Reaching decisions on the general approaches the United States and NATO should take toward European security alignments and NATO expansion demand the utmost care and sensitivity. SECURITY ALIGNMENTS Of the six alternative alignments for security from Vancouver to Vladivostok outlined in the preceding section, the first alternative--a vibrant and growing NATO that continues the NACC and PFP outreach programs and moves beyond these to extend membership to selected states in Central and Eastern Europe--is the best. NATO would be a leading participant in an active, broader web of European security institutions. NATO would not, at least in the near future, extend membership to states in the Commonwealth of Independent States, but it would work to develop effective relations with these states, especially with Russia and Ukraine. NATO has been the leading, most active, and successful security organization in Europe for the nearly half century of its existence, playing a role, if not the key role, in ensuring security in the North Atlantic area. It is the foundation for the Trans- Atlantic link between North America and Europe. Member states devote more attention and resources to NATO than to any other international, security-related institution. Members engage in daily consultations by permanent representatives to NATO institutions, regular meetings of foreign ministers, infrequent Summit meetings of heads of government and state, commitment of financial resources to support NATO activities, and, for most members, regular meetings of defense ministers and chiefs of military staffs, commitment of military forces, and participation in the integrated military command structure. While giving primacy to NATO, the United States and NATO allies should actively encourage and promote the growing, interactive, and cooperative web of European-related security organizations. The United States and NATO should press ahead with or encourage security-related programs to engage and reach out to states in Central and Eastern Europe, Eurasia, as well as in Western Europe, in the following areas: * OSCE: contributing to the expanded activity and institutionalization of the 53-member OSCE; * NACC: further development and implementation of the North Atlantic Cooperation Council work plan, focused primarily on political and economic cooperation among the 38 members of NACC; * PFP: careful and intensive development, support, and implementation of the Partnership for Peace program, focused on defense and military cooperation between the 41 members of PFP; * EU and WEU: encouragement and support for development of a European Security and Defense Identity, a European Union Common Foreign and Security Policy, an enhanced Western European Union with a Common Defence Policy; this should be done in a way that strengthens European integration and the European pillar of the Trans-Atlantic relationship, while maintaining open relations with North America and a strong NATO; * NATO Expansion: study, consultations, and decisions on NATO expansion, leading to invitations to selected countries in CEE to accede to the North Atlantic Treaty and become members of NATO along with the present 16 members; * NATO Relations with Russia and with Ukraine: study, consultations, and decisions on development of relationships between NATO and, respectively, Russia and Ukraine that will be a basis for openness, confidence, and cooperation. NATO EXPANSION NATO, in its ongoing study, should carefully address all the issues involved in possible expansion of membership. On the basis of analysis made to date, the following approach is recommended: * Move forward to expand. NATO should move forward with extending membership to selected states in Central and Eastern Europe. * Proceed with utmost care. The expansion process must be handled with the utmost of care. …


Young women (15-24 years) contribute a disproportionate 24% to all new HIV infections in South Africa – more than four times that of their male peers. HIV risk in young women is driven by amplifying cycles of social, behavioural and biological vulnerability. Those most likely to acquire infection are typically from socioeconomically deprived households in high HIV-prevalence communities, have limited or no schooling, engage in transactional sex or other high-risk coping behaviours, and have a history of sexually transmitted infections (STIs)and/or pregnancy. Despite the imperative to prevent HIV acquisition in young women, there is a dearth of evidence-based interventions to do so. However, there are several steps that healthcare workers can take to improve outcomes for this key population at the individual level.These include being able to identify high HIV-risk young women, ensuring that they receive the maximum social support they are eligible for, providing reliable and non-judgemental counselling on sexual and reproductive health and relationships, delivering contraceptives and screening and treating STIs in the context of accessible, youth-friendly services.


Since the introduction of the term "chevron" for large v- or u-shaped bed forms in Egypt and the Bahamas, others have adopted the term to describe large-scale coastal bed forms in Australia, Madagascar, and elsewhere. These authors interpret "chevron" bed forms as deposits of mega-tsunamis resulting from Holocene oceanic asteroid impacts. We reason that chevron-type bed forms are common and are present far enough from the coast to preclude tsunami genesis. Moreover, we argue that "chevrons" are not mega-tsunami deposits by modeling tsunami behavior and evaluating sediment-transport conditions under which such features formed. We model the southern Madagascar case, with an impact source in the Indian Ocean, and show that a modeled wave approach is inconsistent with "chevron" orientation. We then evaluate sediment-transport conditions under which these "chevron" bed forms could persist, i.e., bed-load transport. In our analysis, no conditions specified generate pure bed-load transport, and most result in pure suspended-load transport.


Heroin abuse and addiction is steadily increasing worldwide, particularly among young people and pregnant women. In the current report, we present the challenges encountered in the management of a pregnant patient with heroin dependence in the preand intraoperative stages and discuss the choice of anesthetic technique under emergency circumstances. We performed an emergency cesarean section (C/S) under spinal anesthesia in a 23-year-old pregnant woman who presented with fetal distress and who had a history of heroin abuse during pregnancy. After delivery, 1 mg midazolam and 50 μg fentanyl were administered to relieve maternal anxiety. We recommend the use of regional anesthesia, if not contraindicated, in pregnant women with opioid dependence requiring emergency C/S.


Abstract. Dust storms and associated mineral aerosol transport are driven primarily by meso- and synoptic-scale atmospheric processes. It is therefore essential that the dust aerosol process and background atmospheric conditions that drive dust emissions and atmospheric transport are represented with sufficiently well-resolved spatial and temporal features. The effects of airborne dust interactions with the environment determine the mineral composition of dust particles. The fractions of various minerals in aerosol are determined by the mineral composition of arid soils; therefore, a high-resolution specification of the mineral and physical properties of dust sources is needed. Several current dust atmospheric models simulate and predict the evolution of dust concentrations; however, in most cases, these models do not consider the fractions of minerals in the dust. The accumulated knowledge about the impacts of the mineral composition in dust on weather and climate processes emphasizes the importance of including minerals in modeling systems. Accordingly, in this study, we developed a global dataset consisting of the mineral composition of the current potentially dust-producing soils. In our study, we (a) mapped mineral data to a high-resolution 30 s grid, (b) included several mineral-carrying soil types in dust-productive regions that were not considered in previous studies, and (c) included phosphorus.


The performance of long-haul high speed coherent optical fiber communication systems is significantly degraded by the laser phase noise and the equalization enhanced phase noise (EEPN). In this paper, the analysis of the one-tap normalized least-mean-square (LMS) carrier phase recovery (CPR) is carried out and the close-form expression is investigated for quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK) coherent optical fiber communication systems, in compensating both laser phase noise and equalization enhanced phase noise. Numerical simulations have also been implemented to verify the theoretical analysis. It is found that the one-tap normalized least-mean-square algorithm gives the same analytical expression for predicting CPR bit-error-rate (BER) floors as the traditional differential carrier phase recovery, when both the laser phase noise and the equalization enhanced phase noise are taken into account.


This thesis describes the preparation, characterization and physicochemical properties
of natural rubber/clay, poly(ethylene-co-vinylacetate)/clay and natural rubber/poly(ethylene-co-vinyl acetate)/clay nanocomposites.
In order to improve the clay and polymer compatibility, the clay was first converted
into the organoclay. The organoclays were prepared from sodium montmorillonite
(Na-MMT) through cation exchange reaction using cetyltrimethyl ammonium
bromide, octadecyl ammonium chloride or dodecyl ammonium chloride. The x -ray
diffraction (XRD) results reveal that the interlayer distance of the Na-MMT increases
with the formation of the organoclays. The presence of the alkyl ammonium ions in
the organoclays was also studied by the Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy
(FTIR). The amount of alkyl ammonium ions intercalated into the clay galleries
increases with the increase of alkyl ammonium chain length as shown by elemental
analysis and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) results.The nanocomposites were prepared by melt blending the natural rubber (NR), poly
(ethylene-eo-vinyl acetate) (EVA) or blend of both NR and EVA with the
organoc1ays. The compounds were then crosslinked with an electron beam (EB)
irradiation. The XRD patterns showed that all of the nanocomposites produced from
this work are of intercalated-type. These were further confirmed by transmission
electron microscopy (TEM) observation. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) study
on the cryo-fractured surface reveals that the pure Na-MMT dispersed in the polymer
matrix in large agglomerated form while the modified Na-MMT separated into small
aggregates and dispersed homogeneously in the polymer matrix.
The optimum irradiation dose for crosslinking of NR, EVA and NR/EVA
nanocomposites was determined. The formation of radiation induced crosslinking in
NR, EVA and NR/EVA blend was not inhibited with the presence of dodecyl
ammonium montmorillonite (DDA-MMT) but it was affected by the presence of
dimetyl dehydrogenated tallow montmorillonite (C20A). The tensile modulus of all
the nanocomposites increases with the increase of the clay content of up to 10 phr.
The tensile strength and elongation at break of the NR/clay nanocomposites increases
with the increase of organoc1ays up to 3 phr and decreases with further increase of the
organoc1ay content. However, the tensile strength of EVA/clay and NR/EVA/clay
nanocomposites remains constant with the increase of the organoclay content of up to
5 phr but decreases with the increase of organoclay content of up to 10 phr. The
elongation at break of both EVA/clay and NR/EVA/clay decreases slightly with the
increase of organoc1ay content. Electron beam irradiation of the nanocomposites
increases the tensile modulus and tensile strength further but decreased the elongation
at break.


Policy interventions to increase women's presence in the workforce and leadership positions vary in their intensity, with some including a lone or token woman and others setting higher quotas. However, little is known about how the resulting group gender compositions influence individuals' experiences and broader workplace dynamics. In this paper, we investigate whether token women are disadvantaged compared to women on majority-women mixed-gender teams. We conducted a multi-year field experiment with a top-10 undergraduate accounting program that randomized the gender composition of semester-long teams. Using laboratory, survey, and administrative data, we find that even after accounting for their proportion of the group, token women are seen as less influential by their peers and are less likely to be chosen to represent the group than women on majority-women teams. Token women also participate slightly less in group discussions and receive less credit when they do. Women's increased authority in majority-women teams is driven primarily by men's behavior, not homophily or self-assessment. We find that over time, the gap in general assessments of influence between token and other women shrinks, but this improvement does not carry over to task-specific assessments. Finally, predictors of future grades are different for token women than for other participants, and regardless of treatment condition, women's task expertise is incorporated into group decisions less often than men's. Our findings have implications for team assignments in male-dominated settings and cast significant doubt on the idea that token women can solve influence gaps by "leaning in."


A simple, yet robust analytical method was developed to detect and quantify three sulfonamides (SA), namely sulfamethoxazole (SMO), sulfachloropyridazine (SCP), and sulfamethazine (SM), and a macrolide tylosin (TT) in aqueous (calcium chloride and leachate solutions) and solid (agricultural soils) matrices using high performance liquid chromatography and ultra violet detection at 290 nm (TT) and 275 nm (SA) respectively. Chromatography was performed using a Phenomenex Onyx Monolithic C18 column for TT and a C18 Luna column for sulfonamides as single analytes eluted isocratically with a mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile: trifluoroacetic acid: tetrahydrofuran in the ratio 22.5:68:9.5 for TT, 40:55:5 for SMO, 32:63:5 for SCP and 31:64:5 for SM (v/v) at 1.0 mL min−1 and an injection volume of 20 μL. A gradient method to detect all three sulfonamides in a single run was also developed. The soil residue analysis consisted of extraction with dichloromethane and pre-concentration steps as the aqueous phase was measured directly. The limits of detection at an S/N (signal: noise) ratio of 3 were 20.0 μg L−1 and 50 μg L−1 for all sulfonamides and tylosin respectively. The average recoveries for all sulfonamides and tylosin in aqueous matrices ranged from 95 to 105% across the six concentrations investigated. Recoveries from the soils were slightly lower for sulfonamides and tylosin. The isocratic method was used to determine the sorption and degradation of sulfonamides in soils, while the gradient method was used to determine degradation kinetics and leachate concentrations in soils and aqueous systems.


The morphology and nitrogenase activity (ARA) of Gloeotrichia pisum Thur. growing on deepwater rice were studied in situ at Sonargaon, Bangladesh, and compared with results from laboratory studies. The alga showed obvious similarities and dissimilarities. Hairs, gas vacuoles and akinetes, which were found in the field, were not found In the laboratory, even though the influences of quantity and quality of light flux and nutrient deficiency were tested. The response of nitrogenase to changes in light flux was rapid. A reduction in flux brought about similar results in the field and In the laboratory. Diel changes in nitrogenaee activity showed a maximum at mid-day In the presence of maximum light flux, but considerable activity (3.7% of dally total) took place at night. The activity In a medium free of combined carbon by bacteria free G. pisum indicates that the rate and duration of nitrogenase activity in the dark depend on the preceding light conditions. In batch culture, higher nitrogenase activity was observed when dark-grown alga was reilluminated, than the maximum activity ever found under continuous Illumination. The variation of nitrogenase activity in batch culture was studied in relation to the growth characteristics and developmental stages of the alga. Maximum activity (1.4 nmol C(_2)H(_4) µg ch1 a(^-1) min(^-1)), was observed after about one day of growth under continuous light. During this period, juvenile filaments were abundant (hence maximum heterocyst frequency), cyanophycin granules lacking and cultures had the lowest ch1 a : d. wt ratio. Heterocyst differentiation occurred between 14 and 24 h of growth and cell division was observed only after heterocyst differentiation. It appears that the juvenile filament is the most active nitrogen fixer during the life cycle of the alga. Reasons for low nitrogenase activity of about 0.352 nmol C(_2)H(_4) µg ch1 a(^-1) min (^-1) in the field have been discussed. It is estimated from diel changes in N(_2)-fixing activity and based on ARA of 77.4 nmol C(_2)H(_4) tiller(^-) min(^-1) and(^2) using some approximations, that G. pisum contributed about 4 kg N ha(^-1) season" in deepwater rice fields at Sonargaon in 1983.A brief morphological study was also Included. In the field, rapid colonization was observed on freshly submerged rice culms. Colonies contained Intersheath spaces on their periphery and exhibited zonation of filaments. In the larger ones. The mechanism of the formation of a radiating colony in the laboratory has been described and discussed. Differentiation of a hormogonium into a filament was studied in batch culture. The basal youngest cell differentiated into a heterocyst, whilst the rest of cells divided repeatedly, forming several groups of cells in a row. Subsequently most of these groups of cells were liberated successively as hormogonia.


Over the last decade recognisable markets have emerged for halal and kosher meat in a number of European countries, notably in the UK. Growing segments of these markets are now channeled through product ranges in supermarkets, with the halal market in particular experiencing a rapid increase in demand. A number of factors underpin these developments, including an increase in the Muslim population, changes in consumer behaviour, identity reinforcement, and a general increase in meat consumption. Although the expansion of the kosher market is perceptibly smaller, and the Jewish population is more or less stable, the market is far from being extinct. Kosher products have an increasing presence in supermarkets and there are a growing number of kosher
labels.


We present a detailed description of the methods used in our model of mode instability in high-power, rare earth-doped, large-mode-area fiber amplifiers. Our model assumes steady-periodic behavior, so it is appropriate to operation after turn on transients have dissipated. It can be adapted to transient cases as well. We describe our algorithm, which includes propagation of the signal field by fast-Fourier transforms, steady-state solutions of the laser gain equations, and two methods of solving the time-dependent heat equation: alternating-direction-implicit integration, and the Green's function method for steady-periodic heating.


Investigation by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray energy dispersion measurements (X-ray line analyses) were performed on a number of 90-day corroded gypsum-free Portland cement and ordinary Portland cement paste specimens placed in nitric acid solutions of respective pH of 1, 2, and 3. The results obtained show that the hardened paste specimens of gypsum-free and ordinary Portland cements are corroded by exactly the same mechanism. The only difference between the two types of cement is the corrosion rate. The absence of crystalline formations, typical of hardened OPC paste, together with the high density and degree of dispersion of hydration products are responsible for a relatively higher acid resistance in gypsum-free Portland cement.


In a period of over thirty years from the mid 1890s, Neil Munro occupied a unique position in Scotland's literary and social scenes. Although perhaps now best known as a novelist, short-story writer or essayist Munro was primarily a journalist, mainly with Glasgow's Evening News and later in life with the Daily Record, and in this role he cast a wide and critical eye over Scottish life and letters.
This research focuses primarily on Neil Munro's journalistic output in the (Glasgow) Evening News and seeks to determine his views on literature, his literary and artistic peers and contemporary and current affairs in two specific periods gathered from prime records (from 22nd August 1895 to 27th January 1898 and at the resumption of the columns after the Great War, 19th June 1919 to 28th June 1920) and from published compilations of articles gathered throughout his career until 1927. In compiling two weekly columns in the Evening News, The Looker-On on the Monday and Views and Reviews on the Thursday, Munro influenced the opinions and reading habits of a large section of the population of the west of Scotland. In Views and Reviews he set out his views on the meaning of art and literature, nationally and internationally; in The Looker-On Munro sketched the world around him, whether local or national or international, through his eclectic choice of topics and his personable and endearing style.
The thesis is structured in three main parts, each one dealing, in short, focussed episodes, on topics arising from the journalism. Part One deals mainly with material before the First World War; Part Two with issues which straddle the pre- and post-War periods; Part Three considers the episodic fiction found in The Looker-On columns. Rather than adopt a general, over-arching argument, this approach allows us to take shorter, sharper assessments of Munro's views of particular aspects of the culture that was his context. These then gradually accumulate to allow us to draw general conclusions only after we have allowed each one its particular value and place.
This consideration of a range of subjects builds up a picture of a journalist with strong views on the state of literature, of Scotland, of all the arts. His opinions are founded on Victorian and Edwardian sensibilities, in the sense that he is open to the working of arts and science in society as a whole, and the romantic tradition, in that he engages emotionally as well as intellectually with his subjects, seeking passion in the work of others rather than intellectual rigour. Crucial to the structure of the thesis is the argument that by considering these two periods of his journalism, pre-War (1895 – 98) and post-War (1919 – 1927), two different aspects of Munro's character can be understood more profoundly. Pre-war, his journalism expresses his healthy curiosity in human nature, his comfort in tradition and the effect of scientific and social progress and a creeping globalism on the citizens of his adopted city. Post-war, acknowledging the changes caused by the Great War, he seems to become paralysed, trying to respond to new literary and social structures, rejecting the experimentalism of modernism and seeing no need or value in an organised "Scottish Renaissance". And yet, as the research for this thesis should make clear, the late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century sensibility that is evident in Munro's journalism does in fact carry him forward into the context of the modern world in his three series of episodic fiction, Erchie (1902-1926), Para Handy (1905-1924) and Jimmy Swan (1911-1917 and then 1923-1926).
In conclusion, I will suggest that the essential literary value and popularity of these stories lies in their emergence from the pre-War sensibility and their characters' humble sympathy for the pre-War world.


Rich engagement data can shed light on how people interact with online content and how such interactions may be determined by the content of the page. In this work, we investigate a specific type of interaction, backtracking, which refers to the action of scrolling back in a browser while reading an online news article. We leverage a dataset of close to 700K instances of more than 15K readers interacting with online news articles, in order to characterize and predict backtracking behavior. We first define different types of backtracking actions. We then show that "full" backtracks, where the readers eventually return to the spot at which they left the text, can be predicted by using features that were previously shown to relate to text readability. This finding highlights the relationship between backtracking and readability and suggests that backtracking could help assess readability of content at scale.


Do advocacy organizations stimulate public conversation about social problems by engaging in rational debate, or by appealing to emotions? We argue that rational and emotional styles of communication ebb and flow within public discussions about social problems due to the alternating influence of social contagion and saturation effects. These "cognitive-emotional currents" create an opportunity structure whereby advocacy organizations stimulate more conversation if they produce emotional messages after prolonged rational debate or vice versa. We test this hypothesis using automated text-analysis techniques that measure the frequency of cognitive and emotional language within two advocacy fields on Facebook over 1.5 years, and a web-based application that offered these organizations a complimentary audit of their social media outreach in return for sharing nonpublic data about themselves, their social media audiences, and the broader social context in which they interact. Time-series models reveal strong support for our hypothesis, controlling for 33 confounding factors measured by our Facebook application. We conclude by discussing the implications of our findings for future research on public deliberation, how social contagions relate to each other, and the emerging field of computational social science.


Pharmacological studies in vivo and in vitro have suggested the existence of subtypes of the delta opioid receptor termed delta1 and delta2 (delta1 and delta2). The hypothesis of subtypes of delta receptors was further explored by assessing the effects of administration of antisense or mismatch oligodeoxynucleotides (ODN) in vivo to the cloned DOR, or to a conserved region of the cloned opioid receptors, on the antinociceptive responses elicited by selective mu, ku and delta opioid receptor agonists in mice. Additionally, the density of opioid delta receptors in brain after delta opioid receptor (DOR) ODN treatment was investigated. Repeated twice daily intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) administration of DOR antisense, but not mismatch, ODN, produced a dose- and time-related blockade of i.c.v. [D-Ala2, Glu4]deltorphin (delta2 agonist), but not [D-Pen2, D-Pen5]enkephalin (delta1 agonist), antinociception. The antinociceptive responses to selective mu and kappa opioid agonists were unaffected by DOR antisense or mismatch ODN treatments. The antinociceptive effect of an A90 dose of [D-Ala2, Glu4]deltorphin was significantly reduced by the third day of DOR antisense ODN administration and persisted over a treatment period of 6 days with recovery by the third posttreatment day. Saturation studies in mouse whole brain preparations with the selective delta-radioligand [3H]naltrindole showed that DOR antisense, but not mismatch, ODN treatment produced a significant time-related reduction in Bmax values of approximately 30 to 40% by day 6, without changing the Kd value. The reduction in DOR density was reversible and returned to control levels within 3 days after cessation of antisense ODN treatment. The i.c.v. administration of an antisense, but not mismatch, ODN directed to a conserved region of the cloned opioid receptors, termed common opioid receptor antisense ODN, inhibited the antinociceptive effects of i.c.v. mu, kappa and delta agonists, including [D-Pen2, D-Pen5]enkephalin. These data further support the hypothesis of subtypes of opioid delta receptors.


A two-layer guide-mode resonance structure made of shallow gratings deposited on the Kerr active guiding layer is used to realize high-quality Fano resonance and step-like transmission. The step-like transmission is designed to work between the perfect transmission peak and the dip of the asymmetrical Fano spectrum. It is demonstrated that the steep transition in the transmission should be attributed to the strong field localization in cases of both high and low transmission states.


Over the past three decades North Africa has experienced a wave of Islamic activism. From the emergence of groups such as Shabiba Islamiya in Morocco in the 1970s to the recent appearance of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, the region has been home to a plethora of different Islamist movements, each with its own national characteristics. As such the region has displayed a general propensity to Islamist activism. However, certain areas within each North African state have proven particularly receptive to the ideology of political Islam. Although this trend is by no means universal, given the strong appeal of the Islamist ideology that has been able to transcend geographical boundaries, these areas have nonetheless been a key source of recruitment not only for the more moderate strands of the Islamist opposition, but also to the militant movements and networks that espouse violence. As such there would appear to be a correlation between localism and Islamist activism in North Africa. Focusing on Morocco, Tunisia and Libya, this article will examine some of these local issues and will argue that in order to understand better the causes of radicalization in the region, the rise of Islamism in North Africa should be considered within the broader historical context of political and cultural resistance by certain peripheral regional elements to a dele-gitimized and stagnated central authority.


Equine arteritis virus (EAV) is the causative agent of equine viral arteritis (EVA), a respiratory, systemic, and reproductive disease of equids. Following natural infection, up to 70% of the infected stallions can remain persistently infected over 1 year (long-term persistent infection [LTPI]) and shed EAV in their semen. Thus, the LTP-infected stallions play a pivotal role in maintaining and perpetuating EAV in the equine population. Previous studies identified equine C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 16 (CXCL16) as a critical host cell factor determining LTPI in the stallion's reproductive tract. Two alleles (CXCL16 S and CXCL16 r ) were identified in the equine population and correlated with the susceptibility or resistance of a CD3+ T cell subpopulation in peripheral blood to in vitro EAV infection, respectively. Interestingly, CXCL16 S has been linked to the establishment of LTPI in stallions, and thus, genotyping stallions based on CXCL16 S/r would allow identification of those at the highest risk of establishing LTPI. Thus, we developed a TaqMan® allelic discrimination qPCR assay for the genotyping of the equine CXCL16 gene based on the identification of a single nucleotide polymorphism in position 1,073 based on NCBI gene ID: 100061442 (or position 527 based on Ensembl: ENSECAG00000018406.2) located in exon 2. One hundred and sixty horses from four breeds were screened for the CD3+ T cell susceptibility phenotype to EAV infection by flow cytometry and subsequently sequenced to determine CXCL16 allelic composition. Genotyping by Sanger sequencing determined that all horses with the resistant CD3+ T cell phenotype were homozygous for CXCL16 r while horses with the susceptible CD3+ T cell phenotype carried at least one CXCL16 S allele or homozygous for CXCL16 S . In addition, genotypification with the TaqMan® allelic discrimination qPCR assay showed perfect agreement with Sanger sequencing and flow cytometric analysis. In conclusion, the new TaqMan® allelic discrimination genotyping qPCR assay can be used to screen prepubertal colts for the presence of the CXCL16 genotype. It is highly recommended that colts that carry the susceptible genotype (CXCL16 S/S or CXCL16 S/r ) are vaccinated against EAV after 6 months of age to prevent the establishment of LTPI carriers following possible natural infection with EAV.


Abstract. In deltaic areas with saline seepage, freshwater availability is often limited to shallow rainwater lenses lying on top of saline groundwater. Here we describe the characteristics and spatial variability of such lenses in areas with saline seepage and the mechanisms that control their occurrence and size. Our findings are based on different types of field measurements and detailed numerical groundwater models applied in the south-western delta of the Netherlands. By combining the applied techniques we could extrapolate measurements at point scale (groundwater sampling, temperature and electrical soil conductivity (TEC)-probe measurements, electrical cone penetration tests (ECPT)) to field scale (continuous vertical electrical soundings (CVES), electromagnetic survey with EM31), and even to regional scale using helicopter-borne electromagnetic measurements (HEM). The measurements show a gradual mixing zone between infiltrating fresh rainwater and upward flowing saline groundwater. The mixing zone is best characterized by the depth of the centre of the mixing zone Dmix, where the salinity is half that of seepage water, and the bottom of the mixing zone Bmix, with a salinity equal to that of the seepage water (Cl-conc. 10 to 16 g l−1). Dmix is found at very shallow depth in the confining top layer, on average at 1.7 m below ground level (b.g.l.), while Bmix lies about 2.5 m b.g.l. The model results show that the constantly alternating upward and downward flow at low velocities in the confining layer is the main mechanism of mixing between rainwater and saline seepage and determines the position and extent of the mixing zone (Dmix and Bmix). Recharge, seepage flux, and drainage depth are the controlling factors.


Over the past decades, there have been significant efforts on developing robust and easy-to-use query interfaces to databases. So far, the typical query interfaces are GUI-based visual query interfaces. Visual query interfaces however, have limitations especially when they are used for accessing large and complex datasets. Therefore, we are developing a novel query interface where users can use natural language expressions to help author visual queries. Our work enhances the usability of a visual query interface by directly addressing the "knowledge gap" issue in visual query interfaces. We have applied our work in several real-world applications. Our preliminary evaluation demonstrates the effectiveness of our approach


The introduction of the new tuition fee regime in the UK academic session 2012–2013 has resulted in concerns in the Higher Education (HE) community that students' expectations may become unmanageable. Previous research has explored the expectations and experiences of undergraduate psychology students; the current study extended this by considering whether the increased tuition fees have changed the experiences of academic staff in HE. To achieve this, five semi-structured interviews with psychology staff in two post-92 Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) were undertaken. Results suggested staff perceptions have undergone minimal change in their day-to-day experiences. However, perceptions of the wider HE issues, such as meeting targets and fulfilling requirements of the role, appear to be enhanced following the contextual changes of HE. Finally, the results reported here suggest generally good staff satisfaction, regardless of these changing times within the sector. Future research and the need for more widespread, large scale studies are discussed.


Structural and stratigraphic basin modelling has been used to examine quantitatively the Cretaceous and Tertiary post-rift subsidence history of the northern North Sea Basin following Late Jurassic extension. 2D forward and reverse, syn-rift and post-rift modelling has been used to determine the magnitude and timing of departures from the McKenzie post-rift thermal subsidence trend for regional stratigraphic profiles in the Outer Moray Firth, the South Viking Graben and the North Viking Graben. Observed stratigraphy has been reverse post-rift modelled using flexural backstripping combined with decompaction and reverse thermal subsidence calculations, and forward modelled through the syn-rift and post-rift period using the flexural cantilever model of continental rift basin formation. Long-term global eustasy has been included in the analysis. Only reliable palaeobathymetric markers, such as erosion surfaces and coals, have been used to constrain subsidence history. Both forward and reverse 2D modelling show that a Palaeocene regional uplift followed by a rapid Eocene subsidence must be superimposed on McKenzie post-rift Cretaceous and Tertiary basement subsidence in order to generate the stratigraphy observed. The magnitude of Palaeocene uplift deduced from modelling was of the order of 375 m in the Outer Moray Firth (central North Sea) increasing to 525 m in the North Viking Graben (northern North Sea). Rapid Early Eocene subsidence was of the order of 160–310 m. The most likely mechanism for regional Palaeocene uplift and rapid Eocene subsidence in the northern North Sea was the Palaeocene development of the Iceland plume situated at a distance of 700–900 km from the study area in the Early Tertiary. Forward and reverse modelling predict axial bathymetries in the graben of up to 1300 m for the Early Cretaceous and 900 m for the Upper Cretaceous. The large palaeobathymetries at the end of the Cretaceous provided much of the accommodation space for Tertiary sedimentation.


This dissertation investigates the relationship between the information systems (IS) development context, and the context in which such systems are used. Misunderstandings and ambiguities emerge in the space between these contexts and often result in construction of systems that fail to meet the requirements and expectations of their intended users. This study explores this problem using an approach derived from three largely separate and distinct fields: explanation facilities in information systems, theories of explanation, and design rationale. Explanation facilities are typically included in knowledge-based information systems, where their purpose is to provide system users with the underlying reasons for why the system reaches a particular conclusion or makes a particular recommendation. Prior research suggests that the presence of an explanation facility leads to increased acceptance of these conclusions and recommendations, therefore enhancing system usability. Theory of explanation is a field of study in which philosophers attempt to describe the unique nature of explanation and to identify criteria for explanation evaluation. Design rationale research is concerned with the capture, representation, and use of the deep domain and artefact knowledge that emerges from the design process. The design rationale approach goes beyond specification and suggests that to understand a system requires knowledge of the arguments that led to its realisation. This study proposes a model of IS explanation structure and content derived from formal theories of explanation with a method for obtaining this content based on design rationale. The study has four goals: to derive a theory of explanation specific to the domain of information systems; to examine this definition empirically through a study involving IS development and management professionals; to investigate in a case study whether the information needed to populate the explanation model can be captured using design rationale techniques; and construction of prototype software to deliver explanations per the proposed framework.


In 1960 I made a preliminary analysis of the floristic distribution of the native Phanerogam genera of the Pacific islands, which amounted to 1511 genera in all. The aims of the present work have been to record these more accurately and more critically in detail, especially with regard to native versus introduced, to complete the survey with new records from new explorations made during the interval, and to evaluate new taxonomic literature on Pacific genera. The present list amounts to a total of 1666 genera, as far as known in July 1969, listed in an Appendix. The floristic relationships of the Pacific islands and the surrounding continental areas are established and a hierarchical subdivision of the flora of the Pacific islands based on demarcations in it is made. Furthermore a nomenclatural stabilization of the names and ranks of the subdivisions is attempted. Chapter IV, 3. An attempt was also made to find factual data on the correlation between distribution and means of dispersal. Chapter IV, 4. Secondary aims were to review earlier attemps towards a subdivision of the Pacific flora (Chapter II), two other secondary purposes to see whether traces of the historic plant-geography of the Pacific flora are still reflected in the present flora (Chapter V), and finally to compare geographic subdivisions and other data from non-Phanerogam taxa, mostly animals, with floristics. Chapter VI. Chapter III is devoted to an explanation and a discussion of the methods employed. Arguments are given why only Phanerogams have been considered and why only native genera have been used for computing results. Chapter III, 1—2. Arguments are given for employing the genus as a working unit. It is shown that the genus is much less susceptible to variability in taxonomic concepts than either the species or the family. Besides it is comparatively easy to establish the distribution of a genus fairly reasonably from literature. Chapter III, 3. Chapter III, 4 is devoted to a discussion on the sources of information on which this work is based, comprising i.a. literature, herbarium collections and personal information. Many errors are contained in the first two of these and it cannot be avoided that some mistakes have not been detected. Also, the island groups have been investigated with a varying degree of intensity. The island groups in the Pacific are taken as geographic units of which there are 36. The surrounding land masses are divided into 12 main areas. Chapter III, 5. Of each genus occurring in any of the 36 Pacific unit areas the full distribution is traced. See Appendix. From a comparative study of generic ranges, it has appeared that they exhibit a restricted number of recognizable patterns, 17 of which have been distinguished. These I have called distribution types in this work. Chapter III, 6. The choice of geographic unit areas introduces a certain element of arbitrariness. Each island group can then be characterized by its set of distribution types: the distribution types spectra. It is also possible to calculate floristic relationships or resemblance between the island groups, for which a number of methods are discussed and evaluated. It appears that basically all methods lead to more or less similar conclusions. Chapter III, 9. As a test for the validity of the conclusions based on the distribution of all genera, similar calculations were performed on 345 revised or otherwise well-known taxa. Although the percentages of the distribution types are slightly different the general conclusions are corroborated. Chapter III, 7. In addition, an attempt has been made to find whether there is a correlation between the distribution and the means of dispersal of these revised or otherwise well-known taxa. Chapter III, 8. One of the most important results of this work is the census of Pacific genera. See Appendix. By using the method of distribution types spectra, demarcation knots and other methods it has been possible to find demarcations and to define phytochores. The main demarcation is that between the New and Old World floras. A hierarchy is set up of subdivisions which is illustrated in fig. 35 and tabulated in table 6. It appears that a strong demarcation exists between the islands on the American side of the Pacific (Galapagos, Juan Fernandez, etc.) and the western islands. Hawaii and SE. Polynesia form the easternmost frontier of the OldWorld flora. This conclusion was reached almost unanimously by all phytogeographers, one of the earliest being Engler after whom I have proposed to name this demarcation: Engler's line. In the W. Pacific Bonin in the north and New Zealand and adjacent islands in the south show a sharp demarcation from the rest, Bonin forming part of the E. Asiatic region, and New Zealand forming a distinct subregion of the Australian. New Caledonia cannot be satisfactorily placed. It shows relations with New Guinea, Queensland and the Pacific in about equal measure. Besides it abounds in endemics, some of which are highly peculiar in various aspects. The remaining part of the Pacific shows an essentially Malesian character, decreasing in strength from west to east. The New Hebrides with Fiji, Samoa and Tonga form a subprovince as does SE. Polynesia, Hawaii is considered a separate province of the Malesian subregion. Unlike the islands west of Engler's line the American Pacific islands show very little mutual floristic alliance, but they all have a characteristic American flora. Comparisons with subdivisions and demarcations of other groups of organisms show that often, but not always, the same barriers are respected by unrelated groups. My data give certain indications about the past but no attempt has been made to correlate the conclusions with contemporary geological theories. The regularity of distribution patterns, the close floristic alliance among the islands west of Engler's line independent of their distance from each other, combined with the fact that dispersal spectra show no clear correlation between distribution and 'dispersibility', suggests an old relictual character of the flora rather than a young one built up by random long-distance dispersal. This applies especially to the W. Carolines, the Melanesian islands, Lord Howe I. and New Zealand, i.e. islands more or less within the Andesite line, which are much richer and contain many poor dispersers. For Hawaii also a better accessibility in the past seems indicated. The regular decrease in the number of taxa in proportion to their distance from source areas is discussed. An attempt is made to explain the phenomenon. A tentative conclusion is reached that impoverishment and other phenomena attributed to oceanic islands are not restricted to these. A large scale comparative study of continental and island floras is needed.


ABSTRACT Paleosols with vertic (Vertisol-like) features occur in repetitively stacked fining-upward sequences bounded by marine erosional surfaces in the Bloomsburg Formation (Ludlovian to Pridolian) of central Pennsylvania. Paleosol development was strongly influenced by repeated changes in relative sea level, which resulted in subaerial exposure and pedogenesis of marginal-marine sediment accumulating along a low-energy, mud-dominated coastline in a delta-plain environment. Bloomsburg paleosols are characterized by very weak horizonation, abundant pedogenic slickensides, and a micromorphology dominated by sepic fabrics and peds bounded by stress cutans. Pedogenic carbonate is sparse, occurring principally as micrite nodules. Stable carbon isotope compositions of stratigraphically-low pedogen c carbonate (mean 13C = -1.92 PDB) are attributed to pedogenesis proximal to a marine coastline. In stratigraphically-high paleosols showing evidence of rhizolith development, isotopic compositions of pedogenic carbonate suggest a significant contribution of carbon from C3 flora. Atmospheric P(CO2) levels estimated for these calcretes (4500-5500 ppmV) are significantly greater than present-day values. Low 18O values for pedogenic carbonate (mean 18O = -12.12 PDB) record isotopic exchange between paleosol carbonate and 18O-enriched fluids associated with the conversion of original soil smectites to illite and chlorite during burial diagenesis. Paleosols bounded by marine erosional surfaces show variable degrees of marine hydromorphism attributable to rising water table during transgression', evidence for hydromorphism includes extensive reduction of iron as well as relative increases in CaO, MnO, MgO, P2O5, Na2O, and Sr at the tops of paleosols, due to introduction of marine fluids and sediment into open soil fractures and burrows. The abundance of vertic features in all Bloomsburg paleosols, by analogy with Holocene Vertisols, indicates the recurrence of a seasonally wet-dry (dry 4-8 months/year) paleoclimate n the central Appalachian region at a paleolatitude of about 20° south.


BACKGROUND
The exceptionally high rate of second primary cancers among patients with oral and pharyngeal cancers is well recognized, yet there has been limited epidemiologic study of risk factors for second tumors.

PURPOSE
To evaluate the relation of smoking and alcohol consumption to the development of second cancers among this high-risk patient group, we conducted a nested case-control study.

METHODS
A total of 1090 patients enrolled in a 1984-1985 population-based, case-control study of oral cancer in four areas of the United States were followed through June 1989 for the occurrence of second primary cancers. Information on tobacco and alcohol consumption was obtained from the original interviews and was updated by follow-up interviews obtained for 80 case patients with second cancers and 189 sex-, study area-, and survival-matched cancer patients free of second cancers (control subjects).

RESULTS
Tobacco smoking and alcohol drinking each contributed to risk of second cancers, with the effects of smoking more pronounced than those of alcohol. The odds ratios (ORs) for smoking (adjusted for alcohol) rose with duration and intensity of smoking and were strongest for tumors of the aerodigestive tract (oral cavity, pharynx, esophagus, larynx, and lungs), with ORs reaching 4.7 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.4-16) among smokers of 40 or more cigarettes per day for 20 or more years. Current smokers as of the baseline survey experienced a fourfold increased risk of a second aerodigestive tract cancer relative to nonsmokers and former smokers. No reduction in risk was associated with cessation of smoking or drinking at or after the index diagnosis, although the short median interval (27 months) between tumor diagnoses limited observation of the effects due to recent cessation. Risk was significantly reduced, however, 5 years after smoking cessation. Among drinkers, second cancer risk was greatest for beer intake, with an OR for a second aerodigestive tract cancer of 3.8 (95% CI = 1.2-12) for 15 or more beers per week.

CONCLUSIONS
Oral and pharyngeal cancer patients with the highest intakes of tobacco and alcohol are the ones most prone to develop second primary cancers.

IMPLICATIONS
Avoidance of tobacco smoking and alcohol drinking is the most desirable way not only to prevent primary oral cancers, but also to reduce risk of second cancers of the aerodigestive system.


A neural
network model was developed to predict the E. Coli levels and classes in six
(6) select Lake Michigan beaches. Water quality observations at the time of
sampling and discharge information from two close tributaries were used as
input to predict the E. coli. This research was funded by the Indiana Department
of Environmental Management (IDEM). A user-friendly Excel Sheet based tool was
developed based on the best model for making future predictions of E. coli
classes. This tool will facilitate beach managers to take real-time decisions.

The nowcast
model was developed based on historical tributary flows and water quality
measurements (physical, chemical and biological). The model uses experimentally
available information such as total dissolved solids, total suspended solids,
pH, electrical conductivity, and water temperature to estimate whether the E.
Coli counts would exceed the acceptable standard. For setting up this model,
field data collection was carried out during 2019 beachgoer's season.

IDEM
recommends posting an advisory at the beach indicating swimming and wading are
not recommended when E. coli counts exceed advisory standards. Based on the
advisory limit, a single water sample shall not exceed an E. Coli count of 235 colony
forming units per 100 milliliters (cfu/100ml). Advisories are removed when
bacterial levels fall within the acceptable standard. However, the E. coli
results were available after a time lag leading to beach closures from previous
day results. Nowcast models allow beach managers to make real-time beach
advisory decisions instead of waiting a day or more for laboratory results to
become available.

Using the
historical data, an extensive experiment was carried out, to obtain the
suitable input variables and optimal neural network architecture. The best feed-forward
neural network model was developed using Bayesian Regularization Neural Network
(BRNN) training algorithm. Developed ANN model showed an average prediction
accuracy of around 87% in predicting the E. coli classes.


The context of worker cooperatives is significantly different from that of traditional firms, and so the study of entrepreneurship also differs considerably. The analysis of the creation of worker cooperatives requires differentiated approaches, as the more conventional models of entrepreneurship do not prove adequate to this end. We analyze certain determinants of the entrepreneurial process from a sociocultural perspective, which is applicable specifically to this type of firm. Based on the most important proposals of the network, business incubation, role, and marginalization theories from the sociocultural and institutional standpoints, we establish causal links between the determinants of the start-up process and the outcomes expected by cooperative entrepreneurs, in terms of both the performance of the firm itself and the personal outcomes anticipated by these entrepreneurs. From a sample of 103 firms out of a total of 633 cooperatives set up in the Valencian Community (Spain) over the period 2008-2014, and by way of a quantitative methodology drawing on structural equations – and specifically, SmartPLS – we analyze the influence of the determinants on the outcomes of entrepreneurship; in so doing, we aim to establish both the influence or the direct effects on these outcomes and the indirect or mediation effects of the respective outcome variables, as well the possible moderation effects that may be exercised between the independent factors.


This qualitative study examined aspects of the inclusive program in an elementary school in a rural section of the upper Midwest of the United States. This article describes a university and elementary school research partnership to study collaboration among the general education teachers and the special education staff (teachers and assistants) in the inclusive elementary school. Interviews, focus groups, and observations were analyzed to determine how the school approached the challenges of collaboration and then implemented solutions. The findings are interwoven through the teachers' voices and the researcher's observation notes about the challenges of scheduling, team‐teacher characteristics, and modeling and support in the classroom. The implications of the findings describe how the collected information is used to enlighten pre‐service teachers enrolled in a college course on collaboration.


Irwin Allen Ginsberg (; June 3, 1926 April 5, 1997) was an American poet, philosopher and writer. He is considered to be one of the leading figures of both the Beat Generation during the 1950s and the counterculture that soon followed. He vigorously opposed militarism, economic materialism and sexual repression and was known as embodying various aspects of this counterculture, such as his views on drugs, hostility to bureaucracy and openness to Eastern religions. He was one of many influential American writers of his time known as the Beat Generation, which included famous writers such as Jack Kerouac and William S. Burroughs.


High-Speed Digital System Design-Stephen H. Hall 2000-09-08 A cutting-edge guide to the theory and practice of high-speed digital system design An understanding of high-speed interconnect phenomena is essential for digital designers who must deal with the challenges posed by the ever-increasing operating speeds of today's microprocessors. This book provides a much-needed, practical guide to the state of the art of modern digital system design, combining easily accessible explanations with immensely useful problem-solving strategies. Written by three leading Intel engineers, High-Speed Digital System Design clarifies difficult and often neglected topics involving the effects of high frequencies on digital buses and presents a variety of proven techniques and application examples. Extensive appendices, formulas, modeling techniques as well as hundreds of figures are also provided. Coverage includes: * A thorough introduction to the digital aspects of basic transmission line theory * Crosstalk and nonideal transmission line effects on signal quality and timings * The impact of packages, vias, and connectors on signal integrity * The effects of nonideal return current paths, high frequency power delivery, and simultaneous switching noise * Explanations of how driving circuit characteristics affect the quality of the digital signal * Digital timing analysis at the system level that incorporates high-speed signaling effects into timing budgets * Methodologies for designing high-speed buses and handling the very large number of variables that affect interconnect performance * Radiated emission problems and how to minimize system noise * The practical aspects of making measurements in high-speed digital systems


A 4-year-old sexually intact male German shepherd with a 3-month history of chronic watery diarrhea was referred to the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital. Dehydration and serum biochemistry revealed hypoalbuminemia, and fecal material contained a large quantity of round arthroconidia that were microscopically observed. A specimen was submitted for fungal culture and yielded a white to cream-colored subsurface colony. Microorganisms derived from the colony exhibited chains of smooth, septate hyaline hyphae that were producing 1-celled arthroconidia. Geotrichum candidum was thus identified. Colonoscopic features included erythema, edema, and loss of the usual fine vascular pattern, with granularity of the mucosa of the descending column. Treatment consisted of oral administration of ketoconazole and metronidazole for 3 weeks, while oral prednisolone was tapered after 1 week of therapy. The dog's feces gradually softened after the first treatment. Fecal smear examination revealed no trace of the yeast-like microbes 7 days after treatment was administered, and 2 weeks post-treatment the dog passed well-formed stools and had regained its normal body weight. The previously observed clinical signs did not reoccur, even after oral medication was withdrawn.


Tablet computers (tablets) have gained much attention in research, the application in a banking industry context remains somewhat unexplored. In particular, tablets could enhance customer-facing business processes, such as face-to-face advisory processes in the banking industry. This paper analyses the potentials of tablet-supported customer advisory and the impact on the advisory process based on expert interviews with three financial institutes. The study provides evidence that tablets promise to add value in a face-to-face advisory situation and may have an impact to the traditional advisory process.


We present a search for coincidence between IceCube TeV neutrinos and fast radio bursts (FRBs). During the search period from 2010 May 31 to 2016 May 12, a total of 29 FRBs with 13 unique locations have been detected in the whole sky. An unbinned maximum likelihood method was used to search for spatial and temporal coincidence between neutrinos and FRBs in expanding time windows, in both the northern and southern hemispheres. No significant correlation was found in six years of IceCube data. Therefore, we set upper limits on neutrino fluence emitted by FRBs as a function of time window duration. We set the most stringent limit obtained to date on neutrino fluence from FRBs with an E−2 energy spectrum assumed, which is 0.0021 GeV cm−2 per burst for emission timescales up to ~102 seconds from the northern hemisphere stacking search. A SEARCH FOR NEUTRINOS FROM FAST RADIO BURSTS 3


Clock jitter plays an important role in A/D and D/A conversions. Various aspects of this problem have been extensively studied. We consider here the effect of clock jitters in the basic system of digital filtering of analog signals. The system consists of an A/D, followed by a digital filter, and then followed by a hold circuit for D/A reconstruction. Thus the readout jitter affects both the leading edge and the trailing edge of the rectangular pulse in the reconstruction. This system includes the familiar sampling of an analog signal and subsequent reconstruction from its samples. Expressions are derived for the mean squared error caused by the sampling clock jitter and readout clock jitters. Expressions are also derived showing how the signal spectra are modified by clock jitters.


Hackers exploit browser vulnerabilities to attack deep within networksThe Browser Hacker's Handbook gives a practical understanding of hacking the everyday web browser and using it as a beachhead to launch further attacks deep into corporate networks. Written by a team of highly experienced computer security experts, the handbook provides hands-on tutorials exploring a range of current attack methods. The web browser has become the most popular and widely used computer "program" in the world. As the gateway to the Internet, it is part of the storefront to any business that operates online, but it is also one of the most vulnerable entry points of any system. With attacks on the rise, companies are increasingly employing browser-hardening techniques to protect the unique vulnerabilities inherent in all currently used browsers. The Browser Hacker's Handbook thoroughly covers complex security issues and explores relevant topics such as: Bypassing the Same Origin Policy ARP spoofing, social engineering, and phishing to access browsers DNS tunneling, attacking web applications, and proxyingall from the browser Exploiting the browser and its ecosystem (plugins and extensions)Cross-origin attacks, including Inter-protocol Communication and Exploitation The Browser Hacker's Handbook is written with a professional security engagement in mind. Leveraging browsers as pivot points into a target's network should form an integral component into any social engineering or red-team security assessment. This handbook provides a complete methodology to understand and structure your next browser penetration test.


The melting of glaciers has various effects on the environment such as sea level rise and glacial lake collapse. The global warming is commonly believed to cause the melting, while some scientists insist that the breeding of snow creatures on the glacier contributes mainly. The colorful phenomenon such as red snow, where microorganisms breed on the surface of the glaciers, makes the absorption of heat from sunlight increase, resulting in the faster melting rate of the glacier than usual. However, the actual amount of melting in the glacier is unknown. In order to elucidate it, the distribution of the coloring phenomenon on the glacier should be investigated. Therefore, we aimed at observing glaciers using remote sensing which can observe coloring phenomenon extensively and easily. Using remote sensing the red snow has been observed twice (2006, 2015). However, around 19 percent area in the ice field was not observed due to the saturation of the conventional 8-bit image sensor of the satellite. In this study Landsat 8 with the saturation-free 16-bit image sensors (band 2 and 4) is adopted and Harding ice field in JuneAugust 2015 was selected for our observation with the information from previous studies. As shown in figure, we achieve to observe the whole area without the sensor saturating and the red snow appears in the larger area than before. The detail evaluation will be shown in the presentation.


Pyrite is a key mineral in the global biogeochemical cycles of sulfur and iron, yet its anaerobic microbial oxidation has eluded geochemists and microbiologists for decades. Recent reports indicated that anaerobic oxidation of pyrite is occurring, but the mechanism remains unclear. Here, we provide evidence for the capability of Thiobacillus denitrificans to anaerobically oxidize a putatively nanosized pyrite particle fraction with nitrate as electron acceptor. Nanosized pyrite was readily oxidized to ferric iron and sulfate with a rate of 10.1 μM h(-1). The mass balance of pyrite oxidation and nitrate reduction revealed a closed recovery of the electrons. This substantiates a further "missing lithotrophy" in the global cycles of sulfur and iron and emphasizes the high reactivity of nanominerals in the environment.


Abstract. The recently developed Zurich Ice Nucleation Chamber (ZINC) was used to explore ice nucleation of size-selected mineral dust particles at temperatures between −20°C and −55°C. Four different mineral dust species have been tested: montmorillonite, kaolinite, illite and Arizona test dust (ATD). The selected particle diameters are 100 nm, 200 nm, 400 nm and 800 nm. Relative humidities with respect to ice (RHi) required to activate 1% of the dust particles as ice nuclei (IN) are reported as a function of temperature. An explicit size dependence of the ice formation efficiency has been observed for all dust types. 800 nm particles required the lowest RHi to activate. Deposition nucleation below water saturation was found only below −30°C or −35°C dependent on particle size. Minimum RHi for 1% activation were 105% for illite, kaolinite and montmorillonite at −40°C, respectively 110% for ATD at −45°C. In addition, a possible parameterisation for the measured activation spectra is proposed, which could be used in modeling studies.


Background: Several factors, such as cost, branding, packaging and family influence, had been implicated as influencing the choice of toothpastes and toothbrushes by individuals. Media advertisement is also considered a very strong factor influencing consumer's choice. Aim: To assess the extent to which some factors influenced the choice of toothpastes and toothbrushes among dental patients in a Nigerian teaching hospital. Materials and methods: Two-hundred and two patients were interviewed on factors that influenced their choice of toothbrush and toothpaste. Some of the factors considered include the cost, packaging, brand, media advertisement and their previous experience. Results: Factors that affected choice of toothbrush by respondents included texture (89.6%), brand (62.9%), previous experience (64.4%) and for toothpaste, fluoride content (62.4%), previous experience (69.3%), and advice by a dentist (55.0%). Media advertisement was the least influential in their choice of toothpaste (29.2%) and toothbrush (24.3%). Consideration for fluoride was a stronger factor than herbal contents in the choice of toothpaste (P<0.001) Conclusion: Previous experience seems to be a very strong factor in the choice of both the toothbrush and toothpaste in this study, which suggest that for as long as the respondents are satisfied with a particular product, they will stick to it.


We recently reported a linear association between higher systolic blood pressure (SBP) and risk of mortality in hemodialysis patients when SBP is measured outside of the dialysis unit (out-of-dialysis-unit-SBP), despite there being a U-shaped association between SBP measured at the dialysis unit (dialysis-unit-SBP) with risk of mortality. Here, we explored the relationship between SBP with cardiovascular events, which has important treatment implications but has not been well elucidated. Among 383 hemodialysis participants enrolled in the prospective CRIC study (Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort), multivariable splines and Cox models were used to study the association between SBP and adjudicated cardiovascular events (heart failure, myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke, and peripheral artery disease), controlling for differences in demographics, cardiovascular disease risk factors, and dialysis parameters. Dialysis-unit-SBP and out-of-dialysis-unit-SBP were modestly correlated (r=0.34; P<0.001). We noted a U-shaped association of dialysis-unit-SBP and risk of cardiovascular events, with the nadir risk between 140 and 170 mm Hg. In contrast, there was a linear stepwise association between out-of-dialysis-unit-SBP with risk of cardiovascular events. Participants with out-of-dialysis-unit-SBP ≥128 mm Hg (top 2 quartiles) had >2-fold increased risk of cardiovascular events compared with those with out-of-dialysis-unit-SBP ⩽112 mm Hg (3rd SBP quartile: adjusted hazard ratio, 2.08 [95% confidence interval, 1.12–3.87] and fourth SBP quartile: adjusted hazard ratio, 2.76 [95% confidence interval, 1.42–5.33]). In conclusion, among hemodialysis patients, although there is a U-shaped (paradoxical) association of dialysis-unit-SBP and risk of cardiovascular disease, there is a linear association of out-of-dialysis-unit-SBP with risk of cardiovascular disease. Out-of-dialysis-unit blood pressure provides key information and may be an important therapeutic target.


Introduction The quantification of heart rate variability (HRV) is a tool to assess the interaction between exercise and autonomic control, as well as the pathophysiology of diseases affecting autonomic function. Little is known about the influence of genetically influenced physiology on exercise-induced changes in autonomic cardiac regulation. It was theorised that preintervention values for blood pressure, VO2max, body mass index (BMI), autonomic function and gender contribute significantly to the exercise-induced changes in HRV. Methods A 12-week, medium-to-high intensity exercise intervention was completed by 183 volunteers (18–22 years). Data were sampled at baseline and after 12 weeks. Standard time domain, frequency domain and Poincaré HRV quantification techniques were implemented. Regression analysis was performed to determine the influences of the predictors (baseline values for low frequency (LF), high frequency (HF), BMI, VO2max, gender, blood pressure) on the exercise-induced response of the dependent variables (changes in HRV-indicator values). Results Parameters found to be significant (p<0.05) predictors of exercise-induced changes were LF, HF and systolic blood pressure in, respectively, 10, 5 and 2 of the 12 regressions performed. The results indicated that the independent variables contribute between 12.83% and 29.82%, depending on the specific HRV indicator, to the exercise-induced changes in the autonomic nervous system. Conclusions Preintervention autonomic status, as represented specifically by LF, is the most important determinant of cardiac autonomic response to an exercise intervention in a healthy study population. Baseline autonomic function could thus be a significant confounder in the outcome of exercise study results.


In the simple Allingham-Sandmo portfolio model of tax evasion an expected utility maximizer will cheat more than what is estimated in empirical studies. Two main types of explanation have been suggested as solutions to this puzzle: (1) Tax payers act according to some non-expected utility theory, and (2) Individual ethical norms and social stigma induce people not to cheat. In the present study we test two hypotheses within these broad explanations: (1) Tax payers are weighting subjective probabilities of being penalised according to the rank dependent utility theory, and (2) Tax payers' beliefs about social norms have an effect on their decision to evade taxes. Our model is characterized by a simultaneous determination of tax evasion and labour supply, including the effect on tax payers of a social norm of not cheating. Using Norwegian survey data our hypotheses are corroborated. Our estimates imply that if the objective probability of being penalized is, say 3%, the weighted probability is about 23%. Our study provides an independent confirmation of the rank dependent expected utility theory. The model explains data 53% better than pure random choices and predicts hours worked in the regular economy, among tax evaders as well non tax evaders, rather precisely. The model is an example of a two sector choice model and the results indicate that an overall wage increase may shift labor supply away from the irregular part of the economy towards the regular.


Sponsored by the Oral History Project of the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Cornell University, led by Charles Wilcox and Kelly Strickland, this presents an extended interview with a senior member of the faculty, Harold A. Scheraga, in which he shares his life's journey, professional interests and reflections about the distinctive character of his department and its nurturing environment. Topics [m:s] Growing up in Monticello, NY [5:40]; War Years [7:06]; Post-doctoral at Harvard [5:30]; Coming to Cornell [4:21]; Department Chair [12:42]; Research - Structure of Water [6:40]; Research - Computer Studies [9:33]; Biological Significance of Global Free-Energy Minimum [6:10]; Can the Protein Folding Problem Be Solved? [2:42]; Conclusion [1:10].

Short biographies of interviewee and interviewer [Charles Wilcox] are included, in addition to a photo gallery and list of publications of the interviewee. Video Total Run Time: 64 minutes.

The streaming video is openly accessible at: http://ifup.cit.cornell.edu. The DVD was produced by J. Robert Cooke.


A story at Level 5 of a series of children's illustrated ELT readers which are graded at five levels, according to length and complexity of plot. The stories cover a wide variety of genres, and have both British and foreign settings. Dramatized versions are available on cassette.


Schizophrenia is a debilitating psychiatric condition often associated with poor quality of life and decreased life expectancy. Lack of progress in improving treatment outcomes has been attributed to limited knowledge of the underlying biology, although large-scale genomic studies have begun to provide such insight. We report the largest single cohort genome-wide association study of schizophrenia (11,260 cases and 24,542 controls) and through meta-analysis with existing data we identify 50 novel GWAS loci. Using gene-wide association statistics we implicate an additional set of 22 novel associations that map onto a single gene. We show for the first time that the common variant association signal is highly enriched among genes that are intolerant to loss of function mutations and that variants in these genes persist in the population despite the low fecundity associated with the disorder through the process of background selection. Associations point to novel areas of biology (e.g. metabotropic GABA-B signalling and acetyl cholinesterase), reinforce those implicated in earlier GWAS studies (e.g. calcium channel function), converge with earlier rare variants studies (e.g. NRXN1, GABAergic signalling), identify novel overlaps with autism (e.g. RBFOX1, FOXP1, FOXG1), and support early controversial candidate gene hypotheses (e.g. ERBB4 implicating neuregulin signalling). We also demonstrate the involvement of six independent central nervous system functional gene sets in schizophrenia pathophysiology. These findings provide novel insights into the biology and genetic architecture of schizophrenia, highlight the importance of mutation intolerant genes and suggest a mechanism by which common risk variants are maintained in the population.


Arctic warming has implications for the functioning of terrestrial Arctic ecosystems, global climate and socioeconomic systems of northern communities. A research gap exists in high spatial resolution monitoring and understanding of the seasonality of permafrost degradation, spring snowmelt and vegetation phenology. This thesis explores the diversity and utility of dense TerraSAR-X (TSX) X-Band time series for monitoring ice-rich riverbank erosion, snowmelt, and phenology of Arctic vegetation at long-term study sites in the central Lena Delta, Russia and on Qikiqtaruk (Herschel Island), Canada. In the thesis the following three research questions are addressed:

• Is TSX time series capable of monitoring the dynamics of rapid permafrost degradation in ice-rich permafrost on an intra-seasonal scale and can these datasets in combination with climate data identify the climatic drivers of permafrost degradation?

• Can multi-pass and multi-polarized TSX time series adequately monitor seasonal snow cover and snowmelt in small Arctic catchments and how does it perform compared to optical satellite data and field-based measurements?

• Do TSX time series reflect the phenology of Arctic vegetation and how does the recorded signal compare to in-situ greenness data from RGB time-lapse camera data and vegetation height from field surveys?

To answer the research questions three years of TSX backscatter data from 2013 to 2015 for the Lena Delta study site and from 2015 to 2017 for the Qikiqtaruk study site were used in quantitative and qualitative analysis complimentary with optical satellite data and in-situ time-lapse imagery.

The dynamics of intra-seasonal ice-rich riverbank erosion in the central Lena Delta, Russia were quantified using TSX backscatter data at 2.4 m spatial resolution in HH polarization and validated with 0.5 m spatial resolution optical satellite data and field-based time-lapse camera data. Cliff top lines were automatically extracted from TSX intensity images using threshold-based segmentation and vectorization and combined in a geoinformation system with manually digitized cliff top lines from the optical satellite data and rates of erosion extracted from time-lapse cameras. The results suggest that the cliff top eroded at a constant rate throughout the entire erosional season. Linear mixed models confirmed that erosion was coupled with air temperature and precipitation at an annual scale, seasonal fluctuations did not influence 22-day erosion rates. The results highlight the potential of HH polarized X-Band backscatter data for high temporal resolution monitoring of rapid permafrost degradation.

The distinct signature of wet snow in backscatter intensity images of TSX data was exploited to generate wet snow cover extent (SCE) maps on Qikiqtaruk at high temporal resolution. TSX SCE showed high similarity to Landsat 8-derived SCE when using cross-polarized VH data. Fractional snow cover (FSC) time series were extracted from TSX and optical SCE and compared to FSC estimations from in-situ time-lapse imagery. The TSX products showed strong agreement with the in-situ data and significantly improved the temporal resolution compared to the Landsat 8 time series. The final combined FSC time series revealed two topography-dependent snowmelt patterns that corresponded to in-situ measurements. Additionally TSX was able to detect snow patches longer in the season than Landsat 8, underlining the advantage of TSX for detection of old snow. The TSX-derived snow information provided valuable insights into snowmelt dynamics on Qikiqtaruk previously not available.

The sensitivity of TSX to vegetation structure associated with phenological changes was explored on Qikiqtaruk. Backscatter and coherence time series were compared to greenness data extracted from in-situ digital time-lapse cameras and detailed vegetation parameters on 30 areas of interest. Supporting previous results, vegetation height corresponded to backscatter intensity in co-polarized HH/VV at an incidence angle of 31°. The dry, tall shrub dominated ecological class showed increasing backscatter with increasing greenness when using the cross polarized VH/HH channel at 32° incidence angle. This is likely driven by volume scattering of emerging and expanding leaves. Ecological classes with more prostrate vegetation and higher bare ground contributions showed decreasing backscatter trends over the growing season in the co-polarized VV/HH channels likely a result of surface drying instead of a vegetation structure signal. The results from shrub dominated areas are promising and provide a complementary data source for high temporal monitoring of vegetation phenology.

Overall this thesis demonstrates that dense time series of TSX with optical remote sensing and in-situ time-lapse data are complementary and can be used to monitor rapid and seasonal processes in Arctic landscapes at high spatial and temporal resolution.


Under the combined impacts of climate change and human activities, a series of water issues, such as water shortages, have arisen all over the world. According to current studies in Science and Nature, water security has become a frontier critical topic. Water supply security (WSS), which is the state of water resources and their capacity and their capacity to meet the demand of water users by water supply systems, is an important part of water security. Currently, WSS is affected by the amount of water resources, water supply projects, water quality and water management. Water shortages have also led to water supply insecurity. WSS is now evaluated based on the balance of the supply and demand under a single water resources condition without considering the dynamics of the varying conditions of water resources each year. This paper developed an optimal allocation model for water resources that can realize the optimal allocation of regional water resources and comprehensively evaluate WSS. The objective of this model is to minimize the duration of water shortages in the long term, as characterized by the Water Supply Security Index (WSSI), which is the assessment value of WSS, a larger WSSI value indicates better results. In addition, the simulation results of the model can determine the change process and dynamic evolution of the WSS. Quanzhou, a city in China with serious water shortage problems, was selected as a case study. The allocation results of the current year and target year of planning demonstrated that the level of regional comprehensive WSS was significantly influenced by the capacity of water supply projects and the conditions of the natural water resources. The varying conditions of the water resources allocation results in the same year demonstrated that the allocation results and WSSI were significantly affected by reductions in precipitation, decreases in the water yield coefficient, and changes in the underlying surface.


Mobius transformations are defined and studied in the framework of general binary relations. From the application point of view fast Mobius transformation algorithms are presented for computing the Mobius transformation of the Boolean lattice. It is proved that they are actually the best algorithms among a large class of algorithms. These algorithms have a polynomial routine, whereas the usual algorithms have an exponential routine. From a theoretical point of view, the major point of the study is the functoriality of the Mobius transformation, which implies that it is recursive. An algorithm for computing Dempster's rule of combination that is much faster than the usual one is obtained. A series of related fast algorithms for Dempster-Shafer theory is included. >


Objective: We hypothesized that greater cardiorespiratory fitness is associated with lower odds of having unfavorable brain MRI findings. Methods: We studied 565 healthy, middle-aged, black and white men and women in the CARDIA (Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults) Study. The fitness measure was symptom-limited maximal treadmill test duration (Maxdur); brain MRI was measured 5 years later. Brain MRI measures were analyzed as means and as proportions below the 15th percentile (above the 85th percentile for white matter abnormal tissue volume). Results: Per 1-minute-higher Maxdur, the odds ratio for having less whole brain volume was 0.85 (p = 0.04) and for having low white matter integrity was 0.80 (p = 0.02), adjusted for age, race, sex, clinic, body mass index, smoking, alcohol, diet, physical activity, education, blood pressure, diabetes, total cholesterol, and lung function (plus intracranial volume for white matter integrity). No significant associations were observed between Maxdur and abnormal tissue volume or blood flow in white matter. Findings were similar for associations with continuous brain MRI measures. Conclusions: Greater physical fitness was associated with more brain volume and greater white matter integrity measured 5 years later in middle-aged adults.


OBJECTIVES
To assess the use of the Family APGAR instrument as a supplement to usual clinical methods for the detection of psychosocial problems in children and to evaluate the relationship between the Family APGAR and physician diagnosis and elevated Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) scores.

DESIGN
Cross-sectional.

SETTING
Ambulatory care center of a community-based, university-affiliated family medicine training program.

SUBJECTS
One hundred fifty-two parents of children aged 3 to 16 years.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Family functioning was considered poor if Family APGAR scores were 5 or less. For the CBCL, sum total T scores greater than the 90th percentile for nonreferred children were considered clinically significant. Physicians used a checklist to indicate the presence of psychosocial problems or family dysfunction.

RESULTS
Agreement between the Family APGAR scores and the physician's detection of child psychosocial problems was weak (kappa = 0.23). There was no relationship between the Family APGAR scores and physician perception of family dysfunction (kappa = -0.05). Although agreement between the Family APGAR and CBCL classifications was weak (kappa = 0.20), families with low Family APGAR scores were more than twice as likely to have children with clinically significant CBCL scores than those with higher scores (risk ratio = 2.08; 95% confidence interval = 1.02 to 4.24).

CONCLUSIONS
The relationships among the Family APGAR and CBCL scores and physician detection of child psychosocial problems were weak. Child psychosocial problems were more than twice as likely to be present when the Family APGAR score was low. These findings suggest that family functioning is related to child psychosocial problems, but that the Family APGAR may not improve screening for child psychosocial problems.


Public attitudes toward immigration have attracted much scholarly interest and extensive empirical research in recent years. Despite a sizeable theoretical and empirical literature, no firm conclusions have been drawn regarding the factors affecting immigration opinion. We address this gap through a formal meta-analysis derived from the literature regarding immigration attitudes from the top journals of several social science disciplines in the years 2009-2019 and based on a population of 1185 estimates derived from 144 unique analyses on individual-level factors affecting attitudes to immigration. The metaanalytical findings show that two individual-level characteristics are most significantly associated with attitudes to immigration education (positively) and age (negatively). Our results further reveal that the same individual characteristics do not necessarily explain immigration policy attitudes and attitudes towards immigrants' contribution. The findings challenge several conventional micro-level theories of attitudes to immigration. The meta-analysis can inform future research when planning the set of explanatory variables to avoid omitting key determinants.


TGF-β signaling causes metastasizing breast cancer cells to change from collective to single cell movement. To visualize tumor cell mobility in vivo, Giampieri et al. (see also Matise et al.) induced tumor formation in mice by injecting MTLn3E mammary carcinoma cell lines expressing various fluorescent fusion proteins into mammary fat pads. Intravital imaging revealed that a subset of tumor cells that were closely packed and had cell-cell junctions moved as groups, a type of movement referred to as cohesive or collective. In contrast, tumor cells with "amoeboid," amorphous morphology tended to move singly and more rapidly than did cells showing cohesive movement. Signaling through the transforming growth factor–β (TGF-β) pathway can promote cancer cell motility and metastasis through the activation and nuclear translocation of the Smad family of transcription factors. The activation status of the TGF-β signaling pathway was determined in vivo with two tumor cell lines in which nuclear accumulation of Smad2 or the fluorescence produced by a reporter for Smad3 transcriptional activity could be assessed. Tumor cells that moved singly showed nuclear localization of Smad2 and transcriptional activity, whereas those moving collectively showed cytoplasmic localization of Smad2 and no transcriptional activity. To inhibit or activate the TGF-β pathway in vivo, tumors were created from cell lines expressing a dominant-negative, green fluorescent protein (GPF)–tagged TGF-β type II receptor (TGFβRDN-GFP) or overexpressing TGF-β1, respectively. Tumor cells expressing TGFβRDN-GFP preferentially moved collectively and metastasized by spreading to lymph nodes. In contrast, tumor cells overexpressing TGF-β1 showed increased single cell motility and metastasized by entering the blood. Thus, TGF-β signaling causes breast cancer cells to switch from collective to single cell movement and promotes metastasis by hematogenous rather than lymphatic spread. S. Giampieri, C. Manning, S. Hooper, L. Jones, C. S. Hill, E. Sahai, Localized and reversible TGFβ signalling switches breast cancer cells from cohesive to single cell motility. Nat. Cell Biol. 11, 1287–1296 (2009). [PubMed] L. A. Matise, M. W. Pickup, H. L. Moses, TGFβ helps cells fly solo. Nat. Cell Biol. 11, 1281–1284 (2009). [PubMed]


Over the past forty years, U.S. inflation has exhibited highly persistent movements. Moreover, these shifts in inflation have typically had real consequences, implying a "sacrifice ratio," whereby disinflations are typically associated with recessions and persistent increases in inflation often associated with booms. One hypothesis about the source of the sacrifice ratio is that inflation - and not just the price level - is sticky. Another is that private-sector agents typically must infer changes in inflation objectives indirectly from central bank interest-rate policy. The resulting learning process can lead to a sacrifice ratio trade-off. In this paper, I allow for both sticky inflation and learning in interpreting U.S. macroeconomic developments since 1955. Two key empirical findings are, first, that allowing for learning reduces the evidence for sticky inflation. Second, there is less evidence for sticky inflation in the post-1983 period than earlier. Indeed, in some estimates, there is little evidence of sticky inflation in the period since 1983, although this result is sensitive to the details of the specification. Nonetheless, simulation results suggest that for realistic models, the sacrifice ratio can be accounted for entirely by learning.


In this paper, we study the spatialization of the sound field in rooms, in particular the evolution of the room impulse responses in function of their spatial positions. Thanks to this study, we are now able to predict the sound field in any position knowing the sound field in a certain number of positions in the room. If enough measurements are taken, we are able to completely characterize the sound field of the room at any arbitrary location. Further, we determine the number and the spacing between the microphones needed to reconstruct the sound field in a room up to a certain temporal frequency.


Article II of the Constitution grants the president power to appoint "Ambassadors" and "other public Ministers" with the advice and consent of the Senate. By all accounts, this language requires Senate confirmation for the appointment of resident ambassadors and other diplomats of similar rank and tenure. Yet these are hardly the only agents of U.S. foreign relations. Ad hoc diplomats — individuals chosen exclusively by the president to complete limited and temporary assignments — play a comparably significant role in addressing international crises, negotiating treaties, and otherwise executing foreign policy.

This Article critically examines the appointments process for such irregular agents. An orthodox view holds it permissible for the president to dispatch any ad hoc diplomat without Senate confirmation, but this view does not accord with the original meaning of Article II. Scrutinizing text and an extensive collection of original historical sources, I show that, under a formalist reading of the Constitution, the appointment of most ad hoc diplomats requires the advice and consent of the Senate because these agents are typically "public Ministers" and "Officers of the United States" under the Appointments Clause.

The analysis makes several contributions. First, it provides the first thorough account of the original meaning of "public Ministers" — a term that appears several times in the Constitution but lacks precise contours in contemporary scholarship and practice. Second, for formalists, the analysis reorients longstanding debates about the process of treaty-making and empowers the Senate to exert greater influence over a wide variety of presidential initiatives, including communications with North Korea, the renegotiation of trade agreements, the campaign to defeat ISIS, and the stabilization of Ukraine, all of which depend on the work of ad hoc diplomats. At a time of trepidation over the nature of U.S. foreign policy, such influence might operate as a stabilizing force. Third, the analysis illuminates rhetorical and doctrinal maneuvers that have facilitated the rise of the modern presidency, including historical revisionism and the marginalization of international law as an input in constitutional interpretation. These maneuvers complicate the political valence of originalism and cast the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) — a key proponent of the orthodox view — as a motivated expositor of the separation of powers.


Introduction: The aim of this research was to study the effect of a 6-week supplemented diet on increasing bone density by measuring calcium, phosphorus and bone mineral density (BMD) in male rats. Materials and methods: In this experimental study, 24 Wistar male rats, aged between 15 and 20 days, were selected. The rats were randomly divided into 3 groups: immune system supplement (ISS), ISS plus exercise and control. Daily swimming was performed by timeincreasing (starting from ten minutes and ten minutes was added each day and was fixed at sixty minutes). Supplements strengthening the immune system containing calcium and phosphorus were given to rats (5g/kg/day). After six weeks, BMD was measured using bone densitometer. Animals were anesthetized with ketamine and blood samples were gathered in order to separate their serum. The serum samples were used to measure calcium, phosphorus by the ELISA method. Results: The results showed that in both groups (ISS plus exercise and ISS), BMD was higher than the control group. The highest level of calcium, phosphorus and BMD was seen in the group whose members were ISS plus exercise group. In contrast, the least amount of the mentioned markers was reported in the control group. Conclusion: The results indicate a small but positive effect of ISS on whole body BMD in male rat; also results indicate the combination of exercise and proper nutrition was more effective on increasing the bone density in comparison with the proper nutrition sedentary group.


Industrial communication networks have suffered a dramatic change over the last decades. There has been a proliferation of ―traditional‖ fieldbuses and other more application-specific networks, such as the ones relying on power-line communications. Industrial Ethernet solutions have gained a significant market share too. Due to the stringent quality-of-service (QoS) requirements of industrial monitoring and control applications, most of the protocols for this type of applications rely on a master/slave paradigm where one or more master stations control the access to the communication medium, granting medium access to slave stations. This Thesis was developed in synergy with the RFieldbus and REMPLI European Union projects. Although operating at opposite network scales, they share one main characteristic: a master/slave network was enhanced with communication features previously unavailable. In the context of the RFieldbus framework, a standard fieldbus network was extended to support multimedia services and wireless/mobility capabilities. These multimedia services run over the TCP/IP stack that in turn runs over the fieldbus low layers network protocols. Since these multimedia services and the ―traditional‖ control traffic converge in the use of the same communication medium, appropriate admission control and scheduling mechanisms were conceived to introduce different traffic classes; in such a way, that real-time control traffic is not affected by multimedia traffic, which in some cases is typically of best-effort type. The REMPLI approach is based on a power-line communication protocol that was enhanced with additional capabilities such as the ability of supporting large-scale deployments both in terms of number of network stations and in terms of geographical area under coverage and new metering-focused end-to-end services. This required a rethinking of the Data Link, Network and Transport Layer protocols in a cross-layered perspective that had end-to-end QoS requirements in mind. The initial hypothesis was that providing add-ons to existing protocols to achieve the required level of QoS and additional functionalities would present major advantages over all-new network protocols or using stripped-down versions of existing network protocols. This hypothesis is confirmed through experimental and simulation validations.