In this paper, we present the first implementation of our 0-60-kV picosecond rise time 1-10-ns pulse generator. The pulse generator will be used in future work to generate a (sub-)nanosecond streamer plasma for air purification research. The first implementation of the pulse generator is a single-line pulse generator with an oil spark-gap, which generates 5 ns pulses with a 200 picosecond rise time and can operate at repetition rates of over 1 kHz into a 50 Ω load. In this paper, we evaluate its performance and describe how we measure the very short pulses with an integrated and calibrated D-dot sensor. Furthermore, we present 3-D EM simulations of the 5 ns pulse generator and show that the simulations are in good agreement with the measurements. We previously described methods to flexibly vary the pulse duration of the pulse source by (artificially) changing the length of the pulse forming line (PFL). Here, we test these methods and find that changing the length of the outer conductor of the PFL and inserting magnetic material at the end of the PFL is a suitable method to change the pulse duration. Finally, we measure the breakdown voltages of the oil spark-gap and discover that higher pulse repetition rates are possible at higher oil pressures and smaller gap distances.


The extent of inequality that people perceive in the world is often a stronger predictor of individual and societal outcomes than the level of inequality that actually exists. It is therefore imperative for researchers to theoretically conceptualize and empirically operationalize perceived inequality in a coherent and consistent manner. However, the lack of consensus on what constitutes perceived inequality can lead researchers to use the same words to study different phenomena. What seem like minor methodological decisions made in the study of inequality can substantially influence the outcomes and conclusions that researchers dra from their work. In this review, we draw on a wide range of interdisciplinary work, including from social and cognitive psychology, economics, political science, and sociology, to unpack the assumptions researchers often make. We develop the four questions framework which illustrates the important theoretical and empirical decisions researchers are recommended to address when studying perceived inequality: (1) What kind of inequality? (2) What level of analysis? (3) What part of the distribution? and (4) What comparison group? We posit that this framework provides the conceptual clarity necessary for understanding when, how, and why perceptions of inequality affect individuals and societies.


A normally regular digraph with parameters $(v,k,\lambda,\mu)$ is a directed graph on $v$ vertices whose adjacency matrix $A$ satisfies the equation $AA^t=k I+\lambda (A+A^t)+\mu(J-I-A-A^t)$. This means that every vertex has out-degree $k$, a pair of non-adjacent vertices have $\mu$ common out-neighbours, a pair of vertices connected by an edge in one direction have $\lambda$ common out-neighbours and a pair of vertices connected by edges in both directions have $2\lambda-\mu$ common out-neighbours. We often assume that two vertices can not be connected in both directions. We prove that the adjacency matrix of a normally regular digraph is normal. A connected $k$-regular digraph with normal adjacency matrix is a normally regular digraph if and only if all eigenvalues other than $k$ are on one circle in the complex plane. We prove several non-existence results, structural characterizations, and constructions of normally regular digraphs. In many cases these graphs are Cayley graphs of abelian groups and the construction is then based on a generalization of difference sets. We also show connections to other combinatorial objects: strongly regular graphs, symmetric 2-designs and association schemes.


Myasthenia Gravis (MG) is an autoimmune disease mediated by antibodies directed against the acetylcholine receptor (AChR). Treatment by IVIg is effective in acute forms of myasthenia gravis. In order to determine the in vivo effects of the various fractions of human immunoglobulins, we used an experimental model of myasthenia gravis in SCID mice. To this end, thymic cells from MG patients are transferred to these mice according to a well defined protocol. When establishing of the model, we noticed the appearance of anti-AChR antibodies and the loss of AChR expression at the muscle level. After treatment with IVIgG or IVIgM, the mice displayed a lower anti-AChR antibody titer compared to control mice (albumin treated) and the loss of the AChR number at the muscle was significantly reduced. These results obtained from one MG patient indicate that the human immunoglobulin preparations induce significant effects on pathogenic parameters in the SCID mouse model. Therefore this model is interesting to approach the mechanisms of action of human immunoglobulins and deserves further investigation.


This book is an interesting, thoroughly researched, and well-written case study using a multidisciplinary approach, involving both biophysical and social sciences, in addition to integrated views of researchers, policy-makers and farmers. It covers an important research topic, given the high and increasingly wide-spread malnutrition and famine, degradation of eco-systems, with recession of forests and pastures, and wind erosion of vast quantities of soil in the drylands. Overall, the book provides valuable new information of the lives of rural people in general; the success of local people's priority tree species most apt to halt and reverse land degradation, generate income, catalyse more sustainable land-use practices, and enhance increased and sustained food production. This book is especially useful for environmentalists, research scientists, extension agents, consultants, policy-makers and planners dealing with issues in natural resources management, land use change, and sustainable restoration and rehabilitation of degraded ecosystems in arid and semi-arid lands.


LPS and mitogen-stimulated mononuclear cells secrete a cytokine, which is able to activate the PMNL-arachidonate-5-lipoxygenase. This cytokine has been proven to be identical with the recently characterized novel neutrophil-activating peptide NAP/IL-8. NAP/IL-8 is able to activate human PMNL for release of LTB4, omega-oxidized LTB4, and 5-HETE in the presence of exogenous AA. Half-maximal concentration of NAP/IL-8 for release of LTB4 has been found to be near 4 x 10(-8) mol/liter. Time course studies revealed rapid activation of PMNL, with maximal release of LTB4 within the first 10 min with a decline up to 40 min. High amounts of omega-oxidized LTB4 were detected up to that time. Significant amounts of AA-5-LO-products can be detected only when PMNL were stimulated with NAP/IL-8 in the presence of exogenous AA. The concentration of AA necessary for half-maximal LTB4 release has been found to be 3 x 10(-6) mol/liter. In the presence of 8 x 10(-9) mol/liter [3H]AA, NAP/IL-8 (10(-9) to 10(-7) mol/liter) did not induce the production of LTB4, omega-oxidized LTB4, or 5-HETE. In addition, PMNL prelabeled with [3H]AA did not release either [3H]AA or 5- lipoxygenase metabolites when stimulated with NAP/IL-8 (10(-9) to 10(- 7) mol/liter), indicating that NAP/IL-8 apparently does not activate cellular phospholipases/diacylglycerol-lipases. Apart from FMLP, C5a, and PAF NAP/IL-8 is the fourth clearly characterized neutrophil chemotaxin able to activate the PMNL-5-lipoxygenase. The detection of large amounts of NAP/IL-8, arachidonic acid, as well as LTB4-like material, in lesional material of patients with psoriasis points towards a possibly important role of NAP/IL-8 in amplifying inflammatory processes by induction of LTB4-production.


The marine world is incredibly rich in brilliant and intense colours. Photonic structures are found in many different species and provide extremely complex optical responses that cannot be achieved solely by pigments. In this study we examine the cuticular structure of the red alga Chondrus crispus (Irish Moss) using anatomical and optical approaches. We experimentally measure the optical response of the multilayer structure in the cuticle. Using finite-difference time-domain modelling, we demonstrate conclusively for the first time that the dimensions and organisation of lamellae are responsible for the blue structural colouration on the surface of the fronds. Comparison of material along the apical-basal axis of the frond demonstrates that structural colour is confined to the tips of the thalli and show definitively that a lack of structural colour elsewhere corresponds with a reduction in the number of lamellae and the regularity of their ordering. Moreover, by studying the optical response for different hydration conditions, we demonstrate that the cuticular structure is highly porous and that the presence of water plays a critical role in its ability to act as a structural light reflector.


We report the results of new stable oxygen and carbon isotope analyses on carbonate fine fraction, whole rock, and benthic foraminifers, CaCO3 and coarse fraction percentage determinations, and trace element (Sr) analyses on carbonate constituents across the Cretaceous/Tertiary (K/T) boundary in Deep Sea Drilling Project (DSDP) sites 47.2, 356, 384, and 577 and compare them with published results from K/T boundary sections in other DSDP sites. We used the trace element data and scanning electron microscope examination to evaluate possible diagenetic alteration and relative preservation of the samples analyzed in this study. The ∂18O data when interpreted as isotopic paleotemperatures indicate relative stable surface water and deepwater temperatures in the late Maestrichtian followed by somewhat fluctuating temperatures in the early Paleocene. However, there is no indication of either a significant warming or cooling at or following the K/T boundary. Several sites do exhibit somewhat heavier ∂18O values by about 0.5‰ across the boundary, which might suggest a 2-3°C cooling at most. However, we interpret these somewhat heavier ∂18O values as reflecting slightly better preservation of ∂18O of carbonate constitutents in relatively clay-rich intervals (e.g., lower diagentic potential) characteristic of the K/T boundary. The ∂13C values of carbonate fine fraction and planktonic foraminifers indicate a major negative excursion in surface water total dissolved carbon across the boundary. The surface water and deepwater ∂13C values from benthic foraminifers combined with calculated decreases in carbonate accumulation rates at all sites in the earliest Paleocene are consistent with a major decrease in productivity across the K/T boundary. The decrease in CaCO3 accumulation rates is due not to increased rates of dissolution but to decreased production in surface waters. The low-productivity episode lasted at least 1 m.y. beyond the K/T boundary crisis, suggesting that hypothesized catastrophic events alone, such as impact of an apollo object, are not the only explanation for the observed long-term decrease in productivity. There is also an indication in the ∂13C curves from several sites that the surface water ∂13C decrease began in the latest Maestrichtian, suggesting that the decrease in productivity may have been independent of a hypothesized impact event.


To exploit the well documented effect of 2,3-diphosphoglyceric acid (2,3-DPG) in enhancing oxygen delivery by human erythrocytes, we have investigated whether the DPG synthase/phosphatase enzyme system can be targeted to increase DPG levels in the cell. The hydrolytic activity (phosphatase) of the DPG metabolizing enzyme complex exhibits a marked dependence on a physiological effector, 2-phosphoglycolate. Little phosphatase activity is detected in the absence of this activator irrespective of the concentrations of the substrate. The phosphoglycolate-dependent phosphatase activity is competitively inhibited by a glycolytic intermediate, 3-phosphoglyceric acid (3-PGA). The 3-PGA inhibition persists when the 2,3-DPG concentration is raised to saturation level. In contrast, 3-PGA enhances the DPG synthase activity in a dose-dependent manner. In intact red cells, one-half of the cellular DPG content is depleted after 6 hr at 37 degrees C in glucose-free medium. The rate of 2,3-DPG degradation is accelerated when the cellular level of phosphoglycolate is increased by incubation with exogenous glycolate. Together, these results indicate that 2,3-DPG content in erythrocytes can be directly regulated through modulation of phosphatase/synthase activities. In support of this notion, a pyruvate kinase inhibitor, L-alanine, increases by 2-fold the cellular 3-PGA level. This is accompanied by a significant increase (30%) in 2,3-DPG content in human red blood cells. It is postulated that the DPG-promoting action of 3-PGA is mediated through simultaneous phosphatase inhibition and synthase activation. Furthermore, as a result of increased DPG accumulation, the oxygen-hemoglobin dissociation curve in L-alanine-treated cells is rightward shifted by 2.5 torr.


A total Lagrangian finite element (FE) model has been formulated for the nonlinear inelastic analysis of both composite beams and columns. An accurate rotation matrix is used in the position vector analysis and nonlinear strain derivations. The slip between the steel and concrete components due to the flexible shear connection at their interface is considered as an independent displacement in the formulation which makes it easier to assign the corresponding proper slip conditions at the connections between composite beams and columns. The effects of nonlinearities and slip on the deformations and strains in the steel and concrete components, and so on the stress resultants (i.e., internal forces), stiffness, and strength of the composite member are thus combined together in the formulation. The constitutive models for steel and concrete in this investigation are based on the longitudinal normal stress and the shear stress induced by the slip between the steel and concrete components. Hence, these models include the effects of the slip at the interface on the von Moses yield surface, associated flow rule and isotropic hardening rule. These constitutive models can be used in association with any type of uniaxial stress–strain curves for steel and concrete, including hot-rolled or cold-formed steel, and confined or unconfined concrete. The constitutive models are expressed in terms of engineering stresses and strains. The total Lagrangian formulation is applicable for these constitutive models directly, and most convenient for the slips at the interface between the steel and concrete components.


This work addresses the problem of hiding query access patterns in privacypreserving range queries while guaranteeing data and query con dentiality. We propose two methods, which are based on Private Information Retrieval (PIR) and Oblivious RAM (ORAM) techniques, respectively. For the PIR based search operation, we introduce a new scheme based on Lipmaa's computationally-private information retrieval (CPIR) method. We reduce the computation cost of CPIR by reducing the number of modular exponentiation operations, employing shallow trees and utilizing multi-exponentiation techniques. Furthermore, we improved the performance of CPIR by applying parallel algorithms. For the ORAM based method, we adapted Stefanov's Path ORAM method to the privacy-preserving range search. Our analyses show that, in terms of communication cost, CPIR provides better bandwidth usage especially in large database sizes, while in computational cost, Path ORAM based method performs better due to the negligible cost of server operations. The results imply that, despite some advantageous qualitative aspects of CPIR and its highly parallel implementation, it is still an expensive scheme in terms of computation complexity in comparison with Path ORAM for hiding query access patterns in privacy preserving range queries.


This paper gives a brief outline of the history and general development of automatic switching equipments in the United States and Europe, as applied to power equipment. A general review is made of the advantages of automatic equipments, consisting not only of a saving in operating expenses, but also of better operating characteristics as compared with manually controlled stations. The various designing problems, adherent thereto, are pointed out. A comparison based on personal observation is made between the conditions in the United States and Europe, which accounts for the less rapid development and less extensive applications of automatic equipments in Europe, and a brief review is made of the results obtained in the latter years. Mention is made of the more recent applications, such as to mercury arc rectifiers. A brief description is also given of supervisory control systems, the development of which has progressed hand in hand with the automatic equipments. The accompanying illustrations show some typical modern American and European installations.


Summary

1. Human disturbance of natural habitats has increasingly promoted hybridization between previously isolated species. Coffee trees (Coffea canephora, C. liberica and C. arabica) have been introduced into New Caledonia for cultivation since the 1850s. Many plantations have since been abandoned, leaving the cultivars to evolve in natural conditions. This historical situation and the local environmental conditions have led to gene flow between sympatric species and the creation of hybrid zones which can be considered as a natural laboratory for studying gene flow dynamics. Our objectives were to assess the nature of these hybridizations and to model the distribution of habitats favourable for these hybrid zones at a regional scale.

2. We analysed a tri-specific model population with 26 microsatellite markers using a multilocus analysis approach. We applied Bayesian methods to characterize the species identity of founder individuals and identify inter-specific hybrids. A high level of genetic diversity and inter-specific hybridization was observed in the population. To evaluate the presence of other favourable environments in the local area, a geographic information system was used to spatially differentiate the phenomenon and optimize future hybrid collecting missions. We constructed a predictive distribution model based on observation and environmental expertise (climatic parameters, physical parameters and landcover) at four reference sites of the hybrid zone.

3. At all four sites the Coffea species were found to be involved in inter-specific hybridization, with one population, in particular, revealing high genetic diversity. According to the environmental expertise, 40% of the studied region appeared to be favourable for this phenomenon and the model was validated with a prediction accuracy of 79%.

4. Synthesis and applications. The use of microsatellite markers was efficient for assessing the nature and extent of coffee tree hybridization events. The environmental expertise and model allowed comparisons between New Caledonia and Africa ecological niches. This methodology may be recommended for better management of de novo in situ coffee genetic resources and applied to other plants to provide insight into the impact of adaptation to new environment. Combining environmental and species biological parameters would help in analysing modifications in plant reproductive behaviour induced by global climate change.


We discuss a close link between two seemingly different topics studied in the cellular automata literature: additive conservation laws and invariant probability measures. We provide an elementary proof of a simple correspondence between invariant full-support Bernoulli measures and interaction-free conserved quantities in the case of one-dimensional surjective cellular automata. We also discuss a generalization of this fact to Markov measures and higher-range conservation laws in arbitrary dimension. As a corollary, we show that the uniform Bernoulli measure is the only shift-invariant, full-support Markov measure that is invariant under a strongly transitive cellular automaton.


The roles of thyroid glands in different functions of the body have been well explained such that hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism can impair the metabolism and normal functions of the body's tissues. Recently, using medicinal plants and their active compounds in treating diseases has attracted attention, and the people's tendency to use these compounds, which are considered to be low risk and to cause no side effect, is increasing. Because changes in the levels of thyroid hormones have considerable effects on body physiology and play a substantial role in the pathogenesis of different diseases, it is necessary to conduct further studies on hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism and also the effects of plants and their compounds on thyroid hormone secretion rates. This review was conducted to present the information on thyroid hormones, as metabolism-regulating agents, and their association with different diseases as well as the effects of plant-based active compounds on changes in the hormone levels of the pituitary–thyroid axis in hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism. Results indicated that disrupted serum levels of the thyroid hormones lead to increased incidence of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, depression, menstrual disorders, and kidney disease. The most important effective compounds on these hormones include flavonoids, coumarins, alkaloids, minerals, essential oil components, such as terpinene, gamma-terpinene, and limonene, and antioxidant compounds that directly influence thyroid and change serum levels of the thyroid hormones through inhibiting thyroid peroxidase. Other mechanisms of change in thyroid hormone levels by plant-based compounds are related to decrease in lipoxygenase activity and increase in the activities of catalase and dismutase. It can therefore be argued that using medicinal plants and their compounds can be a novel and efficient approach to develop drugs for thyroid diseases.


A critical task for developing safe autonomous driving stacks is to determine whether an obstacle is safety-critical, i.e., poses an imminent threat to the autonomous vehicle. Our previous work showed that Hamilton Jacobi reachability theory can be applied to compute interaction-dynamics-aware perception safety zones that better inform an ego vehicle's perception module which obstacles are considered safety-critical. For completeness, these zones are typically larger than absolutely necessary, forcing the perception module to pay attention to a larger collection of objects for the sake of conservatism. As an improvement, we propose a maneuver-based decomposition of our safety zones that leverages information about the ego maneuver to reduce the zone volume. In particular, we propose a "temporal convolution" operation that produces safety zones for specific ego maneuvers, thus limiting the ego's behavior to reduce the size of the safety zones. We show with numerical experiments that maneuver-based zones are significantly smaller (up to 76% size reduction) than the baseline while maintaining completeness.


Abstract This research compares a behaviorally based approach for using electronic student response system (SRS) technology with a metacognitive-oriented approach to determine effects on attendance, preparation for class, and achievement. Also examined are the interaction effects of pedagogical approach with self-regulatory and motivational characteristics of students. MANOVA analyses of pretest, posttest, attitudinal, and attendance data revealed no significant difference between approaches on achievement. A main effect was found for self-regulation level and achievement, as well as for goal orientation and class preparation/attendance. Other findings are that students in the operant conditioning group were significantly more likely to be anxious when using SRS but were more motivated to prepare for and attend class than the metacognitive group. Finally, type of pedagogy and self-regulation level also interacted significantly on the achievement measure, with highly self regulated students in the metacognitive group outperforming students with low self-regulatory skills.


OBJECTIVES
Source case finding in San Diego, California, rarely detects the source for children with tuberculosis (TB) infection or disease. One third of all pediatric TB isolates in San Diego are Mycobacterium bovis, a strain associated with raw dairy products. This study was conducted to determine risk factors for TB infection in San Diego.

DESIGN
Case-control study of children </=5 years old screened for TB as part of routine health care visit. Asymptomatic children with a positive (>/=10 mm) Mantoux skin test (TST) were matched by age to 1 to 2 children with negative TST from the same clinic. We assessed risk factors for TB infection through parental interview and chart review.

RESULTS
A total of 62 cases and 97 controls were enrolled. Eleven cases and 25 controls were excluded from analysis because of previous positive skin tests. Compared with controls, cases were more likely to have received BCG vaccine (73% vs 7%, odds ratio [OR] 44), to be foreign born (35% vs 11%, OR 4.3), and to have eaten raw milk or cheese (21% vs 8%, OR 3.76). The median time between the most recent previous TST and the current test was 12 months for cases and 25 months for controls. Other factors associated with a positive TST included foreign travel, staying in a home while out of the country, and having a relative with a positive TST. There was no association between contact with a known TB case. In a multivariable model, receipt of BCG, contact with a relative with a positive TST, and having a previous TST within the past year were independently associated with TB infection.

CONCLUSIONS
We identified several new or reemerging associations with positive TST including cross border travel, staying in a foreign home, and eating raw dairy products. The strong associations with BCG receipt and more recent previous TST may represent falsely positive reactions, booster phenomena, or may be markers for a population that is truly at greater risk for TB infection. Unlike studies conducted in nonborder areas, we found no association between positive TB skin tests and contact with a TB case or a foreign visitor. Efforts to control pediatric TB in San Diego need to address local risk factors including consumption of unpasteurized dairy products and cross-border travel. The interpretation of a positive TST in a young child in San Diego who has received BCG is problematic.


A new reduced-complexity joint detection algorithm based on sphere decoder for LS-CDMA system is proposed in this paper. This algorithm can approach ML performance in polynomial complexity. Special zero correlation window property of LS code can reduce complexity of this algorithm greatly. Simulation indicates it is more insensitive to the choice of initial radius. Thus, by making the choice of radius sufficiently large, the ML solution is guaranteed with low complexity, even for large constellations. We then extend this joint detection algorithm to MIMO case and compare it with MMSE, ZF multicode detectors. Numerical results show performance of this algorithm is good even at very high speed such as 160 Km/h, this give us some insights on developing high efficient practical joint detection algorithm for further LS-CDMA system


A source of intellectual overhead periodically encountered by scientists is the call to be "hard," to insure good science by imposing severe methodological strictures. Newell and Card (1985) have undertaken to impose such strictures on the psychology of human-computer interaction. Although their discussion contributes to theoretical debate in human-computer interaction by setting a reference point, their specific argument fails. Their program is unmotivated, is severely limited, and suffers from these limitations in principle. A top priority for the psychology of human-computer interaction should be the articulation of an alternative explanatory program, one that takes as its starting point the need to understand the real problems involved in providing better computer tools for people to use.


Finding an archive of health records is one thing—and being able to talk your way into accessing them may depend on coincidence

Development of the hypothesis that adverse conditions in utero and during infancy increase the risk of cardiovascular disease in later life required epidemiological studies of a kind never undertaken before. It was necessary to find records of birth weight and living conditions during infancy for people born at least 60 years ago and to link these to their current cardiovascular health. After a search lasting several years, a large collection of records came to light in Hertfordshire. The existence of this collection was due to the foresight of one midwife, Ethel Margaret Burnside. Getting access to the records, however, was down to a fortunate coincidence, and the subsequent research probably would not be possible today.

At the beginning of the 20th century, there was widespread concern about the physical deterioration of the British people. One in 10 infants died before they were a year old, and many of those who survived reached adult life in poor health. During 1902, reports in the national press claimed that up to two thirds of the young men who volunteered to fight in the Boer War in South Africa (1899 to 1902) had been rejected because of unsatisfactory physique. An interdepartmental committee set up in 1903 drew a shocking picture of the nation's children—malnourished, poorly housed, and deprived. Moreover, the birth rate was falling. The medical officer of health for Hertfordshire at around this time stated:

Hertfordshire does less than forty out of the fifty-five counties to perpetuate the national stock; for England and Wales the birth-rate has for thirty-three years been steadily declining, only two Continental countries (Belgium and France) having lower birth-rates, while that for Japan is increasing and is …


The location and timing of activity in marginal basins are considered in the context of relative plate motions. The motion of the Pacific and Farallon plates are reconstructed relative to the overriding Eurasian and South American plates for two models: Antarctica as one and as two plates (converging over the interval from 59 to 36 m.y. B.P.). The two-plate model (the more consistent) indicates that over the last 80 m.y. the motion of the Pacific plate relative to Eurasia was first westward (80–59 m.y. B.P.), then northward (59–36 m.y. B.P.), and then westward again (36 m.y. B.P. to present). For those Pacific marginal basins where magnetic anomalies have been identified, there is a pattern related to the direction of motion of the Pacific. Those basins active during the time period of northward motion of the Pacific opened in a north-south direction, and most of those which were active during the recent time period of westward motion of the Pacific opened a east-west direction. No basins were active during the time of change of direction. This strong correlation between the opening of marginal basins and the relative motions of the converging plates suggests that changes in these relative motions are a factor in the episodicity of marginal basins.


Let $I^2:=[-1,1] imes[-1,1]$ be the unit square and let $U$ be a subspace of $C(I^2)$. If $f$ is a continuous function, then $u^{ast}in U$ is said to be a {it best one--sided $L^1$--approximation to f in $U$ from above} if $u^{ast}geq f$ and $|f-u^{ast}|_1leq |f-u|$ for every $u in U$ with $ugeq f$. In this paper we consider the problem of characterization of such best approximants for the case where $U$ consists of all (quasi--)blending--functions of order $(m,1)$.


Food is a primary need that is basic to all human needs and a fundamental human right (Maxwell, 2001; Ingram, 2011). Improved food security is vital in the alleviation of poverty, promotion of people's health and labor productivity, contributes to the political stability of a country and ensures sustainable development of citizens (FAO, 2011). Food and nutrition security are achieved when adequate food is available, accessed and satisfactorily utilized by all individuals at all times to live a healthy and happy life. Nutrition security goes beyond food security by considering adequate access to essential nutrients, not just calories. Nutritional security means guaranteed constant adequate dietary intake that helps the body to resist and recover from disease. Food insecurity leads to severe health problems for individuals and to the society including malnutrition, obesity, disease and poverty (Hammond & Dube, 2011). Indigenous knowledge refers to the knowledge and know-how unique to a given society or culture which encompasses "the cultural traditions, values, beliefs and worldviews of local people" (UNESCO, 2016). The fundamental differences between indigenous and scientific knowledge paradigms are characterized by an old African proverb which states "when a knowledgeable old person dies, a whole library disappears" (Naanyu, 2013). The study explored the role of indigenous knowledge in achieving food security and nutrition in Garissa county whose major economic is livestock keeping. The study found out that in the dry season when resources are rare; the pastoralist manage their herd composition in regard to age and sex to preserve herd viability; and splitting up herds during wet and dry season, milk preservation is through gourds cleaning, drying and disinfecting for long-term, milk preservation is via spontaneous fermentation or back slopping and drying remain to be the most use approach for raw cereal grains, supported by the addition of ash, minerals or activated charcoal to absorb moisture and oxygen. The study concludes that despite the rich practices, indigenous knowledge is marginalized in favor of high-tech modern knowledge. The agro-pastoralist have no clearly defined channels through which they can share their lived indigenous knowledge, experiences and practice and it is rational and easy for pastoralist to practice indigenous methods of control of pests and diseases learnt over generations. The study recommends that documentation of indigenous knowledge from aging experts for future references, repackage indigenous knowledge towards food security and sustainable pastoral production in communal ranches.

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This paper presents a historical overview of the dynamics of inter-religious relations in South Kalimantan. Early conversion to Islam in the 16 th century, and more intensive Islamization by the 18 th century, can be seen as the formative period of Islam in this region. The encounter and clash between the new religion and the existing beliefs and practices were unavoidable. By the late 19 th century, the clash seems to move to another target, namely the colonial power associated with Christianity. By this period, Islam was transformed from the court into a people movement against the colonial power. By the first half of the 20 th century, the problem of the 18 th century apparently reappeared but in another form, namely the clash between puritan and traditional Islam. The making of the Indonesian nation state by the second half of the 20 th century pushed the Banjarese Muslims to be involved in the ideological debates, and even in a rebellion against the state. During the Soeharto period, Muslim-Christian tensions at the national politics also influenced this region. Finally, in the Reformation Era, the Muslims in the province face serious challenges of intra- and inter-religious plurality.


In this study, CuS@PDA nanoparticles were synthesized and used to create a novel tumor-targeting nanocomposite platform composed of copper sulfide@polydopamine-folic acid/doxorubicin (CuS@PDA-FA/DOX) for performing both photothermal and chemotherapeutic cancer treatment. The nanocomposite platform has ultrahigh loading levels (4.2 ± 0.2 mg mg-1) and a greater photothermal conversion efficiency (η = 42.7%) than CuS/PDA alone. The uptake of CuS@PDA-FA/DOX nanocomposites is much higher in MCF-7 cells than in A549 cells because MCF-7 cells have much higher folic acid receptors than A549. Under near infrared (NIR) irradiation, the CuS@PDA-FA/DOX system using a synergistic combination of photothermal therapy and chemotherapy yields a better therapeutic effect than either photothermal therapy or chemotherapy alone. The treatment is very effective with the cell viability is only 5.6 ± 1.4%.


The researches were carried out in the research field for establishing the soil water balance from Agricultural and Development Research Station Oradea during 1976-2009. The preluvosoil from the research field is characterized by the presence of the horizons Bt1 (34-54 cm depth) and Bt2 (54-78 cm depth); the colloid clay eluviation determined to appear the El horizon with 31.6% colloid clay. On 0-20 cm depth, the soil has a big percentage of macroagregates (Φ > 0.25 mm), 47.5% bulk density is of 1.41 g/cm 3 and total porosity is median one, hydraulic conductivity is of 21.0 mm/h. The values of the pH indicates a low acid soil, humus, total nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium content are low. The source of irrigation water was a drill of 15 m depth. The chemical parameters of the irrigation water were the following: fixed mineral residue 0.5 g/l; SAR index 0.52; CSR index= -1.7%; N. Florea class = II; there are not some problemes regarding the use of irrigation use.Two variant were studied: unirrigated; irrigated. The soil water reserve from irrigated variant was maintained between easily available water content and field capacity on 0-50 cm depth. The stability of the yields was analized by standard deviation and panification indexes was determined by usually method; the water use efficiency was calculated as a report between yield and water consumption; the water consumption was establishing directly by soil water balance method. In average on the studied period, the irrigation determined an yield gain of 38.5% very significant statistically. The panification index had smaller values in irrigated variant; water use efficiency improved with 2.0% but in 4 years water use efficiency from irrigated was smaller than the value registered in the unirrrigated variant. The research results emphasized the irrigation opportunity to obtain the high and stability wheat yield in the Crisurilor Plain.The research results are part in the project: PN-II-ID-PCE-2008 2; 690/2009 " The study of influences of some technological elements upon the wheat yield quality in the conditions of the North-Western part of Romania".


Data center thermal management has become increasingly important because of massive computational demand in information technology. To advance the understanding of the thermal environment in a data center, complex computer models are extensively used to simulate temperature distribution maps. However, due to management policies and time constraints, it is not practical to execute such models in a real time fashion. In this article, we propose a novel statistical modeling method to perform real-time simulation by dynamically fusing a base, steady-state solution of a computer model, and real-time thermal sensor data. The proposed method uses a Kalman filter and stochastic gradient descent method as computational tools to achieve real-time updating of the base temperature map. We evaluate the performance of the proposed method through a simulation study and demonstrate its merits in a data center thermal management application. Supplementary materials for this article are available online.


The immediate customers of cotton gins are the producers; however, the ultimate customers are textile mills and consumers. The ginner has the challenging task to satisfy both producers and the textile industry. Classing and grading systems are intended to assign an economic value to the bales that relates to textile mill demands and the quality of the end product. International textile mills currently are the primary consumers of U.S. cotton lint where it must compete against foreign origins. International textile mills manufacture primarily ring-spun yarns, whereas domestic mills manufacture predominantly rotor spun yarns. Producers and ginners must produce cottons to satisfy all segments of the industry, i.e., domestic and international. Many fiber quality attributes are important to the textile industry including those that are included in HVI-based classing, i.e., strength, length, micronaire, trash, and grade. There are other important fiber quality attributes that are not included in HVI-based classing such as short-fiber content, fiber maturity, stickiness, fiber cohesion, and neps. The general steps of textile processing: opening, cleaning, carding, drawing, spinning, and fabric production have not changed in many years. However, manufacturing systems have become highly automated, and production speeds have dramatically increased. Contamination-free cotton has always been important to the textile industry, but recent changes in harvesting systems in conjunction with higher production speeds and global competition from synthetic fibers and other growths of cotton have increased the industry demand for contamination-free cotton. The ginner plays a vital role in preserving and improving the quality of cotton to meet the demands of the textile industry.


The composite Boulder batholith, Montana, hosts a variety of mineral deposit types, including important silver-rich polymetallic quartz vein districts in the northern part of the batholith and the giant Butte porphyry copper-molybdenum pre-Main Stage system and crosscutting copper-rich Main Stage vein system in the southern part of the batholith. Previous dating studies have identified ambiguous relationships among igneous and mineralizing events. Mineralizing hydrothermal fluids for these types of deposits and magma for quartz porphyry dikes at Butte have all been considered to be late-stage differentiates of the Boulder batholith. However, previous dating studies indicated that the Boulder batholith plutons cooled from about 78 to 72 Ma, whereas copper-rich Main Stage veins at Butte were dated at about 61 Ma. Recent efforts to date the porphyry copper-molybdenum pre-Main Stage deposits at Butte resulted in conflicting estimates of both 64 and 76 Ma for the mineralizing events. Silver-rich polymetallic quartz vein deposits elsewhere in the batholith have not been dated previously. To resolve this controversy, we used the U.S. Geological Survey, Stanford, SHRIMP RG ion microprobe to date single-age domains within zircons from plutonic rock samples and 40 Ar/ 39 Ar geochronology to date white mica, biotite, and K-feldspar from mineral deposits. U-Pb zircon ages are Rader Creek Granodiorite, 80.4 ± 1.2 Ma; Unionville Granodiorite, 78.2 ± 0.8 Ma; Pulpit Rock granite, 76.5 ± 0.8 Ma; Butte Granite, 74.5 ± 0.9 Ma; altered Steward-type quartz porphyry dike (I-15 roadcut), 66.5 ± 1.0 Ma; altered Steward-type quartz porphyry dike (Continental pit), 65.7 ± 0.9 Ma; and quartz monzodiorite of Boulder Baldy (Big Belt Mountains), 66.2 ± 0.9 Ma. Zircons from Rader Creek Granodiorite and quartz porphyry dike samples contain Archean inheritance. The 40 Ar/ 39 Ar ages are muscovite, silver-rich polymetallic quartz vein (Basin district), 74.4 ± 0.3 Ma; muscovite, silver-rich polymetallic quartz vein (Boulder district), 74.4 ± 1.2 Ma; muscovite, early dark micaceous vein (Continental pit), 63.6 ± 0.2 Ma; biotite, early dark micaceous vein (Continental pit), 63.6 ± 0.2 Ma; potassium feldspar, early dark micaceous vein (Continental pit), 63 to 59 Ma; and biotite, biotite breccia dike (Continental pit), 63.6 ± 0.2 Ma. Outlying silver-rich polymetallic quartz veins of the Basin and Boulder mining districts probably are directly related to the 74.5 Ma Butte Granite, whereas Steward-type east-west quartz porphyry dikes and Butte pre-Main Stage deposits are parts of a 66 to 64 Ma magmatic-mineralization system unrelated to emplacement of the Boulder batholith. The age of the crosscutting Main Stage veins may be about 61 Ma as originally reported but can only be bracketed as younger than the 64 Ma pre-Main Stage mineralization and older than the about 50 Ma Eocene Lowland Creek intrusions. The 66 Ma age for the quartz monzodiorite of Boulder Baldy and consideration of previous dating studies in the region indicate that small ca. 66 Ma plutonic systems may be common in the Boulder batholith region and especially to the east. The approximately 64 Ma porphyry copper systems at Butte and gold mineralization at Miller Mountain are indicative of regionally important mineralizing systems of this age in the Boulder batholith region. Resolution of the age and probable magmatic source of the Butte pre-Main Stage porphyry copper-molybdenum system and of the silver-rich polymetallic quartz vein systems in the northern part of the Boulder batholith documents that these deposits formed from two discrete periods of hydrothermal mineralization related to two discrete magmatic events.


When considering processor architectures (either existing ones or when developing new ones), native code for functional testing and performance evaluation will generally be required. In theory, the work load involved in developing such code can be alleviated by compiling existing test cases written in a higher level language.This thesis focuses on evaluating the feasibility of this approach by developing a basic C compiler using the LLVM framework and porting it to a number of architectures, finishing by comparing the performance of the compiled code with existing results obtained using the CoreMark benchmark. The resulting comparison can serve as a guideline when deciding which approach to choose when taking on a new architecture. The developed compiler and its back end ports can also serve as reference implementations.While not conclusive, the final results indicate that the approach is highly feasible for certain applications on certain architectures.


The comparative analysis of the blood erythrocyte lipid composition of the laboratory mice (males and females) after exposure to the chronic radiation action at the dose of 8 cGy during the early stages of the ontogeny was performed within the early and remote periods after irradiation. This action is shown to cause the marked effect both on the quantitative changes in the lipid composition and the structural state of the blood erythrocyte lipid component as follows from the numerous disturbances of the correlation interrelations between parameters of the lipid composition which are due to the structural state of the erythrocyte membrane. The most substantial changes in the blood erythrocyte lipid composition were detected for males within the remote period after the exposure, which provides evidence in favor of the disorder in the hemopoiesis process. The data obtained allow us to suggest that the erythrocyte membrane viscosity under the chronic low intensity irradiation is supported by the balance maintenance between the relative content of the phospholipid lysoforms and the molar ratio of the [sterols]/[phospholipids].


Bears are often considered ecological equivalents of large primates, but the latter often respond with fear, avoidance, and alarm calls to snakes, both venomous and non-venomous, there is sparse information on how bears respond to snakes. We videotaped or directly observed natural encounters between black bears (Ursus americanus) and snakes. Inside the range of venomous snakes in Arkansas and West Virginia, adolescent and adult black bears reacted fearfully in seven of seven encounters upon becoming aware of venomous and non-venomous snakes; but in northern Michigan and Minnesota where venomous snakes have been absent for millennia, black bears showed little or no fear in four encounters with non-venomous snakes of three species. The possible roles of experience and evolution in bear reactions to snakes and vice versa are discussed. In all areas studied, black bears had difficulty to recognize non-moving snakes by smell or sight. Bears did not react until snakes moved in 11 of 12 encounters with non-moving timber rattlesnakes (Crotalus horridus) and four species of harmless snakes. However, in additional tests in this study, bears were repulsed by garter snakes that had excreted pungent anal exudates, which may help explain the absence of snakes, both venomous and harmless, in bear diets reported to date.


Diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP) polymers have extensively been used as electron donor materials in organic solar cells. For a diverse set of 19 DPP based polymers we have determined (i) the highest-occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) energies, derived from the oxidation potential as obtained for thin films from square-wave voltammetry (SWV), and (ii) the ionization potential as obtained from ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS), and from density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The empirical relationship obtained from our combined SWV-UPS study between the oxidation and ionization potential shows a slope for DPP polymers which is significantly lower than reported before for other organic semiconductors, while the intercept is the same as reported before. The HOMO energies, that span a range of −5.4 to −4.5 eV, as derived using SWV are found to show an excellent correlation with the open-circuit voltage of optimized solar cells in which the polymer studied forms a blend with PCBM, with deviations of at most 0.1 eV. A weaker correlation was found with the HOMO energies as obtained from UPS and DFT. Hence, the oxidation potential from SQV is a better empirical predictor for the open-circuit of the solar cell.


The annual Four-Day March in Nijmegen, The Netherlands, in July 2006 was cancelled after the first day because two participants had died, men aged 65 and 57 years, and many had become unwell while walking in unusually high ambient temperatures. However, the cause of death of the two who died turned out to be cardiovascular and not heat-related. The case of two of the people that became unwell, men aged 58 and 59 years, respectively, shows that heat stroke and heat exhaustion were important causative conditions. Heat-related illnesses are relatively uncommon in the Netherlands due to its temperate climate. Heat stroke is the most severe of these and associated with a high mortality rate if not recognised and treated promptly. The primary cause is accumulation of heat due either to diminished loss or increased endogenous heat production, such as by physical exertion. Heat exhaustion is caused by salt or water depletion.


Using interdisciplinary approaches to strategic management can strengthen the decision making process. Incorporating various methods will also encourage productivity, expand knowledge of participants, and increase technical proficiency. Analytical Approaches to Strategic Decision-Making: Interdisciplinary Considerations aims to integrate different techniques into the world s fast-changing and dynamic society to better equip all readers and practitioners with the most effective knowledge. Managers, CEOs, researchers, and academics in the fields of business and leadership will all benefit from this valuable resource through an enhanced understanding of best practices in decision-making and management."


Motivated by the need of a robust and practical Inverse Kinematics (IK) algorithm for the WAM robot arm, we reviewed the most used closed-loop methods for redundant robots, analysing their main points of concern: convergence, numerical error, singularity handling, joint limit avoidance, and the capability of reaching secondary goals. As a result of the experimental comparison, we propose two enhancements. The first is to filter the singular values of the Jacobian matrix before calculating its pseudoinverse in order to obtain a more numerically robust result. The second is to combine a continuous task priority strategy with selective damping to generate smoother trajectories. Experimentation on the WAM robot arm shows that these two enhancements yield an IK algorithm that improves on the reviewed state-of-the-art ones, in terms of the good compromise it achieves between time step length, Jacobian conditioning, multiple task performance, and computational time, thus constituting a very solid option in practice. This proposal is general and applicable to other redundant robots.


The signal analysis is important in extracting fault characteristics in fault diagnosis of machinery. To deal with non-stationary signal, time-frequency analysis techniques are widely used. The experiment data of oil whip vibration fault signal were analyzed by different methods, such as short time Fourier transform (STFT), Wigner-Ville distribution (WVD), Wavelet transform (WT) and Hilbert-Huang Transform (HHT). Compared with these methods, it is demonstrated that the time-frequency resolutions of STFT and WVD were inconsistent, which were easy to cross or make signal lower. WT had distinct time-frequency distribution, but it brought redundant component. HHT time-frequency analysis can detect components of low energy, and displayed true and distinct time-frequency distribution. Therefore, it is a very effective tool to diagnose the faults of rotating machinery.


Online health services are a rapidly growing coping resource for consumers to draw on in managing health ‐ related stressors. We apply a (dis)engagement coping lens to understand consumer coping, identify the distinct purposes of consumer coping captured in six coping scales, and develop an inventory (via multiple studies), to measure consumer positioning on these scales. In a final survey ( N = 623), we assess the extent to which consumers use online health services, the ways in which they draw on these services as coping resources using the 6 ‐ scale inventory and the influence of health status on coping efforts. We demonstrate that consumer engagement coping efforts with respect to health ‐ related stressors are largely directed toward direct management of health stressors (e.g., active planning). We also identify how consumers combine multiple ways of coping through distinguishing three coping profiles based on the enactment and perceived helpfulness of the six coping scales and current health status. Our profiles emphasize the need to understand the progress of health conditions as a determiner of coping efforts. Practitioners and policymakers can use this structured understanding of coping efforts to strategically plan future service provision, although some caution is noted with respect to health inequalities.


The current evolution of the traditional medical model toward the participatory medicine can be boosted by the Internet of Things (IoT) paradigm involving sensors (environmental, wearable, and implanted) spread inside domestic environments with the purpose to monitor the user's health and activate remote assistance. RF identification (RFID) technology is now mature to provide part of the IoT physical layer for the personal healthcare in smart environments through low-cost, energy-autonomous, and disposable sensors. It is here presented a survey on the state-of-the-art of RFID for application to body centric systems and for gathering information (temperature, humidity, and other gases) about the user's living environment. Many available options are described up to the application level with some examples of RFID systems able to collect and process multichannel data about the human behavior in compliance with the power exposure and sanitary regulations. Open challenges and possible new research trends are finally discussed. Index Terms Internet of Things (IoT), RF identification (RFID),sensors, wearable sensors.


Background: The pregnane X receptor (PXR) is a nuclear receptor (NR) involved in the detoxification of xenobiotic compounds via upregulation of cytochrome P450 enzyme expression. Recently, the presence of PXR was reported in the human vasculature and its ligands were proposed to exhibit anti-atherosclerotic effects. The retinoid X receptor (RXR) is another NR that regulates numerous biological functions. RXR (α and β) is expressed in platelets, and its ligands have been reported to inhibit platelet function mediated by Gq coupled ADP and TXA2 receptors.
 Aims: Platelets play a substantial role towards the initiation of atherosclerosis and express numerous NRs. Given the anti-atherosclerotic effects of PXR ligands, we explored whether PXR is present in human platelets and evaluated the role of its ligands in regulating platelet activation in response to different platelet agonists. Since RXR is known to modulate platelet function in response to ADP and U46619, and is able to function in other cells in collaboration with PXR, we also sought to extend studies of the role of RXR in the modulation of platelet activation stimulated by collagen/CRP-XL or thrombin.
 Results: The expression of PXR in human platelets was confirmed using western blot and immunoprecipitation analysis. Platelets treated with PXR ligands (SR12813 or rifampicin) inhibited a range of platelet activities such as aggregation, fibrinogen binding to integrin αIIbβ3, degranulation, intracellular calcium mobilisation, integrin αIIbβ3 outside-in signalling. In the absence of nuclei, the actions of PXR are non-genomic in nature. Human and mouse PXR ligands reduced thrombus formation in vitro in human and mouse blood respectively. These effects of human and mouse PXR ligands were observed in a species-specific manner. Anti-thrombotic effects of SR12813 were observed in humanised PXR knock-in mice using an in vivo mouse model of thrombosis. In addition to the reduced tyrosine phosphorylation of multiple GPVI signalling components, caused by PXR ligands, inhibition of phosphorylation of Src family kinases (SFKs) proximal to GPVI, CLEC-2 and integrin αIIbβ3 receptor was also observed. This suggests SFKs as a potential target of PXR function. Furthermore, RXR ligands (9-cis-RA or methoprene acid), in a non-genomic manner, down-regulated platelet activity stimulated by collagen/CRP-XL or thrombin. RXR was found to exist in the form of a heterodimer with other NRs such as PXR, liver X receptor (LXR) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPARβ and PPARγ). Exposure to 9-cis-RA also caused a reduction in thrombus formation in vitro and in vivo, with impairment of haemostatic response. Conclusions: This study identifies the ability of PXR and RXR to regulate platelet activation and thrombus formation in a non-genomic manner. The potential anti-atherosclerotic properties of PXR and RXR ligands, together with newly identified anti-thrombotic effects may provide additional cardio-protective benefits.


The aim of the research described in this chapter is to explore the use of intelligent virtual transport modelling within the context of a case study involving the development of a university estate. Through the application of visualisation techniques, the study was able to explore how such techniques can lead to enlightenment of potential solutions, whilst simultaneously demonstrating the effects of design solutions on CO2 emissions. Such an approach leads to a better understanding of the transport complexity from the perspective of potential clients and users. Although images and physical models of the case study were appreciated by stakeholders, these did not provide more information than their current state and could not help in making funded decision by decision making community. Animated data, including calculated predictions of the effect of design on daily vehicles, human traffic, and CO2 emission, enlivened and illuminated the designed situation, and allowed decision makers to appreciate the real current and potential challenges.


This Engaged Management Scholarship (EMS) conference is the fifth in a series. It is organized annually by the Executive Doctorate in Business Administration Council (EDBAC), which has broad international representation of executive doctorate programs. The purpose of this council is to promote the value of Engaged Management Scholarship and raise its profile internationally. The EMS 2015 conference was hosted by the Doctor of Management program at the Graduate School in the University of Maryland University College and held in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. The theme of this year's conference was "The Paradigm Shift in Doctoral Education for Scholar-Practitioners." Its focus was on evidence-based research and learning that builds scholar-practitioner competence. Papers presented at the EMS 2015 conference were selected through a blind peer review process based on the requirement that papers be scientifically rigorous and timely and possess clear actions for practice. The conference consisted of research paper presentations, poster sessions, panels, keynote presentations, a doctoral consortium, and an alumni consortium. Conference participants included management scholars and management practitioners actively involved in engaged management scholarship. The conference theme elicited broad interest in how executive doctoral programs are employing research methods, pedagogical practices, and program designs for engaged management scholarship. This broad interest was demonstrated by the participation of attendees from nearly 50 universities in Asia, Europe, and North America.The Doctoral Consortium brought together faculty members from a range of EDBAC schools and doctoral students from many of their programs. Participants gained valuable learning experience and further developed their dissertations based on insights and critiques by both faculty and fellow doctoral students. The Alumni Consortium built on its launch at last year's EMS conference and fostered networking among graduates of EDBAC member schools. This consortium chronicled experiences of graduates' transition into new career paths through "elevator pitches" that portrayed their journey since graduation. New initiatives for collaboration around research and publication impact were discussed, including how to build a thriving community of scholar-practitioners Charles Onstott of SAIC, Inc., opened the conference with a keynote presentation on how "Deploying Big Data in the Organization Matters for Scholar-Practitioners." On the second conference day, Dr. Richard Boyatzis of Case Western Reserve University delivered a keynote presentation on "Scholar-Practitioner Competencies for Resonant Leadership." These presentations served as bookends for the diverse range of interests among conference attendees. Some 30 research papers were presented around a wide range of themes: Behavior in Organizations, Social Entrepreneurship, Change Initiatives, Organizational Strategy, Finance, Trust in Teams, Development Planning, Globalization Impacts, Marketing Analytics, Innovation, Ethics for Managers, and Decision Making. The papers published in these proceedings represent engaged management research in these and other topics.A series of Panels and Professional Development Workshops addressed research methods, literature search skills, practical theorizing, data science in practice, career paths for scholar-practitioners, journal publication, and standards for executive DBA education. Resource materials from these presentations can be accessed through the EDBAC web site.We would like to acknowledge the contributions of the EDBAC Executive Board members and specifically thank Drs. Bryan Booth, Leslie Dinauer and Kuan Collins of University of Maryland University College, Kalle Lyytinen of Case Western Reserve University, Lars Mathiassen of Georgia State University, and Jean-Denis Budin of Paris-Dauphine University for their leadership and assistance in the conference organization efforts. We would also like to thank the Program Directors and staff members of schools that previously hosted this conference. Their insights and guidance were most helpful in planning and carrying out this conference. Also, we acknowledge the paper authors and the assistance of large group of anonymous referees who agreed to review all the paper, panel, and PDW submissions. Finally, but not least, we would like to acknowledge the staff support of Ms. Monica Graham, Ms. Marina Caminis, and Ms. Michelle Howard for their tireless efforts in making this conference a success.EMS 2015 Conference Proceedings EditorTom MierzwaUniversity of Maryland University College


The biological importance of complex interactions between cells and extracellular matrix has become widely recognized. For normal epithelial cells, contact with the matrix is limited to the basement membrane. Our understanding of the composition and assembly of basement membranes is increasing, as is our understanding of the mechanisms by which synthesis and degradation of basement membranes are controlled. Basement membrane abnormalities may result from disease and may cause disease. Papers in this edition of the Journal of Pathology discuss changes in basement membrane composition in disease, and add yet another link to the many connections between basement membranes, fibrosis and the control of cell proliferation. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Despite the long history of psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES), relatively little is known about the mechanisms that cause and maintain this condition. Emerging research evidence suggests that patients with PNES might have difficulties in regulating their emotions. However, much remains to be learned about the nature of these difficulties and the emotional responses of individuals with PNES. The present study aimed to gain a detailed understanding of emotion regulation processes in patients with PNES, by examining differences between PNES patients and a healthy control group with regards to intensity of emotional reactions, understanding of one's emotional experience, beliefs about emotions and control of emotional expression.
A cross-sectional design was used to compare the PNES group (n=56) and the healthy control group (n=88) on a range of self-report measures.
Participants with a diagnosis of PNES reported significantly poorer understanding of their emotions, more negative beliefs about emotions and more control of emotional expression than participants in the control group. Whilst intensity of emotions did not discriminate between the groups, poor understanding and negative beliefs about emotions were found to be significant predictors of PNES, even after controlling for age, education level and emotional distress. Furthermore, the presence of some emotion regulation difficulties was associated with self reported seizure severity.
This study provides some evidence supporting emotion regulation difficulties in PNES population, particularly with regards to poor understanding of emotions and negative beliefs about feelings. These findings need to be replicated in future research before definite conclusions can be drawn. The need for tailored psychological therapies addressing specific emotion regulation difficulties is highlighted.


ESSAYS ON ENTREPRENUERSHIP AND PUBLIC POLICY ALICIA MORGAN PLEMMONS AUGUST 2019 Committee Chair: Dr. Sally Wallace. Major Department: Economics. This dissertation consists of three chapters empirically analyzing how public policy affects firm behavior, with a particular emphasis on small, entrepreneurial firms. The first chapter analyzes how occupational licensing affects firm entry and employment decisions. Occupational licensing is a government permission to work within a specific job classification. The costs to firms of paying to license employees can be a substantial consideration when firms are making location and hiring decisions. Using individual firm-level data I analyze how these costs affect firms by determining how differences in costs across state borders affect the likelihood of firms entering on a particular side of a state-pair. I find firms are less likely to enter in an expensive state if a substantially cheaper state is within a short distance. I also utilize a geographic regression discontinuity design and determine that firms on the more expensive side of a state border pair have approximately 2.3 employees fewer on average. Comparing similar licensed and unlicensed industries I find evidence of a persistent decrease in average employment for licensed firms in high cost states relative to unlicensed firms. The second chapter investigates potential gender related bias in equity, debt, and philanthropic contribution financing decisions for early-stage African entrepreneurial ventures. Utilizing a series of individual estimations and a two-stage Heckman Selection Model on questionnaire results from 2,812 early-stage entrepreneurs in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda, and South Africa, I find substantial evidence of a negative effect of having a female primary founder on the probability of being selected for equity funding but that this bias does not persist in the amount of equity funding the venture attracts. I find that in the case of debt and lending finance, female entrepreneurs are subject to a lower probability of being selected for funding and smaller total amounts of debt financing. Philanthropic contributions present an interesting alternative, and do not have any related gender bias in the initial selection or funding amount. This paper provides policy recommendations for encouraging female entrepreneurship, which has been shown to contribute to long-term sustainable economic growth. The third chapter explores the unintended consequences of the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 (BAPCPA) on the entry and exit behaviors of small businesses. BAPCPA implemented significant changes to consumer bankruptcy law which had many unintended consequences for debtors, creditors, and consumers. Since small businesses are often unincorporated and therefore the financial assets and debts of the company cannot be separated from the owner, bankruptcy serves as a crucial form of partial wealth protection for self-employed and small business owners. This study focuses on how the implementation of BAPCPA affected small businesses entry and exit rates by utilizing a Difference-in-Difference methodology. A Triple-Differencing method is also incorporated to account for potential differences in small business entry and exit behaviors in low and high personal homestead exemption states. I find that BAPCPA decreased the entry rate of small businesses by approximately 4.91% and increased exit rates by 2.74%. These effects vary substantially across industries. ESSAYS ON ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND PUBLIC POLICY


Purpose: To investigate the Foveal Avascular Zone (FAZ) area in patients with arterial hypertension using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCT-A).Material and methods: The study was permormed at the School Clinic of UNIFACISA and at the Eye Care Center. It was included 21 hypertensive patients (study group) and 19 individuals without hypertension (control group). It was excluded patientes with diabetes or glaucoma. The measurement of the FAZ areas was performed by the DRI OCT-1Triton/Plus. For the quantitative variables, the results were expressed by their means and standard deviations. Qualitative variables were expressed by their absolute and relative frequencies. Student's t-test was used to verify differences between means and Fisher's exact test for differences between frequencies. For evaluating the correlation between the superficial and deep plexus areas, the Pearson correlation test was used. P value ≤ 0.05, rejected the null hypothesis. The research was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Medical School from Campina Grande -UNIFACISA and all individuals signed the free and informed consent form.Results: The means of the superficial FAZ of both eyes was significantly higher in the study group (right eye 410.7 ± 160.7 μm2 - 319.1 ± 108.2 μm2 - p = 0.0433); (left eye: 405.4 ± 144.8 μm2 versus 309.4 ± 87.7 μm2- p = 0.0174). The means of the deep FAZ areas of the right and left eyes were similar between the study and control groups (right eye: 559.6 ± 253.28 μm2 versus 605.1 ± 226.8 μm2 - p = 0.5548); (left eye: 673.2 ± 170.8 μm2 versus 585.6 ± 171.2 μm2 - p = 0.1142). The relationships between the superficial and deep plexus areas of both eyes showed a weak correlation between the two plexuses. (r = 0.4734), left eye (r = 0.2287), study group - right eye: (r = 0.4374), left eye (r = 0.3580).Conclusion: The area of superficial FAZ of the right and left eyes was significantly higher in the hypertensive patients. The deep FAZ area of both eyes, however showed similar mean areas between the study and control groups.


This thesis reports on a variety of calculations on cold and ultracold scattering, with a broad theme of how best to consider and understand complex systems in simple ways.

Firstly, we investigate quantum defect theory. We demonstrate that it is not only an excellent model for simple systems, but can also provide simple predictions of the \emph{range} of possible behaviours for complex systems, in particular for a model of collisional losses. These predictions agree well with expensive coupled-channels calculations in cases where the full calculations also predict only the range of possible behaviours.

Secondly, we consider effects relating to thermalisation of cold and ultracold gases. We show that considering the correct transport cross section, $\sigma_\eta^{(1)}$, is important for determination of scattering lengths and their signs by interspecies thermalisation. This cross section is also important to the understanding of high-quality simulations of sympathetic cooling in a microwave trap, which suggest Rb is likely to be a good coolant for CaF. We also correct an error in the interpretation of previous results for sympathetic cooling in a magnetic trap, showing this may work from over 100 mK for Li+CaF and many Kelvin when using atomic hydrogen as a coolant.

Thirdly, we study quantum chaos in ultracold collisions. We find very clear and strong signs of chaos in Li+CaH. We also show that a more strongly coupled system, Li+CaF, is \emph{not} fully chaotic and that there is unexpected structure in the levels of chaos as the CaF rotational constant is varied. We also show that signatures of chaos can emerge in a very simple atom-atom system, Yb(${}^1S_0$)+Yb(${}^3P_2$), which interacts on only two Born-Oppenheimer potentials.

Finally, we examine the idea that metastable states in 2-body scattering greatly enhance 3-body recombination at ultracold temperatures. We attempt to put it on a more rigorous theoretical grounding by considering Smith's collision lifetime and related quantities, but those are shown to lack clear interpretations in the ultracold regime. We therefore consider 3-body scattering theory and arrive at some general conclusions about how we expect such 2-body features to appear in 3-body scattering and suggest possible ways forward.


To solve a text-based game, an agent needs to formulate valid text commands for a given context and find the ones that lead to success. Recent attempts at solving text-based games with deep reinforcement learning have focused on the latter, i.e., learning to act optimally when valid actions are known in advance. In this work, we propose to tackle the first task and train a model that generates the set of all valid commands for a given context. We try three generative models on a dataset generated with Textworld. The best model can generate valid commands which were unseen at training and achieve high $F_1$ score on the test set.


This paper reports preliminary observations of in-situ straining experiments performed using transmission electron microscopy on thin foils of the B2 compounds FeAl and NiAl, and of a two-phase B2/(f.c.c.)L1{sub 2} alloy containing a B2 phase Ni-30Al-20Fe. The first compound slips by movement of a/2{l angle}111{r angle} dislocation pairs, whereas the latter two exhibit {l angle}100{r angle} slip. NiAl and FeAl both showed intense dislocation activity ahead of growing cracks. In both cases, slip occurred in several places within the thin foils and not just ahead of the cracks. Slip in NiAl was wavy and the ease of cross slip was such that at higher strains a cell structure formed during in-situ straining. In contrast, FeAl showed planar slip in broad bands consisting of several parallel slip planes. Ni-30Al-20Fe also exhibited planar slip, but on individual planes not in bands. Dislocation pile-ups were also observed in the latter compound. 11 refs., 6 figs.


This paper makes the case for TaaS - automated software testing as a cloud-based service. We present three kinds of TaaS: (1) a public certification service, akin to Underwriters Labs, that independently assesses the reliability, safety, and security of software; (2) a "home edition" on-demand testing service for consumers to verify the programs they are about to install on their PC or mobile device; and (3) a "programmer's sidekick" enabling developers to thoroughly and promptly test their code with minimal upfront resource investment. Unlike existing test infrastructures, TaaS automatically tests software, without human involvement from the service customer's or provider's side. We argue that recent techniques for automated testing - even if usable only on toy programs - can become practical by harnessing the resources of compute clouds. TaaS can help reduce bug density in all software we depend on. Our work suggests the technical feasibility of doing so, and we further argue that it is compelling also from a social and business point of view.


Summary: This paper presents recent measurements of novel Eu3+-complex doped sol gel layers (ref 1) which are intended for use as pH indicators, with interrogation by monitoring their fluorescent decay with a compact photon-counting receiver (ref 2). The basic chemistry is outlined and the instrumental arrangement and experimental results are described. Requirements and basic concept of indicator chemistry. Luminescent lanthanide chelates have many applications, being useful alternatives to standard fluorescent dyes especially when there is significant autofluorescence. They are also useful donors for use in energy transfer experiments to determine static inter-molecular distances. These applications arise because of the chelates' excellent solubility and unusual spectral characteristics, including narrow ( 150 nm), potentially high quantum yields. Selvin et al. have synthesized several lanthanide chelates but all show inconvenient excitation maxima around 340 nm. In contrast, our novel long-wave luminescent dye, based on europium luminescence initiated by a covalently-bonded antenna fluorophor, shows excitation maxima at 370 nm where low cost LEDs are now available. To design sensors of high stability and long lifetime, the sensor matrix and sensor technology are of prime interest. Sol-gel technology enables the production of proton-permeable glassy layers at room temperature and offers simple methods for manipulation of the basic composition, molecular structure, and hence the chemical characteristics of organic matrices. Time-resolved fluorometry is preferable to conventional fluorometry, since there are no intensity related problems due to turbid samples, self-filter effect, and cuvette geometry. Also, the fluorescence decay time is usually independent of the concentration of the indicator, even when it has been partially modified by leaching out, by decomposition, or by photo bleaching. In the current work, the Eu3+-complex has been successfully entrapped into tetramethoxysilane (TMOS)-based sol-gel matrices. It was initially found that a Eu3+-complex, which showed useful pH sensitivity in aqueous solution, lost this sensitivity when immobilized in sol-gel matrices. In order to recover this property, the pH indicator bromothymol blue (BTB) was added to the starting sol-gel components and it was found that the useful pH response that was present in water was not only restored, but was actually improved upon. Instrumentation and experiment for interrogation of Eu3+-complex-doped sol-gel coated layer. The arrangement shown in fig 1 was used for rapid interrogation of fluorescence lifetime. The arrangement improves signal to noise because the sol-gel coating is illuminated directly with a filtered UV LED source, rather than via an optical fibre probe. This increases illumination intensity by removing optical power loss in the launch optics, illuminates a large coating area, and reduces the background auto-fluorescence signal generated from combined launch and return optics. The main excitation peak occurs at 370 nm, which falls in the absorption band of the pH-sensing layer. It should be noted that this arrangement, which was used to improve signal to noise and reduce self-fluorescence in our measurement, was considered to be only an interim step on the way to developing an all-fibre system for illumination and collection of light. Clearly similar gains in signal can be achieved by using larger input and output fibres or fibre bundles, and self-fluorescence can be reduced by use of separate fibre cables for incident and fluorescent light.


Abstract. The spatial variability of precipitation and drought are investigated for Portugal using monthly precipitation from 74 stations and minimum and maximum temperature from 27 stations, covering the common period of 1941–2006. Seasonal precipitation and the corresponding percentages in the year, as well as the precipitation concentration index (PCI), was computed for all 74 stations and then used as an input matrix for an R-mode principal component analysis to identify the precipitation patterns. The standardized precipitation index at 3 and 12 month time scales were computed for all stations, whereas the Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI) and the modified PDSI for Mediterranean conditions (MedPDSI) were computed for the stations with temperature data. The spatial patterns of drought over Portugal were identified by applying the S-mode principal component analysis coupled with varimax rotation to the drought indices matrices. The result revealed two distinct sub-regions in the country relative to both precipitation regimes and drought variability. The analysis of time variability of the PC scores of all drought indices allowed verifying that there is no linear trend indicating drought aggravation or decrease. In addition, the analysis shows that results for SPI-3, SPI-12, PDSI and MedPDSI are coherent among them.


Cloud systems provide elastic execution environments of resources that link application and infrastructure/platform components, which are both exposed to uncertainties and change. Change appears in 2 forms: the evolution of architectural components under changing requirements and the adaptation of the infrastructure running applications. Cloud architecture continuity refers to the ability of a cloud system to change its architecture and maintain the validity of the goals that determine the architecture. Goal validity implies the satisfaction of goals in adapting or evolving systems. Architecture continuity aids technical sustainability, that is, the longevity of information, systems, and infrastructure and their adequate evolution with changing conditions. In a cloud setting that requires both steady alignment with technological evolution and availability, architecture continuity directly impacts economic sustainability. We investigate change models and change rules for managing change to support cloud architecture continuity. These models and rules define transformations of architectures to maintain system goals: Evolution is about unanticipated change of structural aspects of architectures, and adaptation is about anticipated change of architecture configurations. Both are driven by quality and cost, and both represent multidimensional decision problems under uncertainty. We have applied the models and rules for adaptation and evolution in research and industry consultancy projects.


Current state-of-the-art video models process a video clip as a long sequence of spatio-temporal tokens. However, they do not explicitly model objects, their interactions across the video, and instead process all the tokens in the video. In this paper, we investigate how we can use knowledge of objects to design better video models, namely to process fewer tokens and to improve recognition accuracy. This is in contrast to prior works which either drop tokens at the cost of accuracy, or increase accuracy whilst also increasing the computation required. First, we propose an object-guided token sampling strategy that enables us to retain a small fraction of the input tokens with minimal impact on accuracy. And second, we propose an object-aware attention module that enriches our feature representation with object information and improves overall accuracy. Our resulting model, ObjectViViT, achieves better performance when using fewer tokens than strong baselines. In particular, we match our baseline with 30%, 40%, and 60% of the input tokens on SomethingElse, Something-something v2, and Epic-Kitchens, respectively. When we use Object-ViViT to process the same number of tokens as our baseline, we improve by 0.6 to 4.2 points on these datasets.


Court Decision: 18 Federal Supplement, 2d Series 786; 1998 Aug 19 (date of decision). In a memorandum opinion, the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee detailed the reasoning behind an earlier decision to allow the research subjects of radiation experiments to continue their case against a private university, a private foundation, and the state. The subjects were pregnant women who were not informed of the risks of ingesting radioactive iron isotopes in a series of experiments at Vanderbilt University between 1945-1947. Nor were they informed in a later follow-up study about the involuntary exposure, nor contacted later when another follow-up study showed a disproportionately high incidence of cancer among the subjects. Because actions by both Vanderbilt and the Rockefeller Foundation in this joint project were so entwined with those by Tennessee, they could be found liable under federal civil rights law. The claims were not time-barred under Tennessee's medical malpractice statutes, because "the experiments did not constitute medical care." Instead the court concluded that the statute of limitations may be tolled because of fraudulent concealment, noting that "[w]here a confidential relationship exists, as between a physician and a patient, there is an affirmative duty to disclose, and that duty renders silence or failure to disclose known facts fraudulent.


— The design of an optimised horizontal axis 5-meter-long wind turbine rotor blade in according with IEC 61400-2 standard is a research and development project in order to fulfil the requirements of high efficiency of torque from wind production and to optimise the structural components to the lightest and strongest way possible. For this purpose, a research study is presented here by focusing on the structural characteristics of a composite wind turbine blade via finite element modelling and analysis tools. In this work, first, the required data regarding the general geometrical parts are gathered. Then, the airfoil geometries are created at various sections along the span of the blade by using CATIA software to obtain the two surfaces, namely; the suction and the pressure side of the blade in which there is a hat shaped fibre reinforced plastic spar beam, so-called chassis starting at 0.5m from the root of the blade and extends up to 4 m and filled with a foam core. The root part connecting the blade to the main rotor differential metallic hub having twelve hollow threaded studs is then modelled. The materials are assigned as two different types of glass fabrics, polymeric foam core material and the steel-balsa wood combination for the root connection parts. The glass fabrics are applied using hand wet lay-up lamination with epoxy resin as METYX L600E10C-0, is the unidirectional continuous fibres and METYX XL800E10F having a tri-axial architecture with fibres in the 0,+45,-45 degree orientations in a ratio of 2:1:1. Divinycell H45 is used as the polymeric foam. The finite element modelling of the blade is performed via MSC PATRAN software with various meshes created on each structural part considering shell type for all surface geometries, and lumped mass were added to simulate extra adhesive locations. For the static analysis, the boundary conditions are assigned as fixed at the root through aforementioned bolts, where for dynamic analysis both fixed-free and free-free boundary conditions are made. By also taking the mesh independency into account, MSC NASTRAN is used as a solver for both analyses. The static analysis aims the under its weight the dynamic analysis comprises mode dynamic analysis performed in order to obtain the natural frequencies and corresponding mode shapes focusing the first five in and out-of-plane bending and the torsional modes of the blade. The analyses results of this study are then used as a benchmark prior to modal testing, where the experiments over the produced wind turbine rotor blade has approved the analytical calculations.


Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women around the world. Various countries including the UAE offer asymptomatic screening for the disease. The interpretation of mammograms is a very challenges task and is subject to human error. Computeraided detection and diagnosis have been proposed as a second reader for helping radiologists perform this difficult task. Texture features have been widely used as classification of masses in digital mammogram. In this paper we proposed a method for automatic detection of masses in digital mammogram. The proposed method uses the coding technique achieved good accuracy with Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) classification. The classification accuracy by using the coded images is improved much compared to one that obtained from the original image.


This paper presents a new method to detect and discriminate between abrupt changes in dynamics and sudden changes in disturbance levels in dynamic systems. It is assumed that a normalized least mean square (NLMS) adaptive filter estimates the system. The detection method is based on the observation that the estimated taps behave differently in the two studied events. The convergence behavior of the taps is modeled using averaging theory, giving an exponential convergence behavior for each tap. Kalman filtering techniques, based on this model, are then used in order to design a new detection scheme.


Nowadays large enterprises maintain a huge amount of data in multiple backend systems including traditional database systems and recently popular big data systems. In an example of telecom providers, the key business data (e.g., billing information) is maintained in database systems whereas the huge amount of log data is on HDFS with Hive. How to provide insightful analytics on such data becomes a challenging task. Traditional enterprise data warehouse systems with careful database design cannot meet the agile requirement of data scientists to arbitrarily access any useful data (such as the log data). In this paper, we propose a unified computation engine for big data analytics, namely Octopus, to effectively and efficiently bridge data scientists and data warehouse. First, Octopus designs a SQL-alike approach to unify both database queries and machine learning algorithms. Next, Octopus optimizes the running time of such big data analytic tasks by scheduling optimal subtasks to backend systems. A proof-of-concept prototype of Octopus successfully verifies that Octopus can achieve much faster running time than Spark. For example, Octopus outperforms the recent Spark 1.4.0 by 4.58× faster running time to process a complex analytic task, and 5.25× to process a simple aggregation query.


Thermal poling current and electrooptic evolution were studied for a standard twin-hole fiber and two novel design twin-hole fibers. The poling characteristics were modified in the novel fibers, which had a trap or donor region inside the anode hole. Modifications of the poling characteristics were observed in both the current evolution and the electrooptic evolution. The novel fiber designs can facilitate the tailoring of poled fiber device characteristics.


Laryngopharyngeal Reflux (LPR) should be considered as part of extraesophageal reflux (EER). This
reflux involves respiratory structures other than, or in addition to, the oesophagus. A new medical device
for the treatment of gastric reflux, including LPR, has been launched in Italy: Marial®. Therefore, the
aim of the present survey was to analyse the prescriptive behaviour both considering the past or current
treatments and clinical features during a specialist routine visit. The current survey was conducted in
86 Otorhinolaryngological centers, distributed in all of Italy. Globally, 4.418 subjects [47% males and
53% females, 50.1 (14.5) years-of-age] were visited. The visits included laryngoscopy, Reflux Finding Score
(RFS) and Reflux Symptom Index (RSI) questionnaires. The total RSI median score was 15 (12-19) and
the total median RFS value was 10 (8-12). Interestingly, a significant change in the new drug prescription
was observed (p<0.0001): over two-third of patients (67%) received Marial® as monotherapy, whereas PPI
plus add-on were prescribed to almost one-third of the patients. PPI alone was prescribed in less than 1%.
In conclusion, LPR is a common disorder characterized by typical signs and symptoms; LPR patients may
be correctly identified and scored by evidence-based criteria. In addition, the present survey reported that
LPR treatment has been considerably changed by the introduction of a new medical device.


Because no-show behavior typically leads to operational inefficiencies and thus diminishing returns for service firms, a growing number of authors have demonstrated the potential of using reminders to reduce no-show rates. In this study, by examining the behavioral responses of 13,911 season ticket holders of a professional football team in Germany, we assess whether reminders containing different reward opportunities reduce no-show behavior in professional sports. According to the results of our large-scale field experiment, the reminders have only a short-term effect that operates most effectively through a monetary gift reward with no persistent behavioral change in subsequent games. As regards individual characteristics, spectators who attended the stadium more infrequently during the season under study, who had front row seats, or had seated rather than standing arrangements were also more likely to respond to the treatment.


As multi-agent meets characteristics of distributed control architecture and lots of nodes in intelligent building, and the construction is expected to overcome existing problems as well. Introduce agent-based approach into intelligent building control is of great significance. We propose a model of intelligent building control system based on multi-agent which owns a pure distributed architecture. The different functions and different levels of agents in the model are described. At the same time, we discuss the intentional cooperation method used in intelligent building control through an example which was based on multi agent. Finally, we finish temperature and illumination control experiments on a Windows CE-based embedded platform.


ABSTRACT The depositional porosities of modern dunes in the Namib Desert are compared to intergranular volumes of ancient sandstone analogs. In situ samples of sand were obtained by impregnating the surface of dunes with superglue. Pleistocene and older eolianites, which have been buried less than 50 m, were carefully wrapped and impregnated with epoxy in the laboratory. Porosities and intergranular volumes were measured by point counting polished thin sections under reflected light. The accuracy of this method was tested by point counting polished sections made from artificially packed sands of known porosity. The average depositional porosity of 18 samples of dune sand is 33.9%. This is identical to the average intergranular volume of 34.3% for 25 Tertiary eolianites, and well within point counting errors. Sorting appears to be the dominant factor in controlling depositional porosity of the dune sands. The average depositional porosity for samples of ripple stratification is 32.7%, while that for grain-fall or grain-flow stratification is 36.5%. Why the depositional porosity of Namib sands and sandstones is 10-15% lower than that obtained by other workers for similar sediments is not clear.


Tourism Improvement Districts (TIDs), modeled after the more well-known Business Improvement Districts (BIDs), are increasing rapidly in the U.S. With enabling legislation from state and local governments, TIDs allow hoteliers in a tourist destination to ban together to impose compulsory assessments on nearly all the hotels in the district in order to raise money to fund destination marketing. To date, research on TIDs have come almost exclusively from destination marketing organizations (DMOs), travel associations, TIDs, and consultants with vested interest in the formation and expansion of TIDs. This paper synthesizes information from available reports and attempts to provide a more balanced view of the role of TIDs in destination tourism marketing and promotion.


Author(s): Goldberg, Naomi G | Abstract: This report analyzes the impact of unequal treatment of same-sex partners in the context of retirement plans and estimates the cost for employers of adopting a policy of equal treatment. The focus of this report is retirement income rather than health care provision for retirees and their families. Our goal is to address several key issues for same-sex couples as they plan for retirement. We find that same-sex couples face inequalities when it comes to their ability to accumulate wealth, plan for their futures, and pass on wealth.