Map-, outcrop-, and microstructural-scale examination of the footwall of the Willard thrust sheet in the Sevier fold-and-thrust belt, northern Utah, reveals deformation of footwall rocks before or during emplacement of the Willard thrust sheet. The Willard thrust sheet contains Proterozoic metasedimentary rocks in its hanging wall and has a footwall lateral ramp that cuts up section southward. In the northern part of the study area, Cambrian Maxfield and Ophir Formations were pervasively ductilely deformed at all scales. There, east and northeast-vergent recumbent isoclinal folds with well-developed axial-planar cleavage, kink folds, small shear zones, and solution cleavage are developed in a 100- to 200-m-thick zone of footwall deformation. Calcite deformed by dynamic recrystallization and diffusive mass transfer; rare twinned dolomite crystals deformed by intracrystalline glide. In the central part of the study area, the Cambrian Maxfield, Ophir, and Nounan Formations are complexly folded and faulted below the Willard thrust. Plastic deformation is largely restricted to a 5- to 10-m-thick limestone mylonite in the Maxfield Formation, with cataclastic deformation predominant below the mylonite. Axes of map-scale folds are nearly parallel with the Willard thrust, and a small thrust appears to be cut by the Willard thrust. Southward, the thrust climbs section in its footwall to Devonian and Mississippian strata, and deformation in the footwall is predominantly brittle, superimposed on locally developed ductile structures. The change from pervasive plastic to brittle deformation and accompanying change in structural style of footwall rocks occurs in the Cambrian Ophir and Maxfield Formations. The lateral changes of footwall deformation may be due to (1) lateral variations of footwall rock rheology and thus a variation in bulk strain of the rocks; (2) different temperature or confining or fluid pressure conditions along strike, perhaps due to a pre-existing footwall high; or (3) lateral variations in stress and strain conditions in the footwall. Whatever the cause, the data show that significant amounts of deformation occurred in the footwall of the Willard thrust before and(or) during motion along the thrust.


Purpose - This research aims to identify, categorise and compare supply chain measures and benefits listed in literature-based case studies that were named as "best practices". Design/methodology/approach - The research applies iterative triangulation which is a method used to build theories from existing case studies. Selected case studies collected by project partners are used as a source of secondary data. The paper applies various approaches to classifying supply chains as well as identifying the difference between measures proposed in the literature and those used by case companies. Findings - The analysis of the selected sample of cases indicated that the most common measures were related to economic aspects and to operational level activities. There is a lack of shared supply chain measures at the inter-organizational level, while social and environmental aspects are largely ignored. Originality/value - The majority of the measures identified in the collected cases were economic (relating to cost, time, quality and customer). Metrics at an operational level dominate, while supply chain metrics are hardly used. Findings indicate that current performance measurement approaches do not generally include social and environmental issues, which are becoming increasingly important in business.


Many definitive and approximate methods have been so far proposed for the construction of an optimal binary search tree. One such method is the use of evolutionary algorithms with satisfactorily improved cost efficiencies. This paper will propose a new genetic algorithm for constructing a near optimal binary search tree. In this algorithm, a new greedy method is used for the crossover of chromosomes while a new way is also developed for inducing mutation in them. Practical results show a rapid and desirable convergence towards the near optimal solution. The use of a heuristic to create not so costly chromosomes as the first offspring, the greediness of the crossover, and the application of elitism in the selection of future generation chromosomes are the most important factors leading to near optimal solutions by the algorithm at desirably high speeds. Due to the practical results, increasing problem size does not cause any considerable difference between the solution obtained from the algorithm and exact solution.


Blockchain (BC) is a de-centralized, digitized, public ledger of all crypto-currency transactions. BC attempts to create and share all the online transactions as a data structure on a computers network where it validates the transactions using peer-to-peer network of computers. It also allows users to make and verify transactions immediately without the need for a central authority. BC which works on Bitvoin Protocol is a transaction database and ledger technology which contains information covering all the transactions ever executed in the past. On the other side, Internet of Things (IoT) is becoming a new platform for smart E-business activities. In this paper, we present a smart E-business model based on BC and IoT technologies where this model may be seen as a combination of the four used intelligent approaches in data Mining, knowledge computing, machine learning, and transactions testing. In addition, we re-design many elements in traditional E-business models. The results of our analysis show that, within appropriate E-business paradigms, BC technology can play an efficient role in facilitating active tasks for all activities over the architecture of IOT in many domains. We also experiment our design and make a comprehensive discussions.


India's Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) is the largest public works employment project in the world. Its most direct poverty reduction pathway is through boosting employment and income for the poor. How effectively this direct transfer mechanism reduces poverty turns fundamentally on the degree to which MGNREGS targets its resources toward otherwise-poor households. To explore this question, we use the 2009/10 National Sample Survey data to describe patterns of seeking, rationing, and participation in MGNREGS. At the national level, we find that the self-targeting design of MGNREGS leads to greater rates of self-selection into the program by poorer and scheduled tribe or scheduled caste households. However, the administrative rationing of MGNREGS jobs is not pro-poor but, rather, exhibits a sort of middle-class bias. At the state level, roughly half of 27 states exhibit rationing and participation profiles that signal effective pro-poor targeting. The other half of India's states struggle to avoid high rates and regressive patterns of administrative rationing of MGNREGS jobs to which the poor have a legal right. Our results suggest that MGNREGS can be effectively deployed to attract, employ and improve the well-being of poor rural households but there remains room for improvement and perhaps much to be learned from in-depth comparative analysis of MGNREGS program implementation across states.


This note is based on remarks I gave at a conference held at the New York Federal Reserve Bank on January 6, 2010 concerning proposals to reform consumer financial products protection in the United States. It observes that the U.S. Department of the Treasury's proposal for a radical increase in the scope and stringency of consumer financial product regulation was a mistake. Treasury's proposal was based on the false premise that failed consumer financial regulation was a significant cause of the financial crisis. The resulting focus on consumer protection has distracted Treasury and Congress from pursuing serious reforms of prudential regulation and dealing with other problems that are widely acknowledged to have contributed to the crisis. The proposed consumer protection legislation is also badly timed since the regulations would make lending more costly and difficult for financial institutions during a period of time when the Administration should be making it easier for consumers and small businesses to borrow to reignite the economy. While consumer financial regulation is important and could no doubt be improved, the advocates for a new agency with sweeping powers have presented essentially no evidence that the benefits of this agency would outweigh its costs.


Richard Adrian was a distinguished electrophysiologist who cleared up many of the puzzles about the electrical behaviour of striated muscle. The situation in this tissue is exceptionally complex, both because the surface membrane is invaginated to form the transverse tubules, whose surface area is several times that of the fibre surface, and because substantial amounts of charge are carried across these membranes by processes connected with the turning on of contraction itself. Apart from his scientific work, he played an important part in the life of Cambridge University, as Master of Pembroke College for 11 years and as Vice-Chancellor for two. In the House of Lords, he contributed in an important way to the debates leading up to the new Act of 1986 governing experiments on living animals, and took a major part in the defence of academic freedom in the universities when it was threatened in the Education Reform Bill of 1988.


The Record of Decision (ROD) for the former Westinghouse plant in Sharon, Pennsylvania issued in February 2003 included the removal of approximately 4,000 CY of PCB-contaminated sediment from several locations along the Shenango River to a cleanup goal of 1.0 mg/kg. Delineation sampling indicated a maximum total PCB concentration of 385 mg/kg, although 97% of the sediment samples were less than 50 mg/kg, and 88% of the samples were less than 10 mg/kg. Remediation planning was complicated by the presence of a 12 MGD drinking water plant with a surface intake less than 150 feet from the remediation areas, along with an active 24-inch cast iron water line crossing the river underneath the riverbed. Given the water depth and composition of the riverbed, as well as potential flow velocities during high flow periods, it was determined that the best means of protecting the water plant intake during the remediation would be to isolate the excavation areas using sheet piling, with placement of silt screens around the intake as well as downstream of the pile installation areas. In addition, a mobile laboratory was brought on site to provide rapid analysis of surface water samples at quantitation limits of 0.05 ug/l, in order to provide reassurance to all interested parties that the water supply would not be impacted by the work. Remediation commenced in late summer 2004, and to date, more than 1,600 surface water samples have been collected downstream of active work areas, including more than 680 samples collected directly from the water plant intake. PCBs have been detected in only one of the water samples collected from the intake (0.07 ug/l), and only 19 other samples collected downstream of work areas were found to contain PCBs (up to 0.54 ug/l). The sediment remediation, delayed by Hurricanes Frances and Ivan, is expected to be completed in October 2005. Maurer: Excavation Of Pcb-Contaminated Sediment... Produced by The Berkeley Electronic Press, 2006 312 Contaminated SoilsSediments


Everyday, people across the United States make decisions that will affect their financial futures — e.g., borrowing money to buy a house, go to college, or start a business; investing in the stock market to save for retirement; using check cashing services or payday lenders rather than accounts at banks or credit unions for day-to-day banking needs, and the like. Traditional tenets of financial economics and investment theory assume that people make fully rational, wealth-maximizing financial decisions. The efficient market hypothesis (EMH), for example, is built on the idea that stock market participants are rational economic beings, always acting in self-interest and expertly trading off costs and weighing benefits, mindful of statistically correct probabilities and marginal utilities.
In the real world, however, financial decision-making is as much about Keynes's "animal spirits" as it is about weighing probabilities. This is because real people exhibit decision-making biases and routinely fall short of rational choice norms, as has been extensively documented psychologists, experimental economists, and now neuroscientists. These biases and departures from rationality speak to our human nature — to the role that emotions play in decision-making; to our cognitive limitations; and to our use of heuristics, or decision-making shortcuts, especially when decisions are complex or time-pressured. Biases and departures from rationality also are linked to persistent misperceptions and mistakes. For retail investors (individual investors who trade for their own accounts), mistakes may include excessive trading; failing to diversity portfolios or using naive diversification strategies; over-extrapolating from past returns, or excessive risk-taking. For some scholars and legal systems (including the federal securities law investor protection regime), education is thought of as a key strategy for dealing with departures from rationality. Under this approach, investors get smarter over time by learning from their own mistakes and the mistakes of others, and by getting help from expert sellers of financial goods and services. Others scholars and systems are of the view that investor education, while important, may not work as efficiently or effectively as one might hope in reducing mistakes, especially in markets where investors have to make complex, time-pressured decisions.
This article summarizes the results of a survey of approximately 1,000 retail investors who were asked about their information-seeking behavior — i.e., how they search for and use information and investment advice when trying to educate themselves in order to make investment decisions. The survey reveals four key insights into investor education. First, people want to educate themselves before making investment decisions: All but a handful of respondents said that they seek out and use information, tools, or advice (or some combination thereof) when preparing to buy, sell, or hold an investment. Second, respondents have three clear favorites for pre-transaction research — i.e., (i) their chosen financial intermediaries; (ii) trusted family members, friends, or others in the respondent's social or professional circles; and (iii) the business and financial press. Third, trust and perceived credibility matter: Most respondents said the perceived credibility of a source is an important factor in deciding whether to seek out or use pre-transaction research from that source. Fourth, respondents ranked their chosen financial intermediaries highest with respect to perceived credibility; other stakeholders (including government regulators) did not fare nearly as well. In addition, using cross-tabulations, the survey also revealed a number of statistically significant differences in information seeking behavior when responses are sorted based on gender, confidence in investing skills, comfort with financial risk-taking, and age.
To place these survey findings in context, this article first examines the choice architecture, or decision-making environment, of modern financial markets. Then, after reporting on survey results, the article considers the strengths and weaknesses of the current disclosure-based securities law investor protection regime. Finally, citing survey findings and research from the behavioral sciences and neuroscience, the article recommends an expansion of the fiduciary standard as well as tweaks to mandatory disclosure rules.


Current literature about the teaching of Japanese in New Zealand has raised a number of issues. However, · there has been no attempt made to rank these issues either in terms of priority or in terms of how they may be addressed. In addition, in the existing literature, the writers have not provided any solutions or recommendations themselves. This research identifies and ranks issues in Japanese language teaching programmes at Years 7 and 8 in the New Zealand school setting. Two professional groups (teachers and principals) were approached to provide the data. Discussions were held in focus groups with teachers of Japanese from around New Zealand. Issues which either constrain or facilitate the implementation of a Japanese language teaching programme were elicited from participating teachers. These issues have been termed "factors" to avoid any negative connotations. Professional responses to the most critical factors were also sought from the teachers. The critical factors generated by teachers were grouped into four broad categories and the focus groups then contributed professional responses to these. Initial results showed that teachers identified "commitment from principal", "pressure and time" and "availability of resources" as being important. Questionnaires were then developed and sent to principals in schools offering Japanese at these levels. Principals identified "commitment from principal", "availability of resources" and "confidence of teachers" as being important. The results of this study are discussed with reference to the current literature and a number of implications for teaching programmes are proposed. These suggestions are intended to guide schools contemplating the introduction of Japanese or another international language at these levels. The model developed for group discussions could be used in further research when trying to determine critical factors in the teaching of either other languages or indeed other curriculum areas.


Throughout the 20th and 21st centuries numerous threats have developed, matured and grown into what would be considered 'strategic' in nature. Few, however, have had as much impact on our government and its efforts at preparedness as the scourges of terrorism, nuclear war and conventional conflict. In addition, the economic costs for preparation and response to these threats have been great. Among other things, we have developed highly institutionalised and formalised processes for ensuring that these threats are identified, assessed, analysed and reanalysed within a highly complex, robust and multiredundant system to ensure that no single factor is missed and no possibility for preparation is overlooked. There remains a preeminent threat to this nation, one that during this same period of time has cost the USA almost 4.5 times as many lives (3.2 million) and nearly 7 times the expense ($4.7 trillion) as the terror, nuclear and conventional threats combined. This threat is infectious disease. This article discusses infectious diseases in comparison with other strategic threats facing our nation. This article discuss the process of creating a strategic plan which is both vital and well within our understanding and existing current processes to develop, similar to concepts applied in preparation for more conventional threats.


The theory of constraint suggests the application of a demand-pull replenishment strategy combined with buffer management (DPBM) in order to effectively manage inventory. A demand-pull strategy caters to the customers' demand to drive inventory replenishment, while buffer management is designed to adjust target inventory levels (buffer size). However, there is very limited literature looking into the parameters of buffer management in depth, such as the timing and the amount of buffer adjusted. Therefore, the objective of this study was to explore the product demand characteristics that affect the parameters of choice in buffer management when applying the DPBM strategy. This study first used a DPBM strategy (implemented via simulation, based on historical demand data) under different buffer management parameters to simulate the inventory replenishment for multiple products. The products were then grouped according to the simulated results by statistical analysis. A decision tree was applied to find the critical demand pattern factors that determined the product groups. An appropriate DPBM strategy is suggested for each product group. This study uses real demand data for 21 products, provided by a wafer foundry company located in Taiwan, to demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method. The results show that it is possible to determine whether a product is suitable for DPBM strategy application after analyzing only its historical demand data.


Background: Oral health affects peoples' lives physically and psychologically and is related to general health, quality of life, and feelings of social well-being. As the educational level is an important predictor of healthy life and can affect healthcare utilization, this study aims to estimate the inequity related to the educational level of parents on the access and utilization of oral health care (OHC) in Qom, Iran. Study Design: An analytical, cross-sectional study. Materials and Methods: Overall 281 children, six to seven years of age, were given a self-administrated questionnaire to fill. The sex, access to utilization of OHC, and educational level of the children's parents were questioned. The concentration (C) index was used as the inequity measure and statistical inference was conducted by chi square and the confidence interval of C. Statistics: The mean age of the children was 6.48 ± 0.5 years. There was not statistically significant difference in the access and utilization rate of OHC between the two sexes (P > 0.05). There was an increasing trend in the utilization rate of OHC, because of the increased educational level of the parents. The C for access and utilization rate, for different levels of fathers' education was 0.055(-0.095 to 0.205) and 0.097(-0.068 to 0.261) and for mothers' educational level was 0.086(-0.068 to 0.241) and 0.091(-0.81 to 0.263), respectively. Conclusion: Our results did not show evidence of sex disparity in the access and utilization of OHC in Iranian children. Also the inequity related to the educational level in access and utilization of OHC was low and not considerable.


The purpose of work was the research of the immune status and allocation of immunologic phenotypes at patients with the intolerance of stomatologic materials (ISM). Examination 91 patients aged from 46 up to 65 years, with complaints to ISM is conducted. As a result of a research of the T-cellular link of system of immunity at patients with an intolerance of stomatologic materials, but without the taped hypersensitivity to their components, taped the following patterns: statistically reliable (р<0,05) depression of the CD3+ levels of the T-general (47,9±3,7 at norm in control group – 66,2±4,5) and CD4+ of T-helpers (30,6±2,8 at norm of donors 38,2±3,2). It is noted reliable (р<0,05) depression of IRI (1,49±0,32 at norm of donors 1,76±0,36). At patients with complaints to an intolerance of stomatologic materials and the taped hypersensitivity, by results of application assays and reaction of allergenindutsirovanny damage of leucocytes the immune status was characterized reliable (р<0,05) by rising of quantity of the lymphocytes carrying CD25+ markers for 36,2% in comparison with those in control group (р<0,05). The augmentation of IRI (2,33±0,54) in comparison with control group (1,76±0,36) (р<0,05), generally at the expense of the increased CD4+ level of T-helpers and relative depression the maintenance of CD8+ of T lymphocytes to 18,3±3,6% is established (patients of control group have 21,7±3,09%). At that group depression of the IgA level (р<0,05) in blood serum to 1,36±0,12 g/l and in oral liqid to 0,042±0,0023 g/l is taped, and patients of control group have 2,57±0,06 g/l and 0,11±0,04 g/l respectively. The lowered activity of neutrocytes by results of spontaneous (8,4±3,5%) and induced (41,4±5,3%) is established to test NST at patients with ISM without hypersensitivity to dental alloys that authentically (р<0,05) differed with similar indicators of patients with ISM and the taped hypersensitivity to components of dental alloys. Indicators of the increased metabolic activity of neutrophils at patients with complaints to NSM and the taped hypersensitivity to dental alloys and their components defined in the NST-test correlated with: levels IgA of stomatic liquid (r=-0,55; р<0,05); quantity of dentoprosthetic units (r=0,72; р<0,05); terms of use of dentoprosthetic designs (r=0,47; р<0,05). The data obtained by us show two immunologic phenotypes of ISM: one with a hypersensitivity to them, the second with its absence. At both phenotypes signs of deficiency of local and general immunity which differed at these phenotypes are taped.


We evaluate the cultural variation between the youngest Howiesons Poort layer (GR) and the oldest post-Howiesons Poort layers (RB-YA) of Sibudu Cave (KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa). We first conducted a technological analysis, secondly we performed a cladistic study with all the technological traits and, finally, we compare the technological variability with other data from Sibudu (ochre, micromorphology, fauna and plant remains). The synapomorphies of the cladistical analysis show numerous lithic technological changes between the youngest Howiesons Poort and the oldest post-Howiesons Poort layers as previously concluded. However, some technological strategies that are present, yet uncommon, in the Howiesons Poort become abundant in the overlying layers, whereas others that were fundamental to the Howiesons Poort continue, but are poorly represented in the overlying layers. We further show that lithic technological strategies appear and disappear as pulses in the post-Howiesons Poort layers studied. Among the most notable changes in the post-Howiesons Poort layers is the importance of flake production from discoidal knapping methods, the unstandardized retouched pieces and their infrequent representation, and the higher than usual frequency of grindstones. We evaluate various hypotheses to explain the transformation of a Howiesons Poort formal industry to a more 'expedient' assemblage. Since no marked environmental changes are contemporary with the technological transformation, a change in residential mobility patterns seems a plausible explanation. This hypothesis is supported by the changes observed in stratigraphy, lithic technology, site management, ochre and firewood collection.


Zinc-alpha2-glycoprotein (ZAG), a 43-kDa protein, is overexpressed in certain human malignant tumors and acts as a lipid-mobilizing factor to stimulate lipolysis in adipocytes leading to cachexia in mice implanted with ZAG-producing tumors. Because white adipose tissue (WAT) is an endocrine organ secreting a wide range of protein factors, including those involved in lipid metabolism, we have investigated whether ZAG is produced locally by adipocytes. ZAG mRNA was detected by RT-PCR in the mouse WAT depots examined (epididymal, perirenal, s.c., and mammary gland) and in interscapular brown fat. In WAT, ZAG gene expression was evident in mature adipocytes and in stromal-vascular cells. Using a ZAG Ab, ZAG protein was located in WAT by Western blotting and immunohistochemistry. Mice bearing the MAC16-tumor displayed substantial losses of body weight and fat mass, which was accompanied by major increases in ZAG mRNA and protein levels in WAT and brown fat. ZAG mRNA was detected in 3T3-L1 cells, before and after the induction of differentiation, with the level increasing progressively after differentiation with a peak at days 8-10. Both dexamethasone and a beta3 agonist, BRL 37344, increased ZAG mRNA levels in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. ZAG gene expression and protein were also detected in human adipose tissue (visceral and s.c.). It is suggested that ZAG is a new adipose tissue protein factor, which may be involved in the modulation of lipolysis in adipocytes. Overexpression in WAT of tumor-bearing mice suggests a local role for adipocyte-derived ZAG in the substantial reduction of adiposity of cancer cachexia.


The Mellin radial harmonic filter and the logarithmic harmonic filter are useful for performing optical scale- and projection-invariant pattern recognition, respectively. To our knowledge, on the basis of the harmonic-function method, no one has been able to obtain more than one invariant property (in addition to the shift invariance) when using the matched-filter approach. A new method of combining the scale-, the projection-, and the shift-invariance properties is proposed, based on two decomposition stages of the input pattern. Computer simulations are presented as well as preliminary experimental results.


The climate variability during 800-2005 AD is investigated using ensemble simulations performed with the COSMOS-Atmosphere-Surface(Land)-Ocean-Biogeochemistry model ECHAM5/MPIOM/JSBACH forced by both anthropogenic and natural forcings. The millennium run is designed as two ensembles forced by a solar forcing with weak variability (E1, 5 members) and a solar forcing with strong variability (E2, 3 members). The study also includes a detailed comparison of the simulated results with reconstructed data in East Asia.
First, the temperature variability in China is analyzed by a mutual assessment of three reconstructed and two simulated data sets which are obtained from ensembles E1 and E2. The model uncertainty is assessed by the ensemble spread as maximum and minimum in five members. After the comparison in terms of temperature anomaly and long term memory analysis, ensemble E1 and one reconstructed data set are selected for further comparison. In the three regions in China, ensemble E1 and the reconstruction reveal weak long-term anomaly periods known as the Medieval Climate Anomaly (MCA), the Little Ice Age (LIA), and the Modern Warming (MW), whereas reconstructed data hint to higherdecadal variability inWest China and centennial variability in Northeast China. Cold periods are found in 1200-1300 and in 1600-1900 AD in whole China. The coldest anomalies which are caused by volcanic eruptions in the beginnings of the thirteenth and the nineteenth centuries are only partly consistent with reconstructed data. After 1800, the annual cycle reduces in the Northeast and on the Tibetan plateau, whereas the eastern Pacific Ocean shows an enhanced summer-winter contrast.
Secondly, the simulated precipitation is compared with various reconstructed drought indices in China. The mutual assessment reveals less consistency compared to the surface temperature. The evolution of precipitation is dominated by random unpredictable internal dynamics in four considered regions. The distinguishing decreasing trend in the simulated precipitation, which is not captured in the reconstructions, is analyzed through internal forcing (sensitivity experiments) and dynamical mechanism (the Asian summer monsoon system) to pursue the possible causes. The most plausible answers are attributed to the anthropogenic land cover change (ALCC), the rising fossil fuel CO2 emission and the weakening Asian summer monsoon in the last century. The analysis is further completed by the variability of the precipitation and runoff in Yangtze catchment (the biggest river in China) as well as its relationship with the snow cover in the Tibetan Plateau, El Nino/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the Asian summer monsoon.
In the third step, the impacts of volcanic eruptions and ENSO and their cooperative effects on the climate are obtained at a global scale and compared to the reconstructed data in East Asia. Volcanoes without ENSO events cause a global cooling and a non-significant El Ni no-like warming in the tropical Pacific Ocean one year after the eruption. The following winter is warmer in Siberia and central Asia. The recovery times for the volcano induced-cooling vary globally between one and 12 years. In East Asia, the simulated temperature and drought index from E1 and E2 are compared with reconstructed data sets. Volcanoes without ENSO event in the following winter cause a dramatic cooling in West China and a drought in East China at the year one after the eruption. The reconstructed data show similar cooling patterns with smaller magnitudes in China, and similar droughts in East China. In both ensembles, there is no significant increase of El Nino events after volcanic eruptions. El Nino events in the winters after eruptions compensate the cooling in most regions of China (consistent with reconstructions), while La Nina events intensify the cooling. The simulated and reconstructed drought indices both show a tripole pattern disturbed by El Nino. The simulated impact of the eruption of the Tambora in 1815, which caused the 'year without summer' in 1816 in Europe and North America and a three-year famine in China, depends crucially on the ENSO state of the coupled model. The Tibetan Plateau is the biggest and highest plateau in the world and has evident dynamic and thermodynamic effects on the general circulation and the climate in East Asia. Since the ALCC turns out to be one of the factors that cause the summer precipitation deficits in the Tibetan Plateau and in eastern China, the effects of surface albedo changes on the climate in the Tibetan Plateau is analyzed using a model of intermediate complexity, Planet Simulator. The experiments include one control simulation and two sensitivity experiments. The climate change in the Tibetan Plateau and its remote influence on the summer monsoon precipitation in eastern China are analyzed, and the underlying merchanism is discussed and compared to general circulation models.


The objectives of this study was to analyze the comparative ability of animal genetic, using evaluation of production that has important economic traits including Landrace, Yorkshire, and Duroc breeds of swine. A total of 49 swine consist 15 boars and 34 gilts, with average body weight of 18.50-21.50 kg were used in this research. All of samples were raised in the same pen and feeding management. This research used the experimental method of Completely Randomized Design involving three treatments of animal breeds including Landrace, Yorkshire, and Duroc breeds. The data were analyzed by using analysis of covariance procedur General Linier Model and Least Square Means test. Boars and gilts were analyzed in separated data. The result showed that the effect of breed was significantly associated for all traits, but not for boars feed intake. The overall, Yorkshire and Landrace performed better than Duroc for average daily gain, feed conversion ratio, selection index, and age at 90 kg body weight. However, Duroc boars and gilts had the thinnest backfat followed by Yorkshire and Landrace.


December 4, 2009 Washington, D.C. SPEAKERS MODERATOR: Jeff Dennis Chair, EBA Renewable Energy and Demand-Side Management Committee Edison Electric Institute PANELISTS: Joe Miller Senior Vice President Horizon Energy Group (Consultant to U.S. Department of Energy, National Energy Technology Laboratory) Kevin Kelly Director, Division of Policy Development Office of Energy Policy and Innovation Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Paul Demartini Vice President of Advanced Technology Southern California Edison Barbara R. Alexander Consumer Affairs Consultant PROCEEDINGS MR. DENNIS: Good morning everyone and welcome to our plenary panel. I'm Jeff Dennis, from the Edison Electric Institute here in Washington. This panel is entitled, "What is the Smart Grid Anyway? How could it Change the Electric Industry and Our Client's Business?" We designed this panel, and the planners really put together the entire day, to try to give you a broad overview of Smart Grid. Why are policymakers so focused on it? Why is the electric industry pursuing it? What does it mean for the utility business and utility consumers? And why are your clients already asking you about it, or will be? At the EBA mid-year meeting yesterday, Joe Rigby, the CEO of Pepeo Holdings, gave a great overview of his company's Smart Grid strategy. I was particularly struck by his description of the Smart Grid "Thomas Edison meets Bill Gates". I hope he doesn't mind that I'm stealing that from him this morning. We'll call it borrowing. I borrow it because I really think it makes a great point about the Smart Grid: it's really about adding game changing technologies - many of those information generating technologies - to our existing electric grid. In our conversations at Edison Electric Institute, we often call these technologies "game changing" because we think they have the potential to fundamentally change how the electric industry does business and how customers receive energy services. If these technologies do "change the game," they're going to have significant implications for all of us humble energy lawyers. They'll have significant implications for the regulatory system we navigate our clients through. They could present new and novel jurisdictional issues. And they could present a variety of complex legal issues, ranging anywhere from the First Amendment and protection of the privacy of customer data to software licensing issues. So we can't cover all of these topics today but we can scratch the surface and explore a few of them. And this panel is intended to start us off with a broad prospective of the Smart Grid, from government, the electric utility industry, and electricity consumers. We have an excellent panel here to help us do that. I'm going to introduce them and then I'm going to get out of their way. First we're joined by Joe Miller. Joe is Senior Vice President of Horizon Energy Group. He provides expert insights to the electric industry in the areas of grid modernization and process technology and optimization. He also has the important role of serving as a leader of the DOE Smart Grid Implementation Strategy Team, and he will give us his insights into the Smart Grid from that vantage point. The DOE Smart Grid Implementation Strategy Team that he leads has developed a vision and other key concepts for the Smart Grid and is now focusing on supporting its implementation from a strategic perspective. Prior to joining Horizon, Joe was at Illinois Power for twenty-eight years where he held various positions in the nuclear power, transmission and distribution business units. Second, we'll be joined by Kevin Kelly. Kevin is the Director of the Division of Policy Development, Office of Energy Policy and Innovation at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). …


Abstract. We have quantified the relationship between Aerosol Index (AI) measurements and plume height for young biomass burning plumes using coincident Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) and Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO) measurements. This linear relationship allows the determination of high-altitude plumes wherever AI data are available, and it provides a data set for validating global fire plume heights in chemistry transport models. We find that all plumes detected from June 2006 to February 2009 with an AI value ≥9 are located at altitudes higher than 5 km. Older high-altitude plumes have lower AI values than young plumes at similar altitudes. We have examined available AI data from the OMI and TOMS instruments (1978–2009) and find that large AI plumes occur more frequently over North America than over Australia or Russia/Northeast Asia. According to the derived relationship, during this time interval, 181 plumes, in various stages of their evolution, reached altitudes above 8 km.


Field experience obtained through photovoltaic test and application experiments sponsored by the US Department of Energy has offered an opportunity for solar cell module reliability assessment and improvement. Through a formal problem/failure reporting and analysis system, field problems have been identified and characterized. The causes of field failures have been analyzed with respect to environmental and operational stresses and to induced degradation mechanisms. On the basis of these results, manufacturers have improved the reliability of later generations of modules through changes in design, material selection, and manufacturing controls. This paper summarizes field experience, describes key failure modes, and evaluates industry progress in addressing such problems.


The purpose of this paper is to propose visual models for a Web application using Java and XML related technologies. We consider a Web application that uses 3-tier architecture and each tier is distributed onto Web, application, and data base servers. In the Web applications, various Java and XML related technologies are employed in the form of different languages: client-side script language, server-side script language, object-oriented programming language, markup language, style sheet language, data language, schema definition language, etc. When diverse technologies are applied to a Web application, software engineers need to understand how the components using the technologies are interrelated in terms of software architecture. By applying the RUP with UML to the Web application, we show how visual models can be constructed for the Web application. Even, we show that we can model components in the Web application using non object-oriented languages such as script, markup, style sheet, schema definition, and data languages. In order to compare the modeling complexity of components, we propose a degree of modeling complexity based upon two criteria - the degree of language dependency and the degree of location dependency. Through the comparison criteria, we try to quantify how relatively difficult it is for us to model which components. Based upon the degree of modeling complexity, it is relatively difficult to model XHTML among components using non object-oriented languages. Among Java related technologies, since JSP has a higher degree of language dependency and a higher degree of location dependency, it is more difficult for us to model the JSP components.


In November 2011, the presidents of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia agreed to establish a "Eurasian Economic Commission" (EAEK) charged with the development and functioning of the Customs Union and a "Single Economic Space" comprising the three states. Their presidents and other political actors referred to the European Union and its formation to frame these projects and the envisaged creation of a "Eurasian Union" until 2015. The paper studies how these references are emulated in Russian public discourse and the legal regulation of the EAEK. Combining theories of policy transfer and gradual institutional change, the paper conceptualizes different modes of emulation. A weak authority of the EU model and weak powers of integration advocates suggest a "facade emulation" where formal similarities coexist with persisting inherited practices and behavioral patterns. This hypothesis is confirmed by (1) labeling and framing strategies that relate the EU model to familiar ideas in Russian political culture and previous initiatives of post-Soviet integration and (2) a limited emulation of labels and organizational structures from the EU within an essentially intergovernmentalist institutional arrangement.


While youth unemployment is a widely studied topic, many accounts fail to take into consideration young adults' experiences with and perceptions of the public services they make use of. Young people's perceptions of the services they use are closely linked to a variety of behaviours such as noncompliance, early withdrawal or non-take-up, all of which can hinder the (re-)entry to the labour market. How young people evaluate their interactions with employment services can even have impacts on societal and political attitudes; as for many young people, these experiences represent their first interactions with the state. In this study, we draw on unique survey data to offer insights into young adults' evaluations and experiences with public employment services in Germany and discuss them in light of the structure and organizational capacity of public employment services to deliver the programmes and services that young adults need. By placing the analytical focus on young people's evaluations, we argue that although Germany is often highlighted as a highly successful case in terms of youth labour market outcomes; there is nevertheless ample room for improvement in terms of how young people assess the offerings and personal experiences with public employment services.


OBJECTIVE To evaluate veterinarian-client communication and veterinarian and client satisfaction with veterinary visits before and after veterinarians underwent a 6-month communication skills training program in a practice setting. DESIGN Case-based pretest-posttest intervention study. SAMPLE 1 purposely selected companion-animal practice. PROCEDURES The practice team (3 veterinarians, 5 veterinary technicians, 1 receptionist, and 1 office manager) participated in a 6-month educational program (intervention) that included interactive communication modules, individual coaching, and a communication laboratory. For each of the veterinarians, 6 appointments were video recorded and 30 additional clients completed a visit satisfaction survey both before and after the intervention. The Roter interaction analysis system was used to analyze the video-recorded appointments. RESULTS After the intervention, appointments were 5.4 minutes longer and veterinarians asked 60% fewer closed-ended lifestyle-social questions, provided 1.4 times as much biomedically related client education, and used 1.5 and 1.25 times as much facilitative and emotional rapport communication, respectively, compared with before the intervention. Clients provided veterinarians with 1.3 times as much biomedically related information and engaged in twice as much social conversation. After the intervention, veterinarians perceived their clients as complaining less and being more personable and trusting, and clients felt more involved in the appointment and reported that the veterinarian expressed greater interest in their opinion. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Results indicated that the intervention resulted in veterinarians who spent more time educating and building rapport with their clients and facilitating client input in an unhurried environment, which enhanced overall veterinarian visit satisfaction and various aspects of client visit satisfaction.


Sweet sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) moench), a crop that is grown by subsistence farmers in Zimbabwe was used to extract silica gel in order to assess its possible use as a raw material for the production of silica-based products. The gel was prepared from sodium silicate extracted from sweet sorghum bagasse ash by sodium hydroxide leaching. Results show that maximum yield can be obtained at pH 5 and with 3 M sodium concentration. The silica gel prepared at optimum pH 5 had a bulk density of 0.5626 g/cm3 and anestimated porosity of 71.87%. Silica gel aged over 10 h had improved moisture adsorption properties. X-ray fluorescence (XRF) determinations show that the silica content in the ash is 40.1%. Characterization of sweet sorghum ash and silica gels produced at pH 5, 7 and 8.5 by Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy gave absorption bands similar to those reported by other researchers.Transmission electron micrographs show that silica prepared under optimum conditions is amorphous and consisted of irregular particles. Sweet sorghum proved to be a potential low cost raw material for the production of silica gel.

 Key words: Silica gel, sweet sorghum, extraction, ash, bagasse, X-ray powder diffraction (XRD).


The HER2 protooncogene encodes a 185-kD transmembrane phosphoglycoproteins, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (p185HER2), whose amplified expression on the cell surface can lead to malignant transformation. Overexpression of HER2/p185HER2 is strongly correlated with progression of human ovarian and breast carcinomas. Recent studies have shown that human T cells can be targeted with bispecific antibody to react against human tumor cells in vitro. We have developed a bispecific F(ab')2 antibody molecule consisting of a humanized arm with a specificity to p185HER2 linked to another arm derived from a murine anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody that we have cloned from UCHT1 hybridoma. The antigen-binding loops for the anti-CD3 were installed in the context of human variable region framework residues, thus forming a fully humanized BsF(ab')2 fragment. Additional variants were produced by replacement of amino acid residues located in light chain complementarity determining region 2 and heavy chain framework region 3 of the humanized anti-CD3 arm. Flow cytometry analysis showed that the bispecific F(ab')2 molecules can bind specifically to cells overexpressing p185HER2 and to normal human peripheral blood mononuclear cells bearing the CD3 surface marker. In additional experiments, the presence of bispecific F(ab')2 caused up to fourfold enhancement in the cytotoxic activities of human T cells against tumor cells overexpressing p185HER2 as determined by a 51Cr release assay. These bispecific molecules have a potential use as therapeutic agents for the treatment of cancer.


This paper proposes a new method to estimate the 3D motion of a vehicle based on car-like structured motion model using an omnidirectional camera and a laser rangefinder. In recent years, motion estimation using vision sensor has improved by assuming planar motion in most conventional research to reduce requirement parameters and computational cost. However, for real applications in environment of outdoor terrain, the motion does not satisfy this condition. In contrast, our proposed method uses one corresponding image point and motion orientation to estimate the vehicle motion in 3D. In order to reduce requirement parameters for speedup computational systems, the vehicle moves under car-like structured motion model assumption. The system consists of a camera and a laser rangefinder mounted on the vehicle. The laser rangefinder is used to estimate motion orientation and absolute translation of the vehicle. An omnidirectional image-based one-point correspondence is used for combining with motion orientation and absolute translation to estimate rotation components of yaw, pitch angles and three translation components of Tx, Ty, and Tz. Real experiments in sloping terrain demonstrate the accuracy of vehicle localization estimation using the proposed method. The error at the end of travel position of our method, one-point RANSAC are 1.1%, 5.1%, respectively.


How well can ecological strategies of bacteria and archaea be characterized via quantitative traits? Bacteria with larger genome size are more versatile. They can transport and metabolise a wider range of substrates. More of their genome is engaged in signal detection and response, indicating they benefit from different resources at different times or under different conditions. Across cultured species aerobes were shown to average ca 35% larger genomes than anaerobes, after accounting for the previously-known decline in genome size with temperature. Aerobic habitats might well present opportunities and challenges that vary through time more than anaerobic habitats. Sy nt he si s A recent compilation of traits across culturable species of bacteria and archaea allows relationships to be quantified between genome size and other traits and habitat. Cell morphology, size, motility, sporulation and doubling time were not strongly correlated with genome size. Aerobic species averaged ca 35% larger genomes than anaerobic, adjusted for growth temperature. Aerobes had a similar mix of gene functions compared to anaerobes of the same genome size. Shifting proportions of aerobes to anaerobes accounted for about half of previously-known differences in mean genome size between habitats. One possible factor in these results could be if effective population sizes are larger for aerobes, reducing the potential for gene loss via genetic drift. Larger genomes also confer versatility. They can transport and metabolise a wider range of substrates. More of their genome is engaged in signal detection and response, indicating they benefit from different resources at different times or under different condition. Aerobic habitats might well present opportunities and challenges that vary through time more than anaerobic habitats. The genome size trait-dimension contributes a useful quantitative descriptor for ecological strategies.


Rotary steerable drilling systems are highly automated with inclination and azimuthal hold modes. These systems require only sparse communication downlinks to hold to a well plan or to compensate for geological "drift". Mud pulse transmission is one of the most complex communications technologies in any industry, yet measurement-while-drilling (MWD) companies have developed reliable bi-directional telemetry systems. The focus here has been on pulse generation and sophisticated decoding systems, able to detect signals, automatically, at a very low signal-to-noise ratio.
 Combining downhole automation and automatic mud pulse decoding with remote operations technologies delivers the technical-basis for unmanned MWD and directional drilling (DD) services. The infrastructure for unmanned services is a reliable surface communications network that connects the rig site with the remote operations center, and the realization that unmanned operations needs a new organizational structure for subject matter experts (SME's), in this case the MWD and DD engineers.
 This paper describes the now mature unmanned MWD and DD services (remote operations) in the US Land arena. These unconventional wells can reach in excess of a mile a day (so-called, MAD wells) with record footage in excess of 9,000 feet in a single 24-hour period. It will also describe the SME structure to deliver remote operations, and the key-role SMEs play in realizing unmanned operations. For example, moving directional drillers from the wellsite and into operator offices greatly improves decision-making.
 The paper will also examine the role of automation and digital technologies within this construct, especially how they will allow the unmanned model to migrate towards complex wells. Automated trajectory drilling systems, in which the rotary steerables can automatically correct for geologic drift, is the next step in downhole automation, soon to be followed by automated geosteering. Unmanned remote operations have only been around for a couple of years, but already operators are realizing efficiency and performance as they take advantage of a real-time digital infrastructure.


Background: Long QT syndrome (LQTS) is characterized by QT prolongation, syncope and sudden death. This study aims to explore the causes, clinical manifestations and therapeutic outcomes of Jervell and Lange-Nielsen syndrome (JLNS), a rare form of LQTS with congenital sensorineural deafness, in Chinese individuals. Materials and Methods: Three JLNS kindreds from the Chinese National LQTS Registry were investigated. Mutational screening of KCNQ1 and KCNE1 genes was performed by polymerase chain reaction and direct DNA sequence analysis. LQTS phenotype and therapeutic outcomes were evaluated for all probands and family members. Results: We identified 7 KCNQ1 mutations. c.1032_1117dup (p.Ser373TrpfsX10) and c.1319delT (p.Val440AlafsX26) were novel, causing JLNS in a 16-year-old boy with a QTc (QT interval corrected for heart rate) of 620 ms and recurrent syncope. c.605-2A>G and c.815G>A (p.Gly272Asp) caused JLNS in a 12-year-old girl and her 5-year-old brother, showing QTc of 590 to 600 ms and recurrent syncope. The fourth JLNS case, a 46-year-old man carrying c.1032G>A (p.Ala344Alasp) and c.569G>A (p.Arg190Gln) and with QTc of 460 ms, has been syncope-free since age 30. His 16-year-old daughter carries novel missense mutation c.574C>T (p.Arg192Cys) and c.1032G>A(p.Ala344Alasp) and displayed a severe phenotype of Romano-Ward syndrome (RWS) characterized by a QTc of 530 ms and recurrent syncope with normal hearing. Both the father and daughter also carried c.253G>A (p.Asp85Asn; rs1805128), a rare single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) on KCNE1. Bizarre T waves were seen in 3/4 JLNS patients. Symptoms were improved and T wave abnormalities became less abnormal after appropriate treatment. Conclusion: This study broadens the mutation and phenotype spectrums of JLNS. Compound heterozygous KCNQ1 mutations can result in both JLNS and severe forms of RWS in Chinese individuals.


The paper explores the relationship between house price growth, income levels, investor activity and the effects on entrants to the housing market. It concentrates on the area of first time buyers to the market and the issues of affordability which are now becoming increasingly apparent in Northern Ireland. House prices in Northern Ireland have experienced unprecedented growth particularly in the last 12 months (37% in 2006 alone according to the University of Ulster Quarterly House Price Index, March 2007). The rates of increase are currently amongst the highest in Europe when considering the RICS European Housing Review 2007 published in February 2007. This paper examines the impact on first time buyers where the pressure is most acute as the average income in Northern Ireland is historically lower than the rest of the UK and has not increased substantially despite rising house prices. Using twenty years of house price data from the Quarterly House Price Index and mortgage data for first time buyers from CML the effects on entrants to the market are analysed. The increasing affordability issue is examined in more depth using an affordability model developed by the University of Ulster in association with the Northern Ireland Housing Executive. The results from the affordability index are presented using GIS mapping techniques to show the geographical areas where the effects of affordability are most apparent. The paper concludes with a summary of possible policy recommendations to alleviate the pressure currently experienced by first time buyer market.


The aim of the study is to highlight the improvement of the coordination and speed skills of the children by using an operational training programme during the sports training lessons, based on the acquisition of the motor skills specific to the athletic events. This operational programme was applied for 4 months, three times a week, on a sample of 20 children aged 7-8 years. The evolution of the coordination and speed skills was assessed by the Touch-the-Plates Test, the Denisiuk test and the 20 m sprint test, carried out at the beginning and end of the experiment. The experimental research took place between at Bacau Athletics Hall, a 200m circular track room. In order to achieve the objectives we used game exercises, which aimed to learn the basic technical school elements of running, jumping and throwing, games of movement, relays, sports tracks. The conclusions highlight the improvement of coordination and speed.


TAR1 is a protein coding gene situated antisense to the 25S rRNA in S. cerevisiae. Tar1p is localized to the mitochondrial inner membrane, and expression is enhanced under conditions of respiratory dysfunction. One common cause of respiratory dysfunction in S. cerevisiae are selfish mitochondrial mutants known as ρmitotypes. ρmitotypes exhibit drive within the cell following sexual reproduction ; outcompeting host cells and inducing respiratory dysfunction. Respiratory dysfunction activates the Retrograde Response, which involves the expression of genes to compensate for loss of anabolic activity that accompanies respiratory dysfunction. The Retrograde Response also leads to the formation of lifespan shortening Extrachromosomal rDNA circles. Amplification of rDNA circles has the effect of increasing TAR1 at the same time as lifting transcription repression. This observation led to the hypothesis that the formation of rDNA circles was a positive effect of the Retrograde Response, and that TAR1 may serve to ameoleriate the spread of respiratory incompetent mitochondria following sexual reproduction. In this thesis, experiments are conducted that show that TAR1 does suppress the drive of selfish mitochondrial mutants. Additional bioinformatic analyses show that the Retrograde Response may be a recent adaption to selfish mitochondrial mutants.


Malignant tumors develop through multiple steps of initiation and progression, and tumor initiation is of singular importance in tumor prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. However, the molecular mechanism whereby a signaling network of interacting pathways restrains proliferation in normal cells and prevents tumor initiation is still poorly understood. Here, we have reported that the Hippo, Wnt/&bgr;-catenin, and Notch pathways form an interacting network to maintain liver size and suppress hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Ablation of the mammalian Hippo kinases Mst1 and Mst2 in liver led to rapid HCC formation and activated Yes-associated protein/WW domain containing transcription regulator 1 (YAP/TAZ), STAT3, Wnt/&bgr;-catenin, and Notch signaling. Previous work has shown that abnormal activation of these downstream pathways can lead to HCC. Rigorous genetic experiments revealed that Notch signaling forms a positive feedback loop with the Hippo signaling effector YAP/TAZ to promote severe hepatomegaly and rapid HCC initiation and progression. Surprisingly, we found that Wnt/&bgr;-catenin signaling activation suppressed HCC formation by inhibiting the positive feedback loop between YAP/TAZ and Notch signaling. Furthermore, we found that STAT3 in hepatocytes is dispensable for HCC formation when mammalian sterile 20–like kinase 1 and 2 (Mst1 and Mst2) were removed. The molecular network we have identified provides insights into HCC molecular classifications and therapeutic developments for the treatment of liver tumors caused by distinct genetic mutations.


This paper investigates whether the arrival of managers with export experience, i.e. experience acquired through participation in the export activity of previous employers, is related to firms' international trade status and to what extent this relationship is of a causal nature. We construct a worker-firm matched panel dataset which enables us to track managers across different firms over time and observe firms' trading stance as well as a large set of workers' and firms' characteristics. Contrary to blue and white collars, we find that managers are paid a sizeable premium for export experience which has both a level and a trend component. Conditioning for the firm past trade status, we find that a one standard deviation increase in the firm's share of managers' with export experience corresponds to about 35% more chances of starting to export. The impact is stronger for larger firms and is roughly of the same order of magnitude of the firm productivity effect. On the contrary, export experience acquired by managers from previous employers positively affects the capacity to keep exporting in small firms only. To give a causality flavor to our findings, we use in a final step an IV strategy that mimics a random matching between managers with export experience and firms. IV estimations indicate that export experience matters even more for entry while it has no effect on exit.


Temporal aspects of documents can impact relevance for certain kinds of queries. In this paper, we build on earlier work of modeling temporal information. We propose an extension to the Query Likelihood Model that incorporates query-specific information to estimate rate parameters, and we introduce a temporal factor into language model smoothing and query expansion using pseudo-relevance feedback. We evaluate these extensions using a Twitter corpus and two newspaper article collections. Results suggest that, compared to prior approaches, our models are more effective at capturing the temporal variability of relevance associated with some topics.


The geographic distribution of most species is expected to alter as a consequence of global climate change. Predictions for the extent of these range shifts are frequently based on anticipated changes in temperature using a 'climate envelope' approach, which oversimplifies predictions because it does not consider interactions with other physical and biological factors. The aim of this thesis was to investigate how biological interactions modulate species responses to climate change. On many rocky shores in the NE Atlantic the interaction between limpets, barnacles and canopy forming macroalgae have an important role in structuring rocky shore communities. In particular, limpets control the abundance of macroalgae on the shore through their grazing activities. Through descriptive studies and manipulative experiments the behaviour of a northern/boreal species of limpet, Patella vulgata and a southern/lusitanian species of limpet, P. depressa were compared in relation to canopy forming algae (Fucus patches). As a result of differences in the spatial distribution, behaviour and grazing activity of these two species, if as predicted, there are changes in their relative abundance it is likely there will be implications for rocky shore community dynamics. The second part of my thesis investigated intraand interspecific competition between two coexisting barnacle taxa with northern and southern centres of distribution. It is predicted that Increased warming will result in a reduction in the abundance of Semibalanus balanoides either as a direct result of increased temperatures or due to an increase in the number of poor spawning years. My results suggest that as a consequence of the gregarious nature of settling S. balanoides cyprids, recruitment success may be reduced irrespective of the numbers of cyprids in the plankton. This will result in more space becoming available for the competing and later settling Chthamalus spp, resulting in a change in barnacle population structure. The likely impacts of population changes and species range shifts in response to increased warming are discussed, with particular emphasis on how the interaction between limpets, barnacles and Fucus may alter. The implications of altered species interactions are then discussed in terms of the effects on community dynamics and ecosystem functioning. Finally the role of biotic interactions in modulating species responses to climate change are discussed with reference to the use of the 'climate envelope' approach in making predictions of species range shifts. List of


The present study shows that categorization of reward recipients into different entities affects distributive preferences by third-party non-recipient allocators. Rewards were allocated more equally to members of one group than to members of two dyads or to independent recipients. Moreover, allocators who were explicitly requested to allocate rewards justly were more egalitarian than those who were not requested to do so. More interestingly, rewards were allocated more equally between members in each of two dyads and between independent recipients, when a just allocation request was made, than when such a request was not made. This implies that a request for just allocation modifies the effects of recipient entity categorization toward more equal reward allocations.


From Carolyn Merchant to Theodor Adorno, historians and critics of capitalist modernity have described its expansion as the story of the lifting of traditional taboos, or inversely as the laying down of a ban on taboo itself such that nothing is to remain off-limits or untouched. Yet, despite the absence of an answering authority to lay down the law and cry "halt," and perhaps because of it, environmental harm continues to be imagined through the figure of trespass and in terms of an invisible line past which human activity, otherwise compelled by capitalism to limitless accumulation, must not go. At the same time, the more fungible the differences between ecological spheres, the more rigid the enforcement of state and private property lines, so that the discourse of trespass whereby one might hope to prosecute environmental crime in fact criminalizes once permitted commoning practices. This essay seeks to thread a way out of this impasse by turning to passages from John Clare, Rainer Maria Rilke, Charles Baudelaire, and William Wordsworth that map human and animal passing onto seasonal passage and mime the different levels and seasonal periods of permeability and impermeability found in ecological relations. Rather than accept the strict dichotomies of the logic of enclosure, the essay explores how these poets enact and theorize modes of passing in order to renew attention to temporary and seasonally determined forms of impasse and passage.


The Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) method is often used to estimate the parameters of a linear model. Under certain assumptions, the OLS estimates are the best linear unbiased estimates. One of the important assumptions of the linear model is that the error terms are normally distributed. Unfortunately, many researchers are not aware that the performance of the OLS can be very poor when the data set that one often makes a normal assumption, has a heavy-tailed distribution which may arise as a result of the presence of outliers. One way to deal with this problem is to use robust statistics which is less affected by the presence of outliers. Another possibility is to apply a bootstrap technique which does not rely on the normality assumption. In this thesis the usage of bootstrap technique is emphasized. It was a computer intensive method that can replace theoretical formulation with extensive use of computer. Unfortunately, many statistics practitioners are not aware of the fact that most of the classical bootstrap techniques are based on the OLS estimates which is sensitive to outliers. The problems are further complicated when the percentage of outliers in the bootstrap samples are greater than the percentage of outliers in the original sample. To rectify this problem, we propose a Dynamic Robust Bootstrap-LTS based (DRBLTS) algorithm where the percentage of outliers in each bootstrap sample is detected. We modified the classical bootstrapping algorithm by developing a mechanism based on the robust LTS method to detect the correct number of outliers in the each bootstrap sample.
Kallel et al. ( 2002 ) proposed utilizing the bootstrap technique for model selection. They used the classical bootstrap method to estimate the bootstrap location and the scale parameters based on calculating the Mean of Squared Residual (MSR). It is now evident that the classical mean and classical standard deviation are easily affected by the presence of outliers. In this respect, we propose to incorporate our proposed DRBLTS in the bootstrap model selection technique. We also proposed to use an alternative robust location and scale estimates which are less affected by outliers instead of using the classical mean and classical standard deviation.
The performances of the newly proposed methods are investigated extensively by real data sets and simulations study. The effect of outliers is investigated at various percentage, i.e , 0%, 5%, 10%, 15% and 20%. The results show that the DRBLTS is more efficient than other estimators discussed in this thesis. The results on the model selection again signify that our proposed robust bootstrap model selection method is more robust than the classical bootstrap model selection.


This study investigated the effectiveness of a computational model (made with Stagecast Creator 1 ) in teaching forms of causality in system dynamics. Systems causality forms were examined within the context of food web perturbations. The research sample included two equivalent sixth grade classes from the same elementary school in Cyprus. The same teacher taught students in both classes a unit on ecosystems that was completed in two lessons (4 class periods). Students in the experimental group were encouraged to use an interactive computational model of feeding relationships within a certain food web as an aid for solving problems about food web perturbations, whereas students in the control group could only get help from text and visual information. Two written tasks were administered before and after the teaching intervention. Tasks were used to measure: (i) students' systems reasoning abilities and (ii) students' ability for transfer of systems reasoning skills in new contexts. The results indicate that the experimental group students were favored by the use of the computational model in making two-way (active and passive) and extended one way causal connections. They were also much better in making interactive connections and transfer causality structures in new contexts. This research provides insights on how science concepts require reasoning abilities that students typically are not familiar with. It also underlines that teaching approaches should aim at promoting reasoning skills as well as content knowledge. Using computational models in promoting students' systems reasoning skills is one example of such an approach.


Algorithmic Debugging is a theory of debugging that uses queries on the compositional semantics of a program in order to localize bugs. It uses the following principle: if a computation of a program's component gives an incorrect result, while all the subcomputations it invokes compute correct results, then the code of this component is erroneous.
Algorithmic Debugging is applied, in this work, to reactive systems, in particular to programs written in Flat Concurrent Prolog (FCP). Debugging reactive systems is known to be more difficult than the debugging of functional systems. A functional system is fully described by the relation between its initial input and final output; this context-freedom is used in debugging. A reactive system continuously responds to external inputs, thus its debugging cannot make use of context-free input/output relations.
Given a compositional semantic model for a concurrent programming language, we demonstrate how one can directly apply the ideas of Algorithmic Debugging to obtain a theory of program debugging for the considered language. The conflict between the context-freedom of input/ output relations and the reactive nature of concurrent systems is resolved by using semantic objects which record the reactive nature of the system's components. In functional algorithmic debugging the queries relate to input/output relations; in concurrent algorithmic debugging the queries refer to semantic objects called processes which capture the reactive nature of FCP computations.
A diagnosis algorithm for incorrect FCP programs is proposed. The algorithm gets an erroneous computation and using queries isolates an erroneous clause or an incomplete procedure. An FCP implementation of the diagnosis algorithm demonstrates the usefulness as well as the difficulties of Algorithmic Debugging of FCP programs.


The article deals with topical issues to develop the banking sector in Kazakhstan as their condition assessment, weaknesses, strengths, problems and basic ways of development of Kazakhstan's second-tier banks in the current environment, these issues are dis-cussed in this article and determine the relevance of the material presented. The need to address the main problems in the development of the banking sector is due to the fact that it is represented as a fundamental element of the financial system. Moreover, under the modern conditions, it is subject to the impact of financial globalization, crisis phenomena in the world economy, the growth of uncertainty in the world financial market, which determines a number of negative consequences for the stable development of banking activities. Effective functioning of the banking system allows ensuring the sustainable economic development of any state, as the banking sector participates in the redistribution of funds and financing of the real sector of the country's economy. At the present stage of the development, the issues of dealing with the key problems of the development of the banking sector acquire special relevance on a global scale, since the financial crisis has revealed the shortcomings of the current system of banking regulation and supervision. In this regard, in the crisis conditions, the state interven- tion in regulation of banking activities has intensified, the role of risk management in commercial banks has increased, the requirements to the bank's capital, and the quality of assets has increased. Volatility and instability of the world financial markets require the search for new approaches in the implementation of banking activities to maintain sustainable development, increase margins in the banking business, which determines the relevance of this study. The main results of the research show the influence of external and internal factors that inhibit the development of banking activity.


In this paper we present, propose and examine additional membership functions as also we propose least squares with genetic algorithms optimization in order to find the optimum fuzzy membership functions parameters. More specifically, we present the tangent hyperbolic, Gaussian and Generalized bell functions. The reason we propose that is because Smoothing Transition Autoregressive (STAR) models follow fuzzy logic approach therefore more functions should be tested. Some numerical applications for S&P 500, FTSE 100 stock returns and for unemployment rate are presented and MATLAB routines are provided.


Barack Obama's inauguration as president on January 20, 2009, inspired the world. But the great promise of "Change We Can Believe In" was immediately tested by the threat of another Great Depression, a worsening war in Afghanistan, and an entrenched and deeply partisan system of business as usual in Washington. Despite all the coverage, the backstory of Obama's historic first year in office has until now remained a mystery. In "The Promise: President Obama, Year One," Jonathan Alter, one of the country's most respected journalists and historians, uses his unique access to the White House to produce the first inside look at Obama's difficult debut. What happened in 2009 inside the Oval Office? What worked and what failed? What is the president really like on the job and off-hours, using what his best friend called "a Rubik's Cube in his brain?" These questions are answered here for the first time. We see how a surprisingly cunning Obama took effective charge in Washington several weeks before his election, made trillion-dollar decisions on the stimulus and budget before he was inaugurated, engineered colossally unpopular bailouts of the banking and auto sectors, and escalated a treacherous war not long after settling into office. "The Promise "is a fast-paced and incisive narrative of a young risk-taking president carving his own path amid sky-high expectations and surging joblessness. Alter reveals that it was Obama alone--"feeling lucky"--who insisted on pushing major health care reform over the objections of his vice president and top advisors, including his chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, who admitted that "I begged him not to do this." Alter takes the reader inside the room as Obama prevents a fistfight involving a congressman, coldly reprimands the military brass for insubordination, crashes the key meeting at the Copenhagen Climate Change conference, and bounces back after a disastrous Massachusetts election to redeem a promise that had eluded presidents since FDR. In Alter's telling, the real Obama is an authentic, demanding, unsentimental, and sometimes overconfident leader. He adapted to the presidency with ease and put more "points on the board" than he is given credit for, but neglected to use his leverage over the banks and failed to connect well with an angry public. We see the famously calm president cursing leaks, playfully trash-talking his advisors, and joking about even the most taboo subjects, still intent on redeeming more of his promise as the problems mount. This brilliant blend of journalism and history offers the freshest reporting and most acute perspective on the biggest story of our time. It will shape impressions of the Obama presidency and of the man himself for years to come.


Consistently ranked as home to one of the world's top engineering programs, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is often seen as a model for its undergraduate education programs and research output. However, the school leads in another important way: the Institute also boasts one of the most gender-balanced STEM-oriented undergraduate student bodies in the world. This study helps illuminate the ways in which the Department of Mechanical Engineering has reached near parity in its female undergraduate population: in 2016, women comprised 49.5% of mechanical engineering majors. In contrast, women numbered less than a third of undergraduate mechanical engineering majors back in 2000. In 2016, a cross section of mechanical engineering faculty and staff was interviewed to evaluate how the department has changed over the past 15 years to make the place a much more welcoming program for women now. In addition to the faculty members, the MIT Dean of Admissions was interviewed to understand how the university selects the pool of available undergraduate women who choose to major in mechanical engineering in the first place. Quotes from interviewees are first contextualized, and then interspersed with insights from background research. Thematic analysis of interviews reveals that the gender equality so far achieved by the department has been a result of very deliberate, enduring structural changes, (e.g., hiring processes), and a strong representation of proactive department members with high levels of self-efficacy. These members are aware of gender equity issues, believe in their ability to enact change, and are willing to devote the time and energy to do so. Different but complementary actions, from changing the way the admissions office recruits applicants to broadening the faculty hiring searches, have compounded over time to help produce the current state of near parity in the undergraduate population. It is hoped that the findings in this paper can help other institutions adopt strategies that will lead to improved gender balance in their engineering programs.


This bibliography covers private international law or conflict of laws in a broad sense. In particular, it covers judicial or adjudicatory jurisdiction, prescriptive jurisdiction, choice of forum, choice of law, federal-state conflicts, recognition and enforcement of sister-state and foreign-country judgments, extraterritoriality, arbitration and related topics. It includes books and law journal articles published in English during 2017, or earlier but not included in the 2016 bibliography. It does not include articles or essays published in books (as opposed to journals), or writings appearing only in electronic form.


Richard Ford, who is among the finest of American novelists and short story writers, edits and introduces this volume. First published by Granta in 1992, it became the definitive anthology of American short fiction written in the last half of the twentieth century - an 'exemplary choice' in the words of the "Washington Post" - with stories by writers such as Eudora Welty, John Cheever, and Raymond Carver (and forty others) demonstrating how much memorable power can lie in the briefest narration. Along with "The Granta Book of the American Short Story: Volume 2", this book constitutes an important reflection and judgment of recent American writing - as well as the superb pleasure yielded by the stories themselves.


Complex and semi-complex cross in-square four columned post Byzantine churches in Peloponnese, Greece Post Byzantine churches in Peloponnese that belong to the two variations of the four columned cross in-square type, the complex and the semi-complex, differ from each other but at the same time share much in common. They can also be classified in groups. Ιn general terms, the application of the type in post Byzantine Peloponnese expresses the middle Byzantine tradition, whereas the churches built by the beginning of 18th century show a removal from that tradition. Moreover we can realise the close typological relationship between athonite type churches (complex cross in-square four columned type with side choirs churches), and complex cross in-square four columned type without side choirs churches in Peloponnese. To conclude, we could refer to the strong connection between post Byzantine church construction in Peloponnese and its Byzantine origins. This connection is so powerful and vivid that one can easily seek it both in the choice of church types that flourished in the Middle Byzantine period and in the persistent repetition of many characteristics of those types.


Considering the important developments of the last half-century, the growth of foreign investments and the expansion of the international activities of corporations . . . and considering the way in which the economic interests of states have proliferated, it may at first sight appear surprising that the evolution of law has not gone further and that no generally accepted rules in the matter have crystallised on the international plane. The International Court of Justice.(1) INTRODUCTION With international trade issues capturing much of the business world's attention, the growth and importance of foreign direct investment (FDI) has gone somewhat unnoticed, despite comments such as those of the International Court of Justice (ICJ).(2) In fact, FDI growth far outpaced trade growth throughout the 1980s, with trade increasing at a compound rate of five percent annually compared to twenty percent annually for FDI.(3) Moreover, as discussed in Part I of this Article, investment is often a key determinant of trade since a large percentage of trade occurs between affiliated companies.(4) Despite its apparent importance, states have thus far been unable, or unwilling, to conclude an international agreement regulating FDI. The absence of such an agreement is particularly striking in view of the number of trade-related agreements that have been. negotiated in recent years. These include the successful conclusion to the Uruguay round of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and subsequent establishment of the World Trade Organization (WHO),(5) the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA),(6) and the adoption of the Treaty on European Union (Maastricht Treaty).(7) Not surprisingly, the need for an international FDI agreement has been noted by numerous international officials,(8) academics,(9) and the ICJ,(10) as all have commented on the lack of international FDI regulation. Furthermore, the absence of an international FDI agreement has been costly, both to states anxious to attract FDI and to multinational corporations eager to enter and compete in new markets, since differing regulatory frameworks discourage potential investment by increasing administrative costs and creating uncertainty.(11) The inability to conclude an FDI agreement has generally been attributed to two primary factors. First, there has often been significant disagreement among states about the importance and the best method of regulating FDI.(12) Second, it has long been an established principle of international law that states retain the exclusive right to regulate the entry of investment into their own territory, and an agreement regulating the admission of FDI is regarded as an encroachment on that right.(13) Despite the lack of progress in this area, several recent events have provided some reason for optimism. Developments such as the inclusion of investment as part of the GATT,(14) the increasingly significant role being played by the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA),(15) and the proliferation of bilateral investment treaties (BITs),(16) indicate that many states are anxious to establish international FDI standards and regulations. Moreover, agreements such as the aforementioned NAFTA and the Maastricht Treaty are illustrative of states' increased willingness to surrender economic sovereignty as a precondition for entering into international economic agreements.(17) With states acknowledging the value of sacrificing some degree of economic sovereignty in return for the benefits of unrestricted trade and investment, the one remaining, albeit most significant, barrier to an international agreement on the regulation of FDI appears to be the lack of consensus on the method in which FDI should be regulated. As Samuel K.B. Asante, the former director of the UNCTC, has noted: The demonstrated willingness of states from all regional groups to participate in this process of creating new norms for the regulation of international business supports the submission that there are no doctrinal impediments to the elaboration of international standards as such. …


BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
Ethics education for medical students has included a number of relatively vague descriptions of appropriate curricular objectives, but medical schools struggle with the general teaching of ethics, as well as with presenting the ethical dilemmas posed by managed care. This paper proposes some standards and uses them to analyze the general and managed care ethics content of the Undergraduate Medical Education for the 21st Century (UME-21) curricula.

METHODS
We analyzed progress and final reports from each school to define their learning objectives, content, teaching methods, and evaluation strategies in ethics. Each was evaluated using principles of adult learning and Rest's Four Component Model of Moral Development. Good examples of curricular elements from participating schools are described.

RESULTS
Ethics curricula varied widely among the schools. Goals and objectives were often stated in generalities. Teaching methods were diverse and innovative, and several new combinations of learning activities were created to highlight ethics topics. Content represented managed care and non-managed care topics in varying proportions. Student surveys of attitudes toward managed care and opinions of the ethics programs were the most commonly used as evaluation tools. Some schools were able to develop more direct means of evaluating student learning. The Four Component Model was not fully addressed in the programs developed by the participating schools.

CONCLUSIONS
We make recommendations about the objectives, teaching methods, content, and evaluation methods of an ideal medical school curriculum in ethics.


The effect of chalcogens on the scavenging power of chrysin and quercetin antioxidants against peroxyl radicals has been investigated in lipid and aqueous solutions, using the density functional theory. Different mechanisms and reaction sites were considered as well as different acid–base species in aqueous solutions. It was found that the polarity of the environment plays an important role in their reactivity towards peroxyl radicals, which is predicted to be significantly higher in aqueous solution than in the lipid medium. The effect of replacing oxygen for sulfur or selenium was found to be more significant for chrysin than for quercetin, mainly because chrysin is a poor hydroperoxyl radical scavenger, while quercetin is very efficient for this purpose. In the case of chrysin, the selenium derivative is predicted to be a very potent peroxyl scavenger, both in aqueous and lipid media. The three members of the quercetin family, on the other hand, are exceptionally good for scavenging HOO˙ in aqueous solution, at physiological pH, with rate constants being within the diffusion-limited regime. In the lipid medium, the sulfur derivative (SQ) is predicted to be the most efficient one, with rate constants in the order of 104 M−1 s−1. Regarding the influence of pH, for chrysin and its derivatives, the higher the pH the faster the reaction with HOO˙, while quercetin and its analogs are predicted to exhibit their maximum peroxyl radical scavenging activity at pH values from 7 to 10.


This paper discusses the Cambridge University HTK (CU-HTK) system for the automatic transcription of conversational telephone speech. A detailed discussion of the most important techniques in front-end processing, acoustic modeling and model training, language and pronunciation modeling are presented. These include the use of conversation side based cepstral normalization, vocal tract length normalization, heteroscedastic linear discriminant analysis for feature projection, minimum phone error training and speaker adaptive training, lattice-based model adaptation, confusion network based decoding and confidence score estimation, pronunciation selection, language model interpolation, and class based language models. The transcription system developed for participation in the 2002 NIST Rich Transcription evaluations of English conversational telephone speech data is presented in detail. In this evaluation the CU-HTK system gave an overall word error rate of 23.9%, which was the best performance by a statistically significant margin. Further details on the derivation of faster systems with moderate performance degradation are discussed in the context of the 2002 CU-HTK 10 /spl times/ RT conversational speech transcription system.


Due to the negative environmental impact of the Olive Mill Wastewaters (OMW), research is done in order to treat and valorize them. In this work, different OMW from different Italian regions (Liguria and Puglia) and harvests (from 2012 to 2014) were tested in order to recover polyphenols (PCs), molecules with a high added value because of their beneficial properties. The solid phase used for PCs recovery was the resin Amberlite XAD16; the desorption solvent was acidified ethanol. An HPLC method for total PCs content quantification was developed using a C18 column.
A new, repeatable and reliable column packing method was developed. The packing quality was evaluated with step-change fluid dynamic analysis tests using NaCl 0.04M as tracer. Also, to avoid clogging problems in the packed columns an OMW pre-treatment was designed, capable to remove 98% of the solids.
Several breakthrough tests were performed to evaluate the influence of linear velocity and column length (0.52m and 2.0m). A repeatability test was performed in order to evaluate the stability of the process. The process was modeled using a plug flow with axial dispersion model with solid-liquid mass transfer; implemented in COMSOL3.5a.
The desorption curves were obtained with subsequent solvent regeneration. Antioxidant activity tests were performed with the desorption product using the ABTS method.
On the basis of economic considerations, two new ion-exchange resins were tested (IRA958Cl and IRA 67Cl). IRA958Cl showed the best performance. Two breakthrough tests at different linear velocities were conducted with this resin.
In order to recover specific high added value molecules (tyrosol and hydroxytyrosol) from the actual OMW, experiments were performed in collaboration with the Fachhoschule Nordwestschweiz (FHNW) using a Cyclodextrin-based polyurethane polymer, synthetized by the FHNW research group. Then, in order to increase the purity of tyrosol in the desorption fractions several organic solvents were tested.


One hundred years ago, Selma Lagerlof became the first woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. She assured her place in Swedish letters with this sweeping historical epic, her first and best-loved novel, and the basis for the 1924 silent film of the same name that launched Greta Garbo to stardom. Set in 1820s Sweden, it tells the story of a defrocked minister named Gosta Berling. After his appetite for alcohol and previous indiscretions end his career, Berling finds a home at Ekeby, an ironworks estate owned by Margareta Celsing, the 'Majoress', that also houses and assortment of eccentric veterans of the Napoleanic Wars. Berling's defiant and poetic spirit proves magnetic to a string of women, who fall under his spell against the backdrop of political intrigue at Margareta's estate and the magnificent wintry beauty of rural Sweden.


This article explores issues involved with researching statelessness 'on the ground' during ethnographic fieldwork in Malaysia with the children of migrants and refugees. It argues that many of these children, whose parents or grandparents originate from Indonesia or the Philippines, lack an 'effective nationality'. However, rather than statelessness or illegality per se, what dominates these children's lives is their perpetual 'foreignness'. Even when children might be able to have their citizenship recognised by a parental country of origin, families often prefer to remain undocumented, and to wait (perhaps indefinitely) for the Malaysian citizenship they perceive as rightfully theirs.