Data-driven modeling identifies a mechanism for insulin to suppress proinflammatory signals. Identifying integrators of multiple signals Cells are never exposed to only one signal at a time. They are bathed in a complex, dynamically changing milieu of growth factors, nutrients, cytokines, and hormones, which creates enormous complexity for studying cellular regulation. Chitforoushzadeh et al. applied a statistical modeling approach called "tensor partial least squares regression," which maintains data structures as multidimensional elements called tensors. Application of tensor modeling to proteomic signaling data and transcriptomic data revealed a specific phosphorylation event on the long form of the transcription factor GATA6 that enabled the growth factor insulin to inhibit the expression of genes targeted by the proinflammatory cytokine TNF. The computational analysis revealed information not readily obvious in the large data sets and provided a molecular explanation for the specific patterns of gene expression that occurred when the cells experienced growth factors in the presence or absence of a proinflammatory cytokine. Signal transduction networks coordinate transcriptional programs activated by diverse extracellular stimuli, such as growth factors and cytokines. Cells receive multiple stimuli simultaneously, and mapping how activation of the integrated signaling network affects gene expression is a challenge. We stimulated colon adenocarcinoma cells with various combinations of the cytokine tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and the growth factors insulin and epidermal growth factor (EGF) to investigate signal integration and transcriptional crosstalk. We quantitatively linked the proteomic and transcriptomic data sets by implementing a structured computational approach called tensor partial least squares regression. This statistical model accurately predicted transcriptional signatures from signaling arising from single and combined stimuli and also predicted time-dependent contributions of signaling events. Specifically, the model predicted that an early-phase, AKT-associated signal downstream of insulin repressed a set of transcripts induced by TNF. Through bioinformatics and cell-based experiments, we identified the AKT-repressed signal as glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK3)–catalyzed phosphorylation of Ser37 on the long form of the transcription factor GATA6. Phosphorylation of GATA6 on Ser37 promoted its degradation, thereby preventing GATA6 from repressing transcripts that are induced by TNF and attenuated by insulin. Our analysis showed that predictive tensor modeling of proteomic and transcriptomic data sets can uncover pathway crosstalk that produces specific patterns of gene expression in cells receiving multiple stimuli.


At the 1999 Mobility Roadshow, photographs and the weight of 734 wheelchair users were taken. From the photographs, overall dimensions of people in their wheelchairs were calculated. The wheelchairs being used were classified into five groups and additional features such as whether the person was carrying a walking aid were also noted. The dimensions compare well with previous work, although the distribution of wheelchair types has changed quite considerably. The combined weight of wheelchair and user was found in most cases to be within the safe working load recommended for vehicle lifts. It is hoped the results will aid designers of wheelchair accessible transport and building planners. (A)


Natural radiative lifetimes of 79 odd-parity highly excited levels of neutral samarium in the energy range from 18,985.70 to 34,189.56 cm−1 have been measured by time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence technique in an atomic beam produced by laser ablation. The lifetime results obtained in this paper are in the range from 8.3 to 786.6 ns. When these results are compared with the previous measurements, a good agreement is achieved. This work will be useful to extend the set of oscillator strengths available in Sm I.


Antibodies that specifically recognize proteins encoded by the homeotic genes: Sex combs reduced, Deformed, labial and proboscipedia, were used to follow the distribution of these gene products during embryogenesis. The position of engrailed-expressing cells was used as a reference and staining conditions were established that could distinguish, among cells expressing engrailed, one of the homeotic proteins or both. Our observations demonstrate two important facts about establishing identity in the head segments. First, in contrast to the overlapping pattern of homeotic gene expression in the trunk segments, we observe a non-overlapping pattern in the head for those homeotic proteins required during embryogenesis. In contrast, the spatial accumulation of the protein product of the non-vital proboscipedia locus overlaps partially with the distribution of the Deformed and Sex combs reduced proteins in the maxillary and labial segments, respectively. Second, two of the proteins, Sex combs reduced and Deformed, have different dorsal and ventral patterns of accumulation. Dorsally, these proteins are expressed in segmental domains while, within the ventral region, a parasegmental register is observed. The boundary where this change in pattern occurs coincides with the junction between the ventral neurogenic region and the dorsal epidermis. After contraction of the germ band, when the nerve cord has completely separated from the epidermis, the parasegmental pattern is observed only within the ventral nerve cord while a segmental register is maintained throughout the epidermis.


Midwives provide maternity care for the majority of women in New Zealand and in 2000 midwives were the Lead Maternity Carer for seventy one percent of childbearing women. The aim of this research was to explore the assertion that continuity of midwifery care ' enhances and protects the normal process of childbirth' (New Zealand College of Midwives, 1993, p.7). I aimed to explore the meaning of 'normal birth' in Lead Maternity Care midwifery practice in the current New Zealand context and to understand the complex influences surrounding midwives' construction of normal birth. In order to explore the construction of 'normal birth' Lead Maternity Carer midwives were invited to participate in a small qualitative study. In-depth one to one interviews were used to collect data from nine Lead Maternity Carer midwives. Interviews were recorded, transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis. Using a qualitative approach allowed me to make thoughtful links with the literature and build upon what is already known about the construction of normal birth. Data analysis revealed that midwifery practice and women's birthing experiences occur in a contested context that remains firmly entrenched in a medically dominant model of care. There is an increasing normalisation of intervention and technology leading to ongoing medicalisation of the physiological processes of labour and birth. The midwives interviewed employed a number of strategies for promoting the normalcy of labour and birth including supporting women's choice to birth at home, and working with women in the hospital setting to birth without intervention. However, the medical model influenced the midwives' practice in a number of subtle ways and I argue that the medical model is the default mode: it is always there and is taken as the 'right' way to ' do ' birth unless it is actively contended.


In this paper, we present a security and privacy enhancement (SPE) framework for unmodified mobile operating systems. SPE introduces a new layer between the application and the operating system and does not require a device be jailbroken or utilize a custom operating system. We utilize an existing ontology designed for enforcing security and privacy policies on mobile devices to build a policy that is customizable. Based on this policy, SPE provides enhancements to native controls that currently exist on the platform for privacy and security sensitive components. SPE allows access to these components in a way that allows the framework to ensure the application is truthful in its declared intent and ensure that the user's policy is enforced. In our evaluation we verify the correctness of the framework and the computing impact on the device. Additionally, we discovered security and privacy issues in several open source applications by utilizing the SPE Framework. From our findings, if SPE is adopted by mobile operating systems producers, it would provide consumers and businesses the additional privacy and security controls they demand and allow users to be more aware of security and privacy issues with applications on their devices.


Caffeine is a well-known psychostimulant that increases motor activity by inhibiting the action of the neuromodulator adenosine. By binding to adenosine receptors (A1 and A2A) present in inhibitory neurons in the brain, caffeine prevents activated A2A receptors from initiating a signaling pathway that triggers cAMP production and protein kinase A (PKA) activation. Lindskog et al. report the behavioral effects of caffeine are no longer observed in mice lacking the cytosolic protein DARPP-32. This is because caffeine increases the phosphorylation of DARPP-32 on a specific threonine residue. By blocking the cAMP-PKA pathway, caffeine decreases the action of the protein phosphatase 2A on DARPP-32. Phosphorylated DARPP-32 can then further inhibit PKA activity, amplifying the shutdown of the cAMP-PKA pathway. The effect likely includes a lower level of phosphorylated target proteins of PKA that regulate nerve activity. M. Lindskog, P. Svenningsson, L. Pozzi, Y. Kim, A. A. Fienberg, J. A. Bibb B. B. Fredholm, A. C. Nairn, P. Greengard, G. Fisone, Involvement of DARPP-32 phosphorylation in the stimulant action of caffeine. Nature 418, 774-778 (2002). [Online Journal]


We explore object discovery and detector adaptation based on unlabeled video sequences captured from a mobile platform. We propose a fully automatic approach for object mining from video which builds upon a generic object tracking approach. By applying this method to three large video datasets from autonomous driving and mobile robotics scenarios, we demonstrate its robustness and generality. Based on the object mining results, we propose a novel approach for unsupervised object discovery by appearance-based clustering. We show that this approach successfully discovers interesting objects relevant to driving scenarios. In addition, we perform self-supervised detector adaptation in order to improve detection performance on the KITTI dataset for existing categories. Our approach has direct relevance for enabling large-scale object learning for autonomous driving.


We investigate stocks involved in the Unusual Market Activity (UMA) Announcements. The Indonesian Stock Exchange occasionally issues UMA announcements when it suspects that there are unusual price increases (positive UMAs) or price decreases (negative UMAs), as well as unusual increases in trading volumes. We believe that UMA announcements signal a high probability that stocks are being manipulated. We find no differences in fundamentals and trading variables between stocks in the UMA announcements and those not in the UMA announcements. Any stock is vulnerable to market manipulation. Stocks in the UMA announcements do not exhibit reversal patterns, suggesting that price effect is permanent. UMAs seem to convey relevant information, which is most likely in the form of insider type of information. Keywords: emerging market; price manipulation; unusual market activity announcement.


The world's future is critically energy dependent and the concerns of the global warming caused by the present-day depleting non-renewable fossil fuels push the development of new technologies for clean, efficient, reliable, and portable power sources based on electrochemical devices such as fuel cells. The hydrophilic proton exchange membranes (PEMs) seem to be a vital component of fuel cells. Currently, the commercial perfluoro-sulfonated PEMs are inheritably very expensive and an alternative PEM must be sought after, which possess properties suitable for fuel cell applications. Rationalizing this circumstance, sulfonated membranes have been developed by graft copolymerization of styrene onto PTFE, ETFE and PVDF base polymer films using a simultaneous gamma irradiation method and their physico-chemical properties were investigated. Factors affecting the grafting yield, namely the radiation dose, styrene concentration and type of solvent have been identified. Dichloromethane solvent was found to enhance the grafting yield considerably without the formation of homopolymer, unlike methanol and toluene tested, and therefore, dichloromethane was used in the subsequent grafting of styrene (20-100% v/v) onto the base films. The PTFE-g-polystyrene, ETFE-g-polystyrene, and PVDF-g-polystyrene films of different grafting yields were sulfonated using chlorosulfonic acid (30% v/v) diluted in dichloroethane (70% v/v) at the reactor temperature of 90 oC for 4 h in order to permit sulfonic acid functional group, SO3H attachment to the phenyl group of grafted polystyrene and consequently alternative PEMs were materialized.
The grafting and sulfonation yields have been interpreted in terms of conventional two-compartmental analysis that gives the degrees of grafting (DOG) and sulfonation (DOS) and in terms of new three-compartmental analysis, which assumed the membrane consists of base polymer, polystyrene, and sulfonic acid, to yield the polystyrene content (PC) and the sulfonic acid content (SC). It was found that the DOG increases with radiation dose until the maximum DOG value of 73% for ETFE-g-polystyrene, 33% for PVDF-g-polystyrene, and 30% for PTFE-g-polystyrene at 25 kGy attributed to the initiation and propagation of graft copolymerization. Upon sulfonation, it was found that the DOS increases in proportionality to the DOG for all the sulfonated membranes. The results also revealed the dependences of the SC on PC and the DOS on DOG. Moreover, the mass ratio of the SC to the sulfonated polystyrene (PC+SC) is found in the range 55-59 % for higher grafting yield of sulfonated ETFE membranes and 51-54% for low grafting yield of sulfonated PTFE and PVDF membranes independent of the PC and SC obtained. Our DOS or SC results seem to differ to some previous results which openly declared the DOS values of 100% that is in contradicting to the physical nature of sulfonation mechanism.
The physico-chemical i.e. ion exchange capacity (IEC) and activation energy behaviours of the sulfonated membranes were studied as functions of DOG (PS) and DOS (SC). The IEC is proportional to the DOS or SC. The IEC values vary between 0.721 and 1.095 mmol/g at DOS between 10.0 and 18.8% (SC between 9.0 and 17.6%) for the sulfonated PTFE- membranes, between 1.361 and 1.997 mmol/g at DOS between 26.8 and 55.3% (SC between 21.1 and 35.5%) for the sulfonated ETFE membranes, and between 0.360 and 0.432 m mol/g at DOS between 12.4 and 17.1% (SC between 11.1 and 14.6%) for the sulfonated PVDF membranes. The activation energies on the other hand vary between 0.327 and 0.275 eV at DOG between 10.4 and 22.0% (PC between 8.6 and 14.9%) for the sulfonated PTFE- membranes, between 0.227 and 0.170 eV at DOG between 25.4 and 60.9% (PC between 16.0 and 24.4%) for the sulfonated ETFE membranes, and between 0.3297 and 0.289 eV at DOG between 12.6 and 17.0% (PC between 9.9 and 12.4%) for sulfonated PVDF membranes.
The effects of DOG (or PS) and DOG (or SC) on the thermal properties and chemical stability were also investigated. The glass transition temperature of the grafted membranes was found to show at a value of ~115 oC. The sulfonated membranes showed a chemical stability up to a temperature of ~300 oC above to which they undergo a multi step degradation pattern due to dehydration, desulfonation, decomposition of the polystyrene and sulfonic acid in the polymer matrices. For the purpose of morphological investigations, SEM micrographs of the grafted films and sulfonated membranes were taken while the SEM micrographs of their original and grafted samples were used as references respectively. This study revealed that for the low grafting yield the grafting concentrated at the surface of the graft copolymer and when the yield increases, the styrene monomer penetrated to the bulk and for the highest grafting yield achieved, the micrographs show the grafting presence until in the middle of the base films.


Background: Respiratory tract infections (RTls) are considered to be the primary reason for prescribing antibiotics in community practice, accounting for 75% of prescribed antibiotics. Only some of these conditions, acute non pneumonic RTls (ARTls), are the focus of this dissertation. ARTls include acute cases of nasopharyngitis (common cold), sinusitis, pharyngitis (sore throat), laryngitis, and bronchitis. These conditions are, in many cases, caused by a viru~ and they usually resolve naturally without the use of any medication. Objectives: Many studies have demonstrated the inappropriate overutilization of antibiotics in certain ARTls. This practice may be associated with high unnecessary costs and potential for resistance from such use. Factors behind this practice are many. Some have been studied and many still need more exploration. The objectives of this study were to a) provide specific information on the influence of prescription drug coverage on antibiotic utilization; b) the influence of prescribing antibiotics on patient reported satisfaction; c) explore the effect of drug copayment on prescribing of antibiotics. The study also estimated the total cost in dollars that may be saved from the direct cost of antibiotics, to both the insurers and patients, when paying for these medications that may be used inappropriately. Methods: A cross-sectional retrospective study of prescription events associated with different ARTls was identified from the Household Component (HC) of the 1996 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS). Descriptive and logistic regression analyses were conducted to explore the relationship between the different variables in the study with antibiotic utilization. The perspective taken in these studies was that of a healthcare insurer. Results: The study found that the likelihood of being prescribed an antibiotic, ' which may be of high cost and unnecessary, is greater when patients have prescription drug coverage. However, no effects were related to drug copayment on antibiotic utilization. The study also suggests that in this population the level of patient satisfaction with the quality of care provided is not influenced by whether antibiotics are prescribed or not. It was also found that millions of dollars may be wasted yearly on these medications. Conclusion: The findings from this study provide more insight to insurers and designers of drug coverage plans, who should closely monitor prescribing patterns for these conditions to avoid unnecessary cost as well as resistance from such antibiotics. They should not focus on antibiotic prescribing as a means of patient satisfaction, but on the appropriate use of such antibiotics and the avoidance of unwanted effects. More research is needed to examine the effect of the different copayment tier systems introduced in the last couple of years on the utilization of these drugs and whether they may help reduce the inappropriate use of these drugs.


On average, girls and women are less involved with video games than are boys and men, and when they do play, they often prefer different games. This article reports two studies that investigated the dislikes of German females with regard to video games. Study 1 applied conjoint analysis to female respondents' (N= 317) ratings of fictional video games and demonstrated that lack of meaningful social interaction, followed by violent content and sexual gender role stereotyping of game characters, were the most important reasons why females disliked the games. Study 2, an online survey (N= 795), revealed that female respondents were less attracted to competitive elements in video games, suggesting an explanation for gender-specific game preferences. These findings are discussed with respect to communication theory on interactive entertainment and their implications for applied video game design.


In an advanced semiconductor fab, online quality monitoring of wafers is required for maintaining high stability and yield of production equipment. The current practice of only measuring monitor wafers may not be able to timely detect the equipment-performance drift happening in-between the scheduled measurements. This may cause defects of production wafers and, thereby, raise the production cost. In this paper, a novel virtual metrology scheme (VMS) is proposed for overcoming this problem. The proposed VMS is capable of predicting the quality of each production wafer using parameters data from production equipment. Consequently, equipment-performance drift can be detected promptly. A radial basis function neural network is adopted to construct the virtual metrology model. Also, a model parameter coordinator is developed to effectively increase the prediction accuracy of the VMS. The chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process in semiconductor manufacturing is used to test and verify the effectiveness of the proposed VMS. Test results show that the proposed VMS demonstrates several advantages over the one based on back-propagation neural network and can achieve high prediction accuracy with mean absolute percentage error being 0.34% and maximum error being 1.15%. The proposed VMS is simple yet effective, and can be practically applied to construct the prediction models of semiconductor CVD processes.


The transforming growth factor alpha (TGFA) gene is involved in the proliferation and metastasis of various tumors, but its role in cell sensitivity to cisplatin chemotherapy is unclear. In this study, we investigated the mechanism underlying inhibitory effects of cisplatin on growth and proliferation of osteosarcoma cells. Osteosarcoma and normal skeletal muscle tissues were collected from 26 patients by biopsy. TGFA was silenced or overexpressed in Saos-2 osteosarcoma cells by transfection with TGFA-shRNA or TGFA ORF clone, respectively. MiR-376c was inhibited or overexpressed by transfection of Saos-2 cells with miR-376c sponge or miR-376c mimics, respectively. Cell growth was analyzed by MTT assay and cell proliferation by BrdU assay. MiR-376c and TGFA mRNA expression was detected by quantitative reverse transcription PCR and TGFA protein expression by Western blot. The target relationship between miR-376c and TGFA was assessed by luciferase reporter assay. Both in osteosarcoma tissues and Saos-2 cells, miR-376c expression was significantly decreased and TGFA mRNA expression was significantly increased compared with control. Transfection of Saos-2 cells with TGFA-shRNA silenced TGFA expression and significantly inhibited cell growth and proliferation. TGFA mRNA and protein expression in Saos-2 cells significantly decreased with increasing cisplatin concentrations (2.5–10 mg/L). Transfection with TGFA ORF clone reversed the inhibitory effects of cisplatin on Saos-2 cell proliferation. Compared with cisplatin (10 mg/L) treatment alone, the combined treatment with cisplatin and miR-376c mimics inhibited the proliferation of Saos-2 cells more significantly. MiR-376c suppressed TGFA expression by directly interacting with its 3' UTR region. Overall, cisplatin inhibited the proliferation of Saos-2 cells by upregulating miR-376c and downregulating TGFA expression.


Background Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is commonly associated with obesity and can be improved by weight loss. Changes in upper airway size related to regional fat loss may mediate the improvement in OSA. This study aimed to assess changes in upper airway size and regional facial and abdominal fat with weight loss and their association with OSA improvement. Methods Middle-aged obese men with moderate-to-severe OSA underwent a 24-week sibutramine-assisted weight loss trial. Polysomnography and CT of the head and neck were performed at baseline and 24 weeks. The upper airway lumen and facial and parapharyngeal fat were measured with image analysis software. Results Post-intervention there was a significant reduction in weight ( (cid:1) 7.8 6 4.2 kg, p < 0.001) and apnoea-hypopnoea index (AHI) ( (cid:1) 15.9 6 20.5 events/h, p < 0.001). Velopharyngeal airway volume significantly increased from baseline (5.3 6 0.4 to 6.3 6 0.3 cm 3 , p < 0.01) and facial and paraphayngeal fat volume significantly reduced. A reduction in upper airway length was associated with improvement in AHI (r ¼ 0.385, p ¼ 0.005). The variance in AHI improvement was best explained by changes in upper airway length and visceral abdominal fat (R 2 ¼ 0.31, p ¼ 0.004). Conclusions changes upper airway length to a greater influence on the in apnoea frequency. Inter-individual the effects of loss on OSA severity cannot be explained in terms of changes in upper airway structure and local fat deposition alone.


Research on post-migration processes usually focuses either on micro-level behaviours or on macro-level interactions between states and their diasporas. This paper aims to fill a gap by proposing a structure/agency approach likely to address the micro-, meso- and macro-level factors that account for cross-border phenomena. The first section compares the main structure/agency approaches (Bourdieu's theory of practice, Giddens' structuration theory and Archer's morphogenetics) with a view to highlighting the core elements that characterise these theories. The second section outlines an innovative framework that combines Habermas' theory of communicative action and the 'plural man' theory of Bernard Lahire. The central idea is to use a renewed concept of social institutions (family, associations and businesses) as an entry to the study of social practices and structuration processes.


Method: The authors tested the efficacy of using high-fidelity simulation to facilitate understanding of problem-solving skills among 1st-year nursing students. Knowledge and attitude changes were evaluated using preand posttests. Results/Conclusions: Of students who completed the preand postsimulation assessments, 82% showed a significant gain in knowledge. All students (114) showed a significant positive difference for multiple attitudinal items, including critical thinking skills, overall nursing knowledge, confidence, and communication. Facilitating acquisition of problem solving through the use of high-fidelity simulation is effective and welcomed by all participants in this study cohort. More research is needed to determine the long-term effects of this method.


The orientation behavior of chain forming interchange quadrivalents at metaphase I was studied in three interchange heterozygotes of pearl millet [Pennisetum americanum (L.) Leeke] which involve chromosomes 1, 3, 6 and 7 in various combinations. Of these, two combinations predominantly produced rings and the third was a chain-forming type. The chain quadrivalents derived from the two ring-forming interchanges, as well as the chain quadrivalent generated by the third interchange, all showed one adjacent orientation at metaphase I (adjacent-1 or -2, depending upon the formation or failure of chiasmata and their positions in the different segments of the pachytene cross). Homologous centromere co-orientation leading to adjacent-1 and alternate-1 occurs following chiasma failure in the noncentric arms of the pachytene cross, and nonhomologous centromere co-orientation leading to adjacent-2 and alternate-2 occurs following chiasma failure in the centric arms of the pachytene cross. Thus, it has been proposed that, unlike in ring quadrivalents, a specific chain quadrivalent will have only homologous or nonhomologous centromere co-orientations at metaphase I.


Sky glow light pollution is caused largely by reflected light off of roadway and other surfaces. The authors investigated the feasibility of a system consisting of a specialized light emitting diodes (LED) streetlight and a dye-based roadway surface coating that would reduce sky glow, but still provide adequate illumination of objects in the road. As envisioned, the streetlight would produce white light with narrow-band LEDs of red, green, and blue wavelengths. The roadway surface coating would use three dyes that would selectively absorb the specific wavelengths produced by the streetlight. This investigation examined the optical properties of green and blue absorbing dyes. The dyes, when in their liquid states, did selectively absorb light at the expected wavelengths. However, the dyes did not selectively absorb light when applied as a surface coating, so appropriate encapsulants would need to be developed for subsequent implementation. Also, issues of stability over time, cost, and safety were identified. A number of significant hurdles would need to be overcome before this could become a practical method of reducing sky glow from roadway illumination systems.


Information is a meaningful collection of data. Information retrieval (IR) is an important tool for changing data to information. Of the three classical IR models (Boolean, Support Vector Machine, and Probabilistic), the Support Vector Machine (SVM) IR model is most widely used. But this model does not convey enough relevancies between a query and documents to produce effective results reflecting knowledge. To augment the IR process with knowledge, several techniques are proposed including query expansion by using a thesaurus, a term relationship measurement like Latent Semantic Indexing (LSI), and a probabilistic inference engine using Bayesian Networks. Our research aims to create an information retrieval model that incorporates domain specific knowledge to provide knowledgeable answers to users. We use a knowledgebased model to represent domain specific knowledge. Unlike other knowledge-based IR models, our model converts domain-specific knowledge to a relationship of terms represented as quantitative values, which gives improved efficiency.


This study aims to explore Viroli"s republican patriotism and Habermas"s constitutional patriotism by starting off from the fundamental question what makes constitutional patriotism different from republican patriotism. The main motivation of such an examination comes from Viroli"s argument that Habermas"s constitutional patriotism is a version of republican patriotism. Against Viroli"s claim, the main argument of this thesis is that Habermas"s theory of constitutional patriotism cannot be incorporated and assimilated into a form of republican patriotism. Firstly, republican patriotism, the one constructed by Viroli, is highly based on the republicanism of Machiavelli and Rousseau, while Habermas"s constitutional patriotism draws mostly from Kant and Hegel. The second point explored is the distinction between republican patriotism which aims to bring back pre-national form of attachment, and constitutional patriotism that represents the search for post-national allegiances. The next emphasis is on the republican patriotism of Viroli that suggests rhetoric to reach citizens" hearts to instill love and passion for a country and pride for its history. Habermas, on the other hand, tries to apply his "communicative reason" and "discourse ethics" to construct a rationally oriented post-conventional community organized under the umbrella of constitutional patriotism in which citizens publicly confront their traumatic past. Finally, whereas Viroli"s republican patriotism can be considered as an answer given from the republican tradition to the question of how to overcome national identity, Habermas"s constitutional patriotism can be read as a critique of this tradition although he does not completely isolates himself from republicanism. Hence, recognizing the similarities and overlaps between these concepts, the main purpose of this paper is to point out in what respects constitutional patriotism is distinguished from republican patriotism.


While ocean acidification was first investigated as a global phenomenon, coastal acidification has received significant attention in recent years, as its impacts have been felt by different socio-economic sectors (e.g., high mortality of shellfish larvae in aquaculture farms). As a region that connects land and ocean, the Salish Sea (consisting of Puget Sound and the Straits of Juan de Fuca and Georgia) receives inputs from many different sources (rivers, wastewater treatment plants, industrial waste treatment facilities, etc.), making these coastal waters vulnerable to acidification. Moreover, the lowering of pH in the Northeast Pacific Ocean also affects the Salish Sea, as more acidic waters get transported into the bottom waters of the straits and estuaries. Here, we use a numerical ocean model of the Salish Sea to improve our understanding of the carbonate system in Puget Sound; in particular, we studied the sensitivity of carbonate variables (e.g., dissolved inorganic carbon, total alkalinity, pH, saturation state of aragonite) to ocean and freshwater inputs. The model is an updated version of our FVCOM-ICM framework, with new carbonate-system and sediment modules. Sensitivity experiments altering concentrations at the open boundaries and freshwater sources indicate that not only ocean conditions entering the Strait of Juan de Fuca, but also the dilution of carbonate variables by freshwater sources, are key drivers of the carbonate system in Puget Sound.


In collaborative situations, eye gaze is a critical element of behavior which supports and fulfills many activities and roles. In current computer-supported collaboration systems, eye gaze is poorly supported. Even in a state-of-the-art video conferencing system such as the access grid, although one can see the face of the user, much of the communicative power of eye gaze is lost. This article gives an overview of some preliminary work that looks towards integrating eye gaze into an immersive collaborative virtual environment and assessing the impact that this would have on interaction between the users of such a system. Three experiments were conducted to assess the efficacy of eye gaze within immersive virtual environments. In each experiment, subjects observed on a large screen the eye-gaze behavior of an avatar. The eye-gaze behavior of that avatar had previously been recorded from a user with the use of a head-mounted eye tracker. The first experiment was conducted to assess the difference between users' abilities to judge what objects an avatar is looking at with only head gaze being viewed and also with eye- and head-gaze data being displayed. The results from the experiment show that eye gaze is of vital importance to the subjects, correctly identifying what a person is looking at in an immersive virtual environment. The second experiment examined whether a monocular or binocular eye-tracker would be required. This was examined by testing subjects' ability to identify where an avatar was looking from their eye direction alone, or by eye direction combined with convergence. This experiment showed that convergence had a significant impact on the subjects' ability to identify where the avatar was looking. The final experiment looked at the effects of stereo and mono-viewing of the scene, with the subjects being asked to identify where the avatar was looking. This experiment showed that there was no difference in the subjects' ability to detect where the avatar was gazing. This is followed by a description of how the eye-tracking system has been integrated into an immersive collaborative virtual environment and some preliminary results from the use of such a system.


The proportion of employee wage income compulsorily allocated to superannuation is set to increase from 9.5% to 12% by July 2025. In this paper, we investigate the implications of an expanded superannuation system for the Australian commercial banking sector. This leads to a discussion of the structural implications of such a policy, particularly on the financing of Australian residential property. We find that an increase in the superannuation guarantee drives important short-run structural shifts within the Australia economy that persist in the long-run: namely, a reduction in Australia's foreign financing requirement, an increase in the ratio of debt-to-equity used to finance the residential housing stock and the private debt to income ratio, a shift in the capital structure of the commercial banks towards corporate bonds and away from bank deposits, and an expansion of the financial intermediaries, e.g., the commercial banks, the non-bank financial intermediaries, life insurers and the superannuation sector. In future work, we intend to explore the implications of these structural shifts within the corpus of research relating to macroeconomic stability.


As universities seek to enhance student retention, a positive first year experience is critical for student success. The objective of this research is to determine whether an agricultural economics first-year seminar course improves retention rates of its undergraduate students. This course provides a unique opportunity for students to learn about the agricultural economics discipline, and also gain insights into what it takes to be a successful college student. Analysis examines whether departmental retention and graduation rates improve after course implementation in 1998, and compares departmental retention and graduation rates to those of the college and university. Qualitative analysis using student evaluations, senior exit interviews and student surveys also assess the impact of this course on student success. Results show that retention and graduation rates improve following course implementation. Retention, four-year graduation rates and five-year graduation rates for the Department exceed those for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and exceed the four-year graduation rates for the university.


George Grant was one of Canada's foremost political and religious thinkers. In his published writings, Grant was a careful and guarded writer, but in his letters he was frank and spontaneous, expressing ideas and opinions that he hesitated to convey in print. Grant's letters are remarkable for their continuity - about twelve hundred letters survive from 1923 to his death in 1988 - and for their quality. For more than fifty years, he favoured his correspondents with his observations about international relations, Canadian politics, religion, literature, and philosophy. William Christian has selected some three hundred letters, postcards, telegrams, and journal entries which reveal much about Grant - both the troubled man and the daring thinker. His correspondence begins with the letters from his early years at Upper Canada College and his undergraduate days at Queen's University, followed by letters from London during the Second World War, when he struggled with the conflict between his pacifism and his sense of duty. The middle section includes letters that describe his life at Dalhousie in the 1950s, his resignation from York University, and his hopes to create in the department of religion at McMaster University a kind of fifth column that would preserve a university within the multiversities he thought had taken over higher education in Canada. The later letters feature his remorseless attacks on what he felt were the perfidies of Trudeau during his long tenure as prime minister.


We introduce a deep encoder-decoder architecture for image deformation prediction from multimodal images. Specifically, we design an image-patch-based deep network that jointly (i) learns an image similarity measure and (ii) the relationship between image patches and deformation parameters. While our method can be applied to general image registration formulations, we focus on the Large Deformation Diffeomorphic Metric Mapping (LDDMM) registration model. By predicting the initial momentum of the shooting formulation of LDDMM, we preserve its mathematical properties and drastically reduce the computation time, compared to optimization-based approaches. Furthermore, we create a Bayesian probabilistic version of the network that allows evaluation of registration uncertainty via sampling of the network at test time. We evaluate our method on a 3D brain MRI dataset using both T1- and T2-weighted images. Our experiments show that our method generates accurate predictions and that learning the similarity measure leads to more consistent registrations than relying on generic multimodal image similarity measures, such as mutual information. Our approach is an order of magnitude faster than optimization-based LDDMM.


Qualitative reasoning has traditionally been applied in the domain of physical systems, where there are well established and understood laws governing the behaviour of each `component' in the system. Such application has shown that it is possible to produce models which can be used for explaining and predicting the behaviour of physical phenomena and also trouble-shooting. The principles underlying the theory ensure that the models are robust and exhibit consistent behaviour under all conditions. This research examines the validity of applying the theory in the financial domain where such laws may not exist or if they do, may not be universally applicable. In particular, it investigates how far these principles and techniques may be applied in the construction of financial analysis models. Because of the inherent differences in the nature of these two domains, it is argued that a different qualitative value system ought to be employed. The dissertation enlarges on the constraints this places on model descriptions and the effect it may have on the power and usefulness of the resulting models. It also describes the implementation of a system that investigates the implications of applying this theory by way of testing it on situations drawn from both text-books and published financial information.


Text-to-speech systems are typically evaluated on single sentences. When long-form content, such as data consisting of full paragraphs or dialogues is considered, evaluating sentences in isolation is not always appropriate as the context in which the sentences are synthesized is missing. In this paper, we investigate three different ways of evaluating the naturalness of long-form text-to-speech synthesis. We compare the results obtained from evaluating sentences in isolation, evaluating whole paragraphs of speech, and presenting a selection of speech or text as context and evaluating the subsequent speech. We find that, even though these three evaluations are based upon the same material, the outcomes differ per setting, and moreover that these outcomes do not necessarily correlate with each other. We show that our findings are consistent between a single speaker setting of read paragraphs and a two-speaker dialogue scenario. We conclude that to evaluate the quality of long-form speech, the traditional way of evaluating sentences in isolation does not suffice, and that multiple evaluations are required.


RUTH NJERI NGUNJIRI . This research seeks to find out the impact of microfinance services on financial performance of SMEs in Kakamega County, Kenya. Governments, donor agencies, and private investors are funding an increasing number of microfinance programs in low-income countries. The findings of this research would enable all these financiers to know if their efforts are creating a meaningful impact on SMEs. A sample survey research design is employed in this study. This enabled the researcher to give adequate attention to each return received from the respondents in order to enhance accuracy. All the microfinance institutions (MFIs) operating within the county are involved in the study with a proportionate sample of SMEs being obtained from each MFI on the basis of total SMEs population served. A likert scale questionnaire is used to map the responses obtained on the impact of microfinance services. Descriptive and inferential statistics are used for the purpose of data analysis. Mean is used to measure the average satisfaction level and standard deviation used to measure the extent of diversity of respondents' opinions (agreement level).Regression model is used to measure the general relationship between microfinance services and financial performance. The research finds out that microfinance services has had a positive impact on the various dimensions that constitute financialperformance. The research therefore concludes that microfinance services have improved the financial performance of SMEs in Kakamega County, Kenya


Aicardi–Goutières syndrome is an inflammatory disease occurring due to mutations in any of TREX1, RNASEH2A, RNASEH2B, RNASEH2C, SAMHD1, ADAR or IFIH1. We report on 374 patients from 299 families with mutations in these seven genes. Most patients conformed to one of two fairly stereotyped clinical profiles; either exhibiting an in utero disease‐onset (74 patients; 22.8% of all patients where data were available), or a post‐natal presentation, usually within the first year of life (223 patients; 68.6%), characterized by a sub‐acute encephalopathy and a loss of previously acquired skills. Other clinically distinct phenotypes were also observed; particularly, bilateral striatal necrosis (13 patients; 3.6%) and non‐syndromic spastic paraparesis (12 patients; 3.4%). We recorded 69 deaths (19.3% of patients with follow‐up data). Of 285 patients for whom data were available, 210 (73.7%) were profoundly disabled, with no useful motor, speech and intellectual function. Chilblains, glaucoma, hypothyroidism, cardiomyopathy, intracerebral vasculitis, peripheral neuropathy, bowel inflammation and systemic lupus erythematosus were seen frequently enough to be confirmed as real associations with the Aicardi‐Goutieres syndrome phenotype. We observed a robust relationship between mutations in all seven genes with increased type I interferon activity in cerebrospinal fluid and serum, and the increased expression of interferon‐stimulated gene transcripts in peripheral blood. We recorded a positive correlation between the level of cerebrospinal fluid interferon activity assayed within one year of disease presentation and the degree of subsequent disability. Interferon‐stimulated gene transcripts remained high in most patients, indicating an ongoing disease process. On the basis of substantial morbidity and mortality, our data highlight the urgent need to define coherent treatment strategies for the phenotypes associated with mutations in the Aicardi–Goutières syndrome‐related genes. Our findings also make it clear that a window of therapeutic opportunity exists relevant to the majority of affected patients and indicate that the assessment of type I interferon activity might serve as a useful biomarker in future clinical trials. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


Aims: To investigate whether patient opinion about the uses of tissue removed at therapeutic operations has changed since the adverse publicity surrounding the Alder Hey and Bristol Royal Infirmary Inquiries, and to see whether it aligns with the Human Tissue Act 2004. Methods: A questionnaire was given to 220 postoperative patients in a teaching hospital during an 11 week period. Aggregated responses to each question were ranked in frequency order. Unweighted centroid linkage hierarchical clustering analysis was performed with dendrogram display for the main data on tissue usage. Results: 203 completed questionnaires were collected (compliance rate 92.3%). 96.3% of patients indicated that they would not object to their tissue being used in research, significantly higher than in the 1996 study (89.1%) with no overlap of the 95% CIs. 29.1% of patients believed that the hospital had ownership of tissue once it has been removed during surgery, 23.2% believed they had ownership, 19.7% believed that the pathology laboratory had ownership, and 15.3% believed that nobody had ownership rights in the case of tissue samples. Conclusions: This new survey indicates that despite a turbulent decade for those involved in human tissue retention in the UK, public support for a wide range of human tissue based activities, especially biomedical research, has not diminished and that patient opinion aligns well with the Human Tissue Act 2004.


Clay content significantly influences the mechanical behavior of soils, thereby playing an important role in many fields of applications such as civil engineering, geology and agriculture. In the area of pavement engineering, clay content in structural bearing courses of pavement frequently causes damages and defects, such as transversal and longitudinal cracks, or other faults. The main consequence is a lowering of both the road safety and operability, with the number of expected accidents increasing. In this study, ground-penetrating radar (GPR) laboratory tests were carried out to predict the clay amount in pavement structural layers under different clay and moisture conditions. GPR data processing is performed using two different methods. The first method is based on the Fresnel theory and focuses on the Rayleigh scattering of the radar waves. The approach is based on a different scattering of the various components of the frequency spectrum, mostly depending on both the soil texture and variation in soil moisture content. For the application of this method, we used a pulse radar with ground-coupled, 500 MHz centre-frequency antennas in a common offset, bistatic configuration. The transmitter and receiver were linked by optic fiber electronic modules. The second method is based on full-waveform inversion of the ultra wideband radar data. In particular, a specific radar-antenna electromagnetic model is used to filter out antenna effects and antenna-medium interactions from the raw radar data and retrieve the response of the soil only, expressed in terms of a layered medium Green's function. To estimate the medium geometrical and electrical values, an optimization inverse problem is formulated. For the application of that second method, we used a vector network analyzer (VNA) as continuous-wave steppedfrequency radar system to acquire data in the 500-3000 MHz frequency range. A doubled-ridged broadband horn antenna operating in far-field conditions was used as transmitter and receiver, and was connected to the radar using a high-quality coaxial cable. Typical road materials for subgrade and sub-base courses were used. In particular, three types of soils classified, respectively, as A1,A2,A3 by AASHTO were used and adequately compacted in electrically and hydraulically isolated boxes. A copper sheet was laid at the bottom of the experimental boxes to control the bottom boundary conditions in the electromagnetic model. Basically, two significant cases were considered for each soil type, taking into account the 0% and the 25% by weight of bentonite clay, respectively. Water was gradually added and GPR measurements were carried out for all moisture steps until the maximum saturation level was reached. Concerning the Rayleigh scattering method, analyses show a high consistency of the results with respect to our expectations. A negative correlation between the shift of the frequency spectrum peaks and the clay amount was demonstrated, by virtue of its strong hygroscopic properties. Similarly, the full-waveform inversion technique allowed to measure reliable electric parameters. Generally, different responses (e.g. electric conductivity and permittivity)of the 0% clay-member cases compared to those of the analogous clayey soil samples highlight the large potentiality of both methods for the detection of clay.


Construction is the foundation of fashion design; it takes passion and great skill to turn a two-dimensional drawing into a successful garment. Construction for Fashion Design guides readers through the process, teaching the theory, practical skills and techniques that they need to succeed. It leads readers through the essential stages of creating a garment, from pattern cutting and draping on the mannequin to sewing techniques and haberdashery. This fully revised and expanded second edition features insightful case studies with leading creative practitioners at the cutting edge of the fashion industry today, complete with detailed, step-by-step exercises that enable readers to contextualise their knowledge and put it into practise for the creation of their own successful projects


Abstract. This study examined how training, dosage, and implementation quality of a social and emotional learning program, The RULER Approach, were related to students' social and emotional competencies. There were no main effects for any of the variables on student outcomes, but students had more positive outcomes when their teachers (a) attended more trainings and taught more lessons, and (b) were classified as either moderate- or high-quality program implementers. Student outcomes were more negative when their teachers were classified as low-quality implementers who also attended more trainings and taught more lessons. Post hoc analyses revealed that low-quality implementers felt less efficacious about their overall teaching than high-quality implementers. The discussion focuses on the importance of assessing the interaction of training and implementation variables when examining the effect of social and emotional learning programs.


Background The infective stage of the parasitic nematode hookworm is developmentally arrested in the environment and needs to infect a specific host to complete its life cycle. The canine hookworm (Ancylostoma caninum) is an excellent model for investigating human hookworm infections. The transcription factor of A. caninum, Ac-DAF-16, which has a characteristic fork head or "winged helix" DNA binding domain (DBD), has been implicated in the resumption of hookworm development in the host. However, the precise roles of Ac-DAF-16 in hookworm parasitism and its downstream targets are unknown. In the present study, we combined molecular techniques and bioinformatics to identify a group of Ac-DAF-16 binding sites and target genes. Methodology/Principal Findings The DNA binding domain of Ac-DAF-16 was used to select genomic fragments by in vitro genomic selection. Twenty four bound genomic fragments were analyzed for the presence of the DAF-16 family binding element (DBE) and possible alternative Ac-DAF-16 bind motifs. The 22 genes linked to these genomic fragments were identified using bioinformatics tools and defined as candidate direct gene targets of Ac-DAF-16. Their developmental stage-specific expression patterns were examined. Also, a new putative DAF-16 binding element was identified. Conclusions/Significance Our results show that Ac-DAF-16 is involved in diverse biological processes throughout hookworm development. Further investigation of these target genes will provide insights into the molecular basis by which Ac-DAF-16 regulates its downstream gene network in hookworm infection.


This study situates the commercial gallery operator, or 'gallerist', in the context of art world conceptions. Specifically it examines the contexts and activities of gallerists in Copenhagen, London's East End and in Reykjavik in the era of the Young British Artists and the revitalised art market that phenomenon engendered. Drawing upon interviews with gallerists and studies of urban culture and environments, this thesis reveals that gallerists are driven by creativity and artistic vision, often at the expense of market awareness. The London and Copenhagen gallerists saw themselves as pioneers who through their actions not only established new art businesses but developed new cultural quarters in these cities. The tiny capital city of Reykjavík exposed the significance of scale and position; its new galleries remained within the comfort zone of established art institutions in the city centre. They were small and internationally isolated, and appeared much like those found in provincial cities in larger countries. Copenhagen also lacked the world city status of London and its gallerists sought recognition and buyers through international art fairs. In contrast, London found itself at the heart of an international art world. Galleries were established in such numbers in the East End as to produce an art world momentum of its own. Gallerists in the more cosmopolitan settings of London and Copenhagen possessed a greater sense of community; those in constrained markets of Reykjavik retained a smalltown competitiveness. The creative desires of gallerists were also reflected in their proactive pursuit of artists; it was they who decided what to show and who to patronise. While the majority of gallerists favoured art with a conceptual edge, all denied that they were specialising in this work. They emphasised the diversity of the works on sale. The London and Copenhagen markets were mature markets but those in Reykjavík appeared more regulated. Within these cities it was possible by these means to detect distinctive art worlds as products of, and woven into, the cities they inhabited.


The impacts of COVID-19 on workers and workplaces across the globe have been dramatic. This broad review of prior research rooted in work and organizational psychology, and related fields, is intended to make sense of the implications for employees, teams, and work organizations. This review and preview of relevant literatures focuses on (a) emergent changes in work practices (e.g., working from home, virtual teamwork) and (b) emergent changes for workers (e.g., social distancing, stress, and unemployment). In addition, potential moderating factors (demographic characteristics, individual differences, and organizational norms) are examined given the likelihood that COVID-19 will generate disparate effects. This broad-scope overview provides an integrative approach for considering the implications of COVID-19 for work, workers, and organizations while also identifying issues for future research and insights to inform solutions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).


Memories of the Second World War play an important role in contemporary politics and society across Eastern Europe. One of the most controversial yet least studied pages of Ukraine's wartime history is that of the Waffen SS 'Galicia' Division, whose members are usually portrayed either as war criminals or as freedom fighters. The history of this unit is not limited to the Ukrainian context; it also has relevance throughout Eastern Europe, as well as in Britain, Canada and the USA. In the aftermath of the war, the 'Galicia' Division surrendered to British and American troops, but was not repatriated to the USSR, despite Soviet demands. Instead, its members were brought to the UK and eventually allowed to settle in the West, and this unexpected turn of events continues to cause much controversy. This book explores why over 8,000 members of the Waffen SS were allowed to move permanently to the West, by analysing the complex series of events and decisions that characterized the journey of the 'Galicians' from capitulation to acceptance into civilian life. Drawing on a rich range of different sources, the book examines the variety of often conflicting narratives created by the Division members, their supporters and their opponents, as well as the continuing influence of these narratives today. In doing so, the book sheds light on the complex processes of memory politics.


This paper examines how networks of professional contacts contribute to the development of the careers of executives of North American and European companies. We build a dynamic model of career progression in which career moves may both depend upon existing networks and contribute to the development of future networks. We test the theory on an original dataset of nearly 73 000 executives in over 10 000 firms. In principle professional networks could be relevant both because they are rewarded by the employer and because they facilitate job mobility. Our econometric analysis suggests that, although there is a substantial positive correlation between network size and executive compensation, with an elasticity of around 20%, almost all of this is due to unobserved individual characteristics. The true causal impact of networks on compensation is closer to an elasticity of 1 or 2% on average, all of this due to enhanced probability of moving to a higher-paid job. And there appear to be strongly diminishing returns to network size.


Aims: Evaluation and comparison of solubility, pH, and calcium ion release of calcium-silicate based root-end filling materials mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) and biodentine. Methodology: The total sample size for the study was 120. Sixty samples were for solubility of MTA and biodentine and sixty for pH and calcium ion release of MTA and biodentine. MTA and biodentine were added to sixty stainless steel ring molds. The mass of 60 dried glass bottles was measured. Shifting of samples to bottles containing 5 mL of distilled water was done and was stored for 24 h. The bottles were dried at 105°C and weighed. This procedure was repeated for 3, 10, 30, and 60 days. Data obtained for solubility were analyzed with independent t-test. Sixty polyethylene tubes 1 mm long were filled with MTA and biodentine and placed in lidded flasks containing 10 mL distilled water and were preserved in an oven at 37°C. After 2 h, the flasks were removed from hot air oven, and the water was assessed for pH and calcium ion release. pH readings were performed with an pH Meter. Atomic absorption spectrophotometer was used for the detection of calcium ion release. Preservation of the tubes containing the cements was done in new flasks containing 10 mL of distilled water for further detection of pH and calcium ion release in the different time periods of 6, 24 h and 7, 28 days, respectively. Data were analyzed with independent t-test. Results: Significantly higher solubility was exhibited for biodentine for 30 and 60 days than MTA. Statistical difference was observed between the solubility, pH, and calcium ion release values of MTA and biodentine. Conclusions: Biodentine exhibited higher solubility, pH, and calcium ion release in comparison with MTA.


Abstract The forests of the Cameroon-Nigeria transboundary region have been highlighted as a high conservation priority, yet many of the extant forest remnants remain relatively unknown, particularly with regard to the occurrence of large mammals. Between 2002 and 2004 we surveyed the large mammal fauna of the Mone and Ejagham Forest Reserves and the Upper Banyang, Nkwende Hills and Etinde forests of south-west Cameroon. Our objective was to document the extant large mammal species as an important step in the review of government priorities to identify key sites within the region for conservation and management. We reviewed the available literature on mammal distribution and then surveyed the forests for mammal and human signs. Despite a growing illegal commercial trade in wildlife, particularly for bushmeat, many sites retain populations of one or more threatened and locally rare large mammal species of significant conservation importance. Moreover, the sites collectively complement each other in terms of their representation of the threatened large mammal fauna. An emphasis on the enforcement of wildlife legislation and minimizing logging impact are of primary importance for the conservation of large mammals in these and other forest remnants in south-west Cameroon. In addition, at some sites, there already exists community interest in active wildlife management.


A STUDY OP THE USE OF COMPUTERS TO ENHANCE THE ADMINISTRATIVE FUNCTION IN TENNESSEE SCHOOLS by Jerry William Cole The purpose of this study was to compare the levels of computer use by school principals in administering their schools. Comparisons were made of the different techniques being employed by school principals as they manage the vast amounts of data that are present in today's educational process. A comprehensive collection of computer applications was identified and school principals were surveyed regarding their use of these applications, A random sample was selected from a population of 1,800 school principals in the state of Tennessee, School principals from 430 public schools and 70 private/parochial schools in Tennessee were surveyed for responses relative to their practices regarding the use of computers in the management of their school. Surveys were mailed in early January, 1992, to those principals who were identified in the sample selection. Surveys were received over a period of several weeks. A return of 71% was obtained. Findings include the determination that schools have computers specifially for the purpose of completing administrative tasks. Principals and office staffs are using administrative computers to improve their management of school data. The primary areas identified as being preformed by school principals were attendance, management of student data, wordprocessing, grade reporting, and transportation. Principals indicated that the major avenues for computer training is through seminars and workshops. The mcyor conclusions included the need for additional computer training in principal preparation curricula, exposure to innovative uses of computers to enhance the administrative function. IRB Number Ql Assurance Number M1194 IRB FORM 108 PROTOCOL NO. 91-0478 EAST TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY INSTITUTIONAL REVIEW BOARD PROJECT TITLE: Dissertation: The Use of Computers to Enhance the Administrative Function in Tennessee Schools PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Jerry Cole The Institutional Review Board haB reviewed the above-titled project on December 20,1991 with respect to the rights and safety of human subjects, including matters of informed consent and protection of subject confidentiality, and finds the project acceptable to the Board. ^ . V i , AntEtmy J. DeLucia hon Chairman, IRB Copyright by Jerry William Cole, 1992 All Rights Reserved


T EA C H IN G E xc ep ti on al C hi ld re n , V ol . 46 , N o. 6 , pp . 15 8 – 16 8. C op yr ig ht 2 01 4 T he A ut ho r( s) . D O I: 1 0. 11 77 /0 04 00 59 91 45 34 61 5 With long brown braids and a huge smile, Kelly is a 12-year-old sixth grader attending an intermediate school in a large suburban community. Kelly is currently receiving special education services to address academic and behavioral learning needs. When given extended time and reminded (sometimes repeatedly) to think about what she has to do, Kelly usually completes at least part of her school and homework assignments. At school, Kelly spends the majority of her day in the general education classroom. Debbie, her general education teacher, works hard to include Kelly in daily classroom activities. Kelly's special education teacher, Tina, works with Kelly for 1 hour each day. In addition to her individualized education program (IEP), Kelly has a behavior intervention plan that focuses on reducing taskavoidant behavior (described as verbal protestations, laying her head down on the table, and/or trying to run away from the work environment). Homework has been a long-standing challenge for Kelly. Her mother, JoAnna, reports "major battles" during homework time, resulting in tantrums and incomplete assignments. Tina and JoAnna have recently been discussing Kelly's transition to junior high next year. Both are concerned about the increased amount of homework that she will be expected to complete then.


This thesis examines the influences on the Stoics' development of their material principle. The thesis argues that the reasons for the Stoics' conceiving of a material principle as they did actually have their origins in metaphysical speculation rather than physics.
While the natural philosophy of the Ionians, as interpreted by Aristotle and his followers, no doubt furnished the intellectual background for a persisting material substrate of all sensible change, it is in fact the concerns of Plato and his early followers with the non-sensible that exert the strongest influence on the Stoics.
The thesis examines the concepts of space and matter in the Timaeus ultimately rejecting this work of physics as central to the development of Stoic thought on matter. Rather it is the metaphysical doctrines of Plato and his successors, and the use they make of an incorporeal matter, that exerted the greatest influence on the Stoics and their material principle. The interpretation of Platonic metaphysics argued for in the thesis, based on the Unwritten Doctrines and the Old Academy's teachings, challenges the majority opinion of the English speaking community; and as a result offers a novel understanding of the relationship of Stoicism to Platonic metaphysics.
The thesis concludes that it is likely that the early Stoics developed their doctrine of a material substrate in the particular way they did because of the tendency in the Old Academy to simplify the doctrines of Plato. This simplifying tendency comes to a head in the early Stoics with the ultimate reduction of the Old Academic system of hypostases, making use of active and passive principles at various levels of reality, finally ending in one level of reality and a simple two principle system.


Business process management is an integral part of a business. Internet of things (IoT) is an emerging and fast improving technology. Traditional business process models have not given much attention to IoT. Yet, it has become a necessity to incorporate IoT systems and components when modelling business processes to obtain the many benefits IoT offers. Therefore, we aimed to fill this gap by identifying business process modelling requirements for IoT, i.e. IoT modelling elements and to demonstrate the applicability of them in a business process model. We identified seven key IoT modelling elements after deriving them from a typical problem scenario. We investigated the properties of IoT components in detail, illustrating them in class hierarchy design and describing common properties in super classes. We extended BPMN 2.0 in designing these IoT elements and implemented them in an IoT related business process model. We also developed a web based IoT aware BPMN and XPDL editor tool by extending an existing BPMN editor. Furthermore, we evaluated the applicability of this IoT aware BPMN modelling tool with a case study.


We propose a novel method to solve online SLAM problems with many loop-closures on the basis of two state-of-the-art SLAM methods, iSAM and SPCG. We first use iSAM to solve a sparse sub-problem to obtain an approximate solution. When the error grows larger than a threshold or the optimal solution is requested, we use subgraph-preconditioned conjugate gradient method to solve the original problem where the subgraph preconditioner and initial estimate are provided by iSAM. Finally we use the optimal solution from SPCG to regularize iSAM in the next steps. The proposed method is consistent, efficient and can find the optimal solution. We apply this method to solve large simulated and real SLAM problems, and obtain promising results.


Indoor air quality problems resulting from the emission of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) have become an issue of increasing concern. Emissions from building and furnishing materials, which are frequently constructed from particleboard and medium density fiberboard (MDF), are a potentially important contributor of indoor VOCs. In this research, VOC emissions from particleboard and MDF were measured in small (53-L) stainless steel chambers for 4 days. Samples were collected from 53 of the 61 U.S. mills that produce particleboard and MDF. Each mill identified the predominant tree species used to manufacture the panels. Laboratory tests were conducted at room temperature and 45 percent relative humidity. Gas chromatographic/mass spectrometric analysis was used to identify and quantify VOC compounds. The predominant compounds identified in the emissions from particleboard and MDF samples were terpenes and aldehydes, although small straight-chain alcohols and ketones were also found. This study describes the aldehyde emission data, excluding formaldehyde. Emissions of small straight-chain aldehydes, such as hexanal, pentanal, heptanal, octanal, and nonanal, generally exceeded emissions of other compounds and accounted for more than 50 percent oftotal VOC emissions. All 53 particleboard and 16 of 18 MDF samples emitted hexanal, the most prevalent aldehyde found (excluding formaldehyde). The tests showed differences in VOC composition and emission factors by product and tree type. On average, aldehyde emissions from southern pine MDF samples considerably exceeded the aldehyde emissions from southern pine particleboard. Emissions from all other MDF samples, however, were lower than those from particleboard samples in the same species group. With the exception of formaldehyde, aldehydes are not added to the adhesives used to bond wood, and they have not previously been reported as extractable compounds in wood. Degradation ofthe wood or its secondary metabolites is probably responsible for the presence of the aldehydes.


In this paper we present an algorithm for finding low-weight multiples of polynomials over the binary field using coding theoretic methods. The code defined by the public polynomial is cyclic, allowing an attacker to search for any shift of the sought codeword. Therefore, a code with higher length and dimension is used, having a larger number of low-weight codewords. Additionally, since the degree of the sought polynomial is known, the sought codewords of weight w are transformed by a linear mapping into codewords of weight w-2. Applying an algorithm for finding low-weight codewords on the constructed code yields complexity for a key-recovery attack against TCHo that is lower than previously expected. (Less)


Understanding site fertility constraints has lifted productivity of eucalypt plantations in East and South-east Asia through targeted application of inorganic fertilisers. Whilst most attention has been given to the supply of nitrogen and phosphorus in silvicultural prescriptions, and inoculation with mycorrhizal fungi is being undertaken by some companies, more attention is required to diagnose and correct micronutrient disorders. For example, the incidence of boron deficiency remains a concern across the region affecting tree growth, tree form, fibre quality and possibly the extent of damage from some eucalypt pathogens. As even mild deficiencies of micronutrients such as copper, boron and manganese can alter the phenol pathway, limitations in the uptake of these elements have implications for tree defence against some fungal pathogens. Due to the high humidity and temperatures throughout the year, fungal leaf diseases such as Cylindrocladium quinqueseptatum have had a huge impact on the eucalypt plantation industry in South-east Asia. Often poor nutrition seems to be an underlying cause in disease susceptibility. However, in spite of the size of the eucalypt plantation sector, there is not an integrated understanding of biotic and abiotic causes and their interactions by the industry. Furthermore, the emergence of new eucalypt pathogens such as Kirramyces destructans and their rapid spread threatens the viability of plantations unless selection of resistant clones and breeding for resistance can keep up with the incursion of new and invasive eucalypt pathogens. In a number of countries, there is low genetic diversity in eucalypt plantations and breeding programs are yet to embrace screening for disease resistance. The challenge to a successful eucalypt plantation industry in Asia is to optimise genetics and nutrition in order to produce trees with the greatest chance of overcoming pest and disease threats.


The risk of coronavirus (COVID-19) spreading in prisons is especially acute. This has resulted in an unprecedented number of prisoners being released across the world – including many prisoners in the United States. From the health, social, and political perspectives, this is a sound approach. This is especially the situation in relation to older prisoners and those who have not been imprisoned for serious sexual and violent offenses. Despite the large number of prisoners that are being released, the United States will still have the largest prison population on earth—and by a large margin. However, the coronavirus pandemic and the response to it has considerably wider implications for the broader criminal justice system. In particular, it brings into focus a large number of other unintended adverse consequences experienced by prisoners. These include being deprived of the right to procreate; materially increasing the risk that they will be assaulted or raped in prison; and suffering a considerable reduction in their lifetime earnings. The familial relationships of most prisoners are also normally materially impaired. The adverse incidental harms associated with prison and the impact that this should have on sentencing law is an under-researched area of law. This Article fills that gap in the literature: we argue that sentences for most offenders should be reduced to accommodate the incidental hardships experienced by prisoners. The result would be a large reduction in the United States prison and jail population, without an increase in the crime rate.


Individual differences in attitudes to risk (a taste for risk, known probabilities) and ambiguity (a tolerance for uncertainty, unknown probabilities) differentially influence risky decision-making. However, it is not well understood whether risk and ambiguity are coded differently within individuals. Here, we tested whether individual differences in risk and ambiguity attitudes were reflected in distinct neural correlates during choice and outcome processing of risky and ambiguous gambles. To these ends, we developed a neuroimaging task in which participants (n = 50) chose between a sure gain and a gamble, which was either risky or ambiguous, and presented decision outcomes (gains, no gains). From a separate task in which the amount, probability, and ambiguity level were varied, we estimated individuals' risk and ambiguity attitudes. Although there was pronounced neural overlap between risky and ambiguous gambling in a network typically related to decision-making under uncertainty, relatively more risk-seeking attitudes were associated with increased activation in valuation regions of the brain (medial and lateral OFC), whereas relatively more ambiguity-seeking attitudes were related to temporal cortex activation. In addition, although striatum activation was observed during reward processing irrespective of a prior risky or ambiguous gamble, reward processing after an ambiguous gamble resulted in enhanced dorsomedial PFC activation, possibly functioning as a general signal of uncertainty coding. These findings suggest that different neural mechanisms reflect individual differences in risk and ambiguity attitudes and that risk and ambiguity may impact overt risk-taking behavior in different ways.


Extensive aeromagnetic surveys in the eastern Weddell Sea, the Lazarev- and Riiser-Larsen Sea carried out during the last six years by the Alfred-Wegener-Institute are the basis of a well constrained model for the early break-up of Gondwanaland.Despite intensive geophysical and geological research that has been conducted in the last two decades in the Weddell Sea and adjacent areas, timing and geometry of the initial stages of the Mesozoic break-up between Africa, Antarctica and South America is still a matter of controversy debate. The new aeromagnetic database, comprising 90000 km of closely spaced (~10 km) flight lines, resulted in a detailed magnetic anomaly grid for this region. For the western part of the grid where clear coast parallel seafloor spreading anomalies exist, synthetic anomaly sequences could be calculated. This, together with another model for the Riiser-Larsen-Sea led to a new model for the early development of this region.It shows, that the first ocean floor off Dronning Maud Land has been created in late Jurassic times (M14N) by a rift, the Weddell Rift, propagating from the south western Weddell Sea to the east along the east coast of East-Antarctica. Some 10 - 15 Ma earlier the first seafloor in the Riiser-Larsen Sea has been created by an almost coast parallel spreading centre. The diverging spreading directions and velocities between the eastern Weddell Sea and the Riiser-Larsen-Sea put West-Gondwana, comprising South America and Africa, under constant tension since the initial phase of rifting and finally led to the opening of the South Atlantic Ocean at chron M9N.Starting with this age model for the eastern Weddell Sea the new aeromagnetic compilation was put together with published data from the USAC (U.S.-Argentina-Chile) Project, the National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC, Boulder,Colorado) and Russian aeromagnetic data (Golynsky et al. 1998) for an integrated interpretation and validation of the new and existing seafloor spreading anomaly picks.We present the new aeromagnetic database, the resulting geodynamic model and the verification of the data and model with respect to existing data and models.References:Golynsky, A.V., Aleshkova, N.D., Kamenv, E.N., Kurinin, R.G., Masolov, V.N. (1998). Magnetic Anomaly Imprints of the Major Tectonic Provinces in the Weddell Sea Region. Abschlusbericht zum Forschungsprojekt BMFT 03F08GUS9, Teilprojekt 4, Alfred-Wegener-Institut, Bremerhaven.


Many public policies and individual actions have consequences for population health. To understand whether a (costly) policy undertaken to improve population health is a wise use of resources, analysts can use economic evaluation methods to assess the costs and benefits. To do this, it is necessary to evaluate the costs and benefits using the same metric, and for convenience, a monetary measure is commonly used. It is well established that money measures of a reduction in health risks can be theoretically derived using the willingness-to-pay concept. However, because a market price for health risks is not available, analysts have to rely on analytical techniques to estimate the willingness to pay using revealed- or stated-preference methods. Revealed-preference methods infer willingness to pay based on individuals' actual behavior in markets related to health risks, and they include such approaches as hedonic pricing techniques. Stated-preference methods use a hypothetical market scenario in which respondents make trade-offs between wealth and health risks. Using, for example, a random utility framework, it is possible to directly estimate individuals' willingness to pay by analyzing the trade-offs they make in the hypothetical scenario. Stated-preference methods are commonly applied using contingent valuation or discrete choice experiment techniques. Despite criticism and the shortcomings of both the revealed- and stated-preference methods, substantial progress has been made since the 1990s in using both approaches to estimate the willingness to pay for health-risk reductions.


From the Publisher:
Interactive fiction--the best-known form of which is the text game or text adventure--has not received as much critical attention as have such other forms of electronic literature as hypertext fiction and the conversational programs known as chatterbots. Twisty Little Passages (the title refers to a maze in Adventure, the first interactive fiction) is the first book-length consideration of this form, examining it from gaming and literary perspectives. Nick Montfort, an interactive fiction author himself, offers both aficionados and first-time users a way to approach interactive fiction that will lead to a more pleasurable and meaningful experience of it.

Twisty Little Passages looks at interactive fiction beginning with its most important literary ancestor, the riddle. Montfort then discusses Adventure and its precursors (including the I Ching and Dungeons and Dragons), and follows this with an examination of mainframe text games developed in response, focusing on the most influential work of that era, Zork. He then considers the introduction of commercial interactive fiction for home computers, particularly that produced by Infocom. Commercial works inspired an independent reaction, and Montfort describes the emergence of independent creators and the development of an online interactive fiction community in the 1990s. Finally, he considers the influence of interactive fiction on other literary and gaming forms. With Twisty Little Passages Nick Montfort places interactive fiction in its computational and literary contexts, opening up this still-developing form to new consideration.


"This report investigates the income and equity effects of macroeconomic policy reforms in Zimbabwe, emphasizing linkages between macroeconomic policies and agricultural performance and agriculture's influence on aggregate income and its distribution. Analyses focus on reform of the foreign trade regime, public expenditure, and tax policy, along with the potential benefits of combining these structural changes with various land reform scenarios. The study uses a CGE model that provides a policy simulation laboratory in which exogenous policy changes are analyzed for their economywide income and equity effects. The report highlights the need for policy complementarities in Zimbabwe that can contribute to equitable growth. It should be of interest not only to those concerned with recent economic developments in Zimbabwe but also to those concerned with the broader issues of macroeconomic reform and its ultimate effects." Author's Abstract


About 10% of primary school students in developing countries have poor vision, but very few of them wear glasses. Almost no research examines the impact of poor vision on school performance, and simple OLS estimates could be biased because studying harder may adversely affects one's vision. This paper presents results from a randomized trial in Western China that offered free eyeglasses to rural primary school students. Our preferred estimates, which exclude township pairs for which students in the control township were mistakenly provided eyeglasses, indicate that wearing eyeglasses for one academic year increased the average test scores of students with poor vision by 0.16 to 0.22 standard deviations, equivalent to 0.3 to 0.5 additional years of schooling. These estimates are averages across the two counties where the intervention was conducted. We also find that the benefits are greater for under-performing students. A simple cost-benefit analysis suggests very high economic returns to wearing eyeglasses, raising the question of why such investments are not made by most families. We find that girls are more likely to refuse free eyeglasses, and that parental lack of awareness of vision problems, mothers' education, and economic factors (expenditures per capita and price) significantly affect whether children wear eyeglasses in the absence of the intervention.


Nanoscale nipple arrays covering the corneal surface of many insects provide antireflection properties and have inspired industrial applications. Based on visual inspection, the dense packing of these nanostructures was initially described to adopt a regular hexagonal order. However, Fourier analysis revealed lack of order over larger distances of the lens cornea, with only patches of hexagonally organized nanostructures. Here we developed a formal mathematical analysis of nippled nanocoatings read by atomic-force microscopy (AFM). This analysis permits automatic assessment of the degree of order in nanostructural packings and its correlation with various characteristics of the nanoscale objects. We applied this analysis to corneae of 17 insect species from 6 orders. We find no correlation between the degree of order and the overall size of the lens. Instead, a strong correlation of the order and the density of the nipple packing exists. Surprisingly, we also see that order correlates with the height of the nanostructures. We discuss these findings in the context of the origin of order in the bio-nanoworld, where order may result largely from the dense packing of the nanostructures, rather than from specialized patterning mechanisms. Our findings uncover mechanisms of order formation, which may also apply to micro- and macro-structures.


This study is about programmes that foster adult-youth relationships and more specifically about the community context necessary for such programmes to flourish. The study is designed to explore a faith-based community context in which a youth mentoring programme is being considered as a strategy to help develop adult-youth relationships and youth participation in the community. The focus of this research is an Anglican parish in Perth, Western Australia. The study evaluates whether mentoring would be the most appropriate adult-youth programme intervention to facilitate parish ministry to its young people.
Three literatures related to formal adult-youth programmes including youth mentoring, intergenerational and youth-adult partnerships inform the study. Key programme characteristics and theoretical models related to the three literatures are identified, as well as recommended practices or behaviours associated with the development of effective adult-youth relationships.

The study methodology emphasises wide consultation and elicits the perceptions and expectations of participants regarding youth mentoring and youth participation. Illuminative evaluation, action research and mixed methods approaches are integrated and combined within the study, incorporating a range of data sources to be compared and contrasted to identify adult and youth needs and to produce recommendations pertinent to the parish context. A sociocultural approach to data analysis and interpretation, as outlined by Barbara Rogoff, is employed to foreground interpersonal relationships in the parish whilst also considering individual and cultural-institutional planes of analysis.
Youth participation is identified to be an adult need given the anxiety of many study participants about the future of the parish and their valuing of a community incorporating all age groups. Despite generally positive participant expectations of mentoring as an intervention, study findings indicate that a formal youth-adult activity programme would be more likely to respond to the needs of all young people connected to the parish. Mentoring is identified to be one potential form of youth-adult activity that could be included, as well as being a form of relationship that could develop naturally. The study includes four main recommendations regarding preparatory activities intended to support the design and implementation of an effective parish adult-youth programme: (1) Address barriers to communication between youth and adults; (2) Be aware of power differences between adults and youth; (3) Be open to supporting youth initiated change; and (4) Develop a shared vision for youth participation in the parish. Overall, lessons learned from the youth mentoring, intergenerational and adult-youth partnership literatures suggest that a focus on mutuality and reciprocity between youth and adults is most beneficial for the development of ongoing relationships.


The purpose of this paper is to exhibit clearly how the "graphical condensation" identities of Kuo, Yan, Yeh and Zhang follow from classical Pfaffian identities by the Kasteleyn–Percus method for the enumeration of matchings. Knuth termed the relevant identities "overlapping Pfaffian" identities and the key concept of proof "superpositions of matchings". In our uniform presentation of the material, we also give an apparently unpublished general "overlapping Pfaffian" identity of Krattenthaler.


Dictionaries are among the most frequently consulted books, yet we know remarkably little about them. Who makes them? Where do they come from? What do they offer? How can we evaluate them? The Dictionary of Lexicography provides answers to all these questions and addresses a wide range of issues: * the traditions of dictionary-making * the different types of dictionaries and other reference works (such as thesaurus, encyclopedia, atlas and telephone directory) * the principles and concerns of lexicographers and other reference professionals * the standards of dictionary criticism and dictionary use. It is both a professional handbook and an easy-to-use reference work. This is the first time that the subject has been covered in such a comprehensive manner in the form of a reference book. All articles are self-contained, cross-referenced and uniformly structured. The whole is an up-to-date and forward-looking survey of lexicography.


Higher Education and International Student Mobility in the Global Knowledge Economy. Guruz, Kemal (2008). Albany, State University of New York: SUNY Press.In the context of internationalization and globalization of higher education, Kemal Guruz's book, Higher Education and International Student Mobility in the Global Knowledge Economy, explores contributions made by international students and scholars in higher education from a historical perspective. A native of Turkey, Guruz studied and worked for a while at Harvard University and the State University of New York in the United States. He presents the international mobility of students and scholars with in-depth historical, cultural and socio-economical perspectives. Guruz highlights global knowledge economy, institutional patterns of higher education, enrollments, governance, and recent changes in higher education of several countries in this book.The book is designed into six chapters. Chapter 1 defines "global knowledge economy" as academic mobility in higher education. He presents historically the role of capitalism in global knowledge economy as it drives "virtuous cycle of innovation, reward, and reinvestment" (12). Similarly, "international student mobility" refers to students studying in a foreign country in which Guruz focuses on social, cultural, and political perspectives these students bring with in internationalization of higher education.In Chapter 2, Guruz analyzes educational attainment of emigrants and value of education historically with data on enrollment and demand in higher education from various countries. Chapter 3 concerns with how globalization has affected finance, administration and governance of both public and private universities across the globe. Chapter 4 shows compares and contrasts technology-driven non-profit, for-profit, private and public higher education. Guruz presents a detailed history of open universities established in the UK, the USA, India, Cyprus, Thailand, and in other various parts of the world and profit they make over the years.Chapter 5 presents the globalization and internalization of higher education in the Greco-Roman and Muslim worlds, in the medieval times, and in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. This chapter also deals with the recently emerged rationales of the modern American universities that are driving the international higher education in the US and across the globe. The author also mentions the Bologna process, a commitment by ministers responsible for higher education from European countries. …


BY DANIEL J. SOLOVE T he U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in United States v. Jones, No. 10-1259 (U.S. Jan. 23, 2012) is a profound decision in Fourth Amendment jurisprudence as well as in privacy law more generally. In this case, FBI agents installed a global positioning system (GPS) tracking device on Jones's car and monitored where he drove for a month without a warrant. Antoine Jones challenged the warrantless GPS surveillance as a violation of the Fourth Amendment, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit agreed (United States v. Maynard, 615 F.3d 544 (D.C. Cir. 2010). Other federal circuit courts have reached conflicting conclusions on GPS, and the Supreme Court stepped in to resolve the conflict. In an astonishing set of opinions, the Court concluded 9-0 that the installation of a GPS tracking device on a car is a Fourth Amendment search. The opinions are quite surprising, not just because they take the law in new directions from the court's existing precedent, but also because they advance some new theories of Fourth Amendment jurisprudence that might reshape the way it is interpreted and have reverberations throughout a much broader swath of privacy law.


In The Capacity to be Displaced Clemens Sedmak develops the idea that missionaries and development workers experiencing displacement have to be resilient; it is "resilience from within," nourished by beliefs and hopes that makes a person flourish in adverse circumstances.


We examine the effect of climate change on fertility rates and human capital accumulation in developing countries, focusing on the instrumental role of migration. In particular, we investigate how climate-induced migration in developing countries will affect those who do not migrate. Holding all else constant, climate shocks raise the return to acquiring skills, because skilled individuals compared to unskilled ones have greater opportunity to migrate after the shock. In response to this change in incentives, parents choose to invest more in education and have less children, a process known as the 'quantity-quality' trade-off. These effects partially offset the damages of climate change, even for those who do not migrate.


The sports associations gradually tend to be dissociated from this context of exception such as envisaged the law 1901... The evolution of the socio-economic context unit, processes of the scientific and technological innovation, as recurring problems, but which are with the base of the realization of any sporting performance, return the sporting actors towards the search for other sources of transverse financing. Such an evolution requires the control of the techniques of "management of human and financial resources» that the sporting mediums are still too often unaware of. And yet, the scientific heritage and the methodological tools making it possible to determine the multiple relations which underlie the rooting of a culture of company in the professional management of the sporting clubs are not rare any more... In these circumstances, this national forum on the sport has the advantage of offering a framework of flexible and holistic reflexion on the effects induced by a better approach of the rules governing the sporting company, than it is about social, tax or commercial right.