This thesis set out to address conflicts that arise when nature based tourism is present in coastal settings, by seeking to develop a management technique that reduces the negative impacts of tourism. Mandatory interpretation is a term used to describe scenarios whereby visitors are required to partake in an interpretative experience prior to gaining access to an area. This study considers the role and suitability of mandatory interpretation in reducing negative visitor impacts in coastal protected areas. The research aimed to explore mandatory interpretation as a visitor impact management tool, identifying circumstances under which it is appropriate and effective to develop a set of requirements or guidelines for the introduction of mandatory interpretation into the visitor impact management strategy of coastal protected areas. In order to achieve this aim the research was divided into two phases.

Three key indicators were used in the assessment of the effectiveness of the mandatory interpretation programme at Hanauma Bay Nature Reserve, Hawai'i, United States of America. By comparing responses to questionnaires from pre- and post- visit samples, this study found that the mandatory interpretation programme added to visitor knowledge of the site and visitors' intentions to behave in an environmentally appropriate manner. Observation and interviews with management, staff and volunteers added depth of understanding to the results obtained through the questionnaire survey. Furthermore, secondary data, interviews and observations were used to explore and document the mandatory interpretative process at Hanauma Bay Nature Reserve. The results formed the background on which the second phase of research was based.

Using the previous findings the second phase of research set out to investigate how, if at all, and under what circumstances mandatory interpretation may be implemented with a multiple access point site. By conducting focus group surveys with resource managers and a visitor questionnaire survey, within Chichester Harbour Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, United Kingdom, this thesis was able explored the appropriateness of mandatory interpretation in the amelioration of on-site visitor impacts. Research identified scope for the inclusion of mandatory interpretation that creates a captive audience, within the visitor impact management plans of coastal protected areas.

The results from this study suggest that mandatory interpretation, if carefully designed, is capable of contributing towards reduced visitor impacts through development of knowledge and resulting behavioural intentions. Ultimately, reduced visitor impacts help to conserve the biodiversity values of the coastal protected area. Mandatory interpretation is ideal for coastal protected areas with single access points that suffer significant visitor impacts, and should be based on high quality interpretative media as well as clear and consistent messages. Implementation of mandatory interpretation within multiple access point sites may prove more difficult. However, the research yielded useful results that may help inform managers on how mandatory interpretation may be implemented.

Overall, this thesis provides a foundation for additional research into, and a basis on which, mandatory interpretative programmes may be developed. Providing a set of practical implications and generic guidelines for its implementation that includes the conditions under which mandatory interpretation is: (i) appropriate; (ii) effective; and (iii) by developing an appreciation of how best to design, implement and evaluate mandatory interpretive programmes.


Pineapple (Ananas comosus var. comosus), is an important tropical non-climacteric fruit with high commercial potential. Understanding the phenomena behind fruit ripening with a focus on improving fruit quality traits such as flavor, texture, appearance and sweetness may be possible through gene expression profiling of pineapple fruit transcriptome. As such, the objectives of this project are to, firstly, construct and sequenced mature green pineapple cDNA and de novo assembly of paired-end Solexa reads. Secondly, to characterize and functionally annotate the transcripts through similarity search and mapping against Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) database respectively. Finally, to develop a database of Expressed Sequence Tags containing Simple Sequence Repeats (EST-SSRs) using the newly obtained transcripts and/or through pineapple ESTs that are available in GenBank. The results show that both the unique transcripts (UT) assembled pineapple sequences and contigs from de novo assembly generated a total of 28,896 transcripts being generated with length ranges from 100 bp to 3.8 kb. A search for sequence similarity with NCBI's non redundant database identified about 17,049 transcripts which were found to be associated with primary metabolisms, amino acid synthesis and processing, membrane and transport, cell division, cytoskeleton, cell wall and metabolism, RNA related gene expression, signal transduction, defense and stress related protein and also secondary metabolisms. Out of these transcripts, 71% returned GO terms with the distribution among the ontologies given as such: 35.8% in molecular function, 33.5% in cellular component and 30.7% in biological process. Annotation against the KEGG database pathways on the other hand, enabled the assignment of 542 enzyme commissions to 13,598 transcripts. The enzymes were further categorized into a total of 126 pathways with 122 pathways being involved in pineapple metabolism. The metabolic and cellular processes points out that there are tremendous changes in metabolic activities during pineapple fruit maturation as seen by the large numbers of the annotated transcripts. Data mining of the pineapple transcripts EST-SSRs showed that only 4% of the pineapple transcripts contained SSRs. Dinucleotide SSR (49.5%) was the most abundant followed by trinucleotide SSR (46.8%). The least abundant was tetranucleotide SSR (3.7%). Out of these, about 40% of the pineapple transcripts were found to have suitable flanking sites to enable the design of the upstream and downstream primers for future PCR amplification. This research cataloged the first pineapple fruit transcriptome. The transcripts will be subsequently useful to develop microarray chips for future gene expression studies among different plant tissue and development stages of the fruit. Further validation and/or relevant use of the ESTSSRs found will be useful in comparative mapping and genome mapping and gene tagging in pineapple.


With rumors of a retirement this summer on the Supreme Court, President Trump may have another chance to fulfill his campaign pledge to nominate justices "in the mold of Justice Scalia." By initial accounts, he fulfilled that promise with the nomination of Justice Gorsuch, whose early tenure on the Court has been described as rather Scalia-like. Subsequently, the President has expanded his list of potential nominees to twenty-five. However, not all on that shortlist may be similarly "in the mold of Justice Scalia." We thus updated our previous study measuring the Scalia-ness of the potential nominees. We added Judges Brett Kavanaugh and Amul Thapar. We improved the three original measures: originalism, textualism, and writing separately. We also added three additional measures that were characteristic of Justice Scalia: ghostwriting (the degree clerks play a role in writing a judge's opinions); years as a law professor; and percentage of one's life outside of D.C. Finally, for comparison's sake, we included the lower court records of Chief Justice Roberts and Justices Alito, Sotomayor, and Gorsuch.
We then used these variables to create two versions of the Scalia-ness Index. The simple version merely includes originalism and textualism, the most important and defining of Scalia's traits. The complex version includes all six variables, but with originalism and textualism weighted significantly more than the other two process-based variables, and with the two background-based variables weighted the least. The results confirmed that as far as being a judge like Justice Scalia, the Trump short-listers are not created equal. In fact, there is a wide gulf between the top six and the rest. And of those top six, third through sixth place were lumped together, followed by a significant gap to second place, and then a rather hefty distance to the most Scalia-like of the short-listers.
Given the abstractness of the Scalia-ness Index Scores, using percentiles we translated the scores into 2017 income and IQ scores. For example, for the complex Index, then-Judge Gorsuch would have been third with a 2017 income of $60,008, followed closely by three other judges ranging from $58,016 to $60,001. (The trailing short-listers ranged from $21,381 to $32,157, with then-Judge Roberts bringing up the rear.) As to the two judges ahead of Gorsuch, they were the equivalent of a 2017 income of $75,597 and $292,372, respectively. The simple Index produced similar results. If Scalia-ness had been an Olympic speed skating race, it would have been a boring one: the gold medal winner finishing all by himself, followed sometime later by the silver medalist all by himself, followed by a pack of four fighting for bronze, followed by everyone else lagging rather far behind.
President Reagan used to say, "Trust, but verify." Under the assumption that the best predictor of future behavior is past behavior, some judges empirically appear that they'll be more Scalia-like than others if placed on the Supreme Court. Past Republican Presidents have often relied on too much trust and too little verification in judicial nominations, with disastrous results, including but not limited to David Souter and John Paul Stevens. We strongly recommend the White House demand proof of Scalia-ness. Here is some. Additionally, and more broadly, we argue that since data-driven decision-making has transformed the rest of the world, it should begin to play a more prominent role in decisions about judicial nominees. Doing so will provide more predictive power to the vetting process. The methodology we employ here provides an example of what could be done going forward.


Plasma glucose values after oral glucose challenge vary widely in nondiabetic subjects. We have now evaluated the role of insulin resistance in determining the plasma glucose response to oral glucose in 74 volunteer subjects with normal glucose tolerance. In these subjects, we determined the plasma glucose and insulin responses over a 3-h period to a 75-g oral glucose challenge, and the steady-state plasma glucose concentration during a continuous infusion of somatostatin, glucose, and insulin (a quantitative measure of insulin resistance). The plasma glucose response was defined as the incremental increase in plasma glucose concentration above the fasting value for 3 h after the oral glucose challenge. Multiple regression analysis was used to define the relationship between the dependent variable (plasma glucose response) and various predictors of this response. These analyses indicated that both the steady-state plasma glucose and the incremental insulin response during the first 30 min after the glucose load were significant predictors of the plasma glucose response. In those individuals in whom insulin action was impaired and the 30-min plasma insulin response was decreased, plasma glucose values reached higher levels. When standardized regression coefficients were determined, the incremental glucose response was directly correlated with steady-state plasma glucose (r = 0.700, P < 0.001) and inversely with the insulin response during the first 30 min (r = 0.268, P = 0.023). Furthermore, the correlation between steady-state plasma glucose and glucose response was significantly greater (P < 0.005) than that between the glucose response and 30-min insulin concentration. These data demonstrate that both insulin action and insulin secretion are determinants of the plasma glucose response to oral glucose in individuals with normal glucose tolerance.


Efficient and accurate segmentation of sea ice floes from high-resolution optical (HRO) remote sensing images is crucial for understanding of sea ice evolutions and climate changes, especially in coping with the large data volume. Existing methods suffer from noise interference and the mixture of water and ice caused high segmentation error and less robustness. In this article, we propose a novel sea ice floe segmentation algorithm from HRO images based on texture-sensitive superpixeling and two-stage thresholding. First, sparse components are extracted from the HRO images using the robust principal component analysis (RPCA), and noise is removed by the bilateral filter. The enhanced image is obtained by combining the low-rank matrix and the sparse components. Second, a texture-sensitive simple linear iterative clustering (SLIC) superpixel algorithm is introduced for presegmentation of the enhanced HRO image. Third, a learning-based adaptive thresholding in the two stages is employed to generate the refined segmentation from the derived superpixels blocks. The efficacy of the proposed method is validated on two HRO images using visual assessment, quantitative evaluation (with seven metrics), and histogram comparison. The superior performance of the proposed method has demonstrated its efficacy for sea ice floe segmentation.


Abstract. Access to pure drinking water is always occupying as the centric position for long-term sustainable development for all. Although Bangladesh has improved its overall status in drinking water sector compared to 1990 scenario. In 2015, its total safe water sources reached to 87 % i.e., still 13% far from full goal achievement. Besides, it has been estimated that 22 of total 164 million population are exposed to > 50 to 200 μg/L respectively. Therefore, achieving sustainable drinking water goals are still challenged for Bangladesh. This study is aimed to assess the hindrance for achieving the entire sustainable development goals (SDGs) and evaluating the role of existing household based Small Arsenic Removal (SAR) technologies in drinking water sector in rural Bangladesh. The literature based evaluation is revealed that SAR technologies have been playing an important role for achieving the SDGs in drinking sectors in Bangladesh. Conversely, the lack of guild lines on their produced sludge laden and consequently improper dumping are adversely affecting the socio-economic and environmental ecosystems. In this vein, there is a framework has been developed based on the relevant studies for achieving the long-term SDGs in the drinking water sector in rural Bangladesh.


ABSTRACT This article describes a learning unit for seniors within a university in Hong Kong, as an example of offering lifelong learning opportunities for senior adults. This article reports and discusses findings from a small-scale research study conducted at the unit, which aimed to explore the effectiveness of the current mode of integrating elder learning into higher education, specifically how this related to the promotion of intergenerational learning between elders and university students. This article reports on the findings of a quantitative survey conducted with elders, university students and instructors, in order to compare their views on the impact of a mixed intergenerational classroom and to identify the benefits of elder learning. The most positive impact of the mixed-class arrangement was upon the elder learners, who reported very positive learning experiences and a number of positive benefits to learning. All three groups positively reported that the class arrangement did improve intergenerational learning. Whilst all three groups responded very positively to the mixed-class arrangement and presence of elders, there were less positive responses reported from both undergraduates and their instructors as to the impact of elders in the same class upon helping undergraduates learn better.


Deploying IPv6 in Broadband Access Networks Adeel Ahmed Salman Asadullah An essential reference for deploying IPv6 in broadband networks With the exponential growth of the Internet and increasing number of end users, service providers are increasingly looking for ways to expand their networks to meet the scalability requirements of the growing number of Internet-ready appliances or "always-on" devices. This book bridges a gap in the literature by providing coverage of Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6), specifically in broadband access networks. The authors, who are Cisco Certified Internetworking Experts (CCIE), provide comprehensive and first-rate coverage of: IPv6 drivers in broadband networks IPv6 deployment in Cable, DSL, ETTH, and Wireless networks Configuring and troubleshooting IPv6 gateway routers and host Configuring and troubleshooting IPv6 edge routers Configuring and troubleshooting IPv6 provisioning servers The authors also discuss challenges faced by service providers and how IPv6 addresses these issues. Additionally, the book is complemented with examples throughout to further facilitate readers' comprehension and a real large-scale IPv6 BB SP case study is presented. Deploying IPv6 in Broadband Access Networks is essential reading for network operators, network design engineers and consultants, network architects, and members of the networking community.


Wines from the Atlantic Islands of Macaronesia come from unusual terroirs due to their volcanic soils and the tropical and subtropical climatic conditions from this region. Some of these Islands produce highly appreciated fortified wines traded around the world since the sixteenth century, such as Madeira or Canary. Nowadays their distinct winemaking techniques and sweet wine traditions combine with the production of table wines. Previous studies described peculiar properties in wines from these regions, mostly related with their phenolic content and color, which are particularly important in the less produced red wines. The main purpose of this chapter is to characterize red wines produced in the Atlantic Islands of Macaronesia in terms of oenological and physico-chemical properties. Wines from these islands are extremely atypical, as their climates conditions are exceptional and red grape cultivars are exclusive. Furthermore, specific viticulture techniques are applied in these latitudes to proportionate the unique charac - teristics outlined in this work. Original experimental data from 300 red wines produced in 8 Atlantic islands from Canary and Cape Verde archipelago and an important review - ing study for Azores and Madeira red wines are considered herein. Results are presented according to archipelago.


The aim of this paper is to analyze the convergence between the current state of education, labor markets'' preparedness, and expectations of Generation Y females taking Bahrain as a case study. Generation Y is defined as the group of people aged 30 years and under. Although Generation Y is a worldwide phenomenon and members of this generational group share certain characteristics globally, in Gulf Cooperation Council countries [GCC] they display strong pressure to succeed, a need of gaining a high salary but also to acquire knowledge and expertise; and a preference for a strong work-life balance. In addition, in the workplace they seek peer orientation of the superiors rather than sheer respect for hierarchy; the latter is especially visible among the female population. The quickly modernized and globalized world created a generation with worldviews distinctive from the generation of their parents and this is especially visible in the GCC region that has been undergoing profound changes in the last decades with more and more women entering the labor market. GCC countries are at a stage where the transformation of their labor markets remains of utmost importance; hence this paper will shed light on the current trends and provide recommendations for future reforms.


The field of solid state ionics is enjoying significant activity due to several major breakthroughs in the materials aspects of rechargeable batteries, supercapacitors, sensors, electrochromics, catalysis and ion exchange materials. Solid state chemistry and physics, materials science and electrochemistry are the main contributors to these efforts. Material designers, for example, have been able to synthesize materials with desired ionic/electronic properties, tailor surface areas and crystal structures, and design porosities through templating action. Atomic and molecular simulation of large systems are also becoming a reality. This fourth book in the series from MRS offers theoretical, experimental and applied perspectives on the realm of solid state ionics. Emphasis is on the new generation of rechargeable lithium batteries. Topics include: insertion compounds; sol-gel process; theory of ion conduction in solids; defect chemistry; solid electrolytes; polymer electrolytes and electrodes and ionic devices.


High‐throughput sequencing technologies are currently revolutionizing the field of biology and medicine, yet bioinformatic challenges in analysing very large data sets have slowed the adoption of these technologies by the community of population biologists. We introduce the 'Simple Fool's Guide to Population Genomics via RNA‐seq' (SFG), a document intended to serve as an easy‐to‐follow protocol, walking a user through one example of high‐throughput sequencing data analysis of nonmodel organisms. It is by no means an exhaustive protocol, but rather serves as an introduction to the bioinformatic methods used in population genomics, enabling a user to gain familiarity with basic analysis steps. The SFG consists of two parts. This document summarizes the steps needed and lays out the basic themes for each and a simple approach to follow. The second document is the full SFG, publicly available at http://sfg.stanford.edu, that includes detailed protocols for data processing and analysis, along with a repository of custom‐made scripts and sample files. Steps included in the SFG range from tissue collection to de novo assembly, blast annotation, alignment, gene expression, functional enrichment, SNP detection, principal components and FST outlier analyses. Although the technical aspects of population genomics are changing very quickly, our hope is that this document will help population biologists with little to no background in high‐throughput sequencing and bioinformatics to more quickly adopt these new techniques.


Systems approaches to tourism studies have long been developed to denote the need for a holistic thinking in developing and managing tourism. However, during the last few years emphasis is being placed on the study of sustainable tourism in a complex systems approach to denote the need for understanding the complexity and non-linearities involved. Cognitive maps have been well examined in organisational learning, strategy formulation and policy analysis to structure and manage complex problems. However, their use in sustainable tourism studies is a rather unexplored field. In the present research cognitive maps of policy makers in Hersonissos, a tourist destination in Crete, Greece, were analysed to identify key issues in policies for sustainable tourism and explore their relationships. Subsequently, their emergent properties in terms of content and structure were compared across individual maps. Analysis and comparisons revealed perceived interrelatedness of policies, similarities and differences as to the key issues, relationships and perceived complexity of the domain investigated. Policy issues are interwoven into a net rather than following simple linear chains with a single outcome, with differences in their construal as perceived by different individuals. This suggests that policy formulation should consider potential nets instead of fragmenting policies. The whole analysis was based on both the structure and the content of the concepts with an emphasis being placed on the construal of the maps. In this way policies were examined and analysed as nets of interlinked issues contributing to the examination of sustainable tourism policy in a complex systems perspective illustrative of values and different pathways to achieve it.


SUMMARY It is well known that heavy metals are harmful for human health appearing only after exceeding the specific concentrations of each metal. This study was carried out to determine the concentrations of heavy metals in cheese that was produced in diaries of Ergene Basin. The dairies near the Ergene River were investigated and suitable ones were selected. Since the sampling process directly affects the sensitivity of the results, particular attention was given to this process. A total of twelve samples of cheese were collected from different diaries and each samples were digested three times by dry ashing and wet ashing methods and totally 108 cheese samples were obtained for metal analyses. The lead, manganese content of the cheese samples were measured by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrophotometer and zinc content of the cheese samples were measured by flame atomic absorption spectrophotometer.  Contents of heavy metals in the examined samples were compared with the excepted limit values in the literature and the results were evaluated. Experimental data shows that the concentrations of heavy metals are in the range of accepted limit values. Key words : Cheese, Ergene Basin, Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry, Heavy Metals


The paper is aimed to analyse the results of sexual behaviour and HIV/AIDS knowledge survey in men having sex with men. Insufficient knowledge on HIV transmission modes and on prevention means increase vulnerability, may result into risky behaviour and increase a risk of HIV infection. High awareness on HIV/AIDS issues is one of the factors that determine high vigilance and responsible actions. Survey results proved statistically significant relation between one's knowledge on HIV/AIDS and risky sexual behaviour (e.g., condom use or non-use while having sex). The better knowledge on HIV/AIDS, the more frequently condoms are used while having sex, e.g. a person cares more about own health and acts safer.


Aspiring for health and fitness has become increasingly important for Norwegians. This is expressed in many ways. For instance there has been a significant increase in the proportion who states that they are very interested in having a healthy diet. Furthermore, three out of ten stated that they had tried diets to achieve weight reduction over the past twelve months. One consequence of this trend is a consumption field that requires a multitude of products and services. This includes everything from food and dietary products that help you realize the dream of a sound, slim, strong, smart and sexy body, to books, blogs and TV shows that guide the individual towards making the right food choices. Through media, books and product launches, consumers are continuously exposed to different theories and beliefs about what and how to eat. A typical characteristic of the diets that have gained wide acceptance over the past few years is that they are in conflict with the national guidelines for a healthy diet. Another tendency is that traditional products in the Norwegian diet such as bread, potatoes and dairy products, in particular, have been up for debate. The purpose of this article is to explore why these alternative and rebellious diets have become so appealing to today's food consumer. Data are derived from both quantitative and qualitative materials.


Do American Muslims Support Terrorism? Anti-Terror Lessons of Muslim-Americans. By David Schanzer, Charles Kurzman, andEbrahim Moosa. Washington, D.C: U.S. Department of Justice, 2010. 61 pp. Free download. Schanzer and Moosa of Duke University and Kurzman of the University of North Carolina have garnered a fair amount of media attention for their study despite its complete methodological failure. Anti-Terror Lessons asks some good questions in assessing the level of radicalization among American Muslims and identifying mechanisms to counter radical ideology. But the authors' approach to answering these questions evinces a lack of rigor that renders the report's conclusions untrustworthy. The problems begin with a failure to define terms. A report about radicalization (a word that appears ninety -nine times in its pages) obviously must define that term; what constitutes radicalism is by no means self-evident. The authors' reliance on two contradictory datasets makes this problem even more acute. One set consists of more than 120 interviews conducted in Buffalo, Houston, Seattle, and Raleigh-Durham to gather information on American Muslims' attitudes toward terrorism and their anti-radicalization efforts. The authors conclude from these interviews that "MuslimAmericans do not support terrorism directed at the United States or innocent civilians." They concede that "some of our interviewees were less quick to condemn other acts of violence outside the United States," but because the project was intended to focus on domestic terrorism, they "did not attempt to gauge the extent of this support or probe interviewees on these issues." The other set includes data on American Muslims who since 9/11 have either perpetrated a terrorist act or have been sought, arrested, or convicted of a terrorism-related offense involving violence. However, the study's appendix of "Muslim- American Terrorism Offenders" includes the names of perpetrators whose acts related solely to violence outside the United States, such as the Lackawanna Six and twenty individuals involved in Somalia's Al-Shabaab recruiting network. The failure to probe interviewees on attitudes directly related to the data set on terrorist offenses amounts to sheer incoherence. At times Anti-Terror Lessons reads more like an advocacy brief than academic research, drawing sweeping conclusions from insufficient evidence. The report's discussion of "public and private denunciations of violence" argues that there has been "active denunciation of terrorist violence" by "senior Islamic scholars in the United States and the Middle East." Some denunciations of violence are indeed quoted but without providing a complete picture that might call into doubt either the sincerity or scope of these statements. For example, the veiy firstfatwa cited in the report's section on denunciations of violence - a document that condemns the 9/11 attacks and affirms the need to "apprehend the true perpetrators" in order to try them "in an impartial court of law" - boasts Yusuf al-Qaradawi as its lead author. Anti-Terror Lessons does not mention that Qaradawi has also proclaimed that Muslims "killed in a military operation aimed at expelling American occupation forces from the Gulf are martyrs and sanctioned suicide bombings against Israelis.1 Anti-Terror Lessons favorably cites the Muslim American Society's (MAS) denunciation of the 7/7 transit attacks in London but fails to mention either MAS's curriculum (which includes the works of such Islamist ideologues who have advocated violence against the West as Sayyid Qutb, Sayyid Abul ala Mawdudi, and Hassan al-Banna) or its publication of The American Muslim, which has published afatwa declaring that suicide bombings directed at Israelis are "not suicide and should not be deemed as unjustifiable means of endangering one's life."2 Likewise, the authors uncritically quote a condemnation of terrorism issued by the Council on American-Islamic Relations without noting the group's many ties to terrorism and extremism more broadly. …


The mistuning problem of quasi-periodic structures has been the subject of numerous scientific investigations for more than 50 years. Researchers developed reduced-order models to reduce the computational costs of mistuning investigations including finite element models. One question which has also high practical relevance is the identification of mistuning based on modal properties. In this work, a new identification method based on the subset of nominal system modes method (SNM) is presented. Different to existing identification methods where usually the blade stiffness of each sector is scaled by a scalar value, N identification parameters are used to adapt the modal blade stiffness of each sector. The input data for the identification procedure consist solely of the mistuned natural frequencies of the investigated mode family as well as of the corresponding mistuned mode shapes in the form of one degree-of-freedom per sector. The reduction basis consists of the tuned mode shapes of the investigated mode family. Furthermore, the proposed identification method allows for the inclusion of centrifugal effects like stress stiffening and spin softening without additional computational effort. From this point of view, the presented method is also appropriate to handle centrifugal effects in reduced-order models using a minimum set of input data compared to existing methods. The power of the new identification method is demonstrated on the example of an axial compressor blisk. Finite element calculations including geometrical mistuning provide the database for the identification procedure. The correct functioning of the identification method including measurement noise is also validated to show the applicability to a case of application where real measurement data are available.


Many global amphibian declines have been linked to the fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd). The knowledge on Bd distribution provides a fundamental basis for amphibian conservation planning. Yet, such Bd distribution information is currently insufficient, in particular at a regional scale. The college classroom provides an excellent opportunity to expand the knowledge of Bd distribution. Here we provide an example of such research projects to detect Bd prevalence among local amphibians in a college course setting and present the results of work conducted in central Pennsylvania, USA. We collected toe clips and conducted PCR assays of six species, Plethodon cinereus, Desmognathus fuscus, Notophthalmus viridescens, Lithobates catesbeianus, L. clamitans, and L. sylvaticus (59 individuals). Four groups of students independently conducted entire projects, orally presented their findings, and submitted manuscripts to the professor at the end of the semester. This example demonstrates that it is feasible for an undergraduate class to complete a Bd-detection project within a single semester. Such a project not only contributes to Bd research but also promotes conservation education among students through hands-on research experiences. We found Bd infection in only one sample of N. viridescens, but no sign of infection in the rest of the samples. As a relatively high prevalence of Bd has been reported in surrounding areas, our results suggest spatial heterogeneity in Bd occurrence at a regional scale and thus, the need for continued efforts to monitor Bd prevalence.


Performing experimental evaluation of fault tolerant distributed systems is a complex and tedious task, and automating as much as possible of the execution and evaluation of experiments is often necessary to test a broad spectrum of possible executions of the system to obtain good coverage. The confidence of the results obtained from an experimental evaluation depends on the degree of control over the environment in which experiments are being executed. Typically, an uncontrolled environment is exposed to numerous sources of external influence that can affect the obtained results. Automated and repeated executions can be used to reduce the impact of such influences. In this paper, a framework for experimental validation and performance evaluation of fault management in a fault tolerant distributed system is presented. The framework provides a facility to execute experiments in a configured target system. It is based on injecting faults or other events needed to test the fault handling capability of the system. Relevant events are logged and collected for postprocessing and analysis, e.g. to construct a single global timeline of events occurring at different nodes in the target system. This timeline of events can then be used to validate the behavior a system, and to evaluate its performance.


We present a novel strategy for suppressing mode structure which often degrades off-axis cavity enhanced absorption spectra. This strategy relies on promoting small, random fluctuations in the optical frequency by perturbing the injection current of the diode laser source with radio frequency (RF) bandwidth-limited white noise. A fast and compact oxygen sensor, constructed from a 764 nm vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) and an optical cavity with re-entrant configuration, is employed to demonstrate the potential of this scheme for improving the sensitivity and robustness of a field-deployable cavity spectrometer. The RF spectral density of the current noise injected into the VCSEL has been measured, and correlated to the effects on the optical spectral signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and laser linewidth for a range of re-entrant geometries. A fourfold gain in the SNR has been achieved using the RF noise perturbation for the optimal off-axis alignment, which led to a minimum detectable absorption (MDA) predicted from an Allan variance study as low as 4.3 × 10(-5) at 1 s averaging. For the optically forbidden oxygen transition under investigation, a limit of detection (SNR = 1) of 810 ppm was achieved for a 10 ms acquisition time. This performance level paves the way for a fast, sensitive, in-line oxygen spectrometer that lends itself to a range of applications in respiratory medicine.


In this paper, we present an object-centric, fixed-dimensional 3D shape representation for robust matching of partially observed object shapes, which is an important component for object categorization from 3D data. A main problem when working with RGB-D data from stereo, Kinect, or laser sensors is that the 3D information is typically quite noisy. For that reason, we accumulate shape information over time and register it in a common reference frame. Matching the resulting shapes requires a strategy for dealing with partial observations. We therefore investigate several distance functions and kernels that implement different such strategies and compare their matching performance in quantitative experiments. We show that the resulting representation achieves good results for a large variety of vision tasks, such as multi-class classification, person orientation estimation, and articulated body pose estimation, where robust 3D shape matching is essential.


This paper reports a new type of world regionalisation based upon the location strategies of leading advanced producer service firms. To generate these 'global practice' regions, a principal components analysis of the office networks of 175 service firms across 138 cities is used to identify 10 common location strategies. These are interpreted as fuzzy (overlapping) and porous regional formations each consisting of two parts: a home-region and a global-outreach. The results indicate five overlapping pairs of regions: (i) intensive and extensive globalisations based upon the USA plus London (USAL); (ii) Americas and Latin America regions; (iii) Pacific Asia and China regions; (iv) Europe and Scandinavia regions; and (v) Australasian and Canadian 'Commonwealth' regions. All regions have worldwide global-outreaches but they differ significantly in their respective sizes and importance. Discussion of these findings elaborates upon two key points: first, globalisation is not a 'blanket' process creating a homogeneous world, and second, the resulting fuzzy and porous regionalisation counters the traditional 'territorialist' regional geographies that can provide a framework for global conflict with a more complex geography of multiple global integrations.


In recent years, MDMA, or "ecstasy," has become a widespread recreational drug in the Western world. Current research suggested already that this substance is selectively damaging serotoninergic synaptic transmission. Ricaurte et al. describe how ecstasy causes not only serotoninergic, but also dopaminergic neurotoxicity, in monkeys. MDMA might then interfere with motor function even when given in recreational doses. Because neuropsychiatric disorders are often related to dopamine dysfunction, recreational users may be putting themselves at risk for developing such diseases. G. A. Ricaurte, J. Yuan, G. Hatzidimitriou, B. J. Cord, U. D. McCann, Severe dopaminergic neurotoxicity in primates after a common recreational dose regimen of MDMA ("ecstasy"). Science 297, 2260-2263 (2002). [Abstract] [Full Text]


From 1870 to 2000, the workweek length of employed persons decreased by 41 per cent in industrialized countries. The employment rate, employment per working age person, displays large movements but no clear secular pattern. This motivated the question: What accounts for the large decrease in the workweek length and developments in the employment rate over the past 130 years? The answer is given in a dynamic general-equilibrium model with supervisory and production workers. Over time, both types of workers become more productive. In a calibrated version of the model, productivity gains of supervisors account for a large fraction of the decline in the workweek length in Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The model, augmented to include taxes, government spending, and technological progress, captures the movement in the employment rates of the three countries.


Since their original inception as ultrasound contrast agents, potential applications of microbubbles have evolved to encompass molecular imaging and targeted drug delivery. As these areas develop, so does the need to understand the mechanisms behind the interaction of microbubbles both with biological tissue and with other microbubbles. There is therefore a metrological requirement to develop a controlled environment in which to study these processes. Presented here is the design and characterisation of such a system, which consists of a microfluidic chip, specifically developed for manipulating microbubbles using both optical and acoustic trapping. A laser vibrometer is used to observe the coupling of acoustic energy into the chip from a piezoelectric transducer bonded to the surface. Measurement of the velocity of surface waves on the chip is investigated as a potential method for inferring the nature of the acoustic fields excited within the liquid medium of the device. Comparison of measured surface wavelengths with wave types suggests the observation of anti-symmetric Lamb or Love-Kirchhoff waves. Further visual confirmation of the acoustic fields through bubble aggregation highlights differences between the model and experimental results in predicting the position of acoustic pressure nodes in relation to excitation frequency.


ABSTRACT Perceived peer attitudes (PPA) often influence young men's violent attitudes and behaviors, although people with higher social network diversity (SND) are less likely to adopt their close peers' attitudes. There is currently limited research examining this role of peer networks in the development of violent extremism (VE). Consequently, the current study sought to answer the following questions: (1) How are PPA, personal attitudes, and VE intentions related to each other? (2) Does the relationship between PPA and VE intentions differ based on SND? The study sample consisted of 340 men (eighteen to twenty-nine years old) recruited via Amazon MTurk. Participants first indicated their most salient social group and listed their five closest male peers. Next, they reported their VE attitudes, intentions, and their peers' attitudes. Overall, PPA were positively associated with VE intentions through the partial mediating effect of personal attitudes. SND moderated the relationship between PPA and VE attitudes: participants with more diverse networks were less likely to hold beliefs similar to their PPA. The study highlights the potential role of SND as a protective factor against the harmful effects of PPA. Notably, it underscores the need for social-ecological approaches to counter VE, offering community involvement and growth of social ties.


Anaerobic bacteria dominate the human normal microbiota, but strikingly little is known about these commensals. Finegoldia magna is a Gram‐positive anaerobe found in the skin and at other non‐sterile body surfaces, but it is also an opportunistic pathogen. This study describes a novel protein designated FAF (F. magna adhesion factor) and expressed by more than 90% of F. magna isolates. The protein is present in substantial quantities at the F. magna surface but is also released from the surface. FAF forms large protein aggregates in solution and surface‐associated FAF causes bacterial clumping. In skin F. magna bacteria were localized to the epidermis, where they adhere to basement membranes. FAF was found to mediate this adhesion via interactions with BM‐40, a basement membrane protein. The biological significance of FAF is further underlined by the observation that it blocks the activity of LL‐37, a major human antibacterial peptide. Altogether, the data demonstrate that FAF plays an important role in colonization and survival of F. magna in the human host.


Until recently the state of the art in lossless data compression was prediction by partial match (PPM). A PPM model estimates the next-symbol probabilit y distribution by combining statistics from the longest matching contiguous contexts in which each symbol value is found. We introduce a context mixing model which improves on PPM by allowing contexts which are arbitrary functions of the history. Each model independently estimates a probabilit y and confidence that the next bit of data will be 0 or 1. Predictions are combined by weighted averaging. After a bit is arithmetic coded, the weights are adjusted along the cost gradient in weight space to favor the most accurate models. Context mixing compressors, as implemented by the open source PAQ project, are now top ranked on several independent benchmarks.


This study examined the utility of a model to explain parental influence on children's physical activity. Children (n = 994) from 3 elementary schools completed a survey with scales assessing physical activity, attraction to activity, perceived competence, and perceived parental influence. Self-report data on the physical activity levels of parents (n = 536) were also obtained to test the hypothesis that active parents may provide more encouragement and support for their children. The parental influence scales accounted for 20%, 26%, and 28% of the variance in physical activity, attraction to physical activity, and perceptions of competence, respectively. Correlations between parent and child levels of activity were low, but children of active parents had higher scores on the parental influence measures and psychosocial correlates than inactive parents. This study provides further confirmation of the important influence that parents exert on their child's physical activity behavior.


Thirty-four young patients (28 male and 6 female) underwent aortic valve replacement between 1972 and 1988. Ages ranged from 11 to 20 years (mean 17.7 years). Including reimplantation in the follow-up period, 40 valves were implanted, among which were 17 (43%) St. Jude, 7 (16%) Bjork-Shiley, and 4 (10%) Carpentier-Edwards. Seven patients (18%) had tissue valve prostheses (4 Carpentier-Edwards, 3 Hancock valves). There was one hospital death (2.9%). Follow-up was obtained in 30 of the 33 hospital survivors, with a mean follow-up of 80 months. In the follow-up period, one patient (3%) had a major thromboembolic event and one patient (3%) had prosthetic valve endocarditis. Six patients (18%) required replacement of the implanted valve; three of these had received Hancock tissue valve prostheses. There were three late deaths, yielding 96% survival at 5 years and 84% at 10 years. Twenty-three of 30 survivors are currently New York Heart Association class I. Aortic valve replacement in young patients can be performed with low mortality and morbidity, and with excellent long-term results.


Existing risk-aware multi-armed bandit models typically focus on risk measures of individual options such as variance. As a result, they cannot be directly applied to important real-world online decision making problems with correlated options. In this paper, we propose a novel Continuous Mean-Covariance Bandit (CMCB) model to explicitly take into account option correlation. Specifically, in CMCB, there is a learner who sequentially chooses weight vectors on given options and observes random feedback according to the decisions. The agent's objective is to achieve the best trade-off between reward and risk, measured with option covariance. To capture different reward observation scenarios in practice, we consider three feedback settings, i.e., full-information, semi-bandit and full-bandit feedback. We propose novel algorithms with optimal regrets (within logarithmic factors), and provide matching lower bounds to validate their optimalities. The experimental results also demonstrate the superiority of our algorithms. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first work that considers option correlation in risk-aware bandits and explicitly quantifies how arbitrary covariance structures impact the learning performance. The novel analytical techniques we developed for exploiting the estimated covariance to build concentration and bounding the risk of selected actions based on sampling strategy properties can likely find applications in other bandit analysis and be of independent interests.


Increasing seawater temperatures are being measured worldwide, causing coral bleaching events during which the symbiosis between the coral host and its symbiotic zooxanthellae is disrupted, and a global decline in reef corals. In the Arabian Gulf where water temperatures are naturally extreme with summer maxima at 35°C and above and winter minima at 18°C and below, seawater temperature anomalies are repeatedly recorded in the summer. While Arabian Gulf corals have naturally evolved to survive at temperatures that would cause bleaching and mortality to most corals elsewhere, an increasing number of mortality events have been recorded in the Gulf (Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE) in the last decades, resulting in a substantial loss of biodiversity and coral cover, mostly in inshore environments. Efforts are being deployed locally to conserve remaining habitats and attempt the restoration of lost habitats, but to be successful, efforts need to incorporate regional species-specific traits such as the susceptibility and resistance to future bleaching. We here assess the tolerance and sensitivity of three ecologically important species from the Arabian Gulf, Acropora downingi, Porites lutea, and Dipsastraea pallida, sampled in Qatari offshore reefs in the mid-winter, by exposing them to heat stress in enclosed aquaria. Colonies were assigned to control aquaria maintained at 25°C, aquaria to be raised to 30°C, or aquaria to be raised to 36°C. After an acclimatization period, the 30°C and the 35°C aquaria were raised to their target temperature at a maximum rate of 1°C per day. During the warming period and for another three weeks, we monitored the photosynthetic activity of their symbiotic zooxanthellae twice a week with a diving-PAM fluorometer while checking for signs of bleaching. We found that the photosynthetic activity was not affected in any of the three species when the temperature was raised from 25°C to 30°C. At 34°C, the photosynthetic activity in A. downingi started declining. Once the temperature reached the 35°C target, all A. downingi colonies bleached, expelling their zooxanthellae, and died three days later. The photosynthetic activity in P. lutea and D. pallida started declining once the temperature reached 35°C and continued declining for an additional three weeks, after which P. lutea died and D. pallida recovered. The high tolerance of P. lutea and especially of D. pallida is promising for the survival of the two reef-builders in coming years, despite increasing seawater temperatures caused by climate change. However, the branching Acropora coral is not expected to respond well to any further increase of temperature, as reflected in its major regional decline in the past decades. Due to its high sensitivity, Acropora might also not be a good candidate in coral restoration projects, as it showed a high sensitivity to bleaching and the inability to survive bleaching events. However, aquarium conditions not being able to fully reflect natural conditions on the reef, further work would need to be conducted directly on the reef to determine whether other factors might be involved in assisting resistance to bleaching, survival under bleaching conditions, or recovery following bleaching. In any case, P. lutea and D. pallida would be excellent candidates in coral restoration projects, having showed a lower sensitivity to bleaching and the ability to survive for several weeks under thermal stress, therefore showing potential for a long-term survival even under warming conditions.


ABSTRACT Leisure commitment has been studied for several decades now, but few attempts have been made to look at how leisurists benefit from participation in one activity when it comes to selecting another, but related, activity. The concept of leisure substitutability has been helpful in understanding what is entailed in switching activities, but does not address an important issue: how one leisure activity can potentially set up or introduce other leisure activities. The current work seeks to build on the leisure substitutability concept by showcasing the importance of past experience in making future leisure choices. The existence of a high level of participation in a leisure activity can create a space for the development of knowledge, skills or interests which may lead to a more fulfilling activity that better suits the individual's life circumstances at that particular point in time, and may provide justification for abandonment or lessening of the former activity or affiliation.


The Kunshan factory enjoyed remarkable success over the past 24 months. The quick response, superior teamwork and scouting capability for opportunity and risk on the part of all staff outperformed that of their counterparts in multinational companies. Family ties, community affection, social 'face' and personal recommendations co-ordinated company members well. Chinese community relationships had a consolidating and stabilising function in the factory, enabling a convergent corporate movement. This phenomenal practice is explored here to understand quantitatively the roles of Chinese community relationships (guanxi) and learning organisation practice towards corporate performance.
In this research, the bricolage method was adopted to cater for the diverse and vibrant nature in the research context. Ethically, this insider research had to ensure that all factory members received fair treatment in the course of the research. Their comments and reflections on learning organisations and Chinese community relationships had to be objectively recorded for examination. An assurance was made that there would be no impact on their job security and access to company caution money remained unchanged during the research, so that they remained in control.
Guanxi encourages participation in community activity, at the same time advocating action learning. In research methods, repeated actions, a form of action research, are performed in cycles with input from stakeholders to develop a directed course of further actions. Soft Systems Method, and associated structural tools such as rich pictures and CATWOE, help factory members to dissect the business challenge. Qualitative interviewing was carried out among key managers to devise a master plan for divestment. All employees were recompensed for the disruption caused. New corporate spin-offs were established through the exchange of favours and scouting for opportunities. Later, a focus group was undertaken to evaluate progress in the business units and to examine the contribution of learning organisations and Chinese community relationships.
Seven relational outcomes are identified in this research in this Kunshan factory. They are: 1) 360-degree dialogue; 2) group-level exchange of favours; 3) action learning; 4) acculturation; 5) community-prompted foresight capability; 6) personal recommendation; and 7) outside-in mentality. Collectivism on the part of the Chinese community's participants equalises individual interests through acculturation to establish a common societal and business goal. Sharing a vision and a goal is a pragmatic means of attaining organisational integration and operational excellence. Self-organised vision and mission are attained swiftly through these seven factors to save the effort of initial ice-breaking and team-building activity.
A Chinese social system is regarded as a high-context social system – it depends less on precise wording than collective understanding. The Chinese term 'guanxi' is used interchangeably in this thesis with 'Chinese community relationships' to describe the subtle and delicate interpersonal social interactions perpetuated among ethnic Chinese people in mainland China and overseas in settlements such as Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan and elsewhere. Guanxi comprises two aspects. One is a social construct of Chinese society and the other is the value generated by guanxi in action. In combination these position Chinese community relationships as a mediator of organisational transformation such as the implementation of a learning organisation and improved business performance. Historically, guanxi is perceived as having three characteristics: affection (ganqing, in Chinese), reciprocity (renqing) and credit (xinyong).
The learning organisation paradigm describes a continuous process of corporate transformation through collective staff learning, aiming to anticipate and cope with the disruptive commercial challenges of today's business world. When employees are committed to their organisation, it favours business sustainability. Operational and business risks are mitigated through shared vision and mentality. The attributes of individualism and collectivism substantially influence the implementation of a learning organisation.
This research uncovers the mediating effect of Chinese community relationships on learning organisation effectiveness for fast business performance through acculturation and personal recommendation. It reveals the social systems in a Chinese community to empower learning organisation practice. The integrational capability of the seven relational outcomes augments guanxi's mediating effect in empowering learning organisation practice so as to raise corporate performance substantially.


November 15 – At noon, we sailed around the islands of Bucutua, Tongkil, Balanguigui, Sinisa. Soon, we were sailing off Sulu Island, its high mountains covered with vast prairies of cogon surrounded by forests. Although I had a good pair of binoculars, I could only see a few houses. We passed in front of Paticol, where Spanish troops landed on February 22, 1876. At six o'clock, we anchored on the northwestern part of the island.


Knowledge-based artificial neural networks (KBANNs) is a hybrid methodology that combines knowledge of a domain in the form of simple rules with connectionist learning. This combination allows the use of small sets of data (typical of medical diagnosis tasks) to train the network. The initial structure is set from the dependencies of a set of rules and it is only necessary to refine these rules by training. In this paper we present such KBANNs with a topology derived from knowledge elicited from the domain of metabolic features of malignant mammary tissues. KBANN performance is assessed over the classification of 26 in vivo P-31 spectra of normal and cancerous breast tissues. Results presented in this paper confirm the suitability of KBANNs a computational aid capable of classifying complex and limited data in a medical domain. The present study is part of an ongoing investigation into normal and abnormal breast physiology which may allow non-invasive early detection of breast cancer [27,28].


Albanian lexicography is the oldest and the richest field of our linguistic. Its division into two periods, based on temporal criteria (the first period: from the beginning until the second half of the XX century; the second period: from the second half of the XX century until nowadays) fits with the features, characteristics and especially with different levels of development of our lexicography in corresponding periods. They depend to a great extend on the level of social development and the language as well. During the second period, Albanian lexicography was developed side by side with the social and cultural development, like all Albanian linguistics. Albania was already the main centre of lexicographic studies and dictionary compiling. Albanian lexicography developed as a science with a proper aim and study methods. Albanian lexicographic thought was processed and developed, having as a main reference Albanian language lexicon, phraseology and Albanian lexical semantics, being the most important elements of explanatory dictionaries. During this period, previous achievements were evaluated, there was a critical examination of inheritance, to separate the valuable from the invaluable so as to continue work in an organised way in search of words, phrases coming from the folk source.


Single molecule magnets (SMM) adsorbed on surfaces as magnetic building blocks represent a hot topic of research in the area of molecular magnetism. Indeed, the understanding the properties of molecules on surface is extremely challenging as atomistic structures are not readily available. In this regard, theoretical studies as reliable tool to reproduce and predict the structure and the magnetic ground state of SMMs in the bulk phase and adsorbed on a surface, should be considered very appealing. In this framework, we report a periodic density functional (DF) study on two {Mn6} SMM complexes of general formula [Mn(III)6O2(R-sao)6(O2C-th)2L], where HO2C-th=3-thiophene carboxylic acid, saoH2 = salicylaldoxime, R = H and L = (EtOH)4 (1) or R = Et and L = (EtOH)4(H2O)2 (2), performed to ascertain the structure of their self-assembled monolayers (SAM) on the Au(111) surface. Their magnetic properties in vacuum and in the adsorbed state have also been computed and our results clearly demonstrate that the grafti...


The aim of this thesis has been to investigate how the synthesis route, choice of solvent and counter-ions effects the crystallization of Cu(I)I systems, and to investigate the correlation between the structure and luminescence properties of the systems. In order to do so a series of compounds based on an anion containing Cu(I)I, stabilized by organic cations have been produced. The crystal structures have been determined by single crystal X-ray crystallography. The luminescence properties have been quantified by laser confocal microscopy or by fluorescence spectrophotometry. We have also performed quantum mechanical calculations (Time Dependent Density Functional Theory (TDDFT)) to increase the understanding of the luminescence properties of the title system. Incorporation of tetraalkylammonium with different chain-size showed that the size of the counter-ion matters, where small counter-ion give rise to formation of infinite chains and large and bulky counter-ion tends to form discrete anion. However, the effect of incorporation of different phosphonium based cations was not as consistent, hence the conclusion must be that the size of the cation matters only sometimes. Two different synthesis routes have been employed during this study, the solvolysis method and the hydrothermal method. The latter method showed to be very efficient for this system. Hydrothermal conditions do, however, tend to give rise to the formation of the thermodynamically most stable product and the combination of the two approaches is beneficial for a wider scan of the phase space.


Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related death in women in the United States; it is fundamentally important to detect risks as accurately and as early as possible for prevention. As breast density often correlates with risk factors, 3D Hidden Markov Model method is one quantitative approach to measuring density in breast tomosynthesis images. The purpose of developing this method was to overcome the poor depth resolution in tomosynthesis images and to get a more accurate density estimation of a woman's breast through 3D imaging. Previous study showed that 3D Hidden Markov Model was able to accurately measure breast density for tomosynthesis images that matched closely with the defined ground truth. However qualitatively looking at the segmentation, there were noise and voxels segmented as glandular or adipose that did not reflect the breast anatomy. In addition, the model training process was very time consuming and required many patient cases. To address these limitations, this research was conducted to optimize three of the key model parameters, namely the intensity rescaling of the images, the spatial relation of the neighbors to the current voxel, and the number of training cases. The HMM model was trained using 100 breast MRI volume then validated on 12 breast tomosynthesis volumes. The HMM model was simplified by cutting the number of grayscale intensity levels in half, while sampling distance between neighboring voxels was doubled and tripled. In spite of these changes, however, there was no significant change to the breast v density estimation of the tomo images. We identified new challenges in matching grayscale histogram intensities between breast MRI and the two breast tomosynthesis prototype models, and we gained understanding of how the neighbor's distance brought in different segmentation characteristics.


There have been rapid changes in the networking field in the past decade or so,
mainly due to an exponential growth in the number of users and traffic volumes,
and emergence of new applications. This has caused a higher demand for
bandwidth, with better quality of service and reduced blocking probability.
Meeting this demand efficiently would be possible in high-speed optical networks
with a proper switching paradigm employing dynamic reservation schemes.
Optical burst switching (OBS) is a new switching concept, based on ideas
developed for electronic burst switching almost two decades ago. Now the idea
has evolved to become a paradigm, which combines the best of both switching
techniques i.e. circuit switching and packet switching, thus overcoming the
inherent setbacks in the respective switching techniques. OBS applies an out of
band signaling technique, which enables the bandwidth reservations to be made in
advance.
In this thesis, two modified reservation schemes are proposed based on the
prioritized just enough time (pJET) and Horizon reservation schemes, which are
referred to as the prioritized just enough time with variable extra offset time
(pJET_VEOT) and the prioritized Horizon (pHorizon), respectively.
These reservation schemes are designed to reduce the blocking probabilities of
both classes of traffic, i.e. real-time (RT) and non real-time traffic (NRT), while
provisioning sufficient Quality of Service (QoS) for ensured and timely delivery
of higher priority traffic. Performance evaluation is conducted in order to analyze
the reduction in blocking probability, the effect on system delay and to display the
service differentiation achieved. This is done by comparing the proposed schemes
to its predecessor schemes respectively. The predecessor schemes used in the
simulation are pJET, Just Enough Time (JET) and Horizon The proposed schemes, pHorizon and pJET_VEOT show a significant reduction
in blocking probabilities and along with sufficient provisioning of QoS for both
classes of traffic tested, i.e. the RT and NRT when compared to Horizon, JET and
pJET respectively.


Road traffic accidents (RTAs) are the leading cause of deaths in adolescents and young adults globally (Mohan and Romer 1991). The World Bank (1993) estimates that of the 865,000 traffic deaths occurring annually worldwide, 74% are in developing countries. While the RTA rates and related death and disability are decreasing in most industrialized countries, they are increasing rapidly in many less developed countries (LDCs). RTAs also exert a considerable economic burden on developing countries, estimated to cost 1-4% of a country's GNP per annum (Zwi 1993). In an effort to examine the underlying causes of this growing burden of premature death and disability developing countries are experiencing due to RTAs, the available epidemiological and anthropological literature has been reviewed. The concepts of risk and vulnerability have been employed in order to explore the complex web of socio-cultural and politico- economic factors influencing the rapidly increasing rates of RTAs in developing countries, as illustrated by cases of Nigeria and Kenya. It is argued that an approach which incorporates elements of epidemiological and anthropological concepts of risk and vulnerability, based on a mutual understanding about the limits of knowledge, while legitimizing different way of knowing, may well be the path to a comprehensive coverage of the issues. It is further argued that, beyond the theoretical and methodological issues being explored, the highest priority should be a focus on the more immediate concerns including the apparent lack of basic data and the complete absence of anthropological studies of any sort in relation to RTAs in developing countries.


The industrial area is the area that is specified for the industrial area. The total of industries in KIM (Kawasan Industri Medan) as 109 industry. Non-industrial area is a region where people can live and also the testive are in this place can caused air pollution. This research aimed to know the level of CO, NO2, SO2, the speed of wind, temperature, humidity, the total of vehicles and the distance of absorbent pollutans in industrial area and non-industrial area. This research was survey, The object of this research were CO, NO2, and SO2 level in ambient. And the result can be found directly the measure of industrial area and non-industrial area. The result showed that the level of CO was highest in industrial area (17.170 µg/Nm3), meanwhile the level of CO lowest was in non-industrial area (9.160 µg/Nm3). The level of NO2 was highest in industrial area (32,45 µg/Nm3), on the other hand the level of NO2 lowest was non-industrial area (13,05 µg/Nm3). And the level of SO2 highest was in non-industrial area (54,38 µg/Nm3), while the level of SO2 lowest was in industrial area (47,92 µg/Nm3). Conclusions of this research was the industrial area and non-industrial area did'nt over the qualities standard of air CO (30.000 µg/Nm), NO2 (400 µg/Nm) and SO2 (900 µg/Nm). We suggestion the manager of industrial to supervising air quality and for the government to increase amount of tree in Medan.


BACKGROUND
Oxidative stress and glutathione (GSH) metabolism dysregulation has been implicated in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. GAG-trinucleotide repeat (TNR) polymorphisms in the glutamate-cysteine ligase catalytic gene (GCLC), the rate-limiting enzyme for GSH synthesis, are associated with schizophrenia. In addition, GSH may serve as a reserve pool for neuronal glutamate (Glu) through the γ-glutamyl cycle. The aim of this study is to investigate brain [GSH] and its association with GCLC polymorphism, peripheral redox indices and brain Glu.

METHODS
Magnetic resonance spectroscopy was used to measure [GSH] and [Glu] in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) of 25 early-psychosis patients and 33 controls. GCLC polymorphism was genotyped, glutathione peroxidases (GPx) and glutathione reductase (GR) activities were determined in blood cells.

RESULTS
Significantly lower [GSHmPFC] in GCLC high-risk genotype subjects were revealed as compared to low-risk genotype subjects independent of disease status. In male subjects, [GSHmPFC] and blood GPx activities correlate positively in controls (P = .021), but negatively in patients (P = .039). In GCLC low-risk genotypes, [GlumPFC] are lower in patients, while it is not the case for high-risk genotypes.

CONCLUSIONS
GCLC high-risk genotypes are associated with low [GSHmPFC], highlighting that GCLC polymorphisms should be considered in pathology studies of cerebral GSH. Low brain GSH levels are related to low peripheral oxidation status in controls but with high oxidation status in patients, pointing to a dysregulated GSH homeostasis in early psychosis patients. GCLC polymorphisms and disease associated correlations between brain GSH and Glu levels may allow patients stratification.


Abstract Ichnological evidence suggests that dinosauromorphs originated by the Early Triassic, and skeletal remains of non-dinosaur representatives of the clade occur from the Anisian to the end of the Triassic. These taxa are small- to medium-sized, vary in feeding and locomotor features, and occurred over most of western Pangaea. They include the small lagerpetids from the Mid–Late Triassic of Argentina and the United States, and the larger, quadrupedal Silesauridae, with records in the Middle Triassic of Africa and Argentina, and in the Late Triassic of Europe, the Americas and northern Africa. The former group represents the earliest diverging dinosauromorphs, whereas silesaurids are more closely related to Dinosauria. Other dinosauromorphs include the archetypal early dinosauriform Marasuchus lilloensis (Middle Triassic of Argentina) and poorly known/controversial taxa such as Lewisuchus admixtus and Saltopus elginensis. The earliest diverging dinosauromorphs may have preyed on small animals (including insects), but cranio-dental remains are rare; by contrast, most silesaurids probably included plant material in their diet, as indicated by their modified jaw apparatus and teeth. Our knowledge of the anatomy and thus relationships of non-dinosaurian Dinosauromorpha is still deficient, and we suspect that future discoveries will continue to reveal novel patterns and hypotheses of palaeobiology and biogeography.


We present an actively mode-locked fiber ring laser that uses a single active semiconductor optical amplifier device to provide both gain and gain modulation from an external optical pulse train. The laser source generated 4.3-ps pulses at 20 GHz over a 16-nm tuning range and is stable against environmental changes and simple to build.


The teacher preparation program in a Jesuit liberal arts college prepares future teachers to identify and actively confront inequities in society.  Empowering teachers to carry justice-oriented teaching into schools rests on strong relationships among peers and professors on campus, and with students and families from diverse communities in university neighborhoods.  The rationale and approach to fostering relationships focuses this first of three essays in Jesuit Higher Education. Future essays will provide practical examples of action in service and reflection in preparing justice-oriented teachers.


We propose the use of weakly nonlinear passive materials for prospective applications in integrated quantum photonics. It is shown that strong enhancement of native optical nonlinearities by electromagnetic field confinement in photonic crystal resonators can lead to single-photon generation only exploiting the quantum interference of two coupled modes and the effect of photon blockade under resonant coherent driving. For realistic system parameters in state of the art microcavities, the efficiency of such a single-photon source is theoretically characterized by means of the second-order correlation function at zero-time delay as the main figure of merit, where major sources of loss and decoherence are taken into account within a standard master equation treatment. These results could stimulate the realization of integrated quantum photonic devices based on non-resonant material media, fully integrable with current semiconductor technology and matching the relevant telecom band operational wavelengths, as an alternative to single-photon nonlinear devices based on cavity quantum electrodynamics with artificial atoms or single atomic-like emitters.


The pharmaceutical industry has a number of unusual characteristics, both in its structure and in the nature of its business operations, which are little known outside the industry but which materially affect the process of bringing new pharmaceuticals to the patient. The development of a new pharmaceutical is very time consuming, extremely costly and high risk, with very little chance of a successful outcome. The process of research and development is described, together with all its challenges, including environmental ones. The commercial realities and constraints of the business, together with its current problems, are discussed, followed by an exploration of some of the likely future commercial and technical developments in the business, including the development of a greener pharmacy.


Abstract A polymeric coordination compound, [Ba(H2O) 2(Hba)2] (1) (H2ba – barbituric acid, C4H4N2O3), was obtained. The structure of 1 was solved using powder X-ray diffraction methods. The Ba2+ ion in 1 formed a three-capped trigonal prism. The BaO9 polyhedra, connected with each other by the edges and faces, formed a chain. Several 4- and 12-membered cycles due to the bridging μ2-H2O and bridging μ3-Hba– also formed implementing a 3-D polymer structure. The structures of 1 and other thiobarbiturate complexes were compared. The replacement of a S atom by an O atom in the heterocyclic ligand Htba− (thiobarbiturate ion) of the compound Ba(H2O)2(Htba)2 resulted in changes of the coordination number Ba(II) and supramolecular structure. The intermolecular hydrogen bonds O–H⋯O and N–H⋯O formed a 3-D net where pronounced 2-D layers of Hba– ions could be found. A new topological net in 1 was observed. The IR and thermal stability were investigated.


This study identifies the long lasting impacts of former cultivation on soils, seed banks and above-ground vegetation of limestone grasslands. We compared the resilience of three crop fields cultivated in the 19th century and abandoned (Abandoned Fields) with three grasslands which have never been cultivated (Old Grasslands). Grasslands were located in the Nature reserve of Grand-Pierre and Vitain valleys in France. Sites were identified using historical sources. Chemical and physical soil properties, above-ground vegetation and soil seed bank (0–10 cm and 10–20 cm) were studied. Data were analysed using a multivariate and univariate analyses to detect the effects/impacts of ancient cultivation. Our results clearly show that soil properties (e.g., calcium, carbonate, clay contents), above-ground vegetation (species diversity, moss and lichen cover) and seed bank (floristic composition, species-richness and diversity) are still impacted more than one century after their abandonment. Species richness of both above ground vegetation and seed bank are higher in old grasslands than in formerly cultivated fields. In the seed bank of the formerly cultivated soils we also found the presence of a very rare arable weed species (Althaea hirsuta) which has not been inventoried for a long time in the above-ground vegetation of the nature reserve. The resilience of formerly cultivated limestone grasslands might be influenced by the present management regime (site effect). Nevertheless, the resilience period of limestone grasslands is very long-more than one century-and return to an initial state might be difficult or impossible to reach.


Aspect-oriented middleware is a promising technology for the realisation of dynamic reconfiguration in heterogeneous distributed systems. However, like other dynamic reconfiguration approaches, AO-middleware-based reconfiguration requires that the consistency of the system is maintained across reconfigurations. AO-middleware-based reconfiguration is an ongoing research topic and several consistency approaches have been proposed. However, most of these approaches tend to be targeted at specific contexts, whereas for distributed systems it is crucial to cover a wide range of operating conditions. In this paper we propose an approach that offers distributed, dynamic reconfiguration in a consistent manner, and features a flexible framework-based consistency management approach to cover a wide range of operating conditions. We evaluate our approach by investigating the configurability and transparency of our approach and also quantify the performance overheads of the associated consistency mechanisms.


AN INTERIM REPORT OF THE SECOND YEAR OF A THREE YEAR STUDY OF AVALANCHE HAZARDS ALONG WASHINGTON MOUNTAIN HIGHWAYS IS PRESENTED. APPLICABLE SNOW, AVALANCHE, AND WEATHER DATA FOR 1971-72 ARE GIVEN. ALSO INCLUDED ARE A THEORETICAL TREATMENT OF THE STRESS ANALYSIS OF SLAB AVALANCHES AND A BIBLIOGRAPHY OF SNOW CLEARING TECHNOLOGY. /FHWA/


1. The proprioceptive organ of the shore crab Carcinus maenas, which signals all proprioceptive sensation from the joint between propodite and dactylopodite, has been shown to contain sense cells receptive to position as well as to movement.

2. Certain cells of the organ increase their discharge frequency in response to greater degrees of flexion, while other endings respond to greater degrees of extension. Movement has little effect on the frequency of the position fibres.

3. Cells responding to movement in one direction only are present, certain ones signalling fiexion and others extension. The most sensitive undirectional movement fibres are almost completely independent of position and velocity. They provide the crab with an extremely sensitive movement sense not as yet reported in other proprioceptive mechanisms.

4. Both position-sensitive and movement-sensitive cells show a wide range of thresholds.

5. Cells which cannot be strictly classified as either position or movement sensitive have also been found.

6. By tracing the origin of the signals to the cell bodies, it appears that movement fibres have on the whole larger cell bodies than position fibres and are more proximally located.

7. Flexor and extensor movement cells appear to lie on different sides of elastic strand.

8. The question of how unidirectional sensitivity may be achieved is discussed.


This paper considers the possibility of mission drift in microfinance; a situation where Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) move away from targeting the poor and towards better-off clients. Using two different measures of poverty, the paper examines whether microfinance institutions in Uganda follow a developmental objective by expanding their access to poorer districts; and if the pattern observed varies across different types of MFIs. The analysis is conducted on 118 MFIs over the period 2009-2013; adopting a static count data model and dynamic regression approach. We find that MFIs in Uganda are more likely to target richer districts during earlier years; however, poorer districts tend to catch up over time. This finding suggests that MFIs may wish to signal an improved financial performance by first establishing branches in better-off districts and then only later reaching out to poorer districts, employing cross-subsidisation. We also show that Commercial Bank MFIs are more likely to increase their presence in poorer districts than other types of MFIs, suggesting that protection against regulation and greater access to capital markets may make commercial MFIs the most qualified institutions to expand outreach to the unbanked segment of the world's poorer population.


Vibrio parahaemolyticus non-toxigenic strains are responsible for about 10% of acute gastroenteritis associated with this species, suggesting they harbor unique virulence factors. Zonula occludens toxin (Zot), firstly described in Vibrio cholerae, is a secreted toxin that increases intestinal permeability. Recently, we identified Zot-encoding genes in the genomes of highly cytotoxic Chilean V. parahaemolyticus strains, including the non-toxigenic clinical strain PMC53.7. To gain insights into a possible role of Zot in V. parahaemolyticus, we analyzed whether it could be responsible for cytotoxicity. However, we observed a barely positive correlation between Caco-2 cell membrane damage and Zot mRNA expression during PMC53.7 infection and non-cytotoxicity induction in response to purified PMC53.7-Zot. Unusually, we observed a particular actin disturbance on cells infected with PMC53.7. Based on this observation, we decided to compare the sequence of PMC53.7-Zot with Zot of human pathogenic species such as V. cholerae, Campylobacter concisus, Neisseria meningitidis, and other V. parahaemolyticus strains, using computational tools. The PMC53.7-Zot was compared with other toxins and identified as an endotoxin with conserved motifs in the N-terminus and a variable C-terminal region and without FCIGRL peptide. Notably, the C-terminal diversity among Zots meant that not all of them could be identified as toxins. Structurally, PMC53.7-Zot was modeled as a transmembrane protein. Our results suggested that it has partial 3D structure similarity with V. cholerae-Zot. Probably, the PMC53.7-Zot would affect the actin cytoskeletal, but, in the absence of FCIGRL, the mechanisms of actions must be elucidated.


Mind-body interventions are beneficial in stress-related mental and physical disorders. Current research is finding associations between emotional disorders and vagal tone as indicated by heart rate variability. A neurophysiologic model of yogic breathing proposes to integrate research on yoga with polyvagal theory, vagal stimulation, hyperventilation, and clinical observations. Yogic breathing is a unique method for balancing the autonomic nervous system and influencing psychologic and stress-related disorders. Many studies demonstrate effects of yogic breathing on brain function and physiologic parameters, but the mechanisms have not been clarified. Sudarshan Kriya yoga (SKY), a sequence of specific breathing techniques (ujjayi, bhastrika, and Sudarshan Kriya) can alleviate anxiety, depression, everyday stress, post-traumatic stress, and stress-related medical illnesses. Mechanisms contributing to a state of calm alertness include increased parasympathetic drive, calming of stress response systems, neuroendocrine release of hormones, and thalamic generators. This model has heuristic value, research implications, and clinical applications.


[1] Granulite facies migmatitic gneisses from the Seiland Igneous Province (northern Norway) were deformed during deep crustal shearing in the presence of melt, which formed by dehydration melting of biotite. Partial melting and deformation occurred during the intrusion of large gabbroic plutons at the base of the lower crust at 570 to 520 Ma in an intracontinental rift setting. The migmatitic gneisses consist of high-aspect-ratio leucosome-rich domains and a leucosome-poor, restitic domain of quartzitic composition. According to thermodynamic modeling using synkinematic mineral assemblages, deformation occurred at T = 760°C–820°C, P = 0.75–0.95 GPa and in the presence of ≤5 vol % of residual melt. There is direct evidence from microstructural observations, Fourier transform infrared measurements, thermodynamic modeling, and titanium-in-quartz thermometry that dry quartz in the leucosome-poor domain deformed at high differential stress (50–100 MPa) by dislocation creep. High stresses are demonstrated by the small grain size (11–17 μm) of quartz in localized layers of recrystallized grains, where titanium-in-quartz thermometry yields 770°C–815°C. Dry and strong quartz forms a load-bearing framework in the migmatitic gneisses, where ∼5% melt is present, but does not control the mechanical behavior because it is located in isolated pockets. The high stress deformation of quartz overprints an earlier, lower stress deformation, which is preserved particularly in the vicinity of segregated melt pockets. The grain-scale melt distribution, water content and distribution, and the overprinting relationships of quartz microstructures indicate that biotite dehydration melting occurred during deformation by dislocation creep in quartz. The water partitioned into the segregated melt crystallizing in isolated pockets, in the vicinity of which quartz shows a higher intracrystalline water content and a large grain size. On the contrary, the leucosome-poor domain of the rock, from which melt was removed, became dry and thereby mechanically stronger. Melt removal at larger scale will result in a lower crust which is dry enough to be mechanically strong. The application of flow laws derived for wet quartz is not appropriate to estimate the behavior of such granulite facies parts of the lower crust.


Surveillance programs on farms and in the local environment provide an essential protection against the importation and spread of exotic diseases. Combined with border quarantine measures, these programs protect both consumers and producers from major health concerns and disease incursions that can potentially destroy local agricultural production and supporting industries, as well as generate substantial losses in trade and tourism. However, surveillance programs also impose costs in the form of expenditures on the surveillance program itself, along with the costs of disease management and eradication should an incursion occur. Taking border quarantine expenditures as given, this paper develops a stochastic optimal control model (with a jump-diffusion process) to determine the optimal level of surveillance activity against a disease incursion by minimizing the present value of the major direct and indirect costs of the disease, as well as the cost of the surveillance and disease management and eradication programs. The model is applied to the case of a potential entry and spread of Foot-and-Mouth Disease in the United States. Results show that current surveillance expenditures are far less than optimal.


A 0.126-L/s (2-gpm) pilot plant was constructed to evaluate and optimize a novel water-jet mixing system for flocculation of suspended particles in water. The jet flocculator pilot plant consisted of a long vertical circular column with influent entering through a nozzle on the bottom to create an upflow submerged jet. A perforated plate was placed inside the jet flocculator and positioned above the bottom to create a reactor chamber. Particle removal experiments were conducted to investigate operational parameters such as flows, turbidities, reactor volumes, and arrangements of the perforated plate openings. Optimum jet flocculator conditions occurred when the perforated plate caused a 94 percent reduction in the column area and was located at or near the submerged jet height. Effluent residual turbidities of the optimized jet flocculator were approximately 35 percent for 10-ntu influents and 10 percent for 100-ntu influents. When a 75-cm (30-in.) depth of pall rings was placed above the perforated plate, a 10 percent decrease in the effluent residual turbidity occurred for only the 10-ntu influent.


Not only is everyday conversation increasingly dependent on television, but more and more people are appearing on television to discuss social and personal issues. Is any public good served by these programmes or are they simply trashy entertainment which fills the schedules cheaply? Talk on Television examines the value and significance of televised public debate. Analysing a wide range of programmes including Kilroy, Donohue and The Oprah Winfrey Show, the authors draw on interviews with both the studio participants and with those watching at home. They ask how the media manage discussion programmes and whether the programmes really are providing new 'spaces' for public participators. They find out how audiences interpret the programmes when they appear on the screen themselves, and they unravel the conventions - debate, romance, therapy - which make up the genre. They also consider TV's function as a medium of education and information, finally discussing the dangers and opportunities the genre holds for audience participation and public debate in the future.


Helicobacter pylori infection is ubiquitous, infecting close to one-half of the world's population, but its prevalence is declining in developed countries. Chronic H. pylori infection is etiologically linked to gastric adenocarcinoma, especially non-cardia type (63% of all stomach cancer or ~5.5% of the global cancer burden: ~25% of cancers associated with infectious etiology), and to gastric mucosal associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma, which accounts for up to 8% of all non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Epidemiological, clinical, and animal studies have established a central role for H. pylori in gastric carcinogenesis and provided insights into the mechanisms and biologic relationships between bacterial infection, host genetics, nutrition, and environmental factors. These discoveries invite strategies to prevent infection to be the logical primary goals in a multi-pronged effort to curtail suffering and death from H. pylori infection-associated cancers.


In dynamic and competitive environment, the importance of innovation is accepted as a necessary ingredients for firms to create value and sustain competitive advantage. However, very little empirical research has specifically addressed to what extent different kinds of innovation rely on specific knowledge management processes and entrepreneurial orientation. The objective of this study is to identify the different types of innovation that are predominant in companies, and how to facilitate different types of innovation activities. A questionnaire survey was conducted and 169 valid replies were received. This research analyzes the relationship among knowledge management processes, as well as entrepreneurial orientation and different types of innovation. The results from an empirical survey study reveal that organizations facilitate different types of innovation (i.e., administrative versus technical innovation, and product versus process innovation) through entrepreneurial orientation and knowledge management process (i.e., knowledge acquisition, knowledge sharing and knowledge application). The results also show that the partial mediating role of knowledge management processes in the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation and different types of innovation.


Recently a long time discussion among specialists about the meaning of the probabilities of failure (POF) produced by different reliability analysis methods surfaced in pipeline journals. This paper, which was a long time in the making, is a follow-up on the discussion and analyses the actual reliability level which was empirically embedded in codes for pipeline design [B31G, B31Gmod, Shell92 and Battelle (PCORRC)] and Building Standard (BR) Main Pipelines  #2.05.06-85, using a real pipeline as an example. Assessment of the actual reliability level empirically embedded in BR is based on assessing  the order of the quintiles of  strength parameters (design values of tensile strength and yield strength of the pipe material) and load (internal pressure) on the pipeline. This approach allows direct connection of the deterministic safety coefficients used in the BR with the level of reliability of the pipelines associated with these coefficients. The actual reliability level, empirically embedded in international codes, is calculated as the probability that the limit state function ( LSF ) of ideal pipeline (without defects) is positive. LSF = P f  – P op , where P f is the failure pressure of an ideal pipe, which is estimated by any design code; P op is the operating pressure. The failure and operating pressure are considered as random variables. The expression for this probability was obtained analytically and in closed form. Recommendations are also presented for choosing probability distributions and statistical parameters for random variables RVs. Extensive calculations permitted revealing the reliability levels which are actually present in the analyzed international pipeline design codes. In a nutshell, the paper proves that the international codes under consideration are very reliable, as they produce very safe designs of pipelines with very low POF, and, hence, provide large safety coefficients, and that the algorithm developed in the paper permits connecting the current level of pipeline degradation (in terms of POF), with its current safety coefficient, which, in this case, is a function of time. All calculating in the paper where performed using MathCAD. Illustrations of these calculations are also presented in the paper.


Describes the development of an adaptive simulation model for a keyboard assembly cell for real‐time decision support. Discusses the architecture of the modelling and control system, including the movement of entities and conveyors, describing how up to four different keyboard types may be modelled, with a PC cell controller continually monitoring the state changes of the assembly line, passing the data captured to the simulation model created in ARENA.


Software usability became an important quality factor in recent years due to the increasing demand of interactive software systems. Now mostly systems are developing using object-oriented methodology. The object-oriented methodology reduces design complexity, so enhances usability. Also objectoriented approach improves the usability of software system when software engineering process combined with usability engineering. This paper proposes an extended ISO-9241 usability model. Since fuzzy modeling approach deals with uncertainty and impreciseness involved in usability and its sub-factors, this paper investigate the application of fuzzy AHP technique to ISO-9241 model and the proposed enhanced ISO-9241 model. The result shows better usability of proposed model in comparison of existing model.