Current systems-on-chip (SoC) execute applications that demand extensive parallel processing; thus, the amount of processors, memories and application-specific signal processing cores is rapidly increasing. In these new multi-processor SoCs, (MPSoCs) one of the most critical elements regarding overall efficiency is on-chip interconnections. Network-on-chip (NoC) provides a structured way of realizing interconnections on silicon, and obviate the limitations of bus-based solutions. NoCs can have regular or ad hoc topologies and can be tuned by a large set of parameters. Simulation and functional validation are essential to assess the correctness and performance of MPSoC architectures. We present a flexible hardware-software emulation framework implemented on a FPGA that is specially designed to suitably explore, evaluate and compare a wide range of NoC solutions with a very limited effort. Our experimental results show a speed-up of four orders of magnitude with respect to cycle-accurate HDL simulation, while retaining cycle accuracy and flexibility of software simulators. Finally, we propose a validation flow for MPSoCs based on our flexible NoC emulation framework, which allows designers to explore and optimize a range of solutions, as well as quickly characterize performance figures and identify possible limitations in their on-chip interconnection architectures.


Absence of arbitrage is one of the fundamental tools to describe financial markets. The no-arbitrage price of any financial contract represents players' valuation of the uncertain future income stream that will result from the contract. This reasoning is based on considering future income streams as exogenously defined variables. When spot markets do not behave under the assumption of perfect competition, future income streams might depend on players' strategies. If this is the case, price differences between the forward and the spot markets do not imply the existence of arbitrage opportunities, as market players cannot take advantage of such differences. The paper will study the forward-spot interaction in the presence of spot market power. It will be shown that, when producers anticipate that forward sales reduce spot price, they can react in the forward market to compensate for the spot price decrease. Hence, players profits are, considering both forward and spot markets, equivalent to the ones obtained in the case where no forward trading is allowed. The paper also develops a multi-period model that considers the role of private information, aimed to represent that past spot prices are signals of the probability of future spot prices. In this context, there is an additional incentive when playing in the spot market, which is associated with the sensitivity of forward prices to past spot decisions. This often results in spot prices equal to the ones obtained in the no-trade case. The policy implications of the previous results will be discussed. Actually, it will be shown that the number of regulatory measures based on forward contracting that can be used to mitigate market power is considerably small.


The paper analyzes issues of defense of foreign citizens' and apatrides' economic rights and interests from criminal offense and wrongful acts within the Russian Federation. Due to situation of political strain, fueled by refugee crisis, obviously national legal system faces new challenges in maintaining human values within its borders.The key idea of the paper is a legal capacity to renege from providing the non-citizens of national equality, addressing the lex personalis i.e., the law of the alien's home country for meaningful rights and interests' defense.The certainty is based on the fact that the legislation of alien's home country could not always correspond with the Russian one and it could not be read as a decline in alien's legal status.Even a superficial view reveals lots of theoretical and enforcement issues ranging from providing equal defense from criminal or administrative offence to defense from maladministration. Despite the distinctions in national legal systems, common European trend is aimed at highest possible defense of non-citizens' and apatrides' economic interests.Thus, Russian legal system admits feasible aliens' adjective law limitations as a retaliatory measure for Russian citizens' rights limitation abroad. Authors push for balancing both personal and public interests when determining the legal defense of economic interests of non-citizens in accordance with European practice.


Constant current angle controlled reluctance synchronous machine drives can be considered as near optimum efficiency controlled drives. This paper describes an accurate constant current-angle current-control technique for a digital controlled reluctance synchronous machine (RSM) drive. Using finite element calculated results accurate decoupled dq current regulators are designed and used in a digital controlled system using the TMS320F240-DSP. In the design of the controller the effect of dynamic inductances, due to saturation and cross magnetisation, on the performance of the PI-controllers is taken into account. Complete analysis, digital simulation and measured results are presented.


Washington State's sentencing reform in the early 1980s encompassed all felonies, including those resulting in sentences to prison and jail; the state also enacted the first and only sentencing guidelines for juvenile offenders. Several lessons are suggested from Washington's experience: sentencing guidelines can change sentencing patterns and can reduce disparities among offenders who are sentenced for similar crimes and have similar criminal histories; a sentencing commission does not operate as an independent political force, except when such delegation serves the legislature's purpose; guidelines are policy-neutral technologies that can be harnessed to achieve the legislature's will; in states where citizen initiatives are authorized, sentencing issues will appear on the ballot, attract political support, and make significant changes to sentencing policy; guidelines allow a state to set sentences with advance knowledge of the consequences to prison and jail populations; guidelines are likely to become more complex over time as legislators strive to respond to new perceptions of crime seriousness, while simultaneously paying attention to prison and jail costs.


Cogeneration systems are capital-intensive installations. Even if a cogeneration system has high-energy efficiency, it will not be possible to proceed with the investment unless it is also economically viable. The procedure for evaluation of the economic performance of cogeneration systems is presented in this chapter, supported with information about the various types of costs, definition of the most important of the economic parameters and measures used for evaluation, as well as examples of economic analysis. Two additional issues are also tackled: (a) the distribution of costs of a cogeneration system among its energy products and (b) the effect of the internalization of environmental externalities on the cost of covering energy needs either by a cogeneration system or by the conventional approach, that is separate production of work and heat. Care has been exercised so that the values of costs given here to be realistic. However, they can be considered indicative only, as they change with place and time. Consequently, the economic performance evaluation of any cogeneration project should be based on cost information obtained for the particular project.


This paper retrospectively evaluated the role of prophylactic antibiotics in the postnatal management of antenatally detected obstructive hydronephrosis. 105 neonates (82 males and 23 females) with grade III or IV fetal hydronephrosis were followed up between 1994 and 2004. Hydronephrosis was graded by the Society of Fetal Urology (SFU) ultrasound grading system. The study also tried to correlate the chances of getting urinary tract infection (UTI) and the level of upper urinary obstruction. None of the patients in this study received prophylactic antibiotics. All the 82 males were not circumcised. 99 neonates in the study had unilateral and 6 had bilateral hydronephrosis. All the patients had an obstructive pattern in the diuretic renogram with half time of 20 minutes or more. 75 patients had ureteropelvic junction obstruction (UPJO) and 30 had lower urinary obstruction (LUO). The clinical course of the patients was reviewed for 12 months. In those neonates who developed UTI, corrective surgery was performed. The overall incidence of UTI during the follow up period was 36.2% (38 patients). Majority of the cases occurred before 6 months of age (92.8%). The mean age of onset of UTI was 2.6 months. There was a significant difference noted in the incidence of UTI and the level of obstruction. While UTI developed in 50% of patients with LUO, only 30.7% of patients with UPJO developed UTI. In the LUO group, the incidence of UTI was 70% in those with ureterocele, 50% in those with ectopic ureter and 38.9% in those with ureterovesical junction obstruction. 77 neonates (73.3%) underwent corrective surgery at a mean age of 3.8 months. The incidence of UTI before surgical correction was 33.8% at a mean age of 2.1 months. The multivariate analysis showed that the level of obstruction in the operated cases was the only significant variable in the development of UTI - 54.2% for LUO vs. 24.5% for UPJO. 12 of the 28 patients (42.9%) followed up without surgery developed UTI. Of the 6 patients with bilateral UPJO, 2 (33.3%) developed UTI.


Rresearch focuses on investigation and comparison of pro–social and delinquent children's opinions on children's rights realities. The purpose of the research was to study and compare the attitudes of 15–18 years old convicted juveniles and secondary school students with regard to the children's rights. In 1998, 607 16–18 years old Lithuanian students were questioned using a closed type questionnaires with 21 question prepared with reference to UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, by International School Psychology Association, ISPA. In 2002, 104 children in Juvenile Interrogation Isolator–Penitentiary (JIF–P) in Lithuania were questioned using the same questionnaire of 21 questions about children's rights and an open type question related on delinquent behaviour prevention was included. Results show that boys from JIF–P institution answering the questions about their situation at home in line with the rights of the child, give very good, not adequate valuations for it. Most of all and much more than ordinary students of the same age (p<0,01) delinquent boys value possibility to be with people who love and care about them. They distinguish themselves by incuriosity for information and participation in decision–making – the crucial things that promote democratic features of a personality and successful development in modern society. According to delinquent children parents wishing to prevent child delinquent behaviour should: 1) talk with a child, 2) control with the clear demands, 3) to make them be busy from the early childhood, 4) change of living place when it's needed for a child and with his/her consent.


We present a novel optical sensor to acquire simultaneously functional near-infrared imaging (fNIRI) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data with an improved handling and direct localization in the MRI compared to available sensors. Quantitative phantom and interference measurements showed that both methods can be combined without reciprocal adverse effects. The direct localization of the optical sensor on MR images acquired with a T1-weighted echo sequence simplifies the co-registration of NIRI and MRI data. In addition, the optical sensor is simple to attach, which is crucial for measurements on vulnerable subjects. The fNIRI and T2*-weighted fMRI data of a cerebral activation were simultaneously acquired proving the practicability of the setup.


Title of Dissertation: INVESTIGATION OF AMORPHOUS HYDROGENATED Si AS A RESIST FOR VACUUM-COMPATIBLE LITHOGRAPHY OF HgCdTe/CdTe FILMS Randolph Nicholas Jacobs, Doctor of Philosophy, 2005 Dissertation directed by: Professor Lourdes Salamanca-Riba, Department of Materials Science and Engineering The vision of achieving a completely in-vacuum process for fabricating HgCdTe Infrared detector arrays is contingent on the availability of a vacuumcompatible lithography technology. One such technology for vacuum-lithography involves the use of amorphous hydrogenated Si (a-Si:H) as a dry photoresist. The basic concept has recently been demonstrated whereby a-Si:H resists were deposited via plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), and then patterned using an excimer laser. The patterns were then hydrogen plasma developed to remove unirradiated areas. Finally, an Ar/H2 electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) plasma was used to transfer patterns to underlying Hg1-xCdxTe film layers. This thesis presents a continued investigation of a-Si:H as a resist material wherein the resists are deposited using an Ar-diluted silane precursor. To determine the best conditions for the technique, the effects of different laser fluences, and exposure environments were studied. Analysis via transmission electron microscopy (TEM) reveals that the excimer-exposed surfaces are polycrystalline in nature, indicating that the mechanism for pattern generation in this study is based on melting and crystallization of the exposed areas. To reduce undesirable surface roughness induced by laser irradiation, a step-wise crystallization/dehydrogenation technique is demonstrated. Fundamental aspects of pattern transfer (via ECR plasma etching) to CdTe and HgCdTe films are also demonstrated, where etch selectivities of 8:1 and 16:1 (respectively) are observed. These values represent a significant improvement to etch selectivities obtained using commercially available organic resists. To address concerns regarding possible damage to HgCdTe caused by the a-Si:H dry lithography process, preliminary studies were carried out using double-crystal rocking curve XRay diffraction and high-resolution TEM. The results indicate no evidence of microstructural damage to the HgCdTe film. Other characterization techniques used throughout this thesis include Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and stylus profilometry. The implementation of the a-Si:H dry lithography process represents a crucial step toward achieving totally integrated fabrication of HgCdTe IR detector arrays. In addition this lithography technique is both low temperature and contamination-free, so that other semiconductor microfabrication processes could potentially benefit from


A survey of well waters (n=3534) from throughout Bang- '
ladesh, excluding the Chitt;agong Hill Tracts, has shown
that water from 27% of the 'shallow' tubewells, that is
wells less than 150 m deep, exceeded the Bangladesh
standard for arsenic in drinking water (50 flg L -I). 46%
exceeded the WHO guideline value of 10 flg L-I. Figures
for 'deep' wells (greater than 150 m deep) were 1% and
5%, respectively. Since it is believed that there are a total of
some 6-11 million tubewells in Bangladesh, mostly
exploiting the depth range 10-50 m, some 1.5-2.5 million
wells are estimated to be contaminated with arsenic
according to the Bangladesh standard. 35 million people
are believed to be exposed to an arsenic concentration in
drinking water exceeding 50 flg L-I and 57 million people
exposed to a concentration exceeding 10 flg L -I.
There is a distinct regional pattern of arsenic contamination
with the greatest contamination in the south and
south-east of the country and the least contamination in
the north-west and in the uplifted areas of north-central
Bangladesh. However, there are occasional arsenic 'hot
spots' in the generally low-arsenic regions of northern
_Bangladesh. In arsenic-contaminated areas, the large
degree of well-to-well variation within a village means that
it is diffic'ult to predict whether a given well will be contaminated
from tests carried out on neighbouring wells.
The young (Holocene) alluvial and deltaic deposits are
__ m8-s_caffe_c.ted_whereas_the older alluvial_sediments in the
,I
tion' hypothesis in which pyrite oxidation in the zone of
water table fluctuation is assumed to release arsenic and
ultimately to be responsible for the groundwater arsenic
problem. There is no evidence to support the proposition
that the groundwater arsenic problem is caused by the
recent seasonal drawdown of the water table due to a
recent increase in irrigation abstraction.
Monitoring of groundwaters at two-weekly intervals at
a number of sites, and at different depths, has shown some
variation with time but there is as yet no convincing evidence
for seasonal changes. Dramatic changes in contamination
are not expected within such a short timescale. A
monitoring programme should be undertaken at a range of
sites to monitor possible long-term changes. In the three
contaminated areas studied in most detail, the arsenic concentration
increases most rapidly between 10-20 m below
ground level.
\Vhile arsenic is the single greatest problem in Bangladesh
groundwaters, other elements of concern from a
health point of view, are manganese, boron and uranium.
Some 35% of the groundwaters sampled exceeded the
WHO guideline value for manganese (0.5 mg L-I). The
spatial pattern of the arsenic and manganese problem areas
was significantly different and only 33% of shallow well
waters complied with the WHO guideline values for both
arsenic and manganese.


cultural, financial, and industrial profit-taking activity—a conception that can be supported by commodity circulation and connected social relations involving specific enterprises. Eric Wolf's pioneering study (The Mexican Bajio in the Eighteenth Century, 1953) comprehensively analyzed capitalist development in the region and established the thesis of Bajío exceptionalism embraced and elaborated upon by Tutino as the core of his notion of a northward-thrusting Hispano-Mexican capitalism detached from the Mesoamerican heartland to the south. Hence, Anglo Americans moving westwards after 1800 grabbed the reins of pre-existing Hispano-Mexican capitalism in mining, agriculture, and cattle ranching through marriage, purchase, legislation, or outright theft and marginalized the bulk of the Mexican population. Tutino opposes this scenario to the more familiar one associated with historians like Friedrich Katz and J. M. Hart of how nineteenth-century Mexico was transformed by U.S. capital. For all practical purposes, the thesis of Bajío exceptionalism eliminates Mexico's Indian south from a role in national capitalist development but, in so doing, is unable to explain the roles of two Oaxacans, Benito Juárez and Porfirio Díaz, in the capitalist development of the Mexican political economy during the second half of the nineteenth century. Perhaps Tutino's focus on Bajío exceptionalism is also responsible for his view that mestizaje in Mexico has made race relations less polarized there than in the United States; this assertion seems to run counter to the program of the re-energized Indian autonomy movement in states like Oaxaca and Chiapas, not to speak of its recent success in achieving constitutional reforms. Aside from Tutino's introduction and Chapter 1, the book consists of seven additional essays. Especially noteworthy for their new research content are the chapters by Shelley Streeby, "Imagining Mexico in Love and War: Nineteenth-Century U.S. Literature and Visual Culture"; David Montejano, "Mexican Merchants and Teamsters on the Texas Cotton Road, 1862–1865"; and Benton Cohen, "Making Americans and Mexicans in the Arizona Borderlands." I especially liked Montejano's chapter, which examines the critical role played by Brownsville and Matamoros-based businessmen and Mexican-descent teamsters in the transport and export of baled cotton during the U.S. Civil War across South Texas, then across and down the Rio Grande to the Mexican port of Bagdad below Matamoros. This study is notable not only for its thorough analysis of business records to establish the financial intricacies and large volume of the trade, but also for its insights into the plight of the Mexican-descent teamsters who in the late 1850s had been run out of business by Anglo Texans, but took advantage of the wartime circumstances to take up their diminished source of livelihood along the cotton road.


Chemical compounds within tea (Camellia sinensis) are characterized by an extensive heterogeneity; some of them are crucial for their protective and defensive role in plants, and are closely connected to the benefits that the consumption of tea can provide. This paper is mainly focused on the characterization of polyphenols (secondary metabolites generally involved in defense against ultraviolet radiation and aggression by pathogens) and metals, extracted from nine Chinese tea samples, by integrating different mass spectrometry methodologies, LC-MS/MS in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Our approach allowed to identify and compare forty polyphenols differently distributed in tea infusions at various fermentation levels. The exploration of polyphenols with nutraceutical potential in tea infusions can widely benefit especially tea-oriented populations. The worldwide consumption of tea requires at the same time a careful monitoring of metals released during the infusion of tea leaves. Metal analysis can provide the identification of many healthy minerals such as potassium, sodium, calcium, magnesium, differently affected by the fermentation of leaves. Our results allowed us: (i) to draw up a polyphenols profile of tea leaves subjected to different fermentation processes; (ii) to identify and quantify metals released from tea leaves during infusion. In this way, we obtained a molecular fingerprint useful for both nutraceutical applications and food control/typization, as well as for frauds detection and counterfeiting.


In 2008 Amanatidis, Green and Mihail introduced the Joint Degree Matrix (JDM) model to capture the fundamental difference in assortativity of networks in nature studied by the physical and life sciences and social networks studied in the social sciences. In 2014 Czabarka proposed a direct generalization of the JDM model, the Partition Adjacency Matrix (PAM) model. In the PAM model the vertices have specified degrees, and the vertex set itself is partitioned into classes. For each pair of vertex classes the number of edges between the classes in a graph realization is prescribed. In this paper we apply the new {\em skeleton graph} model to describe the same information as the PAM model. Our model is more convenient for handling problems with low number of partition classes or with special topological restrictions among the classes. We investigate two particular cases in detail: (i) when there are only two vertex classes and (ii) when the skeleton graph contains at most one cycle.


In this paper we focus on risk and uncertainty caused by the (1) discretionary behavior of regulatory bodies and (2) the instruments and mechanisms implemented to regulate public services in general and the postal sector in particular. In previous articles we developed an analytical framework for the assessment of direct and indirect regulatory governance costs in regulated industries. In the present paper we aim to further develop the construct of indirect costs of regulatory governance with respect to regulatory risks and uncertainty. The topic gains increasing importance in the debate on current regulatory reforms. Regulatory risks may occur on different levels of regulatory activities. To analyze where possible indirect costs of risk and uncertainty could occur we investigate a case study in the UK postal market. In postal markets these types of costs occur mainly with regard to universal service obligations, licensing regimes, access regulation, price control, structural market entry barriers and adaptations of regulatory regimes.


CmpA functions in a quality-control checkpoint that ensures that only properly formed bacterial spores are released into the environment. Some bacteria, like Bacillus subtilis, form dormant, dessicated spores to survive periods of nutrient deprivation. During sporulation, the bacterium divides asymmetrically, and the smaller daughter—the forespore—is engulfed by the larger mother cell. The forespore acquires a cortex and a coat and undergoes additional modifications to produce a mature spore that is released into the environment when the mother cell lyses. Tan et al. found that CmpA, which is produced by the mother cell and localizes to the outer surface of the forespore, causes improperly formed B. subtilis spores to lyse. In cells overexpresing CmpA, the spore cortex formed, but the majority of spores lysed, thus greatly reducing the formation of viable spores. Mutations in genes encoding enzymes required for lysis of the mother cell did not rescue the production of viable spores in CmpA-overexpressing cells. CmpA interacted genetically with SpoIVA and SpoVM. SpoIVA is a component of the coat that is recruited to the outer surface of the forespore by SpoVM. Deletion of cmpA suppressed sporulation defects in B. subtilis strains carrying various mutant alleles of SpoVM that affect different aspects of spore envelope assembly, indicating that the absence of CmpA can prevent lysis of improperly formed spores. Biochemical experiments demonstrated that CmpA bound directly to ClpX, a subunit of the protease ClpXP, in both vegetatively growing and sporulating cells. In sporulating cells, CmpA bound to both ClpX and SpoIVA. Genetic experiments combined with fluorescence imaging showed that CmpA promoted the degradation of SpoIVA when the spore coat complex was not properly assembled, leading to spore lysis. Although it is not known how CmpA-mediated degradation of SpoIVA is limited to malformed spores, these results demonstrate that CmpA functions in a quality-control checkpoint that ensures that only properly formed spores are released into the environment (see Meneghini). I. S. Tan, C. A. Weiss, D. L. Popham, K. S. Ramamurthi, A quality-control mechanism removes unfit cells from a population of sporulating bacteria. Dev. Cell 34, 682–693 (2015). [PubMed] M. D. Meneghini, Spore no more: Quality control during bacterial development. Dev. Cell 34, 611–612 (2015). [PubMed]


Increasing workplace efficiency, saving time, reducing costs, and retaining, exchanging, and reusing knowledge are a few of the reasons companies introduce knowledge management systems. But if the four pillars of success -content, process, culture, and technology - are ignored, the tools may be shoved to the back of the laboratory closet.


■ ABSTRACT: Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) recurrence is the most common form of advanced prostate cancer. Salvage therapies may be effective even among some high-risk men, although long-term cancer control data are limited. The natural history of PSA recurrence is long but variable. The postrecurrence PSA doubling time can identify men at high risk for progression and death. Early hormonal therapy, possibly via combined androgen blockade, may reduce the risk of progression and improve cancer-specific survival among men with high-risk recurrence. Men with low-risk recurrences likely receive minimal benefit from aggressive early hormonal therapy and may actually be harmed.


Cryptography has experienced rapid development, with major advances recently in both secret and public key ciphers, cryptographic hash functions, cryptographic algorithms and multiparty protocols, including their software engineering correctness verification, and various methods of cryptanalysis. This textbook introduces the reader to these areas, offering an understanding of the essential, most important, and most interesting ideas, based on the authors' teaching and research experience. After introducing the basic mathematical and computational complexity concepts, and some historical context, including the story of Enigma, the authors explain symmetric and asymmetric cryptography, electronic signatures and hash functions, PGP systems, public key infrastructures, cryptographic protocols, and applications in network security. In each case the text presents the key technologies, algorithms, and protocols, along with methods of design and analysis, while the content is characterized by a visual style and all algorithms are presented in readable pseudocode or using simple graphics and diagrams. The book is suitable for undergraduate and graduate courses in computer science and engineering, particularly in the area of networking, and it is also a suitable reference text for self-study by practitioners and researchers. The authors assume only basic elementary mathematical experience, the text covers the foundational mathematics and computational complexity theory.


Courts regularly consider a parent's physical disability in child custody disputes. At times, they go as far as to invoke physical disability as a minus factor that weighs against granting custody to that parent. This practice often reflects family court judges' attitudinal biases, which are premised on ill-conceived notions of how physical disability actually affects one's ability to parent. Because child custody adjudication affords judges considerable discretion via the best interests of the child standard, the result is state-sanctioned discrimination against parents with disabilities who are party to child custody disputes. These results predominate despite the fact that recent social science literature concludes that outcomes for children of parents with disabilities are substantially similar, if not identical, to those of parents without disabilities. As is, neither antidiscrimination law nor family law can remedy this problem. This Note aspirationally advocates eliminating consideration of physical disability in custody disputes altogether, but it recognizes that this goal is unrealistic given entrenchment of the best interests standard and the fact that many states statutorily mandate inquiry into disability in custody disputes. Consequently, it proposes that judges should utilize a nexus test when considering physical disability in custody disputes.


PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES
To determine the feasibility of conducting trials of educational interventions regarding pain and quality of life (QOL) with people who call the National Cancer Institute's Cancer Information Service (CIS).

DESIGN
Descriptive.

SETTING
North Central CIS, located at the University of Wisconsin Comprehensive Cancer Center in Madison.

SAMPLE
Callers to the North Central CIS who self-identified as people diagnosed with cancer or as family members or friends of people diagnosed with cancer were eligible. 102 people with cancer and 103 significant others answered questions concerning the feasibility of a pain study, and 101 significant others completed questions about the feasibility of a QOL study.

METHODS
Eligible CIS callers were invited at the end of usual service to participate in a research study. Those who agreed were asked structured questions regarding pain or QOL.

MAIN RESEARCH VARIABLES
Response rate, length of time to complete recruitment, concerns about reporting pain and using analgesics, concerns about QOL, demographic variables, and willingness to join a hypothetical study.

FINDINGS
The majority of callers had concerns about pain and QOL, and the vast majority (78%-89%) of participants indicated a willingness to join a future educational intervention study.

CONCLUSIONS
Using subjects recruited through CIS, conducting trials of brief telephone interventions designed to help patients overcome barriers to pain management or assist families in addressing QOL concerns may be feasible.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING
Researchers may wish to consider the opportunities afforded by collaborating with CIS colleagues in planning and conducting studies of educational interventions.


Very early times in the order of 2–3 μs from the end of the turn‐off ramp for time‐domain electromagnetic systems are crucial for obtaining a detailed resolution of the near‐surface geology in the depth interval 0–20 m. For transient electromagnetic systems working in the off time, an electric current is abruptly turned off in a large transmitter loop causing a secondary electromagnetic field to be generated by the eddy currents induced in the ground. Often, however, there is still a residual primary field generated by remaining slowly decaying currents in the transmitter loop. The decay disturbs or biases the earth response data at the very early times. These biased data must be culled, or some specific processing must be applied in order to compensate or remove the residual primary field. As the bias response can be attributed to decaying currents with its time constantly controlled by the geometry of the transmitter loop, we denote it the 'Coil Response'. The modelling of a helicopter‐borne time‐domain system by an equivalent electronic circuit shows that the time decay of the coil response remains identical whatever the position of the receiver loop, which is confirmed by field measurements. The modelling also shows that the coil response has a theoretical zero location and positioning the receiver coil at the zero location eliminates the coil response completely. However, spatial variations of the coil response around the zero location are not insignificant and even a few cm deformation of the carrier frame will introduce a small coil response. Here we present an approach for subtracting the coil response from the data by measuring it at high altitudes and then including an extra shift factor into the inversion scheme. The scheme is successfully applied to data from the SkyTEM system and enables the use of very early time gates, as early as 2–3 μs from the end of the ramp, or 5–6 μs from the beginning of the ramp. Applied to a large‐scale airborne electromagnetic survey, the coil response compensation provides airborne electromagnetic methods with a hitherto unseen good resolution of shallow geological layers in the depth interval 0–20 m. This is proved by comparing results from the airborne electromagnetic survey to more than 100 km of Electrical Resistivity Tomography measured with 5 m electrode spacing.


The global credit crunch of 2007-2008 and the subsequent European sovereign debt crisis had a significant negative impact on real estate asset values in general and house prices in particular, in many countries around the world. This further had a direct impact on mortgage loans, thus creating a major burden for financial institutions as the quality of their credit portfolios declined rapidly. As a response to the effects of the crisis on financial stability, stress tests have been introduced as a means to assess the capital requirements of financial institutions. While these have focused on a global analysis of the capital position of the institutions, more focused results are required for particular type of products, including mortgage loans and real estate investment portfolios. To this end, this study presents the application of a Monte Carlo simulation approach to stress testing house prices in Greece. The Greek market has experience a major decline in asset values over the past 6-7 years, due to the deteriorating economic environment. The adopted approach is combines an econometric model that relates regional houses price indices to economic variables, with a simulation approach based on mid-term economic scenarios. Empirical results are presented for a sample portfolio of residencies in Greece provide by a leading real estate service provider in Greece and South-East Europe.


We develop an algebraic and algorithmic theory of principality for the recently introduced framework of intersection type calculi with dimensional bound. The theory enables inference of principal type information under dimensional bound, it provides an algebraic and algorithmic theory of approximation of classical principal types in terms of computable bases of abstract vector spaces (more precisely, semimodules), and it shows a systematic connection of dimensional calculi to the theory of approximants. Finite, computable bases are shown to span standard principal typings of a given term for sufficiently high dimension, thereby providing an approximation to standard principality by type inference, and capturing it precisely for sufficiently large dimensional parameter. Subsidiary results include decidability of principal inhabitation for intersection types (given a type does there exist a normal form for which the type is principal?). Remarkably, combining bounded type inference with principal inhabitation allows us to compute approximate normal forms of arbitrary terms without using beta-reduction.


Citizen participation is often a goal of urban development. However, in reality levels of actual participation are often low, limited to certain sets of stakeholders, and the collaboration between them often poor. In engaging with this dilemma, we have established a new research project, Co-constructing city futures (3C), which addresses current challenges to citizen participation in contemporary urban development. The project sets out to encourage and facilitate a shift from processes that intentionally or unintentionally exclude certain groups. Building on ideas about collective learning, it inquires and experiments with public debates and planning processes to enable citizens and other stakeholders to engage in the co-construction of ideas and visions for city futures. Democratic design experiments focusing on green mobility and blue-green infrastructures will be carried out in selected Norwegian cities in collaboration with planners, citizens, and other actors to identify their needs, challenges and interests, and to develop, test and evaluate ideas and prototypes for digital tools that can be applied both in Norway and in other global cities. As a point of departure, we pose three critical questions regarding citizen participation in urban development, with hopes that this can invigorate discussion around this emerging research agenda.


Abstract Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of intravaginal prostaglandin E2 pessaries, for the induction of labor in intrauterine fetal death. Design: Sixty five women at 20-40 weeks gestation, with intrauterine fetal death proved by ultrasound examination and with no history of previous delivery by caesarean section, were treated with 20mgprostaglandin E2 pessaries intravaginaly. The dose was repeated 8-hourly for up to 48 hours until effective uterine contractions were obtained. Setting: Patients with intrauterine fetal death who presented to King Hussein Medical Center in the period from 1994 to 1996. Results: The mean time from induction to delivery was 14 hours, and only 4 patients (6%) required between 30 - 48 hours. Two patients (3%) required only 4 hours to deliver completely. Conclusions: The use of prostaglandin E2 vaginal pessaries at a dose of 20mg every 8 hours appears to be a safe, effective, practical method for the termination of pregnancy in intrauterine fetal death.


Based on immune mechanisms that appear to play an important role in the pathophysiology of at least part of the lower-risk myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), the immunomodulating drug (IMID) thalidomide and its derivative lenalidomide (LEN) have been used in MDS, principally in lower-risk MDS. LEN has become the first-line US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved treatment for lower-risk MDS with 5q deletion (del5q), in which its main mechanism of action is probably a direct cytotoxic activity on the del5q clone. This possibly specific effect is currently being investigated in higher-risk MDS-and even acute myeloid leukemia (AML)-with del5q, but LEN has also demonstrated some efficacy in MDS and AML without del5q. Thalidomide also has some activity in lower-risk MDS without del5q, but its side effects limit its practical use in these patients.


This work reports a new biocompatible surfactant structure, of which the hydrophilic head group is composed of a folded, stable self-inclusion complex of a ferrocenyl substituted beta-cyclodextrin (betaCD). While multiple intra- or intermolecular complexes can exist for this amphiphile, the molecule folds into a unique intramolecular complex with well-defined conformation, in which part of the aliphatic chain and the ferrocene group are both included in the annular cavity of betaCD. Study of different isosteric covalent linkages indicates that this folded structure is stable against displacement by the presence of other small guest molecules. Furthermore, in contrast to ferrocene-CD conjugates that are without the aliphatic chain, the presence of small guest molecules in solution does not influence at all the induced circular dichroism signal of this amphiphile, indicating a sterically congested, but stable, folded conformation of the inclusion complex. This new amphiphile is surface active and, more importantly, does not denature the membrane protein bacteriorhodopsin. Finally, because this surfactant forms self-assembled aggregates, this work introduces a folded structure into soft matters formed by amphiphiles in water.


In this study we report on a ZnxZryOz mixed oxide type catalyst capable of converting a syngas-derived C2+ mixed oxygenate feedstock to isobutene-rich olefins. Aqueous model feed comprising of ethanol, acetaldehyde, acetic acid, ethyl acetate, methanol, and propanol was used as representative liquid product derived from a Rh-based mixed oxygenate synthesis catalyst. Greater than 50% carbon yield to C3–C5 mixed olefins was demonstrated when operating at 400–450 °C and 1 atm. In order to rationalize formation of the products observed feed components were individually evaluated. Major constituents of the feed mixture (ethanol, acetaldehyde, acetic acid, and ethyl acetate) were found to produce isobutene-rich olefins. C–C coupling was also demonstrated for propanol feedstock – a minor constituent of the mixed oxygenate feed – producing branched C6 olefins, revealing scalability to alcohols higher than ethanol following an analogous reaction pathway. Using ethanol and propanol feed mixtures, cross-coupling reactions produced mixtures of C4, C5, and C6 branched olefins. The presence of H2 in the feed was found to facilitate hydrogenation of the ketone intermediates, thus producing straight chain olefins as byproducts. While activity loss from coking is observed complete catalyst regeneration is achieved by employing mild oxidation. For conversion of the mixed oxygenate feed a Zr/Zn ratio of 2.5 and a reaction temperature of 450 °C provides the best balance of stability, activity, and selectivity. X-ray diffraction and scanning transmission electron microscopy analysis reveals the presence of primarily cubic phase ZrO2 and a minor amount of the monoclinic phase, with ZnO being highly dispersed in the lattice. The presence of ZnO appears to stabilize the cubic phase resulting in less monoclinic phase as the ZnO concentration increases. Infrared spectroscopy shows the mixed oxide acid sites are characterized as primarily Lewis type acidity. The direct relationship between isobutene production and the ratio of basic/acidic sites was demonstrated. An optimized balance of active sites for isobutene production from acetone was obtained with a basic/acidic site ratio of ∼2. This technology for the conversion of aqueous mixtures of C2+ mixed oxygenates provides significant advantages over other presently studied catalysts in that its unique properties permit the utilization of a variety of feeds in a consistently selective manner.


Cerebral white matter injury in premature infants, known as periventricular leukomalacia (PVL), is common after hypoxia-ischemia (HI). While ionotropic glutamate receptors (iGluRs) can mediate immature white matter injury, we have previously shown that excitotoxic injury to premyelinating oligodendrocytes (preOLs) in vitro can be attenuated by group I metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR) agonists. Thus, we evaluated mGluR expression in developing white matter in rat and human brain, and tested the protective efficacy of a central nervous system (CNS)-penetrating mGluR agonist on injury to developing oligodendrocytes (OLs) in vivo. Group I mGluRs (mGluR1 and mGluR5) were strongly expressed on OLs in neonatal rodent cerebral white matter throughout normal development, with highest expression early in development on preOLs. Specifically at P6, mGluR1 and mGLuR5 were most highly expressed on GalC-positive OLs compared to neurons, axons, astrocytes and microglia. Systemic administration of (1S,3R) 1-aminocyclopentane-trans-1,3,-dicarboxylic acid (ACPD) significantly attenuated the loss of myelin basic protein in the white matter following HI in P6 rats. Assessment of postmortem human tissue showed both mGluR1 and mGluR5 localized on immature OLs in white matter throughout development, with mGluR5 highest in the preterm period. These data indicate group I mGluRs are highly expressed on OLs during the peak period of vulnerability to HI and modulation of mGluRs is protective in a rodent model of PVL. Group I mGluRs may represent important therapeutic targets for protection from HI-mediated white matter injury.


The use of fixed dose combinations (also known as polypills) in chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease (CVD) has been linked with improved adherence to the associated complex therapeutic regimens. Despite this merit, customisation of such drug dosage forms is yet to be achieved through traditional manufacturing techniques. To address this, fused deposition modelling (FDM) 3D printing could be utilised for its applicability in the production of on-demand solid dosage forms due to its unmatched flexibility of design and consequent ease of drug dose and release profile manipulation. The aim of this work is to employ this technology for the development of patient-specific multidrug tablets and capsules comprising four clinically relevant drugs (lisinopril dihydrate, amlodipine besylate, indapamide and rosuvastatin calcium) used in the treatment of CVD.

High temperatures have been recognised as the main drawback associated with FDM 3D printing, which can lead to degradation of thermolabile drugs. Therefore, a new method is needed, which was developed to address this issue and increase the number of drugs suitable for additive manufacturing. An aspect of this study established the use of distilled water as a 'temporary plasticiser'. This novel solution proved to successfully reduce extrusion (from 170 to 90
°C) and 3D printing (from 210 to 150 °C) temperatures when compared with formulations without this plasticiser. Such drop-in processing temperatures was associated with lower degradation levels of the four model drugs used. Polypills with unimatrix and multilayer structures were developed to study the impact of tablet architecture on drug release. In general, drug release from the 3D printed tablets was dependent on drug solubility. The multilayer approach proved to allow variation of each drug release according to layer positioning.

This study further explored formulating these model drugs as single 3D printed multidrug capsules. Previously developed 3D printed capsules have been associated with leakage and/or compatibility issues between the infill and the shell. In addition, a more complex system comprising a larger number of drugs is yet to be explored. Therefore, highly modular multidrug capsule systems were developed using two different polymeric shells and different design approaches. Multicompartment capsules with concentric format consisted of a water-soluble (PVA) shells with varying walls thickness for extended and delayed drug release. On the other hand, multicompartment capsules with parallel format contained a water-insoluble (PLA) shell, where drug release was dependent on rate- limiting pores size. These capsules yielded immediate and extended drug release profiles. In addition, a novel fast dissolving capsule filling compatible with both 3D printed polymeric shells was developed.

Intestinal permeability is widely recognised as a determinant for the extent of drug absorption and it is generally expressed by the apparent permeability coefficient (Papp). In vitro Caco-2 permeability assays demonstrated no significant difference in Papp values for lisinopril dihydrate and indapamide formulated individually or in combination with the other model drugs. On the other hand, amlodipine besylate and rosuvastatin calcium had significantly lower Papp values when tested in the combination of the four drugs. This change in permeability is believed to be caused by a molecular interaction between these two drugs, due to ionization of rosuvastatin calcium and formation of a complex of amlodipine and calcium ion. The 3D printing process and the presence of excipients did not seem to influence drug permeability. Pharmacokinetic simulation of the developed 3D printed tablets and capsules was then explored using GastroPlus®, a physiologically-based pharmacokinetic modelling software. Results from this demonstrated how drug release and permeability can affect the absorption profile of the model drugs.

Adopting such highly modular approaches with minimal starting materials to achieve complex therapeutic regimens will allow health professionals to access an on-demand treatment by conveniently timing each drug administration with a desired peak drug plasma concentration to achieve optimal clinical outcomes. The coordination of customised 3D printed polypills and pharmacokinetic simulation technologies holds a promise of a paradigm shift in an integrated digital solution in medicines optimisation.


The objective of the present study to check free-radical-scavenging and hepatoprotective properties of methanolic extract of Monotheca buxifolia (Falc.) A. DC. aerial parts against isoniazid and rifampicin induced hepatotoxicity in male rats. Results exhibited that methanolic extract and all three sub-fractions (hexane, chloroform and ethyl acetate) of M. buxifolia displayed greater free-radical activity, total phenolic and flavonoid content. However, ethyl-acetate followed by chloroform sub fractions showed the better total phenolic and total flavonoid content. To assess hepatoprotective activity of methanolic extract of M. buxifolia , four groups of the rate were made. Group 1 served as a control, group 2 served as hepatotoxic group (isoniazid and rifampicin orally each 50 mg/kg), group 3 served as standard group received silymarin (200 mg/kg), and 4 served as extract treatment groups, received 500 mg/kg methanolic extract. The results suggested that level of liver markers (total bilirubin, alkaline phosphatases, alanine aminotransferases and aspartate aminotransferases) significantly elevated in group 2. The methanolic extract significantly prevented isoniazid-rifampicin by decreasing raised level of liver markers of Group 4, and also improved histopathological profile of liver. The results indicated the protective effect of methanolic extract of M. buxifolia against liver injury, which might be ascribed to presence of high level of phenolics and flavonoid along with high free-radical activity in the plant extract.


A graph is shown to be distance-hereditary if and only if no induced subgraph of order five or more has a unique hamiltonian cycle; this is also equivalent to every induced subgraph of order five or more having an even number of hamiltonian cycles. Restricting the induced subgraphs to those of odd order five or more gives two similar characterizations of parity graphs. The close relationship between distance-hereditary and parity graphs is unsurprising, but their connection with hamiltonian cycles of induced subgraphs is unexpected.


As a child in a small rural village in Sierra Leone, Mariatu Kamara lived peacefully surrounded by family and friends. Rumors of rebel attacks were no more than a distant worry. But when 12-year-old Mariatu set out for a neighboring village, she never arrived. Heavily armed rebel soldiers, many no older than children themselves, attacked and tortured Mariatu. During this brutal act of senseless violence they cut off both her hands. Stumbling through the countryside, Mariatu miraculously survived. The sweet taste of a mango, her first food after the attack, reaffirmed her desire to live, but the challenge of clutching the fruit in her bloodied arms reinforced the grim new reality that stood before her. With no parents or living adult to support her and living in a refugee camp, she turned to begging in the streets of Freetown. In this gripping and heartbreaking true story, Mariatu shares with readers the details of the brutal attack, its aftermath and her eventual arrival in Toronto. There she began to pull together the pieces of her broken life with courage, astonishing resilience and hope.


This thesis explores attempts to intervene on behaviour in the urban night in Newcastle, in order to look at the relationship between the discourses and visions of policy-makers and the lived practice of cities. At its heart is an interest in how imagining and encouraging the emergence of new subjectivities has been a central part of the neoliberal 'night-time economy' – a term which I challenge as being too restrictive to describe the urban night. I seek to expand upon previous researchers who have too narrowly focused on the alcohol and leisure industry, abstracted from the rest of the night, which results in an inadequate description of the variety of actants involved in producing the subjectivities associated with the urban night. This thesis thus focuses on the four-way relationship between the built environment, legislation/policy, bodies, and subjectivities, as governed in the urban night.

To do this, I conducted ethnographic and interview research with street-cleaners, taxi drivers, policy makers and bar staff in order to focus on the role of peripheral actors in producing the urban night. As thesis develops, I explore a 'vocabulary of practice' in order to set out the process of the emergence of subjectivities, and the different ways in which these are acted upon: in doing so, I introduce concepts of framing, assemblage, multiplicity, enunciation and affect, amongst others. This, then, draws from a diverse group of theorists, including the work of Felix Guattari, Giles Deleuze, Henri Lefebvre, Gregory Bateson, actor-network theory and non-representational theories. The thesis concludes by suggesting that further work is required on the relationship between policy formation and cities as practiced in everyday life, and that the theoretical approach used in this thesis provides suggestions as to how this might be developed.


Modern Tagalog, or Filipino as the National Language, is widely famous for its high ability to adopt lexical units from various languages in contact. Through the ages it has assimilated a vast amount of borrowings, primarily from Malay, Sanskrit, Chinese, Arab and later, Spanish and English. Many linguists have contributed so far to the investigation of the borrowings in Tagalog, such as Philippine scholars G. Chan Yap, J. Francisco, A. Gonzalez, R.M. Goulet, C. Lopez, E.A. Manuel, F. Otanes, J. Panganiban, as well as Western linguists K.A. Adelaar, F. Blake, M. Haspelmath, H. Kelz, H. Kern, J.-P. Potet, P. Steinkruger, P. Schachter, T. Stolz, R. Thompson, J. Wolff, D. Zorc, K. Zuraw, and Russian Philippinists V. Makarenko, L. Shkarban, Yu. Studenichnik, and so on. However, there have been lacunas in the overall research: the focus of many works has been set on the phonetic assimilation of the Spanish and English loans, with scarce data on the morphology and semantics, especially of the Asian lexemes. The phenomenon of the borrowings interfering with the recipient system is understudied. A uniform classification of the various borrowed elements is also needed. (I attempted to fill some of the gaps in Baklanova 2004; 2006; 2009). This paper presents a typological classification of borrowings in Tagalog, while the phenomenon of the borrowings interfering with the recipient system will also be considered. Some remarks will be made on the Filipino State Orthography (Ortograpiyang Pambansa 2013) regarding the introduction of foreign letters to the alphabet, and the problem of false cognates in modern Tagalog/Filipino.


John D. Stobo, M.D., (Chair) has served as senior vice president for health sciences and services for the University of California since October 2008. In this role he is responsible for systemwide coordination and communication among UC's health sciences schools and medical centers (collectively referred to as UC Health). He is responsible for policy development for UC's health system, and develops mechanisms for monitoring performance for the system's 16 health sciences schools and 10 hospitals on seven campuses. He also oversees strategic planning and advocacy efforts as well as the development of systemwide initiatives for UC Health. Stobo has more than 40 years of leadership experience in the clinical and academic health science fields. Prior to his current position, Stobo served as president at the University of Texas Medical (UTMB) branch from 1997 to 2007. Prior to his services at UTMB, Stobo was the William Osler Professor of Medicine and Physician-in-Chief of the Johns Hopkins Hospital, where he served as chief medical resident on the Osler Medical Service during his training. From 1976 to 1985, Stobo served as head of the Section of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology at the University of California, San Francisco, where he was also an investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Stobo has held leadership positions in a wide variety of national professional organizations, including the American Association of Professors of Medicine, the American College of Rheumatology, the American Board of Internal Medicine and the American Board of Internal Medicine Foundation. He is a member of the Institute of Medicine, where he was also a member of the IOM Council. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of the California Healthcare Institute (CHI). Stobo was one of the five inaugural members inducted into the Gold Humanism Honor Society. In 1996, Stobo received a mastership from the American College of Physicians for his distinguished contributions to internal medicine. Stobo earned his bachelor's degree from Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H., and his M.D. from the State University of New York in Buffalo, N.Y.


New Jersey's Medicaid Accountable Care Organization Demonstration Project became law in 2011, representing a broad consensus that accountable care organizations ("ACOs") could improve the delivery of care in the Medicaid system. ACOs offer the promise of providing "the right care, at the right time, in the right place." The ACO law reflected a commitment to improve the care experience for Medicaid recipients, strengthen public health outcomes, and responsibly control the cost of care.This Report is the first of two that will examine the past and future of New Jersey's Medicaid ACO Pilot. This Report sets out the background and current status of the Pilot. The second Report, to be released in April 2014, will reflect further discussions with stakeholders and further research and analysis on the sustainability of New Jersey's Medicaid ACOs.


Notwithstanding recent events that might be thought to create an atmosphere especially hospitable for increases in federal government secrecy, government initiatives favoring of the withholding of information have been accompanied by other moves in the direction of greater openness. In his introduction to a symposium on Federal Secrecy After September 11 and the Future of the Information Society, Professor Shane suggests that the politics of post-September 11 information policy debates may be complicated, in part, by social developments that are affecting the non-instrumental cultural values Americans associate with access to information. Specifically, information and communications technologies are enabling and sustaining an unprecedented degree of active participation for ordinary individuals in the creation of culture and of social meaning, and thus fostering conditions opposed to the assumptions about authority, categorical coherence, and the susceptibility of information to isolation that have historically made government secrecy seem both legitimate and practicable. These developments do not mean that openness will or should in principle prevail over secrecy in all debates regarding public information policy. But they render the political terrain for proponents of secrecy rougher to the extent that these social changes make secrecy regimes seem more alien and unnatural in the information society.


| The Industrial Heritage concept has been used since 1950. That was a new concept but quickly accepted in urban projects. In the developed countries, protection of industrial heritage is a model of developing and a part of the urban landscape. This study tried to explain history of the industrial heritage protection and its importance. For this purpose, we study Nizhny Tagil Charter, The Dublin Principles, Taipei Declaration and Madrid Document. In addition, following-up FICIM, TICCIH, ICOMOS and the International Architects Community are necessary to explain why industrial heritage is important in the landscape of historical cities. The explanation of the position of Varamin Sugar Refinery in the urban landscape was considered in this study. Varamin Sugar Refinery is a monument of Industrialization during 20th century. This building has become a valuable asset in the historical perspective of the Varamin city with unique features including: Prominent architecture, convenient urban location, Environmental and historical-cultural features, and the interest of the urban community in this building. In some of historical cities, which developed in 20th century as Varamin some features such as, buildings, sites, and industrial elements should be considered in urban development policies because they are key parts of urban landscape and industrial heritage. In addition, conservation of industrial heritage not only is important for academic discussions, but also is important for economic features. Revitalization of industrial heritage (especially for cultural uses) can lead to the city's economic and cultural growth, as well as job creation.. In general, Revitalization and Conservation of urban landscape and historic buildings of a city requires a balance between the past situation and present potential. Focus on industrial heritage in the landscape of historical cities is a key part of urban management policies.


The progress of technology forces companies and organizations to alter their structure and operational procedures in order to stay alive, adapt to current incumbents and gain competitive advantage within their target markets. One of the major key concepts for this procedure is innovation. This was, and still is a timeless and demanding issue along with its consequences; how companies can achieve innovation and seize all benefits given.Innovation has many "faces", methods and models from which it can be approached. This thesis will analyze the basic strategies and types of innovation as well as their outcomes. To strengthen our investigations on the matter Alfa Laval was selected as the study case of this thesis, a company that has successfully been the leader in separation market for more than one century


Two experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of early age feed
restriction and heat conditioning on tolerance to acute and chronic heat stress in
male broiler chickens. In both experiments, equal numbers of chickens were
subjected to (i) 60% feed restriction on day 4, 5, and 6 (FR), (ii) exposure to
36±IoC and 50-60% relative humidity for 1 hour from day 1 to 21 (HT), (iii)
60% feed restriction on day 4, 5, and 6 and exposure to 36± l oC and 50-60%
relative humidity for 1 hour from day 1 to 21 (FRHT). (iv) ad libitum feeding
and no heat treatment (control). In experiment I, on day 35, all birds were
exposed to 39± l oC for 6 hours and 50% relative humidity. Subjecting chicks to
FR, HT and FRHT reduced HLR response to the heat challenge. Following heat
exposure, the FR and FRHT chick had greater heat shock protein (hsp) 70
density than those of controls. The hsp 70 response of HT birds was not
significantly different from the other three groups. The FRHT birds were more
hyperthermic than controls during heat challenge. In experiment II, from day 36- 50, all birds were exposed to 38± l oC and 80 % relative humidity for 2
hours/day. One day following heat exposure (day 37), all birds were
administrated intranasally with infectious bursal disease (IBD) vaccine virus.
The dosage used was l Ox of the recommended level. Subjecting chicks to FRHT
improved relative weight gain and resistance to IBD infection and reduced HLR
in response to the heat treatment as compared with the control birds. Although
there is evidence that FR and HT can improve heat tolerance, the FRHT
combination may further enhance the ability of birds to withstand chronic heat
stress. The acquired improved heat tolerance resulting from FRHT, FR, and HT
could be attributed to enhanced hsp 70 response. The trend of hsp 70 response
correlated well with IBD lesion scores, suggesting hsp 70 may play a role in
resistance against viral infection. Based on experiment I and II, it can be
concluded that the present findings confirmed earlier studies that FR is effective
in alleviating the adverse effects of heat stress. Subjecting birds to FRHT can
further improve tolerance to chronic but not acute heat stress.


Investors invest in a foreign market to reap the benefits of currency differences. The change in the value of underlying assets affects these hedged funds and, at the same time, restricts investors from higher return possible in unhedged funds. This study aims to examine the performance of most actively traded shares in Exchange Traded Fund and any influence, along with tracking the information from the index. This study also analyzes the currency fluctuation and its impact on returns and volatility of ETF and index. The equity ETF, which tracks NASDAQ (NDX 100), is chosen for the study, and the data analysis is carried out using statistical methods such as correlation, regression, and GARCH model. The study utilizes the currency rate data from 2013 to 2018 of USD, GBP, and INR and examines its effect on the NDX (NASDAQ). The study emphasizes whether the ETF as a basket of securities is insensitive to currency rate fluctuations. It is found that the response of ETF to the currency movements is likely due to its underlying index. The study concludes that Motilal Oswal shares in NASDAQ 100 ETF are highly sensitive to the NDX 100 movements; thus, there is no direct impact between ETF and index performance through exchange rate fluctuation.


We explore the use of maxout neuron in various aspects of acoustic modelling for large vocabulary speech recognition systems; including low-resource scenario and multilingual knowledge transfers. Through the experiments on voice search and short message dictation datasets, we found that maxout networks are around three times faster to train and offer lower or comparable word error rates on several tasks, when compared to the networks with logistic nonlinearity. We also present a detailed study of the maxout unit internal behaviour suggesting the use of different nonlinearities in different layers.


Recent approaches to independent component analysis (ICA) have used kernel independence measures to obtain very good performance, particularly where classical methods experience difficulty (for instance, sources with near-zero kurtosis). We present fast kernel ICA (FastKICA), a novel optimisation technique for one such kernel independence measure, the Hilbert-Schmidt independence criterion (HSIC). Our search procedure uses an approximate Newton method on the special orthogonal group, where we estimate the Hessian locally about independence. We employ incomplete Cholesky decomposition to efficiently compute the gradient and approximate Hessian. FastKICA results in more accurate solutions at a given cost compared with gradient descent, and is relatively insensitive to local minima when initialised far from independence. These properties allow kernel approaches to be extended to problems with larger numbers of sources and observations. Our method is competitive with other modern and classical ICA approaches in both speed and accuracy.


This paper investigates public investment policy (mainly from the 1980s onwards) with a political-economic approach. The points of this paper are as follows. First, at the macro level, it is possible that the short-term fluctuation of public investment has been controlled by the government party's political incentive to win an election rather than in order to dampen economic fluctuations. Second, as for regional allocation, up to 1993 when the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan (LDP) stepped down from government, the LDP had had a great influence on public investment allocation; however, following such a government alternation the influence of local special interest groups may have become stronger. Focusing on the local side, empirical analysis of the public investment function considering political-economic factors clarifies that local public investment policy has been deeply affected by the construction industry as a local interest group (which is heavily dependent on public investment in general), and that levels of public investment have not been determined in the way the median voter theorem implies.


The Midwest Roadside Safety Facility, in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration and U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory, developed and tested two bridge railings for use on longitudinal timber bridge decks: (a) a steel railing system (TBC-8000) and (b) a glulam timber railing system (GC-8000). The test for the TBC-8000 was conducted according to Performance Level 2 as specified in the AASHTO "Guide Specifications for Bridge Railings" (1989). The tests for the GC-8000 were conducted according to Test Level 4 as specified in NCHRP Report 350. The safety performance of each of the bridge railings was acceptable according to each applicable crash test criterion. Both railings provide aesthetically pleasing and economical alternatives for use on higher-service-level timber bridges.


This methodological brief offers a window onto GENNOVATE's innovative collaborative research initiative to promote gender equality in agricultural and natural resource management. GENNOVATE ('Enabling gender equality in agricultural and environmental innovation') has focused on the study of gendered norms, agency, and innovation as means to understand and address women's and men's access to, and use and development of, new technologies and agricultural practices. By innovation we include changes in agricultural production, resource management, institutional practices such as those in extension services, entrepreneurial activities, informal learning and exchange, and collective action. GENNOVATE's challenge in moving toward greater gender equality has been to develop a research strategy that reimagines research about women in agriculture from the bottom-up. Doing so offers new ways to understand and respond to the ongoing gender inequalities that characterize relations in agricultural production, resource access, services, and distribution, and to signal their importance for understanding consumption, nutrition, wellbeing, food security, and other aspects of social change. Central to the discussion that follows is how feminist debates about key methodological and epistemic issues — i.e., issues pertaining to the production of knowledge — have contributed to the GENNOVATE research program. This brief note addresses four central questions: • Why is it important to distinguish among epistemology, methodology, and methods?


Abstract A central venous incident (CVI) is the second leading cause of death worldwide, and is associated with permanent disabilities.There are many nutrition and lifestyle modifiable risk factors for a CVI. These include diabetes, and hypercholesterolaemia and hypertension, all of which are largely preventable, and involve effective, low-cost treatment. Malnutrition in CVI patients ranges from 6-62%, and often worsens during hospitalisation owing to multiple factors, including dysphagia, the inadequate intake of food, inactivity and metabolic changes in the clinical setting. When malnutrition is present in patients who have an acute CVI, the increased risk of poor functional outcomes relates to complications such as gastrointestinal bleeding, pressure ulcers, and urinary tract and respiratory infections. These are associated with higher mortality and increased length of stay in hospital, and contribute to decreased quality of life and impaired rehabilitative outcomes. Screening and nutritional assessment is vital on admission. The Mini Nutritional Assessment and Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment have been validated in this patient population. The energy and protein requirements of stroke patients are poorly defined. There is some evidence for the supplementation of antioxidants, but the efficacy thereof depends on their ability to cross the blood-brain-barrier. Large-scale studies are necessary to assess the effect on neurocognitive recovery. Meeting requirements in this patient population is a challenge because of dysphagia, as well as neurological and cognitive deficiencies, and is best achieved with the support of a multidisciplinary team. Early enteral nutrition improves survival, while oral nutrition supplements improve nutrient intake and quality of life.


It is well known that holographic display can provide 3D scenes with continuous viewpoints and is free of accommodation-convergence conflict. So far most of the research in this area focuses on the display end, leaving the acquisition end merely explored. For holographic content acquisition, one needs to capture the scene in 3D. Ways to do this include the traditional optical holography and integral imaging. However, optical holography suffers from serious speckle while integral imaging has a long march to increase the resolution. In this paper, we propose a technique based on a variation of the transport of intensity equation to calculate the "phase" information of a scene from its defocusd intensity captured by a color camera under white light illumination. With the defocused phase and intensity data at hand, we can calculate the infocused wavefront of the scene, and further encode it into a computer generated hologram for subsequent holographic display. We demonstrate the proposed technique by simulation and experimental results. Compared with existing 3D acquisition techniques for holographic display, our method may provide better viewing experience due to the free of speckle in the acquisition stage, as well as the fact that the resolution does not limited by the microlenslet.


Pilot results are used to illustrate the potential of an integrated multi-disciplinary approach to semantic text analysis that combines cognitive-oriented human subject experimentation with Machine Learning (ML) based Natural Language Processing (NLP). The goal of this work is to automate the recognition of connotative meaning in text using a range of linguistic and non-linguistic features. This methodology combines human evaluations of text with automated processing of text in order to address social, cognitive and linguistic aspects of connotative meaning. The design of this study places the human in the loop at the point of identifying the degree of connotation present within a given text, rather than at the point of expert linguistic analysis. Findings from the pilot study show that consensus between human subjects regarding the presence of connotative meaning in text can be achieved, that the degree of connotation present in a given text can be described on a continuum, and that a system can be implemented to recognize extreme cases of connotation (or its opposite, denotation). The protocol used in this pilot study was run using a relatively modest number of human evaluators and set of data. Based on the extensibility of methodology and the promising findings described here, the reliability of the data used to train the ML system can be easily improved by increasing the size of both the human subject sample and the data set.


Southern Australia is becoming warmer and drier as climate change progresses, creating serious threats to freshwater ecosystems that are dependent on the presence of water for their existence. The overall aim of this research project was to develop and evaluate four potential methods for enhancing the role, function and resilience of refuges for freshwater biodiversity in southern Australia. It focussed on means to maintain the physical conditions in refuges within ranges tolerable for species and to maintain connectivity that allows species to retreat to, and expand from, refuges. The four approaches studied were:
• the feasibility of using cool-water releases (CWR) from reservoirs and shandying to control water temperature in rivers;
• a method for deciding where streamside re-vegetation should occur in catchments to ensure maximum long-term negative effects on stream temperature;
• the potential for artificial urban wetlands (i.e. anthropogenic habitat) to act as refuges for freshwater biodiversity against climate change;
• a method for identifying redundant river regulation infrastructure and prioritizing artificial structures for removal during river restoration to improve connectivity along river channels for fauna movement.

These four approaches were found to have the potential to address a range of objectives for refuge management, such as: reduce temperatures in refuges (1 & 2), increase number of refuges that act as colonization sources (all), assist dispersal into and out of refuges (all), increase biodiversity within refuges (all), increase permanence or resilience of refuges (all) and increase resistance or resilience of refuges during extreme events (1, 2 & 3). In particular, CWR could potentially be used to mimic natural thermal regimes, reduce the frequency and duration of extreme high temperature events and to assist movement of fish between thermal refuges, but further information and trials are required (1). Riparian planting can be used to reduce in-stream temperatures over the long-term and the tool developed here permits users to determine the optimal planting locations within catchments to maximise cooling effects for a given replanting investment (2). Perennial artificial wetlands can be used to provide refuges for biodiversity from wetland drying, and artificial wetlands can be modified to support higher biodiversity (3). The removal or modification of in-stream barriers can be used to create, protect or link refuges for freshwater species, especially fish, and the method developed here allows users to determine which artificial barriers have priority for removal within catchments (4).

There are synergies with catchment restoration, such as environmental flows (CWR, barrier removal and modification), and revegetation (riparian replanting, anthropogenic refuges).Therefore, the four refuge management approaches described in this project should be integrated into existing river and wetland restoration practices within catchments. Refuges across all types of waterbodies in catchments should be managed in an integrated way, comprising multiple waterbodies of each type to provide the diversity of habitat types required by freshwater species.


Tomography using CT scans and MRI scans is now well-known as a medical diagnostic tool which allows for detection of tumors and other abnormalities in a noninvasive way, providing very detailed images of the inside of the body using low dosage X-rays and magnetic fields. They have both also been used for determination of material defects in moderate size objects. In medical and other applications they complement conventional tomography. There are many situations where one wants to monitor the electrical conductivity of different portions of an object, for instance, to find out whether a metal object, possibly large, has invisible cracks. This kind of tomography, usually called Electrical Impedance Tomography or EIT, has also medical applications like monitoring of blood flow. While CT and MRI are related to Euclidean geometry, EIT is closely related to hyperbolic geometry. A question that has arisen in the recent past is whether there is similar "topographic" method to monitor the "health" of networks. Our objective is to explain how EIT ideas can in fact effectively be used in this context.


Seattle, Washington's regional government planning group, called METRO, has undertaken a future scenarios approach to transportation planning. Working with an outside panel of experts from several disciplines such as banking, and economics, the agency developed several sets of scenarios that will help forecast ridership and future public transportation needs for the region. Among the factors considered were national economy and policy stances that affect local transportation. For example, they constructed scenarios based on federal government deregulation and increased regulation and intervention, on trade practices on federal spending on military vs domestic programs. They also posited both lower and higher energy costs, and looked at the aerospace industry, which depends mainly on government contracts and which is the major local employer. Several sets of demographic trends were also put into the matrix. The Futures team ended up with three major scenarios on which to plan future transportation projects that require capital investment. The scenarios will be reevaluated every several years to see the original assumptions are valid.


Abstract In this study, an estimation algorithm based on a two-stage Kalman filter (TSKF) was developed for wind speed and Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) motion parameters. In the first stage, the wind speed estimation algorithm is used with the help of the Global Positioning System (GPS) and dynamic pressure measurements. Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) is applied to the system. The state vector is composed of the wind speed components and the pitot scale factor. In the second stage, in order to estimate the state parameters of the UAV, GPS, and Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) measurements are considered in a Linear Kalman filter. The second stage filter uses the first stage EKF estimates of the wind speed values. Between these two stages, a sensor fault detection algorithm is placed. The sensor fault detection algorithm is based on the first stage EKF innovation process. After detecting the fault on the sensor measurements, the state parameters of the UAV are estimated via robust Kalman filter (RKF) against sensor faults. The robust Kalman filter algorithm, which brings the fault tolerance feature to the filter, secures accurate estimation results in case of a faulty measurement without affecting the remaining good estimation characteristics. In simulations, noise increment and bias type of sensor faults are considered.


Background: Cataract surgery in patients with diabetes is indicated either to improve visual acuity or to allow assessment and treatment of fundus changes. We aimed to document the effects of phacoemulsification on the corneal endothelium in patients with or without diabetes.
Methods: This comparative, prospective, non-randomized controlled interventional study was conducted in patients with visually significant immature senile cataracts in the ophthalmology department at Sohag University Hospital between January 2018 and December 2020. The following data were recorded: corrected distance visual acuity, keratometry readings, refraction, slit lamp examination results, and biometry data. Changes in corneal parameters were documented preoperatively and at 1, 3, and 6 months postoperatively using specular microscopy.
Results: Sixty-four eyes of 64 patients with visually significant senile cataracts were included (32 eyes in the diabetic group and 32 eyes in the non-diabetic control group). We found greater mean endothelial cell loss in the non-diabetic group (179 cells/mm2; 6.4%) than in the diabetic group (134 cells/mm2; 4.8%) at 3 months postoperatively, yet the difference was not significant. The difference could be explained by the higher mean cumulative dissipated energy (CDE) used in the non-diabetic group (5.37 J) than in the diabetic group (4.68 J), although the difference was also not significant. Moreover, we found significantly higher coefficient of variation (CV) in the non-diabetic group than in the diabetic group at 1, 3, and 6 months postoperatively (P = 0.03, P = 0.02, and P = 0.008, respectively).
Conclusions: Endothelial cell density was directly related to the CDE of phacoemulsification and not to diabetes. CV was significantly higher in the non-diabetic group than in the diabetic group. Future studies with a larger sample size, longer follow-up, and more diabetic subgroups with different levels of glycemic control are warranted to verify our conclusions.

How to cite this article: Mahmoud A, Moussa I, Abozaid M, Iqbal M. Outcomes of phacoemulsification on the corneal endothelium in diabetic versus non-diabetic patients: a prospective non-randomized controlled interventional study. Med Hypothesis Discov Innov Optom. 2021 Spring; 2(1): 1-7. DOI: https://doi.org/10.51329/mehdioptometry119


In this paper, we propose a constant envelop minimum-shift keying orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (CE-MSK-OFDM) modulation scheme. This scheme can mitigate the inherent drawbacks of CE quadrature phase shift keying OFDM (CE-QPSK-OFDM) and MSK-OFDM. Advantages of the proposed CE-MSK-OFDM modulation scheme are theoretically investigated. A CE-MSK-OFDM coherent optical experimental system is presented. In our experiment, 2.5 Gb/s CE-MSK-OFDM signal and 2.5 Gb/s CE-QPSK-OFDM signal are transmitted over a 100 km standard single mode fiber (SSMF) without phase compensation to check its advantages in mitigating intercarrier interference (ICI). In addition, performance under large fiber launch power is also measured to check its advantages in counteracting fiber nonlinear impairments. The experimental results show that the proposed system performs well in decreasing ICI and peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) as the theoretical analysis reveals.


We present observations of M31LRN 2015 (MASTER OT J004207.99+405501.1), discovered in M31 in 2015 January, and identified as a rare and enigmatic luminous red nova (LRN). Spectroscopic and photometric observations obtained by the Liverpool Telescope showed the LRN becoming extremely red as it faded from its M V = − 9.4 ± 0.2 ?> peak. Early spectra showed strong Hα emission that weakened over time as a number of absorption features appeared, including Na i D and Ba ii. At later times strong TiO absorption bands were also seen. A search of archival Hubble Space Telescope data revealed a luminous red source to be the likely progenitor system, with pre-outburst Hα emission also detected in ground-based data. The outburst of M31LRN 2015 shows many similarities, both spectroscopically and photometrically, with that of V838 Mon, the best studied LRN. We finally discuss the possible progenitor scenarios.


This study is concerned with the problem of divine hiddenness as it has taken shape in analytic philosophy of religion over the past two decades. More specifically, the interest lies with providing a comparative-philosophical perspective on the most fundamental assumptions of the problem in certain formulations and its responses against the backdrop of diverse yet related data in the Hebrew Bible. In doing so the aim is not to justify or critique any particular biblical or philosophical perspective on divine hiddenness but simply to identify and clarify some crucial differences in various relevant conceptual backgrounds. Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: By way of pointing out a number of similarities and differences between concepts of divine hiddenness in the theologies of the Hebrew Bible and in a specific formulation thereof in analytic philosophy of religion, this article not only reveals some neglected specifics of the historical variability of an important theological idea but also suggests taking caution when appealing to alleged biblical precursors to contemporary philosophical-theological problems.


This is a review essay of Eric Posner and Jack Goldsmith's fascinating book, The Limits of International Law. In the essay I provide an exegesis of the core argument of the book, which is that the conduct of states in fields occupied by international law is more powerfully described by game theory than by law talk. In particular, the authors argue that state conduct traditionally described in terms of obedience and violation is actually determined by self-interest modified by the strategic conditions of identifiable games; principally coincidence games, coordination games, coercion games, and iterated prisoner dilemmas. In the essay I suggest that the critical core of the authors' argument is a form of rule skepticism of a kind with that explored most prominently by Ludwig Wittgenstein and Saul Kripke. Rather than rehearse that literature, the essay uses this insight as a tool to set limits on the critical agenda of the book. In particular, I argue that the claim that "no course of [state] action could be determined by a rule, because every course of [state] action can be made out to accord with the rule" leaves the authors' critical thesis to turn on contested and contestable historical claims. In the essay I do not argue that this is reason to reject this work; rather, I indicate several directions for empirical inquiry and conclude that this book sets the stage for fruitful future debates. Separate from these descriptive concerns, I also suggest that the authors' skepticism may be muted entirely by a more careful exploration of what constitutes rule-following in the field of international law. Specifically, I suggest that, viewed as an operating system, organized around procedures that provide forums for normative debate, set the stage for public reason-giving, and establish terms for the use of carrots and sticks, international law may not aspire to be a determining force for state action, particularly in the motivational mode implied in the authors' discussion. Rather, taking this proceduralist view, it may be enough for international law advocates that the law exists, that states do engage in law talk, and that states include in their behavioral calculus the potential consequences of their actions in light of international law as an operating system. Again, I conclude that these potential objections provide no ground to condemn this interesting work but highlight its indisputable value as a refreshing addition to the international law canon. I end with the following advice: "While, as the authors note, this short book may raise more questions than it answers, it lays the foundation for an approach to research and practice that is sure to become a force in many fields. Readers are advised not to be left behind."


African American students continue to be overrepresented in classes for students with high incidence handicaps. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of cultural competence on pre-service teachers' decisions to make a special education referral. Two hundred twenty-six pre-service teachers completed a cultural competence survey and an analogue case study. Participants were given the option to make no referral of the student in the case study, make a referral for academic problems, behavior concerns, or for both. There was no significant difference in the overall rate of referral across the participant group. Participants with lower levels of cultural competence, however, were more likely to make a referral for behavioral concerns and were more likely to refer the African American student for behavioral concerns. The participants with lower levels of cultural competence may not accurately assess the severity of behavior issues exhibited by students from different cultural backgrounds. This may account for the higher rate of referral of the African American student for behavioral concerns.   Cultural competence is increasingly more important as the students of the United States become more racially and ethnically diverse. Helping teachers to increase their level of cultural competence may assist teachers in providing more effective instruction in the general education classroom. This may also reduce the number of referrals of African American students for special education and thereby reduce the overrepresentation of African Americans in special education classes.


Objective: Breast cancer cells with CD44+CD24–/low gene expression signature have been suggested to have stem cell-like tumor-initiating properties. The purpose of this study is to clarify the gene expression profiling of cells with CD44+CD24–/low gene expression signature in the luminal subtype. Methods: Laser capture microdissection was used to select the isolation of cancer cells in 35 frozen tissues of breast cancer, and RNA extracted from these cells was examined by real-time RT-PCR to quantify CD44 and CD24 expressions. Human stem cell RT2 Profiler PCR Array was used for gene expression analysis in the groups of CD44+CD24–/low and CD44+CD24+ gene expression signature. Results: Thirty-five tumors were divided into 3 groups. Group A was composed of the CD44+CD24–/low type, in which the ratio of CD44/CD24 was >10.0. Group B was composed of the CD44+CD24+ type, in which the ratio was >0.1 and ≤10.0. In group C, composed of the CD44–/lowCD24+ type, the ratio was <0.1. The number of tumors in groups A, B, and C were 5, 28, and 2, respectively. Regarding the correlation of CD44/CD24 status with tumor characteristics, the tumors of group A were significantly associated with axillary lymph node metastasis compared with those of group B (p = 0.033). There were no significant differences in tumor size, nuclear grade, or HER2 status between the two groups. According to signaling pathways, the number of expression genes for the Notch pathway in group A was significantly greater than in group B (p = 0.028). Overexpressed genes for ALDH1 (p = 0.021) and SOX2 (p = 0.018) were noted in group A compared to group B. Conclusion: This study suggests that the Notch pathway may be an important signaling pathway in luminal subtype with CD44+CD24–/low gene expression signature. In addition, either ALDH1 or SOX2 may be a candidate marker for cancer stem cells in luminal subtype breast cancer.


In this paper the art installation "Tangible Scores" is presented, laying emphasis on its design decisions, features and constraints. In order to explain the important relationship between physicality and artistic expression, the concept of "performative materiality" is contextualized within the framework of tangible musical interfaces. Then, a hybrid vision of performative interfaces is introduced. Under this hypothesis, and through the creative exploration of their physical affordances and constraints, tangible musical instruments may be interpreted as scores too.


There are many applications in motion planning where it is important to consider and distinguish between different homotopy classes of trajectories. Two trajectories are homotopic if one trajectory can be continuously deformed into another without passing through an obstacle, and a homotopy class is a collection of homotopic trajectories. In this paper we consider the problem of robot exploration and planning in three-dimensional configuration spaces to (a) identify and classify different homotopy classes; and (b) plan trajectories constrained to certain homotopy classes or avoiding specified homotopy classes. In previous work [1] we have solved this problem for two-dimensional, static environments using the Cauchy Integral Theorem in concert with graph search techniques. The robot workspace is mapped to the complex plane and obstacles are poles in this plane. The Residue Theorem allows the use of integration along the path to distinguish between trajectories in different homotopy classes. However, this idea is fundamentally limited to two dimensions. In this work we develop new techniques to solve the same problem, but in three dimensions, using theorems from electromagnetism. The Biot-Savart law lets us design an appropriate vector field, the line integral of which, using the integral form of Ampere's Law, encodes information about homotopy classes in three dimensions. Skeletons of obstacles in the robot world are extracted and are modeled by currentcarrying conductors. We describe the development of a practical graph-search based planning tool with theoretical guarantees by combining integration theory with search techniques, and illustrate it with examples in three-dimensional spaces such as two-dimensional, dynamic environments and three-dimensional static environments. 1