Renowned civil rights advocate and race man Thurgood Marshall came of age as a lawyer during the black protest movement in the 1930s. He represented civil rights protesters, albeit reluctantly, but was ambivalent about post-Brown mass protests. Although Marshall recognized law's limitations, he felt more comfortable using litigation as a tool for social change. His experiences as a legal advocate for racial equality influenced his thinking as a judge. Marshall joined the United States Supreme Court in 1967, as dramatic advancement of black civil rights through litigation waned. Other social movements, notably the women's rights movement, took its place. The push for women's equality had garnered some success in Congress, but the enforcement and scope of these protections became a focus of litigation in the 1970s and 1980s. While on the Court, Marshall played an important role in the advancement of women's equality, yet a few cases suggest he struggled when the interests of race and gender equality seemed to directly clash. This paper considers the ways in which Marshall's role as a participant and lawyer in the black civil rights movement influenced his thinking about gender equality. While his record on women's equality is very strong, Marshall's position in three cases indicates that he believed institution concerns sometimes trumped otherwise valid gender equality claims.


The increase in female employment rates, coupled with the decline of the male breadwinner family model, have unsettled traditional gender work roles and expectations (Connolly, Aldrich, O'Brien, Speight, & Poole, 2016; Trask, 2010). In this context, entitlements to job-protected leave after childbirth have become important policy measures to support parents (ILO, 2014). They provide time-limited job protection to enable an employee to care for their new-born child, and afterwards return to work with the same employer, usually to the same job. These leave policies not only support gender equality, they are also important policy instruments for supporting child, maternal and paternal health and well-being, birth rates and various labour-market outcomes, such as increased women's participation in the labour market and reduced gender pay gaps (Andersen, 2018; Kamerman & Moss, 2009). Similarly, leave policies can be seen as important tools to ful l children's rights to have time with and care from from both their parents (Haas & Hwang, 1999).


Increased permafrost thaw due to climate change in northern high-latitudes has prompted concern over impacts on soil and stream biogeochemistry that affect the fate of dissolved organic carbon (DOC). Few studies to-date have examined the link between molecular composition and biolability of dissolved organic matter (DOM) mobilized from different soil horizons despite its importance in understanding carbon turnover in aquatic systems. Additionally, the effect of mixed DOM sources on microbial metabolism (e.g., priming) is not well understood. No studies to-date have addressed potential priming effects in northern high-latitude or permafrost-influenced aquatic ecosystems, yet these ecosystems may be hot spots of priming where biolabile, ancient permafrost DOC mixes with relatively stable, modern stream DOC. To assess biodegradability and priming of DOC in permafrost-influenced streams, we conducted 28 day bioincubation experiments utilizing a suite of stream samples and leachates of fresh vegetation and different soil horizons, including permafrost, from Interior Alaska. The molecular composition of unamended DOM samples at initial and final time points was determined by ultrahigh resolution mass spectrometry. Initial molecular composition was correlated to DOC biodegradability, particularly the contribution of energy-rich aliphatic compounds, and stream microbial communities utilized 50-56% of aliphatics in permafrost-derived DOM within 28 days. Biodegradability of DOC followed a continuum from relatively stable stream DOC to relatively biolabile DOC derived from permafrost, active layer organic soil, and vegetation leachates. Microbial utilization of DOC was ~3-11% for stream bioincubations and ranged from 9% (active layer mineral soil-derived) to 66% (vegetation-derived) for leachate bioincubations. To investigate the presence or absence of a priming effect, bioincubation experiments included treatments amended with 1% relative carbon concentrations of simple, biolabile organic carbon substrates (i.e., primers). The amount of DOC consumed in primed treatments was not significantly different from the control in any of the bioincubation experiments after 28 days, making it apparent that the addition of biolabile permafrost-derived DOC to aquatic ecosystems will likely not enhance the biodegradation of relatively modern, stable DOC sources. Thus, future projections of carbon turnover in northern high-latitude region streams may not have to account for a priming effect.


The present study compares the effect of the intramuscular injection of low doses of IgG anti-D or human polyvalent immunoglobulin (Ig) on the platelet count of patients with CATP. Forty patients (14 children, 26 adults), 11 who had undergone splenectomy, were divided in the following groups of treatment: 20 patients received a single injection of 300 micrograms of IgG anti-D, 6 patients received the same dose as above plus 0.5 mg/kg daily of prednisone v.o and 14 patients received 640 mg of polyvalent Ig. Each patient was sequentially studied by measuring peripheral blood parameters, reticulocyte index, direct Coombs' test and C3-C4 determinations. Their blood group and Rh factor had been previously determined. The platelet response was evaluated as refractory (no response) and favorable (platelet increment over 50,000/microliters compared with initial platelet count). Patients with a favorable response over a month were considered as a prolonged remission. The results showed a favorable platelet response in 74% of the patients that received a single injection of IgG anti-D alone (one of the patients was Rh negative) or associated to prednisone, and 42.8% of the cases when polyvalent Ig was used. The patients who had not undergone splenectomy obtained better results than the group with splenectomy (62% vs 45%) and children showed a better response than adults (78.5% vs 46.1%). Forty five percent of prolonged remissions (including the Rh negative patient) were obtained with both schemes of IgG anti-D administration and only 28.5% when polyvalent Ig was used. The remissions were significantly longer with IgG anti-D (p < 0.01). The hematological and serological parameters did not show any significant modifications in all the cases and there was no adverse effects with the treatment. In conclusion, the intramuscular injection of immunoglobulins, especially IgG anti-D, produce an increase in the platelet count in some patients with CATP, several of them can obtain prolonged remissions, particularly children and patients that had not received immunoglobulins previously. This treatment is safe, ambulatory, easy to administer, and relatively inexpensive.


A conjugate Gamma-Poisson model for Dynamic Matrix Factorization incorporated with metadata influence (mGDMF for short) is proposed to effectively and efficiently model massive, sparse and dynamic data in recommendations. Modeling recommendation problems with a massive number of ratings and very sparse or even no ratings on some users/items in a dynamic setting is very demanding and poses critical challenges to well-studied matrix factorization models due to the large-scale, sparse and dynamic nature of the data. Our proposed mGDMF tackles these challenges by introducing three strategies: (1) constructing a stable Gamma-Markov chain model that smoothly drifts over time by combining both static and dynamic latent features of data; (2) incorporating the user/item metadata into the model to tackle sparse ratings; and (3) undertaking stochastic variational inference to efficiently handle massive data. mGDMF is conjugate, dynamic and scalable. Experiments show that mGDMF significantly (both effectively and efficiently) outperforms the state-of-the-art static and dynamic models on large, sparse and dynamic data.


Indonesian workers empowerment is expected to overcome the complexity of Indonesian workers problems. Government agencies in services and protections of Indonesian workers is called BNP2TKI (National Agency for Placement and Protections of Indonesian Workers) and www.bnp2tki.go.id is their official website. BP3TKI West Java as their representative in West Java area utilize this website to connects with other parties, its included government, private parties, Indonesian worker candidates and Indonesian worker itself. The aims of this study is to (1) focus on the news of G to G program in BNP2TKI website, (2) finds out the actualization of the news content of G to G program in BNP2TKI website, and (3) seeks how the Indonesian worker candidates of South Korea and Japan utilize the website to the fullest. This study applied qualitative research methodology with case study approach. This study used in-depth interview, observation and literature studies. The result of this study is analyzed using structuration theory. This study discovered the article that is published in www.bnp2tki.go.id mostly posted about the news of G to G program between Indonesian Government and the government of South Korea and Japan. The data of this study showed that people had more interest in finding information about G to G program through this website. It is proven that the article related to G to G program were accessed more than a thousand visitors on every article. This G to G program has given special concern, therefore they make special column for this program.


One of the greatest challenges in the growing media (GM) industry is sourcing superior quality, inexpensive, readily available, and environmentally friendly constituents. Biochar has been widely considered for its potential use in agriculture, in the energy sector, and for environmental purposes, but little attention has been paid to the use of biochar in GM. The objective of this study was to evaluate the potential use of biochar as an alternative for aggregates (e.g., perlite) and peat moss in the GM industry. A laboratory experiment was conducted comparing five organic substrates composed of different combinations of peat moss, perlite, and three types of biochar. The main physical and chemical properties of the biochars and organic substrates were measured. A leaching experiment was also performed to evaluate the nutrient‐holding capacity of the investigated substrates. Biochar showed a good potential for replacement of perlite and, to a lesser extent, peat moss in GM. Biochar increases cation‐exchange capacity (CEC) and pH, and it decreases nutrient leaching (11% reduction) in GM. Biochar affected the physical properties of GM, and this was mainly related to its particle‐size distribution (PSD). In spite of all of its benefits, biochar is still not a standardized product, and its properties may differ from one source to another. However, the GM industry requires high quality, homogeneous, and consistent components. To define suitable properties for biochar products in the GM industry, a standardization program should be put in place. Economically, biochar presents a greater potential in the replacement of aggregates than peat moss. Special attention should be paid to the presence of fine dust particles in some biochar.


A stereoselective synthesis of β-halogenated 2-methylenecyclopentanones via silver-catalyzed formal ring expansion using water as the cosolvent is described. A variety of 2-methylenecyclopentanones with fluoro, chloro and bromo functionalities are efficiently prepared from 1-alkynyl cyclobutanols. This method offers facile access to halogenated complex molecules which are not only useful chemicals but also valuable building blocks for further derivatizations.


Purpose
The purpose of this systematic review is to evaluate the extant literature on depression and anxiety disorders in police using a multinational data set to determine whether the prevalence of these trauma-related disorders (TRMDs) is elevated in comparison to the general population.

Design/methodology/approach
Systematic review was employed in combination with best-evidence narrative synthesis to evaluate these hypotheses.

Findings
Despite wide variability in prevalence outcomes across the literature, strong evidence supports the hypothesis that the prevalence of depression is elevated in police, whereas moderate evidence supports the same hypothesis regarding anxiety. Preliminary evaluation of commonly examined predictive factors for each disorder demonstrated weak and inconsistent associations between these TRMDs and sociodemographic factors. No studies evaluated the relationship between incident-related factors (e.g. severity or frequency of exposure) and TRMDs, thus, at present, the literature on police is almost entirely unable to address the question of whether the prevalence of these disorders in police is influenced by exposure to work-related trauma.

Research limitations/implications
The findings highlight a critical need for future work to address incident-related factors in predicting symptoms of depression and anxiety in police samples to determine whether these disorders bear a unique relationship to work-related traumatic exposure. Such work will significantly benefit the design and implementation of successful prevention and intervention strategies in the workplace.

Originality/value
The present review provides a comprehensive synthesis of a highly variable literature, highlighting critical gaps in our current knowledge of TRMDs in police and suggesting numerous avenues for future study.


We investigate the motion of a nano tippe top, which is formed from a C60 fullerene, and which is assumed to be spinning on either a graphene sheet or the interior of a single-walled carbon nanotube. We assume no specific geometric configuration for the top, however for example, the nano tippe top might be formed by joining a fullerene C60 with a small segment of a smaller radius carbon nanotube. We assume that it is spinning on a graphene sheet or a carbon nanotube surface only as a means of positioning and isolating the device, and the only effect of the graphene or the carbon nanotube surface is only through the frictional effect generated at the point of the contact. We employ the same basic physical ideas originating from the classical tippe top and find that the total retarding force, which comprises both a frictional force and a magnetic force at the contact point between the C60 fullerene and the graphene sheet or the inner surface of the single-walled carbon nanotube, induces the C60 molecule to spin and precess from a standing up position to a lying down position. Unlike the classical tippe top, the nanoscale tippe top does not flip over since the gravitational effect is not sufficient at the nano scale. After the precession, while the molecular top spins about its lying down axis, if we apply the opposite retarding magnetic force at the contact point, then the molecule will return to its standing up position. The standing up and the lying down configurations of the nano tippe top during the precession and retraction processes demonstrate its potential use as a memory device in nano-computing.


Early in Book 1 of Herodotus9 Histories, Solon speaks to Croesus about the jealousy of the gods and the ephemeral nature of human happiness (1.29-33). Since Solon9s speech is so prominently placed, and since it introduces themes that recur throughout the Histories, it has traditionally been seen as programmatic, i.e., as expressing Herodotus9 own views about the gods and human happiness. Although the assumption that Solon speaks for Herodotus has long been the standard view, it has recently been challenged on the grounds that Herodotus himself never directly affirms his agreement with what Solon says. On the other hand, many scholars have noted that Herodotus does not always state his views directly: he often uses literary devices such as analogy, juxtaposition, and the repetition of narrative patterns to indicate his views. After isolating the three main principles of Solon9s speech (the jealousy of the gods, the instability of human fortune, and the consequent need to see how a man has ended his life before judging his happiness), this paper examines the direct and indirect evidence for Herodotus9 acceptance of these principles. After examining the evidence in Books 1-9 of the Histories, the paper concludes that Herodotus does indeed agree with the views of his character Solon, and that he makes his agreement clear both explicitly and implicitly, through analogy, repetition, and juxtaposition. Moreover, the position of Solon9s speech indicates that Herodotus meant it to be programmatic, setting forth basic assumptions about the nature of human life and its relation to the gods which could then provide a philosophical framework for the Histories as a whole.


The oldest history of Peru is usually associated with the Inca Empire. It is true that during the reign of Inka Pachacuti, this was an empire that was unparalleled in the South American continent. When Pachacuti died in 1471, his empire was dragged over 3,800 km from Chile today to the south after Ecuador to the north, and partly to the territory of today's Argentina, Brazil and Bolivia.


In this paper we propose an architecture for a cognitive engine that is based on the emotional learning cycle instead of the traditional cognitive cycle. The cognitive cycle that traditionally has been used as reference for cognitive radio is on the basis of the Unified Theories of Cognition (UTC) to model rational decision making in humans. UTC represents a rational goal-oriented decision-action made by an intelligent agent. However, the emotional cycle represents an emotional reaction-oriented cycle instead. These two models differ in function and structure of learning, decision making and optimization. In this work the structure of these two learning cycles are compared and a computational model for artificial emotional learning based engine is suggested.


Content distribution from wired to wireless domain has traditionally being perceived as the problem of wireless last-hop extension. We argue that increasing the physical transmission capability at the last hop bottleneck alone will not be sufficient to cater for throughput demands and come up with a network architecture which can be tailored favorably for content distribution within mobile and wireless milieu called Opportunistic temporal-Pairing Access Network (OPAN). By carefully coordinate direct node-to-node ambient burst data communication "inside" the wireless access (infrastructure) network, it is possible to create a structure where the traffic load on the last-hop downlink path is greatly minimized. If such setup is then augmented with the knowledge of end users' mobility and the exploitation of spatial reuse techniques and careful packet scheduling, the effective system throughput capacity as well as the data diffusion time can be improved significantly compared to the simple unicasting in infrastructure networks. We show that OPAN is not only capable of achieving a downlink capacity improvement of, conservatively, one order of magnitude, but also able to maintain a faster overall data diffusion time.


Abstract. Different geophysical investigations, such as electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) and refraction seismic tomography (RST), allow for an improved characterization of subsurface conditions in mountain permafrost areas. The knowledge of the permafrost internal composition constitutes a major prerequisite for climate-related modelling studies, for detailed hazard or local infrastructure assessments. To detect the small-scale variations of permafrost characteristics and its varying sensitivity to climate influencing factors, two ERT and RST monitoring profiles were installed in 2009 at two different sites called Chastelets and Murtel forefield located in the Murtel–Corvatsch area, Upper Engadin, eastern Swiss Alps. The geophysical profiles extend over four existing boreholes and are characterized by strong small-scale variations of surface as well as subsurface structures such as bedrock, fine material or coarse debris. Here we present ERT measurements carried out in a bimonthly interval during the years of 2009 to 2012 and RST measurements which were performed once a year, normally in August, during the same period. Based on these data sets the so-called four-phase model, based on petrophysical relationships, was applied to determine the volumetric fractions of ice, water and air within the heterogeneous ground, resulting in a relatively precise description of the subsurface material around the existing boreholes. The observations revealed a permafrost occurrence at the Chastelets rock glacier with an estimated ice-saturated layer of at least 10 m thickness and the detection of a thawed layer with increased water content in the lower frontal part of the rock glacier within an area of fine material. In the area of the Murtel forefield the analysis revealed strongly weathered bedrock, which is in the upper part covered by a pronounced layer of coarse debris establishing a thermal regime which is able to sustain permafrost beneath. In addition, the high temporal ERT measurements revealed a seasonal formation of ice during wintertime within the coarse- as well as the fine-grained active layer zones. It can be concluded that the combination of existing borehole temperature measurements, the ERT/RST measurements and the application of the four-phase model resulted in an in-depth view of the investigated area, which is a major prerequisite for future modelling studies allowing for a better treatment of the present small-scale spatial ground variabilities.


During the First World War Indigenous peoples in Canada contributed to the war effort through enlistment in the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF), the Patriotic Fund, and agricultural and industrial production. Their contributions, however, were not universally accepted in Indigenous communities. For many aging, non-military eligible, individuals, enlistment and off-reserve work deprived families of care-givers, bread-winners, and youth, essential to household and community well-being. Their petitions to the Canadian government, filtered through the Department of Indian Affairs (DIA), reveal the breadth of opinion and sources of frustration from across Indigenous communities in Canada.For the DIA, however, the years from 1914-1918 provided a crucial opportunity to solidify its power over Indigenous communities. Through a three-pillared archetype of communication control, the DIA increased its unilateral dominion over Indigenous affairs, largely at the expense of the eldest members of Indigenous communities, remaining traditional governance structures, and especially women. While the DIA rightly lauded Indigenous contributions to Canada's war effort in post-war declarations, it conveniently ignored the costs associated with such contributions, thus denying a crucial aspect of Indigenous First World War history; an omission historians have too often indulged.


To harness modern multicore processors, it is imperative to develop parallel versions of fundamental algorithms. In this paper, we present a general approach to best-first heuristic search in a shared-memory setting. Each thread attempts to expand the most promising nodes. By using abstraction to partition the state space, we detect duplicate states while avoiding lock contention. We allow speculative expansions when necessary to keep threads busy. We identify and fix potential livelock conditions. In an empirical comparison on STRIPS planning, grid pathfinding, and sliding tile puzzle problems using an 8-core machine, we show that A* implemented in our framework yields faster search performance than previous parallel search proposals. We also demonstrate that our approach extends easily to other best-first searches, such as weighted A* and anytime heuristic search.


The purpose of this paper is to advocate the resource package for producing quality graduates to work in rural, regional and remote Australia (TERRR Network), using a global perspective. This paper argues that the resource package achieves more than the objectives of the original project; 'Developing Strategies at the Pre-service Level to Address Critical Teacher Attraction and Retention Issues in Australian Rural, Regional and Remote Schools'. Through implementation of the resource package, subsequently all Teacher Education students develop the ability to understand context and build confidence to adapt curriculum accordingly, thus enhancing learning and teaching. This often requires extension from ones 'comfort zone' in order to experience and understand 'context'. It also requires teachers to be flexible and understanding, an essential role of Teacher Educators in the modern world. It is relevant that when viewing rural education on the global stage, the theme of the 3rd ISFIRE Conference that this paper shares the author's story reflection as an international school leader in a geographic remote Middle Eastern location. The author reflects on his position as the Head of Key Stage One and Head of Foundation Stage (3-7 years) and member of the Senior Management Team (3-18 years - 1200 students) at the Dukhan English School between years 2007-2009. The challenge of Head Teacher extended the author's cultural, religious and regional/rural/remote contextual experience boundaries from that of metropolitan Australia. The author illustrates how such a Training Framework would have assisted in preparing his global experience by examining the Seven Focus Areas of the National Professional Standards for Teachers (NPST), chosen as a Framework for pre-service teachers to develop knowledge, understandings and skills for working in remote contexts. It is concluded that the resource package therefore, also prepares students to be responsible and effective global citizens who engage in an internationalised world and exhibit cross-cultural competence (Monash Graduate Attributes Policy, Academic Board, 2008), an attribute that is similarly advocated across universities. Hence, this argument adds strength to the significance of this resource package for preparing all Teacher Education programs, nationally and internationally.


Presentation of music as vibration to the skin has the potential to facilitate interaction between musicians with hearing impairments and other musicians during group performance. Vibrotactile thresholds have been determined to assess the potential for vibrotactile presentation of music to the glabrous skin of the fingertip, forefoot and heel. No significant differences were found between the thresholds for sinusoids representing notes between C1 and C6 when presented to the fingertip of participants with normal hearing and with a severe or profound hearing loss. For participants with normal hearing, thresholds for notes between C1 and C6 showed the characteristic U-shape curve for the fingertip, but not for the forefoot and heel. Compared to the fingertip, the forefoot had lower thresholds between C1 and C3, and the heel had lower thresholds between C1 and G2; this is attributed to spatial summation from the Pacinian receptors over the larger contactor area used for the forefoot and heel. Participants with normal hearing assessed the perception of high-frequency vibration using 1s sinusoids presented to the fingertip and were found to be more aware of transient vibration at the beginning and/or end of notes between G4 and C6 when stimuli were presented 10dB above threshold, rather than at threshold. An average of 94% of these participants reported feeling continuous vibration between G4 and G5 with stimuli presented 10dB above threshold. Based on the experimental findings and consideration of health effects relating to vibration exposure, a suitable range of notes for vibrotactile presentation of music is identified as being from C1 to G5. This is more limited than for human hearing but the fundamental frequencies of the human voice, and the notes played by many instruments, lie within it. However, the dynamic range might require compression to avoid the negative effects of amplitude on pitch perception.


OBJECTIVE: To analyze the activity and electrophoretic pattern of the enzyme LDH in response to treadmill training, in rats undergoing photostimulation using low-level laser therapy (LLLT) (780 hm). METHOD: Fifty-four 30-day-old male Winstar rats initially weighing 112 ± 4.7g were divided into four groups. Two groups remained at rest: resting control group (RCG, n= 9) and resting LLLT group (RLG, n= 10). The other two groups underwent a five-week treadmill program of aerobic training and non-continuous incremental effort tests, with the aim of determining the anaerobic limit. One of the latter was an exercise control group (ECG, n= 16) and the other was an exercise LLLT group (ELG, n= 19). LLLT was applied to the quadriceps, gluteus maximus, soleus and tibialis anterior, bilaterally, immediately after each training session, using the following: 3.8 J/cm2; 15 mW; time 10 s; continuous mode. Samples of the soleus, tibialis anterior and heart were removed 48 hours after the last exercise session for electrophoretic and spectrophotometric analysis. The statistical analyses used were the ANOVA and post-hoc Tukey tests. The level of statistical significance was set at p< 0.05. RESULTS: Reductions in LDH activity caused by laser (from 19% to 30%), exercise (from 41% to 66%) and combined action (from 47% to 66%) were observed (p< 0.01). Electrophoresis showed predominance of subunit B in the soleus and heart, and predominance of subunit A in the tibialis anterior. CONCLUSION: The data suggest that the animals have an adaptive response to aerobic training with LLLT, towards optimizing the oxidative pathway.


Two methods for the improvement of structural stability of the building are introduced. These methods ensure that the structural building is safe, reliable and economy with the production of small deflection against seismic loading and any other external effect. The application of composite column as flexible material or non-rigid part of the frame structure is introduced and capable to absorb energy comes from the action and reaction of loading. The second approach in this research is by introducing active spring or prestressed cable connections in order to reduce the instability of structural building. The effect of P-delta on two methods stated is studied by performing non-linear analysis by using SAP2000 software on the building and compared the analysis results to conventional structural building with rigid connection. The results from SAP2000 shows that the proposed composite column and structural building with prestressed cable connection provide small deflections under loading compared with the deflection induced by conventional building with rigid connection. This finding proves that the proposed methods for building construction can increase the stability of the structural building.


The unique electronic, mechanical and chemical properties of carbon nanotubes make them most promising candidates for the building blocks of molecular-scale machines, and nanoelectronic devices. On the other hand, highly hydrophobic films are being actively considered in silicon based micro-electromechanical systems, nanotechnology based devices, optoelectronic devices, or biomedical devices to reduce adhesion that may be encountered during wet processing. In order to fill the gap, and fulfill the requirements, it could be proved that morphological changes in the nanometer range influences the water contact angles and their hysteresis of low-surface energy materials. Thin films of fluorine based block co-polymer itself forms nano-hemispheres (similar to lotus leaf) at and above 100°C favoring an increase in the water contact angle from 122° (25°C) to 138° (400°C). The structural, optical, mechanical and hydrophobic properties of fluorine based block co-polymer are also discussed. By applying nanolayered (5 nm) fluorine-based block co-polymer film on a vertically aligned carbon nanotubes (CNT) morphology with a certain roughness, the advancing contact angle for water on fluoro-based polymer film on a nearly atomically flat Si wafer increased from 122° to 138° (close to super hydrophobicity) and 150° on the rough asparagus-like structure of CNT has been observed.


This contribution determines the relevance of ethical attributes of organic food exceeding the EU regulation on organic farming for consumers' purchase decisions. The information acquisition behaviour of consumers regarding additional ethical values of organic food was analysed by means of an Information-DisplayMatrix (IDM)and an accompanying consumer survey in five European countries. Seven ethical attributes were tested of which 'animal welfare', 'regional production' and 'fair prices for farmers' were identified to be most important. Consumers showed an increased willingness to pay for organic food with these additional ethical attributes. Thus, producers of organic food should increasingly focus on additional ethical attributes such as 'animal welfare', 'local production' and 'fair prices for farmers' in production and communication with consumers. With respect to the methodology used, the IDM turned out to be helpful in reducing the problem of social desirability of answers.


Effective treatment for young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) requires identification and development of effective treatments that address the unique needs of toddlers with ASD as young as 18 months old. The current study aims to expand the current state of the research on the Early Start Denver Model (ESDM) as an effective intervention for toddlers with ASD by examining both treatment outcomes as well as moderators of those outcomes. Three treatment outcomes were examined, each relating closely to the conceptualization and goals of the ESDM and highlighting the anticipated relationship between general areas of development and specific behaviors: 1) shared positive affect, 2) gesture use, and 3) receptive and expressive language). Moderators included initial levels of participant's social orienting skills, response to joint attention, and object use. The current study is a randomized, controlled trial that included forty-eight children diagnosed with ASD between 18 and 30 months of age who were randomly assigned to one of two groups: ESDM or referral to community providers for intervention commonly available in the community. Results included main effects of ESDM treatment for communication outcomes, specifically receptive language (after 1 and 2 years of intervention) and expressive language (after 2 years of intervention). Additionally, significant moderation of treatment effects was noted, particularly response to joint attention and object use moderating language outcomes and both high and low initial levels of object use moderating several child outcomes. Continued focus on which children with ASD and their families benefit from ESDM intervention as well as identification of crucial treatment components will be critical for the dissemination and delivery of the ESDM beyond the research setting to the community at large.


A new probability-density function (PDF) is proposed for irradiance scintillations in the case of strong scintillation (i.e., irradiance variance decreases with further increases in path-averaged refractive-index turbulence). This new PDF is named the log-normally modulated exponential PDF. This PDF is compared with experimental PDF's of both irradiance and photon counts obtained from atmospheric laser propagation; the agreement is excellent (superior to that of the K PDF). Receiver–aperture-averaged irradiance is shown to be log normal for sufficiently large apertures. Comparison of moments of measured irradiance with theoretical moments shows that the moment comparison method of testing irradiance statistics can be very misleading because of the limitations of receivers and the sensitivity of high-order moments to very large irradiances.


There has been an explosion of interest in the utility of cannabinoids as potential analgesics. This systematic review critically synthesizes the evidence for cannabinoid analgesic effects on quantitative sensory testing outcomes in both healthy adults and patients with chronic non-cancer pain (CNCP). Our systematic review protocol is pre-registered on PROSPERO (CRD42018117367). An electronic search was made in PsycINFO, Cochrane, Google Scholar, Embase, and Pubmed of all literature published until August 2018. Of the 1,217 studies found from the search, a total 39 placebo-controlled studies that met the eligibility criteria were synthesized for the present study. Due to substantial heterogeneity of study designs, populations, cannabinoid compounds, and quantitative sensory testing outcomes, meta-analysis was not conducted. More consistent evidence of cannabinoid analgesia was observed for inhaled cannabis than synthetic cannabinoids. Analgesic effects were most commonly observed in tests of cold pain sensitivity, and hyperalgesic effects were most commonly observed in tests of electrical stimulation. Patterns of findings from studies with healthy subjects did not substantively differ from those with CNCP. However, these observations are qualified by the high degree of inconsistency across studies and methodological heterogeneity. We offer recommendations for future studies to improve study rigor and reproducibility.


Undertaking qualitative research on sensitive topics often raises a variety of ethical problems. Based on empirical research, this book documents experiences throughout the entire research process: from conceptualization, ethics approval, fieldwork, to analysis and publication. It presents readers with stories from the researcher's perspective and synthesizes these experiences into a conceptual framework that will assist researchers to undertake qualitative research. Each section discusses potential pitfalls, provides quotes and stories and reviews the relevant literature and theory, providing readers with a description of the process of conducting sensitive research from the perspective of those actually doing the research. This is not a methodology textbook, rather, it discusses the issues faced by researchers during the conduct of qualitative research on sensitive topics, such as death and dying, sexuality, homelessness, HIV/AIDS, cancer. It provides practical recommendations for researchers and Research Ethics Committees. It will also be a useful resource for anyone interested in undertaking a research project on sensitive topics and for those teaching qualitative methods across a broad range of disciplines.


The observation of the total eclipse of the sun of 1923 by Mexican astronomers was a scientific expedition like many of the time. It was also the conjunction of a wonderful natural spectacle and the performance of scientific observation staged by Mexican astronomers before three audiences: other scientists, government officials, and members of society. This case study shows how demonstrations are an integral part of the practice of science and can be useful for obtaining visibility and support.


A Cartesian cut cell two-fluid interface capturing solver has been applied to the flow problem of slamming of rigid wedge-shaped bodies. The underlying scheme is based on the solution of the incompressible Euler equations for a variable density fluid system for capturing the free surface and the cut cell method for tracking moving solid boundaries on a background stationary Cartesian grid. The computational domain encompasses both fluid regions and the interface between the two fluids is treated as a contact discontinuity in the density field which is captured automatically as part of the solution using a high resolution Godunov-type scheme based on the artificial compressibility method. The Cartesian cut cell technique provides a fully automated process for generating body fitted meshes, which is particularly useful for moving body problems. Several test cases involving water entry of 2-D rigid wedge-shaped bodies with various deadrise angles have been calculated using the present approach and the results compare very well with other theoretical results. Finally, a test case involving water entry and total immersion of a 2-D wedge-shaped body is also calculated to demonstrate the ability of the current method to tackle general two fluid flows with interface break-up, reconnection, entrapment of one fluid into the other, as well as moving bodies of complex geometry. Copyright © 2004 by The International Society of Offshore and Polar Engineers.


Mediation techniques have ancient roots, but divorce mediation first emerged as a distinct practice only in the 1970s (Folberg & Taylor, 1984). The first law about divorce mediation in the United States was implemented in 1981. At that time, California legislation mandated that all parents with contested child custody or visitation disputes must attempt mediation before a custody hearing would be held. Since the enactment of the California law, the states of Arizona, Delaware, Florida, Kentucky, Maine, Nevada, North Carolina, Oregon, Utah, and Wisconsin all have adopted legislation mandating the mediation of custody disputes in at least some of their jurisdictions (Hendricks, 1993-94). No law can mandate a resolution of disputes in mediation, because such a ruling would violate due process rights. Thus, "mandatory mediation" really is a mandatory attempt at mediation. In practice, this usually means that parents must attend at least one meeting with a mediator. In circumstances where one partner feels threatened by the other, each partner may meet with the mediator separately. Discretionary divorce mediation programs, where parents may be ordered to attempt mediation based on a judge's individualized rulings, have been implemented by law and/or local court rulings in numerous states in addition to those with mandatory mediation programs. Voluntary mediation is even more widespread, as the service has been made available and encouraged for parents who are willing to try this alternative (Hendricks, 1993-94). Hundreds of voluntary mediation programs have been mounted privately, or in courts, social service agencies, or community mediation centers. Twenty-five years ago, the concept of divorce mediation did not exist. Today, mediation has created major alterations in judicial practice, and it continues to be at the forefront of change in family law. This article briefly describes the nature of mediation, reviews some reasons for its rapid development, summarizes research evidence comparing the outcomes of mediation and litigation, and highlights some controversies about mediation (see also Emery, 1994). DEFINING DIVORCE MEDIATION In divorce mediation, divorcing or divorced parents meet together with an impartial third party who helps them to identify, discuss, and hopefully resolve disputes that result from divorce. There are numerous psychological, interpersonal, and practical areas of conflict in divorce, but mediators typically limit negotiations to the five major issues addressed in the law. Finances comprise three important legal matters, specifically property division, spousal support, and child support. The remaining two issues are traditionally known as matters of custody and visitation. The terms custody and visitation carry many negative connotations, particularly to noncustodial parents who object to the idea of "visiting" their children. At the same time, the terms carry few clear legal denotations. Thus, the legal terms have been replaced with new, more palatable phrases (e.g., parental responsibilities) in some jurisdictions and with more specific designations (e.g., parenting plans) in others. Whatever the terminology, the two central childrearing disputes in divorce are: (a) where the children will reside according to what schedule and b) how parents will share and/or divide both day-to-day decisions and broader authority over childrearing (e.g., religious training). The most frequently practiced form of divorce mediation focuses only on childrearing disputes and sometimes is called custody mediation (Myers, Gallas, Hanson, & Keilitz, 1988). Comprehensive divorce mediation is a less common form of practice that includes the negotiation of financial as well as childrearing disputes. Custody mediation is the primary focus of the present article because the rationales for mediating custody disputes are most compelling. REASONS FOR THE RAPID DEVELOPMENT OF DIVORCE MEDIATION There are a number of reasons why divorce mediation has grown so rapidly in approximately two decades of existence. …


Purpose: To identify and synthesize qualitative literature on the experience of amputation and prosthesis use for adults, and to make recommendations based on these findings for rehabilitation services. Methods: A systematic search of three databases for qualitative research exploring the experience of amputation and prosthesis use for adults was undertaken. Included papers were evaluated using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) quality guidelines. Data were extracted and themes synthesized in accordance with accepted procedures for qualitative metasyntheses. Results: From the 15 papers (13 studies) included in there view, five concepts were identified: (i) Becoming an amputee and facing prosthesis use; (ii) Adjustment to and coping with amputation and prosthesis use; (iii) The role of valued relationships in recovery; (iv) Amputation and prosthesis use in social interaction; and (v) Prosthetically enabled identities. Conclusions: The findings provide a base from which to make suggestions regarding the provision of health rehabilitation services for this population. It is recommended that such services make greater use of psychological interventions and education, include patients' social support networks, use psychotherapy to support and develop positive coping strategies, and facilitate peer support from those who have already made positive adjustments to amputation and prosthesis use. Implications for Rehabilitation Amputation of a limb and subsequent prosthesis use present major physical, psychological and social challenges. Qualitative research on these topics is important in informing the design, organisation and delivery of health rehabilitation services which meet the needs of this population. The findings of this systematic review indicate that rehabilitation for this group make greater use of psychological interventions and education, involve patients' social support networks, use psychotherapy to support positive coping strategies, and provide peer support from patients who have already made positive adjustments.


Hematocrit (Hct), the volume percent of red cells in blood, is monitored routinely for blood donors, surgical patients, and trauma victims and requires blood to be removed from the patient. An accurate, noninvasive method for directly measuring hematocrit on patients is desired for these applications. The feasibility of noninvasive hematocrit measurement by using near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy and partial least-squares (PLS) techniques was investigated, and methods of in vivo calibration were examined. Twenty Caucasian patients undergoing cardiac surgery on cardiopulmonary bypass were randomly selected to form two study groups. A fiber-optic probe was attached to the patient's forearm, and NIR spectra were continuously collected during surgery. Blood samples were simultaneously collected and reference Hct measurements were made with the spun capillary method. PLS multivariate calibration techniques were applied to investigate the relationship between spectral and Hct changes. Single patient calibration models were developed with good cross-validated estimation of accuracy (∼ 1 Hct%) and trending capability for most patients. Time-dependent system drift, patient temperature, and venous oxygen saturation were not correlated with the hematocrit measurements. Multi-subject models were developed for prediction of independent subjects. These models demonstrated a significant patient-specific offset that was shown to be partially related to spectrometer drift. The remaining offset is attributed to the large spectral variability of patient tissue, and a significantly larger set of patients would be required to adequately model this variability. After the removal of the offset, the cross-validated estimation of accuracy is 2 Hct%.


Three facts bear notice in connection with our current financial troubles. The first is that the First World War, before the Second began, was known as "the Great War." The second is that the global Depression that struck between those two wars, which for now we can still label "Great," commenced with the burst of a multiyear real estate price bubble prior to the 1929 stock market crash. The third is that the U.S. accordingly addressed that depression through mutually reinforcing new regimes not only of financial regulation, but also of home mortgage finance - the very reforms that brought us "securitization" and the familiar 30 year, fixed rate mortgage. Our present difficulties, moreover, stem directly from recent departures from that originally bipartisan package of mutually reinforcing mortgage and finance-regulatory innovations. Approaches to today's financial crisis have been strangely unmindful of the history, innovations, and bipartisanship just mentioned. They have also been inattentive to the well established historical linkage between protracted economic contractions on the one hand, and paired stock and real estate crashes on the other. That is surprising not only because these matters are so salient right now. It is surprising also because the reason for the historical link between real estate slumps and broader economic contractions is not hard to find: For the overwhelming majority of Americans, homes are by far the most valuable assets they own. When their values plummet, wealth, credit, consumer confidence, and spending soon follow. The lesson for today is quite clear: No approach to our present financial crisis that does not address the mortgage crisis at its core can succeed in the long run, or even the short run. This Article prescribes means of addressing our current financial crisis by addressing the mortgage crisis at its core. It targets both the short and the long term. In a manner that is sensitive both to the historical roots and to the still operative etiology of the current crisis, it develops a fully integrated, systematic protocol for treating our present financial ills. The Article first structurally characterizes the nature of credit-fueled asset price bubbles and the financial pathologies to which they give rise. It emphasizes that this structure is compatible both with long-term informational efficiency on the part of asset markets, and with individual rationality on the part of market participants. The challenge presented by asset bubbles, the Article argues, is not individual irrationality or informational inefficiency, but a classic coordination problem. Mistaken assumptions to the contrary account in large measure for our failure to have prevented, and for our ineffectiveness thus far in addressing, the present crisis. Coordination problems require coordinative responses. Absent such responses to credit cycles and financial systems conceived as wholes, piecemeal regulatory measures cannot properly discharge their functions. The Article next shows our current difficulties indeed to have stemmed from a classic credit-fueled asset price bubble first in the stock, then in the housing markets over the decade ending in 2006. This bubble was strikingly reminiscent both of that which preceded the 1928-29 American real estate and stock market crashes and ensuing deflation, and of more recent such stories in Asia. The Article then lays out responsive near-term solutions to the present crisis as thus characterized, followed by longer-term measures that will maintain health both in real estate finance and in the financial system more generally. The key to a short term solution lies in employing those institutions we first put into place to deal with our last great real estate bubble and burst, that of 1928. Those institutions are the Federal Housing Administration and its recently renationalized GSE siblings, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The key to longer term maintenance, the Article then argues, is two-fold. Above all, we must restore the Federal Reserve's original role as bubble-preventive credit-regulator - what the Article calls "regulation as modulation." Complementary to this task will be the development of more effective bubble-detection methodologies, which can be developed but, as public goods, are currently underprovided. Likewise complementary to credit modulation will be the extension of familiar disclosure and firewall protections from those older fields of finance where they have been operative since the 1930s, to new fields of finance that have developed more recently in the shadows. Getting finance and the credit-debt cycle right, the Article concludes, will get the business cycle and stable growth right as well. Stop bubbles, and we will stop bursts and deflations alike.


In some high schools, teacher-student confrontations constitute a typical, if unwanted, aspect of the school context. These confrontations are situations in which individuals disagree and are unwilling to negotiate or compromise their positions. Confrontations can range from loud, verbal disagreements to subtle refusals, such as ignoring directions or exhibiting noncompliance.(FN1) Confrontations occur between students, between students and teachers, and between students and administrators. They appear to arise when students perceive they are not being treated fairly, or because they do not find the content useful, or simply because they are bored and recognize that confrontations add excitement to an otherwise humdrum school day.(FN2) Confrontations heighten the stress in teachers' lives. They create an unpleasant context by requiring teachers to assume a defensive posture that directly affects their ability and desire to serve or care for the students in their classes. Confrontations are a negative aspect of context that have the clear potential to limit students' opportunities to learn.


We have analyzed 50 ten-day cycles of TOPEX/POSEIDON (T/P) altimeter data to evaluate the ocean dynamic topography and its temporal variations. We have employed data from both the U.S. and French altimeters along with the NASA precision orbits in this analysis. Errors in the diurnal and semidiurnal components of the Cartwright-Ray tide model have been significantly reduced using a correction developed from T/P altimeter data by Schrama and Ray (this issue). A hybrid geoid model formed from a combination of JGM-2 and OSU91A was employed, as well as a geoid model based solely on OSU91 A. The long wavelengths of the mean dynamic topography show considerable improvement over previous missions based on comparisons to historical hydrographic data, although geoid error still corrupts the dynamic topography for wavelengths shorter than 2500 km. The RMS variability is similar to previous results from Geosat, with background "noise" approaching 3 cm RMS. The computed annual and semiannual variations are also similar to previous Geosat results, although the hemispheric distribution of the annual heating cycle is much better represented in the T/P results. They also compare reasonably well with the Levitus hydrographic compilation in the northern hemisphere, although the T/P variations generally have larger amplitudes. Ten-day average maps of variations in sea level compare well with simultaneous measurements at ocean tide gauges, with RMS differences of less than 4 cm and correlations greater than 0.6 for most of the island gauges. Time-longitude plots of these sea level variations at different latitudes in the Pacific clearly show the presence of equatorial Kelvin waves and Rossby waves, with the wave speeds agreeing well with theoretical and observed values. Measurement of variations in global sea level over cycles 2–51 have an RMS variability of 6.3 mm and a rate of change of −3.5±8 mm/yr, the uncertainty primarily due to insufficient averaging of the interannual and periodic sea level variations. With several more years of data and accurate monitoring of the altimeter drift at the calibration sites, T/P has the potential for providing a precise (±1 mm/yr) estimate of the rate of global sea level rise. These results show that the accuracy of the T/P measurements of sea level has dramatically improved over previous missions, with estimated time variable errors of 4 cm or less (1σ). Although geographically correlated orbit errors have also been reduced to the few centimeter level, further improvement in determinations of the mean dynamic topography will be difficult to obtain until a more accurate model of the marine geoid is available.


PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES
To evaluate symptom reports and the impact of a nurse-led storytelling intervention in a supportive group setting on mood, stress level, coping with stress, pain, self-efficacy, and satisfaction with life in patients with cancer.

DESIGN
Descriptive pilot project using a pretest/post-test control group.

SETTING
Local regional medical center in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States.

SAMPLE
Convenience sample of 10 patients with various cancer diagnoses; 7 completed the intervention.

METHODS
Participants were randomly assigned to a storytelling or control group. Using a tool kit generated for this project, a nurse facilitator guided storytelling group participants in 12 1.5-hour sessions. Six instruments, symptom assessments, and a retrospective physician chart review were completed for each group. Data were analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance.

MAIN RESEARCH VARIABLES
Mood, stress, coping, pain, self-efficacy, and satisfaction with life.

FINDINGS
Comparison of changes in group mean scores revealed a significant decrease in anxiety in the storytelling group despite disease progression. Documentation of psychosocial symptomatology by physicians is limited; however, nursing assessments were useful in determining psychosocial status before and after the intervention.

CONCLUSIONS
Results can be viewed only in context of a feasibility study and are not generalizable because of a limited sample size. A trained oncology nurse was able to use the storytelling intervention. Initial results are promising and warrant further study.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING
After additional testing, the intervention could be used to enhance storytelling groups for patients with cancer or for individuals who are uncomfortable in or do not have access to storytelling groups.


With the increasing number of user comments in diverse domains, including comments on online journalism and e-commerce websites, the manual content analysis of these comments becomes time-consuming and challenging. However, research showed that user comments contain useful information for different domain experts, which is thus worth finding and utilizing. This paper introduces Forum 4.0, an open-source framework to semi-automatically analyze, aggregate, and visualize user comments based on labels defined by domain experts. We demonstrate the applicability of Forum 4.0 with comments analytics scenarios within the domains of online journalism and app stores. We outline the underlying container architecture, including the web-based user interface, the machine learning component, and the task manager for time-consuming tasks. We finally conduct machine learning experiments with simulated annotations and different sampling strategies on existing datasets from both domains to evaluate Forum 4.0's performance. Forum 4.0 achieves promising classification results (ROC-AUC ≥ 0.9 with 100 annotated samples), utilizing transformer-based embeddings with a lightweight logistic regression model. We explain how Forum 4.0's architecture is applicable for millions of user comments in real-time, yet at feasible training and classification costs.


A groundbreaking exploration of the philosophy underpinning Western humanitarian and military intervention. The principle of the "lesser evil"—the acceptability of pursuing one exceptional course of action in order to prevent a greater injustice—has long been a cornerstone of Western ethical philosophy. From its roots in classical ethics and Christian theology, to Hannah Arendt's exploration of the work of the Jewish Councils during the Nazi regime, Weizman explores its development in three key transformations of the problem: the defining intervention of Medecins Sans Frontieres in mid-1980s Ethiopia; the separation wall in Israel-Palestine; and international and human rights law in Bosnia, Gaza and Iraq. Drawing on a wealth of new research, Weizman charts the latest manifestation of this age-old idea. In doing so he shows how military and political intervention acquired a new "humanitarian" acceptability and legality in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries.


In a bid to drive down the cost of silicon wafers, several options for solar grade silicon feedstock have been investigated over the years. All methods have in common that the resulting silicon contains higher levels of impurities like dopants, oxygen, carbon or transition metals, the type and level of impurities depending on the raw materials and refining processes. In this work wafers from a p-type mc-Si ingot made with feedstock contaminated with 120 ppma of carbon have been processed into solar cells together with reference uncontaminated feedstock from semiconductor grade polysilicon with <0.4 ppma carbon. The results show that comparable reverse current, shunts, and efficiencies can be reached for both types of wafers. Gettering and defect hydrogenation effectiveness also did not deviate from the reference. Electroluminescence pictures do not show increased hotspot formation, even at -16V.


The concept of rapid manufacturing is emerging from the so-called rapid prototyping technologies where additive rather than subtractive techniques will be used to make parts or even completed assemblies. As no tooling is required, one of the main benefits of rapid manufacturing will be the ability to make cost-effective custom products that could all be entirely individualised to a particular consumer or user. Thus, rapid manufacturing is the enabling technology for true cost-effective custom manufacturing and has the potential to revolutionise the design and manufacturing worlds. This paper will introduce results from a current research project that is being undertaken at Loughborough University looking into the effects that will occur to the logistics and supply chain infrastructure with the advent of rapid manufacturing.


The vision of the Semantic Web can only be realized through proliferation of well-known ontologies describing different domains. To enable interoperability in the Semantic Web, it will be necessary to break these ontologies down into smaller, well-focused units that may be reused. Currently, three problems arise in that scenario. Firstly, it is difficult to locate ontologies to be reused, thus leading to many ontologies modeling the same thing. Secondly, current tools do not provide means for reusing existing ontologies while building new ontologies. Finally, ontologies are rarely static, but are being adapted to changing requirements. Hence, an infrastructure for management of ontology changes, taking into account dependencies between ontologies is needed. In this paper we present such an infrastructure addressing the aforementioned problems.


Modern software projects are programmed by multiple teams, consist of millions of lines of code, and are split into separate components that, during runtime, may not be contained in the same process. Due to these complexities, software defects are a common reality; defects cost the global economy over a trillion dollars each year. One area where developing safe software is crucial is the automotive domain. As the typical modern vehicle consists of over 100 million lines of code and is responsible for controlling vehicle motion through advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS), there is a potential for these systems to malfunction in catastrophic ways. Due to this risk, automotive software needs to be inspected to verify that it is safe. The problem is that it can be difficult to carry out this detection in code; manual analysis does not scale well, search tools like grep have no contextual awareness of code, and although code reviews can be effective, they cannot target the entire codebase properly. Furthermore, automotive systems are comprised of numerous, communicating features that can possibly interact in unexpected or undefined ways. This thesis addresses this problem through the development of a static-analysis methodology that detects custom interaction patterns coined as hotspots. We identify several classes of automotive hotspots that describe patterns in automotive software that have the possibility of manifesting as a feature interaction. To detect these hotspots, this methodology employs a static, relational analysis toolchain that create a queryable model from source code and enable engineer defined queries to be run on the model that aim to reveal potential hotspots in the underlying source code. The purpose of this methodology is not to detect bugs with surety but work towards an analysis methodology that can scale to automotive software systems. We test this hotspot detection methodology through a case study conducted on the Autonomoose autonomous driving platform. In it, we generate a model of the entire Autonomoose codebase and run relational algebra queries on the model. Each script in the case study detects a type of hotspot we identify in this thesis. The results of each query are presented.


In nonlinear output robust control and in nonlinear risk-sensitive partially observed stochastic control, the optimal control is a memoryless function of the information state. The information state dynamics are directly influenced by the control performance metric, thus displaying a direct linkage between control objectives and sufficient statistics for control. It has been observed in several examples that by modifying the control performance metric one can render the dynamics of the information state finite dimensional. In linear robust control, it is well known that the information state can be computed by a simple finite-dimensional formula. Using the Lie theory for transformations of this basic solution, we show how the information state for certain nonlinear control problems can also be obtained using finite-dimensional calculations, e.g. via the solution of systems of ODE. This is explained using fundamental results on the invariance groups of the equations involved. An intuitive interpretation of the significance of the result is also provided.


Risk plays an important role in agricultural decision-making, particularly in those regions that are remarkably exposed to natural hazards and underdeveloped input and output markets. This is especially true for crop production in CIS countries where many farms have to deal with low liquidity and sharp continental climate at the same time. The discussion paper analyses the results of expert interviews, a workshop with key-informants and a farm survey which investigated production conditions, risk attitudes and risk management techniques with respect to the requirements of a functioning crop insurance system in Kazakhstan.


Computational methods within structural acoustics, vibration and fluid-structure interaction are powerful tools for investigating acoustic and structural-acoustic problems in many sectors of industry; in the building industry regarding room acoustics, in the car industry and aeronautical industry for optimizing structural components with regard to vibrations characteristics etc. It is on the verge of becoming a common tool for noise characterization and design for optimizing structural properties and geometries in order to accomplish a desired acoustic environment. The book covers the field of computational mechanics, and then moved into the field of formulations of multiphysics and multiscale. The book is addressed to graduate level, PhD students and young researchers interested in structural dynamics, vibrations and acoustics. It is also suitable for industrial researchers in mechanical, aeronautical and civil engineering with a professional interest in structural dynamics, vibrations and acoustics or involved in questions regarding noise characterization and reduction in building, car, plane, space, train, industries by means of computer simulations. (Less)


This chapter explores recent changes in European politics and looks to the future for European democracy as it stands now. The chapter explores the ongoing political change that can be seen within European countries and also at the European Union (EU) level. It aims to highlight four important debates about the state of democracy in Europe. These are: the debates about the rise of political fragmentation and its consequences for democracy; democratic backsliding in central and eastern Europe; the impact of the United Kingdom leaving the EU on democracy; and the democratic deficit in EU politics.


Despite a human presence in the Benguela region for at least one million years, exploitation of marine resources by European seafarers only began in earnest in the 1400s. Ecopath with Ecosim was used to construct and compare mass-balanced foodweb models of the southern Benguela ecosystem, representing the following eras of human influence: aboriginal (10 000 BP–1651), pre-industrial (1652–1909), industrial (1910–1974) and post-industrial (1975–present). Biomass at higher trophic levels (TLs) decreased over the periods examined, whereas that of sardine and anchovy increased in the early 2000s, reflected by the decline in weighted TL of the community (excluding plankton). Fishing became an important predatory impact, taking over consumption of small pelagics and horse mackerel from declined natural predators such as hake. Harvesting of apex predators such as seals and seabirds during the pre-industrial era meant that the mean TL of the catch declined markedly between the pre-industrial (1900) and industrial (1960) models. Biomass removals by fishing have increased substantially over time. Total biomass, consumption, respiration, production and throughput decreased from the pristine model to 1960 and then increased again in the 2000s, probably influenced by the abnormally high small pelagic biomass in the early 2000s. Three additional alternate scenarios were examined for each of the retrospective models, in particular to explore the effects of removing large fish and forage fish from the system. Although biomasses and consumption of various groups in these scenarios differed from base models, indicators such as TL of the community and piscivore groups, and the diversity indices, were not altered much, suggesting that outputs from such retrospective models in the form of derived, relative indicators, may be more robust than comparisons of absolute flows, although the latter provide supplementary inferences. Although South African fisheries have certainly impacted ecosystem structure since their commencement, these effects are in addition to natural (specifically environmental) forcing that has always been influencing the system. Fishing stress at the ecosystem level and the collapse of small pelagic stocks may lead to a shift toward a bottom-up trophic control mechanism becoming the dominant driver of ecosystem dynamics, increasing the impact of environmental events including climate change. It is thus possible that pristine systems were not as severely affected by environmental anomalies as are modern systems.


America has become a nation of suburbs. Confronting the popular image of suburbia as simply a refuge for affluent whites, The New Suburban History rejects the stereotypes of a conformist and conflict-free suburbia. The seemingly calm streets of suburbia were, in fact, battlegrounds over race, class, and politics. With this collection, Kevin Kruse and Thomas Sugrue argue that suburbia must be understood as a central factor in the modern American experience. Kruse and Sugrue here collect ten essays—augmented by their provocative introduction—that challenge our understanding of suburbia. Drawing from original research on suburbs across the country, the contributors recast important political and social issues in the context of suburbanization. Their essays reveal the role suburbs have played in the transformation of American liberalism and conservatism; the contentious politics of race, class, and ethnicity; and debates about the environment, land use, and taxation. The contributors move the history of African Americans, Latinos, Asians, and blue-collar workers from the margins to the mainstream of suburban history. From this broad perspective, these innovative historians explore the way suburbs affect—and are affected by—central cities, competing suburbs, and entire regions. The results, they show, are far-reaching: the emergence of a suburban America has reshaped national politics, fostered new social movements, and remade the American landscape. The New Suburban History offers nothing less than a new American history—one that claims the nation cannot be fully understood without a history of American suburbs at its very center.


Predicting the interaction of compounds with targets associated with toxicity can provide inputs to hierarchical models integrating systems toxicology, physiologically-based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) models and organ simulations to predict compound interactions with adverse outcome pathways (AOP). For example, MRP4 (Multi-drug resistance-associated protein 4 or ABCC4) mediates the transport of signalling molecules (such as cAMP and cGMP), prostaglandins and leukotrienes (PGE1, PGE2, LTB4) and can be inhibited by drugs such as Celecoxib, Probenecid, MK-571 and Sulfinpyrazone [1]. BSEP (Bile salt export pump or ABC11) is localised in the cholesterol rich canalicular membranes of hepatocytes and its function is to eliminate unconjugated/conjugated steroidal acids from the hepatocyte into the bile. The loss of this transporter function is seen in the genetic disease progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis type 2. Inhibition of both of these transporters MRP4 and BSEP has been identified as a risk factor in the development of cholestatic DILI (drug-induced liver injury) [2]. We have used the publically available data from ChEMBL to build categorical and continuous quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) models in order to determine the molecular properties which contribute to activity at these transporters and compare these features with known hepatotoxic compounds. We have compared the results from these models with predictions from the Derek Nexus approach for knowledge-based prediction of hepatotoxicity [3]. The resulting QSAR models, along with models of other toxicity-related targets, will form part of a hierarchy of molecular-, systemsand physiologically-based models to identify compounds with an increased risk of toxicity as part of the HeCaToS project [4]. You can download this presentation as a PDF . [1] Russel, F.G. et al. Trends Pharmacol. Sci. 29(4) pp. 200-7 (2008) [2] Kis, E. et al. Toxicol. in Vitro. 26(8), pp. 1294-9 (2012) [3] Greene, A. et al. SAR and QSAR in Environmental Research 10(2-3), pp. 299-314 (1999) [4] www.hecatos.eu


The combination of sol–gel technology and intercalation was investigated in this study as a strategy to develop bionanocomposite hybrid materials in the form of coatings with specifically intended oxygen barrier properties. To this goal, the exopolysaccharide pullulan was used as the organic phase, whereas tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) and Na+–montmorillonite (MMT) were used as the metal alkoxide precursor and the nanobuilding blocks (NBB) for the sol–gel technology and the intercalation process, respectively. Complementary information from XRD and TEM analyses disclosed a new supramolecular organization arising from the self-assembly of NBB and pullulan, with the latter apparently intercalated between the clay platelets. Although affected by a rise in haze, the hybrid coatings exhibited outstanding oxygen barrier properties, with permeability coefficient values (P′O2) ranging from 0.89 mL μm m−2 (24 h)−1 atm−1 for a filler volume fraction (ϕ) = 0.017 to an impressive 0.15 mL μm m−2 (24 h)−1 atm−1 (ϕ = 0.095) under dry conditions. Modeling of P′O2 suggested a very tight structure under dry conditions, which yielded an apparent clays aspect ratio (α) ∼50, whereas in the hydrated state a more realistic α ∼ 100 was restored. This finding was further supported by SEM analysis, which also highlighted partial embrittlement of the final hybrid coatings.


In this study, bioassay test of Shiraz municipal rubbish compost on germination and seedling growth of wheat, barley and rapeseed with concentrations of 0 to 20% of the compost extract with three replications was investigated. In addition, a comparison between two methods of compost toxicity evaluation was occurred. Petri dishes were harvested after7 days and then the radicle and plumule length were measured. In all three seeds, the highest germination percentage and radicle and plumule length was in control and the lowest in 20% of compost extract. The compost extract, causes toxicity and limitation in germination and growth of seedlings, if prepared from raw materials containing toxic organic compounds and heavy metals and not completely processed. It is recommended that agricultural waste can be used in the preparation of compost and urban wastage can be consumed as little as possible. Comparison of the two methods showed that this article method, due to lower concentration of the extract, the seed germination percentage was significantly higher and, due to similarity to the natural condition and absorption of some extract by soil matrix, it is more appropriate for evaluation of compost toxicity.


Alternatively, to other studies that used parametric distributions (e.g. Gamma) in the estimation of the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI), this study aims to apply a nonparametric method based on Kernel Density Estimator (KDE) for calculating the SPI. Results of the proposed method were compared with the ones from the most widely used parametric distribution, using a long dataset of monthly precipitation of four meteorological stations in Iran (including Bushehr, Mashhad, Tehran and Esfahan) over a period of 107 water years (1895-2002). The capability of KDE-based SPI was compared with the Gamma-based SPI at four-time scales of 3, 6, 9 and 12 months. The frequencies of the drought classes of SPI were calculated and compared with corresponding expected frequencies. The results revealed that the KDE is more consistent with the expected values of the SPI drought/wet classes frequencies (especially in the extreme classes) at all stations as well as at the four-time scales, compared to the Gamma distribution. The greatest deviation from the expected frequencies for KDE and Gamma distribution were about 10% and 150%, respectively. This study proposes a new analytical approach in modeling SPI that provides more accurate results pertaining frequency of occurrences of extreme drought events. The output of the study can be used in many fields (e.g. tourism, agriculture, insurance, etc.) that are influenced by severe droughts.


In this experimental study, we developed lateral flow immunoassay strips for the detection of Escherichia coli. For labelling, gold nanoparticles were prepared and modified with a Raman label. As a result of this, not only colorimetric responses but also Raman responses were obtained from the same strips. The color and Raman intensities were employed for the quantitative determination of Escherichia coli. The employment of two different detection methods strengthens the quantitative determination of Escherichia coli by lateral flow immunoassay, which is mostly used for qualitative detection or sometimes the semi-quantitative determination of samples. After careful optimization and validation steps, the developed strips allowed the highly sensitive determination of Escherichia coli in water and urine samples.


We have studied the ultrafast dynamics of NH-stretch vibrational excitations in Watson-Crick base pairs consisting of adenine and uracil derivatives. To estimate the influence of the A:U hydrogen bonding on the vibrational dynamics, we have also studied the uracil derivative in monomeric form. The vibrational relaxation of the NH-stretching mode is found to occur much faster in the Watson-Crick base pair than in monomeric uracil. From the delay dependence of the transient vibrational spectra, it can be concluded that both in base-paired and monomeric uracil, the energy relaxation takes place in two steps, the first step being a rapid transfer of energy from the NH-stretching mode to an accepting mode, the second step the relaxation of this accepting mode. The transient spectra show evidence that in the base pair the hydrogen bond between the nucleobases acts as the accepting mode, and that the hydrogen bonding between the bases is responsible for the extremely fast vibrational relaxation in this system.


In many domains, collecting sufficient labeled training data for supervised machine learning requires easily accessible but noisy sources, such as crowdsourcing services or tagged Web data. Noisy labels occur frequently in data sets harvested via these means, sometimes resulting in entire classes of data on which learned classifiers generalize poorly. For real world applications, we argue that it can be beneficial to avoid training on such classes entirely. In this work, we aim to explore the classes in a given data set, and guide supervised training to spend time on a class proportional to its learnability. By focusing the training process, we aim to improve model generalization on classes with a strong signal. To that end, we develop an online algorithm that works in conjunction with classifier and training algorithm, iteratively selecting training data for the classifier based on how well it appears to generalize on each class. Testing our approach on a variety of data sets, we show our algorithm learns to focus on classes for which the model has low generalization error relative to strong baselines, yielding a classifier with good performance on learnable classes.


In embedded systems such as electric vehicles, Proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) has been an attractive technology for many years especially in automotive applications. This paper deals with PEMFC operation monitoring which is a current target for improvement for attaining extended durability. In this paper, supervision of the PEMFC is done using knowledge-based models. Without extra sensors, it enables a clear insight of state variables of the gases in the membrane electrode assembly (MEA) which gives the PEMFC controller the ability to prevent abnormal operating conditions and associated irreversible degradations. First, a new state-observer oriented model of the PEM fuel cell is detailed. Based on this model, theoretical and practical observability issues are discussed. This analysis shows that convection phenomena can be considered negligible from the dynamic point of view; this leads to a reduced model. Finally a state-observer enables the estimation of the inner partial pressure of the cathode by using only the current and voltage measurements. This proposed model-based approach has been successfully tested on a PEM fuel cell simulator using a set of possible fault scenarios.


The high index contrast silicon-on-insulator platform is the dominant CMOS compatible platform for photonic integration. The successful use of silicon photonic chips in optical communication applications has now paved the way for new areas where photonic chips can be applied. It is already emerging as a competing technology for sensing and spectroscopic applications. This increasing range of applications for silicon photonics instigates an interest in exploring new materials, as silicon-on-insulator has some drawbacks for these emerging applications, e.g., silicon is not transparent in the visible wavelength range. Silicon nitride is an alternate material platform. It has moderately high index contrast, and like silicon-on-insulator, it uses CMOS processes to manufacture photonic integrated circuits. In this paper, the advantages and challenges associated with these two material platforms are discussed. The case of dispersive spectrometers, which are widely used in various silicon photonic applications, is presented for these two material platforms.


The purpose of this article is to examine, understand and analyze the characteristics and general trends of doctoral theses about distance education in Latin America. To this end, this research is composed of two phases, the first performed a descriptive analysis of a total of 183 documents defended between 2004 and 2011. In this part the trends and needs of distance education how research areas discussed in the doctoral thesis analyzed. In the second phase, through analysis of references citing references used as an indicator of consumption are detailed. The results show that the dispersion of research topics has not changed significantly and that there are two areas within the distance education are proposed for future research.


Tantalum (Ta) is a rare transition metal widely used in the manufacture of new technologies such as computers, cell phones, solar panels and implants in biomedicine, and their use is continuously increasing. Most non-essential metals are immobilized in the organism through complexation with proteins, but it is not known if new-technology elements (such as Ta) present the same behavior. In aquatic environments, metals tend to concentrate in biota and some can be biomagnified through the trophic chain, even reaching humans. This study aimed to investigate any possible relationship between Ta and proteins. Invertebrates and fishes were collected from coastal marine ecosystems of northern Chile, Patagonia, and South Shetland Islands (Antarctic Peninsula). A direct positive relationship was found between Ta and total proteins throughout the food chain from marine ecosystems of the Patagonia and the Antarctic Peninsula area, revealing that proteins are probably the pathway by which Ta bioaccumulates and biomagnifies in macroinvertebrates and fish of pristine coastal marine environments. Our data suggest that site-specific factors ( e.g ., water temperature, pH, geography) may be influencing the environmental fate of Ta. Therefore, further studies are needed to understand the biological implications of this metal.


The COVID-19 crisis is affecting millions of lives and has wreaked some of its greatest havoc and suffering among the vulnerable and marginalised populations of the world, many of whom belong to religious and faith-based communities. In times of crisis and difficulty, religion and faith are a source of hope and strength for many. In this paper, we underscore the critical role and impact that some faith-based organisations have had in the pandemic crisis response and management of three countries: Brazil, Indonesia and Sri Lanka. In Brazil, Pastoral da Criança is leveraging their mobile phone application to fight mis-information about COVID-19. In Indonesia, Muhammadiyah launched a COVID-19 command centre to support treatment in hospitals, to disseminate guidelines for religious activities backed by science, and to provide water, sanitation and hygiene packages, food and financial support to the most vulnerable and neglected. In Sri Lanka, Sarvodaya is working closely with religious and community leaders on risk communication and community engagement messages and is also providing hygiene care and economic relief packages to the marginalised. We further discuss some of the challenges these organisations have faced and propose recommendations for greater engagement with this group of global public health actors to maximise their contributions and impact in the crisis management of and response to future infectious disease outbreaks, epidemics or pandemics in low-resource settings.


Introduction: Britain's cancer survival results have been criticised as being significantly higher than twenty Major Developed Countries (MDC). Hence this comparison of current UK Total Age-Standardised-Death-Rates (ASDR), female Breast and Prostate cancer mortality rates with twenty (MDC) between1989 to 2015 to determine any significant change.

Method: WHO data ASDR per million (pm) for Total, Breast and Prostate cancer mortality rates examined for the years 1989-91 to 2013-15. Confidence Intervals (+/- 95%) are used to determine any significant differences between the UK and other country's outcomes over the period. Chi square tests for each nation's Breast and Prostate mortality.

Results: Every country's Total ASDR, Breast and Prostate cancer mortality fell except Greece and Japan. Total ASDR Male cancer mortality rates ranged from Portugal 1653pm to Sweden 1232pm. UK at 1475pm were 10th but had been 6th highest. Total ASDR Female rates went from Denmark's 1176pm to Japan's 740pm, the UK 1092pm now 5th but previously had been second highest. No country's Total rates fell significantly more than Britain's who had significantly bigger reductions than four other countries for both sexes. Breast mortality ranged from Ireland's 206pm to Japan's 99pm, UK rates fell significantly more than five countries. Whilst Breast mortality fell in every country Norway and UK had significantly bigger reductions in Breast than Prostate deaths, conversely France's Prostate rates fell more than Breast mortality. Prostate mortality went from Norway 213pm Japan's 60pm, the UK 167pm and five countries had greater reductions than Britain.

Conclusions: Results reflect well on UK services for Total and Breast cancers, showing the NHS achieving more with proportionately less as Britain spends less on health than most MDC. The need how to improve UK prostate results are briefly discussed, such as a public information campaign to match the successful Breast cancer aware programme of the 1990's.


This article analyzes the emerging ethical and legal requirements for informed consent in pharmacogenomic research. It reviews how policies at the international, regional and national levels have responded to the ethical challenges raised by this new research area. It concludes that the pharmacogenomic policy framework is still in its infancy and needs to be further developed to answer the challenges raised by this important discipline.


A new formulation of the stability of boundary-layer flows in pressure gradients is presented, taking into account the spatial development of the flow and utilizing a special coordinate transformation. The formulation assumes that disturbance wavelength and eigenfunction vary downstream no more rapidly than the boundary-layer thickness, and includes all terms nominally of order R−1 in the boundary-layer Reynolds number R. In Blasius flow, the present approach is consistent with that of Bertolotti et al. (1992) to O(R−1) but simpler (i.e. has fewer terms), and may best be seen as providing a parametric differential equation which can be solved without having to march in space. The computed neutral boundaries depend strongly on distance from the surface, but the one corresponding to the inner maximum of the streamwise velocity perturbation happens to be close to the parallel flow (Orr-Sommerfeld) boundary. For this quantity, solutions for the Falkner-Skan flows show the effects of spatial growth to be striking only in the presence of strong adverse pressure gradients. As a rational analysis to O(R−1) demands inclusion of higher-order corrections on the mean flow, an illustrative calculation of one such correction, due to the displacement effect of the boundary layer, is made, and shown to have a significant destabilizing influence on the stability boundary in strong adverse pressure gradients. The effect of non-parallelism on the growth of relatively high frequencies can be significant at low Reynolds numbers, but is marginal in other cases. As an extension of the present approach, a method of dealing with non-similar flows is also presented and illustrated. However, inherent in the transformation underlying the present approach is a lower-order non-parallel theory, which is obtained by dropping all terms of nominal order R−1 except those required for obtaining the lowest-order solution in the critical and wall layers. It is shown that a reduced Orr-Sommerfeld equation (in transformed coordinates) already contains the major effects of non-parallelism.


OBJECT
The cisternal portion of the trochlear nerve (fourth cranial nerve) can easily be injured during intracranial surgical operations. To help minimize the chance of such injury by promoting a thorough understanding of the anatomy of this nerve and its relationships to surrounding structures, the authors present this anatomical study.

METHODS
In this study, in which 12 cadaveric heads (24 sides) were used, the authors describe exact distances between the trochlear nerve and various surrounding structures. Also described are relatively safe areas in which to manipulate or enter the tentorium, and these are referenced to external landmarks.

CONCLUSIONS
This information will prove useful in planning and executing surgical procedures in and around the free edge of the tentorium cerebelli.


The development of efficient and stable electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) based on earth-abundant materials is of significance to enable water splitting as a feasible source of alternative energy. Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) have been intensively employed as the templates/precursors to synthesize catalysts with hollow structures for various energy-related applications. In this study, using MOF (Ni–Fe prussian-blue-analog) as a template and precursor, a novel and promising bimetallic phosphide catalyst (Ni0.62Fe0.38)2P was obtained. Benefiting from synergistic effect between the Ni and Fe species, well-defined architecture and high surface area the as-made (Ni0.62Fe0.38)2P hollow nanocubes show a remarkable electrocatalytic performance for the OER in 1 M KOH electrolyte with a low overpotential of only 290 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm−2 and a small Tafel slope of 44 mV per decade, which even surpass the benchmark IrO2 catalyst. Moreover, the (Ni0.62Fe0.38)2P hollow nanocubes exhibit good long-term stability. This facile and novel route to prepare bimetallic phosphide hollow nanocubes as active OER catalysts broadens the scope for designing other noble-metal-free OER efficient catalysts for electrochemical water splitting in the future.


Identifying significant causal agents among a large number of candidates is challenging. When experimental resources are limited, exhaustively screening a large number of agents for the desired effect could incur a large cost and take a substantial amount of time. However, in many large scale experiments, such as high-throughput screening (HTS), the ratio of causal to non-causal agents is usually very low. In this paper, we introduce a group-screening strategy to efficiently screen causal agents by grouping them into treatments. Our analysis shows that when a large number of candidates factors are screened and true agent percentage is very low (less than 1%), even in the worst case we could save up to 80% of the experiment runs. In the case where experiments span many rounds, we provide an online version of the group-screening that can determine the best strategy automatically based on the existing results. We applied this method to a real HTS experiment with 50,000 candidates that would require 9 rounds to finish in an exhaustive case. Our analysis showed that by applying the online-group-screening method, in the worst case, we can use 3 rounds and 19.7% (9828/50000) total tests to identify all the agents. Finally, we show that with minor modifications, this framework extends to more complex agent discovery problems.


Building effective optimization heuristics is a challenging task which often takes developers several months if not years to complete. Predictive modelling has recently emerged as a promising solution, automatically constructing heuristics from training data, however, obtaining this data can take months per platform. This is becoming an ever more critical problem as the pace of change in architecture increases. Indeed, if no solution is found we shall be left with out of date heuristics which cannot extract the best performance from modern machines. In this work, we present a low-cost predictive modelling approach for automatic heuristic construction which significantly reduces this training overhead. Typically in supervised learning the training instances are randomly selected, regardless of how much useful information is present. Our approach, on the other hand, uses active learning to carefully select the more informative examples, thus reducing the training time. We demonstrate this technique by automatically creating a model to determine on which device to execute four parallel programs at differing problem dimensions for a representative Cpu–Gpu based system. Our methodology is remarkably simple and yet effective, making it a strong candidate for wide adoption. At high levels of classification accuracy the average learning speed-up is 3x, as compared to the state-of-the-art.