Abstract
A key subproblem in the construction of location-aware systems is the determination of the position of a mobile device. This article describes the design, implementation and analysis of a system for determining position inside a building from measured RF signal strengths of packets on an IEEE 802.11b wireless Ethernet network. Previous approaches to location-awareness with RF signals have been severely hampered by non-Gaussian signals, noise, and complex correlations due to multi-path effects, interference and absorption. The design of our system begins with the observation that determining position from complex, noisy and non-Gaussian signals is a well-studied problem in the field of robotics. Using only off-the-shelf hardware, we achieve robust position estimation to within a meter in our experimental context and after adequate training of our system. We can also coarsely determine our orientation and can track our position as we move. Our results show that we can localize a stationary device to within 1.5 meters over 80% of the time and track a moving device to within 1 meter over 50% of the time. Both localization and tracking run in real-time. By applying recent advances in probabilistic inference of position and sensor fusion from noisy signals, we show that the RF emissions from base stations as measured by off-the-shelf wireless Ethernet cards are sufficiently rich in information to permit a mobile device to reliably track its location.


Photon-correlation experiments have verified the theoretical prediction of Baltes et al. [ Opt. Acta28, 11– 28 ( 1981)] that a phase grating hidden within a diffuse medium may be detected by correlation measurements. By extension of this theory to the space–time domain we have additionally verified that a simple and more reliable method of detecting the grating, valid for arbitrarily fine diffusers, is possible by temporal autocorrelation measurements of the scattered field at a single point. This method is shown to yield detailed information about the deterministic and stochastic features of the source and the source plane motion.


"High production and export subsidies in developed countries and high protection in both developed and developing countries have distorted rice trade. This study estimates the impact of rice policy distortions on developing countries' rice production and trade potential. Because rice markets are highly segmented, major rice types are differentiated to estimate the impact of current and likely policy reforms. Analysis in long-grain, high-quality rice focuses on rice import and export markets in Latin America and shows that reduction of direct and implicit export subsidies in the US will benefit regional suppliers such as Argentina and Uruguay. Analysis of Indonesia's import market of ordinary long-grain rice, where protection is high, reveals that tariff hikes in this large importing country are in part a response to increased support from the exporting side. Level of domestic stocks also determines tariff movements. In the short/medium grain rice market, this study focuses on the highly supported and protected rice market in Japan and find that only aggressive rates of increase in import tariff-rate quota and reduction in production subsidies would have significant impact on import volume and price. Prices and trade would also be affected by a reduction of the high over-quota tariff." from Authors' Abstract


In this paper, we are addressing the exact computation of the Delaunay graph (or quasi-triangulation) and the Voronoi diagram of spheres using Wu's algorithm. Our main contribution is first a methodology for automated derivation of invariants of the Delaunay empty circumcircle predicate for spheres and the Voronoi vertex of four spheres, then the application of this methodology to get all geometrical invariants that intervene in this problem and the exact computation of the Delaunay graph and the Voronoi diagram of spheres. To the best of our knowledge, there does not exist a comprehensive treatment of the exact computation with geometrical invariants of the Delaunay graph and the Voronoi diagram of spheres. Starting from the system of equations defining the zero-dimensional algebraic set of the problem, we are following Wu's algorithm to transform the initial system into an equivalent Wu characteristic (triangular) set. In the corresponding system of algebraic equations, in each polynomial (except the first one), the variable with higher order from the preceding polynomial has been eliminated (by pseudo-remainder computations) and the last polynomial is a polynomial of a single variable. By regrouping all the formal coefficients for each monomial in each polynomial, we get polynomials that are invariants for the given problem. We rewrite the original system by replacing the invariant polynomials by new formal coefficients. We repeat the process until all the algebraic relationships (syzygies) between the invariants have been found by applying Wu's algorithm on the invariants.


Ongoing plate convergence between India and Eurasia provides a natural laboratory for studying the dynamics of continental collision, a fi rst-order process in the evolution of continents, regional climate, and natural hazards. In southeastern Tibet, the fast directions of seismic anisotropy determined using shear-wave splitting analysis correlate with the surfi cial geology including major sutures and shear zones and with the surface strain derived from the global positioning system velocity fi eld. These observations are consistent with a clockwise rotation of material around the eastern Himalayan syntaxis and suggest coherent distributed lithospheric deformation beneath much of southeastern Tibet. At the southeastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau we observe a sharp transition in mantle anisotropy with a change in fast directions to a consistent E-W direction and a clockwise rotation of the surface velocity, surface strain fi eld, and fault network toward Burma. Around the eastern Himalayan syntaxis, the coincidence between structural crustal features, surface strain, and mantle anisotropy suggests that the deformation in the lithosphere is mechanically coupled across the crust-mantle interface and that the lower crust is suffi ciently strong to transmit stress. At the southeastern margin of the plateau in Yunnan province, a change in orientation between mantle anisotropy and surface strain suggests a change in the relationship between crustal and mantle deformation. Lateral variations in boundary conditions and rheological properties of the lithosphere play an important role in the geodynamic evolution of the Himalayan orogen and Tibetan Plateau and require the development of three-dimensional models that incorporate lateral heterogeneity.


This article aims at exploitation of intangible property business potential in the Czech Republic. The purpose is to perform a description of increasing part of intellectual property and an approximation of a validation way and failures of conceptual value determination. The paper is focused on value factors of primer assets based on result of quantitative survey, which is embodying the highest appearance in micro, medium and small enterprises segment in the Czech Republic. To meet aim of this article we created simple model based on secondary quantitative research. In this model we compare several appraisals' forms focused on intangible assets.


This brand new collection of original stories by Sam Taplin is perfect for sharing at bedtime. There are eleven stories in the book, all featuring endearing animal characters and beautifully illustrated by Ag Jatkowska. The stories are gently humorous and very cosy, as we follow the adventures of Mouse as she tries to find a happy feeling for her friend Badger, Little Tiger's efforts to learn to swim, and Dog's quest to find out who is flying the yellow balloon on the other side of the hill.


The Ice Free Corridor has been invoked as a route for Pleistocene human and animal dispersals between eastern Beringia and more southerly areas of North America. Despite the significance of the corridor, there are limited data for when and how this corridor was used. Hypothetical uses of the corridor include: the first expansion of humans from Beringia into the Americas, northward postglacial expansions of fluted point technologies into Beringia, and continued use of the corridor as a contact route between the north and south. Here, we use radiocarbon dates and ancient mitochondrial DNA from late Pleistocene bison fossils to determine the chronology for when the corridor was open and viable for biotic dispersals. The corridor was closed after ∼23,000 until 13,400 calendar years ago (cal y BP), after which we find the first evidence, to our knowledge, that bison used this route to disperse from the south, and by 13,000 y from the north. Our chronology supports a habitable and traversable corridor by at least 13,000 cal y BP, just before the first appearance of Clovis technology in interior North America, and indicates that the corridor would not have been available for significantly earlier southward human dispersal. Following the opening of the corridor, multiple dispersals of human groups between Beringia and interior North America may have continued throughout the latest Pleistocene and early Holocene. Our results highlight the utility of phylogeographic analyses to test hypotheses about paleoecological history and the viability of dispersal routes over time.


An auroral flux tube is modelled from the mag- netospheric equator to the ionosphere using Vlasov simu- lations. Starting from an initial state, the evolution of the plasma on the flux tube is followed in time. It is found that when applying a voltage between the ends of the flux tube, about two thirds of the potential drop is concentrated in a thin double layer at approximately one Earth radius altitude. The remaining part is situated in an extended region 1-2 Earth radii above the double layer. Waves on the ion timescale de- velop above the double layer, and they move toward higher altitude at approximately the ion acoustic speed. These waves are seen both in the electric field and as perturbations of the ion and electron distributions, indicative of an instabil- ity. Electrons of magnetospheric origin become trapped be- tween the magnetic mirror and the double layer during its formation. At low altitude, waves on electron timescales ap- pear and are seen to be non-uniformly distributed in space. The temporal evolution of the potential profile and the total voltage affect the double layer altitude, which decreases with an increasing field aligned potential drop. A current-voltage relationship is found by running several simulations with dif- ferent voltages over the system, and it agrees with the Knight relation reasonably well.


Belief propagation (BP) is an increasingly popular method of performing approximate inference on arbitrary graphical models. At times, even further approximations are required, whether due to quantization of the messages or model parameters, from other simplified message or model representations, or from stochastic approximation methods. The introduction of such errors into the BP message computations has the potential to affect the solution obtained adversely. We analyze the effect resulting from message approximation under two particular measures of error, and show bounds on the accumulation of errors in the system. This analysis leads to convergence conditions for traditional BP message passing, and both strict bounds and estimates of the resulting error in systems of approximate BP message passing.


We present a neural network method for review rating prediction in this paper. Existing neural network methods for sentiment prediction typically only capture the semantics of texts, but ignore the user who expresses the sentiment. This is not desirable for review rating prediction as each user has an influence on how to interpret the textual content of a review. For example, the same word (e.g. "good") might indicate different sentiment strengths when written by different users. We address this issue by developing a new neural network that takes user information into account. The intuition is to factor in user-specific modification to the meaning of a certain word. Specifically, we extend the lexical semantic composition models and introduce a userword composition vector model (UWCVM), which effectively captures how user acts as a function affecting the continuous word representation. We integrate UWCVM into a supervised learning framework for review rating prediction, and conduct experiments on two benchmark review datasets. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of our method. It shows superior performances over several strong baseline methods.


In order to relate the electronic eigenstates of a composite system to those of its constituent parts one requires the matrix elements of the interaction Hamiltonian between the unperturbed states of the system . It is shown that in the absence of electron exchange these matrix elements, which are usually approximated as multipole series, may be accurately expressed as electrostatic repulsion energies between three-dimensional electric distributions localized on the subsystems. These distributions are them selves the matrix elements of the electric density operator between the eigenstates of the individual subsystems, and their multipole moments are identified as the permanent moments of the subsystems in their various states and the transition moments between these states. The name 'transition density' is proposed for the off-diagonal elements of the electric density operator, and an examination of its properties suggests that the transition density may be a useful concept for summarizing and systematizing spectroscopic data on atomic and molecular assemblies.


The best way to achieve a sustainable future for fresh water is to develop decision-making processes, institutions, and technologies that emphasize both efficiency and conservation. These two terms are commonly treated as synonyms, but, respectively, they reflect anthropogenic and ecological bases for making decisions. Recognizing that both perspectives are valid, this article outlines a new approach to water planning and management called the water soft path. This approach differs fundamentally from conventional, supply-based approaches. The article reviews the transfer of the original soft path concept from energy to water, and summarizes the first applications of water soft path analytics to specific geographic areas: one urban area, one province, and one watershed in Canada. The article concludes with suggestions for further research, as well as steps to improve recognition of the water soft path as a planning tool that can move management and policies towards economic, ecological, and social sustainability.


From household gossip to public beatings, this social history explores the many channels through which Athenians maintained public order. Virginia Hunter draws mostly on Attic court proceedings, which allowed for a wide range of evidence, including common rumors about a defendant's character and testimony, obtained under torture, of slaves against their masters. She describes Athenian "policing" as a form of social control that took place across a range of private and public levels. Not only does policing appear to have been a collective enterprise, but its methods were embedded in a variety of social institutions, resulting in the blurring of the line between state and society. Hunter's inquiry into topics such as household authority, disputes among kin, the presence of slaves in the house, gossip in the home and neighborhood, and forms of public punishment reveals a continuum extending from self-regulation among kin to punitive actions enforced by the state. Recognizing the bias of legal documents toward the wealthy, Hunter concentrates on exposing the voices of the less powerful and less privileged members of society, including women and slaves. In so doing she is among the first to address systematically such important issues as the authority of women, self-help, and corporal punishment.


The response of plant ecosystems to environmental change will determine whether the terrestrial biosphere will remain a substantial carbon sink or become a source during the next century. We use two ecosystem models, the Generic Decomposition And Yield model (G'DAY) and the daily time step version of the Century model (DAYCENT), to simulate net ecosystem productivity (NEP) for three contrasting ecosystems (shortgrass steppe in Colorado, tallgrass prairie in Kansas, and Norway spruce in Sweden) with varying degrees of water, temperature, and nutrient limitation, to determine responses to gradual increases in atmospheric CO2 concentration ([CO2]), temperature, and nitrogen input over 100 years. Using G'DAY, under rising [CO2], there is evidence of C sink "saturation," defined here as positive NEP reaching an upper limit and then declining toward zero, at all three sites (due largely to increased N immobilization in soil organic matter) but a positive C sink is sustained throughout the 100 years. DAYCENT also predicts a sustained C sink at all three sites under rising [CO2], with evidence of C sink saturation for the Colorado grassland and the C sink levels off after 80 years for the Kansas grassland. Warming reduces soil C and the C sink in both grassland ecosystems but increases the C sink in the forest. Warming increases decomposition and soil N mineralization, which stimulates net primary productivity (NPP) at all sites except when inducing water limitation. At the forest site some of the enhanced N release is allocated to a woody biomass pool with a low N:C ratio so that warming enhances NEP without increased N input at the forest site, but not at the grassland sites. Responses to combinations of treatments are generally additive for DAYCENT but more interactive for G'DAY, especially under combined rising [CO2] and warming at the strongly water‐ and N‐limited shortgrass steppe. Increasing N input alleviates C sink saturation and enhances NEP, NPP, and soil C at all sites. At the water‐limited grassland sites the effect of rising [CO2] on growth is greatest during the drier seasons. Key sensitivities in the simulations of NEP are identified and include NPP sensitivity to gradual increase in [CO2], N immobilization as a long‐term feedback, and the presence or not of plant biomass pools with low N:C ratio.


BACKGROUND
It is important to detect and prevent Alzheimer disease (AD) at its early stage. Constituting the early stage sign of AD, amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) has drawn much attention. Studies have shown that donepezil could reduce the AD assessment scale-cognitive subscale (ADAS-Cog) score in MCI patients and improve the patient's attention and speed of response; however, it also has many side effects. Therefore, the authors aim to explore the effects of Chinese herbal medicine for treating aMCI.

OBJECTIVE
To explore the clinical efficacy and safety of Chinese medicine for tonifying the kidney, and resolving phlegm and blood stasis in the treatment of aMCI.

DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS AND INTERVENTIONS
This clinical trial used randomized, double-blind, double-dummy and parallel-controlled design. According to the randomized, double-blind principle, some aMCI patients were randomly divided into Chinese medicine group and donepezil group. Other patients who did not receive any treatment were enrolled as the control. Patients in the Chinese medicine group received oral administration of Chinese medicine, 1 bag/dose, two doses per day, while patients in the donepezil group received donepezil hydrochloride, 5mg/day. Twelve weeks were allocated as the trial period.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
After 12 weeks, the Chinese medicine group patients, the donepezil group patients and those patients who did not receive any treatment were accessed using the scores of ADAS-Cog and mini-mental status examination (MMSE).

RESULTS
The ADAS-Cog and MMSE scores of the Chinese medicine group and the donepezil group were both improved from baseline (P=0.001, P=0.000), but the non-treatment group showed no change from baseline (P=0.151, P=0.125); furthermore, there was no significant difference between the Chinese medicine group and the donepezil group. The attention function of the Chinese medicine group was better than baseline (P=0.015), but no change was seen in the donepezil group (P=0.085) at the 12th week. Safety data showed that the occurrence of insomnia, nausea and diarrhea was greater in the donepezil group than in the Chinese medicine group (P=0.002, P=0.005, P=0.000), and both treatments had no influence in participants' vital signs and laboratory examination results.

CONCLUSION
Both Chinese medicine and donepezil can improve global cognition in patients with aMCI after 12 weeks of treatment. Chinese medicine can also improve attention function and some clinical symptoms in patients with aMCI. Furthermore, Chinese medicine is safe for aMCI patients. Further study is necessary to explore the long-term effect of Chinese medicine for aMCI.


Last week, the Tennessee House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved an innocuous-sounding measure allowing science teachers in the state to help their students "develop critical thinking skills." The legislation, which specifically mentions the teaching of "biological evolution, the chemical origins of life, global warming, and human cloning," is expected to become law next month after the state Senate embraces an identical version and the governor signs it. Scientists say HB 368, and the corresponding Senate bill, SB 893, would actually have the opposite effect on critical thinking by introducing nonscientific beliefs into science classes and by undermining the principles of scientific inquiry.


Abstract This brief article is intended to introduce the reader to the field of algebraic set theory, in which models of set theory of a new and fascinating kind are determined algebraically. The method is quite robust, applying to various classical, intuitionistic, and constructive set theories. Under this scheme some familiar set theoretic properties are related to algebraic ones, while others result from logical constraints. Conventional elementary set theories are complete with respect to algebraic models, which arise in a variety of ways, such as topologically, type-theoretically, and through variation. Many previous results from topos theory involving realizability, permutation, and sheaf models of set theory are subsumed, and the prospects for further such unification seem bright.


Nanoelectrosprays, well known for their use in sample injection for the mass spectrometry of large biomolecules, can also be used in other applications such as spacecraft propulsion. The thrust generated by a single electrospray emitter is well below 1 µN, which is several orders of magnitude below the required thrust for planned formation flying missions. This paper presents the process flow and the microfabrication of large 2D arrays of out-of-plane nanoelectrospray capillary emitters with integrated extractor electrodes as well as electrospray results. The capillaries, 70 µm high and with 24 µm inner diameter, are etched from one silicon-on-insulator wafer. The extractor electrodes are from another silicon-on-insulator wafer. Both parts are passively aligned to within 2 µm, centering each capillary under one extractor electrode, thus ensuring highly uniform emitter characteristics over large arrays. Low hydraulic impedance has been a major problem in out-of-plane electrospray designs in the past, which is solved here by adding a post-processing step in which the capillaries are filled with 5 µm silica microspheres fixed in place by silanization. Finally, this paper reports on successful spray tests carried out under vacuum conditions with single and arrays of capillaries spraying the ionic liquid EMI-Tf2 N demonstrating the operation of our nanoelectrospray thrusters in an ionic mode.


Blood and bone marrow cultures are considered the gold standard for the diagnosis of typhoid, but these methods require infrastructure and skilled staff that are not always available in low- and middle-income countries where typhoid is endemic. The objective of the study is to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of nine commercially available Salmonella Typhi rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) using blood culture as a reference standard in a multicenter study. ABSTRACT Blood and bone marrow cultures are considered the gold standard for the diagnosis of typhoid, but these methods require infrastructure and skilled staff that are not always available in low- and middle-income countries where typhoid is endemic. The objective of the study is to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of nine commercially available Salmonella Typhi rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) using blood culture as a reference standard in a multicenter study. This was a prospective and retrospective multicenter diagnostic accuracy study conducted in two geographically distant areas where typhoid is endemic (Pakistan and Kenya; NCT04801602). Nine RDTs were evaluated, including the Widal test. Point estimates for sensitivity and specificity were calculated using the Wilson method. Latent class analyses were performed using R to address the imperfect gold standard. A total of 531 serum samples were evaluated (264 blood culture positive; 267 blood culture negative). The sensitivity of RDTs varied widely (range, 0 to 78.8%), with the best overall performance shown by Enterocheck WB (72.7% sensitivity, 86.5% specificity). In latent class modeling, CTK IgG was found to have the highest sensitivity (79.1%), while the highest overall accuracy was observed with Enterocheck (73.8% sensitivity, 94.5% specificity). All commercially available Salmonella Typhi RDTs evaluated in the study had sensitivity and specificity values that fell below the required levels to be recommended for an accurate diagnosis. There were minimal differences in RDT performances between regions of endemicity. These findings highlight the clear need for new and more-accurate Salmonella Typhi tests.


We present two techniques to improve landmark localization in images from partially annotated datasets. Our primary goal is to leverage the common situation where precise landmark locations are only provided for a small data subset, but where class labels for classification or regression tasks related to the landmarks are more abundantly available. First, we propose the framework of sequential multitasking and explore it here through an architecture for landmark localization where training with class labels acts as an auxiliary signal to guide the landmark localization on unlabeled data. A key aspect of our approach is that errors can be backpropagated through a complete landmark localization model. Second, we propose and explore an unsupervised learning technique for landmark localization based on having a model predict equivariant landmarks with respect to transformations applied to the image. We show that these techniques, improve landmark prediction considerably and can learn effective detectors even when only a small fraction of the dataset has landmark labels. We present results on two toy datasets and four real datasets, with hands and faces, and report new state-of-the-art on two datasets in the wild, e.g. with only 5% of labeled images we outperform previous state-of-the-art trained on the AFLW dataset.


This paper presents a comprehensive approach for model-based diagnosis which includes proposals for characterizing and computing preferred diagnoses, assuming that the system description is augmented with a system structure (a directed graph explicating the interconnections between system components). Specifically, we first introduce the notion of a consequence, which is a syntactically unconstrained propositional sentence that characterizes all consistency-based diagnoses and show that standard characterizations of diagnoses, such as minimal conflicts, correspond to syntactic variations on a consequence. Second, we propose a new syntactic variation on the consequence known as negation normal form (NNF) and discuss its merits compared to standard variations. Third, we introduce a basic algorithm for computing consequences in NNF given a structured system description. We show that if the system structure does not contain cycles, then there is always a linear-size consequence in NNF which can be computed in linear time. For arbitrary system structures, we show a precise connection between the complexity of computing consequences and the topology of the underlying system structure. Finally, we present an algorithm that enumerates the preferred diagnoses characterized by a consequence. The algorithm is shown to take linear time in the size of the consequence if the preference criterion satisfies some general conditions.


Arctic structures are subjected to a variety of time-dependent loadings, the most important of which are those due to ice. An approach is presented for estimating the strength and deformation response of foundation soils supporting arctic gravity structures that are subjected to various rates, durations, and magnitudes of ice loadings. Results of laboratory tests on seabed silty clay samples from the Alaskan Beaufort Sea Shelf are summarized and used to characterize the soil time-dependent strength and deformation parameters. Cumulative deformations are estimated for a severe winter ice loading scenario and compared with the peak deformation estimate based on static parameters. The cumulative deformations due to time-dependent loadings are substantially larger than those inferred from the peak static loading. Significant reductions in capacity are implicated.


The literary adventure of D.A.F. (1740-1814) is unique and paradoxical. He was widely read in the nineteenth century, but his books disappeared almost completely from circulation in the century. Meanwhile the exegesis of Sade poured from the presses of the Western world in a flood of words in which the writer, the novelist, and the exceptional pet disappeared. In France today, J. J. Pauvert, who considers Sade "the greatest French writer," is publishing a new edition of the complete works with a new introduction by Annie Le Brun. Sade: A Sudden Abyss is the translation of this introduction, which shows Sade as the inventor of an entirely new language through which he fathoms human nature, desire, and relationships of power. In this fresh and authoritative survey of Sade's work as a whole, Le Brun frees it from such critics as Bataille, Blanchot, Klossowski, and Barthes (who see Sade's language as a metaphor for history, society, or writing itself). She asks, Where is Sade himself in these texts? What exactly does Sade tell us? What is obscured when Sade's writing is placed in a "universe of discourse" rather than understood as a manifestation of a life spent in eleven prisons over twenty-seven years? Like a powerful laser beam, her reflections cut through two centuries of intellectual hide-and-seek and let Sade for the first time be seen and read in his own light. Annie Le Brun is a French poet and literary theorist. Her books include Lachez tout, a critique of the French neofeminist movement; A distance; and Les chateaux de la subversion, a study of the Gothic tradition.


Saffron is a spice obtained from the dried stigmas of the purple-flowered saffron crocus (Crocus sativus L.). The determination of the water content in saffron is very important in order to establish its microbiological stability and consequently to determine the commercial value. The average moisture content in dried saffron powder ranges between 10-12% causing a slow degradation of the product. On the other hand lyophilised saffron has lower water content and a better stability. The reference method commonly used for the determination of moisture in saffron it is based on the gra- vimetric loss of weight after heating at 105 °C for 16 hours. In this paper a procedure to obtain lyophilised saffron is proposed and two different methods, namely the infrared balance and the Karl Fischer titration, are used to determine moisture in dried and lyophilised saffron powder, and results are compared with the reference method. The Karl Fischer method, never applied so far to determine moisture in saffron, gave the best results. The average values determined were 6.87% and 4.01% (w/w) for conventionally dried and lyophi- lised saffron powder, respectively. The Karl Fischer titration method allows to determine in a faster manner the moisture in saffron powder and in lyophilised saffron, without any interference and using a minor quantity of saffron compared to the gravimetric procedure reported in the reference method. The volatile matter content, differently from the reference method, this way is not determined.


Cloth and Christianity have long been seen as intimate partners in Oceania. The introduction of manufactured cloth—cambric,2 calico, chintz, linen, serge and silk—from the mills of Manchester and New England and the workshops of China, the cultivation of the arts of sewing, quilting and embroidery and the adoption of Western-style clothing: modest dresses for women, demure trousers or laplaps for men, have all become iconic of Oceanic Christianity. Integral to the "before and after" story of indigenous conversion is the narrative of how Oceanic Christians "covered up" beautiful bare breasts, exposed bottoms or penises previously proudly displayed. In the eyes of some scholars and popular observers Oceanic people thus succumbed to the colonial power of a Western Victorian model of gender and sexuality, characterised by heterosexual monogamy, modesty and sexual repression and the celebration of a novel form of domesticity focused on the faithful wife and good mother. She was allegedly both creator and creature of a "home," bearing and nurturing children, cooking, cleaning, washing, sewing. Many scholars have challenged and complicated such stories from the perspective of Europe, North America, Africa and Asia: revealing the class, national and regional specificities in the emergence of ideals of "domesticity"; demonstrating how the realities of working women's lives differed markedly from any idealised demarcations of a masculine public sphere and a feminine domestic sphere; arguing that these spheres were leaky rather than hermetically sealed.3


Our sensory observations represent a delayed, noisy estimate of the environment. Delay causes instability and noise causes uncertainty. To deal with these problems, theory suggests that the processing of sensory information by the brain should be probabilistic: to start a movement or to alter it midflight, our brain should make predictions about the near future of sensory states and then continuously integrate the delayed sensory measures with predictions to form an estimate of the current state. To test the predictions of this theory, we asked participants to reach to the center of a blurry target. With increased uncertainty about the target, reach reaction times increased. Occasionally, we changed the position of the target or its blurriness during the reach. We found that the motor response to a given second target was influenced by the uncertainty about the first target. The specific trajectories of motor responses were consistent with predictions of a "minimum variance" state estimator. That is, the motor output that the brain programmed to start a reaching movement or correct it midflight was a continuous combination of two streams of information: a stream that predicted the near future of the state of the environment and a stream that provided a delayed measurement of that state.


This thesis is concerned with the development, analysis and implementation of efficient and accurate numerical methods for solving high-frequency acoustic scattering problems. Classical boundary or finite element methods that are based on approximating the solution by polynomials can be effective for small and moderate frequencies. However, as the frequency increases, the solution to the scattering problem becomes more oscillatory and classical numerical methods cope very badly with high oscillation. For example, for two-dimensional scattering problems, classical numerical methods require their number of degrees of freedom to grow at least linearly with frequency to capture the oscillatory behaviour of the solution accurately. Therefore, at large frequencies, classical numerical methods become essentially numerically intractable. In order to overcome the limitations of classical methods, one can seek to incorporate the known asymptotic behaviour of the solution in the numerical method. This involves using asymptotic theory to determine the oscillatory part of the solution and then using classical numerical methods to approximate the slowly varying remainder. Such methods are often referred to as hybrid numerical-asymptotic methods. Determining the high frequency asymptotics of acoustic scattering problems is a classic problem in applied mathematics, with methods such as geometrical optics or the geometrical theory of diffraction providing asymptotic expansions of the solutions. Considerable amount of research has been directed towards both constructing these asymptotic expansions and proving error bounds for truncated asymptotic series of the solution, notably by Buslaev [23], Morawetz and Ludwig [78], and Melrose and Taylor [75], among others. Often, the oscillatory component of the solution can be determined explicitly from these asymptotic expansions. This can then be used in designing ecient hybrid methods. Furthermore, from the asymptotic expansions, frequency-dependent bounds on the slowly-varying remainder and its derivatives can be obtained (in some cases these follow directly from classical results, in other cases some additional work is required). The frequency-dependent bounds are the key results used in the frequency-explicit numerical error analysis of the approximation of the slowly-varying remainder. This thesis presents a rigorous justification of one of the key result using only elementary techniques. Hybrid numerical-asymptotic methods have been shown in theory to be substantially more efficient than classical numerical methods alone. For example, [40] presented a hybrid numerical-asymptotic method in the context of boundary integral equations (BIEs) for solving the problem of high-frequency scattering by smooth, convex obstacles in two dimensions. It was proved in [40] that in order to maintain the accuracy as the frequency increases, the hybrid BIE method requires the number of degrees of freedom to grow slightly faster than k1=9, where k is a parameter proportional to the frequency. This is a substantial improvement from the classical boundary integral methods that require O(k) number of degrees of freedom to achieve the same accuracy for this problem. Despite this slow growth in the number of degrees of freedom, hybrid numerical-asymptotic methods lead to stiffness matrices with entries that are highly-oscillatory singular integrals that can not be computed exactly. Thus, without efficient and accurate numerical treatment of these integrals, the hybrid numerical-asymptotic methods, regardless of their attractive theoretical accuracy, can not be efficiently implemented in practice. In order to resolve this difficulty, this thesis develops a methodology for approximating the integrals arising from hybrid methods in the context of BIEs. The integrals are transformed under a change of variables into integrals amenable to Filon-type quadratures. Filon-type quadratures are designed to cope well with high oscillations in the integrands. Then, graded meshes are used to capture the singularities accurately. Along with k-explicit error bounds for the integration methods, this thesis derives k-explicit error bounds for the hybrid BIE methods that incorporate the error of the inexact approximation of the entries of the stiffness matrix. The error bounds suggest that, with an appropriate choice of parameters of Filon quadrature and mesh grading, the overall error of the hybrid method does not deteriorate due to inexact approximation of the stiffness matrix, therefore preserving its attractive theoretical convergence properties.


Over the past two decades deaths from opioids and other drugs have grown to be a major U.S. population health problem, but the magnitude of the crisis varies across the U.S., and explanations for widespread geographic variation in the severity of the drug crisis are limited. An emerging debate is whether geographic differences in drug mortality rates are driven mostly by opioid supply factors or socioeconomic distress. To explore this topic, I examined relationships between county-level non-Hispanic white drug mortality rates for 2000-02 and 2014-16 and several socioeconomic and opioid supply measures across the urban-rural continuum and within different rural labor markets. Net of county demographic composition, average non-Hispanic white drug mortality rates are highest and increased the most in large metro counties. In 2014-16, the most rural counties had an average of 6.2 fewer deaths per 100,000 population than large metro counties. Economic distress, family distress, persistent population loss, and opioid supply factors (exposure to prescription opioids and fentanyl) are all associated with significantly higher drug mortality rates. However, the magnitude of associations varies across the urban-rural continuum and across different types of rural labor markets. In rural counties, economic distress appears to be a stronger predictor than opioid supply measures of drug mortality rates, but in urban counties, opioid supply factors are more strongly associated with drug mortality rates than is economic distress. Ultimately, the highest drug mortality rates are disproportionately concentrated in economically distressed mining and service sector dependent counties with high exposure to prescription opioids and fentanyl.


In the course of 2016-2017, collective protest action has steadily gained ground in Russia. The electoral cycle protests of 2011-2012 have been replaced by single-issue actions against corruption, and more sustained protests against the so-called "renovation" (renovatsiia) program in Moscow. Additionally, long-distance haulers in Siberia and in Russia's central and southern parts have since 2015 demonstrated against increased tariffs on the utilization of Russia's road system, among other things, by blocking transport in and out of regions in the south of Russia. Finally, the non-systemic opposition has succeeded in holding two major demonstrations against corruption, one in March 2017 and one in June 2017, thus marking continuity with the electoral cycle protests in 2011-12.These sparks of collective action raise many questions as to the efficacy of Russian hybrid regime governance and highlight the more acute political dilemmas arising in Putin's third term. The limits of selective interventions are put more clearly on display, and the narrowing of opportunities for society embedded in the numerous restrictions imposed by the Duma on demonstrations, financing of NGOs, media-ownership and international organizations after 2011/2012 have not pacified society. Moreover, the containment of the non-systemic opposition (the Naval'nyiPARNAS coalition) in the local elections in 2015 and the national Duma elections in 2016 has not discouraged movement entrepreneurs from testing out social media campaigning. On the contrary, in 2017, the Russian populace seems active, and economic and socio-political issues are playing an increasingly important role in public demonstrations.The current special issue of Demokratizatsiya is one of several results of the project "New Political Groups and the Russian State" (NEPORUS), which has been funded by the Research Council of Norway through the NORRUSS program. The NEPORUS project proposal was written in February 2013 and centered on exploring developments in the Russian executive, perceptions of Putin's announced promises for his third term, changes in the framework of opportunities for NGOs and the non-systemic opposition, and, finally, the effect of social media mobilization on state Internet policies. In this thematic issue of Demokratizatsiya, project contributors seek to tap into the numerous dilemmas that have emerged in Putin's third term: How does the Russian regime perform in periods of higher economic expectations? Does the Kremlin "policy directorate" still control society and political developments, and if so, how? Is Putin's charisma still an embodiment of a prevalent mythscape of political stability and legitimacy? And what can case studies of collective action (youth protests and strikes by long-haul truck drivers) tell us about protest sustainability, grievances and framing?Researchers within the project attack these questions from several angles. Professor John P. Willerton of the University of Arizona draws on material from the project's ROMIR poll taken in October 2014 to discuss popular support for a "national idea" (in the widest sense of the term) and the performance of the Putin executive on 11 distinct policy concerns. He finds, among other things, that while respondents consider a strong state and democracy as two sides of the same coin, respondents are less impressed by the Putin team's high-profile battle against corruption and its welfare, healthcare and housing policies. Willerton concludes that despite these deficiencies, most Russians are "buying into" the Putin policy and he expresses moderate optimism as to the future trajectory of Putin's and the executive's pursuit of a national idea for Russia.Other contributors are less optimistic. Bo Petersson from the University of Malmo discusses the charismatic legitimacy of Putin's "eternal" incumbency qua Weberian legitimacy, and finds that although there are different legitimizing mechanisms at play in Russia, the single most important dilemma for the Putin reign lies in the lack of political alternatives and executive checks and balances. …


This thesis investigated the role respiratory muscle work has on locomotor and respiratory muscle oxygen (O2) utilisation during multiple sprint work. To measure O2 delivery and uptake in real time, near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) can be used. However, there are inconsistent methods of smoothing and determining peaks and nadirs from the NIRS signal. Therefore, the aim of study 1 was to examine the effects of different methodologies commonly used in the literature on the determination of peaks and nadirs in the vastus lateralis deoxyhaemoglobin (HHbVL) signal. Means derived from predetermined windows, irrespective of length and data smoothing, underestimated the magnitude of peak and nadir [HHbVL] compared to a rolling mean approach. Based on the results, we suggest using a digital filter to smooth NIRS data, rather than an arithmetic mean, and a rolling approach to determine peaks and nadirs for accurate interpretation of muscle oxygenation trends.
In the second study, the effects of heightened inspiratory muscle work on [HHbVL] and respiratory muscle deoxyhaemoglobin ([HHbRM]) trends were examined. In response to the heightened inspiratory muscle work, HHbRM was elevated across the sprint series. There were no clear differences in HHbVL trends between exercise conditions. The lack of difference in HHbVL between trials implies respiratory muscle O2 uptake does not limit locomotor oxygenation trends.
Study 3 investigated the role of arterial hypoxemia on respiratory muscle oxygenation trends, and its implications on locomotor oxygenation. While exercising in hypoxia (14.5% O2), HHbVL was higher during the sprint and recovery phases of the repeated-sprint protocol compared to normoxia (21% O2). There were no clear differences in respiratory muscle oxygenation trends between conditions. The clear reduction in locomotor muscle O2 delivery (inferred from HHbVL) while respiratory muscle oxygenation was maintained, suggests preferential blood flow distribution to the respiratory muscle to compensate for arterial hypoxemia, which may explain in part compromise locomotor O2 delivery.
The aim of the final study was to examine the role of respiratory muscle strength on locomotor and respiratory muscle oxygenation trends in repeated-sprint exercise. Inspiratory muscle training (IMT) was used to reduce the relative intensity of exercise hyperpnoea by strengthening the respiratory muscles. Repeat-sprint ability was again assessed in normoxia and hypoxia. After 4 weeks of training, there was a 35% increase of inspiratory muscle pressure in the IMT beyond the control group. Despite the substantial change in respiratory muscle strength, oxygenation trends were not affected in either normoxia or hypoxia.
The findings of this thesis do not support the work of breathing as being a limiting factor in locomotor muscle oxygenation in normoxia. The intermittent nature of repeated-sprint activity is likely a key mediating factor for which O2 delivery can be maintained to both the locomotor and respiratory muscles. However, under conditions of arterial hypoxemia, locomotor muscle oxygenation may be compromised by preferential O2 delivery to the respiratory muscles.


Abstract Nonsurgical bleeding is the most frequent complication of left ventricular assist device (LVAD) support. Supraphysiologic shear rates generated in LVAD causes impaired platelet aggregation, which increases the risk of bleeding. The effect of shear rate on the formation size of platelet aggregates has never been reported experimentally, although platelet aggregation size can be considered to be directly relevant to bleeding complications. Therefore, this study investigated the impact of shear rate and exposure time on the formation size of platelet aggregates, which is vital in predicting bleeding in patients with an LVAD. Human platelet‐poor plasma (containing von Willebrand factor, vWF) and fluorochrome‐labeled platelets were subjected to a range of shear rates (0‐10 000 s−1) for 0, 5, 10, and 15 minutes using a custom‐built blood‐shearing device. Formed sizes of platelet aggregates under a range of shear‐controlled environment were visualized and measured using microscopy. The loss of high molecular weight (HMW) vWF multimers was quantified using gel electrophoresis and immunoblotting. An inhibition study was also performed to investigate the reduction in platelet aggregation size and HMW vWF multimers caused by either mechanical shear or enzymatic (a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with a thrombospondin type 1 motif, member 13—ADAMTS13, the von Willebrand factor protease) mechanism under low and high shear conditions (360 and 10 000 s−1). We found that the average size of platelet aggregates formed under physiological shear rates of 360‐3000 s−1 (200‐300 μm2) was significantly larger compared to those sheared at >6000 s−1 (50‐100 μm2). Furthermore, HMW vWF multimers were reduced with increased shear rates. The inhibition study revealed that the reduction in platelet aggregation size and HWM vWF multimers were mainly associated with ADAMTS13. In conclusion, the threshold of shear rate must not exceed >6000 s−1 in order to maintain the optimal size of platelet aggregates to "plug off" the injury site and stop bleeding.


The main purpose of this paper is to illustrate the usefulness of ionosonde observations in the study of the effects due to the transit of a solar eclipse. A sequence of ionograms were obtained during the eclipse on October 24, 1995 by the Chung-Li Digisonde (situated at 24.9°N, 121.5°E, 35.2°N mag netic dip). With fuzzy classification techniques being used, an algorithm was devised to automatically scale digital ionograms. In corresponding time, significant depletions of foE andfoF 1 were observed and were indica tive of a response to the eclipse effect. Furthermore, a search for the pro duction of atmospheric gravity waves (AGW) induced by the solar eclipse was investigated using the iso-frequency virtual height profiles with time. Time-frequency spectral analysis using the Wigner-Ville distribution was applied to obtain an AGW with a period of 18.5 min in the Fland the lower part of the F2-layers. The induced AGW began at the start of the solar eclipse and ended a couple of hours after the completion of the eclipse. In contrast, the iso-frequency profiles with time were also spectrally ana lyzed with the maximum entropy method (MEM). (


Student is most basic level in sports system construction and also is a most fundamental part; it is one of sports development direct beneficiaries. With the development of sports and upgrading of education problems, students' physical education has gradually upgraded into one of problems that sports circles and education circles common discuss. The paper starts from students' physical health and their sports test results two aspects, and goes deeper researches on students' physical health status, sports schedule arrangement status as well as students' physical education attitudes changes. By investigating Chinese students physical health status and corresponding sports test results, utilizes SPSS software to make chi-square test, it finds that Chinese students physical health is in poor conditions, unhealthy phenomenon of relatively fat, relative thin, too heavy, too thin, malnourished is relative serious, which also affects students' sports test results to a certain extent, so brings sports test into students results and comprehensive evaluation system, is an important measure that beneficial to students all-round development. By investigating students' sports time arrangement status, it finds that students physical education attitudes changes are great by implementing sports test, Chinese students sports activities are basically arranged in physical education courses, it mainly school monitoring and voluntary exercise have effects, their duration is basically 30min~1h and 45min~1.5h, which is relative longer.


California recently passed legislation that creates retroactive, descendible rights of publicity. The New York State Assembly is poised to enact similar legislation. Legal recognition of postmortem rights of publicity permits a decedent's named beneficiaries or heirs to control (and financially benefit from) use of a deceased personality's image and likeness. Legislators, proponents of these laws, and legal commentators have overlooked two significant federal estate tax consequences of these new state law property rights. First, a descendible right of publicity likely will be included in a decedent's gross estate for federal estate tax purposes. Second, the estate tax value of rights of publicity easily could exceed the estate's liquid assets available to pay taxes. These tax concerns could be eliminated, however, by rewriting the statutes to limit a decedent's ability to control the disposition of any postmortem rights of publicity.


Employment relations is on the defensive. A gender lens provides opportunities for revitalisation through bringing in social reproduction alongside production, introducing intersectional identities alongside class, developing gendered critiques of 'neutral' markets and recognising the 'doing of gender' within the workplace. However, resistance within research and practice is evident in gender blindness, marginalisation of gender issues or preference for male interests. Three risks associated with a gender lens are identified: first, feminist critiques may be used by employers or neoliberal policymakers to deregulate employment; second, by making gender visible, gender differences may be used to legitimise gender inequalities; and third, in representing workers' interests many pitfalls need to be navigated in steering a path between excessive fragmentation and reproducing hierarchy, whether by class, gender or race. Nevertheless, the costs of not embracing a gender perspective go beyond missed opportunities for renewal and leave employment relations at risk of further decline.


We introduce a general method based on a variant of the Flux Characteristic method described by Ghidaglia et al [22] designed to simulate water-vapour two-phase flows. As an example, we use the three equations Homogeneous Equilibrium model (HEM) with hypotheses of local thermodynamic equilibrium. Our purpose here is to analyze the Finite Volume method when strong gradients of density are present and when some derivatives of quantities like speed of sound strongly vary due to phase transitions. As framework for numerical experiments, we consider a complex flow inside an injector-condenser device. The analysis will lead to a variant of the Flux Characteristic method with regularized matrix-valued sign functions. Other applications like water boiling into a hot channel and a fall of pressure in a crack due to friction will be also considered.


Abstract In his study of Thomas More's Utopia, Louis Marin identifies a productive discontinuity peculiar to that work. The discontinuity arises from the tension between, on the one hand, the textual objective of delimiting the complex social reality of the egalitarian island state within a given conceptual language and, on the other, the capacity of the reader of More's work to visualize mentally the referential content of that language in the form of an iconic representation, as a map of the island. This article develops the tension identified by Marin between discourse and iconicity by reference to some examples of texts by members of the Saint-Simonian movement, one of the chief currents of 'utopian' socialism in nineteenth-century France. While Marin's analysis is based on a cartographic conception of the utopian text's iconic elements, however, this article argues that in Saint-Simonian discourse, the iconic function is not supplied by a real or imagined map, but transfers instead to the opaque (typo)graphic support of that discourse. Shapes and patterns are produced by the graphic disposition of signifiers across the page that are surplus to their tacit referential function, but which point to something that Saint-Simonian doctrine cannot yet affirm via the conceptual antithesis of 'matter' and 'spirit' which underpins it.


The luminescence properties of inorganic perovskite CsPbBr3 nanocrystals (NCs) with emissions of 492 and 517 nm under thermal annealing treatment were studied by temperature-dependent photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. The CsPbBr3 NCs were annealed in vacuum at various temperatures. It was found that the NCs exhibited significant thermal degradation of PL at thermal annealing temperatures above 320 K. The transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and PL spectroscopy demonstrated that the size of NCs almost kept constant at thermal annealing temperatures below 360 K while it significantly enlarged at higher thermal temperatures above 380 K. The PL intensities, peak energies and linewidths of the annealed NCs, as a function of temperature, are discussed in detail. The PL degradation of the NCs was related to the formation of nonradiative recombination centers due to the loss of ligands and growth of NCs under thermal annealing.


The authors contend that a boom in law school rankings has encouraged many U.S. law schools to take new measures to encourage and publicize faculty scholarship. The establishment of associate deans for faculty research is one such measure. The authors conducted a study to determine the number of law schools that have these dean-level positions. They argue that many law schools have established these positions as part of their efforts to improve their standing in the increasingly important rankings. The authors begin with a historical overview of the original law school model and discuss how that model evolved over time. They focus on how those changes led to a competitive law school market that helped lay the groundwork for U.S. News & World Report and other law school rankings. They then explore numerous alternative ranking methodologies and conclude with a study of ABA-accredited law schools that have appointed associate deans for faculty research.


Objectives To determine how far mountain rescue casualties in the UK have to be carried and the impact of adding a hoist or 'long-line' to helicopters operating in this environment. Design Retrospective analysis of mountain rescue incidents. Setting Pre-hospital, mountain rescue service based in Patterdale, English Lake District. Participants Casualties between 1 January 2006 and 31 December 2008 that required stretcher evacuation. Casualties directly accessible by a road ambulance were excluded. Main outcome The horizontal and vertical distance of the evacuation route to an agreed helicopter-landing site, and its technical character. Direct access to the incident site by a helicopter with a hoist or long-line capability was determined. Results 119 casualties were identified. The median horizontal and vertical evacuation distances were 250 m and −30 m respectively. The proposed manual carrying distances were ≤100 m in 33/119 (28%), between 101 and 400 m in 60/119 (50%) and >400 m in 26/119 (22%) of casualties. 13/119 (11%) casualties were in a position where direct access to the incident site would not have been possible with a helicopter equipped with a hoist or long-line. 31/119 (26%) casualties required a technical evacuation with the use of ropes. Conclusions Using the criteria that all casualties requiring a technical rescue or >400 m evacuation route to an appropriate helicopter-landing site, 34% of casualties could have been rescued using a hoist or long-line with an expected reduction in the pre-hospital time. Helicopters working in UK mountain rescue should be equipped to international standards.


Introduction: Tuberculous (TB) meningitis is sometimes difficult to diagnose in young children. The decision to start anti-TB treatment of TB meningitis is usually made on clinical grounds and results of special investigations, such as cerebrospinal fluid examination and cranial computerized tomography (CT), because bacteriologic yield is low and the results delayed. Aim: To determine whether the clinical, laboratory, and radiologic criteria used in the diagnosis of TB meningitis in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-uninfected children apply to HIV-infected children. Methods: Retrospective, case-control study. Clinical, laboratory, and radiologic features of TB meningitis were compared in 34 HIV-infected and 56 HIV-uninfected patients matched for age and stage of TB meningitis. Results: All clinical differences found between the 2 groups at admission were related to the underlying HIV disease. Neurologic presentation and cerebrospinal fluid findings at admission did not differ significantly between the 2 groups. Significantly more HIV-infected than HIV-uninfected children had evidence of TB on chest radiography. The classic CT signs of TB meningitis (obstructive hydrocephalus and basal enhancement) were significantly less prominent in the HIV-infected group (P < 005). Conclusion: The diagnostic criteria for clinical diagnosis of TB meningitis apply to HIV-infected children. However, cranial CT findings in this group may be misleading and delay the diagnosis of TB meningitis.


P babies in Malawi are not receiving adequate care, and social norms that undervalue small newborns are an important barrier to improved outcomes. In 2015-2016 the Ministry of Health and Save the Children piloted a campaign, Khanda ndi Mphatso, Lipatseni Mwayi (A Baby is a Gift, Give it a Chance) in two districts. The campaign targeted pregnant women and mothers of preterm babies as well as their male partners and their influencers. The image phase used a "branded" campaign to shift individual attitudes and community norms to increase the value of newborn lives. The tactical phase used an intense community engagement and social mobilisation component to promote specific health behaviours and encourage family and community support. We carried out a mixed-methods evaluation 13 months after implementation began to understand campaign effects. Using a quasi-experimental design, the evaluation compared basic implementation sites, which included campaign materials, mass media, and facility-based approaches, to comprehensive implementation sites, which added community-based activities. Data analysed included 247 quantitative interviews with pregnant women and mothers of preterm babies and 15 focus group discussions. We developed a measure of campaign dosage to explore dose-response, based on reported participation in campaign activities and recall of campaign materials. The intervention provided direction on future facility and community level strategies that are effective in addressing behavioural and social norms that negatively affect care and survival of preterm and low-birth-weight babies. The evaluation showed


Direct-ground cooling systems are defined as systems in which the ground is used as the only source for cooling mainly in commercial buildings. These systems benefit from exchanging heat with the ground, of which its temperature is basically constant below a certain depth year around. Since electricity demand of these systems is only about driving the circulation pumps, the direct-ground cooling systems are among the most environmentally sustainable and energy efficient systems available for cooling buildings. This thesis is undertaken with a two-fold aim: presenting the design parameters of the ground-coupled systems, and evaluating the methods for controlling the cooling capacity of the direct-ground cooling systems. A comprehensive literature review has been performed on three main design parameters for the ground cooling systems, including ground thermal properties, borehole thermal resistance and building thermal load. All these parameters have been investigated regarding their influence on the energy demand of the system. The literature survey has been further extended to the terminal units operating with high-temperature chilled water, as they are suitable indoor heat terminal units for the direct-ground cooling application. The most common high temperature cooling terminal units have been studied regarding their working temperature levels and cooling capacities. Control methods for direct-ground cooling systems is the second major aspect studied in the present work. Two control methods, supply temperature control method and flow rate control method, have been applied to a ground-coupled ceiling cooling panel system and a fan-coil unit in laboratory settings. The experiments have been conducted in an office-scaled test room under different thermal indoor climates and heat gains. The results have shown that the design of the control system shall be done in relation to the flow rate limits in the building and ground loops, and the temperature levels of the ground. A high flow rate in the ground loop or in the building loop will not enhance the cooling capacity of the terminal units, but only caused increase in the energy use of the circulation pump. On the other hand, too low flow rate in the building loop increases the condensation risk on the pipes. This is because the supply water temperature in the building loop became closer to the ground temperature which is below the dew point of the space.


This paper highlights the level of awareness of Loop Electrosurgical Excision Procedure (LEEP) as a strategy for reducing the incidence and mortality of cervical cancer among the reproductive women in Ibadan North Government of Oyo state, Nigeria. A non-experimental descriptive design was used to find out the level of awareness of LEEP among the market women in Ibadan North Local Government of Oyo State. The sampling technique adopted in the study was the simple random sampling. The sample consisted of young adults, adults and aged women including literate and illiterate. The respondents were reassured of the confidentiality of the data. The instrument used basically was self-structured questionnaire. These questionnaires were administered in four major markets which are Bodija, Sango, Gate, and Gbagi markets in Ibadan North Local Government area of Oyo State, Nigeria. On the respondent awareness of LEEP before this study, only 26 (26%) of the respondents strongly agreed that they have heard about LEEP while 15 (15%) were undecided and 59 (59%) said they have never heard about it, which means that majority of the respondents were not aware of LEEP. The women were asked if LEEP is curative and prevent reoccurrence of cervical cancer; 40 (40%) agreed while 33 (33%) were undecided about this question and 27 (27%) disagreed that it is not curative and cervical cancer can still occur. Regarding the necessity for all women to be aware of the LEEP, 84 (84%) agreed that it is important and necessary for all reproductive and menopausal women to be aware of LEEP which will help to reduce the maternal mortality and morbidity rate, while 15 (15%) were undecided and 1 (1%) disagreed. The women were asked if the awareness of LEEP will decrease the maternal mortality rate of cervical cancer. 85 (85%) agreed that awareness of LEEP will decrease the maternal mortality rate which means that if women are aware of LEEP, it will help them to come to the nearby health center for prompt treatment on time,14 (14%) are undecided and only 1(1%) disagreed. The study shows that most Nigerian market women are not aware of LEEP. There is a need for governments and policy makers to increase publicity on the benefits of LEEP so as to reduce the incidence and mortality rate of cervical cancer in Nigeria. Citation Format: Olubunmi Olabisi Adetule. The awareness on loop electrosurgical excision procedure as a strategy for reducing the incidence and mortality of cervical cancer among Nigerian market women. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Eleventh Annual AACR International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research; 2012 Oct 16-19; Anaheim, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Prev Res 2012;5(11 Suppl):Abstract nr A111.


We consider the problem of labeling the nodes of a graph in a way that will allow one to compute the distance between any two nodes directly from their labels (without using any additional information). Our main interest is in the minimal length of labels needed in different cases. We obtain upper bounds and (most importantly) lower bounds for several interesting families of graphs. In particular, our main results are the following:For general graphs, the length needed is &THgr;(n).
For trees, the length needed is &THgr;(log2 n).
For planar graphs, we show an upper bound of &Ogr;(√n log n) and a lower bound of &OHgr;(n1/3).
For bounded degree graphs, we show a lower bound of &OHgr;(√n).

The upper bounds for planar graphs and for trees follow by a more general upper bound for graphs with a r(n)- separator. The two lower bounds, however, are obtained by two different arguments that may be interesting in their own right.
We also show some lower bounds on the length of the labels, even if it is only required that distances be approximated to a multiplicative factor s. For example, we show that for general graphs the required length is &OHgr;(n). We also consider the problem of the time complexity of the distance function once the labels are computed. We show that there are graphs with optimal labels of length 3 log n, such that if we use any labels with fewer than n bits per label, computing the distance function requires exponential time. A similar result is obtained for planar and bounded degree graphs.


Zostera marina (eelgrass) is a marine foundation species with key ecological roles in coastal habitats. Its bacterial microbiota has been well studied, but very little is known about its mycobiome. In this study, we have isolated and identified 13 fungal strains, dominated by Penicillium species (10 strains), from the leaf and the root rhizosphere of Baltic Z. marina. The organic extracts of the fungi that were cultured by an OSMAC (One-Strain–Many-Compounds) regime using five liquid culture media under both static and shaking conditions were investigated for their chemical and bioactivity profiles. All extracts showed strong anti-quorum sensing activity, and the majority of the Penicillium extracts displayed antimicrobial or anti-biofilm activity against Gram-negative environmental marine and human pathogens. HPLC-DAD-MS-based rapid metabolome analyses of the extracts indicated the high influence of culture conditions on the secondary metabolite (SM) profiles. Among 69 compounds detected in all Penicillium sp. extracts, 46 were successfully dereplicated. Analysis of SM relatedness in culture conditions by Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA) revealed generally low similarity and showed a strong effect of medium selection on chemical profiles of Penicillium sp. This is the first study assessing both the metabolite and bioactivity profile of the fungi associated with Baltic eelgrass Z. marina.


Crafting a perfect rendering in 3D software means nailing all the details. And no matter what software you use, your success in creating realistic-looking illumination, shadows and textures depends on your professional lighting and rendering techniques. In this lavishly illustrated new edition, Pixar's Jeremy Birn shows you how to: * Master Hollywood lighting techniques to produce professional results in any 3D application * Convincingly composite 3D models into real-world environments * Apply advanced rendering techniques using subsurface scattering, global illumination, caustics, occlusion, and high dynamic range images * Design realistic materials and paint detailed texture maps * Mimic real-life camera properties such as f-stops, exposure times, depth-of-field, and natural color temperatures for photorealistic renderings * Render in multiple passes for greater efficiency and creative control * Understand production pipelines at visual effects and animation studios * Develop your lighting reel to get a job in the industry


In this article, I propose an alternative technique to the traditional method of constitution of the literary canon. Instead of basing the determination of the canon on different values, I scrutinize the Modern Language Association International Bibliography database in order to determine the most cited authors and literary works. Specifically, I study Canadian literature. Thus, through the process of data mining, I obtain a sample of over 25,000 references that allows us to observe the chronological evolution and the linguistic distribution of the critical bibliography about Canadian literature. This quantitative technique yields a corpus of 151 titles and 295 writers that are cited more than 10 times in the database. Consequently, this bibliography is not the result of subjective selection criteria, but is based on the law of large numbers. Furthermore, this study shows that the quantitative analysis of bibliographic databases is an effective way to bring new light to the field of literary studies. [


ABSTRACT The phylum Chloroflexi contains several isolated bacteria that have been found to respire a diverse array of halogenated anthropogenic chemicals. The distribution and role of these Chloroflexi in uncontaminated terrestrial environments, where abundant natural organohalogens could function as potential electron acceptors, have not been studied. Soil samples (116 total, including 6 sectioned cores) from a range of uncontaminated sites were analyzed for the number of Dehalococcoides-like Chloroflexi 16S rRNA genes present. Dehalococcoides-like Chloroflexi populations were detected in all but 13 samples. The concentrations of organochlorine ([organochlorine]), inorganic chloride, and total organic carbon (TOC) were obtained for 67 soil core sections. The number of Dehalococcoides-like Chloroflexi 16S rRNA genes positively correlated with [organochlorine]/TOC while the number of Bacteria 16S rRNA genes did not. Dehalococcoides-like Chloroflexi were also observed to increase in number with a concomitant accumulation of chloride when cultured with an enzymatically produced mixture of organochlorines. This research provides evidence that organohalide-respiring Chloroflexi are widely distributed as part of uncontaminated terrestrial ecosystems, they are correlated with the fraction of TOC present as organochlorines, and they increase in abundance while dechlorinating organochlorines. These findings suggest that organohalide-respiring Chloroflexi may play an integral role in the biogeochemical chlorine cycle.


Background: Special consideration should be given when creating and selecting cytopathology specimens for digitization to maximize quality. Advances in scanning and viewing technology can also improve whole-slide imaging (WSI) output quality. Methods: Accumulated laboratory experience with digitization of glass cytopathology slides was collected. Results: This paper describes characteristics of a cytopathology glass slide that can reduce quality on resulting WSI. Important points in the glass cytopathology slide selection process, preparation, scanning, and WSI-editing process that will maximize the quality of the resulting acquired digital image are covered. The paper outlines scanning solutions which have potential to predict issues with a glass cytopathology slide before image acquisition, allowing for adjustment of the scanning approach. WSI viewing solutions that better simulate the traditional microscope experience are also discussed. Conclusion: In addition to taking advantage of technical advances, practical steps can taken to maximize quality of cytopathology WSI.


Contact between and mutual influences among varieties of standard and non-standard English have always been a central concern in research on World Englishes. In a mobile and globalising world such contacts are by no means restricted to diffusion of features in face-to-face interaction, across contiguous territories in space or up and down the sociolinguistic scale. In order to better represent and understand the complex relationships obtaining between varieties of standard and non-standard English in the contemporary "English language complex" (McArthur 2003: 56; Mesthrie and Bhatt 2008: 1–3), the present paper proposes a new theoretical model, based on language systems theory (de Swaan 2002, 2010). While the model is not designed to supersede existing alternatives, such as the Kachruvian (1982) Circles, it will nevertheless complement them in important ways, chiefly because it is better equipped to handle uses of English in domains beyond the post-colonial nation state. The "World System of Englishes" model was developed in the course of the author's work on the use of pidgins and creoles in web forums serving the post-colonial West African and Caribbean diasporas. The way Nigerian Pidgin figures in the creation of a globalised digital ethnolinguistic repertoire will hence serve as an illustration of its usefulness.


The aim of this research is to examine the Coivd-19 impacts on the Human Resource (HR) operation in the Malaysian retail sector, especially in the Klang Valley area. A self administered online survey was conducted with 330 participants answering. The partial least square approach to structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to investigate the direct effects of the proposed variables. Besides, the mediation test was used to examine the indirect effects. The outcomes of the study showed that the current pandemic has an essential influence on job depression and anxiety at the retail level. Furthermore, the direct relationship between Covid-19, salary, and layoff is significant, suggesting that COVID-19 is a severe problem for employees' salaries and layoffs. In contrast, the indirect effect of Covid19, job depression, job anxiety, salary, and layoff confirm a significant relationship with partial mediation. Job depression, however, does not mediate the relationship between COVID-19 and layoff. This research only considered Klang Valley area in addition to the data collected through the convenient sampling method by using an online survey form. The findings of the study offer an insight into the factors influencing human capital management and how the retail decision-makers, retailers, retail consultants, and staff should devise a new approach to adjust HR policies in a 'new normal' situation. The study adds to the existing knowledge about the effect of Covid-19 on job depression, job anxiety, salaries, and layoffs among retail employees. This study will also provide a source of further research because the area under investigation is new in the current pandemic situation


At very low light levels the sensitivity of the visual system is determined by the efficiency with which single photons are captured, and the resulting signal transmitted from the rod photoreceptors through the retinal circuitry to the ganglion cells and on to the brain. Although the tiny electrical signals due to single photons have been observed in rod photoreceptors, little is known about how these signals are preserved during subsequent transmission to the optic nerve. We find that the synaptic currents elicited by single photons in mouse rod bipolar cells have a peak amplitude of 5–6 pA, and that about 20 rod photoreceptors converge upon each rod bipolar cell. The data indicates that the first synapse, between rod photoreceptors and rod bipolar cells, signals a binary event: the detection, or not, of a photon or photons in the connected rod photoreceptors. We present a simple model that demonstrates how a threshold nonlinearity during synaptic transfer allows transmission of the single photon signal, while rejecting the convergent neural noise from the 20 other rod photoreceptors feeding into this first synapse.


Precise control over the chemical structure of hard-matter materials is a grand challenge of basic science and a prerequisite for the development of advanced catalyst systems. In this work we report the application of a sacrificial metal–organic framework (MOF) template for the synthesis of a porous supported metal oxide catalyst, demonstrating proof-of-concept for a highly generalizable approach to the preparation of new catalyst materials. Application of 2,2′-bipyridine-5,5′-dicarboxylic acid as the organic strut in the Ce MOF precursor results in chelation of Cu2+ and affords isolation of the metal oxide precursor. Following pyrolysis of the template, homogeneously dispersed CuO nanoparticles are formed in the resulting porous CeO2 support. By partially substituting non-chelating 1,1′-biphenyl-4,4′-dicarboxylic acid, the Cu2+ loading and dispersion can be finely tuned, allowing precise control over the CuO/CeO2 interface in the final catalyst system. Characterization by X-ray diffraction, X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy, and in situ IR spectroscopy/mass spectrometry confirm control over interface formation to be a function of template composition, constituting the first report of a MOF template being used to control interfacial properties in a supported metal oxide. Using CO oxidation as a model reaction, the system with the greatest number of interfaces possessed the lowest activation energy and better activity under differential conditions, but required higher temperature for catalytic onset and displayed inferior efficiency at 100 °C than systems with higher Cu-loading. This finding is attributable to greater CO adsorption in the more heavily-loaded systems, and indicates catalyst performance for these supported oxide systems to be a function of at least two parameters: size of adsorption site and extent of interface. Optimization of catalyst materials thus requires precise control over synthesis parameters, such as is demonstrated by this MOF-templating method.


This article presents the experience in the construction and application of a business game competition developed in the Business Incubator of COPPE/UFRJ, whose purpose is to stimulate the large-scale spread of entrepreneurial culture. Besides reaching a broad audience, the approach promoted the communication of business concepts, provided robust experiences, exposed fundamental business characteristics and encouraged the participation in the entrepreneurial scenery. The number and diversity of people involved, over sixteen years, in the design of the Incubator's business games, and the variety of techniques and results, give this tool a significant uniqueness in the entrepreneurship education field.


(ABSTRACT) Universal Mobile Telecommunications Systems (UMTS) is the preferred third generation (3G) communication standard for mobile communications and will provide worldwide coverage, a convenient software technology and very high data rate. The high data rate, especially, requires the use of bandwidth-efficient modulation schemes such as Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (QPSK). But modulation schemes such as QPSK need, in turn, a very linear power from the output of the transmitter power amplifier in order to meet the spectral requirements. A linear power amplifier, traditionally, has very low energy efficiency. Poor energy efficiency directly affects operational costs and causes thermal heating issues in base station transmitters. Thus the power amplifier designer is forced to trade-off between linearity and efficiency. As a result of this trade-off a Class-AB power amplifier is most often used in QPSK based systems. Class-AB power amplifiers provide acceptable linearity at efficiency values around 45-50% typically. This compromise is not a satisfactory solution but is inevitable while using traditional power amplifier design techniques. This thesis details the use of a Class-F amplifier with carefully chosen bias points and harmonic traps to overcome this problem. Class-F amplifiers are usually considered as very high efficiency (80% or more power-added efficiency) amplifiers where the high efficiency is obtained through the use of harmonic traps (L-C filters or quarter-wavelength transmission lines), which provide suitable terminations (either open or short) for the harmonics generated. By doing this, a square wave drain voltage and a peaked half-sinusoidal drain current out-of-phase by 180º are produced. Since only a drain voltage or a drain current exists at any given time, the power dissipation is ideally zero resulting in 100% theoretical efficiency. These very high efficiency values are usually associated with poor linearity. However the linearity can be improved to meet the design standards but compromising on efficiency. Even after this is done, efficiencies are usually 10 to 15% greater than a traditional Class AB power amplifier with similar linearity performance. Thus efficiency can be improved without affecting linearity by the use of Class-F power amplifiers. In order to verify this theory, a Class-AB and a Class-F power amplifier are designed using Motorola's high voltage laterally diffused metal oxide semiconductor (LDMOS) transistor. The choice of bias points and the design of the harmonic traps are very critical for the Class-F performance and hence were designed after careful consideration. The designs were simulated on Agilent's Advanced Design System (ADS) …


This paper highlights geographic regions gaining and losing investment and social security income (collectively referred to as nonearnings income) through migration of baby boomers and their predecessors. There is a consistent Rustbelt to Sunbelt shift in nonearnings income due to migration, as well as movement down the urban hierarchy into nonmetropolitan destinations. The analysis further indicates migration of those over age 55 contributes to greater levels of economic disparity across space. Regions like the Plains are losing a higher proportion of well- to-do migrants in this age group, as individuals move to high amenity destinations in the Rocky Mountains. Such destinations are likely to enjoy significant economic benefits as these new sources arrive. The places of origin, however, are left with less-well-off populations posing significant social and economic problems. In contrast, baby boomer migration appears to benefit nonmetropolitan territories in all regions, and baby boomers with higher levels of per capita economic resources appear to be responsible for these nonmetropolitan income gains.


Accurate estimation of the 3D in vivo activity distribution is important for dose estimation in targeted radionuclide therapy (TRT). Although SPECT can potentially provide such estimates, SPECT without compensation for image degrading factors is not quantitatively accurate. In this work, we evaluated quantitative SPECT (QSPECT) reconstruction methods that include compensation for various physical effects. Experimental projection data were obtained using a GE VH/Hawkeye system and an RSD torso phantom. Known activities of In-111 chloride were placed in the lungs, liver, heart, background and two spherical compartments with inner diameters of 22 mm and 34 mm. The 3D NCAT phantom with organ activities based on clinically derived In-111 ibritumomab tiuxetan data was used for the Monte Carlo (MC) simulation studies. Low-noise projection data were simulated using previously validated MC simulation methods. Fifty sets of noisy projections with realistic count levels were generated. Reconstructions were performed using the OS-EM algorithm with various combinations of attenuation (A), scatter (S), geometric response (G), collimator–detector response (D) and partial volume compensation (PVC). The QSPECT images from the various combinations of compensations were evaluated in terms of the accuracy and precision of the estimates of the total activity in each organ. For experimental data, the errors in organ activities for ADS and PVC compensation were less than 6.5% except the smaller sphere (−11.9%). For the noisy simulated data, the errors in organ activity for ADS compensation were less than 5.5% except the lungs (20.9%) and blood vessels (15.2%). Errors for other combinations of compensations were significantly (A, AS) or somewhat (AGS) larger. With added PVC, the error in the organ activities improved slightly except for the lungs (11.5%) and blood vessels (3.6%) where the improvement was more substantial. The standard deviation/mean ratios were all less than 1.5%. We conclude that QSPECT methods with appropriate compensations provided accurate In-111 organ activity estimates. For the collimator used, AGS was almost as good as ADS and may be preferable due to the reduced reconstruction time. PVC was important for small structures such as tumours or for organs in close proximity to regions with high activity. The improved quantitative accuracy from QSPECT methods has the potential for improving organ dose estimations in TRT.


Objective. To systematically review the published information regarding the effectiveness and safety of early postoperative quadriceps muscle exercise training on pain, joint laxity, function and range of motion in postoperative anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction adult patients. Data sources. Five databases (CINAHL, PEDro, Pubmed, Science Direct and the Cochrane Library) were searched for studies published from January 1990 to May 2007. Study selection. Publications describing research into the effectiveness of early quadriceps exercises after ACL reconstruction were included. A total of three eligible articles met the inclusion criteria. Data extraction. A review of the three eligible studies was undertaken to describe the key study components. The PEDro Scale was used to determine the methodological quality of the selected trials and the level of evidence of all the eligible studies was categorised according to the evidence hierarchy by Lloyd-Smith.24 Relevant data were extracted by the two reviewer groups to reduce bias. Data synthesis. Due to study heterogeneity a meta-analysis could not be conducted. Effect sizes were calculated provided that sufficient data were provided. Outcome measures included range of motion (ROM), functional performance, pain  and knee laxity. The methodological quality of the studies did not vary considerably across the studies and the average PEDro score was 66%. Marginal significant differences were noted in knee ROM at 1 month postoperatively, pain day 1 postoperatively, knee laxity and subjective evaluation of function at 6 months postoperatively. Conclusion. Early quadriceps exercises can be performed safely in the first 2 postoperative weeks, but clinically significant gains in ROM, function, pain and knee laxity were not evident. Further research should include standardised interventions, measurement time frames and outcome measurement tools to allow for a meta- analysis to be conducted


The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA) initiated in 2001 aims to assess the impacts of human pressure on ecosystem services (ES) and human well-being. Since then, the ES have been a worldwide concern, namely regarding to biodiversity loss and land use management (MA, 2005). The EU 2010 Biodiversity Baseline Report stated that 65% of habitats of EU importance were in an unfavorable conservation status, mainly due to anthropic activities over time (EEA, 2010). As a consequence, in 2011, the EU adopted the Biodiversity Strategy to 2020, requiring all Member States to actively work towards stopping the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services by 2020, and to restore ecosystems. ES are particularly relevant in urban areas, where most population is concentrated and expected to reach almost 70% of the total population by 2050 (UN-DESA, 2018). Strategically planned urban Green and Blue Infrastructures (GBI) can be designed and implemented in cities to effectively provide a wide range of ES, relevant to address urban sustainability and resilience to climate change, and thus effectively contribute to stop and revert ES deterioration and loss. However, the integration of ES and GBI concepts into national, regional and local policies and plans, and their effectiveness to implement the EU Biodiversity Strategy, is still a major challenge. This paper aims to analyze the horizontal and vertical integration of the ES and GBI concepts in the Portuguese policies and land use planning, at national, regional and local levels, focusing on the municipality of Coimbra. Among the 19 documents analyzed, most of them are defined at national level (12) and 6 of them are defined at local level. At the regional level, only one single plan is available, although it is still not officially approved and published, despite started being prepared in 1991. This regional situation mirrors the current status of the Portuguese administrative levels, which was triggered by the negative result of the 1998 referendum on the regionalization process. This referendum prevented necessary changes in the administrative divisions, so that current regional divisions do not reflect the economic, demographic and cultural realities of the country, having been emptied of administrative powers. The analysis shows a strong integration of the ES and GBI concepts at the national level, but the vertical coordination shows that plenty of work needs to be done to fully embrace the ES and GBI concepts. This research was performed in the UrbanGaia project, funded through the ERA-net BiodivERsA 3 2015 call under grants BRAIN-be BR/175/A1/URBANGAIA-BE (Belgium); 01LC1616A (Germany); S-BIODIVERSA-17-17-1 (Lithuania), and BIODIVERSA/0008/2015 (Portugal).


Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to empirically investigate relationships between engagement activities and social reporting practices in a controversial and environmentally sensitive industry. The interactions investigated were not restricted to stakeholder relationships but included other communications between different stakeholders. Design/methodology/approach - This paper presents a case study approach framed within a contested political arena. Data were gathered using multiple methods including interviews with salmon farming organisations, stakeholders, rule-enforcers, issue amplifiers and political institutions. Findings - All arena participants used social reports in their interactions to communicate the social, environmental and economic consequences of salmon farming. Different social reporting practices appeared to be reflexively related to the competing motivations of different stakeholders. However, social reporting in Scottish salmon farming was fragmented, driven by many different factors and did not necessarily lead to a resolution of the conflicts within this arena. Research limitations/implications - Researching social reporting should consider the co-existence and co-evolution of different social reports, competing motivations and engagement tactics of stakeholders. This paper identifies the construction of holistic reports from multiple reports and issue amplification as two research methods to engage in social and environmental policy debates. Originality/value - This paper presents empirical evidence from an under-researched industry, which has the potential to develop the theoretical understanding of social reporting. It also introduces the arena concept as a useful tool in further social reporting research.


The Internet, Web 2.0 and Social Networking technologies are enabling citizens to actively participate in "citizen science" projects by contributing data to scientific programs. However, the limited expertise of contributors can lead to poor quality or misleading data being submitted. Subsequently, the scientific community often perceive citizen science data as not worthy of being used in serious scientific research. In this paper, we describe a technological framework that combines data quality improvements and trust metrics to enhance the reliability of citizen science data. We describe how trust models provide a simple and effective mechanism for measuring the reliability of community-generated data. We also describe filtering services that remove untrustworthy data, and enable confident re-use of the data. The resulting services are evaluated in the context of the Coral Watch project which uses volunteers to collect data on coral reef bleaching.