A pattern reconfigurable ring-patch antenna is presented. It comprises a bendable parasitic plate located in the middle of a fixed square ring. The fixed ring supports the feed, and the plate is effectively a parasitic structure. The plate's bending action is from a bisecting hinge between the rectangular halves (flaps) that can be actuated separately. The actuation is by extending a shape memory alloy spring. The restoration is by decompressing the shape memory spring action using a parallel standard spring. The parasitic plate thus reconfigures with rectangular flaps which bend up, level, and down, relative to the ring plane. As a result of the reconfiguration, the pattern of the antenna is changed while the impedance match is maintained. Simulated and experimental results are presented for the pattern and impedance of a 100 mm × 100 mm square ring patch antenna prototype operating at 1.15 GHz. The effects of some geometric parameters on the pattern and impedance are investigated in order to analyze the pattern changing mechanism. A two-element array of the reconfigurable ring-patch antenna is presented that provides further de-correlation of the patterns.


This article confronts monopsony theory's predictions regarding workers' wages with observed wage patterns over the business cycle. Using German administrative data for the years 1985 to 2010 and an estimation framework based on duration models, the authors construct a time series of the labor supply elasticity to the firm and estimate its relationship to the unemployment rate. They find that firms possess more monopsony power during economic downturns. Half of this cyclicality stems from workers' job separations being less wage driven when unemployment rises, and the other half mirrors that firms find it relatively easier to poach workers. Results show that the cyclicality is more pronounced in tight labor markets with low unemployment, and that the findings are robust to controlling for time-invariant unobserved worker or plant heterogeneity. The authors further document that cyclical changes in workers' entry wages are of similar magnitude as those predicted under pure monopsonistic wage setting.


The technology of dynamic wireless power transfer (DWPT), also known as dynamic wireless charging, is key for eliminating range anxiety and lowering battery costs, and can thus further stimulate the adoption of electric vehicles and reduce emissions from the transportation sector. However, the deployment of high-power DWPT lanes capable of powering heavy-duty freight trucks can be costly and resource-intensive. In this paper, the economic feasibility of DWPT is evaluated for major highways in the state of Indiana using a levelized cost metric. The results show that deployment of DWPT technology can be economically attractive for the developer/roadway operator as well as for heavy-duty freight fleet owners.


In this paper, the elimination of harmonics in a cascade multilevel inverter by considering the nonequality of separated dc sources by using particle swarm optimization is presented. Solving a nonlinear transcendental equation set describing the harmonic-elimination problem with nonequal dc sources reaches the limitation of contemporary computer algebra software tools using the resultant method. The proposed approach in this paper can be applied to solve the problem in a simpler manner, even when the number of switching angles is increased and the determination of these angles using the resultant theory approach is not possible. Theoretical results are verified by experiments and simulations for an 11-level H-bridge inverter. Results show that the proposed method does effectively eliminate a great number of specific harmonics, and the output voltage is resulted in low total harmonic distortion.


This paper presents the Haggle network architecture and experimental measurements of its performance in a realistic environment. Haggle provides a search-based data dissemination framework for mobile opportunistic communication environments, making it easy to share content directly between intermittently connected mobile devices. Haggle's novel approach is based on its identification of search as a first class operation for data-centric applications. We show how search can be used for resolution (mapping data to interested receivers) and prioritization of sending and receiving data during encounters between nodes. Haggle provides underlying functionality for neighbor discovery, resource management and resolution – thus removing the need to implement such features in applications. Haggle has been implemented for several platforms. This paper presents experimental results, the most interesting of which demonstrates the live operation of Haggle on mobile phones in an office environment.


The purpose of this study is to look at the capacity of psychopaths to act in a rational manner within the meaning of section 16 of the Canadian Criminal Code. We therefore focus on certain neuroscientific studies in order to see whether they can inform us about the disorders that psychopaths suffer from, and whether those disorders could have an impact on their ability to act rationally. If they do, then psychopathy could be an ailment that triggers the section 16 defence of not criminally responsible owing to a mental disorder and also the implications of the Supreme Court of Canada decision in Bouchard-Lebrun. The Psychopath as an Irrational Agent: A Canadian Criminal Law Perspective by Kevin Moustapha Kevin Moustapha*


The first major anthology of Tibetan spiritual poetry available in the West, Songs of Spiritual Experience offers original translations of fifty-two poems from all the traditions and schools of Tibetan Buddhism, spanning the eleventh to the twentieth centuries. These poems communicate spiritual insight with grace and precision, addressing the themes of impermanence, solitude, guru devotion, emptiness, mystic consciousness, and the path of awakening. Also included here is a thorough introduction exploring the characteristics of Tibetan verse and its role in Buddhism and a glossary containing notes on the poems.


The coding of highly compressed data streams involves removing as much redundancy from the stream as possible. However, as redundancy is removed, so is the ability of the decoder to recover from error conditions caused by wireless channels, or other lossy communications links. Standard techniques for providing some protection to the stream against channel errors usually involve adding a controlled amount of redundancy back into the stream. Such redundancy might take the form of resynchronization markers, which enable the decoder to restart the decoding process from a known state, in the event of transmission errors. Transcoding schemes, i.e. algorithms which rearrange the data without altering the bitstream length, can be very successful too; the Error Resilient Entropy Coding (EREC) scheme is particularly applicable to compressed video streams. EREC can be quite easily incorporated into the stack architecture of common communications protocols. This paper presents a modification to EREC which greatly improves its ability to recover uncorrupted data in the event of errors. The new scheme, called Code-Aligned EREC (CA-EREC) achieves this by making minor, imperceptible adjustments to some of the data in the bitstream. This allows the codewords to align with the standard EREC packet boundaries. This paper demonstrates that a subtle change to the standard EREC scheme reduces code loss to an absolute minimum in the event of errors in the channel. Although the scheme presented here has a wider applicability, this paper focuses on video coding, and more specifically on the MPEG-4 video coding standard.


The Strait of Gibraltar, the only passage between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, and characterised by a surface inflow of Atlantic waters and a deep outflow of Mediterranean waters, is inhabited by a large number of cetacean species. The present study focuses on the occurrence and the spatial distribution of cetacean species within the strait in relation to oceanographic features. Shipboard visual surveys were conducted during the summers of 2001 to 2004, covering 4926 km. A total of 616 sightings of 7 cetacean species were made. The spatial distri- butions of 6 species (short-beaked common dolphins Delphinus delphis, striped dolphins Stenella coeruleoalba, bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus, long-finned pilot whales Globicephala melas, sperm whales Physeter macrocephalus and killer whales Orcinus orca) were examined with respect to depth and slope. The analyses indicate that these species could be ordered into 3 groups. A first group, with a northward tendency, is composed of common and striped dolphins. Due to its at-sea location and feeding habits, this group is likely to feed on mesopelagic fishes or squids associated with the surface Atlantic waters. The second group, constituted by bottlenose dolphins, long-finned pilot whales and sperm whales, is mainly found over the deep waters of the central part of the strait. While the foraging ecology of bottlenose dolphins is still unclear, both sperm whales and pilot whales are most likely to feed on squids occurring in deep Mediterranean waters. The third group, formed by killer whales Orcinus orca, was associated with blue fin tuna Thunnus thynnus fisheries in the southwestern part of the strait.


Abstract In South Asia, Muslim reformers have often attempted to 'rationalize' and gentrify the everyday behaviour of ordinary Muslims. Yet, despite the existence of discussions of contraceptive techniques in the yūnān-ī tibb curricula of 19th century India and the apparent affinity between rationalism and fertility regulation, contraception was rarely discussed in public debates involving Muslim reformers. In this paper we discuss some of the relationships between élite debates among Muslim leaders and the grassroots behaviour of villagers in rural Bijnor, in western Uttar Pradesh. Villagers' voices are ambiguous, with fears for mother and child health surfacing as often as concerns for religious orthodoxy and one's destiny in the afterlife. In addition, many of the villagers' views of Islam were much more restrictive than those of the locally accepted authoritative voices: although the staff at Daru'l 'Ulūm, Deoband, saw much modern contraception as an unwelcome sign of modernity, their discussions of the acceptability of family planning circled round notions of majbūrī [compulsion], repentance, and the unfathomable mercy of Allah. We conclude that focusing on local notions of Islam to understand the fertility behaviour of rural Muslims is less fruitful than considering a "political economy of hopelessness" that, increasingly since 1947, affects many Muslims in north India.


Non-invasive identity inference in the home environment is a very challenging problem. A practical solution to the problem could have far reaching implications in many industries, such as home entertainment. In this work, we consider the problem of identity inference using a TV remote control. In particular, we address two challenges that have so far prevented the work of Chang et al. (2009) from being applied in a home entertainment system. First, we show how to learn the patterns of TV remote controls incrementally and online. Second, we generalize our results to partially labeled data. To achieve our goal, we use state-of-the-art methods for max-margin learning and online convex programming. Our solution is efficient, runs in real time, and comes with theoretical guarantees. It performs well in practice and we demonstrate this on 4 datasets of 2 to 4 people.


We propose a method to exponentially speed up computation of various fingerprints, such as the ones used to compute similarity and rarity in massive data sets. Rather then maintaining the full stream of $b$ items of a universe $[u]$, such methods only maintain a concise fingerprint of the stream, and perform computations using the fingerprints. The computations are done approximately, and the required fingerprint size $k$ depends on the desired accuracy $\epsilon$ and confidence $\delta$. Our technique maintains a single bit per hash function, rather than a single integer, thus requiring a fingerprint of length $k = O(\frac{\ln \frac{1}{\delta}}{\epsilon^2})$ bits, rather than $O(\log u \cdot \frac{\ln \frac{1}{\delta}}{\epsilon^2})$ bits required by previous approaches. The main advantage of the fingerprints we propose is that rather than computing the fingerprint of a stream of $b$ items in time of $O(b \cdot k)$, we can compute it in time $O(b \log k)$. Thus this allows an exponential speedup for the fingerprint construction, or alternatively allows achieving a much higher accuracy while preserving computation time. Our methods rely on a specific family of pseudo-random hashes for which we can quickly locate hashes resulting in small values.


Abstract The five thoughtful, incisive articles by Professors Bernstein, Chamallas, Geistfeld, Moore, and Sugarman offer a breathtaking range of perspectives on the Restatement, Third of Torts: Intentional Torts to Persons ("ITR"). Some view tort law from the widest vantage point, inquiring whether this forest deserves its own appellation or should instead be assimilated to the rest of tort's greenery. Some focus more on the trees–on the distinct doctrines that characterize the torts and defenses that ITR is restating. In this response, we engage with the participants at both levels. Our response also addresses two fundamental questions–the role of a Restatement and the significance of the "intentional tort" category. First, ITR is a Restatement of tort law. It is not a model code of tort law, nor is it an academic article committed to a particular vision of the proper purposes and principles of tort law. We see our task, not as creating a grand theory from which all of intentional tort doctrine can be deduced, but as a bottom-up endeavor, accurately characterizing developments in the case law and then providing the most sensible and persuasive justifications for extant doctrine. At the same time, however, we strive to provide intellectual coherence to this body of law. Thus, we examine not only the holdings in narrow doctrinal categories, but also the consistency of those holdings with more general tort law principles. Second, what is distinctive about the intentional torts to persons? How do they differ from torts of negligence or from other intentional torts? These questions have no simple answer, because most of the intentional torts to persons have very long historical roots, and because the common law process of reformulating doctrine has played a vital role in defining the scope of these torts in current American law. It is thus not at all surprising to find tensions and apparent inconsistencies between some current doctrines. Nevertheless, we believe that the contemporary formulations of these torts are indeed justifiable in principle. First, these intentional torts sometimes reflect a hierarchy of fault or culpability. Purposely injuring someone is more culpable, ceteris paribus, than negligently causing the same injury. Second, these torts sometimes protect distinct interests, such as the interest in avoiding emotional harm or in freedom of movement, that for various policy reasons are not protected by liability rules if they are only negligently invaded. Third, the intentional torts do not simply identify species of conduct that reflect greater fault or culpability than negligence. Comparing intentional torts is sometimes akin to comparing apples and oranges, because these torts protect a varied set of interests or protect them in varying ways. Fourth, the intentional torts express a pluralistic set of values and principles. No single principle (such as welfare, autonomy, or freedom) fully explains all of these torts. And fifth, although these intentional torts contain some reasonableness criteria, for the most part they reject the reasonableness paradigm of negligence, and thus reject the more flexible, less structured criteria of liability that that paradigm engenders.


Convinced that public speaking fears outranked all other fears, the authors combined their years of teaching novice speakers to set forth their techniques for reducing apprehension and sharpening communication performance skills. The three basic techniques stressed are cognitive structuring (or attitude change), relaxation techniques and skills training. All of the topics addressed herein are intended for students in basic speech communication classes. Some of the topics are: the process of communication, assessing yourself as a communicator, improving attitudes and reducing apprehension, preparing and delivering a public speech, improving skills in group discussions as well as in all types of social relationships. First published by Harper and Row in 1986.


This article approaches Polish audio-visual engagements with the Holocaust from a new perspective, providing an important contribution to our knowledge of how visual culture is transforming Holocaust memory in the new millennium. The article identifies two developments in Holocaust representation: first, contemporary works are frequently produced in a transnational context, via international co-productions, or by artists with multiple national allegiances; secondly, much new Holocaust representation is produced across media boundaries, drawing variously on the characteristics of cinema, performance art, and installation.

The article outlines the predominant narrative through which Polish cinema has framed Polish-Jewish relations during the Holocaust, which the article terms the 'hider/hidden' paradigm, due to its emphasis upon Polish attempts to hide and rescue Jews. The article analyses recent transnational cinematic engagements with the 'hider/hidden' paradigm, including the first Polish-Israeli co-production, while considering how the films pose the ethical challenge of balancing empathic closeness to the 'other' with a respectful distance. Beyond the cinema, the article considers how this ethical dimension has been reconfigured when visual culture engages with the 'counter- memory' to the 'hider/hidden' paradigm: the revelations that Polish villagers killed their Jewish neighbours in 1941.The article points to where further research is needed on how the figure of the absent Jewish neighbour functions as a central element in contemporary representations of Polish-Jewish relations.


For prevention and control of gonorrhea, an objective, highly discriminating, and reproducible molecular epidemiological characterization of Neisseria gonorrhoeae is essential. In the present study, in the pursuance of providing such qualities, pyrosequencing technology, a fast real-time DNA sequence analysis, was applied to six short, highly polymorphic porB gene segments, with subsequent genetic variant (genovar) determination of the bacterial isolates. The DNA sequencing templates were obtained by real-time PCR amplification, which also included fluorescence melting curve analysis of the entire porB gene in order to determine the genogroup (porB1a or porB1b allele) prior to pyrosequencing analysis. The PSQ 96 MA system used allowed rapid (approximately 1.5 h) determination of 96 sequences of 20 to 65 correct nucleotides each. The results were reproducible and mostly in concordance with the results of conventional Sanger dideoxy-sequencing, with the exception of shorter read lengths and some uncertainty in determining the correct number of identical nucleotides in homopolymeric segments. The number of sequence variants identified in each one of the six highly polymorphic segments of the porB1a and porB1b alleles (encoding surface exposed amino acid loops of the mature porB protein) ranged from 5 to 11 and 8 to 39, respectively. Among porB1a isolates (n=22) and porB1b isolates (n=65), 22 and 64 unique genovars were identified. All isolates were typeable. The current results provide evidence of a high discriminatory ability, practically the same as sequencing of the entire porB gene. In conclusion, the fast and high-throughput pyrosequencing technology can be used for molecular epidemiological characterization of N. gonorrhoeae.


In this paper we briefly present an existing database system with its advantages and disadvantages. The system uses an approach that significantly improves flexibility and maintainability. A performance model has been developed for the system, thus making it possible to quantitatively compare the performance reduction caused by the increased maintainability. Validations using real-world scenarios and data show that the performance model is very accurate. The model and validation show that the performance loss of using the flexible approach is substantial. Based on insights gained from the performance model, we improve performance by using different data-striping techniques. We show the effect of standard RAID 0 striping, and then further improve our results by using range partitioning.


Interest in the management of the environment and its resources on an ecosystem basis has been increasing, in both terrestrial and marine contexts. In recent years, the concept of the large marine ecosystem has become a point of focus at the national and international levels as a possible unit for management of ocean and coastal areas. An ecosystem approach, however, challenges the manner in which marine resources and the environment that sustains them have been managed in the past. Governance is a key element in ecosystem management and encompasses the formal and informal arrangements, institutions, and mores that determine how resources and the environment are utilized. This study explores some of the problems, concepts, and principles involved in efforts to provide needed governance arrangements if large marine ecosystem-based management is to be implemented and made effective.


The Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) commenced operation on 3 December 2012 after a decade of inquiries and recommendations about the establishment of an independent "one-stop-shop" regulator for the charity sector. The introduction of this regulator is a move that recognises the unique and distinctive role that charities play in Australia. This article reviews the sanctions available to the ACNC. It considers some key aspects of the ACNC's regulatory approach to date and discusses the benefits arising from this approach. The article then assesses whether the current enforcement regime available to the regulator supports the continued implementation of such a regulatory approach and empowers the ACNC to enforce the provisions in the legislation or whether some changes may be needed.


Accurate target spraying is a key technology in modern and intelligent agriculture. For solv ing the problems of pesticide waste and poisoning in the spraying process, a spraying robot based on binocular machine vision was proposed in this paper. A digital signal processor was used to identify and locate tomatoes as well as to control the nozzle spray. A stereoscopic vision model was established, and color normalization, 2G-R-B, was adopted to implement background segmentation between plants and soil. As for the tomatoes and plants, depth information and circularity depended on the nozzle's target, and the plant shape area determined the amount of pesticide. E xperiment s shown that the recognition rate of this spraying robot was up to 92.5% for tomatoes.


This paper presents an intelligent user interface agent architecture based on Bayesian networks. Using a Bayesian network knowledge representation not only dynamically captures and models user behavior, but it also dynamically captures and models uncertainty in the interface's reasoning process. Bayesian networks' sound semantics and mathematical basis enhances it's ability to make correct, intelligent inferences as to the user's needs. We show explicit examples of our agent's reasoning using our Bayesian network and present results showing the utility of Bayesian networks in the domain of user interfaces.


In this study we investigated the effect of motivation on BrainComputer Interface (BCI) performance. We pooled N=90 participants from six different data sets for analysis. The group of the highest motivated participants (N=24) performed significantly better in their BCI task as compared to the least motivated group (N=22). Therefore, we recommend to monitor motivation in BCI settings and to increase it in a training setting.


In the quest for achieving high performance, gas turbine engines demand efficient design of various engine components, mainly the compressor stages. The compressor stages consume most of the energy produced by the engine to provide the required pressure ratio. CSIR-NAL is involved in the development of a small gas turbine engine for UAV applications. In this regard, a high transonic single stage axial flow compressor is designed with a mass flow of 4.6 kg/s and pressure ratio of 1.6, for technology demonstration. In this paper, the aerodynamic and structural design of a high transonic axial compressor stage is discussed along with its performance characteristics. Preliminary mean-line design of the compressor stage is carried out, followed by detailed 3D blade design. Aerodynamic performance of the compressor stage is investigated numerically. Grid independency study is carried out, and the flow un-altering grid is used for steady simulations. Steady 3D RANS CFD simulations with SST turbulence model are carried out for estimating the compressor stage performance. At the design speed, the compressor is able to produce the desired pressure ratio and efficiency. Detailed flow investigations across the compressor stage are studied from choke to near stall flow conditions for different speeds. The compressor rotor blisk made of titanium alloy (Ti6AL4V) is subjected to stress analysis. The von-Mises stress and radial deformation are observed to be well within the safe limits of the chosen material. Modal analysis is carried out to study the structural dynamics of the rotor.


Topological defects can appear whenever there is some type of ordering. Its ubiquity in nature has been the subject of several studies, from early Universe to condensed matter. In this work, we investigated the annihilation dynamics of defects and antidefects in a lyotropic nematic liquid crystal (ternary mixture of potassium laurate, decanol and deionized–destillated water) using the polarized optical light microscopy technique. We analyzed Schlieren textures with topological defects produced due to a symmetry breaking in the transition of the isotropic to nematic calamitic phase after a temperature quench. As result, we obtained for the distance D between two annihilating defects (defect–antidefect pair), as a function of time t remaining for the annihilation, the scaling law D ∝ tα, with α = 0.390 and standard deviation σ = 0.085. Our findings go in the direction to extend experimental results related to dynamics of defects in liquid crystals since only thermotropic and polymerics ones had been investigated. In addition, our results are in good quantitative agreement with previous investigations on the subject.


This guide is intended to assist parents and professionals with the identification, treatment and care of both children and adults with Aspergers Syndrome. The book provides a description and analysis of the unusual characteristics of the syndrome and practical strategies to reduce those that are most conspicuous or debilitating. Beginning with a chapter on diagnosis, including an assessment test, the book covers all aspects of the syndrome from language to social behaviour and motor clumsiness, concluding with a chapter based on the questions most frequently asked by those who come into contact with individuals with this syndrome. Covering the available literature in full, this guide seeks to bring together the most relevant and useful information on Asperger s Syndrome, incorporating case studies from the authors own practical experience as a clinical psychologist, with examples of, and numerous quotations from people with the syndrome.


Diabetic wounds are known to have a delayed course of wound healing. We have recently demonstrated that injection of a synthetic modified RNA (modRNA) that enhances VEGF-A protein expression accelerates healing of full-thickness cutaneous wounds in db/db diabetic mice. Here, we compare two different computational modeling approaches to explore how the dosing amount and time course affect the rate of wound healing. We show that a partial differential equation (PDE) model is appropriate for questions concerning spatial resolution of healing throughout the wound, while a nonlinear mixed effect model (NLME) is more appropriate for capturing population level variations in healing rate when dealing with a sparse data set. Both models display sensitivity to varying dosing amount and timing.


Over the last three decades, welfare states across the West have embraced a host of new technologies and initiatives in the name of fighting welfare abuse and fraud (see Cook 1989, 2006; Wacquant 2001, 2009). Increasingly, these practices of 'welfare policing' are graduated according to risk; particular welfare populations considered at greater risk of welfare fraud are subject to more intense scrutiny. Drawing on interview research with compliance staff from the Australian Department of Human Services, this paper critically explores how the rationality of risk figures in the process of welfare surveillance in Australia. It pays particular attention to the ways in which risk formulations are embedded in gender and class politics, and how this has led to the characterisation of single mothers and unemployed recipients as more 'risky' than the general welfare population, a point that is often overlooked in the literature. But, far from being immutable, this paper also considers how the politics of risk are open to reformulation with often unexpected results.


As stroke care has developed, there has been a need to robustly assess the efficacy of interventions both at the level of the individual stroke survivor and in the context of clinical trials. To describe stroke-survivor recovery meaningfully, more sophisticated measures are required than simple dichotomous end points, such as mortality or stroke recurrence. As stroke is an exemplar disabling long-term condition, measures of function are well suited as outcome assessment. In this review, we will describe functional assessment scales in stroke, concentrating on three of the more commonly used tools: the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale, the modified Rankin Scale, and the Barthel Index. We will discuss the strengths, limitations, and application of these scales and use the scales to highlight important properties that are relevant to all assessment tools. We will frame much of this discussion in the context of "clinimetric" analysis. As they are increasingly used to inform stroke-survivor assessments, we will also discuss some of the commonly used quality-of-life measures. A recurring theme when considering functional assessment is that no tool suits all situations. Clinicians and researchers should chose their assessment tool based on the question of interest and the evidence base around clinimetric properties.


This article considers the passage of the Children Act 2004 through Parliament. Drawing on recent debates in social science, particularly those concerned with informationalism, governance and cultural political economy, the article examines how welfare policies can be used as a vehicle for pursuing broader political goals. In particular, the development of information, retrieval and tracking systems (IRT) raise questions concerning the rapid growth in the use of instruments of surveillance. The aims of the article are, firstly, to analyse the use of surveillance as a mode of societal governance and, secondly, to illustrate how attempts to exercise governance take place through a particular discursive construction of children and their protection, a construction which presents the Children Act as a solution to some technical problems of information‐sharing and inter‐agency working in the service of children's welfare. The article argues that such a discursive construction is necessary in order to delegitimise and obscure key political questions of civil liberties and human rights that are raised by the Children Act.


Context. Di usion of atoms can be important during quiescent phases of stellar evolution. Particularly in the very thin inert envelopes of subdwarf B stars, di usive movements will considerably change the envelope structure and the surface abundances on a short timescale. Also, the subdwarfs will inherit the e ects of di usion in their direct progenitors, namely giants near the tip of the red giant branch. This will influence the global evolution and the pulsational properties of subdwarf B stars. Aims. We investigate the impact of gravitational settling, thermal di usion and concentration di usion on the evolution and pulsations of subdwarf B stars. Although radiative levitation is not explicitly calculated, we evaluate its e ect by approximating the resulting iron accumulation in the driving region. This allows us to study the excitation of the pulsation modes, albeit in a parametric fashion. Our di usive stellar models are compared with models evolved without di usion. Methods. We use a detailed stellar evolution code to solve simultaneously the equations of stellar structure and evolution, including the composition changes due to di usion. The di usion calculations are performed for a multicomponent fluid using di usion coe cients derived from a screened Coulomb potential. We constructed subdwarf B models with a mass of 0.465 M from a 1 M and 3 M zero-age main sequence progenitor. The low mass star ignited helium in an energetic flash, while the intermediate mass star started helium fusion gently. For each progenitor type we computed series with and without atomic di usion. Results. Atomic di usion in red giants causes the helium core mass at the onset of helium ignition to be larger. We find an increase of 0.0015 M for the 1 M model and 0.0036 M for the 3 M model. The e ects on the red giant surface abundances are small after the first dredge up. The evolutionary tracks of the di usive subdwarf B models are shifted to lower surface gravities and e ective temperatures due to outward di usion of hydrogen. This a ects both the frequencies of the excited modes and the overall frequency spectrum. Especially the structure and pulsations of the post-non-degenerate sdB star are drastically altered, proving that atomic di usion cannot be ignored in these stars. Sinking of metals could to some extent increase the gravities and temperatures due to the associated decrease in the stellar opacity. However, this e ect should be limited as it is counteracted by radiative levitation.


This study explores the labour impact of four scenarios of electricity generation in Chile, including three coal power phase-down scenarios. These scenarios would result in the creation of between 32 and 40 thousand direct and indirect jobs and between US$1.7 and US$1.8 billion in value added in 2030, compared to present-day situation. Net numbers mask winners and losers. The most significative negative impact we find would be the progressive disappearance of 4 thousand jobs in coal power plants by 2030 or 2050 depending on the scenario. These impacts are not significant when compared to Chile's labor markets and GDP. Chile's economy routinely creates more than 40 thousand jobs per trimester, and US$1.7 billion is just 0.8% of GDP, while GDP is expected to grow at least 2.5% per year between today and 2030. At the national level, our results suggest that a careful planning and implementation of coal phase out could be able to mitigate its negative impacts, given that they will be small relative to the size of Chile's economy. In practice, whether the jobs created nationally match the skills available in the geographical location of current coal power plants is likely to play a key role. This study does not investigate this issue, but a separate technical note studies affected communities with more details and provides lessons learned from historic management of the labor impacts of policy reforms.


Equations based on elastic thin cylindrical shell compression theory are developed for correcting stresses for membrane strength in a triaxial test. The corrections are expressed in terms of the unstretched dimensions, the diameter and thickness of the membrane, the axial and volumetric strain of the cylindrical membrane cavity referenced to its unstretched dimensions, together with E and v of the membrane rubber. The development specifically considers changes in membrane thickness as they occur during the straining process, and in particular its influence on the specification of E of the membrane. Direct experimental verification of the derived stress correction is provided in support of their validity.


Abstract This paper analyzes the relationship between stock market capitalization to GDP and real GDP in 10 Central and Eastern European countries (CEECs) that joined the European Union in 2004 and 2007, with the objective of determining whether the financial markets played a role as drivers of economic development in these countries or vice versa. The methodology, using a cointegrated Vector Autoregressive (VAR) model, is based on the application of three different measures of causality: Granger causality test, Toda-Yamamoto approach and Frequency Domain approach. The results obtained suggest evidence of a causal relationship in both directions between the variables in a significant number of countries, and especially in those where the variables show to be clearly cointegrated (Bulgaria, Hungary, Latvia, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia).


In order to describe the overall drought status objectively, a copula-based joint deficit index ( JDI ) was adopted for analyses of drought characteristics in Luanhe River basin. Monthly precipitation data from 1958 to 2011 selected from 26 rain-gauge stations were used for calculating the JDI . The JDI , which encompasses multiple deficit status over the time scales from 1 to 12 months by using the 12-dimensional empirical copula, is shown to be capable of providing a comprehensive and objective assessment of droughts. In addition, it is demonstrated that both emerging and prolonged droughts can be captured by the JDI . Results of the drought evaluation over the Luanhe River basin indicate that the frequency of drought occurrence generally increases from northwest to southeast, and droughts observed in summer and autumn are more frequent and severe. Compared with the northwestern part of the area, the drought events in the southeast are characterized by longer duration and greater severity. Furthermore, a general tendency of drying is found in the flood season (July to September) over the basin, with significant aggravating trends in the southeastern part. These related drought characteristics could provide valuable information and references for regional mitigation strategies and water resource management.


E-services is a suite of web-based products brings profound changes in business models and value chains especially for Professional and Continuing Education Centre (PACE) environment due to its responsibility to manage all courses provided by every faculty to private colleges. PACE is currently running resourcefully but it is facing a few problems such as the difficulties of each faculty officer to get information about private colleges, and a lack of information management in private colleges itself. Therefore, the objective of this study is to propose a model of e-service application called E-Supervised (E-SUV) to provide the information related to twinning programmes between Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) and private colleges by enabling users to interact via portal by using the UML-based Web Engineering (UWE) approach. This methodology includes four modeling activities which are requirement analysis, conceptual model, navigation model and presentation model. This research results in a web-based environment consisting of major modules such as profiles, forums, and email service for users to utilize. In a nutshell, UWE approach is a viable option to facilitate e-services in education environment and thus could serve as a guideline model of future e-distance learning centre. Rigorous tests to see how this model behaves under real-life practice would be a way forward to identifying its effectiveness.


Wireless communication systems can be optimised through more accurate radio modelling processes. Ray-tracing methods, based on geometrical optics (GO) and the uniform theory of diffraction (UTD), have emerged as the preferred technique to predict the electric field distribution and area coverage in both indoor and outdoor environments. There have been a number of investigations on improving the accuracy of ray-tracing methods in both indoor and outdoor environments, but few pay attention to the inner structure of the walls. In existing ray- tracing algorithms, wall structures are usually modelled as half-space materials or dielectric slab and layered models, with reflection and transmission characteristics calculated by Fresnel coefficients. These models are good approximations for homogeneous wall structures where a substantial specular component dominates. However, when the wall structure possesses periodic variations, standard GO ray-tracing is insufficient to accurately model radio propagation through building interfaces, for coverage and interference studies, as significant power can be carried away from the periodic wall in non-specular directions. Therefore, more accurate models are needed to take into account the effect of these periodic wall structures on radio wave propagation. The work presented in this thesis concentrates on the investigation of transmission and reflection characteristics of common periodic building structures. Propagation properties of building walls in terms of transmission and reflection characteristics are examined theoretically by the proposed 3D modal transmission-line (3D-MTL) and rigorous coupled-wave analysis (RCWA) methods. A novel deterministic hybrid model combining ray-tracing and RCWA is developed to predict radio propagation through building interfaces from outdoor to indoor environments. It was shown that the proposed hybrid method can produce more accurate results than the ray-tracing model. Key words: radio wave propagation, ray-tracing, periodic wall structure, modal transmission-line (MTL), rigorous coupled-wave analysis (RCWA) and hybrid model.


A case of metastatic carcinoid tumor in the right occipital lobe originating from a primary tumor in the right colon is reported in a 68-year-old man. The tumor had a high bromodeoxyuridine labeling index. Although immunohistochemical studies of the tumor specimen showed positive reactivity for serotonin and somatostatin, blood levels of serotonin and urinary 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid content were normal. This suggests that coexistence of somatostatin with serotonin in the tumor tissue might lead to inhibition of serotonin release by "autocrine regulation." The neurological complications of carcinoid tumors, including intracranial metastasis, are discussed briefly.


From the Publisher:
The Third Edition of MICROPROCESSOR SYSTEMS DESIGN covers the design of systems that use Motorola's 68000 family of microprocessors (including the latest generation of 68000 chips), and addresses both hardware and software considerations. Professor Clements' emphasis is practical, providing the necessary detail to enable students to design actual, working systems. The author covers hardware and programming comprehensively in an accessible writing style. A new chapter on the C programming language and its relationship to assembly language will appeal to instructors whose courses emphasize software aspects of systems design. A bound-in CD-ROM contains a 68000 cross-assembler and simulator, a C cross-compiler, fragments of the 68000 assembly code from the book, the 68000 and 68020 instruction sets, and documentation.


Classroom Action Research through the NHT-aided model of Quipper School media aims to enhance learning activities and critical thinking skills of learners. The subjects of this study are students often grade student. This study was conducted in 2 cycles. there is an increase in student activity during the learning process that is 38% I cycle, and on the II cycle 71%. Based on the cycles test carried out the critical thinking ability of learners also increased from 40% in the first cycle to 80% in cycle II. The result of the research shows the increase of learning activity and critical thinking ability of the students from cycle I to cycle II. From the research result, it can be concluded that the cooperative model of Numbered Heads Together type media quipper school is effective in increasing the activity and critical thinking ability of the students of ten grade student Lesson Year 2016/2017.


The British Journal of Surgery is committed to practice of surgery based on scientific evidence. Each month we will publish a list of randomized trials and meta‐analyses collated from English‐language publications. A collection of all these papers will be available in the Scientific Surgery Archive which will be held on the British Journal of Surgery website together with links to free Medline sites where the full papers can be accessed (see below for details). If you have published a recent randomized trial which has not been featured in Scientific Surgery, the Editors would be pleased to receive a reprint and consider its inclusion. © 2001 British Journal of Surgery Society Ltd


The identity of people in society is formed in the light of various causes and factors. Location or environment is one of the most significant factors in categorizing individuals. The arrival and development of modern thought in Iranian cities has caused a change in the body and shape of the city in the past century. Moreover, this trend has accelerated, particularly in the last decade and after the Islamic Revolution, with the growth of technology. However, there is no comprehensive organization to change the mentality of individuals and their identity adaptation to the new body. It seems that the presence and use of citizens in these transformed environments has gradually led to a kind of spatial attachment in them. This research has been done by descriptive and analytical method and relying on quantitative and qualitative approach. To achieve the purpose of the research, after defining and explaining the concepts of spatial attachment, spatial identity and adaptive capacity, the conceptual model of the research was explained and defined and a structured questionnaire was designed based on it. Citizens and residents of area one of Tehran, according to the conditions of modern buildings in this area, were selected as the study sample. Therefore, after distributing the research questionnaire and reviewing these data by structural equation modeling, the research findings were reported. The results obtained from the findings showed that spatial attachment alone and directly will not be able to build an identity in the modern city and it is necessary for the presence of a mental adaptation in citizens' perceptions of the new environmental conditions.


Abstract
Background: Differentiated and economical diagnostic methods are in ever greater demand in the treatment of soldiers traumatised by war. In the context of cognitive-behavioural approaches, the Posttraumatic Cognitions Inventory (PTCI) serves to identify dysfunctional cognitions that play a key role in the development and persistence of trauma-related disorders such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Objectives: The aim of this study is develop and validate an efficient shortened version of the PTCI for soldiers traumatised on deployment in order to provide an improved and practical instrument for use in everyday clinical practice.
Methodology: A total of 352 Bundeswehr soldiers diagnosed with deployment-related mental health problems were examined using the PTCI, with the number of items covered by the original instrument being reduced from 33 to 12. The resulting military version of the PTCI (PTCI –Short Version / PTCI-SV) was then validated using a sample of 109 personnel with deployment-related PTSD.
Results: The overall scale of the PTCI-SV showed good internal consistency with α=0.86. (Subscales: "negative cognitions about the self" α=0.89; "negative cognitions about the world" α=0.86; "self-blame" α=0.61).
Discussion: The possibility of improving trauma therapy for soldiers with deployment-related mental health issues by further developing existing screening instruments is discussed.


This study describes an action research report carried out in one of the community-managed schools in Gilgit-Baltistan of Pakistan. The purpose of the study is to explore the effects of the activities to create environmental awareness by paying prime focus on physical environmental conditions. It was observed that school-based smaller activities show a greater change among students, teachers and community members. These include celebration of environmental day, plantation day; quiz competitions, sharing information through notice boards and awareness campaigns to adjacent communities. These smaller activities helped them to realize the importance of environmental education particularly in learning process. The attitudinal change among students, teachers and community members was quite evident. They have shown a natural attachment with the school and its surrounding. Since the success and sustainability of such small-scale interventions are directly associated with active involvement of all the stakeholders of a school community, therefore, the study recommends that this important aspect must be given considerate attention to further augment the natural environment and to maximize the learning processes in schools.


This article critiques a proposal to include tribal court criminal convictions and sentences in the federal sentencing scheme. The proposal, as articulated by Kevin Washburn, calls for an amendment to the Federal Sentencing Guidelines to count tribal court convictions in calculating an Indian defendant's criminal history score to determine a federal prison sentence. Currently, tribal court convictions are not directly counted in criminal history, but may be used to support an "upward departure" to increase the Native defendant's overall federal sentence.Washburn's proposal seeks to gain "respect" for tribal courts, based upon a premise that tribal convictions must be afforded the same weight and treatment as federal and state criminal convictions under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines. This Article explores the idea of respect for tribal courts and convictions in the context of their history and connection to tribal peoples and communities. Ultimately, this Article concludes that respectful treatment would not tolerate placing a tribal defendant in such a powerless position within the federal sentencing hierarchy. A proposal that would negatively impact only Native American defendants in a foreign justice system in the name of respect warrants critical review. As an Assistant Federal Public Defender, I had the opportunity to view the application of federal criminal laws from the front and the back end of the criminal justice system, from trial to post-conviction. As a Native woman, I have seen the impact of crime, justice, and federal sentencing on tribal people, families, and whole communities. It is from this perspective that I focus the lens of respect on the work of tribal courts and criminal justice in Indian Country, and ultimately oppose any amendment in federal sentencing to count tribal court convictions to increase federal sentences for Native criminal defendants. A review of the historical diminishment of tribal authority over crime and punishment on the reservation, as well as the disparate impact of crime and punishment on Native peoples, leads to a rejection of counting tribal court convictions in federal sentencing. This Article proposes an alternative view that both respects Native American individuals caught in the criminal justice system and elevates tribal sovereignty.


The United Nations' (UN) organ, the Peace-building Architecture (PBA) directed by Peace-building Commission (PBC) is yet to become a distinct player in peace-building. Arguments articulate well how it continues to find it difficult to tackle challenges that mar world wide support for peace-building. It seems to display behaviours that are assumed in the modernization theory and has a vague approach to the concept of peace-building. According to the North Countries it can mean development, security or organizing elections while to the South Countries it means literally negotiating for peace. However, the PBC has excelled in securing resources for quick impact projects that delivered immediate key dividends of peace to traumatised war victims. All countries on the Commission's agenda have so far received funding through the architecture's PBSO. On the same note, It is the worry of this study that the PBC focuses exclusively on financing or rebuilding states and the fear of this author is that the PBC has just become another donor forum ('burden sharing enterprise' as this author prefers to call it), by former colonizers. This research finds out how the PBC and the PBSO add to the use of institutions to formalize power, thus making peace-building a very hegemonic and political enterprise.

 Key words: Peace building, United Nations, Peace Building Commission, Africa.


Three type I diabetic patients nonresponsive to subcutaneous insulin were implanted with a subcutaneous peritoneal access device. In these patients, multiple subcutaneous injections had been unable to prevent recurrent hospital admissions for diabetic ketoacidosis. The patients were responsive to intravenous insulin but had limited accessible peripheral veins. Complications of thrombosis and/or septicemia from permanent central venous catheters prevented the long-term use of this route. The peritoneal access device was implanted subcutaneously adjacent to the umbilicus with its insulin delivery catheter terminating in the peritoneal space. Transcutaneous injection of insulin into the subcutaneous access port resulted in the same quantity of insulin entering the peritoneal space. Using a mixture of regular and protamine zinc insulin in a ration of 1:1 resulted in acute increases in plasma free insulin concentration with meals and a declining background level postprandially. All peritoneal access devices have been functioning well for at least 2 mo and in one of the implanted diabetic subjects, it has been in continuous use for 5 mo with no evidence of peritonitis or resistance to peritoneal insulin. These results suggest that a subcutaneous peritoneal access device may provide an alterative insulin delivery route for patients who are nonresponsive to subcutaneous insulin injections.


This work aims at defining and experimentally evaluating an iterative strategy based on neural learning for blind image restoration in the presence of blur and noise. A salient aspect of our solution is the local estimation of the restored image based on gradient descent strategies able to estimate both the blurring function and the regularized terms adaptively. Instead of explicitly defining the values of local regularization parameters through predefined functions, an adaptive learning approach is proposed. The method was evaluated experimentally using a test pattern generated by a function checkerboard in Matlab. To investigate whether the strategy can be considered an alternative to conventional restoration procedures the results were compared with those obtained by a well known neural restoration approach.


This article investigates the long-term effects of parental migration abroad on the schooling of children left behind in Albania. Although parents' migration usually benefits children economically, the lack of parental care may cause relational and psychological problems that may affect children's welfare in the long term. The phenomenon of children left behind — mainly by fathers — is considerable in Albania, where migration has represented the only viable way to cope with an increasing poverty and the scarcity of public resources for sustaining households' incomes. Between 1990 and 2005 in Albania 22 per cent of children under 18 have been left behind, with an average parental absence of 9 months. Using detailed information on family migration drawn from the Living Standard Measurement Survey for 2005, multiple‐choice models are applied to evaluate the school progression of older children and adolescents. A duration analysis of school participation with both discrete and continuous time models is then performed. The results show that past parental migration has a negative effect on school attendance in the long term with higher hazards of school dropouts for children left behind. These results are robust to the use of different econometric techniques and model specifications.


This article analyses social welfare attention for dependence in Spain, especially with respect to old people and social services, with emphasis on social inequality. Disability affects 32.2% of older people (women 35.9%), which rises to 50% for people over 80. Faced with this growing problem, the welfare system continues to provide a timid response, which is expressed in public spending on this field that is much lower than that of the countries around us, which leads to insufficient development of long-term social and health care services (particularly non-residential services) and gives rise to situations of vulnerability and inequality for the majority of dependent persons and for those in charge of caring for them. The separation of health care and social systems and the diversity arising from our model of autonomous communities makes for profound differences with respect to rights of access, entrances, services offered, costs and sources of financing and the preparation of the professionals working in these fields. Consolidating welfare attention for dependence as a subjective, universal and guaranteed right is fundamental if we are to advance in the direction of a reduction of the kinds of inequality cited above and to avoid perpetuating a model of family health care which is based on gender discrimination.


A mathematical model of a controllable mirror-lens retrofocus objective with deformable mirrors has been developed in the paraxial approximation. It is used as a basis for proposing algorithms for calculating the static parameters of the objective, as well as the control ranges of the focal length, Delta f, and the displacement of the focal spot, Delta S'f ', in these optoelectronic devices. The results of computer modelling of the ranges Deltaf and Delta S'f ' as a function of the design characteristics of the objective are analyzed for various ways of controlling its deformable mirrors. The main regularities and features of the resulting dependences are established for controllable objectives typical of laser technology. © 2005 Optical Society of America


The landscape of American literature was fundamentally changed when Flannery O'Connor stepped onto the scene with her first published book, Wise Blood, in 1952. Her fierce, sometimes comic novels and stories reflected the darkly funny, vibrant, and theologically sophisticated woman who wrote them. Brad Gooch brings to life O'Connor's significant friendships - with Robert Lowell, Elizabeth Hardwick, Walker Percy and James Dickey among others - and her deeply felt convictions, as expressed in her communications with Thomas Merton, Elizabeth Bishop, and Betty Hester. Hester was famously known as 'A' in O'Connor's collected letters, The Habit of Being, and a large cache of correspondence to her from O'Connor was made available to scholars, including Brad Gooch, in 2006.


Background: COVID-19 caseloads in England appear have passed through a first peak, with evidence of an emerging second wave. To ensure continued response to the epidemic is most effective, it is imperative to better understand both retrospectively and prospectively the geographical evolution of COVID-19 caseloads and deaths, identify localised areas in space-time at significantly higher risk, quantify the impact of changes in localised population mobility (or movement) on caseloads, identify localised risk factors for increased mortality and project the likely course of the epidemic at small-area resolution in coming weeks.Methods: We applied a Bayesian space–time SEIR model to assess the spatiotemporal variability of COVID-19 caseloads (transmission) and deaths at small-area scale in England (Middle Layer Super Output Area [MSOA], 6791 units) and by week (using observed data from week 5 to 34), including key determinants, the modelled transmission dynamics and spatial-temporal random effects. We also estimate the number of cases and deaths at small-area resolution with uncertainty projected forward in time by MSOA (up to week 51 of 2020), the impact mobility reductions (and subsequent easing) have had on COVID-19 caseloads and quantify the impact of key socio-demographic risk factors on COVID-19 related mortality risk by MSOA.Results: Reductions in population mobility due the course of the first lockdown had a significant impact on the reduction of COVID-19 caseloads across England, however local authorities have had a varied rate of reduction in population movement which our model suggest has substantially impacted the geographic heterogeneity in caseloads at small-area scale. The steady gain in population mobility, observed from late April, appears to have contributed to a slowdown in caseload reductions towards late June and subsequent steady increase signalling the start of the second wave. MSOA with higher proportions of elderly (70+ years of age) and elderly living in deprivation, both with very distinct geographic distributions, have a significantly elevated COVID-19 mortality rates.Conclusions: While non-pharmaceutical interventions (that is, reductions in population mobility and social distancing) had a profound impact on the trajectory of the first wave of the COVID-19 outbreak in England, increased population mobility appears to have contributed to the current increase signalling the start of the second wave. A number of contiguous small-areas appear to be at a significant elevated risk of high COVID-19 transmission, many of which are also at increased risk for higher mortality rates. A geographically staggered re-introduction of intensified social distancing measures is advised and limited cross MSOA movement if the magnitude and geographic extent of the second wave is to be reduced.


Background Anandamide is a lipid neurotransmitter which belongs to a class of molecules termed the endocannabinoids involved in multiple physiological functions. Anandamide is readily taken up into cells, but there is considerable controversy as to the nature of this transport process (passive diffusion through the lipid bilayer vs. involvement of putative proteic transporters). This issue is of major importance since anandamide transport through the plasma membrane is crucial for its biological activity and intracellular degradation. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the involvement of cholesterol in membrane uptake and transport of anandamide. Methodology/Principal Findings Molecular modeling simulations suggested that anandamide can adopt a shape that is remarkably complementary to cholesterol. Physicochemical studies showed that in the nanomolar concentration range, anandamide strongly interacted with cholesterol monolayers at the air-water interface. The specificity of this interaction was assessed by: i) the lack of activity of structurally related unsaturated fatty acids (oleic acid and arachidonic acid at 50 nM) on cholesterol monolayers, and ii) the weak insertion of anandamide into phosphatidylcholine or sphingomyelin monolayers. In agreement with these data, the presence of cholesterol in reconstituted planar lipid bilayers triggered the stable insertion of anandamide detected as an increase in bilayer capacitance. Kinetics transport studies showed that pure phosphatidylcholine bilayers were weakly permeable to anandamide. The incorporation of cholesterol in phosphatidylcholine bilayers dose-dependently stimulated the translocation of anandamide. Conclusions/Significance Our results demonstrate that cholesterol stimulates both the insertion of anandamide into synthetic lipid monolayers and bilayers, and its transport across bilayer membranes. In this respect, we suggest that besides putative anandamide protein-transporters, cholesterol could be an important component of the anandamide transport machinery. Finally, this study provides a mechanistic explanation for the key regulatory activity played by membrane cholesterol in the responsiveness of cells to anandamide.


At the turn of the twentieth century, the United States was faced with a new and radically mixed population, one that included freed African Americans, former reservation Indians, and a burgeoning immigrant population. In The Autobiography of Citizenship, Tova Cooper looks at how educators tried to impose unity on this divergent population, and how the new citizens in turn often resisted these efforts, reshaping mainstream U.S. culture and embracing their own view of what it means to be an American. The Autobiography of Citizenship traces how citizenship education programs began popping up all over the country, influenced by the progressive approach to hands-on learning popularized by John Dewey and his followers. Cooper offers an insightful account of these programs, enlivened with compelling readings of archival materials such as photos of students in the process of learning; autobiographical writing by both teachers and new citizens; and memoirs, photos, poems, and novels by authors such as W.E.B. Du Bois, Jane Addams, Charles Reznikoff, and Emma Goldman. Indeed, Cooper provides the first comparative, inside look at these citizenship programs, revealing that they varied wildly: at one end, assimilationist boarding schools required American Indian children to transform their dress, language, and beliefs, while at the other end the libertarian Modern School encouraged immigrant children to frolic naked in the countryside and learn about the world by walking, hiking, and following their whims. Here then is an engaging portrait of what it was like to be, and become, a U.S. citizen one hundred years ago, showing that what it means to be "American" is never static.


Control over education is a power that the Constitution reserves for the states, not the federal government. But, for the reasons Ms. McColl explains in this article, answering the question she raises in the title is not such an easy matter. THE No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, the 2001 reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, has become a symbol of all things good and bad in education. While the basic concepts of the legislation -- accountability for results, research-based education programs, increased parental options, and expanded local control and flexibility -- have wide support, some critics have argued that NCLB has failed to deliver.1 Others have focused on how best to implement its provisions.2 Although this scrutiny of the requirements and outcomes of NCLB is crucial to the policy debate, the law has largely escaped a more fundamental review, and answers to the following questions are needed: Has Congress overstepped its legal authority with No Child Left Behind? Is NCLB a constitutional exercise of congressional power, or does it infringe on states' rights? What is the role of the U.S. Department of Education (ED) in addressing ambiguities in the law? Answering these questions requires a close examination of federalism as it is expressed in the U.S. Constitution and interpreted by the U.S. Supreme Court. The call to examine the law in this light comes with a warning: reaching conclusions about whether Congress acted within the limits of its constitutional authority may cause some discomfort. "Liberals" may find their customary inclination to favor a more expanded role for the federal government to be in conflict with their concern about the substance of NCLB. "Conservatives" may similarly find their general bias in favor of states' rights to be in conflict with their support for the accountability and school-choice elements of NCLB. And if the courts ignore, as they should, both the politics surrounding NCLB and its education reform goals, the results of a legal challenge could be interesting, indeed. A conservative Supreme Court may ultimately conclude that President George W. Bush's education agenda exceeds constitutional bounds. Is There Constitutional Authority for NCLB? There is little dispute over whether NCLB represents an unprecedented level of federal involvement in the affairs of our public schools. However, there is disagreement between the law's supporters, who hail this federal intrusion into state and local education as effective national reform, and its detractors, who argue that the intrusion consists of a set of politically motivated mandates that are detrimental to our schools. The language of NCLB speaks to the sweeping authority intended by its passage: "The purpose of the title is to ensure that all children have a fair, equal, and significant opportunity to obtain a high-quality education and reach, at a minimum, proficiency on challenging state academic achievement standards and state academic assessments." To accomplish this, NCLB sets extensive requirements for states, including establishing an accountability system and staffing schools with high-quality professionals. This level of federal intrusion into a domain typically under state control raises legal questions because Congress must act within the limits of federal authority established by the U.S. Constitution. The Constitution reflects a careful balance between the powers of the federal government and those of the states. James Madison argued, "The powers delegated by the proposed Constitution to the federal government are few and defined. Those which are to remain in the State governments are numerous and indefinite."3 The Constitution defines this balance in the 10th Amendment: "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people." Past court decisions, most notably San Antonio v. …


In the Caribbean, sugar cane (Saccharum officinarum L.) fields are being converted from Cambered Beds to Louisiana Banks to facilitate mechanization. After conversion the fields often subside particularly in the areas where former drains were located. This subsidence influences field drainage, soil water relations, and sugar yields. The effect of soil micro-relief on sugar cane growing in the field on Louisiana Banks after conversion from Cambered Beds was studied during the wet season in Trinidad. Three types of topographies depression, elevated, and sloping areas occurring within a field of the soil type aquic eutropepts, were selected for study. Areas of soil depression caused mainly by soil subsidence after conversion were found to have significantly higher soil moisture than areas of elevations and were also observed to have ponding water for continual periods during the course of the experiment. The nutrient and moisture levels of the top visible dewlap leaf of 21-week-old sugar cane, stalk growth, juice quality, and final yields of sugar cane and sugar measured on plots on the three topographies were used as indices of sugar cane performance. These parameters were found to be significantly affected by areas of soil depressions in the field. Only juice quality was favorably affected during the wet season by the areas of soil depression, as flooding caused premature ripening of canes. This better juice quality was not maintained as the soil dried out and there was no significant difference in juice quality at harvest. Losses in sugar cane and sugar yields from areas of soil depression compared with elevated and sloping areas varied between 41 and 47%. It is therefore recommended that allowances be made for soil subsidence and that more precise grading and land smoothing operations be carried out when fields are converted from Cambered Beds to Louisiana Banks.


In her book "Fragmented Dhaka. Analysing Everyday Life with Henri Lefebvre's Theory of Production of Space," Elisa T. BERTUZZO aims at using Henri LEFEBVRE's concept of space and his suggestions for the study of spatial structures and practices in an empirical study. The city of Dhaka, for BERTUZZO a rural "mega city," serves as a laboratory for studying the spatial practices of everyday life and specific representations of the city. This qualitative study is thought to counteract the lack of research literature on Dhaka and takes a postmodern perspective on the process of urbanization in Bangladesh's capital by highlighting heterogeneity and ambiguity. LEFEBVRE's concepts of space are transferred into a qualitative research design in a generally convincing way. However, the presentation of the results loses some of its clarity due to the abundance of the empirical findings. Although there is some conceptual "fuzziness," this does not narrow the significance of this innovative study.
URN: urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs1003199


With diminishing fraction of their solid portion, compound gas-solid superhydrophobic surfaces exhibit a large amount of slip which allows for appreciable velocity amplification in pressure-driven microchannel flows. We address this small solid-fraction limit in the context of a grating-like configuration, where superhydrophobicity is provided by a periodic array of flat-meniscus bubbles which are trapped in a Cassie state within the grooved channel walls. Asymptotic analysis for both longitudinal and transverse flows reveals a logarithmic scaling of the effective slip length in the solid fraction of the compound boundaries, thus refuting earlier claims of an algebraic singularity. The logarithmic scaling in the longitudinal problem is explained using an analogy between the unidirectional velocity and the velocity potential in two-dimensional irrotational flows. In the transverse problem it has to do with the Stokes paradox. The mechanisms identified herein explain the absence of slip-length singularity in the comparable asymmetric configuration, where only one of the channel walls is superhydrophobic.


This paper presents a highly efficient and stable algorithm for the numerical simulation of collision free plasma. This algorithm has been successfully used to numerically model non linear electron cyclotron resonance in VLF band radio waves in space, and has produced good simulations of radio emissions such as 'dawn chorus' and 'triggered VLF emissions'. The algorithm fills the phase box with simulation particles which represent phase space trajectories. Particle trajectories are followed forwards continuously in time without restarts, and these particles are followed until either the simulation ends or the particles exit from the phase box. Liouville's theorem tells us that distribution function F is conserved along these trajectories, and so F is known at the phase space points represented by the particle positions. No phase space volume is associated with these particles. At each time step F is truly interpolated, and not distributed from particles to the regular phase space grid, solely for the purpose of calculating plasma charge and current fields. For this operation a cheap low order interpolation is useable. The algorithm is simple, robust and highly efficient. There is NO diffusion in phase space whatsoever, and fine structure is merely undersampled and does not cause any instability problems. Regions of phase space where F=0 are cost free as no particles need be provided. The algorithm readily accomodates situations where phase fluid flows into or out of the phase box. The method has been successfully applied to the numerical modelling of the triggering of VLF emissions


Research on the TGF-β family of ligands and receptors has exploded recently with the identification of downstream signaling proteins and further characterization of signaling regulators. Massagué and Chen discuss in great detail the mechanisms that control TGF-β signaling from the extracellular milieu (agonists to antagonists to antagonists of antagonists), to transmembrane receptor decoys, to regulation of protein association with the cytoplasmic domains of the receptor complexes. The authors cover the role of Ras and MAP kinases in the negative and positive regulation of Smads, and the internetworking of Smads with other pathways. For an outstanding review on the specifics of Smad crosstalk and interactions, see the review by Wrana in the STKE Reviews section. Massagué, J., and Chen, Y.-G. (2000) Controlling TGF-signaling. Genes Dev. 14: 627-644. [Full Text] Wrana, J. (2000) Crossing Smads. Science's STKE: www.stke.org/cgi/content/full/OC_sigtrans;2000/23/re1 [Abstract] [Full Text]


Background The Multidimensional Prognostic Index (MPI) has been found to predict mortality in patients with a variety of clinical conditions. We aimed to assess the association of the MPI with future mortality and number of in-hospital days for the first time in a population-based cohort. Methods The study population consisted of 2472 persons, aged 66–99 years, from the Swedish National Study on Aging and Care in Kungsholmen, Sweden, who underwent the baseline visit 2001–4, and were followed up >10 years for in-hospital days and >12 years for mortality. The MPI was a modified version of the original and aggregated seven domains (personal and instrumental activities of daily living, cognitive function, illness severity and comorbidity, number of medications, co-habitation status, and nutritional status). The MPI score was divided into risk groups: low, medium and high. Number of in-hospital days (within 1, 3 and 10 years) and mortality data were derived from official registries. All analyses were age-stratified (sexagenarians, septuagenarians, octogenarians, nonagenarians). Results During the follow-up 1331 persons (53.8%) died. Laplace regression models, suggested that median survival in medium risk groups varied by age from 2.2–3.6 years earlier than for those in the corresponding low risk groups (p = 0.002-p<0.001), and median survival in high risk groups varied by age from 3.8–9.0 years earlier than for corresponding low risk groups (p<0.001). For nonagenarians, the median age at death was 3.8 years earlier in the high risk group than for the low risk group (p<0.001). The mean number of in-hospital days increased significantly with higher MPI risk score within 1 and 3 years for people of each age group. Conclusion For the first time, the effectiveness of MPI has been verified in a population-based cohort. Higher MPI risk scores associated with more days in hospital and with fewer years of survival, across a broad and stratified age range.


Waste heat recovery by means of Organic Rankine Cycle is a promising technology for the recovery of engine exhaust heat. However, it is complex to find out the optimum cycle conditions with appropriate working fluids to match exhaust gas waste heat due to its high temperature. Hence, this paper focuses on comparing sub-critical and supercritical ORC conditions with eight working fluids on a combined diesel engine-ORC system. The model employs two ORC designs, Regenerative-ORC and Pre-Heating-Regenerative-ORC respectively. The thermodynamic calculations rely on the first and second law of thermodynamics, thermal efficiency and exergy destruction factors are the fundamental parameters evaluated. Additionally, in this study, environmental and safety, GWP (Global Warming Potential) and ODP (Ozone Depletion Potential), characteristic of the refrigerants are taken into consideration as evaluation criteria to define the optimal ORC configuration and conditions. Consequently, the studys outcomes reveal that supercritical ORCs with alkane and siloxane are more suitable for high temperature exhaust waste heat recovery in contrast to sub-critical conditions. Keywords—Internal combustion engine, organic rankine cycle, waste heat recovery, working fluids.


This article describes how podcasts from senior students were used as brief peer mentoring tools in an asynchronous, self-paced, text-based, introductory online nursing course. An increasing number of distance educators use peer mentoring approaches to support student success in higher education programs. However, suggestions for implementing peer mentoring in courses where students work alone and at their own pace is limited. Our project illustrates how MP3 audio recordings of students' voices (podcasts) offer advice and encouragement (mentorship) to peers who do not know one another.


Background: Invasive alien species receive little attention in many tropical countries. Aims: We examine the Neotropical tree genus Cecropia in West Java and ask how eradication decisions should be judged given limited resources. Methods: The distribution was determined based on field searches. The history, impacts and perceptions of Cecropia were examined through official records, observations, interviews and published literature. Results : At least four Cecropia species were planted in the Bogor Botanic Gardens, West Java Province, Indonesia, during the twentieth century but only C. peltata appears to have naturalised extensively. Since 1943 Cecropia has spread over 1290 km2. Implied mean rates of spread range from 0.13 km year−1 to 0.68 km year−1, with the fastest rates occurring down-slope and along river valleys. It has reached Jakarta to the north and the Mount Gede-Pangrango National Park to the south. It occurs only in open and disturbed locations. Local farmers consider Cecropia only a minor nuisance. We review 15 other reports of Cecropia naturalised outside the Neotropics. Conclusions: Without control, Cecropia may eventually become common throughout Java. There is no evidence that any serious problem will, or will not result. We call for the development and implementation of low-cost and decisive assessment procedures for evaluating the control and management of naturalised organisms.


This dissertation explores three topics: (1) geometric rectification of camera-captured document images, (2) camera-captured document mosaicing, and (3) layout structure recognition. The first two topics pertain to camera-based document image analysis, a new trend within the OCR community. Compared to typical scanners, cameras offer convenient, flexible, portable, and non-contact image capture, which enables many new applications and breathes new life into existing ones. The third topic is related to the need for efficient metadata extraction methods, critical for managing digitized documents.
The kernel of our geometric rectification framework is a novel method for estimating document shape from a single camera-captured image. Our method uses texture flows detected in printed text areas and is insensitive to occlusion. Classification of planar versus curved documents is done automatically. For planar pages, we obtain full metric rectification. For curved pages, we estimate a planar-strip approximation based on properties of developable surfaces. Our method can process any planar or smoothly curved document captured from an arbitrary position without requiring 3D data, metric data, or camera calibration.
For the second topic, we design a novel registration method for document images, which produces good results in difficult situations including large displacements, severe projective distortion, small overlapping areas, and lack of distinguish able feature points. We implement a selective image composition method that outperforms conventional image blending methods in overlapping areas. It eliminates double images caused by mis-registration and preserves the sharpness in overlapping areas.
We solve the third topic with a graph-based model matching framework. Layout structures are modeled by graphs, which integrate local and global features and are extensible to new features in the future. Our model can handle large variation within a class and subtle differences between classes. Through graph matching, the layout structure of a document is discovered. Our layout structure recognition technique accomplishes document classification and logical component labeling at the same time. Our model learning method enables a model to adapt to changes in classes over time.


Seismic reflection records of the 1986 Nevada PASSCAL seismic experiment in the roughly east-west direction (dip line) show a highly reflective crust with a broad (diffuse) Moho which is characterized at normal incidence by strong, subparallel, laterally discontinuous, multicyclic events lacking observable diffractions. Recordings in the roughly north-south direction (strike line) show a transparent crust with short scattered events and a strong continuous Moho. Elastic finite-difference modeling indicates that (1) effects due to the topography of the reflecting interfaces and/or the existence of heterogeneities increase the travel times, thus lowering the velocity estimates, and (2) the seismic response of a layered structure can be disrupted from a strong, laterally continuous event to a series of short multicyclic events by increasing the dimensions of the overlying heterogeneities. Finite-difference modeling demonstrates that large-scale anisotropy, achieved by roughly east-west alignment of strongly elongated lenses (boudins) located at mid- and lower-crustal depths, can explain the observed differences in the seismic response along the perpendicular lines.


Earthquakes and other major disasters present communities and their authorities with an extraordinary challenge. While a lot can be done to prepare a city's response in the event of a disaster, few cities are truly prepared for the initial impact, devastation, grief, and the seemingly formidable challenge of recovery. Many people find themselves overwhelmed with facing critical problems; ones which they have often never had experience with before. While the simple part is agreeing on a desired outcome for recovery, it appears the argument that exists between stakeholders is the conflicting ideas of How To effectively achieve the main objective. What I have identified as an important step toward collaborating on the How To of recovery is to identify the ways in which each discipline can most effectively contribute to the recovery. Landscape architecture is just one of the many disciplines (that should be) invovled in the How To of earthquake recovery. Canterbury has an incredible opportunity to set the benchmark for good practice in earthquake recovery. To make the most of this opportuntiy, it is critical that landscape architects are more effectively engaged in roles of recovery across a much broader spectrum of recovery activities. The overarching purpose of this research is to explore and provide insight to the current and potential of landscape architects in the earthquake recovery period in Canterbury, using international good practice as a benchmark. The research is aimed at stimulating and guiding landscape architects dealing with the earthquake recovery in Canterbury, while informing stakeholders: emergency managers, authorities, other disciplines and the wider community of themost effective role(s) for landscape architects in the recovery period.


Background
Body fat distribution is a marker of metabolic health independent of body size. Visceral fat accumulation has been suggested to result from a decreased expandability of the subcutaneous fat depots. Furthermore, the visceral fat may be easier to mobilize than the peripheral fat. We examined whether differences in abdominal obesity at baseline influenced prospective body-weight changes.

Objective
In this study we examined whether body-fat distribution at baseline was associated with long-term and short-term weight changes.

Design
We included 3 observational studies (ntotal = 7271) with mean follow-up times of 5-9 y and two 8-10-wk weight loss intervention studies (ntotal = 1091). We examined the association between baseline waist circumference and weight changes in a substitution regression model, where body weight, height, and fat-free mass were fixed so that a difference in waist circumference would reflect a difference in body fat distribution alone. The results were summarized in meta-analyses.

Results
In the observational studies, we found no associations between baseline waist circumference and subsequent weight change in men (β: 0.03 kg; 95% CI: -0.01, 0.08 kg; P = 0.19), but a negligible inverse association in women (β: -0.05 kg; 95% CI: -0.08, -0.01 kg; P = 0.01). There was no association between baseline waist circumference and weight loss in the intervention studies (men: β: -0.05 kg; 95% CI: -0.13, 0.03 kg; P = 0.25; women: β: -0.00 kg; 95% CI: -0.03, 0.03 kg; P = 0.84). However, in all studies, the SDs of the weight change residuals were greater, the greater the waist circumference at baseline. This trend was statistically significant in women in most studies as well as in men in 1 of the studies.

Conclusions
With narrow CIs in 3 observational studies and 2 weight loss interventions, we did not find any clinically or epidemiologically relevant association between baseline abdominal obesity and weight change. However, the present study suggests that a greater baseline abdominal obesity is a marker for greater weight fluctuations. The CCHS trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as NCT02993172. The Health2006 trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00316667. The ORG study was conducted before trial registration was required. The NUGENOB trial was registered at www.isrctn.com as ISRCTN25867281. The DiOGenes trial was registered atwww.clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00390637.


In the last two decades, the global community and government of several countries have made heartening investments in promoting access to education in developing countries. It is estimated that since the reaffirmation by world leaders and development community to achieve education for all by 2015 in Dakar, Senegal, governments and donors have invested about US $ 15 billion annually in education. Despite the huge financial investments, empirical evidence shows that education outcomes remain low among school children in developing countries and key stakeholders in the education sector identified weak and ineffective supervision as one of the major factors responsible for the low educational outcomes. This study therefore examines the professional skills of school supervisors in ensuring effective teaching and learning in Ghanaian basic schools. Using the Ga South Municipality as a study area, I specifically explored the professional backgrounds of school supervisors, examining their recruitment and training processes, field experiences, and how they apply their professional knowledge to the school supervision process.

Employing a purely qualitative case study approach under pinned by the concept of social constructivism, I engaged 7 school supervisors, 5 teachers/headteachers, 2 directors of education and 2 PTA/SMC members. I used in-depth interviews, observations and documentary reviews as the methods of data collection. The study made the following findings:

With regard to the professional background and qualification, the supervisors who participated in the study are well qualified and experienced in the field of education. They are all trained professional teachers with over 10 years of classroom teaching experience. They also held Bachelor's Degrees; however, not all of them have pursued degree programmes in the field of education. Majority of them specialised in fields such as political science, sociology, human resources management, psychology, and history – and none had received any formal training in education administration or supervision.
The supervisor recruitment process is characterised by the phenomenon of neo-patrimonialism where political and traditional authorities use their influence and power to mount pressure on education officials to select their preferred candidates (mainly party faithfuls) as supervisors. Any resistance from an education director is interpreted as seeking the downfall of the political head and his or her administration. In terms of skills training, there is no formal pre-service and in-service training (INSET) programme designed to enhance the professional development of supervisors in the skills of supervision. Supervisors were reliant on peer training and support (both skills development and material) from non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to build their professional capacity. Training provided by NGOs were governed by their philosophies or that of their donor partners rather than the sector policies of the Ministry of Education and GES. The study also revealed that even though supervisors have the knowledge in the field of education, they are deficient in the 'technical' and 'interpersonal skills' necessary for effective supervision in schools. There is also a general lack of material resources necessary for efficient supervision of schools.

Based on these findings as a whole, the study recommended an intervention in the form of a comprehensive policy to govern basic education supervision; the initiation of education supervision training programmes in pro-education specialisation tertiary institutions such as the University of Cape Coast (UCC) and the University of Education Winneba (UEW); and a clear framework to control and coordinate the activities of NGOs working in the field of education management and supervision in Ghana.


The authors explore the strategies employed in the recent renovation of the William Johnston Building at Florida State University, which preserved the historical exterior while the adapting the interiors to new functions as classrooms, study centers, and common spaces with intentionally undefined purposes. The building's various use capacities, together with the flexibility of its interior environments, creates what the authors have termed a building of requirement. The paper reveals how the building's historical interior layouts and architectural elements defined the approach to realizing a postmodern and future-oriented building while fostering new encounters and forming new user familiarities, thereby contributing to the structure's evolution as living history.


We display a detailed description of mimetic muscles in extinct human species, framed in comparative and phylogenetic contexts. Using known facial landmarks, we assessed the arrangement of muscles of facial expression in Homo sapiens, neanderthalensis, erectus, heidelbergensis and ergaster. In modern humans, several perioral muscles are proportionally smaller in size (levator labii superioris, zygomaticus minor, zygomaticus major and triangularis) and/or located more medially (levator labii superioris, zygomaticus minor and quadratus labii inferioris) than in other human species. As mimetic musculature is examined in the most ancient specimens up to the most recent, there is a general trend towards an increase in size of corrugator supercillii and triangularis. Homo ergaster's mimetic musculature closely resembles modern Homo, both in size and in location; furthermore, Homo erectus and Homo neanderthalensis share many muscular features. The extinct human species had an elaborate and highly graded facial communication system, but it remained qualitatively different from that reported in modern Homo. Compared with other human species, Homo sapiens clearly exhibits a lower degree of facial expression, possibly correlated with more sophisticated social behaviours and with enhanced speech capabilities. The presence of anatomical variation among species of the genus Homo raises important questions about the possible taxonomic value of mimetic muscles.


It is frequently argued that policymakers should target high-tech firms, i.e., firms with high R&D intensity, because such firms are considered more innovative and therefore potential fast-growers. This argument relies on the assumption that the association among high-tech status, innovativeness, and growth is actually positive. We examine this assumption by studying the industry distribution of high-growth firms (HGFs) across all four-digit NACE industries, using data covering all limited liability firms in Sweden during the period 1997–2008. The results of fractional logit regressions indicate that industries with high R&D intensity, ceteris paribus, can be expected to have a lower share of HGFs than can industries with lower R&D intensity. The findings cast doubt on the wisdom of targeting R&D industries or subsidizing R&D to promote firm growth. In contrast, we find that HGFs are overrepresented in knowledge-intensive service industries, i.e., service industries with a high share of human capital.


Background and Objective: Black root rot, incited by the soil borne fungus Thielaviopsisbasicola, can cause substantial yield loss and reduced fiber quality in cotton (Gossypium spp.). The isolation of candidate resistant genes in tetraploid genome AADD cotton species (2n=4x=52) remains challenging in the absence of research of black root rot resistance on progenitor DD genome diploid cotton (G. raimondii). In this study, by exploiting Phytozome database, a comparative map of the black root rot-resistance quantitative trait loci in DD genome was constructed. Materials and methods: Simple sequence repeats markers associated with these three quantitative trait loci in the AA genome were used as "anchoredprobes" frameworks for establishing relationships between the two cotton genomes AA and DD. Results: Our results showed that there was colinearity between the genetic map of simple sequence repeats markers on AA genome and the physical map of these simple sequences repeats markers on DD genome. It was suggested that the syntenic loci on chromosome 2, 7 and 11 on DD genome could correspond the black root rot resistance. Conclusion: This study could serve as a fundamental step in isolating and introducing the resistance gene against black root rot into elite cotton cultivars.