Cities are widely recognized as the preferred places for cultural production and interactions, with their ability to agglomerate high-skilled workers and talented people, and to host services and knowledge infrastructures connected through formal and informal networks. They stand at the intersection points of both physical connections, including passenger travels and trade of goods and non-physical relations. The paper starts from the acknowledgment that innovation comes out as a consequence of these networks, triggering the economic growth and making cities attractive and competitive. It will then investigate the role of the human capital, as the current best productive asset, that acquires a new value in virtue of the social capital. The aim is to demonstrate that multiculturalism is an innovative, dynamic factor for development necessary for cities to thrive, that is particularly present within port cities. These nodes of transportation and relational networks, in fact, are embedded into several activities that go far beyond their boundaries and emerge as places of conflicts, but also of innovation and progress. In order to support the discussion, this contribution will explore the Innovation District of Boston as a significant case study, since, with its strong multiculturalism within a port environment that is deeply changing, the area is favoring the new economy of innovation. The results of the study will highlight the challenging character of stressing multiculturalism in a general climate of mistrust, intolerance and fear and will recognize the fact that in the era of the human capital there is an important element linked to connections, both physical (transportation links) and relational (social capital), that have the ability to transform the look of cities, opening up new opportunities to grow and use the human capital in unexpected ways. A set of possible future scenarios of policies will be proposed as well, considering the diversity added value and the prioritization of physical and relational connections.


Elavie Ndura is an assistant professor of multicultural education in the Department of Educational Specialties of the College of Education at the University of Nevada, Reno. Multicultural education courses pose individual challenges to both students and instructors. Such courses, by their nature, raise powerful and unavoidable questions about issues of sexism, racism, social inequality, and linguistic as well as religious diversity, which tend to be uncomfortable topics for students and teachers to discuss. As Ahlquist (1992) indicates, "whether unconscious or conscious, intentional or unintentional, prospective teachers find it difficult to accept that whites have benefited economically, socially and psychologically from institutional and interactional racism, and males have benefited from sexism" (p. 89). Such attitudes can create tension between students and instructors and among students themselves in multicultural education courses, as demonstrated in the article by GutierrezGomez (2002). This tension may raise resistance, which is a major obstacle to learning and achieving desired change. The journey towards effectively helping students become aware of their biases, stereotypes, prejudices, and privileges must begin with multicultural education instructors themselves. They must explore their own cultural preconceptions and ideologies through careful and truthful reflective self-analysis in order to be able to manage and constructively interpret theirs and their students' shared societal and classroom lived experiences. Teaching multicultural education is much more than dispensing content and knowledge. It is about building relationships (Nieto, 1999), and do so in a classroom environment that fosters mutual recognition and validation. This article looks closely at the challenges of teaching a graduate multicultural education seminar from an instructor's personal perspective. First, I discuss my cultural identity and my rationale for teaching multicultural education. Second, I explain my philosophy of multicultural education. Third, I outline the objectives of the course. Fourth, I discuss the teaching challenges I encounter in teaching the course, from the perspective of a faculty of color on a predominantly White campus. I conclude with some recommendations for learners and teachers of multicultural education.


of the Dissertation CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE THEORY OF MONTE CARLO AND QUASIMONTE CARLO METHODS by Giray Ökten The Claremont Graduate School: 1997 Quasi-Monte Carlo methods, which are often described as deterministic versions of Monte Carlo methods, were introduced in the 1950s by number theoreticians. They improve several deficiencies of Monte Carlo methods; such as providing estimates with deterministic bounds and avoiding the paradoxical difficulty of generating random numbers in a computer. However, they have their own drawbacks. First, although they provide faster convergence than Monte Carlo methods asymptotically, the advantage may not be practical to obtain in "high" dimensional problems. Second, there is not a practical way to measure the error of a quasi-Monte Carlo simulation. Finally, unlike Monte Carlo methods, there is a scarcity of error reduction techniques for these methods. In this dissertation, we attempt to provide remedies for the disadvantages of quasi-Monte Carlo methods mentioned above. In the first part of the dissertation, a hybrid-Monte Carlo sequence designed to obtain error reduction in high dimensions is studied. Probabilistic results on the discrepancy of this sequence as well as results obtained by applying the sequence to problems from numerical integration and mathematical finance are presented. In the second part of the dissertation, a new hybrid-Monte Carlo method is introduced, in an attempt to obtain a practical statistical error analysis using low-discrepancy sequences. It is applied to problems from mathematical finance and particle transport theory to compare its effectiveness with the conventional methods. In the last part of the dissertation, a generalized quasi-Monte Carlo integration rule is introduced. A Koksma-Hlawka type inequality for the rule is proved, using a new concept for the variation of a function. As a consequence of the rule, error reduction techniques and in particular an "importance sampling" type statement are derived. Problems from different disciplines are used as practical tests for our methods. The numerical results obtained in favor of the methods suggest the practical advantages that can be realized by their use in a wide variety of applications.


PURPOSE: To evaluate the plasma and tissue pharmacokinetics, safety and toxicity following intra-arterial hepatic artery administration of Vandetanib (VTB)-eluting Radiopaque Beads (VERB) in healthy swine. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In a first phase, healthy swine were treated with hepatic intra-arterial administration of VERB at target dose loading strengths of 36 mg/mL (VERB36), 72 mg/mL (VERB72) and 120 mg/mL (VERB120). Blood and tissue samples were taken and analysed for VTB and metabolites to determine pharmacokinetic parameters for the different dose forms over 30 days. In a second phase, animals were treated with unloaded radiopaque beads or high dose VTB loaded beads (VERB100, 100 mg/mL). Tissue samples from embolized and non-embolized areas of the liver were evaluated at necropsy (30 and 90 days) for determination of VTB and metabolite levels and tissue pathology. Imaging was performed prior to sacrifice using multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT) and imaging findings correlated with pathological changes in the tissue and location of the radiopaque beads. RESULTS: The peak plasma levels of VTB (Cmax) released from the various doses of VERB ranged between 6.19-17.3 ng/mL indicating a low systemic burst release. The plasma profile of VTB was consistent with a distribution phase up to 6 h after administration followed by elimination with a half-life of 20-23 h. The AUC of VTB and its major metabolite N-desmethyl vandetanib (NDM VTB) was approximately linear with the dose strength of VERB. VTB plasma levels were at or below limits of detection two weeks after administration. In liver samples, VTB and NDM VTB were present in treated sections at 30 days after administration at levels above the in vitro IC50 for biological effectiveness. At 90 days both analytes were still present in treated liver but were near or below the limit of quantification in untreated liver sections, demonstrating sustained release from the VERB. Comparison of the reduction of the liver lobe size and associated tissue changes suggested a more effective embolization with VERB compared to the beads without drug. CONCLUSIONS: Hepatic intra-arterial administration of VERB results in a low systemic exposure and enables sustained delivery of VTB to target tissues following embolization. Changes in the liver tissue are consistent with an effective embolization and this study has demonstrated that VERB100 is well tolerated with no obvious systemic toxicity.


Due to various corporate scandals and failures, there has been a renewed interest on the role of boards in the performance of firms. In the light of Third world countries' financial crisis, the effectiveness of good governance in African economies has been a confronting issue .Agency problems arise when ownership is separated from management. In developing markets like East Africa, investors are eager to improve the governance mechanism. Researches on this topic worldwide have increased in recent years; however, many of these studies have obtained inconclusive findings because of various reasons such as fast changing of the market, management methods and different approaches. Board of directors as the monitors for management and trustee for shareholders play an important role. This situation has raised a key issue in corporate governance of how to effectively monitor managers and to exercise control so that managers act in the best interest of the shareholders .Governed firms have been noted to have good firm performance. There is no gainsaying of the fact that corporate governance structure has a critical impact on the responsive ability of a firm to external factors that impinge on firms' performance. This study reviewed previous literatures and studies from both advanced markets and Kenyan market. It examined the correlation between board composition and firm's performance of Kenyan listed companies. A quantitative approach was adopted to examine the correlation between managerial composition and firm performance of listed companies in NSE. The research population was 55 companies listed in NSE. Sample size of 60% was derived through stratified sampling method .Secondary data was used for this study and data sourced from annual audited financial statements of the listed companies in NSE. Empirical analysis was undertaken using Generalized Least Squares analyses. Softwares that were used included SPSS and STATA. Results of data analysis were interpreted in line with the research objectives and fmdings recommendations and conclusions reported. The findings of the study showed that board characteristics such as board size, board independence and gender diversity were positively related with firm performance, where as the number of board members with PhD level education was found to be negatively related to firm performance. The findings also provide partial evidence to different governance theories, further indicating the need for theoretical pluralism to gain insights into boards' functioning.


OBJECTIVE
To determine the prevalence of allergic conjunctivitis in children in selected schools in Karachi, Pakistan.

METHODS
This cross-sectional study was conducted in September and October 2008 as part of the School Eye Health Initiative launched by the Aga Khan University, Karachi and the Adamjee Eye Hospital, Karachi. Children in the selected schools underwent vision assessment and a slit lamp examination by an ophthalmologist. The main objective was to detect allergic conjunctivitis which was ascertained by the presence of papillae in the upper tarsal conjunctiva, redness of the eyes, and presence or history of itching and burning.

RESULT
A total of 818 children aged 5-19 years were examined. Of these, 19.2% (95% CI 16.5% to 21.9%) had allergic conjunctivitis. There was a significant association between increasing age and allergic conjunctivitis (Odds ratio: 1.19, 95% CI: 1.12, 1.26; P < 0.001). Boys had a higher burden of allergic conjunctivitis than girls; however this difference was not statistically significant (Odds ratio: 1.31, 95% CI: 0.90, 1.91, p = 0.153).

CONCLUSION
There is a very high prevalence of allergic conjunctivitis in children in the selected schools in Karachi. Further research is needed to identify factors that contribute to such a high burden of this condition and to assess whether a similar pattern is also observed elsewhere.


AIM: To investigate nicotinamide's action on glucose metabolism, and the association between niacin consumption and obesity prevalence. METHODS: Dynamic nicotinamide's effect on plasma hydrogen peroxide and glucose metabolism was in- vestigated using oral glucose tolerance tests with or without nicotinamide in the same five healthy subjects.Lag-regression analysis was used to examine the association between the niacin consumption and the obesity prevalence among US children using the data from the Economic Research Service of the US Department of Agriculture and from US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, respectively. RESULTS: Compared with the control oral glucose tolerance test, the 1-h plasma hydrogen peroxide (1.4 ± 0.1 μmol/L vs 1.6 ± 0.1 μmol/L, P = 0.016) and insulin levels (247.1 ± 129.0 pmol/L vs 452.6 ± 181.8 pmol/L, P = 0.028) were signif icantly higher, and the 3-h blood glucose was signif icantly lower (5.8 ± 1.2 mmol/L vs 4.5 ± 1.1 mmol/L, P = 0.002) after coadministration of glucose and 300 mg nicotinamide. The obesity prevalence among American children increased with the increasing per capita niacin consumption, the increasing grain contribution to niacin due to niacin-fortification, and the increasing niacin-fortified ready-to-eat cereal consumption, with a 10-year lag. The regression analyses showed that the obesity prevalence in the US children of all age groups was determined by niacin consumption (R2 = 0.814, 0.961 and 0.94 for 2-5 years, 6-11 years and 12-19 years age groups, respectively). CONCLUSION: The appetite-stimulating effect of nicotinamide appears to involve oxidative stress. Excess niacin consumption may be a major factor in the increased obesity prevalence in US children.


A mapping population of recombinant inbred lines (RILs) derived from the cross between Co39 (lowland, Indica rice cultivar) and Moroberekan (upland, Japonica) was used, in two experiments to map QTLs associated with salt tolerance, particularly, ion accumulation under salinity stress by composite interval mapping (CIM). In QTL mapping study-I, plants were transplanted in compost filled pots and exposed to non saline and saline treatments (100 mol m-3 NaCl + 5 mol m 3 CaCl2) in a flood bench system and data were recorded for various physiological and morphological parameters at different exposure times to salt stress. There were three replications in mapping study-I. The plants were grown only at 100 mol m-3 NaCl + 5 mol m-3 CaCl2 salt stress in mapping study-II, with three replications. QTL mapping study-I used 32 RILs, whereas, in study-II a total of 120 RILs were evaluated for phenotypic response. The integrated genetic map of rice chromosome-1, consisting of 45 molecular markers had a distance of 201.2 cM with an average interval of 4.57 cM between markers, saturating a region that has previously been identified as a hot-spot for ion accumulation QTLs. In mapping study-II, Na+, K+ concentration and K+/Na+ ratio in the sap of different parts of the plant were recorded at 7 and 21 days of salt stress. A total of 38 QTLs for ion accumulation were detected in the 80 to 101 cM region of the genetic map of chromosome-1. We identified three separate regions that were active in controlling ion concentration at 21 days of salt stress, suggesting that a minimum of three different genes were acting to regulate leaf sap ion concentrations. QTLs for various physiological and morphological traits associated with salt tolerance were also detected on other chromosomes of rice. In mapping study-I, 6QTLs for Na+ in expanded leaf were detected on chrom.1 (2QTLs), 2 (1QTL), 3 (1QTL) and 9 (2QTLs), whereas, 4QTLs were found on chrom.1 at 21 days salt stress in mapping study-II. Similarly, 6QTLs for K+ in expanded leaf were detected on chrom.1 (1QTL), 2 (1QTL), 6 (1QTL), 7 (1QTL) and 9 (2QTLs), whereas, no QTL was identified in mapping study-II at 21 days salt stress. Regarding, K+/Na+ ratio of expanded leaf 5QTLs were detected on chrom.1 (4QTLs) and 12 (1QTLs) in mapping study-I, whereas, 4QTLs were identified on chrom.1 at 21 days salt stress in mapping study-II. QTLs for these traits were also detected in other tissue types in mapping study-II. The QTLs for Na+ accumulation were detected at different regions under salt stress and non stress conditions suggesting that same genes are not involved in the control of ions under salt stress and non stress conditions. Moroberekan alleles at most of the loci increase Na+ and decrease K+ conc. in the leaf sap under salt stress. The markers RM10710, RM8094, K061, RM3412 and RM493 are important for salt tolerance on chromosome-1 because of the presence of consistent QTLs for K+ and Na+ accumulation in this region. The relationship is also discussed between these QTLs and others such as Saltol, SalT, SKC-1 etc. reported by different authors. QTL for days to heading were also found under non saline conditions.


Questions and debates about the end of anthropology are highlighted here for their potential value in revealing what the 'crisis talk' in the discipline really means, and what it may be masking. In this article the reader is invited to reflect on several questions: about anthropology as a discipline or as a praxis; about how anthropology can be not just revitalised, but revolutionised; about the place of ethnography in anthropology; and about the quest for distinction and the accumulation of disciplinary capital. More broadly, this article deals with the restructuring of anthropology within a context of continued imperialism.


This Handbook summarizes the state of thinking and presents new evidence on various links between international migration and economic development, with particular reference to lower-income countries. The connections between trade, aid and migration are critically examined through global case studies.


Exploding traffic demands and increasing energy consumptions facing today's networks are driving the designs of next-generation networking technologies. Cross-layer enabled approaches will allow for the packet-level control of the optical layer, to enable dynamic resource allocation and traffic engineering at the physical layer. We demonstrate an intelligent cross-layer enabled network node that can support high-bandwidth, all-optically routed packets, using emerging photonic technologies including optical packet switched fabrics and packet-scale performance monitoring. Using a cross-layer control and management plane, the node can dynamically optimize optical switching based on higher-layer constraints such as quality-of-service and energy consumption, as well as quality-of-transmission metrics such as link integrity and bit-error rates. We demonstrate a first-generation prototype of the cross-layer node, outlining its architecture and major implemented subsystems. The packet-rate physical-layer reconfiguration of the node's fabric is shown using an implemented performance monitor and control plane. The realized node supports 8 40-Gb/s wavelength-striped optical packets with pseudorandom data with error-free transmission (bit-error rates less than ), in conjunction with the heterogeneous transmission of video traffic using 10-Gigabit Ethernet optical network interface cards based on field-programmable gate arrays.


The U.S. asylum system is noble, but flawed. Scholars have long recognized that asylum is a "scarce�? political resource, but U.S. law persists in distributing access to asylum based on an asylum seeker's ability to circumvent migration controls rather than the strength of the asylum seeker's claim for protection. To apply for asylum, an asylum seeker must either arrange to be smuggled into the U.S., or lie to the consulate while abroad to obtain a nonimmigrant visa. Nonimmigrant visa requirements effectively filter the pool of asylum applicants according to wealth, educational attainment, and intent not to remain in the U.S. indefinitely -- criteria completely unrelated to or at odds with the purposes of refugee law. The system as currently designed, therefore, selects asylum seekers based entirely on their ability to satisfy irrelevant criteria, and without regard to their relative need for protection from persecution. Such a system fails to maximize the humanitarian benefits of our scarce asylum resources. To better protect individuals facing serious persecution, this Article contends, Congress should consider reforming the immigration laws to provide for an asylum visa to be made available to foreign nationals. U.S. consulates abroad, under proper circumstances, would issue this visa to foreign nationals who demonstrate a credible fear of persecution on a ground enumerated in the United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees. Applicants would then lawfully enter the U.S. and apply for asylum. Successful applicants would remain, and unsuccessful applicants would face removal. Drawing on the extant literature on so-called "protected entry procedures�? that once existed in Europe, this Article considers the costs and benefits of the practice of issuing asylum visas. This Article concludes that, despite serious and uncertain costs, and the impracticability of issuing asylum visas in some countries, this practice would likely create substantial benefits. In particular, it would likely decrease asylum seekers' reliance on human smugglers, clear a path to protection for bona fide asylum seekers, and increase the accuracy of information possessed by both asylum seekers and the U.S. government. Thus, the asylum visa would assist asylum seekers in making better-informed decisions ex ante and help to achieve a better allocation of asylum resources ex post. For these reasons, the creation of an asylum visa and the potential details of such a proposal merit further study.


Deformation and fracture processes in engineering materials often require simultaneous descriptions over a range of length and time scales, with each scale using a different computational technique. Here we present a high-performance parallel 3D computing framework for executing large multiscale studies that couple an atomic domain, modeled using molecular dynamics and a continuum domain, modeled using explicit finite elements. We use the robust Coupled Atomistic/Discrete-Dislocation (CADD) displacement-coupling method, but without the transfer of dislocations between atoms and continuum. The main purpose of the work is to provide a multiscale implementation within an existing large-scale parallel molecular dynamics code (LAMMPS) that enables use of all the tools associated with this popular open-source code, while extending CADD-type coupling to 3D. Validation of the implementation includes the demonstration of (i) stability in finite-temperature dynamics using Langevin dynamics, (ii) elimination of wave reflections due to large dynamic events occurring in the MD region and (iii) the absence of spurious forces acting on dislocations due to the MD/FE coupling, for dislocations further than 10 Å from the coupling boundary. A first non-trivial example application of dislocation glide and bowing around obstacles is shown, for dislocation lengths of ∼50 nm using fewer than 1 000 000 atoms but reproducing results of extremely large atomistic simulations at much lower computational cost.


Impact of solid bodies is the most fundamental of all processes that have taken place on the terrestrial planets in our Solar system (Shoemaker 1977). On Earth, impact cratering was the dominant geologic process during the period of the early heavy bombardment until 3.8 Ga. A constant asteroid impact flux exists since that time. Although deformation of the crust by meteorite impacts is now subordinate with respect to tectonics, it represents an important, but often underestimated fraction of the bulk crustal deformation. Short-term deformation during hypervelocity impact events differs in many respects from standard tectonics: Unique conditions exist at pressures above the so-called Hugoniot elastic limit (HEL) of a particular mineral or rock. This state of compression is reached in a shock wave that propagates from the point of impact. Shock waves travel at supersonic velocity, heat and irreversibly deform the rock, and cause a residual motion of the material they have passed, which ultimately leads to the formation of parabolically shaped crater cavity of much larger extent than the projectile diameter. At pressure above the HEL minerals are subjected to shock metamorphism. For instance, the HEL of quartz is in the range of 3–5 GPa, pending on crystallographic orientation. With increasing


Members of the inhibitor of apoptosis (IAP) family control several critical aspects of innate immunity, cell death, and tumorigenesis. Small molecule antagonists that target specific IAP oncoproteins, primarily cIAP1 and cIAP2, but potentially also XIAP and Livin, modulate distinct immune signal transduction pathways that can lead to an increased sensitivity of tumors cells to cytokine-mediated apoptosis. These antagonists are based on the structure of an endogenous cellular IAP inhibitor called Smac. Smac is normally sequestered within the mitochondria and is released into the cytoplasm upon cell death stimuli, thereby overcoming the anti-apoptotic action of the IAPs. The therapeutic usefulness of recombinant tumoricidal cytokines to treat cancer patients is principally limited due to their unacceptable adverse side effects. Therefore, investigators have sought to develop alternative regimens that do not rely on exogenously delivered death ligands. These approaches include the stimulation of the immune system with oncolytic virus-based agents or Toll-like receptor agonists in combination with Smac mimetics. Similarly, preclinical combination immunotherapy studies reveal that recombinant interferon synergizes with Smac mimetics to kill cancer. This strategy opens up new therapeutic avenues for anti-cancer therapy by modulating specific immune-mediated death pathways employing unique dual-pronged combinatorial approaches.


Systems-of-Systems (SoS) have become increasingly complex and used in highly distributed, dynamic, and even open environments. SoS refer to evolving software systems, where constituent systems work cooperatively to fulfill complex missions, facing software architecture researchers/practitioners with substantial challenges. In parallel, Software Ecosystem (SECO) has become an important research topic, addressing social and business issues along with technical aspects of software architectures. SoS and SECO are closely related, also naturally distributed so as the distribution of development teams, along with the inherent difficulties of coordination and communication. In this scenario, Distributed Software Development (DSD) deals with distributed resources to reduce cost and reach new IT markets. Inherent problems and challenges of software engineering are amplified and become more critical when those three topics need to be analyzed together. WDES 2018 will provide researchers and practitioners with a forum to exchange ideas and experiences, analyze R&D issues, discuss promising solutions, and propose theoretical foundations for architecting complex systems, inspiring visions for the future of software engineering for SoS, SECO, and DSD.


Returning to a theme featured in some of the earlier volumes in the Edinburgh Studies in Law series, this volume offers an in-depth study of 'mixed jurisdictions' ' legal systems which combine elements of the Anglo-American Common Law and the European Civil Law traditions. This new collection of essays compares key areas of private law in Scotland and Louisiana. In thirteen chapters, written by distinguished scholars on both sides of the Atlantic, it explores not only legal rules but also the reasons for the rules, discussing legal history, social and cultural factors, and the law in practice, in order to account for patterns of similarity and difference. Contributions are drawn from the Law Schools of Tulane University, Louisiana State University, Loyola University New Orleans, the American University Washington DC, and the Universities of Aberdeen, Strathclyde and Edinburgh.This title will be of interest to students of comparative law at senior undergraduate and postgraduate level, academics and researchers and also those who are interested in the mixed jurisdictions for the lessons they offer in the context of harmonisation of private law in Europe.


This article reports on one aspect of a national survey of heads of midwifery regarding their views on record keeping practices in the maternity services. The use of the client held record in particular is the focus of this article. The article confirms that client held records are popular and widely used within the maternity services. It also explores the varying degrees to which clients are actively involved in the use and maintenance of their record. Findings from the survey demonstrate that client empowerment cannot simply be assumed by clients having physical access to their notes. More work needs to be done to enable clients to be properly empowered through the use of client held records. The article ends by exploring other reasons for the importance of their continued use, both within the maternity services and beyond.


Stochastic gradient Hamiltonian Monte Carlo (SGHMC) is an efficient method for sampling from continuous distributions. It is a faster alternative to HMC: instead of using the whole dataset at each iteration, SGHMC uses only a subsample. This improves performance, but introduces bias that can cause SGHMC to converge to the wrong distribution. One can prevent this using a step size that decays to zero, but such a step size schedule can drastically slow down convergence. To address this tension, we propose a novel second-order SG-MCMC algorithm---AMAGOLD---that infrequently uses Metropolis-Hastings (M-H) corrections to remove bias. The infrequency of corrections amortizes their cost. We prove AMAGOLD converges to the target distribution with a fixed, rather than a diminishing, step size, and that its convergence rate is at most a constant factor slower than a full-batch baseline. We empirically demonstrate AMAGOLD's effectiveness on synthetic distributions, Bayesian logistic regression, and Bayesian neural networks.


An ad-hoc network is a local area network (LAN) that is built spontaneously as devices connect. Instead of relying on a base station to coordinate the flow of messages to each node in the network, the individual network nodes forward packets to and from each other. In Latin, "Adhoc" is actually a Latin phrase that means "for this purpose." It is often used to describe solutions that are developed on-the-fly for a specific purpose. In computer networking, an ad hoc network refers to a network connection established for a single session and does not require a router or a wireless base station. In this paper, the three routing protocols are studied i.e. AODV, DSR, DSDV.


Peer feedback is proved to be effective in helping enhance students' writing quality, but few studies were employed to train high school students to be better peer reviewers. The current study involved 64 grade-11 students in a province in Vietnam to see whether trained peer feedback could be effective for high school students. The experimental group was trained to conduct peer feedback, while the control group did it naturally. The semester lasted for 16 weeks. Data collection was from the pre-test, post-tests, and semi-structured interviews. The results revealed that the most common errors that the students committed were grammar (verbs, articles, repositions), followed by vocabulary (word order, word choice, word form), and mechanics (capitalization, spelling, punctuation). In addition, the students in the experimental group who received peer feedback training could significantly reduce the written errors in the post-test. The students obtained positive attitudes towards peer feedback activities in the writing classroom.


The purpose of the study was to explore types of Leadership Capability Models used by managers of junior secondary schools in Botswana. The focus was to identify appropriate model(s) which can assist the school management to understand their potential in motivating teaching staff. The study was mainly quantitative and used questionnaires to collect data. Some official documents were used to supplement the information collected for the purpose of triangulation. Data were analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Science or Statistical Product and Service Solutions (SPSS) version 19. The findings of the study revealed that there is no specific leadership model used by the senior management in schools. However, it was also revealed that whichever leadership model that could be used in schools, senior management ought to be confident, competent and self- managing in order to motivate staff effectively. The study, therefore, recommends that the school senior managers should be able to identify the intrinsic and extrinsic motivating factors in order to be good and effective motivators.


The paper describes a bioenergetic individual-based model of the growth of Tapes philippinarum, a bivalve mollusc reared in the lagoons of the Northern Adriatic Sea. The model, which simulates the evolution of the size of an average individual, has been calibrated using different sets of experimental data collected in the lagoons of Venice and Goro, and has been validated against a 3 yr long, independent series of field measurements of the average size of a cohort. The formulations here proposed for describing the dependence of the gain and loss terms on water temperature and food ration have not been employed in relation to this species before, and allow one to apply the model also in eutrophic conditions. Possible applications of the model as a tool for site selection and management implementations are illustrated.


In January 2001, the Singapore Ministry of Education (MOE) and Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS) jointly set up Pre-School Qualification Accreditation Committee (PQAS) to oversee the standards and quality of pre school teacher training for both kindergarten and Childcare sectors. The MOE and the MCYS introduced an integrated Pre-School Education (PSE) framework for teacher training and accreditation applicable to р re-school personnel. The training route for pre-school teachers came into effect in January 2001. Teacher training and the qualifications offer high leverage opportunities for enhancing standards of training and expanding career opportunities for pre-school professionals in Singapore. The various levels of training are planned to cater to the different needs of the teachers and prepare them for leadership in the sector. This will ensure that pre-school professionals are well equipped to provide our young children with an enriched learning environment, to nurture their social skills and values, and prepare them for lifelong learning (wwwl.moe.edu.sg/preschooleducation).The majority of teacher trainees involved in this research have been working as caregivers in most Child Care Centres in Singapore without relevant knowledge of the child. The study is underpinned by the contemporary argument that any adult who works with children needs to know about Child Development, Theories of Childhood and Play-based Learning Environment, which actively challenge the traditional stereotypical notions that experiences alone would be sufficient. Understanding the growing child would no doubt help to focus on appropriate tasks for the child. Central to the focus of the study is to gain an understanding of the existing knowledge of the teacher trainees (both who are working with children and otherwise) before and after the study sessions and how such an increase of knowledge could empower and enfranchise the teachers to make informed decisions in the child's life. At the completion of the course they were able to comprehend the most important factors of the growing child that they were considerably unaware of and better manage behavioural situations with the child. The teachers' final records of Observation and Evaluation, Professional Journals of the children combined with a final powerful public presentation of the Child Study Making Learning Visible no doubt heighten the educational process as a learning discipline, a vital link that provides a powerful medium to interact with the growing child.


Background: The microsporidian Nosema whitei is a natural parasite of the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum. The results of a previous study showed that, during co-evolution of the two species in the laboratory, host populations maintained elevated levels of heterozygosity. Hypothesis: Heterozygote advantage accounts for the maintenance of high levels of host heterozygosity during co-evolution with the parasite. Reduced heterozygosity of the beetle will lead to a decrease in resistance against parasite infection. Methods: In two experiments, we tested for (a) the effect of inbreeding and (b) the effect of inbreeding and outcrossing on the beetle's resistance to infection, in relation to effects on egg hatching success, development time, and reproductive success. Results: Inbreeding reduced egg hatching success, prolonged development time, and resulted in lower reproductive success. Outcrossing shortened development time, while we did not find evidence for heterosis for reproductive success. We were unable to detect an effect of changes in heterozygosity on overall resistance to parasitism. The effect of inbreeding on development time did, however, influence parasite-induced mortality profiles: the prolonged development time, resulting from inbreeding, led to higher mortality in earlier developmental stages, but left the overall mortality rate unchanged. Hence, we conclude that heterozygosity is not a principal determinant of the beetle's resistance to infection by N. whitei.


Abstract. Bacterial infection significantly impedes wound healing. Clinical diagnosis of wound infections is subjective and suboptimal, in part because bacteria are invisible to the naked eye during clinical examination. Moreover, bacterial infection can be present in asymptomatic patients, leading to missed opportunities for diagnosis and treatment. We developed a prototype handheld autofluorescence (AF) imaging device (Portable Real-time Optical Detection, Identification and Guidance for Intervention—PRODIGI) to noninvasively visualize and measure bacterial load in wounds in real time. We conducted preclinical pilot studies in an established nude mouse skin wound model inoculated with bioluminescent Staphylococcus aureus bacteria. We tested the feasibility of longitudinal AF imaging for in vivo visualization of bacterial load in skin wounds, validated by bioluminescence imaging. We showed that bacteria (S. aureus), occult to standard examination, can be visualized in wounds using PRODIGI. We also detected quantitative changes in wound bacterial load over time based on the antibiotic treatment and the correlation of bacterial AF intensity with bacterial load. AF imaging of wounds offers a safe, noninvasive method for visualizing the presence, location, and extent of bacteria as well as measuring relative changes in bacterial load in wounds in real time.


Primitive ankaramite rocks differ from picrite by their richness in clinopyroxene (cpx>ol), their high
CaO/Al2O3 values (>1, wt%) and their high normative di/ol values (>0.7, mol%). Ankaramite rocks are
generally interpreted as a variety of basalt enriched in clinopyroxene crystals yet some studies suggest that
ankararnite rocks crystallized from primitive ankaramitic melts. The origin of ankaramitic melts is of
interest because their compositions differ from the picritic compositions of experimentally produced partial
melts in equilibrium with mantle peridotite, yet many of their of their characteristics are similar to those of
primitive mantle melts, i.e. high Mg# values, high Ni and Cr, and magnesian olivine phenocrysts.
The four primitive ankaramite suites studied in this thesis are from the Ulakan Formation in Bali, and
the Rinjani volcano in Lombok (Sunda arc), and from Merelava and Epi (Vanuatu arc). Primary melt
inclusions in magnesian olivine phenocrysts (Fo>90) from each suite are studied to investigate the early
stages of ankaramite magma evolution. The composition of these melt inclusions after homogenization are
quite unlike picrite and have CaO/Al203 values which range up to —1.7, and are therefore ankaramitic.
Additionally, the CaO/Al203 values of melt inclusions within the same grain are similar, but vary between
phenocrysts.
Critical assessment of the data suggests that the composition of melt inclusions trapped in olivine
can be modified by Fe-Mg re-equilibration with the host, before the magma is erupted. This process might
lower the original FeO* content of the trapped melt by several wt% ("Fe-loss"). The extent of "Fe-loss"
depends on (1) the time spent by the host olivine phenocryst in the magma before eruption (residence time)
and (2) the rate at which the re-equilibration occurred. Most of the compositions of homogenized melt
inclusions in this study are affected by "Fe-loss" and are therefore not directly representative of the original
trapped melt. A recalculation procedure is developed to reconstruct the original composition of the melt at
the moment of trapping. Both, before and after recalculation, the compositions of melt inclusions display
di/ol values >1, thus retaining their ankaramitic affinities. The CaO/Al203 values of melt inclusions are
unaffected by this procedure. The recalculated melt inclusion compositions are also more silica-undersaturated
(ne-, lc- and cs-normative) than the host ankaramite rocks, which range from ne- to hy-normative.
If the melt inclusions are aliquots of the parent melts, these results suggest that the ankaramite
magma formed by the aggregation of strongly-silica-undersaturated primitive ankaramite melts with high
CaO/Al203 and high di/o/ values. A link may therefore exist between these trapped melts, the hypothetical
primary melts and the formation of ankaramitic magmas. This link is explored experimentally at high
pressures, using the composition of a representative melt inclusion in Fosq from the Lombok ankaramite
suite as a starting mix composition. Liquidus and near-liquidus phase relations of this melt, under dry,
hydrous, CO2-H20- and CO2-bearing conditions, and between 1 to 3 GPa pressures, lack orthopyroxene near
the liquidus. Therefore a direct origin is excluded for this composition by partial melting of mantle
peridotite (i.e. not a primary melt). Instead, the trapped melt inclusions may have been derived from even
more mafic primary melts that were generated at higher temperatures and pressures than those prevailing
when the ankaramitic magma aggregated. Two mechanisms are considered for the formation of these primary melts that have high CaO/Al203 values (>1): (a) partial melting of lherzolite at high pressures (>5
GPa) and (b) partial melting of lherzolite at lower pressures (<5 GPa) in the presence of CO2-rich mantle
fluids.
The natural phenocryst assemblage and composition of the host ankaramite rock are only duplicated
experimentally under hydrous conditions. With increasing CO2 content in the fluid, the compositions of
synthesized clinopyroxene crystals become less calcic and are unlike the natural phenocrysts. Thus the
crystallization and aggregation of the ankaramite magma may have taken place under hydrous conditions at
depths where olivine and clinopyroxene are co-crystallizing as phenocryst phases. In the case of the Lombok
ankaramite suite, these conditions correspond to pressures equivalent to depths of around —35 km below the
base of the arc crust. The aggregated ankararnite magma may mix and continue to crystallize isobarically
and in-situ, thus producing the wide compositional range observed in olivine (—Fo75.91) and clinopyroxene
(—Wo45-47En50-41Fs5-12) phenocrysts, as well as the variable zoning and resorption textures. Reaction and
re-equilibration of this aggregated magma with the sub-arc mantle before eruption, may cause the silicaenrichment
that distinguishes the wholerock ankaramite compositions from the melt inclusions in their
olivine phenocrysts.
Tiny pleonastic daughter spinel crystals with up to 65 wt% Al2O3 and virtually no chromium, occur
within melt inclusions in olivine phenocrysts. These aluminous spinels could form in melt inclusions
provided the trapped melt becomes sufficiently Al-enriched and Cr-depleted, following the fractional
crystallization of olivine on the walls. Daughter aluminous spinels were found in the melt inclusions of
olivine phenocrysts from all four ankaramite suites studied and may therefore, also occur in melt inclusions
of other basaltic rocks. The occurrence of aluminous spinels in melt inclusions is therefore not evidence for
the trapping of contaminant aluminous melts.
This thesis attempts to 1) demonstrate that ankaramitic melts with CaO/Al203 values (>1) and
normative di/ol values >0.7 exist and can be parental to ankaramite rocks; 2) describe the Fe-Mg reequilibration
("Fe-loss") process that affects melt inclusions in olivine phenocrysts before magma eruption;
and 3) re-interpret the formation of aluminous spinel crystals in melt inclusions that have previously been
interpreted as evidence for contaminant aluminous melts in basaltic magma chambers.


Macrofauna density and biomass were estimated in 4 sediment layers (0-1, 1-5, 5-10 and 10-15 cm) from 12 stations ranging from 185 to 4460 m water depth in the Goban Spur area (NE Atlantic). At the same stations profiles of median grain size, % organic carbon and % total nitrogen were measured to a sediment depth of 15 cm. Macrofauna densities decreased exponentially from similar to 8000 m(-2) at 208 m to similar to 550 m(-2) at the deepest stations (3673 and 4460 m). Most of the macrofauna was concentrated in the upper 1 cm of the sediment. The highest proportion (70 to 80%) was in the upper 1 cm found at intermediate depths (670 to 1425 m), whereas at the deeper stations the fauna was more evenly distributed. Polychaeta were the most abundant taxon, with a high proportion of subsurface deposit-feeders at the deep stations and a high proportion of filter-feeders plus surface deposit-feeders at intermediate depth. Biomass values showed a very variable pattern, mainly due to a few extremely large individuals at some of the stations. Excluding these large individuals, a maximum biomass value was observed around 1000 m water depth. At most stations the biomass was concentrated below the upper 1 cm, which was also reflected in the vertical distribution pattern of the mean individual weight, showing small individuals in the upper 1 cm and larger individuals in the deeper sediment layers. Both density and biomass fell within the range of values usually observed at these depths. Only the biomass value at 1034 m was extremely high and concentrated in the upper 1 cm of the sediment. This may be due to pulsed inputs of fresh material at this station, whereas at the deepest stations (3673 and 4460 m) a constant low input of refractory material supports the fauna of mainly deep-living subsurface deposit-feeders. Median grain size decreased with increasing water depth from similar to 90 pm at 208 m to similar to 8 mu m below 2000 m. The vertical profiles showed very homogeneous sediments to a depth of 15 cm at all stations, probably due to bioturbation by the relatively abundant deposit-feeders. In general, the % of total N and organic C in the upper 1 cm of the sediment increased with increasing water depth, but showed a peak at similar to 1000 m. The % C and especially N were lower in the deeper sediment layers at the deeper stations, resulting in C:N ratios of similar to 12 to 15 in contrast to similar to 7 to 8 in the upper 1 cm of the sediment. The C:N ratio at the midslope stations (similar to 1000 to 1500 m) did not decrease with depth in the sediment, indicating a rapid burial of organic matter by the high numbers of surface deposit-feeders at these stations. [KEYWORDS: vertical distribution; macrozoobenthos; continental slope; grain size; C:N ratio Benthic community; deep; ocean]


We consider optimal reserve prices in BrightRoll Video Exchange when the inventory opportunity comes from other exchanges (downstream marketplaces). We show that the existence of downstream auctions impacts the optimal floor. Moreover, it renders the classical derivation of the floor set by a monopolist inadequate and suboptimal. We derive the new downstream-corrected reserve price and compare its performance with respect to existing floors and the classical optimal monopoly price. In our application, the downstream-corrected reserve price proves superior to both. The proposed model also deals with data challenges commonly faced by exchanges: limited number of logged bids in an auction, and uncertainty regarding the bidding behavior in other exchanges. The relevance of this study transcends its particular context and is applicable to a wide range of scenarios where sequential auctions exist, and where marketplaces interact with each other.


This Article examines the history of judge-made law in the federal courts through the lens of the early-nineteenth-century federal courts' equity powers. In a series of equity cases, and in the Federal Equity Rules promulgated by the Court in 1822 and 1842, the Supreme Court vehemently insisted that lower federal courts employ a uniform corpus of nonstate equity principles with respect to procedure, remedies, and - in certain instances - primary rights and liabilities. Careful attention to the historical sources suggests that the uniform equity doctrine was not simply the product of an overreaching, consolidationist Supreme Court, but is best understood in the context of important and surprisingly underappreciated early-nineteenth-century debates concerning judicial reform. During this period, both Congress and the Court were preoccupied with the disuniformity in the administration of the federal judicial system, especially in the farther reaches of the republic. When reform was not forthcoming through legislation, the Supreme Court achieved a modicum of uniformity in the federal courts through the application of a single body of equity principles drawn from federal and English sources. But the Court did not act unilaterally. Congress's repeated acquiescence to, and extension of, the Court's uniform equity doctrine reveals a complex, interbranch dynamic at work. Retelling the story of nonstate, judge-made law in the federal courts through the lens of equity is not intended to demonstrate that such a formulation of federal judicial power was (or is) correct. Rather, by recuperating the history of federal equity power, this Article illuminates the significant metamorphosis of the meaning of Article III's grant of judicial power. This change has been elided in modern accounts of federal judge-made law in an effort to bolster the legitimacy of a modern vision of federal judicial power.


The resilience of infrastructure networks to different types of perturbation is of significant interest due to the importance of these systems for the efficient functioning of modern society. Significant failures such as power blackouts and their subsequent knock-on effects on other infrastructures are particularly important to understand. We present a spatially explicit method for representing infrastructure spatial dependencies and modelling of failure impacts using a PotsgreSQL-PostGIS database coupled with spatial network failure models. The utility of the methodology is shown by simulating how the London underground may respond to different failure types on the South East electricity transmission grid.


The issue of model uncertainty is central to the empirical study of economic growth. Many recent papers use Bayesian Model Averaging to address model uncertainty, but Ciccone and Jarociński (2010) have questioned the approach on theoretical and empirical grounds. They argue that a standard 'agnostic' approach is too sensitive to small changes in the dependent variable, such as those associated with different vintages of the Penn World Table (PWT). This paper revisits their theoretical arguments and empirical illustration, drawing on more recent vintages of the PWT, and introducing an approach that limits the degree of agnosticism.


The focus of this research is on small, well-established, homogeneous earthfill embankment dams that are currently in use and whose performance was previously outside the Reservoirs Act 1975, but are now governed by the new Flood and Water Management Act 2010. Many uncertainties are associated with such structures, a situation that can lead to the threat of dam failure when extreme climate conditions develop. Therefore, merely carrying out a deterministic assessment for such structures is insufficient and more sophisticated models, which reflect uncertain conditions of the dam site are required. This research presents the new advanced probabilistic slope stability model with precipitation effects (APSMP) developed by integrating the First Order Second Moment method (FOSM) with the deterministic slope stability model with precipitation (ASMP) using sliding block formulation. For the purpose of this study, the selected precipitation scenarios (rainfall intensity and duration) are obtained from past Met Office rainfall records and by applying the latest probabilistic model for predicting future precipitation projections for the UK (UKCP09).

It is demonstrated that by implementing APSMP the notional reliability and probability of upstream and downstream slope failure for small homogeneous earthfill embankment dams can be quantified. To reflect the critical conditions conducive to slope failure a benchmark has been developed, as a reference for comparison of the effect of precipitation on the notional reliability and performance classification of the embankment's slopes. By considering the probabilities of failure collated from APSMP and their associated performance, the impact critical precipitation effects could have on the notional level of engineering risk associated with slope failure is also identified. Hence, the dam's risk, as categorized by the Flood and Water Management Act 2010, can be reassessed in terms of engineering risk.

From the results obtained using APSMP a more informed assessment of small homogeneous earthfill embankment dams using limited information, including the level of uncertainty associated with the available site data, can therefore be carried out. Such an approach is therefore well placed to support and enhance the decision making process when evaluating the likelihood of dam failure, its impact on infrastructure performance and public safety, especially in relation to future climate effects.


This article reports on a small-scale study undertaken at a leading UK arts university. The study aims to explore the increasing trend of 'technicians' transitioning their careers into 'academia'. Studies that focus on technicians are scarce. Those few existing studies describe the growth of practiced-based teaching in the creative arts, the sector's increasing reliance on technicians and technicians' greater involvement in shaping the learning experiences of students. Conversely, there is a rich literature that describes the unbundling and devaluation of traditional academic roles. This article employs a phenomenographic methodology to explore the experiences of three members of staff who have recently transitioned from technician roles into academia, considering whether the factors that have elevated the status of technicians have also eroded traditional academic roles, and whether this enables individuals to transition between what many experience as disparate camps.


In this study, carbon dots synthesized from bamboo leaf cellulose were used simultaneously as a staining agent and for doxorubicin delivery to target cancer cells. Owing to their nontoxic properties, the production of carbon dots from bamboo leaves is a green approach involving optimized application of bamboo tree waste. For multifunctional applications, the carbon dots were modified with 4-carboxybenzylboronic acid and doxorubicin to improve target specificity and drug delivery to HeLa tumor cells. The resulting modified carbon dots were characterized using different analytical techniques, which showed that they were biocompatible, nontoxic, and highly stable over a wide range of pH values and at high ionic strengths. Furthermore, in vitro confocal microscopy studies demonstrated their blue fluorescence and cellular pathway for entering HeLa cells via folate receptor-mediated endocytosis. Cell viability data and flow cytometry results also confirmed the selective uptake of the carbon dots by HeLa cells, which significantly enhanced cell cytotoxicity.


[The Arendt's concepts of "skandala" and "evil minor fallacy". A Transdisciplinary Reading for The Black Sheep and The Monologue of Evil by Augusto Monterroso] Trough an interdisciplinary perspective, the aim of this essay is to analyse two fables by the Honduran writer Augusto Monterroso –The Black Sheep and The Monologue of Evil– as interpretative keys of the Arendt's concepts of "skandala" and "evil minor fallacy". In this sense, it seeks, through Latin American literature, political philosophy and law, to understand how and why, without any constraint, a pedagogy of fear becomes actual and it can be able to overthrow the very bases of contemporary society, forged on human rights and democracy.


A study was made of the frequency of B-chromosomes and the population density of Astyanax scabripinnis paranae (Pisces, Characidae, Tetragonopterinae) from three stretches of the Cascatinha stream (Botucatu, SP). In the first stretch the population was estimated to be about 212 individuals and among 35 karyotyped specimens, 23 carried one macro B-chromosome; in the second stretch the population was estimated to be about 650 individuals and among 20 specimens karyotyped, two possessed one macro B-chromosome; in the third stretch the population was estimated to be about 107 individuals and among 10 specimens karyotyped, one carried one macro B-chromosome. A significant difference was observed in the frequency of macro B-chromosomes in females (57%) and males (8.7%) (P = 0.0001). These data suggest that the B-chromosome frequency and the populational density are not directly related. The hypothesis of the existence of some adaptive effect conferred by the B-chromosomes to the specimens from the first stretch of the Cascatinha stream is presented and discussed


A goal of the Geosciences Network (GEON) is to develop cyber-infrastructure that will allow earth scientists to discover access, integrate and disseminate knowledge in distributed environments such as the Web, changing the way in which research is conducted. The earth sciences community has begun the complex task of creating ontologies to support this effort. A challenge is to coalesce the needs of the earth scientists, who wish to capture knowledge in a particular discipline through the ontology, with the need to leverage the knowledge to support technology that will facilitate computation, for example, by helping the composition of services. This paper describes an approach for defining workflow-driven ontologies that capture classes and relationships from domain experts and use that knowledge to support composition of services. To demonstrate the capability afforded by this type of ontology, the paper presents examples of workflow specifications generated from a workflow-driven ontology that has been defined for representing knowledge about gravity data.


AIMS
To assess the safety and performance of the XIENCE V everolimus-eluting stent (EES) versus the TAXUS paclitaxel-eluting stent (PES) in the treatment of patients with de novo coronary artery lesions after a five-year follow-up period. Second-generation drug-eluting stents (DES) were developed with the aim of improving the safety profile of DES, after reports of stent thrombosis (ST) with first-generation devices. However, long-term follow-up data are scarce.

METHODS AND RESULTS
SPIRIT II was a multicentre, prospective, single-blind, clinical trial, randomising 300 patients with up to two de novo coronary artery lesions in a ratio of 3:1 to either a EES or a PES. The five-year clinical follow-up was completed in 244 patients (81%). At five-year follow-up, 19.5% of patients were on thienopyridine in the EES arm, while 30.5% were on the same therapy in the PES arm. Cardiac mortality was significantly lower in EES than in PES (1.5% vs. 7.3%, p=0.015). There was a trend towards lower cardiac death and MI (4.8% vs. 11.4%) and lower ID-TLR (4.7% vs. 9.4%) in EES than in PES. As a result, there was a consistent reduction in ID-MACE for EES vs. PES (ID-MACE 8.0% vs. 18.1%, p=0.018). In addition, the ARC-defined stent thrombosis rate was numerically lower in EES compared to PES (0.9% vs. 2.8%). No definite stent thrombosis events were observed after two years in the EES arm.

CONCLUSIONS
Five-year clinical follow-up of the SPIRIT II trial demonstrated the continuing long-term safety and efficacy of EES.


Currently no published data addressing the burden of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) co-infection among injecting drug users (IDUs) in Kenya exists. These two viruses share similar routes of transmission, with illicit drug use by injection being the major route of infection. Injecting drug use is a rapidly growing problem in coastal towns of Kenya and the problem is aggravated by sex tourism.This study aimed at determining the prevalence of HBV in HIV positive IDUs and correlating the findings with socio-demographic factors of the study population.A cross-sectional study was conducted using structured questionnaires and laboratory testing of blood samples. Surface antigens for HBV (HBsAg) and anti-HIV antibodies were screened using rapid kits followed by Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent assay tests on positive samples using Hepanostika and Vironostika test kits, for HIV and HBV, respectively. The CD4+ T-cell count was determined by flow cytometry.The prevalence of HIV/HBV co-infection was 14.3% (13/91) with a mean age of 33.2 (SD ± 8.1) years. The mean CD4+ cell count in the HIV/HBV co-infected individuals was significantly lower than HIV mono-infection. Needle sharing and duration of active injection of drugs were significantly associated with HIV/HBV co-infections.This study concludes a potentially high prevalence of HBV/ HIV co-infection in injecting drug users in Malindi, Kenya. With limited evidence on IDU prevalence and its consequences in sub-Saharan Africa, the results of this study highlight the need for a more refined policy on HIV treatment strategy among IDUs. There is a further need for triple testing for HIV, HBV and HCV among suspected IDUs and other associated risk groups like the commercial sex workers before commencement of treatment. Keywords : Injecting drug users, HIV-1, HBV, viral co-infection, Malindi, Kenya


Summary.  Cancer patients are at high risk for venous thromboembolism (VTE), which results in substantial morbidity and mortality. In this narrative review, we present evidence for the use of anticoagulants in the treatment and prevention of VTE in cancer patients. The benefit of perioperative anticoagulant prophylaxis following cancer surgery is well established. However, the risk‐benefit trade‐offs in non‐surgical hospitalized cancer patients and among outpatients receiving chemotherapy are more complex. Emerging evidence suggests that the use of low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) may confer a small survival benefit in cancer patients without VTE. However, specific patient populations that may derive the most benefit have yet to be defined. Guidelines endorse LMWH as the preferred treatment for acute VTE, on the basis of high‐quality clinical trial data, but the optimal duration of treatment remains unclear, and practical issues may limit its use outside the clinical trial setting. Novel oral anticoagulants may provide additional treatment and prophylaxis options, but their efficacy and safety in this population have not been established. Despite the significant impact of VTE on the lives of cancer patients and the large body of existing literature regarding treatment and prevention, important unanswered clinical questions remain, emphasizing the need for additional high‐quality clinical trial data.


How to model non-egoic experiences – mental events with phenomenal aspects that lack a felt self – has become an interesting research question. The main source of evidence for the existence of such non-egoic experiences are self-ascriptions of non-egoic experiences. In these, a person says about herself that she underwent an episode where she was conscious but lacked a feeling of self. Some interpret these as accurate reports, but this is questionable. Thomas Metzinger (2004, p. 566, 2018), Rocco Gennaro (2008), and Charles Foster (2016, p. 6) have hinted at the self-defeating nature of such statements if we take them to be genuine reports: Apparently, the reporter (a) explicitly denies her existence during the selfless experience, but (b) implicitly affirms her existence as a witness to that selfless experience in order to give a first-person report about it. So the content of such a report conflicts with the pragmatics of reporting. If all self-ascriptions of non-egoic experiences are self-defeating in this way, then they cannot count as evidence for the existence of non-egoic experiences. Here, I map out why such strong conclusions do not directly follow: What look like self-ascriptions of non-egoic experiences may occur for a number of reasons. Only some explanations for such utterances rely on a change in consciousness. Of those that do rely on a change in consciousness, only one (total ego-dissolution) is incoherent. But its alternatives do not lead to contradictions. I argue that the most likely change in phenomenality that leads to self-ascriptions of non-egoic experiences is not one where a felt self disappears, but where it expands.


Field mapping and indicate that a phonolite which intrudes Devonian granite in the upper Tomahawk River
area, Tasmania, is 3.2 km long and with a true thickness of 10-15 m. The rock contains of
anorthoclase, sparse fayalitic olivine and low-Ti and rare biotite in a alkali feldspar laths, with interstitial
clinopyroxene to amphibole or analcime and accessory
apatite. It is peralkaline and evolved, even for phonolites, with very and CaO, and high and
incompatible elements. However, relatively high Sr and Ba and the absence of a negative Eu anomaly suggest little feldspar fractionation
in its petrogenesis. Its Late Cretaceous age 80.4 ± 1.6 Ma, 4oAr/39Ar plateau 75.8 ± 0.3 Ma, 4oAr/39Ar total fusion 76 ± 3.1 Ma) and
geochemistry are unique for Tasmania and it represents a recognised, although very minor, igneous episode. It may be related to a
change in dynamic regime following continental rifting, the opening of the Tasman Sea and the subsidence of Bass Basin.


Background: Breast cancer incidence has increased rapidly in Kuwait, but there haven't been any studies investigating the recognized risk factors of breast cancer in Kuwait. The aim of the study was to investigate breast cancer risk factors among women in Kuwait. Methods: A case-control study was conducted in Kuwait from May 2003 to March 2004 using a questionnaire including socio-demographic data and breast cancer risk factors between two groups of women. Cases were women with confirmed diagnoses of breast cancer within the last 2 years; they were selected from Kuwait Cancer Control Centre (KCCC), controls were women with no history of breast cancer. They were recruited from primary health care centers using random table. The selected age group was women of 30-65. Risk factors that modulate the development of breast cancer assessed in this study were: socio-demographic characteristic s, reproductive history, exogenous hormones, and family history of breast cancer. Results: The total participants were 1070, breast cancer cases were 514 (48%) and the controls were 556 (52%), the majority of breast cancer cases were of 40-49 age group, breast cancer risk increased with menopause, recent hormone replacement therapy and family history of breast cancer. Conclusion: This study confirmed a number of recognized risk factors contributing in the development of breast cancer in Kuwait. It revealed that cases of breast cancers were relatively young in age; this should raise the anxiety of health care providers in Kuwait. Iran J Med Sci 2006; 31(2): 61-64.


The Pediatric Oncology Group has studied 1,367 patients with non-B cell acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) of whom 186 (14%) had blasts that reacted with previously well-characterized heteroantisera, recognizing a T-lymphocyte specific surface membrane antigen (PT+). In 87 of these T cell cases, the leukemic cells failed to form at least 20% of sheep erythrocytic rosettes at 4 degrees C. Comparison of clinicopathologic features among PT-, E-PT+, and E+ groups of patients revealed significant differences among them. E-PT+ patients were older than PT- patients, had higher white blood cell counts (WBCs) and were more likely to have a mediastinal mass, and thus contained a higher proportion of poor-risk patients. However, the E-PT+ patients were also significantly different from the more traditionally-defined E+ patients in that they had lower WBCs and hemoglobin levels, and less frequent lymphadenopathy or mediastinal mass. In many respects, then, E-PT+ patients were intermediate in character between PT- and E+ patients. Our findings support the notion that further subclassification of ALL using antibodies recognizing lineage-specific surface determinants will permit recognition of groups of patients with distinct clinicopathologic features that may differ in prognosis or response to therapy. Such classification also focuses future biological studies on the pathogenesis of leukemias to immunologically well-defined subgroups of lymphoid neoplasms.


In this paper, we present techniques for recognizing complex, multitasked activities from video. Visual information like image features and motion appearances, combined with domain-specific information, like object context is used initially to label events. Each action event is represented with a unique symbol, allowing for a sequence of interactions to be described as an ordered symbolic string. Then, a model of stochastic context-free grammar (SCFG), which is developed using underlying rules of an activity, is used to provide the structure for recognizing semantically meaningful behavior over extended periods. Symbolic strings are parsed using the Earley-Stolcke algorithm to determine the most likely semantic derivation for recognition. Parsing substrings allows us to recognize patterns that describe high-level, complex events taking place over segments of the video sequence. We introduce new parsing strategies to enable error detection and recovery in stochastic context-free grammar and methods of quantifying group and individual behavior in activities with separable roles. We show through experiments, with a popular card game, the recognition of high-level narratives of multi-player games and the identification of player strategies and behavior using computer vision.


Designing algorithms requires diverse knowledge about general problem-solving, algorithm design, implementation techniques, and the application domain. The knowledge can come from a variety of sources, including previous design experience, and the ability to integrate knowledge from such diverse sources appears critical to the success of human algorithm designers. Such integration is feasible in an automatic design system, especially when supported by the general problem-solving and learning mechanisms in the Soar architecture. Our system, Designer-Soar, now designs several simple generate-and-test and divide-and-conquer algorithms. The system already uses several levels of abstraction, generalizes from examples, and learns from experience, transferring knowledge acquired during the design of one algorithm to aid in the design of others.


The Public Sector Accounting Standards Board (PSASB) has developed accounting standards for the public sector in Australia. A procedural 'due process' has been developed to protect the openness, neutrality and independence of Australian standard-setting both in the private and public sectors. Prior research into constituent participation in the 'due process' for specific cases in the public sector has raised doubts as to whether the 'due process' operated in an open, neutral and independent manner. It has found that account preparers were under-represented in their responses and used less sophisticated lobbying strategies than other respondents. The research also concluded that some constituents had favourable access to the 'due process', and that standard setters did not receive all pertinent information from constituents. This paper examines constituent participation in the 'due process' for the first public sector accounting standard, that for local government (AAS 27). The submissions made on the exposure draft preceding the standard – ED 50 – have been analysed using content analysis. The findings suggest that account preparers were well-represented in their responses and adopted the lobbying strategy of weighting their responses with supporting argument for the most controversial issues. Contrary to prior research, the paper concludes that in the case of ED 50 there is no evidence that the 'due process' failed to operate in an open and neutral manner.


A landmark experimental program was conducted to advance the understanding of nonstructural system performance during earthquakes. The centerpiece of this effort involved shake table testing a full-scale five-story reinforced concrete building furnished with a broad variety of nonstructural components and systems (NCSs) including complete and operable egress, mechanical and electrical systems, facades, and architectural layouts. The building-NCS system was subjected to a suite of earthquake motions of increasing intensity, while base-isolated and then fixed at its base. In this paper, the major components of the test specimen, including the structure and its NCSs, the monitoring systems, and the seismic test protocol are described in detail. Important response and damage characteristics of the structure are also presented. A companion paper describes the damage observed for the various NCSs and correlates these observations with the structure's response.


Latent Dirichlet allocation (LDA) is a popular generative model of various objects such as texts and images, where an object is expressed as a mixture of latent topics. In this paper, we theoretically investigate variational Bayesian (VB) learning in LDA. More specifically, we analytically derive the leading term of the VB free energy under an asymptotic setup, and show that there exist transition thresholds in Dirichlet hyperparameters around which the sparsity-inducing behavior drastically changes. Then we further theoretically reveal the notable phenomenon that VB tends to induce weaker sparsity than MAP in the LDA model, which is opposed to other models. We experimentally demonstrate the practical validity of our asymptotic theory on real-world Last.FM music data.


Permanent magnet (PM) generator has been an object of numerous research studies with different structures and geometries proposed for different applications. Generator is a machine that is used to convert mechanical energy into electrical energy. Due to the availability and decreasing cost of high energy PM material, PM generator is more attractive than other types of power generator. For agriculture application, the existing generator that is available in the market does not meet the size and power capability requirements.
The proposed PM generator operates in a single-phase, slot-less type, and the flux direction in the air gap is radial. The PM generator was developed for agriculture application especially for high speed performance between 3000 revolution per minute (rpm) to 8000 rpm. The prime mover for this PM generator is a petrol engine with capability of 1.3 horse power (hp). The external force from the engine will make the generator rotates with high speed. The electrical power produced energizes an electric motor suitable for pruner application. Thus, in this research, the design and analysis of the PM generator is studied. The PM generator is aimed to produce an output voltage of 130 V with the overall diameter size of 104 mm.
At the early stage, a single-phase slot-less PM generator is designed with a single stator and the PM is placed in the v-shape pattern to provide the required flux. Based on the flux distribution in the PM generator, it shows that about half of the upper flux goes to the air gap and travel in the stator while the other bottom half goes to the shaft. This means that half of the bottom flux is wasted at the shaft. According to this characteristic, a double stator slot-less PM generator is proposed with a circular pattern PM with air gap between the inner and outer stator to improve the performance of the generator. Based on this design, all the generated flux is used to generate the voltage.
In order to understand the conditions where the PM generator shows potential advantages, various parameters are varied such as number of pole and radius of the rotor. Generally, the technique used to examine the performance of the PM generator is permeance analysis method (PAM) and finite element method (FEM). The theoretical analysis is verified by comparing the predicted and measured output power, resistance, and inductance on a prototype of the PM generator. Based on the results, the highest output power could be achieved by single stator slot-less PM generator with diameter of 104 mm at speed of 3000 rpm is equal to 110 W when it has 6-pole with rotor radius of 36 mm. On the other hand, the double stator slot-less PM generator could produce 200 W at speed of 3000 rpm when it has 8-pole and rotor height of 22 mm.


While current optical communication networks efficiently carry and process huge amounts of digital information over large and medium distances, silicon photonics technology has the capacity to meet the ceaselessly increasing demand for bandwidth via energy efficient, inexpensive and mass producible short range optical interconnects. In this context, handling electrical-to-optical data conversion through compact and high speed electro-optical modulators is of paramount importance. To tackle these challenges, we combine the attractive properties of slow light propagation in a nanostructured periodic waveguide together with a high speed semiconductor pn diode, and demonstrate a highly efficient and mass manufacturable 500 µm-long silicon electro-optical device, exhibiting error free modulation up to 20 Gbit/s. These results, supported by modulation rate capabilities reaching 40 Gbit/s, pave a foreseeable way towards dense, low power and ultra fast integrated networks-on-chip for future chip-scale high performance computing systems.


Compared to the parental species,
interspecific hybrids often show, intermediate phenotypes which can affect
their fitness directly and/or their attractiveness to potential mates. Lissotriton
montandoni and Lissotriton vulgaris hybridize across
their parapatric range along the Carpathian mountains. Hybrids are rare in
natural hybrid zones, which may be related to strong assortative mating in
parental species. In the present study, we investigated morphological male
species-specific traits and their differentiation between both parental species
and first generation of interspecific hybrids (F1), considering morphological
variation between two L. vulgaris
subspecies co-occurring with L. montandoni
in nature: L. v. vulgaris and L. v. ampelensis. Male morphology of
each group was assessed and compared based on species-specific and sexual
secondary traits, selected based on the literature review. We confirmed that F1
hybrids of L. v. vulgaris and L. montandoni have
an intermediate morphology between parental species. However, when
morphological traits were compared with the level of genetic admixture of
individuals in natural hybrid zones, we discovered that even early generations
hybrids (i.e. F1 and/or F2 generation) can be similar to the parental species (especially L.
v. ampelensis). As even early generations hybrids can be
morphologically undistinguishable from L.
v. ampelensis, sexual attractiveness of hybrids may be potentially less
affected in direction of L. v. ampelensis
backcrossing. Summarizing, morphology, especially
morphology of male secondary sexual traits is not a reliable tool for the
estimation of genetic admixture of an individual in natural populations within
the hybrid zone.


The purpose of this study was to analyze factors affecting unit chair surface management to prevent cross infection of dental hygienist. A total of 311 dental hygienists were surveyed and received general characteristics and responses to dental infection characteristics. The surface of the unit chair was divided into 5 parts and the items for each management method were examined. The statistical analysis of this study was carried out by correlation analysis and multiple regression analysis using SPSS. According to the results of the study, 94.3% of the dental hygienists responded that the infection was important and the related education experience was 76.2%. As for the unit chair management period, the most frequent response was to the start of treatment every day, with 46.6%. The management method was not using disposable cover or disinfectant. The factors influencing the unit chair management were the average number of patients per day, and the bracket table was related to the number of chairs. Control switches were found to be associated with the importance of infection control. In conclusion, although the awareness and practice of infection control is high, it is necessary to improve the method, and it seems that the management of unit chair is insufficient in dental hospitals with many patients and unit chairs. Policy improvement that can be dedicated to infection prevention activities seems to be very necessary.


Efficient and reliable methods for training of object detectors are in higher demand than ever, and more and more data relevant to the field is becoming available. However, large datasets like Open Images Dataset v4 (OID) are sparsely annotated, and some measure must be taken in order to ensure the training of a reliable detector. In order to take the incompleteness of these datasets into account, one possibility is to use pretrained models to detect the presence of the unverified objects. However, the performance of such a strategy depends largely on the power of the pretrained model. In this study, we propose part-aware sampling, a method that uses human intuition for the hierarchical relation between objects. In terse terms, our method works by making assumptions like "a bounding box for a car should contain a bounding box for a tire". We demonstrate the power of our method on OID and compare the performance against a method based on a pretrained model. Our method also won the first and second place on the public and private test sets of the Google AI Open Images Competition 2018.


The new FileMaker 12 allows you to build unparalleled databases for a wide variety of devices, from Windows and Mac desktops to iPhones and iPad. With 10 million registered customers, FileMaker's users are "average Joes" who are knowledge workers, subject matter experts, and business users from all walks of life. The community extends well beyond the pool of professional software developers. FileMaker's legendary ease-of-use has led to its wide adoption and has allowed non-programmers an avenue into creating sophisticated software solutions. FileMaker 12 Developers Reference will serve to help bridge the gaps in these people's understanding of FileMaker's hundreds of calculation functions, script steps, and operations. They know FileMaker, they've used it for years, but they need a quick reference, immediately accessible while not interrupting their work on screen. There is no other book likethis on the market. All FileMaker books include information on calculation formulas, scripting, etc., but nonehave expressly focused on giving readers one simple thing: a quick reference to be used in conjunction with their programming efforts. Some books teach, others explain, still others explore specific in-depth topics. This book will appeal to the entire FileMaker Pro community and be a great extension of their library. This edition is updated for the many new features coming with FileMaker 12, including the product's design functionality and the file format, and a new section dedicated to FileMaker Go, which is the iOS client.


In the practice of building large scale interactive situations, we have followed various paths in order to achieve maximal effectiveness. This paper investigates some of those paths and the way that they relate to the practice of games and gameplay. Considering these practices, we find that there are strong connections of both these areas to the theories and practices of contemporary theatre. One of the main connections is the idea of a game or installation as a form of structured public improvisation.

This paper investigates these three aspects, game(play), large scale interactive installations and contemporary theatre, and brings out some of the ways that they can be seen in our work and work of colleagues working in related areas. We find several ways that theatrical theory can be used to improve the details of large scale interactive environments as well as gaming spaces.


Bisphenol A (BPA, 2,2-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)propane)polycarbonate is an industrial component frequently used as an additive in the construction of epoxy resin and other non-polymer plastics. In this study cytotoxicity of low dose BPA (0.01 μM-100 μM ) and NO levels in SH-SY5Y cells were assessed together to determine whether there is a correlation between of them. MTT Cytotoxicity assays were performed by applying BPA at increasing doses (0.01 μM-100 μM) for 8, 24, 72 hours. Measurements to determine the nitric oxide (NO) levels of the cells, were made using the Griess method at the same time intervals and at the equal doses with BPA. It is found that percentage viability values in SH-SY5Y cells treated with 100 μM BPA for 8 hours, is reduced statistically significant compared to control groups (p<0.001). A significant correlation was found between cytotoxicity results and NO levels of cells treated BPA (0.01 μM-100 μM) for 8 and 72 hours ( p<0.01, p<0.001 respectively). Neurotoxic effects of low dose BPA exposure on SH-SY5Y cells may be explained with increase in the levels of NO as a result from different parameters. One of these parameters could be a disorder in the synthesis of nNOS on different stages such as transcription and translation.


Phosphorus (P) is a vital component for crop production systems and a nonrenewable fertilizer resource. Although P applications to farms has been considered a root cause of increased global yields, it has come at the expense of increased phosphate rock (PR) depletion, the main derivative of P fertilizers which is estimated to decline by 2050. On the other hand, soils frequently contain enough native P for production yet it is unavailable due to P fixation. Low-molecular-weight organic acids (LMWOA) are largely responsible for mineralizing P in the soil rhizosphere and making it plant available in soil solution. This study investigated the potential of two LMWOAs, oxalic and citric acid, to mineralize fixed P in bulk soils and the effects on production of eggplant. Two calcareous soils were used, including an alkaline (pH 7.6-7.8) vertisol from the Houston Black series and a slightly acidic (pH 6.5-6.8) mollisol from the Tarpley soil series. Results showed oxalic and citric acid in the high pH calcareous soil mineralized P in amounts equivalent to applied triple superphosphate (TSP) fertilizer (p > 0.05) while eggplant yields indicated no significant difference (p > 0.05) between LMWOA applications and TSP fertilizer. In the low pH calcareous soil, LMWOA treatments were significantly less effective at mineralizing native soil P and matching eggplant yield (p < 0.05) when compared to TSP fertilizer applications.


Background Regarding controversial medical services, many have argued that if physicians cannot in good conscience provide a legal medical intervention for which a patient is a candidate, they should refer the requesting patient to an accommodating provider. This study examines what US physicians think a doctor is obligated to do when the doctor thinks it would be immoral to provide a referral. Method The authors conducted a cross-sectional survey of a random sample of 2000 US physicians from all specialties. The primary criterion variable was agreement that physicians have a professional obligation to refer patients for all legal medical services for which the patients are candidates, even if the physician believes that such a referral is immoral. Results Of 1895 eligible physicians, 1032 (55%) responded. 57% of physicians agreed that doctors must refer patients regardless of whether or not the doctor believes the referral itself is immoral. Holding this opinion was independently associated with being more theologically pluralistic, describing oneself as sociopolitically liberal, and indicating that respect for patient autonomy is the most important bioethical principle in one's practice (multivariable ORs, 1.6–2.4). Conclusions Physicians are divided about a professional obligation to refer when the physician believes that referral itself is immoral. These data suggest there is no uncontroversial way to resolve conflicts posed when patients request interventions that their physicians cannot in good conscience provide.


Scientific literature serves as a high-quality corpus, supporting a lot of Natural Language Processing (NLP) research. However, existing datasets are centered around the English language, which restricts the development of Chinese scientific NLP. In this work, we present CSL, a large-scale Chinese Scientific Literature dataset, which contains the titles, abstracts, keywords and academic fields of 396k papers. To our knowledge, CSL is the first scientific document dataset in Chinese. The CSL can serve as a Chinese corpus. Also, this semi-structured data is a natural annotation that can constitute many supervised NLP tasks. Based on CSL, we present a benchmark to evaluate the performance of models across scientific domain tasks, i.e., summarization, keyword generation and text classification. We analyze the behavior of existing text-to-text models on the evaluation tasks and reveal the challenges for Chinese scientific NLP tasks, which provides a valuable reference for future research. Data and code will be publicly available.


In this paper, the substance of gravity and inertial forces is debunked. The substance of mass is recovered. The nature of time in physics is revealed. The reality of the double-slit experiment is revealed. This paper shows that Quarks and Higgs boson hardly exist. This paper documents that, for past four hundred years, there is no distinguished physicist who would not have recognized the exist-ence of the ether. It shows that filling the space of the Universe with swirling ether is all that is needed for the self-evolution of the Universe. It further provides an overview of the opposition of the physicists against the mainstream physical image of the world for the past hundred years. And finally, it documents the basic historical, philosophical and physical reasons for denial of the main physical theories of the 20th century.


The role of virtual environments (VEs) is crucial in efficient design and operation of unmanned vehicles. VEs are extensively used in operator training for tele-operation, planning using programming by demonstration, and hardware and software designs. VE for unmanned sea surface vehicles (USSV) requires a 6 degree of freedom dynamics simulation in the time domain. In order to be interactive, the VE requires real-time performance of the underlying dynamics simulator. In general, the dynamics simulation of USSVs involves the following four main operations: (1) computation of dynamic pressure head due to fluid flow around the hull under the ocean wave, (2) computation of wet surface, (3) computing the surface integral of the dynamic pressure head over the wet surface, and (4) solving the rigid body dynamics equation. The first three operations depend upon the boat geometry complexity and need to be performed at each time step, making the simulation run very slow. In this paper, we address the problem of physics preserving model simplification for real-time potential flow based simulator for a USSV in the time domain, with an arbitrary hull geometry. This paper reports model simplification algorithms based on clustering, temporal coherence, and hardware acceleration using parallel computing on multiple cores to obtain real time simulation performance for the developed VE.


Introduction Twentieth Century history is saturated with media, not the least of which is film. As a middle school history teacher, I take my students through a study of the last century, using feature films to guide them through the tangled stories and characters they encounter. US history through film is most often offered as an upper-level high school or college elective, but is readily accessible to, and adaptable for, middle school students as well. It requires a shift in common curricular thinking, but can be a powerful way to draw in students not engaged by traditional history classes. The purpose of this article is to display an example of how film history and "textbook" 20th Century American history blend naturally in an eighth grade classroom. Why not "textbook" history? History is a discipline in which students encounter the very same content multiple times from sixth through twelfth grade. A thoughtfully developed middle school history curriculum should include some latitude for studying specific content in-depth, with the understanding that some contraction of content breadth is acceptable in the short term. Teachers must strike a balance between teaching in-depth skills (such as research, analysis, and synthesis) and teaching a broad understanding of the course content. Because of this need for balance and the relative importance of media in recent history, an in-depth study of US film history can be a reasonable way to approach a unit on the Twentieth Century. Textbooks written for middle school and younger high school students generally cover a broad range of topics, but with little depth, providing students with few engaging and thoroughly explained topics to remember. Feature films depict the emotional and social aspects of society in a unique way, giving many students mental "hooks" on which to hang memories of historical people, events, and movements. They also provide generous opportunities for teaching visual media literacy, an essential tool for understanding much of the Twentieth Century's historical documents, of which the films themselves are a part. US history textbooks are much more diverse and attractive than they used to be. Authors emphasize skill development and often include such inter-disciplinary sections as literary excerpts and geography sections. As teachers and principles feel increasing pressure to meet specific sets of standards, they demand textbooks that meet these state-mandated goals. Textbook publishers respond by producing history books with content that is 'a mile wide and an inch deep,' a common criticism of American school curriculum as a whole. A discriminating teacher must select a myriad of supplemental sources to conduct a reasonably in-depth study of any topic covered by these textbooks, media literacy being one of the least covered. Media literacy is a central part of understanding any era, but the Twentieth Century is unique. The unprecedented explosion of film, radio, television, and eventually, the Internet makes media literacy a necessity for understanding the people and stories of the Twentieth Century. Hobbes (1998) writes; "media literacy practices help strengthen students' information access, analysis and communication skills and build an appreciation for why monitoring the world is important. Media literacy can inform students about how the press functions in a democracy," and the importance of diverse sources of information. The method of triangulation, or approaching a subject from multiple points of view, is essential to forming a rounded picture of any event. Just as middle school students are learning to use triangulation in questioning their historical sources, they should be beginning to look for manipulation of visual images presented to them every day. How could this work with eighth graders? Twelve- to thirteen-year-olds, or late "tweens," are the focus of an overwhelming amount of television advertising and Hollywood marketing. …