The dissertation examines several policy-related implications of relaxing the assumption
that economic agents are guided by rational expectations. A first, introductory chapter
presents the main technical issues related to adaptive learning. The second chapter studies
the implications for monetary policy of positing that both the private sector and the
central bank form their expectations through adaptive learning and that the central bank
has private information on shocks to the economy but cannot credibly commit. The main
finding of this chapter is that when agents learn adaptively a bias against activist policy
arises. The following chapter focuses on large, non-linear models, where no unambiguous
linear approximation eligible as perceived law of motion exists. Accordingly, there are
heterogeneous expectations and the system converges to a misspecification equilibrium,
affected by the communication strategies of the central bank. The main results are:
(1) the heterogeneity of expectations persists even when a large number of observations
are available; (2) the monetary policymaker has no incentive to be an inflation hawk; (3)
partial transparency enhances welfare somewhat but full transparency does not. The final
chapter adopts a model in which agents are fully informed and use Bayesian techniques to
estimate the hidden states of the economy. The monetary policy stance is unobservable
and state-independent, generating uncertainty among agents, who try to gauge it from
inflation: a change in consumer prices that confirms beliefs reduces stock risk premia,
while a change that contradicts beliefs drives the risk premia upward. This may generate
a negative correlation between returns and inflation that explains the Fisher puzzle. The
model is tested on US data. The econometric evidence suggests: (1) that a mimickingportfolio proxying for monetary policy uncertainty is a risk factor priced by financial
markets; and (2) that conditioning on monetary uncertainty and fundamentals eliminates
the Fisher puzzle.


Deep within the Forest of Death, the site of the second stage of the Journeyman Ninja Selection Exams, Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura are still reeling from Orochimaru's attack...and now they must battle this unrelenting monster's minions, the mysterious Sound Ninja. As the fight rages on, Sasuke struggles with the strange force growing inside of him, spreading like an infection from the curse-mark Orochimaru burned into his neck, that could leave him dead...or send him on a bloodthirsty quest for power. And time is running out for the student ninja to collect the scrolls they need to pass the test!


Abstract. Subpolar regions are key areas for studying natural climate variability due to their high sensitivity to rapid environmental changes, particularly through sea surface temperature (SST) variations. Here, we have tested three independent organic temperature proxies (UK'37; TEX86; and the long-chain diol index, LDI) regarding their potential applicability for SST reconstruction in the subpolar region around Iceland. UK'37, TEX86 and TEXL86 temperature estimates from suspended particulate matter showed a substantial discrepancy with instrumental data, while long-chain alkyl diols were below the detection limit at most of the stations. In the northern Iceland Basin, sedimenting particles revealed a seasonality in lipid fluxes, i.e., high fluxes of alkenones and glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (GDGTs) were measured during late spring and during summer and high fluxes of long-chain alkyl diols during late summer. The flux-weighted average temperature estimates had a significant negative (ca. 2.3 °C for UK'37) and positive (up to 5 °C for TEX86) offset with satellite-derived SSTs and temperature estimates derived from the underlying surface sediment. UK'37 temperature estimates from surface sediments around Iceland correlate well with summer mean sea surface temperatures, while TEX86-derived temperatures correspond with both annual and winter mean 0–200 m temperatures, suggesting a subsurface temperature signal. Anomalous LDI-SST values in surface sediments and low mass flux of 1,13- and 1,15-diols compared to 1,14-diols suggest that Proboscia diatoms are the major sources of long-chain alkyl diols in this area rather than eustigmatophyte algae, and therefore the LDI cannot be applied in this region.


Hynets, for Hybrid (living-artificial) Networks, are an efficient and adaptable experimental support to explore the dynamics and the adaptation process of biological systems. We present in this paper an innovative platform performing a real-time closed-loop between a cultured network (e.g. neurons) and an artificial processing (e.g. software processing or a robotic interface). The system gathers bioware, hardware, and software components and ensures the closed-loop data processing in less than 50 µs. We describe also a methodology that may help to standardize the description of some experiments. This method is associated to a full custom Graphical User Interface. We detail here the system choices, components, and performances.


The Development of an Index for the Proximal Upper Extremity. (May 2005) Erin Kurusz Walline, B.S., Texas A&M University; M.S., Texas A&M University Chair of Advisory Committee: Dr. J. Steven Moore Analysis techniques specific to the proximal upper extremity have historically been overlooked in the field of ergonomics. This research effort provides a methodology that will allow the ergonomics practitioner to analyze a job and predict whether or not that job exposes workers to increased risk of proximal upper extremity disorders. Literature from the fields of physiology, biomechanics, and epidemiology was assimilated in order to understand the theories of pathogenesis of disorders in the rotator cuff and to identify the risk factors associated with proximal upper extremity disorders. A retrospective epidemiological study was conducted to identify job task variables that may contribute to the occurrence of proximal upper extremity disorders. Two proximal upper extremity constructs were proposed: a fatigue-based model and a compressive load-based model. The constructs incorporated lessons learned from the literature and results from the epidemiological study. Validation of the models was performed using data from the epidemiological study. It was determined that the fatigue-based model was a good predictor of proximal upper extremity disorders.


Background: Improving the efficiency of the Malaria control program can help combat malaria in urban areas, which still remains a major public health problem in India, affecting all spheres of human life. Methodology: Assessment of the overall functioning of Urban Malaria Scheme run by Municipal Corporation (MC) in a district of Central Gujarat, India, was carried out over 8 months(November 2011 to June 2012) using a semi-structured instrument by observation, inspection, record review of blood smear examination and target examination rates and interviews of laboratory technicians (LT) and pharmacists. Two slide-positive individuals from each clinic and one community leader from each ward was interviewed regarding the functioning of malaria clinics. Results: Diagnosis and treatment facilities for malaria provided in 13 corporation dispensaries were observed. Though manpower was adequate, there was lack of active surveillance in the urban areas. The basic infrastructure facilities were inadequate in half of the dispensaries and facilities for Blood Slide Collection (BSC) and staining were found to be very poor. Majority of the dispensaries did not have any idea about the blood examination rate targets and the new treatment guidelines for malaria had not reached the clinics till the time of visits. Radical treatment (RT) was found to be inadequate and unsupervised. Half of the community leaders were unaware about the availability of diagnostic facility for malaria at these dispensaries and had inadequate information about availability RT. Recommendations: The vacant posts of LT need to be filled up at the earliest; the laboratory dispensaries to be equipped with adequate space, basic infrastructure facilities, adequate logistics and supplies for Blood Slide Examination (BSE) need to be looked into. Attention needs to be paid to follow the active surveillance activities in cities, following monthly targets distributing new malaria treatment guidelines and ensuring adequate and supervised RT.


The Central Highlands region has a unique climate that presents both challenges and novel farming systems opportunities for cotton production. We have been re-examining the Emerald climate in a bid to identify opportunities that might enable the production of more consistent cotton yields and quality in what can be a highly variable climate. A detailed climatic analysis identified that spring and early summer is the most optimal period for boll growth and maturation. However, to unlock this potential requires unseasonal winter sowing that is 4 to 6 weeks earlier than the traditional mid-September sowing. Our experiments have sought answers to two questions: i) how much earlier can cotton be sown for reliable crop establishment and high yield; ii) can degradable plastic film mulches minimise the impact of potentially cold temperatures on crop establishment and early vigour. Initial data suggests August sowing offers the potential to grow a high yield at a time of year with reduced risk of cloud and high night temperatures during boll growth. For the past two seasons late winter sowing (with and without film) has resulted in a compact plant with high retention that physiologically matures by the beginning of January. Even with the spectre of replanting cotton in some seasons due to frost in August, early sowing would appear to offer the opportunity for more efficient crop input usage, simplified agronomic management and new crop rotation options during late summer and autumn. This talk will present an overview of results to date.


In Rail Automation, planning future projects requires the integration of business-critical data from heterogeneous data sources. As a consequence, data quality of integrated data is crucial for the optimal utilization of the production capacity. Unfortunately, current integration approaches mostly neglect uncertainties and inconsistencies in the integration process in terms of railway specific data. To tackle these restrictions, we propose a semi-automatic process for data import, where the user resolves ambiguous data classifications. The task of finding the correct data warehouse classification of source values in a proprietary, often semi-structured format is supported by the notion of a signifier, which is a natural extension of composite primary keys. In a case study from the domain of asset management in Rail Automation we evaluate that this approach facilitates high-quality data integration while minimizing user interaction.


Because the roof lithology in an underground coal mine is typically variable and poorly known, the safety and efficiency of these mines is reduced. To address this shortcoming, a device for analyzing rock properties by way of scratching a mine roof borehole was designed and tested in multiple different media with the goal of determining in situ mine roof properties with a nondestructive technique. Tools were developed for measuring extraction force and position of the scratching mechanism and those values were compared versus time for multiple tests to look for changes in applied force over changing positions. Because of signal stability and inconsistencies in scratch depths the data were found to contain too much variation to determine any rock properties or changing rock conditions from the simulated roof material in the concrete block. However, further scratch tests in a sandstone block indicated that increasing the diameter of the wire scratchers (and therefore increasing their stiffness and accompanying normal force) from 0.045 inches to 0.055 inches increased the average pull force from 6.24 to 9.96 lbs. Similar to that test, a scratch test was performed in a PVC pipe where it was found that increasing the scratcher diameter from 0.045 inches to 0.051 inches increased the pull force from a 2.81 lb average to a 36.46 lb average, with considerably better gouging of the host material.


Abstract Context: In 1996, the American Medical Association drafted and organized the Education for Physicians on End-of-Life Care (EPEC) curriculum. Leadership in the osteopathic medical profession has similarly recognized the goals of EPEC—resulting in the development of Osteopathic-EPEC, which incorporates the core tenets of osteopathic medicine. Objective: To assess the impact of EPEC training and the integration of osteopathic principles and practice in end-of-life care provided by osteopathic physicians (DOs). Methods: Osteopathic physicians who participated in the 2002 and 2003 AOA (American Osteopathic Association) End-of-Life Care—National Osteopathic Workshops were surveyed (N=100) on the use of advance directives and on their application of the tenets of osteopathic medicine, including the use of osteopathic manipulative techniques, for terminally ill patients. Results: More than 90% of responding DOs (n=66) ranked each of the four core tenets of osteopathic medicine as important. Among completed responses, 58 DOs (89%) said they believed the tenets and philosophy of osteopathic medicine better prepared them to provide end-of-life care. Forty-eight DOs (79%) agreed that the use of osteopathic diagnostic and treatment skills augmented their ability to provide quality care for terminally ill patients. Conclusion: Osteopathic physicians indicated that the tenets of osteopathic medicine improve their effectiveness in providing quality end-of-life care to patients. However, fewer than half of surveyed DOs who used osteopathic manipulative techniques to relieve pain and manage the physical symptoms associated with the dying process reported that the techniques are often or always effective.


In 1999, CEPS initiated the Europa South-East Policy Forum, a group of leading independent policy institutes from every country of South-East Europe, the network of Open Society Institutes. The objective was to contribute to the full integration of the whole of the region into the European Union. This report advocates accelerated political and economic reforms in these countries in the aftermath of the war, on the assumption that the European Union itself would make radical moves in its policies to support the process.


Tibetan medicine, also known as Sowa Rigpa (gso ba rig pa, the art, or knowledge of healing), has had a long and illustrious history, which has been intertwined with Buddhism in various aspects. It has been taught and practiced along with Tibetan Buddhism in areas that encompass the TAR (Tibetan Autonomous Region, since the mid-20th century part of China), areas of mainland China (Sichuan, Gansu, Qinghai, Yunnan), Ladakh, Nepal, Bhutan, Mongolia, and Buryatia (south Siberia, Russia). It is also practiced in India, particularly among the Tibetan exiled community, and in various parts of Europe and the United States.


Epigenetic and genetic factors affect the incidence of colorectal cancer. Intestinal bacteria have been implicated in diet-induced obesity and inflammation. TLR4 and NOD2/CARD15 that play a crucial role in immunity have been implicated in signal transduction events induced by bacterial antigens. Here, we investigated the combined effect of epigenetic and genetic factors with occurrence of colorectal cancer in Tunisian population. We aimed to investigate interaction between polymorphisms in innate immunity genes TLR4 D299G/T399I and NOD2/CARD15 3020insC and dietary factors in colorectal cancer. Methods: This study involved 101 patients with colorectal cancer and 140 healthy controls. The association was analyzed by statistical tools. We observed a protective effect between a low consumption of cheese and butter and TLR4 T399I polymorphism on colorectal cancer incidence. We also showed that TLR4 D299G polymorphism associate to a higher consumption of tea and cheese and to low consumption of fruits increases the occurrence of CRC. We found no significant association between NOD2/CAR15 polymorphism and dietary products on CRC risk. Finally, we found a positive interaction between TLR4 mutated genotypes and a higher consumption of cheese and butter in patients with colorectal cancer. These results suggest interactions between dietary factors and innate immunity genes polymorphisms are involved in colorectal cancer risk.


Information about a photograph for a research paper written for a history class at Marfa High School about the 1913 wedding of Hijinio Roman and Pilar Dominguez. A footnotes page and bibliography to the research paper are also included.


Contrary to the trend in the 1980s when individuals began to purchase their own homes at an ever earlier age, Britain in the 1990s experienced a sharp fall in household formation rates among the young and in home ownership rates among the 20-44 age group. Part of this decline may be explained by the economic recession and part of it by the change in perceptions about the riskiness of housing as an investment. However, the continuation of relatively lower household formation and home ownership rates among the young after economic recovery seems to support another proposition- a fundamental change in their behaviour in the route adopted toward purchasing a home. We argue that this change is primarily brought about by structural change in the labour market and socio-demographic trends. Relative to older age groups, younger cohorts are experiencing lower earnings growth and greater employment instability. These effects are further compounded by their desire to delay marriage and remain single or to cohabit for longer periods, as this not only reduces the size of their potential (joint) incomes but also makes them vulnerable to sudden changes in household composition and/or in their fortunes in the labour market. In addition, the skills upgrading in the labour market implies that if the young want to secure higher permanent incomes, they have to be more mobile across jobs and locations than in the past. Owner occupation has therefore become less affordable, more risky, and less suitable as a housing tenure for the young at the early stages of their life-cycle.


This paper describes a new approach to finding performance bottlenecks in shared-memory parallel programs and its embodiment in the Paradyn Parallel Performance Tools running with the Blizzard fine-grain distributed shared memory system. This approach exploits the underlying system's cache coherence protocol to detect data sharing patterns that indicate potential performance bottlenecks and presents performance measurements in a data-centric manner. As a demonstration, Parodyn helped us improve the performance of a new shared-memory application program by a factor of four.


Background Toxidendron (poison ivy, oak, and sumac) contact dermatitis is a common complaint in the outpatient primary care setting with little evidence-based guidance on best treatment duration. Methods This randomized, controlled trial examined the efficacy and side effects of a 5-day regimen of 40 mg oral prednisone daily (short course) compared to the same 5-day regimen followed by a prednisone taper of 30 mg daily for 2 days, 20 mg daily for 2 days, 10 mg daily for 2 days, and 5 mg daily for 4 days over a total of 15 days (long course) in patients with severe poison ivy dermatitis. Results In 49 patients with severe poison ivy, non-adherence rates, rash return, medication side effects, and time to improvement and complete healing of the rash were not significantly different between the two groups. Patients receiving the long course regimen were significantly less likely to utilize other medications (22.7% vs. 55.6%, P = 0.02, number needed to treat 3.05). Conclusions This study suggests that a longer course prescription may save patients' time and exposure to excess medication in the treatment of severe poison ivy. Application of this information to clinical practice will save return visits and reduce excess non-prescription medication administration to individual patients.


Neighborhood decline is a complex and multidimensional process. National and regional variation in economic and political structures (including variety in national welfare state arrangements), combined with differences in neighborhood history, development and population composition, makes it extremely difficult to identify a unilateral process of neighborhood decline over time. Some scholars have tried to develop all-encompassing models to explain neighborhood decline; others have studied more deeply the relevance of a limited number of factors and developments in processes of decline. The literature has paid little attention to the influence of economic development on neighborhood development, and surprisingly, few studies have focused on the effects of the economic crisis on urban neighborhoods. The recent global economic and financial crisis affected many European and North-American cities in terms of growing unemployment levels and rising poverty in concentrated areas. At the same time, urban investments such as urban restructuring and neighborhood improvement programs have decreased, or come to a halt altogether. By reviewing existing literature, this paper aims to contribute to an understanding of neighborhood decline in light of the economic crisis. By formulating ten hypotheses about the ways in which the economic crisis might interact with processes of neighborhood decline, this paper aims to push the debate on neighborhood decline forward and calls for more contextualized research on neighborhood change. We will highlight challenges for future research and point to factors that need to be taken into consideration in a post-crisis society.


This capstone reports on the results of the SIT Study Abroad Long-Term Impacts and Outcomes survey, a research project designed to investigate how alumni would self-report impacts of their study abroad experience with regard to academic, personal, and professional outcomes. The principal question the study sought to answer was "How and to what extent do SIT Study Abroad programs impact alumni in the long term?" This paper focuses largely on the career outcomes of the alumni who participated in this research. A large percentage of SIT Study Abroad alumni report that impacts to their career choices were significant and that their study abroad experience was helpful in some unique ways when applying for graduate school or employment opportunities. In addition to working in internationally focused careers, alumni have gravitated towards some specific fields, according to data from the study. Alumni indicated how and to what extent their study abroad experience influenced their choice of professional field and academic study. Results seem to indicate that SIT Study Abroad alumni are highly accomplished as well as socially conscious, choosing the education, health, and nonprofit fields in large numbers. Some program variables are explored for their impact on outcomes and careers including program country, program theme, and participants' declared undergraduate major. Implications for further study are discussed. LONG-TERM IMPACTS AND OUTCOMES: SIT STUDY ABROAD 4


In nature, symmetry governs regularities, while symmetry breaking brings texture. In artificial neural networks, symmetry has been a central design principle to efficiently capture regularities in the world, but the role of symmetry breaking is not well understood. Here, we develop a theoretical framework to study the"geometry of learning dynamics"in neural networks, and reveal a key mechanism of explicit symmetry breaking behind the efficiency and stability of modern neural networks. To build this understanding, we model the discrete learning dynamics of gradient descent using a continuous-time Lagrangian formulation, in which the learning rule corresponds to the kinetic energy and the loss function corresponds to the potential energy. Then, we identify"kinetic symmetry breaking"(KSB), the condition when the kinetic energy explicitly breaks the symmetry of the potential function. We generalize Noether's theorem known in physics to take into account KSB and derive the resulting motion of the Noether charge:"Noether's Learning Dynamics"(NLD). Finally, we apply NLD to neural networks with normalization layers and reveal how KSB introduces a mechanism of"implicit adaptive optimization", establishing an analogy between learning dynamics induced by normalization layers and RMSProp. Overall, through the lens of Lagrangian mechanics, we have established a theoretical foundation to discover geometric design principles for the learning dynamics of neural networks.


A Secure Web Gateway, according to Gartner's definition, is a solution that provides URL filtering, malicious code detection and blocking, and application controls for cloud applications to filter out objectionable software/malware in outbound Internet traffic generated by end-user devices and has the capability to enforce corporate policy and regulatory compliance [1]. Its predecessor – Web proxy - has been around since the beginning of the Web and evolved to meet the needs of a fast changing Web ecosystem. Traditionally, Web proxy servers have been used to fulfil the following requirements: 1) Enable several machines to share a single Internet connection; 2) Improve Web performance and save bandwidth by caching repeatedly-accessed content locally; 3) Provide a basic URL filtering capability. However, these capabilities are no longer sufficient to meet the requirements of today's Web ecosystem. Firstly, with the development of Network Address Translation in the late 1990s, the needs to use proxy servers to share an Internet connection has been superseded. Secondly, caching does not improve performance much for mobile clients, and mobile traffic volume has already exceeded that of desktop's [2, 3]. Thirdly, a Web content filter based on using a URL database cannot keep up with the growth of Internet traffic [4]. In addition, it has become difficult to detect and stop threats such as Botnet and Advanced Persistent Threat [5] because of: 1) The polymorphic characteristics of the threats; 2) The increasing use of encryption on the Web; 3) The increase in threats targeting end-users - the weakest link; 4) The increasing need to use a variety of end-user devices from multiple locations such as the BRING YOUR OWN DEVICE (BYOD) policy requirement. Hence, there is an imminent need to evolve from the current Web proxy solution to a Secure Web Gateway solution. This research provides a categorisation of the key factors in building a Secure Web Gateway, proposes a reference design and architecture, a practical implementation for a home vDSL connection and finally, a testing framework that can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of a Secure Web Gateway deployment.


The project, undertaken in 2000/2001, investigated the ability of on-line assessment to test the skills in Bloom's cognitive domain (Bloom et al, 1956) in the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA, 2002) Advanced Higher in Mathematics. There were three main sources of data.
1. The course information: The SQA learning outcomes, content detail and performance criteria.
2. The assessments: The National Assessment Bank questions (NABs), SQA specimen exam papers and the SCHOLAR project (Paterson, 2001; SCHOLAR 2002) on-line assessments.
3. The computer software and data: The online questions and features of assessment engines.
The intention was to match the cognitive skills required in the learning outcomes with those tested in the questions through examination of the key verbs used in each. It was envisaged that the limitations of using one assessment system could be addressed by focussing on features that were available elsewhere. Many difficulties arose and led to a complete rewrite of the on-line questions with closer reference to the performance criteria, the paper based specimen exams, the features of on-line assessment systems and the marking scheme used.
This paper addresses:
a) the subjective nature of the choice of which cognitive skills are expected to be tested in each learning outcome
b) the use of cognitive skills to identify levels of learning in Mathematics
c) the use of key verbs in Mathematics to identify the cognitive skills
d) the approach taken of trying to convert paper based systems for on-line use
e) the features and limitations of existing on-line assessment in producing summative assessment
f) the need for further development in particular areas to increase the scope of summative on-line assessment


AUFSTIEG UND NIEDERGANG DER ROMISCHEN WELT (ANRW) is a work of international cooperation in the field of historical scholarship. Its aim is to present all important aspects of the ancient Roman world, as well as its legacy and continued influence in medieval and modern times. Subjects are dealt with in individual articles written in the light of present day research. The work is divided into three parts: I. From the Origins of Rome to the End of the RepublicII. The PrincipateIII. Late AntiquityEach part consists of six systematic sections, which occasionally overlap: 1. Political History, 2. Law, 3. Religion, 4. Language and Literature, 5. Philosophy and the Sciences, 6. The Arts. ANRW is organized as a handbook. It is a survey of Roman Studies in the broadest sense, and includes the history of the reception and influence of Roman Culture up to the present time. The individual contributions are, depending on the nature of the subject, either concise presentations with bibliography, problem and research reports, or representative investigations covering broad areas of subjects. Approximately one thousand scholars from thirty-five nations are collaborating on this work. The articles appear in German, English, French or Italian. As a work for study and reference, ANRW is an indispensable tool for research and academic teaching in the following disciplines: Ancient, Medieval and Modern History; Byzantine and Slavonic Studies; Classical, Medieval Latin Romance and Oriental Philology; Classical, Oriental and Christian Archaeology and History of Art; Legal Studies; Religion and Theology, especially Church History and Patristics. In preparation: Part II, Vol. 26,4: Religion - Vorkonstantinisches Christentum: Neues Testament - Sachthemen, FortsetzungPart II, Vol. 37,4: Wissenschaften: Medizin und Biologie, Fortsetzung. For further information about the project and to view the table of contents of earlier volumes please visit http: //www.bu.edu/ict/anrw/index.html To search key words in the table of contents of all published volumes please refer to the search engine at http: //www.uky.edu/ArtsSciences/Classics/biblio/anrw.html "


A facile and general Brønsted acid-catalyzed deuteration at the methyl group of N-heteroarylmethanes was achieved through a dearomatic enamine intermediate under relatively mild reaction conditions. Both 2-methyl and 4-methyl groups in quinolines were deuterated with high deuterium incorporation. Pyridines, benzo[d]thiazoles, indoles and imines including these clinical drugs were also deuterated efficiently at the methyl groups. This reaction could be conducted on a large scale (500 mmol), showing its good potential for use in large-scale synthesis.


Those involved in any learning situation whether as educators or as students, come to their tasks enmeshed in the contexts which form part of their wider environment. Hence they are both knowingly and unknowingly influenced by the web of conflicts, dilemmas and power differentials which are part of their system of origin. In this chapter we, the authors, recall an experience of a course where the four key players - the students, their lecturers
and their respective organisations - did not share the same learning goals. The chapter examines from our perspective, the impact these differences had on classroom dynamics
and highlights the need to take account of the prevailing values and circumstances in the broader environments that impinge on adult students and on their educators.
Our exploration of the experience incorporated three distinct but interconnected processes.
We sought (i) to construct a narrative of events; (ii) to reveal the non-conscious processes through which we filtered our experiences; and (iii) to attend to the systemic dynamics that formed the framework for interaction among the different players involved. We recognise
that our reality is no more privileged than that of any of the other parties (Usher and Edwards, 1994) and therefore we recounted the events more as witnesses than as holders
of the ultimate truth of what happened. Our goal was to record only our 'truth' at a particular time, recognising that this has probably changed and evolved over the years since the course was delivered, and that it is but one of a range of possible perspectives (Kenny and Gardner, 1989). We have afforded ourselves this position of 'knowing subjects' in order to further our own learning and in so doing to create useful knowledge for use in the future.
We are also aware that the meanings and understandings generated by our enquiry, cannot be divorced from our subjectivity. Our approach to the topic is not that of impartial investigators. On the contrary we were active participants in the events and undertook this
reflective process with the express purpose of learning how to do our job better.


Objectives: This thesis investigates attrition from community-based cognitive-skills offending behaviour programmes. Part one of the thesis investigates the influence of attrition on the reconviction outcomes of those sentenced to either the Enhanced Thinking Skills (ETS) programme or the Think First programme. The data are investigated to determine whether programme dropout is detrimental to reconviction outcomes. Part two undertakes a more thorough analysis of the characteristics of programme completers, non-completers, and non-starters of the ETS programme. The three groups are compared to assess for differences in relation to demographic, psychometric, criminal history, and offender need variables. The role of organisational, or process, factors in attrition is also investigated. Finally, the reasons recorded in probation files for non-attendance at the ETS programme are examined. Methods: Part one comprises two chapters and utilises a quasi-experimental design. Data relating to a national sample of offenders sentenced to an offending behaviour programme and a comparison group of offenders sentenced to probation but not required to undertake a programme and matched on a one-to-one basis to the experimental group are utilised. Part two utilises data relating to offenders sentenced to the ETS programme within one probation area. The focus on one locality permitted a rich analysis of the factors associated with attrition. Analyses undertaken include tests of association (correlations, chi-square), parametric and non-parametric tests for differences (t-tests, ANOVAs, Kruskal Wallis, Mann Whitney), logistic regression (binary and multinomial), and calculations of effect sizes. Results: The analyses in part one provided tentative evidence of a negative impact of attrition on reconviction outcomes. This trend remained after controlling for those variables found to significantly differ between groups. The analyses within part two indicated that programme non-starters were more criminogenic than programme completers and non-completers. The non-completers, however, were the youngest of the groups and hence had less of a history but displayed a similar rate of offending as the non-starters. In relation to process factors, there was a significant association between appropriateness of targeting and attrition; offenders with risk of reconviction scores above the recommended criteria were most likely to dropout. Finally, a third of dropouts could not, should not, or were not able to attend due to the unavailability of a programme place, a further third were already in breach of their order or had committed a further offence, and the final third could and should attend, were not apparently in breach but still failed to commence. Conclusions: Programme dropouts produce worse reconviction outcomes than programme completers and matched comparisons. In evaluating correlates of attrition, dropouts are more criminogenic than programme completers. However, process factors were also associated with programme attrition. Research should investigate the impact of individual and process factors on attrition further and should use these findings to inform the debate concerning the influence of programme attrition (and hence completion) on reconviction outcomes. It is anticipated that the findings will inform clinical practice and the treatment readiness and intervention outcome research literatures.


In this study, karyotypic and cytogenetic characteristics of Drassyllus praeficus (L. Koch, 1866) and Thanatus imbecillus (L. Koch, 1878) were investigated for the first time by examining mitotic and meiotic chromosomes obtained from gonad cells. The number and the sex chromosome system of D. praeficus and T. imbecillus males was 2n = 22 (X1X20) and 2n = 28 (X1X20), respectively. D. praeficus had 10 autosomal bivalents and 2 univalent sex chromosomes, and T. imbecillus had 13 autosomal bivalents and 2 univalent sex chromosomes during the first meiotic prophase and metaphase. Both species possessed acrocentric chromosomes in their karyotypes.


The near real-time (NRT) high resolution water vapour distribution models can be constructed based on GNSS observations delivered from Ground Base Augmentation Systems (GBAS) and ground meteorological data. Since 2008 in the territory of Poland, a GBAS system called ASGEUPOS (Active Geodetic Network) has been operating. This paper addresses the problems concerning construction of the NRT model of water vapour distribution in the troposphere near Poland. The first section presents all available GNSS and ground meteorological stations in the area of Poland and neighbouring countries. In this section, data feeding scheme is discussed, together with timeline and time resolution. The high consistency between measured and interpolated temperature value is shown, whereas some discrepancy in the pressure is observed. In the second section, the NRT GNSS data processing strategy of ASG-EUPOS network is discussed. Preliminary results show fine alignment of the obtained Zenith Troposphere Delays (ZTDs) with reference data from European Permanent Network (EPN) processing center. The validation of NRT troposphere products against daily solution shows 15 mm standard deviation of obtained ZTD differences. The last section presents the first results of 2-D water vapour distribution above the GNSS network and application of the tomographic model to 3-D distribution of water vapour in the atmosphere. The GNSS tomography model, working on the simulated data from numerical forecast model, shows high consistency with the reference data (by means of standard deviation 4 mm km −1 or 4 ppm), however, noise analysis shows high solution sensitivity to errors in observations. The discrepancy for real data preliminary solution (measured as a mean standard deviation) between reference NWP data and tomography data was on the level of 9 mm km−1 (or 9 ppm) in terms of wet refractivity.


Many animals use the visual motion generated by travelling in a line, the translatory optic flow, to successfully navigate obstacles: near objects appear larger and to move more quickly than distant ones. Flies are experts at navigating cluttered environments, and while their visual processing of rotatory optic flow is understood in exquisite detail, how they process translatory optic flow remains a mystery. Here, we present novel cell types that have motion receptive fields matched to translation self-motion, the vertical translation (VT) cells. One of these, the VT1 cell, encodes forwards sideslip self-motion, and fires action potentials in clusters of spikes, spike bursts. We show that the spike burst coding is size and speed-tuned, and is selectively modulated by parallax motion, the relative motion experienced during translation. These properties are spatially organized, so that the cell is most excited by clutter rather than isolated objects. When the fly is presented with a simulation of flying past an elevated object, the spike burst activity is modulated by the height of the object, and the single spike rate is unaffected. When the moving object alone is experienced, the cell is weakly driven. Meanwhile, the VT2-3 cells have motion receptive fields matched to the lift axis. In conjunction with previously described horizontal cells, the VT cells have the properties required for the fly to successfully navigate clutter and encode its movements along near cardinal axes of thrust, lift and forward sideslip.


Here we introduce pre-equilibration kinetic size-exclusion chromatography with mass-spectrometry detection (peKSEC-MS), which is a label-free solution-based kinetic approach for characterizing non-covalent protein-small molecule interactions. In this method, a protein and a small molecule are mixed outside the column and incubated to approach equilibrium. The equilibrium mixture is then introduced into the SEC column to initiate the dissociation process by separating small molecules from the complex inside the column. A numerical model of a 1-dimensional separation was constructed to simulate mass chromatograms of the small molecule for varying rate constants of binding.


A non-hydrolytic sol-gel synthesis of new mesoporous
organosilicate materials containing phenolic and bisphenolic
structural motifs was developed. Xerogels are formed in
polycondensation reactions of multifunctional phenols, such as
hydroquinone, 4,4-dihydroxybiphenyl, bisphenol A, and
phloroglucinol with silicon acetate in polar ether solvent.
Acetic acid was identified as an elimination reaction
byproduct. Xerogels were obtained upon drying in vacuo and the
produced materials contain residual acetoxy and phenolic
hydroxyl groups allowing for later grafting and surface
modification. An impact of employed spacer molecule and
reaction conditions on the degree of condensation and xerogel
porosity was studied. Condensation degree was established by
gravimetric techniques and appears to be independent of
reaction temperature but strongly depends on the nature of the
spacer molecule. Hydroquinone provided gels with the highest
value of 91%. Surface area of xerogels depends both on reaction
temperature and the phenol ligand. A higher reaction
temperature leads to a larger surface area; phloroglucinol
providing gel with up to 790 m2/g of surface. Additionally a
study of grafting organic groups on the gel surface by the
reactions with alcohols and phenols and anchoring of aluminum
species by treating the gels with compounds such as AlR3 and
AlX3 was performed. All the prepared xerogels and modified
materials were characterized by elemental analyses, solid-state
13C, 27Al, and 29Si NMR, IR spectroscopy, surface area
analysis, thermal analysis TG/DSC, and XRD.


71 Paroxysmal hemicrania (PH) is characterized by frequent, short-lasting, severe, unilateral headaches that occur in association with cranial autonomic features. The hallmarks of this syndrome are relatively short attacks and a complete therapeutic response to indomethacin. Although PH has been classified as strictly unilateral headache in association with cranial autonomic features, a few cases have been reported that suggest bilateral PH. We report a case of PH with bilateral distribution and bilateral autonomic features. PH may actually represent a clinical spectrum including different phenotypes. (Turkish Journal of Neurology 2015; 21:71-3)


The article focuses on the beatitude of the poor in the social and religious context of historical Jesus. The original version of this makarism has to be seen as a religious statement which is not meant as a program of social reform. Yet it has political and socio-ethical implications as it connects the poor with God and his kingdom. Those who are searching God have to go to the poor. A possible function of the beatitude of the poor in the struggle against poverty can be seen in the spiritual empowerment it gives to the poor themselves: Poverty is against God's will; it is no divine punishment and does not separate from God. The poor will be liberated from suffering. Poverty has no place in the kingdom but will be eradicated.


Higher education degree completion for American Indians has remained virtually unchanged for the past three decades. American Indians, both female and male, continue to have the lowest percentage of terminal degrees completion of any ethnic population in the United States. Numerous studies have been completed to examine the barriers that prohibit American Indian success at the postsecondary level. However, there remains a lack of critical information concerning the personal experiences of those American Indian females who have persevered and have completed first, an undergraduate degree and then matriculated through the systems to attain a terminal degree. The purpose of this study is to survey a sample of American Indian women who have acquired a terminal degree and elicit their personal perceptions of the process and reasons why they were successful. This study is descriptive in nature and utilizes an analysis of both survey and interview data. A total of 71 women were contacted with 31 survey/interviews being completed for a completion rate of 44%. The battery of questions was divided into two categories. The first category addressed demographic information and academic background, including area of study and dissertation title. The second category assessed personal reflection and their response to various barriers as documented in the Tinto Model, such as investment in traditional American Indian culture, academic, emotional, institutional, economics, committee and other influential people. Conclusions were drawn as to the degree to which these respondents caused a failure to prove the effectiveness of the Tinto Model in predicting success or failure for American Indian women entering the post-secondary system with the desire to attain a terminal degree. The testimony of these successful holders of the terminal degree clearly reveals that many of the barriers identified by Tinto were to their perception strengths that assisted their success.


In the past few decades, technological progress has led to the digitization and digitalization of economies into what one could now call digital economies. The COVID-19 pandemic will accelerate the development of the digital economy. In a digital economy, digital entrepreneurs pursue opportunities to produce and trade in digital artifacts on digital artifact stores or platforms, and/or to create these digital artifact stores or platforms themselves. There is a well-recognized need for more research on digital entrepreneurship. As such, this paper provides an overview of the central research questions currently being pursued in this field. These include questions such as: What is digital entrepreneurship? What is different in the digital economy from an entrepreneurial perspective? What is the impact of digitalization - and big data - on business models and entrepreneurship? How can digital entrepreneurship be supported and regulated? The paper identifies areas of neglect, and makes proposals for future research.


The purpose of this thesis project is to study and evaluate a UWB Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data image formation algorithm, that was previously less familiar and, that has recently got much attention in this field. Certain properties of it made it acquire a status in radar signal processing branch. This is a fast time-domain algorithm named Local Backprojection (LBP). The LBP algorithm has been implemented for SAR image formation. The algorithm has been simulated in MATLAB using standard values of pertinent parameters. Later, an evaluation of the LBP algorithm has been performed and all the comments, estimation and judgment have been done on the basis of the resulting images. The LBP has also been compared with the basic time-domain algorithm Global Backprojection (GBP) with respect to the SAR images. The specialty of LBP algorithm is in its reduced computational load than in GBP. LBP is a two stage algorithm — it forms the beam first for a particular subimage and, in a later stage, forms the image of that subimage area. The signal data collected from the target is processed and backprojected locally for every subimage individually. This is the reason of naming it Local backprojection. After the formation of all subimages, these are arranged and combined coherently to form the full SAR image.


In this paper we present the new miPod 2 hardware platform for real-time signal processing and embedded classification of pattern recognition problems in sports and fitness applications. A powerful, energy-friendly and state-of-the-art microcontroller for industry standards, different inertial measurement units, a pulse oximeter, data storages, wireless charging and a Bluetooth Low Energy radio are all integrated into a small and lightweight sensor device. This device is able to capture specified sensor data simultaneously and in addition to execute different complex data processing methods while maintaining high sampling rates and its real-time behavior. The sensor prototype is also easily integrable into different clothes, shoes or sports equipment like balls or rackets to ensure unobtrusive measurements.


Traditional Austrian cycle theory starts from general equilibrium and explains how an expansion of bank credit unmatched by an expansion of saving can create a cycle of boom-and-bust, and with the bust followed by restoration of normality. In contrast, this paper offers a non-equilibrium reformulation of those earlier Austrian insights, which expands and refocuses the analytical agenda of macro theory. Our key analytical feature is the conceptualization of a macro economy as constituted through an open-ended ecology of plans. Within this framework, macro variables are not primitives but are derivative from micro-level interaction. In turn, the computation of optimizing actions is beset with undecidability. The theory of entrepreneurial choice that is suitable for this analytical framework is based on rule-following or algorithmic choice and not on computational maximization. What results is a macro ecology, the internal operation of which entails natural volatility. What are called policy actions, moreover, operate inside and not outside the ecology, and can create induce volatility within the ecology.


THE CASES THAT CONSTITUTE THIS VOLUME represent work in progress by faculty selected as Carnegie Scholars with the Carnegie Academy for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (CASTL). Each of the eight authors tells the story of her or his efforts at "opening lines" of inquiry into significant issues in the teaching and learning of the field. In particular, their accounts focus on the doing of this kind of investigative work—that is, on methods and approaches for undertaking the scholarship of teaching and learning.


In the last decade, water resources planners have frequently signalled an impending water crisis. The message is that the world is running out of water and that only by careful planning and the adoption of integrated water resources management can catastrophe be avoided. Stephen Brichieri-Colombi challenges these perceptions. He maintains that the crisis is one of resource management rather than availability: it arises because water resource planners advocate exploitation of rivers without due regard to social, environmental and geopolitical consequences. The author advances a new paradigm - water in the national economy - which will enable developing countries to meet future food and water demands without increasing abstraction from rivers and consequential riparian conflict. This is a powerful re-appraisal of the development of global water resources.


Glucose-responsive polymer nanogels that can undergo a reversible and rapid volume phase transition in response to the fluctuation in blood glucose concentration have the potential to regulate the delivery of insulin mimicking pancreatic activity. We report here such a glucose-responsive polymer nanogel, which is made of concanavalin A (ConA) interpenetrated in a chemically crosslinked network of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (poly(NIPAM)). The introduction of ConA, a plant lectin protein, into the poly(NIPAM) network makes the newly developed semi-interpenetrating-structured nanogels responsive to glucose over a glucose concentration range of 0–20 mM at a physiological pH of 7.4. While the nanogels can swell and become stable shortly (<1 s) after adding glucose over a concentration range of 50.0 μM to 20.0 mM, the changes in the average hydrodynamic radius and the size distribution of the nanogels can be fully reversible within the experimental error even after ten cycles of adding/removing glucose. The association rate constant is determined to be ca. 1.8 mM−1 s−1, and the dissociation rate constant is ca. 7.5 s−1, indicating a fast reversible time response to the glucose concentration change of the nanogels. Moreover, in vitro insulin release can be modulated in a pulsatile profile in response to glucose concentrations.


Oral administration of Styrax camporum Pohl and Caesalpinia ferrea Martius stem extracts, atropine, and cimetidine, during 15 days, decreased the ulceration size, gastric secretion volume, and increased collagen fibre number of chronic ulcer induced by acetic acid in rats. The pH increased and the concentration of hydrochloric acid decreased after administration of atropine and cimetidine. The ethyl acetate fraction, obtained by chromatography from Styrax camporum Pohl extracts, showed antiulcer activity. The subchronic toxicity was studied during 30 days, through weight variation, water and food consumption and spleen, lung, kidney and liver relative weights. No difference to the control-lot was observed.


This is a case study of one district, examining secondary mathematics teachers' perceptions of professional learning and teacher professional development. Research questions include: a) Why did the teachers from this district want to learn professionally? b) What did the teachers from this district want to learn? c) How did the teachers from this district want to learn? Some quantitative data and mainly qualitative data was collected and analyzed for this project. Participants included thirty-five grades 6-12 mathematics teachers of different years of experience representing eight schools, and one mathematics district coordinator. Major findings suggest that teacher learning is largely dependent on the contexts within which they are situated. All teachers, even those who don't attend district-sponsored professional development, engage in professional learning. Teachers were found to be motivated to learn professionally for three reasons: student learning and advancement, teacher career advancement and promotion, and district requirements for learning. Even though, novice and experienced teacher needs differed significantly, most of the teachers described needed professional development related to eight mathematics topics: content, curriculum, assessment, student learning, instructional strategies, classroom management, teaching philosophies, and technology. Teachers described working with other mathematics teachers in the building (and district) as most effective professional learning opportunities, amongst which common lesson planning and reflections, community learning, and sharing of instructional ideas was emphasized strongly by all teachers.


Lorca, Bunuel and Dali were, in their respective fields of poetry and theatre, cinema, and painting, three of the most imaginative creative artists of the twentieth century; their impact was felt far beyond the boundaries of their native Spain. But if individually they have been examined by many, their connected lives have rarely been considered. It is these, the ties that bind them, that constitute the subject of this illuminating book. They were born within six years of each other and, as Gwynne Edwards reveals, their childhood circumstances were very similar. Each was affected by a narrow-minded society and an intolerant religious background which equated sex with sin and led all three to experience sexual problems of different kinds: Lorca the guilt and anguish associated with his homosexuality; Bunuel feelings of sexual inhibition; and, Dali virtual impotence. Having met during the 1920s at the Residencia de Estudiantes in Madrid, they developed intense personal relationships and channelled their respective obsessions into the cultural forms then prevalent in Europe, in particular Surrealism. Rooted in emotional turmoil, their work - from Lorca's dramatic characters in search of sexual fulfilment, to Bunuel's frustrated men and women, and Dali's potent images of shame and guilt - is highly autobiographical. Their left-wing outrage directed at bourgeois values and the Catholic Church was strongly felt, and in the case of Lorca in particular, was sharpened by the catastrophic Civil War of 1936-9, during the first months of which he was murdered by Franco's fascists. The war hastened Bunuel's departure to France and Mexico and Dali's to New York. Edwards describes how, for the rest of his life, Bunuel clung to his left-wing ideals and made outstanding films, while the increasingly eccentric and money-obsessed Dali embraced Fascism and the Catholic Church, and saw his art go into rapid decline.


Background/Context Prior research on multimodal, digital composition has highlighted the need for educators to bring such practices into classrooms, yet little research has been done to show what kinds of products children create and what those products can tell us as researchers about how children articulate their life experiences. We draw on recent theorizations of transnationalism in relation to immigrant children's school experiences, and Bakhtinian perspectives on language and ideology, to frame our analysis of the identity work that transnational and immigrant children undertook in the multimodal, digital composition projects we analyze. Purpose/Objective We analyzed 18 digital videos made by transnational children aged 8–10, asking what the key features of their narratives told us about what they found important in their lives, what voices were orchestrated in the composition of those narratives, and what voices were omitted. We also asked what students' narratives told us about who they were and wanted to be, as immigrants or children of immigrants. Finally, we asked what these features and omissions suggested about perspectives on their immigration experiences and current lives. Research Design These data come from an ongoing, design-based research project. Qualitative methods were employed, including: interviews with and surveys of children and teachers at various stages of the video production process; collection of children's written work; collection of children's videos; and the writing of field notes and analytic memos. Conclusions/Recommendations Asking children to write about themselves for teachers, peers, and parents meant asking them to orchestrate multiple voices into potentially contradiction-ridden, yet coherent stories. Our work so far suggests that, at the least, we should expect children to try out new identities, and seek new ways of orchestrating the voices in their lives into a coherent whole. We caution researchers and teachers who work with immigrant youth not to assume that immigration will necessarily be a pivotal moment, or even a central or important moment, to children. We also caution that children may not feel that their school is a safe place to talk about such issues; offering the space is all we can do. The kinds of composition we have described exceed the narrative writing and speaking and listening demands of the Common Core State Standards. Teachers should be aware of the ways multimodal, digital composition can help meet their immigrant students' self-authoring needs and surpass the demands of the new standards. Finally, to connect with others, to become more aware of one's place(s) in an increasingly globalized world, and to orchestrate competing voices—these are the potentials for multimodal, digital composition with immigrant youth to which we continue to aspire.


Human-computer interaction (HCI) research has recently become more interested in studying practices. Looking beyond the novelty of technology, practice studies try to understand how technology becomes integrated into everyday life and how it shapes everyday practices in the longer time span. The contribution of this article is to demonstrate how ubiquitous computing practices develop. The article also sheds light on children's and their families' smart device practices in private and public settings. This paper responds to the recent call for practice studies in HCI and tries to understand technologymediated practices of children and their families in their everyday lives. We first focused on children's practices with a multipurpose public display through an ethnographic field study, and then broadened our focus to the children's and families' smart device practices through a diary study. We showed that children's practices with a public display were surprisingly similar to their other information and communication technology (ICT) practices at home and elsewhere. In both settings, displays were used for entertainment and time-killing, as well as for babysitting and social interaction. This study indicates that technology-mediated practices do not spring up from the ground fully formed. There are several factors contributing to the practices' emergence: the artefact itself and its affordances, the nature of the space, and the mind-set of the users. This finding has many implications for research and design, indicating that when developing technology, we should pay attention to a variety of factors that might be contributing to the emergence of practice around that technology – factors not yet fully explored by current research.


in languages other than English (my native tongue), I realize Google's language ability vastly exceeds my own. I have a modest ability to speak and understand German. I know a few phrases in Russian and French. But it suddenly strikes me that Google is usefully dealing with over 100 languages in written and oral form. Assistant is responding to queries by recognizing speech input, searching the Web, and voicing the answers in multiple languages. Google Lens is translating text seen in photos into the viewer's preferred language. Google Translate is converting text and speech in one language into another with increasing quality. The quality varies, of course, depending on the volume of training material available to configure deep neural machine learning networks, but the fact that it works at all across so many languages is nothing short of astonishing and even daunting. It is examples like these that reinforce my impression machine learning has taken over the computer science world as the tool of choice for a great many applications. As I write this, I am in the middle of judging the Google Science Fair where a good many of the projects on display have their roots in machine learning and recognition or identification of various signals. One project is detecting and amplifying the presence of DNA in river waters to identify species found in or near the river. Another is trying to detect plant diseases by recognizing images of various forms of leaf blight. Another is recognizing sign language by sensing the muscles of the arm as they direct finger movement. Another is trying to sense whether a person is talking, singing, drinking, coughing, or choking by using a sensor taped to the throat; think about its potential uses in remote patient monitoring in an intensive-care facility. Another application is the analysis of heart sounds to detect anomalous valve conditions. A recurrent theme throughout the fair is a desire to apply technology to improving living conditions and, more generally, people's lives. Given the increasing availability of platforms for implementing machine learning algorithms, it is perhaps not surprising there is rapid exploration of this method for local data analysis and filtering. The term "edge computing" is creeping into the vocabulary with expectations, for example, that machine learning algorithms can be built into mobiles or local processors. I recently installed a device that clamps onto the electrical mains of my house that tries to recognize the signatures of various electricity-consuming devices so as to develop a profile of energy use. As it recognizes new devices, I get excited email messages titled "I've found a new device!" like a school child coming home with a story of discovery from science class. There is something charming and refreshing about this behavior (if I can anthropomorphize a little). Where is all this taking us? For one thing, the potential for real-time translation between spoken languages is becoming a feasible reality. Think of the Star Trek universal translator and its arrival three centuries ahead of time! Unsupervised learning is taking us closer to discovery as the algorithms discover patterns we might, ourselves, not detect. The recent results of Deep Mind's AlphaZero machine learning system showing it discovering chess moves and tactics never before seen in human play hints at the possibility of new discoveries in other fields. We are collectively exploring vast territories of data like an army of digital Lewises and Clarks. What will be important is deeper understanding of what works and what doesn't and why. When these methods fail there can be catastrophic consequences, so getting this right is a challenge worth meeting. I am reminded of a grook on problems by Piet Hein: "Problems worthy of attack Prove their worth by hitting back!"


Around 2.6 billion people in the world do not have access to proper sanitation solutions, leading to many social, economical and health related problems. This report elaborates on "Clean Alliance" a product-service-system based in the provision of adaptable toilet booth availability supported by a waste processing Mini Multi Product Plant (MMPP). This project is elaborated as part of the TU Delft chapter of the Reinvent the Toilet Challenge of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The main objective of the challenge is to incentivize the development of sanitation solutions based on new technologies at an affordable price. The TU Delft proposed to develop a Mini Multi Product Plant (MMPP) in which human excreta could be processed and transformed into valuable outcomes. The core technology in this system is plasma gasification by which human excreta can be destroyed and transformed into energy in a fast an efficient way. This report elaborates on the product-service system of this MMPP in the context of the urban slums in Delhi, India. People in these slums are forced to practice open defecation, affecting with this the entire urban environment. The final design it's based on field research and expert interviews developed in this region of the world. The final solution comprises a flexible communal sanitation system based on the provision of adaptable toilet booth availability in slums depending on the hour of the day. The system proposes fixed and mobile communal facilities enabled by the energy and resources processed by the MMPP out of human excreta. An innovative service platform and business model based in mobile networks is proposed for enabling the system. A new brand, communication, payment and tracking system are elaborated as part of an integral sanitation solution. These innovations aim at changing the way sanitation is perceived in India and in the world. A technological roadmap and implementation strategy based on social, technological and business aspects is included and presented as a basis for further developments and application of this system in the future.


In observational studies, individuals following vegetarian, particularly vegan, diets have healthier body weights, on average, compared with those following omnivorous diets. In clinical trials, vegetarian and vegan diets lead to significant weight loss, even in the absence of physical exercise or limits on energy intake. The mechanisms by which plant-based diets cause weight loss appear to be (1) reduced dietary energy density, as a result of their high fiber and low fat content, and (2) increased postprandial energy expenditure. The degree of weight loss associated with plant-based diets in clinical trials is as great as that with other popular diet patterns, and favorable changes in overall nutrition, plasma lipid concentrations, and blood pressure are also observed. Acceptability with, and adherence to vegan diets has been studied in varied populations in clinical trials and is similar to that of other therapeutic diets.


The development of cancer is an evolutionary process with accumulating (epi)genetic alterations underlying the transformation of a normal cell into a potentially malignant population. Cancer cells may continue to depend on the presence of such (epi)genetic alterations for maintenance of their malignant phenotype. Concurrently, cancer cells may develop an increased dependency on the function of genes that are not affected by (epi)genetic alterations. These dependencies, named oncogene and non-oncogene addiction, are discussed in this thesis. The identification of genetic dependencies that are specific to cancer can guide the development of therapeutic agents for the treatment of cancer. This thesis describes three distinct studies in which functional genomic screens based on RNA interference (RNAi) have been employed to identify such cancer cell specific dependencies, genes involved in therapy response and regulators of a key signalling network that is often deregulat ed in cancer. The three studies presented in this thesis illustrate the versatility of RNAi-based screens in cancer research. In addition, they provided us with new insight in the regulation of NF-kB signalling and candidate drug targets in cancers driven by the yet intractable RAS oncoproteins. Hence, KIF18A represents a novel candidate drug target for the treatment of cancers driven by RAS oncoproteins. In the first study we performed an RNAi screen for regulators of TNFa-induced activation of NF-kb, a family of transcription factors implicated in immunity, proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis. We describe the identification of FBXO7, a component of SCF-ubiquitin ligase complexes, as a negative regulator of NF-kB signalling. We show that FBXO7 binds to, and mediates ubiquitination of, cIAP1 and TRAF2, resulting in decreased ubiquitination of RIP1 kinase and lowered NF-kB signalling activity. In the second study presented in this thesis, we screened for genes involved in ce llular response to cisplatin, a cytotoxic agent commonly used to treat a variety of cancers. Although we did not discover novel regulators of cellular response mechanisms to cisplatin treatment, our results confirm previous findings and underscore the importance of DNA damage response signalling, homologous recombination and translesion synthesis in the repair of cisplatin-induced DNA damage. The third and last study presented in this thesis involves a screen for novel drug targets in cancer. Despite ample evidence that cancer cells positive for RAS oncoproteins may depend on RAS activity for their survival, there are currently no treatment strategies that specifically target RAS oncoproteins. Therefore, we performed an RNAi screen to identify genetic dependencies associated with the expression of oncogenic RAS. We identified several genes, including kinesin family member 18A (KIF18A), whose suppression results in impaired proliferation and survival of human fibroblasts that express th e H-, K- or N-RAS oncogene. We found that silencing of KIF18A causes a mitotic arrest and that is associated with an increase in apoptosis. More important, we found a correlation between the effects of KIF18A silencing and the RAS mutation status in a panel of Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer cell lines, suggesting that the increased dependency on KIF18A function associated with the expression of oncogenic RAS is not restricted to fibroblasts. Hence, KIF18A represents a novel candidate drug target for the treatment of cancers driven by RAS oncoproteins.


Abstract. The paper presents the workflow and the results of an ultrasonic 3D investigation and a 3D survey application aimed at the assessment of the internal integrity of an ancient sculpture. The work aimed at highlighting the ability of methods devoted to the 3D geometry acquisition of small objects when applied to diagnosis performed by geophysical investigation. In particular, two methods widely applied for small objects modelling are considered and compared, the digital Photogrammetry with the Structure from Motion (SFM) technique and hand-held 3D scanners. The study concludes with the aim to enhance the final graphical representation of the tomographic results and to subject the obtained results to a quantitative analysis. The survey is applied to the Egyptian naophorous statue of Amenmes and Reshpu, which dates to the reign of Ramses II (1279-1213 BC) or later and is now preserved in the Civic Archaeological Museum in Bologna. In order to evaluate the internal persistency of fractures and visible damages, a 3D Ultrasonic Tomographic Imaging (UTI) test has been performed and a multi-sensor survey (image and range based) was conducted, in order to evaluate the locations of the source and receiver points as accurate as possible The presented test allowed to evaluate the material characteristics, its porosity and degradation state, which particularly affect the lower part of the statue. More in general, the project demonstrated how solution coming from the field of 3D modelling of Cultural Heritage allow the application of 3D ultrasonic tomography also on objects with complex shapes, in addition to the improved representation of the obtained results.


Utilizing the diffraction property of the output light from micro/nano fibers (MNFs), a new scheme based on a MNF array to focus optical beams with subwavelength resolution in the far field is proposed. By using the three-dimensional finite-difference beam-propagation method (FD-BPM), we investigated the diffraction interference effect of the MNFs during light propagation. The numerical stimulation demonstrates a focusing spot with FWHM of 0.43 lambda at a distance of 9 lambda from the output endface of MNF array. The effects of the characteristics of the array, the MNFs, and the input optical field on focusing are analyzed in detail.


Taking up Virginia Woolf's fascination with Greek literature and culture, this book explores her engagement with the nineteenth-century phenomenon of British Hellenism and her transformation of that multifaceted socio-cultural and political reality into a particular textual aesthetic, which Theodore Koulouris defines as 'Greekness.' Woolf was a lifelong student of Greek, but from 1907 to1909 she kept notes on her Greek readings in the Greek Notebook, an obscure and largely unexamined manuscript that contains her analyses of a number of canonical Greek texts, including Plato's Symposium, Homer's Odyssey, and Euripides' Ion. Koulouris's examination of this manuscript uncovers crucial insights into the early development of Woolf's narrative styles and helps establish the link between Greekness and loss. Woolf's 'Greekness,' Koulouris argues, enabled her to navigate male and female appropriations of British Hellenism and provided her with a means of articulating loss, whether it be loss of a great Hellenic past, women's vocality, immediate family members, or human civilization during the formative decades of the twentieth century. In drawing attention to the centrality of Woolf's early Greek studies for the elegiac quality of her writing, Koulouris maps a new theoretical terrain that involves reassessing long-established views on Woolf and the Greeks. Contents


Different types of electric vehicles (EVs) have been recently designed with the aim of solving pollution problems caused by the emission of gasoline-powered engines. Environmental problems promote the adoption of new-generation electric vehicles for urban transportation. As it is well known, one of the weakest points of electric vehicles is the battery system. Vehicle autonomy and, therefore, accurate detection of battery state of charge (SoC) together with battery expected life, i.e., battery state of health, are among the major drawbacks that prevent the introduction of electric vehicles in the consumer market. The electric scooter may provide the most feasible opportunity among EVs. They may be a replacement product for the primary-use vehicle, especially in Europe and Asia, provided that drive performance, safety, and cost issues are similar to actual engine scooters. The battery system choice is a crucial item, and thanks to an increasing emphasis on vehicle range and performance, the Li-ion battery could become a viable candidate. This paper deals with the design of a battery pack based on Li-ion technology for a prototype electric scooter with high performance and autonomy. The adopted battery system is composed of a suitable number of cells series connected, featuring a high voltage level. Therefore, cell equalization and monitoring need to be provided. Due to manufacturing asymmetries, charge and discharge cycles lead to cell unbalancing, reducing battery capacity and, depending on cell type, causing safety troubles or strongly limiting the storage capacity of the full pack. No solution is available on the market at a cheap price, because of the required voltage level and performance, therefore, a dedicated battery management system was designed, that also includes a battery SoC monitoring. The proposed solution features a high capability of energy storing in braking conditions, charge equalization, overvoltage and undervoltage protection and, obviously, SoC information in order to optimize autonomy instead of performance or vice-versa.


When an organization seeks to apply a computerbased application to its business processes, the decision of whether to build or buy software must typically be made. Much previous research has bypassed the build-or-buy decision stage. Even the limited studies focusing on the build-or-buy decision have tended to focus on checklists or guidelines for decision criteria and decision procedures. Thus, the build-or-buy decision process has not been explored fully from the behavioral perspective. The present research provides new insights into decision makers' actual behavior when making build-or-buy decisions. Based on the belief processing model of Smith, Benson, and Curley (1991), a model is developed to describe the actual cognitive processes involved in the build-or-buy decision. Two hypotheses based on the theoretical background are proposed and will be investigated in an empirical study. We then describe the research methods for the empirical study in some detail. We conclude with a short discussion.


ABSTRACT Objective: Financial hardship is frequently posited as a significant factor influencing family health and adjustment after brain injury, though traditional methods of measurement have shown limited usefulness. The purpose of this study was to adapt and test the utility of a brief scale of financial hardship (BSFH-BI) for use with family caregivers after TBI. Methods: The researchers constructed the BSFH-BI using financial well-being items adapted from three survey instruments. The BSFH-BI questionnaire was completed by 136 family caregivers of individuals with TBIs. Scale utility was evaluated through reliability analysis, factor analysis, and correlations with a measure of life satisfaction. Results: The factor analysis revealed that the BSFH-BI had a meaningful two factor structure consisting of items related to (a) meeting essential living expenses and (b) financial changes after the injury. The scale showed high internal consistency (α = 0.92) and moderate negative correlations with life satisfaction (rs = −0.58). Conclusions: The preliminary findings indicate that the BSFH-BI can be a reliable and valid scale for use with family caregivers after TBI. The authors recommend further study of financial hardship within models of adaptation to TBI using psychometrically validated instruments such as the BSFH-BI.


The study of the effects of the high dynamics on Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receivers constitute the main matter of study in this work. The term high dynamics refers to the movement of vehicles that carry GNSS embedded receivers, which move fast enough to generate a large carrier frequency drift caused by the Doppler effect. The problems linked to these environments will be characterized and solutions to counteract possible signal impairments will be discussed. In order to correctly characterize these problems, a technological demonstrator (set of hardware components interacting with software tools enabling fast prototyping) will be designed and constructed. Using this technological demonstrator, different case studies will be developed. With the aim of achieving experimental repeatability, a GNSS signal generator will be used. The generated GNSS signal is fed to a Software Defined Radio (SDR) GNSS receiver. This receiver type is in charge of digitizing the analog RF signal and carrying the resulting samples to a computer in which signal processing tasks implementing the functions of GNSS receivers, take place. The main advantage linked to the usage of this work scheme is that by changing the software part, different receiver architectures can be implemented in a simple manner. Furthermore, by taking advantage of the flexible architecture it is possible to tune the detector in such a manner that it is possible to implement many different architecture types. Once the technological demonstrator is assembled, tests to assure its correct operation will be conducted by performing comparisons with the behaviour of well-known GNSS receivers in known scenarios. Later on, comparative tests using signals from high dynamics scenarios will take place. Insight and analysis of comparative performance will be given.


This article presents the history of Belarusian national development in the light of Miroslav Hroch's theory and demonstrates how the initial process of national awakening typical for small nations in eastern and central Europe in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century described by M. Hroch continued under Soviet rule after the Bolshevik revolution. Changes which were brought to Belarusian society together with socialist modernization in the Soviet state constituted "Phase D" (a term coined by Terry Martin) in Belarusian nation-building. As the history of Belarusian nation-formation illustrates, Hroch's scheme of three phases of national movements within small nations ignored a specific mode of small nations' development in a multiethnic state and within the socialist formation. At the same time, the question about the status of the Soviet era's achievements in Belarusian national development appears to be an important issue for understanding the current political development in the country.


This article focuses on the possible implications of the McFadden decision by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) on the development and sustainability of community networks (CNs). CNs provide internet connectivity through open wi-fi, normally based on distributed infrastructure and wireless technologies, that enable users to create an open, community owned and run, network. CNs constitute a grassroots alternative to commercial internet service providers (ISPs): as infrastructure commons, they have the potential to be participatory, democratic, and more respectful of communications privacy. The possibility of offering open wi-fi is one of the main issues at stake in the McFadden case. This article explains how the CJEU decision is likely to affect the fate and the design of CNs. Particular attention is paid to the effect of the decision on the organisational shaping of CNs in Europe and structural changes CNs may have to consider implementing: (a) the donation policy, the fee or absence thereof, as the decision refers to the commercial status of providers;

 (b) the legal status (network operator, intermediary, internet service provider) and the existence of a legal representative, or the absence thereof in the case of very decentralised CNs;

 (c) possible warranties and disclaimers contained in the service Terms of Use;

 (d) the technological decentralised architecture, impacting and impacted by possible password, data retention and registration obligations. After describing what are CNs and how they work (part 2), the article presents the liability challenges for CNs and in particular the hurdles to assign liability (part 3) and the specific situation of the 'Storerhaftung', the legal doctrine that provides that a wi-fi operator is responsible for users' wrongdoings in Germany, the jurisdiction of origin of the McFadden case. The article then analyses in detail the McFadden decision (part 4) and its implications for the organisational shaping of CNs according to selected design features (part 5). It finally draws some conclusions on future scenarios (part 6).


Web site usability is an important factor when creating and managing web sites, since it essentially determines whether or not the site is usable by its intended audience. As an attempt to simplify the process of achieving high usability for web sites, this thesis has explored the possibility of integrating usability guidelines with web content management systems. The overall aim was to determine if, and how, usability guidelines can be implemented in a web content management system to make it promote and deliver web site usability, and to find solutions that aid web site users in carrying out the basic tasks of finding, reading and understanding information on the web. To estimate the effectiveness of such solutions, the level of human dependency was considered when evaluating the solutions. This thesis has shown that it is possible to construct such solutions, and has found several for each of the basic user tasks of finding, reading and understanding information. Although some of the found solutions automatically improve a site's usability or actively promote site usability, the majority are still dependent on human efforts in order to promote usability. It was concluded that it is possible to integrate usability guidelines with a web content management system, but that web site usability still largely depends on human effort in order to be effective.


For the crayfish, properties of visually reacting interneurone types in the optic nerve are described on the basis of single-unit analysis.
Sustaining fibres show: (a) 'surround' inhibition over the whole retina, including the excitatory field; (b) 'on' and 'off' effects at field boundaries; (c) a dark discharge in deteriorated preparations; (d) an increase in adapted firing rate and response to flashes in an 'excited state' of the preparation; (e) increased overall impulse frequency to fast-moving shadows at frequencies of 2-10/sec. which elicit short bursts.
Dimming fibres, having mainly reversed properties, show: (a) bursts followed by adaptation to a lower ferquency level of spikes on light dimming; (b) total inhibition by illumination for times proportional to light intensity; (c) responsiveness to quickly moving shadows.
'Jittery' movement fibres lack directional sensitivity. For them: (a) total illumination and contrast have, within a wide range, no effect on discharges to moving targets; (b) large, dark cards moved at constant speed are seen only near their visual field boundary; (c) the less predictable the movement of a small dark object is, the longer its excitatory effect lasts; (d) responsiveness of field parts exposed is decreased for long durations; (e) no firing is caused by active or passive eye motions.
Space-constant fibres show changed location and size of their excitatory fields with eye position. Their potential visual fields below the horizontal plane are unresponsive, due to inhibition caused mainly by statocyst input.
Two eye muscle motor fibres, also under statocyst control, are influenced by light on the limited sensory fields of two pairs of identifiable sustaining fibres. The two motor fibres, which innervate antagonistic muscles, are reversely excited and inhibited by these fields.


The reaction of prolinamine derivatives (8a,b) and dialkyl dicyanofumarates (1) in dichloromethane at room temperature leads to the optically active enamines (10). Whereas products (10) in the case of 1-benzyl prolinamine (8a) are stable compounds, the corresponding enamines obtained from the non-protected prolinamine (8b) smoothly undergo a cyclocondensation at room temperature to give perhydropyrrolo[1,2-a]pyrazine derivatives (11). The molecular structure of 11a was established by X-Ray crystallography. In analogy to 8a, 1-benzyl prolinehydrazide (9a) and 1b in dichloromethane react to yield the enehydrazine (12b). On the other hand, the reaction of 9a and 1 in methanol at room temperature leads to the corresponding dialkyl 3-amino-1H-pyrazole- 4,5-dicarboxylates (13) and methyl 1-benzylprolinate (14b) via a stepwise mechanism. The analogous reaction was observed between a 3-oxidoimidazole-4- carbohydrazide (15) and 1b.


The convergence of mobile communications and distributed networked computing has provided the foundation for the development of a new channel of electronic business: mobile business. Research into mobile business has begun to grow significantly over the last five years to the point where we now see dedicated journals and conferences focusing on this topic. This paper provides an assessment of the state of mobile business research. Drawing on over 230 research papers from key research outlets, we describe the emergence of this research area and characterize its current status. We also provide a critique of current research and some recommendations for future research into mobile business.


Background: The lack of consideration of the developmental opportunities that online technologies offer small churches in the 21st century forms the foundation of this research article. This article reports on a master's study which seeks to investigate whether small churches are aware of the opportunities generated by the use of online technologies. Objectives: This study was done to identify the current online technology usage and seeks to create awareness as to how these technologies are impacting congregation members in the small church environment. Method: A quantitative study was conducted in the form of a survey of four small churches in the Johannesburg metropolitan area to identify the current usage and the potential impact online technologies could have upon the small churches. Results: The study indicated that online technologies have a large role to play in the development of small churches and have the ability to increase the involvement of members in church programmes. Conclusion: It is clear that online technologies offer substantial benefits. Small churchesshould incorporate the opportunities associated with online technologies in their strategic plans.


The rich chemical and structural versatility of transition metal complexes provides numerous novel paths to be pursued in the design of molecules that exert particular chemical or physicochemical effects that could operate over specific biological targets. However, the poor cell permeability of metallodrugs represents an important barrier for their therapeutic use. The conjugation between metal complexes and a functional peptide vector can be regarded as a versatile and potential strategy to improve their bioavailability and accumulation inside cells, and the site selectivity of their effect. This perspective lies in reviewing the recent advances in the design of metallopeptide conjugates for biomedical applications. Additionally, we highlight the studies where this approach has been directed towards the incorporation of redox active metal centers into living organisms for modulating the cellular redox balance, as a tool with application in anticancer therapy.


The use of α,β-unsubstituted dipyrrins, dpm, for the elaboration of infinite architectures in crystalline form based on coordination as well as hydrogen bonding interactions is reviewed. These ligands can be readily functionalized and derivatives bearing either a peripheral hydrogen bond donor/acceptor group or a secondary coordinating group have been developed. In the first case, the complexes incorporating these dpms self-assemble via hydrogen bonding leading to extended architectures. In the second case, the coordinating complexes, or metallatectons, can self-assemble to form homonuclear networks such as in a series of (acac)Cu(dpm) complexes. Upon association of the metallatectons with a second metal centre, heterometallic architectures are formed. These MOFs are constructed by coordination as well as Ag-π interactions depending on the nature of the peripheral coordinating group and the coordination geometry of the metallatecton.


A large number of learning algorithms, for example, spectral clustering, kernel Principal Components Analysis and many manifold methods are based on estimating eigenvalues and eigenfunctions of operators defined by a similarity function or a kernel, given empirical data. Thus for the analysis of algorithms, it is an important problem to be able to assess the quality of such approximations. The contribution of our paper is two-fold: 1. We use a technique based on a concentration inequality for Hilbert spaces to provide new much simplified proofs for a number of results in spectral approximation. 2. Using these methods we provide several new results for estimating spectral properties of the graph Laplacian operator extending and strengthening results from [26].


Objectives While several studies have reported associations of daily exposures to PM2.5 (particles less than 2.5 µm) with mortality, few studies have examined the impact of its constituents such as black carbon (BC), which is also a significant contributor to global climate change. Methods We assessed the association between daily concentrations of BC and total, cardiovascular and respiratory mortality in two southern Mediterranean cities. Daily averages of BC were collected for 2 years in Barcelona, Spain and Athens, Greece. We used case-crossover analysis and examined single and cumulative lags up to 3 days. Results We observed associations between BC and all mortality measures. For a 3-day moving average, cardiovascular mortality increased by 4.5% (95% CI 0.7 to 8.5) and 2.0% (95% CI 0 to 4.0) for an interquartile change in BC in Athens and Barcelona, respectively. Considerably higher effects for respiratory mortality and for those above age 65 were observed. In addition, BC exhibited much greater toxicity per microgram than generic PM2.5. Conclusions Our findings suggest that BC, derived in western industrialised nations primarily from diesel engines and biomass burning, poses a significant burden to public health, particularly in European cities with high-traffic density.


The wide gap between tax theory and tax practice may be traced back, among other things, to the focus in tax theory on the level and optimal structure of tax rates, assuming that tax bases are consistently defined, precisely measurable and readily and uniformly assessable. This approach overlooks the variances between tax design, tax law, tax impact, tax incidence and tax perception. The effects of taxes on efficiency and equity depend not just on the tax†rate schedule adopted but also on differences in tax treatments resulting from the definition, measurement and assessment of tax bases. The Italian experience in the field of income taxation shows the extent to which the definition, measurement and assessment of tax bases matter. Many problems associated with defining, measuring and assessing tax bases, which the personal nature and high progressivity of income tax had contributed to highlighting and accentuating, remain still unresolved and require further research of a better understanding of the rationale, causes and effects of many differentiated tax treatments.


Large percent of Monduli habitats are the Maasai. This is a purely patrilineal tribe which hold tightly their culture and way of life. Knowing the fact that Maasai culture is in part discriminating women rights, hinder them on access to information, and the likes; The Ministry of Community development Gender and children open Information Windows where women can access and deliver information. Such information including women rights, entrepreneurship, health issues and legal aids concerning gender based violence, marriage issues and the likes. The objective of the study was to organize Maasai women to form and register their groups in order to combine efforts to initiate the beekeeping project as their income generating activity. In order to ensure sustainability of the project, women were provided with skills on entrepreneurship and project management; skills which they lack for running their projects. Women contribution to economic development has to be acknowledged and be supported. Women should be left free to utilize the local resources in order to run development programs. Anything they are doing should be productive, and they should realize profit out of it, for community development. Women empowerment will bring the trickledown effect to the whole community.


Set against the backdrop of the Civil War, The Assassin's Accomplice tells the gripping story of the conspiracy to assassinate Abraham Lincoln through experience of its only female participant. Confederate sympathizer Mary Surratt ran a boarding house in Washington, and the depth of her complicity in the murder of President Lincoln has been debated since she was arrested on April 17, 1865. Calling upon long-lost interviews, confessions, and court testimony, historian Kate Clifford Larson magnificently captures how Surratt's actions defied nineteenth-century norms of piety and allegiance. A riveting account of espionage and murder, The Assassin's Accomplice offers a revealing examination of America's most remembered assassination.