In Born Southern, V. Lynn Kennedy addresses the pivotal roles of birth and motherhood in slaveholding families and communities in the Old South. She assesses the power structures of race, gender, and class-both in the household and in the public sphere-and how they functioned to construct a distinct antebellum southern society. Kennedy's unique approach links the experiences of black and white women, examining how childbirth and motherhood created strong ties to family, community, and region for both. She also moves beyond a simple exploration of birth as a physiological event, examining the social and cultural circumstances surrounding it: family and community support networks, the beliefs and practices of local midwives, and the roles of men as fathers and professionals. The southern household-and the relationships among its members-is the focus of the first part of the book. Integrating the experiences of all women, black and white, rich and poor, free and enslaved, these narratives suggest the complexities of shared experiences that united women in a common purpose but also divided them according to status. The second part moves the discussion from the private household into the public sphere, exploring how southerners used birth and motherhood to negotiate public, professional, and political identities. Kennedy's systematic and thoughtful study distinguishes southern approaches to childbirth and motherhood from northern ones, showing how slavery and rural living contributed to a particularly southern experience.


The Magaziner Report focuses on achieving short-term goals without giving sufficient consideration to long-term consequences affecting the structure of Internet governance and democracy in general. This overly pragmatic approach creates a paradoxical climate: overly-friendly to government intervention (in e-commerce regulation) while also overly-willing to defer to privatized governance structures (in other areas). As the recent World Intellectual Property Organization ("WIPO") domain name/trademark process demonstrates, certain Internet governance processes raise several questions, not least discerning whether such processes include adequate notice and consultation. More traditional democratic processes, such as legislation and regulation, have routinized means of giving affected parties notice of pending decisions and of soliciting public comment. Other privatized governance processes may be equally or more legitimate, but not inevitably.


The North Sea has long been known by archaeologists as an area of Mesolithic occupation, and has even been argued as the heartland of the Mesolithic in North Western Europe. Yet this area remains effectively terra incognita to archaeologists, and the nature of its occupation, tantalisingly elusive. The submergence of this landscape has therefore effectively hindered archaeological research into this vitally important region. Yet this region contains one of the most detailed and comprehensive records of the Late Quaternary and Holocene, and its preserved sedimentary successions represent a mine of information that remains untapped by archaeologists. However the lack of direct data pertaining to this region results in all previous maps of the prehistoric landscape being at best hypothetical. This paper will present results which illustrate that through the utilisation of spatially extensive oil industry data, the recovery information pertaining to the actual Mesolithic landscape of the North Sea is now possible. This information reveals the diversity of this landscape and shows that much greater consideration of submerged Mesolithic landscapes is now required of archaeologists. Whilst the study of such landscapes is in its infancy, the availability of such information offers the possibility of transforming how we interpret traditional terrestrial data and its relationship to the larger European Mesolithic.


In Business Aviation Corporation (Pty) Ltd & another v Rand Airport Holdings (Pty) Ltd 2006 (2) SA 95 (W), (per Goldstein J), an appeal was lodged against a magistrate's court order evicting Business Aviation, the first appellant, and its partner, the second appellant, from a property at Rand Airport which the second appellant had occupied for many years in terms of a verbal lease agreement. The appeal was based on the fact that the second appellant had been in possession of the property for some twenty years which, according to the appellants, implied the security of a long term lease and not that of a monthly tenancy (at 96A-C).


We examined the impacts of the Co-Parenting for Successful Kids program offered by University of Nebraska Extension. Using a sample of 2,622 parents who participated in the program in 2015, we measured their knowledge change and ability to perform cooperative coparenting behaviors. Results suggest that the program effectively improved participants' coparenting knowledge and ability to use behaviors such as understanding and supporting children in developmentally appropriate ways, enhancing communication skills, and developing parenting plans. In examining group differences, we found that parents of infants and toddlers benefited the most from the program. Suggestions on program development and evaluation are discussed.


Breast cancer survivors who suffer from persistent, debilitating fatigue years after their diagnosis have something in common: their immune systems don't shut down following treatment, according to researchers at UCLA's Jonsson Cancer Center. This constant immune system activation, which researchers discovered by measuring specific proteins in blood samples from survivors, may be causing the fatigue, UCLA researchers theorize. Their discovery may lead to behavioral interventions such as tai chi and yoga that will help alleviate persistent fatigue, which affects about a third of breast cancer survivors for years after they complete treatment. The study is the first to look at the cellular basis for immune activation in fatigued breast cancer survivors, said Dr. Michael Irwin, a researcher at UCLA's Jonsson Cancer Center and the study's lead author. The research appears in the May 1, 2006 issue of Clinical Cancer Research, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Association of Cancer Research. "Without knowing why this fatigue happens at the cellular level, we can't develop efficient therapies to treat it," said Irwin, who also serves as director of the Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA. "Breast cancer survivors can be severely disabled by fatigue and that can dramatically impact their quality of life. That's the tragedy of our treatments for cancer," Irwin said. "We have focused on treating the disease, but we should also focus on the patient's well being later. Right now, we have no treatment for cancer-related fatigue and we need something that will allow patients to return to their prior level of functioning." Dr. Patricia Ganz, a nationally renowned expert who has studied quality of life in breast cancer survivors for two decades, agrees that fatigue is a serious problem for survivors, a fact that their primary care physicians don't always understand. "When breast cancer survivors talk to their physicians about being tired and how it affects their lives, they're often told that they survived cancer, so they should be grateful to be alive," said Ganz, one of the co-authors of the study. "But their fatigue is a very real problem that needs to taken seriously and addressed." A small study at UCLA had previously demonstrated abnormalities in immune activation in breast cancer survivors. If researchers could determine the biological factors underlying this activation, and therefore fatigue, they could uncover a biomarker for the condition that could help them predict which patients would suffer from fatigue and which would not, Irwin said. Irwin and his colleagues took blood samples from breast cancer survivors one to five years out from diagnosis and placed them into two groups, those who suffered from persistent fatigue and those who did not. The researchers measured the levels of a pro-inflammatory cytokine protein in their blood - levels that indicated the immune system was turned on. Irwin said the pro-inflammatory protein levels were significantly different between the two groups. Those with persistent fatigue had 30 percent more of the proteins circulating in their blood. Additionally, their immune cells produced more cytokines in laboratory analyses than the cells from survivors without fatigue, and those cytokines were more efficient at producing the pro-inflammatory proteins driving the immune response. "This study proved that there is an aberrant immune response in breast cancer survivors with persistent fatigue," Irwin said. "With this information, we may now be able to identify those patients at greatest risk for persistent fatigue and implement interventions early on that will lessen the severity and duration of the fatigue." The immune systems of women undergoing treatment for breast cancer are activated at high levels to help them fight disease and help the body recover from the side effects of chemotherapy and radiation. Some data suggest that survivors who develop fatigue might have immune system changes before the cancer and the treatments may be exacerbating that. Further studies are needed to understand how this immune activation occurs and what clinical factors predispose to it, Irwin said "We know from studies that animals with immune activation and cytokines circulating in their blood don't move around a lot, they don't eat, they don't engage in sexual activity," Irwin said. "From our study, we believe that the severity of fatigue in breast cancer survivors is not related to the type of treatment they received or its duration, but rather that the fatigue is driven by constant immune activation. Their immune systems simply don't shut down after treatment." Irwin and his team studied 32 breast cancer survivors with persistent fatigue and compared their blood samples to 18 survivors who did not suffer from fatigue. The pro-inflammatory proteins in the blood of fatigued cancer survivors could be used as a biomarker to classify those women who may suffer from fatigue after treatment. In those who appear to be predisposed to fatigue - the women whose immune systems have not shut off as they should - it may be possible in the future to provide interventions can right away that might eliminate or, at the least, alleviate the severity and duration of the fatigue. While there are drugs such as statins that can be used to dampen immune response, future studies by Irwin and his team will focus on behavioral interventions such as tai chi and yoga. Exercise and meditation, Irwin said, have been shown to decrease levels of pro-inflammatory cytokine expression in the blood. "If we can identify survivors at greatest risk of persistent fatigue, we can implement interventions early on to help them," Irwin said. "That would be good news for the increasing numbers of women who are surviving breast cancer every year." The number of breast cancer survivors is steadily increasing due to advances in screening and treatment strategies. More patients are being diagnosed with early stage breast cancer and are surviving longer. In fact, breast cancer survivors are the largest group of patients to overcome any type of cancer in the United States. It is estimated that there are more than 2 million breast cancer survivors in the U.S. today. UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center comprises more than 240 researchers and clinicians engaged in research, prevention, detection, control, treatment and education. One of the nation's largest comprehensive cancer centers, the Jonsson center is dedicated to promoting research and translating the results into leading-edge clinical studies. In July 2005, the Jonsson Cancer Center was named the best cancer center in the western United States by U.S. News & World Report, a ranking it has held for six consecutive years.For more information, contact: Kim Irwin; Tel.: 310.206.2805; Email: email@example.com


Cancer-associated mutations in the catalytically inactive receptor HER3 enhance its ability to activate other members of the human epidermal growth factor receptor family. Cancer by Enhanced Allosteric Activation Cancer-associated, oncogenic mutations in kinases often result in increased catalytic activity. Although cancer-associated mutations in the HER3 member of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) family of receptor tyrosine kinases exist, this receptor has little, if any, catalytic activity. The four members of the EGFR family form homodimers or heterodimers; this dimerization is necessary for the kinase activity of the catalytically active members HER1, HER2, and HER4. In homodimeric structures, one kinase subunit functions as an allosteric activator and the other as the activated receiver. Littlefield et al. crystallized the kinase domain of HER1 in complex with the kinase domain of wild-type HER3 or HER3 with cancer-associated mutations. This analysis, along with in vitro biochemical kinase assays, showed that HER3 functioned as an activator in the heterodimer and that the mutations enhanced the interaction between HER3 and HER1, thereby augmenting the allosteric activator function of HER3. This study provides a rationale for targeting the heterodimer interface with HER3 in cancer associated with aberrant activity of this family of receptors. The human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER) tyrosine kinases homo- and heterodimerize to activate downstream signaling pathways. HER3 is a catalytically impaired member of the HER family that contributes to the development of several human malignancies and is mutated in a subset of cancers. HER3 signaling depends on heterodimerization with a catalytically active partner, in particular epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) (the founding family member, also known as HER1) or HER2. The activity of homodimeric complexes of catalytically active HER family members depends on allosteric activation between the two kinase domains. To determine the structural basis for HER3 signaling through heterodimerization with a catalytically active HER family member, we solved the crystal structure of the heterodimeric complex formed by the isolated kinase domains of EGFR and HER3. The structure showed HER3 as an allosteric activator of EGFR and revealed a conserved role of the allosteric mechanism in activation of HER family members through heterodimerization. To understand the effects of cancer-associated HER3 mutations at the molecular level, we solved the structures of two kinase domains of HER3 mutants, each in a heterodimeric complex with the kinase domain of EGFR. These structures, combined with biochemical analysis and molecular dynamics simulations, indicated that the cancer-associated HER3 mutations enhanced the allosteric activator function of HER3 by redesigning local interactions at the dimerization interface.


Richard Bird takes a radically new approach to algorithm design, namely, design by calculation. These 30 short chapters each deal with a particular programming problem drawn from sources as diverse as games and puzzles, intriguing combinatorial tasks, and more familiar areas such as data compression and string matching. Each pearl starts with the statement of the problem expressed using the functional programming language Haskell, a powerful yet succinct language for capturing algorithmic ideas clearly and simply. The novel aspect of the book is that each solution is calculated from an initial formulation of the problem in Haskell by appealing to the laws of functional programming. Pearls of Functional Algorithm Design will appeal to the aspiring functional programmer, students and teachers interested in the principles of algorithm design, and anyone seeking to master the techniques of reasoning about programs in an equational style.


Abstract. The ensemble Kalman filter and its variants have shown to be robust for data assimilation in high dimensional geophysical models, with localization, using ensembles of extremely small size relative to the model dimension. However, a reduced rank representation of the estimated covariance leaves a large dimensional complementary subspace unfiltered. Utilizing the dynamical properties of the filtration for the backward Lyapunov vectors, this paper explores a previously unexplained mechanism, providing a novel theoretical interpretation for the role of covariance inflation in ensemble-based Kalman filters. Our derivation of the forecast error evolution describes the dynamic upwelling of the unfiltered error from outside of the span of the anomalies into the filtered subspace. Analytical results for linear systems explicitly describe the mechanism for the upwelling, and the associated recursive Riccati equation for the forecast error, while nonlinear approximations are explored numerically.


The atomic molecular theory provides us a particulate understanding of matter. Each element is characterized as consisting of identical, indestructible atoms with atomic weights which have been determined. Compounds consists of identical molecules, each made up from a specific number of atoms of each of the component elements. We also know that atoms have a nuclear structure, meaning that all of the positive charge and virtually all of the mass of the atom are concentrated in a nucleus which is a very small fraction of the volume of the atom. Finally, we know that the electrons in the atom are arranged in "shells" about the nucleus, with each shell farther from the nucleus than the previous. The electrons in outer shells are more weakly attached to the atom than the electrons in the inner shells, and only a limited number of electrons can fit in each shell.


ABSTRACT When government recognizes intellectual property (IP) rights, it is often viewed as sanctioning the existence of private "monopolies," in contrast to the general antimonopoly thrust of the antitrust laws. And yet, on occasion IP law itself condemns conduct on the part of IP owners--or excuses otherwise infringing activity on the part of IP defendants--expressly for the purpose of promoting competition. It does so even though antitrust law--if one were to apply it at all under analogous circumstances--would not find anticompetitive harm without conducting a more thorough analysis of whether the antitrust defendant possesses power over a well-defined market. Salient examples include the misuse doctrines in patent and copyright law; some applications of merger and fair use in copyright; and trademark law's functionality doctrine. In this Article, Professor Cotter develops a theoretical explanation for that divergence between antitrust and IP. Specifically, he argues that in some limited contexts the expected social costs, including error costs, of ruling for IP defendants may be low in comparison with the expected anticompetitive harm from ruling for IP plaintiffs. As a result, IP courts sometimes may enhance welfare if they are less concerned than antitrust courts about the expected costs of "false positives," that is, cases wrongly decided against the party defending the allegedly anticompetitive conduct. Put another way, it sometimes may be appropriate for courts to excuse IP defendants from liability, in order to avert relatively speculative threats of anti-competitive harm. Professor Cotter further contends that such cases probably are more common in the copyright than in the patent law context, and that even in copyright contexts courts should be cautious about casually inferring anticompetitive harm; but that his analysis provides a rationale for a relatively expansive definition of trademark functionality. TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION I. THE ANTITRUST CONTEXT II. IP's PROCOMPETITIVE DOCTRINES A. Misuse B. Merger and Fair Use C. Functionality III. ANALYZING THE COSTS AND BENEFITS OF ALLEGED ANTICOMPETITIVE CONDUCT A. A Thought Experiment B. [H.sub.1] and [H.sub.2] in Antitrust Law C. [H.sub.1] and [H.sub.2] in IP Law IV. IMPLICATIONS FOR IP's PROCOMPETITIVE DOCTRINES A. Procompetitive Tools in Patent and Copyright 1. Two Problems with Misuse 2. Restrictions on Reverse Engineering 3. Restrictions on Price Discrimination 4. What Is To Be Done? B. Functionality CONCLUSION INTRODUCTION Conventional wisdom holds that antitrust and intellectual property (IP) law seek to maximize social welfare in opposite ways, with antitrust law condemning monopolies to attain this goal and IP law granting temporary monopolies to achieve the same end. (1) This "wisdom" is an oversimplification insofar as (1) contemporary antitrust enforcers, recognizing that IP rights typically do not give rise to economically meaningful monopolies, (2) approach IP-related conduct and transactions with much less inherent suspicion than often was the case in years past; (3) and (2) antitrust law by itself does not condemn the mere possession of monopoly power, but rather certain exercises of or efforts to obtain it. (4) Nevertheless, there is a kernel of truth to the conventional characterization, to the extent that IP rights sometimes enable the exercise of a degree of market power, (5) and sometimes even permit IP owners to engage in conduct that would be unlawful absent the IP right. (6) Though subject to exaggeration, the recognition and enforcement of IP rights might be seen as an exception to the antimonopoly policy embodied in the antitrust laws. There is another side of the coin, however, that is less frequently commented on. (7) On occasion, IP law condemns conduct on the part of IP owners--or excuses otherwise infringing activity on the part of IP defendants--for the express purpose of promoting competition. …


Recent works show that image comparison based on local descriptors is corrupted by visual bursts, which tend to dominate the image similarity. The existing strategies, like power-law normalization, improve the results by discounting the contribution of visual bursts to the image similarity. In this paper, we propose to explicitly detect the visual bursts in an image at an early stage. We compare several detection strategies jointly taking into account feature similarity and geometrical quantities. The bursty groups are merged into meta-features, which are used as input to state-of-the-art image search systems such as VLAD or the selective match kernel. Then, we show the interest of using this strategy in an asymmetrical manner, with only the database features being aggregated but not those of the query. Extensive experiments performed on public benchmarks for visual retrieval show the benefits of our method, which achieves performance on par with the state of the art but with a significantly reduced complexity, thanks to the lower number of features fed to the indexing system.


There is broad interest in improved methods to generate robust evidence regarding best practice, especially in settings where patient conditions are heterogenous and require multiple concomitant therapies. Here, we present the rationale and design of a large, international trial that combines features of adaptive platform trials with pragmatic point-of-care trials to determine best treatment strategies for patients admitted to an intensive care unit with severe community-acquired pneumonia. The trial uses a novel design, entitled "a randomized embedded multifactorial adaptive platform." The design has five key features: 1) randomization, allowing robust causal inference; 2) embedding of study procedures into routine care processes, facilitating enrollment, trial efficiency, and generalizability; 3) a multifactorial statistical model comparing multiple interventions across multiple patient subgroups; 4) response-adaptive randomization with preferential assignment to those interventions that appear most favorable; and 5) a platform structured to permit continuous, potentially perpetual enrollment beyond the evaluation of the initial treatments. The trial randomizes patients to multiple interventions within four treatment domains: antibiotics, antiviral therapy for influenza, host immunomodulation with extended macrolide therapy, and alternative corticosteroid regimens, representing 240 treatment regimens. The trial generates estimates of superiority, inferiority, and equivalence between regimens on the primary outcome of 90-day mortality, stratified by presence or absence of concomitant shock and proven or suspected influenza infection. The trial will also compare ventilatory and oxygenation strategies, and has capacity to address additional questions rapidly during pandemic respiratory infections. As of January 2020, REMAP-CAP (Randomized Embedded Multifactorial Adaptive Platform for Community-acquired Pneumonia) was approved and enrolling patients in 52 intensive care units in 13 countries on 3 continents. In February, it transitioned into pandemic mode with several design adaptations for coronavirus disease 2019. Lessons learned from the design and conduct of this trial should aid in dissemination of similar platform initiatives in other disease areas. Clinical trial registered with www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT02735707).


The mature, resting immunoglobulin (Ig) M, IgD+ B lymphocyte can be induced by T cells to proliferate, switch isotype, and differentiate into Ig-secreting or memory cells. Furthermore, B cell activation results in the de novo expression or loss of a number of cell surface molecules that function in cell recirculation or further interaction with T cells. Here, a novel fluorescent technique reveals that T- dependent B cell activation induces cell surface changes that correlate with division cycle number. Furthermore, striking stepwise changes are often centered on a single round of cell division. Particularly marked was the consistent increase in IgG1+ B cells after the second division cycle, from an initial level of < 3% IgG1+ to a plateau of approximately 40% after six cell divisions. The relationship between the percentage of IgG1+ B cells and division number was independent of time after stimulation, indicating a requirement for cell division in isotype switching. IgD expression became negative after four divisions, and a number of changes centered on the sixth division, including the loss of IgM, CD23, and B220. The techniques used here should prove useful for tracking other differentiation pathways and for future analysis of the molecular events associated with stepwise differentiation at the single cell level.


We use transaction-level US import data to compare firms from virtually all countries in the world competing in a single destination market. Guided by a simple theoretical framework, we decompose countries' market shares into the contribution of the number of firm-products, their average attributes (quality and efficiency) and heterogeneity around the mean. To further explore the role of exceptional firms, we also develop a novel decomposition that separates the contribution of heterogeneity from that of granularity. Our results show that the number of firm-products explains half of the variation in sales, while the remaining part is equally accounted for by average attributes and their dispersion. Quality is the main driver of firm heterogeneity. While individual firms matter, we find that heterogeneity is more important than granularity for explaining sales. We then study how the distribution of firm-level characteristics varies across countries, and we explore some of its determinants. Countries with a larger market size tend to be characterized by a more dispersed distribution of firms' sales, especially due to heterogeneity in quality. These countries also tend to be more likely to host superstar firms, although this is not the only source of higher heterogeneity.


This paper presents results of the 1st stages ofTaskAof the Decovalex 2011 project, the numerical modeling of the Aspo Pillar Stability experiment performed by the Aspo Hard Rock Laboratory of the Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Company (SKB). The objective is to perform back calculation of the Aspo pillar behavior using state of the art numerical modeling techniques for the material behavior. The work is divided into three stages and it is the first stage of thework that will be presented in this paper. Seven international teams from six different countries participated in the task and contributed to the results presented in this paper, concerning back calculation of uniaxial and triaxial compressive core testing and elastic back calculation of the stress path for excavation-induced stresses. The results are useful for understanding the occurrence of spalling in the upper part of the pillar during excavation and the stress path modeling gives the first approximation of the yielding strength of the pillar. The calculated results agree well with observations measured during experiment.


Equations used to estimate ventilation out of EIT images, validated on healthy volunteers show a significant bias and a larger variance when were applied on a COPD patients group. The differences in estimation values were found to be highly correlated with anthropometric parameters. Two groups of 13 and 4 COPD male patients (FEV1/FVC<70% and FVC ≥ 80%) were used in this study. We have measured different anthropometric parameters like age, weight, height and skinfolds. The EIT system (TIE4sys) and a pneumotach were simultaneously connected to monitor tidal volume. The main anthropometric parameters values of 13 COPD patients were: age: 67±9 years, height: 1.65±0.05 m, weight: 72±11 kg, BMI: 26.4±3.3; and the subscapular skinfold thickness was 23±9mm. The mean tidal volume estimated with TIE4sys and the pneumotach were: 0.580±0.212 L and 0.774±0.173 L r = 0.861 (p<0.01). The mean difference was 0.196±0.096 L (p0.01). On this group we have found out an adjust equation and we have validated it on an independent group of 4 COPD patients. The equation was Diff=−1478+15.6(weight). The mean tidal volume values obtained with pneumotach and TIE4sys on the second group of COPD patients (M:4) were: 0.798±0.395 L and 0.732±0.327 L. The mean of the differences was 0.066±0.114L. The differences of determinations estimated with pneumotach and TIE4sys can be attributed to changes of anthropometric characteristics like subscapular skinfold.


Blindness is a devastating situation, and one of the common causes is corneal blindness. Corneal transplantation is the standard treatment for the corneal blindness. The lack of human donors demands the exploration of alternative treatments such as corneal xeno‐ transplantation and bioengineered corneas. We review the researches regarding immu‐ nological and physio‐anatomical barriers of corneal xenotransplantation, recent progress of corneal xenotransplantation in nonhuman primate studies, and updates of regulatory guidelines to conduct clinical trials for corneal xenotransplantation. The current develop‐ ment of genetically‐engineered and gene‐editing technologies suggests that the promise much for the field of xenotransplantation. A clinical trial of xenotransplantation using a cellular porcine corneal stroma has already been conducted; however, safety concerns have not been reported so far. With regard to the regulatory aspects and preclinical effi‐ cacies, corneal xenotransplantation has become one of the clinically realistic options as human substitutes and progress in recent research is promising to advance corneal xeno‐ transplantation field.


This report presents the software engineering effort under way at ANL towards a comprehensive integrated computational framework (SHARP) for high fidelity simulations of sodium cooled fast reactors. The primary objective of this framework is to provide accurate and flexible analysis tools to nuclear reactor designers by simulating multiphysics phenomena happening in complex reactor geometries. Ideally, the coupling among different physics modules (such as neutronics, thermal-hydraulics, and structural mechanics) needs to be tight to preserve the accuracy achieved in each module. However, fast reactor cores in steady state mode represent a special case where weak coupling between neutronics and thermal-hydraulics is usually adequate. Our framework design allows for both options. Another requirement for SHARP framework has been to implement various coupling algorithms that are parallel and scalable to large scale since nuclear reactor core simulations are among the most memory and computationally intensive, requiring the use of leadership-class petascale platforms. This report details our progress toward achieving these goals. Specifically, we demonstrate coupling independently developed parallel codes in a manner that does not compromise performance or portability, while minimizing the impact on individual developers. This year, our focus has been on developing a lightweight and loosely coupled framework targeted at UNICmore » (our neutronics code) and Nek (our thermal hydraulics code). However, the framework design is not limited to just using these two codes.« less


The small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) sector is becoming increasingly important in the economic and social development of nations. In view of the essential nature of SME activity, the overall aim of the present research is to develop a model that is able to predict SME performance in the Saudi context. One of the reasons for embarking upon this study is that the number of SMEs that have ceased to operate in the Saudi context has recently increased, and their contribution to the economy has been reported to be low. Therefore, it is an essential to increase these SMEs' contributions, thus enabling them to play a more central role in the Saudi Arabian economy. This can be done by identifying the factors most closely associated with their performance in order to increase their probability of success and decrease their failure rate. The research's aim has been reached through focusing on the various different factors, produced both from inside businesses and in the external environment, which are associated with SMEs' performance in the Saudi context. Success and failure definitions were then used to measure SMEs' performance based on their profits. Data were collected using a quantitative method. Questionnaires were distributed to SMEs in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, and the responses were analysed. First, a descriptive analysis was conducted to identify the owners/managers and their businesses' characteristics. Second, an exploratory factor analysis was performed to find relationships in which variables were maximally correlated with one another and minimally correlated with other variables, and the variables were then grouped accordingly. Third, the results of a logit regression analysis were examined in order to predict SMEs' performance and classify it as successful or not in the Saudi context. The main findings of the present research indicate that the full model containing all the predictors is statistically significant. Looking at the individual factors, it found that five factors add a unique, statistically significant contribution to the model; these are: owner/managers' experience, planning, intensity of competition, the regulatory environment, and terrorism risk. The present research is among only a few researches focusing on the Eastern Province of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that have provided a study relating to SME performance from the perspectives of the owner/managers themselves. The findings of the present research could also be applied in other, similar contexts, such as other Gulf Cooperation Countries (GCC).


Investigating the enormous contribution made by female textile workers to early industrialization in Meiji Japan, Patricia Tsurumi vividly documents not only their hardships but also their triumphs. While their skills and long hours created profits for factory owners that in turn benefited the state, the labor of these women and girls enabled their tenant farming families to continue paying high rents in the countryside. Tsurumi shows that through their experiences as Japan's first modern factory workers, these "factory girls" developed an identity that played a crucial role in the history of the Japanese working class. Much of this story is based on records the factory girls themselves left behind, including their songs. "It is a delight to receive a meticulous and comprehensive volume on the plight of women who pioneered [assembly plant] employment in Asia a century ago..."--L. L. Cornell, The Journal of Asian Studies "Tsurumi writes of these rural women with compassion and treats them as sentient, valuable individuals...[Many] readers will find these pages informative and thought provoking."--Sally Ann Hastings, Monumenta Niponica


Numerical research is reported on the propagation of short microwave pulses into living, biological materials. These materials are dispersive, and data on the dielectric constant and conductivity for these materials follow a Debye model. A Fourier-series calculation is presented that predicts the occurrence of Brillouin precursors when the incident pulses have sufficiently short rise times. These transients are attenuated with increasing propagation distance but are attenuated more slowly than the carrier frequency of the pulse, which is attenuated exponentially with distance. An analysis of the numerical error resulting from truncation of the Fourier series is given. Upper-bound estimates of truncation error show good series convergence.


This manual describes the use of the Xyce Parallel Electronic Simulator. Xyce has been designed as a SPICE-compatible, high-performance analog circuit simulator, and has been written to support the simulation needs of the Sandia National Laboratories electrical designers. This development has focused on improving capability over the current state-of-the-art in the following areas: (1) Capability to solve extremely large circuit problems by supporting large-scale parallel computing platforms (up to thousands of processors). Note that this includes support for most popular parallel and serial computers. (2) Improved performance for all numerical kernels (e.g., time integrator, nonlinear and linear solvers) through state-of-the-art algorithms and novel techniques. (3) Device models which are specifically tailored to meet Sandia's needs, including some radiation-aware devices (for Sandia users only). (4) Object-oriented code design and implementation using modern coding practices that ensure that the Xyce Parallel Electronic Simulator will be maintainable and extensible far into the future. Xyce is a parallel code in the most general sense of the phrase - a message passing parallel implementation - which allows it to run efficiently on the widest possible number of computing platforms. These include serial, shared-memory and distributed-memory parallel as well as heterogeneous platforms. Careful attention has been more » paid to the specific nature of circuit-simulation problems to ensure that optimal parallel efficiency is achieved as the number of processors grows. The development of Xyce provides a platform for computational research and development aimed specifically at the needs of the Laboratory. With Xyce, Sandia has an 'in-house' capability with which both new electrical (e.g., device model development) and algorithmic (e.g., faster time-integration methods, parallel solver algorithms) research and development can be performed. As a result, Xyce is a unique electrical simulation capability, designed to meet the unique needs of the laboratory. « less


This is the first volume published in more than twenty years that is specifically focused on the theology of evangelism in the Wesleyan tradition. It contains essays written by key Methodist leaders from Asia, America, Europe, and Africa, thus offering a wide range of views of the nature and purpose of evangelism in the Weslayen heritage. It also provides focused and stimulating theological reflection. These essays were first presented as a symposium at the Mission Resource Center at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, in February 1992.


The Domain Name System, DNS, is based on nameserver delegations, which introduce complex and subtle dependencies between names and nameservers. In this paper, we present results from a large scale survey of DNS, and show that these dependencies lead to a highly insecure naming system. We report specifically on three aspects of DNS security: the properties of the DNS trusted computing base, the extent and impact of existing vulnerabilities in the DNS infrastructure, and the ease with which attacks against DNS can be launched. The survey shows that a typical name depends on 46 servers on average, whose compromise can lead to domain hijacks, while names belonging to some countries depend on a few hundred servers. An attacker exploiting well-documented vulnerabilities in DNS nameservers can hijack more than 30% of the names appearing in the Yahoo and DMOZ.org directories. And certain nameservers, especially in educational institutions, control as much as 10% of the namespace.


The conflict between Congress and the President over the federal debt ceiling during the summer of 2011 ignited a constitutional controversy regarding a relatively obscure provision in the Fourteenth Amendment: the first sentence of Section 4. It provides that "the validity of the public debt...shall not be questioned." Several prominent constitutional scholars insist that this provision has a broad meaning that gives the President power to raise the debt ceiling unilaterally to prevent default on federal government debt. None of their arguments, however, address the original public meaning of Section 4 even though many progressive and conservative scholars agree that the original public meaning of a constitutional provision should be the starting point in constitutional interpretation. This Note will provide the first scholarly account of the original public meaning of the first sentence of Section 4 and argue that the original public meaning of the provision does not allow for the broad interpretation it has been given. The statement in the first sentence of Section 4 that "the validity of the public debt...shall not be questioned" had the original public meaning of prohibiting direct governmental debt repudiation only. This language echoes technical legal language from the 19th century that possessed a very specific meaning. The definition of "to question" from contemporary dictionaries also confirms that the first sentence has a very specific original meaning. Finally, the history surrounding Section 4 supports this understanding of the original meaning of the first sentence. This Note also provides a brief separate argument for favoring a narrow interpretation of the first sentence based on the Constitution's assignment of borrowing power to Congress.


Abstract. The availability of data is a major challenge for hydrological modelling in large parts of the world. Remote sensing data can be exploited to improve models of ungauged or poorly gauged catchments. In this study we combine three datasets for calibration of a rainfall-runoff model of the poorly gauged Okavango catchment in Southern Africa: (i) surface soil moisture (SSM) estimates derived from radar measurements onboard the Envisat satellite; (ii) radar altimetry measurements by Envisat providing river stages in the tributaries of the Okavango catchment, down to a minimum river width of about one hundred meters; and (iii) temporal changes of the Earth's gravity field recorded by the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) caused by total water storage changes in the catchment. The SSM data are shown to be helpful in identifying periods with over-respectively underestimation of the precipitation input. The accuracy of the radar altimetry data is validated on gauged subbasins of the catchment and altimetry data of an ungauged subbasin is used for model calibration. The radar altimetry data are important to condition model parameters related to channel morphology such as Manning's roughness. GRACE data are used to validate the model and to condition model parameters related to various storage compartments in the hydrological model (e.g. soil, groundwater, bank storage etc.). As precipitation input the FEWS-Net RFE, TRMM 3B42 and ECMWF ERA-Interim datasets are considered and compared.


The MICROSCOPE space mission, launched on April 25, 2016, aims to test the weak equivalence principle (WEP) with a 10^-15 precision. To reach this performance requires an accurate and robust data analysis method, especially since the possible WEP violation signal will be dominated by a strongly colored noise. An important complication is brought by the fact that some values will be missing -therefore, the measured time series will not be strictly regularly sampled. Those missing values induce a spectral leakage that significantly increases the noise in Fourier space, where the WEP violation signal is looked for, thereby complicating scientific returns. Recently, we developed an inpainting algorithm to correct the MICROSCOPE data for missing values. This code has been integrated in the official MICROSCOPE data processing pipeline because it enables us to significantly measure an equivalence principle violation (EPV) signal in a model-independent way, in the inertial satellite configuration. In this work, we present several improvements to the method that may allow us now to reach the MICROSCOPE requirements for both inertial and spin satellite configurations. The main improvement has been obtained using a prior on the power spectrum of the colored-noise that can be directly derived from the incomplete data. We show that after reconstructing missing values with this new algorithm, a least-squares fit may allow us to significantly measure an EPV signal with a 0.96x10^-15 precision in the inertial mode and 1.2x10^-15 precision in the spin mode. Although, the inpainting method presented in this paper has been optimized to the MICROSCOPE data, it remains sufficiently general to be used in the general context of missing data in time series dominated by an unknown colored-noise. The improved inpainting software, called ICON, is freely available at this http URL.


The internet provides an unprecedented variety of opportunities to people. Whether looking for a place to go on vacation, an apartment to rent, or a PC to buy, the potential customer is faced with countless possibilities. Most people have difficulty finding exactly what they are looking for, and the current tools available for searching for desired items are widely considered inadequate. Search engines can be very effective in locating items if users provide the correct queries. However, most users do not know how to map their preferences to a query that will find the item that most closely matches their requirements. In this thesis, we aim at supporting users to make sound decisions while accessing an online electronic catalog, a task that we call preference-based search. We consider how biases typical of human decision making can arise with traditional web tools (as forms that ask the user to answer a list of questions). With user studies we show that common interfaces induce the users to state incorrect preferences due to means-objectives, leading to poor decision accuracy. In many cases, users searching for products or information are not very familiar with the available items and their characteristics. According to behavioral decision theory, their preferences are not well established, but constructed while learning about the possibilities. We explore the use of interactive search tools for helping the user make accurate decisions. In particular, we consider at example-critiquing, a technique for enabling users to incrementally construct preference models by critiquing example options that are presented to them. We present novel techniques for improving the example-critiquing technology by adding suggestions to its displayed options. Suggestions have the goal of making the user aware of its true preferences, supporting the psychological process of preference construction. According to our experience, most of the preferences (79%) emerge from positive critiques that identify an opportunity that the user had not considered before. Our model-based suggestions are produced based on an analysis of users' current preference model and their potential hidden preferences. The intuition behind this approach is that suggestions should be options that have a high probability of becoming optimal when a new preference is stated. The uncertainty over the user model is represented by probabilistic distributions over the possible preferences that the user might have. We evaluate the performance of our model-based suggestion techniques with both simulated and real users. User studies showed that interactive tools with suggestions provided by my model achieve higher decision accuracy. We consider how to improve the interaction with the user, where at each cycle of the interaction the system provides suggestions that are adapted, learning from the user's past actions and can consider prior knowledge. We discuss how to efficiently implement preference-based search in practice, both in databases and in configurable catalogs (where the options are constructed from a set of constraints; the set of feasible configurations can be extremely large).


This article aims to describe the history, progress, success and challenges of the Universal Salt Iodisation (USI) programme in Pakistan, which was launched in 1994. Revitalised in 2005 with financial assistance and technical, operational, logistic and commodity support from the Micronutrient Initiative (MI), it is now being implemented in 102 districts of Pakistan. With an increase in household utilisation of iodised salt from 17 per cent in 2001 to 69 per cent in 2011, severe iodine deficiency among women and school‐aged children has decreased to 3 per cent and 2 per cent respectively. Strong government ownership and commitment, coupled with effective monitoring and supervision, have been the driving force of the USI Pakistan programme. These, combined with quality control measures, stringent regulatory and enforcement mechanisms, availability of fortificants in the open market and demand generation are the necessary requirements for programme sustainability.


We build a framework linking competition in the media market to political participation. Media outlets report on the ability of candidates running for office and compete for audience through their choice of slant. Citizens consume news only if the expected utility of being informed about candidates' ability is sufficiently large for their group collectively. Our results can reconcile seemingly contradictory empirical evidence showing that entry in the media market can either increase or decrease turnout. While information pushes up independent turnout, partisans adjust their turnout to the ability of their preferred candidate, and on average they vote less when informed.


FT-IR photoacoustic (PA) and also photothermal beam deflection (PBD) spectra were recorded with the same particulate samples (graphite, charcoal, aspirin, and silica) under the same conditions in order to compare the quality of the spectra obtainable with the two techniques. A PA cell fitted with windows for the PBD laser probe beam was used, and PA and PBD spectra of each sample were recorded at 8 cm−1 resolution at each of the four different interferometer scan velocities. Although the overall aspects of FT-IR/PA and FT-IR/PBD spectra are the same, the signal-to-noise ratios of PA spectra are appreciably better than those of PBD spectra because PBD detection is more prone to disturbance by vibration than is PA detection. Absorption bands appear at the same wavenumbers in PA and PBD spectra. However, the relative intensities of bands of PBD spectra depend on the absorptive properties of the powdered solids; with weak absorbers, some bands may not be detected at all. PAS can be used with all powders. PBDS is of little or no use for the examination of weakly absorbing powders unless they scatter IR radiation extensively.


A first approach of a modal method by Gegenbauer polynomial expansion (MMGE1) is presented for a plane wave diffraction by a lamellar grating. Modal methods are among the most popular methods that are used to solve the problem of lamellar gratings. They consist in describing the electromagnetic field in terms of eigenfunctions and eigenvalues of an operator. In the particular case of the Fourier modal method (FMM), the eigenfunctions are approximated by a finite Fourier sum, and this approximation can lead to a poor convergence of the FMM. The Wilbraham-Gibbs phenomenon may be one of the reasons for this poor convergence. Thus, it is interesting to investigate other basis functions that may represent the fields more accurately. The approach proposed in this paper consists in subdividing the pattern in homogeneous layers, according to the periodicity axis. The field is expanded, in each layer, on the basis of Gegenbauer's polynomials. Boundary conditions are rigorously written between adjacent layers; thus, an eigenvalue equation is obtained. The approach presented in this paper proves to describe the fields accurately. Finally, it is demonstrated that the results obtained with the MMGE1 are more accurate than several existing modal methods, such as the classical and the parametric FMM.


In classical party democracy, elections serve as an 'instrument of democracy' (Powell 2000): they are the mechanism to connect policy preferences of the electors (within the electoral arena) to the political production (within the legislative arena). At the European level the linkage seems to be lost because the political actors performing in the two arena are not the same and the logics of behaviour are quite different. The EU calls for truly Europarties to become more democratic in its procedural and substantive prerequisites and this entails not only a progressive emancipation of party structures at European level but also an integration between them. In fact, we will have full Europarties only when the two party structures at EU level are either independent from national parties and linked to each other: if intra- and extra- parliamentary faces become really European and connected entities, legislators will be accountable to voters and, consequently, democratic deficit will decline. The main aims of this paper are, firstly, to investigate if and to what extent political parties at European level are able to perform the electoral and legislative functions in the two separated arena and, secondly, if intra- and extra- parliamentary faces of the Europarties are still separated or, rather, have become integrated. In other words, I will delineate the process of institutionalization of the Europarties looking at their progressive autonomy from national parties and systemness/integration at European level (Panebianco 1988).


The principal anthropogenic factors driving reef degradation have been known for years, if not decades. Overfishing, sedimentation and nutrient loads are just some of the key impacts of human activities in and around reef communities. Therefore, the future of reefs does not rely on generating new knowledge, but rather on implementing and integrating the knowledge we already have. This will require creating effective links between researchers, managers and communities to promote mutual learning, negotiation and collaborative action for reef management. Combining agent-based models and role-play games, through a technique known as Companion Modelling (ComMod), creates a dynamic and interactive setting that can contribute to research, education and participatory goals across diverse stakeholders. Incorporating the decision-making processes of individuals into each time step, through the role-play game, means that socio-economic rationalities are seamlessly integrated with the bio-physical dynamics embedded in the models. ComMod has been used successfully as a communication and learning tool in participatory workshops in both the Mesoamerican Reef (Mexico) and the Bolinao-Anda reef complex (Philippines). These experiences demonstrate that simple, generic ecological dynamics are very effective in communicating key conservation messages to a lay audience. However, a comprehensive understanding of local cultural, economic and social characteristics is crucial to develop a coupled model/role-play game that can successfully engage stakeholders.


Whether on an individual basis at fairs or in 4-H, FFA or a garden club competition, exhibiting vegetables is an excellent way to learn more about quality and handling of vegetables. While setting up an exhibit, you have a chance to meet others with similar interests and learn from them. Win or lose, you can learn from the experience and accept the challenge to improve future displays and exhibits.


Gestalt psychologists proposed two distinct learning mechanisms. Associative learning occurs gradually through the repeated co-occurrence of external stimuli or memories. Insight learning occurs suddenly when people discover new relationships within their prior knowledge as a result of reasoning or problem solving processes that re-organize or restructure that knowledge. While there has been a considerable amount of research on the type of problem solving processes described by the Gestalt psychologists, less has focused on the learning that results from these processes. This paper begins with a historical review of the Gestalt theory of insight learning. Next, the core assumptions of Gestalt insight learning theory are empirically tested with a study that investigated the relationships among problem difficulty, impasse, initial problem representations, and re- solution effects. Finally, Gestalt insight learning theory is discussed in relation to modern information processing theories of comprehension and memory formation.


This paper presents the design and implementation of CCMP, a conference management protocol currently under standardization within the IETF, conceived at the outset as a lightweight protocol allowing conferencing clients to access and manipulate objects describing a centralized conference. The CCMP is a state-less, XML-based, client-server protocol carrying in its request and response messages conference information in the form of XML documents and fragments conforming to the centralized conferencing data model schema. It represents a powerful means to control basic and advanced conference features such as conference state and capabilities, participants and relative roles and details. We first focus on the design of the protocol and then discuss how it has been integrated in the Meetecho collaborative framework developed at the University of Napoli as an active playground for IETF standardization activities in the field of real-time applications and infrastructure.


This paper proposes a general empirical strategy to estimate willingness-to-pay (WTP) for exogenous risk mitigation when environmental risks are endogenous in protective actions and consumers are imperfectly informed about the ambient risk levels. The strategy consists of a set of survey techniques and the dummy endogenous variable model (Heckman, 1978) to control for correlation in unobserved errors that enter the WTP equation and the protection-decision equation. The method is applied to the nonmarket valuation survey data on arsenic contamination in drinking water. Our results indicate that the estimated WTPs are significantly higher for households without selfprotective action. Our approach thus offers not only the correct welfare estimate for exogenous reduction of environmental risks, but also yields policy implications qualitatively much different from the conventional approach. We also apply our method to estimate the welfare value of the policy to inform and educate the public about the arsenic risk simultaneously with public risk mitigation. The estimated welfare value is similar to, though slightly higher than and statistically different from, that of risk mitigation without information component. This occurs due to the competing effects of information dissemination and risk mitigation efforts. JEL codes: D8, Q51, Q53


Differentiable physics has recently been shown as a powerful tool for solving soft-body manipulation tasks. However, the differentiable physics solver often gets stuck when the initial contact points of the end effectors are sub-optimal or when performing multi-stage tasks that require contact point switching, which often leads to local minima. To address this challenge, we propose a contact point discovery approach (CPDeform) that guides the stand-alone differentiable physics solver to deform various soft-body plasticines. The key idea of our approach is to integrate optimal transport-based contact points discovery into the differentiable physics solver to overcome the local minima from initial contact points or contact switching. On single-stage tasks, our method can automatically find suitable initial contact points based on transport priorities. On complex multi-stage tasks, we can iteratively switch the contact points of end-effectors based on transport priorities. To evaluate the effectiveness of our method, we introduce PlasticineLab-M that extends the existing differentiable physics benchmark PlasticineLab to seven new challenging multi-stage soft-body manipulation tasks. Extensive experimental results suggest that: 1) on multi-stage tasks that are infeasible for the vanilla differentiable physics solver, our approach discovers contact points that efficiently guide the solver to completion; 2) on tasks where the vanilla solver performs sub-optimally or near-optimally, our contact point discovery method performs better than or on par with the manipulation performance obtained with handcrafted contact points.


The Peary caribou (Rangifer tarandus pearyi) was recognized as 'Threatened' by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada in 1979 and 'Endangered' in 1991. It is the only member of the deer family (Cervidae) found on the Queen Elizabeth Islands (QEI) of the Canadian High Arctic. The Peary caribou is a significant part of the region's biodiversity and a socially important and economically valuable part of Arctic Canada's natural heritage. Recent microsatellite DNA findings indicate that Peary caribou on the QEI are distinct from caribou on the other Arctic Islands beyond the QEI, including Banks Island. This fact must be kept in mind if any translocation of caribou to the QEI is proposed. The subspecies is too gross a level at which to recognize the considerable diversity that exists between Peary caribou on the QEI and divergent caribou on other Canadian Arctic Islands. The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada should take this considerable diversity among these caribou at below the subspecies classification to mind when assigning conservation divisions (units) to caribou on the Canadian Arctic Islands. In summer 1961, the first and only nearly range-wide aerial survey of Peary caribou yielded a population estimate on the QEI of 25 845, including about 20% calves. There was a strong preference for range on the western QEI (WEQI), where 94% (24 363) of the estimated caribou occurred on only 24% (ca. 97 000 km2) of the collective island-landmass. By summer 1973, the overall number of Peary caribou on the QEI had decreased markedly and was estimated at about 7000 animals. The following winter and spring (1973-74), the Peary caribou population declined 49% on the WQEI. The estimated number dropping to <3000, with no calves seen by us in summer 1974. Based on estimates from several aerial surveys conducted on the WQEI from 1985 to 1987, the number of Peary caribou on the QEI as a whole was judged to be 3300-3600 or only about 13-14% of the 1961 estimate. After a partial recovery in the late 1980s and early 1990s, Peary caribou on the WQEI declined drastically between 1994 and 1997 and were estimated at an all-time known low of about 1100 animals by summer 1997. The number of Peary caribou on the QEI in summer 1997 was likely no more than 2000-2400 or only 8-9% of the 1961 estimate. The four known major die-offs of Peary caribou on the WQEI between 1973 and 1997 occurred during winter and spring periods (1 Sep-21 Jun) with significantly greater (P<0.005) total snowfall, when compared to the long-term mean obtained from 55 caribou-years (1 Jul-30 Jun), 1947/48-2001/02, of weather records from Resolute Airport on Cornwallis Island. Of ecological significance is that the die-offs occurred when the caribou were at low mean overall densities and involved similar high annual rates of loss among muskoxen (Ovibos moschatus). All of the available evidence indicates that Peary caribou (and muskoxen) on the QEI experienced die-offs from prolonged, under-nutrition (starvation) caused by relative unavailability of forage-the forage was there but it was inaccessible to the caribou due to snow and/or ice cover. We cannot control the severe weather that greatly restricts the forage supply but we should try to reduce the losses of Peary caribou from other sources-humans, predators and competitors.


Plants store large amounts of non-structural carbohydrates (NSC). While multiple functions of NSC have long been recognized, the interpretation of NSC seasonal dynamics is often based on the idea that stored NSC is a reservoir of carbon that fluctuates depending on the balance between supply via photosynthesis and demand for growth and respiration (the source–sink dynamics concept). Consequently, relatively high NSC concentrations in some plants have been interpreted to reflect excess supply relative to demand. An alternative view, however, is that NSC accumulation reflects the relatively high NSC levels required for plant survival; an important issue that remains highly controversial. Here, we assembled a new global database to examine broad patterns of seasonal NSC variation across organs (leaves, stems, and belowground), plant functional types (coniferous, drought-deciduous angiosperms, winter deciduous angiosperms, evergreen angiosperms, and herbaceous) and biomes (boreal, temperate, Mediterranean, and tropical). We compiled data from 121 studies, including seasonal measurements for 177 species under natural conditions. Our results showed that, on average, NSC account for ~10% of dry plant biomass and are highest in leaves and lowest in stems, whereas belowground organs show intermediate concentrations. Total NSC, starch, and soluble sugars (SS) varied seasonally, with a strong depletion of starch during the growing season and a general increase during winter months, particularly in boreal and temperate biomes. Across functional types, NSC concentrations were highest and most variable in herbaceous species and in conifer needles. Conifers showed the lowest stem and belowground NSC concentrations. Minimum NSC values were relatively high (46% of seasonal maximums on average for total NSC) and, in contrast to average values, were similar among biomes and functional types. Overall, although starch depletion was relatively common, seasonal depletion of total NSC or SS was rare. These results are consistent with a dual view of NSC function: whereas starch acts mostly as a reservoir for future use, soluble sugars perform immediate functions (e.g., osmoregulation) and are kept above some critical threshold. If confirmed, this dual function of NSC will have important implications for the way we understand and model plant carbon allocation and survival under stress.


Herein, we provide a new easy-to-do protocol for preparing luminescent rubber-like materials based on a wide palette of compounds, such as small-molecules, quantum dots, polymers, and coordination complexes. The combination of this new protocol with that for preparing similar rubbers based on fluorescent proteins states the universal character of our approach. This is further assessed by using comprehensive spectroscopic and rheological investigations. Furthermore, the novel luminescent rubbers are applied as down-converting packing systems to develop white hybrid light-emitting diodes (WHLEDs), which are heralded as a solid alternative to achieve energy-saving, solid-state, and white-emitting sources in the coming future. As such, the current work also provides a clear prospect of this emerging lighting technology by means of a direct comparison among WHLEDs fabricated with all the above-mentioned down-converting systems. Here, the use of rubbers based on coordination complexes outperforms the others in terms of both luminous efficiency and colour quality with an unprecedented stability superior to 1000 h under continuous operation conditions. This represents an order of magnitude enhancement compared to the state-of-the-art WHLEDs, while keeping luminous efficiencies of around 100 lm W−1.


The purpose of this study was to investigate Iowa elementary classroom teachers perceptions regarding the conditions required for successfully including students identified as severely disabled in their regular classroom. Specifically, data were gathered to determine the types and ranking of types of support perceived necessary for such inclusion. Additionally, how actual levels of support differed from those deemed necessary and teacher willingness to accept these students were investigated. Comparisons were made between teachers with experience and those without experience in teaching students identified as severely disabled in the regular classroom. An adapted version of the survey instrument devised by Myles and Simpson (1989) was used to collect the information directly from regular classroom teachers. Each quadrant of the state was surveyed using a total of 25 schools. Schools were selected from those identified by area consultants as schools currently having programs in which students identified as severely disabled were being taught in the regular classroom. A total of 202 teachers were surveyed. Data were analyzed using a chi-square test for independence to determine if the differences were statistically significant. Analysis of the data gathered indicated that the majority of teachers from both groups were willing to accept the placement of students identified as severely disabled in their classroom if that placement was accompanied by a minimal level of support. The level of support which teachers perceived as minimally necessary included the following: a class size of 19 or less, paraprofessional services for the full school day, at least 2 hours of planning time, consultation with a special educator regarding instruction and behavior management, and inservice in instruction and behavior management. Class size, paraprofessional, and planning time ranked (in that order) as the most necessary types of support for successful inclusion. AN INVESTIGATION OF THE TYPES OF SUPPORT PERCEIVED NECESSARY BY IOWA ELEMENTARY CLASSROOM TEACHERS FOR THE INTEGRATION OF STUDENTS IDENTIFIED AS SEVERELY DISABLED


In Australia, approximately 20% of motor vehicle collisions result from fatigue or sleepiness-related driving, making it one of the most common causes of preventable motor vehicle crashes (MVC). The shift working population is found to be overrepresented in sleepiness-related vehicle crashes due to the effect of circadian misalignment and sleep loss, resulting in excessive sleepiness and neurobehavioural performance decline during waking hours. It is therefore essential that effective countermeasures to the deleterious effects of shift work are developed. A significant barrier to the development of effective countermeasures is the lack of real-time and practical measures of alertness. A number of methods have been developed to objectively assess sleepiness or alertness levels while driving, including infrared oculography. This method utilises eye blink characteristics to quantify physiological sleepiness, as eye blinks associated with the onset of sleep display unique properties that reflect sleep- and wake-related CNS changes. Oculometrics have also shown potential in assessing sleepiness that is associated with attentional performance impairment. The dissertation examined, i) the utility of oculometrics as objective indicators of sleepiness in relation to validated measures of performance, vigilance, and subjective sleepiness, in healthy male volunteers under a highly controlled laboratory environment; ii) the response of ocular measures of sleepiness and attentional performance in night shift workers who were exposed to a simulated laboratory night shift during their circadian day, compared to those tested in their circadian night; and iii) the association between oculometrics and unsafe driving events during commutes to and from night shift work. The first study demonstrated the influence of homeostatic and circadian variation on oculometrics with sleep deprivation. The temporal dynamics of oculometrics were strongly phase-locked with validated measures of performance, vigilance, and subjective sleepiness, and established their potential to detect sleepiness-related attentional lapses. The second study in this dissertation showed the utility of oculometrics to measure sleepiness that is associated with circadian misalignment in night shift workers. The study found that shift workers who did not biologically adapt to the night shift displayed higher levels of sleepiness as measured by oculometrics, as well as increases in objective vigilance (EEG delta power frequency band), subjective sleepiness, and neurobehavioural performance, compared to those who showed biological adaptation. The study is the first to demonstrate the sleepiness-related ocular responses to circadian misalignment in shift work. Lastly, the final study in the dissertation demonstrated the potential of oculometrics to detect sleepiness-related driving performance impairment following night shift work. The study found that ocular measures of sleepiness were associated with increased risks of adverse (hazardous, inattentive, and sleep-related) driving events in shift workers commuting to and from night shift work. With the demand for a 24 hour society comes the likely increase in adverse occupational health and safety outcomes. This dissertation has demonstrated the accuracy and potential utility of oculometrics (specifically JDS, PosAVR, BTD, %TEC) to assess sleepiness in healthy participants, and the shift working population. It has further demonstrated the application of oculometrics in identifying performance impairment as a result of sleepiness and circadian misalignment. The dissertation presents the scientific basis for the future utilisation of oculometrics in field in the prevention of sleepiness-related MVCs, and as a measure in intervention trials, particularly in the high-risk shift working population.


Unlike many aspects of the criminal law, defenses have not yet been the subject of comprehensive conceptual analysis. The general nature and scope of most defenses have been perpetuated for centuries with little or no question. Current debates commonly focus on whether a particular defense should apply in a particular circumstance, but rarely consider the larger perspective. How do circumstances covered by one defense compare with those of other defenses? Do defenses overlap? If so, will the outcome in identical situations vary with the defense asserted? Should it? Are there gaps between defenses, that is, circumstances in which our common sense of justice suggests that the defendant should be exculpated, yet where no defense applies? Do defenses based on theoretically analogous grounds of exculpation generate analogous results? The general inquiry, which seems never to have been undertaken, is: how does the collection of recognized defenses operate as a system? In sharp contrast to this neglect of defenses, the American criminal law community has examined in detail the full range of offenses and their interrelation. Led by the drafters of the Model Penal Code, states have during the past two decades adopted modern criminal codes that replace a confusing and inconsistent collection of offenses with a thoughtfully organized system. The jumble of offenses in older codes was commonly drafted ad hoc, in response to one highly publicized incident or one anti-crime crusade after another. Modern codes, in contrast, define and arrange all offenses according to a single definitional scheme based on the central elements of the offense: the nature of the interest injured, the extent of the injury, and the culpability of the offender. The result is a significant consolidation of related offenses, few overlaps, few gaps, and a consistency in the organization of offenses that permits the comparisons and classifications necessary for a fair sentencing system. There are, no doubt, many people who believe that defenses defy such systemization. Defenses, it might be argued, are the embodiment of such complex human notions of fairness and morality, tempered by the demands of utility and efficiency, that they are too complex and perhaps too illogical to be reduced to an integrated, comprehensive, and internally consistent system of exculpation. This may well be true, but the complexity and perhaps irrationality of human judgments have not deterred us in other instances, especially in the law, from attempting to devise a principled system that attempts to approximate such judgments. Advances in the behavioral sciences have repeatedly demonstrated that some systemization of human thought is possible, even though it may have absolute limits. While we may not be able to reduce our feelings about exculpation to a precise final form, the level of sophistication in examining, understanding, and setting down the most fundamental principles seems to have fallen far behind our attempts to explicate our notions of justice in other legal areas, including criminal justice matters such as offense definition and procedural fairness. This Article attempts to provide some measure of conceptual organization for criminal law defenses that may foster a more refined system of defenses analogous to the system of offenses and offense definition embodied in most modern criminal codes. Part I of the Article describes a general conceptual framework for such a system; part II discusses the practical implications of the framework.


"What Money Can't Buy" is the Top Ten "Sunday Times" Bestseller from 'the superstar philosopher', Michael Sandel. Should we financially reward children for good marks? Is it ethical to pay people to donate organs? What about hiring mercenaries to fight our wars, outsourcing inmates to for-profit prisons or selling citizenship? In recent decades, market values have impinged on almost every aspect of life - medicine, education, government, law, even family life. We have drifted from having a market economy to being a market society. In "What Money Can't Buy" Michael Sandel asks: Isn't there something wrong with a world in which everything is for sale? And how do we protect the things that really matter? "Brilliant, easily readable, beautifully delivered and often funny ...an indispensable book". (David Aaronovitch, "The Times"). "In a culture mesmerised by the market, Sandel's is the indispensable voice of reason". (John Gray, "New Statesman"). "Provocative and intellectually suggestive ...little less than a wake-up call". (Rowan Williams, "Prospect"). "A star philosopher ...entertaining and provocative". (Diane Coyle, "Independent"). "Let's hope that "What Money Can't Buy", by being so patient and accumulative in its argument and examples, marks a permanent shift in these debates". (John Lanchester, "Guardian"). Michael J. Sandel is the Anne T. and Robert M. Bass Professor of Government at Harvard University. His legendary 'Justice' course is the first Harvard course made freely available online and on television. His work has been translated into 15 languages and been the subject of television series in the U.K., the U.S., Japan, South Korea, Sweden, and the Middle East. He has delivered the Tanner Lectures at Oxford and been a visiting professor at the Sorbonne, Paris. In 2010, "China Newsweek" named him the "most influential foreign figure of the year in China". Sandel was the 2009 BBC Reith Lecturer, and his most recent book "Justice" is an international bestseller.


Summary Wood-based innovations can substantially contribute to bioeconomy and future competitiveness of the forest-based sector. However, the forest-based sector lacks consumer-related information that is essential to achieve societal acceptance and market diffusion of wood-based innovations. Therefore, this study investigates the perceptions and related information demands regarding the four selected innovations, that is, wooden multi-story timber construction (WMC), biorefinery (BR), natural fiber reinforced composites (NFC), and nanocellulose (NC). A focus group discussion with future-oriented individuals representing potential future opinion leaders and a subsequent qualitative content analysis was used as the research method. The results show that the perception and information demand of the focus group participants differs between the innovations as a result of their market maturity. It was observed that the participants discussed WMC, a well-established innovation, in detail compared to NC, a quite recent innovation. The results suggest that the forest-based sector should consider individual and societal benefits when communicating the benefits of wood-based innovations.


This thesis is based on six papers, Papers I-VI, focusing on the interplay between the stabilizing elements of nucleic acids self-assembly; hydrogen bonding, stacking and solvent effects. In Paper I we investigate how the substitution of the O4' for CH2 in the sugar moiety of adenosine (2'-deoxyaristeromycin) at the A6 position of the Dickerson-Drew dodecamer makes the two modified bases exist in a dynamic equilibrium between Hoogsteen and Watson-Crick base pairing in the NMR time scale. Paper II is a structural study of the incorporation of 1-(1',3'-O-anhydro-β-D-psicofuranosyl)thymine in the T7 position of the Dickerson-Drew dodecamer. NMR constrained molecular dynamics and hydration studies show the base-base distortions caused by the introduction of a North-type locked sugar in an otherwise B-type DNA•DNA duplex. Paper III shows that the stacking distortion caused by the 1-(1',3'-O-anhydro-β-D-psicofuranosyl)thymine building block perturbs the charge transfer similar to a DNA mismatch. Paper IV highlights how the sequence context affects the physico-chemical properties, monitored by the pKa of guanine itself as well as how the charge perturbation is experienced by the neighboring bases, in ssDNA and ssRNA. Paper V focuses on the differences between the structural equilibria of single-stranded ssDNA and ssRNA. Directional differences in single-stranded stacking between ssDNA and ssRNA are identified and provide a basis to explain directional differences in pKa modulation and dangling-end stabilization. In Paper VI the thermodynamic gains of dangling ends on DNA and RNA core duplexes are found to correlate with the X-ray geometries of dangling nucleobases relative to the hydrogen bonds of the closing base pairs.


The use of a synthetic aperture is demonstrated as part of an off-axis setup for digital holography. The aperture was constructed from camera recordings at nine different positions. An algorithm to reconstruct object sections, which requires only moderate computer memory, was used. The result shows strongly improved resolution.


This case study applies the knowledge commons research framework to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Sentinel Initiative. That initiative resulted in the creation of the Sentinel System (Sentinel), a national electronic system to track the safety of medical products already on the market. Launched in 2008, it now includes information on over 178 million individuals — more than half the U.S. population. Sentinel was designed as a new tool for the agency, but it has the potential to fundamentally alter the way post-market surveillance is conducted.This case study examines the aspects of Sentinel that are governed as commons, how those commons are governed, and who has access to the resources governed by commons. This includes the impact of limited government funding and political constraints on the structure and utilization of the initiative, FDA's interactions with private and public healthcare data environments, and the agency's framework for disseminating the data it has collected. The study finds that Sentinel's structure and governance was largely dictated by Congress' and the agency's decision to rely on contracting and self-regulation rather than mandating data sharing. In turn, that necessitated a system design that could provide valuable regulatory information to the agency while still being palatable to insurance companies and health care providers. Likely as a result of a series of key strategic decisions, FDA was completely successful at meeting its Congressional mandate and developing new a functionality. However, these decisions may have sacrificed some utility.This research promises an improved understanding of Sentinel that will be important for policy makers, and more broadly, for understanding how to effectively structure environments for developing and distributing scientific knowledge.


Since its founding, ICTs have formed an integral part of the educational activity of the UOC. From the outset, the university designed a specific, cross-programme course on digital literacy that has been evolving ever since in line with the needs of its students. The current basis of the course are the central ICT competences inspired by the Declaration of Bologna (Guitert & Romeu, 2008; Romero et al., 2010). The ICT Competences course uses a project-based working methodology to facilitate the progressive acquisition of ICT competences. Our current research is part of a wider research project that seeks to develop an evidence-based understanding of our students' opinions of the ICT competences course and how this could be improved by taking into account the perspective of learners. One of the specific aims of this research is to describe how the time factor affects the collaborative learning activities carried out on the course, taking into account descriptive research using the survey as a data-gathering tool. The data gathered demonstrate that the time factor is a key element in the development of collaborative online learning activities, where the best rated are those related to competences. By analysing the effect of an individuals' time planning on the group planning, we ensure that, in the view of the students, the first one allows the second to become a reality; it also contributes to the successful completion of the course project.


This paper deals with the torque ripple reduction of permanent magnet synchronous motor using harmonic current injection. Torque ripple of electric motor reduces system stability and performances, therefore efforts to reduce torque ripple are exerted in the design process. Torque ripple can be reduced by appropriate pole/slot combination, skew of rotor or stator, design of magnetic circuit, etc. In addition, torque ripple can be also reduced by input voltage and current, and many researches have been conducted to reduce torque ripple for six-step drive. Torque ripple reduction for current vector controlled permanent magnet synchronous motor also have been conducted and verified by investigating back emf wave form. Torque ripple reduction in this paper started from getting torque profile according to input current and electrical angle calculated by FEA, then instantaneous currents at each electrical angles for constant torque are calculated and applied to experiments. Therefore, 0% of torque ripple can be obtained theoretically with harmonic current injection. In order to maximize the effect of torque ripple reduction, a BLDC motor having high harmonic component of back emf is chosen. With sinusoidal current drive, over 100% of torque ripple is obtained initially, then 0.5 % of torque ripple is obtained by FEA using harmonic current injection. The effect is verified by experiment and the presented method can be effectively applicable to Electric Power Steering(EPS).


Over the past few decades, researchers have paid considerable attention to the relationship between estrogen and bone metabolism. Nevertheless, few studies have examined the potential role of chemokines in estrogen regulation of bone metabolism. Chemokines are members of a superfamily of low-molecular-weight chemoattractant cytokines. Various chemokines and their corresponding transmembrane G protein-coupled receptors play distinct roles in the functional regulation and homeostasis of the immune and skeletal systems. This review summarizes the evidence that chemokines and estrogen display cooperative behavior in the skeletal system, with a focus on the mechanisms by which estrogen regulates the chemotactic factors that affect bone metabolism. Chemokines appear to represent a novel area for further examination in order to develop new therapeutics to treat disorders of bone metabolism.


Franco-German cultural exchange reached its height at the 1937 Paris World's Fair, where the Third Reich worked to promote an illusion of friendship between the two countries. Through the prism of this decisive event, "Grand Illusion" examines the overlooked relationships among Nazi elites and French intellectuals. Their interaction, Karen Fiss argues, profoundly influenced cultural production and normalized aspects of fascist ideology in 1930s France, laying the groundwork for the country's eventual collaboration with its German occupiers. Tracing related developments across fine arts, film, architecture, and mass pageantry, Fiss illuminates the role of National Socialist propaganda in the French decision to ignore Hitler's war preparations and pursue an untenable policy of appeasement. France's receptiveness toward Nazi culture, Fiss contends, was rooted in its troubled identity and deep-seated insecurities. With their government in crisis, French intellectuals from both the left and the right demanded a new national culture that could rival those of the totalitarian states. By examining how this cultural exchange shifted toward political collaboration, "Grand Illusion" casts new light on the power of art to influence history.


There is a wide range of FTTH initiatives throughout Sweden, with investments made by both telecom operators and public actors. The benefits of the investments are often discussed, especially when the investment is made by municipalities or other public bodies. This preliminary study analyses the socio-economic impacts of the investment in FTTH. The goal of the study was: Is it possible to calculate how much a krona (SEK) invested in fibre will give back to society? The conclusion is that a more comprehensive statistical data and more calculations are needed to give an exact estimate. The study, however, provides an indication that 1 SEK invested over four years brings back a minimum of 1.5 SEK in five years time. The study estimates the need for investment to achieve 100% fibre penetration, identifies and quantifies a number of significant effects of fibre deployment, and then calculates the return on investment. We recommend a more extensive study, in which the proposed model is refined and expanded with more detailed and updated data. This pre-study was sponsored by the Swedish Government's Broadband Council (Bredbandsforum).


This volume represents a radical departure from the current philosophical duopoly in the area of foundations of probability, that is, the frequency and subjective theories. One of the main new ideas is a set of scientific laws of probability. The new laws are simple, intuitive and, last but not least, they agree well with the contents of current textbooks on probability. Another major new claim is that the "frequency statistics" has nothing in common with the "frequency philosophy of probability," contrary to popular belief. Similarly, contrary to the general perception, the "Bayesian statistics" shares nothing in common with the "subjective philosophy of probability."The book is non-partisan on the scientific side — it is supportive of both frequency statistics and Bayesian statistics. On the other hand, it contains well-documented and thoroughly-explained criticisms of the frequency and subjective philosophies of probability. Short reviews of other philosophical theories of probability and basic mathematical methods of probability and statistics are incorporated. The book includes substantial chapters on decision theory and teaching probability, and it is easily accessible to the general audience.


Ruffs Calidris pugnax migrate from wintering areas in West-Africa and Europe to breeding grounds in northern Eurasia, using stopover sites along the way. At one such stopover site in southwest Friesland (53°N, The Netherlands), we studied variation in the timing of individual stopover based on 6474 Ruffs colour-ringed in 2004–2012. 43% of males and 22% of females were recorded in the study area in March–May the years following marking. Minimal stopover duration of returning individuals showed substantial within-year heterogeneity. We distinguished two classes: (1) 'transient' individuals were observed only on a single day in the study area within a season (51% of observed males and 79% of females), and (2) 'staging' individuals were observed on multiple days. We observed two seasonal peaks in the presence of transient Ruffs, typically coinciding with the peak of arrival and departure of staging birds. Males known to winter in Europe were more likely to be observed in the study area and arrived earlier than males of unknown winter origin (3.1 days and 3.7 days earlier for transient and staging males, respectively), but departure was unrelated to winter origin. Staging and transient females arrived later than males. Between-year repeatability of individual behaviour was low, and individuals did not significantly advance their arrival date over the course of years, in contrast with a pattern of shifting arrival dates at the population level. The observation that a large proportion of Ruffs visit southwest Friesland for only a short stop suggests that many individuals rely on other sites for moulting and refuelling during spring migration. Resightings of marked individuals elsewhere in western Europe indicated that these sites are largely located between 51° and 54°N. Thus, during spring migration, Ruffs marked in southwest Friesland displayed high between- and within-individual variation in minimal stopover duration.


We identified candidate neurons in the cerebral ganglion that regulate feeding responses mediated by the buccal ganglion. Backfilling the cerebral-buccal connectives revealed that each cerebral hemi-ganglion contains approximately 20 neurons that project axons to the buccal ganglion. Three M-cluster neurons (CBI-1, CBI-2, CBI-3) and one E- cluster neuron (CBI-4) were identified as cerebral-to-buccal interneurons (CBIs) based on position, morphology, synaptic connections, and ability to drive buccal motor programs (BMPs). CBI-1 responds to touch of the tentacles, lips, and buccal mass. It receives monosynaptic EPSPs from interganglionic, cerebral-to-buccal mechanoafferent (ICBM) neurons and monosynaptically excites buccal cells, some of which are also excited by the ICBMs. Tonic firing of CBI- 1 usually evokes a single cycle of BMP activity. CBI-1 phase-shifts the rhythmic BMP driven by firing a dopaminergic neuron in the buccal ganglion. CBI-1 itself exhibits dopamine-like histofluorescence following formaldehyde-glutaraldehyde fixation. CBI-2 is excited by food stimuli applied to the lips. Constant-current intracellular stimulation of CBI-2 produces phasic firing of the cell that reliably evokes a rhythmic BMP that incorporates buccal and cerebral motor neurons, putative pattern-generating and pattern-initiating neurons, and neuromodulatory cells (metacerebral cells). CBI-4 also evokes a rhythmic BMP, but the details of its actions and synaptic effects differ from that of CBI-2. CBI-3 does not evoke a BMP, even though it is excited by food stimuli applied to the lips, and it makes monosynaptic connections (both excitatory and inhibitory) to many follower cells of the other CBIs. Firing of CBI-3 phase-delays the BMP driven by CBI-2. Since its activity is incorporated into BMPs and it provides direct inputs to elements of the feeding circuitry, it may play a role in pattern generation. The distinctive features of the CBIs suggest that the consummatory phase of feeding may be controlled by a population of interneurons that subserve different roles.


Social status and marriage patterns for 104 long-term serving non-commissioned officers (NCO) that enlisted in Dalregementet 1721-1809 was analyzed. For 31% of those analyzed, becoming a NCO was the result of social regression, for 40% it was the result of social consistency, and for 29% the result of social progression. 10% belonged to the nobility; 10% each had fathers that were respectively clergymen or bourgeois. Not less than half o the NCO studied had a social background among the ofralse standspersoner (gentlemen or petty gentlemen outside the traditional four-estate system), while only 20% came from the peasantry. About a third of the NCO had fathers that were or had been military men. The analysis of the marriage patterns shows that about one half of the marriages reveal social homogeneity, while the other half was the result of social regression on part of the groom. That is, in 50% of the marriages the father-in-law was a social equal of the groom (and of his father), while in the other 50 % of cases he did belong to a lower stratum. In about 25 % of the cases, the father-in-law was a military man. A third of the marriages were with peasants' daughters. In the rest of the marriages the fathers-in-law had occupations within either civil service, church, commerce or mining. The study confirms previous conclusions that NCOs belonged to a social stratum that only slightly rising above the peasantry. A further analysis, based on probate inventories, show that the interconnection between economic position (wealth) and social stratum is not very pronounced. This is particulary distinct among the bergsman (mine and furnace operators) that officially were classified and taxed as peasants, but whose prosperity in many cases must have been significant. Hence their daughters would have been attractive marriage partners for persons that according to conventional social classifications belonged to higher strata.