Normal 0 false false false IN JA X-NONE Abstract One strategy attempts to reduce dependence on primary commodity markets are overseas market expansion and development of secondary products. In the secondary product processing coffee beans is required of supporting equipment to facilitate these efforts. Research Center for Indonesian Coffee and Cocoa has developed coffee bean roaster. However, there are still many people who do not know about the technical aspects of roaster machine type of rotating cylinder so that more people use traditional ways to roast coffee beans. In order for the benefits of this machine is better known society it is necessary to study on the technical aspects. The purpose of this research is to evaluate the technical performance of the coffee beans roaster machine type of rotating cylinder. These include the technical aspects of work capacity of the machine, roasting technical efficiency, fuel requirements, and power requirements of using roaster machine. Research methods are including data collection, calculation and analysis. The results showed that the roaster machine type of a rotating cylinder has capacity of 12.3 kg/hour. Roasting efficiency is 80%. Fuel consumption is 0.6 kg. The calculated amount of the used power of current measurement is the average of 0.616 kW. Keywords: coffee beans, roasting, performance Diterima: 21 Oktober 2009; Disetujui: 8 Januari 2010


A variety of large-scale machine learning problems can be cast as instances of constrained submodular maximization. Existing approaches for distributed submodular maximization have a critical drawback: The capacity - number of instances that can fit in memory - must grow with the data set size. In practice, while one can provision many machines, the capacity of each machine is limited by physical constraints. We propose a truly scalable approach for distributed submodular maximization under fixed capacity. The proposed framework applies to a broad class of algorithms and constraints and provides theoretical guarantees on the approximation factor for any available capacity. We empirically evaluate the proposed algorithm on a variety of data sets and demonstrate that it achieves performance competitive with the centralized greedy solution.


Pancreatic cancer is associated with a pronounced fibrotic reaction that was recently shown to limit delivery of chemotherapy. To identify potential therapeutic targets to overcome this fibrosis, we examined the interplay between fibrosis and the key proteinase membrane type 1-matrix metalloproteinase (MT1-MMP, MMP-14), which is required for growth and invasion in the collagen-rich microenvironment. In this article, we show that compared with control mice (Kras+/MT1-MMP−) that express an activating KrasG12D mutation necessary for pancreatic cancer development, littermate mice that express both MT1-MMP and KrasG12D (Kras+/MT1-MMP+) developed a greater number of large, dysplastic mucin-containing papillary lesions. These lesions were associated with a significant amount of surrounding fibrosis, increased α-smooth muscle actin (+) cells in the stroma, indicative of activated myofibroblasts, and increased Smad2 phosphorylation. To further understand how MT1-MMP promotes fibrosis, we established an in vitro model to examine the effect of expressing MT1-MMP in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) cells on stellate cell collagen deposition. Conditioned media from MT1-MMP–expressing PDAC cells grown in three-dimensional collagen enhanced Smad2 nuclear translocation, promoted Smad2 phosphorylation, and increased collagen production by stellate cells. Inhibiting the activity or expression of the TGF-β type I receptor in stellate cells attenuated MT1-MMP conditioned medium–induced collagen expression by stellate cells. In addition, a function-blocking anti–TGF-β antibody also inhibited MT1-MMP conditioned medium–induced collagen expression in stellate cells. Overall, we show that the bona fide collagenase MT1-MMP paradoxically contributes to fibrosis by increasing TGF-β signaling and that targeting MT1-MMP may thus help to mitigate fibrosis. Mol Cancer Res; 9(10); 1294–304. ©2011 AACR.


To be able to use robots of the same type in a swarm (in this case differential-drive robots) from a centralized computer, you need to control them in the same way even if the robots come from different manu\-facturers. These robots should have the same capabilities: i.e. the same type of sensors and the same type of control commands. Currently, if we need to add sensors on a robot, we should first find out what are the hardware capabilities and what are the tools provided by the manufacturer (some have microcontrollers, others have ARM processors). The protocol to communicate with the onboard card (often a serial protocol) is different for each robot and we have to take that in account in our software so that the robots can be interchangeable.
This paper describes the design and the results of using a standard interface (bridge) on a robot which allows wireless communication with a centralized computer and local serial communication with a mobile robot. On this interface, we can connect every sensor we want (infrared, ultrasound, laser, Kinect etc.) and we can always use the same tools to control them.
Extension of the protocol of the Kobuki base (TurtleBot2) is proposed to be able to use the same type of frame as the TurtleBot 2 uses and to continue to use ROS middleware as is, but with the possibility to use data from new sensors implemented on the bridge. This article will focus on the use of the TurtleBot 2, but the same bridge will be adapted to other robots allowing their interchangeability in the future.


Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) is present at high concentrations in ascites and plasma of ovarian cancer patients. Studies conducted in experimental models demonstrate that LPA promotes ovarian cancer invasion/ metastasis by up-regulating protease expression, elevating protease activity, and enhancing angiogenic factor expression. In this study, we investigated the effect of LPA on ovarian cancer migration, an essential component of cancer cell invasion. LPA stimulates both chemotaxis and chemokinesis of ovarian cancer cells and LPA-stimulated cell migration is GI dependent. Moreover, constitutively active H-Ras enhances ovarian cancer cell migration, whereas dominant negative H-Ras blocks LPAstimulated cell migration, suggesting that Ras works downstream of Gi to mediate LPA-stimulated cell migration. Interestingly, H-Ras mutants that specifically activate Raf-1, Ral-GDS, or phosphatidylinositol 3 -kinase are unable to significantly enhance ovarian cancer cell migration, suggesting that a Ras downstream effector distinct from Raf-1, Ral-GDS, and phosphatidylinositol 3 -kinase is responsible for LPA-stimulated cell migration. In this article, we demonstrate that LPA activates mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 1 (MEKK1) in a Gi-Ras-dependent manner and that MEKK1 activity is essential for LPA-stimulated ovarian cancer cell migration. Inhibitors that block MEKK1 downstream pathways, including MEK1/2, MKK4/7, and nuclear factorB pathways, do not significantly alter LPA-stimulated cell migration. Instead, LPA induces the redistribution of focal adhesion kinase to focal contact regions of the cytoplasm membrane, and this event is abolished by pertussis toxin, dominant negative H-Ras, or dominant negative MEKK1. Our studies thus suggest that the Gi-Ras-MEKK1 signaling pathway mediates LPA-stimulated ovarian cancer cell migration by facilitating focal adhesion kinase redistribution to focal contacts.


AIM
To compare the antimicrobial efficacy of sodium hypochlorite (NaClO at 2.5% and 5.25%) and calcium hypochlorite [Ca(ClO)2 at 2.5%] on a biofilm of Enterococcus faecalis ATCC 29212™ and Candida albicans ATCC 10231™.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
We performed an experimental in vitro study. Strains of C. albicans and E. faecalis, which had previously been reactivated were used. Then the colonies to be used were standardized in a turbidity standard to guarantee a quantity of 108 (CFU/mL) using the McFarland scale (0.5). Subsequently, the biofilm formed in brain-heart infusion agar was seeded into 42 sterile disks previously embedded with the experimental substances. Both 2.5% NaClO and Ca(ClO)2 solutions were placed in each Petri dish. They were then incubated at 37°C for 24 hours and the inhibition halos were measured using the Kirby-Bauer technique.

RESULTS
The means between the halos corresponding to NaClO and Ca(ClO)2 at 2.5% were 13.38 ± 0.64 mm and 13.42 ± 0.62 mm, respectively. According to the Tukey test, no statistically significant differences were found between the hypochlorite groups evaluated (p = 0.989).

CONCLUSION
Both Ca(ClO)2 and NaClO have a similar antimicrobial efficacy with biofilm based on E. faecalis and C. albicans, with no statistically significant differences between the two.

CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE
This study demonstrates the effectiveness of Ca(ClO)2 and NaClO as endodontic irrigators to combat the most frequent microorganisms of the root canal.


Mental illness and substance use disorder are prominent among jail and prison inmates. Developing more effective mental and behavioral health treatment approaches for incarcerated criminal offenders is a critical step toward reducing rates of recidivism and relapse following release. Specifying subgroups of offenders who differ in cognitive, affective, behavioral, and demographic characteristics could facilitate more targeted and effective treatment approaches. Accordingly, this study utilized model-based cluster analysis to identify subgroups of offenders in a large sample of incarcerated male offenders (n = 2,388) using broad personality traits. Six subgroups of offenders emerged based on personality scales related to positive affect, negative affect, and behavioral control. Subsequent analyses revealed significant differences between groups on measures of cognitive ability, affect dysregulation, antisociality, substance use, and impulsivity. These findings provide insight into potential treatment and intervention strategies to target the specific needs of distinct subgroups of incarcerated offenders.


The steady-state thermal resistance of a small heat source applied to a diamond heat spreader attached to a larger substrate with Newtonian cooling on the opposite side was evaluated using numerical simulation. The substrate with Newtonian cooling models a range of convection-cooled designs, such as a heat sink base with a finned surface or the base of a cold plate with liquid cooling. The objective of this work is to quantify the thermal performance of the modeled system as a function of the diamond heat spreader size and properties. The resulting maximum thermal resistance as a function of diamond spreader thickness, lateral dimension, and conductivity are presented, as well as some guidelines for effective thermal design. In addition, a range of convection conditions typical for these applications are examined. Synthetic diamond is still an expensive material, ranging from $1 to $20 per square millimeter in the lateral plane. The price increases sharply with conductivity, thickness, and lateral dimension, all of which increase thermal performance of the diamond spreader. For this reason, the cost per thermal performance is a distinctly different optimization problem from the thermal performance alone. The results of this optimization are presented for a Biot number typical for forced convection through a finned surface using direct air cooling.


A novel composite consisting of hollow carbon spheres with encapsulated germanium (Ge@HCS) was synthesized by introducing a germanium precursor into the porous-structured hollow carbon spheres. The carbon spheres not only function as a scaffold to hold the germanium and thus maintain the structural integrity of the composite, but also increase the electrical conductivity. The voids and vacancies that are formed after the reduction of germanium dioxide to germanium provide free space for accommodating the volume changes during discharging–charging processes, thus preventing pulverization. The obtained Ge@HCS composite exhibits excellent lithium storage performance, as revealed by electrochemical evaluation.


TRANSLATED AND INTRODUCED BY DAVID LUKE. Death in Venice is a story of obsession. Gustave von Aschenbach is a successful but ageing writer who travels to Venice for a holiday. One day, at dinner, Aschenbach notices an exceptionally beautiful young boy who is staying with his family in the same hotel. Soon his days begin to revolve around seeing this boy and he is too distracted to pay attention to the ominous rumours that have begun to circulate about disease spreading through the city.


The works in this document illustrate the difficulties in implementing measures based on the Anglo American model to improve corporate governance in four Asian countries; Korea, China, Malaysia and Japan. The evidence shows that corporate governance transformations in these countries have brought about conflict between newly adopted governance mechanisms and the existing domestic environment. I argue that attempts to improve corporate governance through adopting models from foreign jurisdictions cause enormous complications, and that their adoption is often prompted by a flawed belief that they will naturally bring about order to corporate governance in the host country.
 The works in this document also explore the impact of transplanting Anglo American employment practices (an important constituent of the Anglo American corporate governance model) on employment relations in Asian countries. Employment relationships in these countries, traditionally characterised by norms of life long employment, promotion and remuneration based on seniority and strong 'familial' relations between employers and workers, are increasingly being undermined by Anglo American employment practices which promote certain forms of labour flexibility, erode trust between employer and workers and encourage increasing reliance on formal legal rights to protect interests. I conclude that Asian countries need to ensure that laws and practices which are adopted to advance corporate success are appropriate for their domestic environments.
The works in this document contribute to the study of corporate governance in three ways. First, it contributes to an understanding of the problems and practicalities in implementing the Anglo American model across different national systems. Second, it contributes to the growing literature on this subject in Asian countries, a significant area of growth in the world economy. Third, it generates ideas which may be useful in instigating empirical research to investigate further impacts on Asian corporate governance of the adoption of foreign models.


This dissertation consists of three essays on vector autoregressive (VAR) models. The first examines lag selection criteria. Typically, in VAR models all variables have the same lag length in each equation. Hsiao (1981) and Keating (1994) suggest two ways to estimate asymmetric lag structures. In a Monte-Carlo framework, we simulate eight prespecified VAR models and observe how the lag specification methods perform. We also look at the impulse response and forecast performances of these lag selection methods. We find that the AIC criterion performs better in finite samples than the SIC criterion, and Keating's method is superior to Hsiao's method. In the second part of the dissertation, we employ the Stein-rule estimator to estimate two VAR models, one using quarterly macroeconomic data and another one using monthly macroeconomic data. The forecasts produced by VARs estimated via Stein-rule are contrasted with the forecasts produced by VARs estimated via Bayesian methods and via ordinary least squares (OLS). In general, Bayesian VARs and Stein-rule VARs produce more accurate forecasts than OLS VARs; however, Bayesian forecasts are more expensive and difficult to obtain than either Stein-rule VARs or OLS VARs. We find that usually Stein-rule VARs perform better than Bayesian VARs. The last part of the dissertation estimates VAR models with a discrete variable. The equation with the discrete variable as the dependent variable is estimated using the probit approach. The impulse response function (IRF) and variance decomposition (VDC) produced from VARs partly estimated via the probit approach are contrasted with


Canada-Renewable Energy presented the WTO Panel and Appellate Body (AB) with a novel issue: at the heart of the dispute was a measure adopted by the province of Ontario whereby producers of renewable energy would be paid a premium relative to conventional power producers. Some WTO Members complained that the measure was a prohibited subsidy because payments were conditional upon using Canadian equipment for the production of renewable energy. The AB gave them right only in part: it found that a local content requirement had indeed been imposed, but also found that it lacked evidence to determine whether a subsidy had been bestowed. The report is, for the reasons explained below, incoherent and could hardly serve as precedent for resolution of similar conflicts in the future. The facts of the case though, do raise legitimate questions both with respect to the specifics of the case, as well as of more general nature regarding the WTO Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures (SCM Agreement), and the role of the judge when facing legislative failure. In this paper, we provide some responses to these questions in light of the theory and evidence regarding industrial policy in the name of environmental protection.


: As a conceptual resource for rhetoric, contemporary neuroscience has considerable potential. Yet how exactly rhetoricians should deploy it as such requires careful consideration. While some engage neuroscience in a foundationalist fashion, using it to ground rhetoric in empirically tested claims, I make the case for a non-foundationalist approach, arguing that neuroscience can serve as a resource for rhetoric on the basis of epistemologies that value the speculative, indeterminate, and contingent. That is, we can use neuroscience to achieve perspective rather than proof and continued conversation rather than resolution. More specifically, I suggest placing neuroscience in incongruous contact with rhetoric, using it to achieve Burkean perspective by incongruity. I then do so in an extended example that puts Antonio Damasio's somatic marker hypothesis in incongruous contact with ancient accounts of eikos , thereby offering a fresh angle from which to view enduring discussions anew.


Nursing theory has contributed significantly to discussions of so-called culturally competent biomedical healthcare delivery. This study explores how Labor and Delivery nurses at a large, urban teaching hospital negotiate the care of a hyper-diverse patient population and construct working understandings of competence. Archival research, semi-structured interviews and participant observation demonstrate that "cultural competence" is not a distinct concept, but rather functions as an ambiguous symbol used to discuss a variety of challenges with advocating for patients and delivering care in communities faced with issues of racism, immigration, low socioeconomic status, and multiple comorbidities.


Subcontinental lithospheric mantle xenoliths from beneath the French Massif Central contain clinopyroxene with high Lu/Hf and Hf isotope ratios ( 176 Lu/ 177 Hf = 0.1-10.8; e Hf = +40 to +2600). These Lu-Hf isotope systematics yield model ages of 313-377 Ma and apparently date melt extraction in a mantle wedge during Variscan subduction, with the residual mantle subsequently forming the stabilizing mantle keel of young European continental crust. The extremely depleted Lu-Hf mantle systematics contrast with other isotopic signatures (Sr, Pb, Nd) that have been overprinted by mantle metasomatism. The high Lu/Hf values developed in mantle clinopyroxene by melt extraction, coupled with the robustness of this system to some types of metasomatism, provide a new chronometer for directly dating crust-mantle differentiation in both young and ancient continental regions. The process of metasomatic decoupling of Nd and Hf isotopes, which has been previously recognized in Hawaiian oceanic mantle and in French Massif Central subcontinental mantle, may be responsible for the prominent displacement of terrestrial rocks to lower e Nd at a given e Hf as compared to Bulk Earth reference values obtained from analysis of chondritic meteorites.


How people understand and adapt to living with dementia may influence well-being. Leventhal's Common Sense Model (CSM) of Self-Regulation provides a theoretical basis for exploring this process. We used cross-sectional and longitudinal data from 1,109 people with mild-to-moderate dementia in the Improving the experience of Dementia and Enhancing Active Life (IDEAL) cohort. We elicited dementia representations (DRs) using the Representations and Adjustment to Dementia Index (RADIX), a validated measure based on the CSM, identified groups sharing distinct DR profiles, and explored predictors of group membership and associations with well-being, and whether problem-focused coping played a mediating role in these associations. We identified four DR classes: people who see the condition as a disease and adopt a diagnostic label; people who see the condition as a disease but refer to symptoms rather than a diagnostic label; those who see the condition as part of aging; and those who are unsure how to make sense of the condition. A fifth group did not acknowledge any difficulties. "Disease" representations were associated with better cognition and younger age, while "aging" and "no problem" representations were associated with better mood and well-being. The association with well-being remained stable over 24 months. There was limited partial support for a mediating role of problem-focused coping. Variations in DRs may reflect individual differences in the psychological processes involved in adjusting to dementia. DRs provide a framework for personalizing and tailoring both communications about dementia and interventions aimed at supporting people in coping with dementia. There is a need to debate what constitutes a positive DR and how its development might be encouraged.


Glufosinate controls GR Palmer amaranth (Amaranthus palmeri S. Wats.), but might be less effective than glyphosate on certain weeds. Glyphosate and glufosinate applications in tolerant cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) cultivars can broaden the spectrum of control and aid in resistance management. Research investigating sequential application and potential interactions with co-applications of glyphosate and glufosinate is limited. Field research at six locations evaluated Palmer amaranth and annual grass control with glyphosate and glufosinate co-applied or sequentially applied. Herbicides were applied to two-leaf cotton and repeated 14 d later. A GR biotype comprised 10 to 90% of the Palmer amaranth populations. Greater Palmer amaranth control was achieved following sequential applications of glufosinate compared with glyphosate. Co-application of glufosinate plus glyphosate was more effective than glyphosate alone at most locations but never more effective than glufosinate alone. Glyphosate controlled goosegrass (Eleusine indica [L.] Gaertn.) more than glufosinate and a similar response was observed for large crabgrass (Digitaria sanguinalis [L.] Scop.). Glufosinate and glyphosate co-applied were less effective than glyphosate alone on both grasses, but not more effective than glufosinate alone. Glufosinate followed by (fb) glyphosate was the preferred order for sequential application to control Palmer amaranth at most locations. With high percentages of the GR biotype, glufosinate applied sequentially was more effective than any other sequential applications. Glyphosate fb glufosinate and glufosinate fb glyphosate controlled large crabgrass similar to glyphosate applied sequentially and greater than glufosinate applied sequentially. For goosegrass, glyphosate fb glufosinate was more effective than the reverse. Seven days after the second postemergence application, sequential application of glyphosate fb glufosinate controlled goosegrass as well as glyphosate applied sequentially and better than glufosinate applied sequentially.


Ceramifying polymer materials have been developed by incorporating ceramic forming precursors into thermoplastics. These compounds can be processed on conventional plastic extrusion equipment to form sheets, profiles or coatings. In a fire situation, the polymer component is quickly pyrolized. However, a porous, coherent ceramic begins to form at sufficiently low temperatures to maintain the structural integrity of the material through to temperatures of over 1000C. The ceramic forming systems can be adjusted to minimize dimensional changes, or to provide a degree of intumescence through entrapment of volatile gases from the polymer. This can produce a cellular structure with increased thermal resistance. Ceramifying polymer technology has already been commercialized for fire resistant cable coatings and shows promise for many other fire protection coating applications.


This volume examines the reserve Officers Training Corps program as a distinctively American expression of the social, cultural, and political meanings of military service. since 1950, ROTC has produced nearly two out of three American active duty officers, yet there has been no comprehensive scholarly look at civilian officer education programs in nearly 40 years. While most modern military systems educate and train junior officers at insular academies like West Point, only the United States has relied heavily on the active cooperation of its civilian colleges. The author argues that the creation of officer education programs on civilian campuses emanates from a traditional American belief (which he traces to the colonial period) in the active participation of civilians in military affairs. although this ideology changed shape through the 20th century, it never disappeared. During the Cold War military buildup, ROTC came to fill two roles: it provided the military with large numbers of well-educated officers, and it provided the nation with a military comprised of citizen-soldiers. even during the Vietnam era, officers, university administrators, and most students understood ROTC's dual role. The Vietnam War thus led to reform, not abandonment, of ROTC. Mining diverse sources, including military and university archives, this book provides an in-depth look at an important, but often overlooked, connection between the civilian and military spheres.


We introduce Fisher consistency in the sense of unbiasedness as a desirable property for estimators of class prior probabilities. Lack of Fisher consistency could be used as a criterion to dismiss estimators that are unlikely to deliver precise estimates in test datasets under prior probability and more general dataset shift. The usefulness of this unbiasedness concept is demonstrated with three examples of classifiers used for quantification: Adjusted Classify & Count, EM-algorithm and CDE-Iterate. We find that Adjusted Classify & Count and EM-algorithm are Fisher consistent. A counter-example shows that CDE-Iterate is not Fisher consistent and, therefore, cannot be trusted to deliver reliable estimates of class probabilities.


Background The prevalence of ischemic heart disease (IHD) in women of child‐bearing age is rising. Data on pregnancies however are scarce. The objective is to describe the pregnancy outcomes in these women. Methods and Results The European Society of Cardiology‐EURObservational Research Programme ROPAC (Registry of Pregnancy and Cardiac Disease) is a prospective registry in which data on pregnancies in women with heart disease were collected from 138 centers in 53 countries. Pregnant women with preexistent and pregnancy‐onset IHD were included. Primary end point were maternal cardiac events. Secondary end points were obstetric and fetal complications. There were 117 women with IHD, of which 104 had preexisting IHD. Median age was 35.5 years and 17.1% of women were smoking. There was no maternal mortality, heart failure occurred in 5 pregnancies (4.8%). Of the 104 women with preexisting IHD, 11 women suffered from acute coronary syndrome during pregnancy. ST‐segment‒elevation myocardial infarction were more common than non‒ST‐segment‒elevation myocardial infarction, and atherosclerosis was the most common etiology. Women who had undergone revascularization before pregnancy did not have less events than women who had not. There were 13 women with pregnancy‐onset IHD, in whom non‒ST‐segment‒elevation myocardial infarction was the most common. Smoking during pregnancy was associated with acute coronary syndrome. Caesarean section was the primary mode of delivery (55.8% in preexisting IHD, 84.6% in pregnancy‐onset IHD) and there were high rates of preterm births (20.2% and 38.5%, respectively). Conclusions Women with IHD tolerate pregnancy relatively well, however there is a high rate of ischemic events and these women should therefore be considered moderate‐ to high‐risk. Ongoing cigarette smoking is associated with acute coronary syndrome during pregnancy.


0n 21 October 1989, a total of 902 randomly selected cyclists were questioned at the finish of the Burger-Sanlam 100km/50km race to determine the prevalence of cycling injuries in the preceding year. Of the total sample 551 cyclists (61 %) reported they had been injury-free during the 12 month period prior to the investigation. The remaining 351 cyclists had sustained a total of 681 injuries during the same period ie approximately 2 injuries per cyclist per year. The most commonly reported injuries were over-use injuries resulting in pain and discomfort in the back and neck regions (41%), with pain in the knee joint being the second most frequently reported injury (29%). This descriptive study has provided valuable base-line information on the types and frequency of injuries sustained by South African cyclists. In particular, the high number of overuse injuries associated with faulty ergonomics has generated hypotheses for further study. An intimate knowledge of the ergonomics related to the sport, as well as attention to educational programmes is also strongly indicated.


ABSTRACT Widespread species often possess physiological mechanisms for coping with thermal heterogeneity, and uncovering these mechanisms provides insight into species' responses to climate change. The emergence of non-invasive corticosterone (CORT) assays allows us to rapidly assess physiological responses to environmental change on a large scale. We lack, however, a basic understanding of how temperature affects CORT, and whether temperature and CORT interactively affect performance. Here, we examined the effects of elevated temperature on CORT and whole-organism performance in a terrestrial salamander, Plethodon cinereus, across a latitudinal gradient. Using water-borne hormone assays, we found that raising ambient temperature from 15 to 25°C increased CORT release at a similar rate for salamanders from all sites. However, CORT release rates were higher overall in the warmest, southernmost site. Elevated temperatures also affected physiological performance, but the effects differed among sites. Ingestion rate increased in salamanders from the warmer sites but remained the same for those from cooler sites. Mass gain was reduced for most individuals, although this reduction was more dramatic in salamanders from the cooler sites. We also found a temperature-dependent relationship between CORT and food conversion efficiency (i.e. the amount of mass gained per unit food ingested). CORT was negatively related to food conversion efficiency at 25°C but was unrelated at 15°C. Thus, the energetic gains of elevated ingestion rates may be counteracted by elevated CORT release rates experienced by salamanders in warmer environments. By integrating multiple physiological metrics, we highlight the complex relationships between temperature and individual responses to warming climates. Summary: Salamanders from warmer localities may be more resilient to climate warming because they increase ingestion to counterbalance the energetic demands of elevated temperatures, whereas those from cooler localities do not.


This thesis is an investigation of the fabrication and applications of Bragg gratings produced by the transverse illumination of optical fibres with periodic patterns of ultraviolet light. A general analysis of their optical properties is first presented which considers both the three-dimensional nature of fibre gratings as well as the nonlinear response of the glass to ultraviolet irradiation. The problem of cladding-mode coupling is treated in detail. A review of the phenomena associated with the photosensitivity of germanosilicate fibres is presented, which includes original measurements of photoinduced birefringence. To explain their dynamics, a new model is proposed, based on the photo-thermal ionisation of germania-related oxygen-deficient centres. The effect of core dopants and known sensitisation techniques on the photoinduced index change are evaluated in over twenty different fibres. The fabrication of fibre Bragg gratings using a line-narrowed KrF excimer laser and a three-mirror interferometer is described in detail. Narrow, broadband and high reflectivity gratings are obtained in a variety of fibres, including several germania-free fibres. The dynamics of grating formation are measured and are accurately described by theoretical calculations. The writing process is found to be more effective at higher UV intensities, as predicted by the photo-thermal ionisation model. In an investigation of the writing of gratings using single excimer laser pulses, a new regime of grating formation is identified, which occurs above a sharply defined pulse fluence. This mechanism is used to demonstrate ~100% reflectivity single-pulse gratings. Both low and high reflectivity single pulse gratings are produced for the first time in a fibre drawing tower. The interaction of KrF excimer laser pulses with germanosilicate fibres is investigated on a nanosecond timescale. This experiment reveals the existence of broadband transient gain and absorption in the 1µm region of the spectrum, which provides supportive evidence for a proposed energy-level diagram of oxygen-deficient centres. A new type of channel-dropping filter, the grating-frustrated coupler, is analysed and demonstrated. The performance of a first prototype - 0.7 nm bandwidth, 13 dB isolation, 70% transmission - shows great promise for wavelength multiplexing and line filtering applications. Several other applications are also described, including fibre lasers, dispersion compensators and sensors.


With the purpose to clarify the condition of oxidation-reduction potential in the skin of jaundiced patients, the author made the preliminary experiment by the injection of 2. 3. 5. triphenyl tetrazolium chloride, neo tetrazolium chloride and blue tetrazolium into dogs and rabbits, employing the Arakawa's method, and it was recognized the T. T. C. test by Arakawa was the best method to apply to human body. Therefore, the test was attempted on 20 cases of healthy human, 110 cases of various liver and bile ducts diseases (75 cases of them showed hyperbilirubinemia over 1 mg/dl) and 21 cases of other diseases, and the above results was compared with various clinical symptoms and clinical courses. And the results were as follows. 1. Using the above agents as a oxidation-reduction. dicator of skin in living body, the sensitivity was in order of N. T C., T. T. C. and B. T., but the side effect was the most scanty in T. T. C., Therefore, the T. T. C. test by Arakawa was the best for the application to human body, and N. T. C. had the utility value on the animal experiment since the stability and sensitivity to light, but B. T. could not use. 2. The difference of oxidation-reduction potential among healty human, dog and rabbit was clearly observed, and this test was the most in rabbit, and then in dog, and the most low in human. 3. The T. T. C. test was almost negative in healthy human, but in was positive in all cases of mechanical jaundice, and it showed positive by the stadium or symptom in acute hepatitis and livercirrhosis, and it was seen at the early period of acute stadium in the former and it was seen in the cases of the latter with continuous jaundice over 60 days. In and it was negative or slight positive in chronic hepatitis. It was negative in hemolytic jaundice and others. 4. Comparing T. T. C. test with various clinical symptoms and various clinical tests, it had relation to serum total bilirubin especially direct bilirubin, alkaline phosphatase and skin itching, and it had considerable relation to serum colloidal reaction in acute hepatitis and BSP-test. 5. Therefore, it was thought that there were close correlation between the oxidationreduction potential of skin and the mechanism in which Verdinikterus was occured from the change of disposed bilirubin in skin to biliverdin.


The colossal magnetoresistive of Lao.67Cao.33Mnl-x V x03 (LCMVO),
to x=O.30, ceramics have been studied. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns show
single-phase perovskite structure with the presence of some minor impurities for
all the samples. The systems exhibit tetragonal and orthorhombic distorted
perovskite structures, which resulted from the Jahn Teller distortion. Paramagnetic
- Ferromagnetic phase transitions were observed in the X'-temperature curves for
all the samples. The Curie temperature, Tc shifts to lower temperature as
vanadium, dysprosium and zirconium doping increases respectively, which
indicate the loss of ferromagnetic order. Zirconium doping is observed to decrease
the Te more than the effect of other dopants. For LCMVO system, samples with
x=0.0l, 0.02, 0.03 and 0.30 show an enhancement of volume susceptibility as the
temperature increases from 110 K- 140 K, 120 K- 142 K, 123 K-140 K and 77 K-94
K respectively. These enhancements are due to the formation of magnetic clusters m the samples. For LCMDO system, all the samples show the typical
ferromagnetic-paramagnetic transition and no spin glass behaviour was detected.
However, in LCMZO system, the samples with x>0.05 show ferromagnetic onset
followed by a cusp when cooling from room temperature. The anomalies were due
to the formation of spin glass in the sample. The transport properties show the
transition of semiconducting to metallic conductivity at T p. The existence of T p
and T c was found correlated.


Enterprise Architecture (EA) requires modeling enterprises across multiple levels (from markets down to IT systems) – i.e. modeling hierarchical systems. Our goal is to build a Computer Aided Design (CAD) tool for EA. To be able to build this CAD tool, we need an ontology that can be used to describe hierarchical systems. The Reference Model of Open Distributed Processing (RM-ODP) was originally defined for describing IT systems and their environment. RM-ODP can also be suited to general, hierarchical, system modeling and, hence, can be used to model enterprises. In this paper, we first give an overview of our CAD tool and we present then how Part 2 and Part3 of RM-ODP were integrated to define a computer-interpretable ontology that is used in the CAD tool. This ontology is formalized using the Alloy declarative language. Last, we illustrate how the CAD tool can render Unified Modeling Language (UML) diagrams by showing selected aspects of the hierarchical systems.


The vision of a quantum internet is to fundamentally enhance Internet technology by enabling quantum communication between any two points on Earth. While the first realisations of small scale quantum networks are expected in the near future, scaling such networks presents immense challenges to physics, computer science and engineering. Here, we provide a gentle introduction to quantum networking targeted at computer scientists, and survey the state of the art. We proceed to discuss key challenges for computer science in order to make such networks a reality.


In the last decades supply chains emerged that stretch across many countries. This has been explained with decreasing trade and communication costs. We extend the literature by analyzing if and how unilateral environmental regulation induces offshoring to unregulated jurisdictions. We first apply an analytical partial-equilibrium model of a two-stage production process that can be distributed between two countries and investigate unilateral emission pricing and its supplementation with border carbon taxes. To get a more comprehensive picture, we subsequently apply a computable general equilibrium model that includes a better representation of international supply chains. We find heterogeneous, but mostly positive effects of a unilateral carbon emission reduction by the European Union on the degree of vertical specialisation of European industries and explain these differences by heterogeneity in the emission-intensity and pre-policy vertical specialisation of sectors. Border taxes are successful in protecting upstream industries, but with negative side effects for downstream industries.


Author Jonathan Safran Foer traveled to the Ukraine in search of the woman who saved his grandfather from the Nazis, and found nothing. Having intended to write a nonfictional account of his journey and findings, he realized as he sat down to write that he had to replace the missing information with an imagined personal history. From these inventions was born his novel, Everything is Illuminated. This (re)creation process is characteristic of postmemory, a concept developed by Marianne Hirsch. Postmemory defines the relationship that children of exiled Holocaust survivors have with the memories of their parents. Because these children were not there to experience their families' trauma, they cannot adopt the memories of their parents but must instead invent their own memories. This essay explores how the novel's narrative structure, mythical elements, and resolution (or lack thereof) serve as solutions to allay the problems of postmemory.


The brown crab or European edible crab Cancer pagurus is one of the most economically important crab species in European waters with landings of 49 263 t in 2013. C. pagurus is also one of the most important commercial species in the United Kingdom with landings of 28 778 t in 2013 worth approximately £33.5M at first sale. The global capture production of brown crab has increased markedly during the last two decades. Despite this, the crab fishery is relatively data poor in terms of the ecology and catch characteristics of this species, particularly in the Irish Sea.
The aims of this study were to provide the information to fill science gaps needed to inform sustainable brown crab fisheries in the Isle of Man. This was done by studying the population structure, reproductive ecology and catch characteristics of the brown crab fishery, and by examining the impacts of scallop fisheries on brown crabs, as well as assessing the by-catch composition of the brown crab pot fishery.
A combination of sampling techniques was used to collect data which included: baited pots between Spring 2012 and Summer 2013, dredge, trawl and shore surveys. The catch per unit effort (CPUE) of crabs caught in traps was strongly influenced by environmental (i.e., temperature, season, area) and fishery specific factors (i.e., pot volume). This study compared fishery dependent data (FDD) and fishery independent data (FID) to assess the CPUE estimates. Both of these data sources gave similar results which indicated that fisher-based surveys provide good quality information for future monitoring of the population provided that environmental and gear effects are accounted for. This study also determined the total exploitation rate of brown crab using both commercial and recreational fisheries data. The latter contributed only a small percentage of total mortality which is largely due to strict controls on total recreational fishing effort.
Observations of the distribution of brown crabs around the Isle of Man indicated the presence of a reproductive migration. Ovigerous crabs were generally found in offshore areas. These egg carrying females varied in size from 134 to 215 mm CW and each individual carried an estimated 0.4-3.0 million eggs. However, examination of behavioural maturity indicated that the earliest presence of sperm plugs was at 110 mm CW while functional maturity was 134 mm CW. There appears to be a predictable trend across Europe in the minimum size of egg bearing which appears to be related to water temperature.Based on quantitative data collected throughout the dredge surveys the potential impact of scallop dredging on the brown crab population was estimated in terms of by-catch, damage and mortality estimates. This study indicated that female crabs were particularly vulnerable to scallop dredging around the North-West coast of the island in November when fishing effort was highest in this area. Estimates of the potential mortality associated with scallop dredging led to a lower and higher estimate of a potential annual crab by-catch mortality of between 11 t and 17 t respectively (assuming 45% mortality of the crab by-catch), which represented 2.2 - 3.4% of the commercial landings of brown crab for the Isle of Man. Thus at present levels of fishing (up until 2014) this would seem to contribute a relatively small proportion of total mortality to the crab population. Nevertheless, an extension of the scallop dredging closed season until the end of November in the area of the Targets fishing ground might be a useful conservation measure if scallop dredging activity were to increase in the future.
By-catch in pot fisheries is poorly studied in general. A total of 43 by-catch species were found in crustacean pots lifted around the Isle of Man and the velvet swimming crab Necora puber was the most abundant by-catch species. This study identified significant spatial differences in the CPUE of by-catch species; the highest by-catch CPUE was recorded around the west coast of the Isle of Man. However, seasonal changes in by-catch were less important. There was a significant negative relationship between the two target species (brown crab and European common lobster). However, there was no significant relationship between by-catch composition and target species (a combination of crab and lobster) composition


Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) burst upon the data center storage scene in April of 2007 with a joint press release issued by ten of the leading companies in the storage industry. Since that initial press release, FCoE has generated an extraordinary amount of discussion and controversy within the industry. The purpose of this book is to examine the FCoE technology and provide an understanding of the reasons behind its development and ultimate applications.Just as Fibre Channel rode the way of Storage Area Networking and brought an entirely new paradigm to storage attachment, FCoE is riding the wave of the converged data center Ethernet. The realization of a converged data center network will fundamentally change the storage landscape and open the storage market to new ideas, architectures and products.Because FCoE is based on both Fibre Channel and Ethernet, an understanding of both of these technologies is required to fully understand FCoE. It is not the intent of this book to cover those technologies in depth. The companion books in the Fibre Channel Consultant series already provide a thorough discussion of the Fibre Channel technologies and protocols. Similarly, there are many excellent books that already cover Ethernet. This book targets the marriage of those two technologies and explains how FCoE leverages the advantages of both technologies as the storage component of a converged data center Ethernet.Using more than 160 figures and 25 tables to illustrate the essential concepts and operation of FCoE, this book proceeds step-by-step from basic concepts through detailed examination of all FCoE protocols. Unlike other texts, including the standards themselves, Fibre Channel over Ethernet expands on key factors such as configurations, deployment scenarios and the benefits of FCoE. It's the ultimate resource for anyone involved in this dynamic technology.


Zwarenstein (2015) proposes a novel approach to healthcare innovation that parallels biological evolution, based on stimulation and reward of multiple small competing innovation projects conducted in the field by decentralized teams. Projects would be designed with explicit outcome targets and results would be widely disseminated and publicly available. More successful projects would be grown and spread. Critical to the model is accepting and reporting failure as well as success, for the benefit of future project design. Examining biological evolution for lessons for healthcare delivery innovation illuminates the need for diversity among healthcare systems to achieve optimum application of best practice interventions across jurisdictions with differing population, provider and facility characteristics. However, careful coordination will be needed to achieve the balance between diversity and harmony across jurisdictions necessary for effective governance and interaction. There are important methodological issues to be addressed to reduce the uncertainty inherent in comparisons of results among discrete innovation projects, especially when observed improvements over the baseline are modest. As well as evolutionary improvement in healthcare outcomes, the model should progressively increase decentralized capacity and expertise in innovation processes.


Disasters are one of the most important challenges which must be considered by every management system. Higher education centers have high disaster risk because of their risk factors (existence of historical and scientific documents and resources and expensive laboratory equipment in these centers emphasizes the importance of disaster management). Moreover, the existence of young volunteers of human resources in universities urges the necessity of making these people familiar with disaster management rules and responses in emergency conditions. Creating appropriate tools for disaster management assessment makes it correct and precise in higher education systems using the presented conceptual model. The present model was planned so as to cover three phases which exist before, during, and after disaster. Studies were performed in one of the largest higher education centers in Tehran: Science and Research Branch of Islamic Azad University Campus. Results showed high-risk disasters in these centers which must be taken into consideration continuously. The objective of this study was to create appropriate patterns of disaster risk management in these centers.


An approach to fault simulation is presented in which behavioral fault models represent complex failures in VLSI designs. Errors are deliberately introduced into the description of a design that contains no faults. These errors can be fault values of variables that represent state or timing parameters, a faulty description that is substituted for part of the good description, or a combination of these. The algorithm guarantees accurate results by deferring the output assignments. The approach can also be used to detect and discard inconsistent output assignments. The algorithm has been implemented in Stanford University's Sable simulator using the Adlib behavioral modeling language.<<ETX>>


Topics in Current Genetics publishes review articles of wide interest in volumes that centre around a specific topic in genetics, genomics as well as cell, molecular and developmental biology. Particular emphasis is placed on the comparison of several model organisms. Volume editors are invited by the series editors for special topics, but further suggestions for volume topics are highly welcomed.  Each volume is edited by one or several acknowledged leaders in the field, who ensure the highest standard of content and presentation. All contributions are peer-reviewed.  All volumes of Topics in Current Genetics are published as eBooks as well as in print. The eBook format gives the volumes an increased global readership and enhanced visibility.


The islands of Flores and Corvo in the Azores archipelago are the only two of nine subaerial volcanic edifices lying west of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR). This makes them important for constraining the evolution of this young (5 40 Ma) oceanic plateau. The alkalic basalt suites from Flores and Corvo lie on a single liquid line of descent. Ankaramitic cumulates, with MgO contents up to � 18 wt %, result from clinopyroxene-dominated polybaric crystallization. The parental magmas (MgO � 11wt %) are inferred to be low-degree partial melts (F ¼ 3^5%) of enriched peridotite generated at depths of � 80^90 km. These primary magmas commenced crystallizing at the lithosphere^asthenosphere boundary and this continued in conduits over a pressure range of � 0·6^1·2 GPa. Only lavas with MgO53 wt % fractionated at shallow crustal levels. Nd and Sr isotope data reveal variations in the source of both magmatic systems, suggesting variable contributions from both enriched (E-) and depleted (D-) mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB)-source mantle components. This is supported by the greater variability of incompatible trace-element ratios within the Flores lavas (e.g. Ba/Nd, La/Sm, Th/Nd), whereas those from Corvo exhibit a good correlation between key trace-element ratios [e.g. (La/Sm)N,Th/Nd] and Sr isotope ratios. Lavas from Flores display a greater variability in Sr and Nd isotope compositions and define a mixing array between an E-MORB source and a common Azores mantle source.The latter signature is restricted to lava suites from the north and east of Flores. We concur with the generally accepted notion that Flores and Corvo are derived from the same mantle plume as is responsible for the eastern Azores islands. However, there is evidence (different Nb/Zr, Ta/Hf and La/Sm, but homogeneous Sr and Nd isotopic composition) that these two islands are dominated by a source component that is not as evident in the eastern archipelago.


This research was aimed at finding fresh and safe groundwater easily deliverable to an area, located in Northern Tanzania. The study area suffers water shortage, due to widespread alkaline volcanism, high fluoride contents (F- up to 70 mg/l) affects the groundwater.
The achievement of this goal has been pursued through a multidisciplinary approach research.
The study area stretches over 440 km2 and lies in the northern part of the Arumeru District. Climate is semi-arid, with dry and relatively rainy seasonal alternance. Four principal hydrogeological complexes have been identified within different lithologies. They occur within volcanic formations, singularly or superimposed each other. Subordinate perched aquifers are present in sedimentary formations with local occurrence. The groundwater flow system has been interpreted on the base of springs spatial distribution joined with lithological and geometrical reconstruction of the aquifers. The dominant pattern consisting of multidirectional flow from the higher elevation area in the south, towards the lower area in the north is complicated by the occurrence of structures such as graben, faults, lava dome and tholoids. After the identification of the main fluoride source, an interference pattern among groundwater and high F surface water was drown. Finally, an aquifer to be individuated within a structural high where the fluoride input is prevented and in which a well was drilled, able to supply at least 3.8 l/s of low fluoride.


Transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) has been extensively studied as an exogenous agent that stimulates the expression of extracellular matrix proteins and their cell-surface integrin receptors in a variety of cell types. However, the recent demonstration of autocrine TGF-β growth effects in a number of cell types suggests that the steady-state expression of extracellular matrix and integrin proteins and their biological activity may also be under autocrine TGF-β control. Previously, we reported that repression of autocrine TGF-β1 activity by constitutive expression of a full-length TGF-β1 antisense cDNA led to abrogation of autocrine negative TGF-β and, as a result, increased tumorigenicity and anchorage-independent growth of a poorly tumorigenic, well-differentiated colon carcinoma cell line designated FET (Wu, S., Theodorescu, D., Kerbel, R. S., Willson, J. K. V., Mulder, K. M., Humphrey, L. E., and Brattain, M. G.(1992) J. Cell Biol. 116, 187-196). Consequently, we have used this model system to study the effects of repression of autocrine TGF-β1 activity on the expression of integrin α5β1 and integrin α5β1-mediated cell adhesion to fibronectin. The expression of the integrin α5 subunit was reduced in TGF-β1 antisense transfected FET cells at both mRNA and protein levels as determined by RNase protection assays and immunoprecipitation, respectively. Autocrine TGF-β1 had no effect on the transcription of integrin α5 and β1 subunits, indicating that autocrine TGF-β1 may regulate integrin α5β1 expression at the post-transcriptional level. The diminished expression of integrin α5β1 on the cell surface led to the reduced adhesion of TGF-β1 antisense transfected cells to fibronectin. This phenomenon could be reversed by treatment with exogenous TGF-β1.


The aim of this investigation was to investigate the distribution and the degree of the natural fluorosis in the rich with fluoride reserves areas of the Middle Anatolia and the industrial fluorosis in area of the various factory in the same areas and its effects on animal health. The urine, water, plant and soil samples were collected from the area rich with fluoride reserves and the area of the various facto-ry in the Middle Anatolia. Fluoride ion concentrations in the water, urine, soil and plant samples were detected potentiometrically using an ion selective electrode. Fluoride contents of the water, soil and plant samples obtained from Kizilcaoren village in Beylikova-Eskisehir and Bayindir village in Kaman-Kirsehir, were rich with fluoride reserves were found particularly in high levels. Sheep with fluorosis and high levels of F - in their urine samples were found in the same areas. Industrial fluorosis were found in area of the aluminium factory in Seydisehir-Konya and high levels of fluoride were found in the urine samples in the same area. The high levels of F - contents of the water, soil and plants were the cause of fluorosis in the area of Kizilcaoren village and Bayindir village. The pollution of air with particules and gaseous forms of the fluoride were the main cause of industrial fluorosis in Seydisehir.


We approach the problem of stylistic motion synthesis by learning motion patterns from a highly varied set of motion capture sequences. Each sequence may have a distinct choreography, performed in a distinct sytle. Learning identifies common choreographic elements across sequences, the different styles in which each element is performed, and a small number of stylistic degrees of freedom which span the many variations in the dataset. The learned model can synthesize novel motion data in any interpolation or extrapolation of styles. For example, it can convert novice ballet motions into the more graceful modern dance of an expert. The model can also be driven by video, by scripts or even by noise to generate new choreography and synthesize virtual motion-capture in many styles.


Concept evaluation is the core stage of new product development and has a significant impact on the downstream process of product development. Because of the uncertainty and ambiguity of early design information, the concept evaluation process not only relies on the semantic terms of decision makers (DMs), but also includes uncertain criteria values (such as crisp numbers and interval numbers). In addition, DMs will have psychological preference errors when evaluating concepts owing to the risks taken in the evaluation. To address these drawbacks, a fuzzy concept evaluation approach based on prospect theory and heterogeneous evaluation information is proposed. Initially, based on the definition of intuitionistic fuzzy numbers, a numerical model is developed to unified the representation of crisp numbers, interval numbers, and fuzzy numbers, and a normalized decision matrix is constructed. Second, a weight distribution method of DMs is proposed, which introduces hesitation and similarity, and the weighted intuitionistic fuzzy evaluation information is transformed into interval intuitionistic fuzzy numbers. Third, the weight of the evaluation criteria is determined using the decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory model, and an evaluation information correction model based on the prospect theory is established to select the optimal concepts. Finally, the feasibility of the proposed approach is demonstrated using a bar-peeling machine, and a comparison and sensitivity analysis are conducted to verify the robustness of the decision results.


Controlling the static and dynamic properties of sports equipment has since long been of great concern in the sports engineering industry. More recently there has been interest in better understanding and improving the interplay between such properties and the perception of the athlete using the equipment. The aim of this thesis was first to develop a new approach to identifying the corresponding requirements for a particular type of sports equipment. The tailoring of a novel material with the potential to fulfill these requirements, and the integration of this material into composite structures was then investigated. Alpine skiing was used as a case study for this thesis. During this first project phase, the importance of specific ski properties was identified. Perceived characteristics were linked to physically measurable properties, and the level of differences in mechanical properties discernable by skiers was examined. For this purpose, four pairs of slalom skis that differed in flexural rigidity by a maximum of 20 % and in torsional rigidity by 60 % were tested by advanced and expert skiers under specific snow conditions. Among other results, Spearman correlations showed that expert skiers considered a high torsional rigidity to have a positive effect on characteristics such as quietness at high speed or energy restitution in carved turns, and advanced skiers judged stiff skis in torsion to positively influence the grip during short turns. Furthermore, it was also shown that athletes are able to discern small differences in damping and vibration of the skis. These results demonstrated that a quantitative approach to perceived properties is possible, and that it should be considered for the future design of sports equipment. Stiffness and damping usually counter-balance one another. The need for high values of both properties, as for example in skis and other types of sports gear where shocks induce large deformations, presents a considerable challenge for materials scientists. Shear-thickening fluids (STFs) are exceptional in this perspective, because they reversibly increase their moduli by 2-3 orders of magnitude, and simultaneously increase their energy absorption, when a critical shear stress or strain is reached. The dynamic shear-thickening behaviour of two different types of STFs was investigated, with the aim of integrating them into dynamically loaded structures. Dynamic frequency sweeps showed that the complex viscosity at different imposed strain amplitudes followed a unique power-law type behaviour up to the onset of strain thickening. Similar behaviour was also observed in the post-transition state, i.e. the viscosities again superimposed at frequencies beyond the transition frequency. Furthermore, the shear-thickening effect considerably decreased with increasing frequency. Viscosity increased by 3 orders of magnitude at 0.1 rad/s, and by 1 order of magnitude at 100 rad/s, suggesting that shear-thickening would totally vanish at frequencies beyond those measurable by conventional methods. Depending on the composition of the STFs, they either thickened at a constant shear stress throughout the frequency domain (monodisperse STFs) or required a minimum shear strain to be activated at high frequencies (polydisperse STFs). Results from dynamic rheological measurements for the STFs were correlated with results from vibrating beam tests (VBT) on model sandwich structures containing layers of the same STF sandwiched between solid beams. At the highest STF concentration, continuously increasing the excitation amplitude led to a 9-fold increase of the damping of the 1st resonance frequency. Since the increased viscosity of the STF interlayer resulted in improved stress transfer between the stiff polymer layers, the flexural rigidity simultaneously increased by over 20 %. Also, it was shown that the extent of damping and stiffening of the structure could be tailored by varying the type of STF. Finally, methods to integrate STFs into composite structures at different scales have been developed. At macro-scale, a STF damping device showed that the latter could strongly affect the dynamic behaviour of a ski. At meso-scale, the most promising design was based on glass fibre-epoxy rods integrated into the structure such that they function as small pistons when the structure is bent. For a tailorable deformation and frequency domain, the STF at the rod-matrix interface thickened, increasing the stress transfer between the rods and the matrix, and thus leading to changes in the structure's dynamic response. Dynamic mechanical analysis of soft matrix composites, containing STF at the rod-matrix interface, demonstrated that STFs could be integrated at the micro-scale of composite materials, which was confirmed by a micro-mechanical model. In summary, this thesis has provided a tool to include human perception into the design of sports equipment, and has built up a broad knowledge of the dynamic behaviour of an adaptive material, which can be included into a material-structure-athlete loop with the aim of evaluating its potential for any specific application in sports where comfort, feel and control of the performance should be improved.


Bushell's aim in Text as Process is to develop a research method for the study of compositional material. Although she draws on an international context – mainly French and German traditions – for current approaches to textual criticism, hers is the first book to apply a new form of critical analysis to authors in the Anglo-American tradition. Bushell revisits issues of intention within process and makes this the center of her new approach, employing "case studies" of the work of three major nineteenth-century poets: Wordsworth, Tennyson and Dickinson. She applies her methodology to each writer in different ways, allowing for cross-comparison as well as the recognition of individual distinctiveness in creativity. In doing so, Bushell demonstrates the need for a unique hermeneutics in relation to the making of the literary work of art. The author concludes with a philosophical account of the status and meaning of the literary work as it comes into being.


The replicator-mutator equations from evolutionary dynamics serve as a model for the evolution of language, behavioral dynamics in social networks, and decision-making dynamics in networked multi-agent systems. Analysis of the stable equilibria of these dynamics has been a focus in the literature, where symmetry in fitness functions is typically assumed. We explore asymmetry in fitness and show that the replicator-mutator equations exhibit Hopf bifurcations and limit cycles. We prove conditions for the existence of stable limit cycles for the dynamics in the case of circulant fitness matrices, and illustrate their existence in the noncirculant case. For decision-making networks, these limit cycles correspond to sustained oscillations in decisions across the group.


Proper oocyte maturation in mammals produces an oocyte capable of monospermic fertilization and embryo preimplantation. The cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs), surrounding an oocyte, play a significant role in oocyte maturation. During this process, when the COCs undergo cumulus expansion wherein tightly compact cumulus cells (CCs) form a dispersed structure, permanent biochemical and molecular modifications occur in the maturing oocytes, indicating that the gene expression between immature and mature oocytes differs significantly. This study focuses on the genes responsible for the cellular components of morphogenesis within the developing oocyte. Brilliant cresyl blue (BCB) was used to determine the developmental capability of porcine oocytes. The immature oocytes (GV stage) were compared with matured oocytes (MII stage), using microarray and qRT-PCR analysis to track changes in the genetic expression profile of transcriptome genes. The data showed substantial upregulation of genes influencing oocyte's morphology, cellular migration and adhesion, intracellular communication, as well as plasticity of nervous system. Conversely, downregulation involved genes related to microtubule reorganization, regulation of adhesion, proliferation, migration and cell differentiation processes in oocytes. This suggests that most genes recruited in morphogenesis in porcine oocyte in vitro, may have cellular maturational capability, since they have a higher level of expression before the oocyte's matured form. It shows the process of oocyte maturation and developmental capacity is orchestrated by significant cellular modifications during morphogenesis.


Abstract Aquatic foraging is a fundamental component of the behavior of a number of small mammals, yet comprehensive observations of diving are often difficult to obtain under natural circumstances. Semiaquatic mammals, having evolved to exploit prey in both aquatic and terrestrial environments, are generally not as well adapted for diving (or for life in the water) as are fully aquatic species. Because dive ability also tends to increase with body size, small, semiaquatic mammals are presumed to have fairly limited dive ability. Nevertheless, diving plays an important role in food acquisition for many such species. We used time–depth recorders (TDRs) to measure and describe the dive performance of 9 female and 5 male free-living American mink (Neovison vison; body mass approximately 1 kg) on lowland rivers in the southern United Kingdom. We recorded dives up to 2.96 m deep (maximum depth X¯  =  1.82 m) and up to 57.9 s in duration (maximum duration X¯  =  37.2 s). Dive duration was approximately 40% of that predicted by allometry for all air-breathing diving vertebrates (as might be expected for a small, semiaquatic animal) but was twice as long as previously measured for mink in captivity. Mink performed up to 189 dives per day (X¯  =  35.7 dives/day), mostly during daylight, and spent a maximum of 38.4 minutes diving per day (X¯  =  7.6 min/day). Some individuals maintained particularly high diving rates over the coldest months, suggesting that the benefits of aquatic foraging in winter outweigh the costs of heat loss. We observed a number of very shallow dives (depth approximately 0.3 m) of particularly long duration (up to 30 s). The function of these dives is currently unknown, but possibilities include searching for prey, travelling, or avoidance of threats. There is only 1 other study of which we are aware that presents detailed measurements of dive performance in a small, shallow-diving, semiaquatic mammal.


As shown in the 1930s by Hicks and Robinson the elasticity of substitution (`sigma`) is a key parameter that captures whether capital and labor are gross complements or substitutes. Establishing the magnitude of `sigma` is vital, not only for explaining changes in the distribution of income between factors but also for undertaking policy measures to influence it. Several papers have explained the recent decline in labor's share in income by claiming that `sigma` is greater than one and that there has been capital deepening. This paper presents evidence that refutes these claims. It shows that despite a rise in measured capital-labor ratios, labor-augmenting technical change in the US has been sufficiently rapid that effective capital-labor ratios have actually fallen in the sectors and industries that account for the largest portion of the declining labor share in income since 1980. In combination with estimates that corroborate the consensus in the literature that σ is less than 1, these declines in the effective capital ratio can account for much of the recent fall in labor's share in US income at both the aggregate and industry level. Paradoxically, these results also suggest that increased capital formation would raise labor's share in income.


Experimental evidence suggests that omega-6 (n-6) fatty acids have mammary tumor promoting effects whereas omega-3 (n-3) fatty acids inhibit tumor growth. These two families of fatty acids may influence breast cancer development by impacting prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) formation and consequently estradiol synthesis. Whether this effect on estrogen production can be observed in the circulation or in breast tissue, as reflected on a mammogram, is unknown. Therefore, using fatty acids in erythrocytes as a biomarker of recent dietary intake, we sought to establish the relationship between the n-6 and n-3 fatty acids with both serum estradiol and mammographic breast density, two well-established modifiable breast cancer risk factors. We hypothesized that n-6 fatty acids are positively related and n-3 fatty acids negatively related to both risk factors. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) also inhibit PGE2 formation, therefore we further hypothesized that estradiol levels would be lower among NSAID users. NSAID data was not available at the time of mammogram; hence the relationship between NSAID use and mammographic density could not accurately be assessed. To test our hypotheses we conducted several investigations ancillary to the Mammograms and Masses Study (MAMS), a case control study of the determinants of mammographic breast density. Participants were eligible for this compilation of studies if they were breast cancer-free, postmenopausal and not taking exogenous hormones. We observed significantly lower levels of serum estradiol among current users of NSAIDs as compared to non-users of NSAIDs. Further, as hypothesized, estradiol concentration decreased with increasing erythrocyte composition of total n-3 fatty acids and rose with increasing erythrocyte composition of total n-6 fatty acids. However, these findings were noted only among non-users of NSAIDs and not among NSAID users. No relationship was observed between any of the n-6 or n-3 fatty acids measures and mammographic breast density. In summary, lowering consumption of n-6 fatty acids, increasing n-3 intake, or taking a NSAID may result in reduced estradiol synthesis and potentially breast cancer risk. Further research is needed to validate our results. If confirmed, these findings could have a substantial impact on public health as it could lead to the development of chemopreventive guidelines, and ultimately prevent the development of estrogen-dependent breast cancer.


Silviculturists use a variety of techniques, including repellents, to reduce browse damage by white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) to valuable eastern hardwood seedlings. Systemic selenium, sodium selenite, was evaluated with captive whitetailed deer for its repellency in white ash (Fraxinus americana) and black cherry (Prunus serotina) seedlings. Selenium had no effect in reducing browsing of black cherry. However, there was a reduction (p<0.05) in the white ash browsing level.


Hawaii's most popular underwater recreation area is the Hanauma Bay Nature Park on Oahu. To protect its valuable marine resources, the waters of the bay are designated a Marine Life COnservation District. Marine parks provide access for public enjoyment and accommodate all interested groups. Marine park managers strive to balance the immediate demands for ocean recreation with the long term conservation of resources. The ideal management plan protects the marine environment as the most important consideration but also recognizes the needs of different user groups. In Hanauma Bay, however, managers' face challenges in controlling the amount of users the bay can withstand. Overuse has caused degradation of the water quality, death of coral species and overcrowding, making the park less enjoyable. In 1990, the Department of Parks and Recreation initiated restrictions to further protect the resources from overuse and ensure long term use of the site. This study combines results form scientific studies and direct observations to develop a conceptual model that reveals the dynamic relationship between recreational use and the coral reef ecosystem in Hanauma Bay. The model describes how the present use of the bay may be heavily discounting potential future values. The paper examines management objectives and the effects of the recently imposed restrictions of the park. Applications of the model are used to determine the effects of coral reef protection and recovery through: education, further restrictions on the number of users, user fees, and restricted areas at the park. These methods are introduced for managers in the evaluation of alternative management strategies. The model can ultimately improve park management decision-making and help to insure the protection of resources for the future.


There has been a large amount of recent interest in how the U.S. can be the so-called world's largest debtor nation and at the same time have a persistent surplus on income in its balance of payments accounts. Based on BEA's published data, two factors explain the incongruence - a difference in the composition of U.S.-owned assets abroad compared to foreign-owned assets in the U.S., and a higher rate of return earned by U.S. investors on their overseas assets, particularly on direct investment, than the rate of return that foreign investors earn on similar classes of assets invested in the U.S. In contrast, some others have recently argued that the explanation for the incongruence is that U.S.-owned assets abroad are undervalued, mainly because large exports of intangible assets by U.S. direct investors to their foreign affiliates have gone undetected. This paper reviews the main points of this argument and discusses some of its implications.


Richard Hofstadter once wrote that "the United States ... has a history but not a tradition of domestic violence" (3). The reverse is true of revolution: the United States has a tradition of revolution but not its history. Only once, in the War for Independence, did forces outside the law resorting to violence overthrow the government, although, as a result of the conflict, the social order remained largely intact. And only once, in the Civil War, was there large-scale destruction of the social order--the ending of slavery--although in this case the government was preserved. On this basis, the history of actual revolution has been anomalous to American domestic experience. Yet the central heritage of revolution pulses strongly in American collective memory. Americans commemorate a tradition of revolution, though by-and-large without its underlying history. (1) The development of the paradoxical relationship of violence and revolution in American society was well illustrated in the mid-nineteenth century. Then, Americans read about the "Important News From Europe" (Charleston Courier, 22 March 1848) and became "All Agog" (Weekly Ohio Statesman, 5 April 1848) as newspaper headlines broadcast the news that Europe was aflame in upheaval from Ireland to Russia. For American observers the most compelling aspect of these upheavals was their violence, the subject of this essay. The European revolutions of 1848 generated among Americans a "disquieting moral self-regard," consistent with how the modern international community reacts to "distant violence" (Warnock). In particular, European violence at first fostered the belief among Americans that the United States was in contrast a peaceful nation, with problems not requiring fundamental alteration of the government or society, much less violence to human life or property. Americans had already toppled their government in the eighteenth century. A recrudescence to such upheaval was not only unnecessary but also risky, as it might brook the kind of violence seen in Europe, which witnessed the carnage of revolution in 1848 and counter-revolution in 1849-1851. But this was only temporary. In the mid-1850s, a series of violent events transpired concerning the American frontier: specifically, the battles in Kansas over whether that territory would welcome or prohibit slavery. These events effectively changed opinion concerning the European violence. Instead of regarding violence as something alien to American experience, northerners grew sympathetic to the recent but failed attempts by European revolutionaries. By 1856 northern radicals and policy-makers spoke approvingly of the need for "revolution," and contemplated resistance to law and order by force. Thus, in effect, the violent European revolutions of 1848 became a precursor to American revolutionary violence--that of the Civil War--on a much larger scale. The 1848 revolutions were not the first occasion for observers of the United States to contrast European violence with American tranquility. In his Journey into Northern Pennsylvania and the State of New York, the agriculturalist and American apologist J. Hector St. John Crevecoeur described political refugees fleeing a Europe convulsed by the first French Revolution. One refugee found refuge among Winnebago Indians, while another established himself as a freeholding farmer. For both the United States offered, as Crevecoeur put it, a "tranquil port in the shelter of storms" (qtd. in Slotkin 336). Similarly, in his Democracy in America, Alexis de Tocqueville described how theories of a revolutionary nature ... are much less favorably viewed in the United States than in the great monarchical countries of Europe.... [T]he bulk of the [American] people reject them with instinctive abhorrence.... [I]n America men have the opinions and passions of democracy; in Europe we have still the passions and opinions of revolution. (256) To be sure, notable differences on either side of the Atlantic suggested that Americans exceeded Europeans in achieving peace without resorting to violence. …


Title of Dissertation: HEARING OTHERS' VOICES: AN EXPLORATION OF THE MUSICAL EXPERIENCES OF IMMIGRANT STUDENTS WHO SING IN HIGH SCHOOL CHOIR Regina Carlow, Doctor of Philosophy, 2004 Dissertation directed by: Professor Marie McCarthy School of Music The purpose of this study was to explore the musical experiences of immigrant students in an American high school choral classroom. This study revealed some of the central issues and tensions that immigrant students face as they are acculturated into secondary school music programs. The study explored the experiences of five immigrant female high school students who had emigrated from the following countries: Ecuador, El Salvador, Ghana, and Kazakhstan. The primary participants in the collective case study attended a suburban high school in the Mid-Atlantic region and had been living in the U.S. for three years or less. All participants were enrolled the same entry-level nonauditioned choral class. A survey was given to all choral students at the school which provided demographic information about the overall school choral program. Data collection methods included: semi-structured, in-depth interviews, student and teacher surveys, observations, focus groups, and dialogue journal writing collected over a ten-month period. Participants were encouraged to write journal entries in their native language. Lind's study of classroom environment and Gay's theory of culturally responsive teaching provided two important frameworks for analysis and interpretation of data. Data were coded through the NVivo software system for processing qualitative research. The data were analyzed and interpreted to create four narrative case studies. Findings suggested that the acculturation process for immigrant teenagers entails multiple dimensions with distinct outcomes depending on students' personal histories and educational backgrounds. Data revealed teacher dependence on contextual language in the choral classroom language as a vehicle for transfer of musical knowledge and that English language learners (ELL) are sometimes placed at a disadvantage in the choral classroom because of this reliance. Findings implied that some curricular norms in secondary choral classes such as vocal warm-ups, musical notation, sight reading requirements and choral festivals can be viewed as culturally incongruent with immigrants students' previous musical experiences. Data suggested that immigrant students in choral classes viewed the minimum requirements for participation in a school group, opportunities for public performance, and daily use of English in a non-threatening atmosphere as benefits of their overall high school education. HEARING OTHERS' VOICES: AN EXPLORATION OF THE MUSICAL EXPERIENCES OF IMMIGRANT STUDENTS WHO SING IN HIGH SCHOOL CHOIR


EDITOR,—Neonates who have clinical signs of a bleeding diathesis warrant a coagulation screen to detect an underlying coagulation disorder. If the specimen collected for a clotting profile clots then the test cannot be done and a repeat specimen is required. Often samples that are clotted are not repeated due to the commonly held misconception that for a specimen to clot it must have normal coagulation factor concentrations. We aimed to test the hypothesis that if a coagulation profile specimen clots then the patient's clotting profile must be normal. A retrospective analysis was performed, examining all neonatal clotting profile specimens that had clotted, from August 1 1996 to December 26 1998 at the Royal Women's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia. Clotted specimens were identified and data were collected from the clotting profile of specimens repeated later the same day. The clotting profile included the prothrombin time (PT) (seconds), activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) (seconds), fibrinogen concentration (g/l) and D-dimer (mg/l). The reference ranges for each parameter were corrected for postnatal and gestational age. Eighteen clotted specimens were taken from 11 neonates. Only nine were repeated on the same day, two of which clotted again and blood was not re-collected. Of the remaining seven specimens, five had abnormal results. Of those five abnormal results, all had increased PT, APTT, and D-dimer, and two had an accompanying low fibrinogen concentration. In summary, half of the clotted specimens were not repeated, and 71% of repeated specimens were abnormal. Only 20–30% of most coagulation factors are required for clot formation in vivo, and this may also be true for blood collected for analysis. These data support the principle that it is wise not to assume that clotted specimens come from patients with normal clotting profiles. We conclude that if a clotting profile is clinically indicated and the specimen clots, this does not imply normal coagulation, and another specimen should be collected for analysis.


Schooling Quality in Eastern Europe: Educational Production During Transition We estimate educational production functions for seven Eastern European transition countries, using student-level TIMSS data for lower secondary education. The results show substantial effects of student background on educational performance and a much lower impact of resources and the institutional setting. Two different groups of countries emerge. For the first group that features high mean test scores and has progressed far in transition, large effects of family background on student performance and a higher spread of test scores illustrate the similarity to Western European schooling systems, the performance of which it surpasses. Schools of the second group produce instead a denser distribution of educational achievement, characteristic of communist societies. JEL Classification: I21, P36


"The Female Homer" opens with simple questions: Are there any women's epic poems? If so, what are the central characteristics of these epics, and how do they relate to the traditional vision of epic poetry as male-authored and masculinist, as powerful and patriarchal? The book explores relations among women's epic poems over a great span - from the ancient Sumerian Descent of Inanna to Rita Dove, from the oral epics of the Russian bylinists to contemporary 'language' poets. Through brief, accessible chapters, the book opens up the mythic structures of women's epic, developing its relations with feminism and patriarchy, with religion and democracy, with the personal and the political, with its literary grandmothers and its grandfathers. "The Female Homer", though aware of the divergences, focuses on bringing together the strong affinities between these diverse epic voices. In doing so, it charts - for the first time - the otherwise invisible tradition of women's epic. Jeremy M. Downes is Associate Professor of English at Auburn University.


In-loop filtering has emerged as an essential coding tool since H.264/AVC due to the delicate design in reducing different kinds of compression artifacts. However, existing in-loop filters only rely on image local correlations, where the nonlocal similarities have been largely ignored. In this paper, we journey through the design philosophy of in-loop filters and discuss our vision for the future of in-loop filter research by exploring the potential of non-local similarities. Specifically, the group-based sparse representation, which jointly exploits image local and nonlocal self-similarities, lays a novel and meaningful groundwork to the in-loop filter design. Hardand soft-thresholding filtering operations are further applied to derive the sparse parameters that are appropriate for the compression artifacts reduction. Experimental results show that such in-loop filter design can significantly improve the compression performance on top of the High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) standard, leading us a new direction to improve the compression efficiency in the future.


We use data from over 1500 Finnish companies for the years 2006-2008 and 2008-2010 to explore complementarity of a firm's R&D strategy with its external knowledge acquisition and innovation collaboration strategies. We define knowledge complementarity (tacit knowledge complementarity) of R&D capabilities to exist when increase in investments in R&D also increases marginal returns from broader external knowledge search (deeper innovation collaboration with external partners). Our estimation results provide support for knowledge complementarity of external R&D. Instead, our data provide no evidence on tacit knowledge complementary of external R&D generally. However, our empirical results concerning the separate types of external R&D suggest that a firm's acquisition of new technology (i.e., advanced machinery, equipment or software) for innovation purposes appears to be tacit knowledge complementary.


The universal software radio peripheral (USRP) family of products has become a popular platform for hardware-based research and test bed validations conducted by universities in the software defined radio (SDR) and cognitive radio (CR) fields. With the recently released version of National Instruments (NI) LabVIEW, the USRP now offers a scalable, simpler, and easier to use combined platform. The new software support broadens the accessibility of the USRP platform for teaching applications and will spur further adoption within university communication systems classrooms, teaching laboratories, and their natural follow-on coursework. This paper will discuss the utilization of LabVIEW-based virtual instrumentation with the USRP to rapidly create real-time communication systems demonstrations for the classroom and/or laboratory settings. The combination of the USRP, LabVIEW, and Windows support enables implementation and exploration of both foundational and more advanced concepts related to signal processing and communications.


There is an understandable tendency to date the Supreme Court's involvement with baseball from 1922, when the Court decided Federal Baseball Club of Baltimore v. National League of Professional Base Ball Clubs – the original baseball antitrust exemption case. And there is a corresponding tendency to dwell on William Howard Taft – he was Chief Justice when Federal Baseball was decided – when discussing early baseball fandom on the Court. The first tendency is not only understandable, but also pretty much correct. The Court heard only a few baseball-related cases before 1922, and none was especially weighty from either a legal or a baseball perspective (although each was surely important to the people involved). The second tendency, while also understandable, is not so correct. Taft was a baseball fan, but he was neither the first nor the most fanatical on the Court that decided Federal Baseball, not by a long shot. William R. Day was, and here is why . . .


The thermal transport properties of thin semiconductor membranes play an important role in the performance of many technologies like micro-electronics and solid-state energy conversion. The dominant resistance to heat flow in thin membranes is offered by the scattering of thermal phonons at the membrane boundaries. In this dissertation, we examine the nature of microscopic phonon boundary scattering processes and their effect on the thermal conductivity of the thin membranes using a pump-probe experimental technique and computationally efficient solutions of the phonon Boltzmann transport equation (BTE). First, we investigate the boundary scattering-limited thermal transport in nanostructures using an efficient variance-reduced Monte Carlo (MC) solution of the BTE to elucidate the impact of specular and diffuse phonon boundary scattering events on the thermal conductivity of the nanostructures. To directly measure the relative frequency of these two boundary scattering events, called the phonon specularity parameter, we design, implement and characterize a non-contact laser-based pump-probe experiment called the transient grating (TG) to perform phonon mode-dependent measurements of the specularity parameter in suspended free-standing thin silicon membranes. We describe the phenomenon of quasiballistic heat conduction, which enables the phonon mode-dependent measurements of the specularity parameter, and derive a transfer function based on the BTE with ab-initio phonon properties as inputs, to connect the specularity parameter with the experimentally measured thermal conductivity of the thin membranes. Finally, we present the methodology adopted to invert the BTE transfer function to extract the phonon specularity parameter from the thermal conductivity measurements in the TG experiment, while rigorously accounting for the experimental uncertainties. We find that the observed magnitudes and trends of the thermal conductivity of the thin membranes cannot be explained by the 50-year old Ziman's model for the phonon specularity parameter and the Fuchs-Sondheimer theory of phonon boundary scattering. We also find that the partially specular boundary scattering picture of phonon boundary interactions works well for one of the membranes, enabling a direct measurement of the mode-dependent phonon specularity parameter for the first time in an experiment. We discuss the possibility of phonon mode conversion at the boundaries of a few membranes for which the partially specular phonon boundary scattering picture fails to explain the observed thermal conductivity trends. Considering the importance of understanding phonon boundary scattering to engineer and improve nanoscale device performance, we expect that the new experimental and computational tools developed in this work will advance a variety of nanoscale energy applications and further our understanding of nanoscale heat transport.


Background Acute appendicitis is a principal cause of abdominal pain worldwide and most common in young men who constitute the majority of the deployed fighting force. Diagnostic accuracy is paramount to prevent unnecessary intervention, morbidity and force impact. Method A consecutive series of appendicectomies, performed over 28 months on deployment in Afghanistan, was evaluated to assess the negative appendicectomy (NA) rate, explore the impact of CT on the rates of NA and assess the impact of appendicectomy on manpower in the deployed workforce. Results In Afghanistan, the operative NA rate was 9.6%, whereas the histological NA rate was 20.5%. CT was widely used in Afghanistan (36%) and there was a significant reduction in NA rates if CT was performed preoperatively (6.25% vs 26%, p=0.02). Conclusions Diagnostic imaging will be limited in future conflicts and reliance on clinical judgement will be necessary. Military clinicians may need to accept higher rates of NA, as prolonged observation may not be possible. CT scanning should be used to a greater extent when available. A conservative management strategy for appendicitis with appropriate antibiotics should be considered in the event of delayed transfer to a surgical facility.