This thesis proposes some information security systems to aid network temporal security applications with multivariate quadratic polynomial equations, image cryptography and image hiding.

In the first chapter, some general terms of temporal logic, multivariate quadratic equations (MQ) problems and image cryptography/hiding are introduced. In particular, explanations of the need for them and research motivations are given, i.e., a formal characterization of time-series, an alternative scheme of MQ systems, a hybrid-key based image encryption and authentication system and a DWT-SVD (Discrete Wavelet Transform and Singular Value Decomposition) based image hiding system.

This is followed by a literature review of temporal basis, ergodic matrix, cryptography and information hiding. After these tools are introduced, they are used to show how they can be applied in our research.

The main part of this thesis is about using ergodic matrix and temporal logic in cryptography and hiding information. Specifically, it can be described as follows: A formal characterization of time-series has been presented for both complete and incomplete situations, where the time-series are formalized as a triple (ts, R, Dur) which denote the temporal order of time-elements, the temporal relationship between time-elements and the temporal duration of each time-element, respectively.

A cryptosystem based on MQ is proposed. The security of many recently proposed cryptosystems is mainly based on the difficulty of solving large MQ systems. Apart from UOV schemes with proper parameter values, the basic types of these schemes can be broken down without great difficulty. Moreover, there are some shortages lying in some of these examined schemes. Therefore, a bisectional multivariate quadratic equation (BMQE) system over a finite field of degree q is proposed. The BMQE system is analysed by Kipnis and Shamir's relinearization and fixing-variables method. It is shown that if the number of the equations is larger or equal to twice the number of the variables, and qn is large enough, the system is complicated enough to prevent attacks from some existing attacking schemes.

A hybrid-key and ergodic-matrix based image encryption/authentication scheme has been proposed in this work. Because the existing traditional cryptosystems, such as RSA, DES, IDEA, SAFER and FEAL, are not ideal for image encryption for their slow speed and not removing the correlations of the adjacent pixels effectively. Another reason is that the chaos-based cryptosystems, which have been extensively used since last two decades, almost rely on symmetric cryptography. The experimental results, statistical analysis and sensitivity-based tests confirm that, compared to the existing chaos-based image cryptosystems, the proposed scheme provides more secure way for image encryption and transmission.

However, the visible encrypted image will easily arouse suspicion. Therefore, a hybrid digital watermarking scheme based on DWT-SVD and ergodic matrix is introduced. Compared to other watermarking schemes, the proposed scheme has shown both significant improvement in perceptibility and robustness under various types of image processing attacks, such as JPEG compression, median filtering, average filtering, histogram equalization, rotation, cropping, Gaussian noise, speckle noise, salt-pepper noise. In general, the proposed method is a useful tool for ownership identification and copyright protection.

Finally, two applications based on temporal issues were studied. This is because in real life, when two or more parties communicate, they probably send a series of messages, or they want to embed multiple watermarks for themselves. Therefore, we apply a formal characterization of time-series to cryptography (esp. encryption) and steganography (esp. watermarking). Consequently, a scheme for temporal ordered image encryption and a temporal ordered dynamic multiple digital watermarking model is introduced.


Type 2 diabetes and tooth loss are linked both epidemiologically and pathophysiologically. We applied label-free differential protein expression analysis using multidimensional liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (2D-LC-MS/MS) to explore the proteomic profile of saliva samples collected from selected type 2 diabetic edentulous patients and non-diabetic controls. Ninety-six peptides corresponding to 52 proteins were differentially expressed between the diabetic edentulous patients and controls (p < 0.05). Some diabetes-related inflammatory biomarkers including glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase and serum amyloid A were detected with levels increased in diabetic samples. Other biomarkers including amylase, palate, lung and nasal epithelium associated protein (PLUNC), and serotransferrin levels were decreased in diabetic samples. In contrast with previous findings, salivary carbonic anhydrase 6 and alpha-2 macroglobulin levels, however, were decreased in this diabetic patient population. Cluster analysis and principle component analysis demonstrated a differential pattern of protein biomarker expression between diabetic and control subjects. Western blot analysis was completed to confirm the relatively lower expression level of two biomarkers, including PLUNC and amylase in the diabetic group compared to control subjects. The presence of salivary biomarkers specific for diabetes in edentulous subjects mimics those in serum, especially those related to inflammatory/lipid metabolism. While this exploratory study requires further validation with a larger population, it provides proof-of-principle for salivary proteomics for edentulous subjects with diabetes.


The high sterol concentration in eukaryotic cell membranes is thought to influence membrane properties such as permeability, fluidity and microdomain formation. Drosophila cannot synthesize sterols, but do require them for development. Does this simply reflect a requirement for sterols in steroid hormone biosynthesis, or is bulk membrane sterol also essential in Drosophila? If the latter is true, how do they survive fluctuations in sterol availability and maintain membrane homeostasis? Here, we show that Drosophila require both bulk membrane sterol and steroid hormones in order to complete adult development. When sterol availability is restricted, Drosophila larvae modulate their growth to maintain membrane sterol levels within tight limits. When dietary sterol drops below a minimal threshold, larvae arrest growth and development in a reversible manner. Strikingly, membrane sterol levels in arrested larvae are dramatically reduced (dropping sixfold on average) in most tissues except the nervous system. Thus, sterols are dispensable for maintaining the basic membrane biophysical properties required for cell viability; these functions can be performed by non-sterol lipids when sterols are unavailable. However, bulk membrane sterol is likely to have essential functions in specific tissues during development. In tissues in which sterol levels drop, the overall level of sphingolipids increases and the proportion of different sphingolipid variants is altered. These changes allow survival, but not growth, when membrane sterol levels are low. This relationship between sterols and sphingolipids could be an ancient and conserved principle of membrane homeostasis.


In order to recover the holographic object information, a method based on the recording of two digital holograms, not only at different planes but also in a slightly off-axis scheme, is presented. By introducing a π-phase shift in the reference wave, the zero-order diffracted term and the twin image are removed in the frequency domain during the processing of the recorded holograms. We show that the zero-order elimination by the phase-shifted holograms is better than working with weak-order beam and average intensity removal methods. For recording experimentally two π-shifted holograms at different planes slightly off-axis, a single cube beam splitter is used. Computer simulations and experimental results, carried out to validate our proposal, show a high accuracy of π/14 that can be comparable with phase-shifting digital holography. For high fringe spacing, our proposal could be applied in electron holography, avoiding high voltage in a biprism.


Evaluation of the canine temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is important in the clinical diagnosis of animals presenting with dysphagia, malocclusion and jaw pain. In humans, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the modality of choice for evaluation of the TMJ. The objectives of this study were to establish a technical protocol for performing MRI of the canine TMJ and describe the MRI anatomy and appearance of the normal canine TMJ. Ten dogs (one fresh cadaver and nine healthy live dogs) were imaged. MRIs were compared with cadaveric tissue sections. T1-weighted (T1-W) transverse closed-mouth, T1-W sagittal closed-mouth, T1-W sagittal open-mouth, and T2-W sagittal open-mouth sequences were obtained. The condylar process of the mandible and the mandibular fossa of the temporal bone were hyperintense to muscle and isointense to hypointense to fat on T1-W images, mildly hyperintense to muscle on T2-W images, and were frequently heterogeneous. The articular disc was visible in 14/20 (70%) TMJs on T1-W images and 13/20 (65%) TMJs on T2-W images. The articular disc was isointense to hyperintense to muscle on T1-W images and varied from hypointense to hyperintense to muscle on T2-W images. The lateral collateral ligament was not identified in any joint. MRI allows evaluation of the osseous and certain soft tissue structures of the TMJ in dogs.


We analyze variational inference for highly symmetric graphical models such as those arising from first-order probabilistic models. We first show that for these graphical models, the tree-reweighted variational objective lends itself to a compact lifted formulation which can be solved much more efficiently than the standard TRW formulation for the ground graphical model. Compared to earlier work on lifted belief propagation, our formulation leads to a convex optimization problem for lifted marginal inference and provides an upper bound on the partition function. We provide two approaches for improving the lifted TRW upper bound. The first is a method for efficiently computing maximum spanning trees in highly symmetric graphs, which can be used to optimize the TRW edge appearance probabilities. The second is a method for tightening the relaxation of the marginal polytope using lifted cycle inequalities and novel exchangeable cluster consistency constraints.


Many chemical or physical modification processes significantly influence the accessibility of fiber forming polymers by causing structural changes. The wettability and sorption ability improvements of polymeric materials are major tasks during finishing processes. Different pre-treatment processes are used in order to improve the accessibility of dissociable groups, hydrophilicity, dyeability, and whiteness. These are usually alkaline purification, chemical bleaching and mercerization. In a previous paper we presented the data for structural characteristics (density, crystallinity index, molecular orientation, void volume, diameter and the specific inner surface of void, etc.) of untreated regenerated cellulose fibers (viscose, modal and lyocell) [41]. We now compare the influence of different pre-treatment processes on fiber structure and the accessibility of the chemical groups of these fibers. In order to improve the accessibility, two pre-treatment processes were used: chemical bleaching of fibers and tensionless alkali treatment. The influence of these pre-treatment processes on the structure parameters was evaluated using viscosity measurements (determination of polymerization degree (DIN 54 270)) and iodine sorption ability measurements according to the Schwertassek method (determination of crystallinity index) [13, 16]. The reactivity and accessibility in a polar environment was determined using tensiometry. Contact angles between the fibers and liquids of different polarities were determined using the powder contact angle method and calculated from a modified Washburn equation [26, 28]. The surface free (Helmholtz) energy of differently treated fibers was determined from the contact angle data using the Owens-Wendt-Raeble-Kaelble approximation [30, 33, 35]. The differences in the accessibility of raw and pre-treated regenerated cellulose fibers obtained using tensiometry are compared with the results of the conventional method used to determine moisture adsorption (DIN 54 351, DIN 53 802). In regard to raw fibers, viscose shows the most hydrophilic characteristic: adsorbs the highest amount of moisture, has the fastest penetration velocities (Fig. 6), the smallest contact angle, and the highest SFE (Fig. 8). Modal fibers have the largest contact angle, the lowest SFE, and they adsorb the smallest amount of water vapor. Pre-treatments increase the sorption ability and the surface free (Helmholtz) energy while they decrease the contact angle. This makes the material more accessible to water and chemicals used in the finishing processes although the crystallinity index increases. The main modification in polymer properties caused by the treatments is an increase in the fiber SFE caused by an increase of the fiber surfaces because of swelling in the alkaline medium (washing, slack-mercerization), and due to an increase of accessible OH- and COOH-groups (bleaching). This enables the formation of an increased number of hydrogen bridges between the water molecules and the OH- and COOH-groups. Our investigations confirm the results published earlier thatthe main property necessary for the proper sorption behavior of cellulose materials are the accessible, less ordered regions and not the degree of crystallinity.


Abstract Because of their large potential for agricultural,i ndustrial and medicinal applications, nanomaterials have been the focus of much research during the past few decades. Nanoclays are natural nanomaterials that occur in the clay fraction of soil,among which montmorillonite and allophane are the most important species. Montmorillonite is a crystalline hydrous phyllosilicate (layer silicate). Organically-modified montmorillonites or 'organoclays', formed by intercalation of quaternary ammonium cations,have long been used as rheological modifiers and additives in paints,inks,greases and cosmetics and as carriers and delivery systems for the controlled release of drugs. Perhaps the largest single usage of organoclays over recent years has been in the manufacture of polymer-clay nanocomposites. These organic−inorganic hybrid materials show superior mechanical,thermal and gas-barrier properties. Organoclays are also useful in pollution control and water treatment. Allophane is a non-crystalline aluminosilicate derived from the weathering of volcanic ash. A large proportion of the agricultural land in Chile is covered by volcanic soils,the clay fraction of which is dominated by allophane. Consisting of nanosize (3.5−5.0 nm) hollow spherules,allophane is a suitable support material for enzyme immobilization. Allophane is also effective at adsorbing phenolic compounds and colour from kraft mill effluents and phosphate from water and wastewater.


Background: Patients who require surgery on the lower extremities are considered to be a high risk group from the point of anesthesia. This study was performed to compare sitting and lateral positions in spinal anesthesia method with hyperbaric bupivacaine 0.5% for hemodynamic status and analgesic period in patients under vascular surgery of the lower limbs in Imam-Khomeini Hospital Complex affiliated to Tehran University of Medical Sciences in 2009 . Methods: In this study 40 patients were divided into two groups of 20 to undergo spinal anesthesia with 3 ml of hyperbaric bupivacaine 0.5% injected into the subarachnoid space in sitting or lateral positions. The anesthesia was performed at T10 level and the hemodynamic status and analgesic periods were compared in the two groups. Results: The changes in mean arterial blood pressure and systolic and diastolic blood pressures were different between the two groups (P<0.05) . Except in the first and thirtieth minutes, the changes in heart rate (HR) were significantly different throughout the study between the two groups (P<0.04) and they were higher in sitting position. The duration of analgesia was significantly longer in lateral position (P<0.04) and the use of fluid was significantly larger in the sitting group (P<0.05) . Conclusion: According to the obtained results, the changes in hemodynamic variables were significantly lower in the group in lateral versus sitting position in patients undergoing spinal anesthesia with bupivacaine for vascular surgery of the lower limb. Abstract


The purpose of this comparative retrospective study was to evaluate the nature of male spouseperpetrated gender based violence (GBV) during pregnancy. The objective was to establish whether diagnosis of HIV infection during pregnancy mitigates or exacerbates male spouse perpetrated psychological and sexual abuse during pregnancy. Case group comprising 96 HIV infected pregnant women, and comparison group (96 uninfected), all in their third trimester of pregnancy were interviewed upon consenting. A modified Conflict Tactics Scale 2 was administered to compare the two groups in terms of psychological aggression and sexual coercion. Results indicated prevalence and severity of male spouse perpetrated abuse to be higher for case group than comparison group across both psychological aggression and sexual coercion subscales. The odds of male spouse perpetrated violence was 6.64-fold higher in HIV positive pregnant women compared to HIV negative pregnant women (OR = 6.64, 95% CI 1.56-28.27, p = 0.010). Thus, diagnosis of pregnancy and absence of HIV infection was associated with mitigated occurrence and severity of male spouse perpetrated abuse, while diagnosis of HIV infection during pregnancy exacerbated the same. The investigator recommends immediate sensitization of health and social workers attending to pregnant women on the escalative effect of HIV positive diagnosis on male-spouse perpetrated violence. Intensive couple counseling and follow up care need to be specially designed and implemented for such couple whether they are concordant positive or discordant.


The aims of this study were to examine fin erosion caused by social interactions between Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) juveniles, and to evaluate the repeatability of recorded fin length using digital image analysis (DIA). Fin length of 2100 juvenile Atlantic cod was analysed using DIA, during a 6 weeks experiment. The lengths of the three dorsal fins and the caudal fin were measured by three different assessors (M, K, B) three times during the experiment. Repeatability was based on a sub set of data from 42 randomly chosen fish. Assessor M measured the length of the fins of the 42 fish three times (M1, M2, M3). M1 and M2 were done on the same day, while M3 was conducted 2 weeks later. Assessor K measured two times with a 2-year interval, and assessor B measured the fin length only once. The correlations between replicated measurements within assessor were highest for assessor M measured on the same day indicating an effect of memory. Repeatability of fin length ranged from 0.57 to 0.73 for the four fins. Social interaction with respect to fin erosion was studied using data on the four fins from all 2100 fish. 'Relative fin length' (fin length/total body length × 100) was calculated to assess fin erosion. Results indicated that all four fins were eroded due to social interactions, but the caudal fin was most severely eroded. In conclusion, DIA can be used to measured fin length but the method could be improved by using chromatic pictures.


Purpose To evaluate the long-term efficacy of infliximab in patients with refractory Behçet's disease (BD)-associated and idiopathic posterior uveitis (PU). Methods Single center, prospective, 6-year duration, follow-up study on 50 consecutive patients (20 [40%] males and 30 [60%] females with a mean age of 37.5 ± 12.3 years) with refractory BD-associated PU (36 patients) and idiopathic PU (14 patients) who had failed at least one immunosuppressive drug. At baseline, patients received prednisone 1 mg/kg/day with rapid tapering and infliximab infusions (5 mg/kg) at weeks 0, 2, 6, and every 8 weeks thereafter. Nonresponders after the third infusion withdrew from the study. Primary outcome measures were visual acuity (VA) value improvement compared to baseline. Secondary outcome measures were proportion of patients with VA improvement from baseline; proportion of patients achieving disease remission; number of PU flare-ups; and incidence of adverse events. Results At the final follow-up, mean right and left eye VA respectively increased from 0.57 ± 0.31 at baseline to 0.68 ± 0.33 (P = 0.048) and from 0.67 ± 0.28 to 0.76 ± 0.27 (P = 0.047). None of the patients had VA worsening and new onset ocular complications. A complete response of PU was recorded in 34/50 (68%) patients and partial response in 11/50 (22%). Five patients were nonresponders and withdrew from the study after the third infusion. A significant reduction of ocular attacks and of the proportion of patients with cystoid macular edema was observed. No differences in infliximab efficacy was recorded between patients with BD-associated and idiopathic PU. No serious adverse events occurred. The mean follow-up duration was 36.8 months. Conclusion Long-term infliximab therapy was equally effective and safe with a significant VA gain in refractory BD-associated and idiopathic PU.


"Musnad Ahmad bin Hanbal" is the compilation the book of Ahadith by Ahmad bin (Muhammad bin) Hanbal bin Hilal bin Asad bin Idris bin 'Abdullah bin Hayyan bin 'Abdullah bin Anas bin 'Auf bin Qasit bin Mazin bin Shayban bin Zuhal bin Tha'labah bin 'Ukabah bin Sa'b bin 'Ali bin Bakr bin Wa'il Zahli Shaybani Muruzi Baghdadi. He was born in 164 Ah and died in 241 AH (رحمۃ اللہ علیہ). The importance of Ahadith lies in it that it tells as to how the holy Qur'an was interpreted, explained and practiced by the Last Prophet and Messenger of Allah (صلی اللہ علہ و ا لہ وسلم) on whose sacred heart it was revealed as Divine Word through the Arch Angel Jibra'il (علیہ السلام). The Ahadith of the Messenger of Allah (صلی اللہ علہ و ا لہ وسلم) that are his sayings are termed as Ahadith Qauli, and those that are his practices are termed as Ahadith Fi'li and those which record his silence seeing the action of a Companion and observing silence amounting to his tacit approval are called Ahadith Taqriri. The hadith literary means the saying and the Sunnah literary means the conduct but technically Sunnah contains both sayings, practices and tacit approvals of the Messenger of Allah (صلی اللہ علہ و ا لہ وسلم). The Holy Qur'an and Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (صلی اللہ علہ و ا لہ وسلم) are thus the two primary sources of the Islamic law. Where any problem arose and direct evidence was not available the light of the Holy Qur'an and Sunnah was taken by the Sahabah and developed a consensus called Ijma'. Where there was no direct evidence in the Holy Qur'an and Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (صلی اللہ علہ و ا لہ وسلم) and even in the Ijma' the competent jurists exercised Ijtihad and used the principal of Qiyas/قیاس to find out the solution in the light of the three. This was not making of a new Shari'at. Shari'at shall remain the same which is in the Holy Qur'an and Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (صل اللہ علہ و ا لہ وسلم) it is only extension of its principles to the cases not exactly mentioned in those sources but their light was there to show the way to solve the problem. The authority behind every thing is first to be seen in the Holy Qur'an and then in the Sunnah and then in the Ijma' and then in the Qiyas/قیاس . Words of human beings who are mortal require explanation. Divine words which are full of meanings to cover the problems to arise till the Last Day are more so. Hence the usefulness of Tafsir as an instrument is logical, to the point, relevant, reasonable and scientific by all standards of finding the true intention of the Divine Word. Men of knowledge have spent their lives in this field and their efforts are to be appreciated. Actions are to be adjudged according as to the motives and the Creator of all is knowing the sincerity of his servants in all affairs of their life and conduct. To know the Tafsir the Ahadith are needed and the net work of Ahadith is the basis of all genuineness of what has come down from the Messenger of Allah (صلی اللہ علہ و ا لہ وسلم) safely and securely to the Ummah via the Muhaddithin. May Allah's mercy be on all of them.Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal's contribution is unique being "Musnad". Each transmitter at the top has been dealt with individually and all transmission via him have been kept in the sandbox allotted to him by him name. This makes two things important. One the topics dealt with by such transmitter's transmissions and secondly, the value and importance of the topic itself due to he being the transmitter.


Quantitative autoradiography was used to determine the distribution of L-[3H]glutamate-binding sites in the rat central nervous system. Autoradiography was carried out in the presence of Cl- and Ca2+ ions. Scatchard plots and Hill coefficients of glutamate binding suggested that glutamate was interacting with a single population of sites having a K-D of about 300 nM and a capacity of 14.5 pmol/mg of protein. In displacement studies, ibotenate also appeared to bind to a single class of non-interacting sites with a KI of 28 microM. However, quisqualate displacement of [3H]glutamate binding revealed two well-resolved sites with KIS of 12 nM and 114 microM in striatum. These sites were unevenly distributed, representing different proportions of specific glutamate binding in different brain regions. The distribution of glutamate- binding sites correlated very well with the projection areas of putative glutamatergic pathways. This technique provides an extremely sensitive assay which can be used to gather detailed pharmacological and anatomical information about L-[3H]glutamate binding in the central nervous system.


This American Journey (a film by Paul Blackthorn, 2013) As children, British actor Paul Blackthorne and Australian photographer Mister Basquali both fell in love with America. Later they each fulfilled their dream to live here, but after two wars, a near economic collapse, and uncertainty about the country's direction, these two expats began to have doubts—was America still the great place they once dreamed of? They drive across America to find out, interviewing random people about issues that affect and confront us all. From the ghetto to the gun show, the courthouse to the cattle yard, they are touched by the wisdom and insight of the people they meet. This American Journey is a cinematic postcard from the people to the people, teaching us that hearts can be healed at the most unexpected times and in the most unexpected places.


Dramatic success in machine learning has led to a new wave of AI applications (for example, transportation, security, medicine, finance, defense) that offer tremendous benefits but cannot explain their decisions and actions to human users. DARPA's explainable artificial intelligence (XAI) program endeavors to create AI systems whose learned models and decisions can be understood and appropriately trusted by end users. Realizing this goal requires methods for learning more explainable models, designing effective explanation interfaces, and understanding the psychologic requirements for effective explanations. The XAI developer teams are addressing the first two challenges by creating ML techniques and developing principles, strategies, and human-computer interaction techniques for generating effective explanations. Another XAI team is addressing the third challenge by summarizing, extending, and applying psychologic theories of explanation to help the XAI evaluator define a suitable evaluation framework, which the developer teams will use to test their systems. The XAI teams completed the first of this 4-year program in May 2018. In a series of ongoing evaluations, the developer teams are assessing how well their XAM systems' explanations improve user understanding, user trust, and user task performance.


Key Message: Statistics with Microsoft Excel, Fourth Edition shows readers how to use Microsoft Excel to perform statistical analysis. This step-by-step guide has been updated to cover the new features and new interface of Excel 2007. Key Topics: Getting Started; Entering, Editing, and Recoding Information; Formulas; Frequency Distributions; Descriptive Statistics; Probability Distributions; Testing Hypotheses About One Sample Means; Testing Hypotheses About the Difference Between Two Means; Analysis of Variance; Correlation; Regression; Cross Tabulations; Random Samples MARKET:For a variety of disciplines, including mathematics, the social sciences, and business. This book will be useful for data analysts and all readers who wish to use Excel to record, manipulate, and analyze their data.


Lake Pamvotis is a shallow lake, located in NW Greece, which during last decades has influenced by a lot of man-made impacts such as sewage discharge, water level fluctuation, e.t.c. Water quality for physicochemical and biological parameters was monitored seasonally in five sampling-stations from April 1998 to March 1999. Lake Pamvotis is an eutrophic ecosystem which has been influenced by the nutrients input, rates of nutrient cycling and plankton-fish dynamics. According to the nitrogen: phosphorus ratio, the limiting factor is phosphorous during spring while a nitrogen limitation is switched on during the warm season. Restoration management strategy requires reduction of external organic load, control of non-point pollution from the surrounding agricultural area and establishment of biomanipulation techniques.


Nowadays, building-integrated solar systems (i.e. photovoltaic modules installed directly in the façades) and concentrating solar systems are more popular. This paper defines the possibility of using Fresnel lens to improve the efficiency of building integrated photovoltaic modules. Both dynamic simulations (done using TRNSYS software) and experimental results (conducted on dedicated set-up with linear Fresnel lens) were described. It can be concluded, that Fresnel lenses allow improving the overall efficiency of the building integrated photovoltaic systems – during conducted tests, the performance of the tested photovoltaic module increased by about 7%.


Pulse width data are used to invert for attenuation structure in the Coso geothermal area, California. The dataset consists of pulse width measurements of 838 microseismic events recorded on a seismic array of 16 downhole stations between August 1993 and March 1994. The quality factor Q correlates well with surface geology and surface heat flow observations. A broad region of low Q (≈ 30 to 37) is located at 0.5 to 1.2 km in depth below Devil's Kitchen, Nicol Prospects, and Coso Hot Springs. A vertical, low Q (≈ 36 in contrast with surrounding rock of 80) region is interpreted as a channel through which hydrothermal energy is transported from depth to the surface. The location of the channel is between stations S1 and S4, and its dimension is about 1 km. At the deep end of the channel, a large, broad body of low Q is also located at 3 km in depth 2 to 4 km to the southwest of Nicol Prospects and Devil's Kitchen. Since it lies at the bottom of the target region and beyond the scope of seismicity, further research is needed to constrain its extent. Numerical modeling with a pseudospectral method is also done to investigate the applicability of the inversion scheme to fractured regions. A linear relationship between pulse width broadening and travel time is upheld, and the proportional constants are estimated.


By 2009 Netflix had all but trounced its traditional bricks-and-mortar competitors in the video rental industry. Since its founding in the late 1990s, the company had changed the face of the industry and threatened the existence of such entrenched giants as Blockbuster, in large part because of its easy-to-understand subscription model, policy of no late fees, and use of analytics to leverage customer data to provide a superior customer experience and grow its e-commerce media platform. Netflix's investment in data collection, IT systems, and advanced analytics such as proprietary data mining techniques and algorithms for customer and product matching played a crucial role in both its strategy and success. However, the explosive growth of the digital media market presents a serious challenge for Netflix's business going forward. How will its analytics, customer data, and customer interaction models play a role in the future of the digital media space? Will it be able to stand up to competition from more seasoned players in the digital market, such as Amazon and Apple? What position must Netflix take in order to successfully compete in this digital arena?

To examine the benefits and risks of investment in analytical technology as a means for mining customer data for business insights. Students will develop a strategy position for Netflix's investment in technology and its digital media business. Students must also consider how new corporate partnerships and changes to the customer channel model will allow the company to prosper in the highly competitive digital space.


Purpose
Previous research has provided limited evidence on whether and how demographic factors associate with sensory processing patterns (SPP) in adults. This paper aims to examine relationships between SPPs and sociodemographic factors of age, sex, education and ethnicity in healthy adults.

Design/methodology/approach
A cross-sectional study design was used. A total of 71 adult participants was recruited from the community, using convenience sampling. Each participant completed the Adolescent/Adult Sensory Profile (AASP) and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales – short version (DASS-21). Demographic information on age, sex, education and ethnicity was collected. Results were analysed using descriptive statistics and multivariate analyses of covariance (MANCOVA).

Findings
SPPs, as measured by the AASP, were significantly correlated to demographic factors of age and education after controlling for emotional distress using the DASS-21. A statistically significant multivariate effect was found across the four dependent variables (low registration, seeking, sensitivity and avoiding) for the age category, F = 6.922, p = 0.009,

ηp2 = 0.145, in the presence of a covariate DASS. The education category showed significance only in the seeking domain (p = 0.008,

ηp2 = 0.10) after controlling for DASS. There was no significant correlation between SPPs and gender or ethnicity. Results also indicated that mean scores of participants in this study were "similar to most people" as standardised in the AASP.

Research limitations/implications
This was a cross-sectional study with limitations including that the study used a relatively small sample and was based on self-reported healthy participants.

Practical implications
SPPs may correlate with healthy adults' age and to a lesser extent education. This suggests that it might be helpful to consider such demographic factors when interpreting SPPs in clinical populations, although further research in larger samples is needed to reach firmer conclusions about possible implications of demographic variables.

Originality/value
The findings in this paper add to the growing evidence that suggest that SPPs vary with sociodemographic factors.


The transition of personal information management (PIM) tools off the desktop to the Web presents an opportunity to augment these tools with capabilities provided by the wealth of real-time information readily available. In this chapter, we describe a personal information assistance engine that lets end-users delegate to it various simple contextand activity-reactive tasks and reminders. Our system, Atomate, treats RSS/ATOM feeds from social networking and life-tracking sites as sensor streams, integrating information from such feeds into a simple unified RDF world model representing people, places and things and their time-varying states and activities. Combined with other information sources on the web, including the user's online calendar, web-based e-mail client, news feeds and messaging services, Atomate can be made to automatically carry out a variety of simple tasks for the user, ranging from context-aware filtering and messaging, to sharing and social coordination actions. Atomate's open architecture and world model easily accommodate new information sources and actions via the addition of feeds and web services. To make routine use of the system easy for non-programmers, Atomate provides a constrained-input natural language interface (CNLI) for behavior specification, and a directmanipulation interface for inspecting and updating its world model.


Boolean matrix factorisation aims to decompose a binary data matrix into an approximate Boolean product of two low rank, binary matrices: one containing meaningful patterns, the other quantifying how the observations can be expressed as a combination of these patterns. We introduce the OrMachine, a probabilistic generative model for Boolean matrix factorisation and derive a Metropolised Gibbs sampler that facilitates efficient parallel posterior inference. On real world and simulated data, our method outperforms all currently existing approaches for Boolean matrix factorisation and completion. This is the first method to provide full posterior inference for Boolean Matrix factorisation which is relevant in applications, e.g. for controlling false positive rates in collaborative filtering and, crucially, improves the interpretability of the inferred patterns. The proposed algorithm scales to large datasets as we demonstrate by analysing single cell gene expression data in 1.3 million mouse brain cells across 11 thousand genes on commodity hardware.


And Dignity for All is about leading with values, leading by example, and - in so doing - unleashing the astonishing commitment and innovation that are buried within your organization right now. Discover how Jim Despain and his colleagues used values-based management to transform Caterpillar's Track-Type Tractors Division into one of the firm's key profit centers. Jim's honesty and ability to rise from the ashes of his mistakes are inspirational. His respect for the common worker and personal search for dignity and self-worth lead him to a new kind of leadership. And his transformation of a struggling organization provides a powerful blueprint for transforming your own - you can make it happen, too.


Depression is a serious mental disorder which affects more than 350 million people of all ages worldwide in the 2012 and physical activity is generally believed to be effective in combating depressive symptoms. This study investigates the effects of regular physical activity and sociodemographic factors on depressive symptoms for both men and women. Data for this study come from the 2011 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) and an ordered probability model with binary endogenous physical activity is developed to accommodate the ordinal nature of depression outcomes. Results suggest that physical activity is most beneficial for mild and moderate depressed individuals and the effect of regular physical activity is most notable on mild depressed females. In addition, socio-demographic factors are found to vary significantly between gender, and factors of age, income, race, education, employment status and recent mental health condition play important roles in affecting depressive symptoms.


The theory of high rate lossy source coding is well developed both with respect to the practice of quantization and its fundamental rate distortion limits. But many modern compression systems for natural signals such as audio and images operate at lower rates, which are not covered by these theories. Often these systems are based on a signal transform followed by a nonlinear processing step that reduces the number of coefficients that are actually quantized. Both this nonlinearity and the non-Gaussianity of the involved signals rule out using the theory of (high rate) linear transform coding to analyze such compression algorithms. The lossy source coding theorem could be used, but it is not the right tool "to see what happens". Another way of getting a better understanding of these systems is to look at them as a form of nonlinear approximation of individual signals. While partly avoiding the need for statistical signal models that are hard to come by, this approach still relies on high rate results for the coefficient quantization. In this thesis we take a more information theoretic approach, whose main result is a new low-rate upper bound on the distortion rate function. In order to obtain that result, the problem had to be simplified substantially. To begin with, only i.i.d. memoryless sources with a mean square error distortion measure are considered. Instead of bounding the distortion rate function D(R) directly, we derive upper bounds on the optimum performance of a certain class of quantizers, which by definition upper bound also D(R). Inspired by the observation that many of those compression systems quantize only very few coefficients at low rates, we called this the class of oligoquantizers. In particular, if the coefficients have a peaked unimodal probability density, a simple magnitude thresholding operation is very effective at deciding which coefficients should be quantized. It turns out that peaked unimodal densities are also the most interesting ones, not just because they appear in many transform coding systems, but also because they have a D(R) behavior that is very different from a Gaussian. Thus the emphasis of this work will be on oligoquantization based on scalar thresholding. Actually we will show that the principle of oligoquantization does not generalize well to higher dimensions. On a more applied note, we analyze several models for sparse transform coefficients with the aid of the low rate bound. For the special case of sparse coefficient vectors and Hamming distortion measure, analytic expressions for R(D) are obtained. A high rate bound that complements its low rate counterpart is also derived. Finally, we show how these bounds can be computed directly from a set of source samples, without first estimating the underlying probability density. These empirical bounds can be a useful complement to the rate distortion function computed with Blahut's algorithm, since the latter is hard to use at very low or high rates.


Papaya is one of the climacteric fruits that has a short shelf life and potential for postharvest anthracnose disease disorders caused by the pathogen Colletotrichum gloeosporioides. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of several antagonistic yeast species to extend shelf life and controlling anthracnose disease in postharvest of Callina papaya. This research was conducted at the Papaya field in Kanaga Village, Lebak Regency, Banten from November 2018 to July 2019, and Postharvest Laboratory AGH, IPB University from March to July 2019. The experiment was arranged in a randomized complete block design with the treatment of five types of yeasts, i.e., Cryptococcus albidus Yp, Aureobasidium pullulans Dmg 30 DEP, Rhodotorula minuta Dmg 16 BEP, Candida tropicalis Lm 13 BE, and Pseudozyma hubeiensis Dmg 18 BEP, a fungicide treatment with active ingredient azoxystrobin as a standard, and without treatment as a control. The results showed that the use of Candida tropicalis, Aureobasidium pullulans, and Cryptococcus albidus extended the shelf life of Callina papaya fruit to 12.6, 12.4, dan 12.2 days, respectively, longer than the control that was only 7 days, and effectively prevented anthracnose disease with suppression rates of 58.33%, 54.17%, and 50.00%, respectively, during storage. The use of yeast antagonists did not affect the physical and chemical quality of Callina papaya.
Keywords: climacteric fruit, Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, postharvest


World War II coincided with cinema's golden age. Movies now considered classics were created at a time when all sides in the war were coming to realize the great power of popular films to motivate the masses. Through multinational research, "One World, Big Screen" reveals how the Grand Alliance--Britain, China, the Soviet Union, and the United States--tapped Hollywood's impressive power to shrink the distance and bridge the differences that separated them. The Allies, M. Todd Bennett shows, strategically manipulated cinema in an effort to promote the idea that the United Nations was a family of nations joined by blood and affection. Bennett revisits "Casablanca," "Mrs. Miniver," "Flying Tigers," and other familiar movies that, he argues, helped win the war and the peace by improving Allied solidarity and transforming the American worldview. Closely analyzing film, diplomatic correspondence, propagandists' logs, and movie studio records found in the United States, the United Kingdom, and the former Soviet Union, Bennett rethinks traditional scholarship on World War II diplomacy by examining the ways that Hollywood and the Allies worked together to prepare for and enact the war effort.


We present a new efficient sampling method for approximating r-dimensional Maximum Constraint Satisfaction Problems, MAX-rCSP, on n variables up to an additive error εnr. We prove a newgeneral paradigm in that it suffices, for a given set of constraints, to pick a small uniformly random subset of its variables, and the optimum value of the subsystem induced on these variables gives (after a direct normalization and with high probability) an approximation to the optimum of the whole system up to an additive error of εnr. Our method gives for the first time a polynomial in ε—1 bound on the sample size necessary to carry out the above approximation. Moreover, this bound is independent in the exponent on the dimension r. The above method gives a completely uniform sampling technique for all the MAX-rCSP problems, and improves the best known sample bounds for the low dimensional problems, like MAX-CUT. The method of solution depends on a new result on t he cut norm of random subarrays, and a new sampling technique for high dimensional linear programs. This method could be also of independent interest.


A search conducted to determine the plants yielding vegetable oils resulted in 78 plant species with potential use in cosmetics and skin care products. The taxonomic position of these plant species is described with a description of vegetable oils from these plants and their use in cosmetic and skin care products. These species belonged to 74 genera and 45 plant families and yielded 79 vegetable oils. Family Rosaceae had highest number of vegetable oil yielding species (five species). Most of the species were distributed in two families (Anacardiaceae and Asteraceae) containing four species each, followed by seven families (Boraginaceae, Brassicaceae, Clausiaceae, Cucubitaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Fabaceae and Lamaceae) containing three species each of oil yielding plants. Five families (Apiaceae, Dipterocarpaceae, Malvaceae, Rubiaceae and Sapotaceae) have two species each of vegetable oil yielding plants. Two monocotyledonous families Arecaceae and Poaceae contained three species each of oil yielding plants. Remaining 28 vegetable oil yielding species were distributed in 28 plant families, which included two species of gymnosperms distributed in family Cupressaceae and Pinaceae. These vegetable oils are natural and can be used as the base for mixing ones own aromatherapy massage or bath oil, or if preferred can be used as ready blended massage oils or bath oils. Apart from their medicinal value, vegetable oils have heat contents approximately 90% that of diesel fuel and are potential alternate fuel candidates. By combining the skills and efforts of biologists, food scientists, plant breeders and oil companies it may be possible to develop reasonably priced vegetable oils with enhanced levels of functional ingredients. With growing trend of using vegetable oils in food preparation and body and skin care, the health benefits in reducing heart disease and body and skin ailments could be substantial. Key Words: Taxonomy, vegetable oils, uses, cosmetics, skin care products. African Journal of Biotechnology Vol.4(1) 2005: 36-44


Thomson Reuters is a commercial publisher of content that is general and educational in nature, may not reflect all recent legal developments and may not apply to the specific facts and circumstances of individual transactions and cases. Users should consult with qualified legal counsel before acting on any information published by Thomson Reuters online or in print. Thomson Reuters, its affiliates and their editorial staff are not a law firm, do not represent or advise clients in any matter and are not bound by the professional responsibilities and duties of a legal practitioner. Nothing in this publication should be construed as legal advice or creating an attorney-client relationship. The views expressed in this publication by any contributor are not necessarily those of the publisher. Stemming the tide of meritless securities class actions


Processing methods to disperse Graphene nanoplatelets (GnP) in high density polyethylene (HDPE) are being investigated in an attempt to manufacture a material with mechanical and barrier properties suitable for fabrication of vehicle fuel tanks. Previously reported results indicated that through a simple melt mixing process, the oxygen transmission through a 7.5% wt. GnP in HDPE composite was reduced by 55% compared to the neat composite, however there was also a 50% loss in impact resistance. Alternative methods to melt extrusion were investigated to improve the dispersion and alignment of GnP. Microlayer co-extrusion (MCE) of the GnP powder and HDPE, in which the melt nanocomposite is stretched into thin films, stacked and consolidated, resulted in higher relative improvements in barrier properties, however was still limited by dispersion issues. A 30% wt. GnP in HDPE masterbatch was produced and then processed through the MCE process. This actually resulted in a decrease in properties due to platelet curling and size reduction. A solution mixing approach was employed in which HDPE and GnP were mixed in heated xylene to improve the dispersion, but the advantage was lost when it was re-processed with melt extrusion. A low molecular weight hydrocarbon coating of the GnP platelets was applied prior to processing in melt extrusion to improve the dispersion but resulted in only a small improvement in the impact resistance, had a negative impact on the flexural properties, and did not improving the barrier properties. An elastomeric coating of the GnP resulted in recovering up to 34% of the lost impact resistance but the flexural modulus and strength were lowered and there was a negligible effect on barrier properties at a 5% wt. concentration. Alternative thin film methods are now currently being investigated


The division between the legislature/executive and the judiciary in a constitutional state is a very important, but precarious relationship. It is important that the political arm (legislature/executive) understand the critical role of the judiciary as custodian of the Constitution within the constitutional framework. Without the basic respect for and understanding of the role of the judiciary, politicians in the government can easily frustrate the judiciary primary function to uphold the law and to establish the rule of law in a country. If the relationship deteriorates and the status of the judiciary is degraded by the ruling party it will in the long run tarnish the status of the constitutional state and that of the rule of law in the country. This article deals with the internal process to initiate a private members bill in parliament with an explanation how easily it can be frustrated by the majority party in the standing committees and in parliament. The passing of the private members bill could be frustrated by the ruling party by using their numerical advantage. However, it is also pointed out that the purpose or goal of the same private members bill could also be reached by other means, such as a ruling by the High Courts. The article analyse this phenomenon and outlines the potential impact thereof on the principle of the separation of powers in South Africa.


Purpose: Bevacizumab, an anti-VEGFA antibody, inhibits the developing vasculature of tumors, but resistance is common. Antiangiogenic therapy induces hypoxia and we observed increased expression of hypoxia-regulated genes, including carbonic anhydrase IX (CAIX), in response to bevacizumab treatment in xenografts. CAIX expression correlates with poor prognosis in most tumor types and with worse outcome in bevacizumab-treated patients with metastatic colorectal cancer, malignant astrocytoma, and recurrent malignant glioma. Experimental Design: We knocked down CAIX expression by short hairpin RNA in a colon cancer (HT29) and a glioblastoma (U87) cell line which have high hypoxic induction of CAIX and overexpressed CAIX in HCT116 cells which has low CAIX. We investigated the effect on growth rate in three-dimensional (3D) culture and in vivo, and examined the effect of CAIX knockdown in combination with bevacizumab. Results: CAIX expression was associated with increased growth rate in spheroids and in vivo. Surprisingly, CAIX expression was associated with increased necrosis and apoptosis in vivo and in vitro. We found that acidity inhibits CAIX activity over the pH range found in tumors (pK = 6.84), and this may be the mechanism whereby excess acid self-limits the build-up of extracellular acid. Expression of another hypoxia inducible CA isoform, CAXII, was upregulated in 3D but not two-dimensional culture in response to CAIX knockdown. CAIX knockdown enhanced the effect of bevacizumab treatment, reducing tumor growth rate in vivo. Conclusion: This work provides evidence that inhibition of the hypoxic adaptation to antiangiogenic therapy enhances bevacizumab treatment and highlights the value of developing small molecules or antibodies which inhibit CAIX for combination therapy. Clin Cancer Res; 18(11); 3100–11. ©2012 AACR.


First, we review the legislative history of the provision on automated decision-making in the 1995 EU Data Protection Directive (the 1995 Directive), as it was amended in the process of adopting a new EU General Data Protection Regulation that would enter into force in 2018. Next, we discuss profiling in the context of the case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) in Google Spain, Digital Rights Ireland and Schrems cases. We argue that the CJEU might be making a subtle move in its interpretation of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights toward protecting against undesirable profiling measures instead of merely protecting against the identification of an individual. Finally, we bring a few hypotheticals of algorithmic decision-making from the employment context, which illustrate how the relevant legislative framework might be applied.


Welcome to Part 27, where we finish 'N' with nitrates and nootkatone and move onto 'O' starting with octacosanol. The first review focuses on what has become quite a hot topic in sport nutrition in the recent years with the BBC leading with a headline in August 2009 that 'Beetroot Juice boosts Stamina'. The BBC was describing a study from Professor Andy Jones' group: in his brief review for Part 27, he describes the link between supplementing the diet with nitrate-rich beetroot juice to enhance NO availability and the consequential proposed mechanisms that could lead to an improvement in exercise performance. The other two reviews deal with substances that are generally found as plant extracts: nootkatone, a chemical found in the essential oil of grapefruit and other plants including cedars, which is used predominantly as a flavouring compound but also as a natural insecticide; and policosanol, a wheat-germ extract whose main component is octacosanol.

### AM Jones

Nitric oxide (NO) is an important physiological signalling molecule that can modulate skeletal muscle function through its role in the regulation of blood flow, muscle contractility, glucose and calcium homeostasis and mitochondrial biogenesis and respiration.1 Until quite recently, it was considered that NO was generated solely through the oxidation of the amino acid l-arginine in a reaction catalysed by nitric oxide synthase (NOS).2 It is now appreciated, however, that NO may also be produced by the reduction of nitrate to nitrite and subsequently of nitrite to NO.3 This pathway may be particularly important in hypoxia. Nitrate and nitrite are present in the body as products of NO production through NOS and are also modulated through the diet. Nitrate in foods (particularly green leafy vegetables) can be reduced to nitrite by oral bacteria, leading to an increased plasma nitrite concentration that serves as a …


Accounting for azimuthal anisotropy is necessary for the processing and inversion of wide-azimuth and wide-aperture seismic data because wave speeds naturally depend on the wave propagation direction. Orthorhombic anisotropy is considered the most effective anisotropic model that approximates the azimuthal anisotropy we observe in seismic data. In the framework of full wave form inversion (FWI), the large number of parameters describing orthorhombic media exerts a considerable trade-off and increases the non-linearity of the inversion problem. Choosing a suitable parameterization for the model, and identifying which parameters in that parameterization could be well resolved, are essential to a successful inversion. In this thesis, I derive the radiation patterns for different acoustic orthorhombic parameterization. Analyzing the angular dependence of the scattering of the parameters of different parameterizations starting with the conventionally used notation, I assess the potential trade-off between the parameters and the resolution in describing the data and inverting for the parameters. In order to build practical inversion strategies, I suggest new parameters (called deviation parameters) for a new parameterization style in orthorhombic media. The novel parameters denoted d, ηd and δd are dimensionless and represent a measure of deviation between the vertical planes in orthorhombic anisotropy. The main feature of the deviation parameters consists of keeping the scattering of the vertical transversely isotropic (VTI) parameters stationary with azimuth. Using these scattering features, we can condition FWI to invert for the parameters which the data are sensitive to, at different stages, scales, and locations in the model. With this parameterization, the data are mainly sensitive to the scattering of 3 parameters (out of six that describe an acoustic orthorhombic medium): the hori5 zontal velocity in the x1 direction, 1 which provides scattering mainly near the zero offset in the x1-x3 vertical plane, and d, which is the ratio of the horizontal velocity squared in the x1 and x2 direction. Since, with this parameterization, the radiation pattern for the horizontal velocity is azimuth independent, we can perform an initial VTI inversion for two parameters (velocity and 1), then use d to fit the azimuth variation in the data. This can be done at the reservoir level or any region of the model.


The 21st century has seen a marked increase in the prevalence of failed and failing states and an equally significant increase in acts of domestic and international terrorism.1 The challenge at the present time is for the international community of nations to adopt a common approach to the treatment of terrorism as an international crime. This article argues that terrorism is an international crime and as such requires the international community to act in the prevention of terrorism and the sanction of individuals perpetrating acts of terrorism. In this respect, the events of 11 September 2001 have presented an opportunity for internationalist forces to come to the forefront of the global political agenda. With an international war on terrorism seemingly being sanctioned by the United Nations, it is time for the crime of terrorism-as the act of a nongovernmental organization-to become a part of the universal responsibility of nations, with that responsibility further delegated to an international institution such as the International Criminal Court for prosecution and subsequent sanction.This article will discuss the current status of terrorism as an international crime. In this respect, a review of existing treaties and conventions dealing with discrete elements of terrorism will be presented, followed by the identification of the definitional problem of what exactly constitutes terrorism. The article will conclude with a review of the current state of international criminal law and argue that the lack of a precise agreed-upon definition of terrorism in the international community does not detract from the criminality of the act, but rather simply provides an excuse for states to not meet their obligations under the law.It is generally accepted that "international crimes" are considered so heinous that any member of the community of nations may prosecute the offender. An early example of a crime deemed to be universal and for which any nation may claim jurisdiction is piracy. Other international crimes include slavery, war crimes, hijacking and sabotage of civil aircraft, and genocide. Much as piracy developed into an international crime, obligating each state to take positive steps to prevent piratical acts, states are equally charged in the modern world circumstance to take positive steps to prevent terrorism and to effect sanction upon convicted terrorists. This obligation extends to the requirement for states to either bring purported terrorists within the sphere of domestic criminal law or to turn over those accused of terrorism to the international community of nations for trial and sanction (upon conviction) before the International Criminal Court or a similar judicial institution.Although there may be numerous legitimate critiques of how and under what circumstances individuals will be subject to international legal institutions, it is clear that the international community has continued to apply international criminal law to individuals. Further, it is clear that the international community has effectively established both ad-hoc and permanent judicial institutions for the trial and sanction of individuals found to have breached international criminal law. The matter that remains outstanding at the present time is to assess the current international position on terrorism as a crime under international law and the effect of any such determination of criminality.THE CURRENT STATE OF INTERNATIONAL LAW PROHIBITING TERRORISMAt the present time, 13 international conventions or protocols exist that prohibit specific acts of terrorism. These agreements have been developed and are maintained under the auspices of the UN and stand as the expressed will of the world community.The first of the modern conventions to address the problem of terrorism, the Tokyo convention of 1963, sought to address behaviour onboard aircraft that could affect in-flight safety and was followed in 1970 by the Hague convention, which specifically made it an offence for any person onboard an aircraft to attempt to seize or exercise control of the aircraft whether by threat, force, or intimidation. …


This article examines the patterns and political implications of Jewish settler violence and vigilantism in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Rather than viewing these attacks as deviant social behaviour and a by-product of the political chaos in the West Bank, this article sees settler violence as an informal political mechanism that structures and reproduces political control in the service of the state. The analysis presents the structural and agential dimensions of this mechanism, and evaluates its political significance in the overall Israeli control system in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. It concludes that the informal cooperation between the settlers and the Israeli soldiers represents a unique instance of state collusion and vigilantism, wherein the very same structural forces that undermine state authority also generate casual mechanisms that compensate it.


The Affordable Care Act fails to coordinate the impact of tax burdens on individuals with the global aim of extending the availability of health care insurance. The price of private health insurance depends in this country on who buys it; large employers pay less than small employees and individuals for the same level of coverage. Because the ACA does not eliminate these and related artefactual cost differences, the Act's pricebased adjustments of the post-tax cost of health care to individuals simply perpetuate or worsen central problems of tax fairness and neutrality.


Conventional Engineering curriculum is strongly focused on the development in students of technical knowledge and skills. However, in recent years, employers have increasingly acknowledged that this traditional preparation of Engineering students' is inadequate, as graduates lack the wide range of written and spoken communication skills required to engage with members of other professional groups and with the broader community. Recognition of the important role that communicative competence plays in professional success within the engineering industry has, as a result, led to a number of tertiary institutions developing curricula to address these needs. This paper presents a successful integrative Engineering Communication curriculum, developed for both local and international Engineering students in an Australian university, which aims to develop both communicative ability and community engagement. The courses that form the Engineering Communication Program provide for critical awareness-raising of community issues such as ethics, sustainability and gender, English for academic and professional Engineering purposes for both English as an Additional Language (EAL) and English background students and advanced research communication for postgraduate students. All courses are strongly informed by scaffolded learning techniques, systemic functional linguistics and genre theory, and most are run collaboratively by Engineering, Education and Applied Linguistics lecturers. The aims of the Program are to raise awareness in Engineering students about, and to equip them with skills for, their future roles and responsibilities, and to provide the community with engineers whose strong technical knowledge is balanced by an appreciation of the broader social contexts with which they will engage in their professional lives.


This paper studies the information-theoretic secrecy performance in large-scale cellular networks based on a stochastic geometry framework. The locations of both base stations and mobile users are modeled as independent two-dimensional Poisson point processes. We consider two important features of cellular networks, namely, information exchange between base stations and cell association, to characterize their impact on the achievable secrecy rate of an arbitrary downlink transmission with a certain portion of the mobile users acting as potential eavesdroppers. In particular, tractable results are presented under diverse assumptions on the availability of eavesdroppers' location information at the serving base station, which captures the benefit from the exchange of the location information between base stations.


Considering the vast variety of EMG signal applications such as rehabilitation of people suffering from some mobility limitations, scientists have done much research on EMG control system. In this regard, feature extraction of EMG signal has been highly valued as a significant technique to extract the desired information of EMG signal and remove unnecessary parts. In this study, Wavelet Transform (WT) has been applied as the main technique to extract Surface EMG (SEMG) features because WT is consistent with the nature of EMG as a nonstationary signal. Furthermore, two evaluation criteria, namely, RES index (the ratio of a Euclidean distance to a standard deviation) and scatter plot are recruited to investigate the efficiency of wavelet feature extraction. The results illustrated an improvement in class separability of hand movements in feature space. Accordingly, it has been shown that only the SEMG features extracted from first and second level of WT decomposition by second order of Daubechies family (db2) yielded the best class separability.


The phosphorylation of glucose, a crucial step in cellular metabolism, is catalysed by hexokinases (HK), of which there are four (HKI-IV) in mammalian tissues. The brain HK, (HK1), like HKII and HKIII, has a molecular weight of approximately 100 kDa. HKII is insulin-sensitive and found in adipose and muscle cells. HKIV, also known as glucokinase, has a molecular weight of 50 kDa and is specific to liver and pancreas. Most brain HK is bound to mitochondria via porins, enabling coordination between glucose consumption and oxidation. Tumour cells are known to be highly glycolytic, and correspondingly increased expression of glycolytic enzymes, including HK, have been detected in resected tumours from patients with lung, gastrointestinal and breast cancer. In the latter group, further increases in HK activity were associated with metastatic disease. Some studies have demonstrated increased HK activity in renal tumours, and also have reported changes in the isoenzymic expression of HK. Experimental studies of the initiation and progression of liver tumours have demonstrated a shift in expression from that of HKIV to HKI and HKII, with increased HK binding to mitochondria and a > 100-fold increase in HK activity. However, studies using xenografts derived from gliomas found decreased HK activity corresponding with loss of chromosome 10, the carrier of the HKI gene. Compared with normal tissues, a number of mechanisms are associated with changes in HK activity seen in tumours of the liver and other sites, and these include HK gene dosage, increased transcription, modulation of HK promoter activity by a broader range of effectors, and increased mitochondrial binding of HK. Increased HK activity, together with increased glucose transport by tumour cells, has been exploited in cancer imaging using the positron-labelled glucose analogue (18F)fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (FDG), which is transported into cells and then phosphorylated, but undergoes little further metabolism. Accumulated FDG then can be detected using positron emission tomography (PET).


The present study was conducted at Pasoh Forest Reserve, located in Negeri Sembilan Malaysia, at about 2°59'N and l02°18'E. The aims of the study were to
determine the light environment in the lowland tropical forest and the light interception
by the forest canopy and to understand the physiological responses of those selected
species to different light in relation to their growth performances. Photon flux densities
in different microsites and a clearing within a lowland evergreen tropical forest has been
measured and compared between dry and rainy seasons under various of weather
conditions. Measurements of PPD were monitored continuously at 5 min intervals over
14-29 day period using quantum sensors under the understorey, small gap, medium gap,
big gap and open area. Vertical distribution of PFDs at different height levels of 52 m,
42 m, 33 m, 23 m, 19 m, 14 m, 7 m and on the forest floor were also measured. Daily average PFO, total daily PFO and average daily frequency distribution were analyzed.
Daily total PFO in the open area, big gap, medium gap, small gap and understorey sites
during the rainy season of November to January 1992 were 51-55, 17.8, 8.1. 8 and 4.51
%, of the daily total PFO recorded in the clearing, respectively. Daily total PFO in the
big gap during the dry season was on the average 2 times lower than during the rainy
season. In the clearing, high proportion of 5-min average was greater than 500 µmol m-2
S⁻¹, while in the medium, small gaps and understorey, were between 10 and 50 µmol m-l
S⁻¹. On diurnal basis, there were high variations in PFO distributions at canopy height of
42 and 52 m during the midday. Mid canopy showed high variations in PFD during the
study period. The highest daily total PPO recorded at 52 m was 50 mol m⁻² and the
lowest value was found to be at the forest floor. The canopy of the emergent at 33 m
height intercepted more than 50% of PFD.
In situ growth experiments were carried out by establishing uniform sized
seedlings of Shorea leprosula and Neobalanocarpus heimii in each micro site. Diurnal
photosynthesis and growth performances were measured accordingly. Open area and big
gap sites showed higher growth and photosynthetic rates. Photosynthetic light response
curves of S. leprosula and Neobalanocarpus heimii seedlings grown inside the
microsites were established. In addition, P-I response curves of N. heimii and
Dipterocarpus sublamellatus canopy leaves were also established. The average
photosynthetic light response parameters, a, P max, R and e which were calculated
based on Thomley model. The a, Pmax, R and Bin canopy leaves of N. heimii and D.


The purpose of this study was to assess the corporate governance practices in forex bureaus in Nairobi. Other specific objectives of the pe study include independence and structure of the board, control systems and audit practices, effects of corporate governances practices on performance and weaknesses of corporate governance. The study is considered important to various stakeholders including major players in the corporate industry, investors, top management of forex bureaus, the government as well as other researchers in this field. The researcher adopted a descriptive research design. The population of study comprised all the 75 forex bureau managers. This study adopted a complete census of the population. This was because the number. was not too big and it was possible to reach the whole population as soon as possible. Data was collected by use of questionnaire method which had both closed and open ended questions. Data was received from 66 respondents, representing 88% response rate and analyzed using descriptive statistics including frequency distribution tables, charts and percentages. Finding of this study suggests that established corporate governance practices in forex bureaus in Nairobi, includes the existence of the board of directors that also comprise independent board members, composition of the board of directors and the existence of internal controls. In addition, the study has established the effects and weaknesses of corporate governance practices in forex bureaus in Nairobi, Kenya. The effects include improved profitability, return on investment and reduced business risk,while the weaknesses includes irregular external audits, adequacy of staff rewards and internal controls in place. Corporate governance practices should be improved in forex bureaus by constituting board of directors that compose of independent people with intergrity, well informed and non-executives directors. Regular external audits should be carried out in forex bureaus and staff reward systems should be all inclusive.The Central Bank of Kenya, as a regulator should formulate relevant laws to ensure corporate governance practices are followed in forex bureus. The Government should create enabling enviroments.


Two types of urban social experience are distinguished: contacts with friends and contacts with strangers. Traditional theories of urban life have concentrated on contacts with strangers, which for the most part are impersonal. This has led to the popular view that urban residents are socially isolated even though much of the available evidence on friendship contradicts this. This paper reports a study of newcomers who moved either to New York City or to a town of 31,000. The findings indicate that once the newcomers had lived in the new environment seven or eight months, there were no differences between the two groups with respect to number of friends or frequency of contact with friends. However, the urban group did experience greater difficulty in forming friendships than the non-urban group. It is suggested that the greater feelings of fear and distrust reported by the urban newcomers were the reason for this difficulty. Thus, it is possible that community size affects friendship in a way that has not previously been explored: fear, distrust, and other aspects of encounters between strangers in a city may make the transition from stranger to friend more difficult than in a smaller community.


C-X3-C motif chemokine ligand 1 (CX3CL1)/fractalkine is a chemokine released after cleavage by two metalloproteases, ADAM metallopeptidase domain 10 (ADAM10) and ADAM metallopeptidase domain 17 (ADAM17), involved in inflammation and angiogenesis in the cancer microenvironment. The role of the CX3CL1/ C-X3-C motif chemokine receptor 1(CX3CR1) axis in the multiple myeloma (MM) microenvironment is still unknown. Firstly, we analyzed bone marrow (BM) plasma levels of CX3CL1 in 111 patients with plasma cell disorders including 70 with active MM, 25 with smoldering myeloma (SMM), and 16 with monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS). We found that BM CX3CL1 levels were significantly increased in MM patients compared to SMM and MGUS and correlated with BM microvessel density. Secondly, we explored the source of CX3CL1 in MM and BM microenvironment cells. Primary CD138+ cells did not express CXC3L1 but up-regulated its production by endothelial cells (ECs) through the involvement of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα). Lastly, we demonstrated the presence of CX3CR1 on BM CD14+CD16+ monocytes of MM patients and on ECs, but not on MM cells. The role of CX3CL1 in MM-induced angiogenesis was finally demonstrated in both in vivo chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane and in vitro angiogenesis assays. Our data indicate that CX3CL1, present at a high level in the BM of MM patients, is a new player of the MM microenvironment involved in MM-induced angiogenesis.


Due to the lack of education and the stigma attached to HIV testing, African American men are less likely to seek outreach services; therefore they are often unaware of their HIV status. Stigmatization of homosexuality in communities of color may also influence the availability of HIV/AIDS education and services; compounded with the fact that access to appropriate health care may be limited in these communities. While infection rates among African American men having sex with men (MSM) are well documented, research on effective interventions is not, and is particularly limited for these men who are substance users and participate in the sex trade for drugs. This article explores and documents the experiences of African American MSM in a southeastern metropolitan city who are involved in the commercial sex trade, and presents the results of a focus-group investigation conducted specifically to gain input about accessing outreach services.


EComposite hardfacings produced by Plasma Transferred Arc Welding (PTAW) and Submerged Arc Welding (SAW) possess a good combination of hardness, wear resistance and fracture toughness, thus providing high wear resistance. Although they cannot substitute and be compared with conventional WC-Co based hardmetals, still they can be used in many applications where high wear resistance, hardness and toughness are in great demand. In this study two different hardfacing production technologies PTAW and SAW, were used to produce the hardfacings for abrasive wear conditions. In both cases hardfacings were welded on the top of low alloy steel using different proportions of disintegrator milled hardmetal WC-Co powder of different fractions as a reinforcement and self-fluxing alloy as a matrix. They were analysed in regard to Rockwell and Vickers hardness, wear behaviour, and microstructural analysis. SAW hardfacings were subjected to Rockwell hardness test after process and after two cycles of tempering; secondary hardness effect was detected as increment of hardness values from 39 HRC to 58 HRC after first cycle of tempering. High Vickers hardness values did not correlate with wear results, as it commonly shows hardness of hardmetal particles. Dissolution of hardmetal particles in the matrix was observed in both PTAW and SAW hardfacings with higher amount in the later. This amount correlated with heat input during welding process. Wear test results in abrasive emery wear (AEMW) and abrasive wheel wear test (AWW) showed almost analogous tendency, with slightly lower wear in later. Both types of hardfacings have shown promising results in intensive wear conditions. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.ms.24.2.19121


The optimal layup with least weight or cost for a symmetrically laminated plate subject to a buckling load is determined using a hybrid composite construction. A hybrid construction provides further tailoring capabilities and can meet the weight, cost and strength constraints while a non-hybrid construction may fail to satisfy the design requirements. The objective of the optimization is to minimize either the weight or cost of the plate using the ply angles, layer thicknesses and material combinations as design variables. As the optimization problem contains a large number of continuous (ply angles and thicknesses) and discrete (material combinations) design variables, a -sequential solution procedure is devised in which the optimal variables are computed in different stages. The proposed design method is illustrated using graphite, kevlar and glass epoxy combinations and the efficiencies of the hybrid designs over the non-hybrid ones are computed.


Drought can cause serious problems across much of Europe. Many droughts are localised and short, but others are widespread and cause environmental and social effects that cross international boundaries. Some of the most important UK droughts were also significant droughts across much of Europe. Intuitively, it would seem that there may be considerable potential for developing improved drought monitoring and forecasting tools by examining the spatial coherence of droughts on a continental scale.

This project has considered the potential for developing new approaches to forecasting drought by asking the following research questions:

• Is there any systematic time lag between the onset and development of droughts in different parts of Europe?
• Can the onset and development of droughts in some parts of Europe provide an early warning for the development of droughts in other parts of Europe, and in particular, in the UK?
• Can these relationships be used to build reliable and robust operational tools for UK drought forecasting?

The method, which draws on a unique archive of flow and rainfall data from across much of Europe, involved the following steps.

1. Calculate a normalised deficiency index for each site – a measure of drought that allows comparison between locations with different climatological and hydrological regimes, and between different seasons
2. Group catchments with similar drought characteristics into regions
3. Develop standardised flow and rainfall deficiency indices for these regions
4. Analyse relationships between regions and develop statistical models to predict drought.

Twenty-four homogenous regions were identified across Europe; catchments within these groups frequently experience simultaneous streamflow deficiencies. Four distinct geographical regions emerged in the UK. A further group, comprising very slow-responding catchments (Base Flow Index > 0.8), was identified in southeast England.
For each of these regions, time series of regional streamflow and rainfall deficits were defined and a catalogue of regional drought severity developed, spanning 1901 – 2005 for meteorological droughts, and 1961 – 2005 for hydrological droughts. This enabled a characterisation of major drought periods, in terms of duration, seasonality and spatial coherence in the various regions. This drought catalogue is a major deliverable of this project, and will be of considerable practical utility for drought management and future research in the UK and in Europe.
For major post-1961 streamflow droughts, a comprehensive description of the extent and spatio-temporal development of the drought was provided. A standalone publication has been produced, which illustrates the evolution of streamflow and rainfall anomalies, along with climatic drivers and large-scale atmospheric circulation anomalies for major droughts (e.g. 1975 – 76; 1988 – 1992). From an appraisal of these events, it is clear that most droughts appear to have different characteristics, in terms of their duration, spatial coherence and seasonality. For example, a contrast was found between the 1976 drought, which was spatially consistent across much of Europe and was combined with a rainfall deficiency the preceding winter and a heat wave in the summer, and the 1995-1997 drought, which was interspersed by wet episodes and had little long-lasting spatial coherence over Europe. In most historical events, the UK experienced drought simultaneously with other European regions, or earlier; there was little evidence of any systematic lag time which could be readily exploited in the development of early warning systems for the UK based on conditions in other parts of Europe.
An exploratory data analysis was then carried out, to determine whether there are relationships in the drought indicators which could be exploited to develop forecasting tools. Correlation analysis, multidimensional scaling and statistical modelling were applied to find relationships, which were generally fairly weak. Low correlations exist between regional drought deficiency time series of different regions, and the correlation patterns for hydrological and meteorological droughts are similar, albeit slightly higher for the latter. Correlations with the rest of Europe are stronger in winter than in summer for northern and western Britain, but are of similar magnitude all year round for southeast England. Although a relationship was identified between the length of a UK drought and the number of regions contemporaneously experiencing drought elsewhere in Europe, it was found that this relationship was not statistically significant.
Following these exploratory analyses, statistical models were built for each UK region, which predict the number of drought months that may occur in the next 6 months. Predictions are based on streamflow deficiencies in other European regions, so the models essentially predict 'drought from drought' – i.e. they use the spatial coherence of anomalies to derive forecasts for the UK based on deficiencies on the continent. The models forecast droughts in groundwater-dominated catchments in southeast England reasonably well. In northwest Britain, however, the predictive capability is poor.
Importantly, the models have some significant benefits when compared to previous seasonal forecasting studies – in particular, the approach is based on large regions, rather than being 'tuned' to particular catchments, and they enable forecasting of winter anomalies rather than just summer flows. Furthermore, the models perform reasonably well at forecasting the cessation of drought conditions. These attributes mean that the models could potentially be of high utility during long, multi-season drought events, to determine whether a drought is likely to intensify or to diminish. Whilst the predictive capacity is modest in some regions, the models clearly have potential for application in UK drought management, although there are also important practical considerations – in particular, the need for timely data supply from across Europe – which would need to be examined in further research before they could evolve into an operational tool.
Further analysis concentrated on attempting to explain observed patterns of spatial coherence, by linking drought indicators to large scale modes of atmospheric variability (e.g. the North Atlantic Oscillation and the East Atlantic-West Russia pattern). In some regions and some seasons, these predictors clearly play an important role in determining the spatial coherence of droughts. Whilst their predictive capability is relatively weak at present, there is undoubtedly scope for refining these relationships into tools for monitoring and providing indicative forecasts. An advantage of this approach is that some climatological indicators are routinely forecast (although the modest skill levels are a further obstacle to application at present).
The regional drought indicators are shown to be powerful tools for illustrating the dynamics of rainfall and streamflow deficiencies. They could therefore find application in UK and European drought monitoring systems. Again, there would be important practical limitations to consider, and further research would be needed to optimise the indicators for use in monitoring. However, they could potentially fill an important gap; existing monitoring European drought monitoring systems lack a streamflow component, whilst UK approaches (e.g. CEH's monthly Hydrological Summaries) consider runoff deficiencies but do not use any metrics tailored specifically to drought.


The EISCAT HF-facility is capable of transmitting up to 210MW of effective radiated power into the ionosphere around 4 MHz. Beam swinging experiments have been undertaken with O- and X-mode transmissions. During O-mode pumping soon after sunset, F-region electrons were accelerated sufficiently to excite the oxygen atoms, resulting in observable optical emissions. It has been found that the O1D emission at 630 nm appears near the magnetic field aligned direction regardless of the HF transmitter beam pointing direction. This is not consistent with similar lower latitude observations. The strongest optical emission is produced when HF-pumping is approximately along the magnetic field line direction. This geometric phenomenon is presented for the first time and suggests that the magnetic field orientation is important for the mechanism of high-latitude artificial aurora. X-mode pumping does not produce an artificial aurora.


Abstract India is one of the countries associated with the development and testing of test blanket modules (TBMs) in ITER. Accordingly, India has taken up development of 9Cr-W-Ta reduced activation ferritic martensitic (RAFM) steel, which is the structural material chosen for TBMs, together with the associated manufacturing technologies required for TBM fabrication. With the objective of developing an India-specific RAFM steel, four heats of RAFM steel with tungsten and tantalum contents varying in the ranges 1 to 2 wt% and 0.06 to 0.014 wt%, respectively, were melted. The steel was melted through vacuum induction melting and vacuum arc refining routes with strict control over the amounts of elements that induce radioactivity (Mo, Nb, B, Cu, Ni, Al, Co, and Ti) and the elements that promote embrittlement (S, P, As, Sb, Sn, Zr, and O). Extensive characterization of the microstructure and mechanical properties of the steel was carried out. The ductile-to-brittle transition temperature of the steel increased slightly with increasing tungsten and tantalum content. The tensile strength of the steel was found not to change significantly with increasing tungsten content; however, it decreased marginally with increasing tantalum content, with a consequent increase in ductility. The creep rupture strength of the steel at 823 K was found to increase significantly with increasing tungsten content, whereas it decreased with increasing tantalum content. The low-cycle fatigue life of the steel at 823 K was found to increase with increasing tungsten and tantalum content; however, extensive cyclic softening was exhibited when the tungsten content was >1.4 wt%. RAFM steel containing 1.4 wt% tungsten and 0.06 wt% tantalum was found to have a better combination of strength and toughness and is specified as Indian RAFM (INRAFM) steel. The joining technologies adopted for the fabrication of a TBM are hot isostatic pressing to produce the first wall, followed by gas tungsten arc (GTA), electron beam (EB), laser, and laser hybrid welding for joining the rest of the TBM. Welding techniques for joining RAFM steel have been developed and characterized. The properties of the GTA welds met the full specifications of the requirement and were comparable to the properties of the base metal. This consumable has also been used to carry out hybrid laser welding successfully. A procedure for using EB welding to join plates of thicknesses up to 12 mm has been developed. Impact tests conducted on EB welds showed that the toughness of the weld metal in the as-welded condition is comparable to that of the base metal. A box structure that simulates one of the components of a TBM has been fabricated using EB welding to demonstrate the applicability of the process to component fabrication. Laser welding of 6-mm-thick plates of RAFM steel has also been carried out successfully, and the properties of the weld joints have been found to be satisfactory. This paper discusses the development of INRAFM steel and its properties and the current status of the fabrication technologies being developed for fabrication of the Indian TBM to be tested in ITER.


Studies of social learning in the wild are important to complement findings from experiments in captivity. In this field study, immature Bornean orangutans rarely foraged independently but consistently followed their mothers' choices. Their diets were essentially identical to their mothers' even though not all mothers had the same diet. This suggests vertical transmission of diet by enhancement. Also, immatures selectively observed their mothers during extractive foraging, which increased goal‐directed practice but not general manipulation of similar objects, suggesting observational forms of learning of complex skills. Teaching was not observed. These results are consistent with the reported presence of food traditions and skill cultures in wild orangutans. We suggest that food traditions can develop wherever association commonly allows for social learning. However, the capacity for observational learning, and thus more complex culture, is more likely to evolve among extractive foragers with prolonged association between adults and immatures. Am. J. Primatol. 72:62–71, 2010. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


Ranch production and marketing decisions occur sequentially over time as uncertainty regarding future events is resolved. The model developed in this paper explicitly considers the sequential nature of ranch decision making in determining optimal strategies for calf retention and production. A number of optimal decisions are reported for each period, conditional upon the state of nature and expected future events at that decision node. Solutions are found to be dependent on observed and expected output prices.


An investigation has been made of the characteristics of the current limited spark chamber, in which it was found that certain anomalies existed in its operation. Such discrepancies are not found in the operation of the more conventional types of chamber. They are thought to be due to charge deposited on the dielectric walls producing internal electric fields across the gas which reduce the chamber efficiency. The variation of the clearing field has been investigated in regions far from the discharge, and would appear to be present throughout the chamber. Measurement of the decay constant of the charge agreed well with the value calculated considering the chamber capacity and surface resistivity of the glass, although on application of this constant, to determine equilibrium values of the clearing fields, a second, much longer decay process seemed to be suggested. A theoretical model for handling such small clearing fields has been examined, and applied to the system, thus giving an indication of the electron drift velocity and density of charge deposited on the walls The development of an approximate semiquantitative model of spark breakdown shows how different pulse delays will affect the growth of streamers, and describes qualitatively certain characteristics of the discharges noted during chamber operation. However, the lack of more detailed knowledge of certain discharge parameters does not allow a more detailed comparison.


Atmospheric CH4 is derived from both natural and anthropogenic sources, and the rapid increase in atmospheric CH4 levels over the past two centuries has predominantly been a result of increased anthropogenic emissions. Nonetheless, natural sources have also changed as a result of global change, and quantifying the fluxes of CH4 from these sources, and their associated climatic feedbacks, is of paramount importance. In this thesis I have developed a method to upscale the global CH4 emissions from UV irradiation of foliar pectin (chapter 2). I have quantified the magnitude and distribution of CH4 emissions from wetlands on a global scale and determined the sensitivity of wetlands to temporal changes in water volume and temperature (chapters 3 and 4). Finally I determine that tropical wetland organic matter decomposition on a global scale behaves non-linearly over seasonal timescales. This implies a substantially different seasonality in CH4 emissions from wetlands (chapter 5). I show that (i) satellites such as MODIS and GRACE can be used to improve the understanding of individual CH4 sources and sinks, and (ii) the newly available satellite observations of CH4 can be effectively used for more than constraining atmospheric chemistry and transport model inversions. Moreover, the work shown in this thesis has contributed new biogenic CH4 source estimates, but has also posed new questions which will ultimately help guide new projects in the atmospheric CH4 research area.