Most RNA isolation techniques currently in use have been developed for the processing of large quantities of material. These typically involve multiple phenol extractions (Reinert et al. 1981 Mol. Cell Biol. 1:829-836) or guanadinium isothio-cyanate/cesium chloride gradients (Chirgwin et al. 1979 Biochem 18:5294-5299) and can be both expensive and time consuming. Often, however, needs arise where quantitatively smaller amounts of RNA are needed from many different samples, for example, during time series analyses or when screening transformants for expression of a transformed gene. Under such circumstances, existing techniques are overly time consuming and yield more RNA than is necessary. The availability of a rapid RNA mini-prep is thus desirable. Such a system has been developed for isolating plant RNA (Nagy et al. 1988 Plant Molecular Biology Manual, B4; ed. Gelvin and Schilperoort, Klewer Academic Publishing, pp. 1-29), and we have adapted this procedure for use with Neurospora and, potentially, other filamentous fungi. Below, we describe the use of this procedure with 50 ml mycelial cultures, although we have used in with equal success with 5 ml cultures without scaling down the amounts of any reagents. Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 License. This regular paper is available in Fungal Genetics Reports: http://newprairiepress.org/fgr/vol37/iss1/10 A quick RNA mini-prep for Neurospora mycelial cultures Lindgren, K.M., A. Lichens-Park, J.L. Loros and J.C. Dunlap Dept. of Biochemistry, Dartmouth Medical School, Hanover, NH 03756. Most RNA isolation techniques currently in use have been developed for the processing of large quantities of material. These typically involve multiple phenol extractions (Reinert et al. 1981 Mol. Cell Biol. 1:829-836) or guanadinium isothio-cyanate/cesium chloride gradients (Chirgwin et al. 1979 Biochem 18:5294-5299) and can be both expensive and time consuming. Often, however, needs arise where quantitatively smaller amounts of RNA are needed from many different samples, for example, during time series analyses or when screening transfor-mants for expression of a transformed gene. Under such circumstances, existing tech-niques are overly time consuming and yield more RNA than is necessary. The availability of a rapid RNA miniprep is thus desirable. Such a system has been developed for isola-ting plant RNA (Nagy et al. 1988 Plant Molecular Biology Manual, B4; ed. Gelvin and Schilperoort, Klewer Academic Publishing, pp. 1-29), and we have adapted this procedure for use with Neurospora and, potentially, other filamentous fungi. Below, we describe the use of this procedure with 50 ml mycelial cultures, although we have used in with equal success with 5 ml cultures without scaling down the amounts of any reagents. The method involves the use of a triphenylmethane dye, aurintricarboxylic (ATA), to protect the RNA. ATA binds irreversibly to RNA and is a potent inhibitor of most nucleic acid binding enzymes (Hallick et al. 1977 Nucl. Acids Res. 4:3055-3064). Thus, RNA made with procedure cannot be used for in vitro transcription or translation or reverse transcription but works fine for RNA/DNA or RNA/RNA hybridizations. To minimize RNase contamination, all glassware is baked at 182°C for at minimum of four hours. Work with gloved hands. The procedure is as follows: 1. Conidia from slants (grown in 16 x 150 mm test tubes containing 8 ml of solid medium) are resuspended in 50 ml of Horowitz complete medium (Horowitz 1947 J. Biol. Chem. 171:255262) and the cultures grown overnight with shaking at 30°C. A 50 ml culture typically yields enough RNA for 200 gel lanes (see below), and, as noted, smaller culture volumes may be used. 2. Flat mycelial pads are easier to grind than mycelial balls. Therefore, filter cultures using a Buchner funnel onto Whatman #44 filter paper. Wrap flat mycelial pads in aluminum foil and freeze in dry ice. Do not freeze in EtOH/dry ice bath because alcohol might seep through foil. Pads can be stored at -70°C for at least three weeks. 3. Wash a mortar and pestle thoroughly with warm water and Alconox (Fisher Scientific); cool by filling with liquid N2. Remove frozen, flat mycelia from foil and add it to the liquid N2 in mortar. Add ~0.5 g of baked sand and grind mycelial pad to a fine powder. Add more N2 as needed. Mortar and pestle should be washed after every sample. 4. Working quickly before powder can thaw, pour or spoon ground mycelia into 15 ml round bottom Sarstedt tube (Sarstedt tubes #60.540, Princeton, NJ) containing 8 ml of E buffer at room Published by New Prairie Press, 2017 temperature. [E buffer: 50 mM Tris-Cl pH 8.0, 300 mM NaCl, 5 mM EDTA, pH 8.0, 2% SDS; autoclave and add 1 mM ATA and 14 mM ß-mercaptoethanol. ATA=aurintricarboxylic acid, ammonium salt (Sigma #A0885, St. Louis, MO)] 5. Thaw the powder in E buffer in 42°C water bath, occasionally shaking, to get SDS into solution. This should take about 5 minutes. 6. Add 1.1 ml of 3M KCl, invert to mix, keep on ice for 10 min. Solution should form semisolid, flocculent mass as K-SDS precipitate forms. 7. Spin at 3000g, 4°C in a fixed angle rotor. Make sure caps are screwed on tightly to prevent tubes from collapsing. 8. Pass supernatant through 50 micron Miracloth (Calbiochem #475855, La Jolla, CA) in a funnel into fresh Sarstedt tube. 9. Measure volume of average-sized sample. Add 0.5 vol. 8 M LiCl, mix and stand at 4°C overnight. 10. Spin at 12000g, 4°C, for 15 min in a fixed angle rotor. Thoroughly resuspend pellet in 4 ml sterile gd (glass distilled) H2O with pasteur pipette. 11. Extract twice with phenol/chloroform/isoamyl alcohol (25:24:1), spinning 12000g 10 min at 4°C in a fixed angle rotor. Save aqueous (upper) phase; add gd H2O if volume is less than 2 ml. 12. Add 0.1 vol 3M NaOAc pH 6.0, mix and add 2.5 vol EtOH, mix. Place at -20°C overnight or -70°C for 15 min. 13. Spin 12000g, 10 min, 4°C. Wash pellet with 70% EtOH and drain. Pellet should be a light pink or white. 14. Resuspend in 0.4 ml sterile gd H2O in a microfuge tube. Precipitate with NaOAc and EtOH as in step 12. 15. Spin 10-20 min in microfuge. Wash twice with 70% EtOH and dry pellet. Resuspend in 200 μl of sterile RNase-free gd H2O. Store at -70°C for up to three months. Spectophotometric quantification may be done at this point. 16. Load 1 μl onto a formaldehyde gel. Electrophorese overnight at 20 volts. Blot onto nitrocellulose. Probe with DNA fragment of choice. Expose to film. Yields are typically on the order of 1-2 mg total RNA from an overnight 50 ml culture arising from an average slant. The number of samples able to be processed using this procedure is limited by the number of spaces in a centrifuge rotor. We have done as many as 24 samples in one day, and doing several times this many would be possible. We have observed on ethidium bromide stained gels that the fluorescence from the RNA deriving from this miniprep is brighter http://newprairiepress.org/fgr/vol37/iss1/10 DOI: 10.4148/1941-4765.1475 than that seen when the corresponding amount of standard-prep RNA is used. This may be due to enhanced fluorescence of RNA in the presence of ATA. However, autoradiography of the blots does not show any RNA degradation products (Figure 1). This procedure would probably work fine with other methods of tissue disruption. ATA inhibits many nucleic acid binding proteins, possibly by competing for binding sites (Blumenthal and Landers 1973. BBRC 55:680-688). Therefore, the most critical factor is getting the RNA in contact with ATA before nucleases can bind to the nucleic acid and degrade it. Supported by federal grants to J.J.L. and J.C.D. Fig. 1. ATA mini-prep RNA probed with ccg-1 DNA fragment. Total RNA from a series of transformants into bd A and frq7 A was examined for the presence of the ccg-1 gene transcript (Loros et al. 1989 Science 243:385-388). Each lane contains 10 μg of RNA (1/200 of the preparation). While the fluorescence staining of the RNA extended from the 26S to below the 17S RNA bands (not shown), the hybridization revealed the presence of only a single undegraded transcript in each lane containing transformant RNA and no hybridization to the monkey cos cell RNA control. Published by New Prairie Press, 2017


Background: Telemetry applied to aquatic organisms has recently developed greatly. Physiological sensors have been increasingly used as tools for �sh welfare monitoring. However, for the technology to be used as a reliable non-invasive welfare indicator, it is important that the tagging procedure does not disrupt �sh physiology, behaviour and performance. In this communication, we share our medium-term data on stress physiological pro�le and growth performance after tag implantation in two important marine �sh species for European aquaculture, the sea bream ( Sparus aurata ) and the European sea bass ( Dicentrarchus labrax ). Results: Blood samples after tag implantation (46 days for the sea bream and 95 days for the sea bass) revealed no differences between tagged and untagged �sh in cortisol, glucose and lactate levels, suggesting that the tag implantation does not induce prolonged stress in these species. Moreover, the speci�c growth rates were similar in the tagged and untagged �sh of both species. Conclusion: Tag implantation does not have medium-term consequences for the stress physiology and growth performance of these two marine �sh species in a controlled environment. These observations support the use of accelerometer tags as valuable tools for welfare monitoring in aquaculture conditions, as they do not affect the �sh's welfare and health. This study also shows that tagged �sh can be sampled during experiments and considered a representative portion of the population, as they display growth and physiological parameters comparable to those of untagged �sh.


The study of volatility inter-dependence provides useful insights into how information is transmitted and disseminated across markets. Research results in this area have implications for international diversification and market efficiency. This paper explores volatility spillovers between the Australian and New Zealand stock markets. The objective of the paper is to determine if volatility surprises in one market influence the volatility of returns in the other market. The existing literature in this area has typically focused on the US market's influence and employed standard ARCH class models to account for the time-variation in volatility. This paper focuses on the trans-Tasman markets and utilises more complex models which allow for an asymmetric response of volatility to past innovations. Time-zone differences in trading hours between Australia and New Zealand are analysed and four models are developed to test for spillover effects. The overnight return (& volatility) from the US market is used to account for the impact of international news. The results indicate that volatility surprises in the larger Australian market influence the subsequent conditional volatility of the smaller New Zealand market. Similarly, the Australian market also appears to be influenced by volatility surprises from the New Zealand market. However, this latter finding is also consistent with contemporaneous market reactions to international news which the daily data set used in this study is unable to isolate.


Proceedings: AACR 104th Annual Meeting 2013; Apr 6-10, 2013; Washington, DC

Berries are gaining increasing importance lately for their chemopreventive and therapeutic potential against several cancers in pre-clinical studies. In our earlier studies, blueberry-supplemented diet has shown chemopreventive protection against 17β-estradiol-mediated mammary tumorigenesis. The 5 anthocyanidins in blueberry are presumable bioactives. In this study, we tested both preventive and therapeutic activities of high anthocyanin-content blueberry diet in ACI rat model against 17β-estradiol-mediated mammary tumorigenesis. The blueberry used was a blend of Tifblue and Rubel blueberry (50:50) (U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council, CA) which has substantially higher amount of anthocyanins than Berkley/Blue Jay/Bluecrop blueberries used in our earlier studies. To study the chemopreventive effect, female ACI rats (5-6-week old) were administered AIN-93M diet or diets supplemented with blueberry (2.5 and 5%, w/w) 2 weeks prior to 17β-estradiol implantation. To test for the therapeutic activity, when 5% of the animals in the control group developed palpable tumors, one half of the animals were provided diet supplemented with 5% blueberry while the other half were continued on control diet. Animals received diet and water ad libitum and palpated weekly to determine the effect of berry intervention on tumor latency and tumor growth. When the tumor incidence reached >90% in estrogen-treated group on control diet, all the animals were euthanized. Our data revealed i) the first tumor in control group appeared after 85 days, while this was delayed by 28 and 37 days in groups receiving 5% blueberry in chemopreventive and therapeutic mode, respectively. The effect was less pronounced (delay by 7 days) with 2.5% berry; ii) the tumor incidence was also decreased dose dependently (96% in control versus 85% and 61% with 2.5% and 5% blueberry in chemopreventive mode, 55% with 5% blueberry in therapeutic mode); iii) a 25% and 51% reduction in tumor multiplicity with 2.5% and 5% blueberry, respectively (57% reduction with 5% blueberry in therapeutic mode); and iv) 37% and 45% reduction in tumor volume with 5% blueberry in chemopreventive and therapeutic modes, respectively; the effect with 2.5% blueberry was only modest. These data suggest that the test blueberry is effective in inhibiting estrogen-mediated mammary tumorigenesis in both chemopreventive and therapeutic modes. In view of our recent findings of miRNA 'signature' in estrogen-induced mammary tumors and its favorable modulation by ellagic acid, we are analyzing modulation of miRNAs in the current study and its correlation with the tumor inhibition. (Supported by Highbush Blueberry Council, CA, Agnes Brown Duggan Fund and Helmsley Foundation).

Citation Format: Jeyaprakash Jeyabalan, Farrukh Aqil, Radha Munagala, Ramesh Gupta. Chemopreventive and therapeutic activity of high anthocyanin-content blueberry against estrogen-mediated breast cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 3705. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-3705


The present study compared the degree of similarity of timbre representations as observed with brain recordings, behavioral studies, and computer simulations. To this end, the electrical brain activity of subjects was recorded while they were repetitively presented with five sounds differing in timbre. Subjects read simultaneously so that their attention was not focused on the sounds. The brain activity was quantified in terms of a change-specific mismatch negativity component. Thereafter, the subjects were asked to judge the similarity of all pairs along a five-step scale. A computer simulation was made by first training a Kohonen self-organizing map with a large set of instrumental sounds. The map was then tested with the experimental stimuli, and the distance between the most active artificial neurons was measured. The results of these methods were highly similar, suggesting that timbre representations reflected in behavioral measures correspond to neural activity, both as measured directly and as simulated in self-organizing neural network models.


The current study explores first, second and third-year UK accounting students' perceptions of authorial identity and their implications for unintentional plagiarism. The findings suggest that, whilst all students have reasonably positive perceptions of their authorial identity, there is room for improvement. Significant differences in second-year students' perceptions were reported for some positive aspects of authorial identity. However, results for negative aspects show that second-year students find it significantly more difficult to express accounting in their own words than first and third-years. Furthermore, second-years are significantly more afraid than first-years that what they write will look unimpressive. Finally, the results for approaches to writing, which also have implications for unintentional plagiarism, revealed that students across all years appear to adopt aspects of top-down, bottom-up and pragmatic approaches to writing. Emerging from these findings, the study offers suggestions to accounting educators regarding authorial identity instruction.


In the past five years, next generation sequencing (NGS) technology platforms have been released and have become the tool of choice for sequencing genomes. Methods for sequence finishing have had to be updated to deal with the issues created by NGS platforms. Finishing begins with the assembling of the reads produced by the sequencing machines before computational gap closure is attempted. Remaining gaps are identified and suitable experimental techniques such as polymerase chain reactions are used to close these. Until recently, the aim for many genome sequencing projects has been to fully finish genomes. However, due to the time and cost associated with finishing, the majority of future genomes will only reach a high-quality draft. New genome standards have had to be defined to better reflect the types of sequencing now being undertaken. Improvements to the current generation of sequencing machines along with the advent of the third-generation technologies means that new ways of dealing with the data volume will need to be sought.

Key Concepts:

Next generation sequencing platforms have generated new issues for sequence finishing, which have required novel solutions.

Genome standards have had to be updated to better reflect NGS data.

Keywords:

next generation sequencing;
finishing;
Roche (R) 454 Life Science Genome Sequencer;
Illumina (R) Genome Analyzer II;
Applied Bioystems (R) SOLiD system;
DNA;
PCR


The persistent outrage over CEO pay expressed by politicians, the press, media, labor unions, and the general public (but not shareholders) have prompted the imposition of a wide range of disclosure requirements, tax policies, accounting rules, governance reforms, direct legislation, and other rules constraining executive compensation stretching back nearly a century. We analyze the regulations that have substantially damaged the efficacy of CEO pay practices, ranging from the first disclosure rules in the 1930s to the 2018 Trump tax rules. We discuss the political forces behind the regulatory interventions, and assess the continuing unintended consequences of these interventions. Our emerging conclusion is that the best way the government can fix executive compensation is to stop trying to fix it, and by undoing the damage already caused through existing regulations that have, in aggregate, imposed enormous costs on organizations, their shareholders, and social welfare.


This paper uses institutional theory to analyse the role of the British Academy of Management (BAM) and the Association of Business Schools (ABS) in gaining legitimacy for management education in the UK. By the 1980s, serious issues surrounding rigour and relevance were being asked about UK business schools that raised concerns about the legitimacy of management as a discipline. A major consequence was that management received relatively low research funding compared with other social science disciplines from key funding bodies, e.g. the Economic and Social Science Research Council. Using archival and interview data, we examine how BAM and ABS, as professional bodies, applied multiple approaches aimed at improving the quality of management research and teaching to gain legitimacy from influential external agencies. An unintended consequence of these actions has been an increasing isomorphism in management research and education in the UK. Although some of the original concerns still remain with regard to management education, both organizations have been successful in increasing the external perception of legitimacy.


Normal 0 21 false false false FI ZH-CN TH When a large-area model is utilized in smaller sub-areas, the results may be biased, even though the model is unbiased in general. One method for adjusting the large-area models for such bias is kriging, in which the predictions are corrected with the help of neighbouring observations. A variogram represents the spatial correlation between neighbouring observations as a function of distance. With the selected variogram and drift model that describes the general mean, the variable values for given objects are then predicted. The aim of this study was (1) to test for a spatial correlation in the residuals of a global form height model fitted over a large study area and (2) to use this correlation in prediction of the same variable. The dataset consisted of 19 175 Scots pines ( Pinus sylvestris L.) from the 9 th National Forest Inventory of Finland. Nested spherical and Bessel variograms were selected for the kriging calculations. In nested models the short-range intrastand correlation and long-range correlation are modelled separately. We used 10-fold cross-validation to evaluate the variogram models selected. We limited the number of neighbours from 20 to 100, i.e. at distances within an 8-17-km radius. At the global level, 30 neighbours were needed for stable estimates, and with 60 neighbours the RMSEs of kriging were lower than the globally fitted model. At the regional level, we obtained better estimates than with regionally re-fitted models when the number of neighbours was 60 for both variogram models. The biases at the regional level in the kriging were small (0.8% of the regional RMSE). In conclusion, there was an app. 6-km spatial correlation in the residuals, but the size of the kriging neighbourhood required for improving prediction was larger than the range. MCFNS 3(1):1-14.


The relationship between law and negotiation is increasingly at the forefront of the international agenda. International organisations whose role includes the mediation of peace, such as the Mediation Support Unit of the United Nations, and the European Union, are seeking to understand the relationship between mediation, law and justice in conflict and post conflict societies. While such organisations acknowledge that international law places normative constraints on the practice of peace making, they also recognise that key principles of mediation, such as consent, inclusivity and local ownership, are crucial to the success of negotiated peace processes (United Nations, 2012). These questions have risen to the top of international policy agendas, but there is little academic scrutiny of how the relationship between law and negotiation itself it to be negotiated (Kastner, 2015). Research to date has focused on discrete aspects of the relationship between law and negotiation, such as the role of human rights in peace agreements (Bell, 2000), or in setting transitional justice priorities (Bell 2008; Wierda, 2010). It has not addressed the overarching question of the relationship between law and negotiation that underpins these divisive issues. Binding norms as well as normative expectations serve to shape the mediation process. Yet while law can play a key role in providing guidance for peacemakers, and in providing legitimacy for peace agreements, it can also come into conflict with the political task of negotiation.


The United States criminal justice system convicts, incarcerates, and, in some instances, executes people for crimes of which they are innocent. Although wrongful convictions may be an inevitable consequence of our criminal justice system, it would seem that a person wrongly deprived of his liberty is entitled to a civil remedy to compensate for the mistakes of the criminal system. Yet persons wrongly convicted of crimes who bring actions under 42 U.S.C. section 1983 for an erroneous arrest, detention, or conviction are often denied monetary compensation. This Article considers the role of causation in section 1983 wrongful conviction cases. Although causation is seldom mentioned as an element of a section 1983 claim, it plays two roles in section 1983 litigation. First, causation is an inherent part of the deprivation element of a section 1983 claim. Additionally, causation serves as a link between the defendant's breach and the plaintiff's damages, which I refer to as "damages causation." Wrongful convictions almost never happen for one reason but, instead, are usually the result of several different acts. Hence, they are not easily amenable to causation determinations and courts have used "damages causation" as a way to limit liability in section 1983 wrongful conviction claims. I argue that courts' approaches to damages causation in section 1983 claims unnecessarily and improperly limit defendants' liability in wrongful conviction cases.


Background Hip fracture is a major public health problem with a high incidence and prevalence in people over 65 years old. This group of patients presents changes in body composition and organ function, an important situation of co-morbidity; and they are usually polymedicated, which implies a greater chance of drug-related problems. All of that should be taken into account in the pharmaceutical care. Purpose To analyse the pharmacological treatment of elderly patients experiencing a hip fracture, focusing on geriatric dosage adjustments, in order to improve pharmaceutical care in this group of patients. Materials and methods A prospective pilot study was performed over two months [August–October, 2013] with patients admitted to a tertiary hospital with a hip fracture. These variables were recorded for each patient: sex, age, length of hospital stay, neuropsychiatric problems, residential status, actual diseases and renal function. Drug treatment was recorded from the pharmacy database (Silicon). Drugs were classified in seven different groups: No adjustment required (N), Adjustment required for renal function condition (AR), Adjustment required for elderly condition not related to renal function (AG), Adjustment required for both elderly and renal function (AB), Precaution in elderly patients (P), Not enough information in geriatric population (NI), and Inappropriate based on Beer's criteria (I). In a second phase, a pharmacist experienced in the geriatric population reviewed all of the prescriptions on every patient and determined if drugs that needed dosage adjustment were adjusted or not. Results Forty hip fracture patients were included in the study, 75% women and 25% men, with a mean age of 85 years (73–102). 47.5% of the patients lived at home and 20% were institutionalised. The average number of current illnesses was 6 (1–13); 15% of the patients had neuropsychiatric problems. On average they stayed 16 days in the hospital (7–28), and received 14 drugs (6–20). About renal function, 7.5% of the patients presented a creatinine clearance below 30 ml/min, and 35% presented one between 30–60 ml/min. We analysed 553 prescriptions, which included 117 drugs and were classified in seven different groups: N: 46 drugs (39%), AR: 26 drugs (22%), AG: 9 drugs (8%), AB: 4 drugs (3%), P: 19 drugs (16%), NI: 9 drugs (8%) and I: 4 drugs (3%). On average, a dosage adjustment had been made on 84% of the drugs that needed it. In 3 patients a dosage adjustment had been made made on fewer than the 40% of the drugs that needed it and 29 patients had an 80–100% correct adjustment. Conclusions Dosage adjustment or precaution was required in the 53% of the drugs prescribed and 42% of them needed adjustment according to renal function. The dose had been adjusted correctly in 84% of those drugs in average on each patient. Only a few patients had had 40% or fewer of their drug doses adjusted, and almost a third of the total number of patients had had 80–100% of their drug doses adjusted for their renal function. It's necessary to include the role of the pharmacist in the multidisciplinary team in elderly patients experiencing hip fracture in order to adjust the pharmacological treatment appropriately and avoid potential drug-related problems. No conflict of interest.


Aspergillus niger was grown in fermenter culture under conditions promoting microcycle growth. Following a period of spherical growth at elevated temperatures for 24h, conidiophores developed from the swollen giant cells when the temperature was decreased. Each stage in this microcycle conidiation was photographed and dry weight was determined. Aberrant growth forms sometimes occurred and these are described with the measures taken to attempt to minimize such problems. The lipid content and composition was investigated throughout the microcycle by the use of column and thin layer chromatography and by gas-liquid chromatography. The major classes of neutral lipid were triacyl glycerols, fatty acids, sterols and sterol esters. Changes in composition during the microcycle are discussed in relation to metabolic requirements for the different developmental stages and a function for triacyl glycerol as an energy reserve for conidiation is suggested. The fatty acid composition was also determined throughout the cycle and changes related to growth temperature. The accumulation and utilization of triacyl glycerol was indicative of changes in activity of lipolytic enzymes. However little lipase activity was detected, although enzymes which hydrolysed water-soluble esters were more readily assayed. In order to assess the relative utilization of each of the carbon substrates glucose, L-glutamate and L-alanine, they were provided in a radiolabelled form and the fate of the label followed at intervals throughout the cycle. The majority of the material was used in the production of insoluble cellular material, with smaller amounts incorporated into lipids, water-soluble materials or released as carbon dioxide. Very little label from L-glutamate was detected as lipid. Glutamate was principally used during the later, conidiation, stage of the microcycle. The results are discussed in relation to the different physiological stages of microcycle conidiation and to the observed changes in lipid content and composition.


Although one of the first biological treatments of a major psychiatric disorder was the dietary treatment of pellagra, the use of diet and dietary components in the study of psychopathology has not aroused much interest. This article reviews three areas in which the dietary approach has provided interesting information. The tryptophan depletion strategy uses a mixture of amino acids devoid of tryptophan to lower brain tryptophan in order to study the symptoms that can be elicited. One effect of tryptophan depletion is a lowering of mood, the magnitude of which seems to depend on the baseline state of the subject. Therefore, recovered depressed patients often undergo an acute relapse, while normal subjects show more moderate changes of mood. Totally euthymic subjects show no lowering of mood, but subjects with high normal depression scale scores or subjects with a family history of depression show a moderate lowering of mood. These data indicate that low serotonin levels alone cannot cause depression. However, serotonin does have a direct effect on mood, and low levels of serotonin contribute to the etiology of depression in some depressed patients. Folic acid deficiency causes a lowering of brain serotonin in rats, and of cerebrospinal fluid 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid in humans. There is a high incidence of folate deficiency in depression, and there are indications in the literature that some depressed patients who are folate deficient respond to folate administration. Folate deficiency is known to lower levels of S-adenosylmethionine, and S-adenosylmethionine is an antidepressant that raises brain serotonin levels. These data suggest that low levels of serotonin in some depressed patients may be a secondary consequence of low levels of S-adenosylmethionine. They also suggest that the dietary intake and psychopharmacological action of methionine, the precursor of S-adenosylmethionine, should be studied in patients with depression. Normal meals have definite effects on mood and performance in humans. The composition of the meal, in terms of protein and carbohydrate content, can influence these behaviors. Because protein and carbohydrate meals can influence brain serotonin in rats, these effects in humans have usually been interpreted in terms of altered serotonin functioning. However, the current balance of evidence is against the involvement of serotonin in the acute effects of protein and carbohydrate meals in humans. The underlying mechanisms involved are unknown, but there are a variety of possibilities.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)


Background: Staphylococcus aureus is the most prevalent infectious agent of food materials. Enterotoxin producing types of S. aureus cause well-known food-borne disease. Staphylococcal Enterotoxin A (SEA) is the most important agent of gastroenteritis. Objectives: The present study aimed to screen the raw meat samples collected from different regions of Tehran for S. aureus infection and type of encoding enterotoxin. Materials and Methods: Hundred and eighty six meat samples were collected randomly from city dealers and transferred to laboratory within screw cap containers. The samples were first cultured according to the standard bacteriological methods and then S. aureus isolates were identified using standard bacteriological tests. The isolates were subjected to Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) to detect gene encoding SEA. Results: Staphylococcus aureus isolated from 29 (15.6%) meat samples including beef 14.8%, raw lamb 15%, raw chicken 15.7% and raw turkey 16.6%. Using special primer sets proved that the species isolated from five samples (two raw chicken, two raw beef and one raw turkey) encoded enterotoxin A. Conclusions: Although staphylococcal contamination within food material is more or less a routine, but detection of enterotoxin encoding species from raw meat samples is alarming for health authorities. These data highlight the importance of periodic surveillance of raw meat distributed among ordinary consumers.


Elkhorn Slough Field in Solano County, California, is on the eastern flank of the Sacramento Valley, approximately 25 miles southwest of Sacramento. Grand Island Field is in Sacramento County, approximately five miles southeast of Elkhorn Slough Field (Figure 1). Both fields are between the updip edge of the Upper Winters sand pinchout and the beginning of the Winters structural play. Figure 1.
Location map.

The Winters pinchout play was defined with regional geologic mapping through the basin. It is turbiditic in nature, sands being transported through channels incised into the shelf and deposited into deepwater fans, surrounded by shales. The sands were deposited in massive pulses, one flow possibly cutting into and welding into the previous one. This makes it difficult to distinguish the sands from one another on the seismic because they thin in an updip position. The sands have excellent porosities (18–25%) and thicknesses up to 115 gross ft. In Elkhorn Slough and Grand Island Fields, the depths of these sands are approximately 8500–8600 ft. These elements have made the Winters in this area conducive to AVO analysis. In defining this play regionally, several key mapping tools were used to identify these prospects. They included structural noses due to differential compaction around the sand bodies (which create structure where the sands exist); net sand isopachs to delineate the existence of reservoir; and seismic amplitudes to show potential gas accumulation.

In the Elkhorn Slough area, we began with 2-D seismic, mapped the structures, and used them with the regional sand maps to delineate possible fan limits.

In 1992, in partnership with EOG Resources (formerly Enron Oil and Gas), Amerada Hess began drilling wells within the fan. The initial well, Enron's 22–1 Nixon (well X-1), was a gas producer from 15 ft of the A sand and had 42 ft of wet …


Introduction A detailed analysis of Palahniuk's early novels, from Fight Club (1996) to Choke (2001), shows the existence of a number of motifs that are systematically repeated from book to book. A pattern emerges with one or several traumatized protagonists who willingly inflict pain upon themselves; the resulting effects of such action are understood by the characters as a necessary ritual of passage to rid themselves of their previous identities. Furthermore, Palahniuk's protagonists choose to rebel against social conventions and embrace the old ways of the questing hero, a mythic figure now filtered by contemporary American culture, especially by its patterns of video clips and the road movie genre. Accordingly, his main characters begin a journey of initiation, either psychic or physical or both, hoping to develop a new identity (compare Campbell 45-233). But always at the end of the novel the reader is left with the impression that, in contrast to the old mythic models, good has not finally overcome evil, and that everybody, actual reader or fictional character, still remains trapped in a condition of ethical inconclusiveness. Nihilism is frequently counterbalanced by the new, apparently better identity but it is never clear that the hero's new identity is leading her or him anywhere. Strategically, the inconclusive condition of his protagonists' quest keeps readers questioning the writer's ultimate moral aims. The early novels also elicited strong reactions from readers and critics on account of the excessively grotesque and sordid nature of some scenes and themes. Additionally, Palahniuk's books seem to follow his self-imposed norm to write a type of fiction that fits within the literary parameters of realism and minimalism. On several occasions, the author has described his minimalist style as necessary for the "transgressional" quality of his fiction. He has praised Amy Hempel's works explicitly and also confessed his attraction to Tom Spanbauer's "dangerous writing," a style that demands the author express his own fears of embarrassing sentiments and themes by adopting a minimalist approach (Stranger Than Fiction 141-46). However, in 2002 Palahniuk published Lullaby, the first in a sequence of novels that incorporates overt fantasy elements. The writer describes in it an unnerving, fantastic reality, opened to the manifestation of ghosts and magic spells, supernatural features unknown so far in his fiction but which will reappear in later books such as Diary (2003), Haunted (2005), and more recently in Damned (2011). This paper analyzes both the narrative techniques and the main themes the writer deploys in Lullaby with a double aim: first, to describe the structure of the novel and evaluate whether the intrusion of explicit fantastic elements in Lullaby really represents a departure from Palahniuk's earlier fiction; and secondly, to interrogate the importance that critics, readers, and Palahniuk himself have given to the deadly power inherent in language as the central theme in this novel. The following analysis shows that the power of language to kill is only one of the two main subjects of Lullaby. Eventually this power gives way to the spell of occupation, an attribute from the fantastic that symbolically condenses narrative anxieties about free will, identity, and ethics in contemporary society. In order to carry out the analysis, the following features will be examined: the narrative structure of the novel, the role of the narrator as traumatized personage and his use of well-known critical and cultural theories, the function that unreliability and uncertainty play in the narrator's understanding of reality, and the significance that magic and witchery achieve in the qualification of Lullaby as a socially committed novel that pursues a moral aim. The condition specifically new that distances Lullaby from realist fiction is not the protagonist's traumatized distortion of a believable reality in his role as narrator--an elusive gothic trait that Palahniuk has used before--but the presence of some elements both in the story world and in the act of narrating that intrude visibly from the gothic and, more specifically, from the fantastic mode. …


Objective: The purpose of this manuscript is to introduce findings that when liquid topical catalase, which is an emitter of electromagnetic fields, was applied to selective scalp painful areas during migraine headaches the pain crisis subsided. A Biophysics based hypothesis is stated as the proposed factor for pain relief. Background: The etiology of migraine headaches is unknown. The onset of a migraine episode varies; but usually starts in selective areas of the scalp with a localized painful condition. The human hair have been found to act as conduits for electromagnetic fields and documented to exit its energy in the direction of the shaft's cut ends and follicles. The ubiquitous enzyme catalase was also found to be a solo emitter of EMFs and to disrupt the intrinsic electromagnetic fields of both the hair shaft and follicle. These fields have been documented to penetrate glass barriers. Applied magnetism in the form of low-level EMFs has been found to alter nerve conduction. Materials and Methodology: An 11 y/o white male adolescent suffering from chronic migraine headaches was exposed (during 3 sequential painful episodes) to topical liquid CAT. The solution was applied to selective areas of the scalp. One gram of CAT (20000 Units/Gram) in powder form was diluted in 5 ml of water. Two to three milliliters of the solution were warmed to body temperature (37 o C) and then gently rubbed by fingertips to painful areas during migraine episodes. Results: The ubiquitous enzyme catalase when in solution and applied to the scalp of a male adolescent migraineur during separate migraine (> one week apart) episodes (n=3) improved painful headache symptoms each time. Conclusion: The ubiquitous enzyme catalase when in liquid form and applied to selective areas of the scalp, induces migraine headaches relief. A Biophysical mechanism is hypothesized. Journal of Nature and Science (JNSCI), 3(3):e330, 2017


#1 New York Times bestselling author Victoria Kann is back with a new I Can Read story featuring Pinkalicious! Pinkalicious is crowning Goldie as Princess Goldilicious and throws a royal tea party to celebrate. Of course, that means tea, sandwiches, and lots and lots of pinkerrific decorations! But Peter has a few creative ideas of his own for the party-right before all the guests arrive! Will the perfect party turn into a royal mess? This is a Level 1 I Can Read book that is perfect for children learning to sound out words and sentences.


This review article attempts to analyse the social issues that impact the performance of natural treatment systems (NTSs). An NTS is a decentralised wastewater treatment system found to be appropriate in developing countries due to its affordability and lower technicity. However, if socio-economic and institutional issues of community are ignored then NTSs may turn out to be unsuitable for developing countries. The article also takes a critical view on the extant literature which ignores the social cost of NTSs. The social cost of NTSs may be high as a decentralised system requires the engagement of various governmental agencies, research institutes and the community. The cost of engagement may make NTSs a socio-economically unattractive proposition. The article discusses the variables to be considered for the social cost-benefit analysis. It also discusses the implications of social cost-benefit analysis for appreciating the incentives and net benefits for collective actions at the community level. Social cost-benefit analysis can help overcome the initial difficulty of high financial cost and usher sustainability.


Epidemiological and clinical studies have found that consumption of saturated animal fats (butter, cream, cheese, red meat, processed meat foods, etc) and higher risk for heart diseases are connected. Medical practitioners in the USA were the first to raise the issues of dietary recommendations for fats 40 years ago. But in the last decades numerous prospective epidemiological investigations of dietary fat and coronary disease have been inconsistent. Some investigations showed significant positive association between saturated fat and disease, but some other studies did not. Lately, large prospective epidemiological studies offered new evidence. Studies showed that elevated levels of lipids [total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL), and triglycerides] are widely recognized as risk factors for cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Oxidized LDL and lipid peroxidation mechanisms are associated with oxidative stress and endothelial dysfunction leading to atherosclerotic damage. Atherosclerosis is a form of chronic inflammation resulting from interaction between oxidized lipoproteins, monocyte-derived macrophages, T cells, and the normal cellular elements of the arterial wall. This review examines the latest studies and reviews investigating the association between dietary fat intake, especially saturated fats, and increased risk to cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), various types of cancer, obesity and type 2 diabetes. The review explores the dietary guidelines that have almost universally advocated reducing the intake of total and saturated fat, and replacement with Polyunsatuerated fatty acids (PUFAs) and Monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs). Also, contains critical presentations of the medical literature that is still full of articles arguing opposing positions and data of studies where consumption of total fats were not associated with risk of CVDs, or myocardial infarction. Lately, some experts insist on the inherent complexity of human diets, methodological considerations, and the role of bias and confounding. While latest studies argued that it is the type of saturated fats we eat that can affect our risk of chronic diseases.


Antiresorptive drugs, alendronate and raloxifene, are effective in lowering bone mineral density (BMD) loss in postmenopausal women. However, long-term treatment may be associated with serious side effects. Our research group has recently discovered that a Chinese herbal formula, ELP, could significantly reduce BMD loss in animal and human studies. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the potential synergistic bone-protective effects of different herb-drug combinations using ovariectomized rats. To assess the efficacy of different combinations, the total BMD was monitored biweekly in the 8-week course of daily oral treatment. Bone microarchitecture, bone strength, and deoxypyridinoline level were also determined after 8 weeks. From our results, coadministration of ELP and raloxifene increased the total tibial BMD by 5.26% (2.5 mg/kg/day of raloxifene; P = 0.014) and 5.94% (0.25 mg/kg/day of raloxifene; P = 0.026) when compared with the respective dosage groups with raloxifene alone. Similar synergistic effects were also observed in BMD increase at distal femur (0.25 mg/kg/day; P = 0.001) and reduction in urinary deoxypyridinoline crosslink excretion (2.5 and 0.25 mg/kg/day; both P = 0.02). However, such interactions could not be observed in all alendronate-treated groups. Our data provide first evidence that ELP could synergistically enhance the therapeutic effects of raloxifene, so that the clinical dosage of raloxifene could be reduced.


Flexible adaptive structures made from fiber-reinforced plastic composites (FRP) with defined stiffness and flexibility have repeatedly aroused the interest of international research groups in the past. The motivation for the development of such structures is to increase efficiency, save weight, extend the existing limits ofstructure and tool design and integrate functions. One approach to avoid the contradiction of implementing structural flexibility on the one hand and stiffness, on the other hand, are pressure-actuated cellular structures (PACS), which have so far only been investigated theoretically. Weaving technology offers outstanding approaches to the implementation of such complex 3D geometries. However, there is a lack of methods for the formation of complex 3D geometries such as PACS and for the technical implementation in weaving processes. The aim of this paper is to describe theoretical and experimental knowledge as well as necessary development steps for the realization of woven PACs. The theoretical possibilities for the technical weaving of PACS with necessary large gradients in wallthickness are determined. A methodology for the weaving of cellular structures composed of individual sections as well as a process chain for geometry processing and pattern development for PACS is introduced. The implementation of the PACS is demonstrated by means of a woven example.


The pegmatites of San Diego County, California, are part of the Mesozoic Peninsular Ranges Batholith of southwestern California and Baja California, Mexico. Three LCTpegmatites were studied. The pegmatites have texturally, mineralogically, and chemically distinct footwalls, pegmatitic zones, and central pocket zones. Tourmaline shows enrichment in incompatible Li from the wall zones towards the pocket indicating that the dikes crystallized inward from the wall rock contact, with the line rock crystallizing until the melt reached fluid saturation, at which point, fluid and melt separated to form the pegmatite and the pockets, respectively. Li was strongly partitioned in favor of the fluid. The isotopic composition of tourmaline is reflective of the medium from which it crystallized and is controlled by the coordination of Li in that medium. Li prefers sites with smaller coordination numbers and stronger bonds while Li fractionates into weaker sites with higher coordination numbers. Tourmaline in the pegmatitic zone is isotopically heavier than that in the pocket zone, suggesting that Li was enriched in the melt and that the bonds of Li in the melt are stronger than the hydrated bonds of Li in the fluid. The δLi values in tourmaline crystallized in the pocket are similar to those in the line rock tourmaline, which is consistent with the accumulation of the bulk of the initial Li that was in the original melt in the pocket fluid, as this would result in little change in the isotopic composition of the Li.


Facial expression provides an important behavioral measure for studies of emotion, cognitive processes, and social interaction. Facial expression representation and recognition have become a promising research area during recent years. Its applications include human-computer interfaces, human emotion analysis, and medical care and cure.
In this dissertation, the fundamental techniques will be first reviewed, and the developments of the novel algorithms and theorems will be presented later. The objective of the proposed algorithm is to provide a reliable, fast, and integrated procedure to recognize either seven prototypical, emotion-specified expressions (e.g., happy, neutral, angry, disgust, fear, sad, and surprise in JAFFE database) or the action units in Cohn-Kanade AU-coded facial expression image database.
A new application area developed by the Infant COPE project is the recognition of neonatal facial expressions of pain (e.g., air puff, cry, friction, pain, and rest in Infant COPE database). It has been reported in medical literature that health care professionals have difficulty in distinguishing newborn's facial expressions of pain from facial reactions of other stimuli. Since pain is a major indicator of medical problems and the quality of patient care depends on the quality of pain management, it is vital that the methods to be developed should accurately distinguish an infant's signal of pain from a host of minor distress signal. The evaluation protocol used in the Infant COPE project considers two conditions: person-dependent and person-independent. The person-dependent means that some data of a subject are used for training and other data of the subject for testing. The person-independent means that the data of all subjects except one are used for training and this left-out one subject is used for testing. In this dissertation, both evaluation protocols are experimented.
The Infant COPE research of neonatal pain classification is a first attempt at applying the state-of-the-art face recognition technologies to actual medical problems. The objective of Infant COPE project is to bypass these observational problems by developing a machine classification system to diagnose neonatal facial expressions of pain. Since assessment of pain by machine is based on pixel states, a machine classification system of pain will remain objective and will exploit the full spectrum of information available in a neonate's facial expressions. Furthermore, it will be capable of monitoring neonate's facial expressions when he/she is left unattended. Experimental results using the Infant COPE database and evaluation protocols indicate that the application of face classification techniques in pain assessment and management is a promising area of investigation.
One of the challenging problems for building an automatic facial expression recognition system is how to automatically locate the principal facial parts since most existing algorithms capture the necessary face parts by cropping images manually. In this dissertation, two systems are developed to detect facial features, especially for eyes. The purpose is to develop a fast and reliable system to detect facial features automatically and correctly. By combining the proposed facial feature detection, the facial expression and neonatal pain recognition systems can be robust and efficient.


Stellite 6 was deposited by laser cladding on an austenitic stainless steel substrate (ASS) with energy inputs of 1 kW (ASS 1) and 1.8 kW (ASS 1.8). The chemical compositions and microstructures of these coatings were characterized by atomic absorption spectroscopy, optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The microhardness of the coatings was measured and the wear mechanism of the coatings was assessed using a pin-on-plate (reciprocating) wear testing machine. The results showed less cracking and pore development for Stellite 6 coatings applied to the austenitic stainless steel substrate with the lower heat input (ASS 1). Further, the Stellite coating for ASS 1 was significantly harder than that obtained for ASS 1.8. The wear test results showed that the weight loss for ASS 1 was much lower than for ASS 1.8. It is concluded that the lower hardness of the coating for ASS 1.8, together with the softer underlying substrate structure, markedly reduced the wear resistance of the Stellite 6 coating.


The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of the technique of meta-cognitive effect in reducing desire Addicts in the city of Ardabil. Semi-experimental study. The population consisted of all patients referred to one of the centers in the city of Ardabil in 2016 is addiction. For Sample, 50 people with opiate dependence according to criteria of inclusion and exclusion and obtain the certificates necessary medical certification that the leave be available were selected and randomly divided into two groups of 25 experimental and control have been. The experimental group received eight sessions on techniques of meta-cognitive control group spent their daily routine. Using a desire scale anticipated return was gathered and demographic Wright. Information obtained using analysis of covariance and variance MANOVA and multiple variable was analyzed using SPSS software. The results showed that meta-cognitive learning techniques to reduce desire Addicts in Ardabil significant effect (0.01> P). The overall results showed that the technique of meta-cognitive training can reduce the desire in consumer consumption of opioid use.


Summary In this study, eight commercial and three feral bumble bee (Bombus impatiens Cresson and Bombus pensyivanicus DeGeer respectively, Hymenoptera: Apidae) colonies were tested for the presence of Kodamaea ohmeri (Ascomycota: Saccharomycotina), a yeast known to attract small hive beetles (SHB) (Aethina tumida Murray, Coleoptera: Nitidulidae) to honey bee (Apis mellifera L., Hymenoptera: Apidae) colonies. Swabs of commercial bumble bee colonies and homogenates of bumble bee colony components (adults, brood, honey, pollen and wax) were plated on selective media. The resulting yeast isolates were compared to K ohmeri previously isolated from SHB. Yeasts were detected in all of the commercial bumble bee colony swab samples (n = 56) and a selected subsample was shown through molecular, chemical, and microbiological evidence to be K. ohmeri. For the second part of the study, feral bumble bee colonies were excavated and evaluated for the presence of any SHB life stage (none was found). Adult bees and swabs from the colonies were plated on selective media. Kodamaea ohmeri was isolated in all samples collected from the feral bumble bee colonies. The presence of K ohmeri in commercial and feral bumble bee colonies is of concern, as SHB, which harbour K ohmeri, are attracted to the volatiles produced by K ohmeri growing on bee collected pollen.


Cloud Computing has become a scalable services consumption and delivery platform in the field of Services Computing. The technical foundations of Cloud Computing include Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) and Virtualizations of hardware and software. The goal of Cloud Computing is to share resources among the cloud service consumers, cloud partners, and cloud vendors in the cloud value chain. The resource sharing at various levels results in various cloud offerings such as infrastructure cloud (e.g., hardware, IT infrastructure management), software cloud (e.g. SaaS focusing on middleware as a service, or traditional CRM as a service), application cloud (e.g., Application as a Service, UML modeling tools as a service, social network as a service), and business cloud (e.g., business process as a service).


Quality human resources are the most important issue for the success of a company as almost all of the companies are today knowledge driven and use information technology to operate their systems. All these companies have HR managers to recruit the people to match their requirements as per required skills, experience etc. In order to meet the requirement of skilled workforce companies recruit fresher candidates across the country from different educational Institutions and obviously it is a very complex process. The complexity is manifold for different rounds of recruitment process, involvement of human resources, travel etc. and incur huge cost too. The traditional methods of recruitment are On-Campus (where the Organization visits the educational Institutes) and Off-campus (Candidates visit the office of the recruiter). Both of these models are costly and have many complexities. This research work proposes a new service based model that will reduce the complexity of the existing recruitment process, dynamic in nature (helps in quick recruitment) and saves the cost drastically. The proposed model analyzes the skill level of the applicants from all possible perspectives that helps the companies to find out suitable resources for them. A real life case study is also shown to depict the cost effectiveness of the proposed model.


Today, we need to explore deeper societal issues surrounding the rapid deployment of computerized electronic platforms, cryptocurrencies and algorithms now disrupting legacy financial firms and their models. Such electronic platforms and technologies have been disrupting many sectors of industrial societies since the 1960s' automation of manufacturing and more recently of publishing, retail, travel, legal and medical services. One of the first financial disruptors was WitCapital, founded by Andrew Klein, described in his book WallStreet.com (1998), which participated in 127 offerings, raised $9 billion and at its peak in 1999 was worth $2 billion. WitCapital was bought by Sound View Technology Group in 2000, and Klein now helps non-profits in his Amsterdam home. Recent applications now disrupting traditional finance are systemic and global, see for example the FINTECH 100 and the rush to use Blockchainbased ledgers both to protect incumbents' markets and to disrupt them. All this is described in depth, as well as with broad global analyses in Blockchain Revolution by Don and Alex Tapscott (2016), the most comprehensive overview so far of blockchain's promise, future and policy implications. The core issue in finance is trust, on which all markets rely, and these distributed ledgers offer many new ways of verifying transactions, ownership, legal rights, identity and reputations so as to restore trust in many systems. The new topologies and networks reshaping earlier human trust relationships with protocols, principles, standards and gated sites are described by Joshua Cooper Ramo in The Seventh Sense (2016). Research by Venture Scanner tracked 1,379 fintech companies in March 2016 with combined funding of $33 billion. The Chamber of Digital Commerce, founded by Perianne Boring is leading in convening fintech companies and how standards and applications to regulations and government functions are evolving (www.digitalchamber.org).


Long-term noninvasive ventilation (NIV) to treat chronic hypercapnic respiratory failure is still controversial in severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients. However, with the introduction of high-intensity NIV, important benefits from this therapy have also been shown in COPD. In this review, the focus will be on the arguments for long-term NIV at home in patients with COPD. The rise of (high-intensity) NIV in COPD and the randomised controlled trials showing positive effects with this mode of ventilation will be discussed. Finally, the challenges that might be encountered (both in clinical practice and in research) in further optimising this therapy, monitoring and following patients, and selecting the patients who might benefit most will be reviewed. Adequately set chronic NIV improves outcomes in COPD patients with severe chronic hypercapnic respiratory failure http://ow.ly/slW230i8lck


The Supreme Court's decision in Bivens v. Six Unknown Named Agents of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics provides an uncertain framework for the enforcement of constitutional rights against the federal government. Rather than recognizing a federal common law right of action for use in every case, the Court views itself as devising actions on a case-by-case basis in light of a range of factors. Critics on all sides question the Court's approach, doubting either its power to fashion federal common law or the tendency of its case-by-case analysis to create gaps in constitutional enforcement. Particularly when compared with actions under section 1983 - the statutory predicate for constitutional tort claims against state actors-the Bivens action has a hit or miss quality that may reflect lingering doubts about the legitimacy of the Court's role.This Essay argues that the Court should abandon its case-by-case approach in favor of routine recognition of Bivens claims. In 1974 and more clearly in the Westfall Act of 1988, Congress adopted amendments to the Federal Tort Claims Act that assume the availability of suits against federal officers for "violations of the Constitution." Congress's decision to ratify and preserve the Bivens action provides a legislative foundation for such claims that answers longstanding questions of legitimacy.After tracing the history of the Westfall Act, the Essay explores the doctrinal implications of the proposed switch to a routinely available Bivens action. Rather than advocating a dramatic break with the past, the Essay proposes to harmonize cases in the Bivens line with certain doctrines that shape the availability of remedies under section 1983. The resulting body of law will provide a more coherent Bivens framework and will ensure that constitutional rights apply with equal force to the interactions between individuals and officials at all levels of our federal government.


Upper surface leaf lesions on 'Sunburst' mandarin [( Citrus reticulata Blanco × ( C. paradisi Macf. × C. reticulate )] associated with feeding by the citrus rust mite [ Phyllocoptruta oleivora (Ashm.)] are more severe than those on other citrus cultivars. Development of leaf lesions on 'Sunburst' mandarin and two other cultivars were examined by light and electron microscopy. Damaged leaves treated with a fungicide confirmed that the anatomical changes on 'Sunburst' are an enhanced wound periderm response to feeding injury by rust mite and not the result of fungal


The close-knit villages of the Dearne Valley were home to four generations of the Hollingworth family. Spanning Richard Benson's great-grandmother Winnie's ninety-two years in the valley, and drawing on years of historical research, interviews and anecdotes, The Valley lets us into generations of carousing and banter as the family's attempts to build a better and fairer world for themselves meet sometimes with triumph, sometimes with bitter defeat. Against a backdrop of underground explosions, strikes and pit closures, these are unflinching, deeply personal stories of battles between the sexes in a man's world sustained by strong women; of growing up, and the power of love and imagination to transform lives.


Social network sites SNSs are increasingly attracting the attention of academic and industry researchers intrigued by their affordances and reach. This special theme section of the Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication brings together scholarship on these emergent phenomena. In this introductory article, we describe features of SNSs and propose a comprehensive definition. We then present one perspective on the history of such sites, discussing key changes and developments. After briefly summarizing existing scholarship concerning SNSs, we discuss the articles in this special section and conclude with considerations for future research.


In spite of the diverse schools of thought providing guidance for poetry teachers—such as the didactic, heuristic, or phyletic approaches—this myriad of teaching modes has failed to generate adequate student appreciation for poetry courses. The reason for this is teachers' tendency to cling to the idea that one must choose a particular approach and find out the correct or fixed meaning. This study includes a recommendation for a major shift in teaching poetry that transforms each class session into a new learning rather than a teaching experience—one in which the instructor's role is to inspire a passion and love for poetry in ESL learners. This teaching-learning style requires that teachers change from being omniscient sages to participants, co-explorers, and learners—a move from teaching methods to learning styles and a shift from encouraging the love of teachers to inspiring the love of poetry in university students.


Parenthood is new to first-time parents. While it brings excitement, hope, and joy, being a parent for the first time also brings stress and challenges as a result of the new roles and responsibilities that 'first-timers' have to confront during the early years of being parents. The current investigation attempted to examine the direct and indirect influences of perceived stress and spousal support on marital satisfaction, being mediated by emotion regulation strategies (cognitive reappraisal, expressive suppression) and subjective well-being (positive affect, negative affect, life satisfaction) among Thai first-time parents. In Study I and II, a total of 559 first-time parents with one child (or twin) aged no more than two years-old and living in Bangkok and suburbs participated. They were asked to complete a set of survey questionnaires in Thai, consisting of a demographic section, the Perceived Stress Scale, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support-Significant Others subscale, the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule, the Satisfaction with Life Scale, and the Couples Satisfaction Index. The results revealed that the 'direct' path model is significantly better fitting and more parsimonious than the indirect or full path models, and that the structural path relationships of the 'full' path model between the variables operated differently for first-time fathers and mothers. Additionally, emotion regulation played different roles between fathers and mothers.


Cherry laurel (Laurocerasus officinalis) is naturally growing in black sea
 region in Turkey and the trees has not been spraying with pesticides. In
 natural growing conditions, all cherry laurel genotypes particularly fruits
 are seems resistant against pests. Astringent nature of fruits forms a
 barrier for pests. A total twelve cherry laurel accessions were harvested at
 full maturation time from various sites in Of district located in eastern
 black sea region in Turkey. Fruits were analyzed for their total phenolic
 (TP), total monomeric anthocyanin (TMA), total carotenoid (TC), Vitamin C and
 for their antioxidant capacity by the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) in
 fruit flesh extract. Variability among accessions was greatest for total
 phenol (TP) and total anthocyanins content ranged from 154 to 213 mg GAE per
 100 g and 397 to 519 mg per 100 g. The results indicated that cherry laurel
 fruits are superior and unique in terms of bioactive content in particular
 compared to bioactive rich fruit species.


The current study explored how factors associated with legal claiming (gender, age, ethnic/racial status, education level, disability type, multiple disabilities, income level, employment status, claiming thoughts, claiming history, and disability orientation) impacted the psychological constructs of locus, blame, justice, and behavioral intentions among persons with disabilities. The study also investigated whether locus, blame, and justice predicted behavioral intentions such as seeking legal counsel in employmentrelated scenarios. Results found that age, ethnic/racial status, employment status, education level, disability type, claiming thoughts, and claiming history influenced respondents' reports that they would contact a legal agency if they were in the same situation as the actors in the hiring and termination scenarios. With regard to the predictive nature of locus, blame, and justice regarding behavioral intentions, results indicated that higher external locus scores predicted an increased likelihood for respondents to consider contacting legal aid in the employee termination scenario. Internal blame scores showed a negative relationship with contacting legal aid in the employee termination scenario. Justice negatively and significantly predicted that respondents would contact legal aid in both the hiring and the employee termination scenarios. The findings of the current study are important because they can help rehabilitation counselors and other professionals develop interventions that will aid in reducing the increased incidence of employment-related legal claiming among persons with disabilities. Abstract Approved: __________________________________ Thesis SupervisorApproved: __________________________________ Thesis Supervisor __________________________________ Title and Department __________________________________ Date FACTORS INFLUENCING PERCEPTIONS OF LOCUS, BLAME, JUSTICE, AND BEHAVIORAL INTENTIONS AMONG PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES by Erin Frances Barnes A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy degree in Rehabilitation and Counselor Education in the Graduate College of The University of Iowa


The general context of this Ph.D. dissertation is the new product development (NPD) which is the process for transforming an opportunity that is a business or technology gap in the current situation into a product available for sale. This Ph.D. dissertation focuses on the opportunity analysis in NPD. Therefore, a framework to support opportunity analyses is developed. The framework is structured in two parts: the information search and the modeling of compatibility. Opportunity analyses require a systematic approach to obtain all the information related to the identified opportunity, as well as an approach to determine whether or not this opportunity is compatible with respect to the different attributes/criteria representing the product development context. The state of the art review reveals that such approaches are not available in the published literature. Therefore, the objective of this research is to develop a comprehensive framework comprising an information search approach and a compatibility modeling approach to respond to these needs. The early phases of NPD are characterized by uncertainty that corresponds to the difference between the amount of information required to perform a task and the available amount of information. Uncertainty may have serious consequences on NPD, resulting in the worst case in a project failure. Therefore, information is crucial for the product development process. The information search approach developed in this Ph.D. dissertation allows the reduction of this uncertainty. This approach comprises four levels. The first level comprises the activities involved in NPD, such as market analysis and manufacturing. The second level proposes a classification of the different types of information required during the product development process: product-, process-, resource- and context-related. The third level represents the different sources where each type of information can be found. Two main classes are identified: the first one comprises the company departments such as marketing, and manufacturing, while the second class contains the sources from the external environment of the company, such as suppliers, customers, competitors, research communities, and governmental and non governmental organizations. The fourth level contains different methods of collecting information. Two main classes are distinguished: meetings- and documents-related. The links between the different levels are established on the basis of a thorough review of the related literature. Once the NPD activities associated with the identified opportunity are determined, the related information types, the sources where they can be found and the methods for their collections can be easily deduced from the information search approach. The compatibility modeling approach aims at evaluating the compatibility relationships for pairs of alternatives. Two types of compatibility can be distinguished: hard compatibility and soft compatibility. Hard compatibility corresponds to the notion of matching (i.e. the possibility that two alternatives coexist in a specific product development context) and is evaluated with respect to hard attributes/criteria related to the basic laws of nature or to the technical possibilities. Soft compatibility corresponds to the notion of non-degradation (i.e. the shift from a situation where the two alternatives are considered individually to a situation where they are considered together does not induce a degradation in a specific product development context) and is evaluated with respect to soft attributes/criteria such as development cost, and lead time. The core concept of the compatibility modeling approach is the compatibility structure. The crisp compatibility structure is a quadruplet of crisp relations M, C, I, and J, called mutual compatibility, strict incompatibility, mutual incompatibility and mutual incomparability respectively that satisfy a certain number of conditions. The relations M, C, C-1 and I correspond to four different situations: no degradation – no degradation, no degradation – degradation, degradation – no degradation, and degradation – degradation respectively. J corresponds to the situation where the alternatives cannot be compared using one of the relations M, C, C-1 or I. For each attribute/criterion, partial compatibility structures without incomparability are constructed from the impact that an alternative exerts on another and vice-versa. Then, relations characterizing the partial structures are aggregated into a global relation that takes into account all the attributes/criteria. By their nature, crisp compatibility structures cannot express degrees of mutual compatibility, strict incompatibility, mutual incompatibility or mutual incomparability, and are consequently too constraining in practice. Therefore, the crisp compatibility structures are meticulously extended to the case of fuzzy binary relations. A case study from the Swiss company Laurastar illustrates the framework that supports the opportunity analysis. This case study investigates the possibility to collaborate with new suppliers located in Bucharest and Hong-Kong. The compatibility between alternatives related to the supply chain activity is evaluated with respect to the various attributes/criteria.


Nontimber forest species, resources, and products in U.S. forests and rangelands provide a range of ecological, social, cultural, and economic goods and services. This diversity creates challenges and opportunities for management and governance in an era of accelerating climatic variability. Climate variability and change will likely affect forest ecosystems with potentially increasing risks of negative consequences to natural resources and associated social-ecological systems (Ryan and Archer 2008). Drought, insect and disease outbreaks, and fre, as well as extreme events are expected to impact species extent and composition of forests as species respond to climatic variability and change. There is also the potential for loss of species and biological diversity if environmental changes outpace species' ability to adapt. This may in turn adversely affect the potential of NTFPs to provide a buffer for impacted human communities as sources of food, medicine, and other uses. As this report demonstrates, the scientifc literature about U.S. nontimber forest products (NTFPs) is considerable. Signifcant gaps, however, remain in the state of the knowledge about these natural resources and how the social-ecological systems that characterize them may respond to climatic variability.


A five year old Swiss Warmblood gelding was presented with unilateral, chronic, mucopurulent nasal discharge. Clinical, radiographic and computertomographic examinations showed a mass in the ventral meatus of the nasal cavity. The mass had connection to the root of the fourth premolar tooth. During surgery, the fourth premolar tooth and the mass were completely removed. A rectangular bone flap of the maxillary bone was performed to gain access to the apex of the tooth. The fourth premolar tooth had to be repelled initially before the neoplasia could be isolated and removed through the surgical approach. The large opening between the oral and the nasal cavities was closed with a silicon-dental packing. The histologic examination of the neoplastic tissue revealed an ostelipoma. Eight weeks later the silicon-plug was removed orally. Four months after the surgery the horse was presented again with an unilateral, purulent nasal discharge. In the mean time a fistula developed between the oral cavity and the maxillary sinus. Clinically as well as radiographically the patient exhibited all the signs of a chronic sinusitis of the maxillary and frontal sinus. In a second surgery the fistula was closed with a methylmethacrylat-plug. After another 2 months the horse was presented without any complications. The methylmetacrylat-packing was removed 3 months later.


Papua New Guinea (PNG), a resource rich country, despite many years of positive GDP growth and development efforts, is ranked 157 out of 187 countries on the Human Development Index. Over 80% of the population live in rural areas and have seen very little improvement in living standards since independence in 1975. This paper proposes an alternative, to the usual 'top down' approach, to rural development in PNG, one that engages villagers in improving their own wellbeing, with faith-based organisations and non-governmental organisations as partners in development. The performance of indicators of wellbeing, such as health, access to water and sanitation, education and income generation, between 2000 and 2015, is first reviewed, at national, regional, and village levels, to highlight the rural – urban disparity in access to services. A 'bottom-up' approach to raising rural wellbeing, by creating social value, with private sector involvement, in remote villages and engaging in social entrepreneurship is then outlined. Seed funding would be necessary for this approach to be applied successfully. Authors Note. The authors wish to acknowledge the late Yaum Lawai and the residents of Buansing for their continued support in providing data and information since 1999.


MODELING CONTAMINANT TRANSPORT AND FATE AND SUBSEQUENT IMPACTS ON ECOSYSTEMS by Ming Fan Assessing risks associated with the release of metals into the environment and managing remedial activities requires simulation tools that depict speciation and risk with accurate mechanistic models and well-defined transport parameters. Such tools need to address the following processes: (1) aqueous speciation, (2) distribution mechanisms, (3) transport, and (4) ecological risk. The primary objective of this research is to develop a simulation tool that accounts for these processes. Speciation in the aqueous phase can be assessed with geochemical equilibrium models, such as M1NEQL+. Furthermore, metal distribution can be addressed mechanistically. Studies with Pb sorption to amorphous aluminum (HAO), iron (HFO), and manganese (HMO) oxides, as well as oxide coatings, demonstrated that intraparticle diffusion is the rate-limiting mechanism in the sorption process, where best-fit surface diffusivities ranged from 10 -18 to 10-15 cm2 s -1 . Intraparticle surface diffusion was incorporated into the Groundwater Modeling System (GMS) to accurately simulate metal contaminant mobility where oxides are present. In the model development, the parabolic concentration layer approximation and the operator split technique were used to solve the microscopic diffusion equation coupled with macroscopic advection and dispersion. The resulting model was employed for simulating Sr" mobility at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Hanford Site. The Sr" plume is observed to be migrating out of the 100-N area extending into other areas of the Hanford Site and beyond. Once bioavailability is understood, static or dynamic ecological risk assessments can be conducted. Employing the ERA model, a static ecological risk assessment for exposure to depleted uranium (DU) at Aberdeen and Yuma Proving Grounds (APG and YPG) revealed that a reduction in plant root weight is considered likely to occur. For most terrestrial animals at YPG, the predicted DU dose is less than that which would result in a decrease in offspring. However, for the lesser long-nosed bat, reproductive effects are expected to occur through the reduction in size and weight of offspring. At APG, based on very limited data, it is predicted that uranium uptake will not likely affect survival of terrestrial animals and aquatic species. In model validation, sampling of pocket mice, kangaroo rat, white-throated woodrat, deer, and milfoil showed that body burden concentrations fall into the distributions simulated at both sites. This static risk assessment provides a solid background for applying the dynamic approach. Overall, this research contributes to a holistic approach in developing accurate mechanistic models for simulating metal contaminant mobility and bioavailability in subsurface environments. MODELING CONTAMINANT TRANSPORT AND FATE AND SUBSEQUENT IMPACTS ON ECOSYSTEMS


A former federal regulator answers common questions about banks' own securities and other securities that they sell Just as bank securities activities have been growing, so has the interest of regulators and legislators. This interest has prompted bank organizations to become more sensitive to the need for sound securities compliance systems. Banks obviously want to avoid government-and private-liability. A bewildering array of laws, regulations, and policies govern bank securities activities. Banks should be aware, for example, that violations of federal securities laws and rules can be subject to penalties under the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery and Enforcement Act. Here are some questions bankers frequently ask about securities compliance. Q. What are the most sensitive areas in bank securities compliance? A. Today's political and regulatory environment mean that all areas of bank securities activities are sensitive. However, events of the past few years have underscored the need for banks to be particularly careful in the areas of capital raising; regulatory and shareholder reporting; insider trading; and high-risk investment activities. Q. Banks are under increased pressure to raise capital. Public markets are one source of capital. What trouble spots should banks avoid? A. There is an obvious need to make full and accurate disclosure in the documents through which you offer securities. Apart from that, be sensitive to the fact that the new regulatory environment may delay the bringing of securities to market in an expeditious fashion. The Securities and Exchange Commission, for instance, will be reviewing more closely the registration statements of bank holding companies, in part because it is in this process that the SEC can be proactive in promoting "full disclosure." SEC staff will turn to bank regulators for assistance in ensuring that these documents do not omit significant financial and regulatory information by asking these agencies to independently review the documents. This process will delay bringing securities to market, which can create problems for a banking organization wanting to take advantage of favorable-but temporary-market conditions. Q. What can an organization do to avoid such delays? A. One alternative-especially for larger organizations-is the Rule 415 "shelf registration" process. By having an issue "on the shelf" and ready to go, a bank "preclears" an offering through SEC and resolves potential disclosure problems in advance. However, be aware that some securities subject to Rule 415 must be sold within two years of the initial effective date of the registration. There's another, newer alternative too. With SEC's recent adoption of Rule 144A for "private resales," the secondary market for privately placed securities is expected to increase the liquidity-and hence the attractiveness-of these kinds of securities. Therefore some banking organizations may wish to tap private capital markets, rather than make a public offering. Q. SEC is currently engaged in major efforts to "target" the regulatory reports (such as annual reports, periodic reports, and proxy solicitation materials) of banks for review (ABA BJ, June, p.12). What is SEC looking for? A. SEC will focus heavily on disclosures concerning the quality of bank loan loss reserves and bank loan portfolio management methods, investment portfolio activities, known trends and contingencies in the management's discussion and analysis, and information relating to insider and affiliate transactions. Q. What securities regulatory risks are posed by bank investment activities? A. The principal federal risk for publicly traded banking organizations is not adequately disclosing to regulators and shareholders the financial statement impact and business risks of high-risk investments. …


Abstract Objective: Air medical transport (AMT) teams play an essential role in the care of the critically ill and injured. Their work, however, is not without risk. Since the inception of the industry numerous AMT accidents have been reported. The objective of this research is to gain a better understanding of the post-accident sequelae for professionals who have survived AMT accidents. The hope is that this understanding will empower the industry to better support survivors and plan for the contingencies of post-accident recovery. Methods: Qualitative methods were used to explore the experience of flight crew members who have survived an AMT accident. "Accident" was defined using criteria established by the National Transportation Safety Board. Traditional focus group methodology explored the survivors' experiences following the accident. Results: Seven survivors participated in the focus group. Content analysis revealed themes in four major domains that described the experience of survivors: Physical, Psychological, Relational and Financial. Across the themes survivors reported that industry and company response varied greatly, ranging from generous support, understanding and action to make safety improvements, to little response or action and lack of attention to survivor needs. Conclusion: Planning for AMT post-accident response was identified to be lacking in scope and quality. More focused efforts are needed to assist and support the survivors as they regain both their personal and professional lives following the accident. This planning should include all stakeholders in safe transport; the individual crewmember, air medical transport companies, and the industry at large.


Towards the end of the 19th century and the WWI geopolitical aftermath, Beirut presents a case along the Eastern Mediterranean at the intersection of two major colonial powers, the Ottoman Imperialism and French Colonialism. Dissociated from the province of Damascus in 1888, Beirut was elevated to the rank of provincial capital of Wilâya, the geographical borders of which spanned the equivalent of four actual countries. Following this administrative upgrade Beirut benefited from the Tanzimat reforms and the Sultan Abdul Hamid II jubilee in 1901. This paper will highlight the implementations of these political moments on urban forms and the urban landmarks for the ruler's glory. Under the French mandate, Beirut role shifted from being provincial capital of a Wilâya part of the Ottoman Empire, to being capital of a Republic country with newly defined borders. Preceding the French Colonialism, Sultan Abdul Hamid II envisioned Westernizing some of the Ottoman Empire cities to the image of the European urban model. Alternately, the French were very enthusiastic to modernize Beirut, their prime image in the Levant. At this moment, Beirut's urban fate was at the intersection of two visions of Westernization, the late Ottoman Imperialism and the early French Colonialism. An attempt to better understand the urban implications of this turn of century intersection, will be achieved by highlighting urban forms continuities and ruptures as a methodology observed in the broader geopolitical context. It is a chance to reflect on the modes of borrowing Western urban forms and examining the blurred boundaries of their planning, juxtaposition or imposition on an existing urban order. It will as well unfold in a parallel mode how each colonial power approached and applied different urban practices on their occupied territories.


I theoretically demonstrate the population inversion of collective two-level atoms using photonic crystals in three-dimensional (3D) systems by self-consistent solution of the semiclassical Maxwell-Bloch equations. In the semiclassical theory, while electrons are quantized to ground and excited states, electromagnetic fields are treated classically. For control of spontaneous emission and steady-state population inversion of two-level atoms driven by an external laser which is generally considered impossible, large contrasts of electromagnetic local densities of states (EM LDOS's) are necessary. When a large number of two-level atoms are coherently excited (Dicke model), the above properties can be recaptured by the Maxwell-Bloch equations based on the first-principle calculation. In this paper, I focus on the realistic 1D PC's with finite structures perpendicular to periodic directions in 3D systems. In such structures, there appear pseudo photonic band gaps (PBG's) in which light leaks into air regions, unlike complete PBG's. Nevertheless, these pseudo PBG's provide large contrasts of EM LDOS's in the vicinity of the upper photonic band edges. I show that the realistic 1D PC's in 3D systems enable the control of spontaneous emission and population inversion of collective two-level atoms driven by an external laser. This finding facilitates experimental fabrication and realization.


Twelve healthy active subjects (6 male, 6 female) performed 60 min of exercise (60% VO(2max)) on 3 occasions after supplementing with L-Carnitine L-tartrate (LCLT) or placebo. Each subject received a chronic dose, an acute dose, and placebo in a randomized, double-blind crossover design. Dietary intake and exercise were replicated for 2 d prior to each trial. In males there was a significant difference in rate of carbohydrate (CHO) oxidation between placebo and chronic trials (P = 0.02) but not placebo and acute trials (P = 0.70), and total CHO oxidation was greater following chronic supplementation vs. placebo )mean +/- standard deviation) of 93.8 (17.3) g/hr and 78.2 (23.3) g/h, respectively). In females, no difference in rate of, or total, CHO oxidation was observed between trials. No effects on fat oxidation or hematological responses were noted in either gender group. Under these experimental conditions, chronic LCLT supplementation increased CHO oxidation in males during exercise but this was not observed in females.


Vanadium oxides are key industrial catalysts in the oxidation and functionalization of various chemical compounds, and studies of gas-phase vanadium oxide clusters provide an avenue to explore the reactive sites implicated in surface catalysis. An extensive amount of experimental data has been reported on the gas-phase fragmentation of vanadium oxide cluster ions and their reactions with environmentally-relevant halocarbons. Our computational studies aim at further understanding the structure and properties of vanadium oxide clusters, as well as their reactivity towards fluorocarbons. Accordingly, we report a systematic density-functional theory (DFT) study of the structural and electronic properties of V x O y + and V x O y clusters, and investigate their reactions with CH 2 F 2 and CH 3 CF 3 by DFT calculations. Our results suggest that both B3LYP/TZVP and PLAP4/DZVP+aux. are appropriate model chemistries to investigate vanadium oxide clusters, but the latter is less computationally intensive, and thus more suitable for large clusters. Stable ground-state and low-lying excited-state structures and their electronic properties are obtained for both V x O y + and V x O y (x = 1-4, y = 1-10) clusters with the PLAP4/DZVP+aux. model chemistry. The molecular structures and electronic properties of large polyvanadium oxide clusters are systematically investigated and reported for the first time. The reaction of V 2 O 4 + with fluorocarbons was investigated with the B3LYP/TZVP model chemistry. Oxygen transfer and stepwise HF abstraction from the fluorocarbon are observed in the reactions of V 2 O 4 + with CH 2 F 2 and CH 3 CF 3 , respectively. These reaction mechanisms help explain why larger clusters such as V 4 O 8 + were observed to be chemically inert towards CH 2 F 2 , while the reactivity of V x O y + cluster ions towards CH 3 CF 3 was not found to depend on cluster size experimentally.


Chevron v. NRDC, the foundation for much of contemporary administrative law, is now under siege. The central objection, connected with longstanding challenges to the legitimacy of the modern regulatory state, is that the decision amounts to an unwarranted transfer of interpretive authority from courts to the executive branch. Some people think that the transfer is a recipe for a form of authoritarianism – and inconsistent with the proposition that it is the province of the judiciary to say what the law is. To assess such objections, the starting point is simple: Whether courts should defer to agency interpretations of law depends largely on legislative instructions. Under the Constitution, Congress has broad power to require courts to defer to agency interpretations (in the face of ambiguity), or to forbid them from doing so. If congressional instructions are the touchstone, and if the Administrative Procedure Act is the guiding text, there is a plausible argument that Chevron was wrong when decided; but the issue is intriguingly cloudy if the APA's text is taken in its context. In these circumstances, Chevron should not be overruled. Doing so would introduce a great deal of confusion and increase the role of political judgments within the courts of appeals. Nonetheless, Chevron's critics have legitimate concerns. Those concerns should be taken into account (1) by insisting on a fully independent judicial role in deciding whether a statute is ambiguous at Step One; (2) by invalidating arbitrary or unreasonable agency interpretations at Step Two; and (3) by deploying canons of construction, including those that are designed to serve nondelegation functions and thus to cabin executive authority.


Abstract Singapore and Malaysia shared a similar history until 1965. They continue to share a similar spread of religions, ethnicities and languages. Even though Chinese are much the largest community in Singapore, and Malays the majority group in Malaysia, Islam, Christianity, Buddhism and Hinduism are widely practised in both, while Malay, English, Tamil and several forms of Chinese are widely spoken – and frequently mixed with each other. To identify the range of perceptions of culture and identity in each society, discussion was observed among an ethnically-diverse focus group of Singaporeans and compared with similar discussion among a group of Malaysians. Discursive analysis was used to examine the construction of religious and ethnic identity emerging from the spoken data. The research focus was not only on the content of the discussions itself but also on the speech strategies employed by the participants. Findings suggest the existence of competing perceptions of what a multicultural society is or should be, not only across different ethnic and religious groups but also between the two countries.