This paper presents a new design for a linear ultrasonic micromotor for precision positioning developed by Physik Instrumente (PI). The stator of the ultrasonic motor consists of a rectangular piezoceramic plate. Two sliders, bonded to a spring which presses them against the stator, move along guides integrated in the stator. These motors are characterized by their extremely simple construction. Two prototypes of the motors using a 9x4x1.5 mm and a 16x8x1.5 mm piezoceramic plate have been designed and tested. With an external position sensor and servo-controller, the motors can be driven to positions in the 0.1 μm range. In open-loop mode, repeatable step size is in the micron range. Maximum speed of the motors is around 100 mm/s. In closed-loop mode, speeds in the millimeter per second range are possible. The design and operating characteristics of the prototypes in both openand closed-loop modes are presented in this paper. To obtain the proper stator geometry, FEM software was used and the vibrational behavior of the system was analyzed with a 3D scanning vibrometer. The FEM simulations, as well as the results of the laser vibrometer measurements, will be presented as animations.


This article evaluates the efficacy of Vegetable Prescription programs through a case study of the Sayre Good Food Bags (GFB) program at Sayre High School in Philadelphia, PA. This paper answers the question, how do vegetable prescription programs affect their members' attitudes, behaviors, and habits towards vegetables and cooking? Vegetable Prescription programs typically are the result of relationships between health care providers and farms or farmers' markets. The Sayre GFB program is a result of the relationship between the Sayre Health Center, and the Sayre Garden. Through interviews with GFB members and administrators, this study found that vegetable prescription programs have a moderate impact on members' cooking and eating habits, but this particular program also served as a tool to promote food justice and intergenerational learning. The Sayre GFB program serves as alternative to the expensive and/or poor quality produce the members usually encounter at supermarkets. Many members were excited by the variety of produce and the inclusion of recipes for the vegetables in the bags. Many members used the GFB as a tool to promote their own well-being. The GFB members were most excited about the youth interns at the Sayre Garden. More research must be done to analyze the health effects of vegetable prescription programs, as we as to compare the effects of this type of vegetable prescription program to similar programs across the country.


Background and Objectives: Several vaccines have been approved for the prevention of the coronavirus disease, discovered on 31 December in Wuhan, China. Pakistan procured vaccines from various countries. However, the lack of knowledge and reluctance of the general population to embrace the use of the vaccines are considered to be the major determinant of the slow vaccination rate. Hence, it is necessary to evaluate the willingness of the general population about their perception of the COVID-19 vaccination. Materials and Methods: A cross sectional survey based on a self-structured questionnaire comprising 18 questions was conducted (from 21 April–21 June) on 400 Pakistani participants to evaluate their knowledge, attitude, and perception towards the COVID-19 vaccination. Chi-square independent t-test and one-way Anova including a multiple step wise linear regression were used to draw conclusions about the results. p < 0.05 was considered significant. Results: A total of 400 participants responded in the knowledge, attitude, and perception (KAP) survey of which 46.5% were female and 53.5% were male. The mean age of participants was 36.08 years. This survey showed a poor knowledge (50.5%), a fair attitude (75.1%) and a poor perception (58.1%) towards the COVID-19 vaccination. Higher mean knowledge and attitude scores were reported in the age group 21–40, females, and unmarried urban citizens. Regression analysis showed that age, education, residence, and employment status influenced the knowledge and perception score to a considerable extent. Conclusions: The findings reflect an inadequate knowledge and perception on the one hand, but a better attitude towards the COVID-19 vaccination. This knowledge attitude and perception (KAP) survey will help in better understanding the opinion of the general population towards vaccination, and will be useful for policy makers and health care authorities aiming to increase the vaccination rate.


In the context of the eurozone's sovereign debt crisis and the US subprime mortgage crisis, Senior Scholar Jan Kregel looks at the question of how we ought to distribute losses between borrowers and lenders in cases of debt resolution. Kregel tackles a prominent approach to this question that is grounded in an analysis of individual action and behavioral characteristics, an approach that tends toward the conclusion that the borrower should be responsible for making creditors whole. The presumption behind this style of analysis is that the borrower-the purportedly deceitful subprime mortgagee or supposedly profligate Greek-is the cause of the loss, and therefore should bear the entire burden.


BACKGROUND
In atopic dermatitis (AD), monocytes, which accumulate in the inflamed skin, are characterized by a significantly impaired Toll-like receptors (TLR) expression and TLR2-mediated cytokine secretion. However, data on expression of TLR on monocytes of peripheral blood (PB) in AD are not available.

OBJECTIVE
To investigate TLR2 and TLR4 expression on PB monocytes during AD exacerbation and to assess the relationships between TLR expressions with AD clinical severity and with serum interleukin (IL) 4, IL-10, and IL-17a levels.

METHODS
The objective Scoring Atopic Dermatitis index, TLR2 and TLR4 expression on CD14(+) human leukocyte antigen-DR (HLA-DR(+)) PB monocytes by flow cytometry, serum IL-4, IL-10, IL-17a (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) and total immunoglobulin E levels were measured at study entry and after 4 months in patients with AD and healthy controls.

RESULTS
Eighty-two patients with AD, 35 women (45.1%) and 47 men (54.9%), mean (standard deviation [SD]) age, 42.2 ± 11.5 years, were included. Thirty healthy volunteers served as controls. We observed a significant difference in the levels of TLR2 expression in the CD14(+) HLA-DR(+) PB monocytes of patients with AD (mean [SD], 51.6 ± 23.1% and 264 ± 118 cells/mm(3)) at exacerbation (but not at the end of the 4-month postexacerbation period) compared with the healthy control subjects (mean [SD], 22.3 ± 10.6% and 105 ± 50 cells/mm(3); p < 0.001). TLR4 expression in PB monocytes was significantly greater in AD (mean [SD], 50.1 ± 20.9% and 275 ± 114 cells/mm(3)) than in the healthy subjects (mean [SD], 31.2 ± 8.7% and 147 ± 41 cells/mm(3); p < 0.001) both at exacerbation and at the 4-month postexacerbation period. Significant correlations between TLR2(+) (but not TLR4(+)) PB monocytes and the objective Scoring Atopic Dermatitis index (r = 0.604, p < 0.001), serum levels of IL-17a and TLR2(+) PB monocytes (r = 0.416, p = 0.027), and IL-4 and TLR2(+) PB monocytes (r = -0.307, p = 0.014) were observed during AD exacerbation.

CONCLUSION
PB CD14(+) HLA-DR(+) TLR2(+) monocytes might have a role in the skewing of a T-helper 2/T-helper 17-mediated immune response during AD flare.


THE NINETEENTH CENTURY, which saw the industrial revolution merge into the technological revolution and witnessed profound developments in the sciences and social sciences, was one of many contradictions. Precisely why, in the midst of this cultural upheaval, the century should have produced its own peculiar attitude towards sex is difficult to say. Whatever the reason, among English-speaking peoples the name of the Victorian Age has become synonymous with prudery. Sexual desires, if properly controlled, were acceptable in the male as necessary for procreation, but it was unthinkable that any decent woman should derive pleasure from sex. A physician writing in a New Orleans medical journal in 1883 declared that he did not believe that one bride in a hundred accepted matrimony from any desire for sexual gratification. He conceded, however, that some of the lower elements might admit to wanting sexual gratification. The modest woman, he concluded, submitted to her


Aim: The aim of this study is to validate the Fernanda Angelieri classification method for the individual assessment of mid-palatal suture among Indian children using multi-slice computed tomography (CT) with respect to clinical application in rapid maxillary expansion. Material and Methods: Present study was conducted utilizing 760 existing head and neck CT image records. CT images were stratified into three categories based on growth spurts: Group I – 6–10 years (n = 210), Group II – 11–14 years (n = 270), and Group III – 15–18 years (n = 280). The CT images were analyzed for stages of mid-palatal suture maturation, according to age and sex. The recorded data were subjected for statistical analysis. Results: Indian children, up to age of 10 years, were distributed in stage A and B. After 11 years, up to 14 years girls showed varied distribution and spread equally among stage B, C, and D. After 15 years, more number of girls were distributed in stage D and E, whereas boys remained distributed variedly in stage B, C, and D. Mid- palatal suture maturational stages correlated to chronological age among both the genders using Fisher exact test and expected contingency table showed statistically significant variation among both the gender independently and collectively (P < 0.001). Conclusion: Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT)-based prediction of stages of mid- palatal suture maturation by Fernanda Angelieri is valid among the Indian population. During treatment plan of maxillary expansion among children above 10 years, it is better to have a diagnostic CBCT image analysis of mid-palate suture for predicable prognosis.


Background and purpose: Comparable, standardised data on the quality and efficiency of stroke care in Germany are lacking. The Arbeitsgemeinschaft Deutscher Schlaganfall-Register (ADSR - German Stroke Registries Study Group) has defined a Minimum DataSet for the evaluation of quality indicators of stroke treatment in Germany. Methods: The ADSR is a voluntary network of current regional stroke registries aiming at a standardisation in the use of stroke terminology and methods of data collection for German stroke databases. Currently six regional stroke registries are cooperating in the ADSR, combining data from about 18000 stroke patients in 110 hospitals annually. Results: In the design of the ADSR DataSet a modular approach was chosen. The ADSR Minimum DataSet was adapted for a wide use in different health care facilities. In addition to the Minimum DataSet an Advanced DataSet will be developed to document additional items of stroke care in specialised stroke centres. The ADSR DataSet collection will be completed by special Extended DataSets, designed for answering centre-specific and research questions. Conclusion: The ADSR Minimum DataSet allows a standardised assessment of stroke care in Germany. It is the first questionnaire that provides valid and reliable comparisons between different clinical settings as well as regional stroke databases. The ADSR Minimum DataSet defines core items for a future National German Health Report on stroke care.


The recent emergence of the so called online social fitness constitutes a good proxy to study the patterns underlying success in sport. Through these platforms, users can collect, monitor and share with friends their sport performance, diet, and even burned calories, giving an unprecedented opportunity to answer very fascinating questions: What are the main factors that shape sport performance? What are the characteristics that distinguish successful sportsmen? Can we characterize the role of social influence on fitness behavior? In the current work, we present the results of a study conducted on a sample of 29, 284 cyclists downloaded via APIs from the social fitness platform Strava.com. We defined two basic metrics: a measure of training effort, that is how much a cyclist struggled during the workout, and a measure of training performance indicating the results achieved during the training. Analyzing the relationship between these two metrics, an interesting result immediately emerges: at a global level, there is no correlation between effort and performance. This means that, in general, the performance is not simply a function of training: two athletes with the same level of training have different performance. However, by deeply investigating workouts time evolution and cyclists' training characteristics, we found that athletes that better improve their performance follow precise training patterns usually referred as overcompensation theory, with alternation of stress peaks and rest periods. Studies and experiments related to such theory, up to now, have always been conducted by sports doctors on a few dozen professionals athletes. To the best of our knowledge, our study is the first corroboration on large scale of this theory, mainly confirming that "engine matters", but tuning is fundamental.


The direct detection of low-mass planets in the habitable zone of nearby stars is an important science case for future E-ELT instruments such as the mid-infrared imager and spectrograph METIS, which features vortex phase masks and apodizing phase plates (APP) in its baseline design. In this work, we present end-to-end performance simulations, using Fourier propagation, of several METIS coronagraphic modes, including focal-plane vortex phase masks and pupil-plane apodizing phase plates, for the centrally obscured, segmented E-ELT pupil. The atmosphere and the AO contributions are taken into account. Hybrid coronagraphs combining the advantages of vortex phase masks and APPs are considered to improve the METIS coronagraphic performance.


Background/Aim Up to 30% of all patients will present with an advanced or a metastatic stage (mUCC) at the moment of the initial diagnosis of urothelial cell carcinoma of the bladder (UCC). We investigated the numbers, the efficacy and toxicity of different chemotherapies for mUCC in daily practice and "real-life" conditions and evaluated them substance-specifically. Patients and Methods All patients with a mUCC, who were treated between January 1, 2006 and October 31, 2016 at the Department of Urology and Pediatric Urology at University Hospital Marburg (Germany), were retrospectively analyzed. We set the focus on demographic and tumor-specific data as well as on effectiveness, therapy sequences, and drug tolerance. Results Forty-one patients were identified. Of the 41 patients, 85.4% of the patients in first-line therapy received gemcitabine/cisplatin. A large proportion of 85.4% received a second-line therapy and 40% a third-line therapy due to progress or relapse. Median overall survival (mOS) was 18 months including all patients and increased up to 29.5 months in the cases of three therapy lines. Conclusion Our data reveal that chemotherapy of mUCC is effective and side effects are manageable in daily clinical practice.


The distributed-memory parallel computer has become the most popular platform for the parallel acceleration of numerical simulations in scientific computing area. However, complex system characteristics and large-scale time-varying data produced on such environment present tremendous challenges for convenient data analyzing. A visualization system framework is introduced in this paper, which can be easily used to visual analyze the remote simulations. It utilizes a hybrid computational coupling strategy adapting to the parallel computing environment flexibly without disturbing the simulation code structures. Experimental results show the proposed framework can provide good interactivity during steering remote parallel simulations.


Currently implementing machine learning using the D-Wave system for image processing is challenged by the limited number of qubits available. A commonly used neural network method on the D-Wave is the Restricted Boltzmann Machine (RBM) as it uses an energy-based model that is consistent with the D-Wave, whereby the D-Wave acts as a physical Boltzmann machine. However, there has been limited practical application of RBMs for use in image generation due to the limited number of qubits and due to the binary output returned from the D-Wave. Deep autoencoders are trained to take image inputs, compress the input using a bottleneck in the network, and take the compressed data back to the original input size. We show how to use a stacked autoencoder to compress MNIST digits from a size of 28 x 28 to a size of 7 x 7 and to translate from the binary representation back to a grayscale representation consistent with the original 28 x 28 MNIST digits. We first train the stacked autoencoder to compress and translate MNIST digits into 7 x 7 binary digits. We train our RBM on the D-Wave using the compressed, normalized weights from the encoder. We then sample from the D-Wave and show how these samples when decoded with our stacked autoencoder recover MNIST digits to a size of 28 x 28.


Purpose – Whilst everyday consumption, such as of cosmetics, creates meanings for our being-in-the-world, these meanings appear to be easily over-looked and conceal untapped significance from the experiencing individuals. This study addresses this opportunity for exploring selves in daily transformation, studying cosmetics consumption across key developmental phases of everyday life. Design/methodology/approach – Phenomenological interviews were employed to investigate individuals' feelings, perceptions and experiences of cosmetics consumption. An iterative process of hermeneutical interpretation was adopted to identify the constellation of past-present-future relations that have underscored the individuals' intentions, motives and purposes. Findings – This chapter highlights the intricacies of how the self changes on a daily basis. We illustrate how consumers use cosmetic consumption, at a transformational level, to create, redefine and defend aspects of the self and, strategically, to manipulate and even attack others. Research limitations/implications – Beyond cosmetics consumption, we provide 'food for thought' on this very complicated subject-how does mundane consumption potentially address issues of sense of self, and vice versa? Originality/value – The study highlights an individual's challenges in defining the self and how cosmetics function as a coping mechanism, responding to changes occurring at varying stages of life.


SUMMARY: 'Lucerne' auxotrophs of Verticillium albo-atrum produced by ultraviolet irradiation and derived from the same parental strain formed heterokaryons on minimal agar 4-5 weeks after inoculation. A degree of heterokaryon incompatibility was shown between auxotrophs derived from different isolates of V. albo-atrum and one of V. dahliae. Conidial methods of heterokaryon synthesis failed but transference of agar inocula from complete medium agar cultures to minimal medium agar was successful. Conidia were uni-nucleate and nuclear migration subsequent to germ-tube fusion was observed. Heterokaryons grew slowly and were unstable, but by using di-auxotrophs a greater stability was achieved and a number were subcultured successfully for more than a year. Spore analysis yielded colonies of both parental types with various ratios. A heterokaryon test between a hyaline and normal dark auxotroph of V. albo-atrum indicated that an important system controlling morphogenesis might be linked with a cytoplasmic factor. A hypothesis is proposed to account for the production and degree of stability of the hyaeine variants.


Foreword. Preface. Acknowledgements. Abbreviations. All about resuscitation. Airway, acid base and ventilation. Cardiac care. Renal dysfunction. Liver dysfunction. Neurology assessment and management. Fluids and nutrition. Blood and electrolytes, normal values and transfusion. Drugs inotropes and infusions. Handy hints for various conditions. Principles of safe transport. Death of a child. Child development. Quick reference to syndromes. Index.


The UK Government's workplace pension reforms introduce major changes to the way in which employees save for retirement. Eligible employees will be automatically enrolled into a workplace-based pension scheme and, for the first time in the UK, employers will be legally required to contribute to employees' pensions. This article critically examines the evidence from New Zealand and Australia, two countries that have undergone pension reforms similar in some ways to the UK reforms. We assess what we can learn from their experiences in two areas: firstly, how pension schemes are structured and, secondly, the outcomes for individuals. The evidence highlights the potential of automatic enrolment to overcome people's disinterest in pension saving. At the same time, relatively few UK employees are likely to choose where their pension savings are invested. As a result, default funds will play an important role in determining the pension outcomes for individuals.


At the end of every fiscal year, US government agencies spend large sums of their budgets in a potentially wasteful manner. These year-end spending surges are described by the "use it or lose it" phenomenon, which is driven by a fear that leftover resources will prompt future budget cuts. Every year the media documents examples of wasteful year-end spending, but there has been little empirical research on the phenomenon. This paper examines existing literature on the prevalence, consequences, wastefulness, and causes of year-end spending surges. It reviews previous efforts to examine year-end spending and, using publicly available data, analyzes whether the quality of year-end spending is lower than spending at other points during the year. The paper does not find obvious indicators that year-end spending quality is worse than other spending. Future studies may be able to find more definitive evidence, given further data availability or different methodologies.


Author(s): Chien, YuChien | Advisor(s): Dunn-Rankin, Derek | Abstract: This dissertation examines the use of electric fields as one mechanism for controlling combustion as flames are partially extinguished when impinging on nearby surfaces. Electrical aspects of flames, specifically, the production of chemi-ions in hydrocarbon flames and the use of convective flows driven by these ions, have been investigated in a wide range of applications in prior work but despite this fairly comprehensive effort to study electrical aspects of combustion, relatively little research has focused on electrical phenomena near flame extinguishment, nor for flames near impingement surfaces. Electrical impinging flames have complex properties under global influences of ion-driven winds and flow field disturbances from the impingement surface. Challenges of measurements when an electric field is applied in the system have limited an understanding of changes to the flame behavior and species concentrations caused by the field. This research initially characterizes the ability of high voltage power supplies to respond on sufficiently short time scales to permit real time electrical flame actuation. The study then characterizes the influence of an electric field on the impinging flame shape, ion current and flow field of the thermal plume associated with the flame. The more significant further examinations can be separated into two parts: 1) the potential for using electric fields to control the release of carbon monoxide (CO) from surface-impinging flames, and 2) an investigation of controlling electrically the heat transfer to a plate on which the flame impinges. Carbon monoxide (CO) results from the incomplete oxidation of hydrocarbon fuels and, while CO can be desirable in some syngas processes, it is usually a dangerous emission from forest fires, gas heaters, gas stoves, or furnaces where insufficient oxygen in the core reaction does not fully oxidize the fuel to carbon dioxide and water. Determining how carbon monoxide is released and how heat transfer from the flame to the plate can be controlled using the electric field are the two main goals of this research. Multiple diagnostic techniques are employed such as OH chemiluminescence to identify the reaction zone, OH PLIF to characterize the location of this radical species, CO released from the flame, IR imaging and OH PLIF thermometry to understand the surface and gas temperature distribution, respectively. The principal finding is that carbon monoxide release from an impinging diffusion flame results from the escape of carbon monoxide created on the fuel side of the flame along the boundary layer near the surface where it avoids oxidation by OH, which sits to the air side of the reaction sheet interface. In addition, the plate proximity to the flame has a stronger influence on the emission of toxic carbon monoxide than does the electric field strength. There is, however, a narrow region of burner to surface distance where the electric field is most effective. The results also show that heat transfer can be spatially concentrated effectively using an electric field driven ion wind, particularly at some burner to surface distances.


The report makes an in depth analysis of what to expect of future urban population growth in cities across India. Cities play a critical role in India's development. While its one billion-plus population is predominantly rural, over 300 million people live in urban areas. One-third of this population lives in 35 urban agglomerations or cities exceeding one million. Cities' governments are responsible for delivering various public services, yet severe infrastructures shortages in water supply and sanitation, roads, transportation, housing and waste management, and inefficient management have resulted in poor quality services. These inadequate services and worsening environmental conditions affect the poor. Between 1950 and 2000 India's urban population increased from 62 to 288 million. Already strained to provide services and quality of life to existing urban residents, cities will face tremendous challenges in expanding existing infrastructure and avoiding deterioration of living standards due to congestion, pollution, and lack of basic services. A doubling of the population over 30 years means that by 2030 there will be a second Mumbai, a second Calcutta, and a second Bangalore that must be fed, supplied with water, sanitation, electricity, give public and private transportation options; and where garbage must be disposed of. The report concludes by laying out a series of state and local actions over the short-medium and long-term to enhance fiscal sustainability and strengthening institutional capacity building of state and local governments.


The analysis of indicators that reflect changes in the social, economic and political spheres in recent years has shown their significant deterioration and the possibility of growing social tensions in the regions of Ukraine. The purpose of the study is to classify the regions of Ukraine according to the level of formation of social tensions and to determine anticipative measures aimed at preventing the creation of crisis situations. The article proposes a methodical approach to the classification of regions using the methods of cluster, discriminant analysis and analysis of variance according to the level of social tension, which includes two main stages: substantiation of the system of socio-economic indicators characterizing the level of social tension; selection and substantiation of models of classification of the regions. Within the first stage of the methodical approach the system of indicators which reflect changes in social, economic and political spheres of Ukraine in modern transformational conditions was constructed. Within the framework of the second stage of the methodical approach on the basis of cluster analysis the classification of regions according to the level of formation of social tension was carried out. The classes of regions were selected: with a low level of formation of social tension; with an intensified level of formation of social tension; with a high level of formation of social tension. The results of the study showed that the number of regions in the class with a high level of social tension is constantly growing and, unfortunately, the number of regions with high socio-economic development is decreasing. The classification of regions made it possible to determine the list of preventive measures that can reduce the losses of the state associated with the containment of possible crises in the social sphere. However, the article also states that such a list of activities should take into account the specifics of the region that is part of each class


The locally linear embedding (LLE) is improved by introducing multiple linearly independent local weight vectors for each neighborhood. We characterize the reconstruction weights and show the existence of the linearly independent weight vectors at each neighborhood. The modified locally linear embedding (MLLE) proposed in this paper is much stable. It can retrieve the ideal embedding if MLLE is applied on data points sampled from an isometric manifold. MLLE is also compared with the local tangent space alignment (LTSA). Numerical examples are given that show the improvement and efficiency of MLLE.


new world of marketing is constantly evolving and under these conditions, managers of modern companies are acting through training to adapt and manage the changes that take place in the digital world.
Under the new conditions of the digital economy, company trainers are working to train managers and marketers in order to adapt to the demands of modern, highly complex businesses that evolve at a faster rate. Consequently, they act in line with the revolutions in both manufacturing and software industries when new digital marketing strategies are introduced.
Therefore, the instrumentation of Agile methodology in digital marketing will eventually lead to adequate business dynamics, as well as to an expected cost reduction within the companies, according to their missions and business goals.
Furthermore, in the era of digital marketing, the company managers emphasize the continued professional development of the staff, in order to capitalize on the opportunities offered by embedded digital environments in a constantly evolving and transforming world.
The need for educational and training actions for the digital marketing companies' staff involves the development of specific strategies centered on the acquisition of new skills by staff members for the use of new technologies appropriate to modern marketing processes in the digital economy.
Therefore, the education and training mentioned above are intended to enable the effective integration of the digital channels into appropriate marketing activities, which is considered a major challenge for most of the companies.
To this end, training is about implementing some digital transformation programs in order to eliminate errors and nonconformities. In this respect, it starts from the elaboration of the integrated collaborative planning, at the level of each company, in order to perform the efficient digital marketing campaigns.
Through this communication, we will try to highlight the increasing intentions of companies to enhance the training of their digital marketing staff, in order to connect them with current and potential consumers, quickly and efficiently, for the increased capitalization and continued development of their business potential.


In this dissertation, the effects of radiation (gamma, neutron or mixed gamma and neutron) on optical fiber sensors are studied and new techniques for real-time measurement of radiation-induced macroscopic changes in optical fibers are presented. It is crucial among the research and development efforts in the nuclear energy field to conduct experiments in Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) to support lifetime extension, novel fuels and materials development, better fuel management, and enhanced safety of existing as well as future nuclear power plants (NPP). Due to their unparalleled and unique advantages over traditional sensors, optical fiber sensors are deemed potential candidates for their use in nuclear environments. However, optical fibers are susceptible to high levels of ionizing radiation emitted by fission reactors which are characterized by the highest levels of gamma dose, high flux of neutrons and potentially high temperatures depending on location in a reactor core. It is essential to accurately determine the information related to physical parameters such as temperature, pressure, and strain in nuclear environments for the safety of the existing and future NPPs.
 This dissertation starts with inverting a transmission mode long period grating (LPG) to reflection mode using a novel and cost-effective metal coating method since transmission mode LPG limits it applications in tight spaces or in nuclear fields. To understand the metal coating and metal coverage effects on the reflection spectrum of LPG, modeling work was performed, and it was validated by experimental work. We have shown that the sensitivity of LPGs to physical parameters in both transmission and reflection modes are almost the same.
 Next, we have modeled the radiation effects on different fiber optic sensors, proposed empirical models, and performed numerical analysis to understand the effects of nuclear environments on fiber optic sensors. We analyzed the real-time data from fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) exposed to high neutron fluence and high temperature environments within the ATR at Idaho National Laboratory (INL). We have found that incoming radiation significantly drifts the characteristic signal of FBGs, leading to a temperature measurement error when FBGs are dedicated to temperature sensing. It is well known that neutron and gamma irradiation compacts silica optical fibers, resulting in a macroscopic change in the refractive index (RI) and geometric structure. The change in RI and linear compaction in a radiation environment is caused by three well-known mechanisms: (1) radiation induced attenuation (RIA), (2) radiation induced compaction (RIC), and (3) radiation induced emission (RIE). While RIA degrades the signal strength by creating different types of color centers in the silica fiber, RIC alters the density, and hence RI by displacing the host material atoms. However, Kramers-Kronig relation states that absorption, and hence the RIA, also modifies the RI of the silica fiber. Apart from RIA and RIC, other phenomena such as temperature, dose rate, stress relaxation, and dopant compositions exchange may change the RI. To overcome these problems, we have proposed an effective technique to measure the change in RI and compaction of optical fiber due to any specific phenomena the fiber is subjected to, including RIC, RIA, dopant diffusion, temperatures, dose, dose rate, etc. By knowing the individual contribution of RI and fiber length to the signal drift, it is possible to reduce the radiation induced signal drift in optical fiber sensors and provide accurate information regarding the temperature inside a radiation environment.
 Fission gas detection in nuclear environments is another important aspect that needs to be focused on. Pressure induced by fission gases during irradiation may lead to loss of coolant accident (LOCA), which can cause severe damage to the NPPs. We have modeled and fabricated optical fiber-based sensors to enable real-time monitoring of fission gases, which allows understanding the implications of fission gas release during an accident, important for safe and high performance.


The application of impedance control strategies to modern legged locomotion is analyzed, paying special attention to the concepts behind its implementation which is not straightforward. In order to implement a functional impedance controller for a walking mechanism, the concepts of contact, impact, friction, and impedance have to be merged together. A literature review and a comprehensive analysis are presented compiling all these concepts along with a discussion on position-based versus force-based impedance control approaches, and a theoretical model of a robotic leg in contact with its environment is introduced. A theoretical control scheme for the legs of a general legged robot is also introduced, and some simulations results are presented.


The ability of the cold-water coral Lophelia per- tusa to exploit different food sources was investigated under standardized conditions in a flume. The tested food sources, dissolved organic matter (DOM, added as dissolved free amino acids), bacteria, algae, and zooplankton (Artemia) were deliberately enriched in 13 C and 15 N. The incorpora- tion of 13 C and 15 N was traced into bulk tissue, fatty acids, hydrolysable amino acids, and the skeleton ( 13 C only) of L. pertusa. Incorporation rates of carbon (ranging from 0.8- 2.4 µg C g 1 DW d 1 ) and nitrogen (0.2-0.8 µg N g 1 DW d 1 ) into coral tissue did not differ significantly among food sources indicating an opportunistic feeding strategy. Although total food assimilation was comparable among sources, subsequent food processing was dependent on the type of food source ingested and recovery of assimilated C in tissue compounds ranged from 17 % (algae) to 35 % (Artemia). De novo synthesis of individual fatty acids by L. pertusa occurred in all treatments as indicated by the 13 C enrichment of individual phospholipid-derived fatty acids (PLFAs) in the coral that were absent in the added food sources. This indicates that the coral might be less dependent on its diet as a source of specific fatty acids than expected, with direct consequences for the interpretation of in situ ob- servations on coral nutrition based on lipid profiles.


Lake Kivu is a meromictic lake in East Africa with enormous amounts of dissolved methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2) in its deep waters and surprisingly low CH4 in the surface waters. We applied 454 pyrosequencing of 16S rRNA gene fragments to study the bacterial and archaeal community compositions (BCC and ACC, respectively) to provide insight into the ecology of the microbes in Lake Kivu. The vertical distribution of electron donors and acceptors in the chemically stratified water column may be responsible for the stratified distribution of microbial populations, suggesting well-defined functional specialization. The highest microbial richness was detected in the anoxic zone, which hosted high percentages of bacterial sequences related to uncultured and poorly described phyla. This suggests an under-representation of anoxic environments in current databases and the presence of previously undescribed taxa. Microbial diversity is made up of 2 fractions: abundant species (e.g. Galand et al. 2009) and rare species. Abundant species were more stable than rare species over time. The detection of rare candidate divisions (e.g. OP3, WS3, GN02) co-occurring with sulphur-oxidising Epsilonproteobacteria, sulphate-reducing Deltaproteobacteria, hydrogen-oxidising Dehalococcoidetes and methanogens might indicate interactions in the carbon and sulphur cycles in the anoxic waters.


This thesis presents an empirical research that aims to explore insight generation in discrete-event simulation (DES) studies. It is often claimed that simulation is useful for generating insights. There is, however, almost no empirical evidence to support this claim. The factors of a simulation intervention that affect the occurrence of insight are not clear. A specific claim is that watching the animated display of a simulation model is more helpful in making better decisions than relying on the statistical outcomes generated from simulation runs; but again, there is very limited evidence to support this.
To address this dearth of evidence, two studies are implemented: a quantitative and a qualitative study. In the former, a laboratory-based experimental study is used, where undergraduate students were placed in three separate groups and given a task to solve using a model with only animation, a model with only statistical results, or using no model at all. In the qualitative study, semi-structured interviews with simulation consultants were carried out, where participants were requested to account examples of projects in which clients change their problem understanding and generate more effective ideas.
The two separated parts of the study found different types of evidence to support that simulation generates insight. The experimental study suggests that insights are generated more rapidly from statistical results than the use of animation. Research outcomes from the interviews include descriptions of: the phase of a simulation study where insight emerges; the role of different methods applied and means used in discovering and overcoming discontinuity in thinking (for instance, the role of consultant s influence in problem understanding); how some factors of a simulation intervention are associated with the processes of uncovering and overcoming discontinuity in thinking (for example, the role of clients team in the selection of methods used to communicate results); and the role of the model and consultant in generating new ideas.
This thesis contributes to the limited existing literature by providing a more in depth understanding of insight in the context of simulation and empirical evidence on the insight-enabling benefits of simulation based on an operational definition. The findings of the study provide new insights into the factors of simulation that support fast and creative problem solving.


To the Editor: We read with interest the recent review article by Nigrovic (1) describing the uniqueness of systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) among the different subtypes of JIA, because it is characterized by systemic features during the initial phase and severe articular signs during the later phase of disease. As discussed by Nigrovic, there is increasing evidence that initiating cytokine blockade early during the systemic phase might alter disease pathophysiology to avoid chronic inflammation and even the arthritic manifestations of systemic JIA. The umbrella-term "JIA" still identifies a heterogeneous group of inflammatory joint diseases. In particular, according to the International League of Associations for Rheumatology classification (2), JIA refers to all forms of arthritides of unknown etiology beginning before age 16 years and persisting for at least 6 weeks, supposing that all other known causes of arthritis have been ruled out. The results of previous studies have indicated that systemic JIA is associated with abnormalities of the innate immune system rather than the classic autoimmune system, because neither autoantibodies nor strong HLA genetic associations can be demonstrated (3). Indeed, systemic JIA does not behave as an articular disease, and many investigators have shown how its manifestations closely mimic those of autoinflammatory syndromes, with an exaggerated innate immune response leading to recurrent sterile inflammation, phagocyte activation, and oversecretion of proinflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-1 (IL-1 ), in synergy with endogenous Toll-like receptor ligands, resulting in significant long-term morbidity (4). Although many investigators agree that the systemic inflammation in systemic JIA is driven mostly by up-regulated innate immune pathways, including IL-1, it remains unestablished whether this is attributable to intrinsic abnormalities in caspase 1 activation or environmental triggers. Pascual et al (5) showed that different innate immunity genes were overworking in patients with active systemic JIA. Moreover, different studies have also revealed the dramatic impact of IL-1 blockade, in the form of either the IL-1 receptor antagonist anakinra or the anti–IL-1 blocker canakinumab, in the induction of clinical remission in a substantial subset of patients with systemic JIA. Although we believe that reconsidering the nomenclature of JIA should be approached with caution and global consensus, the newer insights into the pathogenesis and treatment of systemic JIA suggest that this disorder should be drawn away from the group of juvenile arthritides and definitely included in the group of acquired autoinflammatory syndromes, which day after day continues to enlarge and includes nonhereditary periodic fever syndromes, vascular diseases, and metabolic diseases.


OBJECTIVE
Churg-Strauss syndrome is a rare multisystem vasculitis of unknown aetiology. Due to the rarity of the disease, few single-centre case series have been described. The aim of this study was to evaluate a small series from a single Italian centre in order to describe the clinical features of the disease, the treatment and long-term follow-up.

METHODS
Nineteen Churg-Strauss syndrome patients were selected from the medical records of all vasculitis patients attending the Immunology Unit at the Department of Internal Medicine of the University of Pisa in the decade between 1989 and 2000. Data were obtained retrospectively.

RESULTS
All the patients had asthma and hypereosinophilia. As in other case series, the lungs, skin and peripheral nervous system were the most commonly involved organs. The majority of our patient received i.v. pulses of methylprednisolone followed by i.v. pulses of cyclophosphamide. The outcome and long-term follow-up were good. There were no fatalities observed in this series during the follow-up period.

CONCLUSIONS
Churg-Strauss syndrome is a systemic vasculitis occurring in patients with a history of asthma and allergic rhinitis. The positive results of the treatment protocol used in this preliminary study deserve to be tested in controlled multicentre studies.


School adjustment determines long-term adjustment in society. Yet, immigrant youth do better in some countries than in others. Drawing on acculturation research (Berry, 1997; Ward, 2001) and self-determination theory (Ryan and Deci, 2000), we investigated indirect effects of adolescent immigrants' acculturation orientations on school adjustment (school-related attitudes, truancy, and mathematics achievement) through school belonging. Analyses were based on data from the Programme for International Student Assessment from six European countries, which were combined into three clusters based on their migrant integration and multicultural policies: Those with the most supportive policies (Belgium and Finland), those with moderately supportive policies (Italy and Portugal), and those with the most unsupportive policies (Denmark and Slovenia). In a multigroup path model, we confirmed most associations. As expected, mainstream orientation predicted higher belonging and better outcomes in all clusters, whereas the added value of students' ethnic orientation was only observed in some clusters. Results are discussed in terms of differences in acculturative climate and policies between countries of settlement.


ABSTRACT Introduction: Depressive symptoms are a major drawback of aphasia, negatively impacting on functional outcomes. In a previous study, Intensive Language-Action Therapy (ILAT) was effective in improving depression and low mood in persons with chronic non-fluent aphasia. We present a proof-of-concept case–control study that evaluates language and mood outcomes amongst persons with fluent post-stroke aphasia. Participants: Thirteen Spanish speaking persons with fluent aphasia due to chronic stroke lesions in the left hemisphere participated in the study. Intervention: Five participants (intervention group) received ILAT for 3 h/day during two consecutive weeks, for an overall of 30 h, and 8 participants (control group) entered a waiting-list no-treatment arm. Results: The main finding was that participants receiving active treatment showed significant improvements on depression and aphasia severity scores, whereas no significant changes were found in the control group. Conclusions: The implementation of ILAT was efficient in improving clinical language deficits in people with fluent aphasia and contributes to improvement in mood after therapy. Trial registration: EUDRACT (2008-008481-12)


Managing plastics has become a focal issue of the Anthropocene. Developments in plastic materials have made possible many of the technologies and conveniences that define our modern life. Yet, plastics are accumulating in landfills and natural environments, impacting resource utilization and ecosystem function. Solutions to these rising problems will require action and coordination across all stages of plastics value chains. Here, we offer the first contemporary plastics material flow by resin type through the US economy, encompassing 2017 production, sales, use markets and end-of-life management. This roadmap, while sourced from disparate and incomplete data, provides stakeholders with a system-scale context for understanding challenges, opportunities and implications of future interventions. More than three-quarters of the plastics reaching end of life went to landfill, and less than 8% was recycled. Packaging was the largest defined use market for plastics, but two thirds of the plastic put into use in 2017 went into other markets, including consumer products, electronics, buildings and transportation. In nearly all uses, increased coordination between material and product innovation and design and end-of-life recovery and recycling are needed. Alignment of technology, policy and market drivers will be necessary to reduce plastic waste and improve the circularity of plastic materials.


Inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) have had an interesting and evolving course in regard to their use in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). They have moved from not being on the menu at all in the 1970s, trialled with great hope in the 1980s, widespread adoption in the 1990s, before falling under a shadow in the 2000s because of concerns over increased risk of pneumonia. However, the place of ICS in the management of COPD is now the subject of renewed interest. Although the initial ICS COPD trials that assessed rate of decline in lung function by measuring forced expiratory volume in 1 second as the primary outcome measure were negative, manufacturers persisted in looking for a role for ICS in COPD. Their efforts paid off with trials of ICS in …


Objectives: To evaluate the significance of changes in umbilical artery (UA) and middle cerebral artery (MCA) pulsatility index (PI) in fetuses with congenital heart disease (CHD) of septal defect. Methods: Umbilical artery (UA) and middle cerebral artery (MCA) pulsatility index (PI) were retrospectively analyzed in 82 fetuses with CHD, including 25 cases of ECD, 51 cases of VSD and 6 cases of ASD. The control group comprised 660 healthy gestational agematched fetuses. Individual PI measurements were converted into Z-scores for statistical analysis. Results: When compared to controls, fetuses with ECD, VSD and all CHD had an increased UA-PI (P < 0.05), but fetuses with ASD have no significant difference (P > 0.05). There was no significant difference in the MCA-PI between fetuses with ECD, VSD, ASD, all CHD and controls (P > 0.05). Conclusions: Fetuses with CHD of septal defect might have an increased UA-PI, without remarkable change in MCA-PI.


A novel human-machine interface using wearable sensors is presented. Fingernail sensors that detect touch forces at the fingertip are used as a means to acquire human intentions of pressing buttons and switches. The sensor is worn on the fingernail (and looks like an ornamental fingernail). Combined with a magnetic tracker detecting the position of the human hand, it identifies which switch the human wishes to push and when the switch has been pushed. This allows traditional physical switches, embedded in a wall, control panel, etc., to be replaced by "virtual switches" that contain no electrical circuits or mechanical parts, but are merely pictures showing the location of the switch. In the virtual switch system, the location and functionality of switches are determined by software and can thereby be changed flexibly depending on the progress of task performance, environmental conditions, and context. The virtual switch method is combined with a "hyper manual" that stores task-procedure and operational information on a computer. Monitoring the human task performance allows the digital hyper manual to better guide the human, detect errors, and provide a safer environment.


The article highlights a possible occurrence of neurogenic pulmonary oedema (NPO), describing the current theories of its aetiology within the context of widespread central nervous system (CNS) disorders, with a particular focus on those most commonly associated with NPO and sudden unexpected deaths. Due to its often rapid onset, paramedics may be the first medical professionals exposed to the condition when assessing a patient, yet the prevalence of under-recognition and/or anticipation of NPO, the lack of understanding of its aetiology, and the ambiguities in relation to differential diagnoses may delay or prohibit treatment. It is recommended, therefore, that consideration of NPO is incorporated into standard clinical CNS assessment and subsequent airway management decisions. Potential paramedic pharmacological interventions are discussed, although currently not indicated for use in NPO.


The European Union is facing the worst existential crisis in its history. At the same time, it is confronted with old and new challenges in its environment that call for joint action. But how do matters stand with the EU's capacity to act? Does the EU manage to effectively combine the different components of its external relations -- such as trade, development aid, and security policy -- better than it did in the past? How is the EU's external action determined by the internal socio-economic and political crises in its member states? These questions and more are answered in Global Europe in the context of the current impasse in the integration process. A clear analysis of the history of the EU's external relations up to now provides us with a better insight into the feasibility of EU strategies directed at the outside world.


Tourism is regional authority era is a crucial section for the region in its
contribution to the original income. For boyolali regency tourism is a section that
gives a great contribution, because Boyolali owred several interesting tourism object,
one of it is Pengging. Pengging is tourism object that has more than has more than
are object of attraction , therefore thre are still obsctudes to develop. It is mainly on
developing and maintainance that hasn't been don't optimally . this study is directed
to describe development of Pengging Tourism Object that is done by Tourism and
Culture Deparment Boyolali Method used in this study descriptive qualitative method. The data source is
obtained by doing interview with informant and files or document related with the
study. The obtaining the sample uses purposive sampling and snowball sampling.
Purposive sampling was used when the writer determined the informant that is the
DISPARBUD official in Boyolali. Snowball sampling was used to determine who is
the next informant who has information about the object of the study after the
DISPARBUD official in Boyolali. The technique in obtaining the data is by doing
interview , observation and document study . the validity of the data used in this
study is data triangulation method. The data analysis used in the study is interactive
analysis data model
The result of the study thas awas done by tourism and culture department Boyolali ,
regency can be seen that tourism and culture Department Boyolali has carried out
several activities based on SWOT analysis 2006-2010 budget years as a strategy of
developing infrastructure, promotion and marketing development , cooperation
strategy in tourism section, human resources quality developing strategy an
empowering society strategi Based on the result of the study can also be known the obstacles in
implementing tourism and culture department strategy in developing tourism object
in pengging. That is limitation of the budget, the limitation of infractructure, the lack
of human sourse available the investation is low and the sfule holdy suppart is also
low.


Decisions regarding strategic software process improvement (SPI) are generally based on the management's viewpoint of the situation, and in some cases also the viewpoints of some kind of an SPI group. This may result in strategies which are not accepted throughout the organisation, as the views of how the process is functioning are different throughout the company. A method for identifying the major factors affecting a process-improvement goal and how the perception of the importance of the factors varies throughout the organisation are described The method lets individuals from the whole development organisation rate the expected effect of these factors from their own viewpoint. In this way the strategic SPI decision can be taken using input from the entire organisation, and any discrepancies in the ratings can also give important SPI-decision information. The method is applied to a case study performed at Fuji Xerox, Tokyo. In the case study, significantly different profiles of the factor ratings came from management compared with those from the engineering staff. This result can be used to support the strategy decision as such, but also to anchor the decision in the organisation.


This chapter introduces buckwheat as a possible raw material for the production of designed foods. It includes the description of common buckwheat as a source of basic nutrients for food production and gives specificities of buckwheat as a source of biologically active substances. Processed buckwheat seeds are important from the point of view of rational nutrition as a source of energy, carbohydrates, fibre, proteins, lipids, vitamins, and minerals. Buckwheat has also other nutritional advantages, especially the interesting content of polyphenolic compounds: phenolic acids, flavonoids, especially rutin, which are characterised by high antioxidant activity. This chapter describes how buckwheat can be processed into food products and discusses the results of the application of buckwheat to bread and pasta. Moreover, it includes the results of the clinical study. Based on the identified technological and sensory properties of bread products obtained during the baking experiment, the chapter summarises recommendations on the suitable added amount of buckwheat to get satisfactory results. Concerning pasta from buckwheat, it had very good technological, nutritional, and sensory qualities. The chapter concludes that, on the basis of findings, buckwheat is a raw material suitable for the production of designed foods.


Purpose To evaluate the utilization of scleral lenses and prosthetic replacement of the ocular surface ecosystem devices (SL/PDs) in the management of ocular graft-versus-host disease (oGVHD). Patients and Methods A survey of 15 questions was sent via email to 6032 subjects registered with the Blood and Marrow Transplant Information Network. The survey reviewed transplant history, graft-versus-host disease history, as well as oGVHD symptoms and onset. Additional questions surveyed treatments used for oGVHD, as well as the degree of ocular symptom control and experience with SL/PDs. A total of 306 respondents met the eligibility requirements to be part of the analyzed cohort. Results The mean number of symptoms reported from the analyzed cohort was 4.79 ± 2.44, median (IQR) of 5.0 (3.0 to 7.0), with the most common symptom being gritty, dry eyes (87%). The mean number of treatments utilized across the analyzed cohort was 3.21 ± 2.55, median (IQR) of 2.5 (1.0 to 5.0), with the most common treatment being artificial tears (86%). Wearing scleral lenses resulted in a mean of 5.42 ± 1.86, median (IQR) of 6.0 (4.0 to 7.0) symptoms improving, with improved dryness/grittiness of the eyes (94%), improved eye pain (92%) and improved quality of life (89%) being the most commonly improved symptoms. Fifty-six percent of those wearing scleral lenses wished the lenses had been recommended sooner. The most common reason patients cited for not wearing scleral lenses was that they had never heard of them (63%). Conclusion SL/PDs help to control the symptoms of oGVHD. With their use, clinicians are able to improve the quality of life of this patient population. Despite the known benefits, SL/PDs still remain underutilized in oGVHD care. A majority of current SL/PD wearers wish that they had been recommended sooner as a treatment option. SL/PDs should be considered a component of comprehensive oGVHD management.


With the advent of GaN as the major material system in the solid-state lighting industry — high power, high brightness LEDs with wavelength ranging from near UV to white are getting fabricated and part of a tremendously large and ever-increasing market. However, device self-heating and environment temperature significantly deteriorates the LED's optical performance. Hence, it is extremely important to quantify the device self-heating and its impact on optical performance. In this work, three different characterization techniques were used to calculate temperature rise due to self-heating for an InGaN/GaN LED with 5 pairs of multiple quantum wells. The impact of self-heating and increased environment temperature on the device optical performance were also studied. Nanoparticle assisted Raman thermometry was used for the first time to measure the LED mesa surface temperature. The temperature measured using this technique was compared with temperature data obtained by using the forward voltage method and infrared (IR) thermography. The IR and Raman measurement results were in close agreement while the temperature data obtained from forward voltage method underestimated the temperature by 510%. It was also observed that due to environment temperature increase from 25°C to 100°C, LED optical power output drops by 12%.


As the analytical capabilities and applications of e-business systems expand, providing real-time access to critical business performance indicators to improve the speed and effectiveness of business operations has become crucial. The monitoring of business activities requires focused, yet incremental enterprise application integration (EAI) efforts and balancing information requirements in real-time with historical perspectives. The decision-making process in traditional data warehouse environments is often delayed because data cannot be propagated from the source system to the data warehouse in a timely manner. In this paper, we present an architecture for a container-based ETL (extraction, transformation, loading) environment, which supports a continual near real-time data integration with the aim of decreasing the time it takes to make business decisions and to attain minimized latency between the cause and effect of a business decision. Instead of using vendor proprietary ETL solutions, we use an ETL container for managing ETLets (pronounced "et-lets") for the ETL processing tasks. The architecture takes full advantage of existing J2EE (Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition) technology and enables the implementation of a distributed, scalable, near real-time ETL environment. We have fully implemented the proposed architecture. Furthermore, we compare the ETL container to alternative continuous data integration approaches.


anthropology and arts: Jane Belo herself, Katharane Mershon, Claire Holt, Gregory Bateson, Margaret Mead (who saw to the publication of the volume after the death of its editor), Colin McPhee, Beryl de Zoete, Walter Spies, and Theodora M. Abel. The only essay not to have been published before is Katharane Mershon's' Five great elementals, Panchd maha bntd '. This is a short descriptive article, consisting largely of a translation of a lontar manuscript, accomplished with the assistance of Dr. C. Hooykaas. Jane Belo's ' Introduction ' to the volume is also new, and chronicles the way in which she and the others came to the island and worked there. These essays are a remarkable historical monument. They preserve a Bali which one fears is rapidly being lost for ever. And they preserve, too, the profound love for the Balinese and their culture of a group of Westerners who in the 1930's found their own civilization in a troubled state and who sought explanation, solution, or escape in a tropical paradise.


Since the 1980s an extensive research literature has investigated how to improve student success in higher education focusing on student outcomes such as retention, completion and employability. A parallel research programme has focused on how students engage with their studies and what they, institutions and educators can do to enhance their engagement, and hence success. This article reports on two syntheses of research literature on student engagement and how this can be enhanced. It first synthesizes 93 research studies from ten countries to develop a conceptual organizer for student engagement that consists of four perspectives identified in the research: student motivation; transactions between teachers and students; institutional support; and engagement for active citizenship. Secondly, the article synthesizes findings from these perspectives as ten propositions for improving student engagement in higher education. It concludes by identifying some limitations with the conceptual organizer and one suggestion for developing a more integrated approach to student engagement.


Chemically modified nanopores show a strong and nontrivial coupling between ion current and the structure of the immobilized species. In this work we study theoretically the conductance and structure in polymer modified nanopores and explicitly address the problem of the coupling between ion transport and molecular organization. Our approach is based on a nonequilibrium molecular theory that couples ion conductivity with the conformational degrees of freedom of the polymer and the electrostatic and nonelectrostatic interactions among polyelectrolyte chains, ions, and solvent. We apply the theory to study a cylindrical nanopore between two reservoirs as a function of pore diameter and length, the length of the polyelectrolyte chains, their grafting density, and whether they are present or not on the outer reservoir walls. In the very low applied potential regime, where the distribution of polyelectrolyte and ions is similar to that in equilibrium, we present a simple analytical model based on the combination of the different resistances in the system that describes the conductance in excellent agreement with the calculations of the full nonequilibrium molecular theory. On the other hand, for a large applied potential bias, the theory predicts a dramatic reorganization of the polyelectrolyte chains and the ions. This reorganization results from the global optimization of the different interactions in the system under nonequilibrium conditions. For nanopores modified with long chains, this reorganization leads to two interesting physical phenomena: (i) control of polyelectrolyte morphology by the direction and magnitude of ion-fluxes and (ii) an unexpected decrease in system resistance with the applied potential bias for long chains due to the coupling between polyelectrolyte segment distribution and ion currents.


Author(s): Cipani, Alessandra | Advisor(s): Geraghty, Cathleen A | Abstract: This study implemented performance feedback with paraeducators to increase the treatment integrity of behavior interventions. Treatment integrity, also known as treatment fidelity, refers to the extent to which an intervention is implemented as intended. Currently, performance feedback is the most research supported method for increasing treatment integrity in schools (Fallon, Collier-Meek, Maggin, Sanetti, a Johnson, 2015). Stemming from the organizational psychology literature, performance feedback is a tailored method of ongoing consultation in which a consultant collects data on the integrity of intervention components, as well as a target behavior of the student. By presenting the implementation data alongside student outcomes, the consultee is made aware of the functional relationship between their behavior and that of their students (Mortenson a Witt, 1998). This study targeted paraeducators, as they are becoming more commonly utilized when intervening with students with challenging behaviors (Giangreco, a Broer, 2005). Although they are tasked with this responsibility, paraeducators often do not receive adequate behavioral training and can struggle to implement individualized behavior plans (Giangreco, Hurley, a Suter, 2009). The goal of performance feedback is to provide a short-term intervention to increase both the skill level and the performance of the consultee (paraeducator). The purpose of this study was to determine if there is a functional relationship between performance feedback and treatment integrity of comprehensive behavior intervention plans. Three outcome variables were studied: treatment integrity, student noncompliance and student replacement behavior. Participants included four paraeducator student dyads. Performance feedback occurred once per week until the paraeducator reached 80% mastery across three occasions. Effect size analyses were used in addition to visual analyses. Results showed that a functional relationship between performance feedback and improved treatment integrity for all four participants. Student-level results included a small effect for noncompliance and no effect for replacement behavior. This study provides evidence for the use of performance feedback with paraeducators.


The main result is relative to the quotient of a manifold M by a closed discrete equivalence relation when the First homotopy group of M has no infinite order element. As a direct consequence of the main theorem, the existence and uniqueness of minimal realizations is proved for a class of C? completely controllable weakly observable systems. This extends : - some results of SUSSMANN availabie in the analytic or symetric cases. - some results of the authors obtained in the compact case.


The industrialization of cultural activities and the increasing weight of cultural industries are pushing researchers to reconsider the field of cultural activities in terms of «creative industries». In fact, cultural economics has to match the emergence of digital technologies and the shifting of digitalized cultural goods into the networks' economy: the appropriation of revenues mechanisms and of balance between downstream and upstream are challenged, although a new «long tail» law of distribution is gaining ground. The resulting trivialization of cultural industries is deeply transforming the traditional economic models of culture and their hybrids around two poles: eventization and mediatization, in the heart of which one can discover that informational goods are prevailing in importance over contents. The platforms'economy, at first established by the digital distribution, actually highlights the main features of the new cultural economics, built on the interactions between creation and consumption of informational goods, the relevance of immaterial assets as innovation, human capital, marketing, R&D: from which we can just estimate the creativeness of cultural economics.


Massive multiple input, multiple output (MIMO) is an exciting area of 5G wireless research. For next-generation wireless data networks, it promises significant gains that offer the ability to accommodate more users at higher data rates with better reliability while consuming less power. Using the NI Massive MIMO Application Framework, researchers can build 128-antenna MIMO testbeds to rapidly prototype large-scale antenna systems using award-winning LabVIEW system design software and state-of-the-art NI USRP™ RIO software defined radios (SDRs). With a simplified design flow for creating FPGA-based logic and streamlined deployment for high-performance processing, researchers in this field can meet the demands of prototyping these highly complex systems with a unified hardware and software design flow.


The transition to lead-free soldering of printed circuit boards (PCBs) using solder alloys such as Sn/Ag/Cu has resulted in higher temperature exposures during assembly compared with traditional eutectic Sn/Pb solders. Variations, if any, in laminate material properties before and after board assembly should be considered in the selection of appropriate laminates. This paper provides guidelines for laminate selection that are arrived by assessing key material properties (glass transition temperature (Tg), coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE), decomposition temperature (Td), time-to-delamination (T-260), and water absorption), and their responses to lead-free soldering assembly conditions. A range of commercially available FR-4 PCB laminate materials, classified on the basis of glass transition temperature (high, mid and low), curing agents (dicyandiamide (DICY) and phenolic), flame retardants (halogenated and halogen-free), and presence of fillers are studied. The laminate material properties under investigation are measured in accordance with IPC-TM-650 test standards before and after exposure to multiple lead-free soldering cycles.


30 species of the archaeogastropod family Trochidae are described from the Campanian of the southern Pyrenees, 15 of them are new. The new genus Amphigibbula is introduced and the genus Chilodontoidea is renamed as Hudledonta . Apparently several trochid lineages with living species can be traced back into the Late Cretaceous. This regards the Eucyclinae, Margaritinae, and Solariellinae, and the Tegulinae with some reservations. Among the groups examined here, only the members of the Trochinae appear to be of rather different character than their modern representatives. The fossil record of the Umboniinae can go far beyond that of the Late Cretaceous and connect even to Palaeozoic genera. The 15 new species are: Eucyclomphalus reminiscencius , Calliotropis torallolensis , Calliotropis seguris , Ilerdus pyrenaeus , Eucycloscala cretacea , Hudledonta nicolae , Danilia kosslerae , Margarites kasei , Margarites nielseni , Margarites kowalkei , Tectus quinteroi , Thoristella marshalli , Suavotrochus ponsi , Ethalia vinxae , and Protorotella herberti.


Hard physical withers in tea processing result in reduced plain black tea quality parameters, but improve flavoury black tea quality. Chemical withers with minimal moisture loss improve plain black tea quality parameters. But chemical withered leaf is normally bulky and not flaccid thus reducing maceration rates. Hard physical withers reduce polyphenol oxidase activity, thereby impairing ability of the leaf to produce high amounts of plain black tea quality parameters, especially theaflavins and thearubigins. This study examined if rehydrating hard physical withered leaf could improve its fermentability and influence fermentation duration, and if such changes are cultivar dependent. Rehydrating hard physical withered leaf increased (p≤0.05) total theaflavins, thearubigins, brightness, total colour and sensory evaluation of resultant black teas. The patterns of the responses did not vary with cultivars or fermentation duration. The theaflavins and brightness declined (p≤0.05) while thearubigins and total colour increased (p≤0.05) with long fermentation durations irrespective of withering regime. Results demonstrate that problems of plain black tea quality reduction due to hard physical withers can be partially reversed by rehydration to chemical wither standard, but the withering regime does not influence when maximum plain black tea quality parameters are produced.


High-capacity lithium-ion battery anode materials of transition metal dichalcogenides often suffer from large volume expansion during lithiation, which causes capacity decay. Introducing a carbon material shell to limit their volume change is an effective way to prolong the cycling stability. Herein, MoS2@graphene composite microspheres with core–shell architectures were synthesized by a novel and cost-effective method. Moreover, the MoS2@graphene composite microspheres exhibit exceptional performance for Li storage. A high reversible capacity of ≈810 mA h g−1 is obtained at 100 mA h−1, which is maintained at 894 mA h g−1 after 100 cycles. Therefore, this work provides an effective approach to limit the volume expansion problem, which can be generally applied to other anode materials to improve their performance in LIBs.


A study of the airflow around blades of axial fans for large capacity open type motors is presented. In these motors, air for cooling is blown onto stator windings and rotor bars by means of axial fans placed beside the laminated iron core. The paths from the intake opening to the axial fans and from the laminate iron core to the exhaust opening twist tightly in order to reduce noise. The ventilation resistance of axial fans for motors is much greater than that of common fans for creating draughts. The operating flow rate is much less than for fans without ventilation resistance. Numerical flow analysis was performed on the flow around the blade at this operating point. It was confirmed that there was a large flow segregation where air did not flow along surfaces on the negative pressure side of blades. This was also observed in a flow visualisation experiment.


Background: The HIV epidemic in Indonesia is among the fastest growing in Asia and call for interventions scaling up. Two current adapted interventions are Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT) and Provider Initiated Counselling and Testing (PICT). Scaling up these two interventions, however, must be analysed using economic evaluation given the limited existing budget. Two concerns prevail: 1) the economic evaluation studies on both interventions are limited, and 2) there is a question on extending the coverage of VCT through PICT which has not been economically analysed. Methods: The cost estimation is based on a previous study on the costs of delivering VCT which is adapted to estimate the cost of delivering hospital based VCT and PICT. The effectiveness study is also adapted from a previous study on the natural decline of CD 4 cell count on HIV (+) clients for intravenous drug user (IDU) and non IDU, related to the life years gained. Results: Most clients are on their productive age. The unit cost per HIV (+) detected differ by US$37. The time gain of performing VCT compared to PICT for IDU is shorter than that of the non-IDU. The Incremental Cost Effectiveness Ratio (ICER) of performing VCT compared to PICT for unit cost per HIV (+) case is higher for non IDU compared to IDU. Discussion: VCT has the benefit of early detection compared to PICT. The unit costs of VCT and PICT per HIV (+) cases for each service shows higher costs for PICT than VCT. The ICER based on unit costs per HIV (+) case for both IDU and non – IDU shows that providing VCT will result in less cost in gaining more life years. Although the results show that VCT seems to be more cost effective than PICT, the unique characteristics of PICT should also be considered. We recommend that PICT should not be made as the scaling up measure of VCT, but should stay as a complementary.


Patient: Male, 55 Final Diagnosis: Disseminated intravascular coagulation Symptoms: Leg pain • short of breath • swelling legs Medication: — Clinical Procedure: — Specialty: Cardiology Objective: Unusual clinical course Background: Coagulation abnormalities can accompany acute congestive heart failure (CHF). However, disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) is rarely documented in such patients. DIC is characterized by generalized excessive activation of coagulation pathways followed by their depletion with secondary activation of anticoagulation and fibrinolysis. Treatment of the cause is an integral part of management of DIC; thus, recognition of the cause is critical. Case Report: A 55-year-old previously healthy man presented with breathlessness, swelling of both legs, and left leg pain. His physical exam result was consistent with decompensated heart failure. Further testing revealed multiple deep venous thrombi in the upper and lower extremities, arterial occlusion in the left popliteal artery, and an unusual cyst-like left ventricular thrombus. His laboratory evaluation was consistent with severe acute DIC. The patient was managed aggressively with diuretics, transfusions of platelets, and cryoprecipitate and was subsequently anticoagulated. His platelet count and coagulation parameters normalized and coronary angiography did not reveal any obstructive lesions. On day 22, an echocardiogram revealed and MRI confirmed that the intracardiac thrombus had disappeared. He underwent revascularization of the left leg and was successfully discharged from the hospital. Conclusions: Severe biventricular non-ischemic cardiac dysfunction with intra-cardiac thrombi should be considered in patients presenting with DIC. In addition to anticoagulation, treatment of underlying heart failure is critical in such cases.


We describe the new foraminiferal genus and species Plectoeratidus subarcticus n.gen. n.sp., from the Upper Cretaceous deep-water deposits of the Kviting and Kveite formations in the western Barents Sea. The genus is characterised by its planispiral-biserial-uniserial chamber arrangement, terminal aperture and lateral compression. The biometric analysis of test ontogenesis has been applied to document its dimorphism attributed to megalospheric and microspheric generations. This taxon may represent an evolutionary transition between the Cretaceous genera Spiroplectammina or Bolivinopsis and the Cenozoic genus Eratidus. The taxon appears to be endemic to the flysch-type agglutinated foraminiferal assemblages in the Norwegian Sea area.


This book focuses on a significant new development in the government's surveillance efforts: the use of sophisticated technology to observe our daily activities (physical surveillance) and to peruse records of those activities (transaction surveillance). Wiretapping, bugging, and other forms of communications surveillance are clearly regulated by the Constitution, more specifically the Fourth Amendment's prohibition on unreasonable searches and seizures. In contrast, many types of physical and transaction surveillance are not formally recognized as searches that implicate the Fourth Amendment. As a result, much of this surveillance, although a search in effect, is not seriously regulated by law. This book is meant to prod legislatures and courts into more meaningful constraints on physical and transaction surveillance. The principal means of doing so is through a rejuvenation of the Fourth Amendment's reasonableness inquiry, which requires justification proportionate to the intrusion visited by the government's action and ex ante review of the contemplated intrusion in non-emergency situations. The book makes use of Fourth Amendment doctrine, sociological literature on the effects of surveillance and original empirical research to make its case. The link is to an excerpt from Chapter One which provides a more detailed description of the book's chapters.


The purpose of this study was to review longitudinally the clinical features, method of treatment, and recurrence rates of 40 cases of aneurysmal bone cyst in children treated at one institution. Twenty-nine patients with histologic confirmation of the diagnosis and minimum follow-up of 2 years were included. Thirteen patients were less than 10 years of age, and 16 were in the second decade of life. The most frequent location of the lesion was the tibia (seven cases). Patients were treated with curettage, curettage and bone grafting, or resection. The overall recurrence rate was 27.5%. Five lesions recurred once, and three recurred twice. The average time before recurrence was 18.7 months. Complications occurred in six cases, three of them with physeal arrest. The lesion occurred more commonly in females in the second decade of life and was not associated with a pre-existing tumor. The recurrence rate dropped after the use of a high-speed bur.


There is growing interest in a possible connection between incoherent metallic conduction and high temperature superconductivity, that is exemplified by the behaviour of the parent compounds of the new iron-pnictide high-temperature superconductors. We have recently discovered very incoherent behaviour in the non-superconducting arsenide, FeCrAs. This material shows a non-metallic resistivity that rises with decreasing temperature without saturation or a gap, over three decades of temperature, from 80 mK to 800 K. We briefly review this behaviour, and address the question of disorder: how to test for the presence of disorder in a system where the scattering rate inferred from the resistivity is highly abnormal, and how to produce single crystals with low levels of disorder. Our discussion will focus on magnetic properties. FeCrAs is a partly frustrated magnetic system with a Nèel temperature TN that depends on sample quality, a sample-dependent spin freezing temperature TF < TN, and magnetic hysteresis that depends strongly on preparation conditions due to ferromagnetic minority phases in disordered samples.


Results of examinations of the cardio-vascular system (ECG, integral rheography of the body, longitudinal rheography of the leg, polycardiography, ECG-orthostatic test) in 20 children with funnel deformity of the chest aged from 4 to 14 years are presented. The timely correction of the funnel deformity of the chest in children allows the factors resulting in disturbance of cardio-vascular activity in future to be excluded.


The large-scale uniform self-organized ripples are fabricated on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) coated glass by femtosecond laser. They can be smoothly linked in a horizontal line with the moving of XYZ stage by setting its velocity and the repetition rate of the laser. The ripple-to-ripple linking can also be realized through line-by-line scanning on a vertical level. The mechanism analysis shows that the seeding effect plays a key role in the linking of ripples.


Abstract Sea turtle bycatch in commercial fisheries is a serious global problem. An estimated 250,000 loggerhead (Caretta caretta) and leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea) sea turtles are taken each year as incidental catch by the pelagic longline fishing industry. Studies have examined various deterrents for their potential to repel sea turtles from the vicinity of fishing operations; visual deterrents such as shark models/silhouettes and gillnet illumination have shown the most promise. However, given the difficulty of directly observing sea turtle behavior in the wild, laboratory trials are crucial for characterizing the sea turtle response to shark models. The present study examined the response of 42 captive-reared juvenile loggerhead sea turtles to a shark model in a controlled laboratory setting. Loggerheads exhibited defensive behavior toward the shark model, taking significantly more time to bite squid bait beneath the shark model than that for squid beneath a control object (sphere) and bare squid. Also, the turtles approached the shark model less often and exhibited more defensive carapace turns toward the shark model. Although the shark model in this study elicited avoidance behavior in loggerhead sea turtles, further research is needed to identify plausible applications, which would reduce sea turtle bycatch while maintaining target fish catch rates. It may be possible to develop a "Children's Day Koinobori kite" (a three-dimensional kite) in the shape of a shark that would unfurl and "fly" underwater and could possibly clip to main or float lines in commercial fisheries.


At the present time there are few indications for the repair or replacement of venous defects. As the scope of surgery grows, however, reconstitution of the vena cava and other major veins will require the availability of suitable graft material. There is, at present, no definitive answer as to which type of replacement is most desirable for venous reconstruction. Indications for venous reconstruction presumably will include circumstances in which the superior vena cava, the inferior vena cava above the renal veins, the superior mesenteric veins, the portal vein, or one or both renal veins are involved by tumor, trauma, thrombosis or postinflammatory obliteration. Other indications might include instances in which major venous shunts are required, as in the surgery of congenital anomalies of the heart and great vessels, or in portal to systemic shunting procedures. The present study was undertaken first to compare autogenous with homologous vein grafts, and secondly


Influenza virus is a major medical and veterinary health concern and causes global pandemics. The peptide 'FluPep' is an established inhibitor of influenza virus infectivity in model systems. We have explored the potential for FluPep functionalised noble metal nanoparticle to enhance the antiviral activity of the peptide Flupep and determined their potential for the delivery of FluPep. The FluPep ligand designed here is FluPep extended at its N-terminus with the sequence CVVVTAAA-, to allow its incorporation into a mix matrix ligand shell of a peptidol and an alkanethiol ethyleneglycol comprising 70% H-CVVVTol and 30% HS(CH2)11(ethyleneglycol)4 (both mole/mole). Gold and silver nanoparticles (~10 nm diameter) prepared with up to 5% (mole/mole) FluPep ligand contained in the mixture of mix-matrix peptide ligands remained as stable as the control mix-matrix coated nanoparticles against ligand exchange with dithiothreitol. FluPep ligand was found to inhibit viral plaque formation in canine MDCK cells (IC50 2.1 nM), but was less potent than FluPep itself (IC50 140 pM). FluPep ligand functonalised nanoparticles retained antiviral activity in the plaque assay. Moreover, at low grafting densities (where nanoparticles incorporate ~1 FluPep ligand, the antiviral potency in terms of FluPep ligand concentration was enhanced significantly for gold and silver nanoparticles (IC50 ~8-fold and ~3-fold lower, respectively). At higher grafting density the potency relative to free FluPep ligand concentration decreased. The data demonstrate that conjugation of FluPep to gold and silver nanoparticles enhances its antiviral potency; the antimicrobial activity of silver ions may enable the design of even more potent anti-microbial inhibitors.


The Lewis-Gale Clinic, a 100-physician multispecialty group practice, needed to get its record systems more organized in order to provide the foundation necessary to continue patient growth objectives. The following case study describes how these goals were accomplished.


Photochemically generated trifluoromethyl- or acyl-thiyl radicals add to dialkyl sulphides to form the sulphuranyl radicals R2S1–S2X [X = CF3 or R′C(O)], the e.s.r. spectra of which have been detected. These adducts appear to be non-planar at the three-co-ordinate sulphur and the unpaired electron is thought to occupy an S–S σ* orbital. The β-hydrogen splittings from the S1-alkyl groups probably arise mainly through a hyperconjugative mechanism of spin transmission and appear to depend upon the spin density (ρ) in the S1-3pσ orbital and the dihedral angle (θ) between the S1CHβ and S2S1C planes according to the approximate equation a(Hβ)= 25.2 ρcos2θ G. The g factors of the sulphuranyl radicals are markedly dependent upon temperature and the nature of R. At low temperatures, the adducts generally decay by a second-order process, presumably bimolecular self-reaction. Different behaviour is observed when R2S = [graphic omitted] or (Et2N)2S and rapid ring-opening or S–N cleavage, respectively, occurs even at low temperatures. Temperature-dependent lineshape effects are evident in the spectra of R2S–SX, and several different processes appear to be responsible for these effects, including efficient spin–rotation relaxation, conformational interconversion, and the bimolecular sulphide exchange reaction R2S + R2S–SX ⇌ R2S–SX + R2S.


Prandtl's boundary layer theory may be considered one of the origins of systematic scale analysis and asymptotics
in fluid mechanics. Due to the vast scale differences in atmospheric flows such analyses have a particularly strong
tradition in theoretical meteorology. Simplified asymptotic limit equations,derive d through scale analysis,yield a deep insight into the dynamics of the atmosphere. Due to limited capacities of even the fastest computers, the use of such simplified equations has traditionally been a necessary precondition for successful approaches to numerical weather forecasting and climate modelling.
In the face of the continuing increase of available compute power there is now a strong tendency to relax as many simplifying scaling assumptions as possible and to go back to more complete and more complex balance equations in atmosphere flow computations. However,the simplified equations obtained through scaling analyses are generally associated with singular asymptotic limits of the full governing equations,and this has important consequences for the numerical integration of the latter. In these singular limit regimes dominant balances of a few terms in the governing equations lead to degeneracies and singular changes of the mathematical structure of the equations. Numerical models based on comprehensive equation systems must simultaneously represent these dominant balances and the subtle,but important,deviations from them. These requirements are partly in contradiction,and this can lead to severe restrictions of the accuracy and/or efficiency of numerical models.
The present paper makes a case for a somewhat unconventional use of the results of scale analyses and multiple scales asymptotics. It demonstrates how,thr ough the judicious implementation of asymptotic results,numeric al discretizations of the full governing equations can be designed so that they operate with uniform accuracy and
efficiency even when a singular limit regime is approached.


Here we report the obtaining of suspension, callus and hairy root culture initiated from carrot plants of Nantskaya and Perfektzya variety with the highest level of recombinant human interferon alpha-2b accumulation exhibited the highest level of plant protein extract antiviral activity (up to 12.8 x 10(3) IU/mg TSP). The antiviral activity of callus extracts was significantly lower comparing to the activity of plant extracts from parent organisms. However, the antiviral activity level of suspension culture extracts (up to 4.42 x 10(3) IU/mg TSP) and Ri-root ones (up to 4.42 x 10(3) IU/mg TSP) appeared to be comparable to analogical data of antiviral activity of transgenic carrot leaf extracts, this way the described cultures could be possibly used for comparatively speedy obtaining of recombinant therapeutic protein for curing and preventing of virus diseases.


This paper is concerned with learning in the model of Gold the Categorial Dependency Grammars (CDG), which express discontin- uous (non-projective) dependencies. We show that rigid and k-valued CDG (without optional and iterative types) are learnable from strings. In fact, we prove that the languages of dependency nets coding rigid CDGs have nite elasticity, and we show a learning algorithm. As a standard corollary, this result leads to the learnability of rigid or k- valued CDGs (without optional and iterative types) from strings.


Value iteration is a popular algorithm for solving POMDPs. However, it is inefficient in practice. The primary reason is that it needs to conduct value updates for all the belief states in the (continuous) belief space. In this paper, we study value iteration working with a subset of the belief space, i.e., it conducts value updates only for belief states in the subset. We present a way to select belief subset and describe an algorithm to conduct value iteration over the selected subset. The algorithm is attractive in that it works with belief subset but also retains the quality of the generated values. Given a POMDP, we show how to a priori determine whether the selected subset is a proper subset of belief space. If this is the case, the algorithm carries the advantages of representation in space and efficiency in time.


The article explore Adam's Lament, the first movement of Alfred Schnittke's choral masterpiece, Penitential Psalms (1987–88) , commissioned to celebrate the 1000th anniversary of the Christianization of Rus' (988–1988). These poems represent a genre of ancient Russian, lyrical poetry commonly referred as penitential poems; they are not "Psalms" in the Biblical sense, but do draw upon imagery found in various biblical, liturgical sources, patristic writings and hymnody. The musical analysis of this movement proceeds along a discussion of the historical review of the origin of the text of Adam's Lament and a close analysis of Schnittke's reading and interpretation of this text.
In this composition Schnittke synthesized the musical elements associated with historical Russian Orthodox sacred music with his unique personal compositional style. One of the compositional techniques that Schnittke uses for realization of the text is the system of musical structures or motives associated with specific textual concepts. The author has identified and cataloged these motifs. Adam's Lament introduces the motifs that enroot into other musical transformations and figures, monograms, penetrate into and synthesize with other forms of the musical language in the other movements, and impel a musical development of the entire work. A synopsis of Schnittke's procedures for implementation of the motives is a subject of the discussion.


We construct the first X-ray selected sample of radio-loud quasars from the EMSS survey. The X-ray selection allows us to explore the properties of radio-loud quasars 10-100 weaker than classical samples in the radio band. There are no radio-loud quasars whose synchrotron peak reaches the UV-soft X-ray band at these (radio) flux levels (as occurs for BL Lac objects selected in the X-ray band), but they appear to have comparatively stronger optical-UV emission. We suggest that this can be ascribed to a significant contribution from a quasi-thermal optical-UV component, emerging due to the comparatively weak non-thermal emission. The detection of sources at low radio fluxes also shows the presence of a large population of steep spectrum quasars, and the lack of the predicted turnover in the quasar counts.