Centaurea benedicta L. is an annual herbaceous plant which belongs to the Asteraceae family. It is native to the Mediterranean region and western Asia and is commonly known as blessed thistle, holy thistle, St Benedict's thistle or spotted thistle. Traditionally, it has been used to treat bubonic plague and possesses diuretic, galactagogue, liver-strengthening and wound healing properties. Recent research studies have investigated its anticancer, antiinflammatory, antioxidant and other therapeutic properties. Several studies have also reported its antimicrobial activity against a range of bacterial pathogens. However, most of these studies were preliminary and only tested relatively high concentrations of the extracts. Additionally, most studies screened a limited number of pathogens. Cnicin is the main chemical compound present in C. benedicta and it has been widely investigated. However, few other compounds from this plant have been identified and/or investigated, and further phytochemical studies are warranted. Interestingly, pure cnicin has good anticancer activity, whilst the crude extracts lack cytotoxic properties. Phytochemical analyses of C. benedicta extracts reveal the presence of multiple flavonoids, tannins, terpenoids and lactones, although few specific phytochemicals within these phytochemical classes have been identified. A limited number of research studies have determined the toxicity profile of C. benedicta in order to evaluate its safety for human use. Substantially more detailed studies are required to rigorously investigate the therapeutic properties and phytochemistry of C. benedicta, which may ultimately lead to the development of new plant-based therapeutic medicines.


Engineers and scientists have a key role to play in the creation and implementation of government policy. Policy-makers need access to the technical expertise that is critical to our national progress and security; however, this need is often overlooked by engineering students, faculty, and professionals. Even though a substantial fraction of scientists and engineers end up pursuing jobs in government, engineering curricula don't usually provide any background in policy, and for many, the policy-making process remains a black box. The good news is that there are some simple ways to make it more accessible and to encourage increased involvement. In this paper, we provide a brief overview of the federal policy-making process, and present a collection of classroom learning activities that link policy-making and implementation to science and engineering. These can easily be added to existing courses without wholesale curricular changes. We also suggest professional development activities for engineers at all stages of their careers, and discuss ways for engineers to become involved in the policy process. Introducing learning and career development activities focused on science and engineering policy will better prepare engineers to provide needed technical expertise to policy-makers. It may also encourage engineers to consider careers in local, state, and federal government.


We present a method to acquire the reflectance field of a human face and use these measurements to render the face under arbitrary changes in lighting and viewpoint. We first acquire images of the face from a small set of viewpoints under a dense sampling of incident illumination directions using a light stage. We then construct a reflectance function image for each observed image pixel from its values over the space of illumination directions. From the reflectance functions, we can directly generate images of the face from the original viewpoints in any form of sampled or computed illumination. To change the viewpoint, we use a model of skin reflectance to estimate the appearance of the reflectance functions for novel viewpoints. We demonstrate the technique with synthetic renderings of a person's face under novel illumination and viewpoints.


The Blind Seer system (Oakland 2014) is an efficient and scalable DBMS that affords both client query privacy and server data protection. It also provides the ability to enforce authorization policies on the system, restricting client's queries while maintaining the privacy of both query and policy. Blind Seer supports a rich query set, including arbitrary boolean formulas, and is provably secure with respect to a controlled amount of search pattern leakage. No other system to date achieves this tradeoff of performance, generality, and provable privacy. A major shortcoming of Blind Seer is its reliance on semi-honest security, particularly for access control and data protection. A malicious client could easily cheat the query authorization policy and obtain any database records satisfying any query of its choice, thus violating basic security features of any standard DBMS. In sum, Blind Seer offers additional privacy to a client, but sacrifices a basic security tenet of DBMS. In the present work, we completely resolve the issue of a malicious client. We show how to achieve robust access control and data protection in Blind Seer with virtually no added cost to performance or privacy. Our approach also involves a novel technique for a semi-private function secure function evaluation (SPF-SFE) that may have independent applications. We fully implement our solution and report on its performance.


The work described in this thesis is aimed at the exploring the possibility of optically integrating multi-bandgap energy devices on appropriate semiconductor substrates, using the technology of quantum well intermixing.

A novel quantum well intermixing technique, based on sputtering process induced disordering (SID), has been developed for the first time, addressing multi-bandgap active device integration. Using this technique, blue shifts have been precisely tuned from 0 nm to over 160 nm for the InGaAs/AlInGaAs and from 0 nm to 100 nm for the InGaAs/InGaAsP MQW systems. Assessment of post-process material characteristics has shown that good electrical and optical qualities were maintained in the bandgap widened regions of both the InGaAs/AlInGaAs and InGaAs/InGaAsP material systems. This novel technique has been used to create multi-wavelength light sources that are of potential application in WDM systems and 2x2 crosspoint optical integrated switches. The expected performance has been achieved.

A reactive ion etching process, using CH4/H2 etching gas, has been investigated, particularly for effective etching in the InGaAs/AlInGaAs MQW system. A 'standard' process for the InGaAs/AlInGaAs material system has been developed, based on experimental research.

Modelling and design of 3-dB MMI couplers have been carried out. An improved Ti/Si02 mask for reactive ion etching has been successfully employed to ensure the waveguide profiles of fabricated MMI couplers meet the design specification, especially regarding the lateral profiles of the MMI section. Characterisation has shown the waveguide profile is close to the design requirement (side wall angle is of 81±2°).

The principle operation of the so-called terahertz optical asymmetric demultiplexer has been qualitatively described and the design of a Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) type demultiplexer has been carried out. Three kinds of MZI demultiplexers with different geometric structures have been fabricated using SID technique. Assessment of the devices has been carried out, including the operation of semiconductor amplifier, propagation loss of the device, etc.


Over the last three decades, the visual artist William Kentridge has garnered international acclaim for his work across media including drawing, film, sculpture, printmaking, and theater. Rendered in stark contrasts of black and white, his images reflect his native South Africa and, like endlessly suggestive shadows, point to something more elemental as well. Based on the 2012 Charles Eliot Norton Lectures, Six Drawing Lessons "is the most comprehensive collection available of Kentridge s thoughts on art, art-making, and the studio.Art, Kentridge says, is its own form of knowledge. It does not simply supplement the real world, and it cannot be purely understood in the rational terms of traditional academic disciplines. The studio is the crucial location for the creation of meaning: the place where linear thinking is abandoned and the material processes of the eye, the hand, the charcoal and paper become themselves the guides of creativity. Drawing has the potential to educate us about the most complex issues of our time. This is the real meaning of drawing lessons. Incorporating elements of graphic design and ranging freely from discussions of Plato s cave to the Enlightenment s role in colonial oppression to the depiction of animals in art, Six Drawing Lessons "is an illustration in print of its own thesis of how art creates knowledge. Foregrounding the very processes by which we see, Kentridge makes us more aware of the mechanisms and deceptions through which we construct meaning in the world."


Ernest Hemingway's corpus has often been analyzed towards its perceived focus on a masculine perspective and experience and has therefore taken its female characters as mere dependents and modifiers of this experience. While a number of critics have, in recent years, turned towards gender as a fruitful approach to Hemingway after all, the mother character especially has received very little scholarly attention still. In this essay I explore parallels between Hemingway's short stories "A Canary For One" and "Hills Like White Elephants" and contemporaneous Progressive, reformist arguments by Olive Schreiner and Elsie Clews Parsons. I will investigate the relationship between mother characters and tropes of maternity in Hemingway's short stories and the argumentative structures of contemporaneous Progressive texts, aiming to illustrate that the parallels I will point out allow a more differentiated analysis of the motherhood trope within this selection of Hemingway's short fiction. This essay contends that the mother character in "A Canary for One" and maternity as a concept in "Hills Like White Elephants" together illustrate two instances of non-Progressive womanhood and thereby appear as a fictionalization of the circumstances out of which Schreiner and Parsons develop their progressive arguments towards female selfhood and individuality.


We study the unitary time evolution of antiferromagnetic order in the Hubbard model after a quench starting from the perfect Neel state. In this setup, which is well suited for experiments with cold atoms, one can distinguish fundamentally different pathways for melting of long-range order at weak and strong interaction. In the Mott insulating regime, melting of long-range order occurs due to the ultrafast transfer of energy from charge excitations to the spin background, while local magnetic moments and their exchange coupling persist during the process. The latter can be demonstrated by a local spin-precession experiment. At weak interaction, local moments decay along with the long-range order. The dynamics is governed by residual quasiparticles, which are reflected in oscillations of the off-diagonal components of the momentum distribution. Such oscillations provide an alternative route to study the prethermalization phenomenon and its influence on the dynamics away from the integrable (noninteracting) limit. The Hubbard model is solved within nonequilibrium dynamical mean-field theory, using the density-matrix renormalization group as an impurity solver.


Accounting scandals entail both self-serving actions and manipulated reporting and disclosure by managers. The social and private losses from such events are thus an issue of major importance. We report results from a modified investment/trust game experiment where deception and information manipulation emerge endogenously in the context of interaction between two parties with competing interests. Our evidence shows that communication between the parties enables social contracts to coordinate joint behavior, but these contracts are frequently breached when hard evidence on outcomes cannot be supplied. Cheaters also adopt sophisticated strategies when breaching that involve concealing the breach through ambiguous actions, reducing the private gains they extract, and manipulating information available to their trading partners. While economies with communication exhibit frequent cheating on contracts, these economies generate total social losses that are slightly lower than and statistically indistinguishable from similar economies where behavior is made transparent through evidence provision. Cheating does have consequences for the distribution of wealth, but these private losses are modest since cheaters must sustain a minimum level of trust for their trading partners to continue interaction. The main implication of our evidence is that communication between self-interested parties is a powerful force in achieving gains from interaction in part because cheaters balance personal gains from deception and information manipulation against the need to sustain the trust that generates ongoing benefits from economic interaction.


Numerical models are used to enhance the understanding of the behavior of real world systems. With increasing complexity of numerical models and their applications, there is a need of more computational power. State of the art processors contain many cores on one single chip. As such, new programming techniques are required if all these cores are to be utilized during model simulation runs. This manuscript reviews the runtime and speedup behavior of parallel model analysis software (e.g. Calimero and Achilles) applied to simulation tools for urban water management (e.g. CityDrain3, EPANET2, SWMM5, par-SWMM). The potential of using a parallel programming environment for 'coordinating' tasks of multiple runs of commonly used modeling software is analyzed. This is especially interesting as the modeling software itself can be implanted sequentially or parallel. Performance tests are performed on a set of real-world case studies. Additionally, a benchmark set of 2,280 virtual case studies is used to investigate performance improvement in relation to the size of the system. It was found that speedup depends on the system size and the time spent in critical code sections with increasing number of used cores. Applying parallelism only at the level of the model analysis software performs best.


There has been a tendency in the forest policy arena to concentrate on top-down managerial and technical aspects of forest management in order to ensure long term supplies of timber and, to a lesser extent, conservation of biodiversity. By analysing the political dimensions of property rights, these approaches to forest management can be understood to mask the fact that forests are often contested domains, with local forest communities' rights and aspirations often at odds with the dominant production/protection regime. The thesis thus analyses the property rights assumptions of the dominant forest management regime in relation to forest communities' rights and access to forest resources, and analyses how and why property rights institutions are chosen and how they evolve over time. By defining property rights as political institutions establishing reciprocal relationships between social actors in relation to forests, issues of power, exclusion and competing rights claims become the central focus of analysis. An analytical framework based on institutional theory is adopted to explore the complex political processes that shape evolving property rights institutions. Institutional theory identities key factors that act as constraints or incentives to institutional choice and change: distributional conflict; asymmetries in power between bargaining parties; the role of ideology; and historical path dependence. The thesis analyses data from two case studies, the Solomon Islands and British Columbia, Canada, in order to investigate these factors in an empirical setting. The findings suggest that the analytical factors provide a useful means of comparative analysis and help explain the dynamic political processes surrounding property rights institutions and forest management in each case, not only in terms of how the institutions were established but also how change has been constrained or mediated over time.


Research suggests organizations across all sectors waste a significant amount of time looking for information and often fail to leverage the information they have. In response, many organizations have deployed some form of enterprise search to improve the ˜findability of information. Debates persist as to whether thesauri and manual indexing or automated machine learning techniques should be used to enhance discovery of information. In addition, the extent to which a Knowledge Organization System (KOS) enhances discoveries or indeed blinds us to new ones remains a moot point. The oil and gas industry is used as a case study using a representative organization. Drawing on prior research, a theoretical model is presented which aims to overcome the shortcomings of each approach. This synergistic model could help re-conceptualize the ˜manual versus ˜automatic debate in many enterprises, accommodating a broader range of information needs. This may enable enterprises to develop more effective information and knowledge management strategies and ease the tension between what is often perceived as mutually exclusive competing approaches. Certain aspects of the theoretical model may be transferable to other industries which is an area for further research. THE ARTICLE WAS SELECTED AS A BEST PAPER FROM THE INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY OF KNOWLEDGE ORGANIZATION (ISKO) CONFERENCE WHERE THE PAPER IS ALSO ONLINE AT: http://www.iskouk.org/content/best-both-worlds-highlighting-synergies-combining-knowledge-modelling-and-automated


The political and social world in which we live and act is partly constituted by the words we use and the way we use them. What power is and how power works is shaped by what we collectively think it is and how we think it works. This essay revisits the question of whether power should be understood as inherently zero-sum (gains for some entailing equivalent losses for others) or variable-sum (both mutual gains and mutual losses of power are possible). The zero-sum assumption is very old (predating by thousands of years the game-theoretic shorthand) and draws its force from the persistence of conflict, inequality, and the possibility of violence in political and social life. But the zero-sum view cannot explain the blend of conflict and cooperation characteristic of many important power relations – including the rule-bound political competition of democracy. Challenges to the zero-sum view are relatively recent and in most cases briefly outlined rather than fully developed. The two most elaborate variable-sum theories, those of Talcott Parsons and Hannah Arendt, are insightful but flawed. Through critical analysis of power literature on both sides of the zero-sum question (including the 'three faces of power' debate, international relations theory and extended commentary on Parsons and Arendt), the paper attempts to clear the way for a more persuasive variable-sum theory than has hitherto appeared.


The objective of this paper is to assess the likely allocation effects of the current climate protection strategy as it is laid out in the National Allocation Plans (NAPs) for the European Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS). The multi-regional, multi-sectoral CGE-model DART is used to simulate the effects of the current policies in the year 2012 when the Kyoto targets need to be met. Different scenarios are simulated in order to highlight the effects of the grandfathering of permits to energy-intensive installations, the use of the project-based mechanisms (CDM and JI), and the restriction imposed by the supplementarity criterion.


The present research investigated the relationships between levels ofworkfami ly/family-work conflict, the use of family friendly initiatives, and levels of perceived supervisor, co-worker, and overall organisational support. It has been suggested that the use and effectiveness of family friendly initiatives may be compromised due to unsupportive supervisor attitudes, co-workers, and organisational cultures. Thus. the relative importance offamily fr iendly initiatives and informal workplace supports for the reduction of work-family conflict, and the influence of informal workplace supports on the use of these initiatives were of particular interest. Participants were employees in four medium to large organisat ions that were members ofthe Equal Employment Opportunities Trust, Work and family Network. A questionnaire was developed that included exist ing scales as well as original items. Overall, 279 male and female employees returned useable questionnaires (a response rate of37%). No significant relationships were found between the use of fam ily friendly init iatives and work-fami ly or family-work connict. However, significant relationships were found between levels of work-family conflict and supervisor, coworker. and overall workplace support. These informal workplace supportive variables were also shown to be more important to the prediction of work-family and family-work conflict than was the use of family friendly init iatives. Levels of work-fami ly conflict were greater fo r men than for women, and men's use of family friendly initiatives was significantly related to their perceptions of informal workplace support. No such relationship was found for women. The research demonstrated that informal workplace support was more important to the reduction of work-family and family-work conflict than the number of initiatives used. The importance of work-family conflict to men was highlighted, demonstrating the relevance of family friendly initiatives for both genders. The attitudes and expectations in the workplace that limit the use of initiatives, particularly by men, need to be changed. When introducing a family friendly programme, the needs of employees, the quality of the initiatives, the attitudes of supervisors and co-workers, and the expectations and structure of work within the organisation, must all be addressed to ensure that employees feel able to make use of the family friendly initiatives available.


The application of optimization in industrial processes is faced with many challenges. One of the main challenge is the possible inaccuracy of information. In contrast to mathematical optimization theory, information is not completely known a priori. Often information can only be estimated or changes over time. Another challenge is the need of a decision in real time. Both points are relevant for a control of a flexibly designed in-plant block storage. The schedule plan for storages and removals should be able to adapt quickly to changes. In this paper an algorithmic approach is presented which is able to react on dynamic and uncertain changes due to the production process. To this end, optimization algorithms are implemented within a rolling planning process, so it is possible to respond to updated information by adapting the current plan. A novel optimization method is developed to generate cost effective and robust solutions by looking ahead into the future.


A haemodynamic and myocardial metabolic study was performed to compare effects of maximal atrial pacing and the cold pressor test (CPT) in patients with angina pectoris. Twelve patients (group I) had angiographically severe coronary artery disease, while 16 patients (group II) had normal coronary angiograms. At maximal pacing, angina developed in all patients in group I, and myocardial lactate production was found in eight of 12 patients. In group II, 12 out of 16 patients experienced chest pain, but only two patients had myocardial lactate production. Neither angina nor myocardial lactate production was present in any patient in either group during CPT. Coronary sinus flow increased and coronary vascular resistance decreased significantly in both groups at maximal pacing (P less than 0.001). At CPT, coronary flow decreased (P less than 0.05) and coronary resistance increased (P less than 0.001) in group I, while individual response was more variable in group II. In conclusion, maximal pacing was a more effective method of provocation of angina pectoris than CPT. The reactions of coronary sinus flow and coronary vascular resistance were different in group I than in group II. However, because of the variability of response in patients with normal coronary arteries, CPT cannot be used to distinguish patients with coronary artery disease from patients with no such disease.


Louis Ferdinand CEline (the pseudonym of Louis Destouches) was a famous novelist and ferocious anti-Semitic pamphleteer who rose to fame before Hitler, but perfectly represented the fascist mind-set that swept across Europe between 1932 and 1944. Never a Nazi himself, he was author of Journey to the End of the Night, Death on the Installment Plan, Guignol's Band, Homage to Zola, and a series of "pamphlets." The latter are a potpourri of racist editorials, ballet scenarios, and anti-Semitic confessions so violent that an aesthete like Andre Gide thought them parodies of other anti-Semitic literature. Little wonder the Nazis regarded CEline as a fellow-traveler. He retreated with the Nazis across the Rhine and sought refuge with them, first in Germany and then in Denmark. In 1951, he benefitted from an amnesty as a wounded veteran of both World Wars. Before his death in 1961 he had regained his popularity with the public and was regarded as a classic writer. Now that the body of his work is in translation, CEline's fame in the literary world circles the globe. CEline, perhaps more than any other analysis, helps shed some light on this enigmatic figure. It establishes his literary importance, and, at the same time, examines his anti-Semitism. After a final meeting, Hindus declared that "Celine is a splinter in my mind that I've got either to absorb completely or eject completely." The reader of this fascinating critical memoir of one of the twentieth century's most controversial literary figures is apt to be left with a similar dilemma.


The continental island of Tasmania supports an extraordinary biota featuring ancient communities, high levels of endemism and many species extinct on mainland Australia. However, more than 670 species are currently listed as threatened, mainly due to changes in their habitat since European settlement. Although Tasmania has a relatively high proportion of its land in reserves with some degree of representation for most vegetation types, habitat protection in some bioregions is very low. In this paper we approach biodiversity assessment in Tasmania by (i) addressing critical, natural ecological processes that underpin and sustain its biodiversity, (ii) assessing the current trends in, and threats to, these processes, and (iii) identifying gaps in knowledge that limit the effective management of these processes for conservation. It is hoped that this will contribute a sound basis for ongoing adaptive management for biodiversity conservation in Tasmania and assist in re-focusing the purpose of the reserve network from representation to persistence of the native biota.


Desalination plants could become net absorbers (rather than net emitters) of CO2. Thermal decomposition of salts in desalination reject brine can yield MgO which, added to the ocean, would take up CO2 through conversion to bicarbonate. The process proposed here comprises dewatering of brine followed by decomposition in a solar receiver using a heliostat field.


To the Editor: The commentary, by Dr. M. S. Cetron and colleagues, on the action plan for drugresistant Streptococcus pneumoniae (1) prompts us to describe the main system for surveillance of antibiotic resistance in use by the Public Health Laboratory Service (PHLS) in England and Wales and our recent results for resistance in S. pneumoniae. Since 1974, the diagnostic laboratories in the PHLS network (53 in 1993-94) and increasing numbers of National Health Service and private laboratories have reported, on a voluntary basis, all bacterial isolations from blood or cerebrospinal fluid to the PHLS Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre. Since 1989, they have been asked to include their antimicrobial susceptibility test results on all isolates. In 1993, for example, antimicrobial susceptibility test results were received from 195 laboratories, on > 28,000 nonduplicate isolates. Some data are sent as written entries on the report forms, but increasingly they are being transmitted electronically. Results may be analyzed according to region or reporting laboratory or by patient characteristics, such as age. All laboratories do not test the same antimicrobial agents, but a nucleus set is tested by most laboratories for each species. Results are reported as "susceptible" (S), "resistant" (R) or "intermediate" (I). Although the methods are not standardized, external quality assurance is provided by the UK National External Quality Assessment Scheme (2), to which almost all laboratories subscribe. In addition, many laboratories refer isolates that show particularly critical resistance traits (such as ß-lactam resistance in S. pneumoniae, or glycopeptide resistance in Enterococcus species) to the PHLS Antibiotic Reference Unit (ARU) for determination of minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs); these can often be matched against the submitted results. Occasional prevalence surveys in the PHLS network, with testing of isolates in the ARU, act as a further monitoring measure. The application of the system can be seen in the recently published results of 6 years' surveillance of resistance amongst isolates of S. pneumoniae causing bacteremia or meningitis (3,4). There has been a statistically significant trend to increased resistance to penicillin (from 0.3% in 1989 to 2.5% in 1994), although these are low percentages in comparison with those seen in many other countries (5). Moreover, a considerable increase has been observed in resistance to erythromycin (from 3.3% in 1989 to 11.2% in 1994). These figures are based on susceptibility testing of more than 2,500 isolates in each of the 6 years. In 1993, resistance to penicillin and erythromycin was significantly more common amongst pneumococci from bacteremia and meningitis in the younger age groups (≤ 9 years). A significant rise during the 6 years was also seen in trimethoprim resistance, but no significant change was observed in resistance to tetracycline or chloramphenicol. The resistance totals include isolates reported as resistant (R), and as intermediate (I), as we cannot be sure of the basis for this discrimination in the diagnostic laboratories. The proportion of isolates reported as I is very small, with the exception of antimicrobial agents for which many strains have MICs near the breakpoint defined to separate sensitive and resistant strains. In the case of S. pneumoniae, this applied to trimethoprim (6.3% of isolates reported as I in 1993); < 0.5% of isolates were reported as I to other antimicrobial agents. The results of the National External Quality Assessment Scheme exercises have shown acceptable proficiency. For example, in the detection of penicillin resistance, in five distributions of pneumococcal strains that require an MIC of 0.25 mg/l, 74% to 90% of laboratories obtained correct results; in six distributions of strains that require an MIC of 1.0 mg/l. 95% to 99% of laboratories did so (J.J.S. Snell, pers. comm.). The isolates included in the analysis that were also tested in the ARU gave closely similar results: for example, of 86 pneumococcal isolates tested for susceptibility to penicillin in early 1995, 82 (95%) gave the same result in the sender's laboratory and in the ARU. A survey of resistance in pneumococci (from all sites) conducted in March l995 with MIC determination by the ARU (unpublished) showed similar proportions of resistant strains. These observations demonstrate that the results of susceptibility tests undertaken for the management of individual patients may be compiled and analyzed for surveillance purposes. Duplicate isolates from the same infection episode should not be included, and satisfactory quality assurance should be undertaken. Increasing use of computers and networking among the clinical laboratories should facilitate the process of data collection.


Aircraft and High Speed Train (HST) operations usually result in competition between the
airlines and the railways, leading the former to resist mode substitution and thus limiting its
potential benefits. This research proposes a different model of substitution, one in which the
airlines replace the aircraft by HST on some routes but continue to provide the services
through code share agreements with the railways which operate the HST. In addition, the
model assumes that the HST service is provided from the airport and is fully integrated with
the rest of the airline's route network, leading to airline and railway integration.
Under this model, the research has shown that airlines benefit from integration (as well as
the railways and the airports) and thus have an incentive to adopt mode substitution.
Furthermore, passengersa nd society also benefit, the former from travel time savings and the
latter from reduced environmental pollution, making integration a win-win option.
Adopting an empirical approach, the benefits from airline and railway integration are
evaluated using Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA) and Multi Criteria Analysis (MCA)
frameworks, and using the London Heathrow airport to Paris route as a case study. The
analysis showed that HST and rail services at airports provide an alternative to investment in
increasing runway capacity and that this secures additional benefits at a comparable cost.
Specifically for Heathrow, airline and railway integration was found to be the only option to
resolve the Government's three main policy goals for the airport, namely preserving its
international competitive position as a transfer/hub airport in order to secure its contribution
to the national economy; increasing services from the regions, and thus accessibility from the
regions to London and the rest of the world; and to curb its impact on the environment.
Furthermore, integration between modes, a key policy target in the UK and the EU, is
promoted. The above holds for other airports as well.
Following from the above, the research recommends adopting airline and railway integration
as the model for aircraft and HST substitution and calls for the definition of air transport
infrastructure to be changed and to include HST lines and stations.
On the methodological aspects, the use of a detailed empirical analysis, which includes the
use of comprehensive evaluation practices, is recommended as the basis for forming
transport policies. The analysis has shown that it is necessary to rely on the CBA results, but
the recommendation is to support these results with MCA to provide evidence for its
robustness. In addition, it was found that the common units of passenger-km are not always
appropriate and that it is important to present the results in different units.


In the classical embryology there exist two main concepts to explain the rising of a living being. At one hand there exists the theory of preformation i.e. all the parts of the future embryo would already exist preformed during the preembryonic or early embryonic period. On the other hand there is the epigenetic view in which it is propounded that all parts arise by neoforma- tion from interacting (induction) previously existing, apparently simpler structures. We found evidence that initially a kind of pre- formation (or pre-existence), disposed in concentric circular layers, exists in the full grown oocyte and early germ. After normal development these circular layers will settle successively, from the centrum to the periphery, into the central nervous system, the notochord, somites, lateral plates (coelom) definitive endoderm. Under influence of mechanical and gravitational forces an early epigenetic development starts by unequal oblique uptake (unidirectional chaos) and segregation of ooplasmic determinants in the germ. So an epigenetic cascade of early general body plan formation occurs in the vertebrate embryo. Recently, we demonstrated by hemi-sectioning of avian unincubated blastoderms that both a kind of preformational (mosaicism) as epigenetic (regulation) behaviour depends on the spatial, ooplasmic distribution of Rauber's sickle material, homologous to the also sickle-shaped Wnt expressing gene region in ascidians. This clearly brings preformation and epigenesis much closer together since there is a common influencing ooplasmic factor. An ooplasmic continuity bridging the premature oocyte ooplasm to the embryonic primordial germ cells of the following generation is demonstrated. Both nuclear and ooplasmic continuity in the oocytes, present in the ovary of birds and mammals, is shown by radioactive premeiotic DNA labelling.


Take your Java programming skills beyond the ordinary. Java After Hours: 10 Projects You'll Never Do at Work will make Java your playground with ten detailed projects that will have you exploring the various fields that Java offers to build exciting new programs. You'll learn to: Create graphics interactively on Web servers Send images to Web browsers Tinker with Java's Swing package to make it do seemingly impossible things Search websites and send e-mail from Java programs Use multithreading, Ant and more!Increase your Java arsenal by taking control of Java and explore its possibilities with Java After Hours.


This narrative review investigated imaging parameters of the paraspinal muscles and their association with spinal degenerative features and low back pain (LBP) found in the literature. Three principal signs of muscle degeneration were detected on imaging: decreased muscle size, decreased radiographic density, and increased fat deposits. Men have a higher density of paraspinal muscles than women, younger individuals have a higher density than older ones, and lean individuals have a higher density than those with an increased body mass index. Fatty infiltration appears to be a late stage of muscular degeneration and can be measured noninvasively by an MRI scan. Fatty infiltration in the lumbar multifidus is common in adults and is strongly associated with LBP, especially in women, independent of body composition. Fatty infiltration develops in areas where most degenerative changes are found. MR spectroscopy studies have corroborated that the lumbar multifidus in LBP subjects has a significantly higher fat content than asymptomatic controls. There is a strong need for establishing uniform methods of evaluating normal parameters and degenerative changes of the paraspinal muscles. Additional imaging studies are needed to improve the understanding of the association and causal relationships between LBP, spinal degeneration, and changes in the paraspinal muscles.


The article presents the analysis of the study groups set up by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to assess the non-military aspects of Soviet power and potential during the era of Nikita Khrushchev. Following Stalin's death, the Western alliance tried to form a comprehensive view of the strengths and weaknesses of the USSR's economy and political system. This was part of NATO's effort to adjust to the realities of a long Cold War, the outcome of which would not be decided by military force alone. The NATO reports were largely successful in describing the long-term trends of the Soviet economy and the weaknesses of the Soviet system. However, they usually failed to anticipate specific, though significant and potentially dangerous, initiatives of the Soviet regime. On balance they were a crucial input for NATO ministers, and their importance in the shaping of Western policies needs to be evaluated carefully.


We investigate a candidate for the potential implementation of entanglement purification of two entangled nitrogen vacancy (N-V) centers that are coupled with two microtoroidal resonators. In our proposed entanglement purification protocol (EPP), mixed entangled ensembles can be purified with the local parity-check operations. With current and near-future technology, we can achieve the maximally entangled N-V centers nonlocally. And our EPP can be used in quantum repeaters for long-distance quantum communication.


Learning analytics is the analysis of student data with the purpose of improving learning. However, the process of data cleaning remains underexposed within learning analytics literature. In this paper, we elaborate on choices made in the cleaning process of student data and their consequences. We illustrate this with a case where data was gathered during six courses taught via Moodle. In this data set, only 21% of the logged activities were linked to a specific course. We illustrate possible choices in dealing with missing data by applying the cleaning process twelve times with different choices on copies of the raw data. Consequently, the analysis of the data shows varying outcomes. As the purpose of learning analytics is to intervene based on analysis and visualizations, it is of utmost importance to be aware of choices made during data cleaning. This paper's main goal is to make stakeholders of (learning) analytics activities aware of the fact that choices are made during data cleaning have consequences on the outcomes. We believe that there should be transparency to the users of these outcomes and give them a detailed report of the decisions made.


Caffeine consistently enhances endurance performance in temperate environmental conditions, while far less research has examined its ergogenic and physiological effects during prolonged exercise in the heat. Despite the performance benefit of an acute caffeine doses being less pronounced in regular caffeine users versus those not habituated to the drug, few studies have examined the influence of a prolonged period of controlled caffeine intake on endurance performance. The endogenous trace amine octopamine is purported to possess stimulant-like properties and influence fat metabolism, although no study has examined these effects in humans. The aim of this thesis was to further characterise the performance and physiological effects of caffeine during prolonged exercise, while elucidating a potential ergogenic role for octopamine.
The first two studies investigated the ergogenic and thermoregulatory effects of low to moderate caffeine doses during prolonged cycle exercise in the heat. Chapter 4 demonstrated that 3 mg kg−1 caffeine, administered either as a single or split-dose (2 x 1.5 mg kg−1) before exercise, improved endurance performance without influencing thermoregulation during prolonged exercise at a fixed work-rate. Dividing the caffeine bolus appeared to confer an additional performance benefit, suggesting repeated low dose may potentiate the efficiency of the same total caffeine dose under these conditions. Chapter 5 demonstrated that a 6 mg kg−1 caffeine dose improved endurance cycle performance without differentially influencing thermoregulation than placebo.
The level of habituation to caffeine influences the ergogenic effect of an acute dose, yet previous studies have employed sub-chronic supplementation protocols. Chapter 6 investigated the effect of a twenty-eight day supplementation period on endurance cycle performance. Habituation to caffeine attenuated the ergogenic effect of an acute caffeine dose, without any change in circulating caffeine, substrate oxidation or hormonal concentrations. In chapter 7 the performance and metabolic effects of octopamine was investigated. Octopamine supplementation did not influence performance, hormonal concentrations or substrate oxidation, likely due to low serum concentrations of the drug.


Tendencies in film hermeneutics. Hollywood is synonymous with the tradition of images that are used to create emotion, to strengthen attachment, and to encourage imitation. In a certain sense these values are also encouraged by the church as institution. Scholars who study the connection between cinematography and theology acknowledge that the cinema has become the 'principal new church' for post-secularised believers. Films are regarded among the 'big books' of 'postmodern culture'. In this article it is argued that film hermeneutics should be regarded as an epistemological movement which has departed from a typographical culture, including logocentrism, phonocentrism, and text-focused cognition. The movement is towards a visual culture, including audiovisual and virtual realities, and is contextualised in a cyber-community. Tendencies in films with biblical and religious dimensions and themes, including the way in which the Christ figure is portrayed, are discussed. In this article the value of film hermeneutics – that is, the 'textuality of the screen' – as public theology, is also identified.


In a Hotelling duopoly model, we introduce quality that is more appreciated by closer consumers. Then higher common quality raises equilibrium prices, in contrast to the standard neutrality result. Furthermore, we allow consumers to buy one out of two goods (single-purchase) or both (multi-purchase). Prices are strategically independent when some consumers multi-purchase because suppliers price the incremental benefit to marginal consumers. In a multi-purchase regime, there is a hump-shaped relationship between equilibrium prices and quality when quality functions overlap. If quality is sufficiently good, it might be a dominant strategy for each supplier to price high and eliminate multi-purchase.


The objectives of the Automated Enforcement and Highway Safety Research study were to conduct a literature review of national research related to the effectiveness of Red Light Camera (RLC) programs in changing crash frequency, crash severity, crash costs, and violations; identify red light running program noteworthy practices, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and barriers; establish a record of current RLC applications in Louisiana communities and the observed safety impact of the programs; conduct a survey to understand public perception of RLC programs in Louisiana; review the existing statewide RLC policy, compare it to noteworthy practices, identify potential improvements; and develop a guidebook for implementing red light camera programs. The research led to recommendations to modify state policy to improve public support for red light cameras. Potential modifications include enhanced public education programs, additional signage, and clarification on right-turn-on-red violations at signalized intersections with red light cameras. The research also includes recommendations to maximize local agency involvement in site selection.


Nuclear power long has held a precarious position in our energy landscape. In the aftermath of the meltdown at Fukushima Daiichi in Japan, the question of nuclear power's future is as pressing as ever. Using Fukushima as a template, this article examines the role that disasters play in shaping energy law and policy. It argues that by focusing on disasters, energy law becomes shortsighted. Its evolution is often both reactionary and incremental — reactionary because changes in the law respond only to the immediate crisis, incremental because those changes do not address the crises' root causes. As Fukushima makes clear, this exposes a dual flaw in U.S. energy policy: Our energy laws need to look more to sustainability, and they must include heavier doses of planning. The article begins by sketching the events that caused the Fukushima disaster, tracing three nation's reactions to it, and then conceptualizing the role that disasters play in energy law.


Sustainability at the University of Central Oklahoma In 2001 the University of Central Oklahoma (UCO) faced a bleak future relative to campus infrastructure. HVAC systems had completely crashed in two major campus buildings and the average age of air conditioning and chiller units was over 40 years. Moreover, the State of Oklahoma allocated less than $1 million per year to the university to provide for all the capital needs of a university of 15,000 students and 2 million square feet of conditioned space. Interestingly, this overwhelming challenge put UCO on the path to eventually become one of the nation's most honored schools for sustainability. UCO began to solve its infrastructure nightmare by replacing all the ancient units with new, energy efficient systems. The financial savings on utility charges provided more than ample funds to provide a stream of revenue to retire the debt of buying all the new systems. Soon the school completely replaced all lighting systems and every water delivery and restroom fixtures with low energy use and low water use systems, utilizing the same "performance contract" model. Suddenly UCO was using 25% less water and energy. Waste water streams were reduced. This experience led the university to continue to find ways to create a sustainable environment in a fiscally responsible way. Soon the school elected to use 100% wind generated power from the local utility company. Over the 2 1/2 years since switching, the cost of wind power has averaged to be equal to the cost of carbon-based electricity. Again, UCO was responsible to the Earth and to the citizens and students of UCO who entrust their tax and tuition dollars to the most effective use. The carbon footprint reduction at UCO was becoming increasingly noticeable. Students, faculty, staff, and administrators began to coalesce around the idea that a real difference was being made, that the values of the university and the students were being expressed in discernable and tangible ways. Following these major energy reduction and sustainability projects, the campus erupted with innovative and creative responses to other challenges and opportunities. The university motor pool created a mini-refinery to convert used cooking grease into a high performance bio-diesel for all UCO equipment and vehicles that ran on diesel. A cookie-cutter recycling program leapt to life with paper, cans, plastics, batteries, solvents, fluorescents, cardboard and much more being collected office by office. The grounds crews began to design tree planting and other landscaping techniques to reduce water usage and to provide maximum shade on buildings to reduce cooling needs. Computerized irrigation systems paid for themselves with water reductions. Low impact gardens were designed by botany and biology faculty to provide on-campus study sites and to meet local ecosystem limits. UCO, chronically challenged with parking shortages, determined that more paving was not sustainable, instead adding a high demand "bum-a-bike" program and high occupancy vehicle parking lots in the most desirable and closely-accessible parking lots. Instead of adding parking spaces to meet demand, the school has been able to manage demand with these programs and financial support for local mass transit. The costs of these programs are much less than the cost to purchase and tear down houses, construct, and maintain new paved parking. A multitude of student, faculty and staff suggestions were implemented. In addition to the above, these implemented suggestions included motion sensor light fixtures and the use of a thermal storage tank that would fill and chill water in non-peak times. The local utility providers structured new and reduced rates for the school due to changing use from high-demand peaks to non-peak times. The university committed to meet LEED certification energy saving standards on all new construction in order to minimize future operational costs and carbon footprints. …


Abstract Background: Patients with chronic liver disease are at increased risk for morbidity and mortality after superimposed hepatitis A or B virus infections. Historically, providers have done a poor job addressing hepatitis A and B immunity.
Aim: We examined hepatitis A and B immunity in cirrhotic patients within our gastroenterology fellows' clinic and assessed how electronic medical record prompts could improve vaccination practices.
Methods: Clinical data was extracted manually on all cirrhotic patients seen during pre-intervention and post-intervention periods at two continuity clinic sites examining how often providers addressed vaccine status and ordered vaccines or antibody serologies. A handout with current guideline recommendations and an electronic template for cirrhosis management were given to all providers as the intervention between the two study periods. Statistical analysis was performed comparing pre- and post-intervention data.
Results: Prior to intervention protective antibodies against hepatitis A and B virus were only present in 43% and 19% of patients at site one and 19% and 25% at site two, respectively. Pre- and post-intervention patient demographics were not significantly different. Patients seen post-intervention more consistently had hepatitis A and B vaccination status addressed by providers, having vaccines or antibody serologies ordered significantly more often.
Conclusion: Serious deficiencies exist in ensuring patients with cirrhosis are vaccinated to hepatitis A and B viruses. Handouts and disease specific templates in the medical record can help ensure providers are addressing vaccination status to improve patient care.


There is no article in the literature correlating only craniofacial abnormalities in twins. Since 1985 the Tygerberg Craniofacial Unit has treated nine pairs of twins. In this retrospective study, the authors correlate the craniofacial and systemic anomalies with the specific twin type. Background: The frequency of human twinning varies from 1 in 30 to 1 in 150 pregnancies. These can be monozygotic (MZ) or dizygotic (DZ). Monozygotic or identical twins occur when a single ovum is fertilized, so the twins possess an identical set of nuclear genes. DZ twins result from the fertilization of two separate ova. Findings: Of the nine sets of twins, six were MZ (identical) and three DZ. Twelve patients presented with craniofacial abnormalities (CFA), which ranged from deformational plagiocephaly, scaphocephaly, trigonocephaly, to frontonasal dysplasia. Craniosynostosis was the most common CFA. Associated abnormalities included facial, limb, and cardiac defects. Conclusion: Twins with CFA are rare. The authors found that MZ twins are affected more and are more likely to have both siblings affected. DZ twins are affected less and are unlikely to have a co-twin affected.


The United Kingdom (UK) is not an Arctic state, but over the past decade its policies towards the region have developed in significant ways. Since 2013 the British Government has published two Arctic Policy Frameworks, setting out commitments to working cooperatively with the Arctic states and other stakeholders to ensure that as climate change occurs the region remains peaceful. In 2019, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) committed to publishing an Arctic Defence Strategy, that would "put the Arctic and the High North central to the security of the United Kingdom". This article examines the evolution of UK defence interests in the Arctic, whilst also highlighting the emergence of a significant Scottish dimension in UK Arctic affairs.


Purpose: Several Monte Carlo (MC) based treatment planning systems are commercially available for electron beams and more users are implementing them in the clinical setting. In the case of MC based treatment planning systems in addition to the dose calculation accuracy one also needs to define the additional calculation parameters, such as the calculation voxel size, the choice between the computation of dose-to-medium or dose-to-water, and the number of histories and/or acceptable level of statistical uncertainty for the voxelized dose distribution. Methods: We report on the influence of these parameters on both calculation time and on the accuracy of calculated dose distributions for the XiO electron Monte Carlo (XiO eMC) software, a new treatment planning system for electron beams developed and commercialized by CMS incorporated. A comparison of radiochromic film measurements with simulated data using different parameters was performed for a complex heterogeneous phantom. Results: Dose calculations in a heterogeneous phantom are in very good agreement with film measurements, provided that appropriate simulation parameters are used (1% average statistical uncertainty, voxel size=2×2×2 mm cubed and dose- to-water is computed). The rapid three-dimensional dose gradients exhibited for these data highlight the need for a fully 3D dose comparison tool (currently under development) for electron beams treating complex heterogeneous geometries. Using a clinical XiO Linux workstation (8 processors each 3 GHz, 8.29 GB RAM), high resolution (2.5×2.5×2.5 mm cubed) low noise (<1% MRSU) simulations can be obtained in less than 4 and 8 minutes respectively for 9 and 17 MeV beams with a 10×10 cm squared applicator. Conclusions: XiO eMC calculated dose distributions agree very well with the experimental ones in both water tank and heterogeneous phantoms. More investigation may be required, however, to determine the optimal trade off between dosimetric accuracy and clinically acceptable computation times.

Financial support has been provided from Elekta CMS incorporated.


The offshore wind industry is undergoing a rapid development due to its advantage over the onshore wind farm. The vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT) is deemed to be potential in offshore wind energy utilization. A design of the offshore vertical axis wind turbine with a deflector is proposed and studied in this paper. Two-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation is employed to investigate the aerodynamic performance of wind turbine. An effective method of obtaining the blade's angle of attack (AoA) is introduced in CFD simulation to help analyze the blade aerodynamic torque variation. The numerical simulations are validated against the measured torque and wake velocity, and the results show a good agreement with the experiment. It is found that the blade instantaneous torque is correlated with the local AoA. Among the three deflector configurations, the front deflector leads to favorable local flow for the blade, which is responsible for the improved performance.


Recent debates over the constitutionality of Robert Mueller's appointment as special counsel turn on whether he is a principal or inferior "officer of the United States." Professor Steven Calabresi contends that Mueller is in fact a principal officer, who must be nominated by the President, and confirmed by the Senate. George Conway, writing for Lawfare, counters that Mueller is an inferior officer, who can be appointed by the Assistant Attorney General -- the relevant department head -- without Senate confirmation. They may both be wrong.
The Supreme Court's recent decision in Lucia v. SEC explains that if a federal position is only "temporary," then such a position is likely not an "office of the United States." Rather, to frame the issue as the Court did in Buckley v. Valeo, the position is a mere "employee of the United States." This understanding of the distinction between officer and employee relies on a line of cases stretching back to Reconstruction. Without question, Mueller's appointment is "temporary." Therefore, he may not be an "officer of the United States" under the rule in Lucia. More pressingly, Morrison v. Olson found that the independent counsel was an inferior "officer of the United States," in part, because it was "temporary." Lucia did not even cite Morrison, let alone overrule it. Yet, language in Justice Kagan's recent majority opinion in Lucia casts doubt on the continuing validity of Morrison's holding. If Lucia is correct on this point (and we think it is), and if Morrison is now incorrect on this point (and we think it is), then Special Counsel Mueller is merely an "employee of the United States." This post addresses four important questions that stem from this somewhat unexpected development in the law of office and officer.


The LEAR SIEGLER, INC., POWER EQUIPMENT DIVISION, a major designer and manufacturer of electromechanical equipment for aerospace, missile, and ordnance applications, was established in 1962 when Lear, Inc., merged with the Siegler Corp., the parent company of Jack & Heintz, at 17600 Broadway in MAPLE HTS. Jack & Heintz, Inc. had been cofounded by machinist Wm. S. "Bill" Jack and chemical engineer Ralph M. Heintz in 1940 to manufacture precision parts for airplanes. While Heintz directed the engineering and technical operations, Jack oversaw production, making the company a model of enlightened paternalism. He offered the "associates," as Jack called his employees, medical, accident, and life insurance, free medical care, free meals, and good pay. In return Jack expected them to work 12-hour shifts, 7 days a week with time-and-a-half for more than 40 hours a week. Noted for efficiency in fulfilling its defense contracts during World War II, Jack & Heintz grew from 56 employees in 1940 to 8,700 in 1944, sharing its extra profits with the associates. After a postwar business slump in 1946, the company merged with the Precision Prods. Corp., becoming Jack & Heintz Precision Prods. Siegler acquired the firm in 1961 and merged with Lear the following year, creating the Lear Siegler Power Equipment Div. In 1963 the division employed 2,200 people in the Cleveland area, including a plant in Elyria, 2 plants on Solon Rd., and the Broadway Ave. facility where a new aerospace engineering center was located. By 1964 division sales reached $40 million annually. In 1985, however, the company was forced to lay off 387 local employees following an unfavorable investigation into quality control problems related to a lucrative government contract for the developing and manufacturing of parts for the Patriot Missile System. And in 1988, after a brief financial rebound in 1987, Lear Siegler was purchased by Britain's Lucas Industries for $32.2 million dollars and renamed Lucas Aerospace Power Equipment Corporation. Jahco News, 26 June 1942 and 24 July 1942, WRHS. Lear Siegler, Inc. Annual Reports, 1983 and 1984. Theodore Hall Papers, WRHS.


We analyze the system impairment due to beat noises between backreflections and the upstream signal in bidirectional single-fiber wavelength-division-multiplexing passive optical networks (WDM-PONs). The relative intensity noise (RIN), the power penalty caused by the beat noises and the optimum optical network unit (ONU) gain that minimizes this penalty are investigated. In addition to the transmission line loss (TLL), we find that these parameters are also dependent on the linewidth of the seed light, the chirp effect at the ONU and the receiver bandwidth. Different types of laser sources at the optical line terminal (OLT) and various wavelength-independent ONU configurations are intensively investigated to explore those dependencies. It is also found that the systems with remodulation configurations are more tolerant to the backreflections.


Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is characterized by overexpression of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and loss of the tumor suppressors Ink4a/Arf. Efforts at modeling GBM using wild-type EGFR in mice have proven unsuccessful. Here, we present a unique mouse model of wild-type EGFR-driven gliomagenesis. We used a combination of somatic conditional overexpression and ligand-mediated chronic activation of EGFR in cooperation with Ink4a/Arf loss in the central nervous system of adult mice to generate tumors with the histopathologic and molecular characteristics of human GBMs. Sustained, ligand-mediated activation of EGFR was necessary for gliomagenesis, functionally substantiating the clinical observation that EGFR-positive GBMs from patients express EGFR ligands. To gain a better understanding of the clinically disappointing EGFR-targeted therapies for GBM, we investigated the molecular responses to EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) treatment in this model. Gefitinib treatment of primary GBM cells resulted in a robust apoptotic response, partially conveyed by mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling attenuation and accompanied by BIM(EL) expression. In human GBMs, loss-of-function mutations in the tumor suppressor PTEN are a common occurrence. Elimination of PTEN expression in GBM cells posttumor formation did not confer resistance to TKI treatment, showing that PTEN status in our model is not predictive. Together, these findings offer important mechanistic insights into the genetic determinants of EGFR gliomagenesis and sensitivity to TKIs and provide a robust discovery platform to better understand the molecular events that are associated with predictive markers of TKI therapy.


A colorimeter was constructed to measure the size of just-noticeable color differences as a function of observer adaptation. It was of the Burnham type with 1.6° test and matching fields and a 15° adaptation field that had a luminance of 3400 cd/m2. Nine different adaptations were used: dark adaptation, adaptation to five near-planckian white-light sources that had color temperatures in the range 6500–2000 K, and adaptation to three colors, red, green, and blue. Very little difference was found between the sets of discrimination data obtained for adaptations to the five white lights; a slight increase of the size of the just-noticeable color difference with decreasing color temperature was observed. To permit the data to be compared on a basis of equal appearance, rather than equal chromaticity, the colorimeter was modified so that color-appearance shifts could be measured, using a binocular-matching technique. Appearance-shift matrices were computed from the experimental results so that the discrimination data for each adaptation could be plotted in terms of the appearance of colors with adaptation to 6500 K. The results for the white-light adaptations showed that there was very little difference between the data when plotted directly and the data plotted as they would appear in 6500-K adaptation. This was also found for the results obtained with dark adaptation, but it was not true for the results obtained for color adaptations.


Effects of nanofiller addition on four typical dielectric properties, namely permittivity εr',dielectric loss factor εr", space charge accumulation, and partial discharge (PD) resistance were evaluated for polypropylene (PP) and its nanocomposites (NCs) with nanoclay. While εr' and εr" are almost independent of temperature and frequency in the base unfilled PP, they are highly dependent on the two parameters in the two NCs. Namely, εr' increases significantly at temperatures above 20 °C and the frequency spectrum of εr" shows at least one temperature-dependent peak. Furthermore, space charge appears abundantly in the two NCs compared to the base PP. These results indicate that plenty of mobile carriers and/or dipoles, probably resulted from the manufacturing process, remain in the two NCs. Notwithstanding the above-mentioned 'inferior' insulating properties, the two NCs have an improved PD resistance compared with the base PP. Namely, the erosion depth on the surface induced by PDs is the smallest in the NC with the largest filler content, while it is the largest in the base PP. Such differences in the effects of nanofillers on different insulating properties are attributable to the fact that nanofillers can improve the PD resistance simply by their presence, while the chemicals needed for uniform dispersion of nanofillers may sometimes increase the permittivity and abundance of charge carriers.


Sea transportation is the base of trading and plays a major role in supplying commodity chain. In this chain, Ports as the stimulants of economic activities of countries and connecting ring between land and sea transportation ensure the steady flow of goods and services and provide traders and owners with the economical way to exchange goods. Khorramshahr is one of the most important ports in Iran and is located in the northwest of Persian Gulf and southwestern Iran (Shalamcheh land border) neighboring southeastern Iraq and is located at the confluence of the Arvand and Karoon rivers in Khuzestan province. This study examined the effects of changes in fuel prices on sea freight in Khorramshahr port in order to determine the effectiveness level of each factor in changes of transportation costs .This study is based on annual data time series 1996 to 2012. The research results show that the ship's fuel price is directly proportional to the sea freight, the demand for sea transportation varies inversely with the increase in fuel prices are, fuel consumption rate is directly proportional to weight of transported goods (ton/mile) and increasing in the number of freighters varies inversely with sea freight.


Transfer learning refers to the use of knowledge gained while solving a machine learning task and applying it to the solution of a closely related problem. Such an approach has enabled scientific breakthroughs in computer vision and natural language processing where the weights learned in state-of-the-art models can be used to initialize models for other tasks which dramatically improve their performance and save computational time. Here we demonstrate an unsupervised learning approach augmented with basic physical principles that achieves fully transferrable learning for problems in statistical physics across different physical regimes. By coupling a sequence model based on a recurrent neural network to an extensive deep neural network, we are able to learn the equilibrium probability distributions and inter-particle interaction models of classical statistical mechanical systems. Our approach, distribution-consistent learning, DCL, is a general strategy that works for a variety of canonical statistical mechanical models (Ising and Potts) as well as disordered interaction potentials. Using data collected from a single set of observation conditions, DCL successfully extrapolates across all temperatures, thermodynamic phases, and can be applied to different length-scales. This constitutes a fully transferrable physics-based learning in a generalizable approach.


Professional networks are widely recognized as important sources of environmental protection policy innovation. I argue that innovations are most likely to diffuse from professions to governments under conditions of bureaucratic job mobility. When an agency head arrives from outside the government he serves, she carries both a reputation and mandate for innovation. The incentives for innovation are less potent when an agency head is promoted from within. The result is mobility-contingent professionalism, for the priorities of an administrator's profession are more likely to become manifest in policy when she arrives from outside than when she is promoted from within an agency. Analysis of data from an original survey of water utility executives tests the effect of career path and professional involvement on utilities' adoption of conservation-oriented water rate structures. I find that executive career path is a strong predictor of an agency's adoption of conservation rates, even after accounting for climatic and institutional conditions. Further, the effect of professional involvement is contingent on career path: Professionalism is strongly associated with adoption of conservation rates for diagonally mobile executives but not for executives promoted from within.


In this paper I argue that the concept of disapora is problematic insofar as it implies a process of traffic outwards from an origin point (usually seen as geographical, cultural and/or "racial"). This origin is often seen as being a key to the definition of diaspora--without it, the concept descends into generalized incoherence (Brubaker 2005). I want to argue for the continued usefulness of a concept of diaspora, in which the "origin" is understood as a space of imagination (which is not to say that it is imaginary, although it may also be that) and in which the connections between the "outlying" points of the diaspora are as important, or more so, than the connections between the outliers and the origin. Analytically speaking, diaspora has to be distanced from simple concerns with uni-directional outward dispersals from a single origin point (which may also carry certain masculinist connotations). Specifically, I think the concept of diaspora points at a kind of cultural continuity but one where "cultural continuity appears as the mode of cultural change" (Sahlins 1993, 19). For theorists such as Hall and Gilroy, diaspora serves as an antidote to what Gilroy calls "camp thinking" and its associated essentialism: diasporic identities are "creolized, syncretized, hybridized and chronically impure cultural forms" (Gilroy 2000, 129). This is an important perspective, which is both analytic and descriptive: the analytic term refers to the everyday phenomenon of identities as they exist in the world. But the emphasis on hybridization runs the risk of sidelining continuities. Hall is right to say that the rich cultural roots from Asian and African aesthetic traditions that feed U.K. black experience are, in a diasporic context "re-experienced through the categories of the present" (Hall 1996, 448), but this does not entirely capture the sense of continuity that is often accorded those roots by the people who are interpreting their own lives. For Brubaker (2005), diaspora as "thing" does not really exist as an analytic concept; instead the analytic term should be used in adjectival form to refer to the phenomenon of the diasporic stance or attitude adopted by people who seek to maintain or create identities that refer to a homeland. This is also important because it reflects the notion of cultural continuity or sameness, which may persist alongside (or rather because of--in the sense of mutually constituting) cultural change. The point about diaspora as an analytic concept is that it reflects that continuity, both in terms of an insider perspective of people who (as one might expect) interpret cultural change in a selective and appropriative way, and in terms of grasping that continuity as something that, partly as a result of these interpretations, creates a real cultural complex of interconnections. Tradition is a term that Gilroy deconstructs fairly comprehensively, but, rather in passing, he gives it some residual room that I think is worth repeating here: [I]t may make sense to try to reserve the idea of tradition for the nameless, evasive, minimal qualities that make these diaspora conversations possible ... as a way to speak about the apparently magical processes of connectedness that arise as much from the transformation of Africa by disapora cultures as from the affiliation of diaspora cultures to Africa and the traces of Africa that those diaspora cultures enclose. (Gilroy 1993, 199) I think the very concept of diaspora should refer to what Gilroy admits as tradition here: rather than conceiving of a tension between routes and roots, the roots constitute the possibility of existence of routes. As the history of Colombian popular music that I will present here indicates, musical processes are characterized by a seiles of multilateral exchanges, which are dynamic and often unpredictable. However, these exchanges are always being read and interpreted in specific ways, by different sets of audiences and commentators, who are interested in constructing certain narratives, often ones in which origins play an important role. …


Except in few locations, photovoltaic generated electricity remains considerably more expensive than conventional sources. It is however expected that innovation and learning-bydoing will lead to drastic cuts in production cost in the near future. The goal of this paper is to predict the cost of PV modules out to 2020 using experience curve models, and to draw implications about the cost of PV electricity. Using annual data on photovoltaic module prices, cumulative production, R&D knowledge stock and input prices for silicon and silver over the period 1990 - 2011, we identify a experience curve model which minimizes the difference between predicted and actual module prices. This model predicts a 67% decrease of module price from 2011 to 2020. This rate implies that the cost of PV generated electricity will reach that of conventional electricity by 2020 in the sunniest countries with annual solar irradiation of 2000 kWh/year or more, such as California, Italy, and Spain.


English drama at the beginning of the sixteenth century was allegorical, didactic and moralistic; but by the end of the century theatre was censured as emotional and even immoral. How could such a change occur? Kent Cartwright suggests that some theories of early Renaissance theatre - particularly the theory that Elizabethan plays are best seen in the tradition of morality drama - need to be reconsidered. He proposes instead that humanist drama of the sixteenth century is theatrically exciting - rather than literary, elitist and dull as it has often been seen - and socially significant, and he attempts to integrate popular and humanist values rather than setting them against each other. Taking as examples the plays of Marlowe, Heywood, Lyly and Greene, as well as many by lesser-known dramatists, the book demonstrates the contribution of humanist drama to the theatrical vitality of the sixteenth century.


In the Introduction I explore the reasons for my enquiry, and outline the inadequacies of
some of the existing attempts to determine the aims and purposes of mathematics in
education. In Part 1 I discuss the scope and validity of the justification of mathematics
on the basis of its supposed usefulness. From there I defend the view that, in principle at
least, there are different kinds of reasons for learning mathematics.
In Parts 2 and 3 I attempt to explain whether or not mathematics is fit for two particular
non-utility purposes claimed by various writers, and if so, how. Thus, in Part 2, I
examine the rather strong claim that mathematics is afine art, and hence or otherwise
that it is a source of aesthetic satisfaction. In Part 3, I explore the claim that
mathematics provides mental training. Here I shall show that 'mental training', is a
broad notion ranging from the rather moral character training to the more restricted
notion of training in logic. Between these extremes lies a more modest notion which I
argue is the most plausible.
The thesis is thus both a history of ideas and a clarification of the concepts used in
describing fairly established purposes and rejecting those that seem to me to be
unattainable or at least scarcely attainable by studying mathematics. The reason for the
study is twofold. I see it as a particular case of the general enquiry into the aims of
education. So that my conclusions should inform those who want to justify the place of
mathematics on the curriculum. Also, however, I want to suggest that the purposes of
mathematics education are internally related to understanding the subject, so that the
pupil will gain understanding from a clearer notion of what he or she is doing
mathematics for.


This chapter presents a contemporary review of the various different strategies available to facilitate Very Low Bit Rate (VLBR) coding for video communications over mobile and fixed transmission channels and the Internet. VLBR media is typically classified as having a bit rate between 8 and 64Kbps. Techniques that are analyzed include Vector Quantization, various parametric model-based representations, the Discrete Wavelet and Cosine Transforms, and fixed and arbitrary shaped pattern-based coding. In addition to discussing the underlying theoretical principles and relevant features of each approach, the chapter also examines their benefits and disadvantages together with some of the major challenges that remain to be solved. The chapter concludes by providing some judgments on the likely focus of future research in the VLBR coding field.


Abstract There is no question that the American public has an unabashed appetite for history. This is demonstrated in numerous ways from bestsellers by popular historians to tourism at historic sites and museums to the popularity of films and other media depicting versions of the past. Although historians might think that the discourse presented in most of these forums is simplistic and stilted, little doubt exists that it is passionate. This discussion explores a few of the issues affecting the public9s deep fascination with the past, especially in the context of the history of science and technology, and the presentation of these issues in the Smithsonian Institution. These thoughts are tentative and speculative, but, I hope, stimulating and worthy of further consideration.


Although Baconian induction—the belief that we can infer accurately from the known to the unknown—has been supplanted by social constructionism, the two perspectives are quite similar in their description of how science is done; the principal difference is that Baconian theory is overtly prescriptive, whereas social constructionism is essentially descriptive. The argument that the inductive organization of the science paper misrepresents how science is actually carried out is based on a faulty premise, for the purpose of a science paper is not to provide a narrative account of the laboratory work, but rather to enable the reader to assess the quality of the scientist's logical reconstruction of the laboratory work. The critical factor in determining the fidelity of the paper to the science is not the organization of the paper but the ethical intent of the writer.


The stimulator of IFN genes (STING) protein senses cyclic dinucleotides released in response to double-stranded DNA and functions as an adaptor molecule for type I IFN (IFNI) signaling by activating IFNI-stimulated genes (ISG). We found impaired T cell infiltration into the peritoneum in response to TNF-α in global and EC-specific STING–/– mice and discovered that T cell transendothelial migration (TEM) across mouse and human endothelial cells (EC) deficient in STING was strikingly reduced compared with control EC, whereas T cell adhesion was not impaired. STING–/– T cells showed no defect in TEM or adhesion to EC, or immobilized endothelial cell–expressed molecules ICAM1 and VCAM1, compared with WT T cells. Mechanistically, CXCL10, an ISG and a chemoattractant for T cells, was dramatically reduced in TNF-α–stimulated STING–/– EC, and genetic loss or pharmacologic antagonisms of IFNI receptor (IFNAR) pathway reduced T cell TEM. Our data demonstrate a central role for EC-STING during T cell TEM that is dependent on the ISG CXCL10 and on IFNI/IFNAR signaling.


Based on the weakly coupled-mode theory, the coupled-mode equations of the spatial multiwaveguide system are presented in general. The intensity distribution in each waveguide is determined by numerical method. Optical logic devices based on spatial multiwaveguide system are proposed. The analysis results show that the spatial multiwaveguide system permits different Boolean logic states obtained by phase modulation. Applications of the logic devices include optical calculation, optical interconnection, and spatial optical signal processing.


Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) Vpu is an integral membrane protein that belongs to the viroporin family. Viroporins interact with cell membranes, triggering membrane permeabilization and promoting release of viral particles. In vitro electrophysiological methods have revealed changes in membrane ion currents when Vpu is present; however, in vivo the molecular mechanism of Vpu at the plasma membrane is still uncertain. We used the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a genetic model system to analyze how Vpu ion channel impacts cellular homeostasis. Inducible expression of Vpu impaired cell growth, suggesting that this viral protein is toxic to yeast cultures. This toxicity decreased with extracellular acidic pH. Also, Vpu toxicity diminished as the extracellular K(+) concentration was increased. However, expression of the Vpu protein suppresses the growth defect of K(+) uptake-deficient yeast (Δtrk1,2). The phenotype rescue of these highly hyperpolarized cells was almost total when they were grown in medium supplemented with high concentrations of KCl (100 mM) at pH 7.0 but was significantly reduced when the extracellular K(+) concentration or pH was decreased. These results indicate that Vpu has the ability to modify K(+) transport in both yeast strains. Here, we show also that Vpu confers tolerance to the aminoglycoside antibiotic hygromycin B in Δtrk1,2 yeast. Our results suggest that Vpu interferes with cell growth of wild-type yeast but improves proliferation of the hyperpolarized trk1,2 mutant by inducing plasma membrane depolarization. Furthermore, evaluation of the ion channel activity of the Vpu protein in Δtrk1,2 yeast could aid in the development of a high-throughput screening assay for molecules that target the retroviral protein.


Adopting Lea and Street's (1998) three models of academic writing (i.e., the study skills, academic socialization, and academic literacies), this qualitative study explored 10 Chinese international graduate (CIG) students' perceptions of differing literacy practices in a different academic milieu and in various disciplines at a Canadian university. The findings reveal how different epistemologies in different cultures and disciplines have impacted these CIG students' English academic writing. This paper acknowledges the limitations of the exclusive use of skills study and academic socialisation orientations in writing support for international students. It recommends a nested model of writing support, which is more inclusive and transformative in nature.


The diffraction effects produced by light incident upon an interface at the critical angle of total reflection are examined for the purpose of explaining the weak illumination recently detected by Acloque and Guillemet, and by Osterberg and Smith. This illumination accompanies the rays reflected from the interface, but it occurs in a manner that cannot be interpreted in conventional geometric-optical terms. We show that a rigorous but simple approach that accounts for first-order-diffraction effects is capable of explaining the experimental results in terms of a lateral wave which in fact may provide the dominant field under certain circumstances. In particular, we examine the special case of a collimated light beam and show that the lateral wave is strongest, and accounts for the observed illumination, when the beam is incident at the critical angle of total reflection. The quasi-optical properties of this wave are emphasized and they are shown to provide straightforward physical interpretations for the various features of the weak-illumination field.


Awareness of the patterns of consumer's behaviour and its concomitant influencing factors may lead to the profitability of the business. This study aims to discover the influencing factors of consumers buying behaviour and their perception of significant factors like price, place, promotion, product, people, physical evidence and process. Likewise, this study would explore how the 7Ps have a significant influence on consumers buying behaviour who frequently visit the retail stores for their purchases. This study aimed to explore the influencing factors of shoppers' buying behaviour in retail stores based on Price, Place, Promotion, Product, People, Physical evidence and Process. Specifically, the study has the following main objectives: To identify the factors that influence shoppers' buying behavior in retail stores in the Kingdom of Bahrain; To measure the level of agreement among shoppers on various dimensions of marketing mix (7Ps) which might affect their buying behaviour in the retail stores; and to examine relationship of the selected dimensions of the 7Ps on the buying behaviour of shoppers in various retail stores. A causal research was used in this study to measure the cause-and-effect relationships and to explain the patterns of relationships among variables. The purposive or judgmental sampling method was used; 120 shoppers were chosen who have had purchased various products from retail stores, specifically those from the Shopping Malls. A survey questionnaire was administered personally with the support of online facility like Google drive. In order to obtain valuable information and to elicit evidence needed to prove the hypotheses of the study, informal interviews were conducted. Based on the results, the majority of the respondents were educated females who belonged to 20-35 age group, mostly married who derived their incomes from both government and private sectors. Furthermore, it was revealed that Pearson r calculations suggest that product, price, place, promotion, people, physical evidence and process have positive relationships with shoppers' buying behaviour, thus, rejecting all the null hypotheses. It was recommended that companies who owned the retail stores must undertake in-depth studies in understanding both the psychology and the sociology of consumer groups and not only the physical and chemical make-up of the products being offered. In this way, retail owners may be able to understand how retail shoppers may respond to an advertisement, product features, or prices of products being offered.


The Portuguese convergence and growth experience after EU membership can be divided into two periods: 1986-1998, a convergence period during which growth in the Portuguese economy accelerated and Portugal grew faster than the EU15/14 average; and a stagnation/divergence period from 1999 onwards when its growth rate slowed down to figures lower than the reference group average. After EU accession, Portugal benefitted from better macroeconomic policies (associated with the process of nominal convergence on the way to the euro in 1990s), structural reforms, in the financial, labour and product markets, investments in physical and human capital, and improvements in other growth enhancing factors, which help to explain its good performance in the first sub-period. However, Portugal continues to present low values for most growth indicators when compared with their levels in the rest of the EU14, especially in what concerns educational attainment, technological infrastructures and investments in research and development and the dissemination of knowledge. The resurgence of macroeconomic instability associated with the increase in the government size, and the increased specialization pattern towards low productivity services sub-sectors also help to understand why Portugal stopped converging and is facing poor long-term growth prospects. The results from the estimation of a growth regression with quantile regressions techniques support this concern by revealing that for lower rates of growth an increase of the non-tradables sector and a loss of competitiveness are especially harmful for growth.


Currently, in order to conduct a cardiac examination, the patient has to move from home to a hospital or doctor's office. However, it is not simple to people who live in remote locations to travel every time to do the examination. In addition, not all hospitals in inland cities are able to perform such tests due to lack of equipment. In this paper, we propose a tool called Intelligent Detection of Arrhythmic Heartbeats on Electrocardiograms (IDAH-ECG) which collects data from an electrocardiograph and then analyzes and classifies the data, detecting patterns of arrhythmic beats in the ECG signal. The IDAH-ECG uses a classification mechanism that was trained, using a public database, to classify arrhythmic beats based on the topological characteristics of the normal versus abnormal heartbeats. Finally, IDAH-ECG obtained a true-negative classification rate of approximately 93.24 percent, with the possibility of increasingly better rates as the number of training samples increases.


As part of the WorkerHealth project the Evidence Project/Population Council conducted a comprehensive review of garment sector health interventions particularly RH- and FP-focused projects in Cambodia during the last five years. The results from the review support WorkerHealth's objective of enabling evidence-based decisionmaking and programming related to the health and wellbeing of female garment factory workers in Cambodia by documenting the range of garment sector health interventions and identifying best practices and gaps in programming and evaluation. Key findings from the study included: RH and FP health service needs are paramount for the economically important female-dominated garment sector but most interventions do not specifically or adequately address these issues. Joint partnership projects -both in terms of leadership and finance -hold untapped potential for maximizing expertise and resources. Collaboration between government implementers and donors would enable future projects to increase coverage adopt more integrated complementary intervention approaches and reduce the burden on factory management. Policy advocacy and innovative health financing strategies are under-utilized approaches: future projects should engage with the government through policy advocacy especially the Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training (MoLVT). Projects can also actively support the government's work to improve worker health including for example by developing health financing strategies that complement the National Social Security Fund (NSSF). There is an acute need for rigorous monitoring and evaluation of project outcomes and implementation processes to determine what works and does not work and to inform future GF-based health intervention design.


Virtually all disciplines of surgery now offer some version of minimal access surgical techniques. Because of the challenges related to gas insufflation in the head and neck, endoscopic surgery in this region remains in its infancy. Miccoli and his group at the University of Pisa are responsible for developing a surgical approach that relies on endoscopic and ultrasonic technology, which is easily the most widely practiced technique by minimal access surgeons around the globe. Video-assisted thyroid surgical techniques have emerged as the most feasible compromise between ample exposure and minimal access surgery. In addition to the application of technology, modern thyroid surgery incorporates a number of departures from classical training, including marking of the patient upright in the holding area, no or minimal neck extension, infrequent use of a drain, and outpatient surgery. We have emphasized the concept of customizing the procedure to the patient and disease characteristics, rather than the reverse. Therefore, a spectrum of surgical techniques can be helpful, particularly for the inexperienced minimal access thyroid surgeon. Correspondingly, staging of minimally invasive thyroidectomy has been recommended in order to allow for both uniform reporting of outcome measures across patient populations and a logical basis for determining patient eligibility. With an increasingly sophisticated public, which has virtually unlimited access to medical information, the burden will be on the modern thyroid surgeon to stay abreast of surgical or technical improvements that will yield superior outcomes. Looking forward, it would seem inevitable that continued technologic advances will help surgeons achieve less invasive, safer, and more easily performed procedures.


Abstract
Among the propagation methods of mango, grafting is the most common method, but growers do not have enough knowledge about the suitable time and grafting methods of this fruit tree. This problem is the most important factor in production of grafted mango plants. This experiment was conducted in a randomized complete block design with factorial arrangement and 10 replications. Factors included the time of grafting with levels of (4 and 19 April, 5 May, 6 and 21 August, 6 and 21 September, 7 and 22 October and 15 November) and two grafting methods (vener side graft and cleft graft). Rootstocks were seedling and scions taken from a single plant of mango cv. ″Langra″. Results showed that the best time for grafting was 4 April with 100 percent and cleft graft with 85 percent success was better than whip grafting. After 60 days from each grafting times, plants that grafted in 4 and 19 April had higher growth. In general, it could be concluded that in Roudan city grafting with cleft method on 4-19 April is suitable for propagation of mango.

Key words: Mango, Grafting, Grafting time, Grafting method


In this article, I offer a theoretical framework for separating moral norms from legal human rights in international human rights law. I argue that the dominant academic paradigm conflates human rights as they exist under international law with the way proponents of this trend want them to be. This article aims to perform two main functions. First, it seeks to use the debate surrounding the right to participatory development to highlight a major mistake in a foundational assumption of mainstream international human rights law scholarship that prematurely accords the label of human right to rights that have not yet achieved this status in customary international law. Second, I show how the World Bank is slowly internalizing the participatory development norm. This internalization illustrates the sociopolitical process that a rights-claim must go through to shift from a transitional right into the realm of customary international law. By analyzing the descriptive and normative elements of international human rights law, I seek to bridge international law scholarship with international relations scholarship through the use of legal positivism and constructivism, thus providing a more accurate depiction of how new generations of potential human rights attempt to gain legal recognition. By doing so, I hope to show how the sociopolitical process of pushing toward the legalization of a moral norm can be a vibrant, robust procedure without making the mistake of improperly and prematurely according legal status to a norm still in the adolescent stage of rights formation under international law.