A majority of the human tumor-associated Ags characterized to date are derived from nonmutated "self"-proteins. Little is currently understood about the nature of the self-reactive lymphocytes that recognize these Ags. We recently characterized two nonmutated tumor-associated Ags for the B16 murine melanoma: tyrosinase-related protein-2 (TRP-2) and the endogenous retroviral envelope protein, p15E. We previously reported that both TRP-2 and p15E reactive CTL could be detected in the spleens of naive animals after a single in vitro stimulation using 10(-5)-10(-6) M of the appropriate Kb-binding 9-amino acid epitope. In this report we show that the CTL found in naive animals are low avidity lymphocytes, that respond only to high concentrations of peptide in vitro. We demonstrate that titration of in vitro-stimulating peptide to limiting concentrations distinguishes qualitative differences in the lymphocyte reactivity to these two Ags between vaccinated and unvaccinated animals. We further demonstrate that in vitro expansion of CTL in either high or low concentrations of stimulating peptide generated CTL cultures with different avidities for the relevant epitopes. CTL expanded in low concentrations demonstrated higher avidity for peptide-pulsed targets and better tumor recognition, when compared to CTL generated in the presence of high concentrations of Ag. More importantly, high avidity CTL demonstrated superior in vivo antitumor activity. These results demonstrate that qualitative differences in the CTL that recognize these two self-Ags are critically important to their in vitro and in vivo anti-tumor efficacy.


1. The values for kallikrein, amylase and protein were determined in samples of saliva obtained from 220 girls aged 14--18 years. 2. The concentrations of protein and amylase and kallikrein activities (per ml of saliva) were considerably more variable in samples taken in the morning than those in the afternnon. 3. The median amylase activity was about two and a half times greater in the morning than that in the afternoon. No such differences were seen in the median values for protein or kallikrein. 4. Examination of the vlues for salivary kallikrein during the menstrual cycle showed that there was significantly greater activity during days 29--32 and 1--4 than during the rest of the cycle. This pattern was most marked in the morning values of kallikrein but not apparent either in the morning or in the afternoon values of protein or amylase.


The aim of this study is to reach a philosophical understanding of the concept of morality. The contemporary literature is dominated by a series of contrasts; 'individual' morality and 'social' morality, a morality of 'sensibility' and 'insight' and one of 'rules' and 'principles' , 'formal' as against 'material' characterisations. In reviewing it the suggestion arises that this dualism is systematic and depends upon some more fundamental feature of the concept. A point of general agreement is that there is an intimate relationship between. morality and the world of human actions and activities. This world makes two major intellectual demands on us. There is the need to decide how to act in particular Situations, and there is the need to see one's actions as invested with a larger significance, as elements in a meaningful pattern. Morality is a response to both demands. Thus, it consists of a dimension of assessment of action, a sphere of practical judgement, and of a way of interpreting its significance, a mode of vision. These aspects may be distinguished by speaking of 'moral assessment' on the one hand and of 'moral understanding' on the other.

Moral understanding may be characterised in terms of the kind of significance it offers and the kind of reasons it can recognise. A striking feature of the distinction between moral and non-moral forms of 'understanding is its tendency to cut across conventional categories. This can be illustrated in the case of religious belief and of what may, loosely and provisionally, be called 'humanism'. But it is also possible to find familiar modes of thought l"1hichbelong wholly and unequivocally to each side.

When the lesser contrasts are examined in the light of the understanding-assessment distinction it is found that the claims made for the fundamental significance of that between the 'individual' and the 'social' cannot be sustained. Only the 'individual' half can comprise both understanding and assessment and so qualify as a wholly adequate conception of morality. There are some residual problems here which involve the issue of 'form 'versus' content'. This controversy dissolves, in its turn, once it is recognised that while moral understanding is contentless, moral assessmentt is necessarily tied to certain material considerations.
The stress on the contrast between 'sensibility' and 'rules' may be interpreted as an oblique way of drawing attention to that between understanding and assessment, and, more specifically, of warning against the danger of identifying morality with practical reason. The element of truth in this is safeguarded by assigning talk of 'sensibility' to understanding and of 'rules' t~ assessment. A general conclusion that emerges from the discussion of these antitheses concerns the need for moral philosophy to work with an adequate conception of what it is to be human, a philosophical theory of man.

The final task is to draw together the elements of the fundamental distinction, and so exhibit the unity of the concept of morality. It is best pursued through a discussion of some problems connected with education. There is an important tendency in the philosophical literature which may be interpreted as a recognition of the conceptual link between education and moral understanding. Moreover the concept of education provides a bridge between the category provisionally known as 'humanism' and a reconstructed one from which the non-moral elements have been excluded. What remains are moral understanding and moral assessment. The essential link between them is that they constitute a coherent and systematic approach to a particular area of experience. Using a terminology that needs careful explication, morality may be characterised as the response of humanism to the demands of the practical world.


[1] In 1982 and 1991, two major volcanic eruptions loaded the stratosphere with long-lived sulfate aerosols, altering the global climate by redistributing longwave and shortwave radiation at the surface and throughout the atmosphere, cooling the surface and subsurface waters of the tropical oceans. Theory and observations demonstrate, through direct and indirect mechanisms, a causal relationship between tropical North Atlantic sea surface temperatures and seasonal Atlantic hurricane frequency, duration, and intensity. Therefore, it is plausible that hurricane activity in the seasons immediately following these eruptions is diminished. However, to date, such a theory remains untested. Here I use observations, reanalysis data, and output from a numerical model to suggest that the number, duration, and intensity of hurricanes in the years following the eruptions of El Chichon (1982) and Mount Pinatubo (1991) decreased via the aerosol direct effect. Determining the effects of each eruption on seasonal cyclone activity is complicated by simultaneous positive ENSO events; thus further study of the relationship between Atlantic tropical cyclones and major volcanic eruptions is warranted.


A new simple arbitrary power law device implemented from integrators along with the sample-and-hold technique is presented. The number of the integrators indicates the index of the power law. Part of the integrators determine an appropriate time interval to be used to control the sample-and-hold circuit to extract the correct output. To test the validity and value of the proposed method, numerous power law functions have been experimented. The experimental results show very close agreement with the theoretical analysis. In addition, the measurement output, possibly as large as a few volts, is obtained with extreme precision.


The decision making process in the agribusiness is the choice of the one option out of several alternative courses that is most suited to its interests. The aim of this article is to identify the structure and the relation patterns between the most important non-financial performance indicators among rural organizations from the State of ParaAba. To carry out this research, 21 rural enterprises and 18 performance indicators were analyzed. The data was collected using a questionnaire. Two complementary multivariate methodologies were used: cluster analysis and multidimensional scaling. Three distinct groups were found through the cluster analysis. The two most significant ones were composed by market share and production capacity and by the number of complaints and the fidelity of the clients. These results were corroborated by the multidimensional scaling and demonstrate that the relation patterns observed characterize operations scales and market dimensions.


We study the variational convergence of a family of twodimensional Ginzburg-Landau functionals arising in the study of superfluidity or thin-film superconductivity as the Ginzburg-Landau parameter ε tends to 0. In this regime and for large enough applied rotations (for superfluids) or magnetic fields (for superconductors), the minimizers acquire quantized point singularities (vortices). We focus on situations in which an unbounded number of vortices accumulate along a prescribed Jordan curve or a simple arc in the domain. This is known to occur in a circular annulus under uniform rotation, or in a simply connected domain with an appropriately chosen rotational vector field. We prove that if suitably normalized, the energy functionals 0-converge to a classical energy from potential theory. Applied to global minimizers, our results describe the limiting distribution of vortices along the curve in terms of Green equilibrium measures.


This paper explores the use of boundary concepts in the system dynamics modeling process. It draws on the author's experience in teaching system dynamics as well as recent work on boundary objects in system dynamics and studies of best practices in SD modeling. The paper examines the iterative process of model development through the lens of boundary development. Boundaries regarding time, stocks, rates and other variables are considered. Boundary concepts are organized into a taxonomy with types and subtypes. The implications associated with each subtype are specified. An approach to boundary concept utilization, in the iterative model development process, is recommended. Recommendations for extending these efforts are an essential component of this paper.


Fuzzy relational inference (FRI) systems form an important part of approximate reasoning schemes using fuzzy sets. The compositional rule of inference (CRI), which was introduced by Zadeh, has attracted the most attention so far. In this paper, we show that the FRI scheme that is based on the Bandler-Kohout (BK) subproduct, along with a suitable realization of the fuzzy rules, possesses all the important properties that are cited in favor of using CRI, viz., equivalent and reasonable conditions for their solvability, their interpolative properties, and the preservation of the indistinguishability that may be inherent in the input fuzzy sets. Moreover, we show that under certain conditions, the equivalence of first-infer-then-aggregate (FITA) and first-aggregate-then-infer (FATI) inference strategies can be shown for the BK subproduct, much like in the case of CRI. Finally, by addressing the computational complexity that may exist in the BK subproduct, we suggest a hierarchical inferencing scheme. Thus, this paper shows that the BK-subproduct-based FRI is as effective and efficient as the CRI itself.


Introduction: Manual handling tasks are considered to be the main causes of occupational back pains. Therefore, the assessment of manual handling tasks for the prevention of work musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) sounds necessary. The aim of this study was to assess the manual handling tasks using the key item method (Kim) and determine its relationship with the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders using CMDQ tool in the workplace of the central workshop in Abadan oil refinery. Materials & Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive-analytical study was performed on 103 employees of Abadan's central workshop, using the simple sampling. Data were collected using KIM and CMDQ questionnaires and analyzed using Pearson and multiple linear regression tests in SPSS version 20. Findings: Based on the results of the assessment by KIM method, 48 subjects were in the risk level 1, 36 subjects in the risk level 2 and 19 subjects in the risk level 4. Also, based on the score of CMDQ questionnaire, 95 people were with very minor and negligible disorders, 4 cases with minor disorders, 1 person with very low disorders, 1 person with low disorders, one with medium disorders, and one with high disorders. In addition, the results of statistical tests showed a significant relationship between scores of KIM and WMSDs (P = 0.002). However, there were no significant relationship between these two variables and demographic characteristics of individuals. Discussion & Conclusions: Our investigation demonstrated that manual handling tasks and other tasks related to it have a direct relationship with the incidence of WMSDs; so that, the increase in the workload and nature of the manual handling tasks will enhance the severity of WMSDs. In order to reduce the severity of such disorders, corrective measures such as training programs, posture modifications, and job designs seem necessary.


This essay considers court challenges to laws disfranchising for criminal conviction initiated by three African American men in the early twentieth century. Cornelius "Canary" Curtis was disfranchised in Knoxville, Tennessee, for a 1907 larceny conviction. In 1914 Curtis petitioned for the restoration of his rights of citizenship and was denied twice by the local courts. He brought his case to the Tennessee Court of Civil Appeals, which ruled in his favor. The second incident in this essay involves the 1916 presidential election in St. Louis, Missouri. Democratic party operatives in the city coordinated efforts to target African American voters that year – many of whom had recently migrated to Missouri from southern states – with stepped-up and arguably fraudulent enforcement of laws disfranchising for crime. After the election, two voters, Henry Lucas and John Sullivan, who were among those wrongfully disfranchised by false accusations of prior criminal convictions, initiated civil suits against Democratic party leaders. These cases represent some of the first court challenges by African Americans – or indeed any individuals disfranchised for crime – to the enforcement of laws disfranchising for crime. The efforts of these three men were connected to and inform our understanding of the Black Freedom Movement and the struggle for African American civil rights.


This Article argues that the U.S. Supreme Court's takings jurisprudence fails to account for instances when public entities restrict private airspace solely to keep it open for their own use. Many landowners rely on open space above adjacent land to preserve scenic views for their properties, to provide sunlight access for their rooftop solar panels, or to serve other uses that require no physical invasion of the neighboring space. Private citizens typically must purchase easements or covenants to prevent their neighbors from erecting trees or buildings that would interfere with these non-physical airspace uses. In contrast, public entities can often secure their non-physical uses of neighboring airspace without having to compensate neighbors by simply imposing height restrictions or other regulations on the space. The Supreme Court's existing regulatory takings rules, which focus heavily on whether a challenged government action involves physical invasion of the claimant's property or destroys all economically beneficial use of the property, fail to protect private landowners against these uncompensated takings of negative airspace easements. In recent years, regulations aimed at keeping private airspace open for specific government uses have threatened wind energy developments throughout the country and have even halted major construction projects near the Las Vegas Strip. This Article highlights several situations in which governments can impose height restrictions or other regulations as a way to effectively take negative airspace easements for their own benefit. The Article describes why current regulatory takings rules fail to adequately protect citizens against these situations and advocates a new rule capable of filling this gap in takings law. The new rule would clarify the Supreme Court's takings jurisprudence as it relates to airspace and would promote more fair and efficient allocations of airspace rights between governments and private citizens.


Since independence, African states have been striving for economic development, but relatively few countries have achieved their goal. Between 1970 and 2016, real GDP per capita in sub-Saharan Africa grew by an annual average of just 0.48%. However, there was a wide range of economic performance across different countries, as well as clear variation in growth rates over time. Countries such as the Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, and Madagascar had, on average, a negative growth rate in terms of real GDP per capita. Meanwhile, countries such as Botswana, Lesotho, Mauritius, Seychelles, and Swaziland had positive average annual growth rates of at least 3%. The differences in economic growth rates reflect the diversity of economic structures, governance, and political stability across African states. Although deeper economic integration among African countries may work to reduce the large disparities in economic development, any projections must nonetheless recognize that countries will differ in their economic trajectories.
 Variation over time is also important. The dominant patterns of economic development in sub-Saharan Africa in the 1980s and 1990s on the one hand, and the 1970s and past the 1990s on the other, were quite different, reflecting a long business cycle. If we look solely at economic growth statistics, the 1980s and 1990s can be described as lost decades. On average, real GDP per capita on the continent declined annually by 1.54% and 0.62% in the 1980s and 1990s, respectively. By contrast, between 2000 and 2016, real GDP per capita increased by an annual average of 2.13%.
 One important debate has focused on whether these shifts are primarily the result of domestic or international factors. Structural adjustment programs (SAPs) imposed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank have been blamed for the decline in the economic fortunes of African countries in the 1980s. At the same time, they are praised for pulling many countries out of unsustainable macroeconomic policies. Moreover, a balanced overview of Africa's development trajectory must conclude that even without major policy shifts such as those brought forth by the SAPs, many countries would still have remained highly dependent on one or just a few commodities, and would therefore have continued to experience wild swings in their business cycles in the absence of international intervention.
 The lack of economic diversification of many economies on the continent means that the future is hard to predict. However, the prerequisites for a prosperous Africa are not a mystery—they include good governance, economic diversity, and genuine economic integration.


This cumulative dissertation discusses - by the example of four subsequent publications - the various layers of a tangible interaction framework, which has been developed in conjunction with an electronic musical instrument with a tabletop tangible user interface. Based on the experiences that have been collected during the design and implementation of that particular musical application, this research mainly concentrates on the definition of a general-purpose abstraction model for the encapsulation of physical interface components that are commonly employed in the context of an interactive surface environment. Along with a detailed description of the underlying abstraction model, this dissertation also describes an actual implementation in the form of a detailed protocol syntax, which constitutes the common element of a distributed architecture for the construction of surface-based tangible user interfaces. The initial implementation of the presented abstraction model within an actual application toolkit is comprised of the TUIO protocol and the related computer-vision based object and multi-touch tracking software reacTIVision, along with its principal application within the Reactable synthesizer. The dissertation concludes with an evaluation and extension of the initial TUIO model, by presenting TUIO2 - a next generation abstraction model designed for a more comprehensive range of tangible interaction platforms and related application scenarios.


A person-centered model of healthcare is considered the gold standard of care; however, athletic training continues to operate within a biomedical model of care. More research is needed to understand how to best incorporate person-centered care into the culture of care within athletic training. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a four-part learning module on athletic training students' understanding, use and perceived use of person-centered care in athletic training. The learning module was incorporated into an existing course on psychosocial aspects of healthcare. Ten students (9 female, 1 male) participated in the study. Study measures included a clinical evaluation observation measuring participants' use of person-centered care in a clinical setting and a pre-post survey measuring participants' perceived use of person-centered care in a clinical setting. Results of the paired t-tests on the clinical evaluation observation and pre-post survey items demonstrated a significant improvement in participants' perceived use of PCC in their clinical practice. Findings indicate that actively incorporating person-centered care into the curriculum of athletic training education can have a significant positive impact on students' use and perceived use of person-centered care in their clinical practice. More research is needed to explore other educational methods for incorporating person-centered care across the athletic training educational curriculum as well as the impact of a person-centered culture of care on patients and clinical outcomes in athletic training settings.


AI planning engines require detailed specifications
of dynamic knowledge of the domain in which they are to operate, before they can function. Further, they require domain-specific heuristics before they can function efficiently. The problem of formulating domain models containing dynamic knowledge regarding actions is a barrier to the widespread uptake of AI planning, because of the difficulty in acquiring and maintaining them. Here we postulate a method which inputs a $partial$ domain model (one without knowledge of domain actions) and training solution sequences to planning tasks, and outputs the full domain model, including heuristics that can be used to make plan generation more efficient.
To do this we extend GIPO's so that it can induce representations of actions from training sequences without intermediate state information and without requiring large numbers of examples. This method shows the potential for considerably reducing the burden of knowledge engineering, in that it would be possible to embed the method into an autonomous program (agent) which is required to do planning. We illustrate the algorithm as part of an overall method to acquire a planning domain model, and detail results that show the efficacy of the induced model.


Nematic, or liquid‐crystalline, polymer nanocomposites (NPNCs) are composed of large aspect ratio, rod‐like or platelet, rigid macromolecules in a matrix or solvent, which itself may be aqueous or polymeric. NPNCs are engineered for high‐performance material applications, ranging across mechanical, electrical, piezoelectric, thermal, and barrier properties. The rods or platelets possess enormous property contrasts relative to the solvent, yet the composite properties are strongly affected by the orientational distribution of the nanophase. Nematic polymer film processing flows are shear‐dominated, for which orientational distributions are well known to be highly sensitive to shear rate and volume fraction of the nematogens, with unsteady response being the most expected outcome at typical low shear rates and volume fractions. The focus of this article is a determination of the ranges of anisotropy and dynamic fluctuations in effective properties arising from orientational probability distribution functions generated by steady shear of NPNC monodomains. We combine numerical databases for sheared monodomain distributions[1,2] of thin rod or platelet dispersions together with homogenization theory for low‐volume‐fraction spheroidal inclusions[3] to calculate effective conductivity tensors of steady and oscillatory sheared mesophases. We then extract maximum scalar conductivity enhancement and anisotropy for each type of sheared monodomain (flow‐aligned, tumbling, kayaking, and chaotic).


My Ph.D. has been composed of work involving the use of far–IR and submm observations of AGN. During this time it has focused on the interplay between AGN and their host galaxies and cluster environments. Understanding the role of AGN, and how they affect the evolution of both their host galaxies and surrounding environments, is a pressing concern in cosmological models of the universe, affecting as they do the chemical makeup, star formation rate, and morphology of their host galaxies. In Chapter 2, we focus on attempting to determine whether there is an inherent physical difference between Broad Absorption Line Quasars and non–BAL QSOs using Herschel observations taken at 250, 350 and 500μm as part of the H–ATLAS (Eales et al. 2010) survey. BAL QSOs have been considered the most visible form of AGN feedback, and therefore are a prime starting point for understanding how galaxy evolution may be affected by the presence of an AGN. By using matched samples of 50 BAL and 329 non–BAL QSOs, we create weighted stacks at each wavelength, finding similar far–IR flux–densities for each sample within the errors. By SED modelling using a simple modified black body (Hildebrand 1983) fit to Mrk 231 and IZw1, we derive likely upper and lower limits for the BAL and non–BAL QSOs in each wavelength, again finding they are consistent within the errors. A bevy of statistical tests run on either population similarly finds no evidence to reject the null hypothesis they are drawn from the same parent population. These results would imply that HiBAL QSOs can be unified with ordinary QSOs within a simple orientation dependent scheme. We cannot make the same distinction for LoBALs or FeLoBALs, which the literature suggests may well be a separate evolutionary phase. In Chapter 3, we determine whether the presence of an AGN correlates to an overdensity of star–forming galaxies in the FIR, as has been found at shorter wavelengths (Falder et al. 2010). For the SHAGs study, 171 AGN were observed and selected at z∼ 1. By using observations at 250 μm, we are able to trace close to the peak of the grey–body SED created by reprocessing by dust of radiation from young O and B stars. Following data reduction, we determine number counts and correct for completeness within a 1Mpc radius of the central AGN. We find an overdensity on the order of around 0.4 sources per AGN, implying a degree of activity already significantly lower than at higher redshifts. This overdensity appears to be somewhat different between RL AGN and RQQ within 1Mpc. A correlation is found between radio luminosity and star formation overdensity, consistent with a stronger dependence found by Falder et al. (2010) at 3.6 μm, and there also appears to be a correlation between stellar mass and star formation overdensity for radio–loud QSOs. The galaxies in the environs of the AGN have LIRG–level luminosities, and are likely the progenitors of modern day S0 galaxies, whose population increases steadily from z∼ 1 to the present day (Postman et al. 2005; Smith et al. 2005). Our work with SCUBA–2, presented in Chapter 4, follows on from a prior sample of X–ray–absorbed QSOs (Stevens et al. 2005). This new sample is composed of more highly–absorbed X–ray QSOs and covers a larger area than the initial sample, so is ideal for an analysis of source counts around AGN at high–redshift. Data from the JCMT have been reduced, and completeness corrections and flux corrections applied to catalogues to determine the number counts around AGN. A comparison background, created using data from the Cosmology Legacy Survey has been used to derive comparison counts. The AGN have been investigated, yet none are detected above 3σ at 850 μm, in contrast to the original sample. This may suggest that star formation in their host galaxies has been suppressed. Upon stacking in redshift and BAL classification, no difference in flux– density is apparent and the sources studied here have a similar stacked submm output to an unabsorbed QSO sample created for the original X– ray absorbed QSOs. However, over half of the sources here are BAL QSOs in contrast to the original absorbed QSO sample which contained only 1 BAL QSO. From the work in Chapter 2, one might expect BAL and non–BAL QSOs to have similar flux–densities. We argue that the sources studied in this thesis have likely undergone rapid evolution owing to a strong outflow, and as such star formation has been suppressed sufficiently that the submm emission is below the confusion noise. BAL winds may still be present, but essentially, the show is already over. A similar mechanism may already have occurred in unabsorbed QSOs if all QSOs pass through an X–ray–absorbed phase. With regard to source counts, we find that there is tentative evidence for an overdensity of sources around these AGN. The SFRs of the companion sources have been calculated using several greybody analogues, all of which imply a high degree of activity, suggesting these fields will evolve to become some of the most massive regions at the present epoch, in keeping with current theories of SMGs and high–redshift clusters.


Optimization of high-dimensional black-box functions is an extremely challenging problem. While Bayesian optimization has emerged as a popular approach for optimizing black-box functions, its applicability has been limited to low-dimensional problems due to its computational and statistical challenges arising from high-dimensional settings. In this paper, we propose to tackle these challenges by (1) assuming a latent additive structure in the function and inferring it properly for more efficient and effective BO, and (2) performing multiple evaluations in parallel to reduce the number of iterations required by the method. Our novel approach learns the latent structure with Gibbs sampling and constructs batched queries using determinantal point processes. Experimental validations on both synthetic and real-world functions demonstrate that the proposed method outperforms the existing state-of-the-art approaches.


Abstract Although there have been substantial changes in the techniques of public management and the rhetoric of urban policy, there is little evidence of the massive withdrawal of the state, de-regulation of city life, reduction in urban public goods, or decline in the role of inter-regional transfers in regional development. These phenomena are frequently cited in the literature arguing that cities and urban policy have become neo-liberal. A principal reason why the critical neo-liberalist literature makes its largely erroneous claim about changes in urban management and policy is that it fails to master liberal economic concepts, and to clearly distinguish them from neo-liberal, illiberal, or laissez-faire reasoning. This paper shows that the literature makes substantial errors in labelling many governmentality practices as neo-liberal, because many of them are caused by pragmatic responses to technological and demographic change, while many others result from the opposite of neo-liberal ideologies, that is, social movements that reject monolithic regulatory state power and press for new, more diversified ways of life. The paper concludes by arguing that the weaknesses of the critical neo-liberalism literature stem from failure to engage with economic and social theory analytics in a disciplined fashion, as well as from normative bias.


Based on the latest text of the NIV, this updated commentary reflects the most current scholarship.This updated and revised Pillar commentary seeks to clearly explain the meaning of John's letters to teachers, pastors, and general readers looking for a reliable and trusted resource for personal study. Colin Kruse introduces the important issues involved in interpreting the Johannine letters, gives verse-by-verse comments, and provides extensive discussion of John's major theological themes, including the real humanity of Christ, atonement, the role of the Spirit, Christian assurance, the meaning of koinonia, Christian love, and eternal life. Designed both for serious students and for general readers of the Bible, the Pillar New Testament Commentary volumes seek to make clear the meaning of the text of Scripture as we have it. The scholars writing these volumes interact with the most important, informed contemporary debate yet avoid undue technical detail. Their ideal is a blend of rigorous exegesis and exposition, scholarship and pastoral sensitivity, with an eye alert both to biblical theology and to the contemporary relevance of the Bible.


Large and open multiparallel corpora are a valuable resource for contrastive corpus linguists if the data is annotated and stored in a way that allows precise and flexible ad hoc searches. A linguistic query language should also support computational linguists in automated multilingual data mining. We review a broad range of approaches for linguistic query and reporting languages according to usability criteria such as expressibility, expressiveness, and efficiency. We propose an architecture that tries to strike the right balance to suit practical purposes.


Congratulations--just by looking at this webpage, you became 25% more patriotic. From Stephen Colbert, the host of television's highest-rated punditry show "The Colbert Report," comes the book to fill the other 23 hours of your day. "I Am America (And So Can You!) "contains all of the opinions that Stephen doesn't have time to shoehorn into his nightly broadcast. Dictated directly into a microcassette recorder over a three-day weekend, this book contains Stephen's most deeply held knee-jerk beliefs on The American Family, Race, Religion, Sex, Sports, and many more topics, conveniently arranged in chapter form. Always controversial and outspoken, Stephen addresses why Hollywood is destroying America by inches, why evolution is a fraud, and why the elderly should be harnessed to millstones. You may not agree with everything Stephen says, but at the very least, you'll understand that your differing opinion is wrong. "I Am America (And So Can You!) "showcases Stephen Colbert at his most eloquent and impassioned. He is an unrelenting fighter for the soul of America, and in this book he fights the good fight for the traditional values that have served this country so well for so long. Please buy this book before you leave the store"


PURPOSE
Tumors encounter endoplasmic reticulum stress during tumor growth and activate an adaptive pathway known as the unfolded protein response (UPR). Because this pathway is induced by the tumor microenvironment, it is a promising target for cancer therapy. We have previously demonstrated that X-box binding protein 1 (XBP-1), a key regulator of the UPR, was required for survival under hypoxia and critical for tumor growth in tumor xenografts. In this study, we investigated the role of XBP-1 in regulating tumor angiogenesis.

METHODS
We used an intradermal angiogenesis model to quantify the effect of XBP-1 on angiogenesis. We also used a human tumor xenograft model to assay for tumor growth delay. We determined vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression by quantitative polymerase chain reaction and ELISA. Finally, we stained human pancreatic adenocarcinoma specimens for XBP-1 expression and correlated the expression pattern of XBP-1 with CD31 (endothelial cell marker) expression.

RESULTS
We demonstrated that XBP-1 is essential for angiogenesis during early tumor growth. Inhibiting XBP-1 expression by short-hairpin RNA sequence specific for XBP-1 reduced blood vessel formation in tumors from mouse embryonic fibroblast cells and human fibrosarcoma tumor cells (HT1080). Expressing a dominant-negative form of IRE1alpha also reduced blood vessel formation in tumors. Moreover, expression of spliced XBP-1 (XBP-1s) restored angiogenesis in IRE1alpha dominant-negative expressing cells. We further demonstrated that XBP-1-mediated angiogenesis does not depend on VEGF.

CONCLUSIONS
We propose that the IRE1alpha-XBP-1 branch of the UPR modulates a complex proangiogenic, VEGF-independent response that depends on signals received from the tumor microenvironment.


Abstract. Thylacoleo carnifex, or the "pouched lion" (Mammalia: Marsupialia: Diprotodontia: Thylacoleonidae), was a carnivorous marsupial that inhabited Australia during the Pleistocene. Although all present-day researchers agree that Thylacoleo had a hypercarnivorous diet, the way in which it killed its prey remains uncertain. Here we use geometric morphometrics to capture the shape of the elbow joint (i.e., the anterior articular surface of the distal humerus) in a wide sample of extant mammals of known behavior to determine how elbow anatomy reflects forearm use. We then employ this information to investigate the predatory behavior of Thylacoleo. A principal components analysis indicates that Thylacoleo is the only carnivorous mammal to cluster with extant taxa that have an extreme degree of forearm maneuverability, such as primates and arboreal xenarthrans (pilosans). A canonical variates analysis confirms that Thylacoleo had forearm maneuverability intermediate between wombats (terrestrial) and arboreal mammals and a much greater degree of maneuverability than any living carnivoran placental. A linear discriminant analysis computed to separate the elbow morphology of arboreal mammals from terrestrial ones shows that Thylacoleo was primarily terrestrial but with some climbing abilities. We infer from our results that Thylacoleo used its forelimbs for grasping or manipulating prey to a much higher degree than its supposed extant placental counterpart, the African lion (Panthera leo). The use of the large and retractable claw on the semiopposable thumb of Thylacoleo for potentially slashing and disemboweling prey is discussed in the light of this new information.


Keywords: dowry, testamentary inheritance, intestate succession, kinship mutuality, patriarchal hegemony, bargaining, resistanceOn February 23, 1986, the Supreme Court of India struck down the Travancore Christian Succession Act, which stipulated that a daughter's share of her father's intestate property would be Rs. 5 000 ($165), or a quarter of the share given to her brother, whichever was less, and that she would lose her right even to this share if she had been given or promised stridhanam, or dowry, by her father. The Travancore Christian Succession Act had been in force since 1916, as the operative law of intestate succession among Syrian Christians, in Kerala, South India, notwithstanding legislative changes during the British rule in India and after India's independence in 1947.The Supreme Court ruling was the culmination of a long legal battle launched by Mary Roy, a married and separated Syrian Christian woman, against her brother who had evicted her from their father's intestate property. Mary challenged the Travancore Succession Act on the grounds that it was unconstitutional and violated Article 14 of the Indian Constitution, which enshrines gender equality as a fundamental right. In the Supreme Court appeal, Mary Roy was joined by two co-petitioners, both Syrian Christian and unmarried single women, who were also battling their brothers against eviction from the intestate properties of their fathers. The Supreme Court held with the three petitioners, repealed the Travancore Christian Succession Act (TCSA), and replaced it by the Indian Succession Act (ISA) of 1925, which stipulates gender equality in intestate succession.In this paper, I use the Mary Roy case as the backdrop for discussing dowry and inheritance practices among urban, middle-class Syrian Christian families in Trivandrum, the capital city of the Southern Indian state of Kerala. Specifically, I focus on women's rights and responses in three areas of property devolution, viz., intestate succession (inheritance of property without the owner's will), testamentary inheritance (inheritance based on the written will) and dowry prestations. The data used in this paper was gathered from more than 100 households involving over 500 marriages, during my field research on the marriage and dowry practices of Kerala's Christian community. My field data including interviews of women and case studies of women in property disputes are representative of the experiences of Syrian Christian women in a variety of property situations. My purpose is to use these property experiences to revisit some of the well-established generalizations about dowry and inheritance in India.Women's contestation of unequal inheritance and dowry practices is not a new phenomenon in Kerala or elsewhere in India. However, writings on Indian dowry are devoid of any perspective on women's responses to property inequities while the literature on resistance has failed to consider these responses as examples of women's resistance to gender discrimination and underlying cultural ideologies. It is also my purpose in this paper to use the property experience of Syrian Christian women to establish linkages between the study of dowry, on the one hand, and the study of women's resistance to property discrimination, on the other. It would seem that these two areas of study have developed in relative isolation in the literature on South Asia.The dominant dowry paradigms (i.e., structural-functionalist, structuralist and cost-benefit interpretations of marriage prestations) suffer from two mutually reinforcing shortcomings, viz., the tendency towards decontextualized generalization (see Comaroff, 1980) and the absence of a gender perspective that arises from a failure to include women's experiences and voices in regard to dowry and inheritance issues. Discourses on dowry have generally centred around the regulatory and functional aspects of dowry in the hypergamous, stratified South Asian societies: as "gift" for perpetuating alliance and affinity (Dumont, 1966 and 1983; Yalman, 1962); its role in determining status (Caplan, 1984; Goody, 1973 and 1990; Tambiah, 1989); and its compensatory role as payment for contracting an advantageous alliances for the bride's family (Spiro, 1975). …


ABSTRACT We surveyed 30 roadsides in North Dakota's Prairie Pothole Region for birds and active nests between May and July 2001–2002. Each roadside transect was 1608 m and had ≥200 linear meters of standing cattail (Typha spp.). We recorded 45 bird species; four species of Icteridae dominated the avifauna. Red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) were both the most abundant species and most abundant nester, averaging 53 birds/10 ha (se = 7.7) and 30 nests/10 ha (se = 9.7). Among non-icterid species, song sparrow (Melospiza melodia) and common yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas) ranked first and second consecutively in 2001 and 2002. Canonical correspondence analyses of species compositions indicated that species abundance was related to two roadside variables, length and water depth of cattail stands. Cattails added habitat diversity and acceptable conditions for wetland-dwelling avian species not typically found in rural roadsides outside of the Prairie Pothole Region. We documented use of roadsides by three species of grassland birds of national or regional conservation concern. Roadsides in North Dakota, although dominated mostly by generalist bird species with edge tolerance, may have some management potential for area-dependent grassland birds.


In astronomy, upcoming space telescopes with wide-field optical instruments have a spatially varying point spread function (PSF). Specific scientific goals require a high-fidelity estimation of the PSF at target positions where no direct measurement of the PSF is provided. Even though observations of the PSF are available at some positions of the field of view (FOV), they are undersampled, noisy, and integrated into wavelength in the instrument's passband. PSF modeling represents a challenging ill-posed problem, as it requires building a model from these observations that can infer a super-resolved PSF at any wavelength and position in the FOV. Current data-driven PSF models can tackle spatial variations and super-resolution. However, they are not capable of capturing PSF chromatic variations. Our model, coined WaveDiff, proposes a paradigm shift in the data-driven modeling of the point spread function field of telescopes. We change the data-driven modeling space from the pixels to the wavefront by adding a differentiable optical forward model into the modeling framework. This change allows the transfer of a great deal of complexity from the instrumental response into the forward model. The proposed model relies on efficient automatic differentiation technology and modern stochastic first-order optimization techniques recently developed by the thriving machine-learning community. Our framework paves the way to building powerful, physically motivated models that do not require special calibration data. This paper demonstrates the WaveDiff model in a simplified setting of a space telescope. The proposed framework represents a performance breakthrough with respect to the existing state-of-the-art data-driven approach. The pixel reconstruction errors decrease six-fold at observation resolution and 44-fold for a 3x super-resolution. The ellipticity errors are reduced at least 20 times, and the size error is reduced more than 250 times. By only using noisy broad-band in-focus observations, we successfully capture the PSF chromatic variations due to diffraction. WaveDiff source code and examples associated with this paper are available at this link .


Here, we examined the chronic effects of two cannabinoid receptor-1 (CB1) inverse agonists, rimonabant and ibipinabant, in hyperinsulinemic Zucker rats to determine their chronic effects on insulinemia. Rimonabant and ibipinabant (10 mg·kg⁻¹·day⁻¹) elicited body weight-independent improvements in insulinemia and glycemia during 10 wk of chronic treatment. To elucidate the mechanism of insulin lowering, acute in vivo and in vitro studies were then performed. Surprisingly, chronic treatment was not required for insulin lowering. In acute in vivo and in vitro studies, the CB1 inverse agonists exhibited acute K channel opener (KCO; e.g., diazoxide and NN414)-like effects on glucose tolerance and glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) with approximately fivefold better potency than diazoxide. Followup studies implied that these effects were inconsistent with a CB1-mediated mechanism. Thus effects of several CB1 agonists, inverse agonists, and distomers during GTTs or GSIS studies using perifused rat islets were unpredictable from their known CB1 activities. In vivo rimonabant and ibipinabant caused glucose intolerance in CB1 but not SUR1-KO mice. Electrophysiological studies indicated that, compared with diazoxide, 3 μM rimonabant and ibipinabant are partial agonists for K channel opening. Partial agonism was consistent with data from radioligand binding assays designed to detect SUR1 K(ATP) KCOs where rimonabant and ibipinabant allosterically regulated ³H-glibenclamide-specific binding in the presence of MgATP, as did diazoxide and NN414. Our findings indicate that some CB1 ligands may directly bind and allosterically regulate Kir6.2/SUR1 K(ATP) channels like other KCOs. This mechanism appears to be compatible with and may contribute to their acute and chronic effects on GSIS and insulinemia.


Abstract Strata of Permian – Early Triassic age that include a record of three major extinction events (Capitanian Crisis, Latest Permian Extinction and the Smithian/Spathian Extinction) were examined at the Festningen section, Spitsbergen. Over the c. 12 Ma record examined, mercury in the sediments shows relatively constant background values of 0.005–0.010 μg g–1. However, there are notable spikes in Hg concentration over an order of magnitude above background associated with the three extinctions. The Hg/total organic carbon (TOC) ratio shows similar large spikes, indicating that they represent a true increase in Hg loading to the environment. We argue that these represent Hg loading events associated with enhanced Hg emissions from large igneous province (LIP) events that are synchronous with the extinctions. The Hg anomalies are consistent across the NW margin of Pangea, indicating that widespread mercury loading occurred. While this provides utility as a chemostratigraphic marker the Hg spikes may also indicate loading of toxic metals to the environment, a contributing cause to the mass extinction events.


The purpose of this article is to analyze Alfred Marshall's concept of class. Marshall's concept of class is not well-studied. His idea of class is different from what Weber and Marx have proposed. In contrast to many other economists, he has a discussion of class that is developed. It is shown that Marshall sees classes as made up of people whose work offers similar chances of developing their higher faculties. An integrated idea is that different class positions are asso- ciated with different discount rates of future outcomes. Marshall's class theory combines physical and mental components.


In this article, we discuss what we consider to be the ten important and influential biotechnology patent law judicial decisions of 2018. These hinged on a variety of patent doctrines. An abbreviated new drug application (ANDA) for the multiple sclerosis drug Ampyra set the stage for the Acorda Therapeutics, Inc. v. Roxane Laboratories, Inc. (Fed. Cir. 2018) decision, in which the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (Federal Circuit) provided guidance on how to conduct an obviousness analysis (35 U.S.C. §103). The Berkheimer v. HP Inc. (Fed. Cir. 2018) decision, although addressing a software invention, provided valuable insight into how to determine if inventions fall within patent-eligible subject matter (35 U.S.C. §101). Widely-anticipated by the branded and generic pharmaceutical industries, sovereign Native American nations, and consumers alike, the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe v. Mylan Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Fed. Cir. 2018) decision held that tribal sovereign immunity could not be used to shield patents covering the drug Restasis in an inter partes review (IPR) proceeding before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB). In Regents of the University of California v. Broad Institute, Inc. (Fed. Cir. 2018), the Federal Circuit found there to be no interference-in-fact between patents and patent applications covering CRISPR gene editing owned by the Broad Institute and the University of California. The United States Supreme Court (Supreme Court), in Oil States Energy Services, LLC. v. Greene's Energy Group, LLC (2018), held that IPR proceedings violate neither Article III nor the Seventh Amendment of the United States Constitution, and, in SAS Institute Inc. v. Iancu (2018), further elaborated the law of IPRs by requiring the United States Patent and Trademark Office ("USPTO") to produce a final written decision (FWD) on all claims challenged by a petitioner in an IPR petition. How to apply the written description requirement (35 U.S.C. §112) to patent claims covering monoclonal antibodies, as well as the requirements for granting a permanent injunction against infringing medicines or other therapeutic agents, were both the subject of the decision in Amgen Inc. v. Sanofi (Fed. Cir. 2017). The Supreme Court gave its first interpretation of the Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act (BPCIA) for the approval of biosimilar drugs in Sandoz, Inc. v. Amgen, Inc. (2017), addressing, among other things, the disclosure and information exchange provisions of the statute, commonly known as the "patent dance" over Sandoz' biosimilar of Amgen's biologic, Neupogen. In contrast to cases where the Supreme Court deigned to act, the Court decided not to act in Regeneron Pharmaceuticals v. Merus (2018), denying a petition for certiorari to consider the law of inequitable conduct. In a decision of considerable importance, the Supreme Court considered, in Life Techs. Corp. v. Promega Corp. (2017), whether the supply of a single component, Taq polymerase, of a multi-component toolkit for genetic testing by DNA amplification, for combination abroad, violates 35 U.S.C. § 271(f)(1), reversing the Federal Circuit's decision that it does, and remanding the case for further proceedings. Biotechnology patent law evolved in 2018 across a number of frontiers, and will certainly continue its doctrinal evolution in 2019.


Iron is an essential nutrient that is needed by the body to maintain good health. The body needs iron to make the proteins haemoglobin and myoglobin. Almost two-thirds of iron in the body is found in haemoglobin, a protein in red blood cells that transports oxygen to tissues. Smaller amounts of iron are found in myoglobin, a protein that helps supply oxygen to muscle. Iron is also found in proteins that store it for future needs and in enzymes that assist biochemical reactions in the body.Iron deficiency is the most common nutritional deficiency in children and it can have important consequences to their health and development. The World Health Organization estimates that anaemia affects one quarter of the world's population and is concentrated within pre-school aged children and women.


This paper provides a comprehensive literature review of the 'Regulatory State' through the lens of utility regulation. The review is multidisciplinary with it bringing together the insights available from the political science, economics, legal and management science literatures. It is clear that while the term 'Regulatory State' is essentially missing from the economics literature a vast array of economics papers provide valuable insights for debates about the Regulatory State within political science. In addition to reviewing the existing literature, the paper identifies opportunities for future research. The literature is grouped into five topics: (i) Consumers, (ii) Courts, (iii) Ideas, Experts and Expertise, (iv) Governance and (v) Assessing Regulator Performance. Apart from (iv), we believe all of these areas have been under-researched in relative terms. In particular, a key finding is that compared to the information available on Public Utility Commissioners in US States, very little information has been collated on the background, characteristics and careers of individual utility regulators working within Europe.


Our eyes collect a considerable amount of information when we use them to look at objects. In particular, eye movement allows us to gaze at an object and shows our level of interest in the object. In this research, we propose a method that involves real-time measurement of eye movement for human memory enhancement; the method employs gaze-indexed images captured using a video camera that is attached to the user's glasses. We present a prototype system with an infrared-based corneal limbus tracking method. Although the existing eye tracker systems track eye movement with high accuracy, they are not suitable for daily use because the mobility of these systems is incompatible with a high sampling rate. Our prototype has small phototransistors, infrared LEDs, and a video camera, which make it possible to attach the entire system to the glasses. Additionally, the accuracy of this method is compensated by combining image processing methods and contextual information, such as eye direction, for information extraction. We develop an information extraction system with real-time object recognition in the user's visual attention area by using the prototype of an eye tracker and a head-mounted camera. We apply this system to (1) fast object recognition by using a SURF descriptor that is limited to the gaze area and (2) descriptor matching of a past-images database. Face recognition by using haar-like object features and text logging by using OCR technology is also implemented. The combination of a low-resolution camera and a high-resolution, wide-angle camera is studied for high daily usability. The possibility of gaze-guided computer vision is discussed in this paper, as is the topic of communication by the photo transistor in the eye tracker and the development of a sensor system that has a high transparency.


We examine the effects of the 2003 dividend tax cut on U.S. stock prices and corporate payout policies. First, using an event-study methodology, we compare the performance of U.S. stocks to that of other securities that should not have benefited from the tax change. We find that U.S. large-cap and small-cap indexes do not outperform their European counterparts, nor REIT stocks, over the event windows, suggesting little if any aggregate stock market effect from the tax change. In cross-sectional analysis, high-dividend stocks outperformed low-dividend stocks by a few percentage points over the event windows. On the other hand, non-dividend paying stocks are found to have outperformed the overall market by a small margin, but this result does not appear specific to the event windows, suggesting that non-tax factors were at play. Second, the tax change did appear to induce an increase in dividends, especially at firms where executive compensation was weighted more heavily toward stock than options. However, the effect on total payouts was more muted, as many firms scaled back share repurchases.


In order to develop a highly efficient method for direct removal of lead from acidic wastewater (pH 2.0), we introduce a novel highly ordered Pb2+ imprinted mesoporous silica (PbIMS) SBA-15 combining co-condensation and functionalized iminodiacetic acid (IDA). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis provided the components of PbIMS. The solid-state 13C NMR spectra demonstrated the successful embedment of IDA in the mesoporous silica. Furthermore, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis confirmed that Pb2+ was coordinated by the N atom and carboxyl O atom of IDA. The results of transmission electron microscopy (TEM), small angle X-ray diffraction (XRD) and N2 adsorption–desorption measurement confirmed that the PbIMS preserved a highly ordered hexagonal P6mm mesostructure. The Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area was 762 m2 g−1. The saturated adsorption capacity of PbIMS toward lead reached up to 103 mg g−1 at pH 2.0, which was greater even than that of the simply modified SBA-15 by IDA at pH 4.5. The values of selectivity coefficients of PbIMS for six competing metal ions ranged from 67.3 to 12.7. The adsorption of Pb2+ reached equilibrium within 7 min. The adsorption efficiency of PbIMS was above 93% after six extraction–stripping cycles. The investigation conducted with real samples of strongly acidic wastewater demonstrated the ability of PbIMS to efficiently remove lead below the current China regulatory standard.


INTRODUCTION The use of international cooperative agreements in the form of joint ventures has increased during the decade of the 1980s (UNCTC, 1988), and this pace appears to be continuing into the 1990s. Mowery (1988) defines the international joint venture (UV) as follows : "....an instance of interfirm collaboration in product development, manufacturing, or marketing that spans national boundaries, is not based on arm's-length market transactions, and includes substantial contributions by partners of capital, technology, or other assets. " The IJV referred to as a "state enterprise-multinational corporation" joint venture (Raveed and Renforth, 1983) is of particular importance in the context of cross-border agreements with organizations in the People's Republic of China. Daniels and Radebaugh (1992) identify six external factors to be considered when a strategic decision has been made to expand into the global arena. The factors are labeled as political, legal, cultural, economic, historical and geographic. This paper addresses the six environmental factors as they apply to IJVs in the People's Republic of China. Examples are drawn from an active IJV in Shanghai. Much of the information on this IJV was gathered during a research visit to the manufacturing facility during spring 1991. Data gathering techniques included an on-site interview in Shanghai and material secured from corporation and government agencies. This paper will present an overview of IJV activity in China since 1979; will detail one of the joint venture sites visited in Shanghai in May 1991; and will discuss the effect of six external factors on the IJV and subsequent reactions by management. CHINA'S JOINT VENTURE STRUCTURE An overview of joint venture structure and activity in the P.R.C. provides a background for this IJV illustration. The P.R.C., under the leadership of Deng Xiaoping, took a major step in 1979 by opening the gates to foreign investment. The primary avenues to investing in China are equity joint ventures, contractual joint ventures, and wholly foreign-owned enterprises. China's 1979 Joint Venture Law defines the two types of JVs as follows: An equity joint venture (EJV) is a limited liability corporation jointly invested in and operated by the Chinese and foreign partners. Profits, risks and remaining assets upon expiration of the venture are shared according to the percentage of equity held by each party. The corporation has legal person status. A contractual joint venture (CJV), also known as a cooperative joint venture, can take two forms: a limited liability entity with legal person status that closely resembles the equity joint venture in structure and operation and a business partnership in which the parties cooperate as separate legal entities and bear liabilities independently. In either case, profits and assets remaining after expiration are divided as specified in the contract and not necessarily according to investment shares. (U.S. China Business Council, 1990). Foreign investment in China for the ten-year period 1979-1989 is detailed in the table. SHANGHAI VOLKSWAGEN AUTOMOTIVE Shanghai Volkswagen (SVW) is a Sino-German equity joint venture whose partners include Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation, China National Automotive Industry Corporation, Bank of China, Shanghai Trust and Consultancy Company and Volkswagen AG of Germany. The total fixed assets investment is approximately US$210 million. Capital investment in the project has been contributed on a 50%-50% basis by the Chinese and German partners (Shanghai FETC, 1987). According to the technical executive director of SVW, although operations began in September 1985, the negotiations process had required several years of patience dating back to 1978. The first full year of production resulted in 3,500 cars under the model name, Santana. In 1988-89 production reached 15,600 cars. …


Metals are usually characterized by good electrical conductivity. This applies in particular to gold and silver. However, researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research in Stuttgart, together with partners in Pisa and Lund, have now discovered that some precious metals lose this property if they are thin enough. The extreme of a layer only one atom thick thus behaves like a semiconductor. This once again demonstrates that electrons behave differently in the two-dimensional layer of a material than in three-dimensional structures. The new properties could potentially lead to applications, for example in microelectronics and sensor technology.


Curing lights are used to cure light-sensitive dental materials in clinical situations that range from small, easily accessible restorations to larger ones that are more difficult to access. The degree to which these materials cure depends on the intensity and quality of light to which they are exposed and the curing time. Once the light has left the curing unit, factors such as composite type, composite shade, thickness of resin increment or overlying tooth structure, the distance and orientation of the light tip, and the diameter of the light tip may reduce intensity and provide a lower degree of polymerisation. The only way to overcome this reduction is to increase exposure time. However, surveys have shown that dentists tend to cure for periods that are too short. Reasons for this may be that the dentist is unaware of the importance of adequate light intensity, as well as the influence of all the factors mentioned above that reduce intensity and lower the degree of polymerisation. This paper reviews the clinical factors that may reduce light transmission during polymerisation of composite restorations, and suggests several clinical recommendations to provide general practitioners with information on how to optimise the degree of cure obtained in their surgery.


From one of the world's leading authorities on the subject, an innovative and comprehensive account of religion in the ancient Roman and Mediterranean world In this ambitious and authoritative book, Jorg Rupke provides a comprehensive and strikingly original narrative history of ancient Roman and Mediterranean religion over more than a millennium--from the late Bronze Age through the Roman imperial period and up to full-fledged Christianization. While focused primarily on the city of Rome, Pantheon fully integrates the many religious traditions found in the Mediterranean world, including Judaism and Christianity. This generously illustrated book is also distinguished by its unique emphasis on "lived religion," a perspective that stresses how individuals' experiences and practices transform religion into something different from its official form. The result is a radically new picture of both Roman religion and a crucial period in Western religion--one that influenced Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and even the modern idea of "religion" itself. Drawing on a vast range of literary and archaeological evidence, Pantheon shows how Roman religion shaped and was shaped by its changing historical contexts from the ninth century BCE to the fourth century CE. Because religion was not a distinct sphere in the Roman world, the book treats religion as inseparable from developments in political, social, economic, and cultural life. The narrative emphasizes the diversity of Roman religion, offers a new view of central concepts such as "temple," "altar," and "votive," reassesses the gendering of religious practices, and much more. Throughout, Pantheon draws on the insights of modern religious studies, but without "modernizing" ancient religion. With its unprecedented scope and innovative approach, Pantheon is anunparalleled account of ancient Roman and Mediterranean religion.


Can self-motion perception in virtual reality (VR) be enhanced by providing affordable, user-powered minimal motion cueing? To investigate this, we compared the effect of different interaction and motion paradigms on onset latency and intensity of self-motion illusions ("vection") induced by curvilinear locomotion in projection-based VR. Participants either passively observed the simulation or had to actively follow pre-defined trajectories of different curvature in a simple virtual scene. Visual-only locomotion (either passive or with joystick control) was compared to locomotion controlled by a modified Gyroxus gaming chair, where leaning forwards and sideways (±10cm) controlled simulated translations and rotations, respectively, using a velocity control paradigm similar to a joystick. In the active visual+chair motion condition, participants controlled the chair motion and resulting virtual locomotion themselves, without the need for external actuation. In the passive visual+chair motion condition, the experimenter did this. Self-motion intensity was increased in the visual+chair motion conditions as compared visual-only motion, corroborating the benefit of simple motion cueing. Surprisingly, however, active control reduced the occurrence of vection and increased vection onset latencies, especially in the chair motion condition. This might be related to the reduced intuitiveness and controllability observed for the active chair motion as compared to the joystick condition. Together, findings suggest that simple user-initiated motion cueing can in principle provide an affordable means of increasing self-motion simulation fidelity in VR. However, usability and controllability issues of the gaming chair used might have counteracted the benefit of such motion cueing, and suggests ways to improve the interaction paradigm.


We present a complete fabrication process and measured results for InP based HEMTs and MMICs. A major effort has been focused on the development of new and reliable gate and via-hole process both for InP based HEMTs and MMICs. A single exposure is required to define both the footprint and the head of the T-gate by modulation of the exposure doses. The developed gate and via-hole process is reliable and suitable for volume production of InP-HEMTs and MMICs with high yield. A complete MMIC chip includes mesa resistors, microstrip transmission lines, HEMT transistors, and ground via holes. A cutoff frequency fT of 100 GHz and maximum oscillation frequency fmax of 200 GHz was obtained from 0.1 um gate lattice matched AlInAs/GaInAs/InP based HEMTs.


Submodular function minimization is a fundamental optimization problem that arises in several applications in machine learning and computer vision. The problem is known to be solvable in polynomial time, but general purpose algorithms have high running times and are unsuitable for large-scale problems. Recent work have used convex optimization techniques to obtain very practical algorithms for minimizing functions that are sums of "simple" functions. In this paper, we use random coordinate descent methods to obtain algorithms with faster linear convergence rates and cheaper iteration costs. Compared to alternating projection methods, our algorithms do not rely on full-dimensional vector operations and they converge in significantly fewer iterations.


Background: Leucas martinicensis (LM) is an herbal plant that has been used in folk medicine to treat malaria, kidney disorders, inflammation and rheumatism. Objective: The present study was aimed to investigate the antiepileptic activity of ethanolic extract of whole plant of LM against pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) induced seizures in mice. Methods: The extract was first examined by acute oral toxicity studies and then evaluated for antiepileptic activity against PTZ induced seizures. Diazepam was used as the standard drug. Antiepileptic activity was evaluated by observing various seizure activities such as onset of seizure, duration of seizure and intensity of seizure. Motor coordination effect was studied using rotarod. Depression was studied using the forced swim test. Oxidative stress was measured by estimating Malondialdehyde content in the brain at the end of experiments. Results: No abnormalities or toxic effects were observed in the animals during acute oral toxicity studies. The extract treated groups showed late on set of seizures, decreased duration and intensity of seizure when compared with vehicle treated group. The extract was determined to protect the animals from loss of motor coordination and depression. Following sacrifice, the Malondialdehyde content in the extract treated groups were found to be less thanin the vehicle treated group. Conclusion: From the results of our present study it can be concluded that, the ethanolic extract of whole plant of LM protected the animals from seizures and suppressed the oxidative stress induced by PTZ, without producing loss of motor coordination or depression.


Applying anaesthetic agent is recommended in aquaculture during fish handling specially tagging. However, it should be noted that anesthesia itself is likely to induce stressful condition due to its improper and high concentration. By means of nanoemulsions, drug delivery improves which in turn contributes to fewer amounts of pharmaceutical agents' usage. In this research, nanoemulsions of clove oil (NCL) and lemonbeebrush (NLB) were used to develop the anesthetic efficacy and reduce the concentration needed for anesthesia in Huso huso (mean weight: 1115 ± 242.25 g) as an endangered species. Based on the results, anesthesia induction time (s) of stage 3 & 4 was significantly decreased in NCL and NLB when compared to MS-222 (p<0.05). Correspondence H Gholipourkanani, Department of Fisheries, Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resource, Gonbad Kavous University, Golestan province, Iran (e-mail: email@example.com). NCL treated beluga were induced stage 5 anesthesia much quicker than NLB and MS222. In contrary, recovery time did not show significant difference among treatments (p>0.05). Among measured biochemical factors, lactate had the highest value in NCL group during anesthesia (p<0.05). In contrast, lactate level had highest level in NLB, 24h post anesthesia (p<0.05). NLB and NCL produced higher non-specific immune (Lysozyme and ACH50) enhancements at 0 and 24h post anesthesia. Furthermore, results showed that MS-222 induced increased serum cortisol levels (p<0.05). Cortisol and glucose were not depressed by NLB and NCL, suggesting that these anesthetics are safer anesthetic for Huso huso as it does not cause immune depression in anesthetized fish.


Marine deposits of the Neuquen Basin of west-central Argentina (southern South America) are richly fossiliferous; its Mesozoic invertebrate faunas, represented mostly by molluscs, have been extensively studied since the nineteenth century. However, Early Cretaceous decapod crustaceans are far less known, although part of the systematic framework has been published (Aguirre-Urreta, 1989). The aim of the present note is to provide updated information based on ongoing research into the systematics and taphonomy of this crustacean group in the Neuquen Basin.


The aim of this work was to estimate genetic parameters in traits associated with the production of fresh southern pea in 14 cowpea genotypes of purple pod and white grains. Three experiments were carried out: two under irrigation (2004 and 2005) and one in rainfed conditions (2005), at Embrapa Mid-North experimental field, in a randomized complete block design with four replications. The correlations, genetic variation and determination coefficients were estimated for the following traits: number of days for the harvest of fresh seed (NDHFS), fresh pod length (FPL), number of seeds for fresh pod (NSFP), weight of one hundred fresh seed (WHFS), fresh pod yield (FPY), fresh seed yield (FSY), fresh seed index (FSI), value of crop (VC) and plant type (PT). The genotypic correlations were superior to phenotypic and environment correlations, being distinguished the correlations between VC and FPY (100%). The genetic variation coefficient varied from 6.58% (FSI) to 31.62% (FSY), with highlight also for FPY (30.16%). All characters showed high genetic component in the expression of the character, with highlight for the FPL (98.72%). There is a high genetic component in the phenotypic expression of all the traits studied, with a high probability of genetic gains in additional cycles of selection based on phenotype. Selection of cowpea genotypes for high yield and early is easier than selection of genotypes with high yield and late in the fresh southern pea breeding.


Bark storage proteins (BSP) store nitrogen (N) translocated from senescing leaves in autumn, and supply reduced N for spring growth. Expression of bsp and BSP accumulation are associated with short day photoperiod. To determine if photoperiod-associated bsp expression varies among poplars native to different latitudes, Populus deltoides Bartr. clones originating from six latitudes were grown under natural conditions at a common location. Relative amounts of BSP mRNA in these clones were measured at 2-week intervals from August 7 to October 16. The date of maximum BSP mRNA accumulation was correlated with latitude of origin, and maximum accumulation of BSP mRNA occurred earlier in clones native to northern latitudes than in clones native to southern latitudes. This pattern of variation is consistent with photoperiodic responses of plants native to temperate climates. Genotypic variations in BSP accumulation, bark protein concentration and bark N concentration were compared among clones of six hybrid poplar (Populus trichocarpa Torr. and Gray x P. deltoides) full-sib families (three F(2) families, two F(1) families and one BC(1) family) after 6 weeks in a short day photoperiod and at midwinter. Significant differences in BSP accumulation occurred among clones within four of the six full-sib families after 6 weeks in a short day photoperiod and also at midwinter for outdoor-grown plants. Bark protein and bark N concentrations also varied significantly among clones within certain families. In general, the greatest variation was found in F(2) and BC(1) families. Within several families, relative BSP amounts were positively correlated with bark protein concentration and total bark N concentration. These results indicate a role of photoperiod in regulating bsp expression and demonstrate a genetic component underlying seasonal BSP accumulation. The results could have significance in selecting for clones with improved N storage capacity and N-use efficiency.


In this paper, we consider the important problem of safe exploration in reinforcement learning. While reinforcement learning is well-suited to domains with complex transition dynamics and high-dimensional state-action spaces, an additional challenge is posed by the need for safe and efficient exploration. Traditional exploration techniques are not particularly useful for solving dangerous tasks, where the trial and error process may lead to the selection of actions whose execution in some states may result in damage to the learning system (or any other system). Consequently, when an agent begins an interaction with a dangerous and high-dimensional state-action space, an important question arises; namely, that of how to avoid (or at least minimize) damage caused by the exploration of the state-action space. We introduce the PI-SRL algorithm which safely improves suboptimal albeit robust behaviors for continuous state and action control tasks and which efficiently learns from the experience gained from the environment. We evaluate the proposed method in four complex tasks: automatic car parking, pole-balancing, helicopter hovering, and business management.


After Hurricane Katrina devastated parts of the Gulf Coast, Susquehanna University (SU) responded by launching the Hurricane Relief Team (HRT) program. In the past six years, SU has sent 16 teams of 15-20 students each and the program has evolved from a basic volunteer service opportunity into a service-learning experience and later into a two-week, cross-cultural service-learning program. While this study is not designed to determine whether participation in HRT, as a specific program, impacted graduation rates, it is intended to provide support for the correlation between civically engaged students and persistence to graduation. Through this example of a cross-cultural, service-learning program, the examination of graduation rates of HRT participants provides evidence of the potentially transformative nature of the experience as derived from historical data.


Consider a prediction problem with correlated predictors. In such a case, the best model specification, that is, the best subset of active predictors, can be ambiguous. In spite of this ambiguity, a forecast that informs a high-stakes decision warrants a compact, informative description of the model that produces it. For forecasts based on ensemble models, such descriptions are not straightforward. Our example considers searches on google.com; each observation consists of one experiment changing the details in how the system responds to user queries. Our predictors measure the changes, relative to a contemporaneous control, of short-term metrics. Our response measures a shift in user behavior observable only after a longer term, also calculated relative to the control. Our ensemble of models comes from a spike-and-slab regression. We represent each ensemble — each model — by its specification, a vector of booleans denoting the active predictors. For each such model we calculate its goodness of fit statistic. Applying logic regression to predict goodness of fit as a function of the specification booleans, we obtain a metamodel. As a weighted sum of boolean expressions, the metamodel provides a description that is both parsimonious and illuminating. key words: collinearity, factor analysis, logic regression, model deconstruction, spike-and-slab regression, variance function


Using the correlated signal and idler photon pairs generated in a dispersion-shifted fiber by a pulsed pump, we measure the quantum efficiency of an InGaAs/InP avalanche photodiode-based single-photon detector. Since the collection efficiency of photon pairs is a key parameter to correctly deduce the quantum efficiency, we carefully characterize the collection efficiency by studying the correlation dependence of photon pairs on the spectra of pump, signal, and idler photons. This study allows us to obtain the quantum efficiency of the single-photon detector by using photon pairs with various kinds of bandwidth.


The Colorado Mineral Belt (CMB) is a northeast-trending, ∼500-km-long, 25–50-km-wide belt of plutons and mining districts (Colorado, United States) that developed within an ∼1200-km-wide Late Cretaceous–Paleogene magma gap overlying subhorizontally subducted segments of the Farallon plate. Of the known volcanic gaps overlying flat slabs in subduction zones around the Pacific Basin, none contains zones of magmatism analogous to the CMB. I suggest that the primary control of the CMB was a northeast-trending segment boundary within the underlying Farallon flat slab. The boundary was dilated during warping of slab segments by the overriding thick (∼200 km) lithospheres of the Wyoming Archean craton and the continental interior craton during acceleration of Farallon–North American convergence beginning in mid-Campanian time (ca. 75 Ma). Because the primary control was not in the North American plate, the CMB cut indiscriminately across the geologic grain of Colorado, seemingly independent of the tectonic elements it crossed. A series of discontinuous shear zones of Proterozoic ancestry provided some local control at the district level but were not the primary control. Geologic contrasts north and south of the CMB reflect its relationship to a segment boundary in the Farallon plate. The dominant trends of Laramide basement-cored uplifts are northwestward north of the CMB but northward south of the CMB. Laramide sedimentary deposits of Late Cretaceous and Paleogene age (exclusive of the Sevier foredeep) are as much as 6 km thick north of the CMB versus only ≤3 km south of the CMB. The Farallon segment south of the CMB rolled back to the southwest and sank into the mantle beginning ca. 37 Ma with resultant major ignimbrite volcanism and generation of the large San Juan and Mogollon-Datil volcanic fields. Volcanism in the Rocky Mountains north of the CMB was sparse. Laramide plutons (ca. 75–43 Ma) are mainly alkaline monzonites and quartz monzonites in the northeastern CMB, but dominantly calc-alkaline granodiorites in the central CMB. Geochemical and isotopic studies indicate that CMB magmas were generated mainly in metasomatized Proterozoic intermediate to felsic lower crustal granulites and mafic rocks (± mantle). Late Eocene–Oligocene rollback magmatism superimposed on the CMB during waning of Laramide compression (ca. 43–37 Ma) resulted in world-class sulfide replacement ores in the Leadville area. Overprinting of the CMB by Rio Grande Rift extension beginning ca. 33 Ma resulted in intrusion of evolved alkali-feldspar granites and generation of major porphyry molybdenum deposits at Climax and Red Mountain.


Suicidal behavior is a leading cause of injury and death worldwide. Suicide has been associated with psychiatric illnesses such as depression and schizophrenia, as well as economic uncertainty, and social/cultural factors. This study proposes a neuroeconomic framework of suicide. Neuroeconomic parameters (e.g., risk-attitude, probability weighting, time discounting in intertemporal choice, and loss aversion) are predicted to be related to suicidal behavior. Neurobiological and neuroendocrinological substrates such as serotonin, dopamine, cortisol (HPA axis), nitric oxide, serum cholesterol, epinephrine, norepinephrine, gonadal hormones (e.g., estradiol and progesterone), dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) in brain regiouns such as the orbitofrontal/dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and limbic regions (e.g., the amygdala) may supposedly be related to the neuroeconomic parameters modulating the risk of suicide. The present framework puts foundations for "molecular neuroeconomics" of decision-making processes underlying suicidal behavior.


BACKGROUND
Policy-makers interested in the supply of doctors in Canada have recently begun focusing attention on older physicians. This study informs the policy debate by analysing the practice patterns of Ontario physicians aged 65 years and over.

METHODS
A cross-sectional and longitudinal analysis of physician claims data for fiscal years 1989/90 through 1995/96 was conducted. The number of full-time equivalent (FTE) physicians by age category, urban or rural status, and specialty was calculated by means of an established method, and differences between older physicians, established physicians and recent graduates (in practice for 5 years or less), in terms of the types of services provided and patients seen, were examined.

RESULTS
The proportion of FTE physicians aged 65 or more increased from 5.3% to 7.0% during the study period, whereas the proportion of recent graduates decreased from 19.6% to 16.3%. Of the older physicians, 61.4% practised part time (less than 1 FTE). Half of the physicians aged 75 in 1989/90 were still in practice 6 years later. Older physicians were less likely than those under age 65 to practice obstetrics (4.6% v. 16.9%), provide emergency department services (1.1% v. 14.8%) or house calls (38.7% v. 60.4%), or perform many minor procedures (38.7% v. 62.3%) (p < or = 0.001 for all comparisons). Older physicians tended to be male and had older patients in their practices than did younger physicians. Rural regions had higher proportions of older specialists.

INTERPRETATION
Ontario's physician corps is aging. This may result in decreasing availability of obstetrics and emergency department coverage in the future. Encouraging retirement may create more openings for recent graduates, but if such policies are enacted, special attention should be paid to ensure that rural communities and older patients continue to be served.


Ontology alignment describes a process of mapping ontological concepts, classes and attributes between different ontologies providing a way to achieve interoperability. While there has been considerable research in this area, most approaches that rely upon the alignment of attributes use labelbased string comparisons of property names. The ability to process opaque or non-interpreted attribute names is a necessary component of attribute alignment. We describe a new attribute alignment approach to support ontology alignment that uses the density estimation as a means for determining alignment among objects. Using the combination of similarity hashing, Kernel Density Estimation (KDE) and Cross entropy, we are able to show promising F-Measure scores using the standard Ontology Alignment Evaluation Initiative (OAEI) 2011 benchmark.


This thesis focuses on the current court mediation institution in China against the worldwide movement of alternative dispute resolution in searching for more consensual and more efficient ways of resolving disputes. When the West is seeking more informality-oriented forms of dispute resolution, China, on the other side of the world, is making great efforts to improve its formal justice system rather than conventional means of dispute resolution like mediation. This thesis attempts to identify the role court mediation has played in Chinese legal history, to explore its current functions, to examine the rationale underlying the system, and to suggest its future reform. The economic analysis of law, particularly Posner's economic analysis of civil procedure and the Coase Theorem, and the ideas of Rawls' theory of justice provide theoretical underpinnings for this study. A review of these classical theories is conducted from the perspectives of efficiency and fairness. Although it is generally understood that both efficiency and fairness cannot be equally achieved by a legal policy, a good one should be concerned with both efficiency and fairness. The article concludes that the balance between efficiency and fairness should be presented in an optimal court mediation form. China's court mediation has remained an important means of dispute resolution, but left much to be improved. The author argues that the current court mediation is not as successful as it declares; it is, in fact, neither efficient nor just. The existing law governing court mediation does not provide a clear function and purpose for court mediation, nor does it consider the efficiency and fairness of court mediation. In practice, although it remains the dominant position in resolving disputes, it is merely a substitute for adjudication rather than a substantive alternative dispute resolution. By analyzing the current allocation of cases for different dispute resolutions, the author suggests that considering the overloaded court caseloads and the lack of a variety of alternative dispute resolutions in today's China, court mediation should be preserved, but thoroughly reformed, as a more acceptable and efficient means of resolving disputes. Upon its reform, this conventional means of dispute resolution with Chinese characteristics will play a positive role in the future.


Precipitation is one of the main components in the water balance, and probably the component determined with the greatest uncertainties. In the present paper we focus on precipitation (mainly rain) over the Baltic Sea as a part of the BALTEX project to examine the present state of the art concerning different precipitation estimates over that area. Several methods are used, with the focus on 1) interpolation of available synoptic stations; 2) a mesoscale analysis system including synoptic, automatic, and climate stations, as well as weather radar and an atmospheric model; and 3) measurements performed on ships. The investigated time scales are monthly and yearly and also some long-term considerations are discussed. The comparison shows that the differences between most of the estimates, when averaged over an extended period and a larger area, are in the order of 10-20%, which is in the same range as the correction of the synoptic gauge measurements due to wind and evaporation losses. In all data sets using gauge data it is important to include corrections for high winds. To improve the structure of precipitation over sea more focus is to be put on the use of radar data and combinations of radar data and other data. Interpolation methods that do not consider orographic effects must treat areas with large horizontal precipitation gradients with care. Due to the large variability in precipitation in time and space, it is important to use long time periods for climate estimates of precipitation Ship measurements are a valuable contribution to precipitation information over sea, especially for seasonal and annual time scales.


Background: The accuracy of nasopharyngeal aspirate (NPA) specimens in detecting lower respiratory pathogens remains controversial. The objective of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of aspirates (NPAs) specimen in lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) in children. Methods: The prospective study was designed to collect the data of paired NPAs and bronchoalveolar lavage fluids from children with acute LRTIs from January 2013 to December 2015. All specimens were subjected to pathogen detection: bacterial detection by culture, Mycoplasma pneumoniae (Mp) detection by polymerase chain reaction assay and virus (influenza A and B viruses, parainfluenza virus [PIV] Types 1 and 3, respiratory syncytial virus, and adenovirus) detection by immunofluorescence assay. The diagnostic accuracy analysis of NPAs was stratified by age ⩽3 years (n = 194) and >3 years (n = 294). Results: We collected paired specimens from 488 children. The positive rate of pathogen was 61.6%. For Streptococcus pneumoniae, NPA culture had the specificity of 89.9% and negative predictive value of 100% in age ⩽3 years, the specificity of 97.2% and negative predictive value of 98.9% in age >3 years. For Mp, the positive predictive values of NPA was 77.4% in children ⩽3 years, and 89.1% in children >3 years. For PIV III, NPA specimen had the specificity of 99.8% and negative predictive value of 96.5% in children ⩽3 years. For adenovirus, NPA had the specificity of 97.8% and negative predictive value of 98.4% in age ⩽3 years, the specificity of 98.9% and negative predictive value of 99.3% in age >3 years. Conclusions: NPAs are less invasive diagnostic respiratory specimens, a negative NPA result is helpful in "rule out" lower airway infection; however, a positive result does not reliably "rule in" the presence of pathogens.


Light degrees of freedom that modify gravity on cosmological scales must be ``screened" on solar system scales in order to be compatible with data. The Vainshtein mechanism achieves this through a breakdown of classical perturbation theory, as large interactions involving new degrees of freedom become important below the so-called Vainshtein radius. We begin to develop an extension of the Parameterized Post-Newtonian (PPN) formalism that is able to handle Vainshteinian corrections. We argue that theories with a unique Vainshtein scale must be expanded using two small parameters. In this Parameterized Post-Newtonian-Vainshteinian (PPNV) expansion, the primary expansion parameter that controls the PPN order is, as usual, the velocity v. The secondary expansion parameter, α, controls the strength of the Vainshteinian correction and is a theory-specific combination of the Schwarzschild radius and the Vainshtein radius of the source that is independent of its mass. We present the general framework and apply it to Cubic Galileon theory both inside and outside the Vainshtein radius. The PPNV framework can be used to determine the compatibility of such theories with solar system and other strong-field data.


This work describes how Italian universities use social media, with a focus on Facebook and Twitter. Empirical data about the online features and behaviour of the social media accounts of Italian universities was gathered using several qualitative and quantitative data collection techniques, including automatic data collection, ad-hoc API queries and information obtained from the university personnel managing the accounts. The results of the 'SocialUniversity' project show that most Italian universities have active social network accounts; that Facebook is the platform of choice to answer the students' questions, while Twitter serves mostly as an online news channel; that Italian universities on average use social media platforms generally better than the Italian public administration; that in the specific subset of technical universities, a few Italian institutions have an online footprint comparable to some of the top European technical universities (e.g., the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich)


Lectin biochips and biosensors are used to detect and study the protein glycosylation. Glycosylation changes are accompanied by changes in physiological state, which may be associated with certain types of diseases such as cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, etc. In recent years, this issue has been attracting more and more scientists and enormous advances have been achieved in this field. This work is focused on the use of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) in combination with lectin biosensors and biochips enabling tracking glycosylation and its changes. SPR is commonly used to detect proteins and to study the protein-protein and protein-drug interactions. Lectin SPR biochips additionally allow us to detect the glycan (glycoprotein)-lectin (protein) interactions. The great advantage of SPR, as compared to most other methods used for this purpose, is the possibility of real-time and label-free measurements. On the other hand, the measurement of large number of samples is time consuming. This is possible to overcome by using the SPR imaging (SPRi) techniques allowing simultaneous measurement of several samples. Practical applications of the lectin SPR biosensors and biochips are not only in biology and biomedicine research and diagnosis of diseases and detection of pathogenic microorganisms, but also in environmental monitoring, food control and even in the military for the detection of substances based on glycoprotein toxins.