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In a recent paper (Molec. Phys. 1991, 73, 1183), Bramley et al. analysed the physical and mathematical context in which the vibrational rotational Hamiltonian operator for a molecule is expressed in terms of Euler angles for the rotation and internal curvilinear coordinates for the vibration. In the case of a generic tetra-atomic molecule, they derived a few rules which determine the choice of the basis functions, in order (i) to ensure continuity and single-valuedness of the eigenfunctions and (ii) to cancel out the singularities (infinite integrals) that unavoidably crop up in the matrix representation of the vibration-rotation kinetic energy operator. In another recent paper (Phys. Rev. A, 1992, 45, 6217), Chapuisat and lung considered the vibration-rotation of a polyatomic molecule as resulting from the rotational-vibrational motion of coupled relative vectors; with the help of a standard representation for the angular motion of each vector viewed in the moving frame resulting from the first two Euler rotations, i.e. for the whole molecule a direct product of spherical harmonics, they have shown that it is possible to get rid of the singularities and to derive, after completing the third Euler rotation, analytical expressions of the kinetic energy operator matrix elements in the usual bending-torsion-rotation basis. In implementing this approach, the rules derived for tetra-atomics by Bramley et al. are confirmed and are next generalized to the case of the N-atom molecule. The restrictions to the direct product representation which must be explicitly taken into account are established on the basis of a purely physical analysis of the coupled vector motion.

This paper considers problems of simultaneous stabilization using a linear time-invariant compensator incorporated with a sampler and zeroth-order hold function. It is shown that this controller strongly stabilizes a number of plants which may not be stabilizable by a conventional linear time-invariant controller. A controller design procedure is given which is illustrated by an example.

This paper deals with the control of the temperature in non-isothermal stirred-tank reactors involving M (M greater-than-or-equal-to 1) chemical reactions. The proposed control algorithm is an input-output linearization controller which accounts for the well-known process nonlinearities. The control scheme is also adaptive in order to deal with the parameter uncertainty: in particular it is shown how to include explicit on-line estimates of the M activation energies within the adaptive linearizing controller. The performance of the control law is illustrated in simulation.

On the basis of three different readings of chemistry textbooks, this paper identifies three overlapping rules-subject focus, nature language and curriculum emphasis-which govern language use in science education and which contribute to the production of, Addresses: Ostman L, UNIV UPPSALA, DEPT TEACHER TRAINING, CTR DIDACT, BOX 2136, S-75002 UPPSALA, SWEDEN.

This paper focuses on a dogma within Swedish educational research which asserts that the theoretical structure of education developed through research commissioned to reform the Swedish school system. What preconditions led to the widespread acceptance o, Addresses: Safstrom CA, UNIV UPPSALA, DEPT TEACHER TRAINING, CTR DIDACT, BOX 2136, S-75002 UPPSALA, SWEDEN.

The first Nobel prize for Physiology or Medicine was awarded in 1901 to the German immunologist Emil von Behring 'for his work on serum therapy, especially its application against diphtheria'. This paper examines the intricate selection process leading up, Addresses: Luttenberger F, UPPSALA UNIV, INST IDE LARDOMSHIST, S-75237 UPPSALA, SWEDEN.

The first Nobel prize for Physiology or Medicine was awarded in 1901 to the German immunologist Emil von Behring 'for his work on serum therapy, especially its application against diphtheria'. This paper examines the intricate selection process leading up, Addresses: Luttenberger F, UPPSALA UNIV, INST IDE LARDOMSHIST, S-75237 UPPSALA, SWEDEN.

In this paper we present a model of the Van Hove dynamic scattering law SME(Q,omega) based on the maximum entropy principle which is developed for the first time. The model is aimed to be used in the calculation of inelastic corrections to neutron diffrac

Inelastic neutron spectroscopy on pure light and heavy water and on mixtures is reported in this paper. The results are compared with calculations based on two models of the dynamic self-scattering law. Both models are connected to the mean kinetic energy

This paper attends to some of the issues surrounding the controversial topic of the education of boys in Australian schools. It particularly focuses upon two questions: 'Are boys victims of feminism in schools?' and 'Are boys victims of their emotions?' In answering both questions, the authors draw from empirical studies that enquire into gender reform in schools and girls' and boys' responses to it. Generally, the paper makes the case for a pedagogy of the emotions in the context of gender education in schools.

This paper attends to some of the issues surrounding the controversial topic of the education of boys in Australian schools. It particularly focuses upon two questions: 'Are boys victims of feminism in schools?' and 'Are boys victims of their emotions?' In answering both questions, the authors draw from empirical studies that enquire into gender reform in schools and girls' and boys' responses to it. Generally, the paper makes the case for a pedagogy of the emotions in the context of gender education in schools.

This paper describes and analyses Swedish curriculum theory and research in a 20-year perspective in relation to the changes in the comprehensive school system and the decline of the welfare state. It is argued that the break-up of the strong 'triangle' b, Addresses: Carlgren I, UMEA UNIV, PEDAGOG INST, S-90187 UMEA, SWEDEN. UNIV UPPSALA, DEPT EDUC, UPPSALA, SWEDEN.

This paper describes and analyses Swedish curriculum theory and research in a 20-year perspective in relation to the changes in the comprehensive school system and the decline of the welfare state. It is argued that the break-up of the strong 'triangle' b, Addresses: Carlgren I, UMEA UNIV, PEDAGOG INST, S-90187 UMEA, SWEDEN. UNIV UPPSALA, DEPT EDUC, UPPSALA, SWEDEN.

Deadlock problems of zone-control uni-directional automated guided vehicle systems (AGVS) are discussed in this paper. A directed graph is de® ned to model the vehicle ¯ ows, to identify distinct vehicle ¯ ows, to represent states easily and to capture concurrent behaviour of zone-control AGVS. The motivation of this research was to propose a dynamic approach to enable prediction in real time and to avoid deadlocks that are caused by sharing guidepath zones for a class of AGVS so that both utilization of resource and overall throughput can be improved. The proposed algorithmic procedure, in accordance with the states gained and generated from the obtained model, can serve as a functional module for the operation of a zone-control AGVS without the need to revise the original vehicle control extensively.

Deadlock problems of zone-control uni-directional automated guided vehicle systems (AGVS) are discussed in this paper. A directed graph is de® ned to model the vehicle ¯ ows, to identify distinct vehicle ¯ ows, to represent states easily and to capture concurrent behaviour of zone-control AGVS. The motivation of this research was to propose a dynamic approach to enable prediction in real time and to avoid deadlocks that are caused by sharing guidepath zones for a class of AGVS so that both utilization of resource and overall throughput can be improved. The proposed algorithmic procedure, in accordance with the states gained and generated from the obtained model, can serve as a functional module for the operation of a zone-control AGVS without the need to revise the original vehicle control extensively.

In the present paper, a study of driver errors was replicated in a survey of over 1400 drivers. New error items were added to the Driver Behaviour Questionnaire (DBQ). An analysis of data based on the original DBQ confirmed the three-factor structure obt, Addresses: Åberg L, Uppsala Univ, Dept Psychol, Box 1225, S-75142 Uppsala, Sweden. Uppsala Univ, Dept Psychol, S-75142 Uppsala, Sweden.

In the present paper, a study of driver errors was replicated in a survey of over 1400 drivers. New error items were added to the Driver Behaviour Questionnaire (DBQ). An analysis of data based on the original DBQ confirmed the three-factor structure obt, Addresses: Åberg L, Uppsala Univ, Dept Psychol, Box 1225, S-75142 Uppsala, Sweden. Uppsala Univ, Dept Psychol, S-75142 Uppsala, Sweden.

This paper describes a portable system lo support a new way of visiting cultural and tourist sites. The perspective is that the visitor moves in a physical space like a museum, while seeking information and guidance through the use of a hand-held electronic guide. Techniques are presented to adapt the content of the presentations to the particular visitor, place, and moment of visit (that is, taking into account the user model, knowledge of the physical location and the physical space around it, and the history of previous interactions). © 1998, Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

The purpose of this paper is to analyse inherent design limitations associated with systems that are linear and periodically time-varying. The contributions of the paper are (i) to relate frequency domain raising methods from signal processing literature to time-domain lifting used in control literature, and (ii) to develop extensions of the Poisson sensitivity and complementary sensitivity integral constraints. In particular, it is shown that there is generally an additional cost associated with having a time invariant target closed loop for a periodic open loop plant. It is also shown that design limitations due to unstable poles and/or non-minimum phase zeros of a discrete linear time-invariant plant remain even ifa periodic time-varying controller is used. As a consequence, the utility of periodic control in circumventing design limitations is questioned.

This paper examines the problem of decoupling designs for linear multivariable systems. Both partial and diagonal decoupling designs are considered. The development is based on an algebraic approach and the use of coprime factorizations, which provide a mechanism to account for key system properties including internal stability and decoupling invariants. The results obtained include necessary and sufficient conditions for decoupling and a parametrization of all decoupling controllers.

Educational institutions worldwide are increasingly the subject of analyses aimed at defining, measuring and improving efficiency. However, despite the importance of efficiency measurement in education, it is only relatively recently that the more advanced econometric and mathematical programming frontier techniques have been applied to primary and secondary schools, university departments and degree programs, and universities as a whole. This paper attempts to provide a synoptic survey of the comparatively few empirical analyses in education using frontier efficiency measurement techniques. Both the measurement of inefficiency in education and the determinants of educational efficiency are examined.

This paper presents a new type of genetic algorithm for the set covering problem. It differs from previous evolutionary approaches first because it is an indirect algorithm, ie the actual solutions are found by an external decoder function. The genetic algorithm itself provides this decoder with permutations of the solution variables and other parameters. Second, it will be shown that results can be further improved by adding another indirect optimisation layer. The decoder will not directly seek out low cost solutions but instead aims for good exploitable solutions. These are then post-optimised by another hill-climbing algorithm. Although seemingly more complicated, we will show that this three-stage approach has advantages in terms of solution quality, speed and adaptability to new types of problems over more direct approaches. Extensive computational results are presented and compared to the latest evolutionary and other heuristic approaches to the same data instances.

This paper deals with the problem of robust H-infinity filtering for a class of state-delayed non-linear systems with normbounded parameter uncertainty appearing in all the matrices of the linear part of the system model. The non-linearities are assumed to satisfy the global Lipschitz conditions and appear in both the state and measured output equations. Attention is focused on the design of a non-linear filter which ensures both the robust stability and a prescribed H-infinity performance of the filtering error dynamics for all admissible uncertainties. A sufficient condition for the existence of such a filter is given in terms of a linear matrix inequality (LMI). When this LMI is feasible, the expression of a desired H-infinity filter is also presented. A numerical example is provided to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed approach.

This paper presents an analysis of drop size effects on ring-wave spectra and radar scatterometer returns from a water surface agitated by artificial rain. For this purpose, monodisperse and polydisperse rain events were generated in the laboratory for a wide range of rain rates and various drop sizes. The water droplets reached the surface at terminal velocity. In all cases, the radar average power is well modelled by a linear function of the power spectral density at the Bragg resonant wavelength. The drop size is found to have a strong impact on the spectral shape of the ring-waves and on their total energy. A log-Gaussian model characterizes well the ring-wave spectra and empirical expressions of the spectrum parameters are given. Ring-wave energy increases with rain rate and drop size. and is found to be proportional to the kinetic energy of a single drop, indicating that one may use a model in which all drops contribute to the ring-wave energy in proportion to their squared momentum. The results from the monodisperse rain experiments are used to construct a model for natural rain. Data from the polydisperse rain experiments show that a nonlinear model which relates dissipation to the total rainfall rate provides excellent agreement with the measurements. This analysis also shows the important impact of a few large drops on the ring-wave spectrum. The model proposed can be extended to natural rains either by using measurements of the drop size distribution or by assuming a drop size distribution model that is appropriate to the study region. It is concluded that it is important to characterize ring-wave spectra as a function of rain rate and drop size distribution to develop robust radar scattering models for rain-roughened seas.

The objective of this paper is to contribute to the methodology available for dealing with the detection and the estimation of the location of discontinuities in one-dimensional piecewise smooth regression functions observed in white Gaussian noise over an interval. Our approach is nonparametric in nature because the unknown function is not assumed to have any specific form. Our method relies upon a wavelet analysis of the observed signal and belongs to the class of "indirect" methods, where one detects and locates the change points prior to fitting the curve, and then uses ones favorite function estimation technique on each segment to recover the curve. We show that, provided discontinuities can be detected and located with sufficient accuracy, detection followed by wavelet smoothing enjoys optimal rates of convergence.

The paper addresses some issue of pleasurable interaction with everyday artifacts. It covers artifacts and their contextual environment of interaction. It stands on the premise that dynamic interaction between human–artifacts and their contextual environment is essential. Its theoretical construct is based on Popper’s theory of objective knowledge. The paper suggests an approach for user – designer – artifact interaction that is able to support the design of everyday artifacts to be pleasurable to use. It emphasises that the activity and user-artifact interaction are the foci of the design.

The paper derives explicit formulae for the superprices of options. These superprices are given as value functions of certain stochastic control problems. The results hold for both finite and infinite dimensional Markovian models. The classical martingale methods have been replaced by a dynamic programming approach.

Digital elevation models (DEMs) are widely relied upon as representations of the Earth's topographic morphology. The most widely used global DEMs available are ETOPO5, TerrainBase and JGP95E at a 5-arc-minute spatial resolution, and the GTOPO30 and GLOBE (version 1) global DEMs at a 30-arcsecond spatial resolution. This paper presents the results of intercomparisons of these global DEMs over Australia, and with the GEODATA 9-arc-second DEM (version 1) of Australia. These DEMs were also compared to an independently produced, altimeter-derived orthometric height database. This allows not only a totally independent assessment of the quality of these different DEMs over Australia, but also an insight into the ERS-1 radar altimeter's ability to measure orthometric heights on land. The results of all these comparisons reveal large differences among the DEMs, with the greatest difference between JGP95E and ETOPO5 (mean 49 m, standard deviation 274 m). The comparison with the altimeter derived database shows good agreement with the version 1 GEODATA DEM (mean 2 m, standard deviation 27 m), thus demonstrating that the altimeter is a viable method for quality assessment of DEMs in lowland regions. A further conclusion is that the representation of the Australian land surface in both the JGP95E and TerrainBase global DEMs is more accurate than the higher resolution GLOBE (version 1) global DEM, even though JGP95E displays a disparity along the 140-degree E meridian because of the different data sources used in its construction.

This paper deals with the design of observers that are aimed at dealing with the uncertainty related to the kinetics parameters of chemical and biochemical process models. Two approaches are proposed. The first approach is based on extended Luenberger observer design in which the unknown (kinetic) parameters are used as extra design parameters in order to guarantee zero steady-state observation error of the estimated process variables. The second approach includes the on-line estimation of the unknown (kinetic) parameters in an adaptive observer framework. The stability and convergence of both observers are analysed and their performance is illustrated in numerical simulations.

Scheduling of construction projects is an important planning function that provides a clear picture of the construction activities, construction sequence, and construction resources to the agencies involved in construction. In this paper a Petri Net-based scheduling method that is geared towards resource-based scheduling of construction projects is described. Petri Nets are graphical and mathematical modeling tools that can be used to perform static and dynamic analysis of systems. Under the proposed technique Generalized Stochastic Petri Net (GSPN) modeling elements are used to develop a construction schedule. Resources required to accomplish construction work tasks are explicitly identified and allocated to the corresponding work tasks. In addition the technique provides hierarchical features that allow top-down breakdown of a construction project and modular features to schedule repetitive units. The paper summarizes the steps required to perform scheduling of construction projects using the proposed technique and highlights its advantages. The scheduling of a sample bridge project also highlights the significant benefits of the method.

Scheduling of construction projects is an important planning function that provides a clear picture of the construction activities, construction sequence, and construction resources to the agencies involved in construction. In this paper a Petri Net-based scheduling method that is geared towards resource-based scheduling of construction projects is described. Petri Nets are graphical and mathematical modeling tools that can be used to perform static and dynamic analysis of systems. Under the proposed technique Generalized Stochastic Petri Net (GSPN) modeling elements are used to develop a construction schedule. Resources required to accomplish construction work tasks are explicitly identified and allocated to the corresponding work tasks. In addition the technique provides hierarchical features that allow top-down breakdown of a construction project and modular features to schedule repetitive units. The paper summarizes the steps required to perform scheduling of construction projects using the proposed technique and highlights its advantages. The scheduling of a sample bridge project also highlights the significant benefits of the method.

Framed by this understanding of recent transformations in musical and sexual cultures as a function of globalization, the paper situates Sandee Chan’s music within the local context of its production and consumption in Taiwan and works toward a “microscopic” perspective on experiences of the music by nu¨ tongzhi fans. In particular, it asks about a possible relationship between how nutongxinglian (female homosexuality) is spoken (or unspoken) in Sandee’s music, and the conditions of nutongxinglian representability within Taiwan’s contemporary public culture more broadly. The paper considers both the rhetorical figuration of nutongxinglian as subtextual reticence in the texts of Sandee’s song lyrics and music videos, and the activity of Sandee’s nutongzhi fans who find material here for the elaboration of oppositional meanings. Such a hybrid methodology — a combination of textual analysis and fan ethnography —represents the union of two approaches whose conceptual bases are sometimes taken to be discontinuous or incommensurable, if not opposed. The 1990s high moment of “queer theory,” for example, was frequently criticized for its supposedly narrow emphasis on the textual at the expense of the more broadly social (Seidman 1995). While one might respond effectively to this charge with the observation that representation is nothing if not thoroughly social, historical, and political, nevertheless it is instructive to combine the insights garnered through textualist close-reading strategies with understandings of the lived consumption of texts by their audiences.

This paper aims to show the usefulness of GIS and point pattern techniques for defining road-accident black zones within urban agglomerations. The location of road accidents is based on dynamic segmentation, address geocoding and intersection identification. One-dimensional (line) and two-dimensional (area) clustering techniques for road accidents are compared. Advantages and drawbacks are discussed in relation to network and traffic characteristics. Linear spatial clustering techniques appear to be better suited when traffic flows can be clearly identified along certain routes. For dense road networks with diffuse traffic patterns, two-dimensional techniques make it possible to identify accident-prone areas. The operationality of the techniques is illustrated by showing the impact of traffic-calming measures on the location and type of accidents in one Belgian town (Mechelen).

Techniques based on multi-temporal, multi-spectral, satellite-sensor-acquired data have demonstrated potential as a means to detect, identify, map and monitor ecosystem changes, irrespective of their causal agents. This review paper, which summarizes the methods and the results of digital change detection in the optical/infrared domain, has as its primary objective a synthesis of the state of the art today. It approaches digital change detection from three angles. First, the different perspectives from which the variability in ecosystems and the change events have been dealt with are summarized. Change detection between pairs of images (bi-temporal) as well as between time profiles of imagery derived indicators (temporal trajectories), and, where relevant, the appropriate choices for digital imagery acquisition timing and change interval length definition, are discussed. Second, pre-processing routines either to establish a more direct linkage between remote sensing data and biophysical phenomena, or to temporally mosaic imagery and extract time profiles, are reviewed. Third, the actual change detection methods themselves are categorized in an analytical framework and critically evaluated. Ultimately, the paper highlights how some of these methodological aspects are being fine-tuned as this review is being written, and we summarize the new developments that can be expected in the near future. The review highlights the high complementarity between different change detection methods.

Purpose: This pilot study aimed to explore with stroke survivors, carers and professionals, the impact of stroke and the process of recovery and rehabilitation. One theme that emerged in interviews with professionals was their use of the bereavement model in relation to recovery from stroke. The purpose of this paper is to explore the ways in which professionals use the bereavement model to explain and manage the rehabilitation of stroke survivors. Method: A person-centred study using qualitative research methods, semi structured interviews and self report diaries to explore with stroke survivors and carers the impact of stroke on their lives. Twenty-five interviews with stroke survivors, 23 individual or with carers and seven in two focus groups. Evidence from four self- report diaries provided more detailed examples of the everyday experiences of the survivors. A set of parallel interviews involving 17 professionals involved in the care and support of such individuals, nine individual and one group interview involving a community rehabilitation team. Results: The bereavement model can be identified in the literature aimed at professionals, and was evident in some professional accounts of stroke but was absent from survivors' and carers' accounts of stroke. In over half the interviews, professionals made reference to the bereavement model to explain a process of loss and readjustment. While survivors in their accounts of life after a stroke did acknowledge the ways in which stroke disrupted every-day life and resulted in losses and disabilities, their perception of such losses and disruption was shaped by the context of their every-day life. Most survivors sought to actively manage their recovery by setting goals. They wanted professional support in achieving their goals. The bereavement model appeared to be used by professionals in situations where there was a conflict over goals and professionals felt that survivors had become 'stuck' and their goals unrealistic.

This paper challenges Lefebvre’s distinction between Representations of Space and Spaces of Representation. Most current work in this area has assumed modernist conceptions of power, thereby interpreting representations of space (conceived space) as the property of the powerful who alone possess the ability to abstract space for their particular ends. Contrary to Lefebvre, I suggest that representation and abstraction are not the agents of state capitalism alone but are also manifested in ‘counter’ discourses. As an example of a ‘counter discourse’ I draw upon a series of editorial articles written in a local gay-oriented newspaper about a gay enclave in Vancouver, Canada. I argue that these depictions cloud the distinctions as practised between conception, abstraction and the imaginary in urban space. They also serve to promote one interpretation of space above others, and in that sense they colonize the experience of everyday life in their own way. The act of ‘speaking for’ presupposes a certain power, and in these cases, highlights the fact that the power of representation and abstraction does not only occur at the state or ‘system’ level. I suggest that by overcoming the assumption of a zero-sum ontology of power, one can see how a variety of agents in the urban context engage in the attempt to carve out their ‘own’ spaces of stability in the urban social imaginary.

Intuitionistic fuzzy sets are extensions of fuzzy sets. Their elements have two degrees - a degree of membership and a degree of non-membership so that their sum is smaller or equal to 1. Intuitionistic fuzzy interpretations of the processes of multi-person and of multi-measurement tool multi-criteria decision makings are discussed in this paper.

Plasma membrane microdomains represent subcompartments of the plasma membrane characterized by a specific lipid and protein composition. The recognition of microdomains in nearly all the eukaryotic membranes has accredited them with specialized functions in health and disease. Several proteomic studies have recently addressed the specific composition of plasma membrane microdomains, and will be reviewed in this paper. Peculiar information has been obtained, but a comprehensive view of the main protein classes required to define the microdomain proteome is still missing. The achievement of this information is slowed by the difficulties encountered in resolving and analyzing hydrophobic proteins, but it could help in understanding the overall function of plasma membrane microdomains and their involvement in human pathology.

This paper describes the development of vowel inventories in 12 pre-linguistically deafened Cantonese-speaking cochlear implant users. The aim of the research was to understand the role of linguistic, perceptual and articulatory factors in determining the rate and order of vowel acquisition in this population of children. Rate and order of vowel acquisition were reported against two criteria. The "targetless" criterion for production required at least two correct productions of a vowel in a sample of speech. The second or "target" criterion required that a vowel first met the targetless criterion and was further produced correctly in the appropriate phonological context at least 50% of the time. Factors associated with articulatory difficulty were shown to explain the composition of pre-implant vowel inventories. Subsequent to receiving an implant, all children demonstrated a steady and systematic expansion in the size of their vowel inventories though the rate of acquisition varied between individuals. The order of vowel acquisition was affected by a combination of linguistic and articulatory factors. The paper concludes by discussing the clinical implications of these findings for helping children develop good spoken language skills subsequent to receiving an implant.

Schedules can be built in a similar way to a human scheduler by using a set of rules that involve domain knowledge. This paper presents an Estimation of Distribution Algorithm (EDA) for the nurse scheduling problem, which involves choosing a suitable scheduling rule from a set for the assignment of each nurse. Unlike previous work that used Genetic Algorithms (GAs) to implement implicit learning, the learning in the proposed algorithm is explicit, i.e. we identify and mix building blocks directly. The EDA is applied to implement such explicit learning by building a Bayesian network of the joint distribution of solutions. The conditional probability of each variable in the network is computed according to an initial set of promising solutions. Subsequently, each new instance for each variable is generated by using the corresponding conditional probabilities, until all variables have been generated, i.e. in our case, a new rule string has been obtained. Another set of rule strings will be generated in this way, some of which will replace previous strings based on fitness selection. If stopping conditions are not met, the conditional probabilities for all nodes in the Bayesian network are updated again using the current set of promising rule strings. Computational results from 52 real data instances demonstrate the success of this approach. It is also suggested that the learning mechanism in the proposed approach might be suitable for other scheduling problems.

Six principles for the design of transport systems are described, including direct link, corridor, hub-and-spoke, connected hubs, static routes, and dynamic routes. The designs are theoretically discussed, defining the operational character of each design and their application in passenger, freight and rail freight transport. The theory is then applied to intermodal freight transport by comparing the terminology used in the paper with that in the scientific literature. The advantages of using a generic terminology over contextual ones are identified from the perspectives of researchers, commercial operators and policy-makers.

Metapopulations are ecological models describing the interactions and the behavior of populations living in fragmented habitats. In this paper, metapopulations are modelled by means of dynamical probabilistic P systems, where additional structural features have been defined (e.g., a weighted graph associated with the membrane structure and the reduction of maximal parallelism). In particular, we investigate the influence of stochastic and periodic resource feeding processes, owing to seasonal variance, on emergent metapopulation dynamics.

In this paper we propose a sliding mode control scheme that allows robust control of the output voltage in a class of nonlinear switched converters that includes the Non-Inverting Buck-Boost, the Watkins-Johnson and the Inverse of Watkins-Johnson. Using a full-state reference profile-based sliding surface, periodic signals may be tracked by the output voltage under appropriate restrictions. Furthermore, semi-infinite programming techniques are used to minimize power loses while taking into account the existence of load perturbations. The procedure consists of choosing a reference signal for the inductor current with minimum root mean square, subject to the maintenance of sliding regime under possible load variation in a set with known bounds. Realistic simulation results show a highly robust performance in the presence of load disturbances., Peer Reviewed

In this paper, a new approach that integrates the optimization algorithms and the simulation methods is proposed to analyse maintenance strategies performances for manufacturing systems in which operating characteristics deteriorate with use and whose lifetime and repair duration are random. The simulation language RAO (resource-action-operation) is used to implement the proposed approach. Numerical examples are carried out to validate the approach flexibility and efficiency. RAO is a discrete events simulator. This tool proposes a great flexibility of modeling, that allows one to keep track of each resource's evolution and even offers animation possibilities. By exploiting the characteristic of RAO, a new simulation and optimization platform of maintenance policies is presented.

In this paper, we consider the non-parametric estimation for a density and hazard rate function for right censored alpha-mixing survival time data using kernel smoothing techniques. As survival times are positive with potentially high concentration at zero, one has to take into account the bias problems when the functions are estimated in the boundary region. In this paper, gamma kernel estimators of the density and the hazard rate function are proposed. The estimators use adaptive weights depending on the point in which we estimate the function, and they are robust to the boundary bias problem. For both estimators, the mean-squared error properties, including the rate of convergence, the almost sure consistency, and the asymptotic normality, are investigated. The results of a simulation study demonstrate the performance of the proposed estimators.

Spatially enabled government requires the development of effective SDIs that will support the vast majority of society, who are not spatially aware, in a transparent manner. This paper addresses three strategic challenges arising out of the need of creating this new environment. The first of these is the challenge for more inclusive models of governance given that SDI formulation and implementation involve a very large number of stakeholders from all levels of government as well as the private sector and academia. The second concerns the promotion of data sharing between different kinds of organisation. In some cases this may require new forms of organisation to carry out these tasks. The third challenge relates to the establishment of enabling platforms to facilitate access to spatial data and the delivery of data related services.

Is there a role for prototyping (sketching, pattern making and sampling) in addressing real world problems of sustainability (People, Profit, and Planet), in this case social/healthcare issues, through fashion and textiles research? Skin cancer and related illnesses are a major cause of disfigurement and death in New Zealand and Australia where the rates of Melanoma, a serious form of skin cancer, are four times higher than in the Northern Hemisphere regions of USA, UK and Canada (IARC, 1992). In 2007, AUT University (Auckland University of Technology) Fashion Department and the Health Promotion Department of Cancer Society - Auckland Division (CSA) developed a prototype hat aimed at exploring a barrier type solution to prevent facial and neck skin damage. This is a paradigm shift from the usual medical research model. This paper provides an overview of the project and examines how a fashion prototype has been used to communicate emergent social, environmental, personal, physiological and technological concerns to the trans-disciplinary research team. The authors consider how the design of a product can enhance and support sustainable design practice while contributing a potential solution to an ongoing health issue. Analysis of this case study provides an insight into prototyping in fashion and textiles design, user engagement and the importance of requirements analysis in relation to sustainable development. The analysis and a successful outcome of the final prototype have provided a gateway to future collaborative research and product development.

Temporal syntheses of surface reflectance are one of the most common data products from high temporal resolution instruments. Such an image combination procedure is sensitive to several control parameters, including the compositing period. Unfortunately, these choices usually rely on a unique and global solution delivered by the data provider to ensure temporal and spatial consistency across applications. However, many applications require customized composites to achieve their goals and meet regional constraints. Although this need is now widely recognized by the scientific community, practitioners still rely on trial and error and ad hoc adjustments in designing their approach. The objective of this paper is to design, implement, and test a decision support tool that can find the most appropriate compositing parameters for coarse- to medium-resolution sensors. The key innovation of this approach is that it incorporates external data on the cloud cover and seasonality of the region studied. The algorithm can be applied to any region of the globe and to any optical satellite instrument recording surface reflectance over time. The tool allows data users to optimize the compositing parameters to their application subject and to regional conditions. It can also be used to determine the feasibility of a proposed compositing process. The potential of this methodology to improve the relevancy and the quality of time series products is demonstrated by testing it on two specific applications.

This paper aims at studying the asset allocation problem of a non-life insurance company when inflation risk and interest rate risk are taken into account. To this purpose, we apply the risk-minimization theory developed by Follmer Sondermann (1986) and extended by Mller (2001). We derive the general form of the risk-minimizing strategies when the cumulative payments of the insurer are described, as suggested by Arjas (1989), by a process adapted to the natural filtration of a marked point process and when the inflation and the term structure of interest rates are simultaneously described by the HJM model of Jarrow Yildirim (2003). We then apply our general results in two collective models and two individual models of non-life insurance payments.

Importance of the field: Till now, the importance of carbohydrates has been underscored, if compared with the two other major classes of biopolymers such as oligonucleotides and proteins. Recent advances in glycobiology and glycochemistry have imparted a strong interest in the study of this enormous family of biomolecules. Carbohydrates have been shown to be implicated in recognition processes, such as cell-cell adhesion, cell-extracellular matrix adhesion and cell-intruder recognition phenomena. In addition, carbohydrates are recognized as differentiation markers and as antigenic determinants. Due to their relevant biological role, carbohydrates are promising candidates for drug design and disease treatment. However, the growing number of human disorders known as congenital disorders of glycosylation that are being identified as resulting from abnormalities in glycan structures and protein glycosylation strongly indicates that a fast development of glycobiology, glycochemistry and glycomedicine is highly desirable.Areas covered in this review: The topics give an overview of different approaches that have been used to date for the design of carbohydrate-based therapeutics; this includes the use of native synthetic carbohydrates, the use of carbohydrate mimics designed on the basis of their native counterpart, the use of carbohydrates as scaffolds and finally the design of glyco-fused therapeutics, one of the most recent approaches. The review covers mainly literature that has appeared since 2000, except for a few papers cited for historical reasons.What the reader will gain: The reader will gain an overview of the current strategies applied to the design of carbohydrate-based therapeutics; in particular, the advantages/disadvantages of different approaches are highlighted. The topic is presented in a general, basic manner and will hopefully be a useful resource for all readers who are not familiar with it. In addition, in order to stress the potentialities of carboh