The world is ageing and this poses a challenge to produce cost-effective solutions that can keep elderly people independent and active by assisting them in daily living activities. In this regard, this paper presents a new control method to provide physical assistance for any of the user joints (e.g., hip, knee, elbow, etc.) as needed by the wearer, by means of an assistive non-medical single joint exoskeleton with a "harmonized controller" capable of providing assistance in a natural way, and varying the assistance as needed by the user performing some activity. The control method is aimed at exoskeletons to provide assistance to users facing difficulty in any activity such as walking, sit-to-stand, etc., and, other than providing assistance as needed, it can also reduce the muscular effort for a completely healthy user. Harmonized control uses exoskeleton-integrated force sensors and motion sensors to identify the user's intentions and the assistance level required, generating appropriate control signals for the actuators by implementing a simple PID controller. To verify the proposed harmonized-control technique, simulations using MATLAB/SIMULINK were performed for a single joint system. An experimental test rig for a single joint was also developed using MATLAB Xpc Target for real-time control. User tests were also carried out for the knee joint and the results obtained from simulations, experimentation and user tests are reported and discussed here. The results achieved to date and reported here show harmonized control to be a promising user-centric solution for the development of single joint assistive exoskeletons for support as needed by the user in daily living activities.


Abstract. Organic compounds represent a significant fraction of submicrometer atmospheric aerosol mass. Even if most of these compounds are semi-volatile in atmospheric concentrations, the ambient organic aerosol volatility is quite uncertain. The most common volatility measurement method relies on the use of a thermodenuder (TD). The aerosol passes through a heated tube where its more volatile components evaporate, leaving the less volatile components behind in the particulate phase. The typical result of a thermodenuder measurement is the mass fraction remaining (MFR), which depends, among other factors, on the organic aerosol (OA) vaporization enthalpy and the accommodation coefficient. We use a new method combining forward modeling, introduction of "experimental" error, and inverse modeling with error minimization for the interpretation of TD measurements. The OA volatility distribution, its effective vaporization enthalpy, the mass accommodation coefficient and the corresponding uncertainty ranges are calculated. Our results indicate that existing TD-based approaches quite often cannot estimate reliably the OA volatility distribution, leading to large uncertainties, since there are many different combinations of the three properties that can lead to similar thermograms. We propose an improved experimental approach combining TD and isothermal dilution measurements. We evaluate this experimental approach using the same model, and show that it is suitable for studies of OA volatility in the lab and the field.


As a small, post-conflict country, Kosovo has limited capacities to reach out to the world. Lacking diplomatic recognition from many countries, burdened with a negative image, and still in the process of developing its economy, Kosovo's opportunities to win support and strengthen its international ties are restricted. However, Kosovo's foreign Public Diplomacy could benefit greatly from an untapped resource which has not yet been fully utilized as a foreign policy tool: its diaspora. The aim of this study is to highlight the role of Kosovo's diaspora as a resource for the country's Public Diplomacy. The overview provided in this study gives insights into the challenges, status quo and options for engaging Kosovo's diaspora for enhancing the country's image, which could ultimately reinforce the country's diplomatic and economic development. This study argues that the role of Kosovo's diaspora is at a critical moment of being primarily perceived as a provider of remittances and investments in Kosovo towards being acknowledged as a catalyst for international linkages and entry points for business abroad. The study consists of three parts: the first chapter focuses on the status quo, looking at challenges, strengths, opportunities, and the changing role of Kosovo's diaspora. The second part touches on positive examples and success stories of Kosovo's diaspora abroad. Finally, the third part gives an overview about comparative examples, which includes the case studies of Israel, Armenia, Serbia, and Rwanda, offering intriguing lessons learnt and practical solutions. The conclusion provides a reflection about entry points for future activities and next steps of strategizing a diaspora involvement within the country's foreign policy.


In this paper we discuss a method for localizing acoustic reflectors in space based on acoustic measurements on source-to-microphone reflective paths. The method converts Time of Arrival (TOA) and Time Difference of Arrival (TDOA) into quadratic constraints on the line corresponding to the reflector. In order to be robust against measurement errors we derive an exact solution for the minimization of a cost function that combines an arbitrary number of quadratic constraints. Moreover we propose a new method for the analytic prediction of reflector localization accuracy. This method is sufficiently general to be applicable to a wide range of estimation problems.


With a career, a boyfriend, and a loving family, Piper Kerman barely resembles the reckless young woman who delivered a suitcase of drug money 10 years ago. But that past has caught up with her. Convicted and sentenced to 15 months at the infamous federal correctional facility in Danbury, Connecticut, the well-heeled Smith College alumna is now inmate #11187-424 --one of the millions of women who disappear "down the rabbit hole" of the American penal system. From her first strip search to her final release, Kerman learns to navigate this strange world with its strictly enforced codes of behavior and arbitrary rules, where the uneasy relationship between prisoner and jailer is constantly and unpredictably recalibrated. She meets women from all walks of life, who surprise her with small tokens of generosity, hard words of wisdom, and simple acts of acceptance.


The search for identity is based on a set of characteristics, which defines the uniqueness of a person. Principles such as classificability, immutability, persistence, practicability and uniqueness must be considered when applying an identification technique. This study aimed to evaluate the use of palatal rugoscopy in dentulous and edentulous volunteers, with or without upper removable denture, for purposes of human identification. In this study 60 subjects were asked to give dental casts and photography of the upper dental arch, defined in the following groups: Group A (n = 30, edentulous patients with full upper removable dentures) and Group B (n = 30, dentulous without upper removable partial denture). The rugoscopy analysis method used was Martins-dos-Santos classification, for checking the applicability and success in human identification. It was found that it is possible to use this technique and it has an application of 40% in the group A and 86.66% in the group B. In conclusion, the identification method by palatal rugoscopy is satisfactory for dentulous patients, however in cases of tooth loss and friction cases generated by prosthetic devices, the region of the palate lose its characteristics, but even then it is still possible to be applied.


Targeting of PARP enzymes has emerged as an effective therapeutic strategy to selectively target cancer cells with deficiencies in homologous recombination signaling. Currently used to treat BRCA-mutated cancers, PARP inhibitors (PARPi) have demonstrated improved outcome in various cancer types as single agents. Ongoing efforts have seen the exploitation of PARPi combination therapies, boosting patient responses as a result of drug synergisms. Despite great successes using PARPi therapy, selecting those patients who will benefit from single agent or combination therapy remains one of the major challenges. Numerous reports have demonstrated that the presence of a BRCA mutation does not always result in synthetic lethality with PARPi therapy in treatment-naïve tumors. Cancer cells can also develop resistance to PARPi therapy. Hence, combination therapy may significantly affect the treatment outcomes. In this review, we discuss the development and utilization of PARPi in different cancer types from preclinical models to clinical trials, provide a current overview of the potential uses of PARP imaging agents in cancer therapy, and discuss the use of radiolabeled PARPi as radionuclide therapies.


In case of active magnetic bearing power failures or high transient overloads, the fast spinning rotor interacts with the auxiliary bearing. A critical motion is possible, called backward whirl. It can produce very high loads on rotor and bearings, which can lead to the destruction of the machine. Therefore, it is important to make numerical and experimental investigations of active magnetic bearings (AMBs) supported rotor system with auxiliary bearings. The models for the AMBs supported rotor with auxiliary bearing system are introduced. The theoretical method for estimation equivalent stiffness and damping of the AMB is developed in this work. The dynamic equivalent stiffness and damping of the AMB-rotor system is calculated from the knowledge of frequency response of the digitally controlled AMB. In this work, plenty experiments have been made to explore which factors or parameters are essential for the system performance. Some modifications and extensions of the hardware and software of the test rig have been done. Several important parameters of system such as stiffness and damping have been estimated through frequency domain and time domain methods by analyzing the experimental results. These parameters were used in numerical simulations. Under some specific designed cases, it is found that the rotor undergoes a complicated motion behavior, the backward whirl. The experiment results have been presented and analyzed. The detailed models of the AMBs supported rotor interacting with the auxiliary bearing system are introduced, which considered discontinuous stiffness caused by bearing clearance effect, nonlinear Hertzian contact and Coulomb friction forces. Furthermore, according to the real test rig, the auxiliary bearings could be modeled as fixed and compliant mounted. The rotor is modeled as rigid mass or rigid beam by paying regard to its operation range. Several groups of differential equations are presented and the numerical simulation method is developed for the nonlinear time variant ODEs based on event functions in MATLAB. Numerical investigations as time history, orbit diagram, Poincar\'{e} section diagram and waterfall spectrum diagram are proposed to study the complex dynamic response of the system. It is found that the AMB-rotor-auxiliary bearing system undergoes complicated motion behaviors including chaotic motion. The bifurcation analysis results are presented, to explore which factors or parameters are essential to system performance then find an appropriate optimized design to prevent it. The important parameters studies on the rotor driving frequency, the support and contact stiffness are carried out through bifurcation analysis. The complicated motions of rotor are observed by changing the control parameters.


This work reviews existing models of control patterns for occupant–shading interactions in office buildings, and studies their influence in terms of energy demand when comparing transparent faç ade alternatives. It starts by establishing a review of visual comfort criteria in office buildings and of the conditions that prompt occupants to interact with shading devices and electric lighting. Given the large variety of parameters identified as primary variables in the existing literature – hence the variety of conditions considered comfortable depending on the chosen reference – a sensitivity study was carried out based on dynamic simulations. The aim of the study was to characterize the impact of choosing a given shading control model (pattern or strategy) on the calculated overall energy demand for heating, cooling and lighting, as well as the impact on choosing the best-performing transparent faç ade option for a single-occupant office. The results show that both the calculated energy performance and the ranking of transparent faç ade alternatives (glazing and shading) often vary very significantly with control patterns considered for the occupant-shading interaction. They further show that, amongst the eleven control strategies that were considered, the behavioral model based on a glare acceptability threshold (expressed as DGI > 20) is the one that, when considered individually, would most reliably express an average ranking from all considered strategies. The implications of these findings are discussed in view of their applicability to energy performance-based faç ade design choices evaluation as well as to faç ade design choices. © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.


This article discusses the working and living conditions of unskilled labourers in South Tehran, and pays particular attention to the workers of the brick-kiln factories of Khatunabad. The brick-kiln workers, mostly transient rural workers, were among the poorest of the Iranian labour class. At the same time, in terms of sheer numbers they represented 5 per cent of the population of Tehran in 1960. They lived and worked under appalling conditions but, nevertheless, they only seldom went on strike. The brickworkers' main concern was not so much their working conditions, but rather to get and hold a job. This was difficult, because (1) they were seasonal labour; (2) they had no representative workers' organization to speak for them; (3) the way their industry was organized left them with little power; and (4) there was strong competition from other unskilled and unemployed labourers. Finally, the six known strikes by the brick-kiln workers will be highlighted, and used to discuss the context in which all Iranian workers had to operate.


Iron speciation in the Satilla River Estuary was investigated using competitive ligand equilibration–adsorptive cathodic stripping voltammetry (CLE‐ACSV) with the ligand 1‐nitroso‐2‐naphthol (1N2N). The blackwater Satilla River contains high concentrations of dissolved organic matter and iron, suggesting that it could provide a source of dissolved iron to the continental shelf. Total dissolved iron in the water column decreases along the estuary, likely due to flocculation and precipitation processes associated with the increase in salinity. Simultaneously, the percentage of dissolved organic‐Fe(III) complexes measured by CLE‐ACSV in overlying waters of sediment cores increases with salinity. The speciation of dissolved iron in the pore waters indicates that these complexes originate in the underlying sediments. Diffusive fluxes calculated from depth profiles in the sediments indicate that only 8% of the sedimentary flux of Fe(III) is delivered to the continental shelf during low riverine discharge. During normal flow conditions, however, the sediment flux of Fe(III) represents 63% of the total riverine flux of Fe(III). These findings suggest that the flux of dissolved iron to the continental shelf is controlled by the sedimentation of iron in the estuary and the remobilization of soluble organic‐Fe(III) complexes produced either during iron reduction deep in the sediment or oxidation of Fe(II) close to the sediment–water interface. The Satilla River Estuary generates five to eight times higher concentrations of dissolved Fe(III) than the average major world rivers, suggesting that it is, along with other small blackwater rivers, currently underrepresented in world average river flux calculations.


Walnut (Juglans regia) is a known food allergen, able to elicit potentially severe allergic reactions. Threshold data from walnut challenged and allergic adults demonstrated that walnut is a potent allergen, with eliciting doses similar to hazelnut. Walnut 2S albumin Jug r 1 was the dominant walnut allergen in our walnut allergic population, but assessing sensitization to walnut extract performed similar in diagnosing walnut allergy. Walnut 11S globulin Jug r 4 appeared to be an allergen recognized by a subset of walnut allergic subjects, however sensitization was strongly associated with walnut allergy. Evaluating (co-)sensitization to other tree nuts and peanut in walnut allergic adults revealed that sensitization to pecan and hazelnut is very common, although it might not always be clinically relevant. Proper evaluation of all tree nuts could prevent unnecessary avoidance and broaden the diet of tree nut allergic individuals. In peanut challenged adults, specific IgE (sIgE) against peanut 2S albumin Ara h 7 was found to be as discriminative for peanut allergy as sIgE to the other 2S albumins, Ara h 2 and 6. Mono-sensitization occurred to either Ara h 2, 6 and 7 in a small subset and leads to a risk of misdiagnosis when testing for a single 2S albumin only. Multiplex sIgE testing of adults with a suspected food allergy demonstrated that sensitization to birch-pollen related PR-10 proteins can occur in different phenotypes: the PR-10 proteins from soy, celery and kiwi were less frequently recognized than others and appeared to be an indication of polysensitization. Additionally, a subset of individuals recognized PR-10 food proteins without concomitant sensitization to pollen allergen from the PR-10 protein family, potentially indicating direct sensitization to these proteins. In a pilot study, daratumumab reduced total and specific IgE levels in a patient treated for multiple myeloma. This therefore warrants further research as potential treatment option for IgE-mediated allergic diseases.


Kinetic Alfven waves in the presence of an inhomogeneous electric field applied perpendicular to the ambient magnetic field with loss-cone distribution function and ion and electron beam are investigated. The particle aspect approach is adopted to investigate the trajectories of charged particles in the electromagnetic field of a kinetic Alfven wave. Expressions are found for the field-aligned current, the perpendicular current and the dispersion relation. The growth/damping rate of the wave is obtained by an energy conservation method. The effect of electron and ion beam, steepness of loss-cone and inhomogeneity of electric field are discussed. The plasma under consideration is assumed to be anisotropic and with low-b. The results are interpreted for the space plasma parameter appropriate to the auroral acceleration region of the earth's magnetosphere.


A kinase opposes Hippo signaling by promoting activity of the transcriptional coactivator Yorkie. Signaling through the Hippo-Salvador-Warts (Wts) kinase cascade inhibits cell proliferation and promotes apoptosis by preventing nuclear accumulation of the transcriptional coactivator Yorkie (Yki in the fruit fly) or Yap (in vertebrates). Hippo-dependent phosphorylation of Yki by Wts prevents nuclear accumulation of Yki. In the nucleus, Yki cooperates with its partner Scalloped to promote expression of several target genes that inhibit apoptosis and promote mitosis. Two studies report that the serine-threonine kinase homeodomain-interacting protein kinase (Hipk) promotes Yki activity. Studies by Chen and Verheyen and by Poon et al. both demonstrate that, like overexpresison of yki or knockdown of wts, overexpresison of hipk in fly imaginal discs caused excessive cell proliferation, leading to tissue overgrowth, and stimulation of endogenous Yki transcriptional targets and reporter constructs. Reducing Hipk activity by mutation or RNA interference (RNAi) reduced both tissue size and expression of Yki targets. Hipk was required for maximal, but not all, Yki transcriptional regulatory activity. RNAi-mediated knockdown or mutation of hipk reversed the tissue overgrowth and target gene expression phenotypes induced by knockdown or mutation of wts, indicating that Hipk acted downstream or independently of Wts. Chen and Verheyen demonstrated that Hipk and Yki were present in the same protein complex, that Hipk phosphorylated Yki in vitro, and that Hipk's kinase activity was required for its ability to induce tissue overgrowth and Yki reporter gene expression in wing discs. Poon et al. extended their analysis to a human Hipk homolog, HIPK2, showing that the kinase activity of HIPK2 was required for transcription of a YAP-activated luciferase reporter in 293T cells. The two studies come to many of the same conclusions; however, they differ on whether Hipk affects the subcellular localization of Yki. Chen and Verheyen saw no difference in the subcellular localization of endogenous Yki or an overexpressed fluorescent Yki fusion protein in wing clones overexpressing hipk. In contrast, Poon et al. noted that Yki was mostly cytoplasmic in disc tissues overexpressing yki alone but detected Yki in both the cytoplasm and nucleus when yki and hipk were overexpressed simultaneously. More work will be needed to address the question of Hipk's effect on Yki's subcellular localization. Wts-mediated phosphorylation of Yki in response to Hippo signaling promotes cytoplasmic retention of Yki by promoting its association with the 14-3-3 protein, but how this newly identified Hipk-mediated phosphorylation event controls Yki activity remains to be determined, as well as whether or how this activity of Hipk is regulated. J. Chen, E. M. Verheyen, Homeodomain-interacting protein kinase regulates Yorkie activity to promote tissue growth. Curr. Biol. 22, 1582–1586 (2012). [PubMed] C. L. C. Poon, X. Zhang, J. I. Lin, S. A. Manning, K. F. Harvey, Homeodomain-interacting protein kinase regulates Hippo pathway-dependent tissue growth. Curr. Biol. 22, 1587–1594 (2012). [PubMed]


Throughout most of the 20th century, classical liberal ideas were in decline in Danish public discourse, among academics and in politics. From circa 1980 a visible renaissance has taken place, both in terms of breadth and numbers, as well as institutional developments. The change has in large part grown out of Anglo-American developments in classical liberal scholarship.


Climate change has emerged as an important topic in Antarctic research over the past decade, but little in the way of policy or operational change has resulted at CCAMLR. Over the past 50 years major alterations of the ecological workings of the Southern Ocean have been underway. These changes are accelerating as time passes, including regional changes in sea ice persistence and extent. The Western Antarctic Peninsula has warmed more than four times faster than the average rate of Earth's overall warming making it the region that is experiencing the most rapid warming on the planet: Future reductions in sea ice will be among the most immediate changes, and likely will lead to major alteration in the distribution and abundance of those species whose natural history patterns are closely tied to sea ice. "The uncertainty in climate predictions leads to uncertainty in projections of impacts, but increases in temperatures and reductions in winter sea ice would undoubtedly affect the reproduction, growth and development of some keystone fish species such as silverfish and toothfish (or high Antarctic fish species) and Antarctic krill (Cheung et al., 2008), as well as changing the habitat characteristics of many co-occurring and dependent species." To date, at the last CCAMLR meeting the Commission requested the Scientific Committee to provide advice on the issue of climate change. The Scientific Committee needs to increase its work on climate change impacts in order to consider the consequences of a range of scenarios. One of the most important aspects is to identify ways by which climate change impacts can be distinguished from fishing effects, on which the SC requested advice from the Working Group on Ecosystem Management and Monitoring. ASOC requests Members to adopt a Resolution acknowledging the various adverse impacts of climate change on the Southern Ocean, to pledge to apply a highly precautionary approach to management in the context of the unknowns of climate change, and to include in this approach the establishment in the next few years of a network of Marine Protected Areas of ecologically significant size as refuges where species can best adapt to climate change without confounding pressures from fishing mortality.


: The Tibetan Plateau (TP) is identified as a global climate change hotspot due to its relevance for the Asian monsoon circulation system. Glacial melt and receding permafrost indicate significant changes within this climate system. Spatio-temporal information is required to gain a better understanding of the interactions of system components and ongoing processes. By numerous studies, Earth Observation data analysis has been shown as being a suitable tool which enables to monitor mid- and long-term environmental changes. A new object oriented classification approach which is based on synergies between the optical remote sensing products and SAR data was developed for automatic and seasonal-adaptive extraction of parameters for wetland area derivation and characterization. It was shown that the derived parameters are important indicators for environmental change analyses. The developed method is appropriate to monitor wetland responses with high temporal and spatial resolution according to climate change and human impacts within large regions like the TP. ABSTRACT The Tibetan Plateau (TP) is identified as a global climate change hotspot due to its relevance for the Asian monsoon circulation system. Glacial melt and receding permafrost indicate significant changes within this climate system. Spatio-temporal information is required to gain a better understanding of the interactions of system components and ongoing processes. By numerous studies, Earth Observation data analysis has been shown as being a suitable tool which enables to monitor mid- and long-term environmental changes. A new object oriented classification approach which is based on synergies between the optical remote sensing products and SAR data was developed for automatic and seasonal-adaptive extraction of parameters for wetland area derivation and characterization. It


A piezoelectric paper feeder actuator using Micro Virtual Roller (MVR) is proposed, designed, fabricated and tested. This actuator can drive a sheet of paper forward or backward without any mechanical parts, such as the costly and heavy rollers used in traditional paper feeders. In this paper feeder actuator, two vibrating stators which produce traveling waves are used to drive the paper. The vibrations of the stators are similar to those of piezoelectric motors and follow a similar procedure to move the paper. A feasibility study simulated the actuator in COMSOL Multiphysics Software. Traveling wave and elliptical trajectories were obtained and the dimensions of the stator were optimized using FEM so that the paper could move at top speed. Next, the eigenfrequencies of the actuator was determined. Experimental testing was done in order to validate the FEM results that revealed the relationships between speed and parameters such as frequency and voltage. Advantages of this new mechanism are the sharp decrease in power consumption and low maintenance.


Several recent works have shown how highly realistic human head images can be obtained by training convolutional neural networks to generate them. In order to create a personalized talking head model, these works require training on a large dataset of images of a single person. However, in many practical scenarios, such personalized talking head models need to be learned from a few image views of a person, potentially even a single image. Here, we present a system with such few-shot capability. It performs lengthy meta-learning on a large dataset of videos, and after that is able to frame few- and one-shot learning of neural talking head models of previously unseen people as adversarial training problems with high capacity generators and discriminators. Crucially, the system is able to initialize the parameters of both the generator and the discriminator in a person-specific way, so that training can be based on just a few images and done quickly, despite the need to tune tens of millions of parameters. We show that such an approach is able to learn highly realistic and personalized talking head models of new people and even portrait paintings.


The aviation industry has been growing continuously over the past decades. Despite the current Covid-19 crisis, this trend is likely to resume in the near future. On an international level, initiatives like the Green Recovery Plan promoted by the European Union set the basis towards a more environmentally friendly future approach for the aero-industry. The increasing air traffic and the focus on a more sustainable industry as a whole lead to an extensive need for a more balanced assessment of a products life cycle especially on an ecological level.
 Blisks (or IBRs) remain a central component of every current and very possible every future aero engine configuration. Their advantages during operation compared to conventional compressor rotors are met with a considerably complex manufacturing and production process. In the high-pressure compressor segment of an engine, the material selection is limited to Titanium alloys such as Ti6Al4V and heat-resistant Nickel-alloys such as Inconel718. The corresponding process chains consist of numerous different process steps starting with the initial raw material extraction and ending with the quality assurance (cradle to gate). Especially the central milling process requires a highly qualified process design to ensure a part of sufficient quality.
 Life-Cycle-Assessments enable an investigation of a products overall environmental impact and ecological footprint throughout its distinct life-cycle. Formal LCAs are generally divided by international standards into four separate steps of analysis: the goal and scope definition, the acquisition of Life Cycle-Inventory, the Life-Cycle-Impact-Assessment and the interpretation. This content of this paper focuses on a general approach for Life-Cycle-Assessment for Blisk manufacturing.
 • Firstly, the goal and scope is set by presenting three separate process chain scenarios for Blisk manufacturing, which mainly differ in terms of raw material selection and individual process selections for blade manufacturing.
 • Secondly, the LCI data (Life-Cycle Inventory) acquisition is illustrated by defining all significant in- and outputs of each individual process step.
 • Thirdly, the approach of a Life-Cycle-Impact-Assessment is presented by introducing the modelling approach in an LCA-software environment.
 • Fourthly, an outlook and discussion on relevant impact-indicators for a subsequent interpretation of future results are conducted.


Welcome to Harmonistan!

Over the last two decades, the term "participation" has become increasingly overused. When everyone has been turned into a participant, the often uncritical, innocent, and romantic use of the term has become frightening. Supported by a repeatedly nostalgic veneer of worthiness, phony solidarity, and political correctness, "participation" has become the default of protagonists withdrawing from responsibility. Similar to the notion of an independent politician dissociated from a specific party, this research work encourages the role of the "crossbench practitioner," an "uninterested outsider" and "uncalled participator" who is not limited by existing protocols, and who enters the arena with nothing but creative intellect and the will to generate change.

As a practiced-based research and working methodology, a publishing and exhibition regime was established in order to constantly test ideas and concepts against reality, while installing a continuous feedback loop.

Arguing for an urgent inversion of participation—a model beyond modes of consensus—the work candidly reflects on the limits and traps of its real motivations, instead of reading participation as the charitable saviour of political struggle. Rather than breading the next generation of consensual facilitators and mediators, this work argues for conflict as an enabling, instead of disabling, force. "Crossbenching" calls for a format of conflictual participation—no longer a process by which others are invited "in," but a means of acting without mandate, as uninvited irritant: a forced entry into fields of knowledge that arguably benefit from exterior thinking.

Sometimes, democracy has to be avoided at all costs.


Given a graphical model (GM), computing its partition function is the most essential inference task, but it is computationally intractable in general. To address the issue, iterative approximation algorithms exploring certain local structure/consistency of GM have been investigated as popular choices in practice. However, due to their local/iterative nature, they often output poor approximations or even do not converge, e.g., in low-temperature regimes (hard instances of large parameters). To overcome the limitation, we propose a novel approach utilizing the global spectral feature of GM. Our contribution is two-fold: (a) we first propose a fully polynomial-time approximation scheme (FPTAS) for approximating the partition function of GM associating with a low-rank coupling matrix; (b) for general high-rank GMs, we design a spectral mean-field scheme utilizing (a) as a subroutine, where it approximates a high-rank GM into a product of rank-1 GMs for an efficient approximation of the partition function. The proposed algorithm is more robust in its running time and accuracy than prior methods, i.e., neither suffers from the convergence issue nor depends on hard local structures, as demonstrated in our experiments.


The TechNet_04 model is one of a series of abstract models that was developed to begin examining the basic relationships between the structure of prehistoric social networks and patterns of variability in material culture. It was constructed to be a simple, flexible platform for running an array of experiments to investigate relationships between network structure, network properties, artifact variability, and the spatial organization of artifact variability.

The "world" of the model is a two-dimensional, bounded, hexagonal grid. Each cell is the location of a single "group". A group in the model can interact with a unique, finite array of other groups to which it is linked. This array constitutes a group's individual network. When two groups are linked, information can be transferred between them. The overlapping networks of individual groups comprise a system-level network that connects all groups within the system.

Networks are formed at the beginning of a model run and do not change during a model run. Networks are formed through a two-stage process. In the initial stage, each group adds the groups in the immediately adjacent tier of hexagonal cells to its networkList. This produces a "local only" network where each group is linked to only those groups who are immediately adjacent to it in space.

A second stage of network formation "rewires" this local-only network in one of two ways, controlled by the parameter rewireMode. If the value of rewireMode is 1, a group's local links to its neighbors can be replaced by links to random groups; if the value of rewireMode is 2, each group has the chance to create links with non-local groups that are within a specified distance of the group's location (see documentation).

The transmission of cultural information in this model is represented by the transfer of the value of a single real number (variableA). VariableA is meant to represent some continuously variable, "stylistic" aspect of artifact size, shape, etc., that is subject to copying error and is free to vary through processes such as drift.

Every group in the world begins a model run with the same value (5) of variableA. This was an arbitrary value selected so the results of some experiments would be directly comparable to those of previous work (e.g., Hamilton and Buchanan 2009). Because variability generated during a run is proportional to the value of variableA, beginning with a different value would affect the results in terms of absolute values but not the overall patterns.

The transfer of information occurs through copying events. At each step, each group copies the value of variableA either from itself or from some population of groups other than itself (see documentation). Variability in variableA is generated through copying error (controlled by the parameter copyError) that is applied each time a group copies (whether copying from an outside population or copying itself). The application of error during each copying event is based on the idea that there are inherent constraints in human perception that prevent the detection of slight differences between any two objects, shapes, colors, etc. The amount of error is relative and is typically set at a maximum of +/- 3 to 5 percent based on empirical studies of human perception (e.g., Eerkens 2000; Eerkens and Lipo 2005; Hamilton and Buchanan 2009).

Following creation of the world and the groups, two-stage formation of group-level networks, and setting of parameters controlling information transfer, the model is set into motion. At each time step, each group goes through a sequence of actions during its turn. It first determines whether it will copy variableA from itself or from some outside population. If it copies from an outside population, it determines the population to copy, calculates the value of variableA to copy, applies copying error, and copies. The ordering of groups is randomly shuffled each time step.

The data output of the model can be adjusted to include different measures and more or less detailed data depending on what is required for analysis. Outputs can range from summary data produced at the end of a run to data about each group at each step. The mean path length and clustering coefficients of the system-level networks can be recorded for analysis along with measures of the variability in the artifact assemblages that are produced by cultural transmission operating across the network.

Eerkens, J.W., 2000. Practice makes within 5% of perfect: visual perception, motor skills, and memory in artifact variation. Current Anthropology 41, 663-667.

Eerkens, J.W., Lipo, C.P., 2005. Cultural transmission, copying errors, and the generation of variation in material culture and the archaeological record. Journal of Anthropological Archaeology 24, 316-324.

Hamilton, M.J., Buchanan, B., 2009. The accumulation of stochastic copying errors causes drift in culturally transmitted technologies: quantifying Clovis evolutionary dynamics. Journal of Anthropological Archaeology 28, 55-69.


Clemens and Wither (2016) argue that the federal minimum wage increases over 2007-2009 significantly depressed employment by comparing the employment trends of low-wage workers in states that were "bound" and not bound by changes in the federal standard. I show that this research design negatively biases the estimates of employment effects of the minimum wage because unbound states were affected differently by the Great Recession and therefore do not provide a valid counterfactual. The differences are reflected in the distinct industrial composition between these two groups of states prior to the Great Recession, including the share of workers in construction. Consistent with this explanation, I find that the authors' baseline results are not robust to sectoral or geographic controls, which reduce the magnitude of the baseline point estimates by 35.6 to 62.7 percent. Moreover, their research design fails a placebo-based falsification test: using unbound states that did not face a significant minimum wage increase but were in regions with a prevalence of bound states, I reproduce the timing and scope of their estimated employment effects. I also show that industrial and spatial controls reduce the magnitude of the authors' supplementary estimates for younger workers by 43.2 to 97.3 percent. Ben Zipperer Economic Policy Institute email@example.com


The paper has discussed the characteristics of consciousness of professional role of rural teachers and the relationship between consciousness of professional role and work autonomy. By randomly sampling, a survey is conducted among 265 primary and secondary school teachers from Sichuan province. It is found that the whole consciousness of professional role of rural teachers from Sichuan province is above average; the role consciousness of their collaborators and facilitators is the highest; the role consciousness of their social and economic status is the lowest. From the characteristics of different groups of teachers, there is no difference in gender, teaching age and education background, but there are significant differences between teachers of urban and rural areas, backbone teachers and nonbackbone teachers, teachers in key middle schools and non-key middle schools, and among teachers who teach Chinese, mathematics, foreign languages, Politics, History, Chemistry, Biology, Geography and teachers in primary and middle schools. Consciousness of professional role of teachers is significantly related to work autonomy. That is to say, consciousness of professional role of teachers can positively or negatively predict work autonomy.


Plant architecture is determined by cell division and growth, thus simulation models describing these processes are ideal for determining how local development produces the overall plant form. Because fern gametophytes are structurally simple, they are ideal for investigating the effects of cellular growth and division on plant form. In this work we examine the gametophytic development of Schizaea pusilla Pursh., a small, bog-adapted fern whose gametophyte forms as a mass of single-celled filaments. Using light and scanning electron microscopy we made detailed observations of gametophyte development to generate data for a simulation mechanical model of S. pusilla gametophyte development. To examine how plant architecture is an emergent property of cell division, we constructed a simulation model expressed using the formalism of L-systems. While developing a model of growth in this fern we discovered a previously undescribed structure that contributes to the architecture of this plant, which we term knots....


Biomass fuels remain a very important energy source for millions of Kenyans, consistently meeting close to 70% of domestic energy requirements over the decades. The charcoal sub-sector is one of the most important sources of employment and is reported to be a major source of livelihood for about 0.64 million people, with a market value worth billion. Woodfuel, especially in the form of charcoal, is produced in rural areas and consumed in peri-urban and urban areas, moving through connections between numerous actors, thus forming value chains and networks. The aim of this study was to conduct a literature review to investigate, document and map these value chains from production to consumption in order to assess overall economic significance of charcoal and identify opportunities and priority interventions for developing sustainable charcoal value chains. The value chain analysis approach was used to determine the flow of woodfuel and ascertain distribution of income and profit within and among groups of actors along the value chain. The literature review established that the main value chain actors in Kenya comprise wood producers, charcoal producers, transporters, wholesalers, retailers and consumers. In some cases, the actors are supported by agents and brokers who facilitate linkages and transactions along various stages of the value chain. For many of the charcoal-producing households, income from sale of charcoal accounted for over 50% of the total household income. Monthly income of transporters was estimated to have increased more than 1,100 times between 2000 and 2013, with bribes paid at checkpoints accounting for 20-30% of the final retail price. Net profits of retailers were estimated to be 14%. The charcoal value chain is dominated by men, except in retailing where women accounted for 57% of the actors. In addition, charcoal value chains do have negative environmental and health impacts which can be mitigated by adoption of appropriate production and consumption technologies. The review shows that, charcoal value chains remain an important energy, livelihood and income source for many in Kenya but is increasingly associated with negative environment and health outcomes. However, in the short- to medium-term there is need to increase investments in the sub-sector and develop sustainable and competitive woodfuel value chains.


The material remains of the First World War field-battles are gradually disappearing, especially in marginal mountain areas, due to negligence and changes in land coverage. The paper presents the first stage of an ongoing project, devoted to identifying the forgotten material features of war landscapes on the Trentino Alps, using a wide range of historical sources, such as cartography, aerial and ground photos, textual descriptions and field surveys. The case study chosen to test the methodology is a small area of the municipality of Trambileno, in the south of the Province of Trento. Different data from different sources are integrated in a GIS platform, in order to safeguard the memory and the location of cultural heritage, as well as to support future enhancement plans.


In Provisionally Applied Treaties: Their Binding Force and Legal Nature, Anneliese Quast Mertsch examines the binding force and legal nature of treaties during the period of their provisional application, a subject whose significance in practice is not reflected in the relatively limited attention it receives in academic writing. She analyses academic opinion and international practice (including especially the manifestations of the intentions of the parties) on the subject. Whilst commonly considered as being in a class of their own, the book instead suggests that provisionally applied treaties are agreements whose binding force and legal nature can vary and should be determined on a case-by-case basis, as is done with other agreements in international law.


An integrated system of numerical simulation and graphic visualization of penetration by waves in harbors has been developed for use in Windows-based personal computers. This paper discusses the wave transformation model behind the computational engine, its numerical implementation, the design and integration of a graphical rendering sub-system, and the application of the system to both theoretical and practical wave penetration problems. The system is capable of simulating in space and time the three-dimensional wave field based on a set of vertically-integrated, phaseresolving equations accounting for wave nonlinearity and frequency dispersion in the shallow water region around a harbor, as well as in the deep water region in the offshore area. The visualization component has been designed to provide quick and meaningful representation of both input and transient variables, with diagnostic capability for the rendering of input parameters and post-processing capability for the synthesis of wave field statistics. The system is validated by applying it to fundamental wave propagation problems where analytical or measured data are available for comparison. The computational and visualization capabilities of the system are demonstrated by its application to wave penetration studies of actual harbors.


In September 2011 in Rome at the International Society for Cultural and Activity Research conference, Eugene Matusov (USA), Kiyotaka Miyazaki (Japan), Jayne White (New Zealand), and Olga Dysthe (Norway) organized a symposium on Dialogic Pedagogy. Formally during the symposium and informally after the symposium several heated discussions started among the participants about the nature of dialogic pedagogy. The uniting theme of these discussions was a strong commitment by all four participants to apply the dialogic framework developed by Soviet-Russian philosopher and literary theoretician Bakhtin to education. In this special issue, Eugene Matusov (USA) and Kiyotaka Miyazaki (Japan) have developed only three of the heated issues discussed at the symposium in a form of dialogic exchanges (dialogue-disagreements). We invited our Dialogic Pedagogy colleagues Jayne White (New Zealand) and Olga Dysthe (Norway) to write commentaries on the dialogues. Fortunately, Jayne White kindly accepted the request and wrote her commentary. Unfortunately, Olga Dysthe could not participate due to her prior commitments to other projects. We also invited Ana Marjanovic-Shane (USA), Beth Ferholt (USA), Rupert Wegerif (UK), and Paul Sullivan (UK) to comment on Eugene-Kiyotaka dialogue-disagreement.                The first two heated issues were initiated by Eugene Matusov by providing a typology of different conceptual approaches to Dialogic Pedagogy that he had noticed in education. Specifically, the debate with Kiyotaka Miyazaki (and the other two participants) was around three types of Dialogic Pedagogy defined by Eugene Matusov: instrumental, epistemological, and ontological types of Dialogic Pedagogy. Specifically, Eugene Matusov subscribes to ontological dialogic pedagogy arguing that dialogic pedagogy should be built around students' important existing or emergent life interests, concerns, questions, and needs. He challenged both instrumental dialogic pedagogy that is mostly interested in using dialogic interactional format of instruction to make students effectively arrive at preset curricular endpoints and epistemological dialogic pedagogy that is most interested in production of new knowledge for students. Kiyotaka Miyazaki (and other participants) found this typology not to be useful and challenged the values behind it. Kiyotaka Miyazaki introduced the third heated topic of treating students as "heroes" of the teacher's polyphonic pedagogy similar to Dostoevsky's polyphonic novel based on Bakhtin's analysis. Eugene Matusov took issue with treating students as "heroes" of teacher's polyphonic pedagogy arguing that in Dialogic Pedagogy students author their own education and their own becoming.                Originally, we wanted to present our Dialogue on Dialogic Pedagogy in the following format. An initiator of a heated topic develops his argument, the opponent provides a counter-argument, and then the initiator has an opportunity to reply with his "final word" (of course, we know that there is no "final word" in a dialogue). However, after Eugene Matusov developed two of his heated topics, Kiyotaka Miyazaki wanted to reply to both of them in one unified response, rather than two separate replies. Jayne White, Ana Marjanovic-Shane, Beth Ferholt, and Paul Sullivan wrote commentaries about the entire exchange and these commentaries should be treated as part of our Dialogue on Dialogic Pedagogy. We hope that readers, interested in Dialogic Pedagogy, will join our heated Dialogue-Disagreement and will introduce more heated topics.


Few, if any, of the macro stress tests undertaken before the current crisis uncovered significant vulnerabilities. This article examines the reasons for the poor performance by comparing the outcomes of simple stress tests with actual events for a large sample of historical banking crises. The results highlight that the structural assumptions underlying stress testing models do not match output growth around many crises. Furthermore, unless macro conditions are already weak prior to the eruption of the crisis, the vast majority of stress scenarios based on historical data are not severe enough. Last, stress testing models are not robust, as statistical relationships tend to break down during crises. These insights have important implications for the design and conduct of stress tests in the future.


Carbon nanomaterials provide applications in a wide variety of roles, including as reinforcing materials, thermal and electrical conductors, and optical absorbers. While their benefits can be applied as bulk materials, their implementation into polymer materials as fillers allows for efficient enhanced properties with a small amount of material. These blended materials, referred to as nanocomposites, integrate the beneficial properties of both the polymer and carbon nanomaterials to create cheap solutions to construction and product development that bulk materials could not accomplish. However, major challenges must be overcome to allow for their adoption in industry. Among these problems is the interfacial interactions between the nanomaterials with the polymer matrix. Weak interactions between fillers and polymer can cause the fillers to aggregate out of the polymer phase and greatly reduce the transfer of load, heat, or electricity from the polymer to the filler. As a result, studies must be done to understand and improve these interactions. In order to study these interactions, transcrystals can serve as a model for observing the interface between polymer and filler. Transcrystals are oriented lamella, which are linearly-organized folded polymer chains, forming from a heterogeneous nucleation site at a substrate or a fiber. Transcrystals formed from fibers can v greatly improve the mechanical strength and thermal stability of the polymer due to increased ordering of polymer chains as well as the load and heat transfer from the polymer to the fiber. Transcrystallization has been well studied with carbon nanotube fibers and other fibers, like nylon and polytetrafluoroethylene. Graphene is one such filler that can provide substantial benefits due to its high strength, thermal conductivity, and electrical conductivity, but the interactions between these materials have not been studied extensively. Because of this, graphene remains an untapped solution in polymer composite products. In order to study these interactions, this study reports the transcrystallization of isotactic polypropylene in the presence of reduced graphene oxide fibers. Carbon nanotube-induced transcrystals were studied alongside the reduced graphene oxide fibers to compare differences in structure between the two fibers and provide better understanding for the applications of both interfaces in composite development. The kinetics of this transcrystallization was also studied for both fibers to better understand this process as well as to compare the nucleating abilities of both fibers. The fold surface free energies and interfacial free energy differences were calculated to provide a quantitative means of comparison between the two interfaces. This study …


Near-field electromagnetic coupling between nanoparticles in dielectric media has led to new advances in next generation technologies such as photonic integrated circuits and photonic sintering. Understanding the light confinement between nanoparticles at subwavelength dimensions is vital in such applications. For instance, the wavelength of the incident light, dielectric medium properties, nanoparticle size, interparticle spacing, and relative orientation between the nanoparticles affect the near-field plasmonic interactions that characterize the thermal energy transport. In this study, we perform a field intensity analysis by looking at the relative orientation of gold (Au) and copper (Cu) nanoparticles which have 25, 50 and 100 nm radius under 532 nm laser irradiation in different surrounding medium to understand the thermal energy transport between the nanoparticles at different relative orientations.


Resorcylic acid lactones and dihydroxyphenylacetic acid lactones represent important pharmacophores with heat shock response and immune system modulatory activities. The biosynthesis of these fungal polyketides involves a pair of collaborating iterative polyketide synthases (iPKSs): a highly reducing iPKS with product that is further elaborated by a nonreducing iPKS (nrPKS) to yield a 1,3-benzenediol moiety bridged by a macrolactone. Biosynthesis of unreduced polyketides requires the sequestration and programmed cyclization of highly reactive poly-β-ketoacyl intermediates to channel these uncommitted, pluripotent substrates to defined subsets of the polyketide structural space. Catalyzed by product template (PT) domains of the fungal nrPKSs and discrete aromatase/cyclase enzymes in bacteria, regiospecific first-ring aldol cyclizations result in characteristically different polyketide folding modes. However, a few fungal polyketides, including the dihydroxyphenylacetic acid lactone dehydrocurvularin, derive from a folding event that is analogous to the bacterial folding mode. The structural basis of such a drastic difference in the way a PT domain acts has not been investigated until now. We report here that the fungal vs. bacterial folding mode difference is portable on creating hybrid enzymes, and we structurally characterize the resulting unnatural products. Using structure-guided active site engineering, we unravel structural contributions to regiospecific aldol condensations and show that reshaping the cyclization chamber of a PT domain by only three selected point mutations is sufficient to reprogram the dehydrocurvularin nrPKS to produce polyketides with a fungal fold. Such rational control of first-ring cyclizations will facilitate efforts to the engineered biosynthesis of novel chemical diversity from natural unreduced polyketides.


Abstract Contemporary discussions of Aquinas' understanding of the passions often mention the passio corporalis and the passio animalis, but no recent scholarship has paid close attention to what these terms mean, largely because many scholars wrongly assume that 'passio animalis' simply means the same thing as 'passio animae'. However, this paper argues that 'passio corporalis' and 'passio animalis' are specialized terms that Aquinas uses in order to explain the ways in which Christ experienced suffering on earth. Furthermore, understanding these terms properly bears important implications for understanding the development of Aquinas' thought on the passion of pain.


The Tasmanian muttonbird, scientifically called the short-tailed shearwater Puffinus
tenuirostris probably obtained its name because its flesh tasted like mutton. Over 80
percent of the world's population of 23 million birds breed in Tasmania, with the largest
' rookeries on the islands of Bass Strait. The bird has an egg-laying season of remarkable
constancy enabling commercial exploitation to be carried out to a strict calendar. The
term "muttonbirding" defines the capture of the bird, its killing and its processing into a
product fit for human consumption.
The remains of muttonbirds have been found in archaeological sites in Tasmania and
mainland Australia, but the meagre number present suggests that the birds were not an
important food source to the Aborigines.
In 1798 the seal colonies of Bass Strait were discovered and exploited by nonAboriginal
sealers to near extinction. The sealers who remained took Aboriginal women
for "wives". The population grew slowly, based on a subsistence muttonbird economy.
By 1872 the descendants of white sealer-Aboriginal women liaisons constituted just 40
percent of the total 27 4 people in the Fumeaux Group, as immigrants took up leases of.
islands once occupied by the descendants and eventually for~ed them onto Cape Barren
Island. The area they settled on Cape Barren Island was 'declared a Reserve in 1881,
and became an enclave requiring laws and government money to administer. Having
very little income, the annual harvesting of muttonbirds was the highlight of the year to
these people.
The immigrant settlers also looked to muttonbirding to sustain them through hard times,
and to pay off mortgagees. By the early 1900s up to 400 people participated in the
annual season. In the 1920s, catches of up to one million birds were recorded. Such a
locally important industry required regulations to be frequently gazetted to conserve the
birds, for administrative purposes, and to bring about hygiene in the presentation of the
muttonbird for human consumption. The industry enticed some people into believing
that t~ey could make much money by buying and selling birds, even as recently as the
1980s. All such enterprises collapsed. Nowadays, the total catch is approximately
150,000 birds annually, with the largest number coming from islands in northwest
Tasmania.
In recent years there have been protests against the taking of muttonbirds by amateur
muttonbirders as people have become more environmentally conscious. These protests
resulted in the closure of many traditional rookeries around Tasmania, but left the
industry unscathed.
The future of the industry largely lies in the hands of the young generation of
muttonbirders. As long as there are people who believe strongly in the tradition of
muttonbirding, and people who will eat muttonbirds, there will probably be an industry.
The short length and ready accessibility of nesting burrows, easy landings, and the close
proximity of the resource to human settlements are the main reasons why the industry
existed and has persisted in Tasmania.


Carbon Cycle and Climate Change As climate change accelerates, it is important to know the likely impact of climate change on the carbon cycle (see the Perspective by Reich). Gross primary production (GPP) is a measure of the amount of CO2 removed from the atmosphere every year to fuel photosynthesis. Beer et al. (p. 834, published online 5 July) used a combination of observation and calculation to estimate that the total GPP by terrestrial plants is around 122 billion tons per year; in comparison, burning fossil fuels emits about 7 billion tons annually. Thirty-two percent of this uptake occurs in tropical forests, and precipitation controls carbon uptake in more than 40% of vegetated land. The temperature sensitivity (Q10) of ecosystem respiratory processes is a key determinant of the interaction between climate and the carbon cycle. Mahecha et al. (p. 838, published online 5 July) now show that the Q10 of ecosystem respiration is invariant with respect to mean annual temperature, independent of the analyzed ecosystem type, with a global mean value for Q10 of 1.6. This level of temperature sensitivity suggests a less-pronounced climate sensitivity of the carbon cycle than assumed by recent climate models. The long-standing discrepancy between modeled and empirical measures of ecosystem temperature sensitivity is resolved. The respiratory release of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the land surface is a major flux in the global carbon cycle, antipodal to photosynthetic CO2 uptake. Understanding the sensitivity of respiratory processes to temperature is central for quantifying the climate–carbon cycle feedback. We approximated the sensitivity of terrestrial ecosystem respiration to air temperature (Q10) across 60 FLUXNET sites with the use of a methodology that circumvents confounding effects. Contrary to previous findings, our results suggest that Q10 is independent of mean annual temperature, does not differ among biomes, and is confined to values around 1.4 ± 0.1. The strong relation between photosynthesis and respiration, by contrast, is highly variable among sites. The results may partly explain a less pronounced climate–carbon cycle feedback than suggested by current carbon cycle climate models.


One day in Beijing provides a jarring snapshot of motorization issues in China. Beijing is considered the most motorized city in China, and the consequent air pollution and congestion are stark. However, despite worsening conditions and rising prices, owning a car is often portrayed as a natural expectation, or even requirement, for rising middle class Chinese. Prior studies suggest that the desire for cars is a values-based perception, influenced by desires for social status and materialistic aspirations, rather than an instrumental desire. Through semi-structured interviews, this study explores the life aspirations and values of post-80's generation white collar workers, and how important car ownership is to them. While all interviewees express desire to own a car at some point, the motivations for doing so were quite different. Men felt a significant pressure from women and society to 'provide', which includes having a car. Women all saw having a car as necessary, but not because of prestige or status. Overall, the assumption by these rising middle class Beijingers is that owning a car is an expectation rather than a luxury. Strong value associations with driving already exist, independent of driving experience, suggesting the role of advertising and peer conformity. Almost no 'rational thinking' weighing mobility options occurred, but thinking was highly emotionally coded.


We categorize the primary incentive-based mechanisms under consideration for addressing greenhouse gas emissions from electricity generation—pricing carbon, setting intensity standards, and subsidizing clean electricity—and compare their market outcomes under similar expansions of clean electricity generation. Although pricing emissions gives strong incentives to first eliminate generation with the highest social cost, a clean electricity standard incentivizes earliest phaseout of the generation with the highest private cost. We show that the importance of this distinction depends on the correlation between private costs and emissions rates. We then estimate this correlation for US electricity generation and fuel prices as of 2019. The results indicate that the emissions difference between a carbon tax and clean electricity standard that phase out the fossil fuel generation over the same time frame may actually be quite small, though it depends on fossil-fuel prices during the phaseout. We also discuss how each of these policy options is likely to affect electricity prices, quantity demanded, government revenue, and economic efficiency. Large preexisting markups of retail electricity prices over marginal costs are likely to considerably weaken or even reverse the usual assumed efficiency advantage of carbon pricing policies over alternatives, including direct subsidization of clean electricity generation.


The perception of sound by individuals and the meanings that they attributed to sounds heard and unheard are revealed in various texts from the later Middle Ages. Many writers incorporated reference to 'heavenly' or 'hellish' sounds into their religious writings, often as a metaphor for the divine or as representative of more earthly, morally corrupting delights.
This chapter draws on texts by mystics and religious commentators whose writings were considered unorthodox, in order to examine how sound was understood by individuals living on the fringes of official religious doctrine. Examples include the spiritual song of Richard Rolle, sounds experienced by Margery Kempe, and the description of performance found in the reforming tracts of John Wycliffe. These were individuals whose personal spirituality was both informed by the teachings of the Christian church and in some ways positioned in opposition to it. My purpose is not to attempt a recreation of the sound of a specific piece of music, nor to summarise the different musical sounds (vocal, instrumental, percussive) familiar to members of medieval society in their daily lives. Rather, I interrogate the issue of what musical sound meant to religious writers of the age.


As the gap between memory and processor speeds continues to widen, cache eficiency is an increasingly important component of processor performance. Compiler techniques have been used to improve instruction cache pet$ormance by mapping code with temporal locality to different cache blocks in the virtual address space eliminating cache conflicts. These code placement techniques can be applied directly to the problem of placing data for improved data cache pedormance.In this paper we present a general framework for Cache Conscious Data Placement. This is a compiler directed approach that creates an address placement for the stack (local variables), global variables, heap objects, and constants in order to reduce data cache misses. The placement of data objects is guided by a temporal relationship graph between objects generated via profiling. Our results show that profile driven data placement significantly reduces the data miss rate by 24% on average.


Urinary bladder carcinoma is a common malignant tumor of the urogenital system worldwide. In 2015 ; it is the fourth most common cancer in men in the United State, while in Iraq it is one of the ten most common cancers in 2011. Human enhancer of filamentation 1 (HEF1) is a multidomain scaffolding protein of the Cas family; it is also an integral player in normal and pathological cell biology. The HEF1 protein has been implicated in the regulation of cell polarity, adhesion, motility, and invasion in multiple cell types. The main objective of the current study is to analyze HEF1 gene expression levels in urothelial carcinoma specimens and to study the impacts of HEF1 gene as genetic factors that contribute to development and prognosis of bladder cancer. Sixty samples of malignant bladder tumors as well as 60 samples of non-tumorous bladder tissues were investigated. Ages of patients were (62.95±12.839 s.d.) year. Total mRNA was extracted from FFPE blocks by using a specific kit. HEF1 gene expressions were estimated by using real-time PCR. Results were normalized to GAPDA gene as housekeeping gene. The gene expression data were analyzed in relevance to the patient's information obtained. Several statistical analyses were applied to analyze the data and found that the expression folds of HEF1 gene were found to be 11.219 folds in malignant bladder tumors in relation to non-tumorous bladder tissue. HEF1 genes were observed to be expressed excessively in high grade and advanced stage tumors which indicate that HEF1 gene may represent a novel bladder tumor marker with prognostic significance that could be introduced in plans of bladder cancer management.


One of family law's greatest challenges within the 21st Century is facing the decreased rate of marriages and the increased number of unmarried co-habiting couples. All over the world, lawmakers and courts have met this challenge with different legal solutions. Currently, eleven American jurisdictions recognize the doctrine of common law marriage, but for other jurisdictions have abolished the doctrine within the last fifteen years. Common Law Marriage presents a thorough legal history of common law marriage, from its origins to current law and possible future developments in law. Dr. Goran Lind researches current law by analyzing American cases, discussing the legal requirements for the establishment of a common law marriage, as to capacity, contract, implied agreement, cohabitation, holding out, and burdens of proof. As Lind points out, due to the choice of law principles, courts all over the United States must decide on common law marriages on a case-by-case basis. As long as couples move from one state to another, individual state courts in the United States must apply the doctrine of common law marriage and decide if such a marriage has been established when a couple has lived in, or visited, a common law marriage state. Common Law Marriage provides an avid look at the level of expertise regarding the doctrine of common law marriage and expresses the evident need for guidance concerning it.


This chapter presents the progress and challenges in sexually transmitted infections, HIV and AIDS, and tuberculosis in South Africa. Issues such as the epidemiology and management of sexually transmitted infections are presented, as well as a number of interventions, which need to be carried out in order to address current problems. The new HIV & AIDS and STI National Strategic Plan for South Africa, 2007-2011, which is the national response to the epidemic is presented. The linkages between HIV and tuberculosis are discussed, as well as recommendations around the integration and collaboration between tuberculosis and HIV and AIDS activities. The chapter concludes with suggestions on implementing control programmes for these diseases, as well as ideas around strengthening effective interventions.


Online controlled experiments (e.g., A/B tests) are now regularly used to guide product development and accelerate innovation in software. Product ideas are evaluated as scientific hypotheses, and tested on web sites, mobile applications, desktop applications, services, and operating system features. One of the key challenges for organizations that run controlled experiments is to select an Overall Evaluation Criterion (OEC), i.e., the criterion by which to evaluate the different variants. The difficulty is that short-term changes to metrics may not predict the long-term impact of a change. For example, raising prices likely increases short-term revenue but also likely reduces long-term revenue (customer lifetime value) as users abandon. Degrading search results in a Search Engine causes users to search more, thus increasing query share short-term, but increasing abandonment and thus reducing longterm customer lifetime value. Ideally, an OEC is based on metrics in a short-term experiment that are good predictors of long-term value. To assess long-term impact, one approach is to run longterm controlled experiments and assume that long-term effects are represented by observed metrics. In this paper we share several examples of long-term experiments and the pitfalls associated with running them. We discuss cookie stability, survivorship bias, selection bias, and perceived trends, and share methodologies that can be used to partially address some of these issues. While there is clearly value in evaluating long-term trends, experimenters running long-term experiments must be cautious, as results may be due to the above pitfalls more than the true delta between the Treatment and Control. We hope our real examples and analyses will sensitize readers to the issues and encourage the development of new methodologies for this important problem.


In this book a MacArthur Award-winning scholar argues for a radically new interpretation of the conversion of Scandinavia from paganism to Christianity in the early Middle Ages. Overturning the received narrative of Europe's military and religious conquest and colonization of the region, Anders Winroth contends that rather than acting as passive recipients, Scandinavians converted to Christianity because it was in individual chieftains' political, economic and cultural interests to do so. Through a painstaking analysis and historical reconstruction of both archaeological and literary sources, and drawing on scholarly work that has been unavailable in English, Winroth opens up new avenues for studying European ascendency and the expansion of Christianity in the medieval period.


Creating learning values in organizations with the aim of improving service delivery is a must in today's time. This study examines three dimensions of learning organization practices. The focus is on Thailand's public enterprise sector, public sector, and private sector. The study consists of three major learning organization dimensions: (1) promoting a supportive learning environment within organizations; (2) establishing concrete learning processes; and (3) positioning a leadership that supports learning. A survey was done among individuals working in state enterprises and the private and public sectors in order to determine the effects of the role played by the above-mentioned sectors' nature of business or operations, its size, and its interaction effects in the success of establishing a learning organization. An organizational-level Multivariate Analysis of Covariance (MANCOVA) reveals that private organizations exhibit significantly more activities across three learning organization dimensions: psychological safety, education and training, and knowledge transfer. Employees in private organizations–especially in the finance and banking sector–perceive a higher level of psychological safety under a supportive learning climate and environment. Additionally, the natures of business organizations–production, construction, and real estate–exhibit a higher level of concrete learning practices and reflection on work processes. Furthermore, the number of employees affects the process of analytical thinking within organizations. There were statistically significant interaction effects among organization sectors, the nature of business, and number of employees on the sub-dimension, psychological safety in the workplace. Finally, this study discusses the challenges of psychological safety and leadership roles on creating learning practices, then, provides recommendations on leading roles in establishing a psychological safety environment as a fundamental ground for creating the learning organization.


Contractual choice of Law in contracts of adhesion is an issue that poses great challenge to the conflict of law theory. The issue is also practically important because the increasing use of form contracts in the traditional "paper world", and particularly in the Internet based business transactions. In the US, the enforceability of contracts of adhesion remains unsettled and the choice of law question in the contracts as such is left unanswered. The article analyzes the nature of contracts of adhesion as opposed to the party autonomy principle in contractual choice of law, and argues that contracts of adhesion do not conform to the basic notion of party autonomy. The article suggests that the choice of law clause in contracts of adhesion shall not take effect unless adherents meaningfully agree. The article proposes a "second chance" approach for contractual choice of law in contracts of adhesion. The approach is intended to set a general rule that a choice of law clause in an adhesive contract shall not be deemed enforceable prior to affirmation of the true assent of adherent.


Leadership has been defined as the competencies and processes required to enable and empower ordinary employees to do extraordinary things in the face of adversity, it has the added advantage of constantly delivering superior performance to the benefit of individual employees and the organisation, thereby improving returns on investment for shareholders. These behaviours include being skilled in emotional competencies This study focused on the emotional intelligence factors considered characteristic of effective leaders. Forty-eight high potential leaders (HPL) that were selected as part of the companies talent management program were included in the study. Their ratings on the 360-degree Emotional Competency Profiler (ECP) where compared to a group of twenty-four employees that were excluded from this program. Qualitative and quantitative methods where used to explore the relationship between leadership and emotional intelligence. Focus groups were used as qualitative method to determine the relationship between emotional intelligence as measured using the Emotional Competency Profiler (ECP), leadership and the leadership requirements placed on leaders as documented within the talent management program. The results from these discussions indicated a positive relationship between, emotional intelligence, leadership theory and the leadership requirements of the company. Quantitative methods where used to compare the ratings of leaders with nonleaders. The gap identified between current EQ behaviour and the importance of the EQ behaviour were used to indicate the leadership demands placed on the high potential leader and non-leader groups. The outcome of the study indicated the value and application of emotional intelligence (EQ) as component of effective leadership. It is well known that emotionally intelligent leaders have the ability to engage the hearts, minds and imaginations of ordinary people. They inspire people to perform beyond their own expectations. These leaders create a sense of ownership, belonging, security and joint destiny in situations of uncertainty and change. The result is that employees trust these leaders and approach their jobs with greater commitment. The resulting teamwork, mutual support and co-operation create a work environment were employees become creative and innovative. Teams with emotionally intelligent leaders reach a level of synergy that lifts their performance to a level that is more than the sum total of the individual contributions.


This study examines cybercrime victimization, what some of the common characteristics of such crimes are and some of the general predictors of cybercrime victimization among teenagers and young adults. A combined four-country sample (Finland, US, Germany and UK; n = 3,506) is constructed from participants aged between 15 and 30 years old. According to the findings, online crime victimization is relatively uncommon (aggregate 6.5% of participants were victims). Slander and threat of violence were the most common forms of victimization and sexual harassment the least common. Male gender, younger age, immigrant background, urban residence, not living with parents, unemployment and less active offline social life were significant predictors for cybercrime victimization.


Introduction: Noise is one of the causes of preventable sensori -neural loss. The traffic police personnel(TPP) busy in controlling traffic at heavy traffic junctions suffer from the ill effects of noise and air pollution. Aim and objectives: The objective of this study was to assess the hearing threshold at various frequencies of the traffic police persons exposed to the vehicu lar noise and comparison with controls not exposed to noise. Material and methods: Thirty TPP and thirty controls were evaluated by clinical methods and subjected to the Pure Tone Audiometry (PTA) in ENT department. Audiogram recorded by using conventional techniques in both ears. RESULTS: There was a significant difference in the hearing thresholds at frequency 2000 Hz, 4000 Hz and 8000 Hz of right and left ear between the two groups. Conclusion: This study concludes an increased risk of noise induced hearing loss (NIHL) for the environmental noise exposed subjects.


Manilkara zapota (L.) Royen fruit is a popular fruit crop commonly cultivated in most of the tropical reasons and used for its nutritional values over the world. Two varieties of the fruit are available, round and elongated. Present
review revealed the scientific information on the phytochemicals and
pharmacological evaluations of Manilkara zapota (L.) Royen fruit peel (MZFP), a juice byproduct often considered as a waste or garbage. MZFP constitutes about 20 % of the fruit. The literature survey postulate that main phenolic compounds are primarily concentrated in the peel portion of
this fruit which includes, flavonoids, tannins, phenolic acids, hydroxybenzoic
acids (p-hydroxybenzoic, gallic and ellagic), flavanols (catechin and epicatechin),
flavonols (quercetin), hydroxycinnamic acids (ferulic, chlorogenic and trans-cinnamic), kaempferol, 5-caffeoyl quinic acid conjugates and lycopene a carotenoid. It is generally accepted that bioactive components can be more efficiently recovered from MZFP by optimizing the extraction condition or efficiency. A widespread assessment of phytochemicals is included while possible mechanisms and phytochemicals involved have been correlated. The curative relevance of these compounds has been mainly evaluated by
in vitro experimentation. Therefore, convincing clinical trials of the bioactive
principles present in MZFP are essential for correct validation of their health benefits.


The paper studies the implications of bounding the complexity of the strategies players may select, on the set of equilibrium payoffs in repeated games. The complexity of a strategy is measured by the size of the minimal automation that can implement it. A finite automation has a finite number of states and an initial state. It prescribes the action to be taken as a function of the current state and a transition function changing the state of the automaton as a function of its current state and the present actions of the other players. The size of an automaton is its number of states. The main results imply in particular that in two person repeated games, the set of equilibrium payoffs of a sequence of such games, G(n), n =1, 2, ..., converges as n goes to infinity to the individual rational and feasible payoffs of the one shot game, whenever the bound on one of the two automata sizes is polynomial or subexponential in n and both, the length of the game and the bounds of the automata sizes are at least n. A special case of such result justifies cooperation in the finitely repeated prisoner¹s dilemma, without departure from strict utility maximization or complete information, but under the assumption that there are bounds (possibly very large) to the complexity of the strategies that the players may use.


In this article the author analyses one of the civil rights defense methods – preventive demands, their essence, submission conditions, defense limits, and their usefulness to entities of civil circulation. The interception of preventive claims is also examined. The article stresses that the article 1.138, part 1, clause 3 of the Civil Code of the Republic of Lithuania (thereinafter LR CC) establishes a preventive claim as a way of defending civil rights, does not correspond to the provisions of LR CC article 6.255 and is replaced by the term preventive demands. The article highlights that other methods of civil rights defense in a wide sense are intended to restore the situation before the violation of rights and recover from a violator of rights material or immaterial damage, meanwhile by using preventive demands including the preventive claim it is attempted to pre-empt incidents and prevent legal entities from damage. The aim of this article is to investigate the importance of preventive demands in protecting rights and interests of legal entities in the system of civil rights defence.


This document describes a profile (a set of required extensions,
restrictions, and usage modes) of the IMAP and mail submission
protocols. This profile allows clients (especially those that are
constrained in memory, bandwidth, processing power, or other areas) to
efficiently use IMAP and Submission to access and submit mail. This
includes the ability to forward received mail without needing to
download and upload the mail, to optimize submission, and to
efficiently resynchronize in case of loss of connectivity with the
server. The Internet Email to Support Diverse Service Environments
(Lemonade) profile relies upon extensions to IMAP and Mail Submission
protocols; specifically, the URLAUTH and CATENATE IMAP protocol (RFC
3501) extensions and the BURL extension to the SUBMIT protocol (RFC
4409). [STANDARDS-TRACK]


Ryan clearly understands the GWT value proposition and how GWT integrates into a diverse web technology stackand not just in a theoretical way. With the popularity of gpokr.com and kdice.com, Ryan can speak with the authority of concrete success.

Bruce Johnson, creator of Google Web Toolkit

This book distinguishes itself from other books on GWT in that it walks through the entire process of building several nontrivial GWT applications, not the toy applications that most books present.

R. Mark Volkmann, Object Computing, Inc.

Google Web Toolkit Applications is an excellent resource for any GWT developer. Solutions to challenges commonly encountered in GWT are presented through the design and development of actual applications. The applications developed throughout the text demonstrate best practices from simple UI design all the way to custom code generation, and are presented with little pretext about the amount of Java knowledge a given developer may have. Advanced concepts are not withheld but are presented in a way that will be understood by both novice and seasoned developers alike. Good application development practices and proper Model View Controller design is reinforced throughout the book, nearly guaranteeing that the reader will come away a better programmer.

Jason Essington, Senior Web/Java Engineer, Green River Computing

Dewsburys Google Web Toolkit Applications is a book for both experts and beginner programmers who want to discover this open source Java software development framework, as well as write Ajax applications. A very detailed book!

Massimo Nardone, Advisory IT Security Architect

Accelerate and Simplify Ajax Development with Google Web Toolkit

Get the edge you need to deliver exceptional user experiences with Google Web Toolkit Applications, a guidebook that provides web developers with core information and instructions for creating rich web applications. Whether youre a developer who needs to build a high-performance front end for Java, PHP, or Ruby applications, or to integrate with external web services, this resource from expert Google Web Toolkit (GWT) developer Ryan Dewsbury delivers the in-depth coverage youll need.

In this valuable book, insider Ryan Dewsbury provides instructions for using the robust tool set and gets you on your way to creating first-class web applications by providing a comprehensive overview of GWT technology. In addition, he shares his in-the-trenches insights on

Building elegant and responsive user interfaces with Cascading Style Sheets and GWTs Widgets and Panels

Creating seamless user experiences through asynchronous communication with HTTP, REST, JSON/JSONP, and RPC Interoperating with web standardssuch as XML, RSS, and Atomand web servicessuch as Google Maps, Amazon Books, Yahoo! Search, Flickr, and Blogger

Overcoming browser security restrictions, such as HTTPs two-connection limit and the Same-Origin policy

Accelerating development, using software engineering, code generation, internationalization, application patterns, and Java tools

Deploying for optimal performance with resource compression and caching

Building five non-trivial applications: a gadget application with a rich drag-and-drop interface, a multi-search application that makes requests to many search engines, a blog editor application for managing entries across multiple blogs, a web-based instant messenger, and a database manager for a traditional web page

This practical guide to GWT introduces you to the technology; provides techniques, tips, and examples; and puts you on the road to delivering top-notch user experiences for your web applications.


Dyer, along with many others reflecting international consensus in the scientific community, argues that countries must be carbon neutral by 2050 to avoid the worst impacts of climate change (Dyer, 2008, p. xii). to accomplish this by 2050, we need to act now: governments need to cooperate with the scientific community to ensure our society makes the changes to combat climate change. How is Canada reacting to this situation? As describes by the Sierra Club of Canada, "federal government continues to drag its feet, and delay any action to reduce emissions" (2008, p. 18). Given this federal reluctance, individual provinces must act to reduce emissions. While some provinces take a required action, primarily Quebec and British Columbia, others, like Newfoundland and Labrador, contribute little in terms of emissions reductions. Newfoundland and Labrador is ranked as "poor"-among the worst performers regarding climate change policy in the country-by the David Suzuki Foundation in a cross Canada evaluation of various provincial climate change policies (David Suzuki Foundation, 2008, p. 9). The Province of Newfoundland is not doing enough to address climate change. In this paper I argue that to improve this situation, the province could follow the example of the two leading jurisdictions, Quebec and British Columbia, to refine and introduce its own hybrid policy that directly affects decision making processes. But, this can be complicated when convincing the government that it is important to accept stronger policy. The government must consider what climate change impacts Newfoundland and Labrador experiences and willconinue to experience and what Newfoundland and Labrador is contributing to the problem of climate change.
To evaluate these issues of climate change, I first survey the positive policies Newfoundland and Labrador is currently implementing/ discussing and then outline action taken by the provincial environment leaders, Quebec and British Columbia.Then I describe the strong pieces in the Quebec and British Columbia climate change action plan that Newfoundland and Labrador can emulate. Finally, I consider if thes polices are politically feasible for the government of Newfoundland and labrador. Hence, this paper aims to give a blueprint of what Newfoundland and Labrador has to act on to make itself an environmental leader.


Platinum Sponsors

 * KU Transportation Research Institute

Gold Sponsors

 * KU Department of Geography
 * KU Institute for Policy & Social Research
 * State of Kansas Data Access and Support Center (DASC)
 * KU Libraries GIS and Scholar Services
 * Wilson & Company Engineers and Architects

Silver Sponsors

 * Bartlett & West
 * KansasView Consortium
 * KU Biodiversity Institute

Bronze Sponsors

 * AECOM
 * Kansas Biological Survey
 * C-CHANGE Program (NSF IGERT)
 * KU Environmental Studies Program
 * KU Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
 * Mid-West CAD
 * National Weather Service
 * Spatial Data Research


Wetlands are considered a challenging environment for mapping approaches based on Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data due to their often complex internal structures and the diverse backscattering mechanisms caused by vegetation, soil moisture and flood dynamics contributing to the resulting imagery. In this study, a time series of >100 SAR images acquired by ENVISAT during a time period of ca. two years over the Kafue River basin in Zambia was compared to water heights derived from radar altimetry and surface soil moisture from a reanalysis dataset. The backscatter time series were analyzed using a harmonic model to characterize the seasonality in C-band backscatter caused by the interaction of flood and soil moisture dynamics. As a result, characteristic seasonal signatures could be derived for permanent water bodies, seasonal open water, persistently flooded vegetation and seasonally flooded vegetation. Furthermore, the analysis showed that the influence of local incidence angle could be accounted for by a linear shift in backscatter averaged over time, even in wetland areas where the dominant scattering mechanism can change depending on the season. The retrieved harmonic model parameters were then used in an unsupervised classification to detect wetland backscattering classes at the regional scale. A total area of 7800 km2 corresponding to 7.6% of the study area was classified as either one of the wetland backscattering classes. The results demonstrate the value of seasonality parameters extracted from C-band SAR time series for wetland mapping.


Summary Background To date, Kaposi sarcoma has not been mentioned among the adverse effects of triptolide/tripdiolide, ethyl acetate extracts or polyglycosides of the Chinese herbal remedy Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F. Case Report A patient was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis at the age of 29 years. She underwent treatment with corticosteroids, methotrexate and gold sodium thiosulfate, and was chronically taking ketoprofen. At the age of 59 years she started to take a powder (≈2 g/day) from a Chinese physician for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. This powder was supplied to her regularly for 10 years. At the age of 69 years, multiple soft, violaceous to dark-red patches, plaques, nodules and blisters of varying sizes appeared on a background of severely edematous skin on her legs, and later on her arms. Biopsy specimens of the leg lesions were diagnostic for human herpesvirus 8-associated Kaposi sarcoma. Triptolide (235 μg/1 g) and tripdiolide were found in the Chinese powder by the use of Liquid Chromatography Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry. Administration of the powder was stopped and medication with paclitaxel was introduced. General condition of the patient improved and skin lesions diminished significantly. Conclusions This case indicates a possible association between triptolide/tripdiolide chronic intake and development of human herpesvirus 8-associated Kaposi sarcoma. Triptolide/tripdiolide could contribute to development of Kaposi sarcoma by reactivation of latent human herpesvirus 8, permitted by immunosuppression induced by triptolide.


We examine how substance use disorder (SUD) treatment providers respond to private health insurance expansions induced by state equal coverage ('parity') laws for SUD treatment. We use data on the near universe of specialty SUD treatment providers in the United States between 1997 and 2010 in an event study analysis. During this period, 18 states implemented parity laws. Following the passage of a state parity law we find that providers are less likely to participate in public markets, are less likely to provide charity care, increase the quantity of healthcare provided, and become more selective of the type of patients they are willing to admit.