Analyses of a comprehensive morphological character matrix of mammals using 'relaxed' clock models (which simultaneously estimate topology, divergence dates and evolutionary rates), either alone or in combination with an 8.5 kb nuclear sequence dataset, retrieve implausibly ancient, Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous estimates for the initial diversification of Placentalia (crown-group Eutheria). These dates are much older than all recent molecular and palaeontological estimates. They are recovered using two very different clock models, and regardless of whether the tree topology is freely estimated or constrained using scaffolds to match the current consensus placental phylogeny. This raises the possibility that divergence dates have been overestimated in previous analyses that have applied such clock models to morphological and total evidence datasets. Enforcing additional age constraints on selected internal divergences results in only a slight reduction of the age of Placentalia. Constraining Placentalia to less than 93.8 Ma, congruent with recent molecular estimates, does not require major changes in morphological or molecular evolutionary rates. Even constraining Placentalia to less than 66 Ma to match the 'explosive' palaeontological model results in only a 10- to 20-fold increase in maximum evolutionary rate for morphology, and fivefold for molecules. The large discrepancies between clock- and fossil-based estimates for divergence dates might therefore be attributable to relatively small changes in evolutionary rates through time, although other explanations (such as overly simplistic models of morphological evolution) need to be investigated. Conversely, dates inferred using relaxed clock models (especially with discrete morphological data and MrBayes) should be treated cautiously, as relatively minor deviations in rate patterns can generate large effects on estimated divergence dates.


We develop a semi-analytic method for assessing the impact of the large-scale IGM temperature fluctuations expected following He ii reionization on three-dimensional clustering measurements of the Lyα forest. Our methodology builds upon the existing large volume, mock Lyα forest survey simulations presented by Greig et al. by including a prescription for a spatially inhomogeneous ionizing background, temperature fluctuations induced by patchy He ii photoheating and the clustering of quasars. This approach enables us to achieve a dynamic range within our semi-analytic model substantially larger than currently feasible with computationally expensive, fully numerical simulations. The results agree well with existing numerical simulations, with large-scale temperature fluctuations introducing a scale-dependent increase in the spherically averaged 3D Lyα forest power spectrum of up to 20–30 per cent at wavenumbers k ∼ 0.02 Mpc− 1. Although these large-scale thermal fluctuations will not substantially impact upon the recovery of the baryon acoustic oscillation scale from existing and forthcoming dark energy spectroscopic surveys, any complete forward modelling of the broad-band term in the Lyα correlation function will none the less require their inclusion.


Many organisms spanning from bacteria to mammals orient to the earth's magnetic field. For a few animals, central neurons responsive to earth-strength magnetic fields have been identified; however, magnetosensory neurons have yet to be identified in any animal. We show that the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans orients to the earth's magnetic field during vertical burrowing migrations. Well-fed worms migrated up, while starved worms migrated down. Populations isolated from around the world, migrated at angles to the magnetic vector that would optimize vertical translation in their native soil, with northern- and southern-hemisphere worms displaying opposite migratory preferences. Magnetic orientation and vertical migrations required the TAX-4 cyclic nucleotide-gated ion channel in the AFD sensory neuron pair. Calcium imaging showed that these neurons respond to magnetic fields even without synaptic input. C. elegans may have adapted magnetic orientation to simplify their vertical burrowing migration by reducing the orientation task from three dimensions to one. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.07493.001


Cetaceans (whales and dolphins) are streamlined aquatic mammals that spend all their lives in water. They are all carnivorous, taking either many small prey by bulk filter-feeding (Mysticeti, baleen whales), or larger prey by echolocation-assisted hunting (Odontoceti, dolphins and toothed whales). The main living groups, Mysticeti and Odontoceti, arose from archaic whales – Archaeoceti – some 35 Mya. Cetaceans have been distinct for more than 50 My. Their closest relatives are the hoofed mammals, artiodactyls, such as hippos and cows. Cetaceans include the largest living animals, and range through all oceans and into some rivers. Their active aquatic lifestyle makes them difficult to study. Developments in electronic data-gathering, tissue analyses, genetic sequencing and phylogenetic analyses, and discoveries of new fossils, have hugely expanded recent understanding. Most of the diversity of living cetaceans (currently 87 species) is concentrated in the oceanic dolphins – Delphinidae (36 species), Ziphiidae (beaked whales, 21 species) and Balaenopteridae (rorquals, 8 species).

Key Concepts:

Cetaceans form a monophyletic group of marine mammals, with three divisions: the living mysticetes (filter-feeders), odontocetes (echolocators) and the extinct archaeocetes.

Currently, 87 species are recognised: 14 mysticetes (baleen whales) and 73 odontocetes (dolphins, porpoises and toothed whales).

Cetaceans are difficult to study because of their habits, size and rarity, so that, in terms of conservation status, many species are data-deficient and of uncertain population trend.

As a group, cetaceans range through all oceans, and into some estuaries and rivers; individual species tend to be regionally or hemispherically restricted.

Molecular (genetic) studies of phylogeny will continue to change concepts of relationships, leading to revised classifications at species and genus level.

The earliest known fossil cetaceans lived more than 50 Mya, in what is now India and Pakistan.

Cetaceans are related closely to hoofed mammals (artiodactyls), particularly the hippopotamus.

Keywords:

whale;
dolphin;
marine mammal;
distribution;
fossil;
adaptation;
artiodactyls


This paper explores the developing thinking about assessment of graduate trainees preparing for secondary teaching in England. For some years teachers in English schools have worked in a context where the outcomes of formal testing have been used to judge school and teacher performance as well as student achievement. Research evidence that formative modes of assessment contribute more to student learning has in recent years led to strong recommendations that most classroom assessment should be 'Assessment for Learning' (AfL). In reality the new orthodoxy of AfL is being championed in a context where high‐stakes testing retains its perceived role in ensuring 'accountability'. Interviews with a sample of trainee teachers at an early stage of preparation for teaching suggest that their preconceptions about the nature and purpose of assessment, and their interpretations of classroom observations on school placement, offer a confused and complex basis for adopting recommended assessment practices in their own teaching.


Book synopsis: `Its strength lies in combining theoretical insights with an impressive range of empirical material. The analysis is subtle and multi-layered.... This is a timely and important book' - Political Studies

`Local governance have gained massive attention among scholars and practitioners during the past several years. Peter John's book fills a void in the literature by tracing the historical roots of local governance and by placing his findings in a comparative perspective' - Professor Jon Pierre, University of Gothenburg, Sweden

`Peter John has produced a fascinating and stimulating book in which he assesses current developments in urban politics and local government in Europe and suggests how these changes are leading to different patterns of sub-national territorial politics in the EU today. What he has to say is of important interest to all students of local government; comparative politics and of territorial politics more generally' - Michael Goldsmith, University of Salford

`this book offers a fascinating comparative analysis... themes such as New Public Management, globalisation, regionalism and privatisation will be relevant to numerous courses in government, politics, public administration and public policy' - West European Politics

This text provides a comprehensive introduction to local government and urban politics in contemporary Western Europe. It is the first book to map and explain the change in local political systems and to place these in comparative context.

The book introduces students to the traditional structures and institutions of local government and shows how these have been transformed in response to increased economic and political competition, new ideas, institutional reform and the Europeanization of public policy.

At the book's core is the perceived transition from local government to local governance. The book traces this key development thematically across a wide range of West European states including: Belgium, France, Greece, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom.


The functional state of gap junctions and the state of phosphorylation of connexin43 (Cx43), the major gap junction protein in rat heart, were evaluated in primary cultures of neonatal rat cardiocytes. Functional coupling was greatly reduced after treatment with staurosporine (ST), a protein kinase inhibitor. The ST-induced reduction in cell coupling was reversed by activation of protein kinase C (PKC) with 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate (TPA). The cellular distribution of Cx43, as detected by immunofluorescence, was not grossly affected by either ST alone or ST plus TPA. Although immunoblot analysis did not detect significant changes in the relative amounts of the unphosphorylated and individual phosphorylated forms of Cx43 after each treatment, the level of 32P-incorporation into Cx43 of radiolabeled cells was significantly affected. Consistent with their known properties, treatment with ST reduced, and combined treatment with TPA and ST increased, the level of 32P-incorporation into Cx43. Two-dimensional tryptic phosphopeptide maps of 32P-labeled Cx43 indicated that a distinct subset of the phosphopeptides that are present under basal conditions were affected by ST or ST/TPA treatments, with TPA-induced phosphorylation occurring at the ST-sensitive sites. However, the ST/TPA-sensitive tryptic phosphopeptides did not comigrate with others that were derived from in vitro phosphorylation by PKC of a recombinant C-terminal Cx43 peptide (Cx43[243-382]). Although a PKC-dependent mechanism appears to be involved in the regulation of functional coupling between neonatal rat cardiocytes, PKC itself may not be the final mediator of Cx43 phosphorylation.


This paper proposes a comparative analysis of the translation errors made by prospective legal translation trainees, with a special focus on the (mis)use of legal terminology and phraseology. The investigation relies on the data produced and collected within a wider empirical study on the translation problems faced by a cohort of translation graduates with no specialisation in legal translation on the one hand, and a cohort of linguistically-skilled lawyers with no translation-related qualifications on the other, who translated the same criminal law document from English into Italian. The translation errors made by the two cohorts have been classified on the basis of the categories proposed by Mossop (2014) and assessed following the severity scale devised by Vollmar (2001) . The Translation Quality Index (cf. Schiaffino and Zearo 2006 ) thus obtained has allowed for the ranking of the participants in the five quality levels identified for legal translation by Prieto Ramos (2014) . The findings of the quantitative and qualitative analyses of errors are also traced back to the participants' translation process by triangulating data from the different collection methods used within the empirical study, i.e. screen recording, keystroke logging and questionnaires, with particular reference to time and reference material use. The specific design of this investigation, which considers the participants' prior education as additional variable, allows for the identification of a possible correlation between the different backgrounds of the translators and the quality of their translations, with general consequences on the conceptualisation of legal translation competence and effective training.


. The transportation sector's carbon footprint and dependence on oil are of deep concern to policy makers in many countries. Use of all-electric drive-trains is arguably the most realistic medium-term solution to address these concerns. However, motorist anxiety induced by an electric vehicle's limited range and high battery cost have constrained consumer adoption. A novel switching-station-based solution is touted as a promising remedy. Vehicles use standardized batteries that, when depleted, can be switched for fully charged batteries at switching stations and motorists only pay for battery use. We build a model that highlights the key mechanisms driving adoption and use of electric vehicles in this new switching-station-based electric vehicle system and contrast it with conventional electric vehicles. Our model employs results from repairable item inventory theory to capture switching station operation; we embed this model in a behavioral model of motorist use and adoption. Switching-station systems effectively transfer range risk from motorists to the station operator, who, on account of statistical economies of scale, can better manage it. We find that this transfer of risk can lead to higher electric vehicle adoption than in a conventional system, but it also encourages more driving than a conventional system does. We calibrate our models with motorist behavior data, electric vehicle technology data, operation costs and emissions data to estimate the relative effectiveness of the two systems under the status quo and other plausible future scenarios. We find that the system that is more effective at reducing emissions is often less effective at reducing oil dependence, and the misalignment between the two objectives is most severe when the energy mix is coal heavy and with advanced battery technology. Increases in gasoline prices (by imposition of taxes, for instance) are much more effective in reducing carbon emissions while battery-price reducing policy interventions are more effective for reducing oil dependence. Taken together, our results help a policy maker identify the superior system for achieving the desired objectives. They also highlight that policy makers should not conflate the dual objectives of oil dependence and emissions reductions as the preferred system and the policy interventions that further that system may be different for the two objectives.


Sacroiliac joint (SIJ) pain is one of the common but underdiagnosed source of mechanical low back pain. The incidence is estimated to be in the range of 15%–30% in patients with nonradicular low back pain. The signs and symptoms of SIJ pain mimic pain arising from other causes of low back pain. There is no single symptom or physical examination finding that can firmly diagnose SIJ as a source of patient's pain. There is good evidence suggesting that a combination of three or more positive provocative tests strongly suggests SIJ dysfunction. Intra-articular injection with local anesthetic is considered the gold standard for diagnosis of SIJ pain. Many treatment modalities are available for SIJ pain, ranging from conservative management to surgical interventions. This review article covers all the aspects of SIJ pain, with treatment section mainly covering evidence-based interventional procedures.


I tested the hypothesis that the abundance of visually constrained fish stocks relate inversely to light attenuation for the Black Sea, where long time series of fish stocks and Secchi depths are available. Variation in Secchi depth accounted for 76–85% of the variation in combined fish biomass, which is higher than any other correlations previously reported for large fish stocks and a single environmental variable. Fish biomass scaled linearly with Secchi depth, which is consistent with the visual constraints hypothesis. Two alternative hypotheses, one involving a trophic cascade that affects water clarity and another assuming the effect of water clarity on fish catches, were not consistent with the observations. Although causal factors other than visual constraints cannot be excluded, the results clearly suggest that changes in water clarity must be considered in analyses of marine ecosystem change and regime shifts.


MAZUR, S., H. KURZAWIŃSKA, J. NAWROCKI and M. NADZIAKIEWICZ, 2016. Natural agents limiting diseases on potato tuber peel. Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., 22: 458–464 During a three-year fi eld experiment (2009 – 2011), we investigated the infl uence of preparations based on natural substances used during the potato vegetation period on the infection of tubers by the following pathogens causing peel diseases: Helminthosporium solani, Rhizoctonia solani and Streptomyces spp. The following treatments or combinations were included chitosan, grapefruit extract, orange oil, dimethomorph + mancozeb, control. After harvesting, 100 tubers were randomly picked from each fi eld and put in storage. The infestation rate and percentage of tubers with sclerotia from R. solani and infections by Streptomyces spp. were estimated directly after harvesting. An analysis of the rate of infestation and percentage of tubers infected with H. solani was carried out after a three-month storage period. Based on the obtained results, we found that preparations used during the potato vegetation period lowered the incidence and degree of tuber infection with H. solani, R. solani and Streptomyces spp.


This paper offers a detailed discussion on managerial challenges and opportunities related to newly introduced real estate investment trust (REIT) in India. Features of the proposed REIT structure are critiqued in light of the existing body of knowledge about REITs. We revisit the debate surrounding the issue of external versus internal management of REITs. Analysis of salient aspects of Indian real estate companies such as financing, investment, cash flows and ownership pattern suggest that potential sponsors must go through some fundamental attitudinal changes to successfully adopt the REIT model.


A variety of diseases, including Hereditary Spastic Parapalegia (HSP), are associated with defects in Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER) morphogenesis, highlighting the significance of forming and maintaining proper ER structure in the context of human health. While the overall shape and structure adopted by the ER is mainly influenced by the lipid and protein composition of its membrane, fusion plays an equally important role. Recent studies have implicated a conserved family of proteins called atlastin/Sey1 as the fusion machinery responsible for generating three-way junctions within the peripheral ER; however, the actual mechanism used by atlastin (ATL) to catalyze homotypic membrane fusion remains to be clarified. Structural and biochemical studies performed largely with the soluble domain of ATL, suggested that GTP binding facilitated membrane tethering between ATLs anchored in opposing membranes (pre-fusion), followed by GTP hydrolysis catalyzing a crossover conformational change that pulled opposing membranes together for fusion (post-fusion). Through structure-function analysis, I identified key residues that are required for stabilizing the post-fusion conformation, which assisted in elucidating the energy requirements for achieving the post-fusion conformational state of the ATL soluble domain. Using various nucleotides and analogs, I discovered that the soluble domain of ATL was capable of adopting the post-fusion dimer in the absence of GTP hydrolysis, suggesting that GTP hydrolysis may be required for another discrete step within the ATL fusion cycle, such as disassembly. However, this result appeared to be inconsistent with the requirement for GTP hydrolysis in the ATL-mediated fusion of synthetic liposomes and may perhaps be attributed to the different behaviors exhibited by the soluble domain verses membrane-anchored ATL molecules. Therefore, I extended our initial analysis of the ATL soluble domain to membrane-anchored ATL, specifically focusing on identifying the energetic and conformational requirements for ATL-mediated tethering. My investigation revealed that membrane tethering depended on GTP hydrolysis; but, unlike fusion, it did not depend on crossover.


The Romanian party system suffered significant changes in the past two decades. Initially characterized by high levels of electoral volatility and fragmentation, it has gradually reached continuity and stability. To what extent is such a pattern reflected in the ideological developments within the party system? Through a longitudinal analysis of the three main political families in Romania – the conservatives, the social-democrats, and the liberals – we reveal the degrees of ideological institutionalization within the party system.


Builders of the Vision traces the intellectual history and contemporary practices of Computer-Aided Design (CAD) and Numerical Control since the years following World War II until today. Drawing from primary archival and ethnographic sources, it identifies and documents the crucial ideas shaping digital design technologies since the first numerical control and CAD systems were developed under US Air Force research contracts at MIT between 1949 and 1970: the cybernetic theorization of design as a human-machine endeavor; the vision of computers as "perfect slaves" taking care of the drudgery of physical labor; the techno-social utopias of computers as vehicles of democracy and social change; the entrepreneurial urge towards design and construction integration; and the managerial ideologies enabling todays transnational geographies of practice. Examining the contrasting, and often conflicting, sensibilities that converge into CAD and BIM discourses - globalism, utopianism, entrepreneurialism, and architects desires for aesthetic liberation - Builders of the Vision shows that software systems and numerically controlled machines are not merely "instruments," or "tools," but rather versatile metaphors reconfiguring conceptions of design, materiality, work, and what it means to be creative. Crucially, by revealing software systems as socio-technical infrastructures that mediate the production of our built environments, author Daniel Cardoso Llach builds a strong case for the fields of architecture, media, and science and technology studies to critically engage with both the politics and the poetics of technology in design. Builders of the Vision will be essential reading for scholars and practitioners across disciplines interested in the increasingly complex socio-technical systems that go into imagining and building of our artifacts, buildings, and cities.


The concept of a critical zone (CZ) supporting terrestrial life has fostered groundbreaking interdisciplinary science addressing complex interactions among water, soil, rock, air and life near Earth's surface. Pioneering work has focused on the CZ in areas with residual soils and steady-state or erosional topography. CZ evolution in these areas is conceptualized as progressive weathering of local bedrock (e.g. in the flow-through reactor model). However, this model is not applicable to areas in which weathering profiles form in transported materials including the formerly glaciated portion of the Central Lowland of North America. We present a new conceptual model of CZ evolution in landscapes impacted by continental glaciation based on investigations at three study sites in the Intensively Managed Landscapes Critical Zone Observatory (IML-CZO) The IML-CZO is devoted to the study of CZ processes in a region characterized by thick surficial deposits resulting from multiple continental glaciations, with bedrock at depths of up to 150 m. Here the physical (glacial ice, loess, developing soil profiles) and biological (microbes, tundra, forest, prairie) components of the CZ vary significantly in time. Moreover, the spatial relationships between mineral components of the CZ record a history of glacial-interglacial cycles and landscape evolution. We present cross-sections from IML-CZO sites to provide specific examples of how environmental change is recorded by the structure of the mineral components of the CZ. We build on these examples to create an idealized model of CZ evolution through a glacial cycle that represents the IML-CZO sites and other areas of low relief that have experienced continental glaciation. In addition, we identify two main characteristics of CZ structure which should be included in a conceptual model of CZ development in the IML-CZO and similar settings: (1) mineral components have diverse origins and transport trajectories including alteration in past CZs, and, (2) variability in climate, ecosystems, and hydrology during glacial-interglacial cycles profoundly influence the CZ composition, creating a legacy retained in its structure. This legacy is important because the current physical CZ structure influences the occurrence and rates of CZ processes, as well as future CZ responses to land use and climate change.


The literature and research on domestic violence against women have received increased attention in the 1980's and 1990's, but research on wife beating/battering is still sparse. This paper reports from a research project in Nairobi that focused on the legal experiences of battered women and their perceptions of the violence. Findings reveal that the problem of battering is rampant and most battered women do not seek legal intervention. It was also found that a majority of the women remained in intimate relationships with their batterers due to economic dependence on the batterers and lack of alternatives outside the relationship.


This work reports on the first time experimental investigation of temperature field inside silicon substrates under particle-induced near-field focusing at a sub-wavelength resolution. The noncontact Raman thermometry technique employing both Raman shift and full width at half maximum (FWHM) methods is employed to investigate the temperature rise in silicon beneath silica particles. Silica particles of three diameters (400, 800 and 1210 nm), each under four laser energy fluxes of 2.5 × 10(8), 3.8 ×10(8), 6.9 ×10(8) and 8.6 ×10(8) W/m(2), are used to investigate the effects of particle size and laser energy flux. The experimental results indicate that as the particle size or the laser energy flux increases, the temperature rise inside the substrate goes higher. Maximum temperature rises of 55.8 K (based on Raman FWHM method) and 29.3K (based on Raman shift method) are observed inside the silicon under particles of 1210 nm diameter with an incident laser of 8.6 × 10(8) W/m(2). The difference is largely due to the stress inside the silicon caused by the laser heating. To explore the mechanism of heating at the sub-wavelength scale, high-fidelity simulations are conducted on the enhanced electric and temperature fields. Modeling results agree with experiment qualitatively, and discussions are provided about the reasons for their discrepancy.


An ocean state estimate constrained by most available data is explored to assess characteristics of variability in deep steric height—a mostly unobserved quantity, yet important for understanding the relation between sea level, heat content and other ocean climate parameters. Results are based on monthly‐averaged steric height anomalies, vertically integrated over the "unobserved" deep ocean (below ∼1700 m). Excluding linear trends, variability in deep steric height is typically 10–20% of that in the upper ocean, with larger values seen in extensive regions. Enhanced deep variability, at monthly to interannual time scales, occurs in areas of strong eddy energy. Deep signals are mostly thermosteric in nature, with halosteric contributions tightly correlated and generally compensating in the Atlantic and Indian oceans and adding in the Pacific. Potential inference of deep signals from knowledge of the upper ocean is hampered by poor correlations, and regressions based on upper ocean steric height fail to represent the estimated deep variability. Monthly sampling at ∼2° scales would allow for best determination of deep variability and long term trends.


Part I - The Dynamics of Mesoscale and Large-scale Flows. A. Theoretical Considerations and Numerical Experiments. Geostrophic vortices (J.C. McWilliams). Nonlinear equatorial waves (J.P.Boyd). The shallow water equations on an F plane (A.D. Kirwan Jr. and J. Liu). Nonlinear stability of ideal fluid equilibria (D.D. Holm). Dynamics of ellipitical lenses using the shallow water equations (D.D. Holm). A variational generalization of the "1.5" layer model (A.D. Kirwan Jr.). Nonlinear dynamics of inertio-gravity waves (M. Farge). Free equilibrium states and wind-driven circulation (A. Griffa). B. Laboratory and Field Experiments. Experiments on vortices and Rossby waves in eastward and westward jets (J. Sommeria, S.D. Meyers and H.L. Swinney). Experiments on planetary scale instabilities (J.E. Hart). Dynamics of fronts and eddies (P.F. Linden). Chaotic Couette-Taylor flow (A. Brandstater and H.L. Swinney). The study of fluid parcel trajectories in large scale ocean flows (A. Provenzale et al.). Directed self-interacting self-avoiding random walks (D.J. Klein and W.A. Seitz). Topographic Rossby wave solitons in the Gulf of Mexico (S. Nakamoto). A variational method for determining absolute velocities from hydrographic data (G. Peggion). Part II - Nonlinear Wave Dynamics. A. Higher Order Theories and Numerical Experiments. Recent advances in nonlinear water waves - an overview (H.C. Yuen). Breaking water waves (D.H. Peregrine). Weakly non-local solitary waves (J.P. Boyd). Nonlinear wave refraction (D.H. Peregrine). The Zakharov and modified Zakharov equations and their applications (L. Shemer and M. Stiassnie). Numerical experiments on chaos and order in the long term evolution of nonlinear waver waves (H.C. Yuen). The fractal dimension of the ocean surface (M. Stiassnie). Nonlinear internal solitary waves in straits with varying width and depth (D. Levi). B. Systems Integrable by the Inverse Scattering Transform. Nonlinear Fourier analysis (A.R. Osborne). Nonlinear wave equations solvable by the spectral transform (A. Degasperis). The relationship between the spectral theories for hte periodic Korteweg-deVries and nonlinear Schroedinger equations (E.R. Tracy et al.). Polycnoidal waves: spatially periodic generalizations of multiple solitons (J.P. Boyd and S.E. Haupt). Nonlinearity in dispersive trapped waves (P.C. Sabatier). Two-dimensional propagation of long nonlinear internal waves (S. Pierini). C. Laboratory and Field Measurements. Periodic waves in shallow water (J. Hammack, N. Scheffner and H. Segur). Some recent experimental results on the effects of long waves on short waves under wind (H.C. Yuen). WAM, A third generation wave model (L. Cavaleri). WAM Application to the Mediterranean Sea - the accuracy of the results (L. Cavaleri). Resonant interactions among ripples (J. Hammack, M. Perlin and D. Henderson).


Summer 2013 marked the publication of the English translation of the National Committee's 2003 Investigative Report on the Jeju 4.3 Tragedy ("Translated Report"). The translated version is momentous. For the Korean populace, it exposes to vast new audiences a startling and horrific "peacetime" chapter of South Korean history — the mass killing of some 30,000 Jeju residents, the torture, rape and detention of many more, the destruction of 40,000 homes and the burning of numerous villages. For English readers, in entirety, the over 700-page, 1,300-footnote Translated Report reveals fresh insights into salient facets of the Tragedy and its consequences — far beyond those recited in the earlier translated "Conclusion" section of the Report. In particular the Translated Report as a whole sheds brighter light on the extent of United States responsibility both for past individual and communal harms and for present-day social healing.Initially acting on the 4.3 National Committee's recommendations, the South Korea government began a healing process that included a concise presidential apology, government-sponsored museum and extensive public memorial and gravesite and limited financial payments to a few. But there remains a palpable sense among many that Jeju 4.3 social healing is starkly incomplete. The wounds persist. After the 2007 South Korea presidential inauguration, reconciliation efforts in some respects regressed.In recent years grassroots 4.3 justice organizing, galvanized by Jeju's emergence as a "Peace Island" and model of environmental sustainability, attracted international scrutiny and ignited a resurgence of 4.3 social healing advocacy. Jeju people, journalists, local government officials and supporters advanced those initial grassroots efforts. Scholars and community advocates also publicized 4.3 history and crafted beginning recommendations for next steps through convenings in Jeju and Hawai'i and through popular and academic publications. A renewed 4.3 Special Committee of the Jeju Self-Governing Council, which laid a foundation for truth-finding from 1993 to 2003, appears poised again to play an important role. The 2013 Translated Report integrated these forces into a 4.3 social healing movement.In light of the new English translation and an abiding sense among many that Jeju 4.3 social healing is "unfinished business," this article responds to the pressing socio-legal question, "What's next?" Its responses, and especially the recommendation for a Joint South Korea and United States Jeju 4.3 Task Force to Further Implement Recommendations and Foster Comprehensive and Enduring Social Healing Through Justice (described below), are grounded in three related ways.First, they are grounded in Professor Yamamoto's exposure (as a reviewer of the near-final draft of the Translated Report) to voluminous details and careful assessments of the researchers and analysts crafting the Report — supported by prior research of others and by extensive updated independent research and analysis, some of which was conducted in Korean by a member of the research team.Second, the responses are grounded in research on Jeju Island and continuing documentary inspection and conversations with island residents about history, current conditions and future aspirations. And third, and related, this article's responses, and especially the proposal for a Joint Task Force, are grounded in collaborations with Jeju 4.3 scholars and interactions with institutes at Jeju National University, local officials and community justice advocates.The interactions with the people and places of Jeju Island made poignantly real some of the human suffering and realpolitik forces at play. Viewed through the analytical lens of social healing through justice, they also underscored the importance of South Korean reconciliation efforts in the past decade — both salutary and unfinished — and the significance of continuing justice advocacy by the Jeju people and their supporters. And they highlighted that we in the United States know almost nothing about the Tragedy and the apparently significant role of the United States as the post-World War II peacetime military force in South Korea with control over the Korean military and national police. Most important, they illuminated potential next steps toward genuine reconciliation that could mutually benefit the Jeju people, South Korea and the United States.Indeed, joint participation by the United States, South Korea and the Jeju government and people is crucial. It is even more important now because of the construction of a naval base on Jeju (according to some, partially for United States use) in the face of visible resident and global opposition (as well as some support) and because of the call of many to uplift Jeju as an island of environmental sustainability and peace. Potential U.S. participation in further Jeju 4.3 social healing is an issue that is live, real and uncertain.What might compel the United States (as well as the South Korea government) to perceive a strong interest in social healing? And, related, if there is to be joint future participation, in what form might this mutual engagement materialize? Many possibilities emerge. All entail strategic planning, realistic assessments and careful framing in fashioning incremental steps forward. The proposal advanced in this article is a Joint South Korea and United States Jeju 4.3 Task Force to Further Implement Recommendations and Foster Comprehensive and Enduring Social Healing Through Justice. That Joint Task Force would likely serve as a crucial next step toward genuine reconciliation — helping implement unfinished recommendations, assessing the effectiveness of actions to date and recommending further concrete actions aimed at the kind of justice that fosters comprehensive, systemic and enduring social healing.This proposal for an assessment, implementation and oversight Task Force reflects the new next phase for long-standing, unfinished reconciliation initiatives. Described in depth in Section V, it also emerges from the multi-disciplinary framework of social healing through justice Professor Yamamoto has been developing for guiding and assessing practical reconciliation initiatives.


Recognizing possibly thousands of objects is a crucial capability for an autonomous agent to understand and interact with everyday environments. Practical object recognition comes in multiple forms: Is this a coffee mug (category recognition). Is this Alice's coffee mug? (instance recognition). Is the mug with the handle facing left or right? (pose recognition). We present a scalable framework, Object-Pose Tree, which efficiently organizes data into a semantically structured tree. The tree structure enables both scalable training and testing, allowing us to solve recognition over thousands of object poses in near real-time. Moreover, by simultaneously optimizing all three tasks, our approach outperforms standard nearest neighbor and 1-vs-all classifications, with large improvements on pose recognition. We evaluate the proposed technique on a dataset of 300 household objects collected using a Kinect-style 3D camera. Experiments demonstrate that our system achieves robust and efficient object category, instance, and pose recognition on challenging everyday objects.


In this paper we present a generalization of reactive obstacle avoidance algorithms for mobile robots operating among soft hazards such as off-road slopes and deformable terrain. A new hazard avoidance scheme generalizes constraint based reactive algorithms [1], [2] from hard to soft hazards. Reactive controllers operate by directly parameterizing the closedloop dynamics of the system with respect to the environment the robot is operating in. Traditionally, reactive controllers are parameterized by weighting virtual attraction and repulsion forces from goals and obstacles [3], [4]. One pitfall of such parameterizations is sensitivity of the tuning parameters to the operating environment. A reactive controller tuned in one set of conditions is not applicable in another (e.g. a different density of obstacles). The algorithm presented in this paper has two key properties which are significant i) Parameterization is environment independent. ii) It can deal with non-binary environments that contain soft hazards.


The ability to purify to homogeneity a population of hepatic progenitor cells from adult liver is critical for their characterization prior to any therapeutic application. As a step in this direction, we have used a bipotential liver cell line from 14 days postcoitum mouse embryonic liver to compile a list of cell surface markers expressed specifically by liver progenitor cells. These cells, known as bipotential mouse embryonic liver (BMEL) cells, proliferate in an undifferentiated state and are capable of differentiating into hepatocyte‐like and cholangiocyte‐like cells in vitro. Upon transplantation, BMEL cells are capable of differentiating into hepatocytes and cholangiocytes in vivo. Microarray and Gene Ontology (GO) analysis of gene expression in the 9A1 and 14B3 BMEL cell lines grown under proliferating and differentiating conditions was used to identify cell surface markers preferentially expressed in the bipotential undifferentiated state. This analysis revealed that proliferating BMEL cells express many genes involved in cell cycle regulation, whereas differentiation of BMEL cells by cell aggregation causes a switch in gene expression to functions characteristic of mature hepatocytes. In addition, microarray data and protein analysis indicated that the Notch signaling pathway could be involved in maintaining BMEL cells in an undifferentiated stem cell state. Using GO annotation, a list of cell surface markers preferentially expressed on undifferentiated BMEL cells was generated. One marker, Cd24a, is specifically expressed on progenitor oval cells in livers of diethyl 1,4‐dihydro‐2,4,6‐trimethyl‐3,5‐pyridinedicarboxylate‐treated animals. We therefore consider Cd24a expression a candidate molecule for purification of hepatic progenitor cells.


This study examines the incentives of Australian listed mineral mining companies within the stakeholder theoretical framework to disclose socially responsible information in their corporate annual report. The three dimensions of the stakeholder theory were empirically tested to explain the association of a social disclosure model comprising categories of social disclosure for environment, energy, product and services, human resources and community involvement, with nine firm-specific characteristics. The sample of 179 Australian listed mineral mining companies for the financial year ending 1994 was obtained by personal contact. The extent of social disclosure was measured by a dichotomous index against the social disclosure model. Results of multivariate tests provide evidence that Membership of the Australian Mining Industry Council (Stakeholder Power dimension), and company size (a Control Variable) which was jointly represented by three surrogates (total assets, total sales, and market capitalisation), to be the most significant vruiables associated with the social disclosure model. The presence of a social responsibility group (Strategic Posture dimension) was also significantly related to the extent of total disclosure and four categories of social disclosure (environment, product and services, human resources, and community involvement). Company age (a Control Variable) was significantly associated with energy related disclosure. Commercial production (a Control Variable) was significant to the total disclosure and two categories of social disclosure (environment, and human resources). Return on equity, and systematic risk (Economic Performance dimension) did not explain social disclosure. The research findings imply that economic performance measures derived from the financial statements of corporate annual reports do not seem to be reliable surrogates for evaluating voluntary social disclosure. To improve the extent of disclosure of socially responsible information, accounting regulators may need to consider issuing an accounting standard on corporate social responsibility disclosure.


"Ralph Orth...has been indefatigable in giving us volumes of the highest accuracy and usefulness," said American Renaissance Literary Report. Volume 3 completes the series that brings twelve of Emerson's topical notebooks and four other notebooks into print for the first time. In this final volume, Glen Martin Johnson presents four of the topical notebooks dating from the mid 1840s through the early 1870s, the end of Emerson's productive life. The notebooks include diverse material from which Emerson wrote his lectures, essays, and books.Each of the four notebooks illustrates some of the many uses Emerson made of these collections of quotations and ideas: OP Gulistan is a compendium of biographical information and anecdotes about dozens of Emerson's acquaintances; S Salvage takes stock of and preserves parts of his earlier writings; ZO was used in preparing the lectures that became "Poetry and Imagination"; and ML was employed for extensive notes on the moral law and religion, and as a resource in preparing lectures and readings during the late 1860s.The publication of these notebooks renders an invaluable service to the scholarly community and to students of American literature. Collectively, they dipict in great detail the subtle changes that occurred in Emerson's thought from the beginning until the end of his career to give a complete picture of the man and the writer. The younger Emerson, whose writing abounds with enthusiasm, became someone whose darker wisdom about inevitable limitations was expressed in essays such as "Fate" and "Illusions." The notebooks in this volume will allow us to better understand the last three decades of Emerson's career, which have remained less than fully explored.


In 1929, the first cuneiform tablet, inscribed with previously unknown signs, was found during archeological excavations at Ras Shamra (ancient Ugarit) in northern Syria. Since then a special discipline, sometimes called Ugaritology, has arisen. The impact of the Ugaritic language and of the many texts written in it has been felt in the study of Semitic languages and literatures, in the history of the ancient Near East, and especially in research devoted to the Hebrew Bible. In fact, knowledge of Ugaritic has become a standard prerequisite for the scientific study of the Old Testament. The Ugaritic texts, written in the fourteenth and thirteenth centuries B. C., represent the oldest complex of connected texts in any West Semitic language now available (1984). Their language is of critical importance for comparative Semitic linguistics and is uniquely important to the critical study of Biblical Hebrew. Ugaritic, which was spoken in a northwestern corner of the larger Canaanite linguistic area, cannot be considered a direct ancestor of Biblical Hebrew, but its conservative character can help in the reconstruction of the older stages of Hebrew phonology, word formation, and inflection. These systems were later - that is, during the period in which the biblical texts were actually written - complicated by phonological and other changes. The Ugaritic texts are remarkable, however, for more than just their antiquity and their linguistic witness. They present a remarkably vigorous and mature literature, one containing both epic cycles and shorter poems. The poetic structure of Ugaritic is noteworthy, among other reasons, for its use of the "parallelism of members" that also characterizes such ancient and archaizing poems in the Hebrew Bible as the Song of Deborah (in Judges 5), the Song of the Sea (in Exodus 15), Psalms 29, 68, and 82, and Habakkuk 3. Textual sources and their rendering. The basic source for the study of Ugaritic is a corpus of texts written in an alphabetic cuneiform script unknown before 1929; this script represents consonants fully and exactly but gives only limited and equivocal indication of vowels. Our knowledge of the Ugaritic language is supple-mented by evidence from Akkadian texts found at Ugarit and containing many Ugaritic words, especially names written in the syllabic cuneiform script. Scholars reconstructing the lost language of Ugarit draw, finally, on a wide variety of comparative linguistic data, data from texts not found at Ugarit, as well as from living languages. Evidence from Phoenician, Hebrew, Amorite, Aramaic, Arabic, Akkadian, Ethiopic, and recently also Eblaitic, can be applied to good effect. For the student, as well as for the research scholar, it is important that the various sources of Ugaritic be distinguished in modern transliteration or transcription. Since many of the texts found at Ugarit are fragmentary or physically damaged, it is well for students to be clear about what portion of a text that they are reading actually survives and what portion is a modern attempt to fill in the blanks. While the selected texts in section 8 reflect the state of preservation in detail, in the other sections of the grammar standardized forms are presented, based on all available evidence.


How does the grid scale support accurate spatial memory and navigation? This critical piece of the puzzle is currently missing from experimental work on grid cells. Previous research has demonstrated that the medial entorhinal cortex (MEC) is required for accurate spatial memory and navigation. But few studies have examined the importance of grid scale in these same processes. Here, we examine how the topographical organization of grid scale contributes to spatial memory and navigation by using behavioral pradigms combined with optogenetic manipulations. Multiple tasks were utilized; object exploration, the Barnes maze and a spatial delay non-match-to sample task in an 8-arm radial maze. We hypothesize that optogenetic photoinhibition of the smallest grid scale will reduce spatial accuracy, resulting in mice showing impairments when asked to discriminate between spatial locations at a fine spatial resolution. The results indicate that the dorsalmost MEC is crucial for spatial memory and navigation, and might be especially impotant for recognizing and relating to a novel spatial change in the evironment. We also demonstrate behavioral experimental designs that may be used in further experimentation with optogenetics.


This paper reports on recent advances on integrated hybrid InP/SOI lasers and transmitters. Based on a molecular wafer bonding technique, we develop hybrid III-V/Si lasers exhibiting new features: narrow III-V waveguide width of less than 3 μm, tapered III-V and silicon waveguides for mode transfer. These new features lead to good laser performances: a lasing threshold as low as 30mA and an output power of more than 10 mW at room temperature in continuous wave operation regime from a single facet. Continuous wave lasing up to 70°C is obtained. Moreover, hybrid III-V/Si lasers, integrating two intra-cavity ring resonators, are fabricated. Such lasers achieve a thermal tuning range of 45 nm, with a side mode suppression ratio higher than 40 dB. More recently we demonstrate a tunable transmitter, integrating a hybrid III-V/Si laser fabricated by wafer bonding and a silicon Mach-Zehnder modulator. The integrated transmitter exhibits 9 nm wavelength tunability by heating an intra-cavity ring resonator, high extinction ratio from 6 to 10 dB, and excellent bit-error-rate performance at 10 Gb/s.


The recent introduction of the European green crab Carcinus maenas and Asian shore crab Hemigrapsus sanguineus to the west and east coasts of North America, respectively, presents a unique opportunity for investigation into competitive dynamics among intertidal crabs. Juvenile C. maenas utilize rocks, shell, and other cover, and their arrival on the west coast places them in potential competition for these resources with an abundant native grapsid, H. oregonensis. Similarly, H. sanguineus use intertidal shelter on the east coast, thus placing C. maenas in possible competition with grapsids both as an invader on the west coast and as 'resident' on the east coast, having been established there for more than 150 yr. Field sampling and laboratory experiments testing competi- tion for space between C. maenas and Hemigrapsus spp. of equal carapace width were conducted on both coasts, as were videotaped feeding trials to examine and quantify agonistic interactions between species. When competing for food (a single damaged, anchored bivalve), C. maenas domi- nated over H. oregonensis, while H. sanguineus were overwhelmingly dominant over C. maenas. Within-quadrat, stratified sampling of rocks and sand revealed striking differences in habitat utiliza- tion by C. maenas living in the presence or absence of Hemigrapsus. Only ~20% of juvenile C. mae- nas occurred under rocks in areas occupied by either Hemigrapsus species, while north of the pre- sent distribution of H. sanguineus (in Maine) >97% of the C. maenas were found beneath rocks. This pattern was reflected in laboratory trials as well, where both species of Hemigrapsus consistently dominated in contests for shelter. Given the importance of intertidal cover for small crabs, such com- petitive interactions will likely affect patterns of habitat use by C. maenas on the east coast and may have important implications for the ultimate distribution and impact of this species in the north- eastern Pacific.


Traditional knowledge (TK) plays an important role in the global economy and is valuable not only to those who traditionally depend on it in their daily lives, but also to modern industry, especially the global biotechnology, pharmaceutical and agribusiness corporations. Yet the exploitation of TK by these industries does not usually lead to corresponding benefits to indigenous communities either in the form of attribution or compensation. Such misappropriations of TK are aided by the fact that the global intellectual property (IP) regime as presently structured is based entirely on the traditionally western or conventional description of knowledge, as are its conceptions of individual intellectual property ownership. In response to the fact that their calls for the reform of the global patent system have not be heeded, most developing countries, including South Africa, have resorted to the adoption of a radically different strategy in their approach to intellectual property, particularly as it concerns the protection of their TK from misappropriation. This is evident in the adoption of strategic measures in South Africa for the protection of various aspects of its TK forms from misappropriation, such as the National Recordal System (NRS) and Disclosure of Origins (DRs). This paper seeks to explore the implications of these measures in leveraging TK within the structure, content and conceptual framework of the patent system in South Africa. The focus is on TK associated with the medicinal uses of plants (TKMUP).


An examination was made of the morphological transitions induced in human erythrocytes by the elevation of cytosolic calcium, and of the biochemical mechanisms responsible. The loss of the discocyte morphology and the sequential progression of cells through the echinocyte stages 1, 2, 3 and sphereo-echinocyte was found to occur in both a calcium concentration- and a time-dependent manner. SDS-PAGE analysis of cytoskeletal proteins prepared from intact cells loaded with 150uM or 1mM calcium revealed the partial proteolytic loss of proteins 2.1, 2.2 and 4.1. The rate of proteolysis was not paralleled by that of echinocytosis, making a causative relationship unlikely. Cytoskeletal integrity did appear to influence shape reversal from the echinocyte to the discocyte morphology after removal of the calcium and ionophore A23187. The loss of 80% protein 4.1, 40% 2.1 and 30% 2.2 was associated with, although not necessarily the sole cause, of irreversible sphereo-echinocytosis. Pre-treatment of cells with wheat germ agglutinin preserved the discocyte morphology despite continued cytoskeletal proteolysis during calcium-loading. All observations were made on cells incubated either in the presence or absence of glycolytic substrates, effectively altering cell metabolic status. This influenced the rate of progression of cells through the echinocyte stages, the rate of proteolysis of cytoskeletal proteins, and the extent and kinetics of shape reversal from cells transformed to the sphereo-echinocyte morphology. The stage 1 to discocyte transition was the rate limiting step of this shape recovery. In contrast the rate of loss of the discocyte morphology was independent of cell metabolic status during exposure to calcium, as was the extent of restoration of the discocyte morphology from cells transformed to stage 1 echinocytes. An hypothesis is presented that echinocytosis is a discontinuous process with discrete steps initiated by different biochemical mechanisms varying in their dependence on metabolic energy.


Aims: To compare German and Norwegian hospital doctors on 10 different aspects of job satisfaction and general life satisfaction. Methods: The study population consisted of a representative sample of 1,448 German and 484 Norwegian hospital doctors aged 33—65 years (n = 1,932), selected from nationwide postal surveys in 2006. The questionnaires contained items on subjective life satisfaction and the validated 10-item Job Satisfaction Scale. Each item was scored on a seven-point Likert scale from 1 (very dissatisfied) to 7 (very satisfied). A mean sum score was calculated, ranging from 1 to 7. Regression analyses and generalized-linear-model-estimated means controlled for age and gender with 95% confidence intervals were used for comparison. Results: Norwegian hospital doctors had significantly higher life satisfaction (mean 5.31 vs. 5.15) and job satisfaction (mean 5.09 vs. 4.55) than their German colleagues. Item by item, doctors in Norway were significantly more content with seven aspects of their work: ``Freedom to choose your own methods of working'' (mean 5.00 vs. 4.72), ``opportunities to use your skills'' (mean 5.49 vs. 5.01), ``physical working conditions'' (mean 4.62 vs. 4.08), ``recognition you get for good achievements'' (mean 4.83 vs. 4.26), ``overall job situation'' (mean 5.57 vs. 4.64), ``work hours'' (mean 4.39 vs. 3.39), ``rate of pay'' (mean 4.70 vs. 3.70). General life satisfaction and age, but not gender, were positively associated with job satisfaction in both countries. Conclusions: Norwegian hospital doctors enjoy a higher level of life and job satisfaction than German hospital doctors. The most likely reasons for this are more acceptable work hours, salary and control over clinical work in Norway.


Formability of Tailor Welded Blank (TWB) is an important parameter which limits this kind of blanks usage. A forming criterion for tailor welded blank is presented based on the analytical model in this research. This criterion suggests Limit Strength Ratio (LSR) and Limit Thickness Ratio (LTR) for forming limit of TWB. When thickness ratio or strength ratio in tailor welded blank is greater than LTR or LSR, formability will be limited and necking will happen sooner. The influence of thickness ratio on the formability of TWB has been investigated by experimental tests and Finite Element (FE) simulations, but strength ratio has just been studied by simulation. All the simulation and experiment results indicate that by the increase of thickness ratio and strength ratio, the formability will decrease and weld line movement will increase. The obtained results of the present study indicate that fracture happens in the thinner side of TWB and near to the weld line. Moreover, fracture line is parallel to weld line and the fracture position moves farther than weld line by thickness ratio decreasing. Simulation results have a good agreement with experimental results as well.


The Brazilian Choros combines rhythmic gesture, ongoing harmonies and sequences of motives in one single melody. This technique derives from baroque music and can be compared to the suites for cello by J.S.Bach. The Portuguese colonists brought their baroque music with them to Brazil where it later merged with the rhythmic music brought in by the West African slaves. In this means the first original Brazilian music was generated. This article will argue that both musical idioms are not as separated as one may believe.


OBJECTIVE
To determine the magnitude of gynaecological emergencies and the socio demographic characteristics of patients admitted at Provincial General Hospital Kakamega (PGHK).

DESIGN
Retrospective cross-sectional study.

SETTING
Provincial General Hospital Kakamega, the referral hospital for Western Province, Kenya.

SUBJECTS
Four hundred patients admitted at the gynaecological wards during the period 1st January 2002 to 31st December 2002.

RESULTS
In this study 80% of gynaecological patients admitted at PGH Kakamega were of an emergency nature with 45% being teenagers. The mean age was 17 +/- 3 (mean +/- SD). The majority had primary level of education or below (69%), unemployed (87%) and were rural residents (71%). Patients with abortion formed about 43% of the study group while those with inflammatory disease, pelvic abscess and ectopic pregnancy formed about 24%, 10% and 8% respectively.

CONCLUSION
Most gynaecological admissions in PGH Kakamega are of acute nature, with abortion being the most common diagnosis. Hence, trained staff, equipment, supplies and drugs for management of acute gynaecological conditions should be available in hospitals in Western Kenya.


[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Within the continental United States, CPAs are fairly mobile. No matter in which state they are based, they are generally able to temporarily practice across state lines without obtaining a reciprocal license if they have 150 hours of education, passed the CPA exam, and have at least one year of experience. The only remaining U.S. jurisdictions without an individual CPA mobility law are Hawaii, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and the Northern Mariana Islands. The rules for foreign countries are different, but U.S. CPAs interested in working abroad will find six nations open and hassle-free. For U.S. CPAs, global mobility is largely determined by mutual recognition agreements (MRAs). MRAs are contracts between professional accounting organizations from countries that have signed the General Agreement on Trade in Services, a World Trade Organization treaty that took effect in 1995. To better understand why global mobility is gaining in importance and what MRAs can do for CPAs, the JofA talked to Jim Knafo, AICPA director-International Relations. From 1999 until 2012, Knafo helped negotiate existing U.S. MRAs as a volunteer member of the International Qualifications Appraisal Board (IQAB). The U.S. IQAB, whose members are appointed by the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) and the AICPA, reviews accounting qualifications in other countries, negotiates MRAs with foreign professional accounting organizations, and makes reciprocity recommendations to the AICPA, NASBA, and state boards of accountancy The following are excerpts from the conversation with Knafo: Why would U.S. CPAs explore licensure elsewhere? Knafo: Global mobility is important for two reasons. The first is that the world is becoming a much smaller place, and our clients, even small ones, are turning to international markets more and more. We need global mobility in much the same way that we need interstate mobility: to continue to serve and grow with our clients. Similarly, more companies want to do business in the U.S. What better way to break the ice with a potential new client than to start the conversation by mentioning that you have an accounting designation from their home country? Right away, that gives you an edge over the next accountant who is pursuing the client. The second reason is more personal. Global mobility gives you the opportunity to live and work abroad for a few years, broaden your professional expertise, and gain new perspectives without having to put your career progression on hold. What does an MRA do for a CPA, and which countries have MRAs with the United States? Knafo: The MRAs negotiated by the IQAB allow U.S. CPAs to access licensure in foreign countries through an accelerated route. An MRA is essentially a shortcut. It allows professionals who have already been tested and certified in their home country to move to another country with out having to start over. They don't have to meet additional education requirements or take other countries' equivalent of the U.S. Uniform CPA Exam. The MRA allows professionals to have their existing credential, and all that went into earning it, recognized. Generally, the sole requirement to obtain the foreign license is to pass a short exam on local laws, tax, and regulations. The National Association of State ] Boards of Accountancy and the AICPA currently have MRAs with professional accounting organizations, or PAOs, in Canada, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, and Hong Kong (see sidebar, "MRA Requirements for U.S. CPAs'). With an MRA, individual U.S. CPAs do not have to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, because, in essence, the U.S. CPA certification process has already been prescreened by the foreign PAO. What options do U.S. CPAs have in countries that do not have MRAs with the United States? Knafo: In some non-MRA countries, a U. …


OBJECTIVE
To estimate the extent of paediatric malignancy in an African country and to compare these findings with paediatric cancer rates in other countries.

DESIGN
A retrospective descriptive study which calculated incidence and frequency rates from the data obtained from a 6-year survey of childhood cancer in Namibia.

SETTING
Children from the general community who were referred by primary care physicians or clinics and diagnosed in peripheral district hospitals or a tertiary care institution.

PATIENTS
A total of 163 children less than 15 years of age diagnosed with any malignant neoplasm, intracranial tumour or histiocytosis between 1983 and 1988.

INTERVENTION
None.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
The minimum overall incidence of childhood cancer recorded in Namibia was lower than the rates usually reported by economically privileged countries. The rates of certain malignancies corresponded to the rates recorded in other African countries.

RESULTS
The overall incidence of childhood cancer was 55.5 per million. Tumours of the central nervous system occurred most commonly (18%), followed by renal tumours (14%), leukaemia (12%) and lymphoma (11.5%). The 5.8 per million incidence rate of retinoblastoma was similar to the rates recorded in other African countries but higher than in the UK or the USA. The incidence rates per million children for renal tumours, malignant bone tumours and soft-tissue sarcomas were 7.4, 4.8 and 5.2, respectively, which correspond with the rates in Western Europe and the USA. The incidence rate of CNS tumours was only 9.3 per million. Both leukaemia (6.5 per million) and lymphoma (6.3 per million) had rates far lower than those recorded in central Africa or developed Western countries.

CONCLUSION
The incidence pattern of childhood cancer in Namibia demonstrates features of both the patterns described as typical for Africa and those described for industrialised countries.


Over the past decade, incorporating water features into the architectural landscape has become a prevailing theme. As a result, there are hundreds of noteworthy installations wordwide on a public level that document the drama and beauty that water can bring to a landscape design. Far beyond the simple central fountain, landscape designers are bringing innovative and startling creativity to their landscapes using water as a central feature. This book presents work from some of the best designers in this area worldwide, and presents all the details behind the most interesting and dynamic water features being created. This stunning collection, which includes plans, drawings and beautiful photographs, will inspire and inform both planners and designers on the possibilities for incorporating water into landscape design.


In Return to Babel, each of ten historically significant biblical texts is interpreted by three scholars: one Latin American, one African, and one Asian. Geographic locales range from a tiny village in the Philippines to the city of Nairobi, Kenya; from Gwangju, South Korea, with its one million inhabitants, to the frontier city of Wiwili in the northern mountains of Nicaragua. The result is a collection of essays that shed new light on familiar texts and make the reader aware of the ways in which culture can shape our understanding of Scripture.


In this innovative guidebook Julie Baretz takes readers to twenty-one off-the-beaten-path locations in Israel where Bible stories are said to have happened. At each site she sets the scene by relating the historical context of the event, then follows with the biblical text itself and her own lively commentary. Captivating and complex Bible characters bring the locations to life as they face social, ethical, and spiritual dilemmas not unlike our own today. Baretz's narratives draw on history, archaeology, academic scholarship, and rabbinic literature for interpretations that enhance the meaning of the biblical events. Each story is told in the voice of Baretz as the tour guide-knowledgeable yet informal and friendly. The Bible on Location traces the chronology and narrative arc of the historical books of Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, Ezra, and Nehemiah. The book begins with the Israelites' arrival in the land of Israel (following the exodus from Egypt and the forty years of wandering) and continues over more than six hundred years, until the return of the Jewish exiles from Babylon to their homeland. Baretz's descriptions are accompanied by colorful maps and photographs that put actual and armchair visitors in the middle of the action. Each location reveals a new episode in the biblical narrative and provides inspiration and commentary that will enhance visits to the various sites.


Abstract One of the campaign promises of President Muhammadu Buhari was that he would eliminate Boko Haram six months after assumption of office. By December 2015, the Buhari-led government gave itself a pass mark for countering the terrorists. The government declared that the group had been 'technically defeated'. This declaration has led to debates in the public space as to the veracity of this claim. This article aims to critically appraise the on-going attempt to eliminate the Boko Haram threat under the Buhari administration. The author questions whether we can actually conclude that the anti-Boko Haram war has really been won. The article analytically demonstrates that Boko Haram continues to pose a threat to Nigeria and the West African sub-region, contrary to claims that it has been defeated.


The transverse spin asymmetries measured in semi-inclusive leptoproduction of hadrons, when weighted with the hadron transverse momentum $P_T$, allow for the extraction of important transverse-momentum-dependent distribution functions. In particular, the weighted Sivers asymmetries provide direct information on the Sivers function, which is a leading-twist distribution that arises from a correlation between the transverse momentum of an unpolarised quark in a transversely polarised nucleon and the spin of the nucleon. Using the high-statistics data collected by the COMPASS Collaboration in 2010 with a transversely polarised proton target, we have evaluated two types of $P_T$-weighted Sivers asymmetries, which are both proportional to the product of the firsttransverse moment of the Sivers function and of the fragmentation function. The results are compared to the standard unweighted Sivers asymmetries and used to extract the first transverse moments of the Sivers distributions for $u$ and $d$ quarks.


This report provides a detailed specification of a humanitarian relief scenario involving significant civil-military cooperation. The scenario aims to highlight some challenges and opportunities for semantic integration and knowledge processing in support of humanitarian relief efforts undertaken against a backdrop of military conflict. The scenario depicts an earthquake and associated flood event occurring in Afghanistan at the time of the US-led coalition effort to displace the former Taliban regime. The flood event occurs as a secondary phenomenon to the earthquake and precipitates a full-scale humanitarian relief effort co-opting the resources of both humanitarian and military agencies. This scenario will serve to showcase the capabilities of the AKTiveSA TDS with respect to enhanced situation awareness and improved information fusion. Such capabilities depend on the ability to exploit multiple sources of information and sophisticated query capabilities in order to expedite the dissemination of relevant information to executive agencies in a timely and appropriate fashion. The scenario narrative draws attention to some of the information requirements demanded by military and humanitarian decision makers in the context of complex emergency situations. It also serves to illustrate the critical knowledge processing capabilities of agents with respect to the assessment of disaster situations and relief effort planning. Finally, the scenario provides an indication of the requirements for visualization and interaction that should be afforded to end-user agents in order to optimise their exploitation of system capabilities. This report also provides background information about the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) of humanitarian agencies with respect to disaster relief and reviews guidelines on the nature of civil-military coordination in the context of disaster relief efforts in conflict situations.


The rapid growth in smartphone and tablet usage over the last years has led to the inevitable rise in targeting of these devices by cyber-criminals. The exponential growth of Android devices, and the buoyant and largely unregulated Android app market, produced a sharp rise in malware targeting that platform. Furthermore, malware writers have been developing detection-evasion techniques which rapidly make anti-malware technologies ineffective. It is hence advisable that security expert are provided with tools which can aid them in the analysis of existing and new Android malware. In this paper, we explore the use of topic modeling as a technique which can assist experts to analyse malware applications in order to discover their characteristic. We apply Latend Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) to mobile applications represented as opcode sequences, hence considering a topic as a discrete distribution of opcode. Our experiments on a dataset of 900 malware applications of different families show that the information provided by topic modeling may help in better understanding malware characteristics and similarities.


Slow dynamic processes, such as biomolecular folding/unfolding, macromolecular diffusion, etc., can be conveniently monitored by solution-state two-dimensional (2D) NMR spectroscopy, provided the inverse of their rate constants does not exceed the nuclear spin-lattice relaxation time constants (T1). The discovery of long-lived states (LLS) by Malcolm Levitt's group opened a new dimension for the study of slow dynamic phenomena, as magnetization stored in the form of LLS decays with the time constants TLLS, where in many cases TLLS >> T1. In this thesis, various excitation methods and applications of LLS are discussed. Broadband excitation of LLS is suitable to monitor slow processes and has been applied to study the slow ring-flip in tyrosine residues of BPTI (Bovine Pancreatic Trypsin Inhibitor), as well as to perform simultaneous measurements of diffusion coefficients in mixtures of molecules with arbitrary J-couplings and chemical shifts. The applications of LLS, initially believed to be limited to isolated spin-½ pairs, were extended to larger spin systems, including some common amino acids like Serine, Aspartic Acid, etc. LLS have been observed in Glycine residues of small peptides like Ala-Gly, as well as in mobile parts of proteins, e.g., in Gly 75 and 76 of Ubiquitin. The lifetimes TLLS are more sensitive to dipolar interactions with external spins than longitudinal and transverse relaxation time constants, T1 or T2, and therefore can provide structural information for unfolded proteins. The unfolding of Ubiquitin by addition of Urea and by varying pH was followed using LLS. The excitation of coherent superpositions across singlet and triplet states, which we call long-lived coherences (LLC's), leads to resolution enhancement in conventional NMR spectroscopy. New methods have been designed to store hyperpolarized (13C or 1H) magnetization in the form of LLS and have been demonstrated using samples of Ala-Gly and Acrylic Acid.


The volume opens with a detailed autobiographical sketch of the author's original 'meeting with Japan', which began in 1961after taking up a post at ANU, Canberra (the result of a successful response to an advert in the Manchester Guardian). After twenty-one years in Australia, Arthur Stockwin moved back to the UK to take the chair of the then recently-established Nissan Institute of Japanese Studies. He was to be in post there also for twenty one years, his retirement coinciding with publication of his Dictionary of the Modern Politics of Japan (Routledge, 2003).


A source-switched charge pump (SSCP) with reverse leakage compensation technique is proposed to reduce spur level of wideband PLL induced by the reverse sub-threshold leakage of the charge pump. This technique can set the source–drain voltage of current-source N-type MOS (NMOS)/P-type MOS to be close to zero at off-state of the charge pump and thus reduce the reverse leakage. Compared with the conventional SSCP, only one NMOS capacitor, two CMOS switches and two inverters are added in the proposed charge pump. So, there is negligible extra power and extra area cost. A 0.7–1.6 GHz PLL is designed with the conventional and the proposed charge pumps in 65 nm CMOS process. Simulation results show the proposed SSCP can reduce orders of the magnitude of the reverse leakage without the penalty of current matching, compared with the conventional charge pump. The PLL with the proposed charge pump achieves up to 28 dB spur level reduction.


A high multiplicity study (project Thermalization, experiment E-190) is carried out on U-70 accelerator at IHEP (Protvino, Russia). This project is aimed at searching for collective phenomena. It is known that pions are mainly produced at the 50 GeV-proton beam accelerator. Their mean energy decreases while multiplicity increasing. Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) can be formed in this system. The theoretical and experimental studies of BEC have been performed since 70es. Within the framework of an ideal pion gas model M. Gorenstein and V. Begun have shown that sharp growth of fluctuations of the neutral pion number will be a signal of BEC formation with the increase of the total multiplicity (neutral and charged particle sum). SVD-2 Collaboration (JINR, IHEP and SINP MSU) investigated fluctuations of the neutral pion number in pp interactions at 50 GeV/c incident beam on U-70 versus the total multiplicity and has revealed noticeable growth of the scaled variance with the total multiplicity increase. The growth of these fluctuations reaches more than 7 standard deviations for the scaled variance at the total multiplicity about 30 pions as opposed to the tendency for the simulated events. This growth has been observed both in the registered photons and restored neutral pions.


This Article outlines the limits of judicial creativity, through a critical analysis of the Supreme Court's decision in Serdyuk v. General Military Prosecutor. In that case the appellant was called up for mandatory military service after the limitation period for his conscription had expired. Chief Justice Barak opined that section 49 of the Security Service Act, as interpreted in long-standing decisions of the Court, extended the limitation period for conscription to the extent that pre-conscription proceedings had been suspended by the prospective serviceman's fault or with his implied consent. The Article raises three questions in this regard. First, the rule that may be derived from pre-Serdyuk case law is much narrower than that applied by Chief Justice Barak. The Court interpreted section 49 in Levi as extending the limitation period to the extent that the prospective serviceman disobeys a general order that summons him to register or undergo certain examinations. Later on the Court held that the same rule applies in the case of disobedience to a personal order to the same effect. It has never extended the limitation period unless a military order had been defied, nor could it have done so. Second, despite its rhetoric, the Serdyuk rule - which is completely detached from the words of the statute - cannot be deemed a legitimate statutory interpretation. The Article analyzes the main reasons against countertextual interpretation and demonstrates their materialization in different interpretive models. E.g., the Israeli purposive interpretation method stipulates that the meaning attributed to a statute must be based on its wording. Moreover, it is assumed that the purpose of the statute is manifested in the plain and ordinary meaning of its words. Although this assumption may be refuted in certain cases, a serious divergence from the plain and ordinary meaning of the words calls for a convincing explanation. The Article shows that in certain categories of cases the courts have deviated considerably from the plain meaning of the statute and loosened the connection between the text and its interpretation. It explains what makes those categories unique, and argues that Serdyuk does not fit within any of them. Third, the Serdyuk holding cannot be regarded as non-interpretive judicial rulemaking based on supreme juridical principles. Using the principle that one cannot benefit from one's own wrong to create exceptions to statutory provisions entails a conscious and defensible decision to do so. No such decision was made in Serdyuk. Even if the Court had made a conscious and defensible decision to use this principle in the context of limitation of conscription powers it would not have been able to justify an all-embracing holding that applies to cases where the prospective serviceman's fault is either trivial or absent. Finally, conscription without explicit statutory authority is inconsistent with the provisions of Basic Law: Human Dignity and Liberty, and Basic Law: The Army.


Executive Summary In light of the science and evidence on hazards and climate risk, and the scale and breadth of large-scale disasters witnessed around the world, it is time for states and other actors to begin developing national and local frameworks on planned relocation. While planned relocations have had a poor record in terms of their socioeconomic effects, it is precisely for these reasons that proactive action is necessary. Planned relocation has the potential to save lives and assets, and consequently to safeguard or augment the human security of populations living in areas at high risk for disasters and the effects of climate change. Among the challenges hampering better outcomes for people, however, are the lack of national and local frameworks, community-driven decision making, and sufficient lead times to plan and implement appropriate interventions that promote human security. Relocation of populations is referenced in global frameworks on disaster risk reduction (DRR) and climate change adaptation (CCA) because it is a tool that will become increasingly important as a preventive and responsive measure to reduce the risks of disasters and displacement. This article recommends that national and local DRR and CCA strategies and development plans begin to incorporate planned relocation among the options under consideration to protect people and their human security. It argues that planning for relocations is an expression of a government's responsibility to protect the human security of its people.


Background Unloading knee braces can provide good short-term pain relief for some patients with unicompartmental osteoarthritis (UOA). Their cost is relatively small compared with surgical interventions. However, no previous studies have reported their use over a duration of 5 years or more. Methods Up to 8 years of prospective data were collected from 63 patients who presented with UOA. After conservative management with analgesia and physiotherapy, patients were offered an unloading brace. EQ-5D (EuroQol five dimensions) questionnaires were collected at baseline and after wearing the brace. Cost and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) were compared with a total knee replacement (TKR) with an 8-month waiting duration and 8 years of results. Results Patients experienced a mean increase in EQ-5D of 0.42 with an average duration of wear of 26.1 months resulting in an increase of 0.44 in QALYs with a mean cost of £625. The adoption of an unloader knee brace was found to be a short-term cost-effective treatment option with an 8-month incremental cost effectiveness ratio of £9599. Compared with no treatment, the unloader knee brace can be considered cost effective at 4 months or more. At 8 years follow-up, the unloader knee brace demonstrated QALYs gain of 0.43 and with an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of -£6467 compared with TKR. Conclusion Unloading knee braces are cost effective for the management of UOA. These findings strongly support the undertaking of further research into the long-term impact of unloading knee brace. The unloader knee brace has benefits to the National Health Service for capacity, budget, waiting list duration, frequency of surgery and reducing the required severity of surgical intervention.


Responding to Thrupp's [2003. "The School Leadership Literature in Managerialist Times: Exploring the Problem of Textual Apologism." School Leadership & Management: Formerly School Organisation 23 (2): 169] call for writers on school leadership to offer 'analyses which provide more critical messages about social inequality and neoliberal and managerialist policies' we use Foucault's [2000. "The Subject and Power." In Michel Foucault: Power, edited by J. D. Faubion, 326–348. London: Penguin Books] theory of power to ask what lessons we might learn from the literature on school leadership for equity. We begin by offering a definition of neoliberalism; new managerialism; leadership and equity, with the aim of revealing the relationship between the macropolitical discourse of neoliberalism and the actions of school leaders in the micropolitical arena of schools. In so doing, we examine some of the literature on school leadership for equity that post-dates Thrupp's [2003. "The School Leadership Literature in Managerialist Times: Exploring the Problem of Textual Apologism." School Leadership & Management: Formerly School Organisation 23 (2): 149–172] analysis, seeking evidence of critical engagement with/resistance to neoliberal policy. We identify three approaches to leadership for equity that have been used to enhance equity in schools internationally: (i) critical reflection; (ii) the cultivation of a 'common vision' of equity and (iii) 'transforming dialogue'. We consider if such initiatives avoid the hegemonic trap of neoliberalism, which captures and disarms would be opponents of new managerial policy. We conclude by arguing that, in spite of the dominance of neoliberalism, head teachers have the power to speak up, and speak out, against social injustice.


textabstractThis research note explores the current challenges and potential of
Bollywood tourism to Japan. In doing so, it also assesses Bollywood tourism
within the context of contents tourism and brings a non-western perspective to the
study of film tourism research by shifting focus to Asia as a fertile area for
studying Bollywood tourism. As past research has revealed, Bollywood is
significant in the global cinematic context. However, studies concerning popular
Hindi cinema's role in influencing travel decisions, and consequently tourism
flows, are still very fragmented, and they have not yet been undertaken from a
contents tourism perspective. Theoretical connections between Bollywood
tourism and contents tourism are discussed, with particular reference to
Bollywood tourism to Japan and the unique song-narrative format of Bollywood
cinema. Finally, the research note reflects on the current challenges facing
Bollywood tourism to Japan and potential future directions.


The European Space Agency project for studies of cloud properties in the Climate Change Initiative programme (ESA-CLOUD-CCI) aims at compiling the longest possible time series of cloud products from one single multispectral sensor—The five-channel Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) instrument. A particular aspect here is to include corresponding products based on other existing (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), Advanced Along-Track Scanning Radiometer (AATSR), MEdium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS), Visible and Infrared Radiometer Suite (VIIRS)) and future Sea and Land Surface Temperature Radiometer (SLSTR) sensors measuring in similar (AVHRR-heritage) spectral channels. Initial inter-comparisons of the involved AVHRR-heritage channel radiances over a short demonstration period (2007–2009) were performed. Using Aqua-MODIS as reference, AVHRR (NOAA-18), AATSR, and MERIS channel radiances were evaluated using the simultaneous nadir (SNO) approach. Results show generally agreeing radiances within approximately 3% for channels at 0.6 µm and 0.8 µm. Larger deviations (+5%) were found for the corresponding AATSR channel at 0.6 µm. Excessive deviations but with opposite sign were also indicated for AATSR 1.6 µm and MERIS 0.8 µm radiances. Observed differences may largely be attributed to residual temporal and spatial matching differences while excessive AATSR and MERIS deviations are likely partly attributed to incomplete compensation for spectrally varying surface and atmospheric conditions. However, very good agreement was found for all infrared channels among all the studied sensors. Here, deviations were generally less than 0.2% for the measured brightness temperatures with the exception of some remaining non-linear deviations at extreme low and high temperatures.


"Asta's Book" is a classic double-detective story by crime master Barbara Vine. For a good, absorbing, well-told story, you could hardly better the unveiling of Asta's secret' "Sunday Times". It is 1905. Asta and her husband Rasmus have come to East London from Denmark with their two little boys. With Rasmus constantly away on business, Asta keeps loneliness and isolation at bay by writing a diary. These diaries, published over seventy years later, reveal themselves to be more than a mere journal. For they seem to hold the key to an unsolved murder and to the mystery of a missing child. It falls to Asta's granddaughter Ann to unearth the buried secrets of nearly a century before. "A dazzling domestic thriller". ("Guardian"). "Obsessively readable". ("Sunday Telegraph"). "Engrossing ...a mixture of biography, true crime and romance people with vivid minor players and red with herrings". ("Independent on Sunday"). "Absolutely enthralling ...the best yet from the Vine/Rendell bureau. Essential reading". ("Literary Review"). "Simply put, Vine is one of the greatest writers ever". (Scott Turow). "Asta's Book" is a modern crime masterpiece and will be enjoyed by readers of P.D. James, Ian Rankin and Scott Turow. Barbara Vine is the pen-name of Ruth Rendell. She has written fifteen novels using this pseudonym, including "A Fatal Inversion" and "King Solomon's Carpet" which both won the Crime Writers' Association Gold Dagger Award. Her other books include: "A Dark Adapted Eye"; "The House of Stairs"; "Gallowglass"; "Asta's Book"; "No Night Is Too Long"; "In the Time of His Prosperity"; "The Brimstone Wedding"; "The Chimney Sweeper's Boy"; "Grasshopper"; "The Blood Doctor"; "The Minotaur"; "The Birthday Present" and "The Child's Child".


While life insurance purchase decisions have long been studied, we still do not know how people decide if they need insurance or how much they need. Using in-depth interviews, we peer into the black box of employee decision-making to learn what people know about this employee-benefit, and how they decide if it is of value to them. We find that individuals understand the need for life insurance but find many behavioral economic barriers to getting adequate coverage, including mental accounting, money illusion, and the strong role of defaults. We then conduct an online experiment of the hypothetical employee-benefit purchase scenario and find a few, simple interventions could help individuals better decide their life insurance needs.


In Seoul, South Korea, particulate matters (PMs) significantly decreased for the period 2005–2015 in concert with the implementation of air pollution reduction policies. This study reveals that PM with a diameter smaller than 2.5 μm (PM2.5) has a slower decreasing tendency than PM in the 2.5–10-μm range (PM2.5-10) during summer and that this discrepancy is attributable to the large increase in the summer surface air temperature for the analysis period (0.13°C year–1). During the daytime, especially in the afternoon when the hourly surface air temperature and its increasing rate are high, the difference between the decreasing rates of PM2.5 and PM2.5-10 is pronounced. The slower decrease in PM2.5 compared to PM2.5-10 likely results from the secondary PM2.5 formation being accelerated by the increase in the surface air temperature. Other atmospheric variables that can affect concentrations of PMs, such as insolation, relative humidity, precipitation, wind speed, and sea-level pressure, do not show a meaningful relationship with the discrepancy in the decreasing tendency between the two PMs. Our finding emphasizes the necessity of continuous monitoring and analysis of long-term variability in concentrations of PMs and related meteorological conditions, and the independent establishment of reduction policies for PM2.5 and PM2.5-10 to prepare for anthropogenic climate change and the subsequent air quality change.


Dissemination of handheld systems, binary technologies and branch of communication suppliers and organization structure greatly assists on modes of medium and activities among members everywhere the globe. This Revolution in modes of medium could provide a good chance for those that use supportive systems because of some sorts of incapacity, but it had become a binary severe barrier at an equivalent space-time. Supportive systems provides individuals with dysfunctions is a action gadget to boost their involvement, incorporation, and self-rule, in particular for individuals with dysfunctions that involve additional senses, such as deaf-dumb, that is that the combination of dumb and deaf. Sign Language has become a medium of communication with dumb persons. Gesture dialect are employed by dysfunctions individuals to speak among them however those Gesture dialect vary from country to country as yank signing, Britain signing, Chinese signing etc. The proposed system has supported Indian gesture languages. The challenge here involves many cases: (i) initial case could be a handicapped person sometimes doesn't speak so as a deaf man to listen to him/her; (ii) second case is once a deaf man speaks another deaf person cannot hear; (iii)third case is once a dumb person makes signing a deaf man cannot understand them. Thus, this paper presents a study on multi-modal interfaces, problems and issues for establishing communication and interaction between dumb and deaf persons through sign languages and hand gestures using IOT. Keywords—IOT, Telecommunication, Assistive, Hand Gesture


Abstract:
 Tourism is a common component of management practices directed toward endangered species and habitats, but few studies have explored the potential stressors that may occur to nonhumans as objects of tourism. We examined the impact that tourists have on provisioned, habituated Tibetan macaques (Macaca thibetana). Data were collected during August 2005 at the Valley of the Wild Monkeys (VWM), Mt. Huangshan, China. From a tourist viewing platform, we measured tourist densities, behaviors (for example, foot, hand, and mouth noises; mimicking monkeys; throwing objects or food), and decibel levels. Frequencies of monkey threats in the provisioning area of their range were recorded. The tourists' collective behaviors correlated with monkey threats (Pearson's correlations; r=0.391, p=0.014), as did decibel levels on the viewing platform (r=0.334, p=0.038). No relationship between tourist density and monkey threats, or between particular tourist behaviors and monkey threats, was significant. Based on these results, we recommend park staff be trained on how to discourage noise often associated with tourists and regulate prohibited tourist behaviors, such as feeding the monkeys. Enforcement of park rules will decrease chances that tourist-monkey interactions at VWM will escalate into situations where injuries occur, as has happened at some other macaque tourism sites. Finally, we suggest the development of tourist education materials.


Abstract. Water management substantially alters natural regimes of
streamflow through modifying retention time and water exchanges among
different components of the terrestrial water cycle. Accurate simulation of
water cycling in intensively managed watersheds, such as the Yakima River basin (YRB) in the Pacific Northwest of the US, faces challenges in
reliably characterizing influences of management practices (e.g., reservoir
operation and cropland irrigation) on the watershed hydrology. Using the Soil
and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model, we evaluated streamflow simulations
in the YRB based on different reservoir operation and irrigation schemes.
Simulated streamflow with the reservoir operation scheme optimized by the
RiverWare model better reproduced measured streamflow than the simulation
using the default SWAT reservoir operation scheme. Scenarios with irrigation
practices demonstrated higher water losses through evapotranspiration (ET)
and matched benchmark data better than the scenario that only considered
reservoir operations. Results of this study highlight the importance of
reliably representing reservoir operations and irrigation management for
credible modeling of watershed hydrology. The methods and findings presented
here hold promise to
enhance water resources assessment that can be applied to other intensively managed watersheds.