Quick Shift Research Articles

100 Books Every Blues Fan Should Own by Edward Komara and Greg Johnson (review)

Reviewed by: 100 Books Every Blues Fan Should Own by Edward Komara and Greg Johnson Ralph Hartsock 100 Books Every Blues Fan Should Own. By Edward Komara and Greg Johnson. (Best Music Books.) Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2014. [xviii, 299 p. ISBN 9780810889217 (hardcover), $35; ISBN 978081088-9224 (e-book), $34.99.] Bibliography, discography, index. The blues permeates a large portion of the popular music of African Americans in the United States. This bibliography is the work of the current and former blues [End Page 726] archivists at the University of Mississippi. They begin with a typical day in the life of a blues librarian, which is very similar to that of most other music librarians. The authors begin with a basic premise: “which books should every blues fan own?” (p. 1). The international market for blues music is reflected by the numerous works the authors cite that have been translated into several languages, such as Italian, German, or French—for example, The Devil’s Music (no. 4) and Savannah Syncopators (no. 6). Book publishing about the blues, which began in the late 1950s, is less extensive than the periodical literature. Before then, much of the history was conveyed via oral traditions. The scope of this bibliography is nonfiction, and selection is based upon substance, style, discipline, influence, coverage, and availability. All entries, even those citing foreign works, are in English. The authors excluded books primarily on ancillary subjects, such as blues-rock. Reference books, though not part of the main body of the Blues 100, are in an appendix, “The Books Behind the Blues 100.” Each entry has three elements: a short headline (or the purpose of the book); a bibliographic citation, including various editions and prices; the body of the entry, which summarizes its contents and compares it to other blues books; and for certain books, a blues recording pertaining to the book. A more complete list is in the appendix. The compilers lead off with books that convey a broad overview, then work roughly chronologically, in the hope that this book “may be read from beginning to end as a history of the blues” (p. 3). Numbers in parentheses in the text are page numbers, so they omit the abbreviations p. and pp. Komara and Johnson start with Nothing but the Blues (no. 1, p. 11), edited by Lawrence Cohn. They describe the content and physical characteristics of the volume, with phrases like “visually attractive,” “weighty,” “heavy paper stock.” They also clarify that this is not Mike Leadbitter’s book of the same title, which they put in the appendix, “The Books Behind the Blues 100.” Even when analyzing books in the top ten, Komara and Johnson identify discrepancies and weaknesses. In The Story of the Blues, Paul Oliver uses the term diatonic, which (they point out) should be replaced by the term chromatic scale (p. 15). In Savannah Syncopators (no. 6, p. 26), Paul Oliver inferred several answers that Komara calls theses; they should be viewed as assertions which need “to be accepted or disproven.” The authors note in the entry for Father of the Blues (no. 12) that W. C. Handy, though very influential, was “not the father of the blues,” despite the title of his autobiography (p. 40). Handy was a singer, trumpeter, composer, and publisher. Komara and Johnson then clarify past myths and rumors in the Bessie entry (no. 16, pp. 51–53), putting to rest a much-perpetuated error that Bessie Smith allegedly died due to denial of treatment at a whites-only hospital. Komara and Johnson illustrate each book’s unique qualities: readers should seek the early editions of The Devil’s Music by Giles Oakley (no. 4), for their “crisp reproductions of photographs; some of its cultural and contextual images are not in any other blues book” (p. 21). They note that readers should seek the out-of-print hardcover edition for crisp pictures in Africa and the Blues, by Gerhard Kubik (no. 7, p. 30). But the compilers also note the quick topical shifts, sensationalist writing, unintroduced quotes, and poor photographic quality in Memphis Blues and Jug Bands (no. 18, p. 57). The authors’ annotations convey much history: not...

Image Segmentation Method Selection for Vehicle Detection Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

This article discusses the possibility of applying the methods of allocating super pixels in the task for detecting moving and stationary vehicles in images obtained from the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) which flying over roads and parking lots. The paper will also consider the specificity of images obtained when shooting with the UAV, the specificity of the image processing, and formed the requirements for segmentation algorithm applicable to the task. Author of the article has developed the application required to measure the average image processing speed in the video stream and the application for evaluating vehicles partitioning quality. This application works with the test image, on which the location of the vehicle were determined by the human. A study was conducted of the several algorithms for image segmentation: LIC, Quick Shift, Felzenszwalb-Huttenlocher, and Model based clustering algorithm. The article presents data on the speed and accuracy of the evaluation of these algorithms in the task for UAV's images segmentation. In conclusion, author has chosen methods that suitable for their use in specific application task. For image segmentation, it was decided to use two of the most appropriate method: segmentation algorithm Felzenszwalb-Huttenlocher and developed by the author earlier algorithm based on the approach to clustering model based clustering. The article also discusses possible further ways of unification super pixels containing regions with vehicles. Further work will focus on the modification, parallelization and accelerate software implementation of FHS and MBC. The author will be also investigate the question of the possibility of Markov Chains to solving the task for super pixels association to the regions and the question of the applicability of the binary classification of regions for the detection of vehicles.

Forest Conservation & Environmental Awareness

Forest conservation is the practice of planting and maintaining forested areas for the benefit and sustainability of future generations. The conservation of forest also stands & aims at a quick shift in the composition of trees species and age distribution. Forest conservation involves the upkeep of the natural resources within a forest that are beneficial to both humans and the environment. Forests are vital for human life because they provide a diverse range of resources: they store carbon &act as carbon sink, produce oxygen which is vital for existence of life on the earth, so they are rightly called as earth lung, help in regulating hydrological cycle, planetary climate, purify water, provide wild life habitat(50% of the earth's biodiversity occurs in forests), reduce global warming, absorb toxic gases & noise, reduce pollution, conserve soil,mitigate natural hazards such as floods& landslides & so on. But now-a-days, forest cover is depleting rapidly due to many reasons such as an expansion of agriculture, timber plantation, other land uses like pulp and paper plantations, urbanization, construction of roads, industries, constitutes the biggest and severe threat to the forest causing serious environmental damage. Thus, there is need of public awareness. This paper offers various strategies for the conservation of forest & awareness to people, which plays a vital role for maintaining a proper balance of environment. So, we must get involved in this national task.

Epidemiology of abnormal glucose metabolism in a country facing its epidemic: SAUDI-DM study.

Saudi Arabia is a community thrilled by sudden social and economical changes, leading to a sharp increase in the prevalence of abnormal glucose metabolism. Age-specific diabetes and impaired fasting glucose prevalence is the focus of this study with the expected risk factors. A nationwide, household, randomized, population based cohort of 18 034 participants aged ≥30 years was selected to test for abnormal glucose metabolism using fasting plasma glucose (FPG) according to American Diabetes Association (ADA) criteria. The prevalence of diabetes was 25.4% with 40.3% being unaware of their disease, while impaired fasting glucose (IFG) affected 25.5% of the total sample. IFG to diabetes ratio was one in this study, decreasing with age and increasing with body weight. Age ≥45 years, hypertension, history of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), and high triglycerides are the strongest risk factors in diabetic patients, while history of GDM, dyslipidemia, obesity, and high triglycerides are the most significant risk factors in IFG participants. Abnormal glucose metabolism has reached an epidemic level in this society, where half of adults and older are affected. Risk factors are behind this epidemic and the quick shift from IFG to diabetes in this society.

Constraints on dilution from a narrow attentional zoom reveal how spatial and color cues direct selection.

Distractor interference is subject to dilution from other nontarget elements, and the level of dilution is affected by attention. This study explores the nature of dilution when the location and color of the target is known in advance. Experiments 1 and 2 show that attention is effectively limited to the precued region, so that it is the nontarget letters appearing at the cued locations that are responsible for most of the dilution, and not those appearing at the uncued locations. Furthermore, this dilution occurs relatively early in processing. Experiment 3 demonstrates that top-down attentional control can prevent dilution, because foreknowledge of the target color leads to quick attention shifts. Experiment 4 illustrates bottom-up attentional control in preventing dilution when the distractor is a color singleton that is segregated from the diluting nontargets. The results show that dilution is modulated by both top-down and bottom-up factors, that it can occur even when attention is restricted to a relatively small region, and that it occurs early in processing, but not so early that it avoids the effects of attention. They provide new challenges for earlier accounts suggesting that dilution is widespread and unfettered by attention. Likewise, some parts of the results are difficult to reconcile with the alternative perceptual load theory, but they do support a form of dilution that is limited by attentional boundaries. Because of that link to attention, dilution is a useful tool for measuring how attention is guided by information about target location and color.

Mesh segmentation based on curvatures using the GPU

This paper proposes an efficient algorithm for decomposition of a 3D arbitrary triangular mesh into surface patches. Our method is based on the discrete curvatures for an accurate partitioning criterion and presents a fast clustering scheme of vertices using quick shift algorithm. It was implemented on the GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) because it is common for object geometry to exist in graphic memory so that more computational work is done directly on the graphic device. The proposed method results in fast estimation of curvatures and high quality of mesh segmentation. Also we applied it to NPR drawing of 3D meshes.

Mesh Segmentation with Discrete Curvatures and Quick Shift

메쉬 분할(mesh segmentation) 또는 메쉬 영역화(mesh partitioning) 기술은 컴퓨터 그래픽스 및 응용 SW에서 자주 사용되는 기술 중 하나로, 텍스처 매핑, 형상 매칭, 모핑, 메쉬 압축 및 애니메이션 등과 같은 다양한 분야에서 활용되고 있다. 본 논문에서는 이산 곡률과 quick shift를 이용한 메쉬 분할 알고리즘을 제안한다. 메쉬 분할의 기준이 되는 이산 곡률은 CUDA(Compute Unified Device Architecture)를 사용하여 병렬로 계산됨으로써 빠르게 추정되고, 2차원 이미지 처리에서 사용되던 quick shift 방법을 3차원 메쉬에 응용함으로써 꼭지점들을 실시간으로 클러스터링 한다. 전체 과정 중 꼭지점마다 수행되는 주요 과정들이 GPU에서 병렬로 처리됨으로써, 기존의 CPU에서 실행되던 메쉬 분할 방법보다 수행 시간이 개선되었음을 결과로 제시한다.

The Old 100th was a Fighting Regiment: A Short History of the 100th Illinois Infantry During the Civil War

year 1862 brought hope, anxiety, and uncertainty to Illinois. Civil War was entering its second year after an enthusiastic response to the first call for volunteers in April 1861. Many units were quickly filled and left for points south. But as the second half of 1861 wore on, few Illinois volunteers could claim to have seen anything but small engagements and a great deal of camp life. largest engagements of 1861 in both the eastern and western theaters of war had been fought without Illinois'participation.On January 1, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln, frustrated by the inactivity over the fall and winter of 1861, issued General Order No. 1 commanding movement along all fronts by February 22, Washington's Birthday. Within months, Will County and other Illinois communities would know the cost of war, as engagements at Fort Donelson and the bloody two-day battle of Shiloh produced the highest numbers of dead and wounded to be reported back home up to that point in the war. While some would grieve over lost loved ones, the result of these early battles was significant. Confederate defensive line in the west was shattered, Kentucky secured, western Tennessee and its capitol, Nashville taken. Soon the Confederacy's largest port, New Orleans, would fall and Northern spirits rose as it seemed the war might be won that year. Optimism must have increased when General George B. McClellan finally launched his long awaited campaign against the Confederate capitol, Richmond, Virginia, by transporting his huge Army of the Potomac to the James peninsula and began a slow but steady advance to the outskirts of Richmond. Yet the momentum suddenly changed in a matter of weeks, triggered by McClellan's abrupt retreat back down the James peninsula and then by the quick shift of Confederate forces in the west back into eastern Tennessee at Chattanooga, threatening all that had been gained.It was against this backdrop, in the summer of 1862, that the federal government sought more volunteers and that a new regiment of infantry would be raised in one Illinois county. On July 1, 1862, President Lincoln called for 300,000 more troops to put down the rebellion. In Joliet, the recruiting drums would begin beating as they had done over a year ago when the Twentieth Illinois Infantry had been formed there at Camp Goodell. Companies began to enroll recruits across Will County and some from parts of south Cook County, and soon the idea was conceived to form an entire regiment from these communities. Township supervisors pooled funds to offer a $60 bounty to volunteers. By the end of August, the goal had been met with 893 enlisted men gathered at what was now called Camp Erwin (after William Erwin of the Twentieth Illinois who had been killed at Fort Donelson).1The man chosen to lead them was well known to them: Frederick Bartleson, then a major in the Twentieth Illinois. Bartleson was the first to enlist in Will County in April 1861 and was elected captain of one of the two companies from Joliet. At the battle of Shiloh, he had ridden out in advance of the Twentieth's position to reconnoiter, and returned with his left arm so badly wounded that it was amputated. He was at home in Joliet recuperating when the 100 th Illinois Infantry, The Will County Regiment, was being formed.On September 2,1862, the 100th would leave Joliet aboard twenty cars of the Chicago, Alton and St. Louis Railroad bound for Springfield and points south. Events then played a crucial role in diverting the regiment from Springfield through Indiana to Louisville, Kentucky, as Confederate General Braxton Bragg's invasion of Kentucky was well under way. Along the way, the people of places like Lafayette, Indiana, cheered the new regiment and provided drinks and food for the men.2 Louisville was greatly relieved to see the 100th arrive, and parts of the city welcomed the troops as they marched out immediately to the outskirts still in their civilian garb. …

An AdaptiveSelf Tuning Regulator with Genetic Controller Tuning

This paper presents the development of a Genetic Algorithm Supervisory Loop (GASL) to enhance the performance of Adaptive Controllers in the Self Tuning Regulator (STR) framework. The GASL is designed to tune the identification model and control parameters to achieve an optimum performance of the process. The STR controller used to demonstrate the technique effectiveness is a real time Proportional plus Integral plus Derivative (PID) algorithm. The addition of the GASL to the PID STR provides superior performance by expanding the STR’s ability to maintain control of nonlinear systems under large and quick shifts in system modes and/or disturbances. In test cases, the basic STR shows performance deterioration, while the GAS enhanced STR maintained desirable performances. The GASL developed is applied to a nonlinear adaptive suspension system for investigation and assessment. Investigations results show the effectiveness of utilizing the GASL within the adaptive STR framework.

Guest editorial: Event-based video analysis/retrieval

Identification of events from visual cues is in general an arduous task because of complexmotion, cluttered backgrounds, occlusions, and geometric and photometric variations of the physical objects. This is even more challenging in case of detection of a logical chain of events, i.e., of a sequence of events called a workflow, and in case of the presence of multiple workflows of events in the environment, able to interact one with the other and affect one the outcome of the other. The recent research advances in computer vision and pattern recognition society have stimulated the development of a series of innovative algorithms, tools and methods for salient object detection and tracking in still images/video streams. These techniques are framed with appropriate descriptors (usually with invariance properties) such as the Scale-Invariant Feature Transform (SIFT) or the Speeded Up Robust Features (SURF), or the MPEG-7 visual descriptors. All these research methods can be considered as initial steps towards the ultimate goal for behavior/event understanding. However, automatic comprehension of someone’s behavior within a scene or even automatic supervision of workflows (e.g., industrial processes) is a complex research field of great attention but with limited results so far. Most of the current approaches presented involve machine learning theories, such as supervised or semi-supervised methods, object tracking algorithms, adaptation mechanisms to handle complex, dynamic and abrupt visual conditions and application-specific analysis topics. On the other hand, during the past few years, more and more people have been coping with the so called “Information Overload” phenomenon. On the basis of the i) diversity and plenitude of media information currently available on the web and ii) the gradual but quick role shift of the users from being solely content consumers to acting both as content consumers Multimed Tools Appl (2014) 69:247–251 DOI 10.1007/s11042-013-1726-z

Interplay between redox conditions and hydrological changes in sediments from Lake Nam Co (Tibetan Plateau) during the past 4000 cal BP inferred from geochemical and micropaleontological analyses

This study focuses on the analysis of lake sediments retrieved from the deepest part of Lake Nam Co (Tibetan Plateau). One gravity core of 115cm length, covering the last ~4000cal BP, was analyzed for geochemical and biological parameters. High organic content at ~4000cal BP and the coinciding presence of pyrite framboids until ~2000cal BP point to hampered decomposition of organic material due to anoxic conditions within the lake sediments. At the same time sedimentological and biological proxies suggest a rather high lake level, but still ~5m below the recent one, with less saline lake water due to enhanced monsoonal activity. During this time a change in the source of organic matter to lowered input of terrestrial components is observed. A rather quick shift to a dry environment with less monsoonal influence and a lake level ~15m lower than today at ~2000cal BP lead to the oxygenation of sediment, the degradation of organic matter and the absence of pyrite. Oscillations of the lake level thereafter were of minor amplitude and not able to establish anoxia at the lake bottom again. A wet spell between ~1500cal BP and ~1150cal BP is visible in proxies referring to catchment hydrology and the ostracod-based water depth transfer function gives only a slightly elevated lake level. The last ~300years are characterized by low TOC and rising TN values reflecting enhanced nutrient supply and hence an advancing influence of human activity in the catchment. Decreasing TOC/TN values point to a complete shift to almost solely aquatic biomass production. These results show that hydrological variations in terms of lake level change based on monsoonal strength can be linked to redox conditions at the lake bottom of Nam Co. Comparison with other archives over larger parts of the Tibetan Plateau and beyond exhibits a rather homogeneous climatic pattern throughout the late Holocene.

The Unfinished Puzzle of Identity in Imperial Russia

Marcus C. Levitt, The Visual Dominant in Eighteenth-Century Russia. 362 pp. DeKalb: Northern Illinois University Press, 2011. ISBN 0875804422. $49.00. Olga Maiorova, From Shadow of Empire: Defining Russian Nation through Cultural Mythology, 1855-1870. 277 pp. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 2010. ISBN 0299235949. $29.95. Elena Vishlenkova, Vizual'noe narodovedenie imperii, ili uvidet' russkogo dano ne kazhdomu (Visual Ethnography of Empire, or Not Everyone Can See Russian). 384 pp. Moscow: Novoe literaturnoe obozrenie, 2011. ISBN 5867938628. It seems surprising today that not so long ago question of identity--ethno-cultural, national, imperial, regional, and so on--played a small and secondary role in historiography of imperial Russia. Deeply committed to grand problematic of empire's gradual demise and replacement by Soviet Union, Cold War scholarship (in Russia and abroad) did not ignore of identity so much as allow them to be subsumed under then appeared to be more pressing concerns. The rapidity with which topic of identity took center stage in late 1980s and early 1990s can be attributed to coincidental confluence of two distinct factors. First, under influence of was then called the new cultural complexity and contingency of identity itself was coming to fore throughout discipline of history. National identity in particular underwent a quick shift from something tacitly agreed on as relatively stable to a flexible and contested set of values and ideas based on invention of tradition and imagination of community. (1) Second, scholarship of this sort grew widespread around same time that power in Soviet Union was being decentered, flowing out from Moscow into regions and allowing for rise of national states that would soon recenter power on themselves. In short, of difference, affiliation, and identity in former Soviet and imperial Russian space were in obvious need of exploration just at time when intellectual equipment for that exploration was being delivered. (2) By now it would not be going too far to say that problems of identity have become an essential concern for historians of imperial Russia. The cursed questions remain, but now those overtly political bol'nye voprosy, like who is to blame? and what is to be done? have been supplemented by a new focus on equally thorny, and even more irresolvable, who are we? and where are we going? (3) These questions, too, resonated loudly in Russian Empire. How ultimately to distinguish Russian from Ukrainian, Western from Slav, regional or national from imperial, and so on were fraught and difficult problems, rendered even more intractable by an autocratic state that imposed its own structures of meaning and organization on society it governed. As difficult as of identity in imperial Russia may have been, however, they could not be ignored. As with other external developments that continued to threaten Russia with need for change, like industrialization or political liberalization, outside world kept making demands, and clear forms of identity and allegiance were yet another inescapable presupposition of European modernity. To be sure, identity must be understood as a myth or a useful fiction, but it is one of essential myths on which modern history is made. No doubt culturally constructed nature of collective identity helped delay its appearance as a key historiographical problem, partly because topic does not lie within provenance of any single discipline. As scholarship on identity formation has become more sophisticated, it has been carried out in disciplines as disparate as art history, literature, political science, and psychology. Historians interested in identity issues have often been compelled to move outside their disciplinary comfort zones. …

Instability of the faecal microbiota in diarrhoea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome

The irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a functional gastrointestinal disorder with a largely unknown aetiology and a wide range of symptoms. Most cross-sectional studies carried out so far suggest subtle alterations in the structure of the intestinal microbiota that are barely reproduced, partly because of the high inter-subject variation in the community composition and disorder-specific features. We performed a longitudinal study to explore the within-subject variation in the faecal microbiota in two patients with IBS classified into the diarrhoea subtype and the healthy spouse of one of them. Faecal communities were monitored over 6-8weeks and analysed through metagenomic and metatranscriptomic approaches. We found a higher temporal instability in the fraction of active microbiota related to the IBS condition and fluctuating symptoms. Strong and quick shifts in the distribution of the active microbiota and changes in the global pattern of gene expression were detected in association with acute diarrhoea, whereas microbial composition and encoded functions were more stable. The specific alterations in the microbiota were barely reproduced within and between patients. Further research is needed to assess whether these changes are a consequence of the abnormal gut function in acute diarrhoeic episodes and the potential usefulness of tackling them.

Temperature-Shift Speed Dependence of Nonspecific Amplification of Polymerase Chain Reaction Examined by 1480 nm Photothermal Transition Speed Controllable High-Speed Polymerase Chain Reaction System

We have examined the contribution of temperature shift speed from denaturation to extension for the reduction of nonspecific amplification caused by the mismatched primer-target attachment. We have newly developed the photothermal quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) system, in which the direct absorption of a 1480 nm infrared laser beam was controlled by a rotating gradient neutral density (ND) filter to acquire the precise control of the desired speed of temperature shift between 60 and 95 °C up to 1 s. The results showed that a quick shift of the temperature during the qPCR procedure reduced nonspecific amplicons with a significant reduction of qPCR time when we have chosen proper primer sets, whereas the non-proper primer set amplified nonspecific amplicons in the fast qPCR. The results indicate that the potential of quick qPCR using proper primers can reduce nonspecific amplification and the required time for qPCR measurement, and the necessity of more precise check of the matching of the primer template adequate for the fast temperature shift and for quick qPCR analysis.

Shift of song frequencies in response to masking tones

Ambient noise can interfere with signal transmission and detection across many taxa and modalities. Evidence suggests that, over time, signals evolve to minimize interference from ambient noise and other signalling animals. Less well studied is the possibility of short-term behavioural responses to transient ambient noise, in which animals actively adjust signal parameters to recover signalling efficacy. Here we test animals' capacity to adjust vocal signal parameters in the face of transient acoustic interference. In field trials we monitored the songs of territorial male black-capped chickadees, Poecile atricapillus, determined the frequencies of their ‘fee-bee’ songs, and broadcast tones to closely mask subjects' ‘bee’ notes. We also presented control nonmasking tones of 5 kHz, well above birds' song frequencies. Our main finding was that males responded to masking tones by shifting song frequencies after an average of 66.4 s from tone onset, whereas frequency shifts in the presence of nonmasking tones occurred only after an average of 95.8 s. The quicker shift in frequencies in the face of masking noise provides new evidence for vocal behavioural plasticity, and further reveals how behavioural plasticity together with evolutionary adaptations can minimize the detrimental effects of ambient noise on communication.

Realistic Real-time Facial Expressions Animation via 3D Morphing Target

Realistic facial animation can enhance the immersion characteristic of 3D games. This paper proposes a 3D morphing target method based on GPU for real-time animation of facial expressions. We employ texture mapping to obtain a realistic appearance, and design a fast morphing process to achieve a relatively high FPS by modifying the morph data structure and implementing the morphing algorithm in the shader. The algorithm can be realized and divided into seven steps including creating morph target expressions, evaluating difference vector, initializing morph data structure, loading data into VBO, linking attributes to shader and rendering facial expressions. The rendering system also gives us convenient interaction with the digital character and realizes quick expressions shift for practical application. Experiment results show that the proposed approach yields realistic real-time expressions animation.

Research on Shifting Control Method of Positive Independent Mechanical Split Path Transmission for the Starting Gear

To realize a smooth and quick shift of the positive independent mechanical split path transmission (PIMSPT) equipped with automatic shifting control system (ASCS), the research on the feasibility of improving shift quality by dynamic and cooperative controlling engine, steering clutches, and brakes has been conducted. The shifting control method suited to starting gear of PIMSPT has been proposed. The control method is based on control parameters, such as the driving shaft speed and its derivative. The control laws of steering clutches and brakes are presented during each gear and stage of shifting. Bench and road test results show that the proposed shifting control method can not only shorten the shift time, but also decrease the jerk of shifting effectively.

Cascading climate effects and related ecological consequences during past centuries

Abstract. The interface between climate and ecosystem structure and function is incompletely understood, partly because few ecological records start before the recent warming phase. Here, we analyse an exceptional 100-yr long record of the great tit (Parus major) population in Switzerland in relation to climate and habitat phenology. Using structural equation analysis, we demonstrate an uninterrupted cascade of significant influences of the large-scale atmospheric circulation (North-Atlantic Oscillation, NAO, and North-sea – Caspian Pattern, NCP) on habitat and breeding phenology, and further on fitness-relevant life history traits within great tit populations. We then apply the relationships of this analysis to reconstruct the circulation-driven component of fluctuations in great tit breeding phenology and productivity on the basis of new seasonal NAO and NCP indices back to 1500 AD. According to the structural equation model, the multi-decadal oscillation of the atmospheric circulation likely led to substantial variation in habitat phenology, productivity and consequently, tit population fluctuations with minima during the "Maunder Minimum" (∼ 1650–1720) and the Little Ice Age Type Event I (1810–1850). The warming since 1975 was not only related with a quick shift towards earlier breeding, but also with the highest productivity since 1500, and thus, the impact of the NAO and NCP has contributed to an unprecedented increase of the population. A verification of the structural equation model against two independent data series (1970–2000 and 1750–1900) corroborates that the retrospective model reliably depicts the major long-term NAO/NCP impact on ecosystem parameters. The results suggest a complex cascade of climate effects beginning at a global scale and ending at the level of individual life histories. This sheds light on how large-scale climate conditions substantially affect major life history parameters within a population, and thus influence key ecosystem parameters at the scale of centuries.

Possible Effects of the Financial Crisis on Managers’ Attitudes to Older Workers

The article explores the possible short-term effects of the financial crisis in Norway on cognitive, affective, and behavioral components of managers’ attitudes to older workers. The quick shifts in business cycles in 2008 and 2009, i.e., the financial crisis, produced some immediate reactions among managers. In particular, the protection of older workers by downsizing (the seniority principle) gained less support within the first half year of the crisis; however, there was a return to the former level of support within the next half year. This pattern of change was observed in the private sector, while managers in the public sector changed attitudes on a smaller scale and in the direction of increased support for the seniority principle. The data are from the Norwegian Senior Policy Barometer where national samples of managers in private companies and in the public sector are interviewed. The study has a time series design with new samples (N=750) each year from 2003 to 2011. The cognitive component of attitudes was less affected by the financial crisis than the behavioral disposition mentioned above. The tendency was for more positive conceptions of older workers among managers in the public sector. In the private sector, the views of managers changed even less and in the opposite direction. An impact of more gradual business cycles is seen in the affective component of attitudes. Yet, older workers are among the least popular categories to recruit in both rising and falling cycles. The finding that managers in the private sector are more affected than managers in the less market-exposed public sector supports the possible effects of the financial crisis on attitudes to older workers. For senior policy, it is notable to keep track of long-term trends and not to be beset by short-term shifts in the need for older workers. Lasting effects of falling business cycles on the employment of older workers may be prevented by reinforcing a solid basis of realistic cognitions about older workers and by openness concerning affective aspects of aging and older workers.

Causal independence between energy consumption and economic growth in Liberia: Evidence from a non-parametric bootstrapped causality test

This contribution investigates causal interdependence between energy consumption and economic growth in Liberia and proposes application of a bootstrap methodology. To better reflect causality, employment is incorporated as additional variable. The study demonstrates evidence of distinct bidirectional Granger causality between energy consumption and economic growth. Additionally, the results show that employment in Liberia Granger causes economic growth and apply irrespective of the short-run or long-run. Evidence from a Monte Carlo experiment reveals that the asymptotic Granger causality test suffers size distortion problem for Liberian data, suggesting that the bootstrap technique employed in this study is more appropriate. Given the empirical results, implications are that energy expansion policies like energy subsidy or low energy tariff for instance, would be necessary to cope with demand exerted as a result of economic growth in Liberia. Furthermore, Liberia might have the performance of its employment generation on the economy partly determined by adequate energy. Therefore, it seems fully justified that a quick shift towards energy production based on clean energy sources may significantly slow down economic growth in Liberia. Hence, the government’s target to implement a long-term strategy to make Liberia a carbon neutral country, and eventually less carbon dependent by 2050 is understandable.