ABSTRACT Acinetobacter baumannii is a Gram-negative bacterial pathogen notorious for causing serious nosocomial infections that resist antibiotic therapy. Research to identify factors responsible for the pathogen's success has been limited by the resources available for genome-scale experimental studies. This report describes the development of several such resources for A. baumannii strain AB5075, a recently characterized wound isolate that is multidrug resistant and displays robust virulence in animal models. We report the completion and annotation of the genome sequence, the construction of a comprehensive ordered transposon mutant library, the extension of high-coverage transposon mutant pool sequencing (Tn-seq) to the strain, and the identification of the genes essential for growth on nutrient-rich agar. These resources should facilitate large-scale genetic analysis of virulence, resistance, and other clinically relevant traits that make A. baumannii a formidable public health threat. IMPORTANCE Acinetobacter baumannii is one of six bacterial pathogens primarily responsible for antibiotic-resistant infections that have become the scourge of health care facilities worldwide. Eliminating such infections requires a deeper understanding of the factors that enable the pathogen to persist in hospital environments, establish infections, and resist antibiotics. We present a set of resources that should accelerate genome-scale genetic characterization of these traits for a reference isolate of A. baumannii that is highly virulent and representative of current outbreak strains.


In "Some functions of gaze direction in two-person conversation," Adam Kendon provided the first systematic account of the organization of gaze in conversational interaction, arguing that here gaze behavior serves the regulation of speaker- and listenership. Recently, Rossano (2012) has argued that gaze direction, instead, operates in the context of action sequences and varies by action type. This chapter describes the gaze behavior of a single person in interactions with a variety of others. The focus is on a routine gaze sequence, consonant with Rossano's account, whose initiator establishes transitory or sustained gaze with the recipient during the initial action, and both parties withdraw gaze from one another during sequence completion. Arguably this patterns shows that mutual gaze can serve as a minimal form of social contract by which acts are ratified as intersubjective facts.


Turbulence can be highly significant to dinoflagellates by affecting their swimming motion. We examined the effects of simple shear flow on swimming trajectories and orientations of two species of dinoflagellates Glenodinium foliaceum and Alexandrium catenella. In the absence of either shear or a cue that can cause directional motion, swimming orientations of both species were insignificantly different from random. Although cells of G. foliaceum maintained their random swimming orientations upon exposure to shear, swimming orientations of both single cells and chains of A. catenella were affected by shear. Magnitude of the effect increased with shear rate. Changes in decorrelation times, as a result of exposure to shear, were observed for both species, providing another indication that shear affects swimming behavior. Decorrelation times for the swimming directions of both species were of the same order as the characteristic time scale of turbulence that would produce shear rates comparable to those examined in this study. Theoretical models that assess the effects of turbulence on vertical migration of dinoflagellates and predator‐prey interactions commonly assume that swimming motion of dinoflagellates in the presence of shear flow can be described by simple superposition of the flow on the swimming motion in the absence of flow. Our results suggest that this assumption is not universally true.


Logistic regression analysis has, for some time, been successfully applied to L1 speech perception data, but has not been widely applied in L2 speech perception research. This chapter is a tutorial which makes use of simple data sets to introduce logistic regression analysis as applied to categorical response data from L1 and L2 speech perception experiments. Data are taken from an experiment on L1 Spanish vowel perception by Alvarez Gonzalez, and experiments on L1 and L2 English vowel perception by Escudero & Boersma, and Morrison. Model fitting is demonstrated as a technique to determine which acoustic cues are attended to by listeners. Logistic regression coefficients are used to quantify how listeners use those acoustic cues, to produce graphical representations of their use of acoustic cues, and as statistics in secondary analyses used to determine whether there are significant differences in the perception of stimuli by L1 versus L2 groups of listeners.


Abstract. In this study ideas from extreme value theory are for the first time applied in the field of stratospheric ozone research, because statistical analysis showed that previously used concepts assuming a Gaussian distribution (e.g. fixed deviations from mean values) of total ozone data do not adequately address the structure of the extremes. We show that statistical extreme value methods are appropriate to identify ozone extremes and to describe the tails of the Arosa (Switzerland) total ozone time series. In order to accommodate the seasonal cycle in total ozone, a daily moving threshold was determined and used, with tools from extreme value theory, to analyse the frequency of days with extreme low (termed ELOs) and high (termed EHOs) total ozone at Arosa. The analysis shows that the Generalized Pareto Distribution (GPD) provides an appropriate model for the frequency distribution of total ozone above or below a mathematically well-defined threshold, thus providing a statistical description of ELOs and EHOs. The results show an increase in ELOs and a decrease in EHOs during the last decades. The fitted model represents the tails of the total ozone data set with high accuracy over the entire range (including absolute monthly minima and maxima), and enables a precise computation of the frequency distribution of ozone mini-holes (using constant thresholds). Analyzing the tails instead of a small fraction of days below constant thresholds provides deeper insight into the time series properties. Fingerprints of dynamical (e.g. ENSO, NAO) and chemical features (e.g. strong polar vortex ozone loss), and major volcanic eruptions, can be identified in the observed frequency of extreme events throughout the time series. Overall the new approach to analysis of extremes provides more information on time series properties and variability than previous approaches that use only monthly averages and/or mini-holes and mini-highs.


The damping behavior of bent fiber near-field scanning optical microscopy (NSOM) probes operating in tapping mode oscillation is investigated in air and water. We show that the significant drop in probe quality factor Q, which occurs at the air-water interface, is due to meniscus damping. As the probe is immersed in water viscous damping adds to the meniscus damping. Damping effects which lead to a progressive drop in the peak tapping mode resonance frequency are accounted for by additional torsional modes of probe vibration. Understanding the damping processes should lead to the design of high sensitivity NSOM probes for scanning soft biological samples under liquid.


This iliesis examines the quality and effectiveness of diabetes education in New Zealand. It is said that a global diabetes epidemic is underway. If diabetes rates increase as predicted it will become one of the world's main public health problems. Diabetes also presents a huge burden, socially and economically to societies. Education is perhaps one of the most modifiable social determinants of health. Education is vital for diabetes, due to the importance of self care, the severity of complications that can result, to create awareness and help prevent an initial diagnosis. There are many ways in which people can receive diabetes education. One educational provider of importance, in New Zealand is Diabetes New Zealand (DNZ). DNZ is a voluntary organisation and has 41 affiliated societies across New Zealand. In order to improve diabetes educational services and help reduce the burden of diabetes in society it is necessary to gain an understanding of diabetes educational provision. Geography, with its fusion of place and people can offer a valuable contribution to the study of diabetes education. There has been a lack of attention given to public health issues by geographers. A health geography approach iliat incorporates the concept of place is important as it can provide insight into the way in which people experience different educational spaces .. By focusing on aspects of the local environment and investigating elements of place, for example, rural and urban environments or health system organisation, another dimension to understandings of health and people's experiences within health care environments can be obtained. This thesis argues that to improve patient education and diabetes outcomes, people's perceptions and experiences within diabetes educational spaces must be investigated and understood. In addition, the extent to which diabetes educational spaces are utilised must also be explored if educational services are to be improved. The diabetes societies in New Zealand have a vital role in the provision of diabetes education for members. However, there are variations among members' perceptions and experiences within this educational space. To improve educational services, the extent to which they are utilised must also be explored. Again, it is necessary to gain an insight into the perceptions of the consnmers, in relation to utilisation, to obtain a holistic understanding of diabetes educational services in New Zealand. A geographical. approach to exploring the role of the voluntary sector in diabetes educational provision also provides insight into the geographies of voluntary organisations involved in diabetes education.


Enhancing the load bearing quality of granular layers is fundamental to optimize the structural performance of the pavements. Unbound granular materials are one of the most used materials in the base layers of pavements. There have been growing interests on the behavior of unbound granular material in road base layers. Both design of a new pavement and prediction of service life need proper characterization of unbound granular materials, which is one of the requirements for a new mechanistic pavement design methods.Adequate knowledge of the strength and deformation characteristics of unbound layers in pavements is essential for proper thickness design, residual life determination, and economic optimization of the pavement structure. The current knowledge concerning granular materials employed in pavement structures is limited. In addition, to date, no general framework has been established to explain and evaluate satisfactorily the behavior of unbound granular materials under the complex repeated loading which they experience.This thesis presents a packing theory-based framework to evaluate the mechanical properties of unbound granular materials. The framework was developed based on the particle-to-particle contact, the particle size distribution and the packing arrangement. The skeleton of the unbound materials should be composed of both coarse enough particles and a limited amount of fine granular materials to effectively resist deformation and carry traffic loads. Based on this, the framework identifies the two basic components of unbound granular materials, namely the primary structure (PS) - a range of interactive coarse grain sizes that forms the main load carrying network in granular materials and the secondary structure (SS) - a range of grain sizes smaller than the PS providing stability to the aggregate skeleton.In the framework, disruption potential (DP), PS porosity, PS coordination number and void ratio of skeleton (PS+SS) are among the key packing parameters which were established from the framework. These parameters were validated by evaluating the permanent deformation, resilient modulus and California bearing ratio of unbound granular materials using different materials with various experimental results.Furthermore, in this thesis a new moisture distribution model (Birgisson-Jelagin-Yideti (BJY) moisture distribution model) was introduced. In the model, SS particles associated with water retention. The water is stored as meniscus water between these small particles and fully filled in small voids. The volume of meniscus water between SS particles and the measured matric suction values are the two key parameters considered in the model. The results showed that the model developed is capable of predicting the experimentally measured matric suction values for a range of gradations.Finally, the application of shakedown and packing theories to characterize permanent deformation behaviour of unbound aggregate materials is presented. A simple finite element analysis has also been simulated in order to find out the effect of disruption potential on the shakedown limit load. Experimental results were used for the simulation of the finite element and compared favourably with the predicted mean stress and dimensionless shakedown load using DP values.


Purpose: To compare accuracy of in vivo dosimeters such as TLDs,MOSFETs & OSLDs for patients receiving Total Body Irradiation. Methods: Three types of dosimeters were considered for this study, LiF Thermoluminescent Dosimeters, Modified Field Effect Transistors(MOSFET ‐Thomson&Nielsen TN‐502RD) and Optically Stimulated Luminescence Dosimeters(OSLD ‐ Landuer's 2% screened nanoDOTs). All three dosimeters were calibrated under full bulildup conditions at 100cm SSD, dmax = 3.4cm for 18MV photon energy and appropriate correction factors were applied for TBI treatment condition. This study is performed on a 30×30×22cm solid water phantom and a rando phantom at the TBI treatment distance. The separations at different locations for phantom were measured and MUs were calculated to deliver 100cGy at the midplane . Dosimeters were placed on the entrance side of the phantoms to measure dmax dose. Each type of dosimeters were irradiated at five locations in the rando phantom under the same treatment setup. The reproducibility of the dosimeters was verified by solidwater phantom measurements. Ten TBI cases, which were monitored using each dosimeter type were selected and tabulated the percentage difference of measured to expected dose for 5 different patient locations. Results: The reproducibility for TLDs,MOSFETs and OSLDs were 118.3cGy +/− 2.7%(1SD), 118.3cGy +/−2.1%(1SD) and 118.3cGy +/− 1.8%(1SD) resp after 10 consecutive measurements in solidwater phantom (Table 1). From rando phantom measurements, maximum percentage variation of the measured to expected dose with 1SD values are TLDs (1.4 +/− 1.4), MOSFETs (3.9+/− 2.2) and OSLDs (1.6 +/− 1.8) (Table 2). Percentage difference of the measured dose to expected dose for 10 clinical cases were TLDs (2.3+/− 2.9), MOSFETs (3.7+/− 4.9) and OSLDs (1.8+/− 2.9%) (Table 3). Conclusions: Measured values were within +/−5% tolerance level for all dosimeters. OSLDs can give more accurate and reproducible results with an added advantage of ease of use and shorter readout period.


Bioassays and whole-plant experiments were conducted to investigate the interaction between Tylenchulus semipenetrans and Phytophthora nicotianae. Both organisms are parasites of the citrus fibrous root cortex. Nematode-infected and non-infected root segments were excised from naturally infected field roots and placed on water agar in close proximity to agar plugs of P. nicotianae and then transferred to a Phytophthora-selective medium. At 10 and 12 days, 50% fewer nematode-infected segments were infected by P. nicotianae than non-infected segments. In whole-plant experiments in glass test tubes, sour orange seedlings were inoculated with two densities (8,000 or 80,000 eggs and second-stage juveniles) of T. semipenetrans, and after establishment of infection were inoculated with two densities (9,000 and 90,000 zoospores) of P. nicotianae. In the first experiment, fungal protein was 53% to 65% lower in the roots infected by both organisms than in roots infected by the fungus only. Compared to plants infected only by P. nicotianae, shoot weights were 33% to 50% greater (P </= 0.05) in plants infected by both parasites, regardless of inoculum density. Fibrous and tap root weights were 5% to 23% and 19% to 34% greater (P </= 0.05), respectively, in nematode-fungus combination treatments compared to the fungus alone. A second experiment was conducted, where plants were infected by the fungus, the nematode, both organisms, or neither organism. The soil mixture pH for 50% of the plants was adjusted from 4.5 to 7.0 to favor nematode infection. A higher rate of nematode infection of plants growing at pH 7.0 compared to pH 4.5 resulted in greater suppression of fungal development and greater inhibition of fungal damage to the plant. Compared to plants infected only by P. nicotianae, shoot and root weights were 37% and 33% greater (P </= 0.05), respectively, in plants infected by both parasites. These experiments have revealed antagonism between T. semipenetrans and P. nicotianae in citrus.


Nanoindentation technique was used to investigate the surface properties of A2 and D2 tool steel subjected to different heat treatments. the mechanical characteristics of these two easily available tool steels were studied based on microstructural images obtained from SEM, the grain growth after heat treatment using X-ray diffraction method and nanoindentation technique. the investigation showed that a single nanoindentation result can explain how heat treatment influences reliability and failure in A2 and D2 tool steels. in this work, the causes and effects of these variations were studied to explain how they influence reliability and failure in A2 and D2 tool steel. Finally, a cube-corner indenter tip was used to determine the fracture toughness of silicon wafer. the emphasis of this research is on how nanoindentation technique is more extensive in material characterization.


Extract Method is a key refactoring for improving program comprehension. However, recent empirical research shows that refactoring tools designed to automate Extract Methods are often underused. To tackle this issue, we propose a novel approach to identify and rank Extract Method refactoring opportunities that are directly automated by IDE-based refactoring tools. Our approach aims to recommend new methods that hide structural dependencies that are rarely used by the remaining statements in the original method. We conducted an exploratory study to experiment and define the best strategies to compute the dependencies and the similarity measures used by the proposed approach. We also evaluated our approach in a sample of 81 extract method opportunities generated for JUnit and JHotDraw, achieving a precision of 48% (JUnit) and 38% (JHotDraw).


In visual question answering (VQA), recent advances have well advocated the use of attention mechanism to precisely link the question to the potential answer areas. As the difficulty of the question increases, more VQA models adopt multiple attention layers to capture the deeper visual-linguistic correlation. But a negative consequence is the explosion of parameters, which makes the model vulnerable to over-fitting, especially when limited training examples are given. In this paper, we propose an extremely compact alternative to this static multi-layer architecture towards accurate yet efficient attention modeling, termed as Dynamic Capsule Attention (CapsAtt). Inspired by the recent work of Capsule Network, CapsAtt treats visual features as capsules and obtains the attention output via dynamic routing, which updates the attention weights by calculating coupling coefficients between the underlying and output capsules. Meanwhile, CapsAtt also discards redundant projection matrices to make the model much more compact. We quantify CapsAtt on three benchmark VQA datasets, i.e., COCO-QA, VQA1.0 and VQA2.0. Compared to the traditional multi-layer attention model, CapsAtt achieves significant improvements of up to 4.1%, 5.2% and 2.2% on three datasets, respectively. Moreover, with much fewer parameters, our approach also yields competitive results compared to the latest VQA models. To further verify the generalization ability of CapsAtt, we also deploy it on another challenging multi-modal task of image captioning, where state-of-the-art performance is achieved with a simple network structure.


Gottesman–Kitaev–Preskill (GKP) states appear to be amongst the leading candidates for correcting errors when encoding qubits into oscillators. However the preparation of GKP states remains a significant theoretical and experimental challenge. Until now, no clear definitions for fault-tolerantly preparing GKP states have been provided. Without careful consideration, a small number of faults can lead to large uncorrectable shift errors. After proposing a metric to compare approximate GKP states, we provide rigorous definitions of fault-tolerance and introduce a fault-tolerant phase estimation protocol for preparing such states. The fault-tolerant protocol uses one flag qubit and accepts only a subset of states in order to prevent measurement readout errors from causing large shift errors. We then show how the protocol can be implemented using circuit QED. In doing so, we derive analytic expressions which describe the leading order effects of the nonlinear dispersive shift and Kerr nonlinearity. Using these expressions, we show that to mitigate the nonlinear dispersive shift and Kerr terms would require the protocol to be implemented on time scales four orders of magnitude longer than the time scales relevant to the protocol for physically motivated parameters. Despite these restrictions, we numerically show that a subset of the accepted states of the fault-tolerant phase estimation protocol maintain good error correcting capabilities even in the presence of noise.


Microbial electrolysis cells are devices capable of converting the organic fraction present in the wastewaters into hydrogen. Integrating this relatively new technology into wastewater treatment plants can improve the energy balance and result in significant savings in greenhouse gases emissions. However, there are not many studies available in the scientific literature on the carbon footprint of these systems. This paper compares carbon footprint of a wastewater treatment plant located in South Spain, to the carbon footprint of this same plant in which the aerobic treatment is partially replaced by a microbial electrolysis cell. The carbon footprint attributed to the construction of the plants was similar in both cases. However, the wastewater treatment plant with the microbial electrolysis cell system would allow mitigating up to 2,700 t CO2-equivalents, which represents a 42% saving in greenhouse gas emissions compared to the existing wastewater treatment plants.


The theory of Wood's anomalous diffraction gratings, which was developed some years ago, has been reexamined in order to visualize its physical meaning. Each wave diffracted by a grating is identified through the component of its "wave vector" tangential to the grating. Surface waves similar to those found in total internal reflection are included (§2). The amplitudes of these waves can be calculated by successive approximations (§3). One feature of the anomalies is connected with the infinite dispersion of spectra at grazing emergence (§4). Emphasis is put on the existence of polarized quasi-stationary waves which represent an energy current rolling along the surface of a metal (§5). These waves can be strongly excited on the surface of metallic gratings under critical conditions depending also on the profile of the grooves; secondary interference phenomena arise then in the observed spectra (§6). The connection of the quasi-stationary surface waves with the wireless ground waves is discussed (§7). A general formulation is introduced to discuss the significance of the approximation used (Appendix).


The enantioselective hydrocyanation of olefins represents a conceptually straightforward approach to prepare enantiomerically enriched nitriles. These, in turn, comprise or are intermediates in the synthesis of many pharmaceuticals and their synthetic derivatives. Herein, we report a cyanide-free dual Pd/CuH-catalyzed protocol for the asymmetric Markovnikov hydrocyanation of vinyl arenes and the anti-Markovnikov hydrocyanation of terminal olefins in which oxazoles function as nitrile equivalents. After an initial hydroarylation process, the oxazole substructure was deconstructed using a [4+2]/retro-[4+2] sequence to afford the enantioenriched nitrile product under mild reaction conditions.


The near-threshold behavior of long cracks is evaluated using pre-cracked flat dogbone specimens of a commercial aluminum alloy in two heat treatment states. Once the threshold was known, the crack initially introduced by cyclic compression was propagated under load control with approximately constant range of the stress intensity factor at values close to the threshold values. The 3D morphology of the crack and the spatial distribution of the primary precipitates obtained by μ-CT were reconstructed with the aim of analyzing the role of the microstructure and primary precipitates on crack growth. Results pointed out that there were two major mechanism keeping the crack from continuous extension. First, the crack front was pinned by primary precipitates leading to kinking of the crack front. The second mechanism was pronounced shear-controlled crack growth of long cracks seen in terms of hilly structures on the crack faces. The first mechanism was found to be dominant at R=-1, whereas tests performed with R=0.1 showed an increased propensity towards shear controlled crack growth.


One of the paradoxes of the Howard era of liberal reforms is that they appear to have been partly unsuccessful. The scope of government measured by aggregate public spending has declined, in Australia, since the mid-1990s. Yet taxation, welfare state transfers and public provision have all been subject to long-term increase - since 1974, when the enthusiasm for cutbacks and altered expectations took hold. This anomaly suggests that the 'possibilities of politics' have not been extinguished by economic rationalism; however the resilience of the democratic impulse nonetheless coincides with the unarguable dismantlement of past institutional achievements associated with the 'Australian settlement', particularly the system of compulsory arbitration and centralized wage-fixation. This paper documents and explores both sides of the implied conundrum. It notes the long-term expansion of anti-liberal, extra-market modes of governance (which Australia shares with all other rich societies). But it cautiously concludes this will not be sufficient to out-weigh the effects of the renunciation of specifically antipodean state experiments. This conclusion has implications for theoretical understandings of politics just as controversial as the divisive politics that characterized the 1996-2007 era.


High-κ dielectric is regarded as an effective material to reduce the operating voltage of the amorphous indium gallium zinc oxide (a-IGZO) thin film transistors (TFTs). However, the dielectric with high permittivity often has the drawbacks of inducing small conduction band offset energy and high interface trap density. Here a bilayer HfO2/SiO2 gate dielectric for thin-film transistors (TFTs) is employed to address the issues. Compare to the a-IGZO TFT with solely 15 nm-thick HfO2 gate dielectric, the TFT with the bilayer HfO2/SiO2 (10 nm/5 nm) gate dielectric improves the subthreshold swing (SS) from 0.22 to 0.12 V/decade, the mobility from 1.4 to 7 cm2/V·s and current on-off ratio from 9×106 to 1.3×10 9. Finally, Hooge's parameters (extracted from the low-frequency noise measurement) of a-IGZO TFTs were investigated to understand the defects near the channel/dielectrics interface so that the role of the thin SiO2 layer can be verified. The device with bilayer HfO2/SiO2 structure exhibits a value of 2×10-3, which is an order of magnitude lower than the one with a single HfO2 layer. The Hooge's parameter of our bilayer dielectric is the lowest among the reported metal-oxide based TFTs on the glass substrate.


With protected areas in Australia receiving over 80 million visitors a year and covering 10% of the continental land mass, it is essential that these areas are managed in a sustainable manner so that they can continue to be enjoyed by future generations. Protected areas in Australia and elsewhere are being subject to increasing visitor numbers leading to escalating concerns regarding the impacts that visitors may have on the natural resources of these areas. Protected area managers have the dual obligation of ensuring the conservation and protection of natural and cultural heritage while providing high-quality recreation experiences.

Protected area managers need to balance the protection of natural heritage while still ensuring the provision of satisfactory experiences for visitors. Both these goals need to be achieved while under mounting public scrutiny and the associated need to be publicly accountable for their actions. Performance reporting has emerged as a response to this trend in accountability, whereby objectives for management are developed and then the progress of agencies in achieving these objectives is documented and reported. The extent to which outcomes have been achieved is usually assessed through the use of indicators. Reporting is increasingly being directed towards the achievement of sustainability and its triple bottom line of environmental, social and economic outcomes.

This 7-month scoping project was commissioned to begin the task of developing indicators for the sustainable management of visitor use of protected areas and most importantly to recommend future research directions to the Board of the Sustainable Tourism Cooperative Research Centre (STCRC). Also as part of this commissioning process, the STCRC requested that the indicators be developed for potential inclusion in the EarthcheckTM benchmarking system. This environmental management and benchmarking system underpins the international Green Globe 21 Certification Program available to tourism businesses worldwide. Given the widespread view that indicators are best located and activated from within a conceptual or management framework, the recently developed IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas evaluation framework was used in this study to assist with indicator development.

To ensure the relevance of this scoping project and its recommended future research directions to potential end users the project was guided by an Industry Reference Group. Members included managers of visitor services from a number of protected areas agencies around Australia, plus the manager of Earthcheck™. This particular group of stakeholders was satisfactory for this scoping project. Further research must, however, draw on a broader range of expertise and interests, in particular stakeholders in the tourism industry working in protected areas such as tour operators, staff from state tourism organisations, local community members and indigenous interests.


A method is proposed in this paper to determine the harmonic impedances in low-voltage networks in a stochastic way. The consequences of resonances for harmonic propagation and stability of power converters are summarized. By using Monte Carlo simulation, the method includes the uncertainties in customer impedances, specifically due to electronic loads and local generation. The uncertainty in customer impedance is included by considering probability distribution for the resistive, inductive, and capacitive parts of the impedance. The concept of transfer impedance is used for phase-to-neutral connections. A method is developed and applied to two existing low-voltage networks in Sweden. Results show that, for these two networks, the resonant frequencies decrease around 28% once photovoltaic panels are installed. This paper includes a discussion of some of the practical aspects of applying the proposed method.


Background. The variety of preschools is one of the primary issues of contemporary early education in Russia. The traditional approach focuses on the transmission of knowledge, patterns of social behavior, and assumes teacher-centered interaction between child and teacher. The developmental approach focuses on developing the child's abilities and using cultural tools, rather than just transmitting educational content. A comparison of different preschool approaches and outcomes may help in choosing the most suitable one for each child. Objective. The aim of this study is to identify the connection between approaches in preschool and children's school readiness. Our hypothesis is that the traditional approach and the developmental approach provide different school readiness outcomes. Design. Ninety-two preschool students (51 boys and 41 girls) aged six to seven were involved in this study. These children attended preschools in the western and southwestern districts of Moscow. Six preschool psychologists and teachers were interviewed. The research was conducted between 2011 and 2013. Results: An empirical study proved that most children achieve a high level of cognitive readiness, can interact with successfully peers, and can control aggression; however, they also have difficulties with cooperative relations with their teacher and with expressing their opinion. A comparison of school readiness outcomes of the traditional and developmental approaches showed that the children who attended a preschool with the developmental approach demonstrated a higher level of school readiness: They are able to ask for help, to coordinate their creative intentions with peers, and to empathize with them. Their self-consciousness is greater than that of their peers who are educated under the traditional approach. Also, they demonstrate a greater voluntary readiness for school. Meanwhile, children who attended preschools with the traditional approach demonstrated а higher level of verbal-logical reasoning.


We examined the impact of psychological empowerment on employee loyalty, satisfaction, and task performance with survey data from 617 employees of a petrochemical company in China. Results based on a structural equation model showed that psychological empowerment had a significant positive effect on both employee loyalty and task performance, which was partially mediated by employee satisfaction. In addition, we found that psychological empowerment was significantly and positively influenced by each dimension of internal marketing.


2009 began amidst one of the worst economic crises experienced in Europe for 80 years. The credit crunch of autumn 2008 sent the real economy into freefall in most of the European Union Member States and led to restructuring measures, bankruptcies, redundancies and unemployment. Recovery plans, both national and European, were in place throughout the year in an effort to limit the damage. But this sequence of events will weigh heavily on the public finances of EU countries for years to come, having already resulted in fiscal restraint. This 2009 edition of Social developments in the European Union examines the ways in which the 'European social model' has cushioned the blow – more so in some instances than others. This model is compared with that of the United States; the EU's role in multilateral financial governance (in particular at the G20) and within international organisations (such as the ILO) is also assessed. In addition, this volume analyses the specific impact of the crisis on the Union's social policies: employment strategy, pensions funding, social dialogue, social inclusion, etc.


We investigate wage effects of deviations from peer group body mass index (BMI) to evaluate the influence of social norms on wages. Our approach allows to show the existence of the influence of the social norm and to disentangle it from any (anticipated) productivity effects associated with deviations from a clinically recommended BMI in certain sections of the weight distribution. Estimates of between-effects models for 9 European countries for the years 1998 to 2001 suggest that the influence of the social norm varies considerably between countries, and wage penalties are rather found for upward deviations from the norm and for men. JEL Classification: I10, J30, J70, M51


Hepatitis C virus infection is a major cause of chronic liver disease. CD4+ T cells play a key role in disease outcome. However, the critical functions and associated phenotypes of intrahepatic CD4+ T cells are not well defined. We have previously shown that CD8+ T cells expressing the C type lectin CD161 are highly enriched in the human liver, especially during chronic hepatitis. These cells are associated with a type 17 differentiation pattern and express cytokines including IL-17A, IL-22, and IFN-γ. We therefore analyzed expression of CD161 on CD4+ T cells in blood and liver and addressed the relevant phenotype and functional capacity of these populations. We observed marked enrichment of CD161+CD4+ T cells in the liver during chronic hepatitis such that they are the dominant subtype (mean 55% of CD4+ T cells). IL-22 and IL-17 secreting CD4+ T cells were readily found in the livers of HCV+ and NASH donors, although not enriched compared to blood. There was, however, specific enrichment of a novel subset of IL-22/IFN-γ dual secretors (p = 0.02) compared to blood, a result reconfirmed with direct ex vivo analyses. These data indicate the dominance of CD161+ expressing lymphocyte populations within the hepatic infiltrate, associated with a distinct cytokine profile. Given their documented roles as antiviral and hepatoprotective cytokines respectively, the impact of co-secretion of IFN-γ and IL-22 in the liver may be particularly significant.


Time-correlated photon counting experiments in life and material sciences demand photodetectors with single photon sensitivity, low noise and high time resolution. We have developed a planar silicon technology that allows the fabrication of large-area Single Photon Avalanche Diodes (SPADs) with unprecedented performance. SPAD devices with 100 µm active area diameter are obtained with dark counting rate of 3 kc/s and time resolution of 35 ps at room temperature. The photon detection efficiency peaks at 48% around 530 nm and stays above 30% in all the visible range. Afterpulsing probability is much lower than 1%. Thanks to the large active area, good optical collection efficiency can be achieved with relatively simple alignment procedures, thus opening the way to the exploitation of these devices in most demanding applications, such as single-molecule spectroscopy.


Much has been written about the retreat of liberal democracy. In Asia, a region where the notion of illiberal democracy has long been advocated, illiberalism and populism have spawned numerous constitutional crises. Drawing on experience from countries across Asia, this article stresses seven principles as a roadmap to establishing and maintaining a liberal constitutional democracy. These cover all stages of the process, from early mobilization and constitution-making to full implementation and consolidation, and they address issues of institutional autonomy, popular engagement, and ethnic and regional inclusion. Efforts at democratization in Asia have too often given insufficient attention to constitutional fundamentals and popular inclusion as critical ingredients on the path to establishing and maintaining stable democracies.


This is a different kind of corporate governance book. With its vivid stories and conversational tone, Boards That Excel is like sitting down with an astute and experienced friend—one who's passionate about what corporate and nonprofit boards can contribute to their organizations' success when they set high aspirations, are clear on purpose, and do the right things in the right way. B. Joseph White, an experienced corporate and nonprofit director and a distinguished academic, argues that boards can enable organizations to do great things, but only when directors go well beyond their duty to oversee and monitor management.

 White offers a road map for governance success based on his experience with two of America's most successful companies, one public and one private. He knows governance research and distills it to a handful of truly useful insights for boards and directors. He provides clear guidance on the essential work boards must do, and, drawing on behavioral research, he describes how they can ensure the boardroom is a place of good information, thoughtful evaluation, and wise decision making.

 The book reports on interviews with more than a dozen high-performance board chairs, CEOs, and directors, including Siebel Systems founder Tom Siebel, legendary real estate investor Sam Zell, former Harlem Globetrotters owner Mannie Jackson, GM board chairman and former Cummins chairman and CEO Tim Solso, and volunteer (University of Illinois, University of Michigan) and corporate (Hershey, Bob Evans) director Mary Kay Haben. All speak with unusual candor on what it takes for boards and directors to excel.


Objectives: Health literacy has received attention as an important issue for pharmacists to consider when interacting with patients. Yet, there is little information about methods pharmacists use to communicate with patients and their extent of use of health literacy based interventions during patient interactions. The purpose of this study was to examine methods of communication and types of health literacy based interventions that practicing pharmacists use in Illinois.
Methods: A survey instrument addressing the study purpose was designed along with other items that were part of a larger study. Eleven items in the survey referred to pharmacist-patient communication. The instrument was pilot tested before administering to a random sample of 1457 pharmacists from the Illinois Pharmacists Association. Data were primarily collected via a mailed survey using Dillman's five step total design method (TDM). Two reminder letters were mailed at two week intervals to non-respondents.
Results: Usable responses were obtained from 701 respondents (48.1% response rate). Using simple words (96%) and asking patients open-ended questions to determine comprehension (85%) were the most frequent methods that pharmacists used to communicate with patients. Only 18% of respondents always asked patients to repeat medication instructions to confirm understanding. The various recommended types of health literacy interventions were "always" performed by only 8 to 33% of the respondents. More than 50% of respondents indicated that they rarely or never had access to an interpreter (51%), or employed bilingual pharmacists (59%). Only 11% of pharmacists said that they rarely/never pay attention to nonverbal cues that may suggest low health literacy.
Conclusions: Pharmacists infrequently use action oriented health literacy interventions such as using visual aids, having interpreter access, medication calendars, etc. Additional training on health literacy, its scope, and related interventions coupled with system redesign and compensation for time spent counseling are essential to encourage health literacy tailored communication with patients.

Type: Original Research


Abstract This article illustrates how Japan's involvement in international heritage discourse, in particular since the Nara Conference in 1994, played an important role in the development of a global understanding of heritage and what it constitutes. It explores the way the Ise Shrine came to be represented as an iconic example of an 'Eastern approach' to heritage to become central in the paradigm shift within global heritage discourse towards acknowledging cultural diversity. In this article, however, I argue that the presentation and understanding of the Ise Shrine has perpetuated a number of misconceptions about an Eastern approach to heritage conservation. In particular, its presentation and interpretation as a cultural site devoid of its distinct religious and political significance, limits what can be learned from it. This article argues that without full recognition of the religious beliefs intimately embedded in the traditional social structures, practices and attitudes related to heritage sites, recognition of cultural diversity would remain limited.


In order to better integrate land use and transportation planning and implement less auto dependent land use patterns, it is useful to know where and to what extent the urban land market is producing less auto-dependent urban growth. Data on the population density, housing density, employment density, jobs-housing balance, and retail-housing balance of metropolitan cities and unincorporated places in Washington state were examined for the 1970-1990 time period. Analyses included the examination and comparison of statistical distributions and thematic maps in each decade. During the twenty year period, there was an increase in the proportion of the population living in jobs- and retail-housing balanced communities and an increase in housing densities. Meanwhile, population and employment densities declined. Density declines were attributable to falling household size, suburbanization, and the growth of very low density urban fringe developments. Distinct geographic patterns were found in density changes but changes in balance measures were less predictable. Relationships between land use variables were found and associations between both density and balance and less auto use were confirmed. It is recommended that efforts be made to promote greater density and balance in certain urban areas and that land use information be used to target communities whose land use patterns are capable of supporting greater transit use and less outcommuting.


Abstract : Reliable collections of science-based environmental information are vital for many groups of users and for a number of purposes. For example, electric utility companies predict demand during heat waves, structural engineers design buildings to withstand hurricanes and earthquakes, water managers monitor each winter's snow pack, and farmers plant and harvest crops based on daily weather predictions. Understanding the impact of human activities on climate, water, ecosystems, and species diversity, and assessing how natural systems may respond in the future are becoming increasingly important for public policy decisions. Environmental information systems gather factual information, transform it into information products, and distribute the products to users. Typical uses of the information require long-term consistency; hence the operation of the information system requires a long-term commitment from an institution, agency, or corporation. The need to keep costs down provides a strong motivation for creating multi-purpose information systems that satisfy the scientific, commercial and operational requirements, rather than systems that address narrow objectives. This report focuses on such shared systems.


Based on ethnographic and archival research conducted at the headquarters of the non-governmental association Deniz Feneri [Lighthouse] Aid and Solidarity Association (DF) in Istanbul and its local branch in Izmir, Turkey, this article aims to add to the literature on accountability and corruption by critically examining technologies of accountability and transparency foregrounded by DF to counter possible corruption allegations against the association. Through an ethnographic study of various governance processes, the study aims to reach a comprehension of both corruption and accountability experienced and discussed as social practice. The research points to the fact that the overarching concern over corruption and accountability should be seen not as a reaction to the neoliberal agenda of deregulation and privatization favored by the government but as the neoliberal agenda reasserting itself through "good governance" and "audit culture" in an effort to ensure the public's and donors' trust in the effectiveness of neoliberal accountability as the poor are continuously categorized and made visible.


The atmospheric hydrological cycle is compared for different time slices of the late Quaternary. Simulations have been conducted with an atmospheric circulation model at T42 resolution, and we have performed a global evaluation of the atmospheric water vapor transport. The water export from the Atlantic catchment area, important for driving the large-scale thermohaline ocean circulation, is analyzed in detail. For the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), we examine the model's sensitivity with respect to tropical cooling relative to the CLIMAP reconstruction which is motivated by recent data. We find that the LGM experiment with tropical cooling is in better agreement with proxy data available. Our experiments indicate that the water vapor transport is strongly affected by three mechanisms: continental drying, eddy moisture transport, and changes in the tropical circulation. Except for the continental drying and the blocking effect of the Laurentide ice sheet, the hydrological cycle is substancially different for both LGM experiments. We find that the hydrological system is rather sensitive to tropical temperature change which is important to understand paleoclimate and future climate changes.


This thesis concerns optimal packing problems of tubes, or thick curves, where thickness is defined as follows. Three points on a closed space curve define a circle. Taking the infimum over all radii of pairwise-distinct point triples defines the thickness Δ. A closed curve with positive thickness has a self-avoiding neighbourhood that consists of a disjoint union of normal disks with radius Δ, which is a tube. The thesis has three main parts. In the first, we study the problem of finding the longest closed tube with prescribed thickness on the unit two-sphere, and show that solutions exist. Furthermore, we give explicit solutions for an infinite sequence of prescribed thicknesses Θn = sin(π/2n). Using essentially basic geometric arguments, we show that these are the only solutions for prescribed thickness Θn, and count their multiplicity using algebraic arguments involving Euler's totient function. In the second part we consider tubes on the three-sphere S3. We show that thickness defined by global radius of curvature coincides with the notion of thickness based on normal injectivity radius in S3. Then three natural, but distinct, optimisation problems for knotted, thick curves in S3 are identified, namely, to fix the length of the curve and maximise thickness, to fix a minimum thickness and minimise length, or simply to maximise thickness with length left free. We demonstrate that optimisers, or ideal shapes, within a given knot type exist for each of these three problems. Finally, we propose a simple analytic form of a strong candidate for a thickness maximising trefoil in S3 and describe its interesting properties. The third and final part discusses numerical computations and their implications for ideal knot shapes in both R3 and S3. We model a knot in R3 as a finite sequence of coefficients in a Fourier representation of the centreline. We show how certain presumed symmetries pose restrictions on the Fourier coefficients, and thus significantly reduce the number of degrees of freedom. As a consequence our numerical technique of simulated annealing can be made much faster. We then present our numeric results. First, computations approach an approximation of an ideal trefoil in S3 close to the analytic candidate mentioned above, but, supporting its ideality, are still less thick. Second, for the ideal trefoil in R3, numerics suggest the existence of a certain closed cycle of contact chords, that allows us to decompose the trefoil knot into two base curves, which once determined, and taken together with the symmetry, constitute the ideal trefoil.


There are still many people with mental disorders (ODGJ) who are in the midst of society and they usually show symptoms with screaming unclear, begging money to neighbors and people around, even to angry. This situation causes the burden, both for society and government. Especially families, because families who everyday have to meet and care them. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of supportive therapy on the burden felt by the family in treating ODGJ. The design of this study is a  quasy-experiment pre-post test with control group. The sample of this study is the family that caring ODGJ in the Work Area of  Puskesmas Balowerti, by using purposive sampling, got the sample number 24 respondents. This study shows that supportive therapy significantly has an effect on reducing family's burden in caring ODGJ, with p-value = 0.000. Supportive therapy is very effective in reducing the burden of families who care for ODGJ, because supportive therapy is a group therapy that gathers families with ODGJ into one, so that families can share the burden, both subjective and objective burden. The results of this study can be followed up with the holding of independent groups, by requesting the Puskesmas as a facilitator.


The mixed semi-evergreen forests in lowland central equatorial Africa can contain many elements of secondary vegetation. This raises the question of what factors have determined the current forest composition in this region. Is this forest in the process of succession after natural climatic variation and/or anthropogenic disturbances in the past, or is it a stable forest type? This paper presents a multiproxy palaeoecological analysis of a sedimentary sequence taken from a small sedimentary basin located in logged semi-evergreen lowland forest in northern Congo-Brazzaville which addresses these questions. Analyses undertaken included fossil pollen, geochemical and microscopic charcoal. Geochemical results were interpreted as a proxy for rainfall, and showed that northern Congo has experienced changes in rainfall during the past 2580 years, while microscopic charcoal concentrations indicated increased burning from approximately 1240 cal. yr BP to the present. Analysis of the fossil pollen assemblages showed that although light-demanding taxa were a major constituent of this forest throughout the sequence, shade-tolerant taxa were more abundant in the forest prior to 1345 cal. yr BP. Increases in aridity and/or droughts after 1345 cal. yr BP, and an increase in fire after 1240 cal. yr BP resulted in a semi-evergreen forest with abundant pioneers that persisted with minor changes in composition during the last 900 years, even during a period of increased rainfall from 400 to 100 cal. yr BP. These data may guide conservation policy by predicting potential consequences of future climate change and the impact of logging.


The purpose of this study is to see the anthelmintic activity potential of papaya seeds against Hymenolepis diminuta in rats. The objectives of this study were: (1) to determine the effectiveness of papaya seeds on helminths especially H. diminuta in rats and (2) to determine the effective dose level on helminths in rats. Thirty six male rats from strain Sprague-Dawley were chosen as samples in this experiment. Two types of dose level were used for papaya seeds treatments such as 0.6 g kg-1 and 1.2 g kg-1. The geometric mean (GEM) was used to calculate mean for eggs per gram (EPG) before and after the treatment to be included in the reduction percentage calculation. After 21 days post treatment, necropsies were done to get the worm count and the GEM was used to calculate the efficacy percentage for the treatment. Results from this study showed that the reduction percentages in EPG for papaya seeds treatment for both doses level were very high which is 96.8% for 0.6g kg-1 dose level and 96.2% for 1.2 g kg-1 dose level. Whereas the efficacy percentage based on the worm counts for both doses level were also very high that was 90.77% for 0.6 g kg-1 dose level and 93.85% for 1.2 g kg-1.


This working paper set out to examine the links between migration and forests through a case study of Malinau District in North Kalimantan, Indonesia. The findings indicate that there has been a generational shift in migration patterns: educational migration is the primary driver of migration from the research sites. An implication of such a shift is that migration has switched from being an income-generating activity to one that is a financial burden on rural households. To cover the costs of education, households whose livelihoods are based primarily on farming and forests, are intensifying agricultural production and forest product collection. The research highlight the urgent need to create jobs and economic opportunities for young people at the forest frontiers. This is created by a rise in migration for education, a growing need to earn regular cash income to finance such migration, and aspirations among young people to return to their villages upon completion of their studies. The study links the findings to social forestry policy as it is potential both to provide economic opportunities for people in the forest frontier and at the same time will also benefit from absorbing the returnee educated migrants.


And there is nothing new under the sun. Is there a thing whereof it is said: "See, this is new? - it hath been already, In the ages which were before us." - Ecclesiastes 1:9-10 So it says in the Bible, but it ain't necessarily so. It is doubtful that the abusive tax shelters designed in recent years "hath been already," and no doubt never before have so many been gobbled up by so many taxpayers to avoid so many billions of tax dollars. For a time the Internal Revenue Service seemed overwhelmed by a steady stream of abusive shelters like nothing it had ever seen before, and it was slow to react. But all of a sudden the mills of the gods are not grinding so slowly, and with no sacrifice in the exceeding small grist of their grinders. Take the case of Ernst & Young. That icon of the business world has been forced to pay the Service $15 million (nondeductible) for alleged violations of the shelter registration and list maintenance requirements, according to a Service press release last July 2nd. One has to believe that the much-publicized compensatory option sale shelter ("COSS" to the initiate) devised by Ernst & Young for the two top executives of Sprint, for estimated tax savings exceeding $100 million, played a big part in this outcome. It was early last year that the story broke of the startling boardroom doings at Sprint that led to the sudden resignation of its then two top guns, Esrey and LeMay, for having taken advantage of a tax shelter designed by Sprint's outside auditors, the very same Ernst & Young, presumably with full knowledge and encouragement of the Sprint directors. So one might be forgiven for head-scratching at this sudden outbreak of morality in high places. It sort of reminds one of the retort of Claude Raines, "I'm shocked, shocked," on being told, as the police inspector in "Casablanca" (the movie), of corruption in his very domain. One could hardly blame the company executives for yielding to the temptation placed before them by their own company's accountants to avoid - or at least long defer - the enormous, mega-million dollar tax bill that would otherwise come with the even more enormous paper profits they had potentially enjoyed on the run-up in value of their stock options. While they could not be completely unaware of the potential exposure associated with any tax shelter that promises such wondrous results, presumably they were assured there was nothing illegal about the attempt to reduce tax liability by lawful means (and possibly even reassured by recital of Learned Hand's famous line, "Any one may so arrange his affairs that his taxes shall be as low as possible"). This option sale device, after all, had been constructed by their own company accountants, one of the nation's most respected tax powerhouses, and copper-riveted by the tax opinion of an equally prestigious, Dallas-based law firm.


This paper presents preliminary results from geochemical baseline stream sediment surveys from two Cells (South-western Cell and Central Cell) in Nigeria completed in 2009. This work was part of the World Bank funded Nigerian Sustainable Management of Mineral Resources Project carried out by the Nigerian Geological Survey Agency in cooperation with the British Geological Survey. A total of 284 stream sediment samples were collected from the South-western Cell, with an average sampling density of 1 site every 90 km2. A total of 1288 stream sediments were collected from the Central Cell, with an average density of 1 sample every 20 km2. Geochemical analyses were by ICP-MS technique following sodium peroxide fusion-HCl-HF extractions. Au, Pt and Pt determinations were by Fire Assay-acid dissolution method. Selected findings on the distribution of trace elements, HFSE and REE in stream sediment samples are presented in relation to the geology, known mineral occurrences, as well as other factors that affect the distribution of elements in the surface environment A systematic approach to the interpretation of the elemental concentrations and distributions involved a range of statistical techniques (including correlation, cluster and factor analysis) to investigate the structure and trends within the data set, thus providing insights into the underlying geological, physical, geochemical and anthropogenic processes that are important in controlling the stream sediment geochemistry.
The role of ilmenite and Fe/Mn-oxides and oxy-hydroxides in controlling trace element stream sediment geochemistry is highlighted by strong Fe/Ti-trace element associations in the multivariate statistical analyses. Rare element associations including Th-U-HREE, Zr-Hf, as well as Sn-Ta-Nb indicate resistate heavy minerals in the stream sediments derived from potentially economic deposits of minerals in the area. The spatial distribution of REE-bearing pegmatitic systems is highlighted in the high-density stream sediments geochemical dataset of the Central Cell. Rare-metal pegmatites with Sn-W-coltan mineralisation and/or economic placer deposits derived from them are recognised in the Central Cell. In the South-western Cell, element associations Li-Ni-(Cr), and Pt-Cr for stream sediments derived from crystalline geological terrains are perhaps indicative of unknown basic/ultrabasic lithologies with potential for associated mineralisation. Gold is principally found in alluvial placer deposits; As and Sb concentration data are potentially useful for pathfinder follow-up exploration for primary hydrothermal Au mineralisation in schist lithologies. A range of elements, including U and some REE, are moderately enriched in Mesozoic to Recent sedimentary (terrestrial and marine) cover sequences as a result of regional reworking of well exposed crystalline lithologies, with potential for sediment-hosted mineralisation and economic alluvium. In the South-western Cell, anomalies of Au, Ta, Nb as well as the REE (e.g. La, Ce, Nd, Sm, Pr, Nd) and U, Th and Y are associated with stream sediments derived from metasedimentary and metavolcanic lithologies and migmatitic gneisses. In the Central Cell, high anomalies of a full range of light- and heavy-REE are associated with pegmatites, genetically associated with the known Older Granites of north-central Nigeria.
Compared to a range of other published regional stream sediment studies in Africa, Asia and Europe, these results from South-west and central Nigeria show comparatively high concentrations for REE, Y, U, Ta, Nb, Zr and Hf. In addition there are several anomalies for Au and Pt that need further investigation.


Drawing on Basil Bernstein's (1996, 1999) analysis, Whitty and Furlong (2017) identify two academic knowledge traditions in the study of education. Singulars include hermeneutic-philosophical German educational thought, whilst an example of a regional is the new science of education (NSE) which promises to find out 'what works' through the application of rigorous research, typically in the form of randomised controlled trials and systematic reviews. Academic traditions contrast with practical traditions, amongst them the 'competencies and standards' model ascendant under neoliberalism and integrated traditions which try to bring the academic and the practical together.Both singular and regional academic knowledge traditions are more distant from practice than practical or integrated ones. In this study, we apply Bernstein's (1990, 1996) account of the pedagogic device to the pedagogising of academic knowledge, by which it is selected and adapted by various intermediaries or brokers to allow different actors to learn from it, in order to improve education practice and student outcomes. Brokers may include international organisations, commercial or philanthropic bodies, universities or government agencies. Although their users might include education policy makers, advisors, trainers, commentators, inspectors, managers or, indeed, practitioners, our focus here is senior managers in schools, primarily head teachers and principals. Distributive rules account for the privileging of some knowledge traditions - in most cases, the NSE - and their associated discourses, over others when selected for brokerage. Distributive rules thereby regulate the power relationships between social groups identifying with and benefitting from or against and marginalised by each of these traditions. Recontextualising rules for 'delocating a discourse, for relocating it, for refocusing it' (Bernstein, 1996: 47) regulate the formation of specific pedagogic discourses, aimed at school senior managers and practitioners. Through brokerage, NSE knowledge set within its associated discourses is related to other discourses, rendering it suitable for instructing schools about and regulating their attempts at particular versions of school improvement. This recontextualised discourse differs from the original because it has been pedagogised. Finally, evaluative rules discern that which is legitimate and valid in both content and form. Instructions that help school managers support practitioners in improving student outcomes are considered legitimate. But the commodification of knowledge by brokers also leads to the market regulation of school improvement, with wider consequences.This paper is set within a bigger study exploring the process and implications for practice of how brokerage selects, privileges, re-fashions and re-interprets education knowledge, in three contrasting national contexts; England, Germany and Scotland. The national educational research discourse in Anglo-Saxon countries shows a long tradition of evidence-based approaches and discussions (Lawn & Furlong, 2010: 8), and a number of established brokerage agencies exist, including the Evidence for Policy and Practice Information (EPPI) Centre since 1993 and Centre for the Use of Research and Evidence in Education (CUREE) since 2008. The Education Endowment Foundation's (EEF) Teaching and Learning Toolkit has been available to schools in England since 2011. In Scotland, the devolved government has recently championed the use of evidence to improve academic standards amongst low achieving groups, and the EEF's Scottish Learning and Teaching Toolkit was launched in 2017. Knowledge brokers and associated arguments about evidence are less dominant in Germany, and although no national brokerage agencies exist there at present, there are 'functional equivalents' offering guidance on evidence to policy makers but not practitioners; the DIPF (Leibniz Institute for Research and Information in Education), for example, is state funded but not based at a university. With emerging neoliberalism and output orientations in Germany, no doubt brokerage will become more influential in time.MethodThis is an education policy research collaboration, initially between researchers from England, Germany and Scotland, but with the intention of engaging central and southern European partners in the future. Our aim is to contrast the experiences of school leaders in diverse European neoliberal education policy contexts, ranging from established to emergent. To maintain appropriate cultural awareness and sensitivity, insider researchers, fluent in the national language, and familiar with both the broader policy context and local circumstances, conducted interviews with school principals and undertook their initial analysis. The research team then brought their various perspectives and experiences, both as insiders and outsiders, together in a process of comparative data analysis. Whilst the study in which this paper sits contrasts distributive, recontextualising and evaluative rules across national contexts, here we focus only on analysing the relationship school leaders have with brokered education knowledge to discern the evaluation rules for each context. To elicit the evaluation rules from the perspective of school leaders in each context, semi structured Interviews were conducted with five principals from a range of education contexts in each of England, Germany and Scotland. These focussed on principals' understanding of academic education knowledge, particularly NSE recontextualised as 'evidence', and their experiences of using it including its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and limitations in its relation to practice. Consideration was also given to their schools' implementation of 'evidence-informed' agendas, approaches and initiatives.Expected Outcomes As well as identifying specific areas of education knowledge that principals in each national context found more or less useful and the ways in which these had been employed, preferred approaches to 'informing practice' were also discussed. However, this was set within a broader context, where ideas were more often regarded as commodities in established neoliberal reform contexts dominated by high stakes testing than in more emergent neoliberal contexts. This results in the reframing of academic knowledge as instrumental techniques, subject to fashion and soon abandoned if not quickly effective. Furthermore, some leaders appear possessive and reluctant to share that education knowledge which they regard as affording a market advantage over their perceived competitors.


In most autumns on the Northern Plains of the USA, low population densities of several species of cereal aphids feed on seedling winter wheat, Triticum aestivum L., for a month or more. The objective of this research was to determine the influence of that feeding on the growth and yield of 'Rose' winter wheat. Experiments were conducted by confining non-viruliferous (barley yellow dwarf virus) greenbug, Schizaphis graminum (Rondani), at precisely maintained population densities of 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 15 aphids per plant, bird cherry oat aphids, Rhopalosiphum padi (L.), at densities of 10 or 15 aphids per plant, or Russian wheat aphids, Diuraphis noxia (Mordvilko), at 5, 10, 15, and 20 aphids per plant on seedling plants for 30 d in an environmental chamber at 10°C (to simulate mean October temperature in the field), 12 h day/night. The results showed that the threshold for significant yield loss under these environmental conditions was at the 10 aphids per plant level for the bird cherry oat aphid and the Russian wheat aphid, and 15 apbids per plant for greenbug. Yield losses caused by any of the aphid species were in the range of 35 to 40% at 15 aphids per plant. Although the visible injury to plants caused by the feeding of the greenbug and the Russian wheat aphid was striking, the bird cherry oat aphid was as damaging to yield as the other two species in this study.


* Cyberlaw: Cases and Materials on the Internet, Digital Intellectual Property and Electronic Commerce. Brian Fitzgerald and Anne Fitzgerald. Chatswood, Australia: LexisNexis Butterworths, 2002. 793 pp. AUS $143 pbk. It is still debatable whether cyberlaw is so distinctive from other kinds of law that it warrants its own specialty. Nonetheless, cyberlaw is among the hottest new specialties at American law and mass communication schools. Several cyberlaw texts such as Law of Internet Speech by Madeleine Schachter (2d ed. 2002) have been published in the United States during the past four years to meet the explosive teaching and research demands in the booming field of Internet law. Few American Internet law books, however, delve into the international and comparative dimensions of law and regulations in cyber communication. To those who are familiar with U.S.-centric communication law generally, it is no surprise. Non-U.S. law books are often an important resource to place cyberlaw's accelerated globalization in context. Cyberlaw: Cases and Materials on the Internet, Digital Intellectual Property and Electronic Commerce is a case in point. The book is an ambitious, laudable effort by two Australian Internet law experts to address key cyberlaw issues from an international and comparative perspective. Law Professor Brian Fitzgerald of the Queensland University of Technology and attorney Anne Fitzgerald state that their book has evolved from the materials they have developed in teaching cyberlaw courses in Australia and the United States since 1996. Cyberlaw starts with an introduction of the structure, governance, and regulation of Cyberspace. Among the topics covered in Part I of the book are jurisdiction in Cyberspace and content regulation. Parts II and III focus on digital intellectual property (copyrights, patents, and trade marks in database) and electronic commerce (electronic contracts, privacy, cybercrime, and digital entertainment), respectively. Cyberlaw offers the authors' perspective on the topics examined in the book, but the authors' comments are rather limited. They are often confined to brief introductions to, or updating of, the materials for readers. The bulk of the book is a edited compilation of court opinions and statutes of Australia, England, France, and the United States; of documents from several international organizations; and of scholarly or nonscholarly articles. Included in the book are John Perry Barlow's 1996 "Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace" and the English translations of the French court rulings in the Yahoo! Case. They could have been more balanced in selecting scholarly materials for inclusion or exclusion. For example, David Johnson and David Post's "Law and Borders: The Rise of Law in Cyberspace" (1996) is excerpted in the book, but Jack L. …


This article introduces the concept of systemic efficiencies, traces its theoretical underpinnings in economics, management and technology, and applies it to recent high profile cases. Systemic efficiencies occur in large complex systems through the interaction of multiple distributed components, a process which is commonly coordinated by an entity that can exercise pervasive control over the components and their interactions. This type of extensive control can manifest itself as potentially anticompetitive practices, like tying, refusal to deal and full line forcing, causing the reaction of competition authorities. However, at the same time, systemic efficiencies can have significant benefits that cannot be generated by smaller scale, simpler, more isolated efficiencies, and are therefore of great interest to society, and of high redeeming value as antitrust defence to the introducing entities. To demonstrate how systemic efficiencies and their benefits materialize in practice this article also discusses two series of cases: the recent IBM mainframes cases in the US and the US, and the ongoing Google Android cases in the US and the EU. Both cases belong in the ICT industry, which is frequently said to consist of paradigmatic examples of large complex systems that can give rise to systemic efficiencies.


The idea is to chip a piece out of the problem of creativity by defining a creative solution to a problem relative to the functions and predicates used in posing the problem. The simplification comes from not talking about the creativity of the problem solver but only about the creativity of the solution. Definition (informal): A solution to a problem is creative if it involves concepts not present in statement of the problem and the general knowledge surrounding it. Don't identify creativity with difficulty although they are usually correlated. Example: The mutilated checkerboard problem. We also consider how to express concisely the idea of a solution. Whether the expression is adequate is relative to the knowledge and ability of the person or program to which the idea is expressed.


Since the third edition of The Oxford Companion to the Theatre appeared in 1967, theatre throughout the world, and especially in European and all English-speaking countries, has undergone a series of changes swifter and more far-reaching than at any other time in its history. While maintaining the primary purpose of preceding editions in providing a solid survey of the development of the theatre from its beginnings in primitive ritual to the present day in all countries that have a continuing theatrical tradition, this new edition offers more information on contemporary writers, directors, players, companies, and theatres, both metropolitan and regional. An extensive system of cross-referencing leads the reader to entries containing related information, and a generous bibliography offers aguidance on further reading. Entries dealing with technical subjects emphasize the historical perspective, throwing light on the remarkable accomplishments of earlier practitioners of theatrical illusion: they are illustrated where necessary with diagrams. Over 200 other illustrations are placed in thematically-arranged groups: functioning independently of the text, they show the changes of vision brought to bear on theatrical production over more than 2000 years.


Feature encoding with an overcomplete dictionary has demonstrated good performance in many applications, especially computer vision. In this paper we analyze the classification accuracy with respect to dictionary size by linking the encoding stage to kernel methods and Nystrom sampling, and obtain useful bounds on accuracy as a function of size. The Nystrom method also inspires us to revisit dictionary learning from local patches, and we propose to learn the dictionary in an end-to-end fashion taking into account pooling, a common computational layer in vision. We validate our contribution by showing how the derived bounds are able to explain the observed behavior of multiple datasets, and show that the pooling aware method efficiently reduces the dictionary size by a factor of two for a given accuracy.


How does the brain represent the enormous variety of the visual world? An approach to this question recognizes the types of information that visual representations maintain. The work in this thesis begins by investigating the neural correlates of perceptual similarity & distinctiveness, using EEG measurements of the evoked response to faces. In considering our results, we recognized that the effects being measured shared intrinsic relationships, both in measurement and in their theoretic basis. Using carry-over fMRI designs, we explored this relationship, ultimately demonstrating a new perspective on stimulus relationships based around sensory history that best explains the modulation of brain responses being measured. The result of this collection of experiments is a unified model of neural response modulation based around the integration of recent sensory history into a continually-updated reference; a "drifting-norm." With this novel framework for understanding neural dynamics, we tested whether cognitive theories of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) might have a foundation in altered neural coding for perceptual information. Our results suggest ASD brain responses depend on a more moment-to-moment understanding of the visual world relative to neurotypical controls. This application both provides an exciting foothold in the brain for future investigations into the etiology of ASD, and validates the importance of sensory history as a dimension of visual representation. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group Neuroscience First Advisor Robert T. Schultz Second Advisor Geoffrey K. Aguirre


One of the most critical challenges facing ecologists today is to understand the changing geographic distribution of species in response to current and predicted global warming. Coastal Western Australia is a natural laboratory in which to assess the effect of climate change on reef coral communities over a temporal scale unavailable to studies conducted solely on modern communities. Reef corals composing Late Pleistocene reef assemblages exposed at five distinct localities along the west Australian coast were censused and the results compared with coral occurrence data published for the modern reefs offshore of each locality. The resulting comparative data set comprises modern and Late Pleistocene reef coral communities occurring over approximately 12° of latitude. For the modern reefs this gradient includes the zone of overlap between the Dampierian and Flindersian Provinces. Modern reef coral communities show a pronounced gradient in coral composition over the latitudinal range encompassed by the study, while the gradient in community composition is not as strong for Pleistocene communities. Tropical‐adapted taxa contracted their ranges north since Late Pleistocene time, emplacing two biogeographic provinces in a region in which a single province had existed previously. Beta diversity values for adjacent communities also reflect this change. Modern reefs show a distinct peak in beta diversity in the middle of the region; the peak is not matched by Pleistocene reefs. Beta diversity is correlated with distance only for comparisons between modern reefs in the north and the fossil assemblages, further supporting change in distribution of the biogeographic provinces in the study area. Coral taxa present in modern communities clearly expanded and contracted their geographic ranges in response to climate change. Those taxa that distinguish Pleistocene from modern reefs are predicted to migrate south in response to future climate change, and potentially persist in 'temperature refugia' as tropical reef communities farther north decline.


Transgenic soya bean (Glycine max) plants overexpressing a seed-specific bacterial phytoene synthase gene from Pantoea ananatis modified to target to plastids accumulated 845 μg β carotene g(-1) dry seed weight with a desirable 12:1 ratio of β to α. The β carotene accumulating seeds exhibited a shift in oil composition increasing oleic acid with a concomitant decrease in linoleic acid and an increase in seed protein content by at least 4% (w/w). Elevated β-carotene accumulating soya bean cotyledons contain 40% the amount of abscisic acid compared to nontransgenic cotyledons. Proteomic and nontargeted metabolomic analysis of the mid-maturation β-carotene cotyledons compared to the nontransgenic did not reveal any significant differences that would account for the altered phenotypes of both elevated oleate and protein content. Transcriptomic analysis, confirmed by RT-PCR, revealed a number of significant differences in ABA-responsive transcripton factor gene expression in the crtB transgenics compared to nontransgenic cotyledons of the same maturation stage. The altered seed composition traits seem to be attributed to altered ABA hormone levels varying transcription factor expression. The elevated β-carotene, oleic acid and protein traits in the β-carotene soya beans confer a substantial additive nutritional quality to soya beans.


Web document collections such as WT10G, GOV2, and ClueWeb are widely used for text retrieval experiments. Documents in these collections contain a fair amount of non-content-related markup in the form of tags, hyperlinks, and so on. Published articles that use these corpora generally do not provide specific details about how this markup information is handled during indexing. However, this question turns out to be important: Through experiments, we find that including or excluding metadata in the index can produce significantly different results with standard IR models. More importantly, the effect varies across models and collections. For example, metadata filtering is found to be generally beneficial when using BM25, or language modeling with Dirichlet smoothing, but can significantly reduce retrieval effectiveness if language modeling is used with Jelinek-Mercer smoothing. We also observe that, in general, the performance differences become more noticeable as the amount of metadata in the test collections increase. Given this variability, we believe that the details of document preprocessing are significant from the point of view of reproducibility. In a second set of experiments, we also study the effect of preprocessing on query expansion using RM3. In this case, once again, we find that it is generally better to remove markup before using documents for query expansion.


Testing for phosphatidylethanol (PEth) is a relatively new tool for detecting and grossly quantifying a person's use of alcohol in a variety of security, medical, and legal environments. The basic chemistry of PEth is explained with a particular focus on factors that make it highly suitable as a biomarker for alcohol use in such situations. This article meets the need for a literature review that synthesizes PEth laboratory findings and suggests updated guidelines for interpretation. Several ethanol biomarkers have been used for detection or monitoring alcohol use but have significant limitations. Based on this review, the authors propose three guidelines for evaluating PEth values: Light or no Consumption (<20 ng/mL), Significant Consumption (20–199 ng/mL), and Heavy Consumption (>200 ng/mL). These guidelines are important in employment and security environments, but also have applicability in such diverse activities as alcohol treatment programs, organ transplant decisions, and monitoring impaired medical professionals.


Canopy-opening disturbance such as thinning has immediate and substantive effects on understory microclimate and therefore the establishment and growth of understory plants. A large number of studies have reported the effects of thinning on tree growth, but few studies have examined long-term effects of thinning on understory light environments and species and functional diversity of understory plants. Even less is known whether the change in understory plant community structure observed following canopy disturbance is short-lived and would diminish as the canopy closes or a long lasting due to legacy effects. We examined the effects of an experimental removal of 25% and 50% of the woody vegetation on understory light availability and variability on understory plant community structure in a subtropical Cryptomeria japonica plantation nine years after the treatment. Differences in availability of understory light among treatments diminished nine years after the experimental vegetation removal (thinning), but variability of understory light was still two times higher in the thinned treatments than the un-thinned control. Species diversity of dominant and common understory plants was lower in the control than in the two thinning treatments, which were not different from each other. Community species and functional composition were also different between the un-thinned control and the two thinning treatments. The thinned plots had proportionally more individuals of grasses and forbs and fewer individuals of ferns. Our results indicate that the effects of thinning on understory light variability last longer than on light availability representing an important and long-lasting alteration of resource heterogeneity. At both species and functional group levels, greater diversity and unique composition in the thinned treatments compared to undisturbed control suggest a link between resource heterogeneity and biodiversity in the forest understory or legacy effects associated with the thinning-induced changes in understory plant community.


Psychometric functions were determined concurrently for detection of simple gratings (luminance sinusoidally modulated with spatial frequency f) and complex gratings (luminance modulated by the sum of two sinusoids, with frequencies f and f′). Results were used to test the hypothesis that the two components of a complex grating may be detected independently. In an extensive experiment with f = 14 cycles/deg, the independence hypothesis was consistently rejected only when f/f′=54 or 45, but rarely rejected when the value of f/f′ lay outside this range. In other experiments, f was between 1.9 and 22.4 cycles/deg. All results are compatible with the assumption that the human visual system contains sensory channels, each selectively sensitive to different narrow ranges of spatial frequencies, whose outputs are detected independently.


This study aimed to determine the effects of five nitrogen doses (0, 40, 80, 120 and 160 kg ha) on forage yield and quality of smooth bromegrass (Bromus inermis Leyss.). Dry matter (DM) yield, crude protein (CP) ratio, neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), total digestible nutrient (TDN) and relative feed value (RFV) were determined. Nitrogen rates significantly affected all components determined in smooth bromegrass. Nitrogen applications increased DM yield, CP ratio, TDN and RFV values but decreased ADF and NDF ratios. At the end of this research conducted in Mediterranean conditions of Turkey, 120 and 160 kg ha nitrogen doses are recommended for high herbage yield and quality in smooth bromegrass.


This study examines the association between controlling shareholders' networks (i.e., controlling shareholders' proxy (CSProxy) and controlling shareholders' multiple-directorships (CSMultiD)) and related-party transactions (RPTs), particularly involving controlling shareholders' interests (RPT-conflict). This study also examines the impact of interaction between CSProxy and CSMultiD on firm engagement with RPTs, and RPT-conflict. The hypotheses are tested using a sample of 548 listed companies in Malaysia over the period 2012-2014 with a total of 1,550 observations. The results show that CSProxy is not associated with RPTs, and RPT-conflict. The CSMultiD is also not associated with RPTs. However, it has a positive relationship with RPT-conflict. Additionally, an interaction between CSProxy and CSMultiD increases the likelihood of firms to engage and disclose more RPTs; in contrast, it discloses lower magnitude of RPT-conflict. The opportunistic controlling shareholders may exploit their conflict of interest for private benefits by hiding their intention behind the RPTs. Overall, these findings provide partial empirical support to the argument that controlling shareholders seek to use their network relationship to influence firms to engage with related parties. These findings raise concerns to the regulators and policy makers, specifically on the ability of the controlling shareholders in utilizing their position and networks opportunistically to expropriate firm resources for personal purposes.


Economic partnership agreements (EPAs) mark a new era in economic relations between the European Union and African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries that will lead to reciprocal tariff liberalization. Model‐based impact assessments have become a powerful tool in trade negotiations and mixed results are reported for ACP countries. Given their set‐up within a neoclassical framework, these models neglect important issues such as impacts on employment, macroeconomic balances and adjustment costs. The structuralist computable general equilibrium model applied in this article for three African EPA regions addresses these shortcomings and shows negative macroeconomic and distributional effects and important adjustment costs associated with employment and public revenue losses. These results highlight the importance of policy responses to deliver on promises associated with EPAs, namely sustainable economic development. More generally, they show the importance of alternative models to understand implementation challenges and facilitate broader debates about bilateral trade agreements.


This paper is based on a pilot audience reception study using focus group research in an African context. We aimed to explore how Cameroonian women respond to, and interpret Sisters in Law (Florence Ayisi & Kim Longinotto, 2005), and thus establish the kinds of meanings and debates generated in the process of actively watching and discussing a documentary film within a specific socio-cultural context. Sisters in Law was funded by Channel 4 Television and has been distributed and exhibited widely around the world in festivals, cinemas and on broadcast television.

Within the wider context of the life cycle of a film text (production – exhibition – reception), our study focuses on the premise that the way audiences interpret a film is directly related to the film text itself. Consequently, this paper will evaluate the responses of the individual focus groups in relation to how film language generates and conveys meaning, and also take in consideration the demographic background of the respective groups. This neo-pragmatic perspective within film hermeneutics ascertains a degree of "textual facticity rather than infinite elasticity or malleability," (King, 1998) and acknowledges the importance of the audience's background, as well as the form and aesthetics of audio-visual representation. Thus, our study will encompass close readings of the film, considering notions of narrative structuring, character identification and phenomenology.

In addition, our paper politicises the study of audience reception and places it into a post-colonial and transnational context. Given that this documentary was not targeted to the local (Cameroonian) market, our study aims to also explore how the indigenous audience understands a transnational representation of their own society. This objective is situated within the wider discourse of decolonization of culture, and also what Mahoso (2000) calls a "valuable opportunity that allows the postcolonial 'silent audiences' to explore their own consciousness, their own memory, their own space". Therefore, the wider scope of this reception study is to establish Cameroonian women as cultural readers, and to find out what kinds of debates, dialogues and meanings are generated from their experiences of actively watching a non-fiction film that reflects 'real' issues, people and places that they can connect with in relation to identity, gender and religion.

The results sketch a portrait of differing reactions, views and interpretations based on the different socio-cultural and economic backgrounds of the respondents. The conclusions will be expanded to a media-political sphere where we argue that Ideological State Apparatuses (Althusser, 1970) need to embrace more self-reflexive and pluralistic practices, whereby the representation of African women and culture becomes a conscious ideological discourse.


The general objective of the Renewable Energy Development Project (REDP) for Vietnam is to increase the supply of least-cost electricity to the national grid from renewable energy sources on a commercially sustainable basis in an environmentally and socially sustainable manner. Some of the negative impacts include: (i) Son Tay Hydropower Plant will submerge and occupy 394,187of land managed by three communes Son Dung, Son Mua, and Son Tan in the long-term; (ii) affected households land area in three communes; (iii) the work items will affect annual and perennial crop land; (iv) land acquisition of the Affected households (AHHs), especially land for cultivation will have impact on the livelihoods and income of the households; and (v) nearly 131 ethnic minorities househols are affected. Some of the mitigation measures include: i) minimise and mitigate project impact on livelihood of the ethnic minority people in the project affected area; (ii) ensure the project implementation process, promote full respectation to human rights, unique cultural identity, variaties amongst ethnic groups in the project affected area and recognise their development need and expectation; (iii) indicate how impacts caused by the project on ethnic people and potential negative impacts are avoided or minigated; (iv) ensure performed interests are culturally appropriate; and (v) ensure affected communities to be consulted on potential impacts and mitigating measures, and they can fully participate in process of making decision, implementation and monitoring.


A fundamental process of all living organisms - the transport of molecules across cellular membranes through membrane transport proteins - is investigated.After a brief review of general properties of biological membranes follows a recollection of the major methods of membrane transport that Nature utilizes (Chapter 1). This is followed by a description of important experimental (Chapter 2) and theoretical methods (Chapter 3) for structural studies of membrane proteins. The findings on membrane protein transport in papers I-IV are then summarized (Chapter 4) and important findings are discussed. The remaining text is a discussion on relevant theoretical and experimental methods.