Using SVG and XSLT for graphic representation
In this paper we will present an XML based framework that can be used to produce graphical visualisation of scientific data. The approach rather than producing ordinary histogram and function diagaram graphs, tries to represent the information in a more graphical appealing and easy to understand way. For examples the approach will give the ability to represent the temperature as the level of coulored fluid in a thermometer.

The proposed framework is able to maintain the value of the datas strictly separated from the visual form of its representation (positions of element, colours, visual representation etc.).

By defining appropriate data structures and expressing them using XML, the framework gives the user the ability to create graphic representations using standard SVG and XSLT.

Since XML can be used for describing complex data information, we represent every level of the graphic representation with an XML structure.

To describe our architecture we defined the following XML dialects, each one with different markup tags, reflecting the semantical values of the elements.

Data definition level. Used to define the value of the datas that can be used in the graphic representation
Data representation level. Used to define the graphic representation, it defines how the values expressed by the data definition level are represented.
Both data representation and data definition files are based on a DTD to impose the constraints.

Data representation level is the core of the system, and defines a powerful language for representation.

Source primitives. Used to define for the source of the graphic elements, for example static file or SVG code.
Modification primitives. Used to define the modifications that can affect a graphic element, for example rotation, scaling or repetition.
Disposition primitives. Used to define the possible dispositions along x, y and z axes, for example to impose a order in the representation of elements.
Action primitives. Used to define the possible actions that canbe activated by graphic elements for different user behaviours. For example a mouse action can activate a link to a different resource, or can change the value of any of the other primitives of the data structure, as image source or disposition, or can show a tooltip .
XSLT is used to output a SVG file derived from the two files describing the graphic representation.

Our aim is to provide an abstract language to be used to represent in different ways the same concept. In fact, we can link a data definition file with different data representation levels, providing different kinds and levels of complexity for the same concept. An example use could be the representation of the temperature described before, where the temperature itself could be represented either as the level of mercury in the termomether, or as the rotation of an arrow in a gauge.

The transformation process is made from an XML source tree into an XML result tree, using XPath to define patterns. XSLT transformation process is based on templates, that define some actions (like adding or removing elements, or sorting them) to be performed when a part of the document matches a template.

To implement some of the complex graphics operations we are using XSLT extensions that allow to perform mathematical operations.

These XSLT extensions are not yet standard and require specific compliant parser, as Apache Xalan, that allows the developer to interface with Java classes in order to increase XSLT areas of application, from simple node transformations to quite complex operations.


Strong empirical evidence exists indicating language can influence students' beliefs about ability. Professional literature for teachers offers practical advice on how to adjust their classroombased talk to support student achievement by orienting students toward an incremental theory of ability. Yet, little empirical work has been done to investigate how teacher talk plays out moment-tomoment within the classroom context. This study reports on a qualitative analysis of one upper elementary teacher's talk with regard to implicit theories of learning. Findings suggest teacher talk is dynamic and overlapping, operating along a continuum from entityoriented talk to incremental-oriented talk across varied classroom situations. Additionally, a relationship was identified between teacher autonomy and the implicit theories of learning used in the teacher's talk. Examples of varied teacher talk during classroom activities are presented, and scholarly and practical implications for language use, learning, and instruction are included.


In the growing context of early years science education research, this cultural-historical qualitative study explores the scientific concept formation possibilities for preschool children in their everyday home and preschool environments. It is argued that teacher and parent awareness about science in the everyday environment gives a new understanding about science pedagogy in the early years of education. The findings contribute in the broader science education research by informing the home and preschool relationships in scientific concept formation for preschool children. Further research avenues are identified for more early years science studies in the home and preschool contexts.


We report ultrashort-pulse generation in a Cr:LiSrAlF6 solid-state laser. The 15-mm crystal was pumped by 1 W of red light from a cw krypton laser and actively mode locked at an 82-MHz repetition frequency using an acousto-optic modulator. Wavelength tuning was demonstrated over the range 800–880 nm, limited by the bandwidth of the optical components. By including intracavity dispersion compensation, pulse widths of 150 fs were obtained with evidence that self-phase modulation contributes to spectral broadening and pulse shortening.


. We consider how positions of unresolved pre-main-sequence binaries in the HR diagram compare with the positions of their corre-sponding primaries and secondaries. As one might expect from simple considerations, the composites appear younger than their components, and have masses intermediate between those of the two stars. However, the amount of the age difference between the composite and its components ranges from nearly zero to as much as an order of magnitude depending upon the specifics of the system such as the reddening and relative spectral types of the objects. We present four examples that illustrate these issues.


The language inclusion problem is recognised as being central to verification in different domains, such as hardware, communication protocols, software systems, etc. There we might face two challenges: non-determinism and infinite alphabets.
We propose two models of alternating automata over infinite alphabets: (i) alternating data automata (ADA) and (ii) first-order alternating data automata (FOADA). They both recognise the data words over infinite alphabets. In ADA model, the control states are Booleans and the transition rules are specified by a set of formulae in a combined first-order theory of states (Booleans) and data that relate past values of variables with current values of variables. But a restriction of the ADA model is that, there is not hidden variable, hence all the data values taken by the variables are visible in the input. But in FOADA model, the arguments of a predicate atom track the values of the internal variables associated with the state, and these values are invisible in the input sequence, which overcomes the restriction of the ADA model.
With these two alternating models, Boolean operations of union, intersection and complement can be done in linear time, thus matching the complexity of performing these operations in the finite-alphabet case. However, the price to be paid here is that the emptiness checking becomes undecidable. For this reason, we provide two efficient semi-algorithms for emptiness checking: (i) lazy predicate abstraction and (ii) IMPACT method. These semi-algorithms are proven to terminate by returning a word from the language of the given automaton if one exists; but if the language of the given automaton is empty, then the termination is not guaranteed.
The main application of our models is checking inclusions between various classes of automata extended with variables ranging over infinite domains that recognise languages over infinite alphabets. The most widely known classes of this kind are timed automata and finite- memory (register) automata. Another application is checking safety (mutual exclusion, absence of deadlocks, etc.) and liveness (termination, lack of starvation, etc.) properties of parameterised concurrent programs.
Besides the theoretical parts, we also have developed a tool - FOADA Checker, mainly used for checking inclusion between two automata or checking emptiness of an automaton. FOADA Checker is written in Java, via Java-SMT interface and using Z3 SMT solver for spuriousness, coverage queries and interpolant generation. The IMPACT semi-algorithm has been implemented in the tool to check the emptiness of an automaton.


Transactional frequent subgraph mining identifies frequent structural patterns in a collection of graphs. This research problem has wide applicability and increasingly requires higher scalability over single machine solutions to address the needs of Big Data use cases. We introduce DIMSpan, an advanced approach to frequent subgraph mining that utilizes the features provided by distributed in-memory dataflow systems such as Apache Flink or Apache Spark. It determines the complete set of frequent subgraphs from arbitrary string-labeled directed multigraphs as they occur in social, business and knowledge networks. DIMSpan is optimized to runtime and minimal network traffic but memory-aware. An extensive performance evaluation on large graph collections shows the scalability of DIMSpan and the effectiveness of its optimization techniques.


Search and rescue operations can greatly benefit from the use of autonomous unmanned aerial systems to survey the environment and collect evidence about the positions of missing persons. This thesis considers the design of an autonomous multicopter system for use in a search and rescue mission. The ArduPilot Mega is used as the autopilot and is presented together with detailed information about the utilized hardware and software. The design of a low- level control interface is implemented as an extension to APM:Copter using the MAVLink protocol allowing attitude or velocity control of the multicopter. Furthermore, promising methods for autonomous behavior are discussed and developed with the use of the low-level control interface. The integration of a camera is characterized as a vital part of the fully autonomous search and rescue muliticopter system and presented together with a method used to describe and estimate motion of a target object. The estimator used for the state estimation is the extended Kalman filter. Finally, experiments of the system are conducted at a test field to demonstrate how it can be utilized and to prove the viability of the complete system. The experiments verify that the autonomous search and rescue multicoper can contribute in a search operation using an observer to spot for objects.


This paper presents the details on the experimental investigation carried out to get the desired fresh properties of the SCC. Tests were performed on various mixtures to obtain the required SCC. In the present research work we have replaced 15% of cement with class F fly ash. By varying the quantity of water and sand the mortar mix was prepared. Later varying percentage of coarse aggregate was added to the mortar to obtain the desired SCC.


On the basis of analysis of mtDNA from skeletal remains, dated by 14C 4020-3210 BC, from the Ust'-Ida I Neolithic burial ground in Cis-Baikal area of Siberia, we obtained genetic characteristics of the ancient Mongoloid population. Using the 7 restriction enzymes for the analysis of site's polymorphism in 16,106-16,545 region of mtDNA, we studied the structure of the most frequent DNA haplotypes, and estimated the intrapopulational nucleotide diversity of the Neolithic population. Comparison of the Neolithic and modern indigeneous populations from Siberia, Mongolia and Ural showed, that the ancient Siberian population is one of the ancestors of the modern population of Siberia. From genetic distance, in the assumption of constant nucleotide substitution rate, we estimated the divergence time between the Neolithic and the modern Siberian population. This divergence time (5572 years ago) is conformed to the age of skeletal remains (5542-5652 years). With use of the 14C dates of the skeletal remains, nucleotide substitution rate in mtDNA was estimated as 1% sequence divergence for 8938-9115 years.


The analysis of transcriptomic experiments with ordered covariates, such as dose-response data, has become a central topic in bioinformatics, in particular in omics studies. Consequently, multiple R packages on CRAN and Bioconductor are designed to analyse microarray data from various perspectives under the assumption of order restriction. We introduce the new R package IsoGene Graphical User Interface (IsoGeneGUI), an extension of the original IsoGene package that includes methods from most of available R packages designed for the analysis of order restricted microarray data, namely orQA, ORIClust, goric and ORCME. The methods included in the new IsoGeneGUI range from inference and estimation to model selection and clustering tools. The IsoGeneGUI is not only the most complete tool for the analysis of order restricted microarray experiments available in R but also it can be used to analyse other types of dose-response data. The package provides all the methods in a user friendly fashion, so analyses can be implemented by users with limited knowledge of R programming.


Given the high prevalence of undernutrition among children in low income countries and the associated high human and eco-nomic costs (Hoddinott et al. 2013), improving nutritional out-comes must be an urgent priority. Improving nutrition is high on the policy agenda of the government of Ethiopia, as stated in the Growth and Transformation Plan II, which aims to reduce young child stunting levels from 40 percent in 2014/15 to 26 percent in 2019/2020. Lack of access to diverse diets is one of the underlying factors contributing to chronic undernutrition (Arimond and Ruel 2004, UNICEF 1998). Despite recent improvements, child stunting in Ethiopia remains widespread (CSA and ICF International 2017). Moreover, Ethiopian children consume one of the least diverse diets in sub-Saharan Africa (Hirvonen 2016). At the household level, food consumption baskets are dominated by cereals and pulses, while the consumption of animal-source foods and fruits and Vitamin A-rich vegetables is rare, especially in rural areas.1 Such monotonous diets are regarded as a major contributor to non-communicable diseases in Ethiopia (Melaku et al. 2016). Recent research suggests that the poor dietary diversity in ru-ral areas can be explained, at least partly, both by limited knowledge about the health benefits of diverse diets and by poor access to food markets. Households in areas in which food crop production is not very diverse but which have good access to mar-kets are found to have more diverse diets than do households in such areas but which have poor access to markets and, so, de-pend primarily on own-production for the food they consume.2 Yet, even with sufficient access to markets and knowledge on the benefits of diverse diets, poor households may simply be un-able to afford nutritionally rich foods (Warren and Frongillo 2017). Indeed, prices and affordability of nutritious foods remains a neglected area of research in efforts to understand poor dietary diversity in Ethiopia and elsewhere.3 In the analysis described here, we explore how prices and, consequently, the affordability of nutritious food have changed over the last decade in Ethiopia.


Objectives To determine if medical graduates from an Australian university are educated and skilled in health advocacy for their future practice with patients and the wider community. Methods The authors used an exploratory mixed methodology starting with curriculum mapping of the medical curriculum, followed by key informant interviews with the University of Notre Dame, School of Medicine academics (n = 6) and alumni (n = 5) on teaching/learning and practice of health advocacy. The final stage consisted of a cross-sectional survey on teaching/learning health advocacy among third and fourth (final) year medical students (N = 195). Results The medical curriculum contained no explicit learning objectives on health advocacy. Key informant interviews demonstrated an appreciation of health advocacy and its importance in the medical curriculum but a deficit in explicit and practical 'hands-on' teaching. Survey response rate was 47% (n = 92). A majority of students (76%, n = 70) had heard of health advocacy, with this being more likely among third (92%, n = 33) compared with fourth-year students (67%, n = 37) (Fisher's Exact Test χ2 (2, N = 91) = 7.311, p = 0.02). Students reported having opportunities to observe (76%, n = 70) and practise health advocacy (50%, n = 46) in the curriculum. Conclusions Students and medical graduates demonstrated sound recognition of the term health advocacy. Deficits identified in the curriculum include lack of explicit learning objectives and "hands-on" learning opportunities in health advocacy.


Background: Chest trauma is a major public health problem. It includes injury to chest wall, pleura, tracheobronchial tree, lungs, diaphragm, esophagus, heart and great vessels. It comprises 10-15% of all traumas and 25% of death due to trauma occurs because of chest injury. Chest trauma is seen with increasing frequency in urban hospitals. Methods: A prospective study of all pati with chest injury irrespective of age, sex and mode of injury presenting to BPKIHS emergency were included in this study from 15th March 2007 to 14 th March 2008. Results: During the study period of one year total trauma patients presented to emergency were 1524. Out of this 122 patients were of chest injury. It comprises 8% of all trauma patients. Majority of patients belonged to the age group (21-40) years. Out of 122 patients, 57 (46.7%) patients sustained injury due to fall from height and was the commonest cause of trauma in this study followed by road traffic accident which was 38 (31.1%), 15 (12.3%) had physical assault and similar number of 6 patients (4.9%) sustained injury due to gunshot injury and stab injury. Out of 122 patients, 34 (27.9%) patients had associated injury. The most common chest injury was pneumothorax followed by isolated multiple rib fracture, hemothorax, isolated single rib fracture hemopneumothorax, flail chest, subcutaneous emphysema, lung contusion, open pneumothorax and tension pneumothorax. Conclusion: Majority of chest trauma patients were young adults with male preponderance. Blunt trauma chest was most common chest injury. Pneumothorax was the most common chest injury. Majority of patients were managed with tube thoracostomy, analgesics and chest physiotherapy. Health Renaissance 2015;13 (3): 107-113


Internet governance research has a tradition of focusing on institutions and formalised steering processes. But modes of coordination which do not fit these criteria also shape the operation and evolution of the internet and should also be included in an analytical framework for internet governance. In this article, the Economics of Convention is presented as a theoretical backdrop for the analysis of such phenomena. This analytical perspective is then used to shed a detailed light on internet interconnection arrangements. The findings of this exercise are then discussed with regard to their meaning for internet governance.


Although both academics and policy-makers still debate its exact causes and the extent of its consequences, the ongoing financial crisis is doubtlessly the most distinctive economic event of the late 2000s. But despite the importance of such large-scale economic phenomena, there has been little research on their discursive construction. This paper presents some empirical data to show how the crisis is identified and its boundaries construed in corporate communication, seeking to understand how economic actors selectively shape public perceptions of critical events by routinely emphasising the role of certain agents and stakeholders while ignoring others. Terms for the crisis, their collocates and their discourse preferences are drawn from a 1,500,000-word ad hoc corpus of annual reports.


This book examines the popular bases of Communist influence in Italy, focusing on the struggle between the Catholic Church and the Communist Party for the allegiance of the Italian people. The author details the ways in which the citizens resolve the central paradox of Italy, which lies in its beings the home both of the Vatican and of the largest Communist party of any non-Communist nation. He discusses the local structure of the Party, including its many allied organisations and the nature of participation in Party affairs, and stresses its role in local social life. In this study, Professor Kertzer draws upon the experiences and observations of a year spent in a working-class quarter of Bologna, the capital of Italian Communism. While the national Communist Party calls for conciliation with the Church, there is an ancient tradition of anti-clericalism in this area. Moreover, the official Church position excludes the possibility of people being both Catholic and Communist. The implications of this situation for local-level tactics of Church and Party, and how people divide their allegiances between the competing claims, form the primary theme of the book.


SOMMARIO: 1. Premessa - 2. La cronaca: come sono nati i protocolli - 3. Un metodo laico.
The "Protocols for the resumption of religious ceremonies": the first signal of a new season in the Italian ecclesiastical politics
ABSTRACT: In Italy the religions have signed with the Government some protocols for the resumption of religious ceremonies after the lockdown for the Covid-19 emergency. Those protocols are an important step in the way of an effective protection of religious freedom in a pluralistic society. The protocols inaugurate a new season in the relationships between the religions and the state in Italy.


To coincide with the Channel 4 series to be aired at the end of this year -- David Starkey's 'Monarchy' charts the rise of the British monarchy from the War of the Roses, the English Civil War and the Georgians, right up until the present day monarchs of the 20th Century. David Starkey's magisterial new book Monarchy charts the rise of the British crown from the insurgency of the War of the Roses, through the glory and dangers of the Tudors, to the insolvency of the Stuarts and chaos of the English Civil War, the execution of Charles I, the rule of a commoner who was 'king in all but name', the importing of a German dynasty, and the coming-to-terms with modernity under the wise guidance of another German, Victoria's Prince Consort Albert. An epilogue brings to story up to the present and asks questions about the future. The crown of England is the oldest surviving political institution in Europe. And yet, throughout this book Starkey emphasises the Crown's endless capacity to reinvent itself to circumstances and reshape national polity whilst he unmasks the personalities and achievements, the defeats and victories, which lie behind the kings and queens of British history. Each of these monarchs has contributed, in their own way, to the religion, geography, laws, language and government that we currently live with today. In this book,Starkey demonstrates exactly how these states were arrived at, how these monarchs subtly influenced each other, which battles were won and why, whose whim or failure caused religious tradition to wither or flourish, and which monarchs, through their acumen and strength or single minded determination came to enforce the laws of England. With his customary authority and verve, David Starkey reignites these personalities to produce an entertaining and masterful account of these figures whose many victories and failures are the building blocks upon which Britain today is built. Far more than a biography of kings and queens, 'Monarchy' is a radical reappraisal of British nationhood, culture and politics, shown through the most central institution in British life.


A complement to literary studies to test theory through practice Teachers of literature usually have no place to put journalism but down. I recall only once, as a student majoring in English, being assigned a "variant" of journalism--excerpts from Samuel Johnson's The Rambler--and these were heavily rationalized. After all, didn't Johnson's formidable reputation as a lexicographer, poet, critic, and moralist redeem his "lapses" as a journalist? Wasn't The Rambler actually a dignified "essay-periodical"? Students of literature are told to avoid "journalese," a vague term suggesting a range of stylistic no-no's including stock expressions, pop argot, sensationalizing adjectives, and convenient neologisms. We also are told (sotto voce) that though many of the writers we study (Samuel Coleridge, Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, and Ernest Hemingway) had practiced journalism at some time during their careers, they did so (voce crescendo) by dint of necessity. People must eat to live, the argument went, even artists; and so, we must make allowances for the "real" or "serious" writers who occasionally have to compromise their short-term integrity by cranking out journalism in the pursuit of loftier long-term aesthetic goals. The great divide separating literature from journalism remains, despite several basic commonalities. Both subjects are concerned with reading and writing practices. Both deal with how language and other sign systems structure the ways in which we make sense of our world. Both are professions subject to institutional and commercial pressures. Yet, despite attempts by contemporary cultural theorists to deconstruct every elitist opposition in perceivable range, journalism still functions as literature's "other." Students writing for literature courses still must avoid journalese. Journalism texts infrequently enter the literary curriculum. The rare journalist invited as guest lecturer in a literature class will be treated as either the serious writer's alter-ego or an author-manque. Imagine if you will, then, my reeducation last winter when I acted as copy-editor for the most recent editions of Melvin Mencher's books. Not only did these two standard-setting textbooks disabuse me of many preconceptions I had held about journalism, they also helped me to see the utility of journalism for the teaching of literature. But, what is literature? In the first class of any literature course I teach, I ask students to try to answer this question and explain why they have elected to major in literary studies. Most respond uneasily, murmuring something about liking to read and not knowing what else to take. This groping suggests: a) they assume, like most people, that they know what literature is and why it is important until faced with the question; b) no programmatic guidance has ever been offered for consciously questioning the object or the objective of their studies; and c) they will pay the cost of tuition somnambulistically, purchasing an education whose relevance to their lifetime goals and general well-being is culturally endorsed but puzzlingly obscure. "Literature," of course, is a slippery term, bounded only by the theoretical ingenuity of the literary critics who define it. As the astonishing, sometimes inspiring array of current theoretical approaches shows, critics have never capitalized more opportunistically on its fluidity. Useful though some of this fluidity may be, the result is that literary studies as an academic discipline has lost the discipline to make its boundaries professionally and publicly accountable. Most English departments have curriculum planning committees for individual courses, but how many have the conviction necessary to recommit annually to programmatic decisions or to projects that revisit and revise the goals of their departments where necessary? Who bothers to take the risk any more of saying what literature is (and is not), what it does (and does not), why we pay and get paid to study it, why universities should step up their efforts to support it, and why we should be accountable to our decisions concerning these questions? …


In budding yeast, the silent information regulator Sir2p is a nuclear NAD‐dependent deacetylase that is essential for both telomeric and rDNA silencing. All eukaryotic species examined to date have multiple homologues of Sir two (HSTs), which share a highly conserved globular core domain. Here we report that yeast Hst2p and a mammalian Hst2p homologue, hSirT2p, are cytoplasmic in yeast and human cells, in contrast to yHst1p and ySir2p which are exclusively nuclear. Although yHst2p cannot restore silencing in a sir2 deletion, overexpression of yHst2p influences nuclear silencing events in a SIR2 strain, derepressing subtelomeric silencing while increasing repression in the rDNA. In contrast, a form of ySir2p carrying a point mutation in the conserved core domain disrupts both telomeric position effect (TPE) and rDNA repression at low expression levels. This argues that non‐nuclear yHst2p can compete for a substrate or ligand specifically required for telomeric, and not rDNA repression.


Strontium isotopic composition ( 87 Sr/ 86 Sr) data from subfossil 14 C-dated mollusk shells in raised beach sediments are used as a paleosalinity proxy in the brackish Baltic Sea, the precision (±5%) and accuracy (±0.7‰) of the method being judged from replicate analyses of modern shells. Paleosalinity data with an average time resolution of ∼200 yr for the period 7130–2775 calibrated 14 C yr B.P. indicate maximum surface salinities of 10‰–11‰, 11‰–12‰, and 12‰–13‰ for the Bothnian Bay, Bothnian Sea, and Baltic Proper (the three major Baltic subbasins). The relative salinity differences between the basins were small (≤30%) compared to the as much as eightfold present-day relative salinity differences (Bothnian Bay 1‰–3‰; Bothnian Sea 4‰–5‰; Baltic Proper 6‰–8‰). Late Holocene freshening (ca. 3000 calibrated 14 C yr B.P. to present) is most pronounced in the northernmost subbasin, the Bothnian Bay, consistent with the absence of a permanent halocline, sequestering of phosphorus in well-oxygenated bottom sediments, and phosphorus limitation of primary production in the present-day Bothnian Bay. This study suggests that paleosalinity data may be crucial to improving our understanding of the possible effects of any future, climate-induced freshening of the Baltic Sea.


The population dynamics of cephalopods are poorly understood because intra-specific
size-at-age is characteristically variable. Much of the variation observed is attributed to temperature
and food, but other generally overlooked factors such as hatchling size and inherent growth capacities
also affect size-at-age. In the present paper, we investigated the relative influence of the principal
abiotic (environmental temperature) and biotic (food consumption, hatchling size, inherent
growth capacity) factors affecting size-at-age in immature octopus. Using a bioenergetics model and
size-at-age data of wild-caught immature Octopus pallidus, we simulated the juvenile growth trajectories
of individuals hatched in different seasons (summer, autumn and winter) based on food availability,
metabolism, environmental temperature and individual variability, under an assumption of 2-
phase growth. Simulations predict that the effect of hatchling size on size-at-age was secondary to
that of inherent growth capacity. Projections suggest that wild immature populations comprise a mixture
of individuals displaying exponential growth and 2-phase growth and that the proportion of each
depends primarily on the individuals' inherent growth capacities and food availability. High food
intake was projected to decrease the number of individuals displaying 2-phase growth by delaying
the transition between the 2 growth phases, resulting in larger individuals. Overall, individuals
hatched in summer grew to larger sizes and matured earlier than individuals hatched in autumn or
winter, independent of food availability. The size-at-age distribution of the summer and autumn
cohorts tended to become bimodal under certain food intake levels, which highlights the importance
of coupling size data with accurate age estimates in future octopus population studies.


Context: Mental health has currently shifted focus from "deficit" to strength-based approaches such as Resilience. Coping styles and personality factors have been well studied in Wives of persons with Alcoholism (WopA) but not Resilience. Alcohol dependence in spouse is seen as an adversity. Aims: To evaluate Resilience in the WopA and explore its relationship with marital quality and clinical variables of Alcohol Dependence in their husbands. Settings and Design: A cross-sectional study in a tertiary care hospital in Bangalore, Karnataka. Subjects and Methods: WopA (n=34) between 25–55 years, were assessed for Resilience using Resilience Scale for Adults (RSA), while marital quality was assessed using Marital Quality Scale (MQS). The Severity of Alcohol Dependence, Age of onset of Initiation, Age of onset of Problem Drinking, and Age of onset of Dependence were evaluated in their husbands. Statistical Analysis: Independent sample t-test, Chi-square test, and Pearson's correlation were used. Results: Majority of the WopA (82%) scored low on the RSA. Low Resilience (LR) WopA scored significantly lower on all factors of RSA except the perception of future; in comparison to High Resilience (HR) WopA. Additionally, the LR WopA reported significantly poorer marital quality. Conclusions: Most WopA had low Resilience. LR WopA also had significantly poor marital quality. These findings need to be studied further in a larger population with culturally appropriate scales. The low scoring Resilience factors amongst WopA may be utilized in strength-based psychotherapeutic approaches. There is a need to improve the understanding of Resilience and its assessment in this population.


DNA microarray experiments generating thousands of gene
expression measurements, are being used to gather information from tissue and cell samples regarding gene expression differences that will be useful in diagnosing disease. But one challenge of microarray studies is the fact that the number n of samples collected is relatively small compared to the number p of genes per sample which are usually in thousands. In statistical terms this very large number of predictors compared to a small number of samples or observations makes the classification problem difficult. This is known as the "curse of dimensionality problem". An efficient way to solve this problem is by using dimensionality reduction techniques. Principle Component Analysis(PCA) is a leading method for dimensionality reduction of gene expression data which is optimal in the sense of least square error. In this paper we propose a new dimensionality reduction technique for specific bioinformatics applications based on Independent component Analysis(ICA). Being able to exploit higher order statistics to identify a linear model result, this ICA based dimensionality reduction technique
outperforms PCA from both statistical and biological
significance aspects. We present experiments on NCI 60
dataset to show this result.


The efficacy of intermittent pneumatic compression in the prevention of proximal deep venous thrombosis was determined in a consecutive series of patients who had primary or revision total hip replacement. Two hundred and eighty-nine patients (242 primary and eighty revision hip replacements) who were at least forty years old were managed intraoperatively and postoperatively with intermittent pneumatic compression with use of thigh-high sequential compression sleeves and thigh-high elastic compression stockings as the only form of prophylaxis. Venous ultrasonography of the ipsilateral lower extremity was performed, at an average of five days postoperatively, to determine the presence of a thrombus in the femoral and popliteal veins. The prevalence of proximal deep venous thrombosis was 6 per cent (twenty of 322 procedures), and no patient had a clinically detected pulmonary embolism. The prevalence of a proximal thrombus was 4 per cent (ten of 233 procedures) when a regional anesthetic had been used and 11 per cent (ten of eighty-nine procedures) when a general anesthetic had been used; this difference was significant (p = 0.02). The prevalence of a proximal thrombus was 3 per cent (eight of 245 procedures) for patients who were less than seventy-five years old and 16 per cent (twelve of seventy-seven procedures) for patients who were seventy-five years old or more (p < 0.0001). No patient had a major bleeding complication. Twenty-nine other patients who had an additional risk factor for thrombosis, such as a history of deep venous thrombosis, were managed with intermittent pneumatic compression and low-dose warfarin. The prevalence of proximal deep venous thrombosis in this group of patients was 19 per cent (six of thirty-one procedures). Intraoperative and postoperative intermittent pneumatic compression, combined with the use of a regional anesthetic, was found to be highly effective in the prevention of proximal deep venous thrombosis after total hip replacement. Despite the limitations inherent in comparisons among series, it is noteworthy that the prevalence of proximal thrombosis in our series was similar to the reported prevalences in several large series of patients who had a total hip replacement and were managed with either low-dose warfarin or low-molecular-weight heparin. However, there was no risk of major postoperative bleeding in the current study.


Using hand-collected data on corporate bond and stock offerings, we identify the impact of government debt on corporate financing during World War I. The early twentieth century provides a unique opportunity to identify the impact of government debt on private financing because during this period (1) firms announced the amount they wanted to raise before each security offering and (2) the Treasury issued debt in discrete intervals. We identify the impact of Treasury issues by comparing differences in the amount firms offered to the amount they actually raised when the Treasury was borrowing to when the Treasury was not in the market. We find that long term government bond offerings negatively affect both amount of long-term corporate bonds and dividend paying stocks issued. In contrast, we find no effect of government bond offerings on short term debt issue. Our findings suggest that investors view dividend paying stocks as a close substitute for relatively safe long-term bonds.


Despite a rise in anti-EU rhetoric and a growing assertiveness in Ankara's relations with Brussels, Turkey will continue to seek closer integration with the European Union in the coming years. The current stalemate in the accession process has been a source of irritation to Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government. Nonetheless, a complete collapse of accession talks would be a much worse scenario for the ruling AKP party. Currently, the government is primarily interested in keeping the negotiation process alive, rather than hoping to gain full membership any time soon.
Erdogan's government will likely seek to continue the accession talks because the AKP is acutely aware of their importance for the country's domestic politics, for its the economy, and – although to a lesser extent – for Turkey's international standing. The opportunity to capitalise on this process will encourage the Turkish government to avoid crises in its relations with the EU, or to at least mitigate the impact of any potential diplomatic fallouts.


Within a species' distribution, there is often a core population that constitutes the majority of individuals. When threats to a species are present, the core populations within the species distribution usually receive the majority of the conservation effort. However, when core populations are threatened, peripheral populations of a species distribution may be critical for conservation. Warmer temperatures along the Atlantic coastal plain may allow peripheral bat populations to remain active through the winter, thereby lowering the probability that they will migrate to hibernacula or wintering sites. Wintering at hibernacula and migrations to wintering sites are both associated with high mortality in multiple bat species because of White Nose Syndrome (WNS) and fatalities at wind farms, respectively. The objective of this study was to determine if, during the winter, peripheral populations of bats in the North Carolina coastal plain are more active than non-peripheral populations. I established four Song Meter recording stations along a 295 kilometer north-south transect in the coastal plain (peripheral sites) and two Song Meter recording stations in the piedmont (non-peripheral sites) of North Carolina I recorded activity every night from sunset to sunrise, during the years 2012-2014. At all sites in both regions (piedmont and coastal plain) there was lower bat activity in the winter compared with the summer. However, winter was the only season where region was a significant predictor, on its own, of bat activity, whereby the coastal plain had higher bat activity in the winter when compared to the piedmont. Moreover, the probability of recording bats during the winter was higher on the coastal plain when compared to the piedmont. In addition, I was able to conservatively identify a subset of my recordings to species. In general, the same species of bats were present in the summer and the winter on the coastal plain. Importantly, bats species that have seen high mortality from WNS, including Myotis septentrionalis and Perimyotis subflavus, were active during the winter in the coastal plain. Increased winter activity of WNS impacted species in peripheral North Carolina populations means these individuals could never come into contact with Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd; the fungus characteristic of WNS) spores or could increase their survival should they be infected with Pd. I also found that migratory tree bat species are using the coastal plain and piedmont regions differently with the piedmont likely being used as a stopover point along a migratory route and the coastal plain likely being used as a wintering ground. Of the migratory tree bats, Lasiurus borealis remained present year-round on the coastal plain. On the other hand, Lasiurus cinereus and Lasionycteris noctivagans appeared to migrate, in some cases to the coastal plain. Migration by Lasiurus cinereus and Lasionycteris noctivagans could lead to mortality from wind turbines. My study demonstrates important seasonal differences in activity between coastal plain (peripheral) and piedmont (non-peripheral) populations of bats in the Atlantic coastal plain and underscores the conservation importance of the winter activity of peripheral bat populations.


Introduction The initial results of the demographic analysis based on the Autonomous Indigenous Census of the Rio Negro (CIARN) indicated possible maternal high mortality rates, that is, indigenous women in the whole Rio Negro region were dying immediately before or after delivery. With this information I tried to start a dialogue with the indigenous teachers in the Iauareté region (see maps 1, 2 and 3) on women's health in order to begin a study on the perception these women had about their health. I carried out the study between 1997 and 2000 in close collaboration with the Association of Indigenous Women of the District of Iauareté (AMIDI), a grassroots association linked to FOIRN. The work initially was geared to learning the concepts of reproductive health of Tukano women, trying to relate them with the fertility levels and patterns of these women. The goal on the part of the women of the AMIDI was to produce recommendations for public health policies with respect to the health of indigenous women in the Rio Negro region.


Localities bearing abundant enrolled Cambrian trilobites are extremely rare, but here we report a new and exceptional such assemblage with a high diversity of enrolled specimens from the middle Cambrian of Spain. This novel find demonstrates that encapsulated enrollment was a behavioral response available to many of the early benthic trilobite morphotypes. This result provides a new perspective for reviewing the evolution of trilobite enrollment through the Paleozoic. We find a significant and consistent increase in the proportion of enrolled trilobites within assemblages bearing abundant articulated trilobites. Similarly, the mean number of coaptative devices also increased progressively during the Paleozoic. Such devices likely provided later enrolled trilobites with greater structural integrity, and may support an escalatory model of trilobite defense evolution. Likewise, environmental circumstances favoring the preservation of enrolled trilobites may have become more common during post-Cambrian time.


Z. mobilis has attracted great biotechnology interest in recent decades due to its unique metabolism and the ability to produce bioethanol from simple sugars in an effectively and quickly way. Z. mobilis also produce other bioactive products as fructose, gluconic acid, sorbitol, levan, fructo-oligosaccharides. This study aimed to identify proteins differentially expressed by Z. mobilis ZAG-12 under fermentative conditions with low and high concentration of sucrose. Z. mobilis ZAG-12 was grown on SSDL in two fermentation conditions involving low (50g/L; 5%) or high (200g/L; 20%) sucrose concentrations. The bacteria were grown at 30°C without agitation under oxygen-limited conditions and cell growth was monitored by OD for 72 h. Sucrose, glucose, fructose, ethanol, sorbitol and levan were quantified in the fermentative liquid. The identification of differently expressed proteins were analyzed by Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. The results showed that Z. mobilis ZAG-12 altered its protein expression and formation of products, such as ethanol and sorbitol, in response to a change in sucrose concentration. This response was characterized by proteomic analysis that detected 39 differentially expressed proteins, most related to transport and carbohydrate metabolism, amino acid metabolism and translation. The proteomic profile provided a better understanding of the physiological responses on how this promising microorganism redirects its metabolic flux to the production of ethanol and co-products.


Summary
Non-invasive techniques have long been used to estimate wildlife population abundance and density. However, recent technological breakthroughs have facilitated non-invasive estimation of the proportion of animal populations with certain diseases. Giraffes Giraffa camelopardalis are increasingly becoming recognized as a species of conservation concern with decreasing population trajectories across their range in Africa.
Diseases may be an important component impacting giraffe population declines, and the emerging 'Giraffe Skin Disease' (GSD), characterized by the appearance of wrinkled skin and alopecic lesions on the limbs, neck, and chest of infected giraffe, may hinder movement causing increased susceptibility to predation.
We examined the prevalence of GSD in Tanzania's Ruaha National Park over a 4-month period in 2015, using photographic capture–recapture surveys via road-based transects. We divided the study area into five circuitous survey units, each approximately 100 km in length ($\bar x$ = 99.22 km, SD = 3.72), and surveyed for giraffes for four months. From these surveys, we developed a database of spatially-explicit giraffe photographs.
We processed these photos for individual identification and fitted spatial capture–recapture models to predict the spatial configuration of giraffe abundance and GSD prevalence within the study area.
Our results indicated that >86% of the giraffe population showed signs of GSD and that the disease was more prevalent in the northern and north-eastern portion of Ruaha National Park.
Synthesis and applications. Our research shows that data from non-invasive surveys can be used in spatial capture–recapture (SCR) models to estimate the proportion of a population affected by a visible disease. Researchers and conservationists can use SCR models to better examine the variation in parameters associated with these populations such as sex and age class, movement, and encounter rate, which may be linked to the prevalence of the disease, while incorporating broad spatial and temporal dimensions of the population in such areas. We discuss the implications of this research for conservation of threatened species with an emphasis on disease ecology and vulnerability to predations, and more broadly, for wildlife conservation.

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&NA; We have analyzed the expression of Alzheimer's disease‐associated presenilin 1 (PS1) in various neurodegenerative disorders. Western blotting identified PS1 N‐ and C‐terminal fragments similarly in the cortex of controls, Parkinson, Huntington and schizophrenia subjects. Additional PS1 immunoreactive species of 42 and 46 kDa were present in six out of seven cases of sporadic frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and these were particularly prominent in two cases. RT‐PCR analysis using nested primers showed the presence of PS1 gene products with deletions within the exon 4–8 region. Our results suggest that alternative transcription of PS1 may be associated with FTD.


Neuronal cell networks have been reconstructed on planar microelectrode arrays (NMAs) from dissociated hippocampal pyramidal neurons. Microcontact printing (pCP) and a photoresist-liftoff method were used to selectively localize poly-L-lysine (PLL) on the surface of NWAs. Haptotaxis led to the organization of the neurons into networks localized adjacent to microelectrodes. Various grids of PLL with 2-25-pm-wide lines spaced by 50-200 pm with 15-25-pm nodes at intersection points were used to guide cell body attachment and neurite outgrowth. Bursting activity with spike attenuation was observed, and multichannel recordings detected instances of coincident firing activity. Finally, we present here an extracellular recording from a -2 pm bundle of guided neurites.


Conventional wisdom attributes the lack of effective technology use in classrooms to a shortage of professional development or poorly run professional development. At the same time, logo-like learning environments require teachers to develop more expertise not only in technology but also in pedagogy.

This paper proposes that the perceived lack of technology professional development is a myth and that traditional professional development is ill-suited to teaching teachers how to create logo-like learning environments. Furthermore, it proposes models of student-centered, student-led support for teachers that support classroom practice aligned with the attributes of logo-like learning environments. These models situate teacher learning about technology in their own classroom, reinforce constructivist teaching practices, provide support for technology use in the classroom, and enrich learning environments for students.


A quantitative biostratigraphic and radiometric calibration is presented for the Pennsylvanian through Early Permian global time scale, based upon high-precision, isotope dilution–thermal ionization mass spectrometer (ID-TIMS) U-Pb zircon ages for interstratified ash beds in the parastratotype sections of the southern Urals of Russia. Twenty-four ash-bed ages in three outer ramp and basinal sections of the Pre-Uralian foredeep bracket the biotic definitions of global stages and regional substages from the base of the Upper Pennsylvanian Kasimovian Stage to the base of the Lower Permian Artinskian Stage; four additional ash-bed ages in two sections of the eastern slope of the Urals constrain the global Bashkirian and Serpukhovian Stages. Quantitative stratigraphic methods (CONOP9) are applied to a compilation of over 2000 bioevents in 22 stratigraphic sections supplemented by our dated volcanic horizons to refine the Pennsylvanian–Early Permian global time scale. Significant shifts in the duration of several stages are demonstrated, ranging from one to six million years, compared with prior estimates. The unprecedented density of radiometric calibration points for the Pennsylvanian–Permian transition provides a high-resolution (∼0.1-Ma) global chronostratigraphic standard for testing and improving biostratigraphic correlations across Euramerica. We integrate radiometric ages, biostratigraphic correlation, and cyclostratigraphic tuning of major cyclothems to the long-period (404-ka) eccentricity cycle to elucidate the tempo, magnitude, and forcing of eustatic changes and cyclothemic deposition associated with the waxing and waning of Gondwanan ice sheets, and establish a pan-Euramerican chronostratigraphic framework for most of Pennsylvanian and Early Permian time.


This study attempts to get at some practical implications
for the development of communicative ESP reading
skills for EST students in science faculties in Iraq.
While the title of this study suggests that the teaching
itself may be the main topic, in fact, a very substantial
amount of the thinking discussed in it is concerned with
planning and realisation of potential. I have tried as
far as I can to visualise the ESP operation throughout
from the viewpoint of the country concerned, which means
a constant awareness of its ideologies, its educational
setting and the structure of its society,as these affect
both national objectives and students' aspirations.
The study comprises five chapters and a conclusion; and
a substantial part of it is a fieldwork carried out in the
faculty of medicine in Iraq.
Chapter One is concerned with the history of the
communicative syllabuses and the development of the
communicative curriculum. It attempts to show how a
realisation of a set of ideas such as notional/functional
syllabuses, needs analysis and communicative language
teaching came about. It also concentrates on the continuous
change in the needs of our developing society,
which implies that our methodological observations,
commentary and recommendations should not be final. In
turn our methods of teaching, research in language
xvi
analyses and language learning and, after all, the teaching
profession needs to be re-assessed in order to cope with
the disciplines relevant to the language teaching/learning
process and to the learners' needs. The Chapter also
discusses how linguists and language teachers, particularly
foreign/second language teachers, have turned their.
attention to the communicative properties of the language,
its use and function, which in turn has led to the notion
that the language teaching/learning process should, simply,
involve a profound change in the profession towards the
idea of communicative language teaching and towards concentration
on the practical needs of the learner.
The main thrust of Chapter Two is towards the analysis
of the communicative functions of language and the implications
of this for ESP. In fact, for the past few years,
English for Specific Purposes has been a major developmental
focus in the area of communicative syllabus design
and materials production. The Chapter identifies some of
the factors that characterise ESP and discusses some of
the theoretical implications of an approach to EST which
emphasises the communicative properties of language
without ignoring the linguistic ones. It also emphasises
the notion of preparing EST materials which should give
priority to learners' needs and aspirations as well as
taking the limitations of the educational environment
into consideration. The taxonomy of ESP courses, nature
of scientific English and approaches to EST materials
analysis and production are discussed. Special concentration
is also placed on EST teacher training and some
xvii
EST communication activities such as group-work techniques,
the debate and the information gap activities.
Chapter Three deals with developing reading skills in
a foreign language for students of science and technology,
with emphasis on reading for meaning. It examines the
various skills required in effective reading and suggests
classroom approaches and materials to develop and integrate
them as well as to integrate reading skills with other
language skills. It looks in detail at study skills which
are adjacent to reading skills. Types of reading tests
are discussed and some reading exercises dealing with
authentic scientific reading texts are incorporated.
Measurement and evaluation of students' reading skills are
also touched upon.
Actually, the huge amount of research carried out in
reading skills recently indicates that the problem of
developing reading skills has not been solved yet, but
these efforts are mute evidence that a solution whereby an
effective theory of reading instruction would evolve.
Surely there is no magical vaccination which can be injected
in students to make them efficient readers, but persistent
and scientific efforts can. However, as the significance
of reading skills in all subjects is increasingly being
recognised, particularly in view of the demands of EST
reading courses in EFL situations, it is essential to
understand as objectively as possible the use of specific
techniques and language teaching approaches which would be
of use in fostering and developing reading skills for
foreign language learners.
xviii
An effort is made in Chapter Four to assess the
usefulness of a communicative approach intended to lead
medical students to flexibility in their reading of
medical texts. The Chapter deals with designing a
communicative EST reading skills course for students of
the faculty of medicine in Iraq. It sheds some light on
some of the language needs of these students, delineates
a step-by-step procedure for designing an EST reading
skills course for them and shows the way in which the
course was applied and the results were analysed and
computed. Essentially, the approach adopted involved
students in group-work activities to read and reflect on
the results of their reading. The approach aimed at
extending students' reading competence and developing
their reading span.
The fieldwork has shown that authentic and directly
relevant texts to students' field of specialisation as well
as communicative teaching techniques can improve the student
reading skills, motivation and attainment to participate
in classroom interaction at discoursal level. It has
also shown that more work needs to be done as far as
reading, listening, writing and speaking are concerned in
the faculty of medicine.
Chapter Five is mainly concerned with the prospects
of the EST situation in Iraq. The Chapter commences by
outlining various factors in the general academic, administrative
and educational environment of EFL in Iraq
xix
which is thought to have affected the sample before
university entrance. It also discusses the existing
EST situation in the country and touches upon points of
failure and success of the profession. It also suggests
some implications for possible amendment.
The conclusion calls for more detailed work to be done
for the development of the EST course in science faculties
in Iraq where English is increasingly becoming a 'library'
language'. It thus calls for taking genuine steps to
analyse EST students' needs, design effective EST programmes
in Iraqi science faculties and provide them with
well-trained EST teachers.


COMPUTATIONALLY EFFICIENT MODELING OF TRANSIENT RADIATION IN A PURELY SCATTERING FOAM LAYER R. Scott Larson Department of Mechanical Engineering Master of Science An efficient solution method for evaluating radiative transport in a foam layer is a valuable tool for predicting the properties of the layer. Two different solution methods have been investigated. First, a reverse Monte Carlo (RMC) simulation has been developed. In the RMC simulation photon bundles are traced backwards from a detector to the source where they were emitted. The RMC method takes advantage of time reflection symmetry, allowing the photons to be traced backwards in the same manner they are tracked in a standard forward Monte Carlo scheme. Second, a reduced order model based on the singular value decomposition (ROM) has been developed. ROM uses solutions of the reflectance-time profiles found for specific values of the governing parameters to form a solution basis that can be used to generate the profile for any arbitrary values of the parameter set. The governing parameters that were used in this study include the foam layer thickness, the asymmetry parameter, and the scattering coefficient. Layer thicknesses between 4 cm and 20 cm were considered. Values of the asymmetry parameter varied between 0.2 and .08, while the scattering coefficient ranged from 2800 m to 14000 m. Ten blind test cases with parameters chosen randomly from these ranges were run and compared to an established forward Monte Carlo (FMC) solution to determine the accuracy and efficiency of both methods. For both RMC and ROM methods the agreement with FMC is good. The average difference in areas under the curves relative to the FMC curve for the ten cases of RMC is 7.1% and for ROM is 7.6%. One of the ten cases causes ROM to extrapolate outside of its data set. If this case is excluded the average error for the remaining nine cases is 5.3%. While the efficiency of RMC for this case is not much greater than that of FMC, it is advantageous in that a solution over a specified time range can be found, as apposed to the FMC where the entire profile must be found. ROM is a very efficient solution method. After a library of solutions is developed, a separated solution with different parameters can be found essentially in realtime. Because of the efficiency of this ROM it is a very promising solution technique for property analysis using inverse methods.


Background Despite global progress in the fight to reduce maternal mortality, HIV-related maternal deaths remain persistently high, particularly in much of Africa. Lifelong antiretroviral therapy (ART) appears to be the most effective way to prevent these deaths, but the rates of three key outcomes—ART initiation, retention in care, and long-term ART adherence—remain low. This systematic review synthesized evidence on health systems factors affecting these outcomes in pregnant and postpartum women living with HIV. Methods Searches were conducted for studies addressing the population of interest (HIV-infected pregnant and postpartum women), the intervention of interest (ART), and the outcomes of interest (initiation, adherence, and retention). Quantitative and qualitative studies published in English since January 2008 were included. A four-stage narrative synthesis design was used to analyze findings. Review findings from 42 included studies were categorized according to five themes: 1) models of care, 2) service delivery, 3) resource constraints and governance challenges, 4) patient-health system engagement, and 5) maternal ART interventions. Results Low prioritization of maternal ART and persistent dropout along the maternal ART cascade were key findings. Service delivery barriers included poor communication and coordination among health system actors, poor clinical practices, and gaps in provider training. The few studies that assessed maternal ART interventions demonstrated the importance of multi-pronged, multi-leveled interventions. Conclusions There has been a lack of emphasis on the experiences, needs and vulnerabilities particular to HIV-infected pregnant and postpartum women. Supporting these women to successfully traverse the maternal ART cascade requires carefully designed and targeted interventions throughout the steps. Careful design of integrated service delivery models is of critical importance in this effort. Key knowledge gaps and research priorities were also identified, including definitions and indicators of adherence rates, and the importance of cumulative measures of dropout along the maternal ART cascade.


EXECUTIVE SUMMARY * Deepening insolvency is a relatively new end developing legal theory. Courts have disagreed about whether deepening insolvency is a stand-alone tort claim or simply a basis for seeking damages related to fraud, professional malpractice or another claim. * If an auditor is alleged to have "missed" an accounting irregularity in an audit or the performance of other services, and eventually the company fails, a claim for deepening insolvency might be asserted. * The core of the deepening insolvency theory is that an insolvent corporation and/or its creditors are harmed when a defendant fraudulently or negligently plays a role in increasing a corporation's debt and exposure to creditors, or in depleting its assets by artificially prolonging the corporation's life. ********** [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] As courts continue to expand theories for holding auditors liable to clients and third parties--particularly in connection with business failures---the concept of deepening insolvency is gaining prominence. This article focuses on the issues raised by this emerging claim and on its ramifications for auditors. Courts have disagreed about whether deepening insolvency is a standalone tort claim or simply a basis for seeking damages related to fraud, professional malpractice or another claim. Indeed, there is some question about whether deepening insolvency should be a viable basis of recovery at all. One thing is clear--deepening insolvency generally creates increased risk of exposure to legal action for audit professionals, particularly related to troubled businesses. In some cases, the theory may create additional scrutiny of the auditor's consideration, required by Statement on Auditing Standards no. 59, of an entity's ability to continue as a going concern. In an ordinary negligence or fraud case, damages are limited to actual losses that the plaintiff suffers, often measured in lost profits, a decrease in asset values or in creased costs. The deepening insolvency theory seeks recovery for the expansion of corporate debt and the prolonged life of the corporation. But there have been few cases that recognize deepening insolvency as a cause of action rather than as a damages theory. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Insolvency is generally understood, from a balance sheet perspective, as a financial condition such that the sum of the entity's debts is greater than the fair value of a company's assets. What deepening insolvency cases have also focused on, however, is cash flow insolvency--when a company incurs debt that would be beyond its ability to pay in future years--and low capital insolvency--when a company engages in a transaction or business that its capital base cannot support. The phrase deepening insolvency appears to have had its origins in the mid-1980s in litigation concerning failed businesses. The AICPA has followed this controversial theory as it has been presented to various courts. In the case of Crowley v. Chait, (No. 06-2209) pending in the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, the AICPA filed a friend-of-the-court brief in support of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. The case involves an appeal by PricewaterhouseCoopers following a trial in New Jersey federal court relating to claims made against the audit firm after the insolvency of Ambassador Insurance Co. The insurer's Vermont regulator asserted negligence claims on grounds that if the outside auditor had conducted a proper audit, the regulator would have learned that Ambassador was near insolvency and would have placed the company into receivership 20 months sooner. The AICPA argued against application of deepening insolvency damages on a claim for professional negligence. THE COURTS' VIEWS Recent court decisions demonstrate a lack of consistency in application and acceptance of this theory. For example, there is a debate whether deepening insolvency is a standalone claim or just another theory of damages for a negligence or fraud claim. …


The area of classical (product form) queueing networks is briefly discussed. The principal results for classical queueing networks are summarized. The transfer, service and rejection blocking policies are defined, and their use in queueing network models are presented. An overview of the literature in the area of queueing networks with blocking is given, and the relations between the three blocking policies is discussed in general. Duality theorems for open and closed queueing networks with rejection blocking and a single job class are proved. Using a duality theorem, an exact solution is found for closed blocking networks which contain so many jobs that if one station is empty all other stations are full. Algorithms to compute performance measures, in particular throughputs, follow from the way the solution is obtained. It is then proved that for open, mixed and closed networks with rejection blocking, multiple job classes, general service time distributions and reversible routing the equilibrium state probabilities have product form. The reversed process for these networks is examined, and it is proved that it represents a network of the same type. Formulas for throughputs are derived, and algorithms to compute performance measures are outlined. Finally, closed central server models with state-dependent routing, multiple job classes and rejection blocking are investigated. The equilibrium state probabilities have a modified product form, and the reversed process is a network of the same type. Formulas for performance measures are derived for this model and algorithms to compute them are outlined.


The volcanosedimentary rocks that host the Au-rich porphyry Cu deposits of the Cadia Valley preserve the products of episodic volcanism that erupted into a large sedimentary basin. Volcanogenic sedimentation, including the Forest Reefs Volcanics, overwhelmed the fine-grained sedimentary component that characterized much of the Weemalla Formation. The Forest Reefs Volcanics evolved as a relatively low relief, multiple-vent submarine volcanic complex. The vents comprised mafic to intermediate lava flows, cryptodomes, and subvolcanic intrusions (dikes and sills). Stacked lava sequences, including hyaloclastites, massive lavas, and their reworked equivalents, are up to 1 km thick, forming significant intrabasinal topography. Explosive volcanism occurred during the late stages of Forest Reefs Volcanics deposition. These air-fall deposits, combined with coexisting shallow-water faunal assemblages, imply that volcanism became locally emergent. Continuity of sedimentation between underlying deep marine basin deposits of the Weemalla Formation and Forest Reefs Volcanics, coupled with the predominance of sheet-like, laterally continuous debris flow and other coarse-grained sedimentary deposits, implies that volcanism and related sedimentation persisted in an active sedimentary basin marginal to an oceanic island arc. Deposition of the Forest Reefs Volcanics spanned the Late Ordovician to Early Silurian. Monzonite fragments (identical to the ore-related intrusions) are abundant in sedimentary breccias found at the top of the preserved volcanic stratigraphy. This finding, combined with available absolute ages of crosscutting intrusions and associated hydrothermal alteration and mineralization, suggests that some volcanosedimentary units were deposited synchronously with or immediately after the last known porphyry-related hydrothermal event in the Cadia Valley. The Au-rich porphyry deposits were therefore emplaced into an evolving sedimentary basin with episodic intrabasinal magmatism. Permeable horizons and volcanic lithofacies can preferentially host alteration and mineralization that can extend over several kilometers in lateral extent. This finding suggests that hydrological models of fluid flow in porphyry systems need to take basin architecture into account.


We use a randomized experiment and a structural model to test whether monitoring and financial incentives can reduce teacher absence and increase learning in India. In treatment schools, teachers' attendance was monitored daily using cameras, and their salaries were made a nonlinear function of attendance. Teacher absenteeism in the treatment group fell by 21 percentage points relative to the control group, and the children's test scores increased by 0.17 standard deviations. We estimate a structural dynamic labor supply model and find that teachers respond strongly to financial incentives. Our model is used to compute cost-minimizing compensation policies. (JEL I21, J31, J45, O15)


Numerous Neotropical Magnolia species are endangered and red-listed by the IUCN. Here we highlight major results from over a decade of research on endangered magnolias in western Mexico. Particularly, we compare three species of Magnolia (M. pugana, M. pacifica and M. vallartensis) along a large-scale continentality and moisture gradients, in terms of a) their morphological adaptations, b) genetic structure, diversity, and differentiation, c) reproductive phenology, and d) floral scents and their floral visitors. Fieldwork along this gradient unveiled two new species of Magnolia sect. Magnolia; M. granbarrancae and M. talpana. We found that most continental populations have a higher extinction risk than those with greater maritime influence, due to their lower genetic diversity, and greater fragmentation, isolation, and water stress. Also, these populations are more vulnerable to the environmental conditions predicted with the global warming climate scenarios. We share fieldwork experience and advise on pre-germination treatments and seed dormancy. We propose an ex-situ and in-situ conservation strategy, identify new challenges, and suggest future directions of collaborative work as a global Magnolia conservation consortium.


We investigated the effects of tinnitus on measures of arousal and attention at various levels of the neuraxis to derive a profile of the pathophysiology of tinnitus. Individuals with tinnitus of at least 6 months' duration (14 male, 15 female) and healthy controls (14 male, 21 female) were tested for arousal and habituation to repetitive stimulation at the brainstem-thalamus level by measuring the P50 potential, a scalp-recorded, auditory-evoked response, using pairs of click stimuli. We used the psychomotor vigilance task, a reaction-time test, to assess attentional processes mediated by thalamocortical functions. We then correlated deficits in arousal and attention, as measured by these tests, with perceived tinnitus severity. Results showed no difference between tinnitus patients and controls in level of arousal or habituation to repetitive sensory stimulation, as measured by the amplitude of the P50 potential and the ability to suppress a second, closely paired stimulus, respectively. However, reaction-time assessments showed that patients with tinnitus have attentional deficits relative to controls (p = .02). We found no significant correlation between sleep disturbance or tinnitus severity and reaction-time testing.


OBJECTIVE
Recent data indicate that more than 65% of patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) fail to achieve remission. This article reviews research on the current understanding and management of residual symptoms, i.e., subthreshold depressive symptoms present after recovery from a major depressive episode.

DATA SOURCES
MEDLINE (1966 to June 2006) was searched using combinations of the following search terms: major depressive disorder, residual symptoms, remission, response, tachyphylaxis, antidepressant, algorithm, treatment, responsiveness, serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine.

STUDY SELECTION
All relevant articles that were published in English and reported original study data related to residual symptoms in MDD were included.

DATA EXTRACTION
Studies were examined for data related to the prevalence, presentation, consequences, treatment, and neurobiological underpinnings of residual symptoms associated with MDD.

DATA SYNTHESIS
Residual symptoms are common among patients treated for MDD who do not achieve full remission. Incomplete remission is associated with increased risk of relapse, suicide, functional impairment, and higher use of health care resources. Several factors, including "downstream" neurochemical mechanisms and clinical factors such as lack of adherence, contribute to the high prevalence of residual symptoms. Various clinical strategies, including switching and substitution antidepressant therapies, are used to address unresolved depressive symptoms. Individual differences in therapeutic response contribute to inadequate treatment and are linked to numerous clinical and neurobiological factors, including noncompliance, underdosing, intolerance, disturbances in neural circuitry, and genetic variability in neurotransmitters.

CONCLUSIONS
Future research is needed to more precisely characterize residual symptoms and their underlying biochemical and molecular mechanisms in order to develop more effective treatment methods.


Lenin and Revolutionary Russia examines the background to and the course of the Russian Revolution of 1917 and Lenin's regime. It explores all the key aspects such as the development of the Bolsheviks as a revolutionary party, the 1905 Revolution, the collapse of the Tsarists, the Russian Civil War and historical interpretations of Lenin's legacy to Russian history.


The results of several years of studies concerning the role of penguin rookeries in the functioning of the land ecosystems in the maritime Antarctic are summarized. The origins of phosphatic ornithogenic soil in the areas of currently active penguin rookeries arc presented. In the maritime Antarctic occurs relatively fast microbiological decomposition and mineralization of large amounts of excrements carried into coastal area by penguins during breeding period. Chemically aggressive water solutions of guano react with underlaying rocks. This process brings about the occurrence of wide zones of phosphatizati on. These processes cause the appearance of the series of phosphate minerals whose composition and properties depend on the changing physical and chemical conditions of the soil environment. It has been discovered that in the rookeries for various reasons abandoned by penguins phosphates are still present in large amounts and, gradually changed and washed out, have been for hundreds, or even thousands years a source of nutrients for plants growing in poor Antarctic land ecosystems. These soils came to be called the relic ornithogenic soils of the maritime Antarctic. The stages of plant colonization in the abandoned penguin rookeries were traced. The differences in the fate of the organic matter carried out from the sea to the coastal area by sea-birds in various climatic zones were discussed.


'a book I prize next to the Bible' Robert Burns Mackenzie's hugely popular novel of 1771 is the foremost work of the sentimental movement, in which sentiment and sensibility were allied with true virtue, and sensitivity is the mark of the man of feeling. The hero, Harley, is followed in a series of episodes demonstrating his benevolence in an uncaring world: he assists the down-trodden, loses his love, and fails to achieve worldly success. The novel asks a series of vital questions: what morality is possible in a complex commercial world? Does trying to maintain it make you a saint or a fool? Is sentiment merely a luxury for the leisured classes? This edition reprints Brian Vickers's authoritative text, with a new introduction that discusses the novel in the context of the Scottish Enlightenment and European sentimentalism. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.


Urban freeways often cut through the heart of a city, destroying neighborhoods, displacing residents, and reconfiguring street maps. These massive infrastructure projects, costing billions of dollars in transportation funds, have been shaped for the last half century by the ideas of highway engineers, urban planners, landscape architects, and architects -- with highway engineers playing the leading role. In Changing Lanes, Joseph DiMento and Cliff Ellis describe the evolution of the urban freeway in the United States, from its rural parkway precursors through the construction of the interstate highway system to emerging alternatives for more sustainable urban transportation. DiMento and Ellis describe controversies that arose over urban freeway construction, focusing on three cases: Syracuse, which early on embraced freeways through its center; Los Angeles, which rejected some routes and then built I-105, the most expensive urban road of its time; and Memphis, which blocked the construction of I-40 through its core. Finally, they consider the emerging urban highway removal movement and other innovative efforts by cities to re-envision urban transportation.


The interpretation of model precipitation output (e.g., as a gridpoint estimate versus as an areal mean) has a large impact on the evaluation and comparison of simulated daily extreme rainfall indices from climate models. It is first argued that interpretation as a gridpoint estimate (i.e., corresponding to station data) is incorrect. The impacts of this interpretation versus the areal mean interpretation in the context of rainfall extremes are then illustrated. A high-resolution (0.25° 0.25° grid) daily observed precipitation dataset for the United States [from Climate Prediction Center (CPC)] is used as idealized perfect model gridded data. Both 30-yr return levels of daily precipitation (P30) and a simple daily intensity index are substantially reduced in these data when estimated at coarser resolution compared to the estimation at finer resolution. The reduction of P30 averaged over the conterminous United States is about 9%, 15%, 28%, 33%, and 43% when the data were first interpolated to 0.5° 0.5°, 1° 1°, 2° 2°, 3° 3°, and 4° 4° grid boxes, respectively, before the calculation of extremes. The differences resulting from the point estimate versus areal mean interpretation are sensitive to both the data grid size and to the particular extreme rainfall index analyzed. The differences are not as sensitive to the magnitude and regional distribution of the indices. Almost all Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fourth Assessment Report (AR4) models underestimate U.S. mean P30 if it is compared directly with P30 estimated from the high-resolution CPC daily rainfall observation. On the other hand, if CPC daily data are first interpolated to various model resolutions before calculating the P30 (a more correct procedure in our view), about half of the models show good agreement with observations while most of the remaining models tend to overestimate the mean intensity of heavy rainfall events. A further implication of interpreting model precipitation output as an areal mean is that use of either simple multimodel ensemble averages of extreme rainfall or of intermodel variability measures of extreme rainfall to assess the common characteristics and range of uncertainties in current climate models is not appropriate if simulated extreme rainfall is analyzed at a model's native resolution. Owing to the large sensitivity to the assumption used, the authors recommend that for analysis of precipitation extremes, investigators interpret model precipitation output as an area average as opposed to a point estimate and then ensure that various analysis steps remain consistent with that interpretation.


"Plat_Forms" is a competition in which top-class teams of three professional programmers competed to implement the same requirements for a web-based system within 30 hours, each team using a different technology platform (Java EE, PHP, or Perl). Plat_Forms intends to provide new insights into the real (rather than purported) pros, cons, and emergent properties of each platform. This report describes the evaluation of the solutions delivered by the participants and of the development process and presents the evaluation methodology as well as the results in great detail. It analyzes many aspects of each solution, both external (usability, functionality, reliability, robustness, etc.) and internal (size, structure, flexibility, modifiability, etc.). The many results we obtained cover a wide spectrum: First, there are results that many people would have called "obvious" or "well known", say, that Perl solutions tend to be more compact than Java solutions. Second, there are results that contradict conventional wisdom, say, that our PHP solutions appear in some (but not all) respects to be actually at least as secure as the others. Finally, one result makes a statement we have not seen discussed previously: The amount of variation between the teams tends to be smaller for PHP than for the other platforms in a whole variety of different respects.


In this paper, we present a Bayesian framework for multilabel classification using compressed sensing. The key idea in compressed sensing for multilabel classification is to first project the label vector to a lower dimensional space using a random transformation and then learn regression functions over these projections. Our approach considers both of these components in a single probabilistic model, thereby jointly optimizing over compression as well as learning tasks. We then derive an efficient variational inference scheme that provides joint posterior distribution over all the unobserved labels. The two key benefits of the model are that a) it can naturally handle datasets that have missing labels and b) it can also measure uncertainty in prediction. The uncertainty estimate provided by the model allows for active learning paradigms where an oracle provides information about labels that promise to be maximally informative for the prediction task. Our experiments show significant boost over prior methods in terms of prediction performance over benchmark datasets, both in the fully labeled and the missing labels case. Finally, we also highlight various useful active learning scenarios that are enabled by the probabilistic model.


This article charts the EU's regulatory response to the global financial crisis, and explores what the response suggests about the new regulatory landscape and its risks. It explores how the current reform programme, in contrast to earlier reform periods, has been dominated by a concern to manage the pathology of the internal market through intensive EU "rules on the books" (law-making) but also, and for the first time in EU financial market regulation, through more radical "rules in action" (supervision and enforcement).

 The defining feature of the post-crisis reform movement seems to be the array of influences, chief among the new institutional structures, which are driving the financial markets regime toward greater centralization. The article examines this decisive move towards "More Europe" and assesses its ramifications. It argues that, while radical reform is certainly needed, the extent to which the EU now governs financial market regulation does generate risks, particularly with respect to the extent to which Member State flexibility and discretion is being squeezed from the regime.


Far field features of ore deposits include mineralogical, geochemical, or biological attributes that can be recognized beyond the obvious limits of the deposits. They can be primary, if formed in association with mineralization or alteration processes, or secondary, if formed from the interaction of ore deposits with the hydrosphere and biosphere. This paper examines a variety of far field features of different ore deposit types and considers novel applications to exploration and discovery.

Primary far field features include mineral and rock chemistry, isotopic or element halos, fluid pathways and thermal anomalies in host-rock sequences. Examples include the use of apatite chemistry to distinguish intrusive rocks permissive for iron oxide copper gold (IOCG) and porphyry deposits; resistate mineral (e.g., rutile, tourmaline) chemistry in exploration for volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS), orogenic gold, and porphyry deposits; and pyrite chemistry to vector toward sedimentary exhalative (sedex) deposits. Distinctive whole-rock geochemical signatures also can be recognized as a far field feature of porphyry deposits. For example, unique Sr/Y ratios in whole-rock samples, used to distinguish barren versus fertile magmas for Cu mineralization, result from the differentiation of oxidized hydrous melts. Anomalous concentrations of halogen elements (Cl, Br, and I) have been found for distances of up to 200 m away from some mineralized centers. Variations in isotopic composition between ore-bearing and barren intrusions and/or systematic vertical and lateral zonation in sulfur, carbon, or oxygen isotope values have been documented for some deposit types. Owing to the thermal aureole that extends beyond the area of mineralization for some deposits, detection of paleothermal effects through methods such as conodont alteration indices, vitrinite or bitumen reflectance, illite crystallinity, and apatite or zircon thermochronology studies also can be valuable, particularly for deposits with a low-temperature thermal history.

A number of newly investigated secondary far field features include the development of reduced columns by electrochemical processes in transported overburden, geochemical dispersion related to the expulsion of groundwater from tectonic and seismic compression, dispersion of vapor above ore deposits, and geochemical dispersion related to biological processes. Redox gradients have been found between underlying reduced and overlying oxidized environments associated with sulfide bodies, which result in mass transfer through electrochemical dispersion. Recent studies have characterized the pH, oxidation-reduction potential (ORP), and self potential (SP) in overburden overlying sulfide-hosted gold and VMS deposits. Lateral migration of metals in groundwater is well understood from normal groundwater flow, but the processes responsible for vertical mass transfer of groundwater and its dissolved components have been recognized only recently. One process, termed cyclical dilatancy pumping, expels groundwater during and after earthquake events, which can cause the redistribution of metals around deposits in some environments. Soil gases are of interest owing to their high degree of mobility through the vadose zone in transported overburden. Numerous soil gas species (CO2, O2, Hg, Rn, He, sulfur compounds, and light hydrocarbons) have been measured and interpreted as diagnostic of some buried mineral deposits, and some evidence suggests a possible link between vapor dispersion and metal enrichment in soil. Geochemical enrichment in plant material and soils through successive growth-death cycles is well established, but the important role of microorganisms is now increasingly evident. Microorganisms significantly enhance the kinetics of sulfide oxidation and influence the distribution of metals around ore deposits. The presence of metal-resistant bacteria and enhanced concentrations of sulfate-reducing bacteria in exotic overburden over buried sulfide deposits suggests that these organisms are attracted to this environment and, therefore, may be important indicators of deposits under cover.

Many of these newly recognized far field features have been documented in only a few case studies. Additional research is required to determine the scale of these features, controls on their formation, and the consistency with which they can be measured. Incorporation of methods for detecting far field features into field-based exploration programs may increase the probability of success, especially in covered terrains.


Product classification in Commerce search (\eg{} Google Product Search, Bing Shopping) involves associating categories to offers of products from a large number of merchants. The categorized offers are used in many tasks including product taxonomy browsing and matching merchant offers to products in the catalog. Hence, learning a product classifier with high precision and recall is of fundamental importance in order to provide high quality shopping experience. A product offer typically consists of a short textual description and an image depicting the product. Traditional approaches to this classification task is to learn a classifier using only the textual descriptions of the products. In this paper, we show that the use of images, a weaker signal in our setting, in conjunction with the textual descriptions, a more discriminative signal, can considerably improve the precision of the classification task, irrespective of the type of classifier being used. We present a novel classification approach, \Cross Adapt{} (\CrossAdaptAcro{}), that is cognizant of the disparity in the discriminative power of different types of signals and hence makes use of the confusion matrix of dominant signal (text in our setting) to prudently leverage the weaker signal (image), for an improved performance. Our evaluation performed on data from a major Commerce search engine's catalog shows a 12\% (absolute) improvement in precision at 100\% coverage, and a 16\% (absolute) improvement in recall at 90\% precision compared to classifiers that only use textual description of products. In addition, \CrossAdaptAcro{} also provides a more accurate classifier based only on the dominant signal (text) that can be used in situations in which only the dominant signal is available during application time.


This report examines how income groups and forms of employment in Germany have changed in the past two decades. Since the mid-1990s, inequality in disposable household income in Germany has generally increased. This trend was in effect until 2005. While fewer people had disposable incomes in the median range, the proportion of the population at both tails of the income distribution increased. At the same time, there were many changes in the labor market. Employment rose, working hours became increasingly differentiated, and starting in 2005, the unemployment rate fell. While the employment increase was spread across almost all income groups, it was reflected differently in each group. The proportion of people with low wages in the income groups below the median rose steadily during the two decades studied. At the same time, in 2014–15 more people in high income groups had regular types of employment than they did in the second half of the 1990s. In the groups in the median range, regular types of employment were recently as frequent as they were 20 years ago and unemployment also declined here. Further, in these groups the proportion of those with jobs paying low wages is higher.


Hydrogel membranes containing aminated microparticles have been investigated for reflectance based optical sensing. The membranes were evaluated by UV/Vis spectrophotometry, for potential use in a remote distributive fiber optic chemical sensor. This work describes efforts for improving the signal and decreasing the overall response time of the membranes. The microparticles were prepared by dispersion and seeded emulsion polymerization techniques. The microparticles were derivatized to introduce pH sensitivity. The hydrogel membranes containing swellable microparticles are turbid. Scattering occurs at the microparticlehydrogel interface and is based on refractive index changes accompanying polymer swelling. The particles swell in response to hydrogen ion concentration, causing them to reflect less light. Therefore, the membrane reflects light as a function of pH. There are many factors that control poly(VBC) particle size and distribution using dispersion polymerization. The factors that influence particle size were investigated using a factorial design experiment and systematic studies. The results indicate that increasing the solvency of the continuous phase, initiator concentration, monomer concentration, temperature and decreasing the stabilizer concentration lead to larger particle diameters. Any factor or combination of factors that enhances the solubility of the growing polymer, generally leads to increased particle diameters. Poly(vinyl alcohol), PVA, membranes containing aminated poly(vinylbenzyl chloride-co-trichlorophenyl acrylate) microparticles were prepared and characterized. The incorporation of trichlorophenyl acrylate, TCPA, in the microparticle formulation increases the hydrophilicity and increases the microporosity of the microparticles. As a result, the rate of diffusion is enhanced, producing membranes with faster response times, compared to aminated poly(VBC). Incorporating TCPA in the formulation significantly decreased the response time, but the magnitude of signal was only slightly increased. Using a seeded emulsion polymerization technique, porous 1.2 m m poly(VBC) microparticles were prepared. The particles were derivatized with diethanolamine and embedded in a PVA hydrogel and characterized. The response time of these membranes were faster than the membranes containing poly(VBCco-TCPA). The signal change was also much larger, approximately 10 times greater. The membrane turbidity increased with increasing thickness and microparticle concentration. A decrease in signal occurred for highly crosslinked microparticles and for high ionic strength solutions.