A REVISION OF MALESIAN CAESALPINIA, INCLUDING MEZONEURON*(LEGUMINOSAE-CAESALPLNIACEAE)

This is the first taxonomic revision of this pantropical genus of prickly climbers for the area, the Solomons inclusive.It deals with 21 species, of which 19 ore native (dealt with over the whole of their area),and 2 are widely naturalized, viz C. pulckerrima and C. sappan.Also mentioned are 3 occasional introductions. Full descriptions are given,keys to the native and to the cultivated species, the complete synonymy and typification with all important later references.Many new deductions have been made,some from adjacent regions. New species are C. opptrsitifolia, from Borneo, with truly opposite leaves and C Bolomonewsis from the Solomons; new combinations are C.andamanica based on Mezoneuron andamanicum Prain,C furfuracea based on M. furfuraceum. Prain, C. hymenocarpa based on M, hymeno carpum Prain,C latisiliqua based on latisiliquum (Cavan) Merr,C. mindorensis based on M. mindorense Merr., C. pubeecens based on M. pubescens Desf., C. scorteckinii baaed on M. scortechinii F.v.M. from Queensland and now on record from New Guinea, the last one closely resembling C. brachycarpa, another new combination based on M. braehycarpmn Benth, from New South Wales.No subdivisions of the genus are adopted or proposed. The long standing nomenclatural confusion hetween C. bonduc, C. bonducella,C. cristrt, and C. major has been visualized in a diagram. Specimens of importance for the knowledge of the area have been cited. Extreme and intergrading specimens are discussed. Eeference is made to the main ecomonic literature Indexes to all names and all specimens are given

A Real-Time Ethernet Network at Home

This paper shows the current state of our research into a home network which provides both real-time and non-real-time capabilities for one coherent, distributed architecture. It is based on a new type of real-time token protocol that uses scheduling to achieve optimal token-routing in the network. Depending on the scheduling algorithm, bandwidth utilisations of 100% are possible. Token management, to prevent token-loss or multiple tokens, is essential to support a dynamic, plug-and-play configuration. Our network will support inexpensive, small appliances as well as more expensive, large appliances. Small appliances, like sensors, would contain low-cost, embedded processors with limited computing power, which can handle lightweight network protocols. All other operations can be delegated to other appliances that have sufficient resources. This provides a basis for transparency, as it separates controlling and controlled object

Martensitic transition and magnetoresistance in a Cu-Al-Mn shape memory alloy. Influence of aging

We have studied the effect of ageing within the miscibility gap on the electric, magnetic and thermodynamic properties of a non-stoichiometric Heusler Cu-Al-Mn shape-memory alloy, which undergoes a martensitic transition from a $bcc$-based ($\beta$-phase) towards a close-packed structure ($M$-phase). Negative magnetoresistance which shows an almost linear dependence on the square of magnetization with different slopes in the $M$- and $\beta$-phases, was observed. This magnetoresistive effect has been associated with the existence of Mn-rich clusters with the Cu$_2$AlMn-structure. The effect of an applied magnetic field on the martensitic transition has also been studied. The entropy change between the $\beta$- and $M$-phases shows negligible dependence on the magnetic field but it decreases significantly with annealing time within the miscibility gap. Such a decrease is due to the increasing amount of Cu$_2$MnAl-rich domains that do not transform martensitically.Comment: 9 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in PR

Web-Based STAR E-Learning Course Increases Empathy and Understanding in Dementia Caregivers: Results from a Randomized Controlled Trial in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom

Background: The doubling of the number of people with dementia in the coming decades coupled with the rapid decline in the working population in our graying society is expected to result in a large decrease in the number of professionals available to provide care to people with dementia. As a result, care will be supplied increasingly by untrained informal caregivers and volunteers. To promote effective care and avoid overburdening of untrained and trained caregivers, they must become properly skilled. To this end, the European Skills Training and Reskilling (STAR) project, which comprised experts from the domains of education, technology, and dementia care from 6 countries (the Netherlands, Sweden, Italy, Malta, Romania, and the United Kingdom), worked together to create and evaluate a multilingual e-learning tool. The STAR training portal provides dementia care training both for informal and formal caregivers. Objective: The objective of the current study was to evaluate the user friendliness, usefulness, and impact of STAR with informal caregivers, volunteers, and professional caregivers. Methods: For 2 to 4 months, the experimental group had access to the STAR training portal, a Web-based portal consisting of 8 modules, 2 of which had a basic level and 6 additional modules at intermediate and advanced levels. The experimental group also had access to online peer and expert communities for support and information exchange. The control group received free access to STAR after the research had ended. The STAR training portal was evaluated in a randomized controlled trial among informal caregivers and volunteers in addition to professional caregivers (N=142) in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Assessments were performed with self-assessed, online, standardized questionnaires at baseline and after 2 to 4 months. Primary outcome measures were user friendliness, usefulness, and impact of STAR on knowledge, attitudes, and approaches of caregivers regarding dementia. Secondary outcome measures were empathy, quality of life, burden, and caregivers’ sense of competence. Results: STAR was rated positively by all user groups on both usefulness and user friendliness. Significant effects were found on a person-centered care approach and on the total score on positive attitudes to dementia; both the experimental and the control group increased in score. Regarding empathy, significant improvements were found in the STAR training group on distress, empathic concern, and taking the perspective of the person with dementia. In the experimental group, however, there was a significant reduction in self-reported sense of competence. Conclusions: The STAR training portal is a useful and user-friendly e-learning method, which has demonstrated its ability to provide significant positive effects on caregiver attitudes and empathy

Tunneling magnetoresistance in Co-ZrO2 granular thin films

Granular films composed of well defined nanometric Co particles embedded in an insulating ZrO2 matrix were prepared by pulsed laser depositon in a wide range of Co volume concentrations 0.15 x 0.43. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy TEM showed very sharp interfaces between the crystalline particles and the amorphous matrix. Narrow particle size distributions were determined from TEM and by fitting the low-field magnetic susceptibility and isothermal magnetization in the paramagnetic regime to a distribution of Langevin functions. The magnetic particle size varies little for Co volume concentrations x 0.32 and increases as the percolation limit is approached. The tunneling magnetoresistance TMR was successfully reproduced using the Inoue-Maekawa model. The maximum value of TMR was temperatureindependent within 50–300 K, and largely increased at low T, suggesting the occurrence of higher-order tunneling processes. Consequently, the tunneling conductance and TMR in clean granular metals are dominated by the Coulomb gap and the inherent particle size distribution

Multimedia QoS in low-cost home networks

This paper describes a new mechanism to guarantee quality of service for multimedia streams in low-cost home networks. Quality of service is based on a token, of which the route in the network is determined by a distributed scheduler. The network node that has the token -- the active node -- can send its data during a predetermined period. The length of this period and which node gets the token next is calculated by the scheduler in the active node. Every node has a scheduler on-board and schedules streams according to stream information from other nodes -- contained in the token -- and its own streams. Although other types of scheduler could be used, the token scheduler deploys a pre-emptive earliest deadline first strategy. This guarantees a theoretical maximum bandwidth utilization of 100 percent. The network is simulated and a prototype is built, based on low cost Ethernet hardware. Results show a high throughput with a small overhead of less than one percent per stream

Participation of end users in the design of assistive technology for people with mild to severe cognitive problems: The European Rosetta project

Background: In the European Rosetta project three separate, previously developed, ICT systems were improved and integrated to create one modular system that helps community-dwelling people with mild cognitive impairment and dementia in different stages of the disease. The system aims to support them in daily functioning, monitor deviations from) patterns in daily behaviour and to automatically detect emergency situations. The study aimed to inventory the end users' needs and wishes regarding the development and design of the new integrated Rosetta system, and to describe the to be developed Rosetta system. Methods: Qualitative user-participatory design with in total 50 persons: 14 people with dementia, 13 informal carers, 6 professional carers, 9 dementia experts, 7 care partners within the project, and 1 volunteer. In the Netherlands user focus group sessions were performed and in Germany individual interviews. Dementia experts were consulted by means of a questionnaire, an expert meeting session, and interviews. Results: Persons with dementia and informal carers appreciated the following functionalities most: help in cases of emergencies, navigation support and the calendar function. Dementia experts rated various behaviours relevant to monitor in order to detect timely changes in functioning, e.g. eating, drinking, going to the toilet, taking medicine adequately, performance of activities and sleep patterns. No ethical issues regarding the use of sensors and cameras were mentioned. Conclusion: The user participatory design resulted in valuable input from persons with dementia, informal carers and professional carers/dementia experts, based on which a first prototype Rosetta system was built