ABSTRACT The Comparative Capitalism research programme has become the dominant institutional approach with regard to the study of advanced economies. Still, very few scholars use it to develop proposals for economic policy reform. The introductory paper to the special issue discusses how this can be changed. It highlights the considerable institutional differences between contemporary models of capitalism. Moreover, it demonstrates how core Comparative Capitalism notions such as "institutional complementarities" can be used for designing policies. However, it also points to recent developments in Comparative Capitalism research that replace the traditional Varieties of Capitalism preoccupation with micro-economic equilibria through the heterodox macro-economic preference for the balancing out of Growth Models


An application of speckle interferometry is presented that allows one to compare the resistance to stress of two nominally identical specimens. The interference pattern gives contours of equal differences in displacements of the two stressed specimens. The method is briefly developed, and its experimental feasibility is demonstrated by comparing the deflections of two square plates clamped along the edges and subjected to centrally concentrated loads.


In this article we describe two different strategies for the automatic tagging of a Spanish diachronic corpus involving the adaptation of existing NLP tools developed for modern Spanish. In the initial approach we follow a state-of-the-art strategy, which consists on standardizing the spelling and the lexicon. This approach boosts POS-tagging accuracy to 90, which represents a raw improvement of over 20% with respect to the results obtained without any pre-processing. In order to enable non-expert users in NLP to use this new resource, the corpus has been integrated into IAC (Corpora Interface Access). We discuss the shortcomings of the initial approach and propose a new one, which does not consist in adapting the source texts to the tagger, but rather in modifying the tagger for the direct treatment of the old variants.This second strategy addresses some important shortcomings in the previous approach and is likely to be useful not only in the creation of diachronic linguistic resources but also for the treatment of dialectal or non-standard variants of synchronic languages as well.


Graphene films are considered promising electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding materials in view of high electrical conductivity, light weight, and flexibility. Nevertheless, pristine graphene films exhibit only modest mechanical performance because of the weak interfaces between graphene nanosheets. We have developed an advanced graphene film that integrates excellent EMI shielding performance with improved mechanical performance, by intercalating calcium alginate (CA) molecules into reduced graphene oxide (rGO) nanosheets. The rGO/CA film exhibits an EMI shielding effectiveness (EMI SE) of 25.7 dB at only 12 μm thickness, and the corresponding specific EMI SE is 2142 dB mm−1, which is far superior to previously reported EMI shielding materials. Importantly, the rGO/CA film achieves an excellent tensile strength of 118.0 MPa and a toughness of 4.6 MJ m−3, which is 102% and 130% higher than those of the rGO film. Such significant enhancement is attributed to the synergistic interfacial interactions of hydrogen bonding between CA and rGO nanosheets and ionic bonding between calcium ions and rGO nanosheets. Moreover, the rGO/CA film shows a high EMI shielding reliability (96% EMI SE retention even after 5000 folding cycles). Its features make the rGO/CA film highly attractive for EMI shielding applications, especially in aircraft, aerospace, and next-generation flexible electronics.


Background: Community-led total sanitation (CLTS) is a widely applied rural behavior change approach for ending open defecation. However, evidence of its impact is unclear. Objectives: We conducted a systematic review of journal-published and gray literature to a) assess evidence quality, b) summarize CLTS impacts, and c) identify factors affecting implementation and effectiveness. Methods: Eligible studies were systematically screened and selected for analysis from searches of seven databases and 16 websites. We developed a framework to appraise literature quality. We qualitatively analyzed factors enabling or constraining CLTS, and summarized results from quantitative evaluations. Discussion: We included 200 studies (14 quantitative evaluations, 29 qualitative studies, and 157 case studies). Journal-published literature was generally of higher quality than gray literature. Fourteen quantitative evaluations reported decreases in open defecation, but did not corroborate the widespread claims of open defecation–free (ODF) villages found in case studies. Over one-fourth of the literature overstated conclusions, attributing outcomes and impacts to interventions without an appropriate study design. We identified 43 implementation- and community-related factors reportedly affecting CLTS. This analysis revealed the importance of adaptability, structured posttriggering activities, appropriate community selection, and further research on combining and sequencing CLTS with other interventions. Conclusions: The evidence base on CLTS effectiveness available to practitioners, policy makers, and program managers to inform their actions is weak. Our results highlight the need for more rigorous research on CLTS impacts as well as applied research initiatives that bring researchers and practitioners together to address implementation challenges to improve rural sanitation efforts. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP1965


Here is a feast of words that will whet the appetite of food and word lovers everywhere. William Grimes, former restaurant critic for The New York Times, covers everything from bird's nest soup to Trockenbeerenauslese in this wonderfully informative food lexicon. Eating Your Words is a veritable cornucopia-a thousand-and-one entries on candies and desserts, fruits and vegetables, meats, seafood, spices, herbs, wines, cheeses, liqueurs, cocktails, sauces, dressings, and pastas. The book includes terms from around the world (basmati, kimchi, haggis, callaloo) and from around the block (meatloaf, slim jims, Philly cheesesteak). Grimes describes utensils (from tandoor and wok to slotted spoon and zester), cooking styles (a bonne femme, over easy), cuts of meat (crown roast, prime rib), and much more. Each definition includes a pronunciation guide and many entries indicate the origin of the word. Thus we learn that olla podrida is Spanish for 'rotten pot' and mulligatawny comes from the Tamil words milaku-tanni, meaning 'pepper water.' Grimes includes helpful tips on usage, such as when to write whiskey and when to write whisky. In addition, there are more than a dozen special sidebars on food and food word topics-everything from diner slang to bad fad diets-plus a time line of food trends by decade and a list of the best regional snack foods. Even if you don't know a summer sausage from a spring chicken, you will find Eating Your Words a delectable treat. And for everyone who loves to cook, this superb volume is an essential resource-and the perfect gift.


In this paper we demonstrate that the Canine Pose Estimation (CPE) system can provide a reliable estimate for some poses and when coupled with effective wireless transmission over a mesh network. Pose estimates are time sensitive, thus it is important that pose data arrives at its destination quickly. Propagation delay and packet delivery ratio measuring algorithms were developed and used to appraise Wireless Mesh Network (WMN) performance as a means of carriage for this time-critical data. The experiments were conducted in the rooms of a building where the radio characteristics closely resembled those of a partially collapsed building-a typical US&R environment. This paper presents the results of the experiments, which demonstrate that it is possible to receive the canine pose estimation data in realtime although accuracy of the results depend on the network size and the deployment environment.


Objectives Low back pain (LBP) is an increasing drain on developed economies due to direct medical costs and lost working days. The majority of medical costs can be attributed to long-term problems resulting from specific physiological conditions. Acute injury and/or chronic degeneration of the intervertebral disc (IVD) has been linked with long term pain with high levels of nerve in-growth in degenerate IVDs. The fact that disc degeneration is a structural failing and not just a pathogenesis of pain may lead to reduced mobility and quality of life (QOL). Degenerate IVDs have elevated levels of heat shock proteins (HSPs) and HSPs elevated temperatures and/or heat shock within the IVD is a potential mechanism for HSP upregulation. Is it possible that high temperatures are a precursor to degeneration? Could activities of daily living (ADL) result in elevated temperatures in the IVD? This study aims to determine if there is a significant generation of heat within the IVD when subjected to cyclic loading at levels and frequencies relevant to ADL and whether this is effected by degeneration. Materials and Methods Bovine coccygeal discs were removed whole from tail sections and half of the discs were injected with a 2mg/ml collagenase solution and incubated at 37°C for 2 hours to simulate moderate degeneration. Discs were then subjected to sinusoidal loading at 2Hz at force levels equivalent to those in the human spine during locomotion. Mechanical data was analysed with MATLAB software to determine the energy dissipated by the discs for each cycle of loading and an idealised thermal model was generated to predict temperature change within the disc. Results Under axial loading equivalent to that in the lumbar spine during walking degenerate discs showed greater average compression than healthy discs (0.108mm and 0.024mm respectively) and therefore substantially lower average stiffness (714N/mm and 3149N/mm). Average heat generation in degenerate IVDs (2.79mW) was lower than that in healthy discs (4.13mW). An idealised 3D model of heat loss from the disc showed no significant increase in disc temperature in either healthy or degenerate disc condition. Conclusions Heat generated due to dissipated energy from axial loading of intervertebral discs at loading equivalent to that in the lumbar spine when walking is not enough to induce significant temperature increases within the disc. If elevated levels of HSPs within degenerate discs are the result of high temperatures, heat generated within the disc due to activities of daily living such as walking are not the cause.


Moving agricultural production systems toward a greater level of soil health is needed for sustainability. Conservation agricultural systems utilizing no or minimum tillage are an important step forward, but enhancing carbon (C) inputs with diverse cover crops and facilitating biologically active nitrogen (N) cycling are also needed. Summer cash-crop systems, particularly in the warm-humid region of the southeastern United States, may benefit from multispecies winter cover cropping if sufficient biomass were produced. We implemented a research and demonstration project utilizing multispecies cover cropping in 15 counties of North Carolina during 2015 to 2019 to assess biomass production and its effect on surface-soil properties. Winter cover crop biomass production was variable among locations, but exceeded 3,790 kg ha–1 in one-third of trials. Nitrogen contained in aboveground cover crop biomass exceeded 60 kg ha–1 in the upper third of trials. Of 30 soil properties measured in each site-year (n = 31) at depths of 0 to 5 and 5 to 15 cm, soil-test biological activity, C mineralization during 24 days, total soil N, and Mehlich-III phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) were most consistently affected when comparing multispecies cover cropping with either no or single-species cover cropping. Despite relatively short duration of evaluations (i.e., mostly one to two years), we were able to elucidate that winter multispecies cover cropping has potential to improve soil health conditions in the region. Soil-test biological activity demonstrated the living nature of soil and was sensitive to conservation agricultural management. The support of a hands-on farmer and adviser network encouraged success.


Microarray technology is a high-throughput technique that allows a researcher to reduce the amount of reagents for each experiment as well as conduct multiple experiments with varying conditions simultaneously with the capability of analyzing this data quickly. Such microarray techniques have been applied in different fields such as environmental, pharmaceutical, microbiology, and biomedical among others (Kricka 2001). Chapter 1 provides an introduction to microarray technology with a description of three different techniques: Phenotypic Microarray, DNA Microarray and Protein Microarray, used to study different aspects of microorganisms. Chapter 2 presents the first manuscript, "A novel application of microarray technology to respiration study of Escherichia coli", with a focus on the development of a respirometric protocol to monitor the respiration of Escherichia coli over time. Chapter 3 presents the second manuscript, "Effect of Dysprosium oxide nanoparticles on Escherichia coli", with a focus on the application of the developed respirometric methodology in Chapter 2 to the toxicity effect of dysprosium oxide nanoparticles on Escherichia coli. Chapter 4 presents the third manuscript, "Anaerobic growth of Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans using microarray technology", with a focus on the development of an anaerobic growth methodology for the reduction of iron to be used in future nanotoxicity studies.


Sexual dimorphisms in head morphology, integument and dentition of some elasmobranch species have been established. These dimorphisms are reportedly linked to reproductive behaviour, whereby male biting during copulation results in a dimorphism in head dimensions and dentition and, as a result, differences in skin thickness. The findings for Scyliorhinus canicula from the Solent support the findings of other authors, whereby adult males were found to possess longer, narrower mouths and a longer head than adult females. Juvenile male catsharks were found to possess a longer mouth than females. No head, mouth or jaw dimorphisms for hatchling catsharks were found. Adult male catsharks were found to possess unicuspid teeth, with large central cusps, in contrast to the pentacuspid form of female and immature catsharks. A sexual dimorphism was found in the tooth row numbers for hatchling and adult catsharks, with hatchling males possessing a greater number of tooth rows than hatchling females on the lower jaw and adult males possessing a greater number of tooth rows than adult females in the upper jaw.
Seasonal comparisons were made to ascertain whether morphological changes occurred that could indicate a mating season for the Solent population of S. canicula. Adult head length, mouth length and mouth width were found to be significantly different. Adult males sampled in all seasons possessed a longer mouth than females sampled in all seasons, whilst the lower jaw length was significantly greater for adult males in all seasons compared to adult females. Juvenile female catsharks were found to possess a thicker epidermis than juvenile male catsharks in all seasons of the year, whilst adult females possessed a thicker epidermal layer than adult males, findings not previously reported in this species. Adult females were found to possess a thicker dermal layer in all seasons compared to adult male catsharks. Adult females also possessed wider and longer dermal denticles on the pectoral fins than adult males. Hatchling catsharks had a greater dermal denticle density on both fins indicating the possession of smaller dermal denticles than hatchling females. A sexual dimorphism was found in the Ampullae of Lorenzini with male catsharks possessing a greater number of alveoli than adult females, possibly both an ecological and reproductive adaptation. The seasonal and sexual dimorphisms found in this study do not directly indicate a specific mating season for this species in the Solent.


Behavioral interactions among social animals can regulate both reproductive behavior and fertility. A prime example of socially regulated reproduction occurs in the cichlid fish Haplochromis burtoni, in which interactions between males dynamically regulate gonadal function throughout life. This plasticity is mediated by the brain, where neurons that contain the key reproductive regulatory peptide gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) change size reversibly depending on male social status. To understand how behavior controls the brain, we manipulated the social system of these fish, quantified their behavior and then assessed neural and physiological changes in the reproductive and stress axes. GnRH gene expression was assessed using molecular probes specific for the three GnRH forms in the brain of H. burtoni. We found that perception of social opportunity to increase status by a male leads to heightened aggressiveness, to increased expression of only one of the three GnRH forms and to increases in size of GnRH-containing neurons and of the gonads. The biological changes characteristic of social ascent happen faster than changes following social descent. Interestingly, behavioral changes show the reverse pattern: aggressive behaviors emerge more slowly in ascending animals than they disappear in descending animals. Although the gonads and GnRH neurons undergo similar changes in female H. burtoni, regulation occurs via endogenous rather than exogenous social signals. Our data show that recognition of social signals by males alters stress levels, which may contribute to the alteration in GnRH gene expression in particular neurons essential for the animal to perform in its new social status.


This article charts the future transformations of the Canadian labor force population using a microsimulation projection model. The model takes into account differentials in demographic behavior and labor force participation of individuals according to their ethnocultural and educational characteristics. As a result of a rapid fall in fertility, the Canadian population is expected to age rapidly as baby boomers start to retire from the labor market in large numbers. In response to declining fertility, Canada raised its immigration intake at the end of the 1980s, and immigration is now the main driver of Canadian population growth. At the same time, immigrants to Canada are becoming more culturally diversified. Over the last half century, the main source regions have shifted from Europe to Asia. Results of the microsimulation show that Canada's labor force population will continue to increase, but at a slower rate than in the recent past. By 2031, almost one third of the country's total labor force could be foreign-born, and almost all its future increase is expected to be among university graduates, while the less-educated labor force is projected to decline.


The solution structure of a synthetic 36-residue polypeptide comprising the C-terminal cellulose binding domain of cellobiohydrolase I (CT-CBH I) from Trichoderma reesei was investigated by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. The 1H NMR spectrum was completely assigned in a sequential manner by two-dimensional NMR techniques. A large number of stereospecific assignments for beta-methylene protons, as well as ranges for the phi, psi, and chi 1 torsion angles, were obtained on the basis of sequential and intraresidue nuclear Overhauser enhancement (NOE) and coupling constant data in combination with a conformational data base search. The structure calculations were carried out in an iterative manner by using the hybrid distance geometry-dynamical simulated annealing method. This involved computing a series of initial structures from a subset of the experimental data in order to resolve ambiguities in the assignments of some NOE cross-peaks arising from chemical shift degeneracy. Additionally, this permitted us to extend the stereospecific assignments to the alpha-methylene protons of glycine using information on phi torsion angles derived from the initial structure calculations. The final experimental data set consisted of 554 interproton distance restraints, 24 restraints for 12 hydrogen bonds, and 33 phi, 24 psi, and 25 chi 1 torsion angle restraints. CT-CBH I has two disulfide bridges whose pairing was previously unknown. Analysis of structures calculated with all three possible combinations of disulfide bonds, as well as without disulfide bonds, indicated that the correct disulfide bridge pairing was 8-25 and 19-35. Forty-one structures were computed with the 8-25 and 19-35 disulfide bridges, and the average atomic rms difference between the individual structures and the mean structure obtained by averaging their coordinates was 0.33 +/- 0.04 A for the backbone atoms and 0.52 +/- 0.06 A for all atoms. The protein has a wedgelike shape with an amphiphilic character, one face being predominantly hydrophilic and the other mainly hydrophobic. The principal element of secondary structure is made up of an irregular triple-stranded antiparallel beta-sheet composed of residues 5-9 (beta 1), 24-28 (beta 2), and 33-36 (beta 3) in which strand beta 3 is hydrogen bonded to the other two strands.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)


The size of the population with cognitive impairment is increasing worldwide, and socially assistive robotics offers a solution to the growing demand for professional carers. Adaptation to users generates more natural, human-like behavior that may be crucial for a wider robot acceptance. The focus of this work is on robot-assisted cognitive training of the patients that suffer from mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or Alzheimer. We propose a framework that adjusts the level of robot assistance and the way the robot actions are executed, according to the user input. The actions can be performed using any of the following modalities: speech, gesture, and display, or their combination. The choice of modalities depends on the availability of the required resources. The memory state of the user was implemented as a Hidden Markov Model, and it was used to determine the level of robot assistance. A pilot user study was performed to evaluate the effects of the proposed framework on the quality of interaction with the robot.


One mechanism proposed to explain high species diversity in tropical systems is strong negative conspeci fi c density dependence (CDD), which reduces recruitment of juveniles in proximity to conspeci fi c adult plants. Although evidence shows that plant-speci fi c soil pathogens can drive negative CDD, trees also form key mutualisms with mycorrhizal fungi, which may counteract these effects. Across 43 large-scale forest plots worldwide, we tested whether ectomycorrhizal tree species exhibit weaker negative CDD than arbuscular mycorrhizal tree species. We further tested for conmycorrhizal density dependence (CMDD) to test for bene fi t from shared mutualists. We found that the strength of CDD varies systematically with mycorrhizal type, with ectomycorrhizal tree species exhibiting higher sapling densities with increasing adult densities than arbuscular mycorrhizal tree species. Moreover, we found evidence of positive CMDD for tree species of both mycorrhizal types. Collectively, these fi ndings indicate that mycorrhizal interactions likely play a foundational role in global forest diversity patterns and structure.


Netpredictor is an R package for prediction of missing links in any given bipartite network. The package provides utilities to compute missing links in a bipartite and well as unipartite networks using Random Walk with Restart and Network inference algorithm. The package also allows computation of Bipartite network properties, visualization of communities for two different sets of nodes, and calculation of significant interactions between two sets of nodes using permutation based testing. The R standalone package (including detailed introductory vignettes) and associated R Shiny web application is available under the GPL-2 Open Source license and is freely available to download from github Netpredictor repository and Shiny Netpredictor repository respectively.


Departing from the hypothesis that R&D within ICT plays an essential role in the transformation of the construction sector from a traditional to an industrialised process, a joint Swedish and French project has been carried out (to be completed in April 2007) to assess the short and medium term possibilities to improve efficiency and quality in multi-storey house-building. This paper describes today's use of ICT (situation as-is) in Swedish multi-storey house-building projects and identifies a number of key development areas. The research was carried out through steps including statistical analyses of market data, a case study, a survey with active developers working with R&D in the field of ICT and workshops with construction industry representatives and researchers. Typically, Swedish multi-storey house-building projects are carried out as isolated projects, involving 15 designers, 20 subcontractors and 40 material suppliers. Relations between most of the project participants are ad-hoc. ICT-use is regulated by the architect's CAD manual regarding layer structures, routines for information exchange during design, use of a project network, hardware, software and filing. 2D CAD is the predominant design tool. ICT is widely used for administrative purposes, especially by the large contractors. Information transfer between participants in and between different stages of the project is inefficient and redundant information is created. Transfer of information is often carried out manually. Computer aided design, interoperability, virtual reality, cooperation and ICT-policies, the product definition process, use of systems products, quantity take-off and reuse of experience are identified as development areas where ICT can play an important role to improve productivity and quality. Highest potential to achieve improvement by immediate uptake is attributed by the survey persons to computer aided design, interoperability and reuse of experience. A time span of 2 - 5 years is needed to obtain benefits by more efficient cooperation and ICT-policies and rational quantity take-off. (Less)


Software for rapid, accurate, and comprehensive microbial profiling of metagenomic sequence data on a desktop will play an important role in large scale clinical use of metagenomic data. Here we describe LMAT-ML (Livermore Metagenomics Analysis Toolkit-Marker Library) which can be run with 24 GB of DRAM memory, an amount available on many clusters, or with 16 GB DRAM plus a 24 GB low cost commodity flash drive (NVRAM), a cost effective alternative for desktop or laptop users. We compared results from LMAT with five other rapid, low-memory tools for metagenome analysis for 131 Human Microbiome Project samples, and assessed discordant calls with BLAST. All the tools except LMAT-ML reported overly specific or incorrect species and strain resolution of reads that were in fact much more widely conserved across species, genera, and even families. Several of the tools misclassified reads from synthetic or vector sequence as microbial or human reads as viral. We attribute the high numbers of false positive and false negative calls to a limited reference database with inadequate representation of known diversity. Our comparisons with real world samples show that LMAT-ML is the only tool tested that classifies the majority of reads, and does so with high accuracy.


River bank erosion models are a fundamental requirement for understanding the migration and
evolution of river meanders, estimating the potential for land-loss and threat to floodplain
infrastructure, and predicting the delivery of contaminated floodplain sediments to aquatic
ecosystems. While progress has recently been made in understanding and modelling processes
controlling large-scale mass failure, less attention has been paid to the role that fluvial erosion
plays in bank retreat. This project aims to address this gap by developing a new fluvial erosion
model. Recent developments in bank erosion monitoring technology, and in the quantification of
the bank erodibility parameters using jet-testing devices, offer the means of determining fluvial
erosion rates and bank erodibility. However, the missing link remains the need to obtain highresolution,
spatially distributed, flow data to characterize the near-bank fluid shear stresses that
drive bank erosion. One possible solution is to use Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) models
as a substitute for empirical data. Herein I evaluate a series of three-dimensional CFD simulations for a meander loop on the River
Asker at Bridport in southern England. CFD models under specific steady peak flow conditions
were developed using Fluent 6.2, with peak flow discharge estimates obtained from an adjacent
gauging station. All the models obtained from the three examined flow events were successfully
verified and validated using clearly defined and structured procedures. The modelling results
indicated that the main qualitative features of the flow remain even as flow discharge varies.
However, notable differences were observed between the examined flow events, such as, a
general increasing of velocity and shear stress throughout the reach as flow stage is gradually
increased, a slight reduction in the size and extent of separation zones at bank full stage, a
movement of impingement points further downstream, and a continuation of the secondary flow
within the fast streamtube further towards the bends exits. Bed/bank shear stress is mostly seen to
decrease at shallow riffles as discharge approaches bankfull, while pools experience an increase
in bed/bank shear stress with increase in discharge. Zones of higher bed/bank shear stress extend
and combine, while marginal recirculation zones and areas of relatively low bed/bank shear stress
generally reduce in area to form discrete locations for erosion and deposition phenomena. At
bank full stage, the magnitudes of velocity and simulated shear stresses within the inner bank
separation zones are found to be higher than those observed under low flow conditions and they
may be sufficient to result in the removal of accumulated sediments into the main downstream
flow. The presence of regions of high velocity in the form of a streamtube, especially along the
outer banks, creates high shear stresses within these areas. As a result, outer bank migration rates
are likely to be relatively high in bends with inner bank separation zones.


Due to conventional gender norms, women are more likely to be in charge of childcare than men. From an employer's perspective, in their fertile age they are also at "risk" of pregnancy. Both factors potentially affect hiring practices of firms. We conduct a largescale correspondence test in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria, sending out approx. 9,000 job applications, varying job candidate's personal characteristics such as marital status and age of children. We find evidence that, for part-time jobs, married women with older kids, who likely finished their childbearing cycle and have more projectable childcare chores than women with very young kids, are at a significant advantage vis-à-vis other groups of women. At the same time, married, but childless applicants, who have a higher likelihood to become pregnant, are at a disadvantage compared to single, but childless applicants to part-time jobs. Such effects are not present for full-time jobs, presumably, because by applying to these in contrast to part-time jobs, women signal that they have arranged for external childcare.


Newly confirmed EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt last week revealed his vision for the regulatory agency. "Regulators exist to give certainty to those that they regulate," Pruitt told EPA staff on his first day in office. "Those that we regulate ought to know what's expected of them so they can plan and allocate resources to comply." Pruitt has been criticized by environmental advocates for being too friendly with the fossil fuel industry in his previous position as Oklahoma attorney general. He is expected to shift the federal agency's regulatory authority toward state regulators. The U.S. Senate on Feb. 17 confirmed Pruitt to lead EPA amid objections from environmental groups, current and former agency employees, and Senate Democrats. The former Oklahoma attorney general has opposed EPA limits on carbon dioxide from power plants, and he has objected to rule-making that would overhaul the agency's chemical plant risk management program. The American Chemistry


Productivity is defined and presented in both its performance measurement role and its strategic context for manufacturing and service sectors. The development of productivity, especially total productivity, and its connection with management accounting is highlighted. The inter-relationship of productivity analysis to competitive advantage and technology is also discussed. Strategic management accounting, incorporating productivity, is shown to focus on price recovery and profitability with alternative methods revealed. The approach for external estimations for competitive analysis, utilising benchmarking, is set out. Capital input within productivity measurement is studied, specifically examining inflation, technological change and capacity maintenance. Allied to total productivity, a methodology is put forward for capital input for strategic analysis.


This is the introduction and summary to the ninth phase of an ongoing project on Social Security Programs and Retirement Around the World. This project, which compares the experiences of a dozen developed countries, was launched in the mid 1990s, following decades of decline in the labor force participation rate of older men. The first several phases of the project document that social security program provisions can create powerful incentives for retirement that are strongly correlated with the labor force behavior of older workers. Subsequent phases have explored how disability program provisions affect retirement, whether there is a link between older employment and youth unemployment, and whether older individuals are healthy enough to work longer. In the two decades since the project began, the dramatic decline in men's labor force participation has been replaced by sharply rising participation rates. Older women's participation has increased dramatically as well. Over this same period, countries have undertaken numerous reforms of their social security programs, disability programs, and other public benefit programs available to older workers. In this ninth phase of the project, we explore how the financial incentive to work at older ages has evolved from 1980 to the present. We highlight the important role of reforms in these changing incentives and examine how changing incentives may have affected retirement behavior.


Abstract We examine CEO-board dynamics using a new panel dataset that spans 1920 to 2011. The long sample allows us to perform within-firm and within-CEO tests over a long horizon, many for the first time in the governance literature. Consistent with theories of bargaining or dynamic contracting, we find board independence increases at CEO turnover and falls with CEO tenure, with the decline stronger following superior performance. CEOs are also more likely to be appointed board chair as tenure increases, and we find evidence consistent with a substitution between board independence and chair duality. Other results suggest that these classes of models fail to capture important elements of board dynamics. First, the magnitude of the CEO tenure effect is economically small, much smaller, for example, than the strong persistence in board structure that we show. Second, when external CEOs are hired, board independence falls and subsequently increases. Third, event studies show a positive market reaction when powerful CEOs die in office, consistent with powerful CEOs becoming entrenched.


This study explores the organization of the Korean labor market, systemic faults in it leading to undesirable outcomes and their determinants, and consequences for workers and employers. Long-term implications for the arrangement and cohesion of society at large are discussed.
The study has three specific objectives:
1) to describe the present labor relations, structure and governance of the Korean labor market through the prism of imperfect/regulated competition theory, with a focus on rigidities and systemic faults in the present organization;
2) to identify structural determinants of the faults, and their intermediate- and long-term consequences; and
3) to inform regulatory and legal reforms in order to achieve superior modes of governance and market organization.
The study focuses on understanding of the role of social, structural and regulatory constraints on effective matching of workers and jobs – their sources, manifestations and consequences. Implications of market rigidities are evaluated vis-a-vis workers' skill-acquisition decisions and outcomes, their social and inter-generational mobility, and firms' long-term prospects. Existing policies and policy proposals are reviewed in regard to their impacts. The ultimate aim is to identify opportunities for economic regulation, legal governance and market norms to help overcome the existing faults in labor relations and market organization, and to transition to a more flexible, transparent, equitable and sustainable form of market organization.


Scanning the Hypnoglyph by Nathaniel Wallace is concerned with the representation of sleep, with emphasis on postmodern verbal art and literature. Theories of subjectivity, narrative, and gender are considered, along with key works relevant for delineating a contemporary genre.


Cardiovascular risk is poorly managed in women, especially during the menopausal transition when susceptibility to cardiovascular events increases. Clear gender differences exist in the epidemiology, symptoms, diagnosis, progression, prognosis and management of cardiovascular risk. Key risk factors that need to be controlled in the perimenopausal woman are hypertension, dyslipidemia, obesity and other components of the metabolic syndrome, with the avoidance and careful control of diabetes. Hypertension is a particularly powerful risk factor and lowering of blood pressure is pivotal. Hormone replacement therapy is acknowledged as the gold standard for the alleviation of the distressing vasomotor symptoms of the menopause, but the findings of the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) study generated concern for the detrimental effect on cardiovascular events. Thus, hormone replacement therapy cannot be recommended for the prevention of cardiovascular disease. Whether the findings of WHI in older postmenopausal women can be applied to younger perimenopausal women is unknown. It is increasingly recognized that hormone therapy is inappropriate for older postmenopausal women no longer displaying menopausal symptoms. Both gynecologists and cardiovascular physicians have an important role to play in identifying perimenopausal women at risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, and should work as a team to identify and manage risk factors, such as hypertension.


Simple neurotransmitter theories cannot sufficiently explain the mode of action of antidepressant drugs. Molecular pharmacological studies demonstrate that antidepressive treatment initially modulates the neurotransmitter-receptor interaction, subsequently influences signal transduction cascades beyond the synapse and gene transcription mechanisms, and ultimately triggers the expression of specific target genes. Such genes often code for molecules which play an important role in the maintenance of neural and synaptic plasticity. Chronic (but not acute) treatment with antidepressants modulates, for example, the cAMP-second-messenger system and increases the expression of neurotrophic factors. Furthermore, antidepressants promote hippocampal neurogenesis. Stress, an important risk factor for psychiatric disorders, often induces opposite effects. A better understanding of the molecular and cellular effects of stress and therapy with psychotropic drugs will stimulate the development of innovative treatment strategies for which an optimised antidepressant efficacy with a simultaneously improved tolerance is expected.


Aim . Transoral fundoplication has been repeatedly shown to be effective in selected patients suffering from gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GERD) refractory to conservative treatment. In this series the safety and efficacy of this approach was evaluated in a group of patients suffering from recurrent reflux problems following previous surgical antireflux treatment. Patients and methods. From February 2009 to December 2011, 15 patients with a median age of 46.3 years (range 32– 68 years) underwent transoral fundoplication at three centres. After a median of 54 months (15–122 months) following their primary surgery, all patients were on continuous medication for GERD symptoms. Transoral fundoplication was performed using the EsophyX® or Plicator™ device. The scoring of symptoms, as well as the impact on quality of life (QOL), was evaluated with the GERD health-related quality of life (GERD-HRQL) questionnaire for typical GERD symptoms, the SF-36 questionnaire for general health status as well as the GERD Symptom Score. Results. The median duration of the procedure was 42 min (range 30–70min), and all patients could be discharged on the following day. The mean GERD-HRQL score at baseline during continuous proton pump inhibitor (PPI) medication was 13.4 (±2.1) and showed a statistically significant decrease to 5.7 (±1.3) at 12 months' follow-up (P < 0.001). In accordance with this, SF-36 evaluation showed a significant improvement in physical status at12 months' follow-up (mean value of 50 ± 7.8 at baseline vs. 53 ± 5.2 at 12months' follow-up; P < 0.001). Additionally, symptom scoring improved significantly in all parameters. Twelve (80%) patients were completely off GERD medication at the last follow-up. Conclusion. In this small group of patients with recurrent GERD following previous surgical treatment, transoral fundoplication has shown to be an effective tool to reduce symptoms and to improve QOL without the need for redo surgery, which is associated with an increased risk of morbidity.


BACKGROUND: Visual problems can negatively affect visual development and learning but often go undetected. We assessed the feasibility of scaling up a school-based screening program to identify and treat kindergarten children with visual problems. METHODS: We conducted a prospective cohort study offering vision screening to junior (JK) and senior kindergarten (SK) children attending 43 schools in 15 Ontario communities. Screening comprised photoscreeners and tests of visual acuity, stereoacuity and eye alignment. Children who failed any test were referred for a comprehensive eye examination, with treatment as needed (e.g., glasses). RESULTS: Using a passive consent model, 89% of children were screened compared with 62% using an active consent model (p < 0.001). Referral rates to an optometrist varied across schools (mean referral rate for children in JK 53%, range 25%–83%; mean referral rate for children in SK 34%, range 12%–61%). Among 4811 children who were screened, a visual problem was detected in 516 (10.7%), including 164 (3.4%) with amblyopia and 324 (6.7%) with clinically significant refractive errors. For 347 (67.2%) of the children with a visual problem, this was their first eye examination. Rescreening in Year 2 did not lead to detection of additional problems among children who passed screening in Year 1. Regardless of location (child's school or optometrist's office), 1563 (68.9%) of children attended the follow-up optometry examination. Most of the children who were surveyed (291 of 322, 90.4%) indicated that they enjoyed vision screening. INTERPRETATION: Many children in Ontario with a visual problem were not being identified by the status quo in 2015–2017. We found that in-school vision screening with follow-up eye examinations is an effective strategy for identifying at-risk children and placing them in eye care before grade 1.


This article introduces Religion & Development as a new transdisciplinary journal focusing on the nexus between religion and development. It outlines the motivation for establishing the new periodical along three central themes: the move towards sustainable development as dominant development paradigm; the reinvigoration of the post-development debate; and the emerging academic, policy and practice field of religion and development. The discussion proceeds to highlight the envisaged task of the journal as well as its transdisciplinary and collaborative span. Moreover, it delineates Religion & Development's core editorial policies, before setting the scene for the contributions of the journal's first issue.


As the electric utility industry continues to re-regulate, and become increasingly competitive and market-driven, it is impairative that consumer-owned electric systems gather, interpret and effectively use competitive intelligence. Competitive intelligence may be defined as information and knowledge to be obtained and used to formulate strategies for effectively dealing with three entities: competitors, customers and regulators. For competitive intelligence to be used effectively, it must feed into a system's strategic planning. Competitor intelligence is needed to acquire foreknowledge of existing competitors and to predict future competitors. In a recent Public Utilities Fortnightly article, electric utility managers "project, on average, a 50 percent increase in the actual number of competitors in their service territories by 2000." (PUF, 3/1/95, pg 22). Customer intelligence is necessary to be able to negotiate rates and meaningful value-added services, particularly with commercial and industrial customers who are having to compete in their own global markets, and who are impacting the restructuring of the electric utility industry. One must always remember, policy follows the market. Regulator intelligence, both on a state and federal level, is critical because the role of the regulator is changing and perhaps expanding, not being reduced. This is why we used the term re-regulating in the opening paragraph to describe the industry transition. As Congress and state legislatures enact new public policy in response to market demands, it will be the FERC and the state commissions who will be responsible for implementing the new policy. The responsibility for competitive intelligence rests with the general manager of the system, and the general manager must recognize that all employees must be given some responsibility for gathering and/or interpreting competitive intelligence data. This article will provide the reader with: 1. An analysis of how to accumulate and organize competitive intelligence, and why it is important to gather this information. 2. Sources for gathering competitive intelligence. 3. Types of competitive intelligence information. 4. A case example of cooperative strategies implemented as a result of gathering and analyzing competitive intelligence. COMPETITOR INTELLIGENCE There has always been some form of competition in the electric utility industry. It is greater today than it has ever been, and it will be greater tomorrow. Who are today's competitors? We cannot just focus on traditional rivals like the investor-owned utility or the municipal utility. Electric competition is currently coming from investor-owned utilities, municipal utilities and consumer-owned utilities; energy competition is coming from propane, natural gas and other non-electric energy suppliers. Competition is also coming from non-utility entities, including co-generators, independent power producers (IPP's) and power brokers or marketers. As an industry, we have accumulated a certain degree of knowledge about our traditional electric and non-electric utility competitors. However, most systems do not have a formal method for continually gathering competitive intelligence. In his book Thriving On Chaos, Tom Peters asserts that companies lack an effective intelligence infrastructure. Much of the intelligence gathered by employees goes nowhere because of conventional barriers to communication or, worse yet, because of an attitude of nonurgency, which means no alarm bell is tripped in the employee's head (page 283). We pick up bits and pieces of information via our daily contact with our competitors but we do not have a formal list of information to gather, methods to channel it, or ways to interpret and use it. Systems have a different problem with non-traditional competitors such as the IPP and the power broker. We have very little knowledge about them because they are new entrants into the electric utility industry. …


A systematic investigation on the influence of an additional periodic modulation potential which is weak, either electric or magnetic in nature, and spatially modulated along one dimension, on the equilibrium thermodynamic properties of a two-dimensional electron gas in an externally applied magnetic field is presented. The application of such an additional modulation potential results in a broadening of the Landau level energy spectrum into bands whose widths oscillate as a function of the externally applied magnetic field. Such oscillations are found to reflect the commensurability of the two different length scales present in the system, namely the cyclotron diameter at the Fermi level and the period of the modulation. We show that such commensurability effects are also to be found in all thermodynamic quantities of the system. They appear at low magnetic fields as an amplitude modulation of the well-known de Haas-van Alphen-type oscillations, familiar from the homogeneous two-dimensional electron gas system in an external magnetic field, which may or may not be resolved depending on temperature and are only weakly dependent on temperature. Their origin lies in the oscillations occurring in the bandwidths and they are consequently completely different in origin from the usual de Haas-van Alphen-type oscillations. In particular, we show that commensurability oscillations are to be found in the chemical potential, Helmholtz free energy, internal energy, electronic entropy, electronic specific heat, orbital magnetization and orbital magnetic susceptibility of such weakly modulated systems. We find that the resulting commensurability oscillations in each thermodynamic function exhibit well-defined phase relations between the electric and magnetic modulations except in the case of the orbital magnetization and the orbital magnetic susceptibility. Explicit asymptotic expressions for the chemical potential, Helmholtz free energy and orbital magnetization, in the quasi-classical limit of small magnetic fields and small but finite temperatures, are also given.


This highly topical book charts how the tools of technology are altering the ways in which education is being delivered and received. It looks at the huge impact of the World Wide Web on current educational practice and what this means for the students and teachers involved. It also covers the other new technologies that support the delivery of what is now truly global education. Divided into three clear sections, Globalising Education adopts a systematic and thoroughly researched approach to this exciting topic. The three sections examine: * how global education is actually delivered in practice * case studies which investigate current developments and applications in the USA, Europe, the UK and Australia * conclusions drawn from the general issues covered, as well as an overview of what is happening now and what we might expect to happen in the future. This book looks at current developments in detail. It is essential reading for all those involved in education - whether as a teacher, student or interested onlooker.


Selection between competing responses and stimulus-response association strength is thought to affect performance during verb generation. However, the specific contribution of these two processes remains unclear. Here we used fMRI to investigate the role of selection and association within frontal and BG circuits that are known to be involved in verb production. Subjects were asked to generate verbs from nouns in conditions requiring either high or low selection, but with constant association strength, and in conditions of weak or strong association strength, now with constant selection demands. Furthermore, we examined the role of selection and association during noun generation from noun stimuli. We found that the midpart of the left inferior frontal gyrus was more active in conditions requiring high compared with low selection, with matched association strength. The same left inferior frontal region activated irrespective of verb or noun generation. Results of ROI analyses showed effects of association strength only for verb generation and specifically in the anterior/ventral part of the left inferior frontal gyrus. Moreover, the BG were more active when weakly associated verbs had to be produced relative to weakly associated nouns. These results highlight a functional segregation within the left inferior frontal gyrus for verb generation. More generally, the findings suggest that both factors of selection between competing responses and association strength are important during single-word production with the latter factor becoming particularly critical when task-irrelevant stimuli interfere with the current task (here nouns during verb production), triggering additional activation of the BG.


There has been growing interest in ethical leadership from both scholars and practitioners because of the positive effects that ethical leaders can have on their subordinates. These benefits come not only from ethical leaders acting as moral exemplars, but also from the tendency for ethical leaders to forge high-quality social exchange relationships with subordinates that help to establish expectations for appropriate conduct and ensure accountability through reciprocal obligation. However, the act of developing and maintaining strong social exchange relationships is resource intensive and requires considerable personal investment from ethical leaders. Extending current theory, we propose that wider spans of control attenuate the positive relationship between ethical leadership and leader-member exchange (LMX). Across two organizational samples, we developed and tested a moderated mediation model in which the effects of ethical leadership on performance, organizational citizenship behavior, and reduced production deviance via LMX were weakened by a widened span of control. Results in both studies supported the hypothesized model. Although it may be tempting to increase the number of subordinates assigned to ethical leaders in an effort to maximize their positive impact, the current findings suggest that the benefits of ethical leadership are diminished as span of control widens.


This is a response to a commentary by Professor David H. Blankfein-Tabachnick ("B-T") on my book, Justifying Intellectual Property (JIP) (2011). In JIP, I describe IP law at three levels: foundations, midlevel principles, and specific doctrines and institutions. At the bottom are foundational justifications for the field, ultimate rationales for why a society would have an IP system. In JIP, I explain why utilitarianism — the traditional standard-bearer in the IP field — has failed as a viable foundation. I argue instead for a more deontological foundation, built on the insights of Locke, Kant, and Rawls. At the same time, I recognize that a good number of my colleagues do not share my doubts about utilitarianism, and that they continue to recognize it as the ultimate basis of IP law. I also acknowledge that various scholars have argued persuasively for alternative foundations based for example on traditional religious precepts. Given this level of disagreement, I turn in JIP to what I call "midlevel principles." These are common themes and tropes that pervade case law and policy discussion in the IP field. The four principles I discuss (proportionality, efficiency, nonremoval or public domain enhancement, and dignity) are consistent with a wide range of divergent foundational commitments. These principles serve as a common language, permitting pluralistic foundational commitments while facilitating analysis and argumentation at the level of basic policies. Midlevel principles facilitate discourse between committed utilitarians, believers in a Talmudic basis for IP law, Kantians, and so on. Finally, at the top of the analytic structure in JIP is the level of specific rules, doctrines and institutions — the everyday surface features of the world of IP discourse. B-T makes two basic points about JIP. He says that I am wrong to argue that midlevel principles are independent of foundational commitments. And he says that my midlevel principles are not quite right because they do not adequately explain specific case outcomes, including several he uses as examples. On the first point, I argue in this response that B-T misreads some of the texts on which I ground my deontological rationale for IP law. In particular, I reject his argument that Rawls's concern with distributive justice cannot be reconciled with the property theories of Locke and Kant. As I do in JIP, I argue that viable IP protection (based on Locke and Kant) is well within the range of fair institutional structures that reasonable agents might agree upon in the original Rawlsian position. And on the second point, I argue that B-T misconceives the role of midlevel principles. They are not superdoctrines that control specific case outcomes, but instead conceptual themes that permeate the field, tying together discrete and disparate areas of doctrine and practice. I point out that echoes of these themes can be found in the very cases B-T chooses to illustrate his critique. I also elaborate a bit on how we should think about midlevel principles in IP law. Empirically, they are common themes and tropes found throughout IP cases and policy discussions. But conceptually, they can be thought of as the product of an overlapping consensus in the spirit of the later Rawls.


A suite of mafic dykes from the Underberg region of southern KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa) were intruded at 178 Ma, coincident in age with the major Okavango Dyke Swarm of Botswana, and also coincident with minor Karoo-related intrusions of the northern and central Lebombo. The dykes are all low-Ti-Zr tholeiites, they trend NW-SE and are presumed to continue into the Karoo central area of the Lesotho Highlands. In many respects, the Underberg dykes are similar to the majority of the low-Ti-Zr volcanic and subvolcanic intrusions of the Karoo; however, their 87Sr/86Sr and Nd isotope ratios are either 'Ferrar-like' (87Sr/86Sr 0·710; Nd < -3) or transitional between Karoo low-Ti-Zr and Ferrar low-Ti magmas. A potential Ferrar source for at least some of the Underberg dykes is supported by anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility analyses of the dyke suite, which demonstrate absolute flow direction from the SE to the NW, consistent with Gondwana reconstructions. The role of crustal contamination and combined fractional crystallization is also demonstrated to have played a key role in the petrogenesis of the Underberg dykes, involving a local upper crust contaminant. However, the composition of the 'Ferrar-like' dykes cannot be easily explained by AFC processes, but they do demonstrate that melting of a lithospheric mantle source enriched to a small degree by subduction-derived fluid was also important.


The intrinsic hand muscles are innervated by the ulnar and median nerves. There are anatomic anomalous innervations in the upper extremities that every electromyographer should be able to identify as these may be commonly encountered. The presence of these anomalies may lead to challenges in interpreting electrophysiological studies and during surgical operations. Furthermore, the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome may be diminished or accentuated by the presence of these anomalies.


Since the almost simultaneous publication of Kevin Lynch and Jane Jacobs ́ seminal and pioneer urban manifestos, the discipline has been increasingly permeated by what could be rightly called the phenomenological impulse. While sharing methodological principles, however, they represent two very distinct approaches to the study of urban matters, a distinction rooted on their chosen object of study. The drawing of this distinction constitutes this research ́s point of departure. Its fundamental aim is to help further the development of what we characterize as the Jacobs ́s lineage of urban thought. To this end, the paper outlines methodological rudiments for the development of a methodological tool that would allow the beginning of a systematic study of the patterns of people ́s presence and absence in urban space (streets). We call it Urban Polaroid. This work is part of a government funded (fondecyt 11110450) project.


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Device-to-device (D2D) assisted offloading heavily depends on the participation of human users. The content preference and sharing willingness of human users are two crucial factors in the D2D assisted offloading. In this paper, with consideration of these two factors, the optimal content pushing strategy is investigated by formulating an optimization problem to maximize the offloading gain measured by the offloaded traffic. Users are placed into groups according to their content preferences and share content with intergroup and intragroup users at different sharing probabilities. Although the optimization problem is nonconvex, the closed-form optimal solution for a special case is obtained, when the sharing probabilities for intergroup and intragroup users are the same. Furthermore, an alternative group optimization (AGO) algorithm is proposed to solve the general case of the optimization problem. Finally, simulation results are provided to demonstrate the offloading performance achieved by the optimal pushing strategy for the special case and AGO algorithm. An interesting conclusion drawn is that the group with the largest number of interested users is not necessarily given the highest pushing probability. It is more important to give high pushing probability to users with high sharing willingness.


Treatment for end-stage renal (kidney) disease (ESRD) is the only government-funded health care in the United States that has no financial need- or age-based criteria; inclusion in the program (Medicare) is solely based on diagnosis. If a person has ESRD, treatment is covered by Medicare. No other criteria must be met, but the best treatment option, a transplant, is not available for most patients. Compared with dialysis, a kidney transplant significantly prolongs life and improves quality of life, but kidneys are scarce in large part because federal law prohibits the buying and selling of organs. The average waiting time for a kidney transplant in the United States approaches 5 years; in some parts of the country, it is closer to 10 years. A significant number of transplant candidates die while waiting for an altruistic donation that never comes. Allowing the sale of kidneys from living donors would greatly increase the supply of kidneys and thereby save lives and minimize the number of patients suffering on dialysis. Arthur J. Matas, MD, is professor of surgery and director of the kidney transplant program at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Matas has been a practicing transplant surgeon for more than 25 years and is the immediate past president of the American Society of Transplant Surgeons. The National Organ Transplant Act of 1984 was passed to, among other things, prohibit the sale of organs in the face of apprehension that the growing commercialization of medicine would result in human beings being treated as commodities rather than individuals. Whether such concerns were well founded or not, the act was clearly overbroad in its prohibition of the sale of organs. It's time to loosen those restrictions in order to save lives. The best way to increase the supply of kidneys without drastically changing the existing allocation system is to legalize a regulated system of compensation for living kidney donors. Such a system could be established using the infrastructure already in place for evaluating deceased donors and allocating their organs. The only change required to ease and probably even solve the organ shortage is some form of payment for donors. The potential practical and theoretical concerns with compensated donation can be overcome, and alternative proposals will not do enough to solve the shortage. Upon careful analysis, it is clear that the benefits of a regulated system of compensated donation (chiefly, increasing the number of donated kidneys) outweigh any risks.


A new family of commercial zinc alloys designated as ZA8, ZA12, and ZA27 and high damping capacity alloys including Cosmal and Supercosmal and aluminium alloy LM25 were investigated for compressive creep and load relaxation behaviour under a series of temperatures and stresses. A compressive creep machine was designed to test the sand cast hollow cylindrical test specimens of these alloys. For each compressive creep experiment the variation of creep strain was presented in the form of graphs plotted as percentage of creep strain () versus time in seconds (s). In all cases, the curves showed the same general form of the creep curve, i.e. a primary creep stage, followed by a linear steady-state region (secondary creep). In general, it was observed that alloy ZA8 had the least primary creep among the commercial zinc-based alloys and ZA27 the greatest. The extent of primary creep increased with aluminium content to that of ZA27 then declined to Supercosmal. The overall creep strength of ZA27 was generally less than ZA8 and ZA12 but it showed better creep strength than ZA8 and ZA12 at high temperature and high stress. In high damping capacity alloys, Supercosmal had less primary creep and longer secondary creep regions and also had the lowest minimum creep rate among all the tested alloys. LM25 exhibited almost no creep at maximum temperature and stress used in this research work. Total creep elongation was shown to be well correlated using an empirical equation. Stress exponent and activation energies were calculated and found to be consistent with the creep mechanism of dislocation climb. The primary α and β phases in the as-cast structures decomposed to lamellar phases on cooling, with some particulates at dendrite edges and grain boundaries. Further breakdown into particulate bodies occurred during creep testing, and zinc bands developed at the highest test temperature of 160°C. The results of load relaxation testing showed that initially load loss proceeded rapidly and then deminished gradually with time. Load loss increased with temperature and almost all the curves approximated to a logarithmic decay of preload with time. ZA alloys exhibited almost the same load loss at lower temperature, but at 120°C ZA27 improved its relative performance with the passage of time. High damping capacity alloys and LM25 had much better resistance to load loss than ZA alloys and LM25 was found to be the best against load loss among these alloys. A preliminary equation was derived to correlate the retained load with time and temperature.


The introduction, testing, promotion and release of a rice variety, BG 1442, in Nepal were examined in relation to existing policies governing these procedures and to how more participatory approaches could benefit food security. From 1998 to 2006, participatory varietal selection (PVS) was used to test BG 1442 and other candidate rice varieties in the spring (Chaite) rice-growing season (February to June) and in the main season (June to November). The testing of BG 1442 commenced 11 years after it was first introduced into Nepal in 1987 by the national rice research programme (NRRP). Following its initial acceptance by farmers, it was widely disseminated from 1998 by non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in the low altitude region of Nepal called the terai in projects funded by the Department for International Development (DFID), UK. This dissemination was done using a method termed informal research and development (IRD) where many small packets of seed were distributed without fertiliser or pesticides, the only additional input being a description of varietal characteristics on an enclosed leaflet. From 2001 to 2008, various assessments were made of its extent of adoption and its impact on livelihoods. In a randomised survey of households in 10 districts, BG 1442 increased from not being used at all in 1997 to being grown by about 20% of the surveyed rice farmers by 2008. It was grown both in the Chaite and the main season and was well adapted to the rainfed-upland and medium-land rice ecosystems. The variety was grown from the far west to the far east of low-altitude Nepal by resource-poor farmers. IRD was important in accelerating adoption and improving food security as it was by far the most important external source of seed for farmers. Prior to the adoption of BG 1442, farmers who did not harvest sufficient rice to last their households for 12 months increased rice self sufficiency by over 2 months (25% more). Those households that sold surplus grain and who grew BG 1442 increased grain sales by 600 kg (25% more) in the Chaite season and by 370 kg (24% more) from main season cultivation. Compared with the conventional on-station variety testing and release, PVS can significantly reduce the time needed for testing and increase the benefits from plant breeding. However, the greatest impact of using more client-oriented approaches was not from PVS but from the subsequent IRD given that it was the major source of seed resulting in its wide use by 2008. This popularity certainly influenced the decision by the national programme to eventually release the variety. This demonstrated how the extent of adoption could be a useful criterion for release, particularly when experimental data has previously failed to establish the superiority of a variety. The benefits from using PVS and, particularly, IRD were very large as they reduced the time needed for variety testing and popularization and hence reduced the time needed to improve food security. However, NGOs cannot sustainably finance the use of IRD and if it is to become a routine part of the national research and extension system then government needs to change policies to routinely use PVS and IRD. The regulatory framework needs to pay more attention to farmers' preferences and make the process of official release or registration simpler and faster. The diversion to ource NGOs of some of the res NGOs to participate sustainabl ∗ Corresponding author. E-mail address: email@example.com (J.R. Witcombe). 1 Present address: International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, P.O 378-4290/$ – see front matter © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. oi:10.1016/j.fcr.2012.03.001 s currently allocated solely to governmental organisations would allow y in varietal testing and dissemination. © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. . Box 39063, Nairobi, Kenya.


Road traffic prediction is a critical component in modern smart transportation systems. It provides the basis for traffic management agencies to generate proactive traffic operation strategies for alleviating congestion. Existing work on near-term traffic prediction (forecasting horizons in the range of 5 minutes to 1 hour) relies on the past and current traffic conditions. However, once the forecasting horizon is beyond 1 hour, i.e., in longer-term traffic prediction, these techniques do not work well since additional factors other than the past and current traffic conditions start to play important roles.

To address this problem, in this paper, for the first time, we examine whether it is possible to use the rich information in online social media to improve longer-term traffic prediction. To this end, we first analyze the correlation between traffic volume and tweet counts with various granularities. Then we propose an optimization framework to extract traffic indicators based on tweet semantics using a transformation matrix, and incorporate them into traffic prediction via linear regression. Experimental results using traffic and Twitter data originated from the San Francisco Bay area of California demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed framework.


Rift-related magmatism resulting in widespread igneous intrusions has been documented in various basins, including the Faroe Shetland Basin (UK), the Voring and Møre basins (Norway), and along the NW Shelf of Australia. Seismic mapping, combined with fieldwork, has resulted in greater understanding of subsurface intrusive plumbing systems but knowledge of emplacement style and the mechanisms by which intrusions propagate is limited. The interpretation of a 3D seismic dataset from the Exmouth Sub-basin, NW Shelf of Australia, has identified numerous igneous intrusions where a close relationship between intrusions and normal faults is observed. These faults influence intrusion morphology but also form pathways by which intrusions have propagated up through the basin stratigraphy. The steep nature of the faults has resulted in the intrusions exploiting them and thus manifesting as fault-concordant, inclined dykes; whereas in the deeper parts of the basin, intrusions that have not propagated up faults typically have saucer-shaped sill morphologies. This transition in the morphology of intrusions related to fault interaction also highlights how dykes observed in outcrop may link with sills in the subsurface. Our interpretation of the seismic data also reveals subsurface examples of bifurcating intrusions with numerous splays, which have previously only been studied in outcrop. Supplementary material: Figures showing uninterpreted seismic lines are available at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.4395974


Autosomal recessive and autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD and ARPKD) are 2 major variants of inherited diseases leading to the cystic degeneration of the kidney and other organs. Primary cilia have moved into the focus of research as it is becoming increasingly clear that dysfunction of this special cell organelle represents the main underlying mechanism of disease. At the same time, we also learn that the primary cilium plays an important role in the regulation of cell proliferation and transport processes along the nephron in the healthy kidney. Three recent publications implicate 2 novel players in ciliogenesis and cyst formation: the von Hippel Lindau tumor suppressor gene (pVHL) and collectrin.


The application of instrumental techniques to the analysis of barium, calcium, and strontium in milligram-size samples of mixed alkaline earth carbonates was examined. The techniques investigated were atomic absorption spectroscopy, flame photometry, and x-ray fluorescence spectroscopy. The instrumental methods were evaluated on the basis of ease of manipulation, accuracy, and precision. Of the three methods, only atomic absorption spectroscopy fulfilled all the requirements. of precision and simplicity. It is a rapid analytical method which does not require chemical separations. Precision of 1% to 2% for each of the elements is obtainable with milligram-size samples.


Adversarial training is a principled approach for training robust neural networks. Despite of tremendous successes in practice, its theoretical properties still remain largely unexplored. In this paper, we provide new theoretical insights of gradient descent based adversarial training by studying its computational properties, specifically on its implicit bias. We take the binary classification task on linearly separable data as an illustrative example, where the loss asymptotically attains its infimum as the parameter diverges to infinity along certain directions. Specifically, we show that for any fixed iteration $T$, when the adversarial perturbation during training has proper bounded L2 norm, the classifier learned by gradient descent based adversarial training converges in direction to the maximum L2 norm margin classifier at the rate of $O(1/\sqrt{T})$, significantly faster than the rate $O(1/\log T}$ of training with clean data. In addition, when the adversarial perturbation during training has bounded Lq norm, the resulting classifier converges in direction to a maximum mixed-norm margin classifier, which has a natural interpretation of robustness, as being the maximum L2 norm margin classifier under worst-case bounded Lq norm perturbation to the data. Our findings provide theoretical backups for adversarial training that it indeed promotes robustness against adversarial perturbation.


Given the explosive growth in data-centric artificial intelligence workloads and the imminent end of CMOS scaling laws, it is becoming increasingly clear that we need to transition to brain-inspired architectures where memory and processing are collocated. A first step in this direction could be in-memory computing whereby certain computational tasks are performed in place by exploiting the physical attributes of memory devices [1,2]. In the conventional electrical domain, emerging resistive memory devices or memristive devices could play a key role as elements of such a computational memory unit. For example, when organized in a cross-bar configuration, phase-change memory (PCM) devices can be used to perform matrix-vector multiplications with very low computational complexity [3]. An appealing application of this concept is for the problem of compressed sensing and recovery of high-dimensional signals [4]. This is an application in which the lack of precision arising from the matrix-vector multiplication operations is not prohibitive. However, in other applications such as solving systems of linear equations or training deep neural networks, the lack of precision could be a key challenge. To address this, the concept of mixed-precision in-memory computing was proposed, where through a judicious combination of high-precision processing units and computational memory, we can achieve arbitrarily high precision, while still retaining much of the benefits of non-von Neumann computing [5]. The in-memory computing paradigm has recently been extended to the optical domain whereby photonic memory devices based on phase-change materials are used to perform in-place multiply-accumulate operations [6].


Simply, the immune response is a complexity of reactions by the immune system that usually protect the body from harmful events, e.g. invasive pathogens. Immunizations, such as against RABV, utilize the immune response to elicit virus neutralizing antibodies. The development of detectable specific antibodies as a result of infection or immunization is called seroconversion (see section (...)


It has been argued that technologies for 'memory' should be designed to support creativity and meaning building, rather than the passive capture of cues for remembering [25]. We report findings from a study inspired by this insight, in which older people made personal digital timelines using a new tool called Project Greenwich. We explore how the constraints of the timeline metaphor offer a framework for authoring, and examine how timelines can be used to underpin meaning building in relation to personal content. We highlight the importance of making, this being a vehicle for connecting with others in the present, and a potential means of emphasizing those elements of the past felt to be most salient when looking back.


The extinction spectrum from single and aggregated hemispheres whose flat faces lie on a reflecting surface is calculated, and some of the expected resonances are found to disappear for specific choices of the direction and the polarization of the incident wave. This resonance-suppressing effect is fully explained for the case of single hemispheres, whereas for the case of aggregated hemispheres the guidelines for its explanation are given.


New in this edition is communication with the journal- Expert Opinion -, we welcome all communications and notes from our friends; local and abroad. We like very much to thank our authors for their support of the Journal by submitting first class work.   In this new edition we include the review paper of Dr. Ajaj, we added to this issue original research by  Dr. J. Abdalla and Dr. H. Qusa, and in this issue we welcome a kind letter from Sir T. English and a case report from Dr. Y. Abu Safieh.   Medical education in Palestine is receiving special attention in this edition, the unique experience and needs of medical education in difficult time was explored nicely by Dr. Qusa and was highlighted by Sir T. English. We invite our friends and colleagues to continue supporting the journal by rich articles, reviews, comments and communications. Many thanks to our reviews and friends everywhere.


Microstrip patch antenna is very demanded and important discussion thread in the theory of antennas because of its several advantages over conventional antennas like low cost, light weight, easy to feed and their attractive radiation characteristics. It has been a topic of interest for the researchers where must the research is concerned around minimization of antenna size while achieving high gain and bandwidth. This paper presents the overview study of microstrip patch antenna in past few decades, Arrangement of arrays in antenna by various topologies, composite antenna, highly integration of antenna/array and feeding network, operating at relatively high frequencies, used of advanced machining techniques, has been the various techniques proposed for achieving improved performance of microstrip patch antennas. KeywordsMicrostrip Patch Antenna, Design parameter, Feeding technique, Bandwidth and Gain Enhancement, Miniaturization of Antenna.


Background and purpose A programme based on eccentric exercises for treating subacromial pain was in a previous study found effective at 3-month follow-up. The purposes of the present study were to investigate whether the results were maintained after 1 year and whether the baseline Constant-Murley score, rotator cuff status and radiological findings influenced the outcome. Patients and methods 97 patients on the waiting list for arthroscopic subacromial decompression had been randomised to a specific exercise programme or unspecific exercises (controls). After 3 months of exercises, the patients were asked whether they still wanted surgery and this option was available until a 1-year follow-up. 1 year after inclusion or 1 year after surgery, the number of patients who decided to have surgery in each group was compared. The choice of surgery was related to the baseline Constant-Murley score, ultrasound and radiographs taken at inclusion. Results All patients had improved significantly (p<0.0001) in the Constant-Murley score at the 1-year follow-up. Significantly more patients in the control group decided to have surgery (63%) than those in the specific exercise group (24%; p<0.0001). Patients who decided to have surgery had a significantly lower baseline Constant-Murley score and more often a full-thickness tear. Patients with partial tears did not differ from those with intact tendons. Interpretation The positive short-term results of specific exercises were maintained after 1 year, and this exercise strategy reduces the need for surgery. Full-thickness tear and a low baseline Constant-Murley score appear to be a predictive marker for a less good outcome. Trial registration number Clinical trials NCT01037673.


This paper presents a detailed study of jury awards for compensatory damages to victims of crime. Such awards typically result when victims sue third parties who are responsible for some form of negligence such as inadequate security or alcohol over-service. We obtained nationwide data on jury awards to crime victims and examined the relationship between physical losses, medical costs, offender and victim characteristics, and the ultimate compensatory jury award. Despite the large variability in jury awards, we were able to explain 45%-50% of the variation in the natural log of jury awards for physical assault. The awards systematically vary with the severity of physical injuries sustained by the victim. Considerably more variation is found in the case of sexual assault. We use our regressions to construct estimates of noneconomic damages – the pain, suffering and reduced quality of life endured by the average victim of violent crime in the U.S.


In recent years, Muslim women have espoused Hijab fashion as a part of Islamic faith by mixing the contemporary fashion trend to carry out their act of veiling. In turn, this situation has led to the rapid growth of global Islamic clothing market and opened numerous money-spinning opportunities for the fashion industry players. For them, it has become imperative to understand the perception of their Muslim consumers to offer the right product. Therefore, this research attempts to study what considerations articulate together in Muslim women's hijab fashion consciousness. The purpose of this study is to analyze the impact of self-congruity, modesty, conformity and need for uniqueness to the fashion consciousness. To find the effect of these four aspects on Hijab fashion consciousness, a self-administered survey with a structured questionnaire was conducted in Malaysia. Data were collected from 200 Muslim women in Malaysia who wear Hijab fashion and then, SmartPLS 3.2.8 was used to analyze the hypothetical relationships. The findings of this study revealed that self-congruity and the need for uniqueness have a positive effect on the hijab fashion consciousness of Muslim women. It refers that Hijab fashion marketers must consider these two aspects while creating or designing a hijab fashion to satisfy consumer's expectations.


Students of judicial selection are living through interesting times. Consider, for example, the continuing skirmishes on the same-sex marriage front in the culture wars. In November 2003 (and again in February 2004), the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court read that State's constitution as requiring state recognition of marital unions between gay and lesbian couples. (1) In his January 2004 State of the Union Address, President George W. Bush characterized such decisions as the result of "[a]ctivist judges.... forcing their arbitrary will upon the people" and warned that "the only alternative left to the people" might be a federal constitutional amendment to bulwark the 1996 federal Defense of Marriage Act. (2) Then, in February 2004, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, citing the California Constitution's equal protection clause, authorized City Hall officials to begin licensing and officiating at marriages of same-sex couples. (3) Two groups opposed to Mayor Newsom's action, the Proposition 22 Legal Defense and Education Fund--backed by the Alliance Defense Fund--and the Campaign for California Families, went to the California Superior Court, arguing that San Francisco was violating the California Family Code and California Ballot Measure 22, adopted in November 2000, that limit marriage to a man and a woman. (4) Everyone in this contest, it seems, has the law on their side. And politics abound. In this highly charged environment, how are we to make sense of debates over the best way to select state judges? The question does not lend itself to any single definitive answer. Any answer will also be essentially contestable, because different people will define "best" differently. Nevertheless, amidst the comparatively tranquil precincts of academia, several salutary developments over the past decade serve as useful signposts indicating how we might think more clearly about the knotty issue of selecting state judges. IT'S THE SORT OF POLITICS, STUPID First and foremost, some students of judicial selection have sought to sophisticate (or one might say complicate) the concept of politics as that activity pertains to what judges do and how to select judges. Our key insight is comprehending that not all "politics" is the same. Scholars almost universally acknowledge that no selection procedure can be devoid of politics. "Merit selection" has a nice neutral ring, but such procedures turn out in practice to merely shift the locus of politics, rather than eliminate it. Elections to fill or to retain incumbents in judicial positions can be thoroughly political whether partisan or nonpartisan. So, for openers, there is wide awareness that judicial selection is the continuation of politics by other means. (5) It is simply delusional to attempt to purge politics from the process by which we select state jurists. Nor is it desirable to do so. In a republic that at least aspires to be based on popular sovereignty, many--including myself--believe that the judges who do the publics' business ought not to be removed from electoral politics. Here's the rub: What do we mean by "politics?" It's the Context that Counts Politicization is one species of politics. However, the species is not coextensive with the genus. In certain contexts, the politics of judicial selection can become politicized. That is, under certain circumstances, state judicial elections occasionally can become metaphorical "crocodiles in the bathtub," as the late Judge Otto Kaus vividly pictured hotly contested judicial elections. (6) Politicization of judicial elections occurs via the infusion of large sums of cash, with all of the attendant media advertising, sound bites, and other trappings of contemporary American no-holds-barred electoral contests for executive and legislative posts. Not all judicial elections bite judges--in fact very few do so. Big spending on judicial elections is driven by controversy over specific judicial decisions. …


Sport plays an important role in society: It is a major social and economic activity, it contributes to public health, it is entertainment, and achievements in amateur and professional sports are sources of motivation and pride. In popular sports, the rewards in the form of prestige, fame and revenues can be significant. Some athletes are therefore tempted to cheat and use performance‐enhancing drugs, even when it may seriously threaten their health. Yet, doping is not just a health issue; it is unfair to other athletes and in complete opposition to the idea of competitive sports that the best shall win in a fair contest.

> …doping is not just a health issue; it is unfair to other athletes and in complete opposition to the idea of competitive sports that the best shall win in a fair contest.

Doping in sport is illegal. Most governments have signed a UN convention against doping, but some are rather lenient or negligent in their attitude. For many countries, achievements in sport are closely tied to national pride, and the temptation to use prohibited methods can therefore be stronger than respect for the rules or concerns about the health of athletes. Anti‐doping regulations based on strong scientific and legal principles can therefore help to prevent abuse and ensure fair contests for athletes in all disciplines.

The World Anti‐Doping Agency (WADA) regulates the use of performance‐enhancing substances through rules set down in its code, which is signed by most countries. However, it remains a problem that violators can use illegal drugs, yet avoid being caught for doping, and therefore, athletes can sometimes win by unfair means. At the same time, it is important that the net to catch violators is not too fine—that attempts to increase the sensitivity of the test methods do not undermine specificity—so that …


OBJECTIVE
To determine the feasibility of conducting a randomized controlled trial of a 12-week exercise intervention in children with fibromyalgia (FM) and to explore the effectiveness of aerobic exercise on physical fitness, function, pain, FM symptoms, and quality of life (QOL).

METHODS
FM patients ages 8-18 years were randomized to a 12-week exercise intervention of either aerobics or qigong. Both groups participated in 3 weekly training sessions. Program adherence and safety were monitored at each session. Data were collected at 3 testing sessions, 2 prior to and 1 after the intervention, and included FM symptoms, function, pain, QOL, and fitness measures.

RESULTS
Thirty patients participated in the trial. Twenty-four patients completed the program; 4 patients dropped out prior to training and 2 dropped out of the aerobics program. Better adherence was reported in the aerobics group than in the qigong group (67% versus 61%). Significant improvements in physical function, functional capacity, QOL, and fatigue were observed in the aerobics group. Anaerobic function, tender point count, pain, and symptom severity improved similarly in both groups.

CONCLUSION
It is feasible to conduct an exercise intervention trial in children with FM. Children with FM tolerate moderate-intensity exercise without exacerbation of their disease. Significant improvements in physical function, FM symptoms, QOL, and pain were demonstrated in both exercise groups; the aerobics group performed better in several measures compared with the qigong group. Future studies may need larger sample sizes to confirm clinical improvement and to detect differences in fitness in childhood FM.


Corrosion is an important issue in many industrial fields. Among others, coatings are by far the most important technology for corrosion protection of metallic surfaces. The special issue "Advanced Coatings for Corrosion Protection" has been launched as a means to present recent developments on any type of advanced coatings for corrosion protection. Fifteen contributions have been collected on metallic, inorganic, polymeric and nanoparticle enhanced coatings providing corrosion protection as well as partly other functionalities.


A new taxon, Bimbianga burrinjuckensis n. gen., n. sp., is erected for a small collection of acid-prepared bones from the Early Devonian (Emsian) limestones of the Burrinjuck area showing affinity with the holonematid arthrodires, a widespread brachythoracid family in the Middle-Late Devonian. The skull is represented by nuchal and paranuchal plates of holonematid shape, the nuchal overlapped by both paranuchal and central plates. Suborbital and submarginal plates show various primitive features not seen in other holonematids. Other brachythoracid submarginal plates from Burrinjuck are illustrated for comparison. The trunk armour of the new taxon is represented only by a single elongate median dorsal plate. Comparisons are made with the genus Holonema Newberry, 1889 from the Middle-Late Devonian of Europe, Russia, and the Middle East, and the best preserved material from the Gogo Formation, Western Australia. Bimbianga n. gen. is interpreted as more primitive than other holonematids in the shape of the paranuchal and suborbital plates, and the posterior angle on the median dorsal, and would be the oldest known representative of the family, although material from Khush-Yeilagh, Iran, may be of similar age.


A minimal failure-inducing mode (MFM) based on a t-way combinatorial test set and its test results can help programmers identify root causes of failures that are triggered by combination bugs. However, an MFM for systems containing many parameters may be affected by masking effects to result in coincidences correct in practice, which makes pinpointing MFS more difficult. An approach for pinpointing MFM and an iterative framework are proposed. The identifying MFM approach first collects combinatorial test cases and their testing results, then mines the frequent itemset (suspicious MFM) in failed test cases, and finally computes suspiciousness for each MFM belonged to close pattern via contrasting frequency in failed test cases and successful test cases. Through the iterative framework, MFM is pinpointed until a certain stopping criterion is satisfied. Preliminary results of simulation experiments show that this approach is effective.