The objective of this thesis was to investigate and explore the emotional experiences of academics in their work settings. The study took a qualitative phenomenological approach and investigated the particular emotions, the specific events and situations that influence their emotions, their consequences and the coping strategies that academics use to deal with each emotion.

Narrative interviews were carried out within a sample of 12 Cypriot academics. An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was used to analyse and interpret the collected data. The stories revealed that emotions play an important role during academics' work making it an extremely emotional profession. Four themes were identified from the collected data: 1) Emotions, expressive ways and subjective experiences, 2) Events and situations leading to emotional experiences, 3) Immediate and long-term consequences of emotional experiences, and 4) Ways in which academics manage their emotional experiences.

Based on the findings of this study, some of the emotions that academics experienced were anger, frustration, indignation; guilt; relief; embarrassment; love; hate; fear; confidence; compassion, pity; envy; admiration; and pride. The specific events and situations that elicited these emotions were related to social interactions with students, colleagues, managers and students' relatives. Some of the events included students' misbehaviour, managers' leadership style, forming friendships with students and colleagues, the display of wealth from students and their relatives, students' and colleagues' personal suffers, competition among colleagues, and students' relatives complains and criticism. These emotions were in turn found to be associated with a range of beneficial and damaging effects for the individual as well as for the organisation including: revenge, low and increased self-esteem, increased sense of purpose, motivation and helping behaviour, job dissatisfaction and satisfaction, and health problems. In order to deal with their emotions, academics adopted a variety of coping mechanisms including: social support, planning and preparation, engagement and education, acceptance, withdrawal, and humour. It was also found that participants make use of emotion work and emotional intelligence skills to regulate and manage their emotions. The participating academics showed a conscious awareness that commoditising their emotions is part of the job and claimed to fake emotional reactions that are considered as inappropriate.

In the light of the findings, it is argued that these emotions are integral in the workplace of academia of Cyprus and require further investigation. This thesis reaches the conclusion that allowing the free expression of emotion and ensuring the tactful guidance, rather the prescription or direction, of emotion display rules and coping strategies may improve the emotional skills of academics to deal with difficult situations and avoid damaging outcomes.


Understanding the variation regularity of lake level and the potential driver factors can provide insights into lake conservation and management. In this study, inter- and inner-annual variations of lake level in Qinghai Lake during the period 1961–2012 were analyzed to determine whether climatic factor or runoff factor were responsible for the variations. The results showed that lake level decreased significantly during the period 1961–2004 at a rate of −7.6 cm/yr, while increasing significantly during the period 2004–2012 at a rate of 14 cm/yr, and all were significant at a p value of <0.01. Lake level was most sensitive to climate and river runoff. Precipitation and river runoff had directly positive effects on lake level, but inverse evaporation and wind speed played a significantly negative role on lake level. The relative contributions of influencing factors in the Southeast Asian monsoon (SEAM) and the westerly circulation periods on annual lake level variations were approximately 49.8% and 27.8%, respectively. The relative contributions of temperature, precipitation, evaporation, and wind speed on lake level variation were approximately 13.8%, 36.3%, 27.1%, and 18.4%, respectively. In general, the annual lake level was primarily influenced by precipitation and evaporation of the SEAM period.


We present here a new eco-efficiency process-improvement method to highlight combined environmental and costs hotspots of the production process of new material at a very early development stage. Production-specific and scaled-up results for life cycle assessment (LCA) and production costs are combined in a new analysis to identify synergetic improvement potentials and trade-offs, setting goals for the eco-design of new processes. The identified hotspots and bottlenecks will help users to focus on the relevant steps for improvements from an eco-efficiency perspective and potentially reduce their associated environmental impacts and production costs. Our method is illustrated with a case study of nanocellulose. The results indicate that the production route should start with carrot pomace, use heat and solvent recovery, and deactivate the enzymes with bleach instead of heat. To further improve the process, the results show that focus should be laid on the carrier polymer, sodium alginate, and the production of the GripX coating. Overall, the method shows that the underlying LCA scale-up framework is valuable for purposes beyond conventional LCA studies and is applicable at a very early stage to provide researchers with a better understanding of their production process.


Alzheimer′s disease (AD) is characterized by deposition of amyloid plaques, neurofibrillary tangles, and neuroinflammation. In order to study microglial contribution to amyloid plaque phagocytosis, we developed a novel ex vivo model by co‐culturing organotypic brain slices from up to 20‐month‐old, amyloid‐bearing AD mouse model (APPPS1) and young, neonatal wild‐type (WT) mice. Surprisingly, co‐culturing resulted in proliferation, recruitment, and clustering of old microglial cells around amyloid plaques and clearance of the plaque halo. Depletion of either old or young microglial cells prevented amyloid plaque clearance, indicating a synergistic effect of both populations. Exposing old microglial cells to conditioned media of young microglia or addition of granulocyte‐macrophage colony‐stimulating factor (GM‐CSF) was sufficient to induce microglial proliferation and reduce amyloid plaque size. Our data suggest that microglial dysfunction in AD may be reversible and their phagocytic ability can be modulated to limit amyloid accumulation. This novel ex vivo model provides a valuable system for identification, screening, and testing of compounds aimed to therapeutically reinforce microglial phagocytosis.


1. Singapore, Service Hub Country of Asia: Singapore has achieved a high level of economic growth in spite of disadvantages in the city state. The world highest level of economic freedom in Singapore provides a free business environment for foreign investors, which made Singapore to be the best business destination in Asia for the multinational corporations. Singapore has pursued a comprehensive economic development plan by Economic Strategies Committee (ESC). ESC has promoted a 10-year economic development plan with following three priorities; high-skilled people, an innovative economy and a distinctive global city. In order to implement those objectives, ESC recommended seven key strategies to sustain economic growth as stated in Figure 1. 2. MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions, Exhibitions): Singapore, an exemplary hub state of Asia, has developed to be a world best MICE country with a record growth in international meetings during recent years. According to the statistics of Union of International Associations (UIA), Singapore had ranked number one on the world's top international meeting destination by hosting 919 international meetings.


In Flytenow, Inc. v. FAA, the D.C. Circuit encountered an important, yet unresolved, question: how much deference should a court give an agency for its interpretation of a common-law term used in a statute or regulation? Traditionally, the Chevron and Auer deference doctrines provide agencies significant freedom in clarifying and interpreting statutes and regulations. The use of these doctrines, though, becomes problematic when applied to fact patterns where agencies interpret the meaning of common-law terms. This Comment argues that courts should not apply either Chevron or Auer deference doctrines in cases where an agency interprets a term that already has a well-settled meaning in common law. Chevron deference is inappropriate in this scenario because Chevron is only applicable when a statute is ambiguous. By choosing to use a common-law term in a statute, Congress removed any possible ambiguity as to the meaning of the term. Congress intends for common-law terms in statutes to align with their common-law definitions. Auer deference is also inappropriate in this scenario. An agency cannot use a common-law term in a regulation, subsequently interpret that term to mean something other than its well-established definition in the common law, and then receive judicial deference for that interpretation. Courts, not agencies, are the appropriate arbiters of the meaning of a common-law term. This Comment argues that Skidmore deference is the most appropriate standard of review for agency interpretations of common-law terms. Skidmore appropriately balances an agency's right to interpret statutes and regulations and the judiciary's responsibility to create, maintain, and uphold the common law.


In the UK, lecturers in nursing normally have an extensive clinical background accumulated in the National Health Service. They arrive in the Higher Education sector with little experience of university cultures and practices. The transition into this new world can be traumatic as experienced nurses strive to develop their educational capabilities. This thesis focuses on conceptions of being a lecturer in nursing within higher education. Data was collected for the study through video recorded interviews for each of ten lecturers in nursing based at universities across England and Scotland. For each, a semi-structured interview, a tutorial with a student, and a video stimulated recall and reflect interview took place. The data collection design aimed to get beyond espoused identities by collecting rich data including observation and reflection on practice. A phenomenographic approach was used to analyse semi-structured interview data to identify different ways of being a lecturer in nursing. This resulted in five categories of description of identities in the outcome space: nurse; teacher; academic scholar; researcher; and academic leader. Bourdieusian analysis of how identities are negotiated during tutorials indicated that lecturers in nursing had developed new identities within the field of higher education whilst maintaining their core identity as a nurse. Currently, it appears that there is little provision to support lecturers in nursing during the journey from transition to experienced lecturer in nursing. It is proposed that conceptions of identity are discussed through induction, mentorship and in formal development structures. As lecturers of nursing, the participants in this study occupy boundary-crossing roles on the margins of higher education. The super-complex identities of the lecturers revealed in this study provide useful insight into the life of a contemporary academic. In addition to lecturers in nursing, this study and its findings may be relevant to those in other health professions who move between the NHS and Higher Education. The findings may also transfer to other professions where individuals move sectors, such as between public and private, where further research would be required.


The evolution of ocean temperature measurement systems is presented with a focus on the development and accuracy of two critical devices in use today (expendable bathythermographs and conductivity‐temperature‐depth instruments used on Argo floats). A detailed discussion of the accuracy of these devices and a projection of the future of ocean temperature measurements are provided. The accuracy of ocean temperature measurements is discussed in detail in the context of ocean heat content, Earth's energy imbalance, and thermosteric sea level rise. Up‐to‐date estimates are provided for these three important quantities. The total energy imbalance at the top of atmosphere is best assessed by taking an inventory of changes in energy storage. The main storage is in the ocean, the latest values of which are presented. Furthermore, despite differences in measurement methods and analysis techniques, multiple studies show that there has been a multidecadal increase in the heat content of both the upper and deep ocean regions, which reflects the impact of anthropogenic warming. With respect to sea level rise, mutually reinforcing information from tide gauges and radar altimetry shows that presently, sea level is rising at approximately 3 mm yr−1 with contributions from both thermal expansion and mass accumulation from ice melt. The latest data for thermal expansion sea level rise are included here and analyzed.


Tackle the Challenges of Parallel Programming in the Visual Effects Industry In Multithreading for Visual Effects, developers from DreamWorks Animation, Pixar, Side Effects, Intel, and AMD share their successes and failures in the messy real-world application area of production software. They provide practical advice on multithreading techniques and visual effects used in popular visual effects libraries (such as Bullet, OpenVDB, and OpenSubdiv), one of the industrys leading visual effects packages (Houdini), and proprietary animation systems. This information is valuable not just to those in the visual effects arena, but also to developers of high performance software looking to increase performance of their code. Diverse Solutions to Solve Performance Problems After an introductory chapter, each subsequent chapter presents a case study that illustrates how the authors used multithreading techniques to achieve better performance. The authors discuss the problems that occurred and explain how they solved them. The case studies encompass solutions for shaving milliseconds, solutions for optimizing longer running tasks, multithreading techniques for modern CPU architectures, and massive parallelism using GPUs. Some of the case studies include open source projects so you can try out these techniques for yourself and see how well they work.


Stochastic dominance permits a partial ordering of alternatives (probability distributions on consequences) based only on partial information about a decision maker's utility function. Univariate stochastic dominance has been widely studied and applied, with general agreement on classes of utility functions for dominance of different degrees. Extensions to the multivariate case have received less attention and have used different classes of utility functions, some of which require strong assumptions about utility. We investigate multivariate stochastic dominance using a class of utility functions that is consistent with a basic preference assumption, can be related to well-known characteristics of utility, and is a natural extension of the stochastic order typically used in the univariate case. These utility functions are multivariate risk averse, and reversing the preference assumption allows us to investigate stochastic dominance for utility functions that are multivariate risk seeking. We provide insight into these two contrasting forms of stochastic dominance, develop some criteria to compare probability distributions (hence alternatives) via multivariate stochastic dominance, and illustrate how this dominance could be used in practice to identify inferior alternatives. Connections between our approach and dominance using different stochastic orders are discussed.


In many cities of developing countries, buses are the backbone of public transport. However, most of them are operating in mixed traffic conditions without priority measures and with a number of problems at bus stops, on travel ways, and at traffic signals. Illustrative examples for this situation are motorcycle dependent cities (MDCs) such as Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. A lack of bus prioritisation for many years is one of the main causes leading to the poor quality of bus services and the rapid growth of individual motorised traffic in these cities. Consequently, MDCs are facing critical transport problems in terms of traffic accidents, environmental pollution, traffic congestion, and economic loss.

To solve that problematic situation, this study presents an integrated approach for prioritising buses in MDCs. The important role of bus services and the necessity of bus prioritisation were justified at first. Then the principle approaches of bus prioritisation were consolidated based on the experience of developed countries. As a subsequent part, existing problems for buses at bus stops, on travel ways, and at traffic signals were determined, and the concept of bus prioritisation was introduced to MDCs. Thereafter, corresponding measures were developed and formulated to solve the mentioned problems. The fundamental effect of the most potential measures was estimated, based on the principles of traffic engineering. To identify the level of effects of promising measures, sensitivity analyses were conducted.

The location of on-line bus stops in mixed traffic conditions was identified to have noticeable influences on traffic flow quality of both buses and other vehicles as well as on capacities of intersection approaches involved. For this reason, a significant amount of vehicular delays can be saved and a considerable amount of capacity can be added if the bus stop location is properly selected. This study identified that the impact of a bus stop on capacity and traffic flow quality varies at different positions of the stop, and it is critical within certain ranges close to traffic signals. Outside those ranges, the impact reduces to modest or insignificant levels. Thereby, the determination of those ranges contributes to select a proper bus stop position with respect to the requirements of capacity and traffic flow quality at traffic signals. Based on the results of the sensitivity analysis, a position of bus stops with a distance further than 60 metres from the stop line (for near-side stops) or from the beginning of the downstream intersection (for far-side stops) is recommended for general traffic situation in MDCs.

Regarding priority measures for bus travel ways, it is concluded that most of the existing measures such as exclusive bus lanes, bus lanes shared with other modes, and queue jump lanes will be hardly applied to current roadways of MDCs if supportive measures (e.g. traffic rerouting and infrastructure measures) are not given. Thereby, a provision of additional options which enable to prioritise buses on their travel ways will be significant for these cities. From the practical essentials, this study developed two new measures including discontinuous bus lanes and partial dynamic bus lanes. On the one hand, these bus lanes will result in positive effects for buses; on the other hand, their side effects on general traffic will be kept at permissible levels.

The sensitivity analysis indicated that these lanes provided the following advantages under heavily loaded traffic conditions:
• About 40% of bus delay was reduced in the range of the intersection,
• Over 20% of total person delay was saved for the subject direction, and
• Delays and number of stops of other vehicles were even improved slightly.

Concerning measures for traffic signals, both signal priority and other related measures were proposed for MDCs. While green extension and early green were recommended for signal priority, the improvement of signal programs and control strategies was highly suggested as other important measures for traffic signals.

Essentially, the related aspects for bus prioritisation in MDCs were integrated into an application process. The basic steps of this process were established to provide a clear framework for an application of bus prioritisation. To facilitate an efficient implementation of bus prioritisation in these cities, detailed suggestions on the development of potential strategies were provided.

In the final part, important results were summarised and the effectiveness of bus prioritisation was affirmed. In addition, the significance of this study and recommendations for further studies were provided at last.

This study introduces comprehensive solutions to prioritise buses in the urban road network of MDCs. The results from this study can support the effective application of bus prioritisation in MDCs in the future.


This paper gives an account of the absolute measurement of the density of mercury at 20° C in units of length and mass, the result of which is probably correct to one part in a million. The densities of four samples of mercury have been measured by finding the mass of mercury displaced by an accurately formed cube of known volume that just sinks in mercury. The cube is of tungsten carbide sintered with cobalt, its sides are 8.9 cm long, it weighs 9.7 kg in air and 217 g in mercury at 20° C. It was lapped with diamond dust to such an accurate form and good surface finish that the standard deviation of the volume of mercury displaced, as calculated from optical interference measurements of the dimensions of the cube, is 0.15 p.p.m. (part per million). The determined mass of the cube has a standard deviation of 0.1 p.p.m. and the measured weight of the cube in any one sample of mercury at 20° G has a standard deviation of 0.28 p.p.m. The uncertainty in the density of any one sample of mercury is however greater, for two reasons, than the value of 0.3 p.p.m. that these figures indicate. First, all measurements of the temperature of the mercury are subject to a constant error which may reach 0.001 ° C, equivalent to 0.2 p.p.m. of the density of mercury. Secondly, and more important, the effective volume of the cube may be greater than the measured volume through layers of grease adhering to it despite very careful cleaning and the corresponding error probably varied from one group of weighings to another; it is difficult to estimate but is thought to be between 0.2 and 1 p.p.m. The mean density at 20° C and 1 atm pressure of four samples of mercury from different sources is 13.545892 g/cm3, the range of the four values being 1.1 p.p.m. The corresponding value at 0° C, calculated from the thermal expansion formula of Beattie, Blaisdell, Kaye, Gerry & Johnson (1941) is 13.595086 g/cm3. The chemical and isotopic compositions of the samples cannot be specified with an accuracy corresponding to that of the measurements, but evidence is given indicating that our results should represent the density of pure mercury of average isotopic constitution to between 1 and 2 p.p.m. Complementary measurements are now being prepared in which the mass of mercury that fills a box of fused silica is to be found.


Regional Climate Models (RCMs) offer significant improvements over Global Cli- mate Models in terms of their representation of rainfall at the spatial and temporal scales required for hydrological modelling. Here we test a new implementation of a grid-based hydrological model embedded in a model of land-surface climatology (the Joint UK Land Exchange Scheme; JULES) against observed river flows in sev- eral major NW European rivers, including the Rhine, Maas, Elbe, Danube, Loire, and Seine. Our hydrological model includes a probability-distributed model of soil mois- ture and runoff production (PDM) coupled with a discrete approximation to the one- dimensional kinematic wave equation to route surface and subsurface water downs- lope (G2G). The model was driven with hourly output from the Hadley Centre regional climate model, using results from the ERA-40 reanalysis experiment as boundary con- ditions (1961-2000). The results of simulations for river catchments in northwest Eu- rope are presented and compared with measured river flows over the same time period, for the same locations. The success with which the runoff production and flow routing components of the land-surface model match observed flow data is evaluated.


Fad or future, 2016 is the year virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality began to enter the mainstream consumer marketplace with serious momentum. That is not to suggest that the Oculus Rift, the Samsung Galaxy, or the HTC Vive are essential new technologies. These are all iterations of a long line of devices, pictorial techniques, and representational strategies for assembling a convincing embodied experience of three-dimensional (3-D) space and movement, which have been proposed, developed, and sold over the previous century. Neither does it suggest that consumers are at all convinced by the promise of VR or consider the head-mounted display as an inevitable way of using screens and interacting with computational devices, especially given the restricting buy-in cost for early adopters.


Clark Davis, "Very, Garrison, Thoreau: Variations on the Antebellum Passive" (pp. 332–359) This essay contends that the poetry of Jones Very, often considered predominately "mystical," was deeply engaged in political debates of the era. Not only did Very often write poems with an avowedly public purpose, but his seemingly otherworldly, spiritual sonnets sometimes participated in antebellum political debates. The sonnet "The Hand and Foot" (1839), for instance, describes a mode of Christian passivity and quietism that echoes the contemporaneous call for passive "non-resistance" to slavery found in William Lloyd Garrison's 1838 "Declaration of Sentiments," the foundational statement of the New England Non-Resistance Society. Very's poem also describes a mode of Christian behavior that is radically disruptive of social conformity, a kind of embodied "prayer" that may have influenced Henry David Thoreau's more famous manifesto of passive resistance, "Resistance to Civil Government" (1849). Thoreau witnessed Very's passive but disruptive behavior on more than one occasion in Concord, Massachusetts, well before his own unique dramatization of nonconformity in the mid 1840s. Comparing Very's erasure of individual will to Thoreau's more canny deployment of passivity can help us clarify antebellum modes of passive engagement as they evolved toward the eventual violence of John Brown's raid and the American Civil War.


Autonomous agents may not have access to complete information about the state of the environment. For example, a robot soccer player may only be able to estimate the locations of other players not in the scope of its sensors. However, even though all the information needed for ideal decision making cannot be sensed, all that is sensed is usually not needed. The noise and motion of spectators, for example, can be ignored in order to focus on the game field. Standard formulations do not consider this situation, assuming that all the can be sensed must be included in any useful abstraction.
This dissertation extends the Markov Decision Process Homomorphism framework (Ravindran, 2004) to partially observable domains, focusing specically on reducing Partially Observable Markov Decision Processes (POMDPs) when the model is known. This involves ignoring aspects of the observation function which are irrelevant to a particular task. Abstraction is particularly important in partially observable domains, as it enables the formation of a smaller domain model and thus more efficient use of the observed features.


This technical note describes a novel large diameter vadose zone sampler (VZS) that has been developed to permit easy and safe access to deep unconsolidated vadose zone profiles and the gathering of information that has not been possible previously. The purpose is to allow investigations to be performed cost effectively at locations of interest rather than being restricted to areas with suitable exposures. The VZS is designed to be used with 1.2‐m‐diameter auger holes and consists of a light‐weight crane and several 1.15‐m‐diameter, 1.5‐m‐high, cylindrical steel sections, which bolt together to provide a temporary casing for the auger hole. The sections have removable openings to permit examination and sampling of the vadose zone profile. The VZS is relatively inexpensive to construct and has been designed to be mobile and provide access to the vadose zone at a wide range of locations, rather than the usual restriction to available outcrops in cuttings or gravel pits. We describe the use of the VZS to characterize the profile of an alluvial gravel system at four locations in Canterbury, New Zealand and to carry out a field calibration for a neutron probe that had been installed to a depth of 3 m into an alluvial gravel profile. The VZS enabled collection of samples for physical, chemical, and gravimetric moisture determination at precise depth locations. This information will ultimately lead to better characterization and understanding of water and contaminant transport and transformation through vadose zones.


Liquid crystal elastomers present features not found in ordinary elastic materials, such as semi-soft elasticity and the related stripe domain phenomenon. In this paper, the two-dimensional Bladon–Terentjev–Warner model and the one-constant Oseen–Frank energy expression are combined to study the liquid crystal elastomer. We also impose two material constraints, the incompressibility of the elastomer and the unit director norm of the liquid crystal. We prove existence of minimiser of the energy for the proposed model. Next we formulate the discrete model, and also prove that it possesses a minimiser of the energy. The inf-sup values of the discrete linearised system are then related to the smallest singular values of certain matrices. Next the existence and uniqueness of the Lagrange multipliers associated with the two material constraints are proved under the assumption that the inf-sup conditions hold. Finally numerical simulations of the clamped-pulling experiment are presented for elastomer samples with aspect ratio 1 or 3. The semi-soft elasticity is successfully recovered in both cases. The stripe domain phenomenon, however, is not observed, which might be due to the relative coarse mesh employed in the numerical experiment. Possible improvements are discussed that might lead to the recovery of the stripe domain phenomenon.


In general, patient participation is regarded as being informed and partaking in decision making regarding one's care and treatment. This interpretation is common in legislation throughout the Western world and corresponding documents guiding health care professionals, as well as in scientific studies. Even though this understanding of the word participation can be traced to a growing emphasis on individuals' autonomy in society and to certain dictionary defi nitions, there are other ways of understanding participation from a semantic point of view, and no trace of patients' descriptions of what it is to participate can be found in these definitions. Hence, the aim of this dissertation was to understand patients' experience of the phenomenon of patient participation. An additional aim was to understand patients' experience of non-participation and to describe the conditions for patient participation and non-participation, in order to understand the prerequisites for patient participation. The dissertation comprises four papers. The philosophical ideas of Ricoeur provided a basis for the studies: how communication can present ways to understand and explain experiences of phenomena through phenomenological hermeneutics. The first and second studies involved a group of patients living with chronic heart failure. For the fi rst study, 10 patients were interviewed, with a narrative approach, about their experience of participation and non-participation, as defi ned by the participants. For the second study, 11 visits by three patients at a nurse-led outpatient clinic were observed, and consecutive interviews were performed with the patients and the nurses, investigating what they experience as patient participation and non-participation. A triangulation of data was performed to analyse the occurrence of the phenomena in the observed visits. For paper 3 and 4, a questionnaire was developed and distributed among a diverse group of people who had recent experience of being patients. The questionnaire comprised respondent's description of what patient participation is, using items based on findings in Study 1, along with open-ended questions for additional aspects and general issues regarding situations in which the respondent had experienced patient participation and/or non-participation. The findings show additional aspects to patient participation: patient participation is being provided with information and knowledge in order for one to comprehend one's body, disease, and treatment and to be able to take self-care actions based on the context and one's values. Participation was also found to include providing the information and knowledge one has about the experience of illness and symptoms and of one's situation. Participation occurs when being listened to and being recognised as an individual and a partner in the health care team. Non-participation, on the other hand, occurs when one is regarded as a symptom, a problem to be solved. To avoid non-participation, the information provided needs to be based on the individual's need and with recognition of the patient's knowledge and context. In conclusion, patient participation needs to be reconsidered in health care regulations and in clinical settings: patients' defi nitions of participation, found to be close to the dictionaries' description of sharing, should be recognised and opportunities provided for sharing knowledge and experience in two-way-communication.


Do periods of persistently loose monetary policy increase financial fragility and the likelihood of a financial crisis? This is a central question for policymakers, yet the literature does not provide systematic empirical evidence about this link at the aggregate level. In this paper we fill this gap by analyzing long run historical data. We find that when the stance of monetary policy is accommodative over an extended period, the likelihood of financial turmoil down the road increases considerably. We investigate the causal pathways that lead to this result and argue that credit creation and asset price overheating are important intermediating channels.


Abstract This contribution examines what the significance of the Negritude movement could be today. It argues that there is a form of 'negritude beyond negritude', and that to see it as racial essentialism (or racialism) from a bygone colonial time, bound to disappear in our postcolonial and hopefully post‐racial era, is to miss what it has to say today. In the way Senghorian Negritude presented itself as a contribution to twentieth‐century humanism, it still has something to say to the humanism of this early twenty‐first century. What it has to say, beyond the defence and illustration of the values of a certain race, is that in our global world, what Senghor used to call, following Teilhard de Chardin, the 'civilization of the universal' is still the task.


A MEASUREMENT OF TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT IN SELECTED NORTH CAROLINA COMMUNITY COLLEGES by Gene C. Couch, Jr. Many of the colleges in the North Carolina Community College System have embarked on a "quality" journey to continuously improve the educational programs and services that they provide to their communities. The primary focus of this study was to determine the level of Total Quality Management (TQM) principles implemented in selected North Carolina community colleges and to determine if there was a difference in the perception of its implementation between administrators and faculty. Additionally, this study examined the influence of the following variables on the implementation of TQM in selected North Carolina community colleges: personal factors (age, gender, ethnicity, and length of employment) and organizational factors (length of institutional involvement in TQM, institutional service area, institutional size, and institutional participation in the Carolina Quality Consortium). Furthermore, the study also gathered data about the positive and negative outcomes as a result of TQM/quality. Data for this study were obtained from a survey instrument that was based on the Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award. The survey instrument was mailed to eight full-time administrators and eight full-time faculty members from 29 North Carolina community colleges. Twenty of the institutions belonged to the Carolina Quality Consortium. The remaining institutions represented a convenient sample of the 36 North Carolina community colleges that were not members of the Carolina Quality Consortium. Four hundred sixtyfour surveys were mailed and 368 were returned. The overall percentage of survey return was 79.3. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) was used for the analysis of data. An alpha level of .05 was used for all statistical tests. The major conclusions were: (1) there are different levels of TQM implementation among the community colleges identified in this study, (2) there is a difference between the perception of TQM between administrators and faculty members, (3) the length of employment at the institution is a factor in the perception of the implementation of TQM, (4) age, gender, and ethnicity are not factors on the perceptions of the implementation of TQM, (5) the length of involvement in TQM, the service area, the size of the institution, and participation in the Carolina Quality Consortium are not factors on the overall quality ratings, (6) the positive outcomes perceived as having resulted from TQM/quality initiatives included improved communication, improved support systems, customer service, and increased involvement in planning and decision-making, and (7) the negative outcomes perceived as having resulted from TQM/quality were incongruence in philosophy and practice, too much time wasted, work overloads, and endless paperwork.


Decision-making in the realm of health behaviors, such as smoking or drinking, is influenced both by biological factors, such as genetic predispositions, as well as environmental factors, such as financial liquidity and health insurance status. We show how the choice of smoking after a cardio-vascular health shock is jointly determined by the interaction between these biological and environmental constraints. Individuals who suffer a health shock when uninsured are 25.6 percentage points more likely to reduce smoking, but this is true only for those who have a low index of genetic predisposition to smoking. Individuals with a low index of genetic predisposition are more strategic and flexible in their behavioral response to an external shock. This differential elasticity of response depending on your genetic variants is evidence of individual-level heterogeneity in moral hazard. These results suggest that genetic heterogeneity is a factor that should be considered when evaluating the importance and fairness of health insurance policies. JEL CODES I12, I13, D63, D91


This paper deals with security problems in the context of records systems, collaborative environments which due to the importance of the knowledge that they manage must implement consistent security and confidentiality policies and comply with the regulations in force. The study presented describes the design and implementation of a security model applied to the records management in an organisation in the nuclear energy sector. The aim of this paper is to present the security model in operation, transmit the acquired knowledge and analyse the advantages offered by the model for security management on the basis of the experience of the last three years. The ultimate purpose of the paper is to act as a guide to other kinds of organisations for the secure management of their records.


Time-varying notch filters have been applied to reject FM interference in direct-sequence spread spectrum communications. The time-varying notch filter was formed using instantaneous frequency estimation of the interference regardless of its power or other spectral information. Consequently, when the interference is moderate or weak, the notch filter may cancel more signal than interference, and hence yield a deteriorating system performance. We propose a time-varying filter for soft-cancellation of interference that uses full spectral information about the interference and the desired signal and aims at minimum signal distortion. We model the received signal with a time-varying autoregressive model and form the filter based on the Wiener solution. Simulations reveal its performance improvement over the notch filter based hard-cancellation.


This paper describes the results of a study to determine the performance improvements achievable by circumferentially indexing successive rows of turbine stator airfoils. An experimental / analytical investigation has been completed which indicates significant stage efficiency increases can be attained through application of this airfoil clocking concept. A series of tests was conducted at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) to experimentally investigate stator wake clocking effects on the performance of the Space Shuttle Main Engine Alternate Fuel Turbopump Turbine Test Article. Extensive time-accurate Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations have been completed for the test configurations. The CFD results provide insight into the performance improvement mechanism.Part one of this paper describes details of the test facility, rig geometry, instrumentation, and aerodynamic operating parameters. Results of turbine testing at the aerodynamic design point are presented for six circumferential positions of the first stage stator, along with a description of the initial CFD analyses performed for the test article. It should be noted that first vane positions 1 and 6 produced identical first to second vane indexing. Results obtained from off-design testing of the "best" and "worst" stator clocking positions, and testing over a range of Reynolds numbers are also presented.Part two of this paper describes the numerical simulations performed in support of the experimental test program described in part one. Time-accurate Navier-Stokes flow analyses have been completed for the five different turbine stator positions tested. Details of the computational procedure and results are presented. Analysis results include predictions of instantaneous and time-average mid-span airfoil and turbine performance, as well as gas conditions throughout the flow field. An initial understanding of the turbine performance improvement mechanism is described.Copyright © 1995 by ASME


Abstract A system for automatically deriving a Schenkerian reduction of an extract of tonal music is described. Schenkerian theory is formalized in a quasi-grammatical manner, expressing a reduction as a binary-tree structure. Computer software which operates in the manner of a chart parser using this grammar has been implemented, capable of deriving a matrix of reduction possibilities, in polynomial time, from a representation of the score. A full reduction of the extract can be discovered by selecting a tree from this matrix. The number of possible valid reductions for even short extracts is found to be extremely large, so criteria are required to distinguish good reductions from bad ones. To find such criteria, themes from five Mozart piano sonatas are analysed and samples of 'good' reductions (defined by reference to pre-existing analyses of these themes) are compared with randomly sampled reductions. Nine criteria are thereby derived, which can be applied in the process of parsing and selecting a reduction. The results are promising, but the process is still too computationally expensive—only extracts of a few bars in length can be reduced—and more extensive testing is required before the system can be properly claimed to perform automatic Schenkerian analysis.


Seabirds have often been proposed as environmental indicators. Beached bird data may provide an additional data source and such data is efficacious because it can reliably be collected by volunteers. In addition to anthropogenic factors, such as oil spills, changes in the ocean-atmosphere can affect carcass beaching rate in 3 non-exclusive ways: (1) direct mortality following storms, (2) mortality via bottom-up food web processes, and (3) increase in carcass delivery due to shifts in sur- face water movement. We used data from 3 volunteer-based beached bird data sets collected within the California Current System (CCS) to (1) examine the level of response to anomalous ocean condi- tions in 2005 and (2) explore the degree to which long-term beaching patterns could be explained by one or more of our proposed mechanisms. In 2005, anomalous die-offs of Cassin's auklet Ptychorham- phus aleuticus and the rhinoceros auklet Cerorhinca monocerata occurred in the winter in Monterey. By spring, anomalous die-offs of Brandt's cormorant Phalacrocorax pencillatus and the common murre Uria aalge occurred throughout the CCS. Over the longer term, increases in beaching were associated with changes in the timing and intensity of upwelling and, secondarily, with zonal winds aloft — a potential proxy of shifts in pelagic community composition. These results suggest that a bottom-up food web mechanism best explains seabird beaching, at least in the spring. Correlations of local measures of storminess to seabird beaching rates were weak to non-existent. Correlations were much stronger at the California site (8 yr) and weaker to non-existent at the Oregon site (26 yr). Collectively, these data suggest that relationships between ocean physics and beached bird response may be site specific and/or may reflect choices live birds make vis-a-vis non-breeding distribution.


While the "American Dream" of homeownership can be traced back to the homesteading spirit of the pioneers, today, the possibility for many American households of achieving that dream is precariously balanced on a tripod of price, income and interest rates. The current demand for housing has put upward pressure on prices, creating a situation were home price growth is currently outpacing income growth. Yet the potential for a reduction of affordability is being offset by historically low mortgage interest rates, which are currently favorable to affordability. Issues affecting affordability - critical to broad-based home ownership - particularly affect minority groups. The most stable of the three dimensions currently seems to be mortgage interest rates, which are low and moving in a direction favorable to affordability. "Affordability" is a public policy target that moves in three-dimensional space measured by home prices, household income and mortgage interest rates. Analyzing it from the dimensions of home prices and income, affordability is near record lows as the ratio of home prices to income is currently at 4.14, close to the maximum of 4.19 reached in 1988. The ratio had declined to 3.90 by 1992 and ever since, it has risen steadily to today's level. For many, this high ratio brings another comparison to mind - that of a "housing bubble." If prices rise too fast, fewer Americans will be able to afford a home. The concern then becomes that the resulting reduction in demand will allow home prices to "bust." Dramatic changes in demand, however, are not likely to occur in the broad national market, but rather in regional markets where the availability of employment tends to fluctuate more dramatically. The important difference between today's housing market and that of the 1980s is that mortgage interest rates are at 6.50 percent and falling, compared to 10.25 percent in 1988. Therefore, when this third dimension is incorporated, we find that the ratio of mortgage payment to income at the median is currently 32.4 percent, compared to 40.5 percent in 1988. This lower payment ratio is largely the result of lower interest rates, but it is also being affected by the recent increase in the income growth rate. In June 2002, personal income grew by 0.6 percent, the highest rate in two years. Since interest rates are not expected to rise in the near future, and income is experiencing strong growth, the demand that supports the current prices can be expected to remain stable for the near term. That's good news for the housing market in generally, but particularly for those interested in housing affordability


This study explored the utility of emotional intelligence (EI) as a predictor of leader-member exchange (LMX). To date, there has been very little research exploring the relationship between these constructs. It was hypothesized that EI in both supervisors and employees would have positive relationships with employee-rated LMX quality. A study was conducted with 24 working students at a Southeastern University and their supervisors at work. The Wong and Law Emotional Intelligence Scale and LMX-7 were administered to participants along with a measure of the Big Five. Pearson correlation and multiple regression analyses did not demonstrate support for the hypothesized relationships. There was weak to no support that employee EI predicted employee-rated LMX (r = .16) within a larger sample obtained in the study but was not statistically significant within the 24 dyads examined. The results of this study suggest that if a relationship does exist between EI and LMX, it is likely to be small. Some support was also offered for supervisor-employee similarity of EI being a predictor of employee-rated LMX scores.


Numerous hereditary syndromes, caused by mutations in multiple tumor suppressor genes and oncogenes, can cause tumors in organs of the endocrine system. The primary syndromes (and genes) addressed here include multiple endocrine neoplasia types 1 and 2 (MEN1 and RET genes), Cowden syndrome (PTEN), hereditary pheochromocytoma/paraganglioma syndromes (multiple genes), and von Hippel-Lindau disease (VHL). Clinical genetic testing is available for each of these syndromes and is generally directed to individuals with endocrine or other tumors and additional features suggestive of a hereditary syndrome. However, for some endocrine tumors, the proportion because of heredity is so high that genetic testing may be appropriate for all affected individuals. Management for hereditary cases typically involves aggressive screening and/or surgical protocols, starting at young ages to minimize morbidity and mortality. Endocrine tumors can be less commonly seen in a number of other hereditary syndromes (eg, neurofibromatosis), which are not reviewed in this section.


Fatalism is considered pervasive, especially in many poor communities. In this paper, we explore whether fatalistic beliefs have implications for the attitudes and behavior of poor rural households toward investment in the future. To explore the idea of fatalism, we draw inspiration from theories in psychology focusing on the role of locus of control and self-efficacy and also from the theoretical framework of aspiration failure as developed in recent economic literature. Using survey data from rural Ethiopia, we find evidence of fatalistic beliefs among a substantial group of rural house-holds, as well as indicators consistent with narrow aspirations gap and low self-efficacy. We also find that such beliefs consistently correlate with lower demand for credit, in terms of loan size, repayment horizon, and productive purposes.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate whether a low-dosage regimen of prednisolone induces bone loss and whether administration of alendronate sodium prevents glucocorticoid-induced osteopenia in dogs by measuring trabecular bone mineral density (BMD) with quantitative CT.

ANIMALS
8 healthy Beagles.

PROCEDURES
In 4 dogs, prednisolone was administered PO at a dosage of 2 mg/kg once daily for 2 weeks, 1 mg/kg once daily for 4 weeks, and 0.5 mg/kg once daily for 3 weeks. In the other 4 dogs, alendronate sodium (2 mg/kg, PO, q 24 h) was whether administered for 9 weeks in addition to the same dosage of prednisolone used in the prednisolone-treated dogs. Before (day 0 [baseline]) and 21, 42, 63, and 150 days after the start of treatment, BMD of the lumbar vertebrae was measured by quantitative CT.

RESULTS
BMD in the prednisolone treatment group decreased to 84.7% of the baseline value on day 42, increased to 87.9% on day 63, and recovered to 91.6% on day 150. In the prednisolone-alendronate treatment group, BMD decreased to 91% of the baseline value on day 21, increased to 93.8% on day 63, and then recovered to 96.7% on day 150. Bone mineral density in the prednisolone treatment group was generally lower, albeit not significantly, than that of the prednisolone-alendronate treatment group on each examination day.

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE
BMD temporarily decreased after low-dosage prednisolone administration; however, it gradually improved during tapering of the prednisolone dosage. These results have suggested that a low dosage of prednisolone can be used with little concern for development of osteopenia in dogs.


1. In patients with congestive heart failure, both the sympathetic nervous system and renin-angiotensin system are often stimulated. In order to assess the contribution of the renin-angiotensin system to limb vascular resistance, the forearm haemodynamic response to captopril was studied in 13 patients with heart failure. 2. Seven subjects were studied while supine and during 60 degrees head-up tilt. To eliminate alpha-adrenergic effects, six additional patients with heart failure were pretreated with intra-arterial phentolamine and then given captopril. Venous occlusion plethysmography was used to determine forearm blood flow and forearm vascular resistance. 3. Tilt did not significantly increase pretreatment plasma renin activity or plasma noradrenaline concentration, nor did it decrease forearm blood flow. Furthermore, captopril did not alter forearm vascular resistance during supine or upright posture. During the phentolamine infusion, however, captopril reduced forearm vascular resistance by 19% (P < 0.05). 4. Despite increased plasma renin activity, captopril did not cause forearm vasodilatation during supine or upright posture in these patients with heart failure. When the contribution of the sympathetic nervous system was eliminated, captopril decreased forearm vascular resistance. Therefore, in patients with congestive heart failure, the sympathetic nervous system is important in limb vasoregulation, and the contribution of the renin-angiotensin system is apparent only after alpha-adrenergic blockade.


The story of Free Frank is not only a testament to human courage and resourcefulness but affords new insight into the American frontier. Born a slave in the South Carolina piedmont in 1777, Frank died a free man in 1854 in a town he had founded in western Illinois. His accomplishments, creditable for any frontiersman, were for a black man extraordinary.We first learn details of Frank's life when in 1795 his owner moved to Pulaski County, Kentucky. We know that he married Lucy, a slave on a neighboring farm, in 1799. Later he was allowed to hire out his time, and when his owner moved to Tennessee, Frank was left in charge of the Kentucky farm. During the War of 1812, he set up his own saltpeter works, an enterprise he maintained until he left Kentucky. In 1817 he purchased his wife's freedom for $800; two years later he bought his own liberty for the same price. Now free, he expanded his activities, purchasing land and dealing in livestock.With his wife and four of his children, Free Frank left Kentucky in 1830 to settle on a new frontier. In Pike County, Illinois, he purchased a farm and later, in 1836, platted and successfully promoted the town of New Philadelphia. The desire for freedom was an obvious spur to his commercial efforts. Through his lifetime of work he purchased the liberty of sixteen members of his family at a cost of nearly $14,000.Goods and services commanded a premium in the life of the frontier. Free Frank's career shows what an exceptional man, through working against great odds, could accomplish through industry, acumen, and aggressiveness. His story suggests a great deal about business activity and legal practices, as well as racial conditions, on the frontier.Juliet Walker has performed a task of historical detection in recreating the life of Free Frank from family traditions, limited personal papers, public documents, and secondary sources. In doing so, she has added a significant chapter to the history of African Americans.


Recently, user perception has been receiving increasingly much attention of service providers, operators, manufactures and researchers. They are interested to know how the users perceive the quality of multimedia streaming services. To avoid the fatigue of subjective testing, they are interested to model the Quality of Experience (QoE) based on Quality of Service (QoS) and other measurable parameters. However, these parameters to estimate the QoE may differ per service. In this paper, we propose a conceptual model of QoE in parallel with the classical internet architecture hourglass model. Moreover conditions are highlighted under which QoE can be evaluated objectively from QoS without entailing other factors. The main is goal to understand the factors that are playing a significant role for QoE. We also discuss and explain the role of the application on QoE.


Mass media campaigns can play an important role in promoting safe behavioural practices to a large part of the population. This paper provides a summary of the current state of knowledge regarding best practice for workplace health and safety (WHS) mass media campaign design and evaluation. While this review primarily focused on workplace safety, findings relevant to road safety are highlighted. An industry review was undertaken to investigate the specific role of mass media in promoting WHS issues. Interviews with key personnel involved in WHS communications campaigns provided insights into the processes involved in developing and evaluating mass media campaigns. Australian and international public health literature published during the last decade was also reviewed to examine what elements make a WHS mass media campaign effective and how future campaigns might be enhanced. Recent WHS campaign evaluations were reviewed to highlight current key issues in WHS campaign evaluation research. The paper concludes with some principles for best practice in mass media campaigns promoting safety in the workplace and within the road system.


Traits with low heritability estimates such as health and fertility are often assumed to have low genetic variance. However, the heritability is a ratio of additive genetic variance over all variance, and thus, the genetic variation of these traits may only be proportionally small. Health in dairy cattle is important, not only in its own right but also for human health and animal welfare. The coefficient of variation (CV) can be used to express genetic variance without units, allowing for comparison between traits regardless of their measurement units, in the same way heritability can be used. The CV is the standard deviation of the trait divided by the mean. In addition, the use of within-family variances may allow for more accurate investigation of genetic variance, because when within-family variances are large, between family variance (which is the basis for heritability estimation) is low. However, for international genetic and genomic evaluations, phenotypic measurements are not always available.
Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the usefulness of using CV for observations based on estimated or relative breeding values (EBV/RBV), and to investigate whether the low heritability seen for health traits, is related to low genetic variance, as defined by CV. Data for Brown Swiss cattle from 6 countries available from the Interbull evaluation of April 2014 were used and CV was calculated for within sire family variances and for the population as a whole based on international estimated breeding values (IEBV) using SAS 9.3. The breeding values were standardised differently for different countries, and were separated accordingly. However, there are reasons to believe that the interpretation of the results may be complicated because of this, and thus the validity of the CV for this evaluation may not be justified. If this is ignored for the time being, the following results were found. For all traits, population CVs were larger than sire-family CVs. Traits had either means for breeding values of 100 or 0 depending on the country, but there was no correlation between these two types of means for individual traits. Differences were found between countries for overall mean CV. Differences between different categories of traits (e.g. calving, fertility, production) were found, with production and fertility traits having the lowest overall CV across countries. Within countries, ranking of trait categories were somewhat different, but generally workability and udder health traits had high CVs. No significant correlations were found between the CV of traits and their heritability estimates, except when separating traits by country. This was only significant for Germany-Austria. Overall, the CV is useful for comparing the variance of traits with different measurement units. However, because of the nature of the breeding values in this study, it may not be appropriate to use the CV. Therefore, it is concluded that CV, although useful in itself, is not a good approach when evaluating relative breeding values across countries.


Biogenic amines and peptides can act both as circulating neurohormones and as classical central and peripheral neurotransmitters. This article reviews some of the variety of roles played by amines and peptides in crustacean nervous systems. Cardiac, stomatogastric and postural systems are used to illustrate: (1) the functional versatility of amines and peptides; (2) the molecular basis of their actions; (3) the coexistence of amines and peptides with other bioactive compounds; and (4) the developmental expression of amine and peptide phenotypes. We will deal in detail with the postural neuromuscular system of the lobster, Homarus americanus . Physiological and pharmacological experiments have shown that the biogenic amines serotonin and octopamine are capable of regulating posture by direct neurohormonal actions on the muscles and by central actions that alter motoneuronal output. We have localized serotonin to identified neurones in the lobster ventral nerve cord and have shown further that the pentapeptide proctolin coexists with the amine in these cells. Such neuronesprovide a convenient system in which to study the functional interactions between peptide and amine cotransmitters. In addition, the serotonin and proctolin phenotypes of these cells are first expressed at widely different times in development. This presents the possibility of studying the regulation of these two transmitter phenotypes in a system that is readily amenable to experimental manipulation.


Hyalinizing trabecular tumour (HTT) is a rare thyroid neoplasm of follicular cell origin characterised by a trabecular growth pattern and prominent intratrabecular and intertrabecular hyalinisation. These peculiar histological features allow the prompt recognition of this neoplasm in surgical specimens. However, cytological diagnosis of HTT remains elusive and misleading because of overlapping characteristics with other thyroid tumours, particularly papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC), medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) and the newly described non-invasive follicular thyroid neoplasm with papillary-like nuclear features (NIFTP). Nevertheless, the proper recognition of this neoplasm on preoperative cytological preparations is important to avoid unnecessary overtreatment of this indolent lesion. A thorough review of the literature has revealed that the correct diagnosis of HTT in cytological smears is achieved in only 8% of cases. In a further 6% of cases, diagnostic doubt has been indicated. Sixty percent of published cases of HTT have been misdiagnosed as suggestive, suspicious or positive for PTC. These findings underline the difficulties of a cytological-based diagnosis of such entity. In this article we review the cytomorphological features of HTT and their correlation to histological features to provide the reader with the tools to improve diagnostic performance in the identification of HTT on preoperative cytology.


Summary
Laboratory tests were designed for preliminary evaluation of compounds as repellents and toxicants for the protection of persons from fleas and ticks. Materials were desired that would be effective when applied to the clothing, and would remain effective through several days of wear or even through repeated washings. Elimination of the less effective compounds was rapidly accomplished by screening tests with small patches of treated cloth. Materials that were effective in the screening tests were further tested by applications to sleeves, stockings, or socks, which were worn in the presence of an infestation of fleas or ticks. Their safety for practical use has not yet been determined.
The toxicants most effective and durable against both fleas and ticks were 3,5-dinitro-o-cresol, dinitro-o-sec-butylphenol, 95-per cent gamma-benzene hexachloride, and Lethane A-70 (beta, beta'-dithiocyanodiethyl ether). Nicotine alkaloid gave an exceptionally short knock-down time against both species. Chlordan, p-tolyl benzyl ether, omega-piperidinodecylbenzene, the p-dimethyl-aminophenyl ester of thiocyanic acid, and n-capric acid were also especially effective against fleas, and 2,4-dinitrophenol, laurylcyclohexylamine, n-amylvalone, the p-dimethylaminophenyl ester of thiocyanic acid, and the lauryl ester of thiocyanic acid against ticks.
The most effective repellents were the N-(mixed monamyl)- and N-(n-amyl)-imides of 1,2-dicarboxy-3,6-endomethylene-4-cyclohexene, the tributyl ester of phosphoric acid, 4-chloro-3,5-xylenol, N-n-butylacetanilide, diethyl ester of phthalic acid, o-n-hexyloxybenzyl alcohol, the monocaproic acid ester of 1,5-pentanediol, n-capric acid, and p-iso-pentoxybenzyl alcohol.


We introduce a novel sequence-based localization technique for wireless sensor networks. We show that the localization space can be divided into distinct regions that can each be uniquely identified by sequences that represent the ranking of distances from the reference nodes to that region. For n reference nodes in the localization space, combinatorially, O(n") sequences are possible, but we show that, due to geometric constraints, the actual number of feasible location sequences is much lower: only O(n 4). Using these location sequences, we develop a localization technique that is robust to random errors due to the multipath and shadowing effects of wireless channels. Through extensive systematic simulations and a representative set of real mote experiments, we show that our lightweight localization technique provides comparable or better accuracy than other state-of-the-art radio signal strength-based localization techniques over a range of wireless channel and node deployment conditions.


This article compares the relative economic status of women who take and postpone taking early Social Security benefits, with particular attention to the role of marital history. Marital history categories discussed include: Lifelong marriages, marriages in which the woman had been previously divorced or widowed, divorced, widowed, and never married. The results presented here should be useful in evaluating the potential consequences of increasing the Earliest Entitlement Age (EEA). While increasing the EEA would not cause economic hardship for many, it may have adverse effects on divorced and widowed women who generally are at greater risk of poverty than married women. The economic effects of prior divorce or widowhood are reflected in the lower financial resources of women who remarry.


Objectives
As obesity increases in sub-Saharan Africa, information is needed about factors influencing food choices in households with overweight members. The objective of this study was to assess women's food purchasing decisions in overweight mother-child dyads in Malawi.

Methods
We enrolled 50 mother-child (age 6-59 months) dyads in which either the mother, the child, or both were overweight in Lilongwe and Kasungu Districts. Research assistants accompanied each woman on a food shopping trip and filled out a structured observation form on the types of food purchased and locations of purchases. Upon returning to the woman's home, research assistants conducted an in-depth interview about the factors that influenced the woman's purchases, including asking them to sort 12 factors into piles that always, sometimes, or never influence their food purchasing choices.

Results
Observations showed that women most often purchased small quantities of foods needed to prepare relish (the dish accompanying the staple food), such as tomatoes (76%), green leafy vegetables (66%), cooking oil (56%), onions (44%), and fish (41%) at outdoor markets. Pile sorts and open-ended responses revealed that taste, cost, and food quality were the strongest factors influencing food purchases. Women explained that if a food is too expensive, they buy a smaller quantity or buy something else (e.g., fish instead of meat). Cooking food that their family enjoys eating influenced the foods women bought. Adding tomatoes, onions, and oil to relish was commonly described as making the food tastier. To make the child happy, >50% of the women said they buy food, such as sweets, packaged snacks, fruit, or fried food (e.g., doughnuts), specifically for their child.

Conclusions
Cost, taste, and food quality were the most important drivers of women's food purchasing choices. Women used some of their minimal funds to buy unhealthy foods for their children, despite their overall emphasis on food cost and quality. These findings can be used by programs to reinforce healthy and decrease unhealthy food purchases.

Funding Sources
Drivers of Food Choice (DFC) Competitive Grants Program, funded by the UK Government's Department for International Development and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and managed by the University of South Carolina, Arnold School of Public Health.


Energy disaggregation (a.k.a nonintrusive load monitoring, NILM), a single-channel blind source separation problem, aims to decompose the mains which records the whole house electricity consumption into appliance-wise readings. This problem is difficult because it is inherently unidentifiable. Recent approaches have shown that the identifiability problem could be reduced by introducing domain knowledge into the model. Deep neural networks have been shown to be a promising approach for these problems, but sliding windows are necessary to handle the long sequences which arise in signal processing problems, which raises issues about how to combine predictions from different sliding windows. In this paper, we propose sequence-to-point learning, where the input is a window of the mains and the output is a single point of the target appliance. We use convolutional neural networks to train the model. Interestingly, we systematically show that the convolutional neural networks can inherently learn the signatures of the target appliances, which are automatically added into the model to reduce the identifiability problem. We applied the proposed neural network approaches to real-world household energy data, and show that the methods achieve state-of-the-art performance, improving two standard error measures by 84% and 92%.


After a terrible misunderstanding, poor Timmy Tiptoes ends up deep inside the trunk of a dead tree, with no means of getting out. Luckily, the chipmunk who lived there was very friendly and kind to Timmy. Before long, a strong wind blows the top off the dead tree trunk, but poor Timmy can't get himself out on account of eating far too many nuts and being a little bit too round! Beatrix wrote this story to appeal directly to her American fans and featured animals of American origin (grey squirrels, chipmunks and a black bear) all living happily in the Lake District woods! "The Tale of Timmy Tiptoes" is number twelve in Beatrix Potter's series of 23 little books, the titles of which are as follows: "The Tale of Peter Rabbit"; "The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin"; "The Tailor of Gloucester"; "The Tale of Benjamin Bunny"; "The Tale of Two Bad Mice"; "The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle"; "The Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher"; "The Tale of Tom Kitten"; "The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck"; "The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies"; "The Tale of Mrs. Tittlemouse"; "The Tale of Timmy Tiptoes"; "The Tale of Johnny Town-Mouse"; "The Tale of Mr. Tod"; "The Tale of Pigling Bland"; "The Tale of Samuel Whiskers"; "The Tale of The Pie and the Patty-Pan"; "The Tale of Ginger and Pickles"; "The Tale of Little Pig Robinson"; "The Story of a Fierce Bad Rabbit"; "The Story of Miss Moppet"; "Appley Dapply's Nursery Rhymes"; and, "Cecily Parsley's Nursery Rhymes".


Adam is a widely used optimization method for training deep learning models. It computes individual adaptive learning rates for different parameters. In this paper, we propose a generalization of Adam, called Adambs, that allows us to also adapt to different training examples based on their importance in the model's convergence. To achieve this, we maintain a distribution over all examples, selecting a mini-batch in each iteration by sampling according to this distribution, which we update using a multi-armed bandit algorithm. This ensures that examples that are more beneficial to the model training are sampled with higher probabilities. We theoretically show that Adambs improves the convergence rate of Adam---$O(\sqrt{\frac{\log n}{T} })$ instead of $O(\sqrt{\frac{n}{T}})$ in some cases. Experiments on various models and datasets demonstrate Adambs's fast convergence in practice.


Noting that the aftermath of the global financial crisis has left many advanced economies with very high sovereign debt ratios and some emerging markets with high debt, this report considers whether there are ways to expand fiscal space that do not involve countries paying down debt or promising to do so in the future, to make fiscal consolidation more growth-friendly. It explains that policymakers argue that their fiscal space is limited and that it would be difficult to take advantage of the opportunity of low interest rates to undertake fiscal expansion, and it considers a ways to raise fiscal space that does not require contractionary fiscal policy and whether there is a way to make fiscal consolidation more growth-friendly to produce larger gains in fiscal space. It argues that debt management policies may provide an answer to expanding fiscal space for a given path of primary fiscal balances by reducing the risk that a sovereign may default in bad states and generate a payoff in terms of reduced to real borrowing costs. It describes two debt management policies: issuance of GDP-linked debt and issuance of longer maturity bonds, as opposed to short-term debt. It focuses on the effect of these debt management policies on real borrowing costs and default risk for the sovereign and details the literature on GDP-linked debt and the maturity structure and how the report fills gaps in the literature; how uncertainty affects fiscal space and how debt management can play a role in increasing it, with estimates and simulations of potential gains in fiscal space flowing from debt management; and the sensitivity of the findings to underlying assumptions and policy implications.


Abstract Although writing about traumatic events has been shown to produce a variety of health benefits, little is known about how writing produces benefits. The degree to which individuals form narrative structure when writing may predict health improvements. This study manipulated narrative formation during writing to test if narrative structure is necessary for writing to be beneficial. A total of 116 healthy students were randomly assigned to write about control topics or about their thoughts and feelings regarding the most traumatic event of their life in one of two ways: list in an fragmented format or construct a narrative. Individuals asked to form a narrative reported less restriction of activity because of illness and showed higher avoidant thinking than the other groups. The fragmented writing group did not differ from controls on any measure. These data (a) demonstrate that instructions to form a narrative produce a different response to writing than instructions to form fragmented and control...


This paper presents the development of a wetland water balance model for use in a large river basin with many different wetlands. The basic model was primarily developed for a single wetland with a complex water management system involving large amounts of specialized input data and water management details. The aim was to simplify the model structure and to use only commonly available data as input for the model, with the least possible loss of accuracy. Results from different variants of the model and data adaptation were tested against results from a detailed model. This shows that using commonly available data and unifying and simplifying the input data is tolerable up to a certain level. The simplification of the model has greater effects on the evaluated water balance components than the data adaptation. Because this simplification was necessary for large-scale use, we suggest that, for reasons of comparability, simpler models should always be applied with uniform data bases for large regions, though these should only be moderately simplified. Further, we recommend using these simplified models only for large-scale comparisons and using more specific, detailed models for investigations on smaller scales.


We investigate the use of content-based publish/subscribe for data dissemination in large-scale applications with expressive filtering requirements. In particular, we focus on top-k subscription filtering, where a publication is delivered only to the k best ranked subscribers, as ordered using expressive semantics such as relevance, fairness, and diversity. The naive approach to perform filtering early at the publisher edge works only if complete knowledge of the subscriptions is available, which is not compatible with the well-established covering optimization in scalable content-based publish/subscribe systems. We propose an efficient rank-cover technique to reconcile top-k subscription filtering with covering. We extend the covering model to support top-k and describe a novel algorithm for forwarding subscriptions to publishers while maintaining correctness. We also establish a framework for supporting different types of ranking semantics and propose an implementation to support fairness. Finally, we compare our solutions to a baseline covering system and perform sensitivity analysis to demonstrate that our optimized rank-cover algorithm retains both covering and fairness while achieving properties advantageous to our targeted workloads. In a typical setting, our optimized solution is scalable, selects fairly, and provides over 81% of the covering benefit.


Crop protection against pests and diseases is a major challenge in agriculture. Plant breeding is a key solution for the development of disease resistant cultivars. Gene editing is an indispensable part of plant breeding to obtain desirable traits in crops. CRISPR (Clustered Regular Interspaced Palindromic Repeats)/Cas9 (CRISPR- associated protein) is a recent breakthrough in gene editing technology. It can be utilized to exploit defensive mechanism in plants against pathogen attack with recognition and degradation of the invading pathogenic genes by bacterial immune system. Advances in plant breeding with integration of CRISPR/Cas9 have facilitated the production of cultivars with heritable resistance to viral and bacterial disease. CRISPR/Cas9 mediated genetically engineered resistance can be inherited to further generation of crops after segregation of Cas9/sgRNA transgene in F1 generation. The segregation of Cas9/sgRNA transgene prevents undesirable genome modification in successive generation and makes use of CRISPR/Cas9 safe in plant breeding. CRISPR/Cas9 proves itself as a fascinating tool to revolutionize plant breeding for the development of various disease resistant cultivars however, effects of CRISPR/Cas9 system on different physiological process of plants still needs to be studied. Int. J. Appl. Sci. Biotechnol. Vol 5(4): 403-409


Keratinocyte growth factor (KGF) stimulates the proliferation and differentiation of epithelial cells including those of the gastrointestinal tract. Although chemotherapeutics and radiation exposure kill rapidly proliferating tumor cells, rapidly dividing normal cells of the host's gastrointestinal tract are also frequently damaged, leading to the clinical condition broadly termed "mucositis." In this report, recombinant human KGF used as a pretreatment in several mouse models of chemotherapy and/or radiation-induced gastrointestinal injury significantly improved mouse survival. Using multiple-dose 5-fluorouracil, methotrexate, and radiation in combination and total body radiation alone models, KGF increased survival by 55% or greater. In the models that used chemotherapy with or without radiation, KGF significantly ameliorated weight loss after injury and accelerated weight gain during recovery. The basis of these systemic benefits appears to be due in part to the trophic effects of the growth factor on the intestinal epithelium because KGF pretreatment caused an increase in measures of mucosal thickness (villus height and crypt depth) that persisted during the course of 5-fluorouracil chemotherapy. Treatment with KGF also afforded a 3.5-fold improvement in crypt survival in the small intestine, suggesting that KGF also has a direct effect on the crypt stem cells. These data indicate that KGF may be therapeutically useful to lessen the intestinal side effects of current cancer therapy regimens.


A method is followed in the present analysis to estimate realistic surge and sway wave drift force coefficients for the Exwave FPSO. Model test data is used to identify the difference frequency wave exciting force coefficients based on a second order signal analysis technique. First, the slowly varying excitation is estimated from the relationship between the incoming wave and the low frequency motion using a linear oscillator. Then, the full QTF of the difference frequency wave exciting forces is defined from the relationship between the incoming waves and the second order force response. The process identifies also the linearized low frequency damping. The paper presents results from a few cases selected from the Exwave JIP test matrix. Empirical mean wave drift coefficients are compared to potential flow predictions. It is shown that the latter underestimate the wave drift forces, especially at the lower frequency range where severe seastates have most of the energy. The sources for the discrepancies are discussed..


SKINNY is a family of lightweight tweakable block ciphers designed to have the smallest hardware footprint. In this paper, we present zero-correlation linear approximations and the related-tweakey impossible differential characteristics for different versions of SKINNY .We utilize Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP) to search all zero-correlation linear distinguishers for all variants of SKINNY, where the longest distinguisher found reaches 10 rounds. Using a 9-round characteristic, we present 14 and 18-round zero correlation attacks on SKINNY-64-64 and SKINNY- 64-128, respectively. Also, for SKINNY-n-n and SKINNY-n-2n, we construct 13 and 15-round related-tweakey impossible differential characteristics, respectively. Utilizing these characteristics, we propose 23-round related-tweakey impossible differential cryptanalysis by applying the key recovery attack for SKINNY-n-2n and 19-round attack for SKINNY-n-n. To the best of our knowledge, the presented zero-correlation characteristics in this paper are the first attempt to investigate the security of SKINNY against this attack and the results on the related-tweakey impossible differential attack are the best reported ones.


This thesis evaluates standard setting initiatives in corporate social responsibility or `CSR' engagements. Chapter 1 establishes how standard setting initiatives are developed through narratives of CSR. In chapter 2, the thesis unpacks hard and soft CSR which is seen as the key step to unlock the possibilities of standard setting. By showing that there is a nexus between hard and soft CSR, the regulatory divide is bridged. From here, CSR is seen to consist of internal and external narratives. When the narratives merge, standard setting can evolve in a coherent and meaningful way. In developing internal narratives, chapters 3 and 4 evaluate the normative-theoretical underpinnings of the corporation and examine how it can sustain the notion of the socially responsible corporation. The corporation is bounded by institutional roots, political limitations and legal parameters. The theoretical make up of the corporation, informed by historical insight, shows that the corporation is a real institution, capable of absorbing values from the community within which it operates and provides something back as a community member. External narratives are then discussed in chapters 5 and 6 in order to create a framework for the CSR actors to work together. Standards tend to be anchored within various brackets, including state borders and beyond, between public and private notions of authority as well as positive and negative aspects of responsibility. The rule of law holds the key towards providing legitimacy to these standards. Ultimately, chapter 7 looks at convergence in standards through the rigours of good decision making. A call for procedural integration is made through an administrative base which will be able to draw out a common language between the actors. Calibrating the internal and external narratives reveals the evolving nature of standards which attempt to reimagine the corporation as an institution of responsibility.


Computer and network systems have given us unlimited opportunities of reducing cost, improving efficiency, and increasing revenues, as demonstrated by an increasing number of computer and network applications. Yet, our dependence on computer and network systems has also exposed us to new risks, which threaten the security of, and present new challenges for protecting our assets and information on computer and network systems. The reliability of computer and network systems ultimately depends on security and quality of service (QoS) performance. This book presents quantitative modeling and analysis techniques to address these numerous challenges in cyber attack prevention and detection for security and QoS, including: the latest research on computer and network behavior under attack and normal use conditions; new design principles and algorithms, which can be used by engineers and practitioners to build secure computer and network systems, enhance security practice and move to providing QoS assurance on the Internet; mathematical and statistical methods for achieving the accuracy and timeliness of cyber attack detection with the lowest computational overhead; guidance on managing admission control, scheduling, reservation and service of computer and network jobs to assure the service stability and end-to-end delay of those jobs even under Denial of Service attacks or abrupt demands. Secure Computer and Network Systems: Modeling, Analysis and Design is an up-to-date resource for practising engineers and researchers involved in security, reliability and quality management of computer and network systems. It is also a must-read for postgraduate students developing advanced technologies for improving computer network dependability.


Urnummulites schaubi n. gen. n. sp., is a rotaliid foraminifera. It is found for the first time in the Late Paleocene toe of slope sediments of a carbonate platform Stratigraphic section D6, Bir Dakhl, Southern Galala, Eastern Desert, Egypt. The form is believed to be the ancestor of Nummulites. It is distinguished from Kathina by having asymmetrical polar pustules on both sides. The pustule is onlywell pronounced ventrally,where it possesses perforations (punctuation) and is lacking theumbilical pillar found inKathina. In the involute ventral side the test possesses "alar" prolongations. s. str., while these prolongations are lacking dorsally. The form also recalls Laffitteina (a Maastrichtian genus) but it lacks the double septa and the ramifying interseptal canals. Urnummulites differs from all the representatives of Rotaliidae by the presence of the septal filaments. The form is believed to be the ancestor of Nummulites.


Laboratory analytical turnaround time is a well-recognised indicator of how well a laboratory is performing and is sometimes regarded as the benchmark for laboratory performance. Methods: Total 104 doctors in public and private health institutions in Nigeria, spread across all six geo-political zones participated in survey requesting information on their experience with laboratory turnaround times in emergency situations (emergency room, special care baby unit, intensive care unit, dialysis unit) and outpatient situations (general medicine and diabetes). Results: The average turnaround time in hours was 5.12, 8.35, 7.32 and 8.33 for the emergency room, special care baby unit, intensive care unit and dialysis unit, respectively. For the outpatient situations, the average turnaround time in hours was 10.74 and 15.70 hours for the diabetes and general medical outpatients. The median range (hours) and modal range (hours) for: the emergency room was 2-4 and <2; the special care baby unit was 4-8 and 4-8; the intensive care unit was 2-4 and 2-4; the dialysis unit was 4-8 and 4-8. The median range (hours) and modal range (hours) for: the general outpatient clinic was 12-24 and 12-24; the diabetic clinic was 4-8 and 12-24 hours. Conclusion: These turnaround time results are quite consistent with published data from other countries. However, there is some measure of improvement that is required in some areas to reduce the laboratory turnaround in the emergency situations. This could be overcome with the introduction of more point of care testing devices into emergency units.


Threats of high crosswind gusts on running safety of modern road and rail vehicles have been reported around the world. Under high transient crosswind conditions, sudden changes in vehicle aerodynamic forces can lead to adverse effects on vehicle dynamics and stability. Moreover, due to increase in maximum speed limits and body dimensions of commercial vehicles as well as reduction in their weights, large class vehicles, in particular, are more prone to rollover accidents in strong crosswind situations, especially at cruising speeds or at exposed sites. Such crosswind accidents have been observed even at low vehicle speed of 15 m/s in adverse windy weather. It is therefore essential to conduct detailed investigations on the aerodynamic performance of commercial vehicles under crosswind conditions in order to improve their crosswind stability.

In this study, estimation of unsteady aerodynamic forces acting on a high-sided tractor-trailer vehicle have been carried out based on experiential and numerical simulations. Although natural crosswind gusts are high-turbulent phenomena, and have a large variability in types and origins, this study suggests employing two gust scenarios based on two different methods:

1. Transient wind gust scenario developed in wind-tunnel to represents a high-sided tractor semitrailer vehicle moving on a road in moderate wind condition and immediately being hit by wind gust.

2. Deterministic crosswind scenario with gusts in exponential shapes has been considered to predict crosswind aerodynamic forces of a high-sided tractor semitrailer vehicle moving through wind exposed area. This scenario is specified in the Technical Specification for Interoperability (TSI) standard, but it has been employed in this study in combination with Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD).

A series of time-dependent crosswind aerodynamic forces acting on the tractor-semitrailer vehicle have been predicted. Moreover, to illustrate the potential influence of crosswind gusts on a high-sided tractor semitrailer vehicle, instantaneous gust flow structures for proposed wind scenarios and wind pressure fields were presented. The results show that both wind gust scenarios have significant unsteady effects on the side aerodynamic force and the roll moment of the vehicle. Furthermore, there are significant variations in aerodynamic loads, and the flow field becomes more complicated, consistent with the gust's strength. These conclusions strongly suggested the importance of considering the unsteady aerodynamic forces in the analysis of heavy vehicle roll dynamics.

Lateral load transfer ratio (LTR) is a criterion that is often used for designing ground vehicle rollover warning technologies to indicate the vehicles rollover status. Generally, LTR index depends on road geometry and vehicle dynamic characteristics. However, as mentioned above, crosswind loads have the potential to influence the roll stability and therefore the safety of large commercial vehicles. Therefore, this thesis presents the research carried out to improve the traditional LTR for a high-sided tractor semitrailer vehicle to be more efficient in crosswind environment. For this purpose, since experimental investigations on vehicle rollover dynamics are difficult to carry out, a coupled simulation of crosswind aerodynamic forces and multi-body vehicle dynamics has been proposed. In this method, the predicted aerodynamic forces result due to the proposed wind scenarios were input into multi-body dynamic simulations of the tractor semi-trailer vehicle that were performed through Adams/Car software. Based on this coupled analysis, dynamic responses of the vehicle to fluctuating crosswind conditions have been predicted. Moreover, all parameters of the LTR index such as body roll angle and lateral acceleration were estimated through a critical turning manoeuvre with crosswind actions. The investigation results show that, in the same manoeuvre, in comparison with the traditional LTR index (i.e., in which crosswind aerodynamic forces are ignored), the improved LTR rollover (crosswind) indicator, has successfully detected wheel lift–up conditions when crosswind aerodynamic loads are considered. Also, average values of the LTR measured under crosswind effects are about 22% higher than those of corresponding traditional LTR index. Therefore, the rollover indicator that has been improved by the proposed methodology can provide more reliable information to the warning or control system in the presence of wind conditions.


In this study, forced convection enhancement in a square channel by a two stage electrohydrodynamic (EHD) gas pump is numerically analyzed. This study is implemented for a two stage EHD gas pump with three emitting electrode configurations: 8, 24, and 56 respectively to seek their effectiveness in the enhancement of forced convection and pumping power requirement. The EHD gas pump is evaluated for a wide range of operating voltages starting from 20 kV up to 28 kV. The influence of electric field on the flow and temperature fields is also examined for a wide range of Reynolds numbers. The three-dimensional governing equations for the flow and temperature fields are solved using the finite volume method. The Reynolds numbers (Re) considered in this study varies in a range between 100 and 2000. At Re = 100, a maximum increase of 42% in the average Nusselt number is achieved with an applied voltage of 28 kV. The overall effectiveness of the EHD gas pump in heat transfer enhancement is evaluated by the thermal hydraulic performance parameter, (Nu/Nu0)/(f/f0), which is always greater than unity. These results disclose that EHD technique has a great potential for many engineering applications, particularly for thermal management.


  Abstract – Broken damper bars and shorted field winding turns degrade the starting and running performance of industrial wound field synchronous motors (WFSMs), and can lead to a forced outage of the motor and driven process. Testing of WFSM rotor windings mainly relies on off-line tests, which cannot be performed frequently and are known to lack reliability. Shorted turns in the field winding can be detected on-line from the airgap flux measurement, but require a sensor to be installed on the stator bore. In this paper, new test methods for detecting and classifying damper and field winding faults based on electrical signals are proposed. The proposed methods can provide remote testing at motor standstill and during the motor starting transient without disassembling the motor. Test results on a 30 kW, salient pole WFSM show that both test methods can provide reliable detection and classification of damper and field winding faults.


Most automated theorem provers suffer from the problem that theycan produce proofs only in formalisms difficult to understand even forexperienced mathematicians. Efforts have been made to transformsuch machine generated proofs into natural deduction (ND) proofs.Although the single steps are now easy to understand, the entire proofis usually at a low level of abstraction, containing too many tedioussteps. Therefore, it is not adequate as input to natural language gen-eration systems.To overcome these problems, we propose a new intermediate rep-resentation, called ND style proofs at the assertion level . After illus-trating the notion intuitively, we show that the assertion level stepscan be justified by domain-specific inference rules, and that these rulescan be represented compactly in a tree structure. Finally, we describea procedure which substantially shortens ND proofs by abstractingthem to the assertion level, and report our experience with furthertransformation into natural language.