Successfully tracking targets in a video sequence has many important applications, including unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) surveillance. A robust and efficient video tracking algorithm based on the continuous wavelet transform (CWT) is presented, which has been proven to be effective in capturing motion information over multiple frames and excellent in velocity selectivity. The CWT converts target trajectories in a spatio-temporal domain into target energy volumes in a wavenumber-frequency domain. By integrating over different motion parameters, three target energy densities are obtained, which then serve as cost functions for estimating target trajectories and sizes. Because of excellent velocity selectivity, the energy-based tracker has the capability of detecting and tracking targets with a particular velocity range. To best handle target interferences among multiple nearby or crossing targets, a novel joint processing technique using expectation-maximization-based Gaussian mixture estimation is developed. A global nearest neighbourhood algorithm is employed to perform data association and maintain continuous kinematic trajectories. In addition to computer simulations, the developed energy-based algorithm is applied to a UAV surveillance application where multiple vehicles move closely to each other on a multi-lane road.


Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians are eligible to participate in the application-based activity, and will receive up to 0.2 CEUs (2 contact hours) for completing the activity, passing the quiz with a grade of 70% or better, and completing an online evaluation. Statements of credit are available via the CPE Monitor online system and your participation will be recorded with CPE Monitor within 72 hours of submission.


When we talk about tort law, we should start with the premise that it is designed to protect [human] dignity and promote social equality and social justice. Our causes of action and remedies should be tailored to…achieve those ends. Introduction: According to proponents of therapeutic jurisprudence, legal rules and actors (lawyers, judges, etc.) can have either therapeutic or anti-therapeutic effects. Law is a social force with the potential to impact either positively or negatively the emotional life, psychological well-being and sense of social citizenship of legal subjects. Remedies for vindicating rights provide a conceptual lens for ascertaining how the interest at stake is valued. Therapeutic or anti-therapeutic effects may result from the valuation of a plaintiff's losses and his/her human capital, especially when compared with others in similar circumstances. Personal injury can have a particularly devastating impact on the lives of victims — physically, psychologically, financially, socially, etc. It is therefore important that personal injury law, in particular the assessment of losses, should seek to improve therapeutic outcomes for victims and minimize the potentially harmful effects of engagement with the legal system that may result from focusing on social identity. As Cassels notes, "It is hard to use the word justice to describe a system that replicates injustice and ensures that the disadvantaged remain disadvantaged." The underlying premise of this paper is that although the structure of tort law is generally informed by corrective justice, that is, consideration is given only to the relative positions of the injurer and victim in a dispute, the tort system often reflects distributional considerations or broader societal interests. Thus, tort law principles, in particular those relating to the determination of liability, are rarely conceived solely in terms of correlativity and hence a bilateral engagement between the victim and tortfeasor. Rather, courts often consider broader issues such as the impact of a finding of liability on particular relationships and on the availability of certain social goods. These considerations can result in denial of an otherwise "legitimate" claim. Thus, notwithstanding how compelling a plaintiff's claim might be from a moral and corrective justice standpoint, liability may be considered morally objectionable or socially undesirable. Viewed in this light, tort law is utilitarian because it reflects broader societal interests and a willingness to sacrifice individual interests for the greater good of society. Emphasis on broader societal considerations in determining the nature and limits of tort liability underscores the fact that the administration of justice, and in particular tort law, is a human and social institution designed to respond to the needs of society.Courts frequently make policy decisions and choices in their decision-making. As Professor Luntz argues, reliance on legal principles alone will often be insufficient to decide cases that come before the courts and it is important for courts to use policy in making decisions. Courts sometimes openly acknowledge that legal principles or aspects of their decision-making process reflect particular policy choices, values and distributional considerations, whereas others do not and even disavow reliance on policy. This confirms the observation that law, in particular the role of courts, is not simply declaratory of pre-determined rules or naturally constitutive social relations, what has been referred to as the "fairy tale view of law." Rather, courts and legislatures actively construct, structure and maintain social relations. One of the benefits of this process is the ability to structure tort law to respond to the changing needs of society and to reflect contemporary conceptions of social mores, values and justice. Courts make particular policy choices that reflect their perception of social reality and human interactions, including assumptions about the place and role of persons in society, which may be gendered, racialized, classed, ableist, etc. Luntz argues that the fact that judges can have multiple reasons for a particular outcome, even if they concur in the result, and the frequency of dissenting judgments show the latitude available to judges. These varied outcomes cannot result merely from the application of legal principles; judges are bound to be influenced by values and policy considerations in making their decisions. Many tort theorists and courts reject a purely monist and non-instrumental view of tort law. While tort law is seen as an instrument for shaping society and hence promoting broader societal interests with respect to liability, distributional considerations are rarely adopted at the remedial stage. Rather, courts resort to formal legal principles and the need for "principled" outcomes that accord with law and justice between the parties when providing remedies for tort victims. Specifically, courts rely on the principle of restitutio in integrum — restoring the plaintiff to her status quo ante as far as money can do — as justification for the formalistic approach. Broader societal interests are deployed in remedial considerations usually in relation to intangible interests (non-pecuniary damages) and non-compensatory damages, such as punitive damages. However, there is reluctance to infuse broader policy considerations into compensation for tangible interests, such as impaired working capacity, in ways that will promote social justice, fairness and the equal moral worth of all plaintiffs. This reinforces historical patterns of discrimination, and projects these inequalities into the future, sometimes contrary to changing social realities.This paper adopts a consequentialist approach that focuses not only on substantive principles of tort liability but also considers how general principles of tort remedies are applied to victims, especially claimants from marginalized backgrounds. I explore the implications of the principle of corrective justice on the tort system, noting its inadequacy to fully explain the workings of that system and arguing that distributional considerations necessarily intrude. Remedies for personal injury can be a site for reinforcing and exacerbating the vulnerability and devaluation of members of marginalized groups. Discrimination is pronounced in the assessment of pecuniary losses, specifically in trust awards and damages for impaired working capacity. The paper will focus on these issues because the traditional legal principles informing this area reveal the unfairness to claimants from marginalized backgrounds and could leave the impression that it is cheaper to injure persons from such backgrounds compared to those from more favourable socio-economic situations. Damages for impaired working capacity and in trust awards also present unexplored opportunities to creatively assess victims' losses in ways that will not reinforce their socially constructed marginalization and devaluation. This also reflects our commitment to equality and the Canadian Institute for the Administration of Justice's (CIAJ) theme of using remedies to give content to substantive legal rights and to reflect "contemporary trends in law and society."


Self-assembled nanowires are posed to be viable alternatives to conventional planar structures, including the nitride epitaxy for optoelectronic, electronic and nano-energy applications. In many cases, current injection and extraction at the nanoscopic scale are essential for marked improvement at the macroscopic scale. In this investigation, we study the mechanism of nanoscale current injection and the origin of improvement of the flow of charged carriers at the group-III nitride semiconductor surface and metal-semiconductor interfaces. Conductive atomic force microscopy (c-AFM) and Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM) enable a rapid analysis of the electrical and morphological properties of single and ensemble nanostructures. The surface potential and current injection of AlGaN nanowire-based LEDs are spatially mapped before and after surface treatment with KOH solution. Treated-nanowires showed an improved current spreading and increased current injection by nearly 10×, reduced sub-turn-on voltage (as low as 5 V), and smaller series resistance. The reduced contact potential confirms the lower semiconductor/metal barrier, thus enabling larger carriers flow, and correlates with the 15% increase in injection efficiency in macroscopic LEDs. The improvement leads to the normalization of nanoscale electrical conducting properties of UV AlGaN-based nanowire-LEDs and lays the foundation for the realization of practical nanowire-based device applications.


Object detection from satellite images has been a challenging problem for many years. With the development of effective deep learning algorithms and advancement in hardware systems, higher accuracies have been achieved in the detection of various objects from very high-resolution (VHR) satellite images. This article provides a comparative evaluation of the state-of-the-art convolutional neural network (CNN)-based object detection models, which are Faster R-CNN, Single Shot Multi-box Detector (SSD), and You Look Only Once-v3 (YOLO-v3), to cope with the limited number of labeled data and to automatically detect airplanes in VHR satellite images. Data augmentation with rotation, rescaling, and cropping was applied on the test images to artificially increase the number of training data from satellite images. Moreover, a non-maximum suppression algorithm (NMS) was introduced at the end of the SSD and YOLO-v3 flows to get rid of the multiple detection occurrences near each detected object in the overlapping areas. The trained networks were applied to five independent VHR test images that cover airports and their surroundings to evaluate their performance objectively. Accuracy assessment results of the test regions proved that Faster R-CNN architecture provided the highest accuracy according to the F1 scores, average precision (AP) metrics, and visual inspection of the results. The YOLO-v3 ranked as second, with a slightly lower performance but providing a balanced trade-off between accuracy and speed. The SSD provided the lowest detection performance, but it was better in object localization. The results were also evaluated in terms of the object size and detection accuracy manner, which proved that large- and medium-sized airplanes were detected with higher accuracy.


Abstract An analysis of the kinetic energy budget is made for two intensely developing cyclones over North America. The principal kinetic energy source for the first cyclone is the net horizontal transport of kinetic energy across the boundaries of the region enclosing the cyclone. For the second cyclone, it is the local kinetic energy generation. By investigating the kinetic energy budget of the vertically averaged flow (barotropic part) and the vertical shear flow (baroclinic part) it is found that the horizontal transport contribution to the kinetic energy budget of the first cyclone is evenly divided between the barotropic and baroclinic components. However, the kinetic energy generation is the dominant energy source of the second cyclone, and the horizontal transport is an energy sink. The vertical shear kinetic energy reservoir did not act as a "catalyst" as in hemispheric studies but varied during cyclone development.


The study focuses on the problems faced by Russian regions in their interactions with oil and gas companies. The relevance of the study is determined by the increased volatility of oil and fuel prices in the world commodity markets and the high dependence of the national and regional Russian economies on these prices. The purpose of the study is to assess the potential of the resourcedependent model of economy by using the method of regression analysis and the data on the Russian regions' GRP. Importantly, we look at the regional rather than national level of the economy, which distinguishes our study from other similar research on the resource curse. The study looks at the case of the Republic of Tatarstan in the Volga Federal District and the dynamics of its GRP. It is shown how the regional government's policies affect the development of the oil company 'Tatneft'. This company plays an important role in the economy of the region since the profit tax it pays constitutes a large part of the regional government's revenue. In other Russian regions, however, regional governments have little leverage in their relationships with oil companies since the largest oil companies mostly operate on the federal level, which means that their mineral extraction taxes and export duties go to the federal rather than regional budgets. Thus, one of the key problems that needs to be addressed is the considerable degree of uncertainty in the relationship between regional governments and large oil companies: for example, much uncertainty surrounds the question of where their taxes will go in the future as in the case of the merger of the large holding company 'TAIF' and 'Sibur Holding' in 2021. Our research findings can provide a foundation for policies aimed at developing performance-based incentives for the oil and gas industry in regions. Our findings can also be used by the management of oil companies to enhance the effectiveness of their investment in high-tech innovative projects.


Do academics have a role to play in responding to judicial activism by the European Court of Justice? If so, what should that role be? Should they seek to defend the Court against accusations of judicial activism? Should they align themselves with the Court's critics in an attempt to persuade the Court to change its ways? Or should they adopt a more reserved posture, criticizing the Court on technical grounds where a decision appears to be legally unsound but at the same time recognizing the special features of the EU legal order and the role attributed to the Court under the Treaties? In an attempt to answer these questions, this paper begins by considering the perception academics have of themselves and what we mean by judicial activism. It then examines whether, and if so to what extent, the Court may be considered activist. It concludes with some tentative suggestions about the role academics might play in responding to the Court's case law.


Despite the fact that most people become parents and everyone who has ever lived has had parents, parenting remains a mystifying subject about which almost everyone has opinions, but about which few people agree. Striking permutations on the theme of parenting are emerging--single parenthood, blended families, lesbian and gay parents, and teen versus fifties first-time moms and dads. Divided into four volumes, the "Handbook of Parenting" is concerned with different types of parents, basic characteristics of parenting, forces that shape parenting, problems faced by parents, and the practical sides of parenting. Contributors have worked in different ways toward understanding all of these diverse aspects of parenting and look to the most recent research and thinking in the field to shed light on many topics every parent has wondered about. Because development is too subtle, dynamic, and intricate to admit that parental caregiving alone determines the course and outcome of ontogeny, volume 1 concerns how children influence parenting. Volume 2 relates parenting to its biological roots and sets parenting in its ecological framework. Volume 3 distinguishes among the cast of characters responsible for parenting and is revealing of the psychological make-ups and social interests of those individuals. Volume 4 describes problems of parenting as well as the promotion of positive parenting practices. Written to be read and absorbed in a single sitting, each chapter addresses a different but central topic in parenting, and is rooted in current thinking and theory as well as classic and modern research on that topic. All chapters follow a standard organization including an introduction to the chapter as a whole followed by historical considerations of the topic, a discussion of central issues and theory, a review of classic and modern research, forecasts of future directions for theory and research, and a conclusion. In addition to considering their own convictions and research, the chapter contributors present and broadly interpret all major points of view and central lines of inquiry.


The Joint Contracts Tribunal's Standard Form of Building Contract is the most common contract used in the UK to procure building work. Understanding it is a core part of any construction student's degree and a vital part of the working life of professionals in the construction industry. 'The JCT98 Building Contract' works through the contract systematically explaining it in easy-to-follow language, covering all contract issues thoroughly and illustrating with case law examples the current situation and latest amendments. It is ideal reading for both the student of construction and the professional seeking to update their knowledge.


In a recent Viewpoint in the Lancet , some of us shared our experience of censorship in donor-funded evaluation research and warned about a potential trend in which donors and their implementing partners use ethical and methodological arguments to undermine research.1

Reactions to the Viewpoint—and lively debate at the 2018 Global Symposium on Health Systems Research —suggest that similar experiences are common in implementation and policy research commissioned by international donors to study and evaluate large-scale, donor-funded health interventions and programmes, which are primarily implemented in low resource settings. 'We all have the same stories', was one of the first comments on the Viewpoint, followed by many private messages divulging instances of personal and institutional pressure, intimidation and censorship following attempts to disseminate unwanted findings. Such pressure comes from major donors and from international non-governmental organisations (NGOs) obliged to have an external assessment but who then maintain a high degree of confidentiality and control.

That such experiences are widespread reflects the deeply political nature of the field of 'global health' and the interconnections between priority setting, policy making and project implementation, which sit within a broader set of deeply entrenched power structures.2 3 Researchers in this field routinely find themselves working within—and studying—complex power relations and so experience challenges in negotiating their own position between interests of commissioning agencies and funders, implementers and country governments, as well as those of their own research institutions and their partnerships with other researchers spanning high-income, middle-income and low-income countries.4–7 They often receive research funding from major donor agencies like the UK Department of International Development (DFID), the US Agency for International Development (USAID), the Agence Francaise de Developpement (AFD), UNITAID and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation,8 who commission evaluations for their own funded projects, even though they have …


Abstract: According to research, perceived feasibility and perceived desirability and propensity to act lead to entrepreneurship intentions. Entrepreneurial intentions are predictable through planned behavior. It is necessary to study the entrepreneurial intentions of individuals to understand the reason for venture creation. At the same time, one needs to recognize that it is the personal entrepreneurial characteristics that decide the roles individuals play towards a planned behavior, in this case –the starting of the venture. The objective of the present paper is to identify the hospitality undergraduate students' intentions to start a business. The
Sheparos/Ajzen's models of desirability, feasibility, and propensity, to act has been adopted for this purpose.
The second objective of the study is to empirically test the scores of the hospitality students on their personal
entrepreneurship competencies and compare it with the established averages of 'potential entrepreneurs' by
using a self-rating questionnaire. The study tries to relate the two identifiers-entrepreneurship intentions and
entrepreneurship competencies. The study reveals that that notwithstanding intentions to start own business, the
absence of required competencies may be a deterrent to start new ventures. It is more appropriate for the
students to acquire the requisite competencies before venturing into entrepreneurship.


Abstract Background: A systemic research project was conducted to explore the views and experiences of parents and grandparents within families who have a child with a diagnosis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Secondary analysis was applied and is presented in this article based upon a novel mixed methods approach, termed 'Enosis.' Methods: Themes, which were developed through the original Interpretive Phenomenology Analysis of 11 matched interviews, were quantified using 'proportion' scoring system. Scores per family and per participant were analysed using structural equation modeling. Results: The number of children in household, the number of living grandparents, reported grandmothers' and mothers' Strengths and Difficulties scores were significantly related with families' perceptions about causality of ADHD. The grandmothers' views were significantly different to the mothers' regarding their experiences of professional treatment and support for ADHD. A child's age, number of grandchildren and participants' scores for affect of ADHD on a family's life together with a child's strengths and difficulties were significantly related to participants' and families' views about the grandmothers' support as well as reported pains and pleasures regarding their relationship with the child. Conclusion: Secondary analysis of qualitative data based on the 'Enosis' method added another dimension to interpretation of the original study results and aims. Hypotheses were supported, strengthened or challenged in relation to the original study results and further triangulation was enabled with regards to existing literature.


Measuring a distance using phase measurements is a common practice in many areas of engineering. Almost inevitably these measurements are accompanied by noise, and are always subject to ambiguity resulting from the phase of modulo $2\pi$. In the presence of phase ambiguity, where for instance the unknown distance is far longer than the wavelength of the signal carrying the phase measurement, the distance cannot be uniquely determined. One way to resolve this phase ambiguity is to measure the signal phase at multiple frequencies, converting the phase ambiguity problem into one of solving a family of Diophantine equations. Typically, under some reasonable assumptions, the Diophantine problems can be solved using the Chinese Reminder Theorem as documented in the literature. However, the existing algorithms can experience significant computational overhead for a given application because an exhaustive search is required. In this paper, a novel method addressing the phase ambiguity issue using lattice theoretic ideas is proposed and a closed-form algorithm is presented for the estimation of the number of wavelengths in the unknown distance using the phase measurements taken at multiple wavelengths. The algorithm is extremely efficient as the Diophantine equations are solved without searching. The unknown distance can then be estimated via a maximum likelihood method using the unwrapped phase measurement. A statistical bound of the measurement noise which ensures that the number of whole wavelengths in the unknown distance can be found with a probability close to unity is derived. The robustness, efficiency and estimation accuracy of the proposed method are demonstrated by the simulated results presented.


Periurban areas of growing cities in developing countries have been conceptualised as highly dynamic landscapes characterised by a mixture of socioeconomic structures, land uses and functions. While the body of conceptual literature on periurban areas has significantly increased over the past two decades, methods for operationalising these multi-dimensional concepts are rather limited. Yet, information about the location and areal extent of periurban areas is needed for integrated planning in the urban–rural interface. This article presents the results of a study aiming at classifying and mapping periurban areas along the urban–rural gradient of Tamale, a medium-sized city in Ghana. The study used a quantitative, multi-dimensional methodology involving the following as core elements: (1) a relative measure of how urban a place and its people are in terms of services, infrastructure and livelihoods (urbanicity index); (2) the diversity of households regarding their livelihoods and access to urban services; and (3) land use dynamics. Therefore, data from a household survey, as well as land use and other secondary geospatial data were collected and analysed at different spatial scales. The findings suggested that the periurban space consists of two main zones. Inner periurban areas are driven by urban expansion and the conversion of non-urban into urban land use is most visible here. These areas exhibit higher levels of socioeconomic diversity, compared to both rural and urban areas. Outer periurban areas are less dynamic in terms of land use change and exhibit lower building densities, and compared with rural areas, hold stronger links to the city related to the movement of people and goods. The spatial analysis revealed that periurban areas develop mainly along major transport corridors across administrative divisions, as well as in the form of periurban islands in the rural zone. This study set out to extend existing methodologies to map urban and periurban development in medium-sized cities in sub-Saharan Africa, useful for urban and regional planning beyond administrative boundaries.


Enteroviruses (EVs) and human parechoviruses (HPeVs) are a major cause of central nervous system (CNS) infection in young infants. They have been implicated in neurodevelopmental delay, however limited data are available. The aim of this study is to describe the clinical outcome of young infants and to assess and compare the medium-term neurodevelopment following CNS infections caused by EV and HPeV. A multicentre observational ambispective study was conducted between May 2013 and March 2018. Children under 3 months of age with EV or HPeV CNS infection excluding encephalitis were included. Infants were contacted 1 year after the acute infection and their neurological development was evaluated using the Ages and Stages Questionnaire-3 (ASQ-3). If any area assessed was abnormal during the first round of tests, a second round was completed 6 to 12 months later. Forty-eight young infants with EV and HPeV CNS infection were identified: 33 (68.8%) were positive for EV and 15 (31.3%) for HPeV. At first assessment 14 out of 29 EV (48.3%) and 3 out of 15 HPeV (20%) positive cases presented some developmental concern in the ASQ-3 test. EV-positive infants showed mild and moderate alteration in all domains analyzed and HPeV-positive infants showed mild alterations only in gross and fine motor domains. Significant alterations in communication were observed in EV-positive but not in HPeV-positive infants (31 vs. 0%, p = 0.016). At second assessment 4 out of 13 EV-positive patients (30.8%) showed mild to moderate concerns in communication and gross motor function domains and 3 out of 13 (23.1%) showed significant concern in fine motor function. Although CNS infections without associated encephalitis are generally assumed to be benign our study shows that at a median age of 18 months almost half of the EV-infected infants (48.3%) and 20% of HPeV-positive infants presented some developmental concern in the ASQ-3 test. We recommend monitor the neurological development of infants during the first years of life after HPeV CNS infection and especially after EV CNS infection, even in mild cases, for an early intervention and stimulation of psychomotor development if necessary.


The purpose of the thesis is to develop a microfluidic based lab-on-chip (LOC) platform providing an Ex-Vivotesting environment that is able to mimic certain aspects of the in vivo growth conditions of the pollen tube, a cellular protuberance formed by the male gametophyte in the flowering plants. The thesis focuses on design, fabrication, modeling and testing of various LOC devices for the study of static and dynamic behavior of pollen tubes in response to mechanical stimulation.
TipChip, an LOC platform, was developed to advance both experimentation and phenotyping in cell tip growth research. The platform enabled simultaneous testing of multiple pollen tubes. Using TipChip, we were able to answer several outstanding questions regarding pollen tube biology. We found that contrary to other types of tip growing cells such as root hairs and fungal hyphae, pollen tubes do not have a directional memory. Furthermore, we explored the effect of geometry of the microfluidic cell culture on pollen tube growth. We found that changing the width of the microfluidic channels does not have a significant effect on the pollen tube growth rate, while the growth rate was increased by increasing microchannel depth.
We modified the original TipChip design to ascertain identical growth conditions for sequentiallyarranged pollen tubes and to ensure even distribution of entrapment probabilities for all microchannels. The effect of different dimensions of the microfluidic network on cell trapping probability was assessed using computational fluid dynamics and verified by experimental testing. The design was optimized based on trapping probability and uniformity of fluid flow conditions within the microchannels.
This thesis also presents a novel method of fabricating a high aspect ratio horizontal PDMS microcantilever-based flow sensor integrated into a microfluidic device. The performance of the flow sensor was tested by introducing various flow rates into the microfluidic device and measuring the deflection of the cantilever's tip using an optical microscope.
The thesis addresses the quantification of cellular growth force of Camellia pollen tip growing cells using FlexChip, a flexure integrated LOC on polymer. We quantified the force that pollen tube is able to exert using a microfluidic lab-on-a-chip device integrated with flexural structure. The pollen grain is trapped in the microfluidic network and the growing tube is guided against a flexible microstructure that is monolithically integrated within the microfluidic chip. The invasive growth force of growing pollen tube was calculated from the maximal bending of microstructure modelled by Finite Element Analysis (FEA).
Furthermore, the effect of the mechanical obstacle on the pollen tube's growth dynamics was assessed by quantifying the shift in the peak frequency characterizing the oscillatory behavior of the pollen tube growth rate. Our detailed analysis of the pollen tube growth dynamic before and during the contact with microcantilever revealed that pollen tube growth rate was reduced by 44% during the contact with the microcantilever. Moreover, the peak of oscillation frequency of pollen tube growth rate was reduced more dramatically by 70-75%. This suggests that the pollen tube actively changes its growth pattern to cope with the mechanical obstacle.
Our findings in this thesis are novel in terms of pollen biology, and we believe insights from this research will lead to a better understanding of morphogenesis of a kind of tip growing cells, namely, pollen tube.


Chloroform:methanol (2:1) extracts of bovine surfactant were subjected to LH-20 Sephadex chromatography in order to isolate a 6,000-dalton surfactant protein. The 6,000-dalton protein eluted in the void volume and was shown to be homogeneous by protein sequencing, although SDS gel electrophoresis revealed bands of 6, 14, and 18 kDa. The N-terminal sequence obtained was very hydrophobic, as was the amino acid composition of the 6,000-dalton protein. An antiserum raised against the low molecular weight protein fraction from TA surfactant recognized the 6,000-dalton bovine and human proteins in addition to protein bands at 14,000 and 18,000 daltons. These bands appear to be aggregates of the 6,000-dalton protein. No cross-reactivity of the 6,000-dalton protein antiserum could be demonstrated with the 35,000-dalton surfactant-associated protein. These studies strongly suggest that the 35,000- and 6,000-dalton surfactant proteins do not have a precursor-product relationship.


The Southern African Large Telescope (SALT) currently has three instruments: the imaging SALTICAM, the new High Resolution Spectrograph (HRS) which is in the process of being commissioned and the Robert Stobie Spectrograph (RSS). RSS has multiple science modes, of which long slit spectroscopy was originally commissioned; We have commissioned two new science modes: Multi Object Spectroscopy (MOS) and Fabry-Perot (FP). Due to the short track times available on SALT it is vital that acquisition is as efficient as possible. This paper will discuss how we implemented these modes in software and some of the challenges we had to overcome. MOS requires a slit-mask to be aligned with a number of stars. This is done in two phases: in MOS calibration the positions of the slits are detected using a through-slit image and RA/DEC database information, and in MOS acquisition the detector sends commands to the telescope control system (TCS) in an iterative and interactive fashion for fine mask/detector alignment to get the desired targets on the slits. There were several challenges involved with this system, and the user interface evolved to make the process as efficient as possible. We also had to overcome problems with the manufacturing process of the slit-masks. FP requires the precise alignment each of the two etalons installed on RSS. The software makes use of calibration tables to get the etalons into roughly aligned starting positions. An exposure is then done using a calibration arc lamp, producing a ring pattern. Measurement of the rings allows the determination of the adjustments needed to properly align the etalons. The software has been developed to optimize this process, along with software tools that allow us to fine tune the calibration tables. The software architecture allows the complexity of automating the FP calibration and procedures to be easily managed.


The fungus Corynespora cassiicola is the causal agent of target spot in cucumber. Under favorable climatic conditions it can cause serious damage in this horticultural crop. In Brazil, there exists not enough knowledge to determine efficient control measures to the disease. This investigation was carried out to evaluate: a) the reactions of nine cucumber hybrids to C. cassiicola; b) the sensibility of six isolates of C. cassiicola to fungicides in vitro (captan, chlorothalonil, mancozeb, azoxystrobin, difenoconazole, carbendazin, tebuconazole and thiophanate-methyl), used in concentrations of 0, 1, 10, 100 and 1,000 µg mL -1 of active ingredient and c) protective and curative chemical treatments with the same fungicides used in vitro in cucumber plants inoculated with C. cassiicola. The cucumber hybrids were evaluated using the scale of notes and diagrammatic of target spot severity. The more resistant hybrids to the pathogen were Taisho, Nikkey, Yoshinari and Safira. The difenoconazole fungicide caused the most mycelial growth inhibition (MGI) and showed the lowest ED 50 . Thiophanate-methyl was the worst fungicide, it did not inhibit the mycelial growth of the fungus. Azoxystrobin was the most efficient in controlling the disease, although it has to be registered in Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply in Brazil before its recommendation.


Abstract In this work, we highlight the often-overlooked effects of doping on the microstructure and performance of bulk thermoelectric materials to offer a broader perspective on how dopants interact with their parent material. Using PbSe doped with Na, Ag, and K as a model material system, we combine original computational, experimental, and microscopy data with established trends in material behavior, to provide an in-depth discussion of the relationship between dopants, processing, and microstructure, and their effects on thermoelectric efficiency and thermal stability. Notable observations include differences in the microstructure and mass loss of thermally treated samples of Na- and Ag-doped PbSe, as well as findings that Na and K cations exist predominantly as substitutional point defects while Ag also occupies interstitial sites and exhibits lower solubility. We discuss how these differences in point defect populations are known to affect a dopants' ability to alter carrier concentration and how they may affect the mechanical properties of PbSe during processing. Graphic Abstract


M2M communications are capturing the attention of many stakeholders from application developers to mobile operators. Recent initiatives of the GSMA and of mobile operators show their interest in finding new sources of revenue through the adoption of wireless connectivity in a wide range of devices. This paper discusses the current and emerging value chain in the M2M industry. In addition, critical industry and value chain trends are presented, along with roles of MNOs in the evolving M2M industry.


BACKGROUND
Repair of defective composite resins restorations is being increasingly recognized as a viable alternative to replacement. there is however no consensus yet on the treatment protocol.

OBJECTIVE
To determine the views and practice of specialists in Conservative Dentistry in Nigeria as regard to repair procedure of defective composite resin restorations.

METHODS
A cross sectional study was conducted among conservative dentists in Nigeria using anonymous structured and open-ended questionnaire as instrument for data collection, the data collected were: socio demographic variables; views and practice of the respondents as regards the indications, benefits and longevity of composite resins repair treatment option and type of surface preparation usually employed, summary statistics was performed.

RESULTS
The respondents comprise 9 (37.5%) males and 15 (62.5%) females. Marginal defect (91.7%) was the strongest indication and preservation of tooth structure (95.8%) was regarded as the topmost benefit, majority of the respondents (75.0%) considered repair procedure as a definitive treatment and etching with phosphoric acid was the most utilized surface preparation (87.5%).

CONCLUSION
The views and practice of the respondents is in the literature.


International student mobility has become an increasingly important and prominent part of the global higher education landscape over the past two decades (Verbik and Lasanowski, 2007). Despite a long history within Europe, student mobility has increased significantly over recent years partly due to the support and encouragement provided by the Erasmus programme. Since its introduction in 1987, the Erasmus programme has traditionally facilitated student mobility for studies within Europe; however, in 2007 the programme expanded and now also supports student mobility for work placements. There is a growing body of literature on student mobility for the purpose of studies, but student work placement mobility has largely been overlooked in existing research.

This thesis makes an original contribution to knowledge and offers a new perspective on student mobility by exploring the drivers, experiences and effects of Erasmus work placement mobility. The UK has performed well in terms of Erasmus work placement mobility compared to its previous performance for Erasmus study abroad and therefore provides an interesting case study for this research. The findings presented in this thesis offer new insights into the motivations, experiences and perceptions of UK students who go abroad in Europe during their undergraduate studies to complete a work placement. Overall, this thesis stresses the importance of assessing subtypes of student mobility and highlights that work placement mobility is very different to study abroad in numerous ways.


The archaeological landscape of Nucetto's Castle (Piedmont, Italy): a possible conservationEach fortified architecture has its own specificities thanks to which defend the territory, it is usually part of garrison systems and has always been a protagonist of the events of the place where it was built. Through this reading can be interpreted the ruins of the Castle of Nucetto (CN, Italy), which insist on the land of Alta Valle Tanaro –mostly located on the south-east portion of Cuneo's territory and in a little part of Savona's one– as real landmark visible from the historical road axis of the valley. The castle's ruins became part of the consolidated image of the landscape thanks to the union they generated with the context giving rise to a recognizable landscape. The castle is part of a wider defensive system intimately linked to the history of the Marquisate of Ceva. Despite the still uncertain reliability of the documents available, the original structure can be dated at the eleventh century. The presence of bands of hanging arches that run along some elevated of the structure allow to hypothesize and recognize a first foundational nucleus while some traces of frescoes rise to appreciable particularities during the visit. The tower, whose base is in brick, but the top part is curiously in stone, is today the best preserved. The paper aims to analyze the fortification –made with different materials– to understand the extent of the historical stratifications found in the presence of at least two expansions dating from the thirteenth and fifteenth centuries, up to the nineteenth-century destruction wanted by Napoleon. It is also the author's will to propose some suggestions for a possible conservation, starting with an analysis of the state of today's storage (outcome of very limited consolidation interventions operated twenty years ago) to arrive at its insertion in more valuation circuits wide.


The chemical formulation of phosphate-based glasses (PBGs) can be tailored to fit particular end applications such as bone tissue engineering. While most reports to date have evaluated the effect of PBG chemical formulation on bone cells, this study specifically explored the manufacturing process, the changes in physical and chemical properties of PBG particles after flame spheroidization, and subsequent effects on human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs), a prime cell type for regenerative medicine applications. Flame spheroidization involves feeding irregular PBG particles (microparticles, MP) into a hot flame, causing them to melt and mold into solid spherical PBG particles (microspheres, MS). The laser diffraction analysis showed an increase in the volume-weighted mean diameter of particles from 48 to 139 μm after spheroidization and also revealed changes in the chemical composition of smaller MS (< 45 μm in size), whereas MS in other size ranges did not show significantly different chemical composition compared to MP. Additionally, some air bubbles were entrapped inside particles during spheroidization, causing a 2% drop in relative density of MS. However, the packing density of MS was 30% higher than that of MP. Culture of hMSCs on the particles showed significant improvement in cell spreading on MS compared to that on MP and nearly 2 times higher cell metabolic activity after 7 days of culture, suggesting that MS provided a more favorable support and geometry for hMSC attachment and growth for tissue engineering.


Chemical warfare agents (CWA) are highly toxic compounds which have been produced to kill or hurt people during conflicts or terrorist attacks. Despite the fact that their use is strictly prohibited according to international convention, populations' exposure still recently occurred. Development of markers of exposure to CWA is necessary to distinguish exposed victims from unexposed ones. We present the first study of hair usage as passive sampler to assess contamination by chemicals in vapour form. This work presents more particularly the hair adsorption capacity for methyl salicylate used as a surrogate of the vesicant sulphur mustard. Chemical vapours toxicity through the respiratory route has historically been defined through Haber's law's concentration-time (Ct) product, and vapour exposure of hair to methyl salicylate was conducted with various times or doses of exposure in the range of incapacitating and lethal Ct products corresponding to sulphur mustard. Following exposure, extraction of methyl salicylate from hair was conducted by simple soaking in dichloromethane. Methyl salicylate could be detected on hair for vapour concentration corresponding to about one fifth of the sulphur mustard concentration that would kill 50% of exposed individuals (LCt50). The amount of methyl salicylate recovered from hair increased with time or dose of exposure. It showed a good correlation with the concentration-time product, suggesting that hair could be used like a passive sampler to assess vapour exposure to chemical compounds. It introduces great perspectives concerning the use of hair as a marker of exposure to CWA.


Water management is a critical issue in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), and it is normally achieved through the modification of surface wettability condition for the cell components. In this study, superhydrophobic surface-coating materials were developed and the gas flow channel surfaces were modified for superhydrophobic surface property with small sliding angles (SAs). The coated surface characteristics were measured, including static contact angle (CA), SA and CA hysteresis as well as surface geometrical properties. The flow characteristics through such surface-coated channels were measured, and comparison was made with hydrophilic channels and channels coated with poly(tetrafluoroethylene), a commonly used surface-coating agent in PEMFCs. It was found that the presently modified superhydrophobic flow channels yield the lowest resistance to the two-phase flow; and both the mechanical and thermal stabilities of the attained superhydrophobicity for the coated surfaces were also investigated. It was demonstrated experimentally that such coated flow channels result in improved PEMFC performance due to improved water management.


Targeted enrichment of conserved genomic regions is a popular method for collecting large amounts of sequence data from non‐model taxa for phylogenetic, phylogeographic and population genetic studies. For example, two available bait sets each allow enrichment of thousands of orthologous loci from >20 000 species (Faircloth et al. Systematic Biology, 61, 717–726, 2012; Molecular Ecology Resources, 15, 489–501, 2015). Unfortunately, few open‐source workflows are available to identify conserved genomic elements shared among divergent taxa and to design enrichment baits targeting these regions. Those that do exist require extensive bioinformatics expertise and significant amounts of time to use. These shortcomings limit the application of targeted enrichment methods to additional organismal groups. Here, I describe a universal workflow for identifying conserved genomic regions in available genomic data and for designing targeted enrichment baits to collect data from these conserved regions. These methods require less expertise, less time and better use commonly available information to identify conserved loci and design baits to capture them. I apply this computational approach to the understudied arthropod groups Arachnida, Coleoptera, Diptera, Hemiptera or Lepidoptera to identify thousands of conserved loci in each group and design target enrichment baits to capture these loci. I then use in silico analyses to demonstrate that targeted enrichment of the conserved loci can be used to reconstruct the accepted relationships among genome sequences from the focal arthropod orders. The software workflow I created allowed me to identify thousands of conserved loci in five diverse arthropod groups and design sequence capture baits to target them. This suite of capture bait designs should enable collection of phylogenomic data from >900 000 arthropod species. Although the examples in this manuscript focus on understudied arthropod groups, the approach I describe is applicable to all organismal groups having some form of pre‐existing genomic information (e.g. other invertebrates, plants, fungi and microbes). Finally, the documentation, design steps, software code and bait sets developed here are available under an open‐source license for restriction‐free testing, use, and additional modification by any research group.


Summary V-dependent growth of Haemophilus paraphrophilus, which Zinnemann et al. (1968) found to take place only when cultures were incubated in air with 5–10 per cent. added CO2, or on a medium containing 0·6 per cent. NaCl, also takes place in the absence of either of these conditions if the cultures are incubated in a closed, moist atmosphere, as in a sealed plate or a sealed jar. The findings here described do not provide arguments against recognition of the species Haemophilus paraphrophilus, since under conditions of normal humidity and air supply the unadapted, recently isolated strains grow sparsely, or not at all. Typical coccobacillary rods are formed only when cultures are grown in an atmosphere with added CO2 as well as an increased moisture content.


The province of Shewa is located in the centre of Ethiopia and the national capital, Addis Abeba, is located at its centre. The Shewan Plateau and the higher parts of the Rift Valley in southern Shewa, comprising more than three fourths of the total area of the province, provide suitable conditions for farming. Nearly 96% of the population of Shewa lives in this part of the province. The remainder is inhabited by the nomadic Adal herdsmen. The study deals with the utilisation of land by the people in the cropland area of Shewa. The cropland has been divided into four regions based on natural and human factors, and the present state of subsistence farming has been examined in each region. The results of a questionnaire survey of 255 farmers have been included to explain reasons of the existence of subsistence farming in a province which has high agricultural potential, as has been demonstrated by the commercial farms which have been established very recently. To facilitate comparision with other parts of Ethiopia as well as with studies of other countries the land use classification suggested by the World Land Use Survey of the International Geographical Union has been adopted and modified according to the local needs. The study has been divided into three parts Part One consists of the physical and human background. Part Two discusses the land utilisation in cropland region of Shewa, and Part Three contains conclusions. The tables obtained from the questionnaire survey have been included in Appendices after Part Three.


The goal of this study is to compare the attitudes of teachers from Bosnia and Herzegovina (BIH) and teachers from five European Union (EU) countries (Austria, Croatia, Italy, Slovenia and Germany) towards the inclusive education of students with special educational needs. The sample for this study is comprised of 110 teachers from Bosnia and Herzegovina and 110 teachers from EU. The attitudes were examined by using a questionnaire that was adapted from the Index for inclusion. The final interview protocol consisted 20 questions, which had an excellent internal consistency, Cronbach's alpha of 0.98. A Chi square test was performed to test the differences in attitudes. The results of this study indicated highly positive attitudes towards inclusive education of EU teachers and positive attitudes of BIH teachers. EU teachers had more favourable attitudes than teachers in BIH on 18 of 20 questionnaire items. These findings were discussed in the light of previous BIH and international researches. The paper ends with a discussion for the challenges and possibilities for improvement of the inclusive education in BIH.


Macrofossil associations have proved to be vital aids for resolving the sequence architecture of Castlecliff cyclothems (5th and 6th order, mid-Pleistocene depositional sequences) because of a close correlation between particular faunal associations and systems tract character. Associations from transgressive systems tracts are typically derived from mixed and transported assemblages, which, in turn, commonly occur within cross-bedded units (Type A shell-beds) at the base of Castlecliff sequences. These associations commonly represent reworked sandy shoreface and estuarine paleocommunities that are not otherwise preserved in the Castlecliff section. Associations from mid-cycle condensed shellbeds (Type B shellbeds) comprise well-preserved, near-situ, dispersed to closely-packed macrofossil assemblages in mud-rich facies. These faunas represent inner to middle shelf, shell-ground to shelly soft-ground paleocommunities. Associations from high-stand systems tracts also comprise well-preserved near situ faunas. These assemblages, however, are variably dispersed within shelf siltstones and silty fine sandstones, and represent muddy soft-ground paleocommunities. Abrupt shifts in taxonomic composition and taphonomic attributes occur across systems-tract bounding disconformities. The nature of these changes, measured against an "idealised continuum" of macrofossil associations, is used to gauge the magnitude of these disconformities. This approach is especially useful in determining the nature, of mid-cycle disconformities in Castlecliff sequences, which are difficult to evaluate from lithofacies characteristics alone.


The voltage-gated sodium channel, Nav 1.8, is known to play an important role in pain signalling. In this thesis, the functional properties and drug binding sites of wild type and mutant Nav 1.8 sodium channel currents were studied in mammalian sensory neuron-derived ND7/23 cells using whole-cell patch clamp.

While the voltage-dependence of activation was similar for wild type human and rat Nay 1.8 channels, the voltage-dependence of steady-state inactivation was more hyperpolarised for hNav 1.8 compared to rNav 1.8. Furthermore, as a consequence of the different time course for inactivation between human and rat channels, inhibition during frequent stimulation was less pronounced for hNav 1.8 than for rNav 1.8. Thus, this would imply that the human channel is more inactivated at normal resting potentials, and can support higher firing frequencies than the rat channel.

The action of tetracaine, ralfmamide, 227c89, Vl02862, and Nav1. 8-selective compound A-803467 on wild type hNav 1.8 and rNav 1.8 channels was studied. All compounds showed
preferential block of inactivated channels rather than resting channels. Compound A-803467 showed greater affinity for inactivated hNav 1.8 channels than for inactivated rNav 1.8 channels. Unexpectedly, an increase in current was observed for V102862 and A-803467 during recovery
from inactivation, likely due to "disinhibition" of resting block. For A-803467, rather than usedependent inhibition, this disinhibition increased the current during frequent stimulation, while for VI 02862 it led to the absence of inhibition during low frequency stimulation. Thus while
both V 102862 and A-803467 are potent inhibitors ofNav 1.8, V102862, rather than A-803467 might be a more useful blocker where physiological firing frequencies are higher.

Alanine mutations at residues 1381, N390, L14l0, V14l4, Il706, F1710 and Y1717 were made in the pore-lining S6 segments of the hN av 1. 8 channel, and at the corresponding positions in the rNav 1.8 channel. Many of the mutations caused shifts in voltage-dependence of activation and inactivation, and gave a faster time course of inactivation, indicating that the native residues
at these positions are important for both activation and inactivation in Nav 1.8 sodium channels.

The affinity of tetracaine for the resting and inactivated channels was reduced by hNav1.8 mutations 138lA, F1710A and Y1717A (only inactivated state affinity was measured for the
latter), and by mutation F17l0A for A-803467. For mutation L1410A both compounds caused complete resting block at very low concentrations; this block was removed by further
stimulation. While tetracaine did not show disinhibition for wild type channels during recovery from inactivation, it was seen particularly for mutants L1410 and F1710A. All mutations increased the extent of disinhibition of A-803467. These results suggest that the Nav 1.8-selective compound A-803467 acts within the pore S6 segments with a differing but partially overlapping site to that of the local anaesthetic tetracaine.


The genus Elaeidobius Kuschel, 1952 (Curculionidae, Curculioniae, Derelomini) is an Afrotropical genus associated with the male inflorescences of the oil palm Elaeis guineensis Jacq. The activity of species in this genus is critical for pollen transportation and for the fruit set of this economically important palm. In this study, the genus Elaeidobius was revised using an integrative taxonomic approach, combining traditional taxonomic treatment of species and an analysis of sequences of mitochondrial genes (COI and COII). A total of eight species is now recognized: five now formally included within it [E. bilineatus Hustache, 1924) comb. nov., E. kamerunicus (Faust, 1898) comb. nov., E. plagiatus (Fahraeus, 1844) comb. nov., E. singularis (Faust, 1898) comb. nov., E. subvittatus Faust, 1898)], one transferred here from the genus Prosoestus to the genus Elaeidobius, E. spatulifer (Marshall, 1950) comb. nov., and two newly described species (E. pilimargo Haran & Kuschel sp. nov., E. piliventris Haran & Kuschel sp. nov.). The following new synonymies are proposed: Prosoestus armatus Voss, 1956 = E. bilineatus (Hustache, 1924) comb. nov. and Derelomus uelensis Hustache = E. singularis (Faust, 1898). An illustrated key to the species is provided with photographs of the adult habitus and male genitalia.


The PFC, through its high degree of interconnectivity with cortical and subcortical brain areas, mediates cognitive and emotional processes in support of adaptive behaviors. This includes the formation of fear memories when the anticipation of threat demands learning about temporal or contextual cues, as in trace fear conditioning. The PFC, through its high degree of interconnectivity with cortical and subcortical brain areas, mediates cognitive and emotional processes in support of adaptive behaviors. This includes the formation of fear memories when the anticipation of threat demands learning about temporal or contextual cues, as in trace fear conditioning. In this variant of fear learning, the association of a cue and shock across an empty trace interval of several seconds requires sustained cue-elicited firing in the prelimbic cortex (PL). However, it is unknown how and when distinct PL afferents contribute to different associative components of memory. Among the prominent inputs to PL, the hippocampus shares with PL a role in both working memory and contextual processing. Here we tested the necessity of direct hippocampal input to the PL for the acquisition of trace-cued fear memory and the simultaneously acquired contextual fear association. Optogenetic silencing of ventral hippocampal (VH) terminals in the PL of adult male Long-Evans rats selectively during paired trials revealed that direct communication between the VH and PL during training is necessary for contextual fear memory, but not for trace-cued fear acquisition. The pattern of the contextual memory deficit and the disruption of local PL firing during optogenetic silencing of VH-PL suggest that the VH continuously updates the PL with the current contextual state of the animal, which, when disrupted during memory acquisition, is detrimental to the subsequent rapid retrieval of aversive contextual associations. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Learning to anticipate threat from available contextual and discrete cues is crucial for survival. The prelimbic cortex is required for forming fear memories when temporal or contextual complexity is involved, as in trace fear conditioning. However, the respective contribution of distinct prelimbic afferents to the temporal and contextual components of memory is not known. We report that direct input from the ventral hippocampus enables the formation of the contextual, but not trace-cued, fear memory necessary for the subsequent rapid expression of a fear response. This finding dissociates the contextual and working-memory contributions of prelimbic cortex to the formation of a fear memory and demonstrates the crucial role for hippocampal input in contextual fear learning.


Good knowledge of the available contraceptive methods ensures better acceptability, continuity and satisfaction, and lower failure rates of these methods. This paper describes an inquiry on the contraceptive knowledge in 114 women attending three Brussels family planning clinics. Misconceptions, beliefs in false rumors, and considerable insufficiencies in knowledge were detected. In order to increase patient's ability to correctly use birth control methods, so as to lower unwanted pregnancy rate, efforts should be made by health practitioners as well as by mass media and teaching institutions.


In this paper, I argue that current approaches to modeling of concepts in bilingual memory privilege word representation at the expense of concept representation. I identify four problems with the study of concepts in bilingual memory: conflation of semantic and conceptual levels of representation; scarcity of methods targeting conceptual representation; assumption of the static nature of the conceptual store; and insufficient acknowledgment of linguistic and cultural specificity of concepts. Basing my arguments on recent developments in the fields of neurolinguistics, linguistics, psychology, linguistic anthropology, and second language acquisition, I suggest new approaches to the study of concepts in bilingualism, based on notions of concept comparability and concept encoding. Subsequently, I discuss various ways in which concepts could develop and interact with each other in bilingual memory and address possible individual, psycholinguistic, and sociolinguistic constraints on conceptual representation and interaction in bilingual memory.


Examines recent reforms of the UK′s National Health Service (NHS), and explores the pressures for change in the pursuit of an efficient NHS and the conflicts which this causes in an organization which was based on the aim of equity. In particular, addresses the "false revolutions" of managerial change introduced after the Griffiths Report (1983) and the accounting changes introduced in the wake of the Griffiths proposals. Evidence shows that these intended revolutions were limited in impact. The result of these failures has been the introduction of the "real revolution" – the internal market in health care. This is a radical change in both the NHS management arrangements and in service delivery, with the division of the NHS into purchasers (health authorities and GP fund holders) and providers (hospital and community services, whether provided by private, voluntary or state‐owned facilities).


Automatically analysing games is an important challenge for automated game design, general game playing, and co-creative game design tools. However, understanding the nature of an unseen game is extremely difficult due to the lack of a priori design knowledge and heuristics. In this paper we formally define hyperstate space graphs, a compressed form of state space graphs which can be constructed without any prior design knowledge about a game. We show how hyperstate space graphs produce compact representations of games which closely relate to the heuristics designed by hand for search-based AI agents; we show how hyperstate space graphs also relate to modern ideas about game design; and we point towards future applications for hyperstates across game AI research.


This is the fifth Atomic Spectrometry Update (ASU) to focus specifically on developments in elemental speciation and covers a period of approximately 12 months from January 2012. The International Union for Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) have evaluated speciation and provided a definition as follows: "speciation analysis is the analytical activity of identifying and/or measuring the quantities of one or more individual chemical species in a sample; the chemical species are specific forms of an element defined as to isotopic composition, electronic or oxidation state, and/or complex or molecular structure; the speciation of an element is the distribution of an element amongst defined chemical species in a system". This review therefore deals with all aspects of the analytical speciation methods developed for: the determination of oxidation states; organometallic compounds; coordination compounds; metal and heteroatom-containing biomolecules, including metalloproteins, proteins, peptides and amino acids; and the use of metal-tagging to facilitate detection via atomic spectrometry. As with all ASU reviews1–5 the coverage of the topic is confined to those methods that incorporate atomic spectrometry as the measurement technique. However, in the spirit of meeting the needs of the subject, material is incorporated that is not strictly "atomic spectrometry". For the most part, such procedures are those in which some form of molecular MS is used for speciation measurements, often in parallel with an elemental detector. As the content of this Update shows, the field is now maturing as evidenced by the extent to which the speciation of particular elements or technique combinations have been the subject of review articles. However, it is becoming increasingly difficult to ascertain the analytical details of the methodologies applied in speciation analysis, particularly where the paper is published in an 'application' based journal.


The creation of an employee ownership plan is viewed as the catalyst enabling a sociotechnical change process. Identifies several key factors as mediating links between employee ownership plans and organizational effectiveness: the initiator's purpose of the employee ownership plan; perceptions of ownership; level of participative decision‐making systems; and organizational culture. These elements are affected by the introduction of employee ownership arrangements and can be specific areas in which organizational development consultants can focus effort to facilitate change generated by the initiation of an employee stock plan.


With the rising number of cyber threats in communication
networks, there is a demand for attack analysis and the
identification of new threats. Honeypots, tools for attack
analysis and zero-day exploit discovery, are passive in waiting
for an attacker. This paper proposes a novel approach to the
effective utilization of honeypots based on cooperation between
honeypots and the network in which they are deployed. We
propose a framework for recognition of attacks in their early
phase and dragging the network traffic to a honeypot before the
attack causes any harm. We use flow-based network monitoring to
detect initial phases of the attacks and propose prediction of
the later phases of the attack. Malicious network traffic will
be redirected to a honeypot for further analysis using a
concept of a network funnel.


This study investigated the state of the art of traditional, or landrace seeds in the State of Rio Grande do Sul. An ethnographic study was carried out by means of a non-statistical seed sampling in 13 farms from eight municipalities lying in the regions of the Greater Porto Alegre, Serra, Planalto Medio, Depressao Central and Serra do Sudeste. A broad diversity of ancient plants was observed. These species survive in the farms with the help of a seed bank. All in all, 39 plant species were characterized, distributed in 12 families, totaling 258 instances of landrace seeds grown in the farms visited. According to the farmers, the preference for landrace seeds is due chiefly to seed adaptability, better flavor and quality of the produce grown therefrom, valuablezation of customs and lower production costs. As regards seed upkeep, the most common difficulties mentioned were the lack of interest by the younger generations, and the obstacles in swapping and obtaining seeds. Alternatives to the upkeep of traditional seeds developed in different zones were also discussed as choices to plant conservation.


We report the first computational super-resolved, multi-camera integral imaging at long-wave infrared (LWIR) wavelengths. A synchronized array of FLIR Lepton cameras was assembled, and computational super-resolution and integral-imaging reconstruction employed to generate video with light-field imaging capabilities, such as 3D imaging and recognition of partially obscured objects, while also providing a four-fold increase in effective pixel count. This approach to high-resolution imaging enables a fundamental reduction in the track length and volume of an imaging system, while also enabling use of low-cost lens materials.


Current trajectories of global change may lead to regime shifts at regional scales, driving coupled human–environment systems to highly degraded states in terms of biodiversity, ecosystem services, and human well-being. For business-as-usual socioeconomic development pathways, regime shifts are projected to occur within the next several decades, to be difficult to reverse, and to have regional- to global-scale impacts on human society. We provide an overview of ecosystem, socioeconomic, and biophysical mechanisms mediating regime shifts and illustrate how these interact at regional scales by aggregation, synergy, and spreading processes. We give detailed examples of interactions for terrestrial ecosystems of central South America and for marine and coastal ecosystems of Southeast Asia. This analysis suggests that degradation of biodiversity and ecosystem services over the twenty-first century could be far greater than was previously predicted. We identify key policy and management opportunities at regional to global scales to avoid these shifts.


A chloroform extract of the edible mushroom Pleurotus eryngii showed an inhibitory effect on mammalian DNA topoisomerase I. The topoisomerase I inhibitory compound was purified and identified as ubiquinone-9. Ubiquinone-9 was shown to inhibit the activity of topoisomerase I with IC50 of about 50 µM. Concentration of 110 µM ubiquinone-9 caused 50% growth inhibition of human leukaemia U937 cells, but not that of normal fibroblast NIH3T3 and 3Y1 cells. Ubiquinone-9-induced cell death was characterised with the cleavage of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase and pro-caspase 3. Furthermore, ubiquinone-9 induced the fragmentation of DNA into an apoptotic DNA ladder, indicating that the inhibitor triggered apoptosis. The induction of apoptosis by ubiquinone-9 was also confirmed using flow cytometry analysis. Taken together, these results suggest that ubiquinone-9 may function by inhibiting oncogenic disease, at least in part, through the inhibition of topoisomerase I activity.


The energy intensive distillation process has become a widely discussed topic as industry attempts to minimise energy consumption. The implementation of Model Predictive Control (MPC) can aid in the reduction of plant energy consumption. However, the leading chemical and petroleum software packages Aspen Plus and Aspen HYSYS do not currently support MPC. This project successfully integrated both MATLAB and LabVIEW with Aspen Plus Dynamics (APD), which enables the implementation of MPC schemes. This integration was established using Microsoft's ActiveX Technology. In order to implement MPC from within MATLAB and LabVIEW, their respective MPC toolboxes were explored; these toolboxes possess several major flaws in their functionality. In particular, neither have the ability to perform RGA analysis or determine the model of the plant through data-driven modelling. To overcome these drawbacks a MATLAB script was developed which determines the model of the plant from automatic step tests in Simulink. Once the communication was established, and toolboxes documented, a high-fidelity distillation column was constructed in Aspen Plus before being exported to APD. This plant model was developed as a reference to compare the effectiveness of the PI and MPC control schemes, employing the Integral of Time-Weighted Absolute Error (ITAE) performance criterion. MPC outperformed the PI control schemes in all but one scenario. On average the ITAE values were 1000% lower for MPC, due to its ability to quickly track the set point and avoid overshoot. Further research has been highlighted on a number of toolbox features and dynamic communication options. Importantly, the use of the integrated software packages can provide a number of benefits for students and personnel. By developing a dynamic template it will be possible to implement these ideas into university, laboratory and workplace training. This could increase confidence in predictive control schemes, operator plant knowledge and reduce unsafe plant operation.


Thickness‐dependent structure–property relationships in strained SrRuO3 thin films on GdScO3 (GSO) substrates are reported. The film is found to have epitaxially stabilized crystal structures that vary with the film thickness. Below 16 nm, the √2apc × √2apc × 2apc monoclinic structure is stabilized while above 16 nm the film has the apc × 2apc × apc tetragonal structure. The thickness‐dependent structural changes are ascribed to the substrate‐induced modification in the RuO6 octahedral rotation pattern, which highlights the significance of the octahedral rotations for the epitaxial strain accommodation in the coherently‐grown films. Close relationships between the structural and physical properties of the films are also found. The monoclinic film has the uniaxial magnetic easy axis 45° away from the [110]GSO direction while the tetragonal film has the one that lies along the in‐plane [1–10]GSO direction. The results demonstrate that the octahedral rotations in the strained perovskite oxide thin films are a key factor for determining their structure phases and physical properties.


Technology roadmaps identify the transmission bottleneck as one of the major challenges at high frequencies and in compact geometries. Increasing bandwidth and massive data processing prompt for the use of optics over short distances, down to board-to-board, chip-to-chip and even intra-chip. In this framework, optical to electric converters are key elements. We investigate the feasibility of an optically controlled field effect transistor (FET), a device capable of switching when driven by light (rather than voltage) thanks to a photosensitive gate. We develop a physical model in order to simulate with TCAD the modulation of FET channel conductivity, using drift-diffusion with optical generation. Current modulation of more than one order of magnitude with 1 µW optical power and time response lower than 100 ps can be achieved. (© 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)


BACKGROUND
Combination chemotherapy has proven beneficial in biliary tract cancer and further improvements may be achieved by individualizing treatment based on biomarkers and by adding biological agents. We report the effect of chemotherapy with panitumumab as first-line therapy for KRAS wild-type irresectable biliary tract cancer.

PATIENTS AND METHODS
Patients were treated with gemcitabine 1000 mg/m2, oxaliplatin 60 mg/m2, and panitumumab 6 mg/kg i.v. every 2 weeks followed by two daily administrations of capecitabine 1000 mg/m2 in 7 days.

RESULTS
During 22 months, 46 patients were included in a single institution. The primary end point, fraction of progression-free survival (PFS) at 6 months, was 31/42 [74%; 95% confidence interval (CI) 58% to 84%]. Forty-two patients had measurable disease. Response rate was 33% and disease control rate 86%. Median PFS was 8.3 months (95% CI 6.7-8.7 months) and median overall survival was 10.0 months (95% CI 7.4-12.7 months). Toxicity was manageable including eight cases of epidermal growth factor receptor-related skin adverse events of grade 2 or more.

CONCLUSIONS
Marker-driven patient selection is feasible in the systemic treatment of biliary tract cancer. Combination chemotherapy with panitumumab in patients with KRAS wild-type tumors met the efficacy criteria for future testing in a randomized trial.


This paper summarizes some of the main results obtained concerning aspects of anomalous single-dopant diffusion and the simultaneous diffusion of multi-diffusion species in semiconductors. Some important explanations of theoretical/practical aspects have been investigated, such as anomalous phenomena, general diffusivity expressions, general non-linear diffusion equations, modified Arrhenius equations and lowered activation energy have been offered in the case of the anomalous fast diffusion for single-dopant diffusion process. Indeed, a single diffusion process is always a complex system involving many interacting factors; conventional diffusion theory could not be applied to its investigation. The author has also investigated a system of multi-diffusion species with mutual interactions between them. More concretely, irreversible thermodynamics theory was used to investigate the simultaneous diffusion of dopants (As, B) and point defects (V, I) in Si semiconductors. Some attempts at theory development were made, such as setting up a system of general diffusion equations for the simultaneous diffusion of multi-diffusion species involving mutual interactions between them, such as the pair association and disassociation mechanisms which predominated during the simultaneous diffusion of dopants and point defects. The paper then gives some primary results of the numerical solution of distributions of dopants (B, As) and point defects (V, I) in Si semiconductor, using irreversible thermodynamics theory. Finally, several applications of simultaneous diffusion to semiconductor technology devices are also offered.


Does Web 2.0 facilitate the conversion of tacit knowledge to explicit knowledge? Prior research has focused on the conversion of tacit knowledge to explicit within the context of organizations and builds upon assumptions made during the period when information technologies were not readily available and accessible to the general population. Recently, there have been dramatic changes to the information technology landscape due to the advent of Web 2.0. A unique characteristic of the Web 2.0 era is the dissemination and absorption of knowledge and information by almost anyone at any time. This conceptual research in progress builds upon the theory that explicit and tacit knowledge are dichotomous constructs on a continuum scale. We use this theory to examine how features of Web 2.0 convert increasing kinds of tacit knowledge to explicit knowledge; allowing for greater dissemination and acquisition by the layman and artificial intelligence agents. For the layman, we discuss the current limitations we face in empirically documenting and measuring this phenomenon and the benefits of a randomized digital field experiment. We conclude with the implications of the research for academia and practitioners.


A new sifted material considerably supplements the knowledge of the Middle Miocene (Badanian) echinoids from the Korytnica Basin (Holy Cross Mountains, Central Poland). The occurrence of such genera as Psammechinus , Scutell (? Parascutell ), Clypeaster , and Echinolampas is reported for the first time. Shortly discussed is the whole assemblage, which comprises 13 genera of seven orders, and thus is the richest among coeval assemblages occurring in the Miocene deposits of the Fore-Carpathian Depression.


Potato is an important commercial crop of the world. It was reported to be affected by many biotic and abiotic factors. Among biotic factors is a blackleg, a bacterial disease of potato caused by Pectobacterium atrosepticum and is responsible for both quantitative and qualitative losses in the field and in the storage. This disease has been found to be more frequent in the districts of Chiniot. Therefore, a survey was conducted in field's conditions of district Chiniot of Pakistan, as well as cold storages to assess the disease severity in the potato field. For isolation, samples were collected and identification, purification and mass culturing of the isolated of pathogen was also performed. The efficacy of different chemicals, plant extracts and bio-products were studied against isolated pathogen. During the screening trial of fifteen varieties, Cardinal was found immune while Faisalabad white was found to be highly susceptible. Other varieties like Accent, Harmony, Faisalabad Red and Lady Rosette were found resistant, while Desiree, SH70, Everest, Hermes, Orla and Paramount were found moderately resistant. Varietals response against this bacterium was evaluated under natural conditions in the field on weekly basis. Evaluation of different bio-products and plant extracts was carried out under laboratory conditions. Under the laboratory conditions, bio-products produced maximum inhibition zone. Plant extracts namely neem (Azadirachta indica), garlic (Allium sativum), datura (Datura alba) and onion (Allium sepa) also produced a little inhibition zone against the growth of Erwinia.


XML signature technology is the major approach for ensuring XML data authentication. An XML signature should satisfy multiple data authentication requirements for XML data which pass a hierarchical network of responsibilities. Through investigation, existing XML multisignature schemes can not satisfy this requirement. This paper presents a series-parallel XML multisignature scheme based on Lu?s XML multisignature scheme. In the scheme presented, signers are divided into series or parallel subgroups according to their relationship, making the multisignature process closer to a natural signature-generation process. The scheme builds an XML data integrity-checking pool to provide integrity-checking for decomposed XML data. With this integrity-checking pool, signers can check integrity without the cooperation of others checkers. Testing shows that the scheme presented has a higher efficiency than repeated DSA or RSA, and satisfies application requirements in practice.


The O9IV star HD 57682, discovered to be magnetic within the context of the Magnetism in Massive Stars (MiMeS) survey in 2009, is one of only eight convincingly detected magnetic O-type stars. Among this select group, it stands out due to its sharp-lined photospheric spectrum. Since its discovery, the MiMeS Collaboration has continued to obtain spectroscopic and magnetic observations in order to refine our knowledge of its magnetic field strength and geometry, rotational period and spectral properties and variability. In this paper we report new Echelle SpectroPolarimetric Device for the Observation of Stars (ESPaDOnS) spectropolarimetric observations of HD 57682, which are combined with previously published ESPaDOnS data and archival Hα spectroscopy. This data set is used to determine the rotational period (63.5708 ± 0.0057 d), refine the longitudinal magnetic field variation and magnetic geometry (dipole surface field strength of 880 ± 50 G and magnetic obliquity of 79° ± 4° as measured from the magnetic longitudinal field variations, assuming an inclination of 60°) and examine the phase variation of various lines. In particular, we demonstrate that the Hα equivalent width undergoes a double-wave variation during a single rotation of the star, consistent with the derived magnetic geometry. We group the variable lines into two classes: those that, like Hα, exhibit non-sinusoidal variability, often with multiple maxima during the rotation cycle, and those that vary essentially sinusoidally. Based on our modelling of the Hα emission, we show that the variability is consistent with emission being generated from an optically thick, flattened distribution of magnetically confined plasma that is roughly distributed about the magnetic equator. Finally, we discuss our findings in the magnetospheric framework proposed in our earlier study.


This study aims to develop a video game for toilet training materials as a medium for self-help learning for children with autism. Toileting skill is one of the basic self-help skills that children should master. In fact, teaching new things to children with autism is challenging. It requires a proper method to deliver the materials to these children. One of the effective learning media to teach self-help is to use visual media like video games. By using video games, children are expected to play and learn self-help skills, particularly about toileting. In addition, the video game is developed by applying certain design principles that fit with the needs of children with autism. The software is tested for its functionalities. Moreover, an implementation test is done by using observation communication analysis. Based on the results, the researchers conclude that the developed video game has implemented the proper design and materials related to toileting in accordance with the needs of children with autism. The respondents show positive results for using the video game.


The death of Dr. E. H. Kettle, Professor of Pathology at the London Post-graduate School of Medicine, came at the height of his powers and at a time when his influence and authority in scientific medicine gave promise of increasing value. Edgar Hartley Kettle was born in London on 20 April, 1882. He died 1 December, 1936, at the age of 54 after a long and finally painful illness. He was educated at Skipton Grammar School and while at school, as a result of an affection of the knee, suffered the first of his physical handicaps, a shortened and rigid leg. After leaving school he studied medicine in London in St. Mary 's Hospital, graduating M.B ., B.S. in 1907 and M.D. 1910. He was appointed Pathologist to the Cancer Hospital, Fulham, in 1907, and during his tenure of this post conceived and carried out the plan of his first work, The Pathology of Tumours . This useful little handbook is important for his development, from the series of figures drawn by himself. The main advantage he himself claimed from the venture was the discipline of purposeful selection of representative fields, rigid exclusion of irrelevant detail, and unambiguous draughtsmanship. It is still, after twenty-five years, a useful and shrewd summary of the fundamental problems of tumour pathology. In 1912 he returned to the pathological department of St. Mary 's Hospital as assistant to Spilsbury and succeeded him as Lecturer on Pathology in the Medical School in 1918. During the War, Kettle acted as Pathologist to the 3rd London General Hospital in addition to his duties as Pathologist to St. Mary's Hospital. Unofficially nothing came amiss to him ; he acted as Superintendent of the Hospital when that overworked official finally required a holiday, and he edited, and largely wrote, the student's Journal when it threatened to lapse.


It is well known how the main frame of a motorcycle plays an important rule in vehicle dynamics. In order to understand the main influences of this component, a dedicated test rig was design and realized. Numerical and experimental experiences were done with the aim to identify static stiffness, natural frequencies and vibration modes of a motorcycle frame. A dedicated test rig was designed and realized in order to load the chassis in torsional and flexural configuration, both within and without the engine. By the use of a hydraulic actuator, displacement controlled, a load ramp was applied to stress the frame in elastic yield, as in real conditions, and the structure flexure was measured with laser transducers. The test rig components were monitored by the use of laser transducers in order to include constraints compliances into the identification step. In this phase, the flexural and torsional static stiffness of the main frame were identified, paying attention to distinguish the engine's contribute. A modal analysis, processing experimental data, was performed using the frequency response function measured in six different points of the frame. Natural frequencies, deflection modes and damping were identified. At the same time, a detailed numerical model of the main frame was developed. It was processed by the use of the finite element method in order to reproduce the experimental experiences. Numerical and experimental results were compared to validate the model of the chassis. All the obtained parameters are mainly being used in a dynamic study of motorcycle behaviour. Firstly, identified stiffness will be implemented as concentred springs, obtaining a significant model of the vehicle. Following this a multi-body model of the vehicle will be defined, including deformability of structures, using modal coordinates, and just introducing the most interesting modes.


We report a study of the attenuation spectra transformations for a series of Bismuth (Bi) doped silica fibers with various contents of emission-active Bi centers, which arise as the result of irradiation by a beam of high-energy electrons. The experimental data reveal a substantial decrease of concentration of the Bi centers, associated with the presence of Germanium in silica glass, at increasing the irradiation dose (the resonant-absorption bleaching effect in germano-silicate fiber). In contrast, the spectral changes that appear in Bi doped alumino-silicate fiber have through irradiation a completely different character, viz., weak growth of the resonant-absorption peaks ascribed to the Bi centers, associated with the presence of Aluminum in silica glass. These results demonstrating high susceptibility of Bi centers to electron irradiation while opposite routes of the irradiation-induced spectral changes in Bi doped germanate and aluminate fibers seem to be of worth notice for understanding the nature of these centers.


Control systems with transport lag are commonly encountered, and the presence of nonlinearities in such systems makes stability analysis difficult. Parameter plane equations for such systems are formulated and used to map the imaginary axis of the s plane onto the parameter plane. Stability conditions are studied for a system with transport lag and one single-valued nonlinearity and also for a system with transport lag and a hysteretic-type non-linearity. In both cases the existence and characteristics of limit cycles are studied. Application of the method is made to an aircraft pitch control system.


We review current literature and data on the burden of injury and violence in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) of the World Health Organization (WHO), with a special focus on the health, economic and social burden they impose on individuals, families and society. Injury-associated mortality and disability is on the rise in EMR, especially among economically productive adults, young males and vulnerable road users. In particular, road traffic injuries, the leading cause of injuries, account for 27% of the total injury and violence mortality in EMR according to WHO. Violence including suicide, homicide and war-related injury has also been increasing over the past two decades for both females and males. There is need for greater interest and efforts in slowing and ultimately halting the trend through interventions, legislative actions, and research that examine the special needs and challenges in the Region.


A large number of human psychophysical results have been successfully explained in recent years using Bayesian models. However, the neural implementation of such models remains largely unclear. In this paper, we show that a network architecture commonly used to model the cerebral cortex can implement Bayesian inference for an arbitrary Markov model. We illustrate the suggested approach using a visual motion detection task. Our simulation results show that the model network exhibits direction selectivity and correctly computes the posterior probabilities for motion direction. When used to solve the well-known random dots motion discrimination task, the model generates responses that mimic the activities of evidence-accumulating neurons in cortical areas LIP and FEF. In addition, the model predicts reaction time distributions that are similar to those obtained in human psychophysical experiments that manipulate the prior probabilities of targets and task urgency.


The HILT (HIgh-Level Thesaurus) project (http://hilt.cdlr.strath.ac.uk/), based primarily at the Centre for Digital Library Research (CDLR) (http://cdlr.strath.ac.uk/) at Strathclyde University in Glasgow is entering its fourth stage following the completion of Phases I (http://hilt.cdlr.strath.ac.uk/index1.html) and II (http://hilt.cdlr.strath.ac.uk/index2.html) and the Machine to Machine (M2M) Feasibility Study (http://hilt.cdlr.strath.ac.uk/hiltm2mfs/). HILT is funded by the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) in the United Kingdom (UK) to examine an issue of global significance - facilitating interoperability of subject descriptions in a distributed, cross-service retrieval environment where different services use different subject and classification schemes to describe content, making cross-searching by subject difficult. HILT Phase I determined that there was a community consensus in the UK in favour of using inter-scheme mapping to achieve interoperability between services using different schemes, an approach followed by several recent projects (Heery et al, 2001; Koch et al, 2001; MACS, 2005; Saeed and Chaudhury 2002). HILT Phase II chose a spine-based approach to mapping and chose the Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) as the central scheme to which all other schemes would be mapped. It also built an illustrative pilot mapping service, based on an adaptation of the Wordmap (http://www.wordmap.com/) terminology-handling software and made a range of recommendations on issues requiring further research and ongoing development requirements.


The interaction between local and reflexive control of skin blood flow (SkBF) is unclear. This thesis isolated the roles of rectal (Tre) and local (Tloc) temperature on forearm SkBF regulation at normal and elevated body temperatures, and to investigate the interaction between local and reflexive SkBF control. While either normothermic (Tre ~37.0°C) or hyperthermic (∆Tre +1.1°C), SkBF was assessed on the dorsal aspect of each forearm in 10 participants while Tloc was manipulated in an A-B-A-B fashion between neutral (33.0°C) and hot (38.5°C). Finally, local heating to 44°C was performed to elicit maximal SkBF. Data are presented as a percentage of maximal cutaneous vascular conductance (CVC), calculated as laser-Doppler flux divided by mean arterial pressure. Tloc manipulations performed during normothermia had significantly greater effects on CVC than during hyperthermia. The decreased modification to SkBF from the Tloc changes during hyperthermia suggests that strong reflexive vasodilation attenuates local SkBF control mechanisms.


This paper presents a novel bonding-free process for fabricating integrated microfluidic devices with embedded electrodes utilizing low-cost UV curable resins. Commercial available UV glue is sandwiched between two substrates and is used for both the structure material and bonding adhesive. The pattern of micro-fluidic channels is defined using a standard lithography process while two substrates are bonded simultaneously during the exposure procedure. Once the pattern is defined, the un-cured UV glue was removed by vacuum suction to form the sealed microfluidic channel. With this simple approach, conventional bonding processes can be excluded for fabricating sealed microfluidic structures such that the developed method is essential for fabricating microchip devices with embedded electrodes. The thickness of the formed structures can be up to millimeter range and the smallest channel width is around 80 um (aspect ratio = 2). The overall process to fabricate sealed microchip device is less than 10 min since no time-consuming etching and bonding process in the developed process. An innovative micro-reactor integrated with in-channel micro-plasma generator for real-time chemical reaction analysis is fabricated using the developed process. On-line mass-spectrum (MS) detection of an esterfication reaction is successfully demonstrated which resulting a fast, label-free, preparation-free analysis of chemical samples. The developed process has shown its potentials for rapid and low-cost microdevice manufacturing.