Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a congenital blood disease, affecting predominantly children from sub-Saharan Africa, but also populations world-wide. Although the causal mutation of SCD is known, the sources of clinical variability of SCD remain poorly understood, with only a few highly heritable traits associated with SCD having been identified. Phenotypic heterogeneity in the clinical expression of SCD is problematic for follow-up (FU), management, and treatment of patients. Here we used the joint analysis of gene expression and whole genome genotyping data to identify the genetic regulatory effects contributing to gene expression variation among groups of patients exhibiting clinical variability, as well as unaffected siblings, in Benin, West Africa. We characterized and replicated patterns of whole blood gene expression variation within and between SCD patients at entry to clinic, as well as in follow-up programs. We present a global map of genes involved in the disease through analysis of whole blood sampled from the cohort. Genome-wide association mapping of gene expression revealed 390 peak genome-wide significant expression SNPs (eSNPs) and 6 significant eSNP-by-clinical status interaction effects. The strong modulation of the transcriptome implicates pathways affecting core circulating cell functions and shows how genotypic regulatory variation likely contributes to the clinical variation observed in SCD.


The concept of elastic collisions plays an important role in physics, as collisions often have to dealwith physical experiment in the field of atomic phenomena. The interaction of particles may be a variety of processes. The process of collision is to change the properties of the particles as a result of interaction. In this paper present the kinetics equations for triple collision ofmolecules and the results for triple molecular before and after collisions.


We consider the control of a commercial multi-zone refrigeration system, consisting of several cooling units that share a common compressor, and is used to cool multiple areas or rooms. In each time period we choose cooling capacity to each unit and a common evaporation temperature. The goal is to minimise the total energy cost, using real-time electricity prices, while obeying temperature constraints on the zones. We propose a variation on model predictive control to achieve this goal. When the right variables are used, the dynamics of the system are linear, and the constraints are convex. The cost function, however, is nonconvex due to the temperature dependence of thermodynamic efficiency. To handle this nonconvexity we propose a sequential convex optimisation method, which typically converges in fewer than 5 or so iterations. We employ a fast convex quadratic programming solver to carry out the iterations, which is more than fast enough to run in real time. We demonstrate our method on a realistic model, with a full year simulation and 15-minute time periods, using historical electricity prices and weather data, as well as random variations in thermal load. These simulations show substantial cost savings, on the order of 30%, compared to a standard thermostat-based control system. Perhaps more important, we see that the method exhibits sophisticated response to real-time variations in electricity prices. This demand response is critical to help balance real-time uncertainties in generation capacity associated with large penetration of intermittent renewable energy sources in a future smart grid.


Objective Sexual harassment is unlawful in all work and educational environments in most nations of the world. The goals of this study were to describe the sexual harassment prevalence and to evaluate the experiences and attitudes of undergraduate students in one dental school in Brazil. Material and Methods An 18-item questionnaire was administered to 254 dental students with a completion rate of 82% (208). Students were requested to respond to questions about their background and academic level in dental school, their personal experiences with sexual harassment and their observation of someone else being sexually harassed. Bivariate statistical analyses were performed. Results Fifteen percent of the students reported being sexually harassed by a patient, by a relative of a patient or by a professor. Male students had 3 times higher probability of being sexually harassed than female student [OR=2.910 (1.113-7.611)]. Additionally, 25.4% of the students reported witnessing sexual harassment at the school environment. The majority of students did not feel professionally prepared to respond to unwanted sexual behaviors. Conclusion These findings demonstrate that sexual harassment can occur in a dental school setting. There is a need for ongoing sexual harassment education programs for students and university staff. Increased knowledge of sexual harassment during graduation can better prepare dental professionals to respond to sexual harassment during their practice.


Malcolm Fox and his team from Internal Affairs are back. They've been sent to Fife to investigate whether fellow cops covered up for a corrupt colleague, Detective Paul Carter. Carter has been found guilty of misconduct with his own uncle, also in the force, having proved to be his nephew's nemesis. But what should be a simple job is soon complicated by intimations of conspiracy and cover-up - and a brutal murder, a murder committed with a weapon that should not even exist. The spiralling investigation takes Fox back in time to 1985, a year of turmoil in British political life. Terrorists intent on a split between Scotland and the rest of the United Kingdom were becoming more brazen and ruthless, sending letter-bombs and poisonous spores to government offices, plotting kidnaps and murder, and trying to stay one step ahead of the spies sent to flush them out. Fox has a duty to get at the truth, while the body count rises, the clock starts ticking, and he fights for his professional and personal life.


This paper discusses both the potential contribution that trade policy initiatives can make towards the achievement of significant global carbon emissions reduction and the potential impacts of proposals now circulating for carbon reduction motivated geographical trade arrangements, including carbon free trade areas. We first suggest that trade policy is likely to be a relatively minor consideration in climate change containment. The dominant influence on carbon emissions globally for next several decades will be growth more so than trade and its composition, and in turn, the size of trade seemingly matters more than its composition given differences in emission intensity between tradables and nontradables. We also note that differences in emissions intensity across countries are larger than across products or sectors and so issues of country discrimination in trade policy (and violations of MFN) arises. We next discuss both unilateral and regional carbon motivated trade policy arrangements, including three potential variants of carbon emission reduction based free trade area arrangements. One is regional trade agreements with varying types of trade preferences towards low carbon intensive products, low carbon new technologies and inputs to low carbon processes. A second is the use of joint border measures against third parties to counteract anti-competitive effects from groups of countries taking on deeper emission reduction commitments. A third is third country trade barriers along with free trade or other regional trade agreements as penalty mechanisms to pressure other countries to join emission reducing environmental agreements. We differentiate among the objectives, forms and possible impacts of each variant. We also speculate as to how the world trading system may evolve in the next few decades as trade policy potentially becomes increasingly dominated by environmental concerns. We suggest that the future evolution of the trading system will likely be with environmentally motivated arrangements acting as an overlay on prevailing trade and financial arrangements in the WTO and IMF, and eventually movement to linked global trade and environmental policy bargaining.


During the last 30 years, seismic interpreters have routinely applied bright spot and AVO technology for recognizing prospects and predicting lithology. New amplitude attributes were added to this technology as new exploration problems were defined. R&D continues in the field of amplitude interpretation, especially when E&P costs escalate as more severe environments are explored, such as the ultra-deepwater plays. With the high interest in reducing exploration risk, this course addresses the methodology of an amplitude interpretation and the subsequent benefits and limitations that one can expect in various rock-property settings. This book, originally produced for use with the fourth SEG∕EAGE Distinguished Instructor Short Course, begins with a review of relationships between rock properties and geophysical observations. Practical problems illustrate the assumptions and limitations of commonly used empirical transforms, and procedures for conducting and verifying fluid-substitution techniques are presented. The book identifies components of the seismic response best suited for differentiating pore fluid from lithologic effects. Field examples emphasize what combination of seismic signatures should be expected for different rock-property environments. To help select the best seismic attribute for calibrating amplitude to rock properties, rules of thumb are provided for predicting AVO responses and interpreting lithology from observed responses. A case history is also provided. The last part examines the numerous amplitude attributes that can be extracted from seismic data to quantify an interpretation. Benefits and limitations of these attributes in soft- to hard-rock environments are discussed with model data and in case histories.


"That rare person who looked like Marlene Dietrich and wrote like Virginia Woolf," Clarice Lispector is one of the most popular but least understood of Latin American writers, and now in "Why this World", after years of research on three continents, drawing on previously unknown manuscripts and dozens of interviews, Benjamin Moser demonstrates how Lispector's development as a writer was directly connected to the story of her turbulent life. Born in the nightmarish landscape of post-World War I Ukraine, Clarice became, virtually from adolescence, a person whose beauty, genius, and eccentricity intrigued Brazil. "Why This World" tells how this precocious girl, through long exile abroad and difficult personal struggles, matured into a great writer, and asserts, for the first time, the deep roots in the Jewish mystical tradition that make her the true heir to Kafka as well as the unlikely author of "perhaps the greatest spiritual autobiography of the twentieth century." From Chechelnik to Recife, from Naples and Bern to Washington and Rio de Janeiro, "Why This World" strips away the mythology surrounding this extraordinary figure and shows how Clarice Lispector transformed one woman's struggles into a universally resonant art. Benjamin Moser is the New Books columnist of "Harper's Magazine". He was born in Houston in 1976 and currently lives in the Netherlands. He is a contributor to the "The New York Review of Books", and he has written for "Conde Nast Traveler" and "Newsweek", as well as many other publications.


The trithorax group gene brahma (brm) encodes the ATPase subunit of a chromatin-remodeling complex involved in homeotic gene regulation. We report here that brm interacts with another trithorax group gene, osa, to regulate the expression of the Antennapedia P2 promoter. Regulation of Antennapedia by BRM and OSA proteins requires sequences 5' to the P2 promoter. Loss of maternal osa function causes severe segmentation defects, indicating that the function of osa is not limited to homeotic gene regulation. The OSA protein contains an ARID domain, a DNA-binding domain also present in the yeast SWI1 and Drosophila DRI proteins. We propose that the OSA protein may target the BRM complex to Antennapedia and other regulated genes.


Individuals with schizophrenia demonstrate auditory processing impairments that localize to primary auditory cortex, and likely contribute to disruptions of higher level processes and resultant disability. To inform the development of new treatments and preventative measures, we sought to understand which synapse populations contribute to primary auditory cortex pathology. We used quantitative fluorescence microscopy to assess intracortical excitatory, thalamocortical, and inhibitory boutons in primary auditory cortex deep layer 3 of individuals with schizophrenia. We found that intracortical excitatory and thalamocortical boutons are unaltered in schizophrenia despite reduced density of dendritic spines, their primary postsynaptic targets. However, levels of the 65 kiloDalton isoform of glutamate decarboxylase (GAD65) protein are reduced within inhibitory boutons in primary auditory cortex of subjects with schizophrenia. Further, reductions in within-bouton GAD65 protein are correlated with previously measured reductions in spine density.

As the onset of schizophrenia typically occurs during late adolescence and young adulthood, adolescence represents a potential window of opportunity for preventing the pathophysiology underlying symptom onset. However, adolescent trajectories of auditory cortex synaptic components and associated auditory cortex functional changes that could be targeted for prevention have not been characterized. In mouse auditory cortex, we found that spine and excitatory bouton numbers decrease between early adolescence and young adulthood followed by reduction of within-bouton GAD65 protein levels between late adolescence and young adulthood. As a behavioral readout of auditory cortex function, we measured gap-mediated prepulse inhibition of the acoustic startle reflex (gap-PPI) in mice between early adolescence and young adulthood. Gap-PPI responses increase during adolescence, suggesting that adolescent development of auditory cortex synapses contributes to auditory cortex functional maturation.

Our findings suggest that spine and within-bouton GAD65 protein deficits are related pathological features of primary auditory cortex in schizophrenia, and that within-bouton GAD65 protein declines subsequent to the onset of auditory cortex spine pruning between early adolescence and young adulthood. From these observations, we propose a model where excessive spine pruning in auditory cortex leads to an excessive reduction in within-bouton GAD65 protein. Testing this model will promote development of strategies to prevent auditory cortex pathophysiology and downstream perceptual and cognitive deficits in schizophrenia.


This study investigates the modifications of the turbulent boundary layer that develops on the suction side of a NACA0015 hydrofoil when a stable partial cavity takes place near the leading edge of the foil. The velocity field measured in non cavitating conditions has been compared with its equivalent in cavitating conditions. A particular focus has been put on the evolution of the logarithmic law of the velocity profile and on the modification of the global parameters that can precise both the position of the laminar-turbulent transition and the detachment of the boundary layer. The wall friction has been estimated both by use of a numerical procedure and by treatment of the experimental results. This comparison is encouraging and gives confidence in the proposed methodology. The results have shown that the vapour phase modify the boundary layer thickness and enhance the exchanges with the external layer that lead to an increase of the velocity close to the wall. This phenomenon induces a stabilisation of the boundary layer and delays its separation.


I embarked on this research because I wanted to explore the basis of textual authority. Such an understanding is particularly important in a world where there is such an overload of information that it is a challenge for the public to identify which publications to choose when looking for specific information. I decided to look at the case of encyclopaedias because of the widespread belief that encyclopaedias are the ultimate authorities. I also made the choice based on the observation that, besides the research on Wikipedia, the scientific community seems to overlook encyclopaedias, despite of the role these latter play as key sources of information for the general public.
Two theories are combined to serve as a framework for the thesis. On the one hand, there is the theory of cognitive authority as defined by Jozef Maria Bochenski, Richard De George, and Patrick Wilson. On the other hand, there is the theory of quality as defined from the various frameworks recommended by librarians and information scientists on how to assess the quality of reference works. These two theoretical frameworks are used to deconstruct the concept of authority and to highlight aspects of authority which may be particularly worthy of investigation. In this thesis, studies were conducted on the following: (1) a literature review on the origin and evolution of encyclopaedia authority throughout the history of encyclopaedia, (2) a review of previous research pertaining to the quality and the authority of Wikipedia, (3) an analysis of the publishing and dissemination of science and technology encyclopaedias published in the 21st century throughout worldwide libraries, (4) a survey of perspective of encyclopaedia authors on the role of encyclopaedias in society and on the communication of scientific uncertainties and controversies, and (5) an analysis of book reviews towards a general assessment of encyclopaedia quality.
The thesis illustrates how a concept such as authority which is typically taken for granted can actually be more complex and more problematic than it appears, thereby challenging widespread beliefs in society. In particular, the thesis pinpoints potential contradictions regarding the importance of the author and the publishers in ensuring encyclopaedia authority. On a theoretical level, the thesis revisits the concept of cognitive authority and initiates a discussion on the complex interaction between authority and quality. On a more pragmatic level, the thesis contributes towards the creation of guidelines for encyclopaedia development. As an exploratory study, the thesis also identifies a range of areas which should be of priority for future research.


Designing plasmonic hot spots within an active platform that has well-defined and highly reproducible features is one of the most critical issues in obtaining ultrasensitive detection and credible signals for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). Hot spots between two or more nanostructures can amplify Raman signals for single-molecule-level detection. Here, we report a SERS-active platform by using spontaneous capillary imbibition to assemble a single Au nanoparticle (NP) onto the surface of a single Ag nanowire (NW). Optical excitation of this coupled nanostructure provides a SERS hot spot at the gap between the single NP and NW. This platform can be easily fabricated, and the position of the single hot spot can be conveniently located during SERS measurements. Moreover, the single Au NP coupled to the Ag NW acts as an optical antenna for localizing and enhancing the electromagnetic field (E-field). Most importantly, the single hot spot platform can provide a "nano-channel" for trapping molecules because of the presence of capillary imbibition. We show that high quality SERS spectra of various molecules with different natures can be generated on a single hot spot structure with reliable reproducibility and excellent sensitivity. Our approach not only overcomes the difficulty of bringing two nanostructures together to form an efficient junction with simple fabrication and maximum uniformity, but also provides a SERS-active platform with a narrow enhancement factor (EF) distribution.


This thesis explores how James I performed and represented his royalty in two key areas. The first is his engagement with the European tradition of magnificence, which was a central aspect of Renaissance court culture, in such areas as public appearance and liberality. The second is his self-representation in his writings. James prioritised verbal over visual forms of self-representation and portrayed himself as a Writer-King, and these are amongst the most distinctive aspects of his kingship. The thesis examines a range of primary sources, principally James's writings but also contemporary responses to the king's self-representation, such as letters and ambassadorial reports, and engages with other critical and historical studies.

The gaps and misapprehensions in accounts of James that this thesis contributes towards rectifying derive from several general tendencies. There has been an over-reliance on the early historiography of James, a lack of work on the Scottish and European contexts for his self-representation in England, and little attention paid to his writings. This thesis combines the close reading of the 'literary' approach with the attention to context of the 'historical' approach, placing the discussion of James's self-representation within the cultural and political contexts of Scotland and England, and considering his cultural and political engagement with continental Europe. It has four main chapters, one on James's background in Scotland, one on his performance of the role of magnificent king in England, and two on the writings he wrote or republished in England. The discussion reveals that in Scotland James developed tendencies, strategies, and anxieties that would continue into his English reign, and argues that negative perceptions of him in England derived largely from a clash between the style he had developed and the expectations of his new subjects. It examines James's attempts to combine authorship and authority and reveals their problematic relationship. The discussion suggests that James was aware of the importance of effective self-representation, but his style, the clash of expectations, and problems inherent in the representation of royalty, meant that his attempts to reinforce his image risked undermining and demystifying the king.


Most energy scenarios suggest carbon capture and storage (CCS) from power generation might
contribute to achieve the carbon emissions reduction necessary to stabilize the long-term global average atmospheric temperature. Low temperature CO2 capture represents a novel alternative to
the state-of-the-art monoethanolamine (MEA) post-combustion technology. The separation process aims to reduce the flue gas temperature from the ambient temperature to a low temperature range necessary to freeze the CO2.The potential reduction in overall energy consumption and the simplicity
of the separation system compared to MEA suggest that the low temperature CO2 capture concept might be a cost-effective technology necessary to be further analyzed. However, designing a low temperature carbon capture system involves complex challenges including solid formation and handling, heat transfer at low temperatures and process integration.
In this investigation a supersonic Laval nozzle has been modeled in one dimension to analyze the nozzle flow behavior with particle formation. Specifically this study seeks to understand and predict
the desublimation of carbon dioxide present in the flow. The primary objective is the basic design of a converging diverging nozzle capable to desublimate carbon dioxide from low concentration flue gases by at least 50% for a range of inlet flow conditions and properties. The inlet conditions are limited to 5% CO2 by mol of flue gas present in the flow. The second objective is the optimization of the nozzle pressure recovery system.
A preliminary analysis of the various processes that take place in the nozzle has been performed and the governing equations have been implemented into a coupled 1D set of differential equations.
Based on the 1D model a design tool has been developed that allows for the prediction of the main flow parameters throughout the nozzle. The predictions have been verified by comparison with experiments available in the open literature. A design of experiments, varying several input
parameters, has been designed to perform a sensitivity analysis of the 1D model necessary for the subsequent optimization. The optimized system desublimates 95% of the initial gaseous carbon dioxide while 40% of the inlet pressure is recovered in the diffuser. The particle size obtained is
around 80μm which enables separation due to centrifugal forces. The swirl model, as well as boundary layer corrections and viscosity losses have not been taken into account in this preliminary design and a complete 3D CFD analysis has been recommended for further investigation.


The maximum gain in on-frequency repeaters is limited by the isolation level between their two antennas due to close-loop stability conditions. In this letter, a novel pixel-layer isolator for tunable on-frequency repeaters is presented. The scattered field of the reconfigurable pixel layer is used to dynamically minimize the mutual coupling between the antennas. Insight is given on the linkage between coupling and reflection coefficients, and a useful design procedure is proposed. The optimized pixel repeater can tune the operating frequency over a 40% range, with tunable instantaneous bandwidth (1%-3%) and achieving a reliable isolation of 50 dB. The repeater has a radiation efficiency of 93% and a constant radiation pattern for the different configurations. Good agreement is obtained between simulations and measurements.


With the rising global interest in energy security and climate change mitigation, biofuels have gained the prominent attention of researchers and policy makers. The U.S. has emerged as the leading producer of biofuels and is aiming for achieving a target of 36 billion gallons of renewable fuels by 2022 under its updated renewable fuels standard (RFS2) policy. In this paper, we study the longer-term global implications of large-scale renewable fuels production in the U.S. We utilize the GTAP v7.1 data base and introduce a detailed breakdown of agricultural crops, first and second generation biofuels and by-products. We update this fully disaggregated data base to reflect the 2010 global economy, based on secondary data for the sectors and regions included. We adapt the Applied Dynamic Analysis of Global Economy (ADAGE) model developed by Ross (2009) into a recursive dynamic framework and introduce agriculture, biofuels, and land use linkages. We construct a dynamic baseline from 2010 through 2050 in five-year time steps. The dynamics in the model comes from growth in GDP, population, capital accumulation, labor productivity, growth in natural resource stocks, and technological changes in the energy intensive and agricultural sectors. We implement a representative RFS2 policy scenario in the U.S for 2025, using two alternative approaches: (i) RFS permits approach – which assumes biofuels and petroleum fuels are perfect substitutes after adjusting for energy content, and (ii) Target share of biofuels in transportation fuels approach – which treats biofuels and petroleum fuels as imperfect substitutes. Both approaches offer insights regarding potential policy impacts, particularly on the international market and indirect land use change. Because the share approach keeps the biofuels share fixed in the regions outside the U.S., it does not result in dramatic changes in the rest of the world. In the permits approach, however, the regions without a specific policy requiring a given level of biofuels tend to reduce biofuels consumption. This is a result of the reduction in relative price of petroleum products as U.S. policy increases demand for biofuels and reduces global demand for petroleum, making renewable fuels less cost-competitive in the rest of the world.


The research deals with an alternative view to understanding organisational commitment within the context of Taiwanese organizations, namely organisational demand-side commitment (ODC). ODC is based on an organisational perspective, which renders this study quite distinct from the prior traditional studies.The overarching research aim that guided this study was, "Does an organisation require different degrees of commitment from its employees, and does it have different expectations from its individual employees according to their different position characteristics?" The exploration of the dynamic relationships, that exist between the commitment expected by the organisation and the commitment freely given by its employees, was based upon 40 in-depth interviews with senior HR managers, line managers and workers in Taiwan-based firms. This formed the basis for an exploratory study to develop a theoretical model of ODC. Subsequently, quantitative analytical methods were employed to test the resulting hypotheses.With the uniqueness of ODC as a concept and an analytical tool, data were collected from 1,380 individuals employed in 60 Taiwan-based firms. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and regression analysis were used to analyse and interpret the data. The results found a significant positive correlation between ODC and the position characteristics of Demand-Side Commitment: authority, complexity and exclusivity of skills. Through the PCA, two sub-dependent variables 'identity' and 'turnover' were extracted, with the former acting as a stronger predictor of ODC than the latter. It was shown that the finding could draw both employers and employees to enhance mutual identity with each other to secure the desired balance between expectation and achievement.The contribution of this thesis to the study of organisational commitment is that the framework presented in this study focuses on the organisational demand-side commitment, which not only rests principally on the development of the linkage from employer to employee, but also forms the basis to conduct further research on this two-way linkage in the future.


OBJECTIVE
To identify within guanosine triphosphate-binding proteins (G proteins) the subset of inhibitory G proteins (G) that have decreased expression in adenomatous thyroid glands obtained from hyperthyroid cats.

SAMPLE POPULATION
Adenomatous thyroid glands obtained from 5 hyperthyroid cats and normal thyroid glands obtained from 3 age-matched euthyroid cats.

PROCEDURE
Expression of G(i1), G(i2), and G(i3) in enriched membrane preparations from thyroid glands was quantified by use of immunoblotting with G(i) subtype-specific antibodies.

RESULTS
Expression of G(i2) was significantly decreased in tissues of hyperthyroid glands, compared with expression in normal thyroid tissue. Expression of G(i1) and G(i3) was not significantly different between normal thyroid tissues and tissues from hyperthyroid glands.

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE
A decrease in G(i2) expression decreases inhibition of adenylyl cyclase and allows a relative increase in stimulatory G protein expression. This results in increased amounts of cAMP and subsequent unregulated mitogenesis and hormone production in hyperthyroid cells. Decreased G(i2) expression may explain excessive growth and function of the thyroid gland in cats with hyperthyroidism.


ABSTRACT This article presents a study of five schools with shared principalship. It contributes knowledge about how shared principalship is experienced by people who work closely ("close subordinates") with the shared principalship constellations. Data consists of 20 semi-structured interviews. Close subordinates describe that the shared principalship meant a reasonable workload for their principals and welcomed their level of accessibility. Confidence in the leader collaboration was heightened if close subordinates were able to witness that collaboration in action with their own eyes. The findings are discussed in relation to the conditions introduced by current school legislation in Sweden.


The interaction between surface water and groundwater is a complex process that can potentially deteriorate the quality of water, which is highly needed by communities. An environmental isotope and stream discharge based study has been conducted in the upper Crocodile River Basin, Johannesburg, which is characterized by fractured crystalline rocks and dolomitic aquifers from which groundwater is extracted for diverse economic activities. The seepage of mine water into a dolomitic aquifer in the vicinity of the Sterkfontein cave has been quantified and falls between 24 × 106 m3/y and 29 × 106 m3/y. The environmental isotope results also show that the decanting mine water extensively interacted with the shallow groundwater and streams. On the other hand, the dolomites (Malapa area) that lie away from mine areas in different dolomitic compartment contain uncontaminated and old groundwater with low 3H, which indicates long residence time, with depleted 18O and 2H indicating a recharge that took place prior to evaporation, and afterwards the recharged water circulated for long period of time. Streams also lose water into the dolomitc aquifer through sinkholes and fractures. Therefore, surface water and groundwater are intimately connected in the area.


Commercial aviation is one of the biggest contributors towards climate change. We propose to reduce environmental impact of aviation by considering solutions that would reduce the flight time. Specifically, we first consider improving winds aloft forecast so that flight planners could use better information to find routes that are efficient. Secondly, we propose an aircraft routing method that seeks to find the fastest route to the destination by considering uncertainty in the wind forecasts and then optimally trading-off between exploration and exploitation. Both these ideas were previously published in [5] and [8] and contain further technical details.


Adopting a plant improvement programme that combines silviculture and
genetic improvement could increase yields of Calamus manan plantations. The
silviculture of C. manan is well studied but not on the aspects of genetic
improvement. Information on reproductive biology, which is one of the basis for
all genetic improvement programmes, is still lacking for C. manan. The objective
of this study was therefore to investigate the reproductive biology of C. manan.
The study was done in a rattan plantation located at Luasong. Tawau,
Sabah. The floral morphology of C. manan was common for species in genus
Calamus. Observations showed that C. manan flowered annually but with
different intensities. The inflorescence emergence normally occurred in October -
December and fruits matured 16-17 months after. No clear relationship was
detected between inflorescence emergence and meteorological parameters.
Anthesis in male plants (41 days) was found to be longer than in female plants (25
days). There were about 60,000 and 9,000 pollen grains in pre-anthesis and fallen
flowers, respectively. C. manan pollens could maintained half of its initial viability for four, eight and twelve weeks if desiccated and stored at 25°C, 4°C
and -18°C, respectively. Anthesis occurred at night, suggesting the important role
of nocturnal insects especially moths in pollination. Bees were proposed as
pollinators during the daytime. A controlled pollination experiment was
conducted to determine the best pollination bag and the differences between fresh
and stored pollens in effecting fertilization. The sex ratio in a planted population
was found to be male-biased but had a tendency to move towards unity as the age
of the stand increased. The fruit production capacity of C. manan increased as the
plants grew older.
The implications of the reproductive characteristics on plantation
establishment of C. manan are discussed.


Background Urinary tract infection (UTI) is one of the most frequently seen 'medical' complications in pregnancy. It is common to treat pregnant patients with empirical antibiotics before awaiting the results of culture, many of which subsequently show no evidence of infection. Aim The authors looked at pregnant women treated with empirical antibiotics for a presumed UTI to try and establish whether certain symptoms and urine dipstick results were associated with a positive culture result. Method This was a retrospective study on 100 pregnant women across three hospitals in UK (Leeds General Infirmary, Bradford Royal Infirmary and Airedale General Hospital). Results The authors analysed data of 114 episodes of presumed UTI among 100 patients. Only 19% of patients demonstrated positive growth on microbiological cultures. Our study revealed that the combination of urinary symptoms and nitrite on dipstick had a high positive predictive value (26%) and specificity (82%) whereas it lacked in sensitivity (27%). Cefradine 500 mg four times daily for 5 days was the most common antibiotic used and 14% episodes grew bacteria that were resistant to Cefradine. Only 37% episodes had repeat mid-stream urine (MSU) sent. Conclusion Empirical antibiotic treatment for presumed UTI in pregnancy will occasionally be needed especially when there is a combination of clinical suspicion and positive urinary dipstick testing (leucocytes or nitrite). However, any decision to treat should be revisited once MSU results are available as unnecessary treatment with antibiotics can leads to antimicrobial resistance.


The development of efficient Grid applications usually requires writing huge portions of code directly at the level of abstrac- tion provided by the underlying Grid middleware. In this work we discuss an alternative approach, raising the level of abstraction used when programming Grid applications. Our approach requires programmers just to describe in a qualitative way the kind of parallelism they want to express. Then, compiler tools, loader tools and run time system take complete care of running the application on a Grid target architecture. This allows to move most of the cumbersome tasks related to Grid targeting and management from programmer responsibility to tools. This paper introduces the structured parallel programming environment ASSIST, whose design is aimed at rais- ing the level of abstraction in Grid programming and discusses how it can support transparent Grid programming while implementing Grid adaptivity.


Low intracellular folate levels diminish the growth rate of HT-29 human colon cancer cells. This is accompanied by a metabolic shift from cytosolic glycolysis towards mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation, as demonstrated by a lower lactate production and an increased mitochondrial oxygen consumption rate. To obtain insight in the molecular effects underlying these changes, the steady state gene expression profiles of HT-29 cells with different intracellular folate concentrations were compared. The gene expression profile of HT-29 cells with low intracellular folate levels (grown for 3 weeks in 10 ng/ml folic acid (PGA)) was clearly distinct from that of the other exposure conditions, which provide sufficient intracellular folate levels (100 ng/ml PGA, 10 ng/ml methyltetrahydrofolate (MTHF) or 100 ng/ml MTHF). Intracellular folate deficiency, contrary to expectation, did not lead to major changes in expression of genes involved in energy metabolism. This suggests that the shift towards mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation is not mediated at the transcription level. Furthermore, only minor changes in the expression of folate metabolism related genes were observed. The changes that were observed were consistent with nucleotide salvage and in agreement with nucleotide need of the slow-growing folate-deficient HT-29 cells. The major observed effects were on cell cycle related gene expression, which was increased and interferon-responsive gene expression, which was reduced. The increase in cell cycle related gene expression seems compensatory to the reduced cell growth. Down-regulation of the interferon-response may be explained by decreased expression of signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 upon folate deficiency.


We report on an optical fiber probe, coupled to a 404-nm laser diode, as a fluorescence sensor for monitoring of commercial gasolines. The principle of operation of the sensor is based on quantifying the intensity of the Stokes-shifted fluorescence from some of the heavier polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons C/sub x/H/sub y/,(x,y) /spl ges/ (14,10) present in gasolines as minor constituents. The normalized efficiency of the optical fiber probe, as a function of its geometry, is calculated in the cases of single-fiber and parallel dual-fiber designs. The spatial and temporal resolutions achievable by the sensor are discussed as a function of design parameters The performance of the sensor is investigated experimentally for commercial gasolines in the liquid and gas phase. The optimal excitation wavelength for such sensors is investigated in the range of 350-400 nm. The linear sensitivity to vapor concentrations of retail gasoline fuel is demonstrated in the range of 4%-125% of combustion stoichiometry at 10 bar and 180/spl deg/C. Statistical processing of the data from the sensor allows distinction to be made between different forecourt gasoline suppliers, as well as fuel varieties (unleaded, low sulfur, etc.).


PURPOSE
Seed brachytherapy is currently used for adjuvant radiotherapy of early stage prostate and breast cancer patients. In this technique low dose rate (LDR) radioactive seeds are permanently implanted across the treatment volume to deliver a prescribed amount of dose. The current standard for calculation of dose surrounding the brachytherapy seeds is based on American Association of Physicist in Medicine Task Group No. 43 (TG43 formalism) which generates the dose in homogeneous water medium. For low energy sources and especially in breast, the absorbed dose is highly influenced by heterogeneities. Our work focuses on the development of a dose calculation algorithm similar to TG43 applicable in heterogeneous media.

METHODS
An Inhomogeneity Correction Factor (ICF) is introduced as the ratio of absorbed dose in tissue to that in water medium. ICF is a function of tissue properties and independent of source structure. The absorbed dose in tissue can then be calculated by multiplying the dose as calculated by the TG43 formalism times ICF. We used Monte Carlo simulations in a heterogeneous model of breast to benchmark the improvements achieved in the calculation of dose using the ICF methodology.

RESULTS
The dose distributions obtained through applying ICF to TG43 protocol agreed very well with those of Monte Carlo simulations. Over all and across the whole calculation domain, the mean relative error was reduced from 40.8% to 12.7% when ICF correction factor is applied to the TG43 protocol.

CONCLUSION
We have developed a new analytical dose calculation method which enables personalized dose calculations in heterogeneous media. The methodology offers several advantages including the use of standard TG43 formalism, fast calculation time and extraction of the ICF parameters directly from Hounsfield Units.

FUNDING
NSERC.


Hamburg atmospheric general circulation model ECHAM3 at T106 resolution
(1.125' lat.Aon.) has considerable skill in reproducing the observed seasonal reversal of mean sea level
pressure, the location of the summer heat low as well as the position of the monsoon trough over the
Indian subcontinent. The present-day climate and its seasonal cycle are realistically simulated by the
model over this region. The model simulates the structure, intensity, frequency, movement and lifetime
of monsoon depressions remarkably well. The number of monsoon depressions/storms simulated by
the model in a year ranged from 5 to 12 with an average frequency of 8.4 yr-', not significantly different
from the observed climatology. The model also simulates the interannual variability in the formation
of depressions over the north Bay of Bengal during the summer monsoon season. In the warmer
atmosphere under doubled CO2 conditions, the number of monsoon depressions/cyclonic storms forming
in Indian seas in a year ranged from 5 to 11 with an average frequency of 7.6 yr-', not significantly
different from those inferred in the control run of the model. However, under doubled CO2 conditions,
fewer depressions formed in the month of June. Neither the lowest central pressure nor the maximum
wind speed changes appreciably in monsoon depressions identified under simulated enhanced greenhouse
conditions. The analysis suggests there will be no significant changes in the number and intensity
of monsoon depressions in a warmer atmosphere.


This article discusses the use of mortgage-backed securities and fixed-income derivatives analytics in order to model agency mortgage real estate investment trust (REIT) holdings in more detail than standard equity market practice. The author shows that book value projections derived from a full bottom-up modeling approach are quite accurate. He also computes such metrics as duration, convexity, and basis risk of mortgage REITs, and suggests hedging strategies. Finally the author explores performance attribution and how to fundamentally explain the large yields observed on these stocks.


In this article, we attempt to examine the stability of real money demand function for the narrow and broad money (RM1, RM2) for the period 1995: Q1-2016: Q4 in Jordan using the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) cointegration framework. Besides the stability of real money demand, we investigate the potential long-run relationship between real demand for money and its determinants: real gross domestic product, real interest rate, stock price index and financial development index. Empirical results based on bounds testing procedure confirm that a long-run relationship exists between real monetary aggregates (RM1, RM2) and its determinants. Moreover, most of the official monetary aggregates were used for finding out the most stable monetary demand relationship, which could provide correct signals for monetary policy formulation; the study found that narrow monetary aggregate M1 was proper aggregate. In addition, the role of financial innovation in explaining the demand for money warrants attention in formulating monetary policy. The paper imply that the central bank is able to control narrow money RM1 more accurately than broader money RM2 and could effectively use RM1 as an instrument in formulating and conducting monetary policy.


SUMMARY The paper presents the results and main conclusions of an assessment of compliance with technical guidelines for Reduced Impact Harvesting (RIH) in terra firme forests of the Brazilian Amazon. The assessment was carried out in two certified timber enterprises in the State of Para, Brazil applying the RIH-guidelines for a period of over three years. From a tool developed for Amazonian forest enterprises to monitor the sustainability of their harvesting operations, which uses a set of criteria and indicators (C&I), a total of 190 verifiers were selected for assessing the 61 RIH-guidelines. The assessment revealed valuable information with regard to the state of implementation and quality of the forest operations in the two enterprises and important insights for improvement of the RIH-guidelines. Two thirds of the RIH-guidelines were fully implemented. Their acceptance, however, differed according to the situation and interest of the enterprises. Among the reasons for incomplete implementation of the RIH-guidelines, the lack of systematic monitoring, insufficient training and qualification, and inadequate equipment appeared to be most important. The study also showed the need for the continuous assessment of the quality and relevance of RIH-guidelines.


BACKGROUND
The oxygen cost of walking by adults with an amputation has been well described, but few studies have focused on this parameter in children who have had an amputation. Children with a transtibial amputation have been reported to maintain walking speed at a 15% higher oxygen cost than able-bodied children. The purpose of this study was to determine if the level of amputation in children has a differential impact on the self-selected speed of walking and the oxygen cost, and how the performance of these children compares with that of a group of able-bodied children.

METHODS
Seventy-three children who had had an amputation participated in this study. Oxygen consumption was measured with a Cosmed K4b2 oxygen analysis telemetry unit (Rome, Italy) as the participants walked overground for ten minutes at a self-selected speed. One minute of steady-state data were reduced, averaged, and standardized to control values. Children with a unilateral amputation were grouped according to the level of the amputation; there were twenty-nine Syme, thirteen transtibial, fourteen knee disarticulation, five transfemoral, and five hip disarticulation amputations. Seven children had had a bilateral amputation, and they were considered as a separate group. Comparisons were made among the five amputation groups and between all children who had undergone amputation and control subjects. The variables that were analyzed were resting VO(2) rate (mL/kg/min), resting heart rate (beats per minute [bpm]), walking VO(2) rate (mL/kg/min), walking VO(2) cost (mL/kg/m), walking heart rate (bpm), and self-selected walking velocity (m/min).

RESULTS
Unilateral transfemoral and hip disarticulation amputations resulted in significantly reduced walking speed (80% and 72% of normal, respectively) and increased VO(2) cost (151% and 161% of normal, respectively), while the heart rate was significantly increased in the hip disarticulation group (124% of normal). Compared with the controls, the children with a bilateral amputation walked significantly slower (87% of normal), with an elevated heart rate (119% of normal) but a similar energy cost. Children with a Syme amputation, transtibial amputation, or knee disarticulation walked with essentially the same speed and oxygen cost as did normal children in the same age group.

CONCLUSIONS
Children with an amputation through the knee or distal to the knee were able to maintain a normal walking speed without significantly increasing their energy cost. Only when the amputation is above the knee do children walk significantly slower and with an increased energy cost.


Model predicitve control problems for constrained hybrid systems are usually cast as mixed-integer optimization problems (MIP). However, commercial MIP solvers are designed to run on desktop computing platforms and are not suited for embedded applications which are typically restricted by limited computational power and memory. To alleviate these restrictions, we develop a novel low-complexity, iterative method for a class of non-convex, non-smooth optimization problems. This class of problems encompasses hybrid model predictive control problems where the dynamics are piece-wise affine (PWA). We give conditions under which the proposed algorithm has fixed points (existence of solutions) and show that, under practical assumptions, our method is guaranteed to converge locally. This is in contrast to other low-complexity methods in the literature, such as the non-convex alternating directions method of multipliers (ADMM), that give no such guarantees for this class of problems. By interpreting the PWA dynamics as a union of polyhedra we can exploit the problem structure and develop an algorithm based on operator splitting procedures. Our algorithm departs from the traditional MIP formulation, and leads to a simple, embeddable method that only requires matrix-vector multiplications and small-scale projections onto polyhedra. We illustrate the efficacy of the method on two numerical examples, achieving performance close to the global optimum with computational times several orders of magnitude smaller compared to state-of-the-art MIP solvers.


The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of reducing the amount of dietary total fat on serum lipids and the plasma fatty acid composition in young adults. Sixteen male and 18 female subjects (aged 20~30 years) were given experimental meals including lunch and dinner for a 4-week period, but on weekends and holidays, no meals were provided. The experimental meals were designed to provide 2200 kcal/d for each male subject and 1800 kcal/d for each female subject, including 58%~68% of energy from carbohydrates, 10%~14% of energy from protein, and 20%~30% of energy from fat. During the dietary intervention period, the energy intake of dietary fat significantly decreased from 35.0% to 28.7% in males and from 37.9% to 32.3% in females. In female subjects, serum total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, and HDL-cholesterol significantly decreased in a 4-week period of diet. The experimental meal intervention was associated with a significantly higher 18:3 n-3 level as the percentage of total plasma fatty acids and with a significantly lower 20:4 level and 18: 2/18:1 ratio as the percentage of total plasma fatty acids in females. In male subjects, the 18:2 and total n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid levels as percentages of total plasma fatty acids significantly decreased compared with corresponding values at week 0. Thus, the benefits of lowering dietary fat intake to 5%~7% of energy intake may favor changes in serum lipids in females and plasma fatty acid composition in both males and females.


The role of ANG II in skeletal muscle and satellite cell regulation is largely unknown. Cardiotoxin (CTX) was used to investigate whether muscle injury activates a local ANG II signaling system. Following injury, immunohistochelmistry (IHC) analysis revealed a robust increase in the intensity of angiotensinogen and angiotensin type 1 (AT(1)) receptor expression. As regeneration proceeded, however, AT(1) and angiotensinogen were downregulated. Nuclear accretion and fiber formation were also assessed during muscle regeneration in mice treated with captopril (an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor). When ANG II formation was blocked through the use of captopril, we observed a significantly reduced accretion of nuclei into myofibers (-25%), while tibialis anterior total fiber number was significantly increased +37%. This phenotype appeared to be due to alterations in satellite cell differentiation kinetics; captopril treatment led to sustained mRNA expression of markers associated with quiescence and proliferation (Myf5, Pax7) and simultaneously delayed or inhibited the expression of myogenin. IHC staining supported these findings, revealing that captopril treatment resulted in a strong trend (P = 0.06) for a decrease in the proportion of myogenin-positive myoblasts. Furthermore, these observations were associated with a delay in muscle fiber maturation; captopril treatment resulted in sustained expression of embryonic myosin heavy chain. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that localized skeletal muscle angiotensin signaling is important to muscle fiber formation, myonuclear accretion, and satellite cell function.


Considering the fact that the Harappan script may have been proto-Brahmi, the underlying language to be expected should be Sanskrit, or proto-Sanskrit, or derivatives of Sanskrit. Many of the rules of evolution that apply to scripts are equivalently true for languages too. Like scripts, languages too render themselves to similar evolutionary inspections, as they too carry imprints of their journey down the ages.


The article aims to provide an analysis of the current state of the European Union's relations with the Mediterranean from a political economy perspective, and elaborates on the implications of the "Arab Spring" for the future of the European Union. After a brief history of the failure of the Barcelona Process, the first section discusses the main reasons why the political transformation in the southern Mediterranean presents a historical opportunity for the European Union to secure a stable future. The second section outlines the most immediate remedies for the recovery of Euro-Mediterranean relations.


At first glance, the thought of measuring the ROI in coaching appears to be a novel idea or an impossible mission. Both views are inaccurate. With increased use of executive coaching, many executives are questioning its value, particularly as coaching expenditures grow. Although coaching assignments are planned and executed with good intentions, not all engagements produce the value desired by either the individual being coached (participant) or the sponsor who often pays for it. Measuring return on investment (ROI) in coaching is now used by some organizations – and coaches – to show the value in terms that managers and executives desire and understand. This article describes how the ROI Methodology ™ , used globally in 40 countries, collects six types of data – including ROI – to show the complete success of coaching.


Accounting is not only a technical apparatus, but also manifests a societal dimension. This paper proposes that accounting is a protean and complex form of myth making, and as such forms a cohesive tenet in societies. It is argued that there are intrinsic parallels between the theoretical attributes of myth and accounting practice, and that these mythical characteristics sustain the existence and acceptance of accounting and its consequences in societies over time. A theoretical exploration of accounting as a form of myth reveals accounting as pluralistic and culturally sensitive. Such an analysis challenges theoretical explanations of accounting that are presented as a "grand narrative" universal understanding of accounting. Manifestations of the attributes of myth are described in the calculus and artefacts of accounting practice to demonstrate how accounting stories and beliefs are used as a form of myth by individuals to inform and construe their world picture.


Public officials are immune from damages liability for constitutional violations if they reasonably could have believed their actions were constitutional under clearly established law. In this regard qualified immunity is quite unusual. In most other legal contexts failure to know the law is virtually never excused. The only other context where notice or knowledge of illegality plays any role is in criminal law, but even mistakes of penal law are rarely excused. This article uses fair notice in criminal law as a paradigm for analyzing the role of notice in constitutional damages actions. The article first demonstrates how fair notice in the criminal context is a proxy for fault. The criminal law paradigm is then applied to qualified immunity in constitutional damages cases. The animating notion behind the immunity inquiry is that it would be "unfair" to hold officials to rules they could not reasonably have known. The objective clarity of the law acts as a surrogate for the official's subjective state of mind: Thus, if the law governing the official's conduct was clear, immunity is denied because any reasonably conscientious official would have known and obeyed the law. Conversely, an official who engaged in conduct that was neither clearly prohibited nor contained indicia of its own wrongfulness is not blameworthy and immunity will attach. In the latter case, the clarity of the law -- qualified immunity's notice inquiry -- acts as a proxy for fault. The article then demonstrates how the fault-notice connection borrowed from criminal law explains a puzzling feature of constitutional damages law: The Supreme Court has repeatedly stressed the importance of individual, fault-based liability and resisted a move toward respondeat superior liability. However, the ubiquity of indemnification of individual officials by their governmental units means that officials rarely bear the monetary burden of liability. The article proposes that fault-based, individual liability -- which identifies a particular official as a "constitutional wrongdoer" -- serves a moral blaming function that has significant independent value regardless of who ultimately bears the financial responsibility.


This thesis examines the role of alpha-glucan, water dikinase (GWD) in the control of starch degradation in Arabidopsis thaliana leaves. Starch is degraded at night in Arabidopsis leaves to provide carbon for metabolism and growth. The rate of starch degradation is constant through the night and is precisely regulated such that starch reserves last until dawn. Despite the importance of this regulation for normal plant growth, we do not know which enzymes of the pathway are regulated to modulate flux.
In this work I focus on the first enzyme in the starch degradation pathway, GWD. This enzyme phosphorylates the starch granule surface, thereby stimulating starch degradation by hydrolytic enzymes. It is hypothesised that GWD is important for the control of starch degradation. GWD shows large diel oscillations in transcript abundance. The enzyme is redox responsive in vitro, and is phosphorylated and SUMOylated in vivo.
My work revealed that GWD protein levels are essentially invariant over the diel cycle. Studying plants in which GWD transcript was targeted by inducible RNAi and rapidly decreased to low levels revealed that GWD has half life of 2 days and a very low flux control coefficient for starch degradation. Taken together these findings demonstrate that large diel oscillations in GWD transcript abundance are not important for the daily control of starch degradation. Using transgenic plants in which native GWD was replaced with mutant forms of the enzyme, I demonstrate that redox responsive properties and certain SUMOylation and phosphorylation sites of GWD are not of in vivo relevance for appropriately timed starch degradation. Finally, I identify a previously unknown role for GWD in starch synthesis and find ROC4 to be a novel, putative GWD interaction partner.


The world is shrinking. Increased interactions between nations, especially in the areas of trade and commerce, have led to an interwoven global community. At the same time, some actors on the world stage have confused this increased globalization as necessitating increased international government action. This is prevalent in environmental policy. Before 1970, only thirty-seven environmental treaties were in force. After 1970, an additional 104 were created.1 Environmental concerns have not only moved onto the radar screen in the international policy sphere, they have become a dominant force. This became evident in 1999 when a group of environmental protestors joined with union activists and selfproclaimed anarchists to disrupt the Seattle meeting of the World Trade Organization ("WTO"), an international body that promotes free trade by settling trade disputes between countries. The protestors objected to decisions by the WTO and its predecessor, the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade ("GATT"), that treated environmental regulations as trade barriers. Under GATT and the WTO, governments are not allowed to ban imports based on their means of production and processing. So, for example, GATT panels ruled that US regulations barring imports of tuna not caught in a dolphin-safe manner were protectionist. After the initial ruling in 1991, environmentalists circulated posters in Paris, Tokyo, and Washington showing the monster "Gattzilla" smashing the US capitol, spilling DDT from one hand, and squeezing a dolphin to death with the other.2 The rioting in Seattle and the 2001 protests in Quebec City by members of the environmental community were attempts to shape international debate and to bend the rules of international law to their liking. The changes they have brought about-- and continue to promote-are the subject of this paper. These efforts have serious impacts. First, there is less trade, which raises international tension. Second, economic growth suffers as a result and, in turn, weakens the ability to protect and restore long-term environmental health. Third, nations' sovereignty and the accountability it provides are compromised. Finally, regulations become more centralized, creating a nightmare of monitoring and enforcement problems when applied to diverse regions and peoples. Fortunately, there is an option to this "greening" of foreign policy, an option called free market environmentalism.3 Those adopting this approach to environmental issues recognize that the best way to improve the international environment is to act out the adage, "think globally, act locally." Because different parts of the world require different solutions to environmental problems, decentralized policies that acknowledge national sovereignty are preferable to multinational "one size doesn't fit anyone" solutions. Under free market environmentalism, only problems that cross the borders of countries become international issues. This paper examines how foreign policy involving trade, defense, diplomacy, and international law is being "greened" at home and abroad as environmental groups pressure government agencies to give environmental concerns greater weight. It argues that these changes represent a fundamental shift in US foreign policy and international relations. It identifies problems that arise from these revisions and explains how free market environmentalism offers a sound alternative that will lead to better environmental protection through freer trade, increased wealth, and decentralization. 1. GREENER POLICIES AT DEFENSE AND STATE 4 Between 1984 and 1994, Department of Defense ("DOD") spending on environmental programs such as the conservation of resources on military bases and environmental research jumped from $250 million to $5 billion. That twenty-fold increase accounted for nearly two percent of the department's annual budget.5 While the DOD should pay for environmental harm that it causes, that is not the primary place it is spending these funds. …


The chaebol played a pivotal role in the country's past economic success But they are also partly responsible for its current plight Family owners must now focus on value, not growth, and invite foreign investors onto the board South Korea's family-owned conglomerates have played a pivotal role in the country's development, taking it from war-torn economy to member of the OECD within four decades. But these conglomerates, or chaebol, are also partly responsible for leading South Korea into its current deep recession. What is to blame is their blind focus on capacity expansion. Over the past ten years, the chaebol have taken on massive amounts of short-term debt. This was manageable so long as the economy was growing, even though returns on investment were often low because of overcapacity and cut-throat competition. But when domestic demand stalled, the truth was revealed: the chaebol had a huge debt problem. Debt-to-equity ratios now commonly range between 500 and 800, sometimes higher. Those hardest hit have been the banks that extended the loans. Some have gone under. But unless measures are taken, almost all of South Korea's industrial sector will be threatened, so great is the chaebol's dominance of the economy. Listed South Korean companies reported a combined loss for the first half of 1998 of US $13 billion (compared with a market capitalization in June of $44 billion), and analysts expect second-half earnings to be even worse. The ratio of non-performing loans to all bank loans is already 8.6, up from 5.8 at the end of 1997 - an official figure that many suspect is a substantial underestimate. It is clear that the chaebol need to act, both to survive the present crunch and, in the longer term, to attract the investment funds they need to grow. They must learn to run their companies in an entirely new way, abandoning empire building to focus on creating value for shareholders. Wayward entrepreneurs In 1955, after a war that split the country in two and left any remnants of industry in what had been the more industrialized north, South Korea's gross domestic product per capita stood at $65. By 1996, it had soared to $10,000, and South Korea had become a member of the OECD. At that time, the top 30 chaebol owned 50 percent of total assets. This achievement was grounded in the early endeavors of entrepreneurs such as Juyoung Chung of today's Hyundai Group, Byungchul Lee of Samsung, and Inwhae Koo of LG Group: men who began building businesses in basic industries such as sugar, soap, construction, and trading. They were helped by successive governments that provided generous loans and protected the domestic market from foreign competition - tactics used by most advanced economies at some stage in their development. Their success was no less impressive for that. By the mid-1980s, the typical chaebol could boast between 30 and 50 companies in all key business areas, including construction, petrochemicals, automotive, consumer electronics, heavy industries, trading, and securities. The model had its downside, however. Intense rivalry between the chaebol led their owners to invest in many areas that had growth potential but did not necessarily provide good returns. Samsung's decision to enter the automobile business in 1995, when the domestic market was already oversupplied by four established manufacturers, is one example. Another can be seen in the chemicals industry, where South Korea added almost as much new capacity between 1990 and 1997 as the whole of Western Europe, even though world markets for many products were already glutted [ILLUSTRATION FOR EXHIBIT 1 OMITTED]. The results of this strategy showed up in returns to shareholders. Although revenue soared, the chaebol were not earning the cost of their debt, let alone the weighted average cost of capital. For most of the past decade, in fact, the chaebol have actually destroyed shareholder value [ILLUSTRATION FOR EXHIBIT 2 OMITTED]. …


Estimating the difference between quantum data is crucial in quantum computing. However, as typical characterizations of quantum data similarity, the trace distance and quantum fidelity are believed to be exponentially-hard to evaluate in general. In this work, we introduce hybrid quantum–classical algorithms for these two distance measures on near-term quantum devices where no assumption of input state is required. First, we introduce the variational trace distance estimation (VTDE) algorithm. We in particular provide the technique to extract the desired spectrum information of any Hermitian matrix by local measurement. A novel variational algorithm for trace distance estimation is then derived from this technique, with the assistance of a single ancillary qubit. Notably, VTDE could avoid the barren plateau issue with logarithmic depth circuits due to a local cost function. Second, we introduce the variational fidelity estimation algorithm. We combine Uhlmann's theorem and the freedom in purification to translate the estimation task into an optimization problem over a unitary on an ancillary system with fixed purified inputs. We then provide a purification subroutine to complete the translation. Both algorithms are verified by numerical simulations and experimental implementations, exhibiting high accuracy for randomly generated mixed states.


The present study is undertaken to investigate antioxidant and pancreatic lipase inhibitory activity of ethyl acetate extract of actinobacteria isolated from sediment, soil samples of Pulicat Lake, Tamil Nadu, India. The Pancreatic Lipase Inhibitory activity of solvent extract was tested against Pancreatic Lipase enzyme using olive oil as the substrate. To evaluate the antioxidant activity the broth culture of the production medium was used for fermentation process and extracellular metabolites were extracted using the solvent ethyl acetate. The brown color extract obtained was dissolved in methanol and screened for DPPH radical scavenging activity. Out of the 110 isolates tested more than 50% of actinobacteria showed both antioxidant and antilipase activity. The findings of the present study suggested that the metabolites of marine actinobacteria isolated from Pulicat Lake, Tamil Nadu, India may be useful as antioxidants and anti-obesity agents.


Cylinder liner surface topology greatly affects oil consumption and wear of engines. Surface optimization would be greatly facilitated by automatic quality control. Surface roughness definitions, parameters, and measurement techniques were reviewed and samples of different Volvo truck engine cylinder liner types were measured. Routines for extracting and computing groove parameters, useful in the automation of quality control in production, were developed, implemented in MATLAB and applied on the samples. The principles of the last two steps procedures needed to fully automate the surface grading by roughness parameters analysis were described.


The angular distribution of radiation emitted from organic electroluminescent diodes fabricated on substrates with wavelength-scale gratings was measured using an optical Fourier transform instrument. A simple geometrical model is derived that specifies the polar angle of the exiting photon as a function of the azimuth angle, the grating pitch, the wavelength of light, and the effective index of the refraction of the light emitted by the fluorescing excitons. The radiation pattern of the extracted light is shown to fit that predicted by the model if one assumes that it comes from surface plasmon polaritons and bound TE waveguide modes.


Philosophical understandings of consciousness divide into emergentist positions (when the universe is sufficiently organized and complex it gives rise to consciousness) vs. panpsychism (consciousness pervades the universe). A leading emergentist position derives from autopoietic theory of Maturana and Varela: to be alive is to have cognition, one component of which is sentience.  Here, reflecting autopoietic theory, we define sentience as: sensing of the surrounding environment, complex processing of information that has been sensed, (i.e. processing mechanisms defined by characteristics of a complex system), and generation of a response.  Further, complexity theory, points to all aspects of the universe comprising "systems of systems." Bringing these themes together, we find that sentience is not limited to the living, but present throughout existence. Thus, a complexity approach shifts autopoietic theory from an emergentist to a panpsychist position and shows that sentience must be inherent in all structures of existence across all levels of scale.


We report on the characterization of a novel pulsed mid-IR laser source with respect to its excellent suitability for spectroscopic applications. The compact hybrid laser employs a tunable cw external-cavity diode laser (795 - 825 nm) and a pulsed diode-pumped Nd:YAG laser (1064 nm). This approach of difference-frequency mixing a cw and a pulsed laser in LiNbO3 combines broadband phase-matching, high spectral purity (155 MHz) and broad, continuous tunability (3.16-3.67µm) with a high output (peak) power and signal-to-noise ratio. By quasi-phase-matching in periodically poled LiNbO3, a 20 to 90 times higher conversion efficiency has been achieved compared to birefringent phase-matching, however, at the expense of wavelength tuning performance.


This essential book provides the first comprehensive overview of the symbiotic relationship that exists between fashion and textiles. Because textiles represent a central ingredient of fashion (as with denim jeans, for example), their interrelationship should be an obvious theme for study, yet historically the two subjects are often considered separately. Gale and Kaur analyze fashion and textile's cultural, industrial and social relationships, as well as examining how the two fields compete with and influence one another. Taking as their starting point the nature of the relationship between fashion and textiles, Gale and Kaur then identify and discuss key arenas of commercial and cultural interaction, including raw materials, business, consumers, and future technology. Their examples are drawn from the experiences and opinions of industry professionals - designers, retailers, and manufacturers. Gale and Kaur look at how the raw materials from which clothing is made are heavily influenced by fashion trends on national and global levels. Why do we choose the fabrics we do, and how do our choices affect both industries? The story is very much a human one. Each garment has an intriguing history before a consumer even tries it on. Gale and Kaur unpick this history and examine how retail need and consumer demand impact upon the end product. The result is an exciting new book that begins at the level of supply and demand, and moves forward to consider issues about design, technology, globalization and broader fashion trends. Highlighting cultural differences and similarities between the two industry sectors, Fashion and Textiles offers varied professional perspectives, information about key roles and jobs, and practical considerations relating to economics, design, manufacture and retail. A key text for a wide range of courses on fashion and textiles, it is vital reading for anyone hoping to pursue a career in either field.


Paraplegia resulting from ischemia is a catastrophic complication of thoracoabdominal aortic surgery. The current study was designed to investigate the effects of diazoxide (DZ) on mitochondrial structure, neurological function, DNA damage-repair, and apoptosis in spinal cord ischemia-reperfusion injury. Rabbits were subjected to 30 minutes of spinal cord ischemia and reperfusion (1 hour) with or without diazoxide (n = 6 in each group) by clamping and releasing the infrarenal aorta. The neurological functional score was significantly improved in the DZ-treated ischemia-reperfusion injury group. Electron microscopic studies demonstrated that mitochondrial damage in the spinal cord after injury was significantly reduced by DZ. Mitochondrial superoxide and hydrogen peroxide levels were also markedly decreased in the DZ-treated injury group compared with the untreated group. DZ decreased levels of the oxidative DNA damage product 8-oxoG and increased levels of the DNA repair enzyme OGG-1. Furthermore, DZ inhibited apoptosis via caspase-dependent and -independent pathways. These studies indicate for the first time that the mitochondrial K-ATP channel opener diazoxide improves neurological function after spinal cord ischemia and reperfusion by diminishing levels of reactive oxygen species, decreasing DNA oxidative damage, and inhibiting caspase-dependent and -independent apoptotic pathways while preserving mitochondrial structure.


Todays' systems for telecommunication are getting more and more complex. Automatic testing is required to guarantee quality of the systems produced. An actual example is the introduction of GPRS traffic in the GSM network nodes. This thesis investigates the need and demands for such an automatic testing of the traffic channels in the GSM system. A solution intended to be a part of the Ericsson TSS is proposed. One problem to be solved is that today's tools for testing do not support testing of speech channels with the speech transcoder unit installed. As part of the investigation, a speech codec is implemented for execution on current hardware used in the test platform. The selected speech codec is the enhanced full rate codec, generating a bitstream of 12.2 kbit/s, and gives a good trade-off between compression and speech quality. The report covers the design of the test tool and the implementation of speech codec. Particularly performance problems in the implementation of the encoder will be addressed.


Private information retrieval (PIR) lets a client retrieve an entry from a database held by a server, without the server learning which entry was retrieved. Here we study a weaker variant that we call random-index PIR (RPIR). It differs from standard PIR in that the retrieved index is an output rather than an input of the protocol, and it is chosen at random. Our motivation for studying RPIR comes from a recent work of Benhamouda et al. (TCC'20) about maintaining secret values on public blockchains. Their solution involves choosing a small anonymous committee from among a large universe, and here we show that RPIR can be used for that purpose. The RPIR client must be implemented via secure MPC for this use case, stressing the need to make it as efficient as can be. Combined with recent techniques for secure-MPC with stateless parties, our results yield a new secrets-on-blockchain construction (and more generally large-scale MPC). Our solution tolerates any fraction f 1/2 of corrupted parties, solving an open problem left from the work of Benhamouda et al. Considering RPIR as a primitive, we show that it is in fact equivalent to PIR when there are no restrictions on the number of communication rounds. On the other hand, RPIR can be implemented in a "noninteractive" setting, which is clearly impossible for PIR. We also study batch RPIR, where multiple indexes are retrieved at once. Specifically we consider a weaker security guarantee than full RPIR, which is still good enough for our motivating application. We show that this weaker variant can be realized more efficiently than standard PIR or RPIR, and we discuss one protocol in particular that may be attractive for practical implementations.


Although there has been a proliferation of papers reporting results of event studies in recent years, few papers provide an analysis of the underlying distributions of the data employed and utilise parametric tests regardless of normality violations although the parametric tests tend to overstate rejection rates when data are non-normal. This paper inspects abnormal returns around earnings and dividend announcements for normality and provides evidence that daily excess return data are non-normal. Two parametric tests and a non-parametric test are then applied to determine whether the abnormal returns are significantly different to zero and is found that the non-parametric test is better specified when the underlying distribution violates normality assumptions.


In political speeches, narrative functions as a device that supports the fundamental persuasive intention by presenting an ideologically biased selection of past events. On the basis of this premise, it is possible to distinguish between four central functions fulfilled by political narrative (personalizing, integrating, exemplifying, and polarizing). Such effects are heightened by multimodal media, which provide political storytelling with additional possibilities in the form of hypermedia discourse. On websites such as or , political oratory is integrated in hypertext frameworks of online narratives backing the superordinate function of persuasion. Such e-narratives appear in the form of politicians' biographies, historical surveys, and so-called "photo essays", visualizing stories by connecting words with images. Taking into account the multi-sequential character of online political storytelling, this paper investigates the ways in which e-narratives closely cooperate in the constitution of a complex master narrative.


Extreme tides and large, battering waves have the potential to cause hazardous conditions along the sandy southwest coasts of Maine and New Hampshire. Increasing storm tides inundate low lying areas, while building waves lead to beach erosion and structural damage. The combined effects of these dynamical forces are complex and not fully understood. According to a recent Northern New England coastal flood climatology (Cannon 2007), damage often occurred during Nor'easters despite tide levels significantly below the Portland Harbor flood stage of 12.0 ft. The empirical relationship between storm tides and large, battering waves demonstrated the need to create a forecast prediction scheme based on impact and not solely on water level. Hourly forecasts of water level and near-shore waves were plotted simultaneously to visually display oceanographic conditions on a single diagram. The East Atlantic Water Level Forecast (ADCIRC) and Wave Watch III models were used to produce the output. The result is a web-based coastal flood nomogram, which is produced twice daily at www.gomoos.org. When animated, users can monitor for critical splash-over and coastal flood benchmarks as thresholds are exceeded. The tool assists meteorologists and emergency managers in the forecast and hazard mitigation process. _______________________


We propose a method based on the maximum-likelihood technique for removing speckle patterns that plague coherent images. The proposed method is designed for images whose gray levels vary continuously in space. The image model is based on a lattice of nodes corresponding to vertices of triangles in which the gray level of each pixel is produced by linear interpolation. A constraint on isoline gray levels is introduced to regularize the solution.


After laying out a conventional account of the formalism vs. realism debates, this Article argues that formalism and realism are at once impossible and entrenched. To say they are impossible is to say that they are not as represented—that they cannot deliver their promised goods. To say that they are entrenched is to say that these forms of thought are sedimented as thought and practice throughout law's empire. We live thus amidst the ruins of formalism and realism. The disputes between these two great determinations of American law continue today, but usually in more localized or circumscribed forms. We see versions of the disputes, for instance, in the stylized disagreements over the desired form of judicial doctrines (rules vs. standards); or the best rendition of key political values like equality (formal vs. substantive); or the proper mode of judicial interpretation (textual vs. purposive). Here too, the arguments that comprise the localized variants of the dispute remain inconclusive. The Article concludes by mapping "the logics of collapse"—specifically, some critical moves that undermine the rhetorical and intellectual force of the formalism vs. realism disputes and their localized variants. The aims here are several. First, the ability to deploy the critical moves helps with analysis. The critical moves help show how the arguments are constructed in the first place and how they are rhetorically and intellectually compromised. Second, and relatedly, the critical moves allow us to avoid being taken in by the formalism vs. realism arguments and their localized variants. Third, the aim is to show how our formalist and realist argumentation has already been surpassed by a legal "logic" that undermines the cogency of that argumentation.


Due to the recent advancements in the fields of Micro Electromechanical Sensors (MEMS), communication, and operating systems, wireless remote monitoring methods became easy to build and low cost option compared to the conventional methods such as wired cameras and vehicle patrols. Pipeline Monitoring Systems (PMS) benefit the most of such wireless remote monitoring since each pipeline would span for long distances up to hundreds of kilometers. However, precise monitoring requires moving large amounts of data between sensor nodes and base station for processing which require high bandwidth communication protocol. To overcome this problem, In-Situ processing can be practiced by processing the collected data locally at each node instead of the base station. This Paper presents the design and implementation of In-situ pipeline monitoring system for locating damaging activities based on wireless sensor network. The system built upon a WSN of several nodes. Each node contains high computational 1.2GHz Quad-Core ARM Cortex-A53 (64Bit) processor for In-Situ data processing and equipped in 3-axis accelerometer. The proposed system was tested on pipelines in Al-Mussaib gas turbine power plant. During test knocking events are applied at several distances relative to the nodes locations. Data collected at each node are filtered and processed locally in real time in each two adjacent nodes. The results of the estimation is then sent to the supervisor at base-station for display. The results show the proposed system ability to estimate the location of knocking event.


The 'Pygmalion phenomenon' is the self-fulfilling prophecy embedded in teachers' expectations. Simply put, when teachers expect students to do well and show intellectual growth, they do; when teachers do not have such expectations, performance and growth are not encouraged and may in fact be discouraged in a variety of ways. Research suggests that our expectations strongly influence the performance of those around us from the members of our football team to the students in our classes. In the Oak School experiment, discussed in the book, teachers were led to believe that certain students selected at random were likely to be showing signs of a spurt in intellectual growth and development. At the end of the year, the students of whom the teachers had these expectations showed significantly greater gains in intellectual growth that did those in the control group. Reissue of a classic book. Original ISBN 0829031537. Printed 1968. Revised and expanded 1992.


This paper is concerned with the ways in which domestic objects are collected, interpreted and translated into narratives in the museum space in comparison with the domestic space of the home. If museum exhibitions generate curatorial practices and narrative systems of description that involve classifications, categories, genres, and modes of representations based mostly on history, function and use; the space of the home represents the postproduction of a private emotional history. In both cases cultural products are embedded in narratives dependant on various forms of collecting. As critic Nicolas Bourriaud observed, human society is structured by narratives that translate communal lifestyles which promote 'collective values and visions of the world.' Following Jean Baudrillard notion on collecting, that what is possessed is always the 'pure object', an object abstracted from its function and use it follows that through collecting, objects are transformed into a kind of poetry. As the result of well-proved practices, traditional tools represent materialisations of these narratives, belong to a field of practical mediations compensating for the disappearance of the symbolic relationship man-tool; accompanied by a concomitant abstractness of human praxis with respect to objects. Arranging, classifying and manipulating, searching, ordering, playing and assembling requires an intimacy with the privileged object. Contemporary curatorial practices aim to 'reedit historical or ideological narratives, inserting the elements that compose them into alternative scenarios' .


Abstract The effects of downstream base-level control on fluvial architecture and geometry are well explored in several broadly similar sequence-stratigraphic models. Cretaceous Dakota Group strata, U.S. Western Interior, have characteristics reflecting combined downstream and upstream base-level controls that these models cannot address. Particularly, three layers of amalgamated channel-belt sandstone within this group thicken and are continuous for distances (≤ 300 km) along dip that stretch the reasonable lengths for which these models are intended to apply. As well, architecture in up-dip reaches records repeated valley-scale cut-and-fill cycles. This contrasts with equivalent strata down dip which record channel-scale lateral migration with no such valley-scale cycles apparent. We here introduce the concept of "buffers and buttresses" to address these observations. We assume that river longitudinal profiles are each anchored down dip to some physical barrier (e.g., the sea strand, etc.) that we refer to as a "buttress." Buttress shift is considered the primary downstream control on base level. Profiles extrapolated up dip from the buttress over any modeled duration of buttress shift can range widely because of high-frequency variability in upstream base-level controls (e.g., discharge, etc). All these potential profiles however are bounded above by the profile of highest possible aggradation, and below by the profile of maximum possible incision. These upper and lower profiles are "buffers," and they envelop the available fluvial preservation space. Thickness of the buffer zone is determined by variability in upstream controls and should increase up dip to the limit of downstream profile dominance. Dakota valley-scale surfaces record repeated cut-and-fill cycles driven by up-dip controls and are confined between thick stable buffers. Equivalent strata down dip record lateral reworking within a thinner channel-scale buffer zone that was positioned by downstream controls. Regression exposed slopes similar to the buffer zone, thus buffers were stable for long distances and durations. This prompted dip-extensive lateral reworking of strata into upstream valley-scale and downstream channel-scale sheets. Buffers and buttresses provide a broadly applicable model for fluvial preservation that captures upstream vs. downstream base-level controls on geometry and architecture. The model lends general insights into dip-oriented variations in fluvial architecture, production of sheet vs. lens geometry, total preservation volumes for fluvial systems, and variations in these factors related to contrasting climatic conditions and basin physiography. The model can be amended to existing sequence stratigraphic approaches in order to capture dip-oriented variations in sequence architecture.


In recent years the number of worker co-operatives in the UK has grown rapidly. In the early 1970s there were approximately 20 worker co-operatives, mainly consisting of long established cooperatives formed at the tum of the century, but by 1980 this number had increased to about 300, again to nearly 500 by 1982 and to 900 by 1984, (CDA, 1980, 1982, 1984b). Initially this growth was stimulated by the promotional efforts of the Industrial Common Ownership Movement (ICOM) which produced model rules for worker co-operatives, and by the passing of the Industrial Common Ownership Act in 1976 which provided £250,000 to promote co-operatives and establish a revolving loan fund. Further impetus was given when in 1978 the Government set up the national Cooperative Development Agency (CDA) to act as a national body for the co-operative movement. This was followed by a rapid growth in local Co-operative Development Agencies (CDAs) usually with the sole purpose of promoting and assisting worker co-operatives. The first local CDA was set up in Scotland in 1977, since when the number has increased to about 100 (CDA, 1984a) of which approximately half employ full time development officers.

Local Co-operative Development Agencies are of considerable interest to those concerned with the theory and practice of worker co-operation. It has been argued in the literature on worker co-operatives that a healthy worker co-operative sector is unlikely to develop without the establishment of secondary support organisations (Vanek 1975, Campbell et al. 1977, Horvat 1980). In the UK context local CDAs represent the major form of support and assistance available to the worker co-operative sector. However, to date there has been very little done to try to assess the theoretical or practical significance of these developments. This paper aims to contribute to that task.

The paper presents some preliminary findings from research being undertaken by the Co-operatives Research Unit at the Open University which is examining the role of local CDAs in creating and sustaining worker co-operatives. It draws primarily upon the results of a pilot study of five local CDAs, (reported more fully in Comforth and Stott, 1984). Information on each CDA was gathered from written reports produced by the agencies, and from an in depth structured interview carried out with an officer of each agency. Further information about the wider population of CDAs was gathered through discussion and talks with other CDA workers, from the Newsletter of the Network of local CDAs, and from other secondary sources.

The paper has three main aims:
1. To provide some basic descriptive information on the organisation and performance of CDAs that will be of use to both practitioners and academics.
2. To raise questions and issues that we feel require further consideration by policy workers and practitioners.
3. To relate the findings to existing literature on co-operative development and suggest future avenues for research.