The way in which working conditions, personal characteristics, and school factors influence teacher recruitment and retention is an oft-studied topic in the field of education finance and policy. Through decades of research, it has become increasingly clear that teachers respond to a set of monetary and non-monetary factors when making decisions in the teacher labor market. What is less clear is the relative or absolute value teachers place on factors such as salary, student demographic factors, school conditions, and other working conditions such as class size, curricular autonomy, and principal support, to name a few. This project introduces the use of a novel survey methodology to the field to aim to answer these questions. This study utilizes Adaptive Choice-Based Conjoint (ACBC) analysis to quantify the relative importance of various monetary and non-monetary job factors to practicing teachers as they consider the desirability of various hypothetical schools. The use of ACBC in an estimate of the value placed on various working condition factors by secondary teachers in Utah and an analysis of how those valuations vary with personal and demographic factors. The results of this research provide practical recommendations for administrators and policymakers that aim to make schools more desirable for teachers and demonstrates the use of a novel methodology to answer outstanding questions in the field of teacher recruitment and retention.


Publication of the results of continuous seismic reflection surveys around the continental margins (Beck & Lehner 1974, Seely et al. 1974, Lehner & Ruiter, in press) and discoveries made by drilling in the deep-sea by JOIDES and IPOD (Initial Reports of the Deep Sea Drilling Project) have shown that seismically active continental margins display structures very different from the structures associated with aseismic margins. Lehner showed that after the initial rifting phase of evolving aseismic margins the main structural features are vertical movements manifested by the development of sedimentary basins at the margin of the new ocean and complementary basins on the craton. Some of these cratonic basins may be associated with aulacogens (Dewey & Burke 1974), others appear to be separated from the continental margin basins by a geanticlinal structure. The structural style of the present aseismic margins of West Africa, northwest Australia and elsewhere can be summarized as asymmetric in cross section showing a 'steep, mostly faulted landward flank on continental basement and a gentle seaward flank on oceanic basement' (Lehner). Evidence is available from parts of the Mediterranean region (Smith) and from northern Australia (Garter et al. 1976) which shows how within few Ma an aseismic continental margin can become seismically active and be involved in orogenic processes such as major overthrusting. Recent papers by Fischer (1975) and Bally (1975) have greatly influenced the way we think about the structural style of seismically active continental margins. Fischer's suggestion that oceanic lithosphere has a maximum life of about


Wastewater treatment has been performed in the City of Prague for more than one hundred years. However, with the complete adaptation of the EU legislation ( acquis communautaire ) into the national Czech environmental law, the City of Prague will have to build and put into operation a new nutrient removal activated sludge plant by year 2010. The activated sludge process will employ the original Czech technique of in-situ bioaugmentation of nitrification in regeneration zone. The in-situ bioaugmentation method has been successfully used in the last ten years in the upgraded existing plant with very good results. The new wastewater treatment plant will be located on the area of the current wastewater plant as well as on the area of the so-called gardens. The application of the in-situ bioaugmentation technique will help to keep the new plant as compact as possible which is necessary because of the limited space of the Cisarsky island.


How can the Air Force and the other services profit from the experience of these two programs? Although the F/A-18E/F is an upgrade of an existing airframe and the F/A-22 is a new platform, the authors believe their divergent histories have lessons to teach acquisition decisionmakers. The authors present a history of the two programs and conclude that decisionmakers can reduce risk and improve acquisition by taking several steps, including setting realistic schedule and cost estimates and establishing a stable and experienced development team.


During the years 1947-1952 the Cold War, the anti- communist foreign policy of the U.S. government, and the reassertion by the American Communist party of its allegiance to the Soviet Union, the international communist movement, and a literal Marxist-Leninist ideology gradually gave rise to an anti-communist hysteria and to the repression and persecution of American Communists. Author Peter L. Steinberg shows that both the Truman Administration and the Communist Party were in part responsible for the McCarthy era that followed. Both were reacting to the ideologiical warfare conducted by J. Edgar Hoover. Using his allies in government, Hoover took advantage of the Cold War atmosphere to demand demonstrable action against communists. The Truman Administration responded with a loyalty program that seemed to legitimze the American people's worst fears, leading to demands for further action. The Communist Party's decision to go underground played into the hands of its enemies. Steinberg sees the attack on American communists as a necessary prelude to the demand for patriotic conformity and as a factor contributing to the development of an internal political police.


About 250 million years ago, extremely hot ocean temperatures had lethal effects on ocean life. In the next 100 years, it is projected that Earth will move to a greenhouse climate state (1). The future ocean will not only be hotter but also more acidic and will contain extended zones with reduced oxygen (2, 3). Study of past periods of global warming helps to project what Earth and its biota will be like in this new state and what the journey to that state will entail. On page 366 in this issue, Sun et al. (4) show that beginning with the end-Permian mass extinction (∼252.6 million years ago) and continuing for the next 5 million years, Earth's oceans were extremely hot, with stressful and commonly lethal effects on ocean life.


To date historians have focused almost exclusively on Patrick Pearse's key role in the 1916 Easter Rising to the extent that there is much less information about his personality development and characteristics. They have portrayed the elusive, paradoxical Patrick as nationalist, revolutionary and martyr or as a flawed and failed human being. Moran, agreeing with comments made at an earlier time by F.S.L. Lyons, suggests that, to have any real understanding of Patrick's role in the rebellion and the events that led up to it, historians need to focus more attention on understanding the man himself. [1]  The approach used in this article is psychobiographical, a methodology that applies psychological theory to biographical information in order to more fully understand an individual's personality and achievements. In the case of Patrick Pearse the biographical information focuses on consensual aspects of his family background, his life experiences, his role as educator and his emergence as leader and hero. With regard to psychological theory, there are many empirically supported perspectives than could have been applied in this psychobiography. However, for the purposes of this particular article three perspectives have been selected.  Drawing on some main tenets of the psychoanalytic, humanistic and trait approaches, the authors hope to provide a broader understanding of the influences and experiences that may have shaped Pearse as son, sibling, peer, educator and ultimately as a main instigator of the 1916 Rising and one of Ireland's most famous patriots. [1]  Sean Farrell Moran.  Patrick Pearse and the Politics of Redemption: The mind of the Easter Rising, 1916,  (Washington D.C.: The Catholic University Press, 1997), 6.


Radio resource management (RRM) is an important component of a mobile wireless network that efficiently utilizes the limited radio resources such as spectrum, transmission power, and network infrastructure. Unfortunately, current RRM schemes do not support cooperative multiple point (CoMP), a promising technology that extends coverage, increases capacity, and improves the spectral efficiency of the next generation broadband network, i.e., 4G network. Specifically, to coordinate with CoMP, a RRM scheme should be aware of three main properties of CoMP cooperative transmitting information, coordinated scheduling transmission, and single interference noise ratio (SINR) improvement. However, few of the existing RRM schemes consider these properties, since they were designed based on the conventional mobile data networks without CoMP technology. In this dissertation, I present a series of new CoMP aware RRM schemes for ensuring users' throughput and maximizing network capacity in an integrated PON-OFDM network, which is a norm of the 4G network and can best implement the CoMP technology. I call the PON-OFDM network with CoMP a CoMP Network (CoMPNet). I provide two classes of RRM schemes for two practical CoMP technologies, cooperative transmission (CT) and coordinated scheduling (CoS), respectively. In the first class, I propose two groups of RRM schemes using the CT technology. In the first group, three OFDM-TDMA based RRM schemes are designed for three different users' moving speeds. The objective of these schemes is to minimize time slot consumption. The RRM schemes in the third group are contrived for an OFDM-FDMA based CoMPNet. I provide four linear programming (LP) based optimal schemes, one for minimizing bandwidth usage, one for minimizing transmission power consumption, and two for balancing resource costs. An optimized resource allocation solution can be obtained by flexibly choosing one of the schemes according to network load. In the second class, I present a sub-optimal RRM scheme for an OFDM-FDMA based CoMPiii Net. The CoS technology is applied for ICI mitigation. I formulate the system optimal task into constrained optimization problems for maximizing network capacity. To improve the computation efficiency, fast yet effective heuristic schemes are introduced for divide-and-conquer. The proposed heuristic schemes are featured by CoS based timeslots/subcarriers assignment mechanisms, which are further incorporated with intelligent power control schemes. Through simulations, I study the proposed RRM schemes performances and discuss the effect of the CoMP technology. The performance benefits of CoMP on bandwidth saving and capacity increasing are shown by comparing the new schemes with the conventional schemes without CoMP.


Over the past three decades, phonological theory has advanced in many areas, but it has changed little in its foundational assumptions about how computational processes can serve as a basis for the theory. This volume suggests that it may be worthwhile to reconsider some of those assumptions. Is there an order to the rules in a phonological derivation? What kinds of links other than derivations are possible between the level of mental representation and the level of speech sounds? Since phonological representations are so much more sophisticated today than they were a few decads ago, do we need any phonological rules at all? In this provocative book, leading linguists and computer scientists consider the challenges that computational innovations pose to current rule-based phonological theories and speculate about the advantages of phonological models based on artificial neural networks and other computer designs. The authors offer new conceptions of phonological theory for the 1990s, the most radical of which proposes that phonological processes cannot be characterized by rules at all, but arise from the dynamics of a system of phonological representations in a high-dimensional vector space of the sort that a neural network embodies. This new view of phonology is becoming increasingly attractive to linguists and others in the cognitive sciences because it answers some difficult questions about learning while drawing on recent results in philosophy, psychology, artificial intelligence, and neuroscience. The contributors are John A. Goldsmith, Larry M. Hyman, George Lakoff, K. P. Mohanan, David S. Touretzky, and Deirdre W. Wheeler.


Based on a survey of UK library and information professionals and those who work in the cultural heritage sector, carried out in December 2014, this research sought to examine the levels of copyright 'literacy'. The survey aimed to obtain responses from all sectors, however most responses were received from academic libraries. The research examined their knowledge of national and international copyright issues as well as copyright policies at an institutional level. The survey also explored the need for copyright education for new and existing professionals and suggested topics for inclusion in training activities. The findings suggest that levels of knowledge amongst UK professionals are higher than those in other countries who participated in the first phase of the project. UK institutions are also more likely to have a copyright policy and an individual with responsibility for copyright. The results should be of interest to library managers, library educators and those with responsibility for staff training.


A new code for astrophysical magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) is described. The code has been designed to be easily extensible for use with static and adaptive mesh refinement. It combines higher order Godunov methods with the constrained transport (CT) technique to enforce the divergence-free constraint on the magnetic field. Discretization is based on cell-centered volume averages for mass, momentum, and energy, and face-centered area averages for the magnetic field. Novel features of the algorithm include (1) a consistent framework for computing the time- and edge-averaged electric fields used by CT to evolve the magnetic field from the time- and area-averaged Godunov fluxes, (2) the extension to MHD of spatial reconstruction schemes that involve a dimensionally split time advance, and (3) the extension to MHD of two different dimensionally unsplit integration methods. Implementation of the algorithm in both C and FORTRAN95 is detailed, including strategies for parallelization using domain decomposition. Results from a test suite which includes problems in one-, two-, and three-dimensions for both hydrodynamics and MHD are given, not only to demonstrate the fidelity of the algorithms, but also to enable comparisons to other methods. The source code is freely available for download on the web.


We extend the monetary DSGE model by Gertler and Karadi (2011) with a non-bank nancial intermediary to investigate the impact of monetary policy shocks on aggregate loan supply. We distinguish between bank and non-bank intermediaries based on the liquidity of their credit claims. While banks can endogenously create deposits to fund rm loans, non-banks have to raise deposits on the funding market to function as intermediaries. The funding market is modeled via search and matching by non-banks for available deposits of households. Because deposit creation responds to economy-wide productivity automatically, bank reaction to shocks corresponds to the balance sheet channel. Non-banks are constrained by the available deposits and their behavior is better explained by the lending channel. The two credit channels are aected dierently following a monetary policy shock. As a result of these counteracting eects, an increasing non-bank sector leads to a reduced reaction of aggregate loan supply following a monetary policy shock, which is consistent with the data. An extension to deposit like-issuance by the non-bank sector will allow further studies of re-regulating the non-bank sector.


ABSTRACT This article explores the two careers of rickshaw puller and policeman in colonial South Africa and in the period before unification in 1910. The terms "clothing" and "uniform" are used interchangeably, since these Zulu men were officially described as wearing regulated or prescribed clothing. There were, however, differences, since as photographic subjects, the rickshaw puller and the policeman were never photographed in the exact same clothes. Each photograph seems to have captured a unique and signature look. The instability of the "uniform" as a marker of servitude or military service is therefore attested to by the diversity of the images captured by the camera. Thus, although both professions could be said to have regulated the uniform or clothing worn by the worker, the photographs present evidence of irregularity and innovation. The latter, it will be argued, was not unique to the colony of Natal but was in fact preceded in history by the Mfengu levies who fought in the frontier wars of the eastern Cape. This genealogy that connects the Mfengu levy to the Zulu rickshaw puller and the Zulu policeman is tentatively described as a history of "career men"—that is, men who circulated from one career to another, from kitchen service to military service to running rickshaws. Needless to say, even the term "Zulu" is used advisedly here, since there was as much wishful thinking and fantasy on the part of colonial photographers as there was a tangible reality that can be termed "Zuluness".


Destroyed faces, dissolved human shapes, invisible enemies: violence and anonymity go hand in hand. The visual representation of extreme physical violence makes real people nameless exemplars of horror -- formless, hideous, defaced. In Defaced, Valentin Groebner explores the roots of the visual culture of violence in medieval and Renaissance Europe and shows how contemporary visual culture has been shaped by late medieval images and narratives of violence. For late medieval audiences, as with modern media consumers, horror lies less in the "indescribable" and "alien" than in the familiar and commonplace.From the fourteenth century onward, pictorial representations became increasingly violent, whether in depictions of the Passion, or in vivid and precise images of torture, execution, and war. But not every spectator witnessed the same thing when confronted with terrifying images of a crucified man, misshapen faces, allegedly bloodthirsty conspirators on nocturnal streets, or barbarian fiends on distant battlefields. The profusion of violent imagery provoked a question: how to distinguish the illegitimate violence that threatened and reversed the social order from the proper, "just," and sanctioned use of force? Groebner constructs a persuasive answer to this question by investigating how uncannily familiar medieval dystopias were constructed and deconstructed. Showing how extreme violence threatens to disorient, and how the effect of horror resides in the depiction of minute details, Groebner offers an original model for understanding how descriptions of atrocities and of outrageous cruelty depended, in medieval times, on the variation of familiar narrative motifs.


In this paper, we describe the Z-scan measurements of the two-photon absorption (TPA) cross section of various two-photon initiators that are suitable for real three-dimensional structuring of photo-polymerizable formulation. The value of the TPA cross section for the initiator P3K was measured to be 256 GM as the maximum value among the synthesized initiators. Procedures for a precise Z-scan measurement including the measurement of Rayleigh length and beam waist radius are presented. The effect of the pulse width on the Z-scan signal is demonstrated. We also used a flow-cell geometry instead of a static cell in order to refresh the materials to avoid the decomposition of the molecules. This resulted in a more realistic TPA cross section which has been proven by suitable reference compounds.


Abstract
This study seeks to identify the issues that need addressing in the Ministry of Education in
Oman as it seeks to expand and improve its education system. The aims of this are (1) to
highlight the issues that need addressing in the Ministry of Education, (2) to present a
background survey on different approaches of managing change (3) to survey the literature
about TQM in order to discover the underlying philosophy of TQM, its gurus, its
development and its tools and techniques, (4) to review the experience of TQM in
education, its success in this field and to also identify limitations of TQM, (5) to examine
the feasibility of applying TQM in the MOE and (6) to design a model for implementing
TQM in MOE .
Firstly, an overview of the context of the study is presented. The major internal and
external challenges that face the Ministry of Education and call for change are highlighted.
This is followed by a description of the Sultanate of Oman, its location, climate, economy,
employment, population and how all these affect education and calls for change. After that,
education in Oman, its development and structures are examined. To ascertain an
understanding of the key issues in relation to the working of the MOE a preliminary study
was carried with four focus groups of MOE's central headquarter directors, regional
directors, head teachers and teachers. The sample consists of 40 persons, 10 from each
group. From this study the following issues were identified; centralization, weak
communication, insufficient management support, weak teamwork motivation and faulty
planning.
Secondly, seven different approaches for managing change are discussed; the problemsolving
approach, the learning organization, the three-step model, the action research
model, the reengineering, Fullan's theories of managing change, and Total Quality
Management. It is argued that six of these approaches were highlighted as effective
approaches in dealing with change but do not fully match the development needs of the
Ministry of Education in Oman. However, TQM seems to provide a possible approach for
developing the Ministry of Education Central Headquarters in Oman to be able to deal with
the internal and external challenges, to solve the existing issues highlighted by the pilot
study and fulfil the aspiration of the country and its demands. Drawing on the data from
both the pilot study and the literature on TQM, a draft of TQM Model for the MOE was
generated. The proposed TQM Tree Model consists of seven TQM principles that suit the
MOE; commitment toward TQM, focus on stakeholders, involvement and empowerment,
Maryam ALNabhani, 2007 iii
continuous improvement, training and education, tools and techniques, and rewards. The
views of different groups -top management, internal stakeholders and external
stakeholders- on the proposed model of TQM and views on issues related to
implementation -were also- gathered.
The third part of the thesis reports on the methodology; the data collection and analysis;
and the conclusions and recommendations. This stage of the research used a combination
of quantitative and qualitative methods. It used a closed item questionnaire to gain a broad
feel for the acceptability of the TQM ideas and to establish a broad baseline. In addition,
open-ended questions in the questionnaire and semi-structured interviews were used for the
same purpose and to provide additional information regarding the TQM implementation;
the possible obstacles and facilitating factors. The analysis showed that TQM Tree Model
was seen to be a possible approach by top management and stakeholders to develop the
Ministry of Education in Oman. The final stage of the study was to gather the views of
those in executive positions in the MOE regarding the proposed model of TQM and to
identify issues to be considered in an implementation framework. Thus semi-structured
interviews were conducted with six of the key personnel in the MOE. Some issues arising
from the analysis of all the data collected including final set of the interviews with the
executives led to the modification of the proposed TQM Tree Model. Three supportive
factors were added as roots for the model; teamwork, budget and communication. In the
light of the results from this study, the TQM principles and implementation in education,
an implementation framework for the TQM Tree Model in the MOE in Oman is proposed.
This implementation framework consists of five stages: the decision, the preparation, the
implementation, the evaluation and rewards, and the continuous improvement. Finally the
thesis concludes with some recommendations for education development in the light of
TQM, some recommendations for the MOE regarding the TQM and some
recommendations for further studies.


We study coupled solitary waves in a photorefractive medium. For a special orientation of a cubic photorefractive crystal, stationary wave propagation in the form of coupled dark and bright solitons is possible. We classify these solutions and study their stability, using numerical simulations.


Maturity and growth characteristics were estimated for Dasyatis dipterura from western Mexico, where it is a common component of artisanal elasmobranch fisheries. Median disc width at maturity was estimated as 57.3 cm for females (n = 126) and 46.5 cm for males (n = 55) respectively. Age estimates were obtained from 304 fishery-derived specimens (169 female, 135 male). An annual pattern of band-pair deposition was validated through modified centrum edge and marginal increment analyses. Gompertz, polynomial and von Bertalanffy growth models were fit to disc width and weight-at-age data. Resulting models were evaluated based on biological rationale, standard error of model estimates, and Akaike's information criteria. Growth characteristics differed significantly between females and males. Maximum age estimates were 28 years for females and 19 years for males. Three-parameter von Bertalanffy growth models of disc width-at-age data generated the most appropriate fits and produced relatively low estimates of instantaneous growth rates for females (DW∞ = 92.4 cm, k = 0.05, t0 = –7.61, DW0 = 31.4 cm) and males (DW∞ = 62.2 cm, k = 0.10, t0 = –6.80, DW0 = 31.3 cm). These values are the lowest reported for myliobatiform stingrays and indicate slow growth rates in comparison with elasmobranchs in general.


The Supreme Court's retreat over the last thirty-plus years from the expansive Fourth Amendment and robust exclusionary rule of Katz and Mapp – the backwards march accompanied by the steady drumbeat of the threat of unsolved crimes and unpunished criminals – provides the narrative structure to criminal procedure classes everywhere. More recently and less obviously, the scope and enforcement of the Brady v. Maryland disclosure rule has been similarly curtailed. Connick v. Thompson, limiting municipal liability for Brady violations under § 1983, is the latest example; in the last ten years the Court has also called into serious doubt the application of Brady to the plea bargaining process and repeatedly adopted restrictive interpretations of the statute governing federal habeas for state prisoners, an important avenue for establishing Brady violations. This trend is more difficult to explain, at least at first glance. The Fourth Amendment exclusionary rule comes at an obvious cost to the criminal justice system's ability to convict the guilty, although the exact price is hotly contested. More broadly, the Fourth Amendment itself involves an implicit tradeoff: more privacy for less security. If there are a few more government agents looking through our phone records or arresting us on expired warrants, there are fewer unbroken crime rings and criminals going free on technicalities. Or at least that's the idea. In the Brady context, on the other hand, the tradeoffs are less obvious. As announced by the Court in 1985, exculpatory evidence is "material" under Brady "only if there is a reasonable probability that, had the evidence been disclosed to the defense, the result of the proceeding would have been different." Under this formulation, and in stark contrast to the Fourth Amendment, there is little chance of a windfall for the truly deserving of conviction – only those who may well have been acquitted had all the available evidence been presented can get relief. What, then, is motivating the Court's erosion of the Brady right and its remedies? And can it be justified? This essay suggests that, at a broad level, the answer lies in part in the Court's increasing confidence in the good faith and professionalism of police and prosecutors. Brady and its kin were crafted in an era of greater judicial skepticism of the motives and techniques of the actors in the criminal justice system, and as that skepticism has faded, so has Brady. Whether and to what extent this increased faith is warranted on its own terms is a subject of considerable debate, but even if it is, this essay argues that our evolving understanding of the causes of error – and specifically how it can systematically occur despite the absence of bad faith – in criminal justice militates strongly in favor of retaining Brady and other skeptical rules.


The pleiotropic cytokine interleukin-6 (IL-6) has been proposed to contribute to circadian regulation of sleepiness by increasing in the blood at night to signal for sleepiness. Earlier studies have reported diurnal variations of IL-6, but phase estimates are conflicting. We have therefore performed a meta-analysis on the diurnal variation of circulating IL-6. Studies were included if they reported circulating levels of IL-6 recorded at least twice within 24 hours in the same individual. A systematic search resulted in the inclusion of 43 studies with 56 datasets, for a total of 1100 participants. Individual participant data were available from 4 datasets with a total of 56 participants. Mixed-effects meta-regression modelling confirmed that IL-6 varied across the day, the most conspicuous effect being a trough in the morning. These results stand in contrast to earlier findings of a peak in the evening or night, and suggest that diurnal variation should be taken into account in order to avoid confounding in studies of IL-6 in plasma or serum.


From the Publisher:
Captivate your students - and entice new students to the electrical engineering major - with Roman Kuc's illuminating look at how commonplace information systems, like infra-red auto-focus cameras, compact disc systems, bar codes, credit and smart cards work, and how clever engineering solutions are used to solve technical problems. Designed for readers with no science background, the book introduces them to the thought processes used by electrical engineers to think quantitatively and then design useful systems. As a result, readers not only learn the facts behind information and transmission, coding and storage, but how these systems came to be developed in response to a shift of information to a digital medium. Unlike traditional science texts that begin with theory and then illustrate that theory with applications, this book starts with practical, real-world systems and then presents the physical theory and mathematical analysis required to understand their operation.


The size-dependent static deflection, pull-in instability and resonant frequency of a circular microplate under capillary force have been studied using modified couple stress elasticity theory. SiZe-dependency is a phenomenon in which the normalized quantities that classical elasticity theory predicts to be independent of the structure size, such as normalized deflection or normalized frequency, vary significantly as the structure size changes. This phenomenon has been observed in micro-scale structures such as micro-electro-mechanical-systems (MEMS). Since classical elasticity theory is unable to predict the size-dependency, non-classical elasticity theories such as modified couple stress theory have been developed recently. In this paper, modified couple stress theory is used for the first time to develop the governing equation and boundary conditions of circular microplates when subjected to capillary force. Consideration of capillary force is important since it is has a significant role in the mechanical behavior and stability of micro-scale structures in the presence of a liquid bridge. We investigated the static deflection and pull-in instability of microplates using the Galerkin method to assess the effect of size-dependency for static deflection. We observed that, as the ratio of the microplate thickness to length scale parameter (an additional material property suggested in modified couple stress theory to capture the size-dependency) decreases, the normalized deflection of the microplate also decreases. We further observed that the difference between the normalized deflection predicted by classical elasticity theory and the one evaluated using modified couple stress theory is significant when thickness of the microplate is small, but diminishes as thickness increases. Furthermore, we defined a dimensionless number called the dimensionless capillary tension (DCT) as a function of the mechanical, geometrical and size-dependent properties of the microplate as well as the characteristics of the liquid bridge such as the contact angle and the interfacial tension. We showed that for DCT values greater than a threshold evaluated in this paper, pull-in instability happens and the microplate collapses to the substrate. Moreover, we evaluated the size-dependent resonant frequency of the microplate under capillary force as a function of the DCT and obtained the result that the frequency decreases as DCT increases. In addition, our investigation of size-dependency revealed that as the ratio of the microplate thickness to length scale parameter increases, the frequency decreases in a way that for large values of, the ratio, it asymptotically approaches the value predicted by classical elasticity theory.


Gasoline and diesel are the main sources of fuel required for modern life and transportation, and the adjustment of gasoline and diesel prices has become a major public issue. The drastic fluctuations in recent international oil prices have affected retail gasoline and diesel prices also in the Western Balkan countries and prompted public opinion to question the pricing behaviors of oil companies. Kosova, in the period of 17 years, has gone from a post-conflict  environment  into a state which is considered to be under transition. It has passed the reconstruction period by orienting itself toward the economic development  and European Integrations.  Price and income elasticities of gasoline demand show whether the price policy, pursued by the Kosova government, can decrease the high gasoline consumption sufficiently or not. The high deficit of the current account of balance of payments is also a concern for the Kosova's economy; which is estimated up to 17.3% of the GDP after the foreign intervention.   The deficit of current account is being considered is related to the energy dependency. Therefore, in order to overcome such problems, control over the gasoline demand is needed to control the deficit of current accounts. Keywords: oil price, economic development, imports, trade deficit.


The structural control of Al-Si alloy, which was not studied among various electromagnetic processing of materials, was considered applying the alternating current and direct current magnetic flux density. The main aim of the present study is to investigate the effects of electromagnetic vibration on the macro and microstructure of Al-Si alloy in order to develop a new process of structural control in Al-Si alloy. When the electromagnetic vibration is conducted for changing the shape of primary aluminum, at low frequency (≤ 60Hz), the shape of dendrite is changed speroidal shape. When the electromagnetic vibration is conducted for changing the shape of eutectic silicon, the fact that a morphological change of the eutectic silicon from coarse platelet flakes to fine fiber shape is observed with EMV (Electro Magnetic Vibration) process at high frequency(≥ 500Hz).


Locating faulty processors in a multiprocessor system gives the motivation for locating-dominating codes. We consider these codes in binary hypercubes and generalize the concept for the situation in which we want to locate more than one malfunctioning processor.


This article reports the performance of 15-year-old students of Hong Kong in scientific literacy in an international study called PISA 2000. Hong Kong ranks the third position among 41 participating countries/regions. The mean scores of Hong Kong students are higher than those of the OECD countries at all ability levels, and the difference is particularly great in the lower percentile levels. The high achievement of Hong Kong students in scientific literacy is attributed to the emphasis of the junior science curriculum on an investigative approach, and the adequate provision of qualified science teachers, supporting laboratory staff, laboratories and equipment. The strengths and weaknesses of Hong Kong students in different aspects of the scientific literacy framework are discussed. Suggestions are put forward to improve the science education of Hong Kong for developing scientific literacy in all students.


In this article we argue that the current endeavors to achieve open access in scientific literature require a discussion about innovation in scholarly publishing and research infrastructure. Drawing on path dependence theory and addressing different open access (OA) models and recent political endeavors, we argue that academia is once again running the risk of outsourcing the organization of its content.


We analyze classroom orchestration as a question of usability in which the classroom is the user. Our experiments revealed design features that reduce the global orchestration load. According to our studies in vocational schools, paper-based interfaces have the potential of making educational workflows tangible, i.e. both visible and manipulable. Our studies in university classes converge on minimalism: they reveal the effectiveness o tools that make visible what is invisible but do not analyze, predict or decide for teachers. These studies revealed a third circle of usability. The first circle concerns individual usability (HCI). The second circle is about design for teams (CSCL/CSCW). The third circle raises design choices that impart visibility, reification and minimalism on classroom orchestration. The fact that a CSCL environment allows or not students to look at what the next team is doing (e.g. tabletops versus desktops) illustrates the third circle issues that are important for orchestration.


n There is no shortage of literature on the need for sustainable tourism, yet relatively few authors have examined how this is being achieved in practice and its implications for specific regions of the world. This study aims to identify and assess tourism corporate social responsibility practices and codes of conduct, whether put out by international or non-government organizations or selfimposed by corporations. The study also set out to determine demand for sustainable tourism. By identifying the current status of sustainability within the tourism industry, it is possible to determine what actions are needed to further this agenda, especially in areas such as the Caribbean. The question first arose as part of a larger study, conducted for the World Bank/International Finance Corporation (Dodds & Joppe, 2005), however, this study provided a larger scope regarding access to tourism markets by lesser developed countries.


Many early charts featured sketches of the coastline, providing a good picture of what the shore looked like from the bridge of a ship. These helped the mariner to distinguish one port from another during an approach and establish their rough position within that approach. More recent experimental 3D chart interfaces have incorporated 3D models of land topography and man-made structures to perform the same function. However, topography is typically captured from the air, by means of stereophotogrammetry or lidar and fails to present a good representation of what is seen from a vessel's bridge. We have been conducting an investigation of ways to present photographic imagery to the mariner to better capture the utility of the early coastline sketches. Our focus has been on navigation in restricted waters, using the Piscataqua River as a test area. This is part of our "Chart-of-the-Future" project being conducted by The Data Visualization Research Lab at the UNH Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping. Through our investigation, we have developed a new method for presenting photographic imagery to the mariner, in the form of a series of panoramic images progressing down the channel. The panoramas consist of images stitched almost seamlessly together into circular arcs, whose centers are intended to be close to the position of a vessel's bridge during transit. When viewed from this center, there is no distortion, and distortion increases to a maximum between two panorama centers. Our preliminary trials suggest that panoramas can provide an excellent supplement to electronic navigation aids by making them visible in the context of what can be seen out the window. We believe panoramas will be especially useful both in familiarizing a mariner with an unfamiliar approach during planning, and in enhancing situational awareness at times of reduced visibility such as in fog, dusk, or nightfall.


In this work, using density functional theory, we have characterized the CO2 reduction capabilities of a series of nine transition-metal-chelated nitrogen-substituted carbon nanotube models (TM-4N2v-CNT). Each of the chelated models consists of a four-N-substituted and one vacancy framework to mimic square planar homogeneous catalysts, and is coordinated to Fe, Ru, Os, Co, Rh, Ir, Ni, Pt or Cu. The results are further investigated to search for the possible electrochemical intermediates along the CO2 reduction pathway. We've found that all of the tested elements are predicted to favor the hydrogen evolution reaction over CO2 reduction energetically (with the exception of Cu), and that only Group 8 elements are predicted to bind CO effectively and other cases prefer HCOOH formation. The observed CO binding preference could be rationalized via ligand field theory based on the molecular orbitals of the square planar complexes. With a suitable applied voltage to stabilize all of the adsorbed CO intermediates, Ru and Os are predicted to produce CH4, whereas Fe is predicted to produce CH3OH. Increasing the curvature of the CNT could reduce the required potential in the potential-determining step substantially. However, the predicted catalytic sequence is subject to only the selection of a metal center.


Insects of the order Embioptera, known as embiopterans, embiids, or webspinners, weave silk fibers together into sheets to make shelters called galleries. In this study, we show that silk galleries produced by the embiopteran Antipaluria urichi exhibit a highly hydrophobic wetting state with high water adhesion macroscopically equivalent to the rose petal effect. Specifically, the silk sheets have advancing contact angles above 150°, but receding contact angle approaching 0°. The silk sheets consist of layered fiber bundles with single strands spaced by microscale gaps. Scanning and transmission electron microscopy (SEM, TEM) images of silk treated with organic solvent and gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) of the organic extract support the presence of a lipid outer layer on the silk fibers. We use cryogenic SEM to demonstrate that water drops reside on only the first layer of the silk fibers. The area fraction of this sparse outer silk layers is 0.1 to 0.3, which according to the Cassie-Baxter equation yields an effective static contact angle of ∼130° even for a mildly hydrophobic lipid coating. Using high magnification optical imaging of the three phase contact line of a water droplet receding from the silk sheet, we show that the high adhesion of the drop stems from water pinning along bundles of multiple silk fibers. The bundles likely form when the drop contact line is pinned on individual fibers and pulls them together as it recedes. The dynamic reorganization of the silk sheets during the droplet movement leads to formation of "super-pinning sites" that give embiopteran silk one of the strongest adhesions to water of any natural hydrophobic surface.


Harmonised microdata show a Gini coefficient for per capita total income of 45.3 percent in China 2002 and 33.6 percent in Russia 2003. A much larger urban to rural income gap in combination with a much smaller proportion of people living in urban areas in China are important reasons for this cross-country difference in inequality. Wage is a more non-equalising income source in China than in Russia. While Russian public transfers reduce income inequality, Chinese public transfers increase income inequality. Cross-country differences in the process of transition are also found to be significant. A relatively large non-agriculture self-employment sector is non-equalising in rural China, but is also narrowing the urban to rural income gap. In contrast to the many cross-country differences revealed, we report income inequality among urban residents in China and in urban Russia to be very similar.


Electron transfer (ET) processes in DNA are of current interest because of their involvement in oxidative strand cleavage reactions and their relevance to the development of molecular electronics. Two mechanisms have been identified for ET in DNA, a single-step tunneling process and a multistep charge-hopping process. The dynamics of tunneling reactions depend on both the distance between the electron donor and acceptor and the nature of the molecular bridge separating the donor and acceptor. In the case of protein and alkane bridges, the distance dependence is not strongly dependent on the properties of the donor and acceptor. In contrast, we show here that the distance decay of DNA ET rates varies markedly with the energetics of the donor and acceptor relative to the bridge. Specifically, we find that an increase in the energy of the bridge states by 0.25 eV (1 eV = 1.602 × 10−19 J) relative to the donor and acceptor energies for photochemical oxidation of nucleotides, without changing the reaction free energy, results in an increase in the characteristic exponential distance decay constant for the ET rates from 0.71 to 1.1 Å−1. These results show that, in the small tunneling energy gap regime of DNA ET, the distance dependence is not universal; it varies strongly with the tunneling energy gap. These DNA ET reactions fill a "missing link" or transition regime between the large barrier (rapidly decaying) tunneling regime and the (slowly decaying) hopping regime in the general theory of bridge-mediated ET processes.


In this paper we present results gathered from field trials while using a pervasive game, called Geo-Zombie. It intermixes reality with virtual zombies, providing a game experience to be lived in the urban environment. Geo-Zombie is designed for a specific goal: engaging people in collecting geo-referenced data about urban accessibility. The game has been designed with the aim to involve a large number of players/volunteers in the activity of signaling urban barriers while walking. To get ammo to react to a zombie attack, in fact, players can sense/map (crowdsensing) urban barriers and facilities and transmit those information back to an operative center (crowdsourcing). With the aim to assess the efficacy of Geo-Zombie, we conducted real experiments contrasting three different mobile apps, specifically designed to: i) simply collect urban information without providing any gaming experience (Basic), ii) reward volunteers that participate in the crowdsourcing activity (Reward), and iii) provide fun and entertainment to players who contribute (Geo-Zombie). We here provide results along two different perspectives: a quantitative one (e.g., number of collected data and similar) and a qualitative one (i.e., the players' experience). These results confirm the feasibility and suitability of our approach and stimulate interesting discussions.


Insulin serves as the body's signal for the fed or fasted state. High insulin levels, the "fed" signal, initiate tissue uptake and storage of fuels. Low insulin levels, the "fasted" signal, initiate mobilization of stored fuels from tissue stores, the rate being proportional to the lowness of the insulin. Certain metabolic states such as obesity or trauma alter the concentration of insulin at which no net transfer of fuel occurs, resulting in insulin resistance or hyper-sensitivity.


Utopia Limited is an original, engaging account of how postmodernism emerged from the political and cultural upheaval of the 1960s. Marianne DeKoven argues that aspects of sixties radical politics and culture simultaneously embodied the full, final flowering of the modern and the beginning of the postmodern. Analyzing classic sixties texts, DeKoven shows where the utopian master narratives underlying the radical and countercultural movements gave way to the "utopia limited" of the postmodern as a range of competing political values and desires came to the fore. She identifies the pivots where the modern was superseded by the nascent postmodern: where modern mass culture was replaced by postmodern popular culture, modern egalitarianism morphed into postmodern populism, and modern individualism fragmented into postmodern politics and cultures of subjectivity.

DeKoven rigorously analyzes a broad array of cultural and political texts important in the sixties—from popular favorites such as William S. Burroughs's Naked Lunch to political manifestoes including The Port Huron Statement, the founding document of SDS (Students for a Democratic Society). She examines texts that overtly discuss the conflict in Vietnam, Black Power, and second-wave feminism—including Frances FitzGerald's Fire in the Lake, James Baldwin's The Fire Next Time, and Shulamith Firestone's The Dialectic of Sex; experimental pieces such as The Living Theatre's Paradise Now; influential philosophical works including Roland Barthes's Mythologies and Herbert Marcuse's One-Dimensional Man ; and explorations of Las Vegas, the prime location of postmodernity. Providing extensive annotated bibliographies on both the sixties and postmodernism, Utopia Limited is an invaluable resource for understanding the impact of that tumultuous decade on the present.


Twenty-five genera and 32 species of Eocene shallow-marine ostracods from Madagascar were examined for taxonomy and palaeobiogeography. Eight new species – Paijenborchellina madagascarensis sp. nov., Neocyprideis polygonoreticulata sp. nov., Alciella irizukii sp. nov., Neomonoceratina afroangulosa sp. nov., Muellerina eocenica sp. nov., Stigmatobradleya hunti gen. et sp. nov., Uroleberis paranuda sp. nov., Xestoleberis renemai sp. nov. – and one new genus – Stigmatobradleya gen. nov. – are described. Eocene Malagasy ostracods showed a strong affinity to the Eocene East Tethyan fauna in Arab-Africa and Indo-Pakistan. They also showed certain affinity to the Eocene West Tethyan fauna in Europe. One species, Pokornyella lamarckiana sensu lato, showed a very wide Eocene geographical distribution, covering Europe, Indo-Pakistan, Arab-Africa, Japan and perhaps North America. These results indicate that the East African, Arabian, and Indo-Pakistan regions constitute the East Tethyan palaeobiogeographical sub-realm, with considerable faunal similarity found across the regions. This sub-realm extends to south-eastern Africa in the south and is a part of the broader Tethyan palaeobiogeographical realm with certain, but less, palaeobiogeographical similarity. The spatial extent of the Tethys palaobiogeographical realm sensu lato includes Asia-Oceania in the east and eastern America in the west. Based on our results, we suggest a need to update the scheme of global ostracod biogeographical division. http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:C98E65A2-FEB8-4D63-B294-7A1A22C51F5E


This thesis addresses the problem of tether shape contrai for small remotely operated underwater vehicles (mini-ROVs), which are suitable, thanks to their small size and high maneuverability, for the exploration of shallow waters and cluttered spaces. The management of the tether is, however, a hard task, since these robots do not have enough propulsion power to counterbalance the drag forces acting on the tether cable. ln order to cape with this problem, we introduced the concept of a Chain of miniROVs, where several robots are linked to the tether cable and can, together, manage the external perturbations and contrai the shape of the cable. We investigated the use of the embedded cameras to regulate the shape of a portion of tether linking two successive robots, a leader and a follower. Only the follower robot deals with the tether shape regulation task. The leader is released to explore its surroundings. The tether linking bath robots is assumed to be negatively buoyant and is modeled by a catenary. The tether shape parameters are estimated in real-time by a nonlinear optimization procedure that fits the catenary model to the tether detected points in the image. The shape parameter regulation is thus achieved through a catenary-based contrai scheme relating the robot motion with the tether shape variation. The proposed visual servoing contrai scheme has proved to properly manage the tether shape in simulations and real experiments in pool.


The public health community generally agrees that TV exposure influences children's cognitions and behaviors. Research on TV's influence on children's eating habits has mainly analyzed advertisements aired during TV programs for children and how they influence children's food preferences and practices. Yet little is known about the food messages children encounter in the content of their favorite programs. Most previous studies may have underestimated children's total exposure by failing to take food exposures within programming into account. The current study addresses this by examining the amount and characteristics of food content appearing in commercials and the content of shows seen by children in Peru. Using a sample of children's TV programs and the ads run during the programs' commercial breaks, it was found that overall, 17% of all commercials in the sample were for food and beverages, and 28% of all the program content included food items such as water, fruit, snacks, or prepared meals. Overall, children in Peru seem to be exposed to TV messages about food and beverages that mostly should be consumed only sparingly.


We consider the problem of undiscounted reinforcement learning in continuous state space. Regret bounds in this setting usually hold under various assumptions on the structure of the reward and transition function. Under the assumption that the rewards and transition probabilities are Lipschitz, for 1-dimensional state space a regret bound of O(T3/4 after any T steps has been given by Ortner and Ryabko (2012). Here we improve upon this result by using non-parametric kernel density estimation for estimating the transition probability distributions, and obtain regret bounds that depend on the smoothness of the transition probability distributions. In particular, under the assumption that the transition probability functions are smoothly differentiable, the regret bound is shown to be O(T2/3 asymptotically for reinforcement learning in 1-dimensional state space. Finally, we also derive improved regret bounds for higher dimensional state space.


Cloud computing (CC) may be an assortment of assorted services for illustration code storage, network and hardware these variety of services square measure provided to user. Cloud storage is well access any place any time of the info as a result of cloud is figure in remote location. It uses the storage service provided by the cloud supplier. Information isn't secure within the cloud as a result of the unauthorized user will attempt to use of the non-public information. Thus providing the info security it uses the various secret writing techniques to safeguard the info in order that within the projected study it use the construction secret writing formula. Within the construction secret writing it combines 2 completely different algorithms for providing the


The light transmittance behaviour of four different coloured curtain fabrics has been studied under natural lightingconditions (morning, afternoon and evening). The intensity of incident sunlight and transmitted light from the samples aremeasured using Luxmeter, in an enclosed black chamber. The percentage of transmitted light is calculated with reference tothe incident sunlight, to study the influence of colour and number of fabric layers. It is observed that the transmittancebehaviour of curtain fabrics is highly influenced by its colour due to the spectrum of colours, which is followed by theinfluence of number of layers and sunlight conditions. Further, the transmittance % of curtain is also influenced by thewavelength of incident sunlight.


Improving power quality for sensitive load by a Unified Power Quality Conditioner (UPQC) in a distributed generation system is presented in this paper. The power balance of a UPQC, consisting of back-to-back connected series and shunt Active Filters (AF), is analysed. Based on the analysis a novel control scheme is established in a 2-phase Synchronous Rotating d-q Frame (SRF). In this control scheme the series AF is controlled as a current source and makes the input current sinusoidal, while the shunt AF is controlled as a voltage source and keeps the load voltage in the normal value. With the proposed control strategy, the UPQC is capable of compensating not only harmonic and reactive currents of the load but also grid voltage distortion. There is no harmonic interference between harmonic-producing loads and harmonic-sensitive loads, which are connected on the common bus. The performance of a UPQC with the proposed control scheme under nonlinear load and grid voltage distortion is investigated with simulation as well as experimental works.


A hydrogel binds to inflamed tissues, delivering therapeutics locally and reducing systemic drug exposure in mouse models of inflammatory bowel disease. Charged gels cozy up to inflamed tissues Inflammation is a driving factor of many chronic diseases, such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). To get potent drugs right to the site of inflammation, Zhang et al. designed a negatively charged hydrogel that could self-assemble and deliver hydrophobic anti-inflammatory drugs directly to the inflamed colon surface, which is positively charged. Dexamethasone-loaded hydrogels were administered as an enema to a genetic mouse model of ulcerative colitis (UC)—a type of IBD. The hydrogels relieved inflammation in the animals more effectively than did the free drug, which runs the risk of also affecting healthy tissues. In tissue samples from patients with UC and in another chemically induced mouse model of colitis, the hydrogel microfibers preferentially stuck to the inflamed regions. These findings together suggest that this new gel-based delivery system could reach and directly treat areas of epithelial inflammation in humans. There is a clinical need for new, more effective treatments for chronic and debilitating inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. Targeting drugs selectively to the inflamed intestine may improve therapeutic outcomes and minimize systemic toxicity. We report the development of an inflammation-targeting hydrogel (IT-hydrogel) that acts as a drug delivery system to the inflamed colon. Hydrogel microfibers were generated from ascorbyl palmitate, an amphiphile that is generally recognized as safe (GRAS) by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. IT-hydrogel microfibers loaded with the anti-inflammatory corticosteroid dexamethasone (Dex) were stable, released drug only upon enzymatic digestion, and demonstrated preferential adhesion to inflamed epithelial surfaces in vitro and in two mouse colitis models in vivo. Dex-loaded IT-hydrogel enemas, but not free Dex enemas, administered every other day to mice with colitis resulted in a significant reduction in inflammation and were associated with lower Dex peak serum concentrations and, thus, less systemic drug exposure. Ex vivo analysis of colon tissue samples from patients with ulcerative colitis demonstrated that IT-hydrogel microfibers adhered preferentially to mucosa from inflamed lesions compared with histologically normal sites. The IT-hydrogel drug delivery platform represents a promising approach for targeted enema-based therapies in patients with colonic IBD.


Statistics can be used to reveal cheating and corruption. Statistics can see what cannot be perceived with the naked eye. This article discusses the disclosure of cheating by statistics seen in relation to similar studies. The evaluation process of a semester course at a university is a data generating process. After the rules the teacher hands out questionnaires to the students at the end of a lecture and leaves the room. While seated in rows in the auditorium the students fill in the blanks. The completed questionnaires are collected in bunches for each row and then combined to one bunch, which a student brings to the secretariat. At the secretariat the questionnaires are numbered in the order they came in. The data are entered in a computer where average and standard deviation are calculated. The result is sent to the teacher along with the filled out questionnaires for his comments. The question is here: Could the teacher have filled out the questionnaires himself? If the answer is yes, this paper shows how he can be revealed.


In Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART), oocyte retrieval is a vital step. It was initially performed through laparoscopy, which was complex and difficult and of low efficiency. Ultrasound-guided transvaginal oocyte retrieval was safer and more effective; it is presently the standard operation for in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment. Theoretically, oocyte retention is achievable after the initial aspirate due to abnormal development of the follicle or oocyte and human technical factors, and such retention could be overcome by recurrent follicular flushing. Follicular flushing is considered to maximize the number of oocytes retrieved and thereafter to improve the rate of IVF pregnancy. There are a number of factors that can affect egg collection and/or egg damage. These involve variables like pump vacuum flow, velocity, needle bore size and length, follicle pressure and size, and collection techniques. Cook Medical Technology, Brisbane, has developed appropriate equipment to study the factors influencing the success of egg collection and the cause of egg trauma.


The substantial decline in the Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PCP) incidence in HIV-infected patients after the introduction of antiretroviral therapy (ART) in resource-rich settings and the growing number of non-HIV-infected immunocompromised patients at risk leads to considerable epidemiologic changes with clinical, diagnostic, and treatment consequences for physicians. HIV-infected patients usually develop a subacute course of disease, while non-HIV-infected immunocompromised patients are characterized by a rapid disease progression with higher risk of respiratory failure and higher mortality. The main symptoms usually include exertional dyspnea, dry cough, and subfebrile temperature or fever. Lactate dehydrogenase may be elevated. Typical findings on computed tomography scans of the chest are bilateral ground-glass opacities with or without cystic lesions, which are usually associated with the presence of AIDS. Empiric treatment should be initiated as soon as PCP is suspected. Bronchoalveolar lavage has a higher diagnostic yield compared to induced sputum. Immunofluorescence is superior to conventional staining. A combination of different diagnostic tests such as microscopy, polymerase chain reaction, and (1,3)-β-D-glucan is recommended. Trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole for 21 days is the treatment of choice in adults and children. Alternative treatment regimens include dapsone with trimethoprim, clindamycin with primaquine, atovaquone, or pentamidine. Patients with moderate to severe disease should receive adjunctive corticosteroids. In newly diagnosed HIV-infected patients with PCP, ART should be initiated as soon as possible. In non-HIV-infected immunocompromised patients, improvement of the immune status should be discussed (e.g., temporary reduction of immunosuppressive agents). PCP prophylaxis is effective and depends on the immune status of the patient and the underlying immunocompromising disease.


SUMMARY In this study, we investigated the efficacy of respirable large porous PLGA particles of montelukast in alleviating the symptoms of asthma in a rat model. PLGA particles of montelukast were prepared using a double emulsion-solvent evaporation method and the porosity was adjusted by incorporating polyethyleneimine (PEI), as a porosigen. Large porous particles (PEI-1) showed acceptable physicochemical properties and favorable release profiles for pulmonary administration. Compared to non-porous particles, PEI-1 showed reduced uptake by alveolar macrophages and increased deposition onto rat lungs. PEI-1 significantly reduced infiltration of inflammatory cells in the airways and narrowing of airway lumens in asthmatic rats. Overall, the preliminary data suggest that inhaled prolonged release montelukast particles could be used as an alternative to oral form of the drug.


Isotopic abundances are reported for lead extracted from 1 galena and 96 uranium minerals. The radiogenic leads are mostly from the Athabasca province of the Canadian Shield. Chemical analyses are given for 9 of the uranium-bearing minerals. Ages have been calculated from the radiogenic Pb 207 /Pb 206 ratios for all samples with sufficiently low common lead contamination, and from the Pb 206 /U 238 ratios for the chemically analyzed samples. These have been used to establish that the Athabasca province was being actively mountain built from 1860 to 1630 million years ago, but not subsequently. It is suggested that the many younger ages determined for the pitchblende deposits in that region are correct and indicate solution and redeposition of the deposits at a later time. The method of extracting and preparing small quantities of lead as lead tetramethyl for analysis in a mass spectrometer is described.


The Xinanjiang model has been widely used in the humid regions in southern China as a basic tool for rainfall–runoff simulation, flood forecasting and water resources planning and management. However, its performance in the arid and semi-arid regions of northern China is usually not so good as in the humid regions. A modified Xinanjiang model, in which runoff generation in the watershed is based on both infiltration excess and saturation excess runoff mechanisms, is presented and discussed. Three different watersheds are selected for assessing and comparing the performance of the Xinanjiang model, the modified Xinanjiang model, the VIC model and the TOPMODEL in rainfall–runoff simulation. It is found that the modified Xinanjiang model performs better than the Xinanjiang model, and the models considering the Horton and Dunne runoff generation mechanisms are slightly better than those models considering the single runoff generation mechanism in semi-arid areas. It is suggested that the infiltration excess runoff mechanism should be included in rainfall–runoff models in arid and semi-arid regions.


Women commit sexual offenses, but the proportion of sexual offenders who are female is subject to debates. Based on 17 samples from 12 countries, the current meta-analysis found that a small proportion of sexual offenses reported to police are committed by females (fixed-effect meta-analytical average = 2.2%). In contrast, victimization surveys indicated prevalence rates of female sexual offenders that were six times higher than official data (fixed-effect meta-analytical average = 11.6%). Female sexual offenders are more common among juvenile offenders than adult offenders, with approximately 2 percentage points more female juvenile sex offenders than female adult sex offenders. We also found that males were much more likely to self-report being victimized by female sex offenders compared with females (40% vs. 4%). The current study provides a robust estimate of the prevalence of female sexual offending, using a large sample of sexual offenses across diverse countries.


Strategic planning has become an integral part of the management of higher education institutions worldwide. The experiences of all but one of the Republic of Ireland's 21 Universities and Institutes of Technology with strategic planning are explored from 2000-2010. At the starting point in 2000 only two Institutions had a documented strategic plan. Ten years later all had undergone one or more iterations of strategic planning. Qualitative research methods were used including document analysis of n=42 strategic plans, n=12 institutional review reports and n=26 interviews with senior managers with responsibility for strategic planning. The paper considers whether the strategic planning models used in the past decade will be able to meet the challenges presented by unprecedented economic circumstances and the new national strategy for higher education in Ireland. Significant deficits are identified with respect to strategic planning for institutional diversity, performance-related funding and external stakeholder engagement. Fundamental questions are raised in relation to the approaches taken to strategy development.


The general mechanism and biological effects of stress are dealt with. Investigations performed on semidomesticated reindeer concerning the stress response under different herding and management conditions are presented and discussed. The findings indicate that: Reindeer are susceptible to management stress and that their degree of tameness plays an important role in the development of stress lesions such as muscular and myocardial degeneration and abomasal haemorrhages, etc. The animals are not favoured by rests between events of stress exposure as the effects produced tend to be cumulative. Depletion of muscular glycogen stores, increased catabolism of muscular protein, muscular degeneration and increased blood-urea levels can not be excluded as a cause of an altered and bad taste of the meat, i.e. a bad meat quality. Thus prolonged and repeated manual handling and transportation of live animals should be avoided. The use of helicopters or other motor vehicles must be correlated to the tameness of the animals and to environmental conditions. Stress due to incorrect management methods may, by means of stress induced lesions, severly affect the productivity of reindeer.


During the African Campaigns that Portugal fought between 1961 and 1974 to retain its colonial domains, it used many of the elements of national power aside from the military one to neutralize the nationalist movements by stalemating them within their sanctuaries, diluting their leadership, or isolating them in the barren wastelands that make up much of Africa. Here we shall examine this strategy of neutralisation, its application in Angola specifically, and the degree of success that it enjoyed. In counterinsurgency, or more accurately in this case contra-subversão, the military element often plays a secondary role to the economic, diplomatic, and informational elements. Portugal was able to leverage the soft power of these alongside its low-intensity military fight to trump insurgent activities successfully in Angola, much more so than in its other two fronts of Guinea and Mozambique. Indeed, Angola was uniquely positioned geopolitically in Africa to provide Portugal many levers of power. As we shall see, a key part of this strategy was gaining the cooperation of its neighbours, friend or foe, willing or reluctant, to achieve mutually beneficial economic and security results that could cause a subordination of ideological differences and a rein on common insurgent activity, and in effect, push its defensive perimeter away from its borders. This essay will first set the political and economic scenes in the Congo and Zambia and then examine the Portuguese methodology for dealing with its neighbours.


This article presents a framework for symmetry-guided texture synthesis and processing. It is motivated by the long-standing problem of how to optimize, transfer, and control the spatial patterns in textures. The key idea is that symmetry representations that measure autocorrelations with respect to all transformations of a group are a natural way to describe spatial patterns in many real-world textures. To leverage this idea, we provide methods to transfer symmetry representations from one texture to another, process the symmetries of a texture, and optimize textures with respect to properties of their symmetry representations. These methods are automatic and robust, as they don't require explicit detection of discrete symmetries. Applications are investigated for optimizing, processing, and transferring symmetries and textures.


This mixed methods study involved 332 high school students and investigated those factors that students perceived as having facilitated their success in New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) Scholarship. A key finding from this study suggests that New Zealand Scholarship students form a connection with at least one teacher and consider this relationship to be a catalyst in their success. Family, peers and friends play a lesser but still important role in the student's success, providing support for the student. These successful students reported reduced time spent in extracurricular activities in order to prepare for subjects in which they believed they would be successful. Students related experiences where teachers, schools and some learning communities were not supportive of their aspirations for high academic achievement, and described the impact of this on their quest for Scholarship success. This research has identified a number of aspects relating to high academic achievement and New Zealand secondary education that require further investigation. These include an investigation into those practices of teachers who work with high-ability students to yield greater understanding of the beliefs that teachers hold about teaching high-ability students and the ways in which these beliefs affect student outcomes.


In response to growing systemic awareness of the need to prepare school students for workplace participation, school-sponsored workplace learning was established as part of the secondary school curriculum in most Western democracies by the 1980s. By the 1990s contracting youth labour markets and qualitative changes in acceptable workforce credentials accompanying economic globalisation, technological change and industry restructuring had highlighted the role of school-sponsored workplace learning in school-based vocational education and training programs. Concurrently, complementary interest has emerged about school-sponsored workplace learnings' influence on school students' affective development, particularly about its potential to motivate students from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds to maintain and extend their education and/or training beyond the compulsory school leaving age.
Despite anecdotal evidence supporting claims for positive affective outcomes for students participating in school-sponsored workplace learning, relatively little empirical research has been undertaken to provide substantive evidence supporting those claims. One facet of this study seeks to address this shortfall. Using a pretest-posttest survey form of the non-equivalent control group design, the study's matched pairs analysis describes positive treatment effects for both genders in motivation for school learning at the first three levels of the Affective Domain Taxonomy (Krathwohl, Bloom, & Masia, 1964). Moreover, these positive treatment effects were of sufficient statistical significance and power to accept the hypothesis that socio-economically disadvantaged female high school students will report improved motivation for school learning at Level 3 (Valuing) of the Taxonomy following participation in workplace learning. In so doing, this aspect of the study contributes to closing the descriptive - correlational - experimental research loop for this field of enquiry (Rosenshine & Furst, 1973).

Correspondingly, little is known of the affectivity attending workplace mentoring roles for school-sponsored workplace learning. In the second facet of this study affectivity attending host workplace mentoring roles is described by adapted forms of organizational spontaneity (George & Brief, 1992) that are structured on multiple levels of analysis (Cote,1999) based on workplace context layers (O'Connor, 1994b). Data collection of evidence for workplace mentors' affectivity adopted a positivist approach and, through combined quantitative and qualitative analyses, showed that positive affect in the workplace was attended by mentoring activities such as helping co-workers, developing oneself, and spreading goodwill. This positive affect was found to attend workplace mentoring activity at the individual, work teams or groups, work section or department, and enterprise workplace context layers. These findings add to the embryonic literature concerning host workplace mentors' affective responses to hosting school students for workplace learning. The study has implications for future research and consideration by systemic policy makers, school-level personnel, and host workplace enterprises.


It is shown that a detailed sub microscopic consideration denies the wave-particle duality for both material particles and field particles, such as photons. In the case of particles, their \psi-wave function is interpreted as the particle's field of inertia and hence this field is characterised by its own field carriers, inertons. Inertons and photons are considered as quasi-particles, excitations of the real space constructed in the form of a tessel-lattice. The diffraction of photons is explained as the deflection of photons from their path owing to transverse flows of inertons, which appear in the substance under consideration at the decay of non-equilibrium phonons produced by transient photons.


For over ten years, Siemens AG has accumulated experience in the field of knowledge networking through different solutions. The so-called TechnoWeb was introduced in a software development division with 6,000 employees at Siemens AG Austria in 1998. In June 2009, the Executive Board of Siemens AG decided that this platform will be based on a new technology, Liferay, and rolled out companywide, because of the intention to examine the potential of the service for the entire company. The new platform should support a heterogeneous group of more than 40,000 potential users to connect to each other and share information. The case study describes the accumulated experience in the implementation of the platform.


We give a microscopic description of the optical bistability, where the transmission coefficient has two different values as a function of input light intensity, and the system exhibits a discontinuous jump with a hysteresis loop. We developed an efficient numerical algorithm to treat the quantum master equation for hybridized systems of many photons and a large number of two-level atoms. By using this method, we characterize the bistability from the viewpoint of eigenmodes and eigenvalues of the time-evolution operator of the quantum master equation. We classify types of optical bistability according to the photon number density in the cavity. In contrast to previous studies of optical bistability in the high-photon-density regime where the photons can be treated as a classical electromagnetic field and the resonance spectrum has a single-peak structure, we study the nature of optical bistability in the low-photon-density regime where the hybridization of photon and atom degrees of freedom occurs and the resonance spectrum has a double-peak structure. Unraveling the nature of the optical bistability in the latter regime may be important for the manipulation of quantum systems. Concretely, we discuss the steady-state properties of the optical bistability: dependencies of the photon number density on the intensity and the double-peak structure of the photon number distribution inside the bistable region. As for the dynamical properties, we find that the relaxation timescale shows an exponential growth with the system size and reveal how the hysteresis loop of the optical bistability depends on the size of the system and the sweeping rate of the driving amplitude. Finally, by investigating the effects of detuning frequency of the input field, we clarify the characteristic properties of the present optical bistability within the low-photon-density regime, which are qualitatively different from the standard optical bistable phenomena.


C rude alcohol extract, 50% hydro - alcohol and aqueous extracts of 10 plants species belonging to 9 families were screened in vitro for antifungal activity against economically important phytopathogenic fungus, Pythium myriotylum which was isolated from infected ginger. Bioassays of the extracts were conducted by "Poisoned food technique" on agar plate c ulture with triplicates. Nine of ten (90%) plant species showed inhibitory activity against mycelial growth of the tested fungi. Among the 10 plants taken, Jacaranda mimosifolia showed best activity with 22.0% inhibition by 50% hydro - alcohol extract and 19 .66% inhibition by its aqueous extract followed by Moringa olifera and Lawsonia inermis which exhibited 18.3% and 16.0% growth inhibition respectively. 13.0% and 12.6% inhibition was observed with Terminallia arjuna and Polyalthia longifolia respectively. All other selected plants exhibited inhibitory activity ranging from 5.3% to 10.0% against Pythium myriotylum . On the basis of these results, we conclude that the plants selected for this study can be regarded as a rich source of metabolites with significa nt antifungal activity, since 10mg/ml concentrations of crude extracts of these plants are showing significant activity. Partially purified fractions with high concentrations and active molecules may have enhanced activity against the test pathogen, as wel l as different species of Pythium and other fungi also.


Time-variant muscle responses under electrical stimulation (ES) are often problematic for all the applications of neuroprosthetic muscle control. This situation limits the range of ES usage in relevant areas, mainly due to muscle fatigue and also to changes in stimulation electrode contact conditions, especially in transcutaneous ES. Surface electrodes are still the most widely used in noninvasive applications. Electrical field variations caused by changes in the stimulation contact condition markedly affect the resulting total muscle activation levels. Fatigue phenomena under functional electrical stimulation (FES) are also well known source of time-varying characteristics coming from muscle response under ES. Therefore, it is essential to monitor the actual muscle state and assess the expected muscle response by ES so as to improve the current ES system in favor of adaptive muscle-response-aware FES control. To deal with this issue, we have been studying a novel control technique using evoked electromyography (eEMG) signals to compensate for these muscle time-variances under ES for stable neuroprosthetic muscle control. In this perspective article, I overview the background of this topic and highlight important points to be aware of when using ES to induce the desired muscle activation regardless of the time-variance. I also demonstrate how to deal with the common critical problem of ES to move toward robust neuroprosthetic muscle control with the Evoked Electromyographically Controlled Electrical Stimulation paradigm.


The main aim of this paper is to provide a comparative analysis of regional policies dealing with pe- ripheral rural areas in the Visegrad countries from a historical perspective. As it is demonstrated in the paper despite the common political and ideological framework the goals and means of regional policy remained rather different in these countries during state-socialism. The systemic changes demanded the re-conceptualisation of regional development policy and the reconfiguration of the institutional background. As the comparative policy analysis showed in the early 1990s there was a lack of coherent regional policy that would efficiently mitigate growing regional disparities or foster regional competitiveness. The conceptual, legal and institutional foundation of the new regional policy took place in the second half of the 1990s, with some time lag among the countries. In the formulation of strategic documents regarding regional policy the foreseen EU accession played a very important role. The preparation of national development plans were based on the EU's standardized development handbooks, therefore a considerable similarity among the new member states' regional policy documents can be observed. One can say that earlier differences in regional development priorities were gra- dually eliminated by the European integration among the new member states. However, rural areas were con- sidered in regional economic development policies only in the context of agriculture and tourism development. In addition to local infrastructural development, preservation of natural and cultural heritage, job creation only agriculture and tourism were defined for EU and national subsidies.


The increasing emphasis on understanding the antecedents and consequences of customer-to-customer (C2C) interactions is one of the essential developments of customer management in recent years. This interest is driven much by new online environments that enable customers to be connected in numerous new ways and also supply researchers' access to rich C2C data. These developments present an opportunity and a challenge for firms and researchers who need to identify the aspects of C2C research on which to focus, as well as develop research methods that take advantage of these new data. The aim here is to take a broad view of C2C interactions and their effects and to highlight areas of significant research interest in this domain. The authors look at four main areas: the different dimensions of C2C interactions; social system issues related to individuals and to online communities; C2C context issues including product, channel, relational and market characteristics; and the identification, modeling, and assessment of business outcomes of C2C interactions.


IFRA overcomes challenges associated with an expensive step in post-silicon validation of processors - pinpointing the bug location and the instruction sequence that exposes the bug from a system failure. On-chip recorders collect instruction footprints (information about flows of instructions, and what the instructions did as they passed through various design blocks) during the normal operation of the processor in a post-silicon system validation setup. Upon system failure, the recorded information is scanned out and analyzed off-line for bug localization. Special self-consistency-based program analysis techniques, together with the test program binary of the application executed during post-silicon validation, are used. Major benefits of using IFRA over traditional techniques for post-silicon bug localization are: 1. It does not require full system-level reproduction of bugs, and, 2. It does not require full system-level simulation. Simulation results on a complex super-scalar processor demonstrate that IFRA is effective in accurately localizing electrical bugs with very little impact on overall chip area.


PURPOSE
We determine the rate of nursing home closures for 7 years (1999-2005) and examine internal (e.g., quality), organizational (e.g., chain membership), and external (e.g., competition) factors associated with these closures.

DESIGN AND METHOD
The names of the closed facilities and dates of closure from state regulators in all 50 states were obtained. This information was linked to the Online Survey, Certification, and Reporting data, which contains information on internal, organizational, and market factors for almost all nursing homes in the United States.

RESULTS
One thousand seven hundred and eighty-nine facilities closed over this time period (1999-2005). The average annual rate of closure was about 2 percent of facilities, but the rate of closure was found to be increasing. Nursing homes with higher rates of deficiency citations, hospital-based facilities, chain members, small bed size, and facilities located in markets with high levels of competition were more likely to close. High Medicaid occupancy rates were associated with a high likelihood of closure, especially for facilities with low Medicaid reimbursement rates.

IMPLICATIONS
As states actively debate about how to redistribute long-term care services/dollars, our findings show that they should be cognizant of the potential these decisions have for facilitating nursing home closures.


Freedom of movement of citizens constitutes one of the core values of the European Union and is closely linked to European citizenship. There is, however, a heated debate in many of the destination Member States about the impact of intra-EU mobility on their public services. The debate centres on the 'welfare magnet hypothesis', which holds that migrants, including mobile citizens from the central and eastern European Member States, are attracted by the better quality of these services and easier access to them in the host countries. The issue has become highly politicised recently, especially as a consequence of the economic crisis and the increased inflow of these EU mobile citizens. The main objective of this research project is to explore whether there is any evidence to support the welfare magnet hypothesis. It examines the take-up of benefits and social services by mobile citizens from 10 central and eastern European Member States (EU10 mobile citizens) in 9 host countries – Austria, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the UK – compared to the native populations and other citizen groups. It also seeks to identify the obstacles to their integration in the host countries and initiatives to aid their integration.


At least 50 vocational or professional groups, exclusive of specialties within categories, now provide a health service. Many have established accrediting procedures for maintaining educational standards, and the number is increasing. So great is the demand from the accrediting bodies that universities and academic health centers find that the cost in terms of money, time, and duplication of effort has become exhorbitant, and thereby a major problem in the management of educational institutions. The duplication of effort leads to fragmentation of the entire accrediting process, and this, in turn, fosters inadequate sharing of health professions educational experiences. A model is presented that would lessen the burden of accrediting on educational institutions and simultaneously permit testing of the feasibility of a multiprofessional accrediting mechanism.


The experimental work described in this thesis
was carried out with the subject of obtaining information
on the east-west asymmetry of cosmic rays in latitudes
above the so called knee of the latitude intensity
variation of the total cosmic ray intensity. As is
explained in the Introduction, the variation of
intensity with latitude and the east-west asymmetry
observed between the geomagnetic equator and the
latitude . of.the knee (about. 45 °geomagnetic) can be
explained in terms of the effect on the primary radiation
of the earth's magnetic field. At higher latitudes
where little or no variation of the intensity with
latitude has been found, the east-west asymmetry
should vanish according to this theory. A small
asymmetry has however been found by various workers,
notably T.H. Johnson and F.G.P. Seidl, in latitudes
above the knee. Johnson (1941) has given a theory to
account for this as an effect produced by the deflection .
of secondary cosmic ray particles in the earth's field.
The values of the asymmetry calculated by Johnson
for various zenith angles were compared with results
obtained at 49° and 54° north geomagnetic latitude. Owing to the large probable errors of the experimental
results, no more than a very general conclusion could
be drawn from the comparison. The geomagnetic latitude
of Hobart, 51.7°S, made it a suitable place to obtain
results to supplement those of Seidl and Johnson,
and the Hobart experiments were planned with the aim
of improving the statistical precision of the results
to a point where they could be used as the basis of
a critical test of Johnson's theory. In the later
sections of this thesis the theory is discussed in
some detail. The values of the asymmetry which might
be expected have been recalculated, using more recent
data than that available to Johnson, graphical and
-numerical methods being substituted for analytical
methods in some parts of the calculations in order
to use empirical data directly.
It is important to establish as definitely
as possible that the deflection of secondary cosmic
rays between the top of the atmosphere where they
are produced and sea level can lead to an asymmetry
because of the apparent contradiction which the
asymmetry observed in high latitudes presents to the
general theory which has been found to explain the
geomagnetic effects in a satisfactory manner. BY
showing that Johnson's, or a similar theory can
adequately explain this phenomenon, the contradiction can be removed.
The history of the experimental work on this
problem is as follows. In 1946, Dr. A.G. Fenton
commenced work on the construction ofan automatic
apparatus using a single geiger counter telescope
pointing east and west alternately to measure the
asymmetry. The author assisted with this work,
and in 1947 when Dr. Fenton was absent on leave from
the laboratory, completed the apparatus and operated it
successfully to obtain results which were published
in the Physical Review (Vol. 74, 589, 1948). While
this setup was in operation it was decided to construct
an apparatus using two geiger counter telescopes instead
of one. The advantages of such an arrangement are
discussed in the section in which this apparatus is
described. The design and operation of this setup
was almost entirely the work of the author. It was
operated from the end of June 1948 until the
beginning of August, 1949.
At the end of 1948 the Australian National
Antarctic Research Expedition became interested in the
.investigation of the asymmetry and made a grant of
money to enable Dr. Fenton's brother, Mr. K.B. Fenton,
to extend the work to geomagnetic latitude 60.7°S by
operating an apparatus Similar to the Hobart one on
Macquarie Island in 1950 and possibly 1951. Problems incident to the operation of apparatus
remote from the facilities available in the laboratory
made the construction of this apparatus a project of
considerable magniitude, and it was accordingly
shared between Dr. Fenton, his brother, and the author.
Dr. Fenton Who had worked on the properties of geiger
counters in Birmingham undertook to construct the
counters required,. while his brother took responsibility
for the design and construction of suitable recording
circuits. The contributions of the author to this work
are described in Part II, and included the design of
an automatic 35mm. camera to record the results,
the modification of a turntable previously used in
a Predictor unit to make it suitable for mounting
of the apparatus, and the design of control gear to
make the setup automatic in operation. The construction
of this apparatus was successfully completed in time
for it to be shipped to Macquarie Island in April, 1950.
Between April and June, 1950, the Hobart
apparatus was modified to include several improvements.
The most important of these wee the fitting of larger
trays of geiger counters to increase the counting rates,
which was possible because of the improved supply of
counters available at that time. The modifications were
completed by the tithe the Macquarie Island gear was
ready for use, and the two sets were put into operation
on parallel schedules at the end of June, 1950.