Abstract. Glacier responses to future climate change will affect hydrology at sub-basin scales. The main goal of this study is to assess glaciological and hydrological sensitivities of sub-basins throughout the Hindu Kush-Himalaya region. We use a simple geometrical analysis based on a full glacier inventory and digital elevation model to estimate sub-basin equilibrium-line altitudes (ELAs) from assumptions of steady-state accumulation area ratios. The ELA response to an increase in temperature is expressed as a function of mean annual precipitation, derived from a range of high-altitude studies. Changes in glacier contributions to streamflow in response to increased temperatures are examined for scenarios of both static and adjusted glacier geometries. On average, glacier contributions to streamflow increase by ~50% for a +1 K warming based on a static geometry. Large decreases (-60% on average) occur in all basins when glacier geometries are instantaneously adjusted to reflect the new ELA. Finally, we provide estimates of sub-basin glacier response times that suggest a majority of basins will experience declining glacier contributions by 2100.


This empirical study analyses the qualitatively different ways in which teachers approach children's learning in and about nature. The empirical data consists of video observations of children and teachers communicating with one another around natural phenomena found during excursions into a forest. Variation theory is presented as a framework for analysing the opportunities teachers provide for children's learning. The study identifies three qualitatively different ways in which teachers communicate with children: one based on the principle of opening up dimensions of variation, the second building on presumed shared previous experience as a resource for making sense of a novel observation and the third involving children through using a make-believe playful approach. The implications of these three different approaches for children's learning are discussed.


The interaction of poloxamer and poloxamine (Pluronic® and Tetronic®) surfactants with hydrogel and silicone hydrogel contact lens surfaces is of interest for this thesis. The persistence of surfactant molecules at the lens surface can indicate how long the surface has been modified. It is therefore important to observe and characterise the surface and surfactant behaviour separately. Characterisation of the contact lenses was carried out through dehydrated sessile drop measurements and surface energy calculations. Silicone-containing materials tended to be most hydrophobic regardless of water content. Static and dynamic surface tension measurements were used to assess the surfactants and the critical micelle concentration was also observed. Pluronics® and Tetronics® do not behave as simple low molecular weight surfactants; their structure and size mean they are less mobile in solution and may be able to form mono molecular micelles. Surfactants with different molecular structure, molecular weight and hydrophobicity were used to observe how these properties affect surface tension behaviour and influence surfactant persistence. The aim of the work was observe the persistence of surfactants at the lens surface, any difference between the surfactant persistence, and the possibility to predict surfactant persistence on a lens. The ex vivo work presented here shows little distinction between surface tension measurements over time or between treated and untreated materials. It is not possible to measure in vivo surfactant persistence with surface tension techniques and therefore necessary to create in vitro models to assess surfactant behaviour. A simplified in vitro eye model was created to assess preliminary observations. These results and observations were used to progressively alter the model and create a more 'eye-like' system. Large hydrophobic Tetronics® were most persistent at the lens surface; hydrophobic drive was considered the most influential factor. In addition to this, the contact lens material and condition prior to surfactant treatment also had an effect on persistence. Materials containing PVP showed increased surfactant persistence, which was increased further when the lenses were dehydrated prior to surfactant treatment. Lens dehydration had no effect on persistence if PVP was not present in the lens material


Moral traits and identity were jointly considered toward a developmental understanding of adolescent maturity through volunteerism. In Study 1 (with 1550 urban high school students), moral traits were factor analyzed for developmental and cultural validity. Developmental maturation was implied with the finding that high school seniors scored higher than freshmen on four of five moral trait factors. Factors were regressed on volunteer indices. Adolescents reporting higher levels of moral traits were more involved in volunteer activities. Overall, caring-dependable and principled-idealistic moral trait factors were associated with volunteerism. In Study 2 (with 15 exemplar adolescents and 15 matched comparisons), caring-dependable and principled-idealistic moral trait factors were compared with self-understanding narratives in a computational knowledge model. This analysis produced self-understanding schemas by sample group. Exemplar adolescents associated action with personal goals in the self. Findings suggest that traits influence maturing adolescent identity through goal-oriented moral actions which promote purpose and meaning.


This paper discusses a method for forming files in the IES and LDT formats for LED illuminator devices, based on the use of the zemax modelling medium. The file structure and the means of modelling the components of the optical part of the device are considered. A process is demonstrated for forming IES and LDT files, using as examples an industrial-type lighting fixture and a floodlight projector. The results of calculations carried out in the illumination-engineering program DIALux are compared with the use of models obtained by photometric measurements and modelling in zemax.


It is always easy to start with a metaphor when one
wishes to understand the concept of design process.
Design understood in terms of possibility for creation,
invention, arrangement and so on within given
parameters is what we try to distinguish in our current
architectural practice when using various software
packages for information transfer onto the surface of
blank paper. During the process of transfer of
information, from specific knowledge that we possess
and with a creative urge towards the drawing we are
in connection with our hand and our eyes to an
interface, a pencil, a mouse and a screen. Our body
reacts in particular way when holding the mouse and
looking at the screen where the extension of the hand
and its possibility of connection to transfer a line into
a series of pixelated dots proposes somewhat a
particular hierarchical arrangement that we wish to
consider further.
The question of interface in our mind is not only
connected with the relationship between the body and the screen but also in the relationship between the
decision making process between the body and the
software. This relationship provides for a different
interface paradigm to emerge where a variety of
semiautonomous, semi-intelligent software agents
can start having in some ways an ability to learn about
a user's habits. As a consequence these new software
programmes might have more autonomy in their
decision-making capabilities. In the past control used
to be in machine hardware. Alan Turing instigated a
transfer which was essentially embodied in arranging
the migration of control from hardware to software
where there was to be a master programme and other
subprograms related to it.


This report provides a systematic review of the most economically damaging endemic diseases and conditions for the Australian red meat industry (cattle, sheep and goats). A number of diseases for cattle, sheep and goats have been identified and were prioritised according to their prevalence, distribution, risk factors and mitigation. The economic cost of each disease as a result of production losses, preventive costs and treatment costs is estimated at the herd and flock level, then extrapolated to a national basis using herd/flock demographics from the 2010-11 Agricultural Census by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Information shortfalls and recommendations for further research are also specified.
A total of 17 cattle, 23 sheep and nine goat diseases were prioritised based on feedback received from producer, government and industry surveys, followed by discussions between the consultants and MLA. Assumptions of disease distribution, in-herd/flock prevalence, impacts on mortality/production and costs for prevention and treatment were obtained from the literature where available. Where these data were not available, the consultants used their own expertise to estimate the relevant measures for each disease. Levels of confidence in the assumptions for each disease were estimated, and gaps in knowledge identified.
The assumptions were analysed using a specialised Excel model that estimated the per animal, herd/flock and national costs of each important disease. The report was peer reviewed and workshopped by the consultants and experts selected by MLA before being finalised. Consequently, this report is an important resource that will guide and prioritise future research, development and extension activities by a variety of stakeholders in the red meat industry. This report completes Phase I and Phase II of an overall four-Phase project initiative by MLA, with identified data gaps in this report potentially being addressed within the later phases.
Modelling the economic costs using a consistent approach for each disease ensures that the derived estimates are transparent and can be refined if improved data on prevalence becomes available. This means that the report will be an enduring resource for developing policies and strategies for the management of endemic diseases within the Australian red meat industry.


Monitoring of HBV, HCV and HIV-infected individuals which are on antiviral treatment, ideally requires periodic viral load measurements to track legitimate response to treatment. Quantification of viral load has greatly improved the monitoring of therapies for infected individuals. There are several commercially available assays for the quantitation of HBV, HCV and HIV-1 load, but still the viral load could not be presented accurately for the initiation of antiviral therapy and follow up therapy. The objective of this study is to provide information for interpretation of viral load data of an infected patient for selection of an appropriate molecular assay for initiation and follow up of antiviral therapy. Twenty nucleic acid positive plasma samples each of HBV, HCV, HIV-1were used in the study.The same molecular assay in subsequent run showedup to 0.2-log10variations and different assays showed up to 0.4-log10viral load variations for the same set of samples. The large range of variations were observed in samples having higher viral loads (>one million copies/ml). Several times it has been observed that the viral load results of >100 copies/ml are more reliable in comparison to low viral load results. The molecular assays of different manufacturers showed sizeable differences in viral loads for samples having HBV genotype A in comparison to HBV genotype D.The factors like clinically relevant cut-off, natural variability of viral load, the inherent variability of viral load assays, inter and intra assay variations, precision, linear range of an assay should benormalised beforedetermining the effectiveness of an antiviral therapy.  2014 Trade Science Inc. INDIA


This thesis examines the context, manufacture and content of the Italian printer Ottaviano de Petracci's two Lamentation volumes of 1506. It addresses issues such as Petrucci's initial decision to dedicate a print series to Lamentations, as well as his production methods and commercial considerations. This thesis offers an explanation for the seemingly disparate assortment of composers, together with a discussion concerning the non-Lamentation texts; chapter 5 argues that these texts were central to the commercial viability and success of the prints, intended, as they undoubtedly were, for the Italian laudesi. Such interest partly explains the simple musical style of the laude contained in 15๐6/1, that print having the distinction of being the only Petrucci print to contain two-part sacred polyphony. Computer software enabled microscopic analysis of the print elements in the extant copies, resulting in a surprisingly large number of variants, errors and stop-press corrections. They indicate disruption to the printing process and probably contributed to the publication date of 1506/1, being as late as the Wednesday in Holy Week that year. There are three principal findings in this thesis: first, the two-part Trecento setting of 'Aleph' in the manuscript Vicenza, Seminario Vescovile, MS U.VIII.3, and the anonymous Lamentations in Bologna, Biblioteca Universitaria, MS 2931, support the notion that polyphonic Lamentations existed in Italy from the fourteenth century, suggesting a diverse and widespread tradition. Musicologists have previously considered the settings of Johannes de Quadris as being the earliest complete extant liturgical or para-liturgical Lamentations; those in Bu 2931 are somewhat earlier. Second, the printing disruption suggested by the variants and errors is supported by the watermark evidence. Third, the discovery of an independent version of Marbrianus de Orto's Lamentations in the manuscript Cape Town, Grey, 3.b.i2, shows the monastic enthusiasm for the embellishment of Holy Week music during the fifteenth century.


The roots of today's education system stem from one of the most significant peda-gogists and thinkers, John Amos Comenius (1592-1670). His entire comprehensive and sys-tematic work represents a turning point, not only in the field of the development of pedagogy, as a science and its disciplines, but also in the field of the development of human thought in general. After a brief review of life and work of John Amos Comenius, the paper presents the basic concepts of pedagogical theory through the chapters they cover – his reforming and educational mission, contribution to the establishment and development of didactics and methodology of pedagogy, contribution to school, preschool and family pedagogy. Of particu-lar importance is the chapter that deals with pansophism as an ideological concept of univer-sal wisdom and pedagogy, because the central theme of the paper is focused on the relations-hip between pansophism and his overall pedagogical work. The aim of this paper is to theore-tically research the connection between these problems, as well as to understand their broa-der implications and current scientific achievements. The paper uses the method of theoreti-cal and historical analysis with the technique of content analysis of available and relevant historical and pedagogical sources and documents. The concluding remarks point to the im-portance of Comenius as a reformer important for the overall development of pedagogy as a science. His pansophism is permanently imprinted as a seal with a reflexive echo and reper-cussions on all later occurrences in the field of teaching and pedagogical educational activities. The ideas of John Amos Comenius that are practically tested and attested, carry a special strength and vitality even after three centuries, which makes him one of the true pedagogical classics.


Since UNSCR 1325 was passed, the Swedish Armed Forces have gone through an impressive process of change from limited early projects to an institutionalised gender organisation that has worked to mainstream a gender perspective, to conduct training, and to establish specific gender-related functions, such as Gender Field Advisors and Gender Focal Points. The Gender Field Advisors have during this process been deployed with Swedish and international units in conflicts around the world and have thereby gained important experience as well as continued to refine the Swedish approach to gender implementation in military operations. The latest development has been the establishment of the Nordic Centre for Gender in Military Operations, which will seek to function as a platform for continued implementation of a gender perspective in both Sweden and abroad.The purpose of this report is to increase the understanding of these organisational processes, the driving factors and roadblocks within the armed forces, the activities conducted in the field and their impact at home and in the area of operations is essential to the continuing implementation of UNSCR 1325 and the implementation of a gender perspective more broadly. This understanding has the potential to provide support and lessons for similar processes in the armed forces of other countries and even other contexts.


Public opinion reflects a 'common sense' view that smaller classes improve student academic performance. This review reveals that the 'class size' effect of increased academic performance, although significant for disadvantaged students and students in the very early years of schooling, does not necessarily transfer to other student groups. Moreover, the literature indicates there are other more cost-effective variables that enhance student learning outcomes such as those associated with teacher quality. Internationally, large-scale interventions concluded that systematic class size reductions were more resource intensive requiring more personnel, training and infrastructure. From the large quantitative studies of the 1980s to the more qualitatively focused research in the last decade, there is a now an understanding that class size reductions function to provide opportunities for more student-focused pedagogies and that these pedagogies may be the real reason for improved student academic performance. Consequently, the impact of class size reductions on student performance can only be meaningfully assessed in conjunction with other factors, such as pedagogy.


The aim of this introductory paper, and of this special issue of Cognition and Emotion, is to stimulate debate about theoretical issues that will inform child anxiety research in the coming years. Papers included in this special issue have arisen from an Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC, UK) funded seminar series, which we called Child Anxiety Theory and Treatment (CATTS). We begin with an overview of the CATTS project before discussing (1) the application of adult models of anxiety to children, and (2) the role of parents in child anxiety. We explore the utility of adult models of anxiety for child populations before discussing the problems that are associated with employing them uncritically in this context. The study of anxiety in children provides the opportunity to observe the trajectory of anxiety and to identify variables that causally influence its development. Parental influences are of particular interest and new and imaginative strategies are required to isolate the complex network of causal relationships therein. We conclude by suggesting that research into the causes and developmental course of anxiety in children should be developed further. We also propose that, although much is known about the role of parents in the development of anxiety, it would be useful for research in this area to move towards an examination of the specific processes involved. We hope that these views represent a constructive agenda for people in the field to consider when planning future research.


This research addresses two basic yet exhaustive questions dictating the field of human rights advocacy. The first question surrounds the feasibility of implementing a universal list of human rights across contexts, and whether the attachment of moral values to discussions of human rights further obfuscates the ability to enforce them. What are universal human rights, and how do culture and politics challenge efforts to implement them? Three case studies, the Iranian revolution, the Rwandan genocide and the Salvadoran civil war, provide the backdrop to discuss practical strategies underlying ostensible human rights interventions and the tipping points at which those strategic goals led to intervention. The second question addresses the practical approaches to elicit action against human rights violations and provide protections for those in need. How can local groups or actors most effectively appeal to international audiences for intervention in human rights violations? The goal is to provide clear analysis of how those advocating for intervention can effectively appeal to relevant strategies rather than morality in order to reach the tipping point sooner. MISSING THE MESSAGE: ADVOCATING FOR ACTION IN HUMAN RIGHTS 2


Ice nuclei were measured in immersion-freezing mode in the eastern Mediterranean region using the FRIDGE-TAU (FRankfurt Ice-nuclei Deposition freezinG Experiment, the Tel Aviv University version) chamber. Aerosol particles were sampled during dust storms and on clean and polluted days (e.g., Lag BaOmer). The aerosol immersion-freezing potential was analyzed in the laboratory using a drop-freezing method. Droplets from all the sam- ples were found to freeze between 11.8 C and 28.9 C. Immersion-freezing nuclei (FN) concentrations range be- tween 0.16 L 1 and 234 L 1 , while the activated fraction (AF) ranges between 8.7◊ 10 8 and 4.9◊ 10 4 . The me- dian temperature at which the drops from each filter froze was found to be correlated with the corresponding daily av- erage of PM10, PM2.5 and PM10-PM2.5. A higher correlation value between FN concentrations and PM10-PM2.5 suggests that the larger particles are generally more effective as FN. The measurements were divided into dust storms and "clean" conditions (this is a relative term, because dust par- ticles are always present in the atmosphere is this region) based on the air mass back trajectories and the aerosol mass concentrations (PM10). Droplets containing ambient parti- cles from dust storm days froze at higher temperatures than droplets containing particles from clean days. Statistically significant differences were found between dust storms and clean conditions primarily in terms of the initial temperature at which the first drops froze, the median freezing tempera- ture and the aerosol loading (PM values). FN concentrations and AF values in dust storms were larger by more than a fac- tor of 2 than in the clean conditions. This observation agrees with previous studies showing that some dust particles are almost always present in the atmosphere in this region. Measurements of aerosol particles emitted from wood burning bonfires during a Lag BaOmer holiday showed that although a high concentration of particles was emitted, those particles' effectiveness as FN was relatively poor. The most likely reason for the low FN efficiency is the combination of relatively low fire temperatures and high organic carbon fraction in the aerosols.


The year 2021 will be the centenary of the formation of Northern Ireland, an event that anticipates commemoration and the concretion of 100 years of statehood. For a post-conflict society, this is an unresolved and contested history. However, while a common approach to the past is problematic, there is an opportunity to look forward, to make the future-to-come a shared vision. The discourse of monument making concerns temporality. The monument is a temporal object and ideological agent that projects a past through the present to the future. To mitigate the problematic of a contested past is to mitigate the ideological function. While the proposition of the 'counter-monument' (Young 1992) proposes the disruption of the ideological function, this monumental paradigm neglects any account for a future-to-come, other than one contingent on the memory of its own negation. To access the future-to-come non-ideologically, we must look to other paradigms. This paper proposes the category of the 'post-monument', a paradigm for the monument that is structured towards the futural. This research will present contemporary art practices within the 'geologic turn' which engage the space-time aesthetics of the Anthropocene. In an era were the future of the human species is implicated within the present, the discourse of the Anthropocene provides distinct tools to access the future-to-come. The post-monument is a typology of temporal object that can approach temporality at the scales of the Anthropocene, accessing nonlinear space-time aesthetics to manifest futural conditions and post-human ontologies.


The Deep City project at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne has, since 2005, been working on an alternative vision for urban planning in which underground resources (water, space, geothermal energy and geomaterials) enter early on in the process of imagining a city's future . Such a vision is seen as providing an opportunity for sustainable as well as more compact, pedestrian-oriented forms of development through an explicit engagement with underground resources (in particular, space). Mapping is central to this endeavor because it is intended to be the common ground for communication in planning activities and to enable exchange of knowledge between different disciplines. Maps of geological formations and their resource potential are combined with maps of urban morphology, political spatial decisions and economic values, synthesizing this information into an aid for decision-making practices. The map in this context may seem like a passive representation tool for accessing an objective reality waiting to be discovered—but this is wholly inaccurate. In this communication, I highlight the performative nature of the map as a tool for bringing into being a reality—and a knowledge—that otherwise did not exist previously in any 'objective' form. I do this by looking at the use of mapping and the underlying method of its production in my own research through the lens of the agential realist onto-epistemology of theoretical physicist Karen Barad . I briefly present the main points of Barad's framework before jumping into what I see as being at stake for using maps to propose to city decision-makers and citizens an underground development potential that was otherwise invisible to them before. If maps are indeed far from neutral, then mapping entails important ethical considerations for those who participate in their production. In the case of Deep City, this means making a conscious decision to include and exclude certain information and to analyze the data acquired in a particular way. For the purpose of this colloquium, I focus on the spatial analysis I have adopted for mapping (and measuring) the socio-economic potential of the urban form, which draws on Space Syntax and on the phenomenological underpinnings of its theory. The map that accompanies the presentation illustrates the results of combining this reading of the urban morphology with an analysis of underground resource potential, using data from San Antonio, Texas, in the United States. This communication presents my evolving (and openly debatable) understanding of the map as a discursive practice, and what this means for how we study urban phenomena.


Wind turbines have been sited away from coasts in the last decade to exploit the tremendous potential of wind energy on the vast oceans, especially in Northern Europe where there is relatively limited space on land and large sea areas. To date most of the existing offshore wind farms are located in shallower water but the current focus in the offshore wind industry is to explore the more stable wind energy in intermediate water depths, say the depths between 30-70 m. Increased water depths require novel technologies to make wind energy more economically competitive in such hostile site conditions. Among other things, the search for cost-efficient support structures is a critical challenge, because these can amount to 20-30% of the total project cost, and even more in deeper waters.This thesis aims to examine the practicability of full height lattice towers to accommodate wind turbines in intermediate water depths. Lattice towers are first geometrically optimized to determine the possibilities for cost efficient designs when respecting the ultimate limit state. Then, since it is the main design driver of offshore wind turbine support structures, the fatigue life of promising designs is assessed, using the frequency domain method. If necessary, the structures are modified. All the studies for this thesis draw upon the load values derived from the NREL 5MW Offshore Baseline Wind Turbine model, situated in the North at a water depth of 35 m. This thesis concentrates on three and four-legged lattice towers, and studies their behavior under variation of geometrical parameters; such as top distance between the legs, brace inclination, and number of segments along the tower height. To seek the most economic design each of the considered lattice tower configurations was assessed by varying the distance between the bottom legs, while maintaining the height constant. The complete series of configurations was evaluated under extreme turbine and wave loads. The towers were further quantitatively judged against the relevant criteria, including their structural performance under the ultimate limit state, the mass of the structures, and the fabrication costs, all in orderto determine the optimal solution. The best side topology for the chosen reference site was identified as the one consisting of ten X-shaped braces, with inclined diagonals of constant angle throughout. The threelegged lattice tower was found to be approximately equal in tower mass to the fourlegged type, but with simpler geometry and consequently a less complex fabrication procedure. It was also indicated that the tower mass varied as the bottom distance between the legs changed, and reached its lowest values at distances of 17-25 m for all the configurations under consideration.One of the most significant challenges encountered in the design of offshore wind turbine support structures is the fatigue assessment, since wind and waves are random and occur with significant intensities in many different frequency regions. Being timeefficient, the full frequency domain method was adopted in this work to assess the fatigue life of those promising designs first determined in the static analysis. If needed, the thickness of the tubes was modified to enable the towers to meet the fatigue criteria. After applying the joint detailing technology, the mass of lattice towers was found to be less than 50% of their counterpart; i.e., corresponding tubular-monopile hybrid support structures. The three-legged and four-legged lattice towers come out equal in material usage. However, the three-legged type wins in fabrication cost, thanks to the smaller number of members and joints. To render the geometrical parameter studies efficient, an in-house finite element (FE) method space-frame code was programmed. Using this code, FE models could be built to assess the different lattice tower configurations quickly and flexibly. The code also provides the ability to modify structures gradually, until they are able to meet specified criteria.Complex fabrication procedures are often regarded as the main drawback of lattice type wind turbine towers. A rough estimate of the fabrication time was made for the two lightest lattice towers, one three-legged and one four-legged tower. A sequence of values representing the variable efficiencies was set for each contributing parameter which plays a significant role in the fabrication cost of lattice towers. The results indicate that the three-legged lattice towers need less fabrication time than the fourlegged ones, in most cases. The comparison to a tubular-monopile structure allows for concluding that a lattice tower, especially the four-legged type, is costlier than a tubular tower with the currently standard welding rate. However, the difference can be lessened with flux core arc welding (FCAW) technology being improved. To introduce mass production to the fabrication of lattice towers will offer greater potential to reduce the manufacturing costs of these structures.


One of the key issues to be addressed in developing a successful permanent radioactive waste storage concept is the thermal effect due to the spent nuclear fuel (SNF). The thermal output of the SNF affects the surrounding rock mass, water moisture, and chemistry of the rock for thousands of years. The Engineered Barrier System (EBS), as well as the near field, and far field temperature gradients also impact the performance of the Waste Package (WP). Thermal effects have been a major study area of the Mined Geological Disposal System (MGDS). In the past the project has concentrated primarily on borehole-emplaced waste packages. Borehole emplacement is restricted to relatively high local thermal loads with irregular near- and far-field thermal loads. This study evaluates the thermal behavior of a drift emplaced twenty-one pressurized water reactor (PWR) fuel assembly capacity waste package. The results indicate that the local, near, and far field temperature gradients are more uniform. Also, the maximum internal waste package thermal goals were not exceeded. This study also reviewed different internal structural materials and showed that the internal SNF basket material and design is important to heat removal.


The concurrent targeting of critical nodes along key signaling pathways with molecularly targeted agents is a rational antitumor strategy, which has had varying degrees of success. Combinatorial challenges include overcoming synergistic toxicities and establishing whether combinations are truly active, to make "go, no-go" decisions to proceed to later phase trials. Clin Cancer Res; 23(5); 1123–5. ©2016 AACR. See related article by Calvo et al., p. 1177


Abstract Cement mortars and concretes incorporating clinoptilolite, silica fume and fly ash were investigated for changes in their physical and mechanical properties. It was found that additions of 10% clinoptilolite and 10% Pozzolite (1:1 mixture of silica fume and fly ash) were optimal for improvement of the quality of the hardened products, giving 8% and 13% increases in flexural and compressive strength respectively. The specific pore volume of the mortars incorporating zeolite decreased between the 28th and 180th day to levels below the values for the control composition due to the fact that clinoptilolite exhibits its pozzolanic activity later in the hydration. In these later stages, pores with radii below 500 nm increased at the expense of larger pores. The change in the pore-size distribution between the first and sixth months of hydration occurs mostly in the mortars with added zeolite.


Irradiation of particulate organic matter (POM) at light intensities found at the earth's surface should induce reduction in molecular weight, as found for dissolved organic matter, and hence result in transfer to the dissolved phase. We studied Mississippi River suspended sediments to test if photodissolution can induce losses of POM similar to those observed between delivery and burial in coastal sediments. Irradiation experiments in a solar simulator demonstrated dissolution of tens of percent of the POM after several days of exposure to strong sunlight. Neither water type nor iron oxyhydroxide removal had large effect on the reaction extent, but temperature may be a strong controlling parameter. Ultraviolet and visible wavelengths drive this reaction. A hyperbolic response of reaction extent to photon flux allows significant reaction to occur in highly turbid suspensions, despite significant light penetration into the suspensions of only millimeters to centimeters. Our data do not yet allow quantitation of this reaction's contribution to POM loss between the Mississippi River and its depocenter, but they do demonstrate its potential significance under nearshore resuspension regimes. More importantly, these results point to a heretofore ignored role for photodissolution of particulate organic matter at the earth's surface.


One hundred thirty-two weanling pigs, with an average age of 19 d and average weight of 8.4Ib, were used in a 28-d growth assay to determine the effects of replacing dried skim milk (DSM) with dried whey protein concentrate (WPC), dried buttermilk (DBM), and spray-dried porcine plasma (SDPP). Treatments were 1) 20% DSM20% dried whey-based control, 2) WPC used to replace the DSM of Diet 1, 3) DBM used to replace the DSM of Diet 1, and 4) SDPP and lactose used to replace the DSM of Diet 1. All diets were formulated to 1.4% lysine, 25% lactose, 5% fat, .9% Ca, and .8% P. These diets were fed from d 0 to 14 with a corn-soybean meal dried whey fish meal based diet fed to all pigs from d 14 to 28. For d 0 to 14, pigs fed the alternative protein sources (WPC, DBM, and SDPP) had average daily gain (ADG), average daily feed intake (ADFI), and feed/gain (FIG) similar to pigs fed DSM. Pigs fed SDPP had the greatest ADG and ADFI but poorer FIG than pigs fed WPC and DBM. Pigs fed WPC had greater ADFI than pigs fed DBM. There were no differences among treatments for DM or N digestibilities. For d 14 to 28, there were no differences in ADG or ADFI among treatments. However, pigs fed WPC and DBM had numerically greater ADG than pigs fed SDPP (.99 vs .95 lb/d) corresponding closely with the 5% improvement in F/G. Overall (d 0 to 28), there were no differences in ADG among treatments. However, pigs fed SDPP consumed more feed and had poorer FIG compared to pigs fed WPC and DBM. Considering overall pig performance, WPC, DBM, and SDPP are acceptable substitutes for DSM in diets for early-weaned pigs.; Swine Day, Manhattan, KS, November 19, 1992


Autoimmune diseases develop when the immune system fails to distinguish self from non-self or when the immune system is hypersensitive to endogenous or exogenous danger signals, or when a tissue erroneously sends a danger signal to the immune system. The education of the immune system to distinguish self from non-self is mainly carried out in the thymus and gives rise to central tolerance, whereas the ability to sense a danger or a healthy tissue constitutes peripheral tolerance. In these studies we have investigated the peripheral tolerance mechanisms controlled by the autoimmune regulator (Aire) gene in Aire deficient mice, an animal model of the monogenic disease autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome type I (APS I).Aire-/- mice displayed increased numbers of myeloid-derived antigen-presenting cells (APCs) in the spleen, lymph nodes and peritoneum as well as more blood monocytes and metallophilic macrophages in the spleen. Monocytes were also increased in the blood of APS I patients. Monocyte precursors displayed an accelerated development in the bone marrow of Aire-/- mice, and Aire-/- APCs had an altered phenotype that caused an increased immune response in several different contexts. Aire-/- splenic and lymph node dendritic cells had an increased ability to activate naive T cells, partly as a result of an upregulated expression of the costimulatory molecule VCAM-1. In Aire-/- mice increased activity of the metallophilic macrophages in the splenic marginal zone seems to be responsible both for the activated phenotype of marginal zone B cells and for the frequent development of marginal zone lymphoma with aging. In a TCR transgenic model Aire deficiency caused an increased superantigen-mediated TCR revision in the spleen, perhaps as a result of the altered phenotype of APCs in the spleen. Finally, Aire was shown to influence autoimmune disease development by a macrophage-dependent mechanism in diabetes induced with multiple low dose streptozotocin injections.These results indicate that Aire has an important function in peripheral tolerance by controlling the phenotype of myeloid-derived APCs and thereby regulating the activation of T and B lymphocytes.


Recent years have seen scholars in a wide range of disciplines re-evaluate the history of the Society of Jesus. In 1997, a group of scholars convened a major international conference to discuss the world of the Jesuits between 1540 and 1773 (the year of its suppression by papal edict). This meeting led to the creation of the first volume in this series, The Jesuits, which examined the worldwide Jesuit undertaking in such fields as music, art, architecture, devotional writing, mathematics, physics, astronomy, natural history, public performance, and education, with special attention to the Jesuits' interaction with non-European cultures. This second volume, following a second conference in 2002, continues in a similar path as its predecessor, complementing the regional coverage with contributions on the Flemish and Iberian provinces, on the missions in Japan, and in post-Suppression Russia and the United States. The performing arts, like theatre and music, are broadly treated, and, in addition to continued attention to painting and architecture, the volume contains essays on a range of objets d'art, including statuary, reliquaries, and alter pieces - as well as on gardens, mechanical clocks, and related automata. Other themes include finances, natural theology, censorship within the Jesuit order, and the Society's relationship to women. Perhaps most important, the volume gives particular attention to the eighteenth century, the 'age of disasters' for the Jesuits - the negative papal ruling on Chinese Rites, the destruction the of Paraguay Reductions, and the suppressions of the order that began in Portugal and that culminated in the general Suppression of 1773. With contributions from distinguished scholars from a dozen different countries, The Jesuits, II continues in the illustrious tradition of its predecessor to make an important contribution to religious memory.


Purpose: The paper aims to address the causes and challenges of the "brain-drain" phenomenon by examining whether a "brain-retain" can be attained through greater human resource development interventions being offered from organisations. It seeks to highlight the reasons that led many high-skilled Greek individuals to migrate to a different country to look for a job. Thus, the hypothesis being formed suggests that greater HRD initiatives (innovative and strategic in nature as well) could significantly correlate with individuals' intention to remain within an organisation; eventually, for "brain-retain" to eliminate "brain-drain". To serve its purpose, the research aims to depict "work immigrants" perceptions of the phenomenon under investigation so to offer useful recommendations to both HRD practitioners and academics.

Design/Methodology/Approach: Individuals who left Greece to look for new career opportunities in a different country have been identified as the target audience of this research. Since it was difficult to directly (face-to-face) approach them, as all were spread across Europe (some even beyond Europe an boarders), several internet social and professional networks offered the best solution in accessing research participants. The snowball technique was also utilised (recommendations from initial participants). For instance, Facebook was one amongst them so to access various "Greek community" groups. Additionally, several professional groups within Linkedin offered additional research participants. So far, 207 people have successfully completed the survey questionnaire, with the large majority of them being allocated in UK and a few more countries.

Findings: Research evidence highlights "brain-drain" as an intriguing and important issue both within the organisational and national contexts. The causes of human capital's emigration are identified (crisis and low wages amongst the most important ones, along with limited career advancement opportunities), along with highlighting the respective industries in which greater workforce mobility was noticed. A striking observation emerged from most participants' responses highlighting that better/clearer training, developmental and career advancement opportunities (amongst other reasons) can positively associate with their intention to remain within their Greek organisation rather than going abroad. To this extent, the research could make a strong argument that strategic HRD interventions could offer a way in handling such a widespread social phenomenon.

Originality/Value: The research could offer both theoretical and practical considerations. The study, based upon its final findings, will extend existing research both within the "brain-drain" and HRD literature by "brain-retain" state. Since the Greek economy (and employment relations respectively) has dominated the headlines of most global media over the last 5-6 years, that became the research's focus. Research findings are subject to limited generalisation though due to their sole focus on Greek individuals who emigrated because of the "brain-drain" phenomenon. Yet, concurrently, it can be equally argued that these can constitute the starting point of future research within different national contexts; thus, to offer a comparison amongst people and nations over the phenomenon under investigation.


Shaddharana churna is a well-known Ayurvedic formulation that finds its reference in renowned Ayurvedic treaties such as Ashtangasangraham and Ashtanghridaya . As the name suggests Shaddharana churna is composed of equal parts of six drugs namely Katuka, Daruharidra, Ativisha, Chitraka, Patha, and Indravaya . Evaluation of Ayurvedic formulations is necessary to ensure their quality, strength, purity, and authenticity. Present work deals with microscopic, physico-chemical, qualitative, and quantitative evaluation of Shaddharana churna . Qualitative and quantitative evaluation was done by development and validation of high performance thin layer chromatography using berberine from Daruharidra , apocynin from Katuka and plumbagin from Chitraka as marker compounds. The outcomes of the research conform to the need of ensuring quality and safety of Ayurvedic medicines.


This paper proposed to build an authentication system between business partners on e-commerce application to prevent the frauds operations based on visual cryptography shares encapsulated by chen's hyperchaotic key sequence. The proposed system consist of three phases, the first phase based on the color visual cryptography without complex computations, the second phase included generate sequence of DNA rules numbers and finally encapsulation phase is implemented based on use the unique initial value that generate in second phase as initial condition with Piecewise Linear Chaotic Maps to generate sequences of DNA rules numbers. The experimental results demonstrate the proposed able to overcome on cheating attacks, exhaustive attack, and resistant the statistical attack.


This research provides an insight into the perceptions held by pre-service teachers on the professional status of early childhood educators in their community. As a comparative study, it presents results from both Australian and American perspectives. It is the first research of its kind in studying pre-service teachers' perceptions of ECEC teacher's status in relation to the Australian context or in comparing perspectives from Australia and the USA. The paper illuminates on two main points. It presents findings on multiple level pre-service teachers' perceptions of early childhood educators' professional status in their community and also examines how the perceptions gathered from pre-service teachers in Australia compare to those from America, opening the field for cultural and policial analysis and discourse. This study's significance is deepened within the Australian political landscape as it comes at a time when the Early Childhood Education and Care sector has implemented a new quality framework which prioritises teaching qualifications. The comparative aspect of the study thereby provides rich opportunity for cross cultural analysis in relation to how Early Childhood Educators are viewed within their own broader educational community membership.


Designed to serve as the first point of reference on the subject, "Comprehensive Chemometrics" presents an integrated summary of the present state of chemical and biochemical data analysis and manipulation. The work covers all major areas ranging from statistics to data acquisition, analysis, and applications. This major reference work provides broad-ranging, validated summaries of the major topics in chemometrics - with chapter introductions and advanced reviews for each area.The level of material is appropriate for graduate students as well as active researchers seeking a ready reference on obtaining and analyzing scientific data. This book features the contributions of leading experts from 21 countries, under the guidance of the Editors-in-Chief and a team of specialist Section Editors: L. Buydens; D. Coomans; P. Van Espen; A. De Juan; J.H. Kalivas; B.K. Lavine; R. Leardi; R. Phan-Tan-Luu; L.A. Sarabia; and J.Trygg. It examines the merits and limitations of each technique through practical examples and extensive visuals: 368 tables and more than 1,300 illustrations (750 in full color).This book integrates coverage of chemical and biological methods, allowing readers to consider and test a range of techniques. It consists of 2,200 pages and more than 90 review articles, making it the most comprehensive work of its kind. It offers print and online purchase options, the latter of which delivers flexibility, accessibility, and usability through the search tools and other productivity-enhancing features of ScienceDirect.


The impact of multilevel level governance on the frequency of ethical issues in temporary organizations (TOs) is investigated. A structural equation model, based on a global survey, showed that behavior control, as a governance mechanism at the temporary organization (TO) level, reduces the frequency of ethical issues. This relationship is partly mediated through corporate governance, which controls ethical issues by following good governance principles. Using institutional and agency theory, we identify a substitution effect, where micro level (TO) governance substitutes for 'holes' in the macro level (corporate) governance. Situational contingencies for the synchronization of governance efforts across macro and micro levels are discussed.


John Maddox was a man of prodigious energy, blessed by an astonishing memory, and with a deep understanding of broad swathes of science. As a lecturer at the University of Manchester he seemed set on an academic career and was widely regarded as the most promising member of an outstanding group of young theoreticians. Yet during five years he published no papers, other than an unsigned account in Nature in 1951 of the newly opened Joule Museum in Salford. He suffered, it was thought, from want of confidence in writing up his work, but then came his precipitate move to the Manchester Guardian, where he at once began to publish profusely. From then on, printer's ink coursed through his veins: his devotion to journalism endured to the end of his life, and brought him high distinction.


We report a lattice-Boltzmann scheme to compute the dispersion of charged tracers in charged porous media under the combined effect of advection, diffusion and electro-migration. To this end, we extend the moment propagation approach, introduced to study the dispersion of neutral tracers (Lowe C. and Frenkel D., Phys. Rev. Lett., 77 (1996) 4552), to include the effect of electrostatic forces. This method allows us to compute the velocity autocorrelation function of the charged tracers with high accuracy. The algorithm is validated studying the dispersion coefficient in the case of electro-osmotic flow in a slit without added salt. We find excellent agreement between the numerical and analytical results. This method also provides the full time dependence of the diffusion coefficient, including for charged tracers. We illustrate on the slit case how D(t), which is measured by NMR to probe the geometry of porous media, reflects how the porosity explored by tracers depends on their charge.


Specialized proresolving mediators (SPMs) promote the resolution of inflammation and exert beneficial effects in animal models of chronic inflammatory diseases, including asthma. Previously, we have shown that certain SPMs reduce IgE production in B cells from healthy individuals, which has a critical role in allergic asthma. Here, we investigated the effects of SPMs on B cell IgE production in asthma patients. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from asthma patients were treated with 17-HDHA or RvD1, and IgE levels were measured. RvD1 and 17-HDHA dampened IgE production in B cells from most asthma patients, whereas B cells from a subset of patients taking oral steroids were refractory to SPM treatment. Molecular mechanisms underlying the interaction between corticosteroids and SPMs were investigated by treating B cells from nonasthmatic donors with corticosteroids in vitro. Corticosteroids blocked the inhibitory effects of 17-HDHA and RvD1 on B cell IgE production by abolishing the suppressive activity of these mediators on IgE class switching. Corticosteroids decreased the expression of transcriptional repressor Bcl-6 as well as its suppressive activity on epsilon germline transcription. We conclude that 17-HDHA and RvD1 can reduce IgE production in asthma patients not taking high doses of steroids but that corticosteroids interfere with the ability of B cells to respond to proresolving mediators.


We examined the movement characteristics and seasonality of feeding behaviour for an endemic Australian otariid, the Australian sea lion Neophoca cinerea. By combining tracking data and stable isotope analysis of serially subsampled vibrissae from 20 adult females at 7 colonies, we were able to characterise individual foraging specialisation across 80% of the species range. Adult females expressed long-term temporal consistency in both foraging site (offshore vs. inshore) and prey selection. When seasonality in foraging behaviour was detected (n = 7), there was no consistency in variation of isotope ratios between individuals or colonies. Offshore-foraging sea lions fed at higher trophic levels than inshore foragers. Potentially, inshore foragers could be subdivided into those which targeted heterogeneously distributed seagrass meadows or calcarenite reef sys tems for different payoffs. This data highlights the importance of understanding individual specialisation and the dangers of generalising behaviour at the colony level. Individual specialisation in foraging behaviour may be a mechanism that reduces intra-specific competition, but its effectiveness will be a function of the temporal stability of individual differences. The present study is the first to identify multi-season consistency of individual foraging behaviour for any otariid. Given the long-term stability of adult female foraging behaviour, categorising individuals using a proxy measure such as whisker isotopic signature appears robust, economical, and appropriate. Such data is critical to mod- elling population response to anthropogenically driven fine-scale habitat modification.


This research examined the relationship between sediment sample data taken at Potential Release Sites (PRSs) and storm water samples taken at selected sites in and around Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). The PRSs had been evaluated for erosion potential and a matrix scoring system implemented. It was assumed that there would be a stronger relationship between the high erosion PRSs and the storm water samples. To establish the relationship, the research was broken into two areas. The first area was raster-based modeling, and the second area was data analysis utilizing the raster based modeling results and the sediment and storm water sample results. Two geodatabases were created utilizing raster modeling functions and the Arc Hydro program. The geodatabase created using only Arc Hydro functions contains very fine catchment drainage areas in association with the geometric network and can be used for future contaminant tracking. The second geodatabase contains sub-watersheds for all storm water stations used in the study along with a geometric network. The second area of the study focused on data analysis. The analytical sediment data table was joined to the PRSs spatial data in ArcMap. All PRSs and PRSs with high erosion potential were joined separately to createmore » two datasets for each of 14 analytes. Only the PRSs above the background value were retained. The storm water station spatial data were joined to the table of analyte values that were either greater than the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Multi-Sector General Permit (MSGP) benchmark value, or the Department of Energy (DOE) Drinking Water Defined Contribution Guideline (DWDCG). Only the storm water stations were retained that had sample values greater than the NPDES MSGP benchmark value or the DOE DWDCG. Separate maps were created for each analyte showing the sub-watersheds, the PRSs over background, and the storm water stations greater than the NPDES MSGP benchmark value or the DOE DWDCG. Tables were then created for each analyte that listed the PRSs average value by storm water station allowing a tabular view of the mapped data. The final table that was created listed the number of high erosion PRSs and regular PRSs over background values that were contained in each watershed. An overall relationship between the high erosion PRSs or the regular PRSs and the storm water stations was not identified through the methods used in this research. However, the Arc Hydro data models created for this analysis were used to track possible sources of contamination found through sampling at the storm water gaging stations. This geometric network tracing was used to identify possible relationships between the storm water stations and the PRSs. The methods outlined for the geometric network tracing could be used to find other relationships between the sites. A cursory statistical analysis was performed which could be expanded and applied to the data sets generated during this research to establish a broader relationship between the PRSs and storm water stations.« less


Recent federal marijuana tax bills address these questions:
1. What should we tax? What should be the "base" or bases of a cannabis tax? (Possible bases include: price; weight of various product types [like flower, trim, and concentrate]; and THC content.) 2. Given any base, what should the tax rate be? 3. Should medical cannabis bear full tax? 4. Should marijuana advertising and selling expenses become deductible for federal income tax purposes? (That would treat cannabis businesses like other businesses; current Internal Revenue Code section 280E bars such deductions.)
A few of the answers are unsatisfactory for tax policy and drug policy, but some of the answers are forward-looking, going beyond what has been proposed before.


Peephole optimizations are local transformations which perform algebraic simplification to improve performance, reduce code size, or canonicalize code before it is presented to other stages of a compiler. They are a common source of compiler errors. This dissertation presents Alive, a domain-specific language for specifying peephole optimizations in LLVM, and the Alive-NJ toolkit, which automatically checks the correctness of integerand floating point-based optimizations. The latter are particularly challenging, due to ambiguities in LLVM's semantics. The correctness conditions for Alive optimizations are encoded as constraints, which are checked using a satisfiability modulo theories (SMT) solver. Alive optimizations can also be automatically translated into C++ code suitable for inclusion in LLVM. Incorrect optimizations can frequently be corrected by strengthening their preconditions. The dissertation discusses Alive-Infer, a data-driven method for synthesizing preconditions which make an optimization correct. It addresses the challenges of generating examples in a static setting, learning new predicates through enumeration, and assembling these predicates into a precondition. Finally, the high-level view of LLVM's peephole optimizer provided by Alive allows for analysis of the optimizer as whole. In particular, the Alive-Loops toolkit analyzes sequences of transformations, detects whether they can cause compiler non-termination during optimization, and generates concrete input programs demonstrating this non-termination. Defense Committee: Prof. Santosh Nagarakatte (Chair), Prof. Ulrich Kremer, Prof. Thu Nguyen, Prof. Rajeev Alur (University of Pennsylvania)


Packet classification is a core feature needed in firewalls, SDN switches, and QoS routers. Current research to accelerate the classification with hardware employing Field-programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) created a variety of approaches, with significant differences in terms of hardware resource requirements, memory usage, configuration update time, and power dissipation. However, there is no optimal, universal method for classification at link rate, due to inherent conflicts between large generic circuits with high resource consumption, and optimized circuits with limited versatility. Thus, current implementations have different trade-offs in terms of memory usage, resource requirements, power consumption, and flexibility. As a new approach to tackle this challenge, we present a hybrid concept that combines an highly optimized configuration-specialized and thus energy- and resource-efficient classification circuit with a generic matching circuit whose configuration can be updated quickly. The combined circuit can thus support reasonably fast configuration updates, has a low power dissipation, and can process network packets at link rate.


Poetry Love Potions James Fenton. An Introduction to English Poetry. Farrar, Straus & Giroux 2002. 137 pp. $18.00 Robert Pinsky. The Sounds of Poetry. Farrar, Straus & Giroux 1998. 129pp. $16.00 Edward Hirsch. How to Read a Poem and Fall in Love with Poetry. Harcourt, Inc. 1999. 356 pp. $15.00 (paper) Kenneth Koch. Making Your Own Days: The Pleasures of Reading and Writing Poetry. Scribner 1998. 317 pp. $27.50 Frances Mayes. The Discovery of Poetry: A Field Guide to Reading and Writing Poems. Harcourt, Inc. 2001. 494 pp. $16.00 (paper) Mark Strand. The Weather of Words: Poetic Invention. Knopf 2000. 142 pp. $22.00 Greg Kuzma. What Poetry Is all About. Blue Scarab Press 1998. 247 pp. $15.00 (paper) Perhaps there comes a moment in every great butcher's life when he decides that meat, and the carving of it, are not sufficiently esteemed in this world. he should write a book. Explain the complexities, share the secrets, reveal how he came to love meat. And late at night, after his long, bloody, unappreciated day, in his mind it begins to take shape, The Art of the Abattoir. After all, he thinks, it worked for the poets. In the last five years a spate of books have been published that undertake to instruct the reader in the understanding and appreciation of poetry, a good number of them by well-known poets. I'm not talking about textbooks, although several of the authors here seem anxious to court that lucrative market. Rather, these books seem to be directed to a segment of the literary public at large, an imagined cadre of eager autodidacts who have enormous respect for poetry, but whose attempts to "get it" have been marginally successful at best. Are these would-be readers also frustrated poets? Some of the books presume so, some not. The books vary widely in tone, and taken together seem to play out a Pygmalionic debate. Who best to initiate Eliza into the high culture of poetry-pedantic Professor Higgins, friendly Colonel Pickering, the mooning lover Freddy, or the critic in the back row of the theater who insists on letting her know that she's part of the show? (Aside to the wary reader: Do not be alarmed by the proximate conceits of ingenue and butcher. While both will continue to play an active role here, they will almost never appear in the same sentence.) One might wish for a brief guide, a handy, palm-size book that could give Eliza a bit of a leg up on the whole process. just the essentials. The challenge here is to pull off the miracle of Strunk and White; that is, take a tidy reference work, add some fairy dust of wit and wisdom to sustain the reader through the tedium, sell a bazillion copies, become household name(s). Two books that try-both bantamweights of about 130 pages each-are Robert Pinsky's The Sounds of Poetry, and An Introduction to English Poetry by James Fenton. Most books come with a preface, an introduction, a foreword, sometimes all three. I found it refreshing that Fenton's opens directly, if a bit grandiosely, with "Chapter 1: The History and Scope of English Poetry." A lot of ground to cover in just over eight pages, one would think. It turns out that Fenton merely means to establish where the corpus of familiar English poetry begins (around the reign of Henry VIII, in his opinion), and what it includes (all poetry written in recognizable English, regardless of the country or culture of origin). Fenton's relegation of Chaucer, the Gawain poet, and Anglo-Saxon verse to foreign-language status will be hotly contested by some, but he makes no claim for it being more than a subjective distinction, useful for the purpose of his book. At the end of the first chapter, Fenton ventures a prime criterion of poetry: "The voice has to be raised... in rhythm." In the second, "Where Music and Poetry Divide," he elaborates: Having been shown the close relation between music and poetry, I next wanted to see how Fenton would distinguish them; that is, to see how he would fulfill the promise of the chapter's title. …


A long-standing goal in robotics is to build robots that can perform a wide range of daily tasks from perceptions obtained with their onboard sensors and specified only via natural language. While recently substantial advances have been achieved in language-driven robotics by leveraging end-to-end learning from pixels, there is no clear and well-understood process for making various design choices due to the underlying variation in setups. In this letter, we conduct an extensive study of the most critical challenges in learning language conditioned policies from offline free-form imitation datasets. We further identify architectural and algorithmic techniques that improve performance, such as a hierarchical decomposition of the robot control learning, a multimodal transformer encoder, discrete latent plans and a self-supervised contrastive loss that aligns video and language representations. By combining the results of our investigation with our improved model components, we are able to present a novel approach that significantly outperforms the state of the art on the challenging language conditioned long-horizon robot manipulation CALVIN benchmark. We have open-sourced our implementation to facilitate future research in learning to perform many complex manipulation skills in a row specified with natural language.


Introduction This paper looks at two thirteenth century accounts, the Itinerarium by the Franciscan William of Rubruck and the Syriac Church of the East text Tashīthā DemārYaballāhā (the History of Mar Yaballaha), and examines the models of comparative theology both present. While acknowledging that comparative theology is seemingly redundant between different denominations of Christianity, the ecumenical dialogue presented in both of these accounts occurred at a time when these two branches of Christianity had been separated for almost a millennium and had developed within completely different cultural backgrounds. Subsequently, both underwent dramatic changes to their worldviews: one European, the other Middle Eastern and Asian. As a result of the expanding Mongol Empire, both "Christianities" reestablished contact and were forced to examine internal conceptions of the "other" and "dialogue" as they related to their own unique cultural location. This paper examines the ways in which the authors of these accounts relate the ecumenical dialogues they record, and pays particular attention to the language and imagery by which they negotiate cultural difference, thereby establishing what Richard White terms a "Middle Ground."1 It also evaluates the comparative theological framework that evolves through its contrast of two different thought systems that, while both Christian, evolve along two very different theological and cultural paths. Finally, it uses these two accounts as historical case studies for examining the role of inculturation in comparative theology and interfaith dialogue.


In this article I aim to understand the structuring effects of the institutional and social context on journalist-politician interactions in Germany. In particular, this article focuses on different informal relations within political information circles and, more specifically, on the "off-the-record" practice. Bringing in some exploratory comparative results from France, I propose a sociological model of analysis of these practices.It requires observing and analyzing the complex interplay between political communication and journalism practices in political institutions. At the same time, these interactions have to be understood through their long-term transformations. The traditional explicative variable used by scholars—the effect of a national democratic culture as more or less respectful of journalists' independence—has to be deconstructed. I propose here a historical sociology of political communication in Western democracies. My study focuses on the (West) German case, understanding the structure of the interactionsin their continuity (from the Weimar Republic to the postwar Bundesrepublik).This example of German journalism is probably a limited case.
DOI: 10.25285/2078-1938-2017-9-2-59-81


The geographic area that this Essay attempts to explore is the one generally known as "the Middle East" and includes the Levant, plus Arabia, Iran, and Pakistan, and is herein referred to as "the Region." The Levant runs roughly from Egypt in the West to Iraq in the East. The Region is embedded in a wider area that runs from Morocco to India and even Bangladesh. This broad area will be referred to as "the Broad Region." The main thrust is on the Region, but with frequent references to the Broad Region. All the countries of the Broad Region have something in common: the demise of democracy and the rapid decline of the rule of law. Undeniably, there are many exceptions, such as India. On further examination it is not difficult to establish that certain impediments to the rule of law, and thus, to democracy, are, to a lesser or greater extent, commonly shared among the countries and the peoples of the Region as well as the Broad Region. To be more precise, the rule of law and democracy, according to the Western tradition, were never fully realized in these areas. This Essay presents some of the reasons why. SOME IMPEDIMENTS TO THE RULE OF LAW IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND BEYOND


Background: In sickle cell disease (SCD), red blood cell (RBC) sickling propagates hemolysis, inflammation, vascular and endothelial injury with associated disruption in metabolic pathways including nitric oxide depletion, oxidative stress and an increased anabolic and energetic demand due to high RBC turnover. These metabolic functions highlight the role of amino acid biology in blood health and diseases such as SCD, which has motivated numerous individual amino acid (AA) based clinical studies. Here, we measured AA profiles of SCD plasma samples and examined the impact of combinations of AAs and metabolites on preclinical models of vascular adhesion, inflammation, and RBC function. This combined work serves as the basis for investigational product AXA4010, a composition of 10 distinct AAs and metabolites designed to target and support RBC, inflammatory, endothelial and vascular health, with the potential to impact the multifaceted pathology of SCD.
 Methods: Plasma AA profiles of SCD adults (n=38) and healthy adults (n=40) were measured by LC-MS analysis. Plasma AA profiles from SCD adults informed the design of a defined "SCD medium" used for culturing primary human lung microvascular endothelial cells (HLMVEC) as a preclinical SCD model of adhesion and inflammation. HLMVEC cells cultured in "SCD medium" were co-treated with TNFα and either AXA4010, components of AXA4010, or individual constituent AAs/metabolites, and adhesion, inflammation, and cell migration pathways were characterized using functional assays. Healthy RBCs were treated ex vivo with AXA4010 or individual constituents and stressed using tert-Butyl hydroperoxide (t-BuOOH) treatment, RBC deformability was characterized by ektacytometry (LORRCA, RR Mechatronics).
 Results: When compared to age-match controls, plasma AA profiles of SCD adults had significantly reduced arginine (-36%, p = 1.8e-4), leucine (-38%, p = 3.6e-6), valine (-36%, p = 2.8e-8), lysine (-38%, p = 6.2e-9), and histidine (-23%, p = 2.8e-4). In "SCD medium" cultured HLMVECs treated with TNFα, we observed AXA4010 reduced markers of adhesion (↓VCAM-1, ↓ICAM-1), inflammation (↓IL-6), and cell migration (↓MCP-1) in a dose dependent manner. In RBCs, we observed AXA4010 protected against t-BuOOH induced loss of RBC deformability. Deconvolution of AXA4010 and subset components revealed unexpected combinatorial interactions and potentiating effects of the constituents within the composition.
 Conclusion: We combined human plasma AA profiling and combinatorial cell-based experimentation to design AXA4010. In primary human cell systems with AXA4010 we observed improved adhesion, inflammation, and RBC morphology markers, which are associated with blood health and SCD pathogenesis, in a composition specific manner. These results warrant clinical investigation of AXA4010, which we have now initiated in a cohort of SCD subjects to investigate safety, tolerability and impact on blood physiology.

 Hamill: Axcella Health: Employment. Carroll:Axcella Health: Employment. Wani:Axcella Health: Employment. Russell:Axcella Health: Employment. Steuert:Axcella Health: Employment. Nitzel:Axcella Health: Employment. Downey:Axcella Health: Employment. Cokol:Axcella Health: Employment. Afeyan:Axcella Health: Employment. Marukian:Axcella Health: Employment. Tramontin:Axcella Health: Employment.


Objective To analyze whether 1 of the 2 apheresis techniques, therapeutic plasma exchange (PE) or immunoadsorption (IA), is superior in treating neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) attacks and to identify predictive factors for complete remission (CR). Methods This retrospective cohort study was based on the registry of the German Neuromyelitis Optica Study Group, a nationwide network established in 2008. It recruited patients with neuromyelitis optica diagnosed according to the 2006 Wingerchuk criteria or with aquaporin-4 (AQP4-ab)-antibody–seropositive NMOSD treated at 6 regional hospitals and 16 tertiary referral centers until March 2013. Besides descriptive data analysis of patient and attack characteristics, generalized estimation equation (GEE) analyses were applied to compare the effectiveness of the 2 apheresis techniques. A GEE model was generated to assess predictors of outcome. Results Two hundred and seven attacks in 105 patients (87% AQP4-ab-antibody seropositive) were treated with at least 1 apheresis therapy. Neither PE nor IA was proven superior in the therapy of NMOSD attacks. CR was only achieved with early apheresis therapy. Strong predictors for CR were the use of apheresis therapy as first-line therapy (OR 12.27, 95% CI: 1.04–144.91, p = 0.047), time from onset of attack to start of therapy in days (OR 0.94, 95% CI: 0.89–0.99, p = 0.014), the presence of AQP4-ab-antibodies (OR 33.34, 95% CI: 1.76–631.17, p = 0.019), and monofocal attack manifestation (OR 4.71, 95% CI: 1.03–21.62, p = 0.046). Conclusions Our findings suggest early use of an apheresis therapy in NMOSD attacks, particularly in AQP4-ab-seropositive patients. No superiority was shown for one of the 2 apheresis techniques. Classification of evidence This study provides Class IV evidence that for patients with NMOSD, neither PE nor IA is superior in the treatment of attacks.


We aim to perform robust and fast vision-based localization using a pre-existing large map of the scene. A key step in localization is associating the features extracted from the image with the map elements at the current location. Although the problem of data association has greatly benefited from recent advances in appearance-based matching methods, less attention has been paid to the effective use of the geometric relations between the 3D map and the camera in the matching process. In this paper we propose to exploit the geometric relationship between the 3D map and the camera pose to determine the visibility of the features. In our approach, we model the visibility of every map feature with respect to the camera pose using a non-parametric distribution model. We learn these non-parametric distributions during the 3D reconstruction process, and develop efficient algorithms to predict the visibility of features during localization. With this approach, the matching process only uses those map features with the highest visibility score, yielding a much faster algorithm and superior localization results. We demonstrate an integrated system based on the proposed idea and highlight its potential benefits for the localization in large and cluttered environments


IP address and TCP/UDP port scanning are critical components of many network attacks. Such scanning allows attackers to spread a self-propagating worm or collect detailed information about end-hosts in preparation for attacks. This paper investigates an algorithm to detect TCP-SYN scanning. Special care is taken to detect even stealthy scanners. Attackers are detected by tracking the number of half-open connections generated by each source. However, a source is only tracked until it is clear that it is not currently scanning. The computational load of this method is analyzed and it is found that the method is not computationally intensive and is suitable for online detection of scanning even on backbone links. Specifically, on a backbone link investigated it was found that the total number of sources that needs to be tracked at any one time is at most a few thousand.


Objective To assess diagnostic accuracy and reliability of sideline concussion tests in college athletes. Methods Athletes completed baseline concussion tests including Post-Concussion Symptom Scale, Standardised Assessment of Concussion (SAC), modified Balance Error Scoring System (m-BESS), King-Devick test and EYE-SYNC Smooth Pursuits. Testing was repeated in athletes diagnosed acutely with concussion and compared to a matched teammate without concussion. Results Data were collected on 41 concussed athletes and 41 matched controls. Test–retest reliability for symptom score and symptom severity assessed using control athletes was 0.09 (−0.70 to 0.88) and 0.08 (−1.00 to 1.00) (unweighted kappa). Intraclass correlations were SAC 0.33 (−0.02 to 0.61), m-BESS 0.33 (−0.2 to 0.60), EYE-SYNC Smooth Pursuit tangential variability 0.70 (0.50 to 0.83), radial variability 0.47 (0.19 to 0.69) and King-Devick test 0.71 (0.49 to 0.84). The maximum identified sensitivity/specificity of each test for predicting clinical concussion diagnosis was: symptom score 81%/94% (3-point increase), symptom severity score 91%/81% (3-point increase), SAC 44%/72% (2-point decline), m-BESS 40%/92% (5-point increase), King-Devick 85%/76% (any increase in time) and EYE-SYNC Smooth Pursuit tangential variability 48%/58% and radial variability 52%/61% (any increase). Adjusted area under the curve was: symptom score 0.95 (0.89, 0.99), symptom severity 0.95 (95% CI 0.88 to 0.99), SAC 0.66 (95% CI 0.54 to 0.79), m-BESS 0.71 (0.60, 0.83), King-Devick 0.78 (0.69, 0.87), radial variability 0.47 (0.34, 0.59), tangential variability 0.41 (0.30, 0.54) Conclusion Test–retest reliability of most sideline concussion tests was poor in uninjured athletes, raising concern about the accuracy of these tests to detect new concussion. Symptom score/severity had the greatest sensitivity and specificity, and of the objective tests, the King-Devick test performed best.


Metamaterials have already been used to model various exotic optical spaces. Here we demonstrate that mapping of monochromatic extraordinary light distribution in a hyperbolic metamaterial along some spatial direction may model the flow of time. This idea is illustrated in experiments performed with plasmonic hyperbolic metamaterials. The appearance of the statistical arrow of time is examined in an experimental scenario that emulates a big-bang-like event.


Investigations of geological structures, such as layer thickness, depth to bedrock, and tectonic features, are important tasks for geologists and engineers. Direct investigational methods, such as boreholes and trenches, can provide accurate data. However, these direct methods are usually expensive and time consuming. More often, geophysical methods that are less expensive and faster to implement (e.g., seismic and electric surveys and ground penetrating radar) are used. However, these geophysical methods may be difficult, or even impossible, to implement in some cases, such as regions with steep slopes or those highly urbanized. In contrast, the single‐station horizontal‐to‐vertical spectral‐ratio (HVSR) method (Nogoshi and Igarashi, 1970, 1971; Nakamura, 1989) and/or dense‐array techniques (Aki, 1957; Lacoss et al. , 1969) based on ambient vibration recordings have fewer constraints.

The HVSR method has been used extensively to evaluate site effects, seismic microzonation, and basin structure (e.g., Fah et al. , 1997; Gueguen et al. , 2000; Alfaro et al. , 2001; Duval et al. , 2001; Navarro et al. , 2001; Panou et al. , 2005; Chatelain, Guillier, Parvez, 2008; Bensalem et al. , 2010). In such studies, one assumes a 1D soil column. Variations in the fundamental frequency are used to estimate the first‐order geometry of the interface between a sediment layer and the underlying bedrock (e.g., Yamanaka et al. , 1994; Ibs‐von Seth and Wohlenberg, 1999; Delgado et al. , 2000; Parolai et al. , 2002; Oliveto et al. , 2004). By imaging the soil–bedrock interface, the HVSR method has the ability to highlight blind faults. For a simple 1D soil column, the shear‐wave velocity V S, the fundamental …


Shark is a research data analysis system built on a novel coarse-grained distributed shared-memory abstraction. Shark marries query processing with deep data analysis, providing a unified system for easy data manipulation using SQL and pushing sophisticated analysis closer to data. It scales to thousands of nodes in a fault-tolerant manner. Shark can answer queries 40X faster than Apache Hive and run machine learning programs 25X faster than MapReduce programs in Apache Hadoop on large datasets.


OF THESIS The Incidence of Antibiotic Resistance in Mesophilic Aeromonas Isolated from the Buffalo River and from a Non-Urban Site Upstream Antibiotics are commonly used in agriculture and industry and their discharge is commonly seen in rivers, like the Buffalo River. This antibiotic discharge may cause a selective environment which favors the growth of antibiotic resistant Aeromonas. To study the effect of urban pollution on the antibiotic resistance in Aeromonas, 229 Aeromonas isolates were collected from fish tissues as well as sediment and water samples collected from the Buffalo River and a non-urban site (Cazenovia Creek). Seven different Aeromonas taxa were identified using biochemical tests. There were 124 (54%) isolates that were classified as atypical, which was the most commonly seen taxon. Aeromonas veronii biovar sobria was the most common species identified (63 isolates, 28%). All Aeromonas isolates were tested for their resistance to six different antibiotics (cephalothin, cefoxitin, ceftriaxone, nalidixic acid, piperacillin, and tetracycline). A total of 104 of 105 (> 99%) antibiotic-resistant isolates were resistant to cephalothin. All of the tested Aeromonas isolates had a cephalothin MIC greater than 32μg/ml. The cephalothin resistant isolates from the non-urban site all had an MIC greater than 256μg/ml. This study can be used to guide future studies in antibiotic resistance from the Buffalo River watershed.


The Gulf oil spill was the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history, and will be the most significant criminal case ever prosecuted under U.S. environmental laws. The Justice Department is likely to prosecute BP, Transocean, and Halliburton for criminal violations of the Clean Water Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, which will result in the largest fines ever imposed in the United States for any form of corporate crime. The Justice Department also may decide to pursue charges for manslaughter, false statements, and obstruction of justice. The prosecution will shape public perceptions about environmental crime, for reasons that are understandable given the notoriety of the spill and the penalties at stake. In some respects, the Gulf oil spill is similar to other environmental crimes, most notably because it involves large corporations that committed serious violations because they put profits before environmental compliance and worker safety. Yet the spill's most distinctive qualities make it an anomalous environmental crime: the conduct was not as egregious, the harm was far worse, and the penalties bear no relation to norms for environmental crime. The Justice Department should bring criminal charges based on the Gulf oil spill, because a criminal prosecution will deter future spills better than civil penalties alone and will express societal condemnation of the negligence that caused the spill in ways that civil enforcement cannot. But criminal prosecution of the Gulf oil spill may raise questions about the role of criminal enforcement under the environmental laws, including whether ordinary negligence should result in criminal liability as well as what the proper normative relationship should be between culpable conduct and environmental harm. Nor can criminal prosecution, without more, prevent future spills; for that to occur, we must demand greater attention to safety and more rigorously enforce our drilling laws.


This thesis investigates the potential for moving towards a best practice for bird mortality mitigation within wind power planning in Sweden. Best practice in this sense involves stakeholder collaboration and consensus on methods for reducing the risk of bird mortality at wind farms in Sweden in line with current legislation.The main objective was to highlight issues and reach consensus on solutions in relation to bird mortality and disturbance of avifauna in onshore wind power development through the engagement of relevant stakeholders. The secondary objective of the thesis was to evaluate the effectiveness of the collaborative stakeholder workshop method used for use within renewable energy planning conflicts of interest.The primary data collection method or means used for the thesis was a collaborative stakeholder workshop designed and organized by the author, focused upon building trust among relevant real life stakeholders and a co-evolution of stakeholders towards potential mitigation solutions to bird mortality and disturbance of avifauna within onshore wind power development. The workshop was hosted and facilitated by the author on 19th May 2015 at Uppsala University, Campus Gotland. To compliment this approach a semi-structured interview was custom designed for relevant stakeholders unable to attend the workshop. An analysis of court cases relating to bird mortality in wind power planning was also undertaken with the aim of shedding light on interpretations of legislation relating to bird mortality and disturbance in wind power planning.The results show stakeholders across both data collection methods agreeing upon the importance of pre-screening and siting of wind turbines as the most important step in moving towards a best practice. In addition the majority of stakeholders highlighted the importance of post-construction mitigation technologies such as DTBird and IdentiFlight to be used as a secondary option within low risk areas once validated. In addition the results highlight a general lack of knowledge relating to the interpretations of relevant legislation among stakeholders.The analytical findings point towards the importance of engagement, consensus, validation and knowledge in moving towards a best practice for bird mortality mitigation in wind power planning in Sweden.Regarding innovation, the thesis has at least furthered dialogue in relation to best practice of bird mortality mitigation in wind power planning for Sweden and at best put forward a potential solution in an adaptive planning model for the island of Gotland in Sweden using IdentiFlight technology for further discussion and/or development. The thesis also highlights the potential of community planning influenced stakeholder engagement to applied problems within wind power planning in Sweden. Finally the author's collaborative method designed for the workshop was considered useful through a stakeholder evaluation survey and could perhaps be developed further.The major limitations of the thesis related to the logistics behind organizing a stakeholder workshop. It was difficult to have a fully representative sample at a national level and in this regard the workshop was considered to be of more relevance for the island of Gotland. The complimentary stakeholder interviews were designed to partially compensate for this bias, but again were limited due to finite time and resources.


Introduction This document provides the reference architecture for Stateless Virtual Desktops with VMware® View™ 5 on local solid-state storage. A stateless desktop architecture is ideally suited for standard desktop environments where the desktop image is consistent from user to user; however with proper application design can be used in broad use cases. VMware View 5 allows specific placement of different types of disks to be redirected , even to local storage, the I/O requirements on shared storage can be drastically reduced. The VMware View 5 Reference Architecture for Stateless Virtual Desktops involves high-performing, solid-state drives within a physical host to offload the majority of desktop virtualization IOPS needed, while providing a stateless desktop virtualization design for planned and unplanned downtime. This use of local solid-state drives (SSDs) is a completely new approach to desktop virtualization storage. SSDs are critical to achieving a low per-desktop cost because they remove the need for operating system and application storage requirements on the SAN. By decentralizing these storage needs, the desktop environment for CPU and memory resources scales linearly, with extremely low latency. The simplicity of the architecture that is enabled by View 5's tiered storage capability allows for a new era in the evolution of desktop virtualization cost modeling. Increasingly, organizations are turning to virtual desktop technologies to address the operational and strategic issues related to traditional corporate desktop environments. VMware View 5 provides not only a virtual desktop environment that is secure, cost effective, and easy to deploy; but now can also provide comprehensive storage flexibility. VMware View 5 modernizes the desktop experience to deliver private cloud capabilities to users for a consistent experience across the global enterprise. This Desktop-as-a-Service model is possible with unmatched scalability in a stateless design. The challenges of traditional desktop administration, especially at scale, range from lost laptops with corporate data, security issues related to viruses or hackers, or simply ensuring IT resources can maintain a service level agreement (SLA) appropriate for specific end users. In addition to the challenges of operational management, IT must also consider the implication of broader system-wide issues such as compliance, corporate governance and business continuity strategies. This whitepaper provides full descriptions of the test environment as well as performance metrics captured during test validation. The stateless tiered storage reference architecture validation shows results for both 96 and 120 Windows 7 virtual machines per VDI host server. Additional highlights of the reference …


In the three Italian centres involved in the European Community Respiratory Health Survey (ECRHS), prevalence of asthma-like symptoms was assessed through a mailback questionnaire. Since the nonresponse rate was not negligible, ranging 10-18%, we investigated whether nonresponse bias affected the results and, if so, whether the bias could be eliminated from the final estimates of prevalence. A screening questionnaire was sent by mail to 7,000 randomly selected subjects 20-44 yrs of age, and nonresponders were contacted again by phone. Additional information was collected on a subsample of the respondents through a clinical interview. A logistic regression analysis showed that, except for one symptom (awakening for coughing), symptom prevalence significantly decreased from the first to the subsequent contact, when controlling for age, sex, centre and season of interview. The decrease in symptom prevalence was largely independent of smoking habits and socioeconomic status, and was seemingly caused by a symptom-related self-selection. When correcting results according to a linear regression model, observed estimates appeared to be slightly overestimated, by 4-10%. A simulation with the Italian data showed that the bias increased steeply at nonresponse rate higher than 30%, a situation quite common in asthma surveys. In conclusion, nonresponse bias affects the results of ECRHS in Italy, slightly inflating prevalence estimates. To make reliable comparisons on international data in the presence of different nonresponse rates, a correction of the observed prevalence seems necessary.


From a moss sample collected in the Manabi Province in Ecuador, we extracted 96 specimens of a new species of eutardigrade. No eggs were found. In order to obtain eggs, an in vitro culture was prepared. In total, 136 specimens (including ten simplex), one exuvia and 44 eggs (including two with embryos) of the new species were obtained. In addition to the traditional taxonomic description with morphometrics, light and scanning microscopy imaging, we also provide nucleotide sequences of three nuclear (18S rRNA, 28S rRNA, ITS-2) and one mitochondrial (COI) DNA fragments of the new species. Macrobiotus polypiformis sp. nov. belongs to the hufelandi group and is most similar to Ma. paulinae Stec, Smolak, Kaczmarek & Michalczyk, 2015, but differs from it mainly by the lack of dorso-lateral patches of granulation on the cuticle, egg processes with longer and more numerous filaments and in some morphometric characters of both eggs and adults. Moreover, we provide a short discussion on the modifications/abnormalities of the claws in eutardigrades and the possible consequences on the taxonomic status of Mesobiotus armatus (Pilato & Binda, 1996), suggesting its consideration as species inquirenda (with uncertain taxonomic status).


The rhenium–osmium (Re–Os) isotope system occupies a unique position amongst commonly used radiogenic parent–daughter isotope pairs on account of its siderophilic geochemical characteristics. Re and Os are also concentrated from seawater in organic-rich sediments and have been used to obtain absolute ages for the deposition of marine mudrock successions directly. Additionally, Re–Os analyses of ancient mudrocks have provided the best means so far of determining temporal changes in the Os-isotope composition of pre-Cenozoic seawater. The seawater Os-isotope record has yielded valuable information about several major episodes of past environmental change, and is particularly powerful when used in conjunction with other marine isotopic tracers such as carbon and strontium. The present contribution reviews some recent developments in the application of the Re–Os isotope system to geochronological and palaeoenvironmental problems in the Mesozoic and earlier. New results show that the Os-isotope composition of Callovian seawater (c. 160 Ma ago) was very unradiogenic (187Os/188Os ≈0.26) at the same time that the seawater Sr-isotope curve recorded its lowest value for the Phanerozoic, indicating that global continental weathering rates were very low at c. 10–15% of today's levels.