The religious situation in Romania defies any brief or simple analysis. In the 1980's the religious communities, both the registered and the unregistered, found themselves in the midst of a complex and volatile world. Increased breathing space was a profound concern of the churches, but the communist state showed no signs that it would begin to respect its citizens' civil and religious rights. All the religious communities, including the Romanian Orthodox Church, were carefully monitored by the Securitate, which perceived them as potentially destabilizing forces for the socialist society. They had remained the only social structures that had not been fully integrated into the Romanian political system because of their basic ideological incompatibility. The extent to which some of the religious leaders collaborated with the communist state as well as the role that some of the international ecumenical agencies played, however, remains a very sensitive issue. [1] Until December, 1989, Romania was under the control of a ruthless communist dictator in charge of a large, well-armed security force with an extensive informant system that penetrated every part of the society, an abysmal human-rights record, an economic crisis of catastrophic proportions, and a reign of terror in which human beings were the last priority in a nightmare world. [2] Laszlo Tokes, a 36-year-old minister of the Reformed Church in Timisoara and a rare outspoken critic of the Ceausescu tyranny, became the catalyst for the Romanian revolution. The revolution brought about important changes within the Romanian society at large and for the religious communities in particular. Two of the most significant decisions made by the National Salvation Front, which initially served as the provisional government, were to relegalize the Greek Catholic Church, popularly known as the Uniates, which had been suppressed by the communist state and now found itself involved in a struggle to regain approximately 2,000 churches, and to maintain the legal status of the other fourteen religious communities that had been recognized under the Ceausescu regime and to permit them to have an amazing amount of freedom. For the first time in more than forty years it was now possible for the churches to govern themselves, to set their own agendas, to revise their structures, and to live out their own lives and articulate their own missions in the fullest way. They were totally unprepared for the unparalleled opportunities that had now arisen for their ministries and for their s ervice, although they had helped to pave the revolution's way by keeping alive the spirit of democracy and a belief in the innate dignity of every human being.[3] Unfortunately, nearly a decade after the upheaval of December, 1989, the ecumenical situation in Romania leaves much to be desired; new religious legislation has not been finalized, and there are even mounting fears that there could be restrictions on religious freedom in the new era. After the revolution there was a tremendous feeling of euphoria, particularly among some of the minority churches. All the religious communities took steps to use this new freedom effectively in the light of their particular perspectives. There have been extensive restoration and building programs, new confessional schools and theological institutes with a large number of candidates for the priesthood, many new church periodicals and publications, opportunities on radio and television, and openings for ministries in all the state institutions. To be sure, there was more than a little discomfort among the minority churches because the Romanian Orthodox Church was rapidly beginning to fill all the openings. Religious believers who had been severely persecuted suddenly found themselves free to practice their faith openly without fear of reprisal. The state continued to provide subsidies for the salaries of pastors and administrators of the traditional churches, but these were not considered adequate, given the s erious economic problems. …


The aim of this study was to investigate the associations between preservice teachers' Web 2.0 competencies and their critical thinking disposition (CTD). The study employed an associational research design using California Critical Thinking Disposition-Inventory (CCTD –I) and a Web 2.0 competency questionnaire including items related to Web 2.0 awareness, Web 2.0 use, and educational use of Web 2.0 tools. Five different Web 2.0 tools included in the study: (a) blogs, (b) wikis, (c) social networking websites, (d) YouTube, (e) podcasts. A total of 1335 preservice teachers completed the survey. Findings indicated that participants had a medium level internet use, Web 2.0 awareness, Web 2.0 use and Web 2.0 skills while their educational Web 2.0 use level was low. In terms of competencies on certain Web 2.0 tools, their blog, wiki and podcast competencies were at a very low level, whereas their social networking and YouTube competency levels were high. Findings also showed that there were significant relationships between preservice teachers' Web 2.0 competencies and their critical thinking disposition. The results highlighted that the use of different Web 2.0 tools can be complementary to each other during certain instructional activities to improve different dimensions of critical thinking disposition.


Human resource is a key factor for IT new product development. Considering multi-skilled employees in IT Project Portfolio Scheduling, a mixed integer nonlinear programming model with three optimization objectives is proposed from the view of project or product managers. The three objectives are to maximize the increments of skill efficiency values for all multi-skilled employees, to minimize R&D cycle and to minimize R&D costs for the IT product respectively. We develop an improved ant colony optimization algorithm combining with the advantages of genetic algorithm to acquire the Pareto solution set of the multi-objective optimization problem and get the optimal solution by a weighted ideal point method. Finally, empirical analysis is done through a new IT product portfolio scheduling and staff assignment problem of the distribution network automation monitoring terminal from an electrical device company. The empirical results show our model accords with the business's practice and the proposed algorithm is effective.


This project aims to provide a critical analysis of the discourse of competence in professional nursing practice, from an historical and contemporary perspective. Through the cultivation of critical thinking, I seek to identify how power operates within this discourse to shape nurse subjectivity. This critique aims to identify the conditions that construct classifications and differences as they relate to competence in nursing practice, and to provide a collection of rich knowledge, ideas and patterned ways of thinking, that seek to assist nurses to explore themselves within the discourse. Critical analysis of the discursive practices as effects of the discourse signifies how the nurse is positioned within the discourse and provides meaning behind the existence of the discourse. An analysis of the key findings will be presented along with a conclusion and recommendations for practice.

Methodology and Theoretical Framework.
The chosen methodology is a critical analysis of the discourse of competence that draws on theoretical techniques using a Foucauldian method of critique. The theoretical framework for this project draws on the writings of French Historian and Philosopher, Michel Foucault (1926-1984), regarded as the most influential thinker of our time. I have been guided by Penny Powers (2002), and Danaher, Schirato & Webb (2000) interpretation of Michel Foucault's works.

Findings
The nursing profession is committed to developing and maintaining practitioners that are competent in their field. This focus on competence is largely driven by the nursing professions commitment toward ensuring the health and safety of the consumers of health care. Although external forces largely shape nursing, it is also strongly influenced by its own practitioners, their vision, their confidence and their image of themselves.

Conclusion

The discourse of competence in professional nursing practice is a product of professional ethics. Professional nursing competence continues to be shaped by historical and contemporary influences


One of the most elegant ways of teaching new skills to robots is to provide demonstrations of a task and let the robot imitate this behavior. Such imitation learning is a non-trivial task: Different anatomies of robot and teacher, and reduced robustness towards changes in the control task are two major difficulties in imitation learning. We present an imitation-learning approach to efficiently learn a task from expert demonstrations. Instead of finding policies indirectly, either via state-action mappings (behavioral cloning), or cost function learning (inverse reinforcement learning), our goal is to find policies directly such that predicted trajectories match observed ones. To achieve this aim, we model the trajectory of the teacher and the predicted robot trajectory by means of probability distributions. We match these distributions by minimizing their Kullback-Leibler divergence. In this paper, we propose to learn probabilistic forward models to compute a probability distribution over trajectories. We compare our approach to model-based reinforcement learning methods with hand-crafted cost functions. Finally, we evaluate our method with experiments on a real compliant robot.


There is a
need to understand gender-dependent lifestyle habits of different ethnic groups
in order to comprehend the risk factors associated with the development of
obesity. It has been suggested that diet and physical exercise are two primary
determinants of health. We examined the dietary habits and physical activity levels
of Kuwaiti college women in order to understand these gender-specific factors
contributing to obesity. A total of 304 female students were grouped as obese
or non-obese as defined by their body mass index (BMI). Our study identified
three factors that contributed to obesity: 1) consumption of more calories; 2)
having obese parents and relatives; and 3) engagement in activities that
consume less energy. Therefore, individually targeted weight management programs
including healthy eating and active lifestyle interventions with a specific
focus on female-friendly physical activity should be promoted within university
settings inKuwait.


High-resolution δ13C and δ18O records have been generated from analyses of the planktonic foraminiferal species Heterohelix globulosa and the benthonic foraminiferal taxon Lenticulina spp from 3 m of a cored section spanning the Cretaceous/Tertiary (K/T) boundary at Brazos River, Texas. These are the first stable isotope records across the K/T boundary based on monospecific and monogeneric foraminiferal samples. They show a gradual decrease in δ13C values of about 2.5 permil beginning at the K/T boundary, as defined by the first appearance of Tertiary planktonic foraminifera, and continuing 17–20 cm above the boundary, approximately 40,000 years later. Gradual 13C depletion contrasts with the sudden δ13C drop at the K/T boundary observed in many deep-sea sections. The surface-to-bottom δ13C gradient decreased to less than zero approximately 25,000–30,000 years after the K/T boundary and remained negative for at least the next 140,000 years. Concomitant with change in δ13C values is a gradual decrease of about 2.5 permil in δ18C values which has not been observed at other localities. This 18O depletion suggests changes in temperature and/or salinity in the earliest Paleocene Gulf of Mexico. No extinction of foraminiferal species is associated with the K/T boundary or the onset of 18O and 13C depletions. Instead, two phases of Cretaceous species extinctions occur. One extinction phase is below the K/T boundary and below the tsunami bed of Bourgeois et al. [1988] and may be linked to sea level regression and environmental perturbations. The second extinction phase coincides with the minimum in δ13C and δ18O values in the Early Danian (Zone P0/Pla) and appears directly related to environmental changes reflected in the isotopic record. H. globulosa, which is commonly present in Maastrichtian and Danian sediments, exhibits significantly lower 18O/16O and 13C/12C ratios in Tertiary sediments relative to specimens from Maastrichtian sediments, demonstrating the survival of this important Cretaceous taxon after the K/T boundary event.


Weigh-In-Motion (WIM) system tends to go out of calibration from time to time, as a result generate biased and inaccurate measurements. Several external factors such as vehicle speed, weather, pavement conditions, etc. can be attributed to such anomaly. To overcome this problem, a statistical quality control technique is warranted that would provide the WIM operator with some guidelines whenever the system tends to go out of calibration. A mixture modeling technique using Expectation Maximization (EM) algorithm was implemented to divide the Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) measurements of vehicle class 9 into three components, (unloaded, partially loaded, and fully loaded). Cumulative Sum (CUSUM) statistical process technique was used to identify any abrupt change in mean level of GVW measurements. Special attention was given to the presence of auto-correlation in the data by fitting an auto-regressive time series model and then performing CUSUM analysis on the fitted residuals. A data analysis software tool was developed to perform EM Fitting and CUSUM analyses. The EM analysis takes monthly WIM raw data and estimates the mean and deviations of GVW of class 9 fully loaded trucks. Results of the EM analyses are stored in a file directory for CUSUM analysis. Output from the CUSUM analysis will indicate whether there is any sensor drift during the analysis period. Results from the analysis suggest that the proposed methodology is able to estimate a shift in the WIM sensor accurately and also indicate the time point when the WIM system went out-of-calibration. A data analysis software tool, WIM Data Analyst, was developed using the Microsoft Visual Studio software development package based on the Microsoft Windows® .NET framework. An open source software tool called R.NET was integrated into the Microsoft .NET framework to interface with the R software which is another open source software package for statistical computing and analysis.


Secreted Semaphorin 3E (Sema3E) promotes cancer cell invasiveness and metastatic spreading. The pro‐metastatic activity of Sema3E is due to its proteolytic fragment p61, capable of transactivating the oncogenic tyrosine kinase ErbB2 that associates with the Sema3E receptor PlexinD1 in cancer cells. Here, we show that a mutated, uncleavable variant of Sema3E (Uncl‐Sema3E) binds to PlexinD1 like p61‐Sema3E, but does not promote the association of PlexinD1 with ErbB2 nor activates the ensuing signalling cascade leading to metastatic spreading. Furthermore, Uncl‐Sema3E competes with endogenous p61‐Sema3E produced by tumour cells, thereby hampering their metastatic ability. Uncl‐Sema3E also acts independently as a potent anti‐angiogenic factor. It activates a PlexinD1‐mediated signalling cascade in endothelial cells that leads to the inhibition of adhesion to extracellular matrix, directional migration and cell survival. The putative therapeutic potential of Uncl‐Sema3E was validated in multiple orthotopic or spontaneous tumour models in vivo, where either local or systemic delivery of Uncl‐Sema3E‐reduced angiogenesis, growth and metastasis, even in the case of tumours refractory to treatment with a soluble vascular endothelial growth factor trap. In summary, we conclude that Uncl‐Sema3E is a novel inhibitor of tumour angiogenesis and growth that concomitantly hampers metastatic spreading.


Unrestrained by convention, lionhearted and free, Eleanor Marx (1855-98) was an exceptional woman. Hers was the first English translation of Flaubert's Madame Bovary. She pioneered the theater of Henrik Ibsen. She was the first woman to lead the British dock workers' and gas workers' trade unions. For years she worked tirelessly for her father, Karl Marx, as personal secretary and researcher. Later, she edited many of his key political works and laid the foundations for his biography. But foremost among her achievements was her pioneering feminism. For her, gender equality was a necessary precondition for a just society, and she crusaded for this in Britain and on a celebrated tour across America in 1886. Drawing strength from her family and their wide circle, including Friedrich Engels and Wilhelm Liebknecht, Eleanor Marx set out into the world to make a difference. Her favorite motto: "Go ahead!" With her closest friends--among them Olive Schreiner, Havelock Ellis, George Bernard Shaw, Will Thorne, and William Morris--she was at the epicenter of British socialism. She was also the only Marx to claim her Jewishness. But her life contained a deep sadness: She loved a faithless and dishonest man, the academic, actor, and would-be playwright Edward Aveling. Yet despite the unhappiness he brought her, Eleanor Marx never wavered in her political life, ceaselessly campaigning and organizing until her untimely end. Rachel Holmes has written a dazzling and original portrait of one of the most remarkable women of the nineteenth century.


In this manuscript, we have studied the structural, electrical and thermoelectric properties of bulk ZnSnO by post growth annealing method. X-Ray Diffraction data showed that the crystallinity was found to be improved y annealing up to 700oC due to compensation of oxygen vacancy type donor defects. But further annealing forced the oxygen atoms to diffuse into the interstitial sites, therefore causes degradation in the crystal quality. Thermoelectric properties were increased with annealing temperature up to 700oC and then decreased due to further annealing. The sharp enhancement of thermoelectric properties is due to mobility increase of carriers.


The copolymer (2, 2'-HBBF) synthesized by the condensation of 2, 2'-dihydroxybiphenyl (2, 2'-HB) and biuret (B) with formaldehyde (F) in the presence of acid catalyst using 1:1:2 molar proportions of the reacting monomers. The thermogravimetric analysis of copolymer resin prepared in the present study has been carried out by non-isothermal thermogravimetric analysis technique in which sample is subjected to condition of continuous increase in temperature at linear rate. The advantage of Freeman-Carroll method is to calculate both the order of reaction (n) and energy of activation in one single stage by keeping heating rate constant. By using data of thermogravimetric analysis, various thermogravimetric parameters like frequency factor (Z), entropy change (ΔS), free energy change (ΔF) and apparent entropy (S*) have been determined using Freeman-Carroll method. The electrical properties of 2, 2'-HBBF copolymers were measured over a wide range of temperature (303-423 K). From the electrical conductivity of these copolymers, activation energies of electrical conduction have been evaluated and values lies in the range 3.01x10 -20 - 6.43x10 20 J/K. On the basis of above studies, these copolymers can be ranked as semiconductors.


Medical device jurisprudence has taken a turn for the worse recently, turning a deaf ear to patients who have been injured or killed by devices and covertly expanding the boundaries of federal preemption in ways that threaten fundamental contractual principles. Ever since the Court's holding in Riegel v. Medtronic, district and appellate courts have effectively immunized the manufacturers of certain devices from contract, as well as tort, liabilities. The lower courts' rulings are not only problematic as a matter of law, but raise novel concerns about federal regulatory preemption undermining individuals' contract rights. A comprehensive analysis of the Court's medical device jurisprudence and the relevant statutes and regulations establishes that consumers' contractual claims should not be preempted. Further, because preemption of these claims shifts the costs of device-related injuries away from the entities that are in the best position to manage losses, doing so is economically inefficient. Finally, federal preemption of contract claims poses unique threats to contractual liberty and state autonomy. Whereas statutory preemption of tort liabilities consists of the state limiting the applicability of state-imposed duties, preemption of contractual liabilities constitutes governmental interference in obligations that private parties have voluntarily imposed on themselves. Not only is contract law an area of state sovereignty, but the federal government lacks an interest sufficient to justify denying the parties involved in medical device sales the right to address liability concerns contractually.


The alternative oxidase (AOX) is a cyanide-resistant oxidase that provides an alternative outlet for electrons from the respiratory electron transport chain embedded in the inner membrane of plant mitochondria. Examination of soybean (Glycine max) plants carrying a GmAOX2b antisense gene showed AOX to have a central role in reproductive development and fecundity. In three independently transformed antisense lines, seed set was reduced by 16% to 43%, whereas ovule abortion increased by 1.2- to 1.7-fold when compared with nontransgenic transformation control plants. Reduced fecundity was associated with reductions in whole leaf cyanide-resistant, salicylhydroxamic acid-sensitive respiration and net photosynthesis, but there was no change in total respiration in the dark. The frequency of potential fertilization events was reduced by at least one-third in the antisense plants as a likely consequence of prefertilization defects. Pistils of the antisense plants contained a higher proportion of immature-sized, nonfertile embryo sacs compared with nontransgenic control plants. Increased rates of pollen abortion in vivo and reduced rates of pollen germination in vitro suggested that the antisense gene compromised pollen development and function. Reciprocal crosses between antisense and nontransgenic plants revealed that pollen produced by antisense plants was less active in fertilization. Taken together, the results presented here indicate that AOX expression has an important role in determining normal gametophyte development and function.


ABSTRACT This article analyzes the Chinese Communist Party's "Core Socialist Values" (shèhuì zhŭyì héxīn jiàzhíguān) to show how each of these twelve values is defined, both independently and in relation to others. Using a Gramscian analytical approach, the article examines how a Chinese "integral state" is being prepared to ensure that consensus to the state's proscribed values is not undermined by competing discourses. Consideration is given to how civil society becomes the ground for building consensus, reinforced by coercive strategies emanating from the Chinese state. In conclusion, the paper argues that the Core Socialist Values campaign represents a shift in focus under the current Xi Jinping Administration to emphasize the superstructure over the economic base, with the objective of creating citizens of and for the People's Republic of China.


This research sought to develop low-protein, high-energy (less-polluting) diets for rainbow trout to properly utilize protein and reduce total nitrogen excretion. Duplicate groups of rainbow trout were fed one of four experimental diets with a protein to energy (P:E) ratio of 25, 24, 22 or 19 mg/kJ and a lipid content of 12, 13, 17 or 26%, respectively. The diets were given to fish with a mean initial weight of 181 g for 70 days. At the conclusion of the trial, mean weights ranged from 353.17 g (94% weight gain) to 394.75 g (118% weight gain) with 100% survival in all treatments. Weight gain, feed efficiency and protein retention increased as the dietary lipid content increased and as the P:E ratio decreased. Fish fed the 22 mg protein/kJ energy diet (17% lipid, 44% protein, 20.34 kJ/g gross energy) performed best. This indicates that the protein content in practical trout feeds can be reduced from the currently used 47% to around 44% without reducing the growth rate and feed efficiency, if high quality protein is used and the gross energy is increased by lipid to about 20.34 kJ/g diet. The low-protein, high-energy diets reduced the total nitrogen excretion from the rainbow trout by 27%.


More and more patients have been diagnosed as having chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) in recent years. Western drug use for this syndrome is often associated with many side-effects and little clinical benefit. As an alternative medicine, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has provided some evidences based upon ancient texts and recent studies, not only to offer clinical benefit but also offer insights into their mechanisms of action. It has perceived advantages such as being natural, effective and safe to ameliorate symptoms of CFS such as fatigue, disordered sleep, cognitive handicaps and other complex complaints, although there are some limitations regarding the diagnostic standards and methodology in related clinical or experimental studies. Modern mechanisms of TCM on CFS mainly focus on adjusting immune dysfunction, regulating abnormal activity in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and serving as an antioxidant. It is vitally important for the further development to establish standards for 'zheng' of CFS, i.e. the different types of CFS pathogenesis in TCM, to perform randomized and controlled trials of TCM on CFS and to make full use of the latest biological, biochemical, molecular and immunological approaches in the experimental design.


Indium antimonide (InSb) and gallium antimonide (GaSb) are technologically important III-V semiconductor materials used in infrared detector systems. Yet, the application of these materials is to a certain extent limited, in that the techniques currently used for their growth are both expensive and problematic. Semiconductor electrochemical deposition, which has been successfully applied to the generation of II-VI semiconductor materials, may offer the prospect of overcoming such limitations. This work presents results that represent a significant contribution to the development of electrochemical methods for both InSb and GaSb thin film growth.The direct electrochemical co-deposition of InSb was achieved via the potentiostatic electrolysis of aqueous halide/citric acid electrolyte solutions, and for the first time, non-aqueous (ethylene glycol) electrolyte solutions containing the halides and tetraethylammonium chloride. This choice of solvents allowed the compound's deposition to be studied over a wide range of temperatures (RT to 185 °C). A first report was also made of the direct potentiostatic co-deposition of GaSb from an aqueous solution containing Ga[2](SO[4])[3] and SbCl[3].An extensive study was carried out on the relationship between the technique's fundamental growth parameters (temperature, deposition potential, solution composition etc.) and the film's compositional, crystallographic and morphological properties. The material's characterisation showed that there was tendency for the films to be non-stoichiometric. X-Ray diffraction patterns obtained from InSb films deposited from aqueous electrolyte solutions showed them to generally consist of two phases, the compound and, depending mostly on deposition potential, one of the elements. Films containing three phases, the compound and both elements, were deposited on Ti substrates from aqueous solutions and on to ITO substrates from non-aqueous solutions. These results were interpreted from both thermodynamic and kinetic viewpoints. This led to the conclusion that kinetic barriers to the formation of InSb still existed, even at the highest temperature used (~185 °C). In respect of GaSb, the compound's formation was complicated by a side reaction involving the evolution of H[2].New studies involving Scanning Electron Microscopy of the electrodeposited materials showed that they exhibited a nodular morphology, which can be explained in terms of the film's limiting current growth conditions. Energy Dispersive X-Ray Analysis (EDX) and Glow Discharge Optical Emission Spectroscopy (GDOES) identified indium chloride as a major impurity in the InSb films, especially those deposited from non-aqueous solutions. A mechanism for the incorporation of indium chloride was proposed, based on the physical entrapment of a precipitate of the compound.


Economy-wide top-down equilibrium (TD) models have traditionally proved to be valuable tools for assessing energy and climate policies. New modeling challenges brought about by intermittent renewable energy sources, however, require to carefully review existing tools. This paper provides an overview of and quantitatively assesses the suitability of TD modeling approaches to deal with intermittent renewables in the electricity sector. To this end, we develop a benchmark model that integrates a bottom-up electricity sector model—designed to analyze the expansion and operation of an electric power system with a large penetration of wind generation—within an economy-wide general equilibrium framework. We find that, if properly specified, a TD approach to modeling intermittent renewable energy is capable of roughly replicating the results from the benchmark model. We argue, however, that for practical purposes TD modelers do not possess the required information. This problem is further compounded by our finding that a TD approach is highly sensitive to key parameters which are a priori typically unknown or at least highly uncertain. While the integrated approach presented in this paper o ers one possible alternative to overcome some of the issues that plague traditional TD models, our analysis suggests that traditional TD simulation tools have to be enhanced to avoid potentially misrepresenting the implications of future low-carbon policies.


Historically, the procedure for butt fusion joining of polyethylene pipe has been qualified on the basis of two fundamental tests that are widely recognized within the industry. These are the tensile-impact (T-I) test method found in ASTM F2634-07 and the reverse-bend (RB) or bend-back test as described in ASTM F2620-06. Both of these test methods have been extensively utilized within the industry, and both have some specific limitations as it relates to qualification of butt fusion joining conducted in the field. ASTM F2634-07 is a highly sophisticated testing method involving precision instrumented laboratory equipment. This makes it impractical for an on-site qualification for butt fusion procedures in the field. The bend-back test, on the other hand, lends itself to field implementation, but as the method is applied to a larger diameter, heavy-walled pipe, the practicality of performing the test and safety considerations become a limiting factor. This paper will examine an alternative test method referred to as guided side-bend or full-face testing that appears very promising as an alternative to the RB test as described in ASTM F2620-06. The test method will be fully described, and data will be presented comparing T-I results and traditional bend-back results to those obtained using the side-bend test method. The discussion of the test results and safety considerations of the proposed test method will be addressed, and conclusions will be drawn regarding its future applicability.


We consider the problem of large scale matrix recovery given side information in the form of additional matrices of conforming dimension. This is a parsimonious model that captures a number of interesting problems including context and location aware recommendations, personalized 'tag' learning, demand learning with side information, etc. Viewing the matrix we seek to recover and the side information we have as slices of a tensor, we consider the problem of Slice Recovery, which is to recover specific slices of a tensor from noisy observations of the tensor. We provide an efficient algorithm to recover slices of structurally 'simple' tensors given noisy observations of the tensor's entries; our definition of simplicity subsumes low-rank tensors for a variety of definitions of tensor rank. Our algorithm is practical for large datasets and provides a significant performance improvement over state of the art incumbent approaches to tensor recovery. We establish theoretical recovery guarantees that under reasonable assumptions are minimax optimal for slice recovery. These guarantees also imply the first minimax optimal guarantees for recovering tensors of low Tucker rank and general noise. Experiments on data from a music streaming service demonstrate the performance and scalability of our algorithm.


From Nazism to the Sixties counter-culture, from Britain's Fabian socialists to America's multiculturalists, and from "Dracula" and Freud to Robert Bly and Madonna, this work examines the idea of decline in Western history and sets out to explain how the conviction of civilization's inevitable end has become a fixed part of the modern Western imagination. Through a series of biographical portraits spanning the 19th and 20th centuries, the author traces the roots of declinism and aims to shows how major thinkers of the past and present, including Nietzsche, DuBois, Sartre and Foucault, have contributed to its development as a coherent ideology of cultural pessimism.


This article considers whether survey and census data offer comparable bases for estimating trends in women's age at marriage in Africa. It uses the indicator of median age at first marriage calculated from the proportion of never-married women by age. It draws upon two bodies of data : first, a pan-African nuptiality database is used to assess differences between estimates drawn from the two types of source at the scale of the whole continent (453 censuses and national surveys undertaken since 1950 in the 55 countries of Africa) ; and second, data from 15 MICS surveys which record marital status twice (each respondent is included on both a household and an individual questionnaire) are analysed to pinpoint inconsistencies. The median age at first marriage is generally higher when estimated from census data than from survey data. Several error mechanisms combine to create this effect. In censuses, imprecise recording of marital status leads to overestimation of numbers never-married, and therefore to overestimation of median age at marriage. In surveys, meanwhile, the tendency to underestimate young women's age, thereby excluding a disproportionate number from the survey sample of women aged 15-49, and the less thorough coverage of never-married women lead to under-representation of those never-married and therefore to underestimation of age at marriage. This analysis does not suggest that one type of source should be preferred over the other, but rather that neither source should be neglected.


Stainless steels rely on their passive film for corrosion protection in saline environments and localised disruption of the passive film can lead to high local rates of material loss. Materials which exhibit passivity in static conditions are often susceptible to erosion-corrosion under severe hydrodynamic regimes. In this paper the corrosion behaviour of two superaustenitic (UNS S31254 and UNS S32654) and one superduplex (UNS S32750) stainless steels was examined in static conditions at a range of temperatures from 18 °C to 70 °C and during exposure to an impinging saline jet containing varying concentrations of solid particles. In static conditions the materials exhibit decreasing resistance to passivity breakdown as the temperature is increased and a critical breakdown temperature for UNS S31254 and UNS S32750 was identified. Under liquid-solid impingement the materials exhibit an active regime near to the free corrosion potential followed by a stabilised current regime as more positive potentials. The complex electrochemical response is dependent on the material grade and the solid particle concentration. Also in the paper assessment of the recovery' of the stainless steels after exposure to slurry impingement is addressed.


Porous carbons have several advantageous properties with respect to their use in energy applications that require constrained space such as in electrode materials for supercapacitors and as solid state hydrogen stores. The attractive properties of porous carbons include, ready abundance, chemical and thermal stability, ease of processability and low framework density. Activated carbons, which are perhaps the most explored class of porous carbons, have been traditionally employed as catalyst supports or adsorbents, but lately they are increasingly being used or find potential applications in the fabrication of supercapacitors and as hydrogen storage materials. This manuscript presents the state-of-the-art with respect to the preparation of activated carbons, with emphasis on the more interesting recent developments that allow better control or maximization of porosity, the use of cheap and readily available precursors and tailoring of morphology. This review will show that the renewed interest in the synthesis of activated carbons is matched by intensive investigations into their use in supercapacitors, where they remain the electrode materials of choice. We will also show that activated carbons have been extensively studied as hydrogen storage materials and remain a strong candidate in the search for porous materials that may enable the so-called Hydrogen Economy, wherein hydrogen is used as an energy carrier. The use of activated carbons as energy materials has in the recent past and is currently experiencing rapid growth, and this review aims to present the more significant advances.


Viability Cost of Sexual Selection in Natural Populations of Mammals" We appreciate the study by Moore and Wilson (1) that investigated the relation between sex-biased parasitism (SBP) and sex-biased mortality (SBM) in mammals. Regrettably, however, Moore and Wilson ignored the association between SBP and a crucial factor in parasite exposure: home range. Sex-based differences in home range are extremely common in mammalian species (2). Logically, mammals that traverse a greater area are exposed to a greater number of parasites because they interact with more parasite habitat and with more individuals carrying infectious parasites. Of course, body size is correlated with home range, because larger mammals can typically defend larger territories and because maintaining a greater body size often requires foraging over a greater area (3, 4). We therefore argue that sexual difference in home range, rather than body size, is a more proximate (yet unappreciated) mechanistic basis for SBP. For example, a doubling in body size is likely to yield much less additional parasitic exposure compared to a doubling in home range. The impact of increased exposure to parasite habitat would presumably be most evident for free-living parasites, which may explain why Moore and Wilson found the largest effect size of SBP for arthropod parasites but a nonsignificant effect size for unicellular parasites. Although Moore and Wilson also used a mating system variable (monogamous or polygynous) to show an association between SBP and sexual selection, they did not consider that polygynous males typically frequent much larger areas relative to females (5). To secure mates, polygynous males must thus increase their probability of traversing parasite habitat, while interaction with each additional mate represents another potential source of infection. Moore and Wilson (1) suggested that their findings are consistent with male-biased mortality as a result of males investing in enhanced growth and differential resource allocation at the expense of their immune systems. In a related Perspective article, Owens (6 ) used this logic to explain part of human SBP with statistics from the World Health Organization (7 ). If males were truly more susceptible to parasitic and infectious disease due to higher energetic or hormonal investments in growth and function (rather than behavioral differences), then we would expect a high incidence of disease mortality during the intensive human development before age 25. Although this is obviously not the case [see corrected figure from Owens (8)], we question the validity of using the underlying data set to investigate this question in the first place: 48% of the mortality due to parasitic and infectious disease in these data is from AIDS, an affliction strongly influenced by the behavior of adult males. Our new perspective on SBM changes little for insurance companies—males still "out-die" females. However, it does indicate that public-health programs can reduce mortality with behavioral interventions, rather than assuming that males are doomed to immune system inferiority. We find this to be good news for males.


In this paper, a new approach for evaluating the performance of a multi-panel biosensor using linear algebra is presented. With a system-level mathematical analysis based on graphs and linear algebra, we formulate a new approach for contributions decoupling in a multi-panel biochip for simultaneous detection of anti-cancer drugs, avoiding redundancy and interaction between enzymes. Experimental results have been used to validate the model.


David Romano's 2006 book focuses on the Kurdish case to try and make sense of ethnic nationalist resurgence generally. In a world rent by a growing number of such conflicts, the questions posed about why, how and when such challenges to the state are mounted are becoming increasingly urgent. Throughout the author analyses these questions through the lens of social movement theory, considering in particular politico-social structures, resource mobilization strategies and cultural identity. His conclusions offer some thought-provoking insights into Kurdish nationalism, as well as into the strengths and weaknesses of various social movement theories. While the book offers a rigorous conceptual approach, the empirical material - the result of the author's personal experiences - makes it a compelling read. It will find a readership amongst students of the Middle East, and also amongst those interested in ethnic relations, minority rights, terrorism, state repression, social movement theories and many other related issues.


Currently, houses do not perform optimally or even as many codes and forecasts predict, largely because they are field assembled and there is no consistent process to identify problems or to correct them. Residential commissioning is a solution to this problem. This guide is the culmination of a 30-month project that began in September 1999. The ultimate objective of the project is to increase the number of houses that undergo commissioning, which will improve the quality, comfort, and safety of homes for California citizens. The project goal is to lay the groundwork for a residential commissioning industry in California focused on end-use energy and non-energy issues. As such, we intend this guide to be a beginning and not an end. Our intent is that the guide will lead to the programmatic integration of commissioning with other building industry processes, which in turn will provide more value to a single site visit for people such as home energy auditors and raters, home inspectors, and building performance contractors. Project work to support the development of this guide includes: a literature review and annotated bibliography, which facilitates access to 469 documents related to residential commissioning published over the past 20 years (Wray et al. 2000), an analysis of the potential benefits one can realistically expect from commissioning new and existing California houses (Matson et al. 2002), and an assessment of 107 diagnostic tools for evaluating residential commissioning metrics (Wray et al. 2002). In this guide, we describe the issues that non-experts should consider in developing a commissioning program to achieve the benefits we have identified. We do this by providing specific recommendations about: how to structure the commissioning process, which diagnostics to use, and how to use them to commission new and existing houses. Using examples, we also demonstrate the potential benefits of applying the recommended whole-house commissioning approach to such houses.


This paper considers an approach to mesh denoising based on the concept of random walks. The proposed method consists of two stages: a face normal filtering procedure, followed by a vertex position updating procedure which integrates the denoised face normals in a least-squares sense. Face normal filtering is performed by weighted averaging of normals in a neighbourhood. The weights are based on the probability of arriving at a given neighbour after a random walk of a virtual particle starting at a given face of the mesh and moving a fixed number of steps. The probability of a particle stepping from its current face to a given neighboring face is determined by the angle between the two face normals, using a Gaussian distribution whose width is adaptively adjusted to enhance the feature-preserving property of the algorithm. The vertex position updating procedure uses the conjugate gradient algorithm for speed of convergence. Analysis and experiments show that random walks of different step lengths yield similar denoising results. In particular, iterative application of a one-step random walk in a progressive manner effectively preserves detailed features while denoising the mesh very well. We observe that this approach is faster than many other feature-preserving mesh denoising algorithms.


Low income households, especially in the developing countries such as India could suffer losses due to weather related events such as drought, hurricanes, floods etc. Such losses could cast a household into a chronic poverty cycle - a poverty trap from which the household may find it difficult to re-emerge. Rainfall derivatives are the insurance contracts that compensate a household based on the weather outcome rather than the actual crop yield. Traditional methods for pricing rainfall derivatives include burn analysis, index value simulation and daily rainfall simulation. In this work, we price the rainfall derivatives using a different method that uses the Gaussian and t copulas to capture the dependence between the monthly rainfalls in the monsoon season in India.We find that though the premiums calculated using burn analysis and our proposed method were equal, the standard deviation and Value at Risk "VaR" of the insurance payoffs calculated using both the methods differed. Therefore, in practice, the actuarial pricing of the rainfall insurance contract using burn analysis and our proposed method could be different. Our method could be easily applied to price rainfall derivatives for the regions that exhibit extreme rainfall patterns.


Many integrated assessment models (IAMs) rely on the availability and extensive use of biomass energy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) to deliver emissions scenarios consistent with limiting climate change to below 2 °C average temperature rise. BECCS has the potential to remove carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere, delivering 'negative emissions'. The deployment of BECCS at the scale assumed in IAM scenarios is highly uncertain: biomass energy is commonly used but not at such a scale, and CCS technologies have been demonstrated but not commercially established. Here we present the results of an expert elicitation process that explores the explicit and implicit assumptions underpinning the feasibility of BECCS in IAM scenarios. Our results show that the assumptions are considered realistic regarding technical aspects of CCS but unrealistic regarding the extent of bioenergy deployment, and development of adequate societal support and governance structures for BECCS. The results highlight concerns about the assumed magnitude of carbon dioxide removal achieved across a full BECCS supply chain, with the greatest uncertainty in bioenergy production. Unrealistically optimistic assumptions regarding the future availability of BECCS in IAM scenarios could lead to the overshoot of critical warming limits and have significant impacts on near-term mitigation options.


Three core imperatives are essential for modern businesses and organizations: seamless integration of customer and operational processes, agility, and the ability to change. These imperatives are relevant in view of successfully executing strategic choices, but all too often not satisfied. Businesses and organizations are complex adaptive socio-technical systems and can be viewed from two fundamentally different perspectives: the functional (black-box) perspective and the constructional (white-box) perspective. Management and governance of businesses and organizations regard the functional, black-box perspective, which is inherently ill-suited for addressing the imperatives mentioned. It will be argued that establishing system integration, agility and change requires a focus on the system's design, hence necessitates the constructional perspective. The concept of architecture is considered fundamental for operationalizing the constructional perspective. Next to the more familiar notion of technology architecture, the concepts of business, organizational and information architecture are formally introduced and elucidated. Various domains within these architectures will be highlighted, whereby the importance of coherence and consistency is stressed, especially in view of the ability to change. Collectively, the four architectures are labeled Enterprise Architecture. Finally, enterprise architecture will be positioned as a crucial means for linking strategy development and execution.


High tunnels are being used by specialty crop producers to enhance production yields and quality, extend growing seasons, and protect crops from extreme weather. The tunnels are unheated, plastic-covered structures under which crops are planted directly in the soil, and they provide greater environmental protection and control than open-field production. This study uses field-level experiments to evaluate high-tunnel production. The results suggest that investments in high tunnels can provide increased profits and superior protection against adverse risks relative to crop insurance.


Local organizations use more and more the Internet as a form of presenting and delivering services and products. In order to find local operating organisations worldwide one has to use suitable information system integration. In this paper we present a searching system for local organizations which uses onomastic, spatial as well as temporal ontological components, called LOWCOST (Local Organization Search With Consolidated Ontologies for name, Space, and Time). The use of the different onotologies for the benefit of the searching process is shown. As names of organizations can be used in many different alternatives as well as in different writing systems LOWCOST comprises a name matching part which leads to a better matching of names in different variations. This will help implementing integrated search tools for the semantic web environment.


Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are becoming increasingly popular in the context of molecular ecology and conservation biology thanks to their display options efficiency, flexibility and management of geodata. Indeed, spatial data for wildlife and livestock species is becoming a trend with many researchers publishing genomic data that is specifically suitable for landscape studies. GIS uniquely reveal the possibility to overlay genetic information with environmental data and, as such, allow us to locate and analyze genetic boundaries of various plant and animal species or to study gene-environment associations (GEA). This means that, using GIS, we can potentially identify the genetic bases of species adaptation to particular geographic conditions or to climate change. However, many biologists are not familiar with the use of GIS and underlying concepts and thus experience difficulties in finding relevant information and instructions on how to use them. In this paper, we illustrate the power of free and open source GIS approaches and provide essential information for their successful application in molecular ecology. First, we introduce key concepts related to GIS than are too often overlooked in the literature, for example coordinate systems, GPS accuracy and scale. We then provide an overview of the most employed open-source GIS-related software, file formats and refer to major environmental databases. We also reconsider sampling strategies as high costs of Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) data currently diminish the number of samples that can be sequenced per location. Thereafter, we detail methods of data exploration and spatial statistics suited for the analysis of large genetic datasets. Finally, we provide suggestions to properly edit maps and to make them as comprehensive as possible, either manually or trough programming languages.


This paper explores the adaptation of a traditional studio technique in architecture – the Design Charrette – to the teaching of New Media design in a large information systems program. The Design Charrette is an intense, collaborative session in which a group of designers drafts a solution to a design problem in a time critical environment. The Design Charrette offers learning opportunities in a very condensed period that are difficult to achieve in the classroom by other means and we have adapted its application from the architecture studio to for New Media instruction. The teaching of information systems has tended to rely heavily on conventional pedagogical approaches although there is growing recognition of the importance of experiential and applied learning. Ac- creditation standards have also placed added emphasis on outcome-based learning and encouraged more mindfulness concerning instructional design (Lee et. al., 1995; McGourty et. al., 1999). As a consequence, more emphasis on experiential learning has emerged in recent years. Architecture has long been used as a reference discipline for Information Systems and much of the language used in information systems design is drawn from architectural discourse. However, while architectural design combines attention to history and form as well as function, most information systems design is driven by functional considerations. Teaching New Media design, like architecture, demands at- tention to the conceptual and aesthetic as well as the functional design perspectives and presents particular challenges. The Design Charrette, a short but intense effort to solve an architectural problem is an outcome focused form of action learning that has enormous potential to enrich the teaching of New Media design, in particular, and information systems in general.


Some estimates suggest that as much as 70% of cancer is preventable by disease modification alone (Peto 1991). Disease prevention via behavioural change is a challenging endeavour. There is widespread recognition that for behaviour to be better understood there is a need to understand the context in which it occurs, and the beliefs that underpin it. Lay epidemiology illustrates the sophistication of belief formation. The arrival at a coronary candidate provides according to Davison, Frankel and Davey Smith (1991), a cultural mechanism that aids the estimation of risk as observed from known cases in the family and wider society. Consequently, the estimate provides the potential motivation for behavioural choices. Other studies that followed the original model of lay epidemiology have similarly described the coronary candidate (Preston 1997; Emslie, Hunt & Watt 2001a; Frich, Malterud & Fugelli 2007; Weiner 2009) and suggest that the lay public have an understanding of the risk profile for Coronary Heart Disease.
This study aimed to explore the utility of the elements held within lay epidemiology in cancer beliefs. Do the lay public recognise a 'cancer candidate'?
Method: A series of 31 in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted between November 2007 and October 2008. Interviews took place in two communities in Glasgow, Scotland – one affluent, one deprived. The sample was drawn from a number of community organisations and leisure clubs in the communities to facilitate accessing an 'ordinary' view. Cancer sufferers were excluded from the study. A topic guide was used to ensure consistency throughout interviews and focused on participants' experience of cancer. Although the study did not adhere to a strict grounded theory approach, the analytic method of constant comparative analysis was followed.
Findings: The complexity of the scheme described by Davison, where a wide range of sources of knowledge to inform beliefs resonated. Sophisticated and complex explanatory models of cancer were described. Cancer inhabited an important cultural position and was most commonly associated with fear and dread. Possible aetiological explanations included behavioural, environmental, biological and psychological factors. Smoking was the most widely recognised risk factor. Knowledge of other risk factors for individual cancers was patchy. Candidacy therefore was not as unequivocal for cancer. Many 'anomalous cases' (those without obvious explanation) were proffered. Ultimately the randomness of cancer was emphasised.

Conclusion: Cancer is a more complex disease than CHD, both culturally and biomedically and this is reflected in the beliefs voiced by participants in this study. This complexity is a barrier to the adoption of a cancer candidate.


Wearable sensors have the potential to provide new methods of non-invasive physiological measurement in real-time. This work presents an alternative to the current clinical measurement of spinal flexion; the modified Schober's test. The accuracy of the test is determined by each clinician, which causes a large tendency towards error [1]. By implementing a strain sensor as an alternative to the measuring tape currently used, it is proposed that inter-observer error would be reduced and more consistent measurements would be provided over time.
Herein, two types of textile based sensors were tested for use in this application; a knitted spandex cylindrical structure with integrated carbon nanotubes (CNT) and a flat, knitted piezoresistive fabric (KPF) knitted with Lycra® [2]. Of each type, numerous samples were fabricated with varying length, width, core size, tension and knit direction. Each sensor was tested for resistance changes versus strain in the laboratory where it was clear that KPF sensors knit under high tension provided accurate and reproducible electrical properties. All varieties of CNT sensors showed inconsistent resistance measurements over time, rendering them unsuitable for use of such precise measurements. After calibration, it is proposed that these sensors can be easily integrated into a wearable device to be used in a clinical setting.


Objective To investigate the relationship between red cell distribution width (RDW) level and risk of complication in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients; to compare the correlation of RDW with NT-proBNP, cTnI and hs-CRP. Methods From January 2006 to December 2009, 200 consecutive AMI patients admitted in cardiology department of affiliated hospital of putian university were enrolled. Patients were classified into complication group (n=145) or complication-free group (n=55) according to the presence or absence of new-onset symptomatic heart failure, arrhythmia or cardiac shock. Patients were divided into quartiles based on RDW value (≤12.8%, 12.9%–13.8%, 13.9%–14.7%, ≥14.8%, n=50 in each quartile), and OR of incident complication was calculated by using logistic regression. Correlation of RDW with NT-proBNP, cTnI and hs-CRP was compared by spearman rank correlation analysis. Results RDW levels in complication group was significantly higher than that in Complication-free group (14.5±0.97 % vs 12.9±0.85%, p<0.05). RDW levels of AMI patients were positively associated with complication risk, after adjustment for estimated glomerular filtration rate, serum ferrum, left ventricular end-diastolic dimension, left ventricular ejection fraction, and plasma NT-proBNP, cTnI and hs-CRP levels, the highest RDW quartile entailed 1.96 times greater risk for complication than the lowest quartile (95% CI 1.34–2.79, P cTnI > hs-CRP (rs=0.31, 0.29 and 0.21 respectively, all p<0.05). Conclusion Higher RDW is closely associated with increased risk of AMI complication and elevated plasma NT-proBNP and cTnI level.


We investigated the effects of a common mysid predator, Neomysis americana on the mating success of an estuarine copepod, Eurytemora herdmani. The presence of a mysid predator, or only a predator cue, reduced copulation frequency and spermatophore transfer success of E. herdmani. and led to a substantial decrease in E. herdmani nauplius production. Thus, mysid predators can influence copepod population growth through nonconsumptive processes by reducing the frequency and success of mating events. This highlights the need to look beyond population‐level demographic factors (i.e., sex ratio and population density) and consider community‐level ecological factors (such as predation risk) when modeling population growth rates of prey species critical to marine food webs.


Abstract. Secondary organic aerosol (SOA) particles, formed from gas-phase biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs), contribute large uncertainties to the radiative forcing that is associated with aerosols in the climate system. Reactive uptake of surface-active organic oxidation products of BVOCs at the gas–aerosol interface can potentially decrease the overall aerosol surface tension and therefore influence their propensity to act as cloud condensation nuclei (CCN). Here, we synthesize and measure some climate-relevant physical properties of SOA particle constituents consisting of the isoprene oxidation products α-, δ-, and cis- and trans-β-IEPOX (isoprene epoxide), as well as syn- and anti-2-methyltetraol. Following viscosity measurements, we use octanol–water partition coefficients to quantify the relative hydrophobicity of the oxidation products while dynamic surface tension measurements indicate that aqueous solutions of α- and trans-β-IEPOX exhibit significant surface tension depression. We hypothesize that the surface activity of these compounds may enhance aerosol CCN activity, and that trans-β-IEPOX may be highly relevant for surface chemistry of aerosol particles relative to other IEPOX isomers.


Through the Commute Trip Reduction (CTR) Performance Grant program, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) is breaking new ground by testing whether the state can obtain transportation capacity by purchasing single occupant vehicle trips as well as roadway infrastructure. WSDOT hired a research team at the Evans School of Public Affairs to examine the program's design and market structure to identify ways both could be modified to better achieve program goals. The research team determined that WSDOT is a true innovator in seeking ways to increase capacity and reduce congestion, but that the CTR Performance Grant program could be more effective if WSDOT clarified whether its primary goal is trip removal or innovation. Furthermore, the state could more easily remove high impact trips from the transportation system if the program focused more narrowly on peak hour trips in high-use corridors.


Development of new technologies for seismic protection will better support the sustainable urban systems. The paper focuses on development of an innovative technology for seismic protection of bridges using smart materials. The seismic protection of structures with the use of special devices is widely accepted as a very effective technique, both for new constructions and for retrofitting of existing ones. Shape memory alloys show the potential to eliminate the limitations of the present technologies, presenting broader application domain. Damper cum restraining device with recentering capabilities has been developed within the laboratory and shake table experiments were conducted on an equivalent SDOF system for a specific narrow band spectrum. The model was subjected to a strong resonant earthquake ground motion in the horizontal direction and analytical investigations were carried out. The damper is found to be very effective for seismic performance enhancement of critical facilities like bridges offering great benefits for the sustainable development of urban systems.


We investigate the impact of cascaded third harmonic generation and the intrinsic n4 material nonlinearity on the propagation of ultrashort pulses in noble-gas filled Kagome fibers. We show that the pressure tunability of the cascade allows for the implementation of temporal switching. We also investigate the relative strengths of both effects and show their ratio to be pressure tunable.


Summary: We review a novel strategy for tolerance induction developed in rhesus macaques and termed STEALTH. We summarize the evolution of the STEALTH model, the results of successful trials in inducing long‐term, stable transplant tolerance in rhesus kidney and diabetic islet recipients and discuss information related to the mechanism by which durable tolerance is induced. STEALTH tolerance is induced by a 3‐day treatment course of CD3ε immunotoxin (IT) combined with a 14‐day treatment with deoxyspergualin (DSG). IT causes profound depletion of sessile lymph node T cells as well as the more accessible circulating T cells. DSG, an inhibitor of HSC 70‐mediated NF‐κB nuclear translocation, arrests maturation of myeloid dendritic cells, blocks production of proinflammatory cytokines induced by IT administration, and promotes systemic production of Th2 type cytokines that persist indefinitely. Such Th2 cytokine deviation has not been reported in NHP transplant recipients. These studies provide proof of principle in a preclinical model that prevention of both acute and chronic allograft rejection, for at least 2.2–4.9 years of follow‐up, can be achieved in NHP in the absence of chronic immunosuppressive drugs or other interventions. This strategy for inducing NHP tolerance is discussed in relation to current tolerance paradigms.


A large body of literature is concerned with models of presence-the sensory illusion of being part of a virtual scene-but there is still no general agreement on how to measure it objectively and reliably. For the presented study, we applied contemporary theory to measure presence in virtual reality. Thirty-seven participants explored an existing commercial game in order to complete a collection task. Two startle events were naturally embedded in the game progression to evoke physical reactions and head tracking data was collected in response to these events. Subjective presence was recorded using a post-study questionnaire and real-time assessments. Our novel implementation of behavioral measures lead to insights which could inform future presence research: We propose a measure in which startle reflexes are evoked through specific events in the virtual environment, and head tracking data is compared to the range and speed of baseline interactions.


The aim of the current study is to determine the fish biodiversity in the shallow waters (0 20 m) of Gökçeada in the North Aegean Sea. The samples were collected monthly between June 2013 June 2014 using by a beach seine (0 2 m) and beam trawl (5 20 m). Field sampling was carried out in two stages. A preliminary sampling survey was carried out in the first phase (March-April 2013). During this period, sampling was conducted in each station around the entire island where sampling gear was feasible to use, and the most productive sampling stations were determined. The second stage was the biodiversity monitoring work. During the study period, 13-monthly sampling surveys were carried out at six seine and dredge stations around the island. During the whole period, a total of 30509 individuals belonging to 80 species were sampled. From the seine samplings (0-2 m), 18702 individuals from 40 species were obtained. The beam trawl samplings (5-10 and 10-20 m) identified 11807 individuals from 66 species. Biodiversity indices were calculated, and species diversities and abundances were determined for the seasons. The most copious seasons in terms of number of species abundance was identified in fall and summer. Fish species diversity and abundance maps were generated for each station. As a result, it was determined that the coastal ecosystems of Gökçeada, northern Aegean Sea, incorporated many important habitats that is rich in biodiversity. In addition, many commercial species that had been over-exploited in the region was determined to use these coastal habitats for feeding, breeding, sheltering, and growing.


Exergy is a general measure of the maximal work yield of a system, applicable to general processes involving interactions, either internally or with other systems, as well as constraints. Exergy is a key thermodynamical concept in many methods for the improvement of energy efficiency in technical as well as societal systems; it is, e.g., the basis for the idea of second law efficiency. It therefore plays a significant role in the transformation to the energy efficient society based on renewable energy sources. Although exergy is a fundamental quantity in the theory of conversions of matter and energy, it is often inadequately treated in thermodynamics text-books. This paper describes some of those key features of exergy as a thermodynamic concept that are rarely included in courses on thermodynamics, with examples of derivations of exergy formulas in general as well as in some special cases. It also describes the role of exergy in a physical world view, in particular the origin of exergy.Many thermodynamic processes in nature involve not only simple conversion of energy and materials but also formation or breakdown of structure. Some kinds of structure formation or breakdown can be conveniently described in information theory terms. Information theory, dealing with information as a quantitative concept, was from the beginning close to physical theory, with entropy as a common concept. Information theory is closely tied to statistical mechanics, the microscopic theory of thermodynamics. To elucidate and demarcate the general scope of the exergy concept, I describe how the essentially physical quantities work and exergy can be tied to information-theoretical quantities.


Stigma associated with substance abuse is less understood than stigma of mental health. Moreover, neither issue has been studied in depth within the military. We conducted focus groups with soldiers at six installations to explore how perceptions regarding substance abuse and mental health issues influenced attitudes toward treatment of these issues. Analyses indicate that negative attitudes toward treatment for alcohol abuse are based on their association with infractions that precipitate treatment and acceptance for soldiers with deployment-related mental health issues. However, the military context appears to moderate the influence of perceived responsibility and danger on stigmatization. Our data suggest several strategies that may useful in reducing stigma associated with alcohol abuse treatment in the military.


The last centuries BC were a period of profound changes across numerous regions of temperate Europe, witnessing the development of the fortified towns known as oppida and an expansion of socio-political networks and economic activities. In this paper, our aim is threefold: 1) summarize some current debates on Iron Age societal structures, 2) discuss the different levels of aggregation of Late Iron Age societies and their structuring through assemblies and central places and 3) introduce the historical example of the medieval "town and land"(villa y tierra) communities—administrative entities composed by different kinship groups—as a possible analogy that can help improve our understanding of the interconnections between kinship groups, towns and the rural world. Rather than providing clear answers or proofs for theoretical models, we have conceived this paper as a "food for thought" piece. The use of historical sources has been at the heart of Carole Crumley's work for many years (eg Crumley, 1974). While we will never be completely sure about "how Iron Age societies worked"(or did not, to paraphrase the title of Hill's 2006 paper), we should continue the endeavor of proposing new models based on an interdisciplinary approach.


Dual-task methodologies are widely utilized to measure sharing of attentional resources between motor and cognitive functions. The traditional paper-pencil tasks although are valid and reliable, require specialized training, are prone to manual error and are not feasible to use in a dual-task paradigm, limiting its overall usability particularly in clinical settings. This warrants the need for sensitive, accurate, reliable, yet affordable options of computerized testing. The purpose of this study was to establish the test- retest reliability of a computerized custom-designed cognitive test battery (CCT), examining effects of age and stroke which was achieved by establishing test-retest reliability and concurrent validity of the CCT primarily in healthy young adults (n=15) (first study) followed by assessing the same across three different groups including stroke survivors (n=15), healthy older (n=15) and young adults (n=15) (second study). Additionally, we conducted a pilot study to assess whether the developed CCT is sensitive to reported subtle changes in the cognitive performance of chronic stroke survivors (n=13) followed by a novel cognitive-motor intervention (third study).
The battery was administered using the DirectRT Empirisoft™ which included tasks that measured 1) visuo-motor function, 2) associated memory, 3) phonemic memory; 4) executive function; 5) discriminant decision-making, and 6) visual working memory,;7) problem solving, 8) information processing speed. The outcome variables consisted of reaction time; accuracy; total time of completion and total number of responses. The average time to implement this battery was 30minutes. Criterion validity was studied against the Delis Kaplan Executive Function System™ (D-KEFS).
The results suggested that the custom designed CCT's administered were moderately reliable tool to assess cognitive function across different age groups and population. A good- moderate concurrent validity was observed on comparing the CCT's and conventional paper-pencil tests. CCT'S may be a good tool to capture more subtle changes in cognitive functioning along with assessing change is cognition post intervention.
To conclude, the CCT's used in this study was highly reproducible and reliable for several domains of cognitive function. Such testing could be easily implemented by clinicians for assessing cognition and could also be incorporated for in the dual-task testing and training paradigms.


Molecular and macromolecular structure analysis by high resolution and accurate mass spectrometry (MS) is indispensable for a number of fundamental and applied research areas, including health and energy domains. Comprehensive structure analysis of molecules and macromolecules present in the extremely complex samples and performed under time-constrained experimental conditions demands a substantial increase in the acquisition speed of high resolution MS data. We demonstrate here that signal processing based on the filter diagonalization method (FDM) provides the required resolution for shorter experimental transient signals in ion cyclotron resonance (ICR) MS compared to the Fourier transform (FT) processing. We thus present the development of a FDM-based MS (FDM MS) and demonstrate its implementation in ICR MS. The considered FDM MS applications are in bottom-up and top-down proteomics, metabolomics, and petroleomics.


Abstract Crossognathiforms have been traditionally considered typical marine Cretaceous forms widely represented in the Northern Hemisphere and by a few members in Brazil. During the last 30 years they have been interpreted as Teleostei incertae sedis, clupeocephalans or a non-monophyletic group. New evidence indicates that the Oxfordian taxon Chongichthys (previously considered a Teleostei incertae sedis or a clupeocephalan), the Late Jurassic family Varasichthyidae (interpreted as basal teleosts), and the crossognathoids and pachyrhizodontoids form a clade here recognized as the Crossognathiformes. Varasichthyids are the sister group of a clade including Chongichthys (at the base) and crossognathoids+pachyrhizodontoids. The Crossognathiformes (including Varasichthyidae and Chongichthys) are basal teleosts placed between the Late Jurassic basal genera Tharsis and Ascalabos in one tree or between Ascalabos and the ichthyodectiforms in the second tree. The position of elopomorphs as the most basal extant teleosts is confirmed. A new interpretation of the phylogenetic position of the clade [Humbertia+[Erichalcis+[Leptolepides+Orthogonikleithrum]]], at the base of clupeocephalans, is suggested. The presence of the Late Jurassic varasichthyids (e.g. Domeykos) in South America (Chile) and Central America (Cuba; Luisichthys), and Chongichthys (Chile), and of the Late Jurassic genera Ascalabos and Tharsis and the ichthyodectiforms (e.g. Allothrissops) in Europe (e.g. Germany) allows the proposal of a sister-area relationship between Chile and Cuba, which was the sister area of Germany during the Late Jurassic. The Late Jurassic connection between the Palaeopacific (Chilean region) and the Tethys Sea (southern Germany) was through the newly formed Central Atlantic Ocean (Cuban region) as a result of the break up of Pangaea and separation of North America, South America and Africa.


The dissolution rate and dissolution morphology of an electroplated nickel film in acidic electrolyzed water (AEW) of a sodium chloride aqueous solution and in a hydrochloric acid aqueous solution of the same pH were studied. As a result, it was found that the dissolution rate of the electroplated nickel layer in the AEW was about two times higher than that in the hydrochloric acid aqueous solution of the same pH. On the surface of the electroplated nickel film immersed in the AEW, the oxide layer was removed, and microscopic pits due to local dissolution were observed. The pit has a dish-like shape with a depth of less than 0.5μm, and its surface roughness decreased when compared to the one before soaking. On the other hand, as for the one immersed in the hydrochloric acid aqueous solution, no such phenomenon was observed, and its surface roughness increased. Moreover, when the AEW was heated to 40oC and sprayed, the dissolution of the electroplated nickel surface was promoted, the surface had a satin-like finish, and the possibility of etching was suggested.


A spherical object has been introduced into camera calibration for several years through utilizing the properties of an image conic, which is the projection of the occluding contour of a sphere in the perspective image. However, in literature, only an algebraic interpretation was presented for the relation between the image of the absolute conic and sphere images. In this paper, we propose two geometric interpretations of this relation and two novel camera calibration methods using sphere images are derived from these geometric interpretations


The aim of static analysis is to infer invariants about programs that are precise enough to establish semantic properties, such as the absence of run-time errors. Broadly speaking, there are two major branches of static analysis for imperative programs. Pointer and shape analyses focus on inferring properties of pointers, dynamically-allocated memory, and recursive data structures, while numeric analyses seek to derive invariants on numeric values. Although simultaneous inference of shape-numeric invariants is often needed, this case is especially challenging and is not particularly well explored. Notably, simultaneous shape-numeric inference raises complex issues in the design of the static analyzer itself. In this paper, we study the construction of such shape-numeric, static analyzers. We set up an abstract interpretation framework that allows us to reason about simultaneous shape-numeric properties by combining shape and numeric abstractions into a modular, expressive abstract domain. Such a modular structure is highly desirable to make its formalization and implementation easier to do and get correct. To achieve this, we choose a concrete semantics that can be abstracted step-by-step, while preserving a high level of expressiveness. The structure of abstract operations (i.e., transfer, join, and comparison) follows the structure of this semantics. The advantage of this construction is to divide the analyzer in modules and functors that implement abstractions of distinct features.


Rainfed agriculture has become highly vulnerable to the depleting water resources in most arid and semi‐arid tropics (ASATs) under the effect of climate change. The impact has certainly been very high in Muooni catchment where more than 99% of the natural forest has been cleared. The warming micro‐climate is accelerated by extended deforestation, unsustainable irrigation, and water over‐abstraction in the catchment by eucalyptus and other exotic trees. The dwindling crop yields add to the farmer's suffering. Farming communities have created various innovative ways of coping with a warming environment to increase their agriculture resiliency. These include, among others, rain water management, reforestation and agro‐forestry. To what extent have these practices been disturbed by the increasing temperatures, and decreasing rainfalls and river discharges in Muooni catchment? This study used statistical forecast techniques to unveil the past, current and future variations of the micro‐climate in Muooni catchment, and relevant factors determining farmers' vulnerability to drought. Muooni catchment is warming by 0.8 to 1.2 °C in a century as a result of a changing micro‐climate. These changes are mainly driven by deforestation due to the high urbanization rate and agricultural practices in Muooni catchment. Centennial rainfall is subsequently plummeting at 30 to 50 mm while discharges are decreasing from 0.01 to 0.05 m3∙s−1, with unmet water demands of 30% to 95% and above. In view of the current trends of the population growth and urbanization in Muooni, agricultural expansion is seriously threatened if no appropriate policy, extension service and science based emergency measures are put in place by the Government of Kenya.


We develop a novel probabilistic model for graph matchings and develop practical inference methods for supervised and unsupervised learning of the parameters of this model. The framework we develop admits joint inference on the parameters and the matchings. Furthermore, our framework generalizes naturally to K-partite hypergraph matchings or set packing problems. The sequential formulation of the graph matching process naturally leads to sequential Monte Carlo algorithms which can be combined with various parameter inference methods. We apply our method to image matching problems, document ranking, and our own novel quadripartite matching problem arising from the field of computational forestry.


This paper estimates the contribution of financial shocks to fluctuations in the real economy by augmenting the standard macroeconomic vector autoregression (VAR) with five financial variables (real stock prices, real house prices, term spread, loans-to-GDP ratio and loans-to-deposits ratio). This VAR is estimated separately for 19 industrialised countries over 1980Q1-2010Q4 using three alternative measures of economic activity: GDP, private consumption or total investment. Financial shocks are identified by imposing a recursive structure (Choleski decomposition). Several results stand out. First, the effect of financial shocks on the real economy is fairly heterogeneous across countries, confirming previous findings in the literature. Second, the five financial shocks provide a surprisingly large contribution to explaining real fluctuations (33% of GDP variance at the 3-year horizon on average across countries) exceeding the contribution from monetary policy shocks. Third, the most important source of real fluctuations appears to be shocks to asset prices (real stock prices account for 12% of GDP variance and real house prices for 9%). Shocks to the term spread or to leverage (credit-to-GDP ratio or loans-to-deposits ratio) each contribute an additional 3-4% of GDP variance. Fourth, the combined contribution of the five financial shocks is usually higher for fluctuations in investment than in private consumption. Fifth, historical decompositions indicate that financial shocks provide much more important contributions to output fluctuations during episodes associated with financial imbalances (both booms and busts). This suggests possible time-variation or non-linearities in macrofinancial linkages that are left for future research.


Adenosquamous carcinomas of stomach are rare entities comprising 0.5% of stomach carcinomas. Here, we report a case of a 50-year-old female, who presented with weakness, pallor, and symptoms of gastric outlet obstruction. A partial gastrectomy was done and histology showed evidence of adenosquamous carcinoma of the antrum with metastasis to the perigastric lymph nodes. The patient condition improved at 6-month follow-up.


Background/Objectives: A systematic review was undertaken to map what is known about the cost effectiveness of investing in interventions to promote the mental wellbeing of older people and/or to prevent the onset of depression or depressive symptoms in people aged 65 or older. This was undertaken as part of the EU Research Framework Programme funded DATAPREV project, which sought to synthesise high quality research evidence on the effectiveness and cost effectiveness of mental health promoting interventions across the lifespan. Methods: All papers identified in a separate Cochrane review undertaken as part of the DATAPREV project were appraised for economic content. In addition we identified economic evaluations of interventions to promote the mental health and wellbeing of older people in a range of bibliographic databases including Medline, Embase, AgeLine, PsychInfo, ASSIA and Econlit. This was supplemented by a search of the NHS Economic Evaluation Database, a hand search of key journals and scrutiny of key websites. Relevant citations were also searched and retrieved. Papers were independently reviewed and cross-checked by the authors; relevant studies were coded for findings and assessed using a economic evaluation checklist. Results: 114 studies were initially identified, but after scrutiny 22 economic evaluations were included in our final analysis. Economic evaluations were identified in areas including group exercise classes, Tai chi, music and art therapy, self management, lifestyle and health advice, post bereavement support and psychological therapies. Most studies looked at impacts on health, social and long term care systems alone, although a minority also considered impacts in terms of lost opportunities for volunteering and employment, as well as impacts on family carers. While little information was available on the inequality implications of interventions, befriending programmes, exercise classes, and some psychosocial interventions were found to be highly cost-effective for the general older population: having both low costs to the public purse and generating very favourable costs per mental health outcomes or quality adjusted life years gained compared with many interventions currently funded by health care services. Discussion/Conclusions: While modest, an economic case to support investment in mental health promotion interventions for older people is growing. The case for action in the short term, in different countries and contexts, could be strengthened by retrospectively adapting and adding economic analysis to existing effectiveness studies. Such models could be used to assess the economic case for targeting interventions at specific population sub-groups who may otherwise experience poor mental health compared to the population as a whole.


Some Grade 4 educators have expressed feelings of ineptitude regarding the support of ESL (English Second Language) learners with limited English proficiency as they do not know how to support these learners effectively. Their litany emphasises ESL educators' need for supportive and preventive intervention. A Story-based Language Enrichment Programme (SLEP) was compiled to suit the needs of educators teaching Grade 4 ESL learners with limited English proficiency. The programme was designed to maintain or improve the English proficiency of ESL learners. An intervention research method was followed to test the efficacy of SLEP. Forty teachers implemented SLEP over a six-week period. Thirty-nine teachers provided constructive feedback at the end of this period. Between 92% and 100% of the participants rated SLEP positively. Rural participants suggested some refinements to the programme. The overall conclusion was that SLEP makes a useful contribution to ESL practice.


Background: Despite the development of patient-centred or patient-reported outcome measures (PCOMs or PROMs) in palliative and end-of-life care over recent years, their routine use in practice faces continuing challenges. Objective: To update a highly cited literature review, identify and synthesise new evidence on facilitators, barriers, lessons learned, PCOMs used, models of implementation, implementation outcomes, costs, and consequences of implementing PCOMs in palliative care clinical practice. Methods: We will search MEDLINE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Embase, Emcare, SCI-Expanded, SSCI, ESCI, and BNI. The database search will be supplemented by a list of studies from the expert advisory committee, hand-searching of reference lists for included articles, and citations of the original review. We will include primary studies using a PCOM during clinical care of adult patients with advanced disease in palliative care settings and extract data on reported models of implementation, PCOMs, facilitators, barriers, lessons learned, costs, and implementation outcomes. Gough's Weight of Evidence Framework will be used to assess the robustness and relevance of the studies. We will narratively synthesise and tabulate the findings. This review will follow PRISMA, PRISMA-Abstract, PRISMA-P, and PRISMA-Search as the reporting guidelines. Source of funding: Marie Curie. The funder is not involved in designing or conducting this study. Protocol registration: CRD42023398653 (13/02/2023)


Objective
This study investigated the suitability of the collagen matrix as a dural graft in the repair of experimental spinal dura mater defects.

Materials and Methods
In the study, 30 New Zealand white rabbits were used. The rabbits were divided into a study and control group. In both groups, following exact laminectomy (Th 10 and 11) in rabbits under the isoflorane anesthesia, a spinal dural defect 1×0.5 cm in size was formed. In the study group, the dura mater defect was covered with collagen matrix; in the control group, the excised dura was sutured back to its original position. At the end of the follow-up period, the rabbits were sacrificed. In all subjects, the vertebral colon was excised completely, and it was fixed in 10% formaldehyde solution. Sections 3 pm thick were taken from the specimens, stained with hematoxylin and eosin, and examined under a light microscope. The stained sections were evaluated under light microscopy with regard to the cellular inflammatory response, fibroblastic proliferation, foreign body reaction, and capsule formation.

Results
The collagen matrix was completely absorbed, and it was easy to use since it did not require sutures. Foreign body reactions were minimal in the early period and were resolved entirely in the end. Inflammatory response against the collagen matrix was no greater than in the control group in which the dura was sutured primarily and then closed, eventually disappearing entirely, and no adhesion formation resulted. Collagen permits successful regeneration by combining with the dura mater. No capsule formation was observed in either group.

Conclusion
This study shows that collagen is suitable for duraplastic procedures and that it may be a useful agent in patients in whom the dura cannot be closed primarily due to retraction, constriction, or excision.


Lasting for over a year the global crisis in financial markets, affected individual countries' banking systems to a different degree. The present article discusses the phenomenon and its effects on the Polish banking system. The aim of the article is to present trends, the scale of the crisis and the current level of danger to stability of domestic financial market. The result of the research is a synthetic estimation of the level of the financial sector stability, taking into account the risks to solvency, liquidity, profitability, and quality loan portfolio and changes in deposits.


A major new undergraduate textbook on plant evoution This is a broad but provocative examination of the evolution of plants from the earliest forms of life to the development of our present flora. Taking a fresh, modern approach to a subject often treated very stuffily, the book incorporates many recent studies on the morphological evolution of plants, enlivens the subject with current research on ancient D.N.A. and other biomolecular markers, and places plant evolution in the context of climate change and mass extinction. It is written to be accessible to undergraduates, so, for example, geological time is discussed in terms of 'millions of years ago' as well as by the names of the ages, and English equivalents of plant names are prefered, e.g. seed plants (instead of gymnosperms), flowering plants (instead of angiosperms). * Links up the trends/patterns seen in the fossil flora from the earliest green algae through to the present day. * Covers the whole geological timescale, but focuses the chapters on periods when major evolutionary changes occurred. * Special Biome Maps indicate the general trends in changing global plant distribution through time.


BACKGROUND
Expansion of the donor pool by the use of grafts with extended donor criteria reduces waiting list mortality with an increased risk for graft and patient survival after liver transplantation. This study investigates the ability of the Donor-Risk-Index (DRI), the Extended-Criteria-Donor-Score (ECD-score) and the D-MELD-score to predict early outcome after liver transplantation.

MATERIAL/METHODS
291 consecutive adult liver transplants (01.01.2007-31.12.2010) were analysed in a single centre study with ongoing data collection. Primary study endpoints were 30-day mortality, 3-month mortality, 3-month patient and graft survival and the necessity of acute retransplantation within 30 days. For the primary study endpoints ROC-curve analysis was performed to calculate the sensitivity, specificity, and overall model correctness of the Donor-Risk-Index (DRI), Extended-Criteria-Donor-Score (ECD-score) and the D-MELD-Score as predictive models. Cut-off values were selected with the best Youden index.

RESULTS
ROC-curve analysis showed areas under the curve (AUROCs) <0.7 for the DRI, the ECD-Score and the D-MELD-Score as models for the prediction of 30-day mortality, 3-month mortality, 3-month patient survival, 3-month graft survival as well as the necessity of acute retransplantation within 30 days after transplantation with unacceptable low levels of overall model correctness (<62%) and specificity (<56%).

CONCLUSIONS
The DRI, the ECD-Score and the D-MELD-Score all fail to predict short-term outcome after liver transplantation with acceptable overall model correctness in a current European transplant setting.


MicroRNA (miRNA) are a class of non-coding, 19–25 nucleotide RNA critical for network-level regulation of gene expression. miRNA serve as paracrine signaling molecules. Using an unbiased array approach, we previously identified elevated levels of miR-224 and miR-103 to be associated with a monogenic form of diabetes; HNF1A-MODY. miR-224 is a novel miRNA in the field of diabetes. We sought to explore the role of miR-224 as a potential biomarker in diabetes, and whether such diabetes-associated-miRNA can also be detected in the urine of patients. Absolute levels of miR-224 and miR-103 were determined in the urine of n = 144 individuals including carriers of a HNF1A mutation, participants with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM), type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and normal controls. Expression levels were correlated with clinical and biochemical parameters. miR-224 was significantly elevated in the urine of carriers of a HNF1A mutation and participants with T1DM. miR-103 was highly expressed in urine across all diabetes cohorts when compared to controls. For both miR-224 and-103, we found a significant correlation between serum and urine levels (p < 0.01). We demonstrate that miRNA can be readily detected in the urine independent of clinical indices of renal dysfunction. We surmise that the differential expression levels of miR-224 in both HNF1A-MODY mutation carriers and T1DM may be an attempt to compensate for beta-cell demise.


A new linguistic-cognitive orientation in translation studies is important today because it can complement the current strong wave of socially and culturally oriented research into and around translation. For balance, it is also necessary and insightful to describe and explain how strategies of comprehending, decision-making and re-verbalisation come about in a translator's bilingual mind. In this paper I sketch some ideas about such a new linguistic-cognitive approach. I first review introspective and retrospective studies and behavioural experiments. Secondly, I assess the value of neuro-linguistic studies for translation. Thirdly, I suggest a new combination of a translation theory and a neuro-functional theory of bilingualism.