Preface About the Authors I. Background for International Business 1. Globalization and International Business An Atlas II. Comparative Environmental Frameworks 2. The Cultural Environments Facing Business 3. The Political and Legal Environments Facing Business 4. The Economic Environments Facing Businesses III. Theories and Institutions: Trade and Investment 5. International Trade and Factor-Mobility Theory 6. Governmental Influence on Trade 7. Cross-National Cooperation and Agreements IV. World Financial Environment 8. Global Foreign-Exchange Markets 9. The Determination of Exchange Rates 10. Global Capital Markets V. Global Strategy, Structure, and Implementation 11. Globalization and Society 12. The Strategy of International Business 13. Country Evaluation and Selection 14. Export and Import 15. Direct Investment and Collaborative Strategies 16. The Organization of International Business VI. Managing International Operations 17. Marketing Globally 18. Global Manufacturing and Supply-Chain Management 19. International Accounting and Finance Issues 20. International Human Resource Management


Patterns of taxonomic and ecologic selectivity are the most direct record of processes infl uencing survival during background and mass extinctions. The Guadalupian (Capitanian) and end-Permian (Changhsingian) extinctions have both been linked to environmental degradation from eruption of large fl ood basalts; however, the extent to which taxonomic selectivity conforms to the expected stresses remains incompletely understood because many of the relevant biological traits are mutually correlated. Here we use a large occurrencebased database to quantify extinction selectivity during background and mass extinction intervals from the Kungurian (latest Early Permian) to Changhsingian. Our multiple logistic regression analysis confi rms that the end-Permian extinction was a physiological crisis, selecting against genera with poorly buffered respiratory physiology and calcareous shells. Genera with unbuffered physiology also fared poorly in the Guadalupian extinction, consistent with recognition of a pronounced crisis only among protists and reef-builders and implying similar respiratory physiological stresses. Despite sharing a similar trigger, the end-Permian extinction was considerably more severe than the Guadalupian or other Phanerozoic physiological crises. Its magnitude may have resulted from a larger environmental perturbation, although the combination of warming, hypercapnia, ocean acidifi cation, and hypoxia during the end-Permian extinction likely exacerbated the crisis because of the multiplicative effects of those stresses. Although ocean carbon cycle and evolutionary changes have reduced the sensitivity of modern ecosystems to physiological stresses, extant marine invertebrates face the same synergistic effects of multiple stressors that were so severe during the end-Permian extinction.


alpha-Naphthoflavone (ANF) has previously been shown to compete with 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) for binding to the Ah receptor under conditions in vitro. However, ANF also prevents TCDD-elicited cytochrome P450lA1 induction, immunosuppression, and down-regulation of the estrogen receptor in vivo and within intact isolated cells. These data suggest that ANF is a TCDD antagonist. This study investigated the ability of ANF to transform the Ah receptor contained in rat hepatic cytosol or mouse hepatoma cells to a form that recognizes the dioxin-responsive enhancer element (DRE) upstream of the cytochrome P450lA1 gene. Gel retardation analysis indicated that TCDD- or beta-naphthoflavone (BNF)-bound receptor was able to bind to the DRE, whereas essentially no receptor-DRE complexes were observed using cytosol incubated with ANF concentrations as high as 1000 nM. Furthermore, an excess of ANF, when added to cytosol just before TCDD, blocked, in a concentration-dependent manner, the ability of TCDD to transform the receptor to a form that bound to the DRE. These studies indicated that ANF binds to the receptor and confers on it a conformation that cannot recognize the DNA recognition sequence contained in the DRE. Although an excess of the agonist 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzofuran (TCDF) readily reversed the inhibitory actions of ANF, ANF was unable to reverse the effects of TCDD, TCDF, or BNF on the receptor. These studies suggested that TCDD binding, unlike that of ANF, results in a receptor conformation that has higher affinity for the ligand. Treatment of mouse hepatoma Hepa 1c1c7 cells with TCDD or BNF resulted in receptor contained in nuclear extracts that bound to the DRE. Only a very minor ligand-dependent protein-DNA complex was detected when cells were treated with ANF. These data indicated that ANF acts as an antagonist of TCDD by directly binding to the Ah receptor and eliciting a protein conformation that has very low affinity for DNA.


In this article practical theology is portrayed as a work-zone under construction. In order to understand the architecture associated with the construction work, the impotence of so called zombie categories and shell institutions are used to illustrate that practical theology needs to be re-constructed. This re-construction is being developed through reconsidering paradigm, epistemology and methodology operating within a relevant re-constructed practical theology. Theoretical principles are embodied in the use of the qualitative Delphi forecast method, documenting the consensus opinion of 10 informed participants on the possible role of spirituality within the workplace. Building on these accents, some markers are mapped for the further development of the so called recapitalisation of practical theology with emphasis on a possible meaning for the workplace. Future perspectives for the facilitation of spirituality in the workplace are mapped in conclusion.


The loss of phonological substance ('erosion') has been identified as a recurring concomitant of grammaticalization and is often taken as a defining property of the process. This paper critically reexamines the role of erosion in a theory of grammaticalization by investigating the phonology of cliticization. The degree of phonological reduction that accompanies this sub-process of grammaticalization varies across different prosodic systems. Concentrating on stress systems, heavy erosion of grammaticalized elements is characteristic for languages with strong segmental effect of stress (e.g. German) and less so for languages with weak stress (e.g. Turkish). A revised theory of grammaticalization thus needs to acknowledge structural factors constraining the development of morphemes and should define evolutionary paths not in terms of universal scenarios but relative to different language types.


Two pond sand filters (PSFs) with modified design were constructed in Pathorghata Upazila of Barguna District located in southern Bangladesh. Performance assessment of the PSFs was done after commissioning in terms of quality of filtered water, ease of operation and maintenance, monthly check-up of production capacity/efficiency of the filters, users' participation and acceptability of the modified PSFs. Some important parameters such as total coliform, fecal coliform, turbidity, colour, total suspended solids (TSS), chemical oxygen demand (COD) and pH were measured for the raw water and at the various stages of treatment in order to determine the effectiveness of different units of the PSFs. Close observations were made to assess the removal of turbidity in the roughing/pre-filtration chamber to ensure trouble-free operation of the main filter bed. In combination with roughing filters, the average turbidity and fecal coliform removal efficiency of the sand filters were found to be 76 and 98%, respectively. Filter run of the modified PSFs was also found higher (about 3 months) than the existing PSFs.


Logic reasoning approaches to fault diagnosis account for the fact that a component cj may fail intermittently by introducing a parameter gj that expresses the probability the component exhibits correct behavior. This component parameter gj, in conjunction with a priori fault probability, is used in a Bayesian framework to compute the posterior fault candidate probabilities. Usually, information on gj is not known a priori. While proper estimation of gj can have a great impact on the diagnostic accuracy, at present, only approximations have been proposed. We present a novel framework, BARINEL, that computes exact estimations of gj as integral part of the posterior candidate probability computation. BARINEL's diagnostic performance is evaluated for both synthetic and real software systems. Our results show that our approach is superior to approaches based on classical persistent fault models as well as previously proposed intermittent fault models.


Conventional dark matter direct detection experiments set stringent constraints on dark matter by looking for elastic scattering events between dark matter particles and nuclei in underground detectors. However these constraints weaken significantly in the sub-GeV mass region, simply because light dark matter does not have enough energy to trigger detectors regardless of the dark matter-nucleon scattering cross section. Even if future experiments lower their energy thresholds, they will still be blind to parameter space where dark matter particles interact with nuclei strongly enough that they lose enough energy and become unable to cause a signal above the experimental threshold by the time they reach the underground detector. Therefore in case dark matter is in the sub-GeV region and strongly interacting, possible underground scatterings of dark matter with terrestrial nuclei must be taken into account because they affect significantly the recoil spectra and event rates, regardless of whether the experiment probes DM via DM-nucleus or DM-electron interaction. To quantify this effect we present the publicly available Dark Matter Simulation Code for Underground Scatterings (DaMaSCUS), a Monte Carlo simulator of DM trajectories through the Earth taking underground scatterings into account. Our simulation allows the precise calculation of the density and velocity distribution of dark matter at any detector of given depth and location on Earth. The simulation can also provide the accurate recoil spectrum in underground detectors as well as the phase and amplitude of the diurnal modulation caused by this shadowing effect of the Earth, ultimately relating the modulations expected in different detectors, which is important to decisively conclude if a diurnal modulation is due to dark matter or an irrelevant background.


The mean of a data set is one trivial representation of data from one class. This thesis discusses mutual interdependence analysis (MIA) that is successfully used to extract more
involved representations, or "mutual features", accounting for samples in the class. MIA aims to extract a common or mutual signature that is invariant to changes in the inputs. For example, a mutual feature is a speaker signature under varying channel conditions or a face signature under varying illumination conditions. By definition, the mutual feature is a linear combination of class examples that is equally correlated with all training samples in the class. An equivalent view is to find a direction to project the dataset such that projection lengths are maximally correlated. The MIA optimization criterion is presented from the perspectives of canonical correlation analysis and Bayesian estimation. This allows to state and solve the criterion for mutual features concisely and to infer other properties of its closed form, unique solution under various statistical assumptions. Moreover, a generalized MIA solution (GMIA) is defined that enables utilization of a priori knowledge. MIA and GMIA work well even if the mutual signature accounts only for a small part of the energy in the inputs. Real world problems do not
exactly fit the signal model of an equally correlated common signature. Therefore, the behavior of MIA is analyzed in situations where its model does not exactly fit. For these situations it is shown that GMIA continues to extract meaningful information. Furthermore, the GMIA result is compared to ubiquitous signal processing methods. It is shown that GMIA extends these current tools visualizing previously hidden information. The utility of both MIA and GMIA is demonstrated on two standard pattern recognition problems: text–independent speaker verification and illumination–independent face recognition. For example, GMIA achieves an equal error rate (EER) of 4.0% in the text–independent speaker verification application on the full NTIMIT database of 630 speakers. On the other hand, for illumination–independent face recognition, MIA achieves an identification error rate of 7.4% in exhausive leave–one–out tests on the Yale database. Overall, MIA and GMIA are found to achieve competitive pattern classification performance to other modern algorithms.


Positive relationship building between the university and the schools that receive their pre-service teachers are crucial to developing quality educators fit for the teaching profession. This paper presents an overview of a mentor workshop that was introduced by the professional experience unit of a regional university in Australia. The aim of the mentor workshop was to explore classroom teachers' concerns when supervising pre-service teachers and find ways to better support them in the supervisor role. In addition, different ways and ideas about how to best meet the high (and growing) demand for professional experience placements were explored. Findings suggest that closer relations between university and the schools were warranted to ensure the desired quality of supervision envisaged by all stakeholders. Findings also indicate a strong interest from some classroom teachers in further postgraduate studies in education. This has positive implications for university postgraduate education programs and corollary potential to increase postgraduate intake.


" ""Building Capacity promotes the vision that the teaching of African languages can best achieve its aim of boosting the economic and cultural development of the Africans if they are made to work in synergy with a revamping of the course contents of international languages that will be taught within the frame of a development-oriented literacy curriculum. Great emphasis is put on the oral skills in the use of African languages as they are to serve as a link between the community and the school for the ultimate revitalization of the positive aspects of African cultures in a world beset by globalization. The book is supplemented with a sample of texts in the appendix that are meant to be a bridge between formal texts taught in classrooms and literacy texts that can raise the genuine interests of the local populations in that they address their immediate needs. Among the possible topics language teachers are encouraged to explore in their classes are those concerning economic development, but also such issues as health, education, the environment, food security, and conflict resolution. """"In the face of the growing interest in the use of African Languages by Africans as symbols of personal and cultural identity and as means of empowering the rural communities in the entreprise of national development,the need for a methodologically appropriate manual to guide the teaching and learning of African languages becomes urgent.This book is a timely response, predicated on a policy of the symbiotic use of African languages along with partner (foreign-official) languages, to attain a balanced level of economic and socio-cultural development.It is based on a compendium of well- thought-out principles geared towards a rapid acquisition of written and oral language skills that are congruent with and reflect the socio-cultural and economic concerns of the linguistic community."""" Beban Sammy Chumbow, Professor of Linguistics, University of Yaounde I """"Among the numerous proposals in this book is the necessity for Africans, and I would add, for the communities of Asia and Latin America, to re-think the contents of their language courses and assign them an objective which aims at the integral development of their communities. It is indeed imperative that these courses reflect clear objectives of seeking social, cultural, and economic developments that harmonize with African, Asian, and Latin American values that are deep rooted in their respective various cultures."""" Jean-Pierre Angenot Professor of Linguistics, Federal University of Rond?nia, Porto Velho, Brazil."""


Aims: To describe the association of retinopathy with atherosclerosis and atherosclerotic risk factors in people with diabetes. Methods: 296 of the 558 people classified as having diabetes by the American Diabetes Association criteria, from a population based cohort of adults (ranging in age from 69 to 102 years) living in four United States communities (Allegheny County, Pennsylvania; Forsyth County, North Carolina; Sacramento County, California; and Washington County, Maryland) were studied from 1997 to 1998. Lesions typical of diabetic retinopathy were determined by grading a 45° colour fundus photograph of one eye of each participant, using a modification of the Airlie House classification system. Results: Retinopathy was present in 20% of the diabetic cohort, with the lowest prevalence (16%), in those 80 years of age or older. Retinopathy was detected in 20.3% of the 296 people with diabetes; 2.7% of the 296 had signs of proliferative retinopathy and 2.1% had signs of macular oedema. The prevalence of diabetic retinopathy was higher in black people (35.4%) than white (16.0%). Controlling for age, sex, and blood glucose, retinopathy was more frequent in black people than white (odds ratio (OR) 2.26, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.01, 5.05), in those with longer duration of diabetes (OR (per 5 years of diabetes) 1.42, 95% CI 1.18, 1.70), in those with subclinical cardiovascular disease (OR 1.49, 95% CI 0.51, 4.31), or coronary heart disease or stroke (OR 3.23, 95% CI 1.09, 9.56) than those without those diseases, in those with higher plasma low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (OR (per 10 mg/dl of LDL cholesterol) 1.12, 95% CI 1.02, 1.23), and in those with gross proteinuria (OR 4.76, 95% CI 1.53, 14.86). Conclusion: Data from this population based study suggest a higher prevalence of retinopathy in black people than white people with diabetes and the association of cardiovascular disease, elevated plasma LDL cholesterol, and gross proteinuria with diabetic retinopathy. However, any conclusions or explanations regarding associations described here must be made with caution because only about one half of those with diabetes mellitus were evaluated.


Objectives: to assess alcohol intake prevalence and identify associated factors among pregnant women in the municipality of Rio Grande, RS, Brazil. Methods: this was a cross-sectional study which included all parturient women residing in the municipality who gave birth in 2013. Two outcomes were characterized: alcohol intake during pregnancy and excessive alcohol intake during pregnancy. In the analysis, proportions were tested using the Chi-square test, whilst Poisson regression was used in the multivariate analysis. Results: 9.4% (CI95%= 8.2-10.5) of the 2,685 parturient women studied reported having consumed alcohol during pregnancy, with beer being most common beverage. Following adjustment, the factors associated with alcohol intake in pregnancy were: age ≥30 years, brown skin colour, living without a partner, low schooling, tobacco smoking and illicit drug use, having had more children and late onset of prenatal care. Excessive alcohol intake was found in 12.7% (CI95%= 8.6-16.9) of those who reported drinking during pregnancy and the factors associated with this practice were age ≥30 years, lower schooling and illicit drug use. Conclusions: this study found high alcohol intake during the gestation period and identified women more susceptible to this practice. There is an evident need for health professionals to work on preventing and handling alcohol intake among pregnant women in the municipality


This paper examines theoretical issues of direct interfirm exchange in supply chains and focuses upon the relational aspect of embeddedness. Exploring insights from contract theory, marketing research, and economic sociology, we distinguish between the transactional and the relational forms of market exchange. It is assumed that real-world market exchange should not only be associated with arm's-length ties but presents divergent combinations of arm's-length and embedded ties. Problematizing the notion of embeddedness, we treat it as a multidimensional phenomenon. Embeddedness is shaped by a variety of relatively independent constitutive elements that may be developed (or not developed) in relation with different exchange partners or with one partner that is attached to different elements or phases of the market exchange. An original typology of dimensions that are constitutive for embedded/relational exchange is constructed. These dimensions are attached to the phases of the interfirm contract cycle as opposed to the relationships life cycle. Applying a processual view of social structure, we explore the emergence of the relational exchange elements as they result from the strategic choices made by the market sellers as they move along the cycle of contractual relationships. We also define hybrid forms of exchange as ways of coping with market uncertainty. Finally, we set up a number of hypotheses regarding the factors that facilitate the emergence of embedded/relational exchange and suggest measurement tools for the future empirical research.


• Investigations into currently accepted methods of modelling variations in the arrival rate of meteors over forward-scatter meteor links have revealed some shortcomings. In these investigations, particular emphasis is placed on the work of Rudie due to its current acceptance in the literature. The non-uniform radiant distribution of meteors measured by Davies and modelled by Rudie, is critically examined and predictions using these models are compared with measured results taken over two forward-scatter links in the Southern Hemisphere. A new, alternative method of including the effect of non-uniform radiant distributions on the predicted arrival rate of meteors is given. The method used by Rudie to model Davies' measured radiant distribution is shown to be unnecessarily complicated and a simpler alternative is given. Furthermore, Rudie's distribution is shown not to be derived from a particular set of Davies' results as implied by Rudie. Other non-uniform distributions of meteors are also investigated. Comparisons between monthly-averaged daily cycles of measured and predicted arrival rates of meteors for a midpath and an endpath meteor link are used to reveal the validity and limitations of the published distributions. A new graphical method is used to aid in determining the validity and limitations of the non-uniform distributions. Discrepancies in the published predicted and measured annual variations in the arrival rate of meteors are investigated. Contrary to recently published information, predicted annual variations in the arrival rate of meteors for meteor radiants close to the ecliptic are shown to be comparable to measured results.


Ladd and Martin's hedonic pricing model is extended to include the interactive effect of noncontracted characteristics on the value of contracted characteristics. Marginal values of wheat protein in the Japanese import market are estimated using the interactive effects of noncontracted dough/flour characteristics typically proxied by protein. Protein value is linked positively to farinograph stability, a prime factor in blending different flours. Three high protein wheats maintained about the same marginal value of protein. The marginal value for the two low protein wheats appear more end-use dependant. They varied in a $2.00/ton range depending on protein absorption, stability, and extensibility.


This article compares swearing in novels with swearing in everyday talk based on a representative sample of British and American prose fiction and a several large corpora of natural conversation. Swearing allegedly makes fictional dialogue more realistic, but up till now no one has attempted a systematic comparison of fictional and natural conversational swearing. Fiction writers incorporate swearing into their dialogue to delineate characters and to signal emotions, sometimes setting it off from non-swearing talk and commenting on it in various ways. Traditionally, the author's own voice contained no swearing. By contrast, in conversational narratives, tellers use swearing to obtain the floor, to evaluate action, to mark climaxes and closings, in addition to portraying their characters as swearing. Moreover, in conversation, tellers may hear their listeners swearing along with them, not only to support and evaluate, but also to oppose and even complain about their telling performance.


Act III, sc. 2 (line 149) PORTIA You see me, Lord Bassanio, where I stand, Such as I am: though for myself alone I would not be ambitious in my wish, To wish myself much better; yet, for you I would be trebled twenty times myself; A thousand times more fair, ten thousand times more rich; That only to stand high in your account, I might in virtue, beauties, livings, friends, Exceed account; but the full sum of me Is sum of something, which, to term in gross, Is an unlesson'd girl, unschool'd, unpractised; Happy in this, she is not yet so old But she may learn; happier than this, She is not bred so dull but she can learn; Happiest of all is that her gentle spirit Commits itself to yours to be directed, As from her lord, her governor, her king. Myself and what is mine to you and yours Is now converted: but now I was the lord Of this fair mansion, master of my servants, Queen o'er myself: and even now, but now,


Shimabara City in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan, is located on a volcanic peninsula that has abundant groundwater. Almost all public water supplies use groundwater in this region. For this reason, understanding groundwater characteristics is a pre-requisite for proper water supply management. Thus, we investigated the groundwater chemistry characteristics in Shimabara by use of self-organizing maps (SOMs). The input to SOM was concentrations of eight major groundwater chemical components, namely Cl−, NO3−, SO42–, HCO3−, Na+, K+, Mg2+, and Ca2+ collected at 36 sampling locations. The locations constituted private and public water supply wells, springs, and a river sampled from April 2012 to May 2015. Results showed that depending on chemistry, surface and groundwater could be classified into five main clusters displaying unique patterns. Further, the five clusters could be divided into two major water types, namely, nitrate- and non-polluted water. According to stiff and Piper trilinear diagrams, the nitrate-polluted water represented Ca-(SO42– + NO3) (calcium sulfate nitrate) type, while non-polluted water was classified as Ca-HCO3 (calcium bicarbonate) type. This indicates that recharging rain water in the upstream areas is polluted by agricultural activities in the mid-slope areas of Shimabara.


TIG welding is a very clean welding, and produces high-quality welds. But usually it's performed manually, so that the quality of weld depends on the skill of the operator, and there's not so much theoretical information about what's happening while, and just after the welding, and how it affects the properties of the welded sample.
Extensive literature is available for weldability of conventional materials such as aluminum, titanium or magnesium materials. TIG welding of powder metallurgy steels has not been attempted by many researchers. The aim of this project is to investigate the possibility of welding powder metallurgy alloy steel by TIG welding process. Mo-alloyed low alloy steel with 0.3% carbon has been synthesized from elemental powders of iron, graphite and molybdenum, through the powder metallurgy processing route. Elemental powder were mixed in suitable proportions, compacted and sintered at 1120 oC for 20 minutes. The sintered compacts were immediately hot forged between a pair of flat dies and drawn out into flat specimens of size 75mm x 12 mm x 3mm, with a density of about 97% of theoretical density. Manual TIG welding was performed on the flat specimen both transverse and longitudinally. Argon gas was used as shielding gas. After the welding, the welded samples were subjected to tensile test, hardness measurement and microstructural investigation. SEM of the fractured samples was also undertaken.
Some of the important conclusions arrived at from the results are: low alloy p/m steel can be successfully welded by manual TIG welding, without the usual weld defects such as lack of fusion, under bead cracks etc. Further, metallurgically sound welds could be produced on porous low alloy steel without porosity affecting the weld metal. The welded samples exhibited higher tensile strength and hardness compared to the base metal, which is an indication of sound weld joint. However, in a few samples, blow holes were observed within the weldment, which have been the prominent factor in reducing the strength of the welded joint. The microstructural analysis of the welded joints indicated basic ferritic structure in weld metal zone and feritic-pearlitic structure in base metal. There is no pronounced heat affected zone, which could be microstructurally distinct in all cases of the welded samples. The SEM fractographs of the failed specimen indicated predominantly mixed mode of fracture by the presence of both dimples and cleavage factes. Additionally, the unclosed pores have also contributed to the fracture origin during the tensile loading, as noticed in the fractographs. The welded samples with blow holes invariably failed in the weld zone, especially fracture originated in the blow hole areas, during tensile test.


Abstract. Stress-induced volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions from transgenic Grey poplar modified in isoprene emission potential were used for the investigation of photochemical secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation. In poplar, acute ozone stress induces the emission of a wide array of VOCs dominated by sesquiterpenes and aromatic VOCs. Constitutive light-dependent emission of isoprene ranged between 66 nmol m −2 s −1 in non-transgenic controls (wild type WT) and nearly zero ( −2 s −1 ) in isoprene emission-repressed plants (line RA22), respectively. Nucleation rates of up to 3600 cm −3 s −1 were observed in our experiments. In the presence of isoprene new particle formation was suppressed compared to non-isoprene containing VOC mixtures. Compared to isoprene/monoterpene systems emitted from other plants the suppression of nucleation by isoprene was less effective for the VOC mixture emitted from stressed poplar. This is explained by the observed high efficiency of new particle formation for emissions from stressed poplar. Direct measurements of OH in the reaction chamber revealed that the steady state concentration of OH is lower in the presence of isoprene than in the absence of isoprene, supporting the hypothesis that isoprenes' suppressing effect on nucleation is related to radical chemistry. In order to test whether isoprene contributes to SOA mass formation, fully deuterated isoprene (C 5 D 8 ) was added to the stress-induced emission profile of an isoprene free poplar mutant. Mass spectral analysis showed that, despite the isoprene-induced suppression of particle formation, fractions of deuterated isoprene were incorporated into the SOA. A fractional mass yield of 2.3% of isoprene was observed. Future emission changes due to land use and climate change may therefore affect both gas phase oxidation capacity and new particle number formation.


This thesis examines the adaptive reuse of historic textile mills in North Carolina. The decline of the textile industry which employed over 300 000 North Carolinians at its peak has left scores of mills abandoned on the state`s landscape. Many of these abandoned mills possess value that derives from a combination of their architectural splendor their cultural significance and their ability to reduce environmental impacts when creatively reused.  Historic textile mills within North Carolina are inventoried. This unique inventory includes the precise location of 611 historic mills their current uses and a host of site and situational factors that might affect the probability of reuse. Reused mills are statistically contrasted against abandoned mills using logistic regression and key situational factors that could affect investment decisions. The model correctly predicts the reuse of 87 percent of abandoned mills. The key predictors of mill reuse are: local age ethnicity educational attainment poverty distance to nearest stream and location within a historic district. Analysis of errors indicates a troublesome frequency of false negatives i.e. reused mills that are predicted to be abandoned. This is attributed to a lack of key site variables in the logistic model e.g. structure size lot size and architectural quality. The model is then used to guide selection of abandoned mills that are good candidates for reuse. Each of these five candidates is found to have considerable reuse potential and this emphasizes the need to consider preservation over demolition.  The inventory suffers from errors of omission i.e. 80 percent of all historic mills are included. The inventory also suffers from possible errors of commission i.e. a few mills might be inaccurately located or their current use misclassified. However the inventory is unique in terms of its scope and quality. The false negatives can be reduced with measurement and inclusion of appropriate site characteristics. In sum the approach developed here is transferable in terms of geography (other states) and sectors (other industries such as tobacco). This research is devoted to preserving the value of historic mills through their adaptive reuse. The inventory assembled and the modeling applied should prove useful in assisting with that goal.


Lipids are essential to organisms as they constitute membranes, and function as energy source and reserve. In animals, lipid transport in the circulation is accomplished by lipoproteins. These macromolecular particles, consisting of one or more proteins and up to hundreds of lipid molecules, have been identified throughout the animal kingdom, but have been studied particularly in mammals and insects. Previous investigations revealed important similarities and differences between insect and mammalian lipoprotein systems, that may result from modification of the structural components involved. From this perspective, this thesis presents work on the biosynthesis of insect lipoprotein, the evolutionary origin and diversification of lipoprotein precursor proteins among animals, and sequence properties of lipoprotein receptors.
The two structural proteins in insect lipoprotein, apoLp-I and apoLp-II, derive from cleavage of a common precursor protein, apoLp-II/I, that is homologous to the single structural protein of mammalian lipoproteins, apoB. The involvement of an insect furin in apoLp-II/I cleavage was demonstrated using fat body tissue from the migratory locust (Locusta migratoria) and a novel recombinant insect expression system for truncated L. migratoria apoLp-II/I. Surprisingly, however, cleavage is not essential to the lipidation and secretion of lipophorin, as uncleaved apoLp-II/I was also secreted as a lipoprotein.
 The mechanism that allows lipidation of apoLp-II/I or its two cleavage products into a lipoprotein is unknown. Sequence analysis predicts apoLp-II/I to contain clusters of amphipathic α-helices and β-strands, organized along the protein as N-α1-β-α2-C. Expression of truncation variants of L. migratoriai apoLp-II/I in a recombinant lipoprotein expression system revealed that the β cluster enables the binding of sufficient lipids to constitute a buoyant lipoprotein. A Drosophila melanogaster MTP homolog stimulated recombinant apoLp-II/I secretion as well as lipidation. These results indicate that lipoprotein assembly of insects, similar to that of mammals, depends on amphipathic clusters as well as MTP.
The involvement of similar elements in the biogenesis of insect and mammalian lipoproteins implies a common metazoan, and therefore ancient, origin for lipoproteins and their mechanisms for biogenesis. To gain understanding of their evolution, sequence databases were searched to categorize large lipid transfer proteins (LLTP) across the animal kingdom. This resulted in the recognition of two novel LLTP in insects in addition to vitellogenin, apoLp-II/I, and MTP. Phylogenetic analysis on conserved sequences in the LLT module revealed three subfamilies of LLTP, and the relatively close relationship of insect apoLp-II/I and mammalian apoB.
Animals rely on homologous members of the LDL receptor family for the cellular uptake of specific LLTP. Classification based on the non-recurring domains of LDLR family members recognizes insect lipophorin receptors, LpR, as a distinct subgroup of the LDLR family, unlike previous classification based on the number of cysteine-rich repeats in the ligand-binding domain. The distinct sequence motifs observed in the non-recurring domains of LpR may explain functional differences with mammalian LDLR family members.


To facilitate processing of 3D objects is common to use high-level representations. The interest points are one of them. An interest point should possess a distinctive feature regarding its locality and should be stable in different instances of the object. This article proposes a descriptor based on symmetry (GISIFs) and heat diffusion (HKS). From this features, we select a set of representative points. The GISIFs referenced in this article has not been used to extract local features. We compare our results with the results of other techniques, which make up the state of the art in interest point detection. We use a benchmark that evaluates the accuracy of the selected points with respect to an ideal set of interest points.


Hypothesis: A garden-based high school curriculum and school lunch program positively impact the nutrition knowledge, attitudes, behaviors and health outcomes of participating urban youth.
Specific aims:
1. To characterize the objectives and implementation of the Common Ground High Schools garden-based curriculum and school lunch program
2. To evaluate the effectiveness of the program in promoting healthy nutrition knowledge, attitudes, behaviors and health outcomes among Common Ground students
Methods: Mixed quantitative and qualitative methods were used to conduct the program evaluation. The Common Ground curriculum was characterized through in-depth staff interviews and review of relevant policies and procedures. Surveys on nutrition attitudes, knowledge, and behavior were administered in the Fall and Spring at Common Ground and two comparison schools. Student focus groups were conducted at the three schools. Demographic data and body mass index data were gathered at Common Ground and one of the comparison schools. Direct observations were conducted in the cafeterias of the three schools; students were served vegetables during three different typical lunch periods, and the number of students that tasted and ate the vegetables were counted.
Results: Common Ground students learn about health, nutrition and the food system through coursework in the organic garden, the school lunch program, and informal interactions with teachers and staff. Students at comparison schools desire higher quality school food and more control over what is served. Students at Common Ground have more knowledge about the food system than students at comparison schools, but not more knowledge about basic nutrition. Students at Common Ground ate 6.6 and 9.0 servings per week of fruits and vegetables at school at the beginning and end of the school year, respectively, while students at Comparison School #2 ate 7.7 and 6.9 servings per week. In the cafeteria observations, students at comparison schools ate more of the familiar vegetables than students at Common Ground. Students at Common Ground ate more of the unfamiliar vegetables. Average BMI of students at Common Ground from freshmen to seniors is 27.4, 26.1, 23.4, and 26.3 kg/m2. At Comparison School #2, average BMI of freshmen to seniors is 26.5, 24.1, 26.6 and 29.7 kg/m2 (ANOVA shows p = 0.0622).
Conclusion: Common Grounds garden-based curriculum and school lunch program positively influences students nutrition knowledge, attitudes, behavior, and health outcomes. Similar interventions should be implemented in other schools and school systems in order to improve population health.


OBJECTIVE: To assess the effectiveness of a parent-focused intervention on infants' obesity-risk behaviors and BMI. METHODS: This cluster randomized controlled trial recruited 542 parents and their infants (mean age 3.8 months at baseline) from 62 first-time parent groups. Parents were offered six 2-hour dietitian-delivered sessions over 15 months focusing on parental knowledge, skills, and social support around infant feeding, diet, physical activity, and television viewing. Control group parents received 6 newsletters on nonobesity-focused themes; all parents received usual care from child health nurses. The primary outcomes of interest were child diet (3 × 24-hour diet recalls), child physical activity (accelerometry), and child TV viewing (parent report). Secondary outcomes included BMI z-scores (measured). Data were collected when children were 4, 9, and 20 months of age. RESULTS: Unadjusted analyses showed that, compared with controls, intervention group children consumed fewer grams of noncore drinks (mean difference = –4.45; 95% confidence interval [CI]: –7.92 to –0.99; P = .01) and were less likely to consume any noncore drinks (odds ratio = 0.48; 95% CI: 0.24 to 0.95; P = .034) midintervention (mean age 9 months). At intervention conclusion (mean age 19.8 months), intervention group children consumed fewer grams of sweet snacks (mean difference = –3.69; 95% CI: –6.41 to –0.96; P = .008) and viewed fewer daily minutes of television (mean difference = –15.97: 95% CI: –25.97 to –5.96; P = .002). There was little statistical evidence of differences in fruit, vegetable, savory snack, or water consumption or in BMI z-scores or physical activity. CONCLUSIONS: This intervention resulted in reductions in sweet snack consumption and television viewing in 20-month-old children.


We successfully fabricated a polarization-insensitive 10-GHz-spaced 128-channel arrayed-waveguide grating whose cross talk ranged from -39 to -36 dB . The optical phases of all arrayed waveguides were adjusted simultaneously by means of a photoinduced refractive-index change under ArF excimer laser irradiation through metal masks.


As the population of incarcerated persons has swelled in local, state, and federal facilities around the country, the infrastructure supporting the attorney-client relationship is under increasing stress. The result is an array of new cases about the difficulties of lawyering in jails and prisons. These cases challenge the lack of private space for legal visits, reductions in visiting hours, remote carceral placements, interference with legal mail, and monitoring of legal phone calls and legal email. Despite (or perhaps because of) these mounting challenges, many courts have become less receptive to Sixth Amendment claims from people behind bars, putting the right to counsel at risk. This Article traces the hidden ways in which mass incarceration has worked to degrade the right to counsel, both in fact and in law, for incarcerated criminal defendants. It then proposes possibilities for reinvigorating the Sixth Amendment's protections for incarcerated defendants, through intersecting strategies for regulation and structural litigation, with the ultimate goal of breaking our national reliance on pretrial detention. Building on a 50-state survey of the jail standards governing the attorney-client relationship, the Article illustrates how the Sixth Amendment's protections are currently understood by those who must facilitate them, and then proposes a new litigation strategy to catalyze reform.


# GPs approve simpler complaints and disciplinary procedure {#article-title-2}

The General Medical Services Committee has approved the outline of new complaints and disciplinary procedures which would be simpler, quicker, and fairer for general practitioners and patients. In future the complaints and disciplinary procedures will be separated.

The complaints procedure is based on recommendations in the Department of Health's report Acting on Complaints, which was its response to the Wilson report, Being Heard. They are due to come into effect in April 1996, are investigative rather than punitive, and aim to resolve most complaints at an informal practice level. GPs would be obliged under their terms of service to operate a practice based complaints system and cooperate with a stage two procedure, which would operate if the practice based procedure did not resolve the complaint, and the new disciplinary arrangements.

Doctors would no longer be in breach of their terms of service in relation to complaints but would under the disciplinary procedure. The system of medical service committees would be abolished.

The GMSC has urged the government to reduce the time limit of one year for making a complaint and the health minister was due to announce a decision this week.

Under the stage one practice based procedure an initial response to a complaint should normally be made within two days and an explanation normally provided within two weeks.

If the stage two procedure had to be invoked health authorities would set up panels to hold informal hearings into complaints. They would have to make their report available to the authority, the complainant, and …


Scholar, theologian and philosopher, Martin Buber is one of the twentieth century's most influential thinkers. He believed that the deepest reality of human life lies in the relationship between one being and another. Between Man and Man is the classic work where he puts this belief into practice, applying it to the concrete problems of contemporary society. Here he tackles subjects as varied as religious ethics, social philosophy, marriage, education, psychology and art. Including some of his most famous writings, such as the masterful What is Man?, this enlightening work challenges each reader to reassess their encounter with the world that surrounds them.


The nitrate complexes of transition metals with 1,2-diimidazoloethane (DIE) of the general formula M(DIE)(NO3)2, where M = Co(II), Cu(II), Zn(II), and Cd(II), were synthesized. The compositions of metal complexes and ligand were investigated by elemental analysis in order to ensure their purity and the structure elucidations were based on conductivity measurements, room temperature magnetic moment studies, proton NMR, and electronic and IR spectra. The thermal behavior of these complexes possessing distorted tetrahedral geometry and their ligand was studied by means of thermoanalytical techniques in static air atmosphere in order to determine their mode of decomposition and thermal stability. All these complexes and ligand show 2-step weight loss upon heating to 740 °C, with simultaneous loss of inorganic and organic fragments exhibiting almost the same mode of decomposition pattern. The residue after heating above 640 °C corresponded to metal oxide. There was no residue in the case of ligand. The composition of intermediates and end products formed during degradation was confirmed by microanalysis and IR spectroscopy. It follows from the results that the thermal stability of the complexes increases in the following sequence: Co(II) < Cu(II) < Zn(II) < Cd(II)


The effect of 2 dosages (1.5 and 3.0%) of ImmuPlus, a polyherbal immunomodulator, was tested on growth and inflammatory response to Fruend's complete adjuvant (FCA) in common carp, Cyprinus carpio. The growth study was carried out for 120 days in nine 25 m2 outdoor cement tanks by feeding triplicate groups of 40 common carp fry (av. wt. 0.4 g ± 0.03) with a control (T0 without ImmuPlus) and two test diets (T1 and T2 with 1.5 and 3.0% ImmuPlus respectively). At the end of the growth experiment, 20 fish from each of these were used for evaluating the inflammatory response to FCA. The final weight gain of fish fed the test diets was significantly (P<0.05) higher, there being no difference between the two treatments. Specific growth rate of treated fish showed a significant increase (P<0.05) over that of the control fish. Supplementation of diet with ImmuPlus improved (P<0.05) survival of fish. Protein content of fish carcass was significantly (P<0.05) higher in the fish receiving the two test diets, while fat content was higher (P<0.05) only in fish from T2 treatment. Enhanced (P<0.05) protease and amylase activity was found in the treated fish. Even though there were no marked differences in the overall inflammatory response between the control and treated fish following FCA administration, recovery was faster in the latter, with stronger encapsulation of the adjuvant droplets. The results reflect the ability of Immuplus to promote growth and improve inflammatory response when administered through diet.


In this thesis psychologists' diagnostic decision making processes and their relationship with treatment decisions were investigated. Theoretical diagnostic models prescribe that the diagnostic process consists of two decision processes: classification and case formulation (Witteman, Harries, Bekker, & Van Aarle, 2007). These diagnostic decisions are used to form an integrated client model on which psychologists base their treatment decisions (Haynes, 1993). However, in clinical practice, the complex and dynamic nature of the diagnostic tasks hampers an optimal performance (Gambrill, 2005). Thus far, it has remained unclear whether the prescribed diagnostic decisions are performed in clinical practice and determine treatment decisions. Two research questions were investigated in this thesis: 1) What characterizes the diagnostic decision making process in clinical practice? and 2) What is the role of the diagnostic decision making processes in designing treatments? In chapters 2 and 3 the type of diagnostic decisions considered in the diagnostic process (chapter 2) and the sequence of decisions (chapter 3) was explored using a questionnaire with a written case description. In chapter 4 the third study is described in which an authentic diagnostic task was used. The type and sequence of psychologists' diagnostic decisions as well as their considerations were examined in a diagnostic interview with a simulated client. In addition, it was examined to what extent these considerations are connected to psychologists' assessment reports based on their diagnostic interviews. In chapter 5 the influence of client case complexity on the quality of case formulations was investigated. In addition, we explored the relationship between psychologists' diagnostic decisions (classification and case formulation), their theoretical orientations and the treatment decisions. In the final chapter, the main findings of all four studies are summarized and discussed, the concept of a decision support tool is described, and suggestions for further research are made. The studies in this thesis show that psychologists' diagnostic processes are adaptive and characterized by a focus on the client's complaints and symptoms and on treatment selection while they continuously shift between all diagnostic decisions and reconsider previous decisions. The decisions made in the diagnostic process contribute only slightly to treatment design.


In recent years, Cloud computing has emerged as a new paradigm for delivering highly scalable and on-demand shared pool IT resources such as networks, servers, storage, applications and services through internet. It enables IT managers to provision services to users faster and in a cost-effective way. As a result, this technology is used by an increasing number of end users. On the other hand, existing security deficiencies and vulnerabilities of underlying technologies can leave an open door for intruders. Indeed, one of the major security issues in Cloud is to protect against distributed attacks and other malicious activities on the network that can affect confidentiality, availability and integrity of Cloud resources. In order to solve these problems, we propose a Collaborative Network Intrusion Detection System (C-NIDS) to detect network attacks in Cloud by monitoring network traffic, while offering high accuracy by addressing newer challenges, namely, intrusion detection in virtual network, monitoring high traffic, scalability and resistance capability. In our NIDS framework, we use Snort as a signature based detection to detect known attacks, while for detecting network anomaly, we use Support Vector Machine (SVM). Moreover, in this framework, the NIDS sensors deployed in Cloud operate in collaborative way to oppose the coordinated attacks against cloud infrastructure and knowledge base remains up-to-date.


Chiweshe Reserve is some 60 miles north-west of Salisbury in the Mazoe district, and is a typical African Reserve in the high veld of Mashonaland. Male absenteeism is fairly high, and agriculture is typically carried out by the older men, the women and children. Land tenure is on a customary basis, and the Land Husbandry Act of 1951 has never been strictly applied. Soil types vary from granite sands to laterite red clays, with a marked difference in agricultural productivity between the two.
The budgets analysed here were drawn from a sample of 120 families whose agricultural activities were fully recorded between October 1960 and September 1961. Food consumption levels were derived from crop production records less sales of produce. Meat consumption levels were derived from cattle slaughter less sales plus cash purchases of meat. Consumer goods purchased by the families were recorded by the research assistants on twice weekly visits. Income was calculated from crops grown and consumed plus sales of produce plus cash remittances from outside the reserve plus any other recorded source of income.


In this thesis we present analyses of z ~ 3 star-forming Lyman break galaxy and Lyman-alpha emitter populations.
Additionally, we use QSO sightlines to probe the properties of gas around the LBGs. The observed star-forming galaxy sample is based on spectroscopic redshift data taken from a combination of the VLT LBG Redshift Survey (VLRS) data and Keck LRIS observations in fields centred on bright background QSOs. We compare these data with results from a GIMIC hydrodynamical simulation. We first estimate the auto-correlation function of simulated galaxies and compare these results with the observed Keck+VLRS correlation functions. We find that the observed galaxy real-space auto-correlation function is more consistent with that measured for simulated M⋆ ≥ 10^9 h^−1 M⊙ galaxies than lower mass galaxies.

We then calculate the cross correlation of galaxies with Ly-alpha absorption in QSO sightlines in both our observed and simulated datasets. We check near star-forming galaxies in both data and simulations for the existence of the transmission spike which previous authors have claimed to be indicative of the effects of star-formation feedback on the IGM. No detection of such a spike is seen in the galaxy-gas correlation function in the combined VLRS+Keck data. The simulated cross-correlation function also shows comparable neutral gas densities around galaxies as seen in the observations. The Ly-alpha auto- and cross-correlation functions in the GIMIC simulations, appear to show infall smaller than implied by the predicted infall parameter of
β_Lyα ≈ 1.3 (McDonald et al.). There is a possibility
that the reduced infall may be due to the galaxy wide outflows implemented in the simulations.

We present the Lyman-α luminosity functions and two-point clustering correlation functions of Lyα emitters (LAEs) at z = 3.1. We obtain a photometric sample of ~500 LAE candidates from 5 fields based on deep Subaru Suprime-Cam imaging data and a spectroscopic sample of 62 confirmed LAEs in 3 of our 5 fields from VLT VIMOS spectroscopy.
We find that our narrowband Lyα luminosity function is in agreement with Ouchi et al. (2008) and is higher than for Gronwall et al. (2007). We estimate the R-band continuum luminosity functions of our sample of LAEs. Our 1700 Å continuum magnitude (auto) LAE luminosity function appears similar to that of Gronwall et al.(2007) with a relatively high number density of LAE being detected at bright magnitudes. We compare LAE and LBG R-band continuum luminosity functions and find that the LAE luminosity function at R < 25.5 amounts to only ~30 % of the density of the LBG luminosity function. Nevertheless, most of LAE still lie at the faint end of the LBG luminosity function.
Finally, by comparing the 3-D LAE and LBG clustering amplitudes as estimated from the angular correlation function, we find a lower r_0 for LAE than for the LBGs.
We measure a correlation length in the range of r_0 = 1.8-3.1 h^-1 Mpc and a bias in the range of b = 1.4-2.3 for LAEs. Even the highest LAE r_0 value is significantly lower than that of LBGs. The average LAE dark matter halo mass inferred from clustering is in the range of 10^{9.7±0.8}-10^{11.2±0.2} h^{-1} M⊙. The lower correlation length leads to the lower halo masses.
Our results show that the LAE population is dominated by galaxies fainter than those traditionally selected via the Lyman Break method. It is possible that the LAE population may simply be a faint subset of the LBG selection and our results, in terms of both the luminosity function and clustering, are consistent with this picture.


Pleurophycus gardneri (Laminariales) is common in the low intertidal of the Northeast Pacific, but dominates many deep (30 to 40 m) rocky reefs in central California. Seasonal dynamics of productivity and resource allocation of a deep-water population of this deciduous, stipitate kelp were studied to understand how blade abscission affects the annual carbon budget. Patterns of growth, metabolism, and carbon storage and mobilization were measured monthly for 1 yr relative to in situ light and temperature, and used to model the annual carbon budget. The resulting carbon budget was used to determine if blade abscission effectively reduced respiratory demand during the winter period of low light availability. Metabolic properties (photosynthesis, photoacclimation, and respira- tion) were seasonally constant and showed evidence of photoacclimation to this deep, low-light environment. Blades grew between February and July, followed by senescence and sloughing from August to December. Concentrations of laminaran and mannitol increased in the blades from the onset of sloughing in August until just prior to blade abscission in mid-December, suggesting translocation of these carbohydrates may have occurred from the blade to the stipe and holdfast. Carbon budget estimates revealed that scalar irradiance measures overestimated the light available for photosynthesis of these paddle-shaped kelp blades by 50 to 75%. The calculations also revealed that blade retention allowed for the maintenance of positive carbon balance throughout the year. Thus, conservation of the internal carbon reserve for metabolic survival during the low-light period does not appear to be a viable explanation for the deciduous life history of P. gardneri. Abscission may reduce hydrodynamic drag, thus minimizing the probability of dislodgment of entire plants during winter storm events, or promote spore dispersal as abscised blades and sori drift away from the parent holdfast.


Aims: Identification of predisposing factor(s) for acute stroke death is of utmost importance to clinicians as this will assist in instituting specific therapy and management. This study was set out to determine factor(s) that predict mortality within 30 days of stroke ictus among adult Nigerians. Materials and Methods: A prospective hospital-based study. It involved consecutive adult stroke patients (≥18 years) admitted into the medical wards of the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital Ilorin, North central Nigeria, between June 2011 and May 2013. Results: The mean age of 302 patients studied was 60.47 ± 13.60 years with more male (53.4%) and no significant difference in mean age between stroke survivors (60.8 ± 13.4 years) and the deceased (59.6 ± 14.0 years). The random blood sugar in survivors and case fatality were 9.4 ± 5.7 mMol/l and 9.3 ± 4.7 mMol/l, respectively. Mean cholesterol level was 6.1 ± 1.3 mMol and 7.1 ± 2.4 mMol in stroke survivors and deceased, respectively. Serum creatinine was higher among case fatality (107.1 ± 49.7 μmol/l) than survivors (101.7 ± 67.2 μmol/l). Brain Computer Tomography was available for 166 (55%) patients with pathologic stroke sub-types of cerebral infarction −71.1%, intracerebral hemorrhage −25.5%, and subarachnoid hemorrhage −3.0%. The median (interquartile range) National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score for all was 12 (8-15), survivors 11 (7-14), and 16 (10-23.5) for the deceased (P < 0.01). Sixty-four patients died within the study period giving a case fatality rate of 21.2%. Risk factors for stroke deaths were low Glasgow coma score (<8), high NIHSS score, and presence of complication. The independent predictors of 30 days mortality were admitting stroke severity using NIHSS score (≥15) (P < 0.001) and the presence of at least a complication (P < 0.001). Conclusion: More than one-fifth of these stroke patients died within the first 30 days of the ictus. Prevention, early recognition, and prompt treatment of complications of stroke could help reduce mortality.


A.S. Fraenkel introduced a new $(s,t)$-Wythoff's game which is a generalization of both Wythoff's game and $a$-Wythoff's game. Four new models of a restricted version of $(s,t)$-Wythoff's game, Odd-Odd $(s,t)$-Wythoff's Game, Even-Even $(s,t)$-Wythoff's Game, Odd-Even $(s,t)$-Wythoff's Game and Even-Odd $(s,t)$-Wythoff's Game, are investigated. Under normal or mis e re play conventions, all $P$-positions of these four models are given for arbitrary integers $s,t\geq 1$. For Even-Even $(s,t)$-Wythoff's Game, the structure of $P$-positions is given by recursive characterizations in terms of the mex function. For other models, the structures of $P$-positions are of algebraic form, which permit us to decide in polynomial time whether or not a given game position $(a,b)$ is a $P$-position.


Abstract The goal of the present study was to investigate the olfactory attractiveness of air-dried insects used as aromas to dogs. The trial consisted of 35 adult dogs (20 males, 15 females) aged between 12 months and 7 years (mean = 3.6), varied in terms of breed, kept as companion animals. The dogs had free olfactory access to selected unprocessed dried insects, i.e., mealworm (Tenebrio molitor), Turkestan cockroach (Shelfordella lateralis), black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens), and tropical house cricket (Gryllodes sigillatus), as well as commercial dried and pelleted dog feed, which was used as a control treatment. Samples (100 g) were located separately in non transparent closed boxes with 5 perforations in the cover (7 mm each) to improve the intensity of the aromas without direct contact with the tested samples. The box was recorded as chosen when the dog showed interest in it for more than 15 seconds continuously per each attempt (3 attempts per dog). The presented study shows that the selected insect species were chosen as frequently as the control group (P=0.03). However, in terms of preferences by dog gender, Tenebrio molitor was favored more often by males than by females, which preferred Shelfordella lateralis. The current preliminary data suggest that the olfactory features of the selected insect species may be attractive to dogs.


Quantitative phase imaging (QPI) is an emerging optical approach that measures the optical path length of a transparent specimen noninvasively. Therefore, it is suitable for studying unstained biological tissues and cells with high sensitivity and resolution. This capability of QPI has fueled itself to grow rapidly as an active field of study for the past two decades. With this trend, QPI has experienced some breakthroughs in methods and applications in the past year. We briefly review some of these breakthroughs in method, including QPI through silicon marker-free phase nanoscopy and white-light diffraction tomography. Furthermore, some of the applications, such as quantitative phase measurement of cell growth and real-time blood testing, are introduced to show the importance and applicability of the field.


This paper proposes an overlapping generations multi-sector model of the labor market for developing countries with three heterogeneities - heterogeneity within self-employment, heterogeneity in ability, and heterogeneity in age. We revisit an iconic paradox in a class of multisector labor market models in which the creation of high-wage employment exacerbates unemployment. Our richer setting allows for generational differences in the motivations for job search to be reflected in two distinct inverted U-shaped relationships between unemployment and high-wage employment, one for youth and a different one for adults. In turn, the relationship between overall unemployment and high-wage employment is shown to be non-monotonic and multi-peaked. The model also sheds light on the implications of increasing high-wage employment on self-employed workers, who make up most of the world's poor. Nonmonotonicity in unemployment notwithstanding, increasing high-wage employment has an unambiguous positive impact on high-paying self-employment, and an unambiguous negative impact on free-entry (low-wage) self-employment.


In recent years, Hybrid TM (HyTM) has been proposed as a transactional memory approach that leverages on the advantages of both hardware (HTM) and software (STM) execution modes. HyTM assumes that concurrent transactions can have very different phases and thus should run under different execution modes. Although HyTM has shown to improve performance, the overall solution can be complicated to manage, both in terms of correctness and performance. On the other hand, Phased Transactional Memory (PhTM) considers that concurrent transactions have similar phases, and thus all transactions could run under the same mode. As a result, PhTM does not require coordination between transactions on distinct modes making its implementation simpler and more flexible. In this paper we claim that PhTM is a competitive alternative to HyTM and propose PhTM*, the first implementation of PhTM on modern HTM-ready processors. PhTM* novelty relies in avoiding unnecessary transitions to software mode by: (i) taking into account the categories of hardware aborts; (ii) adding a new serialization mode. Experimental results with Haswell's TSX reveal that, for the STAMP benchmark suite, PhTM* performs on average 11% better than PhTM, a previous phase-based TM, and 15% better than HyTM-NOrec, a state-of-the-art HyTM. In addition, PhTM* showed to be even more effective running on a Power8 machine by performing over 25% and 36% better than PhTM and HyTM-NOrec, respectively.


Women with celiac disease are often described as being exposed to negative emotions and experiences related to the treatment of celiac disease, the gluten-free diet. To explore the daily consequences of diagnosis and their daily experiences of living with celiac disease, interviews were conducted with seven Swedish young women who had been diagnosed with celiac disease by screening in early adolescence. The semi-structured interview transcripts were content analysed using a gender perspective. The analysis showed that these young women`s daily experiences were coloured by the conjunction of their dietary treatment, their social relationships, and social norms. This means that recurrent food situations often clash with the normative constructions of femininity and social norms of eating with an adverse effect on dietary compliance.


Investigations into the act of proving care to a dementing family member typically approach the phenomenon from a stress/burden paradigm. Many studies have sought to highlight the relationship between of a range of dementia care factors (such as illness duration, patient symptoms/characteristics, service provision, etc.) and the experience of caregiver stress. Caregiving a spouse with dementing illness is complex and multidimensional (Gubrium, 1995) it is therefore not surprising that the vast majority of stressor-based approaches, though very revealing, have been largely equivocal in their findings. The relationship between the social support of family and friends and caregiver coping is no exception and therefore remains essentially unclear particularly in terms of its contribution in ameliorating stress (Thompson et al, 1993). Caregiver studies do however consistently highlight the pathogenic qualities of coping with an experience in which 'families are faced with often overwhelming and uncontrollable stress than can take a toll on their emotional health and well-being' (Zarit et al, 1998; Bourgeois et al, 1996). This article, emanating from a PhD study into caregiver coping (Upton, 2001), illuminates the study of caregiving from a different perspective. It highlights and describes how phenomenological exploration deepens our understanding of how and why spouse caregivers cope and uses the influence of social support as an exemplar of the value and need for such exploration both for its own sake and also to inform service providers. The results revealed a universal phenomenon of psycho-physical distancing by family and friends affecting all forty-six spouse caregivers included in this study. The implications of these finding are discussed along with what constituted social support for these carers. Other phenomenological insights are revealed, not least how the individual caregiver's relationship to time, space and their own identity shaped their caregiving experiences.


A method for the determination of 232Th and 230Th in seawater has been developed by substantial modifications of available techniques mainly used for other matrixes. We use a well calibrated 229Th spike and iron oxyhydroxides as a carrier phase for the precipitation of Th from about 3.5 L filtered seawater. The chemical separation and purification of Th from the Fe carrier comprise three ion chromatography steps including AG 1‐x8 (200–400 mesh, Cl− form), TRU Resin, and UTEVA Resin. The separated Th fraction is loaded with a mixture of graphite/phosphoric acid onto zone‐refined single rhenium filaments. These are analyzed in peak‐jumping mode on a thermal ionization mass spectrometer. Due to the low Th concentration in seawater, the 232Th blank constitute a significant problem for the chemical separation of Th from the seawater matrix and also for the filament loading. By applying a detailed cleaning scheme including a HF‐HCl mixture, the total procedural blank could be substantially reduced to approximately 0.4 pg. This is generally < 1% of a typical 232Th concentration in surface seawater, which ranges from about 0.01 to 1 picomol/kg. The analysis of standards, artificial seawater, and a series of seawater samples obtained from the GEOTRACES intercalibration cruises in 2008 and 2009 demonstrate that this method can yield a precision for 232Th concentration in seawater of about 1% to 2% (2σ) and 230Th concentration of about 2% to 5% (2σ).


Contextualised word embeddings is a powerful tool to detect contextual synonyms. However, most of the current state-of-the-art (SOTA) deep learning concept extraction methods remain supervised and underexploit the potential of the context. In this paper, we propose a self-supervised pre-training approach which is able to detect contextual synonyms of concepts being training on the data created by shallow matching. We apply our methodology in the sparse multi-class setting (over 15,000 concepts) to extract phenotype information from electronic health records. We further investigate data augmentation techniques to address the problem of the class sparsity. Our approach achieves a new SOTA for the unsupervised phenotype concept annotation on clinical text on F1 and Recall outperforming the previous SOTA with a gain of up to 4.5 and 4.0 absolute points, respectively. After fine-tuning with as little as 20% of the labelled data, we also outperform BioBERT and ClinicalBERT. The extrinsic evaluation on three ICU benchmarks also shows the benefit of using the phenotypes annotated by our model as features.


This article, which is part of the Duke Law Journal Administrative Law Symposium on the administrative law of the Bush Administration, examines both the recent and longer-term history of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) from the perspective of contemporary debates about administrative law. The NLRB during the Bush Administration made a number of significant and controversial policy changes, both in substantive law and in its enforcement process. This Article addresses those changes with the goal of increasing the coherence and legitimacy (legal and political) of NLRB policymaking. After examining how unresolved tensions between the Wagner Act and the Taft-Hartley Act are implicated in controversial decisions of the Bush Board and the structural obstacles the Board faces in attempting to make policy through adjudication, we argue that the policy conundrums cannot be resolved without recourse to the administrative law tools - including the use of social science expertise - the agency lacks. The Article concludes with suggestions for reform that do not depend on new legislation, including that (1) the NLRB be more holistic in its regulatory approach and rely on social science expertise and Department of Labor data in both adjudication and rulemaking; (2) the executive consider across-the-board reform of agencies that rely on adjudication; (3) Congress enhance its own policy analysis in the labor field; and (4) courts of appeals and the Supreme Court assimilate review of NLRB action into the way they review all agency action and be more coherent and consistent in deferring to agency action and in drawing the line between law, fact, and policy.


Safety standards are an important means for developing safety-critical (software) systems. Usually they provide a set of requirements and recommendations in order to support implementing safe software, such as the prominent IEC 61508 functional safety standard. Meeting them leads to safer software and reduces the likelihood for harms on people and environment. But for both, the development team and assessors, the application of the standard in practice is difficult and often leads to problems due to unclear requirements and (missing) acceptance criteria. For this purpose a quality model for the safety standard helps applying the standard objectively and provides guidance for the software development team. Concrete measures and rules of code, architecture and documentation analysis tools help to operationalize the standard that is covered by the quality model. Using documentation analysis tools helps supporting the project lead for determining the quality of the input and output artifacts of the lifecycle phases. The application of the operational quality model for continuous quality assessments of software projects may contribute to emerging a safety culture in the organization as the developers become more safety aware. In a first analysis we found out that over 50 percent of the analyzed tables in the annexes of IEC 61508 part 3 can be measured 'largely' by means of such automatic measurement tools. Using tools is important for the continuous quality assessment. However, we still need to analyze the rest of the standard's software part and apply it to projects in order to validate this approach. In conclusion, the focus of this paper is to show the need for an operational quality model for objectively applying the safety standard and for continuously giving guidance for stakeholders in the development process for safety-critical software.


Design entails the interaction of minds and the tools used to express the design, notably, diagrams. Systems designers use the affordances of the page when they generate structural diagrams of systems. Specifically, they use proximity to augment connectedness (path) information by grouping subsystems. They use horizontal position on the page to express sequence and vertical position to reflect actual spatial position. Finally, they use the permanence of diagrams to generate alternative designs. These conclusions were reached through the analysis of work by student designers, many of whom were practicing information technology professionals. The analysis of designs in topological and Euclidean space required the creation of computational tools that show promise as decision aids for designers, by separating the intertwined qualities of topological and Euclidean space, and by making visible the conceptual similarity of design alternatives.


Since the invention of digital technology, its development has followed an entrenched path ofminiaturisation and decentralisation with increasing focus on individual and niche applications. Computerhardware has moved from remote centres to desktop and hand held devices whilst being embedded invarious material infrastructures. Software has followed the same course. The entire process has convergedon a path where various analogue devices have become digital and are increasingly being embedded inmachines at the smallest scale. In a parallel but essential development, there has been a convergence ofcomputers with communications ensuring that the delivery and interaction mechanisms for computersoftware is now focused on networks of individuals, not simply through the desktop, but in mobilecontexts. Various inert media such as fixed television is becoming more flexible as computers and visualmedia are becoming one.With such massive convergence and miniaturisation, new software and new applications define the cuttingedge. As computers are being increasingly tailored to individual niches, then new digital services areemerging, many of which represent applications which hitherto did not exist or at best were rarely focusedon a mass market. Location based services form one such application and in this paper, we will bothspeculate on and make some initial predictions of the geographical extent to which such services willpenetrate different markets. We define such services in detail below but suffice it to say at this stage thatsuch functions involve the delivery of traditional services using digital media and telecommunications.High profile applications are now being focused on hand held devices, typically involving information onproduct location and entertainment but wider applications involve fixed installations on the desktop whereservices are delivered through traditional fixed infrastructure. Both wire and wireless applications definethis domain. The market for such services is inevitably volatile and unpredictable at this early stage but wewill attempt here to provide some rudimentary estimates of what might happen in the next five to tenyears.The ?network society? which has developed through this convergence, is, according to Castells (1989,2000) changing and re-structuring the material basis of society such that information has come todominate wealth creation in a way that information is both a raw material of production and an outcome ofproduction as a tradable commodity. This has been fuelled by the way technology has expanded followingMoore?s Law and by fundamental changes in the way telecommunications, finance, insurance, utilitiesand so on is being regulated. Location based services are becoming an integral part of this fabric and thesereflect yet another convergence between geographic information systems, global positioning systems, andsatellite remote sensing. The first geographical information system, CGIS, was developed as part of theCanada Land Inventory in 1965 and the acronym ?GIS? was introduced in 1970. 1971 saw the firstcommercial satellite, LANDSAT-1. The 1970s also saw prototypes of ISDN and mobile telephone and theintroduction of TCP/IP as the dominant network protocol. The 1980s saw the IBM XT (1982) and thebeginning of de-regulation in the US, Europe and Japan of key sectors within the economy. Finally in the 1990s, we saw the introduction of the World Wide Web and the ubiquitous pervasion of business andrecreation of networked PC?s, the Internet, mobile communications and the growing use of GPS forlocational positioning and GIS for the organisation and visualisation of spatial data. By the end of the 20thcentury, the number of mobile telephone users had reached 700 million worldwide. The increasingmobility of individuals, the anticipated availability of broadband communications for mobile devices andthe growing volumes of location specific information available in databases will inevitably lead to thedemand for services that will deliver location related information to individuals on the move. Suchlocation based services (LBS) although in a very early stage of development, are likely to play anincreasingly important part in the development of social structures and business in the coming decades.In this paper we begin by defining location based services within the context we have just sketched. Wethen develop a simple model of the market for location-based services developing the standard non-linearsaturation model of market penetration. We illustrate this for mobile devices, namely mobile phones in thefollowing sections and then we develop an analysis of different geographical regimes which arecharacterised by different growth rates and income levels worldwide. This leads us to speculate on theextent to which location based services are beginning to take off and penetrate the market. We concludewith scenarios for future growth through the analogy of GIS and mobile penetration.


Many specific methods and tools have been developed to deal with sustainability problems. However, without a unifying theory it is unclear how these relate to each other and how they can be used strategically. A Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development (FSSD) is being developed to cover this need for clarity and structure. It includes backcasting from a principled definition of sustainability as a key feature. The aim of this thesis is to study how this framework can guide the use and improvement of detailed methods and tools, in particular to support sustainable product innovation (SPI). First, a new strategic life-cycle management approach is presented, in which the selection of aspects to be considered are not based on typical down-stream impact categories, but on identified major violations of sustainability principles. Ideas of how this approach can inform various specific methods and tools are also presented, as a basis for an integrated "toolbox" for SPI. As part of such, a new "template" approach for sustainable product development (TSPD) is developed through a sustainability assessment case study of TVs. That study indicates that this approach can create a quick and strategically relevant overview of critical sustainability aspects of a product, as well as facilitate communication between top management, product developers and external stakeholders. Based on such an assessment, it is sometimes necessary to go deeper into details, including the use of specific engineering methods and tools. To facilitate a coordinated assessment of sustainability aspects and technical aspects, an introductory procedure for sustainability-driven design optimization is suggested trough a water jet cutting case study. Equally important, to get a breakthrough for SPI, it is essential to integrate sustainability aspects into the overall decision-making process at different levels in companies. An approach to assessing sustainability integration in strategic decision systems is therefore also developed through a case study involving several companies. Finally, the integration between the FSSD and general systems modeling and simulation (SMS) is discussed and tested in another water jet cutting case study. It is shown feasible to start with the FSSD to create lists of critical flows and practices, ideas of long term solutions and visions, and a first rough idea about prioritized early investments. After that, SMS can be applied to study the interrelationships between the listed items, in order to create more robust and refined analyses of the problems at hand, possible solutions and investment paths, while constantly coupling back to the sustainability principles and guidelines of the FSSD. This research shows that the combination of the FSSD with detailed methods and tools cohesively provides decision-makers with both a robust overview and, when needed, a more coordinated and effective detailed support. To utilize its full potential, this approach should now be integrated into decision processes, software and manuals for SPI.


The research field of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has made possible a remarkable progress in the understanding of the human brain enabling neuroscientists to study spatio-temporal alterations in the healthy and the diseased brain. While current theories of schizophrenia stress the critical role that plays aberrant connectivity among brain regions, other theories point towards the crucial role that plays functional excitation-inhibition (E-I) balance. Indeed, recent neuroscientific research has revealed increasing evidence that taking functional brain connectivity into account is essential to understand how the human brain works, and many studies have reviewed that serious behavioural impairments in mental disorders such as schizophrenia result from increases in the functional (E-I) balance within the neural microcircuitry.

Particularly, the connection between the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and the hippocampal formation (HF) during working memory (WM) was found to be increased in carriers of schizophrenia risk genes and patients. However, less is known about causality, i.e. which region drives the altered connection. Stochastic Dynamic Causal Modelling (sDCM) is a novel mathematical algorithm for studying the causal connectivity among higher cognitive brain regions from fMRI data. The main purpose of this study is to identify alterations on genetic risk carriers and patients from the DLPFC-HF network estimated with sDCM and describe how these alterations have an impact on the behavior. Over the study, we strive to give to the sDCM parameter estimates a neurobiological explanation by linking the concepts of causal connectivity with functional (E-I) balance.

In this work, we applied this methodology in two samples by constructing a systematic set of sDCMs describing interactions between right DLPFC and left HF. In a first sample, 180 healthy subjects were measured by fMRI during a standard working memory N-Back task at three different sites (Mannheim, Bonn, Berlin; each with 60 participants). Bayes Model Selection (BMS) revealed the same causal pattern or winning model across the three sites, with the 2-Back working memory condition as driving input to both DLPFC and HF and with a connection from DLPFC to HF. Furthermore, a genome-wide risk variant for schizophrenia: ZNF804A (rs1344706), showed a strong impact on the DLPFC-HF network. On the one hand, risk homozygotes showed higher effective connectivity or higher functional (E-I) balance between DLPFC and HF. On the other hand, risk allele carriers showed higher functional (E-I) balance on the self-connection in the DLPFC. In a second sample, 33 schizophrenia patients were measured by fMRI during the same working memory N-Back task. We pair-wise matched healthy volunteers of the first sample and patients and applied the same methodology. BMS revealed the same winning model in patients but sDCM parameter estimates differed significantly between groups. Patients showed higher functional (E-I) balance on both self-connections in comparison to healthy volunteers. In summary, we observed that risk allele carriers and patients have a higher functional (E-I) balance within the DLPFC-HF network. In view of these research findings, we hypothesized a possible biological functioning of ZNF804A (rs1344706) on the DLPFC-HF network and suggested a mechanistic model for explaining the underlying neurobiology of schizophrenia within this network. Then, we reported causal relations between sDCM parameter estimates and behavior in terms of functional (E-I) balance in both samples. On the one hand,
we observed that risk allele carriers and patients require lower functional (E-I) balance on the DLPFC-HF network in order to achieve the best performance during the task. On the other hand, we found that healthy volunteers require higher functional (E-I) balance on the network in order to achieve the optimal behavior.

This study investigated the applicability of computational models like sDCM to establish the functional significance of specific genetic polymorphisms for schizophrenia and identify causal mechanisms associated with the disease in relation to the underlying neurobiology and behavior. In forthcoming studies, we plan to investigate whether subject-specific directed connections strengths between DLPFC and HF, and genotype, contain sufficiently rich information to enable accurate predictions of behavior. In order to study how temporal patterns in the neuronal ensembles and genotype convey robust information about behavior, multivariate regressors or statistical decoding algorithms will be used in both samples.


SUBDIVISION BY COUNTING HAS BEEN SHOWN TO improve interval discrimination for durations exceeding 1.2 s (Grondin,Meilleur-Wells, & Lachance, 1999). The present study examined whether simple interval subdivision (bisection) reduces variability of synchronization with a slow metronome. Interval durations ranged from 1 s to 3.25 s.Musically trained participants tapped in synchrony with the metronome while: (1) refraining from any subdivision, (2) mentally bisecting each interval, (3) making additional taps at the bisection points (double tempo tapping), or (4) tapping only at the bisection points (anti-phase tapping). In each task, the standard deviation of asynchronies and intertap intervals was found to increase almost linearly with interval duration, but the slope decreased from condition 1 to condition 4. Differences among conditions were nearly absent with intervals of 1 s (roughly consistent with Grondin et al., 1999), but emerged and increased steadily as interval duration increased. In double tempo tapping, anti-phase taps were less variable than in-phase taps and depended less on the immediately preceding taps. The findings are interpreted in terms of multiple temporal references in synchronization, and their potential relevance to musical ensemble playing is pointed out.


OBJECTIVE
To compare serum total thyroxine (T4) concentrations obtained with an in-house ELISA and a validated radioimmunoassay (RIA).

DESIGN
Laboratory trial.

SAMPLE POPULATION
50 canine and 50 feline serum samples submitted for measurement of total T4 concentration with the RIA; samples were selected to represent a wide range of concentrations (< 6 to 167 nmol/L).

PROCEDURE
Results of the ELISA and RIA were compared by calculating correlation coefficients, examining linearity, determining bias and precision, and evaluating clinical interpretations.

RESULTS
Correlation coefficients for results of the 2 methods were 0.84 for the canine samples and 0.59 for the feline samples. Examination of bias plots revealed large variations in ELISA results, compared with RIA results. For the feline samples, the ELISA consistently overestimated total T4 concentration obtained with the RIA. When results of the 2 methods were categorized (low, borderline low, normal, borderline high, or high), results were discordant for 24 (48%) and 29 (58%) of the canine samples and for 18 (36%) and 28 (56%) of the feline samples (depending on whether borderline high ELISA results were considered normal or high). Reliance on results of the ELISA would have led to inappropriate clinical decisions for 31 (62%) canine samples and 25 (50%) feline samples. The ELISA coefficients of variation for the pooled canine and feline samples were 18 and 28%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE
Substantial discrepancies between ELISA and RIA results for T4 concentrations were detected. Thus, we concluded that the in-house ELISA kit was not accurate for determining serum total T4 concentrations in dogs and cats.


Purpose: The aim of the article is to assess and compare the impact of gender on the probability of a form of de-registration from the labour office in Poland in two different research periods: a period of the financial crisis and economic recovery. Design/Methodology/Approach: The study used survival analysis methods. The cumulative incidence function (CIF) was used to assess the probability of a form of exiting unemployment. To investigate the differences in influence of gender, the Gray test was used. The study was carried out in subgroups separated by the characteristics of unemployed people. Individual data describing persons registered in the Poviat Labour Office were used in the study. Findings: Gender was a feature that differentiated the process of exiting unemployment. In the period of the highest unemployment, the unemployed more often looked for a job through the labour office (mainly women). On the other hand, in the period of economic recovery, they were more inclined (regardless of gender) to resign from cooperation with the office. Women used subsidized work more often than men. Practical Implications: Gender is a determining factor in some socio-economic phenomena. The identification of women's and men's behaviour in the labour market will allow for effective social policy. It will also allow for the correct targeting of professional activation tools so as not to aggravate gender-based discrimination. Such actions may contribute to the improvement of the quality of life in the modern world. Originality/value: In labour market research, researchers often focus on the unemployed taking up work. Other forms of de-registration were also analyzed, including resignation from cooperation with the office. It is important to identify such behaviours and correctly target professional activation tools.


The Nobel Prizes in natural sciences have developed to become a unique measure of scientific excellence. Using archival documents, which have been released (50 years secrecy) for scholarly work, the author expertly traces the strengths and weaknesses of the Nobel system as exemplified by individual prizes. Surveys of the more than 100 years that the Prizes have been awarded are also presented. This book discusses the most important prize in the world of science and gives unique historical insights into how the laureate selection process has developed to secure optimal choice. No other book has been published which draws from previously classified archival materials to the extent that this book does. It indirectly deals with factors that foster scientific discoveries viz. the role of both individuals and institutions and thus provides invaluable insights for researchers, institutions and anyone interested in science.


Author name ambiguity is a hard problem that occurs when several authors publish articles with the same name or when a same author publishes their articles under different names. Traditionally, automatic disambiguation methods process the author names of all citation records in a repository. Aiming efficiency, incremental methods disambiguate author names only when new citation records are inserted into the repository. As a side effect, several citation records of a same author may be associated with different authors, aka, the fragmentation problem. To diminish this problem, we propose a new merge-oriented incremental method capable of reducing such side effect, without the need to apply a traditional disambiguation method on the whole repository. Our experimental evaluation shows that our method produces significant improvements when compared to an incremental baseline and is very competitive with batch-mode methods.


In this paper we discuss under which conditions standard stereo visual acuity tests can be implemented on 3D TV monitors. In particular, we emphasize the role of environmental lighting conditions, on the measurement of the stereo visual acuity, when using conventional Stereoscopic 3D tests, such as Wirt stereotests. We investigate the impact of parameters such as luminance, backlight and contrast when these tests are implemented on 3D TV monitors. We demonstrate that some deviations are observed when modifying the room luminance and the type of displays used (e.g. plasma (PDP) or liquid crystal (LCD) displays). Our measurements carried out on an human sample are supervised by pupil size measurements, using an eyes-tracker, enabling a better interpretation of the results. Finally, we discuss the benefit of using Stereoscopic 3D tools to implement stereo visual acuity measurements.


Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic multisystem autoimmune disease that may cause constitutional or organ- specific symptoms. The skin, mucous membranes, joints, kidney, brain, serous membranes, lung, heart, and occasionally the gastrointestinal tract may be all involved. Constitutional symptoms consist of fever, malaise, fatigue, weight loss, lymphadenopathy, and anorexia.