In this study, we investigated by FIB-SEM the microstructure of protective coatings formed by two inorganic treatments (namely, ammonium oxalate and ammonium phosphate solutions), with the aim of identifying the factors limiting the protective efficacy of the coatings and outlining possible improvement strategies. In the case of the oxalate treatment, the resulting layer of whewellite was found to contain vertical channels, which can allow water to reach the marble surface and trigger dissolution. Possible prevention of the formation of these channels by addition of a calcium source to the oxalate solution was attempted, but even micromolar additions led to rapid precipitation in the solution. In the case of the phosphate treatment, the resulting hydroxyapatite and octacalcium phosphate coating was found to be cracked and porous. To prevent cracks and pores, diminishing the ammonium phosphate concentration and adding ethanol to the solution were found to be effective strategies, as cracks were prevented and pores were reduced almost to zero. The resulting protective efficacy of the coating was found to be significantly improved, although still not perfect.


The use of diffuse reflection infrared spectroscopy for the quantitation of asbestos is investigated. The highly absorbing matrices that are typically present in an asbestos sample are addressed by the incorporation of an ashing technique that separates the asbestos from any cellulose matrix. The details for recovering microgram amounts of asbestos from the crucible after ashing are also described. About 0.01% by weight of amosite asbestos in cellulose can be detected. In addition, a curve-fitting program is used to assist in quantitation of two-component asbestos mixtures and in the quantitation of asbestos in the presence of china clay, a silicate commonly associated with asbestos insulation. The method shows that about 3 μg of amosite can be detected in a matrix composed of four times this mass in chrysotile and four times in kaolin.


Sr/Ca and Mg/Ca ratios in biomineral CaCO3 have recently been regarded as more reliable than δ18O values as proxy for paleotemperature because they are less affected by salinity or polar ice volume. We argue, however, that vital effects can exert a greater control than paleotemperature over fossil Sr/Ca. Seasonal perturbations in isotopic data from the Eocene bivalve Venericardia planicosta reveal a gradually decreasing annual growth rate through ontogeny. High-resolution Sr/Ca ratios, analyzed with a new proton-microbe technique, increase markedly through ontogeny, however, suggesting that more Sr was incorporated as growth rate slowed rather than as a result of changing paleotemperature. Comparative δ18O and Sr/Ca data from the broadly coeval marine gastropod Clavilithes macrospira, which exhibits a linear growth rate through ontogeny, also shows a significant increase in Sr concentration with age as well as seasonal, possibly temperature-related variations. Our observations show that neither growth, calcification rate, nor temperature can be the sole factor controlling Sr incorporation into molluscan aragonite. Metabolic activity, related to factors such as temperature, salinity, age, and growth rate, is likely to exert the primary control over Sr/Ca ratios in aragonitic mollusks.


The ficolins recognize carbohydrates and acetylated compounds on microorganisms and dying host cells and are able to activate the lectin pathway of the complement system. In humans, three ficolin genes have been identified: FCN1, FCN2 and FCN3, which encode ficolin-1, ficolin-2 and ficolin-3, respectively. Rodents have only two ficolins designated ficolin-A and ficolin-B that are closely related to human ficolin-1, while the rodent FCN3 orthologue is a pseudogene. Ficolin-2 and ficolin-3 have so far only been observed in humans. Thus, we performed a systematic investigation of the FCN genes in non-human primates. The exons and intron-exon boundaries of the FCN1-3 genes were sequenced in the following primate species: chimpanzee, gorilla, orangutan, rhesus macaque, cynomolgus macaque, baboon and common marmoset. We found that the exon organisation of the FCN genes was very similar between all the non-human primates and the human FCN genes. Several variations in the FCN genes were found in more than one primate specie suggesting that they were carried from one species to another including humans. The amino acid diversity of the ficolins among human and non-human primate species was estimated by calculating the Shannon entropy revealing that all three proteins are generally highly conserved. Ficolin-1 and ficolin-2 showed the highest diversity, whereas ficolin-3 was more conserved. Ficolin-2 and ficolin-3 were present in non-human primate sera with the same characteristic oligomeric structures as seen in human serum. Taken together all the FCN genes show the same characteristics in lower and higher primates. The existence of trans-species polymorphisms suggests that different FCN allelic lineages may be passed from ancestral to descendant species.


It is well known that trailing-edge serrations, which are also known as chevrons, are able to reduce the turbulent mixing noise from an aeroengine. The study of the associated control capability of the scattering of incident waves from the rotor–stator assembly is rare. To address this issue, a theoretical model is proposed to predict sound wave scattering from a cylindrical pipe with trailing-edge serrations in the presence of plug flows. The model incorporates Fourier series expansion into the Wiener–Hopf method and, therefore, is a natural extension of the previous aerofoil work by Huang (2017, "Theoretical Model of Acoustic Scattering From a Flat Plate With Serrations," J. Fluid Mech., 819, pp. 228–257). The nature of the flow duct problem, however, leads to a much more complicated matrix kernel, and the associated factorization method is given in this article. The proposed model is validated by comparison with the numerical simulations at certain representative setups, which show the overall agreements to be satisfactory. The comparisons also show that the proposed model is so efficient that it can enable rapid predictions. A series of parametric studies are performed to study the two mechanisms behind the noise reduction of a serrated flow duct. One is the redistribution of acoustic energy to new higher cutoff modes. The other is the destructive interference due to multiple scattering from serrations. Overall, the proposed model should be helpful in offering deep physical insights and would be able to assist the aeroacoustic design and optimization of new low-noise aeroengines and flow duct systems after considering the tradeoff with aerodynamic impacts.


Food lies at the heart of both health and sustainability challenges. We use a social-ecological framework to illustrate how major changes to the volume, nutrition and safety of food systems between 1961 and today impact health and sustainability. These changes have almost halved undernutrition while doubling the proportion who are overweight. They have also resulted in reduced resilience of the biosphere, pushing four out of six analysed planetary boundaries across the safe operating space of the biosphere. Our analysis further illustrates that consumers and producers have become more distant from one another, with substantial power consolidated within a small group of key actors. Solutions include a shift from a volume-focused production system to focus on quality, nutrition, resource use efficiency, and reduced antimicrobial use. To achieve this, we need to rewire food systems in ways that enhance transparency between producers and consumers, mobilize key actors to become biosphere stewards, and re-connect people to the biosphere.


Hepatocelluar carcinoma severely affects patients because of high incidence of cancer-mediated deaths. Wnt and hedgehog signaling pathways have been known to be associated with hepatocelluar carcinoma cell proliferation and migration; however, molecular connections between the two pathways are largely unknown. In this investigation the expression levels of key Wnt signaling genes (Wnt3, TCF7, and FZD8) and hedgehog signaling genes (Smo, Gli1, Gli2, and Gli3) were identified to be higher in hepatocelluar carcinoma cell lines (HepG2 and SMMC-7721) than in normal liver cell line (LO2). Western blot results indicated that β-catenin, Smo, and Gli1 levels were all higher in hepatocelluar carcinoma cells than in normal liver cells. In addition, overexpression of β-catenin activated Smo and Gli1 as well as accelerated HepG2 cell migration and proliferation. Further, immunoprecipitation assay showed that β-catenin/TCF4 complex directly bound to Smo and Gli1 promoters. Suppression of β-catenin or Gli1 inhibited HepG2 cell migration and proliferation, and Gli1 silencing inhibited β-catenin overexpression effects on cell migration and proliferation, and silencing of β-catenin inhibited Wnt3a-meidated induction of hedgehog signalling gene expressions, suggesting that β-catenin acts at the upstream of Smo and Gli1. Taken together, these results provided information for direct connection between Wnt and hedgehog signalling via β-catenin/TCF4 complex that broaden the regulatory mechanism for Wnt and hedgehog signalling pathways.


Multilocus sequence types of 163 human Streptococcus agalactiae strains isolated in Bangui and Dakar were analyzed. We identified local specificities in the distribution of sequence types and capsular serotypes. However, the overall population structure is similar to that in the United States and Europe, suggesting that few specific clones colonize humans.


Background Identifying genetic relationships between complex traits in emerging adulthood can provide useful etiological insights into risk for psychopathology. College-age individuals are under-represented in genomic analyses thus far, and the majority of work has focused on clinical disorder or cognitive abilities rather than normal-range behavioral outcomes. Methods This study examined a sample of emerging adults 18-22 years of age (N = 5,947) to construct an atlas of polygenic risk for 33 traits predicting relevant phenotypic outcomes. Twenty-eight hypotheses were tested based on the previous literature on samples of European ancestry, and the availability of rich assessment data allowed for polygenic predictions across 55 psychological and medical phenotypes. Results Polygenic risk for schizophrenia in emerging adults predicted anxiety, depression, nicotine use, trauma, and family history of psychological disorders. Polygenic risk for neuroticism predicted anxiety, depression, phobia, panic, neuroticism, and was correlated with polygenic risk for cardiovascular disease. Conclusions These results demonstrate the extensive impact of genetic risk for schizophrenia, neuroticism, and major depression on a range of health outcomes in early adulthood. Minimal cross-ancestry replication of these phenomic patterns of polygenic influence underscores the need for more genome-wide association studies of non-European populations.


The concept of literary genre is a highly complex one: not only are different genres frequently defined on several, but not necessarily the same levels of description, but consideration of genres as cognitive, social, or scholarly constructs with a rich history further complicate the matter. This contribution focuses on thematic aspects of genre with a quantitative approach, namely Topic Modeling. Topic Modeling has proven to be useful to discover thematic patterns and trends in large collections of texts, with a view to class or browse them on the basis of their dominant themes. It has rarely if ever, however, been applied to collections of dramatic texts. In this contribution, Topic Modeling is used to analyze a collection of French Drama of the Classical Age and the Enlightenment. The general aim of this contribution is to discover what semantic types of topics are found in this collection, whether different dramatic subgenres have distinctive dominant topics and plot-related topic patterns, and inversely, to what extent clustering methods based on topic scores per play produce groupings of texts which agree with more conventional genre distinctions. This contribution shows that interesting topic patterns can be detected which provide new insights into the thematic, subgenre-related structure of French drama as well as into the history of French drama of the Classical Age and the Enlightenment.


Sherman Alexie is one of our most acclaimed and popular writers today. With Ten Little Indians, he offers nine poignant and emotionally resonant new stories about Native Americans who, like all Americans, find themselves at personal and cultural crossroads, faced with heartrending, tragic, sometimes wondrous moments of being that test their loyalties, their capacities, and their notions of who they are and who they love.In Alexie s first story, The Search Engine, Corliss is a rugged and resourceful student who finds in books the magic she was denied while growing up poor. In The Life and Times of Estelle Walks Above, an intellectual feminist Spokane Indian woman saves the lives of dozens of white women all around her to the bewilderment of her only child. What You Pawn I Will Redeem starts off with a homeless man recognizing in a pawn shop window the fancy-dance regalia that was stolen fifty years earlier from his late grandmother.Even as they often make us laugh, Alexie s stories are driven by a haunting lyricism and naked candor that cut to the heart of the human experience, shedding brilliant light on what happens when we grow into and out of each other."


Abstract. In this study we develop a secondary inorganic aerosol (SIA) module for the MOCAGE chemistry transport model developed at CNRM. The aim is to have a module suitable for running at different model resolutions and for operational applications with reasonable computing times. Based on the ISORROPIA II thermodynamic equilibrium module, the new version of the model is presented and evaluated at both the global and regional scales. The results show high concentrations of secondary inorganic aerosols in the most polluted regions: Europe, Asia and the eastern part of North America. Asia shows higher sulfate concentrations than other regions thanks to emission reductions in Europe and North America. Using two simulations, one with and the other without secondary inorganic aerosol formation, the global model outputs are compared to previous studies, to MODIS AOD retrievals, and also to in situ measurements from the HTAP database. The model shows a better agreement with MODIS AOD retrievals in all geographical regions after introducing the new SIA scheme. It also provides a good statistical agreement with in situ measurements of secondary inorganic aerosol composition: sulfate, nitrate and ammonium. In addition, the simulation with SIA generally gives a better agreement with observations for secondary inorganic aerosol precursors (nitric acid, sulfur dioxide, ammonia), in particular with a reduction of the modified normalized mean bias (MNMB). At the regional scale, over Europe, the model simulation with SIA is compared to the in situ measurements from the EMEP database and shows a good agreement with secondary inorganic aerosol composition. The results at the regional scale are consistent with those obtained from the global simulations. The AIRBASE database was used to compare the model to regulated air quality pollutants: particulate matter, ozone and nitrogen dioxide concentrations. Introduction of the SIA in MOCAGE provides a reduction in the PM2.5 MNMB of 0.44 on a yearly basis and up to 0.52 for the 3 spring months (March, April, May) when SIAs are at their maximum.


ABSTRACT Dinosaurs have been a very popular science topic since signs of their presence on earth were first discovered. They have represented so-called 'edutainment' for some people. Learning from informal sources and in- an out-of-school environment can be effective and motivating. In this study, 12-year-old pupils (N = 366) visited a dinosaur science centre exhibition in Finland. Pupils were tested with standardised tests of motivation as defined by self-determination theory, cognitive skills, and interest via pre-, post-, and delayed post-tests during a six-month period. Findings show that pupils learned from the science centre visit and enjoyed the experience. The factors explaining their post-test knowledge in addition to their previous knowledge were (1) general cognitive competence, (2) liking studying biology at the science centre, (3) participation in a dinosaur demonstration, and (4) gender. As there was no difference between boys and girls in general cognitive competences, the knowledge results of boys and girls equally related to their cognitive competence. Autonomy also influenced situational motivation both directly and indirectly, which in turn had a strong effect on liking studying in the exhibition. It also influenced the post-test knowledge indirectly. In the lowest school achievement group, participation in the dinosaur demonstration increased knowledge in the post-test.


Common wisdom tells us that we have five senses: sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch. These senses provide us with a means of gaining information concerning objects in the world around us, including our own bodies. But in addition to these five senses, each of us is aware of our own body in ways in which we are aware of no other thing. These ways include our awareness of the position, orientation, movement, and size of our limbs (proprioception and kinaesthesia), our sense of balance, and our awareness of bodily sensations such as pains, tickles, and sensations of pressure or temperature. We can group these together under the title ?bodily awareness?. The legitimacy of grouping together these ways of gaining information is shown by the fact that they are unified phenomenologically; they provide the subject with an awareness of his or her body ?from the inside?. Bodily awareness is an awareness of our own bodies from within. This perspective on our own bodies does not, cannot, vary. As Merleau-Ponty writes, ?my own body?is always presented to me from the same angle? (1962: 90).

It has recently been claimed by a number of philosophers that, in bodily awareness, one is not simply aware of one's body as one's body, but one is aware of one's body as oneself. That is, when I attend to the object of bodily awareness I am presented not just with my body, but with my ?bodily self?. The contention of the present paper is that such a view is misguided. In the first section I clarify just what is at issue here. In the remainder of the paper I present an argument, based on two claims about the nature of the imagination, against the view that the bodily self is presented in bodily awareness. Section two defends the dependency thesis; a claim about the relation between perception and sensory imagination. Section three defends a certain view about our capacity to imagine being other people. Section four presents the main argument against the bodily self awareness view and section five addresses some objections.


The fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) composites have proved to be effective for strengthening of existing concrete structures. However, the appraisal of the safety or conservativeness in the strengthening design process is more complex than it may first appear. This is due to the distinct characteristics exhibited by the FRP, such as lack of ductility and possibility of debonding-based failure modes. The conservativeness in particular context of the FRP-based strengthening design process is presented in this paper in the form that makes it possible to operate it mathematically. A comprehensive framework is presented that classifies the conservativeness involved in FRP-based structural strengthening into that applied on the material properties and that on the resistance contribution of the FRP. The conservativeness arising from same sources is presented in condensed form that makes it convenient to segregate and identify propagation of the conservativeness within the strengthening design process. The possibility of multiple failure modes of the externally-bonded FRP component is addressed through devising different conservativeness propagation paths, each representing a specific failure mode of FRP. It is shown that each of the possible conservativeness propagation paths is differently sensitive to the prescribed material conservativeness. Finally, the usefulness of the methodology in quantifying conservativeness is demonstrated for the case of FRP-based shear strengthening design process, for ACI440 and TR55 design guidelines. The methodology, however, can be applied to any guideline by appropriately calibrating it. The proposed methodology is a useful tool for fine-tuning and/or calibrating the design guidelines.


A recurring issue in American political life is the role that religion plays in public law making. While many believe that religious voices have been unjustly suppressed in public life and should be accorded a more prominent role in the making of public policy, others argue that religion (Christianity in particular) is already such an institutionalised part of American public life that religious minorities can sometimes be made to feel like outsiders. In this thorough and thoughtful book, Lucinda Peach sheds new light on this discussion by proposing a fresh and pragmatic alternative: recognising the value of liberal arguments about the importance of religious diversity, on the one hand, she gives equal weight to communitarian concerns about the centrality of religion to moral and political identity, on the other. Defending compromise, she proposes that lawmakers incorporate different viewpoints into the process of forging crucial legislative decisions. But Legislating Morality's most original quality lies in the feminist perspective with which it addresses the general issue of how conflicts between religious identity and constitutional rights can be resolved in lawmaking. Groundbreaking and comprehensive, this book will be recognised across disciplines as a significant contribution to public policy, religious ethics and the law.


We live in a world which bombards us with a huge amount of sensory information, even if we are not always aware of it. To successfully navigate, function and ultimately survive in our environment we use all of the cues available to us. Furthermore, we actually combine this information: doing so allows us not only to construct a richer percept of the objects around us, but actually increases the reliability of our decisions and sensory estimates. However, at odds with our naturally multisensory awareness of our surroundings, the literature addressing unisensory processes has always far exceeded that which examines the multimodal nature of perception.

Arguably the most salient and relevant stimuli in our environment are other people. Our species is not designed to operate alone, and so we have evolved to be especially skilled in all those things which enable effective social interaction – this could be engaging in conversation, but equally as well recognising a family member, or understanding the current emotional state of a friend, and adjusting our behaviour appropriately. In particular, the face and the voice both provide us with a wealth of hugely relevant social information - linguistic, but also non-linguistic. In line with work conducted in other fields of multisensory perception, research on face and voice perception has mainly concentrated on each of these modalities independently, particularly face perception. Furthermore, the work that has addressed integration of these two sources by and large has concentrated on the audiovisual nature of speech perception.

The work in this thesis is based on a theoretical model of voice perception which not only proposed a serial processing pathway of vocal information, but also emphasised the similarities between face and voice processing, suggesting that this information may interact. Significantly, these interactions were not just confined to speech processing, but rather encompassed all forms of information processing, whether this was linguistic or paralinguistic. Therefore, in this thesis, I concentrate on the interactions between, and integration of face-voice paralinguistic information.

In Chapter 3 we conducted a general investigation of neural face-voice integration. A number of studies have attempted to identify the cerebral regions in which information from the face and voice combines; however, in addition to a large number of regions being proposed as integration sites, it is not known whether these regions are selective in the binding of these socially relevant stimuli. We identified firstly regions in the bilateral superior temporal sulcus (STS) which showed an increased response to person-related information – whether this was faces, voices, or faces and voices combined – in comparison to information from objects. A subsection of this region in the right posterior superior temporal sulcus (pSTS) also produced a significantly stronger response to audiovisual as compared to unimodal information. We therefore propose this as a potential people-selective, integrative region. Furthermore, a large portion of the right pSTS was also observed to be people-selective and heteromodal: that is, both auditory and visual information provoked a significant response above baseline. These results underline the importance of the STS region in social communication.

Chapter 4 moved on to study the audiovisual perception of gender. Using a set of novel stimuli – which were not only dynamic but also morphed in both modalities – we investigated whether different combinations of gender information in the face and voice could affect participants' perception of gender. We found that participants indeed combined both sources of information when categorising gender, with their decision being reflective of information contained in both modalities. However, this combination was not entirely equal: in this experiment, gender information from the voice appeared to dominate over that from the face, exerting a stronger modulating effect on categorisation. This result was supported by the findings from conditions which directed to attention, where we observed participants were able to ignore face but not voice information; and also reaction times results, where latencies were generally a reflection of voice morph. Overall, these results support interactions between face and voice in gender perception, but demonstrate that (due to a number of probable factors) one modality can exert more influence than another.

Finally, in Chapter 5 we investigated the proposed interactions between affective content in the face and voice. Specifically, we used a 'continuous carry-over' design – again in conjunction with dynamic, morphed stimuli – which allowed us to investigate not only 'direct' effects of different sets of audiovisual stimuli (e.g., congruent, incongruent), but also adaptation effects (in particular, the effect of emotion expressed in one modality upon the response to emotion expressed in another modality). Parallel to behavioural results, which showed that the crossmodal context affected the time taken to categorise emotion, we observed a significant crossmodal effect in the right pSTS, which was independent of any within-modality adaptation. We propose that this result provides strong evidence that this region may be composed of similarly multisensory neurons, as opposed to two sets of interdigitised neurons responsive to information from one modality or the other. Furthermore, an analysis investigating stimulus congruence showed that the degree of incongruence modulated activity across the right STS, further inferring neural response in this region can be altered depending on the particular combination of affective information contained within the face and voice. Overall, both behavioural and cerebral results from this study suggested that participants integrated emotion from the face and voice.


Abstract: The study of faunal change through time in the fossil record requires a careful assessment of the potential biases introduced by the filtering of death assemblages by depositional environments and other agents of accumulation such as predators. The investigation of taphonomy of the mammalian remains from the Arikareean-aged Cabbage Patch beds of western Montana reported here used both sedimentological evidence and characteristics of the preservation of the fossil specimens to test two hypotheses regarding their preservation pattern: (1) the pattern of faunal change through the section is not a product of differences in the preservation of fossils and (2) the taphonomic characteristics of fossil specimens are linked to the environments in which they were preserved. The interpretation of the sedimentological data, combined with the analyses of the taphonomic filtering of mammalian fossils, suggests that the attritional accumulation of fossils in floodplain settings was the result of predator activity, attrition, and local reworking by fluvial processes. The fossils from these deposits experienced little transport. Moreover, despite complexities in the dataset, select specimen characteristics, including size, shape, and surface modifications, can be linked to the depositional environments determined from sedimentological data. The fossils recovered from a high energy deposit of the lower Cabbage Patch are significantly different from those found in low energy deposits. These low depositional energy fossil assemblages appear to be sufficiently taphonomically similar to be used in faunal analyses despite a change in postmortem filtering through the section.


Cu-mesoporous TiO2 is developed for removal acid odor cooperated with ozone assistance and onlineregeneration system with/without UV irradiation (all weather) in study. The results showed that Cu-mesoporous TiO2 present the desirable adsorption efficiency of acid odor without UV irradiation, due to the larger surface area, pore sizeand the additional absorption ability provided by Cu. In the photocatalysis process, the material structure also benefits Cu-mesoporous TiO2 to perform the more outstanding efficiency on degrading acid odor. Cu also postponed the recombination of electron-hole pairs excited from TiO2 to enhance photodegradation ability. Cu-mesoporous TiO2 could gain the conspicuous increase on photocatalysis ability from ozone assistance, but without any benefit on adsorption. In addition, the online regeneration procedure could process the used Cu-mesoporous TiO2 to reinstate the adsorption ability and maintain the photodegradtion performance, depended on scrubbing, desorping acid odor and reducing Cu to metal state. Keywords—mesoporous material, photocatalyst, adsorption, regeneration usage, photocatalytic ozonation


This paper describes results obtained using a hybrid measurement methodology employed to investigate electric properties of thin conductive layers based on graphene nanoplatelets in the frequency band spanning from dc up to terahertz range. As many as four different measurement methods were employed to cover the band of interest, including the terahertz time-domain spectroscopy and the Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy besides resonator techniques applicable in the microwave band and the four-point dc technique. Raw measurement data obtained using these approaches were processed and based on the results a relationship between frequency and sheet resistance for various types of new graphene-based conductive layers was extracted. Eventually, several models that help to explain the observed behavior of each of the analyzed conductive inks were proposed.


Perpetrators of genocide are likely to use a variety of tactics to reduce outrage from their actions. The main sorts of tactics are covering up the actions, devaluing the target, reinterpreting the actions in ways that minimise seriousness and responsibility, using official channels to give an appearance of justice, and using intimidation and bribery. The 1994 Rwandan genocide reveals ample evidence of all these tactics. Critics of genocidal behaviour should expect the use of these tactics and be prepared to counter them. A focus on tactics concerning outrage over genocide is a complement to the usual approaches looking at history, psychology, social dynamics, causes and responsibility.


Background/aims The frequent lack of association between dry eye (DE) symptoms and signs leads to challenges in diagnosing and assessing the disease. Methods Participants underwent ocular surface examinations to evaluate signs of disease and completed questionnaires to assess ocular symptoms, psychological status and medication use. To assess nociceptive system integrity, quantitative sensory testing (QST), including vibratory and thermal threshold measures and temporal summation of pain were obtained at the forearm and forehead. Correlations between DE discordance score (degree of discrepancy between symptom severity and DE signs) and patient characteristics were determined. Higher discordance scores indicated more symptoms than signs. Results 326 patients participated (mean age: 62 years; SD: 10 years; 92% men). Age was negatively correlated with DE discordance score (Pearson r=−0.30, p<0.0005), while mental health indices were positively correlated. Chronic pain elsewhere in the body (ie, non-ocular pain conditions) and intensity ratings of prolonged aftersensations of pain evoked by noxious hot and cold stimuli were also significantly correlated with DE discordance score. Multiple linear regression demonstrated that post-traumatic stress disorder and non-ocular pain intensity were important predictors of DE discordance score, Dry Eye Questionnaire-5 and Ocular Surface Disease Index and that DE discordance was also sensitive to QST as well. Conclusions The present study provides evidence that the degree of discordance between DE symptom report and measurable signs of ocular surface disease is associated with comorbidities related to clinical pain and to hyperalgesia as demonstrated with QST. Understanding the epidemiology of DE discordance can aid in interpreting the DE exam and individualising treatment.


As public schools become more diverse in terms of student population, the US teaching force remains relatively stable. For this reason, teacher education programs need to provide and sustain social justice learning to ensure pre-service teachers enter classrooms prepared to teach all students. This article examines how pre-service teachers took up identities as social justice educators and sustained social justice learning during lapses in teacher education curricula. Analysis reveals that teacher educators can incorporate methods into course curriculum to ensure social justice learning is sustained in teacher education. Implications for teacher educators include strategies to provide social justice pedagogy scaffolding and offer plausible suggestions to incorporate and sustain social justice education for pre-service teachers when absent in future teacher education curricula.


Modification of atrioventricular node is a usual and necessary operation to cure atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia (AVNRT). In this operation, atrioventricular block is the most severe complication and its prevention is of our great concern. This complication always occurs under some special circumstances with potential risk. So, it is very important to realize such conditions, as in this paper. A patient with paroxysmal palpitation for 10 years, aggravating to shortness of breath with chest distress for 1 year; cardiac electrophysiological examination found slow conduction in both antegrade and retrograde paths of reentrant loop, and typical AVNRT could be induced. During effective ablation there was no junctional rhythm. In some special cases, modification of atrioventricular node should not only rely on the junctional rhythm to determine the ablation effect, but also on the time of cardiac electrophysiological examination, as such to avoid the severe complication of atrioventricular block caused by excessive ablation.


"Can state–society synergy be created in the short run, or does it require historically deep institutional and normative foundations?" In other words, what role can an outside party—such as a government or state actor—play in constructing social capital when it is not a permanent fixture of the existing interrelationships within a community? Taking a network perspective, this exploratory research examines community-level social capital outcomes of a government-led intervention. Operationalized as social networks, social capital is measured as an increase to the strength of weak ties and reduction in redundancy among exchange relationships. Findings suggest that state–society synergy has the potential to increase bridging social capital in communities. In addition, communities with higher levels of cohesion and connectivity pre-intervention results in greater increases to social capital, and although trust plays a crucial role in development of social capital, the influence organizations are perceived to have does not.


Evaluating how wildlife conservation laws are implemented is critical to determining how best to protect biodiversity. Two agencies, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service (FWS and NMFS; Services collectively), are responsible for implementing the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA). This creates a "natural experiment" for understanding how implementation and interpretation of the same law varies between agencies with different histories, cultures, priorities and funding levels. We take advantage of this natural experiment to quantify differences in how FWS and NMFS implement a core component of the ESA, section 7 consultations. The ESA requires federal agencies to consult with the Services if an action an agency proposes might affect ESA-listed species or their habitats. We quantified the quality of consultations by comparing > 120 consultations to the requirements laid out in the Services' consultation handbook. These analyses were complemented with in-person interviews of biologists from the Services to help understand how some observed variation arises. Among these consultations, we found those from NMFS had significantly higher quality scores than those from FWS. A common shortcoming from both agencies, but especially severe for FWS, was the lack of accounting for effects that were previously authorized through consultations. The biologist interviews indicated some discrepancy between how they perceive consultations and the outcomes from our quantitative analysis. Building from these results, we recommend several actions that can improve quality of consultations, such as using a single database to track and integrate previously authorized harm in new analyses, and the careful but more widespread use of programmatic consultations.


The putative ground-state structures of 13-atom Cu and Ag clusters have been studied using ab initio molecular-dynamics (AIMD) based on density-functional theory (DFT). An ensemble of low-energy configurations, collected along the AIMD trajectory and optimized to nearest local minimum-energy configurations, were studied. An analysis of the results suggests the existence of low-symmetric bilayer structures as strong candidates for the putative ground-state structure of Cu13 and Ag13 clusters. These bilayer structures are markedly different from a buckled bi-planar (BBP) configuration and energetically favorable, by about 0.4–0.5 eV, than the latter proposed earlier by others. Our study reveals that the structure of the resulting putative global-minimum configuration is essentially independent of the nature of basis functions (i.e., plane waves vs. pseudoatomic orbitals) employed in the calculations, for a given exchange-correlation functional. The structural configurations obtained from plane-wave-based DFT calculations show a noticeably tighter or dense first-shell of Cu and Ag atoms. A comparison of our results with recent full-potential DFT simulations is presented.


The mechanisms underlying mucus-associated pathologies in cystic fibrosis (CF) remain obscure. However, recent studies indicate that CF transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) is required for bicarbonate (HCO3-) transport and that HCO3- is critical for normal mucus formation. We therefore investigated the role of HCO3- in mucus secretion using mouse small intestine segments ex vivo. Basal rates of mucus release in the presence or absence of HCO3- were similar. However, in the absence of HCO3-, mucus release stimulated by either PGE2 or 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) was approximately half that stimulated by these molecules in the presence of HCO3-. Inhibition of HCO3- and fluid transport markedly reduced stimulated mucus release. However, neither absence of HCO3- nor inhibition of HCO3- transport affected fluid secretion rates, indicating that the effect of HCO3- removal on mucus release was not due to decreased fluid secretion. In a mouse model of CF (mice homozygous for the most common human CFTR mutation), intestinal mucus release was minimal when stimulated with either PGE2 or 5-HT in the presence or absence of HCO3-. These data suggest that normal mucus release requires concurrent HCO3- secretion and that the characteristically aggregated mucus observed in mucin-secreting organs in individuals with CF may be a consequence of defective HCO3- transport.


Governments are facing reductions in ICT budgets just as users are increasing demands for electronic services. One solution announced aggressively by vendors is cloud computing. Cloud computing is not a new technology, but it is a new way of offering services, taking into consideration business and economic models for providing and consuming ICT services. The paper explains the impact and benefits for public organizations of cloud services and explore issues of why governments are slow to adopt use of the cloud.


Despite the large literature on localization, there is no solution yet to localize a commercial off-the-shelf smartphone device using radio measurements from a single WiFi AP. We present SPRING, Smartphone Positioning with Radio measurements from a sINGle wifi access point. SPRING exploits Fine Time Measurements (FTM) and Angle of Arrival (AOA) extracted from commercial chipsets exploiting the specifications of the recent 802.11-2016 and the 802.11ac amendment to combine distance and direction from the AP to the client for positioning. Our system has the potential to bring indoor positioning to homes and small businesses which typically have a single access point. We exploit physical layer (PHY) information to detect the number of paths and their directions. We use this information to derive a new method for filtering ranging measurements obtained with the FTM protocol. We achieve sub-meter distance estimation accuracy eliminating the adverse effect of multipath in FTM using calibrated inputs from Channel State Information (CSI). Our evaluation in indoor scenarios in multipath rich environments demonstrates that the combination of AOA estimation and the proposed FTM refinement approach can locate a Google Pixel 3 smartphone with a median positioning error of 0.9-2.15 m through an area comparable to typical flat sizes.


This thesis explores the history behind the growth of English as a lingua franca in India by focusing on the growth of India into the largest English speaking nation in the world. It examines the existence of a variety of Indian English among the linguistically diverse landscape of the country and the reasons behind the emergence of English as an official language despite being a foreign language on Indian soil. The establishment of the English language as the language of education, administration and communication with various other crucial roles is also examined. This study sought to identify key factors influencing the growth of the English language and the linguistic issues that have had to be overcome. The research involved surveying more than 300 educators from the Southern states of India, followed up with 27 individual interviews with participants from the primary to tertiary sector and across various disciplines. The study explored the forces and influences informing participants' choice of language, with some of the benefits and losses that have resulted from those choices. The political, ideological, social, economic and cultural influences that have affected and influenced the growth of English have been analysed. The mixed methods design of this study allowed for the exploration of the view of educators from diverse backgrounds from whom general views and statistical information was gained through surveys and in-depth perceptions through interviews. The findings illustrate that the major factors that have influenced and that are continuing to influence the growth of English in India are related to employment opportunities, media and communication, globalization and technology and population. More importantly, the results show that English has evolved to become an indispensable part of Indian culture and is closely linked to current Indian identity.


How do inexperienced consumers learn to use a new financial technology? We present results from a field experiment that introduced payroll accounts in a population of largely unbanked factory workers in Bangladesh. In the experiment, workers in a treatment group received monthly wage payments into a bank or mobile money account while workers in a control group continued to receive wages in cash, with a subset also receiving an account without automatic wage payments. We find that exposure to payroll accounts leads to increased account use and consumer learning. Those receiving accounts with automatic wage payments learn to use the account without assistance, begin to use a wider set of account features, and learn to avoid illicit fees, which are common in emerging markets for consumer finance. The treatments have real effects, leading to increased savings and improvements in the ability to cope with unanticipated economic shocks. We conduct an additional audit study and find suggestive evidence of market externalities from consumer learning: mobile money agents are less likely to overcharge inexperienced customers in areas with higher levels of payroll account adoption. This suggests potentially important equilibrium effects of introducing accounts at scale.

Institutional subscribers to the NBER working paper series, and residents of developing countries may download this paper without additional charge at www.nber.org.


We observe that the "local gauge symmetry currents" (the field vectors of the forces, or components thereof), are in the case of both the spacetime metric (time) and the electromagnetic force (magnetism), derived from an implicit expression embedded in the original global symmetry state. Magnetism, for example, occurs in its primordial state as the magnetic half of an electromagnetic wave, or light. Likewise, time occurs in an implicit and suppressed state ("frequency") in the global metric of space, again as gauged by the global energy and metric constant c (frequency x wavelength = c). This naturally leads us to suspect the same relationship should hold for the two particle forces (strong and weak forces) - we should find the precursors of their local, material gauge currents in the primordial and symmetric global metric of light and space.


Abstract Aquatic macrophytes are a key component of river systems around the world. Surveys of macrophyte surface cover, cross-sectional blockage and plant/patch sizes provide data for river managers to assess in-stream habitat, hydraulic resistance, and the success of stream restorations. Manual surveying techniques are labour intensive, provide low spatial detail and are predominantly applied at the cross-section scale, resulting in a lack of published data on macrophyte size distributions. In this study, 1099 Ranunculus penicillatus patches were surveyed using a UAV-mounted digital camera. Geometric properties such as patch area, length, aspect ratio and orientation were determined from the aerial orthophotos. These data were then coupled with hydraulic measurements. Macrophyte abundance corresponded to specific ranges of velocity, Froude number and stream power, indicating clear patterns of hydraulic habitat use (and preferential modification) by Ranunculus. At the reach scale, flow redirection around dense vegetation clusters was observed, with implications for localised sedimentation and bank erosion. The reported data can improve the design of laboratory experiments to represent Ranunculus characteristics in the field. The aerial surveying techniques can be used to efficiently estimate vegetation abundance, surface area blockage factor and also to visualise flow through patch mosaics, enabling targeted management of aquatic vegetation.


Abstract The earliest book-length treatise in Chinese literary criticism, the Wenxin diaolong is of central importance in the Chinese tradition. The work was compiled in the sixth century, one of the most fertile and original periods in Chinese critical thinking. Its author, Liu Xie, was a Buddhist monk as well as a Confucian scholar, and so represented the main persuasions of China. The Wenxin diaolong first came to be noted in the seventeenth century, when it was studied by scholars and edited by Mei Qingsheng. When the study of literary criticism became an independent discipline early in the twentieth century, it developed into a cynosure that was widely discussed and provided with learned annotations. This volume presents a fresh translation of the Wenxin diaolong that is at once authoritative and elegant. It may well be regarded as a standard reference by students of sinology and comparative literature


OBJECTIVE
To assess prospectively the efficacy and tolerability of hylan G-F 20 (HG-F 20; Synvisc) and intraarticular triamcinolone hexacetonide (TH; Aristospan) for treatment of osteoarthritis (OA) knee pain in a 26 week, randomized, multicenter, evaluator-blind study.

METHODS
Patients with OA were treated with typical regimens of HG-F 20 (n = 113) and TH (n = 102). Primary assessments were the WOMAC question A1 (pain walking on a flat surface), and a 100 mm visual analog scale (VAS) for patient and investigator overall assessments. Total WOMAC and WOMAC domain C (function) scores were also assessed. The intent-to-treat population was analyzed using a last-observation carried forward approach.

RESULTS
Maximum pain relief occurred at 1-2 weeks for TH and at Week 12 for HG-F 20. At Weeks 12 and 26, HG-F 20 was significantly better than TH for the WOMAC question A1 responses (p = 0.0071 and p = 0.0129, respectively), and patient VAS (p < 0.0001 and p < 0.0001) and investigator VAS (p < 0.0300 and p = 0.0004) assessments. Similar significant (p < 0.01) results were observed at Weeks 12 and 26 for total WOMAC and domain C scores. While 15 TH-treated patients discontinued the study due to lack of efficacy, none did so with HG-F 20 treatment (p < 0.01). Both agents were well tolerated with similar adverse event profiles.

CONCLUSION
Viscosupplementation with HG-F 20 resulted in a longer duration of effect than TH with a comparable tolerability profile. These data support the preferential use of HG-F 20 over TH for treatment of chronic OA knee pain.


In recent years the role of the estate, gift and generation-skipping transfer taxes within the federal tax system has become increasingly controversial. The future of the transfer taxes remains unsettled, despite recently enacted legislation that moves in the direction of repeal with a delayed effective date. This paper looks at transfer tax repeal in terms of its repercussions on the rest of the tax system, with special emphasis on the income tax treatment of property transferred by gift or bequest. Repeal of the transfer taxes would reduce the progressivity of the overall tax system, exacerbate existing inequities with respect to transfers of appreciated property, and sharpen the need for income tax reform. In response, Congress could impose a deathtime gains tax, adopt a carryover basis regime, or conceivably tax gifts and bequests as income to the recipient. Each of these alternatives raises significant issues of structure and implementation which deserve closer scrutiny. In all likelihood, Congress will reconsider the issue of transfer tax repeal during the next ten years. Instead of focusing narrowly on the shortcomings of the existing transfer taxes, the debate should include careful weighing of the potential advantages and disadvantages of the available alternatives.


The impact of particular types of context effects on actual scores is less understood although there has been some research carried out regarding certain types of context effects under the nonequivalent anchor test (NEAT) design. In addition, the issue of the impact of item context effects on scores has not been investigated extensively when item response theory (IRT) is used to calibrate the items and maintain the score scale. The current study focuses on examining the impact of item parameter changes for anchor test items in a particular IRT equating context. The study specifically examines the impact of different types and magnitudes of item serial position changes as "context effects" on score accuracy and performance-related decisions (e.g., classifying examinees on pass/fail mastery tests or into three or more achievement levels). The study uses real data from a large-scale testing program to determine plausible levels of item difficulty changes as well as the magnitude of association between serial position changes and item difficulty changes. Those real-data results are then used to specify reasonable conditions of item difficulty changes in a large-scale, IRT-based computer simulation in order to investigate the comparability of different study conditions and Rasch equating methods in terms of adequacy to attaining successful equating within and across test designs. Results of the study indicate that when items change positions, they become either difficult or easier depending on the direction and magnitude of the change. Apparently, these changes in difficulty become very notable for low ability examinees in comparison to high ability examinees. Because high ability examinees are already more likely to get most items right, it is more unlikely to notice any changes due to changes in difficulty and /or context effects. To the contrary, with low ability examinees, there is a lot of room to investigate the impact the difficulty of an item has on an examinee; many low ability examinees are already missing many items and therefore decreasing or increasing the difficulty of an item enormously affects the probability of these examinees to respond to the item correctly. Further, examination of bias and root mean squared error statistics showed no differences among Rasch equating methods within testing conditions. However, for similar conditions that only differed in difficulty, results were different.


To what extent are our political views shaped by those with whom we associate? This chapter discusses the research on interpersonal networks as they relate to processes of attitude and opinion formation. Reviewing the literature's origins, evolution, and essential design features, the chapter focuses largely on its development in and application to the US context. At base, much of the scholarship on core social networks in the mass public posits that (non-) exposure to disagreement influences what we think about politics and how we vote in elections. The chapter examines the array of findings surrounding this and other characteristics of our "offline" social circles and notes challenges to inference stemming from questions about causal identification, debates over measurement, and ambiguity concerning mechanisms. It closes by describing several potentially fruitful areas for future research and articulating a vision for a more unified approach to the study of persuasion in interpersonal networks.


Africa south of the Sahara (SSA) has seen unprecedented economic growth since the turn of the millennium: poverty rates have steadily declined, and rural livelihoods have improved in many of the region's countries. Nevertheless, numerous countries face serious challenges—such as rising and volatile food prices and the adverse impacts of climate change—that require an immediate acceleration of agricultural productivity. Agriculture is the economic mainstay of many African countries and provides a significant source of employment and staple food requirements. The need to increase agricultural productivity makes agricultural science and technology a key priority for the region's policymakers and donors.


Introduction: One of the microbiological preparations used for this study was Effective Microorganisms (EM), being a commercial mixture of photosynthesizing bacteria, Actinomycetes, lactic acid bacteria, yeasts and fermenting fungi. The microbiological composition of the EM concentrateincludesStreptomyces albus, Propioni bacterium freudenreichil, Streptococcus lactis, Aspergillus oryzae, Mucor hiemalis, Saccharomycescerevisiae and Candida utilis. Moreover, EM also contains an unspecified amount of Lactobacillus sp. Rhodo pseudomonas sp. and Streptomyces griseus. Effective Microorganisms have a positive effect on the decomposition of organic matter, limiting putrefaction, increasing nitrogen content in the root medium of plants, phosphorus, improving soil fertility and as a result contributing to the growth and development of the root systems of plants. Selection of almond vegetative rootstocks for water stress tolerance is important for almond crop production in arid and semi-arid regions. The study of the eco-morphological characteristics that determine the success of a rootstock in a particular environment is a powerful tool for both agricultural management and breeding purposes. The aim of this work was to select the new rootstocks for water shortage tolerance, impact of water stress as well as Effective Microorganism (EM) on morphological characteristics of almond rootstocks. Materials and Methods: In order to select the new rootstocks for water shortage tolerance, impact of water stress as well as EMonmorphologicalcharacteristics of almondrootstocks were studiedin thedepartment ofHorticulture, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, in 2011-2012. The experiment was carried out with four replications in a completely random blockdesign to study the effects of two concentrations of EM (0 and 1%), three irrigation levels (normal irrigation 100%-control-and irrigation after depletion of 33 and 66% of available water), and four almond rootstocks including GF677 and selected natural hybrid of peach × almond (H1and H2), and almond vegetative rootstock (local control).In this study,EMtreatments for 60 days before stress treatments were applied so that in each irrigation, EM solution to a concentration of one percent was given to half of the experiment pots. Other pots were irrigated equally with normal water. Stress levels were applied from July as follow: full irrigation, watering after unloading 33% and 66% soil moisture availability. In order to evaluate the performance, seedling survival, plant growth, number of leaves, leaf area, root fresh and dry weight and leaves and root length were measured. Results and Discussion: Analysis of variance showed that between rootstock levels across all treatments were significantly differences at 0.01 level of probability. Comparison of means showed that the highest fresh and dry weight and leaf are awere observed forGF677and H1.Rootstockannualgrowth rate was also different. Most of the growth was related to the H1 Rootstocks. Thes urvival ratewas significantly different from the Rootstocks ofGF677,andH1showedthe highestpercentage of survival. The degree of adaptation to drought in varieties of almonds is different. The results showed that changes ingrowthparametersinGF677and H1were observed less often than other rootstocks. Because of strong roots,GF677and H1continue to attract more minerals under stress conditions. Analysis of variance showed that the between irrigation levels for all treatments were significantly different at 0.01 level of probability. Comparison of means showed that among the study traits, the highest amount was obtained from complete irrigation, while irrigationat66 percenthad the least amount. Water stress may directly affect photosyn thesis, through leaf photochemicalprocessorindirectly,byclosing stomata, reducingleaf area and growth. The results showed that the levels of(EM) on the leaf surface, leaf number, annual growth, root dry weight and volume were significantly different (p<0.01). Comparison of means revealed that the application of EM increasedthese traits compared to control. Effective Microorganisms, can increase plant growth, leaf area, fresh


Objective To determine the relationship between serum ferritin and malnutrition in newly assessed patients at a paediatric eating disorders clinic. Design This was a prospectively assessed clinical cohort study. Setting Intake assessment clinic of a tertiary eating disorders service for children and adolescents. Methods Clinical, anthropometric and laboratory features of children and adolescents were systematically measured. The relationship of serum ferritin to other clinical, anthropometric and laboratory measures was determined using linear regression. Results A total of 121 female patients aged 9.5–17.6 years were included, with body mass index (BMI) z score −5.7 to 1.9 (median −1.3). Using multiple regression, serum ferritin was inversely associated with BMI z score (regression coefficient (β)=−0.234, 95% CI −0.413 to −0.055) and serum insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) (β=−0.476, 95% CI −0.884 to −0.068) and positively associated with alanine aminotransferase (β=0.357, 95% CI 0.055 to 0.659, controlling for age, pubertal stage and serum iron). Conclusions In malnourished adolescents with eating disorders increased serum ferritin is associated with lower BMI z score and serum IGF-1.


In this study, we compare the teacher quality distributions in charter schools and traditional public schools, and examine mechanisms that might explain cross-sector differences in teacher effectiveness as measured by teacher value-added scores using school and teacher level data from Florida. We have three main findings. First, we find that teachers working in above-average poverty charter schools have significantly higher value-added scores compared to traditional public school teachers working in similar settings, which is mainly driven by the right tail of the value-added score distribution, yet we find no such differences in below-average poverty settings. Second, we find that cross-sector differences in observed teacher characteristics such as experience and educational attainment fail to explain any of the observed gaps in teacher effectiveness in higher-poverty settings. Instead, we find that differences in returns to experience on teacher productivity, which is significantly higher in the charter sector, explains most of the observed cross-sector effectiveness gaps. Third, we find considerable differences in teacher support and teacher influence on instructional policies and practices between charter schools and traditional public schools, which might help explain the higher returns to experience on teacher effectiveness as well as the observed effectiveness gaps between charter schools and traditional public schools serving disadvantaged students.


This paper describes the modeling and simulation of the deformation of human skeletal muscle at different structural levels based on sound scientific principles, experimental evidence, and state‐of‐art muscle anatomy and physiology. The equations of a continuum model of a muscle with realistic architecture, including internal arrangement of muscle fibers and passive structures, and deformation, including activation relations, was developed and solved with the finite element method. The continuum model is used as the basis of a strategy for controlling muscle deformation using activation relations. In order to demonstrate the functionality of the model, it was used to investigate force production and structural changes during contraction of the human tibialis anterior for maximally and submaximally activated muscle behavior. From a comparison with experimental data obtained from ultrasound imaging, we concluded that the modeling and simulation of the continuum based on physiologically meaningful parameters as described in the paper is both an excellent predictor of force production observations and of changes in internal geometry under various test conditions. It is therefore a valuable tool for controlling muscle deformation during movement. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Abstract : Urbanization is one of the most important mega-trends of the 21st century. Consequently, the possi-bility of U.S. military involvement in a megacity or sub-megacity is an eventuality that cannot be ignored. After elucidating the nature of urbanization and de-veloping a typology in terms of smart, fragile, and feral cities, we give consideration to the kinds of contingencies that the U.S. military, especially the Army, needs to think about and prepare for. Six kinds of contingencies have since been identified: humanitarian disaster relief; military support for civilian authorities in a restoration of order; interventionfor whatever reasonin a strategic city (also termed a critical or alpha city); military involvement in a city in the context of counter-insurgency; use of military force in a city in an interstate conflict; and containment or quarantine of an urban pandemic. Many debates arise concerning whether the appropriate focus should be predominantly on megacities or on smaller, but possibly more important, cities or perhaps on both. If the U.S. Army has the capacity to intervene militarily in a megacity, then it is likely that it could do the same in a smaller city. Consequently, the authors of this monograph focus on megacities and sub-megacities.


Bender element transducers are used to determine the small-strain shear stiffness,Go, of soil, by determining the velocity of propagation of mechanical waves through
tested samples. They are normally used in the laboratory, on their own or incorporated
in geotechnical equipment such as triaxial cells or oedometers.
Different excitation signals and interpretation methods are presently applied,
each producing different results. The initial assumptions of unbounded wave propagation,
generally used in bender element testing and inherited from seismic cross-hole
testing, are quite crude and do not account for specific boundary conditions, which
might explain the lack of reliability of the results.
The main objective of this study is to establish the influence of the sample
and transducer geometry in the behaviour of a typical bender element test system.
Laboratory and numerical tests, supported by a theoretical analytical study, are
conducted and the results presented in order to achieve this goal.
An independent monitoring of the dynamic behaviour of the bender elements
and samples is also carried out. Using a laser velocimeter, capable of recording the
motion of the subjects without interference,their dynamic responses can be obtained
and their mechanical properties verified.
A parametric study dealing with sample geometry is presented, where 24 samples
with different geometries are tested. Synthetic rubber is used as a substitute for soft
clay, due to the great number of samples involved and the necessity of guarantee the constancy of their properties.
The numerical analysis makes use of three-dimensional finite difference models
with different geometries.A regressive analysis is possible since the elastic properties
of the system are pre-determined and used to evaluate the results. A numerical
analysis also has the benefit of providing the response not only at a single receiving
point but at any node in the model.


History is not anymore the prerogative of historians, nor is displaying heritage the exclusive privilege of museum curators. In the digital era, local interconnected amateurs commit themselves to the cultural circuit of heritage through the mediation of globalised images. In that circuit, heritage and social memory take a particular form: as resources for tourism and trade, but also resources for collective action, social engagement and cultural production. "Ordinary people" engage in playful leisure such as genealogy, local history, photography, walking, exploring, surfing on the Internet, self-publishing, etc. As do-it-yourself hobbies associating offline and online practices, these hedonist activities, which blend production and consumption, creation and transmission, tend to redraw heritage communities. What do they tell us about the change of commodity, space and time? What do they tell us about the contemporary process of heritagisation and the role of people as well as the place of institutions in it? We focus on the shifts induced by the emergence of empowered actors, the "prosumers," who participate in various networks, institutional as well as non-institutional, combining amateurs and professionals. Their collaborative experiences lead to design spaces of inspirational actions that we highlight in the context of two post-industrial areas, Swansea (UK) and Saint-Etienne (France).


The Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope (DKIST) is a 4-meter solar observatory under construction at Haleakala, Hawaii [1]. The Visible Broadband Imager (VBI) is a first light instrument that will record images at the highest possible spatial and temporal resolution of the DKIST at a number of scientifically important wavelengths [2]. The VBI is a pathfinder for DKIST instrumentation and a test bed for developing processes and procedures in the areas of unit, systems integration, and user acceptance testing. These test procedures have been developed and repeatedly executed during VBI construction in the lab as part of a "test early and test often" philosophy aimed at identifying and resolving issues early thus saving cost during integration test and commissioning on summit. The VBI team recently completed a bottom up end-to-end system test of the instrument in the lab that allowed the instrument's functionality, performance, and usability to be validated against documented system requirements. The bottom up testing approach includes four levels of testing, each introducing another layer in the control hierarchy that is tested before moving to the next level. First the instrument mechanisms are tested for positioning accuracy and repeatability using a laboratory position-sensing detector (PSD). Second the real-time motion controls are used to drive the mechanisms to verify speed and timing synchronization requirements are being met. Next the high-level software is introduced and the instrument is driven through a series of end-to-end tests that exercise the mechanisms, cameras, and simulated data processing. Finally, user acceptance testing is performed on operational and engineering use cases through the use of the instrument engineering graphical user interface (GUI). In this paper we present the VBI bottom up test plan, procedures, example test cases and tools used, as well as results from test execution in the laboratory. We will also discuss the benefits realized through completion of this testing, and share lessons learned from the bottoms up testing process.


In 2003, with no debate, Congress amended the Medicare Secondary Payer Act (the MSP) to make it all but impossible for Medicare beneficiaries to participate in the settlement of individual or mass tort claims. Under this new Rule, the Secretary of Health and Human Services has the right to collect any money that Medicare expended on a beneficiary's healthcare needs from a settling tort defendant, even if the defendant denies liability; from a settling Medicare beneficiary, even if the settlement does not reflect medical payments; or from the settlement proceeds, even if those proceeds are distributed to a contingency fee attorney. This article provides the first scholarly treatment of this startling barrier to civil settlements. Tracing the historical roots of Medicare and the Secondary Payer Act, I explore why Congress passed the 2003 amendment and, using an economic model of litigation, demonstrate the potentially disastrous impact the new Rule may have on the tort system. As I show, Medicare beneficiaries now have less incentive to bring and settle individual tort suits and contingency fee attorneys are unlikely to include Medicare beneficiaries as clients in individual or mass tort suits. Where Medicare beneficiaries make up a significant percentage of claimants in mass tort litigation, plaintiffs' attorneys may shy away from bringing mass tort claims altogether. The new Medicare regime thus undermines the deterrence and corrective functions of the tort law, with little gained in return. Although Congress passed the amendment as a cost-recovery mechanism for Medicare, it may have the perverse effect of making it more difficult for the Secretary to recover Medicare's conditional outlays. If Medicare beneficiaries do not bring and settle tort claims, defendants will have no obligation to repay Medicare under the amendment and the Secretary will have no settlements to plunder. Further, without tort lawsuits, the Secretary may be deprived of valuable information about alleged tortfeasors, thus making it more difficult to bring subrogation claims.


In this third article in the ACM Ubiquity symposium on evolutionary computation Xin Yao provides a deeper understanding of evolutionary algorithms in the context of classical computational paradigms. This article discusses some of the most important issues in evolutionary computation. Three major areas are identified. The first is the theoretical foundation of evolutionary computation, especially the computational time complexity analysis. The second is on algorithm design, especially on hybridization, memetic algorithms, algorithm portfolios and ensembles of algorithms. The third is co-evolution, which seems to be under studied in both theory and practice. The primary aim of this article is to stimulate further discussions, rather than to offer any solutions.


Traumatic Encounters addresses the question of the relationship between psychoanalysis and film in a thoroughly original way, bringing together Lacanian theory and Italian cinema as a means to unravel the deepest kernel of repressed knowledge around which film narratives are constructed.

The primary theoretical reference of the book is the Real, the most under-represented of the three Lacanian categories (Symbolic, Imaginary and Real), which designates the traumatic dimension of reality that cannot be integrated in the order of language and communication. Exploring the relationship between film and its unconscious underside, the author argues that only by locating the elusive "traces of the cinematic Real" can a given film narrative be reconstructed in its entirety. Like the Lacanian subject, film here appears as fundamentally split between a traumatic dimension beyond signification (the Real), and awareness of its fragile symbolic status.

Always stylistically innovative, thematically defiant and driven by a strong political agenda, Italian cinema lends itself particularly well to a critical investigation aimed at radicalising the impact of psychoanalysis on film. In doing exactly that, the book deliberately avoids the standard cultural and historical approaches to film. Instead, it moves freely amongst some of the most widely celebrated – as well as lesser-known – Italian films of the post-war period, discussing the ways in which they tackle such themes as desire, fantasy, sexuality, violence and the law, to mention but a few. The main focus is on the work of those directors who most effectively engage with the divisive nature of the moving image: Antonioni, Pasolini and Rossellini. In addition, the book provides ample and insightful references to films by Visconti, Bertolucci, Bellocchio, Moretti, Petri, Fellini, Ferreri, and many more.


Over the last two decades, repeat-pass Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) has been a widely used geodetic technique for measuring the Earth's surface, including topography and deformation, with a spatial resolution of tens of metres. Like other astronomical and space geodetic techniques, repeat-pass InSAR is limited by the variable spatial and temporal distribution of atmospheric water vapour. The purpose of this thesis is to seek to understand and quantify the spatial and temporal variations in water vapour and to reduce its effects on repeat-pass InSAR using independent datasets such as Global Positioning System (GPS), the NASA Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and the ESA's Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) measurements. The performance of different techniques including radiosondes, GPS, MODIS and MERIS for measuring precipitable water vapour (PWV) is assessed through inter-comparisons. It is shown that MODIS appears to overestimate water vapour against GPS and radiosondes. For the first time a GPS-derived correction model has been developed to calibrate the scale uncertainty of MODIS near IR water vapour product, and regional 1 km x 1 km water vapour fields have been produced with a standard deviation of up to 1.6 mm using a GPS/MODIS integrated approach, from which a zenith-path-delay difference map (ZPDDM) can be derived with an accuracy of 5 mm and a spatial resolution of 2 km. Based on analyses of the spatial structure of water vapour using spatial structure function, a GPS topography- dependent turbulence model (GTTM) has been developed to produce ZPDDMs with a standard deviation of 6.3 mm. A water vapour correction approach has been successfully designed and incorporated into the ROI PAC (version 2.3) software using the ZPDDMs provided by the GTTM and GPS/MODIS integrated models. The application of both correction models to ERS data over the Southern California Integrated GPS Network (SCIGN) shows that the order of water vapour effects on interferograms can be reduced from 10 mm to 5 mm using the GTTM or the GPS/MODIS integrated models. It is also demonstrated that the application of both correction models can improve InSAR processing such as phase unwrapping.


Heart failure (HF) is an increasing health care problem worldwide, and a multidisciplinary approach with a general practitioner (GP) in the health care team is considered optimal. HF management has improved substantially over the last two decades, mainly for patients with HF with a reduced ejection fraction. Earlier studies have shown that HF management in primary care is far from optimal, with under prescription of guideline recommended drug treatment. Secondly, most of these studies performed in primary care included patients with a GP's diagnosis of HF, and thus in a substantial number without a confirmatory echocardiogram, thus more likely including many false-positive HF cases. Thirdly HF and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are both common in the elderly, and often coexist. Thirty primary-care practices (PCPs), including urban, suburban, and rural practices, located in the vicinity of Utrecht in the central part of the Netherlands participated in cluster randomized trial. The study was executed between November 2010 and March 2013. The 30 PCPs were allocated randomly to the intervention group or the care-as-usual (control) group. The GPs from the 15 PCPs allocated to the intervention group underwent a half-day group-training session on the diagnosis and drug treatment of HF based on recommendations of the most recent ESC HF guidelines. The primary outcome was the use of guideline-recommended HF medication in patients with HF at 6 months. Secondary outcomes were health status at 12 months and mortality and hospitalizations at 28 months. An expert panel composed of two cardiologists and a GP with expertise in HF determined the presence or absence of HF (definite HF, possibly HF, or no HF) of the 683 eligible patients. In total 17.3% patients had no HF according to the panel, and 19.2% persons possibly HF, leaving 434 with definite HF. A half-day training program of GPs does not improve HF drug prescriptions in patients with established HF. Around one out of six patients with a GP's diagnosis of HF is misclassified, and such overdiagnosis brings the risk of inappropriate patient management. Two-hundredandthirty-sixpatients out of the 434 withestablishedHFwereinvitedforspirometry.And 106participantswere able to undergo spirometry. Prescription of evidence-based HF drugs in patients with HFrEF did not change significantly between baseline and T1 comparing the intervention and control group. There was no statistically significant or clinically important differences in the eight domains of the SF-36 scale (Quality of life) between the intervention and control groups for patients with either HFrEF or HFpEF. Survival during 28 months did not significantly differ between the intervention and control groups for either HFrEF or HFpEF. A half-day training program of GPs does not improve HF drug prescriptions in patients with established HF. Around one out of six patients with a GP's diagnosis of HF is misclassified, and such overdiagnosis brings the risk of inappropriate patient management. COPD is common inpatients with HF, both HFrEF and HFpEF, and remains undetected in the majority of patients.


One of the implementations of good governance can be reflected in the capability of local government in making good regulations. In Public Administration science, such capability is often referred to as good regulatory governance. This means that people as taxpayers deserve quality service from local government, one of them is through local regulation  that benefits the people. It is because of this that we need to identify some effectives guidelines that could direct local government in issuing regulations. One of the guidelines is called Regulation Impact Assessment (RIA). RIA is a policy evaluation tool that would systemically assess the positive and negative influence of a particular policy being currently proposed (Asian Development Bank, 2003). RIA has several principles, among others are Principle of Neutrality in Competition, Principle of Effective Minimum Regulatory Needs, Principle of Participation and Transparancy, and Principle of Budget-Interest Effectiveness. Keywords: Governance, Regulation and Democracy


Advances in healthcare have led to an extended life expectancy throughout the developed world, but cognitive impairment in later life, and Alzheimer's disease (AD) in particular, remains one of the intractable problems which can blight quality of life as we age. Depression in Alzheimer's disease is an additional factor which has a significant impact on disability, disease progression, and caregiver burden. This book, volume 4 of the Advances in Alzheimer's Disease book series which is published in coordination with the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, presents papers which reflect the progress in recent years of research into depression in AD. This research has focused on several areas, including the improvement of diagnostic criteria and outcome measures for depression and depressive symptoms in AD, genetic and imaging studies to elucidate the neurobiological mechanisms, and clinical trials of antidepressants. The book is divided into sections on phenomenology, epidemiology, neuropsychology, neurobiology and neuropathology, neuroimaging, genetics, and treatment. Providing a stimulus to further research in this challenging area by engaging both basic and clinical researchers, this book will be of interest to all those whose work involves understanding and dealing with depression in those suffering from Alzheimer's disease.


Construction of Bridgeland stability conditions on a given Calabi-Yau threefold is an important problem and this thesis realizes the rst known examples of such stability conditions. More precisely, we construct a dense family of stability conditions on the derived category of coherent sheaves on a principally polarized abelian threefold X with Picard rank one. In particular, we show that the conjectural construction proposed by Bayer, Macr and Toda gives rise to Bridgeland stability conditions on X. First we reduce the requirement of the Bogomolov-Gieseker type inequalities to a smaller class of tilt stable objects which are essentially minimal objects of the conjectural stability condition hearts for a given smooth projective threefold. Then we use the Fourier-Mukai theory to prove the strong Bogomolov-Gieseker type inequalities for these minimal objects of X. This is done by showing any Fourier-Mukai transform of X gives an equivalence of abelian
categories which are double tilts of coherent sheaves.


A 3×3 full diallel experiment was carried out using 3 breeds of ducks, viz. Indigenous duck (D), Khaki Campbell (C) and White Pekin (P), to evaluate the juvenile body weights and conformation traits and to estimates different crossbreeding genetic parameters in 609 ducklings from nine genetic groups. Significant differences between different genetic groups were observed for all the traits measured. Direct genetic effects, maternal effects and heterosis were significant for all the traits studied. Heterosis was in desirable direction for all the traits. Overall results revealed that crossbreds performed significantly higher than the purebreds. C × P recorded highest body weight amongst the crossbreds at 8 weeks of age. Heterosis (%) estimates for 8 week body weight, shank length and keel length were positive. Since both additive and non-additive genetic effects are important for the juvenile traits, establishment of pure lines with specialized sire and dam lines followed by crossing is ideal for the production of different crosses for the commercial duck farming.


Citation indexes are increasingly used to measure the scientific impact of researchers and institutions, though their application is often criticized. We study the network of citations of all publications indexed in Web of Science authored or coauthored by Italian tenured academic economists. We show that citations capture many factors other than mere scientific quality. By estimating the determinants of the probability that any author is cited by any other author, we find those factors to involve not only similarity in methods and topics but also, significantly, various measures of social community as well as of political proximity. Our analysis leads us to conclude that, at least in the case of economics, citations cannot be interpreted as mere proxies of scientific impact, and their use to produce indexes and rankings may require careful rethinking.


Throughout life neural stem/progenitor cells (NSPCs) produce new neurons in distinct regions of the mammalian brain, a process called adult neurogenesis. Hippocampal NSPCs undergo several developmental steps until they reach their final stage of fully differentiated neuronal progeny. Failing any of those steps can compromise adult neurogenesis, resulting in impaired function of the mammalian hippocampal circuit. Altered neurogenesis has been associated with impaired learning and memory as well as number of neuropsychiatric diseases. Previously it was shown that metabolism changes markedly between NSPCs and their differentiated progeny. However the dynamics of metabolic adaptations (gradual vs. acute) occurring during neuronal differentiation have yet to be identified. To answer this question we here determined the metabolic profile of mouse hippocampal NSPCs and their neuronally differentiating progeny in vitro by mass-spectrometry, using an inducible differentiation system, allowing for high temporal resolution of the differentiation process. The metabolomics data we have generated show major and rather quick metabolic adaptations occurring during the first days of neuronal differentiation. Thus, we here observe that NSPCs and their neuronal progeny show distinct metabolic profiles that can rapidly change depending on their developmental state.


Internationally, patterns of participation in sport are changing, with so-called 'informal' participation displacing club-based and other formally structured involvement in sport. This paper reports research that is investigating changing forms of participation from an educational perspective. It directs attention to what physical education can learn from informal sport and how physical education can align pedagogically with contemporary participation trends, to help grow and sustain young people's engagement in sport beyond schools. The paper presents findings from two sequential elements of an ongoing research project. The first is a systematic review of literature pertaining to informal participation that examined the skills, knowledge and understanding central to participation that occurs outside of traditional sport structures. Findings from this review highlight that social skills, cultural understandings, and knowledge relating to environment, alongside movement skills, are important in enabling participants to become engaged in, and maintain their involvement in, informal participation. The second element of the research involved documentary analysis to examine the alignment of contemporary curricula, and specifically, the Australian Curriculum Health and Physical Education (AC HPE), with the learning identified as important for informal participation. Findings illustrate clear opportunities for the AC HPE to bring to the fore knowledge, skills and understandings that may extend young people's engagement with informal participation through their lives. The discussion addresses key issues for policy makers, teachers and teacher educators to consider in the light of this research, if they are to leverage the opportunities for teaching and learning that informal sport presents.


To understand the forces and dynamics of two or more neutral particles trapped within an optical beam, careful consideration of the influence of inter-particle forces is required. The well-known, field-independent intrinsic force is known to derive from the Casimir-Polder interaction. However, the magnitude of this force may be over-ridden by the effect known as optical binding, in cases when the laser beam is of sufficient intensity. This binding interaction is completely independent of optomechanical effects relating to optical tweezers, and involves a stimulated (pairwise) forward-scattering process. Unlike the Casimir-Polder coupling, optical binding is not always an attractive force when both particles are in their ground state. Associated with optical binding are potential energy surfaces, which reveal intricate patterns of local minima – sets of positions in which one of the particles will sit at equilibrium (with the other notionally set at the origin). These optical energy landscapes, which can be illustrated by use of contour diagrams, have mostly been considered for systems in which spherical particles are optically bound. The effect of different particle shapes, for example tube-like structures, can also be explored. Moreover, although the theory of conventional optical binding generally assumes situations in which both particles reside in their ground states, new results arise when individual particles are excited to a higher electronic state. Although, in the experimentally most convenient structural configuration (for tumbling spherical particles), pairwise optical binding vanishes in the short-range region, novel effects can arise as a result of non-zero optical binding between three neighbouring particles.


The previous edition of this book was published under the title "Selected Legal Issues for Finance Lawyers". This new edition is a highly user-friendly, introductory guide to the legal issues that commonly arise in banking and structured finance transactions. Written in an informal and accessible style, this book demystifies and clearly explains the concepts and terminology encountered in practice, and provides practical solutions to everyday problems. The new edition has been fully revised and brought right up-to-date with current legislation.


Conservation organizations are increasingly turning to landscape approaches to achieve a balance between conservation and development goals. We use six case studies in Africa and Asia to explore the role of participatory modeling with stakeholders as one of the steps towards implementing a landscape approach. The modeling was enthusiastically embraced by some stakeholders and led to impact in some cases. Different stakeholders valued the modeling exercise differently. Noteworthy was the difference between those stakeholders connected to the policy process and scientists; the presence of the former in the modeling activities is key to achieving policy impacts, and the latter were most critical of participatory modeling. Valued aspects of the modeling included stimulating cross-sector strategic thinking, and helping participants to confront the real drivers of change and to recognize trade-offs. The modeling was generally considered to be successful in building shared understanding of issues. This understanding was gained mainly in the discussions held in the process of building the model rather than in the model outputs. The model itself reflects but a few of the main elements of the usually rich discussions that preceded its finalization. Problems emerged when models became too complex. Key lessons for participatory modeling are the need for good facilitation in order to maintain a balance between "models as stories" and technical modeling, and the importance of inviting the appropriate stakeholders to achieve impact.


Through reflection on critical incident involving a social justice educator, this reflexive essay examines the role of love and its implications on social justice education, pedagogy, and praxis. Within the U.S. context, there is a considerable misunderstanding of what love is. Normative discourse on love within in our society is almost exclusively relegated to romance and familial relations. However, through personal reflection and a review of interdisciplinary literature, I argue that normative discourses on love are not innocuous, but instead hegemonic and serve as an ideology to perpetuate individualism and white supremacy. Drawing upon critical theorists, including Black and Chicana feminist, I suggest that love must: 1) Be reconceptualized in order to meet the demands of justice, 2) Based in Black and Brown lived experiences, 3) Be embodied for social justice 4) Tend to the whole person, and 5) Be measured by how effective our pedagogy and practice stymy alienation and heal. Lastly, I offer my personal reflection guide that assisted my move toward a critical theory of love.


Estuarine floodplain wetland pools occur adjacent to marine coasts and estuaries throughout the world. In Australia's dry tropics and sub-tropics, low and irregular rainfall means estuarine wetland pools are isolated for much of the time, resulting in varied within-pool conditions, with chemistry ranging from fresh to hypersaline, depending on the balance between freshwater and marine inputs and the time between connections. Varied physical conditions and irregular connectivity provide the potential for substantial faunal difference among pools. The present study compares the compositions and structures of the fish fauna of a broad cross section of estuarine wetland pools adjacent to the estuary of the Fitzroy River, one of the largest rivers in Australia's dry tropical/subtropical zone. Ten pools were sampled between February 2004 and May 2005. The total species richness was low, with the 6123 fish recorded over the study, comprising only 44 species. This low species richness was reflected at the individual pool level, with a maximum total richness of 25 species in a single pool. Different pools had faunas that differed as a function of the proportion of the community comprised of marine spawned, compared with freshwater spawned, species. This was a reflection of the extent of connectivity to freshwater and marine systems, which determined both the physical nature of pools and the sources of faunal supply. Despite faunal differences among pools, at a functional level pool fish faunas were dominated by detritivores, regardless of pool type, size, season or connectedness.


In this article a current European multi-national project in patient safety is described. This project began in Feb. 2005 and will run for two years. It is managed by a consortium of seven NGO's led by the CBO (Dutch Institute for Healthcare Improvement) and receives 60%of its funding from DGSANCO (the health and social policy division of the European Commission). The policy framework within which the project evolved is also described. Despite the constraints of Art 152 of the Treaty, support from Commissioner Byrne encouraged a High Level Reflection process (HLRP) on patient mobility and healthcare developments in the EU, which started in June 2002 and involved European Health Ministers. As a result a series of very positive recommendations were made at the end of 2003 which subsequently were accepted and have affected policy direction in a number of areas e.g. co-operation on e-health, better use of resources as well as quality issues such as patient safety and quality implications of cross-border patient flows. The paper then reviews current issues in patient safety activity within Europe. Finally the Simpatie project is described. It is comprised of four main elements. First, a mapping exercise to determine the present status of patient safety activity within at least 20 European countries. It utilises extensive existing networks within and between the members of the consortium and other relevant stakeholders within Europe. Secondly, a "tool-box" exercise attempts to define common terminology and an expert consensus on measurement tools. This is complemented by the third element, a strategy component which aims to define the basic elements of different approaches to implementing patient safety within health systems. Finally, the last element is dissemination, where involvement of both public and health user organisations will be an important component.