PURPOSE
To develop a classification system of validation tasks for Monte Carlo simulations of CT scanners that reflects the level of complexities of source and object models used in Monte Carlo simulation methods within the medical physics community and specifically within X-ray CT dosimetry simulations.

METHODS
In order to quantify the relative strength of CT Monte Carlo models developed for CT dosimetry with respect to imaging parameters such as source motion, tube current modulation, phantom type and location of measurement, we have devised a classification system consisting of six levels, each with a number of sublevels that encompass an extensive number of validation scenarios. The complexity of the levels/sublevels ranges from very simple source and object models, such as simulating and validating a CTDI in air measurement at isocenter with a single axial source rotation and fixed tube current, to complex source and patient models, such as simulating and validating surface and depth dose integrated readings from TLDs for a patient model with helical source movement and tube current modulation. 15 unique CT Monte Carlo models found in the literature with some validation of Monte Carlo simulations were examined within the scope of the classification system.

RESULTS
All 15 models had a primary validation measurement that fell under the first two levels of the classification system, CTDI measurements. Only 5 models demonstrated validation of the model beyond CTDI measurements. Only 2 of these models demonstrated helical scan validation. No models demonstrated tube current modulation validation.

CONCLUSION
This investigation has revealed that a vast majority of advanced CT dosimetry Monte Carlo simulations lack validation beyond CTDI measurements. This classification system has the potential to be used as a justification metric as to the appropriateness of a particular CT Monte Carlo model for use in a specific CT dosimetry simulation. (a) Dr. McNitt-Gray: Institutional research agreement, Siemens AG; Recipient research support Siemens AG; Consultant, Flaherty Sensabaugh Bonasso PLLC; Consultant, Fulbright and Jaworski, LLC; (b) K McMillan: Research partially supported by a grant from Siemens AG; Research partially supported by a grant from AACR; Research partially supported by a grant from TRDRP; (c) M Khatonabadi: Research partially supported by a grant from Siemens AG.


By making use of a distributed file system, users of physically distributed computers are allowed to share data and storage resources. This paper compares three distributed filesystems: the Sun NFS filesystem, Samba and OpenAFS. The emphasis of the comparison is on the functionality, management and performance of these three file systems in a heterogenous network. The iozone filesystem benchmark tool was used to gathered information about how well these filesystems performs read/write operations, in order to numerically characterize the performance. Analyzing and properly understanding the data gathered from the measurements, reveals that Samba and NFS perform almost equally on windows machines equipped with different Operating Systems and hardware. On a client running SuSE9.1 NFS has the best performance for both read and write operations. OpenAFS had the lowest performance on windows machines and on the client running it performed as well as Samba. The paper concludes with a recommendation for which distributed filesystem best suits which computing environment.


Whilst the process of catch-up in Korea – led by export-oriented growth – has been rapid and, in a sense, very successful, it has also been subject to turbulence, not least in a crisis of near bankruptcy that has dramatically revealed its Achilles heel. Informed by the 1997 crisis, Wontack Hong writes a new history of the Korean economy; one that seeks to understand export-oriented catch-up in newly industrialized countries (NICs) whilst offering a realistic appraisal and forewarning of the pitfalls which could signal self-destruction.


Problem: Prevention Planning Teams are challenged with developing intervention programs designed to decrease youth risk behaviors. Literature indicates that by increasing the number of assets/protective factors within a child's external ecology it decreases the likelihood of the youth participating in risk behaviors. Information which explicitly focuses on the etiology (external ecology) of youth risk behaviors for Southwest Virginia Region (SWVAR) 6 th grade youth had not been performed; therefore, this study investigated the reported external ecology present in the SWVAR 6 th grade youth, whether there are differences in the reported external ecology by gender, and whether there are differences in the reported external ecology by race/ethnicity. Methods: The SWVAR 2009-2010 6 th grade Youth Risk Behavior Surveys were analyzed and items extracted which pertained to the Search Institute Developmental Assets Framework. Twelve survey items were identified which fit into the External Asset Building Block areas of Support, Empowerment, and Boundaries and Expectations. Responses to these items by SWVAR 6 th grade youth who participated in the 2009-2010 YRBS (n=2051) were analyzed via descriptive statistics for overall responses and Chi-Square in relation to gender and race/ethnicity. Results: Descriptive statistics and Chi-Square analysis indicated an overall positive external ecology. There were however statistically significant differences by gender and race/ethnicity in each of the represented External Asset Building Blocks. Conclusions: SWVAR 6 th grade youth who participated in the 2009-2010 YRBS indicated an overall positive external ecology by overall responses, gender and race/ethnicity. There are however segments by gender and race/ethnicity which indicate a need for intervention and/or further investigation. EXTERNAL ASSETS OF SWVAR 6 TH GRADE YOUTH iii


Introduction and Statement of InterestAmici are among the nation's leading organizations representing people with disabilities.1 Most are governed and staffed by a majority of people with disabilities of all types, including people with severe physical and cognitive disabilities. They join with the parents of Theresa Schiavo because the standards upon which Ms. Schiavo's life or death turn may, if defined broadly enough, also be applied to thousands of people with disabilities who, like Ms. Schiavo, cannot articulate their own views and must thus rely on third parties as substitute decision-makers. The need for constitutional limits on the powers of such decision makers is nowhere more clear that on a question as fundamental as life or death, because the consequences of abuse or misjudgment are both ultimate and irreversible. For this reason, neither a court nor any third party may base a decision on their own view of the affected person's "quality of life." Only the persons own desires may drive this determination.This desire cannot be ascertained in isolation. It is intertwined with the affected person's medical diagnosis and prognosis. A person who decides to withhold treatment does so only after he or she has been informed of the medical consequences of the decision and all possible alternatives. Likewise, if a person may have or regain cognitive function, a court or third party may not determine a person would want to die simply on the assumption the person's life is not worth living. Even if reasonable minds disagree on any of these issues, any doubt or uncertainty counsels against death. Only then does the court remain true to the constitutional "clear and convincing" standard of proof required under these extraordinary circumstances.The trial court below failed to adhere to these standards. In re Guardianship of Schiavo, No. 90-2908-GD-003, slip op. (Fla. Cir. Ct. Pinellas County Nov. 22, 2002). Despite hearing evidence from doctors with "very impressive credentials" that Ms. Schiavo was not in a persistent vegetative state, and despite finding that she exhibited signs of cognition and thought, the court authorized her death. This was not-nor did it purport to be-a finding based on "clear and convincing" evidence of Ms. Schiavo's desires. In such cases, a court may not substitute its own judgment but must find that Ms. Schiavo, after examining the conflicting medical evidence, would have had nothing less than a "firm and settled commitment" to die. The lower court here made no such determination.The reasons behind the disability community's solidarity with Ms. Schiavo may not be immediately apparent. Yet a close examination of the issues shows that Ms. Schiavo's fate is intertwined with that of many people with disabilities who must rely on surrogates. If the legal standard of proof in cases involving termination of life support is watered down to the point where Ms. Schiavo's "quality of life"-as determined by others-justifies her death, then one cannot distinguish Ms. Schiavo from anyone else who is "incompetent," including thousands who cannot speak due to developmental or physical disabilities. It is naive to believe such attitudes would not be used to justify the death of people with severe disabilities if the opportunity arose. For example, prominent ethicists such as Peter Singer of Princeton University have sanctioned the killing of people with severe disabilities based on a belief that they will not lead a "good" life and will burden their parents and society.2These attitudes, which have a long and ugly history as justification for the sterilization or elimination of people with disabilities,3 may be nothing more than privately held prejudices. Yet they don the cloak of public sanction every time a court lowers the constitutional bar on substituted judgments and consequently broadens the category of people with disabilities whose lives may be terminated. For these reasons, Amici join with the Schindler family to urge reversal of the trial court below. …


The transformation of political communication entails a change in the criteria for evaluating the behavior of political actors, including the violations they commit. This article aims to identify the strategies through which stakeholders influence a scandal, intending to mitigate negative consequences and achieve their own strategic goals. Based on the identified institutional and personal impact on the sequence of scandalous events, we analyze corruption, sex, and power scandals in Russia using the process-tracing method. Besides shifting the agenda through the creation of media leads, the dissemination of protest symbols has proved to be fruitful. The results of the analysis also reveal the advantages of the denial strategy in the Russian context, despite the dominant belief that it is inefficient. Aside from scandal management strategies, we single out contextual factors common to all types of scandals: solidarity, social significance of the offense, and a focus on stereotypes.


One of the biggest challenges to the data storage community is how to effectively store data without taking the exact same data and storing again and again in different locations on the back end servers. In this paper, we outline the performance achievements that can be achieved by exploiting block level data deduplication in File Systems. We have achieved replication of data by storing a deduplicated copy of the original data on the backup partition, which can enable us to access or restore data in case of a system crash.


Ramadan requires individuals to abstain from food and fluid intake between sunrise and sunset; physiological considerations predict that poorer mood, physical performance and mental performance will result. In addition, any difficulties will be worsened because preparations for fasting and recovery from it often mean that nocturnal sleep is decreased in length, and this independently affects mood and performance. Previous field studies have indicated that some of these predictions are borne out in practice; in the first study of the present thesis, a field study performed in Libya, these predictions were tested further by adding more physiological measurements and tests of performance. Findings indicated that Ramadan was associated with negative effects upon a wide range of variables, including rising urine daytime osmolality (indicative of progressive dehydration), subjective estimates of amounts of activities actually performed and those wished to be done (indicating less activity in the daytime), and metabolic and subjective responses to a short bout of exercise (increased effort required and metabolism tending towards fat rather than glucose catabolism). Because of the difficulties of performing a battery of tasks in a field study, two laboratory-based experiments were then performed, the second differing from the first in studying a greater range of variables and more time-points during the daytime. These two studies also differed from the situation in Ramadan in that non-Muslim students were volunteers and fasting was performed for only one day. Many of the changes previously found in Ramadan were duplicated in this work, so justifying the use of laboratory experiments lasting one day and using non-Muslim subjects as a model for some of the problems present in Ramadan. However, it was also found that preparations before the fast were often less marked than was the case with Muslims in Ramadan, a difference that can be attributed to subjects' lack of experience of fasting as well as the amount of time spent fasting. A difficulty of interpretation in all these studies was that changes could be due to fasting and/or the length of sleep, which tends to decrease. These two factors were separated in the final experiment, an intervention study performed in the laboratory. This study compared effects of different durations of fasting (4, 8 or 16 h) upon a wide variety of measures (including subjective and objective assessments of performance, dehydration and responses to a short bout of exercise) - but with an unchanged amount of nocturnal sleep and daytime naps not allowed. Many of the negative effects observed in previous studies were present in this experiment also. These findings indicate that fasting was responsible for much of the change previously observed, though some effect of sleep loss, particularly if occurring on successive days (as would occur in Ramadan) cannot be excluded. One finding common to all studies was that tests of performance that had shown variations due to the combination of circadian influences, time awake and sleep loss in other experiments (including grip strength, the Stroop test and accuracy at throwing darts) seemed little affected. Possible reasons for these negative findings are discussed, together with further experiments to separate out effects of sleep loss and fasting, and the role of subjects' experience in studies of fasting. In addition, more detailed studies to investigate changes in sleep and the type and level of physical activities when fasting are proposed


cytokine responses to coagulation DTU Orbit (12/02/2019) Extraction of mRNA from coagulated horse blood and analysis of inflammation-related cytokine responses to coagulation Coagulated blood is a rich source of mRNA that allows the study of the regulation of expression of cytokine and other genes. However, while several methods are available for isolation of RNA from whole blood and tissues, protocols for purification of mRNA from clotted blood are not generally available. Here, a protocol for RNA extraction from highly clotted blood was optimized and the regulation of a number of cytokine genes compared to stabilized blood was studied. Whole blood samples from 10 clinically healthy horses were incubated for 24 hours at 37°C and RNA was extracted from the peripheral blood mononuclear cells present in the blood clot, homogenizing the clot by rotating knife homogenization (GentleMACS, Miltenyi Biotec) in the presence of QIAzol extraction buffer (Qiagen). The RNA extracted yielded high concentrations of total RNA (50-265 ng/μl) and quality measures (RIN=8.5-9.2), comparable with that purified by standard methods from stabilized blood. Cytokine mRNA expression was assessed by reverse transcribed quantitative real time PCR and it was found that 24-hour clotting led to a significant increase in the concentrations of mRNA of the proinflammatory cytokines interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-1-receptor antagonist (IL-1ra), interleukin-15 (IL-15), and interleukin-8 (IL-8). These findings that a coagulation-induced inflammation-related cytokine response takes place in whole blood upon clotting. The extraction method provides reproducible and reliable results allowing the recovery of quantifiable high-quality RNA for molecular expression analysis.


INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: The bulbourethral suspension with intraoperative urodynamic adjustment was proposed for patients with post-radical prostatectomy incontinence in 2004. This non obstructive sling technique has now been routinely used for years in our department in patients with severe stress incontinence and has become an alternative to artificial urinary sphincter implantation. METHODS: This video demonstrates the standardized technique step by step. Antegrade urethral opening pressure and functional urethral length are determined before skin incision in general anesthesia without relaxation. After a perineal vertical midline incision just below the scrotum the bulbocavernous muscle is exposed and splitted. In a next step, an angled guide needle is introduced paraurethrally through the perineal access and is brought up strictly retropubically, lateral to the bladder neck, to the suprapubic skin. Cystoscopy is performed to exclude bladder perforation. A 4 x 2 cm non resorbable porcine dermal skin implant for bulbar urethal protection is sutured onto the 2.5 cm wide partial resorbable polypropylene/ polyglycolic-acid-caprolacton sling. Through the curved - perforated guide needle, the sling is drawn suprapubic with a wire. The suspension elevates the pelvic floor and improves functional urethral coaptation. A transverse suprapubic incision about 6 cm long is made down onto rectus fascia. Gentle pressure of the fist is applied onto the bladder with parallel increase of the sling tension to determine optimal antegrade urethral opening pressure. We aim an increase of the antegrade urethral pressure of 20-25 H20, as well as a prolonged functional urethral length. Repetitive antegrade pressure measurements confirm reliable introperative dynamic adjustement. Once the final pressure is accepted, the polypropylene ends are knotted. RESULTS: In 2004, initial series showed feasability in 16 patients with social urinary continence rate of 69 %. Midterm term follow-up results after 36 months in 57 patients confirmed stable 60 % social continence and 14% significant improvement. Pressure-flow studies excluded infravesical obstruction. Only 12% of the patients underwent artificial urinary sphincter implantation in the long-term course. CONCLUSIONS: The presented bulbourethral suspension technique is a standardized, intraperative adjustable and non obstructive urethral sling technique with high social continence rate and patient statisfaction. Source of Funding: none


Intention was seen traditionally as a philosophical concept, before being debated more recently from psychological and social perspectives. Today the cognitive sciences approach intention empirically, at the level of its underlying mechanisms. This naturalization of intention makes it more concrete and graspable by empirical sciences. This volume offers an interdisciplinary integration of current research on intentional processes naturalized through action, drawing on the theoretical and empirical approaches of cognitive neuroscience, psychology, philosophy, and sociology. Each chapter integrates several disciplinary perspectives. Taken together, the chapters show that the reunification of the different dimensions of intentional processes may constitute an adequate basis for a general model of intentional processes and their links to action. This can be applied at various levels, from neuronal activity to self-constitution, from the expression of intentional actions at the individual level to their expression in social contexts, and to the recognition of intention in actions executed by others.ContributorsColin Allen, Mireille Bonnard, Vittorio Gallese, Jozina B. de Graaf, Franck Grammont, Patrick Haggard, Marco Iacoboni, Dorothe Legrand, Pierre Livet, Albert Ogien, Jean Pailhous, Jean-Luc Petit, Jean-Michel Roy, Jessica A. Sommerville, Manos Tsakiris, Amanda L. Woodward


In this paper we present a genre classification framework for audio music based on a symbolic classification system. Audio signals are transformed into a symbolic representation of harmony using a chord transcription algorithm, based on the computation of harmonic pitch class profiles. Then, language models built from a ground truth of chord progressions for each genre are used to perform classification. We show that chord progressions are a suitable feature to represent musical genre, as they capture the harmonic rules relevant in each musical period or style. Finally, results using both pure symbolic information and chords transcribed from audio-from-MIDI are compared, in order to evaluate the effects of the transcription process in this task.


The article presents one of the most promising and ambitious in socio-economic, political, humanitarian aspects of the Russian scientists' project: "United Eurasia: Trans-Eurasian Belt of RAZVITIE — Integrated Eurasian Transport System (United Eurasia: TEBR-IETS)". The main purpose of the project is to ensure the connectivity of the territories of the Russian Federation and their active development, first of all, the deep integrated development of Siberia, the Far East and the Arctic. The role of the project in the partnership of the progressive world community is great; the radically modernized Trans-Siberian Railway — the backbone of the project — is designed to connect the Far East, including Japan, with Western Europe and the USA in the future. This fact will make it possible to carry out on the territory of the Russian Federation and the countries included in the project, the systemic coordination of all types of transport, including river and nautical, to create a single world logistics complex of advanced technical and managerial development. The creation of the IETS will consolidate Russian geopolitical position as a transport bridge between the world economic and civilizational regions. It will create conditions for mutually beneficial cooperation with Austria, Germany, France, Czech Republic, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, India; will open up new opportunities for cooperation with North Korea, Canada and USA in the future. It will arouse interest from the PRC in the integration of a similar Chinese project, the "Silk Road" with the Russian Megaproject. The implementation of the Megaproject will allow Russia to offer the world a new effective version of a non-confrontational way of solving international problems, become a geo-economic and geopolitical integrator on the Euro-Asian continent, lay the foundations for the solidarity development of all civilizational centers around Russia as a civilization state, make it senseless and impossible to impose sanctions on Russia, and raise to a qualitatively new level of authority and the role of the Russian Federation in the modern world.


Building plamonic superlattice nanomembrane enables new class of two-dimensional (2D) optical metamaterials, which are free-standing, one-particle-thick, supracrystalline structures constituted by metallic nanocrystals. The past two decades have witnessed the wet chemical synthesis of plasmon-active nanocrystals, allowing them to serve as "meta-atoms" from the "plasmonic periodic table". The following challenge lies on rationally group those artificial atoms into 2D plasmonic superlattices. In theory, it is possible to virtually design nanostructures with desired plasmonic properties by selecting nanocrystal types, adjusting soft ligand length, and controlling lattice structures. In practice, however, it has been notoriously challenging to manipulate at will for large-scale, ordered assembly of these meta-atoms. This thesis addresses the existing challenges, specifically, focuses on high-quality synthesis of plasmonic nanocrystal building blocks including gold nanospheres (AuNPs), ultrathin gold nanowires (AuNWs), bimetallic core-shell Au@Ag nanobricks (NBs), following by their programmed assembly with a general polymer-ligand-based approach in conjunction with drying-mediated self-assembly at air-water interface. Three types of novel plasmonic superlattice nanomembranes are prepared, which represent the thinnest possible metallic membrane known to date, including free-standing AuNPs superlattice nanomembrane, giant AuNWs superlattice nanomembranes with mechanical strength, optical transparency and electrical conductivity, and giant superlattice membranes with customizable hybridized plasmon modes and near-field distributions. This thesis begins with a literature review of initial success in growing 1D~3D nanoparticle superlattices by soft ligands. The dominant nanoscale interactions and theoretical model that involved in superlattice construction are firstly outlined. From the view of methodological perspective, pioneering and ongoing research on nanoparticle superlattices are categorized in three types, namely, molecule-based, DNA-based, and polymer-based nanoparticle superlattices. Based on those previously reported design rules, Chapter 3 presents a novel and general method to construct free-standing nanoparticle superlattice nanomembranes using polymers as ligands. The long-range ordered superlattice nanomembranes could be transferred onto arbitrary substrates, and both structural features (interparticle spacing) and functional properties (plasmonic coupling) can be precisely adjusted by tailoring the sizes of the constituent nanoparticles. To further tackle the challenge in fabricating defect-free superlattice membranes at large area, Langmuir-Blodgett techniques is employed to assemble ultraflexible AuNWs into giant mettallic superlattice membrane. Chapter 4 presentes the thinnest possible version of metallic membranes known to date, which is about 2.5 nm thick but with macroscopic lateral dimensions. Such giant metallic nanomembranes are transparent, conductive and mechanically strong, with an optical transmittance of 90-97%, an electrical resistance of ~1142 kΩ sq-1, and a breaking strength of ~14 N m-1 with a typical atomic force microscope probe. Beside the structural and mechanical features, this nanomembrane exhibits multi-angular potential applications, such as in lightweight foldable supercapacitor and electrocatalysis. Beyond structural and functional programmability, Chapter 5 extends the fabrication technique to more complex bimetallic nanobricks. Both experimental evaluation and theoretical simulation demonstrated the customizable plasmon modes and near-field distributions of giant superlattice nanomembrane. Consequently, Raman hot spots could be generated at specific excitation wavelength in a highly predictable way. The NB superlattice membranes are homogeneous in structure, vapor-permeable and mechanically flexible. It can be used as universal and unique SERS substrates with highly uniform Raman hotspot distributions across large area, for rapid and sensitive multi-phase detection of chemical species in air and liquid. Finally, conclusions arising from this thesis have been summarized in Chapter 6, as well as opportunities and perspectives for future focus of this field.


Children with neurological and developmental disorders often experience chronic sleep disturbances. Melatonin has been commonly prescribed because of its hypnotic properties. However, trials have had conflicting results. Therefore, researchers assessed the effectiveness of melatonin in treating severe sleep problems in children with neurodevelopmental disorders. A randomised double blind placebo controlled multicentre trial study design was used. The intervention was immediate release melatonin capsules given 45 minutes before the child's bedtime for a period of 12 weeks. Treatment started with a 0.5 mg capsule, and escalated through 2 mg, 6 mg, and 12 mg, depending on the child's response to treatment.1

Participants were 146 children who had a severe sleep problem and had not responded to standardised sleep behaviour advice provided to parents four to six weeks before randomisation. Children were recruited from 19 hospitals across England and Wales. The children were randomised to melatonin (n=70) or placebo (n=76).

The outcome measures included subjective (as assessed from sleep diaries completed by the parents) and objective (as recorded by actigraphy) measures of sleep. The researchers reported that children gained little additional sleep on melatonin compared with placebo. However, the children receiving melatonin fell asleep significantly more quickly and they awoke earlier.

Which one of the following best describes the phase of the above clinical trial?


This study investigated the influence of oral creatine monohydrate supplementation on hormone responses to high-intensity resistance exercise in 13 healthy, normally active men. Subjects were randomly assigned in double-blind fashion to either a creatine or placebo group. Both groups performed bench press and jump squat exercise protocols before (T1) and after (T1) ingesting either 25 g creatine monohydrate or placebo per day for 7 days. Blood samples were obtained pre- and 5 min postexercise to determine serum lactate, testosterone, and cortisol concentrations. Creatine ingestion resulted in a significant (p < 0.05) increase in body mass but no changes in skinfold thickness. Serum lactate concentrations were significantly higher at 5 min postexercise in both groups compared to resting values. From T1 to T2 there were no significant differences in postexercise lactate concentration during both exercise protocols in the placebo group, but the creatine group had significantly higher lactate concentrations after the bench press and a trend toward lower concentrations during the jump squat at T2. There were significant increases in testosterone concentration postexercise after the jump squat, but not the bench press, for both groups; 5-min postexercise cortisol concentrations did not differ significantly from preexercise values for both groups for either protocol. Creatine supplementation may increase body mass; however, test-osterone and cortisol may not mediate this initial effect.


ABSTRACT:Across the world, governments and state-aligned actors increasingly target human rights defenders online using techniques such as surveillance, censorship, harassment, and incitement, which together have been termed "digital authoritarianism." We currently know little about the concrete effects on human rights defenders of digital authoritarianism as researchers have focused primarily on hate speech targeting religious, national, and ethnic minority groups. This article analyzes the effects of digital authoritarianism in two countries with among the highest rates of killings of human rights defenders in the world; Colombia and Guatemala. Anti-human rights speech in these countries portrays defenders as Marxist terrorists who are anti-patriotic and corrupt criminals. Evidence for a direct causal link to offline violence and killing is limited, however, and this empirical study documents the non-lethal and conditioning effects of speech. Human rights defenders who are targeted online report negative psychological and health outcomes and identify a nexus between online harassment and the criminalization of human rights work. Many take protective measures, engage in self-censorship, abandon human rights work, and leave the country. To prevent these harms, social media companies must implement stronger human rights-protective measures in at-risk countries, including expediting urgent requests for physical protection, adopting context-specific content moderation policies, and publicly documenting state abuses. The article concludes by advocating for a new United Nations-sponsored Digital Code of Conduct that would require states to adopt transparent digital policies, refrain from inciting attacks, and cease illegally surveilling human rights defenders.


The macroeconomic context of Central America and the Dominican Republic has been characterized by positive perspectives. The economic recovery of United States, lower commodity prices, and the low and stable international interest rates were the main determinants of this behavior. However, even though the recent economic forecast for United States has been positive, the last three years updates have suffered downward adjustments. The economic integration with the rest of the world, can exposure the region to international context changes. It is worth to mention that the world economic perspectives, the increasing in trade aversion, changes in commodity prices, as well as Federal Reserve decisions regarding interest rates, are some of the variables that would impact the region economic perspectives. Thus, taking advantage of lower energy prices could benefit the households? disposable income and firms costs, and these in turn, economic growth. On the other hand, the region could take advantage of its relative young population, the population shift could by itself, increase the economic dynamic, but it can also be maximized through transversal policies, in which future workers are trained with the necessary tools to enhance their productivity, with the idea to insert them in high added value employment.


We describe a method for spectral cleaning and timing calibration of short time series data of the voltage in individual radio interferometer receivers. It makes use of phase differences in fast Fourier transform (FFT) spectra across antenna pairs. For strong, localized terrestrial sources these are stable over time, while being approximately uniform-random for a sum over many sources or for noise. Using only milliseconds-long datasets, the method finds the strongest interfering transmitters, a first-order solution for relative timing calibrations, and faulty data channels. No knowledge of gain response or quiescent noise levels of the receivers is required. With relatively small data volumes, this approach is suitable for use in an online system monitoring setup for interferometric arrays. We have applied the method to our cosmic-ray data collection, a collection of measurements of short pulses from extensive air showers, recorded by the LOFAR radio telescope. Per air shower, we have collected 2 ms of raw time series data for each receiver. The spectral cleaning has a calculated optimal sensitivity corresponding to a power signal-to-noise ratio of 0.08 (or 11 dB) in a spectral window of 25 kHz, for 2 ms of data in 48 antennas. This is well sufficient for our application. Timing calibration across individual antenna pairs has been performed at 0 : 4 ns precision; for calibration of signal clocks across stations of 48 antennas the precision is 0 : 1 ns. Monitoring differences in timing calibration per antenna pair over the course of the period 2011 to 2015 shows a precision of 0.08 ns, which is useful for monitoring and correcting drifts in signal path synchronizations. A cross-check method for timing calibration is presented, using a pulse transmitter carried by a drone flying over the array. Timing precision is similar, 0.3 ns, but is limited by transmitter position measurements, while requiring dedicated flights.


The first goal of the present study was to examine how mothers' and fathers' self-reported attachment styles relate to how they perceive themselves as parents and to their ability to serve as secure base for their adolescent children. The second goal was to examine how parents' attachment styles relate to adolescents' perceptions of their parents and to observed adolescent secure base use with each parent. Path analyses revealed that greater parental insecurity predicted parents' negative perceptions of themselves as parents. Further, maternal avoidance and paternal anxiety were significantly indirectly related to observed secure base provision through parents' perceptions of hostility toward their adolescent. In addition, parental attachment styles significantly predicted adolescents' perceptions of mothers, but not fathers. Further, maternal avoidance was significantly indirectly related to adolescent secure base use through adolescent perceptions of their mothers. These results advance the growing body of literature demonstrating an important link between parents' self-reported attachment styles and various facets of parenting.


Providing new insights into the role of librarianship in an age of socioeconomic, environmental, and political transformation, Global Librarianship illustrates how globally networked environments promote and increase the sharing and dissemination of ideas, information, and solutions to obstacles affecting libraries. This reference showcases methods to tailor and build collections and technologies that continually support worldwide scholarly and business communities through the utilization of digital tools and electronic media. It Illustrates breakthroughs in the organization, management, and dissemination of information to facilitate easy access to libraries anywhere in the world.


This paper analyses the trade effects of restrictive product standards on the margins of trade for a large panel of French firms. To focus on restrictive product standards only, we use a new database compiling the list of measures that have been raised as concerns in dedicated committees of the WTO. We restrict our analysis to the subset of Sanitary and Phyto-Sanitary (SPS) regulatory measures and analyse the effects of product standards on three variables: (i) probability to export and to exit the export market (firm-product extensive margins), (ii) value exported (firm-product intensive margin) and (iii) export prices. In particular we study whether firms size, market shares and export orientation modify the effect of SPS measures. We find that SPS measures discourage exports. We also find a negative effect of SPS imposition on the intensive margins of trade. Finally, the negative effects of SPS measures on the extensive and intensive margins of trade are attenuated for big firms.


Women in politics in Australia have been in the spotlight recently as their numbers have increased over the last decade particularly with the unprecedented number of women elected in the 1996 General election and also with the 1994 promise of the ALP to increase the number of women preselected in winnable seats to 35% by 2002. Recent research on language and gender has shown that women and men use different discourse strategies when they speak and that women tend to be more 'cooperative' in their speech while men are more 'adversarial' (Tannen 1993). The context of this paper will be the highly public forum of the political media interview. The hypothesis that women avoid answering questions less than men is tested, showing that women do avoid answering questions less than men. The gendered use of different avoidance strategies is also examined but with no significant difference in the way questions are avoided. The use of prefered and disprefered answers, however, showed a gender difference with women using significantly more prefered answers than men. To define different types of answer and avoidance, the notion of topic used by Gardner (1987) and the Gricean Maxims (1975) are used.


The move towards a de-carbonised world, driven partly by climate science and partly by the business opportunities it offers, will need the promotion of environmentally friendly alternatives, if an acceptable stabilisation level of atmospheric carbon dioxide is to be achieved. This requires the harnessing and use of natural resources that produce no air pollution or greenhouse gases and provides comfortable coexistence of human, livestock, and plants. This study reviews the energy-using technologies based on natural resources, which are available to and applicable in the farming industry. Among these are greenhouses, which are necessary for the growth of some plants (i.e., vegetables, flowers, etc.) in severe climates. However, greenhouses require some air conditioning process to control their temperature and relative humidity to suit specific plants. To achieve this, a novel air humidifier and/or dehumidifier systems using mop fans had been designed and employed in an experimental greenhouse to evaluate its performance under a controlled environment. This device helped to reduce the energy consumption of the greenhouse whilst providing a pleasant environment for the plants inside the greenhouse. The system was designed taking into account the meteorological conditions, which affect the environment inside the greenhouse. The performance of the system was monitored over a period of time by measuring the temperature and relative humidity of the greenhouse. Results of the monitoring have shown that the system was able to provide comfortable conditions (temperatures of 16-26C and relative humidity of 65%) suitable for the plants grown in the experimental greenhouse. It also enabled the minimisation of temperature variation and, hence, avoided the hazard of any sudden climatic change inside the greenhouse.


Professional development offered to higher education faculty is meant to enhance pedagogy and improve practice. Inspired by a transnational partnership in Southeast Asia, this study aimed to discover how teacher education faculty perceived faculty development offered to them by university partnership colleagues from the United States. Survey findings indicate that certain faculty development strategies improved teaching and assessment practices and enhanced self-reflection. However, evidence also showed some negative faculty perceptions in relation to the US partner's methodologies, and qualitative responses indicated a lack of relevancy to the Southeastern Asia context. Furthermore, negative correlations were found between faculty development workshops and teacher education faculty teaching subject area endorsement content and their praxis. Very little has been written on the impact of teacher educator professional development offered by transnational academic partnerships. Universities involved as transnational partners must be flexible, culturally sensitive and determine together areas of priority and relevance as a definition of success for partnership effectiveness.


Heterogeneity among astrocytes suggests that their role in the central nervous system is more complex than is commonly recognized. This paper describes just such a functional difference, comparing gap junctions in astrocytes derived from two brain regions. Astrocytes, both in situ and in culture, employ gap junctions as a means of intercellular communication. Recent evidence utilizing cultured rat cortical and striatal astrocytes has shown that these channels consist of subunits of connexin 43, the same protein as that composing cardiac gap junctions. Here we report that astrocytes cultured from neonatal rat hypothalamus contain a greater number of functional channels than astrocytes from the striatum, a difference reflected in both connexin 43 protein and mRNA. Specifically, in hypothalamic astrocytes the level of connexin 43 protein was approximately four times that found in comparable cultures from the striatum, as determined by immunoblotting. Complementary results from immunocytochemical experiments using an antibody specific for connexin 43 reveal significantly greater fluorescence in astrocytes cultured from the hypothalamus as compared to those from the striatum. Northern blot analysis showed that connexin 43 mRNA levels were also approximately 4‐fold greater in the hypothalamic cultures, consistent with difference seen by immunoblotting. Finally, dye coupling studies using confluent cultures consistently showed that within 1 min Lucifer Yellow injected into striatal astrocytes spread to immediately surrounding cells while in hypothalamic astrocytes dye often spread to apparent third or fourth order neighbors within the same time period. Thus, the higher level of connexin 43 expression seen in hypothalamic astrocytes results in cells with greater numbers of functional channels. Interestingly, both the immunocytochemical and dye coupling experiments also revealed heterogeneity, among cells derived from each brain area, indicating that both region contain subpopulations of astrocytes. Taken together, our data show differences in gap junction expression, both within and between astrocytes derived from two brain regions. Further, this heterogeneity appears to derive from differences in either transcriptional regulation or in mRNA stability, and not from changes in the relative levels of phosphorylated forms of connexin 43. Thus, these data, which are consistent with light microscopic immunocytochemical studies in tissue sections of rat brain, predict that, in vivo, region‐specific coupling subserves functional specialization within the central nervous system. © 1992 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


The author examines the application of the official immunity doctrine to a situation where a federal district court issued contempt citations to local legislators in Yonkers who refused to pass legislation as required by a consent decree. The author argues that the function test for official immunity is by its very nature conclusory, and thus courts, in close cases, should use a separation of powers analysis to inform their application of the function test. Courts should deploy this separation of powers analysis by finding that where an official act was based on a mixture of powers, a rebuttable presumption should exist that the official was acting in an executive capacity and is only entitled to qualified immunity.


Abstract A telephone survey was conducted with growers in Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Nebraska, Mississippi, and North Carolina to discern the utilization of the glyphosate-resistant (GR) trait in crop rotations, weed pressure, tillage practices, herbicide use, and perception of GR weeds. This paper focuses on survey results regarding herbicide decisions made during the 2005 cropping season. Less than 20% of the respondents made fall herbicide applications. The most frequently used herbicides for fall applications were 2,4-D and glyphosate, and these herbicides were also the most frequently used for preplant burndown weed control in the spring. Atrazine and acetochlor were frequently used in rotations containing GR corn. As expected, crop rotations using a GR crop had a high percentage of respondents that made one to three POST applications of glyphosate per year. GR corn, GR cotton, and non-GR crops had the highest percentage of growers applying non-glyphosate herbicides during the 2005 growing season. A crop rotation containing GR soybean had the greatest negative impact on non-glyphosate use. Overall, glyphosate use has continued to increase, with concomitant decreases in utilization of other herbicides. Nomenclature: 2,4-D; acetochlor; atrazine; glyphosate; corn, Zea mays L.; cotton, Gossipium hirsutum L.; soybean, Glycine max (L.) Merr


One of the leading theoretical astrophysicists of the twentieth century, Lyman Spitzer showed a renaissance or even a classical figure in both his character and personal style. I once speculated that a biographer would some day remark on the importance of Spitzer's early exposure to ancient literature, and his family assured me that he had in fact been strongly influenced throughout his life by classical, especially Latin, models. If ever I have known an individual who fitted the renaissance ideal of the gentleman scholar (based, of course, on earlier Latin archetypes), it was Lyman. The upright bearing, courteous speech, clarity, and total independence of mind were the dress of a person seemingly dropped into our midst from another age. Born in 1914 into a prosperous Toledo, Ohio, commercial family, he later married into the local, still wealthier clan of the Canadays. After attending Scott High School in Toledo and then Phillips Academy, Andover, Massachusetts, he received his BA at Yale in 1935 and then went to Cambridge University for a year (1935–36), where he was influenced by Sir Arthur Eddington FRS and Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar (FRS 1944), who was an almost exact contemporary. Returning to the USA, he received his PhD in 1938 at Princeton, under the legendary Henry Norris Russell ForMemRS. Spitzer then went briefly to Harvard as a postdoctoral fellow, followed by a move to Yale, where he was appointed as instructor in 1939. It was shortly after moving to Yale that he married Doreen D. Canaday, herself a Bryn Mawr graduate, a totally charming and strong-willed woman with whom he raised a family of four children born between 1942 and 1954: Nicholas C., Dionis C., Sarah L. and Lydia S.


Transitional justice literature has highlighted a negative relationship between enforced disappearances and reconciliation in post-conflict settings. Little attention has been paid to how human rights issues can become stepping-stones to reconciliation. The article explains the transformation of the Cypriot Committee on Missing Persons (CMP) from an inoperative body into a successful humanitarian forum, paving the way for the pro-rapprochement bi-communal grassroots mobilization of the relatives of the missing. By juxtaposing the experience of Cyprus with other societies confronting similar problems, the article shows how the issue of the missing can become a driving force for reconciliation. The findings indicate that a policy delinking humanitarian exhumations from the prospect of a wider political settlement facilitates positive transformation in protracted human rights problems and opens up a window of opportunity to grassroots actors.


The effects of drip-applied 1,3-dichloropropene (1,3-D) and chloropicrin on fumigant soil gas levels and growth of vegetable seedlings were investigated in three separate tests in Tifton, Ga. Tests were conducted in Spring 2002, Fall 2002, and Spring 2003. Phytotoxic- ity of 1,3-D + chloropicrin was induced in the 2002 tests by applying progressively higher rates (0 to 374 L·ha -1 ) of drip-irrigated InLine (an emulsifiable formulation (EC) containing 60.8% 1,3-D and 33.3% chloropicrin) and planting vegetable seedlings within four days after application. Vegetables evaluated were tomato, pepper and cucumber (Spring 2002), and tomato and squash (Fall 2002). In Spring 2003, the effects of 1,3-D formulation (InLine versus Telone EC, an EC containing 94% 1,3-D), plastic mulch type (low density polyethylene (LDPE) versus virtually impermeable film (VIF)) and drip tape configuration (one versus two drip tapes) on fumigant soil gas levels and growth of tomato were investigated. Tomato was planted after the recommended 3-week waiting period. Fumigant concentrations in soil were measured using Gastec detection tubes at 1 to 4 days after drip fumigation in all three tests. Measured fumigant soil gas concentrations were correlated with fumigant application rates in Spring 2002, but not in Fall 2002. Vegetables were visibly affected by residual fumi- gant levels in the soil and showed symptoms such as leaf chlorosis (cucumber, squash and pepper), leaf bronzing (tomato) and stem browning and stunting (all crops). Fumigant soil air levels were negatively and linearly correlated with different plant growth parameters, in particular plant vigor. The cucurbit crops showed an immediate response and high mortality within 1 week after planting. Surviving plants recovered well in fall. The solanaceous crops showed a more delayed response and lower mortality rates. However, phytotoxic effects with tomato and pepper were more persistent and plants did not seem to recover with time. Overall, fumigant residue levels and potential phytotoxicity were greater in spring than in fall. Greater fumigant soil concentrations were measured under VIF as compared to LDPE plastic mulch. The effect of drip-tape configuration varied with the type of plastic mulch that was used. The double-tape treatment resulted in lower fumigant levels at the bed center under LDPE mulch, and higher fumigant levels at the bed shoulder under VIF mulch. The formulation containing 94% 1,3-D resulted in higher soil fumigant levels as compared to the formulation containing 61% 1,3-D and 33% chloropicrin, especially with VIF mulch. Early plant vigor of tomato was negatively correlated with fumigant soil gas levels, and was especially poor following drip fumigation with 94% 1,3-D under VIF mulch.


This project uses N-Body computer generated robots to investigate the fundamental problem of synergistic control of robots. This facility is important in an automated manufacturing environment and relates directly to the expanding field of study involving nonlinear systems. Experiments are performed utilizing this force controlled model to investigate nonlinear control problems using one of the techniques advanced.
The principal results of this work are summarized: (1) A new simulation package is developed which uses Lagrange equations with multipliers to model two dimensional user defined robots. Three dimensionalization and parallelization are discussed and a dynamic optimization algorithm is introduced for regulating the size of the time increment. (2) A control package shell is developed which allows the user to construct and test control methodologies against this robot model; it also allows response time delays to be incorporated into the simulation. (3) A set of programs are developed as tools for investigating the synergism problem: neural networks, genetic algorithms, and a controller based on Newtonian physics. (4) Modified versions of genetic algorithms are investigated and faster convergence rates are obtained. (5) A reinterpretation of gradient decent is proffered and methods are found which speed backpropogation convergence in a realtime learning environment. (6) A controller is developed, based on Newton's second law, which allows us to determine the "effective mass" and to quantity and compensate for external forces. (7) Experiments similar to the broomstick and inverted pendulum are performed using the Newtonian control process. (8) An experiment is performed on a human torso robot.


With the world's urban population now estimated to be at 52% (United Nations 2012:1), towns and cities are increasingly becoming the stage where disaster risk has to be managed and mitigated. Understanding the risks and vulnerabilities in these complex socio-ecological systems thus becomes of utmost importance to be able to intervene in the underlying root causes, dynamic pressures and unsafe conditions. In this paper, the authors share their experience in, and reflect on, recent attempts at exploring integrated and place-specific risk and vulnerability analyses of settlements in South Africa. An overview is first provided of the attempt to develop multi-criteria indicators for integrated assessment of socio-economic vulnerability at a regional level. Secondly, an indication is provided of some first steps in interpreting projections for environmental risks and hazards in terms of possible implications for settlements at this regional level. The paper concludes with some reflections on the challenges and breakthroughs experienced in this exercise, as well as implications for on-going and future research.


Surface densification is now a well-known technology for improving the performance of PM components. Chromium-alloyed powder grades have been developed in order to replace expensive alloying elements such as nickel and molybdenum with more cost beneficial chromium. Astaloy CrL (Fe-1.5Cr-0.2Mo) is a material with excellent formability in the as-sintered state, high hardenability and high fatigue performance and is therefore selected as a candidate material for surface densified gears in this study. Helical gears for the fifth gear in a manual gearbox have been investigated in this study. The response to surface densification by radial rolling is investigated and compared to the behaviour of Astaloy 85 Mo. The result after case hardening is also compared for the two materials using low pressure carburising for the Astaloy CrL and conventional gas carburising for Astaloy 85 Mo. The implications of these results are discussed in terms of tooth root bending fatigue and service life.


Background Older persons in transition between hospital and home care services are in a particularly vulnerable situation and risk unfortunate consequences caused by organizational inefficiency. The purpose of the study reported here was to elucidate how home nursing leaders experience the administration of care to older people in transition from hospital to their own homes. Methods A qualitative study design was used. Ten home nursing leaders in two municipalities in southern Norway participated in individual interviews. The interview texts were audio taped, transcribed verbatim and analyzed by use of a phenomenological-hermeneutic approach. Results Three main themes and seven subthemes were deduced from the data. The first main theme was that the home nursing leaders felt challenged by the organization of home care services. Two subthemes were identified related to this. The first was that the leaders lacked involvement in the transitional process, and the second was that they were challenged by administration of care being decided at another level in the municipality. The second main theme found was that the leaders felt that they were acting in a shifting and unsettled context. Related to this, they had to adjust internal resources to external demands and expectations, and experienced lack of communication with significant others. The third main theme identified was that the leaders endeavored to deliver care in accordance with professional values. The two related subthemes were, first, that they provided for appropriate internal systems and routines, and, second, that they prioritized available professional competence, and made an effort to promote a professional culture. Conclusion To meet the complex needs of the patients in a professional way, the home nursing leaders needed to be flexible and pragmatic in their administration of care. This involved utilizing available professional competence appropriately. The coordination and communication between the different organizational levels and units were pointed out as major factors requiring improvement.


Scholarship on collaborative governance identifies several structural and procedural factors that consistently influence governance outcomes. A promising next step for collaborative governance research is to explore how these factors interact. Focusing on two dimensions of social learning—relational and cognitive—as outcomes of collaboration, this article examines potential interacting effects of participant diversity and trust. The empirical setting entails 10 collaborative partnerships in the United States that provide advice on marine aquaculture policy. The findings indicate that diversity in beliefs among participants is positively related to relational learning, whereas diversity in participants' affiliations is negatively related to relational learning, and high trust bolsters the positive effects of belief diversity on both relational and cognitive learning. In addition, high trust dampens the negative effects of affiliation diversity on relational learning. A more nuanced understanding of diversity in collaborative governance has practical implications for the design and facilitation of diverse stakeholder groups.


Background: Higher intratumoral cholesterol synthesis is associated with a worse prognosis in prostate cancer. The vitamin D–regulated enzyme sterol-27-hydroxylase (CYP27A1) converts cholesterol to 27-hydroxycholesterol, potentially lowering intracellular cholesterol levels. We hypothesized that low CYP27A1 expression is associated with high cholesterol synthesis, low vitamin D signaling, and higher risk of lethal prostate cancer. Methods: In 404 patients from the prospective prostate cancer cohorts within the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (HPFS) and the Physicians' Health Study (PHS), we assessed intratumoral CYP27A1 expression and proxies of cholesterol synthesis using transcriptome profiling, prediagnostic plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D; n = 132], and intratumoral vitamin D receptor protein expression (VDR; n = 300). Patients were followed for metastases and prostate cancer mortality (lethal cancer; median follow-up, 15.3 years). Results: CYP27A1 expression was lower in tumors with higher Gleason grade and higher expression of cholesterol synthesis enzymes, including the second rate-limiting enzyme, SQLE. We did not detect consistent associations between CYP27A1 and 25(OH)D, VDR, or CYP24A1 mRNA expression. Lower CYP27A1 was associated with higher risk of lethal cancer in both cohorts, independent of SQLE [adjusted OR for lowest vs. highest quartile of CYP27A1, 2.64; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.24–5.62]. This association was attenuated when additionally adjusting for Gleason grade (OR, 1.76; 95% CI, 0.75–4.17). Conclusions: Low CYP27A1 expression was associated with higher cholesterol synthesis and a higher risk of lethal disease. Impact: These observations further support the hypothesis that intratumoral cholesterol accumulation through higher synthesis and decreased catabolism is a feature of lethal prostate cancer.


If one reads about the plight of our mental hospitals, our prisons, our inadequate welfare, and our other generally-starved public services, one sees that, by contrast, higher education has been the secular cathedral of our time. However, all such institutions are "service industries," and one characteristic of service industries is that with more resources, production does not necessarily rise; it may even fall. Indeed in general, as academic salaries have risen, teaching loads have dropped (which of course does not necessarily mean that less work is being done). While the boom market for Ph.D.'s may be levelling off in the United States (if not in Canada), academic institutions have had to offer increasing amenities to Ph.D's in shortage fields in order to recruit and retain them.


Leaf longevity (LL) varies more than 20-fold in tropical evergreen forests, but it remains unclear how to capture these variations using predictive models. Current theories of LL that are based on carbon optimisation principles are challenging to quantitatively assess because of uncertainty across species in the 'ageing rate:' the rate at which leaf photosynthetic capacity declines with age. Here, we present a meta-analysis of 49 species across temperate and tropical biomes, demonstrating that the ageing rate of photosynthetic capacity is positively correlated with the mass-based carboxylation rate of mature leaves. We assess an improved trait-driven carbon optimality model with in situLL data for 105 species in two Panamanian forests. We show that our model explains over 40% of the cross-species variation in LL under contrasting light environment. Collectively, our results reveal how variation in LL emerges from carbon optimisation constrained by both leaf structural traits and abiotic environment.


In this paper, I explore how the deduction for extraordinary medical expenses, codified in I.R.C. section 213, furthers domination in American society. On its face, section 213 probably does not seem a likely candidate for being tagged as furthering domination. After all, this provision aims to alleviate extraordinary financial burdens on taxpayers who already suffer from significant medical problems -- and who, by definition, lack the help of insurance to relieve those burdens. But, as laudable as this goal might be, careful attention to the text and context of section 213 reveals that it does not apply to all taxpayers equally. In fact, section 213 draws sharp distinctions between different types of families. Looking at this provision from the perspective of those who require the help of assisted reproductive technology to form a family, I explain how section 213 furthers the hegemony of the so-called traditional family and concomitantly contributes to the subordination of lesbian and gay families as well as many other nontraditional American families.


The article explores the relationship between judges and the public administration in the light of local and international suggestions that judges are employees. It argues that the superficial resemblance between a judge's working circumstances and those of civil servants is of less significance than the marked difference of function between the two, and concludes that it would be dangerous, in a young democracy such as South Africa, to follow an approach that characterises judges as employees of the state or civil servants.


Most quality control and quality improvement procedures involve making assumptions about the distributional form of data it uses; usually that the data is normally distributed. It is common place to find processes that generate data which is non-normally distributed, e.g. Weibull, logistic or mixture data is increasingly encountered. Any method that seeks to avoid the use of transformation for non-normal data requires techniques for identification of the appropriate distributions. In cases where the appropriate distributions are known it is often intractable to implement.This research is concerned with statistical process control (SPC), where SPC can be apply for variable and attribute data. The objective of SPC is to control a process in an ideal situation with respect to a particular product specification. One of the several measurement tools of SPC is control chart. This research is mainly concerned with control chart which monitors process and quality improvement. We believe, it is a useful process monitoring technique when a source of variability is present. Here, control charts provides a signal that the process must be investigated. In general, Shewhart control charts assume that the data follows normal distribution. Hence, most of SPC techniques have been derived and constructed using the concept of quality which depends on normal distribution. In reality, often the set of data such as, chemical process data and lifetimes data, etc. are not normal. So when a control chart is constructed for x or R, assuming that the data is normal, if in reality, the data is nonnormal, then it will provide an inaccurate results.Schilling and Nelson has (1976) investigated under the central limit theory, the effect of non-normality on charts and concluded that the non-normality is usually not a problem for subgroup sizes of four or more. However, for smaller subgroup sizes, and especially for individual measurements, non-normality can be serious problem.The literature review indicates that there are real problems in dealing with statistical process control for non-normal distributions and mixture distributions. This thesis provides a quantile approach to deal with non-normal distributions, in order to construct median rankit control chart. Here, the quantile approach will also be used to calculate process capability index, average run length (ARL), multivariate control chart and control chart for mixture distribution for non-normal situations. This methodology can be easily adopted by the practitioner of statistical process control.


Born Lucie Dillon, to a half-French mother and an Anglo-Irish father, her world was Versailles and the court of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. She married a French aristocrat, and narrowly survived the French Revolution, escaping to America at the time of Washington and Jefferson. Here, she lived a life of milking cows and chopping wood, having previously been accustomed to the lavish life of the French court. Returning to France prematurely, Lucie had to flee again, this time to England, where she took up sewing in order to support herself and her family. Repeatedly in the right place at the right time, Lucie saw the Battle of Waterloo, the fall of Napoleon and the return of Louis XVIII, and the Restoration.She was an outstanding diarist and a remarkable woman, who witnessed one of the most dramatic and brutal periods of history, playing the part of observer, commentator and, often, participant. For the last years of her life she was ambassadress to Holland and the Kingdom of Sardinia. Her friends included Wellington, Lafayette, Alexander Hamilton, Talleyrand and Madame de Stael. She died, aged 83, in Pisa. Mixing politics and court intrigue, social observation and everyday details about food, work, illness, children, manners and clothes, Caroline Moorehead paints a vivid and memorable portrait of an era - lasting three-quarters of a century - that saw the fortunes of France, as well as those of Lucie herself, rise and fall and rise again. Both as a witness and as a survivor, Lucie is a superb subject for an exemplary biographer.


Infrastructures are subject to substantial readjustments of governance structures, often labeled as liberalization, privatization or re-regulation. This affects all traditional infrastructure sectors including communications, energy, transport and water. This study highlights and illustrates some of the major challenges for readjusting the governance of network industries from an economic, institutional, political and technological perspective. The three parts of the book address the institutional design of infrastructures, the role of technology in different sectors and actor behaviour.


Today, computers are part of kids' everyday lives, used both for play and for learning. We envy children's natural affinity for computers, the ease with which they click in and out of digital worlds. Thirty years ago, however, the computer belonged almost exclusively to business, the military, and academia. In Engineering Play, Mizuko Ito describes the transformation of the computer from a tool associated with adults and work to one linked to children, learning, and play. Ito gives an account of a pivotal period in the 1980s and 1990s, which saw the rise of a new category of consumer software designed specifically for elementary school--aged children. "Edutainment" software sought to blend various educational philosophies with interactive gaming and entertainment, and included such titles as Number Munchers, Oregon Trail, KidPix, and Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?. The children's software boom (and the bust that followed), says Ito, can be seen as a microcosm of the negotiations surrounding new technology, children, and education. The story she tells is both a testimonial to the transformative power of innovation and a cautionary tale about its limitations.


Contract farming is seen as one of the measures to facilitate participation of farmers in commercial agriculture, adding more value to agricultural products. Vietnam, however, shows mixed evidence on the well-known advantages of contract farming to small farmers such as reduced cost of accessing the market; access to credit information on market opportunities or new technologies, inputs, and product markets; and reduced price fluctuations. This study analyzed the impact of contract farming on farmers and identified policies that may facilitate farmers' entry into beneficial contractual relationships. In addition to the literature review, an intensive case study of cassava contract farming was conducted. Data were analyzed using a dual-method approach—governance and institutional analysis and a pro-poor analysis. Factors found to be important to contract farming are extension services, farmer empowerment (technical and managerial), and capacity building of the farmer organization. The results from the study have direct relevanc


Background: International studies have shown that the best strategy for the long-term staffing of rural facilities is the recruitment and training of students of rural origin. However, the crisis in education in South Africa means that these rural students are the least likely to access institutions of higher learning to train as healthcare professionals (HCPs). The aim of this study was to explore the educational experiences of six HCPs of rural origin working in rural areas. Methods: This was a qualitative study using unstructured interviews supplemented by photomemory and collage development. All interviews were transcribed verbatim and themes were developed. Appropriate ethical permission was obtained prior to the study. Results: HCPs of rural origin found the journey from rural scholar to HCP to be tough. Personality characteristics such as tenacity, determination, problem-solving skills, self-belief and hard work were essential for success — but not sufficient on their own. In addition these HCPs needed social support, and academic and social mentoring as well as comprehensive financial support. Conclusions: HCPs of rural origin have the potential to provide long-term staffing for rural hospitals. However, if rural healthcare institutions are serious about finding long-term solutions to their staffing challenges, attention needs to be given to finding and appropriately supporting local scholars.


"For a nation that is afraid to let its people judge the truth and falsehood in an open market is a nation that is afraid of its people." President John F. Kennedy [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Two Visions, One World In his re-election night speech in November 2012, President Barack Obama said, "Democracy in a nation of 300 million can be noisy and messy and complicated. We have our own opinions ... These arguments we have are a mark of our liberty, and we can never forget that as we speak, people in distant nations are risking their lives right now just for a chance to argue about the issues that matter--the chance to cast their ballots like we did today." Soon after the US election, one such distant nation experienced a very different transfer of political power, as current Chinese President Xi Jinping replaced former President Hu Jintao in an orderly, stable, and Confucian manner. It was here that Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping each proved the ancient Confucian motto: "It takes but one word, it takes but one man to settle the fate of an empire." Reformer Deng single-handedly broke away from the era of Chairman Mao, who had led the disastrous Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution. In the late 1970s, reformed trade liberalization policies initiated by Deng brought China into rapid economic prosperity within a generation. To grapple with the growing feelings of injustice and uncertainty among restless middle-class Chinese, especially educated youth looking for financial and social mobility, new Chinese President Xi, in turn, must take the "one word" of Deng's "reform" and expand the meaning to include political restructuring for grassroots democracy. Realizing the unfinished agenda of Deng's reform policies, outgoing President flu reminded 2,268 almost uniformly-dressed delegates in the Great Hall of the People that the Communist Party of China (CPC) is "creating a beautiful China." He then added that the CPC "must continue to make both active and prudent efforts to carry out reforms of the political structure and make people's democracy more extensive, fuller in scope, and sounder in practice." Hu also noted, "We will never copy a Western political system." Instead, "We should attach greater importance to improving the system of democracy and diversifying the forms of democracy to ensure that the people conduct democratic elections, decision-making, administration and oversight in accordance with the law." Hu added that Beijing is "firmly marching on the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics" to preserve a millennia-old Confucian union within a democratic system. Essentially, the departing leader's remarks emphasize the legitimacy of the Communist Party and its authority to govern people's affairs to preserve the collective order. Under die new leadership, however, affable Xi warned against "excessive formalism and bureaucratism" among Communist Party cadres. Introducing his fellow Standing Committee members of the Politburo (the party's seven-member supreme authority) as "my colleagues," Xi signaled a departure from Hu, who had used the old revolutionary word "comrades" when he took the top position in 2002. The congenial leader's refreshing tone is a sharp contrast to his wooden predecessor, who monotonously read a lengthy and ideological statement. The newly-minted president's first official trip to the southern city of Shenzhen--the birthplace of policy reform and an economic laboratory--is strikingly different from Hu's visit to the historic village of Xibaipo, the revolutionary command center of Chairman Mao Zedong in 1948-49. Furthermore, an easygoing Xi told President Obama that he returned to see his "old friends" in Iowa during his visit to the United States in February 2012. At a reunion with his Iowan friends, Xi said: "My impression of the country came from you. For me, you are America." Unlike Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev, who visited Iowa in 1959, the Chinese leader has sent a message of unprecedented amity from Beijing to Washington. …


The latest volume in Prestel's most successful series profiles the world's top 50 designers, including Armani, Balenciaga, Dior, Galliano, Givenchy, Lacroix, McCartney, McQueen, Quant, Versace and Westwood. Their careers and creations are explored through colourful, double-page spreads, with a timeline to highlight significant events in the designer's life and to outline their accomplishments and influence. Brilliant full-colour reproductions of the designer's works bring their creations to life and illustrate their remarkable contributions to the world of fashion. An essential reference for any fashion lover, student or budding designer.


Information and communication technologies (ICTs) offer real hope for improving the lives of communities in ACP countries, producing practical solutions to a whole range of problems. But more research and groundwork are needed if the full potential of these new technologies is to be realised.

Here at Bridges.org, we have developed a model that seeks to assure the success of ICTs in bearing upon the problems of inequity in the world. We believe ICTs can reward those who use them well, with increased income, a better quality of life, and a number of cultural and political advantages. Those who do not use them find themselves being left behind, and ICT disparities exacerbate existing inequities. Often, however, ICTs fail to deliver on this potential. That is because many initiatives lack any real grounding in ICT and fail to integrate and use it effectively.
In Africa, basic communication services like telephone lines are lacking for the majority of rural folk. Yet all the indications are that access to basic technologies such as the radio and telephone, not to mention the internet, have the potential to transform the lives of rural dwellers in a wide range of areas agriculture, health, education, and many others.
But development initiatives have often failed to provide sustainable, replicable models for community ICT use, and often blunder with top-down approaches that are not based on the needs, interests, and active direction or even participation of local residents. A realistic model is needed therefore, to overcome the key obstacles to delivering ICT-enabled development at ground level.

What really works

At Bridges.org, we have examined what works, and what does not work and why. We have built on our own experience and the thinking of a number of other organisations to design our Real Access/Real Impact (RA/RI) strategy.
This framework sets out the determining factors in deciding whether or not there is real access to ICT access that goes beyond computers and connections so that use of technology makes a real impact on socio-economic development. It is important to use technology in the appropriate way. For instance, one of our projects, Collecting and Exchange of Local Agricultural Content (CELAC) has established community knowledge brokers who receive a short messaging service (SMS) every Monday on 'how to guides in their local languages. These guides range from how to plant maize and prepare fertilisation beds to breeding birds or animals. The system works because a good number of people in rural areas have mobile phones. But it would not work using email, because rural dwellers tend not to use the internet, due to various barriers such as training and maintenance costs.

High-tech for farmers
We have already used this framework in a number of contexts at various levels, from the grassroots to high-level policy deliberations. For example, we used it to evaluate a pilot project to test the use of personal digital assistants (PDAs) in healthcare environments in three African countries Ghana, Kenya and Uganda. The initiative put PDAs in the hands of physicians, medical officers and medical students in order to demonstrate their viability and usefulness in collection of health data and dissemination of medical information.
In Uganda, the methodology has been used in a project, which collects and disseminates local information among farmers in rural areas. The farmers are able to take part in generating and sharing information using a mix of methods, including knowledge sharing forums and fairs, mobile phones, radio, DVDs and radio cassettes, newsletters, brochures and the internet. Ownership of the project has largely been placed in the hands of the beneficiaries, and the technologies and the information are tailored according to the realities in the rural areas.

Weighing up the pros and cons
We are also collaborating with the Broadband Applications Networking Group (BANG) a group of students pursuing Master's and PhD studies in computer science at the University of the Western Cape and the University of Cape Town (South Africa) to connect computer science research in Africa with real community needs and ICT policy-making processes.
Our work is shaped by our 12 Habits of Highly Effective ICT-Enabled Development Initiatives. These are guidelines which help get ICT initiatives off to a good start by doing some homework, looking at what has worked and what has not worked, and then building on what has been learnt. For example, if an initiative seeks to implement short-range wireless Internet connection for healthcare in a rural community in South Africa and this has not been done before, then we suggest that the project leaders start by studying the implementation of wireless fidelity (WiFi) in another African country, or in any rural setting beyond Africa, as well as looking at projects that are using a different technology for healthcare in rural South Africa. That way, they can see what the options are, as well as some of the potential pitfalls, before plunging in with their own ICT venture. And the chances of it succeeding will therefore be far greater.

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"Creativity" is a term that often partakes of something mysterious and nearly magical—something that we are blessed with, something like an ambivalent, secret power that one moment strikes us unexpectedly, and then puts us on hold when we desperately try to come up with an idea. But the infamous creative spark isn't as random as we might think. Sometimes we just have to betake to the right techniques in order to fuel our creativity.

In this eBook, we have put together a collection of creativity lessons that may help you overcome a creative trough. Our authors provide some general insights into the process of creativity, discuss some interesting aspects, such as why it is important to also have a life outside the Web, and also present useful hands-on tips on how to develop fresh approaches to given problems. In addition, "Creativity Lessons For Web Designers" also shares some inspiring design projects and what made them unforgettable. As you will see, creativity has nothing to do with magic, but is often just a matter of perspective. We hope that this eBook will be a motor for your own creative mind.


Combining transport-layer congestion control with multi-path routing is a cross-layer approach that provides performance benefits over treating the layers separately. We phrase this as an optimisation problem, examine the case of data transfers, and show how a coordinated controller gives strictly better performance than an uncoordinated controller, which sets up parallel paths. For fixed demands, and the case of random-path selection, we show how coordinated control also achieves better load balancing than greedy least-loaded path selection. We then comment on adaptive path selection.


Oil palm grown in the coastal marine clay soils are very productive with fresh
fruit bunches (FFB) yield ranging between 28-40 tonnes per hectare. The high yield
is attributable to high yielding planting materials, good agronomic practices and
sound fertilizer application programme. Of the three factors, fertilizer application is
considered to be the most influencing factor in maintaining high yield. In oil palm
nutrition, the main nutrients which are important for vegetative growth and
production are nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and magnesium. However, the
responses of oil palm to potassium fertilizer application on coastal marine clay soils
are low and varied between and within the soil series. There is no clear answer to
this phenomenon and thus this study was undertaken to provide explanation on the
potassium requirements of oil palm planted on coastal marine clay soils. In this study a series of trials were conducted. In the experiment studying the
responses of mature oil palm to NPK fertilizer application, the results showed that
application of NPK fertilizers significantly increased their respective nutrient levels
in the pinnae, but the magnesium levels were not affected. On fresh fruit bunch
(FFB) production, phosphorus and nitrogen fertilizer application recorded positive
significant responses. On the other hand, potassium fertilizer application showed no
relationship at all with FFB production.
In the experiment studying the responses of oil palm to potassium fertilizer
application, the results of experiments indicated that potassium fertilizer application
had significantly increased the potassium levels in the rachis and petiole and to a
small degree in the pinnae, but this did not result in a corresponding increase in
vegetative growth and crop production. Trunk analysis also showed high potassium
content with increasing rate of potassium fertilizer application. The high potassium
levels in the vegetative parts as a result of potassium fertilizer application were
excess uptake because such high levels of potassium did not result in improved crop
production. Such excess uptake was considered as luxury consumption.


We propose a sub-1 Hz resonance frequency MEMS resonator that can be used for seismometers. The low resonance frequency is achieved by an electrically tunable spring with an ultra-small spring constant. Generally, it is difficult to electrically fine-tune the resonance frequency at a near-zero spring constant because the frequency shift per voltage will diverge at the limit of zero spring constant. To circumvent this issue, we propose a multi-step electrical tuning method. We show by simulations that the resonance frequency can be tuned by 0.008 Hz/mV even in the sub-1 Hz region. The small spring constant, however, reduces the shock robustness and dynamic range of the seismometer. To prevent this, we employ a force-balanced method in which the mass displacement is nulled by the feedback force. We show that the displacement can be obtained from the voltage that generates the feedback force.


Gaze data contains valuable information about user's cognitive processes during execution of a task. In order to use this information, e.g., for studying user's strategies or for designing new gaze-based interaction techniques for HCI, gaze data needs to be aligned with the task executed by the user.
 In this paper we propose a novel framework based on the theory of Markov Decision Processes for putting gaze data into context, allowing for automated interpretation of gaze position and movement with respect to the task performed by the user. The model can be used for both, offline and online analysis of gaze data. We evaluate the proposed model with an indirect object manipulation task and demonstrate how it can be used for intention recognition and/or detection of a mismatch of the user's mental model.


Hops are one of the four main ingredients used to produce beer. Many studies have been done to analyze the science behind growing and harvesting hops, creating hop hybrids, and how to brew beer with hops. However, there has been little research done revolving around the economic demand and supply model of the hop market. The objectives of this study are to create an econometric model of supply and demand of hops in the United States from 1981 to 2012, and to identify important exogenous variables that explain the supply and demand of hops using the two-stage least squares (2SLS) method of analysis. Using the 2SLS method, the demand model yielded that the US beer production variable is significant at the 10 percent level. For every 1 percent change in US beer production, there will be a 6.25 percent change in quantity of hops demanded in the same direction. The supply model showed that US acreage is significant at the 1 percent level. For every 1 percent change in US acreage, there will be a 0.889 percent change in quantity of hops supplied in the same direction. The implications of this study are viewed in relation to both producers and consumers.


Altruistic investment occurs when individuals make gifts and donations, and when they engage in collective activities funded by gifts and donations, for the direct benefit of others. Charitable contributions and charitable organizations embody the notion of altruistic investment. Altruistic investment, most often encouraged via tax laws, assists in the development and maintenance of capitalist markets because capitalist markets provide goods and services only to those able to pay. Discontent is inevitable in such "winner take all" systems. Discontent may perpetuate healthy competition or undermine social stability upon which market economies depend. Governments in market economies maintain social welfare programs to negate the discontent losers in a market economy inevitably experience - a discontent that could fuel economic and political revolution if not eliminated or minimized. Government welfare programs cannot be too pervasive though, because such programs impose a drag on the emerging or mature market economy and may displace capitalist motivations. Additionally, government social welfare programs often resemble protectionism and therefore engender resentment from foreign trading partners. Even as it transitions to a market economy, China continues to maintain massive social welfare programs to reduce discontent and protect the government's exclusive power. The U.S. complains that those programs have protectionist effects. More altruistic investment from abroad would eliminate China's need to maintain State welfare, but the primary reason China has not enacted tax laws that would stimulate international altruistic investment is its wariness of a vibrant, Western style independent sector that would encourage democratic ideas. Democratic ideas provoke challenges to exclusive governmental power. The U.S. government might likewise discourage altruistic investment in China precisely because such investment would decrease social discontent and indirectly strengthen the Chinese government's exclusive hold on power. This article argues that both China and the U.S. would benefit from tax laws that encourage international altruistic investment, and that the effect of such investment on both countries' mutually exclusive political goals would be neutral. Such investment would neither weaken nor strengthen the present Chinese government, but would alleviate China's need to maintain massive social welfare programs harmful to both countries mutually shared economic goals. Chinese and American tax laws should therefore be harmonized to encourage international altruistic investment in China.


In the first half of the 20th century, the field concept was part of theoretical and methodological innovations in physics, gestalt theory as well as epic theatre as introduced by Bertolt Brecht. Another reference is the psychology of Kurt Lewin. In what ways Brecht took notice of Lewin's research, especially his demand of a transition from Aristotelian to Galileian thought is reconstructed within the context of paradigm shifts fostered by logical empiricism, gestalt theory and physics. Lewin's argumentation of an advanced understanding of the lawfulness of societal and psychological processes is placed in the center and traced back as an inspiration to Brecht's writings. Vice versa, the article investigates in what ways Brecht's theoretical writings and adaptations of Lewin's approach can be reconsidered as a source for psychological theorizing.


Tilting ducted fans attached to the wing tips of vertical take-off and landing unmanned aerial vehicles (VTOL UAVs) define new applications for these types of vehicles. This new configuration gives VTOL UAVs the ability to hover like helicopters and fly forward like airplanes. These abilities provide VTOL UAVs with possibility of using any arbitrary location for take-off and landing combined with enhanced range and speed. The thrust vectoring is another advantage of this new configuration, which can be used in most of the necessary maneuvers. The flow behaviour around tilting ducted fans needs to be studied as it has significant effects on the performance of the VTOL UAVs. The first objective of this research is to investigate the use of asymmetrical shape for the external body of ducted fans. This geometry can generate additional lift in cruise mode, which can lead to more applications for the VTOL UAVs by saving more energy. Both CFD and experimental methods showed noticeable improvement in the lift velocity (Vind) of the inlet flow to the rotor plane. This is required for computing aerodynamic coefficients necessary for stability and control analysis of the proposed VTOL UAV. "Actuator Disk Model" combined with the assumption of "Constant Delivered Power" to the propeller were used successfully to calculate Vind for the CFD simulations. The third objective is using CFD coefficient by using an asymmetrical ducted fan. The second objective is to predict the induced simulation for predicting aerodynamic forces and pitching moments of the tilting ducted fans in the transition conditions for different tilting rates. The effects of the stall and flow separation on the aerodynamic coefficients were discussed and compared for both ducted fans. The fourth objective is using the aerodynamic coefficients of the tilting ducted fans to predict and compare the level flight conditions of the proposed VTOL UAV during transition between cruise mode and hover. Results of this research demonstrate satisfactory agreement between CFD simulations and wind tunnel tests for all of these objectives, which could predict the aerodynamic behaviour of the proposed VTOL UAV during transition between cruise mode and hover.


This Research Briefing summarises priority areas for future research and key stakeholders with whom to engage, as identified in the scoping paper "The Impact of Covid-19 on the Education of Primary and Secondary School Children in Bangladesh" by Marjan Hossain and Dr Khandker Wahedur Rahman from the BRAC Institute of Governance and Development (BIGD). The scoping paper and this briefing were commissioned for the Covid-19 Learning, Evidence and Research Programme in Bangladesh (CLEAR). CLEAR aims to build a consortium of research partners to deliver policy-relevant research and evidence for Bangladesh to support the Covid-19 response and inform preparation for future shocks.


An Epistemology of the Concrete brings together case studies and theoretical reflections on the history and epistemology of the life sciences by Hans-Jorg Rheinberger, one of the world's foremost philosophers of science. In these essays, he examines the history of experiments, concepts, model organisms, instruments, and the gamut of epistemological, institutional, political, and social factors that determine the actual course of the development of knowledge. Building on ideas from his influential book Toward a History of Epistemic Things , Rheinberger first considers ways of historicizing scientific knowledge, and then explores different configurations of genetic experimentation in the first half of the twentieth century and the interaction between apparatuses, experiments, and concept formation in molecular biology in the second half of the twentieth century. He delves into fundamental epistemological issues bearing on the relationship between instruments and objects of knowledge, laboratory preparations as a special class of epistemic objects, and the note-taking and write-up techniques used in research labs. He takes up topics ranging from the French "historical epistemologists" Gaston Bachelard and Georges Canguilhem to the liquid scintillation counter, a radioactivity measuring device that became a crucial tool for molecular biology and biomedicine in the 1960s and 1970s. Throughout An Epistemology of the Concrete , Rheinberger shows how assemblages—historical conjunctures—set the conditions for the emergence of epistemic novelty, and he conveys the fascination of scientific things: those organisms, spaces, apparatuses, and techniques that are transformed by research and that transform research in turn.