Recently, cheap silicon-on-insulator label-free ring resonator biosensors have been demonstrated that allow fast and accurate quantitative detection of biologically relevant molecules for applications in medical diagnostics and drug development. However, a further improvement of their detection limit is limited by their small sensitivity and an expensive tunable laser is typically required to resolve the sharp resonances for wavelength interrogation. Therefore, we experimentally investigated the use of a Vernier-cascade sensor that achieves a sensitivity (thousands of nm/RIU) that is an order of magnitude larger than that of a ring resonator sensor (approx. 100 nm/RIU), while still maintaining sharp spectral features that allow precise monitoring of spectral shifts with data-fitting. Moreover we prove that it's also possible to accurately interrogate the sensor with a low-cost broadband light source by integrating it with an arrayed waveguide grating spectral filter that divides the sensor's transmission spectrum in multiple wavelength channels and transmits them to spatially separated output ports. Experiments show that this sensor can monitor refractive index changes of watery solutions in real-time with a detection limit (1.6 • 10-5 RIU) competitive with more expensive interrogation schemes, indicating its applicability in low-cost label-free biosensing.


The study presented here is focused on the assessment of surface elevations derived from CryoSat-2 SARIn level 1b data over the Austfonna ice cap, Svalbard, in 2016. The processing chain that must be applied to the CryoSat-2 waveforms to derive heights is non-trivial, and consists of multiple steps, all requiring subjective choices of methods such as the choice of retracker, geo-relocation, and outlier rejection. Here, we compare six CryoSat-2 level-2 type data sets of surface elevations derived using different SARIn processing chains. These data sets are validated against surface elevation data collected from an airborne laser scanner, during a dedicated CryoSat validation experiment field campaign carried out in April 2016. The flight pattern of the airborne campaign was designed so that elevations were measured in a grid pattern rather than along single lines, as has previously been the standard procedure. The flight grid pattern was chosen to optimize the comparison with the CryoSat-2 SARIn elevation data, the location of which can deviate from nadir by several kilometers due to topography within the satellite footprint. The processing chains behind the six data sets include different outlier/error rejection approaches, and do not produce the same number of data points in our region of interest. To make a consistent analysis, we provide statistics from the validation of both the full data sets from each processing chain, and on only those data that all the six data sets provide a geo-located elevation estimate for. We find that the CryoSat-2 data sets that agree best with the validation data are those derived from dedicated land ice processing schemes. This study may serve as a benchmark for future CryoSat-2 retracker developments, and the evaluation software and data set are made publicly available.


Learn the leading civil engineering software, fast and in full color If you need to learn the core features and functions of AutoCAD Civil 3D now , this is the book for you. AutoCAD Civil 3D Essentials uses full-color screenshots and tutorials based on real workflows to teach you the fundamentals of this industry-leading civil engineering software. Award-winning instructor Eric Chappell has been using and teaching Civil 3D since its first release, and his to-the-point explanations of crucial Civil 3D topics mean that you'll learn what you need to know quickly and efficiently. In each chapter, you will progress from guided tutorials to open-ended civil projects, and can download before and after project files to check your work or jump directly to the section of the book you need. AutoCAD Civil 3D Essentials will have you designing, implementing, and documenting civil engineering projects in no time. As an Autodesk Official Press book, AutoCAD Civil 3D Essentials is approved as a study guide for Civil 3D certification exams. The proven skills-based approach of this guide focuses on enabling you to fully leverage the capabilities of this powerful software. Here are a few of the skills you will learn as you work through this comprehensive book: Working with field survey data, point data, and stakeout data Modeling terrain and boundaries using surfaces and parcels Using profiles, alignments, corridors, and quantities Creating construction documentation and project visualizations


Abstract The germination of seed is critical in deserts where annual plants are abundant and rely on seed buried in the soil for sustaining populations. The exotic annuals Bromus rubens and Brassica tournefortii threaten arid indigenous ecosystems such as the Mojave Desert, but little is known about the potential effects on seed emergence of different burial depths and substrates that could enhance or reduce emergence. Using seed from Mojave Desert populations, we conducted a three-factor greenhouse experiment testing the effects of species (Bromus or Brassica), burial depth (0, 2, 5, or 10 cm), and substrate (none, gravel, or litter) on seed emergence. Species and substrate interacted significantly with burial depth. Both species displayed the greatest emergence when seeds were sown on the soil surface (70% emergence for Bromus and 52% for Brassica), but Bromus emergence declined less at a 2-cm depth than Brassica. Emergence of surface-sown seed did not differ significantly among substrate types, but emergence of buried seed was significantly reduced below gravel substrates compared to no substrate or litter substrates. This suggests that seed fates in the soil (such as seed mortality by germination but not emergence from the soil) can be altered by manipulating soil surface conditions.


We introduce a framework for feature selection based on dependence maximization between the selected features and the labels of an estimation problem, using the Hilbert-Schmidt Independence Criterion. The key idea is that good features should be highly dependent on the labels. Our approach leads to a greedy procedure for feature selection. We show that a number of existing feature selectors are special cases of this framework. Experiments on both artificial and real-world data show that our feature selector works well in practice.


This article examines motivations behind participation in education based on interviews with Irish prisoners. It begins by considering the relationship between education and rehabilitation, especially the latter's re-emergence in a more authoritarian form. Drawing on results from the research, this article argues that the educational approach, culture and atmosphere are particularly important in creating a learning environment in prison. It makes the case that educational spaces which allow students to voluntarily engage in different types of learning, at their own pace, at a time of their choosing, can be effective in encouraging prisoners to engage in critical reflection and subsequently, to move away from criminal activity. It locates education in prison within a wider context and concludes that while prison education can work with, it needs to distinguish itself from, state-sponsored rehabilitation programmes and stand on the integrity of its profession, based on principles of pedagogy rather than be lured into the evaluative and correctional milieu of modern penality.


This study investigated the relationship between career indecision and family dynamics among matriculants. The sample was drawn from two high schools in, an African township. The Olson Circumplex model of Marital and Family Systems was applied to test various types of family relations and how they would influence career decisiveness. Career indecision is, therefore, the independent variable with the two dimensions of family relations (cohesion and adaptability) as given in the model as primary predictor variables. Other variables that were tested were exposure to career information as determined by the differences between the two schools, and gender differences. ,The My vocational Situation (MVS), the Career Decision Scale (CDS) and the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale III (FACES III) were used as instruments of measurement. Multiple regression and multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) were used as methods of statistical analysis. Significant differences were found between subjects from the two ·schools. Findings indicate that exposure to career information is a strong determinant of career decisiveness. It was also found that career identuty is highly correlated with career decisiveness. Differences were also found between male and female participants partivcularly in the measures of career indecision, career identity and occupational information, with boys being more decisive than girls. Family adaptability was demonstrated to have a weak correlation with career indecision while no statistically significant relationship was demonstrated between family cohesion and career indecision. Recommendations in this study are that career counselling in the schools needs to be introduced and intensified. Career information given to pupils should also be integrated for them to assist them achieve career identity. Research has demonstrated that there is a strong relationship ?etween career development and family dynamics. Results of this study~ however, demon~trate a weak relationship. This brings up questlons about the Clrcumplex 'model applied in this study and the FACES III as an instrument used to test it. Further research is recommended in this area.


Fingolimod (1) is an immunomodulating drug, frequently used for treating Multiple Sclerosis (MS) approved by the US-FDA. During the process development of Fingolimod, some process related impurities were observed along with the final API. These impurities were identified as N,N-dimethyl (2), N-methyl (3), nitromono methyl (4), monomethyl (5), nitrohydroxy (6) and hydroxy (7) impurities. The present work describes the synthesis and characterization of these impurities.


The Reina Sofia Museum is opening an exhibition on Russian avant-garde art from 1914 to 1924: about 250 works including paintings, collages, illustrations, films and publications by a great number of Russian artists.
Dada or Dadaism was an art movement of the European avant-garde in the early twentieth century, with early centres in Zurich, Switzerland. Dada artists rejected the logic, reason, and aestheticism of modern capitalist society, instead expressing nonsense, irrationality, and anti-bourgeois protest in their works. The Dada movement's principles were first collected in Hugo Ball's Dada Manifesto in 1916. Key figures in the movement included Marcel Duchamp, Man Ray and many others.
The exhibition opening at the Reina Sofia Museum includes about 250 works by Russian artists such as Nathan Altman, Vasyl Yermilov, Ivan Kluin, Gustav Klutsis, Aleksei Kruchenykh, Valentina Kulagina, Vladimir Lebedev, Kazimir Malevich, Aleksei Morgunov, Ivan Puni, Aleksandr Rodchenko, Olga Rozanova, Sergei Sharshun, and many others.
The works on display are from a variety of disciplines: painting, collage, drawings, books and films, among others.


The premature extraction under general anesthesia differs significantly from the same manipulation made with local anesthesia. The aim of the study is to compare the number, the type and the position of the prematurely extracted deciduous teeth in children treated with local and under general anesthesia. Subjects of monitoring were 60 children. The clinical group consists of 30 children with teeth for premature extraction under general anesthesia and the control group consists of 30 with children for premature extraction under local anesthesia. The dental status was examined and registered by the DMFT. The number and type of these teeth were calculated and registered in special cards. Results: The children from the first group had a greater average number of prematurely extracted teeth per child 3,22 ± 0,28 and for the children from the second group that number is 1,03 ± 0,07. The children from the first group have 23 premature extracted anterior teeth. For the first group of children – 55 second temporary molars were prematurely extracted, in the second group – 25 teeth. A greater number of deciduous teeth in the lower jaw in the two studied groups of children were prematurely extracted 49 teeth in the first group and 43 teeth for the second group. Conclusion: These results demonstrate the connection between the carious activity, premature tooth loss and the need of prevention of younger children, especially with ECC, where the upper incisors are strongly damaged at a very young age. DOI: 10.18044/Medinform.201632.432 Original Article MedInform I S S U E 2 , 2 0 1 6 433 MedInform


James Tate has emerged as one of the most prominent American poets of recent years. As winner of the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, the Tanning Prize, the William Carlos Williams Award, and the Yale Series of Younger Poets Award, among others, Tate by any measure is one of the country's most important contemporary poets. Yet he has received inadequate critical attention, perhaps because his poetry doesn't lend itself to easy summary or explication. "On James Tate" aims to correct that perception and help readers approach this often-misconstrued poet with increased understanding and insight. With new contributions by Mark Ford, Kevin Hart, Katy Lederer, Marjorie Perloff, Bin Ramke, and Andrew Zawacki, this book includes diverse critical approaches to Tate's poetry-from critics whose approaches range from the Language and post-Language poetry movements to New Criticism. This book will appeal to general readers of poetry, especially those familiar with James Tate's poetry; to scholars and critics of contemporary American poetry; and to poets. No other books on Tate's poetry currently exist; thus "On James Tate" is essential to anyone doing research on Tate's poetry.


Background: Nitrite is the main oxidation product of nitric oxide (NO) in plasma. It sensitively reflects changes in endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) activity under fasting conditions and serves as an endocrine NO donor, contributing to the regulation of blood flow through reaction with haemoglobin. As NO is necessary to maintain an adequate vascular response to the increased demands of blood flow, it is believed to be important for vasodilation induced by exercise. Objective: To investigate whether the capacity of the vasculature to produce nitrite is associated with exercise performance. Design: With the use of chemiluminescence detection, nitrite concentrations in 55 healthy subjects (mean (SEM) age 40 (2) years; 22 men) were studied before and after an exercise test, and endothelial function was determined by measuring flow-mediated dilation of the brachial artery using high-resolution ultrasound. In a subset of subjects, the NOS inhibitor, NG-monomethyl-l-arginine, was applied to elucidate the effect of eNOS on changes in nitrite. Results: Exercise significantly (p<0.001) increased plasma nitrite from 97 (6) to 125 (8) nM. The relative increase in plasma nitrite was related to flow-mediated dilation (6.1 (0.3)%; r = 0.36; p = 0.01). NG-Monomethyl-l-arginine blocked increases in nitrite. Post-exercise nitrite concentration correlated with exercise performance, as determined by maximally reached stress power (r = 0.37; p<0.007), and inversely with age. Multivariate analysis showed that both age and post-exercise nitrite concentration were independent predictors of stress endurance and power. Conclusion: The results suggest a role for plasma nitrite in the adaptation of haemodynamics during exercise. An impaired increase in plasma nitrite may limit exercise capacity.


It is well known that consumer ratings play a major role in the purchase decisions of online shoppers. To examine the effect of the variance of these ratings on future product pricing and sales we propose an analytical model which considers products where the variance of consumer ratings results from two types of product attributes: observational search attributes and experience attributes. We find that if a higher variance is caused by an observational search attribute it results in a higher equilibrium price and lower equilibrium demand, whereas if it is caused by an experience attribute the result is a lower equilibrium price and demand. Interestingly, when the average rating as well as the total variance of ratings are held constant and the relative share of variance caused by the observational search attribute is increased, we observe a rise in both the equilibrium price and the demand for products with low total variance. Via this mechanism, and depending on the composition of the variance of consumer ratings, it is possible for the equilibrium price and demand to increase with increasing total variance of product ratings. In other words we are able to demonstrate that, when faced with a choice between two similar products with the same average rating, risk-averse consumers may prefer a more expensive product with a higher variance of ratings. Moreover, our analytical model provides a theoretical foundation for the empirically observed j-shaped distribution of consumer ratings in electronic commerce.


Abstract If individuals can be identified from patterns in their footprints, noninvasive survey methods can be used to estimate abundance. Track plates capture fine detail in the footprints of fishers (Martes pennanti), recording rows of dots corresponding to tiny papillae on the animal's metacarpal pad. We show that the pattern of these dots can be used to identify individual fishers, similar to human fingerprints. A probabilistic model of uniqueness based on variation in spacing between 1,400 pairs of dots that we measured in prints of 14 different fisher feet suggests the probability of encountering a similar pattern in the print of a different foot by chance alone is <0.35n, where n = the number of dot pairs examined. This predicts a 0.00003 probability that a match made using 10 pairs of dots is false. Dot spacing from footprints made by the same foot was remarkably consistent (σ = 0.02 mm, n = 24 dot pairs). Combined, these results suggest dot patterns in fisher footprints were unique to individuals and were consistently reproduced on track plates. Empirical tests of matching accuracy were best with good-quality prints, highlighting the need for experience judging when prints are usable. We applied print matching to fisher detections collected on track plates deployed at 500-m intervals along 10 3.5-km transects in the Adirondack region of New York, USA. Of 62 fisher detections, 85% had ≥1 footprint of suitable quality to compare with other high-quality prints. We found that most detections from a transect were from the same individual fisher suggesting nonindependence of detections. Thus, data from traditional track-plate deployments over small time periods cannot be used as a measure of abundance, but new study designs using print matching could obtain robust noninvasive, mark–recapture density estimates.


PM2.5 samples were collected at a centrally located urban monitoring site in Seoul, Korea, every third day from March 2003 to December 2006 and analyzed for their chemical constituents. Sources were identified using positive matrix factorization (PMF). A total of 393 samples were obtained during the sampling period, and 20 chemical species were measured. Nine PM 2.5 source categories were identified providing physically realistic profiles and interesting insights into the source contributions to the ambient mass concentrations. The major contributors of PM 2.5 were secondary nitrate (20.9%), secondary sulfate (20.5%), gasoline-fueled vehicles (17.2%), and biomass burning (12.1%), with lesser contributions from diesel emissions (8.1%), soil (7.4%), industry (6.7%), road salt and two-stroke vehicles (5.1%), and aged sea salt (2.2%). PM 2.5 levels in Seoul were influenced by both local urban activities and regional-scale transport. Conditional probability function (CPF) results identified possible source directions of local sources such as motor vehicles (gasoline and diesel), industry, and road salt. Potential source contribution function (PSCF) results showed that possible source areas contributing to the elevated secondary particle concentrations (sulfate and nitrate) in Seoul to be the major industrial areas in China.


A retrospective analysis has been conducted of regression patterns following treatment of retinoblastoma by external beam irradiation. There were 180 tumours in 105 eyes of 83 patients. Type I regression was found to be the commonest pattern and occurred in 50% of cases. Initial tumour size was found to be the only statistically significant determinant of regression pattern (p < 0.01). Thirteen tumours (7%) recurred within a median interval to recurrence of 12 months. All recurrences occurred within 40 months of completion of treatment and none occurred after age 4 years. No tumour less than 6 mm in diameter recurred. Although 10 out of 13 recurrences were of Type I, Cox model regression analysis showed initial tumour size to be the only independent predictor of recurrence (p < 0.01).


This article provides an overview and analysis of social work education and professional standards in Australia. The professional education and practice standards are set and monitored by a single, professional body, the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW). In Australia, there is no legislation protecting the title of social worker, and there is limited government involvement in regulating educational standards and professional practice. In this article, I outline the characteristics of the educational and professional standards for social workers set by the AASW. I will explain the Australian regulatory environment for health and human service professions and discuss how this contributes to conditions in which the AASW plays a central role in the regulation of social work education and practice standards in Australia. I will outline the opportunities and challenges posed by the highly deregulated environment and the consequent central role of the AASW in standard setting and monitoring. The article concludes with a discussion of the strategies currently being pursued via the AASW to achieve government authorized regulation of social workers.


Hamiltonian Monte Carlo (HMC) is one of the most successful sampling methods in machine learning. However, its performance is signifcantly affected by the choice of hyperparameter values. Existing approaches for optimizing the HMC hyperparameters either optimize a proxy for mixing speed or consider the HMC chain as an implicit variational distribution and optimize a tractable lower bound that can be very loose in practice. Instead, we propose to optimize an objective that quantifes directly the speed of convergence to the target distribution. Our objective can be easily optimized using stochastic gradient descent. We evaluate our proposed method and compare to baselines on a variety of problems including sampling from synthetic 2D distributions, reconstructing sparse signals, learning deep latent variable models and sampling molecular confgurations from the Boltzmann distribution of a 22 atom molecule. We fnd that our method is competitive with or improves upon alternative baselines in all these experiments.


Accurate knowledge on the core components of mutation rates is of vital importance to understand genome dynamics. By performing a single-genome and model-free analysis of 39894 retrotransposon remnants, we reveal core, sequence-dependent, nucleotide substitution rates (germline) at each of the 3.2 billion positions of the human genome. Benefiting from the data made available in such detail, we show that a simulated genome generated by equilibrating a random DNA sequence solely using our rate constants, exhibits nucleotide organisation observed in the actual human genome, with or without repeat elements. This directly demonstrates the key role of the core nucleotide substitution rates in shaping the oligomeric composition of the human genome. We next generate the basal mutability profile of the human genome and show the depletion of the moieties with low basal mutability in the database of cancer mutations.


Fostering supply chain integration (SCI) via Internet technologies has been widely regarded as a critical factor for firm success. Internet-enabled SCI may help enhance firms' capabilities in technology, product and market development, and thus allows firms to initiate or adapt to com-petitive changes in the market. Yet, the decision on Internet-enabled SCI is challenging due to the high uncertainties involved. Research on the antecedents of Internet-enabled SCI is of in-terest to both researchers and practitioners. Based on the view of upper echelons theory (UET), this research derives a syncretic model for firms' adoption of Internet-enabled SCI by presenting senior executives' cognitions as firms' perceived institutional pressures, and senior executives' values as firms' organizational culture. Results from a survey show that institutional pressures and a culture that values organic process have a strong impact on firms' inclination toward In-ternet-enabled SCI. In addition, we find that institutional pressures and organizational culture have interaction effects on Internet-enabled SCI.


Seismic records are characterized by a high level of complexity resulting from the interaction of different types of waves propagating in the subsurface. Interpretation of the different wave modes and features present in a seismic record generally is done by expert judgment, and its automatization is a problem that has not been resolved completely. We present a methodology that uses pattern recognition to select the best seismic attributes that should be chosen to detect and classify surface waves in a seismic record, based on the notion of similarity, and that is applied on the automatic interpretation of three different seismic-data record sets. The classification obtained for these different real data sets exhibits well-differentiated zones that improve and automatize the expert judgment interpretation.


This scientific report provides an overall assessment of the impact of the infection on animal health, animal production and animal welfare of the provisionally named "Schmallenberg" virus (SBV) first detected in Germany. In Europe, 3745 holdings have been reported with SBV cases confirmed by laboratory testing across several Member States, mid May 2012. EFSA reviewed the epidemiological reports noting that SBV has been detected in cattle, sheep, goats and a bison. SBV antibodies have been detected in deer and no other species are known to be affected. EFSA also confirms that new studies support the initial assessment undertaken by the European Center for Disease Control and Prevention, that it is very unlikely that SBV poses a risk to humans. In terms of transmission routes, recent entomological investigations have identified SBV in field samples of biting midges of the Culicoides obsoletus group. Currently there is no evidence of any other route of transmission other than transplacental or vector borne routes. EFSA coordinated the collation of SBV epidemiological data during 2011-2012 in order to obtain comparable data for Europe. The maximum proportion of reported sheep holdings with SBV confirmed was 4% per country and 7.6% per region while for cattle less than 1.3 % of holdings were reported as SBV confirmed at both country and regional level. In order to assess the impact of SBV(spatial and temporal spread, proportion of affected holding and potential projection of arthrogryposis hydranencephaly syndrome cases) three models were used. In regions with SBV confirmed holdings, assuming a high prevalence of infection and post infection immunity, impact in the 2012-2013 calving and lambing season should be low. However, assuming SBV survived the winter of 2011, the models suggest that in unaffected regions with suitable temperatures for within herd transmission by vectors and high density of susceptible species (cattle and sheep) SBV infection is likely to spread. EFSA puts forward a number of recommendations to fill the knowledge gaps, these include but are not limited to: continuing serological investigations in affected regions and regions neighbouring affected areas, within herd and animal level impact investigation, monitoring putative vector population, setting SBV host vector transmission parameters, investigating other routes of transmission, host susceptibility, virulence and vulnerable period during 1 On request from European Commission, Question No EFSA-Q-2012-00305, approved on 13 June 2012. 2 Correspondence: firstname.lastname@example.com 3 Acknowledgement: EFSA wishes to thank the members of the SAS Working Group on name of the WG: Thomas Balenghien, Rene Bodker, Annette Botner, Simon Gubbins, Aline de Koeijer and Anthony Wilson, the AHAW Network, the Reporting Officers, Martin Beer and EFSA staff: José Cortiñas Abrahantes, Katriina Willgert, Ana Afonso, Jane Richardson, Angeliki Vlachou, Eugen Christoph, Franck Berthe and Didier Verloo for the support provided to this scientific output and Prof Dr. Mo Salman for peer reviewing the publication. "Schmallenberg" virus: Analysis of the epidemiological data and Impact assessment EFSA Journal 2012;10(6):2768 2 gestation. Furthermore, the possible origins of the virus should be investigated as more information becomes available on the virus characteristics and infection epidemiology. © European Food Safety Authority, 2012


Within the knowledge management (KM) domain, we perceive an increasing number of publications. Considering this increase, content analysis (CA) is a popular and empirically established method to handle context-sensitive information and to achieve an improved understanding. While CA can be applied in an automated way by using software solutions, a problem concerns the analysis of compound concepts (e.g. "intellectual capital"). Whereas dictionaries (i.e. lists of compound concepts) have been suggested to solve this problem, lack of research exists concerning the impact of using such a dictionary. By focusing on the KM domain and using the example of 614 publications within the Journal of Knowledge Management (JoKM), this paper aims to evaluate the impact of dictionaries for automated CA. We perform CA applying the automated approach with and without using a self-developed KM dictionary. The results were compared in terms of result similarity as well as result relevance to the KM discipline. Our findings reveal that using a dictionary for automated CA can lead to an improved context understanding and time savings. However, these benefits are opposed by subjectivity that results from the manual extraction of compound concepts to be used in the dictionary.


Low carbon technology transfer to developing countries has been both a lynchpin of, and a key stumbling block to a global deal on climate change. This book brings together for the first time in one place the work of some of the world's leading contemporary researchers in this field. It provides a practical, empirically grounded guide for policy makers and practitioners, while at the same time making new theoretical advances in combining insights from the literature on technology transfer and the literature on low carbon innovation. The book begins by summarizing the nature of low carbon technology transfer and its contemporary relevance in the context of climate change, before introducing a new theoretical framework through which effective policy mechanisms can be analyzed. The north-south, developed-developing country differences and synergies are then introduced together with the relevant international policy context. Uniquely, the book also introduces questions around the extent to which current approaches to technology transfer under the international policy regime might be considered to be 'pro-poor'. Throughout, the book draws on cutting edge empirical work to illustrate the insights it affords. The book concludes by setting out constructive ways forward towards delivering on existing international commitments in this area, including practical tools for decision makers.


Application of foam has been found to mitigate challenges associated with field-scale CO2 floods for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) by providing in-depth mobility control. The field pilots that have been run so far have shown varying results, inferred mainly from inter-well tracer studies and production data analysis. A research collaboration has been set up to advance the technology of using foam as a mobility control agent for CO2 EOR, with focus on integrated reservoir modelling to assist technology transfer to a high-cost environment. A heterogeneous carbonate reservoir onshore in west Texas, USA has been selected for the field trial. The reservoir has been waterflooded for more than 50 years, and a significant part of it has been on continuous CO2 injection for the last 5 years. An inverted five-spot pattern, which had rapid CO2 breakthrough in adjacent producers and is currently recycling significant amounts of CO2, has been selected for the study. The pilot is planned for 2 years with surfactant alternating gas (SAG) injection in the first year, followed by CO2 injection in the next year. A reservoir model was created by integrating available static and dynamic information. Since the measurement of static information and production performance is usually imprecise, even the most carefully constructed models do not exactly represent reality. In this paper, we present a workflow that was used to calibrate the reservoir model to historical data for practical forecasting, which takes into account a wide range of uncertainties caused by the inaccessibility of information. Laboratory studies were performed with reservoir cores, fluids and selected surfactant to obtain the base values of foam model parameters. As an output, distributions for key performance indicators such as cumulative oil production and CO2 retention were generated for the proposed pilot to guide further decision-making. Supplementary material: The details of simulation set-up and results for history matching and prediction are available at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.4704374 This article is part of the Energy Geoscience Series available at https://www.lyellcollection.org/cc/energy-geoscience-series


There is much speculation about chemoreception being involved in food finding strategies of deep-sea scavengers in the literature (Dahl, 1979; Meador, 1981; Busdosh et al.; 1982, Sainte-Marie, 1992). Most of these ideas have emerged from analysing time-lapse photographs and video recordings of bait deployments in the deep sea (Thurston, 1979; Lampitt et al., 1983; Hargrave, 1985; Priede et al., 1990). However, optical instruments have considerable restrictions in spatial coverage, thus all past efforts in determining any directionality in the appearance of scavengers have been limited from 0.9 to 4 m only (Smith, 1985; Wilson and Smith 1984). Here we present data obtained by using a scanning sonar system (SSS) which allows detection of single objects larger than 2 cm at a maximum distance of 50 m in a horizontal plane. Together with the SSS a baited time-lapse camera attached to a free falling lander was used in the Arctic deep sea at two locations in the Fram Strait at about 2500 m water depths. We would like to point out that this combination of optical and acoustical measurements allowed for the first time the long range detection of approaching scavenging amphipods in the deep sea. Eurythenes gryllus (Lichtenstein, 1822), a cosmopolitan deep-sea scavenging amphipod, was recorded to attend our bait experiments with a maximum of 618 individuals with first arrival 12 min. after deployment which is one of the fastest arrivals ever observed. We found a significant temporal correlation between integrated backscatter energy (IBE) based on measurements of the SSS and amphipod individuals counted on photographs.


Biofilms are formed by a spectrum of microorganisms, including Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAOl and Escherichia coli ATCC 10000, and provide a means for these organisms to protect themselves against antimicrobial agents. Several mechanisms have been proposed to explain the phenomenon of tolerance within biofilms, including delayed penetration of the antimicrobial into the biofilm extracellular matrix, slow growth rate of organisms within the biofilm, other physiologic changes brought about by interactions of the organisms with a surface and the biofilm phenotype. However, none of these mechanisms on its own can explain the development of resistance in biofilm cells. The practical implications of biofilm formation are that alternative control strategies must be devised both for testing the susceptibility of the organisms within the biofilm and treating the established biofilm to alter its structure. The primary objective of this study was to induce tolerance in monospecies biofilms towards selected antimicrobial agents (including Zinc Pyrithione (ZnPT), Sodium Pyrithione (NaPT), Cetrimide, Benzisothiazolone (BIT) and Thiomersal) and investigating the possibility of cross-resistance between these biocides. This was followed by observation of the action of BIT in binary biofilms and subsequent susceptibility of component species this biocide. Monoculture of Ps. aeruginosa PAOl biofilms grown on the Sorbarod filters were passaged in the presence of sub-minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC/4) of the biocides in a chemically defined medium (CDM). During 10 passages in increasing MIC/4, a gradual increase was observed in the MIC value of up to 3-fold and 4-fold from the original value (for ZnPT and Cetrimide). In the case of BIT, there was an overall increase of 17-fold for the adherent cells and 10-fold for the eluate cells. The difference in MIC values between biofilm and eluate cells was partially explained by the presence of thiol groups in the EPS that surrounds the biofilm, which quenched the effect of BIT. Once the resistant cells were passaged in biocide-free media, the MIC started to decrease. The results from cross-resistance studies in the case of ZnPT and BIT exhibited a marked increase in the MIC when compared to the other three biocides for both types of cells. On exposure of binary biofilms (two species biofilms, composed of E. coli and Ps. aeruginosa) to BIT, the original, pre-exposure value for Ps. aeruginosa was 5 pg mL'1 for both biofilm and eluate cells. After 5 passages in increasing the concentration of the biocide, there was an overall increase in MIC of 13.2-fold and 12.4-fold for biofilm and eluate cells, respectively. For E. coli cells growing as binary biofilms, the original MIC was 5 pg mL"1 for biofilm and eluate cells. The MIC increased in a step-wise fashion until Passage 5, at which point there were increases of 12.4-fold for biofilm cells and 10.5-fold for eluate cells. Once, the cells were cultured in the absence of biocide, a significant decrease in the MIC was observed, indicating that the mechanism of resistance was dependent upon the exposure of the biocide. Analysing the outer membrane profiles of both adherent and eluate (monoand binary species) cells illustrated marked differences between sensitive and resistant biofilm and eluate cells. This project yielded novel information and techniques regarding the use of passage approaches to develop antimicrobials tolerance and resistance in both monospecies and binary species biofilms of medically important bacteria. The results from these experiments suggest that it is possible to use these models to investigate the results of environmental exposure of bacteria to sub-MICs of biocides and develop an understanding of their subsequent tolerance and resistance characteristics.


This thesis examines some approaches to address Diophantine equations, specifically we focus on the connection between the Diophantine analysis and the theory of cyclotomic fields.

First, we propose a quick introduction to the methods of Diophantine approximation we have used in this research work. We remind the notion of height and introduce the logarithmic gcd.

Then, we address a conjecture, made by Thoralf Skolem in 1937, on an exponential Diophantine equation. For this conjecture, let K be a number field, α1 ,…, αm , λ1 ,…, λm non-zero elements in K, and S a finite set of places of K (containing all the infinite places) such that the ring of S-integers
OS = OK,S = {α ∈ K : |α|v ≤ 1 pour les places v ∈/ S}
contains α1 , . . . , αm , λ1 , . . . , λm α1-1 , . . . , αm-1. For each n ∈ Z, let A(n)=λ_1 α_1^n+⋯+λ_m α_m^n∈O_S. Skolem suggested [SK1] :
Conjecture (exponential local-global principle). Assume that for every non zero ideal a of the ring O_S, there exists n ∈ Z such that A(n) ≡0 mod a. Then, there exists n ∈ Z such that A(n)=0.

Let Γ be the multiplicative group generated by α1 ,…, αm. Then Γ is the product of a finite abelian group and a free abelian group of finite rank. We prove that the conjecture is true when the rank of Γ is one.

After that, we generalize a result previously published by Abouzaid ([A]). Let F(X,Y) ∈ Q[X,Y] be an irreducible Q-polynomial. In 2008, Abouzaid [A] proved the following theorem:
Theorem (Abouzaid). Assume that (0,0) is a non-singular point of the plane curve F(X,Y) = 0. Let m = degX F, n = degY F, M = max{m, n}. Let e satisfy 0 < e < 1. Then for any solution (α,β) ∈ Q 2 of F(X,Y) = 0, we have either
max{h(α), h(β)} ≤ 56M8e−2hp(F) + 420M10e−2 log(4M),
or
max{|h(α) − nlgcd(α, β)|,|h(β) − mlgcd(α, β)|} ≤ emax{h(α), h(β)}+
+ 742M7e−1hp(F) + 5762M9e−1log(2m + 2n)

However, he imposed the condition that (0, 0) be a non-singular point of the plane curve F(X,Y) = 0. Using a somewhat different version of Siegel's "absolute" lemma and of Eisenstein's lemma, we could remove the condition and prove it in full generality. We prove the following theorem:
Theorem. Let F(X,Y) ∈ Q [X,Y] be an absolutely irreducible polynomial satisfying F(0,0)=0. Let m=degX F, n=degY F and r = min{i+j:(∂^(i+j) F)/(∂^i X∂^j Y)(0,0)≠0}. Let e be such that 0 < e < 1. Then, for all (α, β) ∈ Q 2 such that F(α,β) = 0, we have either
h(α) ≤ 200e−2mn6(hp(F) + 5)
or

|(lgcd(α,β))/r-h(α)/n|≤1/r (eh(α)+4000e^(-1) n^4 (h_p (F)+log(mn)+1)+30n^2 m(h_p (F)+log(mn) ))

Then, we give an overview of the tools we have used in cyclotomic fields. We try there to develop a systematic approach to address a certain type of Diophantine equations. We discuss on cyclotomic extensions and give some basic but useful properties, on group-ring properties and on Jacobi sums.

Finally, we show a very interesting application of the approach developed in the previous chapter. There, we consider the Diophantine equation
(1) Xn − 1 = BZn,
where B ∈ Z is understood as a parameter. Define ϕ∗(B) := ϕ(rad (B)), where rad (B) is the radical of B, and assume that
(2) (n, ϕ∗(B)) = 1.
For a fixed B ∈ N_(>1)we let N(B) = {n ∈ N_(>1) | ∃ k > 0 such that n|ϕ∗(B)}. If p is an odd prime, we shall denote by CF the combined condition requiring that
I The Vandiver Conjecture holds for p, so the class number h+ of the maximal real subfield of the cyclotomic field Q[ζp ] is not divisible by p.
II We have ir>(p) < √p − 1, in other words, there is at most √p − 1 odd integers k < p such that the Bernoulli number Bk ≡ 0 mod p.
Current results on Equation (1) are restricted to values of B which are built up from two small primes p ≤ 13 [BGMP] and complete solutions for B < 235 ([BBGP]). If expecting that the equation has no solutions, – possibly with the exception of some isolated examples – it is natural to consider the case when the exponent n is a prime. Of course, the existence of solutions (X,Z) for composite n imply the existence of some solutions with n prime, by raising X, Z to a power.
The main contribution of our work has been to relate (1) in the case when n is a prime and (2) holds, to the diagonal Nagell – Ljunggren equation
(X^n-1)/(X-1)=n^e Y^n, e={(O si X≢1[n]@1 sinon)┤
This way, we can apply results from [M] and prove the following:
Theorem. Let n be a prime and B > 1 an integer with (ϕ∗(B), n) = 1. Suppose that equation (1) has a non-trivial integer solution different from n = 3 and (X,Z;B) = (18,7;17). Let X ≡ u mod n, 0 ≤ u < n and e = 1 if u = 1 and e = 0 otherwise. Then:
1. n > 163106.
2. X − 1 = ±B/ne and B < nn.
3. If u ∉ {−1,0,1}, then condition CF (II) fails for n and
2n−1 ≡ 3n−1 ≡ 1 mod n2 , and
rn−1 ≡ 1 mod n2 for all r|X(X2 − 1).
If u ∈ {−1, 0, 1}, then Condition CF (I) fails for n.

Based on this theorem, we also prove the following:

Theorem. If equation (1) has a solution for a fixed B verifying the conditions (2), then either n ∈ N(B) or there is a prime p coprime to ϕ∗(B) and a m ∈ N(B) such that n = p.m. Moreover, Xm, Ym are a solution of (1) for the prime exponent p and thus verify the conditions of the previous Theorem.

This is a strong improvement of the currently known results.

As we have made heavy use of [M], at the end of this thesis we have added an appendix to expose some new result that allows for a full justification of Theorem 3 of [M].

Keywords

Diophantine Equations, Cyclotomic Fields, Nagell-Ljunggren Equation, Skolem, Abouzaid, Exponential Diophantine Equation, Baker's Inequality, Subspace Theorem.

References

[A] M. Abouzaid, Heights and logarithmic gcd on algebraic curves, Int. J. Number Th. 4, pp. 177–197 (2008).
[BBGP] A.Bazso, A.Berczesc K.Gyory and A.Pinter, On the resolution of equations Axn − Byn = C in integers x, y and n ≥ 3, II, Publicationes Mathematicae Debrecen 76, pp. 227 – 250 (2010).
[BGMP] M. A. Bennett, K. Gyory, M. Mignotte and A. Pinter, Binomial Thue equations and polynomial powers, Compositio Math. 142, pp. 1103–1121 (2006).
[M] P. Mihăilescu Class Number Conditions for the Diagonal Case of the Equation of Nagell and Ljunggren, Diophantine Approximation, Springer Verlag, Development in Mathematics 16, pp. 245–273 (2008).
[S1] T. Skolem, Anwendung exponentieller Kongruenzen zum Beweis der Unlosbarkeit gewisser diophantischer Gleichungen, Avhdl. Norske Vid. Akad. Oslo I 12, pp. 1–16 (1929).
[S2] T. Skolem, Losung gewisser Gleichungssysteme in ganzen Zahlen oder ganzzahligen Polynomen mit beschranktem gemeinschaftlichen Teiler, Oslo Vid. Akar. Skr. I, 12 (1929).


High-performance post-tensioned technologies for seismic resistance were first developed in the late 1990s as the main outcome of the PREcast Seismic Structural Systems programme (PRESSS). Of these technologies the hybrid connection, composed of the combination post-tensioning strands/bars (re-centring) and some form of mild steel element (hysteretic dissipation), was the most promising. This paper focuses on the experimental study of a particular type of mild steel dissipation device: the fuse-type mild steel replaceable dissipater. This device is made up of a milled down plain mild steel bar and a confining tube filled with either epoxy or grout. The use of a milled area concentrates yielding over a defined length while the tube prevents buckling, similar to the Buckling Restrained Braces (BRB) used in steel frame buildings. The main purpose of the experimental campaign was to provide a comprehensive parametric study and preliminary guidelines for the design of the replaceable device. Several quasi-static push-pull tests were performed with varying geometric parameters such as the fuse diameter and length; two different filler materials were also used. Based on the experimental data collected, a simple analytical model was developed which is able to predict the force-displacement behaviour of the dissipater.


The terms "consumer", "consumer protection" and "consumer legislation" are relatively new in the legal landscape. Many universities around the world offer courses in consumer protection in one form or another and state departments or non-governmental organisations spend a huge amount of energy and money on what is colloquially and formally called consumer protection. Consumer law is a wide concept which may include a variety of topics dealing with medicine, clean water, food, air pollution, competition, advertising, weight and measures - to name but a few. In fact, the consumer being what he or she is, a huge percentage of annual legislation will probably qualify as consumer legislation. This article is concerned with the history of a species of consumer protection, and particularly legislation in this regard, namely consumer credit law. The history of consumer credit legislation in South Africa is not divorced from developments elsewhere, as one would expect. The developments in other legal systems will, consequently, briefly be discussed.


The platypus Ornithorhynchus anatinus is an endemic monotreme species with a wide latitudinal distribution in eastern Australia, including Tasmania. Understanding of the phylogeography within this species is very limited at present and represents a gap in the documentation of Australia's unique biodiversity. We analysed mitochondrial DNA sequences (partial control region and complete cytochrome b, including portions of flanking tRNAs) of 74 individuals from across the distribution of the species. Phylogenetic analysis of the concatenated sequences corroborated the primary split within the platypus, showing two major clades: one from mainland Australia and the other from Tasmania/King Island. Estimates of divergence times suggest that these clades last shared a common mitochondrial ancestor ∼0.7–0.94 Ma. Using an extended dataset of partial control region sequences from 284 individuals, we found evidence of genetic structure between river basins, primarily within mainland Australia, as well as an additional divergent lineage in North-eastern Australia. Overall, few haplotypes were shared between river basins. Analyses of molecular variance of the control region sequences indicated low rates of gene flow and significant divergence, particularly at the river basin and geographical area scales.


Teacher motivation can be conveniently interpreted within a framework of motivation theories that are related to the fulfilment of needs (Herzberg, 1968, Maslow, 1954, McClelland, 1961). This thesis argues that mid-career teachers' motivation is context-specific and relates to the fulfilment of teachers' needs. Grounded in phenomenology and drawing on semi-structured interviews with twelve mid-career teachers, six headteachers, and six focus groups with thirty-eight students in six lyceums in Cyprus, this qualitative study presents the factors that can motivate secondary teachers with 11 to 20 years of teaching experience to become (more) active in their schools. These factors which constitute the key findings of my study and the contribution of my study to the field of teacher motivation are: the 'moderators': recognition, inspection for evaluation, personal life, and experience; and the 'needs motivators': satisfaction, collaboration, fairness, and decision making. The 'moderators' may determine the extent to which teachers' 'needs motivators' are fulfilled. This study makes a significant contribution to policies designed to enhance leadership practices related to the motivation of mid-career teachers.


Plant essential oils in general have been recognized as an important natural source of pesticides. They represent a market estimated at US $ 700.00 millions and a total world production of 45000 tons. The genera capable of elaborating the compounds that constitute essential oils are distributed in a limited number of families but the widespread range of activities of essential oils is being considered for both industrial and household uses. Essential oil compounds and their derivatives are considered to be an alternative means of controlling many harmful insects and their rapid degradation in the environment have increased specificity that favours beneficial insects. Essential oils based commercial products are being developed for a wide range of human and animal uses, including pest control. Unfortunately, most of the natural products used for pest control, are not always subject to rigorous testing. In view of the above points, the present paper focuses on the work done in the field of essential oils as biopesticides with special emphasis on essential oil chemistry, extraction, pesticidal properties, mode of action, synergism, phytotoxicity, commercialization prospects, safety aspects, socioeconomic impacts and sustainability.

 Key words: Essential oil, insecticide, repellent, phytotoxicity, safety, economics.


Of all OTC derivatives, credit derivatives pose particular concerns because of their ability to generate leverage that can increase liquidity - or the effective money supply - throughout the financial system. Credit derivatives and the leverage they create thus do much more than increase the fragility of financial institutions and increase counterparty risk. By increasing leverage and liquidity, credit derivatives can fuel rises in asset prices and even asset price bubbles. Rising asset prices can then mask mistakes in the pricing of credit derivatives and in assessments of overall leverage in the financial system. Furthermore, the use of credit derivatives by financial institutions can contribute to a cycle of leveraging and deleveraging in the economy.This Article argues for viewing many of the policy responses to credit derivatives, such as requirements that these derivatives be exchange traded, centrally cleared, or otherwise subject to collateral or 'margin' requirements, in a second, macroeconomic dimension. These rules have the potential to change – or at least better measure – the amount of liquidity and the supply of credit in financial markets and in the 'real' economy. By examining credit derivatives, this Article illustrates the need to see a wide array of financial regulations in a macroeconomic context. Understanding credit derivatives' macroeconomic effects has implications for macroprudential regulatory design. First, regulations that address financial institution leverage offer central bankers new tools to dampen inflation in asset markets and to fight potential asset price bubbles. Second, even if these regulations are not used primarily as monetary or macroeconomic levers, changes in these regulations, including changes in the effectiveness of these regulations due to regulatory arbitrage, can have profound macroeconomic effects. Third, the macroeconomic dimension of credit derivative regulation and other financial regulation argues for greater coordination between prudential regulation and macroeconomic policy.


To determine the association between prediagnostic serum levels of retinol, beta-carotene, lycopene, alpha-tocopherol, and selenium and the subsequent risk of malignant melanoma, and basal and squamous cell skin cancer, a nested case-control study among residents of Washington County, MD, was performed. Cases with melanoma (n = 30), basal cell (n = 32), and squamous cell (n = 37) skin cancer who were admitted to hospital for treatment or biopsy of metastatic lesions were each matched by age, sex, and race with two controls. There were no significant associations between serum micronutrient levels and the risk of subsequent skin cancer.


Cracking has become a primary mode of distress in recent years that frequently drives the need for rehabilitation of asphalt pavements. Meanwhile, asphalt mix designs are becoming more and more complex with the increasing uses of recycled materials, recycling agents, binder additives/modifiers, and multiple warm mix asphalt technologies. Thus, there is an urgent need to identify reliable cracking tests that can be used for routine mix design to eliminate brittle mixes. This paper critically reviewed cracking mechanisms and laboratory tests. A total of 12 cracking tests were discussed at a cracking test workshop held as part of the National Cooperative Highway Research Program Project 9-57. Seven cracking tests were selected for further laboratory evaluation and field validation. Four of the simpler cracking tests from the seven were evaluated in this paper, these being the Texas Overlay Test (OT), Disk-shaped Compact Tension (DCT) test, Semi-Circular Bend test from the Louisiana Transportation Research Center (SCB-LTRC), and SCB test at room temperature from Illinois (SCB-IL). A laboratory sensitivity study was performed, and the results showed that all four cracking tests were generally sensitive to asphalt mix components. However, there were some concerns with the DCT, SCB-LTRC, and SCB-IL. Both the DCT and SCB-IL were found to be not sensitive to asphalt binder content; and both the DCT and SCB-LTRC showed an unexpected increase in cracking resistance when adding RAS to the mix. Additionally, two sets of field test sections were used for preliminary validation of these four cracking tests. It was found that the OT, DCT, and SCB-IL provided rankings which matched the measured field performance for the two sections on US62, Texas; and the OT and SCB-LTRC were valid for six APT test sections. Further validation with different mixes, traffic, and climate is needed.


The assumption of rationality is both one of the most important and most controversial assumptions of modern economics. This article discusses what current experimental economic as well as neuroscience research tells us about the relationship between rationality and the mechanisms of human decision-making. The article explores the meaning of rationality, with a discussion of the distinction between traditional constructivist rationality and more ecological concepts of rationality. The article argues that ecological notions of rationality more accurately describe both human neural mechanisms as well as a wider variety of human behavior than do constructivist notions of rationality.


Feature Issue on Passive Optical Network Architectures and TechnologiesThe nonfragmentable nature of Ethernet data frames, as well as operation of the priority oriented packet schedulers in the optical network units, in conjunction with heavy network load conditions and the lack of detailed knowledge about the queue's composition at the optical line terminal (OLT) level, result in the creation of upstream channel slot remainders. The existing methods, in the form of nonpreemptive packet schedulers and multithreshold reporting process defined vaguely by the IEEE 802.3-2005 standard, result in either increased packet delay or Ethernet passive optical network (EPON) system incompatibility, respectively, since threshold processing was never officially defined in the scope of the respective EPON standard. We propose an alternative approach, based on basic modifications of the standard and extended GATE multipoint control protocol data unit format and meaning, allowing for the OLT packet scheduling agent to grant always exactly the requested slot size, thus preventing creation of any upstream channel slot remainders. It is estimated that, on average, ∼3% of upstream channel bandwidth can be salvaged when slot remainders are absent in the upstream channel transmission.


The purposes of this study were to explore the expectations of older adults with medically diagnosed osteoarthritis (OA) who are scheduled for total knee replacement (TKR) surgery and to examine factors that influence the older adult's quality of life prior to TKR surgery. The revised Wilson and Cleary model of health-related quality of life was used to guide the study. Characteristics of the individual (age, race, sex, expectations), characteristic of the environment (social support), biological factors (body mass index), symptoms (pain, fatigue, depression), functional status, and general health perception were examined to determine their influence on overall quality of life. A cross-sectional, correlational non-experimental study was conducted with a convenience sample of 75 older adults who were planning first time TKR surgery for OA of the knee. Participants were mostly female (76%), White (67%), married (73%), and approximately one-third reported an annual household income greater than $71,000. The ages of the sample ranged from 52 to 86 years, with a mean age of 69 years (SD = 8.179). When all 11 variables were included in the model, 62% of the variability in overall quality of life was explained. However, only the variables of depression, functional status, general health perception, and social support significantly (p <= 0.05) contributed to quality of life. Individuals in this study reported high expectations for the outcomes of the TKR surgery, such as improved symptoms and physical function as well as high overall quality of life. Future studies should continue to explore the indirect influence of expectations and the relationships among the factors that influence the older adult's quality of life prior to TKR surgery to develop interventions to enhance their quality of life.


"I will build a car for the great multitude. It will be large enough for the family, but small enough for the individual to run and take care of. It will be constructed of the best materials, by the best men to be hired, after the simplest designs that modern engineering can devise. But it will be so low in price that no man making a good salary will be unable to own one-and enjoy with his family the blessings of hours of pleasure in God's great open spaces."-Henry Ford First rolled out in 1908 with an $850 price tag, the Model T Ford was the nation's first mass-produced, affordable, and versatile motor vehicle. It made Americans mobile as never before, spurred a revolution in manufacturing methods, and marked a sea change in automotive design and engineering. Originally written for the centennial celebration of the Model T, Robert Casey captures the remarkable story of that car's history and development and of its long-lasting impact on America. Here are the people who built the Model T and how, the folks who purchased it and why, and the profound technological leaps in mass production and mass consumption that we rightly associate with Ford's automobile. Casey discusses how the car was designed, built, sold, and driven, as well as how owners tinkered with it. He describes the experience of driving a Model T and explains how a few engineering innovations-a one-piece cylinder block with detachable cylinder head, a clever flexible suspension system, the use of lightweight vanadium alloy steel-led to the car's reliability and popularity and spurred innovations across the motor vehicle industry. Richly illustrated with archival photos from The Henry Ford, The Model T is the definitive history of an iconographic piece of American technology.


The year 2019 marks the one hundred fiftieth anniversary of one of the most significant moments in American constitutional history. On February, 25, 1869, more than two-thirds of the members of the House of Representatives approved the proposed Fifteenth Amendment. The next day, the Senate followed suit, and the proposed amendment was sent to the state legislatures for ratification. After being ratified by the requisite number of states, the Fifteenth Amendment became the last of the three Reconstruction amendments that fundamentally transformed both the structure of the Constitution and the nature of American federalism.

The Fifteenth Amendment differed from its predecessors in a number of important ways. First, it was the only one of the Reconstruction amendments and remains the only part of the entire Constitution to focus explicitly on race. In addition, the amendment became the first provision of the Constitution to limit the power of the state governments to establish the qualifications for voters in elections for state office, providing that "[t]he right of citizens…to vote…shall not be denied or abridged…on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude" and also vesting Congress with the authority to enforce this command by adopting "appropriate legislation." Thus, among other things, the Fifteenth Amendment provided the most plausible source of congressional authority for the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965—a statute which was and continues to be, by any standard, one of the most important civil rights measures ever adopted by Congress.

Nonetheless, unlike the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments, legal scholars have shown little or no interest in exploring the background of the Fifteenth Amendment. This article is the first to describe both the sequence of events that led to the passage and ratification of the Fifteenth Amendment and the forces that shaped the amendment itself.


Development of security technologies tends to ignore difficulties with deployment in the real world. One research approach for improving adoption of secure practices and technologies is improving the usability of security technologies; however, this belies the underlying need to understand people's practices and the non-technical factors influencing adoption.
In this thesis, I examine the problems users face when adopting secure practices and technologies in the real world, with a focus on preventing message disclosure. I first examine individual's adoption of secure practices with respect to the management of passwords for online authentication with a survey of undergraduates. Next, I consider group adoption of a security technology, namely encrypted e-mail for group discussions. I consider the latter issue from two perspectives. The first perspective investigates user experiences with an existing technology via interviews with employees at an activist group who were highly motivated to protect the secret information of their employer. The second perspective investigates a redesign of secured communication of encrypted e-mail for group discussion with a web application.
Often the issues faced by users are not purely issues of increasing or decreasing the level of security theoretically attainable. Adoption is attenuated by convenience (in the case of password reuse) and stigmatization of secure practices (in the case of social meaning attached to usage of encrypted e-mail). People's models of security attacks could be more sophisticated than previously thought, for example, many survey participants understood that randomness in the construction of a password increased resistance to guessing attacks. At the activist group, people understood that encryption could protect messages against eavesdropping and seemed ready to use the technology for organizational secrets.
The challenge for researchers in the development of secure technologies is how to encourage security adoption by novel users while pragmatically increasing the level of security achieved in the real world. I present the EMBLEM (Encrypted Message Board with Lists for E-Mail) system as an example of how one could accommodate the needs of a specific group of users to encourage use in borderline cases, where the need for increased security is not obvious or the population of users is lightly connected together. I presented this system to two groups of people, one group with no experience with encrypted e-mail and one group with extensive security knowledge. While the technology itself seemed usable for novices, one concern was that using the technology was an unnecessary step. In contrast, those fastidiously practicing security seemed more dubious of adopting a system that increased usability or supported heterogeneous groups but provided less assurances of end-to-end protections. Finding a balance between these groups of users remains a challenging problem.
I frame the findings of this dissertation with an analogy to sociologist Howard Becker's work on deviant careers. Adopting secure practices can be a departure from accepted normalized practice. Understanding the factors influencing adoption of deviant practices, particularly the vital role of social networks in creating a desirability to adopt deviant practices, can illuminate the rational behind adoption and non-adoption of technically secure, but socially stigmatized practices. I further argue that more work encouraging desirability to adopt secure practices, and more generally work understanding real world deployment issues of security technologies, is a necessary future for progress in the field.


The enzymatic polycyclization reactions catalyzed by oxidosqualene (OXSQ) cyclases (OSCs) proceed with complete regio- and stereospecificity, leading to the formation of new C-C bonds and chiral centers and to the generation of diverse polycyclic sterols and triterpenoids. The diverse structural array is remarkable, and approximately 150 different carbon frameworks have been found. Detailed investigations on squalene-hopene cyclase (SHC) and lanosterol synthase (LaS) have been reported, but progress in the study of β-amyrin synthase, which is ubiquitously found in plants, has lagged in comparison. In the past several years, remarkable advances in β-amyrin biosynthetic studies have been made. In this review, the catalytic mechanism and substrate recognition of β-amyrin synthase, as revealed by site-directed mutagenesis and substrate analog experiments, are outlined and compared with those of LaS and SHC to highlight the features of β-amyrin synthase.


Trends in adolescent alcohol consumption are declining, however remain a cause for concern. Research evidences a relationship between alcohol-related mortality and socioeconomic deprivation, more disadvantaged social groups tending to experience disproportionately higher levels of alcohol attributable harm. Amongst adolescents, there is an association between school disengagement and likelihood to engage with risky behaviours followed by poor academic outcomes. The social determinants for health and education overlap considerably, therefore the premise underpinning this study proposes that trying to improve low wellbeing as a trait of low socioeconomic status and predictor of problematic drinking, might not only influence healthier attitudes and behaviours regarding alcohol consumption, but also improve self esteem and wellbeing, and encourage school engagement leading to positive educational outcomes.

A universal whole-class intervention was developed to target 11-12 year olds, designed to embed into the English secondary personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE) curriculum. The six-week programme of activities took a pupil focused learning approach, drawing upon motivational interviewing and role play amongst other successful components evidenced by the research literature and behavioural theory to encourage intrinsic motivation towards healthier behaviour. Two feasibility studies were conducted in four different school contexts, specifically targeting areas of significant socioeconomic deprivation in the north west of England. Implementation of the intervention and evaluation measures were assessed using a mixed methods research design. Analysis of pre- and post-intervention survey data (matched sample of 89 pupils) and interview transcripts (6 teachers and 20 pupils) revealed broadly successful outcomes. The intervention was considered engaging and enjoyable and was valued by the teachers. One school subsequently chose to deliver the programme for the whole of their new year 7 intake and another school has incorporated elements of the intervention into their PSHE curriculum.

These positive outcomes provide the justification to conduct further research to evaluate the effectiveness of participating in the intervention classes when compared to a control group.


The Weyerhaeuser case presents the scenario of a firm that successfully engages in exclusionary conduct, obtains a monopsony, and yet does not have any potential to injure the end users of its products. Rather, the conduct has the immediate effect of injuring competitors, and the longer-term effect of injuring input sellers. Commentators have argued that the antitrust laws are indifferent to latter injuries because they are concerned only with "consumer welfare." This essay demonstrates that Congress was, and the courts have been, far from indifferent to the plight of sellers exploited by monopsonies. This essay shows that Sherman Act cases referring to "consumer welfare" have not indicated that they meant end-user welfare rather than aggregate welfare. Finally, this essay argues that promoting consumer welfare is a goal of the Sherman Act, but only a goal, and that making end-user welfare the touchstone under the Act could have extraordinarily undesirable consequences.


In this study, we present a simple recipe for a skin mimicking material intended for in vitro testing of implantable antennas operating at Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM) (2.4 GHz2.48 GHz) band. The material is composed of de-ionized water, Triton X-100, and Diethylene Glycol Butyl Ether (DGBE). The relative dielectric constant and conductivity of the proposed material are within 0.5% and 3.4% of the properties of the reference human skin from the literature in the entire ISM band. In order to test the transmission characteristics of the material, in vitro measurements of a dual-band antenna are performed.


This study compared the emotional intelligence and state-trait anxiety between competitive level, gender and performance. For this, were measured 444 athletes (female n=171) from jiu-jitsu (n=142), judo (n=137), karate (n=57), kendo (n=63), taekwondo (n=25) and wrestling (n=20). We applied the Sport Competition Anxiety Test (SCAT) and Trait Meta-Mood Scale (TMMS-24). The results indicated that high-level female showed lower state anxiety than the low-level [14.0 (1.0; 36.0) vs. 20.0 (1.0; 58.0); p=0.03]. High-level showed lower values than intermediate (p=0.006) and lower-level (p=0.013). The 1st regression, the regulation dimension was the main variable to explain the level of competition for females (R2=0.046), in the 2nd model, the regulation dimension and state anxiety explained the level (R2=0.066). For males, trace anxiety explained the lower-level (R2=0.019). In conclusion, lower-level female athletes are more anxious than lower-males, but in the domains of emotional intelligence, higher-level female showed a higher comprehension and perception than highermales.


In animal cells, growth factors coordinate cell proliferation and survival by regulating the phosphoinositide 3-kinase/Akt signaling pathway. Deregulation of this signaling pathway is common in a variety of human cancers. The PI3K-dependent signaling kinase complex defined as mammalian target of rapamycin complex 2 (mTORC2) functions as a regulatory Ser-473 kinase of Akt. We find that activation of mTORC2 by growth factor signaling is linked to the specific phosphorylation of its component rictor on Thr-1135. The phosphorylation of this site is induced by the growth factor stimulation and expression of the oncogenic forms of ras or PI3K. Rictor phosphorylation is sensitive to the inhibition of PI3K, mTOR, or expression of integrin-linked kinase. The substitution of wild-type rictor with its specific phospho-mutants in rictor null mouse embryonic fibroblasts did not alter the growth factor–dependent phosphorylation of Akt, indicating that the rictor Thr-1135 phosphorylation is not critical in the regulation of the mTORC2 kinase activity. We found that this rictor phosphorylation takes place in the mTORC2-deficient cells, suggesting that this modification might play a role in the regulation of not only mTORC2 but also the mTORC2-independent function of rictor. Mol Cancer Res; 8(6); 896–906. ©2010 AACR.


Figure 1. The hand of an infant girl who was born at 24 weeks of gestation and weighed 540 g (1 lb 3 oz) at birth is shown. The infant was found to have jejunal atresia on the sixth day of life and underwent a small-bowel resection with primary anastomosis. She recovered from the surgical procedure, was able to tolerate feedings on the 12th postoperative day, and steadily gained weight. She appeared to have no neurologic abnormalities. The infant remained in the neonatal intensive care unit for more than three months, and at the time of discharge, she weighed 2.9 . . .


This article discusses ethnographic research conducted between 1995 and 1998 that studied the impact of popular education on the lives of fifty homeless and formerly homeless mothers. Data collection involved in-depth interviews and participant observation in a family shelter located in one of Boston's poorest neighborhoods. The article argues that popular education increased the women's self-esteem, they were inspired to help other low-income women, they learned to advocate for their rights and they became more involved in their children's education. The findings suggest that popular education can best address the academic, personal, and community goals of very poor women. Introduction Between 1995 and 1998, I studied the impact of popular education on a group of fifty homeless and formerly homeless mothers who participated in a shelter-based adult literacy program located in one of Boston's poorest neighborhoods. When I first visited The Family Shelter, I met with a group of homeless mothers who were studying for their General Education Diplomas (GED). They said they were returning to school to improve their economic opportunities and to provide a better life for their children. They also said they were fortunate to be clients in the Family Shelter's unique popular education program because it provided them with more than basic literacy skills. The popular education classes at The Family Shelter were rooted in a model of education that involved problem-posing and consciousness-raising activities based upon the problems or "generative themes" in the lives of the poor women. Popular education is a methodology of teaching and learning through dialogue that directly links curriculum content to people's lived experience and that inspires political action (Beder, 1996; Freire, 1990, 1973; Williams, 1996). The majority of the popular education classes I observed in the Family Shelter focused on generative themes related to Motherhood and Parenting, and Social Inequality. The generative themes were also linked to subject matter that developed and strengthened reading and numeracy skills. Teachers used stories written by homeless women, neighborhood newspapers and photographs as "codes" to represent the generative themes in the lives of the women. In their classes, the women discussed the problems represented in codes, how they had experienced these problems, why the problems existed, and what could be done to address them. I observed how the popular education classes inspired homeless and formerly homeless mothers to become actively involved in changing their community, both inside and outside of The Family Shelter. I sought to learn more about popular education and its potential for promoting collective social action. The purpose of this article is to examine how the homeless mothers were affected by their participation in the popular education program at the Family Shelter. Based on my observations, I argue that the Family Shelter's popular education philosophy and the provision of comprehensive social services addressed the women's personal, academic, and community needs. I argue that popular education had a positive impact on the lives of the homeless mothers that extended beyond learning important reading and numeracy skills. Methodology This article focuses on a sub-set of data from a larger study (Rivera, 2000). Between January 1995 and June 1998, I gathered data from 50 currently and formerly homeless women about their classroom experiences in popular education classes at the Family Shelter. I conducted over 1500 hours of participant observation in popular education classes at the Family Shelter. Most of the observations occurred in classrooms as women participated in discussions based on subject material provided by teachers or injected by the women into the program planning. Research also included an open-ended education history questionnaire. Over three years, I collected a significant amount of data from fieldnotes, education histories, and transcripts from interviews. …


The vascular endothelium plays a key role in arterial wall homeostasis by preventing atherosclerotic plaque formation. A primary causal factor of endothelial dysfunction is the reactive oxygen species. Aerobic exercise is ascribed as an important adjuvant therapy in endothelium‐dependent cardiovascular disease. However, little is known about the effects of concurrent (aerobic + strength) training on that. For a comparison of the effects of aerobic and concurrent physical training on endothelial function, oxidative stress parameters and the immunoinflammatory activity of monocytes/macrophages, 20 adult male volunteers of middle age were divided into a concurrent training (CT) programme group and an aerobic training group. The glutathione disulphide to glutathione ratio (GSSG/GSH) and plasma lipoperoxide (LPO) levels, as well as flow‐mediated dilation (FMD), monocyte/macrophage functional activity (zymosan phagocytosis), body lipid profiles, aerobic capacity (maximal oxygen uptake) and strength parameters (one‐repetition maximum test), were measured before and after the exercise training programmes. The CT exhibited reduced acute effects of exercise on the GSSG/GSH ratio, plasma LPO levels and zymosan phagocytosis. The CT also displayed improved lipid profiles, glycaemic control, maximal oxygen uptake and one‐repetition maximum test values. In both the aerobic training and the CT, training improved the acute responses to exercise, as inferred from a decrease in the GSSG/GSH ratios. The aerobic sessions did not alter basal levels of plasma LPO or macrophage phagocytic activity but improved FMD values as well as lipid profiles and glycaemic control. In summary, both training programmes improve systemic redox status and antioxidant defences. However, the aerobic training was more efficient in improving FMD in the individuals studied. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


We investigate the stability of a monovacancy in alpha zirconium under various strains and pressures by examining the vacancy formation energy through first-principles calculations. There is a maximum formation energy of 2.35 eV under uniaxial strain corresponding to a c/a ratio of 1.75. Under volumetric strain, the formation energy increases as the strain increases. The formation energy as a function of the volumetric stress or pressure was also examined, with a minimum value of 2.00 eV at zero pressure. Using the equations of state method, we find that the formation volume of the vacancies decreases as the pressure increases, with a value of 0.6 unit-atom-volume at zero pressure. The formation enthalpy increases monotonically as the pressure increases. We predict that the avalanche pressure of alpha zirconium is −15 GPa, where vacancy formation is exothermic, causing avalanche swelling and the failure of the material.


Objectives 1) To describe the hearing status of the at-risk infants in the National Institutes of Health-Identification of Neonatal Hearing Impairment study sample at 8 to 12 mo corrected age (chronologic age adjusted for prematurity). 2) To describe the visual reinforcement audiometry (VRA) protocol that was used to obtain monaural behavioral data for the sample. Design All neonatal intensive care unit infants and well babies with risk factors (including well babies who failed neonatal tests) were targeted for follow-up behavioral evaluation once they had reached 8 mo corrected age. Three thousand one hundred and thirty-four (64.4%) of the 4868 surviving infants returned for at least one behavioral hearing evaluation, which employed a well-defined VRA protocol. VRA thresholds or minimum response levels (MRLs) were determined for speech and pure tones of 1.0, 2.0, and 4.0 kHz for each ear using insert earphones. Results More than 95% of the infants were reliably tested with the VRA protocol; 90% provided complete tests (four MRLs for both ears). Ninety-four percent of the at-risk infants were found to have normal hearing sensitivity (MRLs of 20 dB HL) at 1.0, 2.0, and 4.0 kHz in both ears. Of the infants, 2.2% had bilateral hearing impairment, and 3.4% had impairment in one ear only. More than 80% of the impaired ears had losses of mild-to-moderate degree. Conclusions This may be the largest study to attempt to follow all at-risk infants with behavioral audiometric testing, regardless of screening outcome, in an effort to validate the results of auditory brain stem response, distortion product otoacoustic emission, and transient evoked otoacoustic emission testing in the newborn period. It is one of only a few studies to report hearing status of infants at 1 yr of age, using VRA on a clinical population. Successful testing of more than 95% of the infants who returned for the VRA follow-up documents the feasibility of obtaining monaural behavioral data in this population.


Finite elements methods (FEMs) with numerical integration play a central role in numerical homogenization methods for partial differential equations with multiple scales, as the effective data in a homogenization problem can only be recovered from a microscopic solver at a finite number of points in the computational domain. In a multiscale framework the convergence of a FEM with numerical integration applied to the effective (homogenized) problem guarantees that the so-called macroscopic solver is consistent and convergent. Convergence results for FEM with numerical integration are however scarce in the literature and need often to be derived as a first step to analyze a numerical homogenization method for a given problem. In this paper we review and explain the main ideas in deriving convergence results for FEM with numerical integration for linear and nonlinear elliptic problems and explain the role of these methods in numerical homogenization.


In this collection, several authors – ranging from early career to well established academics – consider the role of women and the female voice in academia. This compilation developed from a conference session organised by the Supporting Women in Geography (SWIG) Ireland group, at the Conference of Irish Geographers in University College Cork (UCC) in 2017. In the first piece, Ahern and Mc Ardle consider why this discussion is necessary at all, ruminating on examples from both within and outside of academia. Till then brings in her experience working in Ireland, the US and beyond, and reflects on the importance of including all voices, and challenges scholars to end gender discrimination in Ireland. Manzo then reflects on how female work in academia, similar to community organising, can be considered invisible, devalued labour (Daniels, 1987). Yet she focuses on the positives of this, outlining the women-centred community organising model, the social capital that is involved, and the range of activities for empowering women to alter the efforts in Irish academia to making this change. Meletis then widens this discussion with an international example of a group similar to SWIG Ireland, Inspiring Women Among Us (IWAU) in Canada. She reflects on the difficulty of being an inclusive group. These discussions are vital to tackling gender bias in Irish academia, yet all the authors agree this needs to be an ongoing conversation, a lived practice, and we hope this work inspires further contributions to this cause.


This report examines the reasons behind Natural Gas (NG) engine de-loading on LNG fuelled vessels. Two instances of NG engine de-loading due to low tank pressure have been document on KV Bergen in the Norwegian Coast Guard. Results from this study revealed that NG engine de-loading was caused by the disruption of the liquid surface layer in the LNG tank initiated by tank sloshing. Research found that when the surface layer between the bulk liquid and vapor in the tank was modified by sloshing the rate of vapor condensation increased faster than the mass flow rate produced by the Pressure Build Up (PBU) circuit inside the Vaporizer. Using the difference between the mass flow rate entering the vapor region and exiting through condensation, the time which a NG engine de-loading situation occurs was predicted. These conclusions were drawn from different models and calculations which analyzed factors affecting tank pressure. One model calculated the PBU mass flow rate by balancing the change in pressure in each section of the PBU. Another model developed an idealized set of equations for the time required to pressurize the LNG tank. A mixing model was also produced which calculated the lowest fall in tank pressure possible if the liquid in the tank mixed completely with the vapor in the tank. These mixing calculations proved the criteria for NG engine de-loading can be met if there is enough interaction between the liquid and vapor in the tank. A measurement campaign was carried out to understand how the different sub-components of the LNG system (LNG tank, PBU, Evaporator, and water glycol circuit) behaved during normal operations. The goal of the measurement campaign was to find real values which may be used to predict the conditions leading to NG engine de-loading. Using a heat balance from the different streams entering and leaving the Vaporizer, the average mass flow rate through the PBU circuit was determined to be 0.16 kg/s. This vapor mass flow rate is an indication of the PBU's ability to build up the tank pressure. The time required to build up the tank pressure from 295 kPa to 495 kPa was measured to be approximately 18 minutes on MF Korsfjord the morning after bunkering. The calculated and measured results were combined to draw conclusions about the main factors leading to gas engine de-loading. By comparing the idealized and actual amount of time required to pressurize the tank, it was possible to estimate that 66.2% of the vapor mass flow from the PBU condensed while the tank was being pressurized. Using the rate of vapor condensation, it was possible to calculate that the thickness of an effective conduction layer, representative of the surface layer, is 1.71 mm in undisturbed conditions. The thickness of an undisturbed tank was used as a base case to examine how modifying the thickness of the surface layer and area of the vapor liquid interface changes the rate of vapor condensation. In situations where the vapor condensation exceeded the PBU mass flow rate, the difference was used to calculate how quickly the tank pressure fell. This report also includes items for further research which would provide additional understanding of the factors leading to NG engine de-loading. Included is a detailed description of an experimental rig which may be used to find the relationship between disturbances occurring outside the tank and sloshing happening inside. Different abatement technologies are also discussed to improve the reliability of LNG systems on LNG fueled vessels.


How does the public assess an appropriate financial allocation to science promotion? This article empirically examined the subadditivity effect in the judgment of budgetary allocation. Results of the first experiment showed that the ratio of the national budget allocated for science promotion by participants increased when science was decomposed into more specific categories compared to when it was presented as "science promotion" alone. Consistent with these findings, results of the second experiment showed that the allotment ratio to science promotion decreased when the number of other expenditure items increased. Meanwhile, the third experiment revealed that in the case of a budgetary cutback, the total amount taken from science promotion greatly increased when science was decomposed into subcategories. The subadditivity effect and increase in the total allotment ratio by unpacking science promotion was confirmed by these three experiments not only on budgetary allocation but also on budgetary cutback.


Applications of neural networks in bioinformatics have expanded tremendously in recent years due to the capabilities of neural networks to solve biological problems. Neural networks have been implemented in numerous biological fields. In this paper, standard radial basis function and modular radial basis function neural networks are used to classify protein sequences to multiple classes. n-gram method is used to transform protein features to real values. A learning strategy known as the selforganized selection of centers is presented. In this strategy, a training algorithm based on subtractive clustering is used to train the network. The radial basis function created by the newrb function from Matlab uses gradient based iterative method as the learning strategy. The proposed method is implemented in the Matlab which creates a new network that undergo a hybrid learning process. The networks called SC/RBF (Subtractive Clustering–Radial Basis Function) and SC/Modular RBF (Subtractive Clustering-Modular Radial Basis Function) are used to test against the standard Radial Basis Function and modular Radial Basis Function in protein classification. Classification criteria consist of two heuristic rules are implemented to test on the classification performance rate. The real world problem that has been considered is classification of human protein sequences into ten different superfamilies which based on protein function groups. These human protein sequences are downloaded from Protein Information Resource (PIR) database.


'Business as usual' in contemporary Albania takes place between different and conflicting systems of meaning and value. Drawing from ethnographic material collected in Tirana, Albania, this article examines the complexities of social and economic life in a city where distinct moral economies routinely clash with the capitalist principle of profit. Starting from the ethnographic impulse to learn how two local booksellers made sense of the contradictory systems of meaning operating in their everyday lives, the analysis shows how a grinding of discordant value systems produced the more general paradox of an 'ordinary tragedy'.


The debate as to whether courts are too eager, or not eager enough, in holding that government regulations violate individuals' fundamental rights has raged across decades and across jurisdictions. The underlying considerations are particularly acute when the courts concerned are supranational courts – and thus further removed than national judges from the societies affected by their judgments. The European Court of Human Rights has grappled with this issue by developing the concept of a margin of appreciation and thereby according to Contracting States an element of judgment in securing the rights enshrined in the Convention. The margin of appreciation has been central to the jurisprudence of the Court and is of major importance to the Contracting States. It has assumed even more significance as the Court, through its case law, has expanded Convention rights. This paper focuses on the use by the Court of the concept of a margin of appreciation and considers, in particular, whether the use of that concept provides a sufficient safeguard against what some people see as an overactive court which has interpreted the Convention in a manner that the original Contracting States could never have envisaged.


This research examines attitudes among young people in Scotland towards women politicians. I analysed constructions and self-constructions of women leaders in online political news and the leaders' reception by Scottish teenagers. I conducted Feminist Critical Discourse Analysis of digital representations of three party-leaders: Nicola Sturgeon, Ruth Davidson and Kezia Dugdale. I analysed semantic agency conferred via verbal processes, social actor representations and images. The leaders were predominantly constructed using verbal processes with a high level of semantic agency. These progressive constructions were undermined by instances of gendered discourses in clickbait headlines, images, reported speech and embedded tweets. Digital practices in news-generation affects representations of gendered power in new ways. The leaders' self-constructions differed substantially; Dugdale used fewer agentive processes than Sturgeon or Davidson. The focus group data mirrored this; Sturgeon and Davidson were perceived as strong leaders, Dugdale as ineffectual. I presented digital stimuli to Scottish young people in focus groups to elicit discussion about the leaders and digital politics. Stimuli foregrounding hegemonic gendered representations elicited similar responses. Yet participants positively evaluated the leaders' debating skills, signalling a normalisation of women in the public sphere, and read passion as synonymous with power, suggesting that conventionally defined characteristics of femininity are being recoded from 'weak' to 'strong.' Participants were knowledgeable about digital image-management. Their observations of authenticity were recurrent regarding 'staged' photographs, public speaking skills and politicians tweeting. They also displayed understanding of the motivations and impact of content-creators' choices in online news. They held strong opinions about Twitter as an inappropriate site for political debate. Overall, encouragingly, numerous hegemonic representations were resisted by both content-creators and young people - but women leaders' symbolic exclusion from authoritative leadership has mutated into online discursive news practices. Strategies may be identified to regulate genre conventions and digital practices to construct women without relying on gendered discourses.


Like most complex tasks, .NET programming is fraught with potential costly, and time-consuming hazards. The millions of Microsoft developers worldwide who create applications for the .NET platform can attest to that. Thankfully there's now a book that shows you how to avoid such costly and time-consuming mistakes. It's called .NET Gotchas. The ultimate guide for efficient, pain-free coding, .NET Gotchas from O'Reilly contains 75 common .NET programming pitfalls--and advice on how to work around them. It will help you steer away from those mistakes that cause application performance problems, or so taint code that it just doesn't work right. The book is organized into nine chapters, each focusing on those features and constructs of the .NET platform that consistently baffle developers. Within each chapter are several "gotchas," with detailed examples, discussions, and guidelines for avoiding them. No doubt about it, when applied, these concise presentations of best practices will help you lead a more productive, stress-free existence. What's more, because code examples are written in both VB.NET and C#, .NET Gotchas is of interest to more than 75 percent of the growing numbers of .NET programmers. So if you're a .NET developer who's mired in the trenches and yearning for a better way, this book is most definitely for you.