It is frequently assumed that taking samples of soft marine sediments using surface‐based gravity coring equipment causes minimal disruption to their sedimentological, biogeochemical, and biological condition. This assumption was evaluated by examining the potential disturbances caused when obtaining soft‐sediment samples either by SCUBA or Craib‐coring, comparing sediment oxygen microprofiles, benthic oxygen flux rates and sediment solid phase analyses (chlorophyll a (Chl a), organic carbon, and porosity) between both methods and against reference values measured in situ by benthic lander. The two sampling methodologies were tested in shallow coastal environments on the west coast of Scotland and generally the results obtained from cores collected using SCUBA exhibited values closest to those observed in situ. Oxygen penetration depth was significantly shallower in cores obtained by Craib‐corer compared with the SCUBA cores. Craib cores also produced higher oxygen uptake rates which could be caused by greater levels of sediment disturbance during sampling. In addition, more homogenous levels of Chl a in the top 1 cm of the Craib cores, compared with the SCUBA samples, may indicate either resuspension or compression during gravity coring. Using SCUBA for shallow‐water soft‐sediment sampling permits steady and controlled core‐tube insertion and extraction, and more measured retrieval of the cores to the surface; this probably accounts for the observed differences. Whereas benthic lander‐based in situ measurement would be the preferred method for analyzing sediment parameters in detail in this type of environment, SCUBA‐based sampling offers a more accurate alternative to surface‐based gravity coring.


The EBRI/Greenwald & Associates Health and Voluntary Workplace Benefits Survey (WBS) examines a broad spectrum of health care issues, including workers' satisfaction with health care today, their confidence in the health care system and the Medicare program, and their attitudes toward benefits in the workplace. It is co-sponsored by the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) and Greenwald & Associates with support from eight private organizations. The 2016 survey was conducted online June 16-23, 2016, using the Research Now consumer panel. A total of 1,500 workers in the United States ages 21-64 participated in the survey. The data were weighted by gender, age, and education to reflect the actual proportions in the employed population. This paper presents the key findings of the 2016 survey. One-third of workers (32 percent) are only somewhat satisfied with the benefits offered by their current employer, and 20 percent are not satisfied. One-half (49 percent) are extremely or very confident that their employer will continue to offer a similar benefits package three years from now. Those who are less confident that their benefits will remain the same tend to believe their benefits will weaken. Workers continue to value employment-based health insurance as their most important benefit. Eighty-seven percent of workers report that employment-based health insurance is extremely or very important, followed by a retirement savings plan (77 percent) and dental or vision (72 percent). Two-thirds are confident in their ability to make informed benefits choices. Yet, nearly as many would welcome benefits advice from a third-party advisor or an online program. Workers identify lower cost, choice, and the convenience of paying pre-tax and through payroll deductions as strong advantages of voluntary employment-based benefits.


Breast cancer is the most common cancer in Canadian women and the second leading cause of cancer deaths. Given that most mammary tumors are surgically resectable and over 90% of breast cancer-associated deaths are due to metastasis, new therapeutic strategies targeting metastasis are required. Natural killer T (NKT) cells are a rare population of immune cells that have been shown to limit primary tumor growth and target distant metastatic disease in various animal models. We have shown that NKT cell activation improves survival in a model of post-surgical metastatic breast cancer. We are now expanding this work to determine whether NKT cell activation can be combined with chemotherapies to improve outcomes. In our model, 4T1 mammary carcinoma cells were injected into the mammary fatpad of syngeneic BALB/c mice. Tumors were resected at day 12, and mice were treated with cyclophosphamide or gemcitabine. On day 17, NKT cells were activated by transfer of dendritic cells loaded with the glycolipid antigen α-GalCer. We also examined whether gemcitabine or mafosphamide (active component of cyclophosphamide) would induce immunogenic cell death of 4T1 cells in culture. Chemotherapeutics did not affect NKT cell activation as measured by serum IFNγ levels. Treatment with cyclophosphamide, gemcitabine, or α-GalCer-loaded dendritic cells alone reduced metastasis and prolonged survival. Combined treatments significantly enhanced survival. NKT cell activation decreased the frequency and immunosuppressive function of myeloid derived suppressor cells (MDSCs). Treatments resulted in enhanced tumor specific immunity as surviving mice exhibited slower tumor growth following secondary tumor challenge. Gemcitabine and mafosphamide also increase the immunogenicity of cancer cells in vitro by increasing the exposure/release of MHCI, MHCII, CD1d, Calreticulin, HMGB1 and ATP. NKT cell activation therapy can successfully be combined with low doses of gemcitabine or cyclophosphamide to enhance protection against tumor metastasis and recurrence. This work provides a clear rationale for combining chemotherapy with NKT cell immunotherapy to target metastatic disease in the clinical setting. Citation Format: Simon Gebremeskel, Kaitlyn Tanner, Lynnea Lobert, Brent Johnston. Targeting post-surgical breast cancer metastasis through combining natural killer T cell immunotherapy and low dose chemotherapy [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 5669. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-5669


This article examines the corporate governance system in Malaysia. A sound corporate governance system should help create an environment conducive to the efficient and sustainable growth in the Malaysian corporate sector. Since the Southeast Asian financial crisis in 1997 – 98 ('financial crisis'), corporate governance has become a key policy issue confronting many Southeast Asian countries, including Malaysia. This article considers the distinctive problems of corporate governance in Malaysia, despite several steps for reform that have taken place since the financial crisis. There will be a brief discussion on the meaning of corporate governance and an overview of the present status of corporate governance in Malaysia, in particular after the financial crisis.


Solitary fibrous tumor/hemangiopericytoma (SFT-HMP) is a rare spindle-cell mesenchymal tumor, thought to be of myofibroblastic origin. Penile SFT-HMP was mentioned in the literature in two separate case reports which were published in 2015 and 2017. We present the first case of SFT-HMP which is localized on corpus cavernosum of the penis. A 55-year-old man presented to our clinic with a small and gradually growing lesion on his penis for the past year, which recently caused difficulties during sexual intercourse. On physical examination; a well-shaped, nodular non-fluctuant, solid, painless mass, measuring 4×4 cm was palpated. Magnetic resonance imaging showed 5×5 cm mass located on the right corpus cavernosa. Under spinal anesthesia, surgical excision was performed. Pathologically, the tumor had an irregular architecture patterns and was characterized by hypercellular areas separated by thin-walled, branching vessels, lined with a single layer of flattened endothelial cells. SFT-HMP rarely occurs in genital tract and penile presentation is among the rarest. It should be classified and considered under penile masses, especially if the mass is well circumscribed, painless and slowly growing in nature. After differential diagnosis, surgical excision is mandatory.


Classically, there are two model category structures on coalgebras in the category of chain complexes over a field. In one, the weak equivalences are maps which induce an isomorphism on homology. In the other, the weak equivalences are maps which induce a weak equivalence of algebras under the cobar functor. We unify these two approaches, realizing them as the two extremes of a partially ordered set of model category structures on coalgebras over a cooperad satisfying mild conditions.


Significantly influencing the sociological study of religion, Hans Mol developed ideas of identity which remain thought-provoking for analyses of how religion operates within contemporary societies. Sacred Selves, Sacred Settings brings current social-religious topics into sharp focus: international scholars analyse, challenge, and apply Mol's theoretical assertions. This book introduces the unique story of Hans Mol, who survived Nazi imprisonment and proceeded to brush shoulders with formidable intellectuals of the twentieth century, such as Robert Merton, Talcott Parsons, and Reinhold Niebuhr. Offering a fresh perspective on popular subjects such as secularization, pluralism, and the place of religion in the public sphere, this book sets case studies within an intellectual biography which describes Mol's key influences and reveals the continuing import of Hans Mol's work applied to recent data and within a contemporary context.


O mon Dieu ... creez en moi un coeur nouveau. LOUISE DE LA VALLIERE (1) TOWARD THE END OF HIS LIFE, Richard Rorty summarized the aspiration of his "philosophical project" with this statement: "We hope to do to Nature, Reason and Truth what the eighteenth century did to God." "We think," he further explained, "that anything you can do with notions like 'Nature,' 'Reason' and 'Truth' you can do better, with such notions as 'the most useful description for our purposes' and 'the attainment of free consensus about what to believe and to desire.'" (2) Both the seventeenth-century sermon that is here translated and the life of the woman whose conversion it reflects upon stand as challenges to Rorty's conviction. (3) They testify that the human soul, in its inner and most intimate recesses, craves much more than effective therapy or the comfort of being in outward peace with its neighbors. For the human heart belongs to a creature that yearns for nothing less than union with its Creator. There is more than a little irony in Rorty's self-description as a philosopher. Denying, as he does, the significance of truth and the notion that the intellect is perfected by knowing, he hardly fulfills any literal interpretation of the name. Nor would he be an uncomplicated exemplar of a more restricted understanding of the craft, for he was as likely to trade in story-telling as in argument, and if in argument, then in argument about the stories we tell. Darwin's suggestion of "the possibility that we may be clever animals trying to reshape the environment to our needs, rather than intellects attempting to grasp the intrinsic structure of reality" served as his first principle. (4) But as a principle, this appeal functioned less as a premise than as a mise-en-scene, a stand-in for "once upon a time." "Darwin," he recounted, made it "harder to be a Kantian than it had previously been," and once his "apt pupil, Nietzsche" had added another chapter to the Darwinian story, "people"--note the insouciant generality of the sentence's subject--"found it very hard to think of themselves as having a transcendental or a noumenal side." What happened next? "The hundred-odd years spent absorbing and improving on Darwin's empirical story have, I suspect and hope, unfitted us for listening to transcendental stories." And so, "in the course of those years we have gradually substituted the making of a better future for ourselves ... for the attempt to see ourselves from outside of time and history." The story's moral, then, is that philosophy is not at all a path toward self-knowledge and truth, but instead "an aid to creating ourselves." (5) As a story-teller, Rorty was both captivating and astute. In the tale that he would have us tell about "the emancipation of thought from obsolete doctrines," he pointed to the importance of Montaigne, suggesting that but for the overwhelming influence of Cartestianism, it could well have been Montaigne to have set modern philosophy on its path toward a "secular world-view." (6) Surely this supposition is reasonable, for in spite of Montaigne's famed complexity, it is undeniable that one strand of his influence lay precisely in that direction. To the libertins of France's Grand Siecle, Montaigne represented the very spirit of self-creation that Rorty would later laud; as one commentator put it, Montaigne was to the libertins "the symbol of a kind of writing about me." (7) Write about themselves they certainly did: "My hand is so generous and so free-spirited (libertine) that it will follow only the whim of my fantasy, and this with such independence and unrestrained freedom that it glories in having no other end in view than the simple search for truths or what accords with nature, nor any object more important than what pleases me." (8) The reference to nature in this passage by Francois de La Mothe Le Vayer was a pointed one, meant to exclude an appeal to grace; he had earlier announced that he would philosophize "in puris naturibus," and later followed Montaigne's example by praising Julian the Apostate, among other pagans, in his treatise on LaVertue des Payens [1641]. …


Laser cladding of the Al-12Si alloy onto carbon short fibre reinforced AS41 magnesium alloy to improve the corrosion resistance was carried out successfully using the two-step method, first plasma spraying and then subsequently CO2-laser remelting. However, during the laser remelting, there was a tendency to void formation in both the clad layer and the substrate. This problem was overcome when an appropriate laser power coupled with a suitable accelerated scanning speed were used. In order to evaluate the corrosion resistance, polarisation measurements were carried out in neutral aqueous solutions of sodium chloride. A dramatic improvement in the corrosion resistance was observed in the laser clad surfaces compared to the untreated C/Mg composite.


The gardens of the Alhambra and the Generalife (Granada, Spain) present several hundred years old specimens of a very rare type of Myrtus. They are characterised by crowded, large leaves frequently arranged in trimerous whorls. The morphology of these myrtles proves to be peculiar and clearly sets the samples found in Granada as different from both wild specimens and other commonly cultivated forms. Compared studies reveal that this was the main type of myrtle used during the Middle Ages in the Islamic gardens of the Iberian Peninsula. Knowledge of this plant and its use has been lost in Europe since the Renaissance until the present day. However it is still grown in the U.S. and Morocco In this article we analyse the identity of these plants; describe the importance of their use in the medieval gardens of al-Andalus; investigate the cultivation and knowledge of myrtle in classical, Medieval-Islamic and modern times; localise the plant's distribution and identify the possible routes of its dispersal from the Mediterranean to Northern Europe, America and South Africa. Knowledge of the plant's historical importance can be used to reintroduce it in Europe and encourage cultivation in the U.S. This paper presents the results of the research project "Estudio Botanico e historiografico de Myrtus en la Alhambra y Generalife", supported by the Patronato de la Alhambra y Generalife and the Junta de Andalucia, which the authors are working on.


Natural mineral materials such as tabular and spheroidal halloysites have recently been suggested as candidates for intercalating metal ions or organic molecules. Their potential use as nanoadsorbents is related to their porous structure and water content. Although the two morphologies can coexist in natural deposits, spheroidal halloysites remain poorly characterized whereas much literature exists on tubular halloysites. The present study investigates the native morphology, internal porous structure, and behavior upon dehydration of spheroidal halloysite from Opotiki (New Zealand). This mineral was characterized in its natural hydrated state using a transmission electron microscope equipped with an environmental cell (EC-TEM). The sample was placed in a sealed block in which water vapor-saturated air circulated at a pressure of 30 Torr. The observed particles consisted of almost complete spheroids displaying polyhedral external surfaces. 1:1 layers stack concentrically as a pore-free, onion-like structure. The dynamic processes of dehydration created by slow depressurization of the cell resulted in a decrease in the layer-to-layer distance (d001) from ~10 Å to ~7 Å due to the loss of interlayer water molecules. Irreversible formation of spurious 'internal pores' was recorded during this process. These pores were not indigenous to the hydrated 10 Å halloysite and resulted from the collapse of the native layers. They cannot account for the physical chemical properties of spheroidal halloysite. Spheroidal halloysites would have a lower propensity for intercalating ions or molecules than tubular halloysites. Isolated facets were also observed in high-resolution-TEM and displayed a pseudo-hexagonal morphology. The three-dimensional microstructure of the spheroid appeared bent along the three pseudo equivalent yi directions of the kaolinite-like single layers. An analogy with polyhedral serpentine has allowed the proposal of a formation process of hydrated spheroidal halloysite triggered by enrichment in divalent ions in the growth system.


Audrey Brown attended Hinckley (Secondary) Modern Girls School in Leicestershire. Her history book covers one year's work and starts with Roman Britain, but then jumps to Tudor and Stuart England, followed by notes on the eighteenth century, the War of the French Revolution and 'Admiral' Nelson. Tbe nineteenth century is covered in some detail, focusing on key individuals, such as Florence Nightingale, Abraham Lincoln, Louis Pasteur and Cecil Rhodes. Throughout the book, Audrey has pasted in cut-out portraits and other line drawings which she has coloured. Audrey's notes are interspersed with short test questions and finish with a section about the twentieth century which includes only two topics - from bicycles to aeroplanes and women's suffrage.


The effect of doping and microstructure is explored on CVD diamond MEMS resonators. Hundreds of surface micromachined double ended tuning fork (DETF) resonators were fabricated in nanocrystalline diamond (NCD) and microcrystalline diamond (MCD) films deposited using hot filament CVD technique with varying levels of Boron doping. High resistivity (1926 MΩ·cm) NCD cantilevers and DETF demonstrated impressive Q-factors of 232,562 at f = 61.86 kHz and Q = 201,435 at f = 263.66 kHz, respectively. These Q's are the highest Q-factors yet reported for diamond resonators and the highest for cantilevers fabricated from any polycrystalline material. Higher boron doping resulted in reduced Q due to defect losses. Higher surface loss was observed in both MCD and NCD as doping increased. Observed Q-factors were almost the same for MCD and NCD at frequencies near 10 MHz.


The Wealden ghyll woodlands are associated with unique plant assemblages that include nationally rare bryophyte species with oceanic affiliations. The identification and monitoring of this type of 'priority' habitat, recognised as important in terms of regional and national biodiversity, is a central facet of the UK Biodiversity Action Plan (UKBAP). Despite the acknowledged importance of ghyll woodlands for non-vascular plant species, previous studies attempting to examine and characterise the ghyll woodlands have neglected to include these bryophyte communities. This research identifies and characterises the Wealden ghyll woodlands through an examination of the spatial and temporal distributions of bryophyte and flowering plant species. The research also seeks to provide baseline data against which biodiversity levels can monitored.


New non-rare-earth activated phosphors were discovered and have attracted much attention in the field of energy-efficient LED lighting. For instance Bi3+, when mixed into different matrix materials, can realize multiple luminescence intensities ranging from 400 to 700 nm. The tunable emission results from the susceptibility of bismuth naked 6s electrons to the crystal field surrounding Bi3+. In this work, we report the broadly adjustable emission of Bi3+ doped Ca2Al2SiO7 phosphors by modifying the local environment around Bi3+. When M+ (M = Li, Na and K) is incorporated into the Ca2Al2SiO7 lattice, the luminescence intensity is improved greatly. In addition, the position of the emission peak of Bi3+ shifts from 382 to 416 nm upon varying the relative ratio of B3+/Al3+/Ga3+ ions. The spectral red-shift behaviour is attributed to the enhancement of crystal field strength surrounding Bi3+. These results are promising for investigation of the luminescence properties of Bi3+.


We propose a simple lossless method for the generation of flat-topped intensity pulses bursts from a single utrashort pulse. We have found optimum solutions corresponding to different numbers of cavities and burst pulses, showing that the proposed all-pass structures of optical cavities, properly designed, can generate close to flat-topped pulse busts.


This book is the first of its kind - the personal memoir of a law clerk to a member of the Supreme Court of the United States. John Knox (1907-1997) served as private secretary and law clerk to Justice James C. McReynolds, arguably one of the most disagreeable justices ever to sit on the bench, during the tumultuous year when FDR attempted to "pack the court" with judges who would approve his New Deal agenda. The epitome of the overzealous young man, Knox kept a meticulous daily record of his life and surroundings, a practice he had begun as a lonley high school student and continued through his studies at the University of Chicago, Northwestern, and Harvard. Part scrapbook, part social commentary, and part recollection, his memoir reveals an unprecedented insider's view of the showdown between Roosevelt and the Court. At the same time, it marvellously portrays a Washington culture now long gone, in which most justices worked from their homes, supported by a small staff. This unlikely cast of characters includes Knox, who continually fears for his job under the notoriously rude (and nakedly racist) justice; Harry Parker, the messenger who does "everything but breathe" for the justice; and the maid, Mary Diggs, who with the others plots and schemes around her employer's idiosyncracies to keep the household running. A substantial foreword by Dennis J. Hutchinson and David J. Garrow sets the stage, and a gallery of period photos of Knox, McReynolds and other figures of the time gives life to this remarkable document, which like no other recaptures life in Washington, D.C., when it was still a genteel Southern town.


Vision entails complex processes to sense, interpret and reason about the external world. The performance of such processes in a dynamic environment needs to be regulated by flexible and reliable control mechanisms. This thesis is concerned with aspects of control in high level vision. The study of control problems in vision defines a research area which only recently has received adequate attention. Classification criteria such as scope of application, knowledge representation, control structure and communication have been chosen to establish means of comparisons between the existing vision systems. Control problems have recently become of great topical interest as a result of the basic ideas of the active vision paradigm. The proponents of active vision suggest that robust solutions to vision problems arise when sensing and analysis are controlled (i.e. purposively adjusted) to exploit both data and available knowledge (temporal context). The work reported in this thesis follows the basic tenets of active vision. It is directed at the study of control of sensor gaze, scene interpretation and visual strategy monitoring. Control of the visual sensor is an important aspect of active vision. A vision system must be able to establish its orientation with respect to the partially known environment and have control strategies for selecting targets to be viewed. In this thesis algorithms are implemented for establishing vision system pose relative to prestored environment landmarks and for directing gaze to points defined by objects in an established scene model. Particular emphasis has been placed on accounting for and propagating estimation errors arising from both measured image data and inaccuracy of stored scene knowledge. In order to minimise the effect of such errors a hierarchical scene model has been adopted with contextually related objects grouped together. Object positions are described relative to local determined landmarks and this keeps the size of errors within tolerable bounds. The scene interpretation module takes image descriptions in terms of low level features and produces a symbolic description of the scene in terms of known objects classes and their attributes. The construction of the scene model is an incremental process which is achieved by means of several knowledge sources independently controlled by separate modules. The scene interpreter has been carefully structured and operates in a loop of perception that is controlled by high level commands delivered from the system supervisor module. The individual scene interpreter modules operate as locally controlled modules and are instructed as to what visual task to perform, where to look in the scene and what subset of data to use. The module processing takes into account the existing partial scene interpretation. These mechanisms embody the concepts of spatial focus of attention and exploitation of temporal context. Robust scene interpretation is achieved via temporal integration of the interpretation. The element of control concerned with visual strategy monitoring is at the system supervisor level. The supervisor takes a user given task and decides the best strategy to follow in order to satisfy it. This may involve interrogation of existing knowledge or the initiation of new data collection and analysis. In the case of new analysis the supervisor has to express the task in terms of a set of achievable visual tasks and then these are encoded into a control word which is passed to the scene interpreter. The vocabulary of the scene supervisor includes tasks such as general scene exploration, the finding of a specific object, the monitoring of a specified object, the description of attributes of single objects or relationships between two or more objects. The supervisor has to schedule sub-tasks in such a way as to achieve a good solution to the given problem. A considerable number of experiments, which make use of real and synthetic data, demonstrate the advantages of the proposed approach by means of the current implementation (written in C and in the rule based system Clips).


Soluble low-affinity receptors for IgG are known to inhibit immune complex (IC)-mediated inflammation, and expression by leukocytes is elevated in several inflammatory diseases. Immunoglobulin M (IgM) rheumatoid factors (RF), anti-Fc autoantibodies, are found in autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA), as well as in normal immune responses. This study demonstrated that soluble FcgammaRIIa inhibits the interaction of rheumatoid factors with ICs. The recombinant soluble low-affinity FcgammaR, rsFcgammaRIIa, partially inhibited (30-70%) the rate of precipitation of soluble ICs by RF-positive RA sera. This required the normal interaction of FcgammaRIIa with Fc as the effect could be abrogated with the Fab fragment of the blocking mAb IV-3. Furthermore, rsFcgammaRIIa partially inhibited (40%) the binding of a monoclonal IgM RF (RF-AN) to an IC formed by IgG2 antibody binding to an antigen-coated biosensor chip. Since RF-AN has been characterized by crystallography to bind to the CH2/CH3 interface of the IgG-Fc, and leukocyte FcgammaRIIa binds to a distinct site centred on the lower hinge, this inhibition is uncompetitive. Some inhibition (15%) of staphylococcal protein A binding to IC was also observed. As soluble FcgammaRIIa disrupts Fc:Fc interactions in IgG-ICs, we propose that this alteration of the IC also reduces the accessibility of Fc portions in the IC, resulting in the partial inhibition of ligands, particularly IgM RF, which bind Fc. We propose that the high concentrations of soluble FcgammaR found during inflammation can affect the properties of ICs and their interaction with the immune system.


Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy, or LIBS, has been used to characterize the elemental composition of the surface and interior of nineteenth-century, metal-based photographs called daguerreotypes. A surface plasma was produced by the infrared beam of a nanosecond Nd:YAG laser and the emitted light was dispersed in a monochromator to yield the spectroscopic identification of elements. Major components of the daguerreotype surface included silver, copper, and gold. The gold was only present on the surface, as evidenced by its absence after the first one or two laser shots. Minor components such as silicon, aluminum, calcium, and magnesium reflect contaminant particles arising primarily from the cover glass. Several "colored" or "tinted" daguerreotypes were analyzed and the pigments identified. Depth profiling, accomplished by monitoring the spectra as a function of multiple laser shots, allowed the thickness of the silver layer to be measured as the ablation laser "drilled" into the surface. The LIBS technique is shown to be useful in understanding the composition of daguerreotypes and for identifying the specific pigments used by the photographer. These data also provide a scientific basis for attempts to optimize laser cleaning of tarnished daguerreotypes and may also provide clues to the provenance of particular examples.


INTRODUCTION
Parenteral nutrition (PN) is an essential component in the treatment of many hospitalized patients; however its use is associated to severe complications. The monitoring of these patients has been demonstrated as an effective method for the success of nutrition therapy; therefore, nutritional support teams play an important role to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of the PN. In Spain, there is no data available about the situation of nutritional support teams in hospitals.

OBJECTIVE
Develop a nutritional support team in our hospital and analyze the interventions and outcomes in terms of quality, effectiveness and safety.

METHODS
Retrospective, cross-sectional study. Patients with PN were selected during two months, corresponding to the period before and after the creation of the nutritional support team (group 1 and 2, respectively). The functions of the nutritional team include: nutritional evaluation, daily monitoring of vital signs and glycemia, detailed analytical control, management of PN complications, between others.

RESULTS
67% of patients in group 1 (n = 24) maintain the PN < 7 days, versus 22% in group 2 (n = 38). In group 1, no patient had a nutritional assessment, neither daily vital signs monitoring (100% in group 2). Detailed analytical control was carried out in the 4% of group 1 and 79% of group 2. In group 2, albumin and prealbumin levels remain stable or increased in the 66% and 88% of patients, respectively. No patient reached triglyceride > 400 mg/dl. 34% of patients showed glycemia > 140 mg/dl (100% of them were solved), and 26% of patients underwent hepatic dysfunction (50% were solved). No refeeding syndrome was reported (thiamine was added to PN in 34% of patients).

DISCUSSION
the nutritional support team work has notably increased the quality, safety and effectiveness of PN. This study demonstrates the need to incorporate multidisciplinary nutritional teams in hospitals and the benefit obtained in the patient medical care.


Electoral districting presents a risk of partisan gerrymandering: the manipulation of electoral boundaries to favor one political party over another. For three decades, the U.S. Supreme Court has failed to settle on a legal test for partisan gerrymandering, and such claims have uniformly failed. Until recently. Plaintiffs prevailed before a three-judge federal panel in Wisconsin by leveraging a new measure called the "efficiency gap," which quantifies partisan gerrymandering in terms of two parties' relative efficiency at translating votes for their party into seats in government. The case is now before the Court, which may embrace the efficiency gap approach and thereby remake the law of electoral districting. Through a synthesis of mathematical and legal analysis, this Article examines the efficiency gap measure, focusing particularly on its underlying methodological choices and electoral assumptions as well as its relationship to competitiveness, seats-votes proportionality, and voter turnout.

The efficiency gap is a useful indicative measure of partisan gerrymandering under the circumstances of cases like the one currently before the Court, in which each party earns about half the votes and a large efficiency gap persists under plausible variations in voter behavior. Relying in part on the efficiency gap measure, the Court should rule in favor of the plaintiffs. However, a mapmaker can achieve a below-threshold efficiency gap with a skewed bipartisan gerrymander that carves a state up into uncompetitive districts denying minority parties sufficient representation. For example, a party that earns only 59% of the vote can secure a filibuster- and veto-proof 75% supermajority of the legislature with a below-threshold efficiency gap. For this and other reasons, the Court should not adopt the efficiency gap as the exclusive definitional measure of partisan gerrymandering, such that a plan would be invalid if and only if it exhibited a large, durable, and unjustified efficiency gap. Instead, the Court should permit some flexibility for scholars, litigants, and courts to refine measurement approaches over time and under varying circumstances. One approach worth future exploration is a variation on the efficiency gap that defines a surplus vote in terms of the full margin of victory and compares wasted vote shares instead of totals. Finally, the Court should be aware that any measure, like the efficiency gap, that compares votes to seats entails the perverse risk that partisan voter suppression may operate to reduce the apparent severity of partisan gerrymanders.


Bivalve suspension‐feeding can produce horizontal gradients of particulate suspended matter, or seston, which may impair bivalve growth among other impacts to the coastal ecosystem. We proposed a method to assess the concentration of seston at different locations along a shellfish farm by means of measurements of the depth‐averaged diffuse attenuation coefficient of downwelling irradiance at 490 nm, K̅, from at least two autonomous buoys equipped with a vertical array of irradiance sensors. Two approaches were compared. First, horizontal gradients of chlorophyll plus phaeopigments (Chl) were calculated from K̅ using an empirical algorithm derived from water samples. In the second approach, gradients of particulate suspended matter were calculated after correcting K̅ for the attenuation due to water and riverine colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM), estimated from continuous in situ measurements of salinity. The method was assessed in a mussel farm in Ship Harbour (Nova Scotia, Canada). The proposed method is relatively insensitive to the angular distribution of downwelling irradiance, biofouling, frame‐shading, and wave focusing; but it cannot be easily applied in places with strong and sustained sediment resuspension. This method can complement and validate current modeling studies of seston depletion, and it can assist managerial activities and legislative requirements of shellfish aquaculture. This method can also be used to assess gradients of other ecologically relevant substances (i.e., CDOM, phytoplankton, and seston) in applications associated with sewage discharges, river runoff, harmful algal blooms, suspension‐feeding invasive bivalves, and other horizontally variable phenomena in the coastal ocean.


Past literature has posited that tourism is one of the fastest growing sectors and has been signified as an attractive investment proposition. Rural tourism sector has been actively promoted by the Malaysian government and currently, it is considered as one of the cornerstone of Malaysia's economic diversification strategy. On the other hand, it is important to note that stakeholder like local communities do play a crucial role in sustaining tourism development. Hence, the purpose of this study is to assess the impact of rural tourism development on the environment from the local communities' perspectives. The environmental constructs which consists of surrounding of therural tourism destination, environment management practice, conservation of culture heritage, local satisfaction and influence of resources have been examined against local communities' attitude towards rural tourism development. 199 respondents comprising of residents of rural tourism in Sarawak, Malaysia took part voluntarily in this study. To assess the developed model, SmarPLS 2.0 (M3) was applied based on path modelling and then bootstrapping with 200 re-samples was applied to generate the standard error of the estimate and t-values. Interestingly, the findings suggested that local communities were most concerned with the conservation of culture heritage and influence of resources when it comes to rural tourism development. Implications of these findings showed that it is crucial to understand the various concerns of the local communities for ensuring better sustainability performance especially in rural tourism setting.


Abstract. Hydrologic connectivity among wetlands is poorly characterized and understood. Our inability to quantify this connectivity compromises our understanding of the potential impacts of wetland loss on watershed structure, function and water supplies. We develop a computationally efficient, physically based subsurface–surface hydrologic model to characterize both the subsurface and surface hydrologic connectivity of geographically isolated wetlands and explore the time and length variations in these connections to a river within the Prairie Pothole Region of North America. Despite a high density of geographically isolated wetlands (i.e., wetlands without surface inlets or outlets), modeled connections show that these wetlands are not hydrologically isolated. Subsurface connectivity differs significantly from surface connectivity in terms of timing and length of connections. Slow subsurface connections between wetlands and the downstream river originate from wetlands throughout the watershed, whereas fast surface connections were limited to large events and originate from wetlands located near the river. This modeling approach provides first ever insight on the nature of geographically isolated wetland subsurface and surface hydrologic connections to rivers, and provides valuable information to support watershed-scale decision making for water resource management.


Abstract: The articles presents training methods and results from an observation experiment in cultural sensitivity training of 39 Bulgarian teachers from a multi-ethnic secondary school in Vetovo, Ruse region. School children belong to 5 ethnic groups: Bulgarians, Bulgarian Christian Roma, Bulgarian Muslim Roma, Bulgarian Turks and Gagauz. The teachers were trained for 3 days in developing their cultural sensitivity, digital literacy and pedagogical competence. They were trained by 4 university professors and were divided into 4 groups of 10 people each, where each group had to switch training to go through all modules. The author's module included developing cultural sensitivity among teachers of all ages. The training included 6 tasks employing the following pedagogical methods: role play, discussion, feedback and group work. The following skills were developed: team work, creative thinking, conflict reconciliation, negotiation skills, adaptability, cultural intelligence, cultural self-awareness. Teachers shared in the course briefing that they felt it was difficult to adapt and use newly developed cultural sensitivity skills in the classroom because of the bureaucratic requirements in their daily work routine. They also expressed concern about the cultural distance between them and their pupils, which could become an obstacle to applying the newly learned skills in the classroom. Key words: cultural sensitivity, multicultural education, digital literacy, pedagogical competence, cultural intelligence.


We explore the role of biofuels in mitigating the negative impacts of oil supply shocks on fuel markets under a range of oil price trajectories and biofuel blending mandate levels. Using a partial equilibrium model of US biofuels production and petroleum fuels trade, we discuss the adjustments in light‐duty vehicle fuel mix, fuel prices, and renewable identification number (RIN) prices following each shock as well as the distribution of shock costs across market participants. Ethanol is used as both a complement (blend component in E10) and a substitute (in E15 and E85 blends) to gasoline. Results show that, during oil supply shocks, the role of ethanol as a substitute dominates and allows some mitigation of the shock. As US petroleum imports decrease with growing US oil production, the net economic welfare effect of sudden oil price changes and the energy security role of biofuels becomes less clear than it has been in the past. Although fuel consumers lose when oil price increases due to an external shock, domestic fuel producers gain. In some cases, depending on import share and supply and demand elasticities, we show that the gain to producers could more than offset consumer losses. However, in most cases evaluated here, sudden oil‐price increases remain costly. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd


The analysis of the experimental data for the specific heat Cp at various temperatures is given here near the nematic-isotropic liquid (TNI = 133.9°C) and the solid-nematic (TSN = 117.6°C) transitions in p-azoxyanisole (PAA). The analysis of the specific heat Cp is performed according to a simple power-law formula and a renormalisation-group expression. The values of the critical exponent α are extracted above and below the transition temperatures of TNI and TSN for this liquid crystalline material. Our exponent values are compared with the predictions of a three-dimensional Ising model and XY model for liquid crystals. Using the specific heat Cp , the temperature dependence of the enthalpy H and the entropy S is calculated in the nematic phase (T > TSN ) of p-azoxyanisole.


PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES
To examine the feasibility, relationships among variables, and preliminary outcomes of a self-directed complementary modality, cranial electrical stimulation (CES), for symptom management in women receiving chemotherapy for breast cancer.

DESIGN
Biobehavioral pilot feasibility study.

SETTING
Two university-based cancer centers.

SAMPLE
36 women with stage I-IIIA breast cancer scheduled to receive chemotherapy.

METHODS
Data were collected via interview, questionnaires, and interactive voice technology (IVR). Biomarkers were measured from a blood sample taken prior to the initial chemotherapy.

MAIN RESEARCH VARIABLES
Symptoms of depression, anxiety, fatigue, pain, and sleep disturbances; biomarkers (proinflammatory cytokines interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor alpha [TNF-alpha], interleukin-1 beta) and C-reactive protein [CRP]); and CES.

FINDINGS
CES appears to be a safe and acceptable modality during chemotherapy. Recruitment and retention were adequate. IVR was associated with missing data. Symptoms of depression, anxiety, fatigue, and sleep disturbances were highly correlated with each other, and most symptoms were correlated with CRP at baseline. Depression and TNF-alpha had a positive, significant relationship. Levels of depression increased over time and trended toward less increase in the CES group; however, the differences among groups were not statistically significant.

CONCLUSIONS
The data support the feasibility of CES. Further testing in larger samples is needed to examine the efficacy of CES for symptom management of multiple, concurrent symptoms and to further develop the biobehavioral framework.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING
Interventions that are effective at minimizing more than one target symptom are especially needed to provide optimal symptom management for women with breast cancer.


In the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis, neoliberal governments embarked on austerity programs that include reducing public services, imposing public sector wage restraint, and reorganizing public sector working conditions and labour relations. In this context of economic crisis and austerity, populism has risen across North America and Europe on both the right and left of the political spectrum. The rise of right populism in particular confronts unions with key organizational and strategic challenges as neoliberal governments seek to mobilize right populist discourses in their efforts to restructure work and labour relations. Using a socio-geographic framework, and based on an examination of post-2008 legislative and policy measures undertaken at the federal, provincial, municipal levels in Canada, this paper explores the nexus between "uneven austerity", rising populism, and union strategic capacities. We examine this intersection of austerity and populism at multiple scales to reveal the implications for organized labour.


We present an experimental and theoretical study of the optical excitation of long-range surface polaritons supported by thin layers of amorphous silicon (a-Si). The large imaginary part of the dielectric constant of a-Si at visible and ultraviolet (UV) frequencies allows the excitation of surface polariton modes similar to long-range surface plasmon polaritons on metals. Propagation of these modes along considerable distances is possible because the electric field is largely excluded from the absorbing thin film. We show that by decreasing the thickness of the Si layer these excitations can be extended up to UV frequencies, opening the possibility to surface polariton UV optics compatible with standard Si technology.


I use a dynamic mixed multinomial logit model with unobserved heterogeneity to study the impact of work limiting disabilities on disaggregated labour choices. The first seven waves of the Household Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia survey are used to investigate this relationship. Findings point out to strong state dependence in employment choices. Further, the impact of disability on employment outcomes is highly significant. Model simulations suggest that high cross and own state dependence can amplify a one-off disability shock to alter the probability of full time employment and nonparticipation permanently, especially for low skilled individuals.


Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is an anxiety disorder characterized by mental obsessions and compulsions stemming from chemical imbalances in the brain. Drugs that facilitate serotonin transmission are commonly used to treat OCD, but they can become ineffective with prolonged use. It has been suggested that CB1 (cannabinoid type 1) receptors are an alternative drug target that could provide effective treatment. The aims of this study were to investigate more successful longer-term drug treatment options for anxiety-based symptoms of OCD and to better understand serotonin's interaction with CB1. This study used an 11-day marble burying behavioral model with three groups of mice treated respectively with saline, WIN 55,212-2 (CB1 agonist), or Tianeptine (5-HT antagonist; Tianeptine and WIN 55,212-2 days 6-10). Mice receiving the CB1 agonist buried fewer marbles than did the control with no deterioration of effect over ten days. Mice receiving both Tianeptine and WIN 55,212-2 also buried fewer marbles. These results indicate that WIN 55,212-2 has anxiolytic properties that could be an effective treatment for the compulsive symptoms of OCD. It also suggests that CB1 receptors are situated downstream of serotonin receptors.


The pheromone of the rhinoceros beetle (Oryctes rhinoceros) has been used for mass trapping and monitoring, integrated with biological control agents. In the current study, pheromone traps were used to monitor the immigration and activity pattern of Oryctes adults within a 4.5 ha replanting block. Trapping was initiated after about five months of replanting, for a period of 24 months. The relationships of the trap captures with the heap population, palm damage, rainfall and moon phases were also studied. Infestation of the block occurred almost simultaneously with replanting. The core region of the block was infested between the fourth to seventh month after completion of felling and chipping. It was noted that female beetles were trapped consistently more at the fringes than in the core of the replanting block. There was a significant relationship between the number of adult females trapped (at about 40-60 days before monitoring the population in the heaps) and the number of second instar larvae. There was an increase in the flight activity of the beetle (based on trap captures) during wet weather, likely due to their search for moist breeding sites. Male beetles were more active during the full moon, likely navigating for food and searching for suitable habitats before mating. Cumulative captures of each individual trap and the damage levels of adjacent palms were significantly related. A high proportion (92%) of females captured in the traps were gravid, with a mean of 16 eggs per female. Based on trap captures, there were indications that adult populations were coming from the adjacent mature plantings. This information can be exploited for more effective and targeted control of the pest.


This chapter addresses equality and social justice. In the 1980s and 1990s, the goal of social justice was challenged both on political and philosophical grounds and was largely supplanted by an emphasis on economic growth and individual responsibility. Although still given little emphasis in the United States, considerations of social justice came back onto the political agenda in the United Kingdom following the election of the new Labour government in 1997. To rehabilitate social justice, it was necessary to decouple it from traditional socialist ideas of common ownership of the means of production. Key debates on social justice concern theories of equality, priority, and sufficiency, and how inequality should be defined and measured. Of particular concern has been the place of personal responsibility for disadvantages causing inequalities. The chapter then considers equality of opportunity and social relations.


This is a study of the micro- and macrostructural variations in samples of stainless steel with the overall composition of the grade 316L, produced using electron beam melting. Electron beam melting is one of the processing methods under consideration for manufacturing some of the International Thermo- Nuclear Experimental Reactor In-Vessel components. Therefore further studies of the homogeneity of the material were conducted. Electron beam melting results in a complicated thermal history of the manufactured part giving a significant impact on the microstructure. A cellular structure that is often observed in samples prepared by selective laser melting was found in the top layers of the specimens. Further down, the structure changed until the cellular structure was almost non-existing, and the grain boundaries had become more pronounced. This revelation of a heterogeneous structure throughout the entire part is crucial for large-scale industrial applications like the Thermo-Nuclear Experimental Reactor to make sure that it is understood that the properties of the material might not be the same at every point, as well as to assure that the correct post-treatment is done. It is also exposed that a significant part of this change is due to molybdenum redistribution inside the sample when it diffuses from the cell boundaries into the cells, and into bigger agglomerates in the grain boundaries. This diffusion seems not to affect the microhardness of the samples.


We demonstrate an analytical model for calculating the saturation throughput performance of a medium transparent medium access control (MAC) protocol in 60 GHz radio-over-fiber (RoF) networks. The proposed model incorporates effectively the medium transparent MAC mechanism, assuming a finite number of terminals and ideal channel conditions. It takes into account contention both at the optical and wireless layer, ensuring seamless and dynamic capacity allocation over both transmission media. This model enables extensive saturation throughput performance analysis for the medium transparent MAC and has been applied to 60 GHz RoF network scenarios considering variable numbers of available optical wavelengths, wireless nodes and serving antenna elements and for two different data rate values, namely 155 Mbps and 1 Gbps. Comparison between the model-based throughput results and respective simulation-based outcomes reveals that our model is extremely accurate in predicting the system throughput. Moreover, it confirms that the proposed medium transparent MAC protocol can effectively operate in high-speed 60 GHz RoF LAN environments.


Dynamic graphs are used to represent changing relational data. In order to create a dynamic graph representing relationships or interactions over time, it is necessary to choose a method of adding new data and removing, or otherwise de-emphasizing, past data to decrease its influence. In particular, the question of aging edges is new to dynamic graphs and has not been thoroughly studied. In this work, we address the problem of aging vertices and edges to create a dynamic graph from a stream of temporal data. We provide two new methods, active vertex and active edge, and also evaluate two methods from the literature, sliding window and weight decay. By analyzing various properties of the dynamic graphs created by each aging method, we provide practitioners with quantitative comparisons. We find several interesting similarities and differences. The active vertex and weight decay methods reduce the variability over time of several vertex level measures compared to sliding window and active edge. This means that in practice, active vertex or weight decay may be more useful if graph stability is preferred, while sliding window or active edge may be preferred if the graph should be sensitive to changes in the underlying data stream. Each method also differently affects global measures. The most connected graph is produced by active vertex, while the most disconnected by weight decay. We observe that despite the differences, the graphs produced by each method experience similar types of changes at similar points in time.


This paper presents research results using wireless smart sensors to develop a cost-effective, practical, and portable structural health monitoring system for railroad bridges in North America. The system is designed to enable campaign-style monitoring of railroad bridges under in-service train loads. Validation is carried out on a 94.6 m long steel truss bridge near Chicago, the busiest railroad hub in North America. A finite element (FE) model of the bridge is developed and calibrated using the measured data. Subsequently, the model is used to predict bridge responses at unmeasured locations for varied train loads and speeds. The results from this research provide a technological foundation to develop campaign monitoring as an important tool with which to manage railroad bridge assets.


This report describes the development of quality inspection of plastic products by using an 'image processing technique'. The objective of this research is to reduce the occurrence of defect plastic parts in the production line. A visual inspection is carried out prior to the production line using a dot template film to compare black dot sizes during which there is the possibility for defect parts to leak into the production line. A Fish Bone Diagram was used to analyze the primary cause of the inspection error and a Matrix Diagram was used to calculate the relative scores between cause and effect. We found the three main causes of the problem, which are eye strength, misalignment when film is deposited on parts and light quality. Then a 'Why Why' Analysis was used for the analysis of the root cause of the problem and an image processing technique was applied for error observation as opposed to a film template. For making a decision easily, the defect part is divided into two types, a black dot size on a plastic part being smaller than 0.2 mm. and a black dot size on a plastic part being bigger than 0.2 mm. A comparison of 'before' and 'after' was applied to the image processing technique for inspection. It showed that we can decrease the occurrence of poor quality plastic parts in the production line from 73,017 DPMO to 1,214.79 DPMO.


Abstract Opaline silica residue accumulates on the surface and in the near surface of the Te Kopia, Tikitere and Rotokawa geothermal fields, where rhyolitic tuffs are attacked by steam condensate, made acid (pH 2-3) by sulphuric acid produced by oxidation of H2S that accompanies steam discharge. Silica residue is one product of this alteration process that also yields kaolinite, sulphur, sulphide and aluminous sulphates, including alunite and alunogen, as pH, Eh and available moisture fluctuate across the field surface. Coagulation of colloidal polymeric silica or, possibly, direct deposition of monomeric silica can occur from the acid solutions of the digested country rock, depending on pH, concentration, temperature and the presence and concentration of other species. As with silica sinter, the first-formed silica phase consists of disordered opal-A microspheroids, commonly 0.1-5 μm in diameter. These coalesce and become overgrown by further opaline silica to yield a mass resembling gelatinous 'frog spawn' that lines cavities and envelops surfaces. This mass is the principle component of botryoidal, transparent to translucent hyalite that comprises much residue. Following deposition, this juvenile residue may crystallize to opal-CT lepispheres, 1-3 μm across and, subsequently, to chalcedonic quartz. Both the opal-A and opal-CT of the New Zealand residues are more disordered than those occurring in typical moderate- to low-temperature sinters. The opaline silica of silica residues enjoys a reaction relationship with both kaolinite and aluminium sulphates, including alunite and alunogen. These phases and the silica precipitate continuously and undergo dissolution at the surface of all three localities. The precise pathway followed depends upon the prevailing surface conditions, including humidity, pH, Eh, and Al and K activities. As Al is flushed from the system, the ultimate stage of alteration that may result is the dissolution of the silica itself in acidified rainwater, fogdrip or further steam condensate.


Homologous desensitization of the micro opioid receptor (muOR) can be resolved into distinct processes that include the uncoupling of the muOR from its G-protein effectors and internalization of cell surface receptors. Using electrophysiological recordings of muOR activation of G-protein-coupled K+ channels (Kir3) in Xenopus laevis oocytes and AtT20 cells, confocal microscopy of receptor localization, and radioligand binding of cell surface receptors, we resolved these desensitization mechanisms to determine the domain of muOR important for receptor uncoupling. Activation of muOR by saturating concentrations of [D-Ala2,N-Me-Phe4,Gly5-ol]-enkephalin (DAMGO), methadone, or fentanyl, but not morphine, produced robust internalization of a green fluorescent protein-tagged muOR. A subsaturating concentration of DAMGO (100 nM) did not cause receptor internalization but markedly reduced the subsequent responsiveness of Kir3 by uncoupling muOR. muOR desensitization in AtT20 cells was confirmed to be homologous, because desensitization by 100 nM DAMGO was blocked by dominant-negative forms of either G protein-coupled receptor kinase (GRK) or arrestin, and pretreatment with DAMGO did not affect the Kir3 response to somatostatin receptor activation. Alanine substitution of a single threonine in the second cytoplasmic loop of the muOR (Threonine 180) blocked agonist-dependent receptor uncoupling without affecting receptor internalization. These results suggest that GRK-dependent phosphorylation of muOR required threonine 180 for uncoupling but that a different GRK and arrestin-dependent mechanism controlled muOR internalization in AtT20 cells.


Fine grained shaly sands of the Mahwis Formation (Haima Group) form one of the reservoir intervals of the Marmul field. Six lithofacies can be distinguished from cores: shale clast conglomerates, trough cross-stratified sands, horizontally stratified sands, massive sands, rippled sands and interbedded shales and sands. Horizontally stratified sands make up 45% of the cored reservoir. Two scales of fining upward sequence occur. Small sequences are 0.3-1.5 m thick and are interpreted as sheetflood deposits on the distal portions of semi-arid alluvial fans. The larger sequences are 25-50 m thick, can be correlated on well logs fieldwide, and probably represent periodic tectonic rejuvenation and erosional lowering of the sediment source area. It is interpreted (from regional correlation, sediment provenance, and a knowledge of possible source areas) that the alluvial fans were predominantly sandy, had radii of several tens of kilometres and formed an extensive apron bordering a highland area which lay to the southeast. The thinly bedded and shaly character of these sheetflood sands causes problems of petrophysical log evaluation and hence oil-in-place estimation. Reservoir quality is related to lithofacies occurrence and variation in grain size. The large-scale fan sequences correspond to an upward decrease in porosity and permeability and form useful subdivisions for field-scale correlation and reservoir prediction.


The approaches taken to regulation of the Retirement Village industries in Queensland and New South Wales are quite different. At present an Industry Body is working on proposals for amendment of the Queensland Retirement Village Act 1988. In view of the obvious short comings of the Queensland legislation, a comparison with the New South Wales legislative scheme may prove useful.


Red Sea Acropora hemprichii Bacterial Population Dynamics under Adverse Anthropogenic Conditions Javier Felipe Villa Lizcano Reef-building corals are cornerstones of life in the oceans. Understanding their interactions with microorganisms and their surrounding physicochemical conditions is important to comprehend reef functioning and ultimately protect coral reef ecosystems. Corals associate with a complex and specific array of microorganisms that supposedly affect their physiology and therefore can significantly determine the condition of a coral ecosystem. As environmental conditions may shape bacterial diversity and ecology in the coral symbiosis, ecosystem changes might have unfavorable consequences for the holobiont, to date poorly understood. Here, we were studying microbial community changes in A. hemprichii as a consequence of simulated eutrophication and overfishing over a period of 16 weeks by using in situ caging and slow release fertilizer treatments in an undisturbed Red Sea reef (22.18oN, 38.57oW). We used 16S rDNA amplicon sequencing to evaluate the individual and combined effects of overnutrification and fishing pressure, two of the most common local threats to coral reefs. With our data we hope to better understand bacterial population dynamics under anthropogenic influences and its role in coral resilience. Projecting further, this data will be useful to better predict the consequences of human activity on reef ecosystems.


By using Grobner bases of ideals of polynomial algebras over a field, many implemented algorithms manage to give exciting examples and counter examples in Commutative Algebra and Algebraic Geometry. Part A of this thesis will focus on extending the concept of Grobner bases and Standard bases for polynomial algebras over the ring of integers and its factors \(\mathbb{Z}_m[x]\). Moreover we implemented two algorithms for this case in Singular which use different approaches in detecting useless computations, the classical Buchberger algorithm and a F5 signature based algorithm. Part B includes two algorithms that compute the graded Hilbert depth of a graded module over a polynomial algebra \(R\) over a field, as well as the depth and the multigraded Stanley depth of a factor of monomial ideals of \(R\). The two algorithms provide faster computations and examples that lead B. Ichim and A. Zarojanu to a counter example of a question of J. Herzog. A. Duval, B. Goeckner, C. Klivans and J. Martin have recently discovered a counter example for the Stanley Conjecture. We prove in this thesis that the Stanley Conjecture holds in some special cases. Part D explores the General Neron Desingularization in the frame of Noetherian local domains of dimension 1. We have constructed and implemented in Singular and algorithm that computes a strong Artin Approximation for Cohen-Macaulay local rings of dimension 1.


BACKGROUND
Patients vary in response to antidepressant medications. Apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotype affects vulnerability to stress and risk for cognitive impairment. We sought to determine if the APOE epsilon4 allele influences response in geriatric depression to mirtazapine and paroxetine, two frequently prescribed antidepressants. We hypothesized that epsilon4 carriers would show impaired antidepressant response.

METHODS
The study was a double-blind, randomized, 8-week trial with a 16-week extension phase involving 246 cognitively intact patients aged 65 years or older with major depression. Patients were treated with mirtazapine 15-45 mg (n = 124) or paroxetine 20-40 mg (n = 122). The outcome measures were the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, the Geriatric Depression Scale, and the Clinical Global Impression Scale. APOE genotype was determined by restriction isotyping.

RESULTS
Patients carrying the epsilon4 allele showed a rapid onset of mirtazapine action, whereas paroxetine-treated patients with the epsilon4 allele were slow to respond. This difference could not be attributed to dosage, compliance, severity of adverse events, ethnicity, baseline depression or cognition, gender, or age.

CONCLUSIONS
The APOE epsilon4 allele may affect antidepressant treatment outcome, but the effect depends on the medication. Further studies should determine if this result applies to other samples and medications.


Eating disorders affect millions of people, and their prevalence demonstrates that the condition exists across gender and cultural boundaries. The Internet is a major channel for publishing and disseminating electronic information, allowing worldwide access of massive health-related, lay- and professional-oriented information. However, much research has found that health-related information on the Internet can be overwhelming, incomplete, and/or inaccurate. The success of health promotion in the 21st century depends on whether available consumer health information (CHI) is adequate, accurate, and easy to use. Usually, health disclaimers, caveats, and other health-related alerts are messages to notify users that the information provided is not intended nor implied to be a replacement or an alternative for professional health-related advice. These messages also serve as indicators to show that information providers take ethical responsibility for quality control in terms of providing valid and reliable consumer health information on the Internet. The study used content analysis1to examine the provision and assess the quality of health disclaimers, caveats, and other health-related alerts included in adult CHI on eating disorders published on the Internet in 1998. The researcher-generated instrument was based on evaluative criteria derived from Alexander and Tate;2Health On the Net Foundation;3Mitretek Systems;4and Silberg, Lundberg and Musacchio.5Web search engines (Northern Light, HotBot, and Excite) were used for data collection on Internet-based publications. The results indicated that the CHI on eating disorders on the Internet did not include disclaimers, caveats, and other health-related alerts which demonstrates a lack of quality control and ethical responsibility on the part of the information providers and site administrators.


ANCA directed against PR3 are highly specific for Wegener's granulomatosis and microscopic polyangiitis, and have been implicated in the pathogenesis of small vessel vasculitis. Most PR3‐ANCA are directed against conformational epitopes on PR3. This study was designed to determine whether the cleavage of the N‐terminal activation dipeptide of PR3 is required for the binding of PR3‐ANCA. Recombinant PR3 (rPR3) variants were expressed in the epithelial cell line, 293. As confirmed by radiosequencing, the rPR3 secreted into the 293 cell culture supernatant is N‐terminally unprocessed. Two enzymatically inactive rPR3 mutants were expressed in 293 cells: rPR3‐S176A and δ‐rPR3‐S176A. rPR3‐S176A contains the N‐propetide Ala‐2‐Glu‐1, δ‐rPR3‐S176A does not. Culture supernatants of rPR3‐S176A and δ‐rPR3‐S176A expressing 293 cells were used as sources of target antigen for PR3‐ANCA testing by capture ELISA. Forty unselected consecutive PR3‐ANCA+ sera were tested. With δ‐rPR3‐S176A as antigen all 40 were recognized, compared with only 34 of 40 when rPR3‐S176A served as target antigen. The majority of the serum samples contained a mixture of antibodies reacting with epitopes accessible on the mature and on the proform of PR3. In conclusion, the cleavage of the N‐terminal activation dipeptide of PR3 is not an absolute requirement for recognition by all PR3‐ANCA. However, a substantial proportion of PR3‐ANCA recognize (a) target antigen(s) exposed only after the conformational change of PR3 associated with the N‐terminal processing. In 15% of sera this PR3‐ANCA subset occurred exclusively. PR3‐ANCA subtypes can be differentiated using specifically designed rPR3 variants as target antigens, and non‐haematopoietic mammalian cells without regulated secretory pathway can be used for their expression.


Using an atmospheric general circulation model with fixed cloud amounts and microphysical properties, and coupled to a mixed‐layer static ocean, we perform idealized experiments to inquire into the linear characteristics of the modeled climate system's mean response to simultaneous greenhouse and Northern Hemisphere midlatitude albedo perturbations, two forcings deemed to be important during the present times. The two forcings are chosen to be equal and opposite in the global, annual‐mean such that a linear behavior would be expected to lead to a complete offset of the global, annual‐mean surface temperature change, which is indeed obtained. The monthly and annual zonal‐mean surface temperature, and the annual zonal‐mean precipitation responses to the combined forcings, also are reasonably similar to the sum of the responses to the individual forcings. The albedo forcing case casts a distinct signature on the circulation and precipitation changes in the northern and southern equatorial regions, which is absent for the greenhouse forcing case. The combined simulation yields a result similar to that for the albedo forcing case, one that is consistent with linear additive expectations.


We report on the fabrication and performance of N-free InGaAs/GaAs 1.3-µm range vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs). Using optimized quantum-well (QW) growth conditions in combination with negative gain-cavity tuning, high-performance VCSELs with emission wavelength up to 1300 nm are realized. The performance figures include mA-range threshold currents, mW-range singlemode output power, continuous-wave operation up to 140°C and 10 Gbit/s data transmission.


Native Americans represent approximately 1 percent of the U.S. population, but account for some of the worst health outcomes related to preventable chronic diseases (diabetes, heart disease, cancer, alcoholism) than any other racial or ethnic group. In considering the risk factors for these diseases, Native American people have among the highest rates of obesity, with many children experiencing obesity rates two to three times greater than other racial/ethnic populations. But this was not always the case. Only in the last half of the 20th century have the documented cases of diabetes rates in Native communities increased so drastically. 1


Current air traffic routing is motivated by minimizing economic costs, such as fuel use. In addition to the climate impact of CO2 emissions from this fuel use, aviation contributes to climate change through non-CO2 impacts, such as changes in atmospheric ozone and methane concentrations and formation of contrail-cirrus. These non-CO2 impacts depend significantly on where and when the aviation emissions occur. The climate impact of aviation could be reduced if flights were routed to avoid regions where emissions have the largest impact. Here, we present the first results where a climate-optimized routing strategy is simulated for all trans-Atlantic flights on 5 winter and 3 summer days, which are typical of representative winter and summer North Atlantic weather patterns. The optimization separately considers eastbound and westbound flights, and accounts for the effects of wind on the flight routes, and takes safety aspects into account. For all days considered, we find multiple feasible combinations of flight routes which have a smaller overall climate impact than the scenario which minimizes economic cost. We find that even small changes in routing, which increase the operating costs (mainly fuel) by only 1% lead to considerable reductions in climate impact of 10%. This cost increase could be compensated by market-based measures, if costs for non-CO2 climate impacts were included. Our methodology is a starting point for climate-optimized flight planning, which could also be applied globally. Although there are challenges to implementing such a system, we present a road map with the steps to overcome these.


Stochastic processes offer a flexible mathematical formalism to model and reason about systems. Most analysis tools, however, start from the premises that models are fully specified, so that any parameters controlling the system's dynamics must be known exactly. As this is seldom the case, many methods have been devised over the last decade to infer (learn) such parameters from observations of the state of the system. In this paper, we depart from this approach by assuming that our observations are {\it qualitative} properties encoded as satisfaction of linear temporal logic formulae, as opposed to quantitative observations of the state of the system. An important feature of this approach is that it unifies naturally the system identification and the system design problems, where the properties, instead of observations, represent requirements to be satisfied. We develop a principled statistical estimation procedure based on maximising the likelihood of the system's parameters, using recent ideas from statistical machine learning. We demonstrate the efficacy and broad applicability of our method on a range of simple but non-trivial examples, including rumour spreading in social networks and hybrid models of gene regulation.


Aerial hyperspectral remote sensing technologies provide effective methods for the exploration and study of plant and crop properties. In this study a custom made hexacopter was equipped with a small scale hyperspectral imaging (HSI) camera capable of measuring 16 bands in the visible range of the light. From single HSI images geo-rectified and registered maps were calculated and a selection of spectral indices (SI's) calculated from the provided data. The SI´s were correlated to crop traits such as leaf nitrogen (Nconc), chlorophyll (CHLtot)and total pigment concentration (Pigmtot), canopy cover (CC) and leaf area index (LAI), measured in the field. The relationships to Nconc and CHLtot are discussed in detail with respect to measurement constraints, such as the interrelationships to LAI and application for precision farming or breeding experiments.


In order to understand and develop the knowledge about nonlinear behaviour of materials one need to combine some physical procedures, like theoretical modelling, simulations and experimental verification to get a better understanding of the materials. This Thesis work consists of two separate parts. The aim of the first part is to develop a numeric model to simulate acoustic wave propagation through a nonlinear mesoscopic material. The aim of the second part is to experimentally reconstruct stress-strain dependence for dynamic response of a thin nonlinear layer in order to verify analytical formulas.


Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) have been approved by FDA as GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe). Among LAB, Lactobacillus plantarum along with other species in the genus Lactobacillus shows its roles in many fields, especially in the food industry. In this study, the deduced amino acids of cold shock protein (Csp) in the strain Lactobacillus plantarum UL497 were compared with those of the reported cold shock proteins, including CspL, CspC and CspP of Lactobacillus plantarum NC8. Then, after freezing, the survival of the bacteria with temperature downshift from 30°C to 8°C for 2, 5 and 8 hours at the growing log phase was determined. In particular, after freezing, the survival percentage of the bacteria with temperature downshift from 30°C to 8°C at the growing log phase increased in comparison with that of bacteria without temperature downshift. Also, based on these survival percentages, the effects of duration of cold shock on the bacteria's survival were primitively evaluated.


Isolated populations of four reindeer lichen species and varieties co-occur in a unique relict prairie habitat at Mima Mounds Natural Area Preserve, southwest Washington State, USA. The prairie is the type locality for mima mounds, unusual geologic features providing topographical variation that influences vegetation patterns. Reindeer lichens ( Cladonia subgenus Cladina ) are usually more typical of northern boreal regions and are very rare in inland valley habitats of the western states outside of Alaska. Our study established distributional, ecological, chemotypic, and phylogenetic information for the target species. The species that at first appeared to be C. arbuscula was revealed by DNA sequences to be C. ciliata var. tenuis . We found that topography was not as important as recent fire history in explaining reindeer lichen distribution; in the future, prescribed fire is likely to benefit reindeer lichens so long as it preserves pockets of refugia as propagule sources. We also detected moderate air pollution stress, which is projected to have impacts on lichen abundances and community compositions in the near future. Chemotype analysis revealed 6 reindeer lichen chemotypes, of which 2 are rare (C. ciliata var. tenuis and C. portentosa subsp. pacifica f. decolorans ). Phylogenetic analyses supported previous species concepts, showing C. portentosa is distinct from the closely-related group that includes C. rangiferina and two varieties of C. ciliata . We synthesized our findings to provide a key for distinguishing the reindeer lichens of Mima Prairie. We suggested that rare inland reindeer lichens may benefit from small prescribed burns and sowing of propagules in disturbed areas, as well as continued monitoring and designation as state sensitive species.


TO THE EDITOR: Higaki et al.'s study concludes that "there was no evidence to support a poor prognosis after percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) in elderly people with dementia compared with the cognitively preserved elderly" (1). Although the authors note many predictors of poor survival, there is an important factor that may have confounded their results. A previous study has suggested that the mortality rate is 5 times higher for inpatients by comparison to outpatients that are referred for PEG (2). In Higaki et al.'s study, the proportion of inpatients was significantly higher in the cognitively preserved group but the authors have not corrected for this in their analysis. Would a difference in mortality appear between the two groups if the outpatients were excluded? If the answer is yes, this infers that PEG in patients with early dementia (i.e., outpatient) may be beneficial by comparison to PEG in patients that have more advanced disease (i.e., inpatient). Additionally, table 2 reveals that the majority of demented patients were deemed to have had an acute event such as stroke. In our center, this would have been classified as PEG inserted for stroke with a background of dementia. Previous studies have reported on PEG outcomes purely for worsening dementia with reduced oral intake (end-stage dementia). This group only accounted for 51/143 (36.7%) of the cases in Higaki et al.'s study. We would be interested to know if the outcome was worse in this subgroup of patients. PEG feeding in dementia has not shown improvements in either body mass index or serum albumin. Comparisons using a control group (nursing home residents with a similar degree of cognitive impairment who were not referred for PEG) have shown no obvious survival benefit (3). We agree with the authors' view that "denying PEG should not just be based on the presence or absence of dementia," however, it is imperative that the family/carers have a clear understanding about the current evidence—only then are they making an informed decision about their loved ones (4). The prevalence of dementia is anticipated to rise substantially and we would urge that this study be interpreted with caution in order to avoid inappropriate referrals and insertion of PEGs in patients who may derive no benefit (5). We firmly believe that gastrostomy insertion for palliation is justified but, given the limited data, perhaps a randomized controlled study is needed despite this being an ethically contentious dilemma?


This article was offered in 2001 as the Times Literary Supplement's main commentary the week following 9-11. The essay argues that 9-11 required war as a response, and challenges views expressed in the days following 9-11 by commentators such as Anne-Marie Slaughter and Michael Ignatieff that the proper response by the United States should be criminal law in nature - either international criminal law, through international tribunals or procedures, or domestic criminal law of the kind pursued in the first 1993 World Trade Center bombing. It further argues against the functional pacifism of many Christian theologians who, while approving of just war principles in theory, never manage to approve any actual war in practice. At the same time, the essay observes that the war on terror declared by President Bush, while comprising one or more particular wars, starting with war to topple the Taleban regime in Afghanistan, is a metaphorical war, akin to the War on Drugs, rather than an actual war. Appearing just a few days after 9-11, this essay makes a case for war as war, for soldiers and not policemen against terror.


From 1998 through 2001, South Korea witnessed a remarkable diffusion in broadband Internet connections. Using published and other data, this paper explores the actions and factors contributing to this diffusion from three viewpoints: government, private sector, and social. We suggest that the matching of demand and supply is the most important factor in the fast diffusion of broadband in Korea. In particular, fierce infrastructure competition led to quality services at a low fixed price. Online gaming exhibits some of the characteristics of a "killer application"; there are also some social and cultural drivers of demand. We then consider the impact that this rapid diffusion has had on electronic commerce. We produce conclusions of value to policymakers.


BACKGROUND: American infants are at highest risk of severe pertussis and death. We investigated the role of ≥1 pertussis vaccinations in preventing pertussis-related deaths and risk markers for death among infants aged <42 days. METHODS: We analyzed characteristics of fatal and nonfatal infant pertussis cases reported nationally during 1991–2008. Infants were categorized into 2 age groups on the basis of eligibility to receive a first pertussis vaccine dose at age 6 weeks; dose 1 was considered valid if given ≥14 days before illness onset. Multivariable logistic regression was used to estimate the effect of ≥1 pertussis vaccine doses on outcome and risk markers. RESULTS: Pertussis-related deaths occurred among 258 of 45 404 cases. Fatal and nonfatal cases were confirmed by culture (54% vs 49%) and polymerase chain reaction (31% vs 27%). All deaths occurred before age 34 weeks at illness onset; 64% occurred before age 6 weeks. Among infants aged ≥42 days, receiving ≥1 doses of vaccine protected against death (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 0.28; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.11–0.74), hospitalization (aOR: 0.69; 95% CI: 0.63–0.77), and pneumonia (aOR: 0.80; 95% CI: 0.68–0.95). Risk was elevated for Hispanic ethnicity (aOR: 2.28; 95% CI: 1.36–3.83) and American Indian/Alaska Native race (aOR: 5.15; 95% CI: 2.37–11.2) and lower for recommended antibiotic treatment (aOR: 0.28; 95% CI: 0.16–0.47). Among infants aged <42 days, risk was elevated for Hispanic ethnicity and lower with recommended antibiotic use. CONCLUSIONS: The first pertussis vaccine dose and antibiotic treatment protect against death, hospitalization, and pneumonia.


This book looks at the effect of legal and economic rights on women's economic opportunities. It focuses on entrepreneurship because women in Africa are active entrepreneurs, and the links between property rights and the ability to enter contracts in one's own name affect entrepreneurial activities. The laws that are the focus of this book are not business laws and regulations, which are generally gender blind and presuppose that individuals can own property or enter into contracts. Instead, the book examines family, inheritance, and land laws, which oft en restrict these rights in ways that hurt women. This book surveys constitutions and statutes in all 47 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa to document where gender gaps in these laws impinge on women's legal capacity, property rights, or both. The book also looks at some labor law issues, such as restrictions on the types of industries or hours of work in which women may engage and provisions for equal pay for work of equal value. These laws affect women as employees and influence the attractiveness of wage employment versus entrepreneurship. They were also selected because they affect the choice of enterprise women may run. The equal pay for work of equal value provisions are also of interest as an indicator of the recognition of women's broader economic rights. This book provides a series of indicators that show whether a country does or does not provide particular legal provisions. Several points are worth emphasizing in interpreting these indicators. First, the indicators are binary; there is no attempt to differentiate between small and large gender gaps. Second, the indicators are not used to generate an index or otherwise aggregate the indicators; no weights are given to differentiate the relative importance of different sets of laws. Third, the indicators reflect whether certain legal provisions are recognized in a country or not; because the link between the indicator and gender gaps is not always straightforward, care must be taken in making value judgments. Although some indicators reveal that women are treated equally or identify gender differences in treatment, others do not. Although recognition of these sources of law can have implications for women's rights, it does not necessarily imply that women's rights are stronger or weaker. Conversely, the inclusion of some protections for women's rights may reflect not the strong standing of women but rather the fact that gender equality is not seen as axiomatic and needs to be explicitly stated. Second and third chapters focus on formal rights and how they have been upheld in court decisions. Fourth chapter examines the gap between laws on the books and practice on the ground. Fifth chapter looks at how both the substance of law and women's access to justice issues can be improved to expand women's ability to pursue economic opportunities.


Corporations that have allegedly violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) increasingly face a new threat of liability: cases brought by private plaintiffs in follow-on derivative suits. These derivative suits for breaches of fiduciary duty focus on whether directors provided the necessary oversight through compliance systems designed to detect and prevent FCPA violations. The demand requirement, a procedural hurdle of derivative suits, has stymied plaintiffs that are unable to show that directors cannot disinterestedly assess whether to pursue a claim for violations. This Note proposes a framework that systematizes the factual scenarios under which the demand requirement could be excused. Using other instances of regulatory violations as a lens, courts can infer that directors knew of FCPA violations based on patterns of bribes and the importance of bribery to the overall business of the corporation. Only plaintiffs that have utilized procedural devices to inspect corporate books and records, however, can expect courts to reach this inference of director knowledge. Despite being much maligned, the follow-on derivative suit may actually clarify the duties of directors in FCPA compliance and advance the corporate governance reforms of corporations, separately from the deterrent effect of government enforcement.


Integration of sympathetic and parasympathetic outflow is essential in maintaining normal cardiac autonomic function. Recent studies demonstrate that acid-sensing ion channel 3 (ASIC3) is a sensitive acid sensor for cardiac ischemia and prolonged mild acidification can open ASIC3 and evoke a sustained inward current that fires action potentials in cardiac sensory neurons. However, the physiological role of ASIC3 in cardiac autonomic regulation is not known. In this study, we elucidate the role of ASIC3 in cardiac autonomic function using Asic3 −/− mice. Asic3 −/− mice showed normal baseline heart rate and lower blood pressure as compared with their wild-type littermates. Heart rate variability analyses revealed imbalanced autonomic regulation, with decreased sympathetic function. Furthermore, Asic3 −/− mice demonstrated a blunted response to isoproterenol-induced cardiac tachycardia and prolonged duration to recover to baseline heart rate. Moreover, quantitative RT-PCR analysis of gene expression in sensory ganglia and heart revealed that no gene compensation for muscarinic acetylcholines receptors and beta-adrenalin receptors were found in Asic3 −/− mice. In summary, we unraveled an important role of ASIC3 in regulating cardiac autonomic function, whereby loss of ASIC3 alters the normal physiological response to ischemic stimuli, which reveals new implications for therapy in autonomic nervous system-related cardiovascular diseases.


Sierra Leone, located on the west coast of Africa, has a population of 6.3 million, with an annual growth rate of 2.2%. Food insecurity and malnutrition are national concerns, as almost a quarter of the population is undernourished. Poor food availability, access and utilization contribute to undernourishment. Fish is an important part of the Sierra Leonean diet, so increasing fish production—and thus its availability and consumption—may help reduce malnutrition. This report is a literature review on food and nutrition security in Sierra Leone, based on data collected by the Sierra Leone Statistics Office, government ministries and international and national organizations working in Sierra Leone. It describes the current food and nutrition situation in Sierra Leone for the purpose of planning and implementing interventions aimed at improving food and nutrition security, especially within aquatic agricultural systems, through fisheries production systems.


This paper develops a simple economic framework that is used to explain and critique the recent trend favoring site-specific contractual commitments in environmental regulation. Such contracts typically involve an exchange under which the regulator relaxes ostensibly inflexible uniform environmental regulations and allows development to proceed upon the condition that the developer complies with the negotiated, site specific requirements. The developer gets a formal, explicit promise from regulators that they will not impose any further requirements for some fixed period. The paper surveys some important recent instances of such agreements ? habitat conservation plans under the Endangered Species Act, Brownfields redevelopment agreements, EPA?s Project XL, and in-lieu-fee wetlands mitigation. It then argues that these agreements make three shifts in environmental regulatory policy: 1) a substantive shift to focus on outcomes ? such as ecosystem value and risk reduction ? as opposed to inputs; 2) a process shift under which the role of national interest groups is reduced; and 3) the use of potential legal liability as a way of committing regulators not to renegotiate in the future. The (informal) model of the paper views regulatory contracts as negotiated in the shadow of the credible default regulatory outcome, which it takes as itself the product of bargaining. This model immediately implies that if the contractual bargaining environment does not differ from the default regulatory bargaining environment then environmental contracts will simply replicate default regulatory outcomes. Borrowing from the economic theory of private contracts suggests that key determinants of the social desirability of regulatory contracts will include: 1) the relative information available to the parties at the time the contract is negotiate, and, 2) the identify of the parties to the contract ? whether they are sufficiently representative to lower the likelihood of inefficient externalization under the contract. Moreover, unlike private contracts, a party to the contract ? the regulator (generically) ? also determines the present default regulatory outcome, but is likely not the agent in control of future regulation. The paper first applies this framework to explain why environmental contracts arose during the mid-90?s: at a time when the 104th Congress brought a credible threat to undo stringent uniform regulations, making site-specificity a way for environmental regulators to get around national interest groups and get more than they could otherwise have obtained. More generally, the paper argues that the fundamental shift marked by environmental contracts has been to lessen the role played by national interest groups (relative to the default regulatory regime), thereby allowing local development and resource use (as opposed to existence) values, and firm and site-specific efficiencies to be reflected in environmental contracts in a way that they are not under the default regulatory regime. [The paper also explains briefly why national interest groups are at an economic disadvantage in attempting to influence multiple localized environmental contracts relative to uniform national regulations]. On the other hand, if national interest groups are completely excluded from the negotiation of localized agreements, then such agreements risk externalization and inefficiency due to information asymmetry. To get the benefit of information and representation by national groups without destroying the incentive of firms to disclose private information during negotiations, the paper recommends that national groups be allowed to participate in such negotiations but only on condition that they waive the right to challenge the agreement later. The final part of the paper explores the desirability of replacing political commitments not to renegotiate with legally binding commitments. The general regulatory commitment problem is that firms will not agree to mitigate environmental harms today without a commitment that the regulator will not demand even more tomorrow. Were courts to hold that environmental contracts are legally binding, the potential damage liability under such contracts might allow governments to commit. However, this rests on implicit assumptions regarding the legislature?s willingness to actually fund governmental liability. The paper shows (relying on related work by the author and co-authors) that the imposition of potential governmental liability is likely to feedback and alter the types of commitments that the regulator is likely to make in the first place.