IMAGINE this--You have just finished trial on a five week construction defect suit. You are tired, but happy with the result. Your client, the developer of a $250 million uber-luxury residential tower, "won." The plaintiff condominium association that sued five years ago was only awarded $15 million in damages-instead of the $50 million they were seeking. After five years of contested litigation, you feel vindicated. The Chief Financial Officer (CFO) for your client is thrilled. He is taking you out for drinks tonight. Your client's Owner Controlled Insurance Policy only afforded $ 15 million in coverage, and the CFO was worried that if the verdict exceeded the available insurance, it would bankrupt them. There aren't that many construction contracts for $250 million uber-luxury towers anymore. You have a grin on your face of pure relief that the verdict was within limits.... But it does not last long. Within an hour of your "win," opposing counsel emails you a motion to add prejudgment interest on the award. Counsel is arguing that the interest dates back to turnover nearly a decade ago. You quickly realize that your client may actually owe millions of dollars--millions of dollars they do not have. For a construction lawyer, a plaintiff's claim for prejudgment interest on liquidated damages can often be one of the most significant parts of the case. If you are representing a general contractor, developer, subcontractor, or carrier who insures any of them, and a condominium association is claiming construction defect damages dating back to the date of turnover as far as a decade prior to suit, the association's claim for prejudgment interest against your client cannot be an afterthought. In those instances, the association's claim often amounts to millions of dollars and can even overshadow the costs to repair the alleged defective work of the construction players involved. Florida is unique in its interpretation of what constitutes "liquidated damages" for purposes of determining whether prejudgment interest should be awarded. In what can be described as the country's minority view, the Florida Supreme Court confirmed in Bosem v. Musa Holdings, Inc., (1) and its progeny that an association does not necessarily need to show "out of pocket" expenditures for repairing alleged defective work in order to get prejudgment interest at the end of a case. The association can forgo performing repairs, file suit, and a jury's verdict can retroactively set liquidated damages as of a chosen date of loss years prior to the Complaint ever being filed. Once a date of loss and amount of damages is set by the trier of fact, prejudgment interest becomes a matter of right. This article provides a brief discussion of the law in Florida post-Bosem and explains how it differs from other States in the country that do require, for now, "out of pocket" expenditures or set damages. (2) This article contends that the argument to be inferred from Bosem following the 2008 real estate bubble--that a cash-strapped, but wrongfully-damaged construction plaintiff should not be penalized by a requirement that the damages be "liquidated" in the traditional sense--provides a template for arguments that will be raised across the country. I. Florida's Loss Theory Although prejudgment interest is awarded as a matter of right in forty-two (42) of fifty-one (51) jurisdictions, including Florida, (3) Florida adopts the "loss theory" and prohibits discretion in the award of prejudgment interest. As confirmed by the Florida Supreme Court in Bosem, the distinction between liquidated damages, or "out of pocket" expenditures, and unliquidated damages is irrelevant to the determination of whether prejudgment interest is available. (4) The "loss" is the wrongful deprivation of the plaintiff's property. "Out of pocket" expenditures need not exist. If a jury's verdict or a trier of fact's findings has the effect of fixing damages as of a prior date, prejudgment interest must be awarded as of that prior date. …


Legal protection for traditional knowledge raises difficult questions at the intersection of innovation policy and knowledge governance, with important implications for Indigenous peoples' rights. A significant source of tension has been the difficulty in delineating entitlement interests in traditional knowledge consistent with prevailing doctrinal limits to intellectual property rights, such as the public domain. This paper advances the idea that, properly applied, the public domain does not constitute a barrier to the effective protection of traditional knowledge, and that a thoughtfully designed, custom-built public domain for traditional knowledge would align traditional knowledge protection with the overall architecture of the global innovation framework.


Exploitation of the knowledge generated by university research can bring social and economic benefits; thus, knowledge transfer between universities and industry is an important aspect of public policy. In many countries, including the United Kingdom (UK), universities have been developing the capacity to support the commercialisation of publicly funded research, typically by setting up centralised Knowledge Transfer Offices (KTOs). Previous studies have revealed that KTOs need a wide range of abilities to support the commercialisation of academic research, but our understanding of how these abilities are developed and have evolved over time remains limited. In order to address this identified gap in the literature, this thesis examines the questions: What do KTOs learn? How do KTOs learn? and Why do KTOs learn?
To address these questions, the thesis adopts a practice-based view of organisational knowledge and learning. The conceptual framework developed to investigate learning by KTOs assumes that their commercialisation practice is learnt through the interactions of their staff within communities of practice, within networks of practice and across communities of practice, and that this learning can be initiated by KTO staff or by targeted strategies devised by the KTO and the university's management. This conceptual framework guides the case studies of six purposefully selected KTOs in the UK. The selection of KTOs is aimed at identifying cases with different learning patterns in order to maximise insights gained from cross-case comparisons as well as at literal replication of the findings. The analysis is based on data collected from semi-structured interviews with key staff in selected KTOs and on information from relevant documents, and follows the 'explanation building' technique (Yin, 2009). The findings reveal that KTOs tend to develop one of two types of commercialisation practice – each of which is based on different implicit assumptions about generating science-based innovation, and associated with a different set of abilities. Moreover, the findings demonstrate the processes by which changes in practice come about, highlighting the interplay between situated learning and strategic practices of management. The results presented address the aforementioned gap in the literature on university-industry knowledge transfer and contribute to the developing situated learning theory by shedding light on how incremental and more radical changes in practice emerge. The findings should be useful to policy-makers who seek to support universities to build capability for knowledge transfer.


Artificial neural networks have frequently been proposed for electricity load forecasting because of their capabilities for the nonlinear modelling of large multivariate data sets. Modelling with neural networks is not an easy task though; two of the main challenges are defining the appropriate level of model complexity, and choosing the input variables. This paper evaluates techniques for automatic neural network modelling within a Bayesian framework, as applied to six samples containing daily load and weather data for four different countries. We analyse input selection as carried out by the Bayesian 'automatic relevance determination', and the usefulness of the Bayesian 'evidence' for the selection of the best structure (in terms of number of neurones), as compared to methods based on cross-validation.


An important element in the total package of Bechtel's engineering and construction services is the financing and commercial assistance offered in support of our client's projects. A typical proposal team will consist of a proposal manager, a cost engineer, a procurement specialist, and a senior Bechtel Financial Services, Inc. (BFSI) representative. Experience has shown that a close working relationship between financial planning and technical development allows a project to move ahead more surely and quickly than if these activities are separately undertaken. Also, a soundly structured commercial venture will be more attractive to lenders and equity participants and less risky to all project participants. Based on the financial and commercial objectives of the client and on technical data provided by Bechtel engineering, cost, and procurement personnel, BFSI assists clients in all aspects of project planning, structuring, and financing. Financial services are integrated with other Bechtel services and are available to clients, as required.


At the interface of quantum information and condensed matter physics, the study of entanglement in quantum many-body systems requires a new toolset which combines concepts from each. This thesis introduces a set of computational methods to study phases and phase transitions in lattice models of quantum systems, using the Renyi entropies as a means of quantifying entanglement. The scaling of entanglement entropy can give valuable insight into the phase of a condensed matter system. It can be used to detect exotic types of phases, to pinpoint transitions between phases, and can give us universal information about a system. The first approach in this thesis is a technique to measure entanglement in finite size lattice systems using zero-temperature quantum Monte Carlo simulations. The algorithm is developed, implemented, and used to explore anomalous entanglement scaling terms in the spin2 Heisenberg antiferromagnet. In the second part of this thesis, a new and complementary numerical technique is introduced to study entanglement not just in finite size systems, but as we approach the thermodynamic limit. This "numerical linked-cluster expansion" is used to study two different systems at their quantum critical points — continuous phase transitions occurring at zero temperature, at which these systems exhibit universal properties. Remarkably, these universal properties can be reflected in the scaling of entanglement. Entanglement offers a new perspective on condensed matter systems, one which takes us closer to genuinely understanding what goes on in these materials at the quantum mechanical level. This thesis demonstrates the first steps in developing an extensive list of computational tools that can be used to study entanglement over a wide range of interacting quantum many-body systems. With the ever increasing computational power available, it may be only a matter of time before these tools are used to create a comprehensive framework for the characterization of condensed matter phases and phase transitions.


Due to external and internal changes in dairy farming, entrepreneurial competencies are becoming increasingly important for dairy farmers. Investigating the possibility to improve these competencies by means of a training program is the main topic of the reported research. First the relations between the entrepreneurial competencies and farmer and farm characteristics were determined. To improve entrepreneurial competencies a training program was designed and executed. The influence of this training program on farm characteristics and entrepreneurial competencies was investigated by doing a case-control study. Two groups of Dutch dairy farmers were selected to participate in the case-control study. One group (n= 75) participated in the training program, which consisted of eight meetings. In these meetings groups of farmers discussed aspects related to entrepreneurial competencies. The second group (n=180) served as a control. The competencies of participating farmers in both groups were measured by means of a questionnaire at the start and at the end of the study. This research indicates that using the concept of competencies can give insight into entrepreneurial behaviour of farmers and provides a means to evaluate an intervention program aimed at development of a strategic plan by entrepreneurs. The described research method is a good way to identify a possible effect of an intervention. It also shows that entrepreneurial competencies have a positive relation with the farm size of dairy farmers in the Netherlands. The results of the case control study indicate that it is possible to improve entrepreneurial competencies of dairy farmers by means of developing and discussing the farmers' strategic plans in study groups. On average all participants benefited from the program, irrespective of farmer and farm characteristics or the level of competencies at the start of the program.


Different extracts of viable therapeutic Saccharomyces boulardii cells were evaluated for their antimicrobial activities against Escherichia coli and Candida albicans. Water, methanol, isopropanol, n-butanol and ethanol were used as solvents for extraction. Ethanol-extract exhibited the highest antimicrobial activity towards both strains, followed by water-extract. No antimicrobial activity could be detected on testing methanol-extract towards both strains. Ethanol- and water-extracts, cells remaining after water and ethanol extraction and broth were also tested for their antimicrobial activities against Gram-positive, Gram-negative, non-filamentous and filamentous fungi and showed considerable amounts of antimicrobial activities. Ethanol extracts exhibited the highest antimicrobial activity against all the tested strains, was then fractionated on a Sephadex G-100 column and the obtained fractions were examined using the agar-well diffusion method against Staphylococcus aureus, E.coli, C. albicans and Aspergillus niger. Results obtained indicate the presence of different scattered active fractions with different potencies against the four tested microorganisms. A large scale fermentation process was conducted using a BioFlo benchtop-15L Fermentor/ Bioreactor and the products were evaluated for their antimicrobial activities.


In spite of its arguable relevance the question of the role of the chair in the Arctic Council (AC) has until now received relatively little academic attention. When in 2013 Canada assumed the AC chairmanship, which rotates on the biennial basis among the Council's Members, the Arctic Council entered the second round of chairmanships, with the first one being over after sixteen years since the formation of the AC in 1996. In the meantime, in result of processes of climate change and globalization the Arctic region has gone through profound transformation and the United States, the AC Chair from 2015 to 2017, has evolved from one of the greatest opponents of the Council to its outspoken proponent. Yet most of the rules pertaining to chairmanship have remained intact since AC rules of procedure were adopted during the first AC Ministerial meeting in Iqaluit in 1998. What tasks do they assign to the Arctic Council chair? What is the actual role of AC the chairmanship? To address these questions, this article first looks into theoretical insights on the influence wielded by formal leaders in international cooperation and multilateral bargaining. It then turns its attention to origins of the institutional setup of circumpolar cooperation and continues with application of theory to rules and practice of the Arctic Council, complemented by inclusion of effects of the external developments on the course of the AC. In conclusion, it offers an initial assessment of the role exerted by the country chairing the Arctic Council.


ABSTRACT Aim: During the last decade, adjuvant cisplatin-based chemotherapy has become the standard therapy against resected non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) following two meta-analyses of randomised trials that showed a survival benefit of about 5% at five years with chemotherapy. Individual trials however, have shown variable results on the treatment effect on disease relapse and on non-cancer mortality after five years. Methods: The International Adjuvant Lung Cancer Trial accrued 1867 patients randomised between an adjuvant cisplatin-based chemotherapy arm and a control arm, who were followed up for a median of 7.5 years. Of these, 1687 patients were enrolled from 132 centres that initially accepted to report the times to cancer-related events. In this latter population, we used competing risks and multistate models to estimate the effects of adjuvant chemotherapy on the risks of local relapse, distant metastasis, and death. Results: Adjuvant chemotherapy proved to be highly effective against local relapses (hazard ratio HR = 0.73; 95%CI: 0.60–0.90; p = 0.003) and non-brain metastases (HR = 0.79; 95%CI: 0.66–0.94; p = 0.008) but not against brain metastases (HR = 1.10; 95%CI: 0.82–1.40; p = 0.61). The effect on non-cancer mortality was non-significant during the first five years (HR = 1.10; 95%CI: 0.81–1.50; p = 0.29), whereas the risk of non-cancer mortality was subsequently higher in the treatment arm (HR = 3.6; 95%CI: 2.20–5.90; p Conclusions: Adjuvant cisplatin-based chemotherapy has reduced the risk of local relapse and of non-brain metastasis in NSCLC patients, thereby improving survival. This treatment exerted no residual effect on mortality during the first five years, but a higher risk of non-cancer mortality was found thereafter. Even if this late effect concerned a small number of patients, detailed long-term follow-up should be strongly recommended for all patients in randomised trials evaluating adjuvant treatments in NSCLC. Disclosure: All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.


In the context of protomodular categories, several additional conditions have
been considered in order to obtain a closer group-like behavior. Among them are
locally algebraic cartesian closedness and algebraic coherence. The recent
notion of S-protomodular category, whose main examples are the category of
monoids and, more generally, categories of monoids with operations and
Jo\'{o}nsson-Tarski varieties, raises a similar question: how to get a
description of S-protomodular categories with a strong monoid-like behavior. In
this paper we consider relative versions of the conditions mentioned above, in
order to exhibit the parallelism with the "absolute" protomodular context and
to obtain a hierarchy among S-protomodular categories.


Sakubun is a combination of courses between the language and writing skills. Normally, Japanese language teachers regard this course as hard and difficult. Besides examining the grammar, the teacher has to think really hard to guess the real meaning of the sentences or expressions that the students want to say. Therefore, in order to simplify the process of checking and grading, the writer has conducted a small research toward a Sakubun class. This research was directed to the 7th semester Sakubun class using the Cognitive and the Constructivism theory. Those theories were implemented in four different media as part of the class course material. By differentiating teaching media, learners will not easily become bored during learning process. Teachers could also easily divide the type of materials into two namely: visual and the non-visual, which made learners could easily develop their creativity based on their own personal preferences. The result of the research has shown that there was an improvement of skill in the small group in applying the grammar. This research was conducted during the short semester starting in June until August 2011.


While classical planning systems can usually detect if a task is unsolvable, only recent research introduced a way to verify such a claim. These methods have already been applied to a variety of explicit and symbolic search algorithms, but so far no planning technique based on SAT has been covered with them. We fill this gap by showing how property directed reachability can produce proofs while only minimally altering the framework by allowing to utilize certificates for unsolvable SAT queries within the proof. We additionally show that a variant of the algorithm that does not use SAT calls can produce proofs that fit into the existing framework without requiring any changes.


We present two alternative ways to apply PAC-Bayesian analysis to sequences of dependent random variables. The first is based on a new lemma that enables to bound expectations of convex functions of certain dependent random variables by expectations of the same functions of independent Bernoulli random variables. This lemma provides an alternative tool to Hoeffding-Azuma inequality to bound concentration of martingale values. Our second approach is based on integration of Hoeffding-Azuma inequality with PAC-Bayesian analysis. We also introduce a way to apply PAC-Bayesian analysis in situation of limited feedback. We combine the new tools to derive PAC-Bayesian generalization and regret bounds for the multiarmed bandit problem. Although our regret bound is not yet as tight as state-of-the-art regret bounds based on other well-established techniques, our results significantly expand the range of potential applications of PAC-Bayesian analysis and introduce a new analysis tool to reinforcement learning and many other fields, where martingales and limited feedback are encountered.


Extracted from text ... OTC Products
SA Pharmacist's Assistant [ Sept / Oct 2006 ]
10
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Abstract. As a consequence of climate change and land subsidence, coastal zones are directly impacted by sea-level rise. In some particular areas, the effects on the ecosystem and urbanisation are particularly enhanced. We focus on the Emilia-Romagna (E-R) coastal plain in Northern Italy, bounded by the Po river mouth to the north and by the Apennines to the south. The plain is  ∼ 130 km long and is characterised by wide areas below mean sea level, in part made up of reclaimed wetlands. In this context, several morphodynamic factors make the shore and back shore unstable. During next decades, the combined effects of land subsidence and of the sea-level rise as a result of climate change are expected to enhance the shoreline instability, leading to further retreat. The consequent loss of beaches would impact the economy of the region, which is tightly connected with tourism infrastructures. Furthermore, the loss of wetlands and dunes would threaten the ecosystem, which is crucial for the preservation of life and the environment. These specific conditions show the importance of a precise definition of the possible local impacts of the ongoing and future climate variations. The aim of this work is the characterisation of vulnerability in different sectors of the coastal plain and the recognition of the areas in which human intervention is urgently required. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fifth Assessment Report (AR5) sea-level scenarios are merged with new high-resolution terrain models, current data for local subsidence and predictions of the flooding model in_CoastFlood in order to develop different scenarios for the impact of sea-level rise projected to year 2100. First, the potential land loss due to the combined effect of subsidence and sea-level rise is extrapolated. Second, the increase in floodable areas as a result of storm surges is quantitatively determined. The results are expected to support the regional mitigation and adaptation strategies designed in response to climate change.


Images of tools induce stronger activation than images of nontools in a left-lateralized network that includes ventral-stream areas implicated in tool identification and dorsal-stream areas implicated in tool manipulation. Importantly, however, graspable tools tend to be elongated rather than stubby, and so the tool-selective responses in some of these areas may, to some extent, reflect sensitivity to elongation rather than "toolness" per se. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we investigated the role of elongation in driving tool-specific activation in the 2 streams and their interconnections. We showed that in some "tool-selective" areas, the coding of toolness and elongation coexisted, but in others, elongation and toolness were coded independently. Psychophysiological interaction analysis revealed that toolness, but not elongation, had a strong modulation of the connectivity between the ventral and dorsal streams. Dynamic causal modeling revealed that viewing tools (either elongated or stubby) increased the connectivity from the ventral- to the dorsal-stream tool-selective areas, but only viewing elongated tools increased the reciprocal connectivity between these areas. Overall, these data disentangle how toolness and elongation affect the activation and connectivity of the tool network and help to resolve recent controversies regarding the relative contribution of "toolness" versus elongation in driving dorsal-stream "tool-selective" areas.


A string is just a sequence of letters. But strings can be massive. Plant and animal genomes are strings billions of letters long on the simple alphabet Internet traffic among billions of websites is a collection of strings that amount to quadrillions of computer bits every day.

Such strings are regularly searched, probably millions of times a day, for patterns of all kinds - genomic codes for genes and chromosomes, indicators of terrorist activity, and many others. The search for patterns is fundamental to many fields molecular biology, cryptography, data compression, computer vision, speech recognition, computational geometry.

This book provides a basic general introduction to the algorithms (methods) that efficiently compute patterns in strings. It focuses on results that can be explained with reasonable economy and simplicity, but its 250 references also enable the reader to access current state-of-the-art methodology.


Abstract The Blazhko effect is the conspicuous amplitude and phase modulation of the pulsation of RR Lyrae stars that was discovered in the early 20th century. The field of study of this mysterious modulation has recently been invigorated thanks to the space photometric missions providing long, uninterrupted, ultra-precise time-series data. In this paper I give a brief overview of the new observational findings related to the Blazhko effect, such as extreme modulations, irregular modulation cycles and additional periodicities. I argue that these findings together with dedicated ground-based efforts provide us now with a fairly complete picture and a good starting point to theoretical investigations. Indeed, new, unpredicted dynamical phenomena have been discovered in Blazhko RR Lyrae stars, such as period doubling, high-order resonances, three-mode pulsation and low-dimensional chaos. These led to the proposal of a new explanation to this century-old enigma, namely a high-order resonance between radial modes. Along these lines I present the latest efforts and advances from the theoretical point of view. Lastly, amplitude variations in Cepheids are discussed.


Airborne magnetic tensor gradiometers using SQUID technology are currently being trialed, posing the problem of how to best recover information from this new type of data. This paper investigates the possible advantages of magnetic field tensor data for interpretation of an area of shallow volcanics in southern Victoria, Australia. Source models for TMI anomalies over volcanic pipe or fissure sources have been used to generate synthetic magnetic field tensor data. Inversion of the TMI and tensor data indicates that tensor data can substantially improve resolution in mapping these shallow volcanics. Inversion of the TMI data cannot differentiate between dipping bodies with induced magnetization, and vertical bodies with remanent magnetization. The simulated magnetic tensor data accentuates differences between these models and confirms that magnetic tensor data would provide greater sensitivity in resolving the magnetization direction, and thereby the dip of the sources.


Background Age-related cataract (ARC) is the leading cause of blindness in the world. The relationship between body mass index (BMI) and risk of ARC is controversial across observational studies. We therefore performed this meta-analysis to evaluate the association between BMI and risk of ARC. Methods Eligible studies were identified through an electronic search of PubMed, Embase and the Cochrane Library. We pooled study-specific relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) to determine the risk of ARC associated with BMI categories and per 1 kg/m2 increase in BMI. Results A total of 17 prospective cohort studies were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled RRs of ARC were 1.08 (95% CI, 1.01–1.16) for overweight and 1.19 (95% CI, 1.10–1.28) for obesity compared with normal weight. These findings were robust when stratified by sex, sample source, outcome types and confounders, while significantly differed by assessment of BMI and ARC, and duration of follow-up. The summary RR suggested that per 1 kg/m2 increase in BMI was associated with a 2% increased risk of ARC (RR 1.02, 95% CI 1.01–1.03). Pooled estimates of RRs consistently indicated a trend for subjects with a high BMI to develop posterior subcapsular cataracts (RR 1.19, 95% CI 1.06–1.35, for overweight; RR 1.50, 95% CI 1.24–1.81, for obesity; RR 1.04, 95% CI 1.01–1.06, per 1 kg/m2 increase in BMI) other than nuclear or cortical cataracts. Conclusions The overall findings suggest that elevated BMI may increase the risk of ARC, especially posterior subcapsular cataracts. Further trials are needed to investigate the effect of weight reduction in obese populations on the risk of ARC.


We interpret fluctuations in GNP and unemployment as due to two types of disturbances: disturbances that have a permanent effect on output and disturbances that do not. We interpret the first as supply disturbances, the second as demand disturbances. We find that demand disturbances have a hump shaped effect on both output and unemployment; the effect peaks after a year and vanishes after two to five years. Up to a scale factor, the dynamic effect on unemployment of demand disturbances is a mirror image of that on output. The effect of supply disturbances on output increases steadily over time, to reach a peak after two years and a plateau after five years. 'Favorab1e supply disturbances may initially increase unemployment. This is followed by a decline in unemployment, with a slow return over time to its original value. While this dynamic characterization is fairly sharp, the data are not as specific as to the relative contributions of demand and supply disturbances to output fluctuations. We find that the time series of demand-determined output fluctuations has peaks and troughs which coincide with most of the NBER troughs and peaks. But variance decompositions of output at various horizons giving the respective contributions of supply and demand disturbances are not precisely estimated. For instance, at a forecast horizon of four quarters, we find that, under alternative assumptions, the contribution of demand disturbances ranges from 40 to over 95 per cent.


Heat concentration from wood cutting process promotes the tool premature wear, with consequent effect on the surface processed material, causing burnt areas as well as provoking larger superficial roughness than observed in machining process with absence of accumulated heat. The objective of this research was to evaluate the effect of cutting tool refrigeration during wood machining. The adopted mechanism was the use of pressurized carbon dioxide in fog form applied directly in the cutting area as a refrigeration method. The test was performed using Eucalyptus grandis and as cutting tool, a circular saw. To evaluate the wood final surface the following parameters were adopted; superficial roughness and occurrence of surface carbonization. The results showed that carbon dioxide applied in fog form, even at the smallest level (15g min-1), avoided the superficial carbonization of the processed material, as well as reduced the values of superficial roughness.


The limited number of flight tests to date has indicated that the Discoverer satellite will be a highly reliable and effective system from which the ARPA and the Air Force expect to gain valuable additional knowledge of outer space. The achievement of this high degree of reliability and effectiveness of the satellite means that each of its subsystems must, in fact, be even more reliable and effective. The Discoverer guidance and control system is meeting their specifications because of the simplicity of the over-all design-simplicity for reliability with sufficient sophistication to accomplish its mission effectively. The mission of the guidance system is that of providing adequate attitude, velocity, and time references to guide the satellite into a desired orbit, to control its attitude on orbit, and to provide switching in the proper sequence for certain principal satellite functions. The mission of the control system is simply that of positioning the vehicle in the proper attitude commanded by guidance. The investigations that were made and those which are being continued in the determination of the optimum configuration for the desired performance are described in some detail. The present system, is discussed, which comprises, for guidance, an inertial reference package, a horizon scanner, and a computer for grammar, and for control, both a hydraulic and pneumatic system. In summary, a typical flight of the Discoverer, from separation from the Thor booster until stabilization on orbit, is outlined and the functions of the guidance and control systems are described.


Brain-computer interface (BCI) technologies, or technologies that use online brain signal processing, have a great promise to improve human interactions with computers, their environment, and even other humans. Despite this promise, there are no current serious BCI technologies in widespread use, due to the lack of robustness in BCI technologies. The key neural aspect of this lack of robustness is human variability, which has two main components: (1) individual differences in neural signals and (2) intraindividual variability over time. In order to develop widespread BCI technologies, it will be necessary to address this lack of robustness. However, it is currently unknown how neural variability affects BCI performance. To accomplish these goals, it is essential to obtain data from large numbers of individuals using BCI technologies over considerable lengths of time. One promising method for this is through the use of BCI technologies embedded into games with a purpose (GWAP). GWAP are a game-based form of crowdsourcing which players choose to play for enjoyment and during which the player performs key tasks which cannot be automated but that are required to solve research questions. By embedding BCI paradigms in GWAP and recording neural and behavioral data, it should be possible to much more clearly understand the differences in neural signals between individuals and across different time scales, enabling the development of novel and increasingly robust adaptive BCI algorithms.


This cutting-edge, multidisciplinary Handbook comprises specially commissioned contributions surveying state-of-the-art research on the concept of organizational routines. An authoritative overview of the concept of organizational routines and its contributions to our understanding of organizations is presented. To identify those contributions, the role of organizational routines in such processes as organizational learning, performance feedback, and organizational memory is discussed. To identify how the concept can contribute to different disciplinary fields, the expert authors review applications across a range of fields including political science, sociology, and accounting.


Abstract Agresta, CE, Church, C, Henley, J, Duer, T, and O'Brien, K. Single-leg squat performance in active adolescents aged 8–17 years. J Strength Cond Res 31(5): 1187–1191, 2017—More than 30 million U.S. adolescents participate in sport and exercise. Lower extremity injury from sport participation accounts for up to 89% of injuries each year. The single-leg squat (SLS) is a simple clinical tool that assesses lower extremity mechanics often associated with injury risk. To date, there is limited information regarding SLS performance in healthy children. Such information could be useful when assessing youth athletes to determine if mechanics demonstrated are different than is to be expected and puts them at the risk for injury. Furthermore, maturity status is thought to influence motor performance. Currently, there is no information regarding the influence of maturity status on SLS performance in adolescents. The purpose of our study was to determine SLS performance in relation to age and maturity level in adolescents. Forty-five children aged 8–17 years were videotaped performing a series of 10 squats using a standardized protocol. Standing height, seated height, and leg length measures were collected. Investigators scored the SLS test using specific scoring criteria. Adolescents were categorized into 3 maturity levels using a peak height velocity calculation. Multiple linear regression analyses and analysis of variance were used to analyze the data. Chronological age was a significant predictor of SLS performance with younger children having poorer SLS scores. Coaches and trainers should consider the chronological age of the youth athlete when assessing SLS performance. Furthermore, tailored training programs by age may help to address faulty areas, like single-leg stability, and improve overall functional performance.


We describe here Paired-Tag, a high-throughput multi-omics method for joint profiling of histone modifications and gene expressions in single cells. The assay is based on a combinatorial barcoding indexing strategy that does not require special instruments. It can be performed with nuclei extracted from cultured cells or frozen tissues, in standard molecular biology laboratories.


Steve Reich's only long-term set of compositions – the so-called Counterpoint
series, which currently includes Vermont Counterpoint (1982), New York Counterpoint
(1985), Electric Counterpoint (1987), and Cello Counterpoint (2003) – traces an arc
through the final two decades of the twentieth century and into the twenty-first. This
timeframe was one of great technological development, which is reflected in these works'
performance forces (soloist and multi-track tape) and in their sketch traces (ranging from
pencil and paper sketches to computer files). The Counterpoints are multiples of the same
conception of a musical work in much the same way as they are to be performed on
multiples of the same instrument (or instrumental family). As the composer himself put it:
'The overall texture is made up entirely of multiples of the same timbre, which texture
highlights the overall contrapuntal web with its many resulting patterns which the listener
can hear'.1
Using the semiotic tripartional model adapted for music by Jean-Jacques Nattiez as
a methodological basis, the main aim of this thesis is to trace aspects of the Counterpoints
through their neutral, esthesic, and poietic levels in order to offer insights into this often
overlooked area of Reich's oeuvre. Independently each level of analysis offers a unique
angle from which to view the Counterpoints. The neutral brings together a diverse range of
pre-existing analytical views on (and approaches to) the Counterpoints, providing new
analytical interpretations on specific sections of each work. The esthesic level scrutinises
Reich's own thoughts and ideas relating to the Counterpoints through the medium of
interviews, biographical and programme notes, and social media, while also exploring
public response and reaction to them. Split into two sections (analogue and digital), the
poietic level deals with the extant sketch material produced by Reich in the course of
composing these works. These three angles of analysis are then pulled together in a final
chapter that explores Cello Counterpoint's second movement and Reich's use of rhythmic
construction in combination with canon as a possible defining feature of the Counterpoints.
This synthesis draws on all aspects of the tripartition and offers a possible paths through an
integrated analysis.
1 Steve Reich, "Texture–Space–Survival," Perspectives of New Music 26, no. 2 (1988), 273.


Geologic faults are a result of rock structures that have given away to tectonic compression, extension, or lateral tension. Because of a fault's propensity to slip and cause earthquakes, they are of major concern to any populated area near by. The Wasatch Fault is a result of extensional stress that runs the entire length of Utah from north the south. It has been analyzed and broken up into several segments. By stratigraphic analysis, scientists have been able to estimate when each of these segments has last experienced a rupture. Out of all the segments that make up the Wasatch Fault, the Brigham City segment has not experienced movement for the longest period of time. Scientists have estimated that this segment will be the next segment to slip and cause an earthquake. This fault segment is of great interest to the surrounding scientific population. It is the goal of this experiment to successfully image the fault using Electrical Resistivity Tomography.


INTRODUCTION The right to pursue a career and economic gain in the absence of sexual harassment is a basic legal tenet in the United States. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act (CRA) of 1964 guarantees Americans that race, color, sex, national origin, religion, or veteran status will not be a factor of employment (http://www.eeoc.gov/policy/vii.html). The 1991 update to the CRA provides the original version with the necessary power to stop illegal and discriminatory employment practices regarding race, sex, color, etc. It allows plaintiffs to seek jury trials, and successful plaintiffs can recover compensatory and punitive damages and attorney fees stemming from intentional employment discrimination (http://www.eeoc.gov/35th/ thelaw/index.html [paragraph] 28). The Society for Human Resource Managers reported in 2002 that 97 percent of employers have written sexual harassment policies and that 62 percent of those employers provide training on sexual harassment (Blackman, 2005). Although employers are taking a stand on the issue of sexual harassment, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) reported that it continued to receive an average of 15,000 sexual harassment complaints per year (Simon, Scherer, Rau, 1999). In 2008 alone, the EEOC received 13, 867 charges of sexual harassment (http://www.eeoc.gov/stats/harass.html) and--since the CRA was updated in 1992. Sexual harassment hinges upon whether or not the sexual behavior was welcomed by the recipient. Sexual harassment is determined by the victim and is subjective because what one person finds as sexually harassing behavior may be acceptable to another person. People identify and perceive sexual harassment differently. Many authors have attempted to research predictors of perceiving sexual advances as sexually harassing or harmless (Fitzgerald, et al. 1988; Gutek, et al., 2004). Although a definitive answer has not been established, previous research can reasonably be grouped by influences which may lead to a person's perception of sexual harassment. PURPOSE OF STUDY The purpose of this research is to measure the extent to which human resource professionals receive sexual behavior in the workplace and the likelihood of human resource professionals to label the sexual behaviors they experienced as harassment. There is ample research-based literature regarding gender, culture, race, and age as factors determining perception of sexual harassment (Wuencsh, Campbell, Kesler, & Moore, 2002, Desouza, Pryor, & Hutz, 1998, Foulis & McCabe, 1997); as well as workplace environment issues such as employers with high levels of turnover, an absence of policies, and other quantifiable workplace statistics (Gordon & Lowe, 2002, Trevor, 1998, Laband & Lentz, 1998). Although many of these studies include human resource professionals as part of the reporting structure, and often as the designated trainer, research is lacking regarding the sexual harassment of human resource professionals themselves. Do human resource professionals receive unwanted sexual behaviors in the workplace? If so, this would be a surprising discovery considering that human resource professionals serve as the gatekeeper for professional behavior in the workplace. Furthermore, do human resource professionals accurately label sexually harassing behaviors as sexual harassment? If not, this would expose a problem since human resource professionals often serve as the initial judge of whether or not a behavior is appropriate in the workplace. To date, there are no data to directly answer these questions. This research utilizes Fitzgerald's, et al. 1995 Sexual Experiences Questionnaire (SEQ, Form W) to determine the extent to which human resource professionals have received unwanted sexual behavior in the last five years.. Although the SEQ has been used to measure and compare how sexual behaviors in the workplace are or are not labeled as harassment among men and women, among Blacks, Whites, and Latinos, and within a relatively few occupations, there is an absence of research regarding the sexual harassment of human resource professionals. …


A finite difference scheme based on the polynomial interpolation is constructed to solve the quasi-vector equations for optical waveguides with step-index profiles. The discontinuities of the normal components of the electric field across abrupt dielectric interfaces are taken into account. The numerical results include the polarization effects, but the memory requirement is the same as in solving the scalar wave equation. Moreover, the proposed finite difference scheme can be applied to both uniform and non-uniform mesh grids. The modal propagation constants and field distributions for a buried rectangular waveguide and a rib waveguide are presented. Solutions are compared favorably with those obtained by the numerical approaches published earlier.


The semantics of a programming language are often described in a natural language. Such descriptions are often ambiguous and hard (or even impossible) to construct in a precise way. To tackle these problems one could specify a formal description of the semantics by using a mathematical model. In this report such a mathematical model is presented for the .NET Intermediate Language (IL) in the form of graphs and transformations to these graphs. In order to be able to perform transformations on graphs, we need a start graph. The .NET Intermediate Language generates bytecode and cannot supply such a start graph. Therefore we have constructed a translator that translates an arbitrary IL program into a so called Abstract Syntax Graph (ASG). The ASG is the start graph to which we now can apply graph transformations.
Central in this report are graph production rules that we have specified in order to describe the semantics of .NET IL instructions. These production rules are used for transforming graphs, and by applying them to the (intermediate) graphs repeatedly it is possible to simulate a program. Although further research is necessary, we believe this project provides a promising basis of
representing the semantics of the .NET Intermediate Language in an intuitive and formal way.


Objective: To evaluate the auditory system reorganization following Cochlear Implant (CI) in prelingually deaf children using Cortical Auditory Evoked Potentials (CAEPs).
Methods: This is an open label prospective longitudinal study conducted on prelingually deaf Persian children (n=20) who underwent CI in a CI center in Khuzestan, Iran during 2015 to 2016. The subjects (10 boys, 10 girls; mean age: 2.48 ± 1.05 y) with profound pre-lingual hearing loss participated in this study. The CAEPs in response to speech stimuli (/m/, /g/, and /t/) were recorded using a HEARLab system. In all subjects the P1 latency of CAEPs was comparatively measured at three intervals: The baseline before CI and at two follow up points at 3- and 6-month post CI.
Results: The mean P1 values decreased with increasing time of implant use during the follow-up periods. The averaged P1 latency showed no significant difference between the different speech stimuli in all assessment intervals.
Conclusion: Our findings showed that CI influences the auditory system which can be measured in CAEPs.


Abstract Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate tumour growth located around the ureteric orifice (LUO) at primary diagnosis of Ta/T1 urinary bladder cancer in relation to effects on recurrence and progression. Materials and methods: Clinical and pathological characteristics of patients diagnosed with primary Ta/T1 urinary bladder cancer from 1992 to 2007 were recorded prospectively. Location of the primary tumour and growth around the ureteric orifice (within 1 cm) were recorded and correlated with recurrence and progression during further follow-up. Hazard ratios (HRs) were estimated using Cox regression with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) in both univariate and multivariate analysis. Results: The study included 768 evaluable patients with a median follow-up of 60 months. Recurrence was observed in 478 patients (62%) and progression in 71 (9%). Growth of a primary tumour adjacent to the ureteric orifice was associated with recurrence (HR = 1.28, 95% CI = 1.07–1.54) but not progression (HR = 1.04, 95% CI = 0.65–1.67). The most common location of the first recurrence was the posterior bladder wall (29%). Other locations in the bladder did not predict recurrence or progression. Additional factors affecting recurrence were tumour size greater than 15 mm, T1 tumour category, multiplicity, malignant or missing/not representative bladder wash cytology and surgery performed by residents. Conclusions: A primary tumour located around the ureteric orifice was predictive of recurrence, which could be taken into account in future follow-up schedules.


The need for a reconsideration of resilience from both a positive and a normative point of view can be discussed using some of the lessons and conclusions drawn from individual resilience studied by psychologists in an educational context. The main point made in this article is that unless we want to approach resilience as a feature which is exogenously given in each population and society and whose dynamics, if any, are not subject to deliberate actions and policies, we need a framework for the evaluation of resilience as a social good. Relying on the hope that resilience is necessarily built in our societies as a force guaranteeing convergence to a socially desirable point of social evolution may be too optimistic and even counterproductive, because it may lead us to an inefficient or biased political and regulatory decision making. When the effect of policies and actions at a national or international level take into account the dynamic effect of such actions on resilience itself, one cannot blindly rely on the goodness of the process any more. This is mainly because resilience is not uniformly embodied in all societies and it does not have a globally positive social value by itself. The issue of socially valuing the options available beyond market-price valuations becomes fundamental in this context.


We have developed a selection for mutations in a trpC-tonB gene fusion that takes advantage of the properties of the plasmid-encoded TrpC-TonB hybrid protein. The TrpC-TonB hybrid protein consists of amino acids 1 through 25 of the normally cytoplasmic protein, TrpC, fused to amino acids 12 through 239 of TonB. It is expressed from the trp promoter and is regulated by the trpR gene and the presence or absence of tryptophan. Under repressing conditions in the presence of tryptophan, the trpC-tonB gene can restore phi 80 sensitivity to a tonB deletion mutant, which indicates that TrpC-TonB can be exported and is functional. High-level expression of TrpC-TonB protein in the absence of tryptophan results in virtually immediate cessation of growth for strains carrying the trpC-tonB plasmid. By selecting for survivors of the induced growth inhibition (overproduction lethality), we have isolated a variety of mutations. Many of the mutations decrease expression of the TrpC-TonB protein, as expected. In addition, three independently isolated mutants expressing normal levels of TrpC-TonB protein result in a Gly----Asp substitution within the hydrophobic amino terminus of TonB. The mutant proteins are designated TrpC-TonBG26D. The mutations are suppressed by prlA alleles, known to suppress export (signal sequence) mutations. TrpC-TonB proteins carrying the Gly----Asp substitution accumulate in the cytoplasm. We conclude that the Gly----Asp substitution is an export mutation. TrpC-TonBG26D protein has been purified and used to raise polyclonal antibodies that specifically recognize both TrpC-TonB protein and wild-type TonB protein.


Privacy by Design (PbD) is an approach to protect privacy by embedding it into the design specifications of technologies, business practices, and physical infrastructures. However, despite its many advantages, many organizations struggle with incorporating these practices in their existing software engineering processes. This paper evaluates the current state-of-the-art related to PbD in software engineering and analyzes the impact of the proposed European data protection legislation on this process. We propose four key viewpoints of PbD and discuss how these can be applied in a software engineering process. We then translate these viewpoints into a self-assessment method that can be used to evaluate to what degree an organization has managed to adopt the PbD mindset in their software engineering projects. Keywords-privacy; PbD; privacy engineering; personal data; EU data protection law


Shallow ocean acoustic propagation generally results in bathymetric refraction toward deeper water, and is accompanied by bottom attenuation. In modal eigenray calculations involving small horizontal grazing angle interactions with bathymetry, cases have been found [Heaney et al., J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 90, 2586–2594 (1991)] in which path integrated bottom loss actually decreases with increasing mode number. This apparent paradox is resolved by showing that the increase in modal ray turning rate with mode number can exceed the accompanying increase in bottom attenuation rate. Thus fixed angular deflection can imply attenuation which decreases with mode number. Investigation of acoustic eigenmodes leads to an algebraic relation between bathymetrically induced rates of horizontal ray turning and modal energy loss. This relation gives the modal attenuation rate per increment of horizontal ray turning, and is expressed in dB per radian. The dB per radian relation is in general not a monotonic function of mode number. Implications of this result may be relevant to observations in the Heard Island Feasability Test. [Work supported by NRL and Scripps Institute of Oceanography.]


Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems are among the most common methods to improve indoor air quality. However, after long-term operation, the HVAC filter can result in a proliferation of bacteria, which may release into the filtered air subsequently. This issue can be addressed by designing antibacterial filters. In this study, we report an iron oxide nanowires-based filter fabricated from commercially available iron mesh through a thermal treatment. At optimal conditions, the filter demonstrated a log inactivation efficiency of > 7 within 10 seconds towards S. epidermidis (Gram-positive), a common bacterial species of indoor bioaerosol. 52 % of bioaerosol cells can be captured by a single filter, which can be further improved to 98.7 % by connecting five filters in-tandem. The capture and inactivation capacity of the reported filter did not degrade over long-term use. The inactivation of bacteria is attributed to the synergic effects of the hydroxyl radicals, electroporation, and Joule heating, which disrupted the cell wall and nucleoid of S. epidermidis, as verified by the model simulations, fluorescence microscopy, electron microscopy, and infrared spectroscopy. The relative humidity plays an important role in the inactivation process. The filter also exhibited a satisfactory inactivation efficiency towards E. coli (Gram-negative). The robust synthesis, low cost, and satisfactory inactivation performance towards both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria make the filter demonstrated here suitable to be assembled into HVAC filters as an antibacterial layer for efficient control of indoor bioaerosols.


Purpose of Review
Ketogenic diet therapy can be used as an adjuvant treatment of super-refractory status epilepticus (SRSE). However, the drug and metabolic interactions with concomitant treatments present a challenge for clinicians. In this review, we focus on the practical considerations of implementing ketogenic dietary therapy in the acute setting, including the dietary composition, potential drug-diet interactions, and monitoring during ketogenic treatment.

Recent Findings
This report describes the ketogenic diet therapy protocol implemented for the treatment of SRSE and a review of the current evidence to support clinical practice.

Summary
The control of SRSE is critical in reducing morbidity and mortality. There is emerging evidence that ketogenic diet may be a safe and effective treatment option for these patients.


Background: The implementation of evidence-based practices translates research findings into practice to reduce inappropriate care. However, this process is slow and unpredictable. The lack of a coherent theoretical basis for understanding individual and organizational behavior limits our ability to formulate effective implementation strategies. Purpose: The study objectives are (a) to test the goal commitment framework that explains mechanisms impacting outcomes of major depressive disorder (MDD) screening guideline implementation and (b) to understand the effects of implementation outcomes on provider practice related to MDD screening. Methods: Using data from the Determinants of Clinical Practice Guideline Implementation Effectiveness Study, the national sample included 2,438 clinicians from 139 Veteran Affairs acute care hospitals with primary care clinics. We used hierarchical generalized linear modeling to assess the following implementation outcomes: agreement with, adherence to, improvement in knowledge of guidelines, and delivery of best practices as a function of clinician input into implementation, teamwork, involvement in quality improvement activities, participative culture, interdepartmental coordination, frequency, and utility of performance feedback. We then estimated self-reported MDD screening practices as a function of these four implementation outcomes. Findings: Results showed that having input into implementation, involvement in quality of care improvement, teamwork, and perceived value of performance feedback were positively associated with implementation outcomes. Provider self-assessed guideline adherence was positively associated with the likelihood of appropriate MDD screening. Implications: Factors related to increased goal commitment positively predicted key implementation outcomes, which in turn enhanced care delivery. This study demonstrates that the goal commitment framework is useful in assisting managers to assess factors that facilitate implementation. In particular, participation, feedback, and team work equip organizational participants with better information about implementation targets, thereby increasing adherence. Instituting or improving systems or programs to facilitate timely, appropriate performance feedback and provider participation may help enhancing organizational change and learning.


We live in an age where working in science or engineering offers tremendous professional opportunities – the pace of scientific development is truly breathtaking. Yet many researchers struggle with the pressures of the fastpaced academic workplace, and struggle to harmonize their work and personal lives. The result can be burnout, exhaustion, and stress on a personal level, and difficulty in recruiting and retaining talented, diverse people in science and engineering. This book, written for graduate students and researchers at all stages of their careers, aims to help scientists by identifying and questioning the core beliefs that drive a culture of overwork, and provides real-world examples and exercises for those wishing to do things differently. Written in a lively, narrative style, and including interview excerpts from practicing scientists, social scientists, and engineers, this book serves as a guide for those seeking to practice the seven traits of the joyful scientist.


This study employs narrative in order to examine circumstances wherein identity constructs and self-image are reconstituted in the face of oppressive circumstances. The authors of this article, both art educators/academics, explore the role of narrative processes at the intersection of an "art education of place" purposed to reinterpret extant lifeworlds and mediate premature identity foreclosures. Narrative methods open portals for the authors to express both the challenges and the merit of reconciling our identities as African American males and professional educators who navigate predominantly White institutions. In this article, we juxtapose two selected life episodes narrated in order to examine the spaces between iterations of our lifeworlds; our situational, relational, and oppositional responses to various oppressive conditions; and our navigation of the stigmas and stressors inherent therein. These stories and their analysis are presented as an exemplar of the mediation of contemporary identity and the potential of such mediations as a transgressive form of pedagogy and a significant redress to persistent popular culture mythologies about race and class.


The Art of Not Being Governed: An Anarchist History of Upland Southeast Asia. By James C. Scott. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2009. 464p. $35.00. The book under discussion is James C. Scott's latest contribution to the study of agrarian politics, culture, and society, and to the ways that marginalized communities evade or resist projects of state authority. The book offers a synoptic history of Upland Southeast Asia, a 2.5 million–kilometer region of hill country spanning Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Burma, and China. It offers a kind of "area study." It also builds on Scott's earlier work on "hidden transcripts" of subaltern groups and on "seeing like a state." The book raises many important theoretical questions about research methods and social inquiry, the relationship between political science and anthropology, the nature of states, and of modernity more generally. The book is also deeply relevant to problems of "state-building" and "failed states" in places like Afghanistan, Iraq, and Somalia. As Scott writes, "The huge literature on state-making, contemporary and historic, pays virtually no attention to its obverse: the history of deliberate and reactive statelessness. This is the history of those who got away, and state-making cannot be understood apart from it. This is also what makes it an anarchist history" (p. x). In this symposium, I have invited a number of prominent political and social scientists to comment on the book, its historical narrative, and its broader theoretical implications for thinking about power, state failure, state-building, and foreign policy. How does the book shed light on the limits of states and the modes of resistance to state authority? Are there limits, theoretical and normative, to this "anarchist" understanding of governance and the "art of being governed"? —Jeffrey C. Isaac, Editor


Canada is one of a declining number of monarchies in the world, yet Canadians have never seriously considered a republican alternative. The nature of Canada's monarchy and the question of whether a republican form of government might prove superior are, in fact, subjects that are all but ignored in Canadian constitutional discussions. This study explores why this is so and what it reveals about Canadian political culture. David E. Smith examines the history, prospects, and implications of republicanism in Canada. With reference to classical, French, and American republican theories, he traces the ambivalence of Canadians to the concept and demonstrates the conflict republican theories and practices present for parliamentary systems of the British model. Smith offers an impressive, thorough, and fresh analysis of the implications of the republican option.


To help communities better understand and manage urban forests, the USDA Forest Service has developed the i-Tree software suite (www.itreetools.org). To include demographic data in future versions of i-Tree, the Forest Service sought a simpler way to obtain geographically-linked data from the U.S. Census Bureau. At present, the Census Bureau has not provided a way to efficiently download specific statistics for large areas. Data from the Census Bureau website is typically spread across many data files, none of which have headers or other ways to quickly reference the data. To minimize errors from manually retrieving and collating the data, I designed the Census Data Extractor, a toolset that uses the R and Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) programs. In the VBA portion, the user selects the statistics that they want from a graphical user interface, and several output files are generated. In the R portion, the VBA output files are accessed and the selected statistics for each data report are consolidated into a single text file. The toolset can be used to obtain data from the 2010 Decennial Census and the 2006-2010 American Communities Survey 5-Year Estimates, which contain the most up-to-date, detailed information available. A case study is presented where demographic data is obtained and compared to tree health data within the City of Syracuse, NY.


Create powerful, marketable applications with Tizen for the smartphone and beyondTizen is the only platform designed for multiple device categories that is HTML5-centric and entirely open source. Written by experts in the field, this comprehensive guide includes chapters on both web and native application development, covering subjects such as location and social features, advanced UIs, animations, sensors and multimedia.This book is a comprehensive resource for learning how to develop Tizen web and native applications that are polished, bug-free and ready to sell on a range of smart devices, beyond just smartphones. Tizen is an open source platform that is housed within the Linux Foundation and is fully supported by Intel, Samsung and the Tizen Association.Professional Tizen Application Development: Explains how web applications can combine HTML5 features with Tizen device APIs to unleash the full potential of the Tizen platform Provides detailed, practical explanations of the most important Tizen native APIs Demonstrates best practices for adding key features like location, contacts and calendars to your apps Shows you how to use advanced features such as animations, face recognition and sensors to help you create applications that stand out from the crowd Shares code on advanced topics including multi-threading and hybrid applications Includes numerous fully functional code examples, for both web and native applications, complete with hints and tips to get the most out of the Tizen APIsHojun Jaygarl, Yoonsoo Kim, Eunyoung Choi are Samsung engineers working on Tizen. Cheng Luo, Kevin Bradwick and Jon Lansdell are experienced professional developers.Professional Tizen Application Developmentprepares you to start creating amazing apps for multiple devices with the Tizen platform.


Background: With an estimated 10.4 million incident tuberculosis (TB) cases in 2015, and the current trajectory of 1.5%/year incidence rate decline, new TB vaccines are urgently needed to help meet the WHO goal of tuberculosis elimination by 2050. However, insufficient epidemiological evidence exists to inform TB vaccine development strategies and to assist clinical trial site selection and design. Research to meet these data needs is critical to accelerate TB vaccine development. To maximise the future impact of new TB vaccines, estimates of the population-level impact of vaccine characteristics and implementation strategies are needed to inform design of TB vaccine target product profiles. To accelerate and de-risk clinical trials, appropriate epidemiological data are required to inform trial site selection, sample size calculations and recruitment strategy. However, data availability at trial sites is limited, and prospective studies are resource-intensive, so new methods are needed to collect appropriate data to inform TB vaccine trial design.
To inform data-driven development strategies for new TB vaccines, the aims of this thesis were to 1) estimate the epidemiological impact of new TB vaccine characteristics and implementation in China to inform design of target product profiles; and 2) to develop a novel epidemiological spatial mapping tool capable of informing clinical trial design for new TB vaccines in low-income, high-burden settings.
Methods: A deterministic, age-structured, Mycobacterium tuberculosis transmission model was developed and calibrated to age-stratified epidemiological and demographic data from China. This was employed to estimate the population-level epidemiological impact of new TB vaccines over the 2025-2050 time horizon, through an exploration of potential vaccine characteristics and implementation strategies.
A new methodology for empirical data collection to determine spatial distribution of TB notifications was developed. The electronic PArticipant Locator application (ePAL app) combined 3,243 community-identified points of interest with high resolution satellite maps, within an electronic tablet-based case report form. The app was integrated in to the National Tuberculosis Programme in Blantyre, Malawi, for collection of demographics, health status and coordinates of place of residence for patients ≥18 years initiating TB treatment. Accuracy of ePAL-recorded co-ordinates was evaluated against GPS coordinates obtained at the participant's place of residence.
Results: Mathematical modelling predicted a shift towards a reactivation-driven, ageing TB epidemic in China by 2050. Vaccines protective against disease, effective post-infection and providing at least 5 years protection were essential for achieving higher levels of impact. Vaccination of older adults provided greater population-level impact than vaccinating adolescents for all equivalent vaccines explored, even if much lower coverage were achieved in older adult vaccination. Recommendations for post-infection vaccines were robust to substantial reductions in efficacy and duration of protection in older adults, whereas for pre-infection vaccines in some of these scenarios adolescent vaccination may be equivalent or preferred. Vaccinating older adults with post-infection vaccines provided substantially higher impact than pre-infection vaccines.
1,899 TB patients were registered using ePAL in the 12-month study period, with high patient acceptance (98.7%, 1,899/1,924). ePAL achieved clinic-based collection of patient location of residence accurate to a median of 84 metres (IQR: 35-317 metres) in a high population density urban setting without a municipal address system. Advantages of the ePAL system included real-time availability of high-resolution spatial data, low set up costs, and ease of use by health staff as part of routine TB registration. Data were used to identify areas with high TB burden, potentially suitable for TB vaccine trials.
Conclusions: The research presented in this thesis informs the development of appropriate TB vaccines and target populations to maximise future population-level impact. A prevention of disease vaccine efficacious post-infection and delivered to older adults would contribute towards maximising population-level impact in China. Adolescent-targeted tuberculosis vaccines are likely to have low impact in ageing, reactivation-driven epidemics like China, which suggests a modification of the current strategic focus on adolescents among certain funders. Clinical trials should assess disease endpoints, include M.tb-infected and older adult populations, and extend beyond the usual 2-3 years follow up. To support design of disease endpoint trials, ePAL may provide an accurate, easily implementable, low-cost tool for identification of areas of high TB burden in settings without addresses.


'I blush to say what happened next.' A satirical portrait of a drunken, orgiastic Roman banquet, hosted by the grossly ostentatious Trimalchio. Introducing Little Black Classics: 80 books for Penguin's 80th birthday. Little Black Classics celebrate the huge range and diversity of Penguin Classics, with books from around the world and across many centuries. They take us from a balloon ride over Victorian London to a garden of blossom in Japan, from Tierra del Fuego to 16th-century California and the Russian steppe. Here are stories lyrical and savage; poems epic and intimate; essays satirical and inspirational; and ideas that have shaped the lives of millions. Titus Petronius Arbiter (1st century BCE-c.66 CE). Petronius' The Satyricon is also available in Penguin Classics.


[1] We have applied a normalized difference algorithm to 8 day composite chlorophyll-a (CHL) and fluorescence line height (FLH) imagery obtained from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer aboard the Aqua spacecraft in order to detect and monitor phytoplankton blooms in the Oregon coastal region. The resulting bloom products, termed CHLrel and FLHrel, respectively, describe the onset and advection of algal blooms as a function of the percent relative change observed in standard 8 day CHL or FLH imagery over time. Bloom product performance was optimized to consider local time scales of biological variability (days) and cloud cover. Comparison of CHLrel and FLHrelretrievals to in situ mooring data collected off the central Oregon coast from summer 2009 through winter 2010 shows that the products are a robust means to detect bloom events during the summer upwelling season. Evaluation of winter performance was inconclusive due to persistent cloud cover and limited in situ chl-a records. Pairing the products with coincident in situ physical proxies provides a tool to elucidate the conditions that induce bloom onset and identify the physical mechanisms that affect bloom advection, persistence, and decay. These products offer an excellent foundation for remote bloom detection and monitoring in this region, and the methods developed herein are applicable to any region with sufficient CHL and FLH coverage.


Background Clinical guidelines provide systematically developed recommendations for deciding on appropriate health care options for specific conditions and clinical circumstances. Up until recently, patients and caregivers have rarely been included in the process of developing care guidelines. Objective This project will develop and test a new online method for including patients and their caregivers in this process using Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) care guidelines as an example. The new method will mirror and complement the RAND/UCLA Appropriateness Method (RAM)—the gold standard approach for conducting clinical expert panels that uses a modified Delphi format. RAM is often used in clinical guideline development to determine care appropriateness and necessity in situations where existing clinical evidence is uncertain, weak, or unavailable. Methods To develop the new method for engaging patients and their caregivers in guideline development, we will first conduct interviews with experts on RAM, guideline development, patient engagement, and patient-centeredness and engage with Duchenne patients and caregivers to identify how RAM should be modified for the purposes of patient engagement and what rating criteria should patients and caregivers use to provide their input during the process of guideline development. Once the new method is piloted, we will test it by conducting two concurrently run patient/caregiver panels that will rate patient-centeredness of a subset of DMD care management recommendations already deemed clinically appropriate and necessary. The ExpertLens™ system—a previously evaluated online modified Delphi system that combines two rounds of rating with a round of feedback and moderated online discussions—will be used to conduct these panels. In addition to developing and testing the new engagement method, we will work with the members of our project's Advisory Board to generate a list of best practices for enhancing the level of patient and caregiver involvement in the guideline development process. We will solicit input on these best practice from Duchenne patients, caregivers, and clinicians by conducting a series of round-table discussions and making a presentation at an annual conference on Duchenne. Results The study protocol was reviewed by RAND's Human Subjects Protection Committee, which determined it to be exempt from review. Interviews with RAM experts have been completed. The projected study completion date is May 2020. Conclusions We expect that the new method will make it easier to engage large numbers of patients and caregivers in the process of guideline development in a rigorous and culturally appropriate manner that is consistent with the way clinicians participate in guideline development. Moreover, this project will develop best practices that could help involve patients and caregivers in the clinical guideline development process in other clinical areas, thereby facilitating the work of guideline developers.


This research aims to investigate knowledge acquisition and concept formation in the domain of economics and business studies through a foreign language, English, from the very initial to the very final stage of development in the context of Higher Education in Turkey. It traces both the processes as well as the product of acquisition in order to provide a detailed picture of how knowledge acquisition occurs. It aims to explore ways in which the acquisition process can be facilitated and promoted while prospective students of the Department of Economics and Business Administration receive a language training programme, following the completion of which they will join their academic community which offers part of its courses through the English language. The study draws upon (some) theories of mental representation of knowledge, such as schema, frame and script. The concept of discourse community with its characteristics is investigated, enculturation of prospective students to acquire knowledge of their domain through L2 is explored, and the crucial role of the constructivist theory in relation to knowledge acquisition is highlighted. The present study was conducted through a process of enculturation taking place partly at the language centre of Cukurova University and partly at the target discourse community. The data utilised for initiating knowledge acquisition was obtained by establishing a corpus of economics and business texts, which the learners are expected to read during their academic courses utilising computerised technology. The method of think aloud protocols was used to analyse processes taking place in knowledge acquisition, while the product of what was acquired was investigated by means of written recall protocols. It has been discovered that knowledge acquisition operates on the basis of analogical and to a certain extent metaphorical reasoning. The evidence obtained from the think aloud protocols showed that neophytes were able to acquire fundamental concepts of their future domain by reaching the level of shared understanding with the members of their target community of the faculty. Diaries and questionnaire analyses demonstrated that enculturation facilitated learners' transition from the language centre into the target community. Analyses of the written recall protocols and examinations from the post-enculturation stage of the research showed that neophytes' academic performances in their target community were much higher than those of their non-enculturated counterparts. Processes learners go through and strategies they spontaneously make use of, especially while acquiring knowledge of a specific domain through L2 have so far remained unexplored research areas. The present research makes a potential contribution to the language and knowledge acquisition theories by examining closely and systematically the language and the strategies they employ in acquiring such knowledge. The research findings offer useful implications to English language teaching at language schools. Language teachers are provided with useful guidelines as to how they can provide prospective students of a particular academic community with an experience of acquiring fundamental concepts of their discipline before they become members of their target community.


This study provides an assessment of the extent to which habitats in the tropics are protected and guidance on prioritising conservation action from global and national perspectives. At the global level, investments should be strategically targeted towards biologically richer countries and habitats inadequately represented within protected areas. In the case of habitats that are well represented within protected areas, investments should be targeted towards effectively managing such sites. At national levels, countries should aim to ensure that all habitats are well represented within their protected areas system.


ABSTRACT Plant tissue testing is used as a guide for rice (Oryza sativa L.) fertilization and has been extensively used in the diagnosis of potassium (K) deficiency. However, little attention has been paid to the variation in the diagnostic index of K status in different parts of the rice plant. Here, we assessed the feasibility by testing K concentrations of whole plants, leaf blades and leaf sheaths to develop a suitable diagnostic index of plant K status and yield level in rice under different K application rates. The results showed that this research could satisfy the requirements of K status diagnosis, based on the quadratic-plus-plateau relationship between K application rates and grain yield. The K concentrations of the leaf blades and leaf sheaths on the main stem showed differences based on position. Leaf blade K concentrations significantly decreased from the top of the plant to the bottom in the effective tillering and jointing stages. Conversely, K concentrations in the lower leaf blades exceeded those in the upper leaf blades in the booting and full heading stages. K concentrations in the leaf sheath were significantly reduced with declining leaf position except during the jointing stage under high K treatments. Leaf sheath/leaf blade K concentration ratios increased significantly more in lower tissues than in upper plant tissues. Correlation analysis showed that the K concentrations of all sampled plant tissues were positively correlated to plant K uptake and grain yield. However, K concentrations of the whole plant were more useful as a diagnostic index at the effective tillering stage than at other growth stages. Leaf sheaths in lower positions were preferable to upper leaf sheaths and all leaf blades for evaluating plant K status, although their K concentrations were greatly influenced by plant growth stage. Furthermore, this study demonstrated that the ratio between the K concentrations of the first and fourth leaf blades (LBKR1/4) was grouped into significantly exponential curves (P < 0.01) to describe the relationship between plant K uptake and relative grain yield. Thus, LBKR1/4 could be an ideal indicator of rice plant K status and yield level, as it eliminated the effects of plant growth stage.


Glutamate transporters in glial cells and postsynaptic neurons are believed to accumulate synaptically released glutamate; however, the role of presynaptic glutamate transporters has been unclear (see Wadiche and von Gersdorff). Veruki et al. combined electrophysiological and pharmacological analysis to investigate the role of presynaptic glutamate transporters that mediate a prominent anion current uncoupled from glutamate uptake in retinal rod bipolar (RB) cells. After showing that glutamate transporter-mediated inward currents recorded from RB cells in rat retinal slices were largest and fastest when elicited by puffs of glutamate delivered near axon terminals in the inner plexiform layer, the authors confirmed the presynaptic location of the transporters by recording from isolated patches. Dual recordings from RB cells and synaptically connected AII amacrine cells, as well as a comparison of the time course of transporter currents recorded in RB cells in response to released glutamate to currents recorded from patches, indicated that transporters on RB cells were located perisynaptically (and farther from the site of release than were the postsynaptic receptors). Moreover, transporter currents in RB cells were activated not only by auto-released glutamate but also by glutamate released from neighboring RB cells. Transporter activation led to a decrease in transmitter release and thus a reduction in the postsynaptic response. Thus, presynaptic RB glutamate transporters appear to mediate both auto- and lateral inhibition of transmitter release. M. L. Veruki, S. H. Mørkve, E. Hartveit, Activation of a presynaptic glutamate transporter regulates synaptic transmission through electrical signaling. Nat. Neurosci. 9, 1388-1396 (2006). [PubMed] J. I. Wadiche, H. von Gersdorff, Long-distance signaling via presynaptic glutamate transporters. Nat. Neurosci. 9, 1352-1353 (2006). [PubMed]


In this thesis, we study three different image interpolation applications in high definition (HD) video processing: video de-interlacing, frame rate up-conversion, and view interpolation. We propose novel methods for these applications which are based on the concept of Nonlocal-Means (NL-Means). In the first part of this thesis, we introduce a new de-interlacing method which uses NL-Means algorithm. In this method, every interpolated pixel is set to a weighted average of its neighboring pixels in the current, previous, and the next frames. Weights of the pixels used in this filtering are calculated according to the radiometric distance between the surrounding areas of the pixel being interpolated and the neighboring pixels. One of the main challenges of the NL-Means is finding a suitable size for the neighborhoods (similarity window) that we want to find radiometric distance for them. We address this problem by using a steering kernel in our distance function to adapt the effective size of similarity window to the local information of the image. In order to calculate the weights of the filter, we need to have an estimate of the progressive frames. Therefore, we introduce a lowcomputational initial de-interlacing method. This method interpolates the missing pixel along a direction based on two criteria of having minimum variation and being used by the above or below pixels. This method preserves the edge structures and yields superior visual quality compared to the simple edge-based line-averaging and many other simple iv de-interlacing methods. The second part of this thesis is devoted to the frame rate up-conversion application. Our frame rate up-conversion method is based on two main steps: NL-Means and foreground/background segmentation. In this method, for every pixel being interpolated first we check whether it belongs to the background or foreground. If the pixel belongs to the background and the values of the next and previous frames' pixels are the same, we simply set the pixel intensity to the intensity of its location in the previous or next frame. If the pixel belongs to the foreground, we use NL-Means based interpolation for it. We adjust the equations of the NL-means for frame rate up-conversion so that we do not need to have the neighborhoods of the intermediate for calculating the weights of the filter. The comparison of our method with other existing methods shows the better performance of our method. In the third part of this thesis, we introduce a novel view interpolation method without using disparity estimation. In this method, we let every pixel in the intermediate view be the output of the NL-means using the pixels in the reference views. The experimental results demonstrate the better quality of our results compared with other algorithms which use disparity estimation.


The design theory presented describes characteristic features of thin diffractive elements. In particular it permits the derivation of upper bounds of the diffraction efficiency of diffractive elements. These bounds are independent of the calculation method used to obtain the diffractive elements. The consequences of the results for diffractive optics are briefly discussed.


ABSTRACT This article focuses on the meso-micro levels of entrepreneurial family-owned and small firms operating in Africa's informal economy. It examines how these firms manage formal and informal business activities, and how entrepreneurs manage business risks associated with market imperfections. After a brief review of the literature on the structuring and management of these firms in the context of the informal economy, we present and illustrate the Octopus business model showing the strategic apex, tentacles, and the location of formal and informal business activities along the firm's value chain. We use a composite sample of 31 case studies and managers' stories from publicly published sources to illustrate and test the Octopus business model and locations of formal and informal business activities in distinct parts of the value chain. Preliminary results show that in structuring and managing their firms, entrepreneurs make deliberate and at times strategic decisions in their choices and locations of formal or informal business activities. We discuss the results in terms of their implications for management theory development, research, business and management education and training, public policy and practice.


At a public picnic in the South in the 1890s, a young man paid five cents for his first chance to hear the revolutionary Edison talking machine. He eagerly listened as the soundman placed the needle down, only to find that through the tubes he held to his ears came the chilling sounds of a lynching. In this story, with its blend of new technology and old hatreds, genteel picnics and mob violence, Edward Ayers captures the history of the South in the years between Reconstruction and the turn of the century. Ranging from the Georgia coast to the Tennessee mountains, from the power brokers to tenant farmers, Ayers depicts a land of startling contrasts. Ayers takes us from remote Southern towns, revolutionized by the spread of the railroads, to the statehouses where Democratic Redeemers swept away the legacy of Reconstruction; from the small farmers, trapped into growing nothing but cotton, to the new industries of Birmingham; from abuse and intimacy in the family to tumultuous public meetings of the prohibitionists. He explores every aspect of society, politics, and the economy, detailing the importance of each in the emerging New South. Central to the entire story is the role of race relations, from alliances and friendships between blacks and whites to the spread of Jim Crows laws and disfranchisement. The teeming nineteenth-century South comes to life in these pages. When this book first appeared in 1992, it won a broad array of prizes and was a finalist for both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize. The citation for the National Book Award declared Promise of the New South a vivid and masterfully detailed picture of the evolution of a new society. The Atlantic called it "one of the broadest and most original interpretations of southern history of the past twenty years.


Probabilistic reasoning under uncertainty suits well to analysis of disease dynamics. The stochastic nature of disease progression is modeled by applying the principles of Bayesian learning. Bayesian learning predicts the disease progression, including prevalence and incidence, for a geographic region and demographic composition. Public health resources, prioritized by the order of risk levels of the population, will efficiently minimize the disease spread and curtail the epidemic at the earliest. A Bayesian network representing the outbreak of influenza and pneumonia in a geographic region is ported to a newer region with different demographic composition. Upon analysis for the newer region, the corresponding prevalence of influenza and pneumonia among the different demographic subgroups is inferred for the newer region. Bayesian reasoning coupled with disease timeline is used to reverse engineer an influenza outbreak for a given geographic and demographic setting. The temporal flow of the epidemic among the different sections of the population is analyzed to identify the corresponding risk levels. In comparison to spread vaccination, prioritizing the limited vaccination resources to the higher risk groups results in relatively lower influenza prevalence. HIV incidence in Texas from 1989-2002 is analyzed using demographic based epidemic curves. Dynamic Bayesian networks are integrated with probability distributions of HIV surveillance data coupled with the census population data to estimate the proportion of HIV incidence among the different demographic subgroups. Demographic based risk analysis lends to observation of varied spectrum of HIV risk among the different demographic subgroups. A methodology using hidden Markov models is introduced that enables to investigate the impact of social behavioral interactions in the incidence and prevalence of infectious diseases. The methodology is presented in the context of simulated disease outbreak data for influenza. Probabilistic reasoning analysis enhances the understanding of disease progression in order to identify the critical points of surveillance, control and prevention. Public health resources, prioritized by the order of risk levels of the population, will efficiently minimize the disease spread and curtail the epidemic at the earliest.


Purpose: The main propose of this study is to investigate how exchange rate risk affects the buy-back and revenue-sharing contracts in the global supply chain, hence to improve the performance of global supply chain. Design/methodology/approach: Based on a two-echelon global supply chain, with the model equilibrium, this paper studies the difference between the buy-back contract and the revenue-sharing contract. By the transmitting of the exchange rate risk, it discusses the node-enterprises' optimal strategies. Findings: The result shows that: (1) Both these two contracts can diminish the inefficiency caused by demand risk, but none of them can manage the exchange rate risk. (2) No matter which currency is used to settle the payment, both these two contracts will lead to the transmitting of exchange rate risk from one node-enterprise to another. (3) When the currency of the supplier's country in the relatively appreciating, it is better to use the buy-back contract; when the currency of the supplier's country in the relatively depreciating, the revenue-sharing contract will lead to a better result. Research limitations/implications: Though this study analyzes how the exchange rate risk affects these two contracts, it based on the assumption that node-enterprises' goal is maximizing theirs expected profit. In fact, many firms not only focus on maximizing theirs expected profit; the risk-taking is also an important concern. For future researches, how firms' risk-preferences affects theirs decisions in the global supply chain will be an interesting question. Also, will there be any difference if consider the node-enterprises' utility functions instead of the expected profit. Originality/value: Existing literature about the global supply chain mainly focus on the exchange rate risk management, few of them considers the double marginalization effect caused by the demand risk. Therefore, with the exchange rate fluctuation, we discuss the difference between the buy-back contract and the revenue-sharing contract.


[About the book]:

'Commonsense' suggests that one should 'look before you leap'. When people do not, they cannot be quite sure where they will land.

The educational reforms of the late 1980s and early 1990s would have benefited from such precautions. As it was, education policy moved forward with a bold, but almost blind, decisiveness throughout the education system. Any problems which arose were also likely to affect the 25,000 schools of England and Wales and the experiences of all of their seven million school-age children.

The papers in this book arise from the work of a task group of fourteen researchers which met in 1992/3 to review the practicalities and consequences of attempting to implement the National Curriculum in primary schools. The authors are all experts in their fields and this collection is the most comprehensive and up-to-date review of research evidence currently available on primary education.

The task group set out to go 'back to basics' interpreted as clarifying the findings and issues suggested by educational research which might contribute to future deliberations of the Government and other groups engaged in policy formation for the primary school curriculum.