California is a leader in developing and implementing policies that reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, improve air quality, and encourage efficient use of energy and other resources. At the same time policymakers are often limited in their access to transparent and high-quality technical and economic models that can help them evaluate plausible future scenarios and assess environmental and economic impacts of current or proposed policy targets and policy instruments.On December 16-17, the Policy Institute for Energy, Environment and the Economy and the Sustainable Transportation Energy Pathways (NextSTEPS), both of UC Davis, hosted a forum as part of the California Climate Policy Modeling (CCPM) project. The CCPM is an ongoing project to bring together policy makers, modeling groups, and key stakeholders in the state to: Improve the state of knowledge of plausible pathways/scenarios for future technology adoption, energy use, air quality, and GHG emissions; Identify plausible mid-point goals and/or targets for GHG emissions between 2020 and 2050; Discuss policy options needed for meeting the state's climate and air quality goals, identify policy gaps, and improve existing policies; Improve the state of modeling, including identifying ways to make the models and model findings more useful and accessible to policy-makers and other stakeholders.This document is a brief summary of the primary model findings and insights discussed at the December 2013 forum.


Seasonal variations in ground temperature and moisture content influence the load carrying capacity of pavement subgrade layers. To improve pavement performance, pavement design guidelines require knowledge of environmental factors and subgrade stiffness relationships. As part of this study, in-ground instrumentation was installed in the pavement foundation layers of a newly constructed section along US Highway 20 near Fort Dodge, Iowa, to monitor the seasonal variations in temperature, frost depth, groundwater levels, and moisture regime. Dynamic cone penetrometer (DCP), nuclear gauge, and Clegg hammer tests were performed at 64 test points in a 6-ft x 6-ft grid pattern to characterize the subgrade stiffness properties (i.e., resilient modulus) prior to paving. The purpose of this paper is to present the field instrumentation results and the observed changes in soil properties due to seasonal environmental effects.


Chemoselective reduction of various carbonyl compounds to alcohols with ammonia borane (AB), a nontoxic, environmentally benign, and easily handled reagent, in neat water was achieved in quantitative conversions and high isolated yields. Interestingly, α- and β-keto esters were selectively reduced to corresponding hydroxyl esters by AB, while diols were obtained when sodium borohydride was used as a reducing agent. The procedure is also compatible with the presence of a variety of base-labile protecting groups, such as tosyl, acetyl, benzoyl, ester groups, and acid-labile protecting groups such as trityl and TBDMS groups, and others, such as the unsaturated double bond, nitro and cyano groups. Finally, a kilo scale reaction of methyl benzoylformate with AB was conducted in water and gave methyl mandelate in 94% yield.


Context: There is an overwhelming prevalence of companies developing software in global software development (GSD) contexts. The existing body of knowledge, however, falls short of providing comprehensive empirical evidence on the implication of GSD contexts on software quality for evolving software systems. Therefore there is limited evidence to support practitioners that need to make informed decisions about ongoing or future GSD projects. Objective: This thesis work seeks to explore changes in quality, as well as to gather confounding factors that influence quality, for software systems that evolve in GSD contexts. Method: The research work in this thesis includes empirical work that was performed through exploratory case studies. This involved analysis of quantitative data consisting of defects as an indicator for quality, and measures that capture software evolution, and qualitative data from company documentations, interviews, focus group meetings, and questionnaires. An extensive literature review was also performed to gather information that was used to support the empirical investigations. Results: Offshoring software development work, to a location that has employees with limited or no prior experience with the software product, as observed in software transfers, can have a negative impact on quality. Engaging in long periods of distributed development with an offshore site and eventually handing over all responsibilities to the offshore site can be an alternative to software transfers. This approach can alleviate a negative effect on quality. Finally, the studies highlight the importance of taking into account the GSD context when investigating quality for software that is developed in globally distributed environments. This helps with making valid inferences about the development settings in GSD projects in relation to quality. Conclusion: The empirical work presented in this thesis can be useful input for practitioners that are planning to develop software in globally distributed environments. For example, the insights on confounding factors or mitigation practices that are linked to quality in the empirical studies can be used as input to support decision-making processes when planning similar GSD projects. Consequently, lessons learned from the empirical investigations were used to formulate a method, GSD-QuID, for investigating quality using defects for evolving systems. The method is expected to help researchers avoid making incorrect inferences about the implications of GSD contexts on quality for evolving software systems, when using defects as a quality indicator. This in turn will benefit practitioners that need the information to make informed decisions for software that is developed in similar circumstances.


There has been found by author that the preserved blood transfusion results somewhat remarkable pathological changes in the renal functions without any evident clinical signs. In the patients of hypoproteinemia, anemia and dehydrated state there are seen temporary decreasings of urine flow after transfusion. This tendency is moremarkedly in the various kinds of untoward reactions. Thus the author studied on the pathological changes of renal functions by renal clearance method. 1. Type Ⅰ of pathophysiological changes in renal functions: This type of pathophysiological changes did not show any kinds of Oxford shunting and is seen in the patients of nearly normal state or anemia without untoward reactions. In this type there was seen the mechanism to maintain the glomerular filtration-function to compensate decreasing of renal blood flow which was resulted by dilatation of extrarenal blood vessels due to blood transfusion. In the other hand, there are seen, in the meaning of humoral mechanism, early adrenalin effects or early antiduretic hormon effects and late DOCA effects or decreasing of mineral excreations. 2. Type Ⅱ of pathophysiological changes in renal fonctions: This type means the presence of Oxford shunting Ⅰ in slight grade and is seen in the patients of hypoproteinemia and dehydorated state without untoward reactions. The disturbance in the course of inactivation of antiduretic hormon in liver. This disturbance as well as the decreasing of cortical reactions in epinephral glands results the abnormal renal circulations as Oxford shunting, even it is temporarily. 3. Renal functions in the fever reactions: In this untoward reaction, the predominant mechanism of renal function-change is homeostatic one which means the constriction of blood vessels in the region of internal organs. But homeostasis itsself do not bring about the abnormal renal circulation. In the patients of hypoproteinemia and dehydrated state, the fever reaction results the various type of Oxford shunting and severe decreasing or renal flow in cooperation of homeostasis and type Ⅱ of patho-physiological changes in renal function as over montioned. 4. Renal functions in the hemolytic reactions: There are seen the various kinds of Oxford shuntig in every cases of this untoward reactions and the durations of such abnormal renal circulation are more longer. Especially in the severe hemolytic reactions, the abnormal renal functions identify to that of shock reaction as Oxford shunting Ⅲ.


Recent advances in open-domain QA have led to strong models based on dense retrieval, but only focused on retrieving textual passages. In this work, we tackle open-domain QA over tables for the first time, and show that retrieval can be improved by a retriever designed to handle tabular context. We present an effective pre-training procedure for our retriever and improve retrieval quality with mined hard negatives. As relevant datasets are missing, we extract a subset of Natural Questions (Kwiatkowski et al., 2019) into a Table QA dataset. We find that our retriever improves retrieval results from 72.0 to 81.1 recall@10 and end-to-end QA results from 33.8 to 37.7 exact match, over a BERT based retriever.


Everything .NET developers need to take advantage of Silverlight 4 Silverlight4 is a major new release of Microsoft's flagship product for building rich, interactive applications that combine animation, graphics, audio, and video. This book, by seasoned Wrox authors and Silverlight experts, gives professional Web developers all the tools necessary to build RIAs using the new Silverlight capabilities. You will gain a complete, thorough understanding of both core and advanced platform concepts, with examples inC#. Professional Silverlight 4 prepares Web developers to take full advantage of the newest release of the most popular platform for developing rich interactive applications. Coverage Includes: Introduction to Silverlight Building Applications with Visual Studio Building Applications with Expression Blend 4 Working with the Navigation Framework Controlling Layout with Panels Working with Visual Controls Accessing Data WCF RIA Services Out-of-Browser Experiences Networking Applications Building Line of Business Applications Application Architecture DOM Interaction Securing Your Applications Accessing Audio and Video Devices Working with File I/O Using Graphics and Visuals Working with Animations in Silverlight Working with Text Making It Richer with Media Styling and Themes


The Anti-Monopoly Law (AML) represents a significant step in China's march towards a market economy. The concept of a "dominant market position" (DMP) in the AML exemplifies the move towards market economy principles. In the past, the DMP concept was largely absent in Chinese antitrust law. The rules on single-firm conduct in principle applied to all companies - whether or not they were in a DMP. Post-AML, the DMP concept aims to ensure that only companies with market power are subject to the rules on single-firm conduct. Essentially, the DMP concept works as a screen in the AML's attempt to prevent companies from abusing their market power vis-a-vis customers or competitors. Nonetheless, while the DMP concept appears now firmly established, its introduction into Chinese antitrust law has been a gradual process, and it is not clear whether the AML's adherence to the DMP principle is indeed complete and unequivocal.


The mitochondrial permeability pore is subject to regulation by a thiol-dependent voltage sensor (Petronilli, V., Costantini, P., Scorrano, L., Colonna, R., Passamonti, S., and Bernardi, P., J. Biol. Chem. 269, 16638-16642, 1994); thiol oxidation increases the gating potential, which increases the probability of pore opening. Monofunctional sulfhydryl-alkylating agents, by preventing formation of the disulfide, inhibit oxidant-induced changes in the gating potential. According to this paradigm, redox-cycling and arylating quinones should have distinct and opposing effects on the voltage-dependent permeabilization of mitochondrial membranes. Freshly isolated rat liver mitochondria were susceptible to a calcium-dependent permeability transition characterized by osmotic swelling and membrane depolarization, both of which were inhibited by Cyclosporine A. 1,4-Naphthoquinone, 2-methyl-1,4-naphthoquinone (menadione), and 2,3-dimethoxy-1,4-naphthoquinone elicited an increase in gating potential of the permeability pore that was prevented by Cyclosporine A or N-ethylmaleimide and reversed by dithiothreitol. Benzoquinone, on the other hand, inhibited NADH-ubiquinone oxidoreductase. Accordingly, in mitochondria energized with glutamate plus malate benzoquinone caused a direct, calcium-independent depolarization of membrane potential and mitochondrial swelling that were not inhibited by Cyclosporine A. In contrast, benzoquinone did not interfere with succinate-supported mitochondrial bioenergetics. In fact, adding benzoquinone to succinate-energized mitochondria prevented induction of the mitochondrial permeability transition by all three redox-cycling naphthoquinones. We attribute this to the electrophilic, sulfhydryl-arylating reactivity of benzoquinone. The results suggest that differences in the mechanisms by which quinones of varying chemical reactivity interfere with mitochondrial bioenergetics can be explained in terms of the distinct manner in which they react with the thiol-dependent voltage sensor of the mitochondrial permeability pore.


Native to the Indo-African area, the Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis is now a cosmopolitan species, still in great range expansion. The factors affecting breeding success of the species remain however poorly known, and here we investigate the breeding biology of the Cattle Egret in a new breeding population in the Soummam Valley (Petite Kabylie, Algeria). The installation chronology and nest site selection are described, and their effect on breeding success investigated. The nesting season lasted generally from the end of March to the end of July. Clutch size, number of hatched chicks and breeding success were low compared to other breeding areas in the Mediterranean. The first Cattle Egrets arriving at the colony in March selected the highest trees and the highest nest supports close to the trunk. With new arrivals during the course of the season, a gradual decrease was observed in the height of the nests which were progressively built away from the trunk. This selective behaviour allowed the first installed pairs to have a better breeding success. This phenomenon is discussed here within the framework of territoriality and the breeding advantages of being high ranking in the 'territorial hierarchy' for the individual.


It is hypothesised that more accurate prediction and warning of natural hazards, such as of the impacts of severe 15 weather mediated through various components of the environment, requires a more integrated Earth System approach to forecasting. This hypothesis can be explored using regional coupled prediction systems, in which the known interactions and feedbacks between different physical and biogeochemical components of the environment across sky, sea and land can be simulated. Such systems are becoming increasingly common research tools. This paper describes the development of the UKC2 regional coupled research system, which has been delivered under the UK Environmental Prediction Prototype project. This 20 provides the first implementation of an atmosphere-land-ocean-wave modelling system focussed on the United Kingdom and surrounding seas at km-scale resolution. The UKC2 coupled system incorporates models of the atmosphere (Met Office Unified Model), land surface with river routing (JULES), shelf-sea ocean (NEMO) and ocean waves (WAVEWATCH III). These components are coupled, via OASIS3-MCT libraries, at unprecedentedly high resolution across the UK within a northwest European regional domain. A research framework has been established to explore the representation of feedback 25 processes in coupled and uncoupled modes, providing a new research tool for UK environmental science. This paper documents the technical design and implementation of UKC2, along with the associated evaluation framework. An analysis of new results comparing the output of the coupled UKC2 system with relevant forced control simulations for 6 contrasting case studies of 5-day duration is presented. Results demonstrate that at least comparable performance can be achieved with the UKC2 system to its component control simulations. For some cases, improvements in air temperature, sea surface temperature, 30 wind speed, significant wave height and mean wave period highlight the potential benefits of coupling between environmental model components. Results also illustrate that the coupling itself is not sufficient to address all known model issues. Priorities for future development of the UK Environmental Prediction framework and component systems are discussed.


Silver nanoparticles (AgNano) as carrier of available oxygen (O2) and with high surface reactivity may increase O2 consumption, enhance fat uptake (FU), and stimulate growth and development. The objective was to investigate the effects of in ovo injection of AgNano on the metabolic rate (O2 consumption, CO2 production, and heat production, HP), fat uptake, and the development of broiler and layer hatchlings. AgNano concentrations (50, 75, and 100 mg/kg) were injected in ovo at day 1 of incubation to different breeds of broiler and layer chicken embryos. Oxygen consumption and subsequently FU did not increase linearly following AgNano treatment. FU was lower in hatchlings treated with 50 and 100 mg AgNano/kg, but surprisingly not in hatchlings treated with 75 mg AgNano/kg. Interestingly, the difference in FU between treatments was not reflected in hatchling development. The results indicated that AgNano affected metabolic rate and FU; however, it did not influence the development of hatchlings. This suggests that in ovo injection of AgNano reduces the need to use yolk fat as an energy source during embryonic development and consequently the remaining fat in the residual yolk sac may provide a potent source of nutritional reserves for chicks of few days after hatching.


Abstract Individuals and societies have always adapted to change, whether catastrophic or slow onset. Over the last two centuries, however, governments have significantly extended their role as ultimate social manager of risk. It is as yet unclear whether, how, or to what extent governments will add adaptation to climate change to their portfolio of responsibilities. This report investigates this question on the basis of review and analysis of economic and policy thinking on the issues, and by using a new dataset on the 2011 Brisbane flood. Uncertainties about the future impacts of climate change obviate definitive conclusions about future adaptation actions and insights for specific situations cannot be generalised. Economic precepts suggest that governments should limit intervention to cases of genuine market failure, such as the provision of information on likely impacts of climate change including at the local level, or to support for people affected by uninsurable events. But any role as 'insurer of last resort' needs to be circumscribed by rigorous social cost-benefit analysis to ensure that government intervention is beneficial, in the context of the need to adapt to climatic changes. Although the phenomenon of 'government failure' is generally ignored in the adaptation literature (and often by policy makers), it too can stymie efficient adaptation. A standard justification for government intervention is market failure, including misperception of risk by individuals and businesses. We use Brisbane property prices before and after the January 2011 flood, as well as property-level flood risk information to test the hypothesis that buyers do not accurately perceive the risk of riverine flooding. The results indicate that buyers do take risk into account, and even discriminate between zones of differing flood risk. The concepts of 'government as insurer of last resort' and 'government as insurer of first resort' as alternative forms of intervention in markets are examined with a view to disambiguation. In contrast to much current thinking in academic and government circles, we conclude that the government should not act as an 'adaptor of first or last resort'. Rather, government can best contribute to efficient adaptation by reducing the economic costs and institutional barriers to adaptation faced by individuals and organisations. Comprehensive micro-economic reform, and the promotion of institutional flexibility are potential 'no regrets' strategies because they will also promote economic growth and welfare. Please cite as: Dobes, L, Jotzo, F, Doupe, P 2013 Adaptor of last resort? An economic perspective on the Government's role in adaptation to climate change, National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility, Gold Coast, pp. 81. Individuals and societies have always adapted to change, whether catastrophic or slow onset. Over the last two centuries, however, governments have significantly extended their role as ultimate social manager of risk. It is as yet unclear whether, how, or to what extent governments will add adaptation to climate change to their portfolio of responsibilities. This report investigates this question on the basis of review and analysis of economic and policy thinking on the issues, and by using a new dataset on the 2011 Brisbane flood. Uncertainties about the future impacts of climate change obviate definitive conclusions about future adaptation actions and insights for specific situations cannot be generalised. Economic precepts suggest that governments should limit intervention to cases of genuine market failure, such as the provision of information on likely impacts of climate change including at the local level, or to support for people affected by uninsurable events. But any role as 'insurer of last resort' needs to be circumscribed by rigorous social cost-benefit analysis to ensure that government intervention is beneficial, in the context of the need to adapt to climatic changes. Although the phenomenon of 'government failure' is generally ignored in the adaptation literature (and often by policy makers), it too can stymie efficient adaptation. A standard justification for government intervention is market failure, including misperception of risk by individuals and businesses. We use Brisbane property prices before and after the January 2011 flood, as well as property-level flood risk information to test the hypothesis that buyers do not accurately perceive the risk of riverine flooding. The results indicate that buyers do take risk into account, and even discriminate between zones of differing flood risk. The concepts of 'government as insurer of last resort' and 'government as insurer of first resort' as alternative forms of intervention in markets are examined with a view to disambiguation. In contrast to much current thinking in academic and government circles, we conclude that the government should not act as an 'adaptor of first or last resort'. Rather, government can best contribute to efficient adaptation by reducing the economic costs and institutional barriers to adaptation faced by individuals and organisations. Comprehensive micro-economic reform, and the promotion of institutional flexibility are potential 'no regrets' strategies because they will also promote economic growth and welfare. Please cite as: Dobes, L, Jotzo, F, Doupe, P 2013 Adaptor of last resort? An economic perspective on the Government's role in adaptation to climate change, National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility, Gold Coast, pp. 81.


Stress is any environmental condition that prevents the plant from
achieving its full genetic potential and negative impact of non-living factors
on living organisms in a specific environment is known as abiotic stress.
Abiotic stresses are serious threats to agriculture and the environment
which have been exacerbated in the current century by global warming and
industrialization. Abiotic stress cause changes in soil–plant–atmosphere
continuum which is responsible for reduced yield in several of the major
crops in different parts of the world. It has been estimated that only 10 % of
the arable land comes under non-stress environment and rest 90 %
experiences one or other type of environmental stress. Although plants are
competent enough to take well-concerted action at morphological,
physiological, biochemical, and molecular level to adapt themselves to
abiotic stresses, still efforts are required to ameliorate the ill effects of
stress through genetic improvement, promotion of resource conservation
technologies and other suitable strategies.


While panel effects -- the notion that panel composition effects the votes cast by judges on the U.S. Courts of Appeals, have been widely documented -- scholars are unsure why these empirical regularities persist. In this paper, we outline three possible mechanisms, consensual, deliberative, and strategic, through which panel effects might occur, develop indicators for each mechanism, and test the three theories using a unique dataset of search and seizure cases. Our evidence, fitting the complicated nature of judicial choice, suggests that panel effects likely stem from a mixture of consensual, deliberative, and strategic reasons rather than a single explanation. The results have important implications for our understanding of judicial decisionmaking, the effects of proposed circuit splits, and the internal procedures used by judicial bodies.


Immunization is increasingly recognized as a suitable therapeutic avenue for the treatment of neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and other tauopathies. Tau is a key molecular player in these conditions and therefore represents an attractive target for passive immunization approaches. We performed such an approach in two independent tau transgenic mouse models of tauopathy, K369I tau transgenic K3 and P301L tau transgenic pR5 mice. The antibodies we used were either specific for full‐length tau or tau phosphorylated at serine 404 (pS404), a residue that forms part of the paired helical filament (PHF)‐1 phosphoepitope that characterizes tau neurofibrillary tangles in tauopathies. Although both pS404 antibodies had a similar affinity, they differed in isotype, and only passive immunization with the IgG2a/κ pS404‐specific antibody resulted in a lower tangle burden and reduced phosphorylation of tau at the PHF1 epitope in K3 mice. In pR5 mice, the same antibody led to a reduced phosphorylation of the pS422 and PHF1 epitopes of tau. In addition, histological sections of the hippocampal dentate gyrus of the immunized pR5 mice displayed reduced pS422 staining intensities. These results show that passive immunization targeting tau can modulate aspects of tau pathology in tau transgenic mouse models, in an antibody isotype‐specific manner.


This study was conducted to determine the potential of palm stearin (PS) as edible coating materials for fruits. The palm stearin was blended with 20-80% palm kernel olein (PKOo) and the properties of the blends were evaluated in terms of the slip melting point (SMP), solid fat content (SFC), fatty acid and triacylglycerol compositions (TAG), and polymorphism. Blending of PS with PKOo reduced the SMP, SFC, altered the FAC and TAG composition and changed the crystal polymorphism from ᵝ to mixture of ᵝ and ᵝ'. The changes in the physicochemical properties of PS were due to the replacement of the high melting TAG in PS with medium chain TAG in PKOo. From the analysis, 1:1 and 3:2 were the better PSPKOo blend formulations ill slowing down the weight loss, respiration gases and gave better appearance when compared to other PSPKOo blends formulations. These two different coating formulations, 1:1 and 3:2 PSPKOo blends were applied onto guava by hand-wiping techniques" stored at 10°C and 20°C and were compared to beeswax (commercial coating) in terms of respiration gases, cohesiveness, weight loss, glossiness, colour and appearance. Guavas coated with 1:1 PSPKOo blend showed the lowest weight loss, while coating with 3:2 PSPKO showed the best guava appearance at 20°C. Both the PSPKOo coating blends significantly reduced (p O.05) was observed between the two coating formulations in terms of weight loss, ethylene gas concentrations, lightness, greenness and yellowness of guava for both storage temperatures. However, both coating resulted in better guava appearance than beeswax at both storage temperatures, The PSPKOo blend (at 31%) was incorporated into chitosan of different degree of deacetylation (DD) (85% and 95%) and molecular weight (MW) (100.000 and 300.000 Da) to form films and the films were evaluated in terms of particle size, diameter and stability of emulsion and also thickness and tensile strength. The chitosan with 85% DD (MW 300.000 Da) + 31% PSPKOo blend resulted in the strongest film and thus this chitosan was added with 15.50/0 and 310/0 PSPKOo blends for comparison of physical properties of film. Emulsion blend containing 85% DD (MW 300.000 Da) and 31% PSPKOo blend of chitosan gave the biggest particle size, highest viscosity and the most stable emulsion, resulting in the thickest film with the highest TS and EM. The film was applied on cherry tomato and stored at 20°C DC for 9 days. The chitosan film with 85% DD (MW 300.000 Da) + 31% PSPKOo blend was the most effective in reducing weight loss, maintaining firmness and redness of cherry tomato compared to the other two films. Hence, PS showed potential to be used as a moisture barrier in fruit coating.


Social science research has witnessed an increasing move towards visual methods of data production. However, some visual techniques remain pariah sites because of their association with psychoanalysis; and a reluctance to engage with psychoanalytically informed approaches outside of therapy-based settings. This paper introduces the method of 'sandboxing', which was developed from the psychoanalytical approach of the 'world technique'. 'Sandboxing' provides an opportunity for participants to create three-dimensional scenes in sand-trays, employing miniature figures and everyday objects. Data are presented from two studies conducted in Wales, UK. The first, exploring mature students' accounts of higher education, and the second, exploring the educational experiences of children and young people in public care. The paper argues that psychoanalytical work can be adapted to enable a distinctive, valuable and ethical tool of qualitative inquiry; and illustrates how 'sandboxing' engendered opportunities to fight familiarity, enabled participatory frameworks, and contributed to informed policy and practice.


PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES
To examine symptom and quality-of-life (QOL) trajectories in breast cancer and lymphoma survivors enrolled in a survivorship navigation intervention and to explore patient, caregiver, and primary care provider (PCP) satisfaction with receipt of a survivorship care plan (SCP).
.

DESIGN
Prospective, cohort, longitudinal.
.

SETTING
The Billings Clinic, an integrated cancer center in Montana.
.

SAMPLE
67 patients with breast cancer or lymphoma who recently completed cancer treatment, along with 39 of their caregivers and 23 PCPs.
.

METHODS
Data collection at one, three, and six months by the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General and satisfaction surveys.
.

MAIN RESEARCH VARIABLES
Symptoms, QOL, and satisfaction with the survivorship navigator and the SCP.
.

FINDINGS
Symptoms persisted six months following treatment. Symptoms and QOL indicators with worst intensity were energy, sleep, coping, and satisfaction with sex life. Patients with more comorbidities reported worse QOL, telephoned the survivorship navigator more often, and were more satisfied with the SCP. Patients with lymphoma reported higher QOL, but it was not significantly different from patients with breast cancer. Patients were significantly more satisfied than caregivers with the SCP at time 1. PCPs were highly satisfied with the SCP.
.

CONCLUSIONS
Some symptoms persist, even when cancer treatment has ended. Patients with comorbidities are at higher risk for more severe symptoms and worse QOL and may benefit from ongoing support. SCPs can facilitate patients' transition to primary care following cancer treatment.
.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING
Healthcare professionals who care for breast cancer survivors need to routinely assess them for the presence of comorbid conditions. Obese breast cancer survivors may benefit from weight reduction interventions to possibly decrease their risk of developing lymphedema and improve their overall health status.


Despite the increasing importance of mobile devices in education, the essential features of these devices for ubiquitous learning have not been empirically addressed. This study empirically investigated the necessary conditions for using mobile devices as an educational tool for ubiquitous learning in higher education by a conjoint method. The results show that respondents want to use Window-based large-screen devices for their educational purposes; thus, current tablet PCs might not be suitable in terms of screen size and type of platform. The findings also implied that potential users want to receive ubiquitous access by using advanced cellular networks, but they do not need comprehensive functions related to office documentation on their mobile devices. Therefore, this study suggests that both policy makers and business players consider developing the optimal educational mobile device as soon as possible for the successful dissemination of ubiquitous learning.


Rapid Application Development with Mozilla, part of the Bruce Perens Open Source Series, is a concise guide for any programmer who wants to learn the versatility and compatibility of Mozilla, an open source toolset with over a thousand objects and components. An additional feature of Rapid Application Development with Mozilla is the NoteTaker Web browser add-on-a sample Mozilla application that is developed throughout the book. Written by Web and XML expert Nigel McFarlane, this book is the perfect addition to the library of any user-interface software engineer, cross-platform developer, or any programmer looking to discover the benefits of rapid application development.


In the Storyline approach a fictive world is created in the classroom. Working in small groups, the learners create characters to people a story, speaking and writing in role. The story develops as the learners work on open key questions, based on curriculum content and integrating linguistic and practical skills. A word often used by participants in a Storyline topic is `fun´. I investigated which features of the Storyline approach particularly appealed to a class of 11-13 year-olds who took part in Our Sustainable Street and what impact working in this way had on their learning of English This paper reports on that study, which concluded that the Storyline approach offers significant benefits for the development of communicative competence, and shows how Storyline can meet the requirements of the curriculum.


If your child has been diagnosed with cerebral palsy, you have time to learn how cerebral palsy will affect them. Every child who has cerebral palsy has a unique combination of strengths and challenges. No one can predict where your child will fall within this diagnosis. Having cerebral palsy doesn't mean your child will have cognitive impairment. Only 30 to 50 percent of children who have cerebral palsy have some level of cognitive impairment, ranging from mild to severe.


Abstract. The multimodel ensemble exercise performed within the HTAP project context (Fiore et al., 2009) is used here as an example of how a pre-inspection , diagnosis and selection of an ensemble, can produce more reliable results. The procedure is contrasted with the often-used practice of simply averaging model simulations, assuming different models produce independent results, and using the diversity of simulation as an illusory estimate of model uncertainty. It is further and more importantly demonstrated how conclusions can drastically change when future emission scenarios are analysed using an un-inspected ensemble. The HTAP multimodel ensemble analysis is only taken as an example of a widespread and common practice in air quality modelling.


Abstract In 1962 Switzerland ratified the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict. It thereby undertook to guarantee optimum protection for all its valuable cultural property. Specific legislation drawn up in 1966 marked a decisive step forward: it stipulates the protective measures to be planned, encourages their implementation by means of grants, and designates competent authorities responsible for their enforcement. The Confederation bears the full costs in some spheres. Most of the measures required under Article 5 of the Second Protocol are already in place in Switzerland; a Swiss inventory of cultural property of national and regional importance has been prepared, as have documentary and microfilm records, and shelters have been provided for the storage of cultural property. Staff have been trained, the general public has been informed and cooperation has been set up with institutions and partners such as the fire brigades.


Neuromarketing, neuro-economics, and now the field of neuro-information systems (neuro-IS) is growing and our students want to know more about it all. This poster presents an elective course targeted to undergraduate IS majors. The course is focused on design aspects of brainbased computer interfaces for people with disabilities, new uses in organizations, and better understanding of human mental states. Students read seminal book chapters and papers, engage with guest lecturers on specialized topics, and watch related video and films to gain a background in the latest brain-based technology and its application to various organizations. The course material focuses on design, usability, psychological and cognitive states of users, and evaluation. Students demonstrate their understanding of key concepts by designing and conducting a related research study, analyzing a case in the field, or designing their own brainbased interface. Taught to forty undergraduate students in a face-to-face format, the course was met with positive reviews and sparked creation in an online format.


Molecular diagnosis of cystic fibrosis is based on the detection of mutation in the CFTR gene, identified in 1989. During the past 20 years, thanks to evolutions of diagnostic techniques, our knowledge of mutation spectrum and pathophysiological mechanisms involved in the disease has significantly improved. Sanger sequencing and quantitative methods greatly contributed to the identification of the 2,000 sequence variations reported worldwide in CFTR. We are now entering the new technological age with the generalisation of Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) technologies in diagnostics laboratories. These high throughput approaches allow scanning for the entire CFTR locus, including deep intronic regions, and in parallel other candidate genes that possibly influence the clinical evolution of patients. However, this powerful technology poses new challenge in test interpretation. In this chapter, we review the current and new technologies used in molecular diagnostics of cystic fibrosis, particularly NGS approaches. We also present current and new bioinformatics tools available for the interpretation of variants and in vitro/ex vivo and in vivo techniques that can be used to improve the characterization of the functional impact of CFTR variations.


This article presents a new tool for network throughput and stress testing. The FlowPing tool is easy to use, and its basic output is very similar to standard Linux ping application. The FlowPing tool is not limited to reach-ability or round trip time testing but is capable of complex UDP based throughput stress testing with rich reporting capabilities on client and server sides. Our new tool implements features, which allow the user to perform tests with variable packet size and traffic rate. All these features can be used in one single test run. This allows the user to use and develop new methodologies for network throughput and stress testing. With the FlowPing tool, it is easy to perform the test with the slowly increasing the amount of network traffic and monitor the behavior of network when the congestion occurs.


Exploring the development of youth policy and youth work in Ireland from the mid-19th century to the present day, authors Fred Powell et al. provide a strong account of policy changes and facilities made available for young people over the last 150 years. Dr Ken Harland finds the book to be an honest account of the difficult times youth work in Ireland has faced, and commends the authors for their attempts to record and contextualise new definitions of youth work


Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common abnormality of cardiac rhythm. There is growing evidence advocating an integrated multi-disciplinary approach to delivery of AF care facilitates which has led to improved care and outcomes and reductions in hospitalizations. In this research program, we have implemented a patient-centered and community-focused AF management program—termed as IMPACT-AF—to provide specialized AF care at the primary care level. Our approach is to exploit state-of-the-art e-Health technologies to: (a) computerize Canadian clinical practice guidelines as a web-based clinical decision support accessible to primary care providers to deliver evidence-informed AF diagnostic and therapeutic interventions at the primary care level; (b) monitor the patient in a home-based setting and proactively generate alerts and reminders to family physicians in response to adverse trends in the patient condition; and (c) engage patients through m-Health (mobile health) tools to self-manage their condition and undergo behaviour modification. Two research themes have been pursued in the development of the IMPACT-AF program: (1) Translation of AF Clinical Guidelines to Achieve Evidence-Informed AF Management: This theme involved three main tasks: (i) Computerization of the AF guidelines using ontology based knowledge models; (ii) Localization of the computerized AF guidelines to implement the local clinical pathways; and (iii) Operationalization of the computerized AF guidelines into practice through a computerized decision support system to provide evidence-informed patient care at the point-of-care. (2) Patient Engagement to Achieve Home-Based AF Management: This theme focused on the implementation of innovative AF self-management and behaviour modification interventions delivered to patients using mobile devices. We computerized theoretical behaviour modification model—i.e. Social Cognition Theory (SCT)—to generate personalized and mobile patient care plans. Using an AF (mobile) patient diary patients record their vitals and other AF related symptoms, and in turn receive educational messages, alerts, reminders and behaviour modification plans. The primary outcome of the IMPACT-AF project is reduction in AF related CV hospitalization. The secondary outcome is at two levels: (i) Process of Care: Reduction in specialist consultation, echo, catheter ablations; and, (ii) Economic: Reduction in health care costs and utilization for AF services. The clinical decision support systems developed by the IMPACT-AF project is deployed across the province of Nova Sctioa, engaging 200 primary care providers to deliver evidence informed AF management at the primary care level. We are gearing for a cluster randomized study involving 4000 patients across the province--the study will permit measurement and comparison of the clinical decision support system pre- and post-intervention, and across cases. The overall result will be cost-efficient improvement of care and outcomes for AF patients. In summary, the IMPACT-AF solution offers an innovative strategy to address two critical knowledge gaps —i.e. primary care physicians are often ill-equipped to provide evidence-based care for chronic conditions, and likewise patients are underprepared to apply the 'right' self-management and behaviour modification strategies to achieve meaningful outcomes in response to a longitudinal care plan. IMPACT-AF exploits state-of-the-art e-health technologies to develop an integrated and mobile clinical decision support systems to provide evidence-based AF care.


This paper presents the findings of the Gone Dark Project , a joint study between the Institute of Social and Cultural Anthropology and the Oxford Internet Institute at Oxford University. The project has sought to give substance to frequent reports of Web sites "disappearing" (URLs that generate "404 not found" errors) by tracking and investigating cases of excellent and important Web sites which are no longer accessible online. We first address the rationale and research methods for the project before focusing on several key case studies illustrating some important challenges in Web preservation. Followed by a brief overview of the strengths and weaknesses of current Web archiving practice, the lessons learned from these case studies will inform practical recommendations that might be considered in order to improve the preservation of online content within and beyond existing approaches to Web preservation and archiving.


A unique and distinct approach to unipolar, intraband transitions appropriate for room-temperature, mid- and long-wave-infrared (IR) photodetection is to use active regions comprising colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) synthesized by inorganic chemistry embedded in conjugated polymers. The polymer not only enhances quantum confinement of and electron localization in CQDs, but it also assists in the conduction of electrons photogenerated by the absorption of IR light. Preliminary demonstrations of intraband, mid-wave IR absorption and Fourier transform IR (FTIR) spectral response at room temperature in CdSe/MEH-CN-PPV hybrid nanocomposite thin films are promising, yet the inherent lack of control over hybrid nanocomposite morphology due to solution-based deposition is an inherent challenge. Matrix-assisted pulsed laser evaporation is a vacuum-based deposition technique that could address this challenge by providing more homogeneous distributions of CQDs in hybrid nanocomposite thin films.


This is a discussion of transplant surgery fellowship training issues that pertain to educational quality guidelines of fellowship programs, the number of fellows being trained, and the individual's fate in securing transplant surgery positions after training. In 1995, the Council of the American Society of Transplant Surgeons (ASTS) revised the academic guidelines to enhance the educational standards of programs seeking ASTS approval as a transplant surgery fellowship training program. The criteria for accrediting training programs in kidney and liver transplant surgery were redefined, and new criteria for pancreas transplant surgery training were developed. Regarding the number of transplant surgery fellows being trained per year, during the period from 1991 to 1997, a total of 327 transplant surgery fellows completed training at ASTS-accredited transplant surgery fellowship training programs. The annual number of transplant surgery fellowship graduates has remained nearly constant at approximately 45 per year. However, the proportion of transplant surgery trainees who are foreign medical graduates has increased annually since 1995. Currently, 49% of the trainees are foreign medical graduates. Regarding the individual's fates in securing transplant surgery positions after training, the proportion of U.S./Canadian medical graduates who received transplant surgery training during the last year but are practicing in surgical disciplines other than transplant surgery appears to be increasing. Before 1996, it was rare for transplant surgery trainees to pursue surgical practice activities that did not include transplantation. Among the current group of 28 U.S./Canadian medical graduates who completed transplant surgery training between January 1997 and July 1997, six did not secure an acceptable position in transplantation. Instead, they are practicing in either general surgery or vascular surgery, or obtaining additional transplant training. These changes in the demographics and dynamics of transplant surgery fellowship training activity provoke important concerns.


Aim: Brhad Agnikumara Rasa (BAR), an Ayurvedic preparation used as a traditional medicine in the treatment of indigestion in the Asian population. Sample: For this present study, Brhad Agnikumara Rasa (BAR) had been collected from Sri Kundeswari Aushadhalaya Ltd., Chittagong. Study design: Healthy albino rats were used for the toxicological evaluation of BAR. During this experiment, rats were randomly divided into two groups of five rats/group and a dose equlibrium to 400 mg/kg body weight was selected for this toxicological evaluation. Place and duration of Study: This study was carried out between June 2015 and July 2016 at Pharmacy department of Atish Dipankar University of Science and Technology. Methodology: To established safety status of BAR, healthy albino rats (Sprague-Dawley strain) (50-70 g) were used. Rats were randomly divided into two groups of 5 rats/group. BAR was administered chronically to the experimental rats at a dose equlibrium to 400 mg/kg body weight for 51 days. To assess the function of the liver and kidney various biochemical analysis were carried out by using rats serum. Results: Our findings showed that total protein content was increased (7.493%) in the BAR treated rats. The increase in total protein though not found statitically significant (p=0.088). Interestingly, the serum albumin content was statistically insignificantly (p=0.141) increased (14.657%) and the globulin content was insignificantly (p=0.281) decreased (11.373%) in BAR treated rats. There had been found a prominent increase in the total cholesterol (247.5%), and a decrease in HDL (35.835%) level within the rat serum. A very highly significant (p=0.001) increase (247.5%) of serum total cholesterol level had been observed, while a statistically highly significant decrease was observed in a case of HDL (35.835%) (p=0.008). After chronic administration of BAR to the rats, an increase of bilirubin level (14.015%) was noted in comparison to their control group (p=0.793). Finally, There was found an insignificant decrease in the plasma urea (10.922%) in the BAR treated rats (p=0.436), while BAR caused 9.862% increase in plasma uric acid. Conclusion: Therefore, Brhad Agnikumar Rasa will have been thought of safe for human therapeutic use at the counseled therapeutic doses.


This book deals with the subject of the relationship between Muslim architecture and society and how they influence each other, taking some social and historical segments of complex Indian society as a case study. The book consists of three independent studies which cover three vital aspects of Muslim architecture, especially in India:
1) Converting Hindu temples into mosques;
2) The royal funerary architecture of the Mughals;
3) The social significance of Mr. Nazeer Khan's architecture.
The lessons on Muslim architecture as derived from these three studies are by no means exhaustive. So complex and splendid is the realm of Muslim architecture, on the one hand, and so rich and diverse is the Muslim architectural legacy in India, on the other, to be adequately abridged in as little as three research papers. Besides, this book never attempted to do that. The book aims to reflect only on the three mentioned aspects, emphasizing in the process some notable at once spiritual and social qualities of Muslim architecture in general and in India in particular.
The lessons expounded in the book revolve around the universal, fluid, multi-dimensional and value-loaded character of Muslim architecture that always eventually comes to the fore in any given socio-economic, religious and cultural context. Genuine Muslim architecture is thus understood as a type of architecture whose functions and, to a lesser extent, form are inspired primarily by Islam. Muslim architecture is a framework for the implementation of Islam. As such, it facilitates, fosters and stimulates the 'ibadah (worship) activities of Muslims, which, in turn, account for every moment of their earthly lives.
Muslim architecture can only come into existence under the aegis of the Islamic perceptions of God, man, nature, life, death and the Hereafter. Thus, authentic Muslim architecture would be the facilities and at the same time a physical locus of the actualization of the Islamic message. Practically, Muslim architecture represents the religion of Islam that has been translated into reality at the hands of Muslims. It also represents the identity of Islamic culture and civilization.
The book shows how profound is the relationship between genuine Muslim architecture and a society where it is conceived, produced and utilized. This is so because Muslim architecture signifies a long process where all phases and aspects are equally important. The Muslim architecture process starts with having a proper understanding and vision which leads to making a right intention. It continues with the planning, designing and building stages, and ends with attaining the net results and how people make use of and benefit from them. Muslim architecture is a fine blend of all these factors which are interwoven with the treads of the belief system, teachings and values of Islam. Similarly, integral to the architectural processes are also local customs, traditions, geography and other numerous socio-economic considerations.
 Thus, the multi-tiered realm of architecture is not to be viewed only through the lens of architecture as pure art, science and technology. Rather, it is to be expanded into the higher and more sophisticated realms of existence. Existence, on the other hand, is not to be distorted or narrowed down, so as to go well with the corporeal ingredients and dimensions of architecture only. The orb of architecture, it follows, is to become known as an ultimate spiritualized and "supernatural" orb, whereas the life phenomenon is not to be mechanized or rendered merely physical, inconsequential and perfunctory just on account of some of us falling short of penetrating into its complex meanings and secrets.
Architecture is synonymous with physical and spiritual flawlessness, precision and balance. It follows the rules and principles of the perfect universe designed and created by the Perfect Creator. It is a recognition, extension and augmentation of the faultless equilibrium that runs through the veins of total existence. By no means is it imitating, much less challenging or surpassing, the latter. Indeed, there can be no imitation or challenge between two completely different domains with different existential qualities and spheres of influence.
God is the greatest and best Creator. Everything else comes second. Everything else, furthermore, ought to humble itself and subdue its existence to the paradigms of God's revealed Words, mercy and grace. Architecture, it follows, is an act of at once humbleness, appreciation and veneration. Hence, practicing architecture denotes an opportunity to acknowledge and bring closer to the human grasp some of the greatest secrets of the universe. Architecture in many ways is a microcosm of the quintessence of the universe whereby architects, builders, artists, as well as the users of buildings, enjoy the prospects of engendering genuinely intimate relationships with the truth and its copious expressions and ways.
It goes without saying that the thrust of the job of talented architects and artists is to feel indebted to God for the gifts and, as a way of appreciation, to remain humble, accountable and committed to enabling the ordinary people to experience and value those ontological truths as embodied by the art and architecture realms. Being an architect, therefore, is at once a privilege and responsibility, definitely the latter out-weighing the former. Architects are servants rather than masters. True architects are the servants of the dignified purpose of their profession, as well as of the needs and anticipations of people. At the same time, they are visionaries on account of their exceptional abilities and flair, inspiring and guiding those around them and making their lives more exciting, delightful and consequential. Architecture, therefore, is not just a profession. It is a life to be lived delightfully and responsibly.
Successfully researching in India about the themes of the book was possible only because of the unreserved, kindest and heart-felt support, help and hospitality of many people in the Indian states of Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and New Delhi. I hereby reserve special thanks and praise for Mr. Nazeer Khan, his wonderful family and his clients in India and abroad, Mr. Umer Melmuri, Mr. Abbas Panakkal, Mr. Naufel and Dr. Hussain Randathani and their respective families, Sayyid Ibrahim al-Khalil al-Bukhari, the Chairman of the Academy of Ma'din al-Thaqafah al-Islamiyyah in Malappuram in Kerala, and for all staff and students of the same Academy. Also, I feel very much indebted to Mr. Adam Ghanchi, Mr. Yusuf Yakub Patel and Mr. Hanif Sanghariyat and their families who made my visit and stay in the Gujarat state extremely enjoyable and home-like. It was due to all of them that my visits to India were memorable. I will cherish those wonderful memories forever. Thus, I pray to Almighty God to grant all the persons mentioned above the best in this world and the hereafter.
Finally, I welcome any constructive, academic suggestions concerning the book's contents, my methodology, arguments, inferences, and my understanding and interpretation of the collected data.


ABSTRACT Survey research was used to explore the beliefs of 963 staff members regarding the myths to treating tobacco dependence and the integration of tobacco dependence into substance abuse treatment programs. The staff represented a mixture of residential, outpatient, and prevention-based gender-specific (women only) treatment centers throughout Ohio. The study found the following: a high percentage of staff believed in the conventional myths associated with the treatment of tobacco in chemically dependent persons; current smokers were reluctant to support all substance abuse treatment facilities in becoming tobacco-free, yet did support treating tobacco dependence in their facilities; and former and never smokers supported tobacco-free policies for their and all treatment facilities. Education and support for staff in treating tobacco dependence is recommended. ********** Tobacco use among chemically dependent persons is high with prevalence rates estimated at 70-90% compared to 21% in the current adult population in the United States (Batel, Pessione, Maitre, & Reuff, 1995; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2007; Kalman, Morissete, & George, 2005; Richter, Ahluwalia, Mosier, Nazir, & Ahluwalia, 2002; Sharp, Schwartz, Nigthingale, & Novak, 2003). Despite such a high percentage of tobacco users among chemically dependent persons, substance abuse programs are slow to integrate tobacco dependence into existing treatment services (Fuller et al., 2007; Ziedonis, Guydish, Williams, Steinberg, & Foulds, 2006). This reluctance is often fueled by prevailing myths concerning concurrent treatment of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs as detrimental to treatment outcomes (Gulliver, Kamholz, & Helstrom, 2006). Substance abuse treatment staff are estimated to use tobacco at rates of 30-40% (Bemstein & Stoduto, 1999; Friend & Levy, 2004; Fuller et al., 2007). Staff resistance to the integration of tobacco into existing treatment services may be rooted in myth and dogma as well as in its own tobacco use. Substance abuse treatment facilities must address these underlying issues in order to gain staff support and cooperation for the integration and treatment of tobacco dependence. This study explores staff: (a) beliefs about existing myths around treating tobacco dependence; and (b) beliefs toward integrating tobacco dependence into its substance abuse treatment programs. LITERATURE REVIEW Treating Tobacco Dependence: Prevailing Myths Treatment for tobacco is often ignored or omitted within the standard substance abuse treatment model, which is fueled by several myths designed to discredit the needs for and benefits of addressing this addiction (Fuller et al., 2007; Ziedonis et al., 2006). The prevailing myths commonly discussed include the following: (a) Chemically dependent clients do not want to quit using tobacco (Kalman, 1998; Kodl, Fu, & Joseph, 2006); (b) concurrent treatment will bring detrimental consequences to recovery outcomes (Bowman & Walsh, 2003; Joseph, Willenbring, Nugent, & Nelson, 2004; Kalman, 1998); (c) tobacco is more benign than other substances (Gulliver et al., 2006); and (d) addressing tobacco dependence would be too stressful for the client (Ziedonis et al., 2006). Studies on the treatment of tobacco dependence refute such myths and create stronger evidence for the treatment of tobacco dependence with chemically dependent individuals. Numerous studies have found that clients receiving substance abuse treatment desire to quit using tobacco and are interested in receiving treatment for their tobacco dependence either during or after substance abuse treatment (Bernstein & Stoduto, 1999; Bobo, Lando, Walker, & McIlvain, 1996; Burling, Burling, & Latini, 2001; Clarke, Stein, McGarry, & Gogineni, 2001; Ellingstad, Sobell, Sobell, Cleland, & Agrawal, 1999; Joseph, Lexau, Willenbring, Nugent, & Nelson, 2004; Zullino, Besson, & Schnyder, 2000). …


Despite the substantial progress in recent years, the image captioning techniques are still far from being perfect. Sentences produced by existing methods, e.g. those based on RNNs, are often overly rigid and lacking in variability. This issue is related to a learning principle widely used in practice, that is, to maximize the likelihood of training samples. This principle encourages high resemblance to the "ground-truth" captions, while suppressing other reasonable descriptions. Conventional evaluation metrics, e.g. BLEU and METEOR, also favor such restrictive methods. In this paper, we explore an alternative approach, with the aim to improve the naturalness and diversity – two essential properties of human expression. Specifically, we propose a new framework based on Conditional Generative Adversarial Networks (CGAN), which jointly learns a generator to produce descriptions conditioned on images and an evaluator to assess how well a description fits the visual content. It is noteworthy that training a sequence generator is nontrivial. We overcome the difficulty by Policy Gradient, a strategy stemming from Reinforcement Learning, which allows the generator to receive early feedback along the way. We tested our method on two large datasets, where it performed competitively against real people in our user study and outperformed other methods on various tasks.


This article provides one of the first critical looks at the interface between the values of the sustainable food movement and its rising use of litigation. In particular, it focuses on two growing areas of food sustainability litigation "challenges to CAFOs and challenges to the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in the food system" chosen because they involve growing sectors of U.S. agriculture over which members of the sustainable food movement have raised significant concerns. The article begins by describing the sustainable food movement, including how the movement fits in with factors that sociologists use to characterize social movements, as well as the values seemingly held by the sustainable food movement. The article next provides a brief introduction into CAFOs and GMOs. In doing so, the article explores the types of concerns expressed by the sustainable food movement regarding these issues by examining some popular literature coming out of the sustainable food movement. The article then analyzes CAFO and GMO litigation in the United States arising from the sustainable food movement. In examining this litigation, the article observes how these challenges relate to some of the purported goals of the various sustainable food movements, yet may not fully succeed in advancing some of the broader visions of the movements. The article then explains that the inadequacy of these legal efforts result from particular ways in which existing legal avenues fail to mesh with the values of the food sustainability movements. This article concludes by drawing from studies of other historical movements and argues that the food sustainability movement, if it is to succeed in transforming the U.S. food system, must seek reform not only through substantive changes to agricultural and food policy, but also through the creation of additional legal avenues for its values to be meaningfully expressed.


ABSTRACT Niche marketing has recently received a great deal of attention in the agri-food trade press and in academic circles as a legitimate strategy for small- and medium-sized agri-food firms. Due to the limited theoretical treatment of agri-food niche marketing strategy, the paper will apply marketing concepts from the general management literature (e.g., Porter; Linneman and Stanton) to agri-food industries. The first objective of the paper is to introduce the three elements of niche marketing strategies and show how these elements can be used to form a strategy identification matrix. The matrix is intended to be used by agribusiness decision makers to assist in the development of niche marketing strategies. The second objective is to provide examples of successful niche marketing strategies that have appeared in the literature related to agricultural markets. More than forty such examples have been identified and collected. These case studies will be analyzed, and their relationship to the niche strategy matrix will be examined.


There are two interrelated questions that I would like to explore in the context of Pleshette DeArmitt's work. The first one pertains to the intellectual stakes in the eloquent style of her writing, its elegance and playfulness, which accompanies the philosophical order of argumentation. And the second one refers to the issue of female friendship. How can one discuss such friendship without resorting to merely biographical, historical, or autobiographical terms? Yet what kind of philosophical theories of female friendship could I possibly refer to? Perhaps to none. DeArmitt, whose life has created so many friendships, did not live long enough to write about friendship, at least not directly. And yet I would like to suggest that her captivating—the adjective that I use here deliberately—book, The Right to Narcissism: A Case for Im-possible Self-Love, leaves us traces of female friendship in her philosophical argument that narcissistic self-love is inseparable from the love of another.


1 in 5 Americans will develop skin cancer in their lifetime but 80% of skin cancer is preventable. According to the World Health Organization, the majority of sun exposure occurs before the age of 18. Because children spend much of their time outdoors, teachers should ensure students have enough knowledge to protect themselves from the sun. After speaking with various educators and parents in the San Antonio, TX community, it became apparent that insufficient knowledge is provided to students and families regarding sun damage and protection. A 1 hour powerpoint presentation was created and given to 3 rd grade and 5 th grade classes at 10 public elementary schools in San Antonio, TX. An 8 question pre test and post test was also provided to the students. The 8 question test assessed how much the students had learned from the presentation, if they currently protect themselves from the sun, and whether they use sunscreen. 106 students in 3rd grade and 95 students in 5 th grade took the pre- and post-test. Both classes improved their score from the pre to the posttest. 3rd graders missed an average of 2.45 questions on the pretest and 2.12 questions on the posttest. 5th graders missed an average of 3.29 questions on the pretest and 1.21 questions on the posttest. Additionally, only 37% of 3rd graders and 15% of 5th graders claimed that they always use sunscreen. From the results of the study, it is apparent that students improved their knowledge regarding sun damage and protection by listening to the presentation. Therefore, it is imperative that children, parents, and teachers continue to be educated in San Antonio, TX so that the next generation can protect themselves from the sun.


This document specifies a new architecture for the forwarding of
multicast data packets. It provides optimal forwarding of multicast
packets through a "multicast domain". However, it does not require a
protocol for explicitly building multicast distribution trees, nor
does it require intermediate nodes to maintain any per-flow state.
This architecture is known as "Bit Index Explicit Replication" (BIER).
When a multicast data packet enters the domain, the ingress router
determines the set of egress routers to which the packet needs to be
sent. The ingress router then encapsulates the packet in a BIER
header. The BIER header contains a bit string in which each bit
represents exactly one egress router in the domain; to forward the
packet to a given set of egress routers, the bits corresponding to
those routers are set in the BIER header. The procedures for
forwarding a packet based on its BIER header are specified in this
document. Elimination of the per-flow state and the explicit tree-
building protocols results in a considerable simplification.


Problem-based learning is emphasized in teaching as well as in research at the Blekinge Institute of Technology, where we come from. Students work in projects, often in collaboration with businesses and other organizations in the region. Cross-disciplinary course modules and co-operative projects are offered, involving students and staff from different subject areas. As far as possible, student projects are linked to on-going research projects, and research, too, is carried out in close cooperation with the surrounding society, the public sector and enterprises/industries in the region. Consequently, when we decided to offer a net-based summer course in 2002, an important aspect was how we could continue to link our on-going interdisciplinary research cooperation to the course in a constructive way, such that the students could be involved in problem-based learning of relevance to both their own situations and our research work. In this paper, we describe and reflect on some of the experiences from our first net-based summer course, in which we used three main themes and a combination of individual and group tasks to support reflection and dialogue around the literature and the students? own contributions to the course. The course was net-based, but also included F-2-F; three consecutive days of ?live? lectures and seminars at the university campus in Ronneby.


Understanding and protecting vulnerable children is key to helping them become productive members of society. The Department of Health and Human Services sponsored the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW) to better understand the lives of children who come into contact with the child welfare system. This paper uses the NSCAW data to investigate the role of maternal depression and maternal substance abuse on a child's cognitive stimulation scores for a subset of the children. An investigation of the survey methodology and the actual data led to some manipulation of the data and assumptions for the analysis. The differences between design and model based analyses of survey data were explored. The two analyses were applied to the cognitive stimulation scores. For the model based analysis, two models were developed, one which used the weights at each stage of model building and one which did not use the weights at each stage. The models had conflicting results. Two recommendations were made to improve upon the model based analysis. First was to obtain information about the weights after each stage of adjustment. The second was to model the different strata separately. The design based analysis (design based-model assisted) used the two models created in the model based analysis and reexamined them using design based techniques. The design based analysis had similar results to the model based analysis. The two models in the design based setting also provided conflicting results regarding the question of interest. To determine which is better, the question of which " regression line " provides better data reductive properties needs to be addressed.


Humic substances are a collection of colored organic acids characterized by high molecular weight and low nitrogen (N) content that are thought to be biologically recalcitrant. We examined a suite of nonaxenic estuarine phytoplankton isolates to determine their ability to take up 15N‐labeled humic substances formed in the laboratory and supplied as the sole N source. All 17 estuarine and coastal strains took up the added humic N, but the one polar isolate did not. Two of the coastal isolates (Heterosigma akashiwo and Fibrocapsa japonica) could take up the humic N in nonaxenic culture but not in axenic culture, suggesting that bacterial remineralization played a role in making humic N accessible to these species. The ability of nonaxenic phytoplankton isolates to use humics of different ages (1 week to 1 yr old) was tested using three strains capable of taking up humic N at high rates. Younger, fresher humics were taken up by the phytoplankton strains at higher rates than older, more fulvic‐like compounds, and at rates higher than inorganic N uptake run in parallel. Time‐course results indicate that while uptake of the inorganic N forms was sustained, high rates of humic N uptake declined after the first few hours of incubation. Additional humic substances were labeled with both 15N and 13C, and the relative incorporation of N versus carbon (C) was used to infer potential uptake mechanisms. None of the isolates took up humic C, suggesting that uptake of the humic N followed breakdown of the humic molecule by bacteria or via extracellular enzyme cleavage of humic N. Regardless of the mode of uptake, the observation that humic N can be rapidly used by phytoplankton suggests that the importance of humic N as a source of phytoplankton N nutrition should be reevaluated.


Suppurative thrombophlebitis was identified in 193 (4.2%) of 4,636 burn patients treated during the years 1960–1978. A single vein was involved in 162 patients, while 31 had multiple vein involvement. The distribution and incidence of suppuration in individual veins reflected the frequency of cannulation, with an increase in the use of central vein cannulae, during the last 10 years, paralleled by a rise in central vein suppuration. The infecting organisms reflected the patients' surface flora. Local signs of infection were present in less than half (35%) of the patients and recovery of a positive blood culture in a clinically septic patient was the most frequent clinical presentation prompting exploration of previously cannulated veins. Pathogenetic mechanisms are identified and criteria defined for determining the extent of excision necessary. Ninety veins were excised from 75 patients during the 1969–1978 period, of whom 30 (40%) survived (three other patients with antibiotic treated central vein disease also survived). Treatment failure was attributable to inadequate excision in 12 patients, suppuration within another unexcised vein in eight patients, hematogenous dissemination of infection in five patients in whom the local disease had been eradicated, and other disease in 20 patients. Prophylaxis must emphasize limited duration of cannulation. Timely diagnosis and treatment can effect maximum salvage and reduce the likelihood of systemic dissemination.


We use earthquake data from 1989–1994 to test a forecast by Nishenko based on the seismic gap theory. We refer to this forecast as the "New Seismic Gap" hypothesis, because it is the first global forecast based on the seismic gap hypothesis that considers the recurrence time and characteristic earthquake magnitude specific to each plate boundary segment. Nishenko's forecasts gave probabilities that each of about 100 zones would be filled by characteristic earthquakes during periods of 5, 10, and 20 years beginning on the first day of 1989. Only the first of these can be tested now. We used three tests based on (1) the total number of zones filled by characteristic earthquakes, (2) the likelihood that the observed list of filled zones would result from a process with the probabilities specified in Nishenko's hypothesis, and (3) the likelihood ratio to that of a Poissonian null hypothesis. The null hypothesis uses a smoothed version of seismicity since 1977 and assumes a Gutenberg-Richter magnitude distribution. We used both the Harvard Centroid moment tensor and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration preliminary determination of epicenters catalogs in our test. We also used several different magnitude cutoffs in our tests, because Nishenko's forecast did not specify a clear relationship between the characteristic earthquake magnitude and the threshold magnitude for a successful prediction. Using a strict interpretation, that only earthquakes equal to or larger than the characteristic magnitude should be counted, both catalogs show only two qualifying earthquakes in the entire area covered by the forecast. The predicted number is 9.2, and the discrepancy is too large to result from chance at the 99% confidence level. The new seismic gap hypothesis predicts too many characteristic earthquakes for three reasons. First, forecasts were made for some zones specifically because they had two or more earthquakes in the previous centuries, biasing the estimated earthquake rate. Second, open intervals before the first event and after the last event are excluded in calculation of recurrence rate. Third, the forecast assumes that all slip in each zone is released in characteristic earthquakes of the same size, while in fact considerable slip is released by both smaller and larger earthquakes. The observed size distribution of earthquakes is inconsistent with the characteristic hypothesis: instead of a deficit of earthquakes above the characteristic limit, earthquake numbers are distributed according to the standard Gutenberg-Richter relation. By lowering the magnitude threshold for qualifying earthquakes, it is possible to reduce the discrepancy between the observed and predicted number of earthquakes to an acceptable level. However, for every magnitude threshold we tried, the new seismic gap model failed the test on the number of filled zones, or the likelihood ratio test, or both, at least at the 95% confidence level.


Statement
  of
  the
  Problem: Since
  the
  mid-‐twentieth
  century,
  scholarship
  on
  European
  witchcraft
  has proved
  critical
  in
  understanding
  the
  relationship
  between
  gender,
  sexuality,
  and power
  in
  pre-‐modern
  Western
  society.
  For
  medieval
  and
  early
  modern
  people, accusations
  of
  heresy
  and
  witchcraft
  served
  to
  reinstate
  control
  over
  elements
  of society
  that
  were
  perceived
  as
  dangerous
  or
  dissident
  to
  the
  established
  order. While
  advances
  in
  the
  study
  of
  witchcraft
  have
  greatly
  informed
  the
  fields
  of history
  and
  anthropology,
  such
  scholarship
  has
  up
  until
  this
  point
  largely focused
  on
  witch
  hunts
  targeting
  women
  of
  the
  lower
  classes.
  Further
  study concerning
  the
  use
  of
  witchcraft
  charges
  as
  a
  political
  tool
  aimed
  at
  socially prominent
  women
  is
  needed
  to
  better
  inform
  scholarly
  understanding
  of
  the
  full breadth
  of
  the
  European
  witch
  craze.
  This
  thesis
  will
  specifically
  examine
  a multitude
  of
  cases
  spanning
  the
  early
  Middle
  Ages
  through
  the
  early
  modern period,
  roughly
  the
  fifth
  through
  eighteenth
  centuries,
  involving
  women
  in positions
  of
  social
  visibility
  and
  power,
  who
  were
  attacked
  with
  witchcraft accusations
  as
  a
  means
  of
  removing
  them
  from
  a
  seemingly
  unnatural
  gender role. Methodology
  or
  Procedures: This
  thesis
  utilizes
  a
  diverse
  range
  of
  medieval
  documents,
  especially witchcraft
  treatises,
  as
  a
  means
  of
  exploring
  the
  evolution
  of
  European
  witchcraft throughout
  the
  medieval
  period,
  culminating
  in
  the
  late
  medieval
  feminization
  of
  the institution
  of
  witchcraft.
  In
  order
  to
  establish
  politically
  motivated
  witchcraft charges
  against
  powerful
  women
  as
  a
  repeating
  pattern
  throughout
  medieval
  and early
  modern
  history,
  this
  study
  assumes
  a
  sweeping
  perspective,
  taking
  note
  of similar
  cases
  occurred
  both
  chronologically
  and
  geographically
  separate
  from
  one another.
  Subsequently,
  the
  source
  material
  upon
  which
  this
  thesis
  relies
  is
  quite diverse.
  Infamous
  inquisitors'
  guides
  such
  as
  the
  Formicarius
  by
  Johannes
  Nider
  and the
  Malleus
  Maleficarum
  by
  Kramer
  and
  Sprenger
  provide
  the
  theoretical
  foundation upon
  which
  such
  witchcraft
  charges
  were
  built,
  and
  similarly
  allow
  me
  to
  explain the
  belief
  system
  in
  place
  that
  allowed
  witchcraft
  accusations
  against
  prominent women
  to
  succeed. Moving
  on
  from
  this
  foundational
  literature,
  this
  study
  explores
  a
  variety
  of primary
  sources
  documenting
  specific
  instances
  of
  witchcraft
  accusations
  leveled
  at socially
  influential
  women.
  These
  will
  include,
  to
  name
  a
  few,
  the
  claims
  of witchcraft
  aimed
  at
  the
  Anglo-‐Saxon
  Queen
  Ælfthryth
  in
  the
  twelfth-‐century chronicle
  Liber
  Eilensis,
  the
  recording
  of
  the
  sorcery
  trial
  of
  Dame
  Alice
  Kyteler
  in fourteenth-‐century
  Ireland,
  and
  the
  court
  proceedings
  for
  treason
  and
  witchcraft brought
  against
  Joan
  of
  Arc
  in
  fifteenth-‐century
  Burgundy
  and
  Queen
  Anne
  Boleyn in
  1530s
  England.
  Examining
  the
  implications
  of
  witchcraft
  accusations
  on
  powerful women
  will
  broaden
  and
  bolster
  scholarship
  on
  the
  European
  witchcraft
  movement by
  illustrating
  both
  how
  these
  cases
  fit
  into
  the
  larger
  fabric
  of
  medieval
  society,
  and how
  they
  maintained
  or
  impacted
  the
  social
  hierarchy
  and
  its
  prescribed
  gender roles. Findings: This
  study
  illustrates
  a
  pattern
  of
  politically
  motivated
  witchcraft
  accusations throughout
  the
  medieval
  and
  early
  modern
  period
  informed
  by
  a
  single,
  ever-‐ expanding
  lexicon
  supporting
  the
  idea
  of
  feminized
  witchcraft.
  Unlike
  much previous
  scholarship
  on
  European
  witchcraft,
  this
  thesis
  demonstrates
  that
  socially prominent
  women,
  for
  a
  myriad
  of
  reasons
  ranging
  from
  the
  scrutiny
  given
  to
  their sexual
  conduct
  to
  their
  contested
  foothold
  in
  both
  the
  domestic
  and
  public
  spheres, were
  just
  as
  susceptible
  to
  accusations
  of
  sorcery
  and
  witchcraft
  as
  their
  lower-‐class counterparts.
  The
  case
  studies
  presented
  here
  also
  demonstrate
  a
  pattern
  of
  naming women
  as
  witches
  in
  an
  attempt
  to
  delegitimize
  their
  agency
  in
  the
  male-‐dominated arenas
  of
  governance,
  religion,
  warfare,
  and
  commerce.

  Because
  this
  method successfully
  defamed
  and
  destroyed
  numerous
  powerful
  women
  throughout
  the Middle
  Ages,
  the
  inherent
  characteristics
  of
  the
  witch
  became
  intertwined
  with unrestrained
  women,
  creating
  an
  environment
  that
  allowed
  political
  detractors
  to slander
  women
  for
  witch-‐like
  crimes,
  without
  ever
  invoking
  that
  particular
  label. This
  finding
  demands
  further
  study
  on
  the
  relationship
  between
  powerful
  women and
  claims
  of
  deviant
  behavior
  as
  an
  essential
  aspect
  of
  pre-‐modern
  women's
  social history.


Objective: It is unclear that infections with Gram‐negative rods resistant to at least one major class of antibiotics (rGNR) have a greater effect on patient morbidity than infections caused by sensitive strains (sGNR). We wished to test the hypothesis that rGNR infections are associated with higher resource utilization. Design: Retrospective observational cohort study of prospectively collected data. Setting: University hospital surgical intensive care unit and ward. Patients: Surgical patients with at least one GNR infection. Measurements: We compared admissions treated for rGNR infection with those with sGNR infections. Primary outcomes were total hospital costs and hospital length of stay. Other outcomes included antibiotic treatment cost, in‐hospital death, and intensive care unit length of stay. After univariate analysis comparing outcomes after rGNR infection with those after sGNR infection, multivariate linear regression models for hospital cost and length of stay were created to account for potential confounders. Main Results: Cost data were available for 604 surgical admissions treated for at least one GNR infection (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria), 137 (23%) of which were rGNR infections. Admissions with rGNR infections were associated with a higher severity of illness at the time of infection (Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score, 17.6 ± 0.6 vs. 13.9 ± 0.3), had higher median hospital costs ($80,500 vs. $29,604, p < .0001) and median antibiotic costs ($2,607 vs. $758, p < .0001), and had longer median hospital length of stay (29 vs. 13 days, p < .0001) and median intensive care unit length of stay (13 days vs. 1 day, p < .0001). Infection with rGNR within the first 7 days of admission was independently predictive of increased hospital cost (incremental increase in median hospital cost estimated at $11,075; 95% confidence interval, $3,282–$20,099). Conclusions: Early infection with rGNR is associated with a high economic burden, which is in part related to increased antibiotic utilization compared with infection with sensitive organisms. Efforts to control overuse of antibiotics should be pursued.


Although Schoenberg certainly regarded his most important wartime composition, the half-finished oratorio Die Jakobsleiter , as an autonomous and performable work, his conception of the piece changed
 dramatically over the three decades that it remained a "work in progress." Yet recent productions confirm a remarkable consistency of interpretation, based less on the Schoenberg/Winfried Zillig-orchestrated
 Urtext than on a 1980 performance conducted by Boulez. This "definitive" commercial release has not only dictated the parameters of productions that have followed but has erased from the record several
 earlier performances of the work, including the only version that Schoenberg heard and authorized. Two performance sources, both held in collections in Vienna but not yet discussed in published studies,
 may prove to be extremely significant for future performances of the oratorio. The first, Schoenberg9s libretto manuscript for his oratorio, contains an extended concept sketch for the musical and
 dramatic climax. The second, a copy of the published libretto, includes extensive annotations in Alban Berg9s hand which record aspects of Schoenberg9s rehearsals for the premiere performance of the oratorio
 in 1921. Both sources highlight Schoenberg9s and Berg9s sensitivity to the innovative musical language of the oratorio, its fragmentary form, and its problematic literary style, yet both also suggest novel
 approaches to its realization in 21st-century productions.


From small objects to large-scale sculptures, glass is an art form of captivating beauty, fragility, and diversity. This book features outstanding contemporary works in glass from the Barbara and Dennis DuBois Collection in Dallas, Texas. The catalogue examines the pioneering contributions of such international master artists as Dale Chihuly, Dan Dailey, Stanislav Libensky and Jaroslava Brychtova, Harvey Littleton, William Morris, Tom Patti, Marc Peiser, Lino Tagliapietra, Oiva Toikka, Frantisek Vizner, and Toots Zynsky. In addition to color reproductions of their works, the book includes an introductory essay by Cindi Strauss and individual entries by Strauss, Rebecca Elliot, and Susie Silbert that place the highlighted 25 works in context, explaining the importance of each artist's contribution to the field as well as the object's aesthetic and technical innovations. The book also includes an interview between Strauss and the collectors Barbara and Dennis DuBois.


This paper presents and validates methods to extend reuse distance analysis of application locality characteristics to shared-memory multicore platforms by accounting for invalidation-based cache-coherence and inter-core cache sharing. Existing reuse distance analysis methods track the number of distinct addresses referenced between reuses of the same address by a given thread, but do not model the effects of data references by other threads. This paper shows several methods to keep reuse stacks consistent so that they account for invalidations and cache sharing, either as references arise in a simulated execution or at synchronization points. These methods are evaluated against a Simics-based coherent cache simulator running several OpenMP and transaction-based benchmarks. The results show that adding multicore-awareness substantially improves the ability of reuse distance analysis to model cache behavior, reducing the error in miss ratio prediction (relative to cache simulation for a specific cache size) by an average of 70% for per-core caches and an average of 90% for shared caches.


This document provides an empirical picture of the causes and effects of tenure-related disputes between private sector actors and local peoples across Southeast Asia. It demonstrates that disputes in Southeast Asia are often more intractable and more violent than in any other region examined. The most common reason for these disputes is forced displacement, but factors like environmental damage, cultural abuse, and compensation also figure. The analysis is based on an investigation of 51 case studies across Continental and Maritime Southeast Asia. These "new cases" are compared with a global average derived from the IAN Case Study Database's 237 cases after 2001 and outside Southeast Asia. The aim is therefore to provide greater insight into the way that tenure rights and governance are impacting the private sector at the macro-level. This high-level view is complemented by separate papers on Continental and Maritime Southeast Asia, each of which profiles the case studies in depth and provides a more nuanced view of how tenure-related disputes develop and how they can be resolved.


This is the ultimate photographic guide to every species of bird in Britain and Europe. Whether you're an armchair addict, or a long-time twitcher, RSPB Complete Birds of Britain and Europe is an essential reference to the 800 bird species found throughout Britain and Europe. It comes with a 70-minute CD of birdsong and calls so you can listen to many of the birds featured in this beautiful guide. You can see birds in their natural habitat and learn about characteristic behaviour with stunning photos showing adults in typical plumage, with male, female, juvenile and summer or winter variations to help you identify birds in the field quickly and easily. You can explore up-to-date, colour-coded maps highlighting resident and migratory distributions so you know which species of birds to expect when you are out and about. Plus, this comprehensive reference book describes the characteristics of bird anatomy, reproduction, flight, song, and other forms of behaviour, ensuring you'll become an expert birdwatcher in no time. This new edition of RSPB Complete Birds of Britain and Europe (previous ISBN: 9781405345897) has been fully updated and revised with every fact and image fully authenticated by experts at the RSPB, making this a must-have for bird enthusiasts of all levels.


This dissertation investigates the effect of grain boundaries (GBs) in polycrystalline graphene on the tensile fracture behavior and thermal conductivity of the graphene sheets. Current techniques to fabricate large-scale graphene intrinsically introduce defects, e.g., GBs, resulting in polycrystalline graphene sheets. Though GBs in graphene are expected to affect the mechanical properties of graphene, mechanistic understanding and quantitative determination of such effects are far from mature. For example, existing studies on the effect of GBs on the tensile behavior of graphene only focus on a twin GB perpendicular to the tensile loading direction. However, GBs in a polycrystalline graphene sheet under uniaxial tension could be subject to tension in any arbitrary directions, depending on the GB and grain orientation in the graphene sheet. In this dissertation, we focus on the effect of GBs on the tensile and thermal response of polycrystalline graphene. The fracture process of polycrystalline graphene sheets under uniaxial tension was studied using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to determine how GBs affects the ultimate strength and critical failure strain of the graphene. We also study the flow of heat through polycrystalline graphene to determine the effect of GBs on the thermal conductivity of graphene. A comprehensive study including 24 GB misorientation angles ranging from 2.1° to 54.3° and the whole range of loading angle (i.e., that between a GB and in-plane tensile loading direction, ranging from 0° to 90°) was carried out to quantitatively determine the effect of GBs. Stress-strain data were generated from the MD simulations and the failure strength and critical strain were analyzed. A theoretical model combining continuum mechanics theory and disclination dipole theory was introduced to predict the failure strength of the polycrystalline graphene sheets, which was shown to be in good agreement with the MD simulation results. Various failure modes of polycrystalline graphene under tension were also analyzed. The thermal conductivity of polycrystalline graphene as a function of GB misorientation angle and thermal loading angle was also quantitatively determined through systematic simulations. The quantitative findings from this dissertation could potentially bridge the knowledge gap toward a better understanding of defects and their effects on two-dimensional materials, and also shed light on possible defect control and engineering to achieve desirable properties of graphene in applications. Dedication This dissertation is dedicated to my mother and father who have supported me throughout my education. Without their love and support this document would not have been possible. ii …


The adaptive significance of cryptic colour patterns has seldom been analysed in a phylogenetic context. We mapped data on the presence vs. absence of dorsal stripes, and the use of needle-like vs. broad foliage, onto a recent phylogeny of Timema walking-sticks, in order to infer the evolutionary history of these traits and test the hypothesis that the dorsal stripe is an adaptation for crypsis on needle-like leaves. By maximum parsimony optimization, the dorsal stripe has evolved five or six times in this clade, each time in association with the use of vegetation with needle-like leaves. Maddison's concentrated changes test showed that this association between morphology and habitat was statistically significant. By contrast, results based on Pagel's maximum likelihood analyses did not reach significance, probably because the large number of origins of dorsal stripe introduces statistical uncertainty. These results suggest that the adaptations for crypsis can arise readily and in parallel, in the appropriate selective environment. However, they may also constrain the evolution of host-plant use, as there is no unambiguous case of Timema species with dorsal stripes shifting to broad-leaved plants. © 2008 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2008, 94, 1‐5. ADDITIONAL KEYWORDS: crypsis ‐ host specialization ‐ phylogeny ‐ timematidae.


The purpose of this study is to identify and analyze the thoughts of Islamic multicultural education proposed by KH Imam Zarkasyi in or- der to find the rationale and the construction of thoughts as well as the contribution to Islamic civilization in Indonesia through historical-philo- sophical approach. The results of the study showed that the rationale of Islamic multicultural education proposed by KH. Imam Zarkasyi referred to the principle of the unity of man or unity of creation and the unity of knowledge, as a reflection of the nature of one God conception. The in- terpretation of the concept created internalization approach regarding the spiritual reason in which every human work stepped on the objective value and implications on the orientation of God as the minimum ratio- nality to release the negative spirit, dichotomy, liberalization of science, socio-cultural, fanatics of tribes/nation/race/ethnic group/culture, or the overall types of the local/national/international students' souls through the integration of the value in terms of diverse knowledge and socio- cultural values based on Islamic teaching values, cultural philosophy of Indonesian identities, socio-cultural diversity of local/national/interna- tional students and the integration of Education Center in terms of social structure equal to the form of communal religious, had formed a balance of value function and changes of attitudes, intellects and the strength of local/national/international Moslems as the power of socio-religious Mos- lems in Indonesia in order to foster peace throughout the world. The above findings showed the integrated points of view on religion, metaphysics and reason that determined the consciousness of human morality, not as the guidance of thoughts and ratio.