With the passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act as part of the ARRA, and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, as well as the definition of "meaningful use" of electronic health records as part of the ARRA, a significant amount of federal funds and attention has been given to the implementation of a Nationwide Health Information Network (NHIN). The purpose of the NHIN is to connect providers and consumers for the timely and secure exchange of patient information. Despite this increased attention toward electronic access to health information, one area that legislation and public policy seems to have ignored is the creation of a healthcare provider reference database that would allow patients to locate providers in emergency situations or when seeking primary, specialty, and preventive care.

Recent natural disasters, such as Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and the Midwest flooding, highlight the need for a healthcare provider reference database that allows patients to access provider information when the patient's customary source of care is not readily available. Given that physician contact information is constantly changing, a national provider reference database to accompany the National Provider Identifier would ensure that this information is readily available and up-to-date. A link between the provider reference database and the National Provider Identifier will eliminate the duplicate records, misspellings, and missing addresses that often exist in current databases. The ability of the patient to access this information either online or through phone-enabled access portals will make it possible to match displaced individuals with available healthcare providers.

With the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the health insurance exchange (HIE) that the act advocates, there will be a greater emphasis on prevention and timely access to care. The proposed provider reference database will make it possible for individuals who are not accustomed to accessing our nation's complicated healthcare system to identify appropriate settings to receive care. The provider reference database can interface with statewide HIEs to help providers gain additional information about newly acquired patients. This process may eliminate the need to repeat tests that have already been performed. In this proposed provider reference database, practices could indicate whether or not they have additional capacity for new patients, the type of patient mix they handle, and the type of reimbursement they would honor.

Given the health threats to our nation's population posed by natural disasters, biological agents, and pandemics, the need to amass as much information on the providers and patients in our healthcare system becomes increasingly important. The proposed database can make it possible not only to provide access to providers, but to survey the providers regarding early signs of significant threats to our safety. In the midst of a crisis, there is generally an influx of providers willing to offer assistance immediately. The database can be used to systematically notify providers so that efforts are coordinated as needed.

The importance of the health challenges we face as a nation suggest that we cannot allow ourselves to be overinvolved in political posturing. Such activities may slow or cease the progress we are making in developing a state-of-the-art HIE and promoting the widespread use of electronic health records that when coupled with a comprehensive provider reference database will go a long way toward meeting our nation's health information needs.

The Institute for Improvement of Minority Health and Health Disparities in the Delta Region, also known as the Delta Regional Institute (DRI), at the University of Mississippi Medical Center focuses on the elimination of health disparities for minority and underserved populations, a key component of the new healthcare act. The DRI has brought together a unique blend of partners representing academic health centers, institutions of higher learning, state and local health agencies, faith- and community-based organizations, and national associations to work collaboratively on projects that impact racial, ethnic, and rural communities within the Delta Region states of Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi.

Data show that a significant number of residents in these states live in rural areas. Rural populations tend to have more health challenges but have fewer physicians, hospitals, and other health services. Residents living in health professional shortage areas struggle to find providers in other areas, often as a result of trouble navigating the Internet or accessing other sources of information. At the DRI, we have begun to address this information gap by creating a health resource database.

Utilizing Internet sources, state medical licensure information, and state health department data, the DRI has collected provider information for physicians, dentists, pharmacists, hospitals, community and mental health centers, and ambulatory services. Designed to be a guide for patients and providers, the health resource database will be categorized by city, county, state, zip code, and category of service or specialty area. Database users will be able to enter specific information or click on a map to perform a query that will provide available services and providers in their area and eliminate the need to search multiple Web sites. The database will also be useful in identifying priority areas for future projects. Plans include upgrading the database to interface with smartphones and geospatial information systems to allow for increased communication with providers when emergencies occur. The database will be accessible from the DRI Web site at www.migmh.org.

While the health resource database created by the DRI is limited to a certain area, it provides a model for a national provider reference database. The successful implementation of a provider reference database, in conjunction with the HIEs, will allow researchers to more accurately measure the quality of care provided to and track outcomes for at-risk populations. Emerging technology has the potential to positively change the landscape of healthcare in our nation; however, it will take federal, state, and local collaboration and coordination of information to make this a reality.


Anaerobic membrane bioreactors (AnMBR) play a key role in future plans for sustainable wastewater treatment and resource recovery because they have no energy-intensive oxygen transfer requirements and can produce biomethane for renewable energy. Recent research results show that they can meet relatively stringent discharge limits with respect to BOD5 and TSS when treating municipal wastewater primary effluent. Sustainable used water recovery plans should also consider removal of unregulated pollutants. Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) represent an important emerging contaminant due to public health concerns surrounding the spread of infections resistant to common antibiotics. Conventional activated sludge processes have demonstrated mixed results regarding ARG removal. The objective of this research was to determine the impact of an AnMBR on ARG removal when treating municipal primary clarifier effluent at 20 °C. AnMBR treatment resulted in 3.3 to 3.6 log reduction of ARG and the horizontal gene transfer determinate, intI1, copies in filtrate. Membrane treatment significantly decreased the total biomass as indicated by a decrease in 16S rRNA gene concentration. Microbial community analysis via Illumina sequencing revealed that the relative abundance of putative pathogens was higher in membrane filtrate compared to primary effluent although the overall bacterial 16S rRNA gene concentrations was lower in filtrate. Membrane treatment also substantially reduced microbial diversity in filtrate compared to anaerobic reactor contents.


Abstract. Urban land surface model (ULSM) is an important tool to study the climatic effect of human activity. Now there are two main methods to parameterize the effects of human activity, the coupling method and the integrating method. For the coupled method, the urban canopy model (UCM) was developed and coupled with the land surface model for the natural land surfaces. For the integrated method, the urban land surface model was built directly based on the traditional land surface model. In this paper, the Noah Single Layer Urban Canopy Model (Noah/SLUCM) and the Integrated Urban land Model (IUM) were compared using the observed fluxes data at the 325-meter meteorology tower in Beijing. Through the comparison, the key factors and physical processes of the urban land surface model which have significant impact on the performance of ULSM were found out. The results indicate that the absorbed solar radiation of urban surface was reduced by the solar radiation scattering, the absorption of building roof and wall, and the shading effect of urban canopy and tall buildings. Urban surface roughness length and friction velocity are important in urban sensible heat flux simulation. Urban water balance and impervious surface evaporation (ISE) are important in urban latent heat flux simulation.


During a membrane introduction (MI) analysis the analytes are separated from the bulk matrix (e.g. air or water) by a semi-permeable membrane and transported to the detector by a carrier gas (usually helium). The most commonly used detector for MI-analyses is the mass spectrometer, resulting in membrane introduction mass spectrometry (MIMS). The main advantages of MIMS are short response times, high sensitivity, simplicity and elimination of sample preparation and pre-separation. Membrane introduction analyses are suitable for detection of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and semi volatile organic compounds (SVOCs). In this project the applicability of MIMS and membrane introduction flame ionization detector (MIFID) for oil analyses were tested. Investigations of 12 different oil samples from light crude oils to heavy oils were performed by MIFID and MIMS for both water and air (only two oil samples were analyzed by water MIMS). For the oil in air analyses good response were achieved, and information about response times and half-times could be obtained within a reasonable period of time. The water analyses however showed some limitations. Even after long analysis times (up to 1200 minutes) useful information on response time were rarely obtained, and no half-times for depletion could be measured. Pre-equilibration of the oil samples seems to be necessary to enable reasonably fast MI analyses of water samples (approximately) equilibrated with the oil, allowing an estimation of oil concentrations in water. For the MIMS analyses spectral information are obtained, providing an indication of the content of the oil samples, as well as information about how the abundance of different ions change throughout the analyses due to weathering. Best results were obtained by the lighter oil samples, due to higher amounts of compounds favorable for MI-detection. Analysis times obtained were slightly shorter for MIFID analyses, as compared to MIMS analyses.


A compilation is given of the results of an investigation of all the molluscs collected by L.M.R. Rutten some seventy years ago, at five localities in the type area of the Gelingseh Beds s. str., Late Miocene. Thirteen new species are described, viz, Smaragdia gelingsehensis, Rissoina maduparensis, Architectonica ickeae, Strombus ickeae, Hexaplex sampajauensis, Hinia gelingsehensis, Olivancillaria altenai, Melo persolida, Gibberulina menkrawitensis, Strioterebrum gelingsehense, Ringicula seriaensis, Spondylus apiapiensis, and Linga antjamensis. For over fifty years the Gelingseh Beds have been correlated with the Upper Balikpapan Layers, Tf3 (Preangerian). According to Rutten's field work, the fossil localities occur at approximately the same level in the lower part of the Gelingseh Beds. However, now, as before (concluded by K. Martin), it seems that the fauna from the 'Source area of Sungai Gelingseh' (presently dubbed A) could be a little older than the fossil assemblage obtained at a locality known as just 'Sungai Gelingseh' (B-Bb in the present paper), and to correlate with, say, the apparent overlap in time of type Rembangian on to Preangerian. Loc. B-Bb yielded the largest fauna, which offers ample evidence of a full-blown Preangerian status, and so does fauna C (from Rutten's loc. 144). On the other hand, faunas D (loc. 149) and E (loc. 150) jointly seemingly represent a higher stratigraphic level of Tf3 - with a possibility that Odengian is approached, if not actually reached - to date however there being known no Bornean faunas of a comparable composition and age. As to the relationships with other Preangerian faunas of Borneo, Java and Sumatra, the Gelingseh faunas invariably show strong ties with the assemblage of the basal Menkrawit Beds of nearby Mangkalihat Peninsula (L. 114, Leupold) and also, and sometimes even more strongly so (faunas Bb and C), with the classical Javanese Preangerian, except however faunas A and B. Among themselves, faunas A to E show relationships varying as much in quality as their several ties with Preangerian faunas both distant and near.


Leishmaniasis is a disease that ranges in severity from skin lesions to serious disfigurement and fatal systemic infection. Resistance to infection is associated with a T-helper-1 immune response that activates macrophages to kill the intracellular parasite in a nitric oxide-dependent manner. Conversely, disease progression is generally associated with a T-helper-2 response that activates humoral immunity. Current control is based on chemotherapeutic treatments which are expensive, toxic and associated with high relapse and resistance rates. Vaccination remains the best hope for control of all forms of the disease, and the development of a safe, effective and affordable antileishmanial vaccine is a critical global public-health priority. Extensive evidence from studies in animal models indicates that solid protection can be achieved by immunization with defined subunit vaccines or live-attenuated strains of Leishmania. However, to date, no vaccine is available despite substantial efforts by many laboratories. Major impediments in Leishmania vaccine development include: lack of adequate funding from national and international agencies, problems related to the translation of data from animal models to human disease, and the transition from the laboratory to the field. Furthermore, a thorough understanding of protective immune responses and generation and maintenance of the immunological memory, an important but least-studied aspect of antiparasitic vaccine development, during Leishmania infection is needed. This review focuses on the progress of the search for an effective vaccine against human and canine leishmaniasis.


"Mediation is a process that can be used to resolve conflict in many different dispute contexts. This book focuses on the essential skills and strategies needed by any mediator to be successful in their work. Tony Whatling draws on his extensive experience in the field of mediation to explain the range of skills and strategies that are commonly used, as well as why you would use different skills and when they are best employed. The author shows how, by adopting these techniques, a mediator can manage challenging conflicts. It features the use of questioning skills and how they can be used effectively, as well as how to deal with high emotion and negative responses. This book is essential for anyone who wants to improve their mediation skills, whether as a trainee, novice or experienced professional."


As each of us perceives and conceptualizes the same world differently, imposing a single global schema for all users can seriously interfere with individual work and lead to errors. In this paper, we make a call for personal semantic data integration, i.e., semantic data integration whose results precisely fit individual needs and preferences. We classify problems that make a single global schema inappropriate for particular users, and introduce the ASME criteria as prerequisites for personal semantic data integration. We then outline personal semantic data integration in the SIRUP approach. Our goal is to stimulate research into personally tailored data integration and to develop new solutions which improve the usability of integrated data.


Retail banks usually apply simple linear regression models for describing the dynamics of the deposit rates of non-maturing accounts (NMA) like savings deposits. Thus, typical patterns like asymmetry or rigidity that banks follow when adjusting their deposit rates are ignored. This is insofar surprising, as the asymmetric deposit rate adjustment affects the pricing of embedded options for NMA. In this work we contribute to the elimination of these inconsistencies. Based on data for deposit rates from a representative sample of Swiss banks we provide a strong evidence for both asymmetric adjustment and rigidity pattern. Our proposed modeling approaches reveal that the strategies of Swiss banks to adjust deposit rates are regime dependent. In times of market stress, Swiss banks are tight to market rates; however, in normal regimes this is not observed.


Abstract We provide a detailed report on the reproductive biology of the Red-ruffed Fruitcrow (Pyroderus scutatus granadensis). Eight nests were found between 2003 and 2007 in tropical montane cloud forest in Yacambu National Park, Lara, Venezuela. All nests were near streams in steep drainages. Nests consisted of twigs arranged in a cupped platform. Clutch size was a single egg and the average incubation period (n = 3) was 22.3 days. Nest attentiveness during incubation averaged [± SE] 76.3 ± 1.86% and increased only slightly across stages (early, middle, late). On-bout and off-bout durations were relatively similar across incubation stages. A nestling period of 35 days was recorded for one nest and feather pin-break was estimated to occur at day 19. Brooding attentiveness during the early nestling period averaged 62.5 ± 6.41%, and the adult ceased brooding at about feather pin-break. Food delivery rates increased with nestling age. Food provisioning consisted mostly of insects (66.7%) and lizards (25%) with fruit comprising only 8.3% of the nestling diet at early stages. Provisioning changed to mostly fruit (82.4%) and some insects (17.6%) in late stages of the nestling period.


Lithium–sulfur batteries have attracted wide research interest due to their high specific capacity (1675 mA h g−1) and high specific energy (2500 W h kg−1). Herein, the two-dimensional nitrogen/sulfur synchronous-doped few-layer graphene (N,S-FLG) was prepared by a simple calcination route at 900 °C under an argon atmosphere with g-C3N4 as a structural template. The calcination temperature favorably adjusted the doping levels and surface texture of the as-obtained samples. Relying on the synergistic interaction of the structural traits, as the reservoir of sulfur, NS-FLG-900 (calcination temperature 900 °C) can maintain a reversible capacity of 602 mA h g−1 after 300 cycles at a current density of 0.8 A g−1 and 506.4 mA h g−1 after 500 cycles at a current density of 1.6 A g−1. The outstanding performance is obtained due to the synergistic effect of the introduction of N and S into the carbon lattice, the high pore volume (1.31 cm3 g−1) and large specific surface area (460.9 m2 g−1).


This article aims to test whether an announcement regarding a possible intervention and/or investment of a Private Equity (PE) in a company already listed has a signalling effect that can influence the behavior of investors and whether this potential difference is affected by the characteristics of the financial system of the country where companies are listed.?To treat our research question and to test the hypotheses developed, we carried out an Event Study collecting data on news regarding the interest of PEs for firms listed in the Italian stock exchange and observing their impact on stock returns. In order to understand also the influence of the Italian context, which is a Bank-Oriented financial system, we observed also the effect on stock returns of news related to the interest of PEs for companies listed in countries with a Marked-Oriented financial system.?The analysis leads to the conclusion that the certification role recognized to Private Equity during the listing process persist also for companies already listed in the financial markets, but mainly in Market-Oriented financial systems.


While Voluntary Environmental Programs (VEPs) have been widely used as a tool to reduce environmental damages in several contexts, incentives to participate have been a serious concern. The literature on VEPs shows that firms have an incentive to participate if participation is associated with an improved image, preemption of future regulation or emissions tax reductions. Otherwise participation incentives are limited. In this paper I show that, in the context of product markets, VEPs can be designed to create participation incentives. A VEP to expand production of a green product can offer participants a competitive advantage as it allows firms to credibly commit to a given output level. I consider a market where firms produce a differentiated product: a green and a brown version of a given product. The VEP requires participants to meet a target level of production of the green model that exceeds the free market level. The results show that participation incentives can exist in the absence of a regulatory threat or tax benefits, and that a tradeoff exists between the stringency of the target and the equilibrium level of participation. Under a mild target full participation in the VEP is a Nash equilibrium. However, a larger target results in less than full participation or no participation at all. Finally, while the VEP always increases competition between firms and increases market surplus, it may result in a higher level of environmental damages. Thus, the welfare implications of VEPs of this type should be carefully analyzed before they can be implemented.


The book provides an analytical overview of the World Trade Organisation's Anti-Dumping Agreement, as interpreted by WTO Panels and the Appellate Body. The Anti-Dumping Agreement is often perceived as being the most technical and controversial WTO agreement. While the basic concepts of dumping and resulting injury may appear deceptively simple, complex methodology related to the calculation of dumping and injury margins, as well as the very detailed procedural requirements that authorities need to comply with before taking anti-dumping action, make the Anti-Dumping Agreement difficult to apply and understand in practice. While the book of necessity goes into great detail about the intricacies of anti-dumping law and practice, it attempts to explain the various concepts in a relatively non-technical manner by means of simplified examples that are easy to grasp for experts and non-experts alike. The book also pays extensive attention to interpretations of the various provisions of the Anti-Dumping Agreement by WTO panels and the Appellate Body. There have been more WTO cases under the Anti-Dumping Agreement than under any other WTO Agreement, reflecting both the increased recourse to anti-dumping measures by WTO members all over the world and the complexity of abiding by the WTO rules. WTO Panels and the Appellate Body, called upon to review administrative determinations and aspects of national legislation, have done a remarkable job in interpreting the WTO rules. For WTO members, wishing to impose anti-dumping measures in a WTO-consistent manner, knowledge not only of the Agreement itself, but also of such interpretations, is therefore a must.


Abstract:This research investigated African American fathers' involvement in the school-based lives of their elementary-aged children using the Hoover-Dempsey and Sandler model of parent involvement and Epstein's framework of involvement. Questionnaires were administered to 101 African American males in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Multiple regression analyses found predictive relationships between attitudes and behaviors that influence African American fathers' decisions to be involved and the types of involvement related to the child's schooling. Results revealed significant findings for (a) Invitations from Others and home-school communication, (b) Fathers' Life Context and school-based parent involvement, and (c) Fathers' Life Context and Invitations from Others and the overall parent involvement score. Implications for the field of family involvement are discussed.


Prosopis juliflora is highly recognized for its invasive character and its detrimental effects on different plant species across the world due to possessing allelochemicals. Our field observations indicated high prevalence of new recruitments of P. juliflora than other native associated plants in the study site. The purpose of this study is to assess the allelopathic effects of aqueous extracts of P. juliflora on selected Qatari flora. 100 g L− 1 of powdered of plant leaves was used to prepare the stock extract and then diluted to reach the following concentration: 2 mg ml− 1, 4 mg ml− 1, 6 mg ml− 1 and 8 mg ml− 1 from stock were prepared. Acacia tortilis, Prosopis cineraria, Sueda aegyptica, and Halopeplis perfoliata, were negatively impacted by aqueous extract at different treatment levels. The results showed that although seed germinations of Acacia tortilis was not significantly affected by the extract, however a significant reduction was observed in radical lengths starting from a concentration as low as 2 mg ml− 1. While low significant reduction (10%) was exerted on seed germination of Prosopis cineraria at higher concentrations of 6 mg ml− 1 and 8 mg ml− 1, the seed radical length was significantly reduced starting at the lowest concentration (2 mgml− 1). The seed germination and seed radical length of Sueda aegyptica were reduced by almost 2-folds at the lowest concentration treatment (2 mg ml− 1). Seed germination of Halopeplis perfoliata was also reduced significantly at concentration of 4 mg ml− 1. Seedlings growth of Aeluropus lagopoides, Caroxylon imbricatum and Tetraena qatarensis were also evaluated after being subjected to P. juliflora extract. Although no significant differences in plant height of Aeluropus lagopoides occurred due to treatments, significant reduction in dry matter biomass were found at concentrations of 6 mg ml− 1 and 8 mg ml− 1 of extract compared to control plants. The seedling growth and dry biomass of Caroxylon imbricatum were significantly declined at higher concentration of 8 mg ml− 1. However, the seedling growth and dry biomass of Tetraena qatarensis were significantly reduced at all treatment levels. Autotoxic effects of P. juliflora were also observed at concentrations of 6 mg ml− 1 and 8 mg ml− 1. Based on the research carried out, P. juliflora is invasive and utilize allelopathy as one major tool of its invasiveness. The species has detrimental effects on the Qatari native flora, and it is important to protect them from the growing spread of this invasive species.


This paper derives a closed-form valuation model in a two-country world in which the domestic investors are constrained to own at most a fraction, δ, of the number of shares outstanding of the foreign firms. When the "δ constraint" is binding, two different prices rule in the foreign securities market, reflecting the premium offered by the domestic investors over the price under no constraints and the discount demanded by the foreign investors. The premium is shown to be a multiple of the discount, the multiple being the ratio of the aggregate risk aversion of the domestic and foreign investors. Given the aggregate risk-aversion parameters, the equilibrium premium and discount are determined by the severity of the δ constraint and the "pure" foreign market risk.


A stroke can happen at any time to anyone. After a stroke, or cerebrovascular accident, the level of recovery will vary from person to person. Gwen suffered a stroke and has partially regained use of her body. Her story is so inspiring that it should be heard by all. This is Gwen's story recalled to assist the public in the understanding of the human experience. Gwen shares her trials and triumphs in this article. She recalls experiences that were trying, but she faced them with utmost strength and determination. Safeguarding the dignity of a person with a disability is of utmost importance. As the reader will see in her story, it is the right of the individual, the ethical thing to do, to treat all with respect while safeguarding their dignity.


This article studies the migration response of young people from new EU Member States to disparate conditions in an enlarged European Union at the onset of the Great Recession. We use Eurobarometer data and probabilistic econometric models to identify the key drivers of the intention to work in another Member State of the European Economic Area (EEA) and the expected duration of stays abroad. We find that migration intentions are high among those not married and among males with children, but both categories are also over-represented among people with only temporary as opposed to long-term or permanent migration plans. Whereas age affects migration intentions negatively, education has no effect on whether working abroad is envisaged. However, conditional on envisaging working abroad, completion of education (if after the 16th birthday) is associated with long-term (at least five years), but not permanent, migration plans. These results suggest a potential for brain circulation rather than brain drain. Finally, we find that socio-demographic variables explain about as much variation of migration intentions as self-reported push and pull factors and migration constraints.


This paper studies business cycle interdependence among the industrialized countries since 1958. Using the spillover index methodology recently proposed by Diebold and Yilmaz (2009) and based on the generalized VAR framework, I develop an alternative measure of comovement of macroeconomic aggregates across countries. I have several important results. First, the spillover index fluctuates over time, increasing substantially following the post-1973 U.S. recessions. Secondly, the band within which the spillover index fluctuates follows an upward trend since the start of the globalization process in the early 1990s. Thirdly, the spillover index recorded the sharpest increase ever following the peak of the global financial crisis in September 2008, reaching a record level as of December 2008 (See http://data.economicresearchforum.org/erf/bcspill.aspx?lang=en for updates of the spillover plot). I also derive measures of directional spillovers and show that the U.S. (1980s and 2000s) and Japan (1970s and 2000s) are major transmitters of shocks to other countries. Finally, during the 2008-2009 global recession shocks mostly originated from the United States and spread to other industrialized countries.


Seeds of local black radish cultivar (experiment 1) were sown in plots, then plants were sprayed twice after thinning 2 weeks latter by Fe-EDDHA at rates of 0, 20, 30 or 40 mgL-1. Whereas, seeds of nates carrot cultivar (experiment 2) were sown on plots and furrows, then plants were sprayed twice after thinning and once more at the commencement of root swollen after 3 months by indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) at rates of 0, 20, 30 or 40 mgL-1. The objective of this investigations were to improve growth, yield and yield quality of radish and carrot irrigated whenever 25% of soil available water capacity (AWC) is depleted to a depth of 25 cm. Radish required 146.25 mm supplementary irrigation besides 254.3 mm rainfall incidences during the growing season. Radish yield was substantially increased, as plants sprayed by Fe-EDDHA especially, with 40 mgL-1 rate which gave the highest yield (45.47 kgm-2). Yield was linearly responded to iron rates, and yield responses to Fe-EDDHA rates could be estimated from the following equation: yield (kgm-2) = [30.0178 + 0.3004 (iron rate)]. Carrots required 175.5 mm supplementary irrigation in addition to 254.3 mm rainfalls. Plot cultivation (11.8 kgm-2) substantially exceeded its corresponding furrow cultivation (8.7 kgm-2) in term of root marketable yield. Yield was quadratically responded to varying IBA rates and could be estimated by the following equation: yield (kgm-2) = [10.0482 – 0.0558358 (IBA rate) + 0.0019168 (IBA rate)**2]. The highest marketable yield (12.6 kgm-2) was obtained from plot cultivated plants sprayed by IBA rate of 40 mgL-1.

 Key words: Radish, carrot, IBA, Fe-EDDHA, supplemental watering.


This letter presents a novel application of iterated function system (IFS) based three-dimensional (3D) fractal interpolation to compression elevation data. The parameters of contractive transformations axe simplified by a concise fractal iteration form with geometric meaning. A local iteration algorithm is proposed, which can solve the non-separation problem when Collage Theorem is applied to find the appropriate fractal parameters. The elevation data compression is proved experimentally to be effective in reconstruction quality and time-saving.


Integral Imaging is a technique to obtain true color 3D images that can provide full and continuous motion parallax for several viewers. The depth of field of these systems is mainly limited by the numerical aperture of each lenslet of the microlens array. A digital method has been developed to increase the depth of field of Integral Imaging systems in the reconstruction stage. By means of the disparity map of each elemental image, it is possible to classify the objects of the scene according to their distance from the microlenses and apply a selective deconvolution for each depth of the scene. Topographical reconstructions with enhanced depth of field of a 3D scene are presented to support our proposal.


Given recent concerns about North American port congestion, this paper examines stakeholder involvement in expanding port capacity to meet significant volume growth. North American container port authorities were surveyed to identify key capacity factors and subsequent participation requirements by stakeholders such as terminal operators, longshore labor, railroads, steamship lines, truckers, and government. The resulting analysis indicates port frustration with participation currently offered by all stakeholders, especially the federal government and railroads. Such results further validate the requirement for a multi-stakeholder approach to port capacity expansion and suggest the need for national freight policy and planning leadership.


Input Data Management (IDM) is a time consuming and costly process for Discrete Event Simulation (DES) projects. Input Data Management is considered as the basis of real-time process simulation (Bergmann, Stelzer and Strassburger, 2011). According to Bengtsson et al. (2009), data input phase constitutes on the average about 31% of the time of an entire simulation project. Moreover, the lack of interoperability between manufacturing applications and simulation software leads to a high cost to users in developing custom-built interfaces (NIST, 2011). Therefore, a standard structure is needed to facilitate data exchange within different manufacturing data from various sources and simulation packages (Harari, 2012).

This work aims to develop an IDM system in order to enhance automatic data exchange within manufacturing process simulation projects. The approach is to use a Business Intelligence (BI) package to extract and collect simulation data from various sources, and then import to a DES application. Thus, a simulation model can be automatically updated in DES application by real-time system data. The prototype system is currently implemented in pilot-scale, and results are based on sample data files retrieved from the Simulation Engineering Department at Ford Motor Company. In addition to automatic data management, the system also generates an interoperable data file, which is compatible with most DES packages for simulation experiments.

For the first time, a Business Intelligence system is applied to simulation data management projects, and is introduced as a novel solution for this context. The results of pilot-implementation indicated the possibility of direct connection between raw data sources and model database. The direct connection allows DES applications to integrate with different business systems without the need of plug-in translators for interpreting the exchanged data file. The system developed also reduces the number of human-driven processes through model update procedures. Also, it is found that the BI package can be integrated with existing middleware used in a company, to maintain an "as-is" simulation procedure, and minimise the possibility of process change in systematic model update.


This paper analyses the implicit dynamics underlying the interest rate structure in Kenya. For this purpose we use data on four commercial banks' interest rates (Deposits, Savings, Lending and Overdraft) together with the 91-Day Treasury Bill rate, for the time period July 1991 – August 2010, and apply various techniques based on long-range dependence. The results indicate that all series examined are nonstationary with orders of integration equal to or higher than 1. The analysis of various spreads suggests that they also are nonstationary I(1) variables, the only evidence of mean reversion being obtained in the case of the Lending – Saving spread with autocorrelated errors.


New silicon technology is enabling large-scale electrophysiological recordings in vivo from hundreds to thousands of channels. Interpreting these recordings requires scalable and accurate automated methods for spike sorting, which should minimize the time required for manual curation of the results. Here we introduce KiloSort, a new integrated spike sorting framework that uses template matching both during spike detection and during spike clustering. KiloSort models the electrical voltage as a sum of template waveforms triggered on the spike times, which allows overlapping spikes to be identified and resolved. Unlike previous algorithms that compress the data with PCA, KiloSort operates on the raw data which allows it to construct a more accurate model of the waveforms. Processing times are faster than in previous algorithms thanks to batch-based optimization on GPUs. We compare KiloSort to an established algorithm and show favorable performance, at much reduced processing times. A novel post-clustering merging step based on the continuity of the templates further reduced substantially the number of manual operations required on this data, for the neurons with near-zero error rates, paving the way for fully automated spike sorting of multichannel electrode recordings.


Australia can lay claim to one of the richest and best-studied macroalgal floras in the world, but our understanding of this flora is geographically biased towards the southern and eastern coasts, the most populous regions that have also historically been home to the majority of active phycologists. In comparison, the north-west coast of Australia has been virtually neglected, a perhaps understandable situation given the region's remoteness and significantly greater logistical difficulties, in addition to huge tidal flows, turbid water, and the presence of several top-level predators! Over the last 10 or so years the author and associates have been opportunistically collecting and intensively studying this marine flora, which has, in part, become considerably more accessible due to the resources boom presently underway in the region. These studies, the results of which will eventually be published in the 'Algae of Australia' series, have revealed a trove of undescribed taxa, as well as numerous poorly understood species previously known from limited historical collections, plus a large contingent of taxa that are common elements of the tropical Indo-West Pacific flora. Many of the collected specimens have also been incorporated into ancillary DNA-based phylogenetic studies, thereby enabling a more global perspective of the north-western Australian flora. This seminar will include an overview of the broader project, plus a more detailed examination of some of the more interesting taxa that have emerged from the studies.


Cybersecurity involves protection of computer systems from theft, damage, or manipulation to the hardware, software, or the data contained on them. A limitless cyberspace, little to no boundaries, and eroding national borders is making Africa vulnerable to cyber threats and potential harms. Cybersecurity represents serious economic and national security challenges, which need to be properly defined and contextualized.


Sovereign contingent liabilities materialize when uncertain future events, which are largely beyond the State's control, occur. They can represent a significant burden for public finances and jeopardize public debt management and sustainability. This paper presents a toolkit for the identification and systematization, measurement, monitoring, and reporting of these liabilities. Based on the proposal of a general methodology, the toolkit develops specific estimation methodologies for different categories of sovereign contingent liabilities. These methodologies are then applied in hypothetical exercises, complemented with illustrations taken from the international context. Furthermore, to illustrate how the toolkit might be applied, the paper provides examples that test sensitivity to changes in the variables and
parameters that affect contingent liabilities. The study demonstrates that the toolkit can help to achieve improved and better-informed management of public debt and sovereign contingent liabilities, as well as of their associated financial and fiscal risks.


Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease caused by Treponema pallidum. The diagnosis is based mainly in clinical presentation and non-specific assays. PCR-based diagnosis has been suggested as an attractive alternative method. The aim of this study was the validation of a PCR-based test for the diagnosis of early syphilis (ES) and neurosyphilis (NS). Clinical samples of mucocutaneous lesions and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) specimens from patients previously diagnosed for ES and NS respectively using an enlarged gold standard, were tested by PCR. The reaction was done using primers targeting the tpN47 gene. Twenty out of 21 mucocutaneous samples from patients diagnosed with ES were positive by PCR, with a clinical sensitivity of 95%. Four out of 8 CSF samples from patients previously diagnosed with NS were positive by PCR, with a clinical sensitivity of 50%. The clinical specificity for both ES and NS was 100%. The PCR sensitivity and specificity for mucocutaneous samples allowed us to implement this assay in our laboratory for routine diagnosis. Although the sensitivity of the PCR in CSF was low, it may be useful to support clinical diagnosis.


Despite a growing number of studies suggesting that emotion words affect perceptual judgments of emotional stimuli, little is known about how emotion words affect perceptual memory for emotional faces. In Experiments 1 and 2 we tested how emotion words (compared with control words) affected participants' abilities to select a target emotional face from among distractor faces. Participants were generally more likely to false alarm to distractor emotional faces when primed with an emotion word congruent with the face (compared with a control word). Moreover, participants showed both decreased sensitivity (d′) to discriminate between target and distractor faces, as well as altered response biases (c; more likely to answer "yes") when primed with an emotion word (compared with a control word). In Experiment 3 we showed that emotion words had more of an effect on perceptual memory judgments when the structural information in the target face was limited, as well as when participants were only able to categorize the face with a partially congruent emotion word. The overall results are consistent with the idea that emotion words affect the encoding of emotional faces in perceptual memory.


We present a new, generic approach to the calibration of depth sensor intrinsics that requires only the ability to run SLAM. In particular, no specialized hardware, calibration target, or hand measurement is required. Essential to this approach is the idea that certain intrinsic parameters, identified here as myopic, govern distortions that increase with range. We demonstrate these ideas on the calibration of the popular Kinect and Xtion Pro Live RGBD sensors, which typically exhibit significant depth distortion at ranges greater than three meters. Making use of the myopic property, we show how to efficiently learn a discrete grid of 32,000 depth multipliers that resolve this distortion. Compared to the most similar unsupervised calibration work in the literature, this is a 100-fold increase in the maximum number of calibration parameters previously learned. Compared to the supervised calibration approach, the work of this paper means the difference between A) printing a poster of a checkerboard, mounting it to a rigid plane, and recording data of it from many different angles and ranges a process that often requires two people or repeated use of a special easel versus B) recording a few minutes of data from unmodified, natural environments. This is advantageous both for individuals who wish to calibrate their own sensors as well as for a robot that needs to calibrate automatically while in the field.


The design of a solar power tower plant involves the optimization of the heliostat field layout. Fields are usually designed to have all heliostats of identical size. Although the use of a single heliostat size has been questioned in the literature, there are no tools to design fields with heliostats of several sizes at the same time. In this paper, the problem of optimizing the heliostat field layout of a system with heliostats of different sizes is addressed. We present an optimization tool to design solar plants allowing two heliostat sizes. The methodology is illustrated with a particular example considering different heliostat costs. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


The discovery of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) has had a tumultuous trajectory, beginning with its recognition as a medical entity to defining and understanding. The genesis of the two diseases included in the spectrum of IBD is the same with the one of humanity, the earliest descriptions belonging to ancient Greeks, but the differentiation between them and other intestinal pathologies took place years later. Even establishing the names of Ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD) encountered difficulties. With the beginning of the modern era, remarkable progress has been made in the field of medicine both in understanding the diseases and in treating it. Outstanding medical and surgical techniques have led to significant improvement in prognosis and quality of life, so nowadays IBD is no longer seen as a medical curiosity but as a manageable chronic condition. This article is a review of the history and treatment of Inflammatory Bowel Disease up to the present time, when, despite all the advances made, the etiopathology and cure remain unknown.


Abstract. Directly deposited optical-blocking filters (DD OBFs) have the potential to improve filter performance and lower risk and cost for future x-ray imaging spectroscopy missions. However, they have not been fully characterized on high-performance charge coupled devices (CCDs). This paper reports the results of DD OBFs processed on high-performance photon-counting CCDs. It is found that CCD performance is not degraded by deposition of such filters. X-ray and optical transmission through the OBF is characterized and found to match theoretical expectation. Light-leaks through pinholes and the side and back surfaces are found to lower the optical extinction ratio; various coating processes are developed to resolve these issues.


BACKGROUND
Achilles tendinitis is one of the most common of all sports injuries. There is no consensus on treatment.

OBJECTIVES
To assess the effectiveness of various treatment interventions for acute and chronic Achilles tendinitis in adults.

SEARCH STRATEGY
The Cochrane Bone, Joint and Muscle Trauma Group specialised register (December 2000), Cochrane Controlled Trials Register (The Cochrane Library Issue 4, 2000), MEDLINE (1966 to December 2000), EMBASE (1980 to 2001 wk 04), CINAHL (1982 to December 2000), and reference lists of identified trials were searched.

SELECTION CRITERIA
Randomised or quasi-randomised trials of treatment interventions for acute and chronic Achilles tendinitis in adults. Studies focusing on pathological tendinitis were excluded. Excluded were those trials that compared different dosages of the same drug or drugs within the same class of drugs, for example different non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
Three reviewers independently assessed trial quality, by use of a ten item check list, and extracted data. Requests were sent for separate data for Achilles tendinitis patients in studies within trials of mixed patient populations. Where possible, quantitative analysis and limited pooling of data were undertaken.

MAIN RESULTS
Nine trials, involving 697 patients, met the inclusion criteria of the review. Methodological quality was adequate in most of the trials with regards to blinding but the assessment of outcome was incomplete and short-term.There was weak but not robust evidence from three trials of a modest benefit of NSAIDs for the alleviation of acute symptoms. There was some weak evidence of no difference compared with no treatment of low dose heparin, heel pads, topical laser therapy and peritendonous steroid injection, but this could not be fully evaluated from the reports of four trials. The results of an experimental preparation of a calf-derived deproteinized haemodialysate, Actovegin, were promising but the severity of patient symptoms was questionable in the single small trial testing this comparison. The results of a comparison of glycosaminoglycan sulfate with a NSAID were inconclusive.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS
There is insufficient evidence from randomised controlled trials to determine which method of treatment is the most appropriate for the treatment of acute or chronic Achilles tendinitis. Further research is warranted.


There has been a rapid increase in the use of mobile devices for interaction with web based tools and applications, driven in large part by the rapid shift towards smartphones. At the same time, it is recognised that the factors such as the volume of eCommerce, transition to online banking, and broad uptake of social media applications, require users to have confidence in their trustworthiness and security. As the ways in which users are able to use and access the Internet shift, this research has focused on establishing a greater understanding of the relationship between the three constructs of risk, trust and confidence and how they impact upon Internet use. This short paper examines the issues surrounding these constructs, identifies the key shifts and challenges with mobile devices; and discusses how risk, trust, confidence influence the use of mobile devices for accessing the Internet. Key findings include the variance of user behaviour according to device type, and the greater influence of usability on use of mobile applications for activities that require greater levels of confidence.


The determination of food authenticity and the detection of adulteration are major issues in the food industries, and are of concern among consumers.In some countries,the food
manufacturers choose to blend vegetable oil with lard to reduce production cost because lard is the cheapest fat commonly available for food industries. Pork and lard are serious matters in view of some religions, biological complications and health risks associated with daily intake.Therefore,a rigorous method is urgently needed in order to detect the presence of lard in food.Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy has been widely used in many food authentication studies such as in coffee,extra virgin olive oil, jam, and fruit purees.It is a rapid analytical technique that measures the vibrations of bonds within their functional groups.In this study,rapid methods using FTIR techniques were developed to detect and quantify the level of lard adulteration in selected food model systems.In the first study, FTIR spectroscopy in combination with attenuated total reflectance(ATR) and Partial Least Square (PLS) regression was used to detect the presence of lard in chocolate formulation.A semi quantitative approach is proposed to measure the percent of lard in blends on the basis of spectral data at frequency region 4000-650cm-1.A high correlation of R2=0.9872 was obtained with a standard error (SE) of 1.305.In this second study, detection of lard in cake formulation was conducted. The lard was added to the shortening in the cake recipe at 0-100% level.FTIR spectra were recorded using ATR cell. A chemometric PLS regression was used to derive FTIR spectroscopic calibration model in regions of 1117-1097cm-1 and 990-950cm-1.For full cross validation, the R2 obtained was 0.9937 with standard error (SE) of 2.257.The result was compared to a test set validation; which gave slightly lower R2 value but better SE value(SE= 1.752).In the third study, the same FTIR technique was used to detect the presence of lard in biscuits.A linear plot (R2=0.9974) was obtained with SEC of 2.819 using calibration model,developed using region 3500-2900cm-1, 1780-1700cm-1, and 1500-800cm-1.The high correlation obtained indicated a good accuracy,reflecting a close relationship between actual and FTIR predicted value.From these studies, the potential of FTIR spectroscopy as a rapid analytical tool for the quantitative determination of lard in selected food model systems were demonstrated.
The finding from this study will serve as a basis in developing a database for monitoring food authentication, especially for Halal authentication purposes.


Personal music listening on mobile phones is rapidly growing as a popular means of everyday engagement with music. This portable and flexible style of listening allows for the immediate selection of music to fulfil emotional needs, presenting it as a powerful resource for emotion regulation. The experience sampling method (ESM) is ideal for observing music listening behavior, as it assesses current subjective experience during natural everyday music episodes. The current study aimed to develop a comprehensive model of personal music listening, and to determine the interaction of variables that produce various emotional outcomes. Data were collected from 195 participants using the MuPsych app: a mobile ESM designed for the real-time and ecologically valid measurement of personal music listening. Multilevel structural equation modelling was utilized to determine predictors of emotional outcomes on both experience and listener levels. Results revealed that music generally returns affect to a neutral state, but this is counteracted through the selection of mood-congruent music. Emotional reasons for listening, along with critical ranges of initial mood, were found to put listeners at risk of potentially undesirable outcomes. Finally, it was revealed that emotional outcomes are determined almost entirely within situations, which emphasizes the importance of accounting for contextual variables in all music and emotion research. This model has provided valuable insight into personal music listening, and the variables that are influential in producing desired emotional outcomes.


Digital technologies allow us to provide students with physical and embodied experiences that were hardly imaginable just decades ago. In the present study, we look at an instructional environment in which students engage with an interactive whiteboard to "throw" virtual objects into orbit around a star. Data was collected by video recording of small groups of Slovene upper secondary students' engagement with the exercise. In carrying out the exercise, students spontaneously drew on their embodied experiences of manipulating physical objects, as well as their experiences with digital environments. To make sense of the intriguing and complex interactions of students' embodied resources and their ideas about physics, computer simulations and their knowledge of the universe, we employ the theoretical lens of conceptual blending. Conceptual blending, as proposed by Fauconnier and Turner, is a theoretical framework that interprets human thought processes as continuous projections of so-called input mental spaces into a blended space. As the blended space is formed, new features emerge, that were not present in the original inputs. We argue that the case of planet-throwing is an example of students blending the input spaces, corresponding to everyday embodied experience of throwing, and their knowledge of celestial objects, which is typically out of experimental reach for students. We explore how conceptual blending can be employed to provide a language for discussing multi-faceted learning environments. We propose that in such environments, students must coordinate multiple mental input spaces, if they are to mentally and physically immerse themselves in the digital world and actively relate it to their notions of physics and the universe out there.


Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) as a metal-free semiconductor photocatalyst has been continually struggling with the high recombination rate of photo-induced charge carriers. Developing a heterostructure is an effective way to suppress the photo-induced e−–h+ pair recombination. In this study, a novel heterostructured g-C3N4/hierarchical reuleaux triangle LaCO3OH nanocomposite was controllably fabricated via a one-pot hydrothermal strategy for the first time rather than through the conventional solid state calcination reaction, relying on the dual-functional roles of g-C3N4. g-C3N4, serving as both the structure directing agent and CO32− source in the reaction system, significantly influences the morphology engineering of LaCO3OH. The time-dependent structural evolutions were discussed in detail. The strong interfacial charge transfer and separation are the dominant factors for activity enhancement of g-C3N4/LaCO3OH towards gaseous nitric oxide (NO) degradation under visible light, as confirmed by experimental characterization and density functional theory (DFT) theoretical calculations. Combined with the identification of reaction intermediates and electron spin resonance (ESR) results, the photocatalytic degradation mechanism of NO over the g-C3N4/LaCO3OH heterojunction was proposed. More importantly, this novel self-sacrificial synthesis strategy was successfully extended to synthesize both g-C3N4/Bi2O2CO3 and g-C3N4/SrCO3 composites, indicating that it can serve as a general method to synthesize g-C3N4/carbonate compounds.


Incorporation of the secondary oxide phase into the manganite composite capable of enhancing low-field magnetoresistance (LFMR) for viability in high-performance spintronic applications. Polycrystalline La0.67Ca0.33MnO3 (LCMO) was prepared via the sol–gel route in this study. The structural, microstructural, magnetic, electrical, and magneto-transport properties of (1−x) LCMO: x NiO, x = 0.00, 0.05, 0.10, 0.15 and 0.20 were investigated in detail. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns showed the coexistence of LCMO and NiO in the composites. The microstructural analysis indicated the amount of NiO nanoparticles segregated at the grain boundaries or on the surface of LCMO grains increased with the increasing secondary phase content. LCMO and NiO still retained their individual magnetic phase as observed from AC susceptibility (ACS) measurement. This further confirmed that there is no interfacial diffusion reaction between these two compounds. The NiO nanoparticle acted as a barrier to charge transport and caused an increase in resistivity for composite samples. The residual resistivity due to the grain/domain boundary is responsible for the scattering mechanism in the metallic region as suggested by the theoretical model fitting, ρ(T)=ρ0+ρ2T2+ρ4.5T4.5. The magnetoresistance values of LCMO and its composites were found to increase monotonically with the decrease in temperature. Hence, the LFMR was observed. Nonetheless, the slight reduction of LFMR in composites was attributed to the thick boundary layer created by NiO and impaired the spin polarised tunnelling process.


From the bestselling authors of "The Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine, " the most comprehensive and practical guide available to the nutritional benefits and medicinal properties of virtually everything edible. As countless studies have affirmed, diet plays a major role in both provoking and preventing a wide range of diseases. But just what is a healthy diet? What does the body need to stay strong and get well? In "The Encyclopedia of Healing Foods, " Michael T. Murray, N.D., and Joseph Pizzorno, N.D., two of the world s foremost authorities on nutrition and wellness, draw on an abundant harvest of research to present the best guide available to healthy eating. Make healthy eating a lifetime habit. Let "The Encyclopedia of Healing Foods" teach you how to: -design a safe diet -use foods to stimulate the body s natural ability to rejuvenate and heal -discover the role that fiber, enzymes, fatty acids, and other dietary components -have in helping us live healthfully -understand which food prescriptions will help you safely treat more than 70 specific ailments, including acne, Alzheimer's disease, immune system depression, insomnia, migraine headaches, PMS, and rheumatoid arthritis -prepare foods safely in order to prevent illness and maximize health benefits -select, store, and prepare all kinds of healthful foods Providing the best natural remedies for everyday aches and pains, as well as potent protection against serious diseases, "The Encyclopedia of Healing Foods" is a required daily health reference."


A fluidised bed boiler ash, produced by the New Zealand Dairy Corporation (NZDC FBA) as a by-product resulting from the combined combustion of high S coal and limestone, was chemically characterised and evaluated as a potential liming material, soil conditioner and S source in some representative New Zealand soils. Chemical analysis showed that slaked NZDC FBA had a pHwatcr of 12.4 and CaC03 equivalent of 51.8%. The "lime" in FBA is mainly Ca(OHh, making it a quicker acting, more caustic material than limestone. FBA contained 6.2% S, 25.4% Ca (dry weight basis) and negligible amounts of P, K and Mg. Mineralogical analysis indicated that approximately 50% of the S in the slaked FBA is gypsum (CaS04.2H20) with the remainder being water insoluble ettringite (C�Ah(S04)3(OH)12.26H20). A field trial was established on a permanent dairy pasture (predominantly ryegrass (Lolium perenne) and white clover (Trifolium repens)) on peat soil, in Moanatuatua peatland, Waikato, New Zealand, to examine the effectiveness of FBA as a soil conditioner to overcome soil water repellency, a liming material and a S source. The treatments included the untreated control and three rates ofFBA ( 1000 , 6616 and 26462 kg FBA ha°l, wet weight basis), which were surface dressed onto the pasture. Three rates of lime, which had the same CaC03 equivalent as the corresponding rates of FBA, were included for comparison. Using the molarity of ethanol droplet (MED) test, the air dried peat soil sampled in summer was classified as severely water repellent (MED > 2.2). Fatty acids were identified as the fraction most responsible for the repellent character of the peat soil. Only the high rate (26462 kg haol) of FBA significantly reduced water repellency.of surface peat soil and increased the rate of water infiltration into the dry peat. The hydrophobic nature of the peat soil was probably modified by the high alkalinity of applied FBA, which removed or saponified fatty acids from the soil particle surface. Potential uses of FBA in agriculture iii However, normal liming and fertiliser rates (6616 kg ha"l or less) ofFBA application, as well as all the lime treatments, had negligible effect on the water repellency of the peat soil. Therefore, it is not practical to use FBA as an amendment to minimise water repellency on peat soil. The FBA treatments significantly increased pasture yield, in the field trial during eight months of the experimental period, mainly by improving herbage S nutrition status. In spring, the S concentrations in herbage from the FBA treatments were raised from a deficient level of 0.20% S (the untreated control) to 0.27 0.40% S. The ettringite sulphate in FBA acted as a slow-release S fertiliser and high rates of FBA application maintained the raised S concentrations in the herbage for the eight month period. The presence of ettringite implies that application ofFBA-sulphate has the potential to reduce the leaching loss of sulphate, a common problem in many New Zealand soils. In a laboratory incubation and leaching study using repacked peat soil cores, the effect of surface applied FBA and lime on base and solute movement in soil was investigated. The results indicated that FBA was an effective alternative to agricultural lime to neutralise the acidity of peat soil. Although surface-applied FBA had no significant effect on decreasing subsurface soil acidity as measured by pH change in the peat soil, the Ca2+ ions released by FBA dissolution moved down to subsurface soil much faster than those released from lime. Increased Ca2+ ion concentration in subsurface soil can alleviate the acidity constraints on pasture root growth through the antagonistic relationship between Ca2+ and W ions. In contrast to the lime treatment, however, FBA caused significant leaching of native soil exchangeable K+. Therefore, K fertilisers should accompany FBA application to peat soils. In order to examine the effect of topsoil incorporated FBA on the subsurface acidity in mineral soils, six acidic topsoils (0 100 mm) were tested for their ability to "self-lime" through sulphate sorption from gypsum treatment. Two soils, from the yellow-brown loam, or Allophanic soil ( the Patua soil) and the yellow-brown earth, or Ultic soil (the Kaawa soil) groups ( orders), which contrasted strongly in their reaction to gypsum treatment, were chosen for further study. Lime, FBA and Flue gas desulphurisation gypsum (FGDG) were incorporated in the top 0 50 mm of repacked columns of the Patua and Kaawa soils, at rates containing Ca equivalent to 5000 kg ha-1 of CaC03. Each Potential uses of FBA in agriculture iv column was leached with 400 mm of water. After leaching, one set of the columns were sliced into sections for chemical analysis, and another set was used for growing lucerne (Medicago sativa. L) as a root bioassay. In the columns of the variable charged, allophanic Patua soil, topsoil incorporated NZDC FBA ameliorated top and subsurface soil acidity through liming and the "self liming effect" induced by sulphate sorption, respectively. The soil solution pH of the top and subsurface layers of the Patua soil were raised to pH 6.40 and 5.35 respectively, by the FBA treatment, compared with pH 4.80 and 4.65 in the control treatment. Consequently phytotoxic labile monomeric AI concentration in soil solution of the FBA treatment was reduced to less than 0.1 Jlmol AI dm-3, compared with that of 8 64 Jlmol AI dm-3 in the untreated control. These changes were associated with greatly improved lucerne root growth in the subsurface of the Patua soil after FBA treatment. FGDG had a similar "self-liming effect" on subsurface of the Patua soil, but not the topsoil. Whereas FBA raised the pH of the Kaawa topsoil, no "self-liming effect" of subsurface soil by sulphate sorption was observed on the Kaawa soil, which is dominated by permanently charged clay minerals. Application of FBA and FGDG to both soils, however, caused significant leaching of native soil Mg2+ and K+. These nutrients were displaced from the exchange sites by the relatively high concentration of Ca2+ released from dissolution of gypsum. In contrast, the topsoil incorporated lime had little effect on either the subsurface soil acidity or nutrient leaching. NZDC FBA is an ideal by-product for correcting topsoil and subsurface soil acidity in yellow-brown loam ( allophanic) soils, but only topsoil acidity on yellow-brown earth (UItic) soils, dominated by clays with permanent charge. Mg and K fertiliser application would be recommended when a soil is treated with FBA or other gypsiferous materials. Potential uses ofFBA in agriculture v


Abstract. Overshooting deep convection that penetrates into the Tropical Tropopause Layer (TTL) is thought to have an important role in regulating the water vapour content of this region. Yet, the net effect of such convection and the dominant mechanisms remain unclear. This study uses two idealised three-dimensional cloud-resolving model simulations to examine the influence of overshooting convection on water vapour when it penetrates into two different TTL environments, one supersaturated and the other subsaturated with respect to ice. These simulations show that the overshooting convection plays a direct role in driving the ambient environment towards ice saturation through either net moistening (subsaturated TTL) or net dehydration (supersaturated TTL). Moreover, in these cases the extent of dehydration in supersaturated conditions is greater than the moistening in subsaturated conditions. With the aid of modelled passive tracers, the relative roles of transport, mixing and ice microphysics are assessed; ultimately, ice sublimation and scavenging processes play the most important role in defining the different TTL relative humidity tendencies. In addition, significant moistening in both cases is modelled well into the subsaturated tropical lower stratosphere (up to 450 K), even though the overshooting turrets only reach approximately 420 K. It is shown that this moistening is the result of jumping cirrus, which is induced by the localised upward transport and mixing of TTL air following the collapse of the overshooting turret.


This response to Zahr K. Said's A Transactional Theory of the Reader in Copyright Law, 102 Iowa L. Rev. 605 (2017), joins her in supporting a reader-centered view of copyright infringement but asks whether – within the bounds of reasonableness – any particular reading can be privileged over any other. If a juror sees a suave man calmly battling villains while driving a sports car and says that the character copies James Bond, how do we know if she is right? What if she sees Jason Bourne instead?
Professor Said's insightful article, relying largely on Louise Rosenblatt's theory of efferent and aesthetic reading, encourages us to pay more attention to how jurors and judges engage with artistic works, but copyright doctrine's failure to put more meat on the bones of "substantial similarity" inevitably limits the effectiveness of any guidance jurors might receive. Thus, I suggest, more attention should be paid to how jurors and judges function as scholars and critics – that is, how they converse with one another about their acts of reading and attempt to persuade others that their reading is correct.
We are, as Professor Said thoughtfully reminds us, engaged in constant acts of reading. Her calls for more open conversations, both inside and outside the courtroom, about how we read are well worth heeding. The process by which we read, engage, and interpret, both together and apart, should be the next set of experiences that copyright law should take into account.


Now available in paperback "Making knowledge visible" is how one 16th-century naturalist described the work of the illustrator of botanical treatises. His words reflected the growing role played by illustrators at a time when the study of nature had been assuming new authority in the world of learning. An absorbing exploration of the relationship between image and text, this collection considers how both aided the development and transmission of scientific knowledge. Presenting images found throughout Europe in works on natural history, medicine, botany, horticulture, and garden design, and studies of insects, birds, and animals, the contributors emphasize their artistic as well as scientific values. Illustrators are shown to have been both artists and either naturalists or gardeners, bringing to their work aesthetic judgment and empirical observation. Their fascinating images receive a fresh, wide-ranging analysis that covers such topics as innovation, patronage, readership, reception, technologies of production, and the relationship between the fine arts and scientific depictions of nature.


The Erris Ridge is a narrow structural high that separates the Erris and Rockall Troughs. It has a composite internal character and its orientation is thought to be controlled by a pre-Caledonian structural fabric which was frequently reactivated during Caledonian to Cenozoic time. In the north it is fault-bounded and probably contains rocks of Palaeozoic and older age. It formed a positive topographic feature which was progressively onlapped during Permo-Triassic to Cretaceous times. Fault reactivation occurred along its western boundary in Tertiary times and it was submerged by approximately latest Miocene times. Further south the Ridge is more complex. The Palaeozoic and older core is flanked to the SE by interpreted Permo-Triassic to Lower Jurassic strata which constitute a fault-controlled, uplifted, remnant of a half-graben basin. This composite structure was probably inverted during Late Jurassic times and remained as a topographic feature until Cretaceous times. It was progressively onlapped during Cretaceous and Tertiary times, with a minor phase of fault reactivation during the Early Tertiary. The Ridge acted as a rigid block which facilitated the focusing of several phases of crustal extension in the Erris Trough and in the Rockall Trough.


The books being reprinted in this set are all rare and should be useful for studies in the aesthetics of music in the 18th century. Attention has been focused on the subject recently with the publication of Roger Scruton's "The Aesthetics of Music" (1999), which is a comprehensive account of the nature and significance of music from the perspective of modern philosophy. Since the idea of aesthetics has its origins in the 18th century, it seems natural to start there when considering the origins of aesthetic perceptions of music and its performance. This set complements "Aesthetics: Sources in the Eighteenth Century", introduced by John Price and published by Thoemmes Press in 1998. This is a seven-volume set of facsimile reprints. Two of the volumes are enhanced with illustrations.


In a paper published in 2013 in the journal Neuron, under the title 'The New Science of
Mind and the Future of Knowledge', the Nobel Laureate, Eric Kandel, states that 'The
unity of consciousness – our sense of self – is the greatest remaining mystery of the brain.
As a philosophical concept, consciousness continues to defy consensus.'
Since mind depends foundationally upon consciousness, and science depends
foundationally upon the mind, this perfectly illustrates the parlous condition of
neuroscience as a science.
In recent years I have developed a new neurobiological theory: the theory of brain-sign.
The theory aims to do two things. (1) It rejects the notion of consciousness because it is
not a scientific category. Adherence to it inhibits the development of neuroscience. (2) It
provides a scientifically feasible account of how brains communicate with each other for
the purpose of collective action in uncertain or imprecise tasks. It can be seen, therefore,
as the physical foundation of the social sciences.
The theory proposes that brain-sign is derived by the brain from its causal orientation
toward the world at each moment. Thus the mysterious arrival in the world of mental
states is superseded by a scientific explanation of why there is any brain phenomenon at
all, and how the phenomenon is to be interpreted. But it also proposes the interpretation
is the brain's self-description of its causal states. Thus brain-sign is both the brain's means
of inter-organism communication about what in the world has caused its causal
orientation, and the self-explanation of its condition. 'We are', as brain-sign, wholly the
brain's product.
The brain's function is to control the body in its relation to the world for survival and
reproduction. Survival chances increase by organisms being able to act collectively.
Consciousness theory presupposes that the spatial separation between organisms presents
a problem of how to understand another organism's actions in collective activity. Hence
the need for mental states: sight, hearing, sensation, feeling, thought. Brain-sign theory
rejects these mentalist inventions. In collective action, individuals are bound together as
one unit by the intermediary physical conditions of molecular transmission,
electromagnetic radiation and compression waves. Cooperating with another is literally
performing as one physical unit, via the impact of the intermediary conditions on each
organism's senses
We take it we do see and understand. However, that you and I seem to see the tree does
not mean we do. How could a physical brain see anything? Our conviction about seeing
and understanding is the way our brains communicate. Our brains signify their mutual
current causal orientation as the brain-sign of our seeming to see the tree. Our conviction

about seeing is part of that sign, not a verification of mental life. Hence as organisms we
can pick apples together. Eating apples aids our survival.
Signs are ubiquitous in biology, and they are wholly physical.


In a homomorphic signature scheme, a user Alice signs some large dataset x using her secret signing key and uploads the signed data to an untrusted remote server. The server can then run some computation y=f(x) over the signed data and homomorphically derive a short signature σf,y certifying that y is the correct output of the computation f. Anybody can verify the tuple (f, y, σf,y) using Alice's public verification key and become convinced of this fact without having to retrieve the entire underlying data. In this work, we construct the first leveled fully homomorphic signature} schemes that can evaluate arbitrary {circuits} over signed data. Only the maximal {depth} d of the circuits needs to be fixed a-priori at setup, and the size of the evaluated signature grows polynomially in d, but is otherwise independent of the circuit size or the data size. Our solution is based on the (sub-exponential) hardness of the small integer solution (SIS) problem in standard lattices and satisfies full (adaptive) security. In the standard model, we get a scheme with large public parameters whose size exceeds the total size of a dataset. In the random-oracle model, we get a scheme with short public parameters. In both cases, the schemes can be used to sign many different datasets. The complexity of verifying a signature for a computation f is at least as large as that of computing f, but can be amortized when verifying the same computation over many different datasets. Furthermore, the signatures can be made context-hiding so as not to reveal anything about the data beyond the outcome of the computation. These results offer a significant improvement in capabilities and assumptions over the best prior homomorphic signature schemes, which were limited to evaluating polynomials of constant degree. As a building block of independent interest, we introduce a new notion called homomorphic trapdoor functions (HTDF) which conceptually unites homomorphic encryption and signatures. We construct HTDFs by relying on the techniques developed by Gentry et al. (CRYPTO '13) and Boneh et al. (EUROCRYPT '14) in the contexts of fully homomorphic and attribute-based encryptions.


We show that the performance of an organic solar cell can be increased by the introduction of an additional polymeric exciton blocking layer. In order to realize this, the novel polymer PFTPDAc with pendant acrylate groups is developed. Thin films are coated from a PFTPDAc solution and subsequently crosslinked by irradiation. Thereby, the film becomes completely insoluble and allows spincoating of a second polymer layer on top. We realize a three layer solar cell which contains a crosslinked PFTPDAc interlayer on top of the molybdenum oxide anode and layers of the low‐bandgap polymer PCDTBT and C60. In comparison with a reference cell without the interlayer, the EQE is significantly increased in the spectral region between 400 and 650 nm. From current–voltage measurements a power conversion efficiency of 1.8% is determined. PL measurements show that the increase of solar cell performance is attributed to exciton blocking by the PFTPDAc interlayer.


Accounts of the tumultuous initial phase of the Cultural Revolution portray party-state cadres primarily as targets of a popular insurgency. Cadres in Party and government organs in fact were themselves in widespread rebellion against their superiors after October 1966, and rebel cadres were a major force in the national wave of power seizures that destroyed the civilian state in early 1967. The rebellion was a form of bureaucratic politics in a setting characterized by rapidly shifting signals and high uncertainty, in which the rebels' motives were generated after the onset of the Cultural Revolution. Cadres played a central role in the destruction of the political institutions to which their vested interests were inextricably linked.


Climate change is an increasingly urgent problem. How it is communicated and represented are of interest to those seeking to understand action or inaction on the issue. There is increasing interest on how it is being communicated visually. This research speaks to the growing body of literature on the visual communication of climate change in order to contribute to the wider critical literature addressing the role of images in the communication of climate change. It does so by considering a neglected site of climate change imagery: the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC) report covers. The IPCC's report covers from the first ones in 1990, to the latest ones of 2014, are investigated in this quantitative and qualitative case study where the subject matter, both literal and symbolic of this (hitherto unexamined) body of images, is interrogated. This dissertation sought to identify and investigate what, exactly, the IPCC is using to visually represent and communicate climate change outside the realm of its scientific graphs and diagrams. It sought to compare these findings with the larger lexicon of climate change imagery and look at how the IPCC negotiates the communicational and representational problems inherent in the visual communication of climate change. The question ultimately asked was whether the IPCC's cover images are effective representations of climate change. What was found was that the IPCC images departed significantly from standard climate imagery. The conclusions drawn from the initial content and thematic analysis was that the IPCC images are frequently too banal, bland and decontextualised to be effective representations or communicators of climate change but do offer some potentially effective avenues overlooked in other representations.


The broad range of themes reflects the wide spectrum of activities within Engineering Geology as well as its concern with the most actual matters which affect mankind, like natural hazards and environmental protection. The methods & techniques of ground study, the construction materials, the surface & the underground works as well as the information technologies & the teaching, training & professional practice of engineering geology are also extensively covered by the authors of the papers. The state of development in engineering geology in 1994 demonstrating the current interest of the engineering geological international community & the ability of engineering geologists to help in the solution of some of the most important problems which affect the humanity. 641 papers.


This thesis concerns the clinical epidemiology of HIV infection in Zimbabwean adolescents. Without treatment, there is a very high risk of death in the early years of life in HIV-infected infants. However, in recent years increasing numbers of adolescents have been presenting to health care services with symptomatic HIV infection and with features suggesting longstanding disease. Population-based surveys in Southern Africa have shown HIV prevalence rates among older children and adolescents to be much higher than would be anticipated if HIV-infants were not surviving early childhood. The burden and spectrum of HIV-associated morbidity among adolescents was investigated with two studies at secondary and primary care level, respectively. The main finding was of an extremely high prevalence of HIV infection at both levels of the health system, with HIV infection being the single most common cause of hospital admission and death among adolescents. Mother-to-child transmission was the most likely source of HIV infection in the majority, suggesting a substantial epidemic of older survivors of vertical HIV infection. Other countries with severe HIV epidemics may be experiencing a similar trend as their HIV epidemics mature. The lack of awareness of the possibility of survival to older childhood and adolescence with maternally-acquired, untreated HIV infection results in many missed opportunities for diagnosis, with HIV infection frequently not diagnosed until presentation with a severe HIV-related illness. The median CD4 count in 3 HIV-infected adolescents in primary care was 350cells/µl compared to a median CD4 count of 151cells/µl among hospitalised adolescents, suggesting that HIV testing in primary care identifies HIV-infected adolescents at an earlier stage of infection. Provider-initiated HIV testing and counselling in primary care was highly acceptable to adolescents and guardians. Provision of care has been adversely affected by under-appreciation of the numbers of surviving adolescents living with HIV, and the special needs of this age-group have not been distinguished from those of younger children. Young people who have acquired HIV perinatally are stigmatised by society who assume they must have acquired it through "bad" behaviour themselves, since it is not widely appreciated that long-term survival following vertical infection is possible. Immediate priorities are earlier diagnosis of HIV infection and improved management of HIV-infected adolescents. Possible areas of intervention are discussed in the final chapter. Similar studies are needed in neighbouring countries to investigate the generalisability of these findings.


The growth of broadband penetration has been a worldwide concern. Because broadband has considerable spillover effects on our economy and society, many governments are striving to achieve high broadband diffusion and investment. As a "required infrastructure enabler�? (OECD, 2008b), broadband enhances productivity, expands new realms of businesses, and creates innovation and globalization. It is also related with efficacy of democracy by widening the digital divide and generating a new participation gap across social strata (Hargittai & Walejko, 2008). Considering all of these socioeconomic implications, broadband is an important issue which calls for more empirical research. In order to increase broadband penetration and investment, it is necessary to have competition among broadband providers. However, characterized by network economy, the broadband industry is dominated by a few incumbents who enjoy high entry barriers, built up with strong economies of scale and technological externality. Since it is difficult by nature for competition to take place in network industry, many governments have stepped in to promote competition by facilities-based or service-based entry1 in broadband industry. Service-based entry policy is adopted by most countries, though facilities-based competition is regarded as the most desirable mode of competition, because the former is assumed to facilitate entry and foster competition within a relatively short period of time through leasing incumbents" networks compared to the latter. Contrary to assumptions, however, previous studies have found mixed research results about the effect of service-based competition on broadband diffusion. By questioning inconsistencies in previous results, the present research attempts to find how broadband policy affects broadband penetration. Along with broadband diffusion, investment needs to be considered as well. The reason why both aspects are discussed together is that the policy to achieve either one can have negative effect on the other. Against the logic of service-based competition which assumes that open access to incumbents" networks facilitates broadband penetration, opposing theory raises that service-based competition undermines industry"s incentive to invest in facilities, which deters having upgraded, high-speed broadband services. Since there is trade-off between the two competing theories, policies which promote only one side, i.e. penetration or investment, are crippled to achieve broadband service with "high capacity at low price to more of the population�? (Berkman, 2010). Therefore, in addition to broadband penetration, the present research asks a question of how broadband policy shapes investment in the market. Besides policy, there are various factors which affect broadband penetration and investment such as geography, population density, income, and education. These given, non-policy variables were found to explain around 75 to 85 percent of the performance of broadband industry (Berkman, 2010), but the present research concentrates on the remaining 15 to 25 percent which might be determined by policy factors. Depending on the policy, some countries might show better or worse outcome than expected from given factors. Since this study is not to find what variables affect broadband outcome, but to find which policy factors contribute to attaining the goal of high penetration and investment, the focus is on policy, admitting the impact of non-policy factors on broadband deployment. Additionally, policy factors in this research are sided on the supply of broadband, not the demand. Policies to promote demand through education or free access to computers or Internet are out of scope of this study. This study indirectly discusses demand since it is influenced by price and quality (Berkman, 2010) which are mainly decided by the supply side. The main concentration of the present study is policy factors related to the supply of broadband. Within the pre-determined scope of this research, case studies have been chosen as the methodology in order to have differentiated and profound understanding of broadband access by country. Selected cases are the United States and South Korea both of which experienced facilities and service-based competition. Based on a deeper analysis of each country, this study expects to find how the market structure shaped by broadband policies has affected the performance of the broadband industry. This research starts in chapter II with a discussion of the importance of broadband, as well as the necessity for government intervention to increase competition in the broadband market. Chapter III has a literature review on broadband policy in the wholesale market, and chapter IV suggests research questions. Chapter V explains why the case study method is chosen and why the two countries are selected as cases. Before dealing with the research questions, institutional differences between the U.S. and Korea are discussed in chapter VI, since policies are the product of institutions. Then, case studies and comparisons of the two countries are developed in chapter VII, followed by discussion and conclusion in chapters VIII and IX, respectively.


The first striking feature is that ownership of the average UK company is diffuse: a coalition of at least eight shareholders is required to reach an absolute majority of voting rights. Even though the average firm has a dispersed ownership, the reader should bear in mind that there are about ten per cent of firms where the founder or his heirs are holding more than 30 per cent. The ownership structure is also shaped by regulation; the mandatory takeover threshold of 30%, for example, has an important impact on the ownership structure. In about 4% of sample companies, corporate shareholders hold just under 30 per cent of the shares. Second, institutional investors are the most important category of shareholders. However, they tend to follow passive strategies and often do not exercise the votes attached to their shares. Third, the passive stance adopted by institutions increases the already significant power of directors, who are the second most important category of shareholders. Franks, Mayer and Renneboog (1998) show that when directors own substantial shareholdings, they use their voting power to entrench their positions and they can impede monitoring actions taken by other shareholders to restructure the board, even in the wake of poor corporate performance. Fourth, there is an important market for share stakes and share stakes do not tend to be dispersed. Fifth, some of the characteristics of the British system of corporate governance, such as the proxy voting and the one-tier board structure, further strengthen the discretionary power of directors. Therefore, the main agency conflict emerging from the diffuse ownership structure is the potential expropriation of shareholders by the management.


Substructuring permits parallelization of physics simulation on multi-core CPUs. We present a new substructuring approach for solving stiff multibody systems containing both bilateral and unilateral constraints. Our approach is based on non-overlapping domain decomposition with the Schur complement method, which we extend to systems involving contact formulated as a mixed bounds linear complementarity problem. At each time step, we alternate between solving the subsystem and interface constraint impulses, which leads to the identification of the active constraints. By using the active constraints to compute the effective mass of subsystems within the interface solve, we obtain an exact solution. We demonstrate that our simulations have preferable behavior compared to standard iterative solvers and substructuring techniques based on the exchange of forces at interface bodies. We observe considerable speedups for structured simulations where a user-defined partitioning can be applied, and moderate speedups for unstructured simulations, such as piles of bodies. In the latter case, we propose an automatic partitioning strategy based on the degree of bodies in the constraint graph. Because our method makes use of direct solvers, we are able to achieve interactive and real-time frame rates for a number of challenging scenarios involving large mass ratios, redundant constraints, and ill-conditioned systems.


In Bolling v. Sharpe, the Supreme Court invalidated school segregation in the District of Columbia by inferring a broad "federal equal protection" principle from the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment. It is often assumed that this principle is inconsistent with the Constitution's original meaning and with "originalist" interpretation. This Article demonstrates, however, that a federal equal protection principle is not only consistent with the Constitution's original meaning, but inherent in it. The Constitution was crafted as a fiduciary document of the kind that, under contemporaneous law, imposed on agents acting for more than one beneficiary – and on officials serving the general public – a well-established duty to serve all impartially. The Constitution, like other fiduciary instruments, imposes a standard of equal treatment from which lawmakers and officials cannot depart without reasonable cause. Although the Constitution's original meaning does not precisely define the answers to all "equal protection" cases, and does not necessarily prescribe norms identical to those of existing equal protection jurisprudence, it clearly does prohibit racial discrimination of the kind at issue in Bolling.


Dynamic protocol stacks have been identified as a method of improving the performance of process communication by constructing the protocol that meets it requirements with a minimum overhead. However, the design of these stacks is a complex process for human designers who must identify the correct elements and ordering. Genetic programming is a machine learning technique method for generating computer programs automatically. It has been applied to many areas including electronic circuit design, image classification and machine code creation. However, it has never been utilised in the area of communication protocols. The main aim of the project is to identify if genetic programming techniques can be applied to protocol construction using the JavaGroups toolkit and generate protocols automatically. This report describes the theory and application of genetic programming principles and also the technology behind and creation of dynamic protocols. There is also a description of the design and implementation of a genetic program that will create JavaGroups protocols to meet a set of requirements. The results from the experimentation of the implemented system identify that GP can automatically generate the correct protocol stack for a required communication type (e.g. reliable point-to-point). The uses of this method to generate any stack depending on the user's requirement or within a changing real-time network situation are identified as future areas of work.