The Center for Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets (CReSIS) has been compiling Greenland ice sheet thickness data since 1993. The airborne program utilizes a 150 MHz radar echo sounder to measure the ice thickness. The data is currently available on the CReSIS web site in various formats including PDF, Matlab, and plain text files. These formats are not usable in the classroom environment as a visual representation of the ice depth for each expedition.
 During the Undergraduate Research Experience in Ocean, Marine and Polar Science 2009 program, the Greenland Data Visualization Team took the CReSIS data and created a 4-D visualization consisting of depth, time, latitude, and longitude. This visualization was created utilizing HTML, JavaScript, and PHP. Microsoft Excel was used to filter the raw data downloaded from the CReSIS site. The team then statistically analyzed the Greenland ice sheet thickness data for calculated, missing, and actual depth readings. The goal of this project was to present the CReSIS data via the web in a visual format to elementary, undergraduate, and graduate students for research and education. This visualization package and corresponding data will eventually be migrated to the Elizabeth City State University Polar Grid High Performance Computing System. The research that follows involved converting plain text files to comma separated values to be used by PHP and JavaScript to produce data visualizations in Google Maps and HTML pages.


Books have been treasured for centuries in the Islamic world, as precious objects worthy of royal admiration. This was especially true in Muslim India, where generations of Mughal emperors commissioned and collected volumes of richly illuminated manuscripts and lavishly illustrated folios. They assembled workshops of the leading artists and calligraphers to produce the books that filled their extensive libraries. Today, those works remain a vibrant part of India's cultural and artistic history in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. In this revised and expanded edition of his popular 1981 book, Dr Milo Beach presents the superb collection of Mughal painting in the Freer Gallery of Art. He adds many of the outstanding works that entered the collection with the opening of the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery in 1987. Together, the Freer and Sackler Galleries, the Smithsonian's museums of Asian art, have the distinction of being one of the world's leading repositories of Mughal art. An introductory essay examines the Mughal art of the book and traces the contributions of a succession of rulers in Muslim India. Brief artist biographies and an extensive bibliography complete this updated volume.


Multiplicity is a fundamental property that is set early during stellar lifetimes, and it is a stringent probe of the physics of star formation. The distribution of close companions around young stars is still poorly constrained by observations. We present an analysis of stellar multiplicity derived from Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment-2 spectra obtained in targeted observations of nearby star-forming regions. This is the largest homogeneously observed sample of high-resolution spectra of young stars. We developed an autonomous method to identify double-lined spectroscopic binaries (SB2s). Out of 5007 sources spanning the mass range of ∼0.05–1.5 M⊙, we find 399 binaries, including both radial velocity (RV) variables and SB2s. The mass ratio distribution of SB2s is consistent with being uniform for q < 0.95 with an excess of twins for q > 0.95. The period distribution is consistent with what has been observed in close binaries (<10 au) in the evolved populations. Three systems are found to have q ∼ 0.1, with a companion located within the brown dwarf desert. There are no strong trends in the multiplicity fraction as a function of cluster age from 1 to 100 Myr. There is a weak dependence on stellar density, with companions being most numerous at Σ* ∼ 30 stars/pc−2 and decreasing in more diffuse regions. Finally, disk-bearing sources are deficient in SB2s (but not RV variables) by a factor of ∼2; this deficit is recovered by the systems without disks. This may indicate a quick dispersal of disk material in short-period equal-mass systems that is less effective in binaries with lower q.


This descriptive study aimed to calculate and compare the nursing staff at the medical-surgical clinical units of a philanthropic hospital in current and projected situations, and to investigate how much time the nursing team delivers patient care in the current and projected situations. Gaidzinski's method was used to calculate the nursing staff, and the equation proposed by the Hospital Quality Commitment (HQC) to estimate care hours. The findings showed an increase of 33% in the staff, with a 68.4% increase in the number of nurses and 15.6% in the number of technicians / nursing auxiliaries. According to the projected situation, the care hours varied from 5.7 to 7.2. The number of nursing and the mean care time provided to the patients were inadequate according to the clientele's care needs. This could impair the quality of care.


Mobile manipulation control method for humanoid robots provides good manipulability and stability on manipulation tasks. This method leads whole body motion and locomotion, when the manipulator tip trajectory is decided. For the dexterous manipulation, the robot has to cope with the unexpected forces acting to the hands. By assuming the statistical balance, we define the projection of the CoM as "complement zero moment point (CZMP)", when the external forces act to the end-effectors. We propose to use the CZMP for the modification control of CoM with balancing control. The method is implemented to the mobile manipulation control method and the effectiveness is confirmed by the experimental results.


Minimal access surgery (MAS) is a milestone development in the history of surgery. Several small puncture wounds are used to perform surgical procedures that would otherwise require a large incision. The benefits of MAS have been well documented in adults. With advances in miniaturized instruments, video technology, new surgical techniques and anaesthesia, MAS is increasingly performed in infants and neonates. Currently, it has been used in both neonatal chest and abdominal conditions. However, further clinical studies are required to document the benefit of MAS in neonates in the long term.


Background and aims Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is an unfortunately common outcome following premature birth. Genetic factors influence BPD development but their role is part of a complex interaction with environmental factors. We postulated that alterations in the gene as well as imbalances in gene products may affect BPD development. Methods The NIH human genome database was interrogated for previously identified gene polymorphisms that have been associated with neonatal respiratory conditions. Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) and surfactant proteins A-D gene candidates were selected based upon clinical plausibility for the study population. DNA was extracted from whole blood and Guthrie card specimens. Surfactant single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping was arranged using the Taqman technique. ACE gene primers were obtained for the previously known insertion/deletion polymorphism and PCR analysis was performed. Results 236 infants born prematurely survived to 28 days postnatal age and contributed to genotype analysis. 106 infants did not develop BPD and 130 infants did develop BPD (54 mild, 29 moderate, 47 severe). Both gestational age and birth weight were significantly different between those infants who did and did not develop BPD and predicted BPD development with an area under the ROC of 0.88 and 0.82 respectively. We demonstrated using multifactorial statistical analysis that the inclusion of the ACE genotype to a predictive statistical model of BPD development improves the predictive potential of the model (area under ROC curve 0.88). Conclusion The presence of the ACE DD genotype is associated with a higher likelihood of developing BPD.


The central composite design (CCD) technique was used to study the effect of photocatalytic oxidation with silver‐deposited TiO2 and periodate on the mineralization of acetaminophen in water. The effects of three experimental parameters such as initial acetaminophen and periodate concentration, and reaction time on mineralization have been investigated. The significance of the independent variables and their interactions were tested by the analysis of variance (ANOVA). The highest TOC removal was estimated as 100% at 0.26 mM acetaminophen concentration, 9.14 mM periodate, and 6 min reaction time, while silver‐loaded TiO2 amount was set at 0.8 g/L and initial pH was 3.0. The results show the efficiency of photocatalytic oxidation process with silver deposited TiO2 to remove acetaminophen at low concentrations from aqueous medium. © 2011 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 2011


Abstract Many organizations now purchase and customize software rather than build information systems. In this light, some argue that high-level data modeling no longer has a role. In this paper, we examine the contemporary relevance of high-level data modeling. We addressed this issue by asking 21 experienced data-modeling practitioners to reflect on their work and to give their opinions on trends and future directions in high-level data modeling. We analyzed transcripts of our interviews with them using Klein and Myers's (1999) framework for qualitative research. We found considerable variation in the practice of high-level data modeling. We also found that high-level data modeling is still considered important, even though organizations ultimately may purchase off-the-shelf software. The reason is that high-level data modeling assists organizations to obtain clarity about IT project scope and requirements, thereby reducing the risk that costly implementation mistakes will be made.


Objectives: The purpose this study was investigate the effects of different vascular occlusion levels (total occlusion (TO), partial occlusion (PO) or free flow (FF)) during intermittent isometric handgrip exercise (IIHE) on the time to failure (TF) and the recovery of the maximum voluntary isometric force (MVIF), median frequency (EMGFmed) and peak of EMG signal (EMGpeak) after failure.  Methods: Thirteen healthy men (21 ± 1.71 year) carried out an IIHE until the failure at 45% of MVIF with TO, PO or FF. Occlusion pressure was determined previously to the exercise. The MVIF, EMGFmed and EMGpeak were measured before and after exercise. Results: TF (in seconds) was significantly different (p < 0.05) among all investigated conditions: TO (150 ± 68), PO (390 ± 210) and FF (510 ± 240). The MVIF was lower immediately after IIHE, remaining lower eleven minutes after failure in all cases (p <0.05), when compared to pre exercise. There was a greater force reduction (p <0.05) one minute after the failure in the PO (-45.8%) and FF (-39.9%) conditions, when compared to TO (-28.1%). Only the PO condition caused lower MVIF (p <0.05) than in the OT, eleven minutes after the task failure. PO caused a greater reduction in EMGFmed compared TO and greater increase in EMGpeak, when compared to TO and FF (p <0.05). Conclusions: TO during IIHE lead to a lower time to failure, but a faster MVIF recovery, while the PO seems to be associated to a slower neuromuscular recovery, when compared to other conditions.


This paper compares the occupational structure of cities in Brazil and United States aiming to evaluate the extent to which the economic structure of these urban agglomerations is associated with the different stages of development, specifically when comparing a rich country with a developing one. Using a harmonized occupational database and microdata from the Brazilian 2010 Demographic Census and the U.S. American Community Survey (2008-2012), results show that Brazilian cities have a stronger connection between population size, both with occupational structure and human capital distribution, than the one found for cities in the United States. These findings suggest a stronger primacy of large cities in Brazil's urban network and a more unequal distribution of economic activity across cities when compared to USA, indicating a strong correlation between development and occupational structure.


The aim of this study was to show the changes that occurred in the group of large-scale farms functioning in a form of agricultural production cooperatives (APC) in the years 2010-2012. Due to little availability of information concerning this form of farms in Poland, the data for the analysis were gathered from the database of the Institute of Agricultural and Food Economics National Research Institute. This database was created in connection with the annual publication of Top 100 APC. The analyses show that the surveyed group of cooperatives in the years 2010-2012 improved its financial results and conducted intensive investment processes.


In addition to sexual desire and knowledge, sexual morality, desire control, and attitude toward sex might contribute to the premarital sexual behaviors in young people, but were less studied. In 886 Chinese university students of Study 1, we have developed a Sexual Awareness and Coping Strategy Inventory (SACSI) with four domains of Personal release, Sexual knowledge, Traditional sexual morality and Negative attitude, which displayed satisfactory convergent and discriminant validities. In Study 2, we have invited 25 female students with (FS) and 50 without (FN), 50 male with (MS) and 97 without (MN) premarital sexual experience, to answer the SACSI, the sociodemographic and sexual risk behavior-related questions. Male students scored higher on Personal release, Sexual knowledge, and Negative attitude, but lower on Traditional sexual morality than female did. The FS group scored higher on Personal release, but lower on Negative attitude than FN did. The Negative attitude in MS and FS were correlated with the premarital sexual behaviors. Our studies have depicted more factors crucial for the premarital sexual behaviors, and recall for more education on the desire control and attitude toward sex in university students.


Computational modelling techniques have been applied in physics, biology and other fields for decades to investigate the scale-invariant properties in non-equilibrium complex (many-cell) systems. Specific examples have been considered to underpin the simulation of cellular systems, le sandpiles as simple models of transport phenomena, and soap froths as models of many-cell cellular networks. A number of characteristic properties have been investigated to explore common features of complex systems. Particularly interesting for the simple sandpile automaton is the achievement of the critical state through the phenomenon known as self-organised criticality (SOC).

Various simulation algorithms eg cellular automata, direct simulation and Monte Carlo have been used to model the sandpile and froth systems respectively. The studies of a directed and dissipative CML sandpile model provide evidence for the occurrence of SOC, with the system characterised by simple power-law distributions. For the soap froth model, the effect on the evolution of the presence of defects is investigated, together with the impressions of varying the amount of disorder Scaling properties obtained, for various initial conditions, are given in detail. The improvements on methods of computational modelling, and the limitations of software and hardware implementation are also briefly discussed.


This paper proposes a cyclic shift decomposition (CSD) algorithm to perform multi-way cyclic shifts with low complexity in the quasi-cyclic low-density parity-check (QCLDPC) decoder. The proposed algorithm decomposes the cyclic shift into a common cyclic shift and a private cyclic shift. Based on the proposed CSD algorithm, a low-complexity multi-way and reconfigurable cyclic shift network (CSN) for QC-LDPC codes is proposed. The proposed CSN is composed of the shared component, which performs the common cyclic shift, and the repeated component, which performs the private cyclic shift. Each component can support reconfigurability for given QCLDPC codes. By introducing the single-path shared component, only the complexity of the multi-path repeated component increases linearly as the number of multi-way paths increases. A complexity analysis of each component is also proposed. Based on the complexity analysis, the proposed CSN can perform multi-way and reconfigurable cyclic shifts with low complexity in the QC-LDPC decoder. The implementation results show that the areas of the proposed four-way CSN are 0.227 mm2 and 0.276 mm2 for the IEEE 802.11n/ac and IEEE 802.16e QC-LDPC codes, respectively, with 130 nm CMOS technology. The area saving per each-way is from 13.8% to 86.5% compared with previously presented works.


This paper presents a temperature aware dynamic thread reassignment scheme for a many-core processor. The proposed scheme uses a hardware based cluster controller to perform thermal management for each cluster of cores. The cluster controller performs dynamic thread reassignment based on the thread transfer matrix with the following methods in descending priority: reducing the hot core temperature to closest to the threshold, transferring the fewest threads, and moving threads to the cores with the fewest active neighbors. The proposed scheme can achieve both good thermal management and high performance for processor cores.


Today's highly technological era amazes us with possibilities for human growth and innovation, but in our amazement we often forget to tackle various pitfalls. Arguably, the biggest risk is the emerging military technology, about which there are many unanswered questions. We are faced with many uncertainties: security risks due to loss of competitiveness, potential control over advanced weapons by terrorists and, most importantly, reduced comprehension by the wider society-let alone any participation in the decision making process as the frenzied pace of technological development increases.


Chorionic villus sampling is becoming an accepted method of prenatally diagnosing metabolic diseases. There are few published data on sampling at various gestational ages. Different investigators, using different methods of chorionic biopsy, perform the sampling at various gestational ages. Accurate interpretation of results is dependent on reliable normal values, which could differ on the basis of gestational age. The enzymatic activities of arylsulfatase A, B-glucosidase and hexosaminidases were compared in trophoblast from six-, eight- and ten-week gestations. No significant differences in activity levels were detected. This finding confirms the accuracy of metabolic diagnosis for these enzyme-deficiency syndromes in trophoblastic tissue at gestational ages of six to ten weeks without a requirement for gestational-age-specific normal values.


In the services marketing literature, few service classifications are based on how customers view services, and fewer of these have been validated cross-culturally. To fill this gap, this research presents the results of a study that examined how US and French customers perceived and classified a set of 13 services based on multidimensional scaling. Service classifications were developed on a perceptual space where the actual services were mapped for two countries, the USA and France. The results of the study suggest that there are two underlying dimensions that explain approximately 80 percent of the total variance in service perceptions and classifications. The dimensions and correlations for the classifications and services displayed many consistencies and some differences among American and French consumers. Directions for future academic research and managerial implications are cited and discussed.


Thermal instability in a horizontal layer of nanofluid saturated by anisotropic porous medium is investigated for realistic boundary conditions. The flux of volume fraction of nanoparticles is taken to be zero on the isothermal boundaries. The modified Darcy equation that includes the time derivative termused tomodel themomentumequation.Alinear stability analysis based upon normal mode technique is used to study the onset of instabilities of nanofluid saturated by anisotropic porous medium. Rayliegh number on the onset of stationary convection has been derived using Galerkin method and graphs have been plotted for case of stationary convection to study the effects of the thermal anisotropy parameter, mechanical anisotropy parameter, Lewis number,modified diffusivity ratio,porosity and nanoparticles Rayleigh number on stationary convection. Oscillatory convection has been ruled under certain condtion.


OBJECTIVES
We compared the likelihood that a tobacco user would receive treatment with the likelihood that an adult with another common chronic condition would receive treatment for that condition at an office visit.

METHODS
We analyzed data from the 2005-2007 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey to compare the proportion of US office visits at which tobacco users and individuals with hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, asthma, or depression received condition-specific treatment. We calculated the odds that a visit for a comparison condition would result in treatment relative to a visit for tobacco dependence.

RESULTS
From 2005 to 2007, 38, 004 patient visits involved at least 1 study condition. Tobacco users received medication at fewer visits (4.4%) than individuals with hypertension (57.4%), diabetes (46.2%), hyperlipidemia (47.1%), asthma (42.6%), and depression (53.3%). In multivariate analyses, the odds for pharmacological treatment of these disorders relative to tobacco use were, for hypertension, 32.8; diabetes, 20.9; hyperlipidemia, 16.5; asthma, 22.1; and depression, 24.0 (all Ps < .001). Patients with hypertension, diabetes, or hyperlipidemia were also more likely to receive behavioral counseling.

CONCLUSIONS
Alternate models of engagement may be needed to enhance use of effective treatments for tobacco use.


Purpose: The aim of this study was to describe a method for non–open-sky continuous curvilinear capsulorhexis (CCC) with chandelier retroillumination for penetrating keratoplasty triple procedure and report its effectiveness in decreasing intraoperative complications and enabling successful primary intraocular lens (IOL) insertion in patients with moderate or dense central corneal opacities. Methods: Seventeen eyes of 17 patients were enrolled in this study, divided into a chandelier group, including 7 eyes of 7 patients, and a nonchandelier group, including 10 eyes of 10 patients. In each group, time to achieve CCC (in seconds), open-sky time (in seconds), and operation time (in minutes) were measured, and the rates of successful CCC completion, rupture of the posterior capsule or zonule of Zinn, and successful IOL insertion were recorded. Results: CCC time was not significantly different in both groups. In the chandelier group, however, open-sky time and operation time were significantly shorter than in the nonchandelier group (1429 ± 67 vs. 2016 ± 354 seconds, and 90.4 ± 3.5 vs. 108.9 ± 10.3 minutes, respectively). In the chandelier group, the rate of successful CCC completion was significantly higher than in the nonchandelier group (86% vs. 30%). The rates of posterior capsule or zonule of Zinn rupture and successful IOL insertion were not significantly different (14% vs. 40%, 14% vs. 10%, and 86% vs. 70%, respectively). Conclusions: Non–open-sky CCC with chandelier illumination has many advantages for penetrating keratoplasty triple procedure compared with open-sky CCC without chandelier illumination.


This paper discusses the role and function of the DPRD, which bridges the local government with the people and seeks agreement and support for specific policies. This paper aims to find out how the legislation functions run by the DPRD, from the regional level to the central level. The problem encountered in this paper is how the legislative function of the DPRD itself, the obstacles encountered in the implementation of legislative functions, as well as efforts made to resolve the constraints. Furthermore, the results of this paper are analyzed by data analysis techniques in the form of descriptive with a clear sentence and can be understood in accordance with the purpose of writing. The results of the observation indicate that the legislative function of DPRD is running well and in accordance with the prevailing regulations, the community is involved in the deliberation process of the Raperda. The main obstacles encountered are still at least proposed of Raperda derived from the legislature. To overcome these obstacles, local governments and DPRD are making efforts to improve the human resources of the DPRD through education, training or comparative studies. Thus, it is expected that the DPRD can carry out the legislation function properly through the establishment of local policies or regulations


ConArg is a suite of tools that offers a wide series of applications for dealing with argumentation problems. In this work, we present the advances we made in implementing a ranking-based semantics, based on computational choice power indexes, within ConArg. Such kind of semantics represents a method for sorting the arguments of an abstract argumentation framework, according to some preference relation. The ranking-based semantics we implement relies on Shapley, Banzhaf, Deegan-Packel and Johnston power index, transferring well know properties from computational social choice to argumentation framework ranking-based semantics.


We determine that the probable source of Dr Manhattan's blue glow is the ionisation and excitation of nitrogen in the air around him. Through comparison with a filament lighbulb his minimum power output from photon production is estimated. Taking into account the dissociation and ionisation energies of each of the fluorescing molecules provides an upper limit on his power output. These limits are ≈ 470 W and ≈ 3300 W, respectively. Little to no information is given about Dr Manhattan's physical properties in the source material, and these calculations require many assumptions and approximations.


ABSTRACT This review aims to improve the reliability of Froude modelling in fluid flows where both the Froude number and Reynolds number are a priori relevant. Two concepts may help to exclude significant Reynolds number scale effects under these conditions: (i) self-similarity and (ii) Reynolds number invariance. Both concepts relate herein to turbulent flows, thereby excluding self-similarity observed in laminar flows and in non-fluid phenomena. These two concepts are illustrated with a wide range of examples: (i) irrotational vortices, wakes, jets and plumes, shear-driven entrainment, high-velocity open channel flows, sediment transport and homogeneous isotropic turbulence; and (ii) tidal energy converters, complete mixing in contact tanks and gravity currents. The limitations of self-similarity and Reynolds number invariance are also highlighted. Many fluid phenomena with the limitations under which self-similarity and Reynolds number invariance are observed are summarized in tables, aimed at excluding significant Reynolds number scale effects in physical Froude-based models.


Three experiments are reported in which the effects of viewpoint on the recognition of distinctive and typical faces were explored. Speci® cally, we investigated whether generalization across views would be better for distinctive faces than for typical faces. In Experiment 1 the time to match different views of the same typical faces and the same distinctive faces was dependent on the difference between the views shown. In contrast, the accuracy and latency of correct responses on trials in which two different faces were presented were independent of viewpoint if the faces were distinctive but were view-dependent if the faces were typical. In Experiment 2 we tested participants' recognition memory for unfamiliar faces that had been studied at a single three-quarter view. Participants were presented with all face views during test. Finally, in Experiment 3, participants were tested on their recognition of unfamiliar faces that had been studied at all views. In both Experiments 2 and 3 we found an effect of distinctiveness and viewpoint but no interaction between these factors. The results are discussed in terms of a model of face representation based on inter-item similarity in which the representations are view speci® c.


Detailed simulations of mobile cellular communication systems require long execution times even on high performance workstations. One possible way of alleviating this problem is to execute the simulation in parallel. Most of the parallel simulation approaches to mobile communication systems to date exclude important issues such as signal propagation and measurements of channel interference. We propose a model for parallel execution of mobile communication systems that includes these issues and also discuss efficient partitioning approaches. The model has been implemented on a multiprocessor workstation and we present some preliminary performance results for it. The experiments were made on a Sun SparcCenter 2000 with 8 processors and speedups of up to 4.6 times were achieved compared to a sequential simulation.


In this work, a certain amount of dopamine was firstly dissolved into the solution of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) and then the fibrillar membranes were prepared through an electrospinning technology. Then, the self-polymerization of polydopamine (PDA) was triggered in a Tris–HCl buffer solution. The self-polymerization of PDA on the fiber surface and the microstructure of the PVDF/PDA membranes were systematically researched. The results demonstrated that the morphologies of the membranes were dependent upon the polymerization time of dopamine in the buffer solution. PDA homogeneously coated on the fiber surface, which greatly enhanced the hydrophilicity of the membranes. The adsorption abilities toward organic dyes and heavy metal ions of the PVDF/PDA membranes were evaluated using methylene blue (MB) and Cu2+ as the probe adsorbates. The results showed that the PVDF/PDA fibrillar membranes exhibited excellent adsorption ability and the experimental saturation adsorption capacities were 172.3 and 26.7 mg g−1 for MB and Cu2+, respectively. Further analysis based on adsorption kinetics, adsorption isotherms and thermodynamic parameters showed that the adsorption of MB follows the pseudo second-order model and the Langmuir adsorption model and the adsorption was a spontaneous process. Further results demonstrated that the PVDF/PDA membrane exhibited good regeneration ability after adsorbing MB. The oil/water separation ability of the PVDF/PDA membranes was also measured. The presence of the PDA coating layer greatly enhanced the separation efficiency of the membranes, and the maximum water flux was increased up to 729.3 L m−2 h−1 according to the measuring method applied in this work. The excellent adsorption and separation abilities endow the electrospun PVDF/PDA fibrillar membranes with great potential applications in wastewater treatment.


Background Prediction of outcome based on certain prognostic factors is still challenging in paediatric traumatic brain injuries (TBI). Purpose of our study is to evaluate prognostic factors and outcome in children with TBI admitted in PICU. Methods The sample was 252 children with TBI who were admitted to PICU of Hippokratio General Hospital of Thessaloniki from 1999 to 2012. The statistical analysis was performed with the statistical package SPSS 17 and the application of statistical tests x2-test, anova, Mann Whitney test, t-test and Pearson Correlation. Age, sex, Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), Paediatric Risk Index of Mortality (PRISM score), days of mechanical ventilation, hypotension and need of inotropic support as well as late hyperglycemia were correlated to outcome. Results Age groups, sex and mechanism of injury showed no correlation to outcome. Patients who died had statistically significant higher mean PRISM score (25,7 ± 8,4),compared with patients with good outcome (7,5 ± 4,7). The application of Pearson Correlation showed that the increased rating of PRISM score, as well as the low grading GCS were positively correlated to death, late hyperglycemia, haemodynamic instability, use of inotrops, poor outcome and disabilities (p < 0,001). Conclusion A high PRISM score, a low GCS, hypotension and hyperglycemia after the first 48 h, are directly associated with poor outcome and death. Knowledge of these prognostic factors may help neurocritical care specialists to improve outcome in paediatric TBI.


Introduction: The concept of participation has been extensively used in health and social care literature since the World Health Organization introduced its description in the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) in 2001. More recently, the concept of social participation is frequently used in research articles and policy reports. However, in the ICF, no specific definition exists for social participation, and an explanation of differences between the concepts is not available. Aim: The central question in this discussion article is whether participation, as defined by the ICF, and social participation are distinct concepts. This article illustrates the concepts of participation and social participation, presents a critical discussion of their definitions, followed by implications for rehabilitation and possible future directions. Discussion: A clear definition for participation or social participation does not yet exist. Definitions for social participation differ from each other and are not sufficiently distinct from the ICF definition of participation. Although the ICF is regarded an important conceptual framework, it is criticised for not being comprehensive. The relevance of societal involvement of clients is evident for rehabilitation, but the current ICF definition of participation does not sufficiently capture societal involvement. Conclusion: Changing the ICF's definition of participation towards social roles would overcome a number of its shortcomings. Societal involvement would then be understood in the light of social roles. Consequently, there would be no need to make a distinction between social participation and participation.


The purpose of this report is to empirically examine intersectionality in order to analyse the exploitation of migrant student workers and the vulnerability of their identities. Furthermore, using race theory, the report aims to explore the concept of exploitation within Ethnic Minority-owned Small and Medium Enterprises (EMSMEs) in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire (UK).

The research is concluded based on semi-structured interviews and past literature. A representative sample of 21 employees (16 men/5 women) and five employers (four male/one female) provides empirical results from an exploratory study investigating aspects or assumptions of exploitative behaviour in SMEs with owners or managers of minority ethnicity. To analyse the data, an interview guide was provided. A qualitative content analysis examined the interviews. To gather more accurate results, the author used software NVIVO, which facilitated to compare the data with the given intersectional and exploitation concepts.

Considering the economic factors and mutual cultural perceptions in SMEs, this report concludes that co-ethnic exploitation is formulated and justified by both employers and employees in ethnic minority businesses. Employers perceive the student workers as hardworking, vulnerable, naive and apt for work. On the other hand, migrant student's desperation for work, relatively higher currency value, barriers to culture and legal rights understanding, working hour restrictions, under‐employment and devaluation of their qualifications increase the possibility of migrant workers to work in the informal sector of non-white ethnic minority-owned businesses within their home networks. Hence, there is ambivalence about migrant employment opportunities and cash economy issues in return.

Although the qualitative design of the study allows for an in-depth exploration of the experiences of migrant student workers, the relatively less time span of one year and the small sample size poses some limitations. The study emphasises the need to consider intersectional lens when examining migration, highlighting how migrant studies are mostly limited to a single axis of anti-immigrant or gendered inequality and often ignores multiple axes of migrant's identity.


Background: The clinical course of glaucoma depends on the type, onset, severity and response to treatment. The intraocular pressure and heredity also play a role in its presentation as members of the same family tend to have the same type of glaucoma. This paper seeks to address the problem of primary open angle glaucoma – the commonest and most insidious in onset of all the glaucomas and an important cause of blindness in the world especially in blacks. Aim: To determine the pattern of presentation of primary glaucoma in Enugu with a view to enhancing early diagnosis and preventing the present high trend of visual deterioration and loss from glaucoma. Method: One hundred and five patients were reviewed from the glaucoma patients who come to the clinic for follow up. They were all examined to make sure that they met the inclusion criteria, and then a standard questionnaire was filled for each patient from information obtained by direct questioning and also from the case records. Information obtained was analyzed critically. A 2 by 2 table approach was used to explore the relationship between the variables. Both Z – test and Chi-squared test and the associated P value were used as the basis for approximate tests of significance. Results: The study shows that about 20% of patients are less than 40 years of age, the commonest presenting complaint was gradual deterioration of vision and most patients presented with advanced disease in spite of a short history. Keywords : Clinical features, primary glaucoma, Enugu


In recent years the Nigerian economy has been moving towards increased liberalisation, greater openness, and greater financial development. This paper examines the implications of these developments for industrial growth in Nigeria. A simple model, which relates industrial output growth to openness, stock market development, and a battery of control variables, is specified and estimated, using annual data covering the period 1970– 1997. The empirical evidence strongly suggests that openness to world trade and stock market development are among the key determinants of industrial output growth in Nigeria. The other important factors are human capital input, non-military expenditure, gross domestic product (GDP), which reflects the size of physical capital, and inflation.


The oxidative stabilities of several perfluoropolyalkyl ethers (PFPAE) with related chemical structures have been determined by thermal gravimetric analysis and correlated with their chemical structures. These results show that oxidative stability increases as the number of difluoroformal groups decreases and as trifluoromethyl substituents are added. They are also consistent with a recently proposed intramolecular disproportionation reaction mechanism involving coordination of successive ether oxygens to a Lewis acid. Since polytetrafluoroethylene contains no oxygen, it provides and indication of the upper limit to oxidative stability of PFPAE fluids. These results also show that oxidative decomposition of PFPAE fluids requires the presence of an active metal as well as air. Consequently, it may be possible to minimize decomposition and thus improve oxidative stability by passivating reactive metal surfaces. 29 refs., 3 figs., 9 tabs.


The impact of extreme sea ice initial conditions on modelled climate is analysed for a fully coupled atmosphere ocean sea ice general circulation model, the Hadley Centre climate model HadCM3. A control run is chosen as reference experiment with greenhouse gas concentration fixed at pre‐industrial conditions. Sensitivity experiments show an almost complete recovery from total removal or strong increase of sea ice after four years. Thus, uncertainties in initial sea ice conditions seem to be unimportant for climate modelling on decadal or longer time scales. When the initial conditions of the ocean mixed layer were adjusted to ice‐free conditions, a few substantial differences remained for more than 15 model years. But these differences are clearly smaller than the uncertainty of the HadCM3 run and all the other 19 IPCC fourth assessment report climate model pre‐industrial runs. It is an important task to improve climate models in simulating the past sea ice variability to enable them to make reliable projections for the 21st century.


Previous work has shown that speakers and listeners efficiently exploit prosodic information to make the meaning of syntactically ambiguous sentences explicit. However, quantifiable phonetic properties of prosody in speech production (segmental duration, pause duration and fundamental frequency (f0)) stand in a complex relationship to the percept they invoke in the auditory domain. Not all measurable prosodic differences are actually used in sentence parsing. This study investigates the prosodic cues used by speakers to disambiguate a German case ambiguity in order to examine to which degree the individual cues contribute to disambiguation in perception. In a series of perception experiments sentences were consecutively manipulated to verify whether segmental duration, pause duration or pitch was one of the cues used by listeners in assigning a syntactic structure. Our findings show that durational cues are sufficient for listeners to identify the reading speakers assigned to the structures, whereas solely f0 information does not allow listeners to disambiguate the structures.


The most dangerous pathogen for the European and American chestnuts is the blight fungus Cryphonectria parasitica (Murrill) Barr. Short after its introduction a big number of chestnut trees were destroyed on the infested area. The control could be really complicated, because of the numerous vegetative compatibility groups of the fungus. There is a type that carries a mycovirus viz. hypovirus in the cytoplasm. We are able to control effectively this pathogen by using mycovirus-carrying strains (called hypovirulent fungal strains also). In laboratory it is easy to multiply the virulent and the hypovirulent strains of the fungus but do not easy to differentiate colonies visually on simple PDA medium. During our research, we tested different types of media, based on potato and chestnut bark extract respectively. It was observed that on potato medium the virulent strains produce more orange pigments. So it is more easy to differentiate virulent or hypovirulent isolates of chestnut blight fungus based on colony colour and morphology.


Carbon sequestration through capture and storage in subsurface porous geologic formations is one potential method for mitigating the problem of climate change due to emission of anthropogenic CO2. In fact, in a world highly dependent on energy derived from hydrocarbons and coal, carbon capture and storage may represent the most promising approach to maintaining industrial development in the present period, while implementing other solutions that will deliver sustainable reductions in CO2 emissions in the long run. Some countries have initiated pilot and large-scale projects to develop and improve carbon capture and storage technology, while others are slow to follow. What explains this variation? We develop a theory of the political economy of technology adoption to explore conditions under which countries are more likely to implement carbon capture and storage projects. We find that the likelihood of such projects depends on governments' policy positions and industries' research and development capacity. Data analysis of carbon capture and storage projects provides evidence in support of our theoretical expectations.


Summary Onchocercal nodules were stained immunohistochemically using antibodies specific for human mast cells and IgE to elucidate the localization and frequency of mast cells after a single oral dose of 150 μg/kg ivermectin. Tryptase‐and chymase‐positive mast cells occurred predominantly in mixed inflammatory infiltrates and perivascularly, and never adhered to adult worms or microfilariae. Up to three days after ivermectin, mast cells and IgE‐positive cells were markedly increased in the capsular area of nodules containing female worms with embryos and microfilariae compared to untreated nodules. In the centre of these nodules, around the adult Onchocerca volvulus, we found many tryptase‐positive cells. More mast cells were IgE‐positive than in untreated nodules, equalling the number of tryptase‐positive mast cells. There was a clear correlation between the appearance of mast cells and the attacks on damaged microfilariae by eosinophils and macrophages and in the vicinity of adult worms by neutrophils that occur soon after ivermectin treatment. Onchocercomata harbouring female worms with oocytes only revealed, after all treatment intervals, the same mast cell numbers as untreated nodules. In conclusion, during the first three days after administration, ivermectin produces increased numbers of mast cells in nodules harbouring females with embryos and microfilariae, probably as part of an allergic reaction to the attacked microfilariae. Four to 19 days after ivermectin the number of mast cells in the entire nodule is no longer elevated.


Context Abnormalities in the control of apoptosis play an important role in tumorigenesis. Survivin is one of eight members of the inhibitor of apoptosis protein family that regulates and integrates cell division and suppresses apoptosis. Aim The aim of this study was to assess intracellular expression of survivin on malignant myeloid blast cells and its correlation with clinical outcome, overall survival (OS), and other prognostic factors among adult Egyptian patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Settings and design A total of 120 patients with de-novo AML were treated and followed up in Ain Shams University Hospitals Hematology Units and compared with 60 age-matched and sex-matched normal healthy controls. Patients and methods All patients received induction chemotherapy under a 3 + 7 regime, whereas AML-M3 patients received an all-transretinoic acid-based regime. Detection of intracellular survivin antigen in myeloid blast cells was done by flow cytometry on bone marrow samples at diagnosis and after chemotherapy. Results Survivin expression was higher in AML patients at day 0 compared with healthy controls (P = 0.001). The highest survivin level was seen in AML French American British subtypes M5 and M4. A significant positive correlation was found between patients′ age, CD15, CD14, and CD11c expression, whereas negative correlation was found between survivin level and the control group, which included 60 age-matched and sex-matched normal healthy volunteers under complete remission, and event-free survival. Patients with a positive survivin expression have shorter OS compared with patients with a negative survivin expression (log-rank = 3.940, P = 0.047). Conclusion Higher survivin levels at diagnosis predict poor response to chemotherapy and shorter OS (P = 0.016).


The suitability of ultra-wideband ground-penetrating radar as a tool for the detection of buried, metallic mines is explored. The analysis centers around a 200-800 MHz, dual-polarized ground penetrating radar (GPR) designed and built by SRI International. The analysis consisted of fusing the images from the dual polarizations into a single image to enhance the target objects and suppress clutter. Results are shown for several variations of a Mahalanobis-based fusion technique, and "soft decision" minefield detection results based upon Monte Carlo statistical techniques are also presented. Although relatively few scenes were analyzed, these results show that the dual-polarized GPR is potentially very effective at finding buried mines and minefields.


The application of advanced methods of process management is essential, especially in those fields in which activity durations can be determined only vaguely, while at the same time a highly competitive market enforces strict completion schedules through the implementation of penalties. The technique presented is most suitable for determining a time‐cost trade‐off based on practice‐relevant assumptions. Completion time overruns usually cause penalties whose size depends on the degree of the overruns. To avoid such penalties – or at least to keep any losses low – distinct processes may be crashed by one or several measures that decrease the activity duration. The risk of an overrun has to be weighed against the expected costs and benefits of certain crashing measures and their combinations. The technique presented is a new PERT‐based, hybridised approach using simulated annealing and importance sampling to support typical process re‐engineering, which focuses on the efficient allocation of extra resources in order to achieve a more reliable performance without changing the precedence‐successor‐structure.


Demand for a painless method of delivering macromolecular compounds is on the rise. However, large-molecule drugs typically cannot be administered in the oral tablet form patients and doctors prefer. In addition to the molecular weight being too high to enter the bloodstream from tablet ingestion, the bodyÂÂ's digestion process would dilute the drug potency to a level of inefficacy. Microneedles are long and robust enough to penetrate across the barrier, but short enough to prevent nerve stimulation which projections of solid silicon or hollow drug-filled metal needle which are fabricated in several shapes and sizes


It is established that the monopolization of means of production, in particular agricultural in rural areas, is one of the reasons for the decrease in the population of these regions, and also leads to a decrease in local budget revenues. Accordingly, maintaining one's own infrastructure at the proper level becomes less and less realistic. It was found that most United Territorial Communities (UTC) budgets in Ukraine are subsidized and their average subsidy from the government is about 45%. We found that 13 land users cultivate 68.5% of the agricultural land of the Kolomatska UTC. The community needs to increase its own budget revenues by 6.3% annually in order to compensate 60% of subventions and subsidies during 5 years. It is established that one of the ways to achieve this goal is to change the form of organization of agricultural production in the community from cultivation by single land users of large tracts of land they lease to the formation of agricultural cooperatives by landowners to ensure rational use of local resources and income distribution. Agricultural cooperatives are institutions of collective action that contribute to the rationalization of the use of natural resources. It is estimated that such a transition will double the income of landowners, and local budget revenues will increase by about 25%.


Understanding hydrologic systems at the scale of large watersheds and river basins is critically important to society when faced with extreme events, such as floods and droughts, or with concerns about water quality. A critical requirement of watershed modeling is model calibration, in which the computational model's parameters are varied during a search algorithm in order to find the best match against physically-observed phenomena such as streamflow. Because it is generally performed on a laptop computer, this calibration phase can be very time-consuming, significantly limiting the ability of a hydrologist to experiment with different models. In this paper, we describe our system for watershed model calibration using cloud computing, specifically Microsoft Windows Azure. With a representative watershed model whose calibration takes 11.4 hours on a commodity laptop, our cloud-based system calibrates the watershed model in 43.32 minutes using 16 cloud cores (15.78x speedup), 11.76 minutes using 64 cloud cores (58.13x speedup), and 5.03 minutes using 256 cloud cores (135.89x speedup). We believe that such speed-ups offer the potential toward real-time interactive model creation with continuous calibration, ushering in a new paradigm for watershed modeling.


This paper presents results of a modeling study of changes in fracture permeability due to thermal-mechanical effects associated with the potential geological repository at Yucca Mountain. a methodology for estimating changes in permeability is developed and applied to the Drift Scale Test (DST) now being conducted in the Exploratory Studies Facility (ESF) at Yucca Mountain. Temperature, stress, and displacement of rock in the heated zone are presented along with predicted zones where slip on fractures may occur. The zones of predicted fracture slip are used as a basis for predicting where permeability may be changed. this new procedure goes beyond previous models that relate stress to strain or displacement, and provides information about rock response that is needed for design of future tests at Yucca Mountain. Our results also contribute to the understanding of coupled processes in the near-field environment of a repository.


Despite the availability of interdisciplinary academic training programs, the practice of environmental science is often hampered by a lack of convergence across diverse disciplines. This gap is particularly salient in settings characterized by complex environmental issues, such as multiple-use coastal ecosystems. In response, we developed and implemented a training, research, and communication framework to provide undergraduates with an authentic operative experience working at the interface of interdisciplinary science and public decision-making within a case study of marine renewable energy. In our program, students gained hands-on experience with the scientific process and learned how to make information relevant, useful, and accessible to diverse stakeholder groups. Application of this framework demonstrates that the process of integrating data from biological (visual and acoustic monitoring of fish and marine mammals), physical (hydrodynamics), and social (local ecological knowledge) sciences can provide a more complete understanding of complex and turbulent ecosystems for better informed decision-making. We offer several recommendations to facilitate the adaptation and implementation of our interdisciplinary framework to diverse research contexts, with a focus on interdisciplinary training for the next generation of marine scientists.


The 21st century has seen an unprecedented rise in the volume of comics and graphic
novels being produced and consumed and in scholarly interest in the form, with the
interdisciplinary field of Comics Studies rising to become a vibrant global community
with a significant body of work and an established academic infrastructure. Alternative
comics and graphic novels – those outside of the superhero genre–dominated corporate
publishing structures of Marvel and DC – have driven this rise and the ensuing
legitimation of the form.

What defines the specific nature of alternative comics and what they are is the
particular work and labour of alternative cartoonists. This work is, in turn, characterized
and defined by specific tensions between auteurism (driven by neoliberalism and late
capitalism's veneration of the individual and the entrepreneur) and collective production
(driven by the sociological perspective of works of art always being the product of
many hands). This thesis is an attempt to present specific examples of where these
tensions are exhibited and, as a result, to offer new accounts of the specific nature of
comics work. It is also an attempt to move away from the formalism that has dominated
the field of comics studies and to move towards an understanding of comics as cultural
work, informed by an understanding of comics through their creators and an approach
that allows comics practice to inform comics theory.

Each chapter of this thesis examines a specific aspect of the culture of working
in contemporary comics, contextualised within neoliberal political economy and
consistently bridging the gap between auteurism and collective production. These
include the portrayal of art school and comics' engagement with institutions; the direct
portrayal of work itself in alternative comics; the use of colour in comics, which here
facilitates a reading of the effects of the technical conditions of production on the
content and construction of comics; and finally, the effects of digital culture and new
disruptive technologies on the production, distribution and consumption of comics, and
how this contributes to a present and future understanding of the figure of the auteur
cartoonist. Drawing these chapters together, the thesis concludes with a presentation of
the auteur cartoonist as one who drives the contemporary culture of comics and graphic
novels in the emerging dialectic of comics work. Comics work is thus situated as a
political act and a site of resistance and rebellion through collective production.


I am cognizant of how lucky I am. When I decided to teach Fahrenheit 451 to my Accelerated Juniors during spring semester at St. Johnsbury Academy, the biggest administrative roadblock I faced was finding two minutes in the English department head's schedule to ask him face to face if I could. He said yes. And that was that. I did not have to fight with school boards, parents, or neighborhood committees. The books I handed out to my students may have been a little musty—ok, maybe a lot musty—but there were no "hells" and "damns" blacked out, no pages removed, and less than five minutes after Steve Jolliffe said "yes" I left the subterranean book room with an entire box of them at my disposal.


A woodpecker is known to drum the hard woody surface of a tree at a rate of 18 to 22 times per second with a deceleration of 1200 g, yet with no sign of blackout or brain damage. As a model in nature, a woodpecker is studied to find clues to develop a shock-absorbing system for micromachined devices. Its advanced shock-absorbing mechanism, which cannot be explained merely by allometric scaling, is analyzed in terms of endoskeletal structures. In this analysis, the head structures (beak, hyoid, spongy bone, and skull bone with cerebrospinal fluid) of the golden-fronted woodpecker, Melanerpes aurifrons, are explored with x-ray computed tomography images, and their shock-absorbing mechanism is analyzed with a mechanical vibration model and an empirical method. Based on these analyses, a new shock-absorbing system is designed to protect commercial micromachined devices from unwanted high-g and high-frequency mechanical excitations. The new shock-absorbing system consists of close-packed microglasses within two metal enclosures and a viscoelastic layer fastened by steel bolts, which are biologically inspired from a spongy bone contained within a skull bone encompassed with the hyoid of a woodpecker. In the experimental characterizations using a 60 mm smoothbore air-gun, this bio-inspired shock-absorbing system shows a failure rate of 0.7% for the commercial micromachined devices at 60 000 g, whereas a conventional hard-resin method yields a failure rate of 26.4%, thus verifying remarkable improvement in the g-force tolerance of the commercial micromachined devices.


The purpose of this research project is to look further into the political participation of convicted felons through their voting behavior. While states have different voting laws regarding the eligibility of felons to vote, in general, the population of convicted felons in the United States participates at a much lower rate than the general population. This study looks at how felons who are eligible to vote can be mobilized to participate, and if mobilization will actually have an impact on the individual's political behavior and attitudes. It is hypothesized that encouraging the political participation of felons will increase their likelihood to become a more active member of the political sphere with a high sense of efficacy, so in order to test this idea, studies were conducted on felons groups in Akron, Ohio and San Francisco, California. One group of felons received educational treatments on voting, and political information in order to mobilize them to vote, while a control group received an education treatment on environmental efforts. After receiving these treatments, elections occurred and the voting records of the participants has been obtained. From these voting records, information can be gathered on whether or not encouraging voting in the felons population produced any significant changes or not.


This study comprises a participant observation of a Korean basketball club as a leisure culture community. The study developed a theoretical discussion using the symbolic interactions of Mead. The SPADE basketball club was selected for case study. Research methods took advantage of participant observation and in-depth interviews, among different qualitative research methods. The members of the basketball club were analyzed in terms of how the activities of basketball clubs have a positive social effect and contribute to the formation of self-identity. The members of the basketball club formed a new social relationship because of its activities, which was a very positive outcome. It is clear from the analysis that the members believe that they have a role to play within the club and they are expecting others. Subsequently, it was found that these club activities realized self-identity as a serious leisure culture. They invested much time and money and continued their leisure activities despite the occurrence of injury and suffering, thus realizing self-identity as a serious leisure culture. However, there is the possibility that this may lead to leisure addiction, such as being hindered by the activities of the club through the activity of the club.

 Key words: Serious leisure culture, basketball club activity, symbolic interactionism, identity, qualitative research.


Levilimab, a monoclonal antibody interacting with soluble and mebrane bound IL-6 receptors, was recently approved in Russia for the treatment of acute respiratory distress syndrome in COVID-19 patients. Efficacy and favorable safety profile of levilimab were shown in the randomised doubleblind placebo controlled CORONA trial in 206 patients with COVID-19 associated pneumonia, who had at least one criteria of the disease severity, that is, increased respiration rate, reduced SpO2 (≤93%) or PaO2 /FiO2 (≤300 mm Hg), progressive lung disease, etc. The primary end-point of this study was the percentage of patients with stable improvement by ordinal scale (without a need in rescue levilimab injection) at day 14. Stable improvement was achieved in 63.1% and 42.7% of patients in the levilimab and placebo groups, respectively (р=0.0017), and this difference was consistent at the end of 30-day follow-up. Analysis of various secondary end-points, such as a need in rescue open-label levilimab or admission to ICU, confirmed efficacy of IL-6 inhibitor in patients with COVID -19. IL-6 inhibition was not associated with a higher risk of opportunistic infections. The authors present the case of successful levilimab administration in hospitalized patient with hypoxia and systemic inflammation and discuss the practical issues of IL-6 inhibitors use in COVID-19 patients.


This Phase 1 report documents the results of one of the subtasks that was initiated under the joint Department of Energy (DOE)/Department of Defense (DoD) Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for Countermine Warfare. The development of a foam that can neutralize mines and barriers and allow the safe passage of amphibious landing craft and vehicles was the objective of this subtask of the Sea Mine Countermeasures Technology program. This phase of the program concentrated on laboratory characterization of foam properties and field experiments with prefabricated foam blocks to determine the capability of RPF to adequately carry military traffic. It also established the flammability characteristics of the material under simulated operational conditions, extended the understanding of explosive cavity formation in RPF to include surface explosions, established the tolerance to typical military fluids, and the response to bullet impact. Many of the basic analyses required to establish the operational concept are reported. The initial field experiments were conducted at the Energetic Materials Research and Testing Center (EMRTC) of the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Socorro, NM in November 1995 through February 1996.


Shear walls are commonly used as structural elements to resist earthquake. The seismic performance of shear wall can be guaranteed under small earthquakes, but problems exist when it is subjected to large earthquakes. To improve the ductility and energy dissipation capacity of shear walls in large earthquakes, shear failure must be avoided and the performance of plastic hinge region must be improved. The adaptive-slit shear walls (ASSW) is proposed in this paper The mechanical characteristics of ASSW satisfy the requirements of structures under different seismic level. Therefore the damage process of ASSW can be controlled and the ductile shear failure can be realized, which obviously improve the seismic performance of shear wall structures.


Balance for high speed motorized spindle is most important, it will influence the dynamic behavior of the high speed machine tools. In this paper, the GD-IV high speed spindle is introduced. In order to improve its balance accuracy, the step interference fit is developed to connect the rotor and the shaft. The interference fitted assembly has been modeled theoretically, the analysis highlights that the tolerance of the interference fit consists of the static section and dynamic section, the static section is determined by the transmitting torque while the dynamic section is determined by the centrifugal force. The Calculation of interference fit for the GD-IV spindle shows that the dynamic section is about 4.5 times larger than the static. Furthermore, the three dimensional model of the step interference fit between the shaft and the rotor has also been built up with finite element method and the stress distribution on the mating surface has been calculated. The results show that the maximum stress occurring near the chamfer region of the internal surface of the rotor is up to 235 MPa lower than the permissible material stress 278 MPa, so that the design of the step interference fit is reliability and safety.


SECTION 1: UNDERSTANDING INCLUSION IN THE EARLY YEARS1. Better Together: Inclusive Education in the Early YearsKathy CologonIntroductionBarriers to inclusionThe journey towards inclusionWhy is inclusion important?Inclusive early years professionalsBecoming inclusiveConclusion2. Ableism, Disablism and the Early YearsKathy Cologon & Carol ThomasIntroductionMedical and social model understandings of disabilityDeconstructing disabilityTowards a social relational understanding of disabilityAbleismChildren's experiences of disabilityConclusion3. More than a Label? The Power of Language Kathy CologonIntroductionConclusion4. Legislation and Policy in Early Years InclusionAnne PetriwskyjIntroductionNational universal legislation and policySector-specific national legislation and policyNational policy for target groupsTargeted state-based policyConclusionSECTION 2: DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION IN THE EARLY YEARS5. 'Not just being Accepted, but Embraced': Family Perspectives on InclusionKathy CologonIntroductionResisting stigma and disestablishing ableismConclusion6. Cultural and Linguistic Diversity in the Early Years: Implications for Inclusion and Inclusive PracticeEmma Pearson, Hanapi Mohamad & Hajah Zuryatini ZainalIntroductionExperiences of early intervention services among families from CALD backgrounds living in AustraliaConclusion7. Gender Matters in the Early Years ClassroomKylie Smith, Kate Alexander & Audrey D'Souza JumaIntroductionPolicy contextTheories of gender constructionPerformances of gender in an Australian early childhood classroomPerformances of gender in a Pakistani early years settingAnd still no one answer: The messiness of engaging with constructions of gender identityChallenges and tensions of 'doing' gender workConclusion8. The Possum Hunt: A Ghost Story for Preschoolers? Death, Continuity and the Revival of Aboriginality in MelbourneSue Atkinson & Prasanna SrinivasanThis chapter: Our postcolonial re-visionThe Possum Hunt: A postcolonial tellingOur postcolonial challenges: Moving beyond translationsSECTION 3: WORKING TOGETHER FOR INCLUSION9. Family-Centred Practice for Inclusive Early Years EducationLoraine Fordham & Christine JohnstonIntroductionConclusion10. Interprofessional Practice to Support InclusionSandie WongIntroduction: Inclusive settings require diverse professional expertiseDefining collaborative inter-professional workBenefits of inter-professional work in early years' settingsSupporting the development of inter-professional collaborative relationshipsPersonal and professional actionConclusion11. The A-Z of IFSPs, IEPs and SSPs!: Positive Planning for InclusionKathy Cologon & Dinah CocksedgeIntroductionService Support PlansIFSPs and IEPsTaking a family-centred approach to planningPreparing for an IFSP and IEPAssessment for inclusionSetting goals and developing strategiesThe IFSP documentThe IEP documentConclusion12. Adapting the Curriculum in the School YearsIlektra SpandagouIntroductionStarting considerations(Dis)continuities of inclusion in early years educationPlanning for inclusion in the early school yearsAdapting the curriculumConclusionSECTION 4: TRANSITIONS AND CONTINUITY13. Transitions in the Early YearsAnne PetriwskyjIntroductionTransitions and early childhood servicesTransitions and the early years of schoolOngoing transitionsTransition partnershipsConclusion14. Children in Emergency Contexts: Supporting Transitions and ContinuityLisa Deters, Kathy Cologon & Jacqueline HaydenIntroductionDisaster responseChildren experiencing disasterPsychosocial supportA rights-based approach to protecting children in natural disasterEarly Childhood Development in Emergencies: A holistic responseChildren and disaster risk reductionConclusion15. Trauma, Disruption and DisplacementMargaret SimsIntroduction: A focus on differenceThe underpinning neurobiology of traumaRefugee childrenChildren in foster careAboriginal children in out-of-home careParental incarcerationWorking with children and families who have been displacedConclusion16. Supporting the Inclusion of Children with Chronic Illness and Health Issues in the Early YearsLeanne HallowellIntroductionDefining chronic health conditionsSeeing obstacles as hurdlesSiblings are a part of the familyThe importance of playTransitioning and returningConclusionSECTION 5: INCLUSIVE EARLY YEARS EDUCATION17. Play and InclusionMelanie Nind, Rosie Flewitt & Fani TheodorouIntroductionLearning from naturalistic researchEnabling teachers to enable childrenPlay-based assessmentConclusion18. Inclusive Literacy LearningKathy CologonIntroductionLiteracy learning and children who experience disabilityBeyond functional literacy: Taking a holistic approach to literacy learningPresuming competence for literacy learningSupporting inclusive literacy learningTaking seriously the literate lives of all childrenEngaging with literacy for pleasureConclusion19. Inclusive Early Numeracy ExperiencesRhonda FaragherIntroductionMathematics education is a human right!Misconceptions of mathematicsInclusive mathematics teaching practicesTeaching aspects of the mathematics curriculumAssessing learning in mathematicsImplications for professionals and paraprofessionals in early years settingsImplications for working with familiesConclusion20. Engaging All Children through the ArtsCathy Nutbrown & Peter CloughIntroductionThe importance of the arts to all human beingsThe importance of the arts to all young childrenA framework for working in the arts with all young childrenA conceptual framework: Opportunities, Recognition, Interaction and ModelsExamples of engaging young children in the artsSuggestions for arts-based learning experiencesConclusion21. Why Does the Moon Change Shape?: Inclusive Science and Technology in the Early YearsCamilla Gordon & Kate HighfieldIntroductionScience and technology in perspectiveThe inclusive science classroomThe inclusive technology classroomThe role of the environment in science and technologyThe role of the teacher in science and technologyConclusionSECTION 6: FACILITATING INCLUSION IN EARLY YEARS EXPERIENCES, ENVIRONMENTS AND APPROACHES22. Including Children with Sense Impairments in the Early YearsPaul PaglianoIntroductionThe senses and the essential role they play in development and learningHow children use their vision and hearingAssessing and categorising vision and hearingHow sense impairments may impact on development, social interaction and learningMaximising the child's development, social interaction and learning within an inclusive settingConclusion23. Inclusion of Children through Augmentative and Alternative Communication SupportsTeresa Iacono & Kathy CologonIntroductionAugmentative and Alternative CommunicationUnderlying philosophiesAAC and early years teachersResearch support for AACMatching AAC to learner characteristicsFrom research to practiceConclusion24. (Un)Becoming BehaviourLinda J. GrahamIntroductionAnalysing behaviourSupporting learning, language and behaviourTheory of MindConclusion25. Extending and Enriching Children's LearningKerry HodgeIntroductionAssessing children's current knowledge, skills and interestsExtension and enrichmentConclusion26. Constructing Inclusion: Putting Theory into PracticeKathy CologonInclusive education: Rhetoric to realityBreaking barriers to inclusionTowards an affirmative model of 'difference' and 'disability'Inclusive education: Engaging in resistanceConclusion


: Cholera toxin (CT) at concentrations of 0.1-100 ng/ml induced anchorage-independent growth and DNA synthesis of JB6 cells derived from mouse epidermis. This induction was reversible. CT caused marked increase in the level of intracellular cAMP. Forskolin also increased the cAMP level and induced anchorage-independent growth. However, 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) and 1 alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 [1 alpha,25(OH)2D3] induced irreversibly anchorage-independent growth of JB6 cells but did not increase the cAMP level. TPA-resistant clone-30 cells were also resistant to CT in terms of anchorage-independent growth and cAMP induction. Retinoic acid inhibited the induction of anchorage-independent growth of JB6 cells by CT, TPA and 1 alpha,25(OH)2D3. These results suggest that anchorage-independent growth of JB6 cells is induced by cAMP-dependent and cAMP-independent pathways, both of which may include a retinoic acid-sensitive step.


In the past decade, there has been an argument for the inclusion of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in models and business strategies. However, the conversion of CSR strategy into actual managerial practices and outcome values remains an issue of ongoing debate as well an important challenge for business organizations. Furthermore, still is very little discussion on how business will influence stakeholder's health promotion and surrounding environment as means to help address society's most pressing challenges.
This paper discusses the potential of public health literacy in advancing stakeholders' health promotion beyond the workplace. The discussion argues that integrating corporate social responsibility (CSR) and human resources management (HRM) is an effective strategy to achieve social sustainability in organizations in which stakeholders' health and well-being are important components.
This short report describes an integrated CSR-HRM and describes how it can facilitate public health literacy. In the era of sustainable development, there is a need to discuss how business organizations can strategize to enhance internal and external stakeholders' health and well-being.


textabstractThe study of organizations has been approached by anthropologists,
sociologists, (social) psychologists and economists. The share of economics
has been modest. This seems surprising because economists
have developed a "theory of the firm", but this theory is rather silent
about the internal functioning of firms. It would probably be
more appropriate to characterize this theory as a theory of markets.
However, we believe that recent developments in economic theory
provide room for a new attempt to analyse many aspects of the internal
functioning of organizations (Hendrikse (1993)). This article
will concentrate on corporate culture.


The article focuses on the issue of Turkey's EU accession. It examines the main problems and prospects of Turkish integration with the EU. It also presents the reforms of Turkish government with a view to match the Copenhagen Criteria and the attitude of European politicians towards the accession of Turkey to the European Union.


In this article, I argue that power and hegemony are vital for critically explaining a range of policymaking practices. Developing the basic assumptions of Ernesto Laclau and Chantal Mouffe's poststructuralist discourse theory, in which discourse is understood as an articulatory practice, I first elaborate the concept of power in relation to the work of Michel Foucault, Steven Lukes, and others. Power in this picture consists of radical acts of decision and institution, which involve the drawing of political frontiers via the creation of multiple lines of inclusion and exclusion. The exercise of power thus constitutes and produces practices, policies, and regimes. But power is also evident in the sedimentation of social relations via various techniques of political management, and through the elaboration of ideologies and fantasies, where the function of the latter is to conceal the radical contingency of social relations and to naturalize relations of domination. In elaborating this conception of power, I draw upon a neo-Gramscian concept of hegemony, which speaks to the construction and deconstruction of political coalitions, as well as the stabilization of practices and policy regimes into partially fixed historical blocs and formations. I conclude by setting out a five step approach that articulates the concepts of power and hegemony into a method of conducting critical policy studies.


This comprehensive textbook introduces readers to the principal ideas and applications of game theory, in a style that combines rigor with accessibility. Steven Tadelis begins with a concise description of rational decision making, and goes on to discuss strategic and extensive form games with complete information, Bayesian games, and extensive form games with imperfect information. He covers a host of topics, including multistage and repeated games, bargaining theory, auctions, rent-seeking games, mechanism design, signaling games, reputation building, and information transmission games. Unlike other books on game theory, this one begins with the idea of rationality and explores its implications for multiperson decision problems through concepts like dominated strategies and rationalizability. Only then does it present the subject of Nash equilibrium and its derivatives. Game Theory is the ideal textbook for advanced undergraduate and beginning graduate students. Throughout, concepts and methods are explained using real-world examples backed by precise analytic material. The book features many important applications to economics and political science, as well as numerous exercises that focus on how to formalize informal situations and then analyze them.


Who has not heard or deployed the homely, everyday excuse "it was an accident"? How good an excuse is it, anyway? When do accidents get us partially off the hook for what we've done, and when do they extenuate our responsibility so fully that we are completely off the hook? Does the term "accidental" ("by accident," "on accident," "accidentally") have point in law or just in life? If it does have point in law, what is its relation to other ascriptions of responsibility such as intentional, reasonable, foreseeable, foreseen, negligent, reckless (or their negations)? Even a casual attempt at research on point will uncover a vast literature on whether accidents should excuse us from responsibility. This literature, which identifies the differences between compensation and punishment - between civil and criminal law - riffs on whether accidentally caused harm should be responded to differently from intentionally caused harm. While this tort-crime distinction is interesting enough, it occupies me here not at all. It is my purpose not to explore who should pay or be held responsible for accidents, but to explore the grammar of such a plea. The controlling purpose of this Essay therefore is to examine the criteria of accidents. To my surprise, I have found a void in the legal literature, though I am not quite sure why. Is it because everyone already knows what an accident is and so discussing its conditions, criteria, or grammar is obvious - a waste of time? Perhaps, but it is my suspicion that a sustained attempt to decode the meaning and operation of the word "accident" will help us reach discovery or agreement on an important segment of human action. If I am at all successful here, we will have an improved understanding of what we mean when such a homely, everyday excuse is proffered.


Bayesian epistemologists support the norms of probabilism and conditionalization using Dutch book and accuracy arguments. These arguments assume that rationality requires agents to maximize practical or epistemic value in every doxastic state, which is evaluated from a subjective point of view (e.g., the agent's expectancy of value). The accuracy arguments also presuppose that agents are opinionated. The goal of this paper is to discuss the assumptions of these arguments, including the measure of epistemic value. I have designed AI agents based on the Bayesian model and a nonmonotonic framework and tested how they achieve practical and epistemic value in conditions in which an alternative set of assumptions holds. In one of the tested conditions, the nonmonotonic agent, which is not opinionated and fulfills neither probabilism nor conditionalization, outperforms the Bayesian in the measure of epistemic value that I argue for in the paper (α -value). I discuss the consequences of these results for the epistemology of rationality.


Harmful algal blooms (HABs) present an emerging threat to human and ecosystem health in the Alaskan Arctic. Two HAB toxins are of concern in the region: saxitoxins (STXs), a family of compounds produced by the dinoflagellate Alexandrium catenella, and domoic acid (DA), produced by multiple species in the diatom genus Pseudo-nitzschia. These potent neurotoxins cause paralytic and amnesic shellfish poisoning, respectively, in humans, and can accumulate in marine organisms through food web transfer, causing illness and mortality among a suite of wildlife species. With pronounced warming in the Arctic, along with enhanced transport of cells from southern waters, there is significant potential for more frequent and larger HABs of both types. STXs and DA have been detected in the tissues of a range of marine organisms in the region, many of which are important food resources for local residents. The unique nature of the Alaskan Arctic, including difficult logistical access, lack of response infrastructure, and reliance of coastal populations on the noncommercial acquisition of marine resources for nutritional, cultural, and economic well-being, poses urgent and significant challenges as this region warms and the potential for impacts from HABs expands.


Using the Green's function associated with the one-dimensional Schroedinger equation it is possible to establish a hierarchy of sum rules involving the eigenvalues of confining potentials which have only a boundstate spectrum. For some potentials the sum rules could lead to divergences. It is shown that when this happens it is possible to examine the separate sum rules satisfied by the even and odd eigenstates of a symmetric confining potential and by subtraction cancel the divergences exactly and produce a new sum rule which is free of divergences. The procedure is illustrated by considering symmetric power law potentials and the use of several examples. One of the examples considered shows that the zeros of the Airy function and its derivative obey a sum rule and this sum rule is verified.


Adequate persistence to antidiabetic treatment is highly important to achieve proper glycemic control. Data on persistence with new antidiabetic drugs are limited. The aim of the study was to evaluate the persistence to treatment with DPP-4-inhibitors, SGLT2-inhibitors and GLP-1-RAs in comparison to insulin (INS) in a nationwide cohort of T2DM patients. Using the database of the Hungarian National Health Insurance Fund, the persistence to the treatment with DPP-4-inhibitors (n=59,900), SGLT2-inhibitors (n=26,052), GLP-1-RAs (n=17,332) and INS (n=51,781) was analyzed between 2014 and 2016. We captured the antihyperglycemic agents either in monotherapy or in add-on combinations after failure with first antidiabetic drug. Persistence was defined as the duration of time from initiation to discontinuation of the particular therapy. A permissible gap of 180 days (grace period) was allowed. The results are reported as the rate of persistent patients at year 1 and year 2. The persistence of DPP-4-inhibitors and SGLT2-inhibitors was similar at year 1 (68%, 67%), both of which decreased by year 2 (55% and 56%, respectively). The persistence of GLP-1-RAs was 66% at year 1, which decreased remarkably to year 2 (51%). DPP-4-inhibitors + metformin in fix combination had higher persistence (64% and 50%) than that of free add-on combinations (43% and 29%, at year 1 and year 2, respectively). Similar trend was observed regarding SGLT2-inhibitors + metformin fix vs. free add-on combinations at year 1 (75% vs. 55%). Treatment with INS had a relatively high persistence (71% and 61% at year 1 and year 2, respectively). Persistence to treatment with innovative drugs was the highest in patients with age of 40-60 years. Persistence data of different antihyperglycemic agents provide useful information and should be considered as one of components that help to guide the proper decision at initiation of antidiabetic treatment. Disclosure G. Jermendy: None. G. Rokszin: None. Z. Abonyi-Toth: None. I. Wittmann: None. P. Kempler: None.


According to revised Cailikefu's rolling shear force formula, motion path equation of spatial seven-bar path is built, and mechanical model, with such new structural features as asymmetric and negative offset, is thus successfully established for 2800 mm heavy shear of some Iron&Steel Company. Shear force and bar force of steel plate, before and after adoption of asymmetric and negative offset structure, are analyzed, as well as horizontal force component of mechanism that influences pure rolling shear and back-wall push force that keeps blade clearance. The discovery is that back-wall push force could be kept large enough at rolling start-up (i.e. the time that the maximum rolling shear produces), meanwhile, back-wall push force is the most approximate to side forces with adoption of 60mm~100mm offset. Theoretical results and on-site shear quality both indicate that new structural features such as asymmetric and negative offset plays an important role in ensuring pure rolling shear and keeping blade clearance constant, which provide an effective means to improve quality of steel plate.


TorchBeast is a platform for reinforcement learning (RL) research in PyTorch. It implements a version of the popular IMPALA algorithm for fast, asynchronous, parallel training of RL agents. Additionally, TorchBeast has simplicity as an explicit design goal: We provide both a pure-Python implementation ("MonoBeast") as well as a multi-machine high-performance version ("PolyBeast"). In the latter, parts of the implementation are written in C++, but all parts pertaining to machine learning are kept in simple Python using PyTorch, with the environments provided using the OpenAI Gym interface. This enables researchers to conduct scalable RL research using TorchBeast without any programming knowledge beyond Python and PyTorch. In this paper, we describe the TorchBeast design principles and implementation and demonstrate that it performs on-par with IMPALA on Atari. TorchBeast is released as an open-source package under the Apache 2.0 license and is available at \url{this https URL}.


Introduction: Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) which is accompanied by Psychological and Physical Symptoms regularly occurs during the second half of the menstrual cycle and is estimated to affect up to 95 of women to some degree. Only 3-8 of these women have Premenstrual Symptoms that meet the criteria for premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), which significantly interferes with social activities or relationships with others. In this case there are medications one of which is serotonin reuptake inhibitors, including Fluoxetine. The aim of this study is To evaluate premenstrual daily dosing of fluoxetine for treatment of Premenstrual dysphoric disorder. Materials and Methods: This was a double-blind clinical trial study. After a two cycle Screening 260 women were randomly prescribed fluoxetine 10mg capsules, fluoxetine 20mg capsules and placebo capsules (dosed daily from the 14th day before next expected menses through the first fall day of bleeding) for three cycles, and they had a follow-up visit without taking drugs. After this time data was gathered with questionnaire and analyzed by descriptive statistics. Results: Baseline demographics and severity of illness and length of menstrual cycle measures showed that the treatment groups were balanced. Premenstrual daily fluoxetine 20mg demonstrated significant improvement in symptoms compared with placebo (P = 0.005) and Premenstrual daily fluoxetine 10mg groups. Both active treatment groups significantly improved by the first treatment cycle. Both fluoxetine groups showed significant improvement. All 20 symptoms such as fatigue, sleep disorder, irritability, depression, appetite changes, and physical symptoms such as body dimorphic, breast tenderness, acnea, headache, arthralgia, low back pain, and weight increase had significant reduction or completely disappeared with Fluoxetine 20mg capsules. Discontinuation due to adverse side effects did not differ among the three groups. Conclusion: Premenstrual daily dosing with Fluoxetine effectively treats mood, physical and social function and symptoms associated with premenstrual dysphonic disorder. Fluoxetine 20mg appears to have comparably better efficacy than floxetine 10mg.


The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the rose Bengal plate test (RBPT) for brucellosis serodiagnosis in a Brucella abortus infected buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) herd, comparing the results with those obtained by the mercaptoethanol (MET) and the complement fixation tests (CFT). Serum samples from 90 three-to-five-years-old cows were collected. Animals were unvaccinated against brucellosis. Every serum was tested by the three serological tests, and the results were compared by kappa (k) and the MacNemar chi-square, adopting as cutt-off the titre 25 for the MET and the titre 4 for the CFT. A good agreement was observed among the tests (RBPT versus CFT, k = 0.82; RBPT versus MET, k =0.92; MET versus CFT, k = 0.86), and the chi-square did not show significant difference. The relative sensitivity of the RBPT, when compared with the combination of the results of MET and CFT, was 93.03%, with a confidence interval (95%) ranging from 87.57% to 98.47%. Out of 43 animals considered infected by the combination of the results of the two other tests, three tested negative by the RBPT, suggesting the possibility of occurrence of false-negative results.
KEY-WORDS: Brucellosis. Bubalus bubalis. Serodiagnosis. Rose Bengal plate test. Complement fixation test.
Mercaptoethanol test.


Abstract Aim To investigate the potential value of Doppler ultrasound and to assess cerebroplacental ratio (CPR) in the prediction of adverse perinatal outcome defined as Apgar score < 7 at 1 minute. Material and methods This was a retrospective cross-sectional study in selected pregnant women undergoing an ultrasound examination between 36 and 42 weeks of gestation. We measured estimated fetal weight (EFW), mean umbilical artery pulsatility index (UA PI), mean middle cerebral artery pulsatility index (MCA PI), CPR, and Apgar score in 1 minute. Multiples of medians (MoM) were calculated for MCA PI and UA PI. Results The study group consisted of 446 women, 236 were primipara and 210 were multipara. The average age was 29.6 years (range 16–46 years). The average week of delivery is 39.5 weeks of gestation (range 36–42). Mean MCA PI and UA PI were 1.3 (0.1–2.45) and 0.8 (0.39–1.66), respectively. The mean values were 1.03 (0.1–1.9) for MCA PI MoM and 1.04 (0.5–2.1) for UA PI MoM. Primiparas had lower values of MCA PI (1.27 vs. 1.34), MCA PI MoM (1.00 vs. 1.05), CPR (1.62 vs. 1.73), EFW (3479.53 g vs. 3579.25 g) and birth weight (3513.50 g vs. 3617.79 g). For CPR cut-off point of 1.08: sensitivity was (0.945), specificity 0.1, positive predictive values 0.979, negative predictive values 0.04 and accuracy 0.926. The ROC curves for CPR were: area under the curve was 0.52 at CI 95% (0.342–0.698), p = 0.8271. Conclusion Screening in pregnancies with appropriate-for-gestational-age fetuses at 36–42 weeks of gestation using Doppler parameters is not useful in the prediction of adverse perinatal outcomes like an Apgar score < 7 at 1 minute.


Poster used in the University of Salford Institutional Repository promotion campaign. The poster introduces USIR and details contact information for further details.


We have observed localized surface states (Tamm states) intentionally introduced in AlGaAs/GaAs superlattices by a terminating layer of AlAs. The formation of these states is manifested by excitonic interband transitions in photoluminescence excitation spectra. Critical confirmation is provided by photocurrent experiments under an electric field that show additional transitions as well as anticrossing interactions between the Tamm states and the Stark-ladder states associated with the superlattice.


The paper presents an
observer-centric analysis of optimal representation that helps define certain
relationship between geometry of numbers and corresponding dimensionality. The
motivation for this research is the complementarity that exists in looking at
numerical data by itself as compared to its description within a pre-supposed structural
framework. Specifically, we consider estimates based on intrinsic
dimensionality of data and compare these to those where an a priori order is imposed on the data. We show that this approach
helps solve the long-standing problem of different values of the Hubble
constant obtained using two different methods.


The concept of vibration-based damage detection (VBDD) provided a platform for structural system identification, damage detection and localization, and quantification. In this study the VBDD approach, through both centralized and sensorlevel data analyses, will be discussed for structural damage assessment. Damage assessment is focus on damage detection and localization using both ambient and the earthquake response measurements. Finally, for damage quantification a model updating technique called efficient model correction method (EMCM) is applied in this study to correct/update the analytical mass and stiffness matrix respectively using the identified frequencies and mode shapes from recursive subspace identification (RSI) algorithm. Combined the result from RSI and damage detection algorithms, the percentage of stiffness reduction and the time of damage occurrence can be identified. To demonstrate the capability of the proposed recursive subspace identification algorithm and the damage assessment technique, dynamic response data generated from the shaking table test of a twin tower steel structure is used to verify the algorithms on damage detection and quantification.


Under apartheid, the prison autobiography enjoyed a privileged status, with the prison playing the role of the apartheid state in miniature: the penitentiary was one of the most coercive material manifestations of a racist and brutal regime. With the demise of apartheid, however, the prison autobiography has become a marginalised and depoliticised genre. The loss of status of the prison autobiography is paralleled by the endemic neglect of the penitentiary system, despite its important role in South African history. A close reading of the tropes and rhetoric of apartheid‐era prison writing can provide some explanation for the abrupt marginalisation of the penitentiary as a socially important space after 1994: in particular, the line that is drawn between criminal convicts and political prisoners in apartheid‐era prison autobiographies anticipates the neglect of the penitentiary under democracy. One exceptional post‐apartheid reflection on life in prison, Jonny Steinberg's The Number, stands out both for asking subtle questions about the ideological boundary between the political and the criminal prisoner and for the way it perpetuates the tradition, forged under apartheid, of using the prison as a site for radical social analysis and criticism.