Background: After a woman experiences a pregnancy loss she often asks her clinician for recommendations on when to try conceiving again. Current recommendations to wait 6 or more months may not coincide with the woman's reproductive desires. Several studies have looked at interpregnancy intervals following a live birth, but few have ventured to answer the clinical question of how long a woman should wait to conceive after a miscarriage. Methods: An exhaustive literature search using three databases was conducted with search terms: "interpregnancy interval," "spontaneous abortion," and "miscarriage." In addition bibliographies from several relevant background articles were used. Included were studies conducted on women with history of a spontaneous abortion at < 20 weeks of gestation who later became pregnant and evaluated interpregnancy intervals (IPI) with emphasis of IPI's 6 months. Studies needed to be based on humans and published in the English language. Exclusions were made for women whose preceding pregnancy resulted in live birth or if the study required recurrent spontaneous abortions (SABs). Results: Three studies met inclusion and exclusion criteria and were included in this systematic review. One secondary review of a RCT assessed a population of 677 women who had a SAB then subsequently became pregnant found that live birth and complication outcomes were best in the 0-3 month IPI in comparison to longer IPI. A prospective cohort study that evaluated 4619 women who were nulliparous, had a SAB, and subsequently became pregnant found that women who conceived within 6 months after miscarriage had higher live birth outcomes with fewer complications. Another study with retrospective cohort design and a population of 30 937 Scottish women who had a SAB and subsequently became pregnant found that women with IPIrate. Conclusion: Decreasing interpregnancy interval to less than 6 months after spontaneous abortion is shown to be associated with a higher live birth rate and fewer complications. More research is needed to evaluate interpregnancy intervals less than 3 months in order to determine the benefit or risk of recommending a 0-3 month interpregnancy interval after miscarriage.


The Australian education system has a recent history of recruiting significant numbers of international and migrant students whose first language is not English to study in Australian Technical and Further Education (TAFE) colleges. Many of these international and migrant students have come from Asian countries with different learning styles and cultural expectations associated with study and education. Although TAFE administrators have been keen to encourage Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) full-fee paying students and local migrant students to study at Australian TAFEs, there is some evidence that often only limited classroom based pedagogy adaptations are made for these students. The expectation is that CALD students will assimilate into the educational teaching and learning practices offered by TAFE. These TAFE courses have typically been designed for Australian students with proficient English language skills in writing, listening and comprehension. At the core of this research are two issues: (1) What are the learning styles of CALD students? and (2) How can TAFE teachers adapt their pedagogical practices to more effectively accommodate CALD students in their classrooms? The current study has been informed by Vygotsky's (1978) socio-cultural theory of cognitive development. The participants were CALD students who attended two large urban TAFE colleges and their teachers. The research is made up of three connected studies that investigated; (1) the perceptions CALD TAFE students have of their learning styles and problem-solving techniques; (2) the perceptions TAFE teachers have of their CALD students as learners and problem-solvers; and, (3) the effectiveness of Marion Blank's (2002) dialogue and cognitive processing strategies as a pedagogical intervention to enhance the learning of CALD TAFE students. The underlying theoretical linkage across these three studies is the notion that cognition, thinking, memory and language are closely related and interact in a dynamic interchange. This notion draws on Vygotsky's (1978) theory of cognitive development and Baddeley's (2004) memory research. In a second-language learning and communication environment, there are more memory capacity demands placed on the CALD individual. This can influence the person's speed of memory processing into the long-term memory as the person's first language interferes with the individual's ability to think and operate easily within the second language context. In these situations TAFE teachers need to adapt their language of instruction to better accommodate the CALD students who typically have more limited vocabulary knowledge, working in the second language context and are less likely initially to link quickly new information and concepts to their established conceptual knowledge of the topic being taught. In terms of the first study a cohort of 81 (52 female and 29 males) TAFE CALD students were administered the Preferred Learning Style Questionnaire (PLSQ) (Singelis, Triandis, Bhawuk & Gelford, 1995), and the Preferred Way of Problem Solving survey (PWPS) (Guss & Wiley, 2007). Based on a Rasch analysis of the students' surveyed responses it was identified that CALD students' perceptions of themselves as problem-solvers showed similar patterns for dealing with practical and interpersonal tasks and problems in an Australian setting, but it was also demonstrated that these students were not able to endorse the usefulness of their problem-solving strategies in study conditions in an Australian educational setting. It was also shown that the students preferred a collectivist approach to study, but were also interested in their individual performance as students. The length of time in living in another country also contributed to the CALD students' confidence to problem-solve in a culture and language different from their home one. The second study investigated the perceptions TAFE teachers had of their CALD students as learners and problem-solvers. This investigation was completed using an eight item survey based on Marion Blank's (2002) four levels of dialogue and cognitive processing. The four levels are: Level 1 – description, Level 2 – comparison, Level 3 – self-reflection and generalisation, and Level 4 – abstract reasoning. The TAFE teachers identified that the CALD students they had taught typically operated more at the lower levels and that these students had more difficulty with self-reflection, generalisation and abstract reasoning in an Australian educational setting. Overall, the TAFE CALD students' responses and the TAFE teachers' perceptions of CALD students' supported the argument that language proficiency and cultural knowledge influenced the potential of individuals to function effectively with higher order cognitive issues when they operated in a different cultural and language environment to that which they had come from. In study 3 the aim was to investigate an intervention to ameliorate the problems identified in studies 1 and 2. This intervention involved "teaching" three TAFE teachers who taught classes involving significant numbers of CALD students, how to adapt their teaching so that their instructional interactions used all four of Marion Blank's Levels of Questioning (2002). Teachers reported that the CALD students' behaviour in class changed after the intervention, with the students being more active in the classroom activities, asking questions, and clarifying assessment tasks. It was reported that there were significant differences in CALD students' understanding of what was required of them to complete assessment tasks successfully and structure their written material. In addition, interview feedback from the participating teachers and a survey of the CALD students indicated that they were supportive of the intervention. The findings are discussed in terms of the need for TAFE to develop a stronger pedagogy of instruction for CALD students, and the implications of the findings to socio-cultural theories of cognitive development and educational practice, particularly in the adult learning domain and with students from diverse backgrounds.


Nebulizers generate aerosols and may potentially transmit respiratory viral particles including SARS-CoV-2. There is a great concern about the use of a nebulizer in the treatment of asthma exacerbations in the hospital or home setting during the COVID-19 pandemic and its use is not recommended unless essential. However, aerosol therapy should not be avoided in obligatory indications. Therefore, indications of nebulizer use during the pandemic should be evaluated on an individual basis in case of a severe asthma attack, and infection control recommendations should be followed by clinicians while using nebulizers. In this article, we aimed to assess the safety in addition to the "pro" and "con" sides of nebulizer treatment in asthma exacerbation during the COVID-19 pandemic.


The Solihull Approach was developed to help frontline workers be more effective in their work as they are in the ideal position to intervene early in any potential emotional or behavioural difficulty for a child. The Approach has been developed for both early years' practitioners and those working with young people in their school years. The theoretical model has been developed from three concepts: containment, reciprocity, and behaviour management, taken from psychotherapeutic, child development and behavioural models respectively. A new programme specifically for schools, Understanding Your Pupils Behaviour, has been developed.

At present most of the evaluation and research has been on the 0-5-year work with Health Visitors. Further work needs to look at the effectiveness of this in the school years and in other settings outside of the health sector. The piloting of the Solihull Approach in a school setting to help school staff better understand their pupils' behaviour provides an ideal opportunity to assess the impact of the approach in this setting.

A mixed method design combining both quantitative measures and qualitative interviews was used to assess the impact of the training. The study focuses on 2 primary schools, an experimental school that received the training and another matched control school. Data was collected pre-training and 6 months after the final training session. The teacher variables measured included anxiety, burnout, compassion satisfaction and fatigue, self-concept and teacher efficacy. Interviews with 7school staff who have received the training were undertaken.

Quantitative statistical analysis found that six months after training, teachers in School A showed a statistically significant increase in satisfaction with their helping role, self-esteem, and teacher efficacy scores as well as a decrease in feeling burnt out/stressed. The teachers at School B who did not receive the training only showed an improvement in teacher efficacy over the period.
Qualitative thematic analysis found that overall, the teachers found that following aspects useful: that they were offered a framework that underpinned all aspects of the work they do; focus on the relationships not only with pupils, but teachers, support staff and parents as well; and the focus on well-being and its link with learning.

Conclusions should be treated tentatively due to limitations associated with samples size, matching of school and the inability to control for other factors.


Machine-learning based classification techniques have been shown to be effective at detecting objects in complex scenes. However, the final results are often obtained from the alarms produced by the classifiers through a post-processing which typically relies on ad hoc heuristics. Spatially close alarms are assumed to be triggered by the same target and grouped together. Here we replace those heuristics by a principled Bayesian approach, which uses knowledge about both the classifier response model and the scene geometry to combine multiple classification answers. We demonstrate its effectiveness for multi-view pedestrian detection. We estimate the marginal probabilities of presence of people at any location in a scene, given the responses of classifiers evaluated in each view. Our approach naturally takes into account both the occlusions and the very low metric accuracy of the classifiers due to their invariance to translation and scale. Results show our method produces one order of magnitude fewer false positives than a method that is representative of typical state-of-the-art approaches. Moreover, the framework we propose is generic and could be applied to any detection-by-classification task.


Vitamin B3 protects mice from glaucoma Glaucoma is the most common cause of age-related blindness in the United States. There is currently no cure, and once vision is lost, the condition is irreversible. Williams et al. now report that vitamin B3 (also known as niacin) prevents eye degeneration in glaucoma-prone mice (see the Perspective by Crowston and Trounce). Supplementing the diets of young mice with vitamin B3 averted early signs of glaucoma. Vitamin B3 also halted further glaucoma development in aged mice that already showed signs of the disease. Thus, healthy intake of vitamin B3 may protect eyesight. Science, this issue p. 756; see also p. 688 Oral supplementation with vitamin B3 protects against glaucoma development in mice. Glaucomas are neurodegenerative diseases that cause vision loss, especially in the elderly. The mechanisms initiating glaucoma and driving neuronal vulnerability during normal aging are unknown. Studying glaucoma-prone mice, we show that mitochondrial abnormalities are an early driver of neuronal dysfunction, occurring before detectable degeneration. Retinal levels of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+, a key molecule in energy and redox metabolism) decrease with age and render aging neurons vulnerable to disease-related insults. Oral administration of the NAD+ precursor nicotinamide (vitamin B3), and/or gene therapy (driving expression of Nmnat1, a key NAD+-producing enzyme), was protective both prophylactically and as an intervention. At the highest dose tested, 93% of eyes did not develop glaucoma. This supports therapeutic use of vitamin B3 in glaucoma and potentially other age-related neurodegenerations.


Immune checkpoint inhibitors have revolutionized cancer therapy by blocking inhibitory pathways of the immune system to fight cancer cells. Their use is often limited by the development of autoimmune toxicities, which can affect multiple organ systems and are referred to as immune-related adverse events (irAE). Among these are rheumatologic irAE, including inflammatory arthritis, myositis, vasculitis, and others. Rheumatologic irAE seem to be different from irAE in other organs and from traditional autoimmune diseases in that they can occur early or have delayed onset, and can persist chronically, even after cancer therapy is terminated. Because immune checkpoint inhibitors are increasingly used for many types of cancer, it is important for oncologists and rheumatologists to recognize and manage toxicities early. In this review, we discuss currently approved immune checkpoint inhibitors and their mechanisms of action and systemic toxicities, with a focus on the management and effect on further cancer therapy of rheumatic irAE.


This paper discusses a method of forming an autostereoscopic image, in which a cylindrical light wave passes through a controllable optical transparency and converges to a vertical band of light in the viewing zone. The band of light, displaced in the horizontal direction, is directed in turn into the viewer's eyes. In this case, images for the viewer's left and right eye are reproduced in turn on the controllable optical transparency. A one-dimensional diffuser that scatters light only in the vertical direction is placed up against the controllable optical transparency. © 2005 Optical Society of America


A great amount of industrial wastes are produced in Sweden every year. In 2008 there were 97.9 million tons of wasted generated, among which 93 million tons industrial waste were produced. 64.1% of industrial wastes were deposited in the landfill sites. Dust generation is one of the most important problems associated with industrial waste and landfills. The particulate dust emissions come from the industrial waste may contain heavy metal and produce environmental problems and potential health risks. Active and passive samplers, deposition pans are common equipment to collect dust samples. Real-time monitors use laser diffraction to recording continuous dust concentration. Dust emission from Malmberget mine in Sweden was analyzed as a case study. Dust was collected by NILU deposit gauge from 26 stations. Generally speaking the amount of dust fallout was decreasing with time because of implemented dust control methods. During the period August 2009 to August 2010, among all the measuring stations through the year, the maximum and the minimum value were 1284 g/100m2/30d and 9 g/100m2/30d. Two sources of dust generation were identified. The first was located close to the open pit, and the second near the current mining industrial center. The dust generation due to road construction was calculated. On the other hand dust generation was also closely related to weather conditions.


Water resource, being the most precious natural resource is getting depleted in the recent times in a drastic manner as ever before. The river water bodies, due to the discharge of industrial effluents and other wastes, is becoming more and more polluted, severely degrading its quality of usage. Recent studies have shown the serious need of Water quality assessment to know how far the resource is being polluted. The paper is on a survey work carried across the river Periyar at different sampling points to determine and analyzethe water pollution trends.


Speech signal processing is an emerging discipline to study the processing of speech signals with digital signal processing technology and phonological knowledge. It is one of the core technologies in the field of information science research. Passing information through voice is the most important, most effective, most commonly used and convenient exchange form of information. The Matlab language is a very powerful computer application software for data analysis and processing. It can transform sound files into discrete data files and then use their powerful matrix computing power to process data such as digital filtering, Fourier transform, domain and frequency domain analysis, sound playback and a variety of graphics. Its signal processing and analysis toolbox for the voice signal analysis provides a very rich function, the use of these functions can quickly and easily complete the voice signal processing and analysis, as well as signal visualization, making human-computer interaction more convenient. Signal processing is one of the important applications of Matlab. This design is aimed at most of the voice processing software content, operation inconvenience and other issues. The use of MATLAB 7.0 integrated GUI interface design, a variety of function calls to achieve the voice signal frequency, amplitude, fourier transform and filtering, concise interface, easy to operate. All these have certain practical significance. Finally, this paper puts forward his own views on the further development of speech signal processing.


The paper deals with business renovation, effective utilization of information technology and the role of business process modeling in supply chain integration projects. The main idea is to show how the performance of the supply chain can be improved with the integration of various tiers in the chain. Integration is prerequisite for effective sharing and utilization of information between different companies in the chain. Simulation-based methodology for measuring the benefits combines the simulation of business processes with the simulation of supply and demand. The theoretical findings are illustrated with the case study of procurement process in a petrol company. Old and renewed business process models are shown. The changes in lead-times, process execution costs, quality of the process and inventory costs are estimated.


A study was conducted to demonstrate the automatic adjustment of the hearing aid control settings to minimize the need for manual user interventions. The proposed system was based on computational intelligence tools, such as artificial neural networks and neurofuzzy systems. These systems had the ability to learn the dynamics of highly nonlinear system without the need for having specific knowledge of their mathematical models. These techniques were adopted to map the acoustic features to the desired volume setting of the hearing aid user. A multilayer perceptron (MLP) and an adaptive network-based fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) were analyzed as two computational intelligence tools on three simulated users. These simulated users were suffering from moderate, severe, and profound hearing losses.


Planners in public and private institutions would like coherent forecasts of the components of age-specic mortality, such as causes of death. This has been di cult to
achieve because the relative values of the forecast components often fail to behave in
a way that is coherent with historical experience. In addition, when the group forecasts are combined the result is often incompatible with an all-groups forecast. It has
been shown that cause-specic mortality forecasts are pessimistic when compared with
all-cause forecasts (Wilmoth, 1995). This paper abandons the conventional approach
of using log mortality rates and forecasts the density of deaths in the life table. Since
these values obey a unit sum constraint for both conventional single-decrement life tables (only one absorbing state) and multiple-decrement tables (more than one absorbing
state), they are intrinsically relative rather than absolute values across decrements as
well as ages. Using the methods of Compositional Data Analysis pioneered by Aitchison
(1986), death densities are transformed into the real space so that the full range of multivariate statistics can be applied, then back-transformed to positive values so that the
unit sum constraint is honoured. The structure of the best-known, single-decrement
mortality-rate forecasting model, devised by Lee and Carter (1992), is expressed in
compositional form and the results from the two models are compared. The compositional model is extended to a multiple-decrement form and used to forecast mortality
by cause of death for Japan


Over the last two decades many airline markets have been deregulated, resulting in increased competition and use of different types of networks. At the same time there has been an intense discussion on environmental taxation of airline traffic. It is likely that an optimal environmental tax and the effects of a tax differ between different types of aviation markets. In this paper we derive optimal environmental taxes for different types of airline markets. The first type of market is a multiproduct monopoly airline operating either a point-to-point network or a hub-and-spoke network. The optimal tax is shown to be similar in construction to an optimal tax for a monopolist. We also compare the environmental impact of the two types of networks. Given no differences in marginal damages between airports we find that an airline will always choose the network with the highest environmental damages. The second type of market we investigate is a multiproduct duopoly, where two airlines compete in both passengers and flights. The formulation of the optimal tax is similar to the optimal tax of a single product oligopoly. However, we also show that it is, because of strategic effects, difficult to determine the effects of the tax on the number of flights.


The bacterium Caulobacter crescentus yields two different progeny at each cell division; a chemotactically competent swarmer cell and a sessile stalked cell. The chemotaxis proteins are synthesized in the predivisional cell and then partition only to the swarmer cell upon division. The chemoreceptors that were newly synthesized were located at the nascent swarmer pole of the predivisional cell, an indication that asymmetry was established prior to cell division. When the swarmer cell differentiated into a stalked cell, the chemoreceptor was specifically degraded by virtue of an amino acid sequence located at its carboxyl terminus. Thus, a temporally and spatially restricted proteolytic event was a component of this differentiation process.


Mucinous carcinomas are very rare in the biliary tract. Only twenty cases of mucinous carcinomas of the gallbladder have been reported so far of which the pure mucinous (colloid) phenotype is exceedingly rare. We report one such rare case of a 55 year old lady with history of exposure to barium fumes in the past, who presented to our hospital with features of biliary obstruction. Radiological examination revealed neoplastic thickening of the gallbladder along with cholelithiasis and choledocholithiasis. Cholecystectomy was performed and the specimen showed thickened gallbladder wall with a glistening grey white infiltrative growth. Microscopy showed pure mucinous (colloid) adenocarcinoma, the entire tumor being composed of pools of extracellular mucin with clusters of tumor cells floating in them with no other component.


A new homogeneous electrochemical immunoassay strategy was developed for ultrasensitive detection of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) based on target-induced proximity hybridization coupled with rolling circle amplification (RCA). The immobilization-free detection of CEA was realized by the use of an uncharged peptide nucleic acid (PNA) probe labeled with ferrocene (Fc) as the electroactive indicator on a negatively charged indium tin oxide (ITO) electrode. In the presence of a target protein and two DNA-labeled antibodies, the proximate complex formed in homogeneous solution could unfold the molecular beacon, and a part of the unfolded molecular beacon as a primer hybridized with the RCA template to initiate the RCA process. Subsequently, the detection probe modified Fc (Fc-PNAs) hybridized with the long amplified DNA products. The consumption of freely diffusible Fc-PNAs (neutrally charged) resulted in a significant reduction of the Fc signal due to the fact that long amplified DNA/Fc-PNA products were electrostatically repelled from the ITO electrode surface. The reduction of the electrochemical signal (signal-off) could indirectly provide the CEA concentration. Under the optimal conditions, CEA detection was implemented in a wide range from 1 pg mL-1 to 10 ng mL-1, with a low detection limit of 0.49 pg mL-1. The proposed strategy exhibited advantages of good selectivity, high sensitivity, acceptable accuracy, and favorable versatility of analytes. Moreover, the practical application value of the system was confirmed by the assay of CEA in human serums with satisfactory results.


The paper proposes an innovative framework for characterizing investors' behavior in portfolio selection. The approach is based on the realistic perspective of unknown investors' utility and incomplete information on returns distribution. Using a four-moment generalization of the Chebyshev inequality, an intuitive risk measure, risk horizon, is introduced with reference to the speed of convergence of a portfolio's mean return to its expectation. Empirical implementation provides evidence on the consistency of the approach with standard portfolio criteria such as, among others, the Sharpe ratio, a shortfall probability decay-rate optimization and a general class of flexible three-parameter utility functions.


We describe a general work-flow which scales intuitively to high-performance computing (HPC) clusters for different domains of scientific computation. We demonstrate our methodology with a radial distribution function calculation in C++, with mental models for FORTRAN and Python as well. We present a pedagogical framework for the development of guided concrete incremental techniques to incorporate domain-specific knowledge and transfer existing expertise for developing highperformance, platform-independent, reproducible scientific software. This is effected by presenting the acceleration of a radial distribution function, a well known algorithm in computational chemistry. Thus we assert that for domain specific algorithms, there is a language-independent pedagogical methodology which may be leveraged to ensure best practices for the scientific HPC community with minimal cognitive dissonance for practitioners and students.


Greedy gossip with eavesdropping (GGE) is a randomized gossip algorithm that exploits the broadcast nature of wireless communications to converge rapidly on grid-like network topologies without requiring that nodes know their geographic locations. When a node decides to gossip, rather than choosing one of its neighbors randomly, it greedily chooses to gossip with the neighbor whose values are most different from its own. We assume that all transmissions are wireless broadcasts so that nodes can keep track of their neighbors' values by eavesdropping on their communications. We have previously proved that GGE converges to the average consensus on connected network topologies. In this paper we study the rate of convergence of GGE, a non-trivial task due to the greedy, data-driven nature of the algorithm. We demonstrate that GGE outperforms standard randomized gossip, and we characterize the rate of convergence in terms of a topology-dependent constant analogous to the second-largest eigenvalue characterization for previous randomized gossip algorithms. Simulations demonstrate that the convergence rate of GGE is superior to existing average consensus algorithms such as geographic gossip.


ABSTRACT Behavioral economics has long defined itself in opposition to neoclassical economics, but recent developments suggest a synthesis may be on the horizon. In particular, several economists have argued that behavioral factors can be incorporated into standard theory, and that the days of behavioral economics are therefore numbered. This paper explores the proposed synthesis and argues that it is distinctly behavioral in nature – not neoclassical. Far from indicating that behavioral economics as a stand-alone research program is over, the proposed synthesis represents the consummate conversion of neoclassical economists into behavioral ones. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT


The research and development of a durable, elec. rechargeable Zn/O2 battery in the PSI-BEW project at the Paul Scherrer Institute is described in a review with many refs. The first phase included the development of La0.6Ca0.4CoO3-activated bifunctional O2 diffusion electrodes and zinc paste electrodes. The second phase included the optimization of the zinc paste electrode to improve the available capacity and peak power of the battery system. Based on the mass of the cell components, a specific peak power of 275 W/kg with O2 and 200 W/kg with air was calcd. for complete batteries. In collaboration with the Federal Institute of Technol., Lausanne, Switzerland, a bipolar filter-press type elec. rechargeable Zn/O2 battery delivering a peak power of ca. 100 W has been developed. The current-potential behavior was detd. as a function of the no. of bipolar cells (max. of 7), and the max. discharge capacity was detd. at different discharge rates. [on SciFinder (R)]


A new solvent elimination interface based on the Monodisperse Aerosol Generation Interface for Combining Liquid Chromatography with Fourier transform infrared (MAGIC-LC/FT-IR) spectrometry is described. The solvent elimination efficiency of MAGIC-LC/FT-IR was studied by varying the mobile-phase composition from 100% methanol to 100% water. As the mobile-phase composition was varied, erythrosin B was injected into the interface and deposited on a KBr window after the solvent removal. Spectra were obtained which compared favorably with reference spectra, even as the mobile-phase water content was increased. A reverse-phase separation was completed to demonstrate that readily identifiable spectra can be obtained from mobile phases containing high percentages of water, without heating of the effluent stream.


As developing countries rapidly urbanize, the number of people living in 'slums'—neighbourhoods lacking formal property rights and basic services—continues to increase. Whether slum residents will ultimately share in the benefits of the cities they help build or will remain trapped in poverty is not well understood. We review empirical evidence on the potential for social mobility in today's urban slums in order to assess prospects for upward mobility in cities of the Global South, finding evidence for limited levels of upward mobility and high levels of volatility. We then discuss the substantial public sector interventions that accompanied urbanization in the Global North. We argue that urbanization will not automatically improve prospects for mobility for the urban poor. Instead, it will be critical to implement appropriately nuanced interventions to improve opportunities for the billions residing in today's and tomorrow's slums.


Bucharest, as many other cities, is a divided city. This urban divide is described here as the result of a dense historic stratification of unfinished urban projects, in terms of current socio-economic processes, and as related to the conflict between the structure of the city and its wider environment. Rather than targeting the less developed half of the city, the proposed strategy addresses the area of interaction between the two sides: the valley. Born from the former floodplain of Dâmbovi?a, the river crossing Bucharest's very center, here the valley is structurally defined on the West-East direction, while the three case studies show the details of the intervention meant to improve the integration between North and South. The work is concluded with a reflection on the possible wider effects of the intervention and initiates a debate on how the structure of the city might change into a configuration that has a more synergistic relation with the territory.


Smart contracts built in the blockchain are quietly revolutionizing traditional transactions despite their questionable status under current law. At the same time, disputes regarding smart contracts are inevitable, and parties will need means for dealing with smart contract issues. This Article tackles this challenge, and proposes that parties turn to online dispute resolution ("ODR") to efficiently and fairly resolve smart contract disputes. Furthermore, the Article acknowledges the benefits and challenges of current blockchain ODR start-ups, and proposes specific ideas for how designers could address those challenges and incorporate ODR to provide just resolutions that will not stymie efficiencies of smart contracts. Nonetheless, the Article also raises pivotal cautions and questions for ensuring the fairness and transparency of these solutions over the longer term.


Background/Objectives: The efficacy of propranolol as a treatment for infantile hemangiomas (IHs) has been documented. Until now, little has been written about the role of propranolol beyond the proliferation phase of IH. Our aim was to document propranolol efficacy and safety in the treatment of involutive IH. Patients and Methods: Two evaluations were conducted. Investigators evaluated the final clinical results by comparing clinical data at baseline and at the end of the study. Evaluators scored each panel of photographs and were blinded from any clinical information. Both groups used the same scoring system. Patients treated with propranolol in our department between 2009 and 2014 were reviewed. Results: A total of 15 patients with involuting IH treated with propranolol were eligible. Eleven (73%) were females, ranging in age between 16 and 110 months (median 41 months). The types of IH were mixed (n = 13) and superficial (n = 2). The median duration of the propranolol treatment was 20 months (range 6–33 months). The mean size reduction was from 6 cm ± 4.33 before the treatment to 3.98 ± 1.25 at the end of the treatment. The general mean involution according to the investigators' evaluation was 4.1 ± 2.7. The general mean involution according to the evaluators' evaluation was 4.9 ± 1.5. Telangiectasias showed no response. Recurrence was observed in one patient. Transient nightmares were documented in one patient, and nighttime awakenings were documented in another. The therapy was discontinued in neither of these patients. Conclusions: In our experience, propranolol was well tolerated and associated with limited adverse reactions. The use of oral propranolol was effective in the treatment of IH beyond the proliferative phase.


In areas where soils are low in boron (B), the ability to predict B deficiency by plant analysis depends on the development of calibrated standards and offers the potential of preventing or minimising losses in seed yield. The present study aimed at establishing relationships between seed yield in winter oilseed rape (Brassica napus) and B concentrations in defined leaves during growth before fiowering and from them to determine critical values for the prognosis of B deficiency. Oilseed rape cv. Zheyouyou 2 was grown in 10 field experiments in Zhejiang province, south-east China, with B rates from 0 to 3· 3 kg/ha. At 4 of the sites, oilseed rape was resown in the following year to assess seasonal effects on critical concentrations. Experiments were conducted on the 3 main soil groups on which oilseed rape is grown in south-east China. The youngest open leaf (YOL) was selected as the sampling part because its B concentrations were strongly responsive to increasing B supply and well correlated with seed yield response. In this study, the best model of the relationship between YOL B concentration and yield was the Mitscherlich equation, which explained 68-89% of the variation in the data. The calculated critical range in the YOL at seedling stage was 20-25 mg B/kg and appeared to be valid in 2 seasons and on 3 soil types. The critical B range for prognosis of B deficiency was found to predict consistently those crops in farmers" fields that had low seed yield and low soil B, but needs to be evaluated in other growing environments especially those for spring rape.


Widespread dissatisfaction with corporate participation in elections persists despite strict regulations. Exploiting within firm-cycle cross-candidate variation and across firm-cycle variation, we demonstrate that corporate spending on US elections exceeds disclosed campaign contributions. Firms constrained by existing campaign contribution limits spend an additional $549,000 on lobbying per election cycle, an amount more than 100 times the contribution limit. Constrained firms also have chief executives that contribute more to politicians and firm foundations that make larger philanthropic donations. While legally permitted, these expenditures may be interpreted by the public as corrupt disguised contributions according to the Supreme Court's landmark Buckley v. Valeo decision.


One of the key concepts of Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) systems is the computerized management of all aspects of vehicle control. This paper examines the principle functions of automated systems management and identifies many of the interactions of systems management policies with hardware design criteria, vehicle control requirements, and the overall performance specifications of a PRT system. A computer simulation model is described that has been developed: (1) to evaluate systems management policies; and (2) to perform parametric analyses of individual design elements such as vehicle size and headway. The results of a simulation of an application of a PRT system to a hypothetical urban renewal project are presented. This example shows that automated management policies have major and sometimes unexpected impact on the capability of a PRT design to meet performance specifications.


'Why Good Relations?'For more than thirty years, public life in Northern Ireland has been assailed by conflict and lack of trust forming the backdrop against which everything else in political, social and economic life is measured. People have easily become reduced to mono-cultural identities within the logic of the conflict. These so-called single-identities have limited our capacity to form meaningful relationships and networks which cross into 'enemy' territory.The logic of segregation has become the accepted 'common sense', implicitly underpinning many approaches to providing facilities and services or funding local organisations. This 'common sense' has been evidenced in both formal procedures and programmes underpinning a 'logic of the ghetto' or in informal ways of working that replicate and strengthen the 'logic of silence'.Thus while workplaces have remained formally mixed, they have been regulated by the imposition of the 'neutral working environment' which automatically precludes all meaningful interaction on areas of conflict in the name of containing the worst possibilities of conflict. Some residential areas have remained statistically mixed, but usually on the basis of silence and polite interaction.Without doubt, there have been significant social and economic costs. Most importantly for the future, the possibilities for learning together have diminished and this has a long-term impact on resources, employment, knowledge, information and ultimately on this society's capacity for innovation and the exploitation of new opportunities.Over the years, there have many initiatives aimed at alleviating this situation. The Agreement of 10 April 1998 was the culmination of efforts by many people and groups in political life and civil society. In this Agreement and the subsequent Programme for Government, the development of a culture of equality and the building of trust are recognised as central strands in generating a sustainable society.Yet aside from words, there is a yawning absence of any operational core to trust building in Northern Ireland. For many people and institutions in Northern Ireland, the only way to cope with the tensions and dangers of politics was and is to ruthlessly eliminate all trace of them in any intercommunity setting.Debates about identity and diversity have been overwhelmingly shaped as parallel claims for self assertion while debates on equality focused on narrowly quantitative measures which took no account of the costs of social apartheid. Measures aimed at fostering social relationships that were both desirable and sustainable in Northern Ireland have often run at cross-purposes to one another.Since then, the Northern Ireland Act, which translated into United Kingdom law the core elements of the Belfast Agreement, has formally begun to recognise the interconnection between equality and trust-building. Under section 75 of the Act, which established a new single Equality Commission, all public bodies have a duty to provide services paying due regard to the need to promote equality under nine different categories and having regard to the need to promote good relations among people of differing religious or racial background and among those of different political beliefs.In theory at least, the introduction of the good relations dimension into legislation, with regards to political and religious divisions, extended the focus of trust-building beyond traditional community relations work to the core of Northern Ireland society. It did so within a context where the persistent policy preference for addressing community relations at its most visible points of failure – urban ghettos, victims work, work with paramilitaries – or among constituencies accepted as important for the future – children and young people – had ensnared community relations work within a centre-periphery paradigm. Such limited approaches mistakenly presumed a broadly healthy core of society with marginal manifestations of sectarian violence. Such a paradigm suggests that the politically weakest groups in Northern Ireland should be the focus of policy concern. Mistrust and violence were not seen as proper areas of active concern in many areas of Northern Irish society. Indeed, the very 'bracketing off' of large areas of activity is held up as success, and has become habitual. Outside the points of greatest stress, tensions are largely contained by silence and legislative exclusion from the public domain.For organisations to commit to change, they need to be shown that improved relationships have a direct bearing on an improved quality of life and their own capacity to achieve key organisational goals. The result is a yawning gap between the expressed wish in many organisations to contribute to better relationships and the absence of any practical programmes to address this aspiration. Very little progress has been made in devising appropriate models of engagement for a wide range of organisations and sub-cultures across Northern Ireland, leaving legislators in the invidious position of imposing regard for an aspiration (good relations) which nobody has the slightest idea how to translate into practice. The REDI project in Newry and Mourne District Council grew out of precisely these considerations. While the development of a practical model of evolving good relations was not an expressed goal of the project, it was clear from the publication of the Northern Ireland Act that this was indeed what the project was about. Starting with an empty page, the task of the project was not to address specific issues but to develop a space in which all issues causing conflict and tension in the Council could be acknowledged and shaped into practical ways forward. Among the most important issues was the piloting of a new culture of learning in which the Council sought to move from a perceived partisan culture, a culture which polices neutrality, to one which fosters and protects diversity and promotes a more interdependent society.


Experiments in a laboratory physical model were conducted to analyze the hydrothermal performance of vertically stratified cooling ponds. Temperature, velocity, and fluorescent dye measurements were made. Particular attention was paid to identifying discharge structures that would minimize entrance mixing and thereby maximize surface heat transfer. The use of a submerged radial weir as an alternative to traditional rectangular channel discharges was investigated. Sensitivity to intake location and the significance of far field mixing processes (longitudinal dispersion, shear induced entrainment, and penetrative convection due to heat loss) were also explored.


Amongst molluscan shell from the Emily Bay site were 40 specimens of fragmented bivalves, especially of Gari livida, which were examined for evidence of their use as artefacts. Experiments using modern specimens of the same taxa showed that it was impossible to define deliberate breakage sufficiently clearly to define shell tools on that criterion. Analysis of usewear by microscopic inspection of edges was the main discriminant adopted. In addition vegetable residues were identified on several edges. These means identified 19 pieces as tools, which had been used mainly for scraping soft materials. Two other tools were identified by morphology. A small assemblage of bone and marine ivory artefacts was also recovered from Emily Bay. Most were pieces of fishing gear.


The unicellular green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is used extensively as a model to study eukaryotic photosynthesis, flagellar functions, and more recently the production of hydrogen as biofuel. Two of these processes, photosynthesis and hydrogen production, are highly dependent on iron–sulfur (Fe–S) enzymes. To understand how Fe–S proteins are assembled in Chlamydomonas, we have analyzed its recently sequenced genome for orthologs of genes involved in Fe–S cluster assembly. We found a total of 32 open reading frames, most single copies, that are thought to constitute a mitochondrial assembly pathway, mitochondrial export machinery, a cytosolic assembly pathway, and components for Fe–S cluster assembly in the chloroplast. The chloroplast proteins are also expected to play a role in the assembly of the H-cluster in [FeFe]-hydrogenases, together with the recently identified HydEF and HydG proteins. Comparison with the higher plant model Arabidopsis indicated a strong degree of conservation of Fe–S cofactor assembly pathways in the green lineage, the pathways being derived from different origins during the evolution of the photosynthetic eukaryote. As a haploid, unicellular organism with available forward and reverse genetic tools, Chlamydomonas provides an excellent model system to study Fe–S cluster assembly and its regulation in photosynthetic eukaryotes.


The mega-trends of digitalisation and automation have already changed labour markets and value chains around the world, with their inevitable economic and social consequences. And the pace of change is accelerating; job markets and skills requirements are evolving faster than traditional labour market practices and institutions. But what exactly are these changes, and how will governments, industry leaders, social partners and workers react to them?

The current Commission has initiated substantial research and analysis into the topic, and the next incumbents should decide how to take this research forward. In order to make informed decisions, policymakers should bear in mind a number of issues.


An international team of specialists in politics, policy, and activism provide an indispensible guide to the persistent challenges and emerging issues posed by the global HIV/AIDS epidemic, now in its fourth decade.

The HIV/AIDS epidemic is at a critical turning point. Compelling new findings herald the potential to eventually grind the epidemic to a halt through a combination of expanded treatment coverage and new biomedical approaches to prevention. At the same time, the severe global economic downturns have negatively affected wealthy donor nations that have provided the funds and technical support for programs in the developing world. It is against this backdrop that this landmark three-volume set was developed. It provides a broad overview of the critical political issues surrounding HIV/AIDS, inspects key areas of policy and policymaking, and spotlights the most important forms of activism and community mobilization.

The volumes reflect an eclectic and wide-ranging set of issues written by an international team comprising dozens of authors from nations including the United States, the United Kingdom, Ghana, South Africa, Brazil, Cambodia, Norway, and Qatar. The international contributors represent a variety of disciplines and bring with them a range of styles and methodological approaches appropriate to their specific topics and disciplines. An important addition to academic and public libraries, this expansive work will benefit students and other readers interested in politics, policymaking, public health, activism, and community mobilization, both in the United States and globally.


We study the optimisation of a biomass waste to energy conversion system using an adapted Tabu Search heuristic. It corresponds to a non-linear and non-convex optimisation problem whose solution involves several optimisation sub-problems, including three with differential equations. In solving this complex optimisation problem, four contributions have been made to the adaptation of Tabu Search for use in the optimisation of biomass energy conversion systems. These are: multi-period and diversification strategies that lead to an effective search of the solution space, handling of constraints by development of different strategies for searching feasible regions, with some incursions into infeasible regions to find a shortcut towards feasible regions, and evaluation of a multi-objective function exploiting an approximation of the Pareto front. The results of the experiments show that the resulting Tabu Search heuristic, gives better solutions for this type of optimisation problem, compared to the basic Tabu Search. The developed Tabu Search was used to maximize revenue from biomass waste to energy conversion systems for two types of livestock (cows and swines). The Tabu Search was also used to identify the minimum herd size required for commercial viability of a biomass waste to energy conversion system. Experiments show that the adapted Tabu Search corresponds to a very useful tool for determination of commercial viability of biomass waste to energy conversion systems.


This essay reads the hidden histories of the First World War and the Algerian War of Independence in Pat Barker's Regeneration and Assia Djebar's Children of the New World, focusing on their representation of a feminized resistance to war that takes silence as its most powerful weapon. In contrast to the privileging of bearing witness in post-Holocaust theories of language and suffering, this essay argues that Barker and Djebar ultimately suggest that, in the face of war's atrocities, not speaking is an equally valuable act.


To what extent older European would be able to pay for their long-term care needs if they had no access to informal care nor public or private insurance for long-term care? To answer this question, we build a microsimulation model and estimate the disability trajectories of the elderly in 9 European countries using SHARE data. According to the simulations, 57% of the current 65+ will experience disability (defined as being restricted in 2 or plus basic activities of daily living). Conditional on need, care will be required for 4.3 years on average. 7% of dependent individuals with no partner could pay for their long-term care out of their sole income, 23% if they used all their savings except their home. The proportion would double to 50% if they took out reverse mortgages on their main residence. Reverse mortgages could play an important role in Spain and Italy. However, one fifth of individuals could finance less than 5% of their long-term care needs.


Preface. LIFETIME INCOME AND MICROSIMULATION MODELS. Introduction. Simulating longitudinal data. Outline of this book. Microsimulation Models. Types of microsimulation models. Problems of dynamic microsimulation models. Key Characteristics of the Model. Simulating the impact of government. Limitations of the model. Income and tax measures used in the model. LIFETIME RESULTS. Lifetime Income by Education, Family Status, and Unemployment Status. Lifetime income by education status. Lifetime income by familty status. Lifetime income by unemployment status. The Distribution of Lifetime Income. Lifetime income distribution of males. Lifetime income distribution of females. Income sharing within the family. Lifetime income for the entire cohort. Lifetime vs Annual Income Distribution and Redistribution. Annual income distribution by sex. Lifetime vs annual distribution. Lifetime vs annual tax-transfer incidence. Cash transfers and adjusted income taxes. Lifetime vs annual incidence of education. Lifecycle Income Distribution and Redistribution. Lifecycle income by lifetime income. Lifecycle income by lifetime family status. Lifecycle income by lifetime education status. Construction of the Model. The Demographic, Disability and Education Modules. Mortality. Disability, handicap and invalidity. Primary and secondary schooling. Tertiary education. Family formation and dissolution. Fertility. Labour Force Participation and Unemployment. Overview of the module. Labour force participation. Self-employment status. Full and part-time status and annual hours worked. Unemployment status and hours unemployed. Full-time students and invalids. Labour force profiles of the cohort. Earned and Unearned Income. Simulating earnings. Investment income. Superannuation income. Maintenance income. Government Expenditures and Taxes. Social security outlays. Education outlays. Income tax. Conclusion. Lifetime vs annual income distribution. Lifetime vs annual tax-transfer incidence. Intra vs inter-personal income redistribution. Relative position of men and women. Lifetime income by education. Lifetime income by family status. Appendix 1: The 1986 Australian Income Distribution Survey. Endnotes. References. Author index. Subject index.


Cell-fate decisions in activated B lymphocytes are determined by stochastic competition. During an adaptive immune response, B lymphocytes rapidly divide and differentiate into effector cell populations, including antibody-secreting plasmablasts and memory B cells. Many also change the class of antibody they secrete, through a process called isotype switching. During this process, some cells die. Whether cells acquire these different fates in a stochastic or programmed manner, however, is unclear. Duffy et al. used single-cell tracking to determine the times to division, differentiation into a plasmablast, isotype switching, and death of stimulated B lymphocytes. Statistical analysis and mathematical modeling revealed that these cell-fate decisions appear to be the result of random clocks: Which clock went off first (division, differentiation, or death) determined the fate of the cell. Barnett et al. sought to determine whether asymmetrical cell division, which is thought to contribute to effector cell-fate decisions in T cells, may be at work in B lymphocytes. Indeed, factors important for the initiation and maintenance of germinal center B lymphocyte identity, along with an ancestral polarity protein, were asymmetrically distributed and maintained their asymmetry during cell division. K. R. Duffy, C. J. Wellard, J. F. Markham, J. H. S. Zhou, R. Holmberg, E. D. Hawkins, J. Hasbold, M. R. Dowling, P. D. Hodgkin, Activation-induced B cell fates are selected by intracellular stochastic competition. Science 335, 338–341 (2012). [Abstract] [Full Text] B. E. Barnett, M. L. Ciocca, R. Goenka, L. G. Barnett, J. Wu, T. M. Laufer, J. K. Burkhardt, M. P. Cancro, S. L. Reiner, Asymmetric B cell division in the germinal center reaction. Science 335, 342–344 (2012). [Abstract] [Full Text]


ABSTRACT We use first differenced logged quarterly series for the GDP of 29 countries and the euro area to assess the need to use non-linear models to describe business cycle dynamic behaviour. Our approach is model (estimation)-free, based on testing only. We aim to maximize power to detect non-linearities while, simultaneously, avoiding the pitfalls of data mining. The evidence we find does not support some descriptions because the presence of significant non-linearities is observed for two-thirds of the countries only. Linear models cannot be simply dismissed as they are frequently useful. Contrarily to common knowledge, non-linear business cycle variation does not seem to be a universal, undisputable and clearly dominant stylized fact. This finding is particularly surprising for the U.S. case. Some support for non-linear dynamics for some further countries is obtained indirectly, through unit root tests, but this can hardly be invoked to support non-linearity in classical business cycles.


Terephthalic acid (TA) is used as a raw material for producing polyesters. As the global demand for polyesters increases at a rate of 7% per year on average for the last few years and next 10-year forecast, the demand of TA also increases. The global production exceeded 27 million tons for the year 2003, and will be in excess of 30 million tons for the year 2004. Therefore improving the production or purification process for terephthalic acid becomes more and more important. A new purification method using N-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone (NMP) as solvent was recently developed. In this process, the salt complex consisting of TA and NMP was formed to exclude the impurities. The research topic of this thesis was to characterize the salt formation rate and develop possible explanations for salt formation kinetics. Gas Chromatography was used to determine the percentage of salt in the salt formation samples as prepared by varying mixing times, temperatures and loadings. The TA-salt transition (salt formation) was found to behave as first-order solid-solid phase transition with a temperature range where both phases coexist. The salt formation rate was explained using the combination of reaction rate and salt formation possibility.


Botswana, with a population of nearly two million is a democratic, landlocked and prosperous country with one of the highest economic growth rates in the world with the bulk of its economy coming from minerals and cattle. Social and line infrastructure has reached most people in the country. This development has been brought about through careful national development planning as well as through sub national planning. Sub national planning, the subject of this paper, has been through the preparation of economic development plans (district development plans), spatial regional plans (district settlement strategic plans, regional plans and land use plans) and specific subject area plans. Through these plans, in which rural communities fully participate in their planning and implementation, the rural areas have seen marked change and natural resources have been carefully exploited for the benefit of all people. However, in spite of these achievements, their implementation has faced limitations, constraints and challenges which are difficult to overcome. The constraints relate to plan formulation, implementation and monitoring, administrative guidance and problems with vertical and horizontal communication that has created a gap between the intention and reality of bottom-up planning. The paper concludes by putting forward suggestions on how to overcome these problems and chart a way forward for rural development.


Teaching during tumultuous times requires creativity, but the lessons that emerge during times of crisis can also enrich classroom discussion by underscoring different perspectives and potential solutions to traditional classroom problems. This essay describes some methods for using examples from the recent financial crisis in the classroom, with the aim of enhancing comparative analyses and tying traditional financial concepts to broader themes stemming from the financial crisis.


This paper gives an overview of the Dutch Construction industry and elaborates further on its use of performance information. After giving an overview of the Dutch construction industry depicting size, major contractors, growth, profitability, value added, costs, productivity, this section is concluded by giving future predictions of the industry for the following years. A summary is given of the 2002 Dutch construction collusion as a means to give explanations for the persistent use of procurement based on lowest-bid competition. Although a starting realization is recognizable towards more innovative ways of tendering to restore trust and bilateral relationships between constructors and their clients; change is slow as hard data of performance information is limited. Current available performance information of the Dutch construction industry is discussed, such as failure rate and costs, bottlenecks, procurement methods used, customer satisfaction and selection criteria. As seen throughout this paper, innovative ways of procurement can contribute to the changes aspired to by the Dutch construction industry as well as bring in added value. Government plays a central role as a major client and frontrunner and also with the means of regulating policy on procurement for the industry. Although new initiatives of change towards more innovative ways of tendering are starting to build with cooperation between companies and industry platforms, it remains still in its infancy.


It has been recognised that hospital food service could be improved, with malnutrition a particular concern. The problem of patients obtaining adequate nutrition in hospital is complex with many constraints at ward level. The hypothesis of this study is that patients able to see and smell the food on offer and with potential for greater server empathy, will achieve better nutritional status and increased meal satisfaction.

Data were collected from two wards, Women's Health and Orthopaedic, (n=62) over
two, three-day consecutive periods. Firstly, for a pre-ordered, plated meal service and secondly, nine months later, for a trolley service offering choice at the point of consumption. Food was weighed before and after the meal. Questionnaires were administered and interviews conducted with patients (n= 614) to evaluate patient
acceptability of both catering systems and other pertinent data. The research methodology also involved collecting observational data during mealtimes. Focus groups were conducted with ward staff, and patients together with their visitors while open ended interviews were conducted with the catering manager, facilities manager, chief dietitian, orthopaedic ward dietitian and chief pharmacist. This was to enhance and validate information already gathered.

Results show that nutritional intake was not dependent on the catering system and that possibly in hospital; unlike other `eating out' situations there are barriers to `complete nutrition'1. A theoretical model of patient experience and satisfaction with hospital food
service is presented, reflecting data gathered during the case study. Texture and temperature of food were shown to be critical factors impinging on patient satisfaction
and the trolley system of delivery is the preferred style of service. Service predisposition demonstrates little significance with patient satisfaction towards the
overall meal experience. This research indicates that nutritionally, the method of meal delivery is immaterial but patients do prefer choice at the point of consumption.

1 A term used to define the provision of a healthy nutritionally balanced diet which meets and satisfies
both physiological and psychological requirements.


Howard Cromwell, Advisor This project examined how the human brain responds to stress and how mindfulness meditation can reduce stress-related sensory processing deficits. An early brain function called inhibitory gating is impaired in various mental illnesses. Inhibitory gating promotes healthy cognitive function, as gating is theorized to play an important role in the pre-attentional stages of information filtering in the brain. Inhibitory gating is evaluated with electroencephalography (EEG), in which the electrical activity of neural networks is non-invasively assessed via electrodes placed on the scalp. Gating deficits can be induced in healthy people for a brief time with exposure to physical or mental stress, which allows for the gating impairments seen in mental illnesses to be modeled in healthy people. Mindfulness meditation training has been a benefit to patients in various therapeutic settings, but treatments for gating impairment remain unknown. It is essential to target this pervasive deficit for treatment. In the current study, mindfulness meditation was tested as a technique to reduce stress-induced gating impairment. Participants attended four meditation training sessions and underwent a cold-pressor stress task twice; once at the beginning and once at the end of the four appointment experiment. EEG recordings were taken before and after the stress task. The results of this experiment show that mindfulness meditation training can reduce stress-induced inhibitory gating impairment. Two control groups completed personality surveys or progressive muscle relaxation exercises and did not exhibit reduced impairment after four sessions. These findings are promising in that they contribute to the wider understanding of gating impairment and its relationship to stress, and expand on potential treatment options by introducing a safe, low-cost technique with potential to reduce inhibitory gating impairment.


The general public's awareness of, and attitude to, canine and feline blood donation is poorly understood. Increasing understanding of pet owners' thoughts about donation may allow more effective blood donor recruitment. The aims of this study were to investigate pet owners' awareness of small animal blood donation and their attitude and motivations regarding their pet being a blood donor. A mixed methods approach was used, with data collected from 158 pet owners attending a first-opinion veterinary clinic using a written questionnaire of closed and open questions. Most owners were unaware that dogs and cats could donate blood (70 per cent). However, 89 per cent stated they would be willing to let their pet donate blood if they were suitable. This was more likely if the owner did not work full time and less likely if they were aged over 71 years. Thematic analysis of owners' motivations and deterrents towards pet blood donation resulted in four key themes: 'Beneficence', the desire to help others; 'Necessity of service', a recognition of the requirement for blood products; 'Reciprocity', a hope that if they participated this would result in blood products being available for their pet; and 'Reservations and concerns'.


In this work, computer-aided impedance analysis and genetic-based synthesis of a multiwall carbon nanotube impedance matching section (MWCNTIMS) are proposed. Transmission line model (TLM) of a multiwall carbon nanotube is used for the computer-aided impedance analysis. Continuous parameter genetic algorithm (CPGA) is used for the genetic-based synthesis. A simple, fast, and effective impedance analysis and synthesis approach for an MWCNTIMS is presented. The results of the analysis and synthesis for different examples of MWCNTIMS are given and discussed in detail. The results show that the effect of variation of the distance from the ground plane of the outer shell is very small on the values of input resistance and input reactance. The values of input resistance and input reactance decrease while the value of inner radius or the total number of shells increases. Since the diameter increases with the increasing value of inner radius and the total number of shells, the values of input resistance and input reactance decrease with increasing diameter. While the value of nanotube length increases, the values of input resistance and input reactance increase.


1. The response to 60 min ischaemia was studied in male uninephrectomized 30-, 60-and 90-day-old rats in regard to changes of renal cytochrome oxidase activity and the effect on systemic arterial blood pressure. Mortality due to renal failure, changes in plasma urea concentration and in kidney morphology were used as indicators of the renal response. 2. Mortality was lowest in 30-day-old animals (13%) and highest in 60-day-old animals (77%). Renal cytochrome oxidase activity increased by 44% during the same period. The mortality decreased to 34% between the ages of 60 and 90 days without change in renal content of cytochrome oxidase; survival time after renal ischaemia was prolonged from 2 to 4 days. 3. Fifty days after renal ischaemia plasma urea concentration correlated positively with kidney weight. Both variables were increased in rats exposed to ischaemia at the ages of 60 and 90 days. The kidneys of these rats exhibited lesions. No relation was found between the degree of renal damage and blood pressure. 4. It is concluded that (a) the kidney of immature rats is more resistant to temporary ischaemia due to immaturity of renal oxidative metabolism, (b) the ability to survive ischaemic renal damage in less-resistant mature rats increases with age and (c) the postischaemic impairment of renal function does not influence systemic arterial blood pressure.


We apply inverse numerical methods to design compact wideband reflectors in which a periodic silicon layer supports resonant leaky modes. Using particle swarm optimization to determine appropriate device thickness, period, and fill factors, we arrive at example reflector designs for both TE and TM polarized input light. As a properly configured grating profile provides added design freedom, we design reflectors with two and four subparts in the period. In TM polarization, a particular single-layer two-part reflector has 520 nm bandwidth whereas the four-part device reaches 600 nm bandwidth. In TE polarization, the corresponding numbers are 125 nm and 495 nm, respectively. We provide a qualitative explanation for the smaller TE-reflector bandwidth. We quantify the effects of deviation from the design parameters and compute the angular response of the elements. As the angle of incidence deviates from normal incidence, narrow transmission channels emerge in the response yielding a bandpass filter with low sidebands. The effects of adding a silica sublayer between a silicon substrate and the periodic silicon layer is investigated. It is found that a properly designed sublayer can extend the reflection bandwidth significantly.


Abstract. In recent years, renovations of plant equipment have been more frequent, and constructing 3D as-built models of existing plants from large-scale laser scanned data is expected to make rebuilding processes more efficient. However, laser scanned data consists of enormous number of points, captures tangled objects and includes a high noise level, so that the manual reconstruction of a 3D model is very time-consuming. Among plant equipment, piping systems especially account for the greatest proportion. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to propose an algorithm which can automatically recognize a piping system from large-scale laser scanned data of plants. The straight portion of pipes, connecting parts and connection relationship of the piping system can be automatically recognized. Normal-based region growing enables the extraction of points on the piping system. Eigen analysis of the normal tensor and cylinder surface fitting allows the algorithm to recognize portions of straight pipes. Tracing the axes of the piping system and interpolation of the axes can derive connecting parts and connection relationships between elements of the piping system. The algorithm was applied to large-scale scanned data of an oil rig and a chemical plant. The recognition rate of straight pipes, elbows, junctions achieved 93%, 88% and 87% respectively.


A chlorination method for the selective substitution of well-defined isolated silanol groups of the silica surface has been developed using the catalytic Appel reaction. Spectroscopic analysis, complemented by elemental microanalysis studies, reveals that a quantitative chlorination could be achieved with highly dehydroxylated silica materials that exclusively possess non-hydrogen bonded silanol groups. The employed method did not leave any carbon or phosphorus residue on the silica surface and can be regarded as a promising tool for the future functionalization of metal oxide surfaces.


This dissertation explores the link between technology, capitalism, and the female body in 20th century cinema. It argues that commodified pleasure, or "engineered enjoyment," is always produced by establishing technological control over the female body. The scope of this dissertation is limited to films produced during the post-World War II era. In Chapter One I define "engineered enjoyment" and show how film is the prototypical example of such. In Chapter Two I examine how the cinematic apparatus works as a pleasure-producing system and explore what happens when that system breaks down, as in the 1947 film Ladv in the Lake. In Chapter Three I critique post war psychological thrillers which incorporate the idea of the breakdown within their narratives, specifically in the figure of the mentally ill woman as system "out of control." In Chapter Four I address a successful example of the engineering of the female body: the star body of MG-M actress Esther Williams. Williams's film career was a product of the carefully orchestrated moderation of her physical body. Such controlled moderation allowed her to make the transition from screen star to celebrity spokesperson with amazing success. In Chapter Five I conclude by suggesting new areas for investigating engineered enjoyment in late 20th century culture, particularly the post-1975 "Blockbuster" era.


What explains the variation in piracy along the coasts of Somalia? We answer this question by drawing upon Protection Theory and a new data set of piracy incidents. First, we make a distinction between pirates and protectors of piracy (authorities and local clans). We show that authorities offer shelter and protection to pirates in areas remote from trade routes and when they face challenges over political control. Theoretically, the paper identifies the moment when a protector decides to switch from protecting crime to protecting legitimate trading activities; it also highlights a preserve effect of electoral democracy in unstable contexts, namely the strong incentives to rely on organized criminals to fund electoral competition and secessionist aspirations. We conclude by offering comparative remarks on the trajectory of the nation-building project in Somalia and suggest that building infrastructures, fostering regional trade and more generally providing alternative sources of income to local communities is the best way to fight piracy.


This study was designed to explore the relationship between teacher practices and levels of student engagement in secondary agricultural education programs. Most researchers have agreed that student engagement at the secondary level may be measured through three constructs: cognitive engagement, behavioral engagement, and emotional engagement. The intra-curricular components, namely the FFA organization and Supervised Agricultural Experience Program, make secondary agricultural education unique when compared to the foundational classes of math, science, and English. Respondents included a total of 152 agricultural education programs, which were randomly selected within 11 states to participate in the study. One class in each program was surveyed, which totaled 2,106 student respondents. Relationships were identified between specific teaching and advising practices performed by the secondary agricultural educator and their students' level of engagement in classroom, FFA, and SAE activities. Each state is encouraged to replicate this study to determine student engagement levels in classroom, FFA and SAE activities, and then identify the causes and conditions leading to higher and lower levels of student engagement.


We report the synthesis of a new nucleoside, 1-(2-deoxy-beta-D-erythro-pentofuranosyl)-imidazole-4-hydrazide (dY(NH2)) as a reactive monomer for DNA diversification. The 5'-triphosphate derivative (dY(NH2)TP, 1) was evaluated in vitro as a substrate for several DNA polymerases. Primer extension reactions showed that dYNH2TP was well tolerated by KF (exo(-)) and Vent (exo-) DNA polymerases. One dYNH2MP was incorporated opposite each canonical base with an efficiency depending on the template base (A approximately T > G > C). Significant elongation after YNH2 incorporation was observed independently of the YNH2:N base pair formed. When the nucleobase YNH2 was incorporated into synthetic oligodeoxynucleotides via the phosphoramidite derivative 11, it directed the insertion of natural bases as well as itself. The mutagenicity of dYNH2TP was evaluated by PCR amplification using Vent (exo-) DNA polymerase. The triphosphate dY(NH2)TP was preferentially incorporated as a dATP or dGTP analogue and led to misincorporations at frequencies of approximately 2 x 10(-2) per base per amplification. A high proportion of transversions with a large distribution of all possible mutations was obtained. The reactivity of the nucleobase YNH2 within a template with several aldehydes was demonstrated.


Antiferromagnets (AFMs) exhibit intrinsic magnetization when the order parameter spatially varies. This intrinsic spin is present even at equilibrium and can be interpreted as a twisting of the homogeneous AFM into a state with a finite spin. Because magnetic moments couple directly to external magnetic fields, the intrinsic magnetization can alter the dynamics of antiferromagnetic textures under such influence. Starting from the discrete Heisenberg model, we derive the continuum limit of the free energy of AFMs in the exchange approximation and explicitly rederive that the spatial variation of the antiferromagnetic order parameter is associated with an intrinsic magnetization density. We calculate the magnetization profile of a domain wall and discuss how the intrinsic magnetization reacts to external forces. We show conclusively, both analytically and numerically, that a spatially inhomogeneous magnetic field can move and control the position of domain walls in AFMs. By comparing our model to a commonly used alternative parametrization procedure for the continuum fields, we show that the physical interpretations of these fields depend critically on the choice of parametrization procedure for the discrete-to-continuous transition. This can explain why a significant amount of recent studies of the dynamics of AFMs, including effective models that describe the motion of antiferromagnetic domain walls, have neglected the intrinsic spin of the textured order parameter.


Abstract. In the Erdalen and Bodalen drainage basins located in the inner Nordfjord in western Norway the soils were formed after deglaciation. The climate in the uppermost valley areas is sub-arctic oceanic, and the lithology consists of Precambrian granitic orthogneisses on which Leptosols and Regosols are the most common soils. The Little Ice Age glacier advance affected parts of the valleys with the maximum glacier extent around AD 1750. In this study five sites on moraine and colluvium materials were selected to examine main soil properties, grain size distribution, soil organic carbon and pH to assess if soil profile characteristics and patterns of fallout radionuclides (FRNs) and environmental radionuclides (ERNs) are affected by different stages of ice retreat. The Leptosols on the moraines are shallow, poorly developed and vegetated with moss and small birches. The two selected profiles show different radionuclide activities and grain size distribution. The sampled soils on the colluviums outside the LIA glacier limit became ice-free during the Preboral. The Regosols present better-developed profiles, thicker organic horizons and are fully covered by grasses. Activity of 137Cs and 210Pbex concentrate at the topsoil and decrease sharply with depth. The grain size distribution of these soils also reflects the difference in geomorphic processes that have affected the colluvium sites. Significantly lower mass activities of FRNs were found in soils on the moraines than on colluviums. Variations of ERN activities in the valleys were related to characteristics of soil mineralogical composition. These results indicate differences in soil development that are consistent with the age of ice retreat. In addition, the pattern distribution of 137Cs and 210Pbex activities differs in the soils related to the LIA glacier limits in the drainage basins.


Abstract:According to the Zohar, the most important work of the classical Kabbalah, in prayer the soul of the mystic ascends through seven celestial halls or palaces as part of its quest to unify the male and female aspects of divinity, and thereby stimulates Ein Sof, the infinite aspect of divinity to pour down its bounty. As the soul ascends through the halls—diverse qualities of being, imagined, and experienced as an array of lights—it travels higher and deeper, finally arriving at the imageless seventh hall, Shekhinah, now primed to receive the flow of higher realms. This article argues that the ascent is accomplished through pressing on the eyeball to generate phosphenes and associated entoptic phenomena. The stimulation of the eye's inner light has been associated with shamanic practices and mystical experience as well as commented on by such thinkers as Plotinus, Albert the Great, and Isaac Newton. This study thus contributes to the growing appreciation of "ecstatic" states in the theosophical Kabbalah.


Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) accumulate at tumor sites when injected into tumor-bearing mice, perhaps offering cellular vectors for cancer-targeted gene therapy. However, the molecular mechanisms involved in MSC targeting the tumors are presently little understood. We focused on MSC-endothelial cell (EC) adhesion following TNF-α stimulation in an attempt to elucidate these mechanisms. Interestingly, stimulation of MSCs with TNF-α enhanced the adhesion of MSCs to endothelial cells in vitro. This adhesion was partially inhibited by blocking antibodies against vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) and very late antigen-4 (VLA-4). It is well known that TNF-α induces VCAM-1 expression via the NF-κB signaling pathway. Parthenolide has an anti-inflammatory activity and suppressed NF-κB activity by inhibition of IκBα phosphorylation after TNF-α stimulation and strongly inhibited TNF-α-induced VCAM-1 expression on MSCs. In vivo imaging using luciferase-expressing MSCs revealed that the bioluminescent signal gradually increased at tumor sites in mice injected with untreated MSCs. In contrast, we observed very weak signals at tumor sites in mice injected with parthenolide-treated MSCs. Our results suggest that NF-κB activity regulates MSC accumulation at tumors, by inducing VCAM-1 and thereby its interaction with tumor vessel endothelial cells. These findings have implications for the ongoing development of efficient MSC-based gene therapies for cancer treatment.


The response of multistory buildings to a class of nonstationary random excitation of earthquake type is obtained under the assumption that the building can be treated as a shear beam with damping properties that make the model analysis possible. Two different distributions of the shear rigidity along the height of the building are considered. The story rigidities ki are constant for Structure I, while, for Structure H, larger for lower stories is usually the case in reality. The variance of the story displacement is computed as the significant response. Moreover, the probability that a specified level of stresses in the columns of the building will be exceeded, is estimated at each story for a measure of safety. As expected, Structure II has a better design since each story has a similar probability of attaining the same level of stress. This suggests that the analysis of this type may be useful for comparison of the safeties of different structures subjected to the same loading.


The site of Rietputs 15 which is part of the Rietputs Formation, Windsorton, South Africa has yielded the first early Acheulean collection in southern Africa to have an absolute date. Cosmogenic burial dating has provided the site with an age of ca 1.60 ± 0.36 Ma, with the collection's individual age of 1.43 ± 0.23 Ma (Gibbon et al. 2008). These dates indicate that Rietputs 15 artefacts are some of the oldest Acheulean artefacts in South Africa and places it firmly in the early Acheulean. In addition to the diagnostic bifaces such as handaxes and cleavers, the collection contains a number of highly "organised" cores. Out of all the cores in the collection approximately 5% display a number of features which demonstrate hominids were controlling the working of the core in order to exploit the largest surface, often for a preferential removal. The most common form of organisation is asymmetrical control in which the underside is worked pyramidally so that the larger top surface may be exploited. However, should the largest face be a side of the core accessible with minimal effort, the hominids focused flaking there, producing a single platform core with elongated removals somewhat similar to a blade core. These cores tend to be worked much less on the platform and other sides, suggesting that the blank was carefully selected for its shape. Such early forms of organisation may stem from two factors. First, the hornfels that is most often used is a fine-grained and uniform material which makes for high quality knapping results. Secondly, the hornfels is typically found in "blocky" forms. Such blanks have a number of faces and angles which may assist and even influence the core organisation. Such evidence supports the claim that organized flaking strategies of cores in the early Acheulean needs to be re-evaluated. The reason that these patterns have been recognized in the South African early Acheulean is because of the large sample of provenience-controlled and dated artefacts provided by the Rietputs 15 site. The collection also contains a large number of bifaces that now provide a substantial sample of these diagnostic tool types for a more detailed understanding of the early Acheulean in South Africa.


Previous studies have demonstrated that Zulu Zionists remained peace-loving and politically quiescent in times of racial segregation and political injustice. Since then the political situation in South Africa has shifted dramatically and, despite the dismantling of apanheid structures and the unbanning of major Black political organisations, political violence and instability have become the order of the day . The main concern of this dissertation was therefore to explore the response of Zulu Zionists in Kwa Mashu to such a volatile political climate and to ascertain whether they can uphold their reputed apolitical attitude. It emerged from fieldwork, conducted in Kwa Mashu, Durban, over a period of 22 months, that their social boundaries, group cohesiveness and religious identity are threatened by the negative side-effects of an increased politicisation. Like their fellow township dwellers, Kwa Mashu Zionists are expected to take sides and are exposed to political propaganda and intimidation. Young Zionists, in particular, are prone to violate the apolitical stance of their church, for they are not only marginalized within their congregations but they are also the main object of political pressure and recruitment. However, it was found that the majority of Zionists successfully resisted being drawn completely into political participation and insisted on the retention of their religious values. Those who choose political partisanship defend their religious convictions and hold out against taking pan in violent political competition. To counteract the intrusion of politically related damage and to prevent their youth from religious alienation, Zionists no longer exclusively emphasise the negative implications of politics but acknowledge the inevitability of being conscious about it. Zionists thereby reach an acceptable definition of politics which does not endanger group-cohesiveness and does little harm to their social boundaries. The conclusion reached in this study is that Kwa Mashu Zionists confront the encroachment of politics by transforming it into a harmless form of political consciousness. In this form Zionists can assimilate politics and employ it as an instrument for achieving their goals in the upliftment of the economic poor and the socially disadvantaged.


In Charlotte Smith's first novel, Emmeline, the Orphan of the Castle, the heroine finds herself caught between her obligations to competing forms of male "protection." Emmeline, seemingly illegitimate, has promised her uncle and guardian, Lord Montreville, that she will not marry his son Delamere without his and Lady Montreville's consent; however, she also has promised Delamere, despite her misgivings, that she will marry him in a year's time, if at the end of that year his affections have not waned. Both promises are coerced. Her promise to Montreville is part of an agreement that will allow Emmeline to refuse marriage from "pecuniary motives" to a man of her uncle's choosing. (1) Her promise to Delamere is an act of desperation: she fears, rightly, that if she does not consent the "violence of his nature" (185) will lead to Montreville's withdrawal of all financial security. Emmeline clearly understands her obligations to paternal authority, as well as her position as an object exchanged between men. She begs Delamere to relinquish his resolve to marry her so that her only honorable means of subsistence is not threatened: "give me back to the kindness and protection of your father" (187, my emphasis). However, she must constantly prove to Montreville that she is worthy of that "kindness and protection": "His Lordship therefore sent her ... a bank note of fifty pounds; with his thanks for the propriety of her conduct, and an assurance, that while she continued to merit his protection, he should consider her as his daughter, and take care to supply her with money, and every thing else she might wish for" (103). Montreville's symbolic and practical support always is contingent upon Emmeline's adherence to her duty. Thus, her promises to Montreville and Delamere cast the heroine's reliance on patriarchal authority in the language of the gift and obligation, depicting these relations as ostensibly based on filial affection, rather than on the coercive and violent qualities that motivate this authority throughout the novel. The contract made before the novel begins--Montreville's acceptance of Emmeline as his ward and the agreement to send monthly payments of support--appears as a gesture of paternal benevolence. Thus, as Emmeline attempts to assert her will in situations that determine the course of her life, specifically who and when she will marry, she is compelled to balance her self-interest with the obligations she owes to Montreville for his generous guardianship. Significantly, Montreville's real motives for supporting Emmeline remain unknown for much of the novel; because the initial gifts are exchanged before the narrative begins, Emmeline's conception of duty appears to be a natural consequence of her position. Both narrative form and social practice disguise her return gifts of obedience as virtuous gestures inspired by filial loyalty. In this respect, the absence of the original exchange and the obfuscation of Montreville's intentions create a fiction of generosity that in turn disguises his lack of both legal authority over Mowbray Castle and paternal authority over Emmeline. In this sense, the novel displays the complex system of debt, obligation, and authority that, as I have argued elsewhere, informed eighteenth-century conceptions of gift exchange and obligation. (2) By framing Emmeline's obligations as gratitude, the novel makes clear that she has no real "choice" when it comes to determining her will. She must always defer to the dynamics of obligation owed for the name, money, and protection that allow an apparently illegitimate female orphan to escape the harsh realities of eighteenth-century life: starvation or prostitution. In this essay, I argue that the complexities of gift exchange and obligation underwrite, reinforce, and strain against the literary form of the late eighteenth-century novel. Drawing on Caroline Levine's incisive rethinking of the methodologies of literary criticism, I examine the debts and obligations engendered by the asymmetrical logic of the gift in Emmeline, and the problems of ideology and form in Smith's novel? …


This unique volume offers case-based studies on changes in Asian community or group-based emotion practices, including understandings of emotionally coded objects, thereby adding greater geographical scope and new voices from unexplored (sub)cultures to the field of the history of emotion.


Academic and public debates are increasingly concerned with the question whether and how algorithmic decision-making (ADM) may reinforce social inequality. Most previous research on this topic originates from computer science. The social sciences, however, have huge potentials to contribute to research on social consequences of ADM. Based on a process model of ADM systems, we demonstrate how social sciences may advance the literature on the impacts of ADM on social inequality by uncovering and mitigating biases in training data, by understanding data processing and analysis, as well as by studying social contexts of algorithms in practice. Furthermore, we show that fairness notions need to be evaluated with respect to specific outcomes of ADM systems and with respect to concrete social contexts. Social sciences may evaluate how individuals handle algorithmic decisions in practice and how single decisions aggregate to macro social outcomes. In this overview, we highlight how social sciences can apply their knowledge on social stratification and on substantive domains of ADM applications to advance the understanding of social impacts of ADM.


Background: Silver has been used from ancient times by humans, and recently nanoparticles of silver have been used in many aspects of
human life including as a potent antibacterial agent. Objectives: In the current study a completely green method to prepare silver nanoparticles is reported. Two types of starches (potato and corn
starches) were used to produce and stabilize silver nanoparticles. Antimicrobial activities of prepared nanofoods were investigated. Materials and Methods: Nanosilver particles have been produced using high temperature water containing bulk silver nitrate and starch
sources. Presence of nanosilver containing particles and formation of the nanoparticles were confirmed using transmission electron
microscopy (TEM) and ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, respectively. The anti-bacterial activity of emulsions made from nanoparticles
containing starches was evaluated by assessing minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) against the studied standard, and pathogenic
bacteria. Results: Findings of the current study indicated that the size and shape of silver nanoparticles depended on the type of starch. For example for
a special type of potato starch the cubic silver nanoparticles were obtained whereas for other types of potato starch and corn starch spherical
silver nanoparticles were produced. Nanoparticle sizes were mainly about 20 nm, but ranging from 2-30 nm in different situations. Due to
the biocompatibility of starch synthesized silver nanoparticles, this method can be used for medicinal purposes. Both kinds of nanosilver
containing starch sources have excellent antibacterial activity. Conclusions: The current study indicated that silver nanoparticles produced using different starches had strong antibacterial activities on
the studied standard and pathogenic bacteria including gram positive and gram negative.