Abstract.
 Despite more than a century of interest, body-mass estimation in the fossil record remains contentious, particularly when estimating the body mass of taxa outside the size scope of living animals. One estimation approach uses humeral and femoral (stylopodial) circumferences collected from extant (living) terrestrial vertebrates to infer the body masses of extinct tetrapods through scaling models. When applied to very large extinct taxa, extant-based scaling approaches incur obvious methodological extrapolations leading some to suggest that they may overestimate the body masses of large terrestrial vertebrates. Here, I test the implicit assumption of such assertions: that a quadratic model provides a better fit to the combined humeral and femoral circumferences-to-body mass relationship. I then examine the extrapolation potential of these models through a series of subsetting exercises in which lower body-mass sets are used to estimate larger sets. Model fitting recovered greater support for the original linear model, and a nonsignificant second-degree term indicates that the quadratic relationship is statistically linear. Nevertheless, some statistical support was obtained for the quadratic model, and application of the quadratic model to a series of dinosaurs provides lower mass estimates at larger sizes that are more consistent with recent estimates using a minimum convex-hull (MCH) approach. Given this consistency, a quadratic model may be preferred at this time. Still, caution is advised; extrapolations of quadratic functions are unpredictable compared with linear functions. Further research testing the MCH approach (e.g., the use of a universal upscaling factor) may shed light on the linear versus quadratic nature of the relationship between the combined femoral and humeral circumferences and body mass.


The rapid deployment of web technologies delivers information from diverse sources in the world of digital business in a unified way. Within the construction industry the demand for investments in the digital dimension has raised very fast indicating a trend towards on-line collaboration services usually offered through a web portal. The main purpose of this research is to examine how the use of a web portal enhances the mission of construction Small Medium Enterprises (SME) in the local, national and international economy. Therefore, features and services captured from existing construction web portals are listed quantitatively to indicate those that are important to support the enterprise needs of construction managers and directors. Additionally the common practical and essential features considered in the technical and contextual design of a web portal geared for the use within the domain of construction SMEs in order to promote enterprise continuity in digital business are briefly presented. Results indicate potential support of interaction and collaboration among partners in the construction industry due to direct information accessibility as well as an attractive web platform developed based upon their daily needs. Therefore the need to develop a web business model is suggested to enhance the role of construction SMEs with a focus on online collaboration (online services). This model aspires to provide potential practical on-line dissemination of knowledge within construction SMEs to help the world of construction managers and directors in order for them to be more efficient, effective and creative when developing new businesses, new ideas and new projects. This model is partitioned to accommodate for flexible and scalable technological infrastructures that offer the necessary web services addressed to construction SMEs.


From immigration to discrimination and internment, and then to reparations and a high rate of intermarriage, Americans of Japanese descent share a long and sometimes painful history, and now fear their unique culture is being lost. Gil Asakawa's celebration of what makes JAs so special is an entertaining blend of facts and features, of recipes, songs, and memories that every JA will want to share with friends and family. Included are interviews with famous JAs and a look at how it's hip to be Japanese, from manga to martial arts, plus a section on Japantown communities and tips for JA's scrapbooking their families and traveling to Japan to rediscover their roots. Gil Asakawa is a third-generation Japanese American, author of the weekly "Nikkei View" online column. He lives in Denver.


Background: Diarrhoea is a major cause of mortality in under-five children worldwide, but more especially in developing countries including Nigeria. Most of the deaths are due to dehydration and its mismanagement at home. Mothers' good knowledge and proper home management will help reduce its morbidity and mortality rates. Aim: To assess the knowledge of diarrhoea and home management among mothers with under-five children attending the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, Uyo, Nigeria. Methods: A twenty-two item structured questionnaire was administered to 370 mothers with at least one under-five child who attended either the Children's Emergency Unit or the Paediatric clinic of the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital. The questionnaire bordered on knowledge, prevention, home management and attitudes of mothers toward diarrhoea. Results: Majority (86.2%) of the women knew that drinking dirty water can cause diarrhoea, 175 (47.3%) believed teething causes diarrhoea, 177 (47.8%) knew that human faeces could be a source of diarrhoea, while 332 (89.7%) knew that hand-washing prevents one from developing diarrhoea. Their level of knowledge of signs of dehydration was low with 45.7%, 62.4%, 27.8% and 42.2% identifying sunken eyes, thirst and dry mouth, tearless eyes and loss of stretchiness of the skin as signs of dehydration respectively. Conclusion: Though mothers had good knowledge of causes, and home management of diarrhoea, there are still knowledge gaps. Efforts to bridge the gaps should be tackled through periodic and regular health education programs for the mothers


PURPOSE
Traditional expectations of the single attending physician who manages a patient's care do not apply in today's intensive care units (ICUs). Although many physicians and other professionals have adapted to the complexity of multiple attendings, ICU patients and families often expect the traditional, single physician model, particularly at the time of end-of-life decision making (EOLDM). Our purpose was to examine the role of ICU attending physicians in different types of ICUs and the consequences of that role for clinicians, patients, and families in the context of EOLDM.

METHODS
Prospective ethnographic study in a university hospital, tertiary care center. We conducted 7 months of observations including 157 interviews in each of four adult critical care units.

RESULTS
The term "attending physician" was understood by most patients and families to signify an individual accountable person. In practice, "the attending physician" was an ICU role, filled by multiple physicians on a rotating basis or by multiple physicians simultaneously. Clinicians noted that management of EOLDM varied in relation to these multiple and shifting attending responsibilities. The attending physician role in this practice context and in the EOLDM process created confusion for families and for some clinicians about who was making patient care decisions and with whom they should confer.

CONCLUSIONS
Any intervention to improve the process of EOLDM in ICUs needs to reflect system changes that address clinician and patient/family confusion about EOLDM roles of the various attending physicians encountered in the ICU.


Immune-mediated diseases (IMDs) can give rise to long standing painful oral mucosal disease which adversely affect oral function and perhaps lessens quality of life.

The present series of studies, retrospectively determine the clinical presentation and long-term efficacy and safety of treatment of large groups of patients with oral lichen planus, mucous membrane pemphigoid, pemphigus vulgaris and orofacial granulomatosis. These diseases are some of the challenging disorders to be managed by oral medicine specialists.

It was found that patients with oral lichen planus (OLP) rarely have extra-oral manifestations of LP. The symptoms of OLP can generally be controlled with topical corticosteroids and/or tacrolimus. While tacrolimus is not notably better than topical corticosteroids for the management of OLP, it does not seem to increase any risk of malignant transformation. Adverse side effects are uncommon with topical corticosteroids, while 21% of patients with OLP may have adverse side effects with tacrolimus, particularly unpleasant taste.

In the present cohort of 49 patients with orofacial granulomatosis (OFG) the onset of disease was characterised by facial swelling in 50% and the long-term behaviour of OFG was characterised by the development of further clinical manifestations with most patients developing orofacial swelling and/or intra-oral ulceration. The response of OFG to therapy was typically remitting and although a lessening of soft tissue swelling oral ulceration could generally be achieved with topical and/or systemic therapy. Complete remission of facial swelling occurred in 50% of patients within 3 years of therapy but may be achieved quicker when intra-lesional corticosteroids are used. Spontaneous remission was rare. Significant adverse side effects to therapy were rare.

In a cohort of 62 patients, mucous membrane pemphigoid typically manifested as recurrent oral mucosal ulceration and/or desquamative gingivitis and 32.3% patients had some extra-oral involvement.

Treatment generally lessened painful symptoms however gingival lesions rarely resolved. Adverse side effects affected 50% of patients; however in the majority of affected individuals these were minor.

In a cohort of 40 patients with pemphigus vulgaris the mouth was often the initial site of involvement but other mucocutaneous sites could be affected. Management necessitated topical and systemic therapy. Adverse side effects occurred in 50% patients and were mainly associated with systemic immunosuppressive agents (e.g. azathioprine).

The results of this present study indicate that the long-term treatment of IMDs of the oral mucosal are challenging to both the patients and clinicians. While many patients do experience an improvement in their disease status, many do not. The precise impact of IMDs upon the quality of life of affected individuals remains unclear.


The Boltysh impact crater, is a complex structure formed on the basement rocks of the Ukrainian shield which has been dated at 65.17±0.64 Ma [1]. The Boltysh crater has been know for several decades and was originally drilled in the 1960s-1980s in a study of economic oil shale deposits. Unfortunately, the cores were not curated and have been lost. However we have recently re-drilled the impact crater and have recovered a near continuous record of ~400 m of organic rich sediments deposited in a deep isolated lake which overlie the basement rocks spanning a period ~10 Ma. At 24km diameter, Boltysh will not have contributed substantially to the worldwide devastation at the end of the
Cretaceous. However, the precise age of the Boltysh impact relative to the Chicxulub impact and its location on a stable low lying coastal plain which allowed formation of the postimpact crater lake make it a particularly important locality. After the impact, the crater quickly filled with water in a short marine phase but returned to fresh water which persisted for >10Ma [2]. These strata contain a valuable record of Paleogene environmental change in central Europe, and one of very few terrestrial records of the KT event. This pre-eminent record of the Paleogene can help us to answer several related scientific questions including the relative age of Boltysh compared with Chicxulub, recovery from the impact, and later climate signals. The organic geochemistry and playnology indicate main inputs to be algal and higher plant within most of the core although there are some marked changes in inputs in some sections. A number of carbon isotope excursions are also present within the core which are currently being further investigated.


The short-tailed sheep, native of an area stretching from Russia to Iceland, are generally considered a primitive type. These robust northern sheep seem to have been spread by Norse vikings to several countries in this area from the late eighth century to the middle of the eleventh century ad. They have several common characteristics in addition to the fluke-shaped and tapered short tail, such as a wide range of colour patterns, dual-coated wool and the ability to thrive under harsh environmental conditions, often in isolated marginal areas. While 34 short-tailed breeds of North European origin can still be identified, it is clear that their population sizes have declined in most cases and several of them are now rare and endangered. Although these breeds have mainly been confined to certain localities, some of them have gained considerable distribution due to their genetic merits, such as prolificacy. Of these, the Finnsheep and the Romanov are best known being exported to several countries in the world where their genetic material has been utilized through crossbreeding with local sheep. This has resulted in the production of some new synthetic breeds. Meat is now generally the main product of the North European short-tailed breeds and their crossbreds, whereas wool, skins and milk are normally regarded as byproducts, yet of considerable economic importance in some cases. Such breeds have clearly a role to play in sustainable grassland-based production systems in the future.


Operative notes are a valuable part of patient's medical record, and carry the medico-legal significance. One way of improving it is to introduce the template form operative notes. Only few studies have been done worldwide to compare both the forms of operative notes. This cross-sectional study was conducted in the department of General Surgery, AKUH. This included the patients who underwent Laparoscopic cholecystectomy (Complying with inclusion criteria) from August 2013 till March 2014. Out of 24 patients, 19 were females. The completeness of data in template group was significantly better than traditional group (79.2% vs. 8.3%). There was no significant difference among the residents of different level (writing the notes) and the completeness of data in both the groups. Similarly the timing of day did not affect significantly on the completeness.


Objective To describe current practice during stabilisation of children presenting with critical illness to the district general hospital (DGH), preceding retrieval to intensive care. Design Observational study using prospectively collected transport data. Setting A centralised intensive care retrieval service in England and referring DGHs. Patients Emergency transports to intensive care during 2-month epochs from 4 consecutive years (2005–2008). Interventions None. Main outcome measures Proportion of key airway, breathing, and circulatory and neurological stabilisation procedures, such as endotracheal intubation, mechanical ventilation, vascular access, and initiation of inotropic agents, performed by referring hospital staff prior to the arrival of the retrieval team. Results 706 emergency retrievals were examined over a 4-year period. The median age of transported children was 10 months (IQR, 18 days to 43 months). DGH staff performed the majority of endotracheal intubations (93.7%, CI 91.3% to 95.5%), initiated mechanical ventilation in 76.9% of cases (CI 73.0% to 80.4%), inserted central venous catheters frequently (67.4%, CI 61.7% to 72.6%), and initiated inotropic agents in 43.7% (CI 36.6% to 51.1%). The retrieval team was more likely to perform interventions such as reintubation for air leak, repositioning of misplaced tracheal tubes, and administration of osmotic agents for raised intracranial pressure. The performance of one or more interventions by the retrieval team was associated with severity of illness, rather than patient age, diagnostic group, or team response time (OR 3.62, 95% CI 1.47 to 8.92). Conclusions DGH staff appropriately performs the majority of initial stabilisation procedures in critically ill children prior to retrieval. This practice has not changed significantly for the past 4 years, attesting to the crucial role played by district hospital staff in a centralised model of paediatric intensive care.


The 1999 parliamentary elections in Austria sparked a fire of controversy in the European Union. Led by the far-right activist Joerg Haider, the Freedom Party achieved a second place victory, causing leaders and activists to voice their concerns about Austria's future. Acting on that apprehension, the individual members of the European Union joined together to issue diplomatic sanctions against Austria, an unprecedented action. When the sanctions were lifted in September, 2000, the European Union was left to reexamine its role and to determine whether to amend its founding treaties to reflect any changes in the relationship between the government of the European Union and its Member States.


Reliable indicators of future financial crises are important for policymakers and practitioners. While most indicators consider an observation of high volatility as a warning signal, this column argues that such an alarm comes too late, arriving only once a crisis is already under way. A better warning is provided by low volatility, which is a reliable indication of an increased likelihood of a future crisis.


Purpose - South Africa is a developing country, and within this context, it is essential to be economically competitive and proactive. Various sources reveal that the national productivity has been traditionally low, and continues to remain low. Within the context of the international arena, this is unacceptable. If South Africa is to become a recognised role player in the international arena, it is imperative to increase productivity like China. This paper aims to focus on the issues involved. Design/methodology/approach - A 65-item inventory which measures seven conceptually and empirically distinct facets of the work ethic construct, i.e. the multi-dimensional work ethic profile (MWEP) was utilised to critically distinguish between the Chinese and South African workforces. The samples approximated 150 subjects in each grouping. Findings which emanate from this study have distinct ramifications for the South African economy. Findings - It appears as if a linkage exists between productivity and work ethic, as illustrated by amongst others, Hamilton-Attwell and Du Gay and Pryke. Paradoxically, a number of other variables exist which impact on the productivity phenomenon, thus rendering a strict causal relationship between work ethic and productivity tenuous in nature. Despite this, it is a recognised reality that there is a substantive "negativity" in the work ethic of the South African labour force, possibly in relation to historical and cultural factors. The Chinese work ethic is diametrically opposed to that of South Africa. Research limitations/implications - In discussions with Chinese workers held in 2010, four primary schools of thought emerged: a firm belief that hard work will bring desired results; pride in personal accomplishments and hard work; fear of embarrassment or shame in case of failure; and immense patriotic pride in China and its achievements. It is the present authors' conviction that none of these apply to the South African labour force, and that most certainly could be partly responsible for the economic disparities between the two countries. Hence, additional research should be conducted to improve the current state of affairs. Social implications - Of the seven facets in the MWEP, six are positively slanted, while the other, leisure, can be construed as negatively aligned with a positive work ethic. Interestingly, if the Chinese sample is compared to the South African, this is the only facet where the latter obtains a superior score. The inference is clear: South Africans are essentially more concerned about having free time. In the overall context of the MWEP, this is a strikingly negative observation. Originality/value - One of the major challenges confronting South Africa, since the triumph of democracy in 1994, is low productivity of labour. Therefore, comparing South African work ethics with that of China will enable South Africa recognize the gaps in terms of behavior towards work and stimulate the countries international competitiveness.


The purpose of this study is to describe gangterism in relation to bullying behavior and determine its relationship with students' academic achievement in three residential schools (SBP) in Kedah. The dimensions of bullying studied are types of bullying behavior, types of bullies and victims, places where bullying frequently happened either direct or indirect bullying and bullies and victims emotions and feelings. It is also attempted to identify the relationship between dimensions of bullying behavior and students' academic achievement. The samples of study are students from Form One to Form Five of the three selected SBPs in Kedah. Descriptive analysis and Pearson Correlation (r) are used for data analysis. Results showed that bullying incidents occured mainly in the hostel, cafeteria and bathroom or toilet more frequently compared to other places. More boys and groups of boys were involved in bullying compared to girls and the occurrence is more of indirect bullying. However, there are responses indicating that direct physical bully do exist though at a low rate but this call for appropriate action before the incident is beyond the control of the authority. Result of correlation analysis showed academic achievement was not significantly related with bullying and victims of bullying. Nevertheless, a total of 77 percent of 396 respondents belong to the hogh achievers group compared to 23 percent who belong to the low achievers group.


Integration of information and communication technologies with the traditional of electric power infrastructures and creation of an interoperable, scalable, and flexible smart grid will require numerous technological innovations and advancements. The purpose of this paper is to take a detailed look at the various technologies which may be utilized in the data transmission for the smart grid and the problems or difficulties that must be overcome to effectively use them. A variety of wireless systems are analyzed and we discuss the security of these mediums as privacy remains a major obstacle for implementing smart grid technology.


Diffusion of knowledge is expected to be huge when agents are open minded. The report concerns a more difficult diffusion case when communities are made of stubborn agents. Communities having markedly different opinions are for example the Neocreationist and Intelligent Design Proponents (IDP), on one hand, and the Darwinian Evolution Defenders (DED), on the other hand. The case of knowledge diffusion within such communities is studied here on a network based on an adjacency matrix built from time ordered selected quotations of agents, whence for inter- and intra-communities. The network is intrinsically directed and not necessarily reciprocal. Thus, the adjacency matrices have complex eigenvalues; the eigenvectors present complex components. A quantification of the slow-down or speed-up effects of information diffusion in such temporal networks, with non-Markovian contact sequences, can be made by comparing the real time dependent (directed) network to its counterpart, the time aggregated (undirected) network, - which has real eigenvalues. In order to do so, small world networks which both contain an $odd$ number of nodes are studied and compared to similar networks with an even number of nodes. It is found that (i) the diffusion of knowledge is more difficult on the largest networks; (ii) the network size influences the slowing-down or speeding-up diffusion process. Interestingly, it is observed that (iii) the diffusion of knowledge is slower in IDP and faster in DED communities. It is suggested that the finding can be "rationalized", if some "scientific quality" and "publication habit" is attributed to the agents, as common sense would guess. This finding offers some opening discussion toward tying scientific knowledge to belief.


Six types of sedimentary stone (four bioclastic calcarenites, one calcitic sandstone and one calcitic dolostone) commonly used as building materials were studied from a petrophysical point of view and their durability was evaluated. The following analytical techniques were used: X-ray diffraction, polarizing optical microscopy, hydric tests, mercury intrusion porosimetry, ultrasound, salt crystallization cycles, freeze–thaw cycles and colorimetry. The hydric behaviour of the stones is affected by their different textures. The most compact stone absorbs less water compared with the other samples and has the lowest open porosity; however, more porous and less compact stones achieved better results in terms of the degree of pore interconnection and the drying rate. All the stones have unimodal pore size distribution and most pores had radii of 10 μm or less. Accelerated ageing tests caused some changes in the colour of stones and, above all, the loss of fragments, especially during salt crystallization cycles. The main causes of decay were the different mineralogy between the grains and the matrix in the sandstone and a strong anisotropy owing to the presence of sedimentary planes in one calcarenite. On the basis of our results we then ranked the stones according to their quality as building materials.


BACKGROUND
Obesity has been consistently associated with dementia. The role of certain risk factors of dementia may change during life, and the importance of having a life-course perspective has been acknowledged.

OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to investigate the association of midlife and late-life body mass index (BMI) with late-life dementia/Alzheimer's disease (AD) and whether the association was independent of other obesity-related co-morbidities.

METHODS
The association between midlife BMI (mean age 50.2, SD 6.0) and late-life BMI (mean age 71.2, SD 4.0) and incident dementia later in life (mean age 75.7, SD 5.0) were investigated among 1,304 participants of the longitudinal population-based Cardiovascular risk factors, Aging and Dementia (CAIDE) study, conducted in Eastern Finland. The duration of follow-up was 26 years. The diagnosis of dementia was based on DSM-IV criteria and the probable and possible AD on the NINCDS-ADRDA criteria.

RESULTS
Higher midlife BMI was associated with higher risk of incident dementia (adjusted HR, 95% CI 1.07, 1.00-1.14). However, decrease in BMI from midlife to late-life was associated with higher risk of dementia (1.14, 1.03-1.25 for one-unit decrease) and AD (1.20, 1.09-1.33). High late-life BMI was associated with lower risk of AD (0.89, 0.81-0.98) but the association with dementia was less evident (0.94, 0.86-1.03).

CONCLUSION
Higher midlife BMI is related to higher risk of dementia and AD, independently of obesity-related risk factors and co-morbidities. Steeper decrease of BMI and low late-life BMI are associated with higher risk of dementia and AD. These findings highlight the importance of life-course perspective when assessing the association between BMI and cognition.


Pat Redmond steps onto the bow of the family 40-foot, twin-screw trawler Gratitude, having handed the helm over to his wife, Ann. He surveys the harbor of Ballard, Wash., with a look of satisfaction, even something of a boyish grin. It is a look that says, sure, I have an office, but look where I get to work. Ann keeps the boat moving slowly past wharfs and moorings. Both know their way around a wheelhouse. The couple lives on a canal--and Redmond actually bought Gratitude for Ann. "This is the workingman's Seattle," says Redmond, on the deck, waving his hand to show the expanse of the harbor with hundreds of vessels. "Work is getting done here!" Redmond clearly is a man who feels at home here in this arm of Salmon Bay. In fact, all the way down the western leg of the Lake Washington Ship Canal--leading to the Ballard harbor--Redmond has been talking about the buildings and companies based alongside. He's been speaking like any community banker, who can reel off stories about all the merchants on Main Street, or all the farmers in their county. And why not? For much of the original clientele of Redmond's $338.5 million-assets Viking Community Bank, this is Main Street. "We cover the waterfront" Viking Bank, which ABA Community Bankers Council Chairman Redmond serves as president and CEO, started in 1992 when Dr. Thorpe Kelly, having received bad service from a downtown Seattle bank, decided Ballard, a neighborhood north of downtown, needed a bank. He gathered a diverse group of investors, including Kaare Ness, owner of a fishing fleet and a processing factory. Ness retired as vice-chairman last year, but Kelly continues as chairman. Kelly established his medical practice in Ballard in the 1960s, and grew to admire the local fishermen and the hardworking dockyard types. "They were upfront people; everybody paid their bills," says Kelly. "When they worked, they worked their heads off. They are my kind of people." Redmond joined the bank in 1996, as president, after the bank's first president fell ill. After a long career at what became the First Interstate organization, Redmond, then head of the Washington state corporate banking operation, found his employer being merged into Wells Fargo. He and Ann love the Seattle area, and when he heard of the vacancy at Viking, it was a natural. "I'm a loan guy," says Redmond. "When we first started off in Ballard, we were mainly a maritime bank," says Kelly. "Aquaculture"--commercial fishing and crabbing, that is--was the core of the young bank's loan portfolio. Even today, as the bank continues to expand further into commercial real estate and C&I lending, maritime lending represents about 11% of the portfolio, mainly vessel purchases, upgrades, and repairs. Who has the right? Ballard's waterfront has plenty of atmosphere but not much of the usual touristy waterfront scenery. One or two vessels wouldn't look out of place in a 1940s film noir. What you see are working vessels, with massive winches and cables and floats on decks. No frou-frou anywhere. The beauty is that of the utilitarian, the well-worked machine, and you can tell that Pat Redmond, like Dr. Kelly, has a deep respect for the people who make it function, and for the vast amounts of domestic and foreign capital engaged. The Alaska fleet calls Ballard home. Vessels that work some of the world's roughest waters depart through the Ballard Locks on their way to Puget Sound and the Pacific Ocean beyond. Redmond says that if you've eaten a fish sandwich recently, chances are one of the ships he's passing caught its contents. In fact, it's quite possible Viking financed the boat. The Ballard waterfront's colorful atmosphere also produces some memorable characters. One is also a founding director of Viking Bank: Warren Aakervik, Jr. He's a man with a face like a bespectacled, whiskery walrus, the working outfit of an oil-rig roughneck, and the financial acumen of a Wall Street commodities trader. …


Near‐field ground‐motion data are available in semi‐real time either from modern strong‐motion or continuous Global Positioning System (GPS) networks, allowing robust solutions for earthquake source parameters, which are useful for rapid disaster assessment and early warning. These wide applications require the ground‐motion data to cover a very broad frequency band that, however, is usually not available. This paper presents a case study on the 2011 M w 9.0 Tohoku earthquake, showing how the ground‐motion information from geodetic and seismic instrumentations is complementary, and suggesting the joint use of both types of data, particularly when the network coverage is sparse. First the strong‐motion records from the two Japanese networks, K‐NET and KiK‐Net, are analyzed using an automatic empirical baseline correction tool. The static coseismic displacement data are obtained by double integration and then used to derive the permanent slip distribution on the earthquake fault. Comparisons with the corresponding GPS‐based solutions yield a quantitative estimation of uncertainties of the empirical baseline correction. Furthermore, a dozen nearby GPS and strong‐motion station pairs are selected to demonstrate that the information in their time series agrees with each other. Finally, methods for combining both types of ground‐motion observation systems are discussed, and the wide applicability of this approach is highlighted.


Jean Baudrillard and Edgar Morin were both fascinated by the question of the 'reality of reality' in the contemporary world, where the domination of media, technics and technology has substantially reconfigured mankind's relationship with reality. The substantial difference between the two positions is that Baudrillard in the endless dialectic between the real and the unreal disrupts both, without the possibility of their ever being caught in their essence, while in Morin the two are an integral part of each other and it isn't possible for humans to escape the contradiction of a life that is both real and unreal, in constant exchange between reality and imaginary. For Baudrillard, the task of thought is to expose a reality that is fundamentally illusory, and it must do so through a series of provocative propositions that force reality to reveal itself as illusion. For Morin, social phenomena, even unexpected events in the social system, must be designed with specific attention to their symbolic, mythological aspect, which is a constituent part of social communication with respect to the phenomenon itself. Aspects generally confined within the irrational lie must have their space as an object of study, in order to increase awareness of the continued contamination and of the indissolubility of the epistemological couple reality-unreality.


Requirements specification should not be concerned only with the software specification, but should also be able to integrate with the organizational models describing the environment in which the system will function. Agent–oriented conceptual modeling notations such as i* represents an interesting approach for modeling early phase requirements which includes organizational contexts, stakeholder intentions and rationale. Business Process Modeling notations such as BPMN are used to effectively conceptualize and communicate important process characteristics to relevant stakeholders. On the other hand, Unified Modeling Language (UML) is suitable for later phases of requirement capture which usually focus on completeness, consistency, and automated verification of functional requirements for the new system. In this paper, we illustrate the use of a methodology that facilitate and support the combined use of notation for modeling requirement engineering process in a synergistic fashion in a complex project for a large government Department. The notations we used were i*, BPMN and UML Use Case.


United States v. Nueci-Pena, 711 F.3d 191 (1st Cir. 2013). The Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act (MDLEA) makes it unlawful for an individual to knowingly or intentionally manufacture or distribute, or possess with intent to manufacture or distribute, a controlled substance on board a vessel of the United States or a vessel subject to the jurisdiction of the United States. (1) Congress enacted the MDLEA in 1986 to give more force to the Marijuana on the High Seas Act (MHSA), which provided federal authorities with means to prosecute foreigners on vessels carrying narcotics anywhere on the high seas with intent to distribute in the United States, and to expand the jurisdiction of the United States even further. (2) In United States v. Nueci-Pena (3), the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit considered whether there was congressional authority under the Piracies and Felonies Clause of the U.S. Constitution to criminalize drug trafficking on board a vessel in international waters under the MDLEA without requiring a nexus, or connection, between the conduct and the United States. (4) The First Circuit held that the MDLEA was a constitutional exercise of Congress's power under the Piracies and Felonies Clause of Article I, Section 8 and concluded that there was no jurisdictional error under the MDLEA related to Nueci's conviction, nor would any such error constitute plain error. (5) On February 23, 2007, the Coast Guard stopped a suspicious go-fast vessel in Caribbean waters. (6) Upon boarding the ship, Francisco Nueci-Pena (Nueci) identified himself as the master of the ship and declared that the vessel was Colombian. (7) When the Coast Guard contacted Colombian authorities, however, the Colombian Navy could neither confirm nor deny that the vessel was registered in Colombia. (8) The Coast Guard discovered 390 kilograms of cocaine and 123 kilograms of heroin on board, and subsequently arrested all six passengers, including Nueci. (9) The federal government charged each defendant with aiding and abetting, along with conspiracy in the possession with intent to distribute narcotics on board a vessel subject to U.S. jurisdiction in violation of the MDLEA. (10) All six passengers pleaded not guilty. (11) On October 23, 2007, on the eve of trial, Nueci and his codefendants moved to dismiss the charges for lack of jurisdiction over the vessel, arguing that it was registered in Venezuela, and that U.S. officials erroneously believed the ship to be Colombian. (12) They contended that although the Colombian authorities could neither confirm nor deny the vessel's registry, it meant nothing in the end because U.S. authorities requested a consent waiver from the wrong country. (13) As a result, the defendants argued that because no contact had been made with the Venezuelan authorities regarding their claim of registry, the United States never had jurisdiction over the defendants or the vessel, and thus, the United States could not establish jurisdiction under the MDLEA over the vessel. (14) The U.S. government acknowledged that Nueci at one point claimed that the vessel departed near the Venezuelan/Colombian border, and that the drug trafficking was organized in Venezuela. (15) However, the government argued the vessel flew no flag, had no markings or registration documentation, the defendants offered no proof that the ship was Venezuelan, and further claimed that subject matter jurisdiction was not an element of the offense under MDLEA. (16) After Venezuelan authorities later failed to confirm the nationality of the vessel, the United States, in its response to the motion to dismiss, asserted that regardless of Nueci's claim of registry, neither Colombia nor Venezuela claimed the vessel, making it "stateless," thus giving the United States jurisdiction under the MDLEA. (17) The day before trial, Nueci moved for an order to preserve his jurisdictional challenges. (18) He moved to preserve three issues, one of which was whether it is constitutional to exercise jurisdiction over an individual under the MDLEA, which criminalizes activities on the high seas, without requiring that the acts be directed towards the United States. …


Social evolution depends critically on assortment, or segregation versus even mixing, between cooperators and noncooperators. Altruistic traits, which reduce the absolute fitness of their bearers, cannot evolve without positive assortment (excess segregation). The question of how positive assortment can arise has been controversial, but most evolutionary biologists believe that common descent is the only effective general mechanism. Here I investigate another recently proposed mechanism for generating nonrandom assortment, termed environmental feedback. This requires only that two forms of a trait affect the quality of the local environment differently in such a way that all individuals are more likely to leave low-quality locales. Experiments with simple computational models confirm that environmental feedback generates significant levels of genetic similarity among non-kin within locales. The mechanism is fairly general, and can under some conditions produce levels of genetic similarity comparable to those resulting from close genealogical relationship. Environmental feedback can also generate the negative assortment necessary for the evolution of spiteful traits. Environmental feedback is expected to create positive frequency-dependent selection, which thus favor any social trait that becomes common in the population. Results from this stylized model suggest that environmental feedback could be important in the evolution of both cooperation and spite, within as well as between species.


The supermassive black hole at the center of a distant galaxy can be weighed, in rare but realistic cases, when the galaxy acts as a strong gravitational lens. The central image that should be produced by the lens is either destroyed or accompanied by a second central image, depending on the mass of the black hole. We demonstrate that when a central image pair is detected, the mass of the black hole can be determined with an accuracy of ≲0.1 dex, if the form of the smooth mass distribution near the galaxy core is known. Uncertainty in the central mass distribution introduces a systematic error in the black hole mass measurement. However, even with nearly complete ignorance of the inner mass distribution, the black hole mass can still be determined to within a factor of 10. Central image pairs should be readily observable with future radio interferometers, allowing this technique to be used for a census of supermassive black holes in inactive galaxies at significant redshift (0.2 ≲ z ≲ 1.0).


Thin-films of copper oxide (CuxO) were sputtered from a metallic copper (Cu) target and studied as a function of oxygen partial pressure (OPP). A metallic Cu film with cubic structure obtained from 0% OPP has been transformed to cubic Cu2O phase for the increase in OPP to 9% but then changed to monoclinic CuO phase (for OPP ≥ 25%). The variation in crystallite size (calculated from x-ray diffraction data) was further substantiated by the variation in grain size (surface microstructures). The CuxO films produced with OPP ranging between 9% and 75% showed p-type behavior, which were successfully applied to produce thin-film transistors.


Resistance to Mal de Río Cuarto (MRC) disease in maize (Zea mays L.) is important in Argentina because the crop area involves a wide region where the disease is endemic. Molecular marker-assisted selection could be used as an additional selection tool to enhance precision of the genotype selection for resistance. It demands the identification of informative markers. Microsatellite (SSR) markers linked to gene(s) associated with resistance to MRC have been reported from previous QTL analyses. These analyses have been made on linkage maps derived from a relatively early mapping population. In advanced populations, where highly distinct genotypes are easily classified, discriminant analysis (DA) represents a complementary strategy to marker identification; this method does not require a priori genetic map. The objectives of this study were (1) to identify SSR markers associated with MRC resistance by using DA, and (2) to assess DA-selected SSR markers consistency across environments. The recombinant inbred lines (RILs) were evaluated for disease severity and traits related to symptoms of MRC disease at five environments located in the endemic area. The DNA profiles were obtained using 60 SSR. For discriminant analysis, the RILs were assigned to one of two groups defined to represent low and high values for each trait. A molecular analysis of variance (AMOVA) from marker data found significant molecular differences between the two extreme groups formed for each trait before DA. There was an array of markers associated with the MRC disease severity and with traits related to symptoms of disease. The lack of consistency in the several DA-selected SSR markers across environments indicated that genotype-environment interaction effects were significant. Selected markers can be used to allocate new individuals to predefined groups as well as to infer putative localization of genes with small individual effects on resistance to MRC.


Mega-events such as the Olympics or Commonwealth Games are truly global events. Yet, the way in which these are utilised as a form of events led regeneration, gives these an increasingly local dimension; not only are Games taking place amidst the existing urban setting, but so too are their associate exceptional security features. Mega-events can also be considered representative of a new (in)security situation in which experts have been reactivated to operate on behalf of citizens; associations of invisible and omnipresent risks such as terrorism, have given executive authority to state agencies to define risks and develop responses, a situation which contradicts the last decades drive towards more community focused policing and empowerment.
The cumulative and contradictory situation is that as global risks and security have become more embedded at the local level, there is an increasing of social distance between security expert and lay citizens. In short, local residents who encounter security within the context of their everyday environment are stripped of any contextual basis on which to understand associated risks and make sense of the attentive security measures. This situation places a greater emphasis on how risk and security is symbolically 'communicated' between experts and citizens, and how aspects of reassurance and deterrence are balanced amidst this backdrop.

Existing literature in mega-events has tended to focus on security in a 'wide and shallow' sense: 'wide' in that they outline a whole range of security features and governance arrangements, but 'shallow' in the way that they do not take into account how these features are perceived at a deeper, local level. In this way, there is no real legacy to the security legacies. This thesis aims to address this issue by drawing on Glasgow's hosting of the 2014 Commonwealth Games. Qualitative interviews were used to gain the perspectives of both security experts from key stakeholder organisations responsible for delivering a safe and secure Games, and lay citizen's perceptions and experiences of these arrangements.
Using a semiotic theoretical lens, which includes key concepts from the work of Giddens, Baudrillard, Eco and Goffman, the analysis considers 1) How particular security related narratives are 'framed' by experts during the mega-event and how these were understood by residents in relation to local contexts, biographies and experiences. 2) The totalising and globalising claims of late modernity and mediated forms of risk are identified in relation to local understandings of place. In particular, why it is that certain events or places, legitimise the use of exceptional security and continue to licence executive state authority. 3) The sending and receiving of different forms of security as 'control signals' is analysed in relation to how overt displays of security are experienced; how they influence one's position of reassurance, safety and ontological (in)security, and how they may enhance or defray trust in the institutions responsible for providing security.

It is discovered that instances of miscommunication between state and citizen are rife, a situation exacerbated by the social distance created through existing governance arrangements and an overreliance on symbolic security. The thesis concludes by arguing that the governance of security at mega-events is not the best way of doing things and that the appropriation of issues of risk and security by experts creates new sources of insecurity among citizens. It calls for the enlisting of communities into the governance of security as a way of overcoming such limitations.


Wind-turbine operations are associated with bat mortality worldwide; minimizing these fatalities is critically important to both bat conservation and public acceptance of wind-energy development. We tested the effectiveness of raising wind-turbine cut-in speed – defined as the lowest wind speed at which turbines generate power to the utility system, thereby reducing turbine operation during periods of low wind speeds – to decrease bat mortality at the Casselman Wind Project in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, over a 2-year period. Observed bat mortality at fully operational turbines was, on average, 5.4 and 3.6 times greater than mortality associated with curtailed (ie non-operating) turbines in 2008 and 2009, respectively. Relatively small changes to wind-turbine operation resulted in nightly reductions in bat mortality, ranging from 44% to 93%, with marginal annual power loss (≤ 1% of total annual output). Our findings suggest that increasing turbine cut-in speeds at wind facilities in areas of conservati...


Online services such as web search, news portals, and e-commerce applications face the challenge of providing high-quality experiences to a large, heterogeneous user base. Recent efforts have highlighted the potential to improve performance by personalizing services based on special knowledge about users. For example, a user's location, demographics, and search and browsing history may be useful in enhancing the results offered in response to web search queries. However, reasonable concerns about privacy by both users, providers, and government agencies acting on behalf of citizens, may limit access to such information. We introduce and explore an economics of privacy in personalization, where people can opt to share personal information in return for enhancements in the quality of an online service. We focus on the example of web search and formulate realistic objective functions for search efficacy and privacy. We demonstrate how we can identify a near-optimal solution to the utility-privacy tradeoff. We evaluate the methodology on data drawn from a log of the search activity of volunteer participants. We separately assess users' preferences about privacy and utility via a large-scale survey, aimed at eliciting preferences about peoples' willingness to trade the sharing of personal data in returns for gains in search efficiency. We show that a significant level of personalization can be achieved using only a small amount of information about users.


One in three women will experience a clinically significant urinary tract infection (UTI) by age twenty-four and almost half will have at least one in their lifetime. Recurrent UTIs (rUTIs) are defined as having greater than two infections in a 6-month period, or three infections over twelve months, with complete resolution for at least two weeks. These may be due to relapse from incomplete treatment (persistence) or re-infection (new source). It may be difficult to distinguish between the two, where the same organism is cultured. There are several risk factors for rUTIs including an impairment of the body's immune system and virulence factors. Reversible or treatable causes are sought and excluded in the patient's initial review. Patient's with rUTI are often complex and difficult to manage. The long-term management options in women are multimodal and should focus on prevention of relapse and recurrence. Behavioural factors include adequate hydration, care with sexual hygiene, reducing one's body mass index (BMI) and post-void residual (PVR) volume. There are several non-antimicrobial options for rUTIs which have become a multi-billion-dollar business. Unfortunately, there are numerous studies which fail to show any major benefit or having conflicting data. Vaccines are currently being explored as a prevention strategy, delivered through injection, intra-nasal sprays, or vaginal suppositories, which are made from combinations of heat killed uro-pathogenic strains. There are no widely available vaccines at present due to limited clinical success. It is well established that appropriate antibiotic therapy results in higher rates of symptom relief and bacterial eradication in women with uncomplicated cystitis. There are several options for antimicrobial use which have been shown to be highly effective in reducing the risk of rUTI in women. The pain and discomfort of the UTI must be balanced with the cost and risk of developing resistance when using antimicrobials. Continuous prophylaxis, pre- and post-coital voiding, and self-starting are the three commonly accepted options for prophylaxis. The choice between these will depend upon patient preference, cultures and previous pattern of infection. Intra-vesical instillation of hyaluronic acid and chondroitin sulphate have been used for glycosaminoglycan (GAG) layer replenishment for many indications, including interstitial cystitis, overactive bladder syndrome, radiation cystitis and prevention of rUTI. At present, intra-vesical therapies are reserved for only those with the most unresponsive rUTIs. The principles of treating rUTI are to break the cycle and to treat any reversible causes. With our ever-expanding research knowledge, there are now many useful products that may be used for the successful treatment of rUTI. A management plan including a combination of a non-antimicrobial and selective antimicrobial regime for a minimum of six months should be considered. It is a prudent clinician that clearly defines this management plan, with reassurance of a finite period of therapy.


Objectives: The current study addressed the hypothesis that the local decrease in endothelin-1 (ET-1) bioavailability during sustained flow increases contributes to endothelium-dependent, flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) of conduit arteries and is altered in presence of cardiovascular risk factors. Methods and results: In nine young healthy individuals, the decrease in local ET-1 plasma levels and radial artery FMD in response to hand skin heating (from 34 to 44 °C) was not affected by endothelin type A (ETA) receptor blockade, achieved using the brachial infusion of BQ-123 (100 nmol/min per l of forearm), as compared with physiological saline (0.9% NaCl) infusion. In contrast, endothelin type B (ETB) receptor blockade with BQ-788 (10 nmol/min per l) suppressed the decrease in plasma ET-1 during heating and reduced FMD, without altering nitric oxide release. The coinfusion of BQ-123 did not affect the inhibitory effect of ETB receptor blockade on the decrease in ET-1 plasma levels during heating but prevented the reduction in FMD. Basal radial artery parameters, systemic hemodynamics, and endothelium-independent dilatation to glyceryl trinitrate were not modified by ETA and/or ETB blockade. In a general population of 40 participants without treatment or major cardiovascular diseases, including the nine healthy individuals, the reduction in endothelin-1 level during heating was correlated with FMD (r = −0.55, P < 0.001) and decreased with increased age (r = 0.49, P = 0.001), mean arterial blood pressure (r = 0.48, P = 0.002), and total cholesterol level (r = 0.37, P = 0.024). Conclusion: The uptake of endothelin-1 by ETB receptors contributes to conduit artery FMD, preventing its vasoconstrictor action mediated by ETA receptors. The alteration of this mechanism by cardiovascular risk factors may contribute to endothelial dysfunction.


Currently barriers exist in delivering quality health care. This study aimed to investigate such barriers in the eight rural district hospitals of the West Coast Winelands Region, three type A and five type B hospitals. A quantitative descriptive design was applied which included the total population of nursing staff (n = 340) working at the time of data collection. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed with a response rate of 82%. Reliability of the instrument was verified using the Cronbach alpha coefficient and a pilot study. The validity, specifically construct and content validity, were assured by means of an extensive literature review, pilot study and use of experts. Ethics approval was obtained from the relevant stakeholders. Results showed that 272 participants (97%) disagreed that provision of staff was adequate, with staff above 40 years of age more likely to disagree (p = <0.01). A statistically significant association was shown between availability of doctors and staff not being able to cope with emergencies (p = <0.01). Most participants (n =212; 76%) indicated that they were not receiving continuing education, with the registered nurses more likely to disagree (χ² test, p = 0.02). Participants in both hospital types A (n = 131; 82%) and B (n = 108; 91%) also disagreed that provision of equipment and consumables was adequate. The research showed that inadequacies relating to human resources, professional development, consumables and equipment influenced the quality of patient care. Urgent attention should be given to the problems identified to ensure quality of patient care in rural hospitals.


Animal-assisted therapy could be used in schools as a supportive intervention provided by school social workers. The purpose of this project was to explore how animal-assisted therapy in schools, specifically using dogs, could be a complimentary and supportive form of intervention provided by social workers in a school setting. Using a qualitative design, five school social workers and three therapy dog handlers were interviewed regarding their perceptions on using therapy dogs in schools and how the therapy dogs may impact students. The data was analyzed using the content analysis method in which themes were developed from participant responses, integrating the perceptions of the school social workers and the therapy dog handlers, and then were linked to previous literature. The findings indicated that using therapy dogs in schools could benefit students by serving as an intervention and helping students learn skills that result in better connection and relationships, and skills that can assist with selfregulation and self-control. In addition, objections to using therapy dogs in schools were addressed and countered in participants' responses. These findings emphasize the potential benefit of using therapy dogs in school social work practice as a supportive intervention. Animal-Assisted Therapy 3 Table of


ABSTRACT In this paper, we look at repair as an emergent focus of recent activism in affluent societies, where a number of groups are reclaiming practices of repair as a form of political and ecological action. Ranging from those that fight for legislative change to those groups who are trying to support ecological and social change through everyday life practices, repair is beginning to surface tensions in everyday life and as such poses opportunities for its transformation. We survey a few of the practices that make up this movement in its various articulations, to take stock of their current political import. While we suggest that these practices can be seen as an emergent lifestyle movement, they should not be seen as presenting a unified statement. Rather, we aim to show that they articulate a spectrum of political positions, particularly in relation to the three specific issues of property, pedagogy and sociality. These three dimensions are all facets of current internal discrepancies of repair practices and moreover express potential bifurcations as this movement evolves. Drawing on a diverse methodology that includes discourse analysis and participant observation, we suggest some of the ways in which this growing area of activity could play a significant role in resisting the commodification of the everyday and inventing postwork alternatives.


Preparing for all three parts of the Therapy ABR Physics boards is more than just studying as much material as possible. There will always be material that is missed and gaps in one's knowledge. Therefore it is crucial to understand how the materials relate to each other and to clinical experiences in order to fill those gaps. Each part of the board exam presents its own difficulties: Part I: Determining what material to study, most of which have been learned a long time ago. Part II: Solving a vast array of clinical calculations rapidly by hand Part III: Gaining crucial clinical experiences and being able to explain orally how they are performed and what they mean. All three require different skill sets and preparation, from memorizing vast amounts of material, to rapidly recognizing and solving calculations, to being able to easily and confidently respond to oral questions about all aspects of working in the clinic and why those clinical methods and procedures are performed that way. This symposium is not a comprehensive review of all required study material. Instead it focuses on the previously mentioned problems and required skill sets that are needed for each part of the board exam. Expert Medical Physicists will share their experiences and methods to help students best prepare for the challenges of each individual exam.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1. How to Prepare for Part 1 by determining study material 2. How to Prepare for Part 2 by learning to solve clinical calculations rapidly 3. How to Prepare for Part 3 by determining critical clinical experiences and learning how to answer questions orally.


Citizens need to be prepared on socio- scientific issues in order to argue in interdisciplinary subjects related to cycles in soil, air and water, and the increased greenhouse effect. The ecological, economic and social perspectives must be understood as a whole, while the consumption of resources stems from various conflicts of interest. Focus in the study is to investigate how students in secondary school argue in a long term perspective about their ability to act in food-, water- and energy issues. Interviews and questionnaires have been the data collection methods. The analytical method was to reflect the students' statements regarding the external and internal environment in which the Earth System Science respective Agens´ model accounted analyzers. Most pupils expressed egocentric and short-term perspectives in their reasoning and they reflected on their lack of factual knowledge from school.


Problem. The purpose of this study is to explore spiritual beliefs as defined by an interconnectedness with self and others, generated from a relationship with a higher power, and consider its impact on attitude toward life and mental health. Method. This study employed the survey research method to collect data investigating the relationships between spiritual beliefs, attitude toward life, and mental health. A battery of three instruments was selected for this study. The Royal Free Questionnaire on Beliefs and Experiences, developed by King, Speck, and Thomas (1994), was used for measuring spiritual beliefs. The Optimism and Pessimism Questionnaire provided a global perspective of optimism and pessimism on the participants. The Mental Health Inventory (MHI) assessed the psychological distress or psychological well-being of the participants' focusing on the frequency or intensity of a psychological symptom during the past month. Results. The relationship between spiritual belief and overall psychological well-being and the relationship between spiritual belief and depression were significant. As the commitment to a particular spiritual belief system strengthened, depression significantly decreased. The relationship between spiritual beliefs and loss of behavioral/emotional control was significant. Participants with a stronger commitment to a particular spiritual belief system reflected lower levels of uncontrollable behavior or emotion. General positive affect, emotional ties, and psychological distress also demonstrated significant relationships with spiritual belief. No relationships between spiritual beliefs and anxiety or life satisfaction were found. Conclusions. There appeared co be no significant correlation between the spiritual beliefs scores and attitude toward life scores. There was some indication that spiritual beliefs affected mental health. Participants presented with strong general positive affect, suffered significantly less psychological distress in their lives, were less depressed, more in control of their emotions and behaviors, and better able to establish emotional ties with others. Spiritual belief, attitude toward life and mental health, as a set, were significantly related to age. Specific predictors include anxiety, loss of emotional/behavioral control, and psychological distress. Only psychological distress and psychological well-being differentiated the men and women participants.


Acivicin is a glutamine analogue antimetabolite that inhibits several glutamate-dependent synthetic enzymes. Previous studies of this agent administered on a 72-h continuous i.v. infusion schedule every 3 weeks demonstrated a high rate of severe, albeit reversible, central nervous system (CNS) toxicity at the 30 mg/m2/day dose level. Animal studies have shown that the CNS toxicity of acivicin can be prevented by a concomitant infusion of amino acids postulated to block drug uptake in the CNS by a saturable transport system that is common to endogenous amino acids. This study evaluated the feasibility of escalating acivicin doses in cancer patients by administering acivicin with a concomitant 96-h i.v. infusion of a mixture of 16 amino acids (Aminosyn, 10%). Twenty-three patients with advanced malignancies were treated with acivicin on a 72-h continuous infusion schedule at doses ranging from 25 to 60 mg/m2/day every 3 weeks. Reversible, dose-limiting CNS toxicity, characterized by lethargy, confusion, and decreased mental status, occurred in the two patients enrolled at the 60 mg/m2/day dose level, precluding further dose escalation. The maximum tolerated dose (MTD) and recommended dose for additional evaluation of acivicin on this schedule is 50 mg/m2/day. Other toxicities observed were dose-related neutropenia that was grade 4 in four patients (four courses), complicated with fever in three of those patients, and grade 3-4 thrombocytopenia in three patients (three courses). Pharmacokinetics studies performed in 15 patients revealed that the acivicin plasma Css increased from 0.44 microg/ml (range, 0.28-0.59 microg/ml) at the 25 mg/m2/day to 1.06 microg/ml (0.64-1.5 microg/ml) at the 50 mg/m2/dose level. Acivicin Css at the MTD was not significantly higher than previously reported values with single-agent acivicin on the same schedule of administration at the MTD of 25 mg/m2/day dose level (0.60 microg/ml; range, 0.43-0.81 microg/ml). Neurotoxicity did not correlate with acivicin Css, but relationships between exposure to acivicin and the occurrence of both neutropenia and thrombocytopenia were well described by a sigmoidal Emax model. This trial demonstrated that concomitant infusions of amino acid can prevent acivicin-induced CNS toxicity, which allows the dose of acivicin to be escalated 2-fold above previously tolerable doses; however, this effect did not translate in a significant increment in acivicin Css.


A possible eco-friendly method of remediation technology in contaminated environments is the use of biosurfactants that are produced by local microorganisms. This study was carried out to obtain the best concentration of biosurfactant for oil extraction from oil sludge. It was optimized by a Taguchi orthogonal array design of L16 (45) with three main factors, including pH, biosurfactant concentration and salinity. The optimum oil recovery occurred when experimental conditions were as the following: biosurfactant concentration (Level 3: 0.25%), PH (level2: 6.5) and Salinity (NaCl: level 2: 0.5%).


Recently, there has been increased concern about the potential impact of
powerboating on freshwater ecosystems. In the case of Loch Lomond, such concern led
to the commencement of a programme of boat counting surveys in 1989. In these
surveys, it was found that maximum boat numbers are increasing in Loch Lomond. As a
logical progression from these surveys, the present study examined the impact of
powerboat chemical pollution on the water quality of Loch Lomond.
In the first stage of this study, the scale of powerboat pollution was assessed.
This was achieved by constructing a simple mathematical model to estimate the total
annual discharge of hydrocarbons (HCs) from powerboat emissions into Loch Lomond.
By using boat census data and published information about the emission rates of
different types of powerboat engines, the total annual input for Loch Lomond was
estimated at 25.50 tonnes in 1989 and this input has greatly increased since then. This
indicates that there is real potential for hydrocarbon (HC) pollution of Loch Lomond
from powerboat operation. Most of the HC material discharged emanated from
speedboats powered by outboard motors.
To identify and quantify HC pollutant compounds entering water from outboard
engines, Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis was performed on
water subject to a controlled pollution discharge from an outboard motor. Altogether, 47
compounds were detected in this exhaust-polluted water (EPW), with most of these
being volatile aromatic HCs, such as benzene and alkylated benzenes.
Water samples were also taken from three sites in Loch Lomond on two
occasions: once in winter, during negligible boat activity and once in summer, at a time
of high powerboat activity. No HCs were detected in winter, but some volatile aromatic
HC compounds were clearly detectable in summer. These compounds were the same as
those most abundant in EPW and found in similar relative proportions. Further experiments in this study involved the analysis of a large number of
water samples. To enable this, it was necessary to develop an appropriate new method
for the analysis of powerboat exhaust pollutants, which are mostly aromatic HC. All
aromatic HCs fluoresce and the new method involved fluorescence spectroscopy
analysis, following sample purification by normal-phase column chromatography. This
technique is non-destructive allowing subsequent confirmatory analysis by GC-MS. It
was found that the new method was fast, precise, highly sensitive and specific to volatile
aromatic HCs.
The capability of measuring HCs in a large number of samples allowed
previously unfeasible experiments investigating:
1) The geographical distribution of powerboat exhaust HCs in Loch Lomond.
2) The depth profile of powerboat exhaust pollutants in the top 1.5 m of the water
column.
3) Recovery of water quality, following peak weekend boat activity in summer.
It was found that:
1) Volatile aromatic HCs from powerboat exhaust are detectable over much of Loch
Lomond on days of heavy powerboat activity, with concentrations of up to 37 ug.l"
occurring.
2) Pollutant HCs are found at depths of at least 1.5 m, and are not confined to the
surface microlayer (100 urn), The HC distribution with depth was mostly uniform in
the field and this was confirmed in controlled experiments in a tank.
3) Recovery of water quality was difficult to demonstrate in the field, possibly as
pollution incidents occur continually during summer.
4) HC concentration declined in controlled experiments, in which water was subjected
by a controlled pollution discharge from an outboard motor. The time taken for the
HC concentration to reach 50 % of the initial HC loading varied but was
approximately 7 - 9 days.
The toxicity of EPW was investigated by performing 24 hour LC50 (Lethal
Concentration for 50 % of test organisms) tests, using the water flea, Daphnia magna
(an international standard test organism). The mean LC50 recorded in this study,
expressed as the total concentrations ofHC compounds, was 3.72 mg.l". Previous studies suggest that multiplying the Le50 for D. magna by an
application factor of 0.001 gives an approximate safe level of a pollutant. Using data
collected in this study, a safe level of exhaust He compounds of 3.72 Jlg.r1 would
result. In summer, during times of high powerboat activity, such levels are exceeded at
many locations in Loch Lomond.
The current study has shown that He pollution from a relatively small number of
inefficient powered recreational craft using Loch Lomond poses a potential threat to the
maintenance of water quality.


David Caron in his elegant exposé on the Great Straits Debate explains that: Straits simultaneously involve interests both near and far. And it is that fact that makes passage through straits a difficult object of negotiations. Although all nations have an interest in efficient shipping, it is particular nations—often far from the straits—that have interests in the unimpeded movement of naval vessels or that directly or through their nationals have interests in the unimpeded movement of commercial vessels. Simultaneously, it is the states with coasts on these straits that most directly face the risks and other costs of such vessel passage. Negotiating solutions to this 'near-far' clash of interests is inherently difficult.1 Straits are by definition narrow waterways linking seas and the ocean which often provide significant time-saving and cost-cutting navigational routes to commercial shipping. In turn, this navigationally advantageous position can give coastal States the power to exert control over passage of international shipping by imposing regulatory conditions or even by completely closing passage to foreign ships. The topic of straits has taken its place in the great discourses of international law stretching over a period of more than three centuries, dating back to Hugo Grotius in the seventeenth century and well into the twentieth


The Klingon language was created as a "verbal movie-prop" for Star Trek and was not supposed to be a language for human communication. But today thousands of persons have studied Klingon and 20 - 30 persons can be considered fluent in the language. A linguistic field of power, a linguistic market, has been formed. The purpose of this thesis is to research how the Klingon language speakers have experienced the development of the artificial language Klingon during its 20 years of existence. I will also examine the informants' opinion towards Star Trek fandom. The method used is qualitative; I have interviewed Dr Marc Okrand, creator of the Klingon language, and Dr Lawrence M. Schoen, founder of the Klingon Language Institute (KLI). I have also conducted an Internet interview with 17 advanced Klingonists. As a theoretical framework I use Bourdieu's theory on symbolic capital, Berger's & Luckmann's discussion on secondary socialization and Ferguson categories of Language development. For Klingon the process of language development is a social process. It is an ongoing dialectic exchange between Marc Okrand and the Klingonists. The KLI acts as a socializing institution and plays an important role for the standardization of the language together with Klingonists with high linguistic capital. Star Trek is becoming less important for the development of Klingon as only a minority of the Klingonists consider themselves as trekkers and by the modernization of Klingon that gives the language more vocabulary not related to Star Trek concepts.


Abstract. This study questions the anachronism about Phoenicia, often thought to have ended when Alexander the Great conquered the Levant. However, toponymic evidence suggests that Phoenicia came into existence with and after Alexander's conquests. Then it became an administrative division of the Roman Empire, to subsist as an ecclesiastical title down to Ottoman times. It was only in 1861 that the French scholar Ernest Renan invented and mapped "Phoenician archaeology." Later interpretations of Renan's view, converging with Biblical projections, led to the anachronistic use of "Phoenicia." This anachronism still governs historiography and politics in the Levant today.


This paper examines how the tightening of accounting constraints associated with the SunTrust bank decision in 1998 impacted the loan loss reserve policies of banks differently based on ownership structure. The SunTrust case, the result of an SEC inquiry over possible overstating of loan loss reserves, represented a strengthening of accounting priorities, which stress the importance of the reserve account for financial statement objectivity and comparability, relative to supervisory priorities, which emphasize the role of reserves for bank solvency through changing economic environments. The evidence presented indicates that publicly held banks, which fall directly under the SECs purview, reduced their loan loss reserve and provisions relative to privately held banks. Evidence also indicates that the positive relationship between bank earnings and provisions weakened, consistent with a reduction in either earnings management or early recognition of losses.


In his comment on political corruption, Professor Samuel Issacharoff questions traditional accounts that aim to squeeze money out of politics entirely. Instead, he focuses on the danger that political spending will promote private influence over government policy. In this response, Professor Stephen E. Sachs argues that "private influence" is itself too broad a category to control, and that campaign finance policy should be restricted to a more manageable scope. Professor Sachs argues that if protecting the government from private influence is too diffuse a goal, we can at least attempt to protect the government from itself, by ensuring that it does not channel public resources into self-sustaining political machines.


Abstract Published information on the Siwalik Group (Neogene) conglomerates in the Sub-Himalayan belt of Himachal Pradesh, India, and the Potwar Plateau, Pakistan, is used as the basis of a model that recognizes two types of conglomerates with different relationships to the linear Himalayan mountain front. The two types are: (1) foothills-fed conglomerates, widespread along the mountain front, that mark the appearance in the basinal succession of sediments derived from within the Sub-Himalayan fold-and-thrust belt or the neighbouring Lower Himalaya; these Upper Siwalik conglomerates provide information about relatively young frontal fault activity and the growth of local river systems that transferred the sediment generated; and (2) high-mountain-fed conglomerates, with restricted lateral extent along the front, that mark the presence of large trunk rivers, draining the Lower and Higher zones of the Himalaya; these Middle and Upper Siwalik conglomerates provide information about the extent of older incision in the high mountains, and the position in the basin of the major drainage paths. Our work on the Janak (formerly Indus) Conglomerate Formation, outcropping near the present Indus River, shows that it is a high-mountain-fed conglomerate, and was deposited by a large braided system (channels up to 15 m deep) that drained southwards from the High Himalaya of northernmost Pakistan. The conglomerate was deposited between 9 and 1 Ma, and is preserved as a formation 1.5 km thick and 25 km wide, perpendicular to flow. This conglomerate marks the position of the Palaeo-Indus in this part of the foreland basin. The syntaxial position of the present Indus in the mountain front, and the remarkable route of the upper Indus, have resulted from drainage evolution during the later stages of transpressive indentation of the western margin of the Indian block. Our interpretation of the Janak Conglomerate implies that this special role of the Indus must have already started by 9 Ma.


Proceedings of the Second International Conference on Access Management held in Shanghai, China, September 25-27, 2014. Sponsored by the Access Management Committee of the Transportation Research Board; Tongji University; Shanghai Jiaotong University; the Research Institute of the Ministry of Public Security, PRC; the Research Institute of Highway, PRC; the Ministry of Transportation, PRC; and the Construction Institute of ASCE This collection contains 30 peer-reviewed papers covering research on roadway and highway access management policy, practices, safety, planning, and design in urban and suburban settings. Experiences from various countries including China, Poland, South Africa, and the United States are presented. Topics include: economic impact of access management; development of access management guidelines; accident reduction and prevention; safety analysis and evaluation techniques; acceleration, deceleration and auxiliary freeway lanes; operation safety in highway interchanges and ramps; roundabouts, signalized or unsignalized intersections; and planning and design with access management. These papers will be valuable to construction and transportation engineers and researchers working in the area of traffic management.


In embedded systems using fixed-point arithmetic, converting applications into fixed-point representations requires a fast and efficient accuracy evaluation. This paper presents a new analytical approach to determine an estimation of the numerical accuracy of a fixed-point system, which is accurate and valid for all systems formulated with smooth operations (e.g., additions, subtractions, multiplications and divisions). The mathematical expression of the system output noise power is determined using matrices to obtain more compact expressions. The proposed approach is based on the determination of the time-varying impulse-response of the system. To speedup computation of the expressions, the impulse response is modelled using a linear prediction approach. The approach is illustrated in the general case of time-varying recursive systems by the Least Mean Square (LMS) algorithm example. Experiments on various and representative applications show the fixed-point accuracy estimation quality of the proposed approach. Moreover, the approach using the linear-prediction approximation is very fast even for recursive systems. A significant speed-up compared to the best known accuracy evaluation approaches is measured even for the most complex benchmarks.


Background: Human, animal, and cell experimental studies; human biomarker studies; and genetic studies complement epidemiologic findings and can offer insights into biological plausibility and pathways between exposure and disease, but methods for synthesizing such studies are lacking. We, therefore, developed a methodology for identifying mechanisms and carrying out systematic reviews of mechanistic studies that underpin exposure–cancer associations. Methods: A multidisciplinary team with expertise in informatics, statistics, epidemiology, systematic reviews, cancer biology, and nutrition was assembled. Five 1-day workshops were held to brainstorm ideas; in the intervening periods we carried out searches and applied our methods to a case study to test our ideas. Results: We have developed a two-stage framework, the first stage of which is designed to identify mechanisms underpinning a specific exposure–disease relationship; the second stage is a targeted systematic review of studies on a specific mechanism. As part of the methodology, we also developed an online tool for text mining for mechanism prioritization (TeMMPo) and a new graph for displaying related but heterogeneous data from epidemiologic studies (the Albatross plot). Conclusions: We have developed novel tools for identifying mechanisms and carrying out systematic reviews of mechanistic studies of exposure–disease relationships. In doing so, we have outlined how we have overcome the challenges that we faced and provided researchers with practical guides for conducting mechanistic systematic reviews. Impact: The aforementioned methodology and tools will allow potential mechanisms to be identified and the strength of the evidence underlying a particular mechanism to be assessed. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 26(11); 1667–75. ©2017 AACR.


In vim propagation of S. scutellarioEdes was canied out by culturing shoot tip
explants onto LS, MS and 65 basal medium supplemented with different
concentrations of BAP. Comparative analysis of the different types of basal
media showed that the LS basal medium supplemented with 8.88 pM BAP
was suitable for multiple shoots formation on S. scutellarioides (- 13
shoots/explant). Addition of higher concentrations of BAP (35.5 pM) inhibited
multiple shoots and induced abnormal plantlet formation in this species.
Culturing shoot tip explants on 65 medium supplemented with 4.52 pM BAP
and 2.26 pM 2,4-D produced pink friable callus. On the other hand, culturing
leaf explants on MS and 65 media both supplemented with 4.52 pM 2,4-D
and 0.46 pM 2,4-D, produced yellowish and grayish friable calli, respectively.
Following calli induction, cell suspension culture of S. scu2eIlarirw'des was
successfully initiated on MS medium supplemented with 2.26 pM 2,4-D and
0.47 pM kinetin. The cell suspension required only half the amount of 2,443
iii
required for calli induction on solid medium (MS + 4.52 pM 2,4-D + 0.46 pM
kinetin).
In an effort towards achieving genetically stable plant tissue culture material,
for the future indudion of valuable secondary metabolite, adventitious roots
and hairy roots were induced from S. scufellarioides explants. Quantitative
and qualitative assessments of the biomass producing from each of the
culture method were analyzed.
Adventitious root cultutes in S. sartellarioides leaves were induced by
placing explants onto MS basal medium supplemented with different
concentrations of auxins (NAA, IBA, IAA) and cytokinin (kinetin).
Comparative analysis of the mots enhanced showed that MS medium
supplemented with 5.0 pM IBA produced rapidly growing adventitious roots.
The presence of cytokinin (kinetin) was inhibiting to adventitious root
formation in S. SCUfellarioides. Supplementing MS medium with auxin either
IBA or NAA was enough to induce adventitious root formation.
Hairy roots of S. scutellarioides were induced by inoculation of leaf explants
with A. fiizogenes strains TR 105, LBA 9402,8196 and ATCC 15834. These
strains showed different abilities to induce hairy root formation in the leaf
explants. Assessment of the plant susceptibility to the different A. rhizogenes
strains showed that the strains ATCC 15834, TR 105, LBA 9402, and 81 96
produced 56.3%, 25.5%, 21.5%, and 13.8% transformation efficiencies,
respectively. Acetosyringone was found to be useful for enhancement of
hairy root production in S. s c u t d I 8 ~


We present the results of the first study to highlight the demography, morphometry and growth rates of Spinimuricea klavereni, a rare Mediterranean endemic gorgonian exceptionally common in shallow depths of the Northeast Marmara Sea. In the study area, this species forms vast populations on rocks, boulders and attached to pebbles/stones/shells on soft substrates between 20 and 45 m depth, with a total average density of 0.3 colonies·m−2 but comprising patches up to 3 colonies·m−2. Colonies, which are on average 42.9 (±20.1) cm in height, can reach up to 110 cm. Unlike other Mediterranean gorgonians, the colonies studied here showed fast growth rates that decreased with increasing colony height, between 1.5–11.1 and 4.96 ± 3.01 cm·year−1 on average. The low necrosis and high growth rates displayed by this species in the Northeast Marmara Sea confirm the previously hypothesized opportunistic behaviour of the species. The unique community consisting of S. klavereni and other rare gorgonian/soft corals has limited distribution in this area and should be considered to be a vulnerable marine ecosystem. Therefore we recommend that some conservation measures are taken, including the prohibition of all fisheries and anchoring over these assemblages.


Predischarge current and breakdown measurements of solid Plexiglas® (PMMA) insulators in vacuum and nitrogen gas gaps, excited by 60 Hz ac voltages, are reported. Results show that for bridged vacuum gaps, the predischarge current is in the form of pulses. In addition to electron emission from the cathode, secondary emission from the insulator surface is postulated to play a significant role in determining the characteristics of the current pulses. It is reported that for bridged nitrogen filled gaps no partial discharges prior to breakdown were noted, except for the case of introduced artificial voids. Insulating spacers in the form of circular cylinders and conical frustrums of different angles have been studied. The breakdown characteristics are found to depend strongly on the shape of the insulating spacer and also on the surface condition. For any given gas pressure, the breakdown strength was found to decrease with decreasing angle of the cone frustrum at its base. A rough insulator surface exhibited considerable discharge track resistance compared to a smooth surface. For cylindrical spacers, the predischarge and breakdown characteristics are found to be strongly influenced by the shape and position of the introduced voids. The effect of gas pressure on the pre-discharge and breakdown characteristics are reported.


CONTEXT
Patients with classic congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) often require supraphysiologic glucocorticoid doses to suppress ACTH and control androgen excess. Nevanimibe hydrochloride (ATR-101), which selectively inhibits adrenal cortex function, might reduce androgen excess independent of ACTH and thus allow for lower glucocorticoid dosing in CAH. 17-hydroxyprogesterone (17-OHP) and androstenedione are CAH biomarkers used to monitor androgen excess.

OBJECTIVE
Evaluate the efficacy and safety of nevanimibe in subjects with uncontrolled classic CAH.

DESIGN
This was a multicenter, single-blind, dose-titration study. CAH subjects with baseline 17-OHP ≥ 4x the upper limit of normal (ULN) received the lowest dose of nevanimibe for 2 weeks followed by a single-blind 2-week placebo washout. Nevanimibe was gradually titrated up if the primary outcome measure (17-OHP ≤ 2x ULN) was not met. A total of 5 nevanimibe dose levels were possible (125, 250, 500, 750, 1000 mg twice daily).

RESULTS
The study enrolled 10 adults: 9 completed the study, and 1 discontinued early due to a related serious adverse event. At baseline, the mean age was 30.3±13.8 years, and the maintenance glucocorticoid dose, expressed as hydrocortisone equivalents was 24.7±10.4 mg/day. Two subjects met the primary endpoint, and 5 others experienced 17-OHP decreases ranging from 27-72% during nevanimibe treatment. The most common side effects were gastrointestinal (30%). There were no dose-related trends in adverse events.

CONCLUSIONS
Nevanimibe decreased 17-OHP levels within 2 weeks of treatment. Larger studies of longer duration are needed to further evaluate its efficacy as add-on therapy for CAH.


In the first decade of the twenty-first century, countries within Sub-Saharan Africa reached milestones that seemed impossible only ten years ago: macroeconomic stability, sustained economic growth, and improved governance. Continuing this pattern of success will require enhancing the region's agricultural sector, in which a large proportion of poor people make a living. The authors of Strategies and Priorities for African Agriculture: Economywide Perspectives from Country Studies argue that, although the diversity of the region makes generalization difficult, increasing staple-crop production is more likely to reduce poverty than increasing export-crop production. This conclusion is based on case studies of ten low-income African countries that reflect varying levels of resource endowments and development stages. The authors also recommend increased, more efficient public investment in agriculture and agricultural markets and propose new directions for future research. The last ten years have been an encouraging time for one of the world's poorest regions; this book offers an analysis of how recent, promising trends can be sustained into the future.


Endosulfan is among the most widely used pesticides in developing countries and other parts of the world and has been found to contaminate various parts of the environment, including drinking water sources. In an earlier study to find a suitable adsorbent to remove endosulfan, wood charcoal was found to give promising results. In the present study, the process controlling the rate of endosulfan sorption onto wood charcoal and the mechanism of removal were examined using various methodologies. Both film and pore diffusion coefficients were determined, and the linearity of the rate constants of adsorption with initial endosulfan concentrations revealed the process to be controlled by film diffusion. This was supported by the linear fit of the rate constants with the inverse of the diameter of adsorbent particles and the change in adsorption rates with agitation speed. Multiple interruption tests also revealed that endosulfan sorption onto wood charcoal is controlled by film diffusion. The increase in reaction rate constant with temperature and isosteric heat of adsorption in the range of -2.655 to 5.185 kcal/mol implied that the endosulfan removal process was endothermic in nature. The activation energy of 2.33 kcal/mol, which was less than 12 kcal/mol, revealed that the removal mechanism could be attributed to physisorption with a major contribution of van der Waals and electrostatic forces.


In this paper, we propose how to parameterize and maintain a reputation system that, based on the current network conditions, supports the selection of the optimal end-to-end communication path for VoIP communication in a P2P context. Each node's reputation is formed based on three factors: (1) performance reputation (own experience from passive measures of the network conditions); (2) security reputation; and (3) information reputation consisting of recommendations from other nodes. Reputation data is periodically updated from continuous monitoring of path quality and security and also from information exchange between the nodes. When network conditions deteriorate, the reputation system enables switching, if possible, to another available path for furthercommunication. The proposed reputation system is a component of the SecMon system, which is intended especially for VoIP service over P2P networks. SecMon features lightweight QoS parameter monitoring, authentication and data integrity services. The exchange of monitoring information represents a low-bandwidth consumption solution that is transparent to the users and possesses a self-organizing capability. The above-mentioned exchange features are accomplished by utilizing two information hiding techniques: digital audio watermarking and network steganography. These techniques are used to create covert channels that serve as transport channels for lightweight QoS measurement results. Moreover, in this paper, we present results of the simulations that were performed to investigate how the proposed reputation system is performing for a simple twopath case scenario. Additionally, we show how different network conditions like delays and packet losses affect the proposed reputation system and how they are modeled with utility functions. Results of the simulations also illustrate the approaches to thresholds that trigger path changes.


Health care is a rapidly evolving field that is increasingly supported through clinical information systems (CIS) that integrate care providers, patients, and computer applications. Local and federal regulations require health care systems to define and enforce privacy and security policies to protect sensitive patient data within CIS. Service-oriented architectures (SOA) have been successfully applied to specific clinical services, such as decision support, but have yet to be adopted for large-scale CIS that need to account for diverse information technology architectures and complex person-computer interactions. In this work, we demonstrate that the incorporation of model-based design techniques and high-level modeling abstractions provide a framework to rapidly develop, simulate, and deploy CIS prototypes. This paper describes the implementation of a graphical design environment that allows CIS architects to develop formal system models and from these automatically generates executable code for deployment. The design tool leverages SOA to create reusable services that can be rapidly adapted. We illustrate the functionality of the tool by modeling a secure messaging service in the MyHealth@Vanderbilt patient portal, a portion of the Vanderbilt University Medical Center CIS.


We present a practical technique for pointing and selection using a combination of eye gaze and keyboard triggers. EyePoint uses a two-step progressive refinement process fluidly stitched together in a look-press-look-release action, which makes it possible to compensate for the accuracy limitations of the current state-of-the-art eye gaze trackers. While research in gaze-based pointing has traditionally focused on disabled users, EyePoint makes gaze-based pointing effective and simple enough for even able-bodied users to use for their everyday computing tasks. As the cost of eye gaze tracking devices decreases, it will become possible for such gaze-based techniques to be used as a viable alternative for users who choose not to use a mouse depending on their abilities, tasks and preferences.


In this paper, we consider exploring a 2-D environment with multiple robots by modeling the problem as a Potential Game rather than using conventional frontier-based dynamic programming algorithms. A potential game is a type of game that results in coordinated behaviours amongst players. This is done by enforcing strict rules for each player in selecting an action from its action set. As part of this game, we define a potential function for the game that is meaningful in terms of achieving the greater objective of exploring a space. Furthermore, an objective function is assigned for each player from this potential function. We then create an algorithm for the exploration of an obstacle-filled bounded space, and demonstrate through simulation how it outperforms an uncoordinated algorithm by reducing the time needed to uncover the space.