The randomized-feature approach has been successfully employed in large-scale kernel approximation and supervised learning. The distribution from which the random features are drawn impacts the number of features required to efficiently perform a learning task. Recently, it has been shown that employing data-dependent randomization improves the performance in terms of the required number of random features. In this paper, we are concerned with the randomized-feature approach in supervised learning for good generalizability. We propose the Energy-based Exploration of Random Features (EERF) algorithm based on a data-dependent score function that explores the set of possible features and exploits the promising regions. We prove that the proposed score function with high probability recovers the spectrum of the best fit within the model class. Our empirical results on several benchmark datasets further verify that our method requires smaller number of random features to achieve a certain generalization error compared to the state-of-the-art while introducing negligible pre-processing overhead. EERF can be implemented in a few lines of code and requires no additional tuning parameters.


This thesis explores the role of technology as a resource in the
structure of medical domination of birth and death, stressing
technology's pivotal position at the intersection of control and
uncertainty.
Based in Intensive Care and Obstetrics (between which the health status
of patients diverges sharply), it notes the convergence of technology
used and examines the contest for control within the labour process.
This includes using technology to facilitate a 'standardized' birth or
death; a more retrospectively defensible event. In general, the
'burden of proof' is concluded to lie with those wishing not to
intervene rather than the reverse.
Given the (cognitively male) biomedical model, mind-body dualism is an
assumption embedded in medical technology: this is especially
significant in childbirth, where it fractures the woman's ontological
experience of giving birth. Its positivistic and pathological
emphasis is associated with a reification of processes and a
commodification of their 'solution': which becomes located in
technology. It is argued that commodification in health provision will
increase with the further application of market principles to the NHS.
It is concluded that 'uncertainty', endemic to medicine and a possible
challenge to control, is proactively manipulated and pressed into the
service of medical domination. Technology is used to mask uncertainty
and aid the medical profession's control of patients/relatives, and
subordinate work groups.
A technological fix may be viewed as the opposite to re-discovering
societal dreams and myths, however, more paradoxically, it is concluded
that dreams and myths have become attached to technology. Thus, the
symbolic role of technology is: to provide hope of continued survival
(or cure), the veiling of existential uncertainty and the offer of
'absolution' - should all efforts fail (a freedom from guilt in the
assurance that "everything possible was tried"). Its 'heroic' project
is viewed as an existentially 'masculine' health provision and
'feminized' health care is posited as an alternative.


ABSTRACT Group B streptococcus (GBS) is an important cause of early- and late-onset sepsis in the newborn. Preterm infants have markedly increased susceptibility and worse outcomes, but their immunological responses to GBS are poorly defined. We compared mononuclear cell and whole-blood cytokine responses to heat-killed GBS (HKGBS) of preterm infants (gestational age [GA], 26 to 33 weeks), term infants, and healthy adults. We investigated the kinetics and cell source of induced cytokines and quantified HKGBS phagocytosis. HKGBS-induced tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and interleukin 6 (IL-6) secretion was significantly impaired in preterm infants compared to that in term infants and adults. These cytokines were predominantly monocytic in origin, and production was intrinsically linked to HKGBS phagocytosis. Very preterm infants (GA, <30 weeks) had fewer cytokine-producing monocytes, but nonopsonic phagocytosis ability was comparable to that for term infants and adults. Exogenous complement supplementation increased phagocytosis in all groups, as well as the proportion of preterm monocytes producing IL-6, but for very preterm infants, responses were still deficient. Similar defective preterm monocyte responses were observed in fresh whole cord blood stimulated with live GBS. Lymphocyte-associated cytokines were significantly deficient for both preterm and term infants compared to levels for adults. These findings indicate that a subset of preterm monocytes do not respond to GBS, a defect compounded by generalized weaker lymphocyte responses in newborns. Together these deficient responses may increase the susceptibility of preterm infants to GBS infection.


Sinai is an important region in Egypt due to different reasons. One of the main reasons is the variety of plant species it has representing around 40% of plant species of Egypt. Moreover, it has around 60 endemic species. Sinai is characterized mainly by its hot dry climate, however one can find Mediterranean vegetation types mainly in its North, desert ones mainly in the middle and mountainous ones mainly in the south. This vegetation database is an attempt to collect the plant species records made at Sinai by many persons over time. This database is intended to be a nucleus for the National Vegetation Database of Egypt which was initiated by the Botany Department Faculty of Science – of Tanta University under supervision of Professor Kamal Shaltout (Tanta University) with the great support of Professor Joop Schaminee (Wageningen University, Netherlands) and Stephan Hennekens (Alterra Institute, Netherlands). The current database can be used for determining the classification of vegetation at Sinai, getting better understanding of plant species distribution, applying much phytosociological studies and not the last, better management of biodiversity issues at Sinai. The Vegetation Database of Sinai in Egypt (GIVD ID AS-EG-001) comprises around 1,620 releves and it is still growing.


BACKGROUND: We have performed an in-vitro examination of the morphology of flap thickness and stromal bed after LASIK in porcine eyes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Freshly enucleated porcine eyes and synthetic eye models were used for cutting flaps with the microkeratomes Hansatome-Excellus (Bausch&Lomb), M2 single use (Moria), Amadeus (AMO), MK-2000 (Nidek) and Carriazo-Pendular (Schwind). The flap thickness of porcine eyes was determined using a non-contact, confocal optical distance measuring device (CHR 150N, Jurca), in the eye models a mechanical thickness measuring device (Kafler) was used. The morphology of the stromal bed was examined by photography, histology, scanning electron microscopy and confocal optical distance measurements. RESULTS: The optical/mechanical flap thickness measurements showed an average difference compared to the adjusted thickness of - 3/+ 90 microm (Hansatome-Excellus), + 7/+ 100 microm (M2 single use), - 35/+ 40 microm (Amadeus), - 4/+ 80 microm (MK-2000) and + 11/+ 0 microm (Carriazo-Pendular). Histology showed no mechanical damage and smooth, slightly undulating surfaces with all microkeratomes. In the scanning electron microscopic examination, the stromal surface was found to be homogeneous and smooth for all of the microkeratomes. Average roughness of the ablation surface was 0.27 microm (Hansatome-Excellus), 0.23 microm (M2 single use), 0.21 microm (Amadeus), 0.23 microm (MK-2000) and 0.29 microm (Carriazo-Pendular). CONCLUSION: The stromal bed showed in all cases only a slightly roughness, which seems to be acceptable for the clinical outcome. However, the more critical point is the large variations in flap thickness compared to the intended thickness.


It is widely believed that the current world order is undergoing fundamental changes. One of the main alleged challenges comes from non-Western states, most notably China. As China continues to rise, in what ways is it challenging the U.S.-led international order? This question has generated a plethora of scholarly books, articles, and reports that examine how an increasingly powerful China is engaging with the world, and what this means for the global order. In particular, China's role in global governance has begun to occupy the centre stage of International Relations literature.

This dissertation examines China's engagement with international normative order by investigating why China selectively complies with international norms. Utilizing three international norms as case studies: nuclear non-proliferation in the case of UNSC Resolutions on the DPRK, Common but Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities (CBDR-RC) in climate change mitigation, and international adjudication in the South China Sea dispute, I show that China's compliance with international norms is not straightforward but differs from norm to norm. Rather, we see varying degrees of compliance: from full (CBDR-RC), partial (nuclear non-proliferation), through to non-compliance (international adjudication). By building on critical constructivism that treats norms as flexible and socially constructed, I not only challenge the binary distinction between norm takers and norm makers that continues to recur in norms diffusion and socialization literature, I also illustrate our understanding of what constitute norms compliant behaviour is inter-subjective and may differ due to norm ambiguity. Normative clarity might seem to be a virtue, but it is rarely achieved in practice. Instead I argue that norms are left ambiguous to generate inter-subjectivity amongst different actors. But it is this very form of ambiguity that leads to inter-subjective disagreement over a norm's specific elements, thereby triggering various forms of contestation. The case studies draw attention to China's broad acceptance of the validity of international norms in principle, but it engages in applicatory contestation that 'challenge' the norm's applicability or the type of situation to which the norms apply, because of its divergent normative interpretations and understandings. In light of this, to access China's own interpretation of ambiguous norms and what it considers to be compliant behaviour, I examine how norms are constructed and represented at the state level. These representations, I suggest, are informed by the identity narratives that conceptualize China's state identity discourses.


Background Prospective studies on lipids and risk of Parkinson's disease (PD) in Asian populations are sparse. This study prospectively examined the associations between dietary cholesterol and major fatty acids, and risk of PD among the Chinese in Singapore. Methods This study used data from the Singapore Chinese Health Study, a population-based prospective cohort of 63 257 men and women aged 45–74 years in Singapore enrolled in 1993–1998. Dietary intakes of cholesterol and fatty acids were derived from a validated semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire and the Singapore Food Composition Table. Incident PD cases were identified either through follow-up interviews or record linkage analysis with hospital discharge and PD outpatient registries. Results After an average of 14.6 years, 218 men and 193 women in the cohort developed PD. Dietary cholesterol was associated with statistically significantly lower risk of PD in a dose–dependent manner among men after adjustment for established risk factors for PD and intakes of major fatty acids. Compared to the lowest quartile, HR (95% CI) for the highest quartile was 0.53 (95% CI 0.33 to 0.84) (P for trend=0.006). Among women, dietary monounsaturated fatty acid was inversely associated with PD risk (P for trend=0.033). Compared to the lowest quartile, HR for the highest quartile was 0.44 (95% CI 0.22 to 0.88). There was no statistically significant association between dietary saturated, n-3 and n-6 fatty acids and PD risk. Conclusions Higher intakes of cholesterol and monounsaturated fatty acids may reduce risk of PD in men and women, respectively.


Virtual environments have been investigated for fitness and medical rehabilitation. In this study, the Sony EyeToy and PlayStation 2 were used with the Anti- Grav TM game to evaluate their potential for improving postural balance. The game required lateral head, body, and arm movements. The performance on balance tests of subjects who trained for 3 weeks with this game was compared to the performance of controls who were not trained. Training subjects showed improvement for two of the three tests (each testing a different facet of balance), suggesting specificity of training, while control subjects did not show significant improvement on any test. Simulator sickness questionnaire results showed a variety of mild symptoms, which decreased over the training sessions. Motor learning analysis of the game scores showed that mastery had been achieved on the easier level in the game, but not on the second level of difficulty. This reflects the potential for continued learning and training through advanced levels within a game. A model parameter using the time constants of game score improvement was devel- oped, which could be used to quantify the difficulty for any video game design. The results suggest that this video game could be used for some aspects of balance training.


Through designing the weave of skirt waist and body, using textile CAD digital design technology and electronic jacquard weaving technology, woven semi-molding female skirt fabric is researched and developed. Developed product not only makes the skirt waist and body have different styles, but also makes skirt be produced without complex cutting. Sewing process is simple, process flow is short, raw material is wasted less and appearance is good.


With the acetates of nickel, manganese and cobalt as raw materials and lithium hydroxide as precipitation agent, the precursor Ni1 / 3 Co1 / 3 Mn1 / 3 (OH) 2 was first prepared by chemical coprecipitation method, which was then mixed and ballmilled with certain stoichiometric ratios of LiOH∙H2O, and ultimately obtained LiCo1/3Mn1/3Ni1/3O2 after calcination process. Single-factor experiment method, in conjunction with XRD, SEM, and charge-discharge test, was utilized to study the influence of various factors, including the dispersion way of precursor, pH value of reaction solution, and the content of ballmilling lithium on the electrochemical properties of LiCo1/3Mn1/3Ni1/3O2. The results indicated that: (1) the material dispersed by ultrasonic treatment revealed excellent cycling performance, its ratio of capacity fading decreased at least 34.1% compared to those without ultrasonic process; (2) the optimum conditions of fabricating LiCo1/3Mn1/3Ni1/3O2 may be summarized as the treatment of ultrasonic dispersion, suitable pH value (12~13) and stoichiometric ratio (1.0) of ballmilling lithium.


The preparedness of graduates from Kenyan universities has raised questions in the job market. For instance, a large percent of graduates are believed to be unfit for the teaching jobs. In this regard, this study intended to establish the implication of academic staffing on the quality of Bachelor of Education Program in public universities in Kenya. The study employed descriptive research design hinged on comparative study methodology (Problem solving Approach) proposed by Brian Holmes. The respondents included: Bachelor of Education Program academic staff, Bachelor of Education Program students, Deans, chairpersons in the School of Education and the Chairperson, Commission for University Education (CUE) in the Ministry of Education. Kenyatta University and University of Nairobi were sampled for the study. The sample comprised of 30% of the targeted academic staff, who were selected randomly to participate in the study. Structured questionnaires, interview schedules and document analysis were used to collect the data. A pilot study was conducted at Moi University. Various descriptive (mean, standard deviation and frequency distribution) and inferential (t-test) statistics were employed at different stages of analysis. Qualitative data was analysed through narration and prose discussion. The findings revealed a number of issues relating to academic staffing, especially full-time teaching staff, in the sampled universities. During the study period (2007-2016) the two universities (UoN and KU) had generally employed more lecturers and tutorial fellows compared to the proportion of senior lectures, associate professors and professors. Notwithstanding, one academic staff was teaching more than one course unit in a semester while others were the only staff relied upon in the department to teach a certain course unit. Moreover, most of the academic staff had scheduled units throughout the semester with majority teaching 14 hours per week. Additionally, some academic staff were involved concurrently in instruction of students within the university and supervision of others on teaching practice. Add to this the requirement to conduct research and publish. Such a huge workload makes it hard for all the obligations to be performed adequately. The respondents also admitted that increase of part-time academic staff was a disadvantage to the quality of B.Ed program since part-time staff were not involved in quality assurance and other important administrative tasks. Majority of the academic staff observed that on many occasions students failed to achieve 75% class attendance meaning that such students were not adequately instructed. It was noted that the proportion of self-sponsored students had surpassed that of government sponsored ones over time. Some classes, especially those involving common units, went as high as 400 students. Another problem affecting the B.Ed program is inadequate space in lecture halls. This was more prominent in common units such as those shared in the school of education including educational foundations and educational psychology. The study recommends that the universities management should adopt the model of mentor supervisors and regulate their recruitment, incentives and reporting in order to reduce the burden of B.Ed Academic Staff participation in teaching practice.


A computer simulation of the motion of ions in a three-dimensional (3-D) quadrupole ion trap has been performed with a Gateway 386 PC/AT computer. The SIMION program was used as the main program to calculate the potential array of the ion trap space. Several user-written programs were interfaced to the SIMION program to simulate the effects of changing various operating conditions, such as the radio-frequency (rf) potential, the collisional buffer gas, external ion injection, dc ejection from the trap, and resonance ejection. With the use of this simulation, the total storage mass range could be obtained as a function of rf voltage and frequency. The simulations show, as expected, that the collisional buffer gas plays an important role in both stabilizing the trajectory of high-kinetic-energy ions (hot ions) inside the ion trap and trapping ions injected from an external source. Several different buffer gases were studied for their effects upon the trapping motion. In addition, both the total mass ejection that results from applying a dc pulse on the output end-cap electrode and the ion ejection that results from applying an rf frequency to the end cap to produce resonance ejection were also studied with this simulation program. It is demonstrated that a simple PC computer using a modified SIMION program provides results very similar to those expected from theory or from previous work.


ABSTRACT The nucleotide sequence of the hypovirulence-associated double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) in hypovirulent isolate Sh12B of Sclerotinia homoeocarpa, the causal agent of dollar spot of turf grass, was determined. This large dsRNA (L-dsRNA) is 2,632 bp long and is A and U rich (61.0% A+U residues). One strand of this dsRNA contains an open reading frame (ORF) with the potential to encode a protein of 720 amino acids. This ORF contains 12 UGA codons, predicted to encode tryptophan in ascomycete mitochondria, and has a codon bias typical of mitochondrial genes, which is consistent with a mitochondrial localization of this dsRNA. The amino acid sequence contains conserved motifs typical of RNA-dependent RNA polymerases (RdRps). Sequence analyses of the nucleotide and RdRp-like protein revealed that the L-dsRNA is homologous with previously characterized mitochondrial viruses and dsRNAs from other phytopathogenic fungi, and shares 92.4% nucleotide and 95.1% amino acid sequence identities with the Ophiostoma novo-ulmi mitovirus 3a-Ld from Ophiostoma novo-ulmi, the causal agent of Dutch elm disease. The results indicate that these two dsRNAs are conspecific. This is the first report that a hypovirulence-associated dsRNA virus naturally occurs in two taxonomically distinct fungi, and indicates that horizontal transmission of this dsRNA virus may have occurred between these fungi.


OBJECTIVE: To assess differences in the brachial plexus block in 2 groups who received the same dose of levobupivacaine: 1 group received a small volume of solution at high concentration and the other group received a large volume in solution at low concentration. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A prospective, randomized clinical trial enrolling 69 patients scheduled for wrist and/or hand surgery with a brachial plexus block with levobupivacaine in the humeral canal. Nerve stimulation was used to locate a response from the 4 terminal nerves in the brachial plexus. In the group receiving a larger volume, 10 mL of a solution of levobupivacaine at a concentration of 0.375% was used for each nerve. In the high concentration group receiving a smaller volume, levobupivacaine was used at a concentration of 0.75% in 5 mL for each nerve. Sensory latency was assessed by the pin prick technique. Motor block, the success rate (percentage), and duration of sensory and motor blockades were also evaluated. RESULTS: The full sensory block was significantly more efficacious in the large volume group than in the high concentration group (85.3% vs 51.6%, P = 0.003). A full motor block was reached in a small percentage of patients in both groups. There were no significant differences in latency or duration of block. CONCLUSIONS: The success rate was lower in the group receiving the smaller volume at a higher concentration. It is advisable to administer local anesthetics in larger volumes at lower concentrations to improve block quality. Latency and duration were similar in both groups.


This reading guide equips social science students to approach the industrial revolution, particularly as it originated in England, but with attention to its international connections.


It has been recently reported that the endogenous expression of HIV-1 Nef in human monocyte/macrophages induces the release of chemokines and other as yet unidentified soluble factors leading to multiple effects of pathogenic significance, such as the recruitment and activation of quiescent lymphocytes. However, the description of underlying molecular mechanisms remained elusive. We recently demonstrated that human monocyte-derived macrophages (MDM) efficiently internalize soluble rNef, thereby inducing effects largely resembling those observed in cells endogenously expressing Nef. By exploiting the rNef/MDM model, we sought to gain more insights on the molecular mechanisms underlying the response of MDM to Nef. Array analysis for the detection of transcripts from a large number of monokines, chemokines, cytokines, and receptors thereof showed that MDM promptly responded to rNef treatment by increasing the transcription of genes for several inflammatory factors. Analysis of supernatants revealed that rNef treatment induced the release of macrophage inflammatory proteins 1alpha and 1beta, IL-1beta, IL-6, and TNF-alpha. Conversely, rNefs mutated in domains critical for the interaction with the endocytotic machinery (i.e., EE155-156QQ, and DD174-175AA) were ineffective. Interestingly, we found that the Nef-dependent release of inflammatory factors correlated with the activation of the NF-kappaB transcription factor, mainly in its p50/p50 homodimeric form, and in a de novo protein synthesis-independent manner. Our data add new hints supporting the idea that the presence of Nef is per se heavily detrimental for monocyte/macrophages and relative cross-talking cell types.


The excavations conducted at Miletus in the North agora at the beginning of the last century have brought to light a marble base preserving an important document. It is a banishment decree by the city for a group of inhabitants of Miletus, together with their children and descendants. The initial part of the decree was engraved on a stele, which has never been found; hence, we cannot determine the number of offenders. The severity of the punishment and its extension to the descendants suggests, however, that it was a political crime, possibly treason. The officers who had to enforce the decree are the epimenioi. This term is attested in many Greek poleis to mean officers who had to fulfil monthly duties, for example sacrifices; at Miletus though, as it is implied by the present text, this board had wider duties. The mention of the epimenioi gives us 437-436 BC as a terminus ante quem: after this date the Milesian council was presided by a committee of prytaneis (hence substituting the epimenioi), which suggests a constitutional change based on the Athenian model. The historical context is obscure: the traditional interpretation sees these banishments as an evidence of the imposition of the democratic faction over the oligarchic faction at the middle of the fifth century, but it cannot be excluded that the decree was rather a measure against other groups (supporters of tyranny or supporters of the Persians). Parole chiave Mileto. Decreto. Esilio. Epimenioi. Pritani. Espulsioni politiche. Persiani. Tirannide. Supporto Base; marmo; 37 × 82 × 54 cm. Perduto, dalle foto e dalle descrizioni autoptiche dei primi editori si ricava che la parte superiore è abrasa, l'angolo superiore destro smussato, la superficie iscritta è deteriorata in alcuni punti.


Monuments in stone often contain metallic reinforcements, the stability and degradation state of which determines the entire integrity of the edifice. Understanding their long-term corrosion process is thus an essential step towards a safe and efficient conservation strategy. In this study, we show that combining laboratory and synchrotron tomography at different scales is efficient for getting an overall three-dimensional picture of the iron corrosion products found in iron rebars from Orleans cathedral. We demonstrate that beside chemical characterization of the corrosion products, the study of the shape of the corrosion products, their spatial distribution within the stone binder and their relationship with the porosity of the binder can bring significant insights into the corrosion process, and particularly help in understanding the multiple roles that porosity plays in corrosion.


The relationship between human rights and intellectual property (IP) rights has been under-theorized for a long period. IP rights have remained a "normative backwater�? in the burgeoning post-World War II human rights movement. Only over the last decade, human rights discourse has gained wider attention and commentators have started to explore the relationship between IP and human rights in more detail. Two major approaches can be witnessed. A first school of thought takes the view that human rights and IP are in fundamental conflict. Strong IP protection is undermining, and therefore incompatible with, a broad spectrum of human rights obligations, especially in the area of economic, social and cultural rights. This approach can be witnessed in Resolution 2000/7, which stipulates that "Actual or potential conflicts exist between the implementation of the TRIPs Agreement and the realisation of economic, social and cultural rights.�? Resolving this conflict lies in the recognition of the primacy of human rights law over IP law and in viewing IP as instruments designed to fulfill human rights objectives. A second way of thinking claims that human rights and IP are essentially compatible and can coexist. Indeed, human rights and IP focus on the same fundamental question and share the same goal. Both human rights and IP rights aim at enhancing welfare and the benefit for society. Both legal regimes equally try to define appropriate scope of private rights, while safeguarding public interest. A clear exponent of this attitude is reflected in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR). The present paper aims at exploring the delicate relationship between the human rights pantheon and the patent framework in more depth. The normative perspective underlying the present paper is that human rights can coexist with IP rights. Human rights are valuable and necessary complements of patent rights. Human rights serve as a counter balance of patent rights when centering too one-sidedly on trade, access to markets and economic calculus. For patent law to be widely accepted and generally recognized as a tool fostering both private and public interest, it is vital that current patent law regimes are inextricably linked with human rights discourse, and that human rights assist in defining the utter limits of patent rights. Patent law should be moulded as a human rights compliant legal framework to promote innovation. The normative claim put forward in the present paper is based on a reassessment of the notion of public interest in patent law and an analysis of human rights treaties. Human rights can be factored into patent law, through the gateway of public interest. A post-modern interpretation of public interest will prove to offer a more then skeletal basis for taking into account human rights into patent law, and to have prompted new human rights standards in the patent law system. The present paper focuses on human rights and human values, and draws attention to civil, political, economic, social as well as cultural rights. Human rights and values which are considered here as particularly relevant are human dignity, the right to food, the right to informed consent, the right to protection, the right of access to public health, the right to education and research, and the right of access to information. These human rights and values fulfil different functions in a patent law context. Some rights and values, such as human dignity and the right to food, act as a basis to limit the coming into existence of patent rights in certain fields. Other rights, such as the right to informed consent and the right of protection as translated in an origin requirement, act as a means to implement procedural guarantees in the patent application procedure. Yet other human rights, such as the right of access to public health and the right to education and research serve as limitations with regard to the exercise of patent rights. Although the right of access to information fits into this last category at first sight, it has a somewhat ambiguous position in the human rights and patent rights debate. Before embarking on a further analysis, some clarification regarding the concepts and terminology used is offered. The paper concludes that human rights and IP, two bodies of law that were once strangers, have now become increasingly intimate bedfellows. Human rights should feed into patent law in complementary manner. Patent law is an autonomous legal system of its own kind, with an intrinsic raison d'être. It is an instrument, a legal tool, aiming to serve both private and public objectives, both reward for innovation and societal well being through the production of new goods and services. Human rights are valuable and necessary complements of the patent system. They feed into the objective of public interest in patent law. They serve as a counter balance of patent rights centering too one-sidedly on trade, access to markets and economic calculus. For patent law to be widely accepted and generally recognized as a tool fostering both private and public interest, it is vital that current patent law regimes are inextricably linked with human rights discourse, and that human rights assist in defining the utter limits of patent rights. As has become clear from the exploration in the present paper, the respect for human dignity introduces certain limits on patentable subject matter in patent law, in order to safeguard the rights of human beings and human embryos. The right to food opens an avenue to impose restrictions in patent law in the interest of consumers. The right of informed consent invites patent law to be cautious in respect of the rights of donors of human biological material, testees and patients, and the rights of traditional knowledge holders. The human right to access to public health safeguards the rights of patients, by limiting the rights of patentees through the introduction of a compulsory license system, whereas the right to research is safeguarded for researchers entering well defined areas of exploration. Finally, the right of access provides adequate trajectories for innovators or users, to have efficient access to technological innovations and improvements through the disclosure requirement. When assessing patent law through the lens of human rights law, some issues remain unresolved. First, some unclarities as to concepts and scope live on. Second, the lack of enforceability of various human rights is problematic. Third, factoring human rights into patent law, might give rise to increasing legal uncertainty. Given the expanding nature of human rights and applying a universal and holistic approach of human rights in a patent law context might run counter to legal certainty. Legal certainty might require a more distinct approach, where a clear and limited catalogue of human rights, which have to be taken into account in a patent context, is provided. However, designing a closed list of human rights seems inadequate, as patent rights may be limited and restricted for a multitude of reasons (see article 4 IVESCR). Fourth, the relationship between human rights and human values remains unclear and controversial. This might also create problems of legal (un)certainty as well. Last but not least, it is not yet fully clear what the exact relationship is between the well know twin concept in patent law of ordre public & morality, and human rights. Notwithstanding some remaining unsettled issues, great effort should be put into taking full account of human rights considerations in patent law and into making a human rights approach in patent law even more explicit and exacting. For patent law to be widely accepted and generally recognized as a tool fostering both private and public interest, it is vital that current patent law regimes are inextricably linked with human rights discourse, and that human rights assist in defining the utter limits of patent rights.


The collective excitation of the conduction electrons in subwavelength structures gives rise to the Localized Surface Plasmon(LSP). The system consisting of two such LSPs, known as the dimer system,is of fundamental interest and is being actively investigated in the literature. Three regimes have been previously identified and they are the photonic regime, the strong coupling regime and the quantum tunneling regime. In this Letter, we propose a new regime for this intriguing systems, the intermediate regime. In this new regime, the quasistatic approximation, which is widely used to study such LSP systems, fails to capture the main physics: the multiple scattering of the electromagnetic waves between the two LSPs, which significantly modifies the properties of the resonant modes in the system. This intermediate regime provides a new route to explore in plasmonics, where controlling both the excited plasmon modes and the damping rates are of paramount significance.


This paper describes a method for introducing more regional detail into an applied general equilibrium model than is available from the top-down approach to disaggregation. Recognizing that the complete set of inter-regional accounts is rarely available, the method described uses available data for one or more regions of interest for which the demand patterns and/or the input structures of certain industries are known not to be a close reflection of the national averages for these industries. The method splits these national industries into the part(s) located in the region(s) of interest for which detailed data are available, and the remainder. The new regionally specific industries are then treated just like any other aggregate industry recognized at the national level (but of course, their demand and/or production structures differ). Shocks specific to such regionally specific industries can now be introduced into simulations. This limited bottom-up disaggregation does not impede the use of the top-down method -- in this paper, the ORANI-LMPST method -- for disaggregating the aggregate national industries. Thus detail in simulations comes both from region-specific information (as in the bottom-up approach), as well as from top-down disaggregation. Because it incorporates more region-specific data, this hybrid method is more reliable than stand-alone use of the top-down approach. The example detailed in the paper describes the use of the hybrid method to improve disaggregated results for Tasmania (Australia's smallest State) from the ORANI national model of Australia.


Purpose: The vulnerability of postacute and long-term care (PA/LTC) facility residents to COVID-19 has manifested across the world with increasing facility outbreaks associated with high hospitalization and mortality rates. Systematic protocols to guide telehealth-centered interventions in response to COVID-19 outbreaks have yet to be delineated. This article is intended to inform PA/LTC facilities and neighboring health care partners how to collaboratively utilize telehealth-centered strategies to improve outcomes in facility outbreaks. Methods: The University of Virginia rapidly developed a multidisciplinary telehealth-centered COVID-19 facility outbreak strategy in response to a LTC facility outbreak in which 41 (out of 48) facility residents and 7 staff members tested positive. This strategy focused on supporting the facility team remotely using rapidly deployed technologic solutions. Goals included (1) early identification of patients who need their care escalated, (2) monitoring and treating patients deemed safe to remain in the facility, (3) care coordination to facilitate bidirectional transfers between the skilled nursing facility (SNF) and hospital, and (4) daily facility needs assessment related to technology, infection control, and staff well-being. To achieve these goals, a standardized approach centered on daily multidisciplinary virtual rounds and telemedicine consultation was provided. Results: Over a month since the outbreak began, 18 out of 48 (38%) facility residents required hospitalization and 6 (12.5%) died. Eleven facility residents have since returned back to the SNF after recovering from their hospitalization. No staff required hospitalization. Conclusions: Interventions that reduce hospitalizations and mortality are a critical need during the COVID-19 pandemic. The mortality and hospitalization rates seen in this PA/LTC facility outbreak are significantly lower than has been documented in other facility outbreaks. Our multidisciplinary approach centered on telemedicine should be considered as other PA/LTC facilities partner with neighboring health care systems in responding to COVID-19 outbreaks. We have begun replicating these services to additional PA/LTC facilities facing COVID-19 outbreaks.


ABSTRACT Global warming and decreasing fossil fuel reserves have prompted great interest in the synthesis of advanced biofuels from renewable resources. In an effort to address these concerns, we performed metabolic engineering of the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. strain PCC 6803 to develop a strain that can synthesize isobutanol under both autotrophic and mixotrophic conditions. With the expression of two heterologous genes from the Ehrlich pathway, the engineered strain can accumulate 90 mg/liter of isobutanol from 50 mM bicarbonate in a gas-tight shaking flask. The strain does not require any inducer (i.e., isopropyl β-d-1-thiogalactopyranoside [IPTG]) or antibiotics to maintain its isobutanol production. In the presence of glucose, isobutanol synthesis is only moderately promoted (titer = 114 mg/liter). Based on isotopomer analysis, we found that, compared to the wild-type strain, the mutant significantly reduced its glucose utilization and mainly employed autotrophic metabolism for biomass growth and isobutanol production. Since isobutanol is toxic to the cells and may also be degraded photochemically by hydroxyl radicals during the cultivation process, we employed in situ removal of the isobutanol using oleyl alcohol as a solvent trap. This resulted in a final net concentration of 298 mg/liter of isobutanol under mixotrophic culture conditions.


Objective: To identify risk factors for injury in rhythmic sportive gymnastics and to provide recommendations for reducing the risk of injury. Methods: A one-year retrospective survey of injuries in twenty national-level rhythmic gymnasts (ages 14.8 to 18.8 years; mean age 17.1 years). Hours of rhythmic gymnastics (RG) training per week, minutes of stretching per day, and hours of conditioning per week, were analyzed as potential risk factors for injury. Main outcome measures were injuries that required time off, major injuries (at least 7 days off), injuries to muscle-tendon units, and fractures. Results: Thirteen (65%) of 20 gymnasts sustained timeloss injuries, and 4 gymnasts (20%) reported major injuries. Seventeen (85%) gymnasts reported muscle-tendon unit injuries and 5 (25%) suffered fractures. Sixteen (80%) of the gymnasts reported back pain or stress fractures of the back, 8 of whom required time off training. One gymnast (5%) incurred a concussion. Logistic regression indicated that rhythmic gymnastics training and stretching were associated with muscle-tendon unit injury. On multivariate analysis, stretching was found to be the only independent predictor of muscle-tendon unit injuries with each additional minute lowering the risk by approximately 10% (p ≤ 0.01). Conditioning and stretching were both independent predictors of fractures. The risk of fracture was estimated to increase by over 60% for each additional hour of weekly conditioning (odds ratio = 1.62, p = 0.03) and decrease by almost 20% for each additional minute of daily stretching (odds ratio = 0.81, p = 0.04). None of the variables studied were predictive of back pain or injury. Conclusions: Injuries in rhythmic gymnastics may be reduced by increasing the amount of time spent stretching per day (at least 40 minutes), and limiting conditioning to a maximum of 6 hours per week.


: A considerable decrease in lysozime activity has been detected in the serum of patients with diphyllobothriasis especially in the early period of invasion. A 13-20-fold increase in enzyme activity has been found in the urine of patients, which disappeared 1 month after treatment, indicating the normalization of the immune status after the recovery from diphyllobothriasis. The index of lysozyme activity may be used in combination with other tests for the evaluation of the treatment efficacy.


convulsive therapy would have been necessary for 25 patients at All Saint's Hospital and for 46 patients at Highcroft Hospital. Second medical opinions required for the administration of medicine by any means for more than three months is applicable only to those patients detained on long term sections (sections 26, 60, 65, 71, 72, and 73 of the Mental Health Act 1959).5 Of those patients placed on long term sections during 1981 (48 at All Saints' Hospital, 57 at Highcroft Hospital) about two thirds were still detained at three months (32 at All Saints' Hospital, 66 o; 37 at Highcroft Hospital, 640o). Of those patients still detained at three months, over half the patients were either considered unable to give informed consent or considered able to consent but did not agree to treatment (21 at All Saints' Hospital, 65 " o; 19 at Highcroft Hospital, 510/). After six months' detention, and again at 12 months, the responsible medical officer will provide a report on the treatment of nonconsenting detained patients at the same time as he applies for the authority to renew detention. We do not know what proportion of reports will be followed by a request for a second medical opinion regarding treatment. If a second medical opinion was requested for every patient detained who did not consent to treatment the numbers at six months would have been 17 at All Saints' Hospital and 13 at Highcroft Hospital; at 12 months 12 at All Saints' Hospital and 10 at Highcroft Hospital. Therefore, in 1981 the estimated number of second medical opinions for the administration of medicines would range from 21 to 50 at All Saints' Hospital and 19 to 42 at Highcroft Hospital. Consultants vary widely in their use of electroconvulsive therapy, and the experience of these two hospitals may well not represent the national practice.6 The use of electroconvulsive therapy for all patients, both informal and detained, at both hospitals is below the national average (2-88 treatments per 1000 population at All Saints' Hospital; 3*33 treatments per 1000 population at Highcroft Hospital; national average 3-53 per 1000 population).6 Our interpretation of the practice at the two hospitals, as shown by retrospective analysis, may not reflect future practice. The patients who were able to consent at three months to continued drug treatment, and who agreed, may have cooperated with treatment, both in hospital and on extended leave, because they believed that they had no alternative. It is possible that once the patients realise that they can decline treatment while detained many more may decline, thus increasing the number of second medical opinions required.


Knowledge of electron densities for materials is important for treatment planning for proton and heavier-ion radiotherapy. In order to obtain the electron densities with high precision, we have developed dual-energy X-ray computed tomography using synchrotron radiation. Two monochromatic X-rays with different energies generated from synchrotron radiation enables tomographic imaging which produces a cross sectional image based on electron density plus an additional image based on effective atomic number. Experiments for the dual-energy X-ray CT were made on the BL20B2 beamline at SPring-8. An image intensifier system and a CCD camera were used as the 2-D detectors. The measured electron densities were agreement to within 2% of the theoretical ones. Electron density and effective atomic number provide different contrast in images. Dual-energy X-ray CT can be used for quantitative measurement of the material.


VARIETIES of syndromes have been described in which an abnormal amount of organic acid appears in the urine. In many of those syndromes which have been carefully studied, amino acids appear to constitute the major portion of organic acids. This probably is the result of the development of adequate methodology for the determination of amino acids. Nevertheless the author proposes classifying these diseases as organic acidurias, since it is his belief that there are organic acids, other than amino acid, present in the urine of these patients.
 Although the central theme of the Symposium of which this paper is a part is genetic defects, in the classification which is to be presented for consideration, some syndromes are included which are not genetic in origin. This is done for the purpose of completeness and to suggest the relationships between the syndromes with a genetic background and those in which the organic aciduria results from some nongenetically controlled aberrations.
 These syndromes may be roughly divided into two groups: Those in which the concentration of amino acids in the blood is elevated and those in which it is normal. The problem of classification of these syndromes has recently been reviewed in detail. In the group of syndromes with normal concentrations in the blood, further subdivision is necessary into four apparently different groups. In Table I are listed the diseases falling into these various categories.
 Among the diseases characterized by elevated concentration of organic acids in the blood, one may observe that only phenylpyruvic oligophrenia represents a congenital anomaly.


The diversity of subtypes within Influenza A recently expanded with identification of H17N10 and H18N11 from bats. To study the tropism and zoonotic potential of these viruses, we successfully produced lentiviral pseudotypes bearing haemagglutinin H17 and neuraminidase N10. We investigated a range of cell lines from different species for their susceptibility to infection by these pseudotypes and show that a number of human haematopoietic cancer cell lines and the canine kidney MDCK II (but not MDCK I) cells are susceptible. Using microarrays and qRT-PCR we show that the dog leukocyte antigen DLA-DRA mRNA is over expressed in late passaged parental MDCK and commercial MDCK II cells, compared to early passaged parental MDCK and MDCK I cells, respectively. The human orthologue HLA-DRA encodes the alpha subunit of the MHC class II HLA-DR antigen-binding heterodimer. Small interfering RNA- or neutralizing antibody-targeting HLA-DRA, drastically reduced the susceptibility of Raji B cells to H17-PV. Conversely, over expression of HLA-DRA and its paralogue HLA-DRB1 on the surface of unsusceptible HEK293T/17 cells conferred susceptibility to H17-PV. The identification of HLA-DR as an H17N10 entry mediator will contribute to understanding the tropism of the virus and help to elucidate its zoonotic transmission. We also show that H17 pseudotypes can be efficiently neutralised by the broadly-neutralizing HA2 stalk monoclonal antibodies CR9114 and FI6. The lentiviral pseudotype system is a useful research tool, amenable for investigation of bat influenza tropism, restriction and pandemic preparedness, without safety issues of producing a replication-competent virus, to which the human population is naïve.


Neurodegenerative disorders are those type of diseases which are responsible for malfunctioning of brain and peripheral nervous system. The therapeutic drugs which are being commonly utilized for the treatment for these disorders are not able to pass through the Blood Brain Barrier (BBB) as this barrier only permits specific nutrients which are helpful for growth. Thus Nanotechnology (NT) can be very much valuable in solving this problem as there are different forms of Nanomaterials which can act as efficient drug delivery systems which could help in crossing the BBB and providing effective treatment for Neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and many more. Thus, in this review we tried to collaborate all the recent developments done in treating patients suffering with neurodegenerative disorders and also tried to brief about the importance of Nanotechnology in varied biomedical applications.


The self-excited pulsed jet is characteristically efficient and inexpensive. To develop an optimal pulsed jet, the structural and operating parameters affecting its peak hitting power were studied. The optimal range of cavity length and diameter, the areal ratio of the bottom and top nozzles, the bottom nozzle length, and the target distance and working pressure were all determined.


After an extensive study of waveforms measured on several popular disk head-medium combinations, we have found that the combination of the head and medium itself often distorts the read pulse in phase, and a simple equalizer correcting for this phase distortion yields dramatic improvements in bit error rate. This equalizer surprisingly requires only four poles and one zero in the right-half s-plane to perform as well as a conventional flat group delay filter, and its constellation seems to apply to all the packing densities and drive types we have evaluated. We describe here a 2-/spl mu/m CMOS monolithic implementation of this new equalizing filter, with a maximum pole frequency of 25 MHz and an active core power dissipation of only 40 mW from a 5 V supply, including all tuning and subsidiary circuits.


This study identified and quantified possible cliff edge effects through a seismic safety evaluation of a nuclear power plant, based on the concepts of risk and defense in depth. Cliff edges of the both physical and knowledge-oriented type were considered in this study. We investigated a seismic isolation effect, etc., for physical cliff edges, and the modeling of the target structure, boundary conditions, etc., for knowledge-oriented cliff edges.
 Response analysis was performed using a sway-rocking (SR) model and a three-dimensional model of the target building. The seismic isolation effect of the base-isolated building was confirmed by comparison to the results of earthquake-resistant building. In the case of a collision with the retaining wall of the base-isolated building, the level of damage was found to depend on the modeling of the collision condition assumed. On the other hand, the study confirmed the differences between the results from the SR model and the three-dimensional model. And the greater fidelity of the three-dimensional model was also confirmed. This paper presents and discusses these results.


One of the important open questions in solar irradiance studies is whether long-term variability (i.e., on timescales of years and beyond) can be reconstructed by means of models that describe short-term variability (i.e., days) using solar proxies as inputs. Preminger & Walton showed that the relationship between spectral solar irradiance and proxies of magnetic-flux emergence, such as the daily sunspot area, can be described in the framework of linear system theory by means of the impulse response. We significantly refine that empirical model by removing spurious solar-rotational effects and by including an additional term that captures long-term variations. Our results show that long-term variability cannot be reconstructed from the short-term response of the spectral irradiance, which questions the extension of solar proxy models to these timescales. In addition, we find that the solar response is nonlinear in a way that cannot be corrected simply by applying a rescaling to a sunspot area.


Data on exchange of livestock genetic resources are compiled to create an information basis for future national, regional and global negotiations on trade agreements for breeding stock. The study is commissioned by BMZ/GTZ. FAO is implementing partner. International statistical data on movement of breeding stock are poor and difficult to obtain. Descriptive analyses are based on qualitative and quantitative data in publications, project reports, national and international statistics. Complementary information was collected from experts that supplemented, crosschecked and validated results. The report comprises of a global study and case studies for cattle, sheep, goats and pigs. Human migration led to breed diversity through domestication and breed formation. Exchange of stock was an important tool in breed formation and development. Advanced mobility, reproduction biotechnology and modern breeding methods enhanced gene flows since the 20 century. Concentration on a few successful breeds led to their worldwide expansion at the expense of local breeds. This trend results in loss of biodiversity. However, transfer of breeds that are suitable for respective production systems benefits farmers economically. Veterinary regulations increasingly restrict transfer of breeding stock. While in more sophisticated breeding systems after sales benefit sharing is increasingly practised, a single and final payment is still the rule in most circumstances. In most developing countries influence of breeding organisations and governments on animal trade is limited. Movements of breeding animals are best documented in cattle due to early establishment of breeding organisations. Main directions of cattle transfers were initially east-west and north-south but more recently west-east as well as south-south movements gained importance. Sheep and goat gene flows are relatively small in number and extent. Transfers are mainly conducted by private initiatives of single breeders, but breeding organisations with data on movements are rare. As an example, the history of gene flow of Awassi sheep from Israel is followed in detail. Data on recent transfer of breeding pigs are difficult to obtain because of the structure of modern pig breeding with main emphasis on hybrids and the leading role of few breeding companies in worldwide distribution of pigs.


We investigated mating structure and gene flow in a clonal seed orchard of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) over three consecutive pollination seasons (2010–2012) with nine nuclear microsatellite markers. The paternity of 1991 offspring from four maternal parents was assigned to 28 candidate fathers using an exclusion procedure and a likelihood-based method implemented in the program CERVUS. Relative reproductive success was highly variable among pollen parents but consistent across years and ranged from 0.1% to 18.3%. Consequently, the seed crops' effective number of fathers was reduced to 52.9%, 48.8%, and 45.7% of the census in the three seasons, respectively. Self-fertilization fluctuated around the orchard's expected value of 5.1%, reaching 4.05%, 7.71%, and 6.61%, respectively. Pollen contamination was estimated to be 5.64%, 7.29%, and 4.89%, respectively, after correction for cryptic gene flow. CERVUS provided similar results as the exclusion method, but estimates greatly varied depending on the input parameters, mainly the proportion of fathers sampled. These results indicate the studied seed orchard is a well-functioning production population with only minor negative effects of self-fertilization and pollen contamination on the quality of seed crops. Genotyping issues associated with microsatellites as a potential source of false paternity assignment and exclusion are discussed.


Bacterial microcompartments (MCPs) are proteinaceous sub-cellular organelles that are widely distributed among bacteria and that function in a variety of processes ranging from global carbon fixation to enteric pathogenesis. MCPs consist of metabolic enzymes encapsulated with a protein shell. The role of the MCP is to harbor a specific metabolic pathway that produces a toxic or volatile intermediate and confine that intermediate to minimize cellular toxicity and carbon loss. To date, the protein shells of MCPs have been shown to play a functional role in transport of small metabolites through selective pores and in the encapsulation of lumen enzymes through short N-or C-terminal peptide extensions. Interestingly, homologs of the propanediol utilization (Pdu) MCP shell protein PduB' have been crystallized in two forms, one that is closed and another that forms a large channel. This suggested that these proteins undergo conformational changes that allow the transport of larger enzymatic cofactor that the MCP needs to properly function. However, no mutational work has been done to examine residues that are responsible for such a large conformational change and assess its physiological significance. Charged residues (R78, K81) and Ramachandran outlier (D79), which are located at the center of the PduB', are key structural components that when substituted with alanine cause MCP instability. Interestingly, substitutions of a channel residue A53 appears to cause central pore opening. In addition, results indicate that there is a functional difference between PduB and PduB' despite the fact that they are identical in sequence except for a 37 amino acid N-terminal extension on PduB. The smaller protein, PduB', is dispensable for MCP formation but the PduB protein which contains a 37 amino acid N-terminal extension is integral to MCP assembly and formation.


EU 98/44 Article 4 1. The following shall not be patentable: (a) plant and animal varieties; (b) essentially biological processes for the production of plants or animals. 2. Inventions which concern plants or animals shall be patentable if the technical feasibility of the invention is not confined to a particular plant or animal variety. 3. Paragraph 1(b) shall be without prejudice to the patentability of inventions which concern a microbiological or other technical process or a product obtained by means of such a process.


The brown alga, Dictyota dichotoma, collected from the Indian Ocean has proven to be a prolific source of new diterpenes. The diterpene, dictyoxetane, isolated from the brown alga, is structurally related to the dollabellane class of natural products. Dictyoxetane is the only known natural product having the 2,7-dioxatricyclo[22.214.171.124]nonane ring subunit.

Chapter 1 of this thesis describes the isolation, structure and proposed biosynthesis of dictyoxetane. The methods reported in the literature for the preparation of the dioxatricyclic framework are discussed, which might be applied in a synthesis of dictyoxetane. The Grainger group has previously reported the synthesis of the trans-hydrindane core of dictyoxetane starting from a Robinson annulation-derived bicyclic enone. Asymmetric approaches to the starting hydrindanone in this synthesis and the Hajos-Parrish ketone are also presented.

Chapter 2 reports the efforts to address the current limitations of this approach, namely the low-yielding Robinson annulation of an expensive starting material, 2-methylcyclopentanone. An asymmetric synthesis of the trans-hydrindane ring system starting from the Hajos-Parrish ketone, involving chemoselective radical-based deoxygenation, is reported.

Studies towards dioxatricyclic ring annulation are described in Chapter 3. A number of strategies such as radical cyclisation, ring-expansion and [4+3] cycloaddition are investigated towards 7-membered ring formation. The Lee [5+2] annulation using allylsilane acetals and olefin metathesis both provided a way to annulate a 7-membered ring to the hydrindanone system en route to dictyoxetane.


Abstract This paper provides an economic rationale for the practice of consanguineous marriages observed in parts of the developing world. In a model of incomplete marriage markets, dowries are viewed as ex ante transfers made from the bride's family to the groom's family when the promise of ex post gifts and bequests is not credible. Consanguineous unions join families between whom ex ante pledges are enforceable ex post. The model predicts a negative relationship between consanguinity and dowries and higher bequests in consanguineous unions. An empirical analysis based on data from Bangladesh delivers results consistent with the model.


The agonising experiences of children in northeastern Nigeria, who were once associated with non-state armed groups, may affect their developmental growth. This paper highlights the consequences of children formerly associated with non-state armed groups (CFANSAG), the mechanisms of oppression suffered by children who voluntarily or were coerced to join the group, and how the children find it difficult to associate with the community. The study, using qualitative research methods including key informant interviews and focus group discussions, focuses on children's different psychological reactions while using the Social Learning Theory to explain how children model aggressive acts. The study concluded that states in the Northeast should implement the Child Rights Act, renamed Child Protection Law in the core northern states, to minimise the violence against children in Nigeria.


ABSTRACT This article examines how students' cultural identities are discursively constructed in the Finnish and Swedish national curricula for the compulsory school. The aim is to illuminate the manifold discourses on cultural identity which prevail within Nordic educational policy. The study employs a critical multicultural education and postcolonial perspective with a particular focus on essentialist and non-essentialist views of identity in the curricular discourses. Through discourse analysis, key terms such as 'cultural identity' and 'multicultural identity' as well as different aspects of cultural identities such as language, gender and religion are investigated. The results show diverging discourses, with distinct differences in their explicitness and implicitness in the two countries. A clear effort to see all students as having multi-layered and multicultural identities is evident in the Finnish curricular discourse whereas a more essentializing discourse emerges in the Swedish curriculum. We conclude with a discussion on the importance of addressing policy discourses on students' cultural identities in order to ensure non-essentialist and socially just teaching and educational practice.


The vision for the future of EMS involves a broader public health role and will require an increase in the professionalization in the field of paramedicine. There are currently 14 institutions of higher education in the US offering Bachelor's Degrees in the field of Emergency Medical Services (EMS). These Bachelor's Degree EMS (BDEMS) programs are in a unique position to affect the future of paramedicine. This study explored the BDEMS Program Directors' (PD) views regarding the role that their programs have played, are playing, and may play in the professionalization of paramedicine. Semi-structured one-on-one interviews were conducted with the PDs of all 14 BDEMS programs to explore the definition of profession, professionalization within paramedicine, and the role of BDEMS programs in said role. The interviews were recorded; the transcripts were analyzed to identify themes and trends relevant to the issues of professionalism and professionalization. There was no consistent view of what defines a profession. Issues related to autonomy and the existence of, or creation of, a unique domain of practice were infrequently mentioned by the PDs. While most BDEMS PDs feel that paramedicine should be a profession, few felt that it currently is a profession. There was little consensus regarding the role that BDEMS programs should play in the professionalization of paramedicine and some disagreement over what should be the focus of a BDEMS curriculum. While all recognized the teaching role of BDEMS programs, few identified research, leadership, or community service roles. Four broad strategies for BDEMS programs to increase their role in the professionalism of paramedicine are proposed.


Topical application of the bioflavonoid 4',5,7-trihydroxyflavone (apigenin) to mouse skin effectively reduces the incidence and size of skin tumors caused by UVB exposure. The ability to act as a chemopreventive compound indicates that apigenin treatment alters the molecular events initiated by UVB exposure; however, the effects of apigenin treatment on UVB-irradiated keratinocytes are not fully understood. In the present study, we have used three models of human keratinocytes to study the effect of apigenin treatment on UVB-induced apoptosis: HaCaT human keratinocyte cells, primary keratinocyte cultures isolated from human neonatal foreskin, and human organotypic keratinocyte cultures. Each keratinocyte model was exposed to a moderate dose of UVB (300-1,000 J/m(2)), then treated with apigenin (0-50 micromol/L), and harvested to assess apoptosis by Western blot analysis for poly(ADP)ribose polymerase cleavage, annexin-V staining by flow cytometry, and/or the presence of sunburn cells. Apigenin treatment enhanced UVB-induced apoptosis >2-fold in each of the models tested. When keratinocytes were exposed to UVB, apigenin treatment stimulated changes in Bax localization and increased the release of cytochrome c from the mitochondria compared with UVB exposure alone. Overexpression of the antiapoptotic protein Bcl-2 and expression of a dominant-negative form of Fas-associated death domain led to a reduction in the ability of apigenin to enhance UVB-induced apoptosis. These results suggest that enhancement of UVB-induced apoptosis by apigenin treatment involves both the intrinsic and extrinsic apoptotic pathways. The ability of apigenin to enhance UVB-induced apoptosis may explain, in part, the photochemopreventive effects of apigenin.


A reaction‐diffusion model for CO oxidation on Pt(110) single crystals proposed by Krischer, Eiswirth, and Ertl is supplemented by an equation for the balance of CO partial pressure in the gas phase. This allows us to study the interaction of local and global coupling with the dynamics of the reaction in the oscillatory regime. In absence of global coupling a stability analysis of the homogeneous oscillatory state predicts parameter regions with negative values of the phase diffusion coefficient indicating the possibility of phase turbulence. In the globally coupled system without diffusion we observe the formation of phase‐locked clusters of oscillators and irregular behavior. If both surface diffusion and global coupling through the gas phase are taken into account depending on the range of external parameters we get the following types of structures: phase flips, standing waves, spatially irregular coverage pattern, and the uniformly oscillating surface.


The power optimization of an endoreversible heat engine has been performed, and design characteristics have been described at maximum-power conditions. A technologically important example defined as heat exchange by combined radiation and convection has been considered. The analysis shows that the maximum power output of the heat engine is sensitive to the temperature, small values of the ratio of convective heat transfer coefficients of hot to cold ends and small values of the emittance ratio of heat source to heat sink. By considering the output power, and must be held around 0.2, 0.01 and 0.0125 for optimum design considerations, respectively.


Extensions of percolation theory to treat transport are described. Resistor networks, from which resistors are removed at random, provide the natural generalization of the lattice models for which percolation thresholds and percolation probabilities have previously been considered. The normalized conductance, G, of such networks proves to be a sharply defined quantity with a characteristic concentration dependence near threshold which appears sensitive only to dimensionality. Numerical results are presented for several families of 3D and 2D network models. Except close to threshold, the models based on bond percolation are accurately described by a simple effective medium theory, which can also treat continuous media or situations less drastic than the percolation models, for example, materials in which local conductivity has a continuous distribution of values. The present calculations provide the first quantitative test of this theory. A "Green's function" derivation of the effective medium theory, which makes contact with similar treatments of disordered alloys, is presented. Finally, a general expression for the conductance of a percolation model is obtained which relates 6 to the spin-stiffness coefficient, D, of an appropriately defined model dilute ferromagnet. We use this relationship to argue that the "percolation channels" through which the current flows above threshold must be regarded as three dimensional.


This exploratory qualitative study reports on the perspectives of students belonging to campus clubs at one Canadian university who conduct advocacy activities on issues that relate to Africa. Our study focuses on a particular social action (advocacy) that takes place in a particular social site (university campus), with the aim to critically examine how students think about their advocacy work, what they see as appropriate practices, and their sense of the ethical issues around advocacy. Five themes emerged from our analysis of the interviews: 1) Knowledge about the issues; 2) Oversimplification; 3) Homogenisation; 4) Trade-offs and competition; and 5) Ethical engagement. Our findings indicate that the motivation for success and popularity became influential factors in the way that student-led advocacy initiatives were set out to be effective in the university setting. Advocacy activities thus became fraught with the oversimplification of issues, resulting in work that reinforced prevailing stereotypes about Africa. Such approaches to advocacy can propagate paternalistic and totalising images of Africans as helpless and waiting to be 'saved'.


A computational plasma aerodynamics model is developed to study the performance of a laser propelled Lightcraft. The computational methodology is based on a time-accurate, three-dimensional, finite-difference, chemically reacting, unstructured grid, pressure-based formulation. The underlying physics are added and tested systematically using a building-block approach. The physics modeled include non-equilibrium thermodynamics, non-equilibrium air-plasma finite-rate kinetics, specular ray tracing, laser beam energy absorption and refraction by plasma, non-equilibrium plasma radiation, and plasma resonance. A series of transient computations are performed at several laser pulse energy levels and the simulated physics are discussed and compared with those of tests and literatures. The predicted coupling coefficients for the Lightcraft compared reasonably well with those of tests conducted on a pendulum apparatus.


Introduction Health care workers experience the implications of health and disease every day, including the crucial role of health-damaging behaviour on morbitity and mortality. This study was conducted to analyse the health behaviour and comorbidities in health care workers with focus on gender differences. Methods In this study we analysed the clinical data of n=273 health care workers (166 males, 107 females) who presented in our occupational medicine outpatient unit. The focus of this study was to assess cardiovascular risk factors, such as obesity, smoking, or physical inactivity as well as diseases of the musculosceletal system and mental illness. Result Female health care workers presented a higher trend of smoking in comparison to male health care workers (43,0% vs 32,5%). Furthermore, female health care workers showed significant less physical activity in comparison to their male colleagues (49,0% vs 71,8%, p>0,001). Musculosceletal diseases were common in both groups (19,6% for female vs 18,1% for male), but mental illness was significantly more frequent in females (6,5% vs 0,0% for males, p<0,05). Discussion Female health care workers need special consideration in the implementation of preventive measures to reduce health-damaging behaviour. The higher proportion of mental illness in female in comparison to male workers might be due to a selection bias.


Railways were an important factor in the expansion of Latin American economies in the late-nineteenth century. Due to their potential impact, governments often promoted railway construction through subsidies. The Uruguayan state offered profit guarantees to foreign railway companies and was able to attract massive investment in the railway sector. This paper asks the question of whether these railway guarantees were efficient, and estimates subsidized and unsubsidized private returns, as well as the social returns, of the Uruguayan railway network from 1869 to 1913. The results show that subsidies more than doubled profitability, but did not compensate the opportunity cost of capital. Social returns were low relative to railways in other regions, and benefits created by new investment in each year did not justify subsidies. However, average social returns were higher than the likely returns for alternative investments and the distribution of these returns was not unfavorable to the consumers of railway services.


Abstract. Multi-Axis Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (MAX-DOAS) is a technique to measure trace gas amounts in the lower troposphere from ground-based scattered sunlight observations. MAX-DOAS observations are especially suitable for validation of tropospheric trace gas observations from satellite, since they have a representative range of several kilometers, both in the horizontal and in the vertical dimension. A two-step retrieval scheme is presented here, to derive aerosol corrected tropospheric NO2 columns from MAX-DOAS observations. In a first step, boundary layer aerosols, characterized in terms of aerosol optical thickness (AOT), are estimated from relative intensity observations, which are defined as the ratio of the sky radiance at elevation α and the sky radiance in the zenith. Relative intensity measurements have the advantage of a strong dependence on boundary layer AOT and almost no dependence on boundary layer height. In a second step, tropospheric NO2 columns are derived from differential slant columns, based on AOT-dependent air mass factors. This two-step retrieval scheme was applied to cloud free periods in a twelve month data set of observations in De Bilt, The Netherlands. In a comparison with AERONET (Cabauw site) a mean difference in AOT (AERONET minus MAX-DOAS) of −0.01±0.08 was found, and a correlation of 0.85. Tropospheric-NO2 columns were compared with OMI-satellite tropospheric NO2. For ground-based observations restricted to uncertainties below 10%, no significant difference was found, and a correlation of 0.88.


A plant breeding program has been developed with chocolate cosmos (Cosmos atrosanguineus Sherff.), that is an endemic plant from Mexico. It is a perennial tuberous root plant with a peculiar chocolate fragrance in the flowers. This plant is extinct from its natural habitat, in addition this plant does not produce seed due to its self-incompatibility, so that worldwide there is only one cultivated clon from which patents have been obtained and used as garden plants in Europe. So the objective of this work was to make manual crosses between chocolate cosmos and Cosmos purpureus to produce hybrids that can be registered and commercialized in Mexico. The hybrid seeds obtained generated 50% plants with flower color character similar to the male parent while the other 50% alike to the female. For the leaf shape character, 100% of the hybrids plants presented leaves similar to the male parent. Only 15% of the hybrids presented scarce essence to chocolate. This study shows that it is possible to carry out genetic exchange between these two species, to generate a variety with the best morphological attributes of both species.


Susceptibility to a range of antimicrobial agents was determined among isolates of Streptococcus pneumoniae, Streptococcus pyogenes, and Haemophilus influenzae collected in 12 centers throughout Japan during years 1-5 (the respiratory seasons of 1999-2004) of the longitudinal Prospective Resistant Organism Tracking and Epidemiology for the Ketolide Telithromycin study. The most frequent source of isolates of S. pneumoniae was from patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) (25.3%). Reduced susceptibility to penicillin or erythromycin resistance was common among S. pneumoniae isolates (30.9-44.5% and 77.2-81.9%, respectively). The macrolide MIC(50) for S. pneumoniae was >or=128 microg/ml (azithromycin and erythromycin) and >or=64 microg/ml (clarithromycin). The erm(B) genotype accounted for the most erythromycin-resistant isolates in each study year. H. influenzae isolates were most commonly derived from patients with CAP (26.2%). The proportion of H. influenzae isolates that were beta-lactamase positive ranged between 4.3% and 9.7%. The prevalence of beta-lactamase-negative ampicillin-resistant isolates increased from 0.4% to 2.6% between years 1 and 4 then to 19.7% in year 5. S. pyogenes isolates were highly susceptible to most antimicrobial agents except macrolides and tetracycline. Telithromycin was highly active against all three pathogens examined throughout the study.


Cell-based input-queued crossbars are widely used in networking equipments. A number of crossbar scheduling algorithms have been proposed to provide high performance scheduling. It is critical for a crossbar scheduling algorithm to be fair and efficient in real world conditions, which include the presence of over-subscribed ingress ports and the possible flow control from the egress ports. Several commonly deployed algorithms are not fair when there are ingress congestions due to over-subscription. Furthermore, these algorithms lose fairness and can even cause starvation when there is flow control or backpressure from the egress ports. We illustrate the problems in detail using the well-known iSLIP algorithm. In this paper, we present a new algorithm, iSKIP, which performs as efficiently as iSLIP in a benign environment but remains fair and starvation-free in the cases of ingress congestion and egress backpressure. The iSKIP algorithm can be implemented in fast and simple hardware. Simulation results are presented to illustrate the advantages of the iSKIP algorithm.


How persistent are the effects of legal institutions adopted or inherited in the distant past? A substantial literature argues that legal origins have persistent effects that explain clear differences in investor protections and financial development around the world today (La Porta et al, 1998, 1999 and passim). This paper examines the persistence of the effects of legal origins by examining new estimates of different indicators of financial development in more than 20 countries in 1900 and 1913. The evidence presented does not yield robust results that can sustain the hypothesis of persistence effects of legal origin, but it is not powerful enough to reject it either. Then the paper examines if there were systematic differences in the extent of investor protections across countries, since that is the main channel through which legal origin affects financial development, and shows that all the evidence supports the idea of relative convergence in corporate governance practices across legal families circa 1900. The paper concludes that, if the evidence presented is representative, the variation observed in financial development around the world today is likely a product of events of the twentieth century rather than a consequence of long-term (and persistent) differences occasioned by legal traditions.


A novel approach for the rigorous design of magnetic resonant wireless power transfer links is introduced. We show how, starting from two coupled inductors and making use of general network theory, it is possible to derive analytic rules for designing the source and load terminations which provide the maximum power transfer efficiency or maximize the received power. We also show that, by adding suitable matching networks to two coupled inductors we can realize a wireless link acting as a 1:n transformer and having the all required tunable reactive elements on the primary side. The proposed topology greatly simplifies the design, since only an inductive coil and a fixed capacitance are required on the secondary side; in addition, when tuning is required due to coils misalignment or to link distance variation, it can be attained by acting on the transmitter side without the need for a feedback communication through the link. Moreover, when the load resistance is designed for maximum output power, its value is fixed and does not depend on the coupling. A numerical and experimental verification of the proposed approach is also presented.


We report on a study of the dijet invariant-mass distribution in events with one identified lepton, a significant imbalance in the total event transverse momentum, and two jets. This distribution is sensitive to the possible production of a new particle in association with a $W$ boson, where the boson decays leptonically. We use the full data set of proton-antiproton collisions at 1.96 TeV center-of-mass energy collected by the Collider Detector at the Fermilab Tevatron and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 8.9 fb$^{-1}$. The data are found to be consistent with standard-model expectations, and a 95$\%$ confidence level upper limit is set on the cross section for a $W$ boson produced in association with a new particle decaying into two jets.


Deflection of a microcantilever caused by any kind of biochemical reaction occurring on its surface can be detected with subangstrom resolution if an appropriate detection technique is exploited. This kind of transducers has become widely used in biological research since a few years ago. Usually, for the readout of the nanomechanical response of the micro beams to bio-specific interactions, a technique similar to one used in the atomic force microscopy is employed. The optical read-out method has some disadvantages, such as low degree of integration and difficulties in work with arrays of cantilevers. In the technique presented in this work the cantilever itself is an optical waveguide butt-coupled with another one. The device is fabricated as an array of 20 waveguide cantilever channels which allows for higher integration level. The analysis of the capabilities of the device, the problems associated with the design and the fabrication of the device, the choice of the material and the technology for the fabrication of very flat cantilevers have been successfully addressed. The characterisation of the device was done, showing that the resolution of the device is comparable with the one using the optical lever read-out. Results of the simulations and experimental data on the optical cantilevers coated with an absorbent material will be presented. The choice of the appropriate thickness of the absorbent material on the cantilever surface allows for acceptable losses, for single mode behaviour and adjustment of the initial displacement of the cantilever.


Introduction:
 Renal function impairment is characterized by glomerular endothelial dysfunction and lipohyalinosis, both of which are typical features of cerebral small vessel diseases(CSVD). We thus presume that renal function might be associated with silent CSVD-related MRI changes including white matter hyperintensity (WMH), lacune and microbleeds, which was supported by previous findings observed from the individuals without stroke. However, the relationship between renal function and WMH in patients with acute ischemic stroke or transcient ischemic stroke (AIS/TIA) remains unclear. Thus we aim to explore the potential risk factors of WMH in patients with AIS/TIA, especially the association between renal function and WMH located in both periventricular and deep area.

 Methods:
 A total of 1632 patients having an MRI examination were enrolled from SMART cohort for this analysis.The severity of WMH in both periventricular(PVH) and deep subcortical area(SDWMH) was evaluated using Fazekas scale. Estimated glomerular filtration rate(eGFR) was calculated by the equation of the Modification Diet for Renal Disease modified by the Chinese coefficient: eGFR(ml/min/1.73m
 2
 )=186хserum creatinine(exp[-1.154])хage(exp[-0.203])х1.233х0.742(if female).Multinomial logistic regression, adjusting for age, gender and vascular risk factors was performed to evaluate the association between the severity of WMH and eGFR.

 Results:
 Advanced age and hypertension were independently associated with the severity of PVH and SDWMH (all p<0.001). Adjusting for age, gender and hypertension, the severity of PVH was found to be inversely related to eGFR. Each 30 ml/min/1.73m
 2
 increase in eGFR was related to a lower risk of having degree 3 of WMH in periventricular areas, (p=0.04, OR=0.75, 95%CI 0.61-0.92). However this inverse association was not found between eGFR and SDWMH(P=0.50).

 Conclusion:
 Our study demonstrates that renal dysfunction is independently associated with the severity of PVH but not SDWMH in patients with acute ischemic stroke. This result highlights different risk factors and mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of PVH and SDWMH.


An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) developed for the rapid measurement of luteinizing hormone (LH) in blood of many mammalian species has been validated in the fox. For this purpose, daily plasma samples collected from six vixens during the periovulatory period were assayed for LH using ELISA. The results were compared with those obtained by radioimmunoassay (RIA), and related to parameters used to determine the time of ovulation (onset of oestrus, vaginal electrical resistance peak) and to ovarian findings. This ELISA provided a highly sensitive measure of LH (125 pg ml-1) from a 10 microliters plasma sample within 3 h. Plasma concentrations of LH measured by ELISA and RIA were significantly correlated (r = 0.911). In the blue fox, ovulation occurs once a year and coincides with the start of oestrus. The LH peak preceded the start of oestrus by 1.5 days (1-3) and preceded the vaginal electrical resistance peak by 2.2 days (1-4). The rapid and precise detection of the preovulatory LH peak by this assay provides a convenient method to determine the time of ovulation and therefore the optimum time for artificial insemination or oocyte collection for fertilization in vitro.


Abstract The physical factors governing the induction charge separation mechanism in thunderstorms are discussed. Evidence is presented indicating that rebounding collisions between hailstones and cloud droplets are not (as suggested by Moore, 1975) restricted to grazing collisions near the hailstone equator. Collisions between hailstones and cloud droplets can therefore he expected to play an important part in the charge separation process in thunderstorms.


This article presents R2S2, a hybrid visualization technique as an intermediate step between Rank Chart and Slope Graph to better understand and analyze team evolutions during soccer championships. Currently used rank tables for soccer are relative (ranked-based) and do not convey the absolute difference between teams. R2S2 provides a way to visualize these differences using the Slope Graph technique (value-based). By interactively setting the parameters of R2S2, we make the distance between teams appear, minimizing the overlaps caused by the Slope Graph technique.


The Transport Layer Security (TLS) master secret is not
cryptographically bound to important session parameters such as the
server certificate. Consequently, it is possible for an active
attacker to set up two sessions, one with a client and another with a
server, such that the master secrets on the two sessions are the same.
Thereafter, any mechanism that relies on the master secret for
authentication, including session resumption, becomes vulnerable to a
man-in-the-middle attack, where the attacker can simply forward
messages back and forth between the client and server. This
specification defines a TLS extension that contextually binds the
master secret to a log of the full handshake that computes it, thus
preventing such attacks.


This article reviews the history of Minnesota Statute section 481.10 and its interpretation by the Minnesota Supreme Court, which creates an "absolute duty" for law enforcement officers to respond to requests for counsel, and which imposes criminal and civil sanctions for violations. It analyzes Mullins v. Churchill and demonstrates that, even though the Court of Appeals was incorrect in holding that the Department of Corrections attorney access policies did not violate the requirements of Minnesota Statute section 481.10, the Court was absolutely correct in concluding that law enforcement officials in Minnesota are subject to separate and independent criminal and civil penalties under the statute. It compares the original statute ruled upon by the Court of Appeals with the language in recent amendments and demonstrates that, with the possible exception of the Department of Corrections, these penalties continue to apply to all law enforcement officials in Minnesota under the new provisions of 481.10. Finally, it examines Minnesota v. Jenson the case mentioned above involving an errant FBI agent, to illustrate how Minnesota Statute section 481.10 interacts with Miranda, Dickerson and the Minnesota Constitution/3 and demonstrates that the failure to prosecute the FBI agent and other law enforcement officials who violated the defendant's right to consult with counsel was a policy decision that is not supported by Minnesota law. The article concludes that the criminal and civil penalties imposed by Minnesota Statute section 481.10, combined with Minnesota Constitutional requirements that confessions be recorded to be admissible in court, provide the nation's most effective and comprehensive enforcement mechanism of Miranda and Dickerson that should serve as a model for other jurisdictions.


Detection of instances of complex structured patterns in large graphically structured databases is a key task in many applications of data mining in areas as diverse as intelligence analysis, fraud detection, biological structure determination, social network analysis, and viral marketing. Successful pattern detection depends on many factors including the size and structure of the database and of the patterns, the completeness of the available data and patterns, and most important, how the data are divided between analysts performing pattern detection. A combinatorial model based on the metaphor of recognizing and classifying jigsaw puzzles is used to study this problem. Experimental results using this model that yield insights into the effect of various parameters are presented. Alternative data organization strategies are developed, presented, and analyzed. A key result is that the likelihood of puzzle recognition – i.e., pattern detection – depends primarily on the ability to group related data elements in a manner that enables them to be examined by a single analyst or group of analysts.


Abstract A study was conducted to determine the release rates of piperonyl butoxide (PBO) and permethrin from synergized insecticidal cattle ear tags and their effects on mortality of the horn fly, Hematobia irritans irritans (L.) (Diptera: Muscidae). PBO was released from the ear tags at a higher rate than permethrin in both winter and summer trials. The cumulative release of PBO and permethrin from the ear tags at the end of 18 wk in the winter trial was 50.4 and 30.3%, respectively. The cumulative release of PBO and permethrin from the ear tags at the end of 18 wk in the summer trial was 66.7 and 44.7%, respectively. There was a significant correlation between the cumulative daily high ambient temperature (°C) and the cumulative release of both PBO and permethrin. Compared with the susceptible horn fly strain, the permethrin-resistant strain demonstrated 7.9- and 12.8-fold resistance to permethrin at the levels of LC50 and LC90, respectively. When exposed to filter paper wipes taken from the shoulders of cattle treated with the PBO-synergized permethrin tags from the summer trial, the resistant strain demonstrated reduced mortality compared with the susceptible strain. The mortality of the resistant strain at 2- and 3-h exposure exhibited a pattern of declining fly mortalities as a result of the decreased release of PBO and permethrin, as well as the decline in the ratio of PBO:permethrin released from the tags after 8 wk. A similar decline in horn fly mortalities was observed in the susceptible strain at 30-min exposure time that coincided with the pattern of reduced release of PBO and permethrin from the ear tags over the course of summer trial.


This book is based on contributions made to the WG Hart Workshop 2003. It contains articles by leading experts seeking to assess the state of development of EU law some fifty years after the establishment of the Communities and to contribute to the current debate on the European Constitution. The first volume concentrates on the themes of European Constitutionalism and EU external relations. It analyses the proposed Constitution dealing, among others, with the division of competence between the EU and the Member States, Community legislation, the role of national parliaments, democracy in the EU, human rights, and the Court of Justice. It also contains articles on EU external relations covering, among others, enlargement, the common foreign and security policy, immigration and asylum policy, and the relations between the EU and the WTO.


Some years ago, Radzikowski has found a characterization of Hadamard states for scalar quantum fields on a four-dimensional globally hyperbolic spacetime in terms of a specific form of the wavefront set of their two-point functions (termed "wavefront set spectrum condition"), thereby initiating a major progress in the understanding of Hadamard states and the further development of quantum field theory in curved spacetime. In the present work, we extend this important result on the equivalence of the wavefront set spectrum condition with the Hadamard condition from scalar fields to vector fields (sections in a vector bundle) which are subject to a wave-equation and are quantized so as to fulfill the covariant canonical commutation relations, or which obey a Dirac equation and are quantized according to the covariant anti-commutation relations, in any globally hyperbolic spacetime having dimension three or higher. In proving this result, a gap which is present in the published proof for the scalar field case will be removed. Moreover we determine the short-distance saling limits of Hadamard states for vector-bundle valued fields, finding them to coincide with the corresponding flat-space, massless vacuum states.