Gas sensors based on semiconductive materials have gained an increasing interest, thanks to their advantageous characteristics. However, their
intrinsic lack of selectivity made research in this eld to come to a standstill.
Such devices are mainly applied to environmental and indoor monitoring. A
clearer analysis of surface reaction phenomena is the key to nd a solution to
the problem of limited selectivity. This approach has been applied to gases
of great interest, such as alkanes. The main aim of this dissertation is to
clarify some theoretical and experimental aspects related to the sensing processes of metal-oxide semiconductors. Temperature programmed desorption
techniques were chosen to investigate thermodynamic properties of nanostructured powders. Readsorption occurred for almost all the states observed,
representing an advantage for sensing mechanism. Conduction measurements
performed on thick film sensors resulted in positive responses under dry and
wet conditions and in presence of ethanol. Concrete indications about the
building of a reliable and efficient device were suggested.


The mother centriole in a cell has two appendages, the distal appendage (DA) and subdistal appendage (SDA), which have roles in generating cilia and organizing the cellular microtubular network, respectively. In the knockout (KO) cells of Odf2, the component of the DA and SDA, both appendages simultaneously disappear. However, the molecular mechanisms by which the DA and SDA form independently but close to each other downstream of Odf2 are unknown. Here, using super‐resolution structured illumination microscopy (SR‐SIM), we found that the signal for GFP‐tagged Odf2 overlapped considerably with that of immunofluorescently labeled Cep128. We further found that Cep128 knockdown (KD) caused the dissociation of other SDA components from the centriole, including centriolin, Ndel1, ninein and Cep170, whereas Odf2 was still associated with the centriole. In contrast, the DA components remained associated with the centriole in Cep128 KD cells. Consistent with this observation, we identified Cep128 as an Odf2‐interacting protein by immunoprecipitation. Taken with the finding that Cep128 deletion decreased the stability of centriolar microtubules, our results indicate that Cep128 associates with Odf2 in the hierarchical assembly of SDA components to elicit the microtubule‐organizing function.


Constituting the framework of this article are a general overview of the architectural style of one of the foremost figures of contemporary architecture, Frank Gehry, as well as the preliminary results of an effort to review particularly the Nationale-Nederlanden building by the architect through the mathematical concepts of symmetry, similarity and equivalence. The study, which starts on the shell forms of the architectural projects realized by the architect from past to present in general, is detailed through the Nationale-Nederlanden building in particular. "Could symmetry or similarity in the structural elements be an issue in the review of the building —popularly named 'Fred and Ginger' or the 'Dancing House?' What sort of balance does it establish with the area it is situated in? Which architectural period does it resemble? What conclusions may be drawn when the shell architecture is taken as a sculpture?" are few of the questions we seek to answer.


A method to both reduce energy and improve performance in a processor-based embedded system is described in this paper. Comprising of a scratchpad memory instead of an instruction cache, the target system dynamically (at runtime) copies into the scratchpad code segments that are determined to be beneficial (in terms of energy efficiency and/or speed) to execute from the scratchpad. We develop a heuristic algorithm to select such code segments based on a metric, called concomitance. Concomitance is derived from the temporal relationships of instructions. A hardware controller is designed and implemented for managing the scratchpad memory. Strategically placed custom instructions in the program inform the hardware controller when to copy instructions from the main memory to the scratchpad. A novel heuristic algorithm is implemented for determining locations within the program where to insert these custom instructions. For a set of realistic benchmarks, experimental results indicate the method uses 41.9% lower energy (on average) and improves performance by 40.0% (on average) when compared to a traditional cache system which is identical in size


In this study, we use the observations of electromagnetic waves by Detection of Electromagnetic Emissions Transmitted from Earthquake Regions satellite to investigate propagation characteristics of low‐altitude ionospheric hiss. In an event study, intense hiss wave power is concentrated over a narrow frequency band with a central frequency that decreases as latitude decreases, which coincides to the variation of local proton cyclotron frequency fCH. The wave propagates obliquely to the background magnetic field and equatorward from high latitude region. We use about ∼6 years of observations to statistically study the dependence of ionospheric hiss wave power on location, local time, geomagnetic activity, and season. The results demonstrate that the ionospheric hiss power is stronger on the dayside than nightside, under higher geomagnetic activity conditions, in local summer than local winter. The wave power is confined near the region where the local fCH is equal to the wave frequency. A ray tracing simulation is performed to account for the dependence of wave power on frequency and latitude.


Kinases are important targets for drug discovery as evidenced by the US FDA approval of over 30 small molecule kinase inhibitors over the last two decades. A wide range of assay technologies have been utilized to quantify inhibitor activity or binding and to assess inhibitor selectivity across the kinome. In this chapter we review some of the modern and perhaps non-traditional methods being used in academic and industrial laboratories, including fragment based approaches DNA encoded library technology (ELT), differential scanning fluorimetry (DSF), chemical proteomics and cellular screening. We highlight the potential advantages offered by each of these methods, along with some of the potential issues and provide illustrative examples.


Adrenomedullin (AM) is a potent vasoactive peptide and plays an important role in cardiovascular function. In this study, we delivered the AM gene locally into the heart, using a catheter-based technique to investigate the signaling mechanism mediated by AM in protection against cardiomyocyte apoptosis induced by acute ischemia/reperfusion. After adenovirus-mediated gene delivery, highly efficient and specific expression of luciferase, green fluorescent protein, or recombinant human AM was identified in the left ventricle. Delivery of the AM gene 5 days before ischemia/reperfusion attenuated myocardial apoptosis identified by in situ dUTP nick-end labeling and DNA laddering, and the effect was blocked by the AM antagonist human calcitonin gene–related peptide (CGRP 8 to 37). AM gene transfer increased phosphorylation of Akt and glycogen synthase kinase (GSK-3 ) but reduced GSK-3 and caspase-3 activities in the heart. The effects of AM on GSK-3 and caspase-3 activities were blocked by CGRP (8-37) and by adenovirus containing dominant-negative Akt (DN-Akt). Furthermore, in cultured cardiomyocytes, AM also attenuated apoptosis induced by hypoxia/reoxygenation, which was accompanied by increased phospho-GSK-3 but reduced GSK-3 and caspase-3 activities. GSK-3 and caspase-3 activities were both blocked by Ad.DN-Akt and lithium, whereas only caspase-3 was inhibited by its inhibitor Z-VAD. The effects of AM on anti-apoptosis and promoting cell viability were blocked by DN-Akt but not by constitutively active Akt, lithium, or Z-VAD. These results indicate that AM protects against cardiomyocyte apoptosis induced by ischemia/reperfusion injury through the Akt-GSK-caspase signaling pathway. (Hypertension. 2004;43:109-116.)


As Congress and the president battle out the federal deficit, foreign involvements, health care, and other policies of grave national import, the underlying constitutional issue is always the separation of powers doctrine. In The Politics of Shared Power, a classic text in the field of executive-legislative relations, Louis Fisher explains clearly and perceptively the points at which congressional and presidential interests converge and diverge, the institutional patterns that persist from one administration and one Congress to another, and the partisan dimensions resulting from the two-party system. Fisher also discusses the role of the courts in reviewing cases brought to them by members of Congress, the president, agency heads, and political activists, illustrating how court decisions affect the allocation of federal funds and the development and implementation of public policy. He examines how the president participates as legislator and how Congress intervenes in administrative matters. Separate chapters on the bureaucracy, the independent regulatory commissions, and the budgetary process probe these questions from different angles. The new fourth edition addresses the line item veto and its tortuous history and prospects. A chapter on war powers and foreign affairs studies executive-legislative disputes that affect global relations, including the Iran-Contra affair, the Persian Gulf War in 1991, and American presence in conflicts such as Haiti and Bosnia. An important new discussion focuses on interbranch collisions and gridlock as they have developed since 1992.


We demonstrate in examples that the covariant retarded Green's functions in electromagnetism and linearized gravity work as expected in de Sitter spacetime. We first clarify how retarded Green's functions should be used in spacetimes with spacelike past infinity such as de Sitter spacetime. In particular, we remind the reader of a general formula which gives the field for given initial data on a Cauchy surface and a given source (a charge or stress-energy tensor distribution) in its future. We then apply this formula to three examples: (i) electromagnetism in the future of a Cauchy surface in Minkowski spacetime, (ii) electromagnetism in de Sitter spacetime, and (iii) linearized gravity in de Sitter spacetime. In each example the field is reproduced correctly as predicted by the general argument. In the third example we construct a linearized gravitational field from two equal point masses located at the ``North and South Poles'' which is nonsingular on the cosmological horizon and satisfies a covariant gauge condition and show that this field is reproduced by the retarded Green's function with corresponding gauge parameters.


Abstract CFAs of multidimensional constructs often fail to meet standards of good measurement (e.g., goodness-of-fit, measurement invariance, and well-differentiated factors). Exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM) represents a compromise between exploratory factor analysis' (EFA) flexibility, and CFA/SEM's rigor and parsimony, but lacks parsimony (particularly in large models) and might confound constructs that need to be kept separate. In Set-ESEM, two or more a priori sets of constructs are modeled within a single model such that cross-loadings are permissible within the same set of factors (as in Full-ESEM) but are constrained to be zero for factors in different sets (as in CFA). The different sets can reflect the same set of constructs on multiple occasions, and/or different constructs measured within the same wave. Hence, Set-ESEM that represents a middle-ground between the flexibility of traditional-ESEM (hereafter referred to as Full-ESEM) and the rigor and parsimony of CFA/SEM. Thus, the purposes of this article are to provide an overview tutorial on Set-ESEM, juxtapose it with Full-ESEM, and to illustrate its application with simulated data and diverse "real" data applications with accessible, heuristic explanations of best practice.


This study examines the dynamic responses of inflation to its determinants in the short run and long run in Iran from 1970 to 2011. Along with the traditional unit root test of augmented Dickey Fuller (ADF) test, the Zivot and Andrews (ZA) test is performed on all the series to check whether structural break is present in the data. The analysis proceeds with the findings on the relationship between inflation and its determinants in five models of Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL). It incorporates the effect of economic sanctions on inflation in Iran via two approaches. First is by utilizing a dummy variable, while second is by introducing an index, constructed by the principal component model (PCM). To measure inflation persistence and seignorage persistence, the simple interpretive model (SIM) and the grid bootstrap method (GBM) are applied to the data. It clarifies the roles of the fiscal dominance and exchange rate regimes on inflation. Furthermore, the study of inflation persistence examines the gap between monetary policies and the optimal level to control inflation.
The findings suggest that budget deficit, the broad money and the exchange rate are main causes of inflation in Iran. Unlike others, oil price shocks and real GDP have negative impact on inflation in Iran. Undoubtedly, economic sanctions augment Iran's inflation by limiting trade openness and investment inflows. The results uncover the existence of high level of fiscal dominance in Iran's which driven to higher inflation. Result from inflation persistence shows that monetary policies are working in controlling inflation but they are still far from optimal level. Interestingly, in Iran, the result shows that the fixed exchange
iv
rate regime is more effective to control inflation rather than the floating exchange rate with inflation targeting. Also, inflation increases with the gap between the official and the market (black) exchange rates.


Digital picture frames can bring a different dimension to Extension educators' educational displays and enhance the experience of viewers. Moreover, by combining multiple digital displays with written materials, the educator can increase his or her ability to reach more people than what occurs when only a single tabletop display at one event is used. This article includes a description of the use of a digital picture frame for conveying information on native plants, considerations related to choosing a digital picture frame, and lessons learned for setting up such displays.


Bismuth zinc titanate dopied lead magnesium niobate-lead titanate[Bi(Zn1/2Ti1/2)O3-Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-PbTiO3 (BZT-PMN-PT)] piezoelectric ceramics are synthesized by the conventional solid state reaction method. Ferroelectric
domain structures and the evolutionary behavior of BZT-PMN-PT ceramics under an external in-plane
electric field are investigated by piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM). It is found that the BZT doping has a
significant effect on the domain configurations and the domain kinetic behavior of the piezoelectric BZT-PMNPT
solid solution ceramics. Microdomains embedded in the macrodomains, induced by the BZT dopant in the
solid solution ceramics, are clearly observed by PFM and their volume increases with increasing amounts of BZT
doping. The microdomains of BZT-PMN-PT piezoelectric ceramics exhibit better domain dynamic behavior stability than macrodomains under an external in-plane electric field.


HIV replication follows a well-defined pattern during the acute phase of the infection in humans. After reaching a peak during the first few weeks after infection, viral replication resolves to a set-point thereafter. There are still uncertainties regarding the contribution of CD8+ T cells in establishing this set-point. An alternative explanation, supported by in silico modeling, would imply that viral replication is limited by the number of available targets for infection, i.e. CD4+CCR5+ T cells. Here, we used NOD.SCID.gc-/- mice bearing human CD4+CCR5+ and CD8+ T cells derived from CD34+ progenitors to investigate the relative contribution of both in viral control after the peak. Using low dose of a CCR5-tropic HIV virus, we observed an increase in viral replication followed by "spontaneous" resolution of the peak, similar to humans. To rule out any possible role for CD8+ T cells in viral control, we infected mice in which CD8+ T cells had been removed by a depleting antibody. Globally, viral replication was not affected by the absence of CD8+ T cells. Strikingly, resolution of the viral peak was equally observed in mice with or without CD8+ T cells, showing that CD8+ T cells were not involved in viral control in the early phase of the infection. In contrast, a marked and specific loss of CCR5-expressing CD4+ T cells was observed in the spleen and in the bone marrow, but not in the blood, of infected animals. Our results strongly suggest that viral replication during the acute phase of the infection in humanized mice is mainly constrained by the number of available targets in lymphoid tissues rather than by CD8+ T cells.


Kim et al. introduced a new methodology for determining peak-brightness absolute magnitudes of type Ia supernovae from multi-band light curves. We examine the relation between their parameterization of light curves and Hubble residuals, based on photometry synthesized from the Nearby Supernova Factory spectrophotometric time series, with global host-galaxy properties. The K13 Hubble residual step with host mass is 0.013 ± 0.031 mag for a supernova subsample with data coverage corresponding to the K13 training; at ≪1σ, the step is not significant and lower than previous measurements. Relaxing the data coverage requirement of the Hubble residual step with the host mass is 0.045 ± 0.026 mag for the larger sample; a calculation using the modes of the distributions, less sensitive to outliers, yields a step of 0.019 mag. The analysis of this article uses K13 inferred luminosities, as distinguished from previous works that use magnitude corrections as a function of SALT2 color and stretch parameters: steps at >2σ significance are found in SALT2 Hubble residuals in samples split by the values of their K13 x(1) and x(2) light-curve parameters. x(1) affects the light-curve width and color around peak (similar to the Δm15 and stretch parameters), and x(2) affects colors, the near-UV light-curve width, and the light-curve decline 20–30 days after peak brightness. The novel light-curve analysis, increased parameter set, and magnitude corrections of K13 may be capturing features of SN Ia diversity arising from progenitor stellar evolution.


The bacterial species 'Neisseria gonorrhoeae' ('N. gonorrhoea') and 'Staphylococcus aureus' ('S. aureus') are amongst the main microorganisms that cause ophthamia neonatorum, an infection of the eye that occurs when infants are born through an infected birth canal. The current treatment that involves the use of various antibiotics such as ciprofloxacin, cephalosporin, ceftriaxone and cefotaxime is becoming more ineffective due to the antibiotic resistance in 'N. gonorrhoea'. Fatty acids (FAs) are used by many organisms as defence mechanism against virulent bacteria. The high safety profile and broad spectrum of activity make them potential alternatives to currently used topical antibiotics for the treatment of eye infections in neonates. In this study, a design of experiment approach (DOE) was used to optimise the quantification of five fatty acids namely; lauric acid (LA), tridecanoic acid (TA), myristoleic acid (MOA), palmitoleic acid (POA), [alpha]-linolenic acid (ALA). a gas chromatographic method (GC-FID) was developed and validated according to ICH guidelines for the identification and quantification of fatty acids and monocaprin. Different approaches were investigated to avoid the fatty acids interaction with the calcium ions (Ca[sup]2+) in simulated tear fluid. One approach was the conversion of fatty acids into the esters forms. The prepared esters were characterised by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and attenuated total reflectance infra-red (ATR) spectroscopy. These ester derivatives were tested against 'N.gonorrhea' using the disc diffusion method. Second approach was the selection of three calcium chelators, including ethylene diamine tetra acetic acid (EDTA), diethylene triamine pentaacetic acid (DTPA), dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) to avoid the fatty acids interaction with the calcium ions. The antimicrobial effect of these chelating agents and the influence of these chelating agents ont he antimicrobial activity of fatty acids were investigated by using the disc diffusion method. The preformulation phase including saturation solubility studies were carried out ti select the suitable excipients. Pseudo-ternary phase diagrams were constructed to evaluate microemulsion (ME) regions. The prepared microemulsions were evaluated regarding their particle size, zeta potential, stability, viscosity, pH, self-diffusion NMR, and antimicrobial efficacy. Finally, prepared MEs were tested for ocular toxicity/ irritation potential using the bovine corneal opacity and permeability (BCOP) test and the hen egg chorioallantoic membrane (HET-CAM) test. The results showed that DOE can help to optimise a method to derivatise fatty acids and analyse them by GC-FID. The results of GC method validation showed that the developed GC-FID method is linear (coefficient of variation (R[sup]2) values were higher than 0.99), precise and accurate (highest recovery values and the lowest intra-day and inter-day variation values) for all FAs. Formation of fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) and ethyl esters (FAEEs) were confirmed by ATR and NMR amalyses without the formation of any artefacts. Some of the FA esters showed strong antimicrobial effect against 'N. gonorrhoea' but the chelating agents (EDTA, DTPA, and DMSA) showed no antimicrobial activity against 'N. gonorrhoea'. However, these chelators especially EDTA caused a significant increase in the antimicrobial activity of all fatty acids. Nine FA based microemulsions of [alpha]-linoleic acid with tween 80, cremophor EL, transcutol P and PEG 400 were formed using the phase titration method. Polarised light microscopy, pH, droplet size, zeta potential, and self-diffusion NMR were able to successfully characterise the ME formulations. FA based microemulsions were found to have a strong antimicrobial effect against 'N. gonorrhoea' and 'S. aureus'. Moreover, all ME formulations did not show any strong irritant effect. It was concluded that the [alpha]-linolenic acid based microemulsions could be used for potential treatment of opthalmia neonatorum.


Strigolactones (SLs) represent a class of plant hormones that are involved in inhibiting shoot branching and in promoting abiotic stress responses. There is evidence that the biosynthetic pathways of SLs and abscisic acid (ABA) are functionally connected. However, little is known about the mechanisms underlying the interaction of SLs and ABA, and the relevance of this interaction for shoot architecture. Based on sequence homology, four genes (HvD27, HvMAX1, HvCCD7, and HvCCD8) involved in SL biosynthesis were identified in barley and functionally verified by complementation of Arabidopsis mutants or by virus-induced gene silencing. To investigate the influence of ABA on SLs, two transgenic lines accumulating ABA as a result of RNAi-mediated down-regulation of HvABA 8'-hydroxylase 1 and 3 were employed. LC-MS/MS analysis confirmed higher ABA levels in root and stem base tissues in these transgenic lines. Both lines showed enhanced tiller formation and lower concentrations of 5-deoxystrigol in root exudates, which was detected for the first time as a naturally occurring SL in barley. Lower expression levels of HvD27, HvMAX1, HvCCD7, and HvCCD8 indicated that ABA suppresses SL biosynthesis, leading to enhanced tiller formation in barley.


Context. The study of the linear and circular polarization in AGN allows one to gain detailed information about the properties of the magnetic fields in these objects. However, the observation of circular polarization (CP) with single-dish radio telescopes, in particular, is usually difficult because of the expected weak signal. Measurements of CP are normally derived as (small) differences between two large numbers (left hand circular, LHC, and right hand circular, RHC), and an accurate calibration is absolutely necessary. Aims. We attempt to improve the calibration accuracy by including the Stokes parameter V in the common single-dish polarimetric measurements, thus allowing a full Stokes study of the source under examination. Methods. By completing a detailed study, up to 2nd order, of the Muller matrix elements in terms of cross-talk components, we are able to reach the accuracy necessary to study circular polarization. Results. The new calibration method was applied to data taken at the 100-m Effelsberg radio telescope during regular test observations of extragalactic sources at 2.8, 3.6, 6, and 11 cm. The D-terms in phase and amplitude appear stable with time and the few known values of circular polarization were reproduced. Conclusions. Whenever a classical receiver and a multiplying polarimeter are available, we demonstrate that the proposed calibration scheme allows one to include Stokes V in standard single-dish polarimetric observations as the difference between two native circular outputs.


ABSTRACT Rapid identification of yeast species isolates from clinical samples is particularly important given their innately variable antifungal susceptibility profiles. Here, we have evaluated the utility of pyrosequencing analysis of a portion of the internal transcribed spacer 2 region (ITS2) for identification of pathogenic yeasts. A total of 477 clinical isolates encompassing 43 different fungal species were subjected to pyrosequencing analysis in a strictly blinded study. The molecular identifications produced by pyrosequencing were compared with those obtained using conventional biochemical tests (AUXACOLOR2) and following PCR amplification and sequencing of the D1-D2 portion of the nuclear 28S large rRNA gene. More than 98% (469/477) of isolates encompassing 40 of the 43 fungal species tested were correctly identified by pyrosequencing of only 35 bp of ITS2. Moreover, BLAST searches of the public synchronized databases with the ITS2 pyrosequencing signature sequences revealed that there was only minimal sequence redundancy in the ITS2 under analysis. In all cases, the pyrosequencing signature sequences were unique to the yeast species (or species complex) under investigation. Finally, when pyrosequencing was combined with the Whatman FTA paper technology for the rapid extraction of fungal genomic DNA, molecular identification could be accomplished within 6 h from the time of starting from pure cultures.


Purpose

The purpose of this study is to compare two bibliography assignments completed after one-shot library instruction to determine which research skills first-year students retain over the course of a semester.

Design/methodology/approach

A rubric was developed for citation analysis of student-annotated bibliographies and final bibliographies. Each assignment was scored on a three-point scale, and four criteria were assessed: the quality of sources used, variety of sources used, quality of annotations (for first assignment only) and citation accuracy.

Findings

Students scored highest on the quality of sources used in both assignments, although there was a statistically significant decline in overall scores from the first assignment to the second. Students had the most difficulty with writing annotations, followed closely by citation accuracy. Students primarily cited journal articles in their annotated bibliographies and reference sources in their final bibliographies. Website use increased notably from one assignment to the other.

Originality/value

This research is unique in its analysis of two separate bibliography assignments completed by first-year students over the course of a semester. It is of interest to librarians teaching one-shot library instruction or any librarian interested in assessing the research skills of first-year students.


The mechanism of collision-induced decomposition (CID) has been studied for ions with masses up to 2000 Da. Mass-analysed ion kinetic energy spectroscopy (MIKES) on a large-scale reverse-geometry mass spectrometer was used to measure translational energy losses (AE) by parent ions in collision with inert gas atoms during CID. To avoid ambiguities in mass assignments due to these energy losses, these assignments were made using a four-sector mass spectrometer.

Translational energy losses were found to have different dependencies on collision gas pressure depending on the fragment ion formed. The results suggest that tens of electronvolts of translational energy are lost during each collision between ion and target gas, which is consistent with energy uptake via direct momentum transfer. Multiple collisions are thought not to play a major role in CID of large organic ions. Increasing the incident ion energies from 8 to 25 keV resulted in considerable improvements in fragmentation efficiency, suggesting increased internal energy uptakes. These were more dramatic with increasing incident ion mass.

Comparisons of four-sector tandem mass spectra of the peptides valinomycin and valine-gramicidin A show how additional structural information may be obtained by using a number of different ionisation methods and also different molecule- ions. The use of collision energies of up to 400 eV with argon as target gas on a hybrid mass spectrometer have produced tandem mass spectra which closely resemble those obtained with keV collision energies on the four-sector mass spectrometer using helium as target.
Quasi-equilibrium theory (QET) has been used to calculate the dependence of rate constants on internal energy as the sized of molecule-ions increase. For an ion of mass approximately 1900 Da, QET predicts that internal energies of the order of many tens of eV are required for dissociation to take place within the experimental time-scale.


The aim of this article is to explore the historical context of vocationalism in universities. It is based on an analysis of the history of the university from a vocational perspective. It looks for evidence of vocational engagement in the activities of universities over time, taking a long view from the birth of the Western University in the Middle Ages to the 1980s with the emergence of current issues of vocationalism in university education. It adopts a chronological perspective initially and then a thematic one. The main findings are: (1) vocationalism in university education is as old as the Western University itself, (2) there is evidence from the start of the Western University of vocational engagement in terms of the provision of vocationally relevant subjects, vocationally relevant skills and the development of vocationally relevant attitudes, (3) whereas most graduate employers used to be concerned with the vocationally relevant knowledge, skills and attitudes students acquired on their degree courses, most are now more concerned with graduate capacity and disposition to learn within their employment after graduation and (4) subject-centred education is compatible with university education that supports the vocational aspirations of students.


This thesis contributes to the advancement on the network view of social capital and entrepreneurship, focusing on science-based innovation by observatory social network research. The study has conducted a survey to construct a network map of and network attitudes in Zulu science park (alias name) located in Sweden. The analysis showed that there were relatively positive expectations to utilize network more effectively and efficiently in their business activity with respect to sharing of research skills and resources, as well as social exchange in particular. Currently, the science park seems not yet to take advantage of the potential momentum of the respondents or bottom-up initiatives where tenants maintain the environment mutually under trust. I discuss the merits and challenges in such resource and knowledge sharing in the business development support and governance as a new way of unique business incubator and science-park management, focusing on networking.


Hydra File System (HFS) is an experimental framework for constructing parallel and distributed filesystems. While parallel and distributed applications requiring scalable and flexible access to storage and retrieval are becoming more commonplace, parallel and distributed filesystems remain difficult to deploy easily and configure for different needs. HFS aims to be different by being true to the tradition of highperformance computing while employing modern design patterns to allow various policies to be configured on a per instance basis (e.g. storage, communication, security, and indexing schemes). We describe a working prototype (available for public download) that has been implemented in the Python programming language.


'Lea Valley Drift' was formed by Oliver Froome-Lewis and Chloe Street in the spring of 2012, extending research undertaken by Oliver into underused public spaces in the city as part of his ongoing research project entitled Touching the City. These earlier research projects used small temporary performance based installations to reveal the potential of forgotten and neglected places in Southwark, while later projects invited the expression of personal readings and memories in collective space.

Lea Valley Drift set out to continue these themes by testing and extending behaviours in underused public spaces the beyond codified and 'suggested' expectations, through the provision of mapped walking routes. It is contended that 'the map' is overdue for reappraisal as an agency for change, and for this project its conservative identity appealed - offering the potential to confound recipient expectations. A 'Drift Map' set in the southern Lea Valley – an area in flux - was initiated as a means to test these transgressions of conventional recreation.

We set out on a series of 'Endurance Walks' over the spring and summer of 2012 from Leamouth up the River Lea, comparing the actual experience of the area now, with that proposed by a wide array of 'visionary' documents. These 'official' documents reveal the area to newcomers in carefully edited and constructed ways, tending to enhance and augment expectations in line with recreational conventions such as 'heritage trail', 'nature parks' or 'riverside walk'. By contrast, Lea Valley Drift considered the inclusive, exclusive and transformational aspirations of the Derive, and potentials created by using the map as misinformation, with the general objective to release the creative potential of the user.

The design of the 'Drift Map' developed through a series of exploratory stages testing scale, content, hierarchy of content and handling characteristics. It currently sets out to provide a 'connective tissue' allowing disparate existing, new and near future points of interest to be experienced as a collection. It indicates a route through well-traversed and more unlikely terrain, including numbered icons highlighting attractions of more or less obvious 'public' interest.

Lea Valley Drift was recently awarded funding by the 'Emerging East' project run by the LLDC, in anticipation of the North Park opening in July 2013, alongside a range of other culturally inclusive community projects. The approach and 'map' are being developed with the reintegration of the Olympic Park with local communities and the inauguration of the Public Park in mind. When actively curated through the medium of the map, this field of varied sights and experiences reveals new dialogues between the Lea Valley (local) and the Olympic Park (international).

Situated in both experiential immediacy and transience, Lea Valley Drift initially occupied a distant position from the Architecture of the City. Operating between walking, mapping, researching, curating practices and architecture has offered a new tool to stimulate the enjoyment of place, and a reversal from strategy led design approaches. The final map will be distributed at the North Park opening in July and records of the event and feedback from the product in use will be available, and highly topical, for the September submission.


This article introduces the removal technology of CuO particles on the post CMP wafer surface of multi-layered copper. According to the Cu film corrosion curve with different concentrations of H2O2 and the effect curve of time on the growth rate of CuO film, CuO film with the thickness of 220 nm grown on Cu a surface was successfully prepared without the interference of CuCl2-2H2O. Using the static corrosion experiment the type of chelating agent (FA/O II type chelating agent) and the concentration range (10–100 ppm) for CuO removal was determined, and the Cu removal rate was close to zero. The effect of surfactant on the cleaning solution properties was studied, and results indicated that the surfactant has the effect of reducing the surface tension and viscosity of the cleaning solution, and making the cleaning agent more stable. The influence of different concentrations of FA/O I type surfactant and the mixing of FA/O II type chelating agent and FA/O I type surfactant on the CuO removal effect and the film surface state was analyzed. The experimental results indicated that when the concentration of FA/O I type surfactant was 50 ppm, CuO particles were quickly removed, and the surface state was obviously improved. The best removal effect of CuO on the copper wiring film surface was achieved with the cleaning agent ratio of FA/O II type chelating agent 75 ppm and FA/O I type surfactant 50 ppm. Finally, the organic residue on the copper pattern film after cleaning with that cleaning agent was detected, and the results showed that the cleaning used agent did not generate organic residues on the film surface, and effectively removes the organic residue on the wafer.


We demonstrate room-temperature continuous-wave operation of 425 nm InGaN-based blue laser diodes including a thin Al0.83In0.17N optical blocking layer. Structures are grown on c-plane GaN freestanding substrates with a lattice-matched AlInN layer positioned below an Al0.07Ga0.93N bottom cladding. Such devices are compared to standard InGaN based lasers looking at threshold current density, electrical characteristics, and far-field emission. Threshold current densities of 4 kA/cm2 and slope efficiencies of ∼0.6 W/A (for uncoated facets) have been achieved in AlInN containing devices. Lower mode leakage in the substrate is highlighted by a better transversal far-field pattern resulting in an improved beam quality.


A group of children with diabetes mellitus were evaluated for self-esteem and manifest anxiety before and after attending a special summer camp. Both males and females showed significant increases in their self-esteem and decreases in manifest anxiety. In both areas, the girls showed a greater improvement than the boys but this was thought to be due partially to the lower initial self-esteem in the females. A comparison was made between these children and a matched group of diabetic children who didnot attend camp. In this group, there was also an improvement in both variables on retesting. Theimprovements for the camp group were always greater than for the controls, but only in the case of female self-esteem was the difference statistically significant.


OBJECTIVE: The objective of this selective EBM review is to determine whether or not use of electroanalgesic therapy decreases neuropathic pain symptoms in diabetic patients STUDY DESIGN: Review of a 2 randomized control trial published in 2013 and 2011 published in the English language and an observational study published in 2010 in the German language translated into English. DATA SOURCES: One randomized, double-blind control trial comparing frequency-modulated electromagnetic stimulation vs placebo in reduction of diabetic neuropathic pain, one randomized, control trial comparing microcurrent transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation vs placebo in reduction of painful diabetic neuropathy and a observational study using baseline comparison of the observed group at the beginning of the treatment vs the end of the treatment. OUTCOMES MEASURED: Pain is measured through various scales administered in their respective studies. The Visual Analogue Scale was used to measure day and night pain, the Neuropathic Pain Score administered to assess pain intensity and the Thermal Sensory Analyzer to assess cold, warmth, cold pain and heat pain. RESULTS: Bosi et al. demonstrated significant reduction in day and night pain in treatment group vs placebo group. Gossrau et al. did not conclude that applied transcutaneous electrotherapy showed superior reduction of pain compared to placebo group. Moharic and Burger concluded there were no statistically significant changes or thermal pain perception thresholds after transcutaneous electrotherapy. CONCLUSIONS: Although some pain relief was reported by participants in these studies, collectively, all three studies have were unable to exhibit significant evidence of lasting DPN pain relief using electroanalgesic treatment. Lee, Electroanalgesic Therapy and Neuropathy, 1


An analysis of eminent domain law in the U. S., as well as the landmark Supreme Court case Kelo v. New London, requires us to question whether property rights as described in the Constitution are still protected today. The main issue resulting from the Kelo v. City of New London case is whether government seizing of land for private uses enters a grey constitutional area. These takings often leave land owners in the dust. If more courses of actions are made available to land owners can we return to following the constitution?


Book synopsis: Most research and writing on railway history has been undertaken in a way that disconnects it from the wider cultural milieu. Authors have been very effective at constructing specialist histories of transport, but have failed to register the railway's central importance in the representation and understanding of modernity. This book brings together contributions from a range of established scholars in a variety of disciplines with the central purpose of exploring the railway less as a transport technology than as a key signifier of capitalist modernity. It examines the complex social relations in which the railway became historically embedded, identifying it as a central problematic in the cultural experience of modernity. It avoids the limitations of both the close-sighted empiricism typical of many transport historians and the long-sighted generalizations of cultural commentators who view the railway merely as a shorthand for the concept of progress over the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The book draws on a diverse range of materials, including literary and historical forms of representation. It is also informed by a creative application of various critical theories.


In brain, focal adhesion kinase (FAK) is regulated by neurotransmitters and has a higher molecular mass than in other tissues, due to alternative splicing. Two exons code for additional peptides of six and seven residues ('boxes' 6 and 7), located on either side of Tyr(397), which increase its autophosphorylation. Using in situ hybridization and a monoclonal antibody (Mab77) which does not recognize FAK containing box 7, we show that, although mRNAs coding for boxes 6 and 7 have different patterns of expression in brain, FAK+6,7 is the main isoform in forebrain neurons. The various FAK isoforms fused to green fluorescent protein were all targeted to focal adhesions in non-neuronal cells. Phosphorylation-state-specific antibodies were used to study in detail the phosphorylation of Tyr(397), a critical residue for the activation and function of FAK. The presence of boxes 6 and 7 increased autophosphorylation of Tyr(397) independently and additively, whereas they had a weak effect on FAK kinase activity towards poly(Glu,Tyr). Src-family kinases were also able to phosphorylate Tyr(397) in cells, but this phosphorylation was decreased in the presence of box 6 or 7, and abolished in the presence of both. Thus the additional exons characteristic of neuronal isoforms of FAK do not alter its targeting, but change dramatically the phosphorylation of Tyr(397). They increase its autophosphorylation in vitro and in transfected COS-7 cells, whereas they prevent its phosphorylation when co-transfected with Src-family kinases.


This quasi-experimental study examined whether there was any difference in the quantity and quality of the written texts produced by two groups (N=18) of intermediate Chinese language learners. Over one semester, students in the experimental (E) group wrote weekly updates and comments in Chinese on a designated Facebook group page, while students in the control (C) group did not post on the Facebook page. Three writing tasks were administered at the beginning, middle, and end of the semester. Results of a non-parametric statistical test revealed that there was a significant difference in writing quantity between the two groups. Specifically, while there was no significant difference between the two groups in the first writing task, the E group produced significantly more Chinese characters than the C group in the later writing tasks. However, in terms of the writing quality, results of a Mann-Whitney Test showed no significant differences between the two groups in all three writing tasks. As the small sample size may have had some impact on the study's outcome with respect to the quality of students' writing, the results are more promising in the area of quantity.  These results indicate that Facebook could be used as an alternative pedagogical space for L2 literacy practice outside of class, with the potential for helping L2 learners improve at least some aspects of their writing performance.


Ecological Economics examines the relationships between ecological and economic systems while working to solve humanity's environmental challenges. It is based on the understanding that the economy is a subsystem of a larger ecological life support system, and it strives to create an ecologically sustainable, socially equitable, and economically efficient future. The certificate is a problembased, interdisciplinary program focused on developing a practical framework for integrating economic and ecological systems. Students will acquire a theoretical and pragmatic basis to carry these skills into the world of practice.


In this paper, we present a novel algorithm for fast tracking of generic objects in videos. The algorithm uses two components: a detector that makes use of the generalised Hough transform with pixel-based descriptors, and a probabilistic segmentation method based on global models for foreground and background. These components are used for tracking in a combined way, and they adapt each other in a co-training manner. Through effective model adaptation and segmentation, the algorithm is able to track objects that undergo rigid and non-rigid deformations and considerable shape and appearance variations. The proposed tracking method has been thoroughly evaluated on challenging standard videos, and outperforms state-of-the-art tracking methods designed for the same task. Finally, the proposed models allow for an extremely efficient implementation, and thus tracking is very fast.


Lai and Robbins (1978) prove strong diffusion approximations for the Robbins-Monro stochastic approximation algorithm. We show that similar strong approximations hold for stochastic algorithms at the level of generality proposed in the monograph of Benveniste, Metivier and Priouret (1990), wherein algorithms with generally discontinous right-hand sides driven by conditionally Markovian data are considered. The relevance of our result is demonstrated on an estimation algorithm with a discontinuous right-hand side which is used in data communication. The technique of adaptive delta modulation used in digital communication is considered.


The blades of wind turbines are the most important parts in producing power output. In this study, a section of a 660 KW wind turbine blade will be installed in Iran in near future was tested in a wind tunnel. In addition to steady tests, various unsteady tests including the effects of reduced frequency, mean angle of attack, and amplitudes were carried out. The preliminary results show strong effects of reduced frequency on the aerodynamic coefficients of the airfoil. Moreover, increasing the reduced frequency delays dynamic stall angle of attack but increases lift and drag coefficients compared to the static results. Further, the values of the aerodynamic coefficients in the upstroke motion (increasing angle of attack) are different form their corresponding * & ! ** & . / 0 1 2 3 *** & 1! 4 56( ! D ow nl oa de d fr om jc m e. iu t.a c. ir at 3 :4 4 IR D T o n S un da y M ay 3 0t h 20 21


Ecotourism potentials of the University of Uyo Arboretum and Ravine were investigated to determine respondents' awareness of the ecodestinations, willingness to visit the sites, perceptions of the sites as ecodestinations, and factors that can enhance visitation to the destinations. Data for the study were collected through a set of structured questionnaire and personal interviews. A total of 180 respondents were sampled. Data obtained were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Chi-square. Results showed that 81.6% and 85.5% of the respondents were aware of the Ravine and  Arboretum respectively. Many respondents viewed the ravine as a wildlife habitat (41.1%) and a place for illicit meetings (26.1%). Only few  respondents (7.7%) perceived the Ravine as a recreation centre. About 38.3% of the respondents regarded the Arboretum as a recreation centre while 51.5% viewed it as an educational facility. Though most respondents (67.2%) have visited the Ravine for different reasons greater percentage (75.0%) of both the males and females interviewed were neither willing to repeat visit nor encourage relations to visit the site. In the case of the Arboretum, 75.0% of respondents have visited for study (36.6%),  relaxation (13.3%) and site seeing (10.0%). More respondents (47.7%) are willing to visit the Arboretum than the Ravine. Chi square analyses to test for association between respondents perception of ecodestinations and gender were not significant (p>0.05) for both destinations. Tree canopies and topography of the Ravine (41.1%; 31.1%) and Arboretum (58.3%; 32.7%) were rated major attractions in the destinations. Among the species that formed the canopies for the Ravine are Bambusa vulgaris, Cassia seamia, Elaeis guineensis and Melicia excelsa while Gmelina arborea, Nauclea diderichii and Cassia seamea are the dominant species in the Arboretum. Both the Ravine and Arboretum have potentials for ecotourism but are not managed to attract tourists. Key Words : Biodiversity utilisation, Ecotourism destination, Arboretum, Ravine, University of Uyo, Recreation


Human faces captured in real-world conditions present large variations in shape and occlusions due to differences in pose, expression, use of accessories such as sunglasses and hats and interactions with objects (e.g. food). Current face landmark estimation approaches struggle under such conditions since they fail to provide a principled way of handling outliers. We propose a novel method, called Robust Cascaded Pose Regression (RCPR) which reduces exposure to outliers by detecting occlusions explicitly and using robust shape-indexed features. We show that RCPR improves on previous landmark estimation methods on three popular face datasets (LFPW, LFW and HELEN). We further explore RCPR's performance by introducing a novel face dataset focused on occlusion, composed of 1,007 faces presenting a wide range of occlusion patterns. RCPR reduces failure cases by half on all four datasets, at the same time as it detects face occlusions with a 80/40% precision/recall.


Cerebral hyperperfusion syndrome has been proposed to be caused by rapidly increased blood flow into chronically hypoperfused parenchyma with resultant impaired autoregulation, and has been noted after clipping of intracranial aneurysms and carotid stenting. The occurrence of the syndrome after endovascular flow diversion, however, has not been previously described. A 52-year-old woman was admitted electively for flow diverter treatment of a recurrent ventral paraclinoid aneurysm arising within a dysplastic segment of the left internal carotid artery. During the immediate postprocedural period the patient was found to have confusion, right hemiparesis, facial droop and dysarthria, which resolved with blood pressure control. Subsequent CT perfusion on day 11 demonstrated mildly elevated cerebral blood flow, cerebral blood volume and permeability values in the left hemisphere.


ABSTRACT
 Assessment for Learning (AfL) has long been identified as effective in supporting teachers to modify their teaching and learning with the aim of improving attainment but AfL practices are rarely applied to mathematics homework. Parental involvement in learning is also a key ingredient to success. This paper explores the benefits of using AfL strategies within mathematics homework that harnessed the involvement of parents. Nine English primary schools piloted the use of mathematics homework projects that were based in the lived experiences of parents and children. A designated classroom changeover session was introduced to provide an opportunity for children, teachers and parents to practice AfL strategies within the context of mathematics homework. Findings suggest that changing the nature of the homework provided more opportunities for discussion in the home which resulted in higher quality engagement. Parents commented that there was reduced tension over homework as they were able to use their own calculation methods and children were more willing to see them as experts with this type of activity. Children more readily accepted feedback from parents and peers on how to improve their approaches.


Background Breast cancer (BC) is the most common cancer in women globally. The North Africa and Middle East (NAME) region is coping hard with the burden of BC. We aimed to present the latest epidemiology of BC and its risk factors in this region. Methods We retrieved the data on BC burden and risk factors from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019 to describe BC status in the 21 countries of the NAME region from 1990 to 2019. We explored BC incidence, prevalence, deaths, disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), and attributable burden to seven risk factors of female BC, namely, alcohol use, diet high in red meat, low physical activity, smoking, secondhand smoke, high body mass index, and high fasting plasma glucose. Decomposition analysis on BC incidence trend was done to find out the contributing factors to this cancer's growth. Results In 2019, there were 835,576 (95% uncertainty interval: 741,968 to 944,851) female and 10,938 (9,030 to 13,256) male prevalent cases of BC in the NAME region. This number leads to 35,405 (30,676 to 40,571) deaths among female patients and 809 (654 to 1,002) deaths in male patients this year. BC was responsible for 1,222,835 (1,053,073 to 1,411,009) DALYs among female patients in 2019, with a greater proportion (94.9%) of burden in years of life lost (YLLs). The major contributor to female BC incidence increase in the past three decades was found to be increase in age-specific incidence rates of BC (227.5%), compared to population growth (73.8%) and aging (81.8%). The behavioral risk factors were responsible for majority of attributable female BC burden (DALYs: 106,026 [66,614 to 144,247]). High fasting plasma glucose was found to be the risk factor with the largest effect (DALYs: 84,912 [17,377 to 192,838]) on female BC burden. Conclusion The increasing incidence and burden of BC in the NAME region is remarkable, especially when considering limited resources in the developing countries of this region. Proper policies like expanding screening programs and careful resource management are needed to effectively manage BC burden.


Muhammad Ali (Mehmed Ali in Turkish) ruled Egypt as Ottoman governor from 1805 to 1848. Defeating all internal opposition, he initiated a series of changes to Egyptian society and the economy that vastly increased his revenue and thereby enabled him to create an army of 140,000 men and a navy which matched that of the United States in size. This article describes the development of that navy and its infrastructure within the context of Muhammad Ali's policies of territorial expansion and rivalry with his nominal suzerain, the sultan in Istanbul. A settlement with the sultan in 1841, forced on him by a coalition of European powers, made the governorship of Egypt hereditary in his family. The navy went into decline after this settlement although a number of modern steamers were added to the fleet in subsequent years.


This is a very interesting book which with the increasing availability of local, even personal, computers presents an appropriate approach to data analysis. Work with data is often neglected, so this book is a welcome addition to the available literature. It encourages readers to explore the characteristics of data by using the computer, and it can be recommended to those that believe developing a 'feel' for data is an essential requirement for practical use of the computer as a computational tool. Although some of the techniques seem relatively simple they represent an important complement to the more standard approach to statistical calculations. The inclusion of APL as well as FORTRAN is interesting but of little value to most users who do not have access to APL systems. A set of routines implemented in BASIC for one of the new microcomputers could provide an interesting component of courses introducing sixth formers or undergraduates to data analysis and statistics. The text is not easy to read, but if the reader is prepared to implement the routines it can open up a new perspective to work in this field. The presentation is essentially practical and the text includes many diagrams of "teletyprinter" output which are difficult to read. Modern equipment, e.g. VDUs, with good software support, could improve the effectiveness of the output and have an impact on a course based on this text. Such changes in the listed programs would not require much effort, though a potential user should realise that the implementation of all the programs listed is no mean feat. There are exercises in all but the last chapter, and though they are predominantly drawn from USA sources they indicate the types of data which should be used in such courses. As a positive step towards effective use of interactive computer facilities this book is welcomed and should be examined in detail. As a good advertisement for the philosophy of giving students a 'feel for data' it lacks style and clarity. It would be interesting to see an updated version of the text which takes advantage of the new technology and presents a better man-machine interface.


Introduction: A thorough morphological assessment plays a central role in evaluation of skin biopsies. Overlapping microscopic features pose additional diagnostic challenges in dermatopathological practice. More over skin biopsies are of small size and diagnostic findings may not be present in the initial section. Hence, step sectioning may have added value as in adjunct in contemplating the final diagnosis.
Objective: The study was aimed to evaluate the diagnostic utility of step sectioning in dermatopathology.
Materials and Methods: A total of 478 skin biopsies were received over a period of 2 years from January 2015 to December 2016 at the Department of Pathology, JJMMC. Two prospective step sections (A2, A3) were cut at an interval of 50µm from the original section (A1). The findings were evaluated by two pathologists independently. The results were analysed and evaluated statistically.
Results: Majority of cases (n= 453, 94.7%) were diagnostic. Out of these, many cases (n= 400, 83.6%) showed no additional findings on step sections. In a few cases (n= 32, 6.7%), step section provided additional findings which contributed to the diagnosis. There were some cases (n= 14, 3%) in which findings were noted only on step section leading to the diagnosis. Some cases (n=7, 1.46%) were such that the step sections changed the diagnosis made on original section.
Conclusion: Step sectioning enhances the diagnostic accuracy of morphological assessment in ermatopathology practice.

Keywords: Prospective, Step sections, Skin biopsy, Lichen planus.


Study Design. Retrospective review. Objective. To determine the correlation of surgeon/hospital volume with complication/mortality rates and with in-hospital health care utilization in lumbar spine surgery. Summary of Background Data. Studies have shown improved outcomes in patients treated by high-volume surgeons and hospitals. To our knowledge, no studies evaluate this relationship for lumbar spine surgery. Methods. To evaluate the 1992–2005 data in the National Inpatient Sample, we used the International Classification of Diseases, ninth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) codes for lumbar spine surgery to identify relevant hospitalizations. We assessed 232,668 hospitalization records listed as posterolateral lumbar decompression with fusion and/or exploration/decompression of the spinal canal. Annual surgeon and hospital volumes were stratified into quartiles via identifier codes. Patient demographics and comorbidity status were recorded for each group. Mortality and morbidity were primary endpoints. We used the Shapiro–Wilk test for normality for the distribution of variables; one-way analysis of variance to assess continuous measures; &khgr;2 statistics for categorical measures; and logistic regression for the effect of procedure on the probability of morbidity and mortality, adjusting for confounding variables, including patient demographics. Logistic regression data were tabulated as odd ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) (statistical significance, P < 0.05). Results. When controlled for other variables, mortality was significantly lower in the highest volume hospitals (OR, 0.78; 95% CI 0.66 to 0.89) and among the highest volume surgeons (OR, 0.66; 95% CI 0.59 to 0.89) than in their lowest volume counterparts. The complication rate was slightly lower in the highest volume hospitals (OR, 0.94; 95% CI 0.81 to 0.99) and significantly lower among the highest volume surgeons (OR, 0.73; 95% CI 0.68 to 0.91) than in their lowest volume counterparts. Conclusion. The mortality and complication rates associated with lumbar spine surgery are lower when patients are treated by high-volume surgeons and hospitals.


In the past, logics of several kinds have been proposed for reasoning about discrete-time or continuous-time Markov chains. Most of these logics rely on either state labels (atomic propositions) or on transition labels (actions). However, in several applications it is useful to reason about both state properties and action sequences. For this purpose, we introduce the logic as CSL which provides a powerful means to characterize execution paths of Markov chains with actions and state labels. asCSL can be regarded as an extension of the purely state-based logic CSL (continuous stochastic logic). In asCSL, path properties are characterized by regular expressions over actions and state formulas. Thus, the truth value of path formulas depends not only on the available actions in a given time interval, but also on the validity of certain state formulas in intermediate states. We compare the expressive power of CSL and asCSL and show that even the state-based fragment of asCSL is strictly more expressive than CSL if time intervals starting at zero are employed. Using an automaton-based technique, an asCSL formula and a Markov chain with actions and state labels are combined into a product Markov chain. For time intervals starting at zero, we establish a reduction of the model checking problem for asCSL to CSL model checking on this product Markov chain. The usefulness of our approach is illustrated with an elaborate model of a scalable cellular communication system, for which several properties are formalized by means of asCSL formulas and checked using the new procedure


This study was aimed to evaluate the effect of flushing on the reproductive and body weight change on Abergelle breed does. The study indicated that a mix of 300 or 450 g wheat bran (WB) with 50 g noug seed cake (NSC) flushed per day improved the does' conception rate (70 to 80%) and kidding rate (70%); while does flushed with low concentrate level (150 g WB plus 50 g NSC) or those not flushed had poor and reduced conception and kidding rate almost by half from the flushed ones. However, the high concentrate level is not strategic to reduce abortion rate. Does flushed with high concentrate level (300 and 450 g WB mix with 50 g NSC) were significantly (p<0.05) better in body weight at kidding (18.52 kg) and postpartum weight (19.48 kg) than does flushed with low concentrate level (16.44 and 17.70 kg, respectively). As the concentrate levels supplementation of their dam increased, birth weight of kids increased (1.73 to 2.36 kg). Therefore, the conception rate, postpartum weight, kid production of Abergelle goat can improve by flushing with 300 g WB and 50 g NSC concentrated feed. However, its effect on the reduction of abortion rate is not promising. Further study is needed on the abortion problem.

 Key words: Abortion rate, birth weight, body weight, conception rate, concentrated feed, goat, kidding rate, supplementation.


JOHANN MOKRE. Zu den logischen Paradoxien. Meinong-Gedenkschrift, Schriften der Universitat Graz, Vol. I, "Styria" Steirische Verlagsanstalt, Graz 1952. pp. 81-89. This is an expository account of the logical and semantical paradoxes and of Russell's vicious circle principle as a resolution of them. I t seems on the whole to add little to previous expositions of the matter. And in one respect it is in the opinion of the reviewer definitely misleading. Namely the author makes substantial use — as an example supposedly analogous to Russell's paradox or the Liar — of a pseudo-paradox which is kin to the better known "paradox" of the village barber, and is attributed to Ernst Mally. The story concerns an obliging villager who volunteers to bring the mail to all (and only) those who do not go to get their own mail. What then shall he do with his mail? The author mentions the definition of "the prime number which is smaller than all prime numbers," and rightly dismisses the difficulty connected with it as trivial. But his conclusion in regard to the villager is conditional: "Formulierte man das Beispiel so, daB ein Postzusteller alien Postzustellern, die sich nicht selbst die Post zustellen, sie zustellt, so konnte auch hier wieder nur ein Stufenbau helfen." For those who may be interested in the history of a joke, it is worth remarking that Mally's "paradox" is quite probably the original of the Barber, though the reviewer has not seen it in print before. ALONZO CHURCH


The objective of this study was to trace the transformations of phosphorus in an integrated multitrophic aquaculture (IMTA) system and to determine whether the method of plant breeding influenced the dynamics of these changes. In the experiment, the media filled beds (MFB) method of plant cultivation was applied. Fish tanks were stocked with 200 common carp Cyprinus carpio, and hydroponic terraces were planted with 49 zantedeschia Zantedeschia sp. bulbs. Water samples were taken directly from the fish tanks immediately after each type of filtration (mechanical, biological and hydroponic). The basic forms of orthophosphates in the IMTA system included some H2PO4 ions but mostly HPO4. The higher supply of reactive phosphorus that occurred over time in the experiment may have contributed to a decrease in calcium ion concentration due to the formation of Ca3(PO4)2 and CaHPO4 salts, thus inactivating some of the phosphorus available to plants. Phosphorus may have also been inactivated in the sediment due to the formation of Mg3(PO4)2 and MgHPO4 salts after decreasing the concentration of calcium ions as a result of their precipitation in sediments. Mineralization of organic matter took place under aerobic conditions. Organic matter was a source of biogenic substances in the IMTA system. Experimental results showed that IMTA systems have significant potential to reduce phosphorus in aquaculture wastewater and thus provide a good environment for fish farming by improving water quality.


French chemical maker Arkema will invest in three projects in Asia as part of a plan to drive up its share of sales from specialty chemicals to more than 80% by 2023. The largest project will be a $350 million biobased nylon 11 plant to be built at an undisclosed Asian location for applications including automotive, three-dimensional printing, and consumer goods. The project will increase the firm's global capacity for nylon 11 by 50%. Arkema also plans to double its capacity for methyl mercaptan, an intermediate used in animal feed, petrochemical, and refining applications, at its site in Kerteh, Malaysia. The new capacity is due to come onstream in 2020. In a third project, Arkema will increase capacity at its Sartomer photocure resins facility in Nansha, China, by 30%. Due to open in early 2019, the additional capacity will help meet Asian customer demand in electronics, 3-D printing, and ink-jet


In this provocation, I investigate machine learning (ML) developers' accounts, which highlight situated, ongoing improvisational work practices that strive to appropriately match datasets, algorithms/modelling techniques, and domain questions. In conceptualizing ML developers' work as practices of care, I provide a case to more closely examine relationships which emerge between local innovations and global regimes of scientific formalization and standardization within sociotechnical systems (in this case, for example, between applied ML projects and scholarly algorithm development). In discussing these local/global relations, this provocation also brings two concepts from the ML field itself to bear (concept drift and transfer learning), productively challenging how we conceptualize everyday technical work ? and the configurative practices of care it includes.


We had native English-speaking (NS) listeners evaluate the effects of 3types of instruction (segmental accuracy; general speaking habits and prosodic factors; and nospecific pronunciation instruction) on the speech of 3 groups of English as a second language(ESL) learners. We recorded their sentences and extemporaneously produced narratives at thebeginning and end of a 12-week course of instruction. In a blind rating task, 48 native Englishlisteners judged randomized sentences for accentedness and comprehensibility. Six experiencedESL teachers evaluated narratives for accent, comprehensibility, and fluency. Although bothgroups instructed in pronunciation showed significant improvement in comprehensibility andaccentedness on the sentences, only the global group showed improvement in comprehensibilityand fluency in the narratives. We argue that the focus of instruction and the attentional demandson speakers and listeners account for these findings.


Gradient projection methods based on the Barzilai–Borwein spectral steplength choices are considered for quadratic programming (QP) problems with simple constraints. Well-known nonmonotone spectral projected gradient methods and variable projection methods are discussed. For both approaches, the behavior of different combinations of the two spectral steplengths is investigated. A new adaptive steplength alternating rule is proposed, which becomes the basis for a generalized version of the variable projection method (GVPM). Convergence results are given for the proposed approach and its effectiveness is shown by means of an extensive computational study on several test problems, including the special quadratic programs arising in training support vector machines (SVMs). Finally, the GVPM behavior as inner QP solver in decomposition techniques for large-scale SVMs is also evaluated.


The demand for energy efficiency has motivated many researchers to seek for novel methods capable of enhancing the conversion of heat to electricity. Most of the recently published methods for thermoelectric (TE) efficiency enhancement discuss on the reduction of the lattice thermal conductivity, with a minor focus on improved electronic optimization. This is attributed mainly to the fact that the electronic properties are correlated and opposing each other upon increasing the carrier concentration. It has been reported that the system of PbTe-BiTe has potentially high TE performance; this chapter is focused on a detailed investigation of the co-effect of bismuth as an effective electronic dopant and at the same time, as a second phase promoter in the PbTe matrix. (PbTe)x(BiTe)1−x alloys were thermoelectrically examined and the values were analyzed analytically by the general effective media (GEM) approach.


Brand orientation is a relatively new paradigm in marketing which was first introduced in the 1990s. Since then, an accumulating body of research has addressed the strategic importance of brand orientation. Although there is a growing body of literature on brand orientation, there have been no empirical studies examining the mediation effect of brand orientation on market orientation-performance relationship to date. Moreover, most studies on brand orientation have been carried out in the context of large enterprises. Hence, the aim of this research is to extend the literature and address market orientation, brand orientation. and firm performance against the backdrop of Korean SMEs. The authors empirically investigate the impact of market/brand orientation on organizational performance and the mediating role of brand orientation. They utilize 178 usable responses to test the four research hypotheses. The hypothesized model predicts that there is a positive association among market ori-entation, brand orientation, and firm performance. It is also expected that brand orientation mediates the relationship between market orientation and organizational performance. The statistical results based on PLS analysis confirm our prediction among the constructs in the research model. The em-pirical evidence provides significant theoretical and managerial implications for brand orientation among SMEs. The first theoretical implication is that we provide empirical evidence regarding the important role of brand orientation in explaining the multi-trait perspectives of strategic orientation. The second theoretical implication is that the concept of brand orientation can be empirically vali-dated in the context of SMEs. In terms of managerial implications, managers of SMEs should attempt to build a brand-oriented corporate culture or mindset that places brand values and brand norms as the top priority among their company`s tasks. In addition, managers should recognize that brand ori-entation is critical for SMEs as well as large enterprises. In the last section, the authors address limi-tations of the study and provide directions for further research.


It is well known that proportional output feedback control can stabilize any relative-degree one, minimum-phase system if the sign of the feedback is correct and the proportional gain is high enough. Moreover, there exists simple adaptation laws for tuning the proportional gain (the so-called high-gain adaptive controllers) which are not based on system identification or plant parameter estimation algorithms or injection of probing signals. If tracking of signals is desired, then these simple controllers are also applicable without invoking an internal model if the tracking error is not necessarily supposed to converge to zero but towards a ball around zero of arbitrarily small but prespecified radius lambda>0. In this note we consider a sampled version of the high-gain adaptive lamda-tracking controller. The motivation for sampling arises from the possibility that the output of a system may not be available continuously, but only at discrete time instants. The problem is that the stiffness of the system increases as the proportional gain is increased. Our result shows that adaptive sampling tracking is possible if the product hk of the decreasing sampling rate h and the increasing proportional gain k decreases at a rate proportional to 1/log k.


Facial pain, which is sometimes extremely severe, may be caused by either intracranial or extracranial conditions. The latter include dental disease, tumors or infected cysts of the mandible, disturbances about the temporomandibular joint, lesions involving nasal accessory sinuses and other paranasal structures, elongated styloid process, nasopharyngeal tumors, tumors involving the trigeminal ganglion and nerve, acoustic neurinomas or cerebellopontine angle meningiomas, and aneurysms or anomalies of certain arteries. The best known clinical syndrome marked by facial pain is trigeminal neuralgia. Treatment by root section generally gives relief of pain, but the price that patients pay for complete relief is total anesthesia in the corresponding area. A medical treatment takes advantage of the unusual neurotropic action of stilbamidine isethionate. Injected intravenously, this drug produces a trigeminal neuropathy consisting of hypesthesia and paresthesia but no motor paralysis. This action is slow but prolonged. The paresthesias are troublesome in about 20% of the cases but are usually selflimited. Since this drug action affects only the fifth nerve, careful differential diagnosis is essential in order to preclude futile treatment of atypical neuralgias involving the seventh and ninth nerves.


Phase engineering is arising as an effective strategy to regulate the properties, functions and applications of nanomaterials. In particular, amorphous/crystalline (a/c) heterophase nanostructures with enriched active sites, unsaturated coordination structures and abundant phase boundaries have exhibited some intriguing properties in various catalytic applications. This review briefly summarizes the recent advances on the synthetic strategies (e.g., wet-chemical synthesis, thermal annealing, electrochemical strategy, ultrafast heating method and other strategies) and electrocatalytic applications (e.g., water splitting, oxygen reduction reaction, carbon dioxide reduction reaction, nitrogen reduction reaction and organic electrooxidation reaction) of a/c heterophase catalysts. Finally, some challenges and personal perspectives for the a/c heterophase electrocatalysts are provided.


This chapter provides a synthesis of planning small-scale entrepreneurial skills to guide the current and prospective micro investors to harness wide ranges of agribusiness value chains in Nigeria. This initiative considered alternatives in business strategic options to harness the potentials therein, which involve production, distribution, processing of agricultural products and services integration for converting agricultural outputs for regular and timely supply of domestic and international needs. The current outcry for economic diversification couple with high rate of unemployment in Nigeria requires concerted efforts to boost the agriculture sector as a viable alternative for growth and development. Suffices to say, most agribusiness investors more often than not, experience failure because of the dearth of requisite business skills for planning the survival and growth of small-scale agribusinesses in the face of modern realities. In this wise, the chapter brings the benefits such as risk mitigation, cost savings, and income generation through combination of known production planning and business management skills. The chapter adopts discursive taxonomy, interpolating elicited facts from available literature plus the knowledge of 'on-the-job-experience' to promote and support the development of agribusinesses strategy for the transformation of the agriculture sector to generate employment, income, and promote food security, and competitiveness in the marketplaces.


Anatomically favorable structures that have a longitudinal orientation are particularly amenable to endoscopic harvest. Typically, only a single portal is necessary for access, and an optical cavity can be maintained using a mechanical retraction device. As with all minimal invasive surgery, this can still allow rapid and often a safer tissue harvest with diminished morbidity, especially with respect to wound healing and non-aesthetic scar formation. Many plastic surgery applications have already been described facilitated by the endoscopic harvest of vein, tendon, and nerve grafts, as well as certain local or free muscle flaps.


In Omnicare v. NCS Healthcare, the Delaware Supreme Court recently announced what appears to be a bright-line rule against transactional certainty in mergers and acquisitions. Even in the context of a friendly merger agreement - that is, a negotiated transaction not involving a "change in control" - target boards may not agree to a fully protected merger agreement. Instead, it is now a requirement of law that target boards always include an escape clause, in the form of a fiduciary out, in their merger agreements. As a result, targets can no longer follow a "precommitment strategy," offering contractual certainty as a means of negotiating a better deal for shareholders. This article engages in a close analysis of the NCS opinion, first probing the doctrinal foundations then the policy implications of the majority's holding. As a matter of doctrine, I show that existing precedent neither compels nor supports the bright-line rule announced by the Court. Worse, as a matter of policy, the Court's open hostility to precommitment strategies is likely to harm shareholder welfare. Finally, I draw upon economic theory to propose an alternative rule that would preserve, under certain circumstances, the ability of target boards to follow an affirmative precommitment strategy.


KIF14 (kinesin family member 14) is a mitotic kinesin and an important oncogene in several cancers. Tumor KIF14 expression levels are independently predictive of poor outcome, and in cancer cells KIF14 can modulate metastatic behavior by maintaining appropriate levels of cell adhesion and migration proteins at the cell membrane. Thus KIF14 is an exciting potential therapeutic target. Understanding KIF14's regulation in cancer cells is crucial to the development of effective and selective therapies to block its tumorigenic function(s). We previously determined that close to 30% of serous ovarian cancers (OvCa tumors) exhibit low-level genomic gain, indicating one mechanism of KIF14 overexpression in tumors. We now report on transcriptional and epigenetic regulation of KIF14. Through promoter deletion analyses, we identified one cis-regulatory region containing binding sites for Sp1, HSF1 and YY1. siRNA-mediated knockdown of these transcription factors demonstrated endogenous regulation of KIF14 overexpression by Sp1 and YY1, but not HSF1. ChIP experiments confirmed an enrichment of both Sp1 and YY1 binding to the endogenous KIF14 promoter in OvCa cell lines with high KIF14 expression. A strong correlation was seen in primary serous OvCa tumors between Sp1, YY1 and KIF14 expression, further evidence that these transcription factors are important players in KIF14 overexpression. Hypomethylation patterns were observed in primary serous OvCa tumors, suggesting a minor role for promoter methylation in the control of KIF14 gene expression. miRNA expression analysis determined that miR-93, miR-144 and miR-382 had significantly lower levels of expression in primary serous OvCa tumors than normal tissues; treatment of an OvCa cell line with miRNA mimics and inhibitors specifically modulated KIF14 mRNA levels, pointing to potential novel mechanisms of KIF14 overexpression in primary tumors. Our findings reveal multiple mechanisms of KIF14 upregulation in cancer cells, offering new targets for therapeutic interventions to reduce KIF14 in tumors, aiming at improved prognosis.


Currently, up to 50% of the channel temperature in AlGaN/GaN electronic devices is due to the thermal-boundary resistance (TBR) associated with the nucleation layer (NL) needed between GaN and SiC substrates for high-quality heteroepitaxy. Using 3-D time-resolved Raman thermography, it is shown that modifying the NL used for GaN on SiC epitaxy from the metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD)-grown standard AlN-NL to a hot-wall MOCVD-grown AlN-NL reduces NL TBR by 25%, resulting in ~10% reduction of the operating temperature of AlGaN/GaN HEMTs. Considering the exponential relationship between device lifetime and temperature, lower TBR NLs open new opportunities for improving the reliability of AlGaN/GaN devices.


Forests are critically important to the supply of clean drinking water in the Northeast and Midwest portion of the United States. In this part of the country more than 52 million people depend on surface water supplies that are protected in large part by forested lands. The public is generally unaware of the threats to their water supplies or the connection between clean water and the extent and condition of forest lands in source water watersheds. The future security of water supplies will not be ensured by a focus on water treatment alone. Protecting and managing forests in source watersheds is an essential part of future strategies for providing clean, safe drinking water that citizens can afford. This analysis uses a GIS-based process and a series of maps to create a watershed condition index based on physical and biological attributes. Using a multi-step process, this index is then used to compare 540 watersheds across 20 States and the District of Columbia, in terms of their ability to produce clean water. The study also quantifies the magnitude and scope of forest dependent drinking water supplies, and their dependence on private forests; and it identifies watersheds that are threatened by land use change or are in need of management to sustain and improve forests that protect water supplies. The final maps and data display development pressure on private forests in watersheds important for drinking water.


Field experiments were carried out to study the effect of balanced fertilization on Phyllostachys heterocycla cv. Pubescens quality in Jiangxi and Hubei province. The results showed that the diameter breast height (DBH) and quality of bamboo shoots could be significantly increased under balanced fertilization The relative increment was best and reached to 11.17 % by N2P2K2, while there was after-effects of fertilizer. The Zn content of bamboo shoots under K fertilizer was lower than one of CK. The effects of fertilization were complex on mechanical properties of bamboo, which are slightly higher than the control by K fertilization, but the difference is not significant. Therefore, measures of balanced fertilization to improve forest productivity and quality, a significant increase in economic and ecological protection.


Young adult (3 months) and aged (22 months) Fischer 344 male rats were prepared with chronic tail artery catheters. Two days after surgery, rats were transferred to a test chamber and exposed to a single footshock (0, 0.25, 0.50, or 1.0 mA for 1 s). Blood samples were obtained from each rat under basal conditions and at timed intervals after exposure to footshock. Basal plasma levels of norepinephrine (NE) and epinephrine (EPI) were similar for 3- and 22-month-old rats. In contrast, plasma glucose (GLU) levels were significantly lower in aged rats compared to young adults. Increments in plasma levels of EPI were greater in aged rats compared to young adult controls following transfer of rats to the test chamber. In addition, aged rats had potentiated plasma EPI responses to footshock. Finally, aged rats had greater plasma levels of both catecholamines up to 5 min after a single training footshock compared to young adult controls. However, the increased responsiveness of EPI in aged rats was not accompanied by proportionate increases in plasma GLU levels, i.e., the EPI-GLU relationship was uncoupled in aged rats. These findings point to dramatic differences between young adult and aged rats in their plasma EPI responses to inhibitory avoidance training. Age-related increases in EPI secreted from the adrenal medulla, together with decreased blood GLU responses, may contribute in part to age-related deficits in memory modulatory processes.


The companies listed in this notice have applied to the Board for approval, pursuant to the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956 (12 U.S.C. 1841 et seq.) (BHC Act), Regulation Y (12 CFR part 225), and all other applicable statutes and regulations to become a bank holding company and/or to acquire the assets or the ownership of, control of, or the power to vote shares of a bank or bank holding company and all of the banks and nonbanking companies owned by the bank holding company, including the companies listed below.


The importance of fear, refuge and additional food is being increasingly recognized in recent studies, but their combined effects need to be explored. In this paper, we investigate the joint effects of these three ecologically important factors in a prey–predator system with Crowly–Martin type functional response. We find that the fear of predator significantly affects the densities of prey and predator populations whereas the presence of prey refuge and additional food for predator are recognized to have potential impacts to sustain prey and predator in the habitat, respectively. The fear of predator induces limit cycle oscillations while an oscillatory system becomes stable on increasing the refuge. The system first undergoes a supercritical Hopf-bifurcation and then a subcritical Hopf-bifurcation on increasing either the growth rate of prey or growth rate of predator due to additional food. Increasing the quality/quantity of additional food after a certain value causes extinction of prey species and rapid incline in the predator population. An extension is made in the model by considering the seasonal variations in the cost of fear of predator, prey refuge and growth rate of predator due to additional food. The nonautonomous model is shown to exhibit globally attractive positive periodic solution. Moreover, complex dynamics such as higher periodic solutions and bursting patterns are observed due to seasonal variations in the rate parameters.


Purpose The subcutaneous implantable cardiac defibrillator ICD (S-ICD) has been developed to reduce the risk of lead complications in patients requiring prophylactic ICDs. It has also been recommended for patients with adult congenital heart disease (ACHD) who are at risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD) and often have complex cardiac anatomy, preventing the implantation of a transvenous system. It is unclear how many patients with ACHD may be suitable for a S-ICD. Methods The S-ICD screening protocol was carried out in three ACHD populations; Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF), complete transposition of the great arteries (d-TGA) and Fontan. S-ICD eligibility and potential predictors of ineligibility were investigated. Results 102 patients were recruited to this study, with 14 repeating the protocol post-exercise. Mean age was 27 (±15 years) and 53% male. 25 participants failed to meet the S-ICD screening criteria and were deemed ineligible, (23.5%), significantly greater than the proportion of ineligible patients in the general ICD population (p≤0.01). Exercise was not shown to have a significant impact on eligibility. A broad QRS duration, small R:TMAX and a large RVEDV were associated with ineligibility. Abstract 3 Figure 1 Disease distribution between the eligible and ineligible groups Conclusion This data suggests that a significant proportion of ACHD patients would not be candidates for the S-ICD, due to the risk of inappropriate sensing. This emphasises an importance of alternative treatment options for this population at a high risk of SCD. Substantial development of the current S-ICD sensing algorithm would be required to increase eligibility.


This paper presents a review of the work published by the authors on the synthesis, characterization and evaluation of the photocatalytic activity of TiO2/SiO2 materials. The use of titania-silica mixed oxides photocatalysts is proposed basically as a process improvement to overcome the difficulties of recovering titania from the slurries after the photocatalytic treatment of contaminated waters. To understand the mechanism governing the photocatalytic activity of these materials, several titania-silica photocatalysts have been prepared through a sol-gel method that allows controlling the main variables to obtain materials with different textural properties, degree of titania incorporation, dispersion of the photoactive phase and crystallinity of titanium dioxide. The samples have been characterized in depth, looking for correlations between the main physicochemical properties (TiO2 crystallite size, band gap energy and titania surface area) and the activity shown in the photocatalytic oxidation of cyanide, selected as model pollutant. The results suggest that the photocatalytic activity is strongly influenced by the quality of the titania crystal network, which in turn is improved by the use of a hydrothermal crystallization procedure. Additionally, the evaluation of the fraction of the total surface area corresponding to titania is mandatory for comparing the catalytic activity of different materials in processes in which titanium dioxide is the only phase catalytically active and silica behaves as an inert support.


Focusing on the Aubry – Hollande debate that took place in the context of the 2011 French socialist party primaries, we observe a possible reversal of gender stereotypes and examine word choices as well as more subtle cues such as interruptions, hedges, etc. If the debate could be described as a stereotypical gender role-reversal, we suggest that these cues point to a more complex picture than a gender reversal, and that the pragmatics structuring the dialogue might be interpreted as a pattern of challenger/champion. Moreover contrasting press articles and comment in online forums on the same debate we invoke a 'peri-performativity concept' to explain the differences in interpretations of the politicians' performances, and conclude that perlocutionary dimensions can be reinterpreted by dominant discourses, (de)/(re)-constructing the performativity of speech acts.


A method for the pyrolosis of biomass with the aid of a heating element and a feed for guiding the biomass. During pyrolysis, the heating element and the biomass are pressed against each other at a pressure of 5 bars-80 bars. A device for pyrolysing biomasses, comprises a material supply and a pyrolysing station. The material supply comprises elements for generating a pressure of between 5 bars and 200 bars, pressing the raw material which is to be pyrolysed against the pyrolysing station. The pyrolysing station comprises a heating element which is heated to a temperature of between 300° C. and 1000° C. in an operational state.


The efficiency of photovoltaic (PV) cells degrades, when the temperature increases more than a certain limit. To maintain the temperature within the limit, we consider and analyze a back surface-based water cooled PV system. This analysis shows that the cell temperatures are proportional to the negative exponent of the water flowrates and higher flowrates increase the power consumption. Keeping this in mind, we present interval-based cooling in order to reduce the total consumed power. Moreover, the active pump duration and water flowrates are optimized to maximize the electrical efficiency of the PV system. Due to non-convex nature of the objective function, the Genetic algorithm is employed to get the solutions. Simulation results show that the optimized water flowrate for a given interval duration minimizes the consumed power in pumping system, while maintaining the temperatures within the limit.


Novel analytical method for the design of digital optimal equiripple FIR comb filters is presented. The filters are optimal in Chebyshev sense. The numbers of notch bands, the width of the notch bands and the attenuation in the passbands can be specified. The degree formula is presented. One example demonstrates the efficiency of the filter design.


An interval arithmetic that consists of tracing the number of significant figures during each calculation is applied to computational algorithms for the Associated Legendre Polynomial, Pnm(cos ϑ). The results indicate that the interval arithmetic scheme is a good estimator for the propagation of round-off errors and that one particular algorithm [a recurrence relation that relates Pnm (cos ϑ) to Pnn(cos ϑ)] is by far the superior computational scheme.


We report the synthesis of N-doped TiO(2) nanofibers and high photocatalytic efficiency in generating hydrogen from ethanol-water mixtures under UV-A and UV-B irradiation. Titanate nanofibers synthesized by hydrothermal method are annealed in air and/or ammonia to achieve N-doped anatase fibers. Depending on the synthesis route, either interstitial N atoms or new N-Ti bonds appear in the lattice, resulting in slight lattice expansion as shown by XPS and HR-TEM analysis, respectively. These nanofibers were then used as support for Pd and Pt nanoparticles deposited with wet impregnation followed by calcination and reduction. In the hydrogen generation tests, the N-doped samples were clearly outperforming their undoped counterparts, showing remarkable efficiency not only under UV-B but also with UV-A illumination. When 100 mg of catalyst (N-doped TiO(2) nanofiber decorated with Pt nanoparticles) was applied to 1 L of water-ethanol mixture, the H(2) evolution rates were as high as 700 μmol/h (UV-A) and 2250 μmol/h (UV-B) corresponding to photo energy conversion percentages of ∼3.6 and ∼12.3%, respectively.