Differential privacy has emerged as a leading theoretical framework for privacy-preserving data gathering and analysis. It allows meaningful statistics to be collected for a population without revealing ``too much'' information about any individual member of the population. For software profiling, this machinery allows profiling data from many users of a deployed software system to be collected and analyzed in a privacy-preserving manner. Such a solution is appealing to many stakeholders, including software users, software developers, infrastructure providers, and government agencies. We propose an approach for differentially-private collection of frequency vectors from software executions. Frequency information is reported with the addition of random noise drawn from the Laplace distribution. A key observation behind the design of our scheme is that event frequencies are closely correlated due to the static code structure. Differential privacy protections must account for such relationships; otherwise, a seemingly-strong privacy guarantee is actually weaker than it appears. Motivated by this observation, we propose a novel and general differentially-private profiling scheme when correlations between frequencies can be expressed through linear inequalities. Using a linear programming formulation, we show how to determine the magnitude of random noise that should be added to achieve meaningful privacy protections under such linear constraints. Next, we develop an efficient instance of this general machinery for an important subclass of constraints. Instead of LP, our solution uses a reachability analysis of a constraint graph. As an exemplar, we employ this approach to implement differentially-private method frequency profiling for Android apps. Any differentially-private scheme has to balance two competing aspects: privacy and accuracy. Through an experimental study to characterize these trade-offs, we (1) show that our proposed randomization achieves much higher accuracy compared to related prior work, (2) demonstrate that high accuracy and high privacy protection can be achieved simultaneously, and (3) highlight the importance of linear constraints in the design of the randomization. These promising results provide evidence that our approach is a good candidate for privacy-preserving frequency profiling of deployed software.


Simulating the translatory motion of a vehicle during a gear shift gives a good basis to evaluate performance and comfort of a gear shift. This evaluation can be used for gear shifting strategy in an automatic transmission. A model of a diesel engine and it's electronic control system is developed to capture the engines behaviour in a vehicle simulation environment. The modelled quantities are brake torque, fuel consumption and exhaust gas temperature and are based on engine speed and pedal position. In order to describe these outputs the inlet air flow and boost pressure are also modelled and used as inner variables. The model is intended to be implemented on board a vehicle in a control unit which has limited computational performance. To keep the model as computationally efficient as possible the model basically consists of look-up tables and polynomials. First order systems are used to describe the dynamics of air flow and exhaust temperature. The outputs enables gear shift optimization over three variables, torque for vehicle acceleration, fuel consumption for efficiency and exhaust temperature to maintain high efficiency in the exhaust after treatment system. The engine model captures the low frequent dynamics of the modelled quantities in the closed loop of the engine and it's electronic control system. The model only consists of three states, one for the pressure build up in the intake manifold and two states for modelling the exhaust temperature. The model is compared to measured data from a engine test cell and the mean absolute relative error are lower than 6.8%, 7.8% and 5.8% for brake torque, fuel consumption and exhaust gas temperature respectively. These results are considered good given the simplicity of the model.


Perception framework
CMCDOT is a Bayesian filtering system for dynamic occupation grids, allowing parallel estimation of occupation probabilities for each cell of a grid, inference of velocities, prediction of the risk of collision and association of cells belonging to the same dynamic object. It takes as input instantaneous occupation grids generated by sensor models for different sources (Lidars, stereo cameras, …). The core of the application is implemented on GPU Nvidia (Cuda), allowing real-time analysis of the local vehicle environment on embedded boards (Tegra X1, X2).

Experimental set up & Demonstration
The experimental platform is an electric Renault Zoe car, which has been transformed to be autonomous. It can be programmed, driven manually or driven manually with advanced driving assistance functionalities. It is equipped with lidars, camera and IMU. The projection of the car's trajectory onto a dynamic occupancy grid computed by the CMCDOT allows the system to continuously estimate in real time the collision risk associated to each possible driving command, and then to drive the car safely. Relying on this, the demonstration consists in driving autonomously the car along a given path, while avoiding dangerous static and dynamic obstacles perceived by the onboard sensors.


1. Like many farmland birds, the largest European population of the black-tailed godwit Limosa limosa, in The Netherlands, has been declining for decades despite conservation measures including agri-environment schemes (AES). In a new experimental AES aiming to reverse this decline, collectives of farmers implemented spatially coordinated site-level habitat management ('mosaic management') including delayed and staggered mowing of fields, refuge strips and active nest protection. 2. We evaluated the effectiveness of mosaic management by measuring godwit breeding success in six experimental sites and paired controls. Productivity was higher in mosaics than in controls due to fewer agricultural nest losses. Chick fledging success was poor in both treatments. Productivity compensated for adult mortality in only one AES site. 3. Although creating chick habitat was a major management goal, the availability of tall grass during the fledging period did not differ between treatments, mainly because rainfall delayed mowing in all sites and study years. However, chick survival increased with the availability of tall grass among sites. Higher chick survival will thus enhance the positive effect of mosaic management in drier years, but sensitivity to weather represents a weakness of the AES design. 4. Available estimates of productivity in Dutch godwits suggest a strong reduction over the past 20 years and implicate chick survival as the main driver of their decline. Earlier mowing of grassland is the main causal mechanism, but changes in vegetation structure and composition, and increased predation may also have contributed. 5. Synthesis and applications. Demographic rates like breeding success are useful parameters for evaluating effects of management. Mosaic management increases the productivity of black-tailed godwits, but does not ensure long-term population viability for this flagship species of wet grassland bird communities. More stringent management prescriptions need to improve both the area and the quality (vegetation structure) of grassland mown late. Management efforts should be concentrated in areas with favourable pre-conditions in order to improve overall effectiveness.


Background Constipation is a common problem in children, with approximately 90 to 95% of constipation cases having functional constipation. Oxidative stress may be a causative factor in gastrointestinal diseases, alleved by intervention with antioxidants. Selenium is an essential trace element and acts as a cofactor of gluthathione peroxidase, which protects membranes from oxidative damage. Objective To determine the effect of selenium on functional constipation in children. Methods We conducted a single-blind, randomized clinical trial from November to December 2012 at the Al-Kautsar Al-Akbar Islamic Boarding School in Medan, North Sumatra. Subjects were children aged 12 to 17 years with functional constipation, diagnosed according to the ROME III criteria. Patients were randomly allocated into either the selenium group (n=57) or the placebo group (n=57). Subjects were clinically evaluated for frequency of defecation, stool consistency, severity of abdominal pain, and side effects during the 2 weeks of treatment (days 7 and 14) and 1 week after treatment had stopped (day 21). Results A total of 114 subjects were eligible to participate. The average frequency of defecation observed on day 14 was 1.5 (SD 0.75) days per defecation (P=0.0001) in the selenium group and 2.4 (0.84) days per defecation in the placebo group, a statistically significant difference (P=0.0001). There was no significant difference in frequency of defecation on the 7th day of treatment. But after day 7, there were significant differences between the groups at days 14 and 21. Normal stool consistency was found in 45 subjects (78.9%) on day 7 and in 57 subjects (100%) on day 14 of treatment in the selenium group, significantly more than those in the placebo group (P<0.05). In placebo group, normal stool consistency was found in 27 subject (47.4%) with (P=0.001) on day 7 and in 38 subject (66.7%) on day 14 of treatment (P=0.0001). On day 14, the selenium group had significantly more subjects without pain than the placebo group [47 subjects (82.5%) vs. 10 subjects (17.5%), respectively (P=0.0001)]. Severity of abdominal pain after 14th day of treatment is without pain 47 subject (82.5%) and mild pain 10 subject (17.5%) (P=0.0001). We found no side effects of selenium treatment in our subjects. Conclusion Selenium is effective in improving clinically functional constipation, in terms of increased frequency of defecation, normalization of stool consistency, and less severe abdominal pain.


This project deals with the design & development of a theft control system for an automobile, which is being used to prevent/control the theft of a vehicle. The developed system makes use of an embedded system based on Global System for Mobile communication (GSM) technology. The designed & developed system is installed in the vehicle. An interfacing mobile is also connected to the microcontroller, which is in turn, connected to the engine. Once, the vehicle is being stolen, the information is being used by the vehicle owner for further processing. The information is passed onto the central processing insurance system which is in the form of the sms, the microcontroller unit reads the sms and sends it to the Global Positioning System (GPS) module and using the triangulation method, GPS module feeds the exact location in the form of latitude and longitude to the user's mobile. By reading the signals received by the mobile, one can control the ignition of the engine; say to lock it or to stop the engine immediately. The main concept in this design is introducing the mobile communication into an embedded system. The designed unit is very simple & low cost. The entire designed unit is on a single chip. Index terms – Global Positioning System (GPS), Global System for Mobile communication (GSM), Advanced Virtual Risc architecture (AVR).


IPSHU English Research Report Series No.31 : 1st International symposium 2016 hosted by Institute for Peace Science, Hiroshima University , "Challenges for Peacebuilding in Asia" , Editor: Institute for Peace Science, Hiroshima University (Responsible editor: Shinsuke TOMOTSUGU)


In the MicroNet Challenge 2019, competitors attempted to design the neural network architecture with fewer resource budgets, e.g., the number of parameters and FLOPS. In this study, we describe the approaches of team KAIST, using which they won the second and third places, respectively, in the CIFAR-100 classification task in the contest. We solve the task into four steps. First, we design a novel baseline network appropriate for the CIFAR-100 dataset. Second, we train this network using our novel structural regularization methods, which penalize the orthogonality of weights and replace the ground-truth label of each data with a noise vector that has class-wise similarity information from the representative feature vectors of each class in the course of training. Third, we seek the most potent data-augmentation methods for significant improvements in accuracy. At last, we perform the sparse training via a pruning technique. Our final score is 0.0054, which represents 370x improvements over the baseline for the CIFAR-100 dataset. This is the only work that finished in the top 10% of both parameter storage and computation over the CIFAR-100 classification task. The source code is at https://github.com/Kthyeon/micronet_neurips_challenge .


The small guanine nucleotide binding protein Ras participates in a growth promoting signal transduction pathway. The mechanism by which interaction of Ras with the protein kinase Raf leads to activation of Raf was studied. Raf was targeted to the plasma membrane by addition of the COOH-terminal localization signals of K-ras. This modified form of Raf (RafCAAX) was activated to the same extent as Raf coexpressed with oncogenic mutant Ras. Plasma membrane localization rather than farnesylation or the presence of the additional COOH-terminal sequence accounted for the activation of RafCAAX. The activation of RafCAAX was completely independent of Ras; it was neither potentiated by oncogenic mutant Ras nor abrogated by dominant negative Ras. Raf, once recruited to the plasma membrane, was not anchored there by Ras; most activated Raf in cells was associated with plasma membrane cytoskeletal elements, not the lipid bilayer. Thus, Ras functions in the activation of Raf by recruiting Raf to the plasma membrane where a separate, Ras-independent, activation of Raf occurs.


If you're using PHP 4, then chances are good that an upgrade to PHP 5 is in your future. The more you've heard about the exciting new features in PHP 5, the sooner that upgrade is probably going to be. Although an in-depth, soup-to-nuts reference guide to the language is good to have on hand, it's not the book an experienced PHP programmer needs to get started with the latest release. What you need is a lean and focused guide that answers your most pressing questions: what's new with the technology, what's different, and how do I make the best use of it? In other words, you need a copy of Upgrading to PHP 5. This book is targeted toward PHP developers who are already familiar with PHP 4. Rather than serve as a definitive guide to the entire language, the book zeroes in on PHP 5's new features, and covers these features definitively. You'll find a concise appraisal of the differences between PHP 4 and PHP 5, a detailed look at what's new in this latest version, and you'll see how PHP 5 improves on PHP 4 code. See PHP 4 and PHP 5 code side-by-side, to learn how the new features make it easier to solve common PHP problems. Each new feature is shown in code, helping you understand why it's there, when to use it, and how it's better than PHP 4. Short, sample programs are included throughout the book. Topics covered in Upgrading to PHP 5 include: The new set of robust object-oriented programming features An improved MySQL extension, supporting MySQL 4.1, prepared statements, and bound parameters Completely rewritten support for XML: DOM, XSLT, SAX, and SimpleXML Easy web services with SOAP SQLite, an embedded database library bundled with PHP 5 Cleaner error handling with exceptions Other new language features, such as iterators, streams, and more. Upgrading to PHP 5 won't make you wade through information you've covered before. Written by Adam Trachtenberg, coauthor of the popular PHP Cookbook, this book will take you straight into the heart of all that's new in PHP 5. By the time you've finished, you'll know PHP 5 in practice as well as in theory.


In this paper we study the optimal forest conservation policy by a hyperbolically discounting society. Society comprises a series of non-overlapping imperfectly altruistic generations each represented by its own government. Under uncertainty about future pay-offs we determine, as solution of an intergenerational dynamic game, the optimal timing of irreversible harvest. Earlier harvest occurs and the option value attached to the forest clearing decision is eroded under both the assumptions of naïve and sophisticated belief about future time-preferences. This results in a bias toward the current generation gratification which affects the intergenerational allocation of benefits and costs from harvesting and conserving a natural forest.


The increasingly common practice of replicating datasets and using resources as distributed data stores in grid environments has led to the problem of determining which replica can be accessed most efficiently. Due diverse performance characteristics and load variations of several components in the end-to-end path linking these various locations, selecting a replica from among many requires accurate prediction information of the data transfer times between the sources and sinks. In this paper we present a prediction system that is based on combining end-to-end application throughput observations and network load variations, capturing the whole-system performance and variations in load patterns, respectively. We develop a set of regression models to derive predictions that characterize the effect of network load variations on file transfer times. We apply these techniques to the GridFTP data movement tool, part of the Globus Toolkit/spl trade/, and observe performance gains of up to 10% in prediction accuracy when compared with approaches based on past system behavior in isolation.


In general, the list of uniquely human characteristics has been reduced over history, with the definition of humanity extending progressively to acommodate more members (from an initial definition that, for instance, included only adult white males in Western cultures).
This paper reflects on apparent trend of extending humanity and reducing uniqueness and its moral implications, with a special emphasis on the issues brought forth by functionalism and the ideas of some transhumenists, particularly the ones that defend extensive humanisms. We propose that although extending humanity is the morally correct course of action when dealing with living beings, it could pose some threats when reflecting about intelligent machines. We defend that the existence of a subject is a necessary condition for humanity. Given that this is not objectively verifiable, we propose an objetive proxy for subjectivity based on the strong emergence of seemingly conscious behaviour.


Situated in the northeastern extremity of the Balkan Peninsula, between the lower Danube and the Black Sea, the historical province of Dobrogea has a highly individualized geographical character. The arid steppes in the middle of the province are surrounded by an extensive seacoast in the east, the vast Danube delta in the north, the fertile shores of the Danube in the west, and by the Bulgarian mainland in the south, making up a broad ribbon of land, a kind of "irregular oblong with a waist" (see Map I, page ll).This advantageous geopolitical and commercial location accounts for Dobrogea's tumultuous history. From fifteenth century, Dobrogea functioned as a borderland of the Ottoman Empire and one of the most advanced Muslim military bastions in Southeastern Europe.


The aim of the paper is to analyze the knowledge creation and conversion processes in military organizations using the SECI model as a framework. First of all, knowledge creation activities in military organizations are identified and categorized. Then, knowledge socialization, externalization, combination and internalization processes are analyzed. The paper studies methods, techniques and tools applied by NATO and the U.S. Army to support the aforementioned processes. As regards the issue of knowledge socialization, counseling, coaching, mentoring and communities of practice are discussed. Lessons Learned systems and After Action Reviews illustrate the military approaches to knowledge externalization. Producing doctrines in the process of operational standardization is presented as a solution used by the military to combine knowledge in order to codify it. Finally, knowledge internalization through training and education is explored.


Recent deep neural networks based techniques, especially those equipped with the ability of self-adaptation in the system level such as deep reinforcement learning (DRL), are shown to possess many advantages of optimizing robot learning systems (e.g., autonomous navigation and continuous robot arm control.) However, the learning-based systems and the associated models may be threatened by the risks of intentionally adaptive (e.g., noisy sensor confusion) and adversarial perturbations from real-world scenarios. In this paper, we introduce timing-based adversarial strategies against a DRL-based navigation system by jamming in physical noise patterns on the selected time frames. To study the vulnerability of learning-based navigation systems, we propose two adversarial agent models: one refers to online learning; another one is based on evolutionary learning. Besides, three open-source robot learning and navigation control environments are employed to study the vulnerability under adversarial timing attacks. Our experimental results show that the adversarial timing attacks can lead to a significant performance drop, and also suggest the necessity of enhancing the robustness of robot learning systems.


Adjectives very often determine the polarity of an utterance. This paper studies the role of conjunctions in the analysis of adjective polarity. The study is being performed on Czech language on the basis of an existing algorithm for English. The algorithm has been modified in order to reflect the differences between the two typologically different languages. The results of the original and modified algorithm are being compared and discussed. The paper also contains a thorough discussion of exceptions and special cases supported by a number of examples from a large corpus of Czech.


We investigate the impact of lipidation on the self-assembly of two peptide fragments from the gastrointestinal peptide hormone PYY3–36. The lipopeptides C16IKPEAP and C16IKPEAPGE contain the first 6 and 8 amino acid residues, respectively, from the PYY3–36 peptide sequence, with a palmitoyl C16 tail attached at the N-terminus. These lipopeptides form spherical micelles in aqueous solution, above a critical micelle concentration (cmc), which is pH-dependent. Modeling of small-angle X-ray scattering data along with molecular dynamics simulations shows the formation of micelles with a hydrophobic interior and a well-hydrated exterior. The lipopeptides have a disordered conformation over the pH and temperature ranges studied. The cmc is found to be independent of temperature, pointing to athermal micellization. In contrast to the presence of hydrated micelles in solution, β-sheet amyloid fibrils form in dried samples. Thus, the nanostructure of lipidated PYY3–36 fragment peptides can be tuned by control of pH or concentration, for future applications.


Various communities in South Africa practise the custom of lobolo (payment in kind or cash by a prospective husband or the head of his family to the head of the prospective wife's family in consideration of a customary marriage). These communities may be divided into two groups, those practicing theleka (the withholding of a wife by her father or guardian from her husband to coerce him to pay the outstanding lobolo) and those that do not. In the communities practising theleka the amount of lobolo is not fixed and the father or guardian of the wife may from time to time theleka the wife and demand one to three head of cattle from his son-in-law. The wife and her children, if there are any, may be held by their maternal grandfather until the payment of lobolo has been met. The main issue this article examines is whether the custom of theleka impacts on the custody of children or not. It also examines the concept of the best interests of the child and finds that theleka custom in its current form does impact on the custody of the child and conflicts with the child's best interests. The article suggests that theleka custom needs to be developed to conform to the Constitution. It also examines whether or not the custom of theleka constitutes abduction and family violence. The writer submits that it does not constitute abduction and family violence and advocates that theleka custom be allowed to continue.


Abstract. This study develops methods for estimating lightning climatologies on the day−1 km−2 scale for regions with complex terrain and applies them to summertime observations (2010–2015) of the lightning location system ALDIS in the Austrian state of Carinthia in the Eastern Alps. Generalized additive models (GAMs) are used to model both the probability of occurrence and the intensity of lightning. Additive effects are set up for altitude, day of the year (season) and geographical location (longitude/latitude). The performance of the models is verified by 6-fold cross-validation. The altitude effect of the occurrence model suggests higher probabilities of lightning for locations on higher elevations. The seasonal effect peaks in mid-July. The spatial effect models several local features, but there is a pronounced minimum in the north-west and a clear maximum in the eastern part of Carinthia. The estimated effects of the intensity model reveal similar features, though they are not equal. The main difference is that the spatial effect varies more strongly than the analogous effect of the occurrence model. A major asset of the introduced method is that the resulting climatological information varies smoothly over space, time and altitude. Thus, the climatology is capable of serving as a useful tool in quantitative applications, i.e. risk assessment and weather prediction.


ABSTRACT France's interventions in Mali and the wider Sahel appear to mark a new departure in French military policy in terms of the approach to multilateralism adopted, the regionalisation of the response, and the levels of violence deployed. Yet how 'new' is this approach, when set against the historical backdrop of French military interventions in Africa? Should it be seen as a modified version – an adaptation – of the new type of multilateral engagement that emerged in the wake of the 1994 Rwandan genocide? Using a historical institutionalist lens, employing the notions of critical junctures, 'layering', and 'drift', this article briefly sets out the unilateral approach that marked French military policy in Africa prior to 1994 before going on to analyse the multilateral approach and associated path-dependent practices that emerged after the Rwandan genocide. Drawing on elite interviews in Europe, the US and Africa, the article shows that, while France's engagement in the Sahel is characterised by an ostensibly novel multilateral approach, it does in fact combine new and old norms, ideas and practices.


The purpose of this study is to explore the role of knowledge management (KM) in integrating sustainability into business strategy in companies applying the framework for strategic sustainable development (FSSD).Corporations have the potential to be key players in moving society towards sustainability, but they lack clear definitions and guidelines around strategic sustainable development (SSD). The authors focus on the benefits of KM in organisations applying the FSSD, which offers general strategic guidelines, but does not refer to the complexity of managing the new sustainability knowledge.This study first examines the scientific literature around KM and FSSD and compares it with the results of expert interviews to develop a State of the Art Model of KM for SSD. Then the model is compared to current practices of corporations applying the FSSD and the gap is examined.The results of the analysis show that the concept of KM is widely discussed in the literature, yet it does not have much presence in the business world. The value of knowledge is recognised, but KM is not much used and no structured practices were identified. It was concluded that companies would benefit from a strategic KM system when integrating sustainability.


Quantitative phase images make digital holographic microscopy (DHM) an excellent instrument for metrological, but also for biological applications, where it can reveal deformations and morphological details at ultrahigh resolution in the order of a few nanometers only, while also precisely determining the refractive index across a sample (e.g. cell or neuron). On the other hand, non-linear light-matter interactions have also proved very useful in microscopy. For instance, second harmonic generation (SHG) allows marker-free identification of cell structures, tubulin or membranes and, because of its coherent nature, SHG is very sensitive to the local sample structure and to the direction of the laser polarization. In addition, since SHG does not result from light absorption and subsequent re-emission, in opposition to fluorescence, photo-bleaching of the studied material can be avoided by a judicious selection of the laser wavelength. These characteristics make SHG very interesting for biomedical imaging. We have designed and built a microscope that combines the fast and precise DHM imaging with tagging capabilities of non-linear light-matter interactions. Here, we present the technique and look into its possible applications to biological and life sciences. Among promising applications is the 3D tracking of colloidal gold nanoparticles.


In this paper we introduce a new subdivision operator that unifies triangular and quadrilateral subdivision schemes. Designers often want the added flexibility of having both quads and triangles in their models. It is also well known that triangle meshes generate poor limit surfaces when using a quad scheme, while quad‐only meshes behave poorly with triangular schemes. Our new scheme is a generalization of the well known Catmull‐Clark and Loop subdivision algorithms. We show that our surfaces are C 1 everywhere and provide a proof that it is impossible to construct such a C 2 scheme at the quad/triangle boundary. However, we provide rules that produce surfaces with bounded curvature at the regular quad/triangle boundary and provide optimal masks that minimize the curvature divergence elsewhere. We demonstrate the visual quality of our surfaces with several examples.


Diffuse Optical Tomography (DOT) is an emerging modality for soft tissue imaging with medical applications including breast cancer detection. DOT has many benefits, including its use of non ionizing radiation and its ability to produce high contrast images. However, it is well known that DOT image reconstruction is unstable and has low resolution. DOT uses near infra-red light waves to probe inside a body; for example, DOT can be used to measure the changes in the amount of oxygen in tissues, which can detect early stages of cancer in soft tissues such as the breast and brain. In this thesis, we perform dimensional analysis to obtain a dimensionless form of the ODE for the 1-d DOT model and the PDE for the 2-d DOT model. We later solve the 1-d cases using the finite element method (FEM) in MATLAB. We investigate whether the inverse problem using the dimensionless scaled forward DOT model will improve the ill-posedness of the image reconstruction problem in the 1-d case. We solve the inverse problem for DOT image reconstruction by reformulating the inverse problem as a variationally constrained non-linear optimization problem and compare solving the optimization problem for specific cases of the 1-d DOT model with Newton's iteration versus the traditional Gauss-Newton method. We observe the effects of different regularization parameters and step lengths on the reconstructions for Newton's iteration. We also observe the effect of moving the inclusion away from the boundary during image reconstruction. Using the optimally derived regularization


OBJECTIVES
To identify existing guidelines and develop a synthesised guideline plus accompanying checklist. In addition to provide guidance on key theoretical, methodological and practical issues and consider the implications of this research for what might be expected of future decision-analytic models.

DATA SOURCES
Electronic databases.

REVIEW METHODS
A systematic review of existing good practice guidelines was undertaken to identify and summarise guidelines currently available for assessing the quality of decision-analytic models that have been undertaken for health technology assessment. A synthesised good practice guidance and accompanying checklist was developed. Two specific methods areas in decision modelling were considered. The first method's topic is the identification of parameter estimates from published literature. Parameter searches were developed and piloted using a case-study model. The second topic relates to bias in parameter estimates; that is, how to adjust estimates of treatment effect from observational studies where there are risks of selection bias. A systematic literature review was conducted to identify those studies looking at quantification of bias in parameter estimates and the implication of this bias.

RESULTS
Fifteen studies met the inclusion criteria and were reviewed and consolidated into a single set of brief statements of good practice. From this, a checklist was developed and applied to three independent decision-analytic models. Although the checklist provided excellent guidance on some key issues for model evaluation, it was too general to pick up on the specific nuances of each model. The searches that were developed helped to identify important data for inclusion in the model. However, the quality of life searches proved to be problematic: the published search filters did not focus on those measures specific to cost-effectiveness analysis and although the strategies developed as part of this project were more successful few data were found. Of the 11 studies meeting the criteria on the effect of selection bias, five concluded that a non-randomised trial design is associated with bias and six studies found 'similar' estimates of treatment effects from observational studies or non-randomised clinical trials and randomised controlled trials (RCTs). One purpose of developing the synthesised guideline and checklist was to provide a framework for critical appraisal by the various parties involved in the health technology assessment process. First, the guideline and checklist can be used by groups that are reviewing other analysts' models and, secondly, the guideline and checklist could be used by the various analysts as they develop their models (to use it as a check on how they are developing and reporting their analyses). The Expert Advisory Group (EAG) that was convened to discuss the potential role of the guidance and checklist felt that, in general, the guidance and checklist would be a useful tool, although the checklist is not meant to be used exclusively to determine a model's quality, and so should not be used as a substitute for critical appraisal.

CONCLUSIONS
The review of current guidelines showed that although authors may provide a consistent message regarding some aspects of modelling, in other areas conflicting attributes are presented in different guidelines. In general, the checklist appears to perform well, in terms of identifying those aspects of the model that should be of particular concern to the reader. The checklist cannot, however, provide answers to the appropriateness of the model structure and structural assumptions, as these may be seen as a general problem with generic checklists and do not reflect any shortcoming with the synthesised guidance and checklist developed here. The assessment of the checklist, as well as feedback from the EAG, indicated the importance of its use in conjunction with a more general checklist or guidelines on economic evaluation. Further methods research into the following areas would be valuable: the quantification of selection bias in non-controlled studies and in controlled observational studies; the level of bias in the different non-RCT study designs; a comparison of results from RCTs with those from other non-randomised studies; assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of alternative ways to adjust for bias in a decision model; and how to prioritise searching for parameter estimates.


Liquid droplets are very simple objects present in our everyday life. They are extremely important for many natural phenomena as well as for a broad variety of industrial processes. The conventional research areas in which the droplets are studied include physical chemistry, fluid mechanics, chemical engineering, materials science, and micro- and nanotechnology. Typical studies include phenomena such as condensation and droplet formation, evaporation of droplets, or wetting of surfaces. The present article reviews the recent literature that employs droplets as animated soft matter. It is argued that droplets can be considered as liquid robots possessing some characteristics of living systems, and such properties can be applied to unconventional computing through maze solving or operation in logic gates. In particular, the lifelike properties and behavior of liquid robots, namely (i) movement, (ii) self-division, and (iii) group dynamics, will be discussed.


This study aimed to investigate the cognitive aspects of the mathematical reasoning habits of 3rd Grade students by utilizing Lesson Study (LS) and Open Approach (OA) in teaching mathematics. The cognitive aspects of mathematical reasoning habits are a powerful complement to teaching mathematics because they are particularly focused on skills and procedures. However, the major problem with teaching mathematical reasoning is that teachers cannot teach mathematical reasoning habits directly but can set up tasks that encourage reasoning. A total of eight students were purposively selected as they have been taught using OA treatment in the LS process for two years, from 2016 to 2018. Four study instruments were used: lesson plans, activity worksheets, field notes, and an interview protocol. In addition, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) (2009) framework, consisting of four cognitive aspects of mathematical reasoning habits, namely (i) analyzing a problem; (ii) implementing a strategy; (iii) using connections, and (iv) reflecting on a solution, was employed to determine the cognitive aspects of mathematical reasoning habits. Qualitative results revealed three pieces of evidence to support all four cognitive aspects of mathematical reasoning habits. In conclusion, the results of this study contribute significantly to our recognition of the importance of OA treatment in the LS process while teaching mathematics in improving students' mathematical reasoning habits.


The clupeid fish Sprattus sprattus was studied in a 150 m deep Norwegian fjord throughout an entire overwintering period during which the fjord froze over and a major water renewal occurred. A bottom-mounted (upward-facing) echosounder provided continuous highresolution data and enabled studies of swimming speed and behavior of individual sprat in addition to population behavior. The continuous acoustic studies were supplemented with intermittent field campaigns. The sprat displayed different behavioral modes with changing environmental conditions. During the first part of the winter, the majority of the population occurred in deep waters during both day and night, yet exhibited a shallower night-time distribution. Individual sprat swam alternately up and down, a 'rise and sink' behavior likely a compensation for negative buoyancy because of swim bladder compression. Because feeding was negligible in deep waters, the swimming pattern was not inferred as prey search behavior. Another part of the population schooled at shallower depths during the day and carried out vertical migration to upper waters at night. However, individuals were observed as they switched between these behavioral groups. A sudden change in both swimming behavior and vertical distribution occurred as the fjord became ice covered. Near-bottom 'rise and sink' swimming was replaced by schooling in midwater during the day, and the sprat aggregated in dense layers near the surface at night. We suggest that the ice made the sprat shift their antipredator strategy from hiding at depth to hiding in schools in the darker waters below the ice. This long-term acoustic study has shown that sprat have a flexible behavioral repertoire, displaying different overwintering strategies within a population, depending on environmental conditions.


The number of students enrolling in Computer Science in colleges and Universities has declined since its peak in the early 2000s. Some claim contributing factors that intimate that prospective students fear the lack of employment opportunities if they study computing in college. However, the lack of understanding of what Computer Science is and what it involves might be a more compelling reason for the decline. This dissertation investigates the attitudes and perceptions of prospective students toward studying Computer Science and the presentation of the Computer Science major on college and university websites.
The study employs four research stages that examine different aspects of this question that culminate in high school students providing their opinions of different representations of the Computer Science curriculum. The first stage evaluates college and university presentations of the Computer Science curriculum available on the web develops a Typical Curriculum. The second evaluates how businesses promote computer related job opportunities and develops an alternative presentation of the curriculum based on the findings. The third elicits perceptions, opinions, and ideas from prospective students and college students on how to develop a more exciting presentation of the curriculum. The final stage utilizes the curricula developed in the prior stages of this study in surveys designed to eliciting prospective students' reactions to the different curricula.
The results indicate that typical Computer Science curricula do not interest prospective students. The curriculum developed through the input of prospective and college students, however, was more favorably received and seemed to increase student interest in pursuing the study of Computer Science. Prospective students provided insight into their perceptions of the Computer Science curriculum. This insight is valuable to colleges and universities that desire to present their curriculum in a manner that is exciting and motivating to prospective students.
This study informs colleges and universities of the characteristics of a curricular presentation that excite and motive prospective students to pursue studying Computer Science.


In 1989, the Canada – United States Free Trade Agreement (FTA) was implemented and dramatically changed the course of the wine industry's development in British Columbia (BC). The FTA forced the industry to make the transition from being highly protected, and inefficient, to a competitive market contender. Although considered initially to be a victim of the FTA, by 2010, the BC wine industry contributed $295.8 million to the BC economy, or 0.15% of provincial GDP, and provided 5,100 direct and indirect jobs; and is now considered by many to be a remarkable BC success story. This investigation traces the evolution of the industry from 2000 to 2010 by examining the structural changes that occurred in the industry's value chain during that period. The study employs and industry cluster model to identify the relationships between the firms located in the Okanagan region. Results from the study show the growth in value added from all sectors of the value chain and identify several sources of the industry's competitive advantage: extensive vertical integration, and a strong relationship to the tourism cluster. Conclusions are provided regarding the future challenges and opportunities facing the industry.


Liver plays an important role in drug metabolism, so studying the grade of maturation of this organ would help to develop more appropriate dosing regimens for paediatric populations. Nevertheless, considering the invasive nature of liver analyses there are obvious ethical boundaries, particularly in babies and children. In this work, we investigated the suitability of blood plasma as an alternative matrix to evaluate the biological age of liver. With this aim, we studied the correlation of plasma and liver metabolomic profiles obtained by HPLC-TOF-MS for piglets of different ages (newborns, neonates and infants). By means of Pearson correlation analysis we observed that 360 and 1784 pairs of metabolite features were significantly correlated in positive and negative ionization mode, respectively. Procrustes analysis was applied in order to assess the similarity of the clustering resulting from the data obtained from the two matrices and the two ionisation modes. The Procrustes distances were low for both ESI+ (0.3753) and ESI- (0.3673) and, hence, liver and plasma are expected to provide similar discriminatory information. Furthermore, we found that Multiblock Principal Component Analysis (MB-PCA) readily allowed us to combine the data obtained from both matrices and to better understand the clustering according to the three study groups. Considering all these results, we suggest that plasma can provide valuable insight into the maturation grade of liver in order to provide accurate dosing in paediatric population.


The quasi-cyclic low-density parity-check (QC-LDPC) codes are widely applied in digital broadcast and communication systems. However, the decoders are still difficult to be put into practice due to their large area and high power, especially in the wireless mobile devices. This paper presents an improved all-purpose multirate iterative decoder architecture for QC-LDPC codes, which can largely reduce their area and power. The architecture implements the normalized min-sum algorithm, rearranges the original two-phase message-passing flow, and adopts an efficient quantization method for the second minimum absolute values, an optimized storing scheme for the position indexes and signs, and an elaborate clock gating technique for substantive memories and registers. It is also configurable for any regular and irregular QC-LDPC codes, and can be easily tuned up to different code rates and code word lengths. The chip is fabricated in an SMIC 0.18- six-metal-layer standard CMOS technology. It attains a throughput of 104.5 Mb/s, and dissipates an average power of 486 mW at 125 MHz, and 15 decoding iterations. The core area is only 9.76 mm2. The chip has been applied into the China digital terrestrial/television multimedia broadcasting system.


We introduce a method for automated conversion of scanned color comic books and graphical novels into a new high-fidelity rescalable digital representation. Since crisp black line artwork and lettering are the most important structural and stylistic elements in this important genre of color illustrations, our digitization process is geared towards faithful reconstruction of these elements. This is a challenging task, because commercial presses perform halftoning (screening) to approximate continuous tones and colors with overlapping grids of dots. Although a large number of inverse haftoning (descreening) methods exist, they typically blur the intricate black artwork. Our approach is specifically designed to descreen color comics, which typically reproduce color using screened CMY inks, but print the black artwork using non-screened solid black ink. After separating the scanned image into three screening grids, one for each of the CMY process inks, we use non-linear optimization to fit a parametric model describing each grid, and simultaneously recover the non-screened black ink layer, which is then vectorized. The result of this process is a high quality, compact, and rescalable digital representation of the original artwork.


Light scattering from particles or structures on a surface is calculated by using a modification of the coupled-dipole method. The interaction matrix is modified for the presence of the surface by inclusion of the dipole reflection terms, calculated with the Sommerfeld integral formulation. The incident plane wave is replaced by the incident plus the surface reflected waves. In some cases the dipole reflections may be approximated by a Fresnel image dipole. Light scattering for structures up to a wavelength in size can be calculated in a reasonable amount of time.


Richard Gray, who died in 2005, was a pioneer in the study of African history, focusing in particular, in his later years, on the religious history of the continent. For over twenty years he served on the Pontifical Committee of Historical Sciences and worked on a comprehensive study of the papacy and Africa. In undertaking this work he originally assumed that the critical initiatives came from within Catholic Europe or its missionaries. He soon discovered, however, that the initiatives came from African Christians: from Ethiopia, its Christian tradition stretching further than many parts of northern Europe; from Kongo, the first African kingdom to respond with a spontaneous enthusiasm to the Portuguese proclamation of the Gospel; from appeals to Rome by African Catholics who were attempting to reconcile their needs and their culture with the Christian laws brought to them by missionaries; and finally by slaves of African origin from the New World who were protesting against the appalling discrepancy between Christian principles and the practice of slave traders and owners. With Gray's work left unfinished, Lamin Sanneh, one of the leading scholars of World Christianity, has assembled the published essays which underlay this intended study. The result is


Abstract
Background: It has been suggested that oxidative stress is increased and antioxidant defenses are decreased in depression, and oxidative stress has a complex relationship with hypoxia. Is there a definite hypoxia index in patients with depression? Also, any other correlations between hypoxia indicators and the symptoms of depression remain unreported.
Methods: In the present study, a cross-sectional design was undertaken with 1:1 pairs. Patients with depression and healthy participants were recruited from the Guangdong Province Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Both groups were assessed using the Hamilton Depression Scale (including five factors: anxiety/somatization, weight, cognition impairment, hysteresis and sleep) and had their venous blood gases analyzed. All data were analyzed using the PASW Statistics 18.0 data statistical package. Results were analyzed statistically using the paired t test, Pearson correlation analysis and multiple linear regression analysis.
Results: In total 52 cases were recruited to each study group, including 15 (28.8%) males and 37 (71.2%) females. The values of the mean venous pH, PvO2, SvO2 and CvO2 in the depressed group of patients were higher than those of the control group. PvCO2 was also lower in the depressed than in the control group, and this difference was statistically significant. The total depressive score and cognitive impairment factor were related to PvO2, while the anxiety/somatization and sleep factors were related to the value of the venous pH. Age was positively correlated with venous pH in both study groups. Venous pH had a positive association with PVO2 in the depressed group (multiple linear regression analysis), but there was no significant correlation
between these two factors in the non-depressed control group.
Conclusion: Histogenous hypoxia is present in patients with depression and this is related to elevated venous pH; both of these are related to depression. Elevated venous pH and decreased PvCO2 may explain histogenous hypoxia in depression and venous blood gas concentrations potentially represent a biomarker for depression.


Abstract Many Christian voices have proposed that the eternal destiny of the redeemed consists not in a disembodied heaven hereafter, but in the resurrection of the body in the context of a new earth. This paper explores the theological—and especially the exegetical—case for a consistent understanding of redemption as the restoration of God's creational intent, such that the appropriate hope for the redeemed is life in a renewed earthly creation. The inner theological logic of this position is explored through an integrated reading of the plot structure of the entire biblical metanarrative and by attending to representative New Testament texts that articulate a holistic eschatological vision of God's redemptive purposes. The paper concludes by considering biblical texts that might seem to provide an alternative vision. Recommended Citation Middleton, J. Richard (2006) "A New Heaven and a New Earth: The Case for a Holistic Reading of the Biblical Story of Redemption," Journal for Christian Theological Research : Vol. 6 , Article 4. Available at: https://digitalcommons.luthersem.edu/jctr/vol6/iss2001/4  Download


The study examined the effect of pulverised Moringa oleifera leaf added to maize traditional complementary food (MTCF) on the iron status of infants 6-12 months in Nigeria. Fourty infants were used for the four-week intervention study. The haemoglobin (Hb), serum ferritin (SF) and serum retinol (SR) levels of the infants were determined at baseline and at the end of the study. The infants were randomly assigned to test group (TG) and control group (CG) (n = 20). Infants in the TG received MTCF with Moringa oleifera leaf while the CG had only MTCF. For the TG, the mean Hb increased from 10.65 to 12.98 g dl−1. The proportion of the infants with SF levels below 12 μg l−1 fell from 90% to 5% and those with SR levels below 20 μg dl−1 fell from 85% to 15%. There were no significant changes in the mean Hb, SF and SR levels of infants in the CG.


Premature infants are at high risk for developing bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), characterized by chronic inflammation and inhibition of lung development, which we have recently identified as being modulated by microRNAs (miRNAs) and alterations in the airway microbiome. Exosomes and exosomal miRNAs may regulate cell differentiation and tissue and organ development. We discovered that tracheal aspirates from infants with severe BPD had increased numbers of, but smaller, exosomes compared with term controls. Similarly, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid from hyperoxia-exposed mice (an animal model of BPD) and supernatants from hyperoxia-exposed human bronchial epithelial cells (in vitro model of BPD) had increased exosomes compared with air controls. Next, in a prospective cohort study of tracheal aspirates obtained at birth from extremely preterm infants, utilizing independent discovery and validation cohorts, we identified unbiased exosomal miRNA signatures predictive of severe BPD. The strongest signal of reduced miR-876-3p in BPD-susceptible compared with BPD-resistant infants was confirmed in the animal model and in vitro models of BPD. In addition, based on our recent discovery of increased Proteobacteria in the airway microbiome being associated with BPD, we developed potentially novel in vivo and in vitro models for BPD combining Proteobacterial LPS and hyperoxia exposure. Addition of LPS led to a larger reduction in exosomal miR 876-3p in both hyperoxia and normoxia compared with hyperoxia alone, thus indicating a potential mechanism by which alterations in microbiota can suppress miR 876-3p. Gain of function of miR 876-3p improved the alveolar architecture in the in vivo BPD model, demonstrating a causal link between miR 876-3p and BPD. In summary, we provide evidence for the strong predictive biomarker potential of miR 876-3p in severe BPD. We also provide insights on the pathogenesis of neonatal lung disease, as modulated by hyperoxia and microbial product-induced changes in exosomal miRNA 876-3p, which could be targeted for future therapeutic development.


Apoptosis can be inititated either at the cell surface, through activation of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-family receptors such as Fas, or intracellularly at the mitchondria.TNF receptors form a death-inducing protein complex containing the adaptor protein Fadd and procaspases, both of which have a protein interaction module called the death effector domain (DED). Caspase activation also results when the Bcl-2 family member Bax induces release of cytochrome c from the mitochondria. These two pathways may operate independently, yet it is known that some crosstalk occurs to regulate certain apoptotic events. Zhang et al. have identified a protein called bifunctional apoptosis regulator (BAR) that may be the molecular bridge between these two pathways. The authors determined that BAR binds to Bcl-2 and suppresses Bax-induced cell death. BAR also has a DED-like domain that binds to procaspase-8, and this interaction is necessary to suppress Fas-induced apoptosis. A procaspase-8-BAR-Bcl-2 complex could also be isolated from transfected cells. Further analysis of BAR should reveal how this protein potentially regulates two apoptotic signaling pathways. Zhang, H., Xu, Q., Krajewski, S., Krajewski, M., Xie, Z., Fuess, S., Kitada, S., Pawlowski, K., Godsik, A., and Reed, J.C. (2000) BAR: An apoptosis regulator at the intersection of caspases and Bcl-2 family proteins. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 97: 2597-2602. [Abstract] [Full Text]


In the parity problem, a given cellular automaton has to classify any initial configuration into two classes according to its parity. Elementary cellular automaton rule 60 can solve the parity problem in periodic boundary conditions with array size of the power of two. The spectral analysis of the configurations of rule 60 at each time step in the evolution reveals that spatial periodicity emerges as the evolution proceeds and the patterns with longer period split into the ones with shorter period. This phenomenon is analogous to the cascade process in which large scale eddies split into smaller ones in turbulence. By measuring the Lempel-Ziv complexity of configuration, we found the stepping decrease of the complexity during the evolution. This result might imply that a decision problem solving process is accompanied with the decline of complexity of configuration.


Oxysterols induce apoptosis in vascular endothelial cells in vitro, but it is not clear whether they do so in vivo. We intravenously injected an oxysterol, cholestan-3beta, 5alpha, 6beta-triol, into rats and quantitatively analyzed endothelial cell apoptosis in the aorta. Oxysterol significantly promoted apoptosis in a time- and dose-dependent fashion. The apoptosis had increased 4.5-fold 6 hrs after injection, and returned to the background level at 48 hrs. An extract of the Chinese herb Danshen as well as probucol abolished triol-induced endothelial cell apoptosis in vitro and in vivo. Since apoptotic cells are quickly cleared, oxysterol-induced apoptosis could significantly affect endothelial integrity over a long period of time. Radical scavengers may be useful for the prevention of endothelial damage.


The beginning of a disease of Boateloua curtipendula, first observed in 1937 but occurring in alarming proportions in 1939, is of much interest. The fact that this grass has increased greatly during the past six years, from a rank of seventh or eighth among dominants of true prairie to one of the two or three most important species, adds unusual economic interest. Moreover, side-oats grama not only has very wide distribution and is being grown abundantly in grass nurseries of the Soil Conservation Service but also it is one of the most drought-resistant among the best grasses for rejuvenating depleted pastures and reseeding abandoned lands. For these reasons, although the cause of the disease has not been determined, a rather complete account of its occurrence and increase seems warranted.


Abstract Important advances have been made recently in the invention and application of experimental methods to control the sawtooth instability in tokamak plasmas. The primary means of control involves the application of either ion cyclotron resonance heating (ICRH), or electron cyclotron heating, with resonance very close to the q = 1 radius in the plasma core. Reported here are experiments that have successfully applied these methods to either shorten or lengthen the sawteeth deliberately, in a variety of plasma conditions, in three tokamaks: Joint European Torus (JET), TCV, and Tore Supra. It is shown that despite the sensitivity of the sawtooth period to the resonance position, sawteeth can be controlled using either real-time control of the electron cyclotron deposition, or in the case of ion cyclotron heating, very careful adjustment of the magnetic field strength and minority ion concentration. The latter technique has been guided by theoretical advances that have enabled the control of sawteeth in JET with ITER-relevant ICRH scenarios.


BACKGROUND & AIMS
Excellent single-center outcomes of neoadjuvant chemoradiation and liver transplantation for unresectable perihilar cholangiocarcinoma caused the United Network of Organ Sharing to offer a standardized model of end-stage liver disease (MELD) exception for this disease. We analyzed data from multiple centers to determine the effectiveness of this treatment and the appropriateness of the MELD exception.

METHODS
We collected and analyzed data from 12 large-volume transplant centers in the United States. These centers met the inclusion criteria of treating 3 or more patients with perihilar cholangiocarcinoma using neoadjuvant therapy, followed by liver transplantation, from 1993 to 2010 (n = 287 total patients). Center-specific protocols and medical charts were reviewed on-site.

RESULTS
The patients completed external radiation (99%), brachytherapy (75%), radiosensitizing therapy (98%), and/or maintenance chemotherapy (65%). Seventy-one patients dropped out before liver transplantation (rate, 11.5% in 3 months). Intent-to-treat survival rates were 68% and 53%, 2 and 5 years after therapy, respectively; post-transplant, recurrence-free survival rates were 78% and 65%, respectively. Patients outside the United Network of Organ Sharing criteria (those with tumor mass >3 cm, transperitoneal tumor biopsy, or metastatic disease) or with a prior malignancy had significantly shorter survival times (P < .001). There were no differences in outcomes among patients based on differences in surgical staging or brachytherapy. Although most patients came from 1 center (n = 193), the other 11 centers had similar survival times after therapy.

CONCLUSIONS
Patients with perihilar cholangiocarcinoma who were treated with neoadjuvant therapy followed up by liver transplantation at 12 US centers had a 65% rate of recurrence-free survival after 5 years, showing this therapy to be highly effective. An 11.5% drop-out rate after 3.5 months of therapy indicates the appropriateness of the MELD exception. Rigorous selection is important for the continued success of this treatment.


The author describes the recent collaboration of a special collections librarian and an art history professor at McGill University to integrate primary source material into a semester-long undergraduate course assignment and subsequent exhibition and catalog. The fourth-year art history course, Canadian Slavery and Its Legacies: A Curatorial Seminar, required students to select and prepare an exhibition catalog entry for two visual objects (prints, maps, books, plates, ephemera, objects) from within the holdings of McGill Rare Books and Special Collections. Through in-class visits and individual consultation, the librarian guided students in navigating special collections for the first time, thus easing feelings of "archival anxiety" and illustrating the role of special collections in academic research.


The government of Eritrea stands accused by numerous United Nations reports as well as by neighbouring countries, of supporting and sponsoring Islamic insurgents in the Horn of Africa, yet it suppresses its home-grown Islamic insurgents at home. Most interestingly, the Eritrean government is dominated by Christians. This raises questions. What does the Christian-dominated government of Eritrea share or have in common with the Islamic extremists in the Horn of Africa? Why does the Eritrean government support and collaborate with the Islamic insurgents/extremists in the neighbouring countries, when similar groups threaten its existence at home, with the broader objective of establishing an Islamic government? With these questions in mind, this paper argues that the rise and the spread of Islamic extremists in the Horn of Africa did not necessarily come as a result of religious identity, but was motivated by the struggle for political power among the people of this region. This resulted in the existence of two forms of  Islamic extremism: (i) 'state-sponsored', which commits acts of terror in other countries (external), under the logic of 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend' and (ii) 'home-grown ones', (internal) which poses threats and aims to overthrow the government at home. This has resulted not only in hostilities between Eritrea and its neighbours, but also in the political intolerance between the Eritrean government and domestic Islamic groups.

 Key words: Eritrean, Ethiopia, Sudan, terrorism, Islamic extremist, Islamic fundamentalism, Horn of Africa.


As technology has made the world smaller, with media consumption increasing exponentially, consumers expect their entertainment worlds to be larger. With one of the most successful film franchises of all time to its name, Marvel Entertainment is not only a leader in the box office, it is an innovator in its use of world building in storytelling. It is no secret that the films that make up the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) are set within the same fictional universe. Furthermore, Marvel has incorporated a serial television series into this grand narrative and incorporated secondary elements, including short films and comic books, in order to take audiences deeper. This method resembles an emerging topic of interest in communication studies, that of transmedia storytelling (often referred to simply as transmedia). Transmedia, briefly, is the telling of a story across multiple media channels where each individual narrative has the ability to stand-alone and yet, makes a worthy contribution to the grand narrative. On its own, any transmedia installment may be enjoyed by a casual consumer, however, the consumption of all installments, across media channels, provides a more enriching experience.
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the extent to which Marvel has applied the principles of transmedia to its Cinematic Universe, to investigate how strongly it tied its various media installments together into one compelling, overarching grand narrative. To accomplish the purpose of this study, as is more robustly explained in the methodology chapter, a thorough evaluation of the MCU's various installments was conducted, searching for an assortment of storytelling elements, as described by transmedia experts as key components of a compelling transmedia venture. These elements serve as connections between the separate installments of a transmedia narrative.
This study found that the MCU is indeed saturated with connections between its individual stories, across all media platforms. This evidences the grand extent to which Marvel has crafted a transmedia universe. In short, this study finds that not only is Marvel a leader in terms of box office success, it is a narrative innovator, a frontrunner in the emerging realm of transmedia storytelling.


Background: This review focuses on appendiceal mucoceles that have been reported to incidentally mimic ovarian cysts and put the patient at risk of misdiagnosis and, thus, inadequate treatment. Methodology: Review of the literature. Principal findings: Benign mucoceles are the most common form of appendiceal mucoceles and represent about 63-84%, whereas a malignancy is found in 11-20%. Patient presentation is extremely variable for all forms, with, first and foremost, nonspecific symptoms, and patients may also be completely asymptomatic. Thus, the majority of appendiceal mucoceles are discovered incidentally. Women with ovarian cysts also frequently report abdominal pain or nonspecific gastrointestinal symptoms, with about 10% of patients being asymptomatic. Gynecologists perform transvaginal ultrasound as a standard procedure to evaluate pelvic tumors from the uterus, tubes, or ovaries. The ultrasound appearance of appendiceal mucoceles can vary widely from well-encapsulated purely cystic lesions with anechoic fluid, hypoechoic masses with fine internal echoes, or complex hyperechoic masses. Thus, they can mimic ovarian cysts. However, a specific ultrasonographic marker is the so-called "onion skin sign" and its "dumbbell structure". Even when an appendiceal mucocele is detected during gynecologic surgery, the appropriate surgical treatment would be an open approach, ideally combined with an intraoperative frozen section examination. The gynecologist might choose not to continue with the operation, instead performing the excision of the appendiceal mucocele as a two-step procedure. Conclusion/Significance: We advise gynecologists to consider the possibility of an appendiceal neoplasm, especially when a dumbbell structure in the lower right abdomen is found on ultrasound. If an appendiceal mucocele is incidentally diagnosed during surgery, a laparotomic approach is recommended if the operation is continued. This should be performed by a general surgeon.


The productivity of two spatial arrangements of a perennial pigeonpea/groundnut agroforestry system was examined in relation to the capture and use of light and water and alterations in microclimatic conditions. Line planted (5.4 m alleys) and dispersed arrangements (1.8 x 1.2 m spacing) of pigeonpea were compared, using populations of 0.5 plants m2 for pigeonpea and 33 plants m2 (0.3 x 0.1 m spacing) for groundnut in both treatments. Sole pigeonpea and groundnut treatments were included for comparison.

The experiment was conducted between July 1989 and March 1991 on a 0.6 ha plot of Alfisol at ICRISAT Center, Andhra Pradesh, India, using a randomised block design with four replications. The first groundnut harvest took place in October 1989, while pigeonpea was harvested for grain and fodder in January 1990, and was cut to a height of 0.5 m during the 1990 dry season and again in August 1990 after a second groundnut crop was sown. The second groundnut harvest took place in November 1990 and the final pigeonpea grain harvest was in January 1991.

Light interception, soil and leaf temperatures and saturation deficit were continuously monitored in all treatments and at various distances from the pigeonpea in the line and dispersed treatments, whilst windspeed was monitored at a single location in each treatment. Regular destructive samples of groundnut were used to establish effects on growth and development and the results were considered in relation to the concurrent physical measurements to determine the environmental factors influencing productivity.

In order to establish a water balance, rainfall records were maintained, runoff plots were installed and soil moisture content was measured regularly throughout the drying cycle. Transpiration by pigeonpea was monitored using a heat balance technique, while transpiration by groundnut and soil surface evaporation were estimated from micrometeorological data.

As pigeonpea is initially slow growing, there was little reduction in groundnut yield in either the line or dispersed treatments in 1989 and there was a slight intercrop advantage in overall biomass production when expressed in the terms of the land equivalent ratios. In 1990, groundnut pod yield was reduced by 20 and 44 % in the line and dispersed treatments relative to the sole crop, despite substantial increases in the light conversion coefficient for the shaded groundnut. The lower pod yield resulted from the delayed onset of pod initiation and a slower rate of development, and was mainly due the effects of shading by the pigeonpea canopy, although mild water stress may have been a minor contributory factor. The small reductions in saturation deficit and soil and leaf temperatures experienced by the shaded groundnut had a negligible effect on growth and development. There was a considerable increase in overall biomass production in the line and dispersed treatments as compared with 1989 due to rapid pigeonpea growth, which reflected an increase in overall resource use rather than in the light conversion coefficient or water use ratios of the systems.

The influence of spatial arrangement on the growth and productivity of pigeonpea became apparent after the 1990 dry season. Biomass production by pigeonpea in the dispersed treatment was approximately double that of the line planting between August 1990 and January 1991. This was entirely due to increased transpiration by the dispersed pigeonpea as a result of greater utilisation of stored soil moisture and reduced losses by surface evaporation and deep drainage. There was no difference in the water use ratio. To examine further the mechanisms responsible for the differences in productivity and water use by the line and dispersed pigeonpea, trench profile methodology was used to examine the root systems in December 1990. The root system of the dispersed pigeonpea was distributed over the entire 2.0 m depth x 2.7 m width exposed soil profile, whilst that of the line arrangement occupied no more than 50 % of the same area.

The results of this work are discussed in relation to previous studies of resource use and productivity in intercropping and agroforestry systems, and possible applications and future developments are considered. Finally, the major physical and socioeconomic factors determining the potential of perennial pigeonpea/groundnut agroforestry systems for adoption by farmers in semi-arid India are discussed.


To address the question of how cell-generated forces regulate the organization and function of endothelial cells, I investigated the mechanical forces in a simple model of cell-cell contact: paired cells contacting each other via a single cell-cell junction. To study the responsiveness of AJs to force, I adapted a system of microfabricated force sensors to quantitatively report both the cell-cell tugging force and the size of adherens junctions (AJ). I observed that AJ size was modulated by tugging force: AJs and tugging force grew or decayed with myosin activation or inhibition, respectively. This myosin-dependent regulation operated in concert with a Rac1, force-independent control of AJ size, and was illustrated by showing that effects of vascular permeability agents (S1P, thrombin) on junctional stability are reversed by changing the extent to which these agents coupled to the Rac and myosin-dependent pathways. Furthermore, I showed that direct application of mechanical tugging force, rather than myosin activity per se, is sufficient to trigger AJ growth. Inspired by the study of mechanical force on the junctions between two cells, I further extended our tools to measure mechanical force in a more complicated multicellular system involving more cells and more than one type of cells. I investigated the role of mechanical force in a model system of monocytes transmigrating across an endothelial monolayer. Using our force measurement system, I first found that the average traction force in the whole endothelial monolayer increased during monocyte firm adhesion and transmigration. By specifically look at traction forces at the cellular level, I found that the endothelial cell with the monocyte firmly adhered on it showed a much larger traction forces, with the direction of the traction force aligned more centripetally toward the monocyte. Moreover, the sub-cellular and pan-cellular analysis of the traction forces in the monolayer revealed an increase of traction force in local zones vicinity to the monocyte. Finally, engagement of endothelial adhesion molecules could increase traction forces in the endothelial cells. Taken together, this study implicates mechanical forces in firm adhesion and transmigration. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group Bioengineering First Advisor Christopher Chen


The Leontovich approximate condition for electromagnetic fields at the dielectric – metal interface, valid for a small surface impedance ζ, is generalized to the case of arbitrary magnitudes of ζ, which provides a broader range of applicability of the impedance approach. The exact boundary condition found is expanded in a series of odd powers of the parameter ζ. Being linear in ζ, the Leontovich condition differs from the exact equation in main order only by terms ∼ ζ3. Thus, in describing wave fields in this approximation, it is not only linear terms that prove to be correct, but also terms of order ζ2. The accuracy of an impedance approximation turns out to be higher than its developer himself believed. On the basis of the generalization made, the errors of different-order approximations are analyzed for the descriptions of polariton propagation and wave reflection near the interface between an isotropic dielectric and metal submedia. It is shown that in the polariton theory the Leontovich approximation provides a sufficiently high accuracy not only in the infrared range, but also in the whole visible range. In the reflection problem, this approximation is reasonable in most of the visible range within a wide interval of the angles of incidence; however, it is inapplicable when simultaneously the waves are short and the angles of incidence are large. In this domain, the accuracy of the description may be substantially raised only beyond the framework of the Leontovich approximation.


Collection of resources on how to find information on environmental science related topics. Includes links to books, articles, databases, websites, and other information sources.


The spatial distribution of six Monogenean species, Dactylogyrus extensus, Dactylogyrus auriculatus, Dactylogyrus difformis, Dactylogyrus difformoides, Dactylogyrus amphibothrium and Dactylogyrus hemiamphibothrium on the host fish gill was investigated. There were no preference found in the distribution of Dactylogyrus species over the gill arches between left and right sides of the hosts. There were, however, preferences for the specific gill arches or for particular faces of the hemibranches. The first gill arch (I) was preferred by D. amphibothrium, gill arch II by D. auriculatus, gill arch III by D. auriculatus, D. difformis and D. difformoides, and gill arch IV by D. difformis and D. difformoides. D. extensus, D. auriculatus exhibited a preference for the inner side of the gill. Furthermore, D. extensus showed preference for the distal-median and distal- ventral parts of the gill, D. auriculatus preferred proximal-ventral, and proximal median segments and D. difformis and D. difformoides preferred distal-dorsal segments of the host fish. These specific preferences might be effected by the interaction of several factors such as differences in the water current over different parts of the gill surface, parasite density, as well as ecological and morphological differences between monogenean species.


Public bureaucracies operate increasingly in a global environment that requires greater communication and cooperation among nations. This globalization of public administration has highlighted the parochial nature of much of the literature, which was written to apply to one nation or to a small group of similar countries. When literature that was designed for the West or for Europe is applied to non-Western nations, it rarely fits well, exaggerating the tension between theory and practice. At the same time that globalization underscores the poor fit between theory and practice, global pressures provide an opportunity to conduct comparative research that is meaningful and useful for managers in all nations regardless of economic, political, and social considerations. Such work can help bridge the gap between Western and non-Western perspectives. This article provides a framework that will facilitate such research. The article first identifies the gaps as problems for public administration theory and practice using supporting literature from both Asian and Western theorists and practitioners. It then explores a sample of the literature that describes broader concepts of the modern global environment as well as the theoretical importance of organizational environments for bureaucracies. Subsequent sections concentrate on solutions--the development of a theoretical perspective that incorporates specific global pressures, and the statement of hypotheses that explore the impact of these pressures on the structure and activity of public organizations. Finally, the article discusses the implications of the framework for future research and practice. The Dual Gap Disenchantment and even amazement over the parochial nature of American public administration is well expressed in the public administration literature. American public administration is not considered to be either informed by international theoretical perspectives or very adaptable to other national contexts. For example, Hood (1989, 348) writes: "Today (Americans perhaps excepted), public administration scholars live in what is much more of a `global village' conceptually, in that it would be hard to write an acceptable research degree thesis in the subject today which did not draw on an international literature for its conceptual framework. It is hard to see this trend going into reverse." Another example of the ethnocentric and even greater Eurocentric nature of public administration is given in Table 1. A survey of five journals in the field of public administration was conducted to determine the prominence of comparative and Asian themes. The three categories identified for each year studied were (1) number of articles on comparative public administration theory, (2) number of articles on Asian national study, and (3) the number of articles on comparative public administration that incorporate Asia as either a case study or the focus of the analysis.(1) Results indicate only five articles on comparative public administration and 46 articles in which Asian nations were subjects of description (40 of those were in the International Journal of Public Administration and the Asian Journal of Public Administration) across all three years. Only one article sought to build theory through comparison of Asian and non-Asian nations. Table 1 Numbers of Articles on Comparative, Asia, and Comparative with an Asian Country in Analysis in Five Public Administration Journals 1995 CPA Asia CPA & Asia Administration and Society 0 0 0 Public Administration Review 0 4 0 Journal of Public Admin. Research & Theory 0 0 0 Asian Journal of Public Administration 2 7 1 International Journal of Public Administration 0(*) 1(*) 0(*) 1994 CPA Asia CPA & Asia Administration and Society 1 0 0 Public Administration Review 0 0 0 Journal of Public Admin. …


This study examines variables that affect fuel consumption of road vehicles, such as driving behavior, vehicle characteristics, and the difference between fuels used. The objectives were to gather data from a selection of road vehicles that were fuelled with alternative fuels (gasoline, diesel, methane, hydrogen) in Iceland and to identify the difference in vehicle efficiency as a measure of the vehicles' fuel consumption. The goal is to provide recommendations to decrease the overall emission from the transport sector in Iceland. Data was collected with SAGAsystem TM GPS monitoring devices and fuel cards. A linear regression was performed on the amount of gasoline for each refill as a function of observed variables. The results show that acceleration has a statistically significant effect on the vehicles' fuel consumption. In order to minimize fuel consumption, speed must be increased with a moderate acceleration and average speed should be as steady as possible. Hydrogen and Methane provided the overall best results in fuel consumption when compared with the other types of fuels, and with all other factors kept fixed. The Toyota Prius hybrid vehicles use regenerative braking and the frequency of severe braking instances causes a statistically significant less energy consumption for these vehicles. It is recommended that for future research on energy consumption of vehicles, that a fuel monitor computer be installed in each vehicle in order to gain better data for analysis within each refill period. These results should be taken into consideration when developing policy or plans to decrease the total emissions from the road transport sector in Iceland.


Abstract This study focuses on the population of women voluntarily entering the United States via arranged, often through the Internet, marriages. A congressional report (Immigration and Naturalization Services 2006) on "International Matchmaking Organizations" reports that the number of immigrants coming to the United States with a "K-1 fiancée visa", the temporary visa status used to have a nonnative individual enter the United States for the purpose of marriage, to be growing rapidly. Of these individuals, 79% are women, referred to in both government data collection and sociological literature using the century old moniker of "mail order brides". Through first-hand experience, over a period of 20 years teaching and acting as an administrator for English as a Second Language (ESL) programs, I have found this population of women, International Mail Order Brides (IMOBs), to present significant English language and literacy needs. Demonstrating inconsistent attendance in ESL (English as a Second Language) classes, they exhibit low-level English language fluency skills. This study of six International Mail Order Brides, all of whom live in rural settings within Pennsylvania, emanated from these observations. Participants were located through their attendance in community based, adult ESL programs. Research conducted used the case study method offered the participants the opportunity to share the lifelong progression of their biliteracies. Each of the narratives is transcribed in the words of the participant to assure the critical element of authenticity. The biliterate lives presented through this restorying is interpreted using Hornberger's Continua of Biliteracy theory in order to identify the multidimensional International Mail Order Bride biliteracy. Analysis revealed five of the six participants to be monolingual, with no agency given to their L1. All developed their biliteracies successively, living currently with the L2 in the majority power position. Five of the six IMOBs function at the less powerful oral-vernacular end of the Continua, with few literate abilities. The value of shared life stories formulates an in-depth representation of how the specific life choice of this population drives the need for highly contextualized English language opportunities, providing clear data to guide the field of Second Language Literacy in creating a pedagogical response.


We provide comparable evidence on the patterns and trends in obesity across the Atlantic and analyse whether there are economic rationales for public intervention to control obesity. We take into account equity issues as well as efficiency considerations, which are organized around three categories of market failures: productive inefficiencies, lack of information or rationality and health insurance externalities. We also calculate the long term financial consequences of current US and European obesity trends, and conclude with a brief review of current policies to reduce and prevent excessive body weight both in Europe and the US.


Survival in aquatic environments requires organisms to have effective means of collecting information from their surroundings through various sensing strategies. In this study, we explore how sensing mode and range depend on body size. We find a hierarchy of sensing modes determined by body size. With increasing body size, a larger battery of modes becomes available (chemosensing, mechanosensing, vision, hearing, and echolocation, in that order) while the sensing range also increases. This size-dependent hierarchy and the transitions between primary sensory modes are explained on the grounds of limiting factors set by physiology and the physical laws governing signal generation, transmission and reception. We theoretically predict the body size limits for various sensory modes, which align well with size ranges found in literature. The treatise of all ocean life, from unicellular organisms to whales, demonstrates how body size determines available sensing modes, and thereby acts as a major structuring factor of aquatic life.


Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of an asthma continuing education program on pharmacists' knowledge and attitudes related to asthma pharmaceutical care. Subjects and Methods: A 20-hour continuing education program was conducted by the joint efforts of the Taipei City Government, Taiwan Association of Asthma Education and Taipei Medical University Wan Fang Hospital, in a series of 4 days afternoon sessions from June 26 to July 4, 2004. One hundred and twenty-five pharmacists participated. The Asthma Knowledge Test in Mandarin and the Asthma Attitude Scale in Mandarin were developed by adapting the scale used to evaluate the impact of pharmacist continuing education programs on diabetic care. The results before and after the intervention were compared to evaluate the impact of the program. Results: Of the 125 participants, 105 returned both the pre- and post-intervention questionnaires, for a response rate of 84.0%. The total score of the attitude section increased significantly from 40.04 ± 3.35 to 42.54 ± 2.98 (full score = 50, p < 0.001). The total score of the knowledge section also increased significantly from 7.18 ± 1.31 to 7.56 ± 1.15 (p = 0.008). Improvement in the attitude score was found in 70 (67.0%) subjects, and in the knowledge score in 45 (43.5%) subjects. Conclusion: The study demonstrated that attitude and knowledge toward asthma care improved after the continuing education program. Further study of long-term impact and direct changes in asthma pharmaceutical care practice will be necessary.


Centella asiatica L. is traditionally used as a medicinal herbs and alternative medicine in treating numerous kinds of diseases. The use of Centella in food and beverages has increased over the years. Its potential antioxidant and neuroprotective activity has been widely claimed in many reports and basically is very much related to its properties and mechanism of action of the plant's bioactive constituents namely the asiaticoside, asiatic acid, madecassoside and madecassic acid. As such, this review will cover the biological activity of the plant's active constituents in relation to its food and beverage applications. The plant cultivation and biotechnological approaches to improve the production of desired bioactive constituents by cultured cells will also be reviewed. In addition, the range of chemical compositions found in Centella and safety aspects are also included.


This paper assesses whether compensation practices for bank Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) changed after the Financial Stability Board (FSB) issued post-crisis guidelines on sound compensation. Banks in jurisdictions which implemented the FSB's Principles and Standards of Sound Compensation in national legislation changed their compensation policies more than other banks. Compensation in those jurisdictions is less linked to short-term profits and more linked to risks, with CEOs at riskier banks receiving less, by way of variable compensation, than those at less-risky peers. This was particularly true of investment banks and of banks which previously had weaker risk management, for example those that previously lacked a Chief Risk Officer.


ABSTRACT This article is one of the outputs of a research study conducted between 2015 and 2018 on national development and disabilities in four African countries. It focuses on the Uganda's Luo language translation of the English instruments used in the study. The purpose was to identify possible guidelines for future researchers undertaking similar translations. One of the main lessons learnt is that translation is a process and requires cooperation amongst those involved. One key challenge was cultural difference. The translation admittedly improved communication between the researchers and the research participants, and this enhanced the reliability and validity of the findings and ultimately improved the quality of our research output. One of the key limitations is that it relied on bilingual professionals, who are reported to produce translations that are too formal.


An increasing range of initiatives aim to enable rural communities in developing regions to generate their own, non-text based, digital content to share local stories, information and concerns. Video, photos and audio offer new resources for practices that give communities' a sense of identity and continuity and that members acquire in relationships with each other, their environment and history via speech, gesture, song, music, drama, ritual, skills or crafts. However, these contexts pose challenges for designing interactions within frameworks that have a heritage of text and indirect orality and which emphasize particular communication dynamics and structures. We seek to create new design directions based on insights into local ways of 'doing and saying' gained in interactions with people living under traditional law and custom in the Xhosa Kingdom of Pondoland, South Africa. This paper distils themes from an ethnography when the author lived according to local norms and constraints and cogenerated design activities, situated in the community's priorities, customary power relations and consensus-based practice. We reflect on communication in ordinary and extraordinary activities, and sociotechnical 'experiments' from using social networking websites to storytelling with blogs. We describe how indexicality dynamically shares context and entwines a person's identity with physical setting; and, how practices, such as prolonged discussion, diachronic repetition and synchronous utterance, build rapport, collective memory and cohesion. We propose that these practices inspire ways that local social structures can impact on activities to design systems of organization for information sharing, with occasional reference to our observations of other rural peoples in north Mozambique and north Australia.


Active investment managers provide two types of return: the return from market exposure (or beta) and the return from selection skill (or alpha). Active beta returns typically come from market timing?increasing market exposure in up markets and reducing it in down markets; passive beta returns come from index fund exposure. Alpha comes from security selection within an asset class, so the value that stock-picking adds does not depend on the direction of the market. A true stock-picker, that is, would have a beta of 1.0 relative to the market benchmark, and all value-added would come from active risk or stock-picking. ?Portable? alpha may be achieved by separating the alpha from the beta and then applying it to other portfolios. Investors can obtain portable alphas through traditional long-only strategies. There are benefits and drawbacks of implementing portable alphas in a variety of investment scenarios.