We investigate the growth dynamics of Greater London defined by the administrative boundary of the Greater London Authority, based on the evolution of its street network during the last two centuries. This is done by employing a unique dataset, consisting of the planar graph representation of nine time slices of Greater London's road network spanning 224 years, from 1786 to 2010. Within this time-frame, we address the concept of the metropolitan area or city in physical terms, in that urban evolution reveals observable transitions in the distribution of relevant geometrical properties. Given that London has a hard boundary enforced by its long standing green belt, we show that its street network dynamics can be described as a fractal space-filling phenomena up to a capacitated limit, whence its growth can be predicted with a striking level of accuracy. This observation is confirmed by the analytical calculation of key topological properties of the planar graph, such as the topological growth of the network and its average connectivity. This study thus represents an example of a strong violation of Gibrat's law. In particular, we are able to show analytically how London evolves from a more loop-like structure, typical of planned cities, toward a more tree-like structure, typical of self-organized cities. These observations are relevant to the discourse on sustainable urban planning with respect to the control of urban sprawl in many large cities which have developed under the conditions of spatial constraints imposed by green belts and hard urban boundaries.


The value creation concept aims to create not just a paradigm shift in developmental strategies, but also a shift in the distribution of livelihood, thereby providing adequate means of wealth and job creation to the populace in the developed, and developing countries. In response to the need for adequate value creation, some initiatives were rolled out to tackle the urgent issue of inadequate value creation, among which is FabLab. FabLab signifies fabrication laboratory, it is a small-scale workshop equipped with flexible computer controlled tools and systems for the production of digital fabrications of widely distributed products, which are used to encourage creativity and innovation among individuals irrespective of their anthropological status.This paper provides the result of the research survey conducted to explore the tools and techniques used within the FabLab ecosystems to ensure its sustainability, analyze the growth pattern of FabLab, and finally uncover both the socio-technical and socio-economic impact of the FabLab ecosystems. A total number of 94 (N=94) respondents participated in the online survey globally. From the survey, we discovered that FabLab have been productive up to date, though the lack of a formalized operating structure and unified communication platform amongst other constraints poses as the major impediments to the full effectiveness of the initiative.


This paper highlights a study examining the impact of various media formats on at-risk youth to identify forms of media technology that might impact their community connectedness, community involvement, and community support. Over a three-year period, a sample of 133 youth enrolled in after-school programs in two communities completed a questionnaire annually consisting of the following areas: community support, community involvement, community connectedness, and media use for learning. Linear regression analysis indicated media use for learning about community issues was a predictor of student's perceptions of community support, community connectedness, and community involvement. The media format most identified for gaining knowledge about community issues by the youth was the Internet, while the use of print media increased over the course of the study. The most significant relationships were found between media use and perceptions of community overall with the most significant gains in media use during Y2, where youth knowledge of community issues increased.


Much has been written about Iraqi refugees in the eight years since the March 2003 Anglo-American invasion of the country. Most of this work tries to understand the refugee crisis which followed from the perspective of "topdown" governmental and institutional factors such as interstate relations, state fragility, and regional insecurity. The key innovation of this paper is that it explores "bottomup" factors. The focus of this paper is on the perceptions, interests, and perceived predicaments of displaced Iraqis themselves as contrasted with the perceptions of them by international players locally based in the Middle East region. As such the paper focuses on factors such as: livelihood strategies, economic engagement, protection rights, and alternatives to refugee/forced migration statuses. By reorienting analysis to local people-based perceptions the paper provides new ways of understanding not only the conditions of protracted displacement but also a broader scope for durable solutions.


Glaucoma is the leading cause
of irreversible blindness worldwide effecting more than 2.7 million people in
the U.S alone. Treatments exist in the form of both pharmaceutical and surgical
options, but often do not provide the desired efficacy. For example, the
failure rate of a trabeculectomy procedure is 39% within 5 years. Additionally,
none of the current glaucoma treatments allow for closed loop monitoring of
pressure, therefore requiring more frequent doctor visits. Glaucoma management can
be improved through the use of a closed loop application of electroceutical
treatment. The goal is to develop an implantable device that will be inserted
into the eye to monitor intraocular pressure (IOP) and provide responsive therapeutic
stimulation to the eye. I designed a discrete pressure monitoring system that
interacts with a bare die piezoresistive pressure sensor. The system is based
on a Wheatstone bridge design which translates the input resistances of the
pressure sensor into a voltage output. This system has an average accuracy of
0.53 mmHg and draws 295 µW
of power. I then combined this pressure system with data processing code and
Howland current pump stimulation circuitry. This simulation system can output
up to 1.05 mA of current for electroceutical intraocular stimulation to lower
IOP. Future work will involve miniaturizing the circuitries in the form of an
ASIC and packaging the entire system into an ocular implant. This implant can
wirelessly monitor IOP and provide therapeutic stimulation to lower IOP. A
reliable, closed loop method of lowering IOP would greatly benefit the ever-growing
population affected by glaucoma.


It will surprise many Americans to learn that before John Brown and his men briefly captured Harper's Ferry, they authored and ratified a Provisional Constitution. This deliberative act built upon the achievements of the group to establish a Free Kansas, during which time Brown penned an analogue to the Declaration of Independence. These acts of writing, coupled with Brown's trial tactics after his arrest, cast doubts on claims that the man was a lunatic or on a suicide mission. Instead, they suggest that John Brown aimed to be a radical statesman, one who turned to extreme tactics but nevertheless remained committed to basic notions of democratic self-rule. Rather than call Brown simply a terrorist or a common criminal, it is more accurate to understand him as a practitioner of "fringe constitutionalism," in which a patriot turns to unconventional, even violent tactics, on behalf of deep governing principles. The individual straddles traditional cultural and legal categories, taking advantage of such complexities in the name of constitutional transformation.


The growing use of cameras embedded in autonomous robotic platforms and worn by people is increasing the importance of accurate global motion estimation (GME). However, the existing GME methods may degrade considerably under illumination variations. In this paper, we address this problem by proposing a biologically inspired GME method that achieves high estimation accuracy in the presence of illumination variations. We mimic the early layers of the human visual cortex with the spatio-temporal Gabor motion energy by adopting the pioneering model of Adelson and Bergen, and we provide the closed-form expressions that enable the study and adaptation of this model to different application needs. Moreover, we propose a normalisation scheme for motion energy to tackle temporal illumination variations. Finally, we provide an overall GME scheme which, to the best of our knowledge, achieves the highest accuracy on the pose, illumination, and expression database.


Geocenamus angelescresti n. sp. (Nematoda: Belonolaimidae) was found in rhizosphere of Pinus ponderosa and Arctostaphylos patula growing along Angeles Crest Highway in the San Gabriel mountains of California. The nematode species is characterized by a round-to-hexagonal labial disc with six bulging sectors, lateral sectors of first labial annule smaller than the submedian sectors, six to eight labial annules, distinct deirids, stylet length (45-57 microm), body length (666-996 microm), lateral field with or without areolation of outer bands on tail, and a rounded, smooth tail terminus. Geocenamus angelescresti n. sp. most closely resembles G. superbus but differs from it by a shorter stylet (45-57 microm vs. 67 microm), shorter body length (666-996 microm vs. 1,200 microm), bulged sectors and smaller diameter of the labial disc (2.3-2.8 microm vs. 4.0 microm, round, smooth), longer female tail (54-68 microm vs. 41 microm), and a narrower tail terminus. An emended description of the genus and a list of valid species are provided. Geocenamus arcticus (Mulvey, 1969) Tarjan 1973 and G. uralensis Baydulova 1983 are proposed as junior synonyms of G. tenuidens Thorne &Malek 1968. An identification key to 12 species of Geocenamus and a compendium of important diagnostic morphological characters used in the identification of species are included.


The infant brain undergoes a remarkable period of neural development that is crucial for the development of cognitive and behavioral capacities (Hasegawa et al., 2018). Longitudinal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is able to characterize the developmental trajectories and is critical in neuroimaging studies of early brain development. However, missing data at different time points is an unavoidable occurrence in longitudinal studies owing to participant attrition and scan failure. Compared to dropping incomplete data, data imputation is considered a better solution to address such missing data in order to preserve all available samples. In this paper, we adapt generative adversarial networks (GAN) to a new application: longitudinal image prediction of structural MRI in the first year of life. In contrast to existing medical image-to-image translation applications of GANs, where inputs and outputs share a very close anatomical structure, our task is more challenging as brain size, shape and tissue contrast vary significantly between the input data and the predicted data. Several improvements over existing GAN approaches are proposed to address these challenges in our task. To enhance the realism, crispness, and accuracy of the predicted images, we incorporate both a traditional voxel-wise reconstruction loss as well as a perceptual loss term into the adversarial learning scheme. As the differing contrast changes in T1w and T2w MR images in the first year of life, we incorporate multi-contrast images leading to our proposed 3D multi-contrast perceptual adversarial network (MPGAN). Extensive evaluations are performed to assess the qualityand fidelity of the predicted images, including qualitative and quantitative assessments of the image appearance, as well as quantitative assessment on two segmentation tasks. Our experimental results show that our MPGAN is an effective solution for longitudinal MR image data imputation in the infant brain. We further apply our predicted/imputed images to two practical tasks, a regression task and a classification task, in order to highlight the enhanced task-related performance following image imputation. The results show that the model performance in both tasks is improved by including the additional imputed data, demonstrating the usability of the predicted images generated from our approach.


Anomaly detection refers to the task of estimating and finding patterns which do not comply with the general behavior of data. Moreover, a range of assumptions are made so as to differentiate between normal and deviated data instances. This paper describes a solution approach to this problem using a two-step phase including an important preprocessing phase and anomaly detection phase. For the preprocessing phase, we have used two methods mainly: Recursive Feature Elimination method (RFE) and Random Forest Ensemble (RF-Ensemble) method. For the next phase of anomaly detection, we have used Clustering based Oversampling PCA (os-PCA) methodology. The k-median clustering approach is utilized for this purpose. The technique was implemented and tested on various standard data sets like Pima, Splice etc. The results were also compared with the existing state of the methods in this field like online Oversampling PCA, Naive Oversampling PCA, decremental PCA, Local Outlier Factor, Angle Based Outlier detection and Median Based Outlier Detection approaches. The testing results confirm that the proposed approach outperformed all other methods on the basis of accuracy, AUC scores etc.


There is becoming an increasing population of online learners with disabilities worldwide; a large percentage of the online learners reside within the United States. In addition to revised legal mandates stipulating equal access to education and the surge of assistive technologies available to individuals with disabilities, distance education institutions are facing the call for action to provide accessible online content. This article discusses the essential components of a web-based course, the learning advantages that arise from equal access web formatting, and design strategies that leads to creating accessible, online materials.


In this research, I would like to introduce a novel abnormality detection method using image prediction. The technique involves two main steps: extracting the principle images of the animation using Principle Component Analysis (PCA), then followed by image prediction using Signal Spectrum Analysis (SSA). The algorithmic combination of PCA followed by SSA successfully predicted future video animation images with little error (<1%) when compared to the original. This technology can potentially aid prediction and detection efforts of security systems. doi: 10.12783/SHM2015/142


"We all like to prove people wrong who say we're no good," says the eternally driven Steve Spurrier, the 1966 Heisman Trophy winner and NFL quarterback who took off his helmet, put on his coaching visor, and turned three downtrodden universities into winners. Spurrier's Fun 'N' Gun offense at the University of Florida flummoxed defenses and rewrote playbooks across the Southeastern Conference, transforming SEC football into a modern phenomena. Spurrier tells the story of a preacher's son from the Tennessee hills who has been overwhelming opponents with "ball plays" for nearly six decades. The climax of his storied career is uplifting the University of South Carolina, a school that lost more football games than it won between 1892 and 2005, and was believed for over a century to be cursed. The only Heisman Trophy winner ever to coach another Heisman Trophy Winner, Spurrier dared to enter the "graveyard of coaches" at South Carolina, confronted his destiny, and turned the USC Gamecocks into an unlikely winner. Spurrier is the biography of the Ball Coach who has forever changed college football-and its impact on our culture.


About this Book The theory of spontaneous order has a long tradition in the history of social thought, yet it would be true to say that, until the last decade, it was all but eclipsed in the social science of the twentieth century. For much of this period the idea of spontaneous order—that most of those things of general benefit in a social system are the product of spontaneous forces that are beyond the direct control of man—was swamped by the various doctrines of (to use Friedrich A. Hayek's phrase in Law, Legislation and Liberty) 'constructivistic rationalism.' No doubt the attraction of this rival notion of rationalism stems partly from the success of the physical sciences with their familiar methods of control, exact prediction, and experimentation. It is these methods which have an irresistible appeal to that hubris in man which associates the benefits of civilization not with spontaneous orderings but with conscious direction towards preconceived ends. It is particularly unfortunate that the effect of constructivistic rationalism should have been mainly felt in economics. This is unfortunate not merely because attempts to direct economics have repeatedly failed but also because the discipline of economics has developed most fully the theory of spontaneous order.... [From the text]


Currently, robots display manipulation capabilities that translate into actions such as picking and placing objects or poring liquid from containers. For actions that require finer in-hand manipulation to reposition objects or to use them as tools, robots are still not proficient enough. These shortcomings become even more apparent when considering the ease with which humans perform such manipulations on a daily basis, and while these limitations are not addressed, robots can not truly aid humans with their daily activities.

The scope of possible interactions and the high dimensionality intrinsic to more dexterous robotic hands makes the manipulation problem hard to approach. Traditional control approaches to dexterous in-hand manipulation often work under the assumption that physical interactions, object properties, kinematics and dynamics of the robot can all be accurately modeled. Unfortunately, these modeling assumptions do not hold in most real environments, as uncertainty accumulates along the individual models. On the other hand, developing learning approaches that would generalize for all necessary manipulations proves difficult, as state spaces composed of the robots degrees of freedom and the necessary feedback channels often becomes too high dimensional and hence hard to explore.

For dexterous in-hand manipulation, one of the most notable differences when considering human and robotic systems is the role of tactile information. The human system is composed of thousands of tactile afferents that provide detailed information of what is occurring at each interaction point during the manipulation action. On the other hand, traditional robotic manipulation approaches often rely on vision or on force feedback, either lacking information collected directly at the contact interaction or the various forms of information provided provided by tactile feedback.

In this thesis, we explore tactile sensing as a means to bridge the gap in manipulation skills between humans and robots. We do so by assessing how to extract relevant feedback signals from the high dimensional tactile spaces, by exploring how to distribute the manipulation problem complexity onto modular components and to use these components to enable the use of powerful machine learning approaches, without loss of generalization capabilities.

Chapter 2 will cover the recovery of relevant feedback signals from the tactile sensory information. Here, the desired signal is the state of the interaction between the robot and the object, particularly the knowledge of events such as slippage between the object and the finger surface. Through the use of machine learning, we predict such slip events in a manner that is generalizable to unknown objects. The ability to predict tactile slip allows analytically designed control solutions to stabilize objects when using a single finger. This is showed for cases where the opposing contact on the object is provided either by a static plane or by a human finger.

In Chapter 3, we explore and extend a neurophysiological research hypothesis to the robotics domain. This hypothesis states that for stabilizing objects in-hand, digits can be controlled independently from each other, with no form of explicit coordination. Taking full advantage of the predictive slip feedback signals and ensuring smooth control responses by each of the finger controllers, we show that a stable grips on unknown objects emerge while controlling each digit independently. We show that coordination is achieved through the perturbations observed via the tactile feedback of each individual finger.

Finally, in Chapter 4, use the modular nature of the grip stabilization control to enable the learning of manipulation policies in a hierarchical control setting. Reinforcement learning is used to learn a high-level control layer that exploits a lower-level composed of modular controllers that ensure the objects remains within the grip while being manipulated. In addition, we show that such a hierarchy facilitates the transfer of high-level policies learned in simulation onto real systems by using the low-level as an abstraction of the tactile
information.


When 401 (k) plans were introduced in 1984, most executives took full advantage of the opportunity to defer current income (then taxed at marginal rates of over 50%) into the future, usually until retirement, when tax rates were expected to be much lower. These plans were important investment opportunities because executives could invest a significant amount of income on a pretax basis. However, since their introduction, Congress--almost on an annual basis--has passed laws to reduce the amount of 401 (k) and other qualified plan benefits (profit sharing, money purchase pension, defined benefit) that companies can provide to highly compensated and midlevel executives. As a result of those legislative changes, qualified plans, while still attractive, are only a starting point in successful executive retirement benefit planning. Nonqualified deferred compensation plans often are the benefit of choice to supplement qualified plan benefits. Regulations issued by the Department of Labor, the Internal Revenue Service and the Securities and Exchange Commission as well as several high-profile court cases have had a significant impact on the design, taxation and structure of nonqualified plans. As a result of these developments, many employers have unwittingly put their nonqualified plans in danger of incurring undesired tax and legal consequences. To help ensure compliance with the applicable rules, CPAs--both inside and outside a company--must assume an increasing responsibility for the design, development and oversight of nonqualified retirement plans. THE USES OF NONQUALIFIED PLANS Companies use nonqualified plans for a variety of reasons. The principal one is to allow a select group of executives to defer income beyond the limits imposed by Congress on qualified plans. Some examples of these limitations are summarized in exhibit 1, page 48. Other reasons companies offer nonqualified plans include avoiding discrimination testing, providing new or additional incentive compensation and targeting benefit dollars to a select group of executives. It is important to note, however, that nonqualified plans are not the same as qualified retirement plans and typically a company should use them only after maximum contributions have been made to qualified plans. For a comparison of the key differences between nonqualified and qualified plans, see exhibit 2, page 49. (As exhibit 2 shows, different and more restrictive rules apply to plans sponsored by tax-exempt organizations.) [Exhibits 1-2 ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] PLAN DESIGN ISSUES To maximize the effectiveness of a nonqualified plan, employers and their advisers must consider a number of factors, including issues of participation, taxation, funding, security and distributions. Participation. Under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, a typical nonqualified plan may be offered only to a "select group of management or highly compensated employees" (often referred to as the top-hat or select group). However, the DOL has not yet provided a definition of what constitutes a select group. As a result, a company has no choice but to review the DOL's earlier formal and informal guidance and make a good-faith effort to comply with the select group rules. Federal income taxation. Avoiding taxation at the time of deferral is essential when a company designs a nonqualified plan. The IRSs general position is that income may not be deferred once it has been earned. To satisfy the IRS, an employee's election to defer compensation must be made before the period in which the income will be earned. For salary deferrals, this requirement is satisfied if an employee's election for the following year is made before January 1. Bonus deferrals pose more problems. The current IRS position treats a bonus as earned during the entire period and thus requires that a deferral election be made before the period in which the bonus is earned. …


Augmented reality is defined as a technology in which real world and virtual objects are combined with a simultaneous interaction. The aim of this study is to determine the effect of augmented reality use on students' achievement, misconception and course engagement. A (matched) quasi-experimental research design with both pretest and posttest control groups was used in the study.  The sample of the study consisted of 118 seventh grade students receiving education in six different classes. The students in the experimental group took their lessons with an augmented reality learning material, while the students in the control group continued using their traditional course materials. An achievement test, a misconception test and the student course engagement questionnaire were used as data collection tools. As a result of a 7-week implementation, this study found that augmented reality technology increased the achievement level of students and eliminated their misconceptions. However, the study also found that augmented reality technology did not affect the course engagement of students.


Terrestrial Laser Scanner has the potential to capture the complex 3D structure, and in combination with 3D tree reconstruction models would allow us to model the shape of the trunk and main branches of trees. This is a step further into a more precise determination of whole-tree architecture and branching patterns; which would lead us into a better understanding of scaling exponents and metabolic rate at branch and whole-tree level in tropical forest trees without the need of destructive sampling. For this study, we extracted three trees from a TLS pointcloud data acquired during November 2013 in the Peruvian amazon rainforest. Quantitative structure model was used to calculate branch length, diameters and architecture from the individual trees. These parameters were used in the WBE plant-scaling model. This model calculated the following exponents: length ratio scaling, radii ratio scaling and estimated metabolic rate scaling and compared to the theoretical values. The theoretical exponent expected from WBE for branch length scaling is 0.3 and for branch radii scaling is 0.5. Across our samples, the calculated branch-level length scaling exponent varied from 0.04 to 0.11 and the calculated branch-level radii scaling exponent ranged from 0.30 to 0.32 (Table 1). The calculated (estimated) metabolic rate scaling exponent was 0.72, 0.71 and 0.76 for Tachigali polyphylla, Jacaranda copaia and Sclerolobium bracteosum (expected to be 0.75 from the WBE model). Estimations of tree scaling metabolism derived from architecture via TLS scans showed consistent and comparable values to the model predictions for all scaling exponents. Since the scanned trees were different species, these results provide evidence to support the WBE assumption of similarities in branching structure and common set of branching rules across trees. To conclude, tree scaling metabolism derived from TLS evidenced that (1) length ratio exponent, radii ratio exponent and architecture estimated metabolic rate converge between the tropical trees analysed, and (2) length ratio exponent, radii ratio exponent and estimated metabolic rate from the analysed samples are comparable with the predicted values.


What does learning to become a professional mean and how can the scientific study of various forms of professional education help those institutions that educate teachers understand better what becoming a professional teacher means in contemporary Swedish society? In this inauguration lecture as new professor of education at Malmo University, I argue that the traditional understanding of what it means to enter a profession that we find in the subdiscipline "the sociology of professions," has had an unfortunate tendency to overestimate the importance of scientifically grounded knowledge and underestimate other forms of relevant knowledge and experience. In order to conceptualize such an alternative view of analyzing professional education and learning, I suggest the concepts of "creativity regimes" and "hybrid modernity." Whereas the former concept helps us to clarify how professional education can help students to cope with new situations in a creative manner within their own profession, the concept of hybrid modernity suggests that the professional education of teachers can also gain from studying other types of professional education, as this could broaden the creative competence of future teachers. What I am suggesting is thus that rather than trying to prepare teachers for a career as researchers – which represents a particular creativity regime where critique is the dominant norm in which students are professionally socialized – the education of teachers should be organized around the dominant norm of the pedagogical creativity regime, which is dialogue. Teaching has its own role expectations, norms and identity, but in a society which is increasingly hybridized, being inspired by other models is both a virtue and necessity This role-modeling should not drive out the core competence of teaching but rather supplement it.


The submission profile of Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP)
provides a standard way for an email client to submit a complete
message for delivery. This specification extends the submission
profile by adding a new BURL command that can be used to fetch
submission data from an Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP)
server. This permits a mail client to inject content from an IMAP
server into the SMTP infrastructure without downloading it to the
client and uploading it back to the server. [STANDARDS-TRACK]


The Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) series published by the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) includes estimates of rent expenditures and owner-occupied housing expenditures for the benchmark year 2001. The main data sources are the Residential Financial Survey (RFS), carried out in conjunction with the decennial censuses dating back to 1960, and the biennial American Housing Survey. The RFS was discontinued after 2001. In addition to being a large component of the National Income and Product Accounts (NIPA), housing expenditures are estimated in several different branches of the Regional Income and Product divisions of BEA, including for state-level PCE, Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by state, and the Regional Price Parities (RPP) series. The latter uses a combination of microdata from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data and the Census' American Community Survey (ACS), both through special interagency agreements, and not available to the public. This paper applies the rental equivalence method that could potentially be used as the basis for both national and regional housing expenditure series. The estimates are based on publicly available data from the ACS, called Public Use Micro Sampling data or PUMS, and to a lesser degree from Zillow website data, but BEA could draw from the full ACS which totals over 3 million housing observations a year.


Plaque associated oral disease affects a considerable portion of the population and is considered one of the major causes of tooth loss. In most cases toothbrushing only removes a limited amount of dental plaque and other chemical agents are required to reduce the bacterial load. Aims & objectives: The purpose of study was to determine whether there was any significant difference in the antimicrobial activity of 4 herbal toothpastes against cultures of 3 primary plaque colonizers. Methods: A total of 5 toothpastes were tested for their antimicrobial efficacy against Streptococcus mutans (NCTC 10920), Streptococcus sanguinis (NCTC 10904) and a non-specific α-heamolytic streptococcus by agar diffusion method. The data were collected and analysed using one way ANOVA and Tukey's multiple comparison test significant at p<0.05. Results: Dentazyme ® herbal toothpaste showed the greatest ability to inhibit bacterial growth for all the tested organisms (p<0.05). Nature Fresh had the lowest potential for antimicrobial activity. Conclusions: Dentazyme ® Herbal toothpaste was the only herbal toothpaste to inhibit the growth of all the bacteria tested and had similar antimicrobial efficacy to a triclosan containing toothpaste (Colgate ® Total ® ).


A Web portal is a special web site designed to act as a gateway giving convenient access to other related sites. This book investigates the various types of portals and describes how they can be used in business applications. After considering the nature of portals, the book describes the first general portals like Yahoo, and how they came into being. Portals are used in businesses of all types and sizes and this book discusses how portals can be used in large business corporations as well as small to medium enterprises. Web portals have increasing importance to marketers as, by their nature, they retain their users who must return to them frequently. They also provide a useful means of making information and knowledge readily available in a convenient form to authorised users. This book covers a wide range of issues relating to the use of portals in business.


Permutations are ubiquitous in many real-world problems, such as voting, ranking, and data association. Representing uncertainty over permutations is challenging, since there are n! possibilities, and typical compact and factorized probability distribution representations, such as graphical models, cannot capture the mutual exclusivity constraints associated with permutations. In this paper, we use the "low-frequency" terms of a Fourier decomposition to represent distributions over permutations compactly. We present Kronecker conditioning, a novel approach for maintaining and updating these distributions directly in the Fourier domain, allowing for polynomial time bandlimited approximations. Low order Fourier-based approximations, however, may lead to functions that do not correspond to valid distributions. To address this problem, we present a quadratic program defined directly in the Fourier domain for projecting the approximation onto a relaxation of the polytope of legal marginal distributions. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach on a real camera-based multi-person tracking scenario.


Background. Cisplatin is administered as the first-line treatment of soft-tissue cancers. It has a reported cure rate of up to 85%, but is associated with a high incidence of ototoxicity, characterised by irreversible bilateral hearing loss and affecting 23 - 50% of adults who receive the drug. Objectives. To determine the incidence of cisplatin-induced ototoxicity at Groote Schuur Hospital (GSH), Cape Town, South Africa. Methods. A retrospective cross-sectional study of cisplatin-receiving cancer patients attending GSH between January 2006 and August 2011. Results. A total of 377 patients were recorded as receiving cisplatin therapy during the study period. A 300% increase in new cisplatin-receiving patients receiving audiological monitoring was observed between 2006 and 2010. However, only patients with all clinical data as well as baseline and follow-up audiometric analyses were investigated. One hundred and seven such patients were identified, 55.1% of whom developed cisplatininduced ototoxicity while receiving high-dose (≥60 mg/m 2 ) cisplatin treatment. Higher cumulative cisplatin dosages were associated with development of significant hearing loss (p=0.027). The odds of developing cisplatin-induced hearing loss were elevated for patients with head and neck tumours and lymphoma (p=0.0465 and p=0.0563, respectively) and were significantly lower for those with reproductive cancers (p=0.0371). Conclusion. Comprehensive audiological monitoring should be available for every patient during cisplatin treatment to minimise the development of disabling hearing loss.


A new and simple formula valid within the framework of the Debye theory is derived for determining the structure of focused fields in diffraction-limited systems. It is first applied to study the field behavior in the focal region, and the results are compared with those of the classic theory of Lommel. The field distribution in the intermediate zone between the focal region and the far zone is then studied, and the changes of the field with increasing distance from the geometrical focus are examined. An estimate is obtained for the distance from focus at which the field behaves as a cutoff portion of a uniform spherical wave.


The method described here allows for the simultaneous analysis of 47 pesticides and five mycotoxins in cannabis in one simple QuEChERS procedure. This simple method is designed for implementation in start-up laboratories and in established laboratories that wish to streamline their sample preparation process, decrease solvent usage, and obtain accurate and fast results.


Almost a half century after the publication of the
Philosophical Investigations, it seems important to ask why
Wittgenstein"s ideas have had so little impact on
contemporary discussions in the philosophy of mind.
A clue can be discerned by what Georges Rey
says in the introduction to his book on contemporary
philosophy of mind. Rey announces at the outset to his
readers that his treatment of the mind aspires to be
continuous with science, not with literature. He explains
that there is a recent resurgence of interest in the
philosophy of mind with "explanatory questions� about
what sort of thing a pain, a thought, a mental image, a
desire, or an emotion is. Neither materialism nor dualism
provides a "serious� theory about the mind, which will give
us a "serious� explanation of mental phenomena.
According to Rey, although old-style grammatical
investigations may have given us a "heightened sensitivity
to complexities and nuances of our ordinary mental talk,�
they "tended to occur at the expense of further theorizing
about the mental phenomena themselves� (Rey, 4).


What type of property is a contemporary art object? Clearly it is an object that may be bartered, and in one sense this is how we understand both its status as property and its value. But it is also clear that an art object is usually understood to have value in different ways, ways that differ or displace their value in terms of simple barter. Here I will argue that the ways in which art's transaction value shifts from one form of contemporary barter (call it exchange value) to another (call it auratic or mystic value) makes it a special kind of property. This is not to mistake the fact that all commodity form barter works within a framework of mysticism and displacement, nor to suggest that the pricelessness of art is totally distinct from other luxury goods that are regularly exchanged for undisclosed (or proxied) sums. But I will argue that art both condenses and mystifies its transaction as property, and as such is inventive of further forms of capital development.


We derived a posteriori error estimates for the Dirichlet problem with vanishing boundary for quasi-linear elliptic operator: \begin{equation*}\label{pde} \begin{array}{rcll} -\nabla \cdot (\alpha(x,\nabla u)\nabla u)&=& f(x) ~~~~& \mbox{in}~\Omega\subset\mathbb{R}^2, \\ u&=& 0 &\mbox{on}~\partial\Omega, \end{array} \end{equation*} where $\Omega$ is assumed to be a polygonal bounded domain in $\mathbb{R}^2$, $f \in L^2(\Omega)$, and $\alpha$ is a bounded function which satisfies the strictly monotone assumption. We estimated the actual error in the $H^1$-norm by an indicator $\eta$ which is composed of $L^2$- norms of the element residual and the jump residual. The main result is divided into two parts; the upper bound and the lower bound for the error. Both of them are accompanied with the data oscillation and the $\alpha$-approximation term emerged from nonlinearity. The design of the adaptive finite element algorithm were included accordingly.


The two dimensional electron gas subjected to a perpendicular magnetic field
is a model system that supports a variety of electronic phases. Perhaps the most
well-known are the fractional quantum Hall states, but in recent years there has
been an upsurge of interest in the charge ordered phases commonly referred to as
electron solids. These solids are a consequence of electron-electron interactions in a
magnetic field. While some solid phases form in the lowest Landau level, the charged
ordered phases are most abundant in the higher Landau levels. Examples of such
phases include the Wigner solids, electronic bubble phases and stripe or nematic
phases. Open questions surround the exact role of disorder, confinement potential,
temperature and the Landau level index in determining the stability and competition
of these phases with other ground states. The interface of GaAs/AlGaAs remains the cleanest host for the two-dimensional
electron gas due to the extremely high quality of materials available and the advancement in molecular beam epitaxy growth techniques. As a result, exceptionally high
electron mobilities in this system have been instrumental in the discovery of numerous
electron solids. In this Thesis, I discuss the discovery and properties of several electron solids
that develop in such state-of-the-art two dimensional electron gases. These electron
solids often develop at ultra low temperatures, in the milliKelvin temperature range.
After an introduction to the physics of the quantum Hall effect in two dimensions, in
chapter 3, I discuss electron solids developing in the N=1 Landau level. While these
solids have been known for some time, details of the competition of these phases
xiii
with the nearby fractional quantum Hall states remains elusive. A number of reports
observe new fractional quantum Hall states at filling factors where electron solids
are found in other experiments. We undertook a systematic study to answer some
of these unsettled questions. We see evidence for incipient fractional quantum Hall
states at 2+2/7 and 2+5/7 at intermediate temperatures which are overtaken by
the electronic bubble phases at lower temperatures. Several missing fractional states
including those at filling factors 2+3/5, 2+3/7, 2+4/9 highlight the relative stability
of the electronic solids called the bubble phases in the vicinity in our sample. In chapter 4, I discuss a newly seen electron crystal which manifests itself in
transport measurements as a reentrant integer quantum Hall state. Reentrant integer
behavior is common in high Landau levels, but so far it was not observed in the
lowest Landau level in narrow quantum well samples. In contrast to high Landau
levels, where such reentrant integer behavior was associated with electronic bubbles,
we believe that the same signature in the N=0 Landau level is due to an electronic
Wigner crystal. The filling factors at which we observe such reentrance reveal that
it is a crystal of holes, rather than electrons. The discovery of this reentrant integer
state paints a complex picture of the interplay of the Wigner crystal and fractional
quantum Hall states. Finally, in chapter 5, I discuss the observation of a novel phenomenon, that of
reentrant fractional quantum Hall effect. In the lowest Landau level, we observe a
fractional quantum Hall state, but as the field is increased, we see a deviation and
then a return to quantization in the Hall resistance. Such a behavior indicates a novel
electron solid. In contrast to the collective localization of electrons evidenced by the
reentrant integer quantum Hall effect, such reentrance to a fractional Hall resistance
clearly points to the involvement of composite fermion quasiparticles. This property thus distinguishes the ground state we observed as a solid formed of composite
fermions. Such a solid phase is evidence for exotic electron-electron correlations at
play which are clearly different from those in the traditional Wigner solid of electrons.


The health effects of air pollution have been subject to intense study in recent years. Exposure to pollutants such as airborne participate matter and ozone has been associated with increases in mortality and hospital admissions due to respiratory and cardiovascular disease. Air pollution have negative influence on the Earth. These effects have been found in short-term studies, which relate day-to-day variations in air pollution and health, and long-term studies, which have followed cohorts of exposed individuals over time. In this review, we present effects on health and environmental of air pollutants.


The tests on these model propellers were undertaken for the purpose of determining the performance coefficients and characteristics for certain selected series of propellers of form and type as commonly used in recent navy designs. The first series includes seven propellers of pitch ratio varying by 0.10 to 1.10, the area, form of blade, thickness, etc., representing an arbitrary standard propeller which had shown good results. The second series covers changes in thickness of blade section, other things equal, and the third series, changes in blade area, other things equal. These models are all of 36-inch diameter. Propellers A to G form the series on pitch ratio, C, N. I. J the series on thickness of section, and K, M, C, L the series on area. (author).


The deformations of retained soil and retaining walls are of importance for the design of a deep excavation in soft soils. The beneficial influence of bedrock underlying the soils on the behavior of the retaining wall needs proper evaluation. This contribution shows a case study on deep excavation in soft soils overlying bedrock at the South Link tunnel project in Stockholm. The behaviors of sheet pile walls and retained soils at the South Link show that both lateral displacement and settlement are larger than the magnitude from similar case histories. Exemplified by a test section, the features of lateral displacement are analyzed with monitoring and PLAXIS simulating results. The analysis results indicate that the displacement mainly takes place during the upper excavations in a section and the beneficial influence of bedrock may be overshadowed by the low strength of soils, where depth of the excavation bottom to bedrock is larger than the excavation depth.


Forward genetics identifies a protein that promotes T cell immunity by affecting metabolism. During an infection, T cells proliferate extensively to build a sufficient army to defeat the invading pathogen. Carefully regulated changes in metabolism let T cells do this, but the specific nature of these changes is not fully understood. Using forward genetics in mice to screen for genes that regulate T cell immunity, Okoye et al. identified a mutation in the gene that encodes a protein they named lymphocyte expansion molecule (LEM) (see the Perspective by O'Sullivan and Pearce). LEM enhanced T cell immunity, including both proliferation and memory cell generation, in response to chronic viral infection. LEM facilitated these changes through effects on mitochondrial respiration. I. Okoye, L. Wang, K. Pallmer, K. Richter, T. Ichimura, R. Haas, J. Crouse, O. Choi, D. Heathcote, E. Lovo, C. Mauro, R. Abdi, A. Oxenius, S. Rutschmann, P. G. Ashton-Rickardt, The protein LEM promotes CD8+ T cell immunity through effects on mitochondrial respiration. Science 348, 995–1001 (2015). [Abstract] [Full Text] D. O'Sullivan, E. L. Pearce, Expanding the role of metabolism in T cells. Science 348, 976–977 (2015). [Abstract] [Full Text]


This Innovative Practice Full Paper explores the diversity of challenges relating to the teaching of cybersecurity in UK higher education degree programmes, through the lens of national policy, to the impact on pedagogy and practice.There is a serious demand for cybersecurity specialists, both in the UK and globally; there is thus significant and growing higher education provision related to specialist undergraduate and postgraduate courses focusing on varying aspects of cybersecurity. To make our digital systems and products more secure, all in IT need to know some cybersecurity – thus, there is a case for depth as well as breadth; this is not a new concern, but it is a growing one. Delivering cybersecurity effectively across general computer science programmes presents a number of challenges related to pedagogy, resources, faculty and infrastructure, as well as responding to industry requirements.Computer science and cognate engineering disciplines are evolving to meet these demands – both at school-level, as well as at university – however, doing so is not without challenges. This paper explores the progress made to date in the UK, building on previous work in cybersecurity education and accreditation by highlighting key challenges and opportunities, as well as identifying a number of enhancement activities for use by the international cybersecurity education community. It frames these challenges through concerns with the quality and availability of underpinning educational resources, the competencies and skills of faculty (especially focusing on pedagogy, progression and assessment), and articulating the necessary technical resources and infrastructure related to delivering rigorous cybersecurity content in general computer science and cognate degrees.Though this critical evaluation of an emerging national case study of cybersecurity education in the UK, we also present a number of recommendations across policy and practice – from pedagogic principles and developing effective cybersecurity teaching practice, challenges in the recruitment, retention and professional development of faculty, to supporting diverse routes into post-compulsory cybersecurity education (and thus, diverse careers) – to provide the foundation for potential replicability and portability to other jurisdictions contemplating related education and skills reform initiatives and interventions.


Cooperative communications have been proved to be a promising technique in next generation wireless communication and network system. Limited feedback is a novel technique that employs several bit of channel state information (CSI) feedback and achieves almost the same performance as perfect feedback. However, literature on cooperative communications and limited feedback in underwater acoustic (UWA) environments is very scarce. Therefore, in this paper, we propose a novel UWA cooperative communication system with limited feedback. Minimum error rate criterion-based optimization model (Part I) will be involved to analyze the performance of the adaptive power allocation based on the proposed system. Limited feedback general procedure and codebook design will be demonstrated. Simulation results will compare the performance of the full CSI feedback, a few bits of feedback and uniform power allocation. General Terms Wireless communications and signal processing


The challenge confronting those seeking to understand the institutional dimensions of global environmental change and patterns of land-use and land-cover change is to find effective methods for analyzing the dynamics of socio-ecological systems. Such systems exhibit a number of characteristics that pose problems for the most commonly used statistical techniques and may require additional and innovative analytic tools. This article explores options available to researchers working in this field and recommends a strategy for achieving scientific progress. Statistical procedures developed in other fields of study are often helpful in addressing challenges arising in research into global change. Accordingly, we start with an assessment of some of the enhanced statistical techniques that are available for the study of socio-ecological systems. By themselves, however, even the most advanced statistical models cannot solve all the problems that arise in efforts to explain institutional effectiveness and patterns of land-use and land-cover change. We therefore proceed to an exploration of additional analytic techniques, including configurational comparisons and meta-analyses; case studies, counterfactuals, and narratives; and systems analysis and simulations. Our goal is to create a portfolio of complementary methods or, in other words, a tool kit for understanding complex human-environment interactions. When the results obtained through the use of two or more techniques converge, confidence in the robustness of key findings rises. Contradictory results, on the other hand, signal a need for additional analysis.


Oceans and seas cover more than 70% of earth's surface. However, only a very small proportion of people know the underwater world. The challenging objective of this work is to help people to identify fish species. This can be performed in several situations. It is destined to in-vivo divers either they are professional or not, snorkelers, aquarium visitors and any fish recognition task. The applications can be for wildlife monitoring and for leisure purposes. Our approach is to enable such an application on a smartphone protected by a waterproof diving case. Captured images are processed through an algorithm allowing classifying detected fishes in the correct specie. This classification is done using several algorithms based on different criteria detailed in the article.


Power is not the only meaning of property but one of its essential meanings. Thus, as a rule, people who enjoy property are (more or less) in a power position. Gender is about power, too. Gender is the set of rules which society produces regarding the phenomenon that mankind appears in two sexes: women and men. Gender rules either provide for gender equality - in this case it does not make a difference whether an individual is a man or a woman.


Readership of print newspapers has been the focus of many studies and analyses because of the advancement of online journalism, information technologies and socio-economic changes in recent years. This study focuses on the perception and readership of Omani newspapers in the age of globalization. It investigates people's reading habits and their attitudes towards the content and layout of 9 dailies and several free weekly tabloids. This survey study was conducted on 747 subjects selected on the basis of the non-probability convenience sample from Muscat, the capital of Oman. The results indicated that only 5.5% of the respondents said they don't read newspapers. The salient reasons for not reading newspapers were the availability of other media sources and lack of time to read newspapers. Most readers of Omani newspapers are males with diploma and university degrees who work in the public sector. Hard copies are still popular in Oman, since only 3% read the online version of newspapers. Reading frequency was found to correlate with the type of content and professionalism aspects more than the appearance and presentation (layout & design) of Omani newspapers. The images of private newspapers are more favorable than those of the public ones. However, readers' views about certain newspapers were found to be subjective and judgmental. News was the most frequently read type of content and Omani newspapers were found to cover local news better than other topics.


The UK's future relationship with the European Union (EU) remains undecided. Brexit-related uncertainty has led to investment plans being deferred and increased stockbuilding. Under our main-case forecast, based on a 'soft' Brexit and continuing uncertainty, GDP growth continues at around 1½ per cent in 2019 and 2020, broadly in line with potential output growth, and the unemployment rate stays at around 4 per cent. CPI inflation is forecast to remain around 2 per cent per annum as faster unit labour cost growth is offset by slower import price inflation. With inflation stable at target, and only limited evidence of domestic inflationary pressure, Bank Rate remains at 0.75 per cent throughout this year before being raised to 1 per cent in the second half of 2020. We expect public spending to rise more quickly than currently planned. That, together with the forthcoming reclassification of student loans in the public finances, is likely to mean that the government's medium-term fiscal objectives will not be met. The current account deficit is forecast to fall from 4.2 per cent of GDP in 2019 to around 3 per cent in 2020, as domestic saving picks up relative to investment.


Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle didn't waste any time issuing a public apology when a 69-year-old patient died as a result of a preventable error. The tragedy occurred when the patient was injected with the antiseptic skin prep solution chlorhexidine instead of a contrast medium designed for radiological procedures. Both solutions were clear and available in the sterile field in unlabeled basins at the time of occurrence.


Lawmakers, courts, and legal scholars often express concern that settlement agreements withhold important information from the public. This Essay identifies, to the contrary, problematic issues involving the availability of information on non-representative settlements. The theoretical and empirical evidence presented in this Essay demonstrates that, despite the widespread use of nondisclosure agreements, information on settlements is distributed both inside and outside legal communities, reaching actors through various channels including the oral culture in legal communities, specialized reporters, professional interest organizations, and media coverage. Moreover, information on private settlement agreements circulates more widely if the agreed compensation in a given settlement exceeds the expected value of the claim at trial. For example, professional organizations highlight novel settlements that are strategically important to lawyers, and special interest groups bring attention to extravagant settlements that are most likely to induce legislative action. The selective availability of information on outlier settlements increases the potential impact of settlement agreements. For instance, in tort disputes, individual settlement concessions make it harder for similarly situated defendants to deflect forthcoming claims. Ambitious trial lawyers will use prior settlements as minimum bargaining thresholds. Plaintiffs in future cases become more demanding and more reluctant to accept settlements below what others have agreed to in prior, analogous settlements. Moreover, due to their noncoercive nature, settlements may frame the normative outlook on particular claims or disputes. Consequently, settlement trends may become normative benchmarks to judges and juries that seek to reinforce such valuations in settlement conferences or trials. The settlement dynamics identified in this Essay provide a novel inroad for possible research on the evolution of remedies and damages in various areas of law.


A silicon hierarchical structure, silicon nanoporous pillar array (Si-NPA), was prepared by a hydrothermal etching method. The architecture of Si-NPA was characterized to be a regular array of micron-sized, quasi-identical and nanoporous silicon pillars with an additional porous layer beneath the array. The pore walls were proved to be consisted of a SiO(x) matrix and dispersive silicon nanocrystallites. An integral reflectivity below 4% was achieved in the wavelength range of 240-2400 nm. Three photoluminescence bands, one blue and two red, were observed at room temperature and attributed to the recombination processes through band-to-band transition and luminescent centers, respectively. The structural and physical properties indicate that Si-NPA might be as both a functional silicon nanostructure and a template for assembling silicon-based nanocomposites in fabricating optoelectronic nanodevices.


The paper describes a variable speed wind generation system where fuzzy logic principles are used for efficiency optimization and performance enhancement control. A squirrel cage induction generator feeds the power to a double-sided pulse width modulated converter system which pumps power to a utility grid or can supply to an autonomous system. The generation system has fuzzy logic control with vector control in the inner loops. A fuzzy controller tracks the generator speed with the wind velocity to extract the maximum power. A second fuzzy controller programs the machine flux for light load efficiency improvement, and third fuzzy controller gives robust speed control against wind gust and turbine oscillatory torque. The complete control system has been developed, analyzed, validated by simulation study, and then performances have been evaluated in detail.


In this paper, a novel composite material of Acrylonitrile-Butadlene-Styrene resin (ABS)-based fabric coated with Cu/Ni-P was prepared via chemical redox plating technique. A series of such composite materials with varying thickness of Cu and Ni-P showed remarkable electromagnetic shielding ability. With the increase of Cu thickness, the shielding effect (SE) increased gradually, but leveled off after 1.5μm at a SE of about 70dB. Similarly, with the increase of the depth of Ni-P coats, the SE showed a trendency of gradual increase, and leveled off after 1.0μm at a SE of about 45dB. The optimum ABS/Cu/Ni-P was Cu 1.5μm and Ni-P 1.0μm unilaterally. The ABS/Cu/Ni-P composite material possessed excellent shielding ability in the range of 0.001-1000MHz at a stable SE of >80dB, and it also possessed ideal shielding effect in the range of >36GHz. But in the range of 10-18GHz, the shielding effect is slightly decreased gradually to about 60dB. So the ABS/Cu/Ni-P fabric composite is an ideal candidate for electromagnetic shielding material at low and high frequency radiations.


The paper discusses several methods of modelling complex nonlinear dynamics using neural networks. Particular reference is made to the problem of modelling direction-dependent relationships. A typical example of this would be top product composition control in a distillation column, where it is easier (i.e. faster) to make the product less pure than it is to make it more pure by an equivalent amount. Recurrent neural networks are identified as a potential method of modelling this type of relationship. The particular architecture chosen for this example is referred to as 'semirecurrent', since only past values of the predictions of the network are fed back to the input layer. This architecture is successfully used to model direction-dependent relationships in both simulated and actual industrial process data.


In this paper, we argue that data routing is of geopolitical significance. We propose new methodologies to understand and represent the new forms of power rivalries and imbalances that occur within the lower layers of cyberspace, through the analysis of Eastern Ukraine. The Internet is a network of networks where each network is an Autonomous System (ASes). ASes are independent administrative entities controlled by a variety of actors such as governments, companies, and universities. Their administrators have to agree and communicate on paths followed by packets travelling across the Internet, which is made possible by the Border Gateway Protocol (BGP). Agreements between ASes are often confidential but BGP requires neighbouring ASes to interact with each other in order to coordinate routing through the constant release of connectivity update messages. These messages announce the availability (or withdrawal) of a sequence of ASes that can be followed to reach an IP address prefix. We select Eastern Ukraine as a case study as in 2020, six years after the beginning of the war in Donbass, data is available to analyze and map changes to data routing. In our study, we conducted a longitudinal analysis of Ukraine's connectivity through the capture and analysis of these BGP announcements. Our results show how Donbass ASes progressively migrated from Ukraine's cyberspace towards Russia, while still sharing connections with Ukrainian ASes. Donbass cyberspace therefore sits at the interface of Ukraine and Russia but has been relegated to the periphery of both networks; it is marginalized from the Ukrainian network but not fully integrated into the Russian network. These evolutions both reflect and affect ongoing geopolitical power rivalries in the physical world and demonstrate their strategic significance. Our methodology can be used to conduct studies in other regions subject to geopolitical open conflicts and to infer the strategies developed by states in anticipation of potential threats.


In both animal and plant kingdoms, body size is a fundamental but still poorly understood attribute of biological systems. Here we report that the Arabidopsis NAC transcription factor 'Regulator of Proteasomal Gene Expression' (RPX) controls leaf size by positively modulating proteasome activity. We further show that the cis-element recognized by RPX is evolutionarily conserved between higher plant species. Upon over-expression of RPX, plants exhibit reduced growth, which may be reversed by a low concentration of the pharmacological proteasome inhibitor MG132. These data suggest that the rate of protein turnover during growth is a critical parameter for determining final organ size.


A random sample of 300 school food-service directors from Ohio were sent a questionnaire concerning childhood obesity and 210 (70%) responded. 79% believed normal weight was important to children's health and 88% believed it was their duty to prepare nutritionally balanced lunches. 79% also believed that most school lunches are designed to provide nutritionally balanced meals and that preparing nutritious lunches for school children was professionally gratifying (87%). 48% of the respondents believed school food-service personnel should play a major role in controlling obesity in childhood. There were numerous significant differences in perceptions of childhood obesity based on the length of time as a food-service director. The leading sources of information on meal planning were workshops (79%), on-the-job training (78%), in-service programs (66%), and past experience (63%). These results may be due to the relatively limited or nonspecific academic training in nutrition by the majority of these respondents.


There is a recent renewal of interest in the relation between shifts in age structures of populations and various economic outcomes. These shifts are triggered by changes in fertility and mortality that take place some years before becoming apparent in the standard age structure and that may create windows of opportunity for subsequent development. A large number of countries in the world are still experiencing, or probably about to experience, fertility declines. This paper first characterizes differences in fertility and mortality and in related dependency ratios across regions and over time. The paper then uses a panel of 96 countries covering the period 1965-1995 to decompose the differences in fertility rates between developed and developing countries and the differences in fertility between 1960 and 1995 for several developing regions and for 22 individual countries in the Latin American and Caribbean region. These decompositions indicate that the main correlates of fertility differences across space and over time are female schooling and health, with the former having larger associations with differential fertility among regions/countries at a point of time and the latter having larger associations with fertility declines over time. This suggests that the importance of associations of increased female schooling relative to those of improved health may be overstated in the literature, which is substantially based on inferring longitudinal relations from cross-sectional data.


A number of studies have shown that 5-day planetary waves modulate noctilucent clouds and the closely related Polar Mesosphere Summer Echoes (PMSE) at the summer mesopause. Summer stratospheric winds should inhibit wave propagation through the stratosphere and, although some numerical models (Geisler and Dickinson, 1976) do show a possibility for upward wave propagation, it has also been suggested that the upward propagation may in practice be confined to the winter hemisphere with horizontal propagation of the wave from the winter to the summer hemisphere at mesosphere heights causing the effects observed at the summer mesopause. It has further been proposed (Garcia et al., 2005) that 5-day planetary waves observed in the summer mesosphere could be excited in-situ by baroclinic instability in the upper mesosphere. In this study, we first extract and analyze 5-day planetary wave characteristics on a global scale in the middle atmosphere (up to 54 km in temperature, and up to 68 km in ozone concentration) using measurements by the Odin satellite for selected days during northern hemisphere summer from 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2007. Second, we show that 5-day temperature fluctuations consistent with westward-traveling 5-day waves are present at the summer mesopause, using local ground-based meteor-radar observations. Finally we examine whether any of three possible sources of the detected temperature fluctuations at the summer mesopause can be excluded: upward propagation from the stratosphere in the summer-hemisphere, horizontal propagation from the winter-hemisphere or in-situ excitation as a result of the baroclinic instability. We find that in one case, far from solstice, the baroclinic instability is unlikely to be involved. In one further case, close to solstice, upward propagation in the same hemisphere seems to be ruled out. In all other cases, all or any of the three proposed mechanisms are consistent with the observations.


The pharmacokinetics and metabolism of the anti-human T-lymphotrophic virus type III/lymphadenopathy-associated virus agent 2',3-dideoxycytidine have been examined in BDF1 mice and rhesus monkeys, with ancillary enzyme studies carried out on tissue derived from both the latter species and also from human subjects. For the pharmacokinetic studies, 2',3-dideoxycytidine and its catabolic product 2',3-dideoxyuridine have been separated and measured in plasma, urine, and cerebrospinal fluid by a reverse HPLC method. For metabolic studies, tritium-labeled drug (labeled in the 5- and 6-positions of the pyrimidine ring) has been employed, utilizing an ion exchange HPLC analytical method suitable for the separation of the parent nucleoside from its mono-, di-, and triphosphates in cell extracts and in tissue homogenates. The drug is rapidly cleared from plasma in a biphasic manner (terminal t 1/2 in BDF1 mice and rhesus monkeys of 67 min and 109 min, respectively) following an iv bolus dose of 325 mg/m2. This two-compartment open model is predictive of plasma concentrations during long term ip infusions in mice. Dideoxycytidine is predominantly excreted in the urine as unchanged parent compound, although a minor urinary metabolite (2,3-dideoxyuridine) is detected in the monkey but not in the mouse. Oral absorption of 2',3'-dideoxycytidine is rapid, with plasma levels approaching those seen after iv administration within 45 min in the mouse. Entry to the central nervous system is also rapid, but the cerebrospinal fluid to plasma AUC ratio after iv administration is only 0.026-0.040 in rhesus monkeys.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


The miniature (high-capacity) tensiometer is increasingly being used both in practice and in research to determine the matric potential in unsaturated soils. Although the potential which can be recorded with this type of device tends to be limited to a maximum of approximately 1500 kPa (a function of the air entry value of the porous element), simplicity of use, together with the ability to measure potentials under atmospheric conditions, makes this a unique piece of equipment for investigating and characterizing the hydro-mechanical response of unsaturated soils in the laboratory and in the field. The use of the miniature tensiometer is now well established and documented, and the particulars of a number of such devices, together with modifications to standard laboratory equipment to accommodate them, have appeared in the literature. The measurement of potential with the tensiometer, like any other measurement of a physical quantity, is not exempt from a certain degree of uncertainty. Additionally, the device is usually calibrated by applying a positive water pressure; however, when in use, the fluid filling the internal reservoir experiences a tensile stress. Although extrapolation of the calibration curve to negative values of water pressure is justified, it is nevertheless interesting to assess the level of uncertainty associated with a single measurement of potential in a soil. To this effect, data on gravimetric water content and matric potential from a statistically representative set of clay samples, carefully prepared and compacted in a similar manner to the same initial conditions, were analysed. This paper presents details and results from this exercise, together with the statistical treatment of the data.


Summary and Conclusions
It has been shown by various workers in recent years that the explanation of the phenomenon of anophelism without malaria in Europe depends largely upon the behavior, and subsequently upon the presence or absence, of particular varieties of Anopheles maculipennis, of which five have been recognized.
A further explanation has been offered by Martini and Teubner (1933). They claim that each type of Anopheles may have a preferred type of indoor climate (microclimate) for seeking food and shelter and that a general change in microclimates, resulting from a general change in type of housing for man and domestic stock may, therefore, prove an important factor in freeing a region of malaria.
The writer conducted various experiments in the Struma Valley, Greece, during 1933 to 1934 to test the microclimate preferences of mosquitoes.
By means of two tunnels, one with the entrance situated inside a stable, the other excavated in a clay bank facing due east, it was possible to create various types of microclimate stations. Temperatures and humidities in the tunnels were regulated simply by reducing light intensities by means of partial partitions of wood. The microclimate conditions could thereby be made to range from too unfavorable to optimal and then to conditions too dark and possibly too cool and humid for the mosquitoes to enter.
All of the stations were easily accessible to anophelines living in a state of nature, and therefore the type of microclimate they chose was in accord with their needs and desires. (The investigations reported upon deal only with "day anophelism," or the daytime resting places of anophelines.) Three species An. sacharovi (elutus), An. maculipennis (varieties messeae and typicus), and An. superpictus are well represented in the records.
The results to date show that:
1.
Light should be regarded as a definite microclimate factor, as in nature temperature depends largely upon the intensity and duration of light, and humidity in turn depends largely upon temperature. (Dark situations normally indicate decreased temperatures and increased humidities.)
2.
The intensity of light at dawn serves as a more direct and safer guide than either temperature or humidity, as at this time, and until about one-half hour after sunrise, temperatures and humidities within all types of structures approximate those occurring outdoors.
3.
A light intensity of 1 to 5 candle-foot power is suitable for anophelines under summer conditions; greater or less than this is avoided. (The intensities of light given are approximate, specific light intensities not being available.)
4.
The influence of temperature, although not as direct as that of light, has a measurable effect upon anopheline behavior, as is revealed in the following abridged table which is based on a total of 9169 specimens:
CANDLE-FOOT POWER
ITEM
AVERAGE TEMPERATURE
PER CENT OF ANOPHELINES IN MAIN ROOM OF STABLE
PER CENT OF ANOPHELINES WITHIN ENTRANCE TO TUNNEL OPENING INTO THE SAME STABLE
Total
sacharovi
maculipennis
superpictus
Total
sacharovi
maculipennis
superpictus
1‑5
a
21.0
66
62
52
80
34
38
48
20
b
27.5
39
38
43
40
61
62
57
60
c
32.5
13
2
14
17
87
88
86
83
5‑15
A
21.3
94
99
92
98
6
1
8
2
B
27.6
65
74
60
76
35
26
40
24
C
313
45
49
43
74
55
51
57
26
D
35.5
16
22
13
84
78
87
E
40.0
0.0
0
0
100
100
100
4a.
The combined percentages of a, b, and c show that 38 per cent of the anophelines were collected in the main room as compared to 62 per cent in the tunnel entrance. Those for A, B, and C (comparable temperatures) give 72 and 28 per cent respectively. Therefore over twice as many anophelines remained in the main room when the windows were closed as when they were open.
4b.
A direct comparison of the percentages of the items a, b, and c with A, B, C, and D shows that a is equivalent to B, b to C, c to D. This indicates that at temperatures under 23°C. anophelines tolerate a stronger light intensity than at higher temperature; that under darkened conditions an approximate increase of 5°C. produces the same effect as occurs under an increase of 5 or more candle-foot power, e.g., an approximate 10 candle-foot power at 27°C. equals an approximate 3 candle-foot power at 31°C.
4c.
Excessive temperatures tend to cause all anophelines to seek even darker and consequently cooler quarters. This is absolute at 40°C.
5.
The distribution of the species as shown in the table indicates that superpictus is somewhat more tolerant of light and higher temperatures than the others while maculipennis is least tolerant.
Another type of experiment made several times shows more precisely the respective influences of light and temperatures. An earthenware jar containing both sacharovi and maculipennis was exposed to the direct rays of the midday sun. The anophelines remained in the jar until the interior had been heated by the sun to 36°, after which they were forced to brave the sunlight. This indicates that the respective forces of sunlight and temperature become equalized at 36°C. A few individuals have been observed to remain in the jar in spite of the excessive temperature, but none have been observed to survive 41°C.
The results of these investigations show that anophelines choose their daytime resting places in accordance with microclimate conditions; further, that each species here considered differs to some extent in its microclimate preferences. (Culex pipiens shows a much greater preference for darker and cooler microclimates. During the summer of 1933, 154 specimens of this species were found within the tunnel entrance but none were seen in the main room of the stable.)


State-machine replication is a well-established approach to fault tolerance. The idea is to replicate a service on multiple servers so that it remains available despite the failure of one or more servers. From a performance perspective, state-machine replication has two limitations. First, it introduces some overhead in service response time, due to the requirement to totally order commands. Second, service throughput cannot be augmented by adding replicas to the system. We address the two issues in this paper. We use speculative execution to reduce the response time and state partitioning to increase the throughput of state-machine replication. We illustrate these techniques with a highly available parallel B-tree service.


In March 2017, the European Union (EU) adopted a new indicator of 'material and social deprivation'. This measure was developed by Guio et al (2012) and covers the entire population of the 28 EU Member States. It includes 13 deprivation items and replaces the 9-item 'standard' material deprivation index adopted in 2009, by the then 27 EU countries and the European Commission, to monitor progress in the fight against poverty and social exclusion at national and EU level. Drawing on the methodology developed in the context of the 1999 'Poverty and Social Exclusion in the UK Survey', Guio, Gordon and Marlier (2012) proposed an analytical framework for producing a suitable, valid, reliable and additive deprivation measure for the EU. Their recommendations were based on analyses of the 2009 EU-SILC material deprivation module. This report extends these analyses using the 2014 EU-SILC data and demonstrates that the composition of the new material and social deprivation indicator remains optimal over a five year period of considerable socio-economic change


This volume presents current state-of-the-art discussions in corpus-based linguistic research of the English language. The papers deal with Present-day English, worldwide varieties of English and the history of the English language. A special focus of the volume are studies in the broad field of corpus pragmatics and corpus-based discourse analysis. It includes corpus-based studies of speech acts, conversational routines, referential expressions and thought styles, as well as studies on the lexis, grammar and semantics of English. And it also includes several studies on technical aspects of corpus compilation, fieldwork and parsing.


Measurements of the double-differential π production cross-section in the range of momentum 0.5 GeV/c ≤ p ≤ 8.0 GeV/c and angle 0.025 rad ≤ θ ≤ 0.25 rad in collisions of protons on beryllium, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, aluminium, copper, tin, tantalum and lead are presented. The data were taken with the large acceptance HARP detector in the T9 beam line of the CERN PS. Incident particles were identified by an elaborate system of beam detectors. Thin targets of 5% of a nuclear interaction length were used. The tracking and identification of the produced particles were performed using the forward system of the HARP experiment. Results are obtained for the double-differential cross-sections dσ/dpdΩ mainly at four incident proton beam momenta (3 GeV/c, 5 GeV/c, 8 GeV/c and 12 GeV/c). Measurements are compared with the GEANT4 and MARS Monte Carlo generators. A global parametrization is provided as an approximation of all the collected datasets which can serve as a tool for quick yields estimates.


The exploding cost of health care in the United States is a source of widespread alarm. Similarly, the upward spiral of college tuition fees is cause for serious concern. In this concise and illuminating book, the well-known economist William J. Baumol explores the causes of these seemingly intractable problems and offers a surprisingly simple explanation. Baumol identifies the "cost disease" as a major source of rapidly rising costs in service sectors of the economy. Once we understand that disease, he explains, effective responses become apparent. Baumol presents his analysis with characteristic clarity, tracing the fast-rising prices of health care and education in the United States and other major industrial nations, then examining the underlying causes, which have to do with the nature of providing labor-intensive services. The news is good, Baumol reassures us, because the nature of the disease is such that society will be able to afford the rising costs.


Developmental dyslexia (reading disability) is a specific impairment in learning to read that affects 3–6% of school children in English-speaking countries. It is overrepresented in clinical populations referred to child and adolescent mental health services because of its high comorbidity with conduct disorder, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and other developmental disorders. Clinicians may fail to identify it unless they maintain a high degree of awareness and make specific inquiries. A three-stage approach (routine screening, in-depth examination and referral for further testing) is described. The features of dyslexia and the clues to its diagnosis are discussed. A number of simple tests for identifying it are available and familiarity with these should improve diagnostic accuracy. In addition to treating psychiatric comorbidity, the clinician can help the child by working with educational professionals to ensure that educational needs are met. Evidence-based early interventions are available. Later reading interventions improve reading but rarely bring about normalisation.


Regularities are prevalent in many aspects of the environment. How does the visual system extract structured information from multiple sources? One possibility is that the visual system selectively focuses on one source. Alternatively, it may incorporate all sources to form a weighted representation of the regularities. To address this question, we generated matrices containing cells that varied independently on the color dimension (red/blue) or the shape dimension (circle/square). Each matrix could be divided into two equal halves either horizontally or vertically. One half was fully random, whereas the other half was structured (i.e., organized in chunks). Observers discriminated the boundary between the two halves in three conditions (Experiment 1). In the color condition, the cells were structured only on the color dimension; in the shape condition, the cells were structured only on the shape dimension; and in the color+shape condition, the cells were structured both on the color and the shape dimensions. Importantly, each dimension contained an equal amount of regularities. We found that the boundary discrimination accuracy was higher in the color+shape condition than that in the shape condition, but not different from the color condition. This suggests that color was prioritized when regularities were present in both dimensions. To examine whether this prioritization was specific to color, we introduced a new surface dimension (solid/hollow) in the matrices (Experiment 2). Now the boundary discrimination accuracy was the highest in the surface condition, compared to the other dimensions. Critically, the accuracy was equally high when the cells were structured on all three dimensions. This suggests that the surface dimension was prioritized over the others. These findings demonstrate that the visual system relies on one feature dimension to extract regularities, even though every dimension is equally informative. Moreover, such extraction did not benefit from the presence of multiple sources of regularities. Meeting abstract presented at VSS 2015.


Introduction: Cleft lip and palate is the most frequent malformation of the head region and affects more than 10 million people worldwide. This study aims at evaluating the selfesteem in patients with cleft lip and palate and comparing that with the self-esteem of non-affected individuals during followup at the Department of Craniomaxillofacial Plastic Surgery of the Hospital de Clínicas of Porto Alegre. Methods: This is a cross-sectional, contemporary study with 160 participants, comprising 80 patients with cleft lip and palate who have already undergone surgical procedures for correcting the condition and 80 non-affected students and employees of the publicschool system as a control group. We used a questionnaire to characterize the group and the Rosenberg self-esteem scale for data collection. Results: There was a significant difference between groups in terms of marital status, schooling, and school retention. Patients with a cleft lip and palate had lower levels of self-esteem than non-affected individuals. Among them, the individuals with bilateral clefts or complete clefts; female gender; economic strata of D/E; low level of schooling; families reconstituted during childhood; and with unsatisfactory results concerning communication, dentition, and lip scar also showed lower levels of self-esteem. Conclusion: There was a significant relationship between cleft lip and palate and low self-esteem. ■ ABSTRACT


The invariance with motion of the measurement of two-way light signals in the Michelson-Morley experiment is extrapolated to one-way measurements. The time of arrival of signals at a distant point is accepted as indeterminate, in accordance with the before-and-after characterization of Robb; but it is shown that, in spite of this indeterminancy, definite expressions can be obtained for the operations involved in measuring one-way signals. Extension of the same reasoning leads to Lorentz-type transformations expressed in terms of observable rod and clock readings, which include the self-observed velocities of moved clocks used to set the epochs of distant clocks.


In this paper, we propose a novel energy and distance-aware routing protocol (EDARP) for prolong the sensor network lifetime. EDARP achieves a good performance in terms of lifetime by balancing the energy load among all the nodes. EDARP introduces a new clustering factor for cluster head election, which can better handle the heterogeneous energy capacities. Furthermore, it also introduces a simple but efficient approach, namely, fuzzy spanning tree for sending aggregated data to the base station. Simulation result show that, when compared other schema EDARP outperforms significantly in optimizing cluster heads energy consumption, amount of data gathered, and Improving system lifetime with acceptable levels of latency in data delivery.


Extracted from text ... 42 Management Today March 2006
Managerial (con)science:
the stepchild of management?
T
Johann Coetzee is a consulting psychologist
in private practice and a management
and leadership consultant. He is
involved in aviation, runs an MBA in
aviation and is a qualified pilot..
The science of management continues to
concern itself with the intelligent employment
of production factors and the complementary
integration thereof. The careful
deployment of human resources, as the
intellectual energy, continues to remain the
greatest challenge in the pursuit of both
organisational and individual efficiency.
As we strive to access funds at the most
economical rates, secure ..


Abstract Context. Studying interactions between a wildlife species and its spatial environment can enable a deeper understanding of its ecology. Studies of spatial ecology are generally undertaken by attaching tracking devices to selected individuals and following their movements. Highly mobile species, such as black cockatoos (Calyptorhynchus spp.), that occupy habitats with patchy resources are ideal candidates. The powerful beak and chewing habits of black cockatoos make it difficult to successfully attach tracking devices to them. Aims. We developed a safe technique for attaching tracking devices to black cockatoos and assessed the impact of the tracking devices, as well as their performance in relation to battery life, retention time and accuracy of location fixes. Methods. We describe a technique for attaching Telonics (Mesa, AZ, USA) Argos Avian Transmitter TAV 2617 tracking devices to the two central tail feathers of black cockatoos. Key results. Of 26 tracking devices fitted (24 to Carnaby's cockatoos, C. latirostris; two to Baudin's cockatoos, C. baudinii), 20 exhibited longer retention time than the nominal battery life. One tracking device was chewed until it was non-functional before release and two were presumed chewed after release because their tracking devices failed prematurely. There was no evidence that the tracking devices inhibited the flight capability of cockatoos. The performance of the Argos tracking devices exceeded expectations with regard to retention times, battery life and overall accuracy of location fixes. The tracking devices enabled detection of instances of rapid long-distance movements, including one bird that travelled 70 km between night roosts while migrating. Most study birds (68%) remained within 50 km of their release sites while monitored. Conclusion. The tracking devices were a suitable choice for black cockatoos and for the purpose of this study. They posed minimal snag risk, were of suitable dimensions for tail attachment and they enabled data to be collected even if birds dispersed long distances. The main limitations that must be considered when assessing their suitability for future research projects are the errors associated with location fixes, limited retention time in relation to moulting of tail feathers and limited battery life. Implications. The development of a method for successfully attaching tracking devices to black cockatoos opens the possibility to study aspects of the ecology of black cockatoos and other highly mobile species that was not previously possible.


A SeaBeam and SeaMARC I survey of a seamount group located several kilometres west of the axis of the East Pacific Rise (EPR) at lat 9°53′N defines the existence of a large submarine lava field at the base of one of the volcanoes (MIB). The field must be relatively young with respect to the surrounding terrain because lavas lap up against the base of MIB seamount, obscuring older erosional terrain, and extend out over the faulted, sedimented terrain of the flank of the EPR. Volcanic cones within the lava field are aligned with the strike of fault scarps that are buried by the lavas. MIB seamount is characterized by a large, well-developed caldera, and we suggest that the lava field was created during a recent volcanic episode when magmas migrated laterally away from the seamount9s reservoir along preexisting faults parallel to the ridge axis. The withdrawal of magmas from the MIB reservoir into the flanking parasitic eruptive plumbing system created the lava field and deflated the seamount summit. This event contributed to the development of the MIB caldera. Draining of shallow-level magma chambers under seamounts by pressure-controlled basal-flank eruptions that form lava fields is an important mechanism for the development of seamount morphology.


This exciting and engaging textbook introduces students to the psychology of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer lives and experiences. It covers a broad range of topics including diversity, prejudice, health, relationships, parenting and lifespan experiences from youth to old age. The book includes 'key researcher' boxes, which outline the contributions of significant individuals and their motivations for conducting their research in their own words. Key issues and debates are discussed throughout the book, and questions for discussion and classroom exercises help students reflect critically and apply their learning. There are extensive links to further resources and information, as well as 'gaps and absences' sections, indicating major limitations of research in a particular area. This is the essential textbook for anyone studying LGBTQ Psychology, Psychology of Sexuality or related courses. It is also a useful supplement to courses on Gender and Developmental Psychology.


The Greater Toronto Area remains the major immigrant destination centre in Canada. New Canadians are welcomed but not necessarily well integrated into the lives of churches. Our experience and research has shown that this lack of integration can extend to new Canadians who start churches yet are not integrated with denominations or church planting organizations. The New Canadian Church Planter project is an ongoing participatory action research project that brings together new Canadian church planters and denominational leaders as equals. It engages these groups in conversation to identify issues of concern, facilitate shared learning, and promote positive social action. This paper uses data from that project to explore the effectiveness of participatory action research in facilitating those objectives. The project was effective at breaking down isolation, encouraging limited collaboration, developing localized resource sharing, and in disseminating learning but not at developing positive social action external to the meetings themselves.


Background Insertion of an acupuncture needle into an acupuncture point typically generates a range of sensations called 'de qi'. Most acupuncturists are taught that obtaining de qi is important when treating patients with pain but this can be quite uncomfortable for patients. Objective This study assesses the importance of the strength of de qi, on the clinical outcome in osteoarthritic pain. Method This study was part of a larger randomised, single-blind, multifactorial trial involving three interventions: real acupuncture (RA), Streitberger needle (SN) and mock electrical stimulation for the treatment of patients with osteoarthritis (OA) of the hip and knee. Patients were treated twice a week for 4 weeks. The two outcomes relevant to this study were pain reduction assessed by visual analogue scale and the Park needling sensation questionnaire, both measured at completion of the study. Two arms of the trial were analysed (RA and SN). Reduction in pain was correlated against strength of de qi for both RA and SN. Those who felt de qi were compared with those who did not. Results 147 patients were recruited to the study (140 completed) with a mean pain reduction of 15.2 mm and mean de qi score of 6.2. There was no significant correlation between the strength of de qi and improvement in pain (p=0.49). There was also no significant difference in pain relief (p=0.52) between those who felt de qi and those who did not using the de qi subscale of the Park questionnaire. Conclusion These data suggest that the presence and intensity of de qi has no effect on the pain relief obtained for patients with OA. This result may have implications for both acupuncture treatment and for future trial methodology.