Selecting a statistical framework for a behavioral study has profoundly different results than does a linguistically framed research strategy. The linguistic strategy overcomes many limitations inherent in statistical strategies and offers more meaningful results. Inferential statistical studies often discuss how the findings "explain" the results of the study. Seldom mentioned is the fact that statistical explanations occur in terms of the framework of statistical methodology. Statistical explanations do not explain anything in terms of the actual behavior at issue and do not lead to subsequent interventions about the motivated choices for a target group. Linguistic strategies work especially well if the objective is to make a practical difference in behavior as opposed to raising questions for further research in academic circles. Key Words: Motivational Profiling, Motivation, Systems Analysis, Behavioral Engineering, Content Analysis, Measurement Paradigms, Frames, Psycholinguistics, Mechanism of Action, and Behavior Change Explaining Behavior versus Changing Behavior Statistical results of various behavioral studies are customarily characterized as "explanations." What does an abstract conceptual explanation really explain when it is describing the results of an irrelevant method using data twice, thrice, or even further removed from the behavioral phenomenon in question? Such explanations are like telling a homeless person that the solution to his or her hunger problem is "economics". Even the homeless person would find such an explanation laughable. The abstraction offers no "explanation" in terms of cause and effect. Researchers obtain merely a conceptual rationale, with no sensory connection or contextual framework with physical reality in order to observe the elements of behavior in question. Separating stimulus from response in statistical design "forces" a fuzzy outcome upon the investigator. In humans, motivation leading to choices is a perpetual phenomenon. When a researcher wants to know why a certain individual or group of people choose to behave a certain way, statistics don't "explain" the behavior in terms that are useful to a researcher or practitioner who wants to modify or apply the choices of that target individual or group. A statistical explanation is similar to a nametag on a colleague at a convention. It names something, such as a university affiliation or academic rank. The label does not actually explain anything relating to a change mechanism useful to altering the choices of that colleague. A label, a nominalization, a statistic has no explanatory mechanism. In contrast, linguistically based research strategies identify the mechanisms behind the choices being made by the targeted individual or group of people. Knowing the linguistic mechanisms of choice allows the researcher, choosing methods, or practitioner, choosing outcomes, to modify the effects in the situation at hand. Linguistic "cause-effect" technology, which emerged from early qualitative methods of content analysis, trumps statistical "concept" in most any research setting where outcomes affect human events. To accomplish the change of choice among targeted subjects, the researcher simply utilizes the linguistic mechanisms found in the linguistic research strategy (Yeager, 2003). The cause-effect connection between research findings and the subsequent intervention to change choices actually "explains" how to cause the desired changes. Deliberate change occurs because the unconscious motivation, the linguistic mechanism of action, can be identified and managed toward a specific outcome. There is no more guesswork in behavioral engineering than there is in engineering an aircraft or a bridge. Effective technology presupposes consistent replicability of methods and results. An Impoverished Statistical Heritage In comparison to one hundred years of accelerated development in aviation and aerospace technology, the statistically dominated behavioral sciences have progressed embarrassingly little. …


There are many problems in medicine and biology involving some kind of spatial spread. Often the aim in such problems is to control the spread. A large proportion of medical and biological systems distinguish themselves from the types of system found in engineering by the way the control acts. This is illustrated by considering the specific example of the spread of rabies among foxes.

A brief description of a model for the spatial spread of rabies among foxes, developed by Murray et al. (1986), is given. This model is then extended to include the control mechanism. The problem is to prevent the spread of the rabies virus by vaccinating or culling foxes via the distribution of bait in a region around an observed outbreak.

The extended model can be formulated as a nonlinear time-varying control system described by partial differential equations. In contrast to most engineering type control problems the control does not continuously affect the system but only acts through the initial distributions. A general theory is developed for dealing with such nonlinear systems by the use of a fixed point theorem.

In a similar way to Pritchard and Salamon (1987) and Hinrichsen and Pritchard (1994) the dynamics are considered on a triple of Banach spaces Z C Z c Z to allow for the possible unboundedness of the nonlinearity. Thus the nonlinearity is considered as a map from Z into Z. A mild form of the time-varying system is introduced to allow for a wider class of nonlinearities. Assumptions are introduced so that the mild form of system equation is well-defined and has a fixed point that, at least partially, solves the control problem.

An adaptive scheme is introduced that constructs the control that gives rise to the fixed-point but is easier to implement computationally. This scheme is less intuitive than that provided by the fixed point theorem. However the method exploits the existence of the fixed point while only requiring the final states (and not the states on the whole time interval) to be stored at each step.

By assuming that the linear part of the system is a time-varying perturbation of a time-invariant operator it is shown how a mild form for the system equation can be derived from the original dynamics. Moreover suppose that the time-invariant operator is the generator of a strongly continuous semigroup. Then the conditions for the mild form of the system to be well-defined and have a fixed point can be reduced to conditions on the semi group and perturbation.

Existence theorems are provided for solutions of semilinear systems with unbounded nonlinearities.

The theory is applied to the rabies model. The problem and the theory are illustrated by some numerical simulations.


We analyze the determining factors of access to non-formal professional training in Spain and their evolution in recent years. Specifically, a comparison is made between a moment during a period of economic growth (2007) and the current crisis period (2012). The data used is from the Economically Active Population Survey. The sample is divided according to gender and interaction variables are included to analyze the differential effects of human capital on the probability of receiving training in the two periods considered. The hypothesis is that there are significant barriers that make access to non-formal professional training difficult (we focus on previous human capital available) and that these barriers have not ceased to operate during the economic crisis.


Biologically inspired design is one of the most important movements in contemporary engineering design. The paradigm entails the use of biological systems as sources of ideas for the design of technological products. Thus, the paradigm, by definition, is based on cross-domain analogies. The movement is pulled by the growing need for sustainable development and pushed by the desire for creative design of innovative products. The design of wind turbine blades analogous to the tubercles on the fins of humpback whales is an illustrative example. Despite its many successes, the practice of biologically inspired design remains ad hoc, with little systematization of either the design processes or of biological knowledge from a design perspective. Transformation of biologically inspired design into a principled design methodology requires the development of computational models, methods and tools. In the other direction, biologically inspired design provides a rich context for developing new computational theories of design, analogy and creativity. To develop computational models and methods for biologically inspired design, we started with in situ cognitive studies of its practice. The results of these studies contained a surprise. While most design starts with a problem -problem-driven design -biologically inspired design often uses biological designs as analogues to identify and evolve design problems. We call this solution-based design. The goal of my Ph.D. work is to develop computational methods and tools for solution-based problem evolution and inception in biologically inspired design. My thesis is that solution-based problem evolution and inception emerge out of the interaction of three core elements: 1) knowledge schemas that designers use to represent design problems and solutions, 2) goal-based information processes for evolving design problems, and 3) performance-based information processes for generating new problems. I will evaluate this thesis through detailed analyses of case studies of biologically inspired design, as well as through development of interactive tools for aiding problem inception and evolution. I will assess the interactive tools by deploying them in Georgia Tech classes on biologically inspired design. I expect my thesis to make two main contributions. On one hand, it will develop computational methods and tools for solution-based biologically inspired design. On the other, it will build computational models of solution-based creative analogies.


New and innovative optical materials and coatings can greatly improve the efficiency o{'window energy systems. These potential materials and coatings increase energy efficiency by reducing radiative losses in the infrared, or reducing visible reflection losses or controlling overheating due to solar gain. Current pro gress in heat mirror coatings for glass and polymeric substrates is presented. Highly doped semiconducting oxides and metal/dielectric interference coatings are reviewed. Physical and optical properties are outlined for antireflection films and tran sparent aerogel insulation media. The potential for optical switching films as window" elements includes discussions of e1ec trochromic, photochromic and other physical switching processes.


Sea Surface Reflectance (SSR) and Sea Surface Temperature (SST) were assessed in the eastern Gulf of Mexico in early July 2005 after passage of Hurricane Dennis, a category 4 storm, using data from the MODIS, SeaWiFS, and AVHRR satellite sensors, historical hydrographic and nutrient surveys, and a simple vertical water column mixing model. The bathymetric gradient across the shelf break, the offshore deep nutricline, and nearby Loop Current eddies led to unique SSR and SST changes after the passage of Dennis. In waters shallower than 50 m, a strong sediment resuspension event led to higher SSR in the visible and an increase in the MODIS fluorescence line height (FLH). These variables returned to pre‐storm conditions after about 10 days. The FLH change indicates increasing biomass in the short response time (<2 days), which might have been due to resuspended benthic and/or near‐bottom algae, as opposed to simply new primary production in the overlying water column. The SST changes occurred almost entirely along the right side of the hurricane track (−1.96 ± 0.66°C for an area of 158,600 km2). Waters >50 m deep cooled down significantly, but there was no apparent change in SSR, presumably because the nutricline was too deep to be affected by vertical mixing due to the storm. The three‐dimensional hydrographic and nutrient structure in waters near the west Florida shelf defines what changes may be detected at the surface with remote sensing.


We introduce a novel approach to Compressed Path Databases, space efficient oracles used to very quickly identify the first edge on a shortest path. Our algorithm achieves query running times on the 100 nanosecond scale, being significantly faster than state-of-the-art first-move oracles from the literature. Space consumption is competitive, due to a compression approach that rearranges rows and columns in a first-move matrix and then performs run length encoding (RLE) on the contents of the matrix. One variant of our implemented system was, by a convincing margin, the fastest entry in the 2014 Grid-Based Path Planning Competition.

We give a first tractability analysis for the compression scheme used by our algorithm. We study the complexity of computing a database of minimum size for general directed and undirected graphs. We find that in both cases the problem is NP-complete. We also show that, for graphs which can be decomposed along articulation points, the problem can be decomposed into independent parts, with a corresponding reduction in its level of difficulty. In particular, this leads to simple and tractable algorithms with linear running time which yield optimal compression results for trees.


We developed a modified Hoffman contrast technique with a 12 ns pulsed incoherent extended white-light source that enables an easily interpretable visualization of ablation plumes with high resolution, a large dynamic range, and color information. By comparison, a conventional dark-field setup with a slitlike laser light source provides large sensitivity but a small dynamic range, and it is difficult to interpret the filtered images.


The new Popular Science Park TEKNOLAND in Falun contains a number of interactive solar energy exhibits, including The Solar Heated Chess Board, The Solar Electric Playhouse, The Sudanese Solar Oven, and Solar Collector Optics. The TeknoTrix tutored children activities include solar thermal activities. Some related interactive exhibits are planned to be included during the summer and during coming years.


On the last page of "A Star Called Henry", the first volume of the "The Last Roundup" trilogy, we left Henry Smart on the run from his Republican paymasters, the men for whom he had perpetrated murder and mayhem. He flees from Dublin to Liverpool and from thence to Ellis Island, New York, America. And this is where "Oh, Play That Thing" begins...It's 1924, and New York is the centre of the universe. Henry falls on his feet, as a handsome man with a sandwich board, and - this being Prohibition - behind his sandwich board a stash of hooch for the speakeasies of the Lower East Side. When he starts hiring kids to carry boards for him, he catches the attention of the mobsters who run the district and soon there are eyes on his back and men in the shadows. It is time to leave, for another America: Chicago. In Chicago, there is no past waiting to jump on Henry. The place is wild, as new as he is, and newest of all is the music. Furious, wild, happy music played by a man with a trumpet and bleeding lips called Louis Armstrong. His music is everywhere, coming from every open door, every phonograph. But Armstrong is a prisoner of his colour; there are places a black man cannot go, things he cannot do. And the mob is in Chicago too: they own every stage - and they own the man up on the stage. Armstrong needs a man, a white man, and the man he chooses is Henry Smart. This is a novel of prodigious energy and invention. Its language and its rhythms are as breathtaking as the music it celebrates. It shows yet again that as a writer Roddy Doyle is unequalled in his vision, his ambition, his ability to surprise us with each new novel. It is nothing less than a triumph.


There has been a great deal of talk lately about the inadequacy of African customary law to deal with modern legal problems arising from the complex situation created by industrialization, trade, and development in the newly independent countries. The changes taking place in African society as a result of its closer contact with the advanced economics and technology of the post-war world are plain to any observer. In the administration of justice in particular, this tide of change has brought many new problems in its wake problems which had no counterpart in the rustic tribal life of a few decades ago.


This thesis uses some of the key texts of the 'romance revival' of the late nineteenth century to develop a theory of the Man Alone, and to explain its significance in both literary and cultural terms. A historicist approach is used to counter a tendency amongst critics to overlook some of the more commercially successful texts of the period in favour of their less 'popular' but more ostensibly 'artistic' fin-de-siecle or early modernist contemporaries. The study centred on an analysis of novels by four of the most influential authors of the period – Conrad, Kipling, Stevenson and Wells – as well as a selection of their essays and short stories. This was accompanied by a period of archival research studying the original publication context of the source material, and also contemporary press coverage of some of the issues raised. It was discovered that the Man Alone fulfilled two functions in romance fiction, notably in examining the destabilisation of traditional assertions of identity that resulted from Britain's imperial experiences, and also in dramatising the shift from theology to science as the authorising discourse of British society that happened in the wake of the publication of Darwin's On the Origin of Species. The Man Alone can thus be argued to be critical to the popular interpretation of the major political and philosophical shifts of late nineteenth century society. The romance revival itself, therefore, should be read as having played a formative role in the emergence of a Modernist literary culture, with Stevenson, Kipling and Wells playing significant roles alongside Conrad in this process.


Background & Aim: The purpose of this study was to evaluate and compare the pain of patients with spondylolisthesis who had undergone either of the surgery techniques: posterolateral fusion (PLF) or posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF). Methods & Materials/Patients: In a prospective observational study, 102 surgical candidates with low grade degenerative and isthmic spondylolisthesis were enrolled from 2012 to 2014. The observed patients were into two groups: PLF and PLIF. Assessing of pain has been done by a questionnaire using Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) scores. The questionnaire was completed by all patients before surgery, the day after surgery, after six months and after one year. Results: There were no statistically significant differences in terms of age and sex distribution, type of spondylolisthesis and pre-operation pain between groups (p>0.05). Comparison of the mean VAS scores of two groups over the whole study period showed a significant statistical difference (p-value 0.05), but the difference of mean VAS scores between groups 6 months after surgery was statistically significant (p<0.05). Analyzing the course of VAS scores over the study period showed a descending pattern for either of the groups (p<0.0001). Conclusion: Both surgical fusion techniques (PLF & PLIF) showed to be effective in treating low grade degenerative and isthmic spondylolisthesis, but PLIF was related to better outcome with respect to pain control.


Passenger incidence (station arrival) behavior has been studied primarily to understand how changes to a transit service will affect passenger waiting times. The impact of one intervention (e.g., increasing frequency) could be overestimated when compared with another (e.g., improving reliability), depending on the assumption of incidence behavior. Understanding passenger incidence allows management decisions to be based on realistic behavioral assumptions. Earlier studies on passenger incidence chose their data samples from stations with a single service pattern such that the linking of passengers to services was straightforward. This choice of data samples simplifies the analysis but heavily limits the stations that can be studied. In any moderately complex network, many stations may have more than one service pattern. This limitation prevents the method from being systematically applied to the whole network and constrains its use in practice. This paper considers incidence behavior in stations with heterogeneous services and proposes a method for estimating incidence headway and waiting time by integrating disaggregate smartcard data with published timetables using schedule-based assignment. This method is applied to stations in the entire London Overground to demonstrate its practicality; incidence behavior varies across the network and across times of day and reflects headways and reliability. Incidence is much less timetable-dependent on the North London Line than on the other lines because of shorter headways and poorer reliability. Where incidence is timetable-dependent, passengers reduce their mean scheduled waiting time by more than 3 min compared with random incidence.


Fusion and fission of biological membranes play a crucial role in intracellular transport. Until recently, it was believed that membrane shape transformations involved in these processes are driven by proteins. However, recent evidence shows that lipids, by themselves, can drive membrane deformations. It has been hypothesized that the localized formation of certain lipids changes elastic properties of a membrane in such a way that the membrane deforms spontaneously. This study represents a step towards a systematic investigation of the role of various lipids in local changes of membrane elastic properties. We use coarse-grained molecular dynamics (CGMD) simulations to determine possible effects of addition of phosphatidylinositol-4-phosphate (PI4P) lipids on elastic properties of dipalmitoyl phosphatidyl choline (DPPC) lipid bilayers. We investigate the splay (bending) and the molecular tilt moduli of mixed DPPC/PI4P bilayers, as well as the line tension between domains of pure DPPC and mixed DPPC/PI4P bilayers. Although our results indicate negligible effects of PI4P on elastic properties of DPPC bilayers, the developed methodology can be applied to a wide range of lipid systems.


Small cryptic fishes represent over 50% of fishes on coral reefs. Yet our knowledge of them lags far behind that of larger species and their significance to coral reef ecosystems remains unclear. Vastly different in their ecology due to their small size, this thesis examines their community structure and identifies key life history features that highlight their unique ecological status. These results are combined to model the relative contribution of small cryptic fishes to reef fish assemblages and define their significance to coral reef ecosystems.

Small-scale clove oil samples (0.4m2) were used to quantify the spatial distribution of small (< 10cm) cryptic fishes across reef zones and microhabitats at both exposed and sheltered reefs. Marked variation in abundance, species numbers, size-class distribution and community composition were found among reef zones at exposed sites; in contrast, comparatively little among-zone variation was found at sheltered sites. At exposed sites, there was a strong trend of declining abundance, species numbers and larger body sizes with increasing wave energy; whereas at sheltered sites, microhabitat type played a more important role. There was little taxonomic overlap between sheltered and exposed reefs even of highly abundant species. Overall, wave energy was found to play a pivotal role in the spatial distribution of this community with microhabitat type playing a significant, yet secondary role.

Contrasting the life history (LH) characteristics of the most abundant genus (Eviota: 3 species of Gobiidae) at the two study sites with those of existing coral reef fishes in a meta-analysis revealed vastly different LH features. Otolith analysis revealed rapid linear growth trajectories and extremely short maximum life spans of < 100 days (E. queenslandica 99 days; E. melasma 97 days and E. sigillata at 59 days - the shortest recorded lifespan for any vertebrate). Although settlement marks on otoliths disclosed unremarkable pelagic larval durations (PLDs) of 24 - 26 days, this represented 24 - 42% of their total lifespan. The complete lack of response in shortening PLDs to compensate for such short life spans suggests that developmental constraints may be the primary determinant of PLDs in coral reef fishes. Histological examinations indicated that Eviota mature at an earlier than expected size and showed a strong female bias in their sex ratios (1 ♂:1.4 - 1.7 ♀) indicating the possibility of protogyny or harem keeping by males. A field tagging study indicated remarkably high daily mortality rates of 7- 8% which closely matched otolith-based estimates of 4-7% d-1.

An experimental breeding study using E. sigillata revealed a frequent semi-lunar spawning pattern and batch sizes of 108-163 eggs. Although small in comparison to those of larger species, the frequency of spawning events coupled with generational turnover rates of 47 days indicated potential annual offspring production to be orders of magnitude higher than that of much larger reef fish species. Collectively, these LH attributes revealed how the smallest of reef fish size-classes respond to their vastly different ecological environments and highlight the extensive range and versatility of coral reef fish evolutionary strategies.

The relative contribution of the small cryptic group to reef fish assemblages was examined using visual censuses of 14 coral reef fish families. In total, data on 58,944 fish were utilized over five reef zones providing 86g m-2 of biomass. The clear trend among size-class distributions was one of rapidly decreasing densities with increasing size. Small cryptic fishes represented 45-90% of the numbers of individuals across reef zones with a reef average contribution of 67%. Among families, the numerical dominance of the Gobiidae was evident (11m-2 ± 1.4SE) with significant contributions made by the Pomacentridae, Apogonidae, Blenniidae, Labridae and Tripterygiidae. For biomass, the Acanthuridae made the largest contribution (35g m-2 ± 11.6SE) followed by the Pomacentridae, Scaridae and Serranidae. Small cryptic families made up < 3%.

To examine the implications of taxa-specific growth rates in the energy dynamics of coral reef systems, a community growth model was produced. Sizespecific growth estimates for all genera censused were calculated over a 7-day period. Overall, small cryptic fishes contributed 79.5% to reef fish assemblage patterns of growth in length and 14% to the period's total weight accumulation in grams. This cryptic contribution stands in marked contrast to the static biomass estimate presented above and highlights the significance of LH's in defining community and ecosystem energetics.

Overall, small cryptic fishes make a substantial contribution to coral reef communities but differ considerably from their larger counterparts in the way they achieve this. Demographic evidence of drastically shortened life spans, rapid linear growth and high turnover rates, coupled with high average abundances and rates of mortality suggests they play a significant role in the energetics of coral reefs. This addition of demographic information on small cryptic reef fishes emphasized this role, uncovered new extremes in vertebrate biology and showcases the rich potential for coral reef fishes to test general life history theory.


International Tables for Crystallography Volume F is an expert guide to macromolecular crystallography for the structural biologist. It was commissioned by the International Union of Crystallography in recognition of the extraordinary contributions that knowledge of macromolecular structure has made, and will make, to the analysis of biological systems, from enzyme catalysis to the workings of a whole cell. The volume covers all stages of a crystallographic analysis from the preparation of recombinant proteins, through crystallization, diffraction data collection, phase determination, structure validation and structure analysis. Although the volume is written for experienced scientists, it is recognized that the reader is more likely to be a biologist interested in structure than a classical crystallographer interested in biology. Thus, there are chapters on the fundamentals, history and current perspectives of macromolecular crystallography, as well as on useful programs and databases such as the Protein Data Bank. Each chapter is written by one or more internationally recognized experts. This second edition features 19 new articles and many articles from the first edition have been revised. The new articles cover topics such as standard definitions for quality indicators, expression of membrane proteins, protein engineering, high-throughput crystallography, radiation damage, merohedral twinning, low-resolution ab initio phasing, robotic crystal loading, whole-cell X-ray diffraction imaging and halogen interactions in biological crystal structures. There are also new articles on relevant software, including software for electron microscopy. These enhancements will ensure that Volume F continues to be a key reference for macromolecular crystallographers and structural biologists.


Ocean acidification, caused by the uptake of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere, is impacting many marine organisms. This dissertation investigated the effects of direct exposure and parental acclimation to simulated ocean acidification on the larval stages of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua, L.). For this, ocean acidification levels predicted for the year 2100 were applied on cod eggs from hatch to 36 days post hatch in in vivo laboratory experiments. The direct exposure experiment clearly showed that Atlantic cod larvae were severely affected by simulated ocean acidification on a phenotypic level (chapter 1). Changes in growth, bone and gill development as well as increased frequency of organ damages were observed under predicted ocean acidification levels compared to controls. Then, the underlying molecular phenotype was assessed, using whole transcriptome sequencing (RNA-Seq), to couple transcriptomic mechanisms to the observed phenotypes (chapter 2). Transcriptome analysis revealed 1413 differentially expressed genes in late larval stages, corresponding to the observed changes in growth and developmental patterns, leading to the conclusion that these changes represent an accelerated development under ocean acidification. Surprisingly, only few genes (3 and 16, respectively) were differentially expressed in the early larval stages. An experiment set to address the effects of long-term parental acclimation (5 month) was performed to assess whether or not this kind of acclimation can mediate the identified detrimental direct effects on the larvae (chapter 3). However, none of the previously observed phenotypes under ocean acidification were found in this experiment, making it impossible to draw any conclusion on the effectiveness of parental acclimation on larval susceptibility to simulated ocean acidification. A concluding meta-analysis between experiments shows that the larvae of Atlantic Cod are to be considered vulnerable to simulated ocean acidification.


New products are launched in the market every day, this means that the
companies have to first prepare the launch strategy and then implement it. As a
consequence, due to the lack of experience or a lack of awareness of the
importance of the product launch, the product hits the market with a very low
impact and of course not bringing profit to the company.
Knowing the importance of the product launch, in this project we analyze how
the company Hilti, launches the new products with the objective to find out
areas of improvement. In order to have the best chances and opinion about
Hilti's product launches, I worked 7 month within the Marketing Team in the
Drilling and Demolitions Business Unit.
Thus, first of all, we start this project by setting the targets of the product launch
which helps to locate the important outputs of a product launch in a direct sales
environment. Afterwards, we present all the important topics within a product
launch under the theoretical point of view. We believe that knowing what the
experts are saying about the different aspects of the product launch will help us
to be more consistent during the Hilti product launch analysis.
Once the theory is known, we analyze the Hilti product launch process with the
objective to compare theory against reality. All the information presented in this
project is taken from the launch of one new Hilti product, TE-CX drill bit.
Therefore, the quality of the data is assured and together with all the interviews
to the Product Managers, the project presents a really realistic product launch.
When theory and reality come together, immediately we have to comparison,
and consequently the improvement suggestions. Finally, we go back to the
beginning and check if the Hilti product launch with the improvement
suggestions meet the targets settled in the beginning of the project.


The last 2 decades have witnessed a dramatic increase in the use of patent citation data in social science research. Facilitated by digitization of the patent data and increasing computing power, a community of practice has grown up that has developed methods for using these data to: measure attributes of innovations such as impact and originality; to trace flows of knowledge across individuals, institutions and regions; and to map innovation networks. The objective of this article is threefold. First, it takes stock of these main uses. Second, it discusses 4 pitfalls associated with patent citation data, related to office, time and technology, examiner, and strategic effects. Third, it highlights gaps in our understanding and offers directions for future research.


This note examines the intersection of law and technology as it relates to the issue of revenge porn.  Revenge porn comes in many forms but most commonly refers to the online posting of sexually explicit photos or videos of past lovers, without their consent, after the relationship has ended.  The author explains how the current legal framework has left many victims without legal recourse to punish those who have posted their intimate photos or videos without consent, and few options to have their images removed from the internet once they have been posted.  The note argues that in order to protect victims, states should make laws to criminalize the posting of revenge porn and the Communications Decency Act should be amended to give victims the power to have their images removed from websites.


The objectives were to evaluate the associations of lying time (LT) during the first 14 d in milk (DIM) with milk yield, cyclicity (CYC), culling within 60 DIM (CULL), and reproductive performance of lactating dairy cows. A total of 1,052 Holstein cattle (401 nulliparous heifers and 651 parous cows) from 3 commercial dairy farms had electronic data loggers (IceQube, IceRobotics, Edinburgh, UK) placed on a hind leg 14 ± 3 d before the expected parturition date and removed at 14 ± 3 DIM to assess their LT. Serum concentrations of β-hydroxybutyrate were determined at 7 ± 3 and 14 ± 3 DIM. Cases of retained placenta, metritis, mastitis, pneumonia, and digestive disorders within 30 DIM were recorded and lactating cows were categorized into 1 of 4 groups: (1) nondiseased (ND, n = 613; cows without ketosis or any other diagnosed health condition); (2) cows with only ketosis (KET, n = 152); (3) sick cows experiencing ≥1 health conditions but without ketosis (SICK, n = 198); or (4) cows with ketosis plus ≥1 health condition (KET+, n = 61). Ultrasound was performed at 28 ± 3 and 42 ± 3 DIM to assess ovarian cyclicity (presence or absence of corpus luteum). Milk yield at first Dairy Herd Improvement Association test was not associated with LT during the first 14 DIM, but it was negatively correlated with the coefficient of variation of LT during the first 14 DIM. Lactating dairy cows experiencing KET+ had the lowest milk yield compared with ND, regardless of parity. Parity, health status, and season were significantly associated with CYC and CULL. Lying time had a significantly linear association with the risk of being culled: for every 1-h increment of LT during 0 to 14 DIM, the risk of culling within 60 DIM increased by 1 percentage point. Lying time had a negative quadratic association with cyclicity at 42 DIM. Multiparous cows with a LT of 9 to 13 h/d had a significantly greater probability of pregnancy up to 300 DIM compared with cows with a LT >13 h/d. Regardless of parity, KET+ cows had significantly higher proportion of culling within 60 DIM and decreased probability of pregnancy up to 300 DIM compared with ND cows. These findings suggest that there is an optimum daily LT range for early postpartum cows housed in freestall barns, different from that reported for mid-lactation cows, with the potential for improved survival, health, and the overall performance (milk yield and reproduction).


Multi-view video transmission poses great challenges because of its data size and dimension. Therefore, how to design efficient 3D scene representations and coding (of luminance and geometry) has become a critical research topic. Recently, the graph-based representation (GBR) is introduced, which provides a lossless compression of multi-view geometry by connecting informative pixels among views. This representation has been shown as a promising alternative to the classical depth-based representation, where the view synthesis accuracy is hard to control. In this work, we study the luminance compression under GBR, which is not well considered in existing literature. With a proper structural reformulation, we show that the graph-based transform can be applied on the GBR paradigm, hence better extracting the correlation among pixels along graph connections. Moreover, we extend the popular SPIHT coding scheme to further improve coding efficiency. The experimental results show that our method leads to better RD coding performance as compared the classical luminance coding algorithms.


HARYANTO YATAP. The Influence of Socio-economic Variables on Landuse and Landcover Change in Gunung Halimun Salak National Park. Under direction of HARDJANTO and LILIK BUDI PRASETYO. Gunung Halimun Salak is one of national park in Indonesia, located in West Java and Banten Province. In 2003, government has expanded its area by more than 70000 hectares. It caused a lot of conflicts between local communities and national park officials. Many case studies showed that the local communities has used the natural resources for construction materials, fuel wood, medicine, food, cultural needs, forages, hunting, handicraft, gold mining, agriculture land, and settlement. There was clear evidence that in Gunung Halimun Salak National Park, during 15 years period (1989-2004), forest cover area decreased by more than 25%. The objectives of the research are: 1) to identify socio-economic variables causing landuse and landcover change; 2) to estimate influence of key socio-economic variables; 3) to estimate the need of agricultural land and settlement for local communities; and 4) to estimate the direct benefit value of the national park. Selection of sampling location was used by stratified cluster sampling. Socio-economic data collected from interviews with 900 head of households which lived in 30 villages in and around the national park. The technique of data processing analysis were done using spatial analysis, descriptive analysis, linear regression analysis, population pressure analysis, and substitution and market price analysis. The result of analysis showed that the population growth, population density, land ownership, agricultural land and settlement expansion are the key variables that influenced landuse and landcover change. The need of agricultural land was 0.54 hectares per person, and the direct benefit value of the national park was more than IDR 237 billion per year.


In the 1980's a dramatic increase in graduate and school leaver
unemployment in Morocco, raised the question of the relevance of
education. Education was often blamed by policy-makers and
employers for graduate unemployment and for the mismatch between
supply and demand observed in the labour market. In this context,
the state launched a reform of vocational training aimed at
developing the vocational and practical training supposedly needed
by the private sector and the economy. But the reform has failed
to meet its objectives. Why ?
This general problem is explored through three broad research
questions:
1. To what extent does vocational training policy address 1-ne
problem of youth unemployment in Morocco?
2. What are the socio-economic factors which affect and determine
employment/unemployment of vocationally trained graduates in
Morocco?
3. To what extent does evidence from the Moroccan labour market
confirm or modify a segmented approach to vocational training
and labour market recruitment?
The field work for this research consisted mainly of an extensive
documentary search on the educational and vocational training
systems and the Moroccan labour market, and two case studies using
primary data on training systems and recruitment in two
contrasting segments of the labour market. These were agricultural
schools and employment in large-scale private sector farming and
a training centre for educational planners and school advisors and
civil service employment.
Chapter 1 presents the problem and a literature review of the
relationship between education and work. Chapter 2 proposes a
segmented framework to the Moroccan Labour market. At this stage
of building knowledge on the Moroccan labour market, the segmented
framework suggested in this thesis appeared relevant to the
employment of vocationally trained graduates. Chapter 2 also
presents the rationale and working propositions for the research.
Chapters 3 and 4 describe the educational and vocational training
systems, and the labour market and employment in Morocco
respectively. Chapter 5 presents the method and techniques used in
the field work. Chapters 6 and 7 present case studies of
graduates from agricultural schools and the agricultural segment
of employment: and educational planners and school advisors and
their related employment. Chapter 8 supplements the two case
studies with a survey of recruitment agencies and newspaper
announcements. Chapter 9 synthesises the findings of the research,
and draws some theoretical implications.
Overall the thesis suggests that job prospects are limited and
that an adequate understanding of relations between education,
training and the labour market requires an appreciation of the
context within which those relations occur. Three aspects of that
context are highlighted: (i) general economic trends affecting
job creation; (ii) attitude of employers; (iii) variations
between segments of employment in (i) and (ii).


Using data, at the investor level, on the allocations of shares in initial public offerings (IPOs), we document a strong positive relationship between the amount of stock-trading commission and the number of shares an investor receives in a subsequent IPO. We find no evidence to support the idea that investment banks allocate shares to investors that are perceived to be long-term investors. Our findings are consistent with the view that investment banks are able to capture some of the profits earned by investors when participating in underpriced IPOs.


Film adaptations of novels often visually display in a few shots what is described in many pages of the source novel. In this paper we present a new problem: to align book chapters with video scenes. Such an alignment facilitates finding differences between the adaptation and the original source, and also acts as a basis for deriving rich descriptions from the novel for the video clips. We propose an efficient method to compute an alignment between book chapters and video scenes using matching dialogs and character identities as cues. A major consideration is to allow the alignment to be non-sequential. Our suggested shortest path based approach deals with the non-sequential alignments and can be used to determine whether a video scene was part of the original book. We create a new data set involving two popular novel-to-film adaptations with widely varying properties and compare our method against other text-to-video alignment baselines. Using the alignment, we present a qualitative analysis of describing the video through rich narratives obtained from the novel.


Severe poverty is a major global problem about risk and inequality. What, if any, is the relationship between equality, fairness and responsibility in an unequal world? I argue for four conclusions. The first is the moral urgency of severe poverty. We have too many global neighbours that exist in a state of emergency and whose suffering is intolerable. The second is that severe poverty is a problem concerning global injustice that is relevant, but not restricted, to questions about responsibility. If none were responsible, this does not eliminate all compelling claims to provide assistance. The third is that severe poverty represents an inequality too far; it is a condition of extremity with denial of basic needs. The fourth is that there is a need for an approach that captures all relevant cases—and the capabilities approach and the connection theory of remedial responsibilities are highlighted as having special promise.


Contribution by Craig Atkinson to the International Trade Centre report
This report offers policy advice to explore synergies between the WTO Trade Facilitation and Information Technology Agreements. These agreements reinforce each other, and can boost trade. Used well, policymakers can set in motion technology-based national trade facilitation reforms, especially for customs processes.

ITC produced this report in cooperation with Huawei Technologies. It encourages the use of ICT tools and schemes such as the Authorized Economic Operator. These reduce costs and time for small firms, and help them be competitive in regional and global markets.


Program slicing is applied to the software maintenance problem by extending the notion of a program slice (that originally required both a variable and line number) to a decomposition slice, one that captures all computation on a given variable, i.e., is independent of line numbers. Using the lattice of single variable decomposition slices ordered by set inclusion, it is shown how a slice-based decomposition for programs can be formed. One can then delineate the effects of a proposed change by isolating those effects in a single component of the decomposition. This gives maintainers a straightforward technique for determining those statements and variables which may be modified in a component and those which may not. Using the decomposition, a set of principles to prohibit changes which will interfere with unmodified components is provided. These semantically consistent changes can then be merged back into the original program in linear time. >


In this paper, the authors report on the fabrication and characterization of poly-methylmethacrylate (PMMA) buried channel waveguides. The waveguides were fabricated using an emerging lithographic technique known as proton-beam writing. Depending on the proton fluence used, two different waveguide-formation mechanisms are possible. Single-mode waveguides with the light confinement occurring at the end of range were fabricated using fluences <75 nC/mm2. The refractive-index profiles of these single-mode waveguides were recovered using the propagation mode near-field method. For fluences >100 nC/mm2, multimode waveguides may also be fabricated with the light confinement occurring beneath the end of range. The compaction of the PMMA surface after proton irradiation was investigated using an atomic force microscope. The propagation losses of these PMMA waveguides were also determined


Author(s): Pham, Liem Trung | Advisor(s): Jung, Heejung | Abstract: The public raises concerns about the exposure to particulate matter (PM) which has been strongly associated with illness and mortality. However, most of the studies relied on the measurements from stationary monitoring sites, which cannot capture the actual PM exposure for those at or near the source. In this study, both stationary and comprehensive mobile monitoring platforms were developed to measure PM concentration and traffic conditions on some major highways in Southern California. The main objective is to develop a set of alternative metrics that measure particle concentrations as well as particle size. Measurement of particle size distributions are useful but doing so to monitor a wide region is not practical. The use of a particle counter and a diffusion charger was investigated as a relatively simple means to measure spatiotemporally-resolved particle concentrations over a wide region using a mobile platform. While the condensation particle counter and electrical aerosol detector respectively measure particle number and particle active surface area concentrations, the ratio of surface area over number provides an additional information of particle size which is important for particle transport. Particle size distributions measured by scanning mobility particle sizer during ambient monitoring were used to verify the concept. The study found that alternative metrics (number, surface area, and ratio of surface area over number) can be used to monitor spatiotemporally resolved particle concentrations over a wide region.Gravimetric sampling methods on a chassis dynamometer were studied in accordance to Code of Federal Regulations. This study evaluated commercially available partial flow dilutors with a focus on their equivalency with the standard constant volume sampler system and the ability to provide reproducible measurements at low PM emission levels. As PM standards for light-duty vehicles are becoming more stringent, improving the confidence and understanding the mass measurement methods become one of the main goals for the industry and regulatory agencies. Simultaneous testing was conducted with three partial flow dilutors over the Federal Test Procedure and US06 drive cycles. The Federal Test Procedure had means that were statistically different for two of the three partial flow dilutors. As for the US06 tests, the mean differences were not statistically different. The performance of all partial flow dilutors also showed repeatable and accurate level of proportionality, which could easily meet the Code of Federal Regulations 1066 and 1065 requirements for all tests performed.


In the article main principles of ballistocardiography are considered. Special attention is paid to registration of the spatial ballistocardiogramm. There exist two principles of ballistocardiography: dynamic and seismic. In the event of dynamic ballistocardiography body displacements align to an extent with shifting of the general center of body gravity. Ideal conditions for ballistocardiogram acquisition could be reached if rigidity of internal body relations had an infinitely large value, while rigidity of external relations was nearing the zero. Then displacements of the entire body would depend only on the forces imparted by the cardiovascular system. Microgravity is the only environment providing these ideal conditions for ballistocardiography. Microgravity allows effective application of the dynamic BCG principle to recording pulse-induced body movements corresponding to the center of mass displacements. This kindled interest of the first researchers in space medicine in ballistocardiographic investigations during space flight. Since free flying requires enough space, the investigations became possible only with construction of orbital stations. The first in-space ballistocardiogram was recorded on December 26, 1977 from Yu. Romanenko, commander of the first expedition to the Russian OS Salyut-6. The data about ballistocardiographic researches at orbital stations Salyut and MIR which were conducted to 70-90th years is presented. The first attempt the spatial ballistocardiogramm registration has been made in 1984 during the Soviet Indian flight on OS Salyut-7. The first records spatial ballistocardiogramm have been made during space experiment "Vector" on OS the MIR in 1990. New experiment "Cardiovector" on the ISS is being prepared for 2014-16.


Transoral endoscopic thyroid surgery seems to be the logical consequence in the evolution of thyroid surgery. Animal and cadaver studies have shown that different endoscopic techniques can be performed in a safe and successful way. Presently, the minimally invasive aspect and cosmetic advantage seem to be the most important factor for the patients. However, even if these procedures are feasible in patients, the transoral access must still be considered as experimental. In this study then we aim at comparing the available literature on transoral thyroid surgery with our own experience in this field. The access itself needs to be further refined, and even more suitable and better adapted instruments need to be developed so that optimal and safe results that meet all requirements on endocrine surgery can be achieved and all requirements for endocrine surgery are met. The transoral thyroidectomy should only be performed in highly specialized centres for endocrine and endoscopic surgery. As an alternative, a combination with endoscopic non-transoral techniques-so called hybrid techniques-might be useful for our patients.


Abstract To evaluate outcomes and prognostic markers among children with relapsed Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) treated with autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT), we conducted a retrospective analysis of 36 consecutive pediatric patients treated at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center from 1989 to 2013. With a median follow-up of 9.6 years, the 10-year overall survival (OS) and event-free survival (EFS) were 74.1 and 67.1% respectively. Absence of B-symptoms, chemotherapy-sensitive disease, and transplant date after 1997 were each associated with superior EFS [HR 0.12 (p = .0015), 0.18 (p = .0039), and 0.17 (p = .0208), respectively]. Childhood Hodgkin International Prognostic Score at relapse (R-CHIPS) was calculated in a subset of patients (n = 22) and a lower score was associated with improved OS (HR 0.29, p = .0352) and a trend toward improved EFS (HR 0.38, p = .0527). In summary, ASCT results in durable remission for the majority of pediatric patients with relapsed HL. R-CHIPS should be evaluated in larger cohorts as a potential predictive tool.


The economic importance of lameness in dairy cattle has newly been recognized in Turkey. Lameness incidence in Turkey has been reported to be between 13% and 58%, which is similar to that of other countries where 4% and 55% incidence rates have been reported. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of sole lesions associated with subclinical laminitis in the hooves of dairy cattle in Van, Turkey. The risk factors for subclinical laminitis are proposed and discussed. The soles 205 selected dairy cattle were examined. The lesions were determined as solar hemorrhage (61.4%), yellow waxy discoloration (58.5%), heel erosion (23.9%) and white line separation (19%). The sole lesions in cattle were widespread both before and after calving; causative factors must always have been operative. In conclusion, it is thought that husbandry and management are more influential than nutrition in the prevalence of subclinical laminitis in Turkey.


The present study aims at investigating the effect of face yarn linear density and back layer fibre type on the liquid transfer properties and drying behavior of single jersey plated knitted fabrics. Fabrics knitted with coarser yarns exhibit high water absorbency, slow drying capability (characterized by lower water evaporation percentage) and appear to be unsuitable for high activity levels. Polypropylene/cotton fabric is found to be the preferred choice at high activity levels owing to lower water absorption, higher trans planar wicking and higher water evaporation percentage. Plated fabrics with nylon in the next to skin layer show high water absorption, poor trans planar wicking and slow drying capability. Nylon/cotton fabrics are, therefore, found to be ineffective in providing dry microclimate next to skin and may not be suitable at high activity levels.


Abstract As one increases the heating power in a tokamak beyond a threshold, the confinement undergoes a bifurcation, with a dramatic increase in the confinement time by a factor ~2. This improved confinement regime, or H-mode, is primarily due to the formation of an insulating region at the plasma edge, where steep pressure gradients can form. A feature of H-mode operation is a series of explosive plasma eruptions, called Edge Localised Modes, or ELMs. They repeatedly expel large amounts of energy and particles from the plasma, with serious consequences for the heat loads that plasma facing components must be designed to handle. The present understanding of these ELMs in terms of ideal magneto-hydrodynamic instabilities will be reviewed in this paper.


The (A) case describes the evolution between 1999 and 2005 of an unusual innovation team within the office of the chief information officer at oil and gas giant BP. This team helped business units conceive, develop, and implement novel, value-added applications for emerging information technologies. The team leader, vice president and chief technology officer Phiroz Darukhanavala ("Daru"), eschewed a large group and venture budget in favor of a small, lean team intimately engaged with BP's business units. The case describes several mechanisms created by the CTO office during its early evolution: "Blue Chalk" events that expanded executives' appreciation of emerging technology capabilities, a network of relationships through which emerging technologies were scouted and vetted, a structured technology transfer process, and annual "game-changer" projects.

The (B) case describes how the CTO office team members in 2011 again solicited advice from their ecosystem of thought leaders and held workshops to significantly enhance their impact. As a result, they began developing solutions for broader, more fundamental business problems that came to be known as Grand Challenges: extremely difficult business problems whose solutions could potentially create hundreds of millions—or billions—of dollars in business value.

After reading and analyzing the case, students will be able to:

Understand the management challenges associated with realizing the business value of new technologies

Explore how innovation management evolves as an innovation team learns from its successes and failures and, more importantly, builds a reputation within and outside the company

Examine a prototypical "advocate" model of corporate entrepreneurial practice

Explore a leading example of a successful internal innovation program


A cultivation method was developed to enable exposure of ectomycorrhizal plants with intact extramatrical mycelium to solutions containing different concentrations of aluminium or heavy metals. Pinus sylvestris seedlings colonized by Suillus variegatus (two isolates), Rhizopogon roseolus or Paxillus involutus (two isolates) were used. Seedlings were transferred to Petri dishes containing glass beads and exposed to elevated concentrations of Al, Cd, Cu, or Ni in two ways: immediately following transfer; and after allowing mycorrhizal seedlings to develop an extraradical mycelium that colonized the interface between the upper surface of the beads and the metal- containing solution. Production of organic acids in mycorrhizal and non-mycorrhizal systems was measured by withdrawing samples from the solution and analyzing by HPLC. In most experiments, levels of oxalic acid were significantly higher in mycorrhizal treatments than in non-mycorrhizal controls. The measured levels of organic acids were variable, but the results obtained suggest that production of oxalic acid is stimulated by exposure to elevated Al in mycorrhizal seedlings colonized by S. variegatus and R. roseolus. Elevated Al concentrations also increased oxalic acid production by non-mycorrhizal seedlings significantly in two of four Al experiments performed, but the measured concentrations were significantly lower than in corresponding mycorrhizal treatments in both cases. Malonic acid was found in the culture solution of non-mycorrhizal and P. involutus- colonized seedlings, but only trace amounts were found in S. variegatus or R. roseolus-infected seedlings. Citric, shikimic, lactic, acetic, propionic, fumaric, formic, iso-butyric and butyric acid were found in variable concentrations. Production of oxalic acid by seedlings colonized by S. variegatus BL or P. involutus was not stimulated by exposure to 0.44 μM Cd or 17 μM Ni. Exposure to 0.157 mM Cu in two separate experiments using P. involutus 87.017 and two strains of S. variegatus (BL and I59) appeared to stimulate production of oxalic acid irrespective of mycorrhizal status or species.


This paper tries to clarify activities of the Indonesian Azharis in contemporary Cairo focusing on (1) the interactions within the Indonesian communities and (2) their relationships with Egyptian society. Though hundreds of students from Indonesia has been flowing into the Azhar university little has been written on this issue. The paper clarified that (1) Indonesian students were reproducing their Indonesian lifestyles within the regional organizations. These geographic divides, however, were overcame by some extracurricular activities: publishing the periodics and discussions. Through these activities the students recognized diversities of Indonesian Islam. Simultaneously the paper depict that (2) while the majority of the students were weak to adapt with environment of Cairo, some students were willing to communicate with the society. It can be pointed out that both experiences fostered their nation identity as Indonesian. It is in Cairo that Indonesian students recognize the diversities of Indonesian Islam and enhance their national identity.


Supply chain consists of doing the job from point of initiation to point of consumption by effectively and efficiently. Because of the recently changed environmental circumstances that affect manufacturing and delivering process, growing attention is given to the development of Green management strategies for Supply chain. This insane and cut throat competition among companies has forced and pushed the manufacturing and FMCG sectors to revamp and reorient their strategies, procedures, approaches and policies to achieve and gain a competitive edge in their operations and competitive advantage in throughout their supply chain network. In FMCG companies or process industries preferences can change with the blink of an eye. Changing customer demands, customers' tastes towards different products, massive amount of substitute products, the shift of masses towards branded products, changing priorities of suppliers', competition most importantly and the ever-changing technological shifts in the business worlds are all the erratic factors that are present in the environment to somehow positively and negatively impact and hinder the performance of manufacturing and FMCG companies. The purpose of the green supply at restricting the waste within the manufacturing system so as to jam energy and prevent the indulgence of detrimental materials into the environment. Researchers in study on drivers of green supply chain are disapproved for its narrow perspectives and lack of industrial relevance. So, it is a real need to find improved processes for adaptation and implementation of Green practices and green image in FMCG industries. In current scenario, the Green SCOR Model gain the importance as it is a major tool for supply chain Green Initiative. The aim of the paper is to be examining the Green Practices in the selected Pakistani FMCG.
Better drivers mentioned in the research were green design, integrated quality environmental management into the development and operation process, reducing energy consumption, and reusing and recycling resources and packing drivers.


This paper presents a new compiler optimization algorithm that parallelizes applications for symmetric, shared-memory multiprocessors. The algorithm considers data locality, parallelism, and the granularity of parallelism. It uses dependence analysis and a simple cache model to drive its optimizations. It also optimizes across procedures by using interprocedural analysis and transformations. We validate the algorithm by hand-applying it to sequential versions of parallel, Fortran programs operating over dense matrices. The programs initially were hand-coded to target a variety of parallel machines using loop parallelism. We ignore the user's parallel loop directives, and use known and implemented dependence and interprocedural analysis to find parallelism. We then apply our new optimization algorithm to the resulting program. We compare the original parallel program to the hand-optimized program, and show that our algorithm improves three programs, matches four programs, and degrades one program in our test suite on a shared-memory, bus-based parallel machine with local caches. This experiment suggests existing dependence and interprocedural array analysis can automatically detect user parallelism, and demonstrates that user parallelized codes often benefit from our compiler optimizations, providing evidence that we need both parallel algorithms and compiler optimizations to effectively utilize parallel machines. Index Terms—Program parallelization, parallelization techniques, program optimization, data locality, restructuring compilers, performance evaluation. ——————————F——————————


Trace element compositions of clinopyroxene and oxidation state measurements are both useful parameters for constraining metasomatic interactions within the subcontinental lithospheric mantle (SCLM). Laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry analyses of trace elements in clinopyroxene in combination with oxidation state data from the same samples provide a fuller picture of the metasomatic processes that occurred within the SCLM below the French Massif Central (FMC). A total of 89 spinel peridotite xenoliths from 39 localities across the FMC document variable degrees of partial melting and metasomatism at both regional and local scales. According to the degree of enrichment in light rare earth elements (LREE) and middle rare earth elements (MREE) in clinopyroxene, four main groups (A, B, C and D) are identified. Variations in other trace element concentrations are consistent with these groups. LREE enrichment correlates with a tendency to higher oxygen fugacity (fO2). These characteristics, along with their Ti/Eu–Zr/Hf systematics, are useful in assessing the different metasomatic agents that have interacted with the FMC SCLM. The behaviour of Lu and Hf additionally provides a means for distinguishing secondary clinopyroxene grains from those that have been overprinted. Most samples have been affected by cryptic metasomatism and different signatures indicate interaction with different types of metasomatic agent. Modal metasomatism is apparent by the presence of amphibole or secondary clinopyroxene. The lack of any notable trace element or redox signature related to the occurrence of amphibole suggests that it formed from small amounts of dilute H2O-rich fluids. Most samples from the northern sector of the FMC are fairly refractory and clinopyroxene exhibits a 'tick-shaped' REE signature (group D), consistent with metasomatism by subduction-related fluids during Variscan times. Such fluids were oxidizing (Δlog fO2 values > FMQ + 1, where FMQ is the fayalite–magnetite–quartz buffer) and responsible for LREE enrichment in clinopyroxene and low concentrations of the less mobile elements such as Ti, Eu, Zr and Hf. Clinopyroxene in several samples has very low Ti/Eu, elevated (La/Yb)N and suprachondritic Zr/Hf ratios, reflecting local carbonatite metasomatism. These samples also record oxidizing conditions, with Δlog fO2 values > FMQ + 1. Many other samples have clinopyroxenes with higher Ti/Eu and approximately chondritic Zr/Hf ratios, consistent with having undergone silicate melt metasomatism. Their chondrite-normalized REE element patterns vary from LREE-depleted to relatively flat (group A), indicating small but variable metasomatic enrichments in the more mobile elements, which can be attributed to chromatographic effects during reactive flow. The oxidation states of these samples record Δlog fO2 ∼ FMQ + 0·4 ± 0·5. Some samples have clinopyroxene with negative Zr and Hf anomalies and distinctly low Ti/Eu (<2000), but not as low as expected for carbonatite metasomatism. These may have interacted with carbonated-silicate melts, which also imposed somewhat elevated oxidation states (Δlog fO2 values up to ∼FMQ + 0·9). Some samples exhibit evidence for having been overprinted by more than one metasomatic event, in part indicated by two populations of geochemically distinct clinopyroxene. These samples, among others, also demonstrate that immobility of heavy REE (HREE) cannot be assumed when modeling the degree of melt extraction of strongly metasomatized peridotites. Addition of HREE by refertilization lowers the apparent degree of melting compared with calculations based upon Cr/(Cr + Al) in spinel. In other cases, a lowering of HREE concentrations via interaction with a low-HREE metasomatic agent produces higher apparent degrees of melting.


Two anaerobic, non-spore-forming, non-motile, Gram-negative-staining bacteria, strains YIT 12060(T) and YIT 12061(T), were isolated from human faeces. Cells of strain YIT 12060(T) were coccoid to rod-shaped with round ends, positive for catalase, negative for indole and oxidase production, produced succinic and acetic acids as end products of glucose metabolism in peptone/yeast extract/glucose medium and had a DNA G+C content of 55.2 mol%. The main respiratory quinones were MK-10 (40%) and MK-11 (57%). Fatty acid analysis demonstrated the presence of a high concentration of iso-C(15 : 0) (56%). Following 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, this strain was found to be most closely related to species of the genus Alistipes, with 90.9-92.6% gene sequence similarities to type strains of this species. Phylogenetic analysis and biochemical data supported the affiliation of strain YIT 12060(T) to the genus Alistipes of the family 'Rikenellaceae'. Strain YIT 12060(T) therefore represents a novel species of the genus Alistipes for which the name Alistipes indistinctus sp. nov. is proposed; the type strain is YIT 12060(T) (=DSM 22520(T)=JCM 16068(T)). Cells of the other isolate, strain YIT 12061(T), were pleomorphic rods that were asaccharolytic, catalase- and oxidase-negative, positive for gelatin hydrolysis and indole production, produced small amounts of succinic, acetic and iso-valeric acids as end products of metabolism in peptone/yeast extract medium and had a DNA G+C content of approximately 42.4 mol%. On the basis of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity values, this strain was shown to belong to the family 'Porphyromonadaceae' and related to the type strains of Odoribacter splanchnicus (89.6%) and Odoribacter denticanis (86.2%); similarity values with strains of recognized species within the family 'Porphyromonadaceae' were less than 84 %. Biochemical data supported the affiliation of strain YIT 12061(T) to the genus Odoribacter. Strain YIT 12061(T) therefore represents a novel species for which the name Odoribacter laneus sp. nov. is proposed; the type strain is YIT 12061(T) (=DSM 22474(T)=JCM 16069(T)).


"It has not been a well-kept secret. Anyone familiar with the law of products liability knows that [the Restatement (Second)] is out of date and requires revision." (1) "We conclude that [the Restatement (Third)] has no basis in the case law ... Accordingly, we do not adopt ... the Third Restatement." (2) INTRODUCTION In 1997, the American Law Institute ("ALI") adopted the Restatement (Third) of Torts: Products Liability ("Restatement (Third)"). (3) After over thirty years as the definitive, yet somewhat confusing road map along the products liability highway, the Restatement (Second) of Torts ("Restatement (Second)") was turned on its head. Before new case law involving the Restatement (Third) has been given a chance to develop, commentators have risen either to praise the Restatement (Third) as a clear guide to the chaotic products liability maze, (4) or to reject it as a pro-defense, industry-favoring curtailment of manufacturer liability. (5) Few disagree that the Restatement (Third) radically changes the nature of prescription drug design litigation. (6) Critics of the Restatement (Third) assert that the new standard sets a nearly impossibly high threshold for plaintiffs seeking to hold prescription drug manufacturers liable for defective design. (7) One court has agreed, describing the Restatement (Third) as setting a "[s]tandard that will never allow liability [for the defective design of prescription drugs]." (8) Some critics argue that the Restatement (Third) effects sweeping changes to prescription drug design litigation, and "comes very close to eliminating design defect claims altogether." (9) Other commentators argue that the Restatement (Third) is not a true "restatement" of the law at all, but rather a complete revision. (10) The Restatement (Third)'s reporters respond that these changes are not only justified, but necessary. (11) The failure of the Restatement (Second) in bringing about judicial uniformity has led courts to carve out their own respective "niches" in the law. (12) Due to evolving notions of strict liability and its application to prescription drug manufacturers, the analytical framework provided by the Restatement (Second) is hopelessly out of date. (13) According to the reporters, "Anyone familiar with the law of products liability knows that [the Restatement (Second)] requires revision." (14) Historically, safer alternative drug designs have often been unavailable. As a result, most prescription drug litigation has involved failure to warn and manufacturing defect claims, as opposed to claims that drugs have been defectively designed. (15) In the past two decades, however, courts have begun to take cognizance of design defect claims involving prescription drugs. (16) As courts are increasingly confronted with claims of defectively designed prescription drugs, they may look to the ALI for guidance on how to proceed. (17) Courts and commentators have long debated the proper judicial treatment of defective design claims involving prescription drugs. Some commentators have argued that prescription drugs, as a product category, are fundamentally different from other consumer products. (18) A number of courts have agreed, citing a public policy supporting the research and development of new prescription drugs, and have sought to limit prescription drug manufacturer liability for defective design. (19) Other courts have refused to create a bright-line distinction between all prescription drugs and other consumer products. (20) According to its reporters, the Restatement (Third) clarifies murky judicial doctrine and reconciles these competing viewpoints. (21) Whether the ALI properly balances the societal utility of developing new prescription drugs against the need for liability for defective drug designs has been hotly debated. Part I of this Note will trace the history and evolution of strict liability for defectively designed prescription drugs. …


Distributed systems are becoming an increasingly important part of systems and applications software and it is widely accepted that writing correct distributed systems is challenging. Message-passing concurrency models are the dominant programming paradigm and, even in statically typed languages, programming frameworks typically only have limited type checking support for messages, channels, and ports or mailboxes. In this paper, we present Kola, a language-level implementation of Kompics, a component model with message-passing concurrency. Kola comes with its own compiler and some special language constructs which extend Java's type system as necessary to enforce static type checking on messages, channels, and ports. We show that Kola improves the readability of Kompics code and removes opportunities to introduce bugs, at the cost of little compile time overhead and no runtime overhead.


Recent terrorist acts have contributed to change the design approach to critical infrastructures; in fact, malicious disruptions, blasts, or impacts have unfortunately become part of the possible load scenarios that could act on constructed facilities during their life spans. Hence, a sustainable design aims to ensure the satisfactory performance of the structure during its entire lifetime considering all the possible critical actions, which the structure could be subjected to, including severe dynamic load conditions. The evaluation of the actions on the structure in case of such events is fundamental but represents a critical concern, since uncertainty related to loads definition is often quite high, especially for blast actions. Furthermore, structural response in case of such severe dynamic actions represents a critical issue, since both mechanical properties of materials and dynamic behavior of structural elements under severe dynamic loads can be very different from that exhibited under static actions. Moreover, numerical procedures used to simulate high dynamic loading conditions on structures can suffer of lack of accuracy, due to the rate and the intensity of deformations occurring on structural elements. Hence specific investigations become necessary for all these concerns. In particular, the present work addresses the assessment and design of strategic structures which are to be subjected to multiple hazards during its lifetime, including severe dynamic events, especially blast. At this aim, the most critical issues related to the assessment and design of strategic infrastructures potentially subjected to high dynamic conditions, are discussed and analyzed. Given the uncertainty involved in characterizing the load conditions, it seems inevitable to address the design based on a probabilistic framework. The design can be addressed by limiting the probability of failure below a certain de-minimis risk level that is deemed acceptable by the society. Inevitably, evaluation of the probability of failure requires taking into account possible actions or hazards that the structure could be subjected to; in other words, it needs to be evaluated based on a multi-hazard approach. In details, a multi-hazard framework is proposed and implemented for a strategic reinforced concrete buildings subjected to both seismic and blast hazard. The methodology is described in Chapter I and applied to a case study. Then, a deep investigation is presented on mechanical properties of construction materials in case of dynamic loading conditions. In particular, the strain rate sensitiveness of such material is investigated through a wide experimental activity conducted at Dynamat Laboatory at University of Lugano, Switzerland. In details, results of research activities are presented for: • concrete, in Chapter II, • steel for concrete internal reinforcement, in Chapter III, • Neapolitan yellow tuff, a natural stone widely used in Neapolitan area for masonry structures, Chapter IV, • GFRP (glass fiber reinforced polymer), in Chapter V. A further critical issue related to numerical simulations in case of high dynamic loading conditions on structures. In fact, to address dynamic loading conditions on structural elements, a variety of numerical methods have been recently proposed in the literature; the objective is to address advanced mechanical problems, such as those involving rapid deformations, high intensity forces, large displacement fields. In many of these cases, in fact, classical finite element methods (FEM) suffer from mesh distortion, numerical spurious errors and, above all, mesh sensitiveness. Hence, to overcome such issues, a number of numerical methods, belonging to the family of the so-called meshless techniques, have been widely investigated and applied. The objective of employing these methods is to avoid the introduction of a mesh for the continuum, preferring a particle discretization, with the goal of obtaining an easier treatment of large and rapid displacements. Recently, a number of researchers have tried to extend meshless methods also to solid mechanics problems. Among the several meshless numerical methods proposed, particle methods and in particular Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) has been widely implemented and investigated. A revision of the most common SPH methods is presented in Chapter VI and a rigorous analysis of the error is conducted, focusing on 1D problems. A novel second-order accurate formulation is also proposed for 2D and 3D applications. A further issue is addressed in Chapter VII and is related to protection interventions to be introduced in structural design to minimize disruptive effects in case of malicious blast actions and guarantee the safety of the occupants. In particular, a GFRP porous barrier is developed as fencing structure to prevent malicious disruptions, provide a standoff distance in case of blast actions, and reduce the consequences of an impact. The proposed barrier provides protection through two contributions. First, its geometrical and mechanical characteristics ensure protection against intrusions and blast loads. Second, its shape provides a disruption of the blast shock wave, adding additional protection for structures and facilities located beyond it. The efficacy of the proposed barrier under blast loads is presented by showing the results of the blast tests conducted on full-size specimens with a focus on the reduction of the blast shock wave induced by the barrier. A simplified model is also proposed to predict the reduction of the blast pressure due to the porous barrier, providing a procedure to design the geometrical characteristics of the barrier.


Over the past years a number of studies have described the instability of the pigment cadmium yellow (CdS). In a previous paper we have shown how cadmium sulfide on paintings by James Ensor oxidizes to CdSO(4)·H(2)O. The degradation process gives rise to the fading of the bright yellow color and the formation of disfiguring white crystals that are present on the paint surface in approximately 50 μm sized globular agglomerations. Here, we study cadmium yellow in the painting "Flowers in a blue vase" by Vincent van Gogh. This painting differs from the Ensor case in the fact that (a) a varnish was superimposed onto the degraded paint surface and (b) the CdS paint area is entirely covered with an opaque crust. The latter obscures the yellow color completely and thus presents a seemingly more advanced state of degradation. Analysis of a cross-sectioned and a crushed sample by combining scanning microscopic X-ray diffraction (μ-XRD), microscopic X-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopy (μ-XANES), microscopic X-ray fluorescence (μ-XRF) based chemical state mapping and scanning microscopic Fourier transform infrared (μ-FT-IR) spectrometry allowed unravelling the complex alteration pathway. Although no crystalline CdSO(4) compounds were identified on the Van Gogh paint samples, we conclude that the observed degradation was initially caused by oxidation of the original CdS pigment, similar as for the previous Ensor case. However, due to the presence of an overlying varnish containing lead-based driers and oxalate ions, secondary reactions took place. In particular, it appears that upon the photoinduced oxidation of its sulfidic counterion, the Cd(2+) ions reprecipitated at the paint/varnish interface after having formed a complex with oxalate ions that themselves are considered to be degradation products of the resin and/or oil in the varnish. The SO(4)(2-) anions, for their part, found a suitable reaction partner in Pb(2+) ions stemming from a dissolved lead-based siccative that was added to the varnish to promote its drying. The resulting opaque anglesite compound in the varnish, in combination with the underlying CdC(2)O(4) layer at the paint/varnish interface, account for the orange-gray crust that is disfiguring the painting on a macroscopic level. In this way, the results presented in this paper demonstrate how, through a judicious combined use of several microanalytical methods with speciation capabilities, many new insights can be obtained from two minute, but highly complex and heterogeneous paint samples.


Using the World Health Organization (WHO) visual acuity classification protocol, a national simple descrip-tive study for determination of the causes and severity of sight loss amongst 90 children studying in Al Noor Insti-tute for blinds in Qatar was done between September 2001-September 2002. Of 90 patients with complete ophthalmic examinations, 65 (72%) of them had an inherited or con-genital cause and only 25(28%) had an acquired cause. The main causes were bilateral congenital microphthalmia, Homocystinuria with lens subluxation or dislocations, ac-quired retinal disease such as Retinopathy of prematurity. Congenital cataract, retinitis Pigmentosa, Optic atrophy and congenital Glaucoma in descending order. Conclusion: The principal causes of blindness amongst children in Qatar were inherited and/or congenital, most probably due to consanguineous marriages. The outline for childhood blindness is similar in Arab gulf countries in comparison to distant countries such as India, Czech Re-


Enormous skyscrapers will house residents and workers who happily go "for weeks" without setting foot on the ground. Streamlined, "hurricane-proof" houses will pivot on their foundations like weather vanes. The family car will turn into an airplane so easily that "a woman can do it in five minutes." Our wars will be fought by robots. And our living room furniture-waterproof, of course-will clean up with a squirt from the garden hose. In Yesterday's Tomorrows Joseph J. Corn and Brian Horrigan explore the future as Americans earlier in the last century expected it to happen. Filled with vivid color images and lively text, the book is eloquent testimony to the confidence-and, at times, the naive faith-Americans have had in science and technology. The future that emerges here, the authors conclude, is one in which technology changes, but society and politics usually do not. The authors draw on a wide variety of sources-popular-science magazines, science fiction, world fair exhibits, films, advertisements, and plans for things only dreamed of. From Jules Verne to the Jetsons, from a 500-passenger flying wing to an anti-aircraft flying buzz-saw, the vision of the future as seen through the eyes of the past demonstrates the play of the American imagination on the canvas of the future.


Boron impurities have recently been shown to induce resonant phonon scattering in 3C-SiC, dramatically lowering its thermal conductivity. The B-doped 3C-SiC is associated with an off-center relaxation of the B atom, inducing a local transition from Td to C3v symmetry. Similar relaxations in B and N-doped diamond, with a similarly large effect on the interatomic force constants (IFCs), fail to produce resonances. Here we develop an intuitive understanding of such dopant-induced resonant phonon scattering in semiconductors with the help of a 1D monoatomic chain model. We find that the phenomenon is connected to a slight asymmetry in the relaxed position of the defect, with its origin in two or more minima of the potential energy surface in close proximity. The large perturbation they introduce in the IFCs is the essential ingredient of a resonance.


This article presents a novel system, AZEmo, which extracts and classifies emoticons from the ever-growing critical Chinese social media and E-commerce. An emoticon is a meta-communicative pictorial representation of facial expressions, which helps to describe the sender's emotional state. To complement non-verbal communication, emoticons are frequently used in social media websites. However, limited research has been done to effectively analyze the affects of emoticons in a Chinese context. In this study, we developed an emoticon analysis system to extract emoticons from Chinese text and classify them into one of seven affect categories. The system is based on a kinesics model that divides emoticons into semantic areas (eyes, mouths, etc.), with improvements for adaptation in the Chinese context. Machine-learning methods were developed based on feature vector extraction of emoticons. Empirical tests were conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed system in extracting and classifying emoticons, based on corpora from a video sharing website and an E-commerce website. Results showed the effectiveness of the system in detecting and extracting emoticons from text and in interpreting the affects conveyed by emoticons.


Substance use and mental health disorders have increased in the last 15 years and impact public health. Public health surveillance of substance use and mental health (SUMH) is needed to inform planning, implementation, and evaluation of SUMH programs and policies. American Indian populations experience some of the most severe health disparities related to SUMH; however, American Indian populations are often excluded in federal, state, and county SUMH surveillance activities. These results in a gap in knowledge about prevalence, intervention, and policy needs related to SUMH among American Indian populations. To address this gap, the Rocky Mountain Tribal Epidemiology Center (RMTEC) implemented a 1-year pilot study to examine SUMH surveillance in American Indian populations. The main objectives of this pilot study were to: 1) determine what kinds of SUMH surveillance is occurring in communities served by the RMTEC, and 2) document the strengths and challenges of SUMH surveillance in this population. Using an evaluative case study design, the authors used a mixed-methods approach to examine multiple data sources. A conceptual framework guided the analysis process. Results indicate that limited SUMH surveillance is occurring in communities and programs served by RMTEC. Of the 18 SUMH recommended indicators, only eight are indicators are available for American Indians. Challenges and strengths are identified along with recommendations for future SUMH surveillance in American Indian populations.


Containerized crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica L. x Lagerstroemia fauriei Koehne 'Tonto') plants were grown for 9 months under various nitrogen fertility regimes, and then transplanted to a sandy loam soil with minimal management to evaluate their landscape establishment and growth performance. During the nursery phase plants were irrigated, except over an overwintering period, with complete nutrient solutions differing in applied N concentration, ranging from 15 to 300 mg·L -1 . By 16 weeks after transplanting (WAT) into the landscape soil, plant biomass was significantly higher in the plants that had been grown with higher N supplies and had been among the smallest at transplant. Such plant growth response was linearly and positively correlated to plant N status at transplant. Plant shoot to root ratio and tissue N, Ca, S, and Fe concentrations, which had been significantly affected by the N fertilization regime in the nursery, equalized over time after transplant, with no significant differences observed among treatments by 16 WAT. Flowering response in the landscape was delayed in plants originally grown with the higher N supplies. Plant survival and establishment per se were not affected by treatments; no plants were lost, and aside from the differences in size and flower timing, all plants were considered aesthetically similar.


We present a scheme for the determination of the vector nature of an electric field by optical second-harmonic generation. We demonstrate the technique by mapping the two-dimensional electric-field vector of a biased transmission line structure on silicon with a spatial resolution of ~10mum .


Under cleansing, productivity-enhancing reallocation is expected to be accelerated in recessions. In this paper we contribute to the analysis of one component of the National Systems of Entrepreneurship (namely capital market frictions) by showing that in the extreme scenario of deep recession efficiency in resource reallocation can actually be reduced. Using data from the pronounced Portuguese economic crisis, we do find a spike in firm exit in 2008–2012 vis-à-vis the 2004–2007 pre-crisis period, and a substantial increase in job destruction as well. But we did not find any strong evidence that job reallocation is countercyclical, while a non-negligible fraction of high-productivity firms actually shut down. In turn, our selected proxies for strictness in credit markets reveal that in deep recessions they are seemingly associated with increased firm exit and lower employment creation. Taken in round, our results show that credit market stringency in conjunction with an unfavourable economic cycle is likely to generate a long-lasting destructive process. JEL Codes: D24, L11, L25, L26, L60


Simple invertebrate metazoa offer many potentialities for study of growth and differentiation potentialities which have not been realized because the organisms usually have been difficult to handle in the laboratory. A simple coelente.rate, the brackish-water colonial hydroid Cordylophora la.custris, was selected for the present work, and was domesticated so that ii : it could be grown and manipulated under controlled laboratory conditions. Methods have been developed permitting exponential increase in hydranth number with a doubling time of about three days. Five ions Na.+, K+, ca++, Mg++, c1have been found to be required for growth in the defined aqueous environment, and other variables influencing growth rate have been systematically studied . The colonies are fed daily with living larvae of the brine shrimp, Artemia . The control of the feeding reaction has .been studied. It has been found that, as in Hydra (Loomis, 1955) , a single molecul.ar species released from captured prey induces the feeding reaction. The a.cti ve compound has been isolated from Artemia extra.ct and identified as the imino acid proline, and reagent proline has been found to induce the feeding reaction at lo-5 molar . Magnesium, and possibly phosphate ions, have be.en shown to influence the response to proline. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this discover ~ is from the point of view of comparative biochemistry and evolution, for previous workers have found that the feeding reactions of three other Hydrozoa are controlled by reduced glutathione. Time-lapse cinematography of the colonies has revealed proximallyoriented peristaltic waves which apparently act to circulate nutrients through the colonies . These waves are rhythmic, and occur about once every twentyfive minutes in resting colonies. After feeding, the frequency of the waves ;increases to one every eight minutes, and falls back to the resting rate over the course of several hours. The most striking feature of the peristalsis is that it is synchronized throughout a colony, in that the waves begin at the tip of each hydranth simultaneously. The time-lapse movies have also elucidated a series of rhythmic movements which occur during the reconstitution of hydranths from tissue fragments . The major emphasis of the .study has been an attempt to gain an understanding of the asexual development of a Cordylophora colony. While at first glance a colony appears to be a fore.st of little tre.es, on closer examination one finds that a colony may be considered a series of tubes of uniform diameter. The shape of a colony may be considered to result from the (1) relative rates of growth, (2) spacing, and (3) angles of these tubes . A descriptive study of the development of shape under one set of culture conditions has been made. On the basis of the three parameters, thre~ types of tubes may be distinguished: stolon tubes, upright tubes, and branch tubes. These tubes were all found to grow at constant, but different rates. This linear growth of tubes posed a paradox, s .ince the number of hydranths in a colony had been found to increase exponentially. It was .shown that the dry weight of a colony also increases exponentially, and a model was develope.d permitting the resolution of linear growth of parts iv into exponential growth of the whole. Study of the development of individual colonies using .a marking technique showed that the development of shape in these colonies proceeded e.ssentially as predicted by the model.


Time management skills are required for most daily activities. Traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients often present with cognitive dysfunction, but few studies have investigated temporal impairment. The aim of the present study was to assess temporal abilities in TBI patients using a time discrimination task. Twenty-seven TBI patients (ages = 18–60 years) and 27 controls (ages = 20–60 years) were asked to discriminate between two time intervals presented sequentially. The standard intervals were 500 ms or 1,300 ms long followed by a comparison stimulus that was 25% shorter or longer than the standard one. Participants were also asked to perform two tasks to assess attention, speed-of-processing (the Stroop task), and working memory (the n-back task) abilities. The TBI patients were less accurate than the controls on the time discrimination task and showed greater time-order error effects. In fact, TBI patients pressed the "short" key more times when the standard time interval was 500 ms and the "long" key more times when the standard interval was 1,300 ms. Significant correlations were found between time discrimination, working memory, and speed of processing in both TBI and controls when the standard time interval was 1,300 ms. Attention appeared to be involved in different ways in the two groups. Working memory and speed of processing were involved in time processing only in TBI patients when the standard time interval was 500 ms. These data lend additional support to the notion that two different systems are responsible for elaborating time durations shorter or longer than a second.