In this paper we develop a framework based on disjunctive programming for motion planning of robotic networks. Although the methodology presented in this paper can be applied to general motion planning problems we focus on coordinating a team of mobile routers to maintain connectivity between a fixed base station and a mobile user within a walled environment. This connectivity management problem is decomposed into three steps: (i) a feasible line-of-sight path between the base station and the mobile user is computed; (ii) the number of required routers and their goal locations are determined; and (iii) the motion planning with obstacle and inter-vehicle collision avoidance problem is solved. To illustrate the flexibility of the proposed approach we also formulate a novel motion planning algorithm for a team of mobile robots as a disjunctive program. Cell decomposition is used to take into account the size and orientation of the robots. In both cases, connectivity and motion planning, the mixed-integer optimization problems are solve using CPLEX. Moreover, the proposed approach can easily accommodate input and other constraints and mission objectives. Simulation results show the applicability of the proposed strategy.


Regenerative peripheral nerve interfaces are particularly invasive implant devices. They rely on the growth of axons from transected nerve stumps through electrode-bearing structures in order to establish highly efficient communication channels with the nervous system. The functioning and lifetime of these devices is challenged by the host response from the nervous tissue, which complicates their use in long-term applications. The elicited foreign body reaction is characterized by chronic inflammation and excessive deposition of collagen. The difference in mechanical properties between implant material and nervous tissue, which are among the softest in the body, is thought to be an important contributor to these adverse effects. With the motivation of improving the bio-integration of implanted nerve interfaces, this thesis evaluate micropillar arrays as a texture to modulate the behaviour of peripheral nerve cells on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) silicone surfaces. Thanks to their flexibility, micropillars can reduce the effective stiffness perceived by cells, while providing topographic cues at the microscopic level. Importantly, these mechanical and topographic cues can be easily tailored by modification of their geometrical dimensions. Micropillar arrays with varying dimensions were fabricated by soft lithography process. Their mechanical behaviour under bending was simulated by finite element method (FEM) analysis to approximate their spring constants. The softest micropillar configuration had an effective surface stiffness of 0.7 kPa, representing a reduction of 3 orders of magnitude compared to bulk PDMS. The effect of micropillar diameter (from 1.2 to 4.2 um), modulating the surface stiffness, and the effect of interpillar spacing (from 1.0 to 7.6 um), modifying micropillars density, were investigated in vitro. Dissociated cell cultures from dorsal root ganglion (DRG), comprising neurons and glial cells, were probed for different parameters after 7 days of incubation. While neurons spread and established neurite networks on all configurations, fewer glial cells were found on the softest and lowest density of micropillars. Neurites explored this pseudo-3D environment and preferentially anchored to the top of pillar shafts, well above the bottom surface. The matrix of pillars provided physical cues for growing neurites, which strongly aligned with the densest arrays. The morphology of neuronal bodies was affected by the most flexible pillars, which induced smaller and rounder somas. Macrophages and adipose-derived stem cells showed significantly increased attachment to micropillar topographies compared to flat surface. The effect of micropillars was investigated on nerve regeneration in vivo. Nerve guidance conduits patterned with micropillars on their lumen surface were sutured to the transected sciatic nerve of rats. While the axonal regeneration was slightly affected by the micropillar texture, macrophages were massively recruited to the micropillar surface in comparison to the flat control. Their phenotype was also affected, with predominantly classically activated macrophage in contact with the micropillars. Altogether, these results demonstrate the possibility to modulate the behaviour of a variety of cell types in vitro and in vivo, through the patterning of micropillars on the surface. This approach is amenable to implementation on silicone neural implants for mitigating tissue-material interactions.


The image data collected by Fuyo-1's sensors covering the visible and the short wave infrared (SWIR) are affected by severe noise problems. The important narrow SWIR channels show the worst defects. Artifacts originally introduced by the satellite sensors (unprocessed Level 0 data) were exaggerated by the Earth-rotation correction applied by NASDA (Level 2 data). Fourier analysis is used to characterize these artifacts in the frequency domain. A scene-dependent Fourier operator that is able to eliminate the major noise components is described. This involves the construction of a binary mask derived from the difference between the Fourier spectra of two channels containing noise signals at similar frequencies and amplitude. This mask is used to modulate frequency domain images, so removing all noise components while preserving real image data with minimum loss and distortion in the spatial domain. Fuyo-1 brightness saturation problems can also be minimized by applying a Gaussian contrast stretch to the Fourier spectra prior to image inversion. Based on our initial results using the recovery methods proposed here, we foresee an exciting new use for the thousands of seven-channel images already acquired by Fuyo-1.


The bottom of pyramid (BoP) concept holds that multinational companies (MNCs) can profitably serve the needs of the poor and have the opportunity to invest in the BoP market to'do good and do well' simultaneously. This thesis contributes to BoP concept by challenging the notion that- MNCs and big companies are the initiators of BoP business models. Recent scholars cited NGOs, SMEs, and governments as initiators, without recognising the visible activities of microbusinesses in the developing economies such as Ghana. This project aims to understand the origins of BoP business models, examine both MNCs' co-optation and offering more of MNCs and local microbusinesses' activities in the BoP market of Ghana. It examines the how MNCs got interest to engage the poor microbusinesses in the BoP market. The research employed case study approach and explores how MNCs interact with the local microbusinesses in the BoP market, using so-called Gioia method for data analysis. The main result of the empirical research demonstrated the source of innovation in the BoP market as the microbusinesses and not MNCs and large companies. MNCs just identify gaps in the BoP market and then develop cost-effective solutions that often help to serve the market.The research examined a type of BoP strategy (co-optation) that was not wholly discussed in the BoP literature. BoP as a concept has become performative in Ghana as Pralahad's proposition influenced MNCs' managers to show interest in the BoP market.


Abstract. In this study, a parameterization method based on MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) data, AVHRR (Advanced Very High-Resolution Radiometer) data and in situ data is introduced and tested for estimating the regional evaporative fraction Λ over a heterogeneous landscape. As a case study, the algorithm was applied to the Tibetan Plateau (TP) area. Eight MODIS data images (17 January, 14 April, 23 July and 16 October in 2003; 30 January, 15 April, 1 August and 25 October in 2007) and four AVHRR data images (17 January, 14 April, 23 July and 16 October in 2003) were used in this study to compare winter, spring, summer and autumn values and for annual variation analysis. The results were validated using the "ground truth" measured at Tibetan Observation and Research Platform (TORP) and the CAMP/Tibet (CEOP (Coordinated Enhanced Observing Period) Asia-Australia Monsoon Project (CAMP) on the Tibetan Plateau) meteorological stations. The results show that the estimated evaporative fraction Λ in the four different seasons over the TP is in clear accordance with the land surface status. The Λ fractions show a wide range due to the strongly contrasting surface features found on the TP. Also, the estimated Λ values are in good agreement with "ground truth" measurements, and their absolute percentage difference (APD) is less than 10.0% at the validation sites. The AVHRR data were also in agreement with the MODIS data, with the latter usually displaying a higher level of accuracy. It was therefore concluded that the proposed algorithm was successful in retrieving the evaporative fraction Λ using MODIS, AVHRR and in situ data over the TP. MODIS data are the most accurate and should be used widely in evapotranspiration (ET) research in this region.


We have established a mild, metal-free, one pot, visible light-catalyzed procedure for a highly regioselective synthesis of 2-nitro-3-arylimidazo [1,2-a] pyridines via nitroalkene and 2-aminopyridine under an open atmosphere involving a photoredox catalyst, Eosin Y, which is an inexpensive organic dye that has been employed as a photo sensitizer in the conversion. This protocol serves as an example of green chemistry, due to the fact that molecular oxygen and visible light have been utilized effectively for the transformation. The procedure involves intramolecular C–N heterocyclization, followed by aerobic oxidation and C–C bond formation at room temperature. This green protocol has also been successfully extended to the regioselective synthesis of 3-substituted indoles via indole and nitroalkene by a free radical pathway.


A joystick text entry method for game controllers and mobile phones would be valuable, since these devices often have joysticks but no conventional keyboards. But prevalent joystick text entry methods are slow because they are selection-based. EdgeWrite, a new joystick text entry method, is not based on selection but on gestures from a unistroke alphabet. Our experiment shows that this new method is faster, leaves fewer errors, and is more satisfying than date stamp and selection keyboard (two prevalent selection-based methods) for novices after minimal practice. For more practiced users, our results show that EdgeWrite is at least 1.5 times faster than selection keyboard, and 2.4 times faster than date stamp.


Cervical cancer disproportionately affects women living in low- and middle-income countries. To address this global crisis, many governments and NGOs have implemented community-based screening and treatment programs at outreach camps. Here, high volumes of patients are able to access care: screening and diagnosis followed by immediate treatment of precancerous lesions onsite. However, monitoring and evaluation (M&E) of these efforts presents challenges, since each event typically relies on a different health workforce, and refers patients to different facilities for follow up and advanced care. To address these challenges, a digital imaging intervention was deployed at several screening camps in East Africa. Trained nurses screened women using a connected low-cost mobile colposcope built around a smartphone. A decision support job aid was integrated into the app controlling the device, guiding nurses and recording their diagnosis and treatment decisions. Aggregating the data from the job aid allowed M&E of the screening camp in real-time. In this paper, the M&E data from 2 different screening camps in East Africa are compared. Additionally, screening camps are compared to stationary clinics. Differences in the patient screening times, treatment rates, and individual nurse statistics were all documented through the job aid allowing for much improved epidemiological information following outreach events thus enabling targeted program improvements and provider training. Reporting data from screening camps were also shared online via public web pages, facilitating broader dissemination of health needs in specific East African communities, and sparking conversations with regional stakeholders about local disease burden.


This paper proposes a method for predicting the probability density of a variable of interest in the presence of model ambiguity. In the first step, each candidate parametric model is estimated minimizing the Kullback-Leibler 'distance' (KLD) from a reference nonparametric density estimate. Given that the KLD represents a measure of uncertainty about the true structure, in the second step, its information content is used to rank and combine the estimated models. The paper shows that the KLD between the nonparametric and the parametric density estimates is asymptotically normally distributed. This result leads to determining the weights in the model combination, using the distribution function of a Normal centered on the average performance of all plausible models. Consequently, the final weight is determined by the ability of a given model to perform better than the average. As such, this combination technique does not require the true structure to belong to the set of competing models and is computationally simple. I apply the proposed method to estimate the density function of daily stock returns under different phases of the business cycle. The results indicate that the double Gamma distribution is superior to the Gaussian distribution in modeling stock returns, and that the combination outperforms each individual candidate model both in- and out-of-sample.


A submersible pump and a continuous flow ftuorometer were used to obtain the vertical pH and fluorescence profiles from the top 140 m of the seawater in the region between La Reunion, Seychelles and Djibouti in the western tropical Indian Ocean during the 1986 INDIGO 2 Expedition. The calculated chlorophyll Q maxima are generally located near the nutracline, all within 50 m of the surface mixed layer and closer to the mixed layer at night but deeper in daytime. The chlorophyll Q concentration in the mixed layer is uncorrelated with the concentration at the chlorophyll Q maxima but is correlated with the integrated amount from surface to 116 m. Continuous salinity, temperature and oxygen data from a CTD probe, and pH data from discrete samples collected by the submersible pump and by Rosette bottles are compared with the chlorophyll Q profile. (


We study indiscriminate poisoning for linear learners where an adversary injects a few crafted examples into the training data with the goal of forcing the induced model to incur higher test error. Inspired by the observation that linear learners on some datasets are able to resist the best known attacks even without any defenses, we further investigate whether datasets can be inherently robust to indiscriminate poisoning attacks for linear learners. For theoretical Gaussian distributions, we rigorously characterize the behavior of an optimal poisoning attack, defined as the poisoning strategy that attains the maximum risk of the induced model at a given poisoning budget. Our results prove that linear learners can indeed be robust to indiscriminate poisoning if the class-wise data distributions are well-separated with low variance and the size of the constraint set containing all permissible poisoning points is also small. These findings largely explain the drastic variation in empirical attack performance of the state-of-the-art poisoning attacks on linear learners across benchmark datasets, making an important initial step towards understanding the underlying reasons some learning tasks are vulnerable to data poisoning attacks.


A multitude of factors are responsible for the overall quality of scientific papers, including readability, linguistic quality, fluency,semantic complexity, and of course domain-specific technical factors. These factors vary from one field of study to another. In this paper, we propose a measure and method for assessing the overall quality of the scientific papers in a particular field of study. We evaluate our method in the computer science domain, but it can be applied to other technical and scientific fields.Our method is based on the corpus linguistics technique. This technique enables the extraction of required information and knowledge associated with a specific domain. For this purpose, we have created a large corpus, consisting of papers from very high impact conferences. First, we analyze this corpus in order to extract rich domain-specific terminology and knowledge. Then we use the acquired knowledge to estimate the quality of scientific papers by applying our proposed measure. We examine our measure on high and low scientific impact test corpora. Our results show a significant difference in the measure scores of the high and low impact test corpora. Second, we develop a classifier based on our proposed measure and compare it to the baseline classifier. Our results show that the classifier based on our measure over-performed the baseline classifier. Based on the presented results the proposed measure and the technique can be used for automated assessment of scientific papers.


In recent years, cloud federations have gained popularity. Small as well as big cloud service providers (CSPs) join federations to reduce their costs, and also cloud management software like OpenStack offers support for federations. In a federation, individual CSPs cooperate such that they can move load to partner clouds at high peaks and possibly offer a wider range of services to their customers. Research in this area addresses the organization of such federations and strategies that CSPs can apply to increase their profit. In this paper we present the latest extensions to the FederatedCloudSim framework that considerably improve the simulation and evaluation of cloud federations. These simulations include service-level agreements (SLAs), scheduling and brokering strategies on various levels, the use of real-world cloud workload traces and a fine-grained financial evaluation using the new CloudAccount module. We use FederatedCloudSim to compare scheduling and brokering strategies on the federation level. Among them are new strategies that conduct auctions or consult a reliance factor to select an appropriate federated partner for running outsourced virtual machines. Our results show that choosing the right strategy has a significant impact on SLA compliance and revenue.


Due to the variety of geological conditions and ages under which oil was formed, every crude oil exhibits a unique biomarker fingerprint. Because of this, biological biomarkers are the most important hydrocarbon groups in petroleum because they can be used for chemical fingerprinting. Biomarkers reveal all or most of the original carbon skeleton of the original natural products.1,2 Relative to other hydrocarbon components petroleum biomarkers are more resistant to biodegradation but concentrations steadily decrease as petroleum matures. The information from biomarker analysis is used to determine the migration pathways from a source rock to the reservoir, for the correlation of oils in terms of oil-to-oil and oil-to-source rock, the source potential, ranking of the relative thermal maturity, as well as possible secondary alteration processes. Decisions for the commercial exploitation of a prospect are based on that analytical background. Economics ultimately determine if a petroleum reservoir is further developed and finally brought to the market.3 Refinery chemists are mostly interested in how oil behaves when feeding the processes into marketable products. Analyses of petrochemical biomarkers also have been proven useful in the determination of petroleum-derived environmental contaminations.2 Biomarkers found in crude oils, rocks and sediments, also referenced as "molecular fossils" in the literature, demonstrate few or even no changes from their former precursor compounds: terpenoids (isoprenoids) and steroids found in the cells of the originating living organisms.2,4 Biomarker concentrations in oils are low, typically in the low ppm and sub-ppm level in the presence of a highly complex petroleum hydrocarbon matrix. As the concentrations of biomarkers in petroleum decrease with thermal maturity, oils of high maturity exhibit particular analytical challenges with only low biomarker concentrations. Highly selective, fast and sensitive mass analyzers as high resolution or triple quadrupole GC/MS instruments are common and required for meaningful biomarker analysis. Experimental Conditions


In this thesis, hierarchical graphs are investigated from two different angles – as a general modelling principle for (geo)spatial networks and as a practical means to enhance navigation in buildings. The topics addressed are of interest from a multi-disciplinary point of view, ranging from Computer Science in general over Artificial Intelligence
and Computational Geometry in particular to other fields such as Geographic Information Science.

Some hierarchical graph models have been previously proposed by the research community, e.g. to cope with the massive size of road networks, or as a conceptual model for human wayfinding. However, there has not yet been a comprehensive, systematic approach for modelling spatial networks with hierarchical graphs. One particular
problem is the gap between conceptual models and models which can be readily used in practice. Geospatial data is commonly modelled - if at all - only as a flat graph. Therefore, from a practical point of view, it is important to address the automatic construction of a graph hierarchy based on the predominant data models. The work presented deals with this problem: an automated method for construction is introduced and explained. A particular contribution of my thesis is the proposition to use hierarchical graphs as the basis for an extensible, flexible architecture for modelling various (geo)spatial networks. The proposed approach complements classical graph models very well in the sense that their expressiveness is extended: various graphs originating from different
sources can be integrated into a comprehensive, multi-level model.
This more sophisticated kind of architecture allows for extending navigation services beyond the borders of one single spatial network to a collection of heterogeneous networks, thus establishing a meta-navigation service. Another point of discussion is the impact of the hierarchy and distribution on graph algorithms. They have to be
adapted to properly operate on multi-level hierarchies.
By investigating indoor navigation problems in particular, the guiding principles are demonstrated for modelling networks at multiple levels of detail. Complex environments like large public buildings are ideally suited to demonstrate the versatile use of hierarchical
graphs and thus to highlight the benefits of the hierarchical approach.

Starting from a collection of floor plans, I have developed a systematic method for constructing a multi-level graph hierarchy. The nature of indoor environments, especially their inherent diversity, poses an additional challenge: among others, one must deal with complex, irregular, and/or three-dimensional features. The proposed method is also motivated by practical considerations, such as not only finding shortest/fastest paths across rooms and floors, but also by providing descriptions for these paths which are easily understood by people.

Beyond this, two novel aspects of using a hierarchy are discussed: one as an informed heuristic exploiting the specific characteristics of indoor environments in order to enhance classical, general-purpose graph search techniques. At the same time, as a convenient by-
product of this method, clusters such as sections and wings can be detected. The other reason is to better deal with irregular, complex-shaped regions in a way that instructions can also be provided for these spaces. Previous approaches have not considered this problem.

In summary, the main results of this work are:

• hierarchical graphs are introduced as a general spatial data infrastructure. In particular, this architecture allows us to integrate different spatial networks originating from different sources. A small but useful set of operations is proposed for integrating these networks. In order to work in a hierarchical model, classical graph algorithms are generalised. This finding also has implications on the possible integration of separate
navigation services and systems;

• a novel set of core data structures and algorithms have been devised for modelling indoor environments. They cater to the unique characteristics of these environments and can be specifically used to provide enhanced navigation in buildings. Tested on models of several real buildings from our university, some preliminary but promising results were gained from a prototypical implementation and its application on the models.


Coronaviruses are responsible for a significant proportion of annual respiratory and enteric infections in humans and other mammals. The most prominent of these viruses is the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) which causes acute respiratory and gastrointestinal infection in humans. The coronavirus main protease, 3CL(pro), is a key target for broad-spectrum antiviral development because of its critical role in viral maturation and high degree of structural conservation among coronaviruses. Dimerization is an indispensable requirement for the function of SARS 3CL(pro) and is regulated through mechanisms involving both direct and long-range interactions in the enzyme. While many of the binding interactions at the dimerization interface have been extensively studied, those that are important for long-range control are not well-understood. Characterization of these dimerization mechanisms is important for the structure-based design of new treatments targeting coronavirus-based infections. Here we report that Asn28, a residue 11 A from the closest residue in the opposing monomer, is essential for the enzymatic activity and dimerization of SARS 3CL(pro). Mutation of this residue to alanine almost completely inactivates the enzyme and results in a 19.2-fold decrease in the dimerization K(d). The crystallographic structure of the N28A mutant determined at 2.35 A resolution reveals the critical role of Asn28 in maintaining the structural integrity of the active site and in orienting key residues involved in binding at the dimer interface and substrate catalysis. These findings provide deeper insight into complex mechanisms regulating the activity and dimerization of SARS 3CL(pro).


At a certain neck radius during the descent of a fissioning nucleus from the saddle to the scission point, the attractive nuclear forces can no more withstand the repulsive Coulomb forces producing the neck rupture and the sudden absorbtion of the neck stubs by the fragments. At that moment, the neutrons, although still characterized by their pre-scission wave functions, find themselves in the newly created potential of their interaction with the separated fragments. Their wave functions become wave packets with components in the continuum. The probability to populate such states gives evidently the emission probability of neutrons at scission. In this way we have studied scission neutrons for 236 U, using two-dimensional realistic nuclear shapes. We have first calculated symmetric fission. Both the emission probability and the distribution of the emission points relative to the fission fragments strongly depend on the quantum numbers of the pre-scission state from which the neutron is emitted. In particular it was found that states with Ωπ = 1/2+ dominate the emission. Depending on the assumed pre- and post-scission configurations and on the emission barrier height, 30% to 50% of the total scission neutrons are emitted from 1/2+ states. Their emission points are concentrated in the region between the newly separated fragments. The upper limit for the total number of neutrons per scission event is predicted to lie between 0.16 and 1.73 (depending on the computational assumptions). A sudden transition not only produces scission neutrons but also leaves the fission fragments in an excited state. The corresponding excitation energy was estimated. Then we have investigated the dependence on the mass ratio of the fragments in asymmetric fission. The magnitude of the variation of the scission-neutron multiplicities with the mass of the heavy fragment was compared with that for prompt neutrons. Finally we have studied the effect of the isospin by calculating a series of plutonium isotopes. We have found a 90% increase of the scission-neutron multiplicities from 236 Pu (0.318 n/fission) to 256 Pu (0.597 n/fission) reflecting the increase of the amount of available neutrons in the system.


Direct sound that is captured by the upper layer of a three-dimensional (3D) microphone array is typically regarded as vertical interchannel crosstalk (VIC), since it tends to produce an undesired effect of the sound source image being elevated from the ear-level loudspeaker layer position (0°) in reproduction. The present study examined the effectiveness of band-limited VIC attenuation methods on preventing the vertical image shift problem. In a subjective experiment, five natural sound sources were presented as vertically-oriented phantom images while using two stereophonic loudspeaker pairs elevated at 0° and 30° in front of the listener. The upper layer signal (i.e., VIC) was attenuated in various octave-band-dependent conditions that were based on vertical localisation thresholds obtained from previous studies. The results showed that it was possible to achieve the goal of panning the phantom image at the same height as the image produced by the main loudspeaker layer by attenuating only a single octave band with the centre frequency of 4 kHz or 8 kHz or multiple bands at 1 kHz and above. This has a useful practical implication in 3D sound recording and mixing where a vertically oriented phantom image is rendered.


Surprisingly, the field of leisure economics is not, thus far, a particularly integrated or coherent one. In this Handbook a wide ranging body of international scholars get to grips with the core issues, taking in the traditional income/leisure choice model of textbook microeconomics and Becker's allocation of time model along the way. They expertly apply economics to some usually neglected topics, such as boredom and sleeping, work–life balance, dating, tourism, health and fitness, sport, video games, social networking, music festivals and sex. Contributions from further afield by Veblen, Sctivosky and Bourdieu also feature prominently.


ABSTRACT Molecular mimicry between lipooligosaccharides (LOS) of Campylobacter jejuni and gangliosides in peripheral nerves plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of C. jejuni-related Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS). We have analyzed the LOS outer core structures of 26 C. jejuni strains associated with GBS and its variant, Miller Fisher syndrome (MFS), by capillary electrophoresis coupled with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. Sixteen out of 22 (73%) GBS-associated and all 4 (100%) MFS-associated strains expressed LOS with ganglioside mimics. GM1a was the most prevalent ganglioside mimic in GBS-associated strains (10/22, 45%), and in eight of these strains, GM1a was found in combination with GD1a mimics. All seven strains isolated from patients with ophthalmoplegia (GBS or MFS) expressed disialylated (GD3 or GD1c) mimics. Three out of 22 GBS-associated strains (14%) did not express sialylated ganglioside mimics because their LOS locus lacked the genes necessary for sialylation. Three other strains (14%) did not express ganglioside mimics because of frameshift mutations in either the cstII sialyltransferase gene or the cgtB galactosyltransferase gene. It is not possible to determine if these mutations were already present during C. jejuni infection. This is the first report in which mass spectrometry combined with DNA sequence data were used to infer the LOS outer core structures of a large number of neuropathy-associated C. jejuni strains. We conclude that molecular mimicry between gangliosides and C. jejuni LOS is the presumable pathogenic mechanism in most cases of C. jejuni-related GBS. However, our findings suggest that in some cases, other mechanisms may play a role. Further examination of the disease etiology in these patients is mandatory.


Protecting sharks from overexploitation has become global priority after widespread population declines have occurred. Tracking catches and trade on a species-specific basis has proven challenging, in part due to difficulties in identifying processed shark products such as fins, meat, and liver oil. This has hindered efforts to implement regulations aimed at promoting sustainable use of commercially important species and protection of imperiled species. Genetic approaches to identify shark products exist but are typically based on sequencing or amplifying large DNA regions and may fail to work on heavily processed products in which DNA is degraded. Here, we describe a novel multiplex PCR mini-barcode assay based on two short fragments of the cytochrome oxidase I (COI) gene. This assay can identify to species all sharks currently listed on the Convention of International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES) and most shark species present in the international trade. It achieves species diagnosis based on a single PCR and one to two downstream DNA sequencing reactions. The assay is capable of identifying highly processed shark products including fins, cooked shark fin soup, and skin-care products containing liver oil. This is a straightforward and reliable identification method for data collection and enforcement of regulations implemented for certain species at all governance levels.


DNA cleavage by quinones contained in diesel exhaust particles (DEP) was examined in a cell-free system using supercoiled FX174 DNA as the target DNA. In the presence of Cu(II) and NADPH, 9,10-phenanthrenequinone (PQ) caused the transformation of the supercoiled FX174 DNA into open circular and then linear forms in a concentration-dependent manner. This DNA damage by PQ was decreased by catalase, a superoxide anion scavenger and a Cu(I)-specific chelator, but not by superoxide dismutase and a hydroxyl radical scavenger, suggesting that the ultimate reactive product responsible for the DNA scission may be Cu(I)-OOH generated from hydrogen peroxide and Cu(I) rather than hydroxyl radicals. In addition, 1,2-naphthoquinone (1,2-NQ) damaged DNA more severely than PQ, while 1,4-NQ and 9,10-anthraquinone (AQ) did not induce significant DNA damage. When a purified aldo-keto reductase (AKR) 1C isozyme, which catalyzes the two-electron reduction of PQ, was included in the reaction mixture, the PQ-induced DNA damage became more extensive. Addition of the AKR1C isozyme also increased the 1,2-NQ-induced DNA damage and conferred the ability to cause DNA damage on 1,4-NQ, but had no effect on AQ. The severity of the DNA damage induced by DEP quinones was solely related to both NADPH consumption and reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. These findings indicate that the generation of ROS via redox cycling of DEP quinones is a causative event in DNA scission and that the AKR1C isozyme accelerates the redox cycling of DEP quinones that are utilized as substrates, thereby resulting in the promotion of oxidative stress and DNA damage.


We develop a quantum version of the probability estimation framework [arXiv:1709.06159] for randomness generation with quantum side information. We show that most of the properties of probability estimation hold for quantum probability estimation (QPE). This includes asymptotic optimality at constant error and randomness expansion with logarithmic input entropy. QPE is implemented by constructing model-dependent quantum estimation factors (QEFs), which yield statistical confidence upper bounds on data-conditional normalized R\'enyi powers. This leads to conditional min-entropy estimates for randomness generation. The bounds are valid for relevant models of sequences of experimental trials without requiring independent and identical or stationary behavior. QEFs may be adapted to changing conditions during the sequence and trials can be stopped any time, such as when the results so far are satisfactory. QEFs can be constructed from entropy estimators to improve the bounds for conditional min-entropy of classical-quantum states from the entropy accumulation framework [Dupuis, Fawzi and Renner, arXiv:1607.01796]. QEFs are applicable to a larger class of models, including models permitting measurement devices with super-quantum but non-signaling behaviors and semi-device dependent models. The improved bounds are relevant for finite data or error bounds of the form $e^{-\kappa s}$, where $s$ is the number of random bits produced. We give a general construction of entropy estimators based on maximum probability estimators, which exist for many configurations. For the class of $(k,2,2)$ Bell-test configurations we provide schemas for directly optimizing QEFs to overcome the limitations of entropy-estimator-based constructions. We obtain and apply QEFs for examples involving the $(2,2,2)$ Bell-test configuration to demonstrate substantial improvements in finite-data efficiency.


Laser scanning is a terrestrial laser-imaging system that creates highly accurate three-dimensional images of objects for use in standard computer-aided design software packages. This report describes results of a pilot study to investigate the use of laser scanning for transportation applications in Iowa. After an initial training period on the use of the scanner and Cyclone software, pilot tests were performed on the following projects: intersection and railroad bridge for training purposes; section of highway to determine elevation accuracy and pair of bridges to determine level of detail that can be captured; new concrete pavement to determine smoothness; bridge beams to determine camber for deck-loading calculations; stockpile to determine volume; and borrow pit to determine volume. Results show that it is possible to obtain 2-6 mm precision with the laser scanner as claimed by the manufacturer compared to approximately one-inch precision with aerial photogrammetry using a helicopter. A cost comparison between helicopter photogrammetry and laser scanning showed that laser scanning was approximately 30 percent higher in cost depending on assumptions. Laser scanning can become more competitive to helicopter photogrammetry by elevating the scanner on a boom truck and capturing both sides of a divided roadway at the same time. Two- and three-dimensional drawings were created in MicroStation for one of the scanned highway bridges. It was demonstrated that it is possible to create such drawings within the accuracy of this technology. It was discovered that a significant amount of time is necessary to convert point cloud images into drawings. As this technology matures, this task should become less time consuming. It appears that laser scanning technology does indeed have a place in the Iowa Department of Transportation design and construction toolbox. Based on results from this study, laser scanning can be used cost effectively for preliminary surveys to develop TIN meshes of roadway surfaces. It also appears that this technique can be used quite effectively to measure bridge beam camber in a safer and quicker fashion compared to conventional approaches. Volume calculations are also possible using laser scanning. It seems that measuring quantities of rock could be an area where this technology would be quite beneficial since accuracy is more important with this material compared to soil. Other applications for laser scanning could include developing as-built drawings of historical structures such as the bridges of Madison County. This technology could also be useful where safety is a concern such as accurately measuring the surface of a highway active with traffic or scanning the underside of a bridge damaged by a truck. It is recommended that the Iowa Department of Transportation initially rent the scanner when it is needed and purchase the software. With time, it may be cost justifiable to purchase the scanner as well. Laser scanning consultants can be hired as well but at a higher cost.


Abstract. The transitory nature of the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) a few hours before and after the time of sunset has been studied comprehensively over a tropical station, Gadanki (13.45° N, 79.18° E), using a suite of in situ and remote sensing devices. This study addresses the following fundamental and important issues related to the afternoon transition (AT): which state variable first identifies the AT? Which variable best identifies the AT? Does the start time of the AT vary with season and height? If so, which physical mechanism is responsible for the observed height variation in the start time of the transition? At the surface, the transition is first seen in temperature (T) and wind variance (σ2WS), ~ 100 min prior to the time of local sunset, then in the vertical temperature gradient and finally in water vapor mixing ratio variations. Aloft, both signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and spectral width (σ) show the AT nearly at the same time. The T at the surface and SNR aloft are found to be the best indicators of transition. Their distributions for the start time of the AT with reference to time of sunset are narrow and consistent in both total and seasonal plots. The start time of the transition shows some seasonal variation, with delayed transitions occurring mostly in the rainy and humid season of the northeast monsoon. Interestingly, in contrast to the general perception, the signature of the transition is first seen in the profiler data, then in the sodar data, and finally in the surface data. This suggests that the transition follows a top-to-bottom evolution. It indicates that other processes, like entrainment, could also play a role in altering the structure of the ABL during the AT, when the sensible heat flux decreases progressively. These mechanisms are quantified using a unique high-resolution data set to understand their variation in light of the intriguing height dependency of the start time of the AT.


This research responds to one phase of the process for the design and standarization of the MSAD Multidimentional Scale of Affective Disorders -EMTA in Spanish-, whose purpose was to analyze MSAD, from the Classical Test Theory (CTT) and the Item Response Theory (TRI), from a sample of 384 students enrolled to three universities in Barranquilla, aged between 17 and 26 years. This is considered an instrumental study, due to its purpose. The data were collected through he administration of three instruments: Scale Multidimensional Affective Disorder, The Beck Depression Inventory (α= .791) and the self-administered Altman Scale (α= .566). Finally, results were reported as adjusted to the parameters of both models. Analysis from the TCT showed high Cronbach alpha indexes for both subscales (α= .942 for the Depression Subscale and α = .864 for the Subscale Mania), as well as high internal item-scale correlations above .3 for all items. Since the TRI, reliability in the case of Depression .88 (individuals) and .99 (items) were reported, while rates regarding Mania were .84 (persons) and .87 (items). Results retained an increasing monotonic confguration; thus the principle of invariance in measuring the latent trait is corroborated.


© 2015 Charilaos Nikolaidis. All rights reserved. A right to equality and non-discrimination is widely seen as fundamental in democratic legal systems. But failure to identify the human interest that equality aims to uphold reinforces the argument of those who attack it as morally empty or unsubstantiated and weakens its status as a fundamental human right. This book argues that an understanding of the human interest which equality aims to uphold is feasible within the jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) and the European Court of Justice (ECJ). In comparing the evolution of the prohibition of discrimination in the case-law of both Courts, Charilaos Nikolaidis demonstrates that conceptual convergence within the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and the EU on the issue of equality is not as far as it might appear initially. While the two bodies of equality law are extremely divergent as to the requirements they impose, their interpretation by the international judiciary might be properly analysed under a common light to emphasise the substantive dimension of equality in European Human Rights law. The book will be of great use and interest to scholars and students of human rights, discrimination law, and European politics.


The fractional calculus of deterministic functions is well known and widely used. Mean-square calculus is a calculus that is suitable for use when dealing with second-order stochastic processes. In this dissertation we explore the idea of extending the fractional calculus of deterministic functions to a mean-square setting. This exploration includes the development of some of the theoretical aspects of mean-square fractional calculus – such as definitions and properties – and the consideration of the application of mean square fractional calculus to fractional random differential and integral equations. The development of mean-square calculus follows closely that of the calculus of deterministic functions making mean square calculus more accessible to a large audience. Wherever possible, our development of mean-square fractional calculus is done in a similar manner to that of ordinary fractional calculus so as to make mean-square fractional calculus more accessible to people with some exposure to ordinary fractional calculus.


Chronic inflammatory airway diseases, including asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, are responsible for a large global disease burden. The recognition of airway disease phenotypes is important for the application of new therapies targeted at specific underlying biological mechanisms. Biomarkers are indicators of biological or pathogenic processes that are objectively measured. In airway disease, biomarkers will ideally provide predictive information regarding diagnosis, disease mechanisms, phenotypes, treatment responses and prognosis or future risk. Non-invasive biomarkers that aid phenotyping are crucial to the development of targeted and more efficacious treatment, leading to personalised approaches to airway disease management. Sputum and peripheral blood eosinophils and fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) are current examples of potential biomarkers. However, recent advances in technology have demonstrated the role for airway transcriptomics in biomarker discovery. This perspective piece discusses the need for biomarkers in airway disease, the use of eosinophil counts and FeNO as biomarkers, the use of transcriptomics for biomarker discovery, and the application of biomarkers in clinical and research settings. A combined approach incorporating clinical information with biological markers such as eosinophils, FeNO and inflammatory gene markers is likely to have the most success in predicting patient outcomes.


This title is a comprehensive history of high fashion in Paris from Madame Gres and Balenciaga to Yves Saint Laurent and Yohji Yamamoto, spanning all aspects from clothing and accessories to perfume. Ever since Charles Frederick Worth dressed the Empress Eugenie in the 1860s, launching a golden century of dressmaking, Parisian haute couture has been a source of endless admiration and fascination. Its emphasis on exquisite design and meticulous craftsmanship has put it at the forefront of the fashion industry, in terms of its influence and its indisputable sublimation of fashion to an art form. The relevance and practices of haute couture may have evolved over time, but the work of many contemporary couturiers reveals a strong sense of continuity with the achievements of their predecessors, from the creations of Paul Poiret, Jeanne Lanvin, and Christian Dior, through to their modern counterparts in Christian Lacroix, Jean-Paul Gaultier, or Viktor & Rolf. This chronological study traces the history of the esteemed couture houses of Paris, examining the role of the designer and the extraordinary craftsmanship behind the finished creations, the importance of haute couture in Parisian culture, and its influence in the wider international fashion industry. Particular attention is paid to the relationship between haute couture and the client, as well as the dualities present in modern haute coutureits sense of exclusivity and quasi-mythical aura countered by an ever-increasing reach into popular consciousness and attainability, through perfumes, branding, and the media spectacle of fashion shows. This volume is richly illustrated with images of the most superb pieces created by truly exceptional designers. Various incarnations of Chanels timeless, classic quilted handbag, Faths charmingly-patterned silk scarves, and Poirets elegant perfume bottles demonstrate that haute couture encompasses far more than just clothing. From the delicate embroidery on a Worth garment, to the graceful silhouette of Diors ballgowns, to the sculptural creations of Madame Gres and their modern echoes in the work of Yohji Yamamoto, Parisian haute couture is a constantly evolving art. Fascinating archival photographs invite the reader through the doors of these exclusive Paris establishments into the showrooms and ateliers of the master couturiers, allowing us to glimpse the alluring, refined, and rarely-seen world that is Parisian haute couture.


Summary Long-term population monitoring is crucial to evaluate the effectiveness of conservation efforts. Systematic surveys of the endangered Black-faced Spoonbill Platalea minor, the rarest spoonbill species globally, are not possible during the breeding season as the largest breeding grounds are inaccessible to surveyors. Instead, we have examined population trend in this species during the winter by utilising a dataset of synchronised surveys conducted annually across 42 sites between 1997 and 2014. We found that the global population has increased from 535 individuals in 1997 to 2,726 in 2014, an annual increase of 8.0%. Population increases were more pronounced in protected sites and sites with low levels of human disturbance, indicating that control of human disturbance is crucial for conservation in this species. It is of concern that the wintering populations are highly clumped and the two largest populations have ceased to increase since 2012; research to investigate the underlying causes is urgently needed. Synchronised surveys in all known wintering sites should be continued to provide up-to-date data on the global population of this endangered species.


The Oman‐United Arab Emirates (UAE) ophiolite represents the largest and best‐preserved fragment of obducted oceanic lithosphere in the world. However, debate continues regarding its geodynamic history. This debate is in part a consequence of the lateral variability in the later stage magmatic units, with arc signatures considered to be well developed in the north of the ophiolite but less so in the south. In this study, we investigate later stage intrusions in the central and southern part of the ophiolite. These intrusions vary from wehrlite to gabbro and tonalite and crosscut all levels of the main ophiolite sequence from the mantle peridotites up to the sheeted dike complex. They are characterized by the presence of magmatic amphibole, low TiO2 (<1 wt%), document an enrichment in Th, Sr, and Ba, depletion of Y and Dy, and decreasing Dy/Yb and Dy/Dy* with increased fractionation. These data record hydrous fractionation with a significant role for amphibole, which is comparable to many arc‐type magmas. The relative Nb and light rare earth element ((La/Yb)nchon < 1) depletion and coupled Nd and Hf isotope variations indicate the same (but depleted) Indian mid‐ocean ridge basalts‐type mantle source as the main ophiolite sequence. More radiogenic Pb isotope compositions of plagioclase imply the addition of a fluid component likely derived from sediments or altered oceanic crust. These intrusions occur across larger areas than previously reported, implying the entire ophiolite formed in a setting characterized by arc‐type magmas, such as a suprasubduction zone setting.


Background: The CD40/CD40L system, a key regulator and amplifier of immune reactivity, is activated in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) mucosa. Aims: To determine whether plasma levels of sCD40L are elevated in Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) patients compared with normal controls, to investigate the cellular source of sCD40L, and to explore CD40L induction mechanisms. Patients: CD, UC, and normal control subjects were studied. Methods: The concentration of sCD40L in plasma and supernatants of freshly isolated platelets and autologous peripheral blood T cells (PBT) was measured by ELISA. Surface CD40L expression level was measured by flow cytometry in resting and thrombin activated platelets, and unstimulated and CD3/CD28 stimulated PBT before and after coculture with human intestinal microvascular endothelial cells (HIMEC). Results: Compared with normal controls, plasma sCD40L levels were significantly higher in both CD and UC patients and proportional to the extent of mucosal inflammation. Platelets from IBD patients displayed a significantly higher surface CD40L expression than those from control subjects, and released greater amounts of sCD40L than autologous PBT. Contact with IL-1β activated HIMEC induced significant upregulation of CD40L surface expression and release by platelets. Conclusions: Elevated levels of sCD40L in the circulation of IBD patients reflect enhanced surface expression and release of CD40L by platelets. This phenomenon translates to an increased platelet activation state apparently induced by passage through an inflamed mucosal microvascular bed, a conclusion supported by the positive correlation of plasma sCD40L levels with the extent of anatomical involvement by IBD. These results suggest that platelet-endothelial interactions critically contribute to activation of the CD40 pathway in IBD.


Earlier studies have suggested that the children of teenage mothers and of mothers who are high school dropouts do worse on tests of cognitive attainment than do children of mothers who are older and/or are progressing normally in school. Using data on the children born to young women in the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth and data on week-by-week school enrollment for each mother, we examine the effects of early childbearing and the mother's school progress on the cognitive test scores of their threeto seven-year-old firstborn children. In separate multivariate analyses of African-American, Hispanic, and white children, mother's age atfirst birth and school enrollment status at conception were less important predictors of the child's cognitive score than was the mother's score on a test of cognitive achievement. Environmental factors, such as the degree of intellectual stimulation in the child's home, also predicted the child's test score and reduced the effect of the mother's cognitive score to nonsignificance among Hispanics. However, among African-Americans and whites control variables did not dislodge the strong and significant association between the mother's and child's cognitive scores.


Dryland salinity is a major land management issue globally, and results in the abandonment of farmland. Revegetation with halophytic shrub species such as Atriplex nummularia for carbon mitigation may be a viable option but to generate carbon credits ongoing monitoring and verification is required. This study investigated the utility of high-resolution airborne images (Digital Multi Spectral Imagery (DMSI)) obtained in two seasons to estimate carbon stocks at the plant- and stand-scale. Pixel-scale vegetation indices, sub-pixel fractional green vegetation cover for individual plants, and estimates of the fractional coverage of the grazing plants within entire plots, were extracted from the high-resolution images. Carbon stocks were correlated with both canopy coverage (R2: 0.76–0.89) and spectral-based vegetation indices (R2: 0.77–0.89) with or without the use of the near-infrared spectral band. Indices derived from the dry season image showed a stronger correlation with field measurements of carbon than those derived from the green season image. These results show that in semi-arid environments it is better to estimate saltbush biomass with remote sensing data in the dry season to exclude the effect of pasture, even without the refinement provided by a vegetation classification. The approach of using canopy cover to refine estimates of carbon yield has broader application in shrublands and woodlands.


Data augmentation is a powerful technique to improve performance in applications such as image and text classification tasks. Yet, there is little rigorous understanding of why and how various augmentations work. In this work, we consider a family of linear transformations and study their effects on the ridge estimator in an over-parametrized linear regression setting. First, we show that transformations which preserve the labels of the data can improve estimation by enlarging the span of the training data. Second, we show that transformations which mix data can improve estimation by playing a regularization effect. Finally, we validate our theoretical insights on MNIST. Based on the insights, we propose an augmentation scheme that searches over the space of transformations by how uncertain the model is about the transformed data. We validate our proposed scheme on image and text datasets. For example, our method outperforms RandAugment by 1.24% on CIFAR-100 using Wide-ResNet-28-10. Furthermore, we achieve comparable accuracy to the SoTA Adversarial AutoAugment on CIFAR datasets.


STI-571 is a new cancer drug that has shown remarkable efficacy in patients who are in the early stages of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). The drug inhibits the Abl kinase, which is constitutively activated in CML patients, because they carry a characteristic chromosomal translocation that fuses the ABL gene with the unrelated BCR gene. Patients in whom CML has progressed to a stage called blast crisis respond to STI-571 initially, but then develop resistance. Gorre et al. studied nine patients who had relapsed after STI-571 treatment and found that all nine showed reactivation of the Bcr-Abl signaling pathway. Six patients had acquired the same amino acid substitution in the Abl kinase domain--a change predicted to alter interaction of the kinase with the drug--and the other three showed BCR-ABL gene amplification. Identification of the mechanisms responsible for STI-571 resistance may facilitate the design of next-generation drugs for CML. (See the 22 June news story by Marx.) M. E. Gorre, M. Mohammed, K. Ellwood, N. Hsu, R. Paquette, P. N. Rao, C. L. Sawyers, Clinical resistance to STI-571 cancer therapy caused by BCR-ABL gene mutation or amplification. Science 293, 876-880 (2001). [Abstract] [Full Text] J. Marx, Why some leukemia cells resist STI-571. Science 292, 2231-2233 (2001). [Full Text]


As information technology rapidly evolves, the use of electronic learning (e-learning) has growth significantly and therefore shaped a new wave of education systems. In this digital era, this type of learning has been widely offered by worldwide academic institutions to worldwide students who wish to obtain particular knowledge, skills as well as specialization without obstructed by time and distance. Whilst the use of e-learning in advanced countries has entered a fast growing stage, some developing countries including Indonesia has just entered the introduction phase. Since 2012 it has been noted that at least seven Indonesia's leading higher institutions have offered two types of e-learning, either distance or blended learning. However, although the use of e-learning is expected to overcome knowledge disparity as well as to offer flexibility for students, many Indonesia's institutions are failed to maintain the survival of their e-learning implementation due to some underlying factors. This paper describes the common pitfalls for the implementation of e-learning in higher institutions in Indonesia. On the basis of the pitfalls, a research framework to drive the success implementation of e-learning in the context of higher institutions is proposed. At the end, this paper presents the progress of our ongoing research according to the proposed research framework. This paper contributes to complement the current literature on strategies and ways to shape the future of Indonesia's higher education systems.


Aim/Purpose: This article provides a much needed insight into the experiences of doctoral researchers in the UK that identify as Lesbian, Bisexual, Gay, Trans-, Queer, or outside of heteronormative or cis-normative identities (LGBTQ+) to address the question of what support, culture, and pedagogy might better support doctoral researchers who identify as LGBTQ+.

Background: While experiences of LGBTQ+ students in UK Higher Education have been explored in recent studies, the experiences of doctoral students have not been differentiated, documented, or analyzed.

Methodology: Through an online questionnaire sent to UK institutions, this study captures and reflects on the diverse experiences of doctoral education. The study took a predominantly phenomenological approach, placing the focus on understanding how individual researchers experienced their working environment.

Contribution: This questionnaire offers a 'campus climate' study, providing a much-needed insight into the experiences of doctoral researchers in the UK in 2017. The study also highlights the importance of acknowledging the diversity of doctoral researchers and adapting supervisory and institutional support to meet the differing needs of doctoral researchers. It considers themes such as the impact of the working environment, experiences of macroaggressions and harassment, the need for researchers to work internationally, and the visibility of role models. The complex nature of the supervisor-student relationship is also considered throughout.

Findings: Although many LGBTQ+ doctoral students felt they were studying in a supportive institution, the questionnaire highlights a diverse range of inclusivity issues as well as direct instances of homophobic and/or transphobic behavior.

Recommendations for Practitioners: From this questionnaire, it is concluded that there is a need for a critical examination of systems and spaces in which doctoral education takes place and the implementation of systems and spaces that are inclusive. There is a need for all those involved in doctoral education to understand how identifying as a LGBTQ+ researcher can impact on your experience of doctoral education. And, finally, there is a need for better LGBTQ+ visibility, better representation, and better mentoring.

Recommendation for Researchers: If doctoral education is to meet the needs of an increasingly diverse workforce, research needs to take into account the views and experiences of minority and marginalized groups that may challenge or be in tension with the views of the larger research population.

Impact on Society: As the demographic of the doctoral researcher population diversifies, it is increasingly important that our approach to doctoral education and the systems and processes that underpin doctoral education are adapted to meet the needs of that diverse population.

Future Research: There is potential scope for future studies to focus specifically on issues of intersectionality, disciplinary differences, health and wellbeing, representation, voice, and agency, as well as productivity, attainment, and career development of LGBTQ+ doctoral researchers.


This paper presents an outline of models of information seeking and other aspects of information behaviour, showing the relationship between communication and information behaviour in general with information seeking and information searching in information retrieval systems. It is suggested that these models address issues at various levels of information behaviour and that they can be related by envisaging a 'nesting' of models. It is also suggested that, within both information seeking research and information searching research, alternative models address similar issues in related ways and that the models are complementary rather than conflicting. Finally, an alternative, problem‐solving model is presented, which, it is suggested, provides a basis for relating the models in appropriate research strategies.


Dense Wireless Sensor Network Clouds have an inherent issue of latency and packet drops with regards to data collection. Though there is extensive literature that tries to address these issues through either scheduling, channel contention or a combination of the two, the problem still largely exists. In this paper, a Clustered Multi-Channel Scheduling Protocol (CMSP) is designed that creates a Voronoi partition of a dense network. Each partition is assigned a channel, and a scheduling scheme is adopted to collect data within the Voronoi partitions. This scheme collects data from the partitions concurrently and then passes it to the base station. CMSP is compared using simulation with other multi-channel protocols like Tree-based Multi-Channel, Multi-Channel MAC and Multi-frequency Media Access Control for wireless sensor networks. Results indicate CMSP has higher throughput and data delivery ratio at a lower power consumption due to network partitioning and hierarchical scheduling that minimizes load on the network.


P-glycoprotein (P-gp) is expressed in normal tissues with barrier functions where it participates in cell defence mechanisms (Huls, M. et al. J Pharm Exp Ther 2009; 328:3-9). Its presence in the bronchial epithelium and role in lung protection against inhaled toxicants has yet to be elucidated. The human bronchial epithelial cell line Calu-3 and normal human bronchial epithelial (NHBE) cells were cultured at an air-liquid interface on Transwell® inserts for 21 days. P-gp expression was evaluated by quantitative polymerase chain reaction and its functionality was assessed by permeability measurements using the established substrate 3 H-digoxin either alone or in the presence of chemical or biomolecular inhibitors. P-gp was absent in NHBE cells and moderately expressed in Calu-3 cells. Net secretory transport of 3 H-digoxin was observed in both models. This was reduced at 4°C and in the presence of the selective but non specific P-gp inhibitor PSC833 and the multidrug resistance protein (MRP) inhibitor MK571. The P-gp specific antibody inhibitor UIC2 and the metabolic inhibitors sodium azide and sodium dichloroacetate had no effect on 3 H-digoxin transport in Calu-3 cells. The presence of active transport mechanisms in cultures of human bronchial epithelial cells was demonstrated, although they differed between the models tested. P-gp was not detected in NHBE cells, in line with observed low gene expression in human lung tissue (Bleasby, K. et al. Xenobiotica 2006; 36:963-988). The involvement of P-gp could not be confirmed and the transporter(s) responsible for 3 H-digoxin asymmetric broncho-epithelial permeability remain(s) to be identified.


When considering pumping shells through a pipeline we have to consider that the shells are not spherical, but more discs shaped. When shells settle they will settle like leaves where the biggest cross section is exposed to the drag. But when they settle, they will settle in the same orientation, flat on the sediment, so the sides of the shells are exposed to the horizontal flow in the pipeline. Since the side cross section is much smaller than the horizontal cross section, a much higher velocity is required to make them erode and go back into suspension. The settling velocity is much smaller because of the large area of the cross section. Even when the slurry velocity exceeds the settling velocity, there will always be some shells that will reach the bottom of the pipe due to the combination of settling velocity and turbulence. Once these shells are on top of the sediment they are hard to remove by erosion, because they lay flat on the surface and have a small cross section that is exposed to the flow compared with the weight of the shell. So although their settling velocity is much lower than equivalent sand particles, the erosion velocity is much higher. If we look at the beach in an area with many shells, we can always see the shells on top of the sand, covering the sand. In fact the shells are shielding the sand from erosion, because they are hard to erode. The bigger shells will also shield the smaller pieces, because the smaller pieces settle faster. Compare this with leaves falling from a tree, the bigger leaves, although heavier, will fall slower, because they are exposed to higher drag. The same process will happen in the pipeline. Shells settle slower than sand grains, so they will be on top of the bed (if there is a bed), just like on the beach. Since they are hard to erode, in fact they protect the bed from being eroded, even if the line speed is increased. The combination of high erosion velocity and the shell 'protecting' the bed means that even a small amount of shells can lead to relatively thick bed in the pipeline. But there will always be velocities above the bed that will make the shells erode. The paper describes the settling and erosion process of shells and the consequences of this on the critical velocity when pumping a sand/shell mixture through a pipeline. A mathematical model of the processes involved will be presented.


Open access to research data is increasingly important for accelerating research. Grant authorities therefore request detailed plans for how data is managed in the projects they finance. We have recently developed such a plan for the EU-H2020 BIG-MAP project - a cross-disciplinary project targeting disruptive battery-material discoveries. Essential for reaching the goal is extensive sharing of research data across scales, disciplines and stakeholders, not limited to BIG-MAP and the European BATTERY 2030+ initiative but within the entire battery community. The key challenges faced in developing the data management plan for such a large and complex project were to generate an overview of the enormous amount of data that will be produced, to build an understanding of the data flow within the project and to agree on a roadmap for making all data FAIR. This paper describes the process we followed and how we structured the plan.


Fleas, lice, mites and ticks were collected from 41 Rhabdomys pumilio and seven Otomys irroratus at De Hoop Nature Reserve in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. The aims of the study were firstly to quantify parasite abundance and to record the species richness on the rodents. Secondly to record the parasite species that were shared between R. pumilio and O. irroratus and thirdly to compare the parasite abundance on R. pumilio between localities of varying antelope activity. Each rodent was individually examined under a stereoscopic microscope and its parasites were removed, counted and identified to species level. The parasite species included seven flea, one louse, nine mite and 10 tick species. Three undescribed mite species were also recovered and new locality records were obtained for six flea, two lice, two mite and one tick species. Several flea, mite and tick species were shared between R. pumilio and O. irroratus. Both the mean abundance of the total ectoparasite burdens and the mean tick abundance were significantly higher on R. pumilio individuals that were trapped in habitats preferred and occupied by large antelope species compared to habitats in which antelope were absent or rarely present.


Plants of Burley tobacco var. 'Ky 9' inoculated with the nematodes Meloidogyne incognita and M. javanica and grown in soil with a marked boron deficiency had 28% less boron in the leaves than the non-inoculated controls. From the standpoint of growth and development, only the plants inoculated with M. incognita showed significant differences when compared with the controls. The plants inoculated with both nematode species simultaneously developed similarly to the ones inoculated with M. incognita alone. However, the boron content in leaves of these plants was significantly higher than that of plants inoculated separately, and similar to that of the uninoculated checks.


Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) represent a range of physical, mental, and behavioral disabilities caused by alcohol use during pregnancy, or prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE). FASDs are considered to be one of the leading preventable causes of developmental disability. Despite its high prevalence, FASD is often misdiagnosed or underdiagnosed, making interventions more challenging or delayed. Earlier diagnosis yields greater benefits for affected children, which include a reduction in secondary disabilities such as substance use disorders and learning and cognitive disabilities leading to school failure, and improved life outcomes. Most importantly, diagnosis provides a context for understanding a child's behavior. When the environment surrounding a child with an FASD opts to focus on the child's strengths as a means for intervention, there is a greater likelihood of that child achieving success as an adult. Diagnosis of FASD is further beneficial to the extent that it leads to a reduction of future births of children with FASD. This publication was initially developed for use in Spanish-speaking countries of the Americas and is intended to serve as a training workbook for providers of various disciplines to learn about the fundamentals of diagnosing FASD and to apply them to several case scenarios. It also discusses ethical implications of diagnosing FASD to the mother and child. Target audiences include physicians, psychologists, allied health professionals, social workers, and other providers that may encounter individuals affected by FASD. It is ideally used as a supplement for in-person training by experts in the fields of dysmorphology, epidemiology, and neuropsychology.


Although the scientific literature contains numerous reports of the statistical accuracy of systems for self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG), most of these studies determine accuracy in ways that may not be clinically useful. We have developed an error grid analysis (EGA), which describes the clinical accuracy of SMBG systems over the entire range of blood glucose values, taking into account 1) the absolute value of the system-generated glucose value, 2) the absolute value of the reference blood glucose value, 3) the relative difference between these two values, and 4) the clinical significance of this difference. The EGA of accuracy of five different reflectance meters (Eyetone, Dextrometer, Glucometer I, Glucometer II, Memory Glucometer II), a visually interpretable glucose reagent strip (Glucostix), and filter-paper spot glucose determinations is presented. In addition, reanalyses of a laboratory comparison of three reflectance meters (Accucheck II, Glucometer II, Glucoscan 9000) and of two previously published studies comparing the accuracy of five different reflectance meters with EGA is described. EGA provides the practitioner and the researcher with a clinically meaningful method for evaluating the accuracy of blood glucose values generated with various monitoring systems and for analyzing the clinical implications of previously published data.


We are constantly experiencing the present; the past and the future as the present, stained and textured by the patina of time. This sentence summarises my response to what I consider to be the locus of the artist?s work and it will serve as my premise in discussing the various dimensions of the artist?s art making over the past decade. In discussing the various works of art, I intend addressing a range of critical issues concerning his work and also comment on relevant aspects relating to the time-space paradigm that directs not only his content but determines his creative methodology.


Spatial information plays an important role in many social, environmental, economic and political decisions and is increasingly acknowledged as a national resource essential for wider societal benefits. Natural Resource Management (NRM) is one area where spatial information can be used for improved planning and decision-making processes. Traditionally, state government organisations and mapping agencies have been the custodians of spatial information necessary for catchment management. Recent developments in Information Communication Technology (ICT) tools and spatial technology have provided community groups and grass-root citizens with no prior experience in spatial technology with a new opportunity to collect and manage spatial information. With these opportunities, regional NRM bodies in Australia are collecting a significant amount of property and catchment scale spatial information. The access and sharing of spatial information between state government agencies and regional NRM bodies is therefore emerging as an important issue for sub-national spatial data infrastructure (SDI) development.

The aim of this research is to identify key factors which influence spatial information sharing between state government organisations and regional NRM bodies/catchment management authorities within Australia and to formulate strategies to facilitate spatial information sharing and hence support SDI development. The hypothesis is that the spatial information sharing in natural resource management needs to be improved and that a networked based spatial data infrastructure model may be an appropriate approach.

This research explored the theoretical foundation for SDI development and utilised social network theory to explore spatial information sharing arrangements between regional NRM bodies and state government organisations. A mixed method research approach was utilised where a survey and the case study data were collected and analysed sequentially (i e in two phases). The findings from the national survey of NRM bodies and the case study were integrated and interpreted to identify the key factors influencing spatial information sharing and catchment SDI development in Australia.

A national survey of regional NRM bodies investigated the spatial information access, use and sharing arrangements between regional NRM bodies and state government organisations. The results of the survey indicate that the spatial data access policy of state government organisations impacts on spatial information sharing across NRM bodies. The regional NRM bodies have a strong spatial capacity and are emerging as key players in spatial data infrastructure development in the natural resource management sector. An ongoing issue is the difficulty to locate which organisation holds each type of spatial data and accessing these datasets. Data sharing and spatial information management is a key area of collaboration and is based on the partnerships with state government organisations or community organisations. An emerging area for collaboration in the NRM sector is knowledge sharing.

The case study explored the effectiveness of the Knowledge and Information Network (KIN) project in promoting spatial information sharing arrangements between regional NRM bodies and state government organisations. It identified the role of intermediary organisations and professionals such as the Regional Groups Collective (RGC) and knowledge coordinators as being critical to improving the communication and spatial information sharing across catchments.

Using the mixed method design framework, the key factors which influence spatial information sharing between state government organisations and regional NRM bodies/catchment management authorities were classified into six major classes as organisational, economic, policy, legal, cultural and technical. Major strategies were formulated and it is suggested that the adoption and implementation of these strategies can facilitate spatial information sharing and hence SDI development across the natural resource management sector.


OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to examine the effect of a moderate-fat diet inclusive of walnuts on blood lipid profiles in patients with type 2 diabetes.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS
This was a parallel randomized controlled trial comparing three dietary advice groups each with 30% energy as fat: low fat, modified low fat, and modified low fat inclusive of 30 g of walnuts per day. Fifty-eight men and women, mean age 59.3 +/- 8.1 years, started the trial. Dietary advice was given at baseline with monthly follow-up and fortnightly phone calls for support. Body weight, percent body fat, blood lipids, HbA1c, total antioxidant capacity, and erythrocyte fatty acid levels were measured at 0, 3, and 6 months. Data were assessed by repeated-measures ANOVA with an intention-to-treat model.

RESULTS
The walnut group achieved a significantly greater increase in HDL cholesterol-to-total cholesterol ratio (P=0.049) and HDL (P=0.046) than the two other treatment groups. A 10% reduction in LDL cholesterol was also achieved in the walnut group, reflecting a significant effect by group (P=0.032) and time (P=0.036). There were no significant differences between groups for changes in body weight, percent body fat, total antioxidant capacity, or HbA1c levels. The higher dietary polyunsaturated fat-to-saturated fat ratio and intakes of omega-3 fatty acids in the walnut group were confirmed by erythrocyte biomarkers of dietary intake.

CONCLUSIONS
Structured "whole of diet" advice that included 30 g of walnuts/day delivering substantial amounts of polyunsaturated fatty acid improved the lipid profile of patients with type 2 diabetes.


On the morning of Thursday September 16 1999 Hurricane Floyd made landfall at the mouth of the Cape Fear River. Rains associated with Hurricanes Dennis Floyd and Irene resulted in extensive flooding over a two-month period in eastern North Carolina with most river basins exceeding the 500-year flood level. Flooding was worst along the Tar River leaving the towns of Rocky Mount Tarboro Princeville Greenville and Washington devastated. In North Carolina Floyd was directly responsible for 35 fatalities and several billions of dollars in property damages. This publication provides a summary of the presentations in the public forum and the research conference. he value of an endeavor like the symposium comes from how the information shapes the way we move forward. Therefore this publication also serves as a benchmark so that we can measure our progress on hurricane risk mitigation.


In the global media scene, media ownership is controlled by groups with political agendas. Intolerance of 'the other', from Islam and migrants to people of colour, show the rise of fundamentally prejudiced groups who relate well to negative media representations of 'the other', further fuelling financial support for dominant public voices, at the expense of those silenced by discrimination. Media studies on Islam show negative portrayals in Western media which neglect the Muslim voice. Some reasons include news culture, lack of knowledge about Islam and unawareness of the consequences from such narratives. This article identifies the growing trend of stories in the New Zealand media relating to 'Islamic terrorism' and critically analyses a random sampling of five news articles between 2014 and 2016 in terms of the negative, positive and ambivalent news content, both in their use of the written text and visual representations of Islam and Muslims. The tendency to use negative framing is evident with the absence or manipulation of the Muslim voice. Using the Islamic perspective of dialogue and persuasion, the theory of Ta'will, and socio-political rationale, the effects of and motivations for the written and visual news content are discussed. A case is made for a greater understanding of the textual and visual elements and more ethical reporting through intercultural engagement.


The use of thin phase diffusers in coherent imaging systems is analyzed. A condition is derived that must be fulfilled to ensure that no part of incident light is specularly transmitted. This condition is expressed in terms of first-order statistics of the phase of light emerging from a diffuser. It is shown that random diffusers whose amplitude-transmittance argument (phase) is uniformly distributed in the (−π, π) interval do not pass the specular light while their rms phase corresponds to only 0.29 of a wavelength. Such diffusers will be called uniform ones. A method for forming a uniform diffuser is proposed. It is based on a recording of normal speckle patterns in phase-photosensitive materials with consideration of the exposure characteristics. Autocorrelation functions and power spectra of diffuser transmittance are evaluated for two types of exposure characteristics. For both these cases the image contrast of the uniformly illuminated diffuser is calculated.


Society's use of energy and technology is at the heart of many of the most significant environmental problems of recent years, including problems of health, global warming and acid rain. Use of technology has been a major cause of environmental problems but new technology offers many solutions. This text is an introduction to energy and energy use, and the interactions between technology, society and the environment. It examines: key environmental issues, and the harmful impacts of energy use; new technological solutions to environmental problems; implementation of possible solutions; and implications for society in developing a sustainable approach to energy use. Social processes and strategic solutions to problems are located within a technological context with topical case studies and informative diagrams illustrating key issues. It examines the potential and limits of technical solutions to environmental problems and suggests the social, economic and political changes necessary to avoid serious environmental damage in the future.


Until now, various techniques for predicting fault-prone modules have been proposed and evaluated in terms of their prediction performance; however, their actual contribution to business objectives such as quality improvement and cost reduction has rarely been assessed. This paper proposes using a simulation model of software testing to assess the cost effectiveness of test effort allocation strategies based on fault prediction results. The simulation model estimates the number of discoverable faults with respect to the given test resources, the resource allocation strategy, a set of modules to be tested, and the fault prediction results. In a case study applying fault prediction of a small system to acceptance testing in the telecommunication industry, results from our simulation model showed that the best strategy was to let the test effort be proportional to "the number of expected faults in a module × log(module size)." By using this strategy with our best fault prediction model, the test effort could be reduced by 25 percent while still detecting as many faults as were normally discovered in testing, although the company required about 6 percent of the test effort for metrics collection, data cleansing, and modeling. The simulation results also indicate that the lower bound of acceptable prediction accuracy is around 0.78 in terms of an effort-aware measure, Norm(Popt). The results indicate that reduction of the test effort can be achieved by fault prediction only if the appropriate test strategy is employed with high enough fault prediction accuracy. Based on these preliminary results, we expect further research to assess their general validity with larger systems.


OBJECTIVES
To investigate whether behaviour change techniques (BCTs) can influence adherence to home exercise in people with upper extremity musculoskeletal disorders (UEMD).

DESIGN
A systematic review of randomised control trials, non-randomised control trials, case-control studies and cohort studies. Results were presented narratively. Participants were those with UEMD. The intervention was any home exercise programme, alongside a BCT designed to increase exercise adherence. Any duration of intervention was accepted. The main outcome sought was adherence to home exercise. A systematic search was performed on four online databases. Grey literature was searched.

RESULTS
The search resulted in 28,755 titles. 77 full-text articles were assessed for eligibility. Six studies were included in the qualitative synthesis. Four studies had Some Concern of Bias, whilst two studies had High Risk of Bias. Three studies found statistically significant differences in exercise adherence (p < 0.05) between the Intervention group and Control group. The BCT 'Social Support (unspecified)' was used within all studies that found significant differences in adherence levels at outcome. However, multiple BCTs were received by the Intervention groups within all studies, making it impossible to identify the effects of any single BCT upon adherence levels.

CONCLUSION
Social support may be relevant in patients' adherence levels to HEPs. However, confidence in the results is uncertain given the small number of studies found, and their High RoB. Future studies should validate their measurement and definition of adherence, as well as the number of BCTs they use, to provide reproducible evidence.


Algorithmic trading (AT) strategies aim at executing large orders discretely, in order to minimize the order's impact, whilst also hiding the traders' intentions. Most AT evaluation methods range from running the AT strategies against historical data (back testing) to evaluating them on simulated markets. The contribution of the work presented in this paper is twofold. First we investigated different types of agent-based market simulations and suggested how to identify the most suitable market simulation type, based on the specific market model to be investigated. Then we proposed an extended model of the Bayesian execution strategy. We implemented and assessed this model using our tool AlTraSimBa (Algorithmic Trading Simulation Back testing) against the standard Bayesian execution strategy and naive execution strategies, for momentum markets and random markets. The results revealed useful insights on the trade-offs between the frequency of decision making and more complex decision criteria, on one side, and the negative outcome of lost trading on the agents' side due to them not participating actively in the market for some of the execution steps.


Pin on disc wear machines were used to study the boundary lubricated friction and wear of AISI 52100 steel sliding partners. Boundary conditions were obtained by using speed and load combinations which resulted in friction coefficients in excess of 0.1. Lubrication was achieved using zero, 15 and 1000 ppm concentrations of an organic dimeric acid additive in a hydrocarbon base stock. Experiments were performed for sliding speeds of 0.2, 0.35 and 0.5 m/s for a range of loads up to 220 N. Wear rate, frictional force and pin temperature were continually monitored throughout tests and where possible complementary methods of measurement were used to improve accuracy. A number of analytical techniques were used to examine wear surfaces, debris and lubricants, namely: Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Auger Electron Spectroscopy (AES), Powder X-ray Diffraction (XRD), X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), optical microscopy, Back scattered Electron Detection (BSED) and several metallographic techniques. Friction forces and wear rates were found to vary linearly with load for any given combination of speed and additive concentration. The additive itself was found to act as a surface oxidation inhibitor and as a lubricity enhancer, particularly in the case of the higher (1000 ppm) concentration. Wear was found to be due to a mild oxidational mechanism at low additive concentrations and a more severe metallic mechanism at higher concentrations with evidence of metallic delamination in the latter case. Scuffing loads were found to increase with increasing additive concentration and decrease with increasing speed as would be predicted by classical models of additive behaviour as an organo-metallic soap film. Heat flow considerations tended to suggest that surface temperature was not the overriding controlling factor in oxidational wear and a model is proposed which suggests oxygen concentration in the lubricant is the controlling factor in oxide growth and wear.


Aesthetics traditionally lends itself to a double meaning. On the one hand, it is often referred to as a theory of art by which we can reflect on our experiences with different material forms of expression; on the other hand, aesthetics also refers to a more general theory of sensibility, as the fundamental ground for subjective experience. In the context of this book's themes of art and identity, aesthetic dualism is central, because it immediately forces us to presuppose, in the analysis of the role of art, a separation of the subjective level of experience and the objective conditions for experience, as such.Philosophically, aesthetic dualism goes back to Immanuel Kant's distinction between the analysis of a transcendental aesthetic (Kant 1781) and aesthetic judgment (Kant 1790). However, due to the pervasiveness of Kantian thought aesthetic dualism does not restrict itself to the realm of philosophical aesthetics. This dualism leads to a common claim inherent in many approaches to art: that works of art must be considered as representations, expressing or signifying an identity underlying human subjectivity.To name a few generalized examples, in psychoanalysis aesthetic dualism is inherent in the understanding of artworks as representations of unconscious objects or desires (e.g., Freud 1910; Segal 1952; Wollheim 1987). In neuropsychology the aesthetic dualism is inherent in the claim that art represents neural laws of the brain (Zeki 2004), and in phenomenology it is inherent in the conception of art as a representation of the intentionality of subjective experience (e.g., Ingarden 1965). In other words, subjectivity is presupposed in the understanding of art. Though many exponents of various disciplines in philosophy and psychology emphasize the significance of art to sub- jectivity, most often the model of art as a representation or reflection of the world reduces art to an appendix to subjective thought.From my point of view, the presupposition of a subjective identity as a primary condition in art is problematic because it reduces the genuinely creative or productive relationship between art and subjec- tivity to an instance of representation, reference, or reproduction. By presupposing subjectivity in the understanding of art, the productions in art are subjugated to general categories of subjective thought, re- ducing art to a reflection of thought rather than a production of it. In my view, this perspective remains blind to the role of art as a genetic or productive force in subjectivity.The intensive engagement with art and aesthetics in the works of the French philosopher Gilles Deleuze is often portrayed as a means of dissolution or a fundamental break with the discourse on subjectivi- ty in both its psychological and philosophical expositions. According to Deleuze, what is central to art is not an exploration of emotions or representations of a world of perceptions, but rather the production of sensations as the genetic principle immanent to subjectivity. The claim that art does not represent, but rather creates or expands the world we experience through sensations, means that the question of 'art' and 'identity' is not an apprehension of a harmonious accord between the subjective being and art, but rather an expression of a fundamental dissension or rift. Thus, through the function of art we are constantly reminded that the subjective acts of thinking, feeling, seeing, or hearing cannot be presupposed. As Deleuze argued, we do not experience art but we become subjectivities through it. Often this radical aesthetic element of Deleuze's philosophy is reduced to a de- structive dismantling of personal identity, exposing the contradictory elements and internal oppositions of subjectivity.Indeed, a genuinely non-human element of thought, beyond the established notions of subjectivity and identity, does constitute a cen- tral force in Deleuze's approach to art. However, as I suggest, his radical dismantling of subjectivity through art should not be consid- ered as the end of subjectivity, but rather as an opening up of a crea- tive domain in our constant involvement with the production of subjectivity as a way of organizing thought. …