Anthropogenic emission of platinum group elements (PGEs) from the abrasion of automotive catalytic converters into the environment has significantly increased. However, the concentration level of these PGEs (i.e. Pd, Pt, Rh) is still very low in the nature. Accordingly, their determination and speciation in various environmental compartments appears to be a challenging task for analytical chemi...

The only uses of this work permitted are private study or research. Introduction Adam Smith is a towering fi gure in the history of economic thought. While he was by no means the fi rst to develop many of the ideas which underpinned the development of modern economics, nevertheless it is often the case that earlier thinkers are discussed in terms of the extent to which they anticipated Smith, o...

In recent years Cloud Resolving Models (CRMs) have become an increasingly important tool for the study of convective phenomena. CRMs should not be regarded as simply providing surrogates for observations; rather, they allow idealized but realistic simulations to be produced which provide a laboratory for the careful diagnostic analysis of generic convective systems. Such analysis is a distincti...

Purpose – Describes the basic premises of three metatheories that represent important or emerging perspectives on information seeking, retrieval and knowledge formation in information science: constructivism, collectivism, and constructionism. Design/methodology/approach – Presents a literature-based conceptual analysis. Pinpoints the differences between the positions in their conceptions of la...

This paper analyses different definitions of mobile learning which have been proposed by various researchers. The most distinctive features of mobile learning are extracted to propose a new definition for Mobile Educational Mixed Reality Games (MEMRG). A questionnaire and a quantifying scale are designed to assist the game developers in designing MEMRG. A new psycho-pedagogical approach to teac...

Down syndrome (Trisomy 21) is one of the commonest chromosomal disorders which occur in one in 650-1000 live births. Mental retardation, dysmorphic facial features and other distinctive phenotypic traits characterize the Down syndrome [1]. A precise diagnosis makes available all the accumulated knowledge and experience of that condition and generally provides a better estimate of the risk of re...

Parkinson's disease (PD) is one of the most common neurodegenerative disorders. The condition causes a heavy burden both on those affected, as well as their families. Accurate diagnosis is critical and remains founded on clinical grounds as no specific diagnostic test is available so far. The clinical picture of PD is typical in many instances; however, features distinguishing it from other dis...

A text-to-speech system can effectively imitate distinctive speaking styles when a few critical prosodic features are modeled and controlled. This paper demonstrates the methodology with a number of examples, including the ornamental notes and the amplitude profile that define the singing style of Dinah Shore, the phrase curve that sets off the dramatic speaking style of Martin Luther King Jr, ...

A move towards self-management is central to health strategy around chronic low back pain, but its concept and meaning for those involved are poorly understood. In the reported study, four distinct and shared viewpoints on self-management were identified among people with pain and healthcare providers using Q methodology. Each construes self-management in a distinctive manner and articulates a ...

Recently, most of the discussions in Confucian political theory have concentrated on whether Confucianism is compatible with local practices, such as liberal democracy. The question how Confucians view global distributive justice has not yet received critical attention. This essay aims to fill this gap. I will first describe a contractualist methodology, which at deriving substantial principles...