Afferent neurons from a proprioceptor [the femoral chordotonal organ (FCO)] at the femoro-tibial joint of a locust hindleg carry patterns of spikes to the CNS in which information is coded about the positions and movements of the tibia. Intracellular recordings from the afferents of this organ as they enter the CNS reveal spikes and depolarizing post- synaptic potentials (PSPs) during voluntary or imposed movements of the joint. Some of these PSPs are generated as a result of spikes in other FCO afferents, and can be evoked experimentally by electrical stimulation of the nerve from the organ. One afferent does not appear to synapse directly on another, but instead activates reliable pathways involving other central neurons. Current clamping of individual afferents in isolated ganglia shows that the PSPs are increased in amplitude by hyperpolarizing currents injected into an afferent, and decreased by depolarizing ones. They reverse at about -68 mV (n = 5). At the normal resting potential of the afferents, -72 mV (+/- 0.42 SE, n = 57), the PSPs are therefore depolarizing, and are associated with an increased conductance of the membrane. The changes in membrane potential and conductances associated with the PSPs can be mimicked by pressure injection of GABA into the regions of neuropil that contain the terminals of the afferents. The potential evoked by GABA is associated with an increased conductance of the membrane and reverses at the same potential as the PSPs. GABA also reduces the PSPs evoked in the terminals, either by movements of the FCO or by electrical stimulation of its nerve. The PSPs and the effects of the GABA-evoked potentials are mimicked by the GABA agonist muscimol. The PSPs are blocked reversibly by picrotoxin. The PSPs and the GABA-evoked potentials both alter the excitability of an afferent terminal by reducing the ability of the membrane to support an action potential. It is suggested that the PSPs are depolarizing, inhibitory potentials generated in the terminals of the afferents by central neurons that release GABA, and that their role is to change the efficacy of the afferent spikes at their first output synapses in the CNS. These interactions could form a graded, gain control mechanism for synaptic transmission at the afferent output synapses that is directly dependent on the features of the mechanical movements of the joint.


In many applications, sensors that map the positions of objects in unknown environments are installed on dynamic platforms. As measurements are relative to the observer's sensors, scene mapping requires accurate knowledge of the observer state. However, in practice, observer reports are subject to positioning errors. Simultaneous localization and mapping addresses the joint estimation problem of observer localization and scene mapping. State-of-the-art approaches typically use visual or optical sensors and therefore rely on static beacons in the environment to anchor the observer estimate. However, many applications involving sensors that are not conventionally used for Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) are affected by highly dynamic scenes, such that the static world assumption is invalid. This paper proposes a novel approach for dynamic scenes, called GEneralized Motion (GEM) SLAM. Based on probability hypothesis density filters, the proposed approach probabilistically anchors the observer state by fusing observer information inferred from the scene with reports of the observer motion. This paper derives the general, theoretical framework for GEM-SLAM, and shows that it generalizes existing Probability Hypothesis Density (PHD)-based SLAM algorithms. Simulations for a model-specific realization using range-bearing sensors and multiple moving objects highlight that GEM-SLAM achieves significant improvements over three benchmark algorithms.


Many literatures investigate the causal impact of income on economic outcomes, for example in the context of intergenerational transmission or well-being and health. Some studies have proposed to use employer wage differentials and in particular industry affiliation as an instrument for income. We demonstrate that industry affiliation is correlated with fixed individual characteristics, specifically parents education and own height, conditional on the covariates typically controlled for in these studies. These results suggest that there is selection into industries based on unobservables. As a result the exclusion restriction in many IV studies of this type is likely violated.


The age of initiation influence smoking habit in adult. Methods: On the annual PST survey from 2002 to 2015 on a randomized select sample of 2% of 12-19yo Parisian schoolchildren, We analysed the population according to age of initiation: until 14, 15-17yo, more than 17yo. Results: Among a total of 11 511 schoolchildren respondent from 18-19yo included in the 13 cross sectional surveys, 4 113 (35.7%) report an age of first experimentation of tobacco and are the study group. 47.7% are males, 52.3% females. Non-smokers respond on experimentation in 1.1% of case, ex-smokers in 43.4%, occasional smokers in 76.1 and daily smokers in 98.4% of case. An experience of tobacco before 15yo is associated with a 70.5% rate of daily smokers and 20.6% rate of occasional smokers at 18-19yo; when experienced came after 17yo a 56.5% daily smokers rate and 39.1% occasional smokers was reported at 18-19yo. The ratio of only daily smoker/smoker increase with the decrease of age of first experimentation. For an initiation before 15 years old, 77.4% for an initiation before 15yo, 74.1% for an initiation between 15 and 17 yo, and 66.0% for an initiation after 17yo. The tobacco dependence asses by HIS is higher in early experimenters. Conclusions: An initiation of tobacco before 15 years is associate with a high rate of daily smokers and high tobacco dependence at 18-19 yo. All measure who postpone the age of tobacco experimentation are welcome.


In this study, a method for normalization of the algorithmic complexity of electroencephalograph (EEG) is proposed. The effect of sampling rate on the algorithmic complexity and the feasibility of the proposed method is demonstrated with EEGs digitized at different sampling rates. Furthermore, the application of this method on evaluation of depth of anesthesia is presented with EEGs recorded in different states of anesthesia. The results suggest that normalization of the effect of sampling rate is indispensable and the proposed method could be helpful for researchers using the algorithmic complexity of EEG to evaluate the depth of anesthesia.


Two FtsZ paralogues (NbFtsZ1 and NbFtsZ2) were isolated from the unicellular green alga Nannochloris bacillaris Naumann. These sequences encoded proteins of 435 and 439 amino acids with tubulin signature motifs (GGGTG[T/S]G), which are important for GTP binding activity. NbFtsZ1 and NbFtsZ2 had four and three introns, respectively, and two different putative core promoters; a TATA box (TATAAAA) and an initiator element (CCCAGG) were located 40 bp and 80 bp upstream of the coding regions of NbFtsZ1 and NbFtsZ2, respectively. Southern blot hybridization and contour‐clamped homogeneous electric field electrophoresis showed that N. bacillaris contained at least one copy of each gene and that NbFtsZ1 was located on chromosome 5 and NbFtsZ2 on chromosome 3 or 4. Phylogenetically, NbFtsZ1 and NbFtsZ2 belong to the vascular plant protein families FtsZ1 and FtsZ2, respectively. The FtsZ1 proteins do not contain carboxy‐terminal consensus sequences, whereas all FtsZ2 proteins possess the consensus sequence (I/V)PxFL(R/K)(K/R)(K/R). Our study has shown that NbFtsZ2 possesses a similar consensus sequence (VPDFLRRK), whereas NbFtsZ1 does not, further supporting their classification as FtsZ2 and FtsZ1. Escherichia coli ftsZ mutants transformed with cloned NbFtsZ1, and NbFtsZ2 cDNAs were restored for the capacity to divide by binary fission, suggesting that the proteins retained the ability to function in the bacterium. An anti‐NbFtsZ2 antibody specifically recognized a single protein band of approximately 51 kDa on an immunoblot of N. bacillaris cellular proteins. Immunostaining of the algal cells with this antibody produced an intense fluorescent signal as a ring near the middle of the cell, which corresponded to the chloroplast division site.


Summary
Twenty-five adults and five children with intestinal amebiasis, including acute and chronic forms, were treated with emetine hydrochloride enteric-sealed tablets (Lilly), orally. Adults were given two grains daily for twelve days, and the children one grain daily for twelve days. No nausea or vomiting, nor other toxic symptoms were manifested. Nineteen of the adults, and all of the five children, were re-studied, as hosp tal patients, in from two to nine months following original treatment. Clinical cure was obtained in all cases, but parasitological cure failed in one adult, who was found to harbor E. histolytica trophozoites, seven months after receiving the drug.
The results obtained in this study indicate that emetine hydrochloride, in enteric-sealed tablets, administered orally, provides a concentration of emetine in the intestinal tract which closely approaches the amebicidal concentration necessary to eradicate the parasite, without producing toxic side effects.


textabstractCanada has a complex system of courts that seek to serve Canadians in view of the traditional objectives of civil justice – principally accessibility, efficiency, fairness, efficacy, proportionality and equality. The Canadian court system is generally considered by its users to work well and to have legitimacy. Yet, researchers have found that 'there is a tendency for people involved in a civil case to become disillusioned about the ability of the system to effect a fair and timely resolution to a civil justice problem'. This article will discuss the ways in which reforms of procedural law and civil justice have originated and continue to be made throughout Canada, both nationally and provincially, as well as the trends and influences in making these reforms. With hundreds of contemporary procedural reforms having been discussed, proposed and/or completed since the first days of Canadian colonisation on a national basis and in the Canadian provinces and territory, providing a detailed analysis will prove challenging. This article will nonetheless provide a review of civil justice and procedural reform issues in Canada, focusing principally, at the provincial level, on the systems of Ontario and Quebec. Importantly, I will seek to reconcile the increasing willingness to have an economically efficient civil justice and the increased power of judges in managing cases, with our court system's invasion of ADR and its prioritisation of informal modes of adjudication.


Reflectance spectroscopy is a rapid and non-destructive method that can be used to detect organic compounds in geologic samples over a wide range of spatial scales that includes outcrops, hand samples, drill cores, and planetary surfaces. In order to assess the viability of this technique for quantification of organics and aliphatic compounds in particular, the present study examines how clay mineralogy, water content, and albedo influence the strength of organic absorptions in near-infrared (NIR) reflectance spectra. The effects of clay structure and water content are evaluated using kaolinite, smectite (montmorillonite), and a mixed-layer illite-smectite as starting materials. Absorption strengths for C—H absorptions are compared to known total organic carbon (TOC) values using both reflectance spectra and single scattering albedo (SSA) spectra derived from a Hapke radiative transfer model. A linear relationship was observed between band depth and TOC for each sample suite, but strong albedo variation led to nonunique trends when band depths were calculated from reflectance spectra. These effects were minimized by conversion to SSA, for which band depth-TOC trends were similar for all mixture suites regardless of albedo or hydration level, indicating that this approach may be more broadly applicable for clay and organic-bearing samples. Extrapolation of band depth-TOC trends for the synthetic mixtures suggested a very conservative lower limit of detection of <1 wt.% TOC, but preliminary results for natural organicbearing shales indicated that detection limits may be an order of magnitude lower.


Affinity modification of E. coli DNA polymerase I and its Klenow fragment by imidazolides of dNMP (Im-dNMP) and dNTP was studied. DNA polymerase activity of DNA polymerase I was reduced by both Im-dNMP and Im-dNTP. However Im-dNTP does not inactivate of the Klenow fragment. The level of covalent labelling of both enzymes by radioactive Im-dNTP did not exceed 0.01 mol of reagent per mol of enzyme. But the deep inactivation of DNA polymerase I by Im-dNTP was observed. It is likely that this inactivation is due to the formation of intramolecular ether followed by phosphorylation of the carboxyl group. This assumption is strongly supported by the increase of the isoelectrical point of DNA polymerase I after its incubation with Im-dNTP in conditions of enzyme inactivation. All data permit us to suggest that the affinity modification of both enzymes by Im-dNMP and covalent labeling by Im-dNTP takes place without complementary binding of dNTP moiety with the template. However inactivation of DNA polymerase I by Im-dNTP occurs only if the dNTP-moiety is complementary to the template in the template.primer complex. It was shown that His residue was phosphorylated by Im-dNMP and Tyr or Ser residues between Met-802 and Met-848 were phosphorylated by Im-dNTP. We suppose that there are two states of DNA polymerase active site for the binding of dNTPs. One of them is independent on the template, in the other state the dNTP hydrogen bond with the template is formed.


Many early life-stage response studies to ocean acidification utilize gametes/offspring obtained from ambient-sourced parents, which are then directly introduced to experimentally altered seawater pH. This approach may produce a stress response potentially impacting development and survival. Hence, this study determined whether this approach is suitable by subjecting embryos/larvae to different rates of introduction to lowered seawater pH to assess larval success under acute and staggered experimental pH scenarios. Embryos and 4-armed larvae of the sea urchin Psammechinus miliaris were introduced to pH conditions, widely used in ocean acidification studies, from ambient conditions utilizing 380, 470, 560, 700 and 840 ppm CO2 changed at incremental steps at two rates: fast (every 3rd hour) or slow (every 48th hour). Direct transfers from ambient to low seawater pH gave rise to dramatic negative impacts (smaller size and low survival), but slower rates of introductions gave rise to lesser negative responses (low survival). There was no treatment effect on settled juveniles. Fast introductions utilized in many studies are likely not ideal approaches when assessing pre-settlement larval developmental responses. Therefore, careful consideration of the pattern of response is needed when studies report the responses of offspring, derived from ambient conditions, introduced directly to forecasted ocean acidification conditions.


CASTLE is a software framework that links various types of cognitive models to various virtual environment simulators, such as those used for military training. It supplies cognitive models with perceptual information about the virtual environment, and simulates the effects in the virtual environment of actions invoked by cognitive models, while imposing human-like limitations on perception and action.


The opening of the German Higher Education System for new target groups involves a heterogeneous composition of students as never before and face up the universities to new challenges. Due to different educational biographies, the students don't show a homogeneous level of knowledge. Furthermore, their access to course content and their individual learning methods are very diverse. The existing lack of knowledge and the very unequal study speed have a significant influence on the learning behavior and learning motivation. During the first semesters, the dropout rate is appreciably higher. The reform project gives an overview of a didactic restructuring from a formerly conventional teaching and learning concept to a stronger combination of digital offers, combined with classical lectures in the basic modules of Computer Science. The teaching content is adjusted to the individual requirements and knowledge. Students with different previous knowledge get the possibility to increase their knowledge in different levels of abstraction. The aim of the reform project has to point out the possibilities, also the challenges of the digital process in Higher Education. At the same time the question has to be explored, how far does an accompanied and self-directed learning in own speed and in own individual depth of knowledge have a positive impact on the motivation and on the study success of a learner.


The periodontal ligament (PDL) functions both in tension and in compression. The presence of an extensive vascular network inside the tissue suggests a significant contribution of the fluid phase to the mechanical response. This study examined the load response of bovine PDL under different pore pressure levels. A custom-made pressure chamber was constructed. Rod-shaped specimens comprising portions of dentine, bone, and intervening layer of PDL were extracted from bovine mandibular molars. The dentine ends of the specimens were secured to the actuator while the bone ends were affixed to the load cell. The entire assemblage was surrounded by the pressure chamber, which was then filled with saline. Specimens loaded at 1.0 Hz sinusoidal displacement were subjected to four different environmental fluid pressures (i.e., pressures of 0.0-1.0 MPa). The video images recorded during the tests were analyzed to determine whether or not fluid exchange between the PDL and the surrounding medium took place during mechanical loading. A value for the tissue's apparent Poisson ratio was also determined. The following observations were made: (1) fluid was squeezed out and pumped into the ligament during the compressive and tensile loading phases, (2) the PDL was highly compressible, and (3) the pore pressure had no influence on the mechanical response of the PDL. The present tests emphasized the biphasic structure of PDL tissue, which should be considered as a porous solid matrix through which fluid can freely flow.


The aim of this paper is to provide a critical overview of the literature on the Greek diaspora and migration during the twentieth century. In others words, this study attempts to offer a historiographical approach, focusing mainly on Greek-language literature and, in particular, on landmark works in Greek migration studies. Anyone attempting to write about the history of Greek migration is faced with a daunting task, considering that a series of individual concepts must be clarified and positioned in space and time. Migration in modern Greek history is not a phenomenon exclusive to the twentieth century; the permanent presence of Greeks in central Europe from the fifteenth to nineteenth centuries incited the interest of a significant number of Greek historiographers in the twentieth century. In this context, for instance, the use during the twentieth century in the Greek-language literature of terms such as apodimos, apoikia, paroikia or repatriation reflects ruptures and continuities and illuminates the political changes in Greek society and the broader ideological shift in socials sciences. At the same time, the early post-junta period marked not only a systematic shift towards the study of the Greek diaspora and migration, but also a differentiation in its approach by entering into continuous dialogue with other disciplines. However, because diaspora and migration studies is now an interdisciplinary field, an overall analysis of it lies beyond the scope of this work.


Literature asserts that prenatal
care is an imperative factor for subsequent health care utilization. However,
in the Indian settings presence of selection bias while determining the impact of
ANC visits on institutional delivery has been overlooked by the researchers. Therefore
this paper aims to examine the net impact of ANC visits on subsequent utilization
of institutional delivery after removing the presence of selection bias using
recent round of National Family Health survey data. The analysis has been carried
out in two separate models, in the first model 1-2 ANC visits been compared with
no visit and in the second model three or more antenatal care visits with no visit.
The propensity score matching analysis used in this study sheds new light into this
line of research which provides an effective strategy for controlling the confounding
influence of institutional delivery. Employing the propensity score matching estimation approach we found women who made 1-2 ANC visits had 6.6 percent higher
chance to deliver in an institution compared to women who made no visit. In addition,
if a woman visited health centre three or more than three times, her chances were
31 percent higher to deliver in an institution. Result based on sensitivity analysis
suggests that selection bias on unobserved covariates would have to be around 40
percent to alter the impact of 1-2 ANC visits. Findings suggest that interventions
which plan to increase institutional delivery should target pregnant women who
come for ANC checkups at institution first time, and health workers should encourage women to return to the health centre for more numbers of
visits, as our results indicate that three or more ANC visits significantly change
the women's attitudes towards institutional delivery.


The hydration of the oxygen-evolving complex (OEC) was characterized in the dark stable S1 state of photosystem II using water R1(ω) NMR dispersion (NMRD) profiles. The R1(ω) NMRD profiles were recorded over a frequency range from 0.01 MHz to 40 MHz for both intact and Mn-depleted photosystem II core complexes from Thermosynechococcus vulcanus (T. vulcanus). The intact-minus-(Mn)-depleted difference NMRD profiles show a characteristic dispersion from approximately 0.03 MHz to 1 MHz, which is interpreted on the basis of the Solomon-Bloembergen-Morgan (SBM) and the slow motion theories as being due to a paramagnetic enhanced relaxation (PRE) of water protons. Both theories are qualitatively consistent with the ST = 1, g = 4.9 paramagnetic state previously described for the S1 state of the OEC; however, an alternative explanation involving the loss of a separate class of long-lived internal waters due to the Mn-depletion procedure can presently not be ruled out. Using a point-dipole approximation the PRE-NMRD effect can be described as being caused by 1-2 water molecules that are located about 10 Å away from the spin center of the Mn4CaO5 cluster in the OEC. The application of the SBM theory to the dispersion observed for PSII in the S1 state is questionable, because the parameters extracted do not fulfil the presupposed perturbation criterion. In contrast, the slow motion theory gives a consistent picture indicating that the water molecules are in fast chemical exchange with the bulk (τw < 1 μs). The modulation of the zero-field splitting (ZFS) interaction suggests a (restricted) reorientation/structural equilibrium of the Mn4CaO5 cluster with a characteristic time constant of τZFS = 0.6-0.9 μs.


Forest development following major disturbance is thought to follow a fairly repeatable temporal pattern. An initial cohort of trees establishes relatively rapidly (stand initiation), new establishment is precluded for an extended period (stem exclusion), and finally, new individuals again begin to establish, creating new age-classes in the forest understory (understory reinitiation), eventually leading to an uneven-aged condition. The current study was designed to assess the generality of this developmental paRern at the landscape level and gain insight into the possible mechanisms controlling stem exclusion and understory reinitiation in even-aged forests. Research was conducted within two bigtooth aspen (Populus grandidentata Michx.) dominated landscapes in northern Lower Michigan having similar physical site characteristics, overstory compositions, and disturbance histories. The objectives for the study included (i) assessing the repeatability of development patterns within and between the tWOlandscapes and (i0 exploring relationships between the timing of understory reinitiation and overstory growth Characteristics and seed availability. Stem analysis was used to reconstruct establishment and growth histories of surviving stems in mature forest on replicate plots within each landscape. The age distributions of surviving individuals of all tree species in both forests reflected a developmental pattern characterized by rapid initial cohort establishment lasting 5-15 years, stem exclusion lasting 25-35 years, and understory reinitiation. The duration and timing of the developmental stages on the replicate plots were similar both within and between the two landscapes. There were, however, a small number of plots in landscape 2 that had substantially reduced stem exclusion lengths, relative to the remaining plots in both forests. Variation in the timing of understory reinitiation in landscape 2 was related to characteristics of remnant eastern white pine (Plnus strobus L.) seed trees. The stem exclusion period was shorter, or almost nonexistent, on plots close to several large seed trees because of early, low-frequency establishment of white pine in the understory. Substantial increases in the frequency of understory establishment on all plots in landscape 2, as well as all new understory establishment on plots in landscape 1, were often associated with radial growth increases in overstory stems. The radial growth increases presumably reflected an increase in resource availability, possibly occurring in response to a concentrated wave of natural thinning within the bigtooth aspen dominated overstory. These results suggests that the timing of understory reinitiation may have been influenced by variation in seed availability interacting with changes in resource availability in the forest understory. A limited amount of new establishment occurred relatively early in forest development on plots that experienced abundant early seed rain, yet the bulk of new establishment occurred only after an increase in resource availability in the understory. The general patterns of forest development described in this study were similar both within and between landscapes. Similar descriptive studies are needed to address the repeatability of development patterns at the landscape level within other forest types. Additionally, experimental studies are needed to unequivocally identify the mechanisms controlling stem exclusion and understory reinitiation in even-aged forests.


Abstract : The dynamic nature of the future security environment necessitates better retention of diversified talent among officers from the Millennial Generational Cohort. Although the U.S. Army has done well to attract a diverse and talented group of junior officers at commissioning, a revision of the Army s Personnel System that incorporates a more personalized management approach could help to motivate and retain millennial officers and better prepare them for senior leadership. Lieutenant colonels and colonels must provide the transformational leadership and innovation needed to create the intrinsic value that millennials seek in their profession. In order to explore what is most appealing to talented millennial officers and what is most effective for the Army, this Carlisle Paper will explore, as its methodology, the salient features of leadership theory, the characteristics of the Millennial Generational Cohort, and what senior leaders must do to improve attraction, motivation, and retention of millennial officers in the U.S. Army.


This study determines site-response factors that can be applied as cor- rections to a rock-attenuation relationship for use in probabilistic seismic-hazard analysis. The site-response factors are amplitude and site-class dependent. These amplification factors are determined by averaging ratios between observed and pre- dicted ground motions for peak ground acceleration (PGA) and for 5% damped re- sponse spectral acceleration at 0.3, 1.0, and 3.0 sec oscillator periods. The observa- tions come from the strong-motion database of the Southern California Earthquake Center (SCEC), and the predictions are based on the Sadigh (1993) rock-attenuation relation. When separated and averaged according to surface geology, significantly different site-response factors are found for Quaternary and Mesozoic units, but a subclassification of Quaternary is generally not justified by the data. The low input- motion amplification factors are consistent with those obtained from independent aftershock studies at the PGA and 0.3-second period. An observed trend of decreasing Quaternary site amplification with higher input motion is consistent with nonlinear soil behavior; however, the trend exists for Mesozoic sites as well, implying that this may be an artifact of the Sadigh relationship. There is a correlation between larger site-response factors and lower average shear-wave velocity in the upper 30 m for low predicted PGA input motions, with an increase in the correlation with increasing period. The 0.3-sec site response factors for Quaternary data in southern California determined in this study are consistent with 0.3-sec NEHRP site-response correction factors; however, at 1.0-sec period some inconsistencies remain. A trend is also seen with respect to sediment basin depth, where deeper sites have higher average site- response factors. These results constitute a customized attenuation relationship for southern California. The implication of these customized attenuation models with respect to probabilistic hazard analysis is examined in Field and Petersen (2000).


This paper offers a retrospective assessment of economist George Stigler's classic article, The Theory of Economic Regulation. Stigler argued that regulation is a product that, just like any other product, is produced in a market, and that it can be acquired from the governmental "marketplace" by business firms to serve their private interests and create barriers to entry for potential competitors. He challenged the idea that regulation arises solely to serve the public interest and demonstrated that important political advantages held by businesses can contribute to industry capture of the regulatory process. Although his argument was largely based on the theoretical framework he developed, Stigler also illustrated his insights with empirical evidence from state-level regulatory schemes, including trucking regulation and occupational licensing. In this paper, we re-examine Stigler's argument and analysis more than forty years later. Despite the great value of Stigler's work in illuminating the problem of regulatory capture, his influential article nevertheless did exaggerate the power of business over regulators, as he suggested the existence of nearly an iron law of business control that clearly does not exist. He also confusingly conflated elected legislators with more independent agency bureaucrats, failed to rule out the public interest theory of regulation, and relied in part on unrealistic assumptions about the political economy of regulation. Notwithstanding these shortcomings, Stigler's ground-breaking theory holds enduring value to both scholars and policymakers, and his innovative use of economic principles and empirical analysis provides a much-needed template for the further study of regulation and regulatory institutions even today.


Purpose To predict the malignant potential of prostate cancer (PCa) according to prostate-specific antigen velocity (PSAV), PSA density (PSAD), free/total PSA ratio (%fPSA), and digital rectal examination (DRE). Materials and Methods From January 2009 to December 2012, 548 adult male patients were diagnosed with PCa by prostate biopsy at four hospitals in Korea. We retrospectively analyzed 155 adult male patients with an initial PSA level ≤10 ng/mL and whose PSA levels had been checked more than two times at least 6 months before they had been diagnosed with PCa, with test intervals of more than 3 months. Patients with a urinary tract infection, and patients who had previously undergone cystoscopy or surgery of the prostate were excluded. We separated patients into two groups according to Gleason sum [Gleason sum ≤7 (n=134) or Gleason sum ≥8 (n=21)] and the presence of extracapsular invasion [organ confined (n=129) or extracapsular invasion (n=26)]. Differences between the groups were compared. Results The group with a Gleason sum ≥8 or extracapsular invasion of PCa showed high PSAV and significantly lower %fPSA. There were no significant differences in PSAD and the presence of an abnormality on DRE between two groups. Conclusion In PCa patients treated with other therapies besides prostatectomy, a high PSA velocity and a low %fPSA may predict high grade PCa with a Gleason sum ≥8 or the presence of extracapsular invasion.


[1] Perfettini et al. (2005) suggested that the temporal dependence of surface displacements u(t) measured in the epicentral area following an earthquake is related to N(t), the cumulative number of aftershocks, by the equation u(t) = a + bt + cN(t) + d(1 − e−αt), where a, b, c, d, and α are constants chosen to fit the data and t is the postearthquake time. N(t) appears in the expression for u(t) because both the aftershocks and a portion of u(t) are thought to be driven by the same source, postseismic fault creep at subseismogenic depths on the downdip extension of the coseismic rupture. We show that this equation with the actually observed N(t) fits the postseismic displacements recorded on several baselines following each of five earthquakes: 1999 M7.6 Chi-Chi (Taiwan), 1999 M7.1 Hector Mine (southern California), 2002 M7.9 Denali (central Alaska), 2003 M6.5 San Simeon (central California), and 2004 M6.0 Parkfield (central California) earthquakes. Although there are plausible physical interpretations for each of the terms in the expression for u(t), the large number of adjustable constants (a, b, c, d, and α) involved in fitting the rather simple postseismic displacements diminishes the significance of the fit. Because the observed N(t) is well fit by the modified Omori's law, fault creep at depth presumably exhibits the same temporal dependence. That dependence could be explained if the rheology of the fault downdip from the coseismic rupture is consistent with ordinary transient creep. Montesi (2004) demonstrated that power law creep across a shear zone at depth would also produce that temporal signal.


Scaffolding proteins that bind to and organize components of signaling pathways into macromolecular complexes are crucial to the efficiency, specificity, and speed of various signaling pathways. For instance, INAD (inactivation, no after-potential D), a PDZ domain-containing scaffolding protein that, together with three of its binding partners, constitutes the core complex of the Drosophila phototransduction cascade, is critical to the electrical response to light (see Montell). Using x-ray crystallography, Mishra et al. found that, in the oxidized state, the fifth INAD PDZ protein interaction domain (PDZ5) assumed a distorted conformation inconsistent with canonical ligand binding. This conformation depended on an intramolecular disulfide bond and, in the reduced state, PDZ5 structurally resembled other PDZ domains. In transgenic flies expressing wild-type INAD, light exposure led to formation of the disulfide bond (and thus the oxidized conformation), whereas subsequent darkness was associated with return to the reduced form; development of the oxidized form was attenuated in flies lacking the major isoform of rhodopsin. Electrophysiological analysis of isolated photoreceptor cells expressing a mutant form of INAD in which PDZ5 only existed in the reduced conformation indicated that the sensitivity of the mutant form to light was normal but that loss of a refractory period led to defective termination of the response to bright light. Moreover, flies with the mutant INAD showed a defective escape response to a brief exposure to darkness (mimicking the shadow of a predator). Thus, rather than performing a purely passive function in organizing signaling proteins, INAD appears to play a dynamic role in the Drosophila phototransduction pathway. P. Mishra, M. Socolich, M. A. Wall, J. Graves, Z. Wang, R. Ranganathan, Dynamic scaffolding in a G protein-coupled signaling system. Cell 131, 80-92 (2007). [PubMed] C. Montell, Dynamic regulation of the INAD signaling scaffold becomes crystal clear. Cell 131, 19-21 (2007). [PubMed]


Famennian (Late Devonian) ostracods of the Thuringian Mega-Assemblage were recovered for the first time from three incomplete sections of the Ayineburnu Member of the Büyükada Formation in the Denizliköy area (Gebze, NW Turkey), which were sampled for conodonts. Conodont faunas define an interval extending from the Upper rhomboidea? or Lower marginifera Zone into the Middle expansa Zone of the standard Upper Devonian conodont zonation. The ostracod faunas found here consist of species mainly with thin-walls, long spines and often smooth surfaces such as Rectonaria, Tricornina, Orthonaria, Triplacera, Beckerhealdia, Timorhealdia, Bohemina, Paraberounella and Acratia. These taxa indicate faunal relationship with Thuringia and the Rhenish Massif in Germany, the Cantabrian Mountains and Pyrenees in Spain, Holy Cross Mountains in Poland, North Africa and China.


Long-baseline optical interferometers can now detect and resolve hot dust emission thought to arise at the inner edge of circumstellar disks around young stellar objects (YSOs). We argue that the near-infrared sizes being measured are closely related to the radius at which dust is sublimated by the stellar radiation field. We consider how realistic dust optical properties and gas opacity dramatically affect the predicted location of this dust destruction radius, an exercise routinely done in other contexts but so far neglected in the analysis of near-infrared sizes of YSOs. We also present the accumulated literature of near-infrared YSO sizes in the form of a size-luminosity diagram and compare with theoretical expectations. We find evidence that large (≳1.0 μm) dust grains predominate in the inner disks of T Tauri and Herbig Ae/Be stars, under the assumption that the innermost gaseous disks are optically thin at visible wavelengths.


Autosuggest is an important feature in any search applications. Currently, most applications only suggest a single term based on how frequent that term appears in the indexed documents or how often it is searched upon. These approaches might not provide the most relevant suggestions because users often enter a series of related query terms to answer a question they have in mind. In this project, we implemented the Smart Solr Suggester plugin using a context-based approach that takes into account the relationships among search keywords. In particular, we used the keywords that the user has chosen so far in the search text box as the context to autosuggest their next incomplete keyword. This context-based approach uses the relationships between entities in the graph data that the user is searching on and therefore would provide more meaningful suggestions.


We study the zero-point and thermal ionic motion in La2CuO4 by means of high-resolution neutron-diffraction experiments. Our results demonstrate anisotropic motion of O and, to a lesser extent, Cu ions, both consistent with the structure of coupled CuO6 octahedra, and quantify the relative effects of zero-point and thermal contributions to ionic motion. By substitution of O-18, we find that the oxygen isotope effect on the lattice dimensions is small and negative (-0.01%), while the isotope effect on the ionic displacement parameters is significant (-6 to 50%). We use our results as input for theoretical estimates of the distribution of magnetic interaction parameters, J, in an effective one-band model for the cuprate plane. We find that ionic motion causes only small (1%) effects on the average value , which vary with temperature and O isotope, but results in dramatic (10-20%) fluctuations in J values that are subject to significant (8-12%) isotope effects. We demonstrate that this motional broadening of J can have substantial effects on certain electronic and magnetic properties in cuprates.


Whereas most research has focused on the commercial uses of television audience measurement, this article examines the political dimension of audience measurement in a comparative study of France, Israel, the United Kingdom, and the United States. It identifies three types of relationships between the state and measurement. The guarantor state performs measurement via a public broadcaster and is involved in its implementation, be it as shareholder of the organization in charge of measurement, as reformer, or as supervisor of measurement procedures. The regulator state introduces audience measurement figures as criteria for policy into constraining legal texts, mostly to regulate concentration. The reader state interprets audience measurement figures as legitimate representations of the public. This political dimension helps explain the semiofficial status of measurement institutions across the countries studied.


In this work, we show that the sliding window embeddings of certain audio novelty functions (ANFs) representing songs with rhythmic subdivisions concentrate on the boundary of non-orientable surfaces such as the Möbius strip. This insight provides a radically different topological approach to classifying types of rhythm hierarchies. In particular, we use tools from topological data analysis (TDA) to detect subdivisions, and we use thresholds derived from TDA to build graphs at different scales. The Laplacian eigenvectors of these graphs contain information which can be used to estimate tempos of the subdivisions. We show a proof of concept example on an audio snippet from the MIREX tempo training dataset, and we hope in future work to find a place for this in other MIR pipelines.


The COVID-19 pandemic, which has entered our lives unexpectedly and rapidly and has been continuing for more than 1 year, seriously affects mental health as well as physical health Still, restrictions have been continued in many countries due to the occurrence of new mutations, the lack of adequate vaccination, and the high number of cases and deaths Although the disease progresses with milder symptoms in children and adolescents, their physical activity has been restricted during the pandemic to prevent the spread of disease, especially with the closure of schools Children and adolescents continues to develop in physically, cognitive and emotionally, thus the effects of the pandemic can be devastating Because of the effects of pandemic and fear of COVID-19, depression, anxiety and PTSD have been observed more, on the other hand, screen time has increased with the closure of schools and increase of time spent at home, maybe it will be a predictive factor for behavioral addictions At the same time, some behavioral problems have been observed and increased in children and adolescents especially with neurodevelopmental disorders Children with special needs have become more sensitive to the effects of the pandemic due to disruption of special education processes The pandemic, which is not yet clear when it will end, will continue to affect mental health of both children, adolescents and adults in the coming years not only now


Propargyl bromide (3‐bromo‐propyne, 3BP) is a potential replacement for the soil fumigant methyl bromide. Since little is known about its movement in soil, a study was conducted to compare the volatilization and movement of 3BP in the soil profile for different irrigation treatments. A rectangular soil column was used to simulate a bed–furrow system. The surface of the bed was covered with high‐density polyethylene (HDPE) plastic (i.e., a tarp). The furrow was left uncovered. Multiple volatilization chambers were used to measure emissions from the furrows, the slopes of the bed, and the bed. The soil was fumigated by injecting 1.0 mL of 3BP to the center of the column. Three treatments were studied, no irrigation, a single 5‐h surface irrigation 24 h after fumigation, and a 2‐h daily surface irrigation. Volatilization was about three times greater from nonirrigated soil. Irrigation and higher initial soil moisture content were more effective in controlling 3BP volatilization than the use of a HDPE tarp. Volatilization and degradation were similar for both irrigation treatments, but the 2‐h irrigation had the advantage of requiring one‐third less water. Volatilization rates from the slopes of the bed were lower than from the bed surface. To obtain accurate total mass, volatilization chambers should cover the whole bed–furrow system. Short advective gas and liquid fluxes created by the irrigation had pronounced and prolonged effect on 3BP distribution and degradation. Henry's Law could not be used to predict the 3BP distribution pattern in the liquid phase even long after the irrigation ceased.


CCNP TSHOOT 642-832 Official Certification Guide Kevin Wallace, CCIE No. 7945 CCNP TSHOOT Exam Preparation Master CCNP TSHOOT 642-832 exam topics Assess your knowledge with chapter-opening quizzes Review key concepts with Exam Preparation Tasks Practice with realistic exam questions on the CD-ROM The official study guide helps you master all the topics on the CCNP TSHOOT exam, including Common network maintenance tasks and tools Troubleshooting models Cisco IOS troubleshooting commands and features Troubleshooting Cisco Catalyst Switches and STP Troubleshooting BGP, OSPF, and EIGRP routing protocols Route redistribution, security, and router performance troubleshooting IP services and IP communications troubleshooting IPv6 troubleshooting Large enterprise network troubleshooting CCNP TSHOOT 642-832 Official Certification Guide is a best-of-breed Cisco exam study guide that focuses specifically on the objectives for the CCNP TSHOOT exam. Senior instructor and best-selling author Kevin Wallace shares preparation hints and test-taking tips, helping you identify areas of weakness and improve both your conceptual knowledge and hands-on skills. Material is presented in a concise manner, focusing on increasing your understanding and retention of exam topics. CCNP TSHOOT 642-832 Official Certification Guide presents you with an organized test preparation routine through the use of proven series elements and techniques. Do I Know This Already? quizzes open each chapter and enable you to decide how much time you need to spend on each section. Exam topic lists make referencing easy. Chapter-ending Exam Preparation Tasks sections help drill you on key concepts you must know thoroughly. The companion CD-ROM contains a powerful testing engine that enables you to focus on individual topic areas or take complete, timed exams. The assessment engine also tracks your performance and provides feedback on a module-by-module basis, laying out a complete study plan for review. Well regarded for its level of detail, assessment features, and challenging review questions and exercises, this official study guide helps you master the concepts and techniques that will enable you to succeed on the exam the first time. CCNP TSHOOT 642-832 Official Certification Guide is part of a recommended learning path from Cisco that includes simulation and hands-on training from authorized Cisco Learning Partners and self-study products from Cisco Press. To find out more about instructor-led training, e-learning, and hands-on instruction offered by authorized Cisco Learning Partners worldwide, please visit www.cisco.com/go/authorizedtraining. Kevin Wallace, CCIE No. 7945, is a certified Cisco instructor who holds multiple Cisco certifications including CCSP, CCVP, CCNP, and CCDP, in addition to multiple security and voice specializations. With Cisco experience dating back to 1989 (beginning with a Cisco AGS+ running Cisco IOS 7.x), Kevin has been a network design specialist for the Walt Disney World Resort, a senior technical instructor for SkillSoft/Thomson NETg/KnowledgeNet, and a network manager for Eastern Kentucky University. This volume is part of the Official Certification Guide Series from Cisco Press. Books in this series provide officially developed exam preparation materials that offer assessment, review, and practice to help Cisco Career Certification candidates identify weaknesses, concentrate their study efforts, and enhance their confidence as exam day nears. Companion CD-ROM The CD-ROM contains 100 practice questions for the exam developed by Cisco Press and delivered by the Boson Exam Environment (BEE). Bosons ExSim-Max premium practice exams available at www.boson.com Category: Cisco PressCisco Certification Covers: CCNP TSHOOT exam 642-832


Drawing from the Uses and Gratifications Theory, this study examined the Gratification Sought and the Gratification Obtained from using Social Networking Sites among Iranian, Malaysian, British, and South African higher education students. This comparison allowed to drawing conclusions about how social networking sites fulfill users' needs with different cultures. Data were collected through a quantitative study applying online and paper- based questionnaire carried out in 2013, using a representative sample (N=320). Findings showed differences in students' motivation to join to and to use of social network sites in each country. Interestingly, the researchers found that cultural differences may determine the uses and gratifications of social networking sites.


Abstract Little is known about cultural change on the inlets of the northern subcoastal plains of the Alligator Rivers region during the transition period between sea-level highstand c.8,000 BP and the establishment of freshwater wetlands (c.2,000 BP to present). The research presented here begins to fill this gap by illustrating differences in Indigenous land-use at two sites only a few kilometres apart and both dating to c.1,000 years ago. Located on the lower reaches of the South Alligator River within what is now Kakadu National Park, the earth mound Myaranji 1 and the shell midden Djindibi 1 provide a snapshot of settlement and subsistence strategies practiced on the floodplains in the late Holocene. This paper presents the analyses of the cultural materials recovered from these two open sites, including those of invertebrate and vertebrate faunal remains, shell and stone artefacts, and pigment on artefacts. Interpretation of the data suggests that occupation was relatively short-lived. Differential representation of food resources indicates that each site was occupied in different seasons. Both local manufacture and regional connectivity are suggested by ochre use and stone artefact working. Evidence from other regional sites implies a subsequent focus for settlement to the south and east.


We analyzed the effects of queen removal on male and queen production in the bumble bee, Bombus terrestris. In total, 43 Bombus terrestris colonies were reared under standard laboratory rearing conditions. Before the competition point, when the colonies comprised 35-40 workers and many diploid larvae, we removed the queens from 20 randomly selected colonies to test the effects of queenlessness. The timing of gyne production in queenless colonies (25.6 ± 1.5 days) was significantly earlier than in queenright colonies (32.8 ± 3.2 days). Although queen removal had a significant effect on the timing of gyne production, there was no significant difference between the timing of the switch point, or the number of gynes and males produced in the queenright and queenless colonies.


ABSTRACT Why is it that many people fail to seek retirement planning advice when doing so is clearly indicated? Distrust of financial intermediaries is often presented as the common answer. But this paper shows that trust issues are only part of the answer; an appreciable proportion of individuals experience anxiety at the prospect of visiting a financial adviser. In the present investigation, financial adviser anxiety is studied among 950 Dutch adults over the age of 50. Anxiety levels were measured using a six-item scale that was administered as part of a larger nationwide investigation on retirement attitudes and behaviour. Findings revealed that nearly one-third of respondents reported having moderate to severe levels of anxiety at the prospect of visiting a financial professional. Furthermore, a hierarchical regression analysis revealed that strong predictors of anxiety included one's educational level, income, age, level of future time perspective, risk tolerance, financial knowledge and scepticism regarding whether advice from a financial professional can be trusted. A cluster analysis using demographic and psychological covariates identified three separate groups of older adults that were found to differ in terms of their mean level of anxiety. Those who had low levels of education and low incomes were found to disproportionately display high levels of financial adviser anxiety.


Abstract This paper reports the findings of a qualitative study into the lived experience of fibromyalgia. Fibromyalgia is a complex condition that is characterised by variability of symptoms and severity. Instead of applying a purely narrative interview approach, this research used a creative and expressive means drawing on interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) to make sense of the data, whilst applying an attitude of openness and responsiveness. In line with IPA, the findings reported here refer to a homogenous group of 5 participants drawn from a larger pool of participants. Participants were asked to create an identity box. They were required to respond to questions using physical and metaphorical representations and objects. The analysis and discussion highlight the link between existing theoretical conceptualisations of illness experiences and the participants' fibromyalgia experience. The women talk about losses and gains in relation to fibromyalgia, but their overall sentiment is one of acceptance of the illness whilst continuing to fight the symptoms and trying to mitigate their impact. While liminality, biographical disruption, identity continuity and new normalcy are experienced and while elements of restitution, quest and chaos narratives can be identified, the fibromyalgia experience is more complex. It is argued that the chosen methodology through the identity boxes and the metaphorical representation allowed for this more holistic view of the fibromyalgia experience.


We have developed a mathematically rigorous and experimentally-validated post-hoc specification of the behaviour of TCP, UDP, and the Sockets API. It characterises the API and network-interface interactions of a host, using operational semantics in the higher-order logic of the HOL automated proof assistant. The specification is detailed, covering almost all the information of the real-world communications: it is in terms of individual TCP segments and UDP datagrams, though it abstracts from the internals of IP. It has broad coverage, dealing with arbitrary API call sequences and incoming messages, not just some well-behaved usage. It is also accurate, closely based on the de facto standard of (three of) the widelydeployed implementations. To ensure this we have adopted a novel experimental semantics approach, developing test generation tools and symbolic higher-order-logic model checking techniques that let us validate the specification directly against several thousand traces captured from the implementations. The resulting specification, which is annotated for the non-HOL-specialist reader, may be useful as an informal reference for TCP/IP stack implementors and Sockets API users, supplementing the existing informal standards and texts. It can also provide a basis for high-fidelity automated testing of future implementations, and a basis for design and formal proof of higher-level communication layers. More generally, the work demonstrates that it is feasible to carry out similar rigorous specification work at design-time for new protocols. We discuss how such a design-for-test approach should influence protocol development, leading to protocol specifications that are both unambiguous and clear, and to high-quality implementations that can be tested directly against those specifications. This document gives an overview of the project, discussing the goals and techniques and giving an introduction to the specification. The specification itself is given in the companion volume: TCP, UDP, and Sockets: rigorous and experimentally-validated behavioural specification. Volume 2: The Specification. Steven Bishop, Matthew Fairbairn, Michael Norrish, Peter Sewell, Michael Smith, and Keith Wansbrough. xxiv+359pp. [BFN05] which is automatically typeset from the (extensively annotated) HOL source. As far as possible we have tried to make the work accessible to four groups of intended readers: workers in networking (implementors of TCP/IP stacks, and designers of new protocols); in distributed systems (implementors of software above the Sockets API); in distributed algorithms (for whom this may make it possible to prove properties about executable implementations of those algorithms); and in semantics and automated reasoning.


Many of the characteristics used in sea anemone taxonomy can only be examined through histological sections. Since there is no standardized procedure for this purpose, various anesthesia and fixation techniques applied to specimens of the intertidal species Anthopleura hermaphroditica and Bunodactis hermafroditica are discussed. Additionally, further modifications are proposed to the Masson's trichrome method according to the results obtained on these species. The combined effect of the short application of menthol crystals, together with small doses of MgCl2 were the most satisfactory anesthetics for maintaining the specimens expanded. The best preparations were obtained from samples fixed for several months in 8% seawater formalin; however, in order to achieve a good differentiation of the tissue, mordanting the samples with Bouin's fixative was necessary. Besides being a fast method, the modified Masson's trichrome gives very good contrasts between the epithelia and the mesoglea, and allows controlling the timing of differentiation during staining. The present paper includes suggestions and precautions and thus offers practical help for the histological study of sea anemones.


ABSTRACT Deepstaria enigmatica (Semaeostomeae: Ulmaridae) is one of the largest and most mysterious invertebrate predators of the deep sea. Humans have encountered this jellyfish on only a few occasions and many questions related to its biology, distribution, diet, environmental tolerances, and behavior remain unanswered. In the 45 years since its formal description, there have been few recorded observations of D. enigmatica, due to the challenging nature of encountering these delicate soft-bodied organisms. Members of Deepstaria, which comprises two described species, D. enigmatica and D. reticulum, reside in the meso-bathypelagic region of the world's oceans, at depths ranging from ∼600 to 1750 m. Here we report observations of a large D. enigmatica (68.3 cm length × 55.7 cm diameter) using a custom color high-definition low-light imaging system mounted on a scientific remotely operated vehicle (ROV). Observations were made of a specimen capturing or "bagging" prey, and we report on the kinetics of the closing motion of its membranelike umbrella. In the same area, we also noted a Deepstaria "jelly-fall" carcass with a high density of crustaceans feeding on its tissue and surrounding the carcass. These observations provide direct evidence of singular Deepstaria carcasses acting as jelly falls, which only recently have been reported to be a significant food source in the deep sea.


The main topic of this thesis is the regulation of transcription of the citM gene of Bacillus subtilis, encoding the major metal citrate transporter. CitM belongs to a small family of secondary transport proteins, the MeCit family, that is comprised of 12 members. CitM mediates the transport of metal citrate (Me2+*:citrate3-) across the cell membrane in an electrogenic pmf-driven manner, meaning that at least two protons are cotransported. The divalent metal ions that can be taken up in complex with nitrate include magnesium, manganese, nickel, cobalt and zinc.


When soil is contaminated with silver (Ag), plants take up Ag and is concentrated in roots and leaves, with its effects reflected in crop health and yield. This study investigated the toxicity of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and silver nitrate (AgNO3 as Ag+) to sunflower seeds grown in soils amended with 150 mg/kg of Ag either as AgNPs or AgNO3. Exposure of the sunflower seeds to soils amended with Ag increased plant lipid peroxidation, activities of antioxidants enzymes (catalase, superoxide dismutase, glutathione-S-transferase), peroxidases (glutathione peroxidase pyrogallol peroxidase, guaiacol peroxidase), oxidases (ascorbate oxidase), urease, total phenolic compounds, vitamins (retinols, alpha-tocopherol and L-ascorbic acid) but inhibited chlorophyll, total carotenoids, total soluble carbohydrates, phenolic compounds and total soluble proteins. In general, AgNO3 increased the above-mentioned parameters in sunflower more than did AgNPs, except for the tested vitamins, which were more affected by AgNPs. The results showed that Ag accumulation in the root > leaf > stem and human food security risk is enhanced in sunflower seeds exposed to Ag compounds.


The measurement of BMD by dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry (DXA) is the "gold standard" for diagnosing osteoporosis but does not directly reflect deterioration in bone microarchitecture. The trabecular bone score (TBS), a novel gray‐level texture measurement that can be extracted from DXA images, correlates with 3D parameters of bone microarchitecture. Our aim was to evaluate the ability of lumbar spine TBS to predict future clinical osteoporotic fractures. A total of 29,407 women 50 years of age or older at the time of baseline hip and spine DXA were identified from a database containing all clinical results for the Province of Manitoba, Canada. Health service records were assessed for the incidence of nontraumatic osteoporotic fracture codes subsequent to BMD testing (mean follow‐up 4.7 years). Lumbar spine TBS was derived for each spine DXA examination blinded to clinical parameters and outcomes. Osteoporotic fractures were identified in 1668 (5.7%) women, including 439 (1.5%) spine and 293 (1.0%) hip fractures. Significantly lower spine TBS and BMD were identified in women with major osteoporotic, spine, and hip fractures (all p < 0.0001). Spine TBS and BMD predicted fractures equally well, and the combination was superior to either measurement alone (p < 0.001). Spine TBS predicts osteoporotic fractures and provides information that is independent of spine and hip BMD. Combining the TBS trabecular texture index with BMD incrementally improves fracture prediction in postmenopausal women. © 2011 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research


Varieties of aggressive and improper forms of economic activity have existed as threats to civil order since at least biblical times. From this historical perspective, the capacity of some individuals to generate the destructive impact of "merger mania" run amok hardly seems shocking. Yet there is something profoundly threatening to civil order whenever a cabal of conspirators can, in the name of greed or avarice alone, destroy the lives and jobs of tens of thousands of individuals. However, civil society rarely allows itself to fall prey to such misconduct for long. A fundamental tenet of social life is that one may not harm another without some justification or consent. Thus, if an otherwise permissible activity of everyday life gives rise to a harm, the responsible party must still remedy that unjustified harm. Compensation for these harms is the traditional province of tort law. From time to time, government has added or substituted remedies available to the individual. In addition, the underlying harm-creating conduct may be deemed significant enough to warrant government civil or criminal sanctions, but these sanctions are generally additive and do not interfere with the individual's right to pursue a tort compensation remedy. These basic tenets are constantly being reapplied as life in civil society changes - as we move from agrarian to industrial to petrochemical modes of production - and as our understanding of that social life and our roles therein grow. Such changes and growth create new types of harm, which in turn moves the law's development forward. The junk bond funded hostile takeover is perhaps the most shocking economic development in recent times. Although mergers and acquisitions are not new, the potential for harm created by the junk bond is novel. From 1975 to 1980 there were approximately 13,000 mergers and acquisitions, with an estimated value of $175 billion. While the rate of mergers continued unabated during the 1980's, the estimated dollar value rose dramatically. The year 1984 witnessed more than 2,500 deals, worth $122 billion. In 1985, more than 3,000 mergers and acquisitions were announced, with a total value of $180 billion. In 1986, there were more than 4,200 mergers among U.S. firms, involving almost $200 billion. In the first quarter of 1987 alone, 936 mergers and acquisitions were reported, involving almost $32 billion.The magnitude of the adverse impact on workers caused by this merger mania was at first masked by Wall Street's claim that such ravages represented a short-term downturn prior to the emergence of a leaner, meaner and full employment economy. Wall Street asked us to believe that as bad as everything seemed in terms of lost jobs, in reality, everything was really good. As it turned out, Wall Street made money, workers lost jobs, long term investments dried up, research and development began to disappear, and communities suffered.


Nanodiamond (ND) is a good candidate for a filler material to fabricate transparent films. This study explores a characterization of the optical and the mechanical properties of ND dispersed polymer films. An attrition milling method was adapted to break ND aggregates, and a silane coupling agent (3-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane) was used to modify the ND surfaces and stabilize the dispersion. Dipentaerylthritol hexaacrylate and pentaerythritol tetraacrylate were used in the polymer matrix, and up to 3 wt.% of ND was added to improve the mechanical properties. Fabricated composites were analyzed and tested using UV-visible spectroscopy for the optical properties and a Micro-Vickers hardness tester and ball-on-disktype friction tester for the mechanical properties. Results show that the transmittance of the ND-added composite increased with decreasing aggregate size. Through the addition of small amounts of NDs, the mechanical properties were greatly improved, the material became 3.5 times as hard, and the wear rate were greatly decreased. Possible mechanisms responsible for the enhancement of the mechanical and the optical properties are discussed.


The proliferation of electronic communications technologies has affected business transactions in myriad ways. Transacting parties enter into agreements electronically, transfer payments electronically, and create, acquire, and sell electronic assets that did not exist decades ago. Modern communications technologies also enable parties to gain control over tangible assets remotely. Many of these transactions are governed by the Uniform Commercial Code ("UCC"), a statute first written in an era in which assets were tangible and contracts were written on paper and signed in ink. Recognizing the migration of electronic transactions to the electronic environment, the two sponsors of the UCC – the American Law Institute and the Uniform Law Commission – have modernized several UCC articles, including Article 9, which governs secured transactions. The two sets of amendments promulgated in 1999 and 2010 recognize both the electronic creation of a security interest and the development of electronic assets. Despite the modernization of Article 9, traps for the unwary remain.Electronic transactions raise potential issues under Article 9 of the UCC at each critical point in a secured transaction. In order for a secured party to foreclose on an asset and realize its value, the secured party must correctly describe the asset in its security agreement with the debtor. In order to have priority in the asset, and to be protected as a secured creditor in the debtor's bankruptcy, the secured party must have perfected its security interest, usually by filing a financing statement that provides public notice of the security interest. The comprehensive revisions to Article 9 that were promulgated in 1999 incorporate and facilitate the use of electronic communications in secured transactions by enabling the use of such communications in both creating and perfecting security interests. Open questions remain, however, when the collateral itself is electronic and when creditors use electronic means to enforce their security interests. This chapter, part of the Research Handbook on Electronic Commerce Law, explains some of these potential issues.


OBJECTIVE To describe the rationale and design of a large international study (microalbuminuria, cardiovascular, and renal outcomes [MICRO] in the HOPE [Heart Outcomes Prevention Evaluation] study) of an ACE inhibitor and vitamin E for the prevention of diabetic nephropathy (DN) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) in patients with diabetes and microalbuminuria (MA). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS A total of 3,657 diabetic subjects, including 1,129 with MA, are randomly allocated to receive the ACE inhibitor ramipril (or placebo) and vitamin E (or placebo) for 4 years in a two-by-two factorial design. Diabetic subjects are a subset of the 9,541 subjects enrolled in the HOPE study. RESULTS The development of DN in microalbuminuric diabetic subjects and the development of MA in normoalbuminuric subjects, as well as cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, and storke, are the main outcomes. The correlation of changes in albuminuria with changes in carotid atherosclerosis documented in a subset of subjects will also be analyzed. CONCLUSIONS The effect of both an ACE inhibitor and vitamin E on the progression of renal and CVD in patients with diabetes is being assessed in the MICRO-HOPE study.


This paper examines the frequency and functions of English and French opinion markers in 60 presentation transcripts of the EIIDA corpus in Linguistics and in Chemistry, Geochemistry, Marine, and Water Sciences. These functions, found in all four sub-corpora, include highlighting a general or strong opinion, proposing a hypothesis or negotiating with the audience, expressing doubt, or classifying information. Several important differences can be observed. First, the English verb think frequently functions as a discourse marker, more so than the French penser. In French, adverbials, the pronoun on and the conjunction que are frequent with an opinion verb, but were largely absent in English. In Linguistics, English speakers are more likely to express the subjective opinion that a result is "interesting", whereas in the other three sub-corpora speakers are more likely to employ a modal verb, except with think, to hedge a statement. As regards to discipline, there appears to be slightly more markers of opinion in Linguistics. In the Sciences, markers of opinion are often related to an observation (on se rend compte, 'one realizes'). Overall, opinion verbs tend here to be dialogic, serving to express doubt or to negotiate with the audience, rather than to confirm a forceful personal position.Keywords: oral academic discourse, opinion, English, French


Input of neutral salt, primarily NaCl, from sea spray is an important factor for short-term acidification of surface water, primarily in already acidified areas, because Na may substitute for H+ and cationic aluminium by cation-exchange reactions in the soil. By evaluating the variation of non-marine sodium (Na*) separately it is possible to estimate the major effect of seasalt episodes on the neutralizing capacity (ANC) of stream water. At four long-term monitored Norwegian catchments, the Na* in stream water on average explained 28 ± 4% of the monthly variations of ANC in stream water at Birkenes, and 27 ± 3%, 20 ± 2% and 56 ± 5% of the correspondent variations at Storgama, Langtjern and Kaarvatn, during the respective monitoring periods. The remaining variations in acid neutralizing capacity are explained by the difference between non-marine base cations (ΣCa\*,Mg\*,K*) and non-marine sulphate (SO4*) and NO3. This paper also indicates that seasalt episodes are probably of greater importance for the periodic variations in ANC of stream water than commonly recognized. During the last years, extreme seasalt episodes have occurred in southern Norway, and more frequently at winter-time, which means that seasalt inputs have played a more important role for the short-term variations of ANC in stream water the last years. This tendency is also strengthened by the fact that there has been a significant decline in the input of acidic sulphur compounds and non-marine base cations in stream water during the last 10-15 years. Because the decline in soil-derived base cations in stream water is somewhat lower than the correspondent decline of sulphate, a slowly improving ANC of stream water should be expected on long-term basis. Seasalt episodes of the same magnitude as those present during the last years, will therefore most likely cause less extreme water-chemical conditions in the years to come. Because the seasalt effect seems to be a short-term effect, there is no reason to claim that these effects may cause long-term acidification, a conclusion earlier drawn from several correspondent studies.


The increasing complexity of cyber-attacks necessitates the design of more efficient hardware architectures for real-time Intrusion Detection Systems (IDSs). String matching is the main performance-demanding component of an IDS. An effective technique to design high-performance string matching engines is to partition the target set of strings into multiple subgroups and to use a parallel string matching hardware unit for each subgroup. This paper introduces a novel pattern grouping algorithm for heterogeneous bit-split string matching architectures. The proposed algorithm presents a reliable method to estimate the correlation between strings. The correlation factors are then used to find a preferred group for each string in a seed growing approach. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm achieves an average of 41% reduction in memory consumption compared to the best existing approach found in the literature, while offering orders of magnitude faster execution time compared to an exhaustive search.


This coop experience has opened my eyes to the role that scientic research plays in the development of new inventions and technology. I have learned that in order to ensure your idea will work, you have to first test the science on a smaller scale (especially if you are new to the nature of the science you plan to explore). I went into this program intending to build a hover board, but I quickly realized that I was entering  a foreign field of engineering and I had oversimplied the development process.


We present an investigation of viewpoint visualizations for "Click & Go" 3D navigation interfaces based on a pre-populated set of viewpoints. These scenarios often occur in 3D navigation systems that are based on sets of photos and possibly an underlying 3D reconstruction. Given these photos (and the 3D reconstruction), how does one most effectively navigate through this environment? Existing systems often employ Click & Go interfaces which allow users to navigate with one click of the mouse or tap of the finger. In this work, we investigate viewpoint visualizations for such Click & Go interfaces, describing a preliminary user study and providing valuable insights into Click & Go and its viewpoint visualizations.


Decommissioning requirements for offshore renewable energy facilities in US federal waters requires that all facilities be removed and the seafloor be cleared of all obstructions at the end of the life of the lease. Before construction activities are permitted, developers are required to post a bond based on the estimated cost of decommissioning to ensure that the federal government is protected in case of company default. The purpose of this note is to provide weight algorithms of offshore wind farm components to estimate the lift requirements in decommissioning, the scrap value of material, and disposal cost. Weight algorithms are calibrated and compared with North Sea project data and examples illustrate the procedures. The component weights at the Cape Wind farm offshore Massachusetts are estimated.


The great majority of the South's plantation homes have been destroyed over time, and many have long been forgotten. In Lost Plantations of the South, Marc R. Matrana weaves together photographs, diaries and letters, architectural renderings, and other rare documents to tell the story of sixty of these vanquished estates and the people who once called them home. From plantations that were destroyed by natural disaster such as Alabama's Forks of Cypress, to those that were intentionally demolished such as Seven Oaks in Louisiana and Mount Brilliant in Kentucky, Matrana resurrects these lost mansions. Including plantations throughout the South as well as border states, Matrana carefully tracks the histories of each from the earliest days of construction to the often contentious struggles to preserve these irreplaceable historic treasures. Lost Plantations of the South explores the root causes of demise and provides understanding and insight on how lessons learned in these sad losses can help prevent future preservation crises. Capturing the voices of masters and mistresses alongside those of slaves, and featuring more than one hundred elegant archival illustrations, this book explores the powerful and complex histories of these cardinal homes across the South.


Despite the anticipated environmental release of anthropogenic gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), there is currently not enough data on their potential impact on terrestrial environment. In the current study, we investigated the effects of considerably low concentrations of AuNPs on terrestrial isopods (Porcellio scaber) after 14 days of exposure. The effects on mortality, weight change, feeding rate, avoidance/preference feeding behavior, and cell membrane destabilization of digestive gland cells were followed. In parallel, the accumulation of Au in the digestive glands was measured. Our results show that none of the tested parameters was affected in isopods under given exposure doses (10 and 60 µg Au/g dry leaf) and exposure duration. No Au was assimilated in the digestive glands. Also, the same doses of the reference chemical, AuCl3, showed no effect. We conclude that these concentrations of AuNPs are safe for terrestrial isopods. We encourage reporting the results showing no adverse effects of nanoparticles to balance the prevailing publication of their adverse effects. This will help to build a realistic public perception of the environmental risk of nanomaterials.


The most robust framework for understanding the evolution and consequences of copyright statutes in the United States is the dynamics of interventionism. I apply the framework of Kirzner's (1985) perils of regulation to the general revision of copyright law in 1976, and explore its effects on entrepreneurship and discovery processes. Critics of copyright commonly recognize the distortions of rent-seeking, but I emphasize the utility of interventionism to explain the "unsimulated" and the "stifled" discovery processes set in motion by copyright interventions, which use legal processes to allocate resources, and deter future discovery by raising transaction costs.


Motivated by the frequently observed link between commercial property price volatility and banking crises, this paper investigates at a macroeconomic level the determination of commercial property prices and the interaction between commercial property prices and bank lending. We develop a reduced-form theoretical model which suggests bank lending is closely related to commercial property prices and that commercial property can develop cycles given plausible assumptions, where the cycles are largely driven by the dynamic linkage between the commercial property sector, bank credit and the macroeconomy. Cross-country empirical analysis based on a sample of 17 developed economies, using a unique dataset collected by the BIS, confirms the model's predictions. An investigation of determinants of commercial property prices shows particularly strong links of credit to commercial property in the countries that experienced banking crises linked to property losses in 1985-95. Further studies of dynamic interaction suggest that commercial property prices are rather "autonomous", in that they tend to cause credit expansion, rather than excessive bank lending boosting property prices. In addition, GDP has an important influence on both commercial property prices and bank credit. The work has implications for risk management and prudential supervision.


The author, Gary Potter, explores who is involved in cannabis growing. At a basic level features – demographic and 'ideological' – common to most cannabis growers (although varying by national and local social cultural and legal contexts) are considered. At a deeper level a typology of cannabis growers is offered based predominantly on motivation and ideology, and accommodating international variations. Although a large number of cannabis growers seek no financial reward whatsoever for their involvement in what is essentially an act of drug trafficking, others are financially motivated, though both are equally motivated by non-financial 'drivers'.


This paper surveys some of the developments in apocalyptic writing in recent decades, and then examine the use of apocalypse in George Turner's science fiction novels. Global events such as World War Two, terrorism, the Cold War, and increasing environmental problems have contributed to a growth in apocalyptic fictions. While novels warning about the dangers of nuclear war were prolific in post-WWII speculative literature, other issues such as technological and ecological disaster have since become dominant threats. Apocalypse literally means revelation, but the popular imagination more frequently associates it with widespread destruction. The form therefore offers a useful approach for writers keen to protest against political systems, harmful environmental policies, and reckless technological and scientific experimentation. Apocalypse allows authors to extrapolate from current events and imagine a terrible future should certain actions be taken. In Turner's novels, seemingly utopic societies have arisen after future catastrophes have devastated the world. Yet in reality these new societies are brutal and totalitarian regimes. Turner utilises apocalyptic themes and imagery to interrogate scientific, social and environmental policies and warn about looming environmental catastrophes if society does not address current problems of complacency and short-sighted governing.


Abstract. The teleconnections between meteorological parameters of the Arctic and the eastern Baltic Sea regions were analysed based on the NCEP-CFSR and ERA-Interim reanalysis data for 1979–2015. The eastern Baltic Sea region was characterised by meteorological values at a testing point (TP) in southern Estonia (58° N, 26° E). Temperature at the 1000 hPa level at the TP have a strong negative correlation with the Greenland sector (the region between 55–80° N and 20–80° W) during all seasons except summer. Significant teleconnections are present in temperature profiles from 1000 to 500 hPa. The strongest teleconnections between the same parameter at the eastern Baltic Sea region and the Arctic are found in winter, but they are clearly affected by the Arctic Oscillation (AO) index. After removal of the AO index variability, correlations in winter were below ±0.5, while in other seasons there remained regions with strong (|R| > 0.5, p   0.5) are also present between different climate variables (sea-level pressure, specific humidity, wind speed) at the TP and different regions of the Arctic. These teleconnections cannot be explained solely with the variability of circulation indices. The positive temperature anomaly of mild winter at the Greenland sector shifts towards east during the next seasons, reaching the Baltic Sea region in summer. This evolution is present at 60 and 65° N but is missing at higher latitudes. The most permanent lagged correlations in 1000 hPa temperature reveal that the temperature in summer at the TP is strongly predestined by temperature in the Greenland sector in the previous spring and winter.


Answers to your most pressing SOA development questions How do we start with service modeling? How do we analyze services for better reusability? Who should be involved? How do we create the best architecture model for our organization? This must-read for all enterprise leaders gives you all the answers and tools needed to develop a sound service-oriented architecture in your organization. Praise for Service-Oriented Modeling Service Analysis, Design, and Architecture "Michael Bell has done it again with a book that will be remembered as a key facilitator of the global shift to Service-Oriented Architecture. . . . With this book, Michael Bell provides that foundation and more-an essential bible for the next generation of enterprise IT." -Eric Pulier, Executive Chairman, SOA Software "Michael Bell's insightful book provides common language and techniques for business and technology organizations to take advantage of the SOA paradigm. By focusing modeling techniques on the business problem, Bell provides a way for professionals to work throughout the life cycle to create reusable and enduring services." -Mike Zbranak, CIO, Chase Card Services "This book will become an imperative business and technology service-oriented modeling recipe for any manager, architect, modeler, analyst, and developer in today's software development industry." -Jeff Schneider, CEO, MomentumSI "'Innovative' and 'groundbreaking' are words that best describe Michael Bell's Service-Oriented Modeling. It depicts a true service modeling approach that elegantly closes a clear and critical service modeling gap in the SOA industry. This holistic book ties these concepts together using real-world examples across a service life cycle that transitions services from ideas and concepts into production assets that deliver business value. A must-read for business and technical SOA practitioners." -Eric A. Marks, CEO, AgilePath Corporation "As hot as SOA is today, many business and technology professionals still find it challenging to mind the gap between their disparate methodologies and objectives. Herein Michael Bell speaks clearly to both camps in straightforward language, outlining disciplines each can use to communicate effectively and advance the realization of corporate aims. This book is a bible for all who seek to drive business/technology into the future." -Mark Edward Goodrich, Director, Investing Product Management, Reuters Media "This book takes senior IT architects and systems designers into the depths of modeling for SOA, with a fresh new perspective on tools, terminology, and how to turn the theory into practice. His full life-cycle approach balances process, control, and accountability to align all the participants in the delivery pipeline-clearing the road for successful SOA business solutions." -Phil Gilligan, Chief Technology Officer, EBS


Transparent exopolymer particles (TEP) exist abundantly in oceans and lakes and have been found to play an important role for sedimentation and biochemical cycling of matter. But the origin of these particles and the factors regulating their formation are not well understood. This study examined several strains of algae and bacteria with respect to their production of TEP or TEP-precursors. The formation rate of TEP in batch cultures of algae varied widely between species, and interspecies variability between diatoms was as large as that between species belonging to different classes or even divisions. Species, growth phase and environmental factors acted in concert in determining the accumulation of TEP in algal cultures and no general rules or patterns could be derived. The concentration of TEP during the growth phase of algal batch cultures, mesocosm or natural phytoplankton blooms was a significant function of chl. a, confirming the significance of phytoplankton for the formation of TEP. Experiments with three bacterial strains and a natural bacteria population indicated, that bacteria are also able to generate TEP, but the role of bacterial derived TEP for in situ TEP concentrations remains unclear.


THE BELL RINGS, and students enter their social studies class and take their computers out of their pockets. They gain access to their daily notes and agenda after the teacher presses a button. The teacher takes roll on her own handheld computer and, with a click of a button, sends an instant attendance report to the administrative offices across campus. Meanwhile, a student is walking the halls, late but obviously in no hurry to get to class. A school administrator stops the student, takes out her handheld computer, enters the student's name, and immediately pulls up the student's class schedule. The administrator escorts the student to class. Back in the classroom, the social studies students form into groups to beam data to one another from public opinion surveys that they conducted in their neighborhood over the weekend. Within five minutes, the groups have an idea of what they can learn from their surveys. They make presentations to share their data with the class. Handheld Possibilities Schools and individual classrooms are beginning to explore the various uses of handheld computing devices. Access to affordable, portable, and multifunctioning technology is important to school systems that are updating their technological resources. (1) Rather than purchase dozens of costly desktop computers for individual classrooms, schools can equip each classroom with one or two desktop computers and a classroom set of portable handheld computers. Not only are handheld computers and their peripherals much more affordable; they also present students the opportunity to use technology in a variety of projects and settings, something that a desktop cannot provide. They offer basic computing software, such as word processing and spreadsheet applications, which is typically compatible, or can be made compatible, with other handheld computers and PC desktop systems. They allow wireless Internet connections so that students can use their handheld computers to gain access to the World Wide Web and to send and receive e-mail. When preparing to make a decision on whether or not to use handheld computers in the classroom, teachers need to be aware of the following possibilities, so that they can evaluate whether handhelds will help meet current classroom needs. Writing A full-size keyboard attaches to the handheld and folds up for easy storage. In class, students can keep a journal, take notes, or work on historical essays. Having word processing at their desks means that students can start an assignment in class and finish it when they get home without having to transcribe any of their work. Handhelds can also assist in collaborative writing. Students in groups of three, for example, can work collaboratively with their handhelds on a five-paragraph essay. Each student can write a separate body paragraph and beam his or her work to an "essay-keeper." Together, students can draft an introduction and conclusion. Handhelds also enable students to conduct a peer review or to peer edit by beaming their essay to their partners and having the partners give feedback. With a color handheld computer, students can make corrections or suggestions in a different ink color. Research Currently, web capabilities vary among handheld devices. Some handheld users do not have full web-browsing capabilities; teachers must find the relevant websites on their own and instruct students on which websites to explore. (This will probably not be considered a limitation by teachers who prefer students to work under their direct guidance rather than to surf the web freely.) Most handheld users must purchase an external Internet card and be near a hub for Internet access. As handhelds evolve and respond to classroom needs, this function will likely change. Organization/Study Skills Students can enhance their organizational skills with handheld devices. …


Broad areas of subcontinental lithospheric mantle are commonly exposed along ocean-continent transition zones in magma-poor rifts and are thought to be exhumed along lithospheric-scale detachment faults during the final stages of rifting. However, the nature of the transition from final rifting to seafloor spreading is controversial. We present the first high-precision U-Pb zircon geochronologic and Hf isotopic data from gabbros that intrude exhumed mantle at Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Sites 1070 and 1277 in the Newfoundland-Iberia rift (North Atlantic). The sites are conjugate to one another within crust that is commonly considered to have been emplaced during early seafloor spreading. Magnetic data suggest that crustal accretion occurred at both sites during magnetic polarity chrons M3–M0 (130–126 Ma). However, our data indicate that asthenospheric melts were emplaced over brief intervals (≤1 m.y.) prior to or coeval with mantle exhumation at 124 Ma at ODP Site 1070 and 115 Ma at ODP Site 1277. We suggest that this discrepancy is the result of continued mantle exhumation along large, west-dipping detachment faults until lithospheric breakup. The breakup location is likely coincident with the large-amplitude magnetic J anomaly, and our 115 Ma date for magmatism within this anomaly provides the best available age constraint for breakup along the studied transect.


This paper addresses a critical but almost unexamined aspect of the Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program – whether its use (and in particular, the siting of developments in high-poverty/high-minority neighborhoods), is associated with increased racial segregation in the metropolitan area. Using data from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Census, supplemented with data on the racial composition of LIHTC tenants in three states, we examine three potential channels through which the LIHTC could affect segregation: where LIHTC units are built relative to where other low income households live, who lives in these tax credit developments, and changes in neighborhood racial composition in neighborhoods that receive tax credit projects. The evidence on each of these channels suggests that LIHTC projects do not contribute to increased segregation, even those in high poverty neighborhoods. We find that increases in the use of tax credits are associated with declines in racial segregation at the metropolitan level.


Nitric oxide (NO) is a key molecule involved in many physiology processes. The effects of NO on alleviating arsenic-induced oxidative damage in tall fescue leaves were investigated. Arsenic (25 M) treatment induced significantly accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and led to serious lipid peroxidation in tall fescue leaves and the application of 100 M SNP before arsenic stress resulted in alleviated arsenic-induced electrolyte leakage and malondiadehyde (MDA) content in tall fescue leaves, the levels of hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) and superoxide radical (O 2  ) were reduced as well. Moreover, the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) increased in tall fescue leaves in presence of SNP under arsenic stress. This pattern was reversed by application of NO scavenger, 2-(4-carboxy-2-phenyl)-4,4,5,5-tetramethy-limidazoline-1-oxyl-3-oxide (PTIO) before arsenic treatment. Pronounced increases in endogenous NO production was found in plants after exposure to arsenic stress. The results suggested that arsenic stress elevated endogenous NO level and that NO might act as a signaling molecule to enhance antioxidant enzyme activities, further protecting against injuries caused by arsenic toxicity.


Like natural language, music can be described as being composed of various parts, which combine together to form a set-theoretic or logical entity. The conceptualized parts are more basic than the music seen on a page; they are the musical objects subject to music-theoretic analysis, and can be described using the language of functional programming and lambda calculus. This paper introduces the types of musical objects seen in tonal and modern music, as well as the combinators that allow them to combine to create other musical objects. We propose a method for automatically generating melodies by searching for combinations of musical objects which together produce a valid program corresponding to a melody or set of melodies.


. The Global Ocean Data Assimilation Experiment (GODAE [http:// www.godae.org]) has spanned a decade of rapid technological development. The ever-increasing volume and diversity of oceanographic data produced by in situ instruments, remote-sensing platforms, and computer simulations have driven the development of a number of innovative technologies that are essential for connecting scientists with the data that they need. This paper gives an overview of the technologies that have been developed and applied in the course of GODAE, which now provide users of oceanographic data with the capability to discover, evaluate, visualize, download, and analyze data from all over the world. The key to this capability is the ability to reduce the inherent complexity of oceanographic data by providing a consistent, harmonized view of the various data products. The challenges of data serving have been addressed over the last 10 years through the cooperative skills and energies of many individuals.