This article supports previous publications on the importance of lean principles as guidelines (Liker, 2004) or as challengers when developing systems and frameworks (Ballard, Hammond, & Nickerson, 2009) and even methods and tools (Santos, 1999). It seems that the principles have taken the position of being a significant part of lean thinking, meaning a knowledge that lean personnel should acquire. This article wants to support and emphasise the importance of lean principles as rules of living but believes in taking the power of the lean principles one step further. If a lean organisation, project or leader explicitly confronts each other with the principles, this empowers the individuals being challenged and may create an outcome that closely links the employee's know-how to the process. Using lean principles as the main message to be understood, they may pull in tools, methods, frameworks or systems to answer these principles. This paper reports from research that explores the effect of pushing lean principles as the direct challenger on employees. Skilled workers at construction sites are the receiver of both general principles but mainly rephrased into more operational language.


The immunological synapse coordinates intercellular communication between T cells and antigen-presenting cells, but the signaling functions of this structure have not been clear. Experiments and computer modeling have led Lee et al. to propose that T cell receptor (TCR) clustering in the synapse enhances receptor signaling but also potentiates a higher rate of TCR degradation--a type of adaptive control function that regulates the strength and duration of T cell signaling in response to a specific ligand. K.-H. Lee, A. R. Dinner, C. Tu, G. Campi, S. Raychaudhuri, R. Varma, T. N. Sims, W. R. Burack, H. Wu, J. Wang, O. Kanagawa, M. Markiewicz, P. M. Allen, M. L. Dustin, A. K. Chakraborty, A. S. Shaw, The immunological synapse balances T cell receptor signaling and degradation. Science 302, 1218-1222 (2003). [Abstract] [Full Text]


We develop a new strategy-proof double auction protocol characterized as average-case budget-non-negative. It is well-known that there is no strategy-proof double auction protocol that satisfies Pareto efficiency, individual rationality, and budget-balance simultaneously. The existing approach is to give up Pareto efficiency or strategy-proofness by enforcing budget-balance or budget-positive as a hard constraint. We propose a new direction to relax the budget-non-negative condition slightly. Although this protocol might take loss or profit for some cases, it it guaranteed not to exceed the predetermined amount of loss. Simulation results show that this protocol can be budget-non-negative on average and achieve social surplus that is very close to being Pareto efficient by setting parameters appropriately.


Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore very recent data about how large organizations are dealing with a shortage of information and communications technology (ICT) specialists, in terms of its implications for information management.

Design/methodology/approach
This paper is based on qualitative interview-based research with 11 large European companies, with an estimated ICT workforce of around 400,000 (about 14 per cent of ICT professionals in Europe), covering hiring, retention and upskilling of ICT staff, and expectations concerning graduates from European universities. These data are combined with International Data Corporation (IDC) analyst reports on the demand for different categories of ICT products and services, and data from the authors' consulting work.

Findings
Larger organizations expect hiring to be a challenge, with strong competition for talent, whether from existing users or from the many rapidly digitalizing companies – digitalizing their organizations; their products and services; and their relationships with customer, suppliers and business partners. Upskilling and retraining workforces is seen by large organizations as a better approach than hiring, allowing them to create the right skills balance and retain their workers better. However, softer skills, such as communication and problem solving, are seen as just as important. ICT workers will benefit from a lifelong approach to learning, acquiring new skills and adapting existing skills. Many ICT companies have created academies for developing employee skills and certifications related to their own technologies, while the education sector has been working on creating curricula (alone or sometimes in partnerships with vendors) to improve graduate employability.

Research limitations/implications
The research is based on a small sample of large companies. The situation may be different in other companies and smaller organizations.

Practical implications
Organizations can cope with the skills shortage by anticipating and working with the market forces rather than trying to oppose them.

Social implications
ICT employees will show the way for employees in other sectors where skills are scarce, by demonstrating how to reinvent themselves as the skills needed change.

Originality/value
This paper demonstrates that employers have changed their expectations of universities. They expect less that graduates will be ICT-employment ready, and more that they will have the skills to make and keep themselves employment ready. This has significant implications for university course design.


P2P technology offers a promising scalable solution for Video-on-demand (VOD) service. Recent studies have found that departure misses are the major cause of server load in P2P-based VOD. Inspired by this finding, this paper addresses the design of bandwidth allocation policy to decrease departure misses and thereby reduce server load further. We first formulate the minimum departure misses problem. Then we propose a centralized algorithm which serves as our benchmark for all other schemes. The centralized algorithm makes use of surplus bandwidth to help peers prefetch chunks, thus reducing departure misses significantly. We then propose a distributed bandwidth allocation algorithm in which a stable peer with higher playback position is able to obtain a larger share of parents' upload bandwidth. A simple predictor is developed for stable node identification. Simulation results show that our distributed protocol outperforms traditional approach, and close to the centralized one.


Abstract Background: Whole body vibration (WBV) is a new therapeutic tool used to improve muscle strength, power and postural control in various healthy and pathological populations. Aim: The aim of this systematic review was to summarise and evaluate the available literature on the effectiveness of WBV in neurological conditions. Method: A systematic review of the literature was performed to identify randomised controlled trials (RCTs) examining the effect of WBV on common neurological conditions. The methodological quality of the studies was systematically assessed using the PEDro rating scale. Reported outcomes were assessed for differences between the experimental and control groups and effect sizes were calculated. Results: Five RCTs and two pseudo RCTs were included. Methodological scores ranged from 1 to 9 (maximum 11) with a mean score of 5˙71 (SD 2˙69). There is weak to moderate evidence for positive effects on postural control, mobility, motor function and strength following the single application of WBV in neurological populations. A paucity of available literature into repeated WBV training prevents the drawing of firm conclusions regarding long-term treatment effectiveness. Conclusion: Despite being a new technique, there is early evidence that WBV applied to neurological populations has positive effects on postural control, mobility, motor function and strength. Further studies into the effectiveness of WBV in neurological populations are warranted.


Cryptotia is a rare congenital auricular deformity among Caucasians but more common in Asians. Various operative techniques have been described, such as skin graft, V-Y plasty, Z plasty and islans skin flap. Among those techniques, V-Y plasty has many advantages and is indicated for severe cases. However, several problems remain when this method is adopted, such as conspicuous scars and lowered hairline. To overcome these problems, the authors have developed a new technique - multiple V-Y advancement modification, which stitches the skin flaps together to a tight, discrete central focal point. This technique has the advantage of hiding scars behind the earlobe, providing enough skin for the deformed areas, minimizing the condition of the hairline being lowered and auriculocephalic sulcus depth


Pleural fluid in chronic pancreatitis. - In three patients, a 44-year-old schizophrenic woman and two men aged 54 and 42, who presented with dyspnoea, a pancreaticopleural fistula was diagnosed as a complication of pancreatitis, i.e. a fistulous tract between the pancreas and the pleural cavity, In general, these fistulas have a good prognosis; however, delay in finding the correct diagnosis influences the prognosis. This is often due to unfamiliarity with the disease and the non-specific presentation of patients with pleural effusion. The initial presentation usually comprises respiratory (dyspnoea, coughing due to pleural effusion) and occasional abdominal symptoms (epigastric pain). A definitive diagnosis is made when elevated pleural effusion amylase levels are demonstrated. Surgical treatment is only indicated if conservative or endoscopic treatment fails, and consists of resection of the fistula and drainage of the pancreatic duct via a lateral pancreaticojejunostomy or resection of the part of the pancreas where the fistula originates. In the first patient, surgical drainage of the fluid accumulation was applied, but she died of aspiration pneumonia after she had removed the feeding tube and had refused further treatment. Pancreatic resection resulted in recovery in the two men.


The Coming of the Holocaust aims to help readers understand the circumstances that made the Holocaust possible. Peter Kenez demonstrates that the occurrence of the Holocaust was not predetermined as a result of modern history, but instead was the result of contingencies. He shows that three preconditions had to exist for the genocide to take place: modern antisemitism, meaning Jews had to become economically and culturally successful in the post–French Revolution world to arouse fear rather than contempt; an extremist group possessing a deeply held, irrational, and profoundly inhumane worldview had to take control of the machinery of a powerful modern state; and the context of a major war with mass killings. The book also discusses the correlations between social and historical differences in individual countries regarding the "success" of the Germans in their effort to exterminate Jews.


PURPOSE
To investigate the prognostic value of minimal residual disease (MRD) assessment in patients with multiple myeloma treated in the MRC (Medical Research Council) Myeloma IX trial.

PATIENTS AND METHODS
Multiparameter flow cytometry (MFC) was used to assess MRD after induction therapy (n = 378) and at day 100 after autologous stem-cell transplantation (ASCT; n = 397) in intensive-pathway patients and at the end of induction therapy in non-intensive-pathway patients (n = 245).

RESULTS
In intensive-pathway patients, absence of MRD at day 100 after ASCT was highly predictive of a favorable outcome (PFS, P < .001; OS, P = .0183). This outcome advantage was demonstrable in patients with favorable and adverse cytogenetics (PFS, P = .014 and P < .001, respectively) and in patients achieving immunofixation-negative complete response (CR; PFS, P = .0068). The effect of maintenance thalidomide was assessed, with the shortest PFS demonstrable in those MRD-positive patients who did not receive maintenance and longest in those who were MRD negative and did receive thalidomide (P < .001). Further analysis demonstrated that 28% of MRD-positive patients who received maintenance thalidomide became MRD negative. MRD assessment after induction therapy in the non-intensive-pathway patients did not seem to be predictive of outcome (PFS, P = .1).

CONCLUSION
MRD assessment by MFC was predictive of overall outcome in patients with myeloma undergoing ASCT. This predictive value was seen in patients achieving conventional CR as well as patients with favorable and adverse cytogenetics. The effects of maintenance strategies can also be evaluated, and our data suggest that maintenance thalidomide can eradicate MRD in some patients.


BACKGROUND
Benefit of percutaneous revascularization for atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis (RAS) may be attenuated by distal embolization of atheroemboli. The purpose of this study was to characterize RAS plaque composition with intravascular ultrasound virtual histology (IVUS-VH) and to explore the relationship between plaque components and renal frame count (RFC) after renal revascularization.

METHODS
Seventeen patients (75 ± 7.5 years; 18 lesions) undergoing RAS revascularization were included. Before stenting, automated IVUS-VH pullback (0.5 mm/sec) with analysis of the minimal luminal diameter (MLD) frame and entire atherosclerotic segment was performed. RFC was also determined before and after stenting.

RESULTS
The VH component analysis of the segment demonstrated predominantly fibrous tissue (56.3 ± 11.4%), followed by necrotic core (21.8 ± 8.6%), dense calcification (13.2 ± 6.6%) and fibrofatty tissue (8.7 ± 4.0%). Analysis of the MLD frame also demonstrated mostly fibrous tissue (62.1 ± 11.1%), with smaller amounts of necrotic core (15.6 ± 7.3%), fibrofatty (13.9 ± 9.6%), and dense calcification (8.4 ± 6.0%). A trend toward more fibrous tissue (p = 0.074), less necrotic core (p = 0.095) and less dense calcification (p = 0.075) at the MLD compared to the segment was observed. Analysis of the entire atherosclerotic segment revealed a positive correlation between % necrotic core and change in RFC (r = 0.582; p = 0.029), with increasing necrotic core associated with an increase in RFC after revascularization.

CONCLUSION
Both the MLD frame and segmental analysis of atherosclerotic RAS lesions demonstrate predominantly fibrous tissue with smaller amounts of necrotic core, fibrofatty tissue, and dense calcification. Increased necrotic core correlates with a lack of improvement in RFC after stenting.


In this study, we created an automated essay scoring (AES) system for nonnative Japanese learners using an essay dataset with annotations for a holistic score and multiple trait scores, including content, organization, and language scores. In particular, we developed AES systems using two different approaches: a feature-based approach and a neural-network-based approach. In the former approach, we used Japanese-specific linguistic features, including character-type features such as "kanji" and "hiragana." In the latter approach, we used two models: a long short-term memory (LSTM) model (Hochreiter and Schmidhuber, 1997) and a bidirectional encoder representations from transformers (BERT) model (Devlin et al., 2019), which achieved the highest accuracy in various natural language processing tasks in 2018. Overall, the BERT model achieved the best root mean squared error and quadratic weighted kappa scores. In addition, we analyzed the robustness of the outputs of the BERT model. We have released and shared this system to facilitate further research on AES for Japanese as a second language learners.


Epithelial tissue morphogenesis is accompanied by the formation of a polarity axis – a feature of tissue architecture that is initiated by the binding of integrins to the basement membrane. Polarity plays a crucial role in tissue homeostasis, preserving differentiation, cell survival and resistance to chemotherapeutic drugs among others. An important aspect in the maintenance of tissue homeostasis is genome integrity. As normal tissues frequently experience DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs), we asked how tissue architecture might participate in the DNA damage response. Using 3D culture models that mimic mammary glandular morphogenesis and tumor formation, we show that DSB repair activity is higher in basally polarized tissues, regardless of the malignant status of cells, and is controlled by hemidesmosomal integrin signaling. In the absence of glandular morphogenesis, in 2D flat monolayer cultures, basal polarity does not affect DNA repair activity but enhances H2AX phosphorylation, an early chromatin response to DNA damage. The nuclear mitotic apparatus protein 1 (NuMA), which controls breast glandular morphogenesis by acting on the organization of chromatin, displays a polarity-dependent pattern and redistributes in the cell nucleus of basally polarized cells upon the induction of DSBs. This is shown using high-content analysis of nuclear morphometric descriptors. Furthermore, silencing NuMA impairs H2AX phosphorylation – thus, tissue polarity and NuMA cooperate to maintain genome integrity.


The Mobile Emergence Service of Belo Horizonte (SAMU/BH), initiated in 2003, has trained staff members and ambulances equipped for pre hospital assistance. Among the most serious cases is the cardiorespiratory arrest. This study aims to analyze factors which influenced the assistance given to patients who had cardiorespiratory arrest, in pre hospital environment of Advanced Support Units (ASU), in the city of Belo Horizonte, during 2005. To collect the data, we prepared an instrument containing Ustein style based variables. Statistical analysis such as associations, descriptive and space analysis were used to treat the data. Patients (n=1548) who had cardiorespiratory arrest were included. Space analysis of patients assisted in Belo Horizonte demonstrated lack of clusters. The majority had assistance during day time, between Saturday and Tuesday, with a mean of 5 per day, and 129 per month. The majority (68.8%) were male, age ranging from 0 to 106 years, with a mean of 45 to 54 years old. The cardiorespiratory arrests were classified according to clinical and external causes. The majority presented clinical causes (62.2%). The ASU which assisted the patients in Belo Horizonte had a mean time-response of 10.3 minutes to arrive at the local, and of 18 minutes in other cities around. The majority of patients were already dead when the staff arrived. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was done on 351 patientes, and 33.3% presented ventricular fibrillation or tachycardia, without the presence of pulse on the first evaluation. Among these, 23.6% had immediate recovery and were taken to a hospital. The ambulance time-response, the CPR, and the cardiac rhythm were the factors that influenced immediate survival after CPR. Logistic regression, however, indicated only the CPR maneuver and the cardiac rhythm as significant. Patients who had CPR by the ASU and Mobile Emergency Service (SAMU/BH) teams had 2,8 more immediate survival chance and who had cardiac rhythm such as asystolia showed 2.6 times less immediate survival chance. Other variables did not show association with immediate survival after CPR. Results showed the importance of SAMU in the assistance of patients who had cardiorespiratory arrest in the community.


The destruction of proliferating lymphoid cells within germinal centers with subsequent replacement by histiocytoid cells has been described in infants and children dying of viral and bacterial infections. The etiology and significance of "epithelioid germinal centers" (EGCs) are unknown. The cells implicated in forming EGCs have included histiocytes and dendritic reticulum cells. We have studied four children at autopsy who died at ages ranging from 10 months to 7 years. Three contracted fatal infections, one with fulminant meningococcemia, one with bacterial sepsis, and one with viral hepatitis. The fourth child contracted viral pneumonitis and died of acetaminophen toxicity. Epithelioid germinal centers were found in numerous lymphoid organs (spleen, lymph nodes, and Peyer's patches) in all four cases. Avidin-biotin complex immunohistochemical analysis performed on formalin-fixed splenic tissue from the first three cases and snap-frozen splenic tissue from the second case revealed an absence of B cells in the follicular centers. The mantle zones surrounding follicles were thin but intact. The histiocytoid cells expanding the germinal centers were positive for S100 and R4/23 (dendritic reticulum cells) and negative for numerous histiocyte markers (alpha 1-antitrypsin, alpha 1-antichymotrypsin, and lysozyme). Increased numbers of killer cells (Leu-7) were present within the affected germinal centers in the three cases in which material was available for immunohistochemical studies. Overwhelming infections in these patients seem to result in anomalous natural killer cell activation resulting in localized nonselective destruction of follicular centers similar to anomalous natural killer cell activity reported to occur in fatal infectious mononucleosis. This may lead to an acquired immunodeficiency that precludes long-term survival in affected patients.


Despite size and relevance of non-adherence to health treatments, robust evidence on its effects on health care utilisation is very limited. We focus on non-adherence to diabetes treatments, a widespread problem, andemploy longitudinal administrative data from Spain (2004-2010) to identify and quantify the effects of uncontrolled type 2 diabetes on health care utilisation. We use a biomarker (glycated haemoglobin, HbA1c) to detect the presence of uncontrolled diabetes and explore its effects on both primary and secondary health care. We estimate a range of panel count data models, including negative binomials with random effects, dynamic and hurdle specifications to account for unobserved heterogeneity, previous utilisation and selection. We find uncontrolled diabetes in around 30% of patients of both genders. Although women appear to systematically consume more health care compared to men, their consumption levels do not appear to be influenced by uncontrolled diabetes. Conversely, among men uncontrolled diabetes increases the average number of GP visits per year by around 4%, specialist visits by 4.4% and greatly extends hospital length of stay.


Work of Government Lymph Establishment SIR,-My attention has been drawn to the article appearing in the Oct. 26 number of the Journal by Dr. H. S. Fremlin in which he describes the work of the Government Lymph Establishment from July, 1898 to June, 1946. It was with considerable surprise that I was unable to find anywhere mentioned the name of Lieut.-Col. W. D. H. Stevenson, C.I.E., M.D., D.P.H., I.M.S. (retd.), who was Director of the Establishment from 1930 to 1945 and was thus in chargethroughout the strenuous times of the last war regarding which Dr. Fremlin says: "In addition we supplied 750,000 doses to Scotland during the 1942 outbreak of smallpox there, as well as dealing with minor outbreaks in England. Altogether from September, 1939, to May, 1945, over 15,000,000 doses were issued. At one time during the war our reserve stood at over 5,000,000 doses." (The italics are mine.) I know that Col. Stevenson when Director was not only responsible for the supply of lymph but for many -years until his. death in 1945 carried out many arduous researches for the Government on bacteriological and other issues in connexion with modern developments of vaccine lymph manufacture. It seems scarcely credible that no mention should be made of his name in what purports to be a review of the work of the Establishment up to last year,-I am, etc.,


Maize is an important food crop in Ethiopia. Among major factors contributing to the low productivity of maize in Ethiopia include, absence of improved varieties and significant yield reduction due to high incidences of biotic and abiotic stresses. Success in genetic transformation requires efficient in vitro regeneration protocols. However, inadequate information is available on in vitro regeneration of maize varieties/lines developed for Ethiopian climate. Therefore, this study was initiated to optimize the in vitro regeneration protocols for some inbred lines and open pollinated maize varieties from immature embryos. Immature embryos evaluated for their ability to form callus were cultured in N6 medium and incubated at room temperature in dark to initiate callus. Embryogenic calli were transferred from callus maintenance medium to embryo maturation medium supplemented with 2 mg/l glycine, 1 mg/l NAA and different levels of sucrose (55, 60, 65 or 70 g/l). Matured somatic embryos were subcultured in shoot regeneration medium consisting of MS medium supplemented with 2 mg/l glycine, 2% sucrose and different levels (0, 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3 mg/l) of BAP. Roots were induced by subculturing individual shoots on half strength MS medium supplemented with 2 mg/l glycine, 2% sucrose and different levels (0, 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3 mg/l) of NAA. Immature embryos harvested in between 16-20 days after pollination, depending on the variety responded better than early harvested immature embryos for average callus induction. Better plant regeneration was obtained at basal (hormone free) MS medium. Better root formation was at 0.1 mg/l NAA with average of 2.82- 4.50 roots per shoot. Regenerated plantlets were successfully acclimatized in greenhouse and field conditions with survival rates of 83.7% and 75.6% respectively.  This study established a regeneration scheme for maize lines/ varieties via somatic embryogenesis from immature embryos and high performing maize verities/ lines were identified.


The removal of trichloroethylene (TCE) from water using activated carbon fibers (ACF) and activated carbon (AC) was investigated. Adsorption, as an efficient process to remove TCE from water was chosen; in particular with ACF and AC as adsorbents. The results showed that physisorption play important roles for adsorption of TCE onto activated carbon fibers, while the less important chemisorption. Langmuir and Freundlich models were then employed to correlate the equilibria data. The Langmuir model best described the AC adsorption isotherm of TCE, with R2 0.9942. Freundlich model best fitted the ACF adsorption isotherm of TCE, with R2 0.9978.


The development of energy‐efficient artificial synapses capable of manifoldly tuning synaptic activities can provide a significant breakthrough toward novel neuromorphic computing technology. Here, a new class of artificial synaptic architecture, a three‐terminal device consisting of a vertically integrated monolithic tungsten oxide memristor, and a variable‐barrier tungsten selenide/graphene Schottky diode, termed as a 'synaptic barrister,' are reported. The device can implement essential synaptic characteristics, such as short‐term plasticity, long‐term plasticity, and paired‐pulse facilitation. Owing to the electrostatically controlled barrier height in the ultrathin van der Waals heterostructure, the device exhibits gate‐controlled memristive switching characteristics with tunable programming voltages of 0.2−0.5 V. Notably, by electrostatic tuning with a gate terminal, it can additionally regulate the degree and tuning rate of the synaptic weight independent of the programming impulses from source and drain terminals. Such gate tunability cannot be accomplished by previously reported synaptic devices such as memristors and synaptic transistors only mimicking the two‐neuronal‐based synapse. These capabilities eventually enable the accelerated consolidation and conversion of synaptic plasticity, functionally analogous to the synapse with an additional neuromodulator in biological neural networks.


Nowadays, with the rapid development of high rise building, larger size and span concrete structures are required. Wall panel is a structural element that considered as a vertical load bearing member that carries weight from the roof to the ground floor and to the foundation. A lower density from lightweight concrete decreases the weight of the building. However, lightweight concrete having a lower module of elasticity has a faster rate of crack development in reinforced concrete members. By adding steel fibre, it will reduce the macro-cracking. The strength and behavior of steel fibre lightweight concrete, the ultimate load and crack pattern are investigated. This research was using sample size with constant on the height and thickness that is 600 mm and 40 mm respectively to give the constant slenderness ratio (SR=15). The length was varies from 320 mm, 400 mm, 560 mm and 800 mm provide the range of aspect ratio (AR = 1.875, 1.5, 1.07 and 0.75). Use 0.5% steel fibre of 35 mm length with 0.55 mm diameter and 30% Expanded Polystyrene (EPS). From this research, it has been found that the maximum deflection occurs at the wall panel with AR 0.75 that is 8.28 mm with an average ultimate load of 127.78 kN. The maximum lateral displacement for four (4) wall panels occured at the 0.5 wall height (0.5H) of wall panel that is at 300 mm height. Maximum crack length for each wall panels SFLWC-1 crack length is 30 cm at front, SFLWC-2 crack length is 25 cm at rear, SFLWC-3 crack length is 30 cm at rear and SFLWC-4 crack length is 55 cm at front. The crack pattern from this study shows a concrete crushing at the top and bottom of the wall panels. This shows that the failure at top support was due to applied load and at bottom end was due to support condition. Besides that, the panel with the low aspect ratio tends to fail by crushing, while a panel with high aspect ratio tends to fail by buckling. It concluded the strength and behavior of steel fibre lightweight concrete wall panel under one way in plane action has been revealed by determination of ultimate load, deflection profile, crack patterns, crack loading, failure modes, deformation profile and stress strain relationship as discussed.


Because of special running condition, it is very difficult to maintain and detect wind turbines. In order to reduce waste of financial cost and people and cut down cost of maintain and the repair of schedule .In order to change traditional repair of schedule into state repair, We need to improve the inspect accuracy. By introducing the wavelet analysis module of Matlab in the article and according to the analysis of measure vibration signal from SUT-1000 wind turbine which is designed by Shenyang University of Technology, and apply wavelet theory to analyze the data. we can get intuitionistic envelopment spectral line .Therefore, we can get practical and accurate run condition, put forward applicable report, and realize function of inspecting wind turbine on line.


The Egyptian government resorts to prototype housing for low-income citizens to meet the growing demand of the housing market. The problem with the prototype is that it does not meet specific needs. Consequently, users make modifications to the prototype without professional intervention because of the high cost. This paper discusses an automatic multi-stories space planning tool that helps low-income citizens to modify their prototype housing provided by the government. Social, spatial and functional design aspects were set in the original design prototype by an architect. The proposed tool simulates spaces spatial locations in the original design by simulating the analogy of mechanical springs through an interactive simulation of a parametric model. The authors developed the used algorithm in the generative design tool Grasshopper and the live physics engine Kangaroo, both working within the Rhino 3D environment. The algorithm has two versions, one-floor level version and two floors version targeting the wealthier users. Results indicate that this tool integrates with the exploratory nature of the design process even for non-professional users. The authors designed a tool that will help the users to study the effect of the desired modifications against the originally provided prototype, it also makes it easier for users to express their requirements to a professional designer, conserving time and financial cost.


Silica may act as a stimulator of pulmonary inflammation and fibrosis. The effect of silica on phospholipase D (PLD) activity assayed as accumulation of [3H]phosphatidylethanol ([3H]PtdEt) was examined in [3H]palmitic acid-labeled primary cultures of rat alveolar macrophages. Silica induced a rapid accumulation of [3H]PtdEt in a time (0, 15, 30 and 45 min)- and concentration (0.5, 1.0, 2.5 and 5.0 mg/ml)-dependent manner indicating PLD activation. This silica-stimulated PLD activity was attenuated by the pretreatment with calcium chelator ethylene glycol-bis(beta-aminoethyl ether) N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid (EGTA) or/and 1,2-bis(2-aminophenoxy)ethane-N,N,N,N-tetraacetic acid acetoxymethyl ester (BAPTA/AM) (EGTA: 54.3 +/- 8.6%, BAPTA/AM: 67.5 +/- 7.8% and EGTA + BAPTA/AM: 35.8 +/- 2.9, respectively). Also, silica-induced PLD activation was partially inhibited by the pretreatment with nonspecific phospholipase C (PLC) and PLD inhibitor (neomycin; 66.4 +/- 4.8%) or specific PLC inhibitor (U73122; 70.8 +/- 4.6%). Sphingosine as a protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitor did not change silica-induced PLD activity indicating that PKC might not play a role in PLD activation by silica. Based on these results, we concluded that a silica-stimulated phospholipase D activity is present in the rat alveolar macrophages and is predominantly regulated by PLC-mediated intracellular calcium.


The goal of the study was to examine the relation between dimensions which lie in the basis of maternal attachment (anxiety and avoidance) and the development of children's competences in the emotional domain (reflective functioning, mixed emotions understanding, sequential emotion understanding) and cognitive development (verbal comprehension, logic, graphomotor skills and understanding quantities). For this purpose, 60 children and their mothers were tested. Revised Adult Attachment Scale (RAAS; Collins, 1996), was used to assess the two attachment dimensions. The Affect Task (Steele, Steele, & Fonagy, 1994) contains several subscales, including those intended to assess children's reflective functioning, mixed emotions understanding and sequential emotion understanding. Children's cognitive competences were assessed through their success on the Readiness for Elementary School Test (POŠ; Tolčić, 1986). Results indicate significant negative correlations between dimensions of maternal attachment and emotional competences. Also, avoidance is a significant predictor of mixed emotions understanding and sequential emotion understanding. Furthermore, anxiety negatively correlates with the success of children in logic, and avoidance is in a negative correlation, and is also a significant predictor of children's verbal comprehension from the cognitive domain. Also, better emotional competences of the child, especially reflective functioning, predict better cognitive competences. Our results emphasize the role of the father figure, more precisely the education of the father, in prediction of children's success in verbal comprehension and logic. It is justified to conclude that the obtained results indicate that the phenomena of attachment, emotional, and cognitive competences are essentially interrelated aspects of psychological life.


The British press have published many articles in recent years warning the public of the likelihood of 'blackouts' due to an investment hiatus within Great Britain's (GB) electricity generation industry. Despite allegations of scaremongering, the privatised energy industry is facing multiple challenges. The ideology of a market-led industry seems to have failed. While reasons remain uncertain, according to a UK government White Paper1 there is little doubt that the market structure in 2010 was not capable of providing a secure supply of electricity. This White Paper initiated an Electricity Market Reform (EMR), which the industry is currently in the process of implementing; however, if it will resolve lack of investment within the industry is yet unknown. The vulnerability of GB's electricity generation industry makes this alleged lack of investment an interesting perspective from which to review developments and investment procedures. This review provides an opportunity to reflect upon the history of the industry and consider the implications on investment strategies of the shifting roles of markets, laws, politics, regulation and organisations. Reviewing the period from 1960 to 2010 to seek explanations of how we reached an investment hiatus and an uncertain future of the industry. Through the lens of New Institutional Sociology, we explore changes in institutionalised investment practice over this time.


Dengue has now become a global public health problem and in Malaysia cases of dengue has increased about 30 folds compared to decades ago. Aedes aegypti is the primary vector of dengue and its vectorial capacity differs from one strain to another. In this study, the genetic diversity of Ae. aegypti collected from 19 localities in peninsular Malaysia based on two mitochondrial DNA genes; CO1 and ND5 was determined. The total number of haplotypes obtained for CO1 and ND5 gene were 14 (C1-C14) and five (N1-N5), respectively. Haplotype genealogical network constructed using concatenated CO1-ND5 gene sequences revealed 18 haplotypes (H1-H18) that were separated into two distinct lineages. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the first lineage (C11 and C3) was more closely related to those from Brazil and France. Vector competency can be categorized into infection rate and dissemination rate. The presence of haplotypically varied Ae. aegypti strains in Klang Valley and its surrounding areas in the state of Selangor where dengue is hyperendemic, suggests the importance to study the degree of its contribution to dengue transmission. Mentari Court, located in Klang Valley, reported high number of dengue cases and was an endemic area in recent years. However, Ae. aegypti from Pasir Puteh, located in state of Perak had a unique and specific haplotype. Dengue cases were rare in that location. In the phylogenetic analysis, the mtDNA sequence of Mentari Court and Pasir Puteh sample happens to fall into two different clades, further suggesting the presence of two different lineages of Ae. aegypti population. The overall result of this study showed both the population to be susceptible towards DENV type 1 and was able to disseminate the infection by day seven post infection. The percentage of positive organs was higher in Pasir Puteh's Ae. aegypti on all three days except on day 10 salivary gland of Mentari Court exhibited a higher rate. However Mentari Court proved to have a better dissemination rate although not significant. This is the first study in Malaysia which serves as an initial preliminary iii
phase for a much larger study throughout the country. The understanding of the population diversity of Ae. aegypti and its impact on dengue transmission will be essential for planning of effective control programmes to reduce the burden of dengue.


This study examines the implementation of a learning management system (LMS) to support education of Norwegian athletic judges. The association that represents these judges (FDU) is the highest authority as regards authorization and control of sport judgers, and their operation is mainly based upon voluntary work. The athletic sport is getting increasingly popular, and there is a need to recruit more judges to be able to carry out athletics meetings. By offering courses online, the FDU hopes to reach and recruit new judges. The paper reports challenges, requirements and opportunities encountered while developing and deploying this LMS. We utilize an actor-network perspective to describe the complex socio-technical environment which unfolds while transferring from an offline to an online learning context. KeywordsActor-Network-Theory, Classroom learning, Education of Athletic Judges, eLearning, LMS


Ground moving target indication (GMTI), as a challenging task for synthetic aperture radar (SAR) systems, keeps drawing considerable attention. Robust principal component analysis (RPCA) aiming at separating low-rank and sparse components has been successfully employed in SAR systems for GMTI recently. However, its practical application is limited by the heavy computational burden as well as the requirement of manual parameter modification. To cope with this problem, a fast and free of presetting parameters RPCA network (RPCA-Net) is proposed for SAR-GMTI under strong clutter background. In the proposed method, a novel RPCA model is first introduced, where not only the low-rank and sparse terms but also the errors in practical SAR systems are taken into account. Moreover, the low-rank factorization plus scaled gradient descent (ScaledGD) is also employed to acquire low-rank clutter background rather than singular value decomposition (SVD). Then, we parameterize our proposed RPCA model and unfold it as a feedforward neural network (FNN) to acquire the iterative parameters through backpropagation. Compared to the GMTI methods based on traditional RPCA models, our proposed RPCA-Net can provide a higher detection ability and faster convergence without presetting parameters empirically. Experiments on two groups of measured data collected by airborne SAR systems validate the superior performance of the proposed RPCA-Net.


Abstract:For decades, Chinese rural migrants have been understood as engaging in dagong 打工 (working for a boss), or the selling of their waged labor, conditioned by the global production chain, dormitory regimes, and exploitive labor relations within and beyond factories. Meanwhile, chuangdang 闯荡 (venturing) as a life project that either opposes or extends dagong has been neglected in scholarly studies. Venturing refers to a spatiotemporal condition defined by the uniqueness of urban villages where rural migrants participate in the informal economy on the urban fringes and attach themselves to entrepreneurship and mobility. It is also a multifaceted presentism produced out of the following spatiotemporal conditions: (1) the sense of urgency to get ahead in spatial temporality; (2) an optimistic relationship with unpredictability; and (3) the technologies of mobility in the name of freedom. By highlighting the dilemmas that propel and hinder rural migrants, this article argues that the cultural politics of venturing are a condition that renders rural migrants economically aggressive, yet politically passive. Thereby, it not only prolongs rural migrants' mobile lives on the urban fringes, but also dampens political actions that claim space through resistance.


We examine the association between firms' tax planning behavior, as measured by their effective tax rates (ETRs), and financial restatements. We find that both low and high ETRs are positively related to subsequent tax-related restatements, indicating a nonlinear relation between ETRs and tax-related financial reporting quality. We also find evidence that tax-related restatements for low ETR firms reflect increased operational complexity that pervades the firm and results in an increased likelihood of tax and non-tax restatements. High ETR firms, in contrast, appear to suffer from inadequate controls and expertise surrounding the reporting for income taxes. We do not find evidence that this extends outside the tax function to other types of restatements. All results hold after controlling for internal control weaknesses and other characteristics known to affect ETRs and the likelihood of restatements.


Petroleum is currently being used as a major source for chemicals, materials, and fuels, but poses major concerns in terms of its future utilisation due to resource limitation, increasing costs and associated environmental issues. An alternative raw material for chemicals and biofuels production is lignocellulosic biomass. The conversion of biomass to biofuels begins with biomass pretreatment in which chemical and/or physical treatments are utilised to remove or weaken the tight linkages among cell-wall components, making biomass easier to degrade. The use of ionic liquids–salts (mixtures of cations and anions that melt below 100 °C) has been described as a new potentially viable development in this area due to the increasing interest in the use of such compounds to pretreat lignocellulosic materials and to catalyse the dissolution of cellulose. This manuscript aims to provide an overview on the major representative progress and development of the use of ionic liquids systems for biomass pretreatment and cellulose dissolution. A comparison of the environmental impact of different ionic liquids for the conversion of carbohydrates into useful biofuel intermediates will be described, with their inherent advantages for biomass valorisation processes in terms of unique and tuneable physico-chemical properties.


Engineered nanomaterials have been increasingly utilized in industry for various consumer products, environmental treatments, energy storage, and biomedical applications. Meanwhile, it has been established that certain nanomaterials can be toxic to biological cells from extensive experimental and theoretical studies. Despite that the exact molecular mechanisms of this nanomaterial toxicity are still not well understood, it is ubiquitous that their interactions with cell membranes, through either endocytosis or penetration (and thus potential lysis), act as the first step toward the inflammation or even the death of a cell. To facilitate the study of nanomaterial-membrane interactions, here we demonstrate a nanopore-based single-molecule approach that can be applied to monitor a specific nanomaterial-membrane interaction in real time. Combined with molecular dynamics and experimental approaches, we show how an ionic current can be used to detect membrane damage by a graphene nanosheet and illustrate the underlying molecular mechanism. More generally, we expect that measured transmembrane ionic currents (both DC and AC) can signify many particle-induced membrane modifications, such as hole formation, particle adsorption, and protein insertion.


Microcystic lymphatic malformations as described in the international literature form a subgroup of low-flow congenital vascular malformations (VM) resulting from irregular embryological development. Microcystic lesions normally manifest as an accumulation of lymph- and blood-filled vesicles that, when externalized, cause skin maceration with consequent pain and potential infection resulting in the impairment of the patient's quality of life. There is no consensus on a standardized algorithm nor clear guidelines for successful treatment of this type of lymphatic malformation, and treatment options employed often result in ambivalent and transient outcomes with a high rate of recurrence. The topical formulation of tacrolimus is a well-known FDAapproved anti-T cell agent that was recently identified as a potent activator of ALK1, which is involved in several processes and functions including angiogenesis. We investigated if topical administration of tacrolimus may be an effective therapy for directly targeting cutaneous microcystic lymphatic malformations as a complement to systemic treatment. The study enrolled four patients with cutaneous microcystic lymphatic malformations: three male (ages: 13,15,18) and one female (age: 30). Two of the patients presented lesions on their backs, one patient on the left hand and one on the left lower limb. All four patients received treatment with topical tacrolimus 0.1% twice a day for 10 weeks on a previously selected area for application. Weekly clinical follow-ups were conducted along with close physician-patient contact. All patients displayed a satisfactory response after treatment. Lymphorrhea and bleeding were stopped in all cases and the esthetic aspect of lesions improved in two patients. To date, all patients presented no clinically significant changes to the size or extension of the lesion. Topical tacrolimus treatment is a promising and reasonable option for microcystic lymphatic malformations. Our results encourage further exploration in larger populations with the consideration that it is a safe and effective alternative or complementary therapy to systemic treatment.


The publication of our article "Introducing the dilemma of societal alignment for inclusive and responsible research and innovation" (Ribeiro et al., 2018) was accompanied by three commentaries (Guston, 2018; Nordmann, 2018; and Kuzma and Roberts, 2018). In the original article, we invoked Collingridge's dilemma of the social control of technology to introduce a complementary dilemma of "societal alignment" in the governance of science, technology and innovation. Thoughtful and challenging critiques were presented in the three commentaries. In this paper, as completed in June 2019, we respond to those critiques and, in so doing, seek to further clarify and extend our arguments.


This chapter covers recent developments in O NMR spectroscopy as applied to discrete metal oxide clusters, particularly in the context of their use as models in geochemistry and catalysis. Dynamic O NMR methods based on the McConnell–Bloch equations are explored in depth, and recent advances are reviewed. High-pressure NMR methods are also discussed and reviewed, as are recent developments in the use of density functional theory in the computation of O NMR shifts in polyoxometalates. The emphasis of the chapter is on the new developments that promise to reinvigorate O NMR as a central tool in the study of aqueous chemical kinetics, with the most urgent challenges being understanding the rates of isotopic substitution into bridging oxygens in clusters.


This paper describes an integrated service and network management system for provisioning the point-to-multipoint reservation service (PMRS) in an ATM network. There are two major issues confronting the network service provider in relation to this service: one is to rapidly confirm the acceptability of the subscriber's reservation at subscription time, and the other is to punctually activate the reserved point-to-multipoint service. To meet these requirements, this paper proposes a service provision model (SPM) and a network resource model of bandwidth allocation timetable (BAT). This paper likewise proposes a point-to-multipoint routing algorithm composed of ordering and backtracking procedures, which can find an optimal branch point under the complex network topology and can add more destinations to the existing point-to-multipoint route. Lastly, this paper shows the feasibilities of the SPM, the BAT and the point-to-multipoint routing algorithm by means of implementation and performance analysis under the real ATM network of Korea Telecom.


Records of the Sea was dictated by Hsieh Ch'ing- kao and transcribed by Yang Ping-nan. Hsieh Ch'ing-kao (1765-1821) was a native of Jiaying in eastern Guangdong Province, a region long frequented by foreign traders. Hsieh Ch'ing-kao became a crew member on what was probably a British or Portuguese ship after his own vessel sank in the open seas. He returned to Macau to make a living as an interpreter, having lost his eyesight. His journey is estimated to have taken place from 1782 to 1795. Toward the end of his life, he dictated his account to one of the local schoolboys and published the book named Records of the Sea. Records of the Sea describes more than ninety countries in the world about their geographical location, customs, political system and the local Chinese etc. There are 57 Malay words marked ithChinese characters in Borneo. This paper will study these Chinese characters especially focus on phonetics system.

Keywords:Records of the Sea, Borneo, Chinese characters, language character


Direct techniques for the optimal resolution estimation and position prediction of subpel motion vectors (MVs) based on integer-pel MVs are investigated in this paper. Although it is common to determine the optimal MV position by fitting a local error surface using integer-pel MVs, the characteristics of the error surface have not been thoroughly studied in the past. Here, we use an approximate condition number of the Hessian matrix of the error surface to characterize its shape in a local region. By exploiting this shape information, we propose a block-based subpel MV resolution estimation method that allows each block to choose its optimal subpel MV resolution for the optimal rate-distortion (R-D) performance adaptively. Furthermore, we propose two MV position prediction schemes for ill and well-conditioned error surfaces, respectively. All proposed techniques are direct methods, where no iteration is required. Experimental results are given to show the R-D performance of the proposed subpel MV resolution estimation and position prediction schemes.


Multidimensional scaling is a well-known multivariate technique, that is often used in genetics for studying population substructure. In this paper we show that multidimensional scaling of marker data is of relevance for relatedness research. Relatedness is usually investigated by estimating and plotting identity-by-state and identity-by-descent allele-sharing statistics. We show that outlying individuals in a map obtained by multidimensional scaling of genetic variables do not necessarily stem from a different human population, but can be the consequence of relatedness. We propose a method for classifying pairs of individuals into the standard relationship categories that combines genetic bootstrapping, multidimensional scaling and discriminant analysis. We validate our method with simulation studies. Given the variant filtering procedures, our method classifies relationships up to and including the fourth degree with high accuracy (96-97%), using only identity by state. The usefulness of the method is illustrated with data from the 1,000 genomes and the GCAT projects.


Potential students surf university web pages to meet the professors, view the campus, seek program descriptions and discover degree outcomes in alumni success stories. Acutely aware that the university's market niche needs to be shared publicly, many universities invest heavily in attractive, informative web pages. Those pages also share the university's approaches to multiple modes of instruction including distance learning. For many students, the opportunity for distance learning is a must on their desired university quality checklist. Extending coursework beyond the confines of a traditional classroom requires strategic planning. Faculty in the College of Education and Professional Studies (CEPS), at Jacksonville State University, took the University lead in distance learning and attribute growth in all programs first to an inductive response to student needs by a faculty willing to try a variety of venues to interact with students. At that initial stage of development, the College housed the Distance Learning Coordinator, the majority of equipment and about eighty percent of the distance learning course offerings. Any course in the College, regardless of instructional mode, aligned with the College Five-Year Plan Goals, Annual College Goals, Department Goals, and the College Conceptual Framework. Faculty, regardless of rank agreed that students evaluate all courses taught in the College each semester. As a foundation, the Conceptual Framework outlines the following areas: * Creative Decision Makers reflect understanding of educational theory and research by their ability to recognize individual leaner characteristics; select appropriate content/subject matter; and choose teaching methods that address learner characteristics and needs. * Creative Decision Makers reflect understanding of content/subject matter by their ability to know the facts, concepts and principles or laws of the discipline; and understand the relationships among the major facts and ideas. * Creative Decision Makers reflect understanding of the learner by their ability to be sensitive to the needs of learner's environmental and societal influences; know the stages of cognitive, physical, and affective/emotional development as they affect learning; are aware of the differing values and behaviors in learners from diverse cultural backgrounds; assess the readiness of learners for specific learning experiences; and develop assessment and evaluation strategies. * Creative Decision Makers reflect understanding of teaching strategies and techniques by their ability to choose strategies that address learner needs; use intrinsic and extrinsic motivators to foster learner progress; individualize educational experiences for a wide range of learners; and apply a variety of teaching techniques and technologies. * Creative Decision Makers reflect an understanding of professionalism by their ability to model effective speaking and writing skills; demonstrate effective interpersonal skills when relating to student colleagues, supervisors, parents, and the community; apply knowledge of the rights and responsibilities of students, parents, and school personnel; understand the school as an organization within the philosophical, historical social and political context of a community, state and nation; act as mediators between the educational agenda of society and the needs, interests, and abilities of learners; understand the school as an organization; participate in site-based management; continue professional development through participation in appropriate organizations and lifelong learning experiences. * Creative Decision Makers reflect understanding of the educational context under which the teaching-learning process takes place by their ability to know the effect of teacher expectations on student achievement, especially for culturally diverse groups; structure the learning environment for the needs of learners; develop or select resources, equipment, and facilities to create appropriate interactive learning environments; organize time, space, and materials for effective classroom management and instruction; demonstrate a variety of classroom disciplines and management skills. …


In this article we study and compare the investment performance and portfolio diversification benefits of passive and active long-only energy futures investment. We apply simple trend-capturing rules to dynamically reallocate capital into and out of the market. We find that active long-only investment may considerably increase absolute and risk-adjusted return, reduce the volatility inherent in energy futures, and provide significant downward protection in periods of extreme negative performance of the underlying energy markets.


Most health systems continue to be restructured and modified without much thought to underlying public policy. Patient safety, quality and innovation are monitored through a range of agencies while performance measures are regularly measured and the results published. Primary healthcare in many systems remains fragmented. To achieve value of the whole health system as well as its component parts, the development of an outcomes-based approach to performance measurement is required to guide the delivery of constantly improving health services. This is a critical issue in health systems management.
Abbreviations: KPI – Key Performance Indicator; SLM – System Level Measures.


An analyst at General Motors charged with managing the structure of the automaker's debt must decide whether and how to modify the interest rate exposure of the firm's most recent debt offering. The analyst must take into consideration GM's liability management policy guidelines, the firm's existing interest rate exposure, his expectations of interest rates, and the wide range of interest rate products available. He must decide whether to leave the fixed-rate instrument unchanged or to enter into a swap, cap, interest rate option, or swap option transaction.


St. Luce, M., Ziadi, N., Zebarth, B. J., Whalen, J. K., Grant, C. A., Gregorich, E, G., Lafond, P., Blackshaw, R. E., Johnson, E. N., O'Donovan, J. T. and Harker, K. N. 2013. Particulate organic matter and soil mineral nitrogen concentrations are good predictors of the soil nitrogen supply to canola following legume and non-legume crops in western Canada. Can. J. Soil Sci. 93: 607-620. Accurate estimation of potential nitrogen (N) availability from preceding crops is essential to improve N fertilizer management in agricultural soils. Labile organic N fractions such as microbial biomass N (MBN), water-extractable organic N (WEON), particulate and light fraction organic matter N (POMN, LFOMN) are sensitive to management-induced changes and have the potential to predict N availability. This study assessed the impact of preceding legume [field pea (Pisum sativum L.), faba bean (Vicia faba L.), faba bean green manure] and non-legume crops [canola (Brassica napus L.) and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)] on labile organic N fractions, mineral N (NH4-N+NO3-N), potentially mineralizable N (N 0 ) and soil N supply (canola grain yield and N uptake), and whether these soil parameters for the top 15 cm of soil could be used as indicators of soil N supply across no-till sites in western Canada. Labile organic N fractions and N 0 were similar regardless of preceding crop. Soil N supply was greatest following faba bean green manure at four of five sites. POMN was the best single predictor of soil N supply (R 2=0.56 and R 2=0.69 for yield and N uptake, respectively). Soil N supply was primarily related to the combined effects of POMN, mineral N and sand content, which explained 68 and 71% of the variation in grain yield and N uptake, respectively. This study demonstrated that POMN and mineral N are relatively good predictors of soil N supply to canola in western Canada. Accounting for these parameters as well as soil texture may help improve N fertilizer recommendations for canola.


There is evidence that intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) is associated with altered dopaminergic function in the immature brain. However, the relevant enzyme activities have not been measured in the living neonatal brain together with brain oxidative metabolism. Therefore, fluorine-18-labeled 6-fluoro-l-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (FDOPA) was used together with positron emission tomography to estimate the activity of the aromatic amino acid decarboxylase in the brain of 10 newborn IUGR piglets (2 to 5 d old; body weight, 908 ± 109 g) and in 10 normal-weight (3 to 5 d old; body weight, 2142 ± 373 g) newborn piglets. The regional transport of FDOPA to the brain and the clearance rate of labeled metabolites from brain tissue were broadly similar in the two groups. However, the regional rate constant for back flux from the brain was markedly increased in IUGR piglets for striatum (72%) and frontal cortex (83%) (p < 0.05). Furthermore, the rate constant for conversion of FDOPA to fluorodopamine was markedly increased (between 48% in cerebellum and 91% in mesencephalon, p < 0.05) in all brain regions of IUGR piglets studied. Thus, it is suggested that IUGR induces an up-regulation of aromatic amino acid decarboxylase activity that is not related to alterations in brain oxidative metabolism.


The idea of community has lurked in various forms in organization studies since the field's inception, but its recent prominence as a critical precondition for innovation makes urgent the resolution of two theoretical puzzles. Both puzzles can be stated in the terms suggested by Tönnies' classic contrast of Gemeinschaft and Gesellschaft, community and association. First, it is difficult to reconcile the idea that community is critical to innovation with the traditionalistic character of Gemeinschaft. Second, it is difficult to reconcile any idea of community in work organizations with the conflictual character of the capitalist employment relation and the instrumental Gesellschaft character of the economic sphere. I argue that the resolution of the second puzzle via Marxist theory leads us to a resolution of the first. My thesis, in summary, is that community is a critical component of the capitalist labour-process, and that where this labour-process is oriented toward innovation, community is taking an historically new form. This new form represents a dialectical synthesis of Gemeinschaft and Gesellschaft, a form we can call Genossenschaft, or collaborative. The argument is essentially theoretical; I illustrate some key features of this emergent collaborative form with case data from a software services firm. In conclusion I suggest that this new form represents communism developing in the heart of capitalism.


Abstract:This essay points to the connection between the fairy-tale tradition and the literary quarrel between the Ancients and the Moderns in the late part of seventeenth-century France around the canonical figures of Charles Perrault, both conteur and the main advocate of the Moderns. His female counterparts, the conteuses Marie-Jeanne Lhéritier and Henriette-Julie de Murat in particular, also participated in that poetico-political debate, indirectly but convincingly, outside the French Academy, spreading this new notion of modernity in the salons and the mondain (worldly) gazettes. In this particular study, emphasis is on how their theory appears in their other productions of fiction and in their nonfiction surrounding the quarrel and their fairy-tale production.


Preface: Africa's superficial epidemiologic transition, Ezequiel Kalipeni, Philip Thiuri. Part 1 Basic health care problems: The AIDS pandemic in Malawi - a sombre reflection, Ezequiel Kalipeni Infant and child mortality - the socio-cultural dimension of the problem in Ghana, Kodjo A. Senah. Part 2 Women, culture and health care: The threats of AIDS to women and development in sub-Saharan Africa, Philip Thiuri Gender and ethnicity in health care - the case of Tuareg women in Niger, Susan J. Rasmussen Beliefs and practices during pregnancy in a Yao community in Malawi, Deborah L. Helitzer-Allen et al Family planning in an informal settlement - the case of Canaan, Durban, South Africa, Priscilla Cunnan The health status of women in a South African peri-urban settlement - the case of Amandawe, Durban, South Africa, Vadi Moodley, Busi Zama. Part 3 Policy issues in health care provisions: Impacts of health policies on the health status of African women and children, 1978-1994, J. Karen Shelley Structural adjustment and health care in Zimbabwe, daniel S. Tevera Facing up to crisis - the politics of AIDS policy in Botswana, James J. Zaffiro Meeting the health needs of refugees and internally displaced persons in sub-Saharan Africa, Gilbert Burnham Traditional birth attendants (TBAs) and maternal health care in Tanzania, Edmund J. Kayombo Mobilizing rural communities for HPC - the case of Liwonde PHC unit in southern Malawi, Ezequiel Kalipeni, Christopher Kamlongera. Part 4 Accessibility and utilization: Regional and rural inequities in the provision of health care in Ghana, Kofi Ohene-Konadu approaches to health care accessibility in Zimbabwe, Jelena Mijic Vuckovic Health care accessibility and utilization in sub-Saharan Africa - the case of Ghana, R.B. Biritwum, Henry E. Jackson Geographic Information System (GIS) and the national malaria research programme, South Africa, David Le Sueur et al.


The data presented concern the chemistry and biology of cardiotrop peptides and proteins isolated by us from the hypothalamus. The molecular mechanisms of the effect of neurohormone "C" (NC) as well as of a new cardiotrop hexapeptide from cattle hypothalamus are discussed. In in vitro studies on homogenates NC has been found to inhibit greatly not only 3'--5'-cyclo-AMP phosphodiesterase activity of brain and heart but also 3'--5'-cyclo-GMP phosphodiesterase activity. NC has been shown to be bound to specific proteins and to the regulatory unit of cyclo-AMP-dependent histone kinase of brain. It seems to compete with cyclo-AMP for the same proteins and is considered to be a regulator of intracellular cyclic nucleotides. NC has been shown to be combined to specific proteins in brain with non covalent bonds. A new cardiotrop hexapeptide has been shown to be present in bovine hypothalamus and its chemical structure has been found to be Tyr-Leu-Gly-Arg-Pro-Gly-amide. The acetylated form of this hexapeptide, which may be also present in brain, is much more active. The radioimmunochemical experiments carried out with antiserum 744 (from prof. Schally) by us have confirmed the existence of this hexapeptide and other fragments of LH-RH in the bovine hypothalamus. The effect of this hexapeptide on cardiac function and metabolism has been compared with a number of polypeptides (luliberin fragments). The hexapeptide has been shown to have not only cardiotropic but also a hypoglycaemic effect. It enhances the secretion of insulin and counteracts the inhibitory action of somatostatin on the insular apparatus. The hexapeptide produces significant changes in the activities of phosphorylase a and b as well as in that of phosphoprotein phosphatases. It reduces the amount of kinines in blood. Certain fractions of substance P, have been shown to have cardiotrop actitivty--they increase the rate of blood leaving the heart. The organotrop effects of a number of peptide neurohormones are discussed in connection with the hexapeptide. The results obtained have shown that the mechanisms underlying the effects of the cardioactive substances found by us are quite different. The data presented show that in brain a number of chemical factors (mainly peptides) are formed, which are involved in the regulation of heart function.


Abstract For decades, little research on Danish Cold War history was conducted either inside or outside Denmark. The relevant archives were closed, and generations of Danish contemporary historians were primarily interested in what happened during World War II. This is no longer the situation. Over the past 35 years, especially since the end of the Cold War, researchers have scrutinized Danish Cold War history in great depth. By now, scholarly research in Denmark on the Cold War, especially in the area of Danish national security affairs and foreign policy, has reached a level that merits international attention, and this survey article provides an overview. The article encourages Danish Cold War scholars to promote comparative research that incorporates Danish Cold War history into the wider international Cold War scholarship, to the benefit of both Danish and international research.


Investors in land often look for land with a high growing potential, which means land with lots of rainfall or land that can be irrigated. In multimillion dollar investments involving irrigation, investors typically want to secure water rights as part of the deal. Motivated by potential revenues from water fees and the prospect of improved agricultural productivity, many African governments are signing away water rights for decades to large investors. But they are doing so with little regard for how this will impact the millions of other users — from fishermen to pastoralists — whose livelihoods depend on customary access to water. Water managers must seriously consider the extent to which water rights should be linked to land in this way before setting a long-term precedent that could compromise sustainable and equitable supply to all users in the future.


Objective: MRI-based measurements of hippocampal atrophy are a sensitive indicator of the early pathologic degeneration of the medial temporal lobe in AD. However, AD pathology appears first in the transentorhinal/entorhinal cortex, not the hippocampus. The authors tested the hypothesis that MRI-based measurements of the entorhinal cortex are more sensitive than measurements of hippocampal volume in discriminating among three clinical groups; controls, patients with a mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and patients with mild probable AD. Methods: The authors studied 30 controls, 30 patients with MCI, and 30 patients with AD who were matched among clinical groups on age, gender, and education. All underwent a standardized MRI protocol from which the authors made measurements of hippocampal volume, entorhinal cortex volume, and the cumulative length of the medial border of the entorhinal cortex. Results: Pairwise intergroup differences (p < 0.01) were found for all MRI measurements with the exception of the cumulative length of the entorhinal cortex, which did not differentiate controls from MCI patients. Whereas the hippocampal and entorhinal cortex volume measurements provided slightly better intergroup discrimination than the entorhinal distance measurement, overall differences in discriminating ability among the three MRI measurements were minor. Conclusions: Despite the theoretical rationale for the superiority of entorhinal measurements in early AD, the authors found MRI measurements of the hippocampus and entorhinal cortex were approximately equivalent at intergroup discrimination. Measurements of the hippocampus may be preferable because MRI depiction of the boundaries of the entorhinal cortex can be obscured by anatomic ambiguity, image artifact, or both.


Many fishes are thought to make diel, seasonal and/or ontogenetic migrations among seagrass, mangrove, and coral reef habitats. However, most evidence of such movement has been inferred from density and size structure differences among these habitats in tropical waters. The aim of the present study was to directly evaluate multiple habitat use by an ecologically and economically important reef fish, the gray snapper Lutjanus griseus, in subtropical waters. An integrated set of activities was conducted, including tagging and tracking of individuals and underwater video pho- tography to examine the spatial and temporal dynamics of movements among neighboring man- grove, seagrass, and coral reef habitats in the northern Florida Keys, USA. Results of ultrasonic acoustic and mini-archival tagging indicated that L. griseus exhibits: (1) a distinct diel migration pat- tern, whereby shallow seagrass beds are frequented nocturnally and mangroves and other habitats with complex structure are occupied diurnally, and (2) bay-to-ocean movement, occurring during the known spawning season of L. griseus in this region. Video photography confirmed diel movement among seagrass and mangrove habitats. Results of this subtropical study corroborate direct and indi- rect evidence obtained in tropical waters of multiple inshore habitat use by L. griseus, as well as its seasonal movement into or towards offshore reefs. For resource managers charged with designing and implementing management plans for subtropical coastal habitats and fisheries, our findings pro- vide direct support for the strategy of conserving both inshore seagrass and mangrove habitats as well as offshore coral reefs.


Literature has examined the adoption and diffusion of household computers and the Internet, or the first-order "digital divide". However, the second-order "digital divide", i.e., the specific usages of these tools, has received much less attention. This paper examines how the critical mass and diffusion channels affect the adoption of household computer applications, thus contributing to our understanding of this important issue. We propose that critical mass has strong effects on the adoption of both general and specialized computer applications, and diffusions from various channels, such as workplaces and schools, are significant. In addition, we argue that critical mass has stronger influence on general applications in early stage of the diffusion process while exerts stronger impact on specialized applications in late stage. In contrast, diffusions from workplaces and schools are generally stronger in late stage rather than in early stage. The stage-wise analysis using Current Population Survey data confirm our propositions.


Purpose: This study evaluated factors that affect granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) adsorption in the infusion tube by measuring the G-CSF concentration, rate of G-CSF infusion, and volume of flush solution. Methods: The concentrations of G-CSF in all samples were measured by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using human G-CSF Quantikine® ELISA kits. The concentration of G-CSF, the rate of administration, and the volume of flush solution were studied respectively. The concentration of G-CSF and the rate of administration that had a significantly lower G-CSF percent recovery after the infusion via the infusion set were used for further investigation in the study. All samples were diluted with 5% dextrose in water (D5W) to the final concentration within the standard concentration range. All experiments were performed in triplicate. Results: The concentration of G-CSF that was administered through the infusion tube at 20 µg/mL was a significantly higher G-CSF percent recovery compared with the G-CSF concentrations of 5, 10, and 15 µg/mL. The infusion rate of 15 and 20 mL/h percent recovery of G-CSF adsorption was significantly higher than the infusion rates of 30 and 40 mL/h. The concentration of G-CSF at 15 µg/mL and an infusion rate of 30 mL/h were selected to investigate the flush volumes of D5W on G-CSF adsorption. The D5W flush volume of 40 mL dramatically decreased the G-CSF adsorption with a recovery of 103 ± 1.73%. Conclusion: The G-CSF concentration of 20 µg/mL with an infusion rate of 20 mL/h, using a 40 mL D5W flush, was appropriate for intravenous G-CSF administration.


Abstract Question: We studied the development and persistence of the effects of nutrient pulses on biomass production and species composition in a fen meadow. Location: Nature reserve, central Netherlands, 5 m a.s.l. Methods: Single pulse fertilization with N and P in a factorial design on an undrained central and a drained margin site in a species-rich fen meadow (Cirsio dissecti-Molinietum). Biomass production and species composition were monitored during four years. Results: At the central site, N addition boosted biomass production, but only during one year. The species composition was not changed. P fertilization increased the biomass production and changed the species composition from a vegetation dominated by Carex panicea to a grassland community with abundant Holcus lanatus, but not before the second year. At the margin site, P fertilization changed the species composition in a similar way, but biomass production was not increased. N fertilization had no effect. At both sites the P induced shift in species composition persisted for four years although the P effect declined during the experiment. Conclusions: The biomass responses show that N was limiting in the central site. Another nutrient, besides N and P (probably K) must have been limiting in the marginal site. The fast decline of the N effect on biomass is ascribed to increased denitrification and biomass removal. The delay in the P effect on biomass and species composition and the persistence of the P effect on species composition are ascribed to fast immobilisation and subsequent slow release of fertilizer P in the peat soil. Recurrence of the P pulses is expected to cause permanent changes in species composition. Nomenclature: van der Meijden (1990) for phanerogams and Schaminée et al. (1996) for syntaxa.


Surface-related multiple attenuation (SRMA) can effectively remove multiples from seismic data when other (e.g., Radon transform) methods have difficulty. SRMA generally includes two steps: multiple prediction (or multiple modeling) and adaptive multiple subtraction (AMS). In some cases, adaptive subtraction is the main challenge for the success of SRMA. Adaptive subtraction is often posed as a least-squares minimization problem that minimizes the energy difference between the original input traces and the modeled multiple traces. The minimum-output-energy approach can be implemented by either single- or multichannel matching filters. These methods assume orthogonality between the primaries and multiples, meaning that the two classes of events are uncorrelated.


Accumulative evidence indicates that the lipoxygenase (LOX) pathway plays a significant role in the Aspergillus-seed interaction, such as interfering with activities of endogenous fungal oxylipins or producing antimicrobial compounds and signaling molecules. In this study, we characterized the LOX pathway in peanut seed during Aspergillus parasiticus colonization in a model of two cultivars distinguished as resistant ('PI337394') and susceptible ('Florman INTA') to Aspergillus spp. infection and aflatoxin contamination. The LOX activity together with the content of LOX substrate and LOX products demonstrated the presence of a differential response mechanism to A. parasiticus infection between cultivars. Our findings suggest that this mechanism is under transcriptional control of previously identified (LOX 2 and LOX 3) and novel (LOX 4 and LOX 5) LOX genes. The results of this study support the role of these enzymes in defense during fungus infection in peanut seed.


The epidermis is an extremely important plant tissue because it is at the interface of the plant with its environment. To isolate genes expressed in the epidermis, a cDNA library constructed from leaves of Brassica napus was screened with an unidentified B. napus epidermis-specific, partial cDNA clone, pLFSA, which was isolated previously. Several full length cDNA clones were isolated, one of which was fully sequenced. This clone, designated BnLTP, encoded a putative non-specific lipid transfer protein (LTP) of 118 amino acids. Two other closely related cDNA clones, p2A4 and p5A9, were isolated and sequenced partially at the 3' ends. Sequence comparison of the three clones with pLF3A indicated the presence of four closely related but non-identical cDNA species. Based on this observation and previous Southern blot analysis of B. napus genomic DNA, it was concluded that BnLTP, p2A4, p5A9 and pLF3A were four members of a small closely related multigene family encoding putative LTPs. A genomic clone, designated []3.2A, homologous to BnLTP was isolated. A 4.8 kb Eco RI fragment from []3.2A, which hybridised strongly to the cDNA, was subcloned and sequenced. The fragment contained the full length gene, designated BnLTP. BnLTP encoded a 118 amino acid putative LTP, which differed at five amino acids from the cDNA. It consisted of two exons of 116 and 2 amino acids, respectively, interrupted by a 269 bp intron. The gene contained a 2.3 kb 5' upstream region that contained a TATA box and several cis-acting elements conserved in other LTP genes and genes involved in phenylpropanoid biosynthesis. B. napus LTP transcripts exhibited an organ-specific pattern of expression. They were expressed at high levels in leaves, stems, and floral tissues but were not detected in roots. In addition, endogenous LTP transcripts were induced in response to high white, blue and red light in B. napus and Arabidopsis leaves but not in response to UV-B light treatment. The BnLTP promoter was regulated in a spatial and temporal manner during development, as demonstrated by histochemical localisation of []-glucuronidase (GUS) in transgenic Arabidopsis plants carrying a 2.3 kb BnLTP promoter-GUS fusion (BnLTP-GUS). GUS was expressed at higher levels in younger developing leaves compared to older leaves. Cross-sections of transgenic leaf and stem tissue indicated that BnLTP-GUS was expressed predominantly in the epidermal cells. GUS activity was observed in the trichomes, epidermal pavement cells and guard cells. However, expression was also observed in the vascular bundles (xylem and phloem of leaves) and in the lateral root initials. In floral tissue, GUS was localised in sepals, stigmas, petals and stamens, but as the flower matured, it was expressed only at low levels in the stigma and sepal/petal abscission zone. However, GUS was not detected in mature petals but persisted in the stamens (pollen sacs and the filament). Expression of BnLTP-GUS in transgenic Arabidopsis was moderately induced in response to high white, blue and red light but not following UV-B light treatment of leaves. BnLTP-GUS was moderately induced in cold treated leaves and upon infection with CaMV but not in response to wounding. LTP expression increased in transgenic Arabidopsis plants constitutively expressing the CaMV Gene VI, which is essential for viral replication and disease symptoms. In Ar-abidopsis mutants altered in trichome development, glabrous 1 (gl1) and 2(gl2) and transparent testa glabra (ttg), endogenous LTP expression was not altered, and in each case expression was induced in response to high white light similar to wild type plants. However, in the photoregulation mutant icx1 (increased chalcone synthase expression), which is characterised not only by enhanced light stimulation of the epidermis-specific gene, CHS, but also by altered epidermal development, endogenous LTP expression was increased. In the double mutant ttg/icx1, which has phenotypic characteristics of both parents, endogenous LTP expression was similar to icx1.


The seismic interpretation process generally exploits three of the following independent basic assumptions:

1
Input quantities are obtained by simplification of measured data (travel time curves).

2
2. The geological model contains only a few parameters (for example, plane interfaces and constant interval velocities).

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3. Approximate transformations may be applied.

The first two are related to the simplification of the phenomena and enhance their essential features. The transformation which establishes relations between simplified data and model is required to be unique, stable, and sufficiently accurate.

Practically, the travel time curves are almost exclusively regarded as hyperbolas. We also accept this approximation.

The paper presents a simple recursive algorithm for the evaluation of the depth and dip of plane reflectors and the interval velocities.

It is a simple fact, that there exists a unique relationship between three hyperbolic parameters and a homogeneous dipping layer. Accordingly, two layers can be replaced by a single layer and the parameters of the lower boundary can be estimated when the upper one is known, initiating virtual shotpoints and geophone points (virtual surface). So, the case of multilayered media can be reduced in sequential steps to the case of a single homogeneous layer using a stripping type procedure.

Some synthetic model examples are provided to demonstrate the abilities of the algorithm.


Monitoring the quality of the bathing waters of Gipuzkoa (the Basque Country, Spain) makes it possible to assess the suitability of its 15 beaches for bathing throughout each season. In 1998, the parameters E. coli, somatic coliphages (SOMCPH) and F-specific RNA bacteriophages (FRNAPH) were incorporated into the bathing water quality monitoring system. This enabled the study of the link between bacterial and viral indicators as well as the analysis of the ratios between both types of indicators in waters with different levels of pollution. Although bacterial indicators (total coliforms (TC) and faecal coliforms (FC)) and enterococci showed a strong correlation between them, the correlations between the viral indicators and between the viral and bacterial indicators were weaker, though significant in all cases. The ratio between SOMCPH and E. coli indicates that at low levels of bacterial pollution (E coli <100 MPN/100 ml) SOMCPH outnumber E coli. In contrast, at higher levels of pollution (E coli >100 MPN/100 ml), SOMCPH numbers are lower than those of E-coli. The data reveal the presence of viral indicators in waters classified as suitable for bathing by the European Directive and alert us to their suitability.


A bipolar junction transistor (BJT) based sensor is investigated for its sensing characteristics such as sensitivity and signal to noise ratio (SNR). The sensor consists of a bipolar transistor with its base connected to a sensing surface in contact with the solution. Measurements are performed using pH buffer solutions and the sensor sensitivity and signal to noise ratio are shown to be significantly enhanced in comparison to nanowire field effect transistor (FET) sensors. In addition to the pH sensing, detection of single strand DNA is demonstrated. Lastly, the BJT sensor also provides simultaneous temperature measurement.


The histopathology, clinical presentation, and epidemiology of a cutaneous and oral mucosal disease affecting 40 black rhinoceroses (Diceros bicornis) at 21 zoological parks (50% of the captive US population) were investigated. Twenty-seven biopsies were examined from recent lesions, and clinical information was available from 127 episodes. The cutaneous lesions began as plaques that progressed to vesicles, bullae, or ulcers. Lesions waxed and waned in individual cases. Lesions were predominantly bilaterally symmetrical, affecting pressure points, coronary bands, tips of the ears and tail, and along the lateral body wall and dorsum. Oral lesions were first noticed as ulcers and were present on the lateral margins of the tongue, palate, and mucocutaneous junctions of the lips. All recent lesions had similar histopathologic findings of prominent acanthosis, hydropic degeneration of keratinocytes in the stratum spinosum, spongiosis, intraepithelial vesicles, and parakeratosis without dermal inflammation. Chronic lesions were ulcerated. No pathogens were identified by culture or electron microscopy. Most episodes coincided with stress events (transportation, sudden cold temperatures, intraspecific harassment, estrus, advanced pregnancy) or concurrent diseases (toxic hepatopathy, hemolytic anemia, respiratory or urinary tract infections). Affected rhinoceroses usually were lethargic and had weight loss. Affected rhinoceroses also had lower hematocrit, serum albumin, and cholesterol values than captive healthy or wild rhinoceroses. The clinical patterns and histopathologic findings are similar to those of superficial necrolytic dermatitis in dogs and necrolytic migratory erythema in humans. The high prevalence of this skin disease in captive black rhinoceroses under many circumstances suggests that their epidermis is acutely sensitive to any disruption of metabolic homeostasis. We propose that metabolic changes secondary to a stress response from maladaptation or nutritional inadequacy of captive diets may contribute to the development of this disease in rhinoceroses without hepatopathies.


The present study is aimed at investigating the impact of mentoring on intention to stay of Gen Y employees working in Indian IT industry. Also, the mediating roles of perceived organization support and affective commitment are examined. Primary data were collected from a sample of 314 Gen Y employees (born between 1980-2000) from IT industry in Delhi, NCR India. Data analysis was carried out using AMOS and SPSS to test sequential mediation. Findings reveal that mentoring has a direct influence on intention to stay of Gen Y employees and perceived organization support and affective commitment sequentially mediate the relationship between the two. This study contributes to the literature on mentoring, perceived organization support, affective commitment, and intention to stay.


The objects studied in geoscience are often not man-made objects, but rather the spatial distribution of three-dimensional continuous geographical phenomena such as the salinity of a body of water, the humidity of the air or the percentage of gold in the rock (phenomena that tend to change over time). These are referred to as fields, and their modelling with geographical information systems is problematic because the structures of these systems are usually twodimensional and static. Raster structures (voxels or octrees) are the most popular solutions, but, as I argue in this thesis, they have several shortcomings for geoscientific fields. As an alternative to using rasters for representing and modelling three-dimensional fields, I propose using a new spatial model based the Voronoi diagram (VD) and its dual the Delaunay tetrahedralization (DT). I argue that constructing the VD/DT of the samples that were collected to study the field can be beneficial for extracting meaningful information from it. Firstly, the tessellation of space obtained with the VD gives a clear and consistent definition of neighbourhood for unconnected points in three dimensions, which is useful since geoscientific datasets often have highly anisotropic distributions. Secondly, the efficient and robust reconstruction of the field can be obtained with natural neighbour interpolation, which is entirely based on the properties of the VD. Thirdly, the tessellations of the VD and the DT make possible, and even optimise, several spatial analysis and visualisation operations. A further important consideration is that the VD/DT is locally modifiable (insertion, deletion and movement of points), which permits us to model the temporal dimension, and also to interactively explore a dataset, thus gaining insight by observing on the fly the consequences of manipulations and spatial analysis operations. In this thesis, the development of this new spatial model is from an algorithmic point of view, i.e. I describe in details algorithms to construct, manipulate, analyse and visualise fields represented with the VD/DT. A strong emphasis is put on the implementation of the spatial model, and, for this reason, the many degeneracies that arise in three-dimensional geometric computing are described and handled. A new data structure, the augmented quad-edge, is also presented. It permits us to store simultaneously both the VD and the DT, and helps in the analysis of fields. Finally, the usefulness of this Voronoi-based spatial model is demonstrated with a series of potential applications in geoscience.


Calibrated Continuous-Time Sigma-Delta Modulators (May 2010) Cho-Ying Lu Chair of Advisory Committee: Jose Silva-Martinez To provide more information mobility, many wireless communication systems such as WCDMA and EDGE in phone systems, bluetooth and WIMAX in communication networks have been recently developed. Recent efforts have been made to build the allinone next generation device which integrates a large number of wireless services into a single receiving path in order to raise the competitiveness of the device. Among all the receiver architectures, the high-IF receiver presents several unique properties for the next generation receiver by digitalizing the signal at the intermediate frequency around a few hundred MHz. In this architecture, the modulation/demodulation schemes, protocols, equalization, etc., are all determined in a software platform that runs in the digital signal processor (DSP) or FPGA. The specifications for most of front-end building blocks are relaxed, except the analog-to-digital converter (ADC). The requirements of large bandwidth, high operational frequency and high resolution make the design of the ADC very challenging. Solving the bottleneck associated with the high-IF receiver architecture is a major focus of many ongoing research efforts. In this work, a 6thorder bandpass continuous time sigma-delta ADC with measured 68.4dB SNDR at 10MHz bandwidth to accommodate video applications is proposed. Tuned at 200 MHz, the fs/4 architecture employs an 800 MHz clock frequency. By making use of a unique software-based calibration scheme together with the tuning properties of the bandpass filters developed under the umbrella of this project, the ADC performance is optimized automatically to fulfill all requirements for the high-IF architecture. In a separate project, other critical design issues for continuous-time sigma-delta ADCs are addressed, especially the issues related to unit current source mismatches in multi-level DACs as well as excess loop delays that may cause loop instability. The reported solutions are revisited to find more efficient architectures. The aforementioned techniques are used for the design of a 25MHz bandwidth lowpass continuous-time sigma-delta modulator with time-domain twostep 3-bit quantizer and DAC for WiMAX applications. The prototype is designed by employing a level-topulse-width modulation (PWM) converter followed by a single-level DAC in the feedback path to translate the typical digital codes into PWM signals with the proposed pulse arrangement. Therefore, the non-linearity issue from current source mismatch in multi-level DACs is prevented. The jitter behavior and timing mismatch issue of the proposed time-based methods are fully analyzed. The measurement results of a chip prototype achieving 67.7dB peak SNDR and 78dB SFDR in 25MHz bandwidth properly demonstrate the design concepts and effectiveness of time-based quantization and feedback. Both continuous-time sigma-delta ADCs were fabricated in mainstream CMOS 0.18um technologies, which are the most popular in today?s consumer electronics industry.


Abstract. Understanding how human settlements and economic activities are distributed with reference to the geographical location of streams and rivers is of fundamental relevance for several issues, such as flood risk management, drought management related to increased water demands by human population, fluvial ecosystem services, water pollution and water exploitation. Besides the spatial distribution, the evolution in time of the human presence constitutes an additional key question. This work aims at understanding and analysing the spatial and temporal evolution of human settlements and associated economic activity, derived from nighttime lights, in the Eastern Alpine region. Nightlights, available at a fine spatial resolution and for a 22-year period, constitute an excellent data base, which allows one to explore in details human signatures. In this experiment, nightlights are associated to five distinct distance-from-river classes. Our results clearly point out an overall enhancement of human presence across the considered distance classes during the last 22 years, though presenting some differences among the study regions. In particular, the river network delineation, by considering different groups of river pixels based on the Strahler order, is found to play a central role in the identification of nightlight spatio-temporal trends.