In their association with myrmecophytes (i.e. plants that shelter a limited number of ant species in hollow structures), ants sometimes provide only poor biotic protection for their host plants, but may supply them with nutrients (myrmecotrophy). We studied three geophytic myrmecophytes growing in the understorey of Guianian rain forests. Allomerus ants build spongy-looking galleries rich in detritus and insect debris over the stems of their host plants [Cordia nodosa Lamark (Boraginaceae) and Hirtella physophora Martius & Zuccharini (Chrysobalanaceae)], while Pheidole minutula Mayr colonies deposit their waste in the leaf pouches of their host plant [Maieta guianensis Aublet (Melastomataceae)]. This waste is more nitrogen-rich than that found in the Allomerus galleries, themselves containing more nitrogen than the plant leaves. Using stable isotope analysis we noted a significant difference in δ15N between ant-occupied and unoccupied plants only for Maieta, for which 80% of the host plant nitrogen is derived from Pheidole waste. Experiments on all three plants using a 15N-supplemented solution of NH4Cl confirmed these results, with an increase in this isotope noted between control and experimental plants only for Maieta. The internal surfaces of Maieta leaf pouches bear protuberances whose likely role is to absorb nutrients from the Pheidole waste. The alternative hypothesis, that these protuberances play a role in provisioning ants, was rejected after comparing their structure with those of extrafloral nectaries and food bodies in a histological study. © 2004 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2004, 83, 433–439.


The impmiance and the contribution of string matching algorithms to the modern society cannot be overstated. From basic search algorithms such as spell checking and data querying, to advanced algorithms such as DNA sequencing, trend analysis and signal processing, string matching algorithms form the foundation of many aspects in computing that have been pivotal in technological advancement. In general, string matching algorithms can be divided into the categories of exact string matching and approximate string matching. We study each area and examine some of the well known algorithms. We probe into one of the most intriguing data structure in string algorithms, the suffix tree. The lowest common ancestor extension of the suffix tree is the key to many advanced string matching algorithms. With these tools, we are able to solve string problems that were, until recently, thought intractable by many. Another interesting and relatively new data structure in string algorithms is the suffix anay, which has significant breakthroughs in its linear time construction in recent years. Primarily, this thesis focuses on approximate string matching using dynamic programming and hybrid dynamic programming with suffix tree. We study both approaches in detail and see how the merger of exact string matching and approximate string matching algorithms can yield synergistic results in our experiments.


Summary A total of 312 finishing pigs (average initial weight of 142 lb) were used in a 62-d experim ent to determine the effects of xylanase and wheat middlings on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, and carcass characteristics. Treatments were a control diet based on corn-soybean meal, without and with 750 g/ton xylanase product (to supply none and 1,050 units of xylanase activity per lb of diet), and wheat middlings (none, 15%, and 30%) arranged as a 2 × 3 factorial. The pigs were sorted by sex and ancestry and blocked by weight, with 13 pigs/pen and 4 pens/treatment. Feed and water were provided on an ad libitum basis until the pigs were killed (average weight of 266 lb) at a commercial slaughter facility. Overall, there were no interactions among xylanase addition and concentration of wheat middlings in the diet for ADG, ADFI, F/G, dressing percentage, last-rib backfat thickness, or percentage carcass lean (P>0.26). For main effects, addition of xylanase did not change growth performance or carcass measurements (P>0.16), but, as concentration of wheat middlings was increased from none to 30%, there were linear decreases in overall ADG (P 0.12). In conclusion, increasing the concentration of wheat middlings, in diets from none to 30% reduced growth performance and nutrient digestibility in finishing pigs. Addition of xylanase did not prevent these negative effects.


Recent research on social movements emphasizes the importance of the political opportunity structure (POS) for movement development and impact. The POS for the peace movement, which is a contender in the foreign policy arena, is much more limited than it is for social movements working for changes in domestic policies. In this essay, the authors, both of whom are social scientists and peace activists, analyze the POS for the peace movement, focusing on two of its formal aspects, the interest aggregation structure and the policy-making structure. The authors conclude by arguing that the peace movement should expend more energy on efforts to democratize the process of foreign policy making if it hopes to be more effective.


Abstract Three crosshole seismic surveying techniques have been investigated using boreholes on opencast coal exploration sites in northern England. The objective has been to determine their potential for locating old mineworkings and small-scale geological structures. The first method was to propagate seam waves between boreholes, with source and receiver at seam level, to check for coal seam continuity. This method was found not to be viable because of the strong attenuation of high-frequency shear waves in shallow strata. The second and third methods shared a common field technique, with shots at several levels in one borehole recorded on an array of receivers in a neighbouring borehole. Processing the traveltime data for only the seismic first arrivals constitutes a tomography survey. Although careful processing produces a reasonable image of the velocity structure, the tomographic method is not sensitive enough to detect changes in seismic velocity due to subsidence above old workings. However, processing the reflected arrivals from one of the tomographic datasets has produced a seismic section with a vertical resolution of less than 2 m. It is suggested that, in conjunction with hole-to-surface seismic surveys, the crosshole seismic reflection method could complement exploration boreholes in a variety of exploration and site investigation applications.


In a former publication, Jones and Moss (1) reported on the antitoxic titer obtained six and twelve weeks following the immunization of a group of medical students against tetanus. There were three groups in this original study treated as follows:
 I.Three injections (0.1, 0.2, and 0.2 cc.) of alum toxoid. II.Three injections (0.5, 1, and 1 cc.) of untreated toxoid. III.Two injections (0.2, and 0.3 cc.) of alum toxoid. Blood specimens were again obtained and tested for antitoxic content six months and twelve months after the above injections. There was a noticeable drop in titer after six months and twelve months in groups I and III, while the titer of group II remained fairly constant. Apparently, while alum precipitated toxoid produced a greater and more rapid immunity, the immunity dropped over an extended period to the level stimulated by untreated toxoid. Effect of Secondary Stimulus.


We present two patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation on class 1C antiarrhythmic drugs without concomitant atrioventricular (AV) nodal blocking agents who developed atrial flutter with 1:1 AV conduction. Their electrocardiogram revealed wide complex tachycardia with rates >200/minute. Atrial flutter with 1:1 conduction in the presence of class IC antiarrhythmic drugs may present a diagnostic challenge. These cases illustrate the importance of coadministering an AV nodal blocking agent with class IC antiarrhythmic agents in patients with atrial fibrillation. The differential diagnosis of wide complex tachycardia in patients taking class IC agents should include atrial flutter with 1:1 AV conduction.


Sleep is a basic need that must be fulfilled by humans. Sleep disorders often occur in pregnant women which has an impact on the quality of sleep. This study aims to identify the effect of soaking feet with warm water on the quality of sleep for pregnant women. This study used a quasi-experiment design with a nonequivalent control group design approach. The sampling technique used total sampling with 40 respondents who were in accordance with the eligible criteria. Interventions are given for 7 consecutive days. Measurement of sleep quality score using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index questionnaire. The difference in sleep quality scores was analyzed by Mann Whitney test, and scores of each component were analyzed by using Wilcoxon test.The results of this study indicate the influence of soaking feet with warm water on sleep quality of respondents before and after the intervention (p = 0.007; α = 5%). From these results, it can be said that there was an increase in quality of sleep after soaking the feet with warm water. Hydrotherapy by soaking feet with warm water can be applied by pregnant women to improve sleep quality.


A major challenge for machine learning algorithms in real world applications is to predict their performance. We have approached this question by organizing a challenge in performance prediction for WCCI 2006. The class of problems addressed are classification problems encountered in pattern recognition (classification of images, speech recognition), medical diagnosis, marketing (customer categorization), text categorization (filtering of spam). Over 100 participants have been trying to build the best possible classifier from training data and guess their generalization error on a large unlabeled test set. The challenge scores indicate that cross-validation yields good results both for model selection and performance prediction. Alternative model selection strategies were also sometimes employed with success. The challenge web site keeps open for post-challenge submissions: http://www.modelselect.inf.ethz.ch/.


Despite the abundance of past home care projects and the maturity of the technologies used, there is no widespread dissemination as yet. The absence of accepted standards and thus interoperability and the inadequate integration into transinstitutional health information systems (tHIS) are perceived as key factors. Based on the respective literature and previous experiences in home care projects we propose an architectural model for home care as part of a transinstitutional health information system using the HL7 clinical document architecture (CDA) as well as the HL7 Arden Syntax for Medical Logic Systems. In two short case studies we describe the practical realization of the architecture as well as first experiences. Our work can be regarded as a first step towards an interoperable - and in our view sustainable - home care architecture based on a prominent document standard from the health information system domain.


Decision trees are renowned in the computational chemistry and machine learning communities for their interpretability. Their capacity and usage are somewhat limited by the fact that they normally work on categorical data. Improvements to known decision tree algorithms are usually carried out by increasing and tweaking parameters, as well as the post-processing of the class assignment. In this work we attempted to tackle both these issues. Firstly, conditional mutual information was used as the criterion for selecting the attribute on which to split instances. The algorithm performance was compared with the results of C4.5 (WEKA's J48) using default parameters and no restrictions. Two datasets were used for this purpose, DrugBank compounds for HRH1 binding prediction and Traditional Chinese Medicine formulation predicted bioactivities for therapeutic class annotation. Secondly, an automated binning method for continuous data was evaluated, namely Scott's normal reference rule, in order to allow any decision tree to easily handle continuous data. This was applied to all approved drugs in DrugBank for predicting the RDKit SLogP property, using the remaining RDKit physicochemical attributes as input.


This study evaluated the emission characteristics of ultrafine particles emitted during material extrusion type 3D printer, called Desktop 3D printer, operation in the test bed and mock-up environmental conditions respectively. For the measurement, a condensation particle counter (CPC) and scanning mobility particle sizer (SMPS) were employed. In the test-bed evaluation, representative materials widely used nowadays such as ABS, PLA, TPU, PC, etc, emitted higher than the UFP criteria (3.5 ×1011) of 2D printer test method RAL-UZ 171. Particle sizes emitted from materials were found to be less than 200 nm. For the mock-up environment, seven different Desktop 3D printers and mechanical ventilation devices are used to compare the reduction rates of UFP according to the kind and placement of ventilation systems. When the ventilation equipment was installed on the ceiling, the reduction efficiency of UFP emission was not confirmed clearly while the reduction rates were significantly reduced when installed on the window.


Estimating the residual strength of fire-exposed reinforced concrete (RC) structures is of great importance in determining whether the cooled structure is safely functional or immediate repair is needed. This paper describes the results of experimental and numerical investigations on fire and post-fire structural responses of a 2-story moment-resisting RC frame test specimen. The lower story of the test specimen, which was subjected to service loads, was heated for 60 minutes in accordance with the ISO-834 standard fire test. The test specimen exhibited a satisfactory structural performance during the fire course and considerably recovered much of its pre-fire deflection state when cooled. To investigate the re-serviceability and residual load bearing capacity of the cooled test specimen, a destructive cyclic vertical loading was conducted. A detailed 2D finite element model was developed as well. By comparing the test and analysis results, it was found that due to the fire damage the test specimen lost 30% of its load bearing capacity. The proposed numerical modelling approach in this study predicted considerably well the post-fire residual strength of the test specimen.


We study a wireless communication system based on a magnetic tunnel junction spin-torque nano-oscillator (STNO) by employing amplitude-shift-keying modulation. By varying the pulse modulation frequency (fm) from 1 kHz to 2 MHz and distance (D) between the antenna from 25 to 150 cm, we show a maximum data rate of 6 Mb/s (at D = 25 cm and fm = 1 MHz), a limit imposed by our setup and noise generated by the STNO itself. We also report the average amplitude noise (Sδa) and average white frequency noise (Swh) of the wireless communication system and discuss their dependence on the distance between the antennas.


1-0-Hexadecyl-2-acetyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (1-hexadecyl-2-acetyl-GPC, platelet activating factor, PAF) was previously shown to produce profound hypotension and sympathetic activation in conscious rats. To determine the role of the sympatho-adrenomedullary system in the cardiovascular responses elicited by 1-hexadecyl-2-acetyl-GPC, the vasoactive phospholipid was administered (1 nmol per 300 g) to a) intact, b) bilaterally demedullated, and c) propranolol- (a beta-adrenoceptor blocker) treated SHR and WKY rats. The hypotensive response to 1-hexadecyl-2-acetyl-GPC was prolonged in demedullated or propranolol-pretreated WKY rats and in propranolol-treated SHR rats. The extreme tachycardia produced by 1-hexadecyl-2-acetyl-GPC in both the WKY and SHR rats was abolished by propranolol pretreatment. Pressor responses to norepinephrine during the 1-hexadecyl-2-acetyl-GPC-induced hypotension in propranolol-pretreated rats were suppressed in both the normotensive and SHR rats. Plasma acetylhydrolase activity, which inactivates PAF, was higher in hypertensive (SHR) rats or demedullated WKY rats than in the normotensive (WKY) rats. These results show that the tachycardia evoked by 1-hexadecyl-2-acetyl-GPC is mediated solely by sympathetic activation and the beta-adrenergic receptors and further indicate the major role of the sympathetic system and beta-adrenoceptors in recuperation from 1-hexadecyl-2-acetyl-GPC-induced shock. The data also suggest that acetylhydrolase in serum is an important regulatory enzyme for controlling PAF levels in the vascular compartment.


Edward Sugden, "The Speculative Economies of Sheppard Lee" (pp. 141–166)
 In this essay I provide a reading of Robert Montgomery Bird's Sheppard Lee (1836) that places it against the speculative economy of 1830s America. The novel is, formally and intellectually, a product of and meditation on economic speculation. It dwells upon the ways in which a transition from an agrarian economy into finance capitalism impacts the body. Where many accounts of Sheppard Lee emphasize embodiment as the central issue of the novel, this essay instead insists on disembodiment, demonstrating how the entry into a transregional, virtual economy of stocks and shares, debts, loans, and mortgages dissolved embodied identity. Such a dissolution came, however, with a possible utopian element, encoded within capitalism, of there being an economic form that did not depend on the exploitation and mining of the labor-power of bodies. Yet this fantasy of worklessness, the novel suggests, will always require a space of civil death in which those without rights are relentlessly used for their economic value only. Overall, this reading of the novel modifies a metanarrative about the relationship between capitalism and the imagination in nineteenth century. Rather than literature providing a stable basis for social values disrupted by capitalism, instead a novel like Sheppard Lee suggests that the form of the novel is more suited to capturing the chaos of dislocation, meditating on unactivated historical possibilities latent within capitalism, and internalizing short-term cycles of economic change.


This study employs four-dimensional and one composite indices of democratization constructed to capture the democratization processes in Nigeria's transition polity, to investigate the empirical relationships between the levels of democratization in Nigeria and two economic growth variables – domestic savings and domestic investment. As would be expected, the findings do not settle the debate in any direction. However, they could shed some light on the differences between the dimensional and the overall effects of democratization on economic variables.  The results of the analyses show that the short-run responses of growth variables to changes in democratization may differ from their long-run responses.


A 10 year (1990-1999) retrospective study using post mortem records was carried out at Veterinary Department Headquarters Kabete to determine the prevalence and economic importance of fasciolosis in cattle, goats and sheep in Kenya. Records from abattoirs in 38 districts in 7 provinces of Kenya were examined. Fasciolosis prevalence was calculated. Using an average weight of (3kg) cattle and (0.5) sheep and goats and market price of approximately US $ 2.0 per Kg, the monetary loss occasioned by condemnation of Fasciola infected livers was calculated. Out of 5,421,188 cattle, 1,700,281 sheep and 2,062,828 goats slaughtered, 427,931 cattle (8%), 61,955 sheep (3.6%) and 48,889 goats (2.4%) were infected with Fasciola. The highest prevalence was recorded in western province (16% for cattle, 10% for sheep and 9% for goats). The lowest was in coast province (3.5%cattle, 0.74% sheep and 0.5%). The economic loss due to condemnation of infected liver from cattle, sheep, and goats was US$ 2.6million, US$ 61,995 and US$48,889 respectively. Fasciolosis is prevalent in cattle, sheep and goats in Kenya and a major cause of economic losses, as a result of condemnation of infected livers. The Kenya Veterinarian Vol. 27 2004: pp. 118-123


This paper proposes metadata framework architecture for policy based content delivery over network. It also addresses policy based QoS control and CDN management as implementation examples of proposed architecture. In broadband ubiquitous networks, this architecture enables content aware QoS control and automatic content adaptation to usage environment that are provided as network services by the use of policies, rules and network related metadata. Proposed metadata framework architecture is structured in two layers: metadata gateway and policy based service platform both provide open API to the next higher layer. Metadata gateway provides integrated metadata retrieval capability across various metadata descriptions, and policy based service platform provides specific functions common to content delivery such as QoS control and CDN management.


In this paper, a receding contact problem for an elastic layer resting on a half plane is considered. The layer is pressed by two rectangular stamps placed symmetrically. It is assumed that the contact surfaces are frictionless and only compressive traction can be transmitted through the contact surfaces. In addition the effect of body forces is neglected. Firstly, the problem is solved analytically based on theory of elasticity. In this solution, the problem is reduced into a system of singular integral equations in which half contact length and contact pressures are unknowns using boundary conditions and integral transform techniques. This system is solved numerically using Gauss-Jacobi integral formulation. Secondly, two dimensional finite element analysis of the problem is carried out using ANSYS. The dimensionless quantities for the contact length and the
contact pressures are calculated under various stamp size, stamp position and material properties using both solutions. The analytic results are verified by comparison with finite element results.


Portable sleep studies may play an important role to take decisions on patients referred for suspicion of Sleep Apnea-Hypopnea Syndrome (SAHS). The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of automated analysis of ApneaLinkTM in patients with suspicion of SAHS. All participants (75) performed the ApneaLink and polysomnography (PSG) simultaneously in the sleep laboratory. The two recordings were interpreted blindly. The ApneaLink software calculated: (1) risk indicator (RI)-a combination of apnea/hypopnea index (AHI) plus inspiratory flow limitation events and (2) the AHI. ApneaLinkTM and SAHS were defined in three ways: AHI or respiratory disturbance index (RDI) ≥ 5, 10 and 15 respectively. ROC curves analysis was performed. The sensitivity (S), specificity (E) and positive and negative likelihood ratio (LR+, LR-) for the different thresholds for RI or AHI were calculated; 66 patients were included (47 men, mean age 51, median RDI 10.6, mean BMI 29.3 kg/m2). The best cut off points of RI were: SAHS = RDI ≥ 5: RI > 9 (S 80%, E 100%, LR0.20); SAHS = RDI ≥ 10: RI > 13 (S 92%, E 93%, LR+ 13.7 LR0.089); SAHS = RDI ≥ 15 =: RI > 16 (S 93.5%, E 91%, LR+ 10.9, LR0.071). The AHI had a similar diagnostic accuracy to RI for the different definitions of SAHS. The RI and AHI obtained from automated analysis of ApneaLinkTM were highly sensitive and specific to diagnose moderate to severe SAHS.


We propose an algebra of object types that characterises the semantics of concurrent objects in a process calculus setting where the communication is asynchronous. The types are non-uniform, and provide an internal (and synchronous) view of the objects that inhabit them. These ideas, along with the algebraic laws, are based on a notion of bisimulation that is unlike other notions in the literature.


A quintessential Scalia dissent recently chastised the majority for spawning the perception that the U.S. Supreme Court is a "nine-headed Caesar, giving thumbs-up or thumbs-down to whatever outcome, case by case, suits or of-fends its collective fancy." I offer this article, and direct it particularly to junior faculty, to minimize the evolution of any similar perception about the scholarship portion of the tenure process. No source comprehensively addresses the broad range of career-defining scholarship issues affecting survival (tenure) and notoriety (posttenure), and the important housekeeping decisions that will affect your career. Anecdotal advice is thus a rather precious commodity. Its broader dissemination to pretenured faculty will promote a better understanding of the expectations, ethics, and etherealness of tenure scholarship. This article neither encourages nor discourages scholarship. Nor does it add much to the existing literature about the "why" of scholarship, what constitutes "good" scholarship, and whether scholarship makes you a "better" teacher. It does acknowledge the following reality: there is no one-size-fits-all blueprint. There are pervasive variables, however, which one should not ignore. Rookies might otherwise happen upon sensitive, quality-of-life issues after the point of no return. Like a construction project without a blueprint, the pursuit of tenure without a scholarship plan invites failure. By posing strategic questions, I hope to arm some modern gladiators in their quest for a scholarly thumbs-up in the tenure colosseum.


Only in that year did revolution assume virtually continental proportions: France, Italy, Germany, and the countries of the Habsburg monarchy experienced serious revolutions, and significant outbreaks occurred in Switzerland, Denmark, Romania, Poland, and Ireland. Britain, though untouched by formal revolution, saw the last wave of Chartist agitation. Of the larger countries, then, only Russia and Spain were exempt. Peter N. Stearns uses a comparative approach in his analysis of these largely interconnected risings. Concentrating on the key areas of revolutionary action-France, Germany, Italy, and the Habsburg monarchy-he shows how the revolutions were linked by economic causation, by ideology, and by the fascination of revolution itself. In exploring the origins, successes, and failures of these movements, Professor Stearns goes beyond the specific political and intellectual factors involved in the events themselves to discuss the kind of society that could produce such an astonishing revolutionary contagion. He assesses the tragic consequences of the revolutions' failure, particularly in central Europe, and analyzes their positive impact on the nature of political protest, the rise of the labor movement, and the attitude of conservatives in power toward change.


A comprehensive approach is provided for the study of both S-type and P-type habitability in stellar binary systems, which in principle can also be expanded to systems of higher order. P-type orbits occur when the planet orbits both binary components, whereas in the case of S-type orbits, the planet orbits only one of the binary components with the second component considered a perturbator. The selected approach encapsulates a variety of different aspects, which include: (1) the consideration of a joint constraint, including orbital stability and a habitable region for a putative system planet through the stellar radiative energy fluxes ("radiative habitable zone"; RHZ), needs to be met; (2) the treatment of conservative, general, and extended zones of habitability for the various systems as defined for the solar system and beyond; (3) the provision of a combined formalism for the assessment of both S-type and P-type habitability; in particular, mathematical criteria are presented for the kind of system in which S-type and P-type habitability is realized; (4) applications of the attained theoretical approach to standard (theoretical) main-sequence stars. In principle, five different cases of habitability are identified, which are S-type and P-type habitability provided by the full extent of the RHZs; habitability, where the RHZs are truncated by the additional constraint of planetary orbital stability (referred to as ST- and PT-type, respectively); and cases of no habitability at all. Regarding the treatment of planetary orbital stability, we utilize the formulae of Holman & Wiegert as also used in previous studies. In this work, we focus on binary systems in circular orbits. Future applications will also consider binary systems in elliptical orbits and provide thorough comparisons to other methods and results given in the literature.


The present investigation deals with a major chemical modification to the existing double sulphitation process of sugar manufacture. Laboratory and pilot plant trials were conducted for clarification of sugarcane juice with phosphoric acid, and the results were compared with those obtained with the existing double sulphitation process. The sugar produced by the phosphatation technique is free from sulphur, low in ash and has a better storage quality. The cost of producing sugar by this method is prima facie on the higher side. Yet, considering the fact that sulphur-free sugar fetches a premium price and has intangible gains, the method deserves further investigation aimed at bringing down the cost of production and proving the intangible gains.


Abstract Increasing emphasis is being placed on the need for 'structural interventions' (SIs) in HIV prevention internationally. There is great variation in how the concept of SI is defined and operationalised, however, and this has potentially problematic implications for their likely success. In this paper, we clarify and elucidate what constitutes a SI with particular reference to the structured distribution of power and to the role of communities. We summarise the background to the growing emphasis being placed on the concept of SIs in HIV prevention policy, and present ethnographic case-study material from a sex worker's HIV project in Kolkata, India, to illustrate the nature of HIV vulnerability and its implications for the design and targeting of successful SIs. The paper draws attention to the dual importance of (1) attending to local complexities in the micro and macro-level structures that produce vulnerability; and (2) clarifying the meaning and role of communities within SIs.


Uganda still lags behind in its tax collections at the domestic level. For most of the commodities the tax collection effort is not more than 5 percent relative to the statutory rate of 18 percent. This results into a situation where the government has to rely a lot on foreign financing. From the analysis, there is a lot of improvement where URA can be able to increase its tax effort. this could be achieved by targeting commodities that are under-taxed and excluding food items for equity purposes. Increasing domestic collection would also result into less over reliance on taxing a few commodities especially fuel which is interlinked with a lot of other sectors and could indeed harm growth in the long-run. We also find that the tax effort on imports is sufficient. However, import duties on fuel remain very high and this could be a symptom of the poor domestic tax collection.


This article aims at analyzing the recent mutations of the Breton repertoire of contention. To do so, it proposes to look at the example of an association called "Dibab", which praised participatory democracy by organizing local votes on nationalitarian topics in small Breton towns during the year of 2015. Having a look at the trajectory of Dibab activists shows that many of them had started their militant career years ago, and were familiar to more radical pro-independence organizations. How do these activists have managed to play with different political strategies without losing their ideological frames? How have they expressed different kinds of commitment through their political practices and discourses? Observations, document studies and semi-structured biographical interviews disclose that the construction of a new participatory ideal by radical Breton activists does not prevent them from being multipositioned in the militant field, widening their action spectrum by doing so. That is why the Breton repertoire is better understood as a continuum. Indeed, long term processes and the juxtaposition of different spaces of mobilization must be taken into account in the analysis.


Since the 1960s, polymer network hydrogels have been used for various applications. However, these applications have been restricted to non-load-bearing ones, due to the inherent mechanical weakness of common hydrogels. This weakness is attributed to the irregular crosslinking density, the high proportion of singly-attached (dangling and, therefore, elastically inactive) chains and the broadly varying distance between crosslinking points. In recent years, ground-breaking studies focusing on the development of novel approaches to fabricate near-ideal polymer network hydrogels with excellent mechanical properties have been developed. In this chapter, these new approaches will be outlined, with specific interest in amphiphilic polymer co-networks (APCNs), i.e. networks containing both hydrophilic and hydrophobic domains. The ability to generate these near-ideal networks, which often also possess 'smart' stimuli-responsive properties, would allow APCNs to be used in a wide range of advanced applications, including soft robotics, biomaterials and materials science. These new synthetic methodologies will be described in this chapter and will be separated into either fundamentally altering the network architecture and/or by employing facile and orthogonal coupling chemistries.


Present-day intraspecific diversity has largely been shaped by previous climatic events, but the spatial and temporal scales of differentiation processes in most species remain to be clarified. In Europe, the Pleistocene glacial cycles have generated population structures that remain especially evident in montane taxa. The intraspecific variation of the European subalpine Yellow-spotted Ringlet, Erebia manto (Denis & Schiffermüller, [1775]), shows a hierarchical, two-level structure that allows us to study intermediate stages of speciation. Morphologically, three subspecies clusters have been described in this butterfly: the manto, bubastis and vogesiaca type. An allozyme study previously revealed two genetic lineages within the manto type, and two within the vogesiaca type, but lacked bubastis representatives. To further our knowledge of the intraspecific structure of E. manto, we sampled all known and presumed intraspecific groups and sequenced 1,496 base pairs of the mitochondrial gene COI for 152 specimens from 15 localities. A median joining haplotype network, based on 40 parsimony informative sites, confirmed the four allozyme based lineages. The bubastis type was acknowledged as a fifth genetic lineage, replacing the manto type populations in the southern part of the western Alps, and separated from it by a well-known zoogeographic borderline. We discuss how the present-day distributions, genetic relationships and timing of the differentiations align.


Purpose: The emerging studies have suggested steadily negative appendectomy rates. The purpose of this study is to verify that short-term observation under conservative management helps surgeons avoid unnecessary surgery without poor progress in pediatric patients with presumed acute appendicitis. Methods: We reviewed 650 medical records of pediatric patients aged 12 years and younger with presumed acute appendicitis at Ewha Womans University Medical Center between January 2005 and December 2009. We then compared 283 'appendectomy group (AG)' including 229 suppurative appendicitis (SA) and 54 normal appendix or mild appendicitis (MA), pathologically, with 96 'conservative treatment group (CG)' who were diagnosed with mesenteric lymphadenopathy associated with early appendicitis or normal appendix in radiologic study and effectively treated with conservative management. Results: There was no significant difference in gender and age distribution between SA and MA groups, but the mean age of CG was younger than MA group (P=0.000). The main clinical findings between SA, MA and CG were similar but the mean duration of symptom was longest in CG. 'Delayed' and 'night-time' surgery was frequent in MA (P=0.006, P=0.027). Thirteen patients(4.6%) developed complications in AG without significant difference between SA and MA. The mean hospital stay was significantly shorter in CG than MA (P=0.000) without significant difference between SA and MA. The medical cost of CG was much cheaper than AG (P=0.000). No patient in CG needed appendectomy for the follow-up period. Conclusion: The authors suggested that short-term watchful waiting for presumed appendicitis in pediatric patients under conservative treatment could reduce unnecessary appendectomy, complications and cost. (J Korean Surg Soc 2011;80:226-233)


Context: Neural and cortical plasticity involves the reorganization of synaptic connections and represent the brain`s ability to reorganize its functions in response to external stimuli. Long-term potentiation is one important mechanism underlying these synaptic changes. Dysfunctional neuronal plasticity is considered to be involved in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Objective: To investigate nonfocal motor-cortical plasticity and excitability in recent-onset and multi-episode schizophrenia compared to healthy subjects.
 Design: Nonfocal cortical plasticity can be induced in the motor cortex of healthy subjects with anodal transcranial direct current stimulation. Animal and human research indicates that these effects are related to glutamate-dependent long-term-potentiation. Transcranial direct current stimulation-induced plasticity was monitored by transcranial magnetic stimulation-generated motor evoked potentials. Healthy controls were compared to schizophrenia patients and the latter group was divided into recent-onset and multi-episode patients.
 Setting: All patient were recruited from in- and outpatient units from the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy (University of Goettingen). Healthy subjects were recruited from the same geographical area.
 Main Outcome Measure: It was hypothesized that patients with schizophrenia would display a disturbed long-term-potential-like plasticity compared to healthy controls and that these alterations would be related to the disease course. The main outcome measure was change in motor evoked potentials after stimulation across study groups.
 Results: Multi-episode schizophrenia patients showed significantly reduced long-term-potential-like plasticity compared to recent-onset schizophrenia patients and healthy controls. All schizophrenia patients demonstrated reduced cortical inhibition.
 Conclusion: These results indicate that the long-term-potential-like plasticity deficit in chronically ill schizophrenia patients is related to the disease course. Disturbances of N-methyl-D-Aspartate, gamma-aminobutyric acid and dopamine receptors may account for this plasticity deficit. LTP-like plasticity deficits might be related to disturbed information processing in schizophrenia patients.


Mathematics researchers generally agree that algebra is a tool for problem solving, a method of expressing relationship, analyzing and representing patterns, and exploring mathematical properties in a variety of problem situations. Thus, several mathematics researchers and educators have focused on investigating the introduction and the development of algebraic solving abilities. However research works on assessing students' algebraic solving ability is sparse in literature. The purpose of this study was to use the SOLO model as a theoretical framework for assessing Form Four students' algebraic solving abilities in using linear equation. The content domains incorporated in this framework were linear pattern (pictorial), direct variations, concepts of function and arithmetic sequence. This study was divided into two phases. In the first phase, students were given a pencil-and-paper test. The test comprised of eight superitems of four items each. Results were analyzed using a Partial Credit model. In the second phase, clinical interviews were conducted to seek the clarification of the students' algebraic solving processes. Results of the study indicated that 62% of the students have less than 50% probability of success at relational level. The majority of the students in this study could be classified into unistructural and multistructural. Generally, most of the students encountered difficulties in generalizing their arithmetic thinking through the use of algebraic symbols. The qualitative data analysis found that the high ability students seemed to be more able to seek the recurring linear pattern and identify the linear relationship between variables. They were able to coordinate all the information given in the question to form the algebraic expression and linear equations. Whereas, the low ability students showed an ability more on drawing and counting method. They lacked understanding of algebraic concepts to express the relationship between the variables. The results of this study provided evidence on the significance of SOLO model in assessing algebraic solving ability in the upper secondary school level.


BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
Patients with severe hemophilia A have considerably different factor VIII half-lives. Whether this is associated with their clinical characteristics has not been reported. The aim of this study was to describe the association of factor VIII half-lives with treatment and clinical characteristics of patients with severe hemophilia A, who have been treated with individually tailored prophylaxis.

DESIGN AND METHODS
Patients were selected from a single-center cohort of 214 patients with severe hemophilia, born between 1944 and 1995. To improve efficiency we measured factor VIII half-life in 42 patients selected from the extremes of the distribution of phenotypes of severe hemophilia. We assessed information on life-long joint bleeds and clotting factor consumption. Orthopedic outcome was assessed by the Pettersson score.

RESULTS
Among these patients with severe hemophilia, factor VIII half-life ranged from 7.4-20.4 hours (median 11.8 hours). A one-hour increase in factor VIII half-life was associated with 96 (95% confidence interval (CI) 2 -190) IU less clotting factor use per kg per year. Age was an important determinant of factor VIII half-life, and explained a large part of the association between factor VIII half-life and clotting factor consumption. The median number of joint bleeds per year and arthropathy were similar for patients with different half-lives.

INTERPRETATION AND CONCLUSIONS
Among patients with severe hemophilia, treated prophylactically with clotting factor, those with a shorter factor VIII half-life required slightly more clotting factor to prevent joint bleeds and subsequent arthropathy than similar patients with a longer factor VIII half-life.


Increasing professionalism in competitive karate has led to a specific injury pattern. The aim of our study was to investigate the injury pattern in junior competitive karate and to evaluate the prophylactic effect of fist padding. During the 4 (th) Junior World Championships of the World Karate Confederation (WKC) 2004 235 karate fights were observed and injury-related data were recorded. Fist padding was used in 183 fights, 52 fights were carried out without. In 22 % of all fights we saw an injury. Most of them were mild injuries of the head and face: 32 bruises of the face (13 with epistaxis), 7 facial lacerations and 3 concussions (mild brain injury). 14 fights were stopped due to an injury. Only in the category male 18 - 20 years a higher rate of injuries was seen without fist padding (shobu ippon) compared to shobu sanbon (with fist padding). The injury pattern of junior competitive karate is comparable to senior karate. Fist padding does not generally reduce the incidence or severity of injuries.


Wahyudi. 14111310078: The Effectiveness of Interpretation Activities In Learning Simple Past Tense At Mts N 2 Kota Cirebon.
Grammar takes important position in language learning. Grammar and language cannot be sparated . consequently, if language no grammar, it never be good spoken or good written. But, in fact, most of student of junior high school still low in understanding about grammar especially in learning simple past tense. To solve that problems, the researcher try to use interpretation activity. It is conducted because Interpretation Activity as alternative approach to grammar teaching considered could solve the problems that is student"s has low knowledge about simple past structures, they are failed to recognize regular and irregular form and they are unable to make a simple past sentence correctly.
The research used Quasi-Experimental research. The population of this research is students of eight grades of MTs N 2 Kota Cirebon with the total student were 241. While the sample of this research use cluster random sampling. Class eight-A was the Experimental class consist of 39 students. Here, the research used one group pre-test and post-test design. The researcher use t-test as the technique of collecting the data.
The result of findings show the mean score that student achieve before using interpretation activity was 52.10 in experimental and the score after using interpretation activity was 72.69 in experiment class. its mean that the achievement after the method higher than before using it. From data analysis used t-test formula showed the value of to was 3.570 wih degree of freedom is 38 in the significance degree (α) of 5% ttable was 2.201 and the significance (α) of 1% was 2.704. it means that to> t table (to was higher than t table). So, the null hypothesis (Ho) was rejected. Then, alternative hypothesis (Ha) was accepted (Ha : μ1 ≠ μ2)
Therefore, learning simple past tense using interpretation activity techniques to eight grade student of MTs N 2 Kota Cirebon in academic year 2014/2015 is effective.
Keywords: Effectiveness, Learning, simple Past, Interpretation Activity.


To develop simple, practical classification criteria for Sjögren's Syndrome (SS) without Labial Salivary Gland Biopsy (LSGB).

 In the new criteria (noninvasive score, NIS) set, classification as "definite SS" is based on the ocular and oral symptoms and signs, autoantibodies and the existence of autoimmune thyroid disease, which were calculated. Patients with a score ≥5 were classified as having definite SS and patients with a score <4 were supposed to be excluded from SS. For the patients with a score of 4, LSGB was suggested.

 76 patients with suspected SS were recruited between April 2013 and September 2014, 42 of which were definitive diagnosis of SS and 34 were excluded from SS. Sensitivity and specificity for the NIS criteria in the diagnosis of SS were 97.6% and 94.1%, respectively. The Negative Predictive Value (NPV) and Positive Predictive Value (PPV) to detect SS were 97.0% and 95.3% respectively, and the diagnostic accuracy was 96.1%. The area under the ROC curves (AUC; 95% CI) for NIS criteria was 0.959 (0.905-1.000), which performed better than the American-European Consensus Group's (AECG) criteria and LSGB in the diagnosis of SS (P < 0.05).

 The NIS criteria are an alternative to the AECG criteria in classification diagnosis of SS, which are with high diagnostic efficiency. We recommend using a score <4 and ≥5 to rule out or to diagnose SS respectively. For the patients with a score of 4, LSGB is necessary and able to diagnose SS.


The energy market liberalization requires using the actual transportation network in a more flexible and more efficient way. What is needed are strategies and facilities that will improve the energy flux sharing, as well as the maintaining of the node voltages. These goals can only be partially reached in the conventional networks. However, the FACTS are offering a very promising solution. The UPFL (Unified Power Flow Controller) will be briefly presented as an example of FACTS, and its behaviour will be illustrated with simulations.


This empirical study employs a keyword analysis and text mining technique using the Provalis mixed methods research suite to examine the following research question, "What is the impact of cultural context on decision-making processes in global virtual teams (GVTs) of transnational civil society?" Our approach to cultural context is primarily driven by Hall's (1976) theory of high vs. low context dimensions and Hofstede's (1980, 2001, 2005) five-dimensional framework for analysing culture. Our four-stage conceptual model of decision-making draws on Zakaria (2006), Kingdon (1995), Adler (2002), and Guss (2002). We further explore this model of culture and decision-making with data from a four-year public e-mail archive (2002-2005) of the GVT of transnational civil society involved in UN World Summit on Information Society (WSIS). From a methodological perspective, we find that for our explicit cultural variables (gender and region), keyword content analysis and data mining techniques are powerful tools to unlock massive datasets. In contrast, for our implicit cultural variables (high-context and low-context communication styles and cultural values), these techniques were not yet as helpful.


This study aims to identify the key elements that should be included in a methodological model to evaluate the sustainability of smart cities and examines the case of Medellín, Colombia, from 2020 to 2021. For this purpose, it adopted a qualitative descriptive methodology divided into three stages: (1) reviewing existing methodologies for smart city evaluation; (2) designing, validating, and administering information collection instruments; and (3) systematizing and analyzing in-depth interviews. The results indicate that the said model should focus on six key variables: government, mobility, sustainability, people, economy, and quality of life. Smart cities should generate synergies, ensuring the interoperability of their services so that their inhabitants have a better quality of life. The added value of the model proposed here is that it incorporates social and political dynamics, which is noteworthy because most tools in this field do not prioritize them and focus on technical, environmental, transportation, planning, and technological factors.


Since the 1970s, defence economics has been looking at the interaction between armament and civilian industry. Nevertheless debates have been marred by several biases, resulting from political or ideological preconceptions. This explains why the duality issue has been neglected for a while, despite much significant advancement by knowledge economics. It is therefore useful to revisit the duality issue. Defining how to analyze interactions between arms production and civilian activities constitutes a prerequisite. This is the reason why one has to analyze not only products or spinoffs, but to go deeper at the patent level. This is required for two main reasons. First duality as a process is difficult to observe and the analysis cannot rely only on few examples. Second one has to consider duality through the lens of technical systems as a structuring dimension of understanding inter-sectors interactions. Such an analytical framework provides an innovative approach of duality, since it can help understand duality through interaction between pieces of knowledge: linkages between patents and patent families become the means to reveal not only the existence of duality but also the depth of such interactions at different levels of given technical systems. The proposed paper will then propose a renewed approach of duality and how to assess it.


We consider the problem of reasoning and planning with incomplete knowledge
and deterministic actions. We introduce a knowledge representation scheme
called PSIPLAN that can effectively represent incompleteness of an agent's
knowledge while allowing for sound, complete and tractable entailment in
domains where the set of all objects is either unknown or infinite. We present
a procedure for state update resulting from taking an action in PSIPLAN that is
correct, complete and has only polynomial complexity. State update is performed
without considering the set of all possible worlds corresponding to the
knowledge state. As a result, planning with PSIPLAN is done without direct
manipulation of possible worlds. PSIPLAN representation underlies the PSIPOP
planning algorithm that handles quantified goals with or without exceptions
that no other domain independent planner has been shown to achieve. PSIPLAN has
been implemented in Common Lisp and used in an application on planning in a
collaborative interface.


Placement of peripheral intravenous catheters (PIVCs) is a frequent occurrence. Yet, PIVCs consistently require multiple attempts for successful cannulation, leading to an increased use of resources and risk of complications. Even though hospitals have established vascular access teams to improve outcomes and increase longevity of PIVCs, not every facility has one, and some struggle to meet demand. In these cases, PIVC placement depends on the confidence and skills of bedside nurses. Difficult access risk identification tools, as well as vein visualization technologies, like near infrared (nIR), have been developed to assist nurses with cannulation. This study sought to explore how hospitals are using vein visualization technology in nurse-driven protocols and to evaluate whether the technology is being meaningfully integrated into venous assessment and PIVC access protocols. In a survey sent to facilities utilizing nIR technology, 48% of respondents incorporated nIR in nurse-driven protocols. Of these respondents, 88% reported improvement in patient satisfaction, 92% saw a reduction in escalations, and 79% reported a reduction in hospital-acquired infections associated with PIVC placement. Integrating vein visualization technology into nurse-driven PIVC placement protocols has the potential to make a positive impact but requires future research to reproduce these findings in clinical studies.


INTRODUCTION AND AIMS
Although prevalence of alcohol consumption has been relatively stable among Thai youth, concerns over alcohol-related harms affecting youth influenced the passage of new laws in early 2008, which made it illegal to sell alcohol to anyone under the age of 20. This qualitative study explored the effects of the law on the purchasing patterns of underage Thai bar patrons, in order to understand the strategies employed by underage youth to circumvent the law.

DESIGN AND METHODS
A total of 41 in-depth interviews were conducted with 18- to 19-year-old bar patrons in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

RESULTS
Underage Thai bar patrons frequented shops where enforcement was not strict and purchased alcohol from familiar shopkeepers in their neighbourhoods. Participants suggested that purchasing alcohol was relatively easy as long as shopkeepers were driven by the need to make a profit.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS
To address alcohol-related harms, the control law must be enforced in a meaningful way to deter youth from purchasing alcohol. Otherwise, the law will have minimal effectiveness in reducing the harms associated with alcohol.


The study was aimed to investigate the effectiveness of the educational opportunities of the children of foreign workers in the province to study the laws and policies of the government in effectively managing the educational opportunities of the children of foreign workers in the province, and to offer advice. the development of management education to the children of foreign workers in various policy areas. The children of migrant workers in Samut Sakhon. It was a qualitative research. Data were collected by interview. The group is a major contributor 3 with the 30- person group include: 1. Education and the Center for the Study of water for migrant children. Group 2. The educational institutions under the Local Administrative Organization and Group 3. The Foundation, etc., then bring to systematic conclusion. There are reasoning and reference theories for organizing data, which has found that1. Effective management education of children of migrant workers in Samut Sakhon province by province, Samut Sakhon, a province in the pilot study on aid coordination and promotion of the private sector for child labor. Must look after the basic rights to access to education of children of foreign workers. Especially the legal formulation Improvement of regulations regarding evidence in Admissions Attend school in accordance with the National Education Act and compulsory education law. In order to open the opportunity for people to receive a thorough education2. Problems and obstacles resulting from parents / guardians not seeing the benefits of The children in the study since many can not connect to a day on the ice deeper than language of the country of origin because of their different education systems, such as education. Or the scoring system while many workers There is hope that he will eventually return. Country of origin, all with no government guidelines that clarify the ice deeper study of de iron , B, this according to population statistics comprising the Company 's profile at communicating to the school is not at Beach Hotel only of sight and no attention. cover similar objects , do not give this plant Rain gear and several were part of a day , no part of the Company 's updated store b project according to population statistics into the the red color Jn.3. Suggestions This research should study the suitability to the context of the school. Which the educational institution may arrange to study in any form or all three forms By taking into account the differences in geography, basics, culture, way of life, the context of society, communities, living and economic conditions, as well as giving away opportunities for government agencies and Private capital has contributed to the plant's transmission Union in the education of children of migrant workers in Samut Sakhon next.


On the basis of an analysis of the interaction between a manipulator for a grinding process and a working object in the task space, motions of the constrained dynamic system of the robot are modeled first in this paper. In the model, the constrained forces are included and expressed as a function of the state and input generalized forces by using the equation of constraints. Using this result, a control law is proposed by taking advantage of the redundancy of input generalized forces to the constrained forces. A controller for the grinding robot is then constructed according to this control law and without involving any force sensors. Simulations have been done for justifying the feasibility of the controller by taking an articulated planar two-link manipulator as an example. Results show that the constrained force is explicitly controlled with the proposed control law and the effectiveness of the controller has been verified.


In the analysis of time-to-event data, the median residual life (MERL) function has been promoted by many researchers as a practically relevant summary of the residual life distribution. Formally the MERL function at a time point is defined as the median of the remaining lifetimes among survivors beyond that particular time point. Despite its widely recognized usefulness, there is no commonly accepted approach to model the median residual life function.In this dissertation we introduce two novel regression techniques that model the relationship between the MERL function and covariates of interest at multiple time points simultaneously; proportional median residual life model and accelerated median residual life model. These models have a conceptual similarity to the well-known proportional hazards and accelerated failure time (AFT) models. Inference procedures that we propose for these models permit the data to be right censored.For the semiparametric analysis under the proportional MERL model, we propose an estimating equation for the regression coefficients. The bootstrap resampling technique is utilized to evaluate the standard errors of the regression coefficient estimates. A simulation study is performed to investigate the proposed inferential approach. The developed method is applied to a real data example from a breast cancer study conducted by the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP).We also propose parametric and semiparametric (under the AFT assumption) inference procedures under the accelerated MERL model. The maximum likelihood inference is considered for the parametric inference and the Buckley and James method is used to estimate the median residual lifetimes semiparametrically under the AFT assumption. A simulation study is performed to validate the proposed maximum likelihood inference procedure. A generated dataset is used to illustrate statistical analysis via both estimation approaches.It is very important from a public health perspective to be able to identify the risk factors for a specific disease or condition. The regression techniques presented in this work enable researchers to identify the patients' characteristics that affect their survival experience and describe advantages of a preventive or therapeutic intervention by means of median residual life function in a clinically relevant and intuitively appealing way.


We propose here efficient mathematical tracking control algorithms to design the spiking or bursting behavior in the four dimensional dynamical system modeling biological neurons represented by the Hodgkin-Huxley (HH) differential equations. The stimulating external electrical current serves as a control signal, while the membrane action potential is the target output. We use two alternative feedback algorithms, Fradkov's speed gradient and Kolesnikov's 'synergetic' target attractor control, to produce arbitrary spiking or bursting regimes in the model and to track the action potential of the system. Both algorithms demonstrate high efficiency and robustness for the controlled HH dynamics. For virtually any initial condition we are able to form a single spike at the chosen moment of time, the train with any number of spikes, the arbitrary-shaped burst, and also to switch between regular and chaotic regimes of bursting. Two approaches developed here could be easily adopted for the networks of neural clusters and used effectively for the purposes of neuro-informatics and for modeling neural dysfunctions like epileptiform or other abnormal behavior in Hodgkin-Huxley neuron clusters. This work has been supported by the TUBITAK project 116F049 "Controlling Spiking and Bursting Dynamics in Hodgkin-Huxley Neurons". Article DOI:  https://dx.doi.org/10.20319/mijst.2017.32.560576 This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Non-commercial 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, PO Box 1866, Mountain View, CA 94042, USA.


South Carolina recently promulgated new guidelines regulating the State's consideration of requests by private marsh island owners to build bridges for vehicular access through publicly owned marsh and tidelands. Many thousands of these islands hug the South Carolina coast, but they are surrounded by tidelands subject to South Carolina's formidable public trust doctrine, which obligates the State to manage submerged lands and waterways for the benefit of the public. This piece evaluates the relationship between the public trust doctrine and the takings subtext to the debate over the new guidelines – a relationship that has become particularly interesting in the aftermath of a key Supreme Court takings decision, Palazzolo v. Rhode Island, in which the public trust doctrine made a late-breaking appearance on remand. After exploring the takings-related anxiety embedded in the South Carolina bridge controversy, this essay reviews the Palazzolo saga through its ultimate disposition on remand, and analyzes its significance not only for the marsh island bridge debate but for the broader array of land use controversies that involve wetlands, tidelands, and other submerged lands. Rhode Island's successful reliance on the public trust doctrine in defending the Palazzolo claim on remand suggests that regulatory takings claims brought by disappointed bridge permit seekers are unlikely to succeed. Decided in a widely read but unpublished opinion, the Palazzolo remand was more recently bolstered by a related analysis by the South Carolina Supreme Court in McQueen v. South Carolina Coastal Council. Both decisions hold that the public trust doctrine forms part of the background principles of state law that inform private property owners' reasonable expectations about the potential uses of submerged lands. Because the property owner's "reasonable expectations" about development prospects are a central consideration in the legal analysis of a regulatory takings claim, recognition that the public trust doctrine limits their formation regarding submerged lands strengthens the position of the state in this and many other land use controversies that pit environmental protection of wetlands and tidelands against opposing private property interests.


Abstract Objective: Building high quality palliative care in rural areas must take into account the cultural dimensions of the rural context. The purpose of this qualitative study was to conduct an exploration of rural palliative care, with a particular focus on the responsibilities that support good palliative care from rural participants' perspectives. Method: This ethnographic study was conducted in four rural communities in Western Canada between June 2009 and September 2010. Data included 51 days of field work, 95 semistructured interviews, and 74 hours of direct participant observation. Thematic analysis was used to provide a descriptive account of rural palliative care responsibilities. Results: Findings focus on the complex web of responsibilities involving family, healthcare professionals, and administrators. Family practices of responsibility included provision of direct care, managing and coordinating care, and advocacy. Healthcare professional practices of responsibility consisted of interpreting their own competency in relation to palliative care, negotiating their role in relation to that interpretation, and individualizing care through a bureaucratic system. Administrators had three primary responsibilities in relation to palliative care delivery in their community: navigating the politics of palliative care, understanding the culture of the community, and communicating with the community. Significance of results: Findings provide important insights into the complex ways rurality influences understandings of responsibility in palliative care. Families, healthcare providers, and administrators work together in fluid ways to support high quality palliative care in their communities. However, the very fluidity of these responsibilities can also work against high quality care, and are easily disrupted by healthcare changes. Proposed healthcare policy and practice changes, particularly those that originate from outside of the community, should undergo a careful analysis of their potential impact on the longstanding negotiated responsibilities.


Introduction:A persistent primitive trigeminal artery (PTA) is the most common type of fetal carotid-basilar anastomosis in adulthood; however, its prevalence is low and estimated between 0.1% and 0.7% in angiographic studies. PTA is usually diagnosed incidentally during an angiographic examination, though some symptomatic cases associated with cranial nerve dysfunction have been described. We describe the unusual association between PTA and ipsilateral Horner syndrome triggered by hypertensive crisis. Case Report:A 40-year-old man presented to medical attention for recurrent episodes, over the last 3 years, characterized by hypertensive crisis (up to 220/150 mm Hg), dizziness, tachycardia, flushing of the forehead on the left side, ptosis, miosis, and conjunctival injection of the left eye without pain. Imaging revealed a left PTA originating from the carotid siphon with moderate ectasia of the proximal tract. We speculate that the recurrent Horner syndrome observed in our patient could be due to the disruption of the postganglionic peripheral fibers in the pericarotid plexus. Adequate antihypertensive therapy led to resolution of signs and symptoms. Conclusions:To our knowledge, we present the first case of persistent PTA and ipsilateral Horner syndrome during hypertensive crisis. Adequate antihypertensive therapy can be useful in patients bearing trigeminal artery variants.


Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a disease characterized by inflammation of the joints, is one of the most disabling forms of arthritis and affects over two million people in the United States. Without proper treatment it can lead to long-term joint damage, chronic pain, loss of function, and disability. From the first moment of her diagnosis, author M.E.A. McNeil took charge and educated herself on every aspect of her condition. Now, as a "patient-expert," she guides those newly diagnosed step-by-step through their first year with RA. McNeil provides crucial information about the nature of the disease, treatment options, diet, exercise, social concerns, emotional issues, networking with others, and much more. The First Year--Rheumatoid Arthritis is an essential resource for everyone who wants to be an informed, active participant in the management of their condition.


Map Matching (MM) algorithms are usually employed for a range of transport telematics applications to correctly identify the physical location of a vehicle travelling on a road network. Two essential components for MM algorithms are (1) navigation sensors such as the Global Positioning System (GPS) and dead reckoning (DR), among others, to estimate the position of the vehicle, and (2) a digital base map for spatial referencing of the vehicle location. Previous research by the authors (Quddus et al., 2003; Ochieng et al., 2003) has developed improved MM algorithms that take account of the vehicle speed and the error sources associated with the navigation sensors and the digital map data previously ignored in conventional MM approaches. However, no validation study assessing the performance of MM algorithms has been presented in the literature. This paper describes a generic validation strategy and results for the MM algorithm previously developed in Ochieng et al. (2003). The validation technique is based on a higher accuracy reference (truth) of the vehicle trajectory as determined by high precision positioning achieved by the carrier-phase observable from GPS. The results show that the vehicle positions determined from the MM results are within 6 m of the true positions. The results also demonstrate the importance of the quality of the digital map data to the map matching process.


REGULATION OF P-GLYCOPROTEIN AND ABCP TRANSPORTERS Dhanashri R. Kolwankar The placenta plays an important role in modulating xenobiotic passage from mother to fetus. Smoking is known to induce cytochrome P450 1A1 (CYP1A1) expression in the placenta, however its effect on P-glycoprotein (P-gp) and ABC transporter in placenta (ABCP) levels in placenta is not known. In-vitro studies in hepatocytes have reported induction of P-gp mRNA by some polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. To examine whether smoking can affect placental P-gp and ABCP, their expression and activity were determined in placentas from smokers and non-smokers. Uptake of [H]-vinblastine and [H]-mitoxantrone was used to measure P-gp and ABCP function, respectively and CYP1A1 activity (positive control) was assessed using ethoxyresorufin O-deethylation as the model reaction. P-gp and ABCP expression was measured by immunoblotting. Uptake of [H]-vinblastine in vesicles was osmotically sensitive, suggesting intravesicular accumulation and was inhibited by verapamil, a P-gp inhibitor. Uptake of [H]-mitoxantrone was inhibited by fumitremorgin C, an ABCP inhibitor but not by verapamil. Though CYP1A1 activity was significantly higher in smokers, no statistical difference (P > 0.05) was noted in P-gp and ABCP function or expression between smokers and non-smokers suggesting that smoking has no effect on placental P-gp and ABCP activity or expression. In order to study the induction of P-gp, we used LS174T cells to screen for compounds for their ability to induce P-gp. As CYP3A4 and P-gp are coordinately upregulated, CYP3A activity was also assessed as the formation of 1'-hydroxy midazolam. Uptake of VBL was used to measure P-gp function and expression was measured by immunochemical methods. CYP3A activity was 4 times higher and P-gp activity was significantly higher after rifampin treatment. Rifampin treatment also produced an increase in protein abundance and surface expression of P-gp. To assess involvement of the Pregnane X Receptor (PXR) in P-gp induction, a set of multiple compounds with varying degrees of PXR activation were evaluated for effect on P-gp expression. PXR activation and P-gp expression were positively correlated, supporting the role of PXR in regulation of P-gp. These data suggest that LS174T cells have the potential to be used in studying the effect of inducers on CYP3A and P-gp simultaneously. Dedicated to Santy and Giri


An investigation into normative values for fine hand dexterity and its relation with pinch and grip strength among healthy young Indian adults. Evaluation of hand function is a crucial component to assess prognosis in hand pathologies. Examinations of dexterity provide unique way of evaluating neuro-motor function of entire hand. There is scarcity of literature on reference values for fine hand dexterity among healthy young adults. To explore normative values for fine hand dexterity and its relation with pinch and grip strength. The 9-Hole Pegboard Test was administered for evaluation of fine hand dexterity among healthy young adults (n= 256) of age group 18 to 35 with the mean age of 20.53 (±2.02). The task was demonstrated and both hands were assessed. Grip and pinch strengths were measured in both hands in a consistent manner. A dynamometer was used for grip strength and a pinch meter was used to measure key (lateral) and tripod pinch and tip to tip pinch strengths. Normative value for fine hand dexterity of dominant hand among males (n= 125) is 19 (± 2.18) and among females (n= 126) is 19.5 (± 2.59) and there was no significant correlation between fine hand dexterity with grip and pinch strength. Normative values generated in this study can be used for clinical reference in the evaluation of hand function to that of normal subjects of the same age and gender.


Ovarian cystic masses include a spectrum of benign, borderline and high grade malignant neoplasms. Imaging plays a crucial role in characterization and pretreatment planning of incidentally detected or suspected adnexal masses, as diagnosis of ovarian malignancy at an early stage is correlated with a better prognosis. Knowledge of differential diagnosis, imaging features, management trends and an algorithmic approach of such lesions is important for optimal clinical management. This article illustrates a multi-modality approach in the diagnosis of a spectrum of ovarian cystic masses and also proposes an algorithmic approach for the diagnosis of these lesions.


In a large south Hungarian fattening unit, 5637 pigs were allocated to 10 large barns and treated until slaughter as follows: Group 1 (n =2722): fed with diets containing 9.6 % highly fermentable neutral detergent fiber. Group 2 (n =2915): fed with diets containing 6.1 % poorly fermentable neutral detergent fiber. In each group, the 200 smallest pigs were selected as test subjects (= 7.35% in group 1 and 6.86% in group 2). The animals were subjected to the following diagnostic procedures: fecal shedding of B. hyodysenteriae, antibody response, clinical signs, growth performance gross and microscopic lesions specific for swine dysentery (SD). Seroconversion to and fecal shedding of B. hyodysenteriae were diagnosed in the majority of the pigs at day 30 after transport to the fattening unit. At necropsy, 187 animals in group one and all pigs in group two, revealed SD specific gross pathological lesions in the colon. All animals in both groups showed histological lesions of colon, typical for SD. The clinical impressions and diarrhea scores revealed significant differences (p<0.05) between the animals offered a diet with 9.6 % highly fermentable fiber and those fed on a diet with 6.1 % poorly fermentable fiber. Production parameters showed no significant differences, but mortality differed significantly between the two groups (p<0.05 - S4.07% in group 1 and 7.07% in group 2¹). Implications highly fermentable neutral detergent fiber positively influences the clinical expression and productivity in fattening pigs, infected with endemic swine dysentery.


A Zr65Al7.5Ni10Cu17.5-xPdx (x=0-17.5 at. %) alloy system is found to exhibit a different dependence of glass-forming ability (GFA) on atmosphere-pressure during mold casting process. High-Pd alloys (x=7.5-17.5) show a remarkable increase of critical size for glass formation (dc) as casting-atmosphere (Ar) pressure varies from vacuum to ambient. No significant change of dc, however, is observed in low-Pd alloys (x=0-5) despite the variation in atmosphere pressure. The origin of the phenomenon is unveiled by correlating the cooling characteristic during mold casting and on-cooling phase transformation characteristic of the alloy system.


Markey, A.S. By their fruit you will recognise them: species notes and typifications in Western Australian species of Opercularia (Rubiaceae: Anthosperminae). Nuytsia 29: 119–140 (2018). An examination of herbarium collections, type material and reference to original species descriptions has found that several species names of Opercularia Gaertn. have been misapplied in Western Australia. This nomenclatural confusion stems from a combination of missing types, a lack of reference to either types or correctly identified specimens, and no recent revisions of the genus. Previously presumed to be extinct, O. acolytantha Diels is neotypified and discussed here as an extant species endemic to the Mallee and Esperance bioregions of Western Australia. Opercularia hirsuta Benth. is found to be a far rarer species than previously thought, with no material matching the type collected since the 1860s. Opercularia nubicola A.S.Markey is described as a new species with affinities to O. aspera Gaertn. Opercularia rubioides Juss. is reduced to synonymy with O. aspera,which is excluded from Western Australia. Opercularia scabrida Schltdl. is also excluded from Western Australia. This paper provides updated notes, illustrations and a key to Western Australian species of Opercularia. Characteristics of the infructescence, fruits and seed are diagnostic for these species and are illustrated here for this purpose.


UNLABELLED
Our objective was to build and test a new system for transmission CT (TCT) imaging on a three-headed SPECT camera. The TCT images are intended for use in nonuniform attenuation correction of cardiac SPECT data.

METHODS
The system consists of a transmission line source mounted to the camera gantry at the focal line of a long focal length, asymmetric fanbeam collimator. The focal line is 114 cm from the collimator surface and shifted 20 cm from the detector midline. This asymmetric fanbeam geometry is used to reduce truncation artifacts in the reconstructed TCT image. The line source fixture accommodates a 25-cm long source and contains removable, variable thickness attenuator plates (copper or lead) to modulate the photon flux density and a slat collimator to collimate the TCT source beam in the axial direction. For the TCT reconstruction, an iterative maximum likelihood-expectation maximization algorithm is used that models the asymmetric fanbeam geometry. Our initial studies with this system used a 1850 MBq (50 mCi) 123mTe line source. The evaluation included TCT scans of a resolution phantom, an anthropomorphic thorax phantom and a human subject. For the thorax phantom and human subject, short (2-min) and long (14-min) scans were performed. The SPECT imaging performance of the fanbeam collimator was also characterized.

RESULTS
For both phantom and human data, high quality TCT reconstructions were obtained with linear attenuation coefficients closely matching narrow beam values. In the images of the resolution phantom, the smallest rods (4.8-mm diam) were resolved. The long scan images of the thorax phantom and human subject demonstrated the high resolution nature of the system and contained no evidence of truncation artifacts. With smoothing to control noise, the short scan images generally retained the attenuation features of the lung and of soft tissue and may provide a practical approach for clinical application. The fanbeam collimator demonstrated high resolution SPECT performance.

CONCLUSION
These results suggest this system may provide an effective and practical approach to TCT imaging for nonuniform attenuation correction on a three-headed SPECT camera.


A significant body of experimental and theoretical work has examined the dissolution rates of calcite, and other carbonate minerals, under varying chemical and hydrodynamic conditions (see Morse & Arvidson (2002) for a comprehensive review). The relationships derived from this work have been applied extensively to the development of mechanistic models of speleogenesis (e.g. Dreybrodt 1996; Dreybrodt et al. 2005; Birk et al. 2005; Rehrl et al. 2008; Kaufmann 2009; Szymczak & Ladd 2011). However, the primary focus of these models has been on the early stages of cave formation, with less attention toward the later stages of cave evolution and turbulent flow conditions. Recent efforts have begun to develop mechanistic models for processes governing later stages of cave evolution, considering factors such as turbulent flow structures (Hammer et al. 2011) and open channels (Perne 2012). However, such studies remain limited, in part due to significant quantitative uncertainties in a variety of processes that become important beyond the incipient speleogenesis stage (Covington et al. 2013). While speleogenetic models have not typically been run much beyond the transition from laminar to turbulent flow conditions, experimental and theoretical studies of carbonate dissolution have constrained dissolution rates and rate-controlling mechanisms under turbulent flow (e.g. Rickard & Sjöberg 1983; Dreybrodt & Buhmann 1991; Liu & Dreybrodt 1997). However, a direct application of these results and comparison to field observations leads to an apparent conundrum. According to the theory, solutional forms such as scallops and flutes should not exist in limestone; however, they clearly do exist at a wide variety of sites and scales. This conundrum suggests that there may be problems with the theory, problems with our understanding of scallop formation, or both.


The increase in accessibility and demand for laptop computers and tablets has seen literacy in schools begin to transmogrify, due to the advances of modern digital technology. This is in part due (but not limited) to the growing need, acceptance and popularity, as the division between home use and that found in classroom learning environments is steadily diminishing. With such advances in technology also comes the evolution of the format and style of reading text. Consequently, educators are often left questioning how effective and efficient the introduction of iPads are to the engagement, comprehension and achievement of readers. Schools and institutions are faced with the issue as to whether or not the impending technology is beneficial to reading instruction and thus adapted accordingly, or accept the current method of reading instruction as being sufficient. This article outlines research undertaken by myself, a middle school teacher, in order to investigate the possible influence iPads have on student achievement and perceived learning and engagement in reading, concluding with reference to the findings from the study and implications for teachers and schools who currently, or are looking to implement iPads into the learning environment.


This paper analyses the importance to the Latin American countries of the main dispute resolution facilities and conventions applicable to international trade and investment, of which they are the inseparable complement. The spectacular growth in the disputes which these facilities deal with reflects the impact that international trade and investment are now having on economic development. Despite international progress, however, most of the countries have yet to update their domestic legislation, so that this remains a pending task. Accession to the conventions referred to entails numerous responsibilities for both governments and businesses in Latin America. These include paying close attention to the decisions of the international bodies that deal with disputes, and shaping public activities and policies accordingly. Furthermore, to avoid the high cost of the foreign consultancies which regularly advise Latin American governments and companies on such disputes, the countries should train specialists of their own in these areas.


Criminally-legal regulation is a process and the result of social relations' regulation, disorganized by the fact of the commission of a criminal or outwardly similar to it deed. In terms of its functional nature, such regulation is nothing more than a specific impact on the consciousness, will, feelings and behaviour of subjects caught up in the sphere of criminal law politics. The structure of the said impact is not only criminal liability, but also exemption from criminal responsibility and punishment, compulsory medical and educational measures, compulsory treatment, encouragement for efforts aimed at protecting the individual, society and the state by malefactor causing harm. These measures of a criminal-legal nature find their external expression in the corresponding criminal-legal norm. In the legal literature, as is known, there is no unity of opinion as to the definition of its structural elements. Moreover, this issue remains controversial in the general theory of law. The purpose of this article is to analyse the doctrinal points of view concerning the structural elements of the criminal law norm and formulate its own generalizing conclusions on its basis.


Ferns with reticulate venation are comparatively rare in the Coal-measures, at least in this country, where no species having that character has, I believe, been hitherto recorded. Two or three pieces of micaceous sandstone, recently obtained by Mr. G. Roberts of Kidderminster, contain portions of fronds showing distinctly a loose reticulation or anastomosing venation. They were obtained by him from a shaly sandstone of the Coal-measures near Bewdley, and are associated with Pecopteris Serlii, P. lonchitica, P. oreopteridis, a form allied to Sphenopteris latifolia, Lycopodites, and Noeggerathia (?). The genera which have been established for the reception of those fossil forms of the Coal-measures, having a more or less reticulate or anastomosing venation, are Lonchopteris, Woodwardites, and Dictyopteris. Lonchopteris, Brongniart, 1827. Frond bipinnate or many times pinnatifid; pinnulæ more or less adherent at their base, traversed by a midrib; secondary veins reticualte. This genus has the general form of Pecopteris, but is readily distinguished from it by the regular reticulated arrangement of the secondary veins. Five species are recorded, three belonging to the Coal-measures—L. Bricei (Brongn.), L. rugosa (Brongn.), and L. anomala (Göpp.) from the coal-schist of Zwickau; the other two species have been found in the Oolitic (L. Huttonii) and Wealden (L. Mantelli) strata of England: the latter also occurs in the lower greensand of the Isle of Wight. Another species has recently been added to this genus,—the L. Germari, Giebel (Zeitschrift für die gesammten Naturwissenschaften, 1857, vol. x. p. 301, pl. 1), from the coal of Löbejün. This


Poor landing biomechanics could put an athlete at risk of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. ACL intervention programs aim to reduce injury risk by improving strength, flexibility and neuromuscular control. Video feedback interventions have shown success in improving jump-landing biomechanics in a laboratory setting; however, ACL injury prevention programs have yet to incorporate video feedback interventions.
Aim: Examine if the addition of video feedback to a modified Sportsmetrics© ACL injury prevention program would produce biomechanical changes in collegiate female soccer athletes during landing.
Methods: Hip and knee biomechanics were collected during landing pre- and post-intervention. Participants were allocated into feedback or control groups. All participants completed a 9 week modified Sportsmetrics© ACL intervention program. The feedback group received individualized feedback on their performance of the squat jump task once a week for 6 weeks.
Results: No significant differences were observed between groups for any knee or hip biomechanical variables.
Discussion: The task chosen for feedback, caliber of athletes,surface on which the athletes completed the jump-landing task and participant's lack of previous experience with feedback may have contributed to the lack of statistical significance.
Conclusion: Six video feedback sessions may not be enough exposure to produce biomechanical changes. Additionally, feedback should be provided on tasks prone to biomechanical errors (e.g., single leg landing) in order to receive the most benefit from the feedback intervention. Future research should continue to investigate adding formalized feedback to ACL intervention programs in an effort to decrease injury risk.


We introduce the vacuum field-effect transistor (VacFET), the first SiC FET to use a vacuum-sealed cavity in place of the traditional, solid gate dielectric. This device architecture eliminates the need to thermally oxidize the SiC surface, a practice which has been widely reported to inhibit the performance and reliability of SiC MOSFETs. Using a combination of batch-compatible electronics and micromachining processing techniques, a polycrystalline SiC bridge is suspended above a 4H-SiC substrate, and the underlying cavity is sealed under vacuum. The fundamental studies made possible by such a device could shed much-needed light on the basic electronic properties of an inverted SiC surface. In this introductory report, we detail the analytical design and fabrication necessary to manufacture the VacFET, and we also demonstrate proof of the concept using turn-on and output characteristics of the first functional SiC device.


Using Tunisian manufacturing data between 1998 and 2004 and by referring to multilevel approach, this paper investigates the impact of agglomeration and individual characteristics on firm's performance. The empirical results show the importance of considering both regional and firm characteristics when examining firm performance. They also support the validity of self selection and learning-by-exporting hypotheses. Urbanization and localization effects are significant and positive for firm's export behavior, but only localization economies have a positive effect of firm productivity. However, the results of the quantile approach show that selection, rather than agglomeration economies in larger cities, better explain spatial productivity differences


"Thousands of Australian honey bees have been fitted with tiny sensors in a study to help understand what is causing the precipitous collapse of colonies around the world. About 5,000 bees will carry the 2.5mm x 2.5mm sensors, like hi-tech backpacks, for the next two months at the study site in Hobart. The CSIRO-led research will build data on the movements and habits of several generations of bees to shed light on the causes of colony collapse disorder, which causes the rapid loss of bees an...


Long-Reach Passive Optical Networks (LR-PONs) allows for extending the distance between the central office (CO) and end users from a few kilometers to several tens of kilometers and beyond. It in turn reduces the number of active equipment in the field, bringing potentially cost saving. However, due to its high capacity and large coverage, LR-PON becomes increasingly vulnerable to various failures. Therefore, network monitoring becomes extremely important to guarantee an appropriate level of network reliability and performance. In this paper, we report on an advanced LR-PON monitoring solution that can supervise the whole LR-PON ring section in a cost-effective manner. Instead of using the conventional optical time domain reflectometry (OTDR) approach, we implement multi wavelength Transmission-Reflection Analysis (nλ-TRA) as the monitoring technique. The TRA approach is based on the unique relationship between the optical powers transmitted and backscattered by the fiber for a given loss location. Since TRA only requires measuring the power levels of monitoring signals, it outperforms other conventional methods thanks to its superior detection speed and a simple system configuration. Both experimental results have demonstrated that the proposed system can reach high accuracy for fault localization.


Computational sciences require more computer power than current hardware technology is able to deliver at acceptable costs. Exploiting parallelism is the most promising way to obtain substantial performance increases. However, the absence of suitable parallel software delays a wider use of parallel systems. Automatic parallelization can help to overcome this problem. General automatic parallelization is a very difficult or even unsolvable problem. This paper shows that automatic parallelization becomes feasible when restrictions are imposed on the class of applications to be handled. The system presented in this paper is specialized for grid-based numerically intensive computations. An important feature of systems for parallel processing is scalability. Mechanisms to make the execution control of the automatic parallelization system scalable are presented. The validity of the concepts is shown by performance data.<<ETX>>


Blind source separation problems emerge in many applications, where signals can be modeled as superpositions of multiple sources. Many popular applications of blind source separation are based on linear instantaneous mixture models. If specific invariance properties are known about the sources, e.g. translation or rotation invariance, the simple linear model can be extended by inclusion of the corresponding transformations. When the sources are invariant against translations (i.e. spatial displacements or time shifts) the resulting model is called anechoic mixing model. The main focus of this thesis is the development of new mathematical framework for the solution of the anechoic mixing problem and the successive derivation of concrete algorithms. This framework integrates approaches from many distinct fields of signal processing like stochastic time-frequency analysis, convex optimization, projection onto convex set methods, delay estimation and naturally blind source separation. The developed method is tested on a variety of applications including music recordings, natural two dimensional images, two-dimensional shapes and optic flow. However the main application is the analysis and synthesis of human motion trajectories, which is motivated by the idea in motor control that complex motor behavior can be explained by a superposition of simple basis components, or spatio-temporal primitives. The new anechoic demixing algorithm allows to approximate high-dimensional movement trajectories accurately based on a small number of learned primitives or source signals. It is demonstrated that the new method is significantly more accurate than other common techniques. This allows the modeling of subtle style changes, like the bodily expression of emotion as well as a sufficient synthesis quality for computer animation with only few mixture components.


The environmental impact caused by urban drainage overflows is related to both water quantity and water quality. About water quality, it has been widely recognized that usually catchment runoff is much more polluted during the initial part of a rainfall event, because of the deposits built up in the antecedent dry periods on the catchment surface and in the combined sewer conduits which are washed off in wet weather. To the aim of reducing such a first foul flush impact on the receiving water bodies, as the capacity of wastewater treatment plants is usually limited to flow rates not larger than 3–5 times the mean wastewater flow, a traditional structural work is the construction of storage tanks positioned immediately upstream the main sewer overflows of the network. Nevertheless, it is very difficult to design their volume, because the pattern of rainfall events has a relevant influence on the pollutograph, and synthetic hyetographs seem not to be adequately representative. This paper describes a check of the performances, in terms of reduction of the pollution discharged by the overflows to the receiving water bodies, of first foul flush storage tanks designed using synthetic hyetographs with different patterns (rectangular and Chicago). Such a check is carried out numerically through a comparison with the results given by the simulation of a historical rainfall series. The results show that synthetic hyetographs are able to represent convectivetype events, but not stratiform events. Therefore, in general, a proper design of first flush storage tanks should be carried out through historical series simulation, which is by far more complex to obtain but which ensures the correct representation of the influence of rainfall patterns, including also minor events which are very important from the point of view of water quality.