This is one of the most comprehensive books on complex subjects of environmental engineering assessment and planning. Addressing these issues requires an understanding of technical, economic, and policy perspectives; based upon extensive research and practical experience of the authors, these perspectives are thoughtfully and clearly presented. Covered in this book are subjects related to environmental engineering and planning which include environmental laws and regulations, international perspectives on environmental analysis engineering and planning, economic and social impact analysis, public participation, and energy and environmental implications of major public works and private projects. Contemporary issues ranging from climate change to ecorisk and sustainability are covered in a special section as well. Under Contemporary Challenges are environmental issues that have received considerable public support and concern; they include: climate change, acid rain, deforestation, endangered species, biodiversity, ecorisk, cultural resources, and sustainability. For most of these issues, there are scientific agreements and disagreements; there are many uncertainties, thus views differ widely. These topics are discussed in considerable detail. Notwithstanding uncertainties and differing views on such topics, all of this information is put in a policy context such that progress towards addressing these contemporary challenges can be made while consensus on the nature and extent of the problem and resultant solutions are being developed. The book provides considerable information about many timeless issues. These issues range from resources needed for sustaining the quality of life on the planet: air resources to natural resources. Specifically covered are: air, water, land, ecology, sound/noise, human aspects, economics, and resources. For each of these areas, some of the key elements are described so that one can effectively manage complex environmental engineering and planning requirements. Each of the elements are clearly defined and other information, such as how human activities affect the element, source of affects, variable to be measured, how such variables can be measured, data sources, and evaluation and interpretation of data, etc. are provided. Material presented provides a rich source of information so the reader can efficiently and effectively use it to make meaningful environmental engineering, planning, and management decisions. This title provides: help with every aspect of analyzing the environmental implications of a project; complete coverage of current approaches, practices, procedures, documentations, regulations, and issues related to environmental engineering and planning; step-by-step directions for preparing environmental impact analysis, and environmental reports; valuable expert advice on international perspectives, public participation, social and environmental impacts; a comprehensive write-up on contemporary issues ranging from climate change to sustainability; and, a comprehensive description and analysis of timeless issues ranging from air resources to natural resources.


Well before Ajax and Microsoft's Windows Presentation Foundation hit the scene, Macromedia offered the first method for building web pages with the responsiveness and functionality of desktop programs with its Flash-based "Rich Internet Applications". Now, new owner Adobe is taking Flash and its powerful capabilities beyond the Web and making it a full-fledged development environment. Rather than focus on theory, the ActionScript 3.0 Cookbook concentrates on the practical application of ActionScript, with more than 300 solutions you can use to solve a wide range of common coding dilemmas. You'll find recipes that show you how to:Detect the user's Flash Player version or their operating systemBuild custom classesFormat dates and currency typesWork with stringsBuild user interface componentsWork with audio and videoMake remote procedure calls using Flash Remoting and web servicesLoad, send, and search XML dataAnd much, much more ...Each code recipe presents the Problem, Solution, and Discussion of how you can use it in other ways or personalize it for your own needs, and why it works. You can quickly locate the recipe that most closely matches your situation and get the solution without reading the whole book to understand the underlying code. Solutions progress from short recipes for small problems to more complex scripts for thornier riddles, and the discussions offer a deeper analysis for resolving similar issues in the future, along with possible design choices and ramifications. You'll even learn how to link modular ActionScript pieces together to create rock-solid solutions for Flex 2 and Flash applications.When you're not sure how ActionScript 3.0 works or how to approach a specific programming dilemma, you can simply pick up the book, flip to the relevant recipe(s), and quickly find the solution you're looking for.Adobe Developer Library is a co-publishing partnership between O'Reilly Media and Adobe Systems, Inc. and is designed to produce the number one information resources for developers who use Adobe technologies. Created in 2006, the Adobe Developer Library is the official source for comprehensive learning solutions to help developers create expressive and interactive web applications that can reach virtually anyone on any platform. With top-notch books and innovative online resources covering the latest in rich Internet application development, the Adobe Developer Library offers expert training and in-depth resources, straight from the source.


The southeastern U.S. is one of only a small number of regions worldwide which has not exhibited warming over the past century. Recent studies (Goldstein et al., 2009) show that negative aerosol direct radiative effects are consistent with a warm-season regional cooling effect linked to secondary organic aerosol loading. Two years of NOAA-ESRL supported aerosol measurements made at the Appalachian Atmospheric Interdisciplinary Research (AppalAIR) facility at Appalachian State University (36.214 N, 81.693 W, 1080m ASL) are presented, along with satellite-based measurements (MODIS-Aqua) of aerosol optical depth, cloud fraction, and surface albedo. Aerosol optical property statistics are placed in the context of those made at other U.S. ESRL stations. Direct aerosol radiative effect calculations reveal high seasonal variability, with negative broadband summer forcing values of ~ -10 W/m2 (-4W/m2) when actual (standard) cloud fraction, surface albedo, and single-scattering albedo values are used. Hierarchical cluster analyses were used to broadly classify the aerosol source types that influence the Southeastern U.S. aerosol optical properties. Recently-added aerosol hygroscopic growth measurements (a sample of which are presented) will facilitate improved aerosol source type classification and aerosol light scattering humidity dependence scaling of direct radiative effect calculations.


The first two terms of the Roberts Court signal a willingness to revisit precedent, and the Court appears poised to reinterpret another area of jurisprudence: the private enforcement of conditions on federal spending against states through actions under 42 U.S.C. § 1983. The most recent pre-Roberts Court precedent is Gonzaga University v. Doe. Federal courts have inconsistently and confusingly applied the Gonzaga framework, but the Rehnquist Court would not revisit the rule. Last term, the Roberts Court granted a petition for certiorari that would have required reconsidering Gonzaga. Before it could be heard on the merits, the respondents mooted the case, but petitions for certiorari regularly arise in similar Medicaid enforcement cases. Thus, Gonzaga is likely to be revisited in the context of enforcement of Medicaid statutory entitlements. Medicaid does not contain an enforcement mechanism, but the Supreme Court facilitated enforcement of federal statutory rights against state officers through section 1983. However, this paper highlights recent events that increase the fragility of Medicaid. The first part of this paper explores the structure of Medicaid and key provisions of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 that change Medicaid from a program of promised care and benefits into one of no enforceable promises. The second part of this paper discusses Supreme Court decisions that reveal hostility to enforcement of conditions on spending legislation by beneficiaries under section 1983. This part also explores how changes in the Court's composition may allow this view to become the prevailing rule. Additionally, this section demonstrates the narrowing ability of individuals to enforce Medicaid entitlements through section 1983 due to two distinct but related splits in the circuit courts. The final part of this paper analyzes the Court's hostility to enforcing conditions on spending by section 1983 and proposes legislative responses to the impending demise of the Medicaid entitlement.


The purpose of this study was to determine if differences existed in sense of classroom community for computer-mediated instruction (CMI) students in terms of learning style (defined as a preference for independent/individualistic or social/cooperative learning). Differences in sense of social community were investigated, as well as differences in sense of learning community. Differences in sense of classroom community were also investigated in terms of gender, age group, and extent of previous successful CMI experience. In addition, the study sought to identify any differences that existed in learning style preference with respect to gender, age, and previous successful CMI experience. An online survey consisting of 52 questions was provided to a population of 616 students enrolled in 49 CMI courses offered by a rural community college in the southeastern United States. The survey embodied the Learning Preference Survey for Students (LPSS) to measure learning style preference, the Classroom Community Scale (CCS) to quantify perception of social and learning community, and several demographic questions. The 360 useable responses resulted in a 58.4% return rate. To provide a point of triangulation for the quantitative survey and to identify pertinent patterns and themes which might clarify or expand the quantitative data, telephone interviews were conducted with 20 of the survey respondents, ten representing extremely independent learners and ten representing highly social learners, as measured by the LPSS. Using scores from the two subscales of the LPSS, participants were separated into four learning style preference groups: (1) highly independent, low social learners (HILS), (2) highly social, low independent learners (HSLI), (3) learners who expressed strong preference for elements of both learning styles (HIHS), and (4) learners who expressed low preference for elements of both learning styles (LILS). Membership in one of these four learning style preference groups constituted the first independent variable in the study. Other independent variables were gender, age group, and experience with CMI. Dependent variables were sense of social community and sense of learning community from scores on the CCS subscales. Learning style preference scores on the two LPSS subscales also acted as dependent variables in determining their correlations and relationships with age, gender, and previous experience with CMI. The combined results of the quantitative and qualitative methods of this study suggested that not only was there a significant difference in the perception of social community in the CMI environment by learners possessing different learning preferences but, also that the perception was a self-fulfilling phenomenon. These CMI learners perceived the social community which they themselves created by their own actions - actions which developed out of their own personal learning preferences. Quantitative data also revealed no significant difference in perception of learning community among learning style preference groups. Qualitative themes also reinforced satisfaction with the learning taking place and overall satisfaction with CMI by the sample population. Other significant findings were the lack of any indication of gender difference in perception of social community in CMI, and the lack of a female proclivity for social learning. Females in this sample also displayed a significantly higher perception of learning community than their male counterparts. No differences in social or learning community were revealed based on ethnicity or previous experience with CMI, but non-traditional aged students (26+) displayed a significantly higher sense of learning community than traditional aged college students (18-25). However, no direct correlation between age and learning style preference was discovered. Neither was there an indication of any relationship between learning style preference and previous experience with CMI. Themes extracted from the telephone interviews suggested a strong preference for a high degree of structure in the CMI curriculum, copious and timely instructor feedback, and flexibility in assignment due dates.


Abstract. The spatial and temporal correlations between concurrent satellite observations of aerosol optical thickness (AOT) from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and tropospheric columns of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and formaldehyde (HCHO) from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) are used to infer information on the global composition of aerosol particles. When averaging the satellite data over large regions and longer time periods, we find significant correlation between MODIS AOT and OMI trace gas columns for various regions in the world. This shows that these enhanced aerosol and trace gas concentrations originate from common sources, such as fossil fuel combustion, biomass burning, and organic compounds released from the biosphere. This leads us to propose that satellite-inferred AOT to NO2 ratios for regions with comparable photochemical regimes can be used as indicators for the relative regional pollution control of combustion processes. Indeed, satellites observe low AOT to NO2 ratios over the eastern United States and western Europe, and high AOT to NO2 ratios over comparably industrialized regions in eastern Europe and China. Emission databases and OMI SO2 observations over these regions suggest a much stronger sulfur contribution to aerosol formation than over the well-regulated areas of the eastern United States and western Europe. Furthermore, satellite observations show AOT to NO2 ratios are a factor 100 higher over biomass burning regions than over industrialized areas, reflecting the unregulated burning practices with strong primary particle emissions in the tropics compared to the heavily controlled combustion processes in the industrialized Northern Hemisphere. Simulations with a global chemistry transport model (GEOS-Chem) capture most of these variations, although on regional scales significant differences are found. Wintertime aerosol concentrations show strongest correlations with NO2 throughout most of the Northern Hemisphere. During summertime, AOT is often (also) correlated with enhanced HCHO concentrations, reflecting the importance of secondary organic aerosol formation in that season. We also find significant correlations between AOT and HCHO over biomass burning regions, the tropics in general, and over industrialized regions in southeastern Asia. The distinct summertime maximum in AOT (0.4 at 550 nm) and HCHO over the southeastern United States strengthens existing hypotheses that local emissions of volatile organic compounds lead to the formation of secondary organic aerosols there. GEOS-Chem underestimates the AOT over the southeastern United States by a factor of 2, most likely due to too strong precipitation and too low SOA yield in the model.


Leo Gursky taps his radiator each evening to let his upstairs neighbor know he's still alive. But it wasn't always like this: in the Polish village of his youth, he fell in love and wrote a book...Sixty years later and half a world away, fourteen-year-old Alma, who was named after a character in that book, undertakes an adventure to find her namesake and save her family. With virtuosic skill and soaring imaginative power, Nicole Krauss gradually draws these stories together toward a climax of "extraordinary depth and beauty" (Newsday).


Abstract. Much research and speculation exists about the meteorological and climatological impacts of biomass burning in the Maritime Continent (MC) of Indonesia and Malaysia, particularly during El Nino events. However, the MC hosts some of the world's most complicated meteorology, and we wish to understand how tropical phenomena at a range of scales influence observed burning activity. Using Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) derived active fire hotspot patterns coupled with aerosol data assimilation products, satellite based precipitation, and meteorological indices, the meteorological context of observed fire prevalence and smoke optical depth in the MC are examined. Relationships of burning and smoke transport to such meteorological and climatic factors as the interannual El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), El Nino Modoki, Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD), the seasonal migration of the Intertropical Convergence Zone, the 30–90 day Madden Julian Oscillation (MJO), tropical waves, tropical cyclone activity, and diurnal convection were investigated. A conceptual model of how all of the differing meteorological scales affect fire activity is presented. Each island and its internal geography have different sensitivities to these factors which are likely relatable to precipitation patterns and land use practices. At the broadest scales as previously reported, we corroborate ENSO is indeed the largest factor. However, burning is also enhanced by periods of El Nino Modoki. Conversely, IOD influences are unclear. While interannual phenomena correlate to total seasonal burning, the MJO largely controls when visible burning occurs. High frequency phenomena which are poorly constrained in models such as diurnal convection and tropical cyclone activity also have an impact which cannot be ignored. Finally, we emphasize that these phenomena not only influence burning, but also the observability of burning, further complicating our ability to assign reasonable emissions.


When we begin the task of telling time in the Fourth Gospel, we bring something not found in any previous study, namely, a model of time articulated by cross-cultural anthropologists (Bordieu, in Pitt-Rivers 1963:55-72, Ayoade, in Wright 1984:71-89). As much as we admire Davies' study, she has no notes to her chapter on time nor any citations in her bibliography to indicate that she has any conversation partners, much less cultural experts, a deficit to be filled in this study. Learning to tell time entails three theoretical considerations: a definition of time, key classifications of it, and special attention to what the ancients meant by past, present and future. With these lenses we are prepared to do as thorough a study as we can on telling time in the Fourth Gospel. As we consider each classification, we will suggest a brief meaning of it from the experts on time, then present a body of Greco-Roman materials illustrative of the classification, and finally use it to gather and interpret data in John. Proving the native existence of these classifications for telling time in antiquity is essential for readers to have a background against which to compare their usage with that of the Fourth Gospel.


Conventional security infrastructures in the Internet cannot be directly adopted to ambient systems, especially if based on short-range communication channels: Personal, mobile devices are used and the participants are present during communication, so privacy protection is a crucial issue. As ambient systems cannot rely on an uninterrupted connection to a Trust Center, certiffed data has to be veriffed locally. Security techniques have to be adjusted to the special environment. This paper introduces a public key infrastructure (PKI) to provide secure communication channels with respect to privacy, confidentiality, data integrity, non-repudiability, and user or device authentication. It supports three certiffcate levels with a different balance between authenticity and anonymity. This PKI is currently under implementation as part of the iCity project.


The economic viability of offshore wind farms depends on the favorable wind conditions. It is, however, a challenge to study winds in the marine atmospheric environment. A common problem is the data collection since the wind dataset requires enough spatial and temporal resolution. Numerical hindcast (reanalysis) constitutes an alternative to disperse instrumental observations although two considerations should be studied in the reanalysis for regional purposes: the domain and the spatial resolution and a validation-calibration procedure using instrumental data. Accordingly, the wind resource process can be described by the following cascade activities: the coarse spatial wind fields from global meteorological experiments; the regional winds from a dynamic downscaling coupled to the global reanalysis fields; the validation and calibration procedures by using instrumental observations; and, finally, the characterization of winds for evaluation of the wind resource. This work proposes a methodology to study wind energy resources in a regional offshore area and shows the application along the offshore Spanish coast.


Aluminum bracelet formed as 1 large and six small oval plaques joined by flattened links. Large plaque with engraved images of eagles framing a view of the bay of Naples, inscribed "NAPLES". Other links with engraved views of various locations in Italy and one with a view of a camel and a palm tree labeled "AFRICA". One link with date 1944.


We sometimes think, loosely, that ethics is good and that therefore more is better than less. But more is not better than less, if the more exacts higher costs, measured in terms of vague rules that impose unnecessary and excessive burdens. Overly-vague ethics rules impose costs on the judicial system and the litigants, which we should weigh when determining whether to impose ill-defined and indefinite ethics prohibitions on judges. Unnecessarily imprecise ethics rules allow and tempt critics, with minimum effort, to levy a plausible and serious charge that the judge has violated the ethics rules. Overuse not only invites abuse with frivolous charges that have the patina of legitimacy, but also may eventually demean the seriousness of a charge of being unethical. The ABA is now revising its Model Code of Judicial Conduct. Most states and the federal courts follow the ABA Model Code in enacting their own judicial rules. The ABA is proposing to take what is now merely the title to a rule and make it a separate rule. Proposed Rule 1.02 provides: A judge shall avoid impropriety and the appearance of impropriety. This proposed rule, however, does not really define impropriety or what is an appearance of an impropriety. Apparently, it is wrong to do something that is not wrong but appears wrong, as perceived by a reasonable person with knowledge of the circumstances to impair the judge's ability to carry out judicial responsibilities with independence, integrity, impartiality, and competence. But if the person really had knowledge of the circumstances, he or she would know whether the conduct was really wrong or not. Proponents of a rule that forbids judges from engaging in the appearances of impropriety argue that the rule promotes, in the view of the lay public, the integrity of the judges. On the contrary, the power to unfairly criticize a judge as violating the appearances of impropriety serves to bring the judiciary in disrepute. Granted, not all rules can be written with crystal clarity, but many can be. The phrase, appearance of impropriety certainly offers a reason why the frames drafted some rules as broadly as they did. But it is too vague to be a rule.


This article investigates the role of physical and astronomical notions in the formation process of transnational political ideologies. It does so by focusing on the striking example of nineteenth-century early socialist movements, particularly Fourierism. Indeed, Fourier's bold cosmogony enabled him to connect many fields of knowledge, and soon became a powerful vehicle for his ideas on the international scale. The article likewise analyses the ideological process through which Fourierist astronomical conceptions were adopted by foreign socialists, focusing on examples of Polish thinkers such as Jan Czyński and Stanisław Bratkowski who, in drawing on Fourierist ideas and usage of scientific terms, tried to embed his vocabulary in the ongoing nineteenth-century debates about Polish history and, more generally, the burning issue of the independence of the Polish state. Our comparative analysis highlights the contextual influences which contributed to re-shaping such ideas within a new absorbing context.


Loss of the tumor suppressor Pdcd4 was reported for various tumor entities and proposed as a prognostic marker in tumorigenesis. We previously characterized decreased Pdcd4 protein stability in response to mitogenic stimuli, which resulted from p70S6K1-dependent protein phosphorylation, β-TrCP1-mediated ubiquitination, and proteasomal destruction. Following high-throughput screening of natural product extract libraries using a luciferase-based reporter assay to monitor phosphorylation-dependent proteasomal degradation of the tumor suppressor Pdcd4, we succeeded in showing that a crude extract from Eriophyllum lanatum stabilized Pdcd4 from TPA-induced degradation. Erioflorin was identified as the active component and inhibited not only degradation of the Pdcd4-luciferase-based reporter but also of endogenous Pdcd4 at low micromolar concentrations. Mechanistically, erioflorin interfered with the interaction between the E3-ubiquitin ligase β-TrCP1 and Pdcd4 in cell culture and in in vitro binding assays, consequently decreasing ubiquitination and degradation of Pdcd4. Interestingly, while erioflorin stabilized additional β-TrCP-targets (such as IκBα and β-catenin), it did not prevent the degradation of targets of other E3-ubiquitin ligases such as p21 (a Skp2-target) and HIF-1α (a pVHL-target), implying selectivity for β-TrCP. Moreover, erioflorin inhibited the tumor-associated activity of known Pdcd4- and IκBα-regulated αtranscription factors, that is, AP-1 and NF-κB, altered cell cycle progression and suppressed proliferation of various cancer cell lines. Our studies succeeded in identifying erioflorin as a novel Pdcd4 stabilizer that inhibits the interaction of Pdcd4 with the E3-ubiquitin ligase β-TrCP1. Inhibition of E3-ligase/target-protein interactions may offer the possibility to target degradation of specific proteins only as compared to general proteasome inhibition.


In the present-day Germanic languages, free relatives (FRs) share formal properties with indirect question in that both constructions are introduced by w-pronouns. However, at least in German (and historical stages of a larger set of languages, including English), there is an additional pattern which involves the use of d-pronouns such as German der/die/das 'that.masc./fem./neut.', which typically introduce headed relative clauses. Focusing on presentday German, this paper shows that d-FRs are set apart from w-FRs by a number of properties including syntactic distribution in the matrix clause, behavior with respect to matching effects, inventory of pronominal forms, and semantic interpretation. From these observations, it is concluded that d-FRs should not be analyzed on a par with w-FRs. More precisely, we argue that d-FRs are in fact regular headed (restrictive) relative clauses where the relative pronoun has been deleted under identity with a demonstrative antecedent. This apparent instance of syntactic haplology is then analyzed as resulting from the same mechanism that eliminates copies/traces in movement dependencies.


Certain modes of qualitative inquiry, such as grounded theory, can serve to uncover the abstract processes and broad conceptual themes influencing the personal experiences of undergraduate nursing students encountering clinical scenarios utilizing human patient simulators (HPS). To date insufficient research has been conducted to uncover the basic social-psychological processes encountered by students as they engage in a HPS-based clinical scenario. The authors assert that HPS-based learning experiences are in reality social endeavors that lead to the creation of socially negotiated knowledge and meanings relevant to the adult learner. To understand how grounded theory is suited to deriving answers to these questions, an analysis of the theoretical and philosophical foundations of grounded theory is undertaken. This critical analysis concludes with a discussion of specific considerations to be reflected upon by researchers when applying the inductively derived method of grounded theory in uncovering the social processes that occur within HPS-based clinical scenarios.


This report is a deliverable for a project sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) entitled National Offshore Wind Energy Resource and Design Data Campaign -- Analysis and Collaboration (contract number DE-EE0005372; prime contractor -- AWS Truepower). The project objective is to supplement, facilitate, and enhance ongoing multiagency efforts to develop an integrated national offshore wind energy data network. The results of this initiative are intended to 1) produce a comprehensive definition of relevant met-ocean resource assets and needs and design standards, and 2) provide a basis for recommendations for meeting offshore wind energy industry data and design certification requirements.


Google Executive Chairman and ex-CEO Eric Schmidt and former SVP of Products Jonathan Rosenberg came to Google over a decade ago as proven technology executives. At the time, the company was already well-known for doing things differently, reflecting the visionary--and frequently contrarian--principles of founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin. If Eric and Jonathan were going to succeed, they realized they would have to relearn everything they thought they knew about management and business. Today, Google is a global icon that regularly pushes the boundaries of innovation in a variety of fields. HOW GOOGLE WORKS is an entertaining, page-turning primer containing lessons that Eric and Jonathan learned as they helped build the company. The authors explain how technology has shifted the balance of power from companies to consumers, and that the only way to succeed in this ever-changing landscape is to create superior products and attract a new breed of multifaceted employees whom Eric and Jonathan dub "smart creatives." Covering topics including corporate culture, strategy, talent, decision-making, communication, innovation, and dealing with disruption, the authors illustrate management maxims ("Consensus requires dissension," "Exile knaves but fight for divas," "Think 10X, not 10%") with numerous insider anecdotes from Google's history, many of which are shared here for the first time. In an era when everything is speeding up, the best way for businesses to succeed is to attract smart-creative people and give them an environment where they can thrive at scale. HOW GOOGLE WORKS explains how to do just that.


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In an EPA/DOE meeting in the U.S. in 1986, concerns on quantifying radon availability and the indoor radon concentration were highlighted (Hopke 1986). This work addressed some of their recommendations in a study on radon levels in S.W. England.
This thesis presents:
i) investigations into the correlation between indoor and soil gas radon concentrations, by the acquisition of new data from S. W. England.
ii) investigations into the influence of geology, meteorological variables, spatial and depth variation on the measured radon levels.
iii) a propsed protocol for obtaining soil gas measurements, suitable for use as an indication of potential inddor radon concentrations in S.W. England.
iv) a discussion of the applicability of existing prediction models and proposals for the parameters to be included in any models applied to S.W. England.

Several geological faults in S.W. England were delineated using radon measurements. Jointing was found to create anomalously high levels of [sup]222 Rn in the soil gas. A previous theory on the movement of ground water in convection cells was found to be unsupported. A dependence of both indoor and soil gas radon concentrations on the local geology was observed. Granite produced the highest levels as expected, and the influence of its metamorphic aureole was clearly detected. The increased fracturing of the rock was found to increase radon concentrations. Significant differences in soil gas radon levels were measured between the various sedimentary rock types. The two factors that were identified as chiefly responsible for any perturbation of a soil gas concentration, associated with a particular geology, are its moisture content and the inhomogeneity of soil permeability.
Only a very weak correlation was obtained between the overall [sup]222 Rn concentration in soil gas and inside the home. However, for high soil gas concentrations a stronger correlation with the indoor level was observed. Typically the soil gas concentration was between a factor of 10 and 1000 times greater than that indoors. Levels as low as 10 kBq m[sup]-3 in the soil could produce an indoor concentration above the Action Level of 200 Bq m[sup]-3, The magnitude of influence of the various controlling parameters prevented the construction of a simple algorithm to predict the indoor radon concentration from that in the soil gas. However, in some cases, factors were identified that increased the probability that a house was above the Action Level. For a soil gas concentration in excess of 100 kBq m[sup]-3, it was found that over 70% of homes were above the Action Level, if located above and/or constructed from granite.


Many teens today who use the Internet are actively involved in participatory cultures -- joining online communities (Facebook, message boards, game clans), producing creative work in new forms (digital sampling, modding, fan videomaking, fan fiction), working in teams to complete tasks and develop new knowledge (as in Wikipedia), and shaping the flow of media (as in blogging or podcasting). A growing body of scholarship suggests potential benefits of these activities, including opportunities for peer-to-peer learning, development of skills useful in the modern workplace, and a more empowered conception of citizenship. Some argue that young people pick up these key skills and competencies on their own by interacting with popular culture; but the problems of unequal access, lack of media transparency, and the breakdown of traditional forms of socialization and professional training suggest a role for policy and pedagogical intervention.This report aims to shift the conversation about the "digital divide" from questions about access to technology to questions about access to opportunities for involvement in participatory culture and how to provide all young people with the chance to develop the cultural competencies and social skills needed. Fostering these skills, the authors argue, requires a systemic approach to media education; schools, afterschool programs, and parents all have distinctive roles to play.The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Reports on Digital Media and Learning


Big data is all the rage. Its proponents tout the use of sophisticated analytics to mine large data sets for insight as the solution to many of our society's problems. These big data evangelists insist that data-driven decisionmaking can now give us better predictions in areas ranging from college admissions to dating to hiring to medicine to national security and crime prevention. But much of the rhetoric of big data contains no meaningful analysis of its potential perils, only the promise. We don't deny that big data holds substantial potential for the future, and that large dataset analysis has important uses today. But we would like to sound a cautionary note and pause to consider big data's potential more critically. In particular, we want to highlight three paradoxes in the current rhetoric about big data to help move us toward a more complete understanding of the big data picture. First, while big data pervasively collects all manner of private information, the operations of big data itself are almost entirely shrouded in legal and commercial secrecy. We call this the Transparency Paradox. Second, though big data evangelists talk in terms of miraculous outcomes, this rhetoric ignores the fact that big data seeks to identify at the expense of individual and collective identity. We call this the Identity Paradox. And third, the rhetoric of big data is characterized by its power to transform society, but big data has power effects of its own, which privilege large government and corporate entities at the expense of ordinary individuals. We call this the Power Paradox. Recognizing the paradoxes of big data, which show its perils alongside its potential, will help us to better understand this revolution. It may also allow us to craft solutions to produce a revolution that will be as good as its evangelists predict.


Find the answers to your most important Excel questions with this reference John Walkenbachs name is synonymous with excellence in computer books that decipher complex technical topics. Known as "Mr. Spreadsheet," Walkenbachalong with Excel expert Colin Banfieldanswers your most common and important Excel questions in this easy-to-understand reference. You'll learn how to open, save, protect, and recover workbook files; add, copy, and delete worksheets; enter and edit data and text; create formulas and functions; audit, format, and print; and more. Highly organized and free of unnecessary jargon, this essential reference allows you to find the answers youre looking for quickly and easily. Excel gurus Walkenbach and Banfield offer quick and easy answers to common Excel questions Offers information in a highly organized, easy-to-understand format so you can find exactly what you need Includes information on opening, saving, protecting and recovering workbook files; adding, copying, and deleting worksheets; entering and editing data and text; creating formulas and functions; auditing; formatting; printing; and more Covers navigating the user interface; using the Ribbon and Quick Access toolbar; saving, protecting, and recovering workbook files; entering and editing data; creating formulas and functions, and much more Excel 2010 For Dummies Quick Reference enables you to spend more time working on your projects rather than trying to figure how to make Excel work for you!


Since the implementation of the European Directive on Takeover Bids, a European common legal framework governs regulation of takeovers in EU Members States. The European Directive on Takeover Bids was adopted in April 2004, and implemented in the UK and in other Member States on 20th May 2006. The Directive seeks to regulate takeovers by way of protecting investors, and harmonising takeover laws in Europe. In facilitating the restructuring of companies through takeovers, the Directive aims at reinforcing the free movement of capital.

Takeovers and the European Legal Framework studies the European Community Directive on Takeover Bids, in order to provide greater understanding of both the impact and effect of the European legal framework of takeover regulation. It firstly looks at the Directive from a British perspective, focusing on the impact of the transposition of the Takeover Directive into the UK. The book examines the provisions of the City Code on Takeovers and Mergers, and discusses the takeover provisions in the Companies Act 2006 that implement the Takeover Directive in the UK, arguing that the Directive will provide a new basis for UK takeover regulation, and that the system will work well.

Jonathan Mukwiri goes on to consider the Directive in relation to the EU, arguing that despite its deficiencies, in that Member States are free to opt to restrict takeovers, the Directive provides a useful legal framework by which takeovers are regulated in different jurisdictions. Mukwiri highlights how the freedoms of the EC Treaty and EU Directives interact, and the effects of the Takeover Directive on political considerations in the law-making process in European Community. Moreover, he argues that the future of EU takeover regulation is likely to follow the lead of the UK, making this book relevant to a wide range of policy makers and academics across Europe.


Selection of new projects is one of the major decision making activities in any company. Given a set of potential projects to invest, a subset which matches the company's strategy and internal resources best has to be selected. In this paper, we propose a multicriteria model for portfolio selection of projects, where we take into consideration that each of the potential projects has several - usually conflicting - values.


The present thesis deals with coupled steady state laminar flows of isothermal incompressible viscous Newtonian fluids in plain and in porous media. The flow in the pure fluid region is usually described by the (Navier-)Stokes system of equations. The most popular models for the flow in the porous media are those suggested by Darcy and by Brinkman. Interface conditions, proposed in the mathematical literature for coupling Darcy and Navier-Stokes equations, are shortly reviewed in the thesis. The coupling of Navier-Stokes and Brinkman equations in the literature is based on the so called continuous stress tensor interface conditions. One of the main tasks of this thesis is to investigate another type of interface conditions, namely, the recently suggested stress tensor jump interface conditions. The mathematical models based on these interface conditions were not carefully investigated from the mathematical point of view, and also their validity was a subject of discussions. The considerations within this thesis are a step toward better understanding of these interface conditions. Several aspects of the numerical simulations of such coupled flows are considered: -the choice of proper interface conditions between the plain and porous media -analysis of the well-posedness of the arising systems of partial differential equations; -developing numerical algorithm for the stress tensor jump interface conditions, coupling Navier-Stokes equations in the pure liquid media with the Navier-Stokes-Brinkman equations in the porous media; -validation of the macroscale mathematical models on the base of a comparison with the results from a direct numerical simulation of model representative problems, allowing for grid resolution of the pore level geometry; -developing software and performing numerical simulation of 3-D industrial flows, namely of oil flows through car filters.


What impact does the experience of university have on Christian students? Are universities a force for secularisation? Is student faith enduring, or a passing phase? Universities are often associated with a sceptical attitude towards religion. Many assume that academic study leads students away from any existing religious convictions, heightening the appeal of a rationalist secularism increasingly dominant in wider society. And yet Christianity remains highly visible on university campuses and continues to be a prominent identity marker in the lives of many students.

Analysing over 4,000 responses to a national survey of students and nearly 100 interviews with students and those working with them, this book examines Christianity in universities across England. It explores the beliefs, values and practices of Christian students. It reveals how the university experience influences their Christian identities, and the influence Christian students have upon university life.

Christianity and the University Experience makes fascinating reading for anyone interested in the survival and evolution of religion in the contemporary world. It offers fresh insights relevant to those working with Christian students, including churches, chaplaincies and student organisations, as well as policy-makers and university managers interested in the significance of religion for education, social responsibility and social cohesion.


Book Section - Grey, Sir George (1812-1898) - Arrowsmith's Australian Maps - Arrowsmith's Australian Maps is a biographical, bibliographical and archival database of SUBJECT with links to related articles and images. ADD MORE DESCRIPTION AS REQUIRED


Professional liability insurance (PLI), also called professional indemnity insurance (PII) but more commonly known as errors & omissions (E&O) in the US, is a form of liability insurance that helps protect professional advice- and service-providing individuals and companies from bearing the full cost of defending against a negligence claim made by a client, and damages awarded in such a civil lawsuit. The coverage focuses on alleged failure to perform on the part of, financial loss caused by, and error or omission in the service or product sold by the policyholder. These are potential causes for legal action that would not be covered by a more general liability insurance policy which addresses more direct forms of harm. Professional liability coverage sometimes also provides for the defense costs, including when legal action turns out to be groundless. Coverage does not include criminal prosecution, nor a wide range of potential liabilities under civil law that are not enumerated in the policy, but which may be subject to other forms of insurance. Professional liability insurance is required by law in some areas for certain kinds of professional practice (especially medical and legal), and is also sometimes required under contract by other businesses that are the beneficiaries of the advice or service.


In the midst of the most serious financial upheaval since the Great Depression, legendary financier George Soros explores the origins of the crisis and its implications for the future. Soros, whose breadth of experience in financial markets is unrivaled, places the current crisis in the context of decades of study of how individuals and institutions handle the boom and bust cycles that now dominate global economic activity. This is the worst financial crisis since the 1930s, writes Soros in characterizing the scale of financial distress spreading across Wall Street and other financial centers around the world. In a concise essay that combines practical insight with philosophical depth, Soros makes an invaluable contribution to our understanding of the great credit crisis and its implications for our nation and the world.


Skills and Language for Study is a three-level course (B1+ to C1) in academic skills and language aimed at students preparing for university-level studies in English. Academic skills and language are introduced through lectures and authentic academic texts in two complementary books. The core Skills for Study focuses on the academic skills required to function effectively in a university environment whereas Language for Study explores the language needed to practise those skills. Language for Study Level 2 (B2 to B2+) provides language needed for discussions, comparing data, understanding abstracts, literature reviews and written reports. Additionally, it analyses key grammatical, phonological and lexical features of the texts presented in Skills for Study. Complete course audio material is downloadable at www.cambridge.org/elt/forstudy


Abstract. A recently developed reflectance ratio (RR) method for the retrieval of aerosol optical depth (AOD) is evaluated using extensive airborne and ground-based data sets collected during the Cloud and Land Surface Interaction Campaign (CLASIC) and the Cumulus Humilis Aerosol Processing Study (CHAPS), which took place in June 2007 over the US Department of Energy (DOE) Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Southern Great Plains site. A detailed case study is performed for a field of single-layer shallow cumuli observed on 12 June 2007. The RR method is applied to retrieve the spectral values of AOD from the reflectance ratios measured by the MODIS Airborne Simulator (MAS) for two pairs of wavelengths (660 and 470 nm, 870 and 470 nm) collected at a spatial resolution of 0.05 km. The retrieval is compared with an independent AOD estimate from three ground-based Multi-filter Rotating Shadowband Radiometers (MFRSRs). The interpolation algorithm that is used to project MFRSR point measurements onto the aircraft flight tracks is tested using AOD derived from NASA Langley High Spectral Resolution Lidar (HSRL). The RR AOD estimates are in a good agreement (within 5%) with the MFRSR-derived AOD values for the 660-nm wavelength. The AODs obtained from MAS reflectance ratios overestimate those derived from MFRSR measurements by 15–30% for the 470-nm wavelength and underestimate the 870-nm AOD by the same amount.


Abstract The morphology, histochemistry, and ultrastructural aspects of the secretion of Lavandula pinnata L. (Lamiaceae) glandular trichomes were studied in order to prepare for work on calcium distribution in normal and heat stressed plants. The secretory process was observed in both light and dark-grown plants. The secretion of the capitate glandular trichomes consists of both lipophilic and polysaccharidic substances (mainly the latter), while peltate glandular trichomes only secrete lipophilic substances. Our ultrastructural results are consistent with the finding that plastids are the main organelle that synthesizes the lipophilic substances, especially terpenes, while dictyosomes synthesize polysaccharides. The essential oil is most likely transported directly by the RER, while the polysaccharides reach the plasma membrane via Golgi-derived vesicles. Exocytosis is the main way that secretory products move from the cell to the subcuticular space. There are no differences in gland development or secretion between the light and dark-grown plants.


Peer review (also known as refereeing) is the process of subjecting an author's scholarly work, research, or ideas to the scrutiny of others who are experts in the same field. Peer review requires a community of experts in a given (and often narrowly defined) field, who are qualified and able to perform impartial review. Impartial review, especially of work in less narrowly defined or inter-disciplinary fields, may be difficult to accomplish; and the significance (good or bad) of an idea may never be widely appreciated among its contemporaries.


This fascinating publication presents the roles two men have played in turning a small workshop in nineteenth-century Paris into one of the most successful and recognized brands in the world. Known for both craftsmanship and must-have high design, Louis Vuitton the luxury house was started by its eponymous founder in 1854. The first half of this publication traces the innovations by Vuitton, who turned the little-known guild profession of emballeur (packer) into the foremost luxury trunk maker in Paris, with a clientele that included in his lifetime the French nobility as well as the elite of a prosperous empire. Prime and never-before-seen examples of Vuitton s craftsmanship, along with the fashion that went into them, are the highlights of these chapters. The second half of the book examines the role of Marc Jacobs as Louis Vuitton s creative director (since 1997), who took the Louis Vuitton house into a new era with a series of collaborations with artists and designers such as Takashi Murakami, Richard Prince, and Stephen Sprouse as well as designing a line of highly successful and desired clothing for the company. By examining two divergent but often similar careers one hundred years apart, "Louis Vuitton / Marc Jacobs" is not only a layered study of the evolution of a luxury brand in the past 150 years but also a celebration of technical and design innovations in the new century."


With characteristic humility, His Holiness the Dalai Lama begins this landmark survey of the entire Buddhist path by saying, "I think an overview of Tibetan Buddhism for the purpose of providing a comprehensive framework of the path may prove helpful in deepening your understanding and practice." In this book, the Dalai Lama delivers a presentation that is both concise and profound, accessible and engaging. As readers explore Tibetan Buddhism more fully than ever before, they will find in His Holiness a great friend and authority.... Download ebook, read file pdf An Overview of Its Philosophy and Practice


GRUBB'S RECENT PAPERS (2003, 2004, 2006B) ARE AIMED AT nothing less than rewriting important chapters of early American history. Our goal in both our AER and EJW comments was a negative one, to dissuade readers from accepting Grubb's views and data. We are humbled by the complexity of the early American monetary system and the meagerness of the available evidence. We nowhere make the blanket claims that Grubb attributes to us, namely, that specie was plentiful, that exchange rates were immutable, or that cross-colony circulation of bills of credit was ubiquitous. Instead, we offer evidence that at some times and places specie was more abundant than Grubb claims, that most colonial exchange rates oscillated within broad specie points, and that bills of credit often circulated in adjacent colonies. And again, we make such claims with one point only in mind, to alert scholars that Grubb's interpretation is highly suspect.


Roland's longing trailed after him as he walked, a sort of dirigible, attached by a silver filament that tugged and tugged without ever lightening his step. "Why's that thing always following you around?" his brother asked. "Haven't you already got everything you could possibly want?" Roland didn't bother to argue, not because his brother was right (wasn't it simple fact that human desire was endlessly replenishable?), but because his brother was a very small man with the jaw of someone twice his size. He walked with his jaw foremost, his shoulders hunched and his elbows back, as if he were being bent nearly to the ground by the burden of all the things he couldn't have. If anyone were to be followed around by a dirigible of longing, it ought to have been Roland's brother, but the air above his hunched shoulders was a void. And this seemed sad to Roland, although many things struck him as sad.


We investigate the hadronic cooling of a quark droplet within a microscopic model. The color flux tube approach is used to describe the hadronization of the quark phase. The model reproduces experimental particle ratios equally well compared to a static thermal hadronic source. Furthermore, the dynamics of the decomposition of a quark-gluon plasma is investigated and time dependent particle ratios are found.


ABSTRACT This exploratory study was designed to assess air quality in a rural western Colorado area where residences and gas wells co-exist. Sampling was conducted before, during, and after drilling and hydraulic fracturing of a new natural gas well pad. Weekly air sampling for 1 year revealed that the number of non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHCs) and their concentrations were highest during the initial drilling phase and did not increase during hydraulic fracturing in this closed-loop system. Methylene chloride, a toxic solvent not reported in products used in drilling or hydraulic fracturing, was detected 73% of the time; several times in high concentrations. A literature search of the health effects of the NMHCs revealed that many had multiple health effects, including 30 that affect the endocrine system, which is susceptible to chemical impacts at very low concentrations, far less than government safety standards. Selected polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were at concentrations greater than those at which prenatally exposed children in urban studies had lower developmental and IQ scores. The human and environmental health impacts of the NMHCs, which are ozone precursors, should be examined further given that the natural gas industry is now operating in close proximity to human residences and public lands.


Abstract. Aerosol-cloud interactions are considered to be one of the most important and least known forcings in the climate system. Biomass burning aerosols are of special interest due to their radiative impact (direct and indirect effect) and their potential to increase in the future due to climate change. Combining data from Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) and MODerate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) with passive tracers from the FLEXPART Lagrangian Particle Dispersion Model, the impact of biomass burning aerosols on marine stratocumulus clouds has been examined in June and July of 2006–2008 off the California coast. Using a continental tracer, the indirect effect of biomass burning aerosols has been isolated by comparing the average cloud fraction and cloud albedo for different meteorological situations, and for clean versus polluted (in terms of biomass burning) continental air masses at 14:00 local time. Within a 500 km-wide band along the coast of California, biomass burning aerosols, which tend to reside above the marine boundary layer, increased the cloud fraction by 0.143, and the cloud albedo by 0.038. Absorbing aerosols located above the marine boundary layer lead to an increase of the lower tropospheric stability and a reduction in the vertical entrainment of dry air from above, leading to increased cloud formation. The combined effect was an indirect radiative forcing of −7.5% ±1.7% (cooling effect) of the outgoing radiative flux at the top of the atmosphere on average, with a bias due to meteorology of +0.9%. Further away from the coast, the biomass burning aerosols, which were located within the boundary layer, reduced the cloud fraction by 0.023 and the cloud albedo by 0.006, resulting in an indirect radiative forcing of +1.3% ±0.3% (warming effect) with a bias of +0.5%. These results underscore the dual role that absorbing aerosols play in cloud radiative forcing.


This Article analyzes risks of serious harms posed to prisoners with major mental disorders and investigates their import for sentencing under a just deserts analysis. Drawing upon social science research, the Article first establishes that offenders with serious mental illnesses are more likely than non-ill offenders to suffer physical and sexual assaults, endure housing in solitary confinement, and experience psychological deterioration during their carceral terms. The Article then explores the significance of this differential impact for sentencing within a retributive framework. It first suggests a particular expressive understanding of punishment, capacious enough to encompass foreseeable, substantial risks of serious harm proximately caused by the state during confinement and addresses in particular the troublesome issue of prison violence. It then turns to just desert theory and principles of ordinal and cardinal proportionality to identify three ways in which vulnerability to serious harm may factor into sentencing. In so doing, the Article advances the current debate about the relevance of individual suffering to retributivism and lays the theoretical groundwork for the consideration of vulnerability due to mental illness as a morally relevant element in sentencing decisions.


A next-generation microshutter array, LArge Microshutter Array (LAMA), was developed as a multi-object field selector. LAMA consists of small-scaled microshutter arrays that can be combined to form large-scale microshutter array mosaics. Microshutter actuation is accomplished via electrostatic attraction between the shutter and a counter electrode, and 2D addressing can be accomplished by applying an electrostatic potential between a row of shutters and a column, orthogonal to the row, of counter electrodes. Microelectromechanical system (MEMS) technology is used to fabricate the microshutter arrays. The main feature of the microshutter device is to use a set of standard surface micromachining processes for device fabrication. Electrostatic actuation is used to eliminate the need for macromechanical magnet actuating components. A simplified electrostatic actuation with no macro components (e.g. moving magnets) required for actuation and latching of the shutters will make the microshutter arrays robust and less prone to mechanical failure. Smaller-size individual arrays will help to increase the yield and thus reduce the cost and improve robustness of the fabrication process. Reducing the size of the individual shutter array to about one square inch and building the large-scale mosaics by tiling these smaller-size arrays would further help to reduce the cost of the device due to the higher yield of smaller devices. The LAMA development is based on prior experience acquired while developing microshutter arrays for the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), but it will have different features. The LAMA modular design permits large-format mosaicking to cover a field of view at least 50 times larger than JWST MSA. The LAMA electrostatic, instead of magnetic, actuation enables operation cycles at least 100 times faster and a mass significantly smaller compared to JWST MSA. Also, standard surface micromachining technology will simplify the fabrication process, increasing yield and reducing cost.


Using simulated climate data from the comprehensive coupled climate model IPSL CM4, we simulate the Greenland ice sheet (GrIS) during the Eemian interglaciation with the three-dimensional ice sheet model SICOPOLIS. The Eemian is a period 126 000 yr before present (126 ka) with Arctic temperatures comparable to projections for the end of this century. In our simulation, the northeastern part of the GrIS is unstable and retreats significantly, despite moderate melt rates. This result is found to be robust to perturbations within a wide parameter space of key parameters of the ice sheet model, the choice of initial ice temperature, and has been reproduced with climate forcing from a second coupled climate model, the CCSM3. It is shown that the northeast GrIS is the most vulnerable. Even a small increase in melt removes many years of ice accumulation, giving a large mass imbalance and triggering the strong ice-elevation feedback. Unlike the south and west, melting in the northeast is not compensated by high accumulation. The analogy with modern warming suggests that in coming decades, positive feedbacks could increase the rate of mass loss of the northeastern GrIS, exceeding the recent observed thinning rates in the south.


The University of Colorado's guiding principles, as articulated by its governing Board of Regents, include a commitment to openness and accountability. While the university discloses its financial, academic, personnel and other data on various CU websites (and has made these records public since the university was founded in 1876), the CU Accountability Data Center site provides a central access point for all the information.


Analysis of covariance: a statistical procedure to test the mean difference between groups on a dependent variable while controlling for >1 extraneous variable (covariate). Cohort: a group of people with a common characteristic or set of characteristics is followed up for a specified period of time to determine the incidence of some outcome; there is no comparison group. Confidence interval (CI): quantifies the uncertainty in measurement; usually reported as 95% CI, which is the range of values within which we can be 95% sure that the true value for the whole population lies. Constant comparison: a procedure used in qualitative research wherein newly collected data are compared in an ongoing fashion with data obtained earlier, to refine theoretically relevant categories. Double blind: occurs in an experimental study in which neither the patient nor the study staff (responsible for patient care and data collection) is aware of the group to which the patient has been assigned. Effectiveness: extent to which an intervention does more good than harm for participants who receive the intervention under usual conditions. It answers the question does it work? Efficacy: extent to which an intervention does more good than harm for participants who receive the intervention under optimal conditions (eg, complete compliance with treatment). It answers the question can it work? Ethnography (ethnographic study): an approach to inquiry that focuses on culture or subculture of a group of people, with an effort to understand the world view of those under study. Fisher exact test (2-tailed): a test for 2 × 2 contingency tables, used to test the null hypothesis that proportions are equal or that characteristics are independent or not associated. It is used if the sample size is too small to use the chi squared (÷) test. Fixed effects model: gives a summary estimate of the magnitude of effect in meta-analysis. It takes into account withinstudy variation but not between-study variation and hence is usually not used if there is significant heterogeneity. Grounded theory: an approach to collecting and analysing qualitative data with the aim of developing theories grounded in real world observations. Hazards model: a model applied in multivariate analyses in which independent variables are used to predict the risk (hazard) of experiencing an event at a given point of time. Hermeneutic phenomenology: the study of the methodological principles of interpretation by using narrative texts to explain a phenomenon. Heterogeneity: the degree to which the effect estimates of individual studies in a meta-analysis differ significantly. Intention to treat analysis (ITT): all patients are analysed in the groups to which they were randomised, even if they fail to complete the intervention or receive the wrong intervention. Linear analysis (regression): a statistical technique for determining the relation (prediction equation) between 2 continuous variables. Meta-analysis: a method for combining the results of several independent studies that measure the same outcomes so that an overall summary statistic can be calculated. Multiple regression: a statistical technique to determine the probability of a dependent variable (outcome) occurring when the independent (explanatory) variables are present or absent. It determines whether a model that includes the variables explains more about the outcome variable than a model that does not include the variables. Number needed to treat (NNT): number of patients who need to be treated to prevent 1 additional negative event; calculated as 1/absolute risk reduction (rounded to the next whole number), accompanied by 95% confidence interval. Odds ratio (OR): describes the odds of a patient in the experimental group having an event divided by the odds of a patient in the control group having the event or the odds that a patient was exposed to a given risk factor divided by the odds that a control patient was exposed to the risk factor. Phenomenology: an approach to inquiry that emphasises the complexity of human experience and the need to understand that experience holistically as it is actually lived. Prevalence: the proportion of people who have a given disease or condition at a specified point in time. Purposeful (purposive) sampling: a type of nonprobabilility sampling in which the researcher selects subjects on the basis of personal judgment about which ones will be most representative of a specific population. p value: a statistical value which relates the probability that the obtained results are due to chance alone (type I error); a p value < 0.05 means that there is less than a 1 in 20 probability of that result occurring by chance. Random effects model: gives a summary estimate of the magnitude of effect in meta-analysis. It takes into account both within-study and between-study variance and gives a wider confidence interval to the estimate than a fixed effects model if there is significant between-study variation. Randomised controlled trial (randomised clinical trial, randomised trial) (RCT): study in which individuals are randomly allocated to receive alternative preventive, therapeutic, or diagnostic interventions and then followed up to determine the effect of the interventions (one of the alternatives might be no intervention). Relative benefit increase (RBI): the proportional increase in the rates of good events between experimental and control participants; reported as a percentage (%). Relative risk (RR): risk of adverse effects with a treatment relative to risks for those who do not receive treatment. Relative risk reduction (RRR): the proportional reduction in outcome rates between experimental and control participants; reported as a percentage (%). Sensitivity: a measure of a diagnostic test's ability to correctly detect a disorder when it is present in a sample of people. Specificity: a measure of a diagnostic test's ability to correctly identify the absence of a disorder in a sample of people who do not have the disorder. U shaped curve: describes the shape of the data when it is plotted on a graph; denotes a relation that is not linear, but increases at both ends of the graph (eg, mortality is high when body mass index is low or high).


Effective coordination of agents' actions in partially-observable domains is a major challenge of multi-agent systems research. To address this, many researchers have developed techniques that allow the agents to make decisions based on estimates of the states and actions of other agents that are typically learnt using some form of machine learning algorithm. Nevertheless, many of these approaches fail to provide an actual means by which the necessary information is made available so that the estimates can be learnt. To this end, we argue that cooperative communication of state information between agents is one such mechanism. However, in a dynamically changing environment, the accuracy and timeliness of this communicated information determine the fidelity of the learned estimates and the usefulness of the actions taken based on these. Given this, we propose a novel information-sharing protocol, post-task-completion sharing, for the distribution of state information. vVe then show, through a formal analysis, the improvement in the quality of estimates produced using our strategy over the widely used protocol of sharing information between nearest neighbours. Moreover, communication heuristics designed around our information-sharing principle are subjected to empirical evaluation along with other benchmark strategies (including Littman's Q-routing and Stone's TPOT-RL) in a simulated call-routing application. These studies, conducted across a range of environmental settings, show that, compared to the different benchmarks used, our strategy generates an improvement of up to 60% in the call connection rate; of more than 1000% in the ability to connect long-distance calls; and incurs as low as 0.25 of the message overhead.


This article recovers the structure the classical nondelegation doctrine and reconstructs the role that doctrine and other historical circumstances played in the establishment of administrative crimes in United States v. Grimaud in 1911, but its primary focus is exploring what that episode reveals about the process of legal change. It rejects deterministic claims that the nondelegation doctrine has always responded in a simple way to practical concerns. Such an approach cannot effectively explain how difficult it was for the government to win judicial approval of administrative crimes. The course of that decade long campaign is better explained by recognizing how the establishment of administrative crimes was affected by the interaction of the classical nondelegation doctrine with other legal, political, and practical circumstances. Among the most important of those circumstances were the Supreme Court's 1812 decision in United States v. Hudson & Goodwin, the government's limited ability to appeal criminal decisions, the challenges of policing millions of acres of isolated public lands, and the successful efforts of Gifford Pinchot, the nation's first Forester, to build a zealous and talented legal department at the US Forest Service. The paper thus advances an understanding of doctrinal change that emphasizes the interaction of structural constraints – including legal doctrine itself - with more contingent factors, like timing and individual decisions.


A father and his son walk alone through burned America. Nothing moves in the ravaged landscape save the ash on the wind. It is cold enough to crack stones, and when the snow falls it is gray. They sky is dark. Their destination is the coast, although they don't know what, if anything, awaits them there. They have nothing; just a pistol to defend themselves against the lawless bands that stalk the road, the clothes they are wearing, a cart of scavenged food — and each other.


Policy Points:
Similarities and disparities between countries and initiatives are identified. Measuring, reporting, and rewarding quality is heavily focused on process measures. Hospital-level benchmarking is not always available publicly. Quality-related payment schemes vary widely, with several countries only piloting small-scale initiatives.
To increase quality accountability, the government has to set standards and incentives. The right balance between system centralization and decentralization has to be struck. Accountability needs to be based on outcomes, not process measures, and focus should be on hospital and medical condition levels. Providers have a central role as quality accountability advocates.

Context
Studies have documented wide quality variation among hospitals within and across countries. Increasing quality-of-care accountability for hospitals, especially for patients and the general public, is an important policy objective, but no study has yet systematically and comprehensively compared leading countries' initiatives in this regard.

Methods
Based on expert interviews and an extensive literature review, we investigate hospital quality accountability in England, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the United States. The underlying framework includes 3 elements: measuring quality, reporting quality, and rewarding quality. Each element is subdivided into 2 dimensions, with measuring composed of indicator type and data source, reporting composed of degree of reporting centralization and data accessibility, and rewarding composed of extent of application and type of quality-related payments.

Findings
The results show a wide spectrum of approaches and progress levels. Measuring strategies are more similar across countries, while quality reporting and financial rewards are more dissimilar. Reporting of process indicators is more prevalent than reporting of outcomes. Most countries have introduced some quality-related payment schemes, with the United States having the most comprehensive approach. Based on the cross-country assessment, 5 policy levers to enhance quality transparency are identified and illustrated through country-specific examples: (1) the government should take a central role in establishing standards and incentives for quality transparency and health IT system integration; (2) system centralization and decentralization need to be balanced to ensure both national comparability and local innovation; (3) health systems need to focus more on outcome transparency and less on process measures; (4) health systems need to engage providers as proponents of quality transparency; and (5) reporting should focus on hospital and condition levels to ensure comparability and enable meaningful patient choice.

Conclusions
The findings facilitate cross-country learning and best-practice adoption by assessing hospital quality accountability strategies in 5 countries in a structured and comparative manner. The identified policy levers are relevant for enhancing breadth, depth, and value of quality accountability.


Most of us have no idea what's really going on inside our heads. Yet brain scientists have uncovered details every business leader, parent, and teacher should know--like the need for physical activity to get your brain working its best. How do we learn? What exactly do sleep and stress do to our brains? Why is multi-tasking a myth? Why is it so easy to forget--and so important to repeat new knowledge? Is it true that men and women have different brains? In Brain Rules, Dr. John Medina, a molecular biologist, shares his lifelong interest in how the brain sciences might influence the way we teach our children and the way we work. In each chapter, he describes a brain rule--what scientists know for sure about how our brains work--and then offers transformative ideas for our daily lives. Medina's fascinating stories and infectious sense of humor breathe life into brain science. You'll learn why Michael Jordan was no good at baseball. You'll peer over a surgeon's shoulder as he proves that most of us have a Jennifer Aniston neuron. You'll meet a boy who has an amazing memory for music but can't tie his own shoes. You will discover how: Every brain is wired differently Exercise improves cognition We are designed to never stop learning and exploring Memories are volatile Sleep is powerfully linked with the ability to learn Vision trumps all of the other senses Stress changes the way we learn In the end, you'll understand how your brain really works--and how to get the most out of it.


The easy way to understand and implement cloud computing technology written by a team of experts Cloud computing can be difficult to understand at first, but the cost-saving possibilities are great and many companies are getting on board. If you've been put in charge of implementing cloud computing, this straightforward, plain-English guide clears up the confusion and helps you get your plan in place. You'll learn how cloud computing enables you to run a more green IT infrastructure, and access technology-enabled services from the Internet ("in the cloud") without having to understand, manage, or invest in the technology infrastructure that supports them. You'll also find out what you need to consider when implementing a plan, how to handle security issues, and more. Cloud computing is a way for businesses to take advantage of storage and virtual services through the Internet, saving money on infrastructure and support This book provides a clear definition of cloud computing from the utility computing standpoint and also addresses security concerns Offers practical guidance on delivering and managing cloud computing services effectively and efficiently Presents a proactive and pragmatic approach to implementing cloud computing in any organization Helps IT managers and staff understand the benefits and challenges of cloud computing, how to select a service, and what's involved in getting it up and running Highly experienced author team consults and gives presentations on emerging technologies Cloud Computing For Dummies gets straight to the point, providing the practical information you need to know.


Mine operators often rely on mine rescue teams to save lives during an underground emergency such as an underground fire, explosion or roof fall. It is extremely important that team members are provided with adequate exploration equipment and that training simulations are conducted in a realistic manner. A series of mine rescue training exercises was developed, conducted and evaluated by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) in cooperation with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Deep Mine Safety. The exercises were conducted at NIOSH's Lake Lynn Laboratory during 1995 to 1998 and resulted in improved technology and training for mine rescue teams. For example, existing technologies were identified to help rescue teams during exploration. These included chemical lightsticks to identify team members and mark crosscuts and mine materials, strobe lights for mapping out escapeways, and a helmet mounted thermal imaging system to see through smoke. A hands-free communication system showed potential for enhanced communications between team members and the fresh air base. A new high-visibility team lifeline that allows for flexibility of movement between team members was developed. A positive-pressure inflatable escape device (IED) was used to isolate the "hazardous" environment from fresh air and allow rescue team members to traverse through. An inflatable feed-tube partition that can rapidly block large openings such as underground passageways and simultaneously provide a feed-tube for high-expansion foam generators was also deployed for several simulations. During the simulations, mine rescue team members donned self-contained breathing apparatuses (SCBA) and traversed more than 305-m of mine passageways filled with nontoxic smoke. Visibility ranged from 0.3 to 0.9-m. In one area of the mine, a kerosene heater was used to simulate a fire and reduce the oxygen concentration. In another area, a 1.5 pct methane zone was established. The team members searched for "victims," mapped the passageways, built temporary stoppings and ventilated the smoke-filled entries. The teams indicated that the simulations were challenging and very informative.


Historians have traditionally used the discourses of free trade and laissez-faire to explain the development of political economy during the Enlightenment. But from Sophus Reinert's perspective, eighteenth-century political economy can be understood only in the context of the often brutal imperial rivalries then unfolding in Europe and its former colonies and the positive consequences of active economic policy. The idea of economic emulation was the prism through which philosophers, ministers, reformers, and even merchants thought about economics, as well as industrial policy and reform, in the early modern period. With the rise of the British Empire, European powers and others sought to selectively emulate the British model. In mapping the general history of economic translations between 1500 and 1849, and particularly tracing the successive translations of the Bristol merchant John Cary's seminal 1695 Essay on the State of England, Reinert makes a compelling case for the way that England's aggressively nationalist policies, especially extensive tariffs and other intrusive market interventions, were adopted in France, Italy, Germany, and Scandinavia before providing the blueprint for independence in the New World. Relatively forgotten today, Cary's work served as the basis for an international move toward using political economy as the prime tool of policymaking and industrial expansion. Reinert's work challenges previous narratives about the origins of political economy and invites the current generation of economists to reexamine the foundations, and future, of their discipline.


TRENDS IN LINGUISTICS is a series of books that open new perspectives in our understanding of language. The series publishes state-of-the-art work on core areas of linguistics across theoretical frameworks, as well as studies that provide new insights by approaching language from an interdisciplinary perspective. TRENDS IN LINGUISTICS considers itself a forum for cutting-edge research based on solid empirical data on language in its various manifestations, including sign languages. It regards linguistic variation in its synchronic and diachronic dimensions as well as in its social contexts as important sources of insight for a better understanding of the design of linguistic systems and the ecology and evolution of language. TRENDS IN LINGUISTICS publishes monographs and outstanding dissertations as well as edited volumes, which provide the opportunity to address controversial topics from different empirical and theoretical viewpoints. High quality standards are ensured through anonymous reviewing.


Ex-Green Beret George Hayduke has returned from war to find his beloved southwestern desert threatened by industrial development. Joining with Bronx exile and feminist saboteur Bonnie Abzug, wilderness guide and outcast Mormon Seldom Seen Smith, and libertarian billboard torcher Doc Sarvis, M.D., Hayduke is ready to fight the power—taking on the strip miners, clear-cutters, and the highway, dam, and bridge builders who are threatening the natural habitat. Reissued as a Harper Perennial Modern Classic in December 2006.


" Approximately 27% of all graduating high school seniors are prospective first-generation college students. First-generation college students are defined as those whose parents have no formal education beyond high school. Unfortunately, most of the research to date on this group has focused on these students once they arrive at college. Because not all prospective first-generation students complete, or even begin, college, vital information is lacking about this group of students. The main purpose of this study was to investigate the college-going beliefs of middle school students who would be the first in their families to attend college as compared to their peers. Specifically, Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT; Lent, Brown, & Hackett, 1994) was applied to help explain the college-related barriers, social supports, self-efficacy beliefs, and outcome expectations of prospective first-generation college students and their peers. In addition, background variables such as gender, ethnicity, and parent educational level, which are believed to affect the learning experiences upon which self-efficacy and outcome beliefs are formed, were examined as well. In this study, each of these constructs was examined through the use of an extensive written assessment. The participants in this study were 7th grade students (n = 272) from four middle schools in a single southeastern state. Of these participants, 105 were prospective first-generation college students. As proposed in the hypotheses for this study, factorial ANOVAs helped demonstrate differences in perceived barriers, parent support, self-efficacy beliefs, and positive outcome expectations between first-generation students and their peers. Path analyses for the full sample as well as separated by first-generation status indicated partial support for SCCT. The influence of background variables, barriers, and supports on strength of college-going intentions differed for prospective first-generation college students as compared to their peers. Evidence was provided to suggest that barriers and supports may have a direct effect on outcome beliefs in addition to self-efficacy beliefs for both groups of participants, although in different ways. Suggestions for how to apply this information to the counseling profession as well as directions for future research are discussed. This study emphasized the many differences between first-generation students and their peers and highlighted the need for early interventions with this population "--Abstract from author supplied metadata.


The United States and the rest of the world have taken markedly different views of the essential facilities doctrine in recent years. Although the essential facility doctrine has many defenders in the United States, it has been criticized by the Supreme Court in dicta, in the report of the Antitrust Modernization Commission, and the more recent monopoly report of the Bush administration Justice Department.The situation is quite different everywhere else. In Europe, the essential facilities doctrine, also called unilateral refusals to deal, has been applied over the past thirty years by the European Commission, the Court of First Instance, the European Court of Justice, and increasingly courts of the twenty-seven Member States. In addition, the European Commission's recently-issued draft guidelines on the abuse of dominance endorse the doctrine and sensibly describe its application and limitations. The situation is similar in countries outside of the European Union. Most jurisdictions, both common law and civil law, apply some form of the essential facility doctrine to unjustifiable denials of access to infrastructure and other forms of facilities that are impossible to duplicate, but nonetheless essential for competition.Of course, just because everyone does something does not make it right. However, there is a growing international consensus that it is sometimes appropriate to require a regime of nondiscriminatory access to infrastructure and related facilities. The extent to which the international community is applying some version of the essential facilities doctrine in a thoughtful and consistent manner suggests that the United States is an outlier and should rethink its position. A revitalized essential facilities doctrine more in line with the international consensus would be beneficial domestically as well as internationally.In this essay, we look briefly at the law of the essential facilities doctrine in the United States and abroad in order to analyze which jurisdictions have applied these rules in a sensible and economically efficient manner, and which have used the doctrine in a more ad hoc and arbitrary fashion. Part One analyzes the situation in the United States. Part Two examines the law of essential facilities and unilateral refusals to deal in the European Union and its member states. Part Three looks at the rest of the world and the variety of approaches followed in diverse common and civil law jurisdictions that have examined this question. Part Four looks at the prospects for harmonization of these divergent approaches through the International Competition Network and the more constructive role that the United States must play if these efforts are to be successful. Part Five offers substantive suggestions to better harmonize U.S. law and practice with the developing consensus that antitrust law has an important role to play when dominant firms deny access to essential facilities in economically and socially harmful ways.


There is an increasing recognition that inflammation plays a critical role in neurodegenerative diseases of the CNS, including Alzheimer's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, and the prototypic neuroinflammatory disease multiple sclerosis (MS). Differential immune responses involving the adaptive versus the innate immune system are observed at various stages of neurodegenerative diseases, and may not only drive disease processes but could serve as therapeutic targets. Ongoing investigations into the specific inflammatory mechanisms that play roles in disease causation and progression have revealed lessons about inflammation-driven neurodegeneration that can be applied to other neurodegenerative diseases. An increasing number of immunotherapeutic strategies that have been successful in MS are now being applied to other neurodegenerative diseases. Some approaches suppress CNS immune mechanisms, while others harness the immune system to clear deleterious products and cells. This Review focuses on the mechanisms by which inflammation, mediated either by the peripheral immune response or by endogenous CNS immune mechanisms, can affect CNS neurodegeneration.


This paper explores the psychological shadow--the disowned self--as one of the hidden, unconscious elements in adult and continuing education, often underlying those inexplicable emotional reactions that transpire in instructor/learner interactions. Drawing on the literature related to the psychological shadow, teaching/learning, and adult development, as well as on personal experience as an educator, the author examines the manifestation of the shadow in the classroom. Unacknowledged, the shadow can disturb the learning environment and severely inhibit learning. But when the shadow is brought to light it can actually serve to enrich student learning and promote the teacher's personal and professional development. This paper suggests ways in which educators and students alike can begin the process of reclaiming and integrating their shadow.


Covers MacBook, MacBook Pro, and MacBook Air Step-by-step instructions with callouts to MacBook photos that show you exactly what to do. Help when you run into hardware or operating system problems or limitations. Tips and Notes to help you get the most from your MacBook. Full-color, step-by-step tasks walk you through getting and keeping your MacBook working just the way you want. The tasks include: Managing, arranging, and tagging your files Staying informed and productive with Notification Center Creating and navigating virtual workspaces in Mission Control Opening and organizing apps with Launchpad Accessing network devices and resources Activating and using iCloud services Communicating online with email, instant messaging, and video Keeping appointments with Calendar and Reminders Planning trips and checking traffic with Maps Keeping up-to-date with friends and family via Twitter and Facebook Downloading and enjoying music, movies, books, and more Sharing purchases with your family Challenging your friends to games with Game Center Working seamlessly with iOS Devices with Handoff and AirDrop Protecting and securing your system and data Expanding your system with peripheral devices Troubleshooting common system problems


This paper examines the historiography of literacy between 1780 and 1830 in Britain. The paper first explores the challenges faced by historians in measuring literacy and examines the lenses through which historians have interpreted the available data. Factors thought to contribute to rising literacy rates in this time period include access to education, the Industrial Revolution, religious movements and gender norms.


Service firms dependent on high technological infrastructure operate within a different service context from typical professional service firms. As a result, there is a tendency for such service firms to deviate from the existing (customer-centric) schools of service quality definition and measurement. This becomes difficult to operationalise within the context of brand loyalty. This led the researchers to review the extant literature in the relevant subject areas with the aim of finding out whether there has been a shift in the definition of service quality for high-tech dependent service firms. Following this, a pilot study consisting one-on-one interviews and a field survey was conducted. The aim was to gain insight on the understanding of key technical managers of a telecoms operator (MTN) in Lagos, Nigeria. On the other hand, the field survey (of MTN customers) carried out was aimed to juxtapose customer perception, based on the findings in the literature, with the orientations of the managers. The results indicate a disconnect between managers' orientations and the perception of their customers. While managers believe that their customers are loyal to their brand due to operational efficiency provided, customers indicate very high switch-over tendencies to the firm's competitors irrespective of operational efficiency. Suggestions on how service quality can be operationalised for brand loyalty were given as well as areas requiring further research.


Learn the skills needed for the most in-demand tech job Harvard Business Review calls it the sexiest tech job of the 21st century. Data scientists are in demand, and this unique book shows you exactly what employers want and the skill set that separates the quality data scientist from other talented IT professionals. Data science involves extracting, creating, and processing data to turn it into business value. This guide discusses the essential skills, such as statistics and visualization techniques, and covers everything from analytical recipes and data science tricks to common job interview questions, sample resumes, and source code. The applications are endless and varied: automatically detecting spam and plagiarism, optimizing bid prices in keyword advertising, identifying new molecules to fight cancer, assessing the risk of meteorite impact. Complete with case studies, this book is a must, whether you're looking to become a data scientist or to hire one. Explains the finer points of data science, the required skills, and how to acquire them, including analytical recipes, standard rules, source code, and a dictionary of terms Shows what companies are looking for and how the growing importance of big data has increased the demand for data scientists Features job interview questions, sample resumes, salary surveys, and examples of job ads Case studies explore how data science is used on Wall Street, in botnet detection, for online advertising, and in many other business-critical situations Developing Analytic Talent: Becoming a Data Scientist is essential reading for those aspiring to this hot career choice and for employers seeking the best candidates.


Summary In this contribution, the design of an analysis environment is presented, that supports an analyst to come to a decision within a gradual collaborative planning process. An analyst represents a project manager, planner or any other person, involved in the planning process. Today, planning processes are managed by several geographically distributed planners and project managers. Thus, complexity of such a process rises even more. Prediction of consequences of many planning decisions is not possible, in particular since assessment of a planning advance is not trivial. There have to be considered several viewpoints, that depend on individual perceptions. In the following, methods are presented to realize planning decision support.