The acoustic reflex (AR) is a subject that has been highly studied in the field of audiology. In fact, the physiology of the AR has been debated about since the 16th century. Historically and clinically the AR has been elicited with pure tone stimuli. In the 1970's and 1980's different eliciting stimuli were experimented with, such as: broadband noise (BBN), highband noise (HBN), lowband noise (LBN) and speech stimuli. The amplitude modulation of speech has made it difficult to record the acoustic reflex threshold (ART) due to the artifact that it creates on the measuring machine. When ecological validity, or the ability of the findings of the research to be applied to real-life setting, is taken into account, speech signals are the most valid of all types of stimuli that have been used to elicit the AR. In this study, three concatenated speech stimuli were created from the NU-6 word list 1-A. The words for the NU-6 word list 1-A were concatenated together to create one long speech stimuli, this was done to eliminate the impact of the artifact created by the amplitude modulation that is caused by the pauses in speech. The focus of this study was to compare the contralateral ART using the speech stimuli as the eliciting stimuli for the ART with a pure tone stimulus and different noise stimuli. Together, the findings presented here provide evidence supporting the use of the speech stimuli when measuring the ART clinically. The findings also suggest potential application and further research opportunities for noise induced hearing loss caused by self-vocalizations and a potential correlation for pure tone versus speech ART when testing individuals with central auditory processing disorders.


Motivated by historical examples and ideas from socio-linguistics, in particular the "non-reciprocal power semantic" of Brown and Gilman (1960), we extend evolutionary models of language to incorporate intentional linguistic innovations among conventions that may convey social superiority and inferiority, despite being ambiguous, in the sense of less efficiency in communicating information. We show that egalitarian and unambiguous linguistic conventions can be stochastically stable but also identify conditions under which ambiguous linguistic conventions that are imperfect signals of status differences may be stochastically stable.


This report describes the development of a transimpedance amplifier that takes current as input and gives voltage as output. The amplifier consists of three CMOS amplifier stages in a fed-back configuration, achieving a transimpedance gain over 3 kΩ and a 3-dB bandwidth greater than 2.8 GHz. The amplifier operates with a 1.5 V supply voltage and a power budget of 30 mW.


While it is commonly acknowledged that mini-grids are the new pathway to bridging the high electricity access deficit in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), comparably few studies have assessed how existing regulations and tariff policies in SSA affect their potentials to attract the number of private investments required to scale-up deployments. Private investors' participation is particularly crucial to meet the annual electrification investment needs of $120 billons in SSA. We study the regulatory framework, the tariff structure and the subsidy schemes for mini-grids in Tanzania. Additionally, using an optimisation technique, we assess the profitability of a mini-grid electrification project in Tanzania from a private investment perspective. We find that the approved standardised small power producers' tariffs and subsidy scheme in Tanzania still do not allow mini-grid for rural electrification projects to be profitable. A further study is required to identify successful business models and strategies to improve mini-grids profitability.


The redistribution of elements in a multicomponent oxyfluoride glass is induced by a 250 kHz femtosecond laser. Elemental distribution in the cross section of the modified region along the laser propagation axis is analyzed by an electron microprobe analyzer. The results indicate that the relative concentrations of network formers of the glass are higher in the central area of the modified region and lower in the periphery of the modified region compared with the unirradiated areas. However, the relative concentrations of network modifiers are as opposed to that of network formers. Fluorescence spectra confirm that the distribution of fluorescence intensity of Yb(3+) in the modified region is consistent with that of its concentration. The effects of spherical aberration of the incident beam on the elemental redistribution are also discussed.


Abstract. In this paper, we present a merged dataset of ozone profiles from several satellite instruments: SAGE II on ERBS, GOMOS, SCIAMACHY and MIPAS on Envisat, OSIRIS on Odin, ACE-FTS on SCISAT, and OMPS on Suomi-NPP. The merged dataset is created in the framework of the European Space Agency Climate Change Initiative (Ozone_cci) with the aim of analyzing stratospheric ozone trends. For the merged dataset, we used the latest versions of the original ozone datasets. The datasets from the individual instruments have been extensively validated and intercompared; only those datasets which are in good agreement, and do not exhibit significant drifts with respect to collocated ground-based observations and with respect to each other, are used for merging. The long-term SAGE–CCI–OMPS dataset is created by computation and merging of deseasonalized anomalies from individual instruments. The merged SAGE–CCI–OMPS dataset consists of deseasonalized anomalies of ozone in 10° latitude bands from 90° S to 90° N and from 10 to 50 km in steps of 1 km covering the period from October 1984 to July 2016. This newly created dataset is used for evaluating ozone trends in the stratosphere through multiple linear regression. Negative ozone trends in the upper stratosphere are observed before 1997 and positive trends are found after 1997. The upper stratospheric trends are statistically significant at midlatitudes and indicate ozone recovery, as expected from the decrease of stratospheric halogens that started in the middle of the 1990s and stratospheric cooling.


A Gram-stain-negative, rod-shaped, facultatively anaerobic, moderately halophilic bacterium, designated strain BA45AL(T), was isolated from water of a saltern located in Santa Pola, Alicante, Spain. Cells were motile, and catalase- and oxidase-positive. Strain BA45AL(T) grew at temperatures in the range 14-45 °C (optimally at 37 °C), at pH 5.0-9.0 (optimally at pH 7.5), and in media containing 5-20 % (w/v) salts [optimally in media containing 10 % (w/v) salts]. Phylogenetic analysis based on the comparison of 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that strain BA45AL(T) is a member of the genus Fodinicurvata. The closest relatives to the novel strain were Fodinicurvata fenggangensis YIM D812(T) and Fodinicurvata sediminis YIM D82(T) with sequence similarities of 98.2 % and 97.4 %, respectively. DNA-DNA hybridization between the novel isolate and these phylogenetically related species revealed relatedness values of 30 % and 15 %, respectively, with respect to the aforementioned species. The major cellular fatty acids of strain BA45AL(T) were C18 : 1ω7c, C16 : 0 and iso-C15 : 0. The G+C content of the genomic DNA of strain BA45AL(T) was 58.0 mol%, and the polar lipid pattern consisted of diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylmethylethanolamine and a number of unknown phospholipids and lipids. Based on phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic data presented in this study, strain BA45AL(T) constituted a novel species of the genus Fodinicurvata, for which the name Fodinicurvata halophila sp. nov. is suggested. The type strain is BA45AL(T) ( = CCM 8504(T) = CECT 8472(T) = JCM 19075(T) = LMG 27945(T)).


Background. Calibration is the process of estimating parameters of a mathematical model by matching model outputs to calibration targets. In the presence of nonidentifiability, multiple parameter sets solve the calibration problem, which may have important implications for decision making. We evaluate the implications of nonidentifiability on the optimal strategy and provide methods to check for nonidentifiability. Methods. We illustrate nonidentifiability by calibrating a 3-state Markov model of cancer relative survival (RS). We performed 2 different calibration exercises: 1) only including RS as a calibration target and 2) adding the ratio between the 2 nondeath states over time as an additional target. We used the Nelder-Mead (NM) algorithm to identify parameter sets that best matched the calibration targets. We used collinearity and likelihood profile analyses to check for nonidentifiability. We then estimated the benefit of a hypothetical treatment in terms of life expectancy gains using different, but equally good-fitting, parameter sets. We also applied collinearity analysis to a realistic model of the natural history of colorectal cancer. Results. When only RS is used as the calibration target, 2 different parameter sets yield similar maximum likelihood values. The high collinearity index and the bimodal likelihood profile on both parameters demonstrated the presence of nonidentifiability. These different, equally good-fitting parameter sets produce different estimates of the treatment effectiveness (0.67 v. 0.31 years), which could influence the optimal decision. By incorporating the additional target, the model becomes identifiable with a collinearity index of 3.5 and a unimodal likelihood profile. Conclusions. In the presence of nonidentifiability, equally likely parameter estimates might yield different conclusions. Checking for the existence of nonidentifiability and its implications should be incorporated into standard model calibration procedures.


A single comprehensive reference for nursing leaders, leadership organizations, nursing clinicians, and educators, Nursing Leadership is the only compendium of nursing terminology in existence. Written by eminent nursing professionals, it provides descriptions of prominent individuals in nursing, information regarding nine leadership-related topics, and current trends in nurse leadership. This second edition has been expanded to encompass 80 new entries and revisions or updates to all original entries. It provides an extensive overview of current leadership issues including theories, characteristics, and skills required of nurse leaders in today's complex health care system. Highly respected contributors include Claire Fagan, Beverly Malone (NLN CEO), Polly Bednash (AACN CEO), Patricia Benner, and many others. For ease of use this new edition contains both alphabetic and thematic indexes, extensive cross-referencing, and print and web references for each entry. The new edition features: Thematic list of entries in addition to alphabetic index An extensive overview on salient nursing leadership issues, themes, characteristics, and current and future developments A "legacies" section on nursing luminaries throughout history Over 80 new entries and updates and revisions of original entries Extensive cross-referencing and print and web resources for each entry


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate trends in and risk factors for mortality among patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) over a 40-year period.

METHODS
A population-based inception cohort was assembled from among all Rochester, Minnesota residents ages > or =18 years who were first diagnosed with RA (fulfilling the 1987 American College of Rheumatology criteria for RA) between January 1, 1955 and December 31, 1994. Patients were followed up longitudinally through their entire medical records (including all inpatient and outpatient care by any provider) until death or migration from the county. Survival was described using the Kaplan-Meier method. Observed and expected survival were compared using the log-rank test, and standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) with expected survival were based on the sex and age of the study population and death rates from the Minnesota life tables. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate the influence of extraarticular manifestations and comorbidities, controlling for age, sex, body mass index (BMI), smoking, and rheumatoid factor positivity.

RESULTS
Survival in this RA cohort was significantly lower than that expected in the population (P < 0.001) over the entire time period. Patients with RA were at significantly higher risk of death, with an SMR of 1.27 (95% confidence interval 1.13-1.41). Excess mortality among women was more pronounced than among men, with SMRs of 1.41 and 1.08, respectively. Presence of > or =1 extraarticular manifestation was the strongest predictor of mortality after adjusting for age, sex, BMI, smoking, and rheumatoid factor positivity.

CONCLUSION
Survival in RA patients is significantly lower than expected. The strongest predictors of survival appear to be those related to RA disease complications, specifically, extraarticular manifestations of the disease and comorbidities. More attention should be paid to mortality as an outcome measure in RA.


Conversion reactions in lithium batteries have been proved for several classes of materials, such as oxides, fluorides, sulphides, nitrides, phosphides and recently for hydrides. Metal hydrides can be electrochemically reduced to a highly conductive composite material consisting of nanometric metallic particles dispersed in an amorphous LiH matrix. Magnesium hydride undergoes a reversible conversion reaction and it has very good theoretical performances, i.e. a theoretical specific capacity of 2038 mA h g−1 and a working potential of 0.5 V vs. Li+/Li. The purpose of our study is to investigate the MgH2 redox activity by evaluating the effect of ball milling pre-treatments and by studying the conversion reaction mechanism. Three materials, prepared by submitting bulk MgH2 to different ball milling procedures, are investigated. By coupling electrochemical tests, ex situ X-ray powder diffraction and transmission electron microscopy, we prove that the lithium incorporation does not follow a simple direct conversion path as it follows at least a sequence of four consecutive processes: (a) the hydride conversion reaction of MgH2 to give Mg and LiH, (b) the alloying of Li in hcp Mg and (c and d) the formation and lithium enrichment of a bcc Li–Mg solid solution. Furthermore some experimental clues suggest that the mechanism is probably even more complex as it can imply the formation of other unknown intermediate Li–Mg–H phases. Moreover large morphological changes occur upon lithium incorporation in the electrodes: in particular an extended sintering of the metal nanoparticles occurs upon cycling. This effect leads to electrode pulverization and capacity fading. On the other hand MgH2 shows a very limited potential hysteresis between discharge and charge and very promising kinetics at high current.


This thesis aims to critically conceptualise the relationship between transitional justice and the project of neoliberal globalisation, which, since the end of the Cold War, has sought to transform post-conflict societies according to economic logics that emphasise individualism, enterprise and competition. In the last 25 years, Transitional justice has risen to the forefront of the human rights movement, and is now firmly embedded in the institutions of global neoliberal governance such as the UN, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and the World Bank. Normatively conceived as an 'apolitical' set of technocratic mechanisms, the relationship between transitional justice and processes of 'neoliberalisation', which are often a significant part of post-conflict transitions, remains largely undertheorised by scholars and practitioners. Addressing this problem, the thesis follows two interrelated lines of enquiry. First, with reference to the work of Michel Foucault, the thesis conceptualises transitional justice as an apparatus (dispositif) with a set of practices that support the process of neoliberal transition. Secondly, by drawing on Rene Girard's theory of sacrifice, the thesis shows that the central mechanisms of the apparatus, that is, trials and truth commissions, are practices of 'sacrificial violence' designed to expel the 'evil' of the past and lay a foundation for the neoliberal society that comes after. Using the transitions of Rwanda, South Africa, and Sierra Leone as case studies, the thesis demonstrates that these practices of sacrificial violence produce narratives and engender subjectivities that support and prefigure neoliberal transitions designed to reconstitute war-torn states as market societies.


In this paper, we use call option prices to identify synergies and news from merger and acquisition (M&A) transaction announcements. We find that M&A announcements result in large and approximately equal gains to the bidder and the target on average, with the combined gains being large enough to justify the premium paid to target shareholders. On average, M&A announcements release good news about targets, but bad news about bidders. This suggests that market prices understate true synergy gains, and helps reconcile the generally negative market-based evidence on value-creation in takeovers with their continued prominence in everyday business strategy.


Abstract
Tetracycline, metronidazole, and chlorhexidine have been tested for their effectiveness in the treatment of periodontitis in dogs under experimental conditions. Tetracycline has been effective in reducing bone resorption in dogs with periodontitis when used in the long-term. When used for short times, it can result in reduction of the numbers of microorganisms that are associated with disease. Tetracycline can inhibit the activity of mammalian collagenase thought responsible for the destruction of alveolar bone and it may be capable of inhibiting the adherence of microorganisms and thus preventing infection. In some experiments, metronidazole was more effective than tetracycline in eliminating spirochetes from the periodontal flora, and it has been found effective in preventing the inflammation and the development of the bacterial flora usually associated with the natural accumulation of plaque. Chlorhexidine (0.2% aqueous solution) has been found effective in preventing the normal progression of periodontal disease when used as a spray for the long-term treatment of dogs. It could prove to be as effective as brushing for the long-term control of periodontitis in the dog. Limited information is available on the use of clindamycin, spiramycin, and vancomycin.


Based on current fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composite construction principles, FRP decks fall into two categories: pultruded decks and sandwich decks. Sandwich decks comprise face sheets and either honeycombs or foams reinforced with internal FRP webs for shear resistance. The honeycomb structure and the webs cause debonding between the upper face sheets and the core due to the uneven support of the former. An alternative material that has high shear capacity and can provide uniform support for the upper face sheet is balsa. Balsa panels have therefore been proposed as the core material for sandwich decks in this research work. Balsa panels are produced by adhesively bonding dissimilar balsa blocks, resulting in a non-homogenous and anisotropic material. These inherent characteristics are not taken into account in the current shear behavior of balsa, thus making it unreliable. Balsa also exhibits high ductility when subjected to compressive loads, however, the shear ductility required by engineers to design safe sandwich structures is lacking. Furthermore, currently existing GFRP-balsa sandwich bridge concepts can only be applied to short-span bridges due to high cost and manufacturing challenges in the case of sandwich slab bridges. In hybrid sandwich deck-steel girder bridges, low bending stiffness in the bridge direction and low composite action in the deck have been the drawbacks. The purpose of this research is to develop novel concepts for lightweight, stiffer and stronger sandwich decks, using balsa cores, which can be fabricated with fewer manufacturing challenges and offer longer spans than existing decks. Balsa panels were experimentally investigated to establish their shear properties and shear ductility at the three orthotropic shear planes. The influence of shear plane, balsa density and adhesive joints on the shear properties was quantified. Two new GFRP-balsa sandwich bridge concepts (complex core systems) have been proposed for long-span bridges. In the first concept, the sandwich core comprises high- and low-density balsa cores and an FRP arch reinforced at the core interface. Sandwich beams based on this concept were experimentally investigated to evaluate their structural performance. The beams demonstrated high bending stiffness and strength and were lightweight. Crack initiation and propagation in the balsa blocks of the complex balsa core could finally be explained. A new analytical model to predict the bending behavior of the new sandwich beams was developed. The second bridge concept involves integrating timber inserts into the balsa core of a sandwich deck. GFRP-balsa sandwich beams, with timber inserts, were numerically investigated to evaluate their structural performance. High stress concentrations occurred in the face sheets and cores at the balsa/timber core joints which were eliminated by changing the core joints from butt to scarf. An optimum angle of termination of scarf joints, based on low stress concentrations at the joints, low costs and manufacturing challenges, was recommended in the design of GFRP-balsa sandwich decks. An existing analytical model for predicting axial stress concentrations in face sheets at butt core joints was extended to scarf joints and a new analytical model was developed to predict shear stress concentrations in the cores at both butt and scarf joints. Finally, the results obtained from the experimental work, the new models and the two proposed sandwich bridge concepts were implemented in the design of new GFRP-balsa sandwich slab bridges and decks. The structural limits of the new bridges were established and the potential of the new GFRP-balsa sandwich deck to replace a reinforced concrete deck was explored. Taking manufacturing limits into account (800-mm slab thickness) and using the proposed complex core system, sandwich bridge slabs of up to approximately 19 m can be constructed. Furthermore, GFRP-balsa sandwich decks bonded on steel girders can reach spans of up to 30 m. The findings of this research work therefore establish that deteriorated reinforced concrete decks with long spans of even up to 30 m can be replaced by GFRP-balsa sandwich decks. Also, based on this work, in the future, existing reinforced concrete decks can be widened using the proposed sandwich decks due to their lightweight, which has been extensively demonstrated. This will lead to cost saving since the bridge substructure will no longer need to be reconstructed.


The structures of two areas, one in the Northern Belt and one in the Central Belt of the Southern Uplands are described and compared. The main structural histories are the same, both show a main deformation phase related to SE-directed thrusting with associated fold and cleavage formation. Both areas exhibit late, minor NW-directed thrusting with related refolding and crenulation cleavage development in the case of the Central Belt. Both areas also show evidence of sinistral strike-slip or transpressive deformation which reactivates steepened thrust faults. When these deformation histories are reviewed in the context of geophysical, radiometric and biostratigraphical data from the region a forearc accretionary setting for the whole of the Southern Uplands appears the most likely. The strike-slip deformation has internally disrupted an accretionary prism but has not juxtaposed originally unrelated terranes. The effects of the late Silurian closure of Iapetus and subsequent events are also represented in the Southern Uplands.


The Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) reforms have been reported as the most significant reforms of its kind for over 30 years. Through the Children and Families Act 2014 the Government are seeking to affect cultural change; specifically the development of an aspirational and outcome based system for individuals with SEND, with the family at the centre (DfE and DoH, 2014). The Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO) is responsible for the operational and strategic aspects related to SEND provision within the school and as such will be a key implementer of the reforms.
The SEND Code of Practice came into effect on 1st September 2014; therefore current research is limited. This paper forms part of a PhD research project which intends to develop research in this area through exploring and analysing the in-depth experience of the SENCO as a policy implementer during the first academic year post-reform. Through a semi-naturalist narrative inquiry approach, SENCOs participate in half-termly semi-structured interviews, to share the lived experience of the policy implementer; specifically how their role develops and emerges in response to, and through the narration of, new policy. However, policy enactment does not take place in isolation (Ball et al., 2012). Therefore interviews are situated within wider data gathering from experienced SENCOs, Local Authorities and the Department for Education through interviews, questionnaires and document analysis.
This paper discusses the initial emerging themes from the research; exploring the enablers and barriers to executing the role, both generally and in relation to the reforms, as well as exploring individual responses to the SEND reforms and policy implementation. Perspectives of support at a Local Authority level are examined alongside the reform priorities the SENCOs have identified. However, the paper also examines the potential un-intended impact of the reforms. This includes an examination of the differing levels of engagement from SENCOs with the reforms and whether this is at a cultural or bureaucratic level. However critically the paper seeks to explore whether the reforms have prompted a changing notion of SEND in schools and what impact this has had on individuals in the short term, potentially compromising the core principles of the reforms.


This research provides the review of an issue that is an urgent challenge in the development field: the effectiveness of after-school programs on preventing school-age youth violence in vulnerable settings of developing countries. The existence of highly underprivileged youth in poor neighborhoods and its association with violence have spurred a variety of programs covered by the name of after-school activities. Most rigorous trials of after-school interventions to prevent youth violence have been conducted in developed countries, with far fewer in Latin America. In this review, ranges of databases were systematically searched. Six studies in five Latin American and Caribbean countries have been identified, and most reported results favor after-school. But also some concerns have emerged: the results in some domains of youth behavior are null or even negative for some subpopulations. These findings suggest that after-school interventions hold significant promise for preventing violence and criminal behavior in at-risk school-age youth, but also that there is an urgent need for a significant upgrade in the quality of the programs and in the fidelity of the implementation. The identified concerns also demand more rigorously evaluated and reported studies, even of the different components of the interventions.


Loss of tree cavities presents a threat to tree roosting echolocating bat populations. Bat boxes have been used for over a century to provide artificial cavities. The aims of this review were to provide a synthesis of bat box use in temperate parts of the world, to discuss the applications and effectiveness of bat boxes, to provide box deployment recommendations and to identify areas requiring further research. The 109 publications reviewed originated from four regions. The majority were from Europe (70%) followed by North America (16%), Australia (12%) and Asia (3%). Publications reported box use for research (n = 67), conservation management (n = 42) and public bat awareness (n = 1). The most commonly used bat box designs could be divided into five basic types, four originating from Europe and one from North America. Woodcement as a box material was frequently used in Europe and was practically absent elsewhere with timber boxes most commonly used overall. Seventy-one species of bats have been recorded using boxes, although only 18 were identified as using boxes commonly and 31 species were reported to have formed maternity roosts. The lack of maternity and overwintering roost records in boxes is a concern. There is a need to test current box types across geographical regions and to develop designs further. Where boxes are used as a conservation tool, consideration should be given to the long-term maintenance costs of a box program. Unless known to be unsuitable to target species, boxes should be made from durable materials, be unattractive to non-target species and be 'self-cleaning'. Deploying a variety of box designs in clusters, time since box installation, non-target species box competition and target species-specific box design elements are likely influencing box uptake. The provision of boxes that comprise different microclimates and box aspects are likely best suited to meet the varying needs of a given tree roosting echolocating bat community. No conclusive evidence was found that box installation height is important for box uptake. There is concern that boxes may provide a competitive advantage for bat species commonly using boxes. Bat boxes should not be used as a justification for the removal of trees that comprise potential roost cavities.


Edge effects and bed size are 2 main landscape-scale parameters that may affect fish in seagrass. We tested their influence on the species richness per unit area and density of fish in 6 Zostera capricorni seagrass beds ranging in size from 2300 to 211 200 m 2 , in the Pittwater estuary, NSW, Australia. The effect of edge interacted with bed size. The species richness was lower in edge than inner regions of the larger beds, but did not differ between regions in smaller beds, in which the species richness was similar to the inner regions of large beds. The density of fish (all species combined) varied with bed size in 1 of the 2 seasons sampled, but not with region. The densities of some individual species were lower in the larger beds compared to smaller beds (5 species), while others were greater (3 species), although for some species this was inconsistent between seasons. We then tested whether species richness and abundance were responding to patch area, perimeter, or perimeter: area ratio (P:A ratio) using artificial seagrass units (ASUs) of different shapes and sizes. All ASU designs had similar total abundances of fish species (per ASU), yet 1 design was smaller in area, so these smaller ASUs had greater species richness per unit area. The ASUs were smaller than the natural seagrass beds, and it seems that, although edge effects appeared in large natural seagrass beds, in smaller patches the total area rather than amount of edge influenced the species richness.


The continued growth of large-scale data centers has resulted in a
wide range of architectures and designs. Each design is tuned to
address the challenges and requirements of the specific applications
and workload that the data is being built for. Each design evolves as
engineering solutions are developed to workaround limitations of
existing protocols, hardware, as well as software implementations.
The goal of this document is to characterize this problem space in
detail in order to better understand if there is any gap in making
address resolution scale in various network designs for data centers.
In particular it is our goal to peel back the various optimization and
engineering solutions to develop generalized reference architectures
for a data center. We also discuss the various factors that influence
design choices in developing various data center designs.


Amphiphilic phospholipids were used to direct the formation of biocompatible, uniform silica nanostructures in the presence of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and bacterial cell lines. The cell surfaces organize multilayered phospholipid vesicles that interface coherently with the silica host and help relieve drying stresses that develop with conventional templates. These host structures maintain cell accessibility, addressability, and viability in the absence of buffer or an external fluidic architecture. The cell surfaces are accessible and can be used to localize added proteins, plasmids, and nanocrystals. Prolonged cell viability combined with reporter protein expression enabled stand-alone cell-based sensing.


Can humming caregivers´facilitate feeding during mealtime situations with persons with dementia? A qualitative study. Access to the published version may require subscription. ABSTRACT Background. 'Music Therapeutic Caregiving', defined as when caregivers' sing for or together with persons with dementia care situations, has been shown to facilitate the caring situation, and enhance positive and decrease negative expressions in persons with dementia. No studies about singing during mealtimes have been conducted, and this project was designed to elucidate this. However, since previous studies have shown that there is a risk that persons with dementia will start to sing along with the caregiver, the caregiver in this study hummed such that the person with dementia did not sing instead of eat. Aim. To describe professional caregivers' experiences of humming during meal time while feeding persons with dementia. Method. An intervention with caregivers humming was implemented during lunch time. Focus group interviews were conducted to fetch the caregivers experiences. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyse the interviews. Results. The caregivers described that humming disseminated relaxation and joy, and awakened memories about the songs hummed which encouraged the persons with the dementia to join in the songs. They also described that humming seemed to make the persons with dementia associate with mealtime and could make them eat more. However it also revealed suspiciousness and agitation from the persons with dementia. Conclusion. Humming during mealtime revealed mainly positive as well as some negative influences. More and larger studies are needed to be able to draw general conclusions.


Christians constantly borrowed the culture of their Jewish neighbors and adapted it to Christianity. This adoption and appropriation of Jewish culture can be fit into three phases. The first phase regarded Jewish religion and philosophy. From the eighth century to the thirteenth century, Christians borrowed Jewish religious exegesis and beliefs in order to expand their own understanding of Christian religious texts. This phase came to an end as Jews and Christians came into increasingly close contact in the twelfth and thirteenth century. This led to a backlash by Christians in power. The second phase ran concurrent with the end of the first phase. As Christians and Jews came into closer contact, they began sharing experiences and cultures beyond the realm of theology. In the third and final phase, only marginalized Christians such as magicians continued to appropriate Jewish culture.


OBJECTIVE
To examine how to screen for and establish a correct diagnosis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adults and to identify the outcomes associated with untreated ADHD.

DATA SOURCES
PubMed was searched using the key words ADHD, adult, diagnosis, and primary care from the years 1999 to 2009.

STUDY SELECTION
This search produced 50 publications.

DATA EXTRACTION
Publications were screened for data specific to the diagnosis or management of adult patients with ADHD in the primary care setting.

DATA SYNTHESIS
The estimated prevalence of ADHD in adults throughout the United States is 4.4% or approximately 10 million adults. Adults with ADHD by definition must experience impairment from the symptoms of ADHD in at least 2 areas of their life. Despite significant impairment, only 1 in 10 adults with ADHD have received ADHD treatment within the past year. Given the high rates of undertreatment, primary care physicians, who provide much of the general adult mental health care in the United States, are increasingly charged with making the diagnosis of ADHD in adults. ADHD symptoms are often masked by comorbid psychiatric conditions or patient adaptations such as choice of occupation. One of the ADHD assessment tools, a short 6-item screener, can simplify identification and management of ADHD in adults and help identify which patients may require further evaluation.

CONCLUSIONS
Primary care physicians should consult with other members of the health care community such as psychiatrists and psychologists when necessary, but should also develop a level of comfort with diagnosing and treating ADHD.


A review of the state of the art gas turbine power plants designs with CO2 capture was performed to set up a list of technologies to be considered in a conceptual process superstructure. It has been found that the efficiency and economics of carbon dioxide capture in gas turbine combined cycle power plants can be remarkably improved by introducing Flue Gas Recirculation (FGR) so as to increase the CO2 concentration in the flue gas and to reduce the volume of the flue gas treated in a CO2 capture plant. Thus, this process was chosen as the main focus of the thermoeconomic modeling and the combustion system related experimental testing. Combustion studies were performed to quantify the impact of reduced oxygen content (caused by flue gas recirculation) on combustion stability and emission characteristics (NOx, CO). Tests were performed with methane, methane/ethane (simulated natural gas), methane/hydrogen and natural gas (as distributed in Switzerland) at different FGR ratios. For all conditions the addition of ethane or hydrogen shows beneficial effects (restoration of flame reactivity) on flame stability and CO emission. Using PSI's high pressure test rig, it has been shown, that by redirecting up to 30% of exhaust gas volume back to the combustor, the CO2 concentration in the exhaust can be increased to 8% vol. while keeping the flame temperature constant (Tad = 1750 K) and meeting the emission requirements (CO, NOx < 25ppm @ 15% O2). Benchmark tests of catalytic partial oxidation reactors were performed to determine whether sufficient H2 could be produced in situ by reaction of a slip stream of natural gas with extracted compressor oxidant. The work confirmed that FGR has the potential to significantly reduce the energy penalty connected with postcombustion carbon capture techniques and still meet the requirements on NOx and CO emissions. © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved


Growth and water relations of Kentucky coffee tree (Gymnocladus dioica (L.) K. Koch) whips in translucent tubelike shelters were investigated. In a container study, 1.2- m-high shelters were placed over whips following transplanting, then diurnal microcli- mate, water relations, and water use were measured. Shelter air temperature and vapor pressure were substantially higher, and solar radiation was 70% lower, than ambient conditions. Sheltered trees responded with nearly three-times higher stomatrd conduc- tance than nonsheltered trees. However, due to substantially lower boundary layer conductance created by the shelter, normalized water use was 40910 lower. In a second experiment, same-sized shelters were placed on whips following spring transplanting in the field. Predawn and midday leaf water potentials and midday stomatal conductance (g,) were monitored periodically through the season, and growth was measured in late summer. Midday gs was also much higher in field-grown trees with shelters than in those without. Sheltered trees in the field had four times greater terminal shoot elongation but 40% less stem diameter growth. Attenuated radiation in the shelters and lower specific leaf area of sheltered trees indicated shade acclimation. Shelters can improve height and reduce water loss during establishment in a field nursery, but they do not allow for sufficient trunk growth.


Background: The incidence of thyroid disorders is increasing day by day and involvement of multiple systems is its common feature. Autoimmune thyroid disorders are the most prevalent immunological diseases in patients with type 1 diabetes. As the prevalence of diabetes and thyroid both is more in India, correlation of these two diseases was studied in this study.
Methodology: this study was conducted on 185 diabetic (both type I and II) patients attending diabetes OPD. Thyroid tests including TSH, T3 and T4 were measured using enzyme immune assay.
Results: we found that levels of T3 and T4 are lower in control group as compared to the diabetic patients. The levels of TSH are lower in diabetic patients than in control group. Low levels of thyroid hormones were noted in 5.95% male diabetics and 18.92% female diabetics. High levels of thyroid hormones were observed in 7.57% male diabetics and 17.84% female diabetics.
Discussion: Abnormal thyroid hormone levels were observed more commonly in study group than in control group. Hypothyroidism was seen to be more common in females than in males in both the control and study group. Similarly hyperthyroidism also seems to be common in females compared to males in both diabetic and non-diabetic groups


Bivalve shellfish such as oysters and mussels can concentrate human pathogens when grown in areas impacted by municipal wastewater. Under EU regulation this risk to consumers is controlled by determining the sanitary quality of bivalve shellfish production areas based on the concentration of E. coli present in shellfish flesh. The authors present a modelling approach to simulate an uptake of E. coli from seawater and subsequent depuration by M. edulis. The model that dynamically predicts E. coli concentration in the mussel tissue is embedded within a 3-D numerical modelling system comprising of a hydrodynamic, biogeochemical, shellfish ecophysiological and the newly proposed microbial modules. The microbial module has two state variables, namely, the concentrations of E. coli in water and in the mussel tissue. Novel formulations to calculate the filtration rates by mussels and the resulting uptake of bacteria are proposed; these rates are updated at every computational time step. Concentrations of E. coli in seawater are also updated accordingly taking into account the amounts ingested by mussels. The model has been applied to Bantry Bay in the south-west of Ireland. The results indicate that the model is capable of reproducing the official classification of shellfish waters in the bay based on monthly sampling at several stations. The predicted filtration rates and ratios of E. coli in water and mussels also compare well with the literature. The model thus forms a tool that may be used to assist in the classification of shellfish waters at much greater spatial and temporal detail than that offered by a field monitoring programme. Moreover, it can also aid in designing an efficient monitoring programme. The model can also be utilised to determine the contribution of individual point sources of pollution on the microbial loading in mussels and, when incorporated into an operational framework, it can provide a short-term forecasting of microbial contamination in a shellfishery. Also, the model can be easily extended to include other shellfish and pathogen species.


The problem of unsupervised texture segmentation was studied and a texture segmentation algorithm was developed making use of the minimum number of prior assumptions. In particular, no prior information about the type of textures, the number of textures and the appropriate scale of analysis for each texture was required. The texture image was analysed by the multiresolution Gabor expansion. The Gabor expansion generates a large number of features for each image and the most suitable feature space for segmentation needs to be determined automatically. The two-point correlation function was used to test the separability of the distributions in each feature space. A measure was developed to evaluate evidence of multiple clusters from the two-point correlation function, making it possible to determine the most suitable feature space for clustering. Thus, at a given resolution level, the most appropriate feature space was selected and used to segment the image. Due to inherent ambiguities and limitations of the two-point correlation function, this feature space exploration and segmentation was performed several times at the same resolution level until no further evidence of multiple clusters was found, at which point, the process was repeated at the next finer resolution level. In this way, the image was progressively segmented, proceeding from coarse to fine Gabor resolution levels without any knowledge of the actual number of textures present. In order to refine the region-labelled image obtained at the end of the segmentation process, two postprocessing pixel-level algorithms were developed and implemented. The first was the mixed pixel classification algorithm which is based on the analysis of the effect of the averaging window at the boundary between two regions and re-assigns the pixel labels to improve the boundary localisation. Multiresolution probabilistic relaxation is the second postprocessing algorithm which we developed. This algorithm incorporates contextual evidence to relabel pixels close to the boundary in order to smooth it and improve its localisation. The results obtained were quantified by known error measures, as well as by new error measures which we developed. The quantified results were compared to similar results by other authors and show that our unsupervised algorithm performs as well as other methods which assume prior information.


In this paper we turn to recent philosophical investigations to analyse stories from entrepreneurial women in rural areas. They describe a variety of social activities they are engaged in to develop their companies, products and services, but also the local community, and society. These engagements are often described in passing, and not directly connected to the company according to conventional goal-oriented logic. Rather, they are seen as taken for granted– they are just done, and someone needs to do them. They concern care for others – for the children in the community, the elderly, the infrastructure, the sustainability of the industry etc. They are neither described as sacrifice, nor as benevolence, as is often emphasized in social entrepreneurship stories. Rather, these engagements signal something else. We argue that they illustrate a reflective practice of entrepreneurship, normally suppressed by an economic logic and described as play, passion and creativity in the sociologically inspired entrepreneurship literature. To better understand the role of reflexive practices in rural entrepreneurship, we turn to philosopher Jonna Bornemark who describes how humans in modern societies have become 'prisoners' of the measurable economic rationality ('ratio'). With inspiration from the pre-renaissance philosopher, Nicholas Cusanus (1401-1464), she describes how the calculating 'ratio' has taken precedence over 'intellectus'. Economic rationality (ratio) describes how we turn to rules of abstractions and generalization. Bornemark's argument is that too much of ratio makes us loose contact with ourselves, others and the specific situation in a way that disables us to develop judgment. Instead we rely on external parameters to objectively guide our action. Practices built on intellectus, on the contrary, emphasize the subjective, emotional, temporary and our ability to 'not know', but to learn to cope with insecurity, instability, anxiety and find ways to act in such terrains. Bornemark's point is that ratio and intellectus practices are interdependent – both are needed. But, in modern societies intellectus has been suppressed, overlooked and seen as state of lack of better knowledge. But, what if intellectus is a practice that is nurtured in rural contexts? A practice that not only makes it possible for rural areas to survive and thrive, but which we can learn from in the contemporary calls to change global society in a more thoughtful direction. By analyzing stories from 35 women pursuing different businesses and social activities, we set eyes at the question of if, and how, intellectus is practiced by rural entrepreneurial women.


The first of the University of California schools, the Berkeley campus opened in 1873. The 1903 Beaux-Arts master plan by John Galen Howard created a classic setting for early and later works by Bernard Maybeck, Julia Morgan, Greene & Greene, John Carl Warnecke, Edward Larrabee Barnes, Charles Moore, Donlyn Lyndon, William Turnbull, and landscape architect Lawrence Halprin.


The study of solar and convective drying of vegetable product was performed in order to determine the performance of the system that got energy from solar energy and steam. And also, the financial analysis, advantages and disadvantages of the system are described. Results from collector testing between 8.30 a.m. - 5.30 p.m. with the average global solar radiation was 650.0 W/m 2, air flow rate was 0.68 kg/s, average ambient air temperature was 35.0°C , showed that the average efficiency of solar collector was about 46.0 %. Experimental results showed that the efficiency of drying system was between 27.5 - 58.5% depending on type and quantity of the fresh product. And the final moisture content of product was between 10-15% whereas the initial moisture content was between 60-90%. From the financial analysis, it was found that internal rate of return was 57.8 % and the benefit-cost ratio was 1.17. From this study, it has indicated that the system has many advantages, however it also has some disadvantage that should be improved in the aspect of auxiliary heat in order to save more energy.


The emerging discipline of evolutionary developmental biology has opened up many new lines of investigation into morphological evolution. Here I explore how two of the core theoretical concepts in evo-devo modularity and homology apply to evolutionary psychology. I distinguish three sorts of module - developmental, functional and mental modules and argue that mental modules need only be virtual functional modules. Evolutionary psychologists have argued that separate mental modules are solutions to separate evolutionary problems. I argue that the structure of developmental modules in an organism helps determine what counts as a separate evolutionary problem for that organism. I suggest that homology as an organizing principle for research in evolutionary psychology, has been severely neglected in favor of analogy (adaptive function). I consider some arguments suggesting that determining homology is less epistemically demanding than determining adaptive function and argue that psychological categories defined by homology are, in fact, more suitable objects of psychological - and particularly neuropsychological - investigation than categories defined by analogy. Extrapolations of experimental results in neuropsychology to homologues of the experimental system are warranted, but similar extrapolations to analogues are not warranted.


Abstract In this study, a combined tilt- and focal series is proposed as a new recording scheme for high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) tomography. Three-dimensional (3D) data were acquired by mechanically tilting the specimen, and recording a through-focal series at each tilt direction. The sample was a whole-mount macrophage cell with embedded gold nanoparticles. The tilt–focal algebraic reconstruction technique (TF-ART) is introduced as a new algorithm to reconstruct tomograms from such combined tilt- and focal series. The feasibility of TF-ART was demonstrated by 3D reconstruction of the experimental 3D data. The results were compared with a conventional STEM tilt series of a similar sample. The combined tilt- and focal series led to smaller "missing wedge" artifacts, and a higher axial resolution than obtained for the STEM tilt series, thus improving on one of the main issues of tilt series-based electron tomography.


Service-oriented wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are being paid more and more attention because service computing can hide complexity of WSNs and enables simple and transparent access to individual sensor nodes. Existing WSNs mainly use IEEE 802.15.4 as their communication specification, however, this protocol suite cannot support IP-based routing and service-oriented access because it only specifies a set of physical- and MAC-layer protocols. For inosculating WSNs with IP networks, IEEE proposed a 6LoWPAN (IPv6 over LoW Power wireless Area Networks) as the adaptation layer between IP and MAC layers. However, it is still a challenging task how to discover and manage sensor resources, guarantee the security of WSNs and route messages over resource-restricted sensor nodes. This paper is set to address such three key issues. Firstly, we propose a service-oriented WSN architectural model based on 6LoWPAN and design a lightweight service middleware SOWAM (service-oriented WSN architecture middleware), where each sensor node provides a collection of services and is managed by our SOWAM. Secondly, we develop a security mechanism for the authentication and secure connection among users and sensor nodes. Finally, we propose an energyaware mesh routing protocol (EAMR) for message transmission in a WSN with multiple mobile sinks, aiming at prolonging the lifetime of WSNs as long as possible. In our EAMR, sensor nodes with the residual energy lower than a threshold do not forward messages for other nodes until the threshold is leveled down. As a result, the energy consumption is evened over sensor nodes significantly. The experimental results demonstrate the feasibility of our service-oriented approach and lightweight middleware SOWAM, as well as the effectiveness of our routing algorithm EAMR.


This paper presents a structural model of code sharing among major U.S. domestic airlines and estimates a profit‐sharing rule. The profit‐sharing rule between partner firms in code sharing is estimated at 0.92, which suggests that the operating carrier acquires around 92% of profits from a round‐trip, and the marketing carrier retains 8% as a commission fee. Meanwhile, the economies of code sharing reduces marginal cost, and firms are able to price at higher markups. This implies that demand increases and consumers have larger surplus if code sharing creates new products.


Charles Sackville (1638-1706), known in his youth as Lord Buckhurst and later as Earl of Middlesex and Earl of Dorset, was among John Dryden's earliest patrons. The poet dedicated his Essay of Dramatick Poesie to Buckhurst in 1667, and the two men remained in frequent contact throughout Dryden's career. Their friendship even survived an awkward moment in 1689, when Dorset, appointed Lord Chamberlain to William and Mary in recognition of his active support of their cause, had the unpleasant task of removing the Catholic convert Dryden from his offices as Poet Laureate and Historiographer Royal. With characteristic generosity, the Earl softened the blow with a gift of money, a kindness Dryden gratefully acknowledged in the preface to his Satires of Juvenal and Persius (1693), another work dedicated to Dorset: I must ever acknowledge, to the Honour of your Lordship, and the Eternal Memory of your Charity, that since this Revolution, wherein I have patiently suffer'd the Ruin of my small Fortune, and the loss of that poor Subsistence which I had from two Kings, whom I had serv'd more Faithfully than Profitably to my self; then your Lordship was pleas'd, out of no other Motive, but your own Nobleness, without any Desert of mine, or the least Sollicitation from me, to make me a most bountiful Present, which at that time, when I was most in want of it, came most seasonably and unexpectedly to my Relief. (1) There is no primary evidence to tell us exactly when Dorset made this present or how large it was. Matthew Prior, in 1709, claimed that Dorset had replaced Dryden's lost salary with "an Equivalent out of his own Estate," (2) but Dryden speaks of only one present, not a continuing pension, and the displaced Laureate was in frequent financial difficulty during the final decade of his life. I should think it more likely that the present to which Dryden refers here was a one-time event, made at the time of the poet's removal from office. Two eighteenth-century anecdotes, printed long after both men were dead, record purported instances of Dorset's generosity to Dryden. In one, the poet finds a banknote for 100 [pounds sterling] under his plate during a Christmas dinner at Knowle, Dorset's country estate; in the other, he is asked to judge a poetry contest between several aristocrats, and awards the prize to a "poem" by Dorset which is actually a promissory note for 500 [pounds sterling]. Neither of these tales can be verified or dated, and there are excellent reasons to doubt the second one. (3) So it is gratifying to announce here that a document not previously noticed by Dryden scholars, now in the Kent Archives Office in Maidstone, records a precise and specific instance of Dorset's financial bounty to Dryden, a fact that may aid us in interpreting their relations. Dryden's dedication of the Satires to Dorset is dated "August 18, 1692," and the volume appeared in print very late in 1692 or early in 1693 (the date printed on the title-page). Mindful of the poet's expectation that a dedication would be rewarded, Dorset made another handsome present to Dryden between the date of the dedication and the actual publication. A neatly written volume recording the Earl's financial receipts and disbursements for the period from October 1692 until March 1693, evidently prepared by his steward, includes the following record: Disbursements Octo.r 92 .... Given Mr Dreyden for ye Dedication of Juvenall 107/10/- (4) [FIGURE 1 OMITTED] This payment appears between entries dated October 26th and 28th, and was thus made on either the 26th or the 27th. The previous page, recording receipts, shows the source of the money, which appears to have been cash supplied to the steward by the Earl himself: Receipts Octo.r 1692 .... 27. Rec. of your honor one hundred Guineas at 1s.6d 107/10/- The value of the guinea fluctuated wildly during the 1690s, so the steward's care in recording the exchange rate is helpful. …


Background: In 1994, the African National Congress identified early childhood development as a potential strategy to redress the inequalities of apartheid, however, two and a half decades later, poverty still persists, and South Africa is one of the most unequal countries in the world. Aim: This article explores how policy texts based on and with the use of certain data practices establish 'truths' about childhoods and society, construct families and communities, and determine forms of provision to address inequality. Setting: In 2015, the South African government published the National Integrated Early Childhood Policy (NIECDP) to continue to address poverty and inequality. Its implementation increasingly draws on data practices that measure and inform solutions. The use of data practices, while also providing needed information, prioritises solutions that proceed in technocratic ways instead of facilitating social change. Methods: With a critical discourse analysis of policy texts and the introduction of alternatives, the analysis seeks to highlight the power and knowledge hierarchies that construct the policies of NIECDP. Results: This article demonstrates how discourses and data practices prioritise 'the government of poverty' instead of helping to eliminate it and silence the voices of those living with poverty. This form of government through data also undermines the policy's potential to respond to the different life chances resulting from the diverse conditions in which young children live in South Africa. Conclusion: This article seeks to re-open a debate that the NIECDP successfully silenced, specifically who benefits, who speaks and who is silenced.


Good sleep is important for our emotional stability and aggression control. Although most people do not become violent after a period of poor sleep, this may be different for certain vulnerable individuals. Forensic psychiatric patients may represent a group of such individuals. We studied patients who committed a crime, often violent in nature, but are not completely held accountable for this due to a mental disorder. They usually get sentenced by the court to follow treatment. A novel finding in this thesis is that poor sleep quality is highly prevalent among these forensic populations. The more sleep difficulties these patients experience, the more impulsive and aggressive they are. Individuals with violent traits appear particularly poor sleepers. The causal relationship between sleep quality and violence was studied in an animal model of violence. We found some indications that also violent rats differ slightly from non-violent rats in their sleep patterns as measured by brain activity after exposure to challenging conditions. Moreover, lack of sleep in rats causes increased impulsive behavior. The effect of sleep loss on the prefrontal cortex, a brain area which serves as the "brake" for our behavior, is likely to be responsible for the negative effects of sleep debt on our behavioral inhibitory capabilities. More work needs to be done to understand the neurobiological mechanisms underlying the relation between sleep and violent aggression. Treatment of sleep disorders may open new avenues for the development of aggression control in forensic patients.


Background Formin proteins utilize a conserved formin homology 2 (FH2) domain to nucleate new actin filaments. In mammalian diaphanous-related formins (DRFs) the FH2 domain is inhibited through an unknown mechanism by intramolecular binding of the diaphanous autoinhibitory domain (DAD) and the diaphanous inhibitory domain (DID). Methodology/Principal Findings Here we report the crystal structure of a complex between DID and FH2-DAD fragments of the mammalian DRF, mDia1 (mammalian diaphanous 1 also called Drf1 or p140mDia). The structure shows a tetrameric configuration (4 FH2 + 4 DID) in which the actin-binding sites on the FH2 domain are sterically occluded. However biochemical data suggest the full-length mDia1 is a dimer in solution (2 FH2 + 2 DID). Based on the crystal structure, we have generated possible dimer models and found that architectures of all of these models are incompatible with binding to actin filament but not to actin monomer. Furthermore, we show that the minimal functional monomeric unit in the FH2 domain, termed the bridge element, can be inhibited by isolated monomeric DID. NMR data on the bridge-DID system revealed that at least one of the two actin-binding sites on the bridge element is accessible to actin monomer in the inhibited state. Conclusions/Significance Our findings suggest that autoinhibition in the native DRF dimer involves steric hindrance with the actin filament. Although the structure of a full-length DRF would be required for clarification of the presented models, our work here provides the first structural insights into the mechanism of the DRF autoinhibition.


ABSTRACT In this paper, Sweden is used as an example of how organised politics has changed quite dramatically in the last couple of decades. The paper argues that there are a number of points that has recently changed Swedish organised politics in rather fundamental ways. These changes entail a new actor constellation in Swedish politics and policy-making, decreased visibility of political processes and the emergence of a strong feedback loop between inequality, participation and public policies. What this amounts to is a very different form of elite-driven policy-making than the old corporatist structures. An amorphous and quite invisible but still highly elite-driven process has emerged, in which inequality has increased dramatically, and the impact of money on politics has become stronger even in Sweden.


The Lez karst spring, located in the Mediterranean basin (southern France), supplies with water the metropolitan area of Montpellier (France) since the 19th century. Since 1981, an intense pumping is being performed directly in the main conduit with a maximum exploitation flow rate of about 1,700 l/s. To improve the understanding of groundwater origins and circulation dynamics in this karst system, as well as the impact of three decades of intense water exploitation, groundwater samples have been collected during various hydrologic conditions since March 2006. The springs and wells of the Lez karst system as well as surrounding springs and wells have been monitored for: physicochemical parameters, major and trace elements, Total Organic Carbon (TOC), faecal and total coliforms, 18O, 2H, d13CTDIC and 87Sr/86Sr. During the first recharge events of autumn, high-mineralized waters have been observed at the Lez spring. This singular behaviour was monitored in a fine time-lag. A multivariate statistical analysis revealed the existence of different water-types discharging at the Lez spring. A coupled approach integrating geochemistry and isotopes were applied and provided insight into the different end-members, associated lithologies and the main reactions that control groundwater chemistry. Between the five distinguished water-types, the two more contrasting ones are emphasized: the first one correspond to more geochemically evolved, long residence-time waters, issued from deep layers where evaporite fingerprinting was identified. They are characterized by high mineralization and high concentrations in Cl, Na, Mg, Li, B and Br elements, high Sr/Ca, Mg/Ca and Cl/Br ratios and enriched d13CTDIC and 87Sr/86Sr. Between all the studied springs and wells, this chemical fingerprinting has been uniquely observed for the Lez spring groundwaters. The second water-type corresponds to low mineralized waters with high concentrations in NO3, bacteria and TOC, and represents the flux of rapid infiltration waters. They underline the vulnerability of the system to surface infiltration and anthropogenic contamination through the infiltration of waters by sinkholes and well-developed fracture networks. Hydrograph deconvolutions using multiple tracers were used to estimate the participation of two or three end-members in the various flood-events that occurred between 2008 and 2010. If we use chloride as tracer, the mean estimated participation of the different water types are, as follows: 12% for deep waters; 5% for recent waters and 83% for main aquifer waters. The comparison between present and former studies carried out before the installation of the pumping plant (1973-1974 dataset), indicates historical changes in water hydrogeochemistry, evidencing a decrease of the deep compartment participation to the outflow of the Lez spring. This change in water hydrogeochemistry may be attributed to the intense pumping of the karst system and, in the absence of noticeable climatic changes, traduces the direct consequences of anthropogenic forcing on the overall functioning of the aquifer. The multi-tracers approach combined to hydrodynamics appears as a very efficient tool for characterizing groundwater flows and their origins and seems to be potentially applicable to other similar complex Mediterranean karst systems that were subjected to deep karstification during the Messinian crisis. The features of this crisis seem to play a relevant role on the hydrogeological behaviour of the aquifer and chemical characteristics of waters by the participation of a deep compartment to the outflow of the karst system.


This paper reviews the experience of undertaking reforms in Indonesia after the economic crisis 1997/98, focusing on the reforms made under the last two presidents - Megawati and Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. The review leads the paper to draw some lessons from the experience. Among other, the role of IMF in disciplining the policy direction, and hence the reforms, is quite evident. This is in the light of dramatic change in the political economy of decision-making process after the crisis, where the power was shifted from the president to the government. The paper also finds that one important constraint for delivering a successful reform is nationalistic ideology which strongly opposes the mechanism for moving towards more efficient market. Meanwhile, in practical terms, the change in political architecture seems to have contributed to the coordination problems across the governmental agencies and ministries, which leads to slow progress in the policy implementation.


A primary objective of active sonar systems is to detect, locate, and classify objects, such as mines, ships, and biologics, based on their sonar backscatter. A shallow-water ocean channel is a challenging environment in which to classify sonar echoes because interactions of the sonar signal with the ocean surface and bottom induce frequency-dependent changes (especially dispersion and damping) in the signal as it propagates, the effects of which typically grow with range. Accordingly, the observed signal depends not only on the initial target backscatter, but also the propagation channel and how far the signal has propagated. These propagation effects can increase the variability of observed target echoes and degrade classification performance. Furthermore, uncertainty of the exact propagation channel and random variations within a channel cause classification features extracted from the received sonar echo to behave as random variables.With the goal of improving sonar signal classification in shallow-water environments, this work develops a phase space framework for studying sound propagation in channels with dispersion and damping. This approach leads to new moment features for classification that are invariant to dispersion and damping, the utility of which is demonstrated via simulation. In addition, the accuracy of a previously developed phase space approximation method for range-independent pulse propagation is analyzed and shown to be greater than the accuracy of the standard stationary phase approximation for both large and small times/distances. The phase space approximation is also extended to range dependent propagation. Finally, the phase space approximation is used to investigate the random nature of moment features for classification by calculating the moments of the moment features under uncertain and random channel assumptions. These moments of the moment features are used to estimate probability distribution functions for the moment features, and we explore several ways in which this information may be used to improve sonar classification performance.


This commentary highlights the diversity of thematics and conceptual schema generated by guru-ship, and its capacity—as a set of principles as much as specific persons—to participate in, and move between, multiple social and conceptual domains. The aim is to reassess some of the key existing literature on guru-ship while developing a kind of analytical toolkit in order to aid future studies and stimulate new thought on the phenomenon. The guru, we argue, is a social form of peculiar suggestibility. We suggest that the multiplicity and diversity of the guru's political and economic entanglements point toward a sense of the guru's uncontainability, a quality which, in a seeming irony, relies at least in part on the guru's ability to contain diverse others (principally his/her devotees and former incarnations). We present the case study of an avatar guru—a particularly prolific "collector of associations"—who exemplifies the expansive personhood of the guru as an "inclusive singularity." Emphasizing the plural forms of guru-ship, we define categories of anti-guru and collective guru while also drawing attention to the guru's mimetic proficiency and the complex role of the guru in imagination and fantasy and gender politics. The political and governmental functions of guru-ship are also analyzed, with "guru governmentality" not "just another" agency of devolved governance in an era of economic liberalization but the retooling of the radical asymmetry of the guru-devotee relationship in order to produce "humanitarian" or "developmental" effects, which from devotees' point of view could hardly be glossed as "secular".


In this thesis, a new method has been developed, which determines the optical coefficients spectra (absorption and scattering) of small volumes of tissue (1 mm3) by the measurement of spatially resolved reflectance between 480 and 950 nm. Firstly, an algorithm has been developed to determine the optical coefficients form reflectance measurements: It is based on the optical propagation model introduced by Bevilacqua [Bevilacqua 99 JOSA]. This model takes the first two moments of the phase function into account through the γ parameter, allowing to accurately simulate the propagation of photons close to the source by the Monte Carlo method. These simulations are then fitted to the reflectance to obtain the optical coefficients. To obtain any value of absorption, scattering or γ parameter, the simulations are interpolated by 3D B-splines. A complete robustness to noise study of the algorithm has been presented. A theoretical study of the γ parameter in tissue over broad wavelengths has been reported. Tissue was simulated with Mie theory for a fractal distribution of sphere diameters. For such a distribution, the γ spectrum is almost flat, instead of being wavy like in the case of mono-disperse sphere diameter. The correlation of the mean value of γ with the fractal power (or dimension) of the distribution was made and showed an analytical form of hyperbolic tangent. It allowed deepening the interpretation of the γ parameter as being an indicator of the relative number of small scatterers (much smaller than the wavelength, e.g. of Rayleigh type) in comparison of bigger ones (their size being comparable to the wavelength). The assessment of the set-up and the algorithm was made by measuring the reflectance of a solution containing 5 different diameters of polystyrene spheres simulating the scattering and Nigrosin colorant as absorber. It showed a good agreement between measurements and prediction. In order to built a better comprehension of absorption and scattering at the tissue scale, a first part of in vivo investigations has been made on an animal model. The skin of the mouse back was altered with Freund's adjuvant and TPA and the optical coefficients were measured on treated and control sites. The effect of alteration (epidermis and dermis thickening, oil vesicle appearing, inflammatory cells infiltration, etc.) was clearly correlated with optical coefficients variations. The scattering spectrum always showed the better contrast. The absorption spectrum, especially in the haemoglobin peak region (between 550 and 600 nm) also showed significant information, in terms of oxy and deoxy-haemoglobin concentration and saturation. Sensitivity and specificity of the "diagnosis" was evaluated. The study of stomach epithelium in vivo on 29 human subjects was made using a small optical fibre probe (<2mm in diameter) through the working channel of an endoscope used in routine gastroscopic examination. An optical contrast in scattering and absorption was found between the antral (lower) part of the stomach and the fundus (upper part). In the antrum, gastritis cases were studied and showed a good optical contrast (100% sensitivity and 78.8% of specificity). Indications on sub-types of gastritis are likely to be deduced from optical properties, but further measurements should be made to confirm this tendency. Because of its high sensitivity, the optical set-up and algorithm presented in this work has been found to give valuable indications to physicians to localise the interesting biopsy sites and may give on-time indications on the tissue pathology.


The paper describes the application of augmented reality tools to create an auxiliary interactive tool in the field of design. To mediate it, an application with AR operation based on marker tracking has been designed. The created application works with the mobile devices platform. Two types of markers have been used in the application. To display basic information, buttons with functions are added to the scene, such as part information, rotation and change of position in the X, Y, Z direction. The application runs on a mobile phone, with a built-in camera. The marker is displayed in the drawing's lower left corner. The model is positioned so that it appears above the view of the part in the drawing. The task of the application is to support intelligent tools applicable in the design stage of production preparation, in the creation of drawing documentation.


Social network analysis (SNA) provides tools to examine relationships between people. Text mining (TM) allows capturing the text they produce in Web 2.0 applications, for example, however it neglects their social structure. This paper applies an approach to combine the two methods named "content-based SNA" (CB-SNA). Using the R mailing lists, R-help and R-devel, we show how this combination can be used to describe people's interests and to find out if authors who have similar interests actually communicate. We find that the expected positive relationship between sharing interests and communicating gets stronger as the centrality scores of authors in the communication networks increase.


ABSTRACT Over the past two decades there has been a growing awareness that sport may not be a positive experience for all children. For example, we know that some children experience sexual abuse in the context of organised sport, and that these offences are often committed by trusted adults, including coaches and club officials. However, less attention has been given to the physical abuse of child athletes. This paper presents a study that explored children's experiences of organised sport, as recounted by young people between the ages of 18 and 25 years in Australia. The study explored the experience of child physical abuse in organised sport including violence, overtraining, and training while injured. A mixed methods research design produced 107 survey responses and 10 in-depth interviews with young adults. Most respondents reported the positive impact that participating in sport had had on their development, but more than a third of the respondents also described experiences of overtraining, being forced to train when injured or of direct physical violence. Drawing upon a thematic analysis of the qualitative data, a conceptual model has been developed and is presented to assist in the understanding of the dynamic of secrecy, which may facilitate ongoing physical harm to children in this context.


The positive impact of regional anesthesia on surgical outcome has continued to evolve. In recent years, the focus of acute pain management strategies following total knee arthroplasty has shifted from femoral nerve block to adductor canal block. We systematically analyzed the safety and efficacy of adductor canal blocks by reviewing 78 peer-reviewed publications, including 13 randomized controlled trials. There are a number of studies supporting the adductor canal nerve block as a viable alternative for postoperative analgesia after total knee arthroplasty. This novel block has been consistently demonstrated to have equivalent analgesic efficacy compared to femoral nerve block, while simultaneously reducing quadriceps weakness significantly less than femoral nerve block, thus facilitating earlier active mobilization. With focus on early rehabilitation, adductor canal block may be considered a contributory factor preventing complications such as deep vein thrombosis and joint rigidity from the lack of early mobilization. These advances could potentially result in a reduction of total length of hospital stay and therefore a reduction in associated health care costs. Based on the current evidence, we recommend that an adductor canal block could replace a femoral nerve block as the primary regional analgesic following total knee arthroplasty. *Corresponding author: Stanley C. Yuan, Department of Anesthesiology, Virginia Mason Medical Center 1100 9th Avenue, Seattle, Washington, 98101, USA United States,Tel: (206) 223-6980; E-mail: email@example.com


We report the results of an experimental study analyzing the effects of Internet piracy on book sales. We conducted a year-long controlled large-scale field experiment with pre-treatment pair matching. Half of the book titles received experimental treatment, in which a specialized agency would immediately remove any unauthorized copy appearing on the Internet. For the other half we merely registered such occurrences, but no countermeasures were taken. For all the titles we obtained print and e-book sales statistics from the publishers. We find that removal of unauthorized copies was an effective method of curbing piracy, but this had no bearing on legal sales.


The purpose of this study was to examine the relative strength of objective, subjective, and congruency variables as predictors of life satisfaction among low-income youth from rural areas. A 10-year longitudinal survey of low-income, rural youth from Appalachia (n = 322) was conducted to explore these issues. Although support was provided for variables representing all three types of life satisfaction predictors, the strongest of these were subjective variables such as self-perceptions about goal attainment in jobs, overall goal attainment in life, and self-esteem. Another set of consistent predictors of life satisfaction, congruence variables, were concerned with the extent to which low-income you believed that they had fulfilled their own aspirations in terms of formal education, proximity to their childhood homes, and number of children, Finally, some of the objective variables consisting of family of origin's SES, community size, and marital status also were predictive of life satisfaction. In general, the life satisfaction of low-income, rural youth seemed to be influenced more extensively by personal meanings shaped within a particular cultural context rather than by traditional objective measures of life circumstances.


This thesis explores the role of the informal economy in urban environmental management. Cities' relation with the environment is mediated by the urban infrastructure, which provides services such as transport or waste management. Beyond the implementation of plans by local governments, the daily operation of such infrastructure is also the result of informal work. Yet, little is known about the nature and impacts of informal work in urban service provision. This thesis tackles this research gap by documenting the everyday operation of domestic waste collection and management in a neighbourhood of Mexico City. The aim of this research is twofold. Firstly, it aims to critically analyse the concept of "informality" in the case of urban waste management, and to document how informality operates in that context. Secondly, it assesses the contribution of the informal economy to the waste management system, by contrasting it to the key components of urban sustainability. The research presents primary data collected through qualitative fieldwork. Using an urban metabolism framework, it documents waste flows through the urban infrastructure, identifying the role of formal and informal waste handlers along the way. In parallel, it explores the normative discourses of informality that are mobilised in the production of Mexico City's urban sustainability policies. The thesis argues that it is necessary to re-consider the role of informal workers in urban sustainability. In Mexico City, informal and formal waste workers' relationship is symbiotic. Formal waste collection services are sustained by informal work and cash flows. In parallel, informal waste handlers provide the main input (recyclable materials) to the formal recycling industry – this is achieved through the reliance on local solidarity networks and techniques of experimentation and innovation which are characteristic of the informal economy. The informal economy appears to contribute positively to the environmental and social components of urban sustainability. Yet, informal workers are not recognised as legitimate actors in policy making. Instead, the concept of informality is mobilised by civil servants to exclude informal workers from the policy process. This challenges the potential for inclusive governance, a key component of urban sustainability.


In this work we describe a novel method to prepare multi-domain metal–metal oxide heterostructured nanoparticles (NPs). We investigated the ability of Ni(acac)2 to undergo galvanic exchange with pre-synthesized metallic α-Fe NPs. Findings indicate that an asymmetric heterostructure emerges from the exchange, which is followed by rapid oxidation to form a NiFe–M3O4 (M = Fe, Ni) alloy-oxide microstructure. Nucleation and growth was monitored using UV-vis and TEM, and crystal evolution, composition change, and oxidation states were measured by XRD and XPS respectively. Galvanic exchange and growth was studied by varying Ni:Fe molar feed ratios during synthesis. The findings indicate that at low Ni:Fe ratios, the NP forms multiple domains of oxides, whereas at higher ratios form regions with novel Ni–NiFe–M3O4 interfaces. These new heterostructures were highly magnetic, and the extent of magnetization was proportional to composition and morphology, where NPs prepared at high Ni:Fe feed ratios resulted in decreased saturation magnetization and increased magnetic hysteresis. The nickel deposition and NP growth mechanism was considered as a combination of both galvanic exchange and reduction, and the observed rapid oxidation of the remaining α-Fe core was considered in light of electron density change at the heterostructures interfaces. Nanomaterials like these may find use as components in magnetic storage and spintronic devices, probes in biomedicine, additives in corrosion resistant coatings, and even as 3D printing inks.


Background Femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) has been stated as one of the main causes of early osteoarthritis in the hip. This is particularly important in young athletes. However, there are no data available about the prevalence of radiological signs of FAI in the asymptomatic population. These data would improve the evaluation of athletes with groin pain to prevent further injuries. Objective The aim of this study is to show the prevalence of radiological signs of FAI in non-symptomatic athletes. Design Descriptive study. Setting Soccer and basketball players enrolled in elite division leagues. Participants Players were selected from the teams of the Federation of Soccer and Basketball of Murcia. Interventions Participants were clinical and radiologically evaluated. Clinical exam included: range of motion, and anterior and posterior hip impingement tests. Radiological exam included both anteroposterior radiographs of the pelvis and axial (frog-leg) views of both hips. Main outcome Radiographs were assessed to detect signs of FAI (both cam and pincer type). These signs were: pistol grip deformity (PG), coxa vara, alfa angle higher than 50°, anterior offset ratio (OR) lower than 0.18, coxa profunda/Protasio acetabuli (CP/PA), acetabular index lower o equal to 0°, cross-over sign (CO), and posterior wall sign (PW). Results 80 athletes were evaluated (mean (SD) age 24.43 (3.21)). PG was present in the 28.8%, alfa was higher than 50° in the 43.8%, CP/PA was detected in the 41.25%, CO was seen in the 25%, and PW in the 8.8%. Clinical signs of FAI, that is, groin pain with provocative test, were positive in the 13.8% of the patients. Conclusion Radiological evaluation shows a high prevalence of signs of FAI in athletic population. However, clinical signs are only present in a few of them.


Proteins of the CIN85 and CMS adaptor family contain SH3 domains, which are proline recognition sequences mediating protein interactions. However, the binding sites within known CIN85 target proteins do not appear to be canonical P-X-X-P motifs. Kurakin et al. used target-assisted iterative screening (TAIS) to identify sequences preferred by the first, second, and third SH3 domains of CIN85. Although there were variations in residues tolerated in the "X" positions, each of the CIN85 SH3 domains recognized the sequence P-X-(P or A)-X-X-R. Homology searches for the CIN85 SH3 recognition motif showed many potential new partners and confirmed the presence of this motif in known CIN85 partners. Four of the newly identified potential partners were investigated further to confirm an interaction with CIN85. Interaction with two of these, synaptojanin 1 and the kinase PAK2, was detected in mouse brain lysates by glutathione S-transferase (GST) fusion protein pull-down assay and by Far Western analysis; Z0-2 and TAFII70 were only detected in a GST pull-down assay. This approach and the results demonstrate (i) that TAIS is an effective method for identifying binding motifs, which can then be used to identify new partners, (ii) that the CIN85 SH3 domain recognizes a noncanonical proline sequence, and (iii) that CIN85 may also interact with synaptojanin 1, PAK2, ZO-2, and TAFII70, which suggests additional functions. A. V. Kurakin, S. Wu, D. E. Bredesen, Atypical recognition consensus of CIN85/SETA/Ruk SH3 domains revealed by target-assisted iterative screening. J. Biol. Chem. 278, 34102-34109 (2003). [Abstract] [Full Text]


The effects of some heavy metals Co(II), Cu(II), Zn(II), and Ag(I) on carbonic anhydrase (CA) activity from rainbow trout (RT) muscle were investigated. Moreover, the effects of these metals on the expression of heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) gene in muscle tissue were examined by real-time quantitative PCR (RT-PCR) in muscle tissue after exposure to the metals at the end of 6, 12, 24, and 48 h. CA was purified with a specific activity of 2300 EU mg-1, a yield of 19%, and 1080-fold. The molecular weights (Mw) of subunit and native enzyme were approximately 30 and 31 kDa, respectively. Optimum pH, stable pH, optimum temperature, activation energy (Ea), activation enthalpy (DH), and Q10 (the difference in activity of enzyme caused by the increment of 10 °C) value were determined. Apparent Michaelis constant (Km), maximum reaction rate (Vmax), and turnover rate of the enzyme (Kcat) values were 1.29 mM, 0.17 µmol min-1, and 28.8 s-1, respectively. The catalytic efficiency (Kcat/Km) was 22.3. The heavy metals decreased in vitro CA activity. Inhibition mechanisms of the metal ions were noncompetitive, except for the Co(II) ion, which was competitive. The expression of the Hsp70 gene was increased in the presence of the metal ions. The expression level at the end of 48 h was the highest for all of the metals. Consequently, the in vitro inhibition rank order was determined as Co(II) > Zn(II) > Cu(II) > Ag(I). Interestingly, Ag(I) was the most effective metal ion on Hsp70 gene expression.


Besides actuator and generator applications, dielectric electroactive polymers (DEAP) are also predestined for sensor applications to monitor the actual mechanical state based on the deformation dependent electrical pa- rameters of the DEAP. In order to ensure a high sensitivity, accuracy and dynamic a suitable sensor concept is required. Within this contribution a summary of multiple sensor concepts is presented, which are designed for positioning-actuators. To investigate these concepts, an FEM simulation is used, considering electrical and mechanical constraints. Furthermore, identification algorithms are presented to evaluate such sensor concepts.


The paper deals with marina operator liability insurance (hereinafter: MOLI) in the context of Croatian and Slovenian insurance law and business practice. The authors analyse, discuss and compare the salient features of MOLI contracts, their standard terms and conditions, scope of coverage and exclusions in Croatian and Slovenian law. The paper describes the relevant business practice in the two Adriatic countries. The analysis is based on the comparative study of the relevant national legislation and private regulation, as well as on the data and documentation gathered by field research, consisting of written questionnaires and live interviews with the representatives of insurance companies and marina operators. Our thesis is that the legal framework in the two observed jurisdictions, as well as the insurers' private regulation in Croatia and Slovenia are very similar. The aim is to establish the common features of MOLI contracts and of the related practices of marina operators and their insurers in the respective countries and explain the background that has led to the formation of a MOLI product specific for the eastern Adriatic marina industry. Suggestions are given for the improvement of the relevant business practices and administrative requirements regarding the minimum insurance standards imposed on marina operators by the concessioning process.


We demonstrate that a class of simplified complex dispersion relations, which obey causality, can model baseband and envelope propagation in conventional and negative index materials. One such dispersion relation is a special case of the Drude model, another yields the Kuramoto-Shivashinsky equation, while a third, in the limit, yields the simplest dispersion for negative index materials.


This article examines former French president Valéry Giscard d'Estaing's use of television to assert his presidential authority and to promote a new, modernised and informal style of communication in sharp contrast with his Gaullist predecessors' aloof and dramatic personas. The article focuses on three television programmes, each of which highlights some key ideas at the heart of Giscard d'Estaing's modernised presidential communication: the desacralisation of the presidential office; 'accountability' (displayed empathy for the electorate's preoccupations) and 'décrispation' or the neutralisation of presidential rhetoric. It also illustrates the growing personalisation of French political communication in the 1970s. It is argued that the difficulties encountered by Giscard d'Estaing to break the 'Gaullian mould' and adopt a more casual style of leadership without jeopardising the prestige associated with the presidential office may have helped his successors to better define their styles of communication and thus set an important precedent in the development of French presidential communication.


Evolutionary science is critical to an understanding of integrated human biology and is increasingly recognized as a core underpinning discipline by medical and public health professionals. Advances in the fields of genomics, epigenetics, developmental biology and epidemiology have led to the growing realization that incorporating evolutionary thinking is essential for medicine to achieve its full potential. This is the first integrated and comprehensive textbook to explain the principles of evolutionary biology from a medical perspective and to focus on how medicine and public health might utilize evolutionary biology. It is written in a style which is accessible to a broad range of readers, whether or not they have had formal exposure to evolutionary science. Principles of Evolutionary Medicine is divided into three sections: the first provides a systematic approach to the principles of evolutionary biology as they apply to human health and disease, using examples specifically relevant to medicine. It incorporates chapters on evolutionary processes, molecular evolution, the evolution of humans, life history theory, and evolutionary-developmental biology. The second part illustrates the application of these principles to our understanding of nutrition and metabolism, reproduction, combatting infectious disease and stress, and human behaviour. The final section provides a general framework to show in practical terms how the principles of evolutionary medicine can be applied in medical practice and public health.


Periodic plasmonic nanostructures have been found promising in controlling photoluminescence directivity and efficiency for a wide variety of applications. Because of the inhomogeneous spatial distribution of the photonic resonances of periodic plasmonic nanostructures, their influence on emission is strongly dependent on the position of emitters relative to the nanostructures. Therefore, mapping the local dependence of directivity, efficiency, and emission rate enhancements is key to understanding and optimizing the devices. We introduce a method of mapping the local enhancement of spontaneous emission rates of emitters coupled to periodic nanostructures based on stochastic superresolution imaging. As an example, we show superresolved measurements of the local density of states (LDOS) at 605 nm induced by a hexagonal lattice of aluminum nanoantennas with a spatial resolution of 40 nm, defined by the size of the colloidal nanosources we use as randomly dispersed probes. We demonstrate that our method is superior to near-field mapping of emission rates. Comparison with electrodynamic simulations indicates that the variation of the decay rate of the emitters in the investigated sample is hardly influenced by the lattice modes and mainly governed by single-particle LDOS variations and nearest-neighbor interactions.