We present results of direct numerical simulations of travelling waves in dense assemblies of monodisperse spherical particles fluidized by a liquid. The cases we study have been derived from the experimental work of others. In these simulations, the flow of interstitial fluid is solved by the lattice-Boltzmann method (LBM) and the particles move under the influence of gravity, hydrodynamic forces stemming from the LBM, subgrid-scale lubrication forces and hard-sphere collisions. We first show that the propagating inhomogeneous structures seen in the simulations are in agreement with those observed experimentally. We then use the detailed information contained in the simulation results to assess aspects of two-fluid model closures, namely, fluid–particle drag, and the various contributions to the effective stresses. We show that the rates of compaction and dilation of the particle phase in the travelling waves are comparable to the rate at which the microstructure relaxes, and that there is a pronounced effect of the rate of compaction on the average collisional normal stress. Although this effect can be expressed as an effective bulk viscosity term, this approach would require the use of a path-dependent bulk viscosity. We also find that the effective fluid–particle drag coefficient can be described well with the often-used closure motivated by the experiments of Richardson & Zaki (Trans. Inst. Chem. Engng vol. 32, 1954, p. 35). In this respect, the effect of the system size for determining the drag requires specific care. The shear viscosity of the particle phase manifests small, but clearly noticeable dependence on the rate of compaction/dilation of the particle phase. Our observations point to the need for higher-order closures that recognize the slow evolution of the microstructure in these flows and account for the effects of non-equilibrium microstructure on the stresses.


This work demonstrates a new method for making oligonucleotide microarrays by synthesis in situ. The method uses conventional DNA synthesis chemistry with an electrochemical deblocking step. Acid is delivered to specific regions on a glass slide, thus allowing nucleotide addition only at chosen sites. Deblocking is complete in a few seconds, when competing side-product reactions are minimal. Features generated in this study are 40 microns wide, with sharply defined edges. The acid used for synthesis is produced by electrochemical oxidation of a reversible redox couple at microelectrodes. Under suitable conditions, the active species is confined to micron-sized features and diffusion does not obscure the surface pattern produced. Experimental results, theoretical analysis, and digital simulation identify a chemical annihilation process critical to ensuring high feature resolution. The microelectrodes used for synthesis are designed to sustain high currents, chemical attack, and mechanical wear so that many hundreds of syntheses can be performed with the same microelectrode set. Software, custom electronics, and a sealed piston and cylinder fluidics chamber allow synthesis automation. The electrochemical and mechanical system is robust and may be adapted to a range of other biomolecule syntheses.


We study the properties of the BFKL evolution of a (-channel gluon exchange in the high-energy limit. In particular we formulate a solution to the BFKL evolution equation in terms of an explicit sum over emitted gluons, which allows for a Monte Carlo integration of the resulting rapidity ordered multi-gluon phase space. This formulation allows for an introduction of the running of the coupling to the BFKL evolution. More importantly, the Monte Carlo implementation of the solution to the BFKL evolution equation allows for studies of the exclusive final states resulting from the exchange. The full control over the gluon radiation allows for energy and momentum conservation to be observed when calculating the hadronic cross sections. This is in contrast to the standard analytic approach to BFKL physics, which solves the BFKL equation by effectively summing over any number of gluons emitted and integrating over the full rapidity ordered allowed phase space. It is therefore impossible to reconstruct the parton momentum fractions exactly, and thus energy and longitudinal momentum conservation is violated. Although the effect is indeed formally subleading, we show that the numerical impact at present and planned collider energies is very significant. The reduction in parton flux due to the increased energy consumption by the BFKL evolution is sufficient to change the parton level result of an exponential rise of the dijet cross section as a function of the rapidity separation of the leading dijets to a situation much like the LO case. However, we identify the azimuthal correlation between the dijets as an observable sensitive to BFKL effects but more stable under the observation of energy and momentum conservation. We also apply the BFKL MC to a study of dijets at the Tevatron. Finally we consider W + 2-jet production, a process which in the limit of large rapidity separation between the two jets exhibit the same factorisation into two impact factors and a (-channel gluon exchange as dijet production. We identify observables in this setup, for which BFKL effects could be important.


This study evaluated the effectiveness of defoliating at various heat unit accumulations: 630HU, 730 HU, 830 HU, 930 HU, 1030 HU, 1130 HU and 1330 HU and impact on lint yield and fiber quality. American Upland cotton variety DP 449 BR was planted on 12 April 2005 at the University of Arizona Maricopa Agriculture Center in Maricopa, Arizona. The experimental design was a split plot with four replications of each of seven defoliation timings. Final irrigation occurred on 05 August 2005. When heat unit accumulation reached 630 HU (on 20 August 2005), 730 HU (on 01 September 2005), 830 HU (on 04 September 2005), 930 HU (on 08 September 2005), 1030 HU (on 12 September 2005), 1130 HU (on 19 September 2005) and 1330 HU (on 27 September 2005) using the 86/55 F model chemical defoliants were applied. A mixture of Def (tribufos) at 24 oz/A, Dropp (thidiazuron) at 0.2 lb/A and Prep (ethephon) at 24 oz/A was applied using a high clearance research sprayer. The earliest treatments (630 and 730 HU accumulated) had significantly fewer open bolls at defoliation than those that received later treatments. At harvest, this trend disappears: the latest application (at 1330 HU) had significantly fewer open bolls than any other timing. Seven days after defoliant application (7 DAT), highest levels of defoliation were observed in the following treatments in descending order: 830 HU, 630 HU, 1130 HU, 930 HU and 730 HU followed by 1030 HU and 1330 HU. At harvest, there were no significant differences among mean defoliation percentages with the exception of the 1330 HU timing, which was significantly less defoliated than any of the other timings. Highest lint yield and gin turnout were observed in the earliest defoliation timings, lowest in the later timings. No significant differences in micronaire, length or uniformity were observed between defoliation timings. Differences did occur in fiber strength which was highest in earlier timings and lowest in the last timing, but all were above the discount level.


Abstract Abstract The Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) database includes records of over 225,000 artefacts of Roman date, with a wide geographical coverage and the potential to contribute to our understanding of Romano-British landscapes and settlement at several scales of analysis. This paper draws upon the author's doctoral research to describe regional case studies from six counties (Wiltshire, Worcestershire, Warwickshire, Northamptonshire, North Lincolnshire and Cumbria) on the use of PAS data. The data have value nationally and regionally as general guides to ancient settlement patterns, but it is arguably at the micro-scale that they have the most potential. With reference to detailed landscape studies from parts of Warwickshire and Wiltshire, the paper argues that sites represented by PAS data are often rural settlements that show evidence for continued activity throughout the Roman period. The paper demonstrates that with an appropriate methodology PAS data can be an immensely valuable archaeological resource, particularly when interpreted at multiple scales, and can be considerably more than a guide to broad distributions of Roman finds.


Since the 1970s, human ecologists, geographers, Marxian political economists and others have insisted that there is no such thing as a 'natural' disaster. This assertion opened a space not only for exploring socioeconomic conditions that render marginalized populations vulnerable to natural hazards, but also for the formation of a field, the political ecology of hazards. A few political ecologists further interrogated the idea of a natural disaster, asking how different notions of 'the natural' circulate in post-disaster politics and with what effects. This article extends the latter approach by documenting how interconnected categories of 'nature' and 'state' were mutually constituted by narratives of politicians and elites after Chile's 2010 earthquake and tsunami. Drawing on media reports, we identify three distinct pairings of state/nature: (1) nature as manageable and the state as manager; (2) nature as out of control and the state as a police state; and (3) nature as financial opportunity and the state as prudential. Influenced by socioeconomic and historical factors, these state/nature pairings contradicted and reinforced one another in the disaster's aftermath and were deployed to reinforce top-down—rather than democratic—strategies of post-disaster reconstruction. This case offers an unusual approach to disaster politics by tracing how entwined and power-laden categories of state and nature condition the governance of disaster reconstruction processes. Key words: disaster, state, nature, socionature, political ecology of hazards, media disaster, earthquake, Latin America, Chile, 27F


This Article embraces neither the narrow nor broad conceptualization of a public official employed currently by state and lower federal courts but instead suggests revisiting the Rosenblatt formulation and the one clear limitation set forth by Hutchinson that whatever the scope of public officialdom may be "it cannot be thought to include all public employees." Though not all speech about government employees should be deemed to be related to their official capacity, all government employees should be considered public officials, and speech related to their official conduct should be safeguarded by the actual malice standard. To explain and support this contention, this Article in Part II delineates the Supreme Court's constitutional framework for categorizing plaintiffs in defamation cases. In Parts III and IV of the Article, the three principal arguments for not applying the actual malice standard to lower-level government employees and why those arguments are ultimately unavailing are explored. More precisely, Part III of the Article addresses the contention that speech about lower-level government employees is unimportant to democratic self-governance. In responding to this argument, Part III seeks to demonstrate that speech about the actions of lower-level government employees who are acting in their official capacity is political speech that is critical to democratic self-governance. The Article in Part IV sets forth the opposing argument that the actual malice standard should not be applied to lower-level government employees because of their lack of access to media for purposes of self-help and because they have not voluntarily submitted to such scrutiny. These rationales for not protecting speech relating to the official conduct of lower-level government employees arise from the Supreme Court's 1974 decision in Gertz v. Robert Welch, Inc. Part IV delves into the manner in which four decades of societal and technological change since Gertz have significantly diminished the persuasiveness of the lack of access to media rationale. Part IV also examines how the jurisprudential transformation in the concept of voluntariness in the years after Gertz has rendered the voluntariness rationale unavailing as a basis for not applying the actual malice standard to lower-level government employees. The Article in Part V explores the First Amendment jurisprudential dissonance created by failure to afford greater protection to speech about the official conduct of lower-level government employees. Ultimately, the Article seeks to explain, in contradistinction with Rosenblatt and Hutchison, why all government employees should be deemed public officials, and why speech related to their actions within their official capacity should be protected by the actual malice standard.


The purpose of this paper is to examine the linkages of the Shanghai economy with the rest of China (ROC) and the rest of the world (ROW) using a Dynamic Computable General Equilibrium (DCGE) model. The model distinguishes 14 sectors. Based on relationships observed during the sample period, the paper offers simulations for the 2017-2020 period. The results indicate that with respect to ROC, Shanghai is more of a supplier than a source of demand. With respect to ROW, however, Shanghai is both a supplier and a source of demand, reflecting a high degree of integration of Shanghai with the world market (globalization). Because of the two way integration with the world market and the large domestic demand that it caters to, Shanghai is more in a position to withstand adjustments in the exchange rate of Yuan.


The suitability of major conifer species for afforestation of industrial cutaway peatlands is limited to a narrow range of site types. There is some evidence that establishment of Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis) or Norway spruce (Picea abies) with birch (Betula spp.), as a mixed stand or by under planting spruce in an established birch canopy can improve the productivity of the conifer crop. Management of mixed Norway spruce and birch crops is now a well-established management model used in southern Sweden (Kronoberg approach). In this study, a mixed spruce-birch trial, established in 2000 under the previous BOGFOR programme, was re-evaluated to determine if there was any evidence of a nurse effect of birch on Sitka spruce. Analysis of various planting configurations showed that planting the two species at the same time in alternate rows produced the best results, in terms of total basal area, top height, mean DBH and height of Sitka spruce. When compared to pure Sitka spruce stands, the productivity was c. 38% higher, for trees planted at the same time in alternate rows with birch. Although the definitive physiological factors contributing to the nursing effect of birch on Sitka spruce is still unclear, these results and others suggest the nursing effect is probably due to enhanced foliage nutrition, possibly associated with increased nutrient availability due to decomposition of birch litter or increased root-zone aeration. There was no evidence of a reduction in exposure or in frost stress in mixed species treatments. The implications of these findings are that the potential area suitable for Sitka spruce on cutaway industrial peatland sites can be expanded when planted in combination with birch. Moreover, the potential utilisation of birch thinnings for biomass and the final Sitka spruce crop for timber may be a particularly suitable option for Bord na Mona, since it may potentially fulfil both bioenergy and timber production objectives. Further research is, however, required to assess whether the nursing effect will continue and to evaluate the viability of the proposed silvicultural system on cutaway peats. The timing of silvicultural interventions is particularly important to ensure that a Sitka spruce crop in not suppressed whilst still preserving the birch nursing effect.


Natural honey was tested as a corrosion inhibitor for bronze in a simulated acid rain solution as Na2SO4and NaHCO3 (pH 5).Electrochemical investigations (potentiodynamic polarization and impedance measurements) showed that honey exert a protective effect against corrosion bronze and, in some cases inhibiting its effectiveness exceeds 93% at concentration level as low as 500ppm. Potentiodynamic polarization method indicates that honey acts mainly as a mixed-type inhibitor with predominantly control of thecathodic reaction. The presence of honey significantly decreases the values of corrosion current density. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy shows that the inhibition efficiency increases with the increases of honey concentration.


Numerical simulations suggest that kink and torus instabilities are two potential contributors to the initiation and prorogation of eruptive events. A magnetic parameter called the decay index (i.e., the coronal magnetic gradient of the overlying fields above the eruptive flux ropes) could play an important role in controlling the kinematics of eruptions. Previous studies have identified a threshold range of the decay index that distinguishes between eruptive and confined configurations. Here we advance the study by investigating if there is a clear correlation between the decay index and coronal mass ejection (CME) speed. Thirty-eight CMEs associated with filament eruptions and/or two-ribbon flares are selected using the Hα data from the Global Hα Network. The filaments and flare ribbons observed in Hα associated with the CMEs help to locate the magnetic polarity inversion line, along which the decay index is calculated based on the potential field extrapolation using Michelson Doppler Imager magnetograms as boundary conditions. The speeds of CMEs are obtained from the LASCO C2 CME catalog available online. We find that the mean decay index increases with CME speed for those CMEs with a speed below 1000 km s−1 and stays flat around 2.2 for the CMEs with higher speeds. In addition, we present a case study of a partial filament eruption, in which the decay indices show different values above the erupted/non-erupted part.


Multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) represents one of the core research streams in the field of operations research (OR). Altough numerous sound MCDM methods for various kind of applications exist, the application of such methods in the practical field is found rarely. The reason for this gap between scientific development and practical acceptance can be found in two distinct points: On the one hand, MCDM methods naturally tend to build on rather complex mathematical foundations. Decision makers (DMs) in practice are mostly experts in their area of expertise but do not necessarily have solid education or experience with high-level mathematical methods. Thus, in order to not alienate DMs in practice, academic research has to translate mathematically challenging models into easy-to-use, self-explaining tools that can effectively support real-life decision scenarios. On the other hand, academic research in MCDM often ends in the proposal of a theoretical model, that may be sound and promising, but never leaves the field of academics due to its theoretical nature. Therefore, the underlying dissertation investigates on the usage of MCDM methods for integration in a decision support system (DSS), implemented as a sofware that is easy to distribute and applicable to decision problems in practice. This study tries to mitigate the lack of MCDM acceptance by analysing MCDM methods according to their applicability, pointing out possible improvements and validating proposed advancements. (author's abstract)


Crab cavities have been proposed for a wide number of accelerators and interest in crab cavities has recently increased after the successful operation of a pair of crab cavities in KEK-B. In particular crab cavities are required for both the ILC and CLIC linear colliders for bunch alignment. Consideration of bunch structure and size constraints favour a 3.9 GHz superconducting, multi-cell cavity as the solution for ILC, whilst bunch structure and beam-loading considerations suggest an X-band copper travelling wave structure for CLIC. These two cavity solutions are very different in design but share complex design issues. Phase stabilisation, beam loading, wakefields and mode damping are fundamental issues for these crab cavities. Requirements and potential design solutions will be discussed for both colliders.


In the extreme violence of merger and mass accretion, compact objects like black holes and neutron stars are thought to launch some of the most luminous outbursts of electromagnetic and gravitational wave energy in the Universe. Modeling these systems realistically is a central problem in theoretical astrophysics, but has proven extremely challenging, requiring the development of numerical relativity codes that solve Einstein's equations for the spacetime, coupled to the equations of general relativistic (ideal) magnetohydrodynamics (GRMHD) for the magnetized fluids. Over the past decade, the Illinois numerical relativity (ILNR) group's dynamical spacetime GRMHD code has proven itself as a robust and reliable tool for theoretical modeling of such GRMHD phenomena. However, the code was written 'by experts and for experts' of the code, with a steep learning curve that would severely hinder community adoption if it were open-sourced. Here we present IllinoisGRMHD, which is an open-source, highly extensible rewrite of the original closed-source GRMHD code of the ILNR group. Reducing the learning curve was the primary focus of this rewrite, with the goal of facilitating community involvement in the code's use and development, as well as the minimization of human effort in generating new science. IllinoisGRMHD also saves computer time, generating roundoff-precision identical output to the original code on adaptive-mesh grids, but nearly twice as fast at scales of hundreds to thousands of cores.


Effects of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) agonists were investigated in the bovine isolated mesenteric lymphatics, and then the 5-HT receptor subtypes in the responses were pharmacologically classified by use of several 5-HT antagonists. Addition of 5-HT and that of alpha-methyl-5-hydroxytryptamine (alpha-methyl-5-HT) both produced concentration-dependent contractions in the presence of 3 x 10(-6) M [(1 alpha H, 5 alpha H)-8-methyl-8-azabicyclo(3.2.1)oct-3 alpha-yl]1H-indole-3-carboxylate hydrochloride, whereas 5-carboxamidotryptamine (5-CT) and 2-methyl-5-hydroxytryptamine (2-methyl-5-HT) caused no, or only slight, contraction in the lymphatics. Pretreatment with ketanserin caused a significant shift to the right in the concentration-response curve for 5-HT or alpha-methyl-5-hydroxytryptamine. Schild plot analyses showed that the pA2 values for ketanserin against 5-HT and alpha-methyl-5-hydroxytryptamine were 8.75 and 8.68, respectively. In contrast, 5-CT, 5-HT and metoclopramide caused concentration-dependent relaxations in the presence of 10(-6) M ketanserin in the lymph vessels after contraction with prostaglandin F2 alpha. 2-Methyl-5-HT up to 10(-4) M did not produce any relaxation. High concentrations of [(1 alpha H, 5 alpha H)-8-methyl-8-azabicyclo(3.2.1)oct-3 alpha-y1]1H-indole-3-carboxylate hydrochloride induced a significant inhibition of the 5-CT- and 5-HT-induced relaxation, but methiothepin and methysergide up to 10(-6) M and mechanical rubbing of the endothelium had no significant effect on the relaxation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


Abstract The genus Synosis Townes, 1959 (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae: Metopiinae) currently comprises 18 described species. A redescription of the genus is presented and three new species are described and illustrated: S. diaguita new species, S. nigra new species, and S. zezei new species. Two previously known species, Synosis rubinus Alvarado and Rodriguez-Berrios, 2013 and S. townesi Alvarado and Rodriguez-Berrios, 2013 are recorded for the first time in Ecuador. The genus is recorded for the first time for Ecuador and Argentina. An identification key to the New World species is presented.


Does United States antidiscrimination law embrace a black/white binary paradigm of race, in which other, nonblack minority groups must compare their treatment to that of African Americans in order to gain redress? In this Derrick Bell Lecture, Professor Richard Delgado argues that it does, and that other minorities also fall from time to time into the trap of exceptionalism, placing their own experiences at the center of discussion. Taking as his text a recent chronicle by Derrick Bell, Bluebeard's Castle, Professor Delgado argues that narrow binary thinking-regardless of the group that engages in it-weakens solidarity, reduces opportunities for coalition, deprives one group of the benefits of the others' experiences, makes one overly dependent on the approval of the white establishment, and sets one up for ultimate disappointment. The black/white binary, in short, is bad for blacks, just as her foolish fixation on the gloomy noble of operatic fame finally doomed Judith, the heroine of Bluebeard's Castle.


Lean construction efforts could prove to be highly rewarding for the construction industry. Although various countries gained large benefits by adopting the lean concepts, there seems to be a scarce implementation of lean in the UK construction industry over the last two decades even after the publication of the Egan report. Building upon the methodologies and conceptual frameworks used in earlier work in the UK (Common et al., 2000), the Netherlands (Johansen et al., 2002), and Germany (Johansen & Walter, 2007), this study carried out a similar survey to evaluate lean construction as practiced in the UK, and identify the barriers to its successful implementation. A theoretical framework was adopted and modified by the author to keep up with the vast developments made among the lean construction community since previous studies were carried out; and it formed the basis for a questionnaire survey. The data obtained was then subject to secondary analysis on top of quantitative and qualitative systematic evaluation. Six different classifications were established and analysed during secondary stage. This allowed trends and contrasting views to be determined, and thus more comprehensive findings to be concluded. After completing the results they were informed further by undertaking interviews with a number of professionals from the UK construction industry. It was found that the majority of the construction organisations do not yet have a holistic view of the full potentials of lean; and that there is still a significant lack of understanding of how to successfully apply lean principles to construction processes and activities. The study concluded the significant barriers to the successful implementation of lean construction in the UK; and proposed a strategy for overcoming the barriers identified


Hereditary hemorrhagic talengiectasia is a rare disorder characterized by vascular talengiectases in mucocutaneous tissues. Septodermoplasty is one of the treatment options for controlling recurrent and prolonged epistaxis. The principle of septodermoplasty is to replace the fragile nasal mucosa with split-thickness skin graft. In this report we aimed to describe a new suture technique that can be applied for securing the graft. From September 2014 to March 2016, we performed 6 septodermoplasty operations by using a new suture technique. Securing the graft in septodermoplasty operation by suturing provides an efficient and safe fixation of graft in all of the patients. We would recommend this cost effective technique as an alternative method for septodermoplasty operations.
Key words: Hereditary hemorrhagic talengiectasia, septodermoplasty, epistaxis


Searching for digital images in large-scale multimedia database is a hard problem due to the rapid increase of the digital assets. Metric Permutation Table is an efficient data structure for large-scale multimedia indexing. This data structure is based on the Permutation-based indexing, that aims to predict the proximity between elements encoding their location with respect to their surrounding. The main constraint of the Metric Permutation Table is the indexing time. With the exponential increase of multimedia data, parallel computation is needed. Opening the GPUs to general purpose computation allows to perform parallel computation on a powerful platform. In this paper, we propose efficient indexing and searching algorithms for the Metric Permutation Table using GPU and multi-core CPU. We study the performance and efficiency of our algorithms on large-scale datasets of millions of images. Experimental results show a decrease of the indexing time while preserving the quality of the results.


The Dissertation comprises the development of a new model for regional management of secondary raw materials within the concept of by-product exchange, with the aim to develop a functional eco-industrial network. As a part of the model for industrial waste flow management, a software platform for processing data on secondary materials in the framework of an industrial sub-sector or enterprise network was created. Based on geographic location and the available quantities of required by-products, the optimal location of a new industrial unit (by-product consumer) of a given capacity was determined, in terms of effective supply and/or minimal transportation costs, acknowledging regional sustainability priorities. The main goal of the research was creation of a model for solving the location problem of waste (secondary materials) treatment facilities, taking in consideration the territorial distribution of raw materials, the type and the quantities of raw materials and the distance between the industries, but simultaneously considering regional social, economic and environmental issues. The specific goal of the research was to design an appropriate model and software tool capable of analyzing all relevant industrial plants within an observed region according to the type of required secondary material and the amount of waste they generate, but in context of regional sustainability.
Methods of global optimization, i.e. heuristic algorithms were applied to determine the initial location of by-product treatment facility. The limited capacity model of p-median and other similar models were used for initial network optimization. For the final placement of the waste facility, after the initial priority optimization by p-median model, the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) was used as a multi-criteria decision support method of choice for the regional management of industrial waste. Previously, the economic, social and environmental protection criteria were defined as a necessary prerequisite for decision-making during integrated resource planning and preventive mitigation of the impacts that arise in an industrial area and its immediate surroundings.
The developed model for industrial by-product flow management, based on eco-industrial network operation principles, constitute a foundation for design of a software tool / a decision support system which might contribute improvement of the current by-product management practices in the region.


The recent financial crisis shook not only the global economy but also conventional wisdom about economic policy. After the collapse of Lehman Brothers in September 2008, policy makers reversed course and acted on an unprecedented scale. The policy response was remarkable both for its magnitude and for the variety of measures undertaken. This book examines both the major role central banks played in the crisis and the role they might play in preventing or preparing for future crises. The contributors, central bankers from around the world, focus on monetary policy, the new area of macroprudential policy, and issues of exchange rates, capital flows, and banking and financial markets. They look at the experiences of both developed and emerging economies, considering why some, including Israel and Australia, suffered only mild effects while others--Ireland for example--plunged into severe financial crisis.


Following a request from the Commission, the Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies was asked to deliver a scientific opinion on the appropriate age for the introduction of complementary food for infants in the EU. Many European countries have adopted the WHO recommendation for the duration of exclusive breast-feeding for 6 months, whilst other countries recommend the introduction of complementary feeding between 4 and 6 months. The Panel agrees with WHO and other authoritative national and international bodies that breast-milk is the preferred food for infants, but the focus in this opinion are the factors which determine the appropriate age for the introduction of complementary food into infants' diets. The Panel has evaluated predominantly studies in breast-fed healthy infants born at term for indicators of an appropriate age at which to introduce complementary food irrespective of existing recommendations on breast-feeding duration and on exclusivity of breast-feeding. The Panel has focussed its evaluation on data from developed countries. On the basis of present knowledge, the Panel concludes that the introduction of complementary food into the diet of healthy term infants in the EU between the age of 4 and 6 months is safe and does not pose a risk for adverse health effects (both in the short-term, including infections and retarded or excessive weight gain, and possible long-term effects such as allergy and obesity).


Solid-phase microextraction (SPME) is applied to the determination of cannabidiol, delta 8-tetrahydrocannabinol (delta 8-THC), delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (delta 9-THC), and cannabinol in pure water and human saliva. The inherent extraction behavior of the cannabinoids in pure water is evaluated along with optimization of the method in human saliva. The commercially available poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) SPME fibers were found to be the best class for the cannabinoid analysis. Partition coefficients were found to be extremely large for all of the cannabinoids (log K > 4.0). Equilibrium times for the 7- and 30-micron PDMS fibers were 50 and 240 min, respectively. A shorter extraction time of 10 min with the 30-micron PDMS fiber may be used for multiple extractions from the same vial, thus conserving the sample necessary for analysis and speeding up the total analysis time. Recoveries for the cannabinoids in saliva, relative to pure water, were dramatically improved by a method developed in our laboratory involving addition of glacial acetic acid to the sample vial prior to performing SPME. Using this method, recoveries relative to SPME in pure water ranged from 21 to 47% depending on the cannabinoid. The linear range for spiked saliva samples was established at 5-500 ng/mL (r2 > 0.994) with precisions between 11 and 20% RSD. The ultimate level of detection by SPME for the cannabinoids in saliva was 1.0 ng/mL, with signal-to-noise values of > or = 12. A saliva sample collected 30 min after marijuana smoking was subject to SPME and traditional liquid-liquid extraction analysis. Internal standard quantitation results for delta 9-THC by both methods yielded comparable results, indicating that the SPME method of analysis is highly accurate and precise. The level of delta 9-THC by SPME was found to be 9.54 ng/mL for the saliva sample.


The actions of a rational agent reveal information about its mental states. These inferred mental states, particularly the agent's intentions, play an important role in the evaluation of moral permissibility. While previous computational models have shown that beliefs and desires can be inferred from behavior under the assumption of rational action they have critically lacked a third mental state, intentions. In this work, we develop a novel formalism for intentions and show how they can be inferred as counterfactual contrasts over influence diagrams. This model is used to quantitatively explain judgments about intention and moral permissibility in classic and novel trolley problems.


In recent years, the immune-potentiating effects of some widely used chemotherapeutic agents have been increasingly appreciated. This provides a rationale for combining conventional chemotherapy with immunotherapy strategies to achieve durable therapeutic benefits. Previous studies have implicated the immunomodulatory effects of melphalan, an alkylating agent commonly used to treat multiple myeloma, but the underlying mechanisms remain obscure. In the present study, we investigated the impact of melphalan on endogenous immune cells as well as adoptively transferred tumor-specific CD4+ T cells in tumor-bearing mice. We showed that melphalan treatment resulted in a rapid burst of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines during the cellular recovery phase after melphalan-induced myelodepletion and leukodepletion. After melphalan treatment, tumor cells exhibited characteristics of immunogenic cell death, including membrane translocation of the endoplasmic reticulum–resident calreticulin and extracellular release of high-mobility group box 1. Additionally, there was enhanced tumor Ag uptake by dendritic cells in the tumor-draining lymph node. Consistent with these immunomodulatory effects, melphalan treatment of tumor-bearing mice led to the activation of the endogenous CD8+ T cells and, more importantly, effectively drove the clonal expansion and effector differentiation of adoptively transferred tumor-specific CD4+ T cells. Notably, the combination of melphalan and CD4+ T cell adoptive cell therapy was more efficacious than either treatment alone in prolonging the survival of mice with advanced B cell lymphomas or colorectal tumors. These findings provide mechanistic insights into melphalan's immunostimulatory effects and demonstrate the therapeutic potential of combining melphalan with adoptive cell therapy utilizing antitumor CD4+ T cells.


Nowadays it has been accepted that the Kolmogorov model is not the only possible turbulent one in the atmosphere, which has been confirmed by the increasing experimental evidences and some results of theoretical investigation. This has prompted the scientist community to study optical propagation in non-Kolmogorov atmospheric turbulence. In this paper, using a non-Kolmogorov power spectrum which has a more general power law instead of standard Kolmogorov power law value 11/3 and a more general amplitude factor instead of constant value 0.033, the temporal power spectra of the presentative amplitude and phase effects, irradiance and angle of arrival fluctuations, have been derived for horizontal link in weak turbulence. And then the influence of spectral power-law variations on the temporal power spectrum has been analyzed. It is anticipated that this work is helpful to the investigations of atmospheric turbulence and optical wave propagation in the atmospheric turbulence.


Structured porous materials have provided several breakthroughs that have facilitated high rate capability, better capacity retention and material stability in Li-ion batteries. However, most advances have been limited to half cells or lithium batteries, and with a single mode of charge storage (intercalation, conversion, or alloying etc.). The use of dual-mode charge storage with non-traditional material pairings, while maintaining the numerous benefits of nanoscale materials, could significantly improve the capacity, energy density, stability and overall battery safety considerably. Here, we demonstrate an efficient, high capacity full inverse opal Li-ion battery with excellent cycle life, where both the cathode and anode binder-free electrodes are composed of 3D nanocrystal assemblies as inverse opal (IO) structures of intercalation-mode V2O5 IO cathodes and conversion-mode Co3O4 IO anodes. Electrochemically charged Co3O4 IOs function as Li-ion anodes and the full V2O5/Co3O4 cell exhibits superior performance compared to lithium batteries or half cells of either IO material, with voltage window compatibility for high capacity and energy density. Through asymmetric charge–discharge tests, the V2O5 IO/Co3O4 IO full Li-ion cell can be quickly charged, and discharged both quickly and slowly without any capacity decay. We demonstrate that issues due to the decomposition of the electrolyte with increased cycling can be overcome by complete electrolyte infiltration to remove capacity fading from long term cycling at high capacity and rate. Lastly, we show that the V2O5 IO/Co3O4 IO full Li-ion cells cycled in 2 and 3-electrode flooded cells maintain 150 mA h g−1 and remarkably, show no capacity fade at any stage during cycling for at least 175 cycles. The realization of an all-3D structured anode and cathode geometry with new mutually co-operative dual-mode charge storage mechanisms and efficient electrolyte penetration to the nanocrystalline network of material provides a testbed for advancing high rate, high capacity, stable Li-ion batteries using a wide range of materials pairings.


Lau et al. took an intriguing new approach to HIV-1 therapy by targeting a host--rather than a viral--protein. Although pharmacological approaches to pathogen treatment that target the molecular differences between host and pathogen often meet with substantial success, the short life cycle and rapid mutation rate of pathogens such as HIV-1 all too often lead to the emergence of drug-resistant strains. Lau et al. showed that mouse embryonic stem cells and human fibroblasts lacking ATM (ataxia telangiectasia mutated), a serine-threonine kinase implicated in the DNA damage response, showed less efficient transduction with HIV-1 integrase-proficient (HIV-1 IN+) viral vectors than did cells expressing ATM. Similarly, human lymphoblasts lacking ATM exhibited lower amounts of viral p24 antigen after exposure to wild-type HIV-1 than did lymphoblasts with ATM. Rather, HIV-1 IN+ transduction of cells lacking ATM was associated with increased cell death. Lymphoblasts infected with HIV-1 IN+ vectors showed activation of the ATM pathway (assessed by immunoblot analysis of various DNA damage-dependent phosphorylation events) compared with lymphoblasts lacking ATM or cells exposed to a mutant (HIV-1 IND64V) in which integrase was inactivated. KU-55933 (2-morpholin-4-yl-6-thianthren-1-yl-pyran-4-one, a small-molecule competitive inhibitor of ATM) inhibited HIV-1 IN+ transduction of lymphoblasts and suppressed HIV-1 replication in both a human T cell line and primary blood mononuclear cells. Moreover, KU-55933 was effective against drug-resistant as well as wild-type strains of HIV-1. Thus, small-molecule inhibition of ATM represents a potential approach to HIV-1 therapy that could circumvent the problem of viral resistance to drugs. Daniel and Pomerantz discuss this research in a News and Views article. A. Lau, K. M. Swinbank, P. S. Ahmed, D. L. Taylor, S. P. Jackson, G. C. M. Smith, M. J. O'Connor, Suppression of HIV-1 infection by a small molecule inhibitor of the ATM kinase. Nat. Cell Biol. 7, 493-500 (2005). [PubMed] R. Daniel, R. J. Pomerantz, ATM: HIV-1's Achilles heel? Nat. Cell Biol. 7, 452-453 (2005). [PubMed]


This study investigates the determinants of cross-border capital flows into direct real estate markets. In particular, it investigates how existing institutional, regulatory and real estate specific barriers affect cross-border real estate inflows and outflows in a sample of 24 developed and emerging countries, and whether investors seek out targets with lower barriers and regulatory arbitrage. We do not find evidence of significant cross-border institutional or regulatory arbitrage in the real estate market. However, real estate market liquidity is found to be the most important driver of cross-border flows. While many of the institutional barriers included in this analysis do not appear to impact the level of real estate inflows significantly, their presence tends to suppress real estate capital outflows to other countries. Overall, easy access to financial markets, a good economic environment and transparent real estate markets may enhance real estate outflows, while returns and the macroeconomy are found to enhance domestic real estate investment.


Abstract This paper proposes a contribution to understanding the alteration of high-level waste glasses. Numerical simulations, based on a Monte Carlo model, have been performed in parallel to static dissolution tests on simplified glasses. The leaching of borosilicate glasses has been investigated for various compositions containing three or four oxides, which have been derived from the French nuclear glass composition. The comparison between experimental data and simulations allows a precise understanding of the role of each element. The degree of alteration is shown to result from a competition between the irreversible extraction of the soluble species (boron and alkalis) and the reversible dissolution-condensation dynamics of silica, which make possible the restructuring of the surface layer into a passivating layer. The model explains how the surface layer is responsible for the blocking or, at least, for a considerable slowing down of the alteration. It is also able to explain a quite unexpected result, namely, the fact that the replacement of silica by more insoluble oxides (zirconium or aluminum oxides) actually induces an increase of the degree of alteration. This is due to the slowing down of the surface layer reconstruction that delays the alteration blocking.


Before the publications of Robert Hollander and Attilio Bettinzoli in the early 1980s, there was little recognition of the surprisingly large debt owed by Boccaccio to Dante hidden in the pages of the "Decameron." Boccaccio's knowledge and use of the works of Dante constitute a challenging topic, one that is beginning to receive the attention it deserves.Among commentators, it had been an unexamined commonplace that the "young" Boccaccio either did not know well or did not understand sufficiently the texts of Dante (even though the "young" Boccaccio is construed as including the thirty-eight-year-old author of the "Decameron.") In "Boccaccio's Dante and the Shaping Force of Satire," Robert Hollander offers a valuable synthesis of new material and some previously published essays, addressing the question of Dante's influence on Boccaccio, particularly concerning the "Commedia" and the "Decameron."Hollander reveals that Boccaccio's writings are heavy with reminiscences of the Dante text, which he believed to be the greatest "modern" work. It was Boccaccio's belief that Dante was the only writer who had achieved a status similar to that reserved for the greatest writers of antiquity. Most of these essays try to show how carefully Boccaccio reflects the texts of Dante in the "Decameron." Some essays also turn to the question of Boccaccio's allied reading of Ovid, especially the amatory work, as part of his strategy to base his work primarily on these two great authorities as he develops his own vernacular and satiric vision of human foolishness."Boccaccio's Dante and the Shaping Force of Satire" is a welcome addition to the field of Dante studies and to medieval studies in general.Robert Hollander is Professor in European Literature and Chair, Department of Comparative Literature, Princeton University. He has received the city of Florence's gold medal for work advancing our understanding of Dante.


Objectives Pelvic side wall infiltration by gynecological malignancies has been considered for a long time an absolute contraindication to curative resection. The development of the laterally extended endopelvic resection (LEER) has challenged this surgical paradigm. Although the LEER has been standardized in open surgery, only small studies have been published about its endoscopic feasibility. The objective of this study is to analyze the safety of LEER in patients with gynecological malignancies involving the pelvic side wall. Methods We retrospectively evaluated a consecutive series of patients who underwent a laparoscopically modified LEER between July 2014 and November 2018. This indicated gynecological tumors involving the pelvic sidewall and surgeries were conducted in two Italian institutions. All patients underwent pre-operative CT scan or PET to evaluate for distant metastases. Patients without suspicioun of distant metastasis underwent pelvic MRI and examination under anesthesia to establish the resectability of the disease and concomitant diagnostic laparoscopy to exclude intraperitoneal dissemination. All women with disease-free interval <6 months, and/or performance status >2 ECOG were excluded. Type of resection was defined based on the status of the pathologic margins: R0, microscopically negative (free margin <5 mm); R1, microscopically positive; and R2, macroscopically (grossly) positive. Disease-free survival was calculated from the date of primary surgery to the time of recurrence. Overall survival was defined as the time from primary surgery to death. Results Overall, 39 patients underwent a laparoscopic LEER and 18 (46.2%) patients were eligible for a laparoscopic approach. Laparoscopic LEER was performed as primary treatment for newly diagnosed tumors in eight patients (44.4%), and for recurrences in the other 10 patients (55.6%). No laparotomic conversions were registered. R0 resection was achieved with negative margins in all patients. The median operative time was 415 min (range, 285–615), median estimated blood loss was 285 mL (range, 100–600), and the median length of hospital stay was 10 days (range; 4–22). Only four patients (22.2%) needed blood intraoperative transfusion. In seven patients (38.9%), post-operative admission to intensive care unit was required. There were three (16.7%) intraoperative complications, all managed laparoscopically. In total there were six (33.3%) major postoperative complications: three patients (16.7%) experienced moderate hydronephrosis with normal renal function, which required temporary placement of nephrostomy; one patient (5.6%) had permanent urinary retention; and two patients (11.1%) had a reoperation, one for post-operative hemoperitoneum and another for complete vaginal cuff dehiscence. Discussion Laparoscopic LEER can be safely performed by experienced laparoscopic surgeons, in carefully selected patients with gynecological malignancies involving the lateral pelvic side wall, even for those in which a bladder and rectum sparing surgery appears possible. Further larger prospective trials are needed to evaluate the oncological and the long-term functional outcomes.


This study investigated the multifaceted factors influencing employee Performance Appraisal System in the Ministry of State for Provincial Administration, Nyamira District, Kenya. A target population of 76 employees was surveyed. A structured questionnaire was self-administered to the employees to collect data. Multiple regression analysis technique was used to explain the nature of the relationship between PAS and the factors that influence it. Results of the study showed that all the five factors: Implementation process (X 1 ), interpersonal relationships (X 2 ), rater accuracy (X 3 ), informational factors (X 4 ), and employee attitudes (X 5 ) had a significant positive relationship with the performance appraisal system (Y). The regression results also showed that 55.1% of the variation in performance appraisal system can be explained by the changes in implementation process, interpersonal relationships, rater accuracy, informational factors and employee attitudes. With these findings, this study provides many implications for the implementation of performance appraisal systems. It shows that if these factors are taken into consideration by the ratees, the raters and the government policy makers, the PAS can be a good performance management tool.


This review paper highlights scenario of entomological research in grain legumes in Nepal into headings of the monitoring, survey and surveillance, insect pest management, existing problem and future strategies. A survey study on yield loss assessment of chickpea due to Helicoverpa pod borer under field condition has been recorded up to 75% in the year 1996-1998 at Banke and Bardiya district. While monitored Helicoverpa armigera through pheromone trap, during the 2 nd week of March, peak catches of 91 male moths were recorded at Rampur, while it was the maximum (42 male moths) during the 3 rd week of March. Synthetic pyrethroids, deltamethrin, fenvalerate and cypermethrin used at 0.01% concentration (a.i.), were effective in controlling the chickpea pod borer, Helicoverpa armigera Hubner. Genotypes NCH-18, NCH -31, NCH-138 and ICC 3075 WR were found resistant. Ripcord email@example.com% was found to be superior and effective chemical insecticides to control stem fly and soybean hairy caterpillar. The late sowing date December, 10 showed significantly higher percentage of chickpea pod borer damage with lower grain yield. Inter crops combinations of Chickpea +wheat (2:1) ratio was found effective against Helicoverpa armigera damage (1.2%) followed by chickpea+barley (2.36%) and Chickpea+linseed (2:1) ratio (3.7%).  Bakaino ( Melia azederach L.) was identified as the best indigenous pesticides to check the normal growth of hairy caterpillar ( Spilarctia casigneta kollar) under laboratory condition. Metarhizium anisopliae was found effective for the management of Helicoverpa armigera that caused maximum mortality (94.67%), infection (45.33%) within 7.49 days (LT50). Similarly, Beauveria bassiana caused maximum mortality (98.67%), infection (80.00%) with the least LT50 value (5 days). Crop sprayed with Ha NPV had the lowest pod damage (0.3%) and the highest in Racer (2.2%). This review work provided a lot of information to conduct entomological research activity conducted in grain legumes and opens the door for future research and strategy. Int J Appl Sci Biotechnol, Vol 3(3): 367-372


Aim/Purpose: This descriptive study examines indicators of well-being and sources of emotional connection for social work doctoral students at American institutions during the COVID-19 pandemic, including symptoms of depression, anxiety, work-related burnout, emotional connection to others, and changes in child care among parent respondents. This study also explores if particular groups of doctoral students experience heightened risks to well-being during the pandemic.

Background: Social isolation strategies associated with the COVID-19 pandemic present challenges for doctoral student well-being, mental health, professional relationships, and degree persistence. Of particular concern is the potentially disproportionate impact the pandemic may have on the well-being of students who already face additional barriers to degree completion, such as parents and caregivers, as well as those who face obstacles associated with structural oppression, including persons of color, women, and sexual minority (SM) students.

Methodology: Baseline data was used from a longitudinal survey study conducted by the authors on social work doctoral student well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants (N = 297) were recruited through the Group for the Advancement of Doctoral Education in Social Work's (GADE's) publicly available list of 89 member institutions in the United States. The majority of respondents identified as women (80.1%), 35% of the sample identified as a person of color and/or non-White race, 30% identified as a sexual minority, and 32% were parents of children under 18 years of age.

Contribution: This study contributes to the larger body of literature on factors associated with risk, resilience, and well-being among doctoral students, and it offers a specific exploration of these factors within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. This study deepens our understanding of social work doctoral students in particular, who have higher rates of doctoral enrollment by women and persons of color than many other academic disciplines.

Findings: Emotional connection to loved ones was significantly correlated with lower levels of depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and work-related burnout. Outcomes varied by race, with Black and Asian respondents indicating higher levels of emotional connection to loved ones as compared to White respondents, and Black respondents indicating lower levels of anxiety and depression compared to White respondents. SM respondents indicated significantly lower levels of emotional connection and higher levels of depression and anxiety, as compared to heterosexual respondents. Parents reported receiving substantially less child care assistance than they were before the pandemic, but also reported lower levels of anxiety, depression, and work-related burnout compared to childless respondents.

Recommendations for Practitioners: Recommendations for doctoral program directors and chairs include implementing a purposive communication strategy, faculty modeling self-care and boundaries, creating opportunities for connection, scheduling value-added activities driven by student interest and needs, approaching student needs and plans of study with flexibility, and creating virtual affinity groups to help students connect with those facing similar challenges.

Recommendation for Researchers: Outcome evaluation studies of doctoral program initiatives and policies to promote student well-being--both during and in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic-- is warranted.

Impact on Society: The COVID-19 pandemic presents complex financial, interpersonal, and programmatic challenges for doctoral faculty and program directors, many of which affect the well-being and mental health of their students. Findings and recommendations from this study may be used to address the needs of doctoral students and support their path to doctoral degree completion.

Future Research: Future studies should include measures that tap a broader range of indicators of depression, anxiety, and emotional connection, and additional domains of well-being. Multivariate analyses would permit predictive conclusions, and follow-up qualitative analyses would offer deeper insights into doctoral students' well-being, coping skills, and experiences within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.


The area of western Tennessee underlain by the Claiborne Group is about 7,200 square miles and lies on the east flank of the syncline that forms the Mississippi embayment. It includes the Mississippi Alluvial Plain and part of a dissected upland plateau. The Claiborne Group dips to the northwest at 10-25 feet per mile and ranges in altitude from 600 feet above mean sea level in the outcrop area to 900 feet below mean sea level near the embayment axis. The Claiborne Group is tentatively subdivided into five units including, in ascending order, the Meridian Sand Member of the Tallahatta Formation, the Basic City Shale Member of the Tallahatta Formation, the Sparta Sand, an unnamed clay unit, and an unnamed sand unit. The two major aquifers in the Claiborne Group are the "500-foot" sand and the unnamed sand unit. The top of the "500-foot" sand is correlated with the top of the Sparta Sand; and the base, with the base of the Claiborne Group. The "500-foot" sand ranges in thickness from 200 to 750 feet and consists mainly of very fine to coarse sand or gravel. It also contains layers of white to blue, pink, gray, or brown clay, which constitute only a small percentage of the total thickness. The unnamed sand unit ranges from 0 to 210 feet in thickness and consists mostly of white, gray, or brown flne-grained lignitic sand. An estimated 75 percent of the ground water withdrawn in western Tennessee (west of the northward-flowing segment of the Tennessee River) is taken from the "500-foot" sand and the unnamed sand unit. The quantities of water available to wells from the "500-foot" sand are currently adequate for all municipal and industrial needs. The permeability of this aquifer is about 570 gallons per day per square foot. An estimated 155 mgd (million gallons per day) is pumped from the "500-foot" sand, about 140 mgd is discharged from the aquifer as the base flow of surface streams, and about 40 mgd is discharged from the report area as underflow. Water from the "500-foot" sand contains objectionable quantities of iron in the western half of the report area. Otherwise the quality of the water is suitable for most needs. Quantities of water adequate for domestic use and for small municipal systems can be obtained from the unnamed sand unit in most of the report area. The field permeability of this aquifer is probably about 270 gallons per day per square foot. About 8 mgd is discharged into adjacent formations, and about Fl F2 CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE HYDROLOGY OP THE UNITED STATES 2 mgd is withdrawn by pumping. Water from the unnamed sand unit contains objectionable quantities of iron in the western half of the report area. Otherwise the water from this aquifer is of good quality. Ground-water supplies in both the "500-foot" sand and the unnamed sand unit will be adequate for the predicted rate of municipal growth and economic development for many years to come. If the hydraulic gradient in the "500foot" sand were increased to 19 feet per mile, the average dip of the top of the aquifer, about 578 mgd would be transmitted downdip. Similarly, the unnamed sand unit would transmit about 34 mgd downdip under a hydraulic gradient of 10 feet per mile. Furthermore, additional amounts of water could be induced into the report area as underflow from adjacent States. The anticipated effects of additional large scale development are (1) a drop in local and regional water levels in proportion to the increase in pumpage, (2) an increase in the net inflow of ground water from adjacent States, and (3) an increase of recharge to the aquifers at the expense of streamflow.


Six new polyamides (5a-f ) containing p-phenylenediacrylic and hydantoin moieties in the main chain were prepared by direct polycondensation reaction of 4-phenylenediacrylic acid (3) with 6 different hydantoin derivatives (4a-f ) using thionyl chloride and pyridine as condensing agents and N-methyl2-pyrolidone as solvent. These new polymers (5a-f ) were obtained in high yield and inherent viscosity between 0.35-0.55 dL/g. The resulting polyamides were characterized by elemental analysis, viscosity measurements, thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA and DTG), solubility test, and FT-IR and UV-vis spectroscopy. 4-Phenylenediacrylic acid (3) was prepared by the reaction of terephthal aldehyde (1) with malonic acid (2) in the presence of pyridine.


This work reconstructs the metamorphic evolution recorded in the cobbles of the Ponteranica Formation to be compared with the evolutions of the basements of the central Southern Alps and of the clasts of Aga and Vedello and Dosso dei Galli conglomerates. The Ponteranica Formation is part of the lower volcano-sedimentary cycle of the Permian sequences of the western Orobic basin. These sequences cap the Variscan basement in which different tectonometamorphic units were recognized and contoured. We sampled all the crystalline rock types preserved as clasts such as different types of metapelites, meta-intrusives, granitoids, and tourmalinites and reconstructed the relative chronology of the superposed equilibrium assemblages. Only for metapelitic rocks the PT paths were reconstructed on the ground of mineral chemical analyses and geothermobarometry. The cobbles of the Pontereanica Formation record two types of metamorphic evolution. In Type 1 cobbles, the M1 metamorphic assemblage is characterised by white mica, biotite, garnet, staurolite, ± kyanite and is interpreted as the result of the record of the Variscan collision. This assemblage is followed by M2 assemblage characterised by white mica, chlorite, ± biotite that represents the Variscan exhumation. In type 2 cobbles, relict andalusite and possible cordierite characterise the pre-M2 metamorphic re-equilibration that developed under a high thermal regime. The PT paths recorded in cobbles are consistent with the tectono-metamorphic evolutions recorded in the basement units suggesting that during the deposition of conglomerates, the type of tectono-metamorphic units exposed to erosion were equivalent to that presently exposed in the Orobic Alps.The evolution of type 1 cobbles is similar to the evolution recorded in the clasts of Aga and Vedello conglomerates, whereas the clasts of Dosso dei Galli Conglomerate recorded only the effects of the Variscan tectonic burial. The occurrence of tourmalinite cobbles may imply an age up to Upper Permian / Lower Triassic for the Ponteranica Formation. In this view, the age of the Permian conglomerates of central Southalpine decreases westward with the increase of the thermal maturity of the metamorphic imprints recorded in clasts. These observations are consistent with a westward migration of the extensional tectonics responsible for the basin opening.


Females of the black chafer Holotrichia loochooana loochooana (Sawada) (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) release anthranilic acid, which functions as sex attractant pheromone for males and aggregation pheromone for females. When a white lure treated with anthranilic acid was placed next to an untreated black lure in the field, males were observed to make pinpoint landings significantly more frequently on the latter. When the distance between the two lures was increased from 0 to 20 cm, frequency of pinpoint landing onto the untreated black lures significantly decreased while that onto the treated white lures slightly increased. When the lures were further separated to 2.5-m intervals, males approached only to the treated lures regardless of the color but significantly more frequently landed on the black ones than on the white. These observations demonstrated that males locate and land on a female by visual cues after reaching the vicinity by olfaction.


3-D integration provides a means to overcome the difficulties in design and manufacturing of system-on-chip (SOC) and memory products. Introducing a short vertical interconnect, called through-silicon via (TSV), makes it feasible to repair and recycle bad dies by stacking. We propose a method to accomplish this using a dual-TSV hardwired switch (DTHS) in which the via-hole location is programmable. With the DTHS, we activate a spare and establish inter-die routing. The spare is nothing but a good part in another bad die. To be 3-D reparable, the design is partitioned into disjoint parts. The effort for the modification is minor in view of that a typical SOC is readily composed of modules with predefined functions and supply voltages. The DTHS is used: 1) to shut off power connections of both failed and unused parts; 2) to disconnect their signal paths; and 3) to redirect them to the selected good parts in the stacked dies. Despite the speed is degraded due to the extra load incurred by the DTHS, our simulation shows that the increase in delay time can be limited below 100 ps with an over-designed buffer which occupies 0.8% of the area of a 30 μm TSV, using a 65-nm CMOS process. The performance degradation turns out to be a necessary evil, since the increased height of the die stack leads to a thermal conductivity poorer than its 2-D counterpart. The 3-D patch die helps to shorten time-to-market and turn the irreparable dies profitable.


Abstract The diversity, abundance, spatial distribution, and phenology of the mygalomorph spider community in the "Ernesto Tornquist" Strict Nature Reserve were analyzed in this study. Located in southwestern Buenos Aires, Argentina, the Reserve is representative of the Ventania system, which is a sigmoidal mountain belt 180 km in length. This exceptional hilly ecosystem is home for many endemic species and rich native fauna and flora. Spider abundance was sampled monthly from October 2009 to October 2010 by hand capture and pitfall traps on grassland slopes. The species recorded in the study area were: Actinopus sp.1 (Actinopodidae); Grammostola vachoni and Plesiopelma longisternale (Theraphosidae); Acanthogonatus centralis (Nemesiidae); and Mecicobothrium thorelli (Mecicobothriidae). Grammostola vachoni and Acanthogonatus centralis were the dominant species in hand capture and pitfall traps, respectively. The seasonal variation, diversity, and abundance of the mygalomorph community are analyzed and discussed here. The Mygalomorphae of the Ventania system comprises an important group of sedentary and cryptozoic spiders that seem to be highly dependent on habitat type and environmental factors.


Market Access is the key question in the current WTO negotiations. To open market access a tiered formula for tariff reduction is proposed. Using this kind of formula involves sharp reductions of higher tariffs and small reductions of lower tariffs. While WTO negotiations and the implementation of the agreed tariff cuts take place on the 6 digit level of the bound tariff rate, most partial or general equilibrium models only allows for tariff cuts on a highly aggregated level of applied tariffs. Thus, to operate large scale models like GTAP it is necessary to aggregate detailed tariff information of thousand of applied and bound tariff lines to a manageable size.
WTO scenarios for simulations with general or partial equilibrium models can be built on the basis of two different approaches. A very detailed method builds scenarios from the most disaggregated bound and applied tariff line level used for example by JEAN et al., 2005 and ANDERSON et al., 2005. In so doing, it is necessary to implement the tariff cuts at a disaggregated applied and bound tariff line levels (e.g., the 6 digit level of the harmonized system 96 (HS96)) with the help of statistical programs, e.g., SAS. Thus, water in the tariffs (compare PODBURY and ROBERTS, 2003) or binding overhang (compare FRANCOIS and MARTIN, 2003) is taken into account. Thereafter, the new applied tariff rate is aggregated to the sectoral and regional aggregation of the model and a shock is calculated to move the applied tariff rate to the new level (e.g., after implementation of the WTO decisions). This procedure has the advantage of being as close as possible to the negotiation process. Additionally, it takes account of the tariff peaks that are most clearly identifiable at the detailed tariff line level. To build scenarios from the most detailed tariff line level, however, requires a huge amount of resources in form of access to the prevailing databases (e.g., Trains, AMAD, COMTRADE, etc.) and labor inputs. Additionally, the work needs to be done for each WTO scenario, e.g., if tariff reductions are based on different tariff cuts of the tiered formula.
Another, less resource consuming method would be to aggregate the bound tariff rates from the 6 digit tariff line level to the prevailing model aggregation. Applying this approach all kind of shocks for different formulas can easily be calculated using the aggregated applied and bound rates. However, this approach underestimates the prevailing protection because it smoothes out the tariff peaks which might most likely result in lower tariff cuts.
Given these two approaches to implement tariff cuts the most crucial question is: Do these two approaches differ so much that the higher costs of the detailed method are justified? In order to answer this question we implement scenarios where the tiered formula is applied on the 6 digit tariff line and the aggregated model level, respectively, and compare the results. The arising differences in simulation results will show the impact of different aggregation levels.
The simulations of this paper are based on the GTAP framework. Version 6 of the GTAP data base employs the Market Access Map (MAcMaps). MAcMaps offers applied protection data that is aggregated from the 6 digit applied tariff line level to the GTAP level. In order to compare the two approaches, mentioned above, we supplement the GTAP data base with a bound rate that is aggregated from the corresponding 6 digit level. Despite the endogenity bias and the disregard of prohibitive tariffs we use import weighting in all our aggregation. The advantage of this method is the data availability up to the 6 digit level and the consideration of the relative importance of trade flows. The impacts of different weighting schemes or tariff aggregators are extensively analyzed in the literature (compare BACH and MARTIN, 2001; BUREAU and SALVATICI, 2004; MARTIN et al. 2003). In contrast, there is currently no publication available that tackles the problem of the level of aggregation. Our study will try to fill this gap.
Finally we summarize the main findings and conclude in the last chapter of our paper.

ANDERSON, K. ,MARTIN, W. and VAN DER MENSBRUGGHE, D. (2005), Doha Merchandise Trade Reform and Developing Countries: What's at Stake? Plenary Paper for the 8th Annual Conference on Global Trade Analysis, Lubeck, 8-11 June.

BACH, C.F. and MARTIN, W., (2001). Would the right tariff aggregator for policy analysis please stand up? Journal of Policy Modelling Vol. 23 , pp. 621-635.

BUREAU, J.-C. and SALVATICI, L. (2004). WTO Negotiations on Market Access in Agriculture: a Comparison of Alternative Tariff Cut Proposals for the EU and the US. In: Topics in Economic Analysis & Policy. Vol. 4, No. 1, Article 8.

FRANCOIS, J. and MARTIN, W. (2003). Formula approaches for market access negotiations. The World Economy. Vol. 26, No. 1, pp. 1-28.

JEAN, S., LABORDE, D. and MARTIN, W. (2005), Consequences of Alternative Formulas for Agricultural Tariff Cuts, Chapter 4 in Anderson, K. and Martin, W. eds, Agricultural Trade Reform and the Doha Development Agenda.

MARTIN, W., VAN DER MENSBRUGGHE D. and MANOLE, V. (2003): Is the Devil in Details?: Assessing the Welfare Implication of Agricultural and Non Agricultural Trade Reform. World Bank, Washington DC.

PODBURY, T. and ROBERTS, I. (2003), Opening Agricultural Markets through Tariff Cuts in the WTO, ABARE Report 03.2, RIRDC publication 03/011, Canberra.


This report describes a planning system implemented in GCLA. A
definition of planning in the house world, which is a superset of STRIPS-like
planning, is given, as well as a short introduction to the programming
language GCLA. The blocks world and STRIPS-like planning is described,
followed by a comparison between STRIPS-like planning and planning in the
house world.


New technological advances are constantly being developed to assess fatigue and muscle damage in sports. Tensiomyography (TMG) has been used as an alternative method to indirectly assess these physiological responses. The aim of this study was to explore the potential use of TMG parameters (muscle radial deformation [Dm], time of contraction [Tc], delay time [Td], deformation rate until 10% [V10] and 90% [V90]) to detect neuromuscular acute fatigue-related responses during a duathlon compared to well-known biochemical (blood lactate [BLa]), perceptual (rate of perceived exertion [RPE]), and functional (jump performance [CMJ]) variables. Twenty-three well-trained athletes (age 33.6 ± 7.2 years, weight 64.4± 9.2 kg, height 1.7 ± 0.2 m, VO2max 56.7± 6.9 mL/kg/min, body fat 16.6 ± 8.4%, lean mass 53.2 ± 11.6 kg) performed a 5k-25k-5k duathlon under controlled indoor conditions at 23°C. TMG muscle properties (left and right gastrocnemius lateralis), BLa, RPE, and CMJ were measured pre-duathlon, during transition 1 (T1), during transition 2 (T2), and post-duathlon. After one-way analyses of variance, there were large differences in BLa (p< 0.01), RPE (p< 0.01) and CMJ (p< 0.01). Large differences (p< 0.01) were also found in Tc, Dm, Td, V10, and V90 as TMG muscle mechanical markers. Compared to well-known fatigue variables (CMJ, RPE, and BLa), Tc and Dm as TMG parameters measured in gastrocnemius lateralis seem to be sensitive enough to detect acute fatigue-related changes during duathlon. Differences reported in Td, V10, and V90 could be the result of muscle post-activation potentiation (PAP) after T1, and more evidence is needed for understanding this PAP phenomenon using TMG.


Optimization of reservoir development and management requires not only the correct placement of wells but also the monitoring of fluid-drainage patterns. Knowledge of the fracture patterns in any given field is critical to the success of the optimization process because they are conduits for the fluid flow. Saudi Aramco has recently completed the acquisition and processing of a walkaround VSP survey in the Haradh Field to map fluid pathways within the Arab Formation. The survey is in an area known for premature water-flood front advancement and uneven sweep through a system of open and partially healing fractures. The primary objective of the VSP survey therefore is to determine which seismic attributes can be related to the presence of the fractures. In this paper, we describe the data quality and amplitude normalization undertaken to minimize the overburden footprint to obtain an estimate of the fracture-induced traveltime, polarization direction, and amplitude anisotropy.


Since the early 1960s LSP research has been dominated by English forSpecial Purposes, as the increasing importance of English as an internationallanguage led to rapid growth in the demand for higher education throughEngl ish, both at undergraduate and postgraduate level. This in turn createda huge international market for English language courses designed to preparestudents to follow degree programmes, mostly in science and technology.The research produced in language teaching and learning for special purposeswhich resulted from this activity is in many ways ahead of research relatingto the teaching of other languages to students or specialists in areas such asbusiness, science and technology. In these circumstances it is natural thatteachers and researchers in other languages should consult published ESPresearch with a view to applying it to their own activity. It is the aim of thisstudy to investigate to what extent the research which has been carried outin ESP can be applied to the teaching of other languages for special purposes.


OBJECT
Although there are several papers in the literature regarding selection of fusion levels in the adolescent patient, fewer articles pertain to this in the adult patient. The author reviewed his experience and the literature and reports on the choice of fusion levels in the adolescent and adult patient.

METHODS
After a review of available data, the author determined that the proximal and distal extent of the fusion should be based on defining curves as either major or minor in the adolescent patient. It is often possible to exclude minor curves from the fusion. Relative Cobb measurement, apical deviation from the plumb line, and apical rotation are the most useful means of distinguishing a major from a minor curve. Otherwise, the proximal and distal extent of a fusion should be performed in such a way that the proximal and distal vertebrae are both neutral and stable (bisected by the center sacral line) postoperatively. Additional segments may need to be included in the adult patient in whom extensive degenerative changes and subluxations are present. The decision of whether to terminate a long fusion at L-5 or the sacrum in an adult degenerative lumbar curve is complex and many factors have to be considered.

CONCLUSIONS
Guidelines exist for fusion levels in both adolescent and adult patients. Not all curves require fusion. There are many coronal and sagittal considerations that have to be analyzed when making the final decision.


In my own research and teaching of Commonwealth hterature, I am ever more conscious of a dilenmia confronting those who would wrestle with contemporary theory and yet remain committed to the cultural practices and literatures being produced on the decentered margins of former Empire.^ Contemporary theory, first generated from within academics of the 'developed' world, is then exported for use in explaining, debasing, and re-inscribing subordinate positions for the subjects and creators of literature from the so-called 'underdeveloped' world Theorists either reinscribe the canonicity of the very texts they claim to 'decenter', or use Euro-American ideologies of language and textuality to re-colonize writing from newly independent, formerly silences regions of the world.^ Once again, the 'underdeveloped' world provides the raw materials for the careers and profits of more technologically advanced masterconsumers who import the raw material (literature) and convert it to their own ends (theory)/ This unfortunate condition underwrites whatever it is I do for example, in an essay such as this with novels from the Caribbean. This journal article is available in Kunapipi: https://ro.uow.edu.au/kunapipi/vol11/iss2/11


The empirical evidence concerning the job-creation impact of wind power technology through knowledge spillovers is yet poor. Our objective is to contribute to the literature and bridge this gap. Specifically, our analysis explores to what extent investments in innovation activities of one firm affect the neighbouring firms' generation of knowledge spillovers in the same sector (intra-industry) or to different sectors (inter-industry) and how this complex knowledge diffusion process impacts the employment dynamics. The econometric analysis relies on a sector-based panel dataset for the USA, Europe, and Japan between 2002 and 2017. The empirical findings suggest that there were negative employment spillovers from the same technology sector (Marshallian externalities) while the spillovers from more diversified activity (Jacobian externalities) have a positive impact on job-creation. The findings have relevant policy implications for governments who are developing an industrial strategy for wind power technology.


We address the problem of joint path selection and rate allocation in multipath wireless streaming, in order to optimize a media specific quality of service. We leverage on the existence of multiple parallel wireless services, in order to enhance the received video quality at a wireless client. An optimization problem is proposed, aimed at minimizing a video distortion metric based on sequence-dependent parameters, and transmission channel characteristics, for a given wireless network infrastructure. Even if joint optimal path selection and rate allocation is in general an NP complete problem, an in-depth analysis of the media distortion evolution allows defining a low complexity optimal streaming strategy, under reasonable network assumptions. In particular, we show that a greedy allocation of rates along paths with increasing error probability leads to an optimal solution. We argue that a network path should not be chosen for transmission, unless all other available paths with lower error probability have been chosen. Moreover, the chosen paths should be used at their maximum end-to-end bandwidth. These results are demonstrated for both independent network paths, and non-disjoint channel segments, in generic network topologies. Simulation results showed that the optimal rate allocation carefully trades off total encoding/transmission rate, with the end-to-end transmission error probability and the number of chosen paths. In many cases, the optimal rate allocation provides more than 20% improvement in received video quality, compared to heuristic-based algorithms.


Parasitic current seems to be the cause for the "highest proton conductivity" of a material reported to date. Kreuer and Wohlfarth verify this hypothesis by measuring the conductivity of the same materials after preparing them in a different way. They further explain the limits of proton conductivity and comment on the problems of determining the conductivity of small objects (e.g., whiskers, see picture).


When using formal verification on critical software, an important question involves whether we have we specified enough properties for a given implementation model. To address this question, coverage metrics for property-based formal verification have been proposed. Existing metrics are usually based on mutation, where the implementation model is repeatedly modified and re-analyzed to determine whether mutant models are "killed" by the property set. These metrics tend to be very expensive to compute, as they involve many additional verification problems. This paper proposes an alternate family of metrics that can be computed using the recently introduced idea of Inductive Validity Cores (IVCs). IVCs determine a minimal set of model elements necessary to establish a proof. One of the proposed metrics is both rigorous and substantially cheaper to compute than mutation-based metrics. In addition, unlike the mutation-based techniques, the design elements marked as necessary by the metric are guaranteed to preserve provability. We demonstrate the metrics on a large corpus of examples.


This paper explores how 20 African teachers in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, construct their identities in the light of inclusive education, and how they negotiate the tensions and contradictions emerging from the processof becoming inclusive practitioners. Central to this discussion is the  understanding that teachers' identities are socially constructed and that radical transformation requires teachers to draw on their transformative capacity and develop an alternative sense of themselves, not only as teachers but also as individuals. A qualitative approach using personal narratives is used to better comprehend the context-specific experiences of these teachers and draw on their authentic voices. What emerges from the study is evidence of the simultaneous existence of both the powerful influence of historic roots of exclusion, which discourage teachers from becoming inclusive practitioners, and some fruits of inclusion, where teachers' attitudes and practices are beginning to embrace inclusion. Findings clearly show a lack of homogeneity in participants' responses to inclusion, highlighting instead the diversity which exists within and between individual African teachers in rural contexts.


T his is a question parents inevitably hear from their children. It's hard enough to find an answer that will satisfy a 4-year-old, much less a reproductive biologist. Understanding the basic biology of reproduction, researchers hope, will guide treatments for infertility, pregnancy-related disorders, and diseases of the reproductive tract, as well as aid in the development of contraceptives, hormone replacements, and methods for assisted reproductive technology (ART).

This reproductive biology special issue assembles articles from several active areas of research. Brinster (p. [2174][1]) describes male germ-cell transplantation, a method that can be used in the study of stem cell biology and infertility and in transgenesis. Sassone-Corsi (p. [2176][2]) illustrates the special case of male germ-cell gene expression and how this mechanism differs from that seen in all the other cells of the body. Matzuk et al. (p. [2178][3]) shift attention to the female germ cell and describe the communication between the oocyte and surrounding somatic cells. In order to contribute the appropriate chromosomal complement, germ cells undergo meiosis. Hunt and Hassold (p. [2181][4]) explain sexual dimorphism in meiotic disruption and its consequences.

![Figure][5]

CREDIT: RUBBERBALL PHOTOGRAPHY

Once germ cells are fully differentiated, fertilization can take place. Primakoff and Myles (p. [2183][6]) outline the fertilization process. After egg and sperm fusion, a blastocyst develops; Paria et al. (p. [2185][7]) describe the molecular events of its implantation. When normal fertilization is impeded, couples often turn to ART. Schultz and Williams (p. [2188][8]) outline recent advances but also warn that basic science must be applied to make protocols safer and more effective. In a related Editorial, Braude (p. [2101][9]) cautions that the success of ART should not be measured only in terms of live births; the health of the children must be considered.

Reproduction is a perilous process. In the News section, Jon Cohen (p. [2164][10]) examines the most common cause of miscarriage—aneuploidy—and describes some of the latest techniques aimed at addressing the problem. Even successful pregnancies can leave babies at risk of certain diseases; Jennifer Couzin (p. [2167][11]) reports that disruptions in a fetus's environment can reverberate 50 years later in a propensity for heart disease and other adult ailments. Likewise, some of the physical costs of bearing a child aren't apparent for decades. Marcia Barinaga (p. [2169][12]) explores microchimerism: Cells exchanged during pregnancy can live on indefinitely in the mother and child, spurring autoimmune and other diseases. Those who choose not to reproduce are mostly stuck with contraceptive methods that have been around for a generation; Constance Holden (p. [2172][13]) finds that few new strategies are being researched, despite a growing need for appropriate contraceptives, particularly in the developing world.

It is unlikely that we will come up with a satisfactory answer to the 4-year-old's question of where babies come from, for any response is sure to be followed by, "But why?" Similarly, as each hypothesis about reproduction is tested, new questions spring to mind.

 [1]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.1071607
 [2]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.1070963
 [3]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.1071965
 [4]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.1071907
 [5]: pending:yes
 [6]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.1072029
 [7]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.1071601
 [8]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.1071741
 [9]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.296.5576.2101
 [10]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.296.5576.2164
 [11]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.296.5576.2167
 [12]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.296.5576.2169
 [13]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.296.5576.2172


ABSTRACT Migration is a topic that has frequently been present in political debates and the mass media in recent years, especially following the European and EU migration and refugee crisis. Newspaper debates in Norway presented different narratives with different conceptions of global justice. Migration is by definition a cross-border issue that has a direct effect on the interests of states as well as individuals, therefore the question of global justice is highly relevant. Three core media narratives were present: the humanitarian, the statist, and the EU integration narrative, which particularly highlights Norway as an integrated non-member of the EU. In the humanitarian narrative, a notion of impartiality of universal individual rights was prevalent, while in the statist narrative and to some extent in the EU integration narrative, a territorial and state-oriented conception of justice as non-domination was visible. Concerns about human rights were prevalent mainly in matters far away from Norway, but less so when the so-called migration crisis hit Norway directly.


Turbulent economic periods leave many enduring legacies. This Article examines a jurisprudential vestige of the economic instability and dominant intellectual theories of the 1970s and 1980s: what I call the "Certainty Imperative." The Imperative is a judicial decision-making paradigm that infuses the specific goal of stability in financial markets into the broader and more deeply entrenched normative theme of legal certainty. As it has evolved across decades of case law and legislative enactments, the Imperative has profoundly altered judicial decision-making in finance and lending by encouraging strict interpretive norms and rejecting more expansive analyses. Over time, the Imperative's methodological constraints have become a paralyzing force upon the judiciary, preventing it from engaging in law reform. In essence, the state of finance and lending jurisprudence can be summarized thusly: deference, in the very broadest sense, is shown to the legal status quo. The methodological constraints imposed by the Imperative must be overcome. As modern corporate financing arrangements grow more complex, moral hazards arise when contractual language vests substantive rights and remedies in a manner that does not align with evolving economic interests. This Article suggests several possibilities for expanding the scope of judicial inquiries in the corporate financing realm so that the judiciary may resolve disputes through an interpretive methodology that considers economic substance over contractual form.


Context. Cyclotron resonant scattering features (CRSFs) are formed by scattering of X-ray photons off quantized plasma electrons in the strong magnetic field (of the order 10^(12) G) close to the surface of an accreting X-ray pulsar. Due to the complex scattering cross-sections, the line profiles of CRSFs cannot be described by an analytic expression. Numerical methods, such as Monte Carlo (MC) simulations of the scattering processes, are required in order to predict precise line shapes for a given physical setup, which can be compared to observations to gain information about the underlying physics in these systems.
Aims. A versatile simulation code is needed for the generation of synthetic cyclotron lines. Sophisticated geometries should be investigatable by making their simulation possible for the first time.
Methods. The simulation utilizes the mean free path tables described in the first paper of this series for the fast interpolation of propagation lengths. The code is parallelized to make the very time-consuming simulations possible on convenient time scales. Furthermore, it can generate responses to monoenergetic photon injections, producing Green's functions, which can be used later to generate spectra for arbitrary continua.
Results. We develop a new simulation code to generate synthetic cyclotron lines for complex scenarios, allowing for unprecedented physical interpretation of the observed data. An associated XSPEC model implementation is used to fit synthetic line profiles to NuSTAR data of Cep X-4. The code has been developed with the main goal of overcoming previous geometrical constraints in MC simulations of CRSFs. By applying this code also to more simple, classic geometries used in previous works, we furthermore address issues of code verification and cross-comparison of various models. The XSPEC model and the Green's function tables are available online (see link in footnote, page 1).


Population regulation has been related to differences in the quality among habitats, which mediate differences in vital rates such that in poor habitats reproductive rates are lower than those in high-quality habitats. The spatial distribution of animals in such habitats depends on their preferences and the degree to which individuals have a free choice of a particular habitat. The identified mechanisms that lead to a particular spatial distribution and eventually to regulation mainly include foraging-related interference, for example, ideal free distribution, or simple selection of available high-quality habitats, that is, site-dependent habitat selection. However, in insect species these mechanisms might not be applicable, but density-dependent habitat selection still occurs. We therefore suggest a mechanism that refers to the nearly universal observation that matings also bear fitness costs. Although these costs have been investigated on the individual level in many insect species, their consequences for population dynamics have not yet been addressed. In the grasshopper species Stenobothrus lineatus, females in a nonreceptive mating status escape sexually approaching males by undirected jumps. By including such avoidance behavior in a spatially-explicit simulation model, we investigated its potential to result in progressive use of low-quality habitats at increasing population densities. In particular, we show that (1) such behavior changes habitat selection, (2) altered habitat selection results in population regulation, and (3) the degree of habitat heterogeneity influences regulation such that (4) heterogeneous habitats show fine-tuned regulation and homogeneous habitats tend to support large fluctuations. Copyright 2005.


Do countries that adopt parliamentary gender quotas do so as strategy in response to global pressure to improve the international perception of their democratic progress? Rwanda's 2000 constitution called for a quota, and since then there has been a trend across Sub-Saharan Africa to "fast-track" women's legislative representation. There has been a significant amount of literature on the use of quotas as signaling devices by autocratic regimes to indicate democratic progress. I argue that there is a gap in the scholarship on whether or not strategic gender quotas are efficient tools in achieving the regime's intentions of appearing more democratic by the international community. I explore this relationship through both a case study of Rwanda as an extreme sample case, and descriptive analyses of certain data across countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, including Freedom House freedom scores. Using statistical test methods and comparing sample groups of countries that have and have not adopted quotas, I find evidence to substantiate prevailing theories of signaling. Countries that adopted quotas had higher percentages of women in parliament, ranked higher for female representation, and saw their freedom scores improve more over time, compared to the countries that did not have quotas. Further findings are assessed.


We report on the design process leading to the creation of MapSense, a multi-sensory interactive map for visually impaired children. We conducted a formative study in a specialized institute to understand children's educational needs, their context of care and their preferences regarding interactive technologies. The findings (1) outline the needs for tools and methods to help children to acquire spatial skills and (2) provide four design guidelines for educational assistive technologies. Based on these findings and an iterative process, we designed and deployed MapSense in the institute during two days. It enables collaborations between children with a broad range of impairments, proposes reflective and ludic scenarios and allows caretakers to customize it as they wish. A field experiment reveals that both children and caretakers considered the system successful and empowering.


Based on a panel data model this paper investigates whether the effects of fiscal policy on national saving in Europe have changed after the Maastricht Treaty came into force. Recently Giavazzi, Jappelli and Pagano (2000) found evidence that national saving responds nonlinearly to fiscal policy when a large and persistent consolidation is undertaken. I show that their finding is not robust, one reason being that the structural budget deficit is not a time-invariant criterion for identifying episodes of large and persistent fiscal impulses. This paper proposes and analyses an alternative definition of a fiscal consolidation episode: the post-Maastricht period.