This article provides a substantive discussion of international human rights law and how it can be used in federal and state courts to protect human rights within and outside the United States. It provides a comprehensive analysis of cases and examples of possible areas in which international human rights standards may be used to interpret United States laws. Specifically, the article seeks to promote more extensive use of international human rights laws by United States lawyers. State and federal courts have traditionally used international law for the application and enforcement of treaties to which the United States has been a party. But because the United States ratified few human rights treaties, protection of human rights in this manner has proved difficult. Nonetheless, federal and state court decisions have provided promising precedents for additional applications of human rights law. This article identifies two significant developments: federal courts have held that allegations of violation of customary international law state a cause of action; and federal and state courts have relied upon international human rights laws and standards to defend and expand individual rights. This article addresses the developments in these cases and in cases involving direct application of human rights treaties.


Material processing with laser beams is well-known in nowadays production. Compared to CO2 lasers, modern solid state lasers are, amongst others, popular because of higher energy efficiency and higher absorption when metals like steel and aluminum are irradiated. However, the absorption of metals is not only dependent on the chemical composition of the work piece metal and the laser beam wavelength. Previous investigations determined the oxidation of the surface as an influence on laser beam absorption changes due to multiple irradiation. In this study, a method is presented for considering the absorption coefficient changes caused by surface oxidation in numerical simulations. Reproductions of single trajectories were assigned with appropriate absorption coefficients calculated from a function generated by reference tryouts. With the described approach, benefits are gained for numerical simulations of laser beam forming (like bending) and other processes with an iterative heat input.


The aim of the study was to establish the main kinematic and dynamic parameters that generate the efficiency of vertical and drop jumps. The take-off power was assessed using the following tests: countermovement jump, counter-movement jump with arm swing, jump, drop jump and continuous jump. Kinematic and dynamic parameters of vertical and drop jumps were established using two separate forceplates Kistler Type 9286A and a synchronised 3-D kinematic system CCD SMART-600E. The athlete model was defined with 17 markers sensitive to infra-red light. It was established that the main generators of efficiency in vertical and drop jumps included: take-off velocity, eccentric-concentric time, eccentric impulse, ground contact time and ankle flexion.


This paper explores roles and interventions in IS action research. I draw upon a four-year research project about electronic medical records, conducted in close collaboration with a community partner. Following a self-reflexive stance, I trace the trajectory of the research engagement and the different roles I occupied. To better understand the complex nature of collaboration found within action research projects, I propose conceptualizing action research as a network. The network framework directs our attention to the collective production and the conditions through which roles and interventions come to exist. Thus, interventions and roles can be seen as network effects—they are enacted and supported by the network. Accordingly, roles and interventions are neither simply static and fixed nor fluid and flexible; rather, these are products of past and present attachments. I demonstrate how the different attachments existing in the network at different points in time enable the configuration of particular actors with capacities to enact different roles and interventions in a diversity of contexts and settings. Finally, I illustrate what happens when these attachments are missing and how this influences the researcher's agency.


The nature of harm—and therefore moral judgment—may be misunderstood. Rather than an objective matter of reason, we argue that harm should be redefined as an intuitively perceived continuum. This redefinition provides a new understanding of moral content and mechanism—the constructionist Theory of Dyadic Morality (TDM). TDM suggests that acts are condemned proportional to three elements: norm violations, negative affect, and—importantly—perceived harm. This harm is dyadic, involving an intentional agent causing damage to a vulnerable patient (A→P). TDM predicts causal links both from harm to immorality (dyadic comparison) and from immorality to harm (dyadic completion). Together, these two processes make the "dyadic loop," explaining moral acquisition and polarization. TDM argues against intuitive harmless wrongs and modular "foundations," but embraces moral pluralism through varieties of values and the flexibility of perceived harm. Dyadic morality impacts understandings of moral character, moral emotion, and political/cultural differences, and provides research guidelines for moral psychology.


Depending on the rate of coalescence above a gas distributor in gas fluidized beds, bubbles of diameter approaching the column diameter can be formed. This phenomenon often occurs in columns with a large bed height to bed diameter ratio. In this event, "slugging" is said to occur. The transition from a bubbling regime to a slugging regime is accompanied by a drop in bubble/slug rising velocity. Slug formation is in most cases an undesirable phenomenon: slugs lead to a drop in efficiency of mass transfer processes due to a poor gas-solid contact and in the case of laboratory and pilot plant operation may lead to serious scaling problems. Experiments were performed in a 150 mm diameter column, with three closely sized fractions of river sand particles (diameter of 0.6-0.8 mm, 0.8-1 mm, and 1-1.4 mm). All these experiments were initially conducted using air at ambient temperature and pressure. Air velocities were chosen such that a transition from a bubbling to slugging regime could take place. Different experiments were then performed using a mixture of sand particles (29% of a fraction 0.6-0.8 mm, 23% of a fraction 0.8-1.mm, and 48% of a fraction 1-1.4 mm) at higher fluidization velocities with fully developed slugging under ambient and increased temperatures of 25, 200, 300, and 400°C. The detection system consisted of two pressure-sensing probes spaced 5 cm vertically apart. The shape of the ∆P-time trace from such a pair of pressure probes not only gives a good indication of the presence of a bubble, but also can be used to determine its velocity and size. Initially, correlations taken from the literature for bubble and slug velocities were compared with the experimental data. In turn, the experimental data was then used to train a neural network. A feed-forward back-propagation neural network was employed to model the relations among particle size, temperature, air fluidization velocity, bubble/slug size and rising velocity. Results indicate the neural network model was capable of predicting the velocities of bubbles and/or slugs and identifying the transition from a bubbling fluidized bed to a slugging bed. An improvement was evident if compared with a previously used criterion for the onset of slugging.


The article is devoted to development of methodological instrumentarium for solving the problem of negative aspects of clustering. For this purpose, special proprietary methodology and system of control of effectiveness of cooperation of enterprises in industrial cluster were developed. The advantages of the developed system of control are simple use, quick results of evaluation, accessibility of initial data for calculation, and possibility for its use not only for existing clusters but the ones that are planned, which allows preventing possible negative aspects of clustering. The authors also conducted approbation of the developed system of effectiveness control of cooperation of enterprises of existing industrial cluster by the example of Volga automobile cluster and the planned metallurgical cluster in Russia.


For me, it was the eyes. With her hand resting easily on the piano, the girl gives the camera a piercing look of pride and self-possession, with just a hint of defiance. That look stirred up deep feelings in me--about music, about daughters (especially prideful, self-possessed, occasionally defiant daughters), about reaching back for the past. I admit--and it became even more plain later, when I knew more--that I brought personal feelings to bear on the image. But this wasn't a time to be an "objective historian." This was a time to indulge, for a moment, the warm, vaguely melancholy feeling that comes from connecting to the past and to remember why I became an historian in the first place. And it was time to learn more.


Helminth is one of the many parasitic groups found on the body of the fish. The helminth parasitic can inflict harm ecologically, biologically and economically. Monitoring of the distribution of disease in fish is crucial especially when the fish has a pattern of migration from one place to another. Fish sampling was carried out in September – October 2012 from the place of landing of Fishes (TPI), i.e. TPI's Pelabuhan Ratu (West Java province), TPI Karangantu (Banten Province), TPI Bandar Lampung province of Bandar Lampung), TPI Muara Angke (DKI Jakarta), and TPI Banyuwangi East Java province). As many as 160 of 218 R. brachysoma (a prevalence 73.38 %), and number of intencity is 1.378 ± 11.96. The helmint parasitic is a Lechitocladium angustiovum (Digenea: Hemiuridae), Lecitochirium sp. (Digenea: Hemiuridae), Prodistomum orientalis (Digenea: Lepocreadiidae) and Anisakis typica (Nematodes: Anisakidae). Differences in characteristics of R. brachysoma habitat will cause differences in the amount, intensity and prevalence of the helminth parasitic species investment in an area. This is related to the behavior of eating and food availability of R. brachysoma. The distribution of the helminth parasitic in the digestive organs is on intestine (13.72%) and stomach (86.28%), utilizing the existing nutrients as food. In very small amounts, the relationship between the parasite and its host is a mutually beneficial symbiotic relationship but in great numbers, the helminth parasitic infection can lead to secondary infections on the infected organs and can lead to decreased metabolism. Keyword: distribution, helminth parasites, short body mackerel, Jawa Sea, Rastrelliger brachysoma


We fabricate slightly deformed fused-silica microspheres in which whispering gallery modes possess remarkably directional escape emission from the microsphere boundary. With efficient free-space excitation and collection, the lateral spatial distribution of whispering gallery modes with different azimuthal mode numbers, m, is directly observed through modal coupling and directional emission. Excellent agreement with theory is obtained.


Despite intensive research, no cure for diabetes is in sight. But an experimental device called an artificial pancreas might improve the lives of millions of people until one comes along. The machine—an insulin pump, a blood glucose sensor, and a computer about the size of a paperback book, all linked by a wireless network—replicates the function of the pancreas that diabetics lack: producing insulin in response to rises in blood glucose level. If tests now in progress show the technology can work efficiently and safely, it could transform the lives of diabetics, improving their health and allowing them something closer to an ordinary life.


We give a de Finetti type representation for exchangeable random coalescent trees (formally described as semi-ultrametrics) in terms of sampling iid sequences from marked metric measure spaces. We apply this representation to define versions of tree-valued Fleming-Viot processes from a $\Xi$-lookdown model. As state spaces for these processes, we use, besides the space of isomorphy classes of metric measure spaces, also the space of isomorphy classes of marked metric measure spaces and a space of distance matrix distributions. This allows to include the case with dust in which the genealogical trees have isolated leaves.


(Au.D.) -- Towson University, 2005. Thesis approval page signed by thesis committee members and the Dean of the College of Graduate Studies and Research included in print copy of thesis.


The effectiveness of a training program is a critical issue faced by all
organizations and training provider. This issue is concerned with the
effectiveness of a training transfer which constitute three major aspect,
knowledge, skills, and attitudes. Participants perception is part of the factors
in contributing towards the effectiveness of a training program. Thus, it must
be taken into consideration when conducting any evaluation on the
effectiveness of a training program.
This study was aimed towards describing participants' perceptions on
the effectiveness of a Team Building program that was conducted through
series of non-lecture activities at Sabha Total Training Center. The objectives
of the study are: (1) to understand the participants' demographic characteristics; (2) to determine the learning abilities (change in skills,
knowledge, and attitude after attending Team Building training program); (3)
to compare the effectiveness between lecture and games (training
methodology) in team building program; and (4) to find out the participants'
reaction towards team building training program.
One hundred questionnaires were sent out to participants in two
organizations that were willing to participate in the study. Participants were
asked to rate the questionnaires constitute of demographic questions,
questions on reaction towards the training program, questions on skills,
knowledge, and attitude towards team building program, and questions on
comparison between lecture and games effectiveness in a team building
program. Data were gathered, coded and then analyzed using Statistical
Package for Social Science (SPSS). Frequencies, mean, median, and
percentage were used in the analysis.


an Inverse Problem DTU Orbit (03/11/2017)  Numerical Approximation of Boundary Control for the Wave Equation with Application to an Inverse Problem We consider a control problem for the wave equation: Given the initial state, find a specific boundary condition, called a control, that steers the system to a desired final state. The Hilbert uniqueness method (HUM) is a mathematical method for the solution of such control problems. It builds on the duality between the control system and its adjoint system, and these systems are connected via a so-called controllability operator. In this project, we are concerned with the numerical approximation of HUM control for the one-dimensional wave equation. We study two semi-discretizations of the wave equation: a linear finite element method (L-FEM) and a discontinuous Galerkin-FEM (DG-FEM). The controllability operator is discretized with both L-FEM and DG-FEM to obtain a HUM matrix. We show that formulating HUM in a sine basis is beneficial for several reasons: (i) separation of low and high frequency waves, (ii) close connection to the dispersive relation, (iii) simple and effective filtering. The dispersive behavior of a discretization is very important for its ability to solve control problems. We demonstrate that the group velocity is determining for a scheme's success in relation to HUM. The vanishing group velocity for high wavenumbers results in a dramatic decay of the corresponding eigenvalues of the HUM matrix and thereby also in a huge condition number. We show that, provided sufficient filtering, the phase velocity decides the accuracy of the computed controls. DG-FEM shows very suitable for the treatment of control problems. The good dispersive behavior is an important virtue and a decisive factor in the success over L-FEM. Increasing the order of DG-FEM even give results of spectral accuracy. The field of control is closely related to other fields of mathematics among these are inverse problems. As an example, we employ a HUM solution to an inverse source problem for the wave equation: Given boundary measurements for a wave problem with a separable source, find the spatial part of the source term. The reconstruction formula depends on a set of HUM eigenfunction controls; we suggest a discretization and show its convergence. We compare results obtained by L-FEM controls and DG-FEM controls. The reconstruction formula is seen to be quite sensitive to control inaccuracies which indeed favors DG-FEM over L-FEM.


A distinguished teacher, botanist, ecologist, and conservationist, Professor Vladimir Joseph Krajina has made major contributions to basic ecology and to the understanding of Canada's natural environment. He has fostered an enviable rigor in the conduct of ecological studies. Combining a unique blend of European and North American ecological approaches to the study of ecosystems, his original synthesis using a biogeoclimatic classification of the ecosystems of British Columbia is now followed both in the classroom and in natural resource management. As a teacher, he has left a strong legacy to ecology through his many students. His achievements in conservation, through the establishment of 117 ecological reserves in British Columbia, devoted solely to ecological research by law, are legendary.


Every year, government takes millions of decisions on matters such as individuals' entitlement to social security, their immigration status, and tax liability. There are significant and pervasive concerns about the quality of these decisions. Government case-workers can make poor decisions if they do not collect all the relevant facts or if they misinterpret the relevant legal rules and guidelines. Poor decision-making means more appeals and challenges, increased costs and time, and stress for the individuals involved. Over recent years, the "right first time" agenda has been advanced as a solution to this problem. This article critically examines this agenda and the mechanisms available to government agencies to improve their decision-making. Recognising the difficulties of measuring the quality of decision-making, the article considers how poor decision-making arises and how it might be remedied. I argue that to improve their decision-making, government agencies need to engage in organisational learning. This occurs when individuals within an organisation experience a problematic mismatch between expected and actual results and inquire into it on the organisation's behalf. Organisations learn when they identify appropriate lessons from history which are then encoded into routines that guide future behaviour. The paper examines mechanisms to improve initial decision-making including: re-organising internal decision processes; using feedback from tribunals; making polluters pay; and modifying agency culture.


Despite progress in representing various populations in clinical research, one group has been left behind: pregnant women. Though millions of pregnant women annually need to use medication, whether to treat chronic illness or prevent infectious disease, pregnant women have been systematically excluded from the social investment in clinical research required to generate evidence to inform their care. This chapter articulates three models that have been advanced for morally framing research with pregnant women: an unfettered protectionist model, in which pregnant women are categorized as a "vulnerable population" for purposes of clinical research; a model of unrestricted deference to the pregnant woman's autonomy; and a model that construes the fetus as a pediatric research subject. Each, it is argued, is critically flawed. With lessons learned from their respective limitations, the chapter points toward ways in which research during pregnancy must be given unique consideration, and toward development of an adequate framework.


This report is the outcome of a month-long practicum and exploratory study of the history of feminist art at de Appel arts centre, an internationally oriented arts center located in Amsterdam. The result of this study is a documentary film exploring the connections between Feministische Kunst Internationaal (Feminist Art International), a show held at de Appel in the winter of 1978-'79, and If I Can't Dance, I Don't Want To Be Part Of Your Revolution (IICD) Edition III "Masquerade," a rolling curatorial platform working in collaboration with de Appel in the fall of 2008. Data was obtained by means of qualitative methods including participant observation, direct observation and focused interviews, and through intensive historical research utilizing the vast array of materials in de Appel's archive. De Appel arts centre has been, and continues to be, a center focused on exposing the public to the latest and most contemporary developments in the art world. The choice to host Feministische Kunst Internationaal in 1978 worked to validate feminist art and the contributions of women-artists at a time when the field was overwhelmingly patriarchal, sexist, and inaccessible to women. Thirty years later, "If I Can't Dance...", in collaboration with de Appel, chose to once again revisit and explore the notions of performativity, agency, empowerment, enactment, and gesture that stem from the legacies of the feminist movement. By refusing to focus on static art forms and by incorporating a vast variety of mediums, publications, and discursive events in their exhibitions, de Appel continues to work to facilitate and encourage much-needed further discussion, thinking, and debate about the topics they explore. It is concluded that the themes and issues feminist artists dealt with in the late 1970s, as well as the surrounding theoretical debates about the nature and role of feminism, are all still extremely relevant today. I conclude that it is vital to re-examine the history of feminism, and especially the history of feminist art because of the vast number of relevant ideas and debates that are still unresolved. Perhaps by looking back and examining our history, we can once again begin a discussion about the relevance of feminism and feminist ideas today. Suggestions for future research include the effectiveness of art as a political tool in the realm of feminism/gender, art as social activism, the degree of public accessibility and knowledge to new developments in the art world, or a study of public reactions to the variety of mediums employed in future editions of "If I Can't Dance...". Art, feminism, gender, history, identity, sexuality, women


By means of multistable states in semiconductor junction devices treated in this paper, it is demonstrated both theoretically and experimentally that it is feasible to fabricate discrete and integrated circuits with a variable number of stable states. With negative resistance interactions, additional stable states may be realized, leading to integrated circuits with radices higher than binary. Several independent physical phenomena in unipolar and bipolar semiconductor pn junction devices and integrated structures lead to voltage and current-controlled negative resistance without the use of external feedback. These include avalanche breakdown, quantum mechanical tunneling, and minority carrier storage. Two complementary types of negative resistances may be utilized as a basis for generating multistable energy levels.


In recent years, scholarly interest in love has flourished. Historians have addressed the rise of romantic love and marriage in Europe and the United States, while anthropologists have explored the ways globalization has reshaped local ideas about those same topics. Yet love in Africa has been peculiarly ignored, resulting in a serious lack of understanding about this vital element of social life - a glaring omission given the intense focus on sexuality in Africa in the wake of HIV/AIDS. "Love in Africa" seeks both to understand this failure to consider love and to begin to correct it. In a substantive introduction and eight essays that examine a variety of countries and range in time from the 1930s to the present, the contributors collectively argue for the importance of paying attention to the many different cultural and historical strands that constitute love in Africa. Covering such diverse topics as the reception of Bollywood movies in 1950s Zanzibar, the effects of a Mexican telenovela on young people's ideas about courtship in Niger, the models of romance promoted by South African and Kenyan magazines, and the complex relationship between love and money in Madagascar and South Africa, "Love in Africa" is a vivid and compelling look at love's role in African society.


Domination and elaborate control of Africans in colonial America, and later the United States, were exerted to provide the requisite framework for the economically profitable Trans-Atlantic slave trade. Proponents of slavery characterized the aims of slavery in pseudo-paternalistic terms to "train" and "civilize[e] the untutored savage." Even after the formal end of slavery, the U.S. and local governments continued to exercise its domination and elaborate control by enforcing a national system of racial segregation and discrimination. That system of government-sanctioned laws was so pervasive and commonly accepted that it has been personified as "Jim Crow." As a result, racial hierarchy is firmly entrenched in American society. That hierarchy, and the lingering vestiges of slavery, is evident in current American education, justice and economic systems. The nearly 400 year old injury caused by institutionalized racial supremacy and discrimination in America has yet to heal. Reparations as a remedy for those injustices have been sought for nearly as long. This Article aims to add to the reparations scholarship through an exploration of how the common law trust relationship created between the United States government and African Americans is similar to the government's common law trust relationship with Native Americans. That common law trust relationship can and should be a vehicle for establishing an equitable right to African American post-slavery reparations claims. In order to secure those damages, a viable waiver of sovereign immunity must be established. This Article will also explore the establishment of a waiver of the government's sovereign immunity by the United States for the disbursement of slave reparations. The existing Native American trust case law supports the argument that a common law trust relationship and any subsequent breach of those resulting duties provide plaintiffs a right to an accounting from the government as well as a substantive right to monetary damages.


Abstract There is a joint development towards Europeanisation of public policies and an increasing visibility and politicisation of European issues in EU member states. In this context, the degree of fit between individuals' policy preferences and European norms could be expected to influence support for the EU: this support might increase when Europeanisation makes the desired policies more likely, and decrease when it hinders these policies. Multilevel analyses of the 2014 wave of the European Election Study confirms the existence of such instrumental support for the EU. The findings demonstrate that this support is shaped by policy preferences on state intervention, immigration, moral issues and environmental protection. The results also show that the impact of these policy preferences is modulated by the level of integration of the designated policy, by the weight of the policy issue in the country and, in some cases, by the level of individual political knowledge.


Takt time planning has recently received a lot of attention in lean construction community. However, very few empirical results have been reported. This paper presents a takt time planning case study from a closely related industry, cruise ship cabin refurbishment. The results of lean implementation in the case company have been very good, including productivity increase to 380% of baseline, WIP decrease of 99%, quality defect decrease of 99% and project lead time reduction of 73%. The paper reviews the process used and compares and contrasts the takt time method implemented by case company and the process proposed for construction in previous lean construction conferences. The implemented takt time method was found to be similar to the method proposed in previous lean construction conferences but it includes several additional process steps such as explicitly considering material logistics and garbage collection and real-time data collection. The main differences between project types are in logistics setup and business drivers impacting desire to cut lead time over improving resource efficiency. Interestingly, cycle time reduction achieved both goals in the case company. The contribution of this paper is to show the benefits of takt time planning and to propose additional components to takt time planning process.


Ecosystem physical structure, defined by the quantity and spatial distribution of biomass, influences a range of ecosystem functions. Remote sensing tools permit the non-destructive characterization of canopy and root features, potentially providing opportunities to link above- and belowground structure at fine spatial resolution in functionally meaningful ways. To test this possibility, we employed ground-based portable canopy LiDAR (PCL) and ground penetrating radar (GPR) along co-located transects in forested sites spanning multiple stages of ecosystem development and, consequently, of structural complexity. We examined canopy and root structural data for coherence (i.e., correlation in the frequency of spatial variation) at multiple spatial scales ≤10 m within each site using wavelet analysis. Forest sites varied substantially in vertical canopy and root structure, with leaf area index and root mass more becoming even vertically as forests aged. In all sites, above- and belowground structure, characterized as mean maximum canopy height and root mass, exhibited significant coherence at a scale of 3.5–4 m, and results suggest that the scale of coherence may increase with stand age. Our findings demonstrate that canopy and root structure are linked at characteristic spatial scales, which provides the basis to optimize scales of observation. Our study highlights the potential, and limitations, for fusing LiDAR and radar technologies to quantitatively couple above- and belowground ecosystem structure.


Pancreatic lobules from fasted rats secrete pulse-labeled proteins in two phases comprising 15 and 85% of basal output, respectively. The first (0-6.5 h) is initially (less than or equal to 0.5 h) unstimulated by secretagogues, probably represents vesicular traffic of Golgi and post-Golgi origin (including condensing vaculoles/immature granules), and notably contains two groups of polypeptides with distinct release rates: zymogens (t1/2 approximately 2.4 h) and minor nonzymogens plus one unique zymogen (t1/2 approximately 1 h). The second phase (peak at 9-10 h) is stimulable, probably represents basal granule exocytosis (t1/2 approximately 5 h), and contains zymogens exclusively. Newly synthesized proteins released in both phases appear asynchronously, reiterating their asynchronous transport through intracellular compartments. Zymogens in both phases are secreted apically. The sorting of first from second phase zymogen release does not appear to be carrier-mediated, although the sorting of zymogens from other secretory proteins may use this process. Finally, data are presented that suggest that both secretory phases are subject to physiologic regulation.


There appears to be widespread agreement that optimal new product development programs require a balance between customer-led and lead-the-customer innovation practices. The former is associated with adaptive learning inspired incremental innovation, whereas the latter is associated with generative-learning-inspired radical innovation. There is debate, however, as to whether a strong market orientation can facilitate this balance. Some believe that a strong market orientation causes firms to overemphasize customer-led incremental innovations. Others believe that a strong market orientation can facilitate this balance but assert that traditional measures of market orientation only capture the types of behaviors associated with customer-led incremental innovations. This latter concern has led some to abandon the single-construct operationalization of market orientation and to introduce two constructs—responsive and proactive market orientation—into the literature. The purpose of this research is to address these developments. The study makes use of a national sample of marketing executives and employs a cross-sectional survey design. Measures used are market orientation, radical and incremental innovation priority, generative and adaptive learning priority, and new product success. Confirmatory factor analyses and structural equations models are employed to develop measures and to test hypotheses. The study's results reaffirm the position that a strong market orientation helps facilitate a balance between incremental and radical innovation by shifting firms' innovation priority more toward radical innovation activities. It also suggests that the abandonment of traditional conceptualizations and measures of market orientation are premature.


Recently concern about aviation security has focused on the work of airport security
screeners who detect threat items in passengers' luggage. An effective method of training
and screening is required for improving screeners' detection abilities and performance to
cope with the unreliable human performance of screening. The overall aim of this thesis is
to understand and define the potential visual and cognitive factors in the task of
inspecting airport passengers' X-ray luggage images, examine usability of perceptual
feedback in this demanding task and develop a new method of salient regions which
assist screeners to detect targets. The result of this work would obtain knowledge and
skills of X-ray luggage images examination, provide insight into the design of training
system and develop a method to significantly enhance screeners' detection ability.
A questionnaire was developed for screeners to extract the expertise of the screening
task and investigate the effect of image features on visual attention. A series of
experiments were designed to understand the screening task and explore how
knowledge and skills are developed with practice. Results indicated that training under
time stressed conditions is recommended for ensuring adequate high detection ability in
real life situation as screeners have to balance accuracy and speed in time pressure. The
advantages of screeners are better detection ability and search skills which were gained
by experience of the search task. Hit rate of naive people was improved with the
perceptual exposure of images of threat items. However, scanning did not become
efficient. It has demonstrated that detection performance and search skills are improved
by the practice of frequency exposure targets in the search task and such ability partly
transfer to novel targets. Learning in visual search of threat items is stimuli specific such
that familiarity with stimulus and task is the source of performance enhancement. Threat
items should be updated constantly and massive amount of X-ray threat objects should
be employed for airport security screeners training so as to enlarge object knowledge and
enhance recognition ability.
Perceptual feedback of circling areas with dwell duration longer than 1000ms does not
Significantly improve observers' detection ability in the airport screening task. Features of
bags and threat items influence initial attention and attention allocation in the search
process. Salient regions, based on the pure stimulus properties, not only contain most of
targets in X-ray images but also improve observers' detection performance of high hit rate
by forcing observers to scrutinize these areas carefully.


Purpose To evaluate clinical outcomes and complications after Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK) and posterior iris-claw aphakic intraocular lens (IOL) implantation. Methods This prospective cohort study comprised seven consecutive eyes (seven patients) without adequate capsular support and bullous keratopathy undergoing posterior iris-claw aphakic IOL implantation and DMEK. Corneal transparency, central corneal thickness, endothelial cell density, visual outcomes and complication rates were measured during the follow-up. Results The iris-claw IOLs were inserted during an IOL exchange in three eyes, and as a secondary IOL implantation in one aphakic eye during DMEK procedure. Three eyes had IOL exchange prior to secondary DMEK. Mean follow-up was 7 months (range 3–14 months). The final best spectacle-corrected visual acuity improved significantly (0.33±0.31 logMAR) compared with the preoperative best spectacle-corrected visual acuity (1.84±0.90 logMAR). The mean endothelial cell loss was 24.8% over the follow-up. Complications included graft dislocation in four eyes; which could be easily reattached with a rebubbling procedure. No graft failures, no cases of pupillary block glaucoma and no IOL dislocations were encountered. Conclusions DMEK and retropupillar iris-claw IOL implantation provide good visual outcomes with a fast visual recovery and appear to be a feasible method for the management of bullous keratopathy but with higher graft detachment rates. Trial registration number NCT02020044.


The history of science is all around us, if you know where to look. With this unique traveler's guide, you'll learn about 128 destinations around the world where discoveries in science, mathematics, or technology occurred or is happening now. Travel to Munich to see the world's largest science museum, watch Foucault's pendulum swinging in Paris, ponder a descendant of Newton's apple tree at Trinity College, Cambridge, and more. Each site in "The Geek Atlas" focuses on discoveries or inventions, and includes information about the people and the science behind them. Full of interesting photos and illustrations, the book is organized geographically by country (and within the U.S. by state), complete with latitudes and longitudes for GPS devices. Notable destinations include: Bletchley Park in the UK, where the Enigma code was broken; The Horn Antenna in Holmdel, New Jersey, where the Big Bang theory was accidentally confirmed; The Trinity Test site in New Mexico, where the first atomic bomb was exploded; The Alan Turing Memorial in Manchester, England; The National Cryptologic Museum in Fort Meade, Maryland; and, The Joint Genome Institute in Walnut Creek, California You won't find tedious, third-rate museums, or a tacky plaque stuck to a wall stating that 'Professor X slept here'. Every site in this book has real scientific, mathematical, or technological interest - places guaranteed to make every geek's heart pound a little faster. Plan a trip with "The Geek Atlas" and make your own discoveries along the way.


Nanomedicine has attracted great interest in the past few decades. The possibility to reduce sizes down to the micro and nanoscale enables a whole new set of physical phenomena that promises to completely change and revolutionize the way of diagnosing and treating patients. Moreover, the advancements in synthesis and fabrication precision allow for more complex nanomedical platforms to treat a variety of diseases. In cancer therapy, the need for highly selective targeted delivery and real time tracking inside the body led to the development of a broad range of nanocarriers, which differ in formulation, shape and mechanisms of action. Among all the possible carriers, gold nanoparticles offer a well established synthesis process, high biocompatibility, particle tunability, and possibility of surface functionalization. In this work, the interaction between gold nanoparticles and a syngeneic murine Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) model named Lewis Lung Carcinoma (LLC) is studied. Moreover, the synthesis of two different sizes of gold nanoparticles and their modification in stability, cellular uptake and physicochemical properties upon surface modification is investigated. Among several possible functionalization moieties, Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA) has been studied in detail and the highest possible coating concentration achieved without compromising particle stability is reported. The toxicity and treatment efficacy of the synthesized particles alone and in combination with radiation therapy are studied in vitro. Furthermore, different in vivo experiments are presented to evaluate if gold nanoparticles can work as radiosensitizers in radiation therapy and as contrast agent in CT scan. Tumor 3D reconstructions are presented to correlate over time bare and functionalized particle distribution and retention in vivo in a tumor-bearing mouse. The overall aim of the project is to compare different particle sizes, with corresponding different surface modifications to determine the best candidate for the development of a theranostic platform for cancer therapy. In conclusion, a preliminary study for the future combination of gold nanoparticles radiosensitization and immunotherapy to achieve an abscopal effect in secondary and metastatic tumors is shown.


AIM : To establish the role of Sinusitis as Focal sepsis in Chronic Otitis media active mucosal disease, to emphasize the need of proper diagnostic endoscopic evaluation and improvement in middle ear mucosal disease status after functional endoscopic sinus surgery.
METHODS : 60 Patients in the age groups of 18-49 years Chronic otitis media active mucosal disease were identified and screened for evidence of Focal Sepsis in Pasanasal sinus by Diagnostic Nasal endoscopy and computed tomography of paranasal diseases. Then Functional endoscopic sinus surgery was done to clear sinusitis and middle ear mucosal disease status assessed.
RESULTS :Evaluation revealed that sinusitis in these patients was the cause for persistent discharge. All patients had one or more evidence of sinusitis like pus in middle meatus, deviated nasal septum and turbinoseptal deformities, prominent enlarged bullae, enlarged middle turbinate on DNE and CT. The otoendoscopy showed inflamed and boggy middle ear mucosal status. All patients underwent septoplasty/FESS depending on findings. Out of 60 patients 52 patient had improvement in middle ear mucosal status with surgery.
CONCLUSION :In the adult population sinusitis is the most important focal sepsis in case of persistent ear discharge in Chronic Otitis Media active mucosal type of disease.A proper diagnostic nasal evaluation of all Chronic Otitis Media active mucosal type of patients is necessary in comprehensive management of the disease. The clearance of sinusitis has improved the middle ear mucosal status. Unilateral ear discharge is associated with sinusitis only on the corresponding side, which is in concurrence with our study. Functional endoscopic sinus surgery has emerged as the best procedure for clearance of sinusitis.


Abstract. In Japan, research on urban residential differentiation has been carried out since the 1970s. Most of this research has focused on large cities using social area analysis and factorial ecology. The poor availability of small area statistics hindered research on urban residential differentiation until the end of the 1960s. Therefore, previous studies that focused on the modern cities in Japan used region-specific materials. For example, Ueno (1981) who studied in Tokyo in the 1920s used the census data calculated by the Tokyo City Office and Mizuuchi (1982) who studied in Osaka from the 1860s to the 1930s used various statistics created by the prefectural police and so on. For this reason, it is difficult to explore the inter-city comparison on the residential differentiation during the period of modernization in Japan.This study assesses the possibility of utilizing telephone directories as a data source to determine differences in geographical residence on the basis of occupation and visualize the distribution of white-collar workers' residences in the mid-1930s in three Japanese cities: Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto. Although the regional situation on the penetration of telephones needs to be considered, the inter-city comparison becomes possible since the telephone directories in which the occupation of telephone subscribers was recorded was made available nationwide in the pre-war period. Since the white-collar workers during that period relatively belonged to the high class, many of them were considered subscribing to telephones. In addition, white-collar workers changed the previous urban structure that consisted of merchants and craftsmen into a modern one. Therefore, white-collar workers are a suitable subject for analyzing the telephone directory and the residential differentiation in the mid-1930s.


There is no credible methodology for knowledge management systems development (KMSD). We report on a KMSD approach that has emerged from an investigation based on action research and grounded theory into a number of business problems experienced by organizations. The KMSD approach is highly participatory, requiring full involvement of members of an organization. It has three interacting aspects: envisioning knowledge work behaviour, design of knowledge management system (KMS), and exploring technology options for supporting the KMS. In the first of these aspects, challenges and opportunities in an organization's current situation are analysed and an improved situation is envisioned to expose knowledge concepts and their properties. In the second, a logical design of a KMS is produced using knowledge entities, knowledge flows and knowledge interfaces; the design is guided and constrained by an organization's structure, culture, and resources. The third aspect is to do with introducing appropriate IT into KMS design, integrating organizational, social and technological aspects of the system. The paper describes this KMSD approach and how it emerged from both practical and theoretical investigation.


Synopsis-After a review of the development of extensible papers, a description of the double-roll compacting process and its variables is given . Its principal feature is the venturi section formed in the nip between a rubber and a steel roll, between which the paper web passes in a semi-dry state. On running the rubber roll more slowly than the steel roll, the web will shrink in the machine-direction . Experiments on a pilot machine showed an increase in the compacting effect with increasing nip pressure and speed difference, though with certain limitations . When considering nip width and peripheral speed difference as primary variables, however, linear relationships with the paper properties were found . The nip width will vary with the nip pressure and rubber thickness and hardness . The mechanism of double-roll compacting is considered to involve tangential forces, which move the rubber towards the back side of the nip, where it contracts, thereby shrinking the web . The structure of the resulting extensible paper was examined by photomicrographs of surface and cross-sections, by measuring the thickness changes on stretching and by load elongation measurements . The fibres appear curved after the compacting operation . This will result in the breaking of bonds when stretching the paper and in an ultimate breaking load lower than for flat kraft . The total rupture energy, however, is considerably higher. An apparent increase in the rubber roll diameter on increasing nip pressure was observed . This will cause a decrease in the mean speed difference at the nip . At a limited set speed difference, the rubber roll was found to change from being driven to be driving on increasing the nip pressure. In an appendix, the nip width and the slip have been treated theoretically as well as experimentally .


Given the paucity of archaeogenetic data available for medieval European populations in comparison to other historical periods, the genetic landscape of this age appears as a puzzle of dispersed, small, known pieces. In particular, Southeastern Europe has been scarcely investigated to date. In this paper, we report the study of mitochondrial DNA in 10th century AD human samples from Capidava necropolis, located in Dobruja (Southeastern Romania, Southeastern Europe). This geographical region is particularly interesting because of the extensive population flux following diverse migration routes, and the complex interactions between distinct population groups during the medieval period. We successfully amplified and typed the mitochondrial control region of 10 individuals. For five of them, we also reconstructed the complete mitochondrial genomes using hybridization-based DNA capture combined with Next Generation Sequencing. We have portrayed the genetic structure of the Capidava medieval population, represented by 10 individuals displaying 8 haplotypes (U5a1c2a, V1a, R0a2'3, H1, U3a, N9a9, H5e1a1, and H13a1a3). Remarkable for this site is the presence of both Central Asiatic (N9a) and common European mtDNA haplotypes, establishing Capidava as a point of convergence between East and West. The distribution of mtDNA lineages in the necropolis highlighted the existence of two groups of two individuals with close maternal relationships as they share the same haplotypes. We also sketch, using comparative statistical and population genetic analyses, the genetic relationships between the investigated dataset and other medieval and modern Eurasian populations.


Potential solutions for energy storage are presented, in the context of renewable energies and in relation with new opportunities in the domain of the use of classical resources as fossils. From the classical pumped hydro storage to smaller energy quantities in decentralized generation concepts, there are many advantages to use energy storage equipments in transmission and distribution sector. The paper gives an overview on actually and in the near future industrialized energy storage means. Also for transportation systems, new concepts as "Downsizing" or power assistance can bring many savings in the energy consumption of actual and future society. The considerations include reflections on life cycle of technology and recycling.


Linear programming application for optimal active power flow under constraints shows very good results, without causing particular problems. However, the same technique is more difficult to apply to reactive power optimization, due to the nonlinearity of relations between the reactive power injections and the voltages. An iterative and decoupled method, based on optimization of injected reactive currents, for minimizing the production cost and active losses under bus voltage and branch flow constraints, is proposed. An illustrative example applied to an actual 220/125 kV network shows the possibilities, the efficiency and the limits of this method


A manual covering the basic principles of effective design directed at professionals using traditional typesetting equipment and nondesigners working with desktop publishing. Practical information is given on how to choose typeface and size, the selection of column width, headlines and subheads, pictures and legends. There are rules for punctuation, explanations of common symbols, instructions for setting up tables and advise on constructing a publication from front to back. The author, an award-winning designer, has also written "Graphic Idea Notebook".


Abstract When Pierre de Coubertin died in 1937, he left an impressive amount of writings, which have enabled international sport historians to research his modern Olympic Games to this day. Besides the written sources on Olympic history, other artefacts play a minor role in the research of sport historians; visual sources such as artworks, in particular, have been overlooked and consequently are not used to their full potential. This observation does not seem to be important unless Pierre de Coubertin's artistic family background is taken into account. The fact that his father, Charles de Coubertin (1822–1908), had been a painter sheds new light on visual sources and makes it necessary to take a more detailed look at them. This paper concentrates on one of Charles de Coubertin's paintings, which is exhibited in the Olympic Museum in Lausanne. Drawing on Olympic history documents and art historical sources, the painting is decoded according to an art history method. Beyond that, artefacts created by the artist were discovered in the archives of the descendants of the Coubertin family. The combination of these sources evidences that Charles de Coubertin was a close observer of his son's ideas and witnessed developments in Olympic history.


While there are a few examples of (sub)titles placed individually in the image as a means of translation of an additional language into the film's main language, this practice has not yet been used to commercially translate a complete film for a foreign target audience. Using eye tracking data, this study examines to what extent the placement and design of (sub)titles affect reading time and the visual perception of the image. The applied placement strategies were based on the undistracted focus points of 14 English native participants and image composition principles from film studies. Additional 31 German participants with little or no knowledge of English watched the English film with traditional subtitles or integrated titles. The results of the eye tracking data analysis indicate that, while reaction time (time to first fixation) increases, the reading time (total visit duration) for integrated titles decreases, the viewers are less likely to focus on the title area before the title appears and their focus resembles the undistracted gaze behaviour of the native participants to a much greater degree. Additionally, the split attention between image and title shifts towards the image. Integrated titles appear to motivate the viewer to return to the focal points faster and spend more time exploring the image in between titles. Their placement allows for shorter saccades and thereby decreases the time in which no visual information is obtained.


[1] We present an intercomparison and verification analysis of 20 GCMs (Global Circulation Models) included in the 4th IPCC assessment report regarding their representation of the hydrological cycle on the Danube river basin for 1961–2000 and for the 2161–2200 SRESA1B scenario runs. The basin-scale properties of the hydrological cycle are computed by spatially integrating the precipitation, evaporation, and runoff fields using the Voronoi-Thiessen tessellation formalism. The span of the model- simulated mean annual water balances is of the same order of magnitude of the observed Danube discharge of the Delta; the true value is within the range simulated by the models. Some land components seem to have deficiencies since there are cases of violation of water conservation when annual means are considered. The overall performance and the degree of agreement of the GCMs are comparable to those of the RCMs (Regional Climate Models) analyzed in a previous work, in spite of the much higher resolution and common nesting of the RCMs. The reanalyses are shown to feature several inconsistencies and cannot be used as a verification benchmark for the hydrological cycle in the Danubian region. In the scenario runs, for basically all models the water balance decreases, whereas its interannual variability increases. Changes in the strength of the hydrological cycle are not consistent among models: it is confirmed that capturing the impact of climate change on the hydrological cycle is not an easy task over land areas. Moreover, in several cases we find that qualitatively different behaviors emerge among the models: the ensemble mean does not represent any sort of average model, and often it falls between the models' clusters.


This thesis examines Dorothy Richardson's thirteen-volume novel sequence Pilgrimage (1915-1967) as a doubly autobiographical text. Pilgrimage is widely considered to be a fictionalised retelling of Richardson's own life, and many critics have found little difference between the lives of Dorothy Richardson and her protagonist Miriam Henderson. Following the Kunstlerroman tradition, Richardson's novel sequence concerns itself exclusively with the life and coming to adulthood of Miriam Henderson who, like her creator, has an interest in documenting her own life. Thus, as Pilgrimage is the product of Richardson's struggle to find a place within literature, it is Miriam's too.
I begin by foregrounding the theoretical landscape of autobiographical theory to date, focusing on feminist works and noting a historical concentration on male autobiography in critical pieces. In particular, Laura Marcus's Auto/biographical Discourses (1994) and Max Saunders' Self Impression (2010) are used to discuss the uneasy space Pilgrimage occupies as an example of autobiographical fiction, fitting into neither binary genre.
Pilgrimage is then read chronologically, noting Richardson's development as a writer alongside her protagonist's. Miriam is a voracious reader and the progression of her interest in reading is discussed throughout this thesis, finding the influence of a variety of writers such as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Ouida, Charlotte Bronte, Henry James and more. The following of this interest in literature is accompanied by a tracking of the narrative innovations Richardson employs in the writing of the Pilgrimage sequence, such as narrative shifts and unusual punctuation formations, which she uses to suggest points in the text in which Miriam can be seen to be telling her life story in the same way that Richardson has.
A case is then made for Pilgrimage as doubly autobiographical, meaning that it is Miriam Henderson writing about herself, by Richardson writing about Henderson as herself. This dual mode of life writing can be traced through the novel sequence, developing in its many narrative innovations, as well as in Miriam's clear interest in both the reading and the writing of literature. Pilgrimage then represents both Dorothy Richardson and Miriam Henderson's attempts to represent their lives in literature.


Introduction: Malaria remains the world's leading vector-born cause of mortality and morbidity, and Eastern Uganda contains some of the country's highest prevalence rates. Though academic societies, such as universities, may be prone to high malaria transmission, the extent of the burden Original Research Article Warsame et al.; JAMMR, 33(10): 1-23, 2021; Article no.JAMMR.67472 2 and risk factors in university communities of Eastern Uganda are poorly understood. The aim in this study was to examine malaria prevalence, preventive strategies, and risk factors, among University communities in Eastern Uganda; to inform targeted malaria eradication efforts in academic settings. Methods: A mixed methods approach was applied. A case study of Islamic University in Uganda (IUIU), located in Eastern Uganda, was selected. A retrospective approach was used to determine malaria prevalence in IUIU from August to December 2019. Stratified random sampling was used to select IUIU community members; these were subjected to semi-structured questionnaires and Key informant Interviews (KII) to examine the preventive approaches and risk factors. An observational survey was also conducted to identify barriers to malaria prevention. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, graphs, Chi-square, and pictures; with STATA version-15.0. Results: The study involved 255 respondents (204, 80% students, 51, 20% staff); 130, 51% were males, 125, 49% were females. Malaria prevalence was; 12.9%, 11.7% and 12.7% for students, staff, and the general study population respectively. Lowest prevalence was registered in November (8.3% for students, 0% for staff), and the highest in December (18.4% for students, 6.7% for staff). Overall malaria prevalence in IUIU was significantly greater than Uganda's national prevalence (χ2=182.009; p<0.0001; 95%CI). The commonest intervention was, sleeping under insecticide-treated mosquito-nets (96%), and the rarest was usage of medicinal herbs (15%). Though 41 (17.5%) of respondents who used mosquito-nets never suffered malaria, usage of mosquito-nets was not significantly associated with absence of malaria infection (p = 0.83). The same applied for other interventions except timely testing and treatment (p = 0.02). Most frequently mentioned risk factors were; improper use of mosquito nets (214, 84%), inappropriate depositing of garbage (196, 77%), and "staying out late" (133, 52%). Key barriers to malaria prevention observed were; usage of damaged bed nets (38, 19% of 198), clogged trenches with liquid wastes, and perforated wire meshes in ventilators. Conclusion: The overall prevalence of malaria in IUIU community was 12.7%; and was significantly higher than Uganda's national prevalence (7%). Usage of insecticide-treated bed-nets was the commonest intervention, but showed no statistically significant association with malaria non-prevalence. Awareness programs should be enhanced to address inappropriate use of malaria control methods/tools, because the widespread adoption of these interventions alone did not effectively curb the burden.


Purpose of the Study:Primary congenital glaucoma (PCG OMIM 231300) can be caused by pathogenic sequence variations in cytochrome P450, subfamily 1, polypeptide 1 (CYP1B1). The purpose of this study was to investigate the contribution of sequence variations in CYP1B1 in a cohort of individuals with PCG residing in Denmark. Methods:The study included 37 unrelated individuals with PCG. Individuals were investigated for CYP1B1 mutations by Sanger sequencing of polymerase chain reaction products using BigDye terminators and capillary electrophoresis. Results:A total of 12 mutations were identified and 5 of these were novel. Six were missense mutations; 4 were truncating mutations (2 nonsense and 2 frameshift); 1 was an in-frame deletion and 1 was an in-frame duplication. Mutations in CYP1B1 could fully explain the PCG phenotype in 7 individuals (18%). Five individuals were compound heterozygous or presumed compound heterozygous, 1 was homozygous and 1 was apparently homozygous. Three individuals were heterozygous for sequence variations in CYP1B1 thought to be pathogenic—one of these was p.(Tyr81Asn). Several known sequence variations with presumably no functional effect were found in the cohort. Conclusions:In this study, we identified 12 CYP1B1 mutations, 5 of which were novel. The frequency of CYP1B1 mutations in this cohort was comparable with other populations. We also detected an individual heterozygous for p.(Tyr81Asn) mutation, previously suggested to cause autosomal dominant primary open-angle glaucoma.


1. Central respiratory response to acute (10 min) hypoxia, as measured by phrenic nerve activity, was determined in peripheral chemo‐denervated cats. 2. Hypoxia was induced by ventilating cats for 10 min at reduced inspired oxygen levels (inspired O2 fraction, FI,O2 = 0.06‐0.15). The degree of hypoxaemia was determined from an arterial blood sample and ranged from 'severe' (arterial O2 pressure, Pa,O2 less than 26 Torr) to 'mild' (Pa,O2 greater than 35 Torr). The respiratory response was monitored for 1 h following return to ventilation with 100% oxygen. 3. The results confirmed the finding of prolonged (greater than 60 min) inhibition of respiration upon return to hyperoxic conditions following severe hypoxia, as reported previously (Millhorn, Eldridge, Kiley & Waldrop, 1984). A new finding was a long‐lasting (greater than 60 min) facilitation of respiration following exposure to less severe (Pa,O2 greater than 35 Torr) hypoxia. 4. Medullary extracellular fluid pH was measured in six cats. Changes in pH could not explain either the prolonged inhibition following severe hypoxia or the long‐lasting facilitation observed following mild hypoxia. 5. Ablation studies were performed in order to determine the locations of the neuronal substrates for the inhibitory and facilitatory mechanisms. The results of this series of experiments indicate that the mesencephalon is necessary for activation of the inhibitory mechanism, while the facilitatory mechanism requires the presence of higher brain structures, notably the diencephalon. 6. Following removal of the diencephalon, the inhibitory response was seen following even mild hypoxic insults, i.e. those shown to produce facilitation in animals with intact brains. In the absence of the mesencephalon, neither prolonged inhibition nor prolonged facilitation could be produced following hypoxia. 7. It is proposed that there are two centrally mediated long‐lasting responses to acute hypoxia. Facilitation is seen following mild hypoxia. Inhibition is more likely following severe hypoxia. However, both mechanisms appear to be triggered simultaneously and the output of the central respiratory controller reflects the influence of each.


This paper is an empirical study of redistributive preferences. Our interest is what motivates net contributors to support redistributive policies. Using instrumental variable estimation and exploiting a particularity of the Spanish labour market we estimate how workers' declared preferences for unemployment benefits spending respond to changes in the local unemployment rate. We then decompose this response into the part explained by risk aversion, and thus demand for insurance, and the part explained by the public goods nature of redistribution. Our results suggest that the declared preferences of workers for unemployment benefits spending are driven by demand for insurance rather than any public goods component. We show how these results suggest that preferences for redistribution in the form of unemployment benefits are driven by insurance considerations rather than by any public goods consideration.


Today, data traffic is increasing at an unprecedented rate and has pushed the existing
network infrastructure to the limit particularly in the access layer. There has been many
development of high speed protocols to meet the demands but the existing physical
medium, which consists of copper-based network, do not have the capabilities to support
these protocols. This is the reason why the problem of access network bottleneck still
exists and has severely hinders the ability of service providers to offer new high-speed
data services to their customer.
Telephone companies are now working enthusiastically to switch from copper to fiber
based network: Fiber-To-The-Home (FTTH); one that is inexpensive, simple, scalable,
and capable of delivering bundled voice, data and video services to an end-user over a
single network. However, there is still one obstacle, which has been generally
overlooked, which is, providing protection to the access line. The fiber optics access
mainly consists of a single fiber running upstream and a single fiber running
downstream. If a protection path were to be created, the network provider would have to
lay another 2 fibers on the network. This would increase deployment costs and also costs for the subscribers. Thus, a new way of providing fault tolerance to the system has to be
introduced, by taking costs consideration and also efficiency in deploying the solution.
In this thesis, three novel cost efficient schemes for providing fault tolerance to the
FTTH system are introduced and methodologies to detect failures are also suggested. In
'Asynchronous Transfer Mode Passive Optical Network (APON) FTTH access network
with an intra network switch' scheme, various classes of traffic, which logically
represent different applications based on their Quality of Service (QoS) requirements, are
defined. Access packets are switched to available working Optical Line Terminals
(OLTs) according to prioritization in time of failure. In 'Time Slots Switching (TSS)'
protection scheme, a new algorithm is proposed to cut off the empty portion of a time
slot and the proposed switch will arrange time slots from all Optical Network Units,
ONUs, (including ONU originally served by the faulty OLT) to be sent to working OLTs
in round robin fashion. In 'Time Slots Redistribution (TSR)' protection scheme,
protection is provided through redistribution of time slot allocated to ONUs by OLT to
accommodate the ONUs of the failed OLT.
The survival of the network is studied by terminating the supporting 0 LT unit one after
another in simulation and observing the packet delay, packet loss ratio, the buffer
occupancy and also the throughput of the switch. Results show that for different traffic
classes, the number of supportable ONUs exceeds the standard value of the Full Service
Access Network (FSAN) recommendations, which are 32 units per OLT. Cost analysis
also shows proposed protection schemes are more cost efficient than all existing
protection schemes. These results highlight the contribution of this thesis.


Whiteness is a condition one first acquires and then one has—a malignant, parasitic-like condition to which "white" people have a particular susceptibility. The condition is foundational, generating characteristic ways of being in one's body, in one's mind, and in one's world. Parasitic Whiteness renders its hosts' appetites voracious, insatiable, and perverse. These deformed appetites particularly target nonwhite peoples. Once established, these appetites are nearly impossible to eliminate. Effective treatment consists of a combination of psychic and social-historical interventions. Such interventions can reasonably aim only to reshape Whiteness's infiltrated appetites—to reduce their intensity, redistribute their aims, and occasionally turn those aims toward the work of reparation. When remembered and represented, the ravages wreaked by the chronic condition can function either as warning ("never again") or as temptation ("great again"). Memorialization alone, therefore, is no guarantee against regression. There is not yet a permanent cure.


The decentralized Markov decision process (Dec-POMDP) is a powerful formal model for studying multiagent problems where cooperative, coordinated action is optimal, but each agent acts based on local data alone. Unfortunately, it is known that Dec-POMDPs are fundamentally intractable: they are NEXP-complete in the worst case, and have been empirically observed to be beyond feasible optimal solution.
To get around these obstacles, researchers have focused on special classes of the general Dec-POMDP problem, restricting the degree to which agent actions can interact with one another. In some cases, it has been proven that these sorts of structured forms of interaction can in fact reduce worst-case complexity. Where formal proofs have been lacking, empirical observations suggest that this may also be true for other cases, although less is known precisely.
This thesis unifies a range of this existing work, extending analysis to establish novel complexity results for some popular restricted-interaction models. We also establish some new results concerning cases for which reduced complexity has been proven, showing correspondences between basic structural features and the potential for dimensionality reduction when employing mathematical programming techniques.
As our new complexity results establish that worst-case intractability is more widespread than previously known, we look to new ways of analyzing the potential average-case difficulty of Dec-POMDP instances. As this would be extremely difficult using the tools of traditional complexity theory, we take a more empirical approach. In so doing, we identify new analytical measures that apply to all Dec-POMDPs, whatever their structure. These measures allow us to identify problems that are potentially easier to solve on average, and validate this claim empirically. As we show, the performance of well-known optimal dynamic programming methods correlates with our new measure of difficulty. Finally, we explore the approximate case, showing that our measure works well as a predictor of difficulty there, too, and provides a means of setting algorithm parameters to achieve far more efficient performance.


This case study presents a blended learning study program offered as a continuing education certificate of advanced studies for post-secondary educators and training professionals in the private, non-governmental, and public sectors. This accredited certificate program is unique in that it allows participants to propose and develop their own practical pedagogical projects. Another distinguishing characteristic is that it is offered in blended learning mode, i.e., alternating face-to-face phases with tutored distance learning phases. The pedagogical team includes one professor and one coordinator who supervise the entire program, as well as external instructors who provide individually tailored consulting on participants' projects. During their studies, participants experience first-hand, the techno-pedagogical solutions proposed through their implementation within the program.


The author deals with issues of the subjectivity of the teacher he treated as an idea of the past, which today is not found in the educational realities. Subjectivity, being receptive to decision-making and willingness to bear responsibility, is understood by the author as the ability of the teacher to engage in dialogue with himself. The author characterizes the main features of such a dialogue, indicating its determinants (power, market, ideological illusions, conventions and school culture). He stresses the negative impact of transformations in the field of education, among which the prevalence of the economic-political model of the educational system nullifying the subjectivity of the teacher dominates.


Objective To compare the diagnostic performance of three rapid antigen detection tests (RADTs) for group A Streptococcus (GAS). Design A hospital-based, cross-sectional, retrospective study. Setting A comparative study of rapid diagnostic tests for GAS using clinical specimens in a single institute. Participants 225 children in the outpatient clinics ofKorea University Guro Hospitalwith suspicious symptoms were subjected to throat swab sampling. A dual-swab applicator was used. Samples were stored at below −70°C in a 10 mL transport tube containing 1 mL liquid Stuart's transport medium. Outcome measures All tests were performed in the laboratory by trained clinical laboratory scientists. Sensitivity, specificity, accuracy and kappa index of three RADTs were compared with the reference PCR test and culture results. Results Of the 225 patients suspected of having GAS, 67 and 90 were positive for GAS in the culture and PCR tests, respectively. Compared with the reference culture, the sensitivity for GAS was 92.5% (CI 83.4 to 97.5), 71.6% (CI 59.3 to 81.9) and 74.63% (CI 62.5 to 84.4) for careUS Strep A Plus, SD Bioline and BD Veritor, respectively, and the specificity was 97.0% (CI 93.1 to 99.0), 94.6% (CI 90.1 to 97.5) and 92.9% (CI 87.8 to 96.2) for careUS Strep A Plus, SD Bioline and BD Veritor, respectively. Compared with the reference GAS real-time PCR, the sensitivity was 73.3% (CI 62.9 to 82.1), 63.3% (CI 52.5 to 73.2) and 67.8% (CI 57.1 to 77.2) for careUS Strep A Plus, SD Bioline and BD Veritor, respectively, and the specificity was 99.3% (CI 95.9 to 99.9), 100.0% (CI 97.3 to 100.0) and 99.3% (CI 95.9 to 99.9) for careUS Strep A Plus, SD Bioline and BD Veritor, respectively. Conclusions The careUS Strep A Plus is a useful test that showed highly comparable results with those of the culture test and superior performances among the three RADTs. The use of RADTs should be encouraged to provide acceptable and fast results using simple equipment.


Conversions of natural ecosystems, e.g., from rain forests to managed plantations, result in significant changes in the hydrological cycle including periodic water scarcity. In Indonesia, large areas of forest were lost and extensive oil palm plantations were established over the last decades. We conducted a combined social and environmental study in a region of recent land-use change, the Jambi Province on Sumatra. The objective was to derive complementary lines of arguments to provide balanced insights into environmental perceptions and eco-hydrological processes accompanying land-use change. Interviews with villagers highlighted concerns regarding decreasing water levels in wells during dry periods and increasing fluctuations in stream flow between rainy and dry periods. Periodic water scarcity was found to severely impact livelihoods, which increased social polarization. Sap flux measurements on forest trees and oil palms indicate that oil palm plantations use as much water as forests for transpiration. Eddy covariance analyses of evapotranspiration over oil palm point to substantial additional sources of evaporation in oil palm plantations such as the soil and epiphytes. Stream base flow from a catchment dominated by oil palms was lower than from a catchment dominated by rubber plantations; both showed high peaks after rainfall. An estimate of erosion indicated approximately 30 cm of topsoil loss after forest conversion to both oil palm and rubber plantations. Analyses of climatic variables over the last 20 years and of a standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index for the last century suggested that droughts are recurrent in the area, but have not increased in frequency or intensity. Consequently, we assume that conversions of rain forest ecosystems to oil palm plantations lead to a redistribution of precipitated water by runoff, which leads to the reported periodic water scarcity. Our combined social and environmental approach points to significant and thus far neglected eco-hydrological consequences of oil palm expansion.


The major essays of the distinguished and prolific Australian-born film critic Adrian Martin have long been difficult to access, so this anthology, which collects highlights of his work in one volume, will be welcomed throughout film studies. Martin offers indepth analysis of many genres of films while providing a broad understanding of the history of cinema and the history of film criticism and culture. These vibrant, highly personal essays, written between 1982 and 2016, balance breadth across cinema theory with almost encyclopedic detail, ranging between aesthetics, cinephilia, film genre, criticism, philosophy, and cultural politics. Mysteries of Cinema circumscribes a special cultural period that began with the dream of critique as a form of poetic writing, and today arrives at collaborative experiments in audiovisual essays. Throughout these essays, Martin pursues a particular vision of what cinema has been, what it is, and what it still could be.


BACKGROUND
People living with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) often develop anaemia. Erythropoiesis-simulating agents (ESAs) are often given to people living with ESKD to maintain haemoglobin at a level to minimise need for transfusion. However, about 5% to 10% of patients with ESKD exhibit resistance to ESAs, and observational studies have shown that patients requiring high doses of ESA are at increased risk of mortality.

OBJECTIVES
This review aimed to study the effects of interventions for the treatment of ESA-resistant anaemia in people with ESKD.

SEARCH METHODS
We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE and EMBASE for randomised controlled trials (RCT) that involved participants with ESKD on dialysis or who were pre-dialysis patients with chronic kidney disease (stage 5). Date of last search: April 2013.

SELECTION CRITERIA
ESA resistance was defined as failure to achieve or maintain haemoglobin/haematocrit levels within the desired target range despite appropriate ESA doses (erythropoietin ≥ 450 U/kg/wk intravenously or ≥ 300 U/kg/wk subcutaneously; darbepoetin ≥ 1.5 µg/kg/wk) in people who were not nutritionally deficient, or who had haematological or bleeding disorders. Extended inclusion criteria for ESA hyporesponsive state were: erythropoietin dose ≥ 300 U/kg/wk and ≥ 150 U/kg/wk for intravenous administration; or ≥ 200 U/kg/wk and ≥ 100 U/kg/wk for subcutaneous administration; or darbepoetin dose ≥ 1.0 µg/kg/wk).

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
Two authors independently assessed study quality and extracted data. Statistical analyses were performed using a random effects model and results expressed as risk ratio (RR) or mean difference (MD) with 95% confidence intervals (CI).

MAIN RESULTS
Titles and abstracts of 521 records were screened, of which we reviewed 99 from the full text. Only two studies matched our inclusion criteria. One study compared intravenous vitamin C versus no study medication for six months in 42 ESKD patients on haemodialysis who required intravenous erythropoietin (dose ≥ 450 U/kg/wk). The other included study compared high-flux dialyser versus low-flux dialyser for six months in 48 haemodialysis patients who required subcutaneous erythropoietin (dose ≥ 200 U/kg/wk). Because interventions differed, data could not be combined for quantitative meta-analysis.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS
There was inadequate evidence identified to inform recommendation of any intervention to ameliorate ESA hyporesponsiveness. Adequately powered RCTs are required to establish the safety and efficacy of interventions to improve responsiveness to ESA therapy.


After the adjustment of observations by the Least Squares Method (LSM), using statistical tests, it is possible to detect and identify non-random errors in the observations. The reliability theory makes use of appropriate measures to quantify the minimal detectable bias (error) in an observation, and its influence on the adjusted parameters, if not detected. The conventional reliability theory has been developed aiming at conventional testing procedures such as data snooping, which assumes that only one observation is contaminated by errors at a time. Recently, generalized measures of reliability were developed, relating to statistical tests that assumes the existence, simultaneous by, of multiple observations with errors (outliers). The goal of this paper is to present, discuss and apply the theory of reliability generalized for multiple outliers. Besides the theoretical formulation, this paper also presents experiments performed on a GPS network (Global Positioning System), where proposital errors were inserted in some observations and measures of reliability and statistical tests were calculated using the approach for multiple outliers. Comparisons with the conventional theory of reliability were also made. Finally, results were presented and discussed.


The process of concealing illegally obtained proceeds, better known as money laundering, is criminalised virtually all around the world and has been a law enforcement priority since the early 1990s. The international nature of money laundering, combined with estimations on the scope and the distorting effects it may bring about, make it a grave danger to national and international financial markets. At the same time money laundering is considered a danger to society due to its strong interaction with organised drugs and white-collar crime.
Over the years a 'twin-track approach' has been developed aiming at the prevention of money laundering on the one hand, and punishing the money launderers on the other. Within the preventive anti-money laundering policy, supervision plays a key role. Although money laundering in general has attracted a great deal of attention from the academic world, supervision is an aspect that has remained underexposed in research. This research therefore focuses on the effectiveness of anti-money laundering supervision of banks, real estate agents and accountants in the European Union. Understanding that the EU Directive on the prevention of the use of the financial system for the purpose of money laundering and terrorist financing ('Third Directive') has left the design of supervision mostly to the EU Member States, their choices have been influenced by factors such as national politics, culture, the legal system, the economy and finances. As a result of these influences, a patchwork of anti-money laundering supervisory architectures exists in the European Union.
This research identifies four supervisory models in the EU: the FIU model, the external model, the internal model and the hybrid model. The FIU model's main characteristic is that the financial intelligence unit is the national authority with the final responsibility foranti-money laundering supervision. In the external model, supervision is formally exercised by public administrative or Government authorities that have no direct or professional relationship with the supervisees. The guiding principle of the internal model, is that where anti-money laundering supervision can be carried out by internal supervisors, these will be assigned with this task. The hybrid model combines, in different gradations, different elements of the aforementioned models. The models are the foundation for the country selection in this research. The countries that are further studied are the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom. They each represent one of the models identified.
From the perspective of effective supervision this research thoroughly analyses the legislation, the institutional settings and competences of the anti-money laundering supervisors in the four selected countries, as well as the application of these competences in practice.


Cytomegalovirus monkeys can reinfect an already-infected host by evading the CD8+ T cell–mediated immune response. Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infects a large percentage of the world's population. Most of those infected are asymptomatic; however, CMV is a substantial public health concern for immunocompromised individuals and neonates. CMV is unusual in that it can superinfect: It reinfects hosts who are already infected with the virus, even in the presence of a strong, specific immune response. Hansen et al. (see the Perspective by Hengel and Koszinowski) now find that in rhesus macaques, a good model for human CMV superinfection, CMV establishes superinfections by evading the immune response mediated by CD8+ T cells. A series of viral mutants deficient in expression of the US2-11 glycoproteins, which regulate antigen presentation to CD8+ T cells, revealed that, although able to establish the initial infection, these viral mutants were unable to superinfect. Depletion of CD8+ T cells from the monkeys allowed infection by the mutant viruses. These results highlight the difficulties in developing an effective protective vaccine against CMV itself but suggest that CMV-based vectors may be useful in other vaccine efforts, such as those against HIV. S. G. Hansen, C. J. Powers, R. Richards, A. B. Ventura, J. C. Ford, D. Siess, M. K. Axthelm, J. A. Nelson, M. A. Jarvis, L. J. Picker, K. Früh, Evasion of CD8+ T cells is critical for superinfection by cytomegalovirus. Science 328, 102–106 (2010). [Abstract] [Full Text] H. Hengel, U. H. Koszinowski, A vaccine monkey wrench? Science 328, 51–52 (2010). [Summary] [Full Text]


Since the colonial era, the tomahawk has served as a symbol of Indian savagery in American arts and literature. The pipe tomahawk, however, tells a different story. From its backcountry origins as a trade good to its customization as a diplomatic device, this object facilitated European-Indian exchange, giving tangible form to spoken metaphors for war, peace, and alliance. The production, distribution, and use of the pipe tomahawk also illustrated contrasting Indian and European notions of value and utility in material objects, exposing the limits of such goods in promoting cross-cultural mediation and understanding.


The aim of this qualitative exploratory study was to investigate community care clinicians' perceptions of the challenges faced by people who have dementia and live alone at home. Data were collected through interviews and focus groups with 21 community health and social care clinicians who supported people with dementia in the community. The perceived challenges that were identified related to poor hygiene, inadequate nutrition, keeping safe, other health problems, managing money, coping with technology, and lack of support. Although the findings only represent the perspective of clinicians and so tend to focus on clinical issues, they nonetheless resonate with previous research demonstrating that the issues have persisted for at least two decades. There are a number of implications arising from these perceptions related to a person with dementia's potential capacity to care for their health, interact safely with other people, and live at home alone. As the severity of cognitive impairment increases, their ability to care for their health and well-being will be compromised. This highlights the importance of community care clinicians being engaged in the early detection of this population and the establishment of supportive routines. These issues will likely to be of international interest, as many countries are facing the challenge of providing community-based care for an increasing number of older people with dementia. However, providing this type of dementia care for people who live alone has received little attention in the literature, and problems remain with meeting the practical challenges faced by this vulnerable population.


Background The prevalence rate of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is one of the highest in United Arab Emirates (UAE), however data for the expatriate population is limited. This study aimed to identify the prevalence of T2DM amongst migrant women and test the hypothesis that acculturation (measured by years of residency) is associated with an increased risk of T2DM. Methods This was a cross-sectional study and we recruited a representative sample (n = 599, 75% participation rate) of migrant women aged 18 years and over in Al Ain, UAE. The American Diabetes Association criteria were used to diagnose T2DM. An adapted WHO STEPS questionnaire was used to collect socio-demographic, lifestyle and clinical data. Logistic regression analysis was performed to identify correlates of T2DM including length of UAE residence. Results The mean age of participants was 34.1 (± 9.5) years. Of the study participants, based on HbA1C levels, 18.6% (95% CI: 13.9–24.4) had prediabetes and 10.7% (95% CI: 7.2–15.6) had T2DM. Prevalence of prediabetes was 8.5% for Filipinos, 16.7% for Arabs and 30.3% for South Asians. Similarly the prevalence of T2DM was 1.7% for Filipinos, 12.2% for Arabs and 16.7% for South Asians. Significant correlates of overall T2DM (measured and known diabetes) included length of UAE residence for more than 10 years (Adjusted Odds Ratio [AOR] 2.74, 95% CI: 1.21–6.20), age ≥40 years (AOR = 3.48, 95% CI: 1.53–7.87) and South Asian nationality (AOR 2.10, 95% CI: 0.94–4.70). Conclusion Diabetes is a significant public health problem among migrant women in the UAE, particularly for South Asians. Longer length of residence in the UAE is associated with a higher prevalence of diabetes.


Catalogue of sketches and drawings of Tony (Anthony) Fretton. When we think of the Lisson Gallery we think of the building by Tony Fretton that presents its interior to the street and builds contemporary form from the different dialects of the city around it. But that building from 1992 is in fact a continuation of the first building for the Lisson Gallery from 1986 also by Fretton, where he established ideas that were fundamental to both projects and to his practice as a whole.

The process of originating and materialising those ideas through sketches, words and thought is the subject of this book. Tony Fretton produced 43 sketchbooks for the Lisson Gallery 1, over the course of four years, between 1982 and 1986. In addition to the sheer volume of production for one project, what is remarkable about the books is that one never sees the project - that is, Tony draws the details only, leaving the larger aspects of design to other media. Fretton met with Tina di Carlo, on 24 January 2018 in his Highgate office to talk through seven of the Lisson Gallery 1 sketchbooks. The publication, which includes series of Fretton's iterative sketches along with a written transcript, captures the conversation as it evolved over the course of four hours. Eschewing visuality in his architecture for what could be described instead as its social performance, Fretton's text is similarly pared down - precise and direct, lacking in ornamentation - through an editing process which, and by analogy, became akin to his sketchbooks. The publication includes a foreword by Ellis Woodman, and an afterword, Working with Tony Fretton, by Jonathan Sergison. Edited by Tina di Carlo. Published by Drawing Matter Somerset, 2018.


The guidelines for dietary cholesterol and/or egg intake for both the general population and those at higher risk of cardiovascular disease (for example, people with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM)) differ between countries, and even for different specialist societies in a country. The disparity between these guidelines is at least in part related to the conflicting evidence as to the effects of eggs in the general population and in those with T2DM. This review addresses the effect of eggs on cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk from both epidemiological research and controlled prospective studies, in people with and without cardio-metabolic disease. It also examines the nutritional qualities of eggs and whether they may offer protection against chronic disease. The evidence suggests that a diet including more eggs than is recommended (at least in some countries) may be used safely as part of a healthy diet in both the general population and for those at high risk of cardiovascular disease, those with established coronary heart disease, and those with T2DM. In conclusion, an approach focused on a person's entire dietary intake as opposed to specific foods or nutrients should be the heart of population nutrition guidelines.


Self-assembled polyaniline nanowires stippled graphene nanocomposites (PGPCs) were prepared by in situ polymerisation of aniline in the presence of 3-pentadecylphenyl phosphate (3-PDPP) modified graphene sheets. 3-PDPP is an amphiphilic dopant derived from cardanol obtained as a waste byproduct from the cashew industry, which serves a multifunctional role as a template, a surfactant, and a dopant and facilitates the self-assembly process during the formation of the supramolecular organisation of the PGPC nanocomposite. The formed PGPCs were characterised by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), pore volume, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area, thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), electrical conductivity (2.32 S cm−1) and electrochemical stability. Further symmetrical supercapacitors were fabricated with the configurations (indium tin oxide (ITO)–PGPC/Na2SO4/PGPC–ITO) and (ITO–PGPC/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)–H3PO4/PGPC–ITO) and measured optimal specific capacitance (812.55 F g−1 using PVA–H3PO4 and 791.26 F g−1 using Na2SO4) and energy density (109.89 Wh kg−1 using Na2SO4 and 112.85 Wh kg−1 using PVA–H3PO4) and cycling stability (>2000). All these interesting results suggest its suitability as a sustainable efficient electrode for the fabrication of supercapacitors.


Knowledge of patterns of occupancy is crucial for planning sound biological management and for identifying areas which require paramount conservation attention. The European wildcat Felis silvestris is an elusive carnivore and is classified as 'least concern' on the IUCN red list, but with a decreasing population trend in some areas. Sicily hosts a peculiar wildcat population, which deserves conservation and management actions, due to its isolation from the mainland. Patterns of occupancy for wildcats are unknown in Italy, and especially in Sicily. We aimed to identify which ecological drivers determined wildcat occurrence on Mt Etna and to provide conservation actions to promote the wildcats' long-term survival in this peculiar environment. The genetic identity of the wildcat population was confirmed through a scat-collection which detected 22 different wildcat individuals. We analysed wildcat detections collected by 91 cameras using an occupancy frame work to assess which covariates influenced the detection (p) and the occupancy (ψ) estimates. We recorded 70 detections of the target species from 38 cameras within 3377 trap-days. Wildcat detection was positively influenced by the distance to the major paved roads and negatively affected by the presence of humans. Wildcat occupancy was positively associated with mixed forest and negatively influenced by pine forest, fragmentation of mixed forest and altitude. A spatially explicit predicted occupancy map, validated using an independent dataset of wildcat presence records, showed that higher occupancy estimates were scattered, mainly located on the north face and at lower altitude. Habitat fragmentation has been claimed as a significant threat for the wildcat and this is the first study that has ascertained this as a limiting factor for wildcat occurrence. Conservation actions should promote interconnectivity between areas with high predicted wildcat occupancy while minimising the loss of habitat.