The semantic web suggests having data and information on the web defined and linked in a way that it is both human readable and machine understandable. Machine understandability means that data has been explicitly prepared for programs and softrware agents to reason about and reuse. However, most current software agents have not been designed to run in a web environment: the software agents and web components are working in different models. For example, most software agent frameworks and tools do not support reasoning over content expressed in a mixture of several ontologies. Web components, on the other hand, lack notions of autonomy and a rich message-oriented communication. This thesis suggests adding to a semantic web site a dedicated service agent, capable of understanding the ontologies used by the site and answering queries about the content found on the site. Semantic web tasks are accomplished by the cooperation of personal agents, service agents and semantic web servers. The semantic web language OWL is used as the agent content language for message passing and interaction. An OWL inference engine, F-OWL, has been developed to manage logical sentences explicitly stated in the web documents as well as those that can be inferred. Within this thesis, TAGA system, a Trading Agent System running in the open Agentcities platform, is used to support the hypothesis and demonstrate how the software agent and semantic web paradigms can be integrated. We see two main contributions in our work. First, this thesis presents an enhanced semantic web vision involving software agents, semantic web and web services. Both human and software agents can directly access the semantic-marked web pages through web interface. An agent communicates with other agents by exchanging messages encoded in a semantically rich agent communication language. Both web services and agent services are described in a semantically rich language to improve the interoperability. The personal agents and service agents work together to understand the semantic web content, automate web services and better serve humans. Second, the TAGA system attests this semantic web vision and provides a flexible environment for simulating agent-based trading in dynamic markets.


This contribution expounds on ideas put forth by a group of New York City generative grammarians that language possesses certain essential features that are uncaused and adhere to an abstract ideal form. An analogy of the situation with language is made with certain natural properties of numbers. It is also noted that this situation contrasts with that of the functional structure of human color vision. This idea is viewed alongside recent work in biolinguistics and is compared to the neoplatonist view of language, namely that language is discovered by the child learner and not triggered. The main consequences of this idea are discussed both within the historical context and with respect to current theories on language acquisition.


. Ecosystems across the United States are changing in complex and surprising ways. Ongoing demand for critical ecosystem services requires an understanding of the populations and communities in these ecosystems in the future. This paper represents a synthesis effort of the U.S. National Science Founda-tion-funded Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) network addressing the core research area of " populations and communities. " The objective of this effort was to show the importance of long-term data collection and experiments for addressing the hardest questions in scienti fi c ecology that have signi fi cant implications for environmental policy and management. Each LTER site developed at least one compelling case study about what their site could look like in 50 – 100 yr as human and environmental drivers in fl uencing speci fi c ecosystems change. As the case studies were prepared, fi ve themes emerged, and the studies were grouped into papers in this LTER Futures Special Feature addressing state change, connectivity, resilience, time lags, and cascading effects. This paper addresses the " connectivity " theme and has examples from the Phoenix (urban), Niwot Ridge (alpine tundra), McMurdo Dry Valleys (polar desert), Plum Island (coastal), Santa Barbara Coastal (coastal), and Jornada (arid grassland and shrubland) sites. Connectivity has multiple dimensions, ranging from multi-scalar interactions in space to complex interactions over time that govern the transport of materials and the distribution and movement of organisms. The case studies presented here range widely, showing how land-use legacies interact with climate to alter the structure and function of arid ecosystems and fl ows of resources and organisms in Antarctic polar desert, alpine, urban, and coastal marine ecosystems. Long-term ecological research demonstrates that connectivity can, in some circumstances, sustain valuable ecosystem functions, such as the persistence of foundation species and their associated biodiversity or, it can be an agent of state change, as when it increases wind and water erosion. Increased connectivity due to warming can also lead to species range expansions or contractions and the introduction of undesirable species. Continued long-term studies are essential for addressing the complexities of connectivity. The diversity of ecosystems within the LTER network is a strong platform for these studies.


The language of 'efficiency' has increasingly been used as a rhetorical device to legitimate new approaches to refugee policy; in particular, extraterritorial processing and 'protection-in-regions-of-origin'. This article aims to explore what 'efficiency' might mean from the perspective of the global refugee regime in order to, firstly, expose the hidden assumptions implicit in the use of the 'efficiency' discourse in the current debate and, secondly, to explore what the concept might offer in defining the normative contours of a future regime structure. Although the concept is acknowledged to be inevitably political and to carry epistemological assumptions, reconstructing the concept by drawing on economic theory is argued to offer a means to improve the quality of debate on the allocation of resources within the refugee regime. Indeed, a critical application of the concepts of productive, allocative and dynamic efficiency is shown to offer far more nuanced insights for sustainable refugee protection than is implied by the contemporary debate's political manipulation of the term. The article assesses both the theoretical and policy implications that derive from a more rigorous conceptualisation of the meaning of efficiency.


The antifreeze proteins (AFPs) are structurally diverse molecules that share an ability to bind to ice crystals and inhibit their growth. The type II fish AFPs of Atlantic herring and smelt are unique among known AFPs in their requirement of a cofactor for antifreeze activity. These AFPs are homologous with the carbohydrate-recognition domains of Ca2+-dependent (C-type) lectins and require Ca2+ for their activity. To investigate the role of metal ions in the structure and function of type II AFPs, the binding of Ca2+ and other divalent cations to herring AFP was investigated. Binding studies using 45Ca2+ demonstrated that the AFP has a single Ca2+-binding site with a Kd of 9 μM. Proteolysis protection studies and measurement of antifreeze activity revealed a conformational change from a protease-sensitive and inactive apoAFP to a protease-resistant active AFP upon Ca2+ binding. Other divalent metal ions including Mn2+, Ba2+, and Zn2+ bind at the Ca2+-binding site and induce a similar change. A saturatable increase in tryptophan emission intensity at 340 nm also occurred upon Ca2+ addition. Whereas antifreeze activity appeared normal when Ca2+ or Mn2+ were bound, it was much lower in the presence of other metal ions. When Ba2+ was bound to the AFP, ice crystals showed a distinct difference in morphology. These studies demonstrate that herring AFP specifically binds Ca2+ and, consequently, adopts a conformation that is essential for its ice-binding activity.


We describe the medium-run macroeconomic effects and long-run development consequences of a financial Dutch disease that may take place in a small developing country with abundant natural resources. The first move is in financial markets. An initial surge in foreign direct investment targeting natural resources sets in motion a perverse cycle between exchange rate appreciation and mounting short- and medium-term capital flows. Such a spiral easily leads to exchange rate volatility, capital reversals, and sharp macroeconomic instability. In the long run, macroeconomic instability and overdependence on natural resource exports dampen the development of nontraditional tradable goods sectors and curtail labor productivity dynamics. We advise the introduction of constraints to short- and medium-term capital flows to tame exchange rate/capital flows boom-and-bust cycles. We support the implementation of a developmentalist monetary policy targeting competitive nominal and real exchange rates in order to encourage product and export diversification.


This paper presents a simplified primal-dual neural network based on linear variational inequalities (LVI) for online repetitive motion planning of PA10 robot manipulator. To do this, a drift-free criterion is exploited in the form of a quadratic function. In addition, the repetitive-motion-planning scheme could incorporate the joint limits and joint velocity limits simultaneously. Such a scheme is finally reformulated as a time-varying quadratic program (QP). As a QP real-time solver, the simplified LVI-based primal-dual neural network (LVI-PDNN) is designed based on the QP-LVI conversion and Karush-Kuhn-Tucker (KKT) conditions. It has a simple piecewise-linear dynamics and could globally exponentially converge to the optimal solution of strictly-convex quadratic-programs. The simplified LVI-PDNN model is simulated based on PA10 robot arm, and simulation results show the effective remedy of the joint angle drift problem of PA10 robot.


This report uses data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey from 2004 to 2006 as well as data from the Congressional Budget Office to analyze the savings in prescription drug spending for seniors as a result of the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 (MMA). The results show that the 1st income quintile of seniors experienced a fall in the rate of expenditures for prescription drugs and the 2nd income quintile saw a slowing of the rate of increase in expenditures. However, senior households in the middle- and upper-income quintiles saw a rise in expenditures for prescription drugs.


The development of laser-based lighting systems has been the latest step towards a revolution in illumination technology brought about by solid-state lighting. Laser-activated remote phosphor systems produce white light sources with significantly higher luminance than LEDs. The weak point of such systems is often considered to be the conversion element. The high-intensity exciting laser beam in combination with the limited thermal conductivity of ceramic phosphor materials leads to thermal quenching, the phenomenon in which the emission efficiency decreases as temperature rises. For this reason, the aim of the presented study is the modeling of remote phosphor systems in order to investigate their thermal limitations and to calculate the parameters for optimizing the efficiency of such systems. The common approach to simulate remote phosphor systems utilizes a combination of different tools such as ray tracing algorithms and wave optics tools for describing the incident and converted light, whereas the modeling of the conversion process itself, i.e. photoluminescence, in most cases is circumvented by using the absorption and emission spectra of the phosphor material. In this study, we describe the processes involved in luminescence quantum-mechanically using the single-configurational-coordinate diagram as well as the Franck-Condon principle and propose a simulation model that incorporates the temperature dependence of these processes. Following an increasing awareness of climate change and environmental issues, the development of ecologically friendly lighting systems featuring low power consumption and high luminous efficiency is imperative more than ever. The better understanding of laser-based lighting systems is an important step towards that aim as they may improve on LEDs in the near future.


The three distinct data handling cultures (statistics, data base management and artificial intelligence) finally show signs of convergence. Whether you name their common area "data analysis" or "knowledge discovery", the necessary ingredients for success with ever larger data sets are identical: good data, subject area expertise, access to technical know-how in all three cultures, and a good portion of common sense. Curiously, all three cultures have been trying to avoid common sense and hide its lack behind a smoke-screen of technical formalism. Huge data sets usually are not just more of the same, they have to be huge because they are heterogeneous, with more internal structure, such that smaller sets would not do. As a consequence, subsamples and techniques based on them, like the bootstrap, may no longer make sense. The complexity of the data regularly forces the data analyst to fashion simple, but problem- and data-specific tools from basic building blocks, taken from database management and numerical mathematics. Scaling-up of algorithms is problematic, computational complexity of many procedures explodes with increasing data size; for example, conventional clustering algorithms become unfeasible. The human ability to inspect a data set, or even only a meaningful of part it, breaks down far below terabyte sizes. I believe that attempts to circumvent this by "automating" some aspects of exploratory analysis are futile. The available success stories suggest that the real function of data mining and KDD is not machine discovery of interesting structures by itself, but targeted extraction and reduction of data to a size and format suitable for human inspection. By necessity, such preprocessing is ad hoc, data specific and driven by working hypotheses based on subject matter expertise and on trial and error. Statistical common sense - which traps to avoid, handling of random and systematic errors, and where to stop - is more important than specific techniques. The machine assistance we need to step from large to huge sets thus is an integrated computing environment that allows easy improvisation and retooling even with massive data.


Abstract In at least 9 mammalian species, females are masculinized throughout life, but the benefits of this remain unclear despite decades of thorough study, in particular of the spotted hyaena (Crocuta crocuta) in which the phenomenon has been associated with a high fitness cost. Through examination of wild and captive fossas (Cryptoprocta ferox, Viverridae), androgen assays, and DNA typing for confirmation of gender, we made the first discovery of transient masculinization of a female mammal. Juvenile female fossas exhibited an enlarged, spinescent clitoris supported by an os clitoridis and a pigmented secretion on the underpart fur that in adults was confined to males. These features appeared to diminish with age. The majority of adult females lacked them, and os clitoridis length was inversely related to head-body length. No evidence was found to link this masculinization to elevated female androgen levels. Circulating concentrations of testosterone and androstenedione, but not dihydrotestosterone, were significantly lower in females than in males. No significant differences in testosterone, androstenedione, or dihydrotestosterone levels were found between juvenile (masculinized) and adult (nonmasculinized) females. There are several possible physiological mechanisms for this masculinization. None of the hypotheses so far proposed to explain the evolutionary basis of female masculinization in mammals are applicable to our findings. We present 2 new hypotheses for testing and development.


The tax laws concerning home office deductions have changed significantly over the last two decades. During this time, the Tax Court has failed to provide a consistent interpretation of the law; in particular, the court has grappled with the principal-place-of-business requirement, which allows an individual to deduct home office expenses. With the 1990 Tax Court decision, Soliman v. Commissioner, the court finally has a handle on this complicated issue and has allowed greater leniency in home office deductions. Taxpayers and practitioners need to be aware of these recent changes. The Tax Court gave a favorable decision in Soliman, in which a doctor took a home office deduction for a room he set aside in his apartment for the administrative duties he could not perform in his place of work; the Internal Revenue Service's response has been to vigorously oppose the opinion. However, taxpayers claiming similar deductions must understand the implications of the case to make optimum use of Soliman. An in-depth study of the legislation and court cases leading up to the Soliman decision follows. Understanding what has happened in the recent past will make it easier to understand the impact of Soliman and what it means for those taxpayers wishing to deduct home office expenses. LEGISLATION BEFORE 1976 Before the Tax Reform Act of 1976, there was very little structure to the laws concerning home office deductions. Business expenses were allowed as deductions for three types of taxpayers: * Self-employed individuals who used part of their home for trade or business purposes. * Employees who maintained an office at home in connection with their duties as an employee. * Investors who performed investment activities at home. For these individuals, depreciation, rent, maintenance, utility and insurance expenses were allowed up to the allocable share used for business purposes. A deduction was allowed only if the office was required by the employer as a condition of employment and was regularly used for business. Some courts took a more liberal approach to home office deductions and allowed employees a deduction if maintenance of the office was "appropriate and helpful" to the employees' trade or business. The appropriate and helpful test was a subjective one; it allowed expenses to be deducted if they helped the taxpayer perform some portion of the business in his or her personal residence. In application, however, this test caused some problems. Taxpayers were able to deduct personal expenses that would ordinarily be nondeductible under Internal Revenue Code section 262. A 1970 decision, Newi v. Commissioney, sheds some light on the situation prior to the passage of the '76 act. (For a listing of relevant home office deduction cases, including complete citations, see the exhibit on pages 46-47.) Newi sold television time for a TV network. He did his work at night in his den, which was set off by partitions and a door. The network did not require Newi to set aside part of his home for office activities. Also, office space and equipment were available at the network in the evenings. The Tax Court allowed an ordinary and necessary business expense deduction for a portion of Newi's rent, light and cleaning bills. The deduction was allowed even though the home office was not a requirement of the employer and the portion used for business was also used for personal activities at other times. This is just one case where the court used the "appropriate and helpful" test as a basis for the decision. Rulings such as this one caused much tension between the IRS and the Tax Court. THE TAX REFORM ACT OF 1976 Congress clarified and expanded certain areas of tax law regarding home office deductions by including new rules in the Tax Reform Act of 1976. Congress enacted IRC section 280A to clear up any discrepancies. It concluded the "appropriate and helpful" standard previously used by the courts in evaluating home office deductions was too ambiguous. …


We consider the problem of obtaining an approximate maximum a posteriori estimate of a discrete random field characterized by pairwise potentials that form a truncated convex model. For this problem, we propose two st-MINCUT based move making algorithms that we call Range Swap and Range Expansion. Our algorithms can be thought of as extensions of αβ-Swap and α-Expansion respectively that fully exploit the form of the pairwise potentials. Specifically, instead of dealing with one or two labels at each iteration, our methods explore a large search space by considering a range of labels (that is, an interval of consecutive labels). Furthermore, we show that Range Expansion provides the same multiplicative bounds as the standard linear programming (LP) relaxation in polynomial time. Compared to previous approaches based on the LP relaxation, for example interior-point algorithms or tree-reweighted message passing (TRW), our methods are faster as they use only the efficient st-MINCUT algorithm in their design. We demonstrate the usefulness of the proposed approaches on both synthetic and standard real data problems.


Interconnects (wires, buffers, clock distribution networks, multiplexers and buses) consume a significant fraction of total circuit power. In this work, we demonstrate the importance of optimizing on-chip interconnects for power during high-level synthesis. We present a methodology to integrate interconnect power optimization into high-level synthesis. Our binding algorithm not only reduces power consumption in functional units and registers in the resultant register-transfer level (RTL) architecture, but also optimizes interconnects for power. We take physical design information into account for this purpose. To estimate interconnect power consumption accurately for deep sub-micron (DSM) technologies, wire coupling capacitance is taken into. consideration. We observed that there is significant spurious (i.e., unnecessary) switching activity in the interconnects and propose techniques to reduce it. Compared to interconnect-unaware power-optimized circuits, our experimental results show that interconnect power can be reduced by 53.1% on an average, while reducing overall power by an average of 26.8% with 0.5% area overhead. Compared to area-optimized circuits, the interconnect power reduction is 72.9% and overall power reduction is 56.0% with 44.4% area overhead.


We show that totally real elliptic Lefschetz fibrations that admit a real section are classified by their "real loci" which is nothing but an $S^1$-valued Morse function on the real part of the total space. We assign to each such real locus a certain combinatorial object that we call a \emph{necklace diagram}. On the one hand, each necklace diagram corresponds to an isomorphism class of a totally real elliptic Lefschetz fibration that admits a real section, and on the other hand, it refers to a decomposition of the identity into a product of certain matrices in $PSL(2,\Z)$. Using an algorithm to find such decompositions, we obtain an explicit list of necklace diagrams associated with certain classes of totally real elliptic Lefschetz fibrations. Moreover, we introduce refinements of necklace diagrams and show that refined necklace diagrams determine uniquely the isomorphism classes of the totally real elliptic Lefschetz fibrations which may not have a real section. By means of necklace diagrams we observe some interesting phenomena underlying special feature of real fibrations.


Some neurons in deep networks specialize in recognizing highly specific perceptual, structural, or semantic features of inputs. In computer vision, techniques exist for identifying neurons that respond to individual concept categories like colors, textures, and object classes. But these techniques are limited in scope, labeling only a small subset of neurons and behaviors in any network. Is a richer characterization of neuron-level computation possible? We introduce a procedure (called MILAN, for mutual-information-guided linguistic annotation of neurons) that automatically labels neurons with open-ended, compositional, natural language descriptions. Given a neuron, MILAN generates a description by searching for a natural language string that maximizes pointwise mutual information with the image regions in which the neuron is active. MILAN produces fine-grained descriptions that capture categorical, relational, and logical structure in learned features. These descriptions obtain high agreement with human-generated feature descriptions across a diverse set of model architectures and tasks, and can aid in understanding and controlling learned models. We highlight three applications of natural language neuron descriptions. First, we use MILAN for analysis, characterizing the distribution and importance of neurons selective for attribute, category, and relational information in vision models. Second, we use MILAN for auditing, surfacing neurons sensitive to human faces in datasets designed to obscure them. Finally, we use MILAN for editing, improving robustness in an image classifier by deleting neurons sensitive to text features spuriously correlated with class labels.


We simulate the breakup of cylindrical fibers of a nematic liquid crystal surrounded by a quiescent Newtonian fluid. The nematic is described by the Leslie-Ericksen theory, and the interfacial motion is captured by a phase-field method from the initial linear instability to final breakup. The focus is on the coupling between liquid crystal molecular orientation and the evolution of the interface. In particular, we examine how molecular anchoring on the interface and orientational distortion in the bulk affect the growth of capillary waves. Results show that the nematic order tends to hinder capillary wave development, in qualitative agreement with prior linear instability analysis. For typical materials, however, the effect becomes prominent only for nano-scale fibers. In addition, anisotropic viscosity plays a significant role in the growth rate of the capillary wave. In the nonlinear stage of the instability, neighboring waveforms grow at different speeds and lead to daughter drops of nonuniform sizes, which typically display the bipolar configuration with two boojum defects. Despite quantitative differences, the breakup of nematic fibers proceeds in mostly the same way as Newtonian ones. The numerical simulations are in general agreement with previous experimental observations.


Human identification at a distance has received significant interest due to the ever increasing surveillance infrastructure. Biometrics such as face and gait offer a suitable physical attribute to uniquely identify people from a distance. When linking this with human perception, these biometrics suffer from the semantic gap which is the difference between how people and how biometrics represent and describe humans. Semantic biometrics bridges this gap, allowing conversions between gait biometrics and semantic descriptions. One possible application of semantic biometrics is to automatically search surveillance footage for a person who best matches a given semantic description - possibly obtained from an eyewitness report. We now exploit patterns and structure within the physical descriptions to be able to predict occluded or erroneous data, thereby widening application potential. We show how imputation techniques can be used to increase accuracy and robustness of automatic semantic annotation of gait signatures.


This paper investigates the models and tools commonly engaged in outdoor management development (OMD). The paper employs an interpretive methodology engaging participant observation and narrative techniques. A number of OMD providers were studied and this generated a rich body of data which is relayed and examined in the text. In spite of extensive theoretical contemporary debates and developments in wider human resource development domains, the study identifies that many practitioners working in experiential course settings continue to engage a predominantly positivistic, well–rehearsed, over–used, and indeed ageing, collection of models. The paper identifies linear and modernistic assumptions on which such models are predicated. OMD is a relatively longstanding form of training which continues to be used by a large number of individuals. The phenomenon therefore merits attention so as to better determine the social implications of the approach. The paper offers an original and innovative consideration of the tools generally employed in OMD programmes.


Financial service firms were among the earliest users of information and communications technology (ICT). As introduced in this study, investment in this technology in the banking sector of the industry, initiated in 1970, enabled automation of numerous functions, including loan payment scheduling and automated teller systems. Besides hastening the pace at which functions are performed in the sector, these time-saving improvements reduced the cost of labor, as banking tellers by the thousands were replaced by automated systems. These investments later resulted in fee revenue from customers of the teller systems. The replacement of traditional interest calculation tables, together with spreadsheet programs, resulted in the customization of interest-paying consumer loans. Transaction processing is indicated in this study to have satisfied increasingly larger databases that facilitated the explosion of consumer credit cards and further revenue for the banking sector. The frequent perception that investments in information and communications technology would continue to lower the cost of business while concomitantly and perpetually increasing revenue was the maxim in the sector in 1970–1990. Massive investment by the banking sector in 1990–2000 failed however to support this phenomenon. The failure of the industry to match increasing labor productivity rates was manifest in the sector, as the sector immediately curtailed spending on information and communications technology in 2000–2005. This study evaluates the new relationship of labor productivity and technology, and introduces steps for firms to mitigate the risks of overdependency on the technology. This study will benefit management practitioners and users researching information and communications technology in financial service firms.


Hardiness, comprising feelings of commitment, control and challenge, is most frequently measured with the Dispositional Resiliency Scale (DRS), but little work has been done with the brief 15-item version. To examine the factor structure, reliability, validity, and item functioning for gender invariance of the 15-item DRS with 525 collegiate athletes from a wide range of sports. Convergent and divergent validity were examined through relationships with mental toughness, grit and competitive anxiety. Participants completed measures of mental toughness, optimism, grit, competitive anxiety, and the DRS-15. Confirmatory Factor Analysis revealed a poor fit for the three-factor hardiness model, and subsequent exploratory factor analysis yielded a four-factor model with better fit than the three-factor structure. Additionally, several items appear to be biased towards males or females. The fourth factor may be unique to the collegiate athlete population, and related to perceived lack of control in future life directions. Convergent and divergent validity were supported through correlations of DRS scores with related measures. The four-factor model should be tested with different samples to determine if these changes should be adapted when using the DRS-15 in collegiate athletics or other settings.


The long-term sustainability of a software product depends on more than developing features. Priorities are placed on aspects that support the development of software, like software product quality (eg. ISO 9126), project constraints — time and cost, and even the development of intellectual capital (IC). A greater focus on any one aspect takes priority from another, but as each aspects delivers a different type of value managers have trouble comparing and balancing these aspects. This paper presents a method to help determine the balance between key priorities in the software development process. The method is applied to a new case study, that also combines with results from previous studies. The results show it is possible to compare features, quality, time, cost and IC in a comprehensive way, with the case study showing that participants perceive a change from a shorter-term product perspective to a longer-term organisation beneficial to the business.


This column will feature reports on what is going on in the rapidly changing, ever fascinating field of Technical Services. Each quarterly issue will consist of reports on new developments including integrated library systems, next generation catalogs, management of electronic resources; conference happenings and reports from professional meetings; what's new in technical services publications; as well as reports from technical services professionals on their research and projects. Such reports, announcements, and brief articles for consideration for inclusion should be sent to: Barry B. Baker, Editor, "Technical Services Report," Director of Libraries, University of Central Florida, P.O. Box 162666, Orlando, Florida 32816-2666.


Abstract The early 1910s marked a turning point in Canadian immigration policy history. With the introduction of the Immigration Act of 1911, the Canadian state effectively declared black people, Asians, and most other people of colour to be unfit and unsuitable immigrants. Nation-building efforts encouraged a white Canada; as such, the Canadian Amateur Athletic administration approached the 1912 Games as an opportunity to attract 'suitable' white European immigrants. Amidst sustained anti-black immigrant discourse in policies and the press, Canada's 1912 Olympic team included, for the first time, a black athlete: John Armstrong 'Army' Howard, an emerging sprinting talent from Winnipeg (Manitoba) who had done well in national meets. Howard's racial identity was not only the antithesis of a white Canada, he was also a recent American immigrant. Yet, his potential made him one of most prominent medal hopefuls for a nation looking to secure its position on the world stage. In this way, Howard's tenure on the national team underscores the fragile and conditional space which ideas of race and nation have largely occupied in Canada, and the role of sport and the Olympics in shaping them.


Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) is the most distributed type of fiber-optic sensors. FBGs are primarily sensitive to the effects of temperature and deformation. By employing different transformation techniques, it is possible to use FBG to monitor any physical quantity. To use them as parts of sensor applications, it is essential to encapsulate FBGs to achieve their maximum protection against external effects and damage. Another reason to encapsulate is increasing of sensitivity to the measured quantity. Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) encapsulation appears to be an interesting alternative due to convenient temperature and flexibility of the elastomer. This article describes an experimental proposal of FBG PDMS encapsulation process, also providing an analysis of the FBG spectral characteristics and temperature sensitivity, both influenced by high temperature and the process of polydimethylsiloxane curing itself. As for the PDMS type, Sylgard 184 was employed. Encapsulation consisted of several steps: allocation of FBG to PDMS in its liquid state, curing PDMS at the temperature of 80°C ± 5 %, and a 50-minute relaxation necessary to stabilize a Bragg wavelength. A broadband light source and an optical spectrum analyzer were both used to monitor the parameters during the processes of curing and relaxation. Presented results imply that such a method of encapsulation does not have any influence on the structure or functionality of the FBG. At the same time, a fourfold increase of temperature sensitivity was monitored when compared to a bare FBG.


BACKGROUND: Non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) may cause pulmonary disease that resembles tuberculosis (TB) and it may also coexist with Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Here, we aimed to study the occurrence and diversity of NTM among suspected and confirmed cases of TB. METHODS: During 2017–2018, we received 11,094 sputum samples, of which 4288 samples were from equal number of presumptive TB patients. The rest of 6866 samples were from known multidrug-resistant TB patients and at different months of treatment follow-up. All samples were subjected to liquid culture and recovered isolates were identified as M. tuberculosis complex (MTBC) or NTM based on microscopy and immunochromatograhic (MPT-64Ag) tests. NTM isolates were further speciated using commercial GenoType® Mycobacterium CM assay. RESULTS: A total of 2782 culture isolates were recovered, of which 2722 were MTBC and the rest 60 were considered as NTM. NTM was isolated both from presumptive and confirmed TB cases. NTM speciation could be achieved for 42 isolates; Mycobacterium intracellulare (50%) was identified as the most prevalent species, followed by Mycobacterium abscessus (23.8%), Mycobacterium fortuitum (16.7%) and others (9.5%). CONCLUSION: The proportion of NTM isolation among suspected/confirmed cases of pulmonary TB is low; however, if isolated, patients should be carefully evaluated for possible NTM disease. Molecular speciation of NTM is useful to provide rapid and precise diagnosis.


Resistive switching phenomena with adequate repetitiveness on Ta2O5-TiO2-Ta2O5 and TiO2-Ta2O5-TiO2 stacks are reported. In particular, 5–nm-thick TiO2 films embedding a monolayer of Ta2O5 show the best behavior in terms of bipolar cycles loop width, with separate low and high resistive states up to two orders of magnitude. Tantalum oxide layer increases the defect density in titania that becomes less leaky, and thus, resistive switching effects appear. Small signal ac parameters measured at low and medium frequencies, namely capacitance and conductance, also show hysteretic behavior during a whole bipolar switching cycle. This means that the memory state can be read at 0 V, without any power consumption. High-frequency measurements provide information about dipole relaxation frequency values in the dielectric bulk, and this can be connected with resistive switching behavior. Finally, a double tunneling barrier model fits I-V curves at the low-resistance state even at the bias range where reset occurs and a sharp fall takes place.


In this chapter, the effect of transform features (shift sensitivity and directional selectivity) has been examined by implementing the homomorphic and non-homomorphic speckle suppressors in three alternative wavelet domains-DWT, RDWT and CWT. The experimental results demonstrate that performance of DWT is worst on all type of images whereas the performance of RDWT and DT-CWT is comparable. On certain types of images (images dominated by uniform areas), RDWT performs better while on others (textured images), DT-CWT-based methods are the best. This shows that the shift-dependence of a transform causes a significant degradation in performance of a despeckling technique and good directional selectivity is essential for representing the textured images optimally. From these investigations, it is concluded that both DT-CWT and RDWT are equally good for designing wavelet-based de-noising applications. However, the low computational complexity of DT-CWT and the textured nature of medical US images, favours the use of DT-CWT in comparison to RDWT for despeckling applications. More work is required to develop shorter length filters for the DTCWT (e.g. analogous to Haar wavelet) in order to further improve the despeckling performance of the US images.


This Article provides a comparative institutional analysis of the three leading approaches to addressing the market power of large digital platforms: (1) traditional antitrust law, the approach thus far taken in the United States; (2) ex ante conduct rules, the approach embraced by the European Union's Digital Markets Act and several bills under consideration in the U.S. Congress; and (3) ongoing agency oversight, the approach embraced by the United Kingdom with its newly established "Digital Markets Unit." After identifying the general advantages and disadvantages of each approach, the Article examines how they are likely to play out in the context of digital platforms. It first examines whether antitrust is indeed too slow and indeterminate to tackle market power concerns arising from digital platforms, as proponents of ex ante conduct rules and agency oversight have suggested. It next considers possible error costs resulting from the most prominent proposed conduct rules: (1) structural separations and line of business restrictions; (2) bans on self-preferencing by platforms; (3) requirements to allow platform users to remove pre-installed software, "side-load" apps, and use alternative payment systems to make purchases on the platform; and (4) data-portability, data-sharing, and platform interoperability mandates. It then shows how three features of the agency oversight model—its broad focus, political susceptibility, and perpetual control— render it particularly vulnerable to rent-seeking efforts and agency capture. The Article ultimately concludes that antitrust's downsides (relative indeterminacy and slowness) are likely to be less significant than those of ex ante conduct rules (large error costs resulting from high informational requirements) and ongoing agency oversight (rent-seeking and agency capture).


Reliability control is a key concern on the evolution of real-time mobile multicast services. To this direction the use of forward error correction (FEC) on the application layer is widely adopted in several mobile multicast standards. FEC is a feedback free error control method where the transmitter introduces in advance redundant information to enable receivers recovering data erasures. On multicast delivery and especially on the time constrained streaming delivery where retransmission-based error recovery methods are not feasible, the most suitable error control method is the use of application layer forward error correction (AL-FEC) codes. In this work, we introduce a novel AL-FEC deployment policy over mobile multicast standards utilizing online algorithms. We aim on the efficient application of AL-FEC protection with RaptorQ codes over multicast streaming delivery in the context of competitive analysis. We provide a competitiveness analysis model of AL-FEC application over mobile multicast real-time environments and we introduce an innovative online algorithm adjusting the introduced redundancy of AL-FEC protection according to the FEC encoding parameters in order to satisfy the individual constraints of a multicast streaming delivery.


The innate immune response has evolved to detect DNA from viruses and intracellular bacteria and differentiate this from our almost identical self-DNA. DNA detected in the cytoplasm is thought to be identified as foreign due to its location, and bacterial DNA in endosomes in recognised by its hypomethylated motifs. However, it is not clear how foreign DNA in the nucleus is differentiated from self-DNA, or what happens when the appearance of self-DNA is altered as it is in the case of DNA damage, a regular cellular occurrence. DNA damage has been shown to induce an immune response in tissues exposed to chemical mutagens – this has implications in the clearance of cancer cells after chemotherapy-induced DNA damage, with evidence that the immune response mounted by patients may determine chemotherapy responsiveness. To investigate the immune events following DNA damage, we analysed human keratinocytes, fibroblasts, and monocytes, and found that Etoposide, an inducer of double strand breaks, induced an early innate immune response, characterised by Type-I interferon and inflammatory cytokine production. This innate immune response to DNA damage was particularly potent in keratinocytes. This response required components of the cytoplasmic DNA sensing pathway, the predominantly nuclear sensor IFI16 and the cytoplasmic adaptor protein STING, but was independent of the enzyme cGAS, which is essential for the immune response to cytosolic DNA. The transcriptional and signalling profiles of the Etoposide-induced response differ from those of the classical pathogen sensing pathway, indicating that these two stimuli have overlapping but distinct pathways. This cell-intrinsic innate immune response also involved DNA damage response factors ATM and p53, suggesting that DDR components may interact with immune components to alert the cell to damage. The innate immune response that we observe may play a role in the inflammatory phenotype and immune clearance of cancer cells after DNA damage-inducing chemotherapy.


The paper reports the outcome of an experimental study carried out using an interactive foxed-based driving simulator. The research was aimed at analyzing the driver behavior in passing maneuver for different traffic conditions on two lane rural roads. A two-lane rural road of more than 8 km in length was designed and implemented in the driving simulator. The alignment was designed with tangents from 200 to 1000 m long, clothoids and curves with radii from 215 to 1000 m. Four different traffic conditions in terms of traffic volume and speeds of opposing vehicles and impeding vehicle were simulated. Thirty-two drivers drove in the simulator on the four scenarios. The data collected during the driving was analyzed in order to determine the following parameters of passing behavior: (a) following gap between the passing vehicle and the impeding vehicle at the beginning of the passing; (b) distance of passing; and (c) Time to Collision between the passing vehicle and the oncoming vehicle at the end of the maneuver. The influence of the traffic conditions on such parameters was evaluated. Potential applications of the obtained results include the modeling of driver behavior and the passing sight distance design criteria.


The Lamp that Integrates the Practices is a systematic and comprehensive exposition of the most advanced yogas of the Esoteric Community (Guhyasamaja) Tantra as espoused by the Noble Tradition, an influential school of interpretation within the Mahayoga traditions of Indian Buddhist esoterism. Equal in authority to Nagarjuna's famous Five Stages (Pa cakrama), Aryadeva's work is perhaps the earliest prose example of the "stages of the mantra path" genre in Sanskrit. Its studied gradualism exerted immense influence on later Indian and Tibetan tradition, and it is widely cited by masters from all four major lineages of Tibetan Buddhism. This volume presents the Lamp in a tri-lingual format: its Sanskrit original critically-edited from recently-identified manuscripts, a critical edition of the eleventh-century Tibetan translation by Rin-chen Bzang-po (including notes on readings found in "lost," alternative translations), and a thoroughly-annotated English translation. Includes an introductory study discussing the history of the Guhyasamaja and its exegetical traditions, surveying the scriptural and commentarial sources of the Noble Tradition, and analyzing in detail the contents of the Lamp. Features a detailed, tri-lingual glossary. Published by American Institute of Buddhist Studies (AIBS)


Recently, rescue worker resources have not been sufficient to meet the regular response time during large-scale catastrophic events in every case. However, many volunteers supported official forces in different disaster situations, often self-organized through social media. In this paper, a system will be introduced which allows the coordination of trained volunteers by a professional control center with the objective of a more efficient distribution of human resources and technical equipment. Volunteers are contacted via app on their private smartphone. The design of this app is based on user requirements gathered in focus group discussions. The feedback of the potential users includes privacy aspects, low energy consumption, and mechanisms for long-term motivation and training. The authors present the results of the focus group analyses as well as the transfer to their app design concept.


In manufacturing, measurement systems are used to control processes and inspect parts with the goal of producing high quality product for the customer. Modern Quality Systems require the periodic assessment of key measurement systems to ensure that they are functioning as expected. Estimating the proportion of the process variation due to the measurement system is an important part of these assessments. The measurement system may be simple, for example, with one gauge automatically measuring a single characteristic on every part or complex with multiple characteristics, gauges, operators etc. Traditional assessment plans involve selecting a random sample of parts and then repeatedly measuring each part under a variety of conditions that depend on the complexity of the measurement system. In this thesis, we propose new plans for assessing the measurement system variation based on the concept of leveraging. In a leveraged plan, we select parts (non-randomly) with extreme initial values to measure repeatedly. Depending on the context, parts with initial measurements may be available from regular production or from a specially conducted baseline study. We use the term leveraging because of the re-use of parts with extreme values. The term leverage has been used by the proponents of the problem solving system initially proposed by Dorian Shainin. Parts with relatively large and small values of the response are compared to identify the major causes of the variation. There is no discussion of the theory of leveraging in the literature or its application to measurement system assessment. In this thesis, we provide motivation for why leveraging is valuable and apply it to measurement system assessments. We consider three common contexts in the thesis: iii • Simple measurement systems with one gauge, no operator effects and no external information about the process performance; • Measurement systems, as stated above, where we have external information, as would be the case, for example, if the measurement system was used for 100% inspection; • Measurement systems with multiple operators. For each of these contexts, we develop new leveraged assessment plans and show that these plans are substantially more efficient than traditional plans in estimating the proportion of the process variation due to the measurement system. In each case, we also provide methodology for planning the leveraged study and for analysing the data generated. We then develop another new application of leveraging in the assessment of a measurement system used for 100% inspection. A common practice is to re-measure all parts with a first measurement outside of inspection limits. We propose using these repeated measurements to assess the variation in the measurement system. Here the system itself does the leveraging since we have repeated measurements only on relatively large or small parts. We recommend using maximum likelihood estimation but we show that the ANOVA estimator, although biased, is comparable to the MLE when the measurement system is reliable. We also provide guidelines on how to schedule such assessments. To outline the thesis, in the first two chapters, we review the contexts described above. For each context, we discuss how to characterize the measurement system performance, the common assessment plans and their analysis. In Chapter 3, we introduce the concept of leveraging and provide motivation for why it is effective. Chapters 4 to 7 contain the bulk of the new results in the thesis. In Chapters 4, 5 and 6, which correspond to the three contexts described above, we provide iv new leveraged plans, show their superiority to the standard plans and provide a methodology to help design leveraged plans. In Chapter 7, we show how to assess an inspection system using repeated measurements on initially rejected parts. In the final chapter, we discuss other potential applications of leveraging to other measurement system assessment problems and to a problem in genetics.


Psychotic disorders are associated with neurocognitive alterations that aggregate in unaffected family members, suggesting that genetic vulnerability to psychotic disorder impacts neurocognition. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether selected schizophrenia candidate single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are associated with (1) neurocognitive functioning across populations at different genetic risk for psychosis (2) and psychotic disorder. The association between 152 SNPs in 43 candidate genes and a composite measure of neurocognitive functioning was examined in 718 patients with psychotic disorder. Follow-up analyses were carried out in 750 unaffected siblings and 389 healthy comparison subjects. In the patients, 13 associations between SNPs and cognitive functioning were significant at P < .05, situated in DRD1, DRD3, SLC6A3, BDNF, FGF2, SLC18A2, FKBP5, and DNMT3B. Follow-up of these SNPs revealed a significant and directionally similar association for SLC18A2 (alternatively VMAT2) rs363227 in siblings (B = -0.13, P = .04) and a trend association in control subjects (B = -0.10, P = .12). This association was accompanied by a significantly increased risk for psychotic disorder associated with the T allele (linear OR = 1.51, 95% CI 1.10-2.07, P = .01), which was reduced when covarying for cognitive performance (OR = 1.29, 95% CI 0.92-1.81, P = .14), suggesting mediation. Genetic variation in VMAT2 may be linked to alterations in cognitive functioning underlying psychotic disorder, possibly through altered transport of monoamines into synaptic vesicles.


Introduction: In Brazil, it is estimated that rotavirus (RV-A) annually causes 3,352,053 episodes of diarrhea, 655,853 visits to emergency rooms, 92,453 hospitalizations and 850 deaths involving children under 5 years of age. Rotavirus belongs to the family Reoviridae, genus Rotavirus. The viral particle consists of three concentric layers of protein and the viral genome of 11 segments of double-stranded RNA. As based on molecular approaches, there are currently 23 G genotypes and 31 P genotypes, of which strains bearing G1P[8], G2P[4], G3P[8], G4P[8] and G9[P8] dual typespecificities are of importance as a cause of human disease. Among the G genotypes detected so far, G2 represents one of the most important, and it is usually associated with the P4 genotype. The re-emergence of genotype G2 of RV has been observed on a continental scale early after introduction of rotavirus vaccines in several Latin American countries. Objective: This study was aimed at the molecular characterization of samples of G2 strains obtained from children participating in several studies on RV-A gastroenteritis in the Amazon Region of Brazil, from 1992 to 2008. Materials and Methods: We selected 53 rotavirus G2 samples that were sequenced for VP7 and 38 samples for VP4. These samples were genotyped by RT-PCR, and all products were purified, quantified and sequenced. Samples were also subjected to electrophoresis of RNA segments. The obtained sequences of VP4 and VP7 genes were aligned and edited using the program Bioedit (v.6.05), and compared with other sequences registered in the RVA GenBank using the BLAST program. A phylogenetic tree was made using the program Mega 2.1. Results and Discussion: Of the 53 total samples sequenced for the VP7 gene, phylogenetic analysis revealed two lineages (II and III) and three sublineages (IIa, IIc, IId), which circulated in the population during different periods. Samples of sub-lineages IIa and IIc showed a mutation at aminoacidic position 96 (Asp/Asn). This modification may result in a conformational change of epitopes recognized by anti-RV neutralizing antibodies. The G2 strains circulating in Belem, Para State, Brazil were identical to those circulating in other states of the Amazon Region that were included in the study. The VP4 gene was sequenced in the region of VP8*, yielding 36 isolates that belonged to genotype P[4] and three that belonged to genotype P[6]. We could identify two strains: P[4]-4 occurred from 1998-2000; P[4]-5 occurred during the 1993-1994 and 2006-2008 time periods. Our findings sustain recent reports indicating a worldwide reemergence of G2 genotypes of variant IIc, which were established in the population in combination with genotype P[4]-5. Conclusion: The high homology among the G2 strains circulating in the various states covered in this study suggests that detected mutations have surpassed geographical and temporal barriers. Our analysis was targeted at VP7 and VP4 genes only and this may not fully reflect the potential variability of circulating G2 strains; further studies are therefore needed to assess full genomic characterization.


This thesis examined the role transition from an elementary teacher to an elementary principal. In particular, the training and socialization process of becoming an elementary principal was explored through the study of the hierarchical and political structure of a southern Ontario school board, and how this influenced the learning experiences of new elementary principals. A qualitative methodology, with a grounded theory design, was employed to investigate this process through interviews with 10 participants to examine their experiences and role learning occurs during their development. Specifically, participants perspective shifts, developmental experiences, understanding of group culture, and expansion of a board profile were highlighted in the data. One of the compelling results of the study was the degree to which principals of aspiring administrators influence the socialization of their subordinates. The beliefs and practices of the school principal determine the socialization orientation that teachers and vice-principals will experience during role learning. The results of this study also imply that role orientation needs to be understood as a continuum between custodial and innovative role assumption. Varying degrees of custodianship or innovation depended on the context of the administrative placement and the personal attributes of administrative candidates. Principals who are willing to share responsibilities, who are good communicators, and who wish to develop a collaborative relationship with their viceprincipals are the individuals the participants in this study described as making the best mentors.


Intellectual property law constitutes one of the primary policy tools by which society influences the development and design of new technologies. However, the underlying philosophical basis for this system of rewards has gone largely unexamined. For example, implicit in the intellectual property system is a strong element of mind/body dualism that informs the incentives for technological development. In copyright, the work created and owned by an author is idealized as an intangible form, which may be embodied or fixed in a tangible medium of expression. The parallel patent law doctrine of inventorship shows an even more striking pattern of dualism. In the United States patent priority is decided primarily on the basis of conception of the invention in the mind of the inventor; the actual building or reduction to practice of the invention is held largely irrelevant.Similarly, both patent and copyright doctrine entail a strong element of nature/culture dualism. In patent law, this manifests as the product of nature doctrine, holding that only the products of human effort are patentable, and not discoveries drawn from nature. In copyright, facts and other natural occurrences are excluded from copyright as being unoriginal, that is, not originating from the creativity of an author. Both systems assume that facts or properties embedded in the fabric of reality can be separated from the human activity that observes and defines such facts and properties.This paper suggests how the tools of feminist theory might be used to interrogate such assumptions in intellectual property law. Feminists have critiqued the tendency of Western philosophy and practice of dividing the world into oppositional categories, including those of mind versus body and culture versus nature, where the former category is regarded as superior and masculinized, and the other considered inferior and feminized. Typically such dualisms are revealed as relational and rhetorical strategies for maintaining certain patterns of dominance and privilege. Similar patterns can be recognized in the intellectual property system for rewarding innovation and creativity.


Will current technology support search for video news or entertainment on mobile platforms? An Ipaq palmtop version of the Informedia Digital Video Library interface has already been developed at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. For these displays, the desktop technique of showing a large grid of images in parallel is not feasible. Perceptual psychology experiments suggest that time-multiplexing may be as effective as space-multiplexing for this kind of primed recognition task. In fact, it has been specifically suggested that image retrieval interfaces using Rapid Serial Visual Presentation (RSVP) may perform significantly better than parallel presentation even on a desktop computer [2]. In our experiments, we did not find this to be true. An important difference between previous RSVP experiments and our own is that image search engines rank retrievals, and correct answers are more likely to occur early in the list of results. Thus we found that scrolling (and low RSVP presentation rates) led to better recognition of answers that occur early, but worse for answers that occur far down the list. This split confounded the global effects that we hypothesized, yet in itself is an important consideration for future interface designs, which must adapt as search technology improves.


Various chemoprevention trials have assessed dietary intake by means of food frequency questionnaires. However, it is important to assess the degree to which such questionnaires can measure diet. We conducted reproducibility and validity analyses of our Arizona Food Frequency Questionnaire (AFFQ) in our recently completed, randomized, Phase III chemoprevention trial testing the effects of a wheat bran fiber supplement on colorectal adenoma recurrence. A total of 139 individuals provided a baseline and year 1 AFFQ and a set of 4-day dietary records collected over a period of 1 month. The reproducibility analyses of the AFFQ administered 1 year apart showed a mean intraclass correlation of 0.54 for unadjusted nutrients and 0.48 for energy-adjusted nutrients. The relative validity of the AFFQ, as compared with the average of the 4-day diet records, showed a mean deattenuated correlation of 0.49 (range, 0.22-0.65) for the baseline AFFQ and 0.49 (range, 0.25-0.67) for the year 1 AFFQ. When data from both AFFQs were combined and compared with the diet records, there was a slight improvement in the overall deattenuated correlations (mean, 0.56; range, 0.33-0.71). The correlations we observed for macro- and micronutrient intake were within the overall range of those reported in the literature. Reliability and validity studies of dietary instruments are feasible in the setting of a chemoprevention trial and should be conducted when the instrument's performance has not been previously assessed in the target population.


Different species and types of extant Calciosolenia are described in this paper. The two species C. murrayi Gran 1912 and Anoplosolenia brasiliensis (Lohmann 1919) Deflandre 1945 were traditionally placed in separate genera, the main differences being in the presence or absence of spines in the apical part of the coccosphere. Recent work (Young et al. 2003) transferred A. brasiliensis into the genus Calciosolenia , due to the high similarity in coccolith morphology. Within this paper, the varimorphic nature of both species is shown and the coccolith ultrastructure is described in detail, with the recognition of new diagnostic characters, such as the presence of spurs at the coccolith ends. Four different morphotypes are recognized within C. murrayi , based on the variability in central area structure; a further type shows affinity to both C. brasiliensis and C. murrayi , depending on the characters considered: this is defined as a new species, C. corsellii , and its taxonomic position is discussed. These observations reveal a high morphological diversity within the Calciosoleniaceae, with complex relations between individual species.


The similarities between Hartree-Fock (HF) theory and the density matrix renormalization group (DMRG) are explored. Both methods can be formulated as the variational optimization of a wave-function Ansatz. Linearization of the time-dependent variational principle near a variational minimum allows to derive the random phase approximation (RPA). We show that the nonredundant parameterization of the matrix product state (MPS) tangent space [J. Haegeman, J. I. Cirac, T. J. Osborne, I. Pižorn, H. Verschelde, and F. Verstraete, Phys. Rev. Lett. 107, 070601 (2011)] leads to the Thouless theorem for MPS, i.e., an explicit nonredundant parameterization of the entire MPS manifold, starting from a specific MPS reference. Excitation operators are identified, which extends the analogy between HF and DMRG to the Tamm-Dancoff approximation (TDA), the configuration interaction (CI) expansion, and coupled cluster theory. For a small one-dimensional Hubbard chain, we use a CI-MPS Ansatz with single and double excitations to improve on the ground state and to calculate low-lying excitation energies. For a symmetry-broken ground state of this model, we show that RPA-MPS allows to retrieve the Goldstone mode. We also discuss calculations of the RPA-MPS correlation energy. With the long-range quantum chemical Pariser-Parr-Pople Hamiltonian, low-lying TDA-MPS and RPA-MPS excitation energies for polyenes are obtained.


In this work, we examine the performance, energy efficiency, and usability when using Python for developing high-performance computing codes running on the graphics processing unit (GPU). We investigate the portability of performance and energy efficiency between Compute Unified Device Architecture (CUDA) and Open Compute Language (OpenCL); between GPU generations; and between low-end, mid-range, and high-end GPUs. Our findings showed that the impact of using Python is negligible for our applications, and furthermore, CUDA and OpenCL applications tuned to an equivalent level can in many cases obtain the same computational performance. Our experiments showed that performance in general varies more between different GPUs than between using CUDA and OpenCL. We also show that tuning for performance is a good way of tuning for energy efficiency, but that specific tuning is needed to obtain optimal energy efficiency.


Multiple input multiple output (MIMO) techniques have been widely employed by different wireless systems with many advantages. By using multiple antennas, the system is able to transmit multiple data streams simultaneously and within the same frequency band. The methods known as spatial multiplexing (SM) and spatial diversity (SD) improves the high spectral efficiency and link reliability of wireless communication systems without requiring additional transmitting power. By introducing channel coding in the transmission procedure, the information redundancy is introduced to further improve the reliability of SM links and the quality of service for the next generation communication systems.

However, the throughput performance of these systems is limited by interference. A number of different interference suppression techniques
have been reported in the literature. Theses techniques can be generally categorised into two aspects: the preprocessing techniques at the transmitter side and the decoding techniques at the receiver side.

Generally speaking, in the ideal case, the preprocessing techniques orthogonalize the interfering channels, and therefore, the receiver experiences interference free transmission. However, a feedback channel is required to provide the channel information. On the other hand, in this thesis we are interested in the decoding part which uses various techniques to improve the signal-to-interference-and-noise ratio (SINR) of the desired symbols. To achieve this goal, a number of low-complexity iterative detection algorithms have been investigated. In the context of the thesis, the mainly focus is on the interference cancellation techniques.

Firstly, we investigate the traditional successive interference cancellation (SIC) algorithm. SIC has the ability to separate the spatially multiplexed signals on a MIMO channel. However, the low detection diversity order as well as the error propagation effect restrict the bit error performance of such detectors. We propose a multiple feedback SIC (MF-SIC) method to enhance the performance of conventional SIC detection by introducing feedback candidates and reliability checking. This algorithm is able to provide significant performance gains with little additional complexity without the protection from channel codes. The MF-SIC algorithm is then incorporated into an iterative detection and decoding (IDD) scheme to process soft information.

Secondly, in the case that the MIMO channel is time-varying, the conventional detection algorithms generally bring about expensive complexity in the time domain. In order to address this problem, a decision feedback algorithm is introduced and adaptive algorithms are derived to update the forward and backward filters to perform the detection in each time instant. A constellation based estimation refinement scheme is also introduced in the system and the performance is significantly improved. The proposed decision feedback algorithm is incorporated into an IDD scheme that performs iterative (turbo) interference cancellation.

At last, the inter-cell interference is considered in a multi-cell, high frequency reuse scenario. The distributed iterative detection (DID) algorithms are investigated. A large amount of information need to be transmitted via a wired backhaul network where optimal distributed detection exchange all the soft estimates among adjacent base stations (BSs). To address this problem we consider a reduced message passing (RMP) technique in which each BS generates a detection list with the probabilities for the desired symbol that are sorted according to the calculated probability density. RMP introduces low backhaul overhead compared with the hard bit exchange and outperforms the previously reported hard/soft information exchange algorithms.


The underlying cause of chronic tinnitus (Cl) has not yet been described and there is no universally successful treatment at this time. Chronic tinnitus is a phantom sound that sometimes causes significant distress. Spontaneous remission from CT is rare in adults but not children. An association between tinnitus factors such as aging, hearing deficit and diabetes is unclear. This research has sought a new explanation for CT through the examination of a wide range of literature and the building an in-depth and broad understanding of hearing related research and other aspects that could be relevant. Initial experimentation with ear homeostasis using a variety of pressure devices did not achieve significant lasting changes to hearing thresholds, so a study involving 110 adult participants was conducted to test the hypothesis that apoptosis (a process of orderly cell death in vivo) is elevated in people with chronic tinnitus. Using tinnitus severity and handicap inventories, the taking of blood samples and measurement of apoptosemia in blood samples using cytochrome C as the read-out, no significant differences in apoptosemia between participant subgroups was detected. Using auditory scene analysis (ASA) and the observations of typical tinnitus remission in children, an ASA-model of chronic tinnitus onset and maintenance has been developed and which matches well-known literature - including the reported ability of specialised sounds to suppress tinnitus in adults with tinnitus - and that could help direct future research in the field.


An important challenge in Markov decision processes is to ensure robustness with respect to unexpected or adversarial system behavior while taking advantage of well-behaving parts of the system. We consider a problem setting where some unknown parts of the state space can have arbitrary transitions while other parts are purely stochastic. We devise an algorithm that is adaptive to potentially adversarial behavior and show that it achieves similar regret bounds as the purely stochastic case.


This biennial Review summarizes much of particle physics. Using data from previous editions, plus 2158 new measurements from 551 papers, we list, evaluate, and average measured properties of gauge bosons, leptons, quarks, mesons, and baryons. We also summarize searches for hypothetical particles such as Higgs bosons, heavy neutrinos, and supersymmetric particles. All the particle properties and search limits are listed in Summary Tables. We also give numerous tables, figures, formulae, and reviews of topics such as the Standard Model, particle detectors, probability, and statistics. Among the 108 reviews are many that are new or heavily revised including those on neutrino mass, mixing, and oscillations, QCD, top quark, CKM quark-mixing matrix, V-ud & V-us, V-cb & V-ub, fragmentation functions, particle detectors for accelerator and non-accelerator physics, magnetic monopoles, cosmological parameters, and big bang cosmology.


The development of pronouns, copulas, and other key features of Chinese Pidgin English (CPE) is traced from 1743 onwards. Major grammatical and lexical changes in the early 19th century are found to coincide with the period when foreigners were increasingly allowed to reside in Canton instead of merely being tolerated as transient visitors. The resulting continuity of interaction between Chinese and non-Chinese is seen as the catalyst for these developments in CPE.First attestations of 34 key features in CPE are compared with their earliest occurrence (if any) in more than a dozen Pacific varieties of Pidgin English (PPE). It is shown that none of the latter can possibly be a "direct descendant" of CPE. While four features exclusively shared by CPE and PPE indicate a modest degree of CPE influence on PPE, it is suggested that three key features of PPE, found only sporadically and/or tardily in CPE, provide evidence of some hitherto unsuspected influence of PPE on CPE. In the course of the above it is noted that most of the CPE features which also occur in three or more varieties of PPE have their earliest PPE attestation in New South Wales, the only Pacific territory in which there was continuity of interaction (in this case between Aborigines and whites) from the outset, and it is claimed that this social circumstance favors both the expansion and stabilization of a pidgin. Data from early Australian Pidgin English are presented showing that it includes the earliest known attestations of a number of features generally associated with PPE of the islands of the Southwest Pacific. This leads to the claim that New South Wales Pidgin English was a far more important influence on the PPE of those islands than what has often been termed "South Sea Jargon." After reviewing the linguistic implications of the labor trade which took many Pacific islanders to work on plantations in Queensland, Samoa, and elsewhere, it is claimed that the interrelationships between the many varieties of Pidgin English spoken, currently or formerly, in the vast area from China to Hawaii to the Marquesas to Australia and back to China cannot adequately be represented by means of "family tree" type diagrams.


This Article critically analyzes the judicial decisions and reasoning of the United States Supreme Court and lower courts accepting certain defenses in securities fraud litigation. This Article develops how and why the core notions of materiality of information and the reasonable investor should be revised in light of recent empirical data, experimental evidence, and theoretical models of moody investing. This Article proposes modifying three recent developments in materiality doctrine to take into account moody investing. In particular, this Article argues that current judicial treatment of puffery is flawed because it neglects the power of puffery to alter moods. This Article also recommends modifying the judicial "total mix" analysis of the materiality of information to include a "total affect" analysis of information. Finally, this Article proposes refining the judicially created so-called "bespeaks caution" doctrine and statutory safe harbors codifying it to inquire whether so-called "meaningful cautionary language" is infused with affect.


Google Trends was released in 2006. The service enables one to see the aggregated search volume for any defined term. After its release it has gradually been incorporated into academic research from various fields, most often as a proxy for global attention. The purpose of this study is to analyze how investor attention for a particular stock ticker, as measured by Internet search frequency, affects its future trade volume and share price in the UK market. The effect is analyzed separately for different time periods, market capitalization sizes and industries. In addition the paper looks at how searches originating globally and from the UK differ in their relation to company shares. The data used in this study come from two different sources. Financial data is gathered via Datastream, including weekly share prices and trade volume. Search volume data is gathered manually from Google Trends for the company's London Stock Exchange ticker symbol. The final sample consists of 93 firms in the FTSE AllShare index from 2004 to 2011. The results indicate that search volume does have predictive power over company shares. Firstly the study shows that searches for a company ticker have a direct and significant relation to current and future trade volume. Secondly, using a Fama-Macbeth cross-sectional regression it is proven that search volume predicts future abnormal returns at the 1%-significance level. A one-standard-deviation increase in abnormal search volume this week raises abnormal returns next week by 12.5 basis points, while resulting in price reversal in subsequent weeks. Furthermore the study finds that search volume data originating from the UK is not as good at predicting share price movement as global search volume.


The purpose of this study was to examine the quality of the nonacademic
services provided by the Students Affairs Department of Akademi
Laut Malaysia (ALAM) in five dimensions, that is tangibles, responsiveness,
reliability, assurance and empathy. The study discusses aspects of current
service quality theories with focus on the Gap Theory developed by
Zeithaml, Berry and Parasuraman. A total of 128 students attending various courses in the first week of
August, 1998 were selected to participate in the study. Data collection was
done by using the standard service marketing instrument SERVQUAL,
developed by Zeithaml, Berry and Parasuraman. Minor modifications
however was done to the SERVQUAL instrument to suit the higher
education setting. Apart from the SERVQUAL that explored the expectation
and perception levels of the students, the researcher had developed a
questionnaire soliciting information regarding the overall students'
satisfaction level with ALAM services. Data collected were analyzed using
the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) program. Descriptive
statistic was employed in analyzing the expectations, perceived
performance, overall satisfaction level and the gap difference (perceived
performance minus expectations).
The results of the study revealed negative gap scores for all five
dimensions, indicating that the students did not obtain the services as
expected. Dimension tangibles was rated poorest in terms of quality of
service, followed by empathy, reliability, responsiveness and assurance. In
terms of the specific areas, quality of food served was ranked poorest
followed by accommodation facility, registration process, cleanliness of the
campus and attractiveness of the printed materials such as forms,
brochures and pamphlets. The study also shows that the gap score is a reliable indicator to determine the students' overall satisfaction level with the
quality of services provided.


A short abstract (normally not exceeding 200 words) succinctly summarizing the content of the manuscript should accompany the manuscript on a separate sheet. If the paper is accepted, the abstract will be published along with the manuscript. REFERENCES: Footnotes to sources should be numbered consecutively, and placed on triple spaced pages at the end of the text. All footnotes should conform to A Uniform System of Citation (13th ed.), published and distributed by the Harvard Law Review Association, Gannett House, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138. Nonlawyers unfamiliar with this system should follow the citation form accepted in their field and the Editors of the JOURNAL will make the appropriate modifications if the paper is published. ILLUSTRATIONS: Illustrations and tables accompanying manuscripts should be numbered, provided with suitable legends, and marked lightly on the back with the author's name. Authors should indicate on the manuscript the appropriate positions of tables and text figures. Special arrangements must be made with the Editor-in-Chief for color plates, elaborate tables, half-tone illustrations or extra illustrations, drawings, and photographs. SELECTION AND EDITING TIMETABLE: Receipt of manuscript will be acknowledged within one week of receipt. Authors will be notified of the manuscript's acceptance or rejection within one to three months, and accepted manuscripts will be published within three to eight months of acceptance. PROOFS AND AUTHOR OFFPRINTS: Because of time pressures, printer's proofs of articles accepted for publication will not be made available to authors. Twenty-five offprints of each article, enclosed in JOURNAL covers, will be distributed to the author or divided among the authors if there is more than one. Orders for additional offprints, for which a fee is charged, must be communicated at least one month prior to publication. RETURN OF MANUSCRIPTS: Upon request of the author and upon receipt of a suitable envelope stamped with adequate postage, the Editor-in-Chief will return to the author the original of any manuscript not accepted for publication.


Backgrond: Infertility affects 15% of couples and male factor infertility is involved in 50% of cases. One of the causes of infertility is Azoospermia that refers to the absence of sperm per ejaculation and almost affects 1% of the total men population. A comprehensive overview about the disease and its risk factors along with a better understanding of the diagnosis was performed and comprehensive information about the modern treatment methods for this reproductive disorder was provided. Materials and methods: For writing this article, a large study on azoospermia, the reasons and treatment methods was performed by searching the words including azoospermia, genetics, treatment and diagnosis in the medical valid databases, mainly PubMed, up to 2016. Among the collected papers, articles that are most relevant to the goals of the present article was selected. The articles with brief explanation about the etiology of azoospermia and disease treatment options were studied further. Findings: Literature review showed that genetic diseases such as Klinefelter syndrome, cystic fibrosis, primary and secondary testicular failure due to hormonal and/or chromosomal anomalies ranging from structural or numerical changes, gene mutations, genomics alterations at the level of telomeres and the resulting apoptosis, genetic polymorphisms, anatomical disorders associated with vas deferens and ejaculation, age, treatments of testicular cancer and other diseases, varicocele and surgical treatment of testis were considered as the most important factors in azoospermia. Discussion: Although numerous factors are involved in the etiology of azoospermia, clinical tests and genetic counseling plays an important role in early detection of disease that helps to retrieve sperm production and fertility to the patient in many cases. Conclusion: Accurate understanding of the etiology of azoospermia could provide a suitable treatment approach for the management of disease.


In the last twenty years, many data integration systems following a classical wrapper/mediator architecture and providing a Global Virtual Schema (a.k.a. Global Virtual View - GVV) have been proposed by the research community. The main issues faced by these approaches range from system-level heterogeneities, to structural syntax level heterogeneities at the semantic level. Despite the research effort, all the approaches proposed require a lot of user intervention for customizing and managing the data integration and reconciliation tasks. In some cases, the effort and the complexity of the task is huge, since it requires the development of specific programming codes. Unfortunately, due to the specificity to be addressed, application codes and solutions are not frequently reusable in other domains. For this reason, the Lowell Report 2005 has provided the guideline for the definition of a public benchmark for information integration problem. The proposal, called THALIA (Test Harness for the Assessment of Legacy information Integration Approaches), focuses on how the data integration systems manage syntactic and semantic heterogeneities, which definitely are the greatest technical challenges in the field. We developed a Data Transformation System (DTS) that supports data transformation functions and produces query translation in order to push down to the sources the execution. Our DTS is based on MOMIS, a mediator-based data integration system that our research group is developing and supporting since 1999. In this paper, we show how the DTS is able to solve all the twelve queries of the THALIA benchmark by using a simple combination of declarative translation functions already available in the standard SQL language. We think that this is a remarkable result, mainly for two reasons: firstly to the best of our knowledge there is no system that has provided a complete answer to the benchmark, secondly, our queries does not require any overhead of new code.


This work investigates document classification in Case-Based Reasoning (CBR). The investigation is exemplified by the design and implementation of a system that uses the knowledge-intensive CBR framework Creek to categorize textual cases. The Information Extraction tool CORPORUM analyzes natural language text by extracting "light weight ontologies" consisting of key concepts and the links between them. The output delivered by CORPORUM has been the basis of text categorization in Creek. To find the category of an unknown text case, Creek compares it to a number of already categorized texts and outputs most similar. The calculation of similarity between textual cases has been done according to Creek's existing method. The implemented program is based on a study of Textual CBR and Information Extraction, as well as an analysis of Creek's representation and reasoning functionality. When testing the implemented system, we have observed that Creek and CORPORUM can cooperate in categorizing documents, even if their format of representing text cases is initially different. Because of differences in relation types, the general domain knowledge of Creek was not fully utilized during case matching. However, our results suggests that Creek will benefit greatly from using a text analysis tool such as CORPORUM for ontology building.


The purpose of this study was to establish communication strategies used by Alico Kenya, now CFC Life, with a view to finding out the kind of link between these strategies and personal insurance sales. Data was gathered through interviews, participant observation and two separate sets of questionnaires administered to sampled CFC Life sales agents and the general public drawn from Nyanza, Nairobi and Coast provinces. The study found out that the perceptions an individual holds about insurance would determine their response to a personal insurance sales interview or presentation. A communication strategy plays a crucial role in understanding these conceptions and effecting the desired change. Hence there is need for insurance sales agents and employees to be properly trained and well equipped with product knowledge and the necessary communication skills to put this knowledge across. Kenyans also need to be sensitized on the necessity of personal insurance and how it works in controlling risks and life's uncertainties; this knowledge is wanting. There is need to use the language that the prospect understands best and a more simplified version of policy documents including Kiswahili versions for the rural based clients.


Abstract Purpose: This research explored the experiences of service users and providers during the implementation of the National Service Framework (NSF) for Long-Term (Neurological) Conditions (LTNCs). Method: A participatory qualitative research design was employed. Data were collected using 50 semi-structured interviews with service users, 25 of whom were re-interviewed on three occasions. Forty-five semi-structured interviews were also conducted with service providers who worked with individuals with LTNCs. Interviews focused on health, well-being and quality of life in relation to service provision, access and delivery. Data were thematically analysed individually and collaboratively during two data analysis workshops. Results: Three major themes were identified that related to the implementation of the NSF: "Diagnosis and treatment", "Better connected services" and "On-going rehabilitation". Service users reported that effective care was provided when in hospital settings but such treatments often terminated on return to their communities despite on-going need. In hospital and community settings, service providers indicated that they lacked the support and resources to provide continuous care, with patients reaching a crisis point before referral to specialist care. Conclusion: This research highlighted a range of issues concerning the recent UK-drive towards patient-centred approaches within healthcare, as service users were disempowered within the LTNC care pathway. Moreover, service providers indicated that resource constraints limited their ability to provide long-term, intensive and integrated service provision. Implications for Rehabilitation Our research suggests that many service users with long-term neurological conditions experienced disconnections between services within their National Service Framework care pathway. For health and social care practitioners, a lack of continuity within a care pathway was suggested to be most pertinent following immediate care and moving to rehabilitative care. Our findings also indicate that service providers lack the necessary financial resources and staffing capacity to provide on-going and comprehensive rehabilitation. This article aims to help practitioners better understand particular issues during the implementation of the National Service Framework for long-term neurological conditions from the perspectives of service users and service providers.


Neurons in the dorsal visual pathway of the mammalian brain are selective for motion stimuli, with the complexity of stimulus representations increasing along the hierarchy. This progression is similar to that of the ventral visual pathway, which is well characterized by artificial neural networks (ANNs) optimized for object recognition. In contrast, there are no image-computable models of the dorsal stream with comparable explanatory power. We hypothesized that the properties of dorsal stream neurons could be explained by a simple learning objective: the need for an organism to orient itself during self-motion. To test this hypothesis, we trained a 3D ResNet to predict an agent's self-motion parameters from visual stimuli in a simulated environment. We found that the responses in this network accounted well for the selectivity of neurons in a large database of single-neuron recordings from the dorsal visual stream of non-human primates. In contrast, ANNs trained on an action recognition dataset through supervised or self-supervised learning could not explain responses in the dorsal stream, despite also being trained on naturalistic videos with moving objects. These results demonstrate that an ecologically relevant cost function can account for dorsal stream properties in the primate brain.


Is citizenship status a legitimate basis for allocating rights in the United States? In immigration law the right to remain is significantly tied to citizenship status. Citizens have an absolutely secure right to remain in the United States regardless of their actions. Noncitizens' right to remain is less secure because they can be deported if convicted of specific criminal offenses. This Article contends that citizenship is not a legitimate basis for allocating the right to remain. This Article offers a normative and historical argument for a right to remain for noncitizens. This right should be granted to members of the society — those with significant connections, commitment, and obligations to the State. Citizenship status is one proxy for identifying members, but it can be both under- and over-inclusive. Numerous green-card holders are committed to, have strong connections to, and undertake obligations to the United States. Deporting these individuals for crimes like perjury, receipt of stolen property, or failure to appear in court can be excessively harsh. It can mean depriving "a man and his family of all that makes life worth while [sic]." The right to remain for noncitizens is based on two principles — connection and proportionality. The jus nexi principle provides a basis for identifying members of the polity. Members have a heightened liberty interest in remaining in the United States. Deportation for minor criminal activity is an illegitimate deprivation of the liberty interest to remain in the United States because it is disproportionate. The first comprehensive crime-based deportation regime in the United States was rooted in both the jus nexi principle and proportionality. Reliance on these foundational norms has diminished and must be restored to achieve a more just deportation regime. In order to realize this goal the right to remain cannot depend on citizenship status.


A computational scheme based on differential geometry was proposed in a previous study [Appl. Opt.52, 4151 (2013)] for determining the first- and second-order derivative matrices of a skew ray reflected/refracted at a flat boundary surface. The present study extends this methodology to the case of a skew ray reflected/refracted at a spherical boundary surface. The validity of the proposed approach is demonstrated using two retro-reflectors for illustration purposes. The results show that the proposed method provides an effective means of determining the search direction required to minimize the merit function during the optimization stage of the optical system design process.


Juvenile mortality is a key factor influencing population growth rate in density-independent, predation-free, well-managed captive populations. Currently at least a quarter of all Asian elephants live in captivity, but both the wild and captive populations are unsustainable with the present fertility and calf mortality rates. Despite the need for detailed data on calf mortality to manage effectively populations and to minimize the need for capture from the wild, very little is known of the causes and correlates of calf mortality in Asian elephants. Here we use the world's largest multigenerational demographic dataset on a semi-captive population of Asian elephants compiled from timber camps in Myanmar to investigate the survival of calves (n = 1020) to age five born to captive-born mothers (n = 391) between 1960 and 1999. Mortality risk varied significantly across different ages and was higher for males at any age. Maternal reproductive history was associated with large differences in both stillbirth and liveborn mortality risk: first-time mothers had a higher risk of calf loss as did mothers producing another calf soon (<3.7 years) after a previous birth, and when giving birth at older age. Stillbirth (4%) and pre-weaning mortality (25.6%) were considerably lower than those reported for zoo elephants and used in published population viability analyses. A large proportion of deaths were caused by accidents and lack of maternal milk/calf weakness which both might be partly preventable by supplementary feeding of mothers and calves and work reduction of high-risk mothers. Our results on Myanmar timber elephants with an extensive keeping system provide an important comparison to compromised survivorship reported in zoo elephants. They have implications for improving captive working elephant management systems in range countries and for refining population viability analyses with realistic parameter values in order to predict future population size of the Asian elephant.


This book provides comprehensive information on Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) emissions from publicly owned treatment works (POTWs). It describes models of emission factors so that readers will know what to expect when models need to be used for the estimation of VOCs from their specific wastewaters. The authors provide a road-map approach for air pollution abatement compliance so that managers can determine their human resource needs. POTW professionals will find information on VOC emissions from various unit processes such as sewers, preliminary and secondary clarifiers, activated sludge and attached growth systems, sludge treatment, and combustion devices.