This thesis examines a broad spectrum of physiological and silvicultural features of the highly valued woody angiosperm hemi-parasite Santalurn album L. (Indian sandalwood) in relation to its culture in plantations in northern Western Australia. Topics covered include allometry of host and Santalum when grown as single plant pairings in both field and pot culture, nutritional interactions between Santalum and beneficial and non-beneficial hosts, deleterious influences of parasitism on plantation productivity and heartwood induction in young trees.

In Western Australia sandalwood is grown in the nursery for 8 months before establishment in the field and during this time a pot host is introduced. Survival of Santalurn after field establishment and its subsequent growth were significantly affected by the time of introduction of the pot host, Alternanthera nana. Increasing the period of the Santalum : Alternanthera association in the nursery to 109 days prior to field establishment markedly increased early growth of Salztalum plantations. Introduction at 134 days prior to field establishment was detrimental to the parasite as the Alternanthera was too vigorous for the small Santalum seedlings. Santalurn plants had a lower root : shoot ratio lower when cultured with Alternanthera in the nursery prior to field establishment compared with seedlings grown without Alternanthera. Alterrzantlzera survival in the field was high when it had been grown with Santalum for 12 weeks or more in the nursery prior to field establishment. After 1 1 weeks in the field a strong negative linear relationship was shown between Santalunz root : shoot ratio and Alternarzthera dry weight, and a positive linear relationship between Salztalum DW and Alternanthera DW.

In Western Australia Santalu~n is established in the field with an intermediate host which nourishes the parasite for 3-5 years before Santalum becomes dependent on its long-term host and the intermediate host dies. The relationship between Santalum and several species tested as intermediate hosts was examined by pairing Santalum seedlings with intermediate host seedlings in 25 litre pots over a 10 month period. Growth of Santalum in pot culture with three N2-fixing woody intermediate hosts (Sesbania forrnosa, Acacia traclzycarpa and A. ampliceps), the woody non N2-fixing Eucalyptus camaldulensis or without a host varied considerably between host treatments. Santalum growth was greater and root : shoot ratio lower for seedlings grown with N2-fixing hosts compared with seedlings grown with E. carnaldulensis or with no host. The root : shoot ratio of unattached Santalum increased exponentially over time, whereas for all other treatments it remained relatively constant. An assessment of the value of the hosts, termed host use efficiency, was computed as Santalum shoot DW / host shoot DW. The host use efficiency of A. trachycalpa was greater than that of the other hosts.

The xylem sap of hosts and Sarztalum, and ethanolic extracts of endophytic tissue of haustoria of Santalzkm were analysed for amino acids, organic acids and sugars to determine which solutes were available in the host and which were extracted by the Santalum haustoria from different hosts. There were similarities between Santalum and legume hosts in concentration and composition of xylem sap amino acids, and in the amino acid spectra of the corresponding Santalum endophytic tissue, whereas there were low N levels in xylem sap of E. camaldulensis and dissimilarities between its amino acid composition and that of Santalum. This indicated substantial direct intake of xylem N by Santalum from legume hosts but little N from the xylem sap of E. canzaldulensis. There were high concentrations of asparagine, glutamate, aspartate and y-amino glutamate in the xylem sap of the legume hosts, while in the non-legume the most common amino acids were glutamate, aspartate, glutamine and arginine. Proline, the predominant amino acid in the xylem sap of Santalum acurninatum growing in natural vegetation (Tennakoon et al. 1997) was not detected or present in very low concentrations in Santalurn album under these conditions. in the non-legume. Xylem sap of hosts contained variable amounts of sugars (sucrose, glucose and fructose) and organic acids (fumaric, citric and malic acid), whereas that of the parasitic Santalum was dominated by fructose and malic acid. Dissimilarities in the proportional amounts of xylem-borne sugars and organic acids were particularly evident for the E. camaldulensis : Santalum partnership.

Diurnal profiles of photosynthesis and transpiration of Santalum were closely similar to those for corresponding hosts, whereas the midday leaf water potential of Santalum was consistently more negative than that of corresponding hosts. Net photosynthesis and water use efficiency was lower, but transpiration rates were similar to that of corresponding hosts. Nitrogen concentrations of foliage of Santalum were higher than their hosts, and higher when on legume hosts than on E. camaldulensis, or without a host. Nitrogen concentrations of Santalum foliage was strongly correlated with net photosynthesis and water use efficiency of Santalum. 813C values of shoot dry matter of Santalum were poorly correlated with instantaneous water use efficiency of Santalum. Tissue water relations of Santalum were similar to that of water-stress tolerant species.

S. formosa proved the best host followed by Acacia ampliceps and A. traclzycarpa based on dry matter gains of Santalum. Estimates of heterotrophic gain of C of Santalum when grown in association with the legume hosts over a nine week period indicate 57.9% of C was derived from A. ampliceps, 45.5% from A. trachycarpa and 34.6% fiom S. fomosa. Abundance of haustorial attachments on roots of hosts was poorly correlated to Santalum shoot DW. Root nodules of legume hosts were parasitised by a small proportion of Santalum haustoria.

Sodium and phosphorus concentrations of foliage of Santalum were generally higher than that of corresponding hosts. Net gains of calcium, potassium, phosphorus and sodium in Santalum was greatest when grown in association with hosts richest in the corresponding element. Net losses or only small gains of calcium, potassium, phosphorus and sodium were recorded when Santalum was grown with E. camaldulensis or without a host suggesting that Santalum has limited ability for uptake of those minerals through its own root system.

To understand the effect of hosts on the productivity of a Santalum plantation a young plantation of Santalum with three host species Cathormion umbellatum, Sesbania formosa and Acacia anuera was selected to study the relationship between host quality and distance of hosts from Santalunz on Santalum health. The selected plantation showed marked decline in health and vigour of both Santalum and hosts between years 3 and 5. Parameters of the host plants were assessed to select the best predictor of Santalunz crown health. The height and diameter growth increment of Santalum between years 3 and 5 was strongly correlated to Santalum crown health. Santaluin crown health and growth increased as host quality increased, and the distance of host fiom Santalum decreased. An index, which combined host quality and the distance of the host from that of Santalum, was a better predictor of Santalum crown health than host distance or quality alone.

The age at which heartwood is initiated in Santalum album under plantation conditions in Western Australia in unknown, but in natural stands in India it occurs between 10-13 years of age (Rai 1990). A field experiment was conducted to determine the efficacy of stem injections of paraquat andlor ethrel in initiating heartwood formation in five year old Santalum trees in a plantation. Trees injected with paraquat alone had a significantly greater extension of induced heartwood, both radially and vertically, than those trees injected with ethrel alone or distilled water. Eight months after treatment with paraquat or ethrel or a combination of these chemicals induced heartwood was formed, which had high lipid, and low starch and polysaccharide concentrations compared to the sapwood. Induced heartwood from both chemical treatments and their combinations contained total volatile oil and santalol oil (alpha and beta santalol) concentrations that were equal to or greater than that of naturally formed heartwood and greater than that of sapwood. Moisture content, and concentrations of K and Mg, and in some treatments Ca of induced heartwood were significantly lower than that of sapwood. The thesis concludes with a synthesis of the findings and suggestions for future research, with special reference to mid-rotation aspects of Santaltrm plantation silviculture.


What Elizabeth Kolbert has called the 'sixth mass extinction' due to anthropogenic climate change has obliged us to rethink our traditional assumptions about the rapport between ourselves and nature. While the reconceptualization of nature has largely been led by scientists and environmental theorists and activists, this paper argues that Schelling provides the best and earliest model for rethinking nature in the Anthropocene. To this end, Schelling critiques two approaches to nature. Schelling repudiates Fichte's idealism for reducing nature to an instrument for the self-assertion of our egos much like modern industrial capitalism views nature as an economic resource to be exploited for human gain. Further, Schelling critiques Spinoza for mechanizing nature as a structurally invariant system in the same way that climate change denialists hold that the earth's ecosystem is perfectly homeostatic. Having dismissed these two approaches, Schelling develops another environmentally ethical conception of nature to answer the question of how the free human subject emerges out of an allegedly blind and lifeless nature. Schelling's solution to safeguarding nature is to paradoxically anthropomorphize it further by reconceiving it as always-already structured as per the dynamic free spirit. This paper shall thus conclude by extracting two environmentally ethical principles that Schelling's anthropomorphization of nature entails. Contra Fichte, the 'dependency principle' states that humans are radically dependent upon nature rather than nature being dependent on our positing it as an object of our intuition. Moreover, the 'contingency principle' stipulates against Spinoza that nature is itself contingent, dynamic and precarious. In this way, Schelling provides a conceptualization of nature befitting the demands placed upon thought in the age of the sixth extinction.


ECONOMIC developments during the past year were distinctly unkind to the nostrums of monetary economists. The phenomenal growth of negotiable orders of withdrawal (NOW accounts) and money market mutual fund shares and, more recently, the emergence of retail sweep accounts reopened questions about the stability of money demand and the value of monetary aggregates as intermediate targets. The stubborn persistence of high interest rates in the face of unwinding inflation and deepening recession puzzled many economists. Observing the continued volatility of both interest rates and money, some critics of the Federal Reserve's new operating procedures concluded that short-run monetary control was receiving too little attention while other critics concluded just the reverse. This paper reviews monetary developments in the past year and their bearing on these controversies. The first section examines whether


DESOLATION JONES VOLUME 1 TP Written by Warren Ellis Art and cover by J.H. Williams III Collecting the first six issues of the Eisner-nominated series by Warren Ellis & J.H. Williams III! Michael Jones was a British spy who'd seen better days - but things took a turn for the worse once he fell into the Desolation Project's hands. Now he's the preeminent detective for an elite clientele - the underground community of ex-spooks in gritty L.A. Advance-solicited; on sale October 11 - 144 pg, FC, $14.99 US - MATURE READERS


ABSTRACT The aims of this paper are to explore novice teachers' experiences in the Covid-19 crisis, and to examine their professional identity construction process. During the global crisis, novice teachers had to deal with unexpected challenges and take advantage of new opportunities. This study is based on 32 narratives of novice teachers in Israel who took part in a one semester online Zoom induction in two workshops. The open conversations narratives in the meetings were recorded and transcribed, and then subjected to categorical content analysis. The findings show the challenges and opportunities related to three central categories: technological, pedagogical and educational system in the novice teachers' experiences. The main contributions of this study are: understanding the novice teachers' experiences in the uncertainty and turmoil of the crisis, and learning about professional dilemmas and tensions which gave rise to various challenges and opportunities that that supported the construction their professional identity.


This study used seven inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers to characterize 55 R. solani isolates in order to establish their genetic diversity. The isolates were from five common bean growing agro-ecological zones of Uganda; the Southwest highlands (SW), Lake Victoria crescent and Mbale farmlands (LVC), Teso farming system (TFS), the Northern mixed farmlands (N) and the Western highlands and Semliki flats (W). DNA was extracted from 7-day old R. solani isolates growing on potato dextrose agar and amplified using PCR. Molecular analysis based on the ISSR fingerprints established moderate genetic diversity (mean = 0.389 ± 0.022). In addition, a high degree of intraspecific variation was observed by cluster analysis which generated a dendrogram with 5 highly reliable clusters (p ≥ 0.95) whose composition was independent of agro-ecological zones. Further evidence of intraspecific variation was provided by analysis of molecular variance which ascribed all the observed variation to genetic differences within the isolates. Isolates from SW, W, TFS and N had significant standardized index of association values indicative of clonal reproduction while isolates from LVC did not have significant values whence were sexual. The genetic diversity revealed by our study means that screening common bean germplasm for sources of resistance to R. solani should be done using diverse pathotypes and secondly, the breeders should pyramid many disease resistance genes in elite cultivars to provide durable resistance against R. solani.


Porous polymers offer great advantages compared to other microporous materials in terms of solubility and processability. However, the design of porous polymers has suffered from the limited availability of suitable building blocks. Here we propose a conceptually new strategy for the design of porous polymers, which involves the transformation of a rigid linear polymer into a rigid zigzag polymer with a large free volume around the polymer backbone. This strategy relies on a boron-mediated alkyne benzannulation reaction, which was recently developed by our group. When the benzannulation reaction was applied to poly(phenylene ethynylene) (PPE) derivatives, a linear-to-zigzag structural transformation successfully occurred to give the corresponding π-conjugated polymers with a diarylphenanthrene unit in the main chain. As revealed by N2 adsorption experiments, while the parent PPEs were non-porous, the zigzag polymers in the solid state possessed porosity with a specific surface area of up to 366 m2 g−1, where the surface area largely depended on the steric bulkiness of the substituents on the polymer. Considering the fact that a wide variety of PPE derivatives have so far been synthesized, the present strategy may open a new avenue for the development of functional porous polymers.


A new resolving power test chart has been made that embodies the features outlined by Dr. Gardner in an earlier report. A contact print of this chart is made with the aid of a small distant light source and a specially shaped diaphragm moving over the chart at constant speed. The final test chart has a continuous variation in contrast from one end of the target line to the other. This chart is to be used to determine the variation of resolving power with contrast for a given lens with a single exposure. The long lines of the target make it especially suitable for microphotometric examination of the final test images, thus bringing closer an objective method of determining the resolving power of a photographic lens.


Directed energy for planetary defense is now a viable option and is superior in many ways to other proposed technologies, being able to defend the Earth against all known threats. This paper presents basic ideas behind a directed energy planetary defense system that utilizes laser ablation of an asteroid to impart a deflecting force on the target. A conceptual philosophy called DE-STAR, which stands for Directed Energy System for Targeting of Asteroids and exploration, is an orbiting stand-off system, which has been described in other papers. This paper describes a smaller, stand-on system known as DE-STARLITE as a reduced-scale version of DE-STAR. Both share the same basic heritage of a directed energy array that heats the surface of the target to the point of high surface vapor pressure that causes significant mass ejection thus forming an ejection plume of material from the target that acts as a rocket to deflect the object. This is generally classified as laser ablation. DE-STARLITE uses conventional propellant for launch to LEO and then ion engines to propel the spacecraft from LEO to the near-Earth asteroid (NEA). During laser ablation, the asteroid itself provides the propellant source material; thus a very modest spacecraft can deflect an asteroid much larger than would be possible with a system of similar mission mass using ion beam deflection (IBD) or a gravity tractor. DE-STARLITE is capable of deflecting an Apophis-class (325 m diameter) asteroid with a 1to 15-year targeting time (laser on time) depending on the system design. The mission fits within the rough mission parameters of the Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM) program in terms of mass and size. DE-STARLITE also has much greater capability for planetary defense than current proposals and is readily scalable to match the threat. It can deflect all known threats with sufficient warning. 2016 COSPAR. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.


Abstract. Capacity Building in promoting Geo-information science and technology (GIST) has its significance in ensuring good governance and resources management at local, regional and global scales. To emphasize this strongly in young generation, the International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ISPRS) has been engaged for more than 18 years by having an exclusive Technical Commission on Education and Outreach elements. Every 4 years, this Commission has been addressing different aspects of GIST by setting up theme specific Working Groups (WGs).ISPRS Technical Commission V (TC-V) on Education and Outreach (2016–2022) has constituted eight theme WGs with international experts to promote as well as explore new methods of capacity development relevant to GIST. These WGs have made significant contributions by engaging actively workshops and new scientific initiatives in past five years. ISPRS Student Consortium (SC) is part of the Commission, and promotes the profession to the youth. The Consortium serves as a platform of communication and information exchange among members, enabling professional networking and fostering collaborations.We are happy to note that for ISPRS Congress 2021, there were 18 submissions of research papers on Education and Outreach. Of these, 7 were accepted for Archives and 3 for Annals. In these, 3 papers were submitted and accepted under the Youth Forum track. All these papers were reviewed by selected experts. The Youth Forum papers include the use of Google Earth Engine for agricultural drought, InSAR data for deriving digital elevation model and free and open-source platforms for image processing and the potential of radar remote sensing in image classification and topographic mapping. several disciplines covering expanded Body of Knowledge for geoinformatics, software design tool for remote sensing image processing, design of a terrestrial laser scanner simulator as an educational tool, the use of UAV based photogrammetry suite for providing location based services to highly vulnerable communities, machine learning based tools in WebGIS, and survey based gender inequality in academic career in GIST.Besides these technical papers, there was one paper entitled "55 years in ISPRS: The Ambassador of our Profession" highlighting the illustrious journey and pioneering contributions of Dr. Gottfried Konecny in the field of GIST. Dr. Gottfried is also presently serving as Co-Chair of TCV WG on Innovative technologies in training civil engineers and architects. Another paper by Student Consortium members describes how public-private cooperation models would mutually benefit the two communities in accessing and exploiting geospatial data for societal and business applications.We sincerely thank all the reviewers and acknowledge strong efforts made by Area Chairs to ensure quality of all accepted papers. We greatly appreciate the perseverance and dedication of the Scientific and Organizing Committee. We are confident that the present 2021 virtual edition of ISPRS Congress Proceedings will serve as platform for discussion on the current research efforts on the Education and Outreach themes cutting across different disciplines.


The thick sedimentary cover (≤18 km) along the Eastern Continental Margin of India (ECMI) and over the Bay of Bengal has hindered understanding of the mechanisms of rifting that operated on the eastern Indian and Bangladesh margins. Analysis of multichannel seismic reflection data, together with 3D gravity inversion and 2D gravity forward modelling, illuminates basement configuration, crustal thickness and Moho topography, thereby revealing the modes of rift evolution and the location of the continent–ocean boundary (COB) along these margins. The basement, particularly in the shelf and slope regions of eastern peninsular India, is traversed by nearly coast-perpendicular graben, and their seaward continuity is delineated up to 125 km from the coastline. Three different types of continental margin are present along the ECMI: (1) sheared rift on the southern segment of the ECMI, up to 14° N latitude (offshore the Southern Granulite Terrain); (2) hyper-extended rift in the central segment between 14° N and 17° N (offshore the Dharwar Craton); and (3) hypo-extended rift on the northern segment between 17° N and 20° N (offshore the Eastern Ghats Mobile Belt). The graben terminations, crustal thickness and Moho topography of both the ECMI and offshore Bengal Basin clearly suggest that the COB runs nearly parallel to the coastline of peninsular India, but takes an orthogonal turn offshore in the Bengal Basin and connects the palaeo-continental shelf and the Rajmahal–Sylhet Line onshore in the Bengal Basin. Crustal thickness (8–10 km) and depth to the Moho discontinuity (≤28 km) beneath the Bangladesh margin are unusual because the crustal thickness increased through interaction of the Kerguelen plume with the existing oceanic lithosphere. The Moho deepened largely due to the load of the Bengal Fan sediments. The absence of rifted crustal blocks on the Bangladesh margin and the continuity of the COB into the onshore Bengal Basin together imply that the present Bangladesh region was under marine conditions at least until the beginning of Bengal Fan sedimentation (i.e. no less than 23 Ma).


Dramatic artist, natural scientist and philosopher, Plutarch is widely regarded as the most significant historian of his era, writing sharp and succinct accounts of the greatest politicians and statesman of the classical period. Taken from the "Lives", a series of biographies spanning the Graeco-Roman age, this collection illuminates the twilight of the old Roman Republic from 157-43 bc. Whether describing the would-be dictators Marius and Sulla, the battle between Crassus and Spartacus, the death of political idealist Crato, Julius Caesar's harrowing triumph in Gaul or the eloquent oratory of Cicero, all offer a fascinating insight into an empire wracked by political divisions. Deeply influential on Shakespeare and many other later writers, they continue to fascinate today with their exploration of corruption, decadence and the struggle for ultimate power.


This paper examines the current position of mature students in the Dublin Institute of Technology, the largest third-level institute in Ireland. It also deals with the treatment of mature applicants, and the position of mature students in the Republic of Ireland in general. The focus of the paper is on equity issues, and in all discussions of equity the underpinning principle is equality of opportunity. Where places on a third-level course are limited, for example, all applicants must be treated equally and the places allocated in a 'fair' manner. This does not mean that one cannot discriminate in the true sense of the word but that there should be no 'unfair' discrimination. Fair can be taken to mean that the criteria used to discriminate between applicants are appropriate and not arbitrary. For example, a given criterion, such as proficiency in a particular language, might be appropriate in one context and arbitrary in another.


This study examined decision-making processes in response to athletic career change-events (e.g., injury, field position change). Athletes' (N = 338) initial strategic decisions whether to address or ignore a change-event, and their subsequent decisions whether to make the required change were measured using the Change-Event Inventory (Samuel & Tenenbaum, 2011b). Athletes reported a high tendency of making a strategic decision to consult with others, which could be predicted from the event's perceived significance and availability of professional support. Athletes also reported a high tendency of making a subsequent decision to change, which could be predicted from the helpfulness of support, motivation for change, and certain coping strategies. The two types of decisions were related. Perceived outcome of the change process and athletes' motivation could also be accurately predicted. In conclusion, to effectively cope with change-events athletes need to feel involved, be in control, and make independent ...


Abstract: Thomas Pynchon's interest in music is audibly reflected in the rich intertextual environments of his works such as Gravity's Rainbow, a novel which includes numerous allusions to musical pieces, descriptions of performances, and song lyrics. The latter stand out from prose narrative as they introduce new diegetic dimensions to the novel by offering playful commentary on its plot and characters. The present study examines the novel's acoustic background, pointing to the formal structure of songs and its role in locating singing human voices in opposition to noises emitted by technological devices such as V2 rockets. A classification scheme shows how Pynchon's formal experimentation juxtaposes written and oral variants of language, thus connecting songs to one of the novel's thematic centers — problematics of order. This function of songs is examined in an episode of Vaslav Tchitcherine's mission of promoting literacy among oral tribes of Kazakhstan, that serves as a commentary on the conventional character of writing systems and their ability to transform the poetic quality of language into a systematic structure.


Pathogenicity differences among laboratory isolates of the dominant clonal North American and European lineages of Toxoplasma gondii are largely controlled by polymorphisms and expression differences in rhoptry secretory proteins (ROPs). However, the extent to which such differences control virulence in natural isolates of T. gondii, including those from more diverse genetic backgrounds, is uncertain. We elucidated the evolutionary history and functional consequences of diversification in the serine/threonine kinase ROP18, a major virulence determinant in the mouse model. We characterized the extent of sequence polymorphism and the evolutionary forces acting on ROP18 and several antigen-encoding genes within a large collection of natural isolates, comparing them to housekeeping genes and introns. Surprisingly, despite substantial genetic diversity between lineages, we identified just three principal alleles of ROP18, which had very ancient ancestry compared to other sampled loci. Expression and allelic differences between these three alleles of ROP18 accounted for much of the variation in acute mouse virulence among natural isolates. While the avirulent type III allele was the most ancient, intermediate virulent (type II) and highly virulent (type I) lineages predominated and showed evidence of strong selective pressure. Out-group comparison indicated that historical loss of an upstream regulatory element increased ROP18 expression, exposing it to newfound diversifying selection, resulting in greatly enhanced virulence in the mouse model and expansion of new lineages. Population sweeps are evident in many genomes, yet their causes and evolutionary histories are rarely known. Our results establish that up-regulation of expression and selection at ROP18 in T. gondii has resulted in three distinct alleles with widely different levels of acute virulence in the mouse model. Preservation of all three alleles in the wild indicates they are likely adaptations for different niches. Our findings demonstrate that sweeping changes in population structure can result from alterations in a single gene.


Objective
Tonsillectomy and/or adenoidectomy is one of the most common otolaryngologic surgical procedures. There is still an ongoing debate as to whether or not histopathological examination should be performed in which cases after these surgeries. The aim of this study is to compare the histopathologic examination results of routine tonsillectomy and/or adenoidectomy surgical specimens of children and adults.

Methods
The routine histopathological examination results of patients who had adenoidectomy and/or tonsillectomy between April 2010 and April 2017 in Tokat State Hospital were evaluated from medical records retrospectively. The results were compared in terms of malignancy between children and adult patients.

Results
A total of 1849 histopathological examination results were included in the present study. Of the patients, 1574 were children, and 275 were adults. All of the patients who underwent adenoidectomy were diagnosed with reactive lymphoid hyperplasia. Of the 1356 patients who underwent tonsillectomy, only two were detected with malignancies. These two patients were adults.

Conclusion
While routine histopathologic examination is necessary for every case in adult population, risk factors should be considered in pediatric patients after tonsillectomy and/or adenoidectomy.


Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) has the potential for measuring near surface soil moisture contents for very large areas. The polar orbiting European Remote Sensing satellite (ERS-1) of the European Space Agency (ESA) has onboard an active C-band SAR sensor. We have analyzed SAR imagery over a small research watershed, Imnavait Creek, located in the northern foothills of the Brooks Range in Alaska, U.S.A. This watershed is treeless and completely underlain with permafrost. After geometrically and radiometrically correcting each pixel (25 m by 25 m) in the image, corrected pixel values were correlated with corresponding field moisture contents measured along transects in the watershed for two passes of the satellite. Coefficients of determination, r 2 , between the corrected pixel value and measured moisture content were 0.49 on June 12, 1993 and 0.53 on August 2, 1993; with the data sets combined the value was 0.50.


The increasing awareness for a cleaner earth has created more interests in the electric vehicle (EV) technology. Electric vehicles (EVs) will not only cause a reduction in our current greenhouse gas emissions, but also stop or reverse the trend at which our natural resources are being depleted. However, the introduction of the EVs into our societies will still require energy usage in the form of electricity. Integration of charging infrastructures will eventually be required in the built environment for these vehicles. This will add to the current energy consumption in the built environment which will mean more emission of CO2, NO2 etc., in the electrical power generation process. Therefore, this research looks at reducing energy wastage as a way of saving energy for the future integration of EVs into the built environment.


Abstract. Popularity and diverse use of 3D city models has increased exponentially in the past few years, providing a more realistic impression and understanding of cities. Often, 3D city models are created by elevating the buildings from a detailed 2D topographic base map and subsequently used in studies such as solar panel allocation, infrastructure remodelling, antenna installations or even tourist guide applications. However, the large amount of resulting data slows down rendering and visualisation of the 3D models, and can also impact the performance of any analysis. Generalisation enables a reduction in the amount of data – however the addition of the third dimension makes this process more complex, and the loss of detail resulting from the process will inevitably have an impact on the result of any subsequent analysis.While a few 3D generalization algorithms do exist in a research context, these are not available commercially. However, GIS users can create the generalised 3D models by simplifying and aggregating the 2D dataset first and then extruding it to the third dimension. This approach offers a rapid generalization process to create a dataset to underpin the impact of using generalised data for analysis. Specifically, in this study, the line of sight from a tall building and the sun shadow that it creates are calculated and compared, in both original and generalised datasets. The results obtained after the generalisation process are significant: both the number of polygons and the number of nodes are minimized by around 83 % and the volume of 3D buildings is reduced by 14.87 %. As expected, the spatial analyses processing times are also reduced. The study demonstrates the impact of generalisation on analytical results – which is particularly relevant in situations where detailed data is not available and will help to guide the development of future 3D generalisation algorithms. It also highlights some issues with the overall maturity of 3D analysis tools, which could be one factor limiting uptake of 3D GIS.


ABSTRACT Percina (Cottogaster) aurora is an imperiled species under consideration for listing by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. To better understand habitat use of P. aurora, we studied a related and more abundant Cottogaster species, Percina copelandi, from the Ouachita River, Arkansas. We used a laboratory stream system to examine mesohabitat selection (pools versus riffles) and microhabitat selection (substratum particle size) of P. copelandi over three temperature regimes (summer, spring, and winter). Percina copelandi selected pool habitats over riffles and selected pools with coarse substrata (e.g., cobble) over fine substrata (e.g., gravel). In riffles, P. copelandi selected large substrata during winter and spring but did not show particle size selection during summer. These data, and various published and unpublished field data for P. aurora, suggest that habitat use of P. aurora is also centered around deep runs and pools, with large substrata likely being more important at low water temperatures.


Owl couldn't sleep -- not while the bees were buzzing, the crows croaking, the starlings chittering, and the jays creaming. Every time there seemed to be some peace and quite, someone else landed in the hollow tree and woke Owl up again. Would Owl ever get any rest? Pat Hutchins's simple, cumulative story ends with a surprising twist that will send children off to sleep laughing.


This project reviewed existing laboratory methods for accurately describing the constitutive behavior of the mixes used in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Indirect tensile (IDT) strength, resilient modulus, static creep in the IDT and uniaxial modes, flexural beam fatigue, and dynamic modulus tests were conducted on two typical mixes used in Virginia: SM-9.5A (surface mix) and BM-25.0 (base mix). The tests conducted produced a wealth of data on typical values for the properties of the two mixes studied over a wide range of temperatures and loading frequencies. The results suggest that the IDT strength test is an effective test to characterize the tensile strength of hot-mix asphalt (HMA), especially for thermal cracking evaluation. The resilient modulus test and the static creep test in the IDT setup are practical and simple to perform, but the analysis of the measurements is complicated, and the variability of the results is high. The compressive uniaxial dynamic modulus and the uniaxial static creep tests were found to be simple to conduct and to analyze because of the homogeneous state of stress in the specimen during testing. The flexural fatigue test was time consuming, but the test produces valuable information about the fatigue properties of HMA. The investigation also found good correlations among the IDT strength, resilient modulus, and dynamic modulus results. A variety of tests is recommended for characterizing the mechanistic-empirical pavement analysis and design. These tests would provide the properties needed to characterize the asphalt layers for the pavement analysis and design. The recommended tests are as follows: IDT strength for characterizing HMA susceptibility to thermal cracking, dynamic modulus for characterization of the constitutive behavior of the HMA, uniaxial creep for characterizing permanent deformation characteristics, and flexural fatigue tests to characterize fatigue properties. Materials characterization testing can be a valuable tool in pavement design. The use of mechanistic-empirical modeling can be used to predict the performance of a pavement. With this type of testing and modeling, the materials used in pavements will be of better quality and more resistant to environmental and structural deterioration. A more durable pavement will aid in reducing the frequency and costs associated with maintenance.


The greater detail and improved realism of fullsystem architecture simulation makes it a valuable computer architecture design tool. However, its unique characteristics introduce new sources of simulation variability which could make the results of such simulations less reliable. Meanwhile, the demand for more levels of cache and larger caches has increased to improve the system power and performance. This paper presents techniques to produce reliable results in fullsystem simulation of CMP computer systems with large caches. Specifically, we propose the detailed emulation replay warmup technique to deal with cold or incompletely warmed up large caches. We also propose the region of interest synchronization technique to prevent simulating non-representative phase when running multi-program workloads. Furthermore, we quantify the variation reduction one can achieve when using processor affinity and checkpointing. Finally, we show that by applying all four of these simulation techniques, the simulation variability is limited to less than 1% and the simulation results are therefore more reliable.


Yuko Arayama『Environment and Our Sustainability in the 21St Century : Under Btanding and Cooperation between Developed and Developing Counties』2002 のChapter9部分


Mumford-Tate groups and domains live in the boundary of several branches of mathematics. As Hodge structures, these objects are endowed with several information codified in geometrical and arithmetical language. Furthermore, they are groups, adding more information and properties. The authors are aware of such confluence, and clearly the entire work points out to this: in each chapter of this contribution one of these three aspects prevails. This makes more valuable the results presented in this book because the biggest and most interesting theorems arise from the interplay of differents "flavours" of mathematics and, in this way, the present book becomes a landmark in this subject. As it happens in several books on very technical topics, the authors assume a considerable amount of background. In this case, readers must have a deep knowledge in Lie groups and algebras (especially in Chapter IV), aside from some familiarity with related topics in Mumford-Tate groups and period domain (such as Hodge theory, deformation theory, etc.). Nevertheless, the three first chapters serve as an introduction to the key issues to be fully treated in the following ones and they furnish a dense survey on the so-considered basic properties and the subtle relations which hold all these objects. Although the topics covered in these pages is fairly difficult, both the treatment and the good exposition style make the argument easy to follow. In Chapter IV, containing the main part, the authors try to answer the natural question "What are the possible Mumford-Tate groups?" which is a reformulated classical question posed in earlier works. Here, the use of Lie algebras and groups gives surprising characterizations which translate such a question to an equivalent one in Lie algebras. These results are applied to obtain a complete list of real forms with Hodge representations. Chapter V is devoted to characterize the CM Hodge structures (a Hodge structure with complex multiplication) in terms of its Mumford-Tate group. Chapter VI is devoted to the arithmetic aspects of the Mumford-Tate domains and their relation to the NoetherLefschetz loci. On the other hand, Chapter VII develops an algorithm in order to determine all Mumford-Tate subdomains of a given period domain; such results are applied to obtain a complete classification of CM Hodge structures in certain ranks and weights. The book finishes discussing some arithmetical aspects presented in parametrized families of smooth projective varieties in connection to the Noether-Lefschetz loci. The brilliance of the results and their broad spectrum of their applications makes this book an outstanding piece. Yet, there is more to write and to develop: the authors suggest the existence of future lines of research for a next book.


The present experiment investigates whether patterns of shifts of feature locations could affect the same/different decisions of simultaneously presented pairs of geometrical figures. A shift of locations was defined as the angular distance from the location of a feature in one figure to the location of the same feature in another figure. It was hypothesized that the difficulty in discriminating mirror-reflected (or axisymmetric) pairs from disoriented identical pairs was caused by complex shifting patterns inherent in axisymmetric pairs. According to the shifts of the locations of the four structural features, five pair types were prepared. They could be ordered from completely identical to completely different in their shifts: identical 0/4 pairs, non-identical 1/4 pairs, non-identical 2/4 pairs = axisymmetric 2/4 pairs and non-identical 4/4 pairs. The latencies for non-identical pairs decreased with the increase of difference in the shifts of feature locations, indicating that serial, self-terminating comparisons of the shifts were applied to the discrimination of non-identical pairs from identical pairs. However, the longer latencies in axisymmetric 2/4 pairs than in non-identical 2/4 pairs suggested that the difficulty for axisymmetric pairs was not caused by the complex shifting patterns, and the difficulty was not satisfactorily explained by the comparisons of feature locations.


Non-metro Missouri has observed a net in-migration in the last decennial period and a great part of these immigrants are Latinos. This research addresses the factors explaining vulnerabilities and economic opportunities of Latinos in non-metro Missouri, using the 2000 Census as well as county level data on racial profiling, and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education database. The livelihoods framework, through the capability accumulation and wellbeing theory, is used in order to look into Latinos' economic vulnerability by the practices of local and state enforcement (racial profiling), newcomer's human capital, years of work experience, age, and gender, country of origin and mobility. The regression results show that work experience has the greatest impact on Latino's earning ability as compared to any other factor mentioned, which could be translated to their ability to acquire tangible assets. The interaction effect of education and English proficiency shows a very important factor for both foreign and US born Latinos. On the other hand mobility and racial profiling may have a negative effect on income earning ability suggesting a need for exploring these variables further.


Maintenance of intact skin throughout the body is essential to prevent dehydration, as a barrier to infection, allow unrestricted movement, and to provide a normal appearance. A flap is a piece of body tissue, usually skin and fat, that always has its own blood supply. Therefore, a flap can be moved anywhere it can reach without worrying about the circulation present at the place that needs it, which is called the recipient site. When compared with all other possible choices, a flap best meets all the requirements for any area needing skin replacement. The keystone type flap as one such option is so named because its design has the shape of the keystone of a Roman arch. If taken from loose tissues adjacent to a defect, it can be simply cut and advanced for any necessary skin coverage. Direct closure of the donor site where this flap comes from is possible so that usually a quite good overall cosmetic result is also obtained. These virtues are shown as an overview in a video where a keystone flap is transferred after removal of a common basal cell skin cancer from the lower lip.


The nickel phosphide (Ni2P) family of materials have become a hot subject in hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) electrocatalyst research. Various studies have reported their high activity, high stability, and high faradaic efficiency. To date, there have been no systematic studies regarding the influence of pH on the HER performance of Ni2P. Here we show that the pH of electrolytes can strongly influence the HER activity of Ni2P electrocatalysts. Tests in 19 electrolytes with pH ranging from 0.52 to 13.53 show that Ni2P is much more active in strongly acidic and basic electrolytes. With the increase of pH, the lower H+ concentration reduces the formation of adsorbed H atoms in the Volmer reaction, resulting in poorer activities. However, the high activity observed in the strongly basic electrolytes is not the intrinsic property of Ni2P. We found that Ni oxides/hydroxides are formed in strongly basic electrolytes under applied potentials, resulting in improved activities. Furthermore, the specific activity based on the electrochemically active surface area of recently reported Ni2P catalysts is not high and requires significant improvements for practical applications.


Rates of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are increasing globally. IBD is an idiopathic chronic inflammatory disorder of the gastrointestinal tract characterized by acute disease flares and remission. IBD has a multifactorial pathogenesis whereby environmental and genetic factors contribute to disease onset. IBD is a serious clinical disorder that significantly impairs the patient's quality of life, and is associated with increased morbidity, mortality, and cancer risk. IBD is characterized by the loss of tolerance to luminal antigens resulting in a persistent and excessive immune response. There is currently an unmet need for novel treatment options for patients with IBD. In recent years, flavonoids, a class of polyphenols widely distributed in fruits and vegetables gained significant interest as potential therapeutic agents for inflammatory disorders including IBD. Many flavonoids regulate cellular transcription factors critical in antioxidant and antiinflammatory pathways within the innate and adaptive immune response. Among these flavonoids, quercetin and its related glycosides have demonstrated remarkable effects capable of attenuating inflammation in experimental models of IBD. To date, many mechanisms underlying quercetin's biological activity have been elucidated; wherein quercetin is reported to downregulate NFκB, MAPK, STAT and AP-1, and upregulate Nrf2. Thus, the aim of the review is to present the evidence surrounding quercetins biological activity, and its potential as a novel dietary intervention for IBD.


We studied Collared Forest-Falcons Micrastur semitorquatus in Tikal National Park, Guatemala from 1988 through 1993, documenting 9 nesting attempts. The Collared Forest-Falcon is a year-round resident, nesting in pre-existing cavities in large trees. Breeding commenced during the middle of the dry season. Egg laying occurred early March to early April, with laying peaking in early March and spanning 30 days (n = 8 clutches), with one exceptionally late laying date in May. The incubation period was 46-48 days at 1 nest and nestlings fledged on average at 50 days of age (n = 5). Only females incubated while males pro- vided food until the mid-nestling period when the females began hunting and delivering prey to the young. Young fledged in June, early in the rainy season and were not observed again at the cavity. Of 16 eggs laid in 8 nests (mean = 2.0), 10 of 16 (63%) hatched, and 8 (80%) of those hatchlings fledged. The only repro- ductive losses resulted from egg depredation (n = 2 nests). The breeding period of the Collared Forest- Falcon lasted approximately 28 weeks from courtship to fledgling dispersal, long in comparison to simi- larly-sized temperate raptors. Accepted 29 June 1999.


Education is important for development of human capacities (Sen 1992, 1996), economic growth (Adeola, 1996), equality (Gradstein, 2003) and social stability (Ritzen, Easterly & Woolcock, 2000). Increased access to education is linked with the promotion of civil society (Walter, 2004) and shows that the government is concerned with the citizens of the country (Thyne, 2006). Notwithstanding all this, it was only in 2009 that India, the world's largest democracy, enacted the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, which provides 8 years of elementary education to every child in the age group of 6-14 years in an age appropriate class, leaving 111 million children in 6-14 age-group (Statistics of School Education, 2007-08) and 41% of youth in 15 to 17 years out of school. In a country where Naxalism (Maoism) is one of the most serious internal threats, the importance of educational institutions has been undermined by concerns of survival. These institutions have been converted in to relief camps during an insurgency, bringing to an abrupt halt the processes of education. Thus, the existence of these institutions is not enough - their effective functioning becomes necessary to ensure the access of children to these and protection of their fundamental right to education.


Abstract. This study aims to cross-validate ground-based and satellite-based models of three photobiological UV effective dose products: the Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage (CIE) erythemal UV, the production of vitamin D in the skin, and DNA damage, using high-temporal-resolution surface-based measurements of solar UV spectral irradiances from a synergy of instruments and models. The satellite-based Tropospheric Emission Monitoring Internet Service (TEMIS; version 1.4) UV daily dose data products were evaluated over the period 2009 to 2014 with ground-based data from a Norsk Institutt for Luftforskning (NILU)-UV multifilter radiometer located at the northern midlatitude super-site of the Laboratory of Atmospheric Physics, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (LAP/AUTh), in Greece. For the NILU-UV effective dose rates retrieval algorithm, a neural network (NN) was trained to learn the nonlinear functional relation between NILU-UV irradiances and collocated Brewer-based photobiological effective dose products. Then the algorithm was subjected to sensitivity analysis and validation. The correlation of the NN estimates with target outputs was high (r = 0. 988 to 0.990) and with a very low bias (0.000 to 0.011 in absolute units) proving the robustness of the NN algorithm. For further evaluation of the NILU NN-derived products, retrievals of the vitamin D and DNA-damage effective doses from a collocated Yankee Environmental Systems (YES) UVB-1 pyranometer were used. For cloud-free days, differences in the derived UV doses are better than 2 % for all UV dose products, revealing the reference quality of the ground-based UV doses at Thessaloniki from the NILU-UV NN retrievals. The TEMIS UV doses used in this study are derived from ozone measurements by the SCIAMACHY/Envisat and GOME2/MetOp-A satellite instruments, over the European domain in combination with SEVIRI/Meteosat-based diurnal cycle of the cloud cover fraction per 0. 5° × 0. 5° (lat  ×  long) grid cells. TEMIS UV doses were found to be ∼ 12.5 % higher than the NILU NN estimates but, despite the presence of a visually apparent seasonal pattern, the R2 values were found to be robustly high and equal to 0.92–0.93 for 1588 all-sky coincidences. These results significantly improve when limiting the dataset to cloud-free days with differences of 0.57 % for the erythemal doses, 1.22 % for the vitamin D doses, and 1.18 % for the DNA-damage doses, with standard deviations of the order of 11–13 %. The improvement of the comparative statistics under cloud-free cases further testifies to the importance of the appropriate consideration of the contribution of clouds in the UV radiation reaching the Earth's surface. For the urban area of Thessaloniki, with highly variable aerosol, the weakness of the implicit aerosol information introduced to the TEMIS UV dose algorithm was revealed by comparison of the datasets to aerosol optical depths at 340 nm as reported by a collocated CIMEL sun photometer, operating in Thessaloniki at LAP/AUTh as part of the NASA Aerosol Robotic Network.


The paper presents the design guidelines for Active SAR Antennas followed for the development of COSMO Sky Med SAR Antenna Subsystem. They have brought to define the antenna architecture, the RF, and electrical requirements for all the antenna RF, digital and power units, taking into account the available technologies and achievable performance. The antenna design is described for what the main subsystems is concerned, such as RF, power, digital, including mechanical and thermal aspects. Finally the paper reports also a brief description of the most recent development carried out in Canada and in Europe in the last ten years, including the on-going programs.


The research investigated the role of pleasure in contemporary art practice. The project resulted in two exhibitions and a journal article.

The research investigated the practices of nine contemporary artists working in diverse fine art media. It asked how pleasure acts as a mobilising force and influence in these artists' processes, and how it is illuminated and embodied in the works produced. The curatorial process involved visits to artists' studios, discussing, interrogating and documenting working processes, and selecting works. The journal article explored the artists' works, alongside Canaletto's painting of the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens, drawing on the philosophies of Jeremy Bentham, Michel Foucault and Michel Serres.

The process of curation and preparation of the article was funded by an AHRB Small Grants in the Creative Arts. Arts Council England funded the commissioning, transport and installation of new works from the artists.

The exhibition 'Doubtful Pleasures' took place at APT Gallery, an important exhibiting space for contemporary art in central London. Exhibitions proposals are competitive, selected by a committee of recognised Artists and Academics.

My 3,200 word article 'Doubtful Pleasures' was published in issue 5 of 'Miser & Now', the issue prompted by my research, dedicated to the theme of pleasure, and including 15 other commissioned articles.

The exhibition 'With Pleasure' included 2 large scale sculptures from the 'Travesty' series.

The exhibition 'Doubtful Pleasures' included my sculptural video work 'The Visit', consisting of a model of a room rotating around a 5m diameter circle in a dimly lit space, passing a static video camera feeding a live image to a monitor. The video event produced acts as a brief moment of consummation within an extended duration of expectation and memory, provoking reflection on the nature of pleasure as a transient sensation, connected to desire and remembering.


In this day and age there is a growing concern about the increasing number of dangerous chemicals in Agriculture. Obsolete pesticides and their metabolites represent a major threat to the environment. These compounds are highly persistent, toxic and tend to accumulate within the human body. While considerable efforts have been made to abolish stockpiles of these hazardous chemicals, the removal of their residues from soil and water sources remains problematic. Therefore, the main aim of this research project is to provide the basis for the development of a simple, cost-effective and environmentally friendly technology for the removal of obsolete pesticides from water and soil. The fundamental concept was based on Supramolecular Chemistry, which implies non-covalent interactions between "host" and "guest". Although such interactions have formed the basis of numerous fundamental studies, their application within the environmental field has yet to be assessed. Introductory physicochemical analyses of the pollutants and prospective receptors in various media such as solubility, speciation in different organic solvents as well as partition and distribution in binary organic solvent/water systems were carried out. Design of the "host" was based on the calix[4]arene framework since it provided a convenient route for chemical transformations and possesses cavities of complementary size to the guest species. The receptor was chemically converted, using synthetic resource-saving techniques that provide the best outcome, to improve its ability to remove obsolete pesticides from water and soil. In connection with the preliminary studies and the synthetic activities, extensive 1H NMR, X-ray, UV and electrochemical evaluations of interactions between a wide variety of obsolete pesticides and the receptors were carried out. As a result, the receptors were proved to interact selectively with chlorinated phenyl- and phenoxyacetic acids and their metabolites. This was followed by a detailed determination of the stability of supramolecular complexes as well as the thermodynamic parameters associated with the complexation process. Finally, aqueous samples of pollutants were subjected to extraction by the most prospective receptors. At this stage, some macrocycles were anchored to a polymeric backbone or naturally occurring materials. As such, both liquid-liquid (LLE) and solid-liquid (SLE) extraction techniques were tested and proved to be effective tools for water remediation.


Tendon lesions on distal extremities of the limbs are among the most frequent alterations of the locomotor system in the human and animal clinic-surgery routine, and frequently need supplementary therapy for the complete recovery of the physiologic functions. The therapeutic ultrasound (TUS) is the mostly used apparatus in rehabilitation clinics to treat tendon lesions, but due to the lack or the divergence on specific studies about its effects in bone tissues, the use of TUS in distal regions of the members, which are rich in bony protuberances and muscle-less areas, always concern the medical professionals. For the purpose of enlightening the TUS effects on bone tissue, six dogs received a continuous ultrasound treatment of 1MHZ for 5 minutes per day on distal-skull area of radio and ulna during 20 days. The TUS intensity applied was 0.5W cm-2 in the right thoracic member leaving out the counter-lateral member for control. Before the beginning and in the end of the treatment, the distal area of both thoracic members were radiographed for analysis of bone densitometry in radiographic images. There wasn't any significant alteration in bone mineral density between the treated members and the control members. Based on the parameters used in this experiment one can conclude that the use of TUS in bony protuberances and muscle-less areas can be done with safety.


We review the surface air temperature record of the past 150 years, considering the homogeneity of the basic data and the standard errors of estimation of the average hemispheric and global estimates. We present global fields of surface temperature change over the two 20‐year periods of greatest warming this century, 1925–1944 and 1978–1997. Over these periods, global temperatures rose by 0.37° and 0.32°C, respectively. The twentieth‐century warming has been accompanied by a decrease in those areas of the world affected by exceptionally cool temperatures and to a lesser extent by increases in areas affected by exceptionally warm temperatures. In recent decades there have been much greater increases in night minimum temperatures than in day maximum temperatures, so that over 1950–1993 the diurnal temperature range has decreased by 0.08°C per decade. We discuss the recent divergence of surface and satellite temperature measurements of the lower troposphere and consider the last 150 years in the context of the last millennium. We then provide a globally complete absolute surface air temperature climatology on a 1° × 1° grid. This is primarily based on data for 1961–1990. Extensive interpolation had to be undertaken over both polar regions and in a few other regions where basic data are scarce, but we believe the climatology is the most consistent and reliable of absolute surface air temperature conditions over the world. The climatology indicates that the annual average surface temperature of the world is 14.0°C (14.6°C in the Northern Hemisphere (NH) and 13.4°C for the Southern Hemisphere). The annual cycle of global mean temperatures follows that of the land‐dominated NH, with a maximum in July of 15.9°C and a minimum in January of 12.2°C.


An important issue in P2P networks is the existence of malicious nodes that decreases the performance of such networks. Reputation system in which nodes are ranked based on their behaviour, is one of the proposed solutions to detect and isolate malicious (low ranked) nodes. GossipTrust is an interesting previously proposed algorithm for reputation aggregation in P2P networks based on the concept of gossip. Despite its important contribution, this algorithm has deficiencies especially with high number of nodes that leads to high execution time and low accuracy in the results. In this paper, a grouped Gossip based Reputation Aggregation (GGRA) algorithm is proposed. In GGRA, GossipTrust is executed in each group between group members and between groups instead of executing in the whole network. Due to the reduction in the number of nodes and using strongly connected graph instead of a weakly one, gossip algorithm in GGRA is executed quickly. With grouping, not only reputation aggregation is expected to be more scalable, but also because of the decrement in the number of errors of the gossiped communication, the results get more accurate. The evaluation of the proposed algorithm and its comparison with GossipTrust confirms the expected results. © 2015 ISC. All rights reserved.


DNA N6-adenine methylation (6mA) has recently been reported in diverse eukaryotes, spanning unicellular organisms to metazoans. Yet the functional significance of 6mA remains elusive due to its low abundance, difficulty of manipulation within native DNA, and lack of understanding of eukaryotic 6mA writers. Here, we report a novel DNA 6mA methyltransferase in ciliates, termed MTA1. The enzyme contains an MT-A70 domain but is phylogenetically distinct from all known RNA and DNA methyltransferases. Disruption of MTA1 in vivo leads to the genome-wide loss of 6mA in asexually growing cells and abolishment of the consensus ApT dimethylated motif. Genes exhibit subtle changes in chromatin organization or RNA expression upon loss of 6mA, depending on their starting methylation level. Mutants fail to complete the sexual cycle, which normally coincides with a peak of MTA1 expression. Thus, MTA1 functions in a developmental stage-specific manner. We determine the impact of 6mA on chromatin organization in vitro by reconstructing complete, full-length ciliate chromosomes harboring 6mA in native or ectopic positions. Using these synthetic chromosomes, we show that 6mA directly disfavors nucleosomes in vitro in a local, quantitative manner, independent of DNA sequence. Furthermore, the chromatin remodeler ACF can overcome this effect. Our study identifies a novel MT-A70 protein necessary for eukaryotic 6mA methylation and defines the impact of 6mA on chromatin organization using epigenetically defined synthetic chromosomes. Highlights The MT-A70 protein MTA1 mediates DNA N6-adenine methylation in Oxytricha MTA1 mutants exhibit subtle changes in nucleosome organization and transcription in vivo 6mA directly disfavors nucleosome occupancy in natural and synthetic chromosomes in vitro De novo synthesis of complete, epigenetically defined Oxytricha chromosomes


A plot of 0.5 MeV peak electron intensity versus >10 MeV peak proton intensity for well-connected solar energetic particle (SEP) events from 1997 to 2003 reveals two distinct populations: (1) a group of events with peak proton intensities <3 protons cm-2 s-1 sr-1 that have electron-to-proton (e/p) ratios ranging from ~102 to 2 × 104 and (2) a well-defined branch spanning peak proton intensities from ~3 to 104 protons cm-2 s-1 sr-1 with e/p ratios ranging from ~101 to 2 × 102. Events with strong abundance enhancements of trans-Fe elements form a prominent subset of "population 1" and are absent from "population 2." For a sample of poorly connected SEP events, population 1 largely disappears, and population 2 is observed to extend down to low (<10-1 protons cm-2 s-1 sr-1) proton intensities. Plots of 0.5 MeV peak electron intensity versus >30 MeV peak proton intensity yield comparable results. The SEP events in population 2 are highly (~90%) associated with dekametric/hectometric (DH) type II bursts versus only a ~20% association rate for population 1 events. Population 2 events have flatter electron (0.5-4.4 MeV) and proton spectra (10-30 MeV) than those in population 1. Based on their high e/p ratios, trans-Fe enhancements, poor association with DH type IIs, and inferred small "emission cones," population 1 events are attributed to acceleration in solar flares. For population 2 events, evidence for a dominant shock process includes their flatter spectra, apparent widespread sources, and high association with DH type II bursts.


Tourism has always been regarded as one of the Philippines' most important industries and a major source of revenue. Different destinations in the country are known for their cultural diversity and natural beauty. In fact, many sites are still left to be explored and developed. This study assessed the local community's perception of tourism development in Sagñay, Camarines Sur and aimed to propose a community-managed tour trek. Interviews, surveys, ocular visits, and mock tours were conducted to achieve the objectives of the study. Results show that the local community perceives that tourism development in the area can be a tool to help the community through improved livelihood, environmental protection, and cultural appreciation. The local community recognizes the importance of tourism development and the need for participation of all the stakeholders. Meanwhile, the proposed community-managed tour trek based on the inventory of tourism products highlights the natural and cultural resources of Sagñay, Camarines Sur. The local community was tapped as the primary stakeholders together with the local government unit. A pilot test was conducted to evaluate the proposed trek and provide a suitable offering to prospective tourists. Furthermore, the study shows the need for strong commitment among the local community and the local government to assure the successful management of the proposed community-managed tour trek. It has the potential to have a significant impact, particularly in terms of improving the community's welfare in the future.


This paper describes the rise of three "denier" movements in the United States, and describes how each is actively engaged in trying to debunk and impede the free development of science: the Creationist Anti-evolutionists, the Climate Change Deniers, and the Consciousness Deniers. The last, a group that cannot, or will not, consider consciousness as anything other than physicalist processes. Each Denier group is described, and something of its history is given. The charges of a lack of ethics that dog these movements are discussed through examples. The strategies and tactics of the three groups are detailed, showing that Denier movements have a great deal in common, and are growing closer. The lack of substance in the Denier arguments is described, as is the fact that regardless of this lack these movements represent powerful forces in the American culture that have already produced detrimental effects, which are described and discussed. The paper argues that while the controversies involving the three Denier movements might superficially appear to be "inside baseball" arguments of interest only to the various research communities these three Denier movements all, in one way or another, impede the quest for fact-based knowledge. All are manifestations of the growing anti-intellectualism arising against science, a trend of willful ignorance with profound implications for America in the 21st century. The paper concludes that Deniers are like pranksters putting up false direction signs; they waste precious resources and time. Worse, they poison the atmosphere of scientific inquiry itself, serving not truth but bias.


Background Low socioeconomic status (SES) has been associated with higher risk of cardiometabolic diseases in developed societies, but investigation of SES and cardiometabolic risk in children in less economically developed populations is sparse. We aimed to examine associations among SES and cardiometabolic risk factors in Colombian children. Methods We used data from a population-based study of 1282 children aged 6–10 years from Bucaramanga, Colombia. SES was classified according to household wealth, living conditions and access to public utilities. Anthropometric and biochemical parameters were measured at a clinic visit. Cardiometabolic risk factors were analysed continuously using linear regression and as binary outcomes—according to established paediatric cut points—using logistic regression to calculate OR and 95% CIs. Results Mean age of the children was 8.4 (SD 1.4) and 51.1% of the sample were boys. Odds of overweight/obesity, abdominal obesity and insulin resistance were greater among higher SES. Compared with the lowest SES stratum, children in the highest SES had higher odds of overweight/obesity (OR=3.25, 95% CI 1.89 to 5.57), abdominal obesity (OR=2.74, 95% CI 1.41 to 5.31) and insulin resistance (OR=2.60, 95% CI 1.81 to 3.71). In contrast, children in the highest SES had lower odds of hypertriglyceridaemia (triglycerides ≥90th centile; OR=0.28, 95% CI 0.14 to 0.54) and low (≤10th centile) high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (OR=0.35, 95% CI 0.15 to 0.78). Conclusions In Colombian children, SES is directly associated with obesity and insulin resistance, but inversely associated with dyslipidaemia (hypertriglyceridaemia and low HDL cholesterol). Our findings highlight the need to analyse cardiometabolic risk factors separately in children and to carefully consider a population's level of economic development when studying their social determinants of cardiometabolic disease.


This research is intended to assess the progressivity of payroll tax in respect to employment income inequality. The research is based on only ten years' data on payroll income. Over time, the primary data were obtained using a systematic random sampling technique from nine different organisations. Qualitative data were analysed with descriptive tools and simple regression analysis, while the comparison between the marginal tax rate and the average tax rate, and the computation of the Suits Index and the Gini coefficients from the Lorenz curves were applied for the quantitative analysis. As a result, we found that the payroll tax was significantly progressive, but eventually declined after the 6th tax bracket. On the other hand, the varying and higher values of the Gini coefficient for different organisations show higher income inequalities before tax. Moreover, in comparison with other nations the tax rate appears less redistributive, reducing the value of the Gini coefficient only slightly. In addition, the prevailing level of inflation was found to reduce the exemption thresholds and the width of the tax brackets, while pushing income to higher brackets. Therefore, the skill gap among employees needs to earn fair payment that would be subjected to tax rate compatible with inflation. Lastly, preferential tax rates should be applied on employment income to ensure fair income distribution among households earning income from different sources and encourage labour intensive industries to ensure social, political and economic stability across the nation.


Tropical dry deciduous forest is an endangered ecosystem whose plant-pollinator relationships are little known. We characterised a portion of the web of interactions between flowering plants and flower visitors in the Kirindy Forest of the Menabe region of west-central Madagascar. Taking a plant-centered approach, we observed individuals of the 5 most abundant native plant species that were coming into flower at the end of the annual dry season, and recorded all identifiable flower-visitors. Taking a visitor-centered approach, we walked a network of established trails and listened for distinctive calls of a common flower-visiting bird, noting the plant species visited. The former approach revealed connections among the early-flowering species via birds and insects, whereas the latter confirmed these connections and added an additional plant species. Flowers of the 6 plant species were visited on average by 5.5 animal species, while 10 visitor species for which we had reasonable samples frequented on average the flowers of 3.3 plant species. These qualitative results resemble those reported from other temperate and tropical webs, in that interactions appeared to be relatively generalised by pollinator species and body plan (e.g., birds vs. bees). Also in agreement, the visitation web was significantly nested, with more-specialised species tending to interact with mutualistic partners that were themselves more generalised. In addition to documenting previously-unreported interactions, therefore, this preliminary web conforms to more widespread patterns emerging for pollination systems at the community level.


4 Abstract Although cystic fibrosis (CF) is the most common autosomal recessive disorder in whites, it is thought to be relatively rare or, alternative- ly, underdiagnosed in Latin America. In Brazil, different groups have shown a DF508 mutation frequency ranging from 30.7% to 50.8%. Such variation may be explained by the ethnic differences observed in this country, which is genetically very heterogeneous. We describe the molecular analysis for 32 mutations of the CFTR gene in nine unrelated patients with cystic fibrosis from Sao Paulo State, Brazil. The main observation of this study was the ab- sence of 30 out of the 32 mutations in 12 alleles among these patients. Except for mutations DF508 and N1303K, no other mutation could be detected in any of the studied patients. In one of two alleles, a DF508 mutation was de- tected in four patients (22% of the total sample) and an N1303K mutation was detected in two patients (11% of the total sample). One patient was a compound heterozygote for DF508/N1303K. Although the sample studied here was small, it may be possible that our patients have infrequent alleles once these can occur at higher frequencies in selected populations and also show relevant regional differences. Additional investigations in a larger sam- ple are currently in progress in our laboratory to confirm our results, and fur- ther studies are still needed to determine the frequencies of CF gene muta- tions in different regions and ethnic groups in the Brazilian population.


Faba bean (Vicia faba L.) is one of the popular pulse crops grown for traditional consumption, not only in Oman but also in Arabian Peninsula and other countries. In Oman, the famers living in and around high altitude mountain areas mostly grow it. This paper highlights features of variation in seed color and diversity in seed traits found in collected accessions from the joint collecting missions of 2008-2010 between the staff of College of Agriculture, Sultan Qaboos University and the Ministry of Agriculture & Fisheries throughout all the governorates of the Sultanate of Oman. 41 seed samples/accessions were collected from 38 sites. Of these, the highest number of accessions was collected from Batinah South governorate (38) represented mostly by the mountains of Rustaq, followed by the mountains of Interior/Al-Dakhliyah (8), and Dhahira & Buraimi (4). Only one accession was collected from mountains of the Eastern/ Al-Sharqiyah governorates. The seed accessions were found diverse with respect to all seed characters studied, i.e. seed length (cm) and width (cm) and 1000-seed weight (g) besides seed color. The faba bean accessions were classified into 9 genetically diverse clusters based on the Principal Component Analysis, which indicated that the contribution of seed width and 100-seed weight to the total variation existing in indigenous germplasm collected from all the governorates of Oman. It was found from the critical analysis of seed colors that 38 accessions were homogenous (pure) with one color and three were heterogeneous with combinations of colors.


Most large enterprises are facing numerous challenges concerning their information systems, IS, and information and communication technology, ICT. Today, many enterprises employ a considerable number of applications that often have redundant functionality. There is also a large diversification in the ICT products and technologies employed. Further, integration costs are a major issue in almost all acquisition projects and many enterprises experience a lack of data quality and information security. The list of IS/ICT management challenges can be made much longer. At most enterprises, IS/ICT decisions are made by autonomous business units. In order to change the situation described above and build a more cost-effective IS/ICT environment, all business units need to make consistent IS/ICT decisions. Distributed and consistent decisions can only be made if the decision maker knows which decisions to make and why he/she needs to make them. The latter can be described by the target architecture for the whole enterprise IS/ICT, the information needed to conduct the business and its relationship to the business processes and business organization together with the benefits that the target architecture provides to the business. Which decisions to make are formulated into architectural principles, i.e. rules that express how your enterprise needs to design and deploy IS/ICT. The present thesis is a composite thesis including eight papers. The first four papers describe the reference model for IS/ICT management responsibilities that is one of the outcomes of the present research. Two different surveys have been performed in order to find out what the major IS/ICT management challenges are. The first survey was answered by 62 Swedish Chief Information Officers, CIOs, from large private enterprises as well as municipalities. The second survey was answered by twelve CIO's from the European electric power industry. In the fifth paper, one of the IS/ICT management responsibilities, i.e. data quality, is used to illustrate how the IS/ICT manager's responsibilities can be decomposed into measurable units. Over 70 respondents were used in order to perform an enterprise- wide measurement of the data quality at a Swedish insurance company. The last three papers are devoted to architectural principles. Architectural principles are introduced and guidelines on how to define and manage them are proposed in the sixth paper. The guidelines have been used in a review of Vattenfall's architectural principles. In the last two papers, architectural principles and the reference model are combined in a methodology for assessing the enterprise architecture. The methodology has been used in two different case studies, one at Vattenfall and one at Scania. In both case studies multiple information systems were assessed from many different viewpoints resulting in that many respondents were interviewed.


Living with people who differ - racially, ethnically, religiously or economically - is one of the most urgent challenges facing civil society today. "Together" argues that co-operation needs more than good will: it is a craft that requires skill. In modern society traditional bonds are waning, and we must develop new forms of secular, civic ritual that make us more skilful in living with others. From Medieval guilds to today's social networks, Richard Sennett's visionary book explores the nature of co-operation, why it has become weak and how it can be strengthened.


Bench-scale studies were conducted in model freshwater systems to investigate how various parameters affected arsenic removal during coagulation with ferric chloride and arsenic adsorption onto preformed hydrous ferric oxide. Parameters included arsenic oxidation state and initial concentration, coagulant dosage or adsorbent concentration, pH, and the presence of co-occurring inorganic solutes. Comparison of coagulation and adsorption experiments and of experimental results with predictions based on surface complexation modeling demonstrated that adsorption is an important (though not the sole) mechanism governing arsenic removal during coagulation. Under comparable conditions, better removal was observed with arsenic(V) [As(V)] than with arsenic(III) [As(III)] in both coagulation and adsorption experiments. Below neutral pH values, As(III) removal-adsorption was significantly decreased in the presence of sulfate, whereas only a slight decrease in As(V) removal-adsorption was observed. At high pH, removal-adsorption of As(V) was increased in the presence of calcium. Removal of As(V) during coagulation with ferric chloride is both more efficient and less sensitive than that of As(III) to variations in source water composition.


In 2008, 348 pharmacists from 98 different countries gathered in Basel, Switzerland for the Global Conference on the Future of Hospital Pharmacists, hosted by the Hospital Pharmacy Section of the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP). This seminal event, which followed a sustained period of preparation by means of a Global Survey of Hospital Pharmacy Practice and the commissioning of six evidence summaries, developed a set of consensus statements on the future of hospital pharmacy. 1 The initial list of 75 Basel Statements were intended to be adapted for local use. As the coverage in the SA Pharmaceutical Journal at the time noted: "Taking the Basel Statements from global consensus positions to living documents, to effective application in action, and to ultimately achieving better outcomes for patients will require continued effort over many years. Every hospital pharmacist can be part of that effort through local action." 2


Due to the fact that rainfall and runoff have a vital relationship to water quality, these hydrological variables are among the most dominants controlling factor on the variation of water quality. Trend analysis on time series data has proved to be a useful tool for effective water resources planning, design, and management since trend detection of hydrological variables such as streamflow and precipitation provides useful information on the possibility of change tendency of the variables in the future. Both ARIMA modelling approach (parametric method) and Mann-Kendall test (non-parametric method) were applied to analyses the water quality and rainfall-runoff data for Johor River recorded for a long period (2004 to 2007). SPSS Statistical Packages Software was used in performing ARIMA time series modelling and Microsoft Excel function was used for Mann-Kendall (MK) test. This study aims to investigate the water quality trend over a long period particularly at the upper part of the Johor River in relation to rainfall and runoff pattern using both parametric and non-parametric method. This study focusing on four parameters of nutrient types of pollutant (NH4, turbidity, colour and SS) and four parameters of chemical types of pollutant (PH, Al, Mn, Fe). Nutrient and chemical types of pollutant is more significant as major land use surrounding Johor River is agricultural activities and eroded river corridor problem was observed. MK test shows that all of the parameters investigated are significant at 95% confidence limit. Increasing trend was observed for turbidity, colour and SS while decreasing trend in PH, Al, Mn and Fe. Probability (P) value obtained is zero and others gave value near to zero shows that all of the water quality parameters have quiet similar trend with rainfall and flow. The results from the fitted ARIMA models indicate that all of the water quality parameter investigated was generated by AutoRegressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) processes ranges from ARIMA (1,1,1) to (2,1,2). Colour, Turbidity, SS, NH4 and Mn follow a similar trend with rainfall-runoff pattern while PH, Al and Fe have the opposite trend compare to rainfall-runoff pattern.


Rainfall is regarded as one of the foundational concepts for comprehending climate variability and/or change. This paper aimed at examining the seasonal and annual rainfall variability and its associated trends over Rwanda between 1981 and 2017. The Coefficient of Variation (CV) was used to determine the rainfall variability. Mann-Kendall test and Sen's slope estimator techniques were used to detect trends and to quantify the magnitude of change. High rainfall variability was observed over eastern Rwanda, around Kigali city and central plateau, while the south-western, western and the north highland revealed lower rainfall variability. Trend analysis of annual and March-May (MAM) rainfall season depicted a significant decrease of -6.7% over south-western region (Kamembe-Aero station) and -9.8% over eastern parts (Kibungo-Kazo) respectively. A significant increase in trend of 4.3% over North-western (Gisenyi-Aero station) during September-December (SOND) season was also obtained. The rest of the stations registered a non-significant trend on both seasonal and annual time scales. Spatially, areas of Kigali City, eastern and central parts of Rwanda revealed a decreasing trend whereas an increasing trend was observed over the western, northern highland, north eastern and southern region except for the areas towards the south-east. The high rainfall variability and significant nature of changing trends demand that rain-dependent sectors of the economy link climate science and policy in order to make proper planning. With proper climate homogeneity zoning, the agricultural sector in particular needs to develop effective techniques that optimize food production including water use rationalisation.


ABSTRACT The Forkhead box f1 (Foxf1) transcription factor is expressed in mesenchymal cells of the lung, liver, and gallbladder. Although Foxf1 deficiency causes severe abnormalities in the development of these organs, the molecular mechanisms underlying Foxf1 function remain uncharacterized. In this study we inactivated Foxf1 function in lung mesenchymal cells and mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) by use of either short interfering RNA duplexes or a membrane-transducing Foxf1 dominant negative (DN) mutant protein (Foxf1 DN), the latter of which is fused to the human immunodeficiency virus TAT protein transduction domain. Although Foxf1 did not influence DNA replication or cell survival, Foxf1 depletion severely diminished mesenchyme migration. Foxf1 deficiency in mesenchymal cells was associated with reduced expression of the integrin-beta3 (Itgβ3) subunit. Furthermore, we generated transgenic mice containing a tetracycline-inducible Foxf1 DN transgene. Adenovirus-mediated activation of Foxf1 DN in transgenic MEFs caused diminished cell migration and reduced Itgβ3 expression. A chromatin immunoprecipitation assay demonstrated that Foxf1 protein binds to the bp −871 to −815 region of the mouse Itgβ3 promoter. Deletion of the −871 to −815 Itgβ3 promoter region completely abolished the ability of Foxf1 to activate transcription of the Itgβ3 promoter in cotransfection experiments, indicating that the mouse Itgβ3 is a direct transcriptional target of Foxf1 protein. Foxf1 plays an essential role in mesenchyme migration by transcriptionally regulating Itgβ3.


A close examination of the writer's career-long exploration of language and his emergence as a postmodern novelist of major stature; Don DeLillo, author of twelve novels and winner of the National Book Award, the PEN/Faulkner Award, the William Dean Howells Medal, and the Jerusalem Prize, has begun to rival Thomas Pynchon as the definitive postmodern novelist. Always thought-provoking and occasionally controversial, DeLillo has become the voice of the bimillennial moment. Charting DeLillo's emergence as a contemporary novelist of major stature, David Cowart discusses each of DeLillo's twelve novels, including his most recent work, The Body Artist (2001). Rejecting the idea that DeLillo lacks affinities across the cultural spectrum, Cowart argues that DeLillo's work invites comparison with that of wide range of antecedents, including Dunbar, Whitman, Wittgenstein, Heidegger, Freud, Lacan, Derrida, Hemingway, Joyce, Rilke, and Eliot. At the same time, Cowart explores the ways in which DeLillo's art anticipates; parallels, and contests ideas that have become the common currency of poststructuralist theory. The major site of DeLillo's engagement with postmodernism, Cowart argues, is language, which DeLillo represents as more mysterious - numinous even - than current theory allows: For DeLillo, language remains what Cowart calls "the ground of all making." Don DeLillo: The Physics of Language is a provocative investigation of the most compelling issues of contemporary fiction.


Abstract Intense underwater sounds caused by military sonar, seismic surveys, and pile driving can harm acoustically sensitive marine mammals. Many jurisdictions require such activities to undergo marine mammal impact assessments to guide mitigation. However, the ability to assess impacts in a rigorous, quantitative way is hindered by large knowledge gaps concerning hearing ability, sensitivity, and behavioral responses to noise exposure. We describe a simulation‐based framework, called SAFESIMM (Statistical Algorithms For Estimating the Sonar Influence on Marine Megafauna), that can be used to calculate the numbers of agents (animals) likely to be affected by intense underwater sounds. We illustrate the simulation framework using two species that are likely to be affected by marine renewable energy developments in UK waters: gray seal (Halichoerus grypus) and harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena). We investigate three sources of uncertainty: How sound energy is perceived by agents with differing hearing abilities; how agents move in response to noise (i.e., the strength and directionality of their evasive movements); and the way in which these responses may interact with longer term constraints on agent movement. The estimate of received sound exposure level (SEL) is influenced most strongly by the weighting function used to account for the specie's presumed hearing ability. Strongly directional movement away from the sound source can cause modest reductions (~5 dB) in SEL over the short term (periods of less than 10 days). Beyond 10 days, the way in which agents respond to noise exposure has little or no effect on SEL, unless their movements are constrained by natural boundaries. Most experimental studies of noise impacts have been short‐term. However, data are needed on long‐term effects because uncertainty about predicted SELs accumulates over time. Synthesis and applications. Simulation frameworks offer a powerful way to explore, understand, and estimate effects of cumulative sound exposure on marine mammals and to quantify associated levels of uncertainty. However, they can often require subjective decisions that have important consequences for management recommendations, and the basis for these decisions must be clearly described.


With the fast advances in inexpensive sensor technology and wireless communications, the design and development of large-scale wireless sensor networks has become cost-effective and viable enough to attract the attention of a wide range of civilian, natural, and military applications, such as health and environmental monitoring, seism monitoring, and battlefields surveillance. The main challenge in the design of wireless sensor networks is the limited battery power of the sensors and the difficulty of replacing and/or recharging these batteries due to the nature of the monitored field, such as hostile environments, and cost. Thus, it is necessary that the sensors be densely deployed and energy-efficient protocols be designed to maximize the network lifetime while meeting the specific application requirements in terms of coverage and connectivity. In this dissertation, we propose a continuum percolation-based approach to compute the critical sensor spatial density above which a field is almost surely covered and the network is almost surely connected. This approach helps network designers achieve full coverage of a field with a minimum number of connected sensors, thus maximizing the network lifetime. In order to support different applications and environments with diverse requirements in terms of coverage and connectivity, we extend our above analysis to k-coverage with k ≥ 3 using a deterministic approach so the network self-configures to meet these requirements. More specifically, we propose a unified, energy-efficient framework for connected k-coverage, duty-cycling, and geographic forwarding in wireless sensor networks. Our framework, called Cover-Sense-Inform (CSI), includes randomized centralized, pseudo-distributed, and distributed protocols for connected k-coverage along with geographic forwarding protocols in duty-cycled, k-covered wireless sensor networks. We prove that k-covered wireless sensor networks have connectivity that is higher than their degree of coverage k, thus providing architectures with high degree of fault-tolerance.
In the centralized connected k-coverage protocol, the sink is responsible for selecting a minimum number of active sensors to fully k-cover a field while maintaining connectivity between them. Both of the pseudo-distributed connected k-coverage protocols consider different levels of network clustering and are run under the control of a subset of sensors, called cluster-heads , which are selected by the sink in each scheduling round. Each cluster-head is responsible for selecting a subset of active neighboring sensors to k-cover its cluster while guaranteeing connectivity between all active sensors. In the distributed connected k-coverage protocol, all the sensors are required to coordinate among themselves to fully k-cover a field while ensuring network connectivity. Simulation results show that our protocols select a minimum number of sensors, thus maximizing energy saving.
Using a potential fields-based approach, we propose deterministic and hybrid geographic forwarding protocols for duty-cycled, k-covered wireless sensor networks with different levels of data aggregation. Simulation results show that CSI yields significant energy savings while guaranteeing high data delivery ratio. Besides, we extend CSI to address the stochastic connected k-coverage problem in wireless sensor networks using a more realistic sensing model that accounts for the stochastic properties of the sensors. We also extend CSI to three-dimensional wireless sensor networks and find that the extension of our analysis from two-dimensional to three-dimensional space is not straightforward. Finally, we propose a solution to the energy sink-hole problem, which is inherent to static wireless sensor networks, by exploiting energy heterogeneity, sink mobility, and energy aware Voronoi diagram. Simulation results show that our solution yields uniform energy consumption of all the sensors, thus extending the network lifetime.