The Hunt for Observable Signatures of Terrestrial Systems survey searches for dust near the habitable zones (HZs) around nearby, bright main-sequence stars. We use nulling interferometry in the N band to suppress the bright stellar light and to probe for low levels of HZ dust around the 30 stars observed so far. Our overall detection rate is 18%, including four new detections, among which are the first three around Sun-like stars and the first two around stars without any previously known circumstellar dust. The inferred occurrence rates are comparable for early-type and Sun-like stars, but decrease from % for stars with previously detected cold dust to % for stars without such excess, confirming earlier results at higher sensitivity. For completed observations on individual stars, our sensitivity is five to ten times better than previous results. Assuming a lognormal excess luminosity function, we put upper limits on the median HZ dust level of 13 zodis (95% confidence) for a sample of stars without cold dust and of 26 zodis when focusing on Sun-like stars without cold dust. However, our data suggest that a more complex luminosity function may be more appropriate. For stars without detectable Large Binocular Telescope Interferometer (LBTI) excess, our upper limits are almost reduced by a factor of two, demonstrating the strength of LBTI target vetting for future exo-Earth imaging missions. Our statistics are limited so far, and extending the survey is critical to informing the design of future exo-Earth imaging surveys.


Gathered together for the first time in one comprehensive volume are more than 500 alphabetically arranged entries from over 70 contributors examining the military, political, and social history of the War of 1812. This volume also contains the text of important documents such as the Embargo Act, the Rambouillet Decree, Macon's Bill No. 2, and President James Madison's War Message of 1812. Readers will also discover a chronology of political, military, and diplomatic maneuvers; a listing of the executive federal government officers during the Madison presidency; and a glossary of military, diplomatic, and nautical terms. Numerous illustrations, cross-references, bibliographies, and an index supplement a volume that is a welcome addition to school and public libraries.


Background During the recent H1N1 influenza pandemic, excess morbidity and mortality was seen in young but not older adults suggesting that prior infection with influenza strains may have protected older subjects. In contrast, a history of recent seasonal trivalent vaccine in younger adults was not associated with protection. Methods and Findings To study hemagglutinin (HA) antibody responses in influenza immunization and infection, we have studied the day 7 plasma cell repertoires of subjects immunized with seasonal trivalent inactivated influenza vaccine (TIV) and compared them to the plasma cell repertoires of subjects experimentally infected (EI) with influenza H3N2 A/Wisconsin/67/2005. The majority of circulating plasma cells after TIV produced influenza-specific antibodies, while most plasma cells after EI produced antibodies that did not react with influenza HA. While anti-HA antibodies from TIV subjects were primarily reactive with single or few HA strains, anti-HA antibodies from EI subjects were isolated that reacted with multiple HA strains. Plasma cell-derived anti-HA antibodies from TIV subjects showed more evidence of clonal expansion compared with antibodies from EI subjects. From an H3N2-infected subject, we isolated a 4-member clonal lineage of broadly cross-reactive antibodies that bound to multiple HA subtypes and neutralized both H1N1 and H3N2 viruses. This broad reactivity was not detected in post-infection plasma suggesting this broadly reactive clonal lineage was not immunodominant in this subject. Conclusion The presence of broadly reactive subdominant antibody responses in some EI subjects suggests that improved vaccine designs that make broadly reactive antibody responses immunodominant could protect against novel influenza strains.


Magnetic particle imaging (MPI) is an exciting new biomedical imaging technology that uses superparamagnetic nanoparticles as an imaging tracer. MPI is touted as a quantitative imaging modality but MPI signal properties have never been characterized for nanoparticles undergoing biodegradation. Here we characterize the nature of the MPI signal properties as a function of degradation of various magnetic particle formulations. We show that MPI signal properties can increase or decrease as a function of nanoparticle formulation and chemical environment and that long-term in vitro experiments only roughly approximate long-term in vivo MPI signal properties. Data are supported by electron microscopy of nanoparticle degradation. Knowledge of MPI signal property changes during nanoparticle degradation will be critical in design and interpretation of all MPI experiments. Further, we demonstrate for the first time, an environmentally sensitive MPI contrast mechanism opening the door to smart contrast paradigms in MPI.


Of the women in the world today, approximately 250,000,000 were married before the age of 15, and another approximately 450,000,000 were married between the ages of 15 and 18 (United Nations Children's Fund 2014). Though child marriage is declining globally, it is estimated that over 100 million girls under age 18 will be married in the next decade (UNICEF 2015). Risk for child marriage varies, even within a country, with risk factors including things such as poverty, ethnic group, and rural residency. The detrimental effects of child marriage, however, are universal: girls who are married as children lose their childhood and often become socially isolated; have limited educational and employment opportunities; and, being young and lacking skills to negotiate safer sex, are vulnerable to early pregnancy (and its many associated negative consequences) and HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. Child marriage is most prevalent in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Though median age at first marriage has been on the rise over the past three decades, Ethiopia falls in the top 10 countries with the highest rates of child marriage: among 20-49-year-old women, 58 percent were married or in union before the age of 18.


Net primary production (NPP) is the principal source of energy for ecosystems and, by extension, human populations that depend on them. The relationship between the supply and demand of NPP is important for the assessment of socio-ecological vulnerability. We present an analysis of the supply and demand of NPP in the Sahel using NPP estimates from the MODIS sensor and agri-environmental data from FAOSTAT. This synergistic approach allows for a spatially explicit estimation of human impact on ecosystems. We estimated the annual amount of NPP required to derive food, fuel and feed between 2000 and 2010 for 22 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. When comparing annual estimates of supply and demand of NPP, we found that demand increased from 0.44 PgC to 1.13 PgC, representing 19% and 41%, respectively, of available supply due to a 31% increase in the human population between 2000 and 2010. The demand for NPP has been increasing at an annual rate of 2.2% but NPP supply was near-constant with an inter-annual variability of approximately 1.7%. Overall, there were statistically significant (p < 0.05) increases in the NPP of cropland (+6.0%), woodland (+6.1%) and grassland/savanna (+9.4%), and a decrease in the NPP of forests (−0.7%). On the demand side, the largest increase was for food (20.4%) followed by feed (16.7%) and fuel (5.5%). The supply-demand balance of NPP is a potentially important tool from the standpoint of sustainable development, and as an indicator of stresses on the environment stemming from increased consumption of biomass.


Many cyclopoid copepods employ diapause to survive periods of adverse conditions. Because emergence from diapause is irreversible, replenishment of the diapausing population depends on production of a new generation of diapausing animals. We hypothesized that cyclopoid copepods in Rainbow Bay, a temporary pond in South Carolina, USA, would use environmental cues to limit emergence to hydroperiods long enough to allow production of diapausing offspring. To test this hypothesis, we used classification trees to help us identify patterns of emergence. The data set included 16 hydroperiods over five years. From the emergence patterns for the copepods, we inferred five strategies: 1) emergence early in the hydroperiod in all seasons (Acanthocyclops robustus and Microcyclops sp.); 2) emergence early in the hydroperiod in fall, winter, or spring (Diacyclops crassicaudis brachycercus and Diacyclops haueri); 3) emergence in spring, summer, or fall (Macrocyclops fuscus); 4) emergence in long photoperiod (Tropocyclops extensus); and 5) emergence in late summer (Mesocyclops americanus). We tested reliability of the inferred emergence strategies with a 15-yr record of 50 hydroperiods at the pond. Generally, the results do not support our hypothesis. For strategies 1-4, production of diapausing offspring was possible in only 50-61 % of emergences, but in 13-14 of 15 yrs. For strategy 5, production of diapausing offspring was possible in 90 % of emergences, but in only 8 of 15 yrs. We conclude that reserve populations of diapausing copepods must reduce the demographic impact of emergences into hydroperiods too short for production of diapausing offspring.


1  The cultivation and dissemination of alien ornamental plants increases their potential to invade. More specifically, species with bird‐dispersed seeds can potentially infiltrate natural nucleation processes in savannas. 2 To test (i) whether invasion depends on facilitation by host trees, (ii) whether propagule pressure determines invasion probability, and (iii) whether alien host plants are better facilitators of alien fleshy‐fruited species than indigenous species, we mapped the distribution of alien fleshy‐fruited species planted inside a military base, and compared this with the distribution of alien and native fleshy‐fruited species established in the surrounding natural vegetation. 3 Abundance and diversity of fleshy‐fruited plant species was much greater beneath tree canopies than in open grassland and, although some native fleshy‐fruited plants were found both beneath host trees and in the open, alien fleshy‐fruited plants were found only beneath trees. 4 Abundance of fleshy‐fruited alien species in the natural savanna was positively correlated with the number of individuals of those species planted in the grounds of the military base, while the species richness of alien fleshy‐fruited taxa decreased with distance from the military base, supporting the notion that propagule pressure is a fundamental driver of invasions. 5 There were more fleshy‐fruited species beneath native Acacia tortilis than beneath alien Prosopis sp. trees of the equivalent size. Although there were significant differences in native plant assemblages beneath these hosts, the proportion of alien to native fleshy‐fruited species did not differ with host. 6 Synthesis. Birds facilitate invasion of a semi‐arid African savanna by alien fleshy‐fruited plants, and this process does not require disturbance. Instead, propagule pressure and a few simple biological observations define the probability that a plant will invade, with alien species planted in gardens being a major source of propagules. Some invading species have the potential to transform this savanna by overtopping native trees, leading to ecosystem‐level impacts. Likewise, the invasion of the open savanna by alien host trees (such as Prosopis sp.) may change the diversity, abundance and species composition of the fleshy‐fruited understorey. These results illustrate the complex interplay between propagule pressure, facilitation, and a range of other factors in biological invasions.


Mnesithea selloana (known as cola de largarto, teyu ru- guay) is a spring-summer-fall species that flowers and fructifies in that period; it has good forage quality, and it is in danger of extinc- tion in the natural grasslands at the study region. The objectives of this work were to study the sinflorescence morphology, and the ma - turity and quality of the caryopsis to know its reproductive aspects in relation to the dissemination of this especies in grazing areas. The sinflorescence was studied in two plants during a period of 45 days, between October and December 2010, within an experimental field of the UNER FCA. Growth of clusters and their disseminules were observed. Time of dehiscence, humidity, weight and germination of caryopsis were determined. Sinflorescence was constituted by a main axis ending in a spiciform raceme (flowering unit), and by lateral axis (paraclades of the trophotagma) which repeated the main axis structure. The resulting sinflorescence has a panicle appearance. Both plants produced 25 to 39 inflorescences with an average of 9 to 10 racemes, resulting in a total of 254 to 272 racemes per plant, respec- tively. Thirty to 35 disseminules were produced per raceme with two disarticulated spikelets as they matured. Maturity of disseminules in the racemes was at the base. We found 40% to 50% of disseminules with caryopsis presenting 32% humidity once disarticulated. Germi- nation produced up to 50% of normal seedlings. Our studies made it possible to establish strategies to favor species dispersion through seeds in grazing areas.


The largest contribution of oceanic heat to the Arctic Ocean is the warm Atlantic Water (AW) inflow through the deep Fram Strait. The AW current also carries Atlantic plankton into the Arctic Basin and this inflow of zooplankton biomass through the Atlantic-Arctic gateway far exceeds the inflow through the shallow Pacific-Arctic gateway. However, because this transport has not yet been adequately quantified based on observational data, so that the present contribution is poorly defined, and future changes in Arctic zooplankton communities are difficult to project and observe. Our objective was to quantify the inflow of zooplankton biomass through the Fram Strait during different seasons, including winter. We collected data with high spatial resolution covering hydrography (CTD), currents (ADCP and LADCP) and zooplankton distributions (LOPC and MultiNet) from surface to 1000 m depth along two transects crossing the AW inflow during three cruises in January, May and August 2014. Long-term variations (1997-2016) in the AW inflow were analyzed based on moored current meters. Water transport across the inflow region was of the same order of magnitude during all months (January 2.2 Sv, May 1.9 Sv, August 1.7 Sv). We found a higher variability in zooplankton transport between the months (January 51 kg C s-1, May 34 kg C s-1, August 50 kg C s-1), related to seasonal changes in the vertical distribution of zooplankton. However, high abundances of carbon-rich copepods were observed in the AW inflow during all months. Surface patches with high abundances of C. finmarchicus, Microcalanus spp., Pseudocalanus spp. and Oithona similis clearly contributed to the advected biomass, also in winter. The data reveal that the phenology of species is important for the amount of advected biomass, and that the advective input of zooplankton carbon into the Arctic Basin is important during all seasons. The advective zooplankton input might be especially important for mesopelagic planktivorous predators that were recently observed in the region, particularly during winter. The inflow of C. finmarchicus with AW was estimated to be in the order of 500 000 metric tons C y-1, which compares well to modeled estimates.


ASNS has offered 10 types of schemes, which are ASN, ASN 2, ASN 3, ASG-Pendidikan, ASG-Kesihatan, ASG-Persaraan, ASS, ASW 2020, ASM, and ASD. Salary deduction scheme is offer to those who are working and have fixed salary. This salary deduction scheme is meant for ASS unit holder. The investors can deposit a minimum amount of RM10 of their salary into their account every month. But, there are some problems in terms of investors motivation towards the scheme In this context, this study mainly focuses on the customer's motivation towards salary deduction scheme. Moreover, this study seeks to know about the investors' savings motivator, motives behind savings withdrawal and the extent of acceptance towards communicated information regarding salary deduction scheme. In the first objective, the analysis shows that most of the investors agreed the main subscription motives in salary deduction scheme is because of investment purpose. For the second objective, the main reason of withdrawing is because of insufficient for other expenditure such as children education, daily expenditure etc. In the analysis for the third objective, most of the investors are satisfied with media used, the completeness and accuracy of the information

The study was carried at Amanah Saham Nasional Berhad (ASNB), Kuala Lumpur and the respondents came from ASNB customers who come to ASNB counter services. Based on this study, some suggestions have been recommended to ASNB Management and the organization to come up with new strategies to enhance its image as well as increase the number of subscribers in the scheme offered.


A comprehensive survey of the plants that provide food, beverages, spices, and flavorings, this book will serve as an invaluable reference to gardeners, ethnobotanists, nutritionists, culinary professionals, dieticians, and food enthusiasts. This scientifically accurate guide will allow them to identify all the major plant-derived foods and flavors, research culinary uses, and understand their dietetic and nutritional properties. Introductory chapters cover the various categories of plant use, including cereals, pulses (legumes), nuts and seeds, fruits, vegetables, culinary herbs, sugar plants, beverages, spices, and flavorings. The core of the volume is an encyclopedic description of more than 350 food and flavor plants in use worldwide, with over 1000 color photographs. This accessible, pictorial guide is a concise source of practical information, not readily available elsewhere, and should be on every food enthusiast's bookshelf.


Most people hold beliefs about personality characteristics typical of members of their own and others' cultures. These perceptions of national character may be generalizations from personal experience, stereotypes with a "kernel of truth," or inaccurate stereotypes. We obtained national character ratings of 3989 people from 49 cultures and compared them with the average personality scores of culture members assessed by observer ratings and self-reports. National character ratings were reliable but did not converge with assessed traits. Perceptions of national character thus appear to be unfounded stereotypes that may serve the function of maintaining a national identity.


In this paper we illustrate the stratigraphic and structural features of the Sibillini Mountains on the basis of a 1:40.000 geological map. Following the "Foglio 132 Norcia" (Geological Map of Italy at 1:100.000 scale; [Scarsella, 1941][1]), this new geological map is the first cartographic document that covers the whole area of the Sibillini Mts. This area is key for understanding the geological evolution of the external zones of the Apennine orogen, mostly owing to the pronounced structural elevation of the Apennine ridge at the Sibillini Mts. area. This allowed us to: a ) carry out stratigraphic and structural analyses for the Umbria-Marche sedimentary cover to the oldest units; b ) analyze the paleotectonic setting of this sector of the Afro-Adriatic continental margin and the behavior of pre-existing structures during the subsequent deformation events; c ) investigate in depth the major Apennine thrust front ("Sibillini Mountains Thrust") exposed in several sites (Fiastrone, Ambro, Tenna and Tronto valley) and its relationship with the units of the adjacent Messinian foredeep.

Inherited (pre-thrusting) structures played an important role on the tectonic evolution of the study area. In addition to those of Jurassic age, associated to thinning of the Adriatic continental margin (the most frequent), there are also some Cretaceous-Eocene extensional faults and others probably related to Miocene foreland deformation. These extensional faults show very limited, or none, reversal of slip during contractional neogenic deformation. Usually they were tilted and, subsequently, displaced by thrust faults; locally they were deformed by buttressing processes. The paleotectonic setting also influenced the development of minor folds, as is evident in the Mt. Bove anticlinorium.

Shortening-related structures are mainly represented by asymmetric, northeast-verging thrust-related anticlines involving Mesozoic-Tertiary sedimentary successions. Among these structures, the most important and well-known is the Sibillini Mts. Thrust, which bounds the Apennine mountain front, separating it from the Marche-Abruzzi foothills. This major fault affects the eastern, vertical to overturned, limb of the arcuate shaped Mt. Fiegni-Mt. Vettore anticline, which shows several complications, mostly due to the occurrence of minor thrust splays forming isolated lens-shaped tectonic slices up to several kilometers-long. The geological cross sections show that in the southernmost part of the Sibillini Mts. Thrust the displacement is partly buried and forms a detachment located at the base of the Laga Fm.

Much of the Neogene compressional structures has been dissected by NNW-SSE trending Quaternary normal and oblique-slip faults, some of which reactivated older extensional structures. These faults do not seem to crosscut the Sibillini Mts. Thrust. Some of them show fresh fault scarps in the substrate and/or affect recent continental deposits and are considered responsible for the intense seismic activity of the area.

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Purpose: Higher education institutions in the Philippines have been encouraged to do and publish research. Thus, this study aimed to unravel the lived experiences of 12 teacher education faculty-researchers in a public university in Cagayan Valley, Northern Philippines with regards to writing, presenting and publishing research articles. Research Methods: The method employed was the phenomenological inquiry through an in-depth semi-structured interview. Data were transcribed, read repeatedly, and subjected to content analysis. Findings: Findings revealed that personal (additional learning, self-enrichment, and prestige) and professional (knowledge generation and dissemination, career advancement, and building linkages) reasons inspired teacher education faculty  researchers in writing, presenting and publishing their studies. However, some of the challenges they encountered included lack of time due to heavy workload and multiple designations, lack of mentoring, and shortage of financial assistance for international presentation and publication. Despite external constraints and difficulties faced, these faculty-researchers were positive about doing research studies as it became an enterprise for them to find deeper meaning in what they were doing and to grow professionally as researchers. Implications for Research and Practice : Knowing and understanding the lived experiences of faculty-researchers in writing, presenting, and publishing research articles would have an impact on the higher education institution's research policies that can empower faculty-researchers and advance research culture in teacher education not only in the Philippines but in all higher education institutions in the world.


textabstractThe integrity of the genome, carrier of the blueprint for each organism, is
under constant attack from environmental as well as endogenous DNA damaging
agents. An agent with substantial impact on our DNA is the UV-fraction of sunlight. It
inflicts bulky DNA lesions, which can interfere with vital cellular functions, such as
DNA replication and transcription of genes, by simply blocking these processes. This
can lead to cell death or to mutations, which in higher organisms can in turn lead to
inborn diseases and cancer. To counteract these deleterious effects, the specialized
multi-component nucleotide excision repair (NER) machinery has evolved which
removes and replaces the damaged oligonucleotide in a multi-step process. Defects
in this repair pathway are the underlying cause for the inherited UV-sensitive
diseases xeroderma pigmentosum, Cockayne syndrome, and trichothiodystrophy. In
association with these disorders it has been demonstrated that repair deficiencies do
not only lead to mutations and cancer, but also to developmental difficulties,
(neuronal) degeneration and premature ageing. In rapidly dividing cells, not all DNA
lesions can be repaired by the time a new DNA replication round has begun, even if
the corresponding repair pathway is fully functional. Therefore, cells have also
evolved specialized lesion-bypass polymerases. Translesion polymerases are
capable of resolving DNA polymerase complexes stalled at DNA damage sites by
inserting a nucleotide opposite an altered base, enabling the cell to continue to
replicate. Importantly, polymerase eta can insert the correct nucleotide opposite UVinduced
pyrimidine-pyrimidine adducts such as cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers
(CPD), enabling mutation-free replication of DNA past these UV lesions. Without a
functioning polymerase eta, unrepaired UV injuries blocking the replication process
can only be resolved by mutational translesion synthesis performed by other lesion
bypass polymerases. This leads to a highly elevated risk of skin cancer in patients
exhibiting a special form of xeroderma pigmentosum due to lack of polymerase eta.


The growth and physiological condition of the methanotrophic hydrocarbon seep mussel Bathymodiolus childressi reflects the habitat quality of the sites it occupies on the seafloor of the upper Louisiana slope of the Gulf of Mexico. Here, tissue stable isotope compositions, growth, and physiological health of B. childressi mussels transplanted between different seep sites changed within a year to reflect conditions at the new environment. Tissue stable carbon and nitrogen isotope turnovers, although substantial, were not complete at the end of the 1‐yr transplant period; they were strongly correlated with each other, and the extent of turnover of both varied by site and was related to the growth of the mussels. Carbon and nitrogen isotopic turnovers caused by metabolic tissue turnover were about 35% per year. This slow isotopic turnover in B. childressi is presumably due to its relatively slow growth and low metabolic rate. On the other hand, tissue stable sulfur isotope turnover was not correlated with either stable carbon or nitrogen isotope turnover or growth and was higher in the site with higher levels of sulfide in the environment. This indicated that tissue stable sulfur isotope turnover in these mussels is influenced by sulfide detoxification activities.


Since its recent introduction to the filtration industry, one of the major concerns about the use of fiber in water treatment has been its applicability for high-rate filtration while minimizing the build-up of headloss. In this study, a compact, modular filter employing non-woven, highly porous polypropylene fiber as filter media was investigated for the treatment of turbid water under high filtration rates. The impact of different operating variables such as polyaluminum chloride (PAC) dose and filtration rate on the effluent turbidity and headloss were investigated. Due to the fiber9s high porosity, the filter was able to retain solids at a filtration rate of up to 1,500 m/day without headloss. When PAC was added, the effluent turbidity decreased significantly with the lowest observed when the dose was 1 mg/L. Furthermore, the effluent turbidity was found to increase with the filtration rate. During all the experiments, no headloss was observed except when the filtration rate was 2,250 m/day or when the PAC dose was 5 mg/L. In terms of its compactness and applicability at very high filtration rates, the polypropylene fiber filter can have a considerable advantage compared to other filters.


International policy discourses are actively promoting the compact city planning approach as a universal paradigm for achieving sustainable urban development in both the global North and South. These discourses have tended to favour European and American compact cities, thus reinforcing the 'EuroAmerican' version as the dominant paradigm. Consequently, Southern versions of the compact city have been largely excluded from consideration. This paper confronts this rather imperialistic approach to compact city theorisation by challenging the binary opposition between 'First-World' cities that are commonly viewed as models for generating theory and policy and 'Third-World' cities that are commonly viewed as problems in need of external intervention. This paper utilises a method of deconstruction to dislocate the compact city paradigm from EuroAmerica so that it can be reimagined outside the confines of that construction from a Southern perspective. This method is applied to sub-Saharan Africa, where the compact city paradigm is promoted as a response to 'urban sprawl' and other unsustainable patterns of urbanization. The findings reveal significant discrepancies between EuroAmerican compact city models and the local realities of cities in sub-Saharan Africa. Conversely, the Southern alternatives 'unlocked' present new opportunities to learn from Southern planning practices and about the local realities they respond to. It is argued that the power relations that have historically favoured EuroAmerican over Southern theorists thus warrant more critical attention in future research efforts concerned with liberating oppressed Southern planning epistemologies. It is further argued that fostering communities of inquiry in which planning theorists and practitioners from different parts of the world could come together to discuss the relevance of planning theory and the conditions under which it could be appropriately applied in different places could provide a way forward within international debates surrounding the compact city among other 'travelling' planning ideas.


Soil nutrients are often heterogeneously distributed in space and time at scales relevant to individual plants, and plants can respond by selectively proliferating their roots within nutrient-rich patches. However, many environmental factors may increase or decrease the degree of root proliferation by plants. I explored how soil fertility, nitrogen (N) or phosphorus (P) limitation, and soil oxygen availability affected root system response to nutrient heterogeneity in forested wetland ecosystems of southeastern United States. Fine root biomass was not correlated with soil nutrient availability within wetland ecosystems, but was related to ecosystem-scale fertility. Root systems generally did not respond to Prich patches in both floodplain (nutrient-rich) and depressional swamps (nutrient-poor) swamps, but results were inconclusive because the growth medium (sand) potentially hindered root growth. In floodplain forests, roots proliferated into N-rich patches but not P-rich patches, even though litterfall N:P ratios were > 15, which suggested that these ecosystems were P-limited. The combination of nutrient and oxygen heterogeneity affected root proliferation and biomass growth of three common floodplain forest species (Liquidambar styraciflua, Fraxinus pennsylvanica, and Nyssa aquatica) in a potted study, which was related to species' flood tolerance. My results suggest that the environmental context of plants can affect roots system response to nutrient heterogeneity in forested wetland ecosystems and highlights the need for field studies that investigate this phenomenon. Learning how environmental conditions affect plant response to nutrient heterogeneity at a fine-scale will provide better predictions of nutrient cycling, plant competition and succession, and forest productivity, which are important factors that determine carbon sequestration and timber production.


Effectiveness of a capture and return system for the partial retention of fermentation volatiles, as a means of improving white wine quality, was evaluated. Twenty-three aroma-active volatiles including ethyl esters, acetate esters, fusel alcohols, and fatty acids, were quantified using head-space solid phase microextraction with GC/MS. Volatile analysis of fermentations maintained at 15oC demonstrated a trend of increased concentrations of ethanol, esters and ethyl esters of fatty acids and decreased concentrations of fusel alcohol acetates, fatty acids and higher alcohols in treatment wines. When fermentation temperature was maintained at 30oC there was increased concentration and retention of fusel alcohols, fatty acids and higher alcohols compared to 15oC. Sensory analysis of wines fermented at 15oC, using triangle difference testing, indicated variable differences in aroma among treatments.


Contingent attentional capture involves the interference of a task-relevant distractor and impairs performance in a target-detection/identification task. The ability to identify a target embedded in a rapid sequence of non-target letters deteriorates when a peripherally presented distractor sharing a target-defining feature precedes the target. However, recent studies have revealed exceptional cases in which identification improved when observers searched for multiple targets. Specifically, identification of a target (e.g., a green letter) was enhanced when the preceding distractor (a green item) shared one of the target colors (green or orange), but no such enhancement occurred when the color of the distractor differed from that of the target (an orange letter). The present study examined whether such enhancement is specific to multiple-target searches based on one feature dimension (e.g., color) or whether it occurs in multiple-target searches based on multiple feature dimensions (e.g., color and shape). Participants identified a target letter surrounded by a target-defining shape (in any color) or a color frame (in any shape). We observed contingent attentional capture in Experiment 1, as target-identification accuracy was lower when the distractor contained a target-defining feature than when it contained a non-target feature. Accuracy was superior when the current target's feature (e.g., shape) corresponded to the defining feature of the present distractor (shape) than when the current target's feature did not match the distractor's feature (color). Experiment 2 ruled out the possibility that enhancement was due to perceptual priming by demonstrating that mere repetition of the same feature without a specific attentional setting did not improve identification. These results suggest that establishing an attentional setting induces both automatic incorporation of target-relevant features into the focus of attention and its subsequent use in target identification. The present study demonstrated that this principle held even when multiple target feature dimensions were monitored. Meeting abstract presented at VSS 2015.


We demonstrate a highly tolerant and highly reflective broadband a-Si distributed Bragg reflector fabricated by oblique angle deposition. By tuning the refractive index of an a-Si film, a high index contrast material system was achieved. The highly tolerant and broadband reflective characteristics of the a-Si distributed Bragg reflector were investigated by calculation and fabrication. A broad stop band (Δλ/λ = 33.7%, R>99%) with only a five-pair a-Si distributed Bragg reflector was achieved experimentally. The size-, feature- and substrate-independent method for highly reflective Bragg reflectors was realized by simple oblique angle evaporation.


This novel, which has always been regarded as one of Scott's finest, opens with the Edinburgh riots of 1736. The people of the city have been infuriated by the actions of John Porteous, Captain of the Guard, and when they hear that his death has been reprieved by the distant monarch they ignore the Queen and resolve to take their own revenge. At the cente of the story is Edinburgh's forbidding Tolbooth prison, known by all as the Heart of Midlothian. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.


This paper summarises some of the literature on the links between FDI and the transfer and diffusion of technology. We argue that the positive effects of FDI postulated in much of the recent debate are not automatic, that the effects of FDI will vary depending on the host country's characteristics and policies, and that there is a role for economic policy in maximising the potential benefits of FDI. Many developing countries have traditionally relied on a combination of various fiscal incentives and performance and technology transfer requirements to attract foreign multinational firms and to control their operations. However, these measures may not be sufficient to generate significant knowledge spillovers if the majority of local firms employ technologies that are very different from those used by foreigners. The studies reviewed in the paper suggest two additional areas for host country policy. Firstly, policies to support local technological capability and labour skills may facilitate spillovers of technology from foreign MNCs. The reason is not only that the local industry's ability to absorb foreign technology improves, but also that a more skilled local labour force reduces the costs of intra-firm technology transfer within the MNC, which is likely to encourage affiliates to import "more" technology from their parents. Secondly, policies to ensure that the foreign affiliates operate in a competitive environment appear to be essential. Foreign MNCs that are protected by trade or entry barriers can afford to employ obsolete technologies and still generate significant profits, without generating much diffusion of valuable knowledge and skills to local firms. Foreign MNCs facing national or international competition, by contrast, must continuously adjust their operations and technologies to changing market conditions, which creates a greater potential for spillovers to local industry


In the thirteen personal essays in "Grammar Lessons", Michele Morano connects the rules of grammar to the stories we tell to help us understand our worlds. Living and traveling in Spain during a year of teaching English to university students, she learned to translate and interpret her past and present worlds - to study the surprising moments of communication - as a way to make sense of language and meaning, longing and memory. Morano focuses first on her year of living in Oviedo, in the early 1990s, a time spent immersing herself in a new culture and language while working through the relationship she had left behind - a relationship with an emotionally dependent and suicidal man. Next, after subsequent trips to Spain, she explores the ways that travel sparks us to reconsider our personal histories in the context of larger historical legacies. Finally, she turns to the aftereffects of travel, to the constant negotiations involved in retelling and understanding the stories of our lives. Throughout, she details one woman's journey through vocabulary and verb tense toward a greater sense of her place in the world. "Grammar Lessons" illustrates the difficulty and delight, humor and humility of living in a new language and of carrying that pivotal experience forward. Michele Morano's beautifully constructed essays reveal the many grammars and many voices that we collect, and learn from, as we travel.


The 1997 financial turmoil, in conjunction with the escalating global uncertainties and exchange rate volatilities, has revealed the need of APEs (especially East Asian) to formulate new development path towards sustainable growth. Yet, no ideal solution has been proposed and major concerns are now centered at finding an equilibrium position within macroeconomic trilemma: the incompatibility between capital mobility, monetary policy independence and a fixed (stable) exchange rate regime. The present thesis tries to tackle the issue from two standpoints. First, the extent of economic integration: (i) goods (and services) versus financial market integration; (ii) regional (within ASEAN+3+2+1) versus global (US, Japan, China) integration, and (iii) over time, for the pre- and post-liberalization period as well as the pre- and post-crisis period. Second, the choice of optimal exchange rate regime underneath the tendency towards regional integration. Two major analyses are being conducted. The first engaged with the international parities that include the PPP, UIP and RIP conditions (1976M1-2007M1). The latter then deals with the feasibility of OCA, which focus on the Business Cycle Synchronization assessment (1960-2004) among the selected APEs vis-a-vis the US, Japan and China. To accomplish the analyses on international parities, both univariate and panel-based unit toot tests are adopted. Endogenous breaks and the half-life estimation are conducted to capture the shocks adjustments towards the equilibrium, overtime. As for the OCA analyses, the band-pass filtering is used to construct business cycles. The ARDL modeling and UECM are further utilized to assess the long-and short-run co-movement of aggregate economic behavior as justification of common cycles and shocks synchronization.
Several important findings are worth noting. First, the support for PPP is time-specific and time-dependent. Supports for PPP and goods markets integration were found when the data was extended to include the post-crisis period. PPP failure prior to 1997 is confirmed by the exchange rate misalignment of APEs. The evident that regional currencies were overvalued prior to the 1997 speculative attacks was more apparent for Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines. However, regional authorities have shown some form of PPP-oriented rule as a basis for their exchange rate policy in the aftermath of Asian crisis, in order to maintain international competitiveness and to stabilize domestic income. In addition, supports for UIP are neither concrete, most probably due to the existence of time-varying risk premium as well as possible effects of central bank interventions especially among the developing East Asian. Hence, the commencement of monetary expansion to defend currency remains as policy debate. Then, RIP holds for all of APEs regardless of numeraire used, except South Korea-China. The finding coincides with the increased regional financial integration prompted by financial liberalization, technological breakthroughs, and growth in the capitalization among APEs. However, the variety of endogenous breaks occurred throughout the 1980s and 1990s suggests that financial markets are more vulnerable than the foreign exchange and goods markets. Empirically, APEs financial markets are still dominated by the US market though there is an increased of Japanese and Chinese influence in the post-liberalization era. Lastly, the co-movements of ASEAN-US-Japan-China cycles are confirmed but more evident when the post-crisis period is included. Nevertheless, both the long- and short-run modeling indicates that the idiosyncratic and common shocks of ASEAN economies are more identical to the Japanese experience rather than the US whereas the Chinese influences are on the rise. Hence, the formation of OCA will be more beneficial and less risky if Japan is included. In brief, the findings imply an improved integration process among the APEs. Empirical evidences, when putting together, have shown partial fulfilment of the three (out of five) fundamental criterions for OCA. Yet, macroeconomic disparities are still persisting especially among the emerging-developed markets. And, there is no evidence to support recent proposal of decoupling from the global markets. In other words, sub-group financial deepening, currency arrangements and early warning system construction are more feasible and open regionalism should be promoted. Moreover, the sequencing problem of trade and financial liberalization should be corrected in the process of building sustainable development.


Linearizability is a key design methodology for reasoning about implementations of concurrent abstract data types in both shared memory and message passing systems. It provides the illusion that operations execute sequentially and fault-free, despite the asynchrony and faults inherent to a concurrent system, especially a distributed one. A key property of linearizability is inter-object composability: a system composed of linearizable objects is itself linearizable. However, devising linearizable objects is very difficult, requiring complex algorithms to work correctly under general circumstances, and often resulting in bad average-case behavior. Concurrent algorithm designers therefore resort to speculation: optimizing algorithms to handle common scenarios more efficiently. The outcome are even more complex protocols, for which it is no longer tractable to prove their correctness. To simplify the design of efficient yet robust linearizable protocols, we propose a new notion: speculative linearizability. This property is as general as linearizability, yet it allows intra-object composability: the correctness of independent protocol phases implies the correctness of their composition. In particular, it allows the designer to focus solely on the proof of an optimization and derive the correctness of the overall protocol from the correctness of the existing, non-optimized one. Our notion of protocol phases allows processes to independently switch from one phase to another, without requiring them to reach agreement to determine the change of a phase. To illustrate the applicability of our methodology, we show how examples of speculative algorithms for shared memory and asynchronous message passing naturally fit into our framework. We rigorously define speculative linearizability and prove our intra-object composition theorem in a trace-based as well as an automaton-based model. To obtain a further degree of confidence, we also formalize and mechanically check the theorem in the automaton-based model, using the I/O automata framework within the Isabelle interactive proof assistant. We expect our framework to enable, for the first time, scalable specifications and mechanical proofs of speculative implementations of linearizable objects.


Summary
1Differences in digestive physiology between browsing and grazing ruminant feeding types have been discussed extensively. The potentially underlying differences in fermentative behaviour of forage plants have received much less attention.
2In this study, different groups of temperate forage plants (grasses, browse leaves and twigs, herbs and legumes) were compared in their chemical composition and fermentative behaviour. They were evaluated via an in vitro fermentation system (modified Hohenheim gas test), and relevant fermentation parameters such as maximal gas production and relative gas production rate were calculated.
3Grasses generally had a higher NDF (neutral detergent fibre = total cell wall) content than browse leaves, herbs and legumes, while browse leaf cell wall was more lignified than that of herbs, legumes and grass.
4With respect to fermentation parameters, grass had the highest maximal gas production, followed by herbs and legumes, and the lowest maximal gas production in browse leaves and twigs. Relative gas production rate was highest in herbs and legumes, while that of grass and browse was lower. As expected, browse twigs had the lowest nutritional value.
5Dicot material reached given setpoints of absolute gas production rate like 1·0 or 0·5 mL gas/(200 mg dry matter × h) faster than grass material. Based on these results, a longer passage time of food particles seems to be adaptive for grazing ruminants, as over a wide range of fermentation times, absolute gas production rate is higher in grass compared with dicots. Especially for browse leaves, a higher intake level should be expected to balance energy requirements of animals relying on this forage type.


CAPTCHAs are employed as a security measure to differentiate human users from bots. A new sound-based CAPTCHA is proposed in this paper, which exploits the gaps between human voice and synthetic voice rather than relays on the auditory perception of human. The user is required to read out a given sentence, which is selected randomly from a specified book. The generated audio file will be analyzed automatically to judge whether the user is a human or not. In this paper, the design of the new CAPTCHA, the analysis of the audio files, and the choice of the audio frame window function are described in detail. And also, some experiments are conducted to fix the critical threshold and the coefficients of three indicators to ensure the security. The proposed audio CAPTCHA is proved accessible to users. The user study has shown that the human success rate reaches approximately 97% and the pass rate of attack software using Microsoft SDK 5.1 is only 4%. The experiments also indicated that it could be solved by most human users in less than 14 seconds and the average time is only 7.8 seconds.


This paper presents an obstacle navigation strategy for a wire-suspend robot for power transmission lines based on a novel movement mechanism. The kinematics of the mobile robot and the process of obstacle navigation control are analyzed in detail. A realtime expert system with hybrid architecture C language integrated production system (CLIPS) is described as the mobile robot control system. The realtime expert system is developed by CLIPS and C language, so it has powerful logical reasoning ability and data processing ability. And the expert system can instruct the mobile robot to navigate obstacles autonomously on overhead ground wires. A realtime process and a conflict elimination algorithm realize the realtime ability of the control system. The robot task plan has two modes: layered plan and direct control. The robot can study online or offline, and when it encounter the same obstacles, it can navigate them quickly


Educational settings are microcosms of the communities and the societies in which they exist, where educators play a role in preparing young people for activity in the public sphere. Educational settings are not removed from the arenas of power relationships. Social reproduction theorists have demonstrated how unchallenged preconceived notions are inadvertently reinforced and reproduced in schools, which in some cases reinforce stratification and the dominance of the powerful interests prevalent in the surrounding society. This action-oriented conceptual study is an examination of the dynamic complexity of cultural transmission and transformation. It is an investigation of the assumption that human agency can influence the direction of the inevitable process of change. The three parts reflect the three components of a complex theory of experiential learning and cultural transformation. They are: (A) an explanation of the operating mechanism of cultural transmission and social reproduction; (B) speculation regarding a deeper understanding of the cultural context of transformation, including the possible effects of a targeted intervention; and (C) an operational framework for an action project. Participation in the transmission process with a heightened awareness of its intricacies and a purposeful commitment to a conception of a desired outcome can enhance the ability of an individual or an educational framework to promote change. This study brings together elements of theoretical inquiry, cultural context and practical application in an experiential learning community. A theory of cultural transformation and an approach to reflective practice are discussed. A review of a five-year project I designed and facilitated in collaboration with educators who participated in an inservice professional development program illustrates the applicability and the efficacy of the approach. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group Education First Advisor Charles Dwyer


Motivated by the increasing demand and challenges of video streaming in this thesis, we investigate methods by which the quality of the video can be improved. We utilise overlay networks that have been created by implemented relay nodes to produce path diversity, and show through analytical and simulation models for which environments path diversity can improve the packet loss probability. We take the simulation and analytical models further by implementing a real overlay network on top of Planetlab, and show that when the network conditions remain constant the video quality received by the client can be improved. In addition, we show that in the environments where path diversity improves the video quality forward error correction can be used to further enhance the quality. We then investigate the effect of IEEE 802.11e Wireless LAN standard with quality of service enabled on the video quality received by a wireless client. We find that assigning all the video to a single class outperforms a cross class assignment scheme proposed by other researchers. The issue of virtual contention at the access point is also examined. We increase the intelligence of our relay nodes and enable them to cache video, in order to maximise the usefulness of these caches. For this purpose, we introduce a measure, called the PSNR profit, and present an optimal caching method for achieving the maximum PSNR profit at the relay nodes where partitioned video contents are stored and provide an enhanced quality for the client. We also show that the optimised cache the degradation in the video quality received by the client becomes more graceful than the non-optimised system when the network experiences packet loss or is congested.


Presented in this work are measurements of the thermal conductivity of insulation materials in the temperature range between -160°C and 700°C using the GHP (guarded hot plate) technique. The samples investigated are the reference materials IRMM-440 (IRMM = Institute of Reference Materials and Measurements [1]) and NIST SRM 1450D (NIST = National Institute of Standards & Technology [2]) certified in the limited temperature interval between about -10°C and 70°C, calcium silicate type SilCal1100 [3] and expanded glass granulate [4]. All samples cover a range of temperature-dependent thermal conductivity values between 0.013 W/(m·K) and 0.16 W/(m·K). The experimentally observed accuracy of about ±1% at room temperature and ±5% at minimum and maximum temperatures, respectively, is in agreement with combined standard uncertainty values (coverage factor k = 1) for the type [5] GHP and measurement conditions applied. The results on SilCal1100 and expanded glass granulate – both candidates for a standard material for insulating materials at high temperatures – are compared with previous results from recent interlaboratory comparisons [6,7].


The rapid growth of vehicular traffic in many countries around the world has caused chronic congestion of traffic networks in many cities. To manage traffic networks more effectively intelligent transport systems (ITS) are required, but these systems require a communication infrastructure to operate. The availability of communication infrastructure is often a problem, especially in third world countries. The work presented in this paper looks at how ad hoc wireless networks can contribute towards such infrastructure. Using components from existing routing protocols, an efficient tree-based ad hoc routing protocol is developed. It is also shown how this protocol can be optimised for use in a large communication network, as would be required by ITS systems.


Background: Preeclampsia (PE) affects 2-3% of all pregnancies and is a major
cause of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. It is thought to occur due to
abnormal placentation characterised by poor trophoblastic invasion resulting in
oxidative stress and release of factors that promote endothelial dysfunction and
inflammation. The current approach of screening for PE is to identify risk factors from
maternal demographic characteristics and medical history. In the United Kingdom,
the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has issued guidelines
recommending that women should be considered to be at high risk of developing PE
if they have any 1 high-risk factor or any 2 moderate-risk factors. With this approach,
defined by NICE, at a screen positive rate of 11%, the detection rate (DR) for total
PE is 35%. Such a screening approach has two main limitations. Firstly, it does not
provide individualised, patient specific results and secondly, it does not allow the
integration of biomarkers for improving the performance of the screening test.
However, the integration of such biomarkers is essential in achieving an effective
screening strategy for PE.
Objectives: The aims of the papers included in this thesis are firstly, to identify and
quantify the effects of variables from maternal characteristics and medical history on
specific biochemical markers, secondly to present a model for standardising
biochemical marker measurements in all three trimesters of pregnancy into multiples
of the normal median (MoM) values, thirdly to summarize the distribution of MoM
values in pregnancies with normal outcomes and those that subsequently develop
PE and fourthly, to examine the potential improvement in performance of screening
for PE at 30-34 weeks' gestation by maternal factors alone with the addition of
biophysical and biochemical markers.
Methods: The data for this thesis were derived from prospective screening of
women with singleton pregnancies attending for three routine hospital visits at 12, 22
and 32 or 36 weeks' gestation. We have recorded a series of maternal
characteristics and history, measured the maternal weight and height as well as the
uterine artery pulsatility index (UTPI), mean arterial pressure (MAP), serum
concentration of placental growth factor (PlGF) and soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1
(sFLIT-1). The pregnancy outcomes were obtained from the hospital maternity
records or the general medical practitioners of the women. Bayes theorem was used to combine the a priori risk from maternal factors with various combinations of
biomarker MoM values. The potential value of biophysical and biochemical markers
in improving the performance in screening for PE were evaluated.
Results: Firstly, in pregnancies that developed PE, serum PlGF is decreased, while
sFLIT-1, MAP and UTPI were increased, secondly, the separation in MoM values
from normal is greater with earlier than later gestational age at which delivery for PE
is necessary and thirdly, the slope of the regression lines of PlGF MoM with
gestational age at delivery in pregnancies that develop PE increases with gestational
age at screening. Combined screening at 30-34 weeks' gestation by maternal
factors, MAP, UTPI, PlGF, and sFLIT-1 predicted 98% (95% confidence interval, 88-
100%) of preterm PE and 49% (95% confidence interval, 42-57%) of term PE, at a
false positive rate of 5%.
Conclusions: This thesis has demonstrated that biophysical and biochemical
markers increase significantly the performance of screening for PE and as a result
the timing and content of clinical visits can be defined by the patient-specific risk of
developing the disease. The vast majority of women would be screened low risk and
these can follow the routine antenatal care, whereas those few who are high risk
could be directed to a more specialized pathway, where early therapeutic
interventions prophylactically may lead to the prevention of the disease and close
follow-up will reduce the adverse consequences of PE.


According to studies conducted by researchers across the globe, in recent years there has been an increase in organization and company attacks. Some attacks have been detected, but others, however, were able to bypass the security mechanisms, taking advantage of an unknown vulnerability in security systems. In this context, Honeypots systems aim to collect information on the intruder's activities and learn about threats and attackers' behavior. Honeypots systems are not designed to remedy failures or security errors on the network, but are responsible for providing adequate information on potential attackers before compromising real systems. In this paper, a honeypot system was designed to study the techniques used by attackers. We designed and implemented a malware analysis laboratory based on honeypots technology in a controlled environment to analyze various security incidents. The use of honeypots is based on the idea of simulating applications with vulnerabilities and recording all events produced by attackers, so the network administrator can learn about the different types of attacks to protect organizational systems that are being produced. The results have been very important in terms of the number and types of security incidents recorded by the honeypots. Also, an administration interface for controlling and analyzing the gathered information was designed. This system was not only implemented but also tested for several weeks and data was collected from the attacks was analyzed.  This led to some interesting statistics and characteristics about attackers and their goals.


Utterly heartwarming! A seasonal classic brought up to date by two giants of kids' fiction. Can a school play of A Christmas Carol help Harry's dad to find the spirit of Christmas? Harry Gruber is feeling pretty nervous – and not just because he's Scrooge in his school's Christmas play. What's really got him worried is that his very busy father is coming to watch the performance. Harry's pretty sure Dad won't even stay till the curtain goes up. He'll have to shoot off to take care of business – like always. Will the play's message of Christmas cheer reach his father's distracted heart?

A moving new take on Charles Dickens' festive classic
Written by Michael Rosen, with pictures by Tony Ross
A heartwarming tale of family and the power of love
Frames the original narrative with a new modern one


Abstract Archaeologists have embraced new technologies in many aspects of research, but reliance on paperbased recording has impeded development of excavation recording methods. The digital recording of spatial provenience for artifacts and features, together with complex attributes during excavation, while not problem-free, provides a streamlined recording process. This article describes a digital interface that links precise spatial provenience with digital forms and geo-referenced photographs during excavation at a colonial site in highland Peru. A customized version of ESRI ArcPad provides the means to create and to explore spatial and attribute data in the field and laboratory as GIS data, which in turn can be integrated with ArcGIS for post-field visualization and analysis.


Background: Natural Eggshell Membrane (NEM®) is a novel dietary supplement that contains naturally occurring glycosaminoglycans and proteins essential for maintaining healthy joint and connective tissues. Two single center, open-label human clinical studies were conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of NEM® as a treatment for pain and inflexibility associated with joint and connective tissue disorders. Methods: Eleven (single-arm trial) and 28 (double-arm trial) patients received oral NEM® 500 mg once daily for four weeks. The primary outcome measure was to evaluate the change in general pain associated with the treatment joints/areas (both studies). In the single-arm trial, range of motion (ROM) and related ROM-associated pain was also evaluated. The primary treatment response endpoints were at seven and 30 days. Both clinical assessments were performed on the intent-to-treat (ITT) population within each study. Results: Single-arm trial: Supplementation with NEM® produced a significant treatment response at seven days for flexibility (27.8% increase; P = 0.038) and at 30 days for general pain (72.5% reduction; P = 0.007), flexibility (43.7% increase; P = 0.006), and ROM-associated pain (75.9% reduction; P = 0.021). Double-arm trial: Supplementation with NEM® produced a significant treatment response for pain at seven days for both treatment arms (X: 18.4% reduction; P = 0.021. Y: 31.3% reduction; P = 0.014). There was no clinically meaningful difference between treatment arms at seven days, so the Y arm crossed over to the X formulation for the remainder of the study. The significant treatment response continued through 30 days for pain (30.2% reduction; P = 0.0001). There were no adverse events reported during either study and the treatment was reported to be well tolerated by study participants. Conclusions: Natural Eggshell Membrane (NEM®) is a possible new effective and safe therapeutic option for the treatment of pain and inflexibility associated with joint and connective tissue (JCT) disorders. Supplementation with NEM®, 500 mg taken once daily, significantly reduced pain, both rapidly (seven days) and continuously (30 days). It also showed clinically meaningful results from a brief responder analysis, demonstrating that significant proportions of treated patients may be helped considerably from NEM® supplementation. The Clinical Trial Registration numbers for these trials are: NCT00750230 and NCT00750854.


An astonishing novel that probes into the strange world of genetic engineering. Joanna May thought herself unique, indivisible - until one day, to her hideous shock, she discovered herself to be five: though childless she was a mother; though an only child she was surrounded by sisters young enough to be her daughers - Jane, Julie, Gina and Alice, the clones of Joanna May. How will they withstand the shock of first meeting? And what of the avenging Carl, Joanna's former husband and the clones' creator: will he take revenge for his wife's infidelity and destroy her sisters one by one? In this astonishing novel, Fay Weldon weaves a web of paradox quite awesome in its cunning. Probing into the strange world of genetic engineering, The Cloning of Joanna May raises frightening questions about our identity as individuals - and provides some startling answers. Funny, serious, revolutionary, this is the work of a master storyteller at the height of her powers.


Background: Diseases affecting the cornea constitute a major cause of blindness. Corneal transplantation offers the potential for sight restoration. Due to non-availability of healthy cornea, many people continue to live in a dark world.Objectives: To assess the awareness and perception of undergraduate medical students towards eye donation.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among undergraduate medical students of Kolkata on August 2010 using a pre-designed, pre-tested, semi-structured, self-administered questionnaire. The data were analyzed using Epi-info software package version 6.04.Results: Almost all (98.9%) participants knew that eyes can be donated and 70.8% were aware at the time of eye collection. However, only 43.7% respondents knew whom to approach for pledging their eyes for donation; 80.7% were either willing (76.0%) or had already pledged (4.7%) to donate their eyes. Television was the major source (78.1%) of information on eye donation. Nobility was the main motivation (87.7%) and 75.5% felt the need for helping the blind. Of these medical students, 19.3% were unaware and did not pledge eye donation due to objection by family members and dislike of the idea of separating their eyes.Conclusion: The present study revealed that medical students were well aware of eye donation with a favorable attitude towards it and most of them were inclined to pledge for eye donation. The perceived reasons for not donating eyes need to be considered while creating awareness about eye donation in the community. Students can be actively involved as volunteers in eye donation campaigns and after proper training in counselling techniques, they can act as counsellors for eye donation activities.


This article conducts a comparative analysis of prostitution control in four Canadian cities using police enforcement policies as the independent variable. Most recent Canadian prostitution research has centred on assessing the adequacy of the existing law, and the majority of analysts have concluded that most prostitution offences ought to be decriminalized. However, the analysis in this article assumes that the law is unlikely to be changed in the near future, and instead argues that Canadian policy already possess sufficient legal discretion to decide when and where they will enforce the law. The article conducts a qualitative analysis of police enforcement policies (in Vancouver, Edmonton, Winnipeg and Toronto) ranging from strict enforcement of the law against prostitutes, customers and both prostitutes and customers through to various forms of selective toleration and negotiation among the various affected groups. Based on this analysis, the writer concludes that the most effective way of reducing both the nuisance and the political conflict associated with prostitution involves selective toleration, combined with negotiation between prostitutes and other affected groups. The article concludes with a feminist oriented discussion of the reasons why attempts to suppress prostitution will not work and why the prostitutes themselves must be part of any discussions regarding the control of prostitution.


This paper is a description and analysis of the history of the renovation of Memorial Stadium and the building of the Barclay Simpson Student Athlete High Performance Center (SAHPC) on the Berkeley campus, showing how incremental changes over time result in a much riskier and financially less viable project than originally anticipated. It describes the decision making process, the role of various constituent groups including senior administrators and the UC Regents, faculty, community members and local and state governmental officials, donors and protesters. It includes the legal challenges and financial implications of the most expensive intercollegiate athletics capital project in the nation totaling $474 million dollars. Taking into account debt servicing over time, the total expenditures could approach more than $1 billion. These projects were highly controversial from their inception, continue to be so to this day because of current campus wide financial challenges, and illustrate the complexity and risk of managing big-time intercollegiate athletics programs. This study draws on two theories of organizational decisionmaking, Diane Vaughan's normalization of deviance and Charles Lindblom's science of muddling through. They are part of a larger debate within the social sciences about the degree to which structure and/or agency determine human behavior. Structure is the broad framework of rules, regulations, expectations, history and tradition within which organizations function and which provide limits or constraints on human behavior. Most organizational decisions are made within this framework and are inevitably incremental and often risk averse. Agency is the ability to take independent action despite the constraints of structure, entails greater risk, and becomes necessary because behavior within the organization has become normalized over time and deviates, even unknowingly, from changing values.


Most work on AI planning has focused on the development of fully automated methods for generating plans that satisfy user-specified goals. However, users in many domains want the ability to influence the nature of the solutions that are generated. With the objective of fostering increased user participation in the planning process, this paper presents an HTNbased framework for the abductive completion of plan sketches. Within this framework, user-supplied outlines of partial plans (possibly spanning multiple abstraction levels) are interpreted and completed. The processing of plan sketches employs an initial abductive plan recognition phase to formulate candidate sets of intended user goals, followed by a plan refinement stage that generates sketch-compliant final plans for those goals. A prototype sketch-based planner based on this approach has been implemented and applied to a crisis action planning domain.


"What are the core elements of a strong proposal?" "How can I accent the strengths of my study design? "How can computer use facilitate my literature review?" "What is the best way to get my proposal reviewed and approved?" You will find the answers to these and other key issues in this unique "assembly manual" for crafting a complete and convincing dissertation proposal. Three extensively annotated proposals of former students provide examples of the guidance offered and illustrate common types of studies. Whether you study best by example, review, memorization, or problem solving, this book's format enables you to follow your own pace and style. This is no ordinary step-by-step guide. The authors begin by identifying and defining the basics of a dissertation proposal. With careful consideration, they explore proposal functions and parts, show how to build your study's chain of reasoning, and carefully review alternate study designs. Chapters are devoted to qualitative studies: (sectioned into case studies, philosophical, and historical investigations); quantitative studies: (sectioned into experimental, causal modeling, and meta-analysis studies); and mixed-method studies: (sectioned into: sample survey, evaluation, development, and demonstration and action projects).


Tissue viability is a speciality that truly encompasses the holistic needs of individuals with a wound. As practitioners involved in tissue viability it is not just the wound that requires assessment, treatment and prevention strategies, but also the assessment of nutrition, pain, stress, mobility, altered body image and any underlying disease process prior to choosing the most appropriate dressing and pressure-redistributing devices. Additionally, tissue viability practitioners are expected to develop business cases to support the speciality, and to liaise with members of the multidisciplinary team who are involved in the care of the patient. Although tissue viability tends to be nurse-led, there are numerous professional groups that will also be involved in this care, including healthcare assistants, podiatrists, physiotherapists, medical staff, occupational therapists and dieticians. It is therefore important that all those involved in tissue viability understand the importance of the quality agenda th...


In 2020 according to Traffic Authorities, if all car commuters shift from using cars one day a week to use public transport the green-house reduction goals in Western Sweden in relation to transport will be met. A shift from cars to public ways of transport means a step towards the objective eco-effectiveness (Watson et. al. 2010) as commuters actively change their behavior and consume lesser natural resources to achieve the same travel goal. It is also a step towards eco-equity. By using means of commuter transport functions and services with better environmental performance (such as bicycle or public transport systems like bus, tram or train) each commuter consumes less resources which leaves more resources for future generations, and if the systems are well-trimmed it may even be made to balance with nature's regeneration capability of energy resources. We argue that it is the responsibility of IS researchers to investigate and evaluate how IS/IT may improve the environmental performance of the systems they work with, and in particular if IT/IS may serve as a persuasive force to stimulate shifts towards more eco-friendly alternatives of transportation. For example, we consider it our responsibility to investigate how IS/IT may increase the eco-efficiency of transportation assets when the volume of travelers of shared resources increases as a consequence of such a shift. People should be able to plan their trip in a way suitable for them as individuals while at the same time being supported to choose sustainable alternatives. In practice they should be able to base decisions regarding trips on information about the reliability of transport services and traffic, on the price, and on the environmental performance, provided to them via digital context based information services. In order to succeed in innovation of new digital services for sustainable travel a number of challenges must be prevailed. These challenges can be related to consumers, service and transport suppliers and governmental authorities in the public transport context.


The present study investigates self-presentation in a nonymous setting and explores differences in self-presentation by distinct ethno-racial groups. Based on content analysis of 83 Facebook profiles of African Americans, Latino, Indian and Vietnamese ancestry students, supplemented by 63 in-person interviews, we found that ethno-racial identities are salient and highly elaborated. The intensive investments of minorities in presenting highly social, culturally explicit and elaborated narratives of self reflect a certain resistance to the racial silencing of minorities by dominant color-blind ideologies of broader society. In the nonymous environment of Facebook, various dimensions of identity claimsappear to be grounded in offline realities as revealed in interviews and observations of campus social dynamics.


A supply of minerals is critical to socioeconomic development. However, such a supply also induces negative impacts on environment and ecology, e.g., leading to dust emission and deposition. An ultra-low-grade magnetite has been exploited as a new iron type since 2001 in China. In this paper, two Landsat images were used for monitoring foliar dust in Changhe River Mining Area, China. First, models were established to estimate foliar dust using vegetation indices (VIs) differences according to laboratory spectral measurements; normalized differenced VI was selected as an optimal VI for estimating foliar dust amount based on both field and laboratory spectral measurements (RMSE = 6.58 g/m2), and finally, the spatial patterns of foliar dust were analyzed by using ancillary high-resolution data. The result showed that most foliar dust distributed near ore transportation roads and around mining sites and tailings ponds, which was related to ultra-low-grade characteristics of the iron ore due to large-area extraction and tailings occupation, and large-amount dust emission released from ore transportation. The remote sensing method for estimating foliar dust may be beneficial for environmental management in mining areas.


Poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) is an organic semiconductor material that is widely studied in the photovoltaics and transistor fields of research. The polymer exhibits a relatively high charge carrier mobility when the molecules are ordered in a crystalline way. In this
case the material exhibits a fibril-like morphology, which is usually studied by atomic force microscopy (AFM). Previous studies show that blending P3HT with graphene can further improve the charge carrier transport properties of the film. In this experiment, the scanning electron microscope (SEM) has been chosen, due to its practical aspects such as speed of operation and ease of use. Three sets of samples have been analyzed, containing films made of P3HT+graphene blends at different concentrations. The aims of the experiment are:
i) to find good conditions for the observation of the morphology features of the film
ii) to perform a morphological analysis of the surface of three sets of samples containing both pure P3HT, and P3HT+graphene blend, and possibly to highlight correlation between morpholgy and the charge transport properties.
Surface analysis is done by detecting the secondary electron (SE) emission, which is sensitive to topographical features of the surface. Good observation conditions were established by coating the specimen with a thin layer of conductive coating, using a high energy beam (30 keV), and tilting the sample to an angle (30 ◦ ). In two out of three of the analyzed pure P3HT films, the presence of fibrilles indicated a possibly good charge mobility, which has
been confirmed by electrical measurements using time-of-flight photoconductivity method (TOF). The presence of graphene has only slightly modified morphology of the film. Features of graphene flakes, which lie flat in the film, have been observed such as flake edges and folds. The flakes are homogeneously dispersed in the film without forming any connected network. TOF measurements have shown an increase in mobility of the charge carriers in the P3HT+graphene film.


Numerical tables were one of the most commonly used instruments of calculation from the earliest periods for which we have evidence of mathematical activity until the appearance of computing machines. Such tables (including graphical tables) are interesting both as tools of calculation and insofar as traces for certain social and scientific activities of the practitioners by, and for, whom they were produced. Nevertheless, despite the fact that the historical record has preserved thousands of tables from a broad range of civilizations, these tables have themselves received relatively little critical study. Hence, it has seemed to us both useful and innovative to consider the problem of tables in general by bringing together specialists of the different mathematical traditions and of the various professional milieus in which numerical tables have been developed. The workshop allowed us therefore to make significant breakthroughs in our understanding of the places and roles of tables in the history of science, and should bring us to publish a collective book on this subject.


On the evening of 25 March 2009, I was sitting quietly in my office at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, oblivious to the world, pondering an upcoming presentation on African American women, suffrage, and partisan politics in the 19th century, when the telephone rang and interrupted my train of thought. Answering the call, I was warmed by the soft voice of a long-time friend who asked, "Have you heard the news about John Hope Franklin?" Somewhat perplexed, I answered, "What news?" The response was quick and unembellished, "He has passed." Those simple words engendered a torrent of emotions, ranging from sadness to a deep sense of loss. It is difficult to express how I felt at that moment. But, I hung up the phone, sat, and stared out the window onto the plaza leading to the Ronald Reagan Building and the Woodrow Wilson Center. It was at that moment that I began to reflect upon my long relationship with John Hope Franklin. Who was John Hope Franklin, and what was he to me? Speaking with friends and fellow historians since his death, I have found that Dr. Franklin's relationship with many of my peers was very different--more formal and less personal. For me, he was a scholar of the highest order and a treasured friend who over the course of over four decades became a confidante and a mentor by choice. He was a pioneering historian and a scholar of southern and African American history who wrote the definitive text on the black experience in the United States. Dr. Franklin's influence on my life and career is immeasurable. Though his overall scholarship did not focus on my primary areas of research and writing, From Slavery to Freedom had a great impact on my teaching. It was and is the single best text on the African American experience. His life and experiences, spanning over 94 years, intersected with all of the major themes in 20th-century African American history. He not only studied and chronicled history, he also made it. He was a scholar and activist who relished the idea of contributing to the eradication of legal racial segregation. Serving as an expert witness in the Lyman Johnson v. the University of Kentucky case in 1949, writing historical essays for the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education litigation, participating in the 1965 Selma to Montgomery march, testifying before the U.S. Senate against the confirmation of Robert Bork as Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, and demythologizing United States and southern history, John Hope Franklin willingly thrust himself into the center of controversy and challenged racist assumptions and practices. (1) His life was, as he so fittingly titled his autobiography, a Mirror to America. (2) In September 1965 I enrolled in the M.A. program in history at Atlanta University. Dr. Clarence A. Bacote, chair of the Atlanta University history department, first introduced me to John Hope Franklin at the annual meeting of the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH) held at Atlanta University, 21-23 October 1965. This meeting marked ASNLH's 50th anniversary. (3) As the director of local arrangements for the meeting, Professor Bacote chose several graduate students, mostly females, as hosts to greet the members as they arrived for the ASNLH's annual luncheon. As a young graduate student, barely out of undergraduate school, I was excited to attend such an august event with eminent historians. As I greeted the venerable Dr. Lorenzo Green and carried his cardboard suitcase into the room, I was oblivious to the historic significance of the event or the impact that the Association and several of the scholars would have on my life and the trajectory of my academic career. (4) It was fortuitous that Dr. Bacote would choose me to sit at the head table with him; Professor John Hope Franklin, then at the University of Chicago; Dr. Samuel Z. Westerfield, former dean of the Atlanta University School of Business and the highest ranking African American in the U. …


This volume focuses on the beginning and development of the Neolithic in the territories near the final section of the Vinalopo river, and deals with the following matters through several chapters. The book presents in detail new information generated in the final section of the Vinalopo river. It studies the Neolithic materials from La Alcudia (Elche), their location, and makes a comparative analysis about the catchment area. This study shows that, both in this case and in Limoneros II and Cova de les Aranyes, the location was chosen according to the way of life of these first farmers. Regarding Limoneros II, it presents an initial preview of the urgent excavation carried out by the company Alebus Patrimonio Historico S.L., which has allowed the documentation of a new settlement from the Early Neolithic. The book also presents the results of the excavation carried out in Cova de les Aranyes by M.S. Hernandez Perez and A. Guilabert Mas in the first years of the 21st century, and the study of the documented materials in this excavation and some previous ones. Next, it presentd the information collected from El Alteron, a site that was discovered as the result of an urgent excavation, made of different negative structures that suggest a settlement in the 5th millennium cal BC at the foot of the sierra of Crevillente. On the other hand, the surveys carried out in the sierra of Santa Pola discovered several sites and excavated activity areas located near the coastline, linked to the use of marine resources. Finally, also as the result of an urgent excavation campaign, it was possible to document in Galanet a wide amount of negative structures. The palynological and carpological studies, the datings, and the analysis of the materiality of artefacts, suggest a site similar to a field of silos dating from the beginning of the 3rd millennium cal BC, located in the Barranco of San Anton, which runs parallel to the Vinalopo river.


Are output changes and the unemployment rate related in Trinidad and Tobago? According to the economic theory known as Okun's Law, the two variables should be negatively correlated, and for the United States this relation holds quite well. We test this hypothesis for the economy of Trinidad and Tobago using annual data between 1980 and 2012 and also look at more recent quarterly data, accounting for the fact that the energy sector is a large contributor to the country's GDP. We find that the relation between unemployment and real growth is negative but weaker in Trinidad and Tobago, compared with the United States, but seems to be clearly affected by underestimation of the unemployment rate in recent years. This exercise also reinforces the importance of improving labor and GDP statistics in the country.


A study was carried out to estimate vicarious calibration coefficients for the OCM2 (Ocean Color Monitor) sensor onboard Oceansat-2 and also the AWiFS (Advanced Wide Field Sensor) sensor onboard Resourcesat-1 using reflectance measurements over three land sites – Dhrangadhra, Desalpar, and Bhachau – in the Rann of Kutch, Gujarat, India, on four dates (17 October 2010, 25 and 29 April 2011, and 1 May 2011). Hyperspectral field reflectance measurements of the study sites (of extent ˜2 km × 2 km) in the wavelength range 325–2500 nm, along with measurements of atmospheric parameters (aerosol optical depth (AOD), water vapour, ozone) and sensor spectral response functions, were input to the 6S atmosphere correction code to compute top-of-atmosphere (TOA) at-satellite radiance in the eight visible and near infrared (NIR) bands of OCM2 and the four visible, NIR, and shortwave infrared (SWIR) bands of the AWiFS sensor. The uncertainty in vicarious calibration coefficients due to measured spatial variability of field reflectance, aerosol optical thickness (AOT), water vapour, and ozone, was also computed for the OCM2 sensor for three dates (25 and 29 April 2011, 1 May 2011). The effect of surface anisotropy on TOA radiance was studied using a 15 day Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function (BRDF) product covering the study sites. The results show that there is an indication of change in calibration coefficients in OCM2, for band 2 (25 April Desalpar data), bands 2 and 5 (29 April Desalpar data), and bands 2–5 and 7 in Bhachau (1 May data), all at the 1σ level. For these bands, in the inverse mode, the 6S corrected surface reflectance was closer to field surface reflectance when estimated at-sensor radiances were used as input to the code. For AWiFS, there was no evidence of change in calibration coefficients of all four bands at the 1σ level. It was found that site spatial variability was a critical factor in estimating change in sensor calibration coefficients and influencing uncertainty in TOA radiance for all three sites.


By mixing perovskite MAPbI3 (MA = CH3NH3+) with LiCl, an effective one-step drop-coating approach was developed to improve the performance of hole-conductor-free printable perovskite solar cells. The LiCl-mixed perovskite exhibited superior electronic properties because of the improved conductivity of the perovskite layer enabling faster electron transport. LiCl-mixing also improved the crystallinity and morphology of the perovskite layer. As a consequence, perovskite solar cells prepared using the LiCl-mixed perovskite as the light harvester produced higher performances compared with the unmixed perovskite, improving the power conversion efficiency from 10.0% to 14.5%.


In recent years, a variety of interesting concepts have been proposed to enable the concealment of objects from detection or observation, including invisibility cloaking. For an object to remain truly transparent to an illumination wave, a cloak must restore the exact spatio-temporal profile of the wave, including both amplitude and phase variations across the entire illumination frequency spectrum, i.e., the full field. However, on the basis of their fundamental operating principles, present invisibility solutions force different frequency components of a broadband illumination wave to experience different phase variations, necessarily distorting the wave's temporal profile and making the cloaking device inherently visible. In this work, we propose a new conceptual approach to the problem, enabling the realization of full-field broadband invisibility, experimentally demonstrated here for the first time to the best of our knowledge. This involves a customized and reversible redistribution of the illumination frequency content, allowing the wave to propagate through the object of interest while preventing any interaction between the wave and the object. We report the experimental concealment of a broadband optical filter from detection with a phase-coherent light pulse of 500 GHz bandwidth, showing full restoration of the complex temporal and spectral profiles of the pulse.


In early 2011, a wave of uprisings swept through the Middle East, ushering in a year of protest and radical change. The events came to be known as the Arab Spring and they forever altered prior conventions. One outcome was the initiation of a vibrant legal discourse on Islamic law's stance on revolution. It juxtaposed two sides, those advocating rigid adherence to the status quo legal tradition, a rejection of any opposition to the head of state, against those agitating for a more dynamic approach encompassing the public's desire for freedom, dignity and justice. The legitimacy of the protests and its underlying universal values became an Islamic legal debate. Recognizing the potency of religious law, states employed their own Muslim jurists to delegitimize the protestors. In response, jurists from across the Middle East issued fatwas (legal opinions) presenting legal arguments in support of protests. Their challenge was to advocate for legal change, inserting new meanings into the law, while maintaining their legitimacy as authentically part of the Islamic legal discourse. In the process, they gave life to a Sunni legal discourse on non-violent revolution.This article identifies the primary arguments in this pro-uprising legal discourse: textual and policy-based. By examining fatwas from 2011, the first year of the uprisings, the article will demonstrate how jurists pursued creative techniques of legal interpretation to stay firmly within conventional Islamic law while still pursuing unconventional approaches to it. By bringing new readings to Islam's constitutional sources, expanding the category of legal obligations and incorporating contemporary formulations of the idea of rights, this article provides new insights into how rapidly Islamic law can adapt to radical changes in the world it inhabits.


Today, usage of physiological sensor signals is essential in medical applications for diagnoses and classification of diseases. Clinicians often rely on information collected from several physiological sensor signals to diagnose a patient. However, sensor signals are mostly non-stationary and noisy, and single sensor signal could easily be contaminated by uncertain noises and interferences that could cause miscalculation of measurements and reduce clinical usefulness. Therefore, an apparent choice is to use multiple sensor signals that could provide more robust and reliable decision. Therefore, a physiological signal classification approach is presented based on sensor signal fusion and case-based reasoning. To classify Stressed and Relaxed individuals from physiological signals, data level and decision level fusion are performed and case-based reasoning is applied as classification algorithm. Five physiological sensor signals i.e., Heart Rate (HR), Finger Temperature (FT), Respiration Rate (RR), Carbon dioxide (CO2) and Oxygen Saturation (SpO2) are collected during the data collection phase. Here, data level fusion is performed using Multivariate Multiscale Entropy (MMSE) and extracted features are then used to build a case- library. Decision level fusion is performed on the features extracted using traditional time and frequency domain analysis. Case-Based Reasoning (CBR) is applied for the classification of the signals. The experimental result shows that the proposed system could classify Stressed or Relaxed individual 87.5% accurately compare to an expert in the domain. So, it shows promising result in the psychophysiological domain and could be possible to adapt this approach to other relevant healthcare systems.