Abstract Cattle influence grassland dynamics in three ways: herbage removal, dung deposition and trampling. The objective of this study was to assess the effects of these factors, separately or in combination, and to compare them with cattle grazing over a one year period in a field experiment conducted in the Jura Mountains of northwestern Switzerland. A set of controlled treatments simulating the three factors was applied in a fenced area: (1) repeated mowing – three levels; (2) intensive trampling – two levels; (3) manuring with a liquid mixture of dung and urine – three levels. All treatments were applied homogeneously to the entire surface of each of the 40 plots inside the exclosure. Additionally, ten plots outside the fenced area represented reference plots with regular cattle pasturing. The multivariate response of species composition was assessed three times with the point-intercept method: in spring before the treatments, in autumn after one season of treatments and at the beginning of the following year after winter rest. Multivariate analyses of vegetation data in the first year showed an overwhelming seasonal shift and significant differences induced by treatments. Abandoned and manured plots showed the largest deviation from the cattle grazed reference. Herbage removal, simulated by repeated mowing, appeared to be the most important factor for maintaining vegetation texture. Seasonal treatment effects were only partially carried over to the next spring, showing an unexpected resilience of the plant community, probably due to life-history traits and competition release following climatic disturbance in winter. Nomenclature: Tutin et al. (1964–1980). Abbreviation: PCA = Principal Component Analysis; RDA = Redundancy analysis.


In this paper we present the modeling and simulation of a chemical vapor deposition for metallic bipolar plates. In the models we discuss the application of different ideas to simulate the transport of chemical reactants in the gas chamber. Based on the multi-scaling problem of the underlying physical behavior, we discuss adapted models in different domains and scales. We combine analytically motivated solutions on simplified domains with numerical solutions based on more complex domains. The near-and-far-field context is based on the large scale, that can be done with continuous models, as convection-diffusion-reaction equations, and small scales, that are based on chemical and molecular models as Boltzmann equations. As an expert system of different models, we deal with different problems. Numerical methods are described in the context of timeand spacediscretization methods. For the simulations we apply analytical as well as numercial methods to obtain results to predict the growth of thin layers. The results are discussed with physical experiments to give a valid model for the assumed growth.


In order to deduce the difficult), of fixing the Ritchey-Chretien (R-C) dual reflective optical system and enhance the stability of the secondary mirror, a compact integral structure is presented here composed of two transmitting and two reflective aspheric surfaces. The four surfaces were manufactured from a single germanium lens and integrated together. The two reflective surfaces formed by coating the inner reflecting films were assembled in one lens. It makes the installation of the two mirrors easier and the structure of the secondary mirror more stable. A design of mid-wave infrared (MWIR) compact imaging system is presented with a spectral range chosen as 3.7-4.8 mu m. The effective focal length is f=90 mm. The field of view (FOV) for the lens is 4.88 degrees. It has good imaging capability with Modulation Transfer Function (MTF) of all field of view more than 0.55 close to the diffraction limitation. Outdoor experiments were carried out and it is shown that the integral catadioptric optical system performs well on imaging.


This thesis explores the modeling of volatility and dependence in forward rates in the fixed income market for the purpose of risk estimation in derivative portfolios. A brief background on popular quantile-based risk measures is given. A short introduction is given to GARCH-type volatility models, as well as copula and vine models for dependence between random variables. Some details on parameter estimation and sampling related to these models are also provided. A backtesting procedure is performed using various combinations of volatility and dependence models. The results of this procedure indicate that the Student's t copula is preferable among the dependence structures considered. Also, none of the choices of conditional distribution for the volatility models provide good results at all the percentiles considered, but the normal distribution appears to be a good choice far into the tails.


Manganese dioxide (MnO2)–zinc (Zn) batteries are cheap and environmentally benign and have sufficient theoretical energy density to be used as an energy storage device for the grid; however, they have been relegated to primary systems, where the complete energy is delivered in a single discharge, due to the irreversibility of their active materials. Until recently, rechargeable MnO2–Zn batteries have only been able to cycle ∼10% of MnO2's theoretical 2-electron capacity (617 mA h g−1), thus delivering significantly reduced energy density. In a recent paper from our group, we reversibly accessed the full theoretical 2-electron capacity of MnO2 for >6000 cycles by using a layered polymorph of MnO2 mixed with bismuth oxide (Bi2O3) called Bi-birnessite (Bi–δ-MnO2) intercalated with Cu2+ ions. This discovery highlighted the possibility of achieving very high energy densities from inexpensive aqueous batteries; however, a full-cell demonstration with Zn as the anode was not studied. Here we report for the first time the effect of Zn anodes on the cycle life and energy density of a full cell, where we observe that 15% depth-of-discharge (DOD) of the Zn's theoretical capacity (820 mA h g−1) creates a cell energy density of ∼160 W h L−1; however, this causes a drastic shape change and formation of irreversible zinc oxide (ZnO) at the anode, which ultimately causes cell failure after ∼100 cycles. A drop in energy density is also observed as a result of the interaction of dissolved Zn ions with the cathode, which forms a resistive Zn-birnessite compound in the early cycles, and then forms a highly resistive haeterolite (ZnMn2O4) in the later cycles, and ultimately causes cathode failure. A possible solution using a calcium hydroxide layer as a separator is presented, where the layer blocks the interaction of zinc ions through a complexing mechanism to obtain >900 cycles with >80% retention of MnO2 DOD.


Reproducing zones of personal sound is a challenging signal processing problem that has garnered considerable research interest in recent years. We introduce in this work an extended method to multizone soundfield reproduction that overcomes issues with speech privacy and quality. Measures of speech intelligibility contrast (SIC) and speech quality are used as cost functions in an optimization of speech privacy and quality. Novel spatial and (temporal) frequency domain speech masker filter designs are proposed to accompany the optimization process. Spatial masking filters are designed using multizone soundfield algorithms that are dependent on the target speech multizone reproduction. Combinations of estimates of acoustic contrast and long term average speech spectra are proposed to provide equal masking influence on speech privacy and quality. Spatial aliasing specific to multizone soundfield reproduction geometry is further considered in analytically derived low-pass filters. Simulated and real-world experiments are conducted to verify the performance of the proposed method using semi-circular and linear loudspeaker arrays. Simulated implementations of the proposed method show that significant SIC and speech quality is achievable between zones. A range of perceptual evaluation of speech quality mean opinion scores that indicate good quality are obtained while at the same time providing confidential privacy as indicated by SIC. The simulations also show that the method is robust to variations in the speech, virtual source location, array geometry, and number of loudspeakers. Real-world experiments confirm the practicality of the proposed methods by showing that good quality and confidential privacy are achievable.


In 1937 the Manchester Engineering Firm Metropolitan Vickers (Metrovick) wereawarded a development contract by the Air Ministry to develop a gas turbine for aircraftpropulsion in conjunction with the Royal Aircraft Establishment at Farnborough.Over the next decade and a half, the company developed a number of gas turbine designsfor a variety of applications in the air, at sea, and on land. This thesis examines the gasturbine work of Metropolitan Vickers, and how the company interacted with a variety ofpartners across both the military and the civilian realms. These included governmentresearch establishments such as the Royal Aircraft Establishment and the AdmiraltyEngineering Laboratory; commercial partners, such as the aero-engine manufacturerArmstrong Siddeley, Yarrow Shipbuilders, and the Great Western Railway, and stateinstitutions such as the Ministries of Aircraft Production and Fuel and Power.It argues that Metrovick?s technical style was formed by the company?s existing heavyengineering plant business, which privileged design over development and productionengineering. Compared to competitors such as Power Jets and Rolls Royce, Metrovick?sprogress on aero-engine work was hampered by the lack of a development organisation;though technically advanced, its aircraft engines took a long time to be developed andwould not reach production; a factor which was influential in the post-war sale ofMetrovick?s aero-engine designs to Armstrong Siddeley.Metrovick did use its gas turbine experience to gain post-war contracts for both naval andcivilian gas turbines. The Royal Navy adopted gas turbines for two roles: as lightweightpowerplants for short-ranged fast-attack craft, and as part of major warship propulsionsystems that were intended to overcome the perceived flaws of the Navy?s interwarsteam plants. Metrovick was selected as a development partner because of thecompany?s existing naval business, as well as its gas turbine expertise.In the civilian realm, the company produced gas turbines for a wide range of applicationsranging from railway locomotives to electrical power generation. Most of the customersfor these designs were state or quasi-state institutions; this thesis argues that the postwarBritish state?s support for the civilian gas turbine shows that it was seen as a cruciallyBritish technology that could help improve industrial efficiency, as well as utilisingindigenous energy resources.However, again Metrovick was content to rely on development contracts rather thancommit itself to large-scale production. The company?s gas turbine designs weresomewhat marginal to the wider heavy electrical business, and Metrovick nevercommitted the kind of development resources to the gas turbine division that would havebeen required to produce successful products, nor did it attempt to sell its designs widelyto relevant markets.


The cuticle of ecdysozoans (Panarthropoda, Scalidophora, Nematoida) is secreted by underlying epidermal cells and renewed via ecdysis. We explore here the relationship between epidermis and external cuticular ornament in stem-group scalidophorans from the early Cambrian of China (Kuanchuanpu Formation; ca 535 Ma) that had two types of microscopic polygonal cuticular networks with either straight or microfolded boundaries. Detailed comparisons with modern scalidophorans (priapulids) indicate that these networks faithfully replicate the cell boundaries of the epidermis. This suggests that the cuticle of early scalidophorans formed through the fusion between patches of extracellular material secreted by epidermal cells, as observed in various groups of present-day ecdysozoans, including arthropods. Key genetic, biochemical and mechanical processes associated with ecdysis and cuticle formation seem to have appeared very early (at least not later than 535 Ma) in the evolution of ecdysozoans. Microfolded reticulation is likely to be a mechanical response to absorbing contraction exerted by underlying muscles. The polygonal reticulation in early and extant ecdysozoans is clearly a by-product of the epidermal cell pavement and interacted with the sedimentary environment.


[1] Realistic lunar tides of the Great Bay Estuarine System have been simulated using a fixed boundary finite element numerical model as described by Ip et al. [1998]. It is a two-dimensional, nonlinear, time-stepping model with a groundwater component coupled to a kinematic force balance to facilitate the realistic drainage and filling of elements during ebb and flood, respectively. The numerical model reproduces the observed M2 tides as described by Swift and Brown [1983], and it successfully captures qualitatively correct residual currents and transports, realistic mass-conserving flooding and dewatering of the tidal flats, and current asymmetry between flood and ebb. The simulation results were sensitive to local bathymetry and the implemented friction law. The accuracy of the model is demonstrated by comparison with the 1975 Great Bay study [Swift and Brown, 1983] in terms of tidal elevations at 14 tidal stations and 4 cross-sectionally averaged current measurements in the estuary. Quantitatively, the model results show good agreement with observations, displaying correlation coefficients of ≥0.96 in surface elevation and ≥0.95 in averaged current, with average RMS errors of 0.12 m and 0.26 m s−1, respectively. In addition, tidal flat hydrodynamics, characteristic distributions of residual current, sediment bed load transport, and influence of topography on the overall circulation in the region are also discussed.


Monetary History, Exchange Rates and Financial Markets is an impressive collection of original papers in honour of Charles Goodhart's outstanding contribution to monetary economics and policy. Charles Goodhart has written extensively on many of these topics and has become synonymous with his field; the chapters within this book offer a summary of current thinking on his own research subjects and include perspectives on controversies surrounding them.


Baicalin was an important effective component in Scutellariae radix, which had extensive pharmacological activities and had been widely applied in most drugs, but it couldn't be easily absorbed by humans. However, aglycone baicalein has better pharmacological effects and high bioavailability but with lower contents in Scutellariae radix. In this study, Aspergillus oryzae was employed as the biotransformation microorganism. And then the biotransformation of baicalin and the optimization of the carbon source and nitrogen source in the biotransformation media were conducted. Generally, the best biotransformation media of baicalin by Aspergillus oryzae was optimized as the combination of 0.0017% arginine, 0.0017% valine, 0.0017% glutamic acid, 0.0017% alanine, 0.0017% histidine, 0.0017% tyrosine and 0.01% urea, 0.4% KH2PO4, 0.04% CaCl2, and 0.04% MgSO4, pH 6, with a biotransformation efficiency of 88.36%. Compared with using corncob, bran, glucose, dissoluble starch as carbon source, it was significantly better for the biotransformation of baicalin without carbon source except the substrate baicalin. The best nitrogen source was the combination of 0.01% urea and six amino acids. Comprehensively considering biotransformation efficiency and cost, 0.1% urea was also a good inorganic nitrogen source for the biotransformation of baicalin by Aspergillus oryzae.


Accurate prediction of the sensitivity properties of high-energy materials (HEMs) and the study of their decomposition mechanisms are two major focuses within energetics research. Due to the hazards associated with the synthesis and handling of energetic materials, predictive models for HEM sensitivity are of great importance in enabling the safe and efficient development of future HEMs. Traditional predictive modeling of HEM decomposition via machine learning algorithms generally displays limited interpretability, while mechanistic studies of HEMs typically focus on small subsets of structurally analogous compounds lacking generalizability. This study aims to bridge the gap between predictive modeling and computational mechanistic analysis of HEMs, with the goal of providing chemically interpretable models for HEM sensitivity property prediction. Herein, we disclose the use of multivariate linear regression (MLR) modeling for the prediction of the decomposition temperature and impact sensitivity of HEMs. We report an explosophore-based approach to sensitivity property prediction featuring an ensemble of quantum mechanical parameters and computational workflows that enable rapid parameterization and modeling of energetic functional groups. We then employ these methods to accurately predict sensitivity properties of nitrogen-rich tetrazole and azide HEMs. These statistical MLR models are readily interpreted based on the principles of physical organic chemistry, producing structure-property relationships to guide the rational design of new HEMs. Furthermore, we extend our explosophore-based approach to predict the sensitivity properties of HEMs containing multiple, non-equivalent energetic functional groups through the identification of molecular triggers for the bulk decomposition of HEMs. Finally, we showcase the viability of our methods towards ab initio virtual screening of HEMs through predictive modeling of external test sets of tetrazole HEMs using structures and parameters generated exclusively in silico.


For at least two thousand years, voting has been used as one of the most effective ways to aggregate people's ordinal preferences. In the last 50 years, the rapid development of Computer Science has revolutionize every aspect of the world, including voting. This motivates us to study (1) conceptually, how computational thinking changes the traditional voting theory, and (2) methodologically, how to better use voting for preference/information aggregation with the help of Computer Science.
My Ph.D. work seeks to investigate and foster the interplay between Computer Science and Voting Theory. In this thesis, I will discuss two specific research directions pursued in my Ph.D. work, one for each question asked above. The first focuses on investigating how computational thinking affects the game-theoretic aspects of voting. More precisely, I will discuss the rationale and possibility of using computational complexity to protect voting from a type of strategic behavior of the voters, called manipulation. The second studies a voting setting called Combinatorial Voting, where the set of alternative is exponentially large and has a combinatorial structure. I will focus on the design and analysis of novel voting rules for combinatorial voting that balance computational efficiency and the expressivity of the voting language, in light of some recent developments in Artificial Intelligence.


Background When gastrointestinal diseases are certified as causes of death, they are often not selected as the underlying cause. Until recently, only one underlying cause of death has been coded and analysed in official national statistics in England and many other countries. Aims To report on the total 'burden of mortality' from some common gastrointestinal diseases, and whether it has changed over time, including all certified causes of death as well as underlying causes, (i) in the Oxford region from 1979 to 2003, (ii) in England from 1996 to 2003; and to quantify the under-ascertainment of cause-specific mortality when based on underlying cause alone. Methods We searched death certificate data from the Oxford Record Linkage Study database, and from English national data, for specified gastrointestinal diseases certified as underlying or contributory causes of death. Results For all the conditions studied, underlying-cause-coded mortality missed a substantial percentage of all certified deaths. The extent of underestimation varied according to the periods in which different criteria were used for the selection of the underlying cause. For example, in Oxford, in the latest period 1993–2003, underlying-cause-coded mortality identified only 37% of all death certificates with ulcerative colitis, 47% of Crohn's disease, between 62 and 68% for the different types of peptic ulcer and 66% of diverticular disease. Conclusions Studies of mortality for these diseases should take account of all certified causes as well as underlying-cause mortality. This is particularly important for analyses that go across periods of change to the rules for selecting the underlying cause of death.


When using a mobile phone with a handsfree equipment in a vehicle it is difficult to have a relaxed conversation due to the high noise level. The noisy environment gives raise to a poor signal to noise ratio since the handsfree microphone picks up the background noise as well as the speech. By using speech enhancement processing, the quality of the conversation will be enhanced. This paper introduces a speech enhancement algorithm based on the spectral subtraction method. The method uses estimates of the noise spectrum and the noisy speech spectrum to form an SNR-based gain function, which is used for filtering the microphone signal. There are two different classes of spectrum estimation techniques non-parametric and parametric. Parametric estimation methods are based on a model of the underlying signal in order to estimate the spectrum.Furthermore a tool for assessing the accuracy of the estimations in situations when few data is available is applied, known as the bootstrapmethod. The spectral subtraction method, combined with different spectrum estimation techniques, are evaluated using real-world signals recorded in a car.


The past twenty years or so have seen dramatic development of the experimental and theoretical tools available to study the surfaces of solids at the molecular ("atomic resolution") scale. On the experimental side, two areas of development well illustrate these advances. The first concerns the high intensity photon sources associated with synchrotron radiation; these have both greatly improved the surface sensitivity and spatial resolution of already established surface spectroscopic and diffraction methods, and enabled the development of new methods for studying surfaces. These have included the techniques of X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy (for example, EXAFS and XANES; see Wincott and Vaughan 2006, this volume) which can be used to probe the molecular scale environment of atoms at the surface of a particulate sample in contact with a fluid. The second centers on the scanning probe microscopy (SPM) techniques initially developed in the 1980's with the first scanning tunneling microscope (STM) and atomic force microscope (AFM) experiments. The direct "observation" of individual atoms at surfaces made possible with these methods has truly revolutionized surface science. As well as providing insights into the crystallography and morphology of the pristine surface, the new range of SPM methods has enabled real time and in situ observations of surfaces during reaction with gases and fluids. On the theoretical side, the availability of high performance computers coupled with advances in computational modeling has provided powerful new tools to complement the advances in experiment. Particularly important have been the quantum mechanics based computational approaches such as density functional theory (DFT), which can now be easily used to calculate the equilibrium crystal structures of solids and surfaces from first principles, and to provide insights into their electronic structure. There have also been important advances in the use of more empirical or semi-empirical computational methods, both those based on …


The Minimum Income Standard research carried out regularly by CRSP involves detailed discussion among member of the public about what things are essential for a minimum acceptable standard of living. This report sets out for the first time the details of how the groups reach consensus and what rationales they use to determine which items are included. Based on analysis of six years of MIS research, the report identifies the common themes that have emerged from the groups' discussions, ranging from the need to have reasonable choices to the importance of living life in a practical way when time is scarce. For each area of household budgets, it explains how these rationales have guided decisions about what items people need to be able to afford.


Traditional European governance models, created essentially to safeguard the prerogatives of nation-states, are unable to counter global networks because they are limited, on the one hand, to forming supranational institutions (to offset the influence of global networks) and, on the other, to decentralizing administrative power at the local level (to re-affirm their legitimacy in the system). Moreover, numerous exogenous factors (not effectively controllable at the local level and exceeding European boundaries because an expression of a wider globalisation process) compel individual nation-states to adopt a global, more integrated vision and a common Public Governance system.


Dysfunctional salivary gland (SG) is an unsolved clinical challenge, which is presented as xerostomia. Cell therapy is a promising treatment for restoring SG function. Salispheres are spheroid cellular organizations derived from SG stem cells. Benefitting from these cellular organizations, SG stem cells can be expanded to regenerate SG. During in vitro culture, the spontaneous reorganization of salispheres may change the features of residing SG stem cells. Therefore, it is imperative to explore ways to maintain the spheroid structure of salispheres during cell expansion in vitro. Herein, we explored biomaterial approaches using chitosan. Chitosan based biomaterials were fabricated in different forms to offer distinct interactive surfaces for cultured salispheres. The number and size of the salispheres increase in the chitosan-containing systems without increasing the incidence of spheroid cavitation. The effect of chitosan increases with high chitosan concentrations, which is optimum when chitosan is fabricated in a soluble form. The chitosan effect contributes to the regulation of the intercellular interactions and polarization within the spheroid structures. By retarding the process of salisphere cavitation, chitosan preserves the features of salivary gland progenitor cells in the cultured salispheres. The results suggest that the chitosan-containing system could effectively maintain the primitive structures and properties of salispheres during in vitro expansion, which demonstrates the potential application of salispheres for cell therapy of dysfunctional SG.

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This paper presents a review of the high altitude EMP (HEMP) activities in European countries between 1970 and 1995. HEMP simulators built in different countries are presented together with measurements performed under them and calculation methods developed in order to simulate the currents or voltages induced by an HEMP in power or telecommunication lines or in other types of circuits. Comparison between calculations and measurements are shown. This paper focuses on this period, which was of historical importance for the hardening of vital military and governmental installations, but which permitted also the development and validation of models to study the electromagnetic effects of lightning.


Virus-infected leaf tissues comprise a heterogeneous mixture of cells at different stages of infection. The spatial and temporal relationships between sites of virus accumulation and the accompanying host responses, such as altered host gene expression, are not well defined. To address this issue, we utilized Turnip mosaic virus (TuMV) tagged with the green fluorescent protein to guide the dissection of infection foci into four distinct zones. The abundance of Arabidopsis thaliana mRNA transcripts in each of the four zones then was assayed using the Arabidopsis ATH1 GeneChip oligonucleotide microarray (Affymetrix). mRNA transcripts with significantly altered expression profiles were determined across gradients of virus accumulation spanning groups of cells in and around foci at different stages of infection. The extent to which TuMV-responsive genes were up- or downregulated primarily correlated with the amount of virus accumulation regardless of gene function. The spatial analysis also allowed new suites of coordinately regulated genes to be identified that are associated with chloroplast functions (decreased), sulfate assimilation (decreased), cell wall extensibility (decreased), and protein synthesis and turnover (induced). The functions of these downregulated genes are consistent with viral symptoms, such as chlorosis and stunted growth, providing new insight into mechanisms of pathogenesis.


A vast region of upper Paleozoic to Middle Jurassic (300-150 Ma) silicic magmatic rocks that erupted inboard of the Gondwana margin is a possible Phanerozoic analogue to the extensive Middle Proterozoic (1500-1350 Ma) silicic magmatic province that underlies much of the southern mid-continent of North America. Like the North American rocks, the Gondwana silicic magmas appear to be melts of crust that formed about 200-300 m.y. earlier. In the North American case, this older crust formed and was accreted to the continent during a major period of crustal formation (1700-1900 Ma), whereas in the Gondwana case, the crust that melted consisted mainly of magmatic are terranes accreted to the continental margin during the Paleozoic. In both cases, basic to intermediate magmatic rocks are extremely rare and magmatism is less abundant in regions that contain older (and previously melted) crust. The similarities between the North American and Gondwana silicic rocks suggest that both suites formed in extensional settings where basaltic magmas, ponded at the base of the preheated crust, caused extensive crustal melting that inhibited upward passage of the basalts. In both cases, silicic volcanism occurred after major assembly of a supercontinent by subduction and accretion processes, and before breakup of the supercontinent. By analogy with the polar wander curves for Gondwana, the granite-rhyolite provinces may have formed during a period of very slow motion of the supercontinents relative to the poles.


Nonamplified voice and speech for the stage imposes different production requirements than during conversational speech. Tony Church, noted Shakespearean actor and Dean of the National Theatre Conservatory, and Renee Skravanos Root, operatic and recital artist and singing teacher, will demonstrate voice and speech production for the stage relative to contrasts of communication intent and requirements for audibility and intelligibility. Open discussion and research connections will accompany the demonstrations.


This is a corpus-based analysis of synchronic and diachronic variations of the Japanese degree adverbs amari 'extremely' and bakari 'about, to the extent', and the manner adverb yahari 'being still'. These variations are unique in that they are not constructions, but morphophonological variants. Further, variants of the same phonetic shape undergo parallel development. First, phonologically, each adverb set involves both expansion and truncation. Positionally, the newer variants shifted from sentence-internal to sentence-peripheral, and they expanded functionally as discourse/pragmatic particles, thereby semantically becoming more (inter)subjective. Contrastingly, each original form preserves its original features most. Second, such parallelism is motivated by "associative iconicity" (Fischer 1999) and "paradigmatic iconicity" (Krug 2000). Third, given the layered structure analyses of Japanese, the changes are conceivably interrelated. Fourth, this article presents a similar case in Korean for a comparison.


While there have been several proposals of high-performance global computing systems, scheduling schemes for the systems have not been well investigated. The reason is difficulties of evaluation by large-scale benchmarks with reproducible results. Our Bricks performance evaluation system allows the analysis and comparison of various scheduling schemes in a typical high-performance global computing setting. Bricks can simulate various behaviors of global computing systems, especially the behavior of networks and resource scheduling algorithms. Moreover, Bricks is partitioned into components such that not only can its constituents be replaced to simulate various different system algorithms, but it also allows the incorporation of existing global computing components via its foreign interface. To test the validity of the latter characteristics, we incorporated the NWS (Network Weather Service) system, which monitors and forecasts global computing systems behavior. Experiments were conducted by running NWS under a real environment versus a Bricks-simulated environment, given the observed parameters of the real environment. We observed that Bricks behaved in the same manner as the real environment, and NWS also behaved similarly, making quite comparative forecasts under both environments.


We examine two analytical models describing the photoionization of O2 molecules in both tunnel and multiphoton regimes. Applying these models to the nonlinear propagation of chirped laser beams in the atmosphere, we demonstrate how chirp phases can be used as a tool to monitor the self-guiding range of femtosecond filaments or even to shorten the pulse duration. The good agreement between simulations and experimental measurements validates our numerical code for ultrashort-pulse propagation in air.


International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Olympic Movement (OM) members have unique roles to play in the newly formed global partnership with the United Nations (UN) in relation to the Sport for Development and Peace (SDP) sector. Common ground relates to two main global trends: sport mega-event legacy programmes and the influence of the SDP movement. This paper reflects on the case study work of OM stakeholder arrangements in three African countries, namely Zambia, Lesotho and South Africa. It offers a re-interpretation of the findings of a larger study and interrogates existing partnerships delivery on diverse goals associated with development. It reflects on globalised neo-colonial underpinnings evident in the UN-OM partnership and questions the meaningfulness of current stakeholder configurations for the delivery on sustainable development through sport.


In this paper we examine the relationship between spot and futures prices. This is traditionally done by testing for cointegration with the Engle and Granger methodology, before one specifes an error correction models in order to draw inference about causality. This approach, although appealing for its simplicity, is problematic on at least two accounts. First, the approach is only valid given an exogeneity assumption, which is what one wants to test, and second, given that there are several contracts with different times to expiration, bivariate specifications cannot capture all the relevant information. We show that both problems can be avoided if the tests are carried out in a multivariate framework like the Johansen test. An empirical application is carried out on futures prices for gas oil. Findings indicate that futures prices leads spot prices, and that futures contracts with longer time to expiration leads contracts with shorter time to expiration.


In the present case study, shaping/desensitization procedures, along with behavioral contracts, were implemented through a consultation model in an attempt to treat a seven year-old elective mute female within the school setting. The author (consultant) provided information to the subject's teacher (consultee) in order to treat the subject's elective mutism. The procedure consisted of trials using a sound-level meter to successively approximate the desired behavior of speaking at school. The goal was for the subject to respond verbally to questions and requests invoked by her teachers and peers within the school setting and to improve her social interactions. The results indicated that, although the subject did not initiate verbalizations at school, she did begin to interact, both socially and verbally, with her peers outside of school. Several issues are examined in an attempt to explain possible reasons for the subject's failure to speak at school. Recommendations are also made for future studies.


In the democratic process, of discussion and decision making, there is a need of reliable and authentic information. Archives are authentic and reliable information and also provides long term accessibility. But the public archives potential isn´t utilized enough at a societal level. The public archives are organized in a decentralised manner, and there are no common accesspoint at a national level. In the thesis this issue of accessibility and use at a societal level, is discussed in terms of collective memory. In a digital environment, these organizational limits could probably be overcome, but there is a need for new goals, perspectives and frameworks for the management of public archives. In an e-government context, interoperability is often mentioned in the discussion of accessibility. Interoperability could be understood as the ability of diverse organizations to interact together towards common goals, and include technological, semantic, organizational, legal and political aspects. The hypothesis like assumption of the thesis is that interoperability could contribute to making the archives a more significant part of the collective memory.The thesis uses a case study methodology, and a critical discourse textual analyses. Records Continuum Model and archival perspective about collective memory, particularly Jimersons distinction of collective memory from other types of memory, is used as a theoretical frame for the analyses. The case is the project e-archives and e-diarium, which is a Swedish E-delegation project, driven by the National Archives. Central documents from the project is analysed, as is important documents for the work on e-government for the contextual understanding.The results indicate that interoperability may contribute to making the archives a more significant part of the collective memory, practically and discursively. Practically, it provides conditions to share information and remove barriers for interaction. Discursively, it contributes to an overall perspective of public administration, and switch the view from each single organization to the citizens and the society as a whole where the information is seen as a common societal resource. Interoperability is also an important factor in the development of a common information architecture for the whole of the public administration. This change in perspective could make the archives, when included in the e-government, change perspective from the archives creators to the end users and society at large, and give more effort in making the archives accessible in the collective dimension.


This paper presents the approach to design the 2-DOF PI controller with Decoupling for a Coupled-Tank two-input two-output process. The structure of controller design can minimize several undesirable influences from an interaction in TITO process. The decoupling controllers transform TITO plant transfer function models into SISO form so that 2-DOF PI controller for each SISO model can be designed by root locus technique easily and efficiently. The results from decoupling and controller design can be illustrated by experiments.


Efforts to decrease the sexist aspects of online fora have been largely ineffective, and in some instances seemingly counterproductive, in the sense that they have provoked even greater amounts of abuse and harassment with a gendered aspect. And so, in the wake of a series of high profile episodes of cyber sexual harassment, and a grotesque abundance of low profile ones, a new business model was launched. Promising to clean up and monitor online information to defuse the visible impact of coordinated harassment campaigns, a number of entities began to market themselves as knights in cyber shining armor, ready to defend otherwise defenseless people whose reputations have been sullied on the Internet Of course these companies charge a fee and place particular emphasis on women who they recognize as potential clients. This article raises three concerns about these businesses. First, these companies have economic incentives to foster conditions online that perpetuate acts of online harassment, as the more harassment there is online, the greater the number of potential clients. These companies are also incentivized to create fora with hostile climates and to stir up trouble themselves. Second, these companies have economic incentives to oppose legal reforms that might enable online defamation and harassment victims to seek recourse from law enforcement agencies or through the courts. And finally, though they cloak themselves in the mantel of protectors of the innocent, their real agenda is to sell their services to wealthy corporations and individuals for far more nefarious purposes: to help bad actors hide negative information about themselves. This practice creates information asymmetries that can harm anyone who detrimentally relies on what they incorrectly assume to be the best available information and can lead to increases in the sorts of financial losses and personal vulnerability that access to unmanipulated Internet search results might otherwise reduce.


This work proposes a methodology in open loop for driving a vehicle with electric traction in energy efficiency competitions. The optimal voltage is obtained by solving an optimal control problem that includes physical constraints and requirements of the competition. The vehicle model is related to the longitudinal dynamics and allow variable slope along the track. The influence of cornering is considered by means of a constraint on the maximum centripetal acceleration tolerated by the tire. The methodology transforms the optimal control problem in a nonlinear optimization problem. The methodology was applied to basic tracks and reveals solutions such as allowing velocity reduction during positive slopes and acceleration through the action of the weight force during negative slopes. The methodology was also applied to the conditions of an energy efficiency competition. The results suggest that both the design and driving strategy are very relevant to the energy consumption, but the procedure may not be easily converted into a set of driving rules, i.e., to ensure maximum energy efficiency, it is important to formulate and solve an optimal control problem.


ABSTRACT To address visual communication issues in landscape planning and design processes, an analytical framework that enables the study and possible anticipation of the interpretation of visual design representations is presented here. This framework consists of a hybrid theory of Peircean social semiotics and Laclaudian post-foundational discourse analysis (PDA). The semiotics of Peirce, through the concept of the interpretant, enable the conceptualization of the discourses that make up the socio-political contexts of design projects as so-called 'interpretive habits'. This framework is demonstrated by partly reconstructing the socio-political context of Rebuild by Design, a design competition organized in the wake of hurricane Sandy in New York. It is suggested through this demonstration that the sign systems and discursive networks that influence the interpretations of design images by different stakeholders can be partially uncovered during the design process itself. By recognizing these interpretive habits during specific phases of the design process, planners and designers could potentially better anticipate the productive and counter-productive interpretations of their design representations.


Scientific issues become - inevitably - political issues because of one principal fact: they put in focus the extent to which the government can restrict private medical research undertakings - either in the name of generational safety, morality or the public good. The multiple and varied concerns of applying the New Medicine, derived as such from the New Biology, conduce - essentially - to a suspicion continued reductionism in the biological analysis of humans will erode the notions of autonomy, dignity and personal integrity that have traditionally justified the constitutional protection of civil liberties. Driven by painful technologies and sciences, the new medicine runs the risk of being seen as no longer patient based. The ideal of philosophical reasoning and meanings for such ethical terms as responsibility, rights, duties, interests, beneficence and justice is mired often in confusion and conjecture. Indeed, many of the ethical questions raised from the development and practice of the new medicine are set within a blurred outline. Perhaps all that can be hoped for is that the Cartesian aspiration of reaching a clear and distinct idea be pursued with objectivity. And, from this may well come acceptance of an informed and educated societal obligation not to achieve all the good that can be achieved, but - rather - to effect all the good that can be done within the limits morality imposes upon the development and use of the technologies of the new medicine.


"When introducing oneself with the professional designation ""real estate researcher"" two quite different reactions are encountered. One is a gratifying nod from those active in the property sector, allowing the thought to be read, ""Oh yes, researchers compile market reports"". The second, often a somewhat blank look signifying chiefly ""Oh? I've never heard of that job"". Regardless of which reaction is to be expected, a further series of questions or attempts at clarification is prompted. To some extent, the research landscape in Germany is anything but uniformly structured: Concepts, demarcations and functional or professional structures are so differentiated that, so far, no structural or scientific analysis of the subject has taken place. And that is surprising in a field of research whose existence, in the final analysis, is justified by its approach to research. And from this, at least, the present author has to derive his justifiable and fundamental concern to address the subject. Building on a statistical survey carried out for the first-time on the subject of real estate market research, the aim is to bring more transparency into this important but often unknown field of market research in Germany."


The spatial scale and the magnitude of carbon and nitrogen translocation was examined in 5 tropical (Cymodocea serrulata, Halophila stipulacea, Halodule uninervis, Thalassodendron cilia- tum, Thalassia hemprichii) and 3 temperate (Cymodocea nodosa, Posidonia oceanica, Zostera noltii) seagrass species using 13 Carbon ( 13 C) and 15 Nitrogen ( 15 N) as tracers in experiments conducted in situ. Seagrass leaf and rhizome production during the study period varied from <0.001 to 0.015 g DW shoot -1 d -1 and 0.002 to 0.017 g DW rhizome apex -1 d -1 , respectively. Based on measured leaf and rhi- zome growth rates, the demand of resources for leaf production varied from 0.19 to 4.99 mgC shoot -1 d -1 , and from 0.01 to 0.24 mgN shoot -1 d -1 , while the demand for rhizome production varied from 0.62 to 5.57 mgC rhizome apex -1 d -1 and from 0.02 to 0.12 mgN rhizome apex -1 d -1 . Seagrass leaves incor- porated the isotopes at rates ranging from 0.04 to 0.63 µg 13 C g DW -1 h -1 , and <0.01 to 0.35 µg 15 N g DW -1 h -1 . After 4 d, all incubated shoots had shared part of the incorporated 13 C and 15 N with ram- ets placed at maximum distances ranging from 2.7 (H. stipulacea) to 81 cm (C. nodosa), indicating that seagrass clonal integration may be maintained between 1.6 d (H. stipulacea) and 5.4 yr (P. ocean- ica). Resource translocation within seagrass clones was stimulated towards horizontal rhizome apices. Seagrass ramets, in 4 d, shared with their neighbours between 0.37 and 390 µg 13 C and between 0.02 and 178 µg 15 N. During the study period, resource translocation would supply <5% and up to 40% of the leaf carbon and nitrogen required by a neighbouring developing ramet, respec- tively, and <5% and up to 36% of the carbon and nitrogen required for rhizome growth; provided that the incorporated resources over 1 d were mobilised at similar rates over 4 d. These results con- clusively demonstrate physiological integration between seagrass ramets, and that resource translo- cation may be an important mechanism for young seagrass ramets to acquire resources and for sea- grass clones to expand and persist.


While studying the infrared spectra of molecules adsorbed on solid surfaces, it was desirable to have the sample placed at a focal point in the infrared beam and not at the normal sample position used in the Model 21. Moreover the sample space in the instrument is 12 cm and it was necessary in this work to accommodate samples with path lengths up to 25 cm, when equipment was used for low or high temperature infrared studies. The simple optical system, shown in Figure 1 (a), was constructed to meet these requirements. In Figure 2, the optical system, with a sample situated at the focus, is shown attached to the spectrometer.


Global software engineering environments feature a remote customer in many of today's software engineering projects. We developed a university course design to better match these real-world conditions with developer teams comprised of European students and customer teams comprised of Indian students. Our distributed student teams were asked to autonomously find the best way to overcome the three big challenges in global software engineering, communication, cooperation and coordination, and establish a working relationship between developer team and customer team. Key findings include that language difficulties and cultural differences were among the hardest challenges to overcome. Post-course feedback was very positive, as both European and Indian students highly valued the realistic learning experience, even though Indian students noted that they would prefer to be on the development team.


The historiography of the Day of the Barricades is traditionally based on the notion of the autonomy of the "people." This version of events conforms to the conventions of League propaganda, which aimed to distinguish between the popular uprising and the intervention of the duc de Guise, who was represented as the defender of hierarchy and order. In fact, during the preceding years he had used public ceremonies to legitimize protest against royal policy and to fashion his image as the defender of rights and of the faith. His clients and the Sixteen, well entrenched in a number of parishes and fortified by vicinage, kinship, and sociability, supported his politics of opposition. As for the events of 12 May, the popular defensive reflex of the morning must be distinguished from the afternoon counterattack led by cadres of radicals and noble insurgents. Narrative and the divergence between actual events and their representation can tell us much about the social determinants of political activism and social relations on the Barricades.


This research investigates the efficiency and equity impacts of the cropland rental market in rural Vietnam and attempts to identify the determinants and importance of transaction costs impeding this market. A generalised ordered logit model with shifting thresholds accounting for effects of transaction costs associated with market participation was specified and estimated using pooled data extracted from the Vietnam Household Living Standards Surveys of 2004 and 2008. The findings show that the cropland rental market reduced imbalances in factor endowments, transferring cropland to those households more willing and able to farm. Equity advantages were also revealed as cropland transferred from relatively land-rich to relatively land-poor households, allowing young farmers to 'scale the agricultural ladder'. However, the market is constrained by transaction costs that effect lessors and lessees differently. It is recommended that the Vietnamese government should complete its land registration programme and consider relaxing restrictions on the use of wetlands to grow crops other than rice. It should also focus on improving access to all-weather roads as this encourages participation on both sides of the rental market whereas better access to communications infrastructure was found to promote only the supply side.


Since 2009 all underground face samples and diamond-drill core samples at the Plutonic Gold Mine (Plutonic), Marymia Inlier, Western Australia have been analysed by portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) following a systematic approach. This method is rapid and cost-effective and provides analyses of a large suite of chemical elements which can be used to characterize lithology and alteration. The delivery of a comprehensive workflow for sample preparation, analysis, results correction, and rapid processing enabled a quantum leap in the way mine geologists use geochemistry in modelling the ore body. Interpretation of the mine-site dataset of over 200 000 multi-element analyses has resulted in significant improvements in the understanding of the Plutonic deposit. In this contribution, we review how our understanding of Plutonic has been significantly improved through the use of pXRF geochemical analyses. Incorporation of pXRF data into routine geological modelling at Plutonic has resulted in improved confidence in the models of the ore bodies themselves and late-stage dolerite intrusives. It has allowed better management of milling processes through the development of metallurgical proxies and for significant insights into the role of stratigraphy in controlling the location of gold mineralization. We highlight the potential that a systematic approach to collecting pXRF data can have in a mining environment. These same techniques could be adapted and used in other mine and/or exploration settings.


A broad coalition, including companies formerly opposed to the enactment of privacy statutes, has now formed behind the idea of a national information privacy law. Among the benefits that proponents attribute to such a law is that it would harmonize the U.S. regulatory approach with that of the European Union (E.U.) and possibly minimize international regulatory conflicts about privacy. This essay argues, however, that it would be a mistake for the United States to enact a comprehensive or omnibus federal privacy law for the private sector that preempts sectoral privacy law. In a sectoral approach, a privacy statute regulates only a specific context of information use. An omnibus federal privacy law would be a dubious proposition because of its impact on experimentation in federal and state sectoral laws, and the consequences of ossification in the statute itself. In contrast to its skepticism about a federal omnibus statute, this essay views federal sectoral laws as a promising regulatory instrument. The critical question is the optimal nature of a dual federal-state system for information privacy law, and this essay analyzes three aspects of this topic. First, there are general circumstances under which federal sectoral consolidation of state law can bring benefits. Second, the choice between federal ceilings and floors is far from the only preemptive decision that regulators face. Finally, there are second-best solutions that become important should Congress choose to engage in broad sectoral preemption.


Hector, Julian. The Gentleman Bug . New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2010. Print. The Gentleman Bug is a charming book written and illustrated by Julian Hector and recommended for children aged 2 to 5. The story takes place in an urban, nineteenth-century locale called the Garden, which is inhabited by bugs, beetles and bees. The setting must be described as pan-European, since the Garden includes both Bugadilly Circus and something resembling the Moulin Rouge. The Gentleman Bug is a bespectacled bibliophile, who teaches a small class of younger bugs from the Garden. He may not be a stylish dresser, but his students are as devoted to him as he is to them. The Gentleman Bug is opposed by a group of four rivals that includes such churlish figures as Boss Beetle and Mayer de Mothschild. These bully bugs poke fun at the Gentleman Bug for his bookish ways. He is content to ignore them until the day the Lady Bug arrives in the Garden. Alas, she is befriended by his rivals, and so the Gentleman Bug attends the Pollen Hill social club dressed to the nines in a bid to win her attention. An embarrassing mishap with a waiter dashes his plans, but the Lady Bug notices the book he drops (surely bringing a book to a formal event is the sign of a hopeless bookworm) and secretly invites him to the opening of a new building – which turns out to be the town library – where she introduces herself as the new librarian. The entire town has assembled to admire the new library, and even Boss Beetle & co. discovers a newfound love of books. Meanwhile, the Gentleman Bug and the Lady Bug become fast friends, reading together on picnics. This is a book about the pleasures of reading and about finding friends who also enjoy reading: surely a fine message to deliver to budding young readers. The deeper lesson is that you will find true friends if you stay true to yourself and your true interests. When the Gentleman Bug's rivals are converted to reading, the book suggests that distractions will fall by the wayside when you find your purpose; either that or else that people who scoff at book lovers just haven't discovered what they are missing yet. The story is told as much through the illustrations as the text. The text is generally brief and understated, while the illustrations contain the specifics of the plot. The interplay between text and image achieves soft, humorous effects: when the protagonist crashes into a waiter, the text reads: "the rest of the evening didn't go quite as planned." Because of the many clever details that the author has included in the illustrations, he clearly expects readers to stop, interpret the pictures, and then take up the text again. He has managed to differentiate a cast of ten named characters, primarily through the illustrations, with the assistance of a guide to the characters printed on the endpapers. All of this will increase the potential for repeat reads. Although the protagonist is a gentleman bug, the book will appeal to female readers too, because the Lady Bug is a strong character and because girls and boys are portrayed as equals, both as readers and in gender roles. For example, the Gentleman Bug's students work together to sew him a suit. Likewise, it is refreshing to see that the Lady Bug is not overly feminized with long lashes or lipstick, for instance. The fact that she is a librarian might strike some as a cliche, but it does not seem out of place given the story, and the portrayal is free of the usual stereotypes of librarians. Finally, the book shows admirable restraint by eschewing a wedding bell ending, showing instead the beginning of a simple friendship between a gentleman and a lady. Highly recommended: 4 out of 4 stars Reviewer: John Huck John is a metadata and cataloguing librarian at the University of Alberta. He holds an undergraduate degree in English literature and maintains a special interest in the spoken word. He is also a classical musician and has sung semi-professionally for many years.


Within the aerospace industry there is a growing interest in evaluating and reducing the environmental impacts of products and related risks to business. Consequently, requests from governments, customers, manufacturers, and other interested stakeholders, for environmental information about aerospace products are becoming widespread. Presently, requests are inconsistent and this limits the ability of the aerospace industry to meet the informational needs of various stakeholders and reduce the environmental impacts of their products in a cost-effective manner. Energy consumption is a significant business cost, risk, and a simple proxy value for overall environmental impact. This paper presents the initial research carried out by an academic and industry consortium to develop standardised methods for calculating and reporting the embodied manufacturing energy content of aerospace products. Following an action research approach, three potential methods are identified and applied in a real manufacturing environment. Suitability for use across the aerospace value chain is assessed. The benefits, implementations issues, areas of data uncertainty, and differences in results are outlined. Results show companies could be over/under reporting the embodied manufacturing energy content of parts by a factor of 10. The subsequent business and EU policy implications for industry reporting and evaluating product risks are discussed. The paper concludes the novel research outcomes will be valuable to businesses and other interested stakeholders seeking to report or understand the embodied energy content of aerospace products and associated data uncertainty, as well as inform the development of future industry standards.


Past research on Madagascar indicates that village communities were established about AD 500 by people of both Indonesian and East African heritage. Evidence of earlier visits is scattered and contentious. Recent archaeological excavations in northern Madagascar provide evidence of occupational sites with microlithic stone technologies related to foraging for forest and coastal resources. A forager occupation of one site dates to earlier than 2000 B.C., doubling the length of Madagascar's known occupational history, and thus the time during which people exploited Madagascar's environments. We detail stratigraphy, chronology, and artifacts from two rock shelters. Ambohiposa near Iharana (Vohémar) on the northeast coast, yielded a stratified assemblage with small flakes, microblades, and retouched crescentic and trapezoidal tools, probably projectile elements, made on cherts and obsidian, some brought more that 200 km. 14C dates are contemporary with the earliest villages. No food remains are preserved. Lakaton'i Anja near Antsiranana in the north yielded several stratified assemblages. The latest assemblage is well dated to A.D. 1050–1350, by 14C and optically stimulated luminescence dating and pottery imported from the Near East and China. Below is a series of stratified assemblages similar to Ambohiposa. 14C and optically stimulated luminescence dates indicate occupation from at least 2000 B.C. Faunal remains indicate a foraging pattern. Our evidence shows that foragers with a microlithic technology were active in Madagascar long before the arrival of farmers and herders and before many Late Holocene faunal extinctions. The differing effects of historically distinct economies must be identified and understood to reconstruct Holocene histories of human environmental impact.


The task of learning models for many real-world problems requires incorporating domain knowledge into learning algorithms, to enable accurate learning from a realistic volume of training data. Domain knowledge can come in many forms. For example, expert knowledge about the relevance of variables relative to a certain problem can help perform better feature selection. Domain knowledge about the conditional independence relationships among variables can help learning of the Bayesian Network structure.

This paper considers a different type of domain knowledge for constraining parameter estimates when learning Bayesian Networks. In particular, we consider domain knowledge that comes in the form of inequality constraints among subsets of parameters in a Bayesian Network with known structure. These parameter constraints are incorporated into learning procedures for Bayesian Networks, by formulating this task as a constrained optimization problem. The main contribution of this paper is the derivation of closed form Maximum Likelihood parameter estimators in the above setting.


Abstract In this paper, we propose a new peak to average power ratio (PAPR) reduction technique by a hybrid algorithm based on a partial transmit sequence (PTS) and adaptive peak power reduction (APPR ) methods. This technique is used in a system based on orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM). OFDM has orthogonally modulated sub-carriers which unexpectedly give large PAPR and tends to reduce the power efficiency of a RF amplifier. To reduce PAPR, the sequence of input data is rearranged by PTS for the reduction of PAPR and then fed to APPR process in the proposed system. The APPR method controls the peak level of the modulation signal by an adaptive algorithm. It reduces modulation signals over a predefined range. A proposed reduction method consists of these two methods and realizes both advantages at the same time. In simulation results, the proposed method shows the improvement on PAPR, PSD, and also the high performance on bit error rate of an OFDM system.


The computational design of multilayer-coated diffraction gratings for the extreme ultraviolet (EUV) wavelength region and the experimental performance of the coated gratings depend on the optical constants of the layer materials. While accurate optical constants are available for many commonly used materials, the EUV optical constants can in practice differ significantly from the tabulated values. This is generally true near absorption edges, for reactive materials that may be subject to oxidation or contamination, and for the longer EUV wavelengths (>30 nm) where molecular effects can be important. Normal-incidence gratings with Mo/Si coatings operating in the 17-21 nm and 25-29 nm wavelength ranges were successfully designed and fabricated for the Extreme Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrometer (EIS) on the Solar-B mission, the first satellite instrument to carry a multilayer grating. Examples of multilayer gratings designed and fabricated for wavelengths <12 nm and >40 nm, using materials other than Mo/Si, will be given that have in many cases required the experimental determination of the optical constants owing to inaccuracies in the tabulated values.


Traffic signal control, which is an integral part of Intelligent Transportation System (ITS), plays an important role in regulating vehicular flow at road intersections. With the increase of vehicular traffic, there has been a significant degradation in the functional efficiency of signal systems. Traditional systems are not capable of adjusting the timing pattern in accordance with vehicular demand. This results in excessive delays for road users. Hence it is necessary to develop dynamic systems that can adjust the timing patterns according to traffic demand. Of the various available techniques, Vehicular Adhoc Networks (VANETs) are attracting considerable attention from the research community and the automotive industry to implement dynamic systems. In this context, exchanging data among vehicles is one of the key technological enablers through which the density of vehicles approaching the intersection can be predicted. This requires extensive collaboration between vehicles. Inherent properties and limitations of VANETs, distributing information among the vehicles is a very challenging task. In this thesis, an adaptive traffic signal control system based on car-to-car communication (VANETs) is proposed. To achieve this, a data dissemination technique titled, Clustering in DiRectIon in Vehicular Environment (C-DRIVE) is implemented. In C-DRIVE, the formation of clusters is based on the direction metric. Precisely this metric defines the direction a vehicle will travel after crossing the intersection. To attain stability within the clusters and to have accurate estimation of the density of vehicles, two policies are adapted. In the first policy, a clusterhead switching mechanism is defined. In the second method, termed as Modified C-DRIVE (MC-DRIVE), the clusterhead election policy is modified. In this modification the election policy is based on the stable cluster length. Once the clusters are formed, the elected cluster head will compute the density in its clusters and transmits the information to the traffic signal controller (TSC). With the density information of different lanes approaching the intersection, at the TSC an optimal cycle length is computed using the modified Webster's model and based on the demand, required green splits are allotted to the various phase. The efficiency of this method is advocated through simulation results which show that the waiting time for vehicles and queue length at intersections are considerably reduced. It is also shown that the proposed solution is collision free at intersections. The proposed system is compared with a classic pre-timed system and an adaptive fuzzy logic system. The simulations also show that the data convergence time and the communication delay between vehicles and traffic signals do not compromise the efficiency of the system.


This paper examines factors contributing to maternal mortality in Nairobi County of Kenya. Data are from a study that involved a review of 93 records of maternal deaths at health facilities as well as verbal and social autopsy interviews with 71 caregivers of women who died of maternal-related causes in the community. Results showed that most maternal deaths occurred to women who were young, married, with low levels of education and those having at least two births. In addition, maternal deaths in the County were mostly due to poor health-seeking behaviour, delays at the household level in seeking care, poor referral mechanisms between facilities, poor provider attitudes, and lack of skilled human resources. The findings suggest that programs aimed at improving maternal health in the County need to focus on empowering households to recognize danger signs early, improving referral mechanisms, and enhancing the capacity of providers to offer quality services


That is one of the User Generated Content(UGC) related ethical conundrums posed by a panel of experts at the International Newsroom Summit in Amsterdam last week. The panel, featuring the BBC's Steve Herrmann, AP's Fergus Bell and Google's Director of Communications for Europe, the Middle East and Africa Peter Barron, was moderated by UNHCR social media strategist Claire Wardle. Jessica Sparks and Alice Matthews explore the UGC issues that should have newsrooms ethically engaged.


Anti-retro viral therapy (ART) is a lifelong treatment and its effectiveness depends critically both on the efficacy of the antiretroviral drugs against the virus and achieving a very high level of adherence (> 95%) to the medications. This study evaluated the relationship between medication beliefs, locus of control and adherence to ART among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) in Lagos. A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted on 302 HIV/AIDS clients receiving Highly Active Anti-Retroviral Therapy in the outpatient ART clinics of the 3 selected public health facilities in Lagos State. Only respondents confirmed and diagnosed to be HIV positive and had met the eligibility criteria for initiating ART, and were 18 years and above on Highly Active Anti-Retroviral Therapy (HAART) for not less than a year. A total of 302 HIV positive persons on HAART completed the study. They were mostly females (n=202; 66.9%) with a mean age of 39 ± 10 years. About a third (30%; n=90) of respondents were adjudged non-adherent. Those who were adjudged adherent were significantly younger than the non-adherents (P=0.001). However, there was no significant difference in the mean score for medication beliefs (Concern or Necessity) and locus of control (Internal, Powerful Others or Chance) between those who were adjudged adherent or non-adherent. There was no direct relationship observed between the locus of control, medication beliefs and adherence to medication among patients on HAART in Lagos, Nigeria. Interventions targeting these socio-cognitive parameters may not yield a further increase in adherence.

 Key words: Locus of control, medication belief, adherence, highly active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART), HIV/AIDS.


The paper presents an Actor Network Theory (ANT) account of the development of a Web-based information system (IS) in an insurance company. As an industry-first e-commerce system that transacted insurance products direct to the brokers over the Web, the IS was highly praised by the broker community. Its outstanding success in the marketplace however has been tarnished by internal resentment and objections regarding development costs (over budget), delayed project completion (over time) and poor internal functionality. As a result the IS was seen concurrently as a great success by brokers and some company members (mostly those dealing with brokers) and a resounding failure by company managers. As the IS is of strategic importance for the company, its current unresolved situation and the lack of managers' commitment to fund its future development, put company at risk and seriously threaten its future competitiveness. By drawing from the ANT account of the IS development we aim to answer How and Why did it come out that the IS became simultaneously a success and a failure? What are the roles of actors, both human and technical, in the production of the IS success and failure?


Introduction: Common MPI scanners have difficulties to correctly visualize areas with a broad signal intensity spectrum due to their low signal dynamic capability. The aim of this study was to develop a selective signal suppression technique using an advanced trajectory design to circumvent this issue. Materials and Methods: Simulations where performed for a traveling wave (TW) MPI scanner. In the so called slice-scanning mode the field free points (FFPs) travel through the scanner on a sinusoidal trajectory given by the frequencies of the dynamic linear gradient array and a perpendicular saddle coil system. The signal can be selectively suppressed by locally reducing the speed of the FFPs. Series of measurements with two point samples containing different SPIO concentrations with and without selective signal suppression technique were simulated. Results: When imaging samples with two markedly different SPIO concentrations in the slice-scanning mode the signal of the lower concentration cannot be properly reconstructed. Applying the signal suppression technique to the area of the high concentration sample selectively reduces this signal and demarcates samples with lower concentrations. Conclusion: A selective signal suppression technique for TWMPI is introduced which allows to focus on low SPIO concentrations in samples with a large range of tracer concentrations. This can facilitate preclinical functional imaging in the proximity of organs with high unspecific SPIO uptake such as the liver.


Slovenian Smart Specialization Strategy was adopted in 2015, identifying key priority areas of the country's future Research, Technology Development and Innovation (RTDI) policy. The aim of this paper is to find how well these areas correspond to the past development priorities in Slovenia. Since they have never been explicitly determined before, this paper seeks to identify them ex-post, based on the analysis of sectoral distribution of firm-level data on cohesion policy subsidies, distributed to firms for R&D activities between 2004 and 2011. We find that as high as 76% of subsidies going to manufacturing firms were concentrated in only seven sectors, which are in fact consistent with the recently defined future RTDI priority areas. This contributes to our understanding of cohesion policy in practice by recognizing that despite no explicitly identified priority sectors before 2015, cohesion R&D support in Slovenia has in the past been successful in identifying and promoting sectors which have later proved to be the most dynamic and promising parts of the Slovenian economy, and which still form the backbone of its current RTDI strategy. DOI: 10.15458/85451.63


Application-level Web security refers to vulnerabilities inherent in the code of a Web-application itself (irrespective of the technologies in which it is implemented or the security of the Web-server/back-end database on which it is built). In the last few months, application-level vulnerabilities have been exploited with serious consequences: Hackers have tricked e-commerce sites into shipping goods for no charge, usernames and passwords have been harvested, and confidential information (such as addresses and credit-card numbers) has been leaked. We investigate new tools and techniques which address the problem of application-level Web security. We 1) describe a scalable structuring mechanism facilitating the abstraction of security policies from large Web-applications developed in heterogeneous multiplatform environments; 2) present a set of tools which assist programmers in developing secure applications which are resilient to a wide range of common attacks; and 3) report results and experience arising from our implementation of these techniques.


This book is the first in English to explore both Belarus's complicated road to nationhood and to examine in detail its politics and economics since 1991, the nation's first year of true independence. Andrew Wilson focuses particular attention on Aliaksandr Lukashenka's surprising longevity as president, despite human rights abuses and involvement in yet another rigged election in December 2010. Wilson looks at Belarusian history as a series of false starts in the medieval and pre-modern periods, and at the many rival versions of Belarusian identity, culminating with the Soviet Belarusian project and the establishment of Belarus's current borders during World War II. He also addresses Belarus's on-off relationship with Russia, its simultaneous attempts to play a game of balance in the no-man's-land between Russia and the West, and how, paradoxically, Belarus is at last becoming a true nation under the rule of Europe's "last dictator."


Objectives To determine the incidence and costs of sickness absence (SA) among newly employed Brazilian municipal workers. Methods A dynamic cohort composed of all permanent civil servants hired from 2005 to 2011 by the Goiania municipality, in Brazil. Records of medically certified SA longer than three days were provided by the municipality. Incidence density (ID) was calculated per 1,000 person-years in each ICD-10 category. The costs were calculated by summing the benefits paid for work days lost during the follow up time. Results 18,450 workers, median age of 32 years, accumulated 14,909 SA episodes totaling 323,646 work days lost. The total cost of sickness absence was $8,963,217,592 USD. The mean SA episode was 22 days, and the mean cost was $601.1/episode. Overall the ID was 228.8 episodes per 1,000 person-years. Diagnostic groups with the highest SA ID were injuries (48.3 per 1,000 person-years), musculoskeletal diseases (31.0 per 1,000 person-years) and mental disorders (28.1 per 1,000 person-years). Highest episode costs were associated with mental disorder and injuries, and the lowest costs were for infectious diseases. Major cost peaks were observed among females (71.4%), aged 25 to 34 years (41.4%), married (51.2%), with high education (54.9%) and highest income (59.6%), among health professionals (30.9%), with multiple jobs (63.3%) and working part time (55.6%). Conclusions This study showed a substantial economic burden of SA among Brazilian newly employed workers. Our findings suggest the need of the implementation of preventive actions target to new workers, such as proper training, reduction of work-related stress, adequate supervisor support, and the surveillance of early symptoms.


Total length of paved road in Rajshahi City is about 186.64 km (2011 census). It shows that about 23% of total road lengths are present in failure condition. This study shows an investigation to compute the flexible pavement's failure types, to define and identify the causes, and select the best maintenance for that failures of flexible pavement within Rajshahi City. There are many types of failures occur on the roads such as different types of cracks, potholes, raveling, water bleeding, corrugation and shoving, depression, and rutting. The possible causes of flexible pavement failures are improper bituminous mixes with poor quality of materials, heavy traffic loads, heavy rainfall, and bad drainage on pavement. The failures are gradually raised due to lack of proper planning, inspection, and treatment. These failures create different types of disadvantages like traffic jam, discomfort to the passengers as well as drivers, increasing vehicle operating, maintenance cost, etc. This study proves that the authorities practice maintenance procedures to repair the failures of pavement which are about 60% similar to the conventional road maintenance procedures. The authorities as Roads and Highway Department and Rajshahi City Corporation are suggested to do maintenance according to the requirements of urgent maintenance and availability of fund which is found in this investigation.


This volume presents an illuminating analysis of the ways in which normalization processes and practices operate in a welfare state in an age of neoliberalism. This informative book problematize the meaning of the phrase 'normalization processes and practices', that for an Anglophone audience may smacks of functionalism. The historical context of the adoption of normalization processes and practices in Sweden in the post-World War II era was, in the first instance, an expression of the inclusivity designed to decrease inequalities and to achieve social justice. However all the contributors to this volume, show very clearly how notions of normalcy, of normalization, in a neoliberal time operate not only to create an integrating and equalizing context but also, and much more critically, how these processes and practices serve to exclude certain groups of people, and produce a structural inequality that in recent years has been discussed under the term of 'utanforskap' or outsiderhood. Critiquing these interventions, the contributors to this volume show how diverse groups of people - immigrants, families considered 'at risk' by social services, pregnant women, young girls – are variously the objects of context-specific normalization processes and practices that make any resistance to such interventions difficult, if not impossible. What people 'normally do', cloaks that 'normal doing' into a fog of invisibilization that suffocates any form of protest. Normalization thus takes on specific forms of repression in particular circumstances, for instance through the ethnocentric imposition of norms of behaviour on migrants where that ethnocentricity is neither made evident nor acknowledged. This system of normalization also operates in schools, resulting in the reproduction of inequalities and discrimination from an early age. In such normalization processes 'the normal' or 'the usual' becomes a means for re-interpreting structural inequalities in terms of individual choice, and for displacing the responsibilities for change onto those positioned as outsiders. Worryingly, the individual chapters highlight how the operations of normalizing processes work to obscure their functioning, thus making any critique of both the underlying assumptions and their operationalization almost impossible.


ABSTRACT An empirical study was conducted to gain an understanding of the motivations of undergraduate students in attending lectures. Students were highly heterogeneous regarding their reported lecture attendance motivations, with two segments representing prototypical extremes. The student group labelled 'idealists' in this study reported genuinely enjoying lectures, were mature aged students with work experience and more frequently in the arts subjects surveyed. Students labelled 'pragmatics' in this study were most highly represented in the commerce subjects surveyed, were among the younger students, reported attending lectures to get the information they need to succeed in the subject and reported the lowest lecture attendance while achieving the highest grade point average of the students in the study. Generally, as opposed to the findings of previous studies into reasons for lecture attendance in the 1970s, a shift towards pragmatism among students seems to have occurred and now defines the reality of the tertiary education environment.


This paper tested relations between two measures of mental toughness. A sample of 110 male athletes (M age = 20.81. years, SD = 2.76), derived from University sports teams and local sports clubs, gave informed consent before completing two questionnaires to assess mental toughness. It was hypothesized that scales and subscales from the two different instruments, which purported to measure the same or substantially overlapping scales, would be strongly correlated. Predictions concerning the expected relations were made a priori. Pearson correlations revealed a significant and positive relationship between higher order mental toughness scores (r= .75; p< .001). Correlations between similar mental toughness subscales were found to be positive and significant but somewhat lower than expected (r= .49-62). Results suggest instrument subscales with similar labels are not measuring the same components of mental toughness. 2010 Elsevier Ltd.


One subclass of human computation applications are those directed at tasks that involve planning (e.g. tour planning) and scheduling (e.g. conference scheduling). Interestingly, work on these systems shows that even primitive forms of automated oversight on the human contributors helps in significantly improving the effectiveness of the humans/crowd. In this paper, we argue that the automated oversight used in these systems can be viewed as a primitive automated planner, and that there are several opportunities for more sophisticated automated planning in effectively steering crowdsourced planning. Straightforward adaptation of current planning technology is however hampered by the mismatch between the capabilities of human workers and automated planners. We identify and partially address two important challenges that need to be overcome before such adaptation of planning technology can occur: (i) interpreting inputs of the human workers (and the requester) and (ii) steering or critiquing plans produced by the human workers, armed only with incomplete domain and preference models. To these ends, we describe the implementation of AI-MIX, a tour plan generation system that uses automated checks and alerts to improve the quality of plans created by human workers.


The ingestion by seabirds of fossil fuel hydrocarbons and other pollutants has been of great interest. This paper reports that storm-petrels ingest petroleum at sea and that residues can be detected in their stomach oil. The incidence of gut samples containing fossil fuel hydrocarbons (dirty samples) increased significantly after oil spills, and significantly more birds regurgitated dirty samples after large nearby spills than small distant ones. This appears to be one of the first reported instances where individuals of a natural population of marine birds have been shown to ingest sublethal doses of oil from sources of low-level, long-term pollution or from oil spills. Because of certain natural traits, Procellariiformes could serve as monitors of pollutants in the marine environment.


The Kalman filter is a key tool for time-series forecasting and analysis. We show that the dependence of a prediction of Kalman filter on the past is decaying exponentially, whenever the process noise is non-degenerate. Therefore, Kalman filter may be approximated by regression on a few recent observations. Surprisingly, we also show that having some process noise is essential for the exponential decay. With no process noise, it may happen that the forecast depends on all of the past uniformly, which makes forecasting more difficult.Based on this insight, we devise an on-line algorithm for improper learning of a linear dynamical system (LDS), which considers only a few most recent observations. We use our decay results to provide the first regret bounds w.r.t. to Kalman filters within learning an LDS. That is, we compare the results of our algorithm to the best, in hindsight, Kalman filter for a given signal. Also, the algorithm is practical: its per-update run-time is linear in the regression depth.


There is a tradeoff between the quantum efficiency and the spectral response linewidth in resonant-cavity-enhanced (RCE) photodetectors. Recently a new type of photodetector structure has been proposed, which utilizes an inclined mirror in a three-mirror cavity. It decouples the quantum efficiency and the spectral response linewidth and has high response speed, high quantum efficiency, and narrow linewidth simultaneously. The analysis result indicates that the linewidth of 0.8 nm and quantum efficiency higher than 70% can be achieved on this device. For a 30*30 ?m2 device, the maximum bandwidth approaches 23 GHz.


This document describes algorithms based on Elliptic Curve
Cryptography (ECC) for use within the Secure Shell (SSH) transport
protocol. In particular, it specifies: Elliptic Curve Diffie-Hellman
(ECDH) key agreement, Elliptic Curve Menezes-Qu-Vanstone (ECMQV) key
agreement and Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm (ECDSA) for
use in the SSH Transport Layer protocol.


Cells that divide during embryo development require precisely two centrioles during interphase and four centrioles during mitosis. This precise number is maintained by allowing each centriole to nucleate only one centriole per cell cycle (i.e. centriole duplication). Yet, how the first cell of the embryo, the zygote, obtains two centrioles has remained a mystery in most mammals and insects. The mystery arose because the female gamete (oocyte) is thought to have no functional centrioles and the male gamete (spermatozoon) is thought to have only one functional centriole, resulting in a zygote with a single centriole. However, recent studies in fruit flies, beetles, and mammals, including humans, suggest an alternative explanation: spermatozoa have a typical centriole and an atypical centriole. The typical centriole has a normal structure but distinct protein composition, whereas the atypical centriole is distinct in both. During fertilization, the atypical centriole is released into the zygote, nucleates a new centriole, and participates in spindle pole formation. Thus, the spermatozoa's atypical centriole acts as a second centriole in the zygote. Here, we review centriole biology in general and especially in reproduction, we describe the discovery of the spermatozoon atypical centriole, and we provide an updated model for centriole inherence during sexual reproduction. While we focus on humans and other non-rodent mammals, we also provide a broader evolutionary perspective.


Methemoglobinemia and hemolytic anemia are the most prominent side-effects of a wide variety of arylamine drugs including agricultural and industrial chemicals. Symptoms of this hemotoxicity include headache, fatigue, dizziness respiratory and cardiac arrest, and possibly death. Parent compounds are usually converted to their toxic metabolites (N-hydroxylamine) and react with oxyhemoglobin with the consequent reduction of molecular oxygen to active oxygen species leading to hemotoxic damage. We are investigating the role of redox cycling and an alternative hypothesis; viz., that a "hydroxylaminecentered" radical formed during an arylhydroxylamine-oxyhemoglobin reaction causes hemotoxic damage. We examined the time-course methemoglobin potential and hemolytic anemia potential of four laboratory synthesized halogenated phenylhydroxylamines based on their decreasing electronegativity: phenylhydroxylamine (PHA), p-fluoro-, p-bromo-, and p-iodo-PHA. Methemoglobin (MetHb) was determined spectrophotometrically and erythrocyte hemolysis was studied by collecting whole blood from male Sprague-Dawley rats, labeling the cells with radioactive chromium-51 and by infusing the labeled erythrocytes via tail vein in isologous rats. The time course of blood radioactivity was followed by serial sampling of blood from the orbital sinus for 14 days. Results showed doseand time-dependent changes in the induction of methemoglobin by aniline-derivatives. The MetHb levels peaked to more than 70 percent within 10 minutes at 60 μM and remained elevated for 240 minutes in certain treatments. All tested agents produced dose-dependent reductions in the labeled red blood cells indicating the loss of blood cells from circulation. The doseand time-dependent methemoglobin and hemolytic anemia responses suggest these hydroxylamines as potential active metabolites and biomarkers that may mediate aniline-induced hemotoxicity. The minimum dose required to induce these effects varies with the test agent based on their electronegativity potential.


Student designers and professionals alike have difficulty accessing appropriate analogies for design problems. Recognizing the advantages of Design-by-Analogy (DbA), the Design-Analogy Performance Parameter System (D-APPS) tool was developed to include a library of analogy entries and a matching algorithm. These components are combined into the Design Repository & Analogy Computation via Unit-Language Analysis (DRACULA) software package that maps functions across domains in order to present analogies to designers as initiated through engineering performance metrics and critical functions. Most tools developed for DbA emphasize the searching by function feature. Since analogies are based on more than function, DRACULA incorporates both performance and function for the user to identify relevant analogous solutions. Prior to exposing engineering students to this tool, we investigated their ability to use analogies when crossing domains. During this process, we identified three function concepts to be vital for students to effectively use analogies across domains: reoccurring functions, critical functions, and mapping functions. The results establish a better understanding of the information that students utilize in order to formulate appropriate and creative analogous design solutions.


France detonated 193 of a total of 210 nuclear tests in the South Pacific, at Moruroa and Fangataufa atolls, before halting them in 1996 in the face of Pacific-wide protests. On 10 July 1985, French secret agents bombed the Greenpeace flagship Rainbow Warrior in Auckland Harbour, killing photographer Fernando Pereira, in a futile bid to stop a protest flotilla going to Moruroa. The author was on board the Rainbow Warrior for more than 10 weeks of her last voyage. He was awarded the 1985 New Zealand Media Peace Prize for reportage and investigations into the 'Rainbow Warrior and Rongelap Evacuation'. The following year, the author's book Eyes of Fire told the inside story of state terrorism in the Pacific. He has subsequently reflected on a 20-year legal struggle by Television New Zealand and other media campaigners to prevent the French spies gagging reportage of their guilty plea from a public video record and the lingering secrecy about the health legacy of nuclear tests in the Pacific. In the context of the Frontline project for journalism as research, his work inspired a microsite — a community-driven collaborative project in 2015 coordinated by the publishers, Little Island Press , interrogating participants over a three-decade period and 'challenging the nature of mainstream media in New Zealand' with an alternative reader's media model.


The asymptotic theory of displacements of spatially limited light beams propagating through the turbulent atmosphere is developed as a Markovian process approximation. The asymptotic representations for variance of beam displacements corresponding to small and large values of the structure function of phase fluctuations of a spherical wave calculated for the transmitter diameter are obtained. (Phase structure function characterizes the intensity of turbulent pulsations of a medium dielectric constant along the path.) The dependence of the displacement variance on the path length is investigated. The final dimensions of the outer scale of atmospheric turbulence are taken into account. In contrast to previous papers, for the second moment of intensity the expression is used which is obtained using the Huygens-Fresnel principle for smooth inhomogeneous media. This procedure enables one to determine more accurately the field of applicability of the results previously obtained and to explain the observed disagreement of experimental data with that obtained theoretically. The saturation effect of variance of angular displacements with the path length increase was observed.


Network coding has been recently proposed as an efficient method to improve throughput, minimize delays and remove the need for reconciliation between network nodes in distributed streaming systems. It permits to take advantage of the path and node diversity in the network when the network coding nodes are placed efficiently. In this paper, we investigate networks consisting of nodes that autonomously determine whether they should perform network coding or not as well as their set of parent nodes. Each node makes its decisions that maximize its quality of service. The decisions include the selection of operation mode (i.e., network coding mode, simple data forwarding mode) and the selection of extra connections. The resulting interactions among the nodes are modeled as a congestion game, thereby ensuring an equilibrium, i.e., stable multimedia stream flow. The experimental results show that the proposed scheme is appropriate for distributed multimedia transmission since it provides a stable quality without imposing centralized control.