Plants are valuable sources of medicinal compounds and their use for healing is well known from ancient times. Natural drugs obtained from plants represent about 25% of the prescription drug market in the United States. Plants have a long history of use in the treatment of various cancer types. Currently, 60% of the anticancer agents available in the market are derived from natural sources. Since phytoconstituents play a vital role in the discovery of various anticancer drugs, they have been chosen as the area of focus for our research. In this proposed study, four medicinal plants with reported anticancer activity were selected (Hydrastis canadensis, Curcuma longa, Zingiber officinalis, and Alpinia officinarum). All these plants were extracted by percolation and tested for anti-proliferative activity against Dictyostelium cells. C. longa, Z. officinalis and A. officinarum organic extracts all showed significant anti-proliferative activity in this preliminary bioassay. Of the three active extracts, the turmeric extract was chosen for further investigation because of its great historical significance and the promising results of recent phase I clinical trials. Using flash chromatography, a total of nine fractions were obtained from the complex C. longa organic extract. Curcumin in these fractions was identified and quantified using high performance liquid chromatography - electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-MS). Other active components (demethoxycurcumin, bisdemethoxycurcumin and ar-tumerone) were also characterized using the same system. All these fractions were then tested for in vitro anti-proliferative activity against MCF-7 cells using the XTT assay to determine whether activity correlates with the presence of curcumin in the fractions, or whether other (perhaps unidentified) compounds are involved. The results indicated that the major component curcumin was responsible for the majority of the anti-proliferative activity of the complex turmeric extract. Although no synergistic activity was seen for the various constituents present in the complex extract in this case, a novel approach for probing potential synergistic or additive effects was demonstrated. This approach could be applied to future investigations of synergistic or additive activity of medicinal plants.


In recent years, cold spraying (CS) has emerged as a promising technology for repair applications, particularly for oxidation-sensitive materials. In order to obtain an optimum repair result that fulfills the highest requirements regarding material properties, simple geometric shape restoration is not sufficient. Any additive manufacturing process results in particular features in microstructure, possible defects and respective - potentially even anisotropic - mechanical properties. To systematically tailor these microstructures and properties to the specific component and geometry requires complex routines. This work proposes the design of a knowledge-based cold spray repair system that facilitates a complete individual repair procedure for aircraft components. This system includes the elements of (i) reverse engineering to analyze, classify and generate digital data of the damaged component, (ii) pre-processing to obtain the ideal conditions for the CS process, (iii) toolpath planning to optimize robotics for the CS process, (iv) on-line monitoring to ensure process quality, (v) post-processing and (vi) performance testing of the material properties to meet the challenging requirements of the aerospace industry. By using an industrial robot and computer-aided planning of the trajectories, components are to be repaired under cold spray and geometrical conditions for ideal material deposition. The goal is to obtain repaired components that fulfill the required property profile equally well as respective new parts.


BACKGROUND
Age-related cataract is a major cause of morbidity. Previous studies of diet and cataract risk have focused on specific nutrients or healthy eating indexes but not on identifiable dietary groups such as vegetarians.

OBJECTIVE
We investigated the association between diet and cataract risk in a population that has a wide range of diets and includes a high proportion of vegetarians.

DESIGN
We used Cox proportional hazards regression to study cataract risk in relation to baseline dietary and lifestyle characteristics of 27,670 self-reported nondiabetic participants aged ≥40 y at recruitment in the Oxford (United Kingdom) arm of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC-Oxford) by using data from the Hospital Episode Statistics in England and Scottish Morbidity Records.

RESULTS
There was a strong relation between cataract risk and diet group, with a progressive decrease in risk of cataract in high meat eaters to low meat eaters, fish eaters (participants who ate fish but not meat), vegetarians, and vegans. After multivariable adjustment, incidence rate ratios (95% CIs) for moderate meat eaters (50-99 g meat/d), low meat eaters (<50 g meat/d), fish eaters, vegetarians, and vegans compared with high-meat eaters (≥100 g meat/d) were 0.96 (0.84, 1.11), 0.85 (0.72, 0.99), 0.79 (0.65, 0.97), 0.70 (0.58, 0.84), and 0.60 (0.38, 0.96), respectively (P < 0.001 for heterogeneity). Associations between cataract risk and intakes of selected nutrients and foods generally reflected the strong association with diet group.

CONCLUSION
Vegetarians were at lower risk of cataract than were meat eaters in this cohort of health-conscious British residents.


The notion of school management through teams (team management), though not a new phenomenon in South Africa, was formalized after the advent of democracy in 1994 and the subsequent reorganization of the education system. The concept was subsequently fleshed out in official documentation where the composition and roles of school management teams (SMTs) were elaborated upon. The notion of team management is rooted in theories that stress participation, notably site-based (school-based) management, teamwork, and distributed leadership. We report on a study in which the perceptions of secondary school principals, in Grahamstown, South Africa, of team management were explored. The study was interpretive in orientation, and utilized qualitative data gathering techniques in all (ten) of the state-aided secondary schools in Grahamstown in the Eastern Cape province. We found that, while team management was generally welcomed and even celebrated by principals, there were fundamental tensions surrounding principals' understanding of their leadership roles in a team context. We considers the implications of these findings for leadership development in the context of team management.


Loaded with the latest Photoshop tips and techniques The secrets of digital image editing - explained in plain English! Photoshop CS3 is a powerhouse, and here's the fast and easy way to get up to speed on all the coolest features. This friendly guide helps you get images into Photoshop - and then turn them into dazzling works of art. You'll see how to work in the right file formats, master the Brushes palette, get creative with filters, convert color to grayscale, and more! Adjust brightness, improve color, and fix flaws Take advantage of the Raw file format Composite images with layers and blending modes Automate your tasks with scripts and Actions Apply the new Smart Filters to Smart Objects


The aim of the present study was to find out the effects of long term sleep deprivation and lack of exercise on total serum testosterone level and their consequences in male professional drivers. This study was conducted at Mingora and Timergara in District Swat and District Dir respectively, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Blood samples were taken from 50 sleep deprived sluggish drivers and from 50 normal people of the same locality. A standard format questionnaire was designed regarding their age, marital status, number of children, mating frequency, duration and timing of sleep and habit of exercise. Bio-check (USA) kit was used according to the manufacturer protocol. The mean and standard deviation of total serum testosterone in control was 650 ± 110 ng/dl (P < 0.0001), and in drivers was 410 ± 33 ng/dl (P < 0.0001). Total serum testosterone level was significantly lower in sleep deprived and sluggish drivers as compared to control group. The ill effects like reduce sexual desire, erectile dysfunction, Absent morning erection, scare pubic hairs, decrease frequency for shaving, muscle weakness, fatigue, depression and poor memory were also reported from the drivers during blood sampling, but no such problems were found in the control group. Sleep deprivation especially REM and lack of exercise has a negative effect on total serum testosterone level. This low testosterone level in turn produces ill effects both on sexual and general body health.


A B S T R A C T Phytoestrogens are plant-derived compounds having similar effects to estrogens. Several phytostrogen groups have been identified being the most characteristics the isoflavones like genistein, coumestans like coumestrol, and lignans represented by the enterolactone. Depending on the doses, they can act as agonists or antagonists of steroidal hormones. This apparently bimodal function is due to their capacity to interact with the alpha form of the estrogen receptor (ERα) in several organs of the female reproductive tract and to the beta form ERβ present in prostate, testis, ovaries, limph nodes and brain regions. It has been observed that an increase in genistein or coumestrol induces an increase in haemorrhagic follicles, miscarriages, LH-FSH surge suppression and even estrogenic syndrome, whereas in males, induces alterations in testis development and a decrease in sperm count. In this review, a panoramic view of the actual research of phytostrogen impact on the reproductive function and perspectives mainly for domestic animals is presented.


Artificial intelligence (AI) is the key technology in many of today's novel applications, ranging from banking systems that detect attempted credit card fraud, to telephone systems that understand speech, to software systems that notice when you're having problems and offer appropriate advice. These technologies would not exist today without the sustained federal support of fundamental AI research over the past three decades.


A common argument against privatization is that private providers will self-interestedly lobby to increase the size of their market. In this Article, I evaluate this argument, using, as a case study, the argument against prison privatization based on the possibility that the private prison industry will distort the criminal law by advocating for incarceration. I conclude that there is at present no particular reason to credit this argument. Even without privatization, actors in the public sector already lobby for changes in substantive law — in the prison context, for example, public corrections officer unions are active advocates of pro-incarceration policy. Against this background, adding the "extra voice" of the private sector will not necessarily increase either the amount of industry-increasing advocacy or its effectiveness. In fact, privatization may well reduce the industry's political power: Because advocacy is a "public good" for the industry, as the number of independent actors increases, the dominant actor's advocacy can decrease (since it no longer captures the full benefit of its advocacy) and the other actors may free ride off the dominant actor's contribution. Under some plausible assumptions, therefore, privatization may actually decrease advocacy. Under different plausible assumptions, the net effect of privatization on advocacy is ambiguous, but in any event, privatization does not unambiguously increase advocacy. The argument that privatization distorts policy by encouraging lobbying is thus unconvincing without a fuller explanation of the mechanics of advocacy.


A $d$-dimensional hypercube drawing of a graph represents the vertices by distinct points in $\{0,1\}^d$, such that the line-segments representing the edges do not cross. We study lower and upper bounds on the minimum number of dimensions in hypercube drawing of a given graph. This parameter turns out to be related to Sidon sets and antimagic injections.


How central should hedonic adaptation be to the establishment of sentencing policy? In earlier work, Professors Bronsteen, Buccafusco, and Masur (BBM) drew some normative significance from the psychological studies of adaptability for punishment policy. In particular, they argued that retributivists and utilitarians alike are obliged on pain of inconsistency to take account of the fact that most prisoners, most of the time, adapt to imprisonment in fairly short order, and therefore suffer much less than most of us would expect. They also argued that ex-prisoners don't adapt well upon re-entry to society and that social planners should consider their post-release experiences as part of the suffering the state imposes as punishment. In subsequent articles, we challenged BBM's arguments (principally from the perspective of retributive justice) -- see below for SSRN links. The fundamental issue between BBM and us is whether "punishment" should be defined, measured, and justified according to the subjective negative experiences of those who are punished, an approach we refer to as "subjectivism," or whether the more compelling approach is to define and justify punishment, more or less, in objective terms such that the amount need not vary based on experiences of offenders alone. In their responsive essay, "Retribution and the Experience of Punishment," BBM responded to our challenges. This essay of ours now assesses the impact of their responses, again from the perspective of retributive justice. We remain unpersuaded by their conceptual and normative responses. We also use this essay to explain further the wrong turns associated with BBM's decision to endorse subjectivist concerns as the principal measure and justification for the infliction of retributive punishment. Markel and Flanders, Bentham on Stilts: The Bare Relevance of Subjectivity to Retributive Punishment, http://papers.ssrn.com/abstract=1587886 Gray, Punishment as Suffering, http://ssrn.com/abstract=1573600 BBM, Retribution and the Experience of Punishment, http://ssrn.com/abstract=1692921


The polysaccharide hydration phenomenon is nowadays the subject of intense research. The interaction of native and modified polysaccharides and polysaccharides-based bioconjugates with water has an important influence on their functional behaviour. Notwithstanding that the hydration phenomenon has been studied for decades, there is still a lack of awareness about the influence of hydration water on the polysaccharide´s structure and consequences for industrial or medicinal applications. The hydration of polysaccharides is often described by the existence of water layers differing in their physical properties depending on the distance from the polysaccharide. Using the differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) such water layers were categorized according their properties upon cooling in hyaluronan (HYA, sodium salt of s-1,4-linked units of s-1,3-linked D-glucuronic acid and N-acetyl-D-glucosamine), a model polysaccharide in the present work. The amount of non-freezing water, i.e. water in close proximity of HYA chain which does not freeze et all, was determined around 0.74gH2O/gHYA for HYA with molecular weight from 100 to 740kDa and 0.84gH2O/gHYA for molecular weight of 1390kDa. The amount of freezing-bound water, the water pool which is affected by presence of HYA but freezes, was determined in the range from 0.74 to 2gH2O/gHYA. Above this value only non-freezing and bulk water are present since melting enthalpy measured above this concentration reached the same value as for pure water. Since this approach suffers from several experimental problems, a new approach, based on the evaporation enthalpy determination, was suggested. The analysis of the evaporation enthalpies revealed an additional process associated with apparent energy release taking part below the water content of 0.34gH2O/gHYA. Existence of this phenomenon was observed also for protonated form of HYA. The existence of energy compensating process was confirmed with the Kissinger-Akahira-Sunose method which allowed determination of actual water evaporation/desorption enthalpies in all stages of the evaporation process. In fact, the apparent evaporation enthalpy value increased until water content of 0.34gH2O/gHYA, and then dropped down to lower values which were, still higher than the value of the pure water evaporation enthalpy. By the use of time domain nuclear magnetic resonance (TD-NMR) technique it was revealed that this phenomenon is the plasticisation of HYA.
Further, it was revealed that the non-freezing water determined by the use of DSC consists of two water fractions, i.e. 15% of water structurally integrated, interacting directly with polar sites, and 85% of water structurally restricted, embedded in-between the HYA chains. The occurrence of plasticisation concentration close to equilibrium moisture content provided the possibility to influence the HYA physical structure during the drying. In this way three samples of native HYA, dried under various conditions were prepared and their physical properties were analyzed. The samples differed in kinetics of rehydration, plasticisation concentration, glass transitions, and morphology. The properties of water pool were studied in solutions of 10"25mg HYA/mL as well. The fast filed cycling (FFC) NMR relaxometry showed the existence of three water fractions which correlation times spanned from 10"6 to 10"10 seconds, progressively decreasing in dependency on its distance from HYA chain. The formation of a weak and transient intramolecular water bridge between HYA chains was observed. It was shown that, unlike the inorganic electrolytes, polyelectrolytes hydration is a dynamic process which reflects not only the technique used for the analysis, experimental conditions but also the conformation of the polysaccharide and its "thermal" and "hydration" history.
It was demonstrated that some native polysaccharide structures can be easily modified by manipulation of preparation conditions, giving fractions with specific physicochemical properties without necessity of any chemical modification.


Michael Burawoy offers an innovative call to re-integrate our discipline. Using Canada as an example, I argue that his proposal underestimates the extent of institutional separatism among branches of sociology. Influenced by anti-positivist currents in the humanities over the past two decades, critical sociologists are disconnecting from mainstream empirical research. Simultaneously, the mainstream is moving in a very different direction as it responds to developments in other social sciences, and largely ignores the humanities. I hypothesize that this institutional drift is limiting the possibility of mutual correction between various branches of sociology, a process that is central to Burawoy's proposal. Possible scenarios for the future of public sociology in Canada are discussed in light of this hypothesis


Recent work in unsupervised feature learning and deep learning has shown that being able to train large models can dramatically improve performance. In this paper, we consider the problem of training a deep network with billions of parameters using tens of thousands of CPU cores. We have developed a software framework called DistBelief that can utilize computing clusters with thousands of machines to train large models. Within this framework, we have developed two algorithms for large-scale distributed training: (i) Downpour SGD, an asynchronous stochastic gradient descent procedure supporting a large number of model replicas, and (ii) Sandblaster, a framework that supports a variety of distributed batch optimization procedures, including a distributed implementation of L-BFGS. Downpour SGD and Sandblaster L-BFGS both increase the scale and speed of deep network training. We have successfully used our system to train a deep network 30x larger than previously reported in the literature, and achieves state-of-the-art performance on ImageNet, a visual object recognition task with 16 million images and 21k categories. We show that these same techniques dramatically accelerate the training of a more modestly- sized deep network for a commercial speech recognition service. Although we focus on and report performance of these methods as applied to training large neural networks, the underlying algorithms are applicable to any gradient-based machine learning algorithm.


This study was carried out to determine the prevalence of rabies antigen in brain of dogs slaughtered for consumption and those that died in veterinary clinics as well as to obtain a 6-year retrospective data on dog bites/suspected dog rabies cases in Lagos State. Dog brain samples were collected from dog slaughter slabs and veterinary clinics (for dogs that died in clinics) across the Lagos state while data for retrospective studies (2006-2011) of dog bite/suspected rabies cases were collected from public (government owned) and private veterinary clinics across the state. Out of the 444 brain samples collected and tested for presence of rabies antigen using the direct fluorescent antibody technique (DFAT) only 7 (1.58%) were positive for the rabies antigen. A total of 196 dog bites/suspected rabies cases were encountered between January 2006 and December, 2011 in the veterinary clinics with adults been the major (55.61%) victims. Majority (96.43%) of the offending dogs were not quarantined at the time of bite and only one out of the quarantined dogs died and was confirmed positive for rabies antigen. The result of this study indicates that rabies antigen is present among dogs slaughtered in Lagos State and may pose a threat to public health. Though, available records showed that provocation of dogs was the major cause of dog bites and both children and adults fell victim of dog bites, there was a poor record keeping practice in the veterinary clinics across the state.


A central process in immunity is the activation of T cells through interaction of T cell receptors (TCRs) with agonistic peptide-major histocompatibility complexes (pMHC) on the surface of antigen presenting cells (APCs). TCR-pMHC binding triggers the formation of an extensive contact between the two cells termed the immunological synapse, which acts as a platform for integration of multiple signals determining cellular outcomes, including those from multiple co-stimulatory/inhibitory receptors. Contributors to this include a number of chemokine receptors, notably CXC-chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4), and other members of the G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) family. Although best characterized as mediators of ligand-dependent chemotaxis, some chemokine receptors are also recruited to the synapse and contribute to signaling in the absence of ligation. How these and other GPCRs integrate within the dynamic structure of the synapse is unknown, as is how their normally migratory Gαi-coupled signaling is terminated upon recruitment. Here, we report the spatiotemporal organization of several GPCRs, focusing on CXCR4, and the G protein Gαi2 within the synapse of primary human CD4+ T cells on supported lipid bilayers, using standard- and super-resolution fluorescence microscopy. We find that CXCR4 undergoes orchestrated phases of reorganization, culminating in recruitment to the TCR-enriched center. This appears to be dependent on CXCR4 ubiquitination, and does not involve stable interactions with TCR microclusters, as viewed at the nanoscale. Disruption of this process by mutation impairs CXCR4 contributions to cellular activation. Gαi2 undergoes active exclusion from the synapse, partitioning from centrally-accumulated CXCR4. Using a CRISPR-Cas9 knockout screen, we identify several diverse GPCRs with contributions to T cell activation, most significantly the sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor S1PR1, and the oxysterol receptor GPR183. These, and other GPCRs, undergo organization similar to CXCR4; including initial exclusion, centripetal transport, and lack of receptor-TCR interactions. These constitute the first observations of GPCR dynamics within the synapse, and give insights into how these receptors may contribute to T cell activation. The observation of broad GPCR contributions to T cell activation also opens the possibility that modulating GPCR expression in response to cell status or environment may directly regulate responsiveness to pMHC.


One of the most powerful methods of inducing changes in outcomes governed by international humanitarian law is to add human rights rules and arguments into the equation. This, indeed, is precisely the point of the whole project of linking these two branches of international law. This article explores the relationship between the two bodies of law, and makes several broad propositions. First, that there is a need for a change in perspective, from examining the relationship of the two regimes as such, to the interaction of particular norms that regulate specific situations. Second, that this interaction will frequently result in a norm conflict, and that we have numerous tools at our disposal for either avoiding or resolving these conflicts. Third, that lex specialis is at best a fairly limited tool of norm conflict avoidance, and that it most certainly cannot be used to describe the relationship between human rights and humanitarian law as a whole. Finally, that there are situations where all of our tools will fail us, where a norm conflict will be both unavoidable and unresolvable due to a fundamental incompatibility in the text, object and purpose, and values protected by the interacting norms, and where the only possible solution to the conflict will be a political one. The article identifies three such possible situations of unresolvable antinomy - targeted killings, preventive security detention, and positive obligations during occupation, and addresses recent cases with a norm conflict component, such as Al-Jedda, Behrami, and Al-Saadoon. Though in most cases harmony between human rights and humanitarian law is possible, and indeed desirable, we should not underestimate the practical and political relevance of situations of true norm conflict, which no amount of academic exposition will be able to fix.Note: Pre-print of an expanded version of an article which will first appear as 'A Norm Conflict Perspective on the Relationship between International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights Law' in the Journal of Conflict & Security Law, Vol. 14, 2009, also published by Oxford University Press.


Consumers become more concerned about the products they consume as they become aware of the benefits of third-party certification marks on product packaging and advertisements. Consumers look for food product packaging that includes information such as GMO free, organic, eco-friendly, country of origin or religiously based labels, such as kosher and Halal. This study examined the impact of a Halal certification mark as both an advertisement and a signifier of third-party certification for non-Muslims in Malaysia. The results show that non-Muslims do not think that advertisement with Halal certification mark is offensive. Structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis shows that sensitivity toward advertisement is positively related to attitudes toward advertisements, and that attitudes toward advertisements have a significant and positive relationship with behavioral outcomes. These findings enhance understanding of the effect of advertisement with Halal certification mark on non-Muslim consumers in Malaysia.


The classic book on working with the energy of the body for spiritual purposes, The Middle Pillar by Israel Regardie, is now more complete, more modern, more usable, and better than ever. The exercise known as the Middle Pillar was devised by the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. Regardie expanded upon it and made it public over 60 years ago in the first edition of this book. Since that time, the exercise has been altered and adapted for just about any spiritual use you could think of. It is a mainstay of many Western traditions of magic. Now in its third edition, The Middle Pillar is better than ever. It has been edited by Chic Cicero and Sandra Tabatha Cicero, close friends of the late Regardie and senior Adepts of the Golden Dawn. They have also added new material in a separate section that more than doubles the size of the book with their valuable insights and knowledge. * Includes the complete original text, with nothing eliminated * Spelling has been standardized to Western traditions * Each chapter now has a title to identify its content * The Ciceros's notes to each chapter add insight and history to Regardie's work * Modern and clearer illustrations have been added * New, a further exploration of the relationship between magic and psychology * New, more than five techniques to enhance relaxation * New, the Middle Pillar and the Chakras * New, versions of the Middle Pillar exercise in Egyptian, Greek, and Gaelic * New, a shamanic version of the Middle Pillar * New, how to use the Middle Pillar to charge talismans and do healings The Middle Pillar is now expanded to what it always should have been, a thorough, accessible examination and extension of the single ritual that has become the very embodiment of magic. Get The Middle Pillar and learn the real secrets of magic.


The New State of the Art in Information Security: Now Covers Cloud Computing, the Internet of Things, and Cyberwarfare Students and IT and security professionals have long relied on Security in Computing as the definitive guide to computer security attacks and countermeasures. Now, the authors have thoroughly updated this classic to reflect todays newest technologies, attacks, standards, and trends. Security in Computing, Fifth Edition, offers complete, timely coverage of all aspects of computer security, including users, software, devices, operating systems, networks, and data. Reflecting rapidly evolving attacks, countermeasures, and computing environments, this new edition introduces best practices for authenticating users, preventing malicious code execution, using encryption, protecting privacy, implementing firewalls, detecting intrusions, and more. More than two hundred end-of-chapter exercises help the student to solidify lessons learned in each chapter. Combining breadth, depth, and exceptional clarity, this comprehensive guide builds carefully from simple to complex topics, so you always understand all you need to know before you move forward. Youll start by mastering the fields basic terms, principles, and concepts. Next, youll apply these basics in diverse situations and environments, learning to think like an attacker and identify exploitable weaknesses. Then you will switch to defense, selecting the best available solutions and countermeasures. Finally, youll go beyond technology to understand crucial management issues in protecting infrastructure and data. New coverage includes A full chapter on securing cloud environments and managing their unique risks Extensive new coverage of security issues associated with userweb interaction New risks and techniques for safeguarding the Internet of Things A new primer on threats to privacy and how to guard it An assessment of computers and cyberwarfarerecent attacks and emerging risks Security flaws and risks associated with electronic voting systems


Industrial wind power is examined from a different perspective: how it fits into our 125 year historical pattern for selecting sources for electrical power. This has considerable pertinence since the power source requirements developed during this long period have not only resulted in the most successful electrical grid system in the world, but have also immeasurably contributed to the economic success of the United States. From my perspective as a physicist and long time environmental activist, it is apparent that we depart from this proven path at our extreme peril.


This book introduces students with little or no prior programming experience to the art of computational problem solving using Python and various Python libraries, including PyLab. It provides students with skills that will enable them to make productive use of computational techniques, including some of the tools and techniques of "data science" for using computation to model and interpret data. The book is based on an MIT course (which became the most popular course offered through MIT's OpenCourseWare) and was developed for use not only in a conventional classroom but in a massive open online course (or MOOC) offered by the pioneering MIT-Harvard collaboration edX.Students are introduced to Python and the basics of programming in the context of such computational concepts and techniques as exhaustive enumeration, bisection search, and efficient approximation algorithms. The book does not require knowledge of mathematics beyond high school algebra, but does assume that readers are comfortable with rigorous thinking and not intimidated by mathematical concepts. Although it covers such traditional topics as computational complexity and simple algorithms, the book focuses on a wide range of topics not found in most introductory texts, including information visualization, simulations to model randomness, computational techniques to understand data, and statistical techniques that inform (and misinform) as well as two related but relatively advanced topics: optimization problems and dynamic programming. Introduction to Computation and Programming Using Python can serve as a stepping-stone to more advanced computer science courses, or as a basic grounding in computational problem solving for students in other disciplines.


Challenging the economic case for this white elephant Executive summary: There is a significant risk that High Speed 2 (HS2) will become the latest in a long series of government big-project disasters with higher-than-forecast costs and lower-than-forecast benefits. HS2 is not commercially viable and will require substantial and increasing levels of subsidy. Taxpayers will therefore bear a very high proportion of the financial risks, which are wholly under-represented in the Economic Case presented by the Department for Transport. The level of financial risk of HS2 is huge, far more than for the earlier HS1 (Channel Tunnel Rail Link). The estimated cost of £34 billion to construct HS2 is equivalent to £1000 per UK income-tax payer. Most taxpayers will derive no benefit from the scheme. The wasteful allocation of resources is demonstrated by the 'gold-plating' of the HS2 route. The first five miles from Euston to Old Oak Common, for example, will add almost 25% (about £4 billion) to the cost of the first phase but deliver negligible time savings. The government's economic case for HS2 depends on estimates of demand growth that are very high compared with a range of previous forecasts for long-distance rail travel. The long timescale adds to the uncertainty surrounding future passenger numbers. A similar approach was taken in forecasting passenger numbers for HS1 and the lessons, clearly reported by the Public Accounts Committee, have not been learned. The economic case for HS2 assumes that time on board a train is wasted for business travellers. In fact many business people are able to undertake productive work during part of their journeys. The economic benefits of HS2 are therefore substantially exaggerated. The construction of the line will involve the appropriation of large numbers of properties on the route. Several areas are likely to be affected by 'planning blight'. Significant environmental and social costs are not included in the assessment of the economic case. Again, painful lessons from HS1, about using existing transport corridors, have not been learned. HS2 is likely to create demand for additional high-cost, taxpayer-funded transport capacity. Terminating the line at Euston may require a new Underground line or Crossrail 2 link to cope with extra passenger numbers. Claims that HS2 will bridge the north-south divide and bring regeneration should be treated with scepticism as the evidence is largely speculative. Alleged benefits must be set against the wider economic losses from the additional taxation required to fund HS2.


This article, an expanded version of a 2008 public lecture, explores the life and times of Adolph Gysbert ʻSailor ̓Malan, a South African who rose to prominence as a combatant in the 1940 Battle of Britain and who, after his post-war return to the Union, became a notable personality in liberal reform politics. A classic Anglo-Afrikaner empire loyalist or ʻKing s̓ Afrikaner', Malan became ʻSailor ̓ through his interwar merchant marine service, joining the Royal Air Force in the later 1930s. An exceptional fighter pilot, his wartime role as an RAF ace in defending Britain turned him into a national hero, a migrating loyal Springbok who had sprung selflessly to the defence of Great Britain. Subsequently, as an ex-serviceman, Malan drew on his wartime sensibilities and beliefs to return to political battle in his home country, in opposition to post-1948 Afrikaner nationalism and its apartheid policies. The mini-biography of Sailor Malan analyses several key life-story elements, including his seafaring apprenticeship, British wartime identity and combat experience, and troubled relationship with post1945 South Africa as a gradualist liberal.


Cyberdefense has become, over the past five years, a major issue on the international scene. China, by the place it occupies, is the subject of attention: it is observed, criticized, and designated by many states as a major player in the global cyber-insecurity. The United States is building their cyberdefense strategy against what they call the "Chinese threat." It is therefore important to better understand today's challenges related to cyber dimension in regard of the rise of China.Contributions from international researchers provide cross perspectives on China, its strategies and policies for cybersecurity and cyberdefense. These issues have now gained major strategic dimension: Is Cyberspace changing the scene of international relations? How China does apprehend cybersecurity and cyberdefense? What are the issues, challenges? What is the role of China in the global cyberspace?


That's it, a book to wait for in this month. Even you have wanted for long time for releasing this book current perspectives in distributive education; you may not be able to get in some stress. Should you go around and seek fro the book until you really get it? Are you sure? Are you that free? This condition will force you to always end up to get a book. But now, we are coming to give you excellent solution.


ment for dexterous robot manipulation, e.g., for extravehicular robots making vehicle repairs. Although strain gauges have been widely used, a new sensing approach is desirable for applications that require greater robustness, design flexibility including a high degree of multiplexibility, and immunity to electromagnetic noise. This invention is a force and deflection sensor — a flexible shell formed with an elastomer having passageways formed by apertures in the shell, with an optical fiber having one or more Bragg gratings positioned in the passageways for the measurement of force and deflection. One object of the invention is lightweight, rugged appendages for a robot that feature embedded sensors so that the robot can be more "aware" of loads in real time. A particular class of optical sensors, fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors, is promising for space robotics and other applications where high sensitivity, multiplexing capability, immunity to electromagnetic noise, small size, and resistance to harsh environments are particularly desirable. In addition, the biosafe and inert nature of optical fibers makes them attractive for medical robotics. FBGs reflect light with a peak wavelength that shifts in proportion to the strain to which they are subjected. Multiple FBG sensors can be placed along a single fiber and optically multiplexed. FBG sensors have previously been surface-attached to or embedded in metal parts and composites to monitor stresses. An exoskeletal force sensing robot finger was developed by embedding FBG sensors into a polymer-based structure. Multiple FBG sensors were embedded into the structure to allow the manipulator to sense and measure both contact forces and grasping forces. In order to fabricate a three-dimensional structure, a new shape deposition manufacturing (SDM) process was developed. The sensorized SDM-fabricated finger was then characterized using an FBG interrogator. A force localization scheme was also developed. A sensor is formed from a thin shell of flexible material such as elastomer to form an attachment region, a sensing region, and a tip region. In one embodiment, the sensing region is a substantially cylindrical flexible shell, and has a plurality of apertures forming passageways between the apertures. Optical fiber is routed through the passageways, with sensors located in the passageways prior to the application of the elastomeric material forming the flexible shell. Deflection of the sensor, such as by a force applied to the contact region, causes an incremental strain in one or more passageways where the optical fiber is located. The incremental strain results in a change of optical wavelength of reflection or transmittance at the sensor, thereby allowing the measurement of force or displacement. The ability to route a single optical fiber through the passageways of the outer shell of the sensor, combined with the freedom to place Bragg gratingbased sensors in desired locations of the shell, provides tremendous flexibility in sensing force in three axes, as well as the possibility of providing a large number of sensors for more sophisticated measurement modalities, such as torque and shell deflection in response to multipoint pressure application. This work was done by Yong-Lae Park, Richard Black, Behzad Moslehi, Mark Cutkosky, and Kelvin Chau of Intelligent Fiber Optic Systems Corp. for Johnson Space Center. Further information is contained in a TSP (see page 1). In accordance with Public Law 96-517, the contractor has elected to retain title to this invention. Inquiries concerning rights for its commercial use should be addressed to: Intelligent Fiber Optic Systems Corp. 424 Panama Mall Stanford, CA 94305 Refer to MSC-24501-1, volume and number of this NASA Tech Briefs issue, and the page number.


The purpose of this study, based on Terror Management Theory (TMT; Solomon et al., 1991) and Multicultural Counseling Competency literature, was to investigate a) how increased death awareness affects counselors' self evaluations of their MCCs, b) how self esteem moderates the effects of death reminders on counselors' self evaluations of their MCCs, and c) how demographic variables affect counselors' self evaluations of their MCCs following death reminders. 141 master's and doctoral level counseling students enrolled in a CACREP-accredited counseling program in the Southeast or Southwest regions of the United States were randomly assigned to either a death awareness group (experimental group) or a control group. Participants in the death awareness group experienced increased death awareness prior to completing the Multicultural Counseling Inventory (MCI; Sodowsky, 1994); and participants in the control group completed the MCI prior to experiencing increased death awareness. A one-way ANOVA was run to test the difference between groups. Results revealed that participants in the death awareness group self rated their MCCs (including the MCI Overall scale and the MCI Knowledge, MCI Skills, and MCI Relationship subscales) lower than did the control group. No differences between groups were revealed on the MCI Awareness subscale. A multiple regression using the general linear model was run to analyze the effects of conscious death fear on counseling students' perceived MCCs. Results indicated that death concern did not affect counseling students' self perceived MCCs. Also a series of linear regressions were run to understand the moderating effect of self esteem, multicultural training, and other demographic variables on counseling students' perceived MCCs follow increased death awareness. Results revealed that self esteem and multicultural training did not moderate the effect of increased death awareness on counseling students' self perceived MCCs. In partial support of the research hypotheses, results also revealed that, aside from graduate level (master's and doctoral students), demographic variables did not have a moderating effect on increased death awareness. This study is a first step in a research agenda aimed at understanding the effect of increased death awareness on counselors' competence in working with diverse clients. This study contributes to the MCC and TMT bodies of literature, particularly, the practical application of TMT, and to the training of multiculturally competent counselors. It is anticipated that, through this study and future studies, effective training strategies that reduce the negative effects of increased death awareness on counseling students' MCCs can be developed and implemented in counselor training programs. Of course, before that can be accomplished, more research is needed.


A gradient based algorithm for parameter identification (least-squares) is applied to a multiaxial correction method for elastic stresses and strains at notches. The correction scheme, which is numerically cheap, is based on Jiang's model of elastoplasticity. Both mathematical stress-strain computations (nonlinear PDE with Jiang's constitutive material law) and physical strain measurements have been approximized. The gradient evaluation with respect to the parameters, which is large-scale, is realized by the automatic forward differentiation technique.


Today\'s dynamic markets and technologies have called into question the sustainability of
competitive advantage. Under pressure to improve productivity, quality, and speed,
managers have embraced tools such as TQM, benchmarking, and reengineering. Dramatic operational improvements have resulted, but rarely have these gains translated into sustainable profitability. And gradually, the tools have taken the place of strategy. As managers push to improve on all fronts, they move further away from viable competitive positions. Michael Porter argues that operational effectiveness, although necessary to superior performance, is not sufficient, because its techniques are easy to imitate. In contrast, the essence of strategy is choosing a unique and valuable position rooted in systems of activities that are much more difficult to match.


The need for finding persuasive arguments can arise in a variety of domains such as politics, finance, marketing or personal entertainment. In these domains, there is a demand to make decisions by oneself or to convince somebody about a specific topic. To obtain a conclusion, one has to search thoroughly different sources in literature and on the web to compare various arguments. Voice interfaces, in form of smartphone applications or smart speakers, present the user with natural conversations in a comfortable way to make search requests in contrast to a traditional search interface with keyboard and display. Benefits and obstacles of such a new interface are analyzed by conducting two studies. The first one consists of a survey for analyzing the target group with questions about situations, motivations, and possible demanding features. The latter one is a wizard-of-oz experiment to investigate possible queries on how a user formulates requests to such a novel system. The results indicate that a search interface with conversational abilities can build a helpful assistant, but to satisfy the demands of a broader audience some additional information retrieval and visualization features need to be implemented.


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Evaluating the inherently relative and subjective social value of employment needs to be placed within a broader inquiry about the conditions under which a sufficient and sustained perception of social value might be cultivated within particular employment settings, in a manner that is adaptive and resilient to the often profound structural transformations associated with socio-economic development. This paper contends that these conditions are intricately related to redistributive processes within societies. A vital role of public policy is to strengthen progressive redistributive institutional mechanisms as a means to cultivate resilience and positive synergies between the social values of employment, and human and economic development. This argument is made in four sections, including: some stylized facts of contemporary population growth and labour transitions across the global South; the limitations of standard economics approaches in dealing with issues of labour market intermediation and employment regulation as well as a variety of alternative socially and institutionally embedded views; the valuation of labour, drawing from the example of care work to illustrate the importance of redistributive mechanisms to socialize the costs of relatively skilled service sector employment; and lastly, some examples of the redistributive imperative in contemporary development. The conclusion offers some reflections on structural vulnerabilities in a context of labour transitions and human development.


In literate societies linguistic competence includes speaking as well as writing. Talking and writing are rather different activities, therefore one should expect that in foreign language teaching (and especially in german-as-foreign-language teaching) both parts are included in equal proportions. However, the practise of teaching shows that written language is dominant and spoken language lives a shadow existence (section 1). In the following I will give five reasons as to why spoken language stands in the background and why it is such a bulky and clumsy subject (section 2). After which I will characterise two points of view one can take in regards to the magnitude of the differences between spoken and written language (section 3) and I will describe some of the central differences (section 4). Finally, 1 will formulate some consequences of this study for foreign language teaching, and I will argue that the difficulties connected with spoken language should be confronted, as in my opinion spoken language is an indispensable part of foreign language teaching (section 5).


The common explanation for the outbreak of World War I depicts Europe as a minefield of nationalism, needing only the slightest pressure to set off an explosion of passion that would rip the continent apart. But in a crucial reexamination of the outbreak of violence, Michael Neiberg shows that ordinary Europeans, unlike their political and military leaders, neither wanted nor expected war during the fateful summer of 1914. By training his eye on the ways that people outside the halls of power reacted to the rapid onset and escalation of the fighting, Neiberg dispels the notion that Europeans were rabid nationalists intent on mass slaughter. He reveals instead a complex set of allegiances that cut across national boundaries.Neiberg marshals letters, diaries, and memoirs of ordinary citizens across Europe to show that the onset of war was experienced as a sudden, unexpected event. As they watched a minor diplomatic crisis erupt into a continental bloodbath, they expressed shock, revulsion, and fear. But when bargains between belligerent governments began to crumble under the weight of conflict, public disillusionment soon followed. Yet it was only after the fighting acquired its own horrible momentum that national hatreds emerged under the pressure of mutually escalating threats, wartime atrocities, and intense government propaganda. "Dance of the Furies" gives voice to a generation who found themselves compelled to participate in a ghastly, protracted orgy of violence they never imagined would come to pass.


Many people take vitamins such as A, E, and C thinking that their antioxidant properties will ward off cancer. But some clinical trials have suggested that such antioxidants, which sop up DNA-damaging molecules called free radicals, have the opposite effect and raise cancer risk in certain people. Now, in a provocative study that raises unsettling questions about the widespread use of vitamin supplements, Swedish researchers have showed that relatively low doses of antioxidants spur the growth of early lung tumors in cancer-prone mice, perhaps by hindering a well-known tumor suppressor gene.


Silicon Valley, a small place with few identifiable geologic or geographic features, has achieved a mythical reputation in a very short time. The modern material culture of the Valley may be driven by technology, but it also encompasses architecture, transportation, food, clothing, entertainment, intercultural exchanges, and rituals.Combining a reporter's instinct for a good interview with traditional archaeological training, Christine Finn brings the perspectives of the past and the future to the story of Silicon Valley's present material culture. She traveled the area in 2000, a period when people's fortunes could change overnight. She describes a computer's rapid trajectory from useful tool to machine to be junked to collector's item. She explores the sense that whatever one has is instantly superseded by the next new thing -- and the effect this has on economic and social values. She tells stories from a place where fruit-pickers now recycle silicon chips and where more money can be made babysitting for post-IPO couples than working in a factory. The ways that people are working and adapting, are becoming wealthy or barely getting by, are visible in the cultural landscape of the fifteen cities that make up the area called "Silicon Valley."


Abstract:The Spring 2022 Issue. Ploughshares is an award-winning journal of new writing. Since 1971, Ploughshares has discovered and cultivated the freshest voices in contemporary American literature, and now provides readers with thoughtful and entertaining literature in a variety of formats. Find out why the New York Times named Ploughshares "the Triton among minnows."The Spring 2022 Issue, guest-edited by Ilya Kaminsky, features original poetry and prose by Sheila Black, Andres Cerpa, Victoria Chang, Jane Hirshfield, Mary Jo Bang, Paige Lewis, Layli Long Soldier, Khadijah Queen, Hadara Bar-Nadav, Hassaan Mirza, and others.


The term Open Source Software (OSS) has been around for a long time in the world of computer science. Open source software development is a process by which we can manufacture economical and qualitative software and its source could be re-use in the improvement of the software. The success of OSS relies on several factors, e.g. usability, functionality, market focus etc. But in the end how popular the software will be measured by the number of users downloading the software and how much the software is usable to the users. Open Source Software achieve the status for stability, security and functionality. Most of this software has been utilized by expert level users of IT. But from the general users or the non-computer user's point of view the usability issues of Open source software has been faced the most criticism [25, 26, 27, 28, 29, and 30]. This factor i.e. the usability issues of general user is also responsible for the limited distribution of the open source software [24]. The development process should apply the "user-centered" methodology [25, 26, 27, 28, 29, and 30]. In this thesis paper the issues of usability in OSS development and how the usability of open source software can be improved will be discussed. Beside this I investigate the usability quality of free Open Source Linux-based operating system Ubuntu and try to find out the usability standards of this OSS.


Seneca, Lucius Annaeus, born at Corduba (Cordova) ca. 4 BCE, of a prominent and wealthy family, spent an ailing childhood and youth at Rome in an aunt's care. He became famous in rhetoric, philosophy, money-making, and imperial service. After some disgrace during Claudius' reign he became tutor and then, in 54 CE, advising minister to Nero, some of whose worst misdeeds he did not prevent. Involved (innocently?) in a conspiracy, he killed himself by order in 65. Wealthy, he preached indifference to wealth; evader of pain and death, he preached scorn of both; and there were other contrasts between practice and principle. We have Seneca's philosophical or moral essays (ten of them traditionally called Dialogues)on providence, steadfastness, the happy life, anger, leisure, tranquility, the brevity of life, gift-giving, forgivenessand treatises on natural phenomena. Also extant are 124 epistles, in which he writes in a relaxed style about moral and ethical questions, relating them to personal experiences; a skit on the official deification of Claudius, "Apocolocyntosis" (in Loeb number 15); and nine rhetorical tragedies on ancient Greek themes. Many epistles and all his speeches are lost. The 124 epistles are collected in Volumes IVVI of the Loeb Classical Library's ten-volume edition of Seneca.


CONTEXT
Plasma levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) are independently associated with risk of coronary heart disease, but whether CRP is causally associated with coronary heart disease or merely a marker of underlying atherosclerosis is uncertain.

OBJECTIVE
To investigate association of genetic loci with CRP levels and risk of coronary heart disease.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS
We first carried out a genome-wide association (n = 17,967) and replication study (n = 13,615) to identify genetic loci associated with plasma CRP concentrations. Data collection took place between 1989 and 2008 and genotyping between 2003 and 2008. We carried out a mendelian randomization study of the most closely associated single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the CRP locus and published data on other CRP variants involving a total of 28,112 cases and 100,823 controls, to investigate the association of CRP variants with coronary heart disease. We compared our finding with that predicted from meta-analysis of observational studies of CRP levels and risk of coronary heart disease. For the other loci associated with CRP levels, we selected the most closely associated SNP for testing against coronary heart disease among 14,365 cases and 32,069 controls.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE
Risk of coronary heart disease.

RESULTS
Polymorphisms in 5 genetic loci were strongly associated with CRP levels (% difference per minor allele): SNP rs6700896 in LEPR (-14.8%; 95% confidence interval [CI], -17.6% to -12.0%; P = 6.2 x 10(-22)), rs4537545 in IL6R (-11.5%; 95% CI, -14.4% to -8.5%; P = 1.3 x 10(-12)), rs7553007 in the CRP locus (-20.7%; 95% CI, -23.4% to -17.9%; P = 1.3 x 10(-38)), rs1183910 in HNF1A (-13.8%; 95% CI, -16.6% to -10.9%; P = 1.9 x 10(-18)), and rs4420638 in APOE-CI-CII (-21.8%; 95% CI, -25.3% to -18.1%; P = 8.1 x 10(-26)). Association of SNP rs7553007 in the CRP locus with coronary heart disease gave an odds ratio (OR) of 0.98 (95% CI, 0.94 to 1.01) per 20% lower CRP level. Our mendelian randomization study of variants in the CRP locus showed no association with coronary heart disease: OR, 1.00; 95% CI, 0.97 to 1.02; per 20% lower CRP level, compared with OR, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.94 to 0.95; predicted from meta-analysis of the observational studies of CRP levels and coronary heart disease (z score, -3.45; P < .001). SNPs rs6700896 in LEPR (OR, 1.06; 95% CI, 1.02 to 1.09; per minor allele), rs4537545 in IL6R (OR, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.91 to 0.97), and rs4420638 in the APOE-CI-CII cluster (OR, 1.16; 95% CI, 1.12 to 1.21) were all associated with risk of coronary heart disease.

CONCLUSION
The lack of concordance between the effect on coronary heart disease risk of CRP genotypes and CRP levels argues against a causal association of CRP with coronary heart disease.


This thesis is concerned with iterative and monotone methods for numerical
solutions of nonlinear elliptic boundary value problems. The methods we study here
are called block iterative methods, which solve the nonlinear elliptic problems in twodimensional
domain in R2 or higher dimensional domain in Rn. In these methods the
nonlinear boundary value problem is discretized by the finite difference method. Two
iteration processes, block Jacobi and block Gauss-Seidel monotone iterations, are
investigated for computation of solutions of finite difference system using either an
upper solution or a lower solution as the initial iteration. The numerical examples are
presented for both linear and nonlinear problems, and for both block and pointwise
methods. The numerical results are compared and discussed.


In-Situ Resource Utilization Topic H1 The purpose of In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) is to harness and utilize resources (both natural and discarded material) at the site of exploration to create products and services which can enable new approaches for exploration and significantly reduce the mass, cost, and risk of near-term and long-term space exploration. The ability to make propellants, life support consumables, fuel cell reagents, and radiation shielding can provide significant benefits for sustained human activities beyond Earth very early in exploration architectures. Since ISRU can be performed wherever resources may exist, ISRU systems will need to operate in a variety of environments and gravities and need to consider a wide variety of potential resource physical and mineral characteristics. Also, because ISRU systems and operations have never been demonstrated before in missions, it is important that ISRU concepts and technologies be evaluated under relevant conditions (gravity, environment, and vacuum) as well as anchored through modeling to regolith/soil, atmosphere, and environmental conditions. While the discipline of ISRU can encompass a large variety of different concept areas, resources, and products, the ISRU Topic will focus on technologies and capabilities associated with gas, water, and Mars atmosphere processing. Sub Topics:


Background Human Parvovirus B19 (PVB19) has been associated with myocarditis putative due to endothelial infection. Whether PVB19 infects endothelial cells and causes a modification of endothelial function and inflammation and, thus, disturbance of microcirculation has not been elucidated and could not be visualized so far. Methods and Findings To examine the PVB19-induced endothelial modification, we used green fluorescent protein (GFP) color reporter gene in the non-structural segment 1 (NS1) of PVB19. NS1-GFP-PVB19 or GFP plasmid as control were transfected in an endothelial-like cell line (ECV304). The endothelial surface expression of intercellular-adhesion molecule-1 (CD54/ICAM-1) and extracellular matrix metalloproteinase inducer (EMMPRIN/CD147) were evaluated by flow cytometry after NS-1-GFP or control-GFP transfection. To evaluate platelet adhesion on NS-1 transfected ECs, we performed a dynamic adhesion assay (flow chamber). NS-1 transfection causes endothelial activation and enhanced expression of ICAM-1 (CD54: mean±standard deviation: NS1-GFP vs. control-GFP: 85.3±11.2 vs. 61.6±8.1; P<0.05) and induces endothelial expression of EMMPRIN/CD147 (CD147: mean±SEM: NS1-GFP vs. control-GFP: 114±15.3 vs. 80±0.91; P<0.05) compared to control-GFP transfected cells. Dynamic adhesion assays showed that adhesion of platelets is significantly enhanced on NS1 transfected ECs when compared to control-GFP (P<0.05). The transfection of ECs was verified simultaneously through flow cytometry, immunofluorescence microscopy and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis. Conclusions GFP color reporter gene shows transfection of ECs and may help to visualize NS1-PVB19 induced endothelial activation and platelet adhesion as well as an enhanced monocyte adhesion directly, providing in vitro evidence of possible microcirculatory dysfunction in PVB19-induced myocarditis and, thus, myocardial tissue damage.


Hard wired into the survival mechanisms of all animals is the perception of pain. Different stimuli, such as heat or cold, foul odors, chemicals, or a blunt blow can trigger pain receptors in the body that, in the blink of an eye, jolt the body into classic fight or flight responses. Researchers Saito et al. (2014) have performed the first evolutionary analysis of pain response in chickens by isolating the genes for pain receptors called TRPA1. They were able to examine the function of the receptor using different stimuli in comparison with other vertebrate species. They found that heat stimulation activated chicken TRPA1, sharing similar thermal properties with other cold blood animals such as frog and reptile TRPA1 rather than mammalian and human TRPA1. In addition, they identified for the first time in chickens that methyl anthranilate (MA), a repellent chemical for birds, also activates chicken TRPA1. MA-induced activity of TRPA1 varied among diverse vertebrate species, and three key amino acid residues involved in the TRPA1 activity by MA were identified. Thefindings add to the understanding of the functional evolution of TRPA1 and its sensitivity to heat as well as its diversification among vertebrate species.


For decades, courts and commentators have debated the normative implications of contract procedure. Conservatives argue that mandatory arbitration clauses reduce the burden on the judicial system and that class arbitration waivers, choice-of-law clauses, and jury trial waivers allow businesses to pass their litigation savings to consumers in the form of lower prices. In response, liberals object that contract procedure dilutes substantive rights and runs roughshod over important jurisdictional and constitutional values. This Article argues that neither view has accounted for a defining trait of contract procedure: The regularity with which drafters unilaterally amend procedural terms. Indeed, many standard form consumer agreements and a growing number of state statutes authorize drafters to revise procedural terms unilaterally. The frequency with which drafters exercise this power undermines the foundational conservative theory that sophisticated adherents can exert market pressure on drafters to offer efficient procedural terms. However, the liberal model of contract procedure - which urges courts to nullify procedural terms that erode substantive, jurisdictional, or constitutional interests - creates perverse incentives. Drafters respond to judicial decisions voiding procedural terms by amending their terms again. The target audience for these revisions is not the adherents who will be subject to them, but the courts who will adjudicate their validity. This "private conversation" between corporations and courts not only widens the informational gulf between drafters and adherents, but increases the burden on the judicial system. To end this pernicious feedback loop, the Article encourages policymakers to eliminate drafters' ability to amend procedural terms unilaterally.


In 2006, a study involving institutional members of the Canadian Association of University Continuing Education (CAUCE) was conducted by the CAUCE Information and Research Committee working in collaboration with the Research Committee of the Association of Continuing Higher Education (ACHE). The survey had been previously completed by institutional members belonging to ACHE in the United States. This paper describes the survey findings and offers possible explanations of important differences related to respondent profile, type of institution by funding, and the extent of credit programming offered by the responding institutions. Differences related to learning modalities are also discussed. Further joint surveys involving CAUCE and ACHE members as well as international research initiatives sponsored by the two organizations are recommended.


Headlines from France suggest that Muslims have renewed an age-old struggle against Jews and that the two groups are once more inevitably at odds. But the past tells a different story. The Burdens of Brotherhood is a sweeping history of Jews and Muslims in France from World War I to the present. Here Ethan Katz introduces a richer and more complex world that offers fresh perspective for understanding the opportunities and challenges in France today.

Focusing on the experiences of ordinary people, Katz shows how Jewish–Muslim relations were shaped by everyday encounters and by perceptions of deeply rooted collective similarities or differences. We meet Jews and Muslims advocating common and divergent political visions, enjoying common culinary and musical traditions, and interacting on more intimate terms as neighbors, friends, enemies, and even lovers and family members. Drawing upon dozens of archives, newspapers, and interviews, Katz tackles controversial subjects like Muslim collaboration and resistance during World War II and the Holocaust, Jewish participation in French colonialism, the international impact of the Israeli–Arab conflict, and contemporary Muslim antisemitism in France.

We see how Jews and Muslims, as ethno-religious minorities, understood and related to one another through their respective relationships to the French state and society. Through their eyes, we see colonial France as a multiethnic, multireligious society more open to public displays of difference than its postcolonial successor. This book thus dramatically reconceives the meaning and history not only of Jewish–Muslim relations but ultimately of modern France itself.


One common feature of the wave of recent revolutions and revolts around the world is not political but rather architectural: many erupted on inner-city roundabouts. In thinking about the relation between protest and urban form, Eyal Weizman starts with the May 1980 uprising in Gwangju, South Korea, the first of the "roundabout revolutions," and traces its lineage to the Arab Spring and its hellish aftermath.

Rereading the history of the roundabout through the vortices of history that traverse it, the book follows the development of the roundabout in Europe and North America in the early twentieth century, to its subsequent export to the colonial world in the context of attempts to discipline and police the "chaotic" non-Western city. How did an urban apparatus put in the service of authoritarian power became the locus of its undoing?

Today, as the tide of revolt that characterized the Arab Spring seems to ebb, when nations and societies disintegrate by brutal civil wars and military oppression, the series of revolutions might seem like Dante's circles of hell. To counter this counter-revolution, Weizman proposes that the immanent power of the people at the roundabouts will need to find its corollary in sustained work at round tables—the ongoing formation of political movements able to enact political change.
The sixth volume of the Critical Spatial Practice series stems from Eyal Weizman's contribution to the Gwangju Folly II in 2013, an exhibition curated by Nikolaus Hirsch with Philipp Misselwitz and Eui Young Chun for the Gwangju Biennale. Weizman and the architect Samaneh Moafi constructed a folly composed of seven roundabouts and a round table in front of the Gwangju train station, one of the central points in the events of May 1980.


Interactions of the brain and cranium in archaic populations remain poorly understood. Hominin fossils from Middle Pleistocene localities in Africa and Europe have been allocated to one or more species distinct from Homo erectus , the Neanderthals and modern humans, based on the assumption that characters of the vault and face are developmentally independent. However, it is possible that increased frontal width, parietal lengthening, midvault expansion and occipital rounding all reflect encephalisation occurring within the H. erectus lineage. If specimens from Broken Hill and Elandsfontein (in southern Africa) and Sima de los Huesos and Petralona (in Europe) differ from H. erectus only in brain volume, then it will be difficult to distinguish and diagnose Homo rhodesiensis or Homo heidelbergensis adequately. In this study, correlation analysis showed that the brain fails to influence vault breadth within either H. erectus or the mid-Pleistocene sample. Instead, the (large) cranial base has a major effect on width. Variation in brain volume is not associated with frontal flattening. In H. erectus and in individuals such as Bodo and Petralona, the massive face seems to override the brain as a determinant of frontal curvature. Small H. erectus crania have rounded occipitals, whilst larger individuals show greater flexion. Later hominins do not follow this trend, and encephalisation cannot explain the occipital rounding that is present. Few of the vault characters considered diagnostic for the mid-Pleistocene fossils can be attributed to increasing brain volume. The situation is complex, as of course the brain must influence some traits indirectly. The cranial base is also an instrument of change. Discriminant analysis identified basicranial breadth as critical to distinguishing individuals such as Broken Hill, Sima de los Huesos and Petralona from H. erectus .


Entrepreneurship is a key determinant of investment, saving, and wealth inequality. We study the aggregate and distributional effects of several tax reforms in a model that recognizes this key role and that matches the large wealth inequality observed in the U.S. data. The aggregate effects of tax reforms can be particularly large when they affect small and medium-sized businesses, which face the most severe financial constraints, rather than big businesses. The consequences of changes in the estate tax depend heavily on the size of its exemption level. The current effective estate tax system insulates smaller businesses from the negative effects of estate taxation, minimizing the aggregate costs of redistribution. Abolishing the current estate tax would generate a modest increase in wealth inequality and slightly reduce aggregate output. Decreasing the progressivity of the income tax generates large increases in output, at the cost of large increases in wealth concentration.


Over the last decade, the technology of constructing buildings has been dramatically developed especially with the huge growth of CAD tools that help in modeling buildings, bridges, roads and other construction objects. Often quality control and size accuracy in the factory or on construction site are based on manual measurements of discrete points. These measured points of the realized object or a part of it will be compared with the points of the corresponding CAD model to see whether and where the construction element fits into the respective CAD model. This process is very complicated and difficult even when using modern measuring technology. This is due to the complicated shape of the components, the large amount of manually detected measured data and the high cost of manual processing of measured values. However, by using a modern 3D scanner one gets information of the whole constructed object and one can make a complete comparison against the CAD model. It gives an idea about quality of objects on the whole. In this paper, we present a case study of controlling the quality of measurement during the constructing phase of a steel bridge by using 3D point cloud technology. Preliminary results show that an early detection of mismatching between real element and CAD model could save a lot of time, efforts and obviously expenses.


The 2011 World Development Report looks across disciplines and experiences drawn from around the world to offer some ideas and practical recommendations on how to move beyond conflict and fragility and secure development. The key messages are important for all countries-low, middle, and high income-as well as for regional and global institutions: first, institutional legitimacy is the key to stability. When state institutions do not adequately protect citizens, guard against corruption, or provide access to justice; when markets do not provide job opportunities; or when communities have lost social cohesion-the likelihood of violent conflict increases. Second, investing in citizen security, justice, and jobs is essential to reducing violence. But there are major structural gaps in our collective capabilities to support these areas. Third, confronting this challenge effectively means that institutions need to change. International agencies and partners from other countries must adapt procedures so they can respond with agility and speed, a longer-term perspective, and greater staying power. Fourth, need to adopt a layered approach. Some problems can be addressed at the country level, but others need to be addressed at a regional level, such as developing markets that integrate insecure areas and pooling resources for building capacity Fifth, in adopting these approaches, need to be aware that the global landscape is changing. Regional institutions and middle income countries are playing a larger role. This means should pay more attention to south-south and south-north exchanges, and to the recent transition experiences of middle income countries.


Soon after the inception of Buddhism in the sixth or fifth century B.C.E., the Buddha ordered his small band of monks to wander forth for the welfare and weal of the many, a command that initiated one of the greatest missionary movements in world religious history. But this account of a monolithic missionary movement spreading outward from the Buddhist homeland of India across the Asian continent is just one part of the story. The case of East Asian Buddhism suggests another tale, one in which the dominant eastward current of diffusion creates important eddies, or countercurrents, of influence that redound back toward the center. These countercurrents have had significant, even profound, impact on neighboring traditions. In East Asia perhaps the most important countercurrent of influence came from Korea, the focus of this volume. Chapters examine the role played by the Paekche kingdom in introducing Buddhist material culture (especially monastic architecture) to Japan and the impact of Korean scholiasts on the creation of several distinctive features that eventually came to characterize Japanese Pure Land Buddhism. The lives and intellectual importance of the monks Sungnang (fl. ca. 490) and Wonch'uk (613-696) are reassessed, bringing to light their role in the development of early intellectual schools within Chinese Buddhism. Later chapters discuss the influential teachings of the semi-legendary master Musang (684-762), the patriarch of two of the earliest schools of Ch'an; the work of a dozen or so Korean monks active in the Chinese T'ient'ai tradition; and the Huiyin monastery.


This Article discusses the interaction between ERISA and family law (i.e., domestic relations law and estates law). The Supreme Court and the US Department of Labor ("DOL") may improve the practice of both ERISA and family law by dispelling myths that they have reinforced. First, the Court incorrectly asserted that the Retirement Equity Act of 1984 ("REACT") "enhanced protection to the spouse and dependent children in the event of divorce or separation, and in the event of death the surviving spouse." This assertion has encouraged plan administrators and other courts to find that domestic relations orders ("DROs") govern an excessively broad class of ERISA pension and life insurance benefits. However, REACT, like ERISA, was a reaction to the inadequacies of state law and prior federal law pertaining to domestic relations and estate law. Thus, it similarly circumscribed the role of state law and increased substantive protections for ERISA participants and beneficiaries. Second, the Court added a gloss to ERISA in non-family law contexts that emphasizes the importance of limiting the cost burdens imposed on employers by ERISA, which, if excessive, would discourage employers from establishing and maintaining employee benefit plans. This gloss has encouraged other courts to lose sight of the leitmotif of ERISA, protecting plan benefits of participants and beneficiaries. Thus, courts have wrongfully permitted individuals to use superseded (state family law or federal common law) ownership claims to obtain benefit entitlements from the recipients of those entitlements rather than the plans. Such holdings violate Supreme Court decisions extending over more than a hundred years, which consistently protected ERISA entitlements and other federal entitlements, before and after their distribution. The DOL has created issues by both its actions and inactions. First, the DOL incorrectly asserted that the ERISA benefit claim provisions should not govern plan reviews of DRO for compliance with the pertinent ERISA requirements, the qualified domestic relations order ("QDRO") requirements, but has failed to present an alternative set of review provisions for plans to follow. This has created unnecessary issues concerning the roles of plan administrators, participants, their families, and courts in such reviews Second, the DOL has provided only nonbinding, informal guidance to the general public rather than extensive DOL regulations with respect the QDRO requirements. This has created unnecessary issues for persons seeking to prepare a DRO that complies with the pertinent ERISA requirements, and for plan administrators responding to such requests.


Macbeth: To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow, Creeps in this petty pace from day to day, To the last syllable of recorded time; And all our yesterdays have lighted fools The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle! Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player, That struts and frets his hour upon the stage, And then is heard no more. It is a tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing.


Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center is one of six leading institutions that will share in a $120 million gift from a foundation created by American billionaire Daniel K. Ludwig. Each of the six US centers will receive $20 million cash this year, plus stock in a New York real estate holding company, to create the Ludwig Centers. This significant gift, believed to the largest single gift for cancer research by a US foundation, combined with further distributions from the Ludwig Fund over the next six years, should ensure that each Ludwig Center receives annual research funds of approximately $2 million in perpetuity. "Support from the Ludwig Fund is enabling us to develop a state-of-the-art center focusing on cancer immunotherapy," said James Allison, PhD, Director of the Ludwig Center at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and a renowned leader in the field of immunology, "More specifically, it is accelerating the pace at which we can move the findings of basic scientific studies into translational work, so we can evaluate promising new diagnostic approaches and innovative therapies in people with cancer." Lloyd J. Old, MD, Chairman of the Fund's Trustees, says that Mr. Ludwig believed the control of cancer required the same elements he found essential in his own endeavors - outstanding individuals given the necessary resources to meet any challenge. "The Directors of the Ludwig Centers are some of the most eminent figures in US cancer research today, and combining their talents with those of the global Ludwig Institute creates a powerful force in cancer research. TheTrustees believe that a collaborative 'Ludwig Cancer' network can accelerate the translation of the most promising areas of research into new cancer therapies." Edward A. McDermott, Jr., another Trustee and also President of the Ludwig Institute, adds that a key goal for the Trustees was to distribute the Fund in such a way as to try and ensure financial stability for each Ludwig Center. "Mr. Ludwig's gift will enable the groundbreaking work of the Centers to proceed with the flexibility afforded by unrestricted research support and independent of fluctuations in government funding." Daniel K. Ludwig, who died in 1992, was ranked consistently among the richest men in the world in the 1960s and 70s, and was the top-ranked American on the first-ever Forbes 400 List in 1982. He believed strongly that cancer was one of humanity's great challenges and that a concerted worldwide effort was needed to conquer the disease. Accordingly, Mr. Ludwig gave the vast majority of his wealth to cancer research. In 1971, he established the international Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research - which has expended more than $1.1 billion of its own funds in support of cancer research since its inception - and he bequeathed substantially all of his estate to endow the Ludwig Fund. The Ludwig Centers and their Directors are: * Ludwig Center at Dana-Farber/Harvard: George D. Demetri, MD, led one of the first pivotal clinical trials to demonstrate that therapies targeting a specific mutant protein can extend cancer patient survival. The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute/Harvard Medical School team is now designing and implementing scientific studies that expand knowledge gained in early drug development trials. * Ludwig Center at Johns Hopkins: Kenneth Kinzler, PhD, and Bert Vogelstein, MD, are consistently ranked among the top most-cited cancer researchers in the world and have just published the mostcomprehensive study to date identifying gene mutations in breast and colon cancers. The Johns Hopkins University Kimmel Cancer Center team will continue to focus on the genetic underpinnings of cancer and how to use these discoveries to improve cancer patient care. * Ludwig Center at Memorial Sloan-Kettering: James P. Allison, PhD, is a renowned leader in the field of immunology and particularly in the development of novel therapeutic concepts that harness the immune system to fight cancer. The Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center team is evaluating several innovative cancer immunological approaches, now in clinical trials, to identify promising new ways to diagnose and treat people with cancer. * Ludwig Center at MIT: Robert A. Weinberg, PhD, is an internationally recognized authority on the genetic basis of human cancer, having isolated the first human cancer-causing gene and the first known tumor suppressor gene. The MIT team will focus particularly on the understanding of metastasis, the spread of cancer. * Ludwig Center at Stanford University: Irving Weissman, MD, and his colleagues were the first to identify and isolate normal adult (or tissue-specific) stem cells and have since identified the malignant counterparts of these cells in leukemia and solid tumors such as breast cancer. The Stanford University team is working to isolate cancer stem cells in all human cancers and develop new therapies that target these cells to eliminate the disease at its source. * Ludwig Center at The University of Chicago: Geoffrey L.Greene, PhD, a leader in the study of steroid hormones and their specific receptors, and Ralph R. Weichselbaum, MD, a pioneer in radiation-targeted gene therapy, have formed a team to find novel ways to direct radiolabeled hormones to their receptors to detect the spread of cancer and deliver precision radiotherapy or othertreatments to metastases in specific organs. For more information, contact: Tel.: 212.639.3573; Email: firstname.lastname@example.com


The report contains a description of the DVL wind tunnel. According to the cones fixed, an elliptical stream with axes 5 by 7 meters and length 9 meters, or a stream 6 by 8 meters in cross section and 11 meters in length is available. The top speed with the smaller cone is 65 meters per second. The testing equipment consists of an automatic six-component balance and a test rig for propellers and engines up to 650 horsepower.


At the beginning of this century enormous progress had been made in genetics. The Human Genome Project finished sequencing human DNA. It seemed it was only a matter of time until we had all the answers to the secrets of life on this planet. The cutting-edge of biology, however, is telling us that we still don't even know all of the questions. How is it that, despite each cell in your body carrying exactly the same DNA, you don't have teeth growing out of your eyeballs or toenails on your liver? How is it that identical twins share exactly the same DNA and yet can exhibit dramatic differences in the way that they live and grow? It turns out that cells read the genetic code in DNA more like a script to be interpreted than a mould that replicates the same result each time. This is epigenetics and it's the fastest-moving field in biology today. The Epigenetics Revolution traces the thrilling path this discipline has taken over the last twenty years. Biologist Nessa Carey deftly explains such diverse phenomena as how queen bees and ants control their colonies, why tortoiseshell cats are always female, why some plants need a period of cold before they can flower, why we age, develop disease and become addicted to drugs, and much more. Most excitingly, Carey reveals the amazing possibilities for humankind that epigenetics offers for us all - and in the surprisingly near future.


Introduction - This study applied the principles of evidence based information practice to clarify the role of information specialists and librarians in the preparation of Cochrane systematic reviews and to determine whether information specialists impact the quality of searching in Cochrane systematic reviews.

Objectives - This research project sought to determine how the contribution of the person responsible for searching in the preparation of Cochrane systematic reviews was reported; whether the contribution was recognized through authorship or acknowledgement; the qualifications of the searcher; and the association between the type of contributorship and characteristics of the search strategy, assessability, and the presence of certain types of errors.

Methods -

Data sources: The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, The Cochrane Library 3 (2002).
Inclusion criteria: The study included systematic reviews that met the following criteria: one or more sections of the Cochrane Highly Sensitive Search Strategy were utilised, primary studies were either randomised controlled trials (RCTs) or quasi-RCTs, and included and excluded studies were clearly identified.
Data extraction: Two librarians assessed the searches for errors, establishing consensus on discordant ratings.
Results - Of the 169 reviews screened for this project, 105 met all eligibility criteria. Authors fulfilled the searching role in 41.9% of reviews studied, acknowledged persons or groups in 13.3%, a combination in 9.5%, and the role was not reported in 35.2% of reviews. For the 78 reviews in which meta-analyses were performed, the positions of those responsible for statistical decisions were examined for comparative purposes. The statistical role was performed by an author in 47.4% of cases and unreported in the same number of cases. Insufficient analyzable data was obtained regarding professional qualifications (3/105 for searching, 2/78 for statistical decisions).
Search quality was assessed for 66 searches across 74 reviews. In general, it was more possible to assess the search quality when the searcher role was reported. An association was found between the reporting of searcher role and the presence of a consequential error. There was no association between the number of consequential errors and how the contribution of the searcher was reported.
Conclusions - Qualifications of the persons responsible for searching and statistical decision-making were poorly reported in Cochrane reviews, but more complete role reporting is associated with greater assessability of searches and fewer substantive errors in search strategies.


The Irati Formation (Permian, Parana Basin, Brazil) is made up of a succession of black bituminous and nonbituminous shales and mudstones with interbedded carbonate layers, which record deposition in marine environments. Mesosaur remains are abundant at several sites in this formation, where they occur preserved in centimetre- thick beds and displaying various degrees of skeletal disarticulation. This paper seeks to establish a model to explain the processes that generated the mesosaurian taphocoenosis in the Irati Formation. Three types o successions containing mesosaur remains were analysed: 1) Carbonate turbidite facies in the State of Sao Paulo; 2) Carbonate tempestite facies in Rio Grande do Sul; 3) Black shale facies in the State of Parana. Three taphonomic classes are established: Class I) articulated skeletons; Class II) partially articulated skeletons; Class III) isolated bones (including Class IIIA with complete isolated bones and Class IIIB with fragmented isolated bones). Based upon the sedimentological and taphonomic evidence, a taphofacies model is proposed. The hypothesis here advanced is that all accumulations of mesosaur remains resulted from catastrophic mortality caused by storm events. The basic assumption is that these reptiles died and were buried through the action of successive storms that occurred in the Irati Sea. The taphonomic model points to repeated episodic events of burial, erosion, reworking and redeposition of skeletons and suggests significant time averaging.


The world already knows Meg and Charles Wallace Murry, Calvin O'Keefe, and the three Mrs--Who, Whatsit, and Which--the memorable and wonderful characters who fight off a dark force and save our universe in the Newbery award-winning classic "A Wrinkle in Time." But in 50 years of publication, the book has never been illustrated. Now, Hope Larson takes the classic story to a new level with her vividly imagined interpretations of tessering and favorite characters like the Happy Medium and Aunt Beast. Perfect for old fans and winning over new ones, this graphic novel adaptation is a must-read.


Black carbon (BC) and mineral dust particles are among the most important atmospheric aerosol types forming ice crystals by heterogeneous nucleation, the so called potential ice nuclei (PIN). When emitted, most BC and dust particles are externally mixed with other aerosol compounds. Through coagulation with other particles and condensation of gases, externally mixed particles gain a liquid coating and are, therefore, transferred to an internal mixture. This ageing process is essential for the direct and indirect effect of BC and dust particles on the climate, since the coating changes their radiative and hygroscopic properties and consequently their cloud activation ability and lifetime. Moreover, laboratory studies have shown that a liquid coating influences the freezing properties of the particles and hence their behavior as ice nuclei. Due to large computational resources required, global climate models mostly parameterize the particle ageing by using estimated turnover times rather than simulating the ageing processes explicitly.
In the present study the population of PIN in the global upper troposphere and lowermost stratosphere (UTLS) is characterized. To reach this goal the new aerosol model ECHAM5/MESSy-MADEsoot is developed. The aerosol module MADEsoot is able to simulate separately BC and dust particles in their different states of mixing (internally or externally mixed) and BC and dust free aerosols, as well as the relevant ageing processes of externally mixed particles. MADEsoot is implemented in the global climate model ECHAM5/MESSY. The resulting system is evaluated with aircraft and surface measurements and performs well both in the boundary layer and in the UTLS. ECHAM5/MESSy-MADEsoot (E5/M-MADEsoot) is the only existing model able to resolve the mixing state of BC and dust particles while giving a reliable representation of the UTLS.
E5/M-MADEsoot is applied to characterize the PIN through their number and mass concentration, composition and mixing state. The results of this study show that PIN contribute only up to 0.7% to the total aerosol number concentration in the UTLS. At surface level PIN contribute between 10% and 50% to the total aerosol number concentration, where the highest values are reached over the major emission areas. Nearly all PIN in the UTLS are internally mixed with soluble material, while only up to the 3% of PIN is externally mixed. E5/M-MADEsoot allows also for the investigation of the ageing process of BC and dust particles and for the determination of its timescale, showing that the ageing process is mainly
driven by the condensation of vapor. The timescale of the ageing process is calculated with E5/M-MADEsoot to be around some hours at surface level and some days in the UTLS, but shows a high geographical variability, especially in the boundary layer and in the lower troposphere. The timescale of the ageing process shows also a less pronounced seasonality, with higher values in winter and lower in summer.


WINNER OF THE WILLIAM HILL SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD 2012. On a fateful night in 2009, Tyler Hamilton and Daniel Coyle met for dinner in Boulder, Colorado. The two had met five years before while Coyle was writing his bestselling book, Lance Armstrong: Tour de Force. But this time, Tyler had something else on his mind. He finally wanted to come clean, about everything: the doping, the lying, his years as Lance Armstrong's teammate on U.S. Postal, his decade spent running from the truth. 'I'm sorry,' he told Coyle. 'It just feels so good to be able to talk about this. I've been quiet for so many years.' Over the next eighteen months, Hamilton would tell his story, and his sport's story, in explosive detail, never sparing himself in the process. In a way, he became as obsessed with telling the truth as he had been with winning the Tour de France just a few years before. The truth would set Tyler free, but would also be the most damning indictment yet of Tour winners such as Armstrong. The result of this determination is The Secret Race, a book that pulls back the curtain and takes us into the secret world of professional cycling like never before. A world populated by unbelievably driven - and some flawed - characters. A world where the competition used every means to get an edge, and the options were stark. A world where it often felt like there was no choice.