In recent years there has been a resurgence of interest in the experimental study of psychokinesis (PK), with particular focus on the new construct of lability, defined by Braud (1980) as "a systems ready capability for change". Although this description by Braud and that of lability within Stanford's Conformance Behaviour Model (CBM) (1978) include the construct as being inherent within a whole system, it is still uncertain as to whether this is an accurate portrayal. Indeed within Stanford's CBM it is posited that psi capabilities would not share the same mechanisms as those involved with sensory and perceptual information processing. With humans comprised of a multitude of differing processes – both psychological and physiological – it begs the question as to whether only certain facets with prominent labile capabilities would create an impact on PK phenomena. Furthermore, if such facets are identified, could an individual be subsequently characterized as being 'labile'? With micro-PK effects manifested in the laboratory consistently related to macro-PK and poltergeist activity in real-world environs, there have been many assumptions made regarding the role of individual agents. A popular theory has been that such individuals are reacting unconsciously to a stressful situation as a form of maladaptive coping response (Roll, 1983), thus consequently supporting Braud's and Stanford's theories of PK effects being mediated by internal individual lability interacting with other external systems. Indeed, previous PK-RNG studies based on Stanford's CBM (1978), by Holt and Roe respectively, (Holt & Roe, 2006; Roe & Holt, 2006),) have shown significant PK effects from the interaction between high and low levels of individual and RNG lability. These studies were based on the premise that certain aspects from cognitive, neurological and emotional individual differences were key to exploring lability and thererfore, a battery of measures was employed to assess individual lability via an aggregation of scores, highlighting the need to develop a single, comprehensive lability instrument. For this study, taking it's cue from previous research (Drennan, Roe, & Broughton, 2011), measures included to assess lability were the Creative Cognition Inventory (Holt, 2007); The Emotional Creativity Inventory (Averill, 1999); Goldberg's Openness to Experience Scale (Goldberg, 1999); Mood Affect (Akiskal, Maser, Zeller, Endicott, Corvell, & Keller, 1995); and the Personal Philosophy Inventory (Persinger & Makarec, 1987). For use in the online survey two further scales investigating paranormal phenomena were included – the Anomalous Experience Inventory (Gallagher, Kumar, & Pekala, 1994) and the Rhine Psychokinesis Questionnaire (Simmonds-Moore, Rhine Feather, & Gadd, 2010). Following activation of the online survey for 8 weeks, data from a sample size of 192 respondents were eventually used for conducting analyses.
Factor analyzing the five individual difference measures produced a new Lability Scale consisting of 71 items (including 4 reversed scored items) with strong overall reliability (α = .86). Five factors were retained accounting for approximately 35% of the cumulative variance:

Factor 1 Intuitive Cognition (α = .92)
Factor 2 Conceptual Cognition (α = .60)
Factor 3 Ego-Orientated Cognition (α = .78)
Factor 4 Emotional Interpretation (α = .71)
Factor 5 Analytical Cognition (α = .85)

Concurrent validity was produced between the Lability Scale and the five individual difference measures involved in the study, where all but Goldberg's Openness to Experience Scale (Goldberg, 1999) showed strong positive correlations. Subsequently, the relationships between individual lability and paranormal belief and psychokinetic experiences were explored. Significant negative correlations were shown between lability and both paranormal belief (r = -.56) and psychokinetic experience (r = -.51). Furthermore, significant negative correlations were also shown between both paranormal belief and psychokinetic experience scores and Intuitive Cognition, Ego-orientated Cognition and Emotional Interpretation factors. There were no significant relationships found between paranormal belief and psychokinetic experiences and either Conceptual Cognition or Analytical Cognition.
Performing one way analyses of variance found significant differences between the means of paranormal belief (F2, 160.47 = 44.45, p < 0.01) psychokinetic experiences (F2, 160.47 = 32.74, p < 0.01) and levels of lability (low, moderate, high), mirroring the results found in previous experimental PK-RNG studies. These findings have implications for the next stages of research which consists of a series of three experimental PK-RNG studies employing the new Lability Scale, which is hoped will replicate the lability interaction witnessed previously and further confirm construct validity of the new measure. In addition, it is expected that with further usage there will be subsequent refinement of the Lability Scale and factor structure. As it stands, Factor 5 Analytical Cognition, which although has a strong Cronbach's alpha of .85, consists of only 5 items and is on the cusp of being a 'bloated specific', therefore providing a case for subsequent exclusion. However, at this time, it does appear likely that lability will remain multi-dimensional, thus reflecting the fact that it incorporates various facets of individual processes and allow scope for future research to explore whether there are dominant labile processes which may have a greater impact specifically on PK effects. Furthermore, it is interesting to note that significant results are being shown in relation to individuals with low levels of lability corresponding with high levels of both paranormal belief and psychokinetic experiences, suggesting that instances of macro-PK and poltergeist activity phenomena may indeed be more likely mediated by blunted or maladaptive individual responses. Finally, with this in mind, it is hoped that by gaining a better understanding of individual lability throughout the ongoing research will provide a key feature for constructing a predictive statistical model for PK effects both within the laboratory and within real-world situations


This study investigates the links between accounting values in Chinese listed companies' balance sheets and the exposure of their fraudulent activities. Every balance sheet account is proposed to be a potential vehicle to manipulate financial statements. Other receivables, inventories, prepaid expenses, employee benefits payables and long-term payables are important indicators of fraudulent financial statements. These results confirm that asset account manipulation is frequently carried out and cast doubt on earlier conclusions by researchers that inflation of liabilities is the most common source of financial statement manipulation. Prior practices of solely scaling balance sheet values by assets are revealed to produce spurious relationships, while scaling by both assets and sales effectively detects fraudulent financial statements and provides a useful fraud prediction tool for Chinese auditors, regulators and investors.


A high efficiency of 60% in a combined-cycle power plant technology with fuels like gas or light oil is estimated to be achievable. On the other hand existing conventional coal-fired power plants based on steam generation have an efficiency of about 40–45%. A huge potential of improvement in efficiency could be achieved by the implementation of a simple and cost-effective technology: PPCC, a coal-based combined-cycle with combustion of coal at high pressure (up to 20 bar) and temperature (1500°C) with a subsequent efficient ash and alkali removal from the flue gas under pressure at process temperature to use it directly as input for a gas turbine. This process can be considered as the most suitable and straightforward design to utilise hard coal in a combined cycle with an efficiency of ~55% and above. The concept results in a straightforward and robust design at low installation and operating costs. We report the success in removing liquid ash particles to a content of <1 mg/m³ s.t.p., particle diameters d <<1 µm and the progress in alkali-reduction to a content <0.01 mg/m³ s.t.p. thus meeting gas turbine specifications. Perspectives and possible spin-offs of the technology are deduced.


We show that the minimal D = 5, N $$ \mathcal{N} $$ = 2 gauged supergravity set-up may encode naturally the recently proposed clockwork mechanism. The minimal embedding requires one vector multiplet in addition to the supergravity multiplet and the clockwork scalar is identified with the scalar in the vector multiplet. The scalar has a two-parameter potential and it can accommodate the clockwork, the Randall-Sundrum and a no-scale model with a flat potential, depending on the values of the parameters. The continuous clockwork background breaks half of the original supersymmetries, leaving a D = 4, N $$ \mathcal{N} $$ = 1 theory on the boundaries. We also show that the generated hierarchy by the clockwork is not exponential but rather power law. The reason is that four-dimensional Planck scale has a power-law dependence on the compactification radius, whereas the corresponding KK spectrum depends on the logarithm of the latter. KECHAGIAS, Alexandros, RIOTTO, Antonio Walter. The clockwork supergravity. Journal of High Energy Physics, 2018, vol. 1802, p. 160 DOI : 10.1007/JHEP02(2018)160


Muconic acid (MA) is a high value-added dicarboxylic acid with conjugated double bonds, presenting three isomeric forms, i.e., cis,cis-MA, cis,trans-MA and trans,trans-MA. Its production is garnering increased interest owing to its potential as a starting material for the synthesis of value-added products as well as by being a versatile monomer for the production of specialty polymers. This review presents a systematic overview of production and synthesis routes to MA isomers as well as the routes for its final valorization. The production of MA through chemical pathways and the progress developed in the biotechnological pathways will be discussed. Traditional and new processes for achieving successful isomerization into the value-added trans,trans form of MA are also discussed and compared, with their constraints and possible solutions. The valorization of the three different isomers of MA into value-added chemicals such as adipic or terephthalic acids and MA polymers are summarized. Finally, the review concludes with a thorough summary, a practical insights section and an outlook. This work thus offers new perspectives and guidelines to tackle the challenges in MA chemistry, especially when aiming to combine an efficient biotechnological production of MA with its valorization.


The 70-kD heat-shock proteins (HSP70s) are encoded by a multigene family in eukaryotes. In plants, the 70-kD heat-shock cognate (HSC70) proteins are located in organellar and cytosolic compartments of cells in most tissues. Previous work has indicated that HSC70 proteins of spinach (Spinacia oleracea) are actively synthesized during cold-acclimating conditions. We have isolated, sequenced, and characterized cDNA and genomic clones for the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) luminal HSC70 protein (immunoglobulin heavy chain-binding protein; BiP) of spinach. The spinach ER-luminal HSC70 is a constitutively expressed gene consisting of eight exons. Spinach BiP mRNA appears to be up-regulated during cold acclimation but is not expressed during water stress or heat shock. In contrast to the differential regulation of mRNA, the ER-luminal HSC70 protein levels remain constant in response to various environmental stresses. Two other members of the spinach 70-kD heat-shock (HS70) multigene family also show differential expression in response to a variety of environmental stresses. A constitutively expressed cytosolic HSC70 protein in spinach appears also to be up-regulated in response to both cold-acclimating and heat-shock treatments. Spinach also contains a cold-shock-induced HS70 gene that is not expressed during heat shock or water stress. Since HSP70s are considered to be involved with the chaperoning and folding of proteins, the data further support the concept that they may be important for maintaining cellular homeostasis and proper protein biogenesis during cold acclimation of spinach.


The coastal zone in OECD Member countries is under severe and increasing threat from numerous pressures and conflicts. OECD countries recognise that concerted action in their coastal zones is urgently needed if sustainable economic and environmental outcomes are to be achieved. The basis for this recognition has been the findings of a study of coastal zone management issues and approaches in 19 OECD countries. The study revealed a range of serious continuing and emerging problems which are compounded by inadequate legislation and fragmented institutional/administrative arrangements. The limited repertoire of instruments used in policy implementation is a further factor. This paper is derived from the involvement of the authors in the OECD study.


This essay presents an accumulation of data on the dates for common types of artifacts found on archaeological sites from the historical period. These dates come from a variety of sources and include a mix of types of dates. These dates are based on such things as patents, pattern registrations, dates when commercial production began, estimates of when production stopped, and the popularity ranges for various styles of wares based on makers' marks. The introductory essay discusses some of the problems in the sources of the dates presented. DOI 10.22191/neha/vol29/iss1/2 Recommended Citation Miller, George L.; Samford, Patricia; Shlasko, Ellen; and Madsen, Andrew (2000) "Telling Time for Archaeologists," Northeast Historical Archaeology: Vol. 29 29, Article 2. https://doi.org/10.22191/neha/vol29/iss1/2 Available at: https://orb.binghamton.edu/neha/vol29/iss1/2  Download


Leaf tensile properties were compared between the mesic deciduous tree Prunus serrulata (var. "Kwanzan") and the xeric and sclerophyllous chaparral evergreen shrub Heteromeles arbutifolia (M. Roem). All values for biomechanical parameters for H. arbutifolia were significantly greater than those of P. serrulata. The fracture planes also differed between the two species with P. serrulata fracturing along the secondary veins, while H. arbutifolia most often fractured across the leaf irrespective of the vein or mesophyll position, thus yielding qualitative differences in the stress-strain curves of the two species. Anatomically, P. serrulata exhibits features typical for a deciduous mesophytic leaf such as a thin cuticle, a single layer of palisade mesophyll, isodiametric spongy mesophyll, and extensive reticulation of the laminar veins. Heteromeles arbutifolia leaves, however, are typically two- to three-fold thicker with a 35% higher dry mass/fresh mass ratio. The vascular tissue is restricted to the interface of the palisade and spongy mesophyll near the center of the leaf. Both epidermal layers have a thick cuticle. The palisade mesophyll is tightly packed and two to three layers thick. The spongy mesophyll cells are ameboid in shape and tightly interlinked both to other spongy cells as well as to the overlying palisade layer. We conclude that the qualitative and quantitative biomechanical differences between the leaves of these two species are likely due to a complex interaction of internal architectural arrangement and the physical/chemical differences in the properties of their respective cell walls. These studies illustrate the importance that morphological and anatomical correlates play with mechanical behavior in plant material and ultimately reflect adaptations present in the leaves of chaparral shrubs that are conducive to surviving in arid environments.


Ultrasonography is a crucial tool in successful assisted reproduction but requires a steady hand and can often be difficult for unconfident clinicians. A comprehensive ultrasound imaging reference, this is an essential guide for trainee clinicians, ultrasonographers, and nurses working in the field of assisted reproductive technology. Providing the reader with an overview of the process and a foundation to direct their ultrasound assessment of each patient, it contains highly practical tips and tricks for obtaining the best images. Heavily illustrated with example images, the role of ultrasound in fertility treatment is explained, as well as how to identify the uterus and ovaries, measure the endometrium, count follicles and recognize pathology. The role of ultrasound in assisted reproduction is covered, including transvaginal oocyte collection, embryo transfer, early pregnancy, miscarriage and ectopic pregnancy. This is an indispensable reference for clinicians new to ultrasound in assisted reproduction.


Coloniality has mainly been studied from an evolutionary perspective, but relatively few studies have developed methods for modelling colony dynamics. Changes in number of colonies over time provide a useful tool for predicting and evaluating the responses of colonial species to management and to environmental disturbance. Probabilistic Markov process models have been recently used to estimate colony site dynamics using presence–absence data when all colonies are detected in sampling efforts. Here, we define and develop two general approaches for the modelling and analysis of colony dynamics for sampling situations in which all colonies are, and are not, detected. For both approaches, we develop a general probabilistic model for the data and then constrain model parameters based on various hypotheses about colony dynamics. We use Akaike's Information Criterion (AIC) to assess the adequacy of the constrained models. The models are parameterised with conditional probabilities of local colony site extinction and colonization. Presence–absence data arising from Pollock's robust capture–recapture design provide the basis for obtaining unbiased estimates of extinction, colonization, and detection probabilities when not all colonies are detected. This second approach should be particularly useful in situations where detection probabilities are heterogeneous among colony sites. The general methodology is illustrated using presence–absence data on two species of herons. Estimates of the extinction and colonization rates showed interspecific differences and strong temporal and spatial variations. We were also able to test specific predictions about colony dynamics based on ideas about habitat change and metapopulation dynamics. We recommend estimators based on probabilistic modelling for future work on colony dynamics. We also believe that this methodological framework has wide application to problems in animal ecology concerning metapopulation and community dynamics.


OBJECTIVE
To examine the relationship between adjustment to diagnosed infertility and personality, anxiety, depression and stress (in general and inherent to infertility) in couples.

STUDY DESIGN
A cross-sectional study, with a convenience sample of 35 couples attending infertility consultations, in a public health service in the Lisbon district. Data was collected using the following main outcome measures: NEO Personality Inventory--Short Form; Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale; Fertility Problem Inventory; and Fertility Adjustment Scale.

RESULTS
In women, neuroticism was associated with greater stress in situations of infertility, and depression was related with social, sexual and relational aspects of stress in infertility. Social aspects and need to be a parent expressed maladjustment to fertility. In men, personality was not related to stress in infertility; this was explained by the sexual and relational aspects. The maladjustment to fertility was explained by the need to be a parent.

CONCLUSIONS
Infertile men and women are emotionally adjusted, determined to fulfill their goals while exhibiting low levels of anxiety, depression and stress. Thus, although it is relevant to identify the effects of infertility which may make one susceptible to maladjustment, psychological intervention is not always necessary in these couples. Although the results are very relevant, the sample's reduced dimension is a limitation.


This guide is intended to provide general sources and research information about Anti-Racism, Racial Justice, and the Black Lives Matter movement.


Machines Scheduling Problems are one of the classical combinatorial optimization problems which exist in many diverse areas such as transportation, manufacturing system, etc. The main focus is on the efficient allocation of one or more resources to activities over time. In this paper,
we consider a Single Machine Family Scheduling Problem where jobs are partitioned into families and setup time is required between these families. Setup includes obtaining tool, positioning work in process, cleanup, etc. In most scheduling research work, the setup time has been considered as either negligible and hence ignored, or considered as part of the processing time. While these assumptions simplify the problem, they adversely affect the solution quality for many applications which require explicit treatment of setup. In this study, we propose an
Optimised Crossover Genetic Algorithm (OCGA) for the problem. The objective is to find a schedule which minimises the maximum lateness of the jobs in the presence of the sequence independent family setup times.In brief, the proposed OCGA uses binary representation to encode the problem. During crossover, the OCGA selects two parents from the population and replaces them with two
children by an optimized crossover mechanism which designed using an undirected bipartite graph. Various techniques are also introduced to further enhance the solution quality. The OCGA is compared with other well known local search method namely dynamic length tabu search, randomised steepest descent method, and other variants of genetic algorithms using extensive data sets collected from the literatures. All algorithms are coded in ANSI-C using Microsoft Visual C++ 6.0 as the compiler, and run on a Pentium 4, 2.0 GHz computer with 2.0 GB RAM. The results of the extensive computational experiments indicate that the proposed OCGA outperformed other local search methods. We have also found that computational difficulty as measured by relative deviation from the lower bound increases with problem size. In the case of large setup time, jobs tend to form a large batch size with more jobs in a batch to reduce the need of setup time between batches from different families. Therefore, more jobs will miss their assigned due dates. However, with a small setup time, more jobs will meet their respective due dates. Hence when setup time is small more batches are formed which means fewer jobs are to be processed per batch.The proposed OCGA effectively solve the problem with better solution quality compared to other
local search methods. We will develop the proposed OCGA to solve the problem of minimising the total (weighted) completion time as future work. The development of OCGA for other optimality criterion such as minimising the total (weighted) tardiness/earliness is also worthy of future research.


In order to fulfil the increasing demands on capacity and coverage of mobile communication systems smart or intelligent antennas have been suggested. These antennas increase the spectral efficiency of a wireless system by using arrays of antenna elements to shape RF signals in particular directions. Generally, smart antennas can be divided into two approaches: switched multi-beam and adaptive. Adaptive antennas utilize sophisticated signal processing algorithms to continuously distinguish between the desired signal, multipath and interfering signal as well as to calculate their direction of arrival (DOA). This makes it possible to smoothly track users with main lobes and interferers with nulls and thereby constantly maximizing the SINR (signal-to-interference and noise ratio). The DOA is one of the most important parameter for an adaptive antenna system to estimate. It is also the main subject of this paper. We establish whether or not it is plausible to assume the array to be ideal (which is often assumed in array signal processing theory) when the received signals are actually collected with a physical array consisting of standard folded dipoles. In doing so we first measured the element patterns (or steering vectors) of a twelve element antenna array. The results were then used in array signal processing simulations. The performance of two DOA estimation algorithms, MUSIC and ESPRIT, are studied and compared.


Although Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) achieve effectiveness in various computer vision tasks, the significant requirement of storage of such networks hinders the deployment on computationally limited devices. In this paper, we propose a new compact and portable deep learning network named Modulated Binary Cliquenet (MBCliqueNet) aiming to improve the portability of CNNs based on binarized filters while achieving comparable performance with the full-precision CNNs like Resnet. In MBCliqueNet, we introduce a novel modulated operation to approximate the unbinarized filters and gives an initialization method to speed up its convergence. We reduce the extra parameters caused by modulated operation with parameters sharing. As a result, the proposed MBCliqueNet can reduce the required storage space of convolutional filters by a factor of at least 32, in contrast to the full-precision model, and achieve better performance than other state-of-the-art binarized models. More importantly, our model compares even better with some full-precision models like Resnet on the dataset we used.


This paper presents time-series information on the diet composition and breeding performance
of rhinoceros auklet Cerorhinca monocerata at Triangle Island, British Columbia, Canada,
during 15 breeding seasons between 1976 and 2001. Three shifts in ocean climate occurred within
British Columbia during this period (1976–77, 1989–90, 1998–99), allowing us to evaluate associations
between marine environmental conditions and the reproduction of this piscivorous seabird. Lipid-rich
Pacific sand lance Ammodytes hexapterus was the single most important prey delivered to chicks
across years (15 yr avg. 38%; annual range 4 to 86%). Interannual variability was high, but in general
breeding performance was strongest when 0+ sand lance predominated chick diets. Other annually
important prey taxa included Pacific saury Cololabis saira, juvenile rockfishes Sebastes spp., Pacific
herring Clupea pallasi and juvenile salmonid Oncorhynchus spp. The dietary importance of these prey
also varied seasonally. Marine environmental conditions (evaluated using sea surface temperatures,
SSTs) were clearly associated with reproduction of rhinoceros auklet, as both occurrence of sand lance
in the diet and the growth rates of chicks diminished as spring SSTs increased (r = –0.680, p < 0.01, and
r = –0.697, p < 0.01, respectively). We hypothesized that recruitment to local sand lance populations
was temperature dependent. The strong negative relationship between dietary occurrence of 0+ sand
lance and spring SST (r = –0.560, p < 0.05), coupled with the lack of a similar relationship for 1+ sand
lance (p > 0.20), was consistent with the temperature-dependent recruitment hypothesis. Our data
suggest that SSTs could interact with population age structure to affect the recruitment dynamics of
Pacific sand lance. We estimated the annual dietary importance of 0+ sand lance to rhinoceros auklets
using spring SST and the importance of 0+ sand lance in the diet the previous year.


Traditional cloud storage has relied almost exclusively on large storage providers, who act as trusted third parties to transfer and store data. This model poses a number of issues including data availability, high operational cost, and data security. In this paper, we introduce a system that leverages blockchain technology to provide a secure distributed data storage with keyword search service. The system allows the client to upload their data in encrypted form, distributes the data content to cloud nodes and ensures data availability using cryptographic techniques. It also provides the data owner a capability to grant permission for others to search on her data. Finally, the system supports private keyword search over the encrypted dataset.


The aim of the study was to verify the usefulness of commercially available granulates of PMMA (poly (methyl methacrylate) and PS (polystyrene) for the production of polymer optical fibers by extrusion method. Samples were subjected to thermal processing in various conditions (different temperatures and exposure time). Thermal (TG/DTG) and spectroscopic (ATR/FT-IR) analyses were carried out to analyze changes in the samples. Based on FT-IR analysis of liquid monomers and granulates the conversion of double bonds was calculated, which gave us a picture of the degree of monomers conversion, crucial information from the technological point of view. Full Text: PDF References O. Ziemann, J. Krauser, P.E. Zamzow, W. Daum, POF Polymer Optical Fibersfor Data Communication (Berlin: Springer 2008). DirectLink P. Stajanca et al. "Solution-mediated cladding doping of commercial polymer optical fibers", Opt. Fiber Technol. 41, 227-234, (2018). CrossRef K. Peters, "Polymer optical fiber sensors—a review", Smart Mater. Struct., 20 013002 (2011) CrossRef J. Zubia and J. Arrue, "Plastic Optical Fibers: An Introduction to Their Technological Processes and Applications", Opt. Fiber Technol. 7 ,101-40 (2001) CrossRef M. Beckers, T. Schluter, T. Gries, G. Seide, C.-A. Bunge, "6 - Fabrication techniques for polymer optical fibres", Polymer Optical Fibres, 187-199 (2017) CrossRef M. Niedźwiedź , M. Gil, M. Gargol , W. Podkościelny, P. Mergo, "Determination of the optimal extrusion temperature of the PMMA optical fibers", Phot. Lett. Poland 11, 7-9 (2019) CrossRef


Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is the most common congenital viral infection in humans with great propensity to infect and injure developing nervous system. The extent of damage directly depends on the time of infection. In early CMV infections, the extent of neurologic damage most likely causes fetal death. We present a child with serology indicative of acute CMV infection and neuroimaging showing signs of early congenital infection. Seizures caused by severe central nervous system damage were well controlled with phenobarbital maintained within reference values in blood. In conclusion, severe neurologic damage caused by early congenital CMV infection emphasizes the importance of CMV infection stigmata recognition with early fetal sonography, and in suspected cases with serology. This case reveals insufficient diagnostic strategies, as well as deficient treatment options including the need for developing a safe and efficient vaccine. This child is an extraordinary example of surviving infant with extreme central nervous system damage and good seizure control.


We report here discovery of the existence of two different accretion modes in the high mass X-ray bin binary pulsar Cen X-3 during its high states binary The multiband X-ray light curves of Cen X-3 lasting for more than 3400 days obtained with the All Sky Monitor (ASM) on board the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) shows many episodes of high and low X-ray intensities. The high intensity phases last between a few to upto 110 days and the separation between two high intensity phases also varies widely. One remarkable feature deduced from the RXTE-ASM light curves is that during these high intensity phases, Cen X-3 manifests in two very distinct spectral states. When the source makes a transitionf rom the low intensity phase to the high intensity phase, it adopts one of these two spectral states and during the entire high intensity phase remains in that particular spectral state. During December 2000 to April 2004, all the high intensity episodes showed a hardness ratio which is significantly larger than the same during all the high states prior to and subsequent to this period. It is also found that most of the soft outbursts reach a nearly constant peak flux in the 5-12 ke Vband. For comparison, similar analysis was carried out on the long term X-ray light curves of three other X-ray binary pulsars Her X-1, Vela X-1, and SMC X-1. Results obtained with these sources are also presented here and we found that none of the other sources show such a behaviour. From these observations, we suggest that Cen X-3 has two different accretion modes and in the course of nine years it has exhibited two switch overs between these.


Abstract Critical researchers in anthropology, politics, and history have profited from the spatial turn, or the idea that spaces produced through practices and perceptions influence observable social action, in showing how people at borders derive specific economic and social benefits from their unique location. This is especially relevant in African border contexts where state presence is often modified or resisted by local agendas. However, less work examines how cross-border activities, locally-held perceptions, and geographic location interact to generate different versions of what it means to "be at" a border for border-crossers and residents themselves. This paper, in responding to calls for interdisciplinary and multiperspectival approaches to border studies, argues that theorizing border towns as dynamic "places" clarifies how individuals impact and construct different meanings at and across borders. It empirically develops this idea by examining two spheres of everyday activity occurring at the Kenya-Uganda border: cross-border trade and health service provision.


The ichthyoses, also known as disorders of keratinization (DOK), encompass a group of genetic skin disorders linked by the common finding of abnormal barrier function, which initiates a default compensatory pathway of hyperproliferation, resulting in the characteristic clinical manifestation of localized or generalized scaling. Ichthyoses are a highly heterogenous group of disorders, both genetically and clinically. Despite the identification of causative mutations in over 50 genes, clear genotypephenotype correlations have been difficult to establish due to the rarity of the ichthyoses and because mutations in the same gene can have widely divergent phenotypes, even in individuals with the same disease-causing mutation. In partnership with the Foundation for Ichthyosis and Related Skin Types (FIRST), we have served as a major national and international referral center and recruited over 800 kindreds with DOK, utilizing whole exome sequencing to identify novel, rare mutations that cause DOK, many of which represent phenotypic expansion. We systematically evaluated genotypic and phenotypic data for 407 kindreds with ichthyosis, the largest cohort published to date. We identified 156 novel mutations and assessed phenotypic features of DOK with respect to genetic diagnosis to help refine our understanding of this heterogeneous group of disorders (Chapter 1). Such a systematic classification of DOK holds promise for the development of customized management plans, generation of targeted therapeutics, and improved understanding of prognostication based on genetic diagnosis. In the process of performing a large scale genotype-phenotype characterization, we identified kindreds with rare clinical subtypes of ichthyosis, including Bathing Suit Ichthyosis (BSI), a rare disorder caused by mutations in the transglutaminase 1 gene (TGM1) and characterized by the restriction of scale to sites of relatively higher temperature such as the trunk, with cooler areas remaining unaffected (Chapter 2). We identified novel and recurrent mutations in sixteen subjects with BSI, the largest cohort published to date. Our findings expand the genotypic spectrum of BSI and the understanding of temperature-sensitivity of TGM1 mutations. Increased awareness of temperature-sensitive TGM1 genotypes should aid in genetic counseling, and provide insights into the pathophysiology of TGM1 ichthyoses, and potential therapeutic approaches. In the course of unifying genetic and clinical data to advance the understanding of the different subtypes of ichthyosis, we realized the critical importance of tools to assess the clinical severity of ichthyosis. We designed a Visual Index for Ichthyosis Severity (VIIS) and tested the instrument for reliability and reproducibility using two different settings: one that utilized scoring of 60 test photographs by 10 dermatologists, and one with inperson evaluations on 85 subjects by 12 dermatologists at the Foundation for Ichthyosis and Related Skin Types (FIRST) conference (Chapter 3). The validation process revealed high reliability and reproducibility for both scale and erythema and indicated that the VIIS performs better in person than with photographs, an important consideration in design of clinical trials. This index provides a tool for clinical phenotyping and assessment of therapeutic response for many disorders of keratinization.


Tectonic quiescence and lack of orogenesis have lead to very nutrient impoverished soils in Southwest of Western Australia (SWWA). The most limiting macronutrient of which is phosphorus (P) both in the form that is easily accessible to plants and occluded phosphorus. To overcome this many plants have developed unique adaptations such as forming cluster-roots that increase surface area as well as exude carboxylates that help liberate the occluded P from the soils.

Over millions of years SWWA flora have adapted to such low soil P levels. However, the introduced oomycete pathogen, P. cinnamomi, has been wreaking havoc on the native vegetation of SWWA and most (wetter areas) of Australia. The only viable option of mitigating the effects of this contagious pathogen is through the application of a phosphorus-based fungicide called phosphite.

Phosphite, as applied, is neutralised phosphorus acid H3PO3, which is oxidised to PO43- by soil microorganisms. Phosphate is a soil fertiliser and a very important nutrient for growth and development of plants and animals. This fungicide is either aerially sprayed or applied as trunk-injections on P. cinnamomi infested plant communities to help reduce its impact. For the most part it has proven to be quite successful in suppressing the pathogen's effects on many plant species. However, there are tradeoffs in the form of phytotoxicity by sensitive species as well as potential for fertilisation, weed invasion, changes to plant communities as well as changes to the soil P pool.

In this study the effects of long-term P application as phosphite was studied in a Banksia woodland. The study site has been divided into four monitoring sites by DEC (Albany) since the mid 1990s: (i) unsprayed and P. cinnamomi-free plots; (ii) unsprayed and P. cinnamomi infested plots; (iii) phosphite sprayed and P. cinnamomi infested plots; (iv) phosphite sprayed and P. cinnamomi-free plots. The present study found that long-term phosphite application (from 1996-2010) in the study site of Gull Rock National Park region, south-western Australia (Albany), has increased soil P levels. Both plant-available and total P levels were significantly elevated (p=0.014). The total P levels in the target species Adenanthos cuneatus, Banksia attenuata, Banksia coccinea and Jacksonia spinosa mature leaves (p=0.013, p=0.013, p=0.042 and p=0.157, respectively) and senesced leaves (p=0.001, p=0.005, p=0.044, respectively (A. cuneatus did not have senesced leaves)) were also significantly higher from the unsprayed and disease-free plots except in the case of mature J. spinosa leaves.. Although the soil P levels are well below critical levels, the total P levels in B. attenuata and B. coccinea leaves were significantly above phytotoxic levels. This is most probably due to long-term phosphite application and its subsequent accumulation.

The study site revealed that phosphite sprayed and P. cinnamomi-free plots have formed a unique assemblage of plants but the species overlap with the unsprayed and P. cinnamomi-free "control" plots. However, the unsprayed and P. cinnamomi infested plots showed the most unique plant community due to the high destructive capacity of the pathogen that has lead to only resistant species surviving. Similarly, Shannon diversity index and Evenness index revealed that the synergistic effect of the pathogen and the fungicide have formed the most species diverse community in the phosphite sprayed and P. cinnamomi infested plots that is also very even when compared to the other three treatment plots.

Canopy closure analysis was used as a primary-productivity indicator to estimate biomass production based on the canopy cover. The phosphite sprayed and P. cinnamomi-free plots showed a highly significantly (p<0.001) greater canopy closure when compared to the control treatment, unsprayed and P. cinnamomi-free plots. However, dry weight of biomass from 1m2 harvests of five plots within these two sites did not show a significant difference in biomass. Interestingly, B. attenuata had significantly (p<0.001) high photosynthesis rate in the former plots when compared to the control treatment but B. coccinea had no significant (p=0.786) difference.

A glasshouse experiment was also performed using white lupins (Lupinus albus) to understand the pattern of phytotoxicity caused by massive influx of P in the form of phosphate through the application of phosphite. Seven treatments: control (untreated), 120 kg/ha, 240 kg/ha, 480 kg/ha, 720 kg/ha and 1440 kg/ha each with nine replicates were sprayed with the indicated concentrations of phosphite and incubated for five weeks in the glasshouse to allow bio-oxidation of phosphite into phosphate by soil microbes. The treatments are approximate to the numbers of years of annual phosphite application, i.e., 120 kg/ha = 5 years of 24 kg/ha annual phosphite application.

This study revealed that soil total- and plant-available P levels were in direct relationship with phosphite application rates. Plant shoot growth and biomass production were severely impeded even at the lowest treatment level of 120 kg/ha. The plants had stunted growth, low leaf-, stem-, and root-mass. The plants also had very low germination rates beginning from 240 kg/ha treatments. In contrast, 120 kg/ha had the shortest germination time but similar phytotoxicity symptoms to other treatments. Of interest was the presence of cluster-root primordia rootlets even at the highest phosphite treatment. These were explained due to the 'P-depletion zone' phenomenon as the majority of the cluster roots were induced in the control treatment.

The Mediterranean climate of SWWA makes it prone to wildfires and the plants in the region have coping mechanisms to withstand and proliferate post-fire. However, this study was designed around the idea of 'what would happen to phosphite that is accumulating in the plants after being aerially sprayed?'. The natural process of senescence has been attributed to the high P levels in soil in the field. However, since most of the fungicide is still in planta only small amounts of that phosphite ends up in the soil and is converted to phosphate. This was also the reason for the apparent high biomass levels observed in phosphite sprayed plots. The glasshouse trail acted as a surrogate to wildfires and simulated the impact of wildfires on the phosphite accumulating in planta. Given that phosphite oxidises to phosphate the toxic levels of phosphate influx after only the equivalent of five years of phosphite application caused widespread phytotoxicity symptoms such as root and shoot necrosis; leading to plant death in the white lupin trial.

It is clear that phosphite application has benefits in the form of reducing the impact of P. cinnamomi. Long-term application of this fungicide also has the potential to transform it into a fertiliser as well as cause widespread changes to the ecosystem structure if a wildfire, intense enough to burn all the vegetation to ash, occurs.


For too long criminologists have either ignored consumerism or misunderstood the role it plays in the constitution and reproduction of our current way of life. Few in criminology have acknowledged that consumerism is now integral to our global political economy, and even fewer have offered critical accounts of the vital functional and ideological roles consumerism has played throughout the history of capitalism. There is, of course, a valuable literature that covers most aspects of consumerism and consumer culture, but the illuminating concepts and analyses associated with this literature have yet to be integrated into our discipline. Here we argue that criminologists must now make a concerted attempt to push critical accounts of consumerism towards the centre of our discipline.


Sedentary behaviour (SB) has emerged as a risk factor for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, independent of physical activity (PA) levels. Despite associations between SB and cerebrovascular disease, little research has assessed the influence of SB on cerebrovascular function, comprising cerebral blood flow (CBF), cerebral autoregulation (CA) and cerebrovascular carbon dioxide reactivity (CVR). This is of upmost importance since the maintenance of cerebrovascular function appears critical for cognition, mood and the prevention of cerebrovascular diseases. Consequently, the overarching aims of this thesis were to explore the effects of sitting on cerebrovascular function, cognition and mood and to explore the effect of breaking up sitting on these parameters. Study one assessed whether objectively measured workplace sitting and PA were associated with cognition and mood. Results showed workplace sitting was negatively associated with calm mood state, but not cognition. Standing and stepping whilst at work were positively associated with aspects of cognition (working memory and attention) and mood (positive affect and calm and content mood states), indicating PA throughout the workday should be encouraged as it may have beneficial effects on mental wellbeing and cognitive performance. In contrast to guidelines advising increasing light-intensity PA in the workplace, only moderate-intensity PA at work was positively associated with working memory, possibly indicating this higher intensity of PA should be encouraged during work hours to positively influence cognitive performance in desk workers. Study two aimed to determine the acute effects of a prolonged sitting period on cerebrovascular function, cognition and mood in healthy desk workers. Uninterrupted sitting for six hours reduced CBF and impaired aspects of CA but had no effect on CVR. Decreases in positive affect, and the alert and content mood states were also observed, but these were not related to the concurrent changes in cerebrovascular function. There was no change in cognition following prolonged sitting. Results may have important implications for the long-term mental and physical health of individuals who are repeatedly exposed to periods of uninterrupted sitting. Study three assessed the acute effects of breaking up sitting time on cerebrovascular function in healthy desk workers using two different walking break strategies. The decrease in CBF and CA observed following four hours of uninterrupted sitting was prevented using frequent, short duration walking breaks rather than less frequent, longer duration walking breaks. Results further demonstrate that prolonged uninterrupted sitting impairs cerebrovascular function and suggest that the frequency of the breaks used to interrupt sitting is an important component to preserve aspects of function. In contrast, both walking break strategies caused a larger increase in CVR compared to prolonged sitting. This indicates that, for this aspect of cerebrovascular function, any duration or frequency of PA may have acute benefits. Study four assessed whether using a computer-based prompting software designed to break up prolonged sitting at work altered cerebrovascular function, cognition and mood in healthy office workers. Following the intervention, workplace sitting was reduced and replaced predominantly by increased time spent standing. This reduction in sitting improved aspects of CA but had no influence on other measures of cerebrovascular function, cognition or mood. Results provide preliminary evidence that long-term reductions in SB may improve aspects of cerebrovascular function. Overall, the major findings of this thesis are that prolonged, uninterrupted sitting acutely impairs aspects of cerebrovascular function, however this can be prevented by breaking up sitting with short duration, regular walking breaks. Prolonged sitting also acutely impairs aspects of mood but not cognition. Taken together this thesis provides the first evidence that SB negatively effects cerebrovascular function and further research should explore whether this leads to heightened cerebrovascular disease risk.


A theory for treating coupling between curved transmission lines is derived as an extension of the theory of coupled parallel transmission lines. It is assumed that there exists a one-to-one correspondence between the coupled points on the two transmission lines. As an example, numerical results based on the theory are included for the characteristic interaction parameters associated with directional couplers consisting of lossless semicircular and linear transmission lines. The general expressions that are derived for the interaction matrix elements are valid in these particular cases.


An approach to robotic path planning, which allows optimization of useful performance indices in the presence of obstacles, is given. The main idea is to express obstacle avoidance in terms of the distances between potentially colliding parts. Mathematical properties of the distance functions are studied and it is seen that various types of derivatives of the distance functions are easily characterized. The results lead to the formulation of path planning problems as problems in optimal control and suggest numerical procedures for their solution. A simple numerical example involving a three-degree-of-freedom Cartesian manipulator is described.


OBJECTIVES
The objectives of this study were to determine the prevalence of dysmenorrhoea in Omani high schoolgirls, its impact and the treatment used.

METHODS
A cross-sectional survey was carried out in May 2010 on 404 girls from two public high schools in the Muscat region. Data were collected by self-administered questionnaire including information on demographics, prevalence of dysmenorrhoea, severity, its impact, and the treatment used.

RESULTS
Overall, 94% (n = 380) of the participants had dysmenorrhoea. It was mild in 27% (n = 104), moderate in 41% (n = 155), and severe in 32% (n = 121). Dysmenorrhoea was the cause of limited sports activities in 81%, decreased class concentration in 75%, restricted homework in 59%, school absenteeism in 45%, limited social activities in 25%, and decreased academic performance in 8% of the affected students. Only 3% (n = 10) had consulted a physician; 21% (n = 80) self-medicated, and 55% (n = 210) took no action. The commonest drugs used were paracetamol (n = 60, 16%), ibuprofen (n = 29, 8%) and mefenemic acid (n = 12, 3%). There was no statistically significant correlation between dysmenorrhoea, demographics and menstrual characteristics.

CONCLUSION
Dysmenorrhoea is a prevalent and yet undertreated menstrual disorder among Omani adolescent schoolgirls. The pain suffered can be severe and disabling. Doctors should therefore be prepared to discuss this more freely with schoolgirls. In addition, there is a need for education regarding dysmenorrhoea and treatment options to minimise the impact on school, sports, social and daily activities.


The magnetically shielded miniature Hall thruster, originally tested at the University of California, Los Angeles, underwent performance validation experiments at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The thruster was operated over a range of discharge voltages, from 150 V – 300V, and currents, from 1 A – 2.3 A. It was discovered that the thruster operated in two distinct modes which were dependent on the thruster's temperature: a "jet" mode and a "diffuse" mode. At the nominal condition of 275 V and 1.2 A in the jet mode, a thrust of approximately 12 – 13 mN was measured by a thrust stand with an anode efficiency of approximately24%. At the same nominal conditions, the diffuse mode showed a thrust of 11 – 12 mN and an anode efficiency of approximately 21%. Characterization of the plume in both operating modes was accomplished using a shielded Faraday probe, a retarding potential analyzer, and an ExB probe. Discharge current oscillations on the order of 2.5 – 4 times the mean current were observed during jet mode operation, while the oscillations in the diffuse mode were on the order of 20% of the mean current. Results from the plume characterization, post-operation discharge channel inspection, and discharge oscillations, combined with the temperature-dependent mode shift, suggest that changes to the magnetic field strength and topology caused by saturation of the thruster's magnetic circuit may be occurring at elevated operating temperatures.


Porcupine (PORCN) is a membrane-bound O-acyl transferase that is required for the palmitoylation of Wnt proteins, and that is essential in diverse Wnt pathways for Wnt-Wntless (WLS) binding, Wnt secretion, and Wnt signaling activity. We tested if PORCN was required for the proliferation of transformed cells. Knockdown of PORCN by multiple independent siRNAs results in a cell growth defect in a subset of epithelial cancer cell lines. The growth defect is transformation-dependent in human mammary epithelial (HMEC) cells. Additionally, inducible PORCN knockdown by two independent shRNAs markedly reduces the growth of established MDA-MB-231 cancers in orthotopic xenografts in immunodeficient mice. Unexpectedly, the proliferation defect resulting from loss of PORCN occurs in a Wnt-independent manner, as it is rescued by re-expression of catalytically inactive PORCN, and is not seen after RNAi-mediated knockdown of the Wnt carrier protein WLS, nor after treatment with the PORCN inhibitor IWP. Consistent with a role in a Wnt-independent pathway, knockdown of PORCN regulates a distinct set of genes that are not altered by other inhibitors of Wnt signaling. PORCN protein thus appears to moonlight in a novel signaling pathway that is rate-limiting for cancer cell growth and tumorigenesis independent of its enzymatic function in Wnt biosynthesis and secretion.


UNLABELLED
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PREMISE OF THE STUDY
The characteristics of clonal growth that are advantageous in invasive plants can also result in native plants' ability to resist invasion. In Maine, we compared the clonal architecture and diversity of an invasive lineage (introduced Phragmites) and a noninvasive lineage (native Phragmites) present in much of North America. This study is the first on stand-scale diversity using a sample size and systematic spatial-sampling scheme adequate for characterizing clonal structure in Phragmites. Our questions included: (1) Does the structure and extent of clonal growth suggest that the potential for clonal growth contributes to the invasiveness of the introduced lineage? (2) Is clonal growth common in the native lineage, acting as a possible source of ecological resistance and resilience?•

METHODS
Microsatellite markers were used to measure clonal sizes, architecture, and diversity within each lineage in stands within four marshes in Maine.•

KEY RESULTS
Clonal diversity measures indicated that clonal growth was significantly greater in stands of the native lineage than in the introduced. While lineage was a consistent predictor of clonal diversity relative ranking, the marsh location was a much stronger predictor of the absolute range of these values.•

CONCLUSIONS
Our results indicate an important role for clonal growth in the space consolidation of native Phragmites and could explain why the introduced lineage, with stronger competitive traits, has not replaced the native where they co-occur. These results with regard to clone size, size distributions, singleton occurrence, and clonal architecture provide some evidence for stand development that follows a genotypic initial floristics model.


In this work, behavioural field studies and metabolic studies in the laboratory were conducted to elucidate the extent of adaptation of the platypus Ornithorhynchus anatinus to its highly specialised semiaquatic lifestyle. Energy requirements of platypuses foraging, resting and walking were measured in a swim tank and on a conventional treadmill using flow-through respirometry. Foraging behaviour and activity pattern of platypuses in the wild were investigated at a sub-alpine Tasmanian lake where individuals were equipped with combined data-logger-transmitter packages measuring foraging activity or dive depth and ambient temperature.

Energy requirements while foraging in the laboratory were found to depend on water temperature, body mass and dive duration and averaged 8.48 W kg-1. Mean rate for subsurface swimming was 6.71 W kg-1. Minimum cost of transport for subsurface swimming platypuses was 1.85 J N-1m-1 at a speed of 0.4 m s-1. The metabolic rate of platypuses resting on the water surface was 3.91 W kg-1 while minimal RMR on land was 2.08 W kg-1. The metabolic rate for walking was 8.80 and 10.56 W kg-1 at speeds of 0.2 and 0.3 m s-1, respectively. Minimal cost of transport for walking was predicted to be 2.13 J N-1m-1 at a speed of 1.7 m s-1. A formula was derived, which allows prediction of power requirements of platypuses in the wild from measurements of body mass, dive duration and water temperature.

Activity patterns of platypuses in the wild were highly variable. Forty percent of the platypuses studied showed patterns, which deviated considerably from the nocturnal pattern generally reported for the species. Some animals showed diurnal rhythms while others temporarily followed the lunar cycle. Foraging trips lasted for an average of 12.4 h of continuous foraging activity per day (maximum: 29.8 hours). There were significant differences in diving behaviour between sexes and seasons. Activity levels were highest between August and November and lowest in January.

While foraging, platypuses followed a model of optimised recovery time, the optimal breathing theory. Mean dive duration was 31.3 seconds with 72 % Energetics and foraging behaviour of the platypus 6 of all dives lasting between 18 and 40 seconds. Mean surface duration was 10.1 seconds. Mean dive depth was 1.28 m with a maximum of 8.77 m. Up to 1600 dives per foraging trip with a mean of 75 dives per hour were performed. Only 15 % of all dives were found to exceed the estimated aerobic dive limit of 40 seconds indicating mainly aerobic diving in the species. Total bottom duration per day was proposed as a useful indicator of foraging efficiency and hence habitat quality in the species.

In contrast to observations made earlier in rivers, temporal separation was found to play a vital role for social organisation of platypuses in the lake system that was investigated. It is suggested that high intra-specific competition as well as limited burrow sites and a limited number of at the same time highly productive foraging locations were responsible for this observation. Mean burrow temperature in the wild was 17.5 and 14.2oC in summer and winter, respectively, and was fairly constant over the platypus's resting period. In the cooler months, burrow temperature was up to 18oC higher than ambient air temperature.

By combining both field and laboratory data, a time-energy budget for the platypus was created. Mean field metabolic rate was 684 kJ kg-1 day-1 and was significantly higher in the winter months. Mean food requirement was 132 g fresh matter kg-1 day-1. Feeding rates were 68 % higher in winter than in summer.

While platypuses in the swim tank were found to expend energy at only half the rate of semiaquatic eutherians of comparable body size, cost of transport at optimal speed as well as field metabolic rates were in line with findings for eutherians. These patterns suggest that locomotor efficiency of semiaquatic mammals might have reached a limit for energetic optimisation. The semiaquatic lifestyle seems to pose comparable energetic hurdles for mammals regardless of their phylogenetic origin.


Despite its tremendous utility, database systems has often been considered an unexciting topic for undergraduate curricula. To remedy this, we describe a novel interactive electronic textbook for teaching undergraduate database systems courses. Designed for tablets, the textbook embeds a fully capable database. All parts of the textbook – examples, expressions, figures and explanations in the document are live, fully-functional elements of the database. In contrast to canned illustrations and animations, students can interact with each textbook element. The rapid feedback loop with the database allows the user to explore and understand the full scope of valid and invalid queries to the database. Wireless connectivity allows the instructor to perform detailed realtime analysis of classroom performance and provide interactive feedback, merging textbook instruction with in-class demonstrations, allowing for the scaling out of classrooms. We discuss the design of our prototype implementation of this concept.


Reference is made to the problem of controlling the dynamic behavior of robots with rigid links but in presence of joint elasticity. It is shown that use of the more general class of dynamic nonlinear state-feedback allows solving both the feedback linearization and the input-output decoupling problems. A constructive procedure for the decoupling and linearizing feedback is given which is based on generalization system inversion and on the properties of the so-called zero-dynamics of the system. A case study of a planar two-link robot with elastic joints is included. The role of dynamic feedback for this class of robots is discussed.<<ETX>>


Using data from the British Household Panel Survey for 1991–99 and the German Socio-Economic Panel for 1984–99, the authors investigate job mobility and estimate the returns to tenure and experience. Job mobility was higher in the United Kingdom than in Germany. Returns to experience also seem to have been substantially higher in the United Kingdom, where the wage gain associated with ten years of labor market experience was around 80%, compared to 35% in Germany. The low returns to labor market experience in Germany appear to have been accountable to one group of workers: those with apprenticeship training, who tended to receive fairly high starting wages but to experience relatively low wage growth thereafter. Wage growth due to labor market experience was similar between the two countries for the other skill groups. Returns to tenure were close to zero in both countries.


In the last two decades the support of clusters has become a useful and frequently used tool for the improvement of country, and especially regional competitiveness in many countries. Nowadays, clusters are often supported from the public sources through cluster programs in multiple European countries, as well as in the USA, in Japan and South Korea, and in many other countries. The length of clusters support duration is various and usually depends on the conditions of the cluster program which provides this support. This paper deals with the influence of innovation performance of European countries, which is measured with the composite index called "Summary Innovation Index†, on the optimal length of clusters support duration in these countries. The paper works with the assumption that the countries with higher levels of innovation performance, where generally powerful and well-established clusters are active, tend to consider shorter periods of time as an optimal length of support duration from public sources in comparison with the countries having lower levels of innovation performance, where clusters do not have such a long tradition and where their economical background is on lower levels. In order to be able to accept or to reject this hypothesis, a primary research with the participation of 122 different clusters from 24 European countries was carried out. The clusters themselves, they consider the problem of optimal length of clusters support duration from public sources as very important and moreover, some clusters answered in the survey that they do not consider the lack of financial resources, but the short length of support duration to be the important problem of their funding. Considering that in the long term Slovakia belongs to the countries with the lowest support of clusters in the European Union, an another goal of the paper and the research itself has been the question what length of clusters support duration from public sources consider Slovak clusters as optimal and if the opinions of Slovak clusters on this optimal length of support duration from the public sources are different from the point of view of clusters in the countries, where clusters have a strong position and are supported simultaneously on the national, regional, and local levels. Keywords: clusters, optimal length of clusters support duration, cluster programs. JEL codes: R120 - Size and Spatial Distributions of Regional Economic Activity R580 - Regional Development Planning and Policy


Estimation of sensor response characteristics is necessary to satisfy requirements on allowable response time for nuclear power plants. The methodology currently used includes direct and indirect measurements, each of them having its advantages and disadvantages. The objective of this work is to compare the time response measurements of temperature and pressure sensors which the Brazilian Angra 1 nuclear power plant obtained using direct and indirect methodologies. Direct methods give more precise results but need special equipment to be carried out and they interfere with the reactor operation. Indirect methodology is most practical to perform; it does not interfere with the reactor operation because the sensors do not have to be out of operation. On the other hand, since the parameter identification depends on the noise characteristics, there are cases where indirect methodology is not suitable to predict time response.


Empirical tourism research has a long history and empirically based findings represent an important component of theory development and managerial insight. Nevertheless, empirical data of any kind is susceptible to misinterpretation. The aim of this study is to investigate to which extent empirical tourism research accounts for three sources of potential misinterpretation of results: (1) the occurrence of answer format effects, (2) the occurrence of culturally specific response styles, and (3) the selection of data analytic techniques appropriate for the data format. A review of 43 academic publications from 2000 and 2001 suggests that empirical tourism research is strongly guided by standards which have developed within the tourism research community and are not questioned anymore: ordinal answer formats dominate the field, ordinal data is analyzed using techniques requiring metric data and cross-cultural response styles are ignored, which is a particularly concerning finding given the amount of cross-cultural comparisons typically undertaken in tourism research. Recommendations for improvement are made.


This article examines the sonic dimension of police operations and occupations by tracing how the everyday life changed sonically in favelas in Rio de Janeiro during their occupation by Pacifying Police Units. I tune into the silencing practices of these security policies and conclude that a moral silencing of a racialized and gendered class of people takes place. A focus on silence helps us to understand sound as a technology of power, which enables the Brazilian state to operate along a gendered sonic color line. The cases I discuss are two instances of silencing that are a product of the operations and occupations: first, the silencing of the soundscape of the favela during police operations, and second, the silencing of funk parties. These ethnographic instances elucidate how racialized processes of negation of black subjectivity and black cultural expressions take place in the Olympic city.


Gersch MS, Mu W, Cirillo P, Reungjui S, Zhang L, Roncal C, Sautin YY, Johnson RJ, Nakagawa T. Fructose, but not dextrose, accelerates the progression of chronic kidney disease. Am J Physiol Renal Physiol 293: F1256–F1261, 2007. First published August 1, 2007; doi:10.1152/ajprenal.00181.2007.—The metabolic syndrome has recently been recognized as a risk factor for kidney disease, but the mechanisms mediating this risk remain unclear. High fructose consumption by animals produces a model of the metabolic syndrome with hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and insulin resistance. The present study was conducted to test the hypothesis that consumption of a high-fructose diet could accelerate the progression of chronic kidney disease. Three groups of 14 male Sprague-Dawley rats were pair fed a specialized diet containing 60% fructose (FRU) or 60% dextrose (DEX) or standard rat chow (CON). After the animals were fed their assigned diet for 6 wk, five-sixths nephrectomy was performed, and the assigned diet was continued for 11 wk. Proteinuria was significantly increased and creatinine clearance was decreased in the FRU group compared with the CON and DEX groups, and blood urea nitrogen was higher in the FRU group than in the CON and DEX groups. Kidneys from the FRU group were markedly larger than kidneys from the CON and DEX groups. Glomerular sclerosis, tubular atrophy, tubular dilatation, and cellular infiltration appeared markedly worse in kidneys from the FRU group than in kidneys from the DEX and CON groups. Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) was measured in renal tissue homogenate and found to be increased in the FRU group. In vitro studies were conducted to determine the mechanism for increased renal MCP-1, and fructose stimulation of proximal tubular cells resulted in production of MCP-1. In conclusion, consumption of a high-fructose diet greatly accelerates progression of chronic kidney disease in the rat remnant kidney model.


The population is rapidly aging while access to proper and affordable medical treatment is becoming more and more limited. This impasse challenges us to make ethical decisions regarding the rationing of health care. Arguing that de facto rationing is already taking place due to economic necessity and that proper management of this rationing is essential to the fair and ethical treatment of all seeking care, Choosing Who's to Live directly addresses one of the most challenging moral questions of our day. Appearing in the wake of increasing awareness of health care reform, this volume identifies four compelling arguments for managed health care rationing: the number of citizens over age eighty-five will increase 500 percent by the year 2040; current baby boomers could live longer than today's elderly by seven to fifteen years; new medical technologies are appearing every day; and the ratio of workers to retirees will be 1:4 in forty years instead of the current 1:2.5. In this volume, six leading scholars take the discussion of rationing health care beyond the simple idea of withholding government-funded, live-saving treatment from the very old to a more ethical, effective treatment plan for all.


This dissertation contains three essays on the impact of other-regarding behavior on human decision-making. Chapter II uses experimental methods to analyze the relative performance of a variety of compensation contracts. This study creates an environment in which individuals are paid via common payment mechanisms employed in the dualprincipal agent relationships (Piece Rate, Flat Rate, Salary, Bonus and Socialization) and examines the effect that different incentive structures have on agent behavior. In Chapter III I explore the potential outcomes of blended payment structures in a dual-principal agent environment. I draw from the previously conducted experimental study in Chapter II and simulate agent behavior induced by blended payment mechanisms. In Chapter IV, I move away from studying payment mechanisms to investigate the impact of intentionality and responsibility on an individual's decision-making process. I explore the effects of direct and indirect responsibility as well as selfish and kind intentions using experimental methodology. Each of these essays provides further evidence that otherregarding behavior has a significant impact on the outcome of an economic situation; therefore, emphasizing the need to address such behavior in theoretical designs.


The Centre for Political and Related Terminology in Southern African Languages (CEPTSA) published the revised and amended bilingual translating version of the Modern Political Dictionary (MPD) in 2011, and immediately started to define core political terms. The phases of the project, consisting of different translating and explanatory versions, are discussed. The aim of CEPTSA is to promote the usage of political and related terminology in Southern Africa. Research is being done on these subject fields, and relevant concepts and terms are harvested, defined and translated. The source language is English and Afrikaans was initially the target language. The Centre, however, already compiled a list of 1000 core terms of the subject area in Tswana, Northern Sotho, Zulu and Xhosa. The Centre is currently busy with defining a further 1500 core terms and as soon as this process is finalised, the English/Afrikaans core terminology list and definitions will be published and the data translated into the official African languages. The Centre provides a terminological and subject-related service to lecturers and under- and postgraduate students in international politics, political studies and governance, public administration, municipal government and administration, development studies and strategic studies. A service is also rendered to members of parliament, provincial legislature and local authorities, language practitioners and the media. The Centre received several awards for the bilingual dictionaries already published, namely the Dictionary category of the South African Translators' Institute (SATI) (2003), the 'Woordfees' award of the Afrikaanse Taal- en Kultuurvereniging (ATKV) (Afrikaans Language and Cultural Association) (2006), and the Stals award of the Suid-Afikaanse Akademie vir Wetenskap en Kuns (South African Academy for Science and the Arts) (2010).


Suffrage is the most significant political development within modern Liberal states. Despite this fact, it is curious as to why suffrage movements have so little history. This article focuses on the creation of an edited volume that seeks to address the women's suffrage story across the Americas. While the intellectual process of the project is discussed in some detail, this article is predominantly a reflection on the process of developing a collaborative project and the challenges inherent to a transnational approach. This project reveals both the significance of suffrage and simultaneously the fractured landscape within individual countries, suffrage movements and the body politics as countless individuals and groups were excluded from the concept of 'citizenship.' It has become clear at this juncture that although significant gaps within women's history across the hemisphere remain, attempting to compile a hemispheric story such as this one would have been unthinkable even a few decades ago and this type of project could also have not happened much earlier in the historiography.


The state of the planet calls for large-scale sustainability transitions involving systemic adoption of markedly better environmental and social practices. The objective of this symposium is to better understand the role of corporations in promoting such systemic change. We present four case studies—representing diverse industries and change mechanisms—-to investigate corporate leadership in sustainability transitions. The cases examine a wide range of mechanisms used by corporations to progress toward sustainability, such as political coalition building and information strategies through eco-labels, socially responsible investing, and the public statements of CEOs. In this introduction, we discuss the challenges associated with both achieving and studying systemic change, explain the rationale for a case study approach, describe the findings from the case studies, and draw some general conclusions on the mechanisms by which firms may be able to lead, or at least participate in, systemic change in the different phases of sustainability transitions.


Under multipath conditions, standard Video Intermediate Frequency (VIF) detectors generate a local oscillator phase error and consequently produce a dispersed non-ideal detected video signal due to the presence of additional IF carriers. The dispersed video causes problems when attempting to identify and remove the multipath interference, or ghosts, by the use of Digital Signal Processing and digital filtering. A digital phase lock system is presented which derives the correct phase for synchronous detection in the presence of multipath by using correlation information that has already been calculated as part of the deghosting process. As a result, the video deghoster system is made simpler, faster and more economical.


Title of dissertation: SCALABLE TECHNIQUES FOR SCHEDULING AND MAPPING DSP APPLICATIONS ONTO EMBEDDED MULTIPROCESSOR PLATFORMS George F. Zaki, Doctor of Philosophy, 2013 Dissertation directed by: Shuvra S. Bhattacharyya (Chair/Advisor) Professor Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Institute for Advanced Computer Studies A variety of multiprocessor architectures has proliferated even for off-the-shelf computing platforms. To make use of these platforms, traditional implementation frameworks focus on implementing Digital Signal Processing (DSP) applications using special platform features to achieve high performance. However, due to the fast evolution of the underlying architectures, solution redevelopment is error prone and re-usability of existing solutions and libraries is limited. In this thesis, we facilitate an efficient migration of DSP systems to multiprocessor platforms while systematically leveraging previous investment in optimized library kernels using dataflow design frameworks. We make these library elements, which are typically tailored to specialized architectures, more amenable to extensive analysis and optimization using an efficient and systematic process. In this thesis we provide techniques to allow such migration through four basic contributions: 1. We propose and develop a framework to explore efficient utilization of Single Instruction Multiple Data (SIMD) cores and accelerators available in heterogeneous multiprocessor platforms consisting of General Purpose Processors (GPPs) and Graphics Processing Units (GPUs). We also propose new scheduling techniques by applying extensive block processing in conjunction with appropriate task mapping and task ordering methods that match efficiently with the underlying architecture. The approach gives the developer the ability to prototype a GPU-accelerated application and explore its design space efficiently and effectively. 2. We introduce the concept of Partial Expansion Graphs (PEGs) as an implementation model and associated class of scheduling strategies. PEGs are designed to help realize DSP systems in terms of forms and granularities of parallelism that are well matched to the given applications and targeted platforms. PEGs also facilitate derivation of both static and dynamic scheduling techniques, depending on the amount of variability in task execution times and other operating conditions. We show how to implement efficient PEG-based scheduling methods using real time operating systems, and to re-use pre-optimized libraries of DSP components within such implementations. 3. We develop new algorithms for scheduling and mapping systems implemented using PEGs. Collectively, these algorithms operate in three steps. First, the amount of data parallelism in the application graph is tuned systematically over many iterations to profit from the available cores in the target platform. Then a mapping algorithm that uses graph analysis is developed to distribute data and task parallel instances over different cores while trying to balance the load of all processing units to make use of pipeline parallelism. Finally, we use a novel technique for performance evaluation by implementing the scheduler and a customizable solution on the programmable platform. This allows accurate fitness functions to be measured and used to drive runtime adaptation of schedules. 4. In addition to providing scheduling techniques for the mentioned applications and platforms, we also show how to integrate the resulting solution in the underlying environment. This is achieved by leveraging existing libraries and applying the GPP-GPU scheduling framework to augment a popular existing Software Defined Radio (SDR) development environment — GNU Radio — with a dataflow foundation and a stand-alone GPU-accelerated library. We also show how to realize the PEG model on real time operating system libraries, such as the Texas Instruments DSP/BIOS. A code generator that accepts a manual system designer solution as well as automatically configured solutions is provided to complete the design flow starting from application model to running system. SCALABLE TECHNIQUES FOR SCHEDULING AND MAPPING DSP APPLICATIONS ONTO EMBEDDED MULTICORE PLATFORMS by


Employing self-directed learning (SDL) methodologies, that are associated with improvement in the affective and psychomotor domains, could be advantageous to learner nurses. Despite the efforts to expose students to SDL in a school of nursing in the Western Cape, South Africa, the challenge remains the students' lack of self-motivation to SDL during clinical activities in the simulated skills laboratory. This article focuses on first-year learner nurses' perceptions of learning motivation (as part of a larger study) in SDL activities in a skills laboratory. An exploratory descriptive quantitative design was used. A sample of 168 respondents was selected through simple random sampling. A self-administered 5-point Likert scale questionnaire was developed. The data was gathered and then analysed by using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 21 software. Descriptive statistics were used to present the findings. It was found that learner nurses were self-motivated to learn with some challenges during the implementation of SDL.


Thesis (Ph.D.)--Georgetown University, 2009.; Includes bibliographical
 references. I argue that the impetus for the narrative production of Ruben Dario is
 transgression, which is manifested on different levels such as eroticism and the figure of the
 poet (or more exactly in that of the artist). I do not believe that one has to privilege one
 of them above the other -as Pedro Salinas and Angel Rama do- but to see the fundamental issue
 behind these two great themes: the transgressive element that breaks with bourgeois values of
 the epoch, i.e., sexual repression and utilitarian work.; Bourgeois society at the end of the
 nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth is a society that in practice (but not
 in its discourses, as Foucault reminds us) represses sex. Dario's writings are characterized
 precisely by the contrary: he continuously exalts sexuality and sensuality. Even in his
 narrative works one can discover references to types of sexual conduct that sexologists of the
 epoch defined as illness, such as homosexuality or fetishism. But what abounds definitively is
 an interest in making sex speak. Here sexual pleasure appears separated from its procreative
 function, thus its transgressive nature. To the capitalist rationale that accelerates
 productivity and the commercialization of industrial goods, Dario opposes an economy of
 pleasure: pleasure for pleasure itself.; There is, nonetheless, another type of production
 that strikingly opposes capitalistic production: the poetic, the artistic. And artistic
 production is in opposition precisely because it is not a utilitarian production nor does it
 seek necessarily an economic end. In modern society there is no longer a space for poetry or
 art: beauty, the ideal, has been displaced by material interest: money, industry, commerce. In
 a society in which production and utilitarian work have achieved so much importance, the
 poet--the artist in general--will be considered as totally unproductive.; Thus, understanding
 "transgression" as the break with what is morally acceptable for bourgeois
 society of the moment, I view transgression as the axis that articulates these two great
 themes in Dario's narrative.


Like in most developing countries, the level of entrepreneurship growth as measured by the number of new firm start-ups has become a central economic issue in Zimbabwe. Necessity and opportunity-driven entrepreneurial activities in the country are being driven by weakening economic growth, poverty, idiosyncratic macro-uncertainties and high levels of unemployment. The country has consistently been listed by the Transparent International Perception of Corruption Index as one of the most corrupt countries in Sub-Saharan Africa outside a war zone. The study examined the nexus between entrepreneurial activities and corruption in Zimbabwe using Ordinary Least Regression equation for the period 1998 to 2016. Our findings suggest that productive entrepreneurial activities in Zimbabwe are significantly being curtailed by regressive tax regimes coupled with enfeebled public institutions. We also demonstrate a positive one way causality running from entrepreneurial activities to corruption and, hence proving the applicability of the greasing hypothesis of corruption in Zimbabwe. The study recommends a number of policy prescriptions that include: reducing levels of taxes on entrepreneurial activities, eliminating red-tape and regulations that add costs on opportunity-driven entrepreneurship, increasing the effectiveness of public institutions especially those that deal with entrepreneurs, introducing robust legislation aimed at reducing public officials' opportunities for rent seeking in entrepreneurial activities that are most prone to corrupt practices. In addition, there is need to monitor bureaucrats and impose severe penalties in order to make corruption payoffs too risky. Our study contributes to the literature on the greasing effect of corruption on entrepreneurial activities in developing countries.


Hydrogen is a promising clean energy alternative to conventional energy sources. Hence, increasing demand on hydrogen as energy carrier enhances studies in hydrogen storage. Hydrogen should be safely and efficiently stored in order to overcome existing barriers in hydrogen usage. Single wall carbon nanotube (SWCNT) is an eligible material for hydrogen storage. In this study, SWCNTs were produced by catalytic chemical vapor deposition (CCVD) of acetylene (C2H2) on MgO powder substrate impregnated with Fe. Catalysts were prepared with Fe to MgO ratio of 5:100 using iron nitrate (Fe(NO3)3•9H2O) solution as Fe source. SWCNTs were synthesized at 800°C for 60 minutes. Nitric acid (HNO3), was used for purification of synthesized SWCNT. The aim of the research was to investigate hydrogen storage capacity of as produced and purified SWCNTs synthesized on Fe-MgO catalyst. The morphology and structure of the SWCNTs were characterized by transmission electron microscope (TEM), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. Thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), and Raman spectroscopy were used for further characterization. Hydrogen storage capacities of SWCNTs were measured by high pressure volumetric analyzer using volumetric method at the cryogenic temperature and gas pressure up to 90 bar. It was found that the hydrogen adsorption capacities of these materials were around 1.9 and 5.3 wt% for as produced and purified SWCNTs respectively. With the fact that DOE target for 2015 is 5.5 wt%, it was seen that SWCNTs produced on Fe-MgO catalyst have good potential as hydrogen storage material.


This thesis focuses on Russian case syntax, more particularly on variable verbal government (rection) in the period 1800-1840. Variable rectional patterns in two major groups are examined: non-prepositional and prepositional rection. The period under examination coincides with the establishment of the literary norm.As the aim is to examine the usage of the spoken language among the educated classes in Nineteenth-Century Russia, an extensive body of material consisting of letters, diaries, memoirs and plays has been used.An important place is assigned to the historical background of the rection of the verbs examined. The reasons for variation between case forms are analysed and contrasted with the conclusions of nineteenth-century philologists. Various factors which influenced Russian verbal rection during this period, including the syntactic influence of French, are analysed. This has never been done before in a systematic way.Conclusions about the predominant as the more infrequent rectional patterns are supported by statistics on the incidence of all the various rectional patterns.The study shows that:- the majority of verbs during this period had modern rectional patterns;- the obvious cases of variation were exhibited in the period 1800-1820;- the exhibited variation was in most cases inherited from earlier epochs.


What are the limits of human rights, and what do these limits mean? This volume engages critically and constructively with this question to provide a distinct contribution to the contemporary discussion on human rights. Fassbender and Traisbach, along with a group of leading experts in the field, examine the issue from multiple disciplinary perspectives, analysing the limits of our current discourse of human rights. It does so in an original way, and without attempting to deconstruct, or deny, human rights. Each contribution is supplemented by an engaging comment which furthers this important discussion. This combination of perspectives paves the way for further thought for scholars, practitioners, students, and the wider public. Ultimately, this volume provides an exceptionally rich spectrum of viewpoints and arguments across disciplines to offer fresh insights into human rights and its limitations.


Black-box and Equivalent-circuit electron device models present different advantages. The first ones are independent from process and device technology (i.e, GaAs, InP, GaN). In the other side the black-box model extraction procedure could not be changed and modified, thus a "post-tune" procedure is not possible. On the contrary, equivalent circuits are strongly technology dependent, though they are more flexible in the identification procedure. In fact an "optimization" of the extracted model parameters is possible following a trade-off with measured data over a large set of bias conditions and frequencies. In this paper two device models, which represent the two categories, will be compared pointing out the differences in the extraction procedures and in the achievable accuracy under small-signal and large-signal operating conditions.


First-year insurer participation in the Health Insurance Marketplaces (HIMs) established by the Affordable Care Act is limited in many areas of the country. There are 3.9 participants, on (population-weighted) average, in the 395 ratings areas spanning the 34 states with federally facilitated marketplaces (FFMs). Using data on the plans offered in the FFMs, together with predicted market shares for HIM participants (estimated using 2011 insurer-state market shares in the individual insurance market), we study the impact of competition on premiums. We exploit variation in ratings-area-level competition induced by UnitedHealthcare's decision not to participate in any of the FFMs. We estimate that the second-lowest-price silver premium (which is directly linked to federal subsidies) would have decreased by 5.4 percent, on average, had UnitedHealthcare participated. If all insurers active in each state's individual insurance market in 2011 had participated in all ratings areas in that state's HIM, we estimate this key premium would be 11.1% lower and 2014 federal subsidies would be reduced by $1.7 billion.


The 21st century marks the beginning of digital age with the extensive use of digital media, mobile devices, and Internet resources. Recent studies found that this digital era has expanded the landscape of student experiences, and educational technologies as well as increased the educator's awareness on embracing technologies to promote effective learning. This has redefined the meaning of effective learning and the approaches in motivating students. Therefore, redesigning the learning environments plays an important role in enhancing the students' experiences in the university classrooms. In this study, the 21st century class environment is designed by mapping Jonassen's model and Gagne's events to employ the constructivist learning approach, organize the information processing, and design the instructions to support effective learning. In order to study student's perception in the 21st century class environment, this study employed the mixed methods approach, includes conducting exploratory factor analysis on the questionnaire response and the qualitative analysis on students' comments. The research samples were formed by 300 undergraduate degree students who studied at INTI International University, Malaysia. The exploratory factor analysis has identified four main factors, group learning, motivation, skills development and knowledge transfer. In the discussion, this study presents the key attributes, the main contributors to the attributes and its impact on student learning. For instance, the factor of group learning can be stimulated by emphasizing on the identified key attributes, such as improved work relationship, improved leadership, and refined collaborative learning which enhancing student learning experience as they are keen to attempt different approach, and anticipate changes. This study aims to identify the factors and elaborate the key attributes for supporting the strategies in transforming the university class environment to enhances students' learning experiences and promote effective learning.


The settling properties of the activated sludge cultivated in both single and multiple compartment systems were thoroughly investigated under various BOD/N ratios in the wastewater and at a hydraulic retention time of 24 hrs. The present study found that the compartmentalized system could not only achieve a better effluent quality but also produce a higher sludge settleability if the BOD/N ratio was not in excess of 130:1. The performance of the compartmentalized system highly depended upon the physical arrangement of the reactor compartments or the value of the dispersion number, that is, the higher the compartment number or the lower the dispersion number, the higher the percentage organic substrate removal. This result was mainly due to the fact that both the sludge settling and the substrate utilization rates were higher when the mixed activated sludge culture was cultivated in the compartmentalized system with low dispersion number. The major filamentous micro-organisms which were observed in the conventional single-stage reactor system were: Sphaerotilus sp. form I (\IS. natans\N), and form II, Type 0961, Type 021N, Type 0581 and Type 0803. These causative filamentous micro-organisms could exist even when the activated sludge system was operated under the DO sufficient condition.


Now I will tell you more – The story of Uglenspeil from the Volksbuch to the Novel. "Nu vil jeg fortaelle Jer mere – Fortaellingen om Uglenspeil fra folkebog til roman" [Now I will tell you more – The story of Uglenspeil from the Volksbuch to the Novel] addresses one of the most frequently debated matters in the historiography of the novel, namely the question of continuity and rupture: did the novel grow out of earlier forms, or rise as a profoundly new genre? Whereas the question of legacy informs the historiography on the English novel, there are surprisingly few investigations of the 18th century Danish novel and its relation to previous literary forms. This article investigates the relationship between the novel and the most widely read literary genre before the novel in Denmark, namely the volksbuch. It does so through a comparative analysis of Carl August Thielo's novel Den Unge Uglenspeil, eller det slet opdragne Menneske [The Young Uglenspeil, or the Person who was brought up badly] (1759) and the Volksbuch Tiile Ugelspegel (1669) (in Jacobsen, Olrik and Paulli 1930). These works are particularly informative for understanding the relationship between the two genres as Thielo's novel is built on – and at the same time comments on – the earlier genre. The article argues that the differences between the texts concerning fictionality, narrative techniques, structure, and their levels of reflections are so fundamental that the novel cannot be regarded a genre that simply grew out of the former. Especially with regard to fictionality, it becomes clear that the volksbuch and the novel are two very different genres. Whereas the novel comes to admit its own fictional status, the volksbucher were perceived of and intended to be taken as true stories. For those reasons, the article concludes that compared to previously most popular prose genre in Denmark, the Danish novel is to be considered a profoundly new genre.