The passage of the federal Violence Against Women Act of 2000 ("VAWA II") marked an important milestone in the evolution of the domestic violence movement. VAWA II created, among other things, a complex system for state and federal funding in all fifty states to provide civil legal assistance to battered women. Its passage completed a process that began in the early 1980s when domestic violence advocates shifted their focus from grass roots efforts to help battered women and their children leave abusive partners to building alliances with government and advocating for legal remedies to assist battered women. This paper looks at the impact of this dramatic shift on both battered women and domestic violence programs. It draws on empirical data examining women's experiences using these new legal remedies to raise some preliminary questions about the broader issue of how well the strategy of "engaging with the state" serves the interests of battered women.


This article focuses on the Natal Inter-Race Soccer Tournament, a littleknown but popular tournament which was held under the auspices of the Natal-Inter-Race Soccer Board (NISB) between 1946 and 1960. Coloured, Indian and African teams participated in this competition which was staged at an important time in "race" relations in the province of Natal. This was a period of growing tension "on the ground" between Indians and Africans as they came into competition over housing and jobs in urban centres, but it was also a period of political co-operation across racial lines amongst the middle classes mainly through alliances between bodies such as the Natal Indian Congress (NIC) and African National Congress (ANC). This article provides a narrative history of the tournament and, as such, makes an important contribution to the historiography of soccer in South Africa. The article also provides a glimpse into Afro-Indian relations during the middle decades of the twentieth century. None of the major works on South African sporting history focus in any significant way on this tournament. This article discusses some of the outstanding players and administrators, playing styles, scores of matches, and reflects on the importance of sport as a source of power and patronage for Black administrators, which accounts for the reluctance of some to embrace non-racialism when it was mooted in the 1960s.


In this paper we present the results of a contingent valuation study and an experimental approach to estimating the willingness to pay for fresh milk produced in the consumer's own region. In contrast to the fictitious contingent valuation study, responses in the experimental investigation are connected with real demand decisions and real financial payoffs in an incentive-compatible way. The experimental setup allows to quantify the bias in stated willingness to pay that results from the contingent valuation's hypothetical character. In essence, the data suggest that there exists a considerable demand for milk from the consumers` home region. Yet, significantly less demand is found in the experimental investigation. At the same time, subjects accept significantly higher mark-ups for regional provenance of ecologically produced milk compared to regional provenance of conventionally produced milk. However, the convex shape of aggregate demand indicates that there is a substantial demand for fresh milk of the consumers` home region only when mark-ups are fairly low.


In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the development of biodegradable implants for bone fracture repair. Magnesium (Mg) is a promising candidate for these applications, due to its good biocompatibility, biodegradability and favourable mechanical properties. However, pure Mg degrades too rapidly under physiological conditions. There has been a large amount of research done recently to mitigate the degradation rate of Mg in order to make it a viable biomaterial. This is done primarily through the use of either alloying with other metals, or through a protective coating that degrades at a more favourable rate. To date, there has been limited success in achieving acceptable degradation behaviour through either alloying or coatings. This work was concentrated on two areas: (i) mechanistic understanding of the degradation of Mg-based alloys in physiological conditions, and (ii) utilising partially protective coatings to improve the degradation behaviour of Mg-based alloys. This work culminated in further understanding of the effects of surface roughness and microgalvanic effects of degradation behaviour of Mg alloys, and a novel coating that provided a significantly improved degradation rate for Mg-based alloys.

The influence of surface roughness on the passivation and pitting degradation behaviour of AZ91 Mg alloy in chloride-containing and simulated body fluid (SBF) environments was found to play a critical role on the initial breakdown of the passive layer and the subsequent localised pitting attack. In chloride environment, potentiodyanamic polarisation and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy tests suggested that the passivation behaviour of the alloy was affected by increasing the surface roughness. Similarly, in SBF the polarisation resistance (R(P)) of the rough surface alloy immersed in SBF for 3 h was ~30% lower as compared to that of the smooth surface alloy. After 12 h immersion in SBF, the R(P) values for both the surface finishes decreased and were also similar. However, localised degradation occurred sooner, and to a noticeably higher severity in the rough surface alloy as compared to the smooth surface alloy. Thus the study suggests that the surface roughness plays a critical role in the passivation behaviour of the alloy and hence the pitting tendency.

Microgalvanic effects between the primary matrix and secondary phases are known to influence degradation behaviour. However, there had previously been some concern in regards to the perceived high stability of secondary precipitates under physiological conditions. This work was able to show that after galvanic coupling between the primary (α) and secondary (β) phases was removed, the long term degradation resistance of the β-phase approached that of pure magnesium. Galvanic coupling of β- phase (Mg₁₇Al₁₂) with pure Mg in simulated body fluid resulted in the formation of carbonated calcium phosphate on the β-phase. While the calcium phosphate layer initially increased the degradation resistance of the β-phase, the layer rapidly degraded once the galvanic coupling was removed. Within 48 h immersion in SBF, the degradation resistance of the β-phase began to approach that of pure Mg. The results suggest that under long-term immersion period in SBF, the degradation resistance of the β-phase will decrease and eventually the β-phase will dissolve in body fluid as the micro-galvanic effects are reduced due to complete dissolution of the Mg matrix around the β-phase.

This work produced three coatings on Mg-based substrates: a single layer CaP, a dual layer PEO/CaP, and a triple layer PEO/CaP/PLLA. The single layer CaP coating was electrochemically deposited on an Mg-Ca substrate using a pulse potential waveform. EIS testing showed an initial increase in the R(P) of ~15 times when compared to the bare alloy. Following 72 h immersion in SBF, only ~70 % higher than that of the bare alloy. CaPs have a significantly lower dissolution rate than Mg alloys, which suggests that the rapid deterioration of the coating was instead caused by penetration of the electrolyte through the CaP layer. Open circuit potential measurements showed a constant ~100 mV difference between the coated and uncoated samples across the entire immersion period, which suggests that the coating remained largely unchanged. This work also investigated whether the cathodic activity of the underlying Mg alloy substrate plays a significant role on the electrochemical deposition of such a coating, calcium phosphate (CaP). CaP was deposited electrochemically on two Mg alloys, i.e., magnesiumcalcium (Mg-Ca) and magnesium-aluminium-zinc (AZ91), with different electrochemical degradation behaviour. The in vitro degradation behaviour of the CaP coated samples was evaluated using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) in SBF. The R(P) of the CaP coated Mg-Ca alloy was ~85 % lower than that of the CaP coated AZ91 alloy. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis showed no difference in the chemical nature of the coatings. However, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis revealed that the coating particles on Mg-Ca alloy were less densely packed than that on the AZ91 alloy. This can be attributed to the higher dissolution rate of Mg- Ca alloy as compared to AZ91 alloy. As a result, the former exhibited higher cathodic charge density which produced higher hydrogen evolution, and thereby affecting the coating process.

In order to reduce the rate of penetration of electrolyte through the coating layer, a dual layer coating was employed. A porous PEO layer first produced on pure Mg as the first layer. This PEO layer acted as a scaffold for previously discussed CaP layer. This dual layer coating produced a much more tightly packed layer that showed a much higher degradation resistance than either layer did separately. The single PEO layer improved the R(P) of the pure Mg by an order of magnitude, and the addition of the second CaP layer added another order of magnitude. This improvement can be attributed to the PEO layer acting as a scaffold for the CaP, allowing for a more tightly packed structure and thereby reducing the porosity. A third, PLLA layer was then added to further improve the pore resistance of the coating. The PLLA layer was able to improve the R(P) by a third order of magnitude for low immersion times. Interestingly, by 72 h immersion, the triple layer coating displayed an average R(P) lower than that of the dual layer. During the immersion period, the electrolyte was able to penetrate the highly porous polymer layer, allowing for the bulk erosion to take place. The subsequent release of the acidic products damaged the underlying ceramic layer, which reduced the overall degradation resistance.


In 2009, the young adult cohort for the Natural History Study of Drug Use (NHSDU) was recruited, comprising regular amphetamine-type stimulant users (i.e. ecstasy or methamphetamine; n=352) and a comparison group of non-users (n=204). Information on offending behaviour was collected at the 4 ½ year follow-up, when participants were aged 24 to 27 years. At this stage, around half of the ATS users had recently used ecstasy and one-quarter had recently used methamphetamine (i.e. in the last 12 months). Despite decreases in the quantity of alcohol consumed on a typical drinking occasion, the quantity consumed concurrently with ATS remained high after 4½ years (55% of males and 13% of females consumed > 10 standard drinks on last occasion of ecstasy use). Compared to non-users, significantly greater proportions of ATS users created a public disturbance under the influence of alcohol in the past 12 months (males: 18% vs. 2%; females: 13% vs. 1%). ATS-using drivers were more likely than their non-using counterparts to engage in drink-driving or speeding. These behaviours contributed to crashes. Further, about one quarter (24%) of ATS users had a lifetime diagnosis of conduct disorder, compared to 9% of non-users. At the 12 month study follow-up, ATS users with a history of conduct disorder were more likely than other users to have recently verbally abused (32% vs. 19%) or physically abused (12% vs. 3%) someone. However, rates of antisocial behaviour decreased significantly after 4½ years. Methamphetamine was more strongly linked with antisocial behaviour than ecstasy use. A number of factors increased the likelihood of aggression in methamphetamine users, including high-dosage methamphetamine use, concurrent use of large quantities of alcohol, and a predisposition toward aggression. Frequent methamphetamine users were more engaged with drug dealers than other ATS users. Dealing ATS was associated with substance-related police contact, being charged with a drug-related offence, using higher quantities of ATS across 4½ years, and using a larger range of illicit drugs. Compared to non-users, ATS users had higher rates of 'intensive' police contact (e.g. being detained by police) related to their use of alcohol or illicit drugs (ATS users: 46.3%; non-users: 10.7%) and significantly lower perceptions of police respect and trustworthiness with regard to this contact. ATS users had lower levels of belief in the legitimacy of police or the law, were less committed to police, had lower support for drug-law enforcement, and were less willing to cooperate with police. However, strong belief in procedural justice was associated with greater willingness to cooperate and greater support for drug-law enforcement. For a small proportion of ATS users, substance-related police contact was seen as a 'wake-up call' and was coupled with reduced or more cautious drug use.


PURPOSE
We developed a treatment planning system(TPS) for fast rotational IMRT treatments with a 2D-bMLC. For the dosimetric evaluation of the achievable dose distributions 2D-bMLC plans were optimized for two patients and compared to HT plans.

METHODS
Within the TPS a treatment machine with a FFF 7MV linac source and a 2D-bMLC was modeled. The total fraction dose is delivered in one gantry rotation within the time TF. 2D-bMLC plans were generated for TF of 40s(P40), 25s(P25) and 15s(P15). The maximum dose rate was either 2000MU/min(P40, P25) or 4000MU/min(P15). The considered clinical indications were carcinomas of the oral cavity (patient A) and the nasopharyngs(B). For both patients 57.6Gy in 32 fractions were prescribed to the PTV, 70.4Gy to the boost regions. Dose constraints for OARs were the same as for the clinically accepted HT plans (TF=410s and 650s). An additional tool was developed to recompute the 2D-bMLC plans with a Monte-Carlo(Geant4.9.5) method, including a realistic model of the collimator absorber and gantry dynamic.

RESULTS
Concerning dose to the OARs the 2D-bMLC plans are in good agreement with the HT plans. Target conformity was increased and the mean dose to healthy tissue was decreased by >10%(A) and >20%(B) respectively. For patient A, 95%-coverage of the boost regions was the same as for the HT plan. Coverage of PTV was 95%(P40), 94%(P25) and 93%(P15) compared to 97%(HT). Patient B had larger target volumes. Compared to HT the coverage was decreased by ∼4% for the boosts and ∼3% for the PTV. Target dose inhomogeneity(TDI) was increased(diff.<5%). Concerning these parameters, best results were obtained with P40.

CONCLUSION
Clinically acceptable 2D-bMLC plans were optimized for both patients. For patient A, dosimetric parameters are comparable to the HT plan. For patient B, some minor degradation has to be accepted for the significant reduction in treatment time. This work was partially supported by Siemens Corporate Research.


This article proposes a classification of speech functions of variable tag questions in British English conversations. Based on intonational, conversational and formal criteria the analysis shows that tag questions can not only function as questions and statements, but also as responses, commands and offers. A large group of tag questions cannot be captured by any of the traditional speech functions and are classified instead as Statement-Question blends. The article investigates the impact of the LLC and COLT corpora, and features such as gender, age and social roles, on the distribution of the different speech functions and their properties. The main finding is that all speech functions are present in the two different corpora, albeit with differing relative frequencies.


Hanseniasis is a prevalent disease in Pará State, Brazil. The old settlements Colônia do Prata (Igarapé-Açu) and Colônia Marituba (metropolitan area of Belém), both in Pará, were home to patients with hanseniasis and portray a historical reality of patient segregation and separation from their families because of their contagious disease. Multidrug treatment (polychemotherapy) was established in Brazil during the 1980s and led to a significant countrywide decrease in the prevalence of hanseniasis. Although there were no significant decreases in the number of new cases reported in endemic countries, the epidemiologic framework dramatically changed during the past 20 years. Instituto Evandro Chagas (IEC) is a research agency of the Health Surveillance Secretariat of the Ministry of Health, which conducted epidemiologic studies and performed public health surveillance on hanseniasis during the 1990s. In 1998, a simple laboratory method called ML Dipstick was used for identifying IgM antibodies against the phenolic glycolipid-I (PGL-I), a Mycobacterium leprae-specific antigen; and those studies were conducted in five endemic municipalities located in Pará State. This report aimed to describe IEC's Hanseniasis Program, as well as provide future perspectives on hanseniasis in Pará State.


Light-field video has recently been used in virtual and augmented reality applications to increase realism and immersion. However, existing light-field methods are generally limited to static scenes due to the requirement to acquire a dense scene representation. The large amount of data and the absence of methods to infer temporal coherence pose major challenges in storage, compression and editing compared to conventional video. In this paper, we propose the first method to extract a spatio-temporally coherent light-field video representation. A novel method to obtain Epipolar Plane Images (EPIs) from a spare lightfield camera array is proposed. EPIs are used to constrain scene flow estimation to obtain 4D temporally coherent representations of dynamic light-fields. Temporal coherence is achieved on a variety of light-field datasets. Evaluation of the proposed light-field scene flow against existing multi-view dense correspondence approaches demonstrates a significant improvement in accuracy of temporal coherence.


Pharmacological and biochemical analyses reveal that dopamine determines the duration of fear memory storage. How can memory traces persist over days or weeks, despite the short-lived nature and rapid turnover of their molecular substrates? It has recently been reported that, in order to persist, an otherwise rapidly forgotten long-term memory requires BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) expression in the hippocampus 12 hours after training. Rossato et al. now show that this mechanism is gated into action by activation of the ventral tegmental area acting upon dopamine D1 receptors in the hippocampus. Time-limited N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor–dependent activity in the ventral tegmental area–hippocampal circuitry underlies the delayed increase in BDNF levels in the hippocampus 12 hours after inhibitory avoidance, a hippocampus-dependent form of learning. J. I. Rossato, L. R. M. Bevilaqua, I. Izquierdo, J. H. Medina, M. Cammarota, Dopamine controls persistence of long-term memory storage. Science 325, 1017–1020 (2009). [Abstract] [Full Text]


This article articulates a contextualized understanding of gender and ethnicity as interacting social determinants of HIV risk and acquisition, with special focus on African Americans and Hispanics/Latinos--2 ethnic groups currently at most risk for HIV/AIDS acquisition in the United States. First, sex and gender are defined. Second, a conceptual model of gender, ethnicity, and HIV risk and resilience is presented. Third, a historical backdrop of gender and ethnic disparities is provided, with attention to key moments in history when notions of the intersections between gender, ethnicity, and HIV have taken important shifts. Finally, new frontiers in psychology are presented, with recommendations as to how psychology as a discipline can better incorporate considerations of gender and ethnicity as not only HIV risk factors but also as potential avenues of resilience in ethnic families and communities. Throughout the article, we promulgate the notion of a syndemic intersectional approach, which provides a critical framework for understanding and building the conditions that create and sustain overall community health by locating gendered lived experiences and expectations within the layered conceptual model ranging from the biological self to broader societal structures that define and constrain personal decisions, behaviors, actions, resources, and consequences. For ethnic individuals and populations, health disparities, stress and depression, substance abuse, and violence and trauma are of considerable concern, especially with regard to HIV risk, infection, and treatment. The conceptual model poses new frontiers for psychology in HIV policy, research, interventions, and training.


OBJECTIVE
To compare clinical and process outcomes of cognitive processing therapy-cognitive only version (CPT-C) delivered via videoteleconferencing (VTC) to in-person in a rural, ethnically diverse sample of veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

METHOD
A randomized clinical trial with a noninferiority design was used to determine if providing CPT-C via VTC is effective and "as good as" in-person delivery. The study took place between March 2009 and June 2013. PTSD was diagnosed per DSM-IV. Participants received 12 sessions of CPT-C via VTC (n = 61) or in-person (n = 64). Assessments were administered at baseline, midtreatment, immediately posttreatment, and 3 and 6 months posttreatment. The primary clinical outcome was posttreatment PTSD severity, as measured by the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale.

RESULTS
Clinical and process outcomes found VTC to be noninferior to in-person treatment. Significant reductions in PTSD symptoms were identified at posttreatment (Cohen d = 0.78, P < .05) and maintained at 3- and 6-month follow-up (d = 0.73, P < .05 and d = 0.76, P < .05, respectively). High levels of therapeutic alliance, treatment compliance, and satisfaction and moderate levels of treatment expectancies were reported, with no differences between groups (for all comparisons, F < 1.9, P > .17).

CONCLUSIONS
Providing CPT-C to rural residents with PTSD via VTC produced outcomes that were "as good as" in-person treatment. All participants demonstrated significant reductions in PTSD symptoms posttreatment and at follow-up. Results indicate that VTC can offer increased access to specialty mental health care for residents of rural or remote areas.

TRIAL REGISTRATION
ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00879255.


As societies have become internationalised and technological they have simultaneously become more dependent on language and communication. This is particularly true of professional working life, where global networking of experts is a necessity. In order to manage in the labour market, higher education graduates need versatile competence in interactive and intercultural language use and in independent learning. Their preparation presupposes mobility, new instructional designs and new perspectives on what language-related competences might actually comprise. The paper depicts the approaches taken at the thirty-year old University of Jyvaskyla Language Centre. Through collegial action research its pedagogical focus has shifted from promotion of language learning skills and add-on adoption of new technologies to close integration of content and language instruction.


Tooth loss reduces masticatory function. Insufficient masticatory function causes an increase in carbohydrate intake while decreasing the intake of foods with a low Glycemic Index (GI) and high in protein, antioxidants, dietary fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Protein-energy malnutrition may lead to metabolic syndrome, frailty, and faster onset of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs). Individuals with tooth loss resulting in problematic eating habits require behavior modification and health guidance.

 This report aims to evaluate the influence of dental prostheses combined with health guidance on body composition and metabolic parameters.

 Data were collected from three subjects: Two with molar loss and one with edentulism. Masticatory function was restored in each subject through prosthodontic treatment. Masticatory performance was evaluated before and after the prosthodontic treatment by having the subjects chew a gummy jelly and measuring the glucose extraction. Questionnaires were used to assess food intake and lifestyle habits. Health guidance based on the results of the questionnaires was conducted simultaneously with the prosthodontic intervention. Body composition and blood pressure were measured and blood tests were performed at baseline and around 90 days after the first health guidance session.

 Masticatory ability, body-mass index, basal metabolism standard value, body-fat percentage, and intake of certain nutrients improved in all cases. Blood pressure and hemoglobin A1c improved in two cases.

 Masticatory function recovery combined with health guidance was effective in preventing the onset or deterioration of NCDs in patients with masticatory dysfunction.


This paper examines how computation can be mapped across the nodes of a distributed search system to effectively utilize available resources. We specifically address computationally intensive search of complex data, such as content-based retrieval of digital images or sounds, where sophisticated algorithms must be evaluated on the objects of interest. Since these problems require significant computation, we distribute the search over a collection of compute nodes, such as active storage devices, intermediate processors and host computers. A key challenge with mapping the desired computation to the available resources is that the most efficient distribution depends on several factors: relative power and number of compute nodes; network bandwidth between the compute nodes; the cost of evaluating query predicates; and the selectivity of the given query. This wide range of variables renders manual partitioning of the computation infeasible, particularly since some of the parameters (e.g., available network bandwidth) can change during the course of a search. This paper proposes several techniques for dynamic partitioning of computation, and demonstrates that they can significantly improve efficiency for distributed search applications.


Minors are sometimes recruited to help medical educators by acting as standardized patients. Are there risks? Should there be safeguards? When minors are asked to assist medical educators by acting as standardized patients (SPs), there is a potential for the minors to be exploited. Minors deserve protection from exploitation. Such protection has been written into regulations governing medical research and into child labor laws. But there are no similar guidelines for minors' work in medical education. This article addresses the question of whether there should be rules. Should minors be required to give their informed consent or assent? Are there certain practices that could cause harm for the children who become SPs? We present a controversial case and ask a number of experts to consider the ethical issues that arise when minors are asked to act as SPs in medical education.


The Swedish electrical power system faces many challenges. Stricter environmental and economic demands require a more efficient use of both the transmission and distribution grids as well as the production capabilities. Since the Swedish national demand of electricity is fluctuating, the system has always been dimensioned to meet the periods of high demand, resulting in a low utilization of the system. To meet these challenges, the concept of a "Smart Grid" has been phrased. One of the most important goals of a Smart Grid is to enable end-consumers to participate more actively in the energy market. One way to do this is through "load-shifting" where consumption (or loads) are moved from hours of high demand (peak hours) to hours of low demand (off-peak hours). Load-shifting is a part of a set of intentional consumption modifications denoted "Demand Response" (DR) and is deemed to be one of the most important tools of the Smart Grid. In Sweden, a Smart Grid project called the Stockholm Royal Seaport (SRS) project is currently taking place. The project have phrased a hypotheses regarding load-shifting called the "Active customer" scenario, in which a customer load-shifts 5-15 % of his electricity consumption. To facilitate this scenario, the SRS project uses an end-consumer price model for electricity, called the SRS price model, as well as technological and market solutions not yet available on a national scale. This study investigates what impact the results from the SRS pilot project might have if implemented for private apartment end-consumers on a Swedish national scale. The study is divided into three parts. The first part investigates the challenges of a national scale implementation of private apartment end-consumer DR and the SRS price model. The second part investigates what the impact would be if the entire Swedish private apartment end-consumer sector where to act in accordance with the Active customer scenario. The third part consists of a sensitivity analysis.Four challenges for a national private apartment end-consumer load-shift implementation have been elicited. They are; the lack of easily moveable loads in a foreseeable future, the heterogeneous cost of distribution, the suggested price models low peak to off-peak price ratio and the comparatively small cost of electricity of the private apartment end-consumers. The SRS price model is deemed to give a clear economic incentive for load-shift of private apartment end-consumer without electric heating. However, the incentive might be considered too weak with yearly savings of 48-165 SEK for a 15 % load-shift, depending on apartment consumption. This corresponds to yearly savings of 124 to 429 million SEK for the entire customer segment. These challenges are deemed to be of a non-technical character, but rather of a marketing and communication nature.The impact of a fully implemented national private apartment end-consumer load-shift in accordance with the Active customer scenario and the SRS price model is deemed to be beneficial from an overall power system point of view. However, the impact on the private apartment end-consumer national demand is small in comparison with other plausible system developments, such as energy demand reductions due to more efficient lighting solutions.The sensitivity analysis of private apartment end-consumer cost savings when acting in accordance with the Active customer scenario indicates that the percentage savings may increase in the future when considering more volatile prices for electric energy or the implementation of a time differentiated energy tax.


The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and American automotive manufacturers General Motors, Ford, and DaimlerChrysler began a five-year, cost-shared partnership in 1993. Currently, hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) research and development is conducted by DOE through its FreedomCAR and Vehicle Technologies (FCVT) program. The mission of the FCVT program is to develop more energy efficient and environmentally friendly highway transportation technologies. Program activities include research, development, demonstration, testing, technology validation, and technology transfer. These activities are aimed at developing technologies that can be domestically produced in a clean and cost-competitive manner. Under the FCVT program, support is provided through a three-phase approach [1] which is intended to: • Identify overall propulsion and vehicle-related needs by analyzing programmatic goals and reviewing industry's recommendations and requirements, then develop the appropriate technical targets for systems, subsystems, and component research and development activities; • Develop and validate individual subsystems and components, including electric motors, emission control devices, battery systems, power electronics, accessories, and devices to reduce parasitic losses; and • Determine how well the components and subassemblies work together in a vehicle environment or as a complete propulsion system and whether the efficiency and performance targets at the vehicle level have been achieved. The research performed in this area will help remove technical and cost barriers to enable technology for use in such advanced vehicles as hybrid electric, plug-in hybrid electric, electric, and fuel-cell-powered vehicles.


The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of five intranasal applications of capsaicin, performed after endoscopic polypectomy associated with partial middle turbinectomy and anterior ethmoidectomy, on the recurrence of nasal polyps and the intensity of nasal obstruction and rhinorrhea. Fifty-one patients (19 females, 32 males, mean age 43 years) suffering from nasal polyposis for more than 1 year were included in this double blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study. During post-surgical controls, local anaesthesia and vasoconstriction of the middle meatus area were performed in all patients with a cotton pellet soaked with lidocain and adrenaline. In 29 patients, the same type of cotton pellet soaked with capsaicin (3 x 10(-6) mol. dissolved in 70% ethanol) was left into the middle meatus of both nostrils for 20 min. As a control group, 22 patients, matched for age and sex, were treated with the capsaicin vehicle alone (70% ethanol). All patients studied received the intranasal treatment once a week for 5 weeks. Subjective evaluations of nasal airway resistance (NAR) and rhinorrhea were recorded by means of a visual analogue scale. Clinical staging of the nasal polyposis (graded from stage 0 = absence of polyp to stage 3 = polyps occupying the entire nasal cavity) was evaluated by the same ENT specialist (ZW) using a 0 degrees endoscope. All parameters were recorded for each patient 1 week before surgery, then once a month for 9 months. Patients treated by endoscopic surgery followed by intranasal capsaicin application, reported a marked reduction in their NAR compared with the pretreatment evaluation (p<0.001). In contrast, patients treated with the vehicle alone did not have any significant improvement of their subjective NAR. Subjective rhinorrhea was not modified by either treatment. Patients treated with capsaicin showed a significant smaller staging of their nasal polyposis compared with the control group (p<0.001). These observations suggest that endoscopic surgery followed by intranasal capsaicin application reduces polyps and nasal obstruction recurrence and could be an alternative treatment to expensive corticosteroids in developing countries.


OBJECTIVES: To use static and dynamic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to compare dimensions of the bony pelvis and soft tissue structures in a sample of African-American and white women. METHODS: This study used data from 234 participants in the Childbirth and Pelvic Symptoms Imaging Study, a cohort study of 104 primiparous women with an obstetric anal sphincter tear, 94 who delivered vaginally without a recognized anal sphincter tear and 36 who underwent by cesarean delivery without labor. Race was self-reported. At 6–12 months postpartum, rapid acquisition T2-weighted pelvic MRIs were obtained. Bony and soft tissue dimensions were measured and compared between white and African-American participants using analysis of variance, while controlling for delivery type and age. RESULTS: The pelvic inlet was wider among 178 white women than 56 African-American women (10.7±0.7 cm compared with 10.0.+0.7 cm, P<.001). The outlet was also wider (mean intertuberous diameter 12.3±1.0 cm compared with 11.8±0.9 cm, P<.001). There were no significant differences between racial groups in interspinous diameter, angle of the subpubic arch, anteroposterior conjugate, levator thickness, or levator hiatus. In addition, among women who delivered vaginally without a sphincter tear, African-American women had more pelvic floor mobility than white women. This difference was not observed among women who had sustained an obstetric sphincter tear. CONCLUSION: White women have a wider pelvic inlet, wider outlet, and shallower anteroposterior outlet than African-American women. In addition, after vaginal delivery, white women demonstrate less pelvic floor mobility. These differences may contribute to observed racial differences in obstetric outcomes and to the development of pelvic floor disorders. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: II


The multichannel nature of EEG and EMG data poses a big challenge to the development of automatic EEG/EMG analysis and classification systems. Due to the "curse of dimensionality" problem, the analysis and classification of several channels may not lead to the desired performance. Accordingly, a number of algorithms have been proposed to identify small "static" subsets of channels that are capable of differentiating between samples of different classes. However, the identification of small subsets of relevant channels may not always be possible, where for certain applications the smaller the number of channels the less chance that sufficient information is provided. We propose in this paper a dynamic channel selection algorithm that identifies a channel (or a subset of channels) for each time segment of the signal that is relevant to the class of that particular time segment. To achieve this, we embraced the dynamic classifier selection methodology, and particularly the multiple classifier behaviour approach. Each EEG/EMG channel can be chosen to represent a certain unseen time segment of the signal based on the performance, or local accuracy, of its nearest neighbours in the set of training time segments. Results obtained using EEG data of a four-class alertness state classification problem reveal that the proposed approach is capable of achieving competitive performance compared to a traditional static channel selection based method. The algorithm also produced very encouraging results when used to classify EMG data collected from nine transradial amputees performing six classes of movements.


We investigate the ability of a passive network observer to leverage third-party HTTP tracking cookies for mass surveillance. If two web pages embed the same tracker which emits a unique pseudonymous identifier, then the adversary can link visits to those pages from the same user (browser instance) even if the user's IP address varies. Using simulated browsing profiles, we cluster network tra c by transitively linking shared unique cookies and estimate that for typical users over 90% of web sites with embedded trackers are located in a single connected component. Furthermore, almost half of the most popular web pages will leak a logged-in user's real-world identity to an eavesdropper in unencrypted tra c. Together, these provide a novel method to link an identified individual to a large fraction of her entire web history. We discuss the privacy consequences of this attack and suggest mitigation strategies.


Several treatments have been developed for treating bone fractures as they are very common events. Amongst other new strategies, synthetic bone substitutes present a very high potential therapy because they lower the risk of infection and rejection. Moreover, bone progenitor cells have been added to these bone graft substitutes, allowing them to gain the property of osteogenesis. Surprisingly, it has been observed that bone formation was less efficient in the case of bone substitutes seeded with bone progenitor cells compared to cell-free bone substitutes. This result raised questions about the evolution of these cells inside the implant. In order to investigate this shortcoming, osteoprogenitor cells have been transfected using a GFP lentivirus. Using a viability assay and Alizarin and ALP stainings, the characterization of GFP-transfected bone progenitor cells demonstrated a phenotype unaltered after transfection with a lentivirus.


More diverse, perennial cropping systems often have better natural mechanisms for keeping pests at bay. But while scientists emphasise the broad benefits of conservation in terms of effective ecosystem functioning, farmers are more interested in biodiversity for the provision of food or of services such as shade or windbreaks. Because of their limited knowledge of the role of biodiversity in plant protection, farmers sometimes unconsciously disturb natural regulatory mechanisms. Some citrus farmers in Vietnam introduced sapodilla as an intercrop to diversify their source of income, and because this fruit tree requires little care. However, this apparently worthwhile attempt to combine two valuable crops has misfired. The ecological conditions that traditionally sustained natural pest control in citrus have been disturbed, thus trapping farmers in the pesticide treadmill. The weaver ant Oecophylla smaragdina stopped protecting citrus from stinkbugs and leaf-feeding caterpillars after facing competition from the black ant Dolichoderus thoracicus, which favours sapodilla trees as a nesting habitat. To avoid similar scenarios in the future, methods for linking scientific research on ecosystem functions with farmers' own knowledge, experience and priorities are presented. Examples are given of ways in which farmers in perennial cropping systems learn, and how scientists can facilitate this learning process.


Reza Aslan is Assistant Professor of Creative Writing at University of California, Riverside and research associate at the University of Southern California's Center on Public Diplomacy. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Los Angeles Institute for the Humanities, and the Pacific Council on International Policy. He serves on the board of directors for the Ploughshares Fund and PEN USA. Aslan's first book is the international bestselling, No God but God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam, which has been translated into thirteen languages. His next book, How to Win a Cosmic War: God, Globalization, and the End of the War on Terror will be published by Random House in April of 2009. The interview took place on 16 February, 2009


This article examines and contributes to the debate on Ghana's capacity and preparedness to respond to disasters and build safer communities. Having witnessed a series of catastrophic events in recent times, many have questioned the capacity of the National Disaster Management Organisation, an institution mandated to manage disasters in Ghana and whose operations have historically been shaped by external pressures, particularly the populist tendencies of the Provisional National Defense Council government in the 1980s. Analysing the results from the fieldwork and placing them in the context of contemporary disaster management strategies, this article gives an overview of Ghana's preparedness for emergencies in the face of increasing urbanisation. It finds that the organisation is fixated on a top-down approach with low cooperation, collaboration and coordination with stakeholders, leading to situations where devastation and destruction occur before action is taken. Today, the consensus is that practitioners wean themselves from managing disasters and take to managing risk. Such a redirection of attention calls for the adoption of an appropriate institutional framework: an approach that unites the putative nation beyond competing loyalties to ethnicity, tribe and political entity.


On 13 September 1759, General James Wolfe, having led the British troops up the St Lawrence to victory in the Battle of Quebec, died on the Heights of Abraham. Schama examines this death, and how Wolfe was made to die again - through the spectacular painting by Benjamin West, and through the writings of the 19th-century historian Francis Parkman. Schama's second death concerns Parkman's uncle, George Parkman of Harvard Medical College, who disappeared in 1849 in mysterious circumstances and who was rumoured to have been murdered by a colleague. Through these incidents, Schama sheds light on the writing of history, the history of history, and the relationship of 'story' to 'history'.


ABSTRACT: The 2012 Colombian tax reform reduced payroll taxes and employer contributions to health insurance by 13.5 percent, while also increasing corporate income taxes and leaving untouched the benefits to workers financed through these taxes. Shifting taxation from formal employment to other business activities is a policy recipe under heated discussion in Latin America. The reform offers an ideal laboratory for studying empirically the potential distortions against formal employment associated with payroll taxes in contrast to other taxes on firms. We analyze the impact of the reform on employment and wages using monthly firm-level data on all formal employment in nonpublic firms in the country and a difference-in-differences approach that takes advantage of the fact that a few sectors were exempt from the 2012 tax reform. We find a positive average effect of 4.3 percent on employment and 2.7 percent on average firm wages, for the average firm. The employment effect is found only for micro and small firms, whereas the bulk of the employment is concentrated in medium and large firms, which show no significant effect. According to these estimates, about 145,000 new jobs were created between January and May of 2015 by virtue of the reform. These results are generally supportive of efforts to reduce payroll taxes, though our findings on employment are less robust than those on wages, and large firms do not seem to have benefitted. The apparent lack of effect for medium and large employers is also a source of concern. We speculate that it may be due to these firms' being more sensitive to the increase in corporate taxation that financed the reduction in payroll taxes, but lack of access to the relevant data prevents us from offering solid evidence regarding this hypothesis.


In vitro batch cultures were used to screen four fibrolytic enzyme mixtures at two dosages added to a 60 : 40 silage : concentrate diet containing the C(4) tropical grass Andropogon gayanus grass ensiled at two maturities - vegetative stage (VS) and flowering stage (FS). Based on these studies, one enzyme mixture was selected to treat the same diets and evaluate its impact on fermentation using an artificial rumen (Rusitec). In vitro batch cultures were conducted as a completely randomized design with two runs, four replicates per run and 12 treatments in a factorial arrangement (four enzyme mixtures×three doses). Enzyme additives (E1, E2, E3 and E4) were commercial products and contained a range of endoglucanase, exoglucanase and xylanase activities. Enzymes were added to the complete diet 2 h before incubation at 0, 2 and 4 μl/g of dry matter (DM). Gas production (GP) was measured after 3, 6, 12, 24 and 48 h of incubation. Disappearance of DM (DMD), NDF (NDFD) and ADF (ADFD) were determined after 24 and 48 h. For all four enzyme mixtures, a dosage effect (P>0.05) DM, N, NDF or ADF disappearance after 48 h of incubation nor daily ammonia-N, volatile fatty acids or CH(4) production. However, enzyme application increased (P<0.05) microbial N production in feed particle-associated (loosely-associated) and silage feed particle-bound (firmly associated) fractions. With A. gayanus silage diets, degradation may not be limited by microbial colonization, but rather by the ability of fibrolytic enzymes to degrade plant cell walls within this recalcitrant forage.


This study explores the role played by self-efficacy in predicting employees' intentions to apply for promotion, and also to confirm its importance as a third independent determinant of intention within the theory of planned behavior. To this end, questionnaires were administered to 108 employees of an organization operating in the north of Ireland. Regression analyses not only provided strong support for the addition of self-efficacy to the variables contained within Ajzen & Fishbein's (1980) framework, but also highlighted its importance in the context of women. Indeed, for women, it helped to explain some 77% of the variance and produced the strongest relationship with the intention variable. For men, however, only 54% of the variance was explained, and some importance was also attributed to the normative component of the model.


Estrogenic substances discharged from wastewater treatment plants have been detected in surface sediments of receiving waters, but little is known of their vertical migration through buried sediments and their potential to contaminate subsurface waters. The vertical profiles of estrogenic chemicals were investigated in sediment cores at an alluvial freshwater site (Ditchling) and a clay-rich estuarine site (Lewes), both of which are downstream of wastewater discharges into the River Ouse (Sussex, U.K.). Estrone (E1) was the predominant estrogen detected in surface and buried sediments at both sites and was detected in undisturbed clay sediments > 120 years old. Profiles of E1 at Ditchling were characterized by a prominent subsurface peak of E1 at the alluvium/clay interface (-15 cm) at a concentration (28.8 +/- 6.0 ng/g of dry wt) that was 9-fold higher than in the surface sediment. In contrast, a steady downcore decline in E1 concentrations was observed in the clay-rich Lewes core. This work provides the first in situ evidence of estrogen migration through river bed sediments and reveals that movement of estrogens through unconsolidated sediment can result in penetration to the underlying substrata and therefore the potential for groundwater contamination.


In this article, three different cultural and socio-political systems, those of China, Spain, and Russia, are compared in terms of how translation and interpreting are viewed. The principal aim is to propose a tentative model for conducting a synchronic comparative translation and interpreting research study across several regions. Two types of organization have been studied – embassies/consulates and translation bureaus. First, these types of organization routinely commission, use, and assess translations. Second, such organizations are likely to be found in the majority of countries in today's world (hence, the number of countries to be compared could be increased). The first type, embassies/consulates, provides an 'external' view of translation, that is, the view of consumers of translation. The second type, translation agencies, on the other hand, furnishes examples of the 'internal' view of translation producers. First, the official requirements for the submission of documents in foreign languages as described on the sites of embassies and consulates are examined. The research questions include: What are the requirements for translating documents in foreign languages? Whose translations are recognized as legitimate? What are the quality assurance mechanisms for the translations? Then the requirements applicants for a job in a translation agency have to fulfill in the three countries are examined. The analysis focused on how translation is perceived and assessed. What is required from translators/interpreters helps us to gauge the status of translation and its level of professionalization in a particular society, while comparing three different societies allows us to compare the degree of professionalization of translation in different countries.


Abstract Cell-cell and cell-extracellular matrix (ECM) adhesion regulates fundamental cellular functions and is crucial for cell-material contact. Adhesion is influenced by many factors like affinity and specificity of the receptor-ligand interaction or overall ligand concentration and density. To investigate molecular details of cell-ECM and cadherins (cell-cell) interaction in vascular cells functional nanostructured surfaces were used Ligand-functionalized gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) with 6-8 nm diameter, are precisely immobilized on a surface and separated by non-adhesive regions so that individual integrins or cadherins can specifically interact with the ligands on the AuNPs. Using 40 nm and 90 nm distances between the AuNPs and functionalized either with peptide motifs of the extracellular matrix (RGD or REDV) or vascular endothelial-cadherins (VEC), the influence of distance and ligand specificity on spreading and adhesion of endothelial cells (ECs) and smooth muscle cells (SMCs) was investigated. We demonstrate that RGD-dependent adhesion of vascular cells is similar to other cell types and that the distance dependence for integrin binding to ECM-peptides is also valid for the REDV motif. VEC-ligands decrease adhesion significantly on the tested ligand distances. These results may be helpful for future improvements in vascular tissue engineering and for development of implant surfaces.


This paper investigated the deformation behaviour of K-consolidated sand–clay mixtures through cyclic triaxial (CT) and hollow cylinder (CHC) tests. The sand–clay mixtures contained 0%, 5%, 10% and 20% clay by weight and were prepared at a relative density of 75%. Clay inclusion caused an increase in the permanent axial strain of mixtures (0.075% to 5% in CT and 0.186% to 5% in CHC), while a relatively insignificant increase in permanent axial strain was observed in the CT specimens containing 5% and 10% clay (0.075% to 1.299%). However, all CHC specimens with clay failed (εz ≥ 5%). It was also observed that shear strain development of sand is significantly influenced by clay inclusion (0.096–2.241%) in CHC tests. Test results clearly show that the effect of a principal stress rotation should be taken into account to better estimate the deformation behaviour of sand–clay mixtures under repetitive traffic loads.


Abstract Effects of insulin excess and deficiency on glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) was examined in rats following insulinoma transplantation or streptozotocin (STZ) administration. Over 14 days, food intake was increased (p<0.001) in both groups of rats, with decreased body weight (p<0.01) in STZ rats. Non-fasting plasma glucose levels were decreased (p<0.01) and plasma insulin levels increased (p<0.001) in insulinoma-bearing rats, whereas STZ treatment elevated glucose (p<0.001) and decreased insulin (p<0.01). Circulating GIP concentrations were elevated (p<0.01) in both animal models. At 14 days, oral glucose resulted in a decreased glycaemic excursion (p<0.05) with concomitant elevations in insulin release (p<0.001) in insulinoma-bearing rats, whereas STZ-treated rats displayed similar glucose-lowering effects but reduced insulin levels (p<0.01). GIP concentrations were augmented in STZ rats (p<0.05) following oral glucose. Plasma glucose and insulin concentrations were not affected by oral fat, but fat-induced GIP secretion was particularly (p<0.05) increased in insulinoma-bearing rats. Exogenous GIP enhanced (p<0.05) glucose-lowering in all groups of rats accompanied by insulin releasing (p<0.001) effects in insulinoma-bearing and control rats. Both rat models exhibited increased (p<0.001) intestinal weight but decreased intestinal GIP concentrations. These data suggest that circulating insulin has direct and indirect effects on the synthesis and secretion of GIP.


Auris atresia (AA) is a congenital pathology characterized by aplasia or hypopla-sia of the external ear with associated middle ear malformation. The AA has a different degree of severity, and the severe form of the disorder presents no identifiable ear canal (complete atresia) and absence or significative underdevelopment of the middle ear structures. Sometimes AA is associated with a malformation of the ear called "microtia." The alterations of the external auditory canal and of the middle ear structures are responsible for the conductive hearing loss which affects the patients. The hearing restoration procedures may recreate a normal external and middle ear anatomy to favor the recovery of the hearing function, or the surgeon may simply restore the hearing capacity through bypassing the malformed structures by bone-anchored hearing implants (BAHIs). The restoring of normal anatomy is generally associated with episode of restenosis of the external ear canal due to bony regrowth. The formulation of a therapeutic strategy may be supported by using Jahrsdoerfer classification to identify the severity of malformation. In the chapter we discuss vari-ous bone anchoring prostheses currently used (Baha, Ponto, Alpha2 by Sophono, Bonebridge) and the results that can be obtained by the use of these implants.


We study localization and charge dynamics in a monochromatically driven one-dimensional Anderson insulator focussing on the low-frequency, strong-driving regime. We study this problem using a mapping of the Floquet Hamiltonian to a hopping problem with correlated disorder in one higher harmonic-space dimension. We show that (i) resonances in this model correspond to \emph{adiabatic} Landau-Zener (LZ) transitions that occur due to level crossings between lattice sites over the course of dynamics; (ii) the proliferation of these resonances leads to dynamics that \emph{appear} diffusive over a single drive cycle, but the system always remains localized; (iii) actual charge transport occurs over many drive cycles due to slow dephasing between these LZ orbits and is logarithmic-in-time, with a crucial role being played by far-off Mott-like resonances; and (iv) applying a spatially-varying random phase to the drive tends to decrease localization, suggestive of weak-localization physics. We derive the conditions for the strong driving regime, determining the parametric dependencies of the size of Floquet eigenstates, and time-scales associated with the dynamics, and corroborate the findings using both numerical scaling collapses and analytical arguments.


ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to determine and validate the optimal combination of parameters derived from 3-T diffusion-weighted imaging, dynamic contrast-enhanced imaging, and magnetic resonance (MR) spectroscopic imaging for discriminating low-grade from high-grade prostate cancer (PCa). Materials and MethodsThe study was approved by the institutional review board, and the need for informed consent was waived. Ninety-four patients with PCa who had undergone multiparametric MR imaging (MRI) before prostatectomy were included. Cancer was indicated on T2-weighted images, blinded to any functional data, with prostatectomy specimens as the reference standard. Tumors were classified as low grade or high grade based on Gleason score; peripheral zone (PZ) and transition zone (TZ) tumors were analyzed separately. In a development set (43 patients), the optimal combination of multiparametric MRI parameters was determined using logistic regression modeling. Subsequently, this combination was evaluated in a separate validation set (51 patients). ResultsIn the PZ, the 25th percentile of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) derived from diffusion-weighted imaging and washout (WO25) derived from dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI offered the optimal combination of parameters. In the TZ, WO25 and the choline over spermine + creatine ratio (C/SC) derived from MR spectroscopic imaging showed the highest discriminating performance. Using the models built with the development set, 48 (74%) of 65 cancer lesions were classified correctly in the validation set. ConclusionsMultiparametric MRI is a useful tool for the discrimination between low-grade and high-grade PCa and performs better than any individual functional parameter in both the PZ and TZ. The 25th percentile of ADC + WO25 offered the optimal combination in the PZ, and the choline over spermine + creatine ratio + WO25 offered the optimal combination in the TZ. The ADC parameter has no additional value for the assessment of PCa aggressiveness in the TZ.


We introduce the class of constant probability (CP) programs and show that classical results from probability theory directly yield a simple decision procedure for (positive) almost sure termination of programs in this class. Moreover, asymptotically tight bounds on their expected runtime can always be computed easily. Based on this, we present an algorithm to infer the exact expected runtime of any CP program.


Astronomically-determined irregular fluctuations in the Earth's rotation vector on decadal time scales can be used to estimate the fluctuating torque on the lower surface of the Earth's mantle produced by magnetohydrodynamic flow in the underlying liquid metallic core. A method has been proposed for testing the hypothesis that the torque is due primarily to fluctuating dynamic pressure forces acting on irregular topographic features of the core-mantle boundary and also on the equatorial bulge. The method exploits (a) geostrophically-constrained models of fluid motions in the upper reaches of the core based on geomagnetic secular variation data, and (b) patterns of the topography of the CMB based on the mantle flow models constrained by data from seismic tomography, determinations of long wave-length anomalies of the Earth's gravitational field and other geophysical and geodetic data. According to the present study, the magnitude of the axial component of the torque implied by determinations of irregular changes in the length of the day is compatible with models of the Earth's deep interior characterized by the presence of irregular CMB topography of effective "height" no more than about 0.5 km (about 6% of the equatorial bulge) and strong horizontal variations in the properties of the D″ layer at the base of the mantle. The investigation is now being extended to cover a wider range of epochs and also the case of polar motion on decadal time scales produced by fluctuations in the equatorial components of the torque.


Abstract. Paleontological occurrences of helodermatid lizards (Helodermatidae) are relatively uncommon and scattered in the North American fossil record. A recently discovered concentration of vertebrate fossils was exposed in a karstic fissure filling in an active rock quarry in southwestern Oklahoma. Underwater screening of the ancient cave fill yielded numerous isolated and fragmentary skeletal elements of a diversity of small, and a few large, vertebrates including unexpected remains of Heloderma sp. as well as extinct large mammals (horse, peccary, Dwarf Pronghorn), indicating Pleistocene age. Radiometric dating of the locality is not possible because of the leaching, but fossils of the Prairie Vole, Microtus ochrogaster, from the locality help to constrain the age of the deposit between 1.21 Ma and 0.01 Ma. The fossils are the first of Heloderma in the Pleistocene of Oklahoma and the southern Great Plains. Based on taphonomic evidence and the relative abundance of rodent teeth, we infer that the fossils accumulated at least partly as the remains of vertebrates fed upon by Ringtails (Bassariscus; Procyonidae) and other small carnivorous mammals. The Pleistocene occurrence of Heloderma in the southern Great Plains of North American has potential implications for the paleobiogeography of the genus and begs further investigation of fossil herpetofaunas in North America.


Piketty (2014) documents how the share of aggregate income going to capital in the United States has risen in the post-war era. Rognlie (2015) has since shown that this is largely due to the housing sector. I explore the determinants of the secular rise in the share of housing capital income (or 'rental income') in the US economy. I first decompose the aggregate national accounts by geographic region and also by type of housing. I then exploit variation across US states in factors that could explain housing capital income, such as interest rates, housing prices and income growth. I show that the long-run increase in the aggregate share of housing capital income is mainly due to higher imputed rental income going to owner-occupiers. I also find evidence that the rise in the share of housing capital income over recent decades reflects a combination of: 1) lower real interest rates; 2) lower consumer price inflation; and 3) constraints on the supply of new housing in some large US cities. In effect, I argue that the fall in nominal interest rates over the 1980s and 1990s raised the demand for housing and pushed up housing prices and rents (relative to non-housing prices) in supply-constrained areas. I estimate that the long-term decline in interest rates can explain more than half the increase in the share of nominal income spent on housing since the early 1980s.


Research studies indicate that smoking cigarettes is related to a premature development of facial wrinkles. Given that facial wrinkles may act as motivation for people to quit smoking, it is crucial that smoking cessation professionals be able to accurately inform clients about research concerning smoking and wrinkles. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to provide an updated overview of the literature which can be used by cessation clinicians as a practical reference on smoking and facial wrinkles. Databases were searched for peer-reviewed articles that study the association with smoking and wrinkles. In all, 17 articles were located and reviewed for research methods and results. Although facial wrinkles and smoking were measured inconsistently between studies, the overall literature indicates that those who smoke have a higher risk of developing premature facial wrinkles as compared to those who do not smoke. The implications of this review for smoking cessation professionals are described.


The establishment of Sawangan district, Depok municipality as an urban service sub-centres (SPK) has encouraged urbanization to the zoning. The population increase and the demand for land for the conversion is a consequence. Land-use change has become an environmental issue in the SPK Sawangan, specifically soil degradation. The objectives of this study were to assess the condition of soil degradation based on the criteria for evaluating the parameters of soil physical properties in the SPK Sawangan. Observation method on the soil physical properties were carried out at five sample plots. The assessment technique referred to standard assessment criteria for controlling soil degradation for biomass production. The results showed that the parameters that affect soil degradation are acidity (T1,T3, T5), soil bulk density (T4), permeability: fast (T2,T3) and slow (T4). Overall conclusions, soil degradation at the SPK Sawangan zoning shows the condition of low damage. The policy implications are that stakeholders need to carry out technical management of land, especially on land that has the limiting parameter value that exceeds or is outside the critical threshold value.


Cases involving the Establishment of Religion Clause predominantly emphasize religious neutrality. Believing this to be normatively correct, Professor Loewy argues for religious neutrality in capital punishment cases. In accordance therewith, he would uphold religious peremptory challenges where a juror's religious belief is related to her death penalty perspective. Professor Loewy agrees with the courts'general willingness to disallow religion as an aggravating factor while allowing it as a mitigating factor. This dichotomy comports with the neutrality principle because aggravating factors, in general, are limited whereas mitigating factors are unlimited.


Neuropilin-1 (NRP1) is a co-receptor required for neuronal and vascular development, which binds to class 3 semaphorins and VEGFs. NRP1 has been strongly implicated in VEGF-induced endothelial cell migration. VEGF has been shown to regulate vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) function in vitro. Evidence from mutant mice also suggests that NRP1 disruption in vivo can affect VSMC as well as endothelial function. I therefore investigated the role of NRPs in VSMC biological functions and more particularly in their migration. Western blotting showed that NRP1 and the related molecule, NRP2, were strongly expressed in human coronary artery SMC (HCASMC), whereas the major VEGF signalling receptor VEGFR2/KDR was not detectable. A high molecular weight NRP1-immunoreactive band (>250 kDa) was also strongly expressed in HCASMC, but was not detected either in cognate Human coronary artery endothelial cells (HCAEC) or in Human umbilical vein EC. The high molecular weight species was decreased significantly by treating the SMCs with chondroitinase, an enzyme that specifically chondroitin sulphate (CS) residues found in CS proteoglycan. Treatment with heparitinase, an enzymethat specifically heparan sulphate (HS) residues also resulted in a decrease of the highmolecular weight band but to a lesser extent than chondroitinase. Finally, treatment of SMC with both enzymes caused the complete disappearance of the high molecular weight species. Hence, in SMCs, in addition to the known NRP1 species at 130 kDa, NRP1 exists as a glycosaminoglycan containing either chondroitin sulphate or heparan sulphate polysaccharide chains.
Mutational analysis of candidate O-linked glycosylation sites in the NRP1 extracellular domain showed that glycosylation occurred at serine 612. The importance of this gly-cosaminoglycan (GAG) modification was assessed by generating a construct of NRP1 lacking this GAG modification, called S612A. This was done by generation of an adenovirus NRP1 mutant with an alanine residue instead of the serine found in the wild-type species, however, the over-expression of the S612A NRP1 mutant in VSMC caused no signicant difference in PDGF-induced HCASMC migration.
VEGF was able to bind significantly to ECs and SMCs but did not induce a significant migratory response of SMCs in contrast to PDGF-AA and PDGF-BB. PDGF-BB-induced HCASMC migration in transwell assays was inhibited by EG3287, a NRP1-specific antagonist, which blocks the ability of VEGF-A^1^6^5 to bind to NRP1. Furthermore, the migratory response to PDGF-BB was significantly decreased by siRNA-mediated knockdown of NRP1, NRP2 or a neuropilin interacting protein (NIP1 or synectin), and by pre-treatment with soluble NRP1 or NRP1 b1 domain (NRP1 VEGF binding domain). NRP1 knockdown also inhibited the migratory response to PDGF-AA.

NRP1 was found to physically interact with PDGFR\alpha, but not with PDGFR\beta, as determined by co-immunoprecipitation. PDGFR\alpha, but not PDGFR\beta, phosphorylation was decreased in response to PDGF-AA and PDGF-BB when NRP1 was knocked down in HCASMC.

Intracellular signalling in response to PDGF-BB stimulation was investigated in HCASMCs with NRP1 knockdown. PDGF-BB stimulated tyrosine phosphorylation of the adapter protein p130Cas, which has been stronlgy implicated in cellular and molecular processes involved in cell migration. NRP1 knockdown reduced p130Cas phosphorylation, but had little effect on signalling pathways, such as ERK1/2, Akt, cofilin, Hsp27 and FAK. To investigate the contribution of the NRP1 intracellular domain in PDGF-induced migration and signalling, I generated a NRP1 construct lacking the intracellular domain by introducing a stop codon after the transmembrane domain. Overexpression of NRP1 lacking its C-terminus in HCASMC resulted in a decrease of PDGF-induced migration and activation of phospho-p130Cas. Furthermore, p130Cas knockdown also inhibited PDGF- induced HCASMC migration, thus reinforcing the importance of p130Cas phosphorylation in NRP1-dependent cell migration.
The findings that NRP1 is strongly expressed in HCASMC in a CS-GAG and a HS-GAG modified form and plays a role in the chemotactic response to PDGF-BB, highlight the possible involvement of NRPs in neotintima formation in vasculoproliferative diseases.


Objectives: Delirium severity is independently associated with longer hospital stays, nursing home placement, and death in patients outside the ICU. Delirium severity in the ICU is not routinely measured because the available instruments are difficult to complete in critically ill patients. We designed our study to assess the reliability and validity of a new ICU delirium severity tool, the Confusion Assessment Method for the ICU-7 delirium severity scale. Design: Observational cohort study. Setting: Medical, surgical, and progressive ICUs of three academic hospitals. Patients: Five hundred eighteen adult (≥ 18 yr) patients. Interventions: None. Measurements and Main Results: Patients received the Confusion Assessment Method for the ICU, Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale, and Delirium Rating Scale-Revised-98 assessments. A 7-point scale (0–7) was derived from responses to the Confusion Assessment Method for the ICU and Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale items. Confusion Assessment Method for the ICU-7 showed high internal consistency (Cronbach's &agr; = 0.85) and good correlation with Delirium Rating Scale-Revised-98 scores (correlation coefficient = 0.64). Known-groups validity was supported by the separation of mechanically ventilated and nonventilated assessments. Median Confusion Assessment Method for the ICU-7 scores demonstrated good predictive validity with higher odds (odds ratio = 1.47; 95% CI = 1.30–1.66) of in-hospital mortality and lower odds (odds ratio = 0.8; 95% CI = 0.72–0.9) of being discharged home after adjusting for age, race, gender, severity of illness, and chronic comorbidities. Higher Confusion Assessment Method for the ICU-7 scores were also associated with increased length of ICU stay (p = 0.001). Conclusions: Our results suggest that Confusion Assessment Method for the ICU-7 is a valid and reliable delirium severity measure among ICU patients. Further research comparing it to other delirium severity measures, its use in delirium efficacy trials, and real-life implementation is needed to determine its role in research and clinical practice.


We present a novel algorithm and a new understanding of reasoning about a sequence of deterministic actions with a probabilistic prior. When the initial state of a dynamic system is unknown, a probability distribution can be still specified over the initial states. Estimating the posterior distribution over states (filtering) after some deterministic actions occurred is a problem relevant to AI planning, natural language processing (NLP) and robotics among others. Current approaches to filtering deterministic actions are not tractable even if the distribution over the initial system state is represented compactly. The reason is that state variables become correlated after a few steps. The main innovation in this paper is a method for sidestepping this problem by redefining state variables dynamically at each time step such that the posterior for time t is represented in a factored form. This update is done using a progression algorithm as a subroutine, and our algorithm's tractability follows when that subroutine is tractable. In particular, our algorithm is tractable for 1:1 and STRIPS actions. We apply our reasoning algorithm about deterministic actions to reasoning about sequences of probabilistic actions and improve the efficiency of the current probabilistic reasoning approaches. We demonstrate the efficiency of the new algorithm experimentally over AI-Planning data sets.


The design of a multichannel optical monitor for transmittance measurements of thin-film coatings during deposition is described. The system comprises a light source and one or more spectrum analyzers each incorporating a prism monochromator and a 256-element photodiode array detector. This multiple-channel design, in conjunction with an HP 1000 computer and data acquisition period of 100 ms, enables the coating uniformity to be precisely monitored and controlled. High-system throughput has been achieved with a large numerical aperture (f/1.5), while retaining excellent spectral resolution over the 350–1100-nm wavelength range. Experimental measurements indicate a practical resolution equal to the detector-limited resolution, a wavelength reproducibility of 0.1 nm at 400 nm and 0.6 nm at 700 nm, and a photometric accuracy and precision of ~1 and ±0.3%, respectively. The problem of unequal energy distribution across the spectrum is handled by optical rather than the usual electronic compensation.


Li-excess cathode materials are expected to have great potential for applications in lithium-ion batteries owing to their high energy density. In addition to the extensive studies on the anionic redox activity in lithium-ion batteries, their Li-ion diffusion properties have also attracted much interest. Using ab initio calculations, herein, we systematically explored Li diffusion properties in both stoichiometric and Li-excess phases of spinel lithium manganese oxide (LMO). Our results showed that there is a type of structural unit (six Mn ions forming a cation ring for Li-ions to pass through during migration) that acts as "gate sites" and the Li-excess configuration could introduce two types of fast Li-ion migration channels to enhance the Li-ion diffusivity. The first type of fast channels resulted from the decreased repulsive coulombic interactions between the cations at the gate site and the mobile Li-ions due to the substitution of Mn3+ by Li+. The second type of fast channels originated because the excess Li could induce more gate sites with symmetrical distribution of Mn4+ surrounding the Li diffusion channel, which is proved to be able to enhance the Li-ion mobility. Interestingly, it was also found that in slow Li diffusion channels for both stoichiometric and Li-excess LMO, a simultaneous polaron hopping process around the gate sites would be coupled with the Li migration process, which accounts for the high energy barriers for Li-ion diffusion.


Background & Objectives : Nowadays, development of drug resistance against chemical antimicrobial drugs has attracted attention using medicinal plants in treatment of infections. The aim of this study is to evaluate the antimicrobial effects of two species of Centaurea plant's essential oil on drug resistant clinical isolates of three pathogenic isolates. Materials & Methods : The studied plants were collected from Marand city in East Azerbaijan, Iran and were confirmed as Centaurea Depressa M.B. and Centaurea Cyanus L. by botanists of Iran Agriculture Organization. The essential oil of these plants (Stems and leaf) were extracted via steam distillation method by Clevenger, and their antimicrobial effects were studied by well diffusion method in the abovementioned bacteria. The components of essential oil were identified by injection to gas chromatography linked to mass spectrometry (GC/M). Results : The results of this study prove that the essential oils from the abovementioned plants have bactericidal effects. The most antibacterial effect is observed in Escherichia coli strains. The results of GC/MS chromatography reveal that the essential oils of Centaurea Depressa M.B. and Centaurea Cyanus L. have 28 and 32 compounds, respectively. Conclusion: This study confirmed that the grasses could be used in medicinal plants group with antibacterial properties. However, their effects in vivo must be evaluated and the most effective component of them must be identified carefully so that they can be applied commonly as an alternative synthetic drug in treating infections. oil, Centaurea, Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry, Staphylococcus aureus , Staphylococcus epidermidis , Escherichia coli


Universities across the United States have reported consistently high rates of alcohol use and abuse among students during the past 20 years. The college student alcohol consumption level is considered an important public health concern. The increase in problematic drinking seems to be campus wide, but there is an un-derstudied at-risk demographic—collegiate student-athletes. The purpose of this study is to examine student-athletes' motives for alcohol consumption, drinking patterns, and alcohol-related negative consequences. Student-athletes ( N = 283) from five Midwestern universities completed an online questionnaire assessing this behavior. Male student-athletes reported higher levels in all three categories than females. In addition, differences were found in the drinking motives of individual and team sport student-athletes. Unlike previous studies, Division I stu-dent-athletes did not differ from Division III with respect to these behaviors. Male student-athletes seem particularly at-risk for problematic alcohol consumption. Additionally, differences were found in motives experienced for alcohol consumption based on sport type (i.e., individual versus team). Level of play was not found to influence drinking motives or alcohol consumption which may signify participation in intercollegiate athletics is a greater influence than division. Differences found in gender and sport type may provide insight to help decrease dangerous drinking habits of student-athletes.


Market segmentation, Product position, selling price, and the sales time have been lots of discussion at single residential product literature. But it lacked for a portfolio examination of entire housing building. This paper quotes the concept of typicality of housing and atypicality of housing to segment the sub-market of housing by the quantities of room at a dwelling of the entire housing building. As well as make the best product position strategy, and use the proportion of rooms to discuss the relations of selling price and the sales time. The data of this paper investigate the new construct housing buildings in Kaohsiung city, Taiwan, between 2001 and 2006 - total 192 housing building, and counted 21,520 dwelling units. This research is using two-stage least square model Chi-squared and Cluster analysis to probe the cause and effect between the product selling time and the housing substantial attribute combination, and to decide the strategy of proportion of rooms in the beginning of planning product positioning. The result of this research expected to contributive sub-market segmentation from product positioning, proposed that the product positioning of strategy, as well as defines the relations of the selling price and the sales time from the proportion of rooms strategy. We also expect to give development suggestion for the developer and find the important variable effect on the selling price and sales time at the scholarly research.


Abstract This paper examines the son preference and contraceptive practice among tribal groups in rural south India. Parents' preferences for the sex of their children have constituted an important theme in population and social research over the past three decades. Data were collected from a household survey of 398 currently married women of reproductive age group (15-49) from four taluks in the Nilgiris District of rural Tamilnadu are selected with respect to the different tribal communities. Cross tabulation and logistic regression analysis was carried out for finding out relationships between the socio-economic, demographic variables on contraceptive practice. The use of contraceptive practice by tribal groups in rural areas is strongly linked to individual and household socio-economic and demographic variables. Findings shows that the expectation that a son will provide financial support in old age is strongly associated with the response that a son is important. Son preference is slightly more among the tribal women, particularly among the users of spacing method who are more among those preferring the sons. Some of the socio-economic variables like education of husband and occupation have shown negative influence on higher fertility and positive influence on contraceptive use among the tribal women. It is proposed that there is need for more comprehensive on tribes in different areas in state and in the Indian nation to explicitly bring out the son preference attitudes of tribal people, which have an impact on their fertility and family planning practices.


Address event representation (AER) cameras have recently attracted more attention due to the advantages of high temporal resolution and low power consumption, compared with traditional frame-based cameras. Since AER cameras record the visual input as asynchronous discrete events, they are inherently suitable to coordinate with the spiking neural network (SNN), which is biologically plausible and energy-efficient on neuromorphic hardware. However, using SNN to perform the AER object classification is still challenging, due to the lack of effective learning algorithms for this new representation. To tackle this issue, we propose an AER object classification model using a novel segmented probability-maximization (SPA) learning algorithm. Technically, 1) the SPA learning algorithm iteratively maximizes the probability of the classes that samples belong to, in order to improve the reliability of neuron responses and effectiveness of learning; 2) a peak detection (PD) mechanism is introduced in SPA to locate informative time points segment by segment, based on which information within the whole event stream can be fully utilized by the learning. Extensive experimental results show that, compared to state-of-the-art methods, not only our model is more effective, but also it requires less information to reach a certain level of accuracy.


If you're thinking about creating or maintaining Web sites, you're likely to turn to Dreamweaver, the de facto software tool of choice for Web design today. What could be a chore, however, becomes a fun and fascinating challenge with this comprehensive yet clever guide. Author Geoff Blake turns a technical topic into an entertaining one by using conversational language, plenty of humor, facts, and tips to make Dreamweaver accessible to everyone. Behind all the jokes, however, is a wealth of information: After showing how Dreamweaver fits into the overall Web design puzzle, Geoff quickly gets down to building a basic Web site, by teaching good, 21st century work habits and providing step-by-step instructions for building pages from the very beginning with CSS styles and library items. With that knowledge under your belt, you'll be ready to tackle the advanced functionality (including behaviors, multimedia, and templates).


Background/Context This article is a part of a larger philosophical and empirical project by the author and collaborators to understand the ways in which high-stakes accountability policy fosters normalizing educational practices and concomitant resistance by educators and students. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study In this article, the author explores how Michel Foucault's notion of the "care of the self" might provide a conceptual basis for resistance to the normalizing practices and disciplinary power associated with high-stakes accountability and resulting educational practices. Research Design The author employs a philosophical analysis of key concepts associated with normalization, the care of the self, the educated self, and high-stakes accountability. The article is presented as a philosophical argument. Conclusions/Recommendations The author suggests that to shift attention from limited notions of the self toward expansive and creative possibilities for constituting the self requires clarity on what we mean by the educated self in a context of accountability. It also necessitates a new professional ethics characterized by critical reflection and intersubjective engagement.


Failure of laminated composites under in-plane and/or through the thickness stresses is a complex phenomenon. Ply failure is often predicted based on the maximum value (or values) of one or more functionals, such as the maximum stress (strain) or polynomials involving the stress components. Some researchers have pointed out that it is necessary to distinguish between two types of failure, namely, (1) fiber-dominated mechanisms (tension or compression in the fiber direction), and (2) matrix mode failures. Failures in the second mode are expected to occur on planes parallel to fibers, and they can be predicted by seeking a plane on which a functional involving the normal and two shear stress components acting on the plane attain a maximum value. Two such functionals are chosen, one for tensile and the other for compressive matrix failure, and they involve three matrix-dominated strengths, namely, the transverse tensile and shear strengths and the longitudinal shear strength of the ply. In this work, it is shown that a Coulomb-Mohr type criterion or a combination of such pyramidal failure surfaces, which is physically appealing and is widely used for many brittle materials, such as rock and concrete, can be utilized for predicting matrix mode compressive failures in a lamina. A simple modification is introduced to account for the fact that the transverse shear strength of a ply may be different from its longitudinal shear strength. Predictions are compared with results from other failure theories as well as test data from tension and compression tests on angle ply (′θ) n s and off-axis unidirectional coupons reported in literature. For tensile failure, the criterion has to be modified by introduction of tension cutoffs, which are usually needed for all brittle materials. Use of the criterion under more complex conditions, such as thick composites under three-dimensional stress states is explored and advantages and disadvantages of the criterion are discussed.


Using data drawn from the 2010 American Time Use Survey Well-Being Module, this study examines the relationship between three measures of subjective well-being based on time-use data and an objective measure of well-being. Whereas the measures of affect – net affect and the U-index – are uncorrelated with the objective quality-of-life ranking of the fifty states in the United States, the measure of meaningfulness shows a significant correlation with objective ranking. The reason for the significant correlation between the measure of meaningfulness and the objective measure of well-being is because, when engaged in similar activities, people living in states with better quality of life felt, after controlling for their individual characteristics, their lives to be more meaningful than those living in states with poor amenities, not because time use varies substantially by state.


The traditional doctrine of the sovereignty of Parliament in the United Kingdom is being transformed. The change is the cumulative result of a series of legislative acts, judicial decisions, statements of officials and academic opinions. This paper is not directed to the extent or to the propriety of this change. It examines rather the process by which it has been effected. In most of the world, wholesale constitutional revision is an event. It takes place in a defined period of time and is the work of an identifiable group of people. The striking thing about the changes in the UK constitution is that they are almost universally regarded as arising from a series of uncoordinated events by different actors. The new constitution has not been designed; it has been revealed over time, the work of a "blind" sovereign. I survey these developments, contrast them with constitutional orthodoxy elsewhere and, finally, qualify the comparison by raising doubts about the accuracy of the standard model of constitution-making.


Allergens in restaurant food cause many allergic reactions and deaths. Yet no federal, state, or local law adequately protects people from these harms. Although federal law requires the labeling of "major food allergens" in packaged food, there are no allergen labeling requirements for restaurant-type food. In addition, existing food safety requirements for restaurants are inadequate to prevent allergen cross contact.

The existing legal scholarship on food allergens in restaurants is limited. Much of the legal scholarship on labeling in restaurants focuses on menu labeling — the provision of calorie and other nutrition information to combat obesity. The requirements of Section 4205 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act exemplify this type of labeling. Although the literature describes the problem of foodallergens in restaurants, it has not fully explored potential regulatory solutions. This Article explores how, as a first step, menu labeling regulation can inform the development of food allergen regulation to reduce the risks that allergens pose in restaurants and similar retail establishments. It also discusses how menu labeling can help anticipate and respond to potential opposition and challenges to allergen requirements.

Using menu labeling as a guide, this Article argues that certain chain restaurants and similar retail establishments should be required to furnish "major food allergen" labeling upon consumer request in order to advance public health. Labeling changes alone, however, are insufficient to protect people with food allergies. Restaurants should also be required to employ science-based practices to prevent allergen cross contact and ensure their workers are trained on food allergen management. Although state and local governments may play an important role addressing food allergen management in restaurants and advancing public health, ultimately federal action is needed.


This article explores the role of leadership in start-ups and outlines a model of when, why and how leadership behaviour of founder-CEOs influences start-up performance. The model has been tested using a sample of 102 start-ups and their founder-CEOs and includes feedback from 372 employees, rating their leadership behaviour of founder-CEOs. The results indicate that transformational leadership has a significant and positive effect on start-up performance. However, no significant, direct effects on start-up performance were found for transactional leadership or laissez-faire leadership. Furthermore, the size of the start-up has a significant, positive, moderating effect on the relationship between laissez-faire leadership and start-up performance, as well as a significant, positive, moderating effect on the relationship between the transactional leadership dimension, management by exception and start-up performance. Results indicate that for start-ups and their performance, leadership behaviour is as important as their context. Today, leadership is neglected by most entrepreneurs and is not considered a motivation for founding a business. The results show that founders should focus more on leadership behaviour.


This is a qualitative study based on in-depth interviews with professional chaplains working in Toronto hospitals. In order to explore emotional experiences that chaplains undergo as a result of working in hospital and dealing with people who are emotionally overwhelmed, I utilized insights from interactional and symbolic interactionist, phenomenological, ethnomethodological and dramaturgical approaches within the sociology of emotions and spoke with 21 chaplains from five faith traditions (Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism and modern paganism). The aim was to understand how chaplains manage their work-related emotions in order to protect their mental health, whilst also providing spiritual care. Modern chaplaincy is not about performing religious ritual as much as it is about providing emotional support. As a result, chaplains must be prepared to become deeply involved with emotions. Like a sponge, they should soak up patients' emotions. -- Based on actual accounts of work-related emotional experiences, I draw an emotional map for hospital chaplaincy in which typical situations likely to challenge chaplains are pinpointed as emotional hotspots. Emotional challenges are further discussed in terms of spiritual approach vs. medical approach, emotional identification with situation, dealing with baby death, inability to create effective communication, and emotional dissonance. Physical contact and crying, two major outlets of emotional expression, are analyzed in terms of emotion management. I also discuss different techniques, strategies and resources that chaplains rely on to perform their job. The result of the study shows that if chaplains fail to maintain a proper work-life balance, job pressure can be harmful. As a strategy, many chaplains work part-time. As a supportive means, an overwhelming number of chaplains regularly benefit from psychotherapy and/or spiritual guidance.


Classic social choice theory assumes that votes are independent (but possibly conditioned on an underlying objective ground truth). This assumption is unrealistic in settings where the voters are connected via an underlying social network structure, as social interactions lead to correlated votes. We establish a general framework -- based on random utility theory -- for ranked voting on a social network with arbitrarily many alternatives (in contrast to previous work, which is restricted to two alternatives). We identify a family of voting rules which, without knowledge of the social network structure, are guaranteed to recover the ground truth with high probability in large networks, with respect to a wide range of models of correlation among input votes.


Investigations of many serious accidents in different fields have revealed that before every serious accident, a large number of related prior incidents occurred with limited impact and an even larger number of related incidents happened that resulted in no loss or damage. Collectively, these incidents are called near-misses. Near-misses provide insight into both potential failure points and weaknesses in the management system itself. Therefore, they can be a powerful tool to reduce risk and improve system reliability. Near-miss management systems (NMMS)s are designed to enable people and institutions to learn from high-frequency, low-impact incidents (near-misses) to prevent low-frequency, high-impact events (accidents). A comprehensive NMMS includes several important implementation steps, such as identification of near-misses, disclosure and reporting, prioritization and classification, distribution of the information, analysis of causes, solution identification, dissemination of actions and knowledge, resolution, and closure of the case. Successful implementation of an NMMS requires (a) strong management ownership, (b) participation and reporting of as many incidents as possible, and (c) use of quantitative tools to identify weaknesses and to improve the system.

Keywords:

near-miss;
accident;
safety;
management;
risk;
reliability