stocked with 15 birds/m2. Natural zeolite was added to wood shavings at levels of 0% (control), 25%, 50% and 75% of total litter volume. Litter thickness was 5 cm in all groups. The addition of zeolite at all levels improved broiler performance significantly above the control. At the end of the six-week trial zeolite did not affect feed consumption significantly, (g), 3547, 3381, 3472 and 3421, but resulted in higher live weights of the broilers of from 1935 g in the control to 1970, 1996 and 1978 g for the respective zeolite treatments. Consequently, feed efficiency improved significantly from 1.83 g feed/g gain in the control to 1.71, 1.74 and 1.73 g feed/g gain in the respective zeolite treatments. No differences between treatments were recorded in vitality or in leg and body abnormalities in the chickens. Litter moisture content decreased from 36.2% in the control to 25.2, 23.6 and 21.8% in the respective zeolite treated litter. It is concluded that the inclusion of zeolitic material to litter positively affected broiler performance, poultry house conditions and litter moisture content. An inclusion rate of up to 25% zeolite is recommended in litter consisting of wood shavings. Keywords : Clinoptilolite; mordenite; litter; broiler performance South African Journal of Animal Sciences Vol. 35 (2) 2005: pp.90-97


With the release of the Microso Xbox 360 Kinect, an affordable real-time RGB-D sensor is now available on the mass market. is makes new techniques and algorithms, which have previously been only available to researchers and enthusiasts, accessible for an everyday use by a broad audience. Applications range from the acquisition of detailed high-quality reconstructions of everyday objects to tracking the complex motions of people. In addition, the captured data can be directly exploited to build virtual reality applications, i.e. virtual mirrors, and can be used for gesture control of devices andmotion analysis. To make these applications easy-to-use in our everyday life, they should be intuitive to control and provide feedback at real-time rates. In this dissertation, we present new techniques and algorithms for building three-dimensional representations of arbitrary objects using only a single commodity RGB-D sensor, manually editing the acquired reconstructions and tracking the non-rigid motion of physically deforming objects at real-time rates. We start by proposing the use of a statistical prior to obtain high-quality reconstructions of the human head using only a single low-quality depth frame of a commodity sensor. We extend this approach and obtain even higher quality reconstructions at realtime rates by exploiting all information of a contiguous RGB-D stream and jointly optimizing for shape, albedo and illumination parameters. ereaer, we show that a moving sensor can be used to obtain super-resolution reconstructions of arbitrary objects at sensor rate by fusing all depth observations. We present strategies that allow us to handle a virtually unlimited reconstruction volume by exploiting a new sparse scene representation in combination with an efficient streaming approach. In addition, we present a handle based deformation paradigm that allows the user to edit the captured geometry, whichmight consist of millions of polygons, using an interactive and intuitive modeling metaphor. Finally, we demonstrate that the motion of arbitrary non-rigidly deforming physical objects can be tracked at real-time rates using a custom high-quality RGB-D sensor.


Breast milk has a major impact on child health, growth and development. Infants should exclusively breastfeed (EBF) for six months, then, nutritionally adequate and safe complementary foods should be introduced. This study's aim was to determine the breast feeding practices (initiating breastfeeding within one hour of child birth, exclusive breastfeeding for six months, no bottle feeding, and breastfeeding until or beyond two years and on demand breastfeeding) of mothers in Nairobi, and nutritional status of their children aged zero to twenty four months. A descriptive cross-sectional survey was used in the maternal child health (MCH) clinics in four selected Nairobi City Council health centres. A dyad (pair) of mother and her 0-24 month old child were targeted. The dyads were systematically selected based on the nth mother (where n was a fraction of desired sample size per actual number of mothers present in the clinic that day). A structured questionnaire was administered, which focused on maternal socio-demographic profiles and breastfeeding practices. Anthropometric assessments were conducted on the children. A total of 418 dyads were analysed, 99.0% of the mothers had breast fed, but only 12.6% children had been exclusively breastfed for the first six months. Only 34.0% of children aged less than six months were still exclusively breastfeeding, the rest were on complementary feeds. More than three quarters of the mothers had initiated breastfeeding within one hour of child birth, were not using bottles to feed their child, were breastfeeding on demand and had not weaned their child. On nutritional status assessment of children, 10.6 % were stunted, 6.2% underweight and 2.1% wasted. There was a significant association between delay in time of breastfeeding initiation after childbirth and stunting P≤.05 (odds ratio 2), discontinuation of breastfeeding and underweight P≤.05 (odds ratio 4.5), as well as weaning less than six months and underweight P≤.05 (odds ratio 2.5). There was no significant association between breastfeeding practices and wasting. Children on bottle feeding and those who had discontinued breastfeeding were likely to be wasted (odds ratio 1.6).However, these associations do not control for age, and both underweight and wasting are related to age. A majority of mothers were compliant with the recommended breastfeeding practices. Complementary feeding was introduced too early in life in several cases. Health care workers should emphasise the importance of exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months and the dangers of early complementary feeding. Key words: Exclusive Breast feeding, Nutritional status


Understanding how organisms respond to genetic or environmental perturbations requires quantitative measurements across multiple levels of biological information. Ishii et al. used a variety of technologies to measure gene expression, protein levels, metabolite concentrations, and reaction fluxes to study the response of Escherichia coli to growth rates and genetic deletions. Although E. coli responds to changes in the environment by regulating the level of enzyme expression to keep metabolite levels stable, messenger RNA and protein levels do not change in response to most gene disruptants. Instead, there are likely changes in the structure of the metabolic network that keep the levels of most metabolites stable. N. Ishii, K. Nakahigashi, T. Baba, M. Robert, T. Soga, A. Kanai, T. Hirasawa, M. Naba, K. Hirai, A. Hoque, P. Y. Ho, Y. Kakazu, K. Sugawara, S. Igarashi, S. Harada, T. Masuda, N. Sugiyama, T. Togashi, M. Hasegawa, Y. Takai, K. Yugi, K. Arakawa, N. Iwata, Y. Toya, Y. Nakayama, T. Nishioka, K. Shimizu, H. Mori, M. Tomita, Multiple high-throughput analyses monitor the response of E. coli to perturbations. Science 316, 593-597 (2007). [Abstract] [Full Text] U. Sauer, M. Heinemann, N. Zamboni, Getting closer to the whole picture. Science 316, 550-551 (2007). [Summary] [Full Text]


All-dielectric metamaterials are a promising platform for the development of integrated photonics applications. In this work, we investigate the mutual coupling and interaction of an ensemble of anapole states in silicon nanoparticles. Anapoles are intriguing non-radiating states originated by the superposition of internal multipole components which cancel each other in the far-field. While the properties of anapole states in single nanoparticles have been extensively studied, the mutual interaction and coupling of several anapole states have not been characterized. By combining first-principles simulations and analytical results, we demonstrate the transferring of anapole states across an ensemble of nanoparticles, opening to the development of advanced integrated devices and robust waveguides relying on non-radiating modes.


Multicast network is widely used for effective communication, transmission and performance optimizations of a network. In this paper, a new model has been developed to determine a suitable value of the fold k of a k-fold multicast network under different traffic loads under Poisson traffic with finite queue at each node. We have derived stationary distribution for the network states and then derived expressions for the network throughput and the blocking probability of the network. It has been found in this research work that the network throughput increases very fast as we increase the fold number. However, at a certain value of the fold, the blocking probability ceases to increase and it remains constant. We have also observed that as the offered traffic is increased, the throughput also increases. Moreover, the system parameter k is increased, the blocking probability decreases. However, after an optimum value of k, the blocking probability remains constant for a particular value of the offered traffic. In fact, in this paper, by evaluating the performance of a k-fold multicast network, our developed model improves the performance of a multicast network.


The Diels-Alder reaction between cyclopentadiene and methyl acrylate in ionic liquids has been studied in detail. The effect of contamination of the ionic liquids by common impurities, viz. sodium and chloride ions, and water, on the selectivity has been investigated. The presence of high concentrations of chloride was found to decrease the selectivity. Anion and, in particular, cation effects have been investigated using an extensive series of air-stable room temperature ionic liquids, and kinetic parameters have been determined. It has been found that strongly interacting groups, particularly electrophilic moieties on the cation, accelerate the formation of the endo products. Substrate solubility intimately connected to the selectivity was found to be mainly anion dependent. An NMR-based solvent parameter scale and semi-empirical models are used to analyse the results and provide a tool for the prediction of selectivities in ionic liquids.


Faculty at public comprehensive universities are required to engage in professionally related service to their communities. In contrast to the traditional one-way interaction with university personnel as the service providers, institutions of higher learning can engage in service activities that are mutually beneficial to the community and the university. This paper describes a partnership between a comprehensive university and six middle schools from the rural Appalachian region of Kentucky that can serve as a model for community engagement. The project was designed to enhance middle school student learning in the areas of science and mathematics. Its objectives were accomplished through a three-person team structure requiring the active participation of a middle school teacher, a university science or math professor and a college student. The K-12 teacher provided expertise on pedagogical and curriculum issues, the professor provided support on content and applications, whereas the student played the leading role in the development and application of instructional activities. The middle schools benefited from enhanced student learning, content applications of science, mathematics and technology, and use of inquiry-based pedagogy. The university benefited from professional development opportunities to faculty in the areas of service, scholarship and teaching. There were also several benefits to the participating university students including improved communication, teaching, and team building skills, increased knowledge about both the content and applications of science, mathematics and technology, and support for graduate education through generous stipends.


Traditional online multitask learning only utilizes the firstorder information of the datastream. To remedy this issue, we propose a confidence weighted multitask learning algorithm, which maintains a Gaussian distribution over each task model to guide online learning process. The mean (covariance) of the Gaussian Distribution is a sum of a local component and a global component that is shared among all the tasks. In addition, this paper also addresses the challenge of active learning on the online multitask setting. Instead of requiring labels of all the instances, the proposed algorithm determines whether the learner should acquire a label by considering the confidence from its related tasks over label prediction. Theoretical results show the regret bounds can be significantly reduced. Empirical results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm is able to achieve promising learning efficacy, while simultaneously minimizing the labeling cost.


This thesis is mainly focused on the development of (i) phase shifting transformers (PSTs) mathematical and simulation models that can be used for the short-circuit and protection studies, and (ii) new phase shifting transformers protection methods that provide more secure and sensitive solutions than the standard current differential protection.
The first part of this thesis describes and presents the modeling of the single-core standard-delta, and two-core symmetrical and asymmetrical PST for protection and short-circuit studies. The models already available for such types of PSTs have limitations and require detailed test report data from the manufacturers. However, winding test data at each tap position is seldom available from the manufacturers. Moreover, they are confined to the balanced system conditions. The proposed modeling approach is based on the development of positive, negative and zero-sequence networks. Derived mathematical relations are further used to develop the relations of winding terminal voltages, currents and impedances as a function of tap position. Accuracy of the presented models is verified mathematically with the manufacturer's test report data. Furthermore, electromagnetic transients program (EMTP) modeling, in commercially available simulation tools such as PSCAD/EMTDC and RTDS, is done in order to further verify the proposed models. The proposed modeling approach does not rely on the availability of the manufacturer test report data and only requires the nameplate information. It can also be used for both balanced and unbalanced system conditions.
The second part of the thesis presents two protection principles: (a) electromagnetic differential protection, and (b) directional comparison-based protection. The main motive behind the development of new protection principles is to develop a solution that is more secure, sensitive and offers high-speed protection. Correct implementation of these techniques for the protection of various kinds of PSTs comes across various problems and hence leads us to the proposed solution of those issues. Both techniques solve the problems of conventional challenges such as magnetizing inrush current, core saturation, non-standard phase shift, external fault with current transformer (CT) saturation, etc. The electromagnetic differential protection principle can only be applied to the PST it represents and it requires tap position tracking. A directional comparison-based approach can be applied to any kind of PST without tracking the tap position.


On July 4 th 2013 a dead subadult female wolf-like canid was found by the roadside between Luttelgeest and Marknesse in the Noordoostpolder in the central part of the Netherlands. As the last observations of wild wolves in the Netherlands date back to 1869 the discovery of this animal generated a lot of media attention. European wolf populations have been expanding since the 1950s and the first packs recently established themselves in Germany in geographic proximity of the Dutch border, so natural re-appearance of the species in the Netherlands seemed likely. We investigated the taxonomy of the animal, its geographical origin, and its most recent history. Macroscopic and biochemical analyses of the dead animal convincingly showed that it was a purebred wolf, related to populations from eastern Europe. Bullet impacts and shattered fragments found in the chest and flank, and a discrepancy between the timing of the post mortem and rigor mortis intervals indicated that this wolf was shot prior to illegal transport to the Netherlands. The wolf fed on beaver in either the Carpathian mountains or the Eifel which is too far for the animal to have walked from by itself within the 24 hours needed to digest its last meal. These geographical areas are the only regions where haplotypes and 87 Sr/ 86 Sr isotopes retrieved from both the dead wolf and the beaver remains in its stom- ach co-occur. We therefore conclude that the first Dutch wolf found in the Netherlands in 150 years did not enter the Netherlands by itself but sadly proved to be the victim of wildlife crime.


At first global warming sounded like a good idea, especially to people in Northern climes. But starting in the 1960s, scientists recognized long-range problems, concentrating at first on sealevel rise and a threat to food supplies. New items were gradually added to the list, ranging from the degradation of ecosystems to threats to human health to risks of international conflict. Experts in fields from forestry to economics, even national security experts, pitched in to assess the range of possible consequences. It was difficult to make solid predictions given the complexity of the global system, the differences from one region to another, and the ways human society itself might try to adapt to the changes. But by the start of the 21st century it was clear that climate change would bring serious harm to most regions. Indeed many kinds of damage were beginning to appear. At first the changes were apparent only in global statistics, but in the 2010s scientists began to show how global warming made particular heat waves, storms, and other disasters more likely or worse. (This essay does not try to cover the entire history of impact studies, but sketches some examples. Current scientific understanding of impacts is summarized at the end).


The theoretical model of a new hollow core fiber sensor based on the specific properties of the surface plasmon polariton (SPP) excited with a fiber Bragg grating is proposed and comprehensively investigated. The main principle of operation of this new device is based on the efficient energy transfer between the fiber waveguide mode (FWM) and the SPP provided by a properly designed short-period fiber Bragg grating imprinted into a waveguide fiber layer of a specially designed hollow core optical fiber. The waveguide fiber layer is the dielectric layer of the fiber with the highest refractive index. The FWM is a fiber mode oscillating in this layer and exponentially decaying in all other fiber layers. Presented for the cylindrical (fiber) geometry, the scheme without loss of generality can be applied to the planar geometry. The simulations are based on the coupled mode theory and performed for well-developed telecom wavelength ranges


Since the summer of 2014, community members, politicians, and police executives across the country have called for greater police accountability and improvements in police-community relations. Body-worn cameras are widely seen as serving both ends. Today, thousands of police agencies are exploring, adopting, and implementing body-cam programs. A survey by the Major Cities Chiefs Association and the Major County Sheriffs' Association found that 95% of surveyed agencies had either implemented or were committed to implementing a BWC program.
Body-worn cameras are here, and more are coming. Mary Fan, for example, has described a "camera cultural revolution" in which "the future will be recorded." Legal scholars have largely responded to this burgeoning new technology by addressing it through the framework of traditional discussions about privacy, police accountability, or the rules of evidence. Relatively few articles have gone further by identifying the potential benefits of BWCs and critically examining whether the adoption of this technology by police agencies can truly do what the many proponents claim. This Article falls solidly into the latter camp.
This Article is not intended to endorse or condemn police body-cams, but rather to identify and critically examine the potential benefits of the technology in light of its capabilities and limitations. For more than two years now, I have educated a variety of audiences about police BWCs, from state supreme court justices to practicing attorneys and from police executives to rank-and-file officers, and I have repeatedly been asked some variant of what appears to be a simple question: are body cameras a good idea? My response is no doubt familiar to law students across the country: it depends. Body-worn cameras are a tool. Tools should be used to advance normatively desirable goals when they are an efficient way of accomplishing or facilitating those goals. Body-cameras, like any tool, should not be used when the goal itself it inappropriate or when the tool is ill-suited for the job at hand.
This Article explores the limits of BWCs as a tool. It does so by first reviewing the historical justifications for, implementation of, and lessons learned from an earlier iteration of police video recording technology: in-car cameras. It then offers a simplified way of conceptualizing the multitudinous advantages that BWC proponents have identified, putting them into three categories: symbolic benefits, behavioral benefits, and informational benefits. This classification is a necessary first-step in police agencies and communities articulating what they hope to achieve with a BWC program. Whether body-cams will advance the desired goals depends on the practical limitations of the technology and our ability to interpret the resulting video footage as well as the policies and procedures that govern implementation. The latter half of the paper is dedicated to a critical examination of the practical limitations and policy considerations that will ultimately determine whether body-worn cameras can live up to the hype.


This paper studies the flows of funds into and out of equity mutual funds. Consumers base their fund purchase decisions on prior performance information, but do so asymmetrically, investing disproportionately more in funds that performed very well the prior period. Search costs seem to be an important determinant of fund flows. High performance appears to be most salient for funds that exert higher marketing effort, as measured by higher fees. Flows are directly related to the size of the fund's complex as well as the current media attention received by the fund, which lower consumers' search costs.

http://pages.nes.ru/agoriaev/Papers/Sirri Costly search and mutual fund flows JF88.pdf


The effect of blood-lead on children's behaviour was investigated in a sub-sample of 501 boys and girls aged 6-9 years from 18 primary schools within a defined area of central Edinburgh. Behaviour ratings of the children were made by teachers and parents using the Rutter behaviour scales. An extensive home interview with a parent was also carried out. Multiple regression analyses showed a significant relationship between log blood-lead and teachers' ratings on the total Rutter score and the aggressive/anti-social and hyperactive sub-scores, but not the neurotic sub-score when 30 possible confounding variables were taken into account. There was a dose-response relationship between blood-lead and behaviour ratings, with no evidence of a threshold.


The study presents the growth trend about authorship pattern and author collaboration in the Biotechnology for sixteen years with the sample of 18918 articles which have been collected from Scopus database during year 2001-2016. A predefined search string has been used for data download. The five scientometric tools collaboration coefficient (CC), authorship pattern (AP), activity index (AI), Relative Growth Rate (RGR) and Doubling time of Literature (Dt.) have been used for the data analysis. The average number of authors per article for India has been counted as 4.92. In the study, the collaboration coefficient for 16 years (2001-2016) is noticed as 0.63 for India. The study shows that multiauthorship articles are higher in average and they are dominant over single authorship pattern. The science growth rate is always useful for the study, so that relative growth rate and doubling time of literature tools have been used for the study to explore needs of manpower and finance for future and present research activity. The mean of relative growth rate for sixteen year shows the decreasing rate and for last four years its pattern of publication is stable. The corresponding doubling time for different years [Dt (P)] gradually fallowed the increasing pattern. It has been found that majority of the Biotechnology researchers are working through team research or collaborative research rather than individual research. The average activity index of India for sixteen years is counted as 91.78. The highest AI year for India is 2016 with 180.3 whereas the lowest counted in 2001 with 42.38. The international collaboration pattern shows for India, United States is the most favoured nation.


Traditional theories that locate the identity of the human person in physical or psychological attributes are subject to reinterpretation in the light of advances in genetics. A person's genome may be regarded as the 'essence' of the person, or as the foundation of specific characteristics that are central to a person's identity. A view that there is no such thing as 'essence' may still give genes an important role to play in constructing a person's biography, both as regards the past (ancestry tracing) and the future (e.g. future health status). Collective identity is also an issue, in terms of common origin or disease groupings. Developments in direct to consumer testing and whole genome sequencing have the potential to reinforce both the importance accorded to the genome, and genetic determinism.

Key Concepts:

There is a wide range of views about the importance of genes to personal identity.

In a physical account of identity, genes offer a consistent basis for identity throughout many changes to an individual, but present problems in the case of division.

In a psychological account of the person, while genes may be relevant in setting the parameters within which a person develops, this should not be taken to justify a reductionist view of genes and identity.

On a constructivist account, individuals' self-perceptions may be influenced by genetic information. This is likely to grow in importance as personalised genetic information becomes more widely accessible.

If personal identity is tied up with genes, questions of identity will come to the fore in discussions of gene therapy.

Developments in direct to consumer testing and whole genome sequencing have the potential to reinforce both the importance accorded to the genome, and genetic determinism.

Although genetic determinism was claimed to be dead upon the completion of the human genome project, current developments such as genetic ancestry testing hint at a resurgence of a popular belief in a meaningful identity buried deep within the genetic code.

Keywords:

genetic determinism;
genetic reductionism;
personal identity;
essentialism and constructed identity;
collective identity;
reproductive cloning;
DNA fingerprinting;
genetic ancestry;
genetic testing;
whole genome sequencing


The frequencies of the newly identified streptococcal superantigen genes smez, spe-g, and spe-h were determined in a panel of 103 clinical isolates collected between 1976 and 1998 at various locations throughout New Zealand. smez and spe-g were found in every group A Streptococcus (GAS) isolate, suggesting a chromosomal location. The spe-h gene was found in only 24% of the GAS isolates and is probably located on a mobile DNA element. The smez gene displays extensive allelic variation and appears to be in linkage equilibrium with the M/emm type. 22 novel smez alleles were identified from 21 different M/emm types in addition to the already reported alleles smez and smez-2 with sequence identities between 94.5 and 99.9%. Three alleles are nonfunctional due to a single base pair deletion. The remaining 21 alleles encode distinct SMEZ variants. The mosaic structure of the smez gene suggests that this polymorphism has arisen from homologous recombination events rather than random point mutation. The recently resolved SMEZ-2 crystal structure shows that the polymorphic residues are mainly surface exposed and scattered over the entire protein. The allelic variation did not affect either Vβ specificity or potency, but did result in significant antigenic differences. Neutralizing antibody responses of individual human sera against different SMEZ variants varied significantly. 98% of sera completely neutralized SMEZ-1, but only 85% neutralized SMEZ-2, a very potent variant that has not yet been found in any New Zealand isolate. SMEZ-specific Vβ8 activity was found in culture supernatants of 66% of the GAS isolates, indicating a potential base for the development of a SMEZ targeting vaccine.


An Embedded Media Marker (EMM) is a transparent mark printed on a paper document that signifies the availability of additional media associated with that part of the document. Users take a picture of the EMM using a camera phone, and the media associated with that part of the document is displayed on the phone. Unlike bar codes, EMMs are nearly transparent and thus do not interfere with the document appearance. Retrieval of media associated with an EMM is based on image features of the document within the EMM boundary. Unlike other feature-based retrieval methods, the EMM clearly indicates to the user the existence and type of media associated with the document location. A semi-automatic authoring tool is used to place an EMM at a location in a document, in such a way that it encompasses sufficient identification features with minimal disturbance to the original document. We will demonstrate how to create an EMM-enhanced document, and how the EMM enables access to the associated media on a cell phone.


A recent Washington Post editorial, "The perilous state of pensions," opined "…public sector pension funds typically incorporate optimistic assumptions about the returns they will earn on their investments…(reducing the assumptions)…would have exposed the emptiness of their past promises." In fact, a variety of institutions, from university and philanthropic endowments to public and private pension funds, have all endured a difficult and volatile period in the financial markets. The case of public pension funds is perhaps the best-known example of this problem. Against this backdrop, a rising number of these institutions are devoting larger shares of their portfolios to hedge funds. Once considered an elite investment for wealthy individuals, a majority of hedge funds assets - by one independent measure 61 percent - are now owned by institutional rather than private investors. Thus, the role of hedge funds in the economy is changing as new classes of institutional investors come to embrace them. As hedge funds accumulate a longer investment track record on which to be judged, and, following the passage of the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Dodd-Frank), the role of hedge funds in the financial system is an important consideration.In this paper, I examine the confluence of these issues. The paper explains the objectives of hedge funds, estimates their potential value to institutional portfolios, and examines some of the basic public policy concerns surrounding the role of hedge funds in financial markets. Campbell & Company, one of the world's innovators in quantitative model development, supplied the allocation modeling and additional data necessary to complete my research and analysis. Hedge funds have evolved from an elite investment to a standard component of investment portfolios, and in so doing, offer institutional investors, such as pension funds, the opportunity to improve returns. The modeling performed for this analysis suggests that a modest allocation to hedge funds would improve the returns to public pension funds by approximately $13 billion annually. Moreover, the track record of recent years further illustrates that hedge funds have not been a source of greater systemic risk - rather than "too big to fail," they are generally not an important source of systemic risk.


Urban areas have been the main source of pollution for centuries. The United States is no exception to this more general rule. Pollution of air, water, and soil only multiplied as cities grew in size and complexity; people generated ever more domestic waste and industry continually generated new unwanted byproducts. Periods of pollution intensification—most notably those spurts that came with late 19th-century urban industrialization and the rapid technological innovation and consumer culture of the post-World War II era—spurred social movements and scientific research on the problem, mostly as it pertained to adverse impacts on human health. Technological innovations aimed to eliminate unwanted wastes and more stringent regulations followed. Those technological and political solutions largely failed to keep pace with the increasing volume and diversity of pollutants industrial capitalism introduced into the environment, however, and rarely stopped pollution at its root cause. Instead, they often merely moved pollutants from one "sink"—a repository of pollution—to another (from water to land, for instance) and/or from one place to another (to a city downstream, for instance, or from one urban neighborhood to another).
 This "end of pipe" approach remained overwhelmingly predominant even as most pollution mitigation policies became nationalized in the 1970s. Prior to that, municipalities and states were primarily responsible for addressing air, water, and land pollution. During this post-World War II period, policy—driven by ecological science—began to exhibit an understanding of urban pollution's detrimental effects beyond human health. More broadly, evolving scientific understanding of human health and ecosystemic impacts of pollution, new technology, and changing social relations within growing metropolitan areas shifted the public perception of pollution's harmful impacts. Scientific understanding of how urban and suburban residents risked ill health when exposed to polluted water, air, and soil grew, as did the social understanding of who was most vulnerable to these hazards. From the nation's founding, the cumulative impact of both urban exposure to pollutants and attempts to curb that exposure has been unequal along lines of race and ethnicity, class, and gender. Despite those consistent inequalities, the 21st-century American city looks little like the 18th-century American city, whether in terms of population size, geographical footprint, demographics, economic activity, or the policies that governed them: all of these factors influenced the very definitions of ideas such as pollution and the urban.