Ubiquitous Internet in an integrated satellite-terrestrial environment: The SUITED solution

yesThe current Internet architecture appears to not be particularly suited to addressing the emerging needs of new classes of users who wish to gain access to multimedia services made available by ISPs, regardless of their location, while in motion and with a guaranteed level of quality. One of the main objectives of so-called nextgeneration systems is to overcome the limitations of today¿s available Internet by adopting an approach based on the integration of different mobile and fixed networks. The SUITED project moves in this direction since it aims at contributing to the design and deployment of the global mobile broadband system (GMBS), a unique satellite/terrestrial infrastructure ensuring nomadic users access to Internet services with a negotiated QoS. A description of the main features of the GMBS architecture, characterized by the integration of a multisegment access network with a federated ISP network is given in this article. The GMBS multimode terminal is schematically described, and an overview of the so-called QoS-aware mobility management scheme, devised for such a heterogeneous scenario,is provided

Hawai‘i Avocado Industry Analysis, Part 1: Supply Focus

This report describes production trends and the current situation in terms of the industry structure, identifies unique features of the Hawai‘i avocado industry in terms of the varieties available and grown, evaluates how growers have been responding to the increasing demand, and presents opportunities and suggestions for expansion for Hawai‘i avocado growers

The Experience of Voice for Asian American Women in Different Social Contexts

Thesis advisor: Belle LiangResearch on women's voice and self-silencing has shown that girls begin to silence themselves during adolescence in response to sociocultural pressures to conform to gender norms and as a way to stay relationally connected with others. While the literature on voice for women has been extensive, it has centered primarily on the experiences of European-American women, which may not be generalizable to other ethnic/racial groups. This study extends existing research by examining voice experiences for Asian American women specifically. Given the multiple minority statuses and social roles that are a part of Asian American women's identities, the current study examined the intersecting influences of gender, race, culture, and power, in the experience of voice and authenticity. Specifically, this study explored voice for these women in different social contexts where issues of gender, race and power tend to be salient. Additionally, the study examined the role of racism-related stress and culture in self-silencing. Finally, associations between voice, support for voice, and psychological wellbeing were assessed. Findings indicated that levels of voice, as well as levels of perceived support for voice varied by social context, providing evidence for the importance of social climate in voice. In general, both voice and perceived support for voice were higher in settings with minimal power differentials (i.e., with female and Asian peers vs. with authority figures). In two of the social contexts of interest (i.e., non-Asian peers and male authority figures), racism-related stress was significantly associated with lower levels of voice. Self-construal, which was used as an indicator of cultural tendencies, was also significantly associated with voice; individuals with an independent style had more voice, and those with an interdependent style had less voice. Higher levels of voice were associated with higher perceived support for voice. And ultimately, higher voice was linked with better psychological outcomes. Implications for research, work/school settings, and clinical practice were discussed, as well as limitations and suggestions for future research.Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2014.Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education.Discipline: Counseling, Developmental and Educational Psychology

Ideology and education : a case study of the major debates and ideological conflicts in the development of contemporary Chinese education.

This study is a critical enquiry into the relationship between ideology\ud and educational development. The People's Republic of China (PRC) has\ud been chosen to illustrate the particular case of engineering social\ud change through educational reforms. Ideological contradictions between\ud the dominant political ideology and the popular culture are reflected\ud in the major national debates on education. Overt statements of\ud individuals and groups indicate diverse normative patterns. When the\ud exponents of a political ideology endeavour to negate the traditional\ud culture, the dynamic of cultural reproduction is seen as ~n obstacle to\ud policy-making at all levels.\ud The relationship between ideology and education is defined in relation\ud to cultural reproduction and political hegemony (Part I, Chapter 1:1).\ud The concept of ideology is further ex~mplif;ed in the context of the\ud Chinese intellectual tradition of differentiating ideology from the\ud system of classical and philosophical thinking. While the Chinese\ud Communist ideology has been adopted as a symbolic instrument of domination,\ud the Chinese traditional way of thinking persists and continues to\ud influence people's way of thinking and behaviour (Part I, Chapter 1:2).\ud Two ideal typical models of Confucius' thinking and the thoughts of Mao\ud Zedong have been constructed to elucidate the contradictions between\ud the two nonnative patterns (Part I. Chapter 2). The basic problems of introducing a new ideology for Chinese education\ud are discussed in relation to the residue of traditionalism, Chinese\ud liberalism and the borrowing of foreign models. Together, they\ud contributed to the resistance of a traditional pattern of education to\ud change (Part I, Chapter 3).\ud The problem of modernizing education continues to engage the Communist\ud leadership in a prolonged struggle of the 'new' against the 'old'. The\ud conflicts are illustrated in the national debates on the contradiction\ud between popularization and the raising of standards (Part 11, Chapter\ud 4), the relationship between theory and practice (Part 11, Chapter 5),\ud and red and expert (Part 11, Chapter 6).\ud Political and social integration lies in the philosophical synthesis of\ud establishing a system of modern Chinese thinking which has to be based\ud on the foundations of the Chinese cultural spirit and her adaptation to\ud the demand of modernity (Part Ill, Chapter 7). From this evolves a\ud general guideline for an alternative educational policy in China's new\ud long march (Part Ill, Chapter 8)

The use of motion analysis to measure pain-related behaviour in a rat model of degenerative tendon injuries

Chronic tendinopathy is characterized with longstanding activity-related pain with degenerative tendon injuries. An objective tool to measure painful responses in animal models is essential for the development of effective treatment for tendinopathy. Gait analysis has been developed to monitor the inflammatory pain in small animals. We reported the use of motion analysis to monitor gait changes in a rat model of degenerative tendon injury. Intratendinous injection of collagenase into the left patellar tendon of Sprague Dawley rat was used to induce degenerative tendon injury, while an equal volume of saline was injected in the control groups. Motion analyses with a high speed video camera were performed on all rats at pre-injury, 2, 4, 8, 12 or 16 weeks post injection. In the end-point study, the rats were sacrificed to obtain tendon samples for histological examination after motion analyses. In the follow-up study, repeated motion analyses were performed on another group of collagenase-treated and saline-treated rats. The results showed that rats with injured patellar tendon exhibited altered walking gait as compared to the controls. The change in double stance duration in the collagenase-treated rats was reversible by administration of buprenorphrine (p = 0.029), it suggested that the detected gait changes were associated with pain. Comparisons of end-point and follow-up studies revealed the confounding effects of training, which led to higher gait velocities and probably a different adaptive response to tendon pain in the trained rats. The results showed that motion analysis could be used to measure activity-related chronic tendon pain. © 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Comparing knowledge, accessibility, and use of evidence-based chronic disease prevention processes across four countries

<p>Background: Evidence-based chronic disease prevention (EBCDP) effectively reduces incidence rates of many chronic diseases, but contextual factors influence the implementation of EBCDP worldwide. This study aims to examine the following contextual factors across four countries: knowledge, access, and use of chronic disease prevention processes.</p><p>Methods: In this cross-sectional study, public health practitioners (N = 400) from Australia (n = 121), Brazil (n = 76), China (n = 102), and the United States (n = 101) completed a 26-question survey on EBCDP. One-way ANOVA and Pearson's Chi-Square tests were used to assess differences in contextual factors of interest by country.</p><p>Results: Practitioners in China reported less knowledge of EBCDP processes (p < 0.001) and less use of repositories of evidence-based interventions, than those from other countries (p < 0.001). Academic journals were the most frequently used method for accessing information about evidence-based interventions across countries. When selecting interventions, Brazilian and Chinese practitioners were more likely to consider implementation ease while the Australian and United States practitioners were more likely to consider effectiveness (p < 0.001).</p><p>Conclusions: These findings can help inform and improve within and across country strategies for implementing EBCDP interventions.</p

Assessment of musculoskeletal abnormalities in children with mucopolysaccharidoses using pGALS

Background - Children with mucopolysaccharidoses (MPS) often have musculoskeletal (MSK) abnormalities. Paediatric Gait, Arms, Legs, and Spine (pGALS), is a simple MSK assessment validated in school-age children to detect abnormal joints. We aimed to identify MSK abnormalities in children with MPS performing pGALS. Methods - Videos of children with a spectrum of MPS performing pGALS were analysed. A piloted proforma to record abnormalities for each pGALS manoeuvre observed in the videos (scored as normal/abnormal/not assessable) was used by three observers blinded to MPS subtype. Videos were scored independently and rescored for intra- and inter-observer consistency. Data were pooled and analysed. Results - Eighteen videos of children [12 boys, 6 girls, median age 11 years (4–19)] with MPS (13 type I [5 Hurler, 8 attenuated type I]; 4 type II; 1 mannosidosis) were assessed. The most common abnormalities detected using pGALS were restrictions of the shoulder, elbow, wrist, jaw (>75% cases), and fingers (2/3 cases). Mean intra-observer Κ 0.74 (range 0.65–0.88) and inter-observer Κ 0.62 (range 0.51–0.77). Hip manoeuvres were not clearly demonstrated in the videos. Conclusions - In this observational study, pGALS identifies MSK abnormalities in children with MPS. Restricted joint movement (especially upper limb) was a consistent finding. Future work includes pGALS assessment of the hip and testing pGALS in further children with attenuated MPS type I. The use of pGALS and awareness of patterns of joint involvement may be a useful adjunct to facilitate earlier recognition of these rare conditions and ultimately access to specialist care