Systems with human-level intelligence must be both flexible and able to reason in an appropriate time scale. These two goals are in tension, as manifested by the contrasting properties of general inference algorithms and structured knowledge-based systems. The problem of resolving ambiguous, implicit, and nonliteral references exemplifies many of these difficulties. We describe an approach, called reasoned unification, for dealing with these challenges by representing and jointly reasoning over linguistic and nonlinguistic knowledge (including structures such as scripts and frames) within the same inference framework. Reasoned unification enables a treatment of several reference resolution phenomena that to our knowledge have not previously been the subject of a unified analysis. This analysis illustrates how reasoned unification can resolve many difficult problems with using complex knowledge structures while maintaining their benefits.


This bachelor thesis is about chemical products from the construction industry which are being used by the company Bostads AB Mimer (Mimer), owned by the municipality Vasteras in Sweden. The company owns apartments and houses around the city. The aim of this bachelor thesis is to do a simplified risk assessment of the chemical products from a health and environmental point. The report also gives suggestions of substitutional products. The thesis work consists of a literature study, an analysis of how other companies within the housing sector are working with chemical products and a case study, in addition to the simplified risk assessment. The case study contains a selection of Mimer's chemical products. In order to succeed with the simplified risk assessment, the chemical product's risks and hazards has been identified through safety data sheets (SDS). Different aspects have been taken into account in the simplified risk assessment. The selection of the chemical products were made after existence frequency and legislative product labeling. The report's results gave 16 selected chemical products, that are risk assessed. Of the 16 chemical products, eight products have a high risk score from a heath point. Suggestions of less hazardous chemical products are given to nine chemical products. The essay's conclusions are that some of the selected chemical products are hazardous to the health and the environment, due to their chemical substances. The staff at Mimer's has a high frequency of use of the chemical products in general. Most of the other companies in the housing sector that were investigated in the analysis, had a systematic work on chemicals.


The grammar presents a comprehensive introduction to the Bohairic Coptic dialect. It is divided into 12 chapters covering the major features of the grammar and is augmented by three chapters with short introductions to Bohairic literature, indications of both time reckoning and measurements, as well as an additional chapter introducing patterns specific to the texts of Nitrian monasteries (or better, Sketis). As the grammar is intended for learners, students, and scholars as well as coptologists/egyptologists and linguists, almost all examples are extensively glossed. Furthermore, the book contains extensive annotated texts for reading from the Scripture as well as from literary and even some documentary texts, as well as a glossary to the texts.


To the Editor,

The prevalence of pancreatic cystic neoplasm (PCN) has been increasing due to advances in diagnostic technology, including ultrasonography, computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography and endoscopic ultrasound. When PCN is found incidentally, pancreatic cystic lesions may represent a malignant or premalignant neoplasm and require diagnostic evaluation [1]. Generally, cystic mucin-producing pancreatic neoplasms do not communicate with the pancreatic duct and are classified as benign adenomas or borderline, low-grade malignant and non-invasive or invasive carcinomas according to the grade of epithelial dysplasia. These tumors occur almost exclusively in females aged 50 to 60 years [1]. Mucinous cystic neoplasms (MCNs) are characterized by an ovarian-type stroma that typically forms a band of densely packed spindle-shaped cells beneath the malignant epithelium [1]. Although there are several hypotheses of their origin, the pathogenesis of pancreatic MCNs remains unclear because MCNs are rare and molecular studies are difficult since the tumors often contain only a small number of malignant cells [2].

Clonorchiasis is a parasitic disease common in Far Eastern countries, such as Korea and China. Its symptoms are diverse, although the majority of patients are asymptomatic. The parasite may damage bile duct epithelial cells, causing cholangitis and cholangiocarcinoma. The severity of the disease is proportionate to the number of the infectious parasites and the infection period [3]. Infection with a large number of parasites can result in invasion of the pancreatic duct [3] and the parasites may damage ductal epithelial cells and cause inflammation in the pancreas and the bile duct, leading to clonorchiasis-induced pancreatitis. There are reports associating clonorchiasis and pancreatic malignancies with biliary malignancies, including one case of clonorchiasis-associated pancreatic adenocarcinoma [4]; however, clonorchiasis-associated pancreatic MCN has not been reported.

Here, we report a case of pancreatic mucinous cystadenoma of borderline malignancy infested with Clonorchis sinensis found incidentally in a 53-yearold male with rectal cancer. The patient presented with lower abdominal pain and hematochezia lasting 3 months. The patient often ate freshwater fish and was not a heavy drinker. His medical history was unremarkable except for chronic hepatitis B reactivation treated with 0.5 mg/day entecavir for 1 month. His mother also had chronic hepatitis B patient and succumbed to hepatocellular carcinoma. On admission, the patient's body temperature, heart rate, respiratory rate, and blood pressure were 37.1℃ 70/min, 22/min, and 100/60 mmHg, respectively. Physical examination of the neck, chest, and abdomen showed no abnormal findings. Digital rectal examination revealed a non-tender, fixed, hard mass at the posterior rectum, 6 cm from the anal verge. An initial complete blood count revealed a hemoglobin count of 13.3 g/dL, a platelet count of 245,000/µL, and a white cell count of 5,700/µL. Biochemical testing showed a blood urea nitrogen of 11 mg/dL, creatinine of 0.6 mg/dL, total protein of 7.1 g/dL, albumin of 3.4 g/dL, aspartate amino transferase of 41 IU/L, alanine transaminase of 37 IU/L, alkaline phosphatase of 69 IU/L, uric acid of 4.4 mg/dL, total calcium of 8.7 mg/dL, phosphorus of 5.1 mg/dL, lactate dehydrogenase of 233 IU/L, carcinoembryonic antigen of 1.4 ng/mL, carbohydrate antigen 19-9 22.0 U/mL, and α-fetoprotein of 62.9 ng/mL. A chest X-ray evaluation showed no specific findings.

Gastroscopic examination showed no specific abnormality. Colonoscopic examination revealed a large ulcerofungating mass at the distal rectum, and he was diagnosed with adenocarcinoma of the rectum. Abdomen and pelvis CT showed an asymmetric contrast enhancement in the posterior wall of the distal rectum. In addition, a 4.3-cm, heterogeneous, solid and cystic mass on the distal pancreas was found incidentally (Fig. 1A and 1B). Abdominal MRI showed a multi-septated cystic tumor in the pancreas tail and a fibrotic component was found with mild contrast enhancement after gadolinium injection (Fig. 1C and 1D). There was no dilatation of the pancreatic duct in the tail portion, and there was no dilatation of the common bile duct or the intrahepatic bile duct. On day 2 of hospitalization, an ultra-lower anterior resection and distal pancreatectomy was performed. Gross examination of the resected pancreas presented a well-circumscribed cystic mass, measuring 4.4 × 4.4 × 3.7 cm. Sectioning revealed a multilocular cyst filled with mucinous and necrotic material (Fig. 2). Microscopically, the multilocular cyst was lined by tall-columnar, mucin-secreting cells with stratification and papillary growth, and mild to moderate nuclear atypia, without stromal invasion. These findings were consistent with a mucinous cystadenoma of borderline malignancy. In addition, there was a papillary growing, nodular lesion embedded in the myxoid and fibrotic stroma with numerous eggs, morphologically considered to be C. sinensis, The eggs were surrounded by epithelioid histiocytes or found within multinucleated giant cells (Fig. 3). The rectal sample obtained from the low anterior resection showed moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma invading the muscle layer, but without lymph node metastasis.

Figure 1

Contrast-enhanced computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. (A) There was a 3.6-cm cystic mass with a suspicious biloculation in the pancreatic tail that extended to the spleen. (B) No pancreatic ductal dilatation was observed. (C) In the inferior ...

Figure 2

Macroscopic appearance of the resected pancreas (4.4 × 4.4 × 3.7 cm). Sectioning revealed a multilocular cyst filled with mucinous and necrotic material was found.

Figure 3

Microscopic appearance of the resected pancreas. The cyst wall was lined by tall columnar mucin-secreting epithelium with stratification and papillary growth (H&E, ×40). A nodular lesion within the cyst contained numerous parasitic eggs ...

On day 6 after surgery, the patient complained of abdominal pain because of leakage at the surgical area. An exploratory laparotomy was performed and the area washed and drained. After this procedure, the patient showed satisfactory improvement and left the hospital on 15 days after surgery. He is undergoing follow-up care in the Department of Surgery and Hepatology.

Clonorchiasis is caused by eating raw freshwater fish, which are the intermediary hosts of the metacercariae of C. sinensis. The metacercariae is stripped of its cyst by gastric acid, and the larva passes through the ampulla of Vater to mature in the bile duct. Clonorchiasis is associated with cholangitis, biliary stones, and cholangiocarcinoma; the prevalence of clonorchiasis is much higher in patients with cholangiocarcinoma [3]. In Pusan, an area with an extremely high prevalence of C. sinensis, flukes increase the risk of cholangiocarcinoma 6-fold. Animal experiments have also show a strong association between clonorchiasis and cholangiocarcinoma. Therefore, C. sinensis is believed to have malignant potential in the bile duct.

As the larva move to the bile duct, some pass through the main pancreatic duct to branch pancreatic ducts, causing pancreatic disorders [3]. Invasion of the pancreas may result in pancreatitis. Two mechanisms have been proposed by which C. sinensis causes pancreatitis: mechanical obstruction resulting in chemical stimuli by the mixture of the stagnant pancreatic fluid and the metabolites produced by C. sinensis, or inflammation and fibrosis caused by C. sinensis resulting in a back-current of bile into the pancreatic duct [5].

There have been few reports on the association between clonorchiasis and pancreatic neoplasms. A case of pancreatic adenocarcinoma associated with C. sinensis has been reported [4], while cases of clonorchiasiscombined pancreatic MCN have not. In the former reports, an ultrasonogram showed marked dilatation of the intrahepatic and extrahepatic bile ducts. Biopsies of the pancreatic lesion revealed well differentiated ductal adenocarcinoma, but C. sinensis was detected in the common bile duct. Therefore, a direct association between pancreatic adenocarcinoma and C. sinensis could not be proven. However, in this case, C. sinensis was present in a mucinous cystadenoma, suggesting an association between this parasite and MCN. Although parasitic mechanical irritation and chemical injury may be involved in the pathogenesis of pancreatic mucinous cystadenoma by inducing molecular changes, similar to clonorchiasis-associated cholangiocarcinoma, we could not determine pancreatic ductal dilation and inflammatory changes, representing mechanical obstruction, and parasitic irritations. Therefore, we concluded that C. sinensis was associated with pancreatic mucinous neoplasm.


Karl Popper--The Formative Years 1902-1945: Politics and Philosophy in Interwar Vienna. Malachi Haim Hacohen. Cambridge University Press, 2000. pp. xiii, 610, $54.00 (hardcover), ISBN 0-521-47053-6. Malachi Hacohen's biography of Karl Popper is in many ways an extraordinary book. Although Popper is one of the most well-known philosophers of the twentieth century--even most economists have some idea who he was and roughly what he said about scientific knowledge--no serious intellectual biography was available until the publication of Hachoen's book. There have been a few precis volumes, some collections of critical papers, a number of interpretative monographs on particular aspects of Popperian philosophy, and of course Popper's own Autobiography, but there was no in-depth general biography of his life and work. Hacohen's book is not only unique, it is extremely careful, quite detailed, and very well-written. It is clearly a very important contribution to the literature; not only the literature on the philosophy of Karl Popper, but also the Vienna Circle, positivism, Red Vienna, the interpenetration of philosophy and politics, European Jewish intellectual culture in the interwar period, and a host of othe r subjects. Many of the things that have been written about Popper--particularly by those of us who have discussed the relationship between Popper's philosophy of science and economics--will need to be revised in light of this book. One of Hacohen's goals is simply to provide a philosophically substantive and historically accurate biography of the first half of Popper's life, but, like all biographers, the author also has specific arguments to make about Popper, his political and philosophical views, and the interpretations of others. While there are far too many such arguments to discuss them all in a short review, let me just mention the three that seem most prominent. The first is the philosophical argument that Popper never endorsed either foundationalism or positivism, and that his anti-positivist and anti-foundationalist philosophy offered (and continues to offer) a viable rationalist middle-ground between foundationalism-essentialism on one hand, and postmodernist-relativism on the other. A second, but equally important theme, is Hacohen's position regarding the role/commitments of the assimilated Jewish intelligentsia in interwar European intellectual and political life, particularly in Vienna. Finally, but again equally importan t, Hacohen offers a sustained argument about Popper's politics--particularly his socialism--how it has been misrepresented (even by Popper himself), and how, once properly understood, Popper's position provides an effective and appealing political philosophy for our times: "By historicizing Popper, I hope to recover the legacy of progressive and socialist Vienna for the post-cold war world" (p. 6). I will briefly discuss each of these three arguments. Neither the claim that Popper was a conventionalist about the empirical basis of science (that empirical basic statements are not "ultimate foundations" or "given by objective nature," but rather decisions made by members of the scientific community), nor the argument that Popper's philosophy of science was nonfoundationalist and demystifying while also being committed to progress and the growth of scientific knowledge, is a reading of Popper's philosophy that is unique to Hacohen. It is an interpretation that is widely accepted within the Popperian philosophical literature. It is not, it might be noted, the way that Popper is generally viewed among economists who endorse a Popperian methodology for economic science--Popperian economists generally subscribe to what Hacohen calls the legend of the positivist Popper (p. 424)--but it is certainly the way that most Popperians, and other careful readers, interpret Popper's philosophy of natural science. Where Hacohen goes beyond this standard reading is in his ins istence that Popper's nonfoundationalist philosophy of science was in direct competition with, and in many ways was much more successful than, the anti-foundationalism of Otto Neurath: a positivist view that has recently been reexamined by Cartwright et al. …


Since December 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused people around the world to exercise social distancing, which has led to an abrupt rise in the adoption of remote communications for working, socializing, and learning from home. As remote communications will outlast the pandemic, it is crucial to protect users' security and respect their privacy in this unprecedented setting, and that requires a thorough understanding of their behaviors, attitudes, and concerns toward various aspects of remote communications. To this end, we conducted an online study with 220 worldwide Prolific participants. We found that privacy and security are among the most frequently mentioned factors impacting participants' attitude and comfort level with conferencing tools and meeting locations. Open-ended responses revealed that most participants lacked autonomy when choosing conferencing tools or using microphone/webcam in their remote meetings, which in several cases contradicted their personal privacy and security preferences. Based on our findings, we distill several recommendations on how employers, educators, and tool developers can inform and empower users to make privacy-protective decisions when engaging in remote communications. © is held by the author/owner. Permission to make digital or hard copies of all or part of this work for personal or classroom use is granted without fee. USENIX Symposium on Usable Privacy and Security (SOUPS) 2021.


We analyze the optimal investment strategy of a firm that can complete a project either in one stage at a single freely chosen time point or in incremental steps at distinct time points. The presence of economies of scale gives rise to the following trade-off: lumpy investment has a lower total cost, but stepwise investment gives more flexibility by letting the firm choose the timing individually for each stage. Our main question is how uncertainty in market development affects this trade-off. The answer is unambiguous and in contrast with a conventional real-options intuition: higher uncertainty makes the single-stage investment more attractive relative to the more flexible stepwise investment strategy.


At the blood-brain barrier, P-glycoprotein, an ATP-driven drug efflux pump, selectively limits drug access to the brain parenchyma, impeding pharmacotherapy of a number of central nervous system (CNS) disorders. We previously used confocal imaging to demonstrate in isolated rat brain capillaries that endothelin-1 (ET-1), acting through an ETB receptor, NO synthase, and protein kinase C, rapidly and reversibly reduces P-glycoprotein transport function. In this study, we define a link between the brain's innate immune response and functional regulation of P-glycoprotein. We show that exposing brain capillaries to the inflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), activated a TNF-R1 receptor, released ET-1, activated ETB receptor signaling, and essentially abolished P-glycoprotein-mediated transport. Bacterial lipopolysaccharide, a potent activator of the brain's innate immune response, reduced P-glycoprotein activity through TNF-α release, ET-1 release, and ETB receptor signaling. TNF-α and LPS effects had a rapid onset (minutes), were reversible, and did not involve changes in tight junctional permeability. These findings define a signaling pathway through which P-glycoprotein activity is acutely modulated. They show that this key component of the selective/active blood-brain barrier is an early target of cytokine signaling during the innate immune response and suggest ways to manipulate the barrier for improved CNS pharmacotherapy.


Teaching Speaking A Holistic Approach brings together theoretical and pedagogical perspectives on teaching speaking within a coherent methodological framework. The framework combines understandings derived from several areas of speaking research and instruction including cognitive and affective processes, oracy for thinking and learning communicative competence, discourse theories, task-based language learning, and self-regulated learning. By explaining, interpreting, evaluating, and synthesizing these diverse perspectives from linguistics and language learning, the text offers a comprehensive and versatile approach for teaching speaking. Samples of authentic classroom data are used for illustrating important concepts to help readers see how theoretical perspectives can be applied in practice. It also includes a pedagogical model for sequencing learning activities with concrete guidelines on planning and conducting speaking lessons. Different types of learning tasks are explained and illustrated with examples, and each chapter includes short tasks and ends with a number of tasks that enable readers to extend their ideas.


Particle size, shape, density, chemical composition and moisture content are essential characteristics that determine the ability of powder to flow. These factors are mainly affected by powder production technology. Various powder flowability measurements methods such as angle of repose, avalanche angle, compressibility index, flowmeters, bed expansion ratio, capillary tube and shear test were intensively reviewed. The shear test method was found to provide more flowability properties such as angle of internal friction, cohesion, flow function and kinematic wall of friction than other methods. However, studies in titanium powder flowability have only been conducted using dynamic angle of repose and flowmeter revealing an existing knowledge gap that calls for more research.  2014 Trade Science Inc. INDIA


Existing approaches to multirobot coordination separate scheduling and task allocation, but finding the optimal schedule with joint tasks and spatial constraints requires robots to simultaneously solve the scheduling, task allocation, and path planning problems. We present a formal description of the multirobot joint task allocation problem with heterogeneous capabilities and spatial constraints and an instantiation of the problem for the search and rescue domain. We introduce a novel declarative framework for modeling the problem as a mixed integer linear programming (MILP) problem and present a centralized anytime algorithm with error bounds. We demonstrate that our algorithm can outperform standard MILP solving techniques, greedy heuristics, and a market based approach which separates scheduling and task allocation.


In the paper, we consider the problem of link prediction in time-evolving graphs. We assume that certain graph features, such as the node degree, follow a vector autoregressive (VAR) model and we propose to use this information to improve the accuracy of prediction. Our strategy involves a joint optimization procedure over the space of adjacency matrices and VAR matrices which takes into account both sparsity and low rank properties of the matrices. Oracle inequalities are derived and illustrate the trade-offs in the choice of smoothing parameters when modeling the joint effect of sparsity and low rank property. The estimate is computed efficiently using proximal methods through a generalized forward-backward agorithm.


Premix membrane emulsification is a gentle process for producing nanoemulsions, i.e., for pharmaceutical purposes. The operating time of common membranes is short today, because of their fragility, membrane fouling and poor cleanability. In contrast, superalloy membranes are cleansable because of their high mechanical strength as well as high chemical and thermal resistances and therefore, could achieve clearly longer operating times. Their usability for premix membrane emulsification is investigated in this study. Different flow rates of the premix emulsion were tested up to 21 cycles with a small-scale extruder, three different nanoporous superalloy membrane structures have been tested in comparison to a common polymer membrane. Varying the two-phase-structure (γ- and γ′-phase) of superalloy bulk material through thermal or thermo-mechanical treatments and chemical extraction of either one of the phases, different membrane microstructures could be obtained. These membranes differ in pore size, pore structure, and porosity, resulting in different flow resistances, droplet sizes and droplet size distributions in the investigated premix membrane emulsification process. Emulsions with droplet sizes in the desired range of 100 to 500 nm and with acceptable droplet size distributions were achieved. Data display an improved process stability for superalloy membranes, however, special attention needs to be paid towards narrow droplet size distributions.


Urinary tract infections (UTIs) occur predominantly in females but also affect substantial male patient populations; indeed, morbidity in complicated UTI is higher in males. Because of technical obstacles, preclinical modeling of UTI in male mice has been limited. We devised a minimally invasive surgical bladder inoculation technique that yields reproducible upper and lower UTI in both male and female mice, enabling studies of sex differences in these infections. Acute uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) cystitis in C57BL/6 and C3H/HeN males recapitulated the intracellular bacterial community pathway previously shown in females. However, surgically infected females of these strains exhibited more robust bladder cytokine responses and more efficient UPEC control than males. Compared with females, C3H/HeN males displayed a striking predilection for chronic cystitis, manifesting as persistent bacteriuria, high-titer bladder bacterial burdens, and chronic inflammation. Furthermore, males developed more severe pyelonephritis and 100% penetrant renal abscess (a complication that is rare in female mice). These phenotypes were sharply abrogated after castration but restored with exogenous testosterone, suggesting that male susceptibility to UTI is strongly influenced by androgen exposure. These data substantiate the long-standing presumption that anatomic differences in urogenital anatomy confer protection from UTI in males; however, as clinically observed, male sex associated with more severe UTI once these traditional anatomic barriers were bypassed. This study introduces a highly tractable preclinical model for interrogating sex differences in UTI susceptibility and pathogenesis, and illuminates an interplay between host sex and UTI that is more complex than previously appreciated.


Objectives: The purpose of this study is to investigate changes of the marker compounds and anti-inflammatory effect of Gamisoyo-san decoction (GMSYS) depending on storage temperature and periods. Methods: GMSYS was stored at room temperature or refrigeration for 12 months. According to storage temperature and periods, pH and sugar content of GMSYS were measured. To determine the marker compounds of GMSYS, high-performance liquid chromatography analysis was performed. To estimate the anti-inflammatory effect of GMSYS, LPS-induced pro-inflammatory mediators and cytokines were measured in RAW 264.7 cells. Results: There was no change in pH and sugar content depending on storage temperature and periods of GMSYS. The contents of gallic acid and mangiferin in both of room temperature and refrigerated decoctions reduced with increasing storage periods. Chlorogenic acid was time-dependently decreased in case of stored at room temperature. GMSYS significantly inhibited the LPS-induced production of nitric oxide, prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and IL-6 in RAW 264.7 cells. These effects equally maintained up to 3 months at both of room temperature and refrigeration. Since 4 months, the inhibitory effect of GMSYS on LPS-induced PGE2 production was time-dependently reduced, and the decrease in PGE2 inhibitory effect of decoction stored at refrigeration was lower than that of stored at room temperature. Conclusions: Our results indicate that the anti-inflammatory effect of GMSYS are maintained up to 12 months, but it shows optimal efficacy up to 3 months. It is recommended to store in a refrigeration for short periods since some components decrease as storage periods becomes longer.


Knowledge of the 3He(3He,2p)4He reaction is important for understanding stellar burning and solar neutrino production. Previous measurements have found a surprisingly large rise in the cross section at low energies that could be due to a low-energy resonance in the 3He + 3He (6Be) system or electron screening. In the 6Be nucleus, however, no excited states have been observed above the first 2+ state at Ex = 1.67 MeV up to 23 MeV, even though several are expected. The 2H(7Be,3H)6Be reaction has been studied for the first time to search for resonances in the 6Be nucleus that may affect our understanding of the 3He(3He,2p)4He reaction. A 100-MeV radioactive 7Be beam from the Holifield Radioactive Ion Beam Facility (HRIBF) was used to bombard CD2 targets, and tritons were detected by using the silicon detector array (SIDAR). A combination of reaction mechanisms appears to be necessary to explain the observed triton energy spectrum.


This essay examines the visual propaganda produced by the popular radical movement in the 1790s, chiefly in London. It examines examples of caricatures, especially those by Richard Newton, the token coinage mainly produced by Thomas Spence, the mock play-bills printed by Richard 'Citizen' Lee and others, and the portraiture of contemporary radical leaders and heroes published by or on behalf of the movement. It discusses the effectiveness of these as radical propaganda, but its main concern is to ask why the movement seems to have been so little interested in developing a visual culture commensurate with its varied and voluminous literary culture. It looks for the answer chiefly in what it suggests may have been a strong distrust of the visual among popular radicals, and a concern that to exploit the resources of the comic and the grotesque in visual propaganda would have made the movement appear less high-minded, less polite, and easier to despise and dismiss.


A modified multihop ShuffleNet configuration for WDM all-optical networks is described which is rearrangeable and allows wavelength reuse at each node as it expands. This configuration does not require any rearrangement of preceding node and wavelength assignments when new nodes and wavelengths are added and it can function with fewer overall number of nodes. By comparison, the traditional Perfect ShuffleNet requires a large number of nodes to be available for any updating of the configuration. Most of these nodes remain idle during the normal signal routing process leading to reduced network link capacity. Furthermore, to facilitate wavelength reuse when updating, the Perfect ShuffleNet necessitates the rearrangement of preceding node and wavelength assignments. This leads to generalized forms of ShuffleNet where wavelength reuse forces network architecture into irregular topologies. The modified ShuffleNet proposed here is capable of facilitating wavelength reuse without the modification of initial node and wavelength assignments and could be realised by using a star topology.


Arizona became the nation s 48th state in 1912 and since that time the Arizona constitution has served as the template by which the state is governed. Toni McClory s "Understanding the Arizona Constitution" has offered insight into the inner workings and interpretations of the document and the government that it established for almost a decade. Since the book s first publication, significant constitutional changes have occurred, some even altering the very structure of state government itself. There have been dramatic veto battles, protracted budget wars, and other interbranch conflicts that have generated landmark constitutional rulings from the state courts. The new edition of this handy reference addresses many of the latest issues, including legislative term limits, Arizona s new redistricting system, educational issues, like the controversial school voucher program, and the influence of special-interest money in the legislature. A total of 63 propositions have reached the ballot, spawning heated controversies over same-sex marriage, immigration, and other hot-button social issues. This book is the definitive guide to Arizona government and serves as a solid introductory text for classes on the Arizona Constitution. Extensive endnotes make it a useful reference for professionals within the government. Finally, it serves as a tool for any engaged citizen looking for information about online government resources, administrative rules, and voter rights. Comprehensive and clearly written, this book belongs on every Arizonan s bookshelf."


Mobile agents represent a secure technology. Mobile active computational entities introduce peculiar problems in the coordination of distributed application components. The paper surveys several coordination models for mobile agent applications. On this base, the paper presents the MARS system, a coordination tool for Java-based mobile agents. MARS defines Linda-like tuple spaces that can be programmed to react with specific actions to the accesses made by mobile agents. Several examples in the context of a WWW information retrieval application show the effectiveness of the MARS approach.


Victim Offender Reconciliation Program (VORP) is a special mode of conflict resolution between victims and offenders. It has appeals to both parties. Face-to-face encounter is the essence of the VORP process. Mediation and reconci-liation make offenders accountable and responsible for their criminal acts and also committed to recompense their victims' damages. In turn, the process is expected to reduce reoffending among the participating offenders. This study compares the impact of a VORP for juveniles and adults in Elkhart County, Indiana. This post-adjudication restitution program is operated by the Center for Community Justice - a private agency. Data were collected on the participating offenders from July, 1989 to June, 1990 (fiscal year of the Center); then, they were followed through the end of June, 1992 (2 year follow-up) for recidivism reports. In this study, the 'impact' of the VORP was measured in terms of offender compliance with restitution contracts and offender recidivism.


SUMMARY 1. Dispersal ability is an important ecological factor that can influence population structure. In an attempt to determine the extent that the pattern of genetic differentiation is correlated with dispersal ability in stream-dwelling aquatic insects, we used the amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) technique to characterise genetic variation in four aquatic insect species: Gumaga griseola (Trichoptera: Sericostomatidae), Helicopsyche mexicana (Trichoptera: Helicopsychidae), Psephenus montanus (Coleoptera: Psephenidae) and Ambrysus thermarum (Hemiptera: Naucoridae). Individuals were sampled from several sites within two adjacent catchments in the Arizona White Mountains. In addition to the genetic analyses, a 20-week-long trapping study was used to determine the relative dispersal ability of adults of the four species examined.

2. We obtained hierarchical indicators of genetic differentiation for catchments, sites within catchments and sites across the region examined. Overall, average estimators of genetic differentiation (F-statistics) were consistent with direct observations of organismal movement, although it was our direct observations on adult insect flight that permitted us to interpret our results correctly. This was because of the fact that a lack of genetic differentiation across watersheds can be interpreted in two ways.

3. In contrast to F-statistics, patterns of genetic isolation by distance for each species more clearly reflected dispersal ability, suggesting that such analytical approaches provide less ambiguous information about the importance of gene flow in the hierarchical partitioning of genetic variation in stream organisms.


The present study deals with the diabetic neuropathies prevailing in the male population. In this investigation 100 insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) and 314 non insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) patients with and without an objective evidence of neuropathy, having the age span in between 15 to 80 years and the duration of diabetes distributed over 1-33 years were included along with their age matched non diabetic controls. The diabetic subjects were evaluated for the incidence of erectile impotence, induction of erectile responses, semen composition serum and urinary levels of pituitary-gonadal hormones, residual urine retention, gastric emptying time, penile nerve conduction velocities and penile brachial index. The largest correlation of the incidence of erectile impotence (about 80%) was found in both IDDM and NIDDM patients having symptomatic autonomic neuropathy. Similarly investigation of induction of erectile responses to erotic stimulation by film and fantasy revealed stricking results in diabetic patients having established neuropathy. Both IDDM and NIDDM patients with neuropathy exhibited a highly significant decrease (p<0.0005) in penile diameter and length, penile arterial pulse amplitude, both systolic and diastolic blood pressures and heart rate from the controls of the same age group. However both IDDM and NIDDM patients with out neuropathy showed a non significant difference in the above mentioned parameters than their respective control subjects. A non significant association of induction of erectile responses to erotic stimulations among IDDM and NIDDM patients with and without neuropathy was also observed, thus suggesting that impotence and altered erectile responses are likely to be associated with an increased frequency to autonomic neuropathy in these patients irrespective of their type of diabetes.

Results of semen analysis showed a highly significant increase (P<0.0005) in total sperm out put and sperm concentration in both IDDM and NIDDM neuropathic diabetic men. On the other hand sperm motility, and semen volume were found to be about 30% and 60% less respectively in IDDM and NIDDM patients, where as sperm morphology and quality of sperm motility remained unaffected. A comparison between IDDM and non neuropathic and non neuropathic diabetic groups further indicated a non significant difference in the parameters of semen analysis thus suggesting an endocrine basis for che sexual disturbances of diabetic neuropathy and that the testicular hypofunction in these patients can not be regarded as an indefinable complication to the vascular disease. A significant rise in total sperm out put in both IDDM and NIDDM neuropathic diabetic patients and a significant decrease in semen volume in both types of diabetic neuropathic patients thus suggests some kind of leydig cell hyperplasia which in turn may stimulate spermatogenesis and atonia of the bladder and urethera resulting retrograde ejaculation.

Results of pituitary-gonadal hormonal studies have shown strikingly low levels of serum and urinary testosterone (P<0.0005), and significantly high levels of serum and urinary FSH & LH and serum prolactin (P<0.0005) in both IDDM and NIDDM neuropathic diabetic patients. These results suggest some kind of gonadal disorder (Hypogonadotropic hypogonadism ?) in these patients probably due to neuropathy.

Ultrasonographic studies of the measurement of residual urine (R.U) showed a significant residual volume in both IDDM and NIDDM patients and a generalized massive hypotonia of bladder was found to be established. These results revealed that the occurrence of neurogenic b1adder was found to be in a significant association (P<0.00l) with periphera neuropathy. Amongst the manifestations of autonomic neuropathy, only impotence (P<0.0l), and decreased pupil motility (P<0.05) were observed in both IDDM and NIDDM patients having neurogenic bladder while orthostatic hypotepension was found only in NIDDM patients with neurogenic bladder.

For the study of gastric emptying in diabetics, 12 patients were selected. Amongst those 3 were excluded due to diabetics (Both neuropathic and non neuropathic) showed a loss of differentiation in between the movement of liquid and solid markers. In addition, gastric emptying time was very significantly increased (P<0.00l) in the diabetic patients as compared to normal during 120 minutes of scanning period after the meals thus suggesting an abnormality of antral peristalsis in the diabetic patients without stasis, not attributable to vagal denervation. Both intravenous and oral metoclopramide produced symptomatic improvement in two patients with gastric stasis and restored solid and liquid emptying in the diabetics. These results suggest that metochlopromide may be helpful in the clinical management of gastric stasis in the diabetics.

Neuro physiological studies in diabetic neuropathic patients exhibited a significant slowness (P<0.0005) of nerve conduction velocity of dorsal nerve of penis. The penile brachial index indicated an impaired electrical activity in diabetics owing perhaps to multiple etiologies with a penile/pudendal neuropathic condition as one of the several causes


Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) surveillance is associated with early tumor detection and improved survival in patients with cirrhosis; however, effectiveness is limited by underuse. We compared the effectiveness of mailed outreach and patient navigation strategies to increase HCC surveillance in a racially diverse cohort of patients with cirrhosis. We conducted a pragmatic randomized clinical trial comparing mailed outreach for screening ultrasound (n = 600), mailed outreach plus patient navigation (n = 600), or usual care with visit‐based screening (n = 600) among 1800 patients with cirrhosis at a large safety‐net health system from December 2014 to March 2017. Patients who did not respond to outreach invitations within 2 weeks received reminder telephone calls. Patient navigation included an assessment of barriers to surveillance and encouragement of surveillance participation. The primary outcome was HCC surveillance (abdominal imaging every 6 months) over an 18‐month period. All 1800 patients were included in intention‐to‐screen analyses. HCC surveillance was performed in 23.3% of outreach/navigation patients, 17.8% of outreach‐alone patients, and 7.3% of usual care patients. HCC surveillance was 16.0% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 12.0%‐20.0%) and 10.5% (95% CI: 6.8%‐14.2%) higher in outreach groups than usual care (P < 0.001 for both) and 5.5% (95% CI: 0.9%‐10.1%) higher for outreach/navigation than outreach alone (P = 0.02). Both interventions increased HCC surveillance across predefined patient subgroups. The proportion of HCC patients detected at an early stage did not differ between groups; however, a higher proportion of patients with screen‐detected HCC across groups had early‐stage tumors than those with HCC detected incidentally or symptomatically (83.3% versus 30.8%, P = 0.003). Conclusion: Mailed outreach invitations and navigation significantly increased HCC surveillance versus usual care in patients with cirrhosis.


While the construction of architecture has a place in architectural discourse, its destruction, generally seen as incompatible with the very idea of "culture," has been neglected in theoretical and historical discussion. Responding to this neglect, Herscher examines the case of the former Yugoslavia and in particular, Kosovo, where targeting architecture has been a prominent dimension of political violence. Rather than interpreting violence against architecture as a mere representation of "deeper" social, political, or ideological dynamics, Herscher reveals it to be a form of cultural production, irreducible to its contexts and formative of the identities and agencies that seemingly bear on it as causes. Focusing on the particular sites where violence is inflicted and where its subjects and objects are articulated, the book traces the intersection of violence and architecture from socialist modernization, through ethnic and nationalist conflict, to postwar reconstruction.


During the spring of 1998, measurements of total albedos, spectral albedos and ice transparency were made on coastal fast ice in the Gulf of Finland, Baltic Sea, to produce values for models, to compare instruments and to test a new method for measuring under ice irradiance. The broadband albedos between 400 and 700 nm varied between 0.19 and 0.76, and those between 300 and 1,100 nm were from 0.16 to 0.75. The condition of the surface, and especially the presence of liquid water or snow, was the most important factor affecting the albedos, but also the cloudcover and forest shading had an effect. The diffuse attenuation coefficient integrated over the range 400 to 700 nm was 6.8 m -1 . Spectral albedos were weakly dependent on wavelength in the visible band (300-800 nm) decreasing in the longer wavelengths. The albedo results were in good agreement with earlier observations.


Lampreys are one of the two surviving groups of the agnathan (jawless) stages in vertebrate evolution and are thus ideal candidates for elucidating the evolution of visual systems. This study investigated the retinal amino acid neurochemistry of the southern hemisphere lamprey Geotria australis during the downstream migration of the young, recently-metamorphosed juveniles to the sea and during the upstream migration of the fully-grown and sexually-maturing adults to their spawning areas. Glutamate and taurine were distributed throughout the retina, whilst GABA and glycine were confined to neurons of the inner retina matching patterns seen in most other vertebrates. Glutamine and aspartate immunoreactivity was closely matched to Müller cell morphology. Between the migratory phases, few differences were observed in the distribution of major neurotransmitters i.e. glutamate, GABA and glycine, but changes in amino acids associated with retinal metabolism i.e. glutamine and aspartate, were evident. Taurine immunoreactivity was mostly conserved between migrant stages, consistent with its role in primary cell functions such as osmoregulation. Further investigation of glutamate signalling using the probe agmatine (AGB) to map cation channel permeability revealed entry of AGB into photoreceptors and horizontal cells followed by accumulation in inner retinal neurons. Similarities in AGB profiles between upstream and downstream migrant of G. australis confirmed the conservation of glutamate neurotransmission. Finally, calcium binding proteins, calbindin and calretinin were localized to the inner retina whilst recoverin was localized to photoreceptors. Overall, conservation of major amino acid neurotransmitters and calcium-associated proteins in the lamprey retina confirms these elements as essential features of the vertebrate visual system. On the other hand, metabolic elements of the retina such as neurotransmitter precursor amino acids and Müller cells are more sensitive to environmental changes associated with migration.


This article scrutinizes invasive cyber business practices and advocates passage of the proposed European Union right to erasure. The proposed regulation would prevent the indefinite storage and trade in electronic data, placing limits on the duration and purpose for which businesses could retain it. Currently in the United States, anyone transmitting personal content on the Internet has minimal control over its future uses by vendors and third parties. While businesses have legitimate reasons to use data in their day-to-day operations, a statutorily defined expiration period is necessary to preserve the data subjects' dignitary and autonomy rights. Consumer oriented legislation should prevent indiscriminate capitalization in data initially divulged for specific transactions, such as making purchases or engaging in social networking, but later bundled by third parties for unrelated purposes.Part I of this article describes the many forms of data mining that organizations engage in to track on-line and off-line behaviors. The practices are particularly pervasive on social media, which present themselves as platforms for interpersonal communications but also market and trade personal profiles to third parties. Subjects retain little control once they have posted their data, even if they bethink the decision to make information public. Part II evaluates how Internet architecture leaves personal data vulnerable to snooping and surveillance. Part III elaborates on European data regulations and compares them to current United States self-help controls. It further argues for adoption of the EU's right to erasure initiative and discusses the likelihood of its enforcement in the United States.


We present SEREN, a new hybrid Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics and N-body code designed to simulate astrophysical processes such as star and planet formation. It is written in Fortran 95/2003 and has been parallelised using OpenMP. SEREN is designed in a flexible, modular style, thereby allowing a large number of options to be selected or disabled easily and without compromising performance. SEREN uses the conservative "grad-h" formulation of SPH, but can easily be configured to use traditional SPH or Godunov SPH. Thermal physics is treated either with a barotropic equation of state, or by solving the energy equation and modelling the transport of cooling radiation. A Barnes-Hut tree is used to obtain neighbour lists and compute gravitational accelerations efficiently, and an hierarchical time-stepping scheme is used to reduce the number of computations per timestep. Dense gravitationally bound objects are replaced by sink particles, to allow the simulation to be evolved longer, and to facilitate the identification of protostars and the compilation of stellar and binary properties. At the termination of a hydrodynamical simulation, SEREN has the option of switching to a pure N-body simulation, using a 4th-order Hermite integrator, and following the ballistic evolution of the sink particles (e.g. to determine the final binary statistics once a star cluster has relaxed). We describe in detail all the algorithms implemented in SEREN and we present the results of a suite of tests designed to demonstrate the fidelity of SEREN and its performance and scalability.


Aims. We investigate the non-Local Thermodynamic Equilibrium (non-LTE) line formation of neutral carbon in late-type stars in order to remove some of the potential systematic errors in stellar abundance analyses employing C i features. Methods. The statistical equilibrium code MULTI was used on a grid of plane-parallel 1D MARCS atmospheric models. Results. Within the parameter space explored, the high-excitation C i lines studied are stronger in non-LTE due to the combined effect of line source function drop and increased line opacity due to overpopulation of the lower level for the transitions considered; the relative importance of the two effects depends on the particular combination of Teff ,l ogg ,[ Fe/H] and [C/Fe] and on the analysed C i line. As a consequence, the non-LTE abundance corrections are negative and can be substantially so, for example ∼−0.4 dex in halo turn-off stars at [Fe/H] ∼− 3. The magnitude of the non-LTE corrections is rather insensitive to whether inelastic H collisions are included or not. Conclusions. Our results have implications on studies of nucleosynthetic processes and on Galactic chemical evolution models. When applying our calculated corrections to recent observational data, the upturn in [C/O] at low metallicity might still be present (thus apparently still necessitating contributions from massive Pop. III stars for the carbon production), but at a lower level and possibly with a rather shallow trend of ∼−0. 2d ex/dex below [O/H] ∼− 1.


Much research within the noncritical perspective on the public sphere has been quantitative. To strengthen the argument for an ideologically disinterested approach to the study of publicity and counterpublicity, we use ethnomethodological discourse analysis to analyze how far-right movements claim counterpublicity, or "do being a counterpublic." Specifically, we study the U.S. pundit Alex Jones and a prayer meeting of South Korean Evangelical Christians. For each, we considered how they created a shared discourse and attempted to change mainstream discourse while claiming being marginalized and different from the mainstream. Across these two case studies, the strategies for "doing being a counterpublic" are similar, even though they use different organizing symbols—conspiracy in the U.S. versus religion in Korea. These case studies show that the functionalist perspective yields benefits to understanding how publicity and counterpublicity are negotiated among various groups of activist citizens.


Abstract:The prominent classicist and educator Yu Yue (1821–1907) argued, often doggedly, on behalf of the worth and relevance of the examination essay (specifically the eight-legged essay or bagu), to the extent of even producing a popular essay primer as late as the 1880s. This article charts some of the twists and turns of his intellectual odyssey from youthful practitioner to the author of model essays for his grandson (who placed third [tanhua 探花] in the palace examinations of 1898) and then to his elegy for the essay when the examination system was discontinued in 1905. The author argues Yu's attempts to salvage the essay's rapidly eroding prestige sprang from far more than a mere sentimental attachment. Yu considered the essay one of the last vestiges of the cultural and ideological institutions that he credits with imbuing literati youth with the basic values of Confucian civilization, especially both moral fastidiousness and intellectual acuity, and he foresaw chaos should it be abandoned. While his repeated pleas in favor of retaining bagu failed to turn the tide that eventually brought about its demise, his defense of the essay reflects a relatively clear-eyed, even insightful assessment of both its virtues and its flaws, especially in relation to the Westernizing trends of the late Qing.


Building Resilience with Appreciative Inquiry
 A Leadership Journey through Hope, Despair, and ForgivenessAs a leader, you have work that is complex, full of ups and downs. Your ability to be resilient—to pick yourself up after setbacks and keep on going no matter the challenges—is critical not only to successful leadership but also to fostering teams, generating collaboration, and igniting your organization. In this breakthrough book, veteran consultants Joan McArthur-Blair and Jeanie Cockell show that Appreciative Inquiry can be an invaluable tool to build that resilience.

 Appreciative Inquiry is a time-tested, highly effective, and widely used change method that emphasizes identifying what's working well in a system and building on those strengths. Originating in the 1980s, it's been responsible for dramatic results in every conceivable type of organization.

 Using the authors' Appreciative Resilience model, leaders can use AI to increase their ability to weather the storms they'll inevitably face and come out stronger. A profoundly practical guide, this book features first-person accounts from leaders in all kinds of settings and situations describing how they've used AI concepts to increase their resilience, as well as a detailed description of the exercises and practices the authors use in their Appreciative Resilience Workshop.

 McArthur-Blair and Cockell believe that the core of resilience is the interplay among despair, hope, and forgiveness. Every leader experiences despair in those moments when there is no clear path forward. Maintaining hope that a better future is possible enables leaders to keep going. And forgiveness, of one's own shortcomings and those of others, helps leaders move from despair to hope. AI's focus on the best of what is and using that to generate the future makes it a particularly powerful aid and ally on this journey.


Summer party of the 31st Japanese Antarctic Research Experdition (JARE-31) carried out maintenance of automatic meteorological stations, glaciological observation, and drilling test for"Antarctic Climate Research (ACR)" project from late December 1989 to January 1990 around the Soer Rondane Mountains region. This party is constituted by four glaciologists includingtwo Belgian observers and one JARE-30 member.Three prototypes of electromechanical ice drill for deep core sampling using antifreezing liquid were successfully tested on a bare glacier at Jenningsbreen. On the same glacier, dynamicsof glacier movement were studied by Belgian observers. Mass balance measurement were conducted on Goosenbreen of Brattnipane.Two helicopters were employed for geological and topographical survey in the Soer Rondane region, so that we were able to fly to Nansenisen, south of Soer Rondane, and to obtainsurface bare ice within dust band (volcanic ash?).


In order to mitigate negative effects from traffic it has been decided that infrastructure charges in the European Union (EU) should be based on short run marginal costs. The Swedish Parliament has legislated that operators in the Swedish railway infrastructure must pay charges based on short run marginal social costs in order to mitigate externalities in railway infrastructure. Internalization of the social cost of noise is of particular interest, since it is the only environmental problem perceived as more troublesome today than in the early 1990s. Inclusion of a noise component in rail infrastructure charges raises two issues: (i) the monetary evaluation of noise abatement, since noise is a non-market good, and (ii) the estimation of the effect on the noise level that one extra train will create. Regarding the latter, we are interested in the marginal noise, since infrastructure charges based on the short-run marginal cost principle should be based on the effect from the marginal train, not the noise level itself. Using already existing knowledge, this study shows that it is possible to implement a noise component in the rail infrastructure charges. The values that are used today to estimate the social cost of noise exposure in cost benefit analysis can also be used to calculate the marginal cost. We recommend, however, that further research be carried out in order to get more robust estimates based on railway traffic. We also show that the existing noise estimation models can easily be modified to estimate the marginal noise. Noise infrastructure charges give the operators incentives to reduce their noise emissions. We believe that this kind of charge can be used to reduce overall emission levels to an optimal social level, but that it is important for the charge to be based on monetary estimates for rail-traffic and not road-traffic.


Background Although racism is increasingly acknowledged as a determinant of health, few studies have examined the relationship between racism, housing and child health outcomes. Methods Cross-sectional data from the Housing Improvement and Child Health study collected in ten remote indigenous communities in the Northern Territory, Australia were analysed using hierarchical logistic regression. Carer and householder self-reported racism was measured using a single item and child illness was measured using a carer report of common childhood illnesses. A range of confounders, moderators and mediators were considered, including socio-demographic and household composition, psychosocial measures for carers and householders, community environment, and health-related behaviour and hygienic state of environment. Results Carer self-reported racism was significantly associated with child illness in this sample after adjusting for confounders (OR 1.65; 95% CI 1.09 to 2.48). Carer negative affect balance was identified as a significant mediator of this relationship. Householder self-reported racism was marginally significantly associated with child illness in this sample after adjusting for confounders (OR 1.43; 95% CI 0.94 to 2.18, p=0.09). Householder self-reported drug use was identified as a significant mediator of this relationship. Conclusions Consistent with evidence from adult populations and children from other ethnic minorities, this study found that vicarious racism is associated with poor health outcomes among an indigenous child population.


This study is a linguistic exploration of Gestalt psychotherapy discourse. Since psychotherapy is an important institution with distinctive conversational features, studying psychotherapy discourse from a linguistic perspective has interested many linguists. Labov and Fanshel (1977), Ferrara (1994), Lakoff (2001a, 2001b), Kovecses (2001), and Tay (2003) examine psychotherapy discourse in a variety of approaches such as psychoanalysis and ego psychology (Labov and Fanshel). However, very little work has been done on examining only one approach to psychotherapy. Since each psychotherapy approach shapes the resulting discourse, certain observations and conclusions from the studies above do not fit within the context of Gestalt psychotherapy discourse. The current study incorporates aspects from studies such as frame analysis, and conceptual metaphor theory and also utilizes a perspective that has not been applied to psychotherapy discourse, that is, Ryan's (1980) principle of minimal departure and categories.

This study uses Labov and Fanshel's (1977) frames (the interview frame, the narrative frame and the family frame), for analysis. I have adapted the family frame and have expanded it into a novel frame, the contact frame with its corresponding style, contact style. Furthermore, I propose a novel corresponding narrative style to the contact frame, the here-and-now narrative style. In addition to frame analysis, possible world theory (specifically Ryan's (1980) principle of minimal departure and categories) is utilised to describe what linguistically occurs during Gestalt psychotherapy role-play. As far as I am aware, this is the first time Ryan's theory has been applied to psychotherapy discourse. Conceptual metaphor theory examines conceptual representations known as metaphors. Certain experiences may be too abstract to articulate with literal language, so metaphors make abstractions concrete, and this aids both the psychotherapist and client.

The purpose of this study is to describe how Gestalt psychotherapists consciously and unconsciously use language for a specific purpose, that is, to raise a client's awareness and to affect behavioural change. I believe this study can contribute to the linguistic understanding of the nature of Gestalt psychotherapy discourse, and consequently, add to our general understanding of discourse. Gestalt psychotherapists in training could also benefit from this project: as the mechanisms underlying psychotherapy discourse are further unveiled, trainees can more quickly acquire the skills to produce effective psychotherapy discourse.


Inappropriate cell death or cell survival can lead to various diseases, such as neurodegenerative disorders (excessive cell death) and cancer (excessive cell survival). MacKeigan et al. performed large-scale RNA interference (RNAi) screens using small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) transfected into cultured human cell lines to identify kinases and phosphatases involved in cell survival. The authors identified 73 kinases (11% of the kinases in HeLa cells) and 72 phosphatases (32% of the phosphatases in HeLa cells) as positively contributing to cell survival, based on an increase in markers for apoptotic cell death upon the knockdown of these proteins. The phosphatase siRNA library was also used to screen for phosphatases that attenuate cell death. HeLa cells were transfected with the phosphatase siRNAs and then also exposed to apoptosis-inducing pharmaceuticals (cisplatin, Taxol, etopside), and 12 phosphatases were identified that, when knocked down, conferred resistance to apoptosis. The RNAi screens were also used to identify kinases that, when knocked down, conferred an increased sensitivity to apoptosis-inducing drugs. Using this approach, it is possible to predict what combinations of chemotherapeutic agents may be most effective. The authors demonstrated that Taxol combined with the siRNA for SGK (serum and glucocorticoid-regulated kinase), the siRNA for the tyrosine kinase FER, the siRNA for CDK8 (cyclin-dependent kinase 8), or the siRNA for mTOR all increased cell death compared with the siRNA alone or the drug alone. This type of screen may lead to new combinations of therapies for cancers and can be applied to cell lines or cancers with different cell survival signaling pathways, thus allowing tailoring of the chemotherapy to the cancer. For example, the authors also tested for sensitization to apoptosis-inducing drugs in the breast carcinoma cell line BT474, which exhibits less sensitivity to survival kinase knockdown than do the HeLa cells. Indeed, Taxol synergized with siRNA for FER, JIK (JNK inhibitory kinase, also known as Ste20-like kinase), or PLK2 (Polo-like kinase 2) to promote cell death. Thus, this type of global genomic screen may serve to point to novel chemotherapeutic combination therapies with existing drugs, as well as to identify novel targets for regulating cell death. J. P. MacKeigan, L. O. Murphy, J. Blenis, Sensitized RNAi screen of human kinases and phosphatases identifies new regulators of apoptosis and chemoresistance. Nat. Cell Biol. 7, 591-600 (2005). [PubMed]


The 2nd South African Water, Energy and Food forum was held in Johannesburg on April 18 and 19. It was sponsored by heavyweight firms, Anglo American, Eskom, Exarro and Nedbank and was supported by the US Embassy and conceived and managed by the publishers, Gleason Publications, in partnership with Touchstone Resources.
This year the Forum central thesis was the Mega-Nexus, a term coined originally at the World Economic Forum, and which neatly encapsulates the overlapping relationship between these three elements so critical to the modern world.
The keynote speaker was Maggie Catley-Carlson, a former Canadian minister and diplomat, a holder of the Order of Canada, and one of the most respected contributors to high level debate among water scientists around the globe. The article which follows is her "report back" to various institutions and readers will note that she describes the South African initiative as being in the forefront of the international discussion.


The representation of the plan of the roof in heritage buildings often raises the problem of direct measurement, since the points are not accessible. We currently have a wide range of indirect measurement techniques that solve this problem, and enable data to be captured on a massive scale with high levels of accuracy. The article discusses the use of Close Range Photogrammetry for the constructive analysis of gothic vaults in Tortosa Cathedral. The methodology and results of the campaign are explained below, which used technological resources that are available to any professional. The computerized processing of the 3D model generated makes possible to identify and analyze the geometric anomalies in the masonry vaults. Thereby it is obtained an unparalleled basis that enables us to undertake a detailed study of the vaulting, which was previously impossible. The geometrical deviation patterns can be related with the historical data available about the construction process of the gothic apse, fulfilling the lack of information from direct sources of some periods.


Although "evidence" is often used as an important argument in persuasive health campaigns, it remains unclear what type of evidence has the strongest impact on particular outcome variables. We conducted a meta-analysis in which the effects of statistical and narrative evidence on beliefs, attitude, and intention were separately compared. Statistical evidence was found to have a stronger influence than narrative evidence on beliefs and attitude, whereas narrative evidence had a stronger influence on intention. We explain these findings in terms of the match between the specific characteristics of the two types of evidence and those of the outcome variables. Statistical evidence, beliefs, and attitude all relate primarily to cognitive responses, whereas both narrative evidence and intention relate more specifically to affective responses. We conclude that communication professionals developing health campaigns should match the type of evidence to the main communication objectives. This chapter is published as: Zebregs, S., van den Putte, B., Neijens, P., & de Graaf, A. (2015). The differential impact of statistical and narrative evidence on beliefs, attitude, and intention: A meta-analysis. Health Communication, 30, 282-289.


Gene manipulation has generated enormous discussion among various segments of the community. There is no certainty regarding the advantages and disadvantages of genetically modified organisms. This article gives an overview of the international stance regarding such organisms and deals specifically with aspects such as genetic engineering, an historical background of genetically modified organisms, the international application of these organisms, the international regulations regarding genetically modified organisms, a comparative study of the legislation dealing with them in various jurisdictions, including South Africa, and the labelling and public opinion in respect thereof.


Orthodox psychiatric texts are often rich in facts, but thin in concept. Depression may be defined as a dysfunction of mood, but of what use is a mood? How can anxiety be both symptom and adaptation to stress? What links the disparate disabilities of perception and reasoning in schizophrenia? Why does the same situation push one person into drink, drugs, danger, or despair and bounce harmlessly off another? Trouble in Mind is unorthodox because it models adaptive mental function along with mental illness to answer questions like these. From experience as a Johns Hopkins clinician, educator, and researcher, Dean F. MacKinnon offers a unique perspective on the nature of human anguish, unreason, disability, and self-destruction. He shows what mental illness can teach about the mind, from molecules to memory to motivation to meaning. MacKinnon's fascinating model of the mind as a vital function will enlighten anyone intrigued by the mysteries of thought, feeling, and behavior. Clinicians in training will especially appreciate the way mental illness can illuminate normal mental processes, as medical illness in general teaches about normal body functions. For students, the book also includes useful guides to psychiatric assessment and diagnosis.


The purpose of this thesis is to combine, in a new way, variables of financial
performance and sporting performance in professional football clubs to provide a new
measure of overall performance. Previous literature on the topic indicates that the
choice of variables used to measure sporting and financial performance has been
haphazard and inconsistent. Subsequently, this thesis devises and tests a model that
provides a new holistic measure of overall performance and can be used to evaluate the
performance of professional football clubs in England. The model was produced using
statistical analysis techniques to ensure that the correct variables were included and
weighting factors on each variable added a further robustness to the model. The model
is also timely in relation to new regulations throughout the European game such as
Financial Fair Play which aims to alleviate the debt problem across professional football
and encourage clubs to spend within their means.
The thesis concluded a number of findings in relation to English professional football
clubs since 1992. First, there has been a move towards utility maximisation among
English clubs. Second, the foreign ownership model has led to an improvement in
sporting performance and a decline in financial performance. Third, there is evidence to
suggest that there has been a relationship between rising revenues and rising costs in
English football during the last twenty years and that this shows no signs of abating.
The central contribution to knowledge o f this thesis is the production of the model. The
model highlights, for the first time, the relationship between variables. The thesis also
provides a contribution to knowledge when analysing the performance o f clubs in the
English football industry since the formation of the English Premier League in 1992. A
further contribution is the potential application of the model to other professional team
leagues and sports both in the UK and overseas. Such a model can be used by
professional sports clubs, academics and practitioners alike to ascertain how a given
club is performing in relation to its closest competitors. The model can also be used by
governing bodies to inform and implement changes at policy level. Furthermore, the
model and its uses are not exclusively limited to the UK given the Eurocentric nature of
the work.


Aim: The aim of this study is to determine the frequency of Vitamin D (VD) insufficiency, and sleep disorders and to determine the effects of VD on diabetic parameters (fasting blood glucose, HbA1c, lipid parameters) with sleep disorders in a diabetic population.
Materials and Methods: This study was performed on data gathered from patients with type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (DM) referred to outpatient clinics of family medicine between May and October 2014. Obstructive Sleep Apnea Berlin Questionnaire, the Epworth Sleepiness Scale, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index were used to determine the frequency of sleep disorders and 25OH VD levels were obtained.
Results: A total of 452 subjects (148 males, 304 females and mean age of 56.19 ± 11.98 y) with type 2 diabetes mellitus were admitted to study. Patients who were having insulin therapy had significantly lower 25VD levels, in comparison with other diabetic patients. 25VD levels were significantly low in the group, in which HbA1C levels were over the target value of 6.5%. We found negative and significant correlations between 25VD levels and Epworth Sleepiness Scale and Pittsburgh sleep quality index scores. According to BQ results, 25VD levels were significantly low in "high risk" group.
Conclusion: Vitamin D plays an important role in metabolic control of type 2 DM and effects sleep quality in such population. Having vitamin D deficiency or sleep disorder can negatively affect the metabolic control of DM and when such disorders come together in diabetic population. Its negative effect can be more powerful than expected.


Purpose Recent studies have shown the potential benefits of pressure-controlled ventilation-volume guaranteed (PCV-VG) compared to volume-controlled ventilation (VCV), but the results were not impressive. We assessed the effects of PCV-VG versus VCV in elderly patients by using lung ultrasound score (LUS). Patients and methods Elderly patients (aged 65–90 years) scheduled for hip joint surgery were randomly assigned to either the PCV-VG or VCV group during general anesthesia. LUS and mechanical ventilator parameters were evaluated before induction, 30 mins after a semi-lateral position change, during supine repositioning before awakening, and 15 mins after arrival to the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU). Pulmonary function tests were performed before and after surgery. Other recovery indicators were also assessed in the PACU. Results A total of 76 patients (40 for PCV-VG and 36 for VCV) were included this study. Demographic data showed no significant difference between the two groups. In both groups, LUSs before induction were significantly lower than those at other time points. LUSs of the VCV group were significantly increased during perioperative periods compared with the PCV-VG group (p=0.049). Visualized LUS modeling suggested an intuitive difference in the two groups and unequal distribution in lung aeration. Higher dynamic compliance and lower inspiratory peak pressure were observed in the PVC-VG group compared to the VCV group (33.54 vs 27.36, p<0.001; 18.93 vs 21.19, p<0.001, respectively). Postoperative forced vital capacity of the VCV group was lower than that of PCV-VG group, but this result was not significant (2.06 vs 1.79, respectively; p=0.091). The other respiratory data are comparable between the two groups. Conclusion The PCV-VG group showed better LUS compared with the VCV group. Moreover, LUS modeling in both groups suggests non-homogeneous and positional change in lung aerations during surgery. Clinical trial registration This study was registered at the UMIN clinical trials registry (unique trial number: UMIN000029355; registration number: R000033510)


Following the outbreak of COVID-19, governments took unprecedented measures to curb the spread of the virus. Public participation in decisions regarding (the relaxation of) these measures has been notably absent, despite being recommended in the literature. Here, as one of the exceptions, we report the results of 30,000 citizens advising the government on eight different possibilities for relaxing lockdown measures in the Netherlands. By making use of the novel method Participatory Value Evaluation (PVE), participants were asked to recommend which out of the eight options they prefer to be relaxed. Participants received information regarding the societal impacts of each relaxation option, such as the impact of the option on the healthcare system. The results of the PVE informed policymakers about peoples preferences regarding (the impacts of) the relaxation options. For instance, we established that participants assign an equal value to a reduction of 100 deaths among citizens younger than 70 years and a reduction of 168 deaths among citizens older than 70 years. We show how these preferences can be used to rank options in terms of desirability. Citizens advised to relax lockdown measures, but not to the point at which the healthcare system becomes heavily overloaded. We found wide support for prioritising the re-opening of contact professions. Conversely, participants disfavoured options to relax restrictions for specific groups of citizens as they found it important that decisions lead to unity and not to division. 80% of the participants state that PVE is a good method to let citizens participate in government decision-making on relaxing lockdown measures. Participants felt that they could express a nuanced opinion, communicate arguments, and appreciated the opportunity to evaluate relaxation options in comparison to each other while being informed about the consequences of each option. This increased their awareness of the dilemmas the government faces.


Nowadays, engineering systems are becoming increasingly complex and, for design purposes, must be considered as multidisciplinary systems made up of components from different engineering disciplines. With regard to the systematic development and the analysis of models, interdisciplinary methodologies supported by software become more and more important. Bond graphs are a graphical description formalism particularly suited for multidisciplinary systems and used by modellers across the world.Bond Graph Methodologygives a comprehensive, in-depth representation of the state of the art, including recent results gathered from research articles, dissertations and contributions by the author on a number of topics. The structured and rigorous presentation systematically covers model development, analysis of models, numerical computation of models and modern software that can be used for a bond graph approach. The book also includes a range of case studies illustrating various applications of the methodology and provides a glossary.Bond Graph Methodologyaddresses fundamentals, as well as advanced topics, e.g., models of variable structure, bond graphs for sensitivity analysis and generation of equations for the study of robustness. The compilation and presentation of the material has been inspired by the author's extensive experience in research and teaching.A useful text for advanced courses in modelling, simulation and control,Bond Graph Methodologycan also be used for self-study. It has been designed to serve readers interested in the subject of bond graph modelling and those with expertise in related areas, as well as members of the worldwide community of bond graph modellers.


[1] A climatology of the thermodynamic phase of the clouds over the Southern Ocean (40–65°S,100–160°E) has been constructed with the A-Train merged data product DARDAR-MASK for the four-year period 2006–2009 during Austral winter and summer. Low-elevation clouds with little seasonal cycle dominate this climatology, with the cloud tops commonly found at heights less than 1 km. Such clouds are problematic for the DARDAR-MASK in that the Cloud Profiling Radar (CPR) of CloudSat is unable to distinguish returns from the lowest four bins (heights up to 720–960 m), and the CALIOP lidar of CALIPSO may suffer from heavy extinction. The CPR is further limited for all of the low-altitude clouds (tops below 3 km) as they are predominantly in the temperature range from 0°C to −20°C, where understanding the CPR reflectivity becomes difficult due to the unknown thermodynamic phase. These shortcomings are seen to flow through to the merged CloudSat-CALIPSO product. A cloud top phase climatology comparison has been made between CALIPSO, the DARDAR-MASK and MODIS. All three products highlight the extensive presence of supercooled liquid water over the Southern Ocean, particularly during summer. The DARDAR-MASK recorded substantially more ice at cloud tops as well as mixed-phase in the low-elevation cloud tops in comparison to CALIPSO and MODIS. Below the cloud top through the body of the cloud, the DARDAR-MASK finds ice to be dominant at heights greater than 1 km, especially once the lidar signal is attenuated. The limitations demonstrated in this study highlight the continuing challenge that remains in better defining the energy and water budget over the Southern Ocean.


High Performance Computing (HPC) systems are composed of servers containing an ever-increasing number of cores. With such high processor core counts, non-uniform memory access (NUMA) architectures are almost universally used to reduce inter-processor and memory communication bottlenecks by distributing processors and memory throughout a server-internal networking topology. Application studies have shown that the tuning of processes placement in a server's NUMA networking topology to the application can have a dramatic impact on performance. The performance implications are magnified when running a parallel job across multiple server nodes, especially with large scale HPC applications. This paper presents the Locality-Aware Mapping Algorithm (LAMA) for distributing the individual processes of a parallel application across processing resources in an HPC system, paying particular attention to the internal server NUMA topologies. The algorithm is able to support both homogeneous and heterogeneous hardware systems, and dynamically adapts to the available hardware and user-specified process layout at run-time. As implemented in Open MPI, the LAMA provides 362,880 mapping permutations and is able to naturally scale out to additional hardware resources as they become available in future architectures.


A leaf spot disease caused by strains of Xanthomonas in wild primrose (Primula vulgaris) were reported in several forest locations of Mazandaran (Rahimian. 1995. 12 Iran. Plant Protec. Cong. P. 278). Based on a genomic study of ITS area and 16S rRNA gene sequencing, it was reported that some isolates causing leaf spot of P. vulgaris probably belong to X. campestris (Rahimian et al. 2008. 18 Iran. Plant Protec. Cong. P. 420). but there is insufficient information available on the taxonomical status of these isolates. The present study wase performed to evaluate the taxonomic position of the isolates obtained from several forest areas of Mazandaran province. Yellowpigmented٫ round and convex Xanthomonas-like colonies were isolated from the diseased plants. Hypersensitive reaction(HR) after 24 hours injection of bacterial suspension to geranium leaves and pathogenicity on P. vulgaris leaves after 7 to 14 days were proven. Only slight differences were observed among the electrophoretic pattern of cell proteins of the strains. Strains were very similar phenotypically and differed mainly in utilization citrate as carbon soure for growth. Genomic DNA of isolates was extracted and PCR was done under previously described conditions (Parkinson et al. 2007. Int. J. Syst. Evol. MicrobioI. 57:2881-2887) reducing the annealing temperature. Products were electrophoresed in %1 gel and the gel was stained with gel red solution. Using dnak and rpoD primers fragments 965 and 736 bp in size٫ were amplified in PCR٫ respectively. For differentiation of the isolates٫ the PCR products were digested with BamHI and electrophoresed on acrylamid gel. Dendrograms were constructed using the data sets obtained after digestion of dnak and rpoD amplified fragments with the restriction enzyme, using the Jaccard coefficient, the UPGMA algorithm and the NTSYS-PC program. Selected samples were sequenced based on RFLP results. The nucleotide sequence obtained٫ after multiple sequence alignment٫ were compared٫ with MEGA version 4.0٫ with other sequences to various Xanthomonas species present in the Gene Bank(NCBI). Results٫ showed that isolates resembled٫ at 98% similarity٫ with strains of Xanthomonas hortorum deposited in GeneBank٫ but probably belong to a pathovar distinct from the existing ones in this spesies. This is the first report of Xanthomonas hortorum causing a leaf spot disease on Primula .


In 2002, the City of Oakland, California implemented a scramble signal, at the intersection of 8th Street and Webster Street. Scrambles are a type of traffic signal that give pedestrians exclusive access to an intersection by stopping vehicular traffic on all approaches, allowing pedestrians to cross diagonally or conventionally. The primary objective of this evaluation was to determine whether the installation of the pedestrian scramble at this location increased pedestrian safety. An analysis was conducted of pedestrian-vehicle conflicts and pedestrian violations occurring at the intersection before and after the signal was modified, and pedestrians were surveyed to ascertain public attitude toward and comprehension of the change. The modification to scramble signal phasing at the intersection resulted in a statistically significant decrease in conflicts between pedestrians and vehicles, and a statistically significant increase in pedestrian violations. In general, pedestrians understood the change in the way the intersection operated, and were accepting of the change to scramble signalization. These results suggest that the scramble has been effective overall in improving safety conditions at the site. The increased number of violations occurring despite decreased conflicts is in part due to a proportion of pedestrians who cross illegally on the "safe side" crosswalk (i.e. the crosswalk parallel to moving traffic where there are no opportunities for conflicts). It is important that the scramble signal be monitored over time in order to quantify the extent to which reduced vehicle-pedestrian conflicts associated with the scramble translate into measurable reductions in pedestrian injuries and fatalities.


Archeoastronomy as the science of using the Universe, planets, sun or moon their positions and relations in space, with visual traces on Earth, is important also in architecture. Some of waterwells were constructed by means of a construction system called corbelling, in which horizontal layers – in a dry stone walling system overlap each other. It can be in a longitudinal shape (in staircases) or in circular form (in central rooms, called a false dome). Sant'Anastasia 'pozzo sacro' is a circular stone construction in corbelling, with a staircase covered by corbelled elements. Its orientation is north-south Citizens of Sardara use its water by means of an electrical pump but the original level of the water would have been to the first stair, about 75 centimetres. Archaeologists date the well in Sardara to the 12th century BC, to the Nuraghic culture (1700 BC to 238 BC). Twice a year, the sun's rays pass through the staircase to the water level and are reflected back again through the circular opening in the top of the corbelled false dome. At the same time, the sun enters through the top opening of the chamber into the dome, touching the water surface. The angle of the construction means that it happens twice a year, on April 21 and at the end of August. The sun merging with the water and a sunbeam simultaneously rising out of the ground certainly provide a miracle. There are five pieces of evidence of this: physical phenomena, the naming of the medieval church after the pre-Christian well, the name originates from 'anastasos' or 'ressurection', miracle occurs twice a year, and it happens every year on the saint's name day.


Peripheral facial paralysis (PFP) usually affects the facial nerve in part or in whole on one side of the face. Most patients with acute PFP find it difficult to chew on the paralyzed side, especially due to compromised buccinator function. In addition, the sagging of the ipsilateral lip commissure tends to compromise lip competence. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of long-standing PFP upon mastication, relating to clinical mastication sidedness as determined by clinical and electromyographic activity of the masseters. The study included 27 male and female subjects aged 16-69 years with permanent natural dentition and long-standing PFP. Patients answered questions on their mastication habits before and after onset of PFP and were submitted to clinical myofunctional examination and electromyographical tests of the masseters during clenching and habitual mastication. According to the anamnesis, 77.8 % claimed to prefer chewing on the unaffected side. Clinically, 70% presented a lateral preference in mastication. In the clinical evaluation the buccinators and orbicularis oris differed significantly (p = 0.025) between the healthy and the paralyzed side. Only 22.2% of the patients showed increased thickness of the contralateral masseters. No statistically significant electromyographic difference was observed between the masseters on the affected and unaffected side. Conclusions In general indicated that subjects with flaccid-stage PFP for 6 months or longer preferred to masticate on the unaffected side. No significant clinical or electromyographic differences were found in masseter activity between the affected and unaffected side in this patient sample.


ABSTRACT This article draws on qualitative evidence from an evaluation of the "Greater Tomorrow" Crèche and Ballyhaunis Community Preschool in Ballyhaunis, Co Mayo, Ireland in 2016. The article focuses on the approach to practice and the underlying ethos of these two services, reflecting a clearly articulated respect for diversity and the privileging of relationships with families by the practitioners and management team. We argue for the significance of early years services in offsetting risk factors associated with adverse childhood experiences and environments, reflecting international research evidence for the potential benefits of high-quality early childhood education and care. The practice orientation within the settings operationalises the national quality and curriculum frameworks of Aistear and Síolta in foregrounding the concepts of identity and belonging, well-being, and partnership with families in daily practice. The services under study were established during a period of rapid social and cultural change in Ireland; heightened economic activity beginning in the mid-1990s was a catalyst for increasing female employment and inward migration. This article argues that in such a context, these services responded to the needs of the uniquely diverse community they serve, contributed to children's early learning and development, and provided material and emotional supports to children and parents.


VTOL vehicles are of great interest at the moment for urban air mobility because of their versatility. These vehicles have the ability to take-off and land without the necessity of a long runway, being compared to helicopters. However, their appeal is based on the fact that are considered a breakthrough over helicopters due to their efficiency in cruise flight, comparable to fixed wing aircrafts. For these reasons, VTOL vehicles reduce the expenses in complex facilities and improve performances from an efficiency point of view. Within this new technology field, NEOPTERA Ltd presents itself as one of the companies seeking to develop a civil VTOL vehicle for urban air mobility: the eOpter. NEOPTERA is currently developing different prototypes of the eOpter, one of which was selected for this project. The main objective of the project is the development of a flight simulator and a flight controller for the mentioned prototype, a 60cm wingspan version of the eOpter. The innovative VTOL concept presented by NEOPTERA is a two wings tandem configuration with four electric motors on each wing providing energy to a propeller each. A VTOL vehicle flight can be divided into three modes. A vertical take-off and landing, a transition to cruise flight, and the cruise flight itself. The motivation behind this study is to have proper control laws capable of stabilizing the aircraft dynamics during the three flight operating modes. A remarkable aspect of the project developed is treating the entire flight envelope as a continuous flight path, avoiding discontinuity issues when passing from one flight phase to another. In order to design the flight control laws for the prototype, it is necessary to design certain mathematical models describing the dynamics of the aircraft and its behaviour during each flight mode. This study goes through the development of these mathematical models, their simulation, a stability analysis of the model created and the design of appropriate stabilizing control laws. The obtained simulation model is validated by simulating the vehicle flight and observing the physical behaviour. The control laws developed allow to stabilize the vehicle while enhancing the flight performances and an integrator controller is implemented for reference tracking purposes, being its robustness tested on the linear models of the aircraft. The results obtained shows a very reliable simulator for longitudinal flight, while for lateral-directional flight further analysis need to be done. A full mission for longitudinal flight was simulated and the results obtained are very promising. The prototype is currently undergoing some flight tests. It is expected to obtain information from these tests that will help to improve the control system of the vehicle by observing its behaviour in real flight. Further steps will include implementing the gain scheduling method in the non linear simulator, in order to achieve stability for the entire flight envelope and test the obtained tuned controller on the physical prototype without going through additional tuning campaigns.


The years following the Second World War, according to the Norwegian scholar Sigmund Skard, witnessed the "Rediscovery of America," as European academics belatedly turned their attention to the United States at a time when its pre-eminent global role could not be ignored. In Britain some believed that the awakening was already under way, the Principal of what became Exeter University having described 1941 as the year of the British "discovery of America." The jarring realization that the very survival of Britain depended on a close alliance with the American giant had precipitated not only frenetic governmental activity but also intense interest in the United States throughout the media. Perhaps the "discovery" or "rediscovery" of America in British consciousness cannot be dated with exact precision, but the years from the war to the mid-1960s may fairly be called the "take-off period" for the academic study of American history in Britain. This essay briefly considers the role of some of the participants in this endeavour.


Many public schools currently have organizational structures that form barriers for dealing more effectively with students' challenging behaviors even though positive school-wide approaches exist and provide empirical support for their use. Nevertheless, resistance to change occurs at both institutional and individual levels. Improving student behavior and learning requires a paradigm shift away from teachers working in isolation to working together. Professional growth also must shift away from oneshot inservices to more intense and long-term training. One method for achieving this type of paradigm shift is through the use of professional learning communities (PLCs). Through these communities, schools can challenge existing paradigms and explore the possibilities that positive supports offer to dealing with students' challenging behaviors. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to describe prominent and misconceived beliefs that contribute to institutional and individual resistance and suggest professional learning communities (PLCs) as a means for moving past this resistance in a collaborative and empowering way to improve student behavior and learning.


In this paper, we reflect on the question: who or what exactly is the patent office? And how best do we secure its judicial proficiency and independence? We offer a framework for assessing the above question, after cutting through the vast morass of often confusing case law in this regard that has failed to draw a conceptually sound distinction between the judicial, the quasi-judicial and the administrative.

We argue that agencies such as the patent office tasked with a high level of adjudicatory functions are predominantly "judicial" in character and ought to therefore be categorized as "Adjudicative Regulators." As such they are to be vested with a significant degree of judicial competence and independence. We offer some broad suggestions in this regard.

Our frame is likely to be useful for characterizing other regulatory agencies with predominant judicial functions, and could well prove instructive for agencies in other countries with legal regimes similar to that of India.