Abstract Loss of market income to families is recognized as a major risk factor of child neglect. In the 2008 recession, some poor families replaced their market incomes with cash assistance from Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). Using secondary data for 42 contiguous jurisdictions and DC, we examined the relationship between increases in TANF caseloads and changes in substantiated child neglect cases in each of the contiguous jurisdiction's 2008 recession. Key findings suggest that reductions in child neglect cases in the presence of increasing TANF caseloads were more profound in about half the states than any increases in child neglect cases found in the remainder of the states. Applying Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis tools, local spatial clusters were found in four neighboring states in the Midwest-South corridor suggesting that child neglect increases were similar and substantial across these four states. Our findings provide important information to stakeholders who may want to better target federal resources to specific geographic regions. Neighboring states experiencing large increases in child neglect during economic downturns may extend their collaborative efforts so they can develop strategies for improving services. Future research should explain the growth in child neglect with other variables aside from TANF caseloads.


Police officers in the United States have killed over 1000 civilians each year since 2013. The constitutional landscape that regulates these encounters defaults to the judgments of the reasonable police officer at the time of a civilian encounter based on the officer's assessment of whether threats to their safety or the safety of others requires deadly force. As many of these killings have begun to occur under similar circumstances, scholars have renewed a contentious debate on whether police disproportionately use deadly force against African Americans and other nonwhite civilians and whether such killings reflect racial bias. We analyze data on 3933 killings to examine this intersection of race and reasonableness in police killings. First, we describe the objective circumstances and interactions of police killings and map those event characteristics to the elements of reasonableness articulated in case law. Second, we assess whether inherently vague constitutional regulation of lethal force is applied differently by officers depending on the civilian's race, giving rise to a disproportionate rate of deaths among racial and ethnic minority groups. We then assess the prospects for remediation of racialized police killings by testing the effects of an existing evidence-based training curricula designed to reduce police use of deadly force towards persons experiencing mental illness.

We find that, across several circumstances of police killings and their objective reasonableness, Black suspects are more than twice as likely to be killed by police than are persons of other racial or ethnic groups; even when there are no other obvious circumstances during the encounter that would make the use of deadly force reasonable. Police killings of Latinx civilians are higher compared to whites and other racial or ethnic groups in some but not all circumstances. We find no evidence that enhanced police training focused on mental health crises can reduce the incidence of fatal police shootings of persons in mental health crisis or racial and ethnic disparities generally in police killings. Our findings suggest that the standards in constitutional case law fail to anticipate the circumstances of fatal police shootings and are therefore seemingly irrelevant in preventing racial disparities in police fatal police shootings. In light of this constitutional landscape, we argue that the ineffectiveness of enhanced police training to reduce shootings overall and racial disparity within these shootings may reflect the absence of race-specific components in their curricula. We suggest that the addition of training components that specifically address the role of race in officers' perceptions of risk and their decision-making in potentially dangerous interactions with citizens may remediate both the incidence of police shootings and their apparent racial and ethnic disparity.


Diabetes mellitus has existed for at least 2000 years and has been treated with
materials derived from plants in many cultures of the world. The mengkudu
(Morinda citrifolia) are known for countless medicinal values and the ripe fruits
were being used traditionally in Malaysia for the treatment for diabetes mellitus. This
study was carried out to verify the hypoglycaemic property and its possible effect on
insulin secretion. Freeze-dried aqueous extracts of various doses of 3 mg/lkg, 30 mg/kg
and 300 mg/kg were administered to normal rats in an acute effect study and the
doses of 3 mg/kg, 30 mg/kg, 300 mg/kg, 600 mg/kg, 900 mg/kg and 1200 mg/kg were
administered to streptozotocin induced type 2 diabetic rats in a chronic effect study
in an Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTI). Results from the choric effect study
showed that the 300 mg/kg dose treated rats had an apparent hypoglycaemic effect as
evident from the blood glucose level measured as the area under the OGTT curve
(AUC: 4370.70 ± 99.13 mg%min) after 6 weeks of oral administration.
Hypoglycaemic activity was also observed in the 600 mg/kg dose after 5 weeks of
oral administration (AUC: 4486.70 ± 35.60 mg%min), the 900 mg/kg dose after 4
weeks of oral administration (AUC: 4340.40 ± 72.90 mg%min) and the 1200mglkg
dose after 4 weeks of oral administration (AUC: 4554.00 ± 49.80 mg%min). All the Ave values were significantly lower compared to control. The aqueous extracts
were also able' to impede the rate of glucose increase and enhance the glucose
clearance. However, the results from the insulin assay did not show any significant
change in the insulin release profile as compared to control. As a conclusion, the
aqueous extract of mengkudu (Morinda citrifolia) fruit preparations in the doses of
300mglkg, 600mg/kg, 900mg/kg and 1200 mg/kg might contain plant compounds
that have substantial hypoglycemic property only in the chronic effect study but did
not affect the insulin secretion in the type 2 diabetic rats. Future studies should be
carried out in order to further discover its mechanisms of action, isolation and
identification of the hypoglycaemic components particularly with regard to the
healing of diabetes by means of plant resources.


This chapter examines a number of different aspects of renal cancer. Firstly, an introduction into the numerous forms of renal cancers is provided, focusing on renal cell carcinomas their causes and the different treatment options currently available. This chapter also takes a look at renal cancer from a toxicological point of view. Due to the crucial role of the kidneys in blood filtration, this allows them to become susceptible to the exposure and accumulation of potentially carcinogenic chemicals. For this reason, renal carcinogens are looked at in detail focusing on the varying mechanisms of genotoxic renal carcinogens such as aristolochic acid and potassium bromate, and their non-genotoxic renal carcinogens counterparts including ochratoxin A and chlorothalonil. This chapter also examines the different methods currently used to detect a compound's carcinogenic potential, including the in vitro Ames test and animal based carcinogenicity screening methods.


Precise quantification of interactions between nanoparticles and living cells is among the imperative tasks for research in nanobiotechnology, nanotoxicology and biomedicine. To meet the challenge, a rapid method called MPQ-cytometry is developed, which measures the integral non-linear response produced by magnetically labeled nanoparticles in a cell sample with an original magnetic particle quantification (MPQ) technique. MPQ-cytometry provides a sensitivity limit 0.33 ng of nanoparticles and is devoid of a background signal present in many label-based assays. Each measurement takes only a few seconds, and no complicated sample preparation or data processing is required. The capabilities of the method have been demonstrated by quantification of interactions of iron oxide nanoparticles with eukaryotic cells. The total amount of targeted nanoparticles that specifically recognized the HER2/neu oncomarker on the human cancer cell surface was successfully measured, the specificity of interaction permitting the detection of HER2/neu positive cells in a cell mixture. Moreover, it has been shown that MPQ-cytometry analysis of a HER2/neu-specific iron oxide nanoparticle interaction with six cell lines of different tissue origins quantitatively reflects the HER2/neu status of the cells. High correlation of MPQ-cytometry data with those obtained by three other commonly used in molecular and cell biology methods supports consideration of this method as a prospective alternative for both quantifying cell-bound nanoparticles and estimating the expression level of cell surface antigens. The proposed method does not require expensive sophisticated equipment or highly skilled personnel and it can be easily applied for rapid diagnostics, especially under field conditions.


Resistance spot welding (RSW) is a widely adopted joining technique in automotive industry. Recent advancement in sensing technology makes it possible to collect thermal videos of the weld nugget during RSW using an infrared camera. The effective and timely analysis of such thermal videos has the potential of enabling in-situ nondestructive evaluation (NDE) of the weld nugget by predicting nugget thickness and diameter. Deep learning (DL) has demonstrated to be effective in analyzing imaging data in many applications. However, the thermal videos in RSW present unique data-level challenges that compromise the effectiveness of most pre-trained DL models. We propose a novel image segmentation method for handling the RSW thermal videos to improve the prediction performance of DL models in RSW. The proposed method transforms raw thermal videos into spatial-temporal instances in four steps: video-wise normalization, removal of uninformative images, watershed segmentation, and spatial-temporal instance construction. The extracted spatial-temporal instances serve as the input data for training a DL-based NDE model. The proposed method is able to extract high-quality data with spatial-temporal correlations in the thermal videos, while being robust to the impact of unknown surface emissivity. Our case studies demonstrate that the proposed method achieves better prediction of nugget thickness and diameter than predicting without the transformation.


A simple and accurate Reverse Phase High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (RPHPLC) method was developed to determine Etamsylate in injection formulations. The drug was chromatographed on a reversed phase C-18 column. Eluents were monitored at a wavelength of 220 nm using a mixture (40:60) Methanol: Buffer (phosphate buffer). Solution concentrations were measured on weight basis to avoid the use of an internal standard. The method was spastically validated for linearity, accuracy, precision and selectivity. Due to its simplicity and accuracy, method will be useful for routine quality control analysis.


Starting from the presupposition that areas of limited statehood (ALS) are not ungoverned, but 'differently' governed, this chapter proposes a spatial grammar that analyses authority and governance as a socio-spatial relationship. This spatial grammar distinguishes four types of dynamic socio-spatial relations—territory, place, scale, and network—and enables us to spatially analyse (a) how political authority is contested, claimed, upheld, and disrupted; (b) how political life is negotiated, regulated, and practised; and (c) how these practices and their effects are spatially situated. We apply this spatial grammar to four case studies, each providing insight into one type of socio-spatial relations. These cases from Nigeria, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, and Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), explain how the negotiation, contestation, and disruption of political authority is spatially situated and embedded in ALS. A spatial grammar focuses on the shifting, overlapping, and contradictory practices of claiming political and regulatory power.


The poor quality and fragmented state of international statistics for the hospitality and tourism sector lead international organizations like the World Tourism Organization (WTO), Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the United Nations to develop and recognize a universally acceptable framework of tourism statistics. These efforts culminated into the development of the Tourism Satellite Accounts (TSA), the very first sector specific Satellite System of Accounts approved by the United Nations. The WTO has since made numerous efforts to promote the implementation of the TSA, more so in the developing countries. While the process is gaining momentum, the implementation of the entire TSA framework is a tedious procedure requiring a high level of financial and non-financial resources. This paradox, of scarce resources required for TSA implementation in developing countries that are in most need of its benefits, has been the crucial motivation for this research project. The present study proposes a framework for evaluating the implementation of the TSA so that the process is manageable and is able to economize on various resources required to implement this comprehensive statistical database. Using Tanzania as the case study, this research verifies the proposed framework for evaluating the TSA's implementation. The underlying model for the proposed implementation framework is the Co-alignment principle from the field of Strategic Management. Evidence of existence of the characteristics of Co-alignment model's components is verified, given the particular experience of TSA implementation in Tanzania. The results suggest that the process in Tanzania is currently misaligned and may require reallocation of certain resources to increase the effectiveness of TSA implementation. In context of the Co-alignment principle, there is evidence that the end-user needs have not been explicitly established. There is also a lack of knowledge regarding gaps that exist between the current statistical databases and how the TSA would be able to fill these shortcomings. This is true for both additional datasets required and the much needed improvements in statistical methodology. Furthermore, there is no clear prioritization of implementation tasks, which is contributing to the lack of financial sustainability of the project. There is indication that the allocation of current resources is misaligned with the requirements for developing institutional capacity, training, stakeholder support, (particularly with the private sector operators) and building a stable legislative framework to support the entire process. Finally, there are no clear performance monitoring and evaluation criteria to assess the ongoing performance of the implementation process as well as that of the entire statistical database. This is crucial to insure effectiveness of the resource allocation process. The conclusions from these observations have been proposed as recommendations to align the process of TSA implementation in Tanzania with the objective of increasing the efficiency of these ongoing efforts at the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism. Furthermore, it has been suggested that the proposed evaluation framework can be used for assessing the effectiveness of implementing any generic national or regional statistical database.


Many interesting pieces of music violate established structures or rules of their genre on purpose. These songs can be very atypical in their interior structure and their different parts might actually allude to entirely different other songs or genres. We present a query-by-example-based user interface that shows songs related to the one currently playing. This relation is not based on overall similarity, but on the similarity between the part currently playing and parts of other songs in the collection along different dimensions (pitch, timbre, bars, beats, loudness). The similarity is initially computed automatically, but can be corrected by the user. Once a sufficient number of corrections has been made, we expect the similarity measure to reach an even higher precision. Our system thereby allows users to discover hidden similarities on the level of song sections instead of whole songs.


• Youth unemployment in South Africa is high, differs substantially by race group and is increasing. In 2012, close to two-thirds of young Africans were broadly unemployed. Over the four years prior to this the unemployment rate had increased by almost ten percentage points. • A wage subsidy is one type of intervention which aims to reduce youth unemployment by providing a subsidy to firms which covers part of the cost of employing young people. The outline of a youth employment incentive was provided by the National Treasury in 2011. • Evidence from other countries suggests that the success of a wage subsidy can be context specific and depends on the nature of the intervention and the structure of the labour market amongst other things. Thus, in order to understand how a wage subsidy may affect youth unemployment it is useful to know how South African young people and firms may react to a wage subsidy. A randomised control trial (RCT) is one way to investigate this. • In an RCT the participants in the study are randomly divided into two groups – one which received the intervention, in this case a voucher for a wage subsidy which a firm who employs the individual could claim for six months (called the treatment group), and the second group which does not receive anything (called the control group). Since allocation to the groups is random and both groups share similar characteristics, any observed changes on average should be the result of the wage subsidy voucher. We can thus attach a causal interpretation to our results. • The key finding of the paper is that those who were allocated a wage subsidy voucher were more likely to be in wage employment both one year and two years after allocation. The impact of the voucher thus persisted even after it was no longer valid. The magnitude of these effects was relatively large – those in the voucher group were 7.4 percentage points (approximately 25 percent) more likely to be in wage employment one year after allocation and of similar magnitude two years later. This impact was not driven by changes in the sample composition. • This suggests that those young people who entered jobs earlier than they would have because of the voucher were more likely to stay in jobs. This confirms the important dynamic impacts of youth employment. It also suggests that government interventions which successfully create youth employment are important and can virtuous longer-term effects. • Relatively few firms actually claimed the voucher. Interviews with firms and young people suggest that this was for a number of reasons: the young people did not even get a chance to show the voucher to someone who makes hiring decision; the administrative burden associated with claiming the money, although not onerous, could not be overcome (for example, larger firms did not have a process for accepting subsidy money, human resource functions were centralised and HR had little incentive to engage in the process of claiming the voucher); or managers or firm owners questioned the legitimacy of the voucher. This suggests that a national wage subsidy policy would need to be widely advertised and information and support provided to firms who would like to claim the subsidy. • However, the impact of the voucher among those individuals who were employed in firms who claimed or enquired about the subsidy was much larger than the broader estimated effect. In this paper we are unable to ascertain whether these jobs were new or not. • Even after controlling for firm take up and enquiry there is still a difference in the probability of wage employment between the group with a voucher and the group without. This indicates that part of the impact of the voucher is through supply side responses of those allocated the voucher. • The results indicate that the observed impact of the voucher is not driven by changes in search, increases in search intensity or movement either to look for jobs or to take up employment. • Rather it seems that part of the impact may be driven by people turning down job offers. Those in the control group, especially those in households with other employed members, were more likely to turn down job offers than those in the treatment group. This suggests that there is some queuing in the South African youth labour market as young people who can wait for better paid jobs do. • We can only speculate about why those in the treatment group did not engage in this behaviour. One explanation is that the voucher changed their perceptions of potential success in the job market and thus they were more willing, or able, to go to these jobs, since they thought the voucher advantaged them or they were able to borrow money from their households to travel and incur the initial costs associated with accepting a job. It may also be that households which contained voucher holders were more likely to encourage the holder to take up the job since it was perceived as part of a special programme, or it may be that more information about jobs was passed onto the households of voucher holders with employees since they were linked into firms and people in their network may have known about the voucher. • These results confirm that the structure of the household is important for success in the labour market. Research on South African labour markets shows that networks are the main channel through which information about jobs is transmitted. Households with working members are thus advantaged since members receive more information about jobs. These types of households can also provide intra-household cash transfers to help pay for transport costs or other costs associated with taking up a job. • However, there can also be relatively negative implications for young people in households with other earners – they can afford to turn down jobs as they wait for potentially better paying or better matched jobs. The consequences of this may not necessarily be negative if these types of jobs eventually arrive but if they do not then these young people have sacrificed both earnings and work experience as they wait.


Wood has many talents, including, among others, the possession of growth characteristics that provide it with stiffness and strength in key directions, a naturally superior resistance to fatigue loading compared with many other structural materials, and piezoelectric properties that, as we are wont to say, must be there for some reason. A piezoelectric material is one that becomes electrically polarized when mechanical stress is applied, a so-called direct effect. A converse effect is the onset of deformation when the material is placed in an electric field. These are characteristics exhibited by many materials, among them many polymers, and wood is a piezo-active polymer. The most widely accepted reason given for the piezoelectric property in wood comes from the microfibrils that make up part of the cell wall structure. These cylindrically-shaped structures, which have diameters in the 10-30 nm range, consist of regions with both parallel and more amorphous arrangements of chains of cellulose molecules. It is in the more orderly parallel portions of this structure, called crystallites because in the aggregate they have a crystalline structure, that the piezoelectric effect has its origin. Piezoelectric properties of wood are correlated with the degree of crystallinity. Given that piezoelectricity exists in wood, can this electrical property be used in such applications as structural health monitoring since, as reported below, its voltage potential appears to be proportional to the magnitude of applied stress? The results reported herein are from a computational study into the feasibility of using surficial voltage or charge measurements to predict mechanical stress unobtrusively for the purposes of structural health monitoring. The present study is focused on modeling dry wood subjected to static loads; future research will include wood with moisture and cyclic loads.


To significantly reduce physically-based rendering times for participating media, we propose a novel perceptual strategy based on the combination of a saliency map with our new physically-based extinction map (X-map), which stores in image-space the exponential decay of light in the medium. This combination is then used to guide a selective rendering of the scene, with more accurate estimates in the most perceptually important parts of the scene, without visible degradation. The novelties of this work can then be summarized as a) the introduction of the X-map concept and b) its combination with a saliency map to guide a perception-based renderer for inhomogeneous participating media. Results show a decrease of almost 60% in rendering times for our test scene.


In this article, we describe rehearsals designed for use in professional development (PD) with secondary mathematics teachers to support them in reimagining and refining their practice. We detail a theoretical framework for learning in PD that informs our rehearsal design. We then share evidence of secondary mathematics teachers' improvements in classroom practice from a broader study examining their participation in a PD that featured the use of rehearsals and provide examples of the ways two teachers' rehearsals of the practice of monitoring students' engagement with mathematics corresponded to changes in their practice. We conclude with a set of considerations and revisions to our design and a discussion of the role of mathematics teacher educators in supporting teachers in expanding their practice toward more ambitious purposes for students' mathematical learning.


Top-down economic models, such as computable general equilibrium models, are the common tools to assess the economic impacts of climate change policies. However, these models are incapable of representing the detailed technological characteristics of the sources of greenhouse gas emissions. The economic impacts measured by the top-down economic models are likely to be overestimated. This study attempts to quantify the overestimation by measuring the economic impacts linking the top-down model with a bottom-up engineering model for the energy sector. The study uses meeting China's pledges under the Paris Agreement for testing this hypothesis. The study shows that the economic impacts measured by the stand-alone top-down model are almost three times as high as those resulting from the model after linking it with the bottom-up model. However, the findings are sensitive to the assumptions and existing or planned policies on energy technologies considered in the bottom-up model.


We present the living application, a method to autonomously manage applications on the grid. During its execution on the grid, the living application makes choices on the resources to use in order to complete its tasks. These choices can be based on the internal state, or on autonomously acquired knowledge from external sensors. By giving limited user capabilities to a living application, the living application is able to port itself from one resource topology to another. The application performs these actions at run-time without depending on users or external workflow tools. We demonstrate this new concept in a special case of a living application: the living simulation. Today, many simulations require a wide range of numerical solvers and run most efficiently if specialized nodes are matched to the solvers. The idea of the living simulation is that it decides itself which grid machines to use based on the numerical solver currently in use. In this paper we apply the living simulation to modeling the collision between two galaxies in a test setup with two specialized computers. This simulation switches at run-time between a GPU-enabled computer in the Netherlands and a GRAPE-enabled machine that resides in the United States, using an oct-tree N-body code whenever it runs in the Netherlands and a direct N-body solver in the United States.


Most industrial applications of radiation thermometry require corrections of the measured signal to account for both the emissivity of the target and reflected radiation from the target's surroundings. The accuracy of these corrections relies on detailed knowledge of the target emissivity. Even so, the temperature dependence of the emissivity in some cases creates an ambiguity in the components of the target radiance that is fundamentally unresolvable. This ambiguity leads to an enhancement of the measurement uncertainty, sometimes catastrophically. In other cases the temperature dependence of the emissivity enhances the sensitivity of the measured temperature to changes in target temperature, resulting in a reduced measurement uncertainty. As well as an intrinsic temperature dependence of emissivity, there is also an induced temperature dependence due to the spectral dependence of the emissivity when broadband temperature measurements are made. The effects of the temperature dependence of the emissivity are analysed and an expression is given that allows one to evaluate the total measurement uncertainty for a given application.


Is the second best outcome of static agency models renegotiation proof? In models with one period of renegotiation, Fudenberg and Tirole (1990) answer no when the principal makes the offer, while Ma (1994) and Matthews (1995) answer yes when the agent makes the offer. This paper analyzes the robustness of these two claims when there are more periods of renegotiation. With a known number of periods, if the principal makes at least one offer, even if the agent makes the offer in every other period, the equilibrium is identical to Fudenberg and Tirole equilibrium. With an uncertain number of periods, the agency problem is even more severe than in the Fudenberg and Tirole model.


The adoption of the internet into education has led to a proliferation of use of the term "Blended Learning" as indicated by over 185k scholarly articles as reported by Google Scholar.. Not surprisingly, due to the relative novelty of the term there is a misunderstanding between the scholars and practitioners when it comes to blended learning theory and its practice. Pedagogical analyses of the definition of Blended Learning have been attempted but have been inconclusive, which is not only a theoretical problem but a practical one as well (Sharpe, et. al., 2006).The default assumption is still that Blended Learning essentially means the delivery of education by the combination of the internet and face-to-face teaching.

Two key issues arise from this. The first, as eloquently discussed by Oliver and Trigwell (2005), is why a type of learning is defined by a technique of teaching. The use of the word 'delivery' implies that Blended Learning is simply the introduction of a new tool into a standard didactic process. When a teacher stands up in a classroom and explains a topic to a group of students followed by some discussion, this is widely recognised as a well established technique of teaching. Strangely, if the teacher additionally provides material and facilitates discussion through the internet, the combination is often referred to as blended learning.

The second issue, which we explore in field work described in this paper, is that there are more than two elements to the blend. Whether we take the perspective of either the teacher or the learner, independent learning may be far more important than classroom or web based teaching. Typically the 'delivery' of teaching, whether online or offline, is a small proportion of the total learning time of a given module. Self study is in fact an essential prerequisite to learning (Heinze and Procter 2010). It follows that any definition of a type of learning must include the role of self study. The absence of this from definitions of Blended Learning can imply a lack of significance being attached to how the learner engages with modern forms of teaching, and potentially set back advances in the application of pedagogy.

The evolution of these issues in the literature will be discussed in this paper.


The Terrorism Research Initiative seeks to stimulate individual and collaborative research on terrorism and other forms of political violence that threatening human security. While some topics are 'fashionable" and obtain an extraordinary amount of attention (e.g. CBRN threats, radicalization, suicide terrorism, jihadist terrorism) other (sub-) topics are un- or under-researched.


An estimated 95% of rural residents use groundwater as their household water supply for drinking and everyday use. Public policy in Montana and through most of the United States dictates no rules about well water testing, only recommends testing be done on a yearly basis. Well water can contain lead, arsenic, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), synthetic organic compounds (SOCs), nitrates, and copper and many other possible contaminants. The choice of a consumer-based water filtration system should be based on the contaminant profile of the water source. Filter types vary in design and their contaminant removal profile, such as simple pitcher filters, activated carbon, and reverse osmosis, but many filtration systems can remove multiple contaminants and reduce the risk of exposures. The purpose of this project is to provide a list of potential contaminants and their health effects that have commonly been identified as contaminants in water samples in Gallatin County, Montana, as well as provide a comprehensive resource for consumers and health care providers to make decisions about well-water treatment.


Plot Summary Kino, a young pearl diver in La Paz, enjoys his simple life until the day his son, Coyotito, is stung by a scorpion. The wealthy town doctor will not treat the baby because Kino cannot pay the doctor's fee, so Kino and his wife, Juana, are left only to hope their child is saved. That day Kino goes diving, and finds a great pearl, the Pearl of the World, and knows he is suddenly a wealthy man. The word travels quickly about the pearl and many in the town begin to plot ways to steal it. While the townspeople plot against Kino, he dreams of marrying Juana in a church, buying a rifle, and sending Coyotito to school so that he can learn to read. Kino believes that an education will free his son from the poverty and ignorance that have oppressed their people for more than four hundred years. The doctor comes to treat Coyotito once he learns of Kino's pearl, and although the baby is healed by Juana's remedy, the doctor takes advantage of Kino's ignorance. He convinces Kino that the child is still ill and will die without the care of a doctor. The doctor then manipulates Kino into unwittingly revealing where he has hidden the great pearl. Kino moves the pearl when the doctor leaves. That night, an intruder comes into Kino's hut and roots around near the spot where Kino had first buried the pearl. The next day, Kino tries to sell the pearl in town. The pearl buyers have already planned to convince Kino that the great pearl he has found is worth very little because it is too large. This way they can purchase the pearl for a low price. But when the buyers try to cheat Kino, he refuses to sell the pearl and plans to travel to another city to sell at a fair price. His brother, Tom Juan, feels Kino's plan is foolish because it defies his entire way of life and puts his family in danger. Kino is now on his own, although he doesn't know it yet. Juana warns Kino that the pearl is evil and will destroy his family, but he refuses to throw it away because it is his one chance to provide a different life for his family. That night, Juana takes the pearl and tries to throw it into the sea, but Kino stops her and beats her. On his way back to their hut, Kino is attacked and he kills the man in self-defense. Juana goes to gather their things and escape and finds the floor of their hut completely dug up. While she's inside the hut getting the baby, someone lights it on fire. Kino, Juana, and Coyotito hide with Kino's brother for a day before embarking on their journey to a new city under the cover of darkness. While they are resting during the day, Kino discovers that there are trackers following them. He knows that they will steal the pearl and kill his family if they catch them. To escape, Kino and Juana take the baby and run to the mountains where they hide in a cave at nightfall. The trackers camp just below the ridge where they are hiding. Kino sneaks down in the night to kill the trackers, but before he can attack them, Coyotito cries out. The trackers, thinking it's a coyote, shoot at the dark cave where Juana and Coyotito are hiding. As the shot is fired, Kino springs on the trackers and kills them all. Unfortunately, Coyotito was killed by the first gunshot, and Kino's journey with the pearl ends in tragedy. Realizing that the pearl is cursed and has destroyed his family (as Juana forewarned), Kino and Juana return to La Paz and throw the cursed pearl into the sea.


Background: South Africa has the highest number of patients on antiretroviral therapy (ART) globally. Various obstacles were identified that influence effective reporting of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) in resource-limited countries. This investigation aimed to identify, classify and analyse the prevalence of ART-related ADRs. Methods: This observational, quantitative and retrospective descriptive investigation utilised ADR forms completed by healthcare professionals in various healthcare facilities in the Tlokwe district, South Africa (January 2010 to December 2014). Descriptive and inferential analyses were carried out. Results: A total of 770 ART-related ADRs were included in the final analysis. The mean age was 40.1 (± 10.1%) years, with significantly higher ADRs reported in females (70.8%). In this study, 99% of the ADRs were reported by doctors. Abnormal fat distribution (58%), peripheral neuropathy (21.6%) and renal dysfunction (6.6%) were most frequently reported. Females presented with abnormal fat distribution and peripheral neuropathy at a significantly younger age (38.1 ± 4.6 vs. 43.4 ± 5.7 years, p < 0.0001 and 39.7 ± 1.1 vs. 45.1 ± 9.2 years, p < 0.001) respectively compared with males. Gender difference was practically significant (Cramer's V = 0.3) for all three of the major reported ADRs. Conclusions: Gender was highly dependent among the major reported ADR categories, and women presented with abnormal fat distribution and peripheral neuropathy at a significantly earlier age than males. This retrospective analysis can serve as a platform for future ADR studies within this district. Sustainable and continuous efforts should be made to train and create more awareness among healthcare workers in this district.


Both manganese (Mn) and iron (Fe) are dietary metals required for numerous important processes in mammalian systems, and disturbances in the homeostasis of these metals can have deleterious effects, specifically on the central nervous system. In these studies, weanling-male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly placed into one of four dietary treatment groups: control (CN; 35 mg Fe/kg diet), iron-deficient (ID; 6 mg Fe/kg diet), CN with Mn exposure (via the drinking water; 1 g Mn/L) (CNMn), and ID with Mn exposure (IDMn). Iron deficiency affected 3 H-GABA uptake in male rats after four weeks of exposure and females after six weeks, demonstrating sex difference in the response to dietary ID in terms of a neurochemical outcome. ID-associated Mn accumulation was similar in the brains of both male and female rats, as was an inverse relationship between Mn and 3 H-GABA uptake observed in both sexes at six weeks supporting previous data illustrating disturbances in GABA levels as a result of Mn exposure. 3 H-NE uptake decreased significantly with increased Mn concentration in the locus coeruleus, while decreased Fe was associated with decreased uptake of 3 H-NE in the caudate putamen and locus coeruleus. Using in vivo microdialysis, an increase in extracellular GABA concentrations in the striatum was observed in response to Mn exposure and ID although correlational analysis reveals that extracellular GABA is related more to extracellular iron levels and not Mn. Extracellular concentrations of NE in the caudate putamen were significantly decreased in response to Mn exposure and ID. A diverse effect of Mn exposure and ID was observed in the regions examined via Western blot and RT-PCR analysis, with effects on mRNA and protein expression of GAT-1, GABA A , GABA B , NET, and 2 adrenergic receptor differing between and within the regions examined. These data not only illuminate the multifaceted nature of Mn toxicity in relation to the neurotransmitter systems involved, but also illustrate the complex dynamic between Mn and Fe levels. This information increases the understanding of the etiology of Mn toxicity and could potentially aid in the development of therapies for vulnerable populations (e.g., ID individuals and Mn-exposed workers).


Escape from the cold and embrace the avalanche of information about snow in this fact-tastic nonfiction Level 3 Ready-to-Read, part of a series about the science of fun stuff! Did you ever wonder how snow is formed? Did you know that no two snowflakes are exactly alike? Learn about the polar vortex, different kinds of snow, how meteorologists predict snowstorms, and much more as you become a Science of Fun Stuff Expert on snow! Amaze your friends with all you ve learned in this engaging, fact-filled Level 3 Ready-to-Read! A special section at the back of the book includes Common Core vetted extras on subjects like social studies and math, and there s even a fun quiz so readers can test themselves to see what they ve learned! Learning science has never been so much fun!"


Background: Diabetes mellitus is one of the most important diseases related with endocrines. Its main manifestation includes abnormal metabolism of carbohydrates and lipids and inappropriate hyperglycemia that is caused by absolute or relative insulin deficiency. It affects humankind worldwide. Objectives: Our research was aimed to observe antihyperglycemic activity of thymoquinone and oleuropein. Materials and Methods: In this study, rats were divided into six groups, 6 rats in each. Diabetes was inducted by streptozotocin (STZ). The level of fasting blood glucose was determined for each rats during the experiment, doses of thymoquinone and oleuropein (3 mg/kg and 5 mg/kg) for both, were injected intraperitoneal. Pancreatic tissues were investigated to compare β-cells in diabetic and treated rats. Result and Conclusion: It was found that thymoquinone and oleuropein significantly decrease serum Glucose levels in STZ induced diabetic rats.


While the EU is a customs union in merchandise trade (goods), it has not yet reached this stage of integration in service trade. Trade policies between individual Member States and non-Member States vary in services. Given the remaining national sovereignties in regulating service trade against other EU Member States also, the EU is not yet even a free trade area. How far the EU is from a customs union in service trade is very difficult to assess because of the non-quantitative nature of trade restrictions in this sector. This article gives a first hint of the distance from a customs union by calculating frequency indices of trade measures by refining the 1995 Hoekman index. The database is the EU's first offer in service trade in the WTO Doha round in February 2003. It emerges that the deviation from a customs union is not substantial, but still exists because of differences in national policies against non-Member States which are particularly relevant in the mode of supply via labour flows. Inter alia, policy measures comprise economic needs tests, residence and nationality criteria. The article concludes that there is reason to assume that, in the course of the Doha round negotiations, some if not most of the national measures will be given up. Therefore, multilateral trade negotiations will be instrumental in bringing the EU to a complete customs union as happened in goods trade between 1958 and 1968 when the Dillon and Kennedy rounds helped to complete the customs union in industrial goods.


The primary objective of the thesis is to study the degree of redistribution in the Irish Tax-Benefit System. The first part of the thesis (chapter 2) describes the main features of the system and examines the potential redistributive effect of the system. It also sets the system in its historical context by charting the development of the system in the post war era. Chapter 3 examines the redistributive effect of the sub-components of the tax-benefit system separately on a cross-section of the population by decomposing standard redistributive and progressivity measures. This chapter examines in detail the effect of the reforms from 1987 to 2000. The use of a short accounting period such as a month will tend to exaggerate the degree of redistribution within a tax-benefit system. It is desirable therefore to examine the degree of redistribution over a measure such as lifetime income, as this more fully reflects the standard of living an individual faces. As lifetime income data is not available, a dynamic microsimulation model has been constructed to generate synthetic life histories of a sample of the Irish population, so that lifetime incomes can be constructed. A number of chapters then describe the characteristics of this model. Chapter 4 considers the main issues involved in designing a dynamic microsimulation model and assesses how the main dynamic models internationally have dealt with the issues discussed. Chapter 5 describes how this model dealt with these design issues. Chapters 6 and 7 respectively describe the behavioural equations used by the model to simulate demographic/education and market behaviour respectively. A number of analytical chapters have been included using the dynamic microsimulation model. Chapter 8 examines the degree of redistribution over life-cycle. Chapter 9 analyses the redistributive effect of taxes and benefits over the lifetime. Chapter 10 examines the degree of intra versus inter personal redistribution in the tax-benefit system. The previous chapters examine the redistributive effect of the tax-benefit system in isolation by considering its effect in a steady state world. However neither the world nor the tax-benefit system are in a steady state. The system has evolved over time. In Chapter 11, we examine the degree of inter-generational redistribution of the Irish Welfare State since the foundation of the state in 1921.


In this paper, we revisit, explore and extend the Particle Trajectory Sonification (PTS) model, which supports cluster analysis of high-dimensional data by probing a model space with virtual particles which are `gravitationally' attracted to a mode of the dataset's potential function. The particles' kinetic energy progression of as function of time adds directly to a signal which constitutes the sonification.
The exponential increase in computation power since its conception in 1999 enables now for the first time to investigate real-time interactivity in such complex interweaved dynamic sonification models. We speeded up the computation of the PTS model with (i) data optimization via vector quantization, and (ii) parallel computing via OpenCL. We investigated the performance of sonifying high-dimensional complex data under different approaches. The results show a substantial increase in speed when applying vector quantization and parallelism with CPU. GPU parallelism provided a substantial speedup for very large number of particles comparing to using CPU but did not show enough benefit for a low number of particles due to copying overhead. A hybrid OpenCL implementation is presented to maximize the benefits of both worlds.


To leverage the benefits of modern hardware, dynamic languages must support parallelism, and parallelism requires a virtual machine (VM) capable of parallel execution — a parallel VM. However, unrestricted concurrency and the dynamism of dynamic languages pose great challenges to the implementation of parallel VMs. In a dynamic language, a program changing itself is part of the language model. To help the VM, languages often choose memory models (MM) that weaken consistency guarantees. With lesser guarantees, local program state cannot be affected by every concurrent state change. And less interference allows a VM to make local assumptions about the program state which are not immediately violated. These local assumptions are essential for a VM's just-in-time compiler for delivering state-of-the-art VM performance. Unfortunately, some dynamic languages employ MMs that give exceedingly strong consistency guarantees and thereby hinder the development of parallel VMs. Such is the case in particular for languages that depend on a global interpreter lock, which mandates a MM with sequential consistency and instruction atomicity. In this paper, we reflect on a first implementation of the Parallel RPython execution model, which facilitates the development of parallel VMs by decoupling language semantics from the synchronization mechanism used within the VM. The implementation addresses the challenges imposed by strong MMs through strict isolation of concurrent computations. This isolation builds on transactional parallel worlds, which are implemented with a novel combination of software techniques and the capabilities of modern hardware. We evaluate a set of parallel Python programs on a parallel VM that relies on Parallel RPython's implementation. Compared with a serial baseline VM that relies on a global interpreter lock, the parallel VM achieves speedups of up to 7.5× on 8 CPU cores. The evaluation shows that our realization of Parallel RPython meets the challenges of dynamic languages, and that it can serve as a solid foundation for the construction of parallel dynamic language VMs.


BACKGROUND
Increased consumption of n-3 (omega-3) long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC PUFAs), especially eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), may maintain cognitive function in later life.

OBJECTIVE
We tested the hypothesis that n-3 LC PUFA supplementation would benefit cognitive function in cognitively healthy older people.

DESIGN
At total of 867 cognitively healthy adults, aged 70-79 y, from 20 general practices in England and Wales were randomly assigned into a double-blind controlled trial of daily capsules providing 200 mg EPA plus 500 mg DHA or olive oil for 24 mo. Treatment-allocation codes were obtained from a central computerized randomization service. Trained research nurses administered a battery of cognitive tests, including the primary outcome, the California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT), at baseline and 24 mo. Intention-to-treat analysis of covariance, with adjustment for baseline cognitive scores, age, sex, and age at leaving full-time education, included 748 (86%) individuals who completed the study.

RESULTS
The mean age of participants was 75 y; 55% of the participants were men. Withdrawals and deaths were similar in active (n = 49 and n = 9, respectively) and placebo (n = 53 and n = 8, respectively) arms. Mean (+/-SD) serum EPA and DHA concentrations were significantly higher in the active arm than in the placebo arm at 24 mo (49.9 +/- 2.7 mg EPA/L in the active arm compared with 39.1 +/- 3.1 mg EPA/L in the placebo arm; 95.6 +/- 3.1 mg DHA/L in the active arm compared with 70.7 +/- 2.9 mg DHA/L in the placebo arm). There was no change in cognitive function scores over 24 mo, and intention-to-treat analysis showed no significant differences between trial arms at 24 mo in the CVLT or any secondary cognitive outcome.

CONCLUSIONS
Cognitive function did not decline in either study arm over 24 mo. The lack of decline in the control arm and the relatively short intervention period may have limited our ability to detect any potential beneficial effect of fish oil on cognitive function in this study. The Older People And n-3 Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (OPAL) Study was registered at www.controlled-trials.com as ISRCTN 72331636.


"The mission of The Journal of General Physiology (JGP) is to publish articles that elucidate important biological, chemical, or physical mechanisms of broad physiological significance. The major emphasis is on physiological problems at the cellular and molecular level."

In the 1996 film Jerry Maguire, the title character, a sports management agent, wrote a mission statement entitled "The things we think and do not say: the future of our business." Life's most important decisions are often based on unarticulated values. Jerry dared to articulate his values, generating applause from his coworkers but disdain from the establishment (he was fired as a result). Spelling out our values can be risky, but it is only through critical self-reflection that we can change our direction.

As the new Editor of The Journal of General Physiology, I look to our mission statement for the values to guide me. "The mission … is to publish articles" offers little direction. In fact, I don't agree that publishing articles is our only mission. Anyone with access to the internet can publish articles. Doesn't our community deserve more? As it continues, our mission statement does little more to articulate our values. The articles we publish should "elucidate important biological, chemical, or physical mechanisms of broad physiological significance," but how do we define "important" and "significance"?

I assert that an emphasis on "important" work that is "significant" no longer serves us, as these terms have been appropriated by for-profit journals and others who seek to devalue basic science research. In a recent editorial, Marc Kirschner, chair of the Department of Systems Biology at Harvard Medical School, takes on the myth of significance: "One may be able to recognize good science as it happens, but significant science can only be viewed in the rearview mirror. To pretend otherwise distorts science" (Kirschner, 2013). Does publishing work of "significance" really capture the JGP mission? Could it cause us to miss out on careful, rigorous, thoughtful work whose place in history is not yet clear?

The pressure to publish "important" work in high impact journals with ever-increasing standards of "significance" is suspected to underlie, at least in part, the apparent epidemic of nonreproducible results and outright fraud. Kirschner attributes at least some of the blame for this problem to the behavior of scientific journals: "Reviewers and editors increasingly insist on major extensions of the submitted work to inflate its (narrowly defined) impact, while at the same time making such extensions a condition for acceptance. In today's competitive job and grant market, these demands create a strong inducement for sloppy science" (Kirschner, 2013). Could our insistence on "significance" contribute to the apparent epidemic of corrupt scientific values? Are we doing a disservice to trainees seeking employment and to all of us seeking funding? Does drinking the Kool-Aid of "significance" undermine the very basic science to which we devote our careers?

Our hubris in believing we can predict the role of any given study in curing humanity's ills may be squashing the very imagination and creativity required to solve our most pressing problems. In reviewing grant proposals, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) recognizes that high reward science sometimes carries high risk. But work that aims to gain a thorough, deep understanding of a scientific problem may take a hit for not being "innovative." Significance is an explicitly scorable criterion in the proposal review process. When quantifying significance, NIH instructs reviewers to determine "How will successful completion of the aims change the concepts, methods, technologies, treatments, services, or preventative interventions that drive this field?" Applying definitions of "significance" such as that reflected in this question formalizes a bias against discovery-driven research. Not even anecdotal evidence supports investing in translational science over discovery-driven science. Blind acceptance of review criteria that court "innovation" and "significance," defined by what is already known, instead of what we have yet to discover, is inherently unscientific. Kirschner captures this problem well, asserting that we "should reemphasize humility, banishing the words 'impact' and 'significance' and seeing them for what they really are: ways of asserting bias without being forced to defend it" (Kirschner, 2013).

Like Jerry Maguire, brave voices in the scientific community have begun to speak about what is wrong with how we run our business and what we can do to fix it. But department chairs and journal editors cannot reform scientific discourse by themselves. We need those like Jerry Maguire's client Rod Tidwell, whose values guided him to remain with Jerry after his mission statement got him fired. As Editor of JGP, I may appear to be self-serving by urging you to submit your best work to nonprofit journals run by editors who are themselves active scientists. But I believe that, one paper at a time, we can together model the future of science as we believe it should be. Our authors, reviewers, and readers are JGP. You are JGP. You determine the quality, rigor, innovation, and inventiveness of the work found within our pages. You determine whether careful and thoughtful carry the day over significant and important.

Over the next year as we update our mission statement, I will ask you, like Jerry Maguire asks Rod Tidwell, to "Help me … to help you. Help me help you." What values do you believe our mission statement should reflect? What is the appropriate role of JGP in the future of our business? Because YOU are JGP, I ask that you make your voices heard and your views known. Together, we can ensure that JGP remains a force for good in science, continuing in the best tradition of those preceding me at the helm. Help JGP to help you by contributing as authors, reviewers, and readers, and by telling me what you think. I invite you all to get involved, stay involved, and feel the pride of what JGP represents.

In closing, I'd like to thank Ed Pugh for his tireless efforts as Editor of JGP over the last five years. Ed, your contributions on behalf of our JGP community cannot be overstated. You leave big shoes to fill and will be missed. On behalf of our community, our authors, reviewers, readers, editorial advisory board, associate/managing/executive/production editors, and all those involved with JGP, I salute you.


An experimental investigation is made of the idealized drilling problem of a flat punch loading a horizontal rock surface near a previous crater. Tests are run on a limestone to determine the force required to form a chip and the chip shape as functions of the confining pressure, the inclination of the free surface from the horizontal loaded surface, and the placement or indexing distance of the load from the free surface. The results are compared with the theoretical predictions of plastic limit analysis.


I contrast two possible attitudes towards a given branch of physics: as inferential (i.e., as concerned with an agent's ability to make predictions given finite information), and as dynamical (i.e., as concerned with the dynamical equations governing particular degrees of freedom). I contrast these attitudes in classical statistical mechanics, in quantum mechanics, and in quantum statistical mechanics; in this last case, I argue that the quantum-mechanical and statistical-mechanical aspects of the question become inseparable. Along the way various foundational issues in statistical and quantum physics are (hopefully!) illuminated.


We use a primitive equation isopycnal model of the Pacific Ocean to simulate and diagnose the anomalous heat balance on interdecadal timescales associated with heat storage changes observed from 1970–1988 in the expendable bathythermograph (XBT) data set. Given the smallness of the interdecadal signals compared to the El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) signal, the agreement between model and observations is remarkably good. The total anomalous heat balance is made up of two parts, the diabatic part (from the model temperature equation) and the adiabatic part (from the model mass conservation equation) due to thermocline heave. We therefore describe our analysis of both the total and diabatic anomalous heat balances in four areas of the tropical and subtropical North Pacific Ocean in the upper 400 m. The interdecadal total (diabatic plus adiabatic) heat balance in the North Pacific Ocean is characterized by a complicated interplay of different physical processes, especially revealed in basin-scale averages of the heat budget components that have comparable amounts of variance. In smaller subregions, simpler balances hold. For example, in the western equatorial Pacific (area 1) the total heat content tendency term is nearly zero, so that a simple balance exists between surface heat flux, vertical heat transport, and horizontal mixing. In the western subtropical Pacific the total heat content tendency balances the three-dimensional divergence of the heat flux. We speculate that this complexity is indicative of multiple physical mechanisms involved in the generation of North Pacific interdecadal variability. The diabatic heat balance north of 24°N, a region of special interest to The World Ocean Circulation Experiment (WOCE), can be simplified to a balance between the tendency term, surface heat flux, and meridional advection, the last term dominated by anomalous advection of mean temperature gradients. For the western equatorial region the diabatic heat content tendency is nearly zero and the steady balance involves simply horizontal advection and the surface heat flux, which at these latitudes has a damping role in the model. An important finding of this study is the identification of two interdecadal timescales, roughly 10 and 20 years, both similar to those reported by other investigators in recent years. [Tourre et al., 1998; Latif and Barnett, 1994; Robertson, 1995; White et al, 1997; Gu and Philander, 1997; Jacobs et al., 1994]. The 20-year timescale is only present in diabatic heat budget components, while the 10-year timescale is present in both diabatic and adiabatic components. The 10-year timescale can also be seen in the surface heat flux time series, but it occurs in the ocean adiabatic components which demonstrates the importance of oceanic adjustment through Rossby wave dynamics on decadal timescales.


This Article explores the relationship between medical malpractice tort reforms and death rates. Investigating this relationship is important both because of the frequent political conflict over such reforms and because medical malpractice causes tens of thousands of deaths each year. I first develop predictions from law and economics theory about medical malpractice tort reforms' carelevel and activity-level impacts on death rates. I test the theoretical predictions using extensive data and sophisticated regressions. I find that the net effect varies by reform: Some reforms are associated with increases in death rates, while others are associated with decreases in death rates. These results confirm that the tort reforms' care-level effects and activity-level effects are both important. My results also suggest that the reforms may produce three unintended consequences. First, two of the reforms are associated with increases in death rates. Second, because doctors relocate to tort reform states, tort reforms in one state are associated with increases in deaths in neighboring nonreform states. Third, these reforms disproportionately harm women. They not only disproportionately reduce women's tort judgments, but they are also associated with increases in women's death rates. I conclude by proposing modifications to the reforms that would retain their benefits, but reduce their harms.


Do sports and politics mix? Some say they should not, but the answer is, "yes"--they do not only mix with politics but also with other factors such as economics and drugs. The last factor has been one of the major problems of sporting events, especially the Olympic Games. A few years ago, the whole world had admired the athletic prowess of the former communist states. A small country like the former German Democratic Republic (East Germany) and other communist countries were getting so many medals in the Olympics, in 1976 especially. Those countries seemed to invest too much time and financial resources in training their athletes who rendered their homelands tremendous pride and international political prestige to them, and to communist ideology for that matter. In these cases sports and politics were in tandem, and so was the research in increasing the athletic power of sporting individuals with anabolics, the so-called doping. Then the admiration for the communist states athletic prowess evaporated quickly. Their athletes' health was ruined, although the they were rewarded financially. The control of doping by athletes had become one of the biggest problems in sporting events. Even in "Sydney 2000," which had promised a "clean" Olympiad, many doping cases were reported despite the strict controls applied and several medals had to be recalled. Reacting to these developments, many people have called for the return of the ancient Greek Olympic ideal. The Olympiads have become the greatest athletic spectacles, the most exciting and the most expensive performances which have "deviated" from the classical ideal. The classical Olympic winners' honor was the plain olive branch crown. The classical Olympic Games, however, have been excessively idealized and this predilection has been boosted by the museum built in Lausanne, Switzerland, the seat of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The museum documents the history of the Olympics and gives various data on the ancient Olympiads and famous winners in those events. The museum, however, is silent over doping, boycotts of the Games, and their exploitations by authoritarian regimes and sponsors. Theoretically, the museum's place should have been in Olympia, its Greek birthplace. But Greece is in the Balkans, the "cockpit of Europe," and neutral, peaceful Switzerland was considered a better place for the seat of the IOC and the museum. "Sydney 2000" was declared the "greatest Olympiad ever," and with "Athens 2004," Greece has promised to present a "successful and clean return" to the classical Olympic ideal. Myth and Reality The Olympic Games can be traced back to prehistory. In Olympia, in Peloponnesus, athletic events were held in honor of famous Titans and gradually led to a Pan-Hellenic event, the Olympiad. Greek legend has it that a certain Hercules from Crete with his brothers organized races whose winners were crowned with the cotinos or olive branch crown. Olympia played host to the Games and it became the permanent venue and sacred athletic center of ancient Greece. The sanctuary's immunity was widely recognized and its violation was severely punished. The Games were of the greatest significance to the Greeks and a uniting bond as they brought together Greeks--and also non-Greeks--from all over the regions of the Mediterranean and Black Seas. Sports in ancient Greece were mixed with religion and the Olympics were held in honor of the father of gods and men, Zeus or Jupiter, and other local and national gods. The Games were also connected with culture as poets, dramatists, artists, philosophers and musicians competed for prizes in Olympia and other venues. The first recorded Olympiad was held in 776 B.c. after which year the Greeks dated their history and numbered the Olympiads, held every four years, and in which only men competed--naked. The Olympionikis, or Olympic champion, was the greatest honor and individual could attain in ancient Greece, and songs were written and statues erected for them. …


Hepatic glucose and lipid metabolism are altered in metabolic disease (e.g. obesity, metabolic syndrome, and Type 2 diabetes). Insulin-dependent regulation of glucose metabolism is impaired. In contrast, lipogenesis, hypertriglyceridemia, and hepatic steatosis are increased. Because insulin promotes lipogenesis and liver fat accumulation, to explain the elevation in plasma and tissue lipids, investigators have suggested the presence of pathway-selective insulin resistance. In this model, insulin signaling to glucose metabolism is impaired, but insulin signaling to lipid metabolism is intact. We discuss the evidence for the differential regulation of hepatic lipid and glucose metabolism. We suggest that the primary phenotypic driver is altered substrate delivery to the liver, as well as the repartitioning of hepatic nutrient handling. Specific alterations in insulin signaling serve to amplify the alterations in hepatic substrate metabolism. Thus, hyperinsulinemia and its resultant increased signaling may facilitate lipogenesis, but are not the major drivers of the phenotype of pathway-selective insulin resistance.


This article reports the results of an evaluation of the factor structure, reliability, and construct validity of the Male Role Norms Inventory—Revised (MRNI–R). Results of a principal-axis factor analysis with 593 undergraduate participants (341 men, 251 women, 1 other) support the hypothesized factor dimensionality and, to a lesser extent, item placement. Evidence was found for internal consistency of the MRNI–R total score and the seven factor scores. Analyses of the men's scores provided evidence for convergent validity through a significant correlation of the MRNI–R with the Male Role Attitudes Scale; for divergent validity, through the nonsignificant correlation with the Personal Attributes Questionnaire; and for concurrent validity, through the significant correlations with the Conformity to Masculine Norms Inventory, the Gender Role Conflict Scale, and the Normative Male Alexithymia Scale.


A growing number of studies have sought to measure the effects of non-standard policy on bank funding markets. The purpose of this paper is to carry those estimates a step further by looking at the effects of bank funding market stress on the volume of bank lending, using a simultaneous equation approach. By separately modeling loan supply and demand, we determine how non-standard central bank measures affected bank lending by reducing stress in bank funding markets. We focus on the Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank. Our results suggest that non-standard policy measures lowered bank funding volatility. Lower bank funding volatility in turn increased loan supply in both regions, contributing to sustain lending activity. We consider this as strong evidence for a "bank liquidity risk channel", operative in crisis environments, which complements the usual channels of transmission of monetary policy.


Must not beauty then, it will be asked, be sought for in the form which we associate with our every-day life? Yes, if you do it consistently, and in places where it can be calmly seen; but not if you use the beautiful form only as a mask and covering of the proper conditions and uses of things, nor if you thrust it into the places set apart for toil, Put it in the drawing-room, not into the workshop; put it upon domestic furniture, not upon tools of handicraft. All men have sense of what is right in this matter, if they would only use and apply that sense; every man knows where and how beauty gives him pleasure, if he would only ask for it when he does so, and not allow it to be forced upon him when he does not want it. Ask any one of the passengers over London Bridge at this instant whether he cares about the forms of the bronze leaves on its lamps, and he will tell you No. Modify these forms of leaves to a less scale, and put them on his milk-jug at breakfast, and ask him whether he likes them and he will tell you, Yes. People have no need of teaching if they could only speak and think truth, and ask for what they like and want and nothing else: nor can a right disposition of beauty be ever arrived at except by this common sense, and allowance for the circumstances of the time and place. It does not follow, because bronze leafage is in bad taste on the lamps of London Bridge, that it would be so on the Ponte della Trinita; nor, because it would be a folly to decorate the house fronts of Gracechurch Street, that it would be equally so to adorn those of some quiet provincial town. The question of greatest external or internal decoration depends entirely on the conditions of probable repose. It was a wise feeling which made the streets of Venice so rich in external ornament, for there is no couch of rest like the gondola. So, again, there is no subject of street ornament so wisely chosen as the fountain, where it is a fountain of use; for it is just there that perhaps the happiest pause takes place in the labour of the day, when the pitcher is rested on the edge of it, and the breadth of the bearer is drawn deeply, and the hair swept from the forehead, and the uprightness of the form declined against the marble ledge, and the sound of the kind word or light laugh mixes with the trickle of the falling water, heard shriller and shriller as the pitcher fills. What pause is so sweet as that—so full of the depth of ancient days, so softened with the calm of pastoral solitude?


[Abstract] Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) is a powerful technology for analyzing protein-DNA interactions in cells. Robust ChIP procedures have been established for investigating direct interactions between protein and DNA. However, detecting indirect protein-DNA interactions in vivo is challenging. Recently, we used ChIP to analyze an indirect protein-DNA interaction between a putative histone demethylase, MoJmjC, and the promoter of the superoxide dismutase 1-encoding gene MoSOD1 in the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae ( M. oryzae ) (Fernandez et al. , 2014). We tagged MoJmjC with the 3x FLAG epitope (Fernandez et al. , 2014), instead of the larger and more commonly used GFP epitope, to mitigate against steric hindrance. We also employed a two-step cross-linking strategy using DSG and formaldehyde-rather than the one-step formaldehyde cross-linking procedure more frequently employed for analyzing direct protein-DNA interactions - in order to better capture the indirect MoJmjC- MoSOD1 DNA interactions in vivo . In addition, we have shown that two-step cross-linking is suitable for ChIP analysis of direct protein-DNA interactions between a GATA transcription factor, Asd4, and its cognate binding site (Marroquin-Guzman and Wilson, 2015). Here, we provide a detailed protocol for chromatin immunoprecipitation, with versatile two-step cross-linking, in M. oryzae .


Abstract Large amounts of tritium would be handled in D-T fusion power plants. Tritium is the radioisotope of protium, and is easily taken into the human body. With regard to nuclear fusion reactor facilities, the concept of multi-confinement system is applied to prevent tritium leaking to the environment. The last barrier to confine tritium is a building itself containing all equipment and facilities. If a severe accident takes place, tritium gas could leak into the facilities. In order to prevent tritium leaking to the environment, a secure air cleanup system (ACS) needs to be installed in the building. In ACS, the tritium gas, which leaks to rooms by an accident, is oxidized by catalysts, and then tritiated water vapor is collected by adsorbents. This method can remove tritium effectively, whereas which has a problem related to large ventilation force required to overcome high pressure drop in catalyst and adsorbent beds. Ventilation force could be substantially reduced by applying honeycomb catalysts and adsorbents to ACS. We investigated applicability of honeycomb catalysts and adsorbents to ACS, performing a screening test for the performance of honeycomb catalysts and adsorbents.


As far as we know, only human beings have a sense of humour – although chimps might laugh when tickled, and dogs respond similarly in play, Seth McFarlane's fan-base is comprised exclusively of humans. Whilst animals and robots might feature as prominent characters in our favourite comic movies, shows and stand-up routines, we have no reason to suspect that their real-life brethren get the joke.

Drawing on the philosophy of Martin Heidegger, Shaun May attempts to address this issue – suggesting that there is something distinctive about human beings which grounds our ability to make and comprehend jokes. Guiding the reader through a range of examples, including the films of Charlie Chaplin, the stand-up of Francesca Martinez, the TV show Family Guy and Samuel Beckett's Endgame, he demonstrates that in order to get the joke you have to 'be there'.


ABSTRACT Previous work has established that an appreciation of the real effective exchange rate (REER) contributes to premature deindustrialization, less productive investment and dependence on commodity booms and busts in emerging markets economies (EME). From the literature, it is less clear, however, what the most important drivers for the cyclical REER movements in EME are. The aim of this study is to provide empirical evidence about the determinants of the REER movements of 15 emerging markets during the last two decades, using statistical analysis and a dynamic panel fixed effects model approach. Our analysis shows that although "commodity" and "industrial" EME are heterogeneous, REER volatility tends to be higher among the former. EME that had more stable REER fared better than those that had a depreciating or appreciating trend (with the notable exception of China). As theoretically expected, commodity prices are an important structural driver of REER movements in "commodity EME". Moreover, the results confirm the existence of the Harrod-Balassa-Samuelson effect, and show the importance of financial inflows. Further, the interventions of central banks were partially successful to avoid more substantial appreciations (depreciations). Finally, we find that lower country risk and, at least in some periods, growing broad money in OECD countries has led to REER appreciations in our sample countries.


This article highlights the macroeconomic setting and social considerations that make a Venezuela sovereign debt restructuring unavoidable. It contends that the deepening economic crisis, rising social unrest, and conflicting political pressures increase the risk of a full-fledged disorderly default, as these developments will likely preclude Venezuela from having the financial resources or the funding capacity to meet its external long-term obligations. The recently launched cryptocurrency (the petro) does not offer a respite or a solution to Venezuela's financial and social challenges. Credible policy reforms to address the growing economic imbalances are improbable, as they remain dependent on a highly uncertain political outlook. Further, any sovereign debt workout would be extremely complex and difficult to implement given the conflicting interests of the large number of participants and the uncertainties under imposed U.S. financial sanctions. Finally, the article stresses the point that additional complications from the differentiation between sovereign and PDVSA debt necessitate the full involvement of multilateral institutions in any sustainable sovereign debt workout.


Examining federalism debates in the context of climate change and sanctuary jurisdictions, this article offers a new theory in arguing that the federal government's approaches to these inherently transnational concerns represent classic political market failures. Adapting John Hart Ely's notion of addressing such failures – from Democracy and Distrust – the paper examines a dynamic overlooked by both constitutional law and international law scholars. I explore two political market failures: (1) how minorities (here, immigrants) can be systematically locked out of the political process and, by contrast, (2) how influential minorities (here, the fossil fuel industry) can externalize the costs of their negative conduct through regulatory capture. In such cases, policy making above and below the nation-state is helpful for addressing such failures, as we currently see with state and local policy innovation in the climate and immigration contexts.


Modern large cities are characterized by a high building concentration, little aeration and lack of green spaces. Such characteristics create an urban climate which is different from the climate outside of cities. An example of an urban climate effect is the so-called Urban Heat Island: cities tend to be warmer than the surrounding rural areas. The higher temperature results in an increase in energy consumption since people, especially in summer, use artificial means to cool themselves. Although means of mitigating the UHI effect exist, they are difficult to justify, as knowledge about urban climate is limited, and analysis tools are lacking. This paper presents the work carried during the 2010 MSc Geomatics Synthesis Project. A 3D spatial relational database has been implemented which is meant to act as starting point in the development of a 3D climate-enabled geographical information system. To this end, the database stores 3D geometries representing the built environment and its thematic properties. The database is also able to store measurements of climate parameters, in this case temperature, obtained through mobile sensors. Spatial analyses and queries are supported, allowing users to calculate areas, distances, buffers, add and remove geometries and thematic attributes. The database design is based on the CityGML information model which has been extended to allow the storage of climate parameters relevant to urban climate research.


The biology of Spodoptera cosmioides (Walk.) was studied on three artificial diets with different protein sources (d1 = white bean, yeast extract, soybean flour, powder milk and wheat germ; d2 = 'carioca' bean and yeast extract; d3 = corn flour, wheat germ and yeast extract). The objective of this research was to determine the most suitable diet for mass rearing S. cosmioides in laboratory. The species is highly polyphagous, and for this reason we hypothesized that diets that are suitable for other Lepidoptera can allow its development and fulfill the minimum requirements of biological quality, quantity and economy. Although S. cosmioides has completed the biological cycle on the three diets, the d1 was the most suitable for its rearing and produced the fastest development, higher total survival and pupae weight, as well as higher net reproduction rate (Ro), intrinsic rate of natural increase (rm) and finite rate of natural increase (λ). The number of instars varied from six to seven, predominating six in d1 and d3; in d2, half the population presented six instars and half seven. Females presented pupae duration significantly lower that the males in all diets, thus emerging earlier. Adult longevity was not affected by the diets, while total fecundity was higher in d1 and d2. In conclusion, the diet 1 is recommended to mass rearing S. cosmioides in the laboratory.


Primary immunodeficiency (PID) is an intrinsic defect of the immune system. Patients with PID have increased susceptibility to recurrent and persistent infections, and they may also have autoimmune and cancer-related symptoms. PIDs are mainly rare hereditary disorders of the immune system which often have serious consequences. Infections are the hallmarks of PIDs. Clinical descriptions have already been made for about 250 PIDs, for which approximately 200 genetic aetiologies have been described. There are several different mechanisms behind PIDs. Some PIDs affect T- or B-cell functions, and when both cell types are affected, it leads to severe combined immunodeficiencies (SCIDs). Other PIDs affect major histocompatibility complex, antibody production, lymphocyte apoptosis, phagocytosis, complement cascade or the innate immune system. PIDs are a constantly growing group of mainly rare diseases that help to understand how the complex immune system is composed, acting and regulated.

Key Concepts

Adaptive immunity is a specific and long-lasting response of lymphocytes to antigens.
Combined immunodeficiency affects both B and T cells.
Lymphocytes are white blood cells including B and T cells.
Signal transduction is a process by which a cell converts one kind of signal or stimulus into another. In a signalling cascade, an extracellular signal interacts with a cell surface receptor, which leads to a change in the level of a second messenger and ultimately a change in the cells functioning.

Keywords:

adaptive immunity;
immunodeficiency;
immune system;
B cell;
T cell;
signal transduction;
immunoglobulin


The traditional view of project management is beingchallenged by the globalization of markets, mergers ofinternational companies, and the integration of managerial andbusi-ness processes in global corporations. The development ofInformation Technology and the rapid growth of the Internet hascreated an opportunity to utilize global resources, resultingin new and unique problems within project management researchthat need to be addressed. This thesis focuses on problems in project managementexperienced by global system suppliers trying to adapt theirbusinesses to the rapid changes of customers needs. Itespe-cially focuses on geographically dispersed organizationsconsisting of several organizations in different countries,with disparate history and corporate culture, developing anddeliver-ing complex systems under the company's name. In order to identify potential problems faced by globalmulti-organizational companies, especially system supplierswith large research and development (R&D) budgets, aframe-work is suggested. This framework divides the problemsinto three categories: geographi-cal, organizational andcultural. The problems identified in the case studies are thenclassi-fied to these categories. Finally, a description of howthe identified problems can be man-aged is provided when themost important success factors identified in the studies arepresented.


Vehicular ad hoc network (VANET) is an enabling technology in modern transportation systems for providing safety and valuable information, and yet vulnerable to a number of attacks from passive eavesdropping to active interfering. Intrusion detection systems (IDSs) are important devices that can mitigate the threats by detecting malicious behaviors. Furthermore, the collaborations among vehicles in VANETs can improve the detection accuracy by communicating their experiences between nodes. To this end, distributed machine learning is a suitable framework for the design of scalable and implementable collaborative detection algorithms over VANETs. One fundamental barrier to collaborative learning is the privacy concern as nodes exchange data among them. A malicious node can obtain sensitive information of other nodes by inferring from the observed data. In this paper, we propose a privacy-preserving machine-learning-based collaborative IDS (PML-CIDS) for VANETs. The proposed algorithm employs the alternating direction method of multipliers to a class of empirical risk minimization problems and trains a classifier to detect the intrusions in the VANETs. We use the differential privacy to capture the privacy notation of the PML-CIDS and propose a method of dual-variable perturbation to provide dynamic differential privacy. We analyze theoretical performance and characterize the fundamental tradeoff between the security and privacy of the PML-CIDS. We also conduct numerical experiments using the network security laboratory-knowledge discovery and data mining (NSL-KDD) dataset to corroborate the results on the detection accuracy, security-privacy tradeoffs, and design.


Many companies choose to portray themselves as seeking the moral high ground and playing active role in society. This introduces an idea of corporate social responsibility. It has been argued that corporate social responsibility enhances corporate image (attitudinal dimension) and financial performance. However, some studies find negative impact of corporate social responsibility. Thus, it is debatable whether or not it pays organizations to play active role in society. This paper explores the importance of trust for making corporate social responsibility works. This paper also evaluates attitude and intention within relative attitudinal framework. The associations between trust, attitude and intention are also discussed and reviewed. Finally, a set of managerial implications is developed to address the problems peculiar to the corporate social responsibility and marketing.


Contemporary legislation tends to increase limitation on the use of all synthetic pesticides, promoting bio-pesticides as a safer alternative. Bio-prospecting efforts for bio-pesticides provide results, which rarely reach the industry. Present essay elaborates on our efforts to chart the path from the laboratory bench to field assessment. Eight Mediterranean wild gathered foods provided the essential oils that were assessed as mosquito control agents against the Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus). Three Lamiaceae essential oils, derived from Satureja thymbra, Origanum onites, and Thymbra spicata presented carvacrol as principal component. All exhibited DEET-like repellent performance and total larvae mortality defining the carvacrol rich essential oil (CREO) as a promising mosquito control agent. A commercial variety of Origanum vulgare ssp. hirtum, was selected as CREO source and subjected to dose-response and eco-toxicity studies. We have found significant larvicidal (LC90 of 58,747 mg/L), and repellent (0,2 μL/cm2) properties, but also severe toxicity (LC90 of 12,806 mg/L) against Macrocyclops albidus. This last figure was the limit for the larvicidal field assessment; while for the repellent evaluation was used double the minimum indication (0,4 μL/cm2). CREO was tested per se as larvicidal agent, and emulsified for both repellent and larvicidal field activity. The emulsified CREO's spatial repellent assessment showed maximum efficacy of 86% in day 1 that gradually declined in the following two days (81%, 69%). Both emulsified and crude CREO proved to be efficient larvicidal agents, with crude CREO (3 weeks) overrunning slightly the emulsified (2 weeks) in terms of endurance. Conclusively, CREO in its emulsified form may be considered as a promising mosquito larvicidal and repellent agent, applicable in both precautionary and emergency response measures.


We have investigated the broadband terahertz (THz) optical properties of nanoporous silicon samples with different porosities and the ultrafast carrier dynamics of photogenerated charge carriers in these materials. Following photoexcitation, we observe a fast carrier recovery time consisting of two dominant recombination processes with decay constants below ~10 ps. All samples exhibit initially low THz absorption that increases at higher frequencies, and is likely due to contributions from phonon bands and oxidation of the porous surface. The refractive index depends on porosity but shows little frequency dependence. These properties indicate that nanoporous silicon is a useful material for fast, ultrabroadband THz applications (e.g. intensity modulation).


Seedlings of Allium fistulosum (2n=2x=16) were treated with aqueous colchicine with the intention of inducing tetraploidy. One treated, but undoubled, diploid mutant is described which consistently fails to form any chiasmata at diakinesis and metaphase I of meiosis. Electron microscopy of whole-mount surface-spread synaptonemal complex complements of pollen mother cell nuclei revealed that the achiasmate condition is probably due not only to the failure to complete synapsis, but also to the indiscriminate way in which the chromosomes form synaptonemal complexes during meiotic prophase. Synapsis begins and progresses with complete disregard to homology, with frequent exchanges of pairing partners resulting in the formation of multiple associations comprising heterologous chromosomes. Intrachromosomal synapsis is also evident as fold-back loops. Up to 78% of lateral element length is incorporated into synaptonemal complex, the morphology of which is not unlike that of normal A. fistulosum and other Allium species described previously. However, all the synaptonemal complexes are ineffective in terms of supporting chiasmata, since 16 univalents enter metaphase I and disjoin irregularly at anaphase I. The mutant is as a consequence completely male sterile. The synaptic behaviour observed confirms that the recognition of homology is an independent process and not a prerequisite for synaptonemal complex formation. It is hoped this mutant will be a valuable tool for probing the molecular basis of homology.


One in six Australian couples currently struggle with impaired fertility. In vitro fertilisation (IVF) has become the assisted reproductive technology (ART) of choice. The IVF process has inherent stresses: the invasive procedures; medication; knowledge that it might be the last possibility for pregnancy; and the high cost. Both authors have observed in different settings (one clinical and the other during a clinical trial) that women often reported an improved sense of wellbeing and emotional health due to the acupuncture intervention. This paper summarises the reported benefits of acupuncture treatment for mental and emotional health during IVF identified in published peer-reviewed research papers - both theoretically (pathogenesis and physiology) and clinically (with reference to acupuncture treatment and the therapeutic encounter). The trials reviewed, investigating mental and emotional health during IVF treatment, indicate acupuncture had positive outcomes including: reduced anxiety; reduced stress; less social and relationship concern and improved psychological coping. This paper suggests that reflecting on and valuing the therapeutic alliance, including its collaborative nature, the patient feeling cared for and a perception that practitioners are empathetic, could improve fertility outcomes and the emotional health of infertile women through the process of IVF treatment.


Positive integration among states, defined as the correction of negative externalities from liberalisation, is generally assumed to be very difficult to achieve on the European level, let alone on the international or global level. The political transaction costs of achieving positive integration legislation indeed seem daunting in an organisation such as the World Trade Organization (WTO), which operates under conditions of unanimity and has a membership of over 140 sovereign states. Yet, member states seem to have crossed the Rubicon: They have concluded a number of agreements that impose positive obligations to adopt new policy measures in fields traditionally restricted to the sovereign nation-state. There has been consistent political pressure to graft other, non-trade issues onto the WTO framework, i.e. to enlarge an organisation that formerly dealt exclusively with trade into a governance structure that also has regulatory competences in other areas of public policy. WTO member states have indeed introduced the obligation to protect intellectual property rights internationally, and they have concluded agreements on health, on technical barriers to trade, and on investment - each of these being fields of public policy for which more specialised agencies within the United Nations system would seem to have been the more natural locus for such agreements. Further, there have been - hitherto unsuccessful - calls to bring labour rights, environmental standards, or competition policy under the jurisdiction of the WTO. This raises the question: why and under which conditions is positive integration possible in the WTO? The present paper seeks to formulate theoretically embedded hypotheses that answer this question. I argue that judicialisation - the presence of binding third party enforcement - makes every single WTO commitment more credible. Because judicialisation facilitates enforcement, it exerts force on political actors in the legislative arm of the organisation to bring positive integration issues under the jurisdiction of the WTO. The aim of this paper is to explore the explanatory force of this general hypothesis in empirical cases of positive integration (intellectual property, health, technical barriers to trade, and investment) and to come to new theoretical and empirical insights about the sources of and conditions for international cooperation. This paper thus aims to contribute to interdisciplinary research on judicialisation in international trade governance and the impact of judicialisation on the emergence of global governing structures.


Legume cover crops have been studied in the southeastern USA, but there have been no 15 N tracer studies comparing movement of legume N and fertilizer N for this region. Our study used 15 N-enriched crimson clover (Trifolium incarnatum L.) (135 kg N ha -1 ) and either 15 NH 4 NO 3 or NH 4 15 NO 3 (70 kg total N ha -1 ) to quantify N movement through soil inorganic and organic N pools and into corn (Zea mays L.). Clover N mineralized rapidly, with 45% of the initially applied N detectable as inorganic N at 18 d following incorporation. Rapid nitrification of enriched NH 4 + occurred, but, since the soil NO 3 - pool was larger in this treatment than in the enriched NO 3 - treatment (presumably due to chance), the relative enrichment of the soil NO 3 - pool was less than with the application of enriched NO 3 - . At anthesis, 25% of the N in corn had been derived from the NO 3 - source, while only 11% had been derived from the NH 4 + source (P < 0.05). At physiological maturity in 1990, the first growing season, 38 to 44% of each enriched source could be accounted for. By physiological maturity in 1991, 60% of the clover source but only 28 to 36% of the fertilizer sources could be accounted for. This study demonstrates the substantial amounts of endogenous soil N mineralization, inorganic N immobilization, and legume N persistence in these cropping systems.