Nowadays, among the instrumentation park of mass spectrometry, Fourier transform mass spectrometers (FTMS), including ion cyclotron resonance (ICR) and Orbitrap FTMS, provide the highest analytical performance for accurate measurements and mass resolution. Nevertheless, molecular analysis in currently challenging research areas, such as life and environmental sciences, necessitates further improvement of these analytical characteristics. In recent decades, a regular approach to address the problem behind the analytical performance was using increased electromagnetic fields. However, per a given increase of their magnitudes, that approach is currently requiring more and more resources, hence demonstrating its limited feasibility for tomorrow. Therefore, only a qualitative breakthrough in the underlying methodology may then lead to the next series of developments enabling improved molecular analysis. The present research is dedicated to the fundamental question behind the analytical performance in FTMS. Specifically, this thesis represents an interdisciplinary study aimed at improved molecular analysis in FTMS-based applications, achieved via better comprehension of the uncertainty principle in FTMS, viz. its dependence on the measurement scheme, including ion traps, signal processing, and data analysis, as well as its influence on achievable analytical characteristics in FTMS. To start, the uncertainty principle for measurements in FTMS has been investigated, asserting a limit to the precision with which complementary physical quantities in FTMS, e.g. detection period and scale of frequency details to resolve, can be measured. Specifically, two corollaries of the uncertainty principle are considered, viz. resolution performance and performance for accurate measurements in FTMS. Importantly, the uncertainty principle shows dependence on the particular measurement scheme employed. For instance, signal detection, signal processing, and data analysis of the standard measurement scheme impose their own restrictions to the resulting uncertainty principle, thus leading to the current limitations. However, the ultimate limitations in the analytical characteristics in question are defined by the uncertainty principle limit due to physics of ion motion in the mass analyzer. Hence, with corresponding developments in data analysis methods, methods for signal processing, and designs of ion traps, novel measurement schemes have been implemented, where the quantitative form of the uncertainty principle is modified towards the ultimate limit. Finally, the implemented solutions have been evaluated in the context of FTMS-based analysis of crude oil fractions, protein identification and characterization, quantitative proteomics, and analysis of isotopic fine structures of peptides. To conclude, the achieved success of this work should considerably contribute to the currently challenging analytical applications of FTMS.


Interaction between water and lubrication grease oil is not desirable, but it is not inevitable. The operational life of the machine component is influenced by humid grease oil. Metameterial-based transmission line sensor application is proposed and its operation is validated both numerically and experimentally by inserting grease oil samples in the sample holder. The proposed sensor structure is able to determine the humidity ratio of grease oil samples. The proposed structure shifts resonance frequency to react to the grease oil's dielectric constant. The frequency shift of grease oil samples is monitored as about 300 MHz's. Linearity characteristic between resonant frequency and dielectric constant value is validated. The novelty of this article is that no such study has been conducted by employing non-destructive methods which provide long-term stability of the sensor structure.


The very notions of childhood and youth are intimately connected to contemporary norms, practices and spaces of care, caring and care-giving. The provision of care is widely figured as both the primary responsibility of parents, carers and practitioners who work with children and young people, and the primary factor in shaping children and young people's development, education, socialisation, wellbeing and contentment. However, children and young people themselves are rarely figured as key actors in the provision of care. An overwhelming presumption that children and young people are to be cared for has effectively marginalised their agency and responsibilities as carers, or in relation to practices and spaces of care. Bringing together a significant array of multidisciplinary work on children, young people and families, this collection draws together new research on the diverse lives and experiences of children and young people as carers, as cared for, and in relation to spaces and institutions of care. It is the first collection specifically devoted to the subject of care in relation to childhood and youth. As such, the book will be a key resource for academics, practitioners and students seeking leading-edge empirical and conceptual material on this topic.


Cotton leaf curl disease (CLCuD) is the major plant viral constraint to cotton production on the Indian subcontinent (2). CLCuD is primarily caused by begomovirus, Cotton leaf curl Burewala virus (CLCuBuV), and Cotton leaf curl Multan betasatellite (CLCuMB). During 2011 in Burewala, Pakistan, plants in a production field of Luffa cylindrica (Ghia tori) were infested with the whitefly Bemisia tabaci (Genn.), and ~60% of the plants exhibited leaf curling and stunting symptoms, reminiscent of those caused by begomoviruses (Geminiviridae). Total DNA was extracted from five different symptomatic leaf samples using the CTAB method (1), and extracts were analyzed by Southern blot hybridization. As a probe, we used a 1.1-kbp fragment of CLCuBuV and a positive signal was obtained from all five samples. Total DNA was used as template for rolling circle amplification (RCA) using the TempliPhi DNA Amplification Kit (GE Healthcare, Little Chalfont, United Kingdom). The amplified RCA products were digested with EcoRI, and the resulting ~2.7-kbp fragments from each isolate were directionally cloned into the EcoRI digested, pGEM-3Zf+ (Promega, Madison, WI) plasmid vector. PCR was used to amplify the prospective, associated betasatellite and alphasatellite molecules using the primers BetaF5'-GGTACCGCCGGAGCTTAGCWCKCC-3' and BetaR5'-GGTACCGTAGCTAAGGCTGCTGCG-3', and AlphaF5'-AAGCTTAGAGGAAACTAGGGTTTC-3' and AlphaR5'-AAGCTTTTCATACARTARTCNCRDG-3', respectively. The putative satellite amplicons, at ~1.4 kbp each were cloned in the plasmid vector pGEMT-Easy (Promega, Madison, WI) and sequenced. BLASTn comparisons of the apparently full-length begomoviral genomes, at 2,753 nt, against the NCBI database revealed that all five isolates were most closely related to CLCuBuV (FR750321). In addition, one each of beta- and alpha-satellite were amplified from all five samples at 1,393 and 1,378 bases, respectively. The beta- and alpha-satellites were most closely related to CLCuMB (HE985228) and the Gossypium darwinii symptomless alphasatellite (GDaSA) (FR877533), respectively. Pairwise sequence comparisons of the top 10 BLASTn hits using MEGA5 indicated that the helper begomovirus shared 99.9% identity with CLCuBuV (FR750321), the most prevalent helper virus currently associated with the leaf curl complex in Pakistan. Based on the ICTV demarcation for begomoviral species at <89%, it is considered a variant of CLCuBuV. The resultant beta- and alpha-satellite sequences were 98.1% and 97.8% identical to CLCuMB (HE985228) and GDaSA (FR877533), respectively, and are the most prevalent satellites associated with the CLCuD complex in Pakistan and India (2). To our knowledge, this is first report of the CLCuBuV-CLCuMB-GDaSA complex infecting a cucurbitaceous species, and the first report of L. cylindrica as a host of the CLCuD complex. This discovery of CLCuBuV and associated satellites in a cucurbitaceous host that is widely grown in Pakistan and India where this complex infects cotton indicates that the host range of CLCuBuV is broader than expected. This new information will aid in better understanding of cotton leaf curl disease epidemiology in the current epidemic areas. References: (1) J. J. Doyle and J. L. Doyle. Focus 12:13, 1990. (2) S. Mansoor et al. Trends Plant Sci. 11:209, 2006.


All-optical packet switching is a promising candidate for future high-speed switching. However, due to the absence of optical random access memory, the traditional Virtual Output Queue (VOQ) based input-queued switches are difficult to implement in the optical domain. In this paper we consider output-buffered optical packet switches. We focus on packet scheduling in an output-buffered optical packet switch with limited-range wavelength conversion, aiming at maximizing throughput and minimizing average queuing delay simultaneously. We show that this problem can be converted to a minimum cost maximum network flow problem. To cope with the high complexity of general network flow algorithms, we present an algorithm that can efficiently find an optimal schedule in O(min{NW,BW}) time, where N is the switch size, W is the number of wavelength channels per fiber and B is the length of the longest FDL at the output of the switch. The complexity of the new algorithm asymptotically matches the lower bound of the scheduling problem. We also conduct extensive simulations to test the performance of the proposed scheduling algorithm under different traffic models.


The objective is to describe and apply a benchmarking toolkit to prioritize managerial implications for the measurement and assessment of sustainable development in supply chains. A case study approach of a Scandinavian hotel chain, which is well-known for its dedication and commitment to the sustainable development of its business practices, is used. The outcome of a TBL dominant logic consisting of dimensions, indicators and items across economic, social and environmental aspects, which yields various benchmarking priorities of implications for supply chains is discussed. The priority of sustainable development in supply chains depends on the others involved who may have contradictory views on what to do and how to progress sustainable development. The assessment scheme reported stresses through an asymmetric benchmarking approach and interpretation, rather than a symmetric one, so as to deal effectively with the priority of managerial implications of corporate sustainable development in supply chains. Suggestion for futher research are provided. This study provides the foundation of a benchmarking toolkit for corporate sustainable development that offers relevant and valuable insights into the priority of managerial implications across economic, social and environmental aspects in connection with business sustainability in supply chains.


This thesis presents a detailed, experiment-based study of generation of ultrashort optical pulses from diode lasers. Simple and cost-effective techniques were used to generate high power, high quality optical short pulses at various wavelength windows. The major achievements presented in the thesis is summarised as follows. High power pulses generation is one of the major topics discussed in the thesis. Although gain switching is the simplest way for ultrashort pulse generation, it proves to be quite effective to deliver high energy pulses on condition that the pumping pulses with extremely fast rising time and high enough amplitude are applied on specially designed pulse generators. In the experiment on a grating-coupled surface emitting laser (GCSEL), peak power as high as 1W was achieved even when its spectral bandwidth was controlled within 0.2nm. Another experiment shows violet picosecond pulses with peak power as high as 7W was achieved when the intensive electrical pulses were applied on optimised DC bias to pump on InGaN violet diode laser. The physical mechanism of this phenomenon, as we considered, may attributed to the self-organised quantum dots structure in the laser. Control of pulse quality, including spectral quality and temporal profile, is an important issue for high power pulse generation. The ways to control pulse quality described in the thesis are also based on simple and effective techniques. For instance, GCSEL used in our experiment has a specially designed air-grating structure for out-coupling of optical signals; hence, a tiny flat aluminium mirror was placed closed to the grating section and resulted in a wavelength tuning range over 100nm and the best side band suppression ratio of 40dB. Self-seeding, as an effective technique for spectral control of pulsed lasers, was demonstrated for the first time in a violet diode laser. In addition, control of temporal profile of the pulse is demonstrated in an overdriven DFB laser. Wavelength tuneable fibre Bragg gratings were used to tailor the huge energy tail of the high power pulse. The whole system was compact and robust. The ultimate purpose of our study is to design a new family of compact ultrafast diode lasers. Some practical ideas of laser design based on gain-switched and Q-switched devices are also provided in the end.


Most economic theorists assume that energy efficiency—the biggest global provider of energy services—is a limited and dwindling resource whose price- and policy-driven adoption will inevitably deplete its potential and raise its cost. Influenced by that theoretical construct, most traditional analysts and deployers of energy efficiency see and exploit only a modest fraction of the worthwhile efficiency resource, saving less and paying more than they should. Yet empirically, modern energy efficiency is, and shows every sign of durably remaining, an expanding-quantity, declining-cost resource. Its adoption is constrained by major but correctable market failures and increasingly motivated by positive externalities. Most importantly, in both newbuild and retrofit applications, its quantity is severalfold larger and its cost lower than most in the energy and climate communities realize. The efficiency resource far exceeds the sum of savings by individual technologies because artfully choosing, combining, sequencing, and timing fewer and simpler technologies can save more energy at lower cost than deploying more and fancier but dis-integrated and randomly timed technologies. Such 'integrative design' is not yet widely known or applied, and can seem difficult because it is simple, but is well proven, rapidly evolving, and gradually spreading. Yet the same economic models that could not predict the renewable energy revolution also ignore integrative design and hence cannot recognize most of the efficiency resource or reserves. This analytic gap makes climate-change mitigation look harder and costlier than it really is, diverting attention and investment to inferior options. With energy efficiency as its cornerstone and needing its pace redoubled, climate protection depends critically on seeing and deploying the entire efficiency resource. This requires focusing less on individual technologies than on whole systems (buildings, factories, vehicles, and the larger systems embedding them), and replacing theoretical assumptions about efficiency's diminishing returns with practitioners' empirical evidence of expanding returns.


The presidents of SADC's pharmaceutical societies gathered at the CSIR Convention Centre in Pretoria on 26 and 27 April 2013. Lesotho; Mauritius; Namibia; the host, South Africa; Zambia and Zimbabwe attended the conference. The meeting was facilitated and chaired by Dr Johann Kruger, President of the Pharmaceutical Society of South Africa. After welcoming participants, he highlighted pharmacy challenges and successes experienced by South Africa. He also expressed appreciation to the Southern African Regional Programme on Access to Medicines (SARPAM) for its partial sponsorship, as well as participation.


In the context of online ad serving, display ads may appear on different types of webpages, where each page includes several ad slots and therefore multiple ads can be shown on each page. The set of ads that can be assigned to ad slots of the same page needs to satisfy various prespecified constraints including exclusion constraints, diversity constraints, and the like. Upon arrival of a user, the ad serving system needs to allocate a set of ads to the current webpage respecting these per-page allocation constraints. Previous slot-based settings ignore the important concept of a page and may lead to highly suboptimal results in general. In this article, motivated by these applications in display advertising and inspired by the submodular welfare maximization problem with online bidders, we study a general class of page-based ad allocation problems, present the first (tight) constant-factor approximation algorithms for these problems, and confirm the performance of our algorithms experimentally on real-world datasets. A key technical ingredient of our results is a novel primal-dual analysis for handling free disposal, which updates dual variables using a "level function" instead of a single level and unifies with previous analyses of related problems. This new analysis method allows us to handle arbitrarily complicated allocation constraints for each page. Our main result is an algorithm that achieves a 1 - 1 / e - o(1)-competitive ratio. Moreover, our experiments on real-world datasets show significant improvements of our page-based algorithms compared to the slot-based algorithms. Finally, we observe that our problem is closely related to the submodular welfare maximization (SWM) problem. In particular, we introduce a variant of the SWM problem with online bidders and show how to solve this problem using our algorithm for whole-page optimization.


Stochastic Gradient Langevin Dynamics (SGLD) has emerged as a key MCMC algorithm for Bayesian learning from large scale datasets. While SGLD with decreasing step sizes converges weakly to the posterior distribution, the algorithm is often used with a constant step size in practice and has demonstrated spectacular successes in machine learning tasks. The current practice is to set the step size inversely proportional to N where N is the number of training samples. As N becomes large, we show that the SGLD algorithm has an invariant probability measure which significantly departs from the target posterior and behaves like as Stochastic Gradient Descent (SGD). This difference is inherently due to the high variance of the stochastic gradients. Several strategies have been suggested to reduce this effect; among them, SGLD Fixed Point (SGLDFP) uses carefully designed control variates to reduce the variance of the stochastic gradients. We show that SGLDFP gives approximate samples from the posterior distribution, with an accuracy comparable to the Langevin Monte Carlo (LMC) algorithm for a computational cost sublinear in the number of data points. We provide a detailed analysis of the Wasserstein distances between LMC, SGLD, SGLDFP and SGD and explicit expressions of the means and covariance matrices of their invariant distributions. Our findings are supported by limited numerical experiments.


Policy initiatives have highlighted the importance of environmental innovations as a solution to environmental problems, and looked into ways to promote them. Based on empirical cases in the Nordic pulp and paper industry, this report explores environmentally sounder technological innovations and their relation to societal and economic drivers. The cases studied include the use of production by-products for energy, new products in the core business areas and new product value chains. The report shows that public policy has directly influenced environmental innovation in the P&P industry through providing public R&D support, funding development projects and encouraging cooperation. It has also facilitated the crucial stage of demonstration by creating or enforcing markets for environmental innovations. The success of policy-created markets in supporting innovation is, however, crucially dependent on other market changes that push the development towards improved environmental performance. Environmental policies alone are seldom sufficient drivers for innovations.


This paper deals with certain estimation problems involving the covariance matrix in large dimensions. Due to the breakdown of finite-dimensional asymptotic theory when the dimension is not negligible with respect to the sample size, it is necessary to resort to an alternative framework known as large-dimensional asymptotics. Recently, Ledoit and Wolf (2015) have proposed an estimator of the eigenvalues of the population covariance matrix that is consistent according to a mean-square criterion under large-dimensional asymptotics. It requires numerical inversion of a multivariate nonrandom function which they call the QuEST function. The present paper explains how to numerically implement the QuEST function in practice through a series of six successive steps. It also provides an algorithm to compute the Jacobian analytically, which is necessary for numerical inversion by a nonlinear optimizer. Monte Carlo simulations document the effectiveness of the code.


After the discovery of the Antarctic ozone hole by Farman et al. (1985) the need for a complete understanding of stratospheric ozone chemistry and related dynamics became apparent. Since the early 1990ties we concentrated our research on following questions: 1. Do similar ozone losses appear in the Arctic stratosphere? 2. How much ozone becomes depleted? 3. Is our understanding of the underlying chemical and dynamical processes correct? Only with a complete understanding the future of the ozone layer can be predicted.To answer the first two questions we developed a Lagrangian method, the so called Match method, to detect and to quantify ozone losses. By means of hundreds ozonesondes launched in near-real time coordination at several stations in the polar and sub-polar region during a winter season we were able to show that processes similar to those leading to the Antarctic ozone hole occur in the Arctic, too, and that the amount considerably varies from winter to winter. However, we found that the amount of ozone losses in winter with great losses increased.It turned out that the Match data set was very well suited for comparisons with model results. First comparisons showed a significant underestimation of the ozone losses by state-of-the-art models. After more than ten Arctic Match campaigns we therefore performed two Antarctic campaigns to enlarge our experimental data base qualitatively. One took place in 2003 and the other one more recently in 2007 within the frame of the IPY project ORACLE-O3. In the mean time the models have been improved and explain experimental data quite well. However, recent new laboratory measurements of a fundamental constant in the ozone loss chemistry cast doubt on our general understanding of the corresponding processes. We will report about our results with respect to the current state of the ozone research.


Being high Q devices, low frequency underwater transducers often lack bandwidth. Variable resonance frequency transducers offer the double advantage of increased effective bandwidth and maximum response at all frequencies within the bandwidth. This paper presents and evaluates a technique to vary the first resonance frequency of some widely used underwater acoustics transducers: flexural piezoceramic bars and disks. DC bias electric fields are added to the AC driving field and used to generate in-plane tensile or compressive loads. These loads modify the flexural rigidity of the transducer, which in turn affects its resonance frequencies. Theoretical investigations show that the frequency shift per DC field is linked to the ratio of the in-plane blocked force to the critical buckling load of the transducer. This ratio depends on the type of piezoceramic material and coupling, the boundary conditions, the length to thickness ratio of the transducer, and the piezoceramic thickness and coverage. Calculations show that both significant frequency shifts per DC field and acceptable device coupling coefficients may be achievable in practice. A flexural bar transducer using k31 coupling was built and tested. The experimental frequency shift per DC field and coupling coefficient were lower than predicted. Measurements show the existence of a polarization switch due to a combined compressive stress and negative field effect at -400 V/mm DC field. This polarization switch limits the range of useful negative DC fields, therefore limiting the total frequency shift, and also results in a permanent reduction of the polarization level, therefore reducing the amount of frequency shift per DC field. In the case of k31 coupling, one must determine the safe stress and field region for the material and try to operate within the corresponding DC field range. In the case of k33 coupling, compressive stresses and negative fields do not occur simultaneously, and the available DC field range should be much higher.


Collaboration was established in 2001 to evaluate a commercially available immunohistochemistry assay kit for the detection of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) disease-associated prion protein in formic acid-treated formalin-fixed samples of bovine brain. The kit protocol was evaluated at the National Centre for Foreign Animal Diseases (Winnipeg, Canada) and the Veterinary Laboratories Agency (Weybridge, U.K.). The U.K. laboratory provided paraffin-embedded blocks of brainstem (medulla oblongata at the level of the obex) from 100 positive cases defined by clinical signs and histopathology, and 100 clinically suspect but BSE-negative samples defined by histopathology and immunohistochemistry with anti-PrP monoclonal antibody R145. The Canadian laboratory provided 400 blocks from surveillance cases defined as clinically suspect but negative by histopathology and immunohistochemistry with anti-PrP antibody 6H4. Consecutive sections from each block were cut and coded. Each set of 600 slides was immunolabeled and read in each laboratory. Evaluation parameters included estimates of diagnostic sensitivity and specificity and reproducibility of the results. The kit performed with 100% sensitivity, specificity, and reproducibility in spite of minor differences between the laboratories in brain sample areas, fixation and processing, and in the immunolabeling protocol. Although enzyme linked immunosorbent assays are widely used in high throughput surveillance programs, standardized protocols and reagents for manual immunohistochemistry provide a useful adjunct to surveillance efforts, particularly in laboratories testing small numbers of samples or using immunohistochemistry for confirmation and characterization of BSE cases.


According to psychologist Suzanne Segerstrom, rose-colored glasses may look silly, but they're actually quite practical. In "Breaking Murphy's Law", she surveys the scientific data on optimism (including her own award-winning research) to reveal that it's not what you believe about the future that matters, but what you do about it. While pessimists debate whether their goals are attainable, optimists are out there trying to achieve them. Without insisting that readers learn to "think positive," "Breaking Murphy's Law" teaches them practical ways to appropriate the habits and skills that optimists use to get what they want from life. Segerstrom - who reluctantly admits her research on the topic has transformed her into an optimist - imparts the lesson with a mix of humor and intelligence that will convince even the most cynical readers that a brighter tomorrow might be just around the corner.


We have constrained the value for thermal diffusivity of near-surface snow and firn at Summit Station, Greenland, using a Fourier-type analysis applied to hourly temperature measurements collected from eight thermistors in a closed-off, air-filled borehole between May 2004 and July 2008. An implicit, finite-difference method suggests that a bulk diffusivity of ∼25 ± 3m2 a−1 is the most reasonable for representing macroscale heat transport in the top 30 m of firn and snow. This value represents an average diffusivity and, in a conduction-only model, generates temperature series whose phase shifts with depth most closely match those of the Summit borehole data (rms difference between measurements and model output is ∼6 days). This bulk value, derived numerically and corroborated analytically, is useful over large tracts of the Greenland ice sheet where density and microstructure are unknown.


Objectives: Non-adherence to medications is a common issue across patients with hypertension. Non-adherence to medications has serious consequences in patient's health and in the cost of health services. The aim of the study was to assess adherence to antihypertensive drugs using urine analysis in patients attending adult outpatient clinic at Sultan Qaboos University Hospital (SQUH). Methods: This is a cross sectional study conducted in specialized lipid and Hypertension outpatient clinics at SQUH. The inclusion criteria to participate in the study were hypertensive patients aged above 18 years and taking at least one antihypertensive drug. 162 hypertensive patients agreed to participate in the study and provided sufficient urine samples for analysis. Further data was collected such as concomitant diseases; blood pressure and medications. Results: The mean (SD) age of participants was 55 (13) year and 43% of participants were females. The prevalence of directly measured nonadherence by urine drug detection was 27%. Compared with adherent patients, those who did not adhere to their treatment (n = 43) had a higher number of antihypertensive pills and drugs (3.2 vs 2.5, P = 0.002) put there was no significant difference in the total number of pills. After adjustment for age, SBP and DBP were higher in nonadherent than adherent group (SBP: 151 ± 19 vs 144 ± 18 respectively, P = 0.026; and DBP: 84 ± 11 vs 78 ± 9 respectively, P < 0.001). Conclusion: Our finding indicates a suboptimal adherence to antihypertensive drugs in patients attending the outpatient clinics of a university hospital. However, it is better than the adherence rate reported in other studies.


Two approaches, based on linear and conic splines, are proposed here for vectorizing image outlines. Both of the approaches have various phases including extracting outlines of images, detecting corner points from the detected outlines, and curve fitting. Interpolation splines are the bases of the two approached. Linear spline approach is straight forward as it does not have a degree of freedom.in terms of some shape controller in its description. However, the idea of the soft computing approach, namely simulated annealing, has been utilized for conic splines. This idea has been incorporated to optimize the shape parameters in the description of the generalized conic spline. Both of the linear and conic approaches ultimately produce optimal results for the approximate vectorization of the digital contours obtained from the generic shapes. Demonstrations and a comparative study also make the essential parts of the paper.


1,2 Introduction: Pulmonary embolism is the most predictable cause of death in hospitalized patients, even more in surgical patients. 200.000 new cases occur annually, with sudden onset and generally leading to death in the first 2 hours. Preventing is most effective than treating stablished disease. This study aims to show the importance and safety of the venous throm- boembolism prevention protocol. Methods: We conducted a retrospective study in the period between May 2009 and May 2011 at The Ivo Pitanguy Institute, where 2759 patients underwent plastic surgery (aesthetic and reconstructive). All patients were assessed for predisposing and exposing risk fac- tors for venous thromboembolism and the sum of those factors generated a score determining the prophylactic procedure to be adopted according to the protocol. Results: There were three cases of venous thromboembolism (0.1%): one case of pulmonary embolism and two cases of deep venous thrombosis. Chemoprophylaxis with heparin was administered in the three patients according to the venous thromboembolism prevention protocol. Our rates remained below those found in the litera- ture, with a statistically significant difference in total cases (p < 0.0001). There were 34 cases of hematoma (1.2%): 55.9% in patients submitted to pharmacological prophylaxis with heparin and 44,1% in patients who used sequential compres- sion devices only. The total rates of hematoma also remained below those found in the literature with a statistically signifi- cant difference (p < 0,001). Conclusion: The venous throm- boembolism prevention protocol of the Ivo Pitanguy Institute proved to be important and safe, preventing the occurrence of venous thromboembolism cases with low rates of hematoma. ■ ABSTRACT


The equitable allocation of water governance responsibilities is very important yet difficult to achieve, particularly for a basin which involves many stakeholders and policymakers. In this study, the environmental Gini coefficient model was applied to evaluate the inequality of water governance responsibility allocation, and an environmental Gini coefficient optimisation model was built to achieve an optimal adjustment. To illustrate the application of the environmental Gini coefficient, the heavily polluted transboundary Taihu Lake Basin in China, was chosen as a case study. The results show that the original environmental Gini coefficient of the chemical oxygen demand (COD) was greater than 0.2, indicating that the allocation of water governance responsibilities in Taihu Lake Basin was unequal. Of seven decision-making units, three were found to be inequality factors and were adjusted to reduce the water pollutant emissions and to increase the water governance inputs. After the adjustment, the environmental Gini coefficient of the COD was less than 0.2 and the reduction rate was 27.63%. The adjustment process provides clear guidance for policymakers to develop appropriate policies and improve the equality of water governance responsibility allocation.


We propose a method for accurate and fast reconstruction of the interior of a 2D or 3D tomographic image from its incomplete local Radon transform. Unlike the existing interior tomography work with 2D total variation, the proposed algorithm guarantees exact recovery using a 1D generalized total variation semi-norm for regularization. The restrictions placed on an image by our 1D regularizer are much more relaxed than those imposed by the 2D regularizer in previous works. Furthermore, to further accelerate the algorithm up to a level of clinical use, we propose a multi-resolution reconstruction method by exploiting the Bedrosian theorem for the Hilbert transform. More specifically, as the high frequency part of the image can be quickly recovered using Hilbert transform thanks to the Bedrosian equality, we show that computationally expensive iterative reconstruction can be applied only for the low resolution images in downsampled domain, which significantly reduces the computational burden. We demonstrate the efficacy of the algorithm using circular fan-beam and helical cone-beam data.


In contemporary pedagogy, "class" has become one nomadic sign among others: it has no referent but only contingent allusions to similarly traveling signs. Class, that is, no longer explains social conflicts and antagonisms rooted in social divisions of labor, but instead portrays a cultural carnival of lifestyles, consumptions, tastes, prestige and desire, or obscures social conflicts through technicist accounts of incomes and jobs.

Class in Education brings back class as a materialist analysis of social inequalities originating at the point of production and reproduced in all cultural practices. Addressing a wide range of issues – from the interpretive logic of the new humanities to racism to reading, school-level curricula to educational policy – the contributors focus on the effects that the different understandings of class have on various sites of pedagogy and open up new spaces for a materialist pedagogy and critical education in the times of globalization and the regimes of the digital.


Submerged gaseous jets may have an outstanding relevance in many industrial processes, but are particularly relevant in severe nuclear accident scenarios, like the one happened at the Fukushima Daiichi NPP several years ago. Even though pool scrubbing has been traditionally associated with fission product retention in suppression pools of Boiling Water Reactors (BWR), in which only low injection velocities exist. There are a number of potential scenarios in which fission product trapping in aqueous ponds may play a key role in the attenuation of source terms, this is the case of SGTR core meltdown sequences. This paper summarizes the update process of the SPARC90 code, it is based on the state-of-the-art equations for jet hydrodynamics and aerosol removal. The key variables used in the modelling are entrainment inception velocity and droplet size, velocity and concentration. An indirect validation of the hydrodynamic modelling has also been conducted, this validation works have been made through comparisons against data from experiments dealing with the decontamination capability of aqueous ponds under representative severe nuclear accident conditions (mainly ARTIST experiments). Improvements and extension of SPARC-Jet are expected in the near future; however, a final model version will require a more extensive and sound database against which to compare.


Abstract In accordance with Article 6 of Regulation (EC) No 396/2005, the applicant Syngenta Crop Protection AG submitted a request to the competent national authority in Austria to set an import tolerance for the active substance azoxystrobin in sugar beet roots. The data submitted in support of the request were found to be sufficient to derive maximum residue level (MRL) proposals for sugar beet roots. However, robust processing factors for Annex VI in view of monitoring of residues in processed commodities could not be derived. Adequate analytical methods for enforcement are available to control the residues of azoxystrobin in plant and animal matrices at the validated limit of quantification (LOQ) of 0.01 mg/kg. Based on the risk assessment results, EFSA concluded that the short‐term and long‐term intake of residues resulting from the use of azoxystrobin according to the reported agricultural practice is unlikely to present a risk to consumer health.


We consider the problem of finding all enclosing rectangles of minimum area that can contain a given set of rectangles without overlap. Our rectangle packer chooses the x-coordinates of all the rectangles before any of the y-coordinates. We then transform the problem into a perfect-packing problem with no empty space by adding additional rectangles. To determine the y-coordinates, we branch on the different rectangles that can be placed in each empty position. Our packer allows us to extend the known solutions for a consecutive-square benchmark from 27 to 32 squares. We also introduce three new benchmarks, avoiding properties that make a benchmark easy, such as rectangles with shared dimensions. Our third benchmark consists of rectangles of increasingly high precision. To pack them efficiently, we limit the rectangles' coordinates and the bounding box dimensions to the set of subset sums of the rectangles' dimensions. Overall, our algorithms represent the current state-of-the-art for this problem, outperforming other algorithms by orders of magnitude, depending on the benchmark.


The type Iα cGMP-dependent protein kinase (PKG Iα) is an essential regulator of vascular tone and systemic blood pressure. Located in the smooth muscle of resistance vessels, PKG Iα stimulates vasodilation through the phosphorylation of multiple intracellular substrates. Its primary regulator is the small molecule, 3',5'-cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP); however, the Iα isoform can also be activated by oxidation. Despite the established physiological importance of PKG Iα, the structural underpinnings of these two activation mechanisms are largely unknown. The work presented in this dissertation demonstrates the importance of the cGMP-binding domain A (CBD-A) in regulating both of these mechanisms of PKG Iα activation. Using a monomeric, N-terminally truncated form of PKG Iα (∆53), Chapter 2 investigates the mechanism of inhibition through the autoinhibitory domain and the influence of dimerization on cooperative cGMPdependent activation and cyclic nucleotide selectivity. We observed that autoinhibition occurs in cis, whereas cooperativity requires interprotomer contacts facilitated by the N-terminal dimerization domain. Furthermore, the loss of selectivity for cGMP over cAMP of this construct suggests the dimerization domain plays a critical role in preventing cross-reactivity with cAMP-dependent signaling. These observations culminate into an overarching model wherein binding of cGMP to CBD-A is necessary and sufficient for activation and cooperativity is driven by the dimerization domain. Chapter 3 investigates the cysteine residues that mediate oxidation-dependent activation of PKG Iα. Using PKG Iα constructs with point mutations at specific cysteine residues, it was found that oxidation-dependent activation is driven by C117 in CBD-A. Furthermore, the interprotomer disulfide bond that forms in the dimerization domain at C42 does not contribute to this mechanism. Finally, we propose a model wherein the disulfide bond that forms between C117 and the adjacent cysteine at position 195 acts as a protective mechanism to prevent activation and higher oxidation states form contacts with nearby residues in the linker region of PKG Iα to disrupt binding of the adjacent autoinhibitory domain to the catalytic domain. Finally, Chapter 4 provides a discussion of the results presented herein in context with previous studies and suggests future directions for the PKG field.


BACKGROUND
In a series of studies over the past decade we have measured the effectiveness of telehealth for elderly heart failure patients (>70 years) on rehospitalisation, mortality, adherence, satisfaction, cost effectiveness, health related quality of life, age and types of technology.

METHODS
Evidence has been derived from a Cochrane systematic review and meta-analysis (1 original and 2 updates: 2007-2016), two sub-analysis of this data and a large NHMRC funded multicentre randomised controlled trial (CHAT study 2010).

RESULTS
Within the studies included in the meta-analysis the mean age was 70 or more years in eight of the 16 (n=2,659/5,613; 47%) involving structured telephone support studies and four of the 11 (n=894/2,710; 33%) Telemonitoring studies. Structured telephone support (RR 0.80; 95% CI=0.63-1.00) and Telemonitoring (RR 0.56; 95% CI=0.41-0.76) interventions reduced mortality. Structured telephone support interventions reduced heart failure-related hospitalizations (RR 0.81; 95% CI=0.67-0.99). Four different types of non-invasive remote monitoring technologies were identified, including structured telephone calls, videophone, interactive voice response devices, and Telemonitoring. Structured telephone calls and Telemonitoring were effective in reducing the risk of all-cause mortality (relative risk [RR]=0.87; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.75-1.01; p=0.06; and RR=0.62; 95% CI, 0.50-0.77; p<0.0001, respectively) and heart failure-related hospitalizations (RR=0.77; 95% CI, 0.68-0.87;p<0.001; and RR=0.75; 95% CI, 0.63-0.91; p=0.003, respectively). Videophone and interactive voice response technologies were not effective. Only 3% of this elderly group (mean age 74.7+/-9.3 years) were unable to learn or competently use the technology. Adherence was reported between 55.1%and 98.5%. Participant satisfaction with Telehealth was reported between 76% and 97%.

CONCLUSION
These studies show that elderly patients can adapt quickly to telehealth, find its use an acceptable part of their healthcare routine, and are able to maintain good adherence for at least 12 months. These findings support the use of telehealth as part of a comprehensive chronic heart failure management programme.goes here.


Osteoarthritis affects millions of people globally, with damage to articular cartilage causing pain and altered mechanics during articulation. The treatment for late stage osteoarthritis is surgical intervention ultimately leading to total joint replacements. These treatments are not ideal for younger or more active patients so there is a clinical need for an early stage intervention treatment to reduce or stop the progression of osteoarthritis. It has been reported that there is a correlation between the loss of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) from within osteoarthritic cartilage and the changes in biomechanics of the cartilage. It is hypothesized that the re-introduction of GAGs into early stage osteoarthritic cartilage through the use of permanent linkage and integration into a self-assembling peptide hydrogel matrix which could penetrate the cartilage tissue would potentially restore the resistance to deformation observed in osteoarthritic cartilage.
Initially, synthetic self-assembling peptide-chondroitin sulfate (CS) conjugates were synthesized through utilizing copper-catalyzed click chemistry and subsequently characterized.
The chosen peptide-CS conjugates were then incorporated into self-assembling peptide hydrogels and the morphologies and gel properties were investigated and evaluated in terms of the closest resemblance to the natural properties of the surrounding cartilage into which the hydrogels would be eventually injected.
The best hydrogel candidates were then taken forward to be injected into a GAG depleted early stage osteoarthritic porcine cartilage model developed by Andres Barco (University of Leeds) where a severely GAG depleted state had been produced through a succession of surfactant and phosphate buffered saline washes. The hydrogels were doped with fluorescently labelled material which integrated into the hydrogel matrix, then injected into the cartilage tissue in a monomeric state. The hydrogels then self-assembled in situ and the deformation of the tissue was measured through creep indentation. The introduction of the peptide-CS conjugate showed significant restoration of resistance to deformation.


Out of all fundamental nutrients in peanuts, the amount of fat is the largest. Fat content is regarded as an important factor that significantly affects the processing of peanuts into different products. In this study, the feasibility of hyperspectral imaging (HSI) for rapidly and non-destructively detecting fat content in peanuts is investigated. An appropriate method was adopted to extract spectral information from the hyperspectral images (900–1700 nm) of different peanut varieties. Based on the extracted spectral information and the corresponding chemical values of fat, the best pre-processing and modeling method was established by comparing different methods. For pretreatment, the methods included standard normal variate (SNV), derivative (der), detrend, etc. For modeling, they included multiple linear regression (MLR), principal component regression (PCR) and partial least squares (PLS). The 2nd-der-SNV-PLS model generated the best results with a regression coefficient and standard error squares of 0.95 and 0.99 in calibration and of 0.90 and 1.47 in prediction, respectively. A simplified 2nd-der-SNV-RC-PLS model was established using only twelve optimal wavelengths identified by the regression coefficient (RC). The results showed that the model had a high RP of 0.84 and a low SEP of 1.88. An image processing algorithm according to the 2nd-der-SNV-RC-PLS model was then utilized in transforming each pixel into hyperspectral images to obtain fat distribution maps. The results of rapid and non-destructive detection of fat content could be potentially used to visualize the distribution of fat content in peanuts.


English is a language that relishes a prestigious status in many countries and it is clear that English language has become more dominant around the world. This study aims to identify Arab students' beliefs about using English language, to identify the language skills that Arab students find difficult to learn and to understand the environmental factors that hinder the students from using the language in teaching and learning interaction and how they overcome these obstacles. It also aims to examine whether there is a difference between students' beliefs, difficulty in the different language skills, factors that hinder students from using the language in teaching and learning interaction, and their proficiency level in English language. A questionnaire was the main research tool; some of the items have been adapted from "Beliefs about Language Learning Inventory (BALLI)" (Horwitz, 1987). 60 Arab university students from different areas of study were selected from seven Malaysian universities. Data gathered in the study have been analyzed statistically; standard deviation and one way ANOVA were used to examine significant differences between students' beliefs about language learning and their proficiency level. Qualitative data of the study has been converted into numerical data for analysis purposes. The findings indicate that Arab students' beliefs about using English language are quiet similar regardless of their level of proficiency as they face similar problems and difficulties in using English language. The study has served as a useful reminder that English language proficiency does not affect learners' beliefs about language learning and problems and difficulties faced in learning the English language.


Here, we report on an aqueous room temperature synthesis method for the production of gold nanoparticles that have a number (>4) of branches ultimately resembling the shape of sea urchins. The particles are synthesized in the presence of water soluble thiol terminated molecules, used as ligand molecules. These nano-urchins are produced in high yield and exhibit unique optical properties. The thiolated ligands stabilize the particles, making it possible to dry them and store them for days. When redissolved, the particles show some aggregation but not a loss in shape; their extinction spectrum shows a shift in the plasmon resonance from 585 to 622 nm together with a peak broadening. Large local electromagnetic (EM) field enhancements are expected near the sharp featured branches of the nano-urchins. Finite difference time-domain (FDTD) calculations performed on a nanoparticle with four branches show enhancements of the light intensity relative to the incident field of approximately 3000-fold. We reason that...


In this report, the ontogeny of precursors of T cell growth factor (TCGF)-producing cells in the mouse thymus was investigated using a recently described limiting dilution microculture system. In agreement with previous studies, in the adult thymus TCGF production by cells stimulated by alloantigens was largely the property of the Lyt-2- negative subpopulation. Furthermore, when Lyt-2-negative cells were stained with monoclonal antibody GK-1.5 and sorted according to fluorescence intensity, all precursors of TCGF-producing cells were quantitatively recovered in the GK-1.5-positive subpopulation. During ontogeny, TCGF production by Lyt-2-negative thymocytes was first detectable on the 19th day of embryonic development at which time the precursor frequency was 1/10th that found in the adult thymus. As in the adult thymus, all precursors of TCGF-producing cells had the GK-1.5- positive, Lyt-2-negative phenotype. In parallel to these functional studies, the ontogeny of GK-1.5+, Lyt-2- cells was investigated. In the adult thymus, 80% of cells expressed both GK-1.5 and Lyt-2 antigens, whereas minor subpopulations of 10% and 5% (corresponding to phenotypically mature thymocytes as defined by cortisone-resistant thymocytes [CRT]) expressed GK-1.5 or Lyt-2 exclusively; 3% of cells expressed neither antigen. During ontogeny, thymocytes expressing both GK-1.5 and Lyt-2 first appeared on the 16th day of embryonic development and their proportion increased rapidly thereafter. Interestingly, the GK-1.5+, Lyt-2- subpopulation first appeared in significant numbers on day 19 in parallel with the appearance of functional TCGF activity. Taken together with our previous studies correlating cytolytic T lymphocyte precursor (CTL-P) activity with the Lyt-2+, GK-1.5- subpopulation, these results further emphasize the strict correlation between functional activity and mature surface phenotype of both embryonic and adult thymocytes.


In this original interdisciplinary study of Togo and African colonial history, Benjamin Lawrance synthesizes political, gender, and social history by documenting the contributions of rural-dwelling populations in anti-colonial struggles. Anchoring his arguments on the premise that nationalist historiographies have overstated the role of urban and elite power while undervaluing the strategic place of rural constituencies, Lawrance uses the Ewe nationalist movement of southern Togo as a case study in what he terms "periurban colonialism" - a historical paradigm that reunites the urban and rural experiences of post-World War I colonialism. By reconciling the marginal and non-elite communities and the social upheavals of the two World War periods, Lawrance offers a new perspective on the colonial experience and the anti-colonial struggle.In focusing on an African country uniquely colonized by the Germans, British, and French, he provides a wealth of information not readily available to the English-language audience. Accessible to scholars of African social history and African culture in general, "Locality, Mobility, and "Nation"" will occupy a distinguished place among studies of African colonial history and anti-colonial struggles. Benjamin N. Lawrance is an assistant professor of African history at the University of California, Davis, where he teaches undergraduate and graduate African and World history. He is the editor of "The Ewe of Togo and Benin" (2005) and the co-editor of "Intermediaries, Interpreters and Clerks" (2006).


Microbial‐mediated decomposition of soil organic matter (SOM) ultimately makes a considerable contribution to soil respiration, which is typically the main source of CO2 arising from terrestrial ecosystems. Despite this central role in the decomposition of SOM, few studies have been conducted on how climate change may affect the soil microbial community and, furthermore, on how possible climate‐change induced alterations in the ecology of microbial communities may affect soil CO2 emissions. Here we present the results of a seasonal study on soil microbial community structure, SOM decomposition and its temperature sensitivity in two representative Mediterranean ecosystems where precipitation/throughfall exclusion has taken place during the last 10 years. Bacterial and fungal diversity was estimated using the terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism technique. Our results show that fungal diversity was less sensitive to seasonal changes in moisture, temperature and plant activity than bacterial diversity. On the other hand, fungal communities showed the ability to dynamically adapt throughout the seasons. Fungi also coped better with the 10 years of precipitation/throughfall exclusion compared with bacteria. The high resistance of fungal diversity to changes with respect to bacteria may open the controversy as to whether future 'drier conditions' for Mediterranean regions might favor fungal dominated microbial communities. Finally, our results indicate that the fungal community exerted a strong influence over the temporal and spatial variability of SOM decomposition and its sensitivity to temperature. The results, therefore, highlight the important role of fungi in the decomposition of terrestrial SOM, especially under the harsh environmental conditions of Mediterranean ecosystems, for which models predict even drier conditions in the future.


Despite the considerable expansion of studies about the economic and social history of the Ottoman Empire with special emphasis on urban problematiques, we are still far away from understanding simple matters concerning Ottoman urban centers such as the ways in which foodstuffs were brought to the city, or the mechanisms through which they were distributed to urban consumers. By analyzing the meat sector in the sixteenth-seventeenth centuries Istanbul, this thesis aims to partially fulfill this gap. In addition to the supply and distribution mechanisms, this study focuses on the meat consumption patterns of Ottoman Istanbuliots and on the consumption differentiations in a heterogeneous society. It seems that that such heterogeneity mirrored the entire meat sphere in the urban center. Different agents in the sector, which were the consumers, the butchers (the meat contractors), the livestock traders, celeps, and the dynasty members, all with their different roles, reflect this heterogeneity. Such a complex picture at the same time provides a huge opportunity for us in observing the effects of the major economic and political transformations in the 16th and 17th centuries on the different groups of the Ottoman Istanbuliots. For this reason, this study also aims to trace the patterns of the economic, social and political changes through one of the economic niches of society, the meat sector, which produced a network of social and political relationships around it. In the first chapter of this study, the geographical provenance and the features of the sheep delivered to the Ottoman capital is taken into consideration. In the second chapter, the methods of the delivery of sheep to Istanbul are analyzed. The third chapter is devoted to the analysis of the Istanbul butchers as the purchasers of delivered sheep. In the fourth chapter, the meat consumption patterns of Ottoman Istanbuliots are presented.


The Natural Language Understanding (NLU) component in task oriented dialog systems processes a user's request and converts it into structured information that can be consumed by downstream components such as the Dialog State Tracker (DST). This information is typically represented as a semantic frame that captures the intent and slot-labels provided by the user. We first show that such a shallow representation is insufficient for complex dialog scenarios, because it does not capture the recursive nature inherent in many domains. We propose a recursive, hierarchical frame-based representation and show how to learn it from data. We formulate the frame generation task as a template-based tree decoding task, where the decoder recursively generates a template and then fills slot values into the template. We extend local tree-based loss functions with terms that provide global supervision and show how to optimize them end-to-end. We achieve a small improvement on the widely used ATIS dataset and a much larger improvement on a more complex dataset we describe here.


Unexpected nerve cell death has been reported in several experimental situations where neurons have been forced to re-enter the cell cycle after leaving the ventricular zone and entering the G0, non-mitotic stage. To determine whether an association between cell death and unscheduled cell cycling might be found in conjunction with any naturally occurring developmental events, we have examined target-related cell death in two neuronal populations, the granule cells of the cerebellar cortex and the neurons of the inferior olive. Both of these cell populations have a demonstrated developmental dependency on their synaptic target, the cerebellar Purkinje cell. Two mouse neurological mutants, staggerer (sg/sg) and lurcher (+/Lc), are characterized by intrinsic Purkinje cell deficiencies and, in both mutants, substantial numbers of cerebellar granule cells and inferior olive neurons die due to the absence of trophic support from their main postsynaptic target. We report here that the levels of three independent cell cycle markers--cyclin D, proliferating cell nuclear antigen and bromodeoxyuridine incorporation--are elevated in the granule cells before they die. Although lurcher Purkinje cells die during a similar developmental period, no compelling evidence for any cell cycle involvement in this instance of pre-programmed cell death could be found. While application of the TUNEL technique (in situ terminal transferase end-labeling of fragmented DNA) failed to label dying granule cells in either mutant, light and electron microscopic observations are consistent with the interpretation that the death of these cells is apoptotic in nature. Together, the data indicate that target-related cell death in the developing central nervous system is associated with a mechanism of cell death that involves an apparent loss of cell cycle control.


Specific oral tolerance in food allergy can be induced by oral administration of the offending food, starting with very low dosages, gradually increasing the daily dosage up to an amount equivalent to a usually relevant dose for daily intake, followed up by a daily maintenance dose. Unfortunately, the body of scientific evidence concerning specific oral tolerance induction (SOTI) is still rather poor. Following a couple of case reports, only a few studies on a limited number of patients including different allergens are available. So far, no placebo‐controlled, long‐term study has been published. Concerning the underlying immunological mechanism, a limited number of studies have reported on changes in antibody production, and more recently on the role of different T‐cell populations. The individual pattern of clinical reaction during SOTI seems to vary considerably between patients and from allergen to allergen. Arguments in favour of SOTI are the safety for an inadvertent intake of the offending food and the increased quality of life. Arguments against SOTI are the necessity for a regular intake and possible long‐term compliance problems. Indications to consider SOTI in the future might be (i) importance of the incriminated food for the individual nutritional regimen, (ii) avoidance of the corresponding food cannot be assured and (iii) persistent severe food allergy. However, before SOTI can be recommended for the daily praxis, more studies are warranted to clarify whether certain patients may profit from SOTI and to understand the underlying mechanism.


The Balkan Economies c. 1800–1914 is a strongly revisionist 1997 book which compares the economic progress of Serbia, Bulgaria, Bosnia, Montenegro and Macedonia in the century before World War I. Michael Palairet draws heavily on native-language primary sources to argue that these territories probably experienced economic decline rather than growth, at least from the mid-nineteenth century. This comprehensive study of the economic evolution of the Balkans suggests that the Ottoman and Habsburg empires in providing a framework of order and property rights did more for agrarian and industrial development than succeeding regional and nationalist governments. Based on in-depth research, this book promises to be the definitive economic history of the Balkans.


Mono- and dianions of 2-tert-butyl-3a2-azapentabenzo[bc,ef,hi,kl,no]corannulene (1a) were synthesized by chemical reduction with sodium and cesium metals and crystallized as the corresponding salts in the presence of 18-crown-6 ether. X-ray diffraction analysis of the sodium salt, [{Na+(18-crown-6)(THF)2}3{Na+(18-crown-6)(THF)}(1a2-)2], revealed the presence of a naked dianion. In contrast, the controlled reactions of 1a with Cs allowed the isolation of mono- and doubly-reduced forms of 1a, both forming π-complexes with cesium ions in the solid state. In [{Cs+(18-crown-6)}(1a-)]∙THF, the asymmetric binding of the Cs+ ion to the concave surface of 1a- is observed, whereas in [{Cs+(18-crown-6)}2(1a2-)], two Cs+ ions bind to both concave and convex surfaces of the dianion. The present study provides the first successful isolation and characterization of the reduced products of heteroatom-containing buckybowl molecules.


Royal jelly (RJ), a honeybee-derived product, has been found to possess developmental and physiological bioactivity in the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, but little is known about the in vivo bioactivity of freeze-dried RJ (FDRJ) powder, which is another form of RJ processed for human use. To address this, we used Drosophila as a model animal to examine the effects of FDRJ in multicellular organisms. When flies were reared on food supplemented with FDRJ, the developmental time from larva to adult was shortened, the adult male lifespan was prolonged, and female fecundity was increased without any significant morphological alterations. Moreover, the expression of dilp5, an insulin-like peptide, its receptor InR, and the nutrient sensing molecule TOR, the target of rapamycin, was significantly increased in FDRJ-fed female flies as compared with ones reared on standard and on protein-enriched food. These findings suggest that like RJ, FDRJ maintains its bioactivity even after processing from RJ, what is expected to have bioactivity for multicellular organisms, including humans.


The latter part of the lifespan is commonly associated with a decline of cognitive functions, but also with changes in emotional responding. To explore the effect of age on processing of emotional stimuli, we used a two-task design. In a stimulus-rating task, we investigated the emotional responses to 15 different schematic facial emotional stimuli (one neutral, seven positive, seven negative) on Arousal, Valence and Potency measures in 20 younger (21-32 yrs, M=26, SD=3.7) and 20 older (65-81 yrs, M=72, SD=4.9) participants. In a visual attention task, we used the same 15 stimuli in a visual search paradigm to investigate differences between younger and older participants in how the emotional properties of these emotional stimuli influence visual attention. The results from the stimulus-rating task showed significantly reduced range in responses to emotional stimuli in the older compared to the younger group. This difference was found on both emotional Arousal and Potency measures, but not on emotional Valence measures; indicating an age-related flattening of affect on two of the three emotional key dimensions. The results from the visual search task showed – apart from the general extension of response latencies in older – no general emotion-related differences between how emotional stimuli influences attention in the younger and older groups. Analysis of the relationships between attention and emotion measures showed that higher ratings on Arousal and Potency were associated with both shorter reaction times and fewer errors in the attention task. This correlation was age-independent, indicating a similar influence from emotional Arousal on detection of angry faces in younger and older adults.


Hot flashes and night sweats associated with menopause are the most annoying symptoms among premenopausal women and have been ranked as the first reason for referral to medical centers. The common treatment for this symptom is administration of Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) that has some adverse effects and is sometimes contraindicated. Therefore, use of herbal drugs that have fewer side effects needs to be investigated. This study aimed to investigate the influence of salvia tablets on hot flashes, night sweats, and estradiol hormone in postmenopausal women referring to healthcare centers in Shiraz. This double-blind randomized clinical trial was performed on 100 qualified postmenopausal women with hot flashes. The study women were divided into two groups daily treated with 3 salvia or placebo tablets (100 mg) for 8 weeks. Estradiol hormone and menopause symptoms were evaluated using Menopause Rating Scale(MRS)1 week before and 8 weeks after the beginning the intervention. Besides, duration, intensity, and frequency of hot flashes and night sweats were evaluated every week, and the two groups were compared in terms of these variables. The results showed no significant difference between the two groups regarding demographic information, hot flashes, night sweats, and other menopause symptoms in MRS scale before the intervention. After 8 weeks, however, hot flashes, night sweats, and MRS scores significantly decreased in the saliva group compared to the control group. However, no significant difference was observed between the two groups concerning the estradiol levels. Yet, the results of intra-group analysis showed that the level of this hormone increased in the sage group. Sage tablets were effective in treatment of hot flashes, night sweats, and other menopausal symptoms in postmenopausal women. Thus, they can be considered as an alternative therapy for the individuals who are not able to use HRT.


Abstract Objectives: To examine current targets for glycated haemoglobin as a marker for metabolic control in diabetes mellitus in relation to datasets from several areas, and to consider whether target setting could be improved. Design: Data collected from enhanced care records of general practices for a representative community based sample of people with diabetes. Setting and subjects: 3022 people with diabetes on the lists of 37 general practices (total list size 222 550) in South Glamorgan in 1992; samples of glycated haemoglobin had been processed at two laboratories with different methodologies and reference ranges. Main outcome measures: Last glycated haemoglobin level measured in subjects for 1992 and published data from other studies considered in relation to existing goals and standards for the metabolic control of diabetes. Results: An ascertainment rate for people with diabetes of 1.36% was obtained. The rate of data capture for haemoglobin A1 was 75.7%, and the mean level for study samples was 10.5% at one laboratory and 10.0% at the other (similar values to those of comparable studies). These mean levels of haemoglobin A1 in representative populations of people with diabetes are poor or very poor according to published standards, including those of the British Diabetic Association. These findings are set in the context of the psychology of goal setting and performance in complex clinical situations. Conclusion: Targets for clinical care that are set in the absence of normative data and local feasibility assessments should be treated with caution. Targets are more likely to enhance health care if target setters recognise the importance of psychological aspects of goal setting and motivation. Key messages Key messages Prevailing "top down" approaches to clinical target setting ignore principles of patient centred care and proper consideration of goals as motivational tools Effective targets are like to be attainable in the short term, believed in, negotiated, and flexible Those who are expected to achieve the targets should undergo the necessary skills development, believe in their capabilities, be properly supported, and receive feedback


Phosphoinositide-3 kinase activity is implicated in diverse cellular responses triggered by mammalian cell surface receptors and in the regulation of protein sorting in yeast. Receptors with intrinsic and associated tyrosine kinase activity recruit heterodimeric phosphoinositide-3 kinases that consist of p110 catalytic subunits and p85 adaptor molecules containing Src homology 2 (SH2) domains. A phosphoinositide-3 kinase isotype, p110 gamma, was cloned and characterized. The p110 gamma enzyme was activated in vitro by both the alpha and beta gamma subunits of heterotrimeric guanosine triphosphate (GTP)-binding proteins (G proteins) and did not interact with p85. A potential pleckstrin homology domain is located near its amino terminus. The p110 gamma isotype may link signaling through G protein-coupled receptors to the generation of phosphoinositide second messengers phosphorylated in the D-3 position.


Mismanaged plastic waste poses a complex threat to the environments that it contaminates, generating considerable concern from academia, industry, politicians, and the general public. This concern has driven global action that presents a unique opportunity for widespread environmental engagement beyond the immediate problem of the persistence of plastic in the environment. But for such an opportunity to be realized, it is vital that the realities of plastic waste are not misrepresented or exaggerated. Hotspots of plastic pollution, which are often international in their source, present complex environmental problems in certain parts of the world. Here we argue, however, that the current discourse on plastic waste overshadows greater threats to the environment and society at a global scale. Antiplastic sentiments have been exploited by politicians and industry, where reducing consumers' plastic footprints are often confused by the seldom‐challenged veil of environmental consumerism, or "greenwashing." Plastic is integral to much of modern day life, and regularly represents the greener facilitator of society's consumption. We conclude that it is the product, not the polymer that is driving the issue of plastic waste. Contemporary consumption and disposal practices are the root of much of the anthropogenic waste in the environment, plastic, or not. Effective environmental action to minimize plastic in the environment should be motivated by changes in consumption practices, policies, and product design, and should be informed by objective science and legislation.


By means of a cross-cultural analysis of selected examples of early Japanese and early Greek drama, Mae Smethurst enhances our appreciation of each form. While using the methods of a classicist to increase our understanding of no as literary texts, she also demonstrates that the fifteenth-century treatises of Zeami--an important playwright, actor, critic, and teacher of no--offer fresh insight into Aeschylus' use of actors, language, and various elements of stage presentation.Relatively little documentation apart from the texts of the plays is available for the Greek theater of the fifth century B.C., but Smethurst uses documentation on no, and evidence from no performances today, to suggest how presentations of the Persians could have been so successful despite the play's lack of dramatic confrontation. Aeschylean theater resembles that of Zeami in creating its powerful emotional and aesthetic effect through a coherent organization of structural elements. Both playwrights used such methods as the gradual intensification of rhythmic and musical effects, an increase in the number and complexity of the actors' movements, and a progressive focusing of attention on the main actors and on costumes, masks, and props during the course of the play.Originally published in 1989.The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These paperback editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.


In February 2013, Oxfam launched the Behind the Brands campaign to challenge the 'Big 10' food and beverage companies on their social and environmental policies and practices, and to amplify the voices of key stakeholders such as farmers, communities, consumers and investors calling on them to take action. This report provides an overview of the progress made over the past three years. The companies have made significant new commitments to improve social and environmental standards in their vast supply chains. But the companies must now ensure that their suppliers actually change their practices in line with the commitments made. And to accelerate the transformation towards a more sustainable food system, the companies must go further and adopt new business models in their supply chains to ensure that more of the power and the value reach the farmers and workers who produce their ingredients.


Evidence from psychology and economics indicates that many individuals overestimate their ability, both absolutely and relatively. We test three different theories about observed relative overconfidence. The first theory notes that simple statistical comparisons (for example, whether the fraction of individuals rating own skill above the median value is larger than half) are compatible (Benoit and Dubra, 2007) with a Bayesian model of updating from a common prior and truthful statements. We show that such model imposes testable restrictions on relative ability judgments, and we test the restrictions. Data on 1,016 individuals' relative ability judgments about two cognitive tests rejects the Bayesian model. The second theory suggests that self-image concerns asymmetrically affect the choice to get new information about one's abilities, and this asymmetry produces overconfidence (K?szegi, 2006; Weinberg, 2006). We test an important specific prediction of these models: individuals with a higher belief will be less likely to search for further information about their skill, because this information might make this belief worse. Our data also reject this prediction. The third theory is that overconfidence is induced by the desire to send positive signals to others about one's own skill; this suggests either a bias in judgment, strategic lying, or both. We provide evidence that personality traits strongly affect relative ability judgments in a pattern that is consistent with this third theory. Our results together suggest that overconfidence in statements is most likely to be induced by social concerns than by either of the other two factors.


This paper considers the turbo equalization of trellis-coded modulated (TCM) broadband wireless signals that are affected by both intersymbol interference (ISI) due to multipath propagation and cochannel interference (CCI) due to the presence of adjacent users. Long channel dispersion causing both impediments to be severe makes the direct application of trellis-based turbo equalizers impossible, particularly for high-order signal modulations. For this reason, we present two computationally feasible space-time turbo receiver architectures employing linear antenna arrays and broadband beamformers. The first receiver uses a beamformer for joint rejection of interfering signals and shortening of the channel corresponding to the desired signal so that a scalar trellis-based turbo equalizer can be applied to its output. At each beamformer branch, the composite effect of the CCI and the white channel noise is viewed as colored noise. Because trellis search algorithms are limited to cases where the observation noise is white, this imposes quadratic noise whitening constraints on the beamformer design that is solved by a Lagrangian relaxation approach. The second receiver architecture removes the dependence on trellis search techniques for equalization by implementing the turbo equalizer directly with a soft-information-aided broadband beamformer at its front end and a soft-input soft-output (SISO) decoder at its back end. We outline the design considerations associated with each receiver and present bit error rate (BER) simulations for the turbo equalization of 8-phase-shift keying (PSK) TCM signals.


In general, neurons in the mature vertebrate central nervous system fail to regenerate after injury. Intriguingly, however, activation of macrophages in the eye stimulates the regeneration of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) so that their axons grow down the optic nerve beyond the site of injury (see Filbin). Yin et al., who previously determined that a fraction of macrophage-secreted proteins less than 20 kD in size promoted axon regeneration, used mass spectrometry of a prominent 10- to 15-kD band and identified oncomodulin, a calcium-binding protein found in tumors. Although inactive on its own, oncomodulin potentiated the ability of mannose plus forskolin to stimulate axon outgrowth in cultured RGCs. Further, absorption of macrophage-conditioned medium (MCM) with anti-oncomodulin IgG eliminated its ability to promote axon growth. Oncomodulin showed specific high-affinity binding to RGCs, which depended on an increase in intracellular adenosine 3′,5′-monophosphate (cAMP, achieved through exposure to forskolin or the cAMP analog 8-bromoadenosine 3′,5′-monophosphate). Pharmacological analysis indicated that oncomodulin activity depended on calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) and on gene transcription but not on various mitogen-activated protein kinase kinases or janus kinases. Delivery of oncomodulin- and 8-bromoadenosine 3′,5′-monophosphate-containing microspheres into the vitreous promoted optic nerve regeneration in vivo. Thus, oncomodulin appears to represent a previously unidentified macrophage-derived trophic factor capable of promoting axonal regeneration in at least some central neurons. Y. Yin, M. T. Henzl, B. Lorber, T. Nakazawa, T. T. Thomas, F. Jiang, R. Langer, L. I. Benowitz, Oncomodulin is a macrophage-derived signal for axon regeneration in retinal ganglion cells. Nat. Neurosci. 9, 843-852 (2006). [PubMed] M. T. Filbin, How inflammation promotes regeneration. Nat. Neurosci. 9, 715-717 (2006). [PubMed]


The Resource Management Act 1991 was drafted for sustainability and probably still reflects the state of the art as regards environmental legislation for sustainable development. Modern theory of environmental law methodology has to a high extent focused on implementation deficits based on the significance of law in rule of law countries and consequently on the concept of legal operationalisation of environmental goals (ultimately ecological sustainability). This not only puts, inter alia, balancing in a new light but also calls for systemic thinking and reconsideration of bottom-up approaches. What, then, is to be legally operationalised under the RMA and are there counterproductive functions, explicit or implicit, in it? This is discussed in depth, putting the RMA planning system at the centre and observing the lack of far-reaching substantive standards and obscurities as regards goals and means. The discussion reflects theory of environmental law methodology, systems theory, and the issue of non-linearity of ecosystems, also when the role of courts is elaborated.


Natural ventilation is among those effective methods that is useful in hot dry climates. One of its important uses is in the atrium spaces in the office buildings. Although, as a passive solution, it has a significant impact on the reduction of energy consumption, the control of inlet and outflow of air as well as the control of air current temperature has always been a challenge for architects and engineers. This study aims at designing a model to reduce energy consumption and increase airflow inside the atrium. In so doing, the present study reviews the existing solutions in the inactive area. In this way, using computer simulations, the designed model in the energy software is analyzed and compared. The Design Builder Software is used to analyze the natural ventilation inside the building. The results clearly show that the use of a suitable form in the atrium ceilings with the aim of increasing the absorption of direct sunlight can have a direct effect on natural ventilation and thus reduce energy consumption in hot dry areas.


Very Long Baseline Inteferometry (VLBI) provides imaging capability at a resolution smaller than one milliarcsecond, enabling detailed studies of the innermost regions of jets in Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN). The resolution of VLBI observations can be further improved by employing antennas on board of a satellite orbiting the Earth. In this thesis, we present multifrequency images of four prominent radio sources, 0836+710, 1642+690, 3C 273, and 3C 345, obtained with the space VLBI mission RadioAstron, and use these images to reconstruct the physical conditions in their parsec-scale jets. The observations were performed as part of the RadioAstron Key Science Program on strong AGN. The main scientific goals of this study are to obtain the distribution of spectral index, turnover frequency and flux density, to estimate the magnetic field in the nuclear regions, and to investigate the development of Kelvin-Helmholtz instability in the jet flow. The RadioAstron observations made at 1.6 GHz, 5 GHz, and 22 GHz were amended by ground VLBI data taken at 15 GHz, and 43 GHz when available. The resulting multifrequency data were used to investigate the spectral and opacity properties of the jets. To enable this study, we have developed a software which combines multifrequency image alignment, opacity measurements via the "core shift" effect, spectral index calculation, and mapping the distribution of the turnover frequency/flux density and magnetic field in the jet. The development of Kelvin-Helmholtz instability is studied based on the analysis of internal structure (ridgelines and internal filaments) of the flow obtained from transverse profiles of the jet brightness.

0836+710 was observed with RadioAstron at 1.6 GHz, 5 GHz, and 22 GHz between October 2013 and January 2014. A spectral analysis, together with a kinematic analysis, reveals the presence of a recollimation shock in the jet, at a distance of 0.15 mas from the jet origin. We use the core shift analysis and synchrotron spectrum fitting to estimate the magnetic field strength in the jet core, with both methods providing a consistent estimate of B_core ~ 0.03 G at 5 GHz. We complement the analysis with an study of long-term kinematic evolution in the jet of 0836+710, relating it to the observed gamma-ray flaring activity of the source. We find that intermittent flaring states of the source and the intensity of the flares could be explained by interactions between travelling shocks and the recollimation shock identified from the analysis of the RadioAstron observations.
We use the 1.6 GHz data to determine the ridgeline of the jet in 0836+710 and use it for investigating the development of Kelvin-Helmholtz instability in the flow. We identify several distinct modes of the instability and determine their wavelengths and growth lengths. This study allows us to derive relevant physical parameters such as the jet classical Mach number and density ratio with respect to the ambient medium. At last, the space VLBI image of 0836+710 at 22 GHz reveals a rich, asymmetric jet structure, which we interpret as resulting either from the differential Doppler boosting in a mildly rotating jet, or from a helical magnetic field.

The well-known quasar 3C 273 was observed with RadioAstron in April 2014 at 5 GHz and 22 GHz. Due to the challenging nature of the resulting data set, it was not possible to perform an extensive spectral analysis for this jet. A direct comparison of the jet transversal structure between our observations and previous VSOP observations at 5 GHz obtained in 1997, reveals a change in the angle of injection of the jet ridgeline. This allows us to obtain the pattern speed and rotational speed of the radio jet. This result is corroborated using publicly available multi-epoch VLBI data at 15 GHz from the MOJAVE monitoring program.

The quasar 1642+690 was observed with RadioAstron between December 2014 and January 2015 at 1.6 GHz, 5 GHz, and 22 GHz. A spectral analysis of this source also suggested the presence of a recollimation shock, located at ~0.75 mas from the compact core. A study of the synchrotron spectrum reveals the potential presence of a strong magnetic field in the core region, as well as in the region of the putative recollimation shock.

At last, the quasar 3C 345 was observed with RadioAstron in April 2014 at 5 GHz and 22 GHz. However, no fringes with the space antenna were found at either of the two frequencies for most of the duration of the experiment, and therefore it is not possible to obtain additional information from the RadioAstron baselines with respect to the ground array observations. We use the resulting images to perform a spectral and turnover analysis of the source, estimating a magnetic field of ~0.07 G in the core region at 5 GHz which is in a good agreement with previous estimates.


This study is an ethnographic analysis of the relationship between female employers and female domestics in the Philippines focusing on how it maintains and reproduces the intersecting class and gender relations of power that brought the two women together. It also explores relationality how the privileging of one group of women is related to the exploitation of another. Data for analysis was based on interviews with 25 female employer-female domestic dyads in a city in the Philippines in 1989. The questions for the semi-structured interviews were focused on four major research questions:1.) What kinds of female employer-female domestic relationship exist between the women in this city?; 2.) What makes one female employer-female domestic relationship similar to and different from another?; 3.) What is unique about the Philippine case in terms of this employer-employee relationship?; and 4.) How is the intersectionality of class and gender relations articulated in the female employer-female domestic relationship? The analysis reveals the existence of 4 types of female employer-female domestic relationships. The dynamics of dependency, fictive kinship, proprietarity, and deference are expressed in somewhat different ways. But in all case these ways indicate an asymmetric power relationship. The analysis suggests that these employers and domestics exhibit some level of agency, empowerment and solidarity in their daily interactions. However these are undermined by intersecting forces of class and gender relations in Philippine society. In particular "compandrazgo", a system of patronage well-entrenched in Philippines society since the Spanish era, inhibits empowerment among domestics and female solidarity


We experimentally studied the three-dimensional imaging of the microspheres by using confocal and conventional scanning polarization microscopes. Because of the field amplitude averaging effect of the confocal system, the polarization of the detected signals is mainly parallel to the initial polarization. As a result, the signal intensity from the microspheres in the confocal polarization microscope with a crossed analyzer was found to be weaker than that in the conventional system. Based on a vector approach that takes the polarization into account and on the image formations of the two systems, theoretical expressions are given that agree well with the experimental results.


In most countries, colorblindness affects 10% of the male population. It is estimated that 350 million people in the world are colorblind! This handicap incurs limitations as well as uncomfortable personal and social situations for those afflicted that depend on others to choose products in which color is a predominant factor, such as pieces of apparel, decoration, traffic, recycling, identifying specific rooms in museums and other public spaces when color is the relevant element for choosing. A sample group of colorblind people questioned in a study found relevant the development of a system which would allow them to identify colors. The development of a graphic color identification system was the answer to this need, its concept and structure making it universal, easy to communicate and memorize a unique, universal, inclusive and non-discriminative language that enables the colorblind to identify colors, with a wide infinite spectrum of usage whenever color is a factor of identification, orientation or choice. This system can be applied to a variety of products and allow the colorblind to reduce or even eliminate their dependence on others. ColorADD was born for all, allowing full integration whilst keeping the privacy of colorblind including without discriminating. ColorADD creates added economic and social value to companies or entities that use the code, by offering to their consumers an innovative product with a strong social footprint. Also, Culture is a strategic activity of our mission and consequently it is one of our primary concerns. At several national museums, ColorADD is already adopted not only as part of the museums themselves but also several activities are already developed to allow people/children to become acquainted with this code, thus providing another acquisitive tool of universal and transversal utility. Our target is to take color to all!


Recently various types of driver assistance systems have been used for automobiles. In 2008, the U.S Congress passed a law which required that most cars be equipped with devices to warn objects behind the vehicle. Because of that, market of rear view cameras is expected to rise dramatically. Therefore many suppliers try to provide a wide angle camera for car makers. But a high distortion is caused by the wide angle might result in lower image quality. In order to improve the image quality, normally we use an algorithm to correct a distortion. Though we can improve the distorted image by correction algorithm, we must pay more cost to use it. In this paper, we propose a new optical system reducing a distortion in contrast to a conventional lens without cost. In other words, we can see only an area of interest. That is similar to reducing a field of view. Using a new optical system, we can get a less distorted image. In order to view an area of interest, we introduce an off axis optical system having refractive surfaces and reflective surfaces. In this paper, we describe the results of design and, evaluation of an off axis wide angle compact imaging system. In comparison to conventional wide angle lens, we can get the improvement of MTF, distortion, and lateral color aberrations. And we also can reduce a total cost because we don't need the outer apparatus or bracket to mount on the car.


This paper investigates the impact of the standard approximations embodied in the well-known Momentum Theory on its performance prediction capabilities. To this aim, the results of the momentum theory, which is still widely used in all Blade Element/Momentum codes for the analysis and/or design of wind turbines, are compared with those obtained with an actuator disk model based on Computational Fluid Dynamics techniques. In this method, the axisymmetric and steady Euler equations are solved with a classical finite volume approach, while the turbine effects are modelled through a set of axial and tangential body forces distributed over a disk shaped region representing the rotor swept surface. Since this method does not rely on the momentum theory simplifying assumptions, it can be suitably employed to verify the momentum theory validity. The analysis is carried out using the well documented experimental data of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory Phase VI wind turbine.


The Web has become an efficient environment for application delivery. The originally intended idea, as a distributed system for knowledge-interchange, has given way to organizations offering their products and services using the Web as a global point of sale. Although the arising possibilities look promising, the development process remains ad-hoc in real-life Web development. The understanding of Web application development mostly neglects architectural approaches, resulting in Web sites that fail in achieving typical goals like evolvable and maintainable structures of the information space. Beyond that, as the architecture of a Web application matures, more and more knowledge about the domain becomes embodied into code and therefore burdens maintenance and reuse of parts of the application. In this paper, we will propose an architecture and a framework using the notion of services as model entities for Web application development. The object-oriented WebComposition Markup Language, which is an application of the XML, will be presented as basis for a generic evolvable framework for services. Finally, the results of its usage will be described in detail by giving an example of a large-scale transnational Intranet, where the framework is in use.


This thesis examines how the current generation's transformative use of social media has influenced the medium, the marketplace and the methods the advertising industry uses to reach consumers. Historically, technology has always played a major role in the evolution and power of advertising, from the printing press to digital and mobile technology. As a result of such advances, advertisers have developed creative and innovative strategies to reach their audiences. This thesis considers the current use of content marketing to reach the marketplace and its various target audiences. The methodology used to study this subject consists of: • Several secondary resources, combing journals, trade publications, other publications and published resources. • Primary research: results from a survey of 100 respondents assessing common uses of social media, and • Analysis of several examples of content marketing. Through these methods, this thesis reveals how content marketing is addressing the advertising industry's adaptation to the habits of today's media consumers who have viewed advertising as a distraction and have attempted to bypass it for preferred web and social media content.