Climate change and urbanization will increase the frequency and magnitude of urban flooding and water quality problems in many regions of the world. In coastal and delta areas like The Netherlands and the Philippines, where urbanization is often high, there has been an increase in the adoption of sustainable urban drainage systems (SUDS). SUDS are installed around the world with the expectation to reduce urban flooding and reduce the pollution impact on receiving waters. Most cities in Asia are starting to implement SUDS as their strategy to make their cities sustainable and resilient.The combination of SUDS with appropriate wastewater treatment and management systems have the potential to be multifunctional in alleviating flood run-off, improving water quality, alleviating heat stress and as a source for reusing the stormwater and wastewater.Since the earliest SUDS are implemented in Europe decades ago it is advised to use the lessons learnt in this process. International knowledge exchange is promoted in projects as IWASTO where several organisations from the Philippines and The Netherlands join forces on a specific region as the Pateros riverin Manila with the aim to minimise the pollution impact on this receiving water. The first findings of this project related to storm water and wastewater management are presented in this paper. In this stage of the project high level support models that map the challenges in the city (such as flooding and heatstress) arevaluable tools for implementing cost effective sustainable drainage for improving water quality.


PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this report is to provide rehabilitation researchers with an explanation of multilevel item response theory (MLIRT), specifically applied to data collected using ecological momentary assessment (EMA) methods.

DESIGN
This is a didactic brief report of a statistical method. The advantages of the method are illustrated using examples from the literature or clinical experience, and potential implications for rehabilitation science are highlighted.

RESULTS
Multilevel item response theory can be a used in rehabilitation research to develop items that characterize within-individual changes in disability, measure disability with instruments that have not yet been used in an EMA framework, examine temporal patterns of behaviors or symptoms that are associated with disability, or create adaptive tests based on individual performance.

CONCLUSIONS
MLIRT methods are underutilized in rehabilitation research despite their unique advantages. Psychometric properties of instruments used to measure change over time should be evaluated at the within-individual level. Additionally, MLIRT offers opportunity to investigate temporal variability of behaviors or symptoms, and can potentially reduce participant burden when used in adaptive testing. (PsycINFO Database Record


The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of retrenchment on employee morale A case study of Rift valley Railways (RVR) Kenya. The overall Research problem is that despite an increase in retrenchment exercise in many business organisations in the world, there is a possibility of employee retrenchment having an effect on the morale of existing employees and even scaring off potential employees. Retrenchment in RVR has not solved any problem but instead the work force and operations are shrinking. Retrenchment may create demoralisation, dampen organisational productivity and discourage the Organisation's most talented and productive members. Permanently employed staffs were considered in this research for the purpose of collecting data. Total sample sizes of 132 employees out of 200 employees in total at the RVR Headquarters in Nairobi were selected using stratified random sampling .The data was collected through the use of questionnaires. The researcher used a case study design and the literature review was based on the effects of retrenchment on employee morale. The study was guided by four objectives which are; To assess the effect of communication before, during after retrenchment in RVR on employee morale, to find out the effect of involvement of employees before, during and after retrenchment on employee morale, to establish the effect of changes in scheme of service before, during and after retrenchment in on employee morale, to find out the effect of human resource practices before, during and after retrenchment on employee morale and to inspire a series of other researchers to build on the recommendations given after the research. The primary data comprised of information gathered from the respondents through questionnaires in Rift Valley Railways. Secondary data comprised of information from already published materials, journals, newspapers and internet on retrenchment. Frequency distribution tables were used where applicable. Means and tables were used because they are easier to read and interpret by variety of readers. Quantitative analysis required the use of computer spread sheet hence statistical Package of Social Sciences (SPSS) was used. Responses of open ended questions were analysed manually by coding


Two environmental remediation technologies that lend themselves well to being combined in a single application are In Situ Chemical Oxidation (ISCO) using activated persulfate (PS), and In Situ Stabilization (ISS). Persulfate can be activated by increasing the pH to 10.5 and/or increasing temperatures to 30ºC. Many common ISS amendments increase temperature to 30°C and/or pH to 10.5 when in contact with soil water. Laboratory experiments were conducted with various soils to determine the ability of eight ISS amendments to activate persulfate. All eight ISS amendments activated persulfate. This work also showed that the relative contribution of heat vs. alkaline activation increased with CaO content of the ISS amendment. Portland cement (PC) was also isolated as an ISS amendment to determine the doses of PS required to be completely activated. Ten different doses completely activated PS within 2.5 hours of mixing. After allowing 28-day curing times in all ISS treated samples, two important ISS parameters were measured and compared to background (i.e., untreated) samples; (1) unconfined compressive strength (UCS), and (2) hydraulic conductivity (K). All ISS amendments increased UCS, along with decreasing K, even when combined with PS. In addition to these parameters, testing was done to determine the effect of various doses of water, PC, and PS on soil swell of two soils. Variation of amendment dose had little to no effect on final soil swell, or variation of soil/grout workability and viscosity. results from show a combined ISCO/ISS remedy can achieve a profound synergy for site cleanup compared with using either ISCO or as stand-alone technologies.


Internal Revenue Code Sections 877A and 2801 were created by the HEART Act to impose a mark-to-market exit tax on citizens wishing to expatriate, and to impose a wealth transfer tax upon U.S. gift recipients of an expatriate's wealth. The idea is for expatriating citizens to pay their taxes, take their money, and run. However, the new provisions imposed by the HEART Act do not make things that simple. The prior expatriate tax regime applies to U.S. citizens or residents expatriating prior to June 16, 2008, while the new exit tax regime applies to U.S. citizens or residents effecting their expatriation after June 16, 2008. Any person expatriating from the United States must carefully consider the applicable tax provisions. This paper discusses the impact of the HEART Act provisions on what has been called the "ultimate estate plan," expatriation to minimize or avoid U.S. income, estate, and gift tax. Initially, I will discuss why citizens or permanent residents choose to expatriate, the federal tax burdens considered, and examples of high profile American expatriates. Second, this paper will explain the former tax regime under I.R.C. Section 877 for expatriates and its tax effects. Third, I will explain the HEART Act and the application of current internal revenue code sections 877A and 2801 to expatriates, followed by an analysis of the administration and workability of an exit tax. Finally, this paper will look at planning considerations and options for those currently seeking to expatriate from the United States.


Objective Vestibular rehabilitation strategies mostly require a long-lasting training in stance conditions, which is finally not always successful. The individualized training in everyday-life conditions with an intuitive tactile neurofeedback stimulus seems to be a more promising approach. Hence, the present study was aimed at investigating the efficacy of a new vibrotactile neurofeedback system for vestibular rehabilitation. Study Design Double-blinded trial. Patients One hundred five patients who experience one of the following balance disorders for more than 12 months were included in the study: canal paresis, otolith disorder, removal of an acoustic neuroma, microvascular compression syndrome, Parkinson's disease, and presbyvertigo. Interventions Vibrotactile neurofeedback training was performed daily (15 min) over 2 weeks with the Vertiguard system in those 6 tasks of the Standard Balance Deficit Test with the most prominent deviations from the normative values. Main Outcome Measures Trunk and ankle sway, dizziness handicap inventory, and vestibular symptom score were measured in the verum and placebo group before the training, on the last training day and 3 months later. Results A significant reduction in trunk and ankle sway as well as in the subjective symptom scores were observed in the verum group. Such an effect could not be found in any of the outcome parameters of the placebo group. Conclusion The vibrotactile neurofeedback training applied in the present study is a highly efficient method for the reduction of body sway in different balance disorders. Because the rehabilitation program is easy to perform, not exhausting, and time saving, elderly patients and those with serious, long-lasting balance problems also can participate successfully.


Carbon annuities have been suggested as a means for rewarding landowners for preserving forests and sequestering carbon. Although this is an intuitively appealing approach, the benefits of the sequestration activities have not been compared with the opportunity cost of preserving the forest. This paper represents an initial attempt at analysing how large carbon annuities must be to induce a landowner in the Amazonian rainforest to accept the annuity and leave the forest intact. The benefits of carbon sequestration are computed based on estimates in the literature on the carbon contained in a hectare of rainforest and the damages associated with a ton of carbon emissions. This is compared with information on household income from Rondonia, Brazil. Our results show that, for the majority of our conservative assumptions about the damages of carbon emissions, the magnitude of an annuity is greater than the income from agriculture. For less conservative assumptions about the damages from global warming, a fraction of the annuity would be a sufficient incentive for small-scale farmers to switch to sustainable techniques that leave the forest intact.


Sedimentation in river triggered by soil erosion has an impact on the ecosystem services. Application of natural biomass on residual as biodegradable material has been of great attention due to its environmental friendliness. In this study, oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) and seaweed are applied as a composite to evaluate the water holding capacity and thickness swelling as soil stabiliser. The alkaline treatment is introduced to improve the surface bonding of fibres with binder. The dimensional stability test was conducted according to standard ASTM D 5229 to obtain average water absorption and thickness swelling. The average water absorption and thickness swelling for the nontreated composite are 297.07% (± 6.47) and 7.78% (± 3.34) respectively, while for the alkaline treated composite, it demonstrates lower water absorption (222.60% (± 4.38)) but higher thickness swelling 18.23% (± 4.23). This showed that both of the composites have high water content mainly due to dimensional stability. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) micrographs display better interface adhesion between OPEFB fibre and seaweed after alkaline treatment compare to non-treated composite. Fibre breakage was observed for the non-treated composite, suggesting that it is incapable to withstand the tension created by water during the immersion.


We propose an explicit formula for the Segre classes of monomial
subschemes of nonsingular varieties, such as schemes defined by
monomial ideals in projective space. The Segre class is expressed as
a formal integral on a region bounded by the corresponding Newton
polyhedron. We prove this formula for monomial ideals in two variables
and verify it for some families of examples in any number of
variables.


This paper presents a decentralized informatics, optimization, and control framework to enable demand response (DR) in small or rural decentralized community power systems, including geographical islands. The framework consists of a simplified lumped model for electrical demand forecasting, a scheduling subsystem that optimizes the utility of energy storage assets, and an active/pro-active control subsystem. The active control strategy provides secondary DR services, through optimizing a multi-objective cost function formulated using a weight-based routing algorithm. In this context, the total weight of each edge between any two consecutive nodes is calculated as a function of thermal comfort, cost (tariff), and the rate at which electricity is consumed over a short future time horizon. The pro-active control strategy provides primary DR services. Furthermore, tertiary DR services can be processed to initiate a sequence of operations that enables the continuity of applied electrical services for the duration of the demand side event. Computer simulations and a case study using hardware-in-the-loop testing is used to evaluate the optimization and control module. The main conclusion drawn from this research shows the real-time operation of the proposed optimization and control scheme, operating on a prototype platform, underpinned by the effectiveness of the new methods and approach for tackling the optimization problem. This research recommends deployment of the optimization and control scheme, at scale, for decentralized community energy management. The paper concludes with a short discussion of business aspects and outlines areas for future work.


We present a novel image-encryption algorithm that employs multichannel and multistage fractional Fourier-domain filtering architecture. We perform the encryption and decryption by randomly filtering the spatial frequency of the image and then recombining the information from the algorithm in a multistage fractional Fourier domain with pure random-intensity-encoded masks and their complements in a multichannel scheme. The algorithm can be implemented iteratively in an electro-optical setup. Numerical simulations have verified the validity of the algorithm.


Bremazocine, [5R-(5,7,8 beta)]-N-methyl-N-[7-(1-pyrrolidinyl)1-oxaspiro [4,5]dec-8-yl]-4-benzofuranacetamide (Cl-977), (+-)-trans-3,4-dichloro-N- methyl-(2-(pyrrolidin-1-yl)-5-methoxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydronapth++ +-1-yl benzeneacetamide methanesulfonate (DUP 747), ethylketocyclazocine (EKC), nalorphine, (+/-)-trans-N-methyl-N-[2-(1- pyrrolidnyl)-cyclohexyl]benzo[b]thiophene-4-acetamide (PD117302), trans-(+/-)-3,4-dichloro-N-methyl-[2-(1-pyrrolidinyl)- cyclohexyl]benzeneacetamide (U-50,488), (5,7,8 beta)-N-methyl-N[2-(1- pyrrolidinyl), 1-oxaspiro[4,5]dec-8-yl benzeneacetamide (U-69,593) and spiradoline were compared in rhesus monkeys for their discriminative stimulus, analgesic and respiratory effects. Selected compounds also were studied for their binding affinities at mu [[3H](D-Ala2-Me-Phe4,Glyol5)enkephalin], kappa ([3H]U-69,593) and delta [[3H](D-Pen2-D-Pen5) enkephalin], opioid receptors in monkey brain membranes. All compounds substituted completely (> or = 90%) for EKC in monkeys discriminating between EKC and saline, with the exception that DUP 747 produced a maximum of 74% EKC responding. None of the compounds reversed naltrexone responding in morphine-abstinent monkeys; all of the compounds substituted for naltrexone in morphine-treated monkeys discriminating between naltrexone and saline, with the exception that spiradoline produced a maximum of 68% naltrexone responding. Eight compounds produced maximum analgesic effects in a tail withdrawal procedure and quadazocine antagonized these effects; nalorphine did not have analgesic effects, but it antagonized analgesic effects of several other compounds. U-50,488 did not decrease respiratory function, whereas U-69,593 decreased frequency of respiration and volume of respiration to less than 40% of control values; Cl-977, DUP 747, PD117302 and spiradoline had limited effects on respiratory function. Larger doses of each compound increased both respiration and motor activity.


By an overwhelming margin, technology experts and stakeholders participating in a survey fielded by the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project and Elon University's Imagining the Internet Center believe that innovative forms of online cooperation could result in more efficient and responsive for-profit firms, non-profit organizations and government agencies by the year 2020. A highly engaged set of respondents that included 895 technology stakeholders and critics participated in the online, opt-in survey. In this canvassing of a diverse number of experts, 72% agreed with the statement: "By 2020, innovative forms of online cooperation will result in significantly more efficient and responsive governments, business, non-profits, and other mainstream institutions." Some 26% agreed with the opposite statement, which posited: "By 2020, governments, businesses, non-profits and other mainstream institutions will primarily retain familiar 20th century models for conduct of relationships with citizens and consumers online and offline." While their overall assessment anticipates that humans' use of the internet will prompt institutional change, many elaborated with written explanations that expressed significant concerns over organization's resistance to change. They cited fears that bureaucracies of all stripes -- especially government agencies -- can resist outside encouragement to evolve. Some wrote that the level of change will affect different kinds of institutions at different times. The consensus among them was that businesses will transform themselves much more quickly than public and non-profit agencies.


We examine the case of software reuse as a disruptive information technology innovation (i.e., one that requires changes in the architecture of work processes) in software development organizations. Using theories of conflict, coordination, and learning, we develop a model to explain peer-to-peer conflicts that are likely to accompany the introduction of disruptive technologies and how appropriately devised managerial interventions (e.g., coordination mechanisms and organizational learning practices) can lessen these conflicts. A study of software reuse programs in four organizations was conducted to assess the validity of the model. Qualitative and quantitative analyses of the data obtained showed that companies that had implemented such managerial interventions experienced greater success with their software reuse programs. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.


Abstract : The Air Force is pursuing several efficiency initiatives designed to reduce support function costs. One such initiative is an effort to reduce the flow days of items being repaired in the Air Force's organic depots. Many end items are affected by awaiting parts (AWP) delays, which increase total flow days. The first step in reducing AWP delays is to identify which piece parts are causing the delays. A gap analysis was conducted to identify a process for creating a list of piece parts that are causing AWP delays. In addition, a clinimetric method was used to develop an aggregate measure of AWP impact by which the list of piece parts could be prioritized. The gap analysis showed that such a list can be created with Cognos, a reporting tool currently used by the depots, which can pull data from multiple information systems. In addition, only minor changes to information recorded throughout the repair process are needed. An aggregate measure of AWP impact was also created and tested. It produced significantly different prioritizations from the individual constituent variables, and provides a possible method for helping depot managers to understand decision tradeoffs between different parts shortage priorities.


Extracted from text ... Introduction
Mesial temporal sclerosis is the
commonest cause of partial complex
seizures. The aetiology of this condition
is controversial, but it is postulated
that both acquired and developmental
processes may be involved.
Familial cases have also been reported.
Magnetic resonance imaging
(MRI) is the imaging investigation of
choice for the diagnosis and has been
shown to be highly sensitive and specific.
Once diagnosed, medical treatment
is successful in 25% of cases,
whilst anterior temporal lobectomy is
effective in 70 - 95% of patients.1
Case report
The case under discussion
involved a 42-year-old woman. She
had had numerous previous admissions
related ..


Cardiovascular disease (CVD) and osteoporosis (OP) are public health problems with numerous epidemiological links and important economic consequences. Recent studies have demonstrated that CVD and cardiovascular mortality are associated with reduced bone mineral density (BMD) and bone fractures. These two conditions may be sustained by similar or common pathophysiological mechanisms and risk factors. There are several matrix proteins, such as type 1 collagen, proteoglycan, osteopontin, and osteonectin, which are found in bone and vascular matrix components. Matrix proteins play an important role both in bone formation and in the development of atherosclerosis. Estrogens also play a role in both CVD and OP through their effects on cytokines, such as IL-1, IL-6 and TNF-alpha and osteoprotegerin (OPG). The lack of estrogens induces an increase in these cytokines and a decrease in OPG, both implicated in the mechanisms of bone loss and atherogenesis. An additional link between CVD and OP seems to be related to the action of some drugs, such as bisphosphonates, statins and raloxifene. Several studies suggest that the mechanism of action of these drugs at cellular level may not be mutually exclusive, acting either in bone or in atherosclerotic plaque. However, further studies are necessary to define the relationship between CVD and OP more specifically and to understand the complex interaction of similar or common risk factors and genetic or molecular determinants.


In this paper, we present SARPlan, a geographic decision support system based on optimisation models for planning overland search and rescue operations for missing light aircraft. By optimally allocating the available search effort and by reducing the search area, SARPlan increases the chances of finding lost aircraft and survivors, resulting in saved lives. The emphasis in this presentation is on the dialogues and the functions offered by the system. We also include results that demonstrate that SARPlan outperforms the current manual method. In 2001, SARPlan was the winner of three prestigious excellence awards in the Canadian information technology domain.


There has been considerable development of seismic detectors over the last 80 years. However, there is still a need to further develop new earthquake exploration and data acquisition systems with high precision. In particular, for China to keep up with the latest technology of these systems, it is important to be involved in the research and development, instead of importing systems that soon fall behind the latest technology. In this study, the features of system-on-a-programmable-chip (SoPC) technology are analyzed and used to design a new digital seismic-data acquisition station. The hardware circuit of the station was developed, and the analog board and the main control data-transmission board were designed according to the needs of digital seismic-data acquisition stations. High-definition analog-to-digital converter sequential digital filter technology of the station (cascade integrator comb filter, finite impulse response digital filter) were incorporated to provide advantages to the acquisition station, such as high definition, large dynamic scope, and low noise. A specific data-transmission protocol was designed for the station, which ensured a transmission speed of 16 Mbps along a 55-m wire with low power consumption. Synchronic acquisition was researched and developed, so as to achieve accuracy better than 200 ns. The key technologies were integrated into the SoPC of the main control data-transmission board, so as to ensure high-resolution acquisition of the station, while improving the accuracy of the synchronic acquisition and data-transmission speed, lowering the power consumption, and preparing for the follow-up efforts to tape out.


How does higher education contribute to finding workable and lasting solutions to complex social issues that face communities globally today? How does higher education contribute to global sustainable development goals? The scholarship of engagement encourages faculty, scholars, and students to work together with communities on solutions to relevant, pressing, and important social issues. The purpose of this grounded theory study was to understand the capacities of engaged scholars involved in global engagement and to explore a theoretical model of change used in global engagement in the setting of several rural and urban communities in Africa. The participants in the study were exemplar and experienced engaged scholars who have worked in engaged scholarship and global engagement with Western and other college students in Africa. The main findings of the study are that these engaged scholars employ specific relational and intercultural competencies to develop and maintain long-term, committed relationships with partners in local African communities. The scholars express orientations of relational axiology, ontology, and epistemology that include a focus on people, relationships, and community-driven processes. These orientations serve to develop approaches to global engagement that understand social change as located in the community and that contribute to developing a shared purpose and an understanding of and membership in a global community. A theoretical model of change is presented that may contribute to understandings of how to achieve global sustainable development goals.


Other than the theoretical knowledge that given the students there is a strong need for gaining knowledge in the real-world business environment especially for the BA students. Simulation programs enable students to set up a virtual company and manage the company like a real business. Although there are many simulation programs in the education field "Marketplace" simulation is chosen because the simulation is prepared by the Tennessee University's faculty. This course was a Capstone course for students to understand the strategic marketing process that is applicable to any organization about marketing their products or services. The case study methodology was used for this study and 13 senior BA students participated. The feedback received by the students and interviews' answers were collected and analyzed for the evaluation of the course content, the ease and the usefulness of the program. This study confirmed that simulation programs enable students to transform theoretical knowledge into practices.


Background Unwanted birth is an important public health concern due to its negative association with adverse outcomes of mothers and children as well as socioeconomic development of a country. Although a number of studies have been investigated the determinants of unwanted births through logistic regression analysis, an extensive assessment using path model is lacking. In the current study, we applied path analysis to know the important covariates for unwanted births in Bangladesh. Methods The study used data extracted from Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS) 2011. It considered sub-sample consisted of 7,972 women who had given most recent births five years preceding the date of interview or who were currently pregnant at survey time. Correlation analysis was used to find out the significant association with unwanted births. This study provided the factors affecting unwanted births in Bangladesh. The path model was used to determine the direct, indirect and total effects of socio-demographic factors on unwanted births. Results The result exhibited that more than one-tenth of the recent births were unwanted in Bangladesh. The differentials of unwanted births were women's age, education, age at marriage, religion, socioeconomic status, exposure of mass-media and use of family planning. In correlation analysis, it showed that unwanted births were positively correlated with women age and place of residence and these relationships were significant. On the contrary, unwanted births were inversely significantly correlated with education and social status. The total effects of endogenous variables such as women age, place of residence and use of family planning methods had favorable effect on unwanted births. Conclusion Policymakers and program planners need to design programs and services carefully to reduce unwanted births in Bangladesh, especially, service should focus on helping those groups of women who were identified in the analysis as being at increased risks of unwanted births- older women, illiterate, low socioeconomic status, early age at marriage and rural poor susceptible women.


The article considers a situation where several firms have the opportunity to sell an identical product to a set of buyers, and where each seller can invest in R&D to develop a higher quality version of the product in question. I consider the possibility of allowing the sellers to offer exclusionary contracts, prior to deciding how much to invest in R&D. In equilibrium every buyer will sign an exclusionary contract with the same seller. Since all buyers are locked to one seller, only this seller will have an incentive to invest in R&D. Whether or not banning exclusionary contracts increases the aggregate probability of successful innovation depends on the R&D technology. More specifically, banning exclusionary contracts will increase the aggregate probability of innovation and joint surplus of buyers and sellers only when the R&D technology exhibits sufficient diseconomies of scale.


This paper presents a new dataset for the annual risk-free rate in both nominal and real terms going back to the 13th century. On this basis, we establish for the first time a long-term comparative investigation of 'bond bull markets'. It is shown that the global risk-free rate in July 2016 reached its lowest nominal level ever recorded. The current bond bull market in US Treasuries which originated in 1981 is currently the third longest on record, and the second most intense.
The second part of this paper presents three case studies for the 20th century, to typify modern forms of bond market reversals. It is found that fundamental, inflation-led bond market reversals have inflicted the longest and most intense losses upon investors, as exemplified by the 1960s market in US Treasuries. However, central bank (mis-) communication has played a key role in the 1994 'Bond massacre'. The 2003 Japanese 'VaR shock' demonstrates how curve steepening dynamics can create positive externalities for the banking system in periods of monetary policy and financial uncertainty.
The paper finally argues that the inflation dynamics underlying the 1965–70 bond market sell-off in US Treasuries could hold particular relevance for the current market environment.


A critical role for intracellular TLR9 has been described in recognition and host resistance to Leishmania parasites. As TLR9 requires endolysosomal proteolytic cleavage to achieve signaling functionality, we investigated the contribution of different proteases like asparagine endopeptidase (AEP) or cysteine protease cathepsins B (CatB), L (CatL) and S (CatS) to host resistance during Leishmania major (L. major) infection in C57BL/6 (WT) mice and whether they would impact on TLR9 signaling. Unlike TLR9-/-, which are more susceptible to infection, AEP-/-, CatL-/- and CatS-/- mice are as resistant to L. major infection as WT mice, suggesting that these proteases are not individually involved in TLR9 processing. Interestingly, we observed that CatB-/- mice resolve L. major lesions significantly faster than WT mice, however we did not find evidence for an involvement of CatB on either TLR9-dependent or independent cytokine responses of dendritic cells and macrophages or in the innate immune response to L. major infection. We also found no difference in antigen presenting capacity. We observed a more precocious development of T helper 1 responses accompanied by a faster decline of inflammation, resulting in resolution of footpad inflammation, reduced IFNγ levels and decreased parasite burden. Adoptive transfer experiments into alymphoid RAG2-/-γc-/- mice allowed us to identify CD3+ T cells as responsible for the immune advantage of CatB-/- mice towards L. major. In vitro data confirmed the T cell intrinsic differences between CatB-/- mice and WT. Our study brings forth a yet unappreciated role for CatB in regulating T cell responses during L. major infection.


While Russia has been steadily removing its remaining forces from Eastern Germany and, albeit haltingly, from the Baltic nations, its forces have increased sharply the pace of activity on the southern littoral. The largest deployments and most intense military activity has been in the Caucasus nations--all of whom are in a state of armed conflict. At times, this activity has brought Russian combat forces within 100 kilometers of Iran's northeastern border. While this activity has not led to contact with Iranian troops, Russian forces did occupy northeastern Iran after World War II. The activities of the Russian military in the region bear reviewing to discern Russia's strategy toward the region with a particular focus on the threat, if any, that strategy poses to Iran. The southern littoral, the area between the Caspian and Black Seas (the Don River Basin in particular), has throughout its history been a focus of concern for Russia. From the earliest centuries of Kievan Rus, the greatest threat to Russia came from this region. The grasslands north of the Caucasus provided support to Asiatic nomadic tribes such as the Kumens who occupied large parts of the Kievan state in the 12th century. It was against a kindred people, the Polovets, that Prince Igor mounted his ill-fated campaign in that century. A century later, the Tartars swept up from the southeast to overrun Kiev and destroy the Russian state. The most popular celebration of the reconquest is the lay of Dmitry Donskoy who defeated the Tatar horde and drove them off the Don River basin. Although Peter the Great is best remembered for his apertura to the West, during the first eight years of his reign, he spent as much time securing all advantageous southern border as he did campaigning in the west. Having secured this border, a declining Ottoman dynasty lacked the vitality to threaten the status quo and Peter was free to turn his full attention to the west. In modern times, the incorporation of the three Caucasus Republics, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan into the Soviet Union provided a buffer in the south. A buffer primarily against Turkey though "also against Iran. After World War II, Soviet troops occupied northeastern Iran and Stalin at least considered extending the "buffer" further south of the Caucasus. Recent events confirm that the southern littoral remains a focus of Russian security concerns. The Russian military has been active in three operations. First has been support for the Abkazian separatists. It is not clear whether the support for the Abkazian separatists was a deliberate policy decision orchestrated from Moscow or the result of Russian commanders in the region taking the initiative on their own. In any event, the aid was substantial. Modem tanks, artillery and ammunition were supplied to the rebels and if this was not at the direction of Moscow, there is no indication that Moscow tried to prevent it. …


This thesis seeks to establish the private and external costs of the production of cellulosic biofuel from woody biomass. A model is presented which explores the economic feasibility of a firm producing this biofuel using a particular process. Specifically, it examines the input costs including the external costs of transportation, the external cost of pollutants produced by the firm, and potential cost reductions that may be applied as a result of learning from accumulated experience. In order to evaluate the feasibility of the plant, a spreadsheet model is built and a Monte Carlo simulation is run in order to evaluate profitability under different scenarios. An examination of the concept of the duality between the cost and profit functions and the production function is also examined. The methods used to find the appropriate values for the plant are partly qualitative and involve the studying of literature of closely related topics and products. The ultimate goal is to establish a reasonable basis for understanding and estimating the costs associated with this biofuel plant based on synthesis and induction, while also using a Monte Carlo analysis to take into account some of the many uncertain variables involved.


The article analyses Cicero's attitude to gods, religion, divination, and superstition. Cicero follows tradition in acknowledging the existence of the gods, considering them immortal, blissful, animate, and anthropomorphic. He is ambivalent about the interaction between the gods and people. Cicero considers religion important for the Roman people because this was the popular belief — it was not his own viewpoint. Cicero thinks that people obtain divination from the gods. According to Cicero, there are two types of divination: artificial (auspices, haruspices, divination by lightning, stars, and other signs of nature) and natural (predictions in a dream, in a state of ecstasy, before death). In relation to divination, we see how multi-dimensional Cicero's beliefs were: as a philosopher, he can accept or deny divination; as a Roman politician, he regards divination as an important instrument of the Roman religious rituals. Cicero opposes superstition to religion in his theological works, but in his secular works, he uses superstition and religion as synonyms.


Gifted children are the group which have a high level of mental potential, and managing the school with this potential generally without studying, therefore having no effective studying habits. Another important factor in developing study habits is parental attitudes. The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between the parental attitudes and the study habits of gifted children. In this scope, parents' attitudes were classified into democratic, authoritarian, permissive and overprotective which were put forward by Baumrind (1966; 1971) in his studies, and the study habits were handled as two dimensions as study quality and study responsibility. In the study, the relational screening model one of the quantitative research methods was used. The research was carried out 2016-2017 and its participants consist of 100 gifted children aged between 7-12 and their 100 parents. As the data collection tools, Parental Attitude Scale contains 62 items developed by Demir and Şendil (2008) and 23-items Study Habits Scale developed by Calikoglu (2009) were used. The findings were obtained through independent t-test, mean, Pearson Product Moment Correlation coefficient and regression analysis. As a result of the study, no difference was found between the study quality which comprises technical issues such as taking notes, repeating, study responsibility and total study habits regarding age and gender. It was found that families generally held democratic and overprotective attitudes, there was a relationship between democratic attitude and study quality and democratic attitude increased the quality of child's study. For this reason, it is essential to train families on study habits and the impact of the family on this issue.


An atmospheric pressure microwave plasma torch operating at 2.45 GHz frequency using a surfaguide waveguide fed by argon gas at a constant rate is characterized at various microwave power settings. Coarse optical emission spectroscopy technique is used to diagnose the plasma parameters. The Boltzmann plot method is implemented to measure the electron temperature. Using the Doppler shift of the strong argon atomic spectral lines, the plasma velocity is determined. These results are in good agreement with earlier studies conducted on similar microwave plasma torches at a lower power setting. In this study, we exceed the previous power limitations observed in earlier studies and scan the microwave power in increments up to 2 kW.


Enhancing the efficiency of micro-energy conversion devices through engineering of the structure–transport relationship is a prerequisite toward next generation micro-electrolysers and fuel cells. Here, oxygen ion conducting free-standing thin films are key elements, forming buckled and strained membranes for gas exchange and energy conversion. The electro-chemo-mechanics of free-standing membranes vs. substrate-supported films are investigated as model device structures to study the factors influencing the ionic transport, and answer the fundamental question: how strongly does solid solution doping vs. lattice strain affect the defect-induced oxygen ion transport in buckled electrolyte membrane films for solid state micro-devices? Importantly, we demonstrate that tuning the electro-chemo-mechanics of doped ceria films can influence the ionic transport through the effect of opposed strained volumes altering the clustering of oxygen vacancy defects. Strain is studied by comparing flat substrate-supported films to compressive buckled membrane devices and observing subsequent changes in atomistic near order via Raman spectroscopy. The buckling resulted in a significant increase of the activation energy for ionic transport, greater than classical extrinsic doping. The power of electro-chemo-mechanic engineering of ceramic films is demonstrated in finding the best strategy for optimizing ionic conduction and thereby enhancing future performance in thin film electrolytes for micro-energy conversion devices.


Starvation of larvae of the milliped Narceus annularis results in the formation of a smaller than normal number of body segments in the early stadia. However, this reduced number is compensated for by subsequent formation of a larger than normal number of body segments in the later stadia, or by the addition of extra segment-building stadia. Apparently there is a mechanism whereby the milliped "keeps count" of the number of body segments produced and can regulate the production of these segments from a proliferative region so that the total number of body segments at sexual maturity is within the normal range for the species.


This thesis is a comparison of ethnicity in Viking Age England and Normandy. It focuses on the period c.950-c.1015, which begins several generations after the initial Scandinavian settlements in both regions. The comparative approach enables an investigation into how and why the two societies' inhabitants differed in their perceptions of viking heritage and its impact on ethnic relations in this period. Written sources provide the key to these perceptions: genealogies, histories, hagiographies, charters and law codes. The thesis is the first study to juxtapose and compare these sources and aspects of Viking Age England and Normandy. The approach to ethnicity is informed by the social sciences, especially Fredrik Barth's Ethnic Groups and Boundaries. The emphasis here is on ethnic identity as a social construct and as a product of belief in group membership. In particular, this investigation treats ethnic identity separately from cultural markers such as names, dress, appearance, and art. In doing so, it presents a new perspective in discussions of assimilation after Scandinavian settlement. For the purpose of analysis, 'ethnicity' has been divided into three strands: genealogical, historical and geographical identity. Sources from England and Normandy are compared within each of the three strands. The thesis demonstrates the development of a single 'viking' group identity in Normandy, which was defined in distinction to the Franks. In England, on the other hand, 'viking' and 'Scandinavian' identities held various meanings and were deployed in diverse situations. No single group laid exclusive claim to viking heritage, nor completely rejected it. Ultimately, it is argued that viking identity was used as a tool in political and military conflicts. It was not an expression of association with Scandinavian allies, but most often was used as a more local means of distinction within England and Normandy.


Abstract Ocean acidification (OA) can be detrimental to calcifying marine organisms, with stunting of invertebrate larval development one of the most consistent responses. Effects are usually measured by short‐term, within‐generation exposure, an approach that does not consider the potential for adaptation. We examined the genetic response to OA of larvae of the tropical sea urchin Echinometra sp. C. raised on coral reefs that were either influenced by CO2 vents (pH ~ 7.9, future OA condition) or nonvent control reefs (pH 8.2). We assembled a high quality de novo transcriptome of Echinometra embryos (8 hr) and pluteus larvae (48 hr) and identified 68,056 SNPs. We tested for outlier SNPs and functional enrichment in embryos and larvae raised from adults from the control or vent sites. Generally, highest F ST values in embryos were observed between sites (intrinsic adaptation, most representative of the gene pool in the spawned populations). This comparison also had the highest number of outlier loci (40). In the other comparisons, classical adaptation (comparing larvae with adults from the control transplanted to either the control or vent conditions) and reverse adaptation (larvae from the vent site returned to the vent or explanted at the control), we only observed modest numbers of outlier SNPs (6–19) and only enrichment in two functional pathways. Most of the outliers detected were silent substitutions without adaptive potential. We conclude that there is little evidence of realized adaptation potential during early development, while some potential (albeit relatively low) exists in the intrinsic gene pool after more than one generation of exposure.


In recent years, outsourcing has become a common practice for firms operating domestically as well as globally. The academic and professional literature discusses numerous factors that influence outsourcing decisions, including the commonly used argument that activities that are not within the core competencies of a firm should be outsourced. In this paper we show that firms may wish to outsource even the manufacture of a product with respect to which they enjoy a competitive advantage. Furthermore, we provide an explanation as to why firms may decide not to outsource non-core products, although their competitors can produce them at a lower cost. Our model provides an explanation for the often coexistence of rivalrous and buyer-supplier relationship between firms in different markets or even the same product market. Specifically, we show that the understanding of outsourcing (or lack of outsourcing) arrangements should be based on analysis of the strategic interaction across markets between the parties in the outsourcing arrangements. Furthermore, in analyzing outsourcing, we should not only analyze the production cost of the product being considered, but also consider the costs and benefits associated with cross-product synergies of the firms. Our analysis demonstrates that outsourcing may enable firms to achieve tacit collusion in the presence of restrictions on explicit cooperation. However, we show that consumers may benefit from outsourcing in spite of its seemingly adverse impact on competition.


Endogenous steroids and many therapeutically useful drugs are metabolized by cytochrome CYP3A gene products in the liver. This represents a major source of drug interactions. Each species of mammals responds to a specific subset of lipophilic compounds (called inducers) by increased expression of the CYP3A genes; thus, drug interactions are often not detected until a drug reaches human clinical trials. Xie et al. created knockout mice for the pregnenolone X receptor (PXR). They show that these mice no longer respond to rodent-specific CYP3A inducers. Rat hepatocytes transfected with the human steroid and xenobiotic receptor (SXR) responded to chemicals that normally induce the CYP3A genes in humans. Using the PXR knockout mice, the authors created transgenic mice that express SXR. These mice now respond to inducers that cause increased expression in humans of CYP3A genes, which makes them an excellent model system in which to test drugs that may generate serious drug interactions in humans. Xie, W., Barwick, J.L., Downes, M., Blumberg, B., Simon, C.M., Nelson, M.C., Neuschwander-Tetri, B.A., Brunt, E.M., Guzelian, P.S., and Evans, R.M. (2000) Humanized xenobiotic response in mice expressing nuclear receptor SXR. Nature 406: 435-439. [Online Journal]


Currently no study has systematically investigated how second language learners (L2) with specific learning difficulties (SpLDs) benefit from extended time in L2 assessment. Research in this area is needed because judgements about time extensions are often based on intuitions rather than on research evidence. This study investigated the effect of different timing conditions on the L2 reading performance of adolescent learners of English who demonstrate different first language (L1) literacy profiles. It aimed to uncover whether Hungarian L2 learners who have below average L1 reading comprehension and word-decoding skills, which can be indicative of SpLDs, gain from time extension differentially in the reading component of the Aptis for Teens test from those whose L1 skills are in the average or above average range. Our generalised linear mixed-effects model predicted no significant effect of the time extension and no interaction between time extension, L1 skills and test tasks. This suggests that time extension did not boost students' scores and did not confer a differential advantage for students with low-level L1 skills either. Our results confirm the importance of universal test design and providing a generous margin of around 50% extra time from the mean test population completion time for all test-takers.


Utilizing the discrete homotopy methods developed for uniform spaces by Berestovskii-Plaut, we define the critical spectrum Cr(X) of a metric space, generalizing to the non-geodesic case the covering spectrum defined by Sormani-Wei and the homotopy critical spectrum defined by Plaut-Wilkins. If X is geodesic, Cr(X) is the same as the homotopy critical spectrum, which differs from the covering spectrum by a factor of 3/2. The latter two spectra are known to be discrete for compact geodesic spaces, and correspond to the values at which certain special covering maps, called delta-covers (Sormani-Wei) or epsilon-covers (Plaut-Wilkins), change equivalence type. In this paper we initiate the study of these ideas for non-geodesic spaces, motivated by the need to understand the extent to which the accompanying covering maps are topological invariants. We show that discreteness of the critical spectrum for general metric spaces can fail in several ways, which we classify. The "newcomer" critical values for compact, non-geodesic spaces are completely determined by the homotopy critical values and refinement critical values, the latter of which can, in many cases, be removed by changing the metric in a bi-Lipschitz way.


Floating biofilms occur in thin layers of between 50 μm and 500 μm on the surface of certain organic, sulphidic aquatic environments and, at times, may only be several cells deep. While these structures may be important in terms of energy flow pathways, and possibly also in wastewater treatment operations, little is known about their structural/functional properties. This is due, in part, to their flimsy nature but also to methodological constraints related to their sampling and manipulation. We have investigated floating sulphur biofilms that appear as white layers on the surface of anoxic sulphidic organic wastewaters and describe here the development of a novel gradient tube method for investigating these systems. This approach enables testing of the hypothesis that these floating sulphur biofilms are complex well-differentiated structures rather than disordered dispersions of microbial biomass as has been previously thought. Furthermore, if the former is correct, they would seem to resemble the structure and functionality of comparable complex bioflms that are attached to solid substrates. The gradient tube method involves the establishment of apposing gradients of sulphide and oxygen that are expanded across a tube of agarose 10 cm in length; this simulates the oxic/anoxic interface that occurs over only several micrometres in the natural biofilm system. A plug of sulphide-enriched agarose is first placed in the base of the tube. Samples of the floating sulphur biofilm are then mixed into agarose growth medium and, before it sets, this is overlaid on top of the plug. The tubes are then open capped and incubated. A variety of different microbial populations may thus become established in the separate physiological niches that are set up in this way within the gradient tube. The populations may be quite robustly sampled by extruding and then sectioning the agarose plug. This expansion of the biofilm enables more detailed molecular phylogenetic studies of the populations found in the various niches within the biofilm and also measurement of physico-chemical parameters within the system. Keywords: gradient tube method, floating biofilms, floating sulphur biofilms, microbial ecology, sulphur biotechnology, acid mine drainage wastewaters


We have investigated He+-ion bombardment on lattice-matched multi-layer InP/ In0.53Ga0.47As and In0.5Ga0.5P/ GaAs heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT) structures. The bombardment of these structures was tested with a single energy implantation of helium-ions at 600 keV with a dose of 3x10 15 cm-2 at room temperature. Post implant annealing was performed for 60s from 50 to 575 o C. Maximum achievable sheet resistance of 3x10 7 W/sq was recorded for the GaAs-based base and collector layers of the InGaP/ GaAs HBT structure and 8x10 4 W/sq for the InGaAs-based collector layer of the InP/ InGaAs HBT structure. Comparison of annealing characteristics of bombarded GaAs- and InP- based HBT structures as a function of annealing temperature are reported here.


Catch per unit effort (CPUE), length, weight and maturity data for Clarias gariepinus were collected during monthly gillnet surveys in the upper Okavango Delta between 2001 and 2009 to investigate their relationship with the annual flood-pulse. CPUE, condition factor (K) and the proportion of ripe-running fish (PRR) in the population followed a unimodal annual cycle that could be modelled using water temperature and flood-pulse hydrology. Increased CPUE during declining water levels was most likely a result of feeding migrations and aggregation behaviour. The observed increase in K during low floods in October and November preceded the increase in PRR, which increased mainly with increasing temperature but appeared less dependent on flow. This study provided quantitative evidence that the biology of fish in the Okavango Delta is mainly dependent on the annual flood regime and, therefore, that conservation efforts should be focused on maintaining natural flow patterns in the face of climate change and potential water extraction schemes upstream.


Chances are high that partners in dual-earner couples do not receive equal occupational returns from long-distance moves, because job opportunities are distributed heterogeneously in space. Which partners are more likely to receive relatively higher returns after moves? Recent research shows the stratification of returns by gender and highlights the importance of gender roles in mobility decisions. I extend past literature in two ways. First, while past research mostly examined partners separately, I directly test for gender differences in matched pairs of women and men in dual-earner couples and account for the nonindependence of both careers. Second, I compare evidence from the United Kingdom (UK) and Germany to shed light on the effects of institutional and normative contexts. For my analysis, I draw longitudinal data from the British Household Panel Survey and the German Socio-Economic Panel Study (1991-2008). My results show that women in dual-earner couples are temporarily adversely affected in their careers by long-distance moves in the UK and West Germany after controlling for various characteristics of both partners. Women in East Germany are not affected by long-distance moves. Moves do not change wage rates significantly for women and men that stay in employment in both countries.


Many initiatives seek to engage children in maker education. However, there is a paucity of research examining children's engagement in making in low-income formal school settings. Likewise, little work has been done to explore the transformative perspectives of both the children and the people around them. This study aims to explore a Culturally Relevant Constructionist Design framework that emphasizes making as a way of building connections to ones' community. The participants' shifting perspectives and receptivity in engaging in maker activities that involve making inventions for their community, inspired by the nation's most beloved figure, King Bhumibol are evaluated.,This study investigates fourth-grade students, a teacher and community members around a public school in Thailand. Using qualitative research methods, data collection includes interviews, field notes observation, photos and videos of the sessions. This paper presents three case studies that represent the shifting perspectives and receptivity of teachers, community members and students through engaging in making experience. The first case illustrates the ways in which building for others supports the students' formation of an identity of a creator. The two cases describe a teacher and a community member who developed new-found perceptions of students as valuable contributors to the community.,The findings highlight making inventions for the community as ways to connect teachers, community members and students together. The study also identifies key perceptions and experiences that empower students' as contributors to their community. Through the process of making, the teacher and the community members also developed new-found positive perspectives of the students. Particularly, they viewed the students beyond traditional school performance metrics, and considered their other latent abilities.,This study discusses these findings in light of previous research on maker education especially in low-income communities. It also showcases the role of making for the betterment of the community as a tool for engendering change in schools and empowering students to design and make personally and socially meaningful projects. The study also highlights how design-based research carried out in the international context, particularly in Thai locality and classrooms.,This study argues against the deficit lens that assumes a low sense of expectation for what students from lower-income schools can do. Students hold unique worldviews that lead them to create innovations relevant to their local and cultural needs. The study addresses this gap by designing a framework that emphasizes making relevant cultural connections to students' communities. The study also showcases maker-centered experiences that enable students to express their ideas, to cultivate relationships, to help others and to see themselves in new ways. The perspectives of the participants hold implications beyond the predominant focus of maker education initiatives.


Gene cloning (DNA cloning) is nothing but the production of similar or exact copies (clones) of a particular gene or DNA sequence using genetic engineering techniques. In the genetic Engineering techniques the DNA containing the target gene is cut into fragments using restriction enzymes. With the help of the restriction enzymes these fragments are then inserted into cloning vectors, such as bacterial plasmids or bacteriophages, which transfer the recombinant DNA that is desirable gene to suitable host cells, such as the bacterium E. coli where the DNA gets replicated. Alternatively, the complementary DNA is inserted into the vectors, or 'naked' DNA fragments can be taken up directly by a host bacterium from its medium (this is less efficient than vector transfer).


In this study, a careful examination was conducted to analyse the actin and microtubule (MT) cytoskeleton organisation during Drosophila oogenesis. We found that at stage 9/10a the actin cytoskeleton at the oocyte cortex is assembled into long bundles, which are essential for anchoring the MT minus-ends at the cortex. The formation of actin bundles requires the function of Profilin. Capu and Spire act downstream of the bundle formation, most likely by anchoring MT minus-ends at the cortex by crosslinking F-actin and MTs. At stage 10b, the actin bundles disassemble and the MT minus-ends are relocated from the actin cortex to subcortical regions. Subsequently, fast ooplasmic streaming is initiated and MTs form parallel arrays at subcortical regions. To identify the regulators of the organisation of the oocyte cytoskeleton, a mutation in a serine/threonine kinase Tao-1, Tao-1No.7 was generated. The analysis of Tao-1No.7 mutants revealed a novel phenotype for the cytoskeleton organisation of the oocyte. In Tao-1No.7 mutant oocytes the cortical actin bundling is disrupted. Unlike in other mutants which affect actin bundling, in Tao-1No.7 oocytes MTs are not forming parallel arrays at subcortical regions; but show high MT density within the entire ooplasm. Thus, the MT network is completely disrupted in Tao-1No.7 oocytes. As a result, the transcripts for the axis determinants are not transported to correct subcellular locations, and as a consequence the embryonic axis is not properly established. The oogenesis phenotypes observed in Tao-1No.7 mutants was rescued by the expression of a Tao-1 cDNA, verifying that Tao-1No.7 is an allele of Tao-1. Nevertheless, a deletion removing the Tao-1 locus completely does not exhibit the defects in the cytoskeletal organisation of the oocyte. Therefore, Tao-1No.7 is most likely a gain of function allele of Tao-1, which shows a phenotype only in a homozygous situation (recessive gain of function).


This paper presents qualitative findings from a Randomized Controlled Trial that focused on applying a Persuasive Information System to promote Pediatric Healthcare following the guidelines of Integrated Management of Childhood Illnesses. The study was primarily designed to introduce Persuasive Information Systems for promoting pediatric healthcare in a relatively under-developed country. The study investigates potential impact of simple text-based reminders on improving parents' knowledge and skills when dealing with a sick child at home before deciding to seek healthcare professionals. Reminders were selected for this study, as they are most commonly employed persuasive software features in the area of Persuasive Information Systems. For data collection, we conducted Focus Group Discussions with participants of both intervention groups. The qualitative findings indicate that the participants largely favored reminders although there were some skeptical remarks. The findings from presented study are expected to help system designers work in collaboration with parents and healthcare professionals to improve the content and delivery of reminders. The qualitative findings helped us identify five emerging themes that are expected to open research opportunities for improving child healthcare researchers.


The current study investigated the extent to which eight elementary schools in one cooperative education district implemented the five essential components of Response to Intervention (RtI), and explored the relationship between fidelity of implementation and student reading outcomes measured by oral reading fluency (ORF). Various RtI models exist because there is no single method to implement RtI appropriately. The majority of available studies examining fidelity of RtI implementation have focused on the individual components of RtI. However, when implemented as intended, RtI is a coherent system of coordinated components. Consequently, it is important to study the implementation of RtI as a whole model in addition to the individual components and its' relationship with student outcomes. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the extent of implementation and to characterize differences between the schools and analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to examine differences in student outcomes between elementary schools. Finally, the researcher made qualitative inferences to explore the relationship between fidelity of implementation and student reading outcomes measured by ORF. Results from the current study revealed that fidelity of RtI implementation varied between elementary schools despite similar professional development and supports around RtI practices. In addition, results from the current study have preliminary implications supporting the value of infrastructure and supports and fidelity and evaluation within the RtI model.


Timed Failure Propagation Graphs (TFPGs) are used in the design of safety-critical systems as a way of modeling failure propagation, and to evaluate and implement diagnostic systems. TFPGs are mostly produced manually, from a given dynamic system of greater complexity. In this paper we present a technique to automate the construction of TFPGs. It takes as input a set of failure mode and discrepancy nodes and builds the graph on top of them, based on an exhaustive analysis of all system behaviors. The result is a TFPG that accurately represents the sequences of failures and their effects as they appear in the system model. The proposed approach has been implemented on top of state-of-the-art symbolic model-checking techniques, and thoroughly evaluated on a number of synthetic and industrial benchmarks.


A growing body of research shows that the overall quality of teaching and learning is improved when learners have the opportunity to become actively involved in the learning process through which ample opportunities are given to question, apply and consolidate new knowledge. With the dawning of a new South Africa in 1994, more emphasis was placed on learner-centred instruction and assessment which is the reason why policy documents such as the National Curriculum Statement (NCS) and the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) endorsed this educational approach. The aim of this study is to investigate through the observation of trainee teachers to what extent History and Social Sciences teachers have adjusted from their predominately traditional educational paradigm of transmitted and absorbed knowledge by passive learners to employ different learnercentred instructional and assessment practices that emphasise the responsibility of learning into actively engaging learners. By means of a structured questionnaire a small scale study (n=51) was done in urban, rural, township, and private schools in the North West and Gauteng provinces. The findings, inter alia, suggest that although History and Social Sciences teachers showed a willingness to utilise some of the learner-centred instruction strategies, their tendency to implement the traditional teacher-centred instruction strategies were much stronger. The findings further show that teachers preferred to be the primary assessors of the learning results.


Implicit surface representation is well suited for surface reconstruction from a large amount of 3D noisy data points with non-uniform sampling density. Previous 3D non-rigid model registration methods can only be applied to the mesh or volume representations, but not directly to implicit surfaces. To our best knowledge, the previous 3D registration methods for implicit surfaces can only handle rigid transformation and they must keep the data points on the surface. In this paper, we propose a new 3D non-rigid registration algorithm to register two multi-level partition of unity (MPU) implicit surfaces with a variational formulation. The 3D non-rigid transformation between two implicit surfaces is a continuous deformation function, which is determined via an energy minimization procedure. Under the octree structure in the MPU surface, each leaf cell is transformed by an individual affine transformation associated with an energy that is related to the distance between two general quadrics. The proposed algorithm can directly register between two 3D implicit surfaces without sampling on the two signed distance functions or polygonalizing implicit surfaces, which makes our algorithm efficient in both computation and memory requirement. Experimental results on 3D human organ and sculpture models demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.


Feedback is known to have a large influence on student learning gains, and the emergence of online tools has greatly enhanced the opportunity for delivering timely, expressive, digital feedback and for investigating its learning impacts. However, to date there have been no large quantitative investigations of the feedback provided by large teams of markers, feedback use by large cohorts of students, nor its impact on students' academic performance across successive assessment tasks. We have developed an innovative online system to collect large-scale data on digital feedback provision and use. Our markers (n = 38) used both audio and typed feedback modalities extensively, providing 388 ± 4 and 1126 ± 37 words per report for first- and second-year students, respectively. Furthermore, 92% of first year and 85% of second-year students accessed their feedback, with 58% accessing their feedback for over an hour. Lastly, the amount of time students spent interacting with feedback is significantly related to the rate of improvement in subsequent assessment tasks. This study challenges assertions that many students do not collect, or use, their feedback. More importantly, we offer novel insights into the relationships between feedback provision, feedback use and successful academic outcomes.


The grazing response of ewe hoggets offered tall fescue, endophyte-infected (+E) or endophyte-free (-E) perennial ryegrass all sown with white clover into a fertile silt loam was examined in April 1990. In a second experiment 2 grazings were observed where 5 grasses had been overdrilled into old lucerne growing on stony infertile land. Pregnaht ewes (August) and ewes with young lambs (October) grazed 3 replicates of tall fescue, +E perennial ryegrass, cocksfoot, phalaris and prairie grass. After the August grazing nitrogen fertiliser was applied at 0 and 300 kg N/ha to 5 x 2 m subplots in each 30 x 9 m grass plot. April observations showed that on day one 76% of grazing time was on tall fescue. During the first 4 days of grazing grass leaf height decreased 60 mm in tall fescue, 43 mm in +E and 42 mm in -E ryegrass while in the last 5 days decreases were 5, 3 and 25 mm. Over the 9 days' grazing, pseudostem height declined 5.2, 1.5 and 5.0 mm, green grass cover from 62 to 30,65 to 44, and 68 to 33%, and herbage removal was 940, 1100 and 1300 kg DM/ ha from tall fescue, +E and -E ryegrasses. During the first 3 days of the August grazing, grass leaf heights of cocksfoot and +E ryegrass declined at a much slower rate than in the other 3 species. The October grazing showed a similar defoliation pattern on plots without N. Addition of 300 kg N/ ha resulted in very rapid defoliation of all 5 species during the first day of the 7-day grazing period. April grazing showed that initially sheep preferred tall fescue. Even though grazing time was similar for +E and -E ryegrasses the hoggets consumed less +E than -E ryegrass, possibly owing to reluctance to penetrate the +E pseudostem horizon. The August and October grazings demonstrated the ability of sheep to discriminate between grass species and strong rejection of cocksfoot and +E ryegrass. However, N at a rate similar to a urine patch produced leaf in all species which was equally attractive to sheep. The reduced intake of +E ryegrass measured in the April grazing may explain some of the lower animal performance of sheep on +E ryegrass pastures. Equally, grazing preference shown by rate of canopy height decline in any pasture is probably highly correlated with pasture intake and animal productivity.


Spatial localization of flashed stimuli across saccades shows transient distortions of perceived position: Stimuli appear shifted in saccade direction and compressed towards the saccade target. The strength and spatial pattern of this mislocalization is influenced by contrast, duration, and spatial and temporal arrangement of stimuli and background. Because mislocalization of stimuli on a background depends on contrast, we asked whether mislocalization of stimuli in darkness depends on luminance. Since dark adaptation changes luminance thresholds, we compared mislocalization in dark-adapted and light-adapted states. Peri-saccadic mislocalization was measured with near-threshold stimuli and above-threshold stimuli in dark-adapted and light-adapted subjects. In both adaptation states, near-threshold stimuli gave much larger mislocalization than above-threshold stimuli. Furthermore, when the stimulus was presented near-threshold, the perceived positions of the stimuli clustered closer together. Stimulus luminance that produced strong mislocalization in the light-adapted state produced very little mislocalization in the dark-adapted state because it was now well above threshold. We conclude that the strength of peri-saccadic mislocalization depends on the strength of the stimulus: stimuli with near-threshold luminance, and hence low visibility, are more mis-localized than clearly visible stimuli with high luminance.


The use of labels to warn workers of potential hazards (noise and vibration) in production environments has been of interest to many professionals for several years. At the present time, at least in the USA, the use (or nonuse) of labels has been strongly influenced by the legal process. This presentation will focus mainly on the use of, and potential effectiveness of, labels as a warning tool in real‐world production environments. In addition, a limited discussion of warning label activities in other countries will be presented.


Research has shown that convolutional neural networks contain significant redundancy, and high classification accuracy can be obtained even when weights and activations are reduced from floating point to binary values. In this paper, we present FINN, a framework for building fast and flexible FPGA accelerators using a flexible heterogeneous streaming architecture. By utilizing a novel set of optimizations that enable efficient mapping of binarized neural networks to hardware, we implement fully connected, convolutional and pooling layers, with per-layer compute resources being tailored to user-provided throughput requirements. On a ZC706 embedded FPGA platform drawing less than 25 W total system power, we demonstrate up to 12.3 million image classifications per second with 0.31 μs latency on the MNIST dataset with 95.8% accuracy, and 21906 image classifications per second with 283 μs latency on the CIFAR-10 and SVHN datasets with respectively 80.1% and 94.9% accuracy. To the best of our knowledge, ours are the fastest classification rates reported to date on these benchmarks.


Estimates of "Street Youth" (SY) (those who live/work on the streets) show 150 million around the world, with approximately 50,000 in Kenya alone as of 2018. Challenges these youth face remain a significant barrier to national governments achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4 (Quality Education) targets, as formal schools limit access or fail to provide meaningful and supported learning experiences for SY. However, informal learning spaces that empower youth to solve problems themselves may provide them with the knowledge and skills they are denied by formal schools. SY rescue, rehabilitation, and reintegration centers all around the world emphasize and place education at the center of their operations. Recommendations for educational services for SY include providing flexible, alternative education and skills training for youth unable or unwilling to return to school. However, the lack of skilled professionals working with the SY population is one of the most critical challenges.To meet the learning needs of vast numbers of SY, teachers already connected to this population must be trained in teaching more empowering, skill-based courses such as engineering, which are typically complex. Such innovative, problem-centered curricula demand skilled teachers who are prepared to facilitate a more student-centered classroom. However, sub-Saharan Africa faces a shortage of 17 million formally qualified teachers, even for its formal public schools. Therefore, connecting with the teachers in the context and training them in engineering teaching is crucial. Researchers have long argued the need for teacher professional development to be continuous and long-term. Through this dissertation, I present a Design-Based Research (DBR) study of untrained Teacher Professional Development (TPD) in collaboration with three aspiring engineering teachers at an alternative school for SY in western Kenya. I draw on the theoretical framework of Situated Learning and Communities of Practice (CoP) to discuss the outcomes of a three-phase professional development program. Each phase was designed using the recommendation from McKenney et al. (2006) to include three iterative micro-cycles of analysis, design, and evaluation leading to a meso-cycle. In total, three meso-cycles were completed to arrive at DBR's final phase of reflection and generation of design principles.In the first phase, teachers in this study adopted reflective practice strategies to increase their awareness of the practice. Analysis from the study showed that the teachers individually and collectively showed resilience to challenging and complex experiences by establishing a strong foundation for the community of practice. In the second phase, teachers engaged in action research to improve both teaching and learning outcomes. Results demonstrated increased active participation of the teachers in their teaching practice, and developed new understandings of engineering teaching. However, the first two studies also showed the challenges limiting the teachers from constructing an engineering teacher identity and unresolved questions about the sustainability of the TPD. Therefore, in the last phase, the teachers adopted mentoring new teachers as a strategy to develop their identities and sustain the engineering TPD.The findings from the three phases resulted in generation of design outcomes that include a situated understanding of the theory in this fragile context and design principles that are transferable in comparable settings. Implications of this work suggest a sustainable teacher professional development model for untrained engineering teachers in fragile contexts and present relevant design principles for the CoP.


We demonstrate an elementary grating-based optical code division multiple access (OCDMA) code generation and recognition system incorporating a nonlinear optical loop mirror (NOLM) within the receiver. We show that the NOLM can act as a nonlinear processing element capable of reducing both the pedestal associated with conventional matched filtering and the width of the associated code-recognition pulse. The pedestal rejection allows for an improved code recognition signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) relative to simple matched filtering alone, and reduced intra- and interchannel interference noise due to code overlap. The system benefits of using the NOLM are experimentally demonstrated under both single- and multiuser operation within a variety of seven- and 63-chip 160-Gchip/s code generation, recognition, and transmission experiments based on the use of bipolar superstructure fiber Bragg grating (SSFBG) coding-decoding pairs. Incorporation of the NOLM is shown to allow error-free penalty-free operation at data rates as high as 2.5 Gb/s under single-user operation, and to provide error-free performance with reduced power penalty in two-user experiments. The narrowed pulse recognition signature offers major advantages in terms of the further all-optical processing of decoded signals, such as code regeneration and recoding.


Abstract. Bacteria are widely distributed in atmospheric aerosols and are indispensable components of clouds, playing an important role in the atmospheric hydrological cycle. However, limited information is available about the bacterial community structure and function, especially for the increasing air pollution in the North China Plain. Here, we present a comprehensive characterization of bacterial community composition, function, variation, and environmental influence for cloud water collected at Mt Tai from 24 July to 23 August 2014. Using Miseq 16S rRNA gene sequencing, the highly diverse bacterial community in cloud water and the predominant phyla of Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Cyanobacteria, and Firmicutes were investigated. Bacteria that survive at low temperature, radiation, and poor nutrient conditions were found in cloud water, suggesting adaption to an extreme environment. The bacterial gene functions predicted from the 16S rRNA gene using the Phylogenetic Investigation of Communities by Reconstruction of Unobserved States (PICRUSt) suggested that the pathways related to metabolism and disease infections were significantly correlated with the predominant genera. The abundant genera Acinetobacter, Stenotrophomonas, Pseudomonas, and Empedobacter originated from a wide range of habitats including cloud condensation nuclei and ice nuclei active species, opportunistic pathogens, and functional species, demonstrating the importance of ecology and health in cloud water. Cluster analysis including hierarchical cluster (Hcluster) and principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) indicated a significant disparity between polluted and non-polluted samples. Linear discriminant analysis effect size (LEfSe) demonstrated that potential pathogens were enriched in the polluted cloud samples, whereas the diverse ecological function groups were significant in the non-polluted samples. Discrepant community structure determined by redundancy analysis (RDA) indicated that the major ions in cloud water and PM2. 5 in the atmosphere have a negative impact on bacteria, playing a vital role in shaping microbial community structure. The major ions might provide nutrition to bacteria and directly influence the bacterial community, whereas PM2. 5 in air has an indirect impact on bacterial community structure. During wet deposition, soluble particulate matter was dissolved in water droplets resulting in elevated concentration in cloud water. PM2. 5 was possibly associated with different origins and pathways of air mass as determined using source tracking by the backward trajectory, mainly related to long-range transport. This work enhanced our understanding of the characteristics of bacterial ecology in the atmospheric aqueous phase, highlighting the potential influence of environmental variables on the bacterial community in cloud processes. It may provide fundamental information of the bacterial community response in cloud water under increasing pollution. However, due to the limited sample size (13 samples) collected at the summit of Mt Tai, these issues need in-depth discussion. Further studies based on an annual series of field observation experiments and laboratory simulations will continue to track these issues.


Layered metal materials, such as layered metal hydroxides, hydroxy double salts, and layered metal phosphates can be used for applications such as fire retardancy, ion exchangers, or removal of pollutants. Optimization of materials for these applications requires an understanding of their physical and chemical properties.
Part A: Flame retardancy of polymer nanocomposites based on taranakite
Taranakite with tunable interlayer spacing has been prepared and modified by sodium dodecyl sulfate (AL-SDS). The layered materials are used as the additive to study the fire retardancy of polymers, including polystyrene (PS), polypropylene (PP), and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). The dispersion of taranakite was characterized by X-ray diffraction. The thermal stability of taranakite and polymer composites was assessed by thermogravimetric analysis, and the results obtained suggest that the presence of taranakite improved the thermal stability of the polymer composites. The onset degradation temperature and mid-point temperature increased with increasing loading of taranakite in PS, PP and PVA. An understanding of the degradation mechanism of the polymer/taranakite composites allows us to explore the potential role of this layered material in enhancing polymer fire retardancy. The fire retardancy properties of the polymer composites were evaluated by cone calorimeter (PS, PP) or by use of a micro cone calorimeter (PVA). Polymer composites containing taranakite have been shown to exhibit lower peak heat released rate (PHRR) compared with the virgin polymers, especially for PVA. The source of the reduction in peak heat release rate for non-polar polymers, such as PS and PP, is hypothesized to be due to the formation of char that slows down the burning process and the formation of ester groups during decomposition of the polymers. For a polar polymer, such as PVA, hydrogen bonding of the phosphate ion and polymer molecule at the first degradation step is likely to contribute to the improved thermal stability.
Part B: Computational study of intercalation of amines into a-Zirconium phosphate and adsorption of a model organic pollutant
a-Zirconium Phosphate (a-ZrP) is an example of a layered material that can be used as an ion exchanger. The intercalation of amines into the interlayer of a-ZrP, and the adsorption of chlorophenol by the modified a-ZrP, was investigated. The intercalated a-ZrP can be used to remove the organic pollutants from aqueous solution. Density functional theory using the B3LYP functional with a 6-311G* basis set was used to explain the previous experimental results.
Previous experimental work in our laboratory has focused on the adsorption of 4-chlorophenol by ZrP-DHDA, XRD and FTIR data suggest that chlorophenol and DHDA were co-intercalated in the d-space of a-ZrP. Density functional theory calculations were carried out in this work using phosphoric acid as simple model systems. Based on the computational results reported here, the driving force for the adsorption was found to be hydrogen bonding between the…


We consider the problem of learning, from K data, a regression function in a linear space of high dimension N using projections onto a random subspace of lower dimension M. From any algorithm minimizing the (possibly penalized) empirical risk, we provide bounds on the excess risk of the estimate computed in the projected subspace (compressed domain) in terms of the excess risk of the estimate built in the high-dimensional space (initial domain). We show that solving the problem in the compressed domain instead of the initial domain reduces the estimation error at the price of an increased (but controlled) approximation error. We apply the analysis to Least-Squares (LS) regression and discuss the excess risk and numerical complexity of the resulting "Compressed Least Squares Regression" (CLSR) in terms of N, K, and M. When we choose M = O(√K), we show that CLSR has an estimation error of order O(log K/ √K).


Cybercrime has become a global phenomenon, which is causing more harm to individual citizens, organizations, society and the state. Most countries in the world compare cybercrime with offences such as terrorism and drug trafficking due to its risks and profitability. Cybersecurity is the central category to fight cybercrime in cyberspace. Therefore, the strategic legal regulation of cybersecurity is one of the most relevant problems in EU, including Lithuania. So far cybersecurity legal regulation analysis in scientific literature has been rather limited. The European Commission, together with the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, has published a cybersecurity strategy alongside a Commission proposed directive on network and information security (NIS). The cybersecurity strategy – "An Open, Safe and Secure Cyberspace" - represents the EU's comprehensive vision on how best to prevent and respond to cyber disruptions and attacks. The purpose of its is to further European values of freedom and democracy and ensure the digital economy can safely grow. Specific actions are aimed at enhancing cyber resilience of information systems, reducing cybercrime and strengthening EU international cyber-security policy and cyber defence. The main goal of the paper is to analyze and compare the EU cybersecurity strategy and experience of several foreign countries with the strategic legal regulation of cybersecurity in Lithuania. The article consists of four parts. The first part dealt with the EU cybersecurity strategy. The second part of the article examines the comparative aspect of foreign cybersecurity strategic legal regulation. The third part deals with attempts in Lithuania to draft cybersecurity law and the holistic approach of cybersecurity legal regulation. The fourth part examines Lithuanian cybersecurity strategy and comments on the main probleas related with the strategy. Several different approaches have been used in the research. The author have used a comparative method to investigate the EU cybersecurity strategy as well a, Lithuanian and foreign situations. The empirical analysis of legal documents was used to determine the legal regulation of the cybersecurity in Lithuania. In addition, Legal acts of the Republic of Lithuania have been analyzed. Having analyzed the official documents, the method allows identifying and describing the relationship between the valid legal regulations accurately. Using literature resources, the author has used the deductive method which allows drawing sufficiently reliable conclusions.


Inclusion removal from liquid steel by attachment to rising gas bubbles has been reviewed. A mathematical model of inclusion removal by gas bubbling in a tundish has been developed and it is found that minimization of bubble size is critical to enhance removal. However, small bubble formation in a tundish may be problematic as bubble size is controlled by high contact angles between liquid metal and bubble orifice materials. A physical modeling technique has been developed to simulate inclusion removal by tundish bubbling. The influence of a floating particle sink, a flow pattern modifying impact pad, and a bubbler, on particle separation was examined. The influence of gas flow rate, tundish residence time, particle size and bubble size was also examined. Physical modeling confirms that particle separation by gas bubbling in a tundish can be efficient at enhancing inclusion removal. It was also confirmed that relatively small bubbles (<1mm in diameter) are required for maximum separation efficiency.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the frequency of the use of sputum examination in the clinical management of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in a general hospital and to determine whether its use has an impact on mortality.

METHODS
The medical records of CAP patients treated as inpatients between May and November of 2004 at the Nossa Senhora da Conceição Hospital, located in Porto Alegre, Brazil, were reviewed regarding the following aspects: age; gender; severity of pneumonia (Fine score); presence of sputum; sputum bacteriology; treatment history; change in treatment; and mortality.

RESULTS
A total of 274 CAP patients (134 males and 140 females) were evaluated. Using the Fine score to quantify severity, we classified 79 (28.8%) of those 274 patients as class II, 45 (16.4%) as class III, 97 (35.4%) as class IV, and 53 (19.3%) as class V. Sputum examination was carried out in 92 patients (33.6%). A valid sample was obtained in 37 cases (13.5%), and an etiological diagnosis was obtained in 26 (9.5%), resulting in a change of treatment in only 9 cases (3.3%). Overall mortality was 18.6%. Advanced age (above 65), CAP severity, and dry cough were associated with an increase in the mortality rate. Sputum examination did not alter any clinical outcome or have any influence on mortality.

CONCLUSION
Sputum examination was used in a minority of patients and was not associated with any noticeable benefit in the clinical management of patients with CAP treated in a hospital setting.


This article examines particular changes in the 1960s and the early 1970s in the pattern of secondary education in England and Wales. There is an emphasis on the immediate effects on institutions in the West Riding County Council in which the writer served. Nationally it details the effects of Circular 10/65 and the arguments used by the Labour Party to justify its implementation as well as the growing backlash against comprehensive reorganisation within the Conservative Party.


Using the 1980 and 1990 Censuses, we show that self-employment rates differ substantially across ethnic and racial groups in the U.S. These differences exist for both men and women, within broad combinations of ethnic/racial groups such as Europeans, Asians, Hispanics and blacks, and after controlling for variables such as age, education, immigrant status and time in the country. Although there are large differences in self-employment rates across ethnic/racial groups, the processes determining self-employment within each ethnic/racial group are not substantially different. We find fairly similar effects of age, education, year of immigration, and other factors in determining who is self-employed for most groups. We examine whether ethnic/racial self-employment rates are associated with group returns to self-employment. We find evidence of a positive association between an ethnic/racial group's self- employment rate and the difference between average self-employment and wage/salary earnings for that group. This result suggests that our economic model of the self-employment decision may be useful in explaining differences in self-employment rates across ethnic/racial groups. We also find that different ethnic/racial groups locate their businesses in different types of industries. In addition, we do not find evidence that ethnic/racial groups who immigrate from countries with high self-employment rates have high self-employment rates in the U.S.


: Information quality (IQ) is a multidimensional construct and includes dimensions such as accuracy, completeness, objectivity, and representation that are difficult to measure. Recently, research has shown that independent assessors who rated IQ yielded high inter-rater agreement for some information quality dimensions as opposed to others. In this paper, we explore the reasons that underlie the differences in the "measurability" of IQ. Employing Gigerenzer's "building blocks" framework, we conjecture that the feasibility of using a set of heuristic principles consistently when assessing different dimensions of IQ is a key factor driving inter-rater agreement in IQ judgments. We report on two studies. In the first study, we qualitatively explored the manner in which participants applied the heuristic principles of search rules, stopping rules, and decision rules in assessing the IQ dimensions of accuracy, completeness, objectivity, and representation. In the second study, we investigated the extent to which participants could reach an agreement in rating the quality of Wikipedia articles along these dimensions. Our findings show an alignment between the consistent application of heuristic principles and inter-rater agreement levels found on particular dimensions of IQ judgments. Specifically, on the dimensions of completeness and representation, assessors applied the heuristic principles consistently and tended to agree in their ratings, whereas, on the dimensions of accuracy and objectivity, they not apply the heuristic principles in a uniform manner and inter-rater agreement was relatively low. We discuss our findings implications for research and practice.


Presents an environment for the exploration of low-power memory configurations. The environment uses accurate models of memory energy, area and delay to evaluate different configurations. Taking the constraints specified by the user and memory profiling information from the application, the environment can optimize the memory organization for a specific application. The environment also places and routes the organizations to provide more accurate energy, area and delay estimates. Our overall memory system estimation is highly accurate, with average absolute percentage errors within 7%. Within the environment, the user can explore powerful energy/area/delay trade-offs. We present results which show energy reductions within the memory system of up to 63%.