This thesis is the final part of bachelors program of Nuclear Engineering at UppsalaUniversity (program code KKI1). The work has been carried out in cooperation withForsmark Kraftgrupp AB. The topic studied deals with possible improvements ofefficiency at the planning department at block 2 in Forsmark i.e. FMP2.FMP2 plans and coordinates over 3,000 operations which is carried out during theannual overhaul of block 2 in Forsmark. Inspections, fuel replacement and repairs areincluded in the annual overhaul. The overhaul shall contribute to secure and reliableoperation of the block.The overhaul shall mitigate the risk of unplanned downtime. Also accidents, financiallosses and damage to reputation among public and the Regulators (i.e. SSM and IAEA)shall be avoided. The time for overhaul depends on actions that must be executedand the complexity of the work. Normally, the overhaul time last for a number ofweeks and in rarely cases it can last for months.One topic in the thesis has been to find and describe a way for the planningdepartment (FMP2) to improve status control in ongoing overhaul activities and toincrease the planning department efficiency i.e. to save time for the planningdepartment. With better status control and faster work in the planning departmentthe total overhaul time can be expected to be shortened. Additionally the thesisdiscusses the importance of reliable and secure nuclear power management with therespect to society.The thesis is partly based on examine of current work practices, a literature studyand interviews with employees. The literature study addresses interaction betweenhumans and technology and how to accomplish good decisions. The interviews havebeen made to gather experiences from earlier used working methods.This report shows that FMP2 's current working model is good, although not perfect.It is probable that efficiency improvements at the individual level can be reached thatincreases employed personnel working capacity. Enhanced efficiency can also bereached by using better computer programs that manages the functions that currentlyrequire several separate IT-systems. A number of recommendations are given in thereport for how operations can be improved. Among other things, a proposal toexplore how extraordinary working efforts shall be rewarded.The nuclear power energy importance for the Swedish electricity power balance hasbeen discussed. The conclusion is that customers, electricity generators and thepublic benefits from reliable and secure nuclear power management.


An aqueous extract of Pithecellobium dulce has been studied as a corrosion inhibitor in controlling corrosion of mild steel in 1 N HCl medium by weight loss, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and potentiodynamic polarization techniques. Polarization study revealed that the inhibitor acts as mixed type of inhibitor. The electrochemical impedance study further confirms the formation of an adsorbed film on the mild steel. The adsorbed film over the mild steel surface has been confirmed by Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) analysis. The adsorption character of plants extract on mild steel surface obey Temkin isotherm.


The clarification of Moroccan Valencia orange juice performed by ultrafiltration (UF) using flat sheet polysulfone (PS) membrane with molecular weight cut off 20 kDa. The freshly squeezed juice, after a depectinization step, was submitted to an UF process. In experimental tests performed according to the total recycle mode for study the effect of the operating conditions on the permeate flux and quality. The clarified juice was produced according to the batch concentration mode working in optimal operating and fluid dynamic conditions. The quality of the samples coming from the UF process was evaluated in terms of: total soluble solids (TSS), color, clarity, total antioxidant activity (TAA), total flavonoids content (TFC), ascorbic acid (AA), and total phenolics content (TPC). The clarified orange juice was highly close to the initial juice except for suspended solids (SS) and pectin content which were totally concentrated in the retentate. In the permeate of the UF process a low reduction of TPC (12.4%), TAA (13.52%), TFC (13.41%) and AA (7.86%) were observed with respect to the initial juice.


The omnipresence of electronic devices in our everyday life goes together with a trend that makes us always more immersed during their utilization. By immersion, we mean that during the development of a new product, it is more and more required to stimulate several senses of the user so as to make the product more attractive. The sense of touch does not escape the rule and is more and more considered. Definitely democratized by its integration in smart phones with touchscreens, the haptic feedback allows enhancing the human-machine interactions in many ways. For instance by improving the comfort of use of a button through the modification of its force feedback. It can also offer an interactive experience during the manipulation of digital information and even improve the communication, particularly through the internet and for blind people, with the introduction of non-verbal signals. For these reasons, the present thesis focuses on the conception of multi-finger haptic devices, a new kind of peripherals integrating multiple actuators and capable of providing a fully programmable force feedback to the user's fingers. A global methodology is presented, outlining the different constituents necessary for their conception: actuator, sensor, control, communication and software user interface. Then, generic tools corresponding to the two first elements are presented. An accurate modeling of miniature electromagnetic short-stroke actuators is made possible thanks to the combination of 3D finite element modeling (FEM) and design of experiments (DOE). The non-usual behavior of magnetic flux lines in miniature actuators with relatively large airgaps imposes to avoid simplified analytical models and to use the reliable results of finite elements. The long computation times required by 3D FEM are balanced by the use of selective DOE making the modeling methodology easily adaptable, rapid and accurate. The parametrical model of the force provided by the modeling methodology is then integrated in a full parametrical setup allowing for the optimization of the actuator force using a conventional algorithm. The advantage of the parametrical optimization is that complementary non-linear constraints such as weight and temperature can be added, making the model multi-physic. Then, several original position measurement techniques using existing sensors are developed including a low-cost custom single-photointerrupter sensor allowing for direction discrimination for fast-prototyping and a hybrid sensing method using tiny Hall sensors and taking advantage of the leaks of the main actuator magnet. Two innovative self-sensing methods are then presented, allowing for the measurement of the mover position of linear short-stroke actuators. The first solution estimates the position of the coil by measuring the acceleration through the back emf. However in this case, a constant acceleration is required, which strongly restrains the application scope. The second solution allows for a real-time measurement of the position thanks to a passive oscillating RLC circuit influenced by the variation of the coil impedance. All the solutions presented are low-cost, compact and require few computation resources. Finally, in order to illustrate the methodology proposed along the thesis, several prototypes are fabricated, giving an overview of the possibilities offered by multi-finger haptic devices. A haptic numeric pad is notably used in an experiment made in collaboration with the University Service of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in Lausanne with the aim of improving the impaired emotional processing of psychotic adolescents. Moreover, the successful identification of several touch sensations on the same haptic pad lays the first stones of a new tactile language.


Affine-coupling models (Dinh et al., 2014; 2016) are a particularly common type of normalizing flows, for which the Jacobian of the latent-toobservable-variable transformation is triangular, allowing the likelihood to be computed in linear time. Despite the widespread usage of affine couplings, the special structure of the architecture makes understanding their representational power challenging. The question of universal approximation was only recently resolved by three parallel papers (Huang et al., 2020; Zhang et al., 2020; Koehler et al., 2020) – who showed reasonably regular distributions can be approximated arbitrarily well using affine couplings – albeit with networks with a nearly-singular Jacobian. As ill-conditioned Jacobians are an obstacle for likelihood-based training, the fundamental question remains: which distributions can be approximated using well-conditioned affine coupling flows? In this paper, we show that any log-concave distribution can be approximated using well-conditioned affine-coupling flows. In terms of proof techniques, we uncover and leverage deep connections between affine coupling architectures, underdamped Langevin dynamics (a stochastic differential equation often used to sample from Gibbs measures) and Hénon maps (a structured dynamical system that appears in the study of symplectic diffeomorphisms). In terms of informing practice, we approximate a padded version of the input distribution with iid Gaussians – a strategy which (Koehler et al., 2020) empirically observed to result in better-conditioned flows, but had hitherto no theoretical grounding. Our proof can thus be seen as providing theoretical evidence for the benefits of Gaussian padding when training normalizing flows. Anonymous Institution, Anonymous City, Anonymous Region, Anonymous Country. Correspondence to: Anonymous Author <email@example.com>. Preliminary work. Under review by INNF+ 2021. Do not distribute.


The cowpea, Vigna unguiculata (Fabeaceae) is widely cultivated in semi-arid regions, such as northeast Brazil. Due to the low crop yields in this region, it would be useful to develop cultivars adapted to these climate conditions. Landraces are seen as an important source of germplasm to be used in breeding programs of this species due to their good adaptation to the environment, but for this strategy to be viable, their genetic variability must be studied. To this end, we evaluated the genetic diversity, using ISSR molecular markers, of 52 samples of cowpea landraces collected mostly from small producers from all over the state of Ceará, Brazil. The DNA of the genotypes was extracted and analyzed using 25 primers. Based on the electrophoresis profiles of the bands, a genetic dissimilarity matrix was prepared, and a cluster analysis made using the UPGMA and modified Tocher methods. Fourteen primers amplified 80 bands, of which 61 were polymorphic, generating a polymorphism rate of 76%. The selected markers were efficient in identifying genetic variability among the varieties under evaluation, providing a large amount of information. The polymorphic information content varied from 0.13 to 0.66 and the band frequency ranged from 0.01 to 1.00. The two clustering methods agreed in the number of groups formed (n = 6), with the genetic distances ranging from 0.05 to 0.31, values considered low, suggesting a narrow genetic base for the landraces of this species in Ceará state.


This paper looks at the efficiency of the parameterisation of the degrees of freedom within an optimal predictive control algorithm. It is shown that the conventional approach of directly determining each individual future control move is not efficient in general, and can give poor feasibility when the number of degrees of freedom are limited. Two systematic alternatives are explored and both shown to be far more efficient in general.


The basis between spot and future prices will be affected by jump behavior in each asset price, challenging intraday hedging strategies. Using a formal cojumping test this paper considers the cojumping behavior of spot and futures prices in high frequency US Treasury data. Cojumping occurs most frequently at shorter maturities and higher sampling frequencies. We find that the presence of an anticipated macroeconomic news announcement, and particularly non-farm payrolls, increases the probability of observing cojumps. However, a negative surprise in non-farm payrolls, also increases the probability of the cojumping tests being unable to determine whether jumps in spots and futures occur contemporaneously, or alternatively that one market follows the other. On these occasions the market does not clearly signal its short term pricing behavior.


Cloud Computing, as one of the most promising computing paradigms, has become increasingly accepted in industry. Numerous commercial providers have started to supply public Cloud services, and corresponding performance evaluation is then inevitably required for Cloud provider selection or cost-benefit analysis. Unfortunately, inaccurate and confusing evaluation implementations can be often seen in the context of commercial Cloud Computing, which could severely interfere and spoil evaluation-related comprehension and communication. This paper introduces a taxonomy to help profile and standardize the details of performance evaluation of commercial Cloud services. Through a systematic literature review, we constructed the taxonomy along two dimensions by arranging the atomic elements of Cloud-related performance evaluation. As such, this proposed taxonomy can be employed both to analyze existing evaluation practices through decomposition into elements and to design new experiments through composing elements for evaluating performance of commercial Cloud services. Moreover, through smooth expansion, we can continually adapt this taxonomy to the more general area of evaluation of Cloud Computing.


BACKGROUND Students pursuing advanced degrees are increasingly expected to contribute to their discipline's scholarly discourse during their tenure in graduate school. However, they are often unsure of how or where to begin the publishing process, and do not always feel comfortable asking for help from their faculty advisors or fellow students. Scholars, including librarians, have attempted to address these concerns by developing tools and services to meet the needs of future faculty. In recent years, university presses and research libraries have recognized their shared mission in furthering scholarship, with libraries themselves offering publishing education and expertise. PROJECT OVERVIEW During the 2012-2013 academic year, subject librarians and publishing professionals at the University of Michigan Library crafted a program to address students' questions and concerns about the publishing lifecycle. This ongoing initiative includes a multi-semester workshop series developed in concert with faculty from departments throughout campus, as well as a supplementary online toolkit that takes into account the rapidly evolving nature of scholarly communication. LESSONS LEARNED Major takeaways from this program include: the value of student assessment in shaping publishing workshops; awareness of the discrepancies of registration numbers and actual attendance, highlighting the potential for enhanced promotion techniques; the importance of university press and faculty insight; and the benefits of collaboration among librarians, publishing professionals, and faculty members. NEXT STEPS Future iterations of this program will incorporate in-depth assessment of each program, a more interactive learning environment, and better scheduling and promotion of the workshop series.


Background: Excessive human exposure to solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR) con-tinues to be a major public health concern, with skin cancer rates increasing year on year. The major protective measure is the use of synthetic UVR filters formulated into sunscreens, but there is a growing concern that some of these chemicals cause damage to delicate marine ecosystems. One alternative is the use of biocompatible mycosporine-like amino acids (MAA), which occur naturally in a wide range of marine species. Their role within nature is mainly thought to be photoprotective. However, their potential for human photoprotection is largely understudied. Objective: To review the role of MAA in nature and assess their potential as natural sun-screens for human skin photoprotection. Method: A literature review of all relevant papers was conducted. Conclusion: MAA are natural photostable compounds that are thought to offer photopro-tection to marine species. Initially thought of as protective based on their absorption prop-erties in the solar UVR spectrum, it is clear that MAA are multifunctional photoprotective compounds acting as chemical and biological anti-oxidants. This suggests that MAA may offer a novel eco-friendly approach to human skin photoprotection. Most studies have been carried out in vitro and current data strongly suggest that MAA have potential for de-velopment as natural biocompatible sunscreens that protect against a diverse range of solar UVR induced adverse effects on human health.


Objective Chest radiographs (CXR) are an important diagnostic tool for the detection of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) in critically ill patients, but their diagnostic value is limited by a poor sensitivity. By using advanced image processing, the aim of this study was to increase the value of chest radiographs in the diagnostic work up of neutropenic patients who are suspected of IPA. Methods The frontal CXRs of 105 suspected cases of IPA were collected from four institutions. Radiographs could contain single or multiple sites of infection. CT was used as reference standard. Five radiologists and two residents participated in an observer study for the detection of IPA on CXRs with and without bone suppressed images (ClearRead BSI 3.2; Riverain Technologies). The evaluation was performed separately for the right and left lung, resulting in 78 diseased cases (or lungs) and 132 normal cases (or lungs). For each image, observers scored the likelihood of focal infectious lesions being present on a continuous scale (0–100). The area under the receiver operating characteristics curve (AUC) served as the performance measure. Sensitivity and specificity were calculated by considering only the lungs with a suspiciousness score of greater than 50 to be positive. Results The average AUC for only CXRs was 0.815. Performance significantly increased, to 0.853, when evaluation was aided with BSI (p = 0.01). Sensitivity increased from 49% to 66% with BSI, while specificity decreased from 95% to 90%. Conclusion The detection of IPA in CXRs can be improved when their evaluation is aided by bone suppressed images. BSI improved the sensitivity of the CXR examination, outweighing a small loss in specificity.


Four phases of heterogeneous deformation (f1 to f4) are distinguished within the Laxfordian episode of regeneration of the Lewisian gneiss complex of South Uist. The variation in amount of deformation has been examined with respect to three of the Laxfordian fold phases, especially f3 and f4, and apparent relationships between the strain heterogeneities and both the original nature of the rock and the syntectonic metamorphic conditions have been observed. The heterogeneities of the f3 deformation appear to be related to the forms of the large scale f3 structures that are characterized by broad open antiforms and tight synforms. These owe their form, in part, to the strains set up during the buckling of an interface between competent rocks below and less competent rocks above. Heterogeneities in the f4 deformation are closely related to variations in the intensity of the syntectonic metamorphism; intense f4 deformation is closely associated with migmatisation and granitisation. Possibly intense f4 strain may result from localised variations in ductility caused by a local thermal high.


The saver's credit, enacted in 2001 as part of the Bush administration's tax cut legislation, provides a government matching contribution for voluntary individual contributions to 401(k) plans, individual retirement accounts (IRAs), and similar retirement savings arrangements. It is the first and only major federal legislation directly targeted to promoting tax-qualified retirement saving for moderate- and lower-income workers. Yet its current status as both temporary-it is scheduled to expire in 2006-and nonrefundable hinders its ability to be a real help to low- and middle-income families. This policy brief outlines several ways to improve the credit. [© Brookings Institution]


The fabrication of SiC MEMS-based sensors requires new processes able to realize microstructures on either bulk material or on the SiC surface. The hetero-epitaxial growth of 3C-SiC on silicon substrates allows one to overcome the traditional limitations of SiC micro-fabrication. In this work a comparison between single crystal and poly crystal 3C-SiC micro-machined structures will be presented. The free-standing structures realized (cantilevers and membrane) are also a suitable method for residual field stress investigation in 3C-SiC films. Measurement of the Raman shift indicates that the mono and poly-crystal 3C-SiC structures release the stress in different ways. Finite element analysis was performed to determine the stress field inside the films and provided a good fit to the experimental data. A comprehensive experimental and theoretical study of 3C-SiC MEMS structures has been performed and is presented.


Video delivery has become a major challenge for mobile networks. The increasing spread of smartphones, along with the expanding availability of LTE coverage, has contributed to an extensively growing mobile video demand, bringing large volumes of video traffic and far exceeding the capacity of mobile networks. As a result, wireless access congestion is becoming more frequent, degrading the Quality of Experience (QoE) for mobile video consumers. In this paper, we present a novel QoE-aware traffic management scheme and architecture for scalable video delivery. Thereby, Scalable Video Coding (SVC) is able to organize video data into layers of different importance, thus facilitating the rate adaptation of video streams. The proposed cross-layer architecture is implemented and the optimization is validated in a real-time streaming prototype and testbed. Results demonstrate the benefit of applying QoE-awareness and cross-layer optimization in congestion scenarios. The perceived video quality is improved considerably for all users in the cell, under both light and heavy congestion.


Structural coastal protection interventions have been implemented worldwide to stabilize channels and shorelines in tidal inlets. Although these conventional "gray" interventions typically attain their goals, there is an increasing interest and need to consider nature-based or "green" interventions that also address system resilience and environmental impacts. For a better implementation of gray to green interventions in tidal inlets, their effectiveness and their effects on the velocity of these dynamic coastal systems need to be understood. The effects on flow velocity of gray to green coastal protection interventions for tidal inlets are assessed here by exploring six interventions intended to protect against erosion on the estuarine-side shoreline near the inlet. A field-calibrated numerical model with Willmott Skill scores rated as excellent for Oregon Inlet located in North Carolina, United States, is used to simulate tidal currents under present conditions and after implementing a seawall, a set of bendway weirs, a terminal groin extension, a dual-jetty system, a flood channel relocation, and an island restoration project. Comparisons of time series of flow velocities in the flood channel along an eroding, estuarine shoreline are used to identify the effectiveness of each coastal protection alternative at reducing erosive velocities. Geospatial difference maps are used to determine velocity changes caused by each alternative throughout the inlet system. With no coastal protection interventions, the velocities along the eroding shoreline exceeded an erosive threshold velocity (defined as 0.2 m/s) during 50% of the simulated period. Alternatives closer to the green side of the coastal protection intervention spectrum, such as channel relocation and island restoration, tend to display the most effectiveness at reducing flow velocities at the eroding shoreline while resulting in minimal inlet-wide hydrodynamic changes. On the other hand, gray alternatives either cause minimal (seawall and bendway weirs) or extreme (jetties) changes in velocities throughout the inlet system. This comparison of gray and green coastal protection interventions in tidal inlets serves as an example to contrast the effectiveness of different coastal protection alternatives at reducing erosive flow velocities and to inform alternative selection at other inlet systems.


Metaphor is a common form of figurative language, yet little is known about how the brain produces novel figurative expressions. Related research suggests that dynamic interactions between large-scale brain systems support a range of complex cognitive processes, particularly those requiring focused internal attention and cognitive control. However, the extent to which these networks interact to support core processes of figurative language production remains unknown. The present research explored this question by assessing functional interactions between brain regions during novel metaphor production. Participants completed a metaphor production task and a literal control task during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Whole-brain functional connectivity analysis revealed a distributed network associated with metaphor production, including several nodes of the default (precuneus and left angular gyrus; AG) and executive (right intraparietal sulcus; IPS) networks. Seed-based analyses showed direct function connections between core hubs of the default, salience, and executive networks. Moreover, analysis of temporal network dynamics found early functional coupling of the left AG and right anterior insula that preceded subsequent coupling of the left AG and left DLPFC, pointing to a potential switching mechanism underlying default and executive network interaction. These results extend recent work on the cooperative role of large-scale networks during complex cognitive processes, and suggest that metaphor production involves dynamic cooperation between brain systems linked to cognitive control, semantic integration, and spontaneously-generated thought.


In this paper, we propose a simplified approach to optical signal predistortion based on adaptive pulse shaping through asymmetrical control of a Mach-Zehnder modulator above its switching voltage. The scheme allows natural tailoring of transmitted pulses by optimizing the received pulse. We demonstrate enhancement of the power tolerance in nonrepeated systems and improved OSNR/BER performance and dispersion tolerance in ultra-long-haul fiber systems operating at 10 Gb/s and 20 Gb/s channel rates. The improved performance is demonstrated through simulations and experiment.


It is important in a virtual auditory display (VAD) system to reproduce not only static sound information, but also dynamic variation of sound. Thus, to achieve a highly precise virtual auditory display system, the system should be responsive to a listener's head movement. However, system latency (SL), in which the listener's head movement is reflected in the sound, certainly exists. If SL is detectable to the listener, it results in incongruousness. Consequently, the detection threshold (DT) of SL must be well investigated and SL should be sufficiently smaller than it. However, there have been relatively few studies on the DT of SL. Moreover, as inter-subject differences have been reported, it is necessary to examine DT in more detail. In this study, the DT and difference limen (DL) were investigated using two kinds of experiments and compared. As a result, averaged DT and DL over listeners were estimated to be 94 ms and 70 ms, respectively. Moreover, a strong correlation between the DT and DL (r=0.81 (p < .01)) was observed. This may mean that DL can be regarded as DT when the minimum system latency of the system is sufficiently small. Therefore, by taking the average of our results and previous studies, DT of SL was estimated as being around 75 ms.


In this essay, classical rhetorical theory is applied to show that Machiavelli's Prince was not intended as advice for a prince, nor as political science, but rather as a very subtle, but nevertheless powerful, critique of the Italian princes of his day, the Medici included. While not a new reading of the text (the notion of the Prince as a crypto-republican work goes back even before the Enlightenment to the very first years of its appearance), this article places such an interpretation on the firm base of rhetorical theory together with a close reading of the text. Classical rhetorical theory will thus be seen to be a powerful tool in the proper understanding of the text, a line of approach continuing the already important work of the past twenty years, which seeks to restore an appreciation of the fundamentally rhetorical nature of Machiavelli's literary technique and political thought. From this examination of the text against the background of rhetorical theory, one of the perennially vexing questions in the interpretation of Machiavelli's political thought--how to reconcile the apparently princely counsels of the Prince with the republican sentiments expressed in Machiavelli's other writings--can finally be resolved.


This paper examines the relationship between stock returns and inflation. We focus on various econometric techniques to test this relationship, using monthly values of the Athens Stock Exchange Price index and the Greek Consumer Price index over the period 1988-2002. The results from a simple OLS model show evidence of a positive but not significant relationship, while when we consider a system of equations including lagged values of inflation we find a negative but not significant effect of lagged inflation to stock returns. Using the Johansen cointegration test, we find that there is no long-run relationship between stock returns and inflation in Greece. The results indicate that the inflation rate is not correlated with stock returns. Finally, from a dynamic point of view, the Granger-Causality tests indicate evidence of no causality among these variables.


This study traces the semasiological development of the verb afeitar , taking into account probable intervening social and cognitive factors that contributed to several shifts in the verb's prototypical meaning. Data collected from electronic corpora suggest the existence of three phases in the semantic development of the verb. Literary evidence from the fifteenth to the seventeenth centuries suggests that the social elite increasingly viewed the act of applying cosmetics in a negative light. The study argues that positive connotations were a conventionalized, requisite component to the meaning suggested by the verb, and that the verb was therefore increasingly viewed as inappropriate for reference to the act of applying cosmetics, while it remained perfectly suitable for reference to the act of shaving.


Most of the classical denoising methods restore clear results by selecting and averaging pixels in the noisy input. Instead of relying on hand-crafted selecting and averaging strategies, we propose to explicitly learn this process with deep neural networks. Specifically, we propose deformable 2D kernels for image denoising where the sampling locations and kernel weights are both learned. The proposed kernel naturally adapts to image structures and could effectively reduce the oversmoothing artifacts. Furthermore, we develop 3D deformable kernels for video denoising to more efficiently sample pixels across the spatial-temporal space. Our method is able to solve the misalignment issues of large motion from dynamic scenes. For better training our video denoising model, we introduce the trilinear sampler and a new regularization term. We demonstrate that the proposed method performs favorably against the state-of-the-art image and video denoising approaches on both synthetic and real-world data.


Wireless systems of all types, from mobile phones to satellites have developed based on a combination of integrated circuits (IC) and multichip modules (MCM). Digital sections of these systems have benefited from increasing levels of integration at the IC level thanks to a seemingly endless ability of Si CMOS to scale itself. However, RF sections have, for a variety of reasons, evolved much more toward MCM solutions. The primary reason for this trend is that RF sections require a wide variety of subsystems that differ substantially from each other whereas virtually all digital subsystems can be constructed from Si CMOS. In addition, RF sections have substantial passive requirements for filtering, matching and tuning. However, MCM solutions are large and expensive when compared to a possible IC solution. In this paper we present a hybrid option: use of UltraCMOS/sup /spl reg// technology in subsystem-level RFIC integration to reduce size and cost of MCM system solutions. Examples from both commercial and satellite applications are presented and discussed.


The Clinch Dace Chrosomus sp. cf. saylori is a species of minnow known from only two counties in Virginia. Prior surveys established the species' presence in just eight tributaries to the upper Clinch River. A management plan, which should include both population monitoring and habitat restoration, is still lacking for the species. Population monitoring must balance high detection probability with low risk of injury to captured individuals. I sampled 98 sites in 2014 and 2015 within the putative range of Clinch Dace to refine estimates of its distribution. I sampled 70 of the 98 sites with multiple gears and replication in an occupancy modeling framework. Clinch Dace occupied low-gradient headwater streams with relatively low conductivity in forested watersheds. My surveys uncovered two new tributaries occupied by Clinch Dace, and I was unable to find Clinch Dace in two historically occupied streams. Species detection probability was higher with backpack electrofishing than minnow trapping. N-mixture models suggest that Clinch Dace are more abundant in watersheds with high forest cover although forest cover is highly correlated spatially in the nested stream network. Density estimates from mark-recapture sampling suggest that Clinch Dace occur at low densities in approximately 31.5 km of headwater streams. The mean estimate of global population size was 6,706 individuals. Some populations could be affected by low genetic diversity. I conclude by developing a prioritization framework for restoration and protection of 15 candidate conservation areas. Managers should work with private landowners to implement best management practices in high priority watersheds.


The dynamics of electron-transfer processes between bis(tetrabutylammonium) cis-bis(thiocyanato)bis(2,2'-bypiridine-4,4'-dicarboxylato)ruthenium(II) (called N719) and nanostructured ZnO films have been investigated by femtosecond and nanosecond spectroscopy. The incident photon to current conversion efficiency (IPCE) for these dye-sensitized electrodes was 36% in the maximum of 530 nm, corresponding to a quantum efficiency of 80%. The highest IPCE values were obtained when the electrodes were prepared under conditions where formation of dye aggregates in the pores of the nanostructured films is avoided. For such films, the electron injection time was in the subpicosecond regime (<300 fs), which is comparable to the N719−TiO2 system. The back electron-transfer kinetics between conduction band electrons and oxidized dye molecules were biexponential with time constants of 300 ns and 2.6 μs. Variation of the light intensity did not affect the time constants, but only their relative weights. The kinetics of ba...


The variety of ways in which death has been handled in human societies has been a source of much scholarly fascination. In this brief overview, anthropological approaches to the study of death are identified and explained. The emphasis is on death as a social event rather than the mere cessation of bodily functions. The piece describes classical anthropological approaches to death rituals and specifically as these are found in the work of Robert Hertz. Consideration is then given to the transformation of death and the way that mortuary practices have changed over time. In these changes can be seen the way that the lives of the dead are conceived in relation to those who are left behind. Contemporary examples of this relationship are drawn from biomedicine and the practice of organ transplantation and from instances where those killed in political violence are exhumed. The piece ends with a brief reflection on the future of the afterlife.


The industrial establishments of the forest industry are often concentrated in distinct regions, in which they employ a significant part of the labor force. This paper presents a model which provides a means to analyze and evaluate investment patterns and programs in such regions. The model contains two integrated parts: one describes the obsolescence and renewal processes in the industry sectors of a region. This part of the model is formulated within the framework of a regionally specified multisectoral model. The other part is an optimization model which generates investment and production for regions, given national and regional constraints on production and employment levels.


Abstract. The article provides an overview of the features of the Magrit web application: a free online thematic mapping tool, presenting a strong pedagogical dimension and making possible to mobilize all the elements necessary for the realization of a thematic map. In this tool, several simple modes of representation are proposed such as proportional maps or choropleth maps. Other, more complex modes are also available such as smoothed maps and cartograms. Each map can be finalized thanks to layout and customization features (projection, scale, orientation, toponyms, etc.) and exported in vector format. Magrit is therefore a complete, light and versatile tool particularly adapted to cartography teaching at the university.


The plant health management (PHM) is an integrated system that entirely relies on communicating accurate and timely information by key actors in the plant health system. Information and communication technologies (ICT's) are playing a significant role in connecting all the stakeholders in PHM systems. Various ICT approaches have been exploited to bring down the relevant information to the farmers. These innovative technologies have been found to transform and expand the reach of the extension services. Plantwise is a CABI led global programme that supports national extension systems through its network of plant clinics in developing countries to provide smallholder farmers with better access to plant health information and improve their livelihoods by minimizing crop losses. The plant clinics are supported by a global knowledge bank, a central repository for plant health diagnosis and management information. Plant clinics are run by trained 'plant doctors', normally extension officers with a knowledge of agronomy/crop protection, who are trained in different CABI modules in which they are taught field diagnosis and IPM approaches to give pragmatic advice. In this programme, various ICT approaches and solutions have been introduced in an attempt to improve and strengthen its on-going plant clinic activities. The use of ICTs involves the use of mobile technology (tablets) for collecting data and accessing and sharing plant health information via apps. These ICT approaches have been helpful in delivering accurate and timely information to farmers, collecting and making available real time data for informing better decision making as well as building better knowledge networks among extension workers and researchers


Emerging diseases must make a transition from stuttering chains of transmission to sustained chains of transmission, but this critical transition need not coincide with the system becoming supercritical. That is, the introduction of infection to a supercritical system results in a significant fraction of the population becoming infected only with a certain probability. Understanding the waiting time to the first major outbreak of an emerging disease is then more complicated than determining when the system becomes supercritical. We treat emergence as a dynamic bifurcation, and use the concept of bifurcation delay to understand the time to emergence after a system becomes supercritical. Specifically, we consider an SIR model with a time-varying transmission term and random infections originating from outside the population. We derive an analytic density function for the delay times and find it to be, in general, in agreement with stochastic simulations. We find the key parameters to be the rate of introduction of infection and the rate of change of the basic reproductive ratio. These findings aid our understanding of real emergence events, and can be incorporated into early-warning systems aimed at forecasting disease risk.


This thesis explores the process of constructing an inter-firm network among eight electronics firms. Based on an experiential learning approach, I explore the social dynamics that help construct an inter-firm network with a capacity to support innovation in firms. Based on a sixyear endeavour of constructing and maintaining a network, I set out to answer the main research question: What are the characteristics of experiential learning processes that facilitate network construction and development? In the first part of the thesis I give an overview of what I regard as the most relevant literature about network construction processes. I reveal the knowledge gap concerning the social dynamics that underpin network construction processes. Studies on inter-firm networks tend to build on descriptive analyses of networking processes in which the researcher observes or evaluates existing networks in retrospect. These studies deal inadequately with the practical aspects of creating connectivity among different actors, activities and resources. In response to the identified gap in the networking literature, I develop a theoretical framework for network construction that builds on actor network theory and a conversational approach to experiential learning. In building this conceptual framework, I have argued that social construction processes develop in discontinuous patterns characterised by alternating phases of stability and transformation. The co-generative approach undertaken in this study signifies two separate albeit interconnected processes to knowledge production and change. First, in collaboration with the practitioners, I have played an active role in initiating and maintaining the networking activities outlined in this study. Second, the networking processes and the outcomes of these activities have been subjected to analysis and reflections among co-researchers. The interplay between reflections in action with the practitioners and the research community's analysis of these reflections was significant for producing the process models outlined in this study. Through this interlinked process my understanding of the relation between experiential learning and the practice of constructing and maintaining networks developed gradually. The second part of the thesis contains the case descriptions. This part outlines the activities and the social processes that take place in what I have labelled the foundation phase, the expansion phase and the stabilising phase. This part illustrates how the network configuration, the patterns of interaction and the networking members' orientation change according to the nature of the identified development phases. The foundation phase demonstrates the challenges of completing the experiential learning cycle. I argue that these problems mainly relate to the problems of facilitating a dialogical context that allows for free speech and for uncovering the participants' needs. Therefore, important questions to address during this phase include how to minimise barriers to open communication and how to avoid decision-making procedures that may lead the group to solve the wrong problems. The expansion phase displays the process of building external support that enables the network to transform its ideas into project activities and beneficial outcomes. I emphasise the need for identifying relevant stakeholders and for using procedures that help enrol actors located in the external environment into the networking configuration. Processes of enrolment require a coordinating function that allows different actors to obtain shared and coordinated meanings. The stabilising phase describes a period of reconciliation. After a period of radical transformation, there is a need to re-establish the personal relations and the networks' boundaries. In this phase, the ladder of inference proved a powerful tool for facilitating dialogical inquiries of professional practice and hence for strengthening the network's bonds. This process allowed for explicit inferences to be made and for ideas and practice to be tested. During this phase, the network progressed towards what I have labelled a "community of sharing". In the third part I try to answer the research question by linking the empirical findings to the theory and to conceptualise a more elaborate understanding of how to make experiential learning facilitate network construction processes. Applying an experiential learning approach to network construction requires, I argue, that the networking members are able to adapt the steps in the experiential learning cycle to the patterns of interaction that characterise the different network development phases. I present an experiential learning model that helps link to the distinct network development phases. The model composes a workable methodological framework for processing inter-firm networks. I conclude by arguing for network construction as continuous processes of constructing and reconstructing shared meanings. Finally, I recommend action for network construction and indicate potential areas for future research.


Starting from the idea that the present concern with citizenship education is a form of reminiscence of the philosophical interest of the Ancients regarding this question, this article attempts to demonstrate that the recovery of this tradition is apt to enlighten the pedagogical stakes of this concern. Not only is the critical formation of the citizen posited by the philosophers as an essential structure for the vitality and the political balance of a society but it is found very often at the centre of their philosophical project. By adopting a historical-critical approach, I wish in this way to develop the idea that the formation of critical thinking, beyond all acquisition of transversal competence, constitutes the pillar of civic competence. This last point will allow us to bring out certain paradoxes regarding the finality of civic education. Finally it is by restoring the ancient dilemma of the conflict between the critical and the civic, as illustrated by the Socratic figure, that I shall propose a model of citizenship practice.


Background: Negative consequences for sexual health may be caused by risky sexual behavior related to attitudes, norms and self-efficacy regarding sexuality. Research has not resulted in a consensus on the associations between self-esteem and adolescents' sexual behavior. Aims and Objectives: The aim of the study was to describe high school students' sexual behavior and self-esteem, along with investigating the relationship of attitudes, norms, self-efficacy, and self-esteem to sexual risk behavior. Another aim was to describe and compare gender differences in self-esteem and sexual risk behavior in high school students in a rural context. Methodological Design: A cross-sectional design was used. The participants were 139 high school students, 16 to 18 years of age, sample size was decided by power calculation, and systematic randomized sampling was used. The students replied to a questionnaire about self-esteem, factors affecting sexual risk behavior, and sexual behavior. Results: Swedish high school students reported having few sexual partners, a low use of alcohol along with sex, yet a low consistency in condom use. The students reported both high basic self-esteem as well as earned self-esteem. Basic self-esteem was higher for male students while earned self-esteem was higher for female students. Significant correlations were found between self-esteem and some factors affecting sexual risk behavior related to condom use. Conclusion: High school students exhibited positive sexual behaviors and high levels of self-esteem, yet they put themselves at risk by inconsistent use of condoms. Our findings can contribute the need of to an awareness of the role self-esteem, attitudes, norms and self-efficacy plays in adolescents' sexual behavior. Nurses working at the youth clinics are in a key position to discuss sexual health issues with adolescents to promote healthy outcomes in sexual health.


Solution-processed hybrid solar cells, a blend of conjugated polymers and semiconducting nanocrystals, are a promising candidate for next-generation energy-conversion devices. The renaissance of this field in recent years has yielded a much deeper understanding of optoelectronic interactions in organic–inorganic hybrid systems. In this article, we review the state-of-the-art progress in hybrid bulk heterojunction solar cells, covering new materials design, interfacial interaction, and processing control. Furthermore, critical challenges that determine photovoltaic performance and prospects for future directions are discussed.


Fifty Iconic Culinary Scenes from Literary Classics Sure to Delight Readers, Foodies, and Photo-Junkies Alike Fictitious Dishes serves up a delectable assortment of photographic interpretations of culinary moments from contemporary and classic literature. Showcasing famous meals such as the madcap tea party from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, the watery gruel from Oliver Twist, the lavish chicken breakfast from To Kill a Mockingbird, the stomach-turning avocado-and-crabmeat salad from The Bell Jar, and the seductive cupcakes from The Corrections, this unique volume pairs each place setting with the text from the book that inspired its creation. Interesting food facts and entertaining anecdotes about the authors, their work, and their culinary predilections complete this charming book, which is sure to whet the appetites of lovers of great literature and delicious dishes.


In the context of education, "open(ness)" has become the watermark for a fast growing number of learning materials and associated platforms and practices from a variety of institutions and individuals. Open Educational Resources (OER), Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC), and more recently, initiatives such as Coursera are just some of the forms this movement has embraced under the "open" banner. Yet, ongoing calls to discuss and elucidate the "meaning" and particularities of openness in education point to a lack of clarity around the concept. "Open" in education is currently mostly debated in the context of the technological developments that allowed it to emerge in its current forms. More in-depth explorations of the philosophical underpinnings are moved to the backstage. Therefore, this paper proposes a historical approach to bring clarity to the concept and unmask the tensions that have played out in the past. It will then show how this knowledge can inform current debates around different open initiatives.


Fundamental right of every person in our planet is education. It is the key for better peace, stability, development in every area of society life, in every country, and instrument for effective participation at the economy and society in the 21-of century, the period of globalization, decentralization. The education understood work, activity, organized pedagogical process. This pedagogical process is realized in its institutional form- schools (pre-school, primary, secondary…). The schools are immanent educational institutions where on organized way people acquire knowledge's, take abilities and skills, like educational components.
Today, before the schools take place many seeking like: strengthen of creativity and innovation in the teaching and learning process, nursing the specific of culture differences, high expectations and assessment of every person especially in alphabetical and numerical literacy, key life and social skills, different position and role of every subject factor at the school and in that trend application of contemporary informatics and communication technology, …and in that case creating and promoting an effective schools.
What worth is fighting to do from every one of us like participants at the schools, like teacher, parents, persons in the contemporary society and what is our mission to improve school educational work?
This question and the other which are placed in this text have their answer in this work.


STUDY DESIGN
This is an in vitro experimental study of the technical capability and safety study of a navigable percutaneous disc decompression device named L'DISQ.

OBJECTIVES
The objectives of this study were to determine if L'DISQ could adequately reach certain target zones in the disc and to measure the distribution of rises in temperature in the surrounding tissue when the device was used to ablate the disc.

METHODS
Placement of the wand of L'DISQ was attempted into the posterior annulus of the discs of four fresh human cadavers. During disc ablation, thermocouple probes were used to measure the temperature within the nucleus pulposus and annulus fibrosus, on the surface of the annulus, and on the posterior longitudinal ligament. Tissues harvested from around the disc were examined histologically.

RESULTS
The tip of the wand could be successfully navigated to the posterolateral or posterocentral annulus at all levels above L5-S1 using a lateral approach. Rises in temperature did not exceed 13.25 ± 0.84°C within the disc, and did not exceed 1°C on the surface of the disc. Histology demonstrated no thermal damage to the surrounding neural tissues.

CONCLUSION
L'DISQ can be successfully navigated to the target zones, and disc tissue ablated without thermal or structural damage to the adjacent neural tissues.


This Article analyzes the transformation of the pre-trial process for complex civil litigation. Settlement, rather than trial, has emerged as the dominant endgame. As a result, in functional terms, the pre-trial phase effectively operates as the trial. Over the past quarter-century, doctrinal developments have shifted steadily backward within the pre-trial phase the major checkpoints for judicial scrutiny of claims. The key developments consist of the Supreme Court's summary judgment "trilogy" (1986), the rise of Daubert scrutiny for the admissibility of expert testimony (1993), the elaboration of a distinctive law of class action certification (circa 2001-06) and, most recently, the invigoration of pleading standards in the Court's Twombly and Iqbal decisions (2007 and 2009). During the same period, an equally dramatic transformation has taken place with respect to litigation scholarship. Insights from economics, cognitive psychology, and finance – among other non-law disciplines – have broadened the vocabulary now available for analysis. Two big-picture points emerge from this literature: first, costs (especially, the ability to impose costs on one's opponent) matter greatly to the choice whether to continue litigation or to settle; and, second, risk (or, more specifically, variance) matters in the pricing of civil claims via settlement, above and beyond calculations of expected value. The emergence of judicial checkpoints in the pretrial phase has elicited considerable debate – most strikingly, today, over the Court's pleading decisions. At one level, those decisions are rightly seen as pushing against the ethos of the 1938 reforms that put into place our modern notice-pleading regime. Yet, in a deeper historical sense, we actually find ourselves today in much the same position as the 1938 reformers. Today, as then, there is a lingering – but, often, undertheorized – sense that procedure itself is having an undue and even deleterious effect on the pricing of claims via settlement. It is just that the procedure now suspected to be distortive consists of the 1938 reforms. This Article explains, in particular, how the Court's attention to pleading standards in recent years marks a shift of emphasis from the regulation of variance in the litigation process to a concern over cost imposition. The various pretrial checkpoints today exhibit a similar structural feature. They seek to manage variance or cost imposition by way of third-party judicial regulation – specifically, court rulings that signal "stop" or "go" on the road to trial. Evaluation of procedural doctrine as an enterprise of regulation opens up inquiry to the existence of other potential regulatory modes. The Article concludes with examination of alternatives in the nature of first-party regulation (e.g., cost shifting) and regulation in the form of judicial action that would not be dispositive vis-a-vis trial but, rather, would seek to inform directly the pricing of claims in the settlement endgame.


We introduce a novel spatial join operator, the ring-constrained join (RCJ). Given two sets P and Q of spatial points, the result of RCJ consists of pairs (p, q) (where p ε P, q ε Q) satisfying an intuitive geometric constraint: the smallest circle enclosing p and q contains no other points in P, Q. This new operation has important applications in decision support, e.g., placing recycling stations at fair locations between restaurants and residential complexes. Clearly, RCJ is defined based on a geometric constraint but not on distances between points. Thus, our operation is fundamentally different from the conventional distance joins and closest pairs problems. We are not aware of efficient processing algorithms for RCJ in the literature. A brute-force solution requires computational cost quadratic to input size and it does not scale well for large datasets. In view of this, we develop efficient R-tree based algorithms for computing RCJ, by exploiting the characteristics of the geometric constraint. We evaluate experimentally the efficiency of our methods on synthetic and real spatial datasets. The results show that our proposed algorithms scale well with the data size and have robust performance across different data distributions.


This paper is a study of the error in approximating the global maximum of a Brownian motion on the unit interval by observing the value at randomly chosen points. One point of view is to look at the error from random sampling for a given fixed Brownian sample path; another is to look at the error with both the path and observations random. In the first case we show that for almost all Brownian paths the error, normalized by multiplying by the square root of the number of observations, does not converge in distribution, while in the second case the normalized error does converge in distribution. We derive the limiting distribution of the normalized error averaged over all paths.


This thesis describes the development of a temperature control system for optical spectroscopy experiments with rare-earth doped samples. Low temperature emission spectra were afterwards recorded for a series for Eu3+ singly doped and Ce3+, Eu3+ codoped Y2SiO5 samples. The analysis and assignment of the different energy transitions is presented.
The experimental setups used in this thesis involve the optics part, the electronic part and the cooling down system. For the optical measurements, two kinds of pumping laser were used: Dye laser (580 nm) and UV laser (370 nm). A suitable optics system was designed for the collection of fluorescence signals. Electronic circuits were on the other hand built to connect two thermal sensors within the cryostat used for the optical measurements. Two reference temperature sensors were set up so that they could be readout simultaneously by using a switch connected with a temperature monitor. A good control of the cooling down process and the final temperature reached by the samples under investigation is fundamental for spectroscopic investigations performed at cryogenic temperatures as the ones described here.


Annual reports, including general purpose financial statements, have been adopted as a key mechanism by which public sector entities discharge their accountability. However, there is concern about the complexity of public sector general purpose financial statements and consequently their effectiveness as an accountability mechanism. In Australia, the Queensland government has moved to address this issue in local government authorities by introducing a Community Financial Report as a means of simplifying the financial statements. A feature of this initiative was the lack of prescription given to local government authorities in the preparation of this report. This paper examines the form and content included in Community Financial Reports and also uses a disclosure index to determine the level of disclosure in the reports. The results of this research show that the form and content of the Community Financial Reports varied considerably. There was no definitive style, with each report being unique. The disclosure index revealed low levels of disclosure by local government authorities in the first year of the report as well as a lack of analysis of the Statements of Financial Performance, Position and Cash Flows. As well, there was a significant difference in the disclosures made by rural local government authorities compared with urban local government authorities. The results of this research will be of interest to local government authorities and local government regulators as they aim to provide useful, understandable information for stakeholders.


Increased Cloud Condensation Nuclei (CCN) load due to anthropogenic activity might lead to non-precipitating clouds because the cloud drops become smaller (for a constant liquid water content) and, therefore, less efficient in rain formation (aerosol indirect effect). Adding giant CCN (GCCN) into such a cloud can initiate precipitation (namely, drizzle) and, therefore, might counteract the aerosol indirect effect. The effect of GCCN on global climate on warm clouds and precipitation within the ECHAM5 General Circulation Model (GCM) is investigated. Therefore, the newly introduced prognostic rain scheme (Posselt and Lohmann, 2007) is applied so that GCCN are directly activated into rain drops. The ECHAM5 simulations with incorporated GCCN show that precipitation is affected only locally. On the global scale, the precipitation amount does not change. Cloud properties like total water (liquid + rain water) and cloud drop number show a larger sensitivity to GCCN. Depending on the amount of added GCCN, the reduction of total water and cloud drops account for up to 20% compared to the control run without GCCN. Thus, the incorporation of the GCCN accelerate the hydrological cycle so that clouds precipitate faster (but not more) and less condensed water is accumulated in the atmosphere. An estimate of the anthropogenic aerosol indirect effect on the climate is obtained by comparing simulations for present-day and pre-industrial climate. The introduction of the prognostic rain scheme lowered the anthropogenic aerosol indirect effect significantly compared to the standard ECHAM5 with the diagnostic rain scheme. The incorporation of the GCCN changes the model state, especially the cloud properties like TWP and N l . The precipitation changes only locally but globally the precipitation is unaffected because it has to equal the global mean evaporation rate. Changing the cloud properties leads to a local reduction of the aerosol indirect effect and, hence, partly compensating for the increased anthropogenic CCN concentrations in that regions. Globally, the aerosol indirect effect is nearly the same for all simulations.


In eukaryotic cells, checkpoint genes cause arrest of cell division when DNA is damaged or when DNA replication is blocked. In this study of budding yeast checkpoint genes, we identify and characterize another role for these checkpoint genes after DNA damage-transcriptional induction of genes. We found that three checkpoint genes (of six genes tested) have strong and distinct roles in transcriptional induction in four distinct pathways of regulation (each defined by induction of specific genes). MEC1 mediates the response in three transcriptional pathways, RAD53 mediates two of these pathways, and RAD17 mediates but a single pathway. The three other checkpoint genes (including RAD9) have small (twofold) but significant roles in transcriptional induction in all pathways. One of the pathways that we identify here leads to induction of MEC1 and RAD53 checkpoint genes themselves. This suggests a positive feedback circuit that may increase the cell's ability to respond to DNA damage. We make two primary conclusions from these studies. First, MEC1 appears to be the key regulator because it is required for all responses (both transcriptional and cell cycle arrest), while other genes serve only a subset of these responses. Second, the two types of responses, transcriptional induction and cell cycle arrest, appear distinct because both require MEC1 yet only cell cycle arrest requires RAD9. These and other results were used to formulate a working model of checkpoint gene function that accounts for roles of different checkpoint genes in different responses and after different types of damage. The conclusion that the yeast MEC1 gene is a key regulator also has implications for the role of a putative human homologue, the ATM gene.


This dissertation explores youth punishment in Canada in the social systems of law and education. It specifically focuses on three problems in the sociology of youth punishment: a gloomy state of theorizing; the absence of a more frontally distinct analysis of youth punishment beyond the realm of exclusion; and the underdevelopment of inter-systemic and intra-systemic features of youth punishment. This study confronts these issues with an exploratory qualitative analysis. The questions guiding this work include: how are youth punished in the systems of law and education? And, in the context of youth punishment, are the social systems of law and education linked, and if so, how? While many important contributions focus on the effects of punishment and what (over)determines punishment, my work addresses the absence of an empirical and theoretical understanding of youth punishment from the point of view of social systems. This project is different from other scholarship in the field as it relies on insights from Niklas Luhmann's contemporary social systems theory. This perspective allows me to foreground the inter-systemic and intra-systemic features of youth punishment in law and education. My research highlights the peculiarities of punishment in law and education and shows how punishment can connect social systems. I expose how there are distinctly educational and distinctly legal features of youth punishment. First, I present a suite of intra-systemic features of punishment in law. The peculiarities of youth punishment in law are captured with law's focus on protection, distinguishing fools from fiends, observing the character and consequences of youth behaviour, and pursuing accountability. Second, I show the features of youth punishment in education by documenting the locality of behaviour, school climate, and progressive discipline. Finally, I explore how systems influence each other, which means that law can productively make use of education and education can productively make use of law. My study foregrounds the day-to-day workings of legal and educational punishment and the interactions between these two social systems. This contribution shows that more attention could be paid to the social systems where punishment unfolds and the connections between social systems when punishing.


The second PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE OF 1980 between Democratic Pres. Jimmy Carter and Republican presidential candidate Ronald Reagan was held in Cleveland on 28 Oct. 1980, sponsored by the LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS. Second Presidential Debate of 1980The Cleveland Chapter of the league, led by Pres. Mildred Madison and Grace Kudukis, public-relations spokesperson, together with the CLEVELAND PRESS, the Cleveland Convention Bureau, and the GREATER CLEVELAND GROWTH ASSN., worked actively to insure that Cleveland would host the nationally televised debate, and Cleveland civic leaders raised approximately $193,000 to cover the expenses. The 90-minute debate, held in the Music Hall at the Cleveland Convention Ctr., proceeded without incident as the candidates answered questions posed by the panel, made up of Harry Ellis of the Christian Science Monitor, Wm. Hilliard of the Portland Oregonian, Barbara Walters of ABC News, and Marvin Stone of U.S. News & World Report, with Howard K. Smith as moderator. Press analysts indicated there had been no clear winner, but in answering questions on domestic and foreign policy, Carter focused on detail, while Reagan had a relaxed and genial style.


Mediatization refers to a meta-process whereby social life in its totality is (re)embedded in and saturated with mediated processes. This paper addresses the relationship between two theoretically diverging, yet socially intertwined, realms pertaining to various mediatization patterns: cosmopolitanism and surveillance. Mediatization implies increasing opportunities for 'extending the self', experienced in terms of mediated proximity, immediacy and boundary transgression – ultimately sustaining a more cosmopolitan outlook of the world. Yet, mediatization also brings growing opportunities for securitization, boundary control and social encapsulation, on behalf of societal institutions as well as individuals and groups. Contemporary forms and extensions of surveillance and cosmopolitanism are increasingly interwoven through the meta-process of mediatization, most recently the social saturation of converging 'social' media. This paper suggests that phenomenology, as a heuristic tool, offers a well-contextualized and grounded socio-cultural perspective to grasp the everyday dimensions and subjective moral positionalities ensuing from increased mediatization and related openings and closures


This Article explores how concerns regarding the United Nations' authority to make political, strategic, and operational decisions that comprise the right to command and control UN forces might be reconciled within the framework of the United Nations Charter to create a contemporary and more enduring regime for the command and control of United Nations forces. As Part II demonstrates, command and control issues are not new to the United Nations; indeed, in 1945 the signatories to the United Nations Charter created a model for the command and control of United Nations forces.While the cold war ensured that this model was never used, it remains the necessary point of departure for any current discussion of United Nations command and control. As discussed in Part III, this Charter model was originally replaced by systems of command and control which evolved to meet the needs of two quite distinct United Nations missions: large-scale enforcement and peacekeeping.The end of the cold war, however, has blurred the once clear distinction between the enforcement and peacekeeping missions. As described in Part IV, a new mission has emerged with characteristics of both enforcement and peacekeeping. This new "peace enforcement" mission requires that United Nations forces attempt to maintain neutrality between disputants much as they would in a peacekeeping operation, but that they also be prepared to use force against any disputant who breaches the peace, much as they would in an enforcement action.Part V begins by examining recent efforts within the United Nations Secretariat to improve the United Nations's ability to oversee operations conducted in its name, as well as the Clinton Administration's attempt to fashion a new policy toward the United Nations. While many of the changes currently in progress are positive as far as they go, they do not address the complex issues underlying the current debate over command and control. Moreover, the current proposals have been initiated with little reference to the original Charter model for command and control. Part V evaluates this development, and suggests that both the United Nations and its member states might benefit from a return to a more structured, Charter-based model for command and control: a contemporary model that incorporates the strengths of the system envisioned in 1945 without ignoring the experiences of intervening years. Part V offers suggestions for creating such a "neo-Charter" model, and proposes that it might serve as the necessary confidence-building mechanism through which the United Nations, the United States, and other key member states might work to forge a security partnership adequate for the changed political and military demands of the post-cold war world.


The use of the standard hinge loss for structured outputs, for the learning to rank problem, faces two main caveats: (a) the label space, the set of all possible permutations of items to be ranked, is too large, and also less amenable to the usual dynamic-programming based techniques used for structured outputs, and (b) the supervision or training data consists of instances with multiple labels per input, instead of just a single label. The most natural way to deal with such multiple labels leads, unfortunately, to a nonconvex surrogate. In this paper, we propose a general class of perturbation-based surrogates that leverage the large margin approach, and are convex. We show that the standard hinge surrogate for classification actually falls within this class. We also find a surrogate within this class, for the ranking problem, that does not suer from the caveats mentioned above. Indeed, our experiments demonstrate that it performs better than other candidate large margin proposals on both synthetic and real world ranking datasets.


Lauren M. Cassano The Effects of a Word Study Spelling Program in a Differentiated Classroom 2004/05 Dr. Louis Molinari Master of Arts in Elementary Education The purpose of this study was to determine if implementing a word study spelling program in a differentiated classroom could improve students' long-term retention of spelling words. This study compared a word study program with a more traditional spelling approach. The findings of the experiment indicated that no significant difference existed between the two different methods of instruction. After receiving parental permission, the study began in a third grade classroom with 20 students. A pretest/posttest design was used in two phases. Phase I of the study used a traditional spelling approach using basal words obtained from the Scholastic reading series. Phase I implemented a word study spelling approach, which used individualized spelling lists derived from a spelling inventory. Approximately three weeks passed within each phase between the pretest and posttest in order to establish retention levels. These results were calculated after both phases were completed and the difference scores in each phase were compared. Also, a non-independent t-test was used to further analyze if one method of instruction provided better levels of retention than the other. Although the study provided the examiner with comprehensible results, possible recommendations were discussed and further research was suggested.


Recent works propose using the discriminator of a GAN to filter out unrealistic samples of the generator. We generalize these ideas by introducing the implicit Metropolis-Hastings algorithm. For any implicit probabilistic model and a target distribution represented by a set of samples, implicit Metropolis-Hastings operates by learning a discriminator to estimate the density-ratio and then generating a chain of samples. Since the approximation of density ratio introduces an error on every step of the chain, it is crucial to analyze the stationary distribution of such chain. For that purpose, we present a theoretical result stating that the discriminator loss upper bounds the total variation distance between the target distribution and the stationary distribution. Finally, we validate the proposed algorithm both for independent and Markov proposals on CIFAR-10 and CelebA datasets.


The increasing amount and importance of user-generated content that is available in the web necessitates methods of its effective and efficient utilization. In this paper a system is presented that enables automated classification of user reviews concerning the usage motives mentioned in the reviews. Four possible applications of the system are discussed in detail in the course of this paper: a learning environment for mobile app development, a download prognosis mechanism, an app prizing decision support system, and a recommendation system. These applications are evaluated concerning state-of-the-art methods that currently address the challenge as well as advantages of the implementation of a motive-based system in the particular business processes.


This report presents the findings of a nation-wide survey of public attitudes towards, and perceptions of, aspects of the drug issue in Ireland. The questionnaire on which the research was based constituted a module of the 1998 Irish Social Omnibus Survey. A total of 1,000 individuals, randomly selected from the 1997 Register of Electors for Ireland (26 counties), took part in the study. Data was collected using face-to-face interviews between February and April 1998. The survey found that members of the general public were generally aware of the kinds of illegal drugs most commonly used. Self-reported cannabis use (as measured by lifetime prevalence) stood at 12 per cent. The younger urban sector of society tended to have greater personal experience of cannabis, to know people who had taken cannabis or had 'a drug problem'. The results indicated a high level of concern about the current drug situation among the general public. Three quarters of the respondents were of the opinion that the current drug situation in Ireland was 'out of control'. There was concern also regarding the legal drug, alcohol. Over half of respondents (56%) considered that alcohol abuse caused more problems in society than drug abuse. A substantial proportion of respondents believed that experimentation with drugs was commonplace among young people. Respondents generally regarded illegal drug taking as a dangerous pursuit. Social avoidance and fear of drug users and those addicted to drugs were high among respondents. Moreover, sympathy for drug addicted individuals was relatively low, with over half the respondents believing that those with a drug problem had only themselves to blame. Those with personal knowledge of someone 'with a drug problem' typically held more positive attitudes towards those who were addicted to drugs. Consistent with the widespread concern about the severity of the current drug situation was an overwhelmingly high level of support for drug prevention. Current harm reduction initiatives, including the provision of heroin substitutes such as methadone, and needle exchange facilities to heroin dependent clients, received support from two thirds of respondents (63% and 66% respectively).


The United States is in the midst of a historic public health crisis. Each day, well over 100 Americans die of drug overdose, driven increasingly by street opioids. In line with other "epidemics" of grave public concern, this crisis has spurred an expansion of public health surveillance. This article focuses on the principal element of this expansion—prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs). By collecting information on who is prescribing, dispensing, and receiving scheduled drugs, PDMPs are intended to detect—and deter—problem patients, rogue prescribers, and pharmacists who may be diverting potentially addictive and otherwise risky drugs.
PDMPs are far from new, but the recent scale-up in the number, scope, funding, and legal mandates of these systems has occurred without sufficient scrutiny. The lens of public health law research has just begun to be trained on PDMPs. By integrating empirical and theoretical perspectives, this article adds to this nescient discourse. I argue that the zeal with which we have traditionally pursued supply reduction measures to address drug-related harms reflects the legal and system design of PDMPs, as well as the street-level implementation of these programs. This also explains why the success of PDMPs has been measured primarily by their impact on suppressing medication supply with little regard for truly meaningful metrics. But, when it comes to improving patient care and addressing drug-related harms, the evidence of PDMP benefit is far from clear. This article presents a narrative review of the 34 peer-reviewed studies evaluating PDMPs published since 2010. Only 11 (32%) considered any overdose outcomes. Of studies assessing overall mortality, three found PDMP deployment to be associated with reduced overdose rates, four reported a null result, and three reported PDMPs to be associated with an increase in overdoses. These findings stand to challenge the kind of unbridled enthusiasm, generous investment, and cavalier policy emphasis that has buoyed PDMPs since the onset of the overdose crisis. Given evidence of mixed impact, the unintended harms of these systems warrant urgent examination. This includes their potential role in deterring proper prescribing practices; chilling help-seeking among patients, especially those made vulnerable by a history of trauma in the healthcare settings and criminal justice involvement; further fraying the fabric of provider-patient trust; and facilitating patient transition from prescription to black market drug supplies. Original qualitative data presented here give voice to stakeholder concerns about surveillance, privacy, and pervasive monitoring by law enforcement. A special focus on privacy is especially timely in view of recent appellate decisions allowing broad warrantless disclosure of PDMP data to law enforcement. Although the perils of expansive government monitoring and predictive technologies are recognized in national security, criminal justice, and other realms, a critique of PDMPs as dragnet electronic surveillance is long overdue. At the population level, these collateral impacts can hamper much-needed surveillance and control efforts, aggravating the very problems these policies and programs were intended to ameliorate.
Ultimately, however, this article is sober to the reality that PDMPs are here to stay. As I urge a more deliberate focus on privacy protections, I argue for PDMP integration with electronic health records; user-driven design that reimagines PDMPs as a care coordination, clinical decision-making, and public health prevention tool; and meaningful training on how to deploy PDMP functionality to improve individual and public health.


Background: The aim of this study is to determine the correlations between dietary fatty acid (FA) intakes and plasma phospholipid (PL) FA levels in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) cohort. Methods: The dietary intake of 60 individual FAs was estimated using centre-specific validated dietary questionnaires. Plasma PL FA concentrations of these FAs were measured in non-fasting venous plasma samples in nested case-control studies within the EPIC cohort (n = 4923, using only non-cases). Spearman rank correlations were calculated to determine associations between FA intakes and plasma PL FA levels. Results: Correlations between FA intakes and circulating levels were low to moderately high (−0.233 and 0.554). Moderate positive correlations were found for total long-chain n-3 poly-unsaturated FA (PUFA) (r = 0.354) with the highest (r = 0.406) for n-3 PUFA docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Moderate positive correlations were also found for the non-endogenously synthesized trans-FA (r = 0.461 for total trans-FA C16-18; r = 0.479 for industrial trans-FA (elaidic acid)). Conclusions: Our findings indicate that dietary FA intakes might influence the plasma PL FA status to a certain extent for several specific FAs. The stronger positive correlations for health-enhancing long-chain PUFAs and the health-deteriorating trans-FA that are not endogenously produced are valuable for future cancer prevention public health interventions.


More than half a century after their discovery, benzodiazepines (BDZs) still represent one of the largest and most widely prescribed groups of psychotropic compounds, not only in clinical psychiatry but also in the entire medical field. Over the last two decades, however, there has been an increased focus on the development of antidepressants and antipsychotics on the part of the pharmaceutical industry, clinicians, and researchers, with a reduced interest in BDZs, in spite of their widespread clinical use. As a consequence, many psychiatric residents, medical students, nurses, and other mental health professionals might receive poor academic teaching and training regarding these agents, and have the false impression that BDZs represent an outdated chapter in clinical psychopharmacology. However, recent advances in the field, including findings concerning epidemiology, addiction risk, and drug interactions, as well as the introduction of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition with related diagnostic changes, strongly encourage an updated appraisal of the use of BDZs in clinical practice. During a recent thematic event convened with the aim of approaching this topic in a critical manner, a group of young Italian psychiatrists attempted to highlight possible flaws in current teaching pathways, identify the main clinical pros and cons regarding current use of BDZs in clinical practice, and provide an updated overview of their use across specific clinical areas and patient populations. The main results are presented and discussed in this review.


Tools meant to standardize and rationalize clinical practice have been widely used in healthcare institutions. One tool in particular, clinical pathways, has been a key component of the recent public hospital reform in China. Clinical pathways regulate how the core activities of the medical professional should be performed. Examining pathway implementation and physicians' attitude toward them may shed light on the extent of discretion and autonomy physicians have in their core activities. Therefore, this study takes clinical pathways as a lens through which to study Chinese physicians'work and autonomy and asks three questions: First, what is the attitude of physicians toward clinical pathways? Second, how are pathways implemented in physicians' practice? And third, what are the determinants of physicians' attitude? Both quantitative and qualitative data are used to explore the research questions. The quantitative data come from a survey of 158 physicians in three tertiary hospitals in two provincial capitals. The qualitative data are from all online discussions about clinical pathways on one of the most popular social networking websites for physicians and hospital administrators. The findings are consistent with the prediction based on sociological theorization of rationalization in professional work. Namely, there are two distinct dimensions in physicians' attitude toward clinical pathways: physicians felt that pathways made their practice more scientific, but they also felt that the pathways were burdensome and restrictive. Physicians were in general heavily involved in the process of pathway implementation, and restrictive monitoring and sanctioning practices were relatively uncommon. Factors associated with pathway implementation were important predictors of physicians' attitude, whereas professional orientation and concerns with the status of the profession had limited effect. Taken together, the findings from this exploratory study suggest that although physicians in China's public hospitals are dependent on their organizations, they retain considerable discretion in the implementation and use of clinical pathways. On the other hand, physicians' views of clinical pathways are more prominently shaped by organizational factors than by their professional orientation.


Flow-field-fractionation is a new separation technique that seems likely to have broad applicability. Its theoretical scope includes any solute for which one can find a solvent and a semipermeable membrane. The principles on which the technique is based are presented. Some experiments with polystyrene beads, viruses, and proteins verify that retention depends solely on diffusion coefficients.


ABSTRACT Background: Memory impairment has been proposed as the most common early sign of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The aims of this work were to evaluate the risk of progression from mild memory impairment/no dementia (MMI/ND) to clinically diagnosable AD in a community-based prospective cohort and to establish the risk factors for progression from MMI/ND to AD in the elderly. Methods: Elderly subjects aged over 65 years were selected from the participants in the first Nakayama study. MMI/ND was defined as memory deficit on objective memory assessment, without dementia, impairment of general cognitive function, or disability in activities of daily living. A total of 104 MMI/ND subjects selected from 1242 community-dwellers were followed longitudinally for five years. Results: During the five-year follow-up, 11 (10.6%) subjects were diagnosed with AD, five (4.8%) with vascular dementia (VaD), and six (5.8%) with dementia of other etiology. Logistic regression analysis revealed that diabetes mellitus (DM) and a family history of dementia (within third-degree relatives) were positively associated with progression to AD, while no factor was significantly associated with progression to VaD or all types of dementia. Conclusions: DM and a family history of dementia were significant risk factors for progression from MMI/ND to clinically diagnosable AD in the elderly in a Japanese community.


The Idea of Opposition Leadership In his masterpiece The Discourses, Machiavelli (1940) argues that, in addition to good fortune, the political leader needs for his "modes of procedure" to accord with the "needs of the times" (pp. 92-94). Presidents may be blessed or cursed by fortune, but all have some measure of freedom to match strategy to context. In his update of Machiavelli for the president, Richard Neustadt (1990) argues that a president can be evaluated by examining his purposes and determining whether they run with the "grain of history" (p. 167). The implication here is that it is possible for a president's true purposes to run counter to the grain of history. I call these types of presidents "opposition leaders." A close reading of various texts on presidential leadership (Burns 1973, 1984; Greenstein 1982; Rockman 1984; Skowronek 1993) suggests that there may be different ideal leadership styles appropriate for different times. Presidents face what James David Barber (1992) calls different "power situations" (p. 6). To the extent that a president faces a power situation different from that of someone like Franklin Roosevelt, he may also need to seek a different leadership style. Indeed, there may be a multitude of possible--and equally appropriate--leadership styles, depending on the political context. An opposition president is a president from a political party that is in opposition to Neustadt's grain of history. I argue that a president whose party is opposed to what I call the reigning governing philosophy, and its associated party, can be considered an opposition leader. All leadership positions are not created equal, and there are characteristics common to presidents facing similar leadership dilemmas. An opposition president faces a type of conflict different from one working with the grain of history. Because of the nature of the American political system, such situations will tend to recur. Thus, scholars should strive to understand what is peculiar about these cases. There are contextual circumstances that recur with these men, and a comparative analysis of them reveals important aspects of the American political system, the nature of the presidency, and the nature of executive leadership. In adopting Neustadt's grain-of-history phrase, I take as my launching point the vast literature that conceptualizes American politics through some sort of periodicity. For more than forty years, scholars have struggled to define various aspects of the periodicity observed in American politics. Although there are variations in the details, there has emerged a rough consensus that American political history can be described as a series of political eras that tend to favor one party over another, eras bounded by critical realignments or punctuated change (Key 1955; Campbell et al. 1960, 1966; Lubell 1965; Burnham 1970, 1991; Kleppner 1979; Sundquist 1983; Burns 1984; Rockman 1984; Chubb and Peterson 1985; Carmines and Stimson 1989; Skowronek 1993). While allowing for occasional disagreements regarding transition points, as well as ambiguity regarding dealignment, in this conception the advantaged party (e.g., the Democratic Party during the New Deal era) can be considered the governing party, and the disadvantaged party (e.g., the Grand Old Party [GOP] during that same era) can be considered the opposition party. The dynamics of presidential leadership depend on long-term historical forces, partisan relationships, and the president's own understanding of his power situation. This does not mean that individual character is unimportant to presidential leadership--just that it is placed on a foundation of larger forces already in place when a president takes office. Charles Jones (1994) argues that a president's choices occur in the context of ongoing issues, a continuing agenda that preceded his rise to power and will remain past the end of his service. The president needs to comprehend the policy environment accurately. …


The development of most large and complex systems necessarily involves many people each with their own perspectives on the system defined by their knowledge, responsibilities, and commitments. To address this we have advocated distributed development of specifications from multiple perspectives. However, this leads to problems of identifying and handling inconsistencies between such perspectives. Maintaining absolute consistency is not always possible. Often this is not even desirable since this can unnecessarily constrain the development process, and can lead to the loss of important information. Indeed since the real-world forces us to work with inconsistencies, we should formalise some of the usually informal or extra-logical ways of responding to them. This is not necessarily done by eradicating inconsistencies but rather by supplying logical rules specifying how we should act on them. To achieve this, we combine two lines of existing research: the ViewPoints framework for perspective development, interaction and organisation, and a logic-based approach to inconsistency handling. This paper presents our technique for inconsistency handling in the ViewPoints framework by using simple examples.


Including humans, many multicellular organisms produce similar hard tissues, such as bones, teeth, shells, skeletal units, and spicules. These hard tissues are biocomposites and incorporate both structural macromolecules (lipids, proteins, and polysaccharides) and inorganic minerals.1We do not fully understand the control mechanism of biomineralization in primitive or in developed organisms. The mineral phase of hard tissue is sometimes called biologic apatite, that is, a nonstoichiometric hydroxylapatite. Pure hydroxyapatite has the formula Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2. In contrast, a biologic apatite (like in bone) is nonstoichiometric and contains several other ions, mainly carbonate and other elements in traces such as Mg2+, Na+, Fe2+, HPO4 2−, F−, and Cl−. Consequently, a more appropriate structural formula for the composition of bone is (Ca,X)10(PO4,CO3,Y)6(OH,Z)2, with X substituting cations and Y and Z substituting anions (with the indices 10, 6, and 2 changing according to stoichiometry).2

There is a paradox in medicine. Whereas some researchers have been discussing the cytotoxic effect of apatite in vitro,3,4others have been announcing the safety of in vivo apatite applications.5-8Although these disagreements have not been completely resolved, both biogenic and nonbiogenic apatite materials have been continuously used in drug delivery and transplantation.6,9We know that when apatite is found in soft tissue, it is considered to be pathologic calcification.10The causes of apatite-deposit formations in soft tissue have been discussed for decades but still remain speculative. For example, calcification in the coronary arteries has been widely regarded as an uncommon, end-stage, insignificant, passive, degenerative process of aging-a notion that has paralyzed research in this area for decades.11Interestingly, these same terms were once …