Abstract. Palaeoecologists have shown that trees migrated at rates of 100–1000 m/yr in response to post-glacial warming. In order to predict the impact of forecast anthropogenic climate changes upon forest ecosystems we need to simulate how trees may migrate in response to the changes predicted for the next 1–2 centuries. These predictions must take account of the impacts upon migration of human land-use and habitat fragmentation. We have developed a spatially-explicit mechanistic model (MIGRATE) able to simulate the migration of a single species across a realistically heterogeneous landscape. MIGRATE uses biological parameters that readily may be estimated from data in the literature or from field studies, and represents the landscape as a grid of cells, each with an associated carrying capacity. A one-dimensional version of MIGRATE has been compared both with Skellam's (1951) diffusion model and with the more recent analytical models of van den Bosch et al. (1990, 1992); despite its fundamentally different approach, MIGRATE provides comparable estimates of migration rates, given equivalent input parameters. An example is described that demonstrates the ability of the two-dimensional version of MIGRATE to simulate the likely pattern of spread of a species across a heterogeneous landscape. It is argued that MIGRATE, or models like it, will play a central role in a spatially-hierarchic modelling strategy that must be developed if we are to achieve the goal of simulating the likely response of trees, and other organisms, to both global climate change and the increasing pressures of human land-use.


What is the best configuration or relationship for disaster or mass emergency planning between the scientific research system and the administration system (or research users as they are called in the United States)? This is a question that has been asked and answered in some way at the present time in perhaps two dozen countries around the world. The answer or the relationship that has been suggested and in some cases actually institutionalized varies somewhat from one nation to another. There are at least four reasons for this variation in the possible relationship between the research system and the administrative system. They are: 1). Differences in the social structures of different societies; 2) differences in what different countries include under disaster planning; 3) differences in whether an agent specific or a generic approach is taken to disaster planning; and 4) differences in the social science capability and disaster knowledge base in different societies.


New non aqueous based microemulsion allows the delivery of storage sensitive personal care actives in conventional cream, lotion and gel. Griseofulvin is an antifungal antibiotic drug micro emulsion system as the basic formulation for investigation. The quantity of griseofulvin and the accumulation of anhydrous micro emulsions at various temperatures were analyzed with poor aqueous solubility. It is thought to inhibit fungal cell mitosis and nuclear acid synthesis. Pharmaceutical and cosmetic micro emulsions are normally oil-in-water (o/w) or water-in-oil (w/o) systems; however, micro emulsions can be formulated with no aqueous phase to produce an anhydrous micro emulsion system. An anhydrous micro emulsion system could offer a stable vehicle for compounds that are sensitive to hydrolysis or oxidation. Therefore, to enhance the stability of griseofulvin in formulations, we chose the non aqueous, anhydrous through an established ultra violet (uv) method. The results indicated that Stability of griseofulvin in non aqueous microemulsion carried out at at temperature 5°C, 25°C and 40°C. Cream was stable at 5°C and 25°C. Stability studies were carried out at agitation, centrifugation, freeze thaw cycle, in that evaluated various parameter i.e phase separation, globule size, viscosity, drug content.


The Fractional Frequency Reuse (FFR) is a resource allocation technique that can effectively mitigate inter-cell interference (ICI) in LTE based HetNets and it is a promising solution. Various FFR schemes have been suggested to address the challenge of interference in femtocell systems. In this paper, we study the scopes of interference mitigation and capacity improvement. We propose a resource allocation scheme that gradually varies frequency resource share with distance from the eNodeB for both macrocells and femtocells in order to attain better utilization of the resources. This is performed effectively using three layers in the cell. The proposal also employs high number sectors in a cell, low interference and good frequency reuse. Monte-Carlo simulations are performed, which show that the proposed scheme achieves signifi- cantly better throughput compared to the existing FFR schemes.


The Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope is discovering neutron stars that are high-energy gamma-ray emitters. A flood of results from the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, launched on 11 June 2008, is changing the way that we view neutron stars. The Large Area Telescope (LAT), the main instrument on Fermi, detects photons of energy between 0.1 and 100 GeV emitted from spinning neutron stars known as radio pulsars, from supermassive black holes in the "blazar" class of active galactic nuclei, and from other high-energy sources. By timing the arrival of photons from gamma ray–bright points in the Galaxy, Fermi is discovering new pulsars whose existence was only conjectured. Sixteen such "gamma ray–only" pulsars, rotating between 2 and 20 times per second, are reported on page 840 in this issue (1). In a companion paper on page 848, the detection of pulsed gamma rays from eight nearby radio "millisecond pulsars" rotating faster than 200 times per second is described (2). Complementing these discoveries, Fermi has detected a steady glow of gamma rays from the globular star cluster 47 Tucanae, as described on page 845 (3); this region is thought to harbor dozens of millisecond pulsars.


Drifting sand has inundated settlements and damaged agricultural land along the coasts of Western Europe for the last 700 years. The need to control sand migration has been an important driver of the management of coastal sand dunes and here we analyse original archival materials to provide new insights into historically changing coastal dune management practices. Records of coastal sand movement in Denmark, The Netherlands, Britain, Ireland and France were reviewed and three distinct management approaches were identified. The ways in which these approaches have played out in space and time were examined with particular reference to records from landed estates in Britain and Ireland. We demonstrate how historical evidence can be used to inform contemporary debates on dune management strategy and practice. We propose a new place-based approach to the future management of coastal dunes that can incorporate both expert and locally produced 'knowledges' and that is underpinned by an understanding of how both natural forces and human interventions have shaped these dune landscapes over time.


This piece of work is an overview of gender mainstreaming in military components of the UN POs . Main hypothesis is if more attention is given to gender perspective and gender mainstreaming in POs that could vastly contribute to operational efficiency in the field, to better protection of human (women's) rights, to the higher level safety of the troops in the field and local population, and the most important, peace could be built on solid basis and victimization could be avoided up to maximum possible extent. Main identified gap is lack of appropriate training and education in this regard. Analyses of recent developments in POs, UNSCR 1325, gender policy in military components and historical aspects of gender roles in Western society, are considered through feminist approach to international law perspective which was introduced by Christin Chinkin in 1991


OF DISSERTATION DEVELOPMENT OF COCAINE HYDROLASE FOR THERAPEUTIC TREATMENT OF COCAINE ABUSE Cocaine abuse is a world-wide public health and social problem without a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved medication. An ideal anti-cocaine medication would accelerate cocaine metabolism producing biologically inactive metabolites by administration of an efficient cocaine-specific exogenous enzyme. Recent studies in our lab have led to discovery of the desirable, highly efficient human cocaine hydrolases (hCocHs) that can efficiently detoxify and inactivate cocaine without affecting normal functions of central nervous system (CNS). Preclinical and clinical data have demonstrated that these hCocHs are safe for use in humans and effective for accelerating cocaine metabolism. However, the actual therapeutic use of a hCocH in cocaine addiction treatment is limited by the short biological half-life (e.g. 8 hours or shorter in rats) of the hCocH. In the investigation described in this thesis, we have demonstrated that mCocH and hCocH have improved the catalytic efficiency of mBChE and hBChE against cocaine by ~8and ~2000-fold, respectively, although the catalytic efficiencies of mCocH and hCocH against other substrates, including acetylcholine (ACh) and butyrylthiocholine (BTC), are close to those of the corresponding wild-type enzymes mBChE and hBChE. In addition, we have identified the first benzoylecgonine-metabolizing enzymes that can hydrolyze benzoylecgonine and accelerate its clearance in rats. The developed LC-MS/MS method has enabled us to simultaneously determine cocaine and nine cocaine-related metabolites in whole blood samples. In development of the long-acting hCocHs, we have designed and discovered a novel hCocH form, catalytic antibody analog, which is an Fc-fused hCocH dimer (hCocH-Fc). The hCocH-Fc has not only a high catalytic efficiency against cocaine, but also a considerably longer biological half-life. A single dose of hCocH-Fc was able to accelerate cocaine metabolism in rats even after 20 days and, thus, block cocaine-induced hyperactivity for a long period of time. In consideration of the general observation that the biological half-life of a protein drug in humans is significantly longer than that in rodents, the hCocH-Fc could allow dosing once every 2-4 weeks, or longer for cocaine addiction treatment in humans.


The hydraulic performance of a high velocity channel depends on maintaining a supercritical flow regime over specified portions of its length. Predicting the potential location of shocks such as oblique standing waves and hydraulic jumps and determining the superelevation of the water surface in channel bends is necessary to design the required wall heights. Work is being conducted to develop a numerical flow model that can estimate the location and strength of hydraulic jumps and standing waves in high velocity channels. The high velocity channel model, HIVEL2D, is a depth averaged, two-dimensional (2-D) flow model designed specifically for flow fields containing supercritical and subcritical regimes as well as the transitions between the regimes. This paper summarizes the numerical scheme and presents some of the initial test results of HIVEL2D, currently under development at the U.S. Army Engineer Waterways Experiment Station.


Understanding how well a deep generative model captures a distribution of high-dimensional data remains an important open challenge. It is especially difficult for certain model classes, such as Generative Adversarial Networks and Diffusion Models, whose models do not admit exact likelihoods. In this work, we demonstrate that generalized empirical likelihood (GEL) methods offer a family of diagnostic tools that can identify many deficiencies of deep generative models (DGMs). We show, with appropriate specification of moment conditions, that the proposed method can identify which modes have been dropped, the degree to which DGMs are mode imbalanced, and whether DGMs sufficiently capture intra-class diversity. We show how to combine techniques from Maximum Mean Discrepancy and Generalized Empirical Likelihood to create not only distribution tests that retain per-sample interpretability, but also metrics that include label information. We find that such tests predict the degree of mode dropping and mode imbalance up to 60% better than metrics such as improved precision/recall.


ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) are engineered nanoparticle s used in many commercial products inclusive of cosmetics, paints, textiles, and sanit ary products. ZnO NPs are potent in protecting the skin against UV radiation so, they are used as ingredients in sunscreen and moisturizing creams/lotions and hence the study of their toxicit y is essential. On the one hand, nanoparticles, due to their small size occupy a significant place in cutting-edge applications in modern industry, while on the other hand; the small size o f NPs may lead to their accumulation in the body leading to health hazards in human beings .The effect of ZnO NPs in different concentrations on Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA), 1αfetoprotein (AFP), and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) of male Wistar rats assigned in four groups, each consisting of 8 rat, was investigated. ZnO NPs was gavage-fed to groups 1, 2, and 3 with concentrations of 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg respectively for 10 days. A separate group of animals was assigned as the control group. Subsequent to the phase, tumor m arker hormones AFP, CEA, and PSA concentrations were estimated. Results showed that ZnO NPs is toxic in the animal model. Thus, it is proposed that the NPs should be applied takin g into consideration the health hazard that it might cause and a continuous monitoring of individuals' health is essential.


The economic effects of non-compete agreements have received increasing attention from academics and policymakers. This paper investigates how non-compete policies affect different types of self-employment. We exploit policy reforms in Utah and Massachusetts in 2016 and 2018, which decreased the enforceability of non-compete covenants, as quasi-experiments. We separate self-employment into self-employment with incorporated businesses (as a proxy for entrepreneurship) and self-employment with unincorporated businesses. Using representative individual-level data from the American Community Survey and the Current Population Survey, we estimate the probability of being self-employed with these different types of businesses, as well as entry into self-employment, and how these probabilities changed due to the reforms. Our findings show that the decrease in the enforceability of non-compete agreements in the two states resulted in a higher rate of incorporated self-employment in these states. In contrast, there was no sizable effect on the rate of unincorporated self-employment. Our results imply that states can promote entrepreneurial activity by reducing the enforceability of non-compete agreements.


Rapidly expanding ethanol production in the U.S. was given further impetus with the passage of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 mandating a minimum production of 7.5 billion gallons of renewable fuels by 2012. The availability of the by-product feeds of ethanol production (corn gluten feed and meal and DDG) has not only become a significant share of the protein feed sector, but also the increase has been and will be extensive. The challenge is how to incorporate these feeds into econometric models of U.S. agriculture and measure their impact on the utilization of other feeds, particularly coarse grain and soybean meal. Another task is to forecast prices on the by-product feeds. This paper suggests a couple of procedures embracing the entire sector of livestock concentrates, including both protein and energy feeds. The feeds were converted into protein equivalents and energy equivalents and introduced into regression equations predicting (1) the amounts of soybean meal and coarse grain fed and (2) the amount of protein feeds utilized in protein equivalents and the amount of all concentrate feeds utilized in energy equivalents. In case (2), the amounts of soybean meal and coarse grain fed were derived by deducting the protein and energy equivalents of the other feeds from the totals predicted. This case was the one selected to be incorporated into AGMOD, an econometric model of U.S. agriculture. To forecast prices on the by-product feeds of ethanol production, synthetic prices for protein and energy were derived from prices on soybean meal and corn. Applying these prices to the ethanol byproduct feeds, values for these feeds were generated. These values were the major explanatory variables associated with the by-product prices supplemented by variables representing the ratios of the utilization of the respective feeds in protein equivalents to the total utilization of protein feeds in protein equivalents. Prices on corn gluten feed and DDG have been declining relative to their values, with continued downward pressure in prospect for prices on DDG in the next 10 years.


TID hash joins are a simple and memory-efficient method for processing large join queries. They are based on standard hash join algorithms but only store TID/key pairs in the hash table instead of entire ttrples. This typically reduces memory requirements by more than art order of magnitude bringing substantial benefits. In particular, performance for joins on Gigs-Byte relations can substantially be improved by reducing the amount of disk f/O to a large extent. Furthermore, efficient processing of mixed multi-user workloads consisting of both join queries and OLTP transactions is supported. We present a detailed simulation study to analyze the performance of TID hash joins. In particular, we identify the conditions under which TID hash joins are most beneficial. Furthermore, we compare TID hash join with adaptive hash join algorithms that have been proposed to deal with mixed workloads.


Safety instrumented systems are vital in the oil and gas industry. A SIS consists of input elements, a logic solver and final elements. A High Integrity Pressure Protection System is an example of such a system. HIPPS is installed to protect a platform from too high pressure by shutting off the source before exceeding the design pressure. The IEC 61508 and IEC 61511 are used in the oil and gas industry during all phases of a SIS lifecycle. As a measure of SIS reliability, both standards use safety integrity level. The standards lists several requirements for both hardware and software. Compliance to the SIL must be demonstrated by quantitative assessments including estimations to the SIS reliability. Several models for reliability assessments are demonstrated in IEC 61508. A HIPPS is installed to perform a safety instrumented function (SIF) that is operated in low-demand mode and its availability must be quantified by using the average probability of failure on demand, PFDavg. Some methods used to determine the reliability of a SIS are Reliability Block Diagrams, approximation formulas and Markov modeling. Proof testing a HIPPS is an expensive process due to downtime and availability of the system. It is therefore suggested to perform partial stroke testing (PST) on these systems. PST is performed while the operation is online, so there is no need to stop the production. This type of testing will reveal some of the dangerous failures on a system at a lower test interval than a full function test of the system.


ROGER SIMPSON, Radio Camelot: Arthurian Legends on the BBC, 1922-2005. Arthurian Studies lxx.Woodbridge, Suffolk: D.S. Brewer, 2008. Pp. xv, 193. isbn: 0261-9814. £50. There is no shortage of books on the Arthurian legends in poetry, painting, literature, music, and film. But until now there has been almost nothing on the Arthurian legends on radio. Roger Simpson has now rectified that with a major study of the legends on the BBC. As he points out at the beginning, there is a major drawback in researching the subject. Few recordings exist of Arthurian programmes from before the 1960s. But much information and contemporary reaction to programmes can be gleaned from the BBC Written Archives at Caversham, and complete runs of The Radio Times and The Listener, the two most significant magazines devoted to broadcasting. For the past twenty years Simpson has been tape-recording virtually everything of Arthurian interest broadcast on the BBC and can comment upon programmes from these years from personal experience. Simpson divides the story of Arthurian broadcasting into four periods 1922-1939, 1940-1959, 1960-1979, 1980-2005, and within each section he examines separately music, history, literary adaptations, and new work. In the field of music, by far the largest number of performances was accorded to Wagner's two Arthurian operas, Parsifal and Tristan und Isolde, except during the Second World War when their scheduling was curtailed. The only English work to achieve a similar regularity of performance but much less often was Purcell's King Arthur. The work of Rutland Boughton, who composed a cycle of Arthurian operas, was shamefully neglected, perhaps because of his extreme left-wing political views. But in 1956 the BBC commissioned the cantata The Lady of Shalott from composer Phyllis Tate to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the creation of the Third Programme, the high culture channel. There was a sprinkling of programmes down the years on the historical Arthur, including several in the 1960s on the archaeological excavations at Cadbury, the putative site of Camelot. But the radio was far more interested in the literature and drama of the Arthurian legends. Throughout the BBC's history, there have been regular readings of Malory's Morte D'Arthur, Tennyson's The Idylls of the King and the medieval poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Among the highlights Simpson flags up are J.R.R. Tolkien's new translation of Gawain and the Green Knight, read in four parts on the Third Programme in 1953 and twelve half hour readings of Malory's Morte D'Arthur by a star cast (Robert Eddison, Robert Hardy, and Maxine Audley among them) on Radio 3 (as the Third Programme had by now become) in 1971. Simpson pronounces it 'arguably the greatest of all Malory broadcasts ever. …


In the present study, the performance of an elliptical heat pipe solar collector has been investigated experimentally and theoretically. Solar flat plate collector, consists of transport tubes; but in a heat pipe solar collector, it is replaced by heat pipes and, it works as a heat exchanger in which evaporator and condenser section exist in same unit. The objective of the study is to find out the outlet temperatures of the heat pipe and condenser section and overall output condenser temperature, to find out the efficiency of the flat plate solar collector with this modification. Experimental and theoretical analysis of the effect of Lc /Le ratio of the heat pipe and different cooling water mass flow rates and different inlet cooling water temperature have been analyzed, and presented in this paper. Elliptical heat pipe with stainless steel wick has been fabricated and used as transport tubes in the collector. Copper tube has been used as working fluid of the heat pipe. These heat pipes were fixed to the absorber plate of the solar collector and the performance of elliptical heat pipe solar collector is studied and results were compared.


A detailed cross-sectional type of study conducted among the mother of reproductive age who are pregnant & having more than one children attending in Obstetric & Gynecology Out Patient Department in Mymensingh Medical College & Hospital to assess the present level of knowledge on safe motherhood practices. The sample size was 170 were selected purposively, and the study area was selected for easy access. The respondents were interviewed with the help of a pre-tested structured questionnaire. In this study, socio-economical, educational & occupational characteristics of mothers, ever received ANC, PNC were found. In this study, most of the mothers 38 percent were in age group of 21-25 years, followed by 30 percent in 26-30 years, then 24 percent were below 20 years and only small number 8 percent above 30 years, all of them mean age was 24.62 (SD ± 4.515). The literacy rate was 42 percent. The majority of women were homemaker 92 percent, only 21.18 percent had the knowledge on ANC visit 4-5 times & rest of them no adequate knowledge of ANC visit. In this study most of the respondent about 62.35 percent had knowledge about medical care is required during pregnancy and rest 37.65 percent of them had no knowledge about medical care. This study also revealed that 51.20 percent respondent got information from health care provider, and rest of them knew from other sources. There is significant association with socio-demo-cultural factors and its variables like religion, education, age at marriage, and place for safe delivery P values are: p < 0.025, p < 0.000, p < 0.001, p < 0.001 which is < 0.05. Worldwide emphasis is given on safe motherhood to reduce the high prevalence of maternal morbidity and mortality. A large segment of the mother was found illiterate, and the similar segment was found to have a financial hardship. Proper knowledge on safe motherhood did not reach to the mother as well as to the society to change their attitude regarding care of the pregnant women. Therefore it is evident from this study as well as other studies in our country, a good percentage of people are not fully aware of the various components of safe motherhood. So the present study findings suggestion for an integrated program to the enhancement of knowledge regarding safe motherhood. * Corresponding Author: Khan Nasrin Jahan  email@example.com International Journal of Biosciences | IJB | ISSN: 2220-6655 (Print), 2222-5234 (Online) http://www.innspub.net Vol. 9, No. 3, p. 23-34, 2016


We propose a layered street view model to encode both depth and semantic information on street view images for autonomous driving. Recently, stixels, stix-mantics, and tiered scene labeling methods have been proposed to model street view images. We propose a 4-layer street view model, a compact representation over the recently proposed stix-mantics model. Our layers encode semantic classes like ground, pedestrians, vehicles, buildings, and sky in addition to the depths. The only input to our algorithm is a pair of stereo images. We use a deep neural network to extract the appearance features for semantic classes. We use a simple and an efficient inference algorithm to jointly estimate both semantic classes and layered depth values. Our method outperforms other competing approaches in Daimler urban scene segmentation dataset. Our algorithm is massively parallelizable, allowing a GPU implementation with a processing speed about 9 fps.


To evaluate the critical parameters controlling the mineralogical evolution of a dominantly clastic sedimentary basin, the Athabasca Basin (Saskatchewan, Canada), activity diagrams have been constructed with respect to the mineralogy, thermo-barometry, and fluid composition documented from previous studies. Relative to standard diagrams, which exist for ideal clay minerals, the present diagrams are the first to include all of the significant minerals present in the sediments, accounting specifically for the occurrence of dravite, sudoite, and two types of illite having identical chemical compositions, but different crystal morphologies and structures. The occurrence of the different mineralogical assemblages is mainly controlled by the K + /H + and Mg 2+ /(H + ) 2 activity ratios, and the silica and B(OH) 3 activities in addition to temperature and pressure. Variations in the activities of the major brine components (Cl - , Na + , Ca 2+ ) and the oxygen fugacity (above the hematite-magnetite buffer) have little effect on the mineral stabilities. The mineralogical evolution of the Athabasca Group sandstone results from mass transport processes involving a basement-derived fluid, richer in K, Mg, B, and/or pH, and possibly undersaturated in silica. The zoned distribution of the minerals in the uranium-mineralized Shea Creek area can be explained by a progressive interaction of the basement-derived fluid with the diagenetic brine and minerals of the Athabasca Group sandstone. During peak diagenesis, the brine in the basal Athabasca Group was buffered by the assemblage I Mc illite-kaolinite. During the syn-ore stage, the estimated values of log(K + /H + ), log(Mg 2+ /(H + ) 2 ) and B(OH) 3 activity decrease from 3.9, 6.4, and 0.005 in breccia zones immediately above the orebody, down to 2.7-3.6, 4.7-6. 1, and 0.004 in the inner alteration halo, and down to 2.7, 4.9, and 0.003 in the outer alteration halo, respectively.


This thesis extends the background theory of speech and major speech coding schemes used in existing networks to an implementation of GSM full-rate speech compression on a RISC DSP and a multirate application for speech coding. Speech coding is the field concerned with obtaining compact digital representations of speech signals for the purpose of efficient transmission. In this thesis, the background of speech compression, characteristics of speech signals and the DSP algorithms used have been examined. The current speech coding schemes and requirements have been studied. The Global System for Mobile communication (GSM) is a digital mobile radio system which is extensively used throughout Europe, and also in many other parts of the world. The algorithm is standardised by the European Telecommunications Standardisation histitute (ETSI). The full-rate and half-rate speech compression of GSM have been analysed. A real time implementation of the full-rate algorithm has been carried out on a RISC processor GEPARD by Austria Mikro Systeme International (AMS). The GEPARD code has been tested with all of the test sequences provided by ETSI and the results are bit-exact. The transcoding delay is lower than the ETSI requirement. A comparison of the half-rate and full-rate compression algorithms is discussed. Both algorithms offer near toll speech quality comparable or better than analogue cellular networks. The half-rate compression requires more computationally intensive operations and therefore a more powerful processor will be needed due to the complexity of the code. Hence the cost of the implementation of half-rate codec will be considerably higher than full-rate. A description of multirate signal processing and its application on speech (SBC) and speech/audio (MPEG) has been given. An investigation into the possibility of combining multirate filtering and GSM fill-rate speech algorithm. The results showed that multirate signal processing cannot be directly applied GSM full-rate speech compression since this method requires more processing power, causing longer coding delay but did not appreciably improve the bit rate. In order to achieve a lower bit rate, the GSM full-rate mathematical algorithm can be used instead of the standardised ETSI recommendation. Some changes including the number of quantisation bits has to be made before the application of multirate signal processing and a new standard will be required.


The prevalent usage of the Internet and other information technologies (IT) has fundamentally changed the information balance between businesses and consumers. Prior to the information age, businesses carefully controlled the information they fed to the media and consumers through orchestrated marketing efforts. Little else was revealed to consumers except on the rare occasions where the businesses made headlines. The Internet and the resulting mass media, however, have turned a business's information advantage on its head. Visiting any online retailer today, you will notice that consumers actively share their experiences and product information with each other. The popularity of a product is increasingly determined by such consumer-to-consumer communications instead of a business's marketing budget. Even so, there is still limited understanding of the influences of consumer-generated media on the Internet, particularly its impact on business strategies. My dissertation investigates the information effect of the electronic communities on consumer decision-making, product sales, and strategic product diffusion. First, my dissertation considers the case where consumers can observe others' product choices, as well as gain access to public product information on the Internet. In such cases it is shown that consumers engage in significant herd behavior, and my research further investigates the impact of herding on consumer product choices. Second, my dissertation explores how online user feedback systems affect product sales. Using data from the entertainment industry, my research studies the dynamic relationship between online user feedback information and product sales. Following this line of inquiry, my dissertation also examines the impact of the Internet on a firm's global diffusion strategy. Information can be disseminated on the Web at rocket speed, which will fundamentally transform firms' and companies' strategic diffusion processes. In light of such a transformation, my research investigates the impact of the Internet on the international distribution of entertainment products. All in all, my dissertation expects to advance our understanding of the information value of the Internet.


This thesis focuses on the problem of 3D acquisition using coded structured light (CSL). In CSL, a projected pattern impinges artificial texture onto the object surface, increasing the number of correspondences in the retrieved image. Finally, 3D acquisition is pursued by triangulation. An active research is being done in CSL techniques for moving scenarios. In this thesis, a review of the main CSL approaches is presented. Afterwards, we perform a deep study of the two most used frequency-based techniques, and a new proposal for automatic selection of the window width using Windowed Fourier Transform (WFT). Using this analysis, we implemented a new technique for one-shot dense acquisition, able to work in moving scenarios. The technique is based on adaptive WFT and DeBruijn coding. The results show the proposed method obtains dense acquisition with accuracy levels comparable to DeBruijn algorithms. Finally, the thesis focuses on the problem of registration in SL.


A novel imidazolium–based ionic liquid, 3-(6-ethoxy-6-oxohexyl)-1-propyl-1H-imidazol-3-ium bromide (BK15), is presented as corrosion inhibitor for carbon steel in molar HCl. The gravimetric investigations revealed the high inhibition efficiency (IE%) of (BK15) with ca. 87.5% in the presence of ca. 3×10−3 M of the inhibitor. Temperature effect study showed that the (IE%) decreased with increasing temperature and that was attributed to a physical–type adsorption of the (BK15) protective layer onto the carbon steel surface. Thermodynamic parameters were calculated as follows: A = 3.641 × 1015 mg.cm-2.h-1 ; Ea = 95.594 kJ.mol-1 ; ΔHa = 92.951 kJ.mol-1 and ΔSa = 44.098 kJ.mol-1 showing the high effectiveness of (BK15) as corrosion inhibitor, the surface–reaction process of the occurring processes, the endothermic type of the metal corrosion and the induced disorder upon formation of the activation complex. The adsorption process best–fitted the Langmuir adsorption isotherm (R2 = 0.9999) and the calculated adsorption free energy (ΔGads = −36.860 kJ.mol-1) confirmed a mixed–type adsorption, predominantly physisorption of (BK15) in the present work conditions.


This paper investigates the transnational intersections of queer Sinophone screen cultures in (South) East Asia, through a case study of the emerging film director Desmond Bing-Yen Ti. The discussion focuses on Ti's short film production and distribution in two Asian countries, Malaysia and China, and his engagement with online (queer) social media and video-sharing services in the trans-Sinitic and global flows of queer visual content. Putting Ti and his film at the intersections between queer studies and Sinophone studies, this paper also aims to further test and render problematic the theory of 'queer Sinophonicities' as both an extension and a departure from traditional queer Asian critique.


Integrated photonics has been pursued on a large variety of materials and platforms over more than half a century. In recent decades, silicon has emerged as the preferred optical and substrate material. However, since many optical functionalities cannot be, inherently or conveniently, implemented on silicon-based devices, heterogeneous integration of other materials has been an inevitable constituent of silicon photonics from its inception. This paper reviews recent progress in the heterogeneous integration of dielectrics and compound semiconductors as the core optical material for ultracompact nonlinear integrated photonics, preferably on silicon substrates. Occasionally, important devices on native substrates of the core nonlinear material are also reviewed. The focus is on ultracompact photonic devices and circuits formed on submicron films of lithium niobate (LiNbO3), and the aluminium-gallium-arsenide (AlGaAs) and aluminium-gallium-nitride (AlGaN) families for second-order nonlinear processes, such as second-harmonic generation, and techniques to address phase-matching in them. Integration of second- and third-order nonlinear devices on the same chip appears to be a future trend, thus the related preliminary results are reviewed. A broader introduction to heterogeneously integrated photonics, shortcomings of conventional silicon photonics for application in nonlinear optics, as well as an overview of modeling second-order nonlinear integrated-waveguide devices are also provided for completeness.


Vascular stents that can biodegrade and disappear in time have been reported as a promising solution to the problems of late-stent thrombosis and in-stent restenosis. Iron alloys in particular have many advantages in terms of cytocompatibility and mechanical properties. Despite mechanical behavior and biocompatibility studies, little attention has been given to the thrombogenic potential of these stents. This article presents the first study that aims to close this gap by addressing the hemocompatibility of resorbable iron-based alloys and composites in an in vitro porcine blood model. The investigated braided biodegradable stents included 99.95% pure Fe (50% cold worked), Fe35Mn alloy, Fe35Mn-25% ZM21 (ZM21 is 2% Zn, 0.5% Mn, balance Mg), Fe-25% Mg, and Fe-57% Mg. All stents were formed by braiding 127 µm diameter wires into stents with an outer diameter of 6.35 mm. Inflammatory reaction and thrombocyte activation were examined by assessment of β-thromboglobulin, thrombin-antithrombin complex, and polymorphonuclear elastase levels. The potential of Fe35Mn for use in vascular stenting is demonstrated by its exhibition of the least thrombogenic potential among tested materials. All bioresorbable Fe-Mn alloy compositions showed a reduced propensity towards platelet adhesion compared to 316L stainless steel, further indicating a general positive shift towards reduced thrombogenicity compared to traditional stents.


This article discusses how two books on microscopical observations, Experimental Philosophy (1664) by Henry Power (1623–1668) and Micrographia (1665) by Robert Hooke (1635–1703) were related to by contemporaries. These books were read by diverse readers who used microscopic observations in forming their own identities. Samuel Pepys (1633–1703), Margaret Cavendish (1623–1673) and Thomas Shadwell (1642 –1692) all read Hooke's and Power's books and in their responses one can discern some of the roles microscopy had in early modern English society. What attitude did these readers, who responded from their respective positions, have to the experiences in Micrographia and Experimental Philosophy? Samuel Pepys read the books as a way of learning the art of microscopy. He sought to fashion himself as a gentleman through microscopic observations of nature. Margaret Cavendish did not relate to microscopy in the same way as Pepys. She used the books on microscopy in her philosophical critique of the experimentalist programme, a critique based on her seeing the microscopic picture as artificial. Thomas Shadwell's play The virtuoso depicted the fictional experimentalist Sir Gimcrack. Where Pepys succeeded in balancing experimental practice with everyday responsibilities, Gimcrack was alienated from everyday life because he focused on the artificial world of lice, mites and weeds. The article shows how the way these three readers related to the books on microscopy was influenced by their opinions on the microscopic experience as either natural or artificial. Furthermore, it argues that one can discern an interaction between the readers' gender identities and their microscopic observations. In Pepys and Shadwell/Gimcrack's case how their gentlemanliness was formed in relation to their microscopic observations, in Cavendish's case how her critique of these observations gave her a position as a woman who published in natural philosophy.


International Journal of KIU is a peer-reviewed multidisciplinary open access journal published online and bi-annually in print version. The Journal provides a research platform for the researchers and practitioners in all regions of the world thus contributing new insights into current and emerging concepts, theories, research and practice through diverse disciplines. The Journal maintains high quality standards by exercising peer review and editorial quality control. Facts and opinions in articles published on International Journal of KIU are solely the personal statements of respective authors. Authors are responsible for all contents in their article(s) including accuracy of the facts, statements, citing resources, and so on. International Journal of KIU and editors disclaim any liability of violations of other parties' rights, or any damage incurred therefore to use or apply any of the contents of the International Journal of KIU. Material submitted to International Journal of KIU considered to be original and not published or submitted for publication elsewhere. All rights reserved by International Journal of KIU. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior permission in writing from the copyright holder. Special requests should be addressed to email@example.com


Robotic chemical plume tracing is a growing area of research, with envisioned real-world applications including pollution tracking, search and rescue, and ecosystem identification. However, following a chemical signal in the water is not an easy task due to the nature of chemical transport and to limitations in sensing and communication. In this paper, we propose an approach for near-surface waterborne plume tracing using a combined team of autonomous surface and underwater vehicles. All vehicles are equipped with appropriate chemical sensors and acoustic modems. The team moves in a triangular formation, while using the flow direction and the samples obtained to steer the group along the plume. Leader vehicles at the surface implement a formation controller based on Laplacian feedback while the underwater vehicle performs acoustic ranging to the leaders. The solution was evaluated using a CFD simulation of a freshwater plume and a calibrated dynamic model of the MEDUSA autonomous marine vehicles. The group is able to move in a stable formation, sample the salinity, and trace the plume to its source.


Hydrogen produced from water and renewable energy could fuel a large fleet of proton-exchange-fuel-cell vehicles in the future. However, the dependence on expensive Pt-based electrocatalysts in such fuel cells remains a major obstacle for a widespread deployment of this technology. One solution to overcome this predicament is to reduce the Pt content by a factor of ten by replacing the Pt-based catalysts with non-precious metal catalysts at the oxygen-reducing cathode. Fe- and Co-based electrocatalysts for this reaction have been studied for over 50 years, but they were insufficiently active for the high efficiency and power density needed for transportation fuel cells. Recently, several breakthroughs occurred that have increased the activity and durability of non-precious metal catalysts (NPMCs), which can now be regarded as potential competitors to Pt-based catalysts. This review focuses on the new synthesis methods that have led to these breakthroughs. A modeling analysis is also conducted to analyze the improvements required from NPMC-based cathodes to match the performance of Pt-based cathodes, even at high current density. While no further breakthrough in volume-specific activity of NPMCs is required, incremental improvements of the volume-specific activity and effective protonic conductivity within the fuel-cell cathode are necessary. Regarding durability, NPMCs with the best combination of durability and activity result in ca. 3 times lower fuel cell performance than the most active NPMCs at 0.80 V. Thus, major tasks will be to combine durability with higher activity, and also improve durability at cell voltages greater than 0.60 V.


Aim: To learn more about percutaneous absorption of the photoactive compound benzophenone-3 (BZ-3) and to study the excretion pattern of BZ-3 and its metabolite dihydroxy benzophenone (DHB). We also got the opportunity to develop a reverse-phase HPLC method to analyze BZ-3 and DHB. The photostability of seven commercial sunscreens was also studied. Material and methods: Paper I: 11 participants applied a sunscreen, 2 mg/cm, containing 4% BZ-3. They collected urine for 48 hours after the application. Paper II: 26 participants applied a sunscreen, 2 mg/cm, containing 4% BZ-3 morning and night for five days. Half of the participants were exposed to UV radiation (UVR). They collected urine for the five days the sunscreen was applied and an additional five days after the last application. Paper III: The assay uses: solid-phase extraction with C8 columns; a Genesis C18 column (4.6 mm x 150 mm ); a gradient acetonitrile-water mobile phase; a UV-detector set at 287 nm. Paper IV: Seven commercial sunscreens were studied with absorption spectrophotometry. Sunscreen product, 0.5 mg/cm, was placed between plates of silica. The area under the curve (AUC) in the spectrum was calculated for the different UV regions. AUC before (AUCbefore) and after (AUCafter) artificial UV exposure and before and after natural UV exposure were calculated. If the AUC Index (AUCI), defined as AUCI=AUCafter/AUCbefore, was > 0.80, the sunscreen was considered photostable. Results: Paper I: The average total amount excreted was 11 mg, median 9.8 mg, which is approximately 0.4% of the applied amount BZ-3. Paper II: The volunteers excreted 1.2-8.7% BZ-3 of the total applied amount. The mean value found was 3.7%. There was no significant difference between the two groups; p 0.99, with detection limits for BZ-3 and DHB of 0.01 μmol/l and 0.16 μmol/l respectively. Relative standard deviation was less than 10% for BZ-3 and less than 13% for DHB. The excretion pattern varied among the human volunteers, different patterns were discerned among the individuals. Paper IV: Three sunscreens were unstable after 90 min of natural UV, in the UVA range the AUCI was between 0.41 and 0.76. In the UVB range, one of these sunscreens was unstable with an AUCI of 0.75 after 90 min. Three sunscreens were photostable after 120 min of natural UV, in the UVA range the AUCI was between 0.85 and 0.99 and in the UVB range between 0.92 and 1.0. Conclusions: Paper I: BZ-3 is absorbed by the skin and excreted in the urine after one topical application of a sunscreen containing 4% BZ-3. There are individual differences in the amount excreted and in the excretion pattern. Paper II: Repeated topical applications of a sunscreen containing 4% BZ-3 lead to a higher excretion of BZ-3. There was no statistical difference after exposure to UVR. Paper III: The developed reverse-phase HPLC-method was reliable and suitable to handle a large number of samples. BZ-3 and DHB were excreted in a similar pattern. Paper IV: Three of the seven investigated sunscreens were photounstable in the UVA region. The combination ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate and butyl methoxydibenzoylmethane was unstable regardless of which other photoactive compound that was included in the sunscreen.


A practical guide to developing Windows Store apps with C++ and XAML Overview Details the most important features of C++, XAML, and WinRT for building fantastic Windows Store apps Full of detailed and engaging code samples that can be used as a basis for your own projects Provides a clear overview of Windows Runtime and C++/CX In Detail Windows 8 provides an unprecedented opportunity for developers to create applications for a new and exciting platform, for an entirely new market. Leveraging modern C++ and the new Windows Runtime, this book guides you through the many facets of WinRT whilst using modern C++ features for ultimate power and performance. "Mastering Windows 8 C++ App Development" shows you how to create Windows Store apps that use many of the new features and functionality available for Windows 8. You'll discover how you can harness the power of the new Windows Runtime with C++ combined with XAML for the creation of fantastic user experiences. Starting with coverage of C++/CX (a set of extensions that make working with WinRT easier) and user interface design with XAML, this book shows you how to use major Windows 8 features, including Live Tiles and Contracts, while leveraging common patterns such as data binding and the Model View ViewModel (MVVM). You'll discover how WinRT works, its various capabilities, and how it can best be leveraged using C++11 and Visual Studio 2012. What you will learn from this book Leverage your existing C++ skills with this new and exciting platform Discover how to effectively use C++/CX to call Windows Runtime APIs Integrate XAML for fast and fluid user interfaces Create custom controls for special UI scenarios Learn how to integrate your application with Windows 8 by implementing contracts Build data-driven apps with XAML, data binding, and MVVM Approach Specifically designed to be an engaging and practical tutorial, Mastering Windows 8 C++ App Development will augment your skills and help you create high quality Windows Store apps. Who this book is written for If you are a C++ developer who wants to utilize the combined power of COM, WinRT, C++/CX, and XAML to build Store apps for the new Windows 8 platform, then this book is for you. Prior experience with XAML-based technologies is not required.


Sustainability as a policy concept has its origin in the Brundtland Report of 1987. That document was concerned with the tension between the aspirations of mankind towards a better life on the one hand and the limitations imposed by nature on the other hand. In the course of time, the concept has been re-interpreted as encompassing three dimensions, namely social, economic and environmental. The paper argues that this change in meaning (a) obscures the real contradiction between the aims of welfare for all and environmental conservation; (b) risks diminishing the importance of the environmental dimension; and (c) separates social from economic aspects, which in reality are one and the same. It is proposed instead to return to the original meaning, where sustainability is concerned with the well-being of future generations and in particular with irreplaceable natural resources—as opposed to the gratification of present needs which we call well-being. A balance needs to be found between those two, but not by pretending they are three sides of the same coin. Although we use up natural resources at the expense of future generations, we also generate capital (including knowledge) which raises future well-being. A major question is to what extent the one compensates for the other. This debate centres around the problem of substitutability, which has been cast into a distinction between 'weak' and 'strong' sustainability. It is argued that these two do not need to be in opposition but complement one another.


Shabtai Rosenne passed away in 2010. The many obituaries – including a eulogy, followed by a minute's silence, by the ICJ President in session – celebrate the known accomplishments of a renowned international jurist. His engagement with international law requires no demonstration. His engagement with Jewish affairs, however, remains entirely unknown, as are early chapters of his life and career. How these two engagements related to one another is, necessarily, entirely unexplored. Rosenne's career choices present an overlap patent in his service as the first ('imposing') legal adviser of the Jewish state's Foreign Ministry (1948-1967). This career path appears to attest to a perfect synthesis of his two engagements. In this paper, while illuminating less familiar sides of Rosenne's early life and work, I argue that appearances are misleading. Rosenne's two engagements – Jewish nationalism and international law – undoubtedly coexisted; this, however, was no peaceful cohabitation. The one did not drive the other; if anything, each existed despite the other. They ran separate courses; and they rarely met. For Rosenne, synthesis of these two engagements came late, and was the product of a personal and ideological, transformation; it came, moreover, at a cost. Rosenne's transformation sheds light on Israel's early international legal outlook; underscores 1948 as a cusp in the interaction between international legal and Jewish history; exposes the plurality of terms of Jewish engagement with – and disengagement from – international law; and portrays international law itself as a field of political Jewish contestation.


Children with complex chronic life-limiting conditions, although well known to their carers locally, are often unknown to the paediatric intensive care (PICU) team on admission. End-of-life discussions involving the withdrawal of mechanical ventilation can be especially difficult if the patient's family are in unfamiliar surroundings. The option of compassionate extubation at home occasionally appears as a topic in the literature. Aim To present two case reports of compassionate hospice extubation by a PICU team in two terminally ill paediatric patients. Method Two case reports. The authors' PICU recently transferred two paediatric patients with life-limiting conditions to hospices for compassionate extubation. This was facilitated over a relatively short period of time and was much appreciated by the patients' families and care-givers. Literature relevant to home/hospice extubation is reviewed. With some PICUs serving a large area geographically, patients and their families can sometimes be over 100 km away from home. Compassionate extubation at home involves a huge amount of preparation and time. Comprehensive discussions with the family, nursing staff, physicians and the local multidisciplinary care-giving team are required. In case 1, the authors describe a 10-year-old child with a premature ageing syndrome, Cockayne's syndrome, who was ventilated for acute respiratory failure associated with pneumonia. Case 2 describes a child with partial trisomy 18 with influenza A subtype H1N1 pneumonia. Both families welcomed the option of withdrawal of mechanical ventilation closer to home, but not actually in their family home. Conclusions To ensure quality end-of-life care, those caring for critically ill children must be adequately prepared in the principles and practice of palliative care. Compassionate extubation outside of the hospital setting should be an additional option for patients and parents. Further training, creation and implementation of guidelines should ensure we have a workforce capable of meeting the needs of our communities.


These gems have life in them: their colours speak, Say what words fail of. In an ambitious treatise on the estimated wealth of the British Empire in the year of Waterloo, Patrick Colquhoun added to his calculations of the revenues produced by overseas property the potential profits created through exploiting natural resources. In his 'political arithmetic', Colquhoun recognized that an increasingly lucrative resource could be found in 'mines and minerals', where 'various articles extracted from the bowels of the earth, which the new discoveries in chemistry have rendered valuable articles of commerce, have tended greatly to increase the value of the mines'. Such information, accumulated through travel, skilled techniques of identification and analysis, and collecting, proved central to regulating judgements about potential overseas investment by the government. Practices in natural history intersected with the development of British commerce in a number of ways. Mineralogists specially trained to identify rare species of minerals scoured distant shores and collected sack-loads of specimens, seeking information about natural resources that might nourish a developing imperial economy. One such British mineralogist was John Mawe, who in 1804 received patronage from Portugal's Prince Regent to embark on 'a voyage of commercial experiment' to the Portuguese territory of Brazil and assess the value of the gold and diamond industries that might revitalize their ailing and isolated economy. National and individual economic interests were informed and served by the multiplication of such acts of commercial speculation, which focused on various kinds of natural resources. Mawe was very conscious that the mineral kingdom held much to be explored. Unlike botany, with Linnaean taxonomy rendering order to the kingdom, knowledge in mineralogy was far from comprehensive. Mawe lamented that 'few have thought the knowledge of Minerals worthy of their attention, although to them we owe our national strength and riches'. Others also argued that because it addressed national interests, research and education in the earth sciences should be publicly patronized.


We propose a new modeling approach for the cross section of returns. Our method, Instrumented Principal Components Analysis (IPCA), allows for latent factors and time-varying loadings by introducing observable characteristics that instrument for the unobservable dynamic loadings. If the characteristics/expected return relationship is driven by compensation for exposure to latent risk factors, IPCA will identify the corresponding latent factors. If no such factors exist, IPCA infers that the characteristic effect is compensation without risk and allocates it to an "anomaly" intercept. Studying returns and characteristics at the stock-level, we find that four IPCA factors explain the cross section of average returns significantly more accurately than existing factor models and produce characteristic-associated anomaly intercepts that are small and statistically insignificant. Furthermore, among a large collection of characteristics explored in the literature, only eight are statistically significant in the IPCA specification and are responsible for nearly 100% of the model's accuracy.


How do you know whether a hot technology will succeed or fail? Or where the next big idea will come from? The best answers come not from the popular myths we tell about innovation, but instead from time-tested truths that explain how we've made it this far. This book shows the way. In The Myths of Innovation, bestselling author Scott Berkun takes a careful look at innovation history, including the software and Internet Age, to reveal how ideas truly become successful innovations-truths that people can apply to today's challenges. Using dozens of examples from the history of technology, business, and the arts, you'll learn how to convert the knowledge you have into ideas that can change the world. Why all innovation is a collaborative processHow innovation depends on persuasionWhy problems are more important than solutionsHow the good innovation is the enemy of the greatWhy the biggest challenge is knowing when it's good enough "For centuries before Google, MIT, and IDEO, modern hotbeds of innovation, we struggled to explain any kind of creation, from the universe itself to the multitudes of ideas around us. While we can make atomic bombs, and dry-clean silk ties, we still don't have satisfying answers for simple questions like: Where do songs come from? Are there an infinite variety of possible kinds of cheese? How did Shakespeare and Stephen King invent so much, while we're satisfied watching sitcom reruns? Our popular answers have been unconvincing, enabling misleading, fantasy-laden myths to grow strong." -- Scott Berkun, from the text. "Insightful, inspiring, evocative, and just plain fun to read it's totally great." -- John Seely Brown, former Chief Scientist of Xerox, and Director, Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARC); current Chief of Confusion "Small, simple, powerful: an innovative book about innovation." -- Don Norman, Nielsen Norman Group, Northwestern University; author of Emotional Design and Design of Everyday Things "The naked truth about innovation is ugly, funny, and eye-opening, but it sure isn't what most of us have come to believe. With this book, Berkun sets us free to try to change the world unencumbered with misconceptions about how innovation happens." -- Guy Kawasaki, author of The Art of the Start "Brimming with insights and historical examples, Berkun's book not only debunks widely held myths about innovation but also points the ways toward making your new ideas stick. Even in today's ultra-busy commercial world, reading this book will be time well spent." -- Tom Kelley, GM, IDEO; author of The Ten Faces of Innovation "This book cuts through the hype, analyzes what is essential, and more importantly, what is not. You will leave with a thorough understanding of what really drives innovation." -- Werner Vogels, CTO, Amazon.com "I loved this book. It's an easy-to-read playbook for anyone wanting to lead and manage positive change in their business." -- Frank McDermott, Marketing Manager, EMI Music Scott Berkun knows innovation. A member of the Internet Explorer team at Microsoft from 1994-1999, he is a full-time author at www.scottberkun.com and wrote the 2005 bestseller, The Art of Project Management (O'Reilly). He also teaches creative thinking at the University of Washington.


BACKGROUND
To review the literature on efficacy of third generation anticonvulsants for treatment of bipolar disorder and provide clinical recommendations.

METHOD
Open and controlled studies, case reports, and case series on the efficacy of lamotrigine, gabapentin, topiramate, tiagabine, and zonisamide were located through electronic searches of several databases, by manual search of proceedings of international meetings, and through contacting authors of recent reports.

RESULTS
Lamotrigine is the best studied anticonvulsant and has efficacy in acute bipolar depression and in longer term treatment of bipolar depression as well as rapid-cycling bipolar II disorder but not in acute mania. Open reports suggest usefulness of gabapentin as an adjunct in bipolar disorder, but double-blind trials failed to confirm efficacy in acute mania and treatment-resistant rapid-cycling bipolar disorder. Topiramate is reported to be effective in acute mania and rapid-cycling bipolar disorder in several open studies, but methodological problems in a double-blind study led to a failed study in acute mania. However, topiramate may lead to weight loss in some patients. Zonisamide deserves further investigation, but tiagabine does not appear to be useful in acute mania.

CONCLUSION
Lamotrigine clearly fills an unmet need in treating bipolar depression and rapid-cycling bipolar disorder. Other third generation anticonvulsants with the exception of tiagabine offer promise but require confirmation of their efficacy from double-blind studies.


Workflow-based workloads usually consist of multiple instances of the same workflow, which are jobs with control or data dependencies to carry out a well-defined scientific computation task, with each instance acting on its own input data. To maximize the performance, a high degree of concurrency is always achieved by running multiple instances simultaneously. However, since the amount of storage is limited on most systems, deadlock due to oversubscribed storage requests is a potential problem. To address this problem, we integrate two novel concepts with the traditional problem of deadlock avoidance by proposing two algorithms that can maximize active (not just allocated) resource utilization and minimize makespan. Our approach is based on the well-known banker's algorithm, but our algorithms make the important distinction between active and inactive resources, which is not a part of previous approaches. The central idea is to leverage the data-flow information to dynamically approximate localized maximum claim (i.e., the resource requirements of the remaining jobs of the instance) to improve either interinstance or intrainstance concurrency and still avoid deadlock. Through simulation-based studies, we show how our proposed algorithms are better than the classic banker's algorithm and the more recent Lang's algorithm in terms of makespan and active storage resource utilization.


The paper discusses the application of the Agricultural Water Poverty Index (AWPI) as an assessment tool for agricultural water in rural areas of Marvdasht County, Fars Province, Iran. Along with the global concern, water has become an increasing concern during the recent years in Iran. This paper provides an overview of the AWPI and the methodology to measure AWP by addressing the four key issues, namely practical components and indicators, sources of data, choice of formula, and choice of base period. In order to assess water scarcity at the local level, a survey was conducted using stratified random sampling to select 293 farmers working in different climates. Distinct differences were found between farmers living in different climates with regard to the AWPI score. The study revealed that all farmers were labeled as 'agricultural water poor'. Farmers with a high score on the AWPI were characterized by having more water resources, more access to water resources, better use of available water, better abilities to manage water use and low environmental factors affecting the AWP than other farmers. Finally the study identified the hot spots, most needy places, and the reasons behind the agricultural water poverty by drawing the AWP map using a Geographic Information System (GIS).


We recently introduced frequency-resolved optical gating (FROG), a technique for measuring the intensity and phase of an individual, arbitrary, ultrashort laser pulse. FROG can use almost any instantaneous optical nonlinearity, with the most common geometries being polarization gate, self-diffraction, and second-harmonic generation. The experimentally generated FROG trace is intuitive, visually appealing, and can yield quantitative information about the pulse parameters (such as temporal and spectral width and chirp). However, the qualitative and the quantitative features of the FROG trace depend strongly on the geometry used. We compare the FROG traces for several common ultrashort pulses for these three common geometries and, where possible, develop scaling rules that allow one to obtain quantitative information about the pulse directly from the experimental FROG trace. We illuminate the important features of the various FROG traces for transform-limited, linearly chirped, self-phase modulated, and nonlinearly chirped pulses, pulses with simultaneous linear chirp and self-phase modulation, and pulses with simultaneous linear chirp and cubic phase distortion, as well as double pulses, pulses with phase jumps, and pulses with complex intensity and phase substructure.


Introduction:
The extensive use of synthetic nitrogen fertilizer in agriculture is causing environmental damage, organic crops contain significantly more vitamin C, iron, magnesium and phosphorus and significantly less nitrates than conventional crops. In this situation it is desirable to find out suitable agents, which would increase plant growth without compromising with the quality of food and of soil. We have studied that potentized growth retardants, chlorocholine chloride CCC (2-chloroethyle trimethyl ammonium chloride) and maleic hydrazide, MH (1, 2-dihydro 3,6 pyridazinedin) can promote growth in pigeon pea Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp; Lady's finger, Abelmoschus aeculentus (L) Moench; cow pea, Vigna unguculata L. and in rice, Oryza sativa L. The aim of this work is to see if plant growth inhibitors serve as growth promoters at their ultra low doses .
Methods:
We have selected two plant growth retardants viz., chlorocholine chloride CCC (2-chloroethyle trimethyl ammonium chloride) and maleic hydrazide, MH (1, 2-dihydro 3, 6 pyridazinedin). Then we prepared 30th potency of them and also 200th potency for CCC. Samples of CCC and MH were mixed separately with 90% ethanol at 1mg/ml and designated as mother tincture (MT). Each MT was diluted with 90% ethanol and succussed 10 times to prepare the 1st centesimal potency. In this way the 30th potency of two drugs and 200th potency of CCC was prepared. The controls ethanol 30th and 200th potency were prepared by succussion 90% ethanol 10 times and treated as 1st potency. Then mix 90% succussed ethanol with 90% ethanol in 1:100 and succussed, thus prepared 2nd centicimal potency. Likewise 30th and 200th potency of 90% ethanol were prepared.
 The 30th potency of CCC and MH and 200th potency of CCC were treated on 15 days old pigeon pea, Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp grouped in four rows each with twenty pots. Just before drug application, each potency was diluted with sterile water 1:500 and applied by foliar spray. The treatment was repeated on days 16, 17, 18, 21, 27, 33 and 42. Data were collected on day 75. Morphometric data such as plant height, number of branches, number of leaves/plant, root length and number of flower/plant were recorded. Biochemical parameters like total chlorophyll, sugar, carbohydrate and protein were assessed.
The same experiments with CCC30c, CCC200c and MH 30c repeated on Lady's finger, Abelmoschus aeculentus (L) Moench. Here foliar spray of drugs in dilution of 1:500 ware done on day 12 and 13. Data were collected on day 75. Morphometric data like shoot length, shoot girth, shoot weight, root length, root girth, root weight, number of leaves/plant, average leaf area, leaf weight and leaf water content were taken. Total leaf chlorophyll, protein and soluble and insoluble sugar were also estimated.
The 30th potency of MH and CCC were treated on cow pea, Vigna unguculata L. in 1:500 dilution by gently touch on both sides of leaf. The treatments were repeated twice after 15 days interval and final data were collected. Number of leaves/plant was recorded. Total leaf chlorophyll and protein estimated. Fast protein liquid chromatography (FPLC) was also done with the leaf material.
200th potency of CCC was sprayed on two rice (Oryza sativa L.) varieties viz., IET 4786-SHATABDI and IET 4094-KHITISH at Rice Research Station, Chinsurah. The drug was diluted 1:100 with distilled water and sprayed twice at fifteen days interval. Total leaf chlorophyll, protein, soluble sugar and carbohydrate were estimated. Panicle length, fertile grain percentage, number of tillers/plant, plant length and productivity /hectare were recorded.
All statistical analyses were done by analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by student –test
Results
In all the cases significant increase in morphometric as well as biochemical parameters were observed. In pigeon pea MH30c showed comparatively poor performance in the growth promoting effect than the potentized CCC. In Lady's finger all the potentized drugs produced significant improvement in plant growth and increased significantly water, chlorophyll and protein content in leaves. The FPLC study of cow pea leaf protein revealed that CCC 30c induced expression of some new proteins which might have played a role in growth and development of the plant. CCC200c significantly increased yields in rice under field conditions.
Discussion
CCC in material doses inhibits the activity of the enzyme kaurene synthetase in the gibberellin (GA) biosynthesis pathway, resulting reduction in gibberellin formation. Potentized CCC has produced just the opposite effect and promotes the activity of the enzyme, resulting in increased biosynthesis of GA. As gibberellic acid biosynthesis pathway influenced chlorophyll and protein biosynthesis pathways, that is why total leaf chlorophyll and sugar and protein also increased in treated plants. GA also promotes floral initiation, sex determination and setting of fruit in plants, thus rice productivity was increased with CCC200c.
MH in material doses acts as an inhibitor of the synthesis of nucleic acids and proteins as expected MH30c produced the opposite effect and enhanced nucleic acid synthesis and protein synthesis. Thus results to promote plant growth and development.
These growth retardants in potentized forms increased photosynthesis and may help in carbon sequestration. Thereby indirectly they also help to lowering global warming and keep environment pollution free, in addition to reduce the application of fertilizers and maintaining soil ecosystem.


As scarce water supplies in urban environments come under increasing pressure, water managers are forced to widen technical analyses to incorporate issues related to water governance. The concept of integrated water management has been developed to highlight that social, institutional and economic issues, in addition to technical and ecological considerations, need to be considered concurrently. In this paper, the integrated water management framework is used to highlight some of the social and institutional issues of concern to water management in the South Pacific. A case study of Suva, the rapidly growing capital of Fiji, is used to illustrate the complexity of the management issues facing Pacific Island countries. It is argued that the trend toward more systemic management of water resources is a positive one, but in the case of the Pacific Island countries much better accounts of inter-agency communication, community education, public engagement, institutional coordination, water pricing and water monitoring are needed.


Abstract While one of the arguments against religious belief relates to its apparent irrationality, it can be shown phenomenologically that there is a different kind of rationality at work in religious knowledge, undermining the sharp distinction between sacred and secular that enables theology to be marginalised as irrational. Approaching Christianity through the category of revelation, that is, as a way of living and believing that draws not only on founding narratives of revelation but on the ongoing 'experience' of transcendence in unveiling truth, I seek to examine how the possibility of truth itself can inspire hatred and so open onto violence. 'Religious' violence typically emerges from a hatred directed at otherness. Hatred of what truth reveals is a powerful motivation for violence, but it cannot be shown that this is specifically religious. Nevertheless, otherness is characterised by an excess that resists objectification and may be revelatory of truth. Violence may be religious precisely to the extent that it is directed against the otherness before which each person stands accused.


INTRODUCTION Legal but unpopular forms of expression have long been afforded substantial protection under the New York State Constitution. (1) Fifteen years ago, in People ex rel. Arcara v. Cloud Books, Inc., (2) the New York Court of Appeals set the New York State standard for protecting free expression against all legislation impacting expressive opportunity without reference to the particular source of protected speech. (3) Prior to its remand to the New York Court of Appeals, the U.S. Supreme Court, in Arcara v. Cloud Books, Inc., (4) decided that legislation impacting free expression, but not directly aimed at a source of free expression, was generally constitutional. (5) Thus, under the federal Constitution, legislation aimed at quelling activity containing no protected element--or only indirectly incidentally burdening free expression-- is generally acceptable. (6) This is true whether or not that indirect incidental burden also impacts protected speech. (7) On remand, the New York Court of Appeals found the New York State Constitution provides greater protection against all legislation that incidentally impacts free expression, whether it is "aimed" at protected speech or merely "hit[s]" protected speech. (8) During the past decade, the standard set by the New York Court of Appeals in People ex rel. Arcara has eroded almost entirely. (9) Shortly after the Arcara ruling, the court of appeals distinguished Arcara from cases involving zoning regulation of protected speech. (10) Zoning regulation is constitutionally favored (11) so courts allow legislation that burdens protected speech if the regulations can reasonably be described as attempts to abate the adverse "secondary effects" of protected expression. (12) However, the court of appeals failed to adequately describe which test is to be applied to what type of burden and on what factual basis. (13) As a result of the distinction made by the court of appeals in Arcara, and the court's reluctance to overrule that case, (14) a New York State municipality may find it easier to shut down an "adult" (15) use by directly attacking legal speech through zoning regulation, than to shut it down by attacking illegal activity conducted on the premises. (16) Cases following Arcara purport to illustrate the higher degree of protection against incidental infringement of free expression provided under the New York State Constitution. (17) However, those cases, while generally acknowledging the high standard set in Arcara, fail to offer that same level of protection, blurring the line between the application of "incidental burdens" jurisprudence and the "secondary effects" jurisprudence of zoning regulation. (18) Yet the court of appeals continues to call Arcara the "[s]tate constitutional standard," (19) despite the insignificant protection it actually affords. (20) If New York State truly intends to continue its "long history and tradition of fostering freedom of expression, [by] often tolerating and supporting works which in other [s]tates would be found offensive to the community," (21) then a less elastic standard must be implemented than one that largely allows a court's assessment of the importance of legislative purpose to dictate the degree to which free expression may be infringed. (22) This Note explores the decline of People ex rel. Arcara in New York State jurisprudence over the last decade. Part I describes traditional and contemporary methods of testing free expression infringements, including a discussion of federal minimum standards, and protection expansions implemented by the New York Court of Appeals. Both the U.S. Supreme Court's and the New York Court of Appeals' Arcara holdings are also examined. Part II describes the effect of federal "secondary effects" jurisprudence upon the People ex rel. Arcara standard, and how that encounter skewed lower court application of that standard for all cases involving "content-neutral" infringement of protected speech. …


In this report, we describe mechanisms for secure deployment of virtual machines on shared platforms looking into a telecommunication cloud use case, which is also presented in this report. The architecture we present focuses on the security requirements of the major stakeholders' part of the scenario we present. This report comprehensively covers all major security aspects including different security mechanisms and protocols, leveraging existing standards and state-of-the art wherever applicable. In particular, our architecture uses TCG technologies for trust establishment in the deployment of operator virtual machines on shared resource platforms. We also propose a novel procedure for securely launching and cryptographically binding a virtual machine to a target platform thereby protecting the operator virtual machine and its related credentials.


This paper analyses the link between sustainability-related innovation and sustainability performance and the role that family firms play in this. This theme is particular relevant from a European point of view given the large number of firms that are family-owned. Governments often support environmentally and socially beneficial innovation with various policy instruments with the intention is to increase international competitiveness and simultaneously support sustainable development. In parallel, firms use corporate social responsibility (CSR) and environmental management systems partly in the hope that this will foster such innovation in their organisation. Hence the main research question of this paper is about the association of CSR and environmental management with environmentally and socially beneficial innovation and its determinants. Based on panel data, the paper analyses the link of corporate sustainability performance with sustainability innovation and the effect of being a family firm using panel estimation techniques. The paper discusses the results of the analysis, which point to a moderating role of family firms on the link of sustainability innovation and performance and assesses the policy implications of this insight.


This study analyzes consumers' attitudes and perceptions of food safety in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The study hypothesized that different ethnic groups perceive food safety differently for a number of reasons. A cross-section sample representing the country's four ethnic groups was analyzed. A probit model was used to analyze factors affecting consumers' perception and attitude toward major food safety concerns and practices. The results show that the most common food safety practice was reading expiration dates, food poisoning was the most frequent food safety concern, the family doctor was the most trusted source of information, and the householder himself was the most responsible entity regarding food safety. The respondents' education levels and their ethnicity were the main determinants of their attitudes toward major food-safety concerns. The results indicated that it would be more effective for food-safety awareness campaigns to be disseminated through different sources of information targeting different ethnic groups.


We have mapped quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for commercially important traits (stem growth and form) and an adaptive trait (spring leaf flush) in a Populus F2 generation derived from a cross between interspecific F1 hybrids (P. trichocarpa x P. deltoides). Phenotypic data were collected over a 2-year period from a replicated clonal trial containing ramets of the parental, F1, and F2 trees. Contrary to the assumptions of simple polygenic models of quantitative trait inheritance, 1-5 QTLs of large effect are responsible for a large portion of the genetic variance in each of the traits measured. For example, 44.7% of the genetic variance in stem volume after 2 years of growth is controlled by just two QTLs. QTLs governing stem basal area were found clustered with QTLs for sylleptic branch leaf area, sharing similar chromosomal position and mode of action and suggesting a pleiotropic effect of QTLs ultimately responsible for stem diameter growth.


Infection is one of the most important cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality. This case control study was undertaken to assess free radical induced DNA damage in babies with neonatal sepsis using single cell gel electrophoresis (Comet assay). Thirty five term babies with sepsis and equal number of age and gender matched controls were included in this study. Mean comet length (125.87 ± 42.95μm Vs 66.62 ± 11.62μm) and tail length (60.05 ± 48.80μm Vs 5.99 ± 4.63μm) were significantly higher (p <0.001) among cases when compared with controls. Similarly percentage of DNA in tail (19.66 ± 10.35 Vs 6.32 ± 2.39) was higher among cases. DNA damage represented as tail length (74.51 ± 49.41 Vs 23.88 ± 21.24μm) was significantly higher (p<0.05) among culture positive neonates when compared with probable sepsis cases (sepsis screening tests positive). Thus there is increased DNA damage among babies with neonatal sepsis and the DNA damage is higher among babies with severe infection.


The subjects covered by this set are wide-ranging and international. Works included seek to understand the social causes and consequences of key events in world history, and the set includes influential work by Georg Misch. Smelser's book on social change in the industrial revolution, included here, was a landmark book in the development of industrial sociology.


Ad dress for Cor res pon den ce/Ya z›fl ma Ad re si: Ebru Nur Vanlı Yavuz MD, İstanbul University İstanbul Faculty of Medicine, Department of Neurology, Division of Clinical Neurophysiology, İstanbul, Turkey Phone: +90 212 414 20 00 E-mail: email@example.com Re cei ved/Ge lifl Ta ri hi: 23.11.2015 Ac cep ted/Ka bul Ta ri hi: 17.01.2016 Objective: Hippocampal sclerosis (HS) is usually associated with typical anterior temporal spikes/sharp waves in the electroencephalography (EEG). We aimed to investigate the clinical, electrophysiologic differences, and prognosis between HS patients with unusual epileptic foci in comparison with patients with typical foci. Materials and Methods: Patients diagnosed who were diagnosed as having mesial temporal lobe epilepsy with HS in our center were included. All magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) results were investigated for the presence of two major criteria of HS diagnosis, namely T1 atrophy and T2 hyperintensity. All EEG and video-EEG investigations (a total of 496) were re-evaluated for unusual epileptic activities except T1/2, F7/8, T3/4 foci. Clinical and other laboratory data were retrospectively reevaluated by two investigators and the groups with usual and unusual epileptic activities for this syndrome were statistically compared. Results: A total of 124 patients including 20 (16.1%) with unusual epileptic activities (group 1) and 104 patients with typical foci (group 2) were evaluated. We observed 11 posterior temporal (T5/T6), four frontal (F3/F4), four frontopolar (Fp1/2), two occipital (O1/O2), three central (CP/FC) unusual foci, and two generalized epileptiform discharges in these 20 patients. Impaired background activity, nonspecific interictal diffuse slowing, and atypical seizure offset patterns were more frequently observed in group 1. Forty-nine patients underwent surgery after appropriate preoperative diagnostics; there was no significant difference in the postoperative outcome between the groups despite a tendency to better prognosis in group 2. Conclusion: Our study showed that unusual epileptic foci could be seen in 16.1% of patients with HS. Although some patients with HS have these atypical interictal EEG findings, they might obtain good post-operative outcomes when preoperative diagnostics are appropriately planned.


Digital technologies are an important requirement for curriculum expectations, including general ICT capability and STEM education. These technologies are also positioned as mechanisms for educational reform via transformation of teacher practice. It seems, however, that wide-scale transformation of teacher practice and digital learning remain unrealized. This is commonly attributed to a range of challenges associated with extrinsic and intrinsic influences, which while acknowledged, are not well conceptualized. Using evidence from a case study of teachers working to transform their practice with digital technologies, this paper presents a tri-theory framework that was used to conceptualize these challenges. Activity Theory provided a mechanism for teachers to identify extrinsic influences in activity systems then contextualize and reduce the perceived significance of challenging contradictions. System 1 and System 2 Thinking Theory was used by the teachers to explore the role of routine, attitudes, and beliefs in their practice and con-ceptualize discomfort associated with changes in practice. Transformative Learning Theory is presented as a mechanism to explain the interaction between extrinsic and intrinsic influences during the teachers' collaborative attempts to consciously transform their practice. As a common language for discourse, the tri-theory framework allowed the teachers to collaboratively contextualize challenges of realizing digital learning.


Abstract For many reasons second language vocabulary learning and teaching continues to be a topic of interest for learners, instructors, and researchers. This article describes the implementation of personal glossaries in a community program offering English as second language classes to Latina/o Spanish speaking adults. Field notes, interviews, and student work served as data sources to document the results. Suggested steps for the implementation of personal glossaries, pedagogical implications for the teaching of second language vocabulary, and suggestions for future research are provided. Introduction For many reasons second language(L2)vocabulary learning and teaching continues to be a topic of interest for learners, instructors, and researchers (Bogaards & Laufer, 2004; Folse, 2004; Nation, 2001; Schmitt, 2000). Vocabulary acquisition is just as important as the acquisition of grammar; it is the heart of communication (Amiryousefi & Vahid, 2010; LU Mei-fang, 2008). As McVey (2007) explains, "Along with correct grammar, an extensive vocabulary will help ESL students communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing" (p. 20). Some researchers believe that vocabulary knowledge may determine the quality of listening, speaking, reading and writing of an L2 learner (Mokhtar, Rawian, Yahaya, et al., 2010). Research has demonstrated the usefulness and relevance of L2 vocabulary strategies (Baicheng, 2009; Fan, 2003; Hernandez, Herter, & Hernandez, 2010; Larrotta, 1999; Lu Mei-fang, 2008; Montelongo, Hernandez, Herter, & Hernandez, 2010). However, there is a gap between the L2 vocabulary learning strategies that students use and the vocabulary strategies employed or recommended by instructors (Larrotta, 1999). At times, instructors overestimate how much vocabulary students really understand which can result in a communication breakdown between instructor and student (Folse, 2004). There is also a new trend of teaching students to be independent and responsible for their learning. Research on which methods of instruction increase independent learning of vocabulary words continues to be a necessity (Gu, 2003; Lu MeiFang, 2008). This article describes the implementation of personal glossaries in a community program offering English as second language (ESL) classes to Spanish speaking adults. Relevant Literature Research on vocabulary learning and vocabulary learning strategies is vast. This section will highlight some relevant publications within the past decade, followed by a synthesis of their conclusions and recommendations. Nisbet (2010) offers practical guidance for designing and implementing vocabulary instruction using a three-tiered vocabulary framework: most basic words, high-frequency words, and low-frequency words. Her article provides specific recommendations for selecting and teaching vocabulary in the adult ESL classroom as well as strategies for instruction. Montelongo and colleagues (2010) present cognates as a tool to scaffold English language learning. They recommend the teaching of morphological generalizations and strategies to recognize cognates in order to accelerate language learning. Baicheng (2009) discusses the use of example sentences as a means of direct (intentional) vocabulary learning in ESL and EFL (English as foreign language) contexts, proposing that this strategy promotes learners' vocabulary learning and retention. Baicheng states that "the effect is probably better when students write their own authentic example sentences than when the example sentences are randomly provided by their instructor" (p. 183). Walters and Bozkurt (2009) investigate the effect of vocabulary notebooks on EFL students' vocabulary acquisition. They study students' and teachers' attitudes toward the use of vocabulary notebooks and conclude that vocabulary notebooks are an effective learning tool when students have self-motivation for language learning. …


For all intents and purposes, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare, has been fully implemented. And while much of the media coverage has been dominated by the technical failures of the program's initial rollout, we are also learning much about the impact of health care reform on employers, providers, patients, taxpayers, and individual consumers. Much of this was suspected even before the law was passed, but it is now becoming clear as implementation moves forward. For example: ● Millions of Americans who are happy with their current health insurance will not be able to keep it; ● Americans may find it difficult to keep their current doctor unless they are willing to pay more; ● While there will be both winners and losers when it comes to the cost of insurance, millions of Americans will find themselves paying higher premiums or facing higher out-of-pocket expenses; ● The law's final cost is difficult to predict, but is likely to exceed early projections; ● Far fewer Americans will be covered than expected, leaving millions still uninsured; ● The law is already having serious economic consequences and will likely lead to a loss of jobs and slower economic growth; and ● There is a significant danger that young and healthy people will not enroll, leading to an "adverse selection death spiral."In short, the more we have learned about ACA, the more it looks like its critics were right. The law's problems go far beyond a failed website. By imposing a bureaucratic, centralized, top-down approach to health care reform, Obamacare has created far more problems than it solved.


On September 9, 2013, rain began to fall in eastern Colorado as a large low-pressure system pulled plumes of tropical moisture northward from the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. By September 16, 2013, as much as 12 to 20 inches of rain had fallen in the foothills of the Front Range of the Southern Rocky Mountains and adjacent plains near Colorado Springs, Colorado, north to the Colorado-Wyoming border. The rain caused major flooding during September 9–18, 2013, in a large part of the South Platte River Basin and in the Fountain Creek Basin. The floods resulted in several fatalities, more than 31,000 damaged or destroyed structures, and an estimated 3 billion dollars in damages. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) documented peak stage, streamflow, or both from the flood event for 80 sites located on selected rivers and streams in the South Platte River and Fountain Creek Basins and on the Platte River in Nebraska. The majority of flood-peak streamflows occurred on September 12 or 13, 2013, coinciding with the period of maximum rainfall. The flood resulted in new record peak streamflows at 17 streamgages having at least 10 years of record; 13 in the South Platte River Basin and 4 in the Fountain Creek Basin. Flooding in the South Platte River Basin was primarily contained to select streams in Aurora and the Denver metropolitan area, most of the mountain tributaries joining the main stem South Platte River from Denver to Greeley, and in the main stem South Platte River from Denver to the ColoradoNebraska State line. In Aurora, where about 15 inches of rain fell, streamflow peaked at 5,470 cubic feet per second (ft3/s) in Toll Gate Creek, a tributary to Sand Creek. Downstream from Aurora near the confluence with the South Platte River, Sand Creek peaked at 14,900 ft3/s, which was the highest streamflow since at least 1992, but less than the peak of 25,500 ft3/s in 1957 that occurred 4 miles upstream from the mouth. Flood-peak streamflows in the Denver metropolitan area were generally below historic records. The peak of 3,930 ft3/s on September 12 at the State of Colorado streamgage South Platte River at Denver ranked 59 out of 116 peaks and was less than the 1965 peak of 40,300 ft3/s. Ten of the 13 streamgages in the South Platte River Basin with new record peak streamflows were located on the mountain tributaries; Bear Creek, Fourmile Creek, Boulder Creek, St. Vrain Creek, the Big Thompson River, and the Cache la Poudre River. A daily average streamflow of 8,910 ft3/s on September 13 in Boulder Creek at the confluence with St. Vrain Creek was more than twice the previous instantaneous peak of 4,410 ft3/s from 1938. The USGS calculated a peak streamflow of 23,800 ft3/s for the St. Vrain Creek at Lyons; the highest streamflow on record at this State of Colorado streamgage (122 years of record) is 10,500 ft3/s from 1941. A peak streamflow of 16,200 ft3/s was calculated for the Big Thompson River at mouth of canyon near Drake streamgage, which is the second highest peak in 90 years of record and about one-half the magnitude of the peak of 31,200 ft3/s from July 31, 1976. A streamflow of 60,000 ft3/s in the South Platte River at Fort Morgan (September 15, 2013) suggests that a new record streamflow occurred in the main stem in the Greeley area, about 45 miles upstream from Fort Morgan. The current peak of record at a State of Colorado streamgage at Kersey, about 6.5 miles downstream from Greeley, is 31,500 ft3/s from 1973. Given that there was minimal inflow between Kersey and Fort Morgan, the USGS estimates there was probably at least 60,000 ft3/s at Kersey, which would be almost double the peak streamflow of record from 1973. Flooding in the Fountain Creek Basin was primarily contained to Fountain Creek from southern Colorado Springs to its confluence with the Arkansas River in Pueblo, in lower Monument Creek, and in several mountain tributaries. New record peak streamflows occurred at four mountain tributary streamgages having at least 10 years of record; Bear Creek, Cheyenne Creek, Rock Creek, and Little Fountain Creek. Five streamgages with at least 10 years of record in a 32-mile reach of Fountain Creek extending from Colorado Springs to Piñon had peak streamflows in the top five for the period of record. A peak of 15,300 ft3/s at Fountain Creek near Fountain was the highest streamflow recorded in the Fountain Creek Basin during the September 2013 event and ranks the third highest peak in 46 years. Near the mouth of the basin, a peak of 11,800 ft3/s in Pueblo was only the thirteenth highest annual peak in 74 years. A new Colorado record for daily rainfall of 11.85 inches was recorded at a USGS rain gage in the Little Fountain Creek Basin on September 12, 2013. 2 Flooding in the South Platte River and Fountain Creek Basins in Eastern Colorado, September 9–18, 2013