Human surrogates are representations of living humans, commonly adopted to better understand human response to impacts. Though surrogates have been widely used in automotive, defence and medical industries with varying levels of biofidelity, their primary application in the sporting goods industry has been through primitive rigid anvils used in assessing personal protective equipment (PPE) effectiveness. In sports, absence from competition is an important severity measure and soft tissue injuries such as contusions and lacerations are serious concerns. Consequently, impact surrogates for the sporting goods industry need a more subtle description of the relevant soft tissues to assess impact severity and mitigation accurately to indicate the likelihood of injury.

The fundamental aim for this research study was to establish a method to enable the development of superior, complementary, increasingly complex synthetic and computational impact surrogates for improved assessment of sports personal protective equipment. With a particular focus on the thigh segment, research was conducted to evaluate incremental increases in surrogate complexity. Throughout this study, empirical assessment of synthetic surrogates and computational evaluation using finite element (FE) models were employed to further knowledge on design features influencing soft tissue surrogates in a cost and time efficient manner.

To develop a more representative human impact surrogate, the tissue structures considered, geometries and materials were identified as key components influencing the mechanical response of surrogates. As a design tool, FE models were used to evaluate the changes in impact response elicited with different soft tissue layer configurations. The study showed the importance of skin, adipose, muscle and bone tissue structures and indicated up to 15.4% difference in maximum soft tissue displacement caused by failure to represent the skin layer. FE models were further used in this capacity in a shape evaluation study from which it was determined that a full-scale anatomically contoured thigh was necessary to show the full diversity of impact response phenomena exhibited. This was particularly pertinent in PPE evaluations where simple surrogate shapes significantly underestimated the magnitudes of displacements exhibited (up to 155% difference) when rigid shell PPE was simulated under impact conditions.

Synthetic PDMS silicone simulants were then fabricated for each of the organic soft tissues to match their dynamic responses. The developed simulants exhibited a superior representation of the tissues when compared to previous single material soft tissue simulant, Silastic 3483, which showed 324%, 11,140% and -15.8% greater differences than the PDMS when compared to previously reported target organic tissue datasets for relaxed muscle, skin and adipose tissues respectively. The impact response of these PDMS surrogates were compared in FE models with previously used single material simulants in representative knee and cricket ball sports impact events. The models were each validated through experimental tests and the PDMS simulants were shown to exhibit significantly closer responses to organic tissue predictions across all impact conditions and evaluation metrics considered.

An anatomically contoured synthetic thigh surrogate was fabricated using the PDMS soft tissue simulants through a novel multi-stage moulding process. The surrogate was experimentally tested under representative sports impact conditions and showed a good comparison with FE model predictions with a maximum difference in impactor displacements and peak accelerations of +6.86% and +12.5% respectively at velocities between 2 - 4 m.s-1.

The value of increased biofidelity in the anatomical synthetic and virtual surrogate thighs has been proven through the incremental adoption of important surrogate elements (tissue structures, material and geometries). The predictive capabilities of each surrogate have been demonstrated through their parallel developments and staged comparisons with idealised organic tissue responses. This increase in biofidelity is introduced at modestly higher cost compared to Silastic 3483, but, given the benefits of a more representative human impact response for PPE evaluations, this is shown to be worthwhile.


Abstract Biodiversity offsetting involves the balancing of biodiversity loss in one place (and at one time) by an equivalent biodiversity gain elsewhere (an outcome referred to as No Net Loss). The conservation science literature has chiefly addressed the extent to which biodiversity offsets can serve as a conservation tool, focusing on the technical challenges of its implementation. However, offsetting has more profound implications than this technical approach suggests. In this paper we introduce the concept of policy frames, and use it to identify four ways in which non-human nature and its conservation are reframed by offsetting. Firstly, offsetting reframes nature in terms of isolated biodiversity units that can be simply defined, measured and exchanged across time and space to achieve equivalence between ecological losses and gains. Secondly, it reframes biodiversity as lacking locational specificity, ignoring broader dimensions of place and deepening a nature–culture and nature–society divide. Thirdly, it reframes conservation as an exchange of credits implying that the value of non-human nature can be set by price. Fourthly, it ties conservation to land development and economic growth, foreshadowing and bypassing an oppositional position. We conclude that by presenting offsetting as a technical issue, the problem of biodiversity loss due to development is depoliticized. As a result the possibility of opposing and challenging environmental destruction is foreclosed, and a dystopian future of continued biodiversity loss is presented as the only alternative.


Thermal conditions in operating rooms are mainly dictated by the need to meet the safety/comfort requirements of the patient. However, the accuracy of performed surgical procedures depends on the surgeon and others members of medical team. Hence, their comfort sensation should be also factored in. The study sought to find out how thermal sensations of people working in surgical clothing can be modified through a local change in air velocity and temperature around the user. A series of tests was carried out with a thermal manikin to make an accurate assessment of the effectiveness of this type of equipment. The tests included changes of the ambient temperature, supply air temperature and air velocity. The operational efficiency was assessed on the basis of the equivalent temperature index (teq). Results show that the final result of teq was mostly determined by air velocity rather than the supply air temperature.


UNCONVENTIONAL SUPERCONDUCTIVITY IN TWO DIMENSIONAL TIME REVERSAL SYMMETRIC NONCENTROSYMMETRIC SUPERCONDUCTORS Mehmet Günay Ph.D. in Physics Advisor: Balazs Hetenyi Co-Advisor: Tahsin Tuğrul Hakioğlu August 2017 In this thesis we study unconventional pairing observed in noncentrosymmetric superconductors by using spin dependent pairing potentials under the maximal C∞v and the time reversal symmetries (Θ-phase). The lack of inversion symmetry in these materials induces spin orbit interaction which removes the spin degeneracy and splits the Fermi surface into two branches. We demonstrated that in such systems mixed parity in the superconducting order parameter is present. Recently a large number of noncentrosymmetric superconductors appeared with anomalous behavior of a double and isotropic full energy gap present indicating a large inversion symmetry breaking, at the same time displaying an exponentially suppressed low temperature thermodynamic response pointing at a BCS like s-wave pairing. We clarify in this thesis that an isotropic energy gap can accommodate a parity mixed condensate with a comparably strong singlet and triplet pairings. The topology of such a configuration can be nontrivial although the system can have an exponentially suppressed temperature dependence in the thermodynamic response. We investigate other implications of such a behavior and suggest that some of the recent controversial experiments can be explained by the existence of nodal structure in the superconducting pair potential. We also investigate tunneling spectroscopy of different type of pairs by calculating differential conductance through a normal metal superconductor junctions. It is shown that each type of pairs have distinct behavior in the picture of Andreev reflection spectroscopy which is an effective tool to clarify order parameter especially for superconductors having nodal structure in superconducting gap. The zero bias conductance is observed for d wave superconductors and its origin is discussed. Furter it is showed that the neglected term in the theory of Andreev reflection in Josephson junctions with d-wave superconductors can change drastically the appearance of zero bias anomalies. iii


This critical edition of T. S. Eliot's Poems establishes a new text of the Collected Poems 1909-1962, rectifying accidental omissions and errors that have crept in during the century since Eliot's astonishing debut, "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock." As well as the masterpieces, the edition contains the poems of Eliot's youth, which were rediscovered only decades later, others that circulated privately during his lifetime, and love poems from his final years, written for his wife Valerie Eliot. Christopher Ricks and Jim McCue have provided a commentary that illuminates the imaginative life of each poem. Calling upon Eliot's critical writings, as well as his drafts, letters, and other original materials, they illustrate not only the breadth of Eliot's interests and the range of his writings, but how it was that the author of "Gerontion" came to write "Triumphal March" and then Four Quartets. Thanks to the family and friends who recognized Eliot's genius and preserved his writings from an early age, the archival record is exceptionally complete, enabling us to follow in unique detail the progress of a mind that never ceased exploring. This first volume respects Eliot's decisions by opening with his Collected Poems 1909-1962 as he arranged and issued it, shortly before his death fifty years ago. This is followed by poems uncollected but either written for or suitable for publication, and by a new reading text of the drafts of The Waste Land. The volume concludes with the commentary on all of these poems. The second volume opens with the two books of verse of other kinds that Eliot issued, Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats and his translation of St.-John Perse's Anabase. Different again are the verses informal, improper, or clubmanlike. Each of these sections has its own commentary. Finally, pertaining to the entire edition, there is a textual history that contains not only variants from all known drafts and the many printings but also extended passages amounting to hundreds of lines of compelling verse. "The more we know of Eliot, the better."-Ezra Pound


The field of American studies has a long tradition of scholarship and research into the social and cultural worlds of sound. The essays in this volume highlight the key role of sound in the formation of central themes and areas of inquiry within contemporary American studies. The editors have adopted an interdisciplinary approach to their study of sound, reflecting on its cultural, political, technological, economic, socio-historical, spatial, temporal, affective, and formal contexts. The selected essays analyze sound and explore inter-American soundscapes within several areas, including media technologies and consumption; race, sex, and gender; citizenship, belonging, and community; nationalism and citizenship; time and historical method; the public sphere and social change. How have sound technologies and sonic media practices informed American identities? What roles have hearing and listening played in formations of race, ethnicity, sexuality, gender, community, and class? What are the political economies of sound? The contributors to "Sound Clash" address these questions and more as they think through sound as a critical space, listening as a critical and cultural act, and sonic media as key technological sites of investigation. Supplementary sound clips are available at the American Quarterly website.


In this study, we synthesised specific filtration cartridges with selective recognition sites for target molecules and used them to separate interferon α-2b from aqueous solutions. We combined molecular imprinting technology with cryogel to achieve specific and rapid filtration of interferon α-2b through the macroporous structure of a cryogel network. Recombinant interferon α-2b-imprinted poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate-N-methacryloyl-L-tryptophan) P(HEMATrp)/α-2bIFN cryogels were synthesised via free-radical bulk polymerisation under partially frozen conditions. The interferon α-2b filtration conditions were subsequently optimised with respect to factors such as pH, initial concentration, temperature, centrifugation speed, salt concentration and type and the amount of precomplex incorporated. Selectivity experiments were conducted in respect to isoelectric point as well as size of the competitor proteins under both uncompetitive and competitive conditions. The relative selectivity coefficients of the specific filtration cartridge in respect to isoelectronic points for interferon/IgG, interferon/HSA and interferon/insulin pairs were 3.72, 7.10 and 10.68 times greater than the coefficient of a non-imprinted [P(HEMATrp)] filtration cartridge, respectively. Similarly, the relative selectivity coefficients of the specific filtration cartridge in respect to competitor size for interferon/lysozyme, interferon/myoglobin and interferon/carbonic anhydrase pairs were calculated as 7.58, 10.40 and 11.68 under uncompetitive conditions whereas those values under competitive conditions were calculated as 1.08, 1.05 and 1.34, respectively. The results indicated that specific filtration cartridges developed could repeatedly adsorb interferon α-2b with a short separation time without any significant decrease in the adsorption capacity even if competitive conditions were conducted.


The present study aims to investigate the quality of the dyadic relationship between mild Alzheimer patients and their caregivers. The main objective is to evaluate the consistency, agreement and validity of the German version of the Scale for Quality of the Current Relationship in Caregiving (SQCRC). The secondary objective was to examine the association of relationship quality with quality of life (QOL) in patients with mild Alzheimer's disease (AD) and their caregivers.


We report the results of our studies on the optical and thermal properties of the mixture of two non-mesogenic compounds viz., Berberine (BBE) and OrthophosphoricAcid (H3PO4). Themixture exhibits very interesting induced smectic phases, such as SmA, SmC* and SmE phases for different concentrations of BBE sequentially when the specimen is cooled from its isotropic phase. Different liquid crystalline phases observed in these mixtures were studied using DSC, X-ray and Optical microscopic techniques. The temperature variation of optical anisotropy has also been discussed. Helfrich potential and Elastic moduli have been estimated in the smectic phase using Helfrich model.


The Third EISMINT Workshop on Model Intercomparison was held in the SunStarHotel in Grindelwald from Thursday September 27 th to Saturday September 29 th 1997.The principal objective of this meeting was to discuss the results of the final phase ofthe model intercomparison venture, where existing ice-flow models were comparedunder real-world situations and under much more challenging conditions than hadbeen the case during previous workshops held in Brussels in 1993 and Bremerhavenin 1994.A first planning meeting to prepare the Grindelwald workshop was organized i nBrussels on 29-30 March 1996. This planning meeting was attended by Drs. RichardHindmarsh, Doug MacAyeal, Catherine Ritz, Vincent Rommelaere, Tony Payne,Mikhail Verbitsky, and Philippe Huybrechts. We discussed which tests we consideredmost useful for the third phase of the venture, what suitable data would be available,and how the work could be practically organised. It was decided to define 5intercomparison topics (Greenland models; Antarctic models; Ice-shelf models;Thermomechanical effects; and Grounding-line treatments), each of which would betaken care of by a coordinator. The respective coordinators (C. Ritz, T. Payne, and P.Huybrechts) first performed the experiments they designed themselves, and thenproduced a written description. All was put on the web in September 1996(http://homepages.vub.ac.be/~phuybrec/eismint.html), and widely advertised, bothdirectly to previous participants, as on the E-mail forum of the InternationalGlaciological Society. These documents form part of this report.Participants could directly load the experimental descriptions and the required datasetsfrom the webpages set up in Brussels, with further links to sites in Grenoble andSouthampton. Results of the tests were sollicited before May 1 st 1997. During thesummer of 1997, the respective topic coordinators collated and plotted with somestudent help all results for presentation in Grindelwald.In total, 13 scientists participated in the various experiments, most of them in morethan one topic. Almost all major ice-sheet and ice-shelf modeling groups wererepresented at the meeting, with a dominance of European groups, but also includingseveral groups and individuals from Japan, the USA and Canada. The workshop wasattended by 21 persons from 8 different countries, including 3 non-European.The workshop itself took three days. The first day was entirely devoted to a plenarypresentation and discussion of the model intercomparison results by topiccoordinators. This was followed during the second morning by group discussions ofmodel results per intercomparison topic, and a plenary presentation of conclusions bydesignated rapporteurs. Highlights of the intercomparison results and the minutes ofthe group discussions form the major part of this report, and summarise the mainachievements of the workshop. It was agreed to write up the main results in threeseparate papers prepared by the respective topic coordinators and co-authored by theparticipants. These papers are to be submitted to the international literature within thenext few months.From the intercomparison results, it turned out that most of the Greenland modelsproduced very similar results. As these models only dealt with grounded ice dynamics,this clearly indicated that the previous intercomparison tests concentrating onnumerics and detecting errors in the various codes had borne fruit (topic 1). Two moreor less complete Antarctic models dealing with the entire ice-sheet/ ice-shelf systemwere presented at the meeting. An interesting difference between these two modelsconcerned the way the grounding zone is treated, which resulted in a differentchronology of, in particular, the history of the last deglaciation in West Antarctica(topic 2). The two ice-shelf models participating in the ice-shelf tests behaved nearlyidentical, thereby confirming previous results from the Ross Ice Shelf benchmark(topic 3). Perhaps most interestingly, all thermomechanically coupled models wereshown to exhibit the radial instabilities in basal temperature and ice flux firstdocumented in papers by Tony Payne, confirming that these instabilities are probablynot a mere product of the particular numerics employed by Tony in his prior work(topic 4). A concensus on how to deal with the marine ice-sheet problem andgrounding-line dynamics, on the other hand, could not be established. All modelsbehaved very differently, raising fundamental questions about the state of equilibriumand stability of the ice-sheet/ ice-shelf junction, and the reversibility of the process ofgrounding-line migration, which subjects deserve to be investigated more thoroughlyin future work (topic 5).The afternoon of the second day was devoted to an open talks session on recentdevelopments in the field of ice-flow modeling. Talks were presented on topics likedealing with small-scale features such as outlet glaciers and ice streams, thegrounding-line problem, numerical techniques, basal boundary conditions, and modelapplications to West Antarctica and the northern hemisphere ice sheets.Taking advantage of the splendidly clear weather on the third day, the 'informaldiscussions' were continued on Jungfraujoch, where we hiked to theMonchsjochhutte. The excellent views on Aletschgletscher and the surroundingmountains were very much appreciated.In all, the general feeling was that the series of intercomparison workshops heldbetween 1993 and 1997 have definitely pushed the art of ice sheet modelling a decisivestep forward. It has enabled groups and individuals worldwide to further develop andimprove their dynamic ice-flow codes. Several European groups are now in possessionof upgraded models that have been thoroughly tested under a wide variety ofboundary conditions. These models can therefore be considered as sufficiently reliabletools to better investigate ice sheets and their interaction with the climate system.


This new CEPS Policy Brief boldly asserts that the antitrust case launched by DG Competition against Gazprom on September 4th will turn out to be the landmark antitrust case of this decade, in much the same way that Microsoft v. Commission was the defining antitrust lawsuit of the last decade. The paper argues that, for a host of political and economic reasons, this case is likely to be hard fought by both sides to a final prohibition decision and then onwards into the EU courts. In the process, the European gas market and the powers of DG Competition in the energy field are likely to be transformed.


Penicillium aurantiogriseum Dierckx was cultivated on six agar substrates (barley meal agar, oat meal agar, wheat meal agar, malt extract agar, Czapek agar, and Norkrans agar) and on oat grain for 5 days in cultivation vessels provided with an inlet and an outlet for air. Volatile metabolites produced by the cultures were collected on a porous polymer adsorbent by passing an airstream through the vessel. Volatile metabolites were collected between days 2 and 5 after inoculation. CO2 production was simultaneously measured, and after the cultivation period ergosterol contents and the numbers of CFU of the cultures were determined. Alcohols of low molecular weight and sesquiterpenes were the dominant compounds found. During growth on oat grain the production of 8-carbon alcohols and 3-methyl-1-butanol was higher and the production of terpenes was lower than during growth on agar substrates. The compositions of the volatile metabolites from oat grain were more similar to those from wheat grain, which was used as a substrate in a previous investigation, than to those produced on any of the agar substrates. Regarding the agar substrates, the production of terpenes was most pronounced on the artificial substrates (Czapek agar and Norkrans agar) whereas alcohol production was highest on substrates based on cereals. The production of volatile metabolites was highly correlated with the production of CO2 and moderately correlated with ergosterol contents, whereas no correlation with the numbers of CFU was found. Thus, the volatile metabolites formed and the ergosterol contents of fungal cultures should be good indicators of present and past fungal activity.


UNLABELLED
High-surface-area π-conjugated polymeric networks have the potential to lend outstanding capacitance to supercapacitors because of the pronounced faradaic processes that take place across the dense intimate interface between active material and electrolytes. In this report, we describe how benzo[1,2-b:3,4-b':5,6-b″]trithiophene (BTT) and tris(ethylenedioxythiophene)benzo[1,2-b:3,4-b':5,6-b″]trithiophene (TEBTT) can serve as 2D (trivalent) building blocks in the development of electropolymerized hierarchical π-conjugated frameworks with particularly high areal capacitance. In comparing electropolymerized networks of BTT, TEBTT, and their copolymers with EDOT, we show that TEBTT/EDOT-based copolymers, i.e., P(TEBTT/EDOT), can achieve higher areal capacitance (e.g., as high as 443.8 mF cm(-2) at 1 mA cm(-2)) than those achieved by their respective homopolymers (PTEBTT and PEDOT) in the same experimental conditions of electrodeposition (PTEBTT: 271.1 mF cm(-2) (at 1 mA cm(-2)) and

PEDOT
12.1 mF cm(-2) (at 1 mA cm(-2))). For example, P(TEBTT/EDOT)-based frameworks synthesized in a 1:1 monomer-to-comonomer ratio show a ca. 35× capacitance improvement over PEDOT. The high areal capacitance measured for P(TEBTT/EDOT)-based frameworks can be explained by the open, highly porous hierarchical morphologies formed during the electropolymerization step. With >70% capacitance retention over 1000 cycles (up to 89% achieved), both PTEBTT- and P(TEBTT/EDOT)-based frameworks are resilient to repeated electrochemical cycling and can be considered promising systems for high life cycle capacitive electrode applications.


Semiconductor quantum dots (Qdots) have been utilised as probes in fluorescent microscopy and provide an alternative to fluorescent dyes and fluorescent proteins, due to their brightness, photostability, and the possibility to excite different Qdots with a single wavelength. In spite of these attractive properties, their take up by biologists has been somewhat limited and only a few Qdot conjugates are commercially available for the labelling of cellular targets. Although, many protocols have been reported for the specific labelling of proteins with Qdots, the majority of these relied on Qdot-conjugated antibodies synthesised specifically by the authors and therefore not broadly available, which limits the scope of applications and complicates replication. Here, the specificity of a commercially available Qdot conjugated secondary antibody (Qdot-Ab), for different antigens, was tested. Antigens were labelled simultaneously with a fluorescent dye coupled to a secondary antibody (Dye-Ab) and the Qdot-Ab. Although, the Dye-Ab labelled all of the intended target proteins, the Qdot-Ab only bound to some of the protein targets in the cytosol and could not reach the nucleus even after extensive cell permeabilisation.


What is effective climate change adaptation, at a time in history where the call for transformative change is on the increase? This article considers how to expand and deepen the largely techno-managerial concept of adaptation, often framed as that of reacting to and accommodating climate change, by integrating human interiority in a more balanced way. While the psychological and social dimensions of the climate change issue have been studied, they are less equally weighted alongside the climate science; some studies suggest that improving the integration of psycho-social change processes will be important for effective adaptation and may bode helpful in enacting transformative change. In this article, I explain my rationale and methods for including the lesser-known discipline of adult developmental psychology to examine how people make meaning of climate change, which may have important implications for adaptation policy and practice. Studies exist on 'what' people believe about climate change, but the insights from developmental psychology help to explain 'why' meaning is organized as it is. Explaining what understandings people hold is akin to the shortest distance between two points, but considering why meaning was construed as such is the scenic route. I argue that 'taking the scenic route' to consider the perspective-taking processes that produce such a spectrum of views on climate change may hold potential for a more comprehensive response to such a complex issue, not only to grasp why these meanings differ so vastly, but also to support improved collaboration and to help engage in adaptation as transformation.


"They feel the hand of God moving them within, and the impulses of the Spirit, and cannot be mistaken in what they feel." -- John Locke, Essay Concerning Human Understanding (1690) THE REJUVENATED Christian Right is the self-appointed conscience of American society. Without its unique brand of divinely inspired goading, its leaders believe, the nation is destined to sink into the compost heaps of atheism and secular humanism.[1] Armed with Biblical virtue and an unwavering certainty that they are right, the legions of the Christian Right are displaying unforeseen clout and sophistication in the public square of education. The Christian/Religious/New/Evangelical/Protestant Right is old wine in new bottles bearing a variety of labels.[2] Whatever it is called, its current version is making tall waves, nowhere more visibly than in the vulnerable dominions of educational curriculum and governance. After a series of misadventures and miscalculations by its leaders in the mid- and late 1980s, the Religious Right was dismissed by political pundits and mainline religious spokespersons as a collection of buffoonish has-beens. Yet it has reemerged better organized, more sharply focused, and much wiser in the ways of postmodern secular society. Its all-out assaults on abortion, pornography, homosexuality, feminism, and our "godless" schools have elicited support across otherwise wide cultural chasms. Where the schools are concerned, the Christian Right may be on a roll. The attitudes of the larger culture and its opinion shapers are showing signs of merging with some of the Christian Right's longtime pre-occupations with clean living, solid academic grounding, and respect for the family. Nothing obsesses the Religious Right more than getting children off to a strong moral start -- a troublesome task under normal conditions and even more so at a time of disintegrating values, order, and social institutions. If, as so many religious conservatives and extremists believe, children are the "inheritors of original sin" and are thus susceptible to indecent temptations, then exposing them to the evils of today's morally declining schools is risky and possibly calamitous.[3] Sara Diamond, a leading analayst of the Religious Right, puts it bluntly: "The right to determine how and by whom the minds of children are molded is the most valued prize in the tug of war between the Christian Right and secular society."[4] IN EXAMINING the new Christian Right's designs for the mindset with regard to education, it is useful to acknowledge that nearly all of us have strains of fundamentalism or absolutism in our makeup, if not in a religious sense then as a matter of personal or intellectual style. Whether we pattern ourselves after Khomeini ("Islam contains everything; Islam includes everything; Islam is everything") or after Lombardi ("Winning isn't everything; it's the only thing") or after anyone else, most of us are convinced that we possess some special truth or uniquely unchallengeable knowledge about something of consequence. Nations, cultures, and leaders of all ideological colorations are equally susceptible to the appeal of fundamentalism. Indeed, its religious variety may prove to be "the last great ideological upsurge of the 20th century."[5] From Operation Rescue to the turmoil in the former Soviet republics, fundamentalists of one persuasion or another seem bent on countering the forces of secularism and modernity. They divide the world into "embattled camps of good and evil -- in which [they] see themselves as a divinely called group, set apart from others, bound to a strict code of behavior and frequently subject to a charismatic leader."[6] Thus it is that the Rev. Marion "Pat" Robertson, still the leading light of the Evangelical Protestant Right,[7] can say (and appear to believe profoundly) that the U.S. Constitution "is a marvelous document for self-government by a Christian people. …


The Alpine Fault, and the recurved arc structures (orocline) in the late Palaeozoic-Mesozoic Rangitata Orogen, are two of the first-order structures of the New Zealand subcontinent. A commonly held view is that the orocline originated as a gigantic drag fold with Alpine Fault movement. In view of the post-Oligocene age of the Alpine Fault, however, this concept, involving a single recurved arc, cannot reconcile the two published sets of palaeomagnetic data on tectonic rotations within the Rangitata Orogen and its cover rocks. These data indicate at least 62° of dextral rotation during each of the Mesozoic Rangitata Orogeny and the late Cenozoic Kaikoura Orogeny. A new model presented here postulates that there are actually two dextral recurved arcs. A Western Arc, which lies mainly outside the Australia–Pacific plate boundary zone, has a multiple origin having formed chiefly during the late Triassic phase of the Rangitata Orogeny by the subduction accretion of the exotic Rakaia terrane. An Eastern Arc coincides with the area of the present plate boundary zone. It formed as a mega, brittle–ductile, shear zone with the late Cenozoic development of the modern Australia–Pacific plate boundary, which includes the Alpine Fault. This solves the problem of the nature and location, north of the Alpine Fault, of the relative plate movement evident as 480 km of displacement on the Alpine Fault. A major implication of this model for plate tectonic reconstructions of the SW Pacific is that only approximately 500 km of dextral displacement has occurred through New Zealand during the late Cretaceous–Cenozoic compared with the commonly adopted figure of 1000 km.


The purpose of SWEtaxben is to evaluate the impact of changes in the tax/benefit systems on households as well as the central governmental budget. Relating to the micro simulation literature this model can be labeled a static micro simulation model with behavioral changes. This behavioral change takes two different forms and use two different types of models; first binary models that describe mobility in/out from non-work states such as old age pension, disability, unemployment, long term sickness and second models that describe change in working hours and welfare participation. Thus, apart from the choice to work or not to work, working hours conditional on working as well as welfare participation are treated as endogenous variables. As an application the model is used to evaluate the recent Swedish "make work pay" reform, effective from 2007 and further reinforced in 2008 and 2009. The key characteristic of this reform is an in-work tax credit and decreased state tax rate. Simulations performed by SWEtaxben show increased working hours at both the intensive as well as extensive margin. The tax decrease together with dynamic changes results in a strong increase in household's incomes but also a reduction in income inequality. However, even considering the increase in hours of work, the reform is far from being self-financed.


This work is subdivided in three chapters. In the first chapter the synthesis of a 7,7'-bridged 1,1'-Biisoquinoline by a Pomeranz-Fritsch-Reaction is described. This molecule was seperated in its atropisomers which racemice in solution. The influence of the solvent character to the rate of racemization was investigated. It has been shown that the more polar and the more protic the solvent is the higher is the rate of racemization. The second chapter introduces an easy synthetic route to 6-substituted Benzimidazo[2,1-a]isoquinolines and in the single case of a Furyl-substituent to Isoindolo[2,1-a]quinoxalins. The starting materials, ortho-Alkynyl-substituted Benzaldehydes, are prepared by Sonogashira-Coupling of the Bromobenzaldehydes with different substituted terminal Alkynes. The reaction of o,o'- Bis(phenylethinyl)-substituted Benzil with Hydroxylamine Hydrochloride leads to a rearranged Benzofluorenon. The formation is explained by a domino process including a cyclization-step, a Hetero-Diels-Alder reaction and the final rearrangement. In the third chapter the stereochemical outcome of the McMurry reaction is investigated depending on the length of a tether between the meta and meta'-position of an Bisbenzaldehyde. Only the short dioxapentandiyl tethered Bisbenzaldehyde forms streoselectiv the cis-product. Starting with the dioxaoctandiyl- or dioxatetradecandiyl-tethered Bisbenzaldehydes the thermodynamical more stable trans products are obtained. In a second part the regioselectivity of the oxidative photocyclization of these McMurry-products, leading to tethered Phenathrenes, has been investigated. The dioxapentandiyl- and the dioxaoctandiyl-substituted Stilbenes leads regioselectiv to the 4,5-disubstituted Phenathrenes. Whereas the longer dioxatetradecandiyl-tether allows a change in the product ratio and the 2,5-disubstituted Phenanthrene is obtained as the major product. In all cases no 2,7-Phenanthrene could be detected.


Abstract Background: The ability to manage hearing aids is crucial for successful outcomes and for maintaining hearing aid use. It is therefore important to have a tool that can effectively identify which hearing aid management skills are lacking so that the audiologist can provide additional education and training on that skill. Such a tool can also provide useful quantitative data for researchers. Purpose: To collect normative data (Experiment 1) and assess inter- and intrarater reliability (Experiment 2) for a hearing aid management assessment tool known as the Hearing Aid Skills and Knowledge (HASK) test. Study Sample: Two hundred thirty-six new hearing aid users recruited from the VA Portland Health Care System and 126 experienced hearing aid users recruited from the local Portland community participated in Experiment 1. The veteran participants were taking part in a larger hearing aid study, and the community participants were recruited at community events that took place around Portland, OR. Three clinical audiologists and two AuD students completing their fourth year externship participated in Experiment 2. Data Collection and Analysis: In Experiment 1, HASK data were collected from the new hearing aid users at 4–8 wk and 6–8 mo after the fitting of their first pair of hearing aids, and from experienced users on a single occasion. In addition, self-reported hearing aid use, benefit, and satisfaction were assessed for all participants. The audiologists/students in Experiment 2 watched and independently scored videos of six individuals completing the HASK. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) across audiologists were computed for HASK scores. Three audiologists/students rated at least one video on two occasions to provide interrater reliability data. Results: Mean performance on the HASK was about 70% for knowledge and 80% for skills for both the new and experienced hearing aid users. Performance did not change among the new users between the 4–8 wk and 6–8 mo administration. The specific skills lacking were associated with advanced management abilities (cleaning and troubleshooting). Experiment 2 revealed ICCs for inter- and intrarater reliability for HASK to range from 0.76 to 0.94, showing acceptable to excellent reliability. Conclusions: The HASK is a quick and easy test with good-to-excellent inter- and intrarater reliability. It can effectively identify which hearing aid management skills are lacking so that the audiologist can provide additional education and training on those skills. Data show performance is ∼70% for knowledge and 80% for skills and this does not change with hearing aid experience. The significant positive correlations between HASK scores and hearing aid use and satisfaction highlight the notion that ability to manage hearing aids successfully is integral to good hearing aid outcome.


Identification and reconciliation of counselor expectations between consumer and counselor is believed to increase the counselor-consumer working alliance, which by extension will improve rehabilitation counseling outcomes. The purpose of this article is to describe the development of the Expectations About Rehabilitation Counseling (EARC) scale, one of the component measures used within the working alliance framework for enhancing counselor-consumer working relationship in rehabilitation. Principal components analysis results indicate a four-component solution (expectations about counselor behavior, expectations about consumer behavior, expectations about vocational services, and expectations about clinical and support services) to be optimal both in terms of parsimony and interpretability. This article provides empirical evidence for the factorial structure of the EARC scale. Consumers and counselors were found to differ significantly on two counseling expectancy factors: consumer behavior and clinical/support services. Discrepancies in counseling expectancies between counselors and consumers are inversely related to working alliance. Clinical applications of the EARC scale are discussed.


A new spectrometer for studying photoinduced fragmentation has been designed and commissioned. The instrument produces a detailed view of the energy and angular emission of fragments, which in the case of small molecules can be related to their geometry at the moment of dissociation. The spectral profiles for single, double and triple ion coincidences are analyzed in terms of molecular alignment, and nuclear dynamics. A model based upon molecular symmetry and dipole excitation was developed for interpreting multi-coincidence spectra where all ionic fragments are measured. The basic principles of the model can be applied to higher-order fragmentation processes as well, and a picture of molecular dynamics has been obtained. In the case of molecular dissociation, anisotropy of the fragments and thus the geometry of the molecules at the moment of dissociation has been of special interest. The measurements performed on ammonia, sulfur dioxide, water, ozone and nitrogen show clear evidence of anisotropy arising from alignment upon core excitation. This provides information on the symmetry of the core excited state as well as geometry changes. The anisotropy indirectly provides information on localization/delocalization of the core excitation. Oxygen 1s to "sigma like" transitions show clear evidence for localized excitation in ozone but not in sulfur dioxide. Moreover the spectrometer is used to perform multi-coincidence studies of dynamic effects of argon cluster fragmentation. Both size and energy dependent measurements are reported. Evidence for nuclear rearrangements before fragmentation is found for small ( ~ 5) argon clusters by studying the fragmentation patterns around the argon 2p threshold. The time frame of dissociation for various cluster sizes is also presented. This in connection with a model describing the influence on the peaks shapes for dissociation on a picosecond to microsecond time scale in the spectrometer. (Less)


Under the Athenian democracy, litigants were expected to speak for themselves, though they could memorize a speech written for them. The texts of about one hundred judicial speeches of the genos dikanikon (the forensic genre) have survived, all attributed to Demosthenes or another of the ten writers of canonical status. These professionals wrote either for themselves or members of a small elite. Victor Bers argues that men too poor to afford a professionally written speech frequently spoke before judicial bodies in procedures crucial to their status, wealth, or even their lives, and that these amateur performances often manifested an unmanly yielding to emotions of anger or fear. Professional speech, Bers seeks to demonstrate, was to a large degree crafted in reaction to amateur stumbling.


One of the most important things you can do to change your lifestyle for the better is understand your readiness for change. In other words, although you might want to be in great shape, there's a difference between wanting it and being ready to make the commitment and do the work necessary to accomplish it. In this questionnaire we'll find out if you're really ready to make the changes necessary to improve your body composition, health, and physical performance. Simply answer the questions below by selecting the response most appropriate to your situation. Once you've completed all the questions, your score will be calculated. And remember, be honest. You're doing this exercise to find out if you're really ready to make a lifestyle change. So don't lie to yourself.


Green infrastructure at the parcel scale provides critical ecosystem goods and services when these services (such as flood mitigation) must be provided locally. Here we report on an approach that encourages suburban landowners to mitigate impervious surfaces on their properties through a voluntary auction mechanism. We used an economic incentive to place rain gardens and rain barrels onto parcels in a 1.8-km2 watershed near Cincinnati, Ohio. A comprehensive hydrologic, water-quality, and ecological monitoring campaign documented environmental conditions before and after treatment. In 2007 and 2008, we engaged private landowners through a reverse auction to encourage placement of one rain garden and up to four rain barrels on their property. The program led to the installation of 83 rain gardens and 176 rain barrels onto more than 20% of the properties, and preliminary analyses indicate that the overall discharge regime was altered by the treatments. The length of the study (six years) may have precluded observation of treatment effects on water quality and aquatic biological communities, as we would expect these conditions to respond more slowly to management changes. These distributed storm-water installations contributed to ecosystem services such as flood protection, water supply, and water infiltration; provided benefits to the local residents; and reduced the need for larger, expensive, centralized retrofits (such as deep tunnel storage).


Different options have been suggested by Parties to the UNFCCC (United Framework Convention on Climate Change) for inclusion in national approaches to REDD and REDD + (reduced deforestation, reduced degradation, enhancement of forest carbon stocks, sustainable management of forest, and conservation of forest carbon stocks). This paper proposes that from the practical and technical points of view of designing action for REDD and REDD + at local and sub-national level, as well as from the point of view of the necessary MRV (monitoring, reporting and verification), these should be grouped into three categories: conservation, which is rewarded on the basis of no changes in forest stock, reduced deforestation, in which lowered rates of forest area loss are rewarded, and positive impacts on carbon stock changes in forests remaining forest, which includes reduced degradation, sustainable management of forest of various kinds, and forest enhancement. Thus we have moved degradation, which conventionally is grouped with deforestation, into the forest management group reported as areas remaining forest land, with which it has, in reality, and particularly as regards MRV, much more in common. Secondly, in the context of the fact that REDD/REDD + is to take the form of a national or near-national approach, we argue that while systematic national monitoring is important, it may not be necessary for REDD/REDD + activities, or for national MRV, to be started at equal levels of intensity all over the country. Rather, areas where interventions seem easiest to start may be targeted, and here data measurements may be more rigorous (Tier 3), for example based on stakeholder self-monitoring with independent verification, while in other, untreated areas, a lower level of monitoring may be pursued, at least in the first instance. Treated areas may be targeted for any of the three groups of activities (conservation, reduced deforestation, and positive impact on carbon stock increases in forest remaining forest).


Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines containing types 16 and 18 are likely to be effective in preventing cervical cancer associated with these HPV types. No information currently exists in Botswana concerning the HPV types causing precancerous or cancerous lesions. Our goal was to determine the prevalence of HPV types associated with precancerous cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) stages 2 and 3 in HIV-infected women in Gaborone, Botswana. HIV-infected women referred to our clinic with high-grade intraepithelial lesion on the Pap smear were enrolled in the study. HPV typing was only performed if the histopathology results showed CIN stage 2 or 3 disease using linear array genotyping (CE-IVD, Roche Diagnostics).One hundred HIV-infected women were identified with CIN stages 2 or 3 between August 11, 2009 and September 29, 2010. Eighty-two of 100 women enrolled had coinfection by multiple HPV subtypes (range, 2 to 12). Of the remaining 18 women, 14 were infected with a single high-risk subtype and 4 had no HPV detected. Overall, 92 (92%) women were infected with at least 1 high-risk HPV subtype, and 56 were coinfected with more than 1 high-risk HPV type (range, 2 to 5). Fifty-one (51%) women had HPV subtypes 16, 18, or both. HPV 16 and 18 are the most common types in HIV-infected women with CIN 2 or 3 in Gaborone, Botswana, suggesting that the implementation of HPV vaccination programs could have a significant impact on the reduction of cervical cancer incidence. However, given the relative lack of knowledge on the natural history of cervical cancer in HIV-infected women and the significant prevalence of infection and coinfection with other high-risk HPV types in our sample, the true impact and cost-effectiveness of such vaccination programs need to be evaluated.


. The importance of spatial clusters, or " hotspots, " in infectious disease epidemiology has been increas-ingly recognized, and targeting hotspots is often seen as an important component of disease-control strategies. However, the precise meaning of " hotspot " varies widely in current research and policy documents. Hotspots have been variously described as areas of elevated incidence or prevalence, higher transmission efficiency or risk, or higher probability of disease emergence. This ambiguity has led to confusion and may result in mistaken inferences regarding the best way to target interventions. We surveyed the literature on epidemiologic hotspots, examining the multitude of ways in which the term is used; and highlight the difference in the geographic scale of hotspots and the properties they are supposed to have. In response to the diversity in the term ' s usage, we advocate the use of more precise terms, such as " burden hotspot, " " transmission hotspot, " and " emergence hotspot, " as well as explicit speci-fication of the spatiotemporal scale of interest. Increased precision in terminology is needed to ensure clear and effective policies for disease control.


Images of children and families abound in the works of the French Impressionists, from Claude Monet's portraits of his young sons to Mary Cassatt's endearing images of mother and child. In Impressionist Children, Greg M. Thomas offers new perspectives on some of the most famous paintings in art history, explaining how they reflect the dominant social, cultural, and political aspects of Parisian middle-class life in the late 1800s. Drawing on letters, children's books, tourist guidebooks, and 19th-century texts on child development, parenting, and education, Thomas skillfully demonstrates how childhood became a crucial theme for its embodiment of adult ideas about childhood, the family, sexuality, work and leisure, national culture, and, above all, the formation and reproduction of bourgeois identity. He discusses paintings, prints, drawings, and sculptures by Impressionist artists and investigates the influence of popular visual culture-fashion, toys, studio photography, and illustrations in books, magazines, and park guides-on the Impressionists' conceptualization of childhood and family relations.


: The article presents the results of studies of the effects of movers of agricultural tractors and machinery on the soil. To identify the multiplicity of passes of tractors and aggregates, special experience was laid down on the degree of compaction of the soil and the productivity of cotton. The degree of compaction of the soil was studied at 1, -3, -5, and 8-fold passes through the field. The main characteristics of tractor propulsion are given. A structural diagram of the ways, methods and factors of reducing the compaction effect of the running systems of machines on the soil is presented. In order to reduce the area of field compaction, a study is made of the kinematics of motion of machine-tractor units. To speed up the calculations, a special logarithmic nomogram was constructed with a 45-degree course of the solution beam.


Buton rock asphalt (BRA) is a type of natural asphalt found in Buton Island, located at southeast of Sulawesi Island of Indonesia. Because of different situations during its sedimentation process, the content of bitumen in the rock varies. The BRA used in this study contained about 20 % of bitumen by weight, with loose, black fine particles. A laboratory testing program was carried out in this study to evaluate the effects of the BRA on both the asphalt binder and asphalt concrete mixture. In the first part, a commonly used asphalt binder in China for pavement construction was used as the control binder sample. Specimens containing 0, 25, 50, 75, and 100 % of BRA, by weight of the Pen60/80 binder, in addition to the base Pen60/80 binder, were subjected to penetration test, ring and ball softening test, and the dynamic shear rheometer (DSR) test to assess their rheological properties. All tests were performed on original asphalt binders as well as short-term aged asphalt binders after the rolling thin film oven test (RTFOT). Test results showed that, with increasing BRA content, the binder's penetration decreased, softening point increased, dynamic viscosity at 60°C increased, and complex modulus increased. The incorporation of BRA in the binder also changed the viscoelastic property of the asphalt binder. For all binders, with increasing testing temperature, the elastic portion of the binder stiffness decreased; however, the rates of decrease were different for different combinations of binders. Within the temperature range of the testing, the BRA modified asphalt binder retained a more elastic portion than the unmodified binder did. The trend was more significant at higher temperatures. From testing on samples subjected to RTFOT, BRA can improve the binder's ability in resisting aging. Furthermore, BRA was more effective in affecting the rheological properties when its content was more than 50 % of the weight of the Pen60/80 asphalt binder. It is therefore recommended that, during a paving operation, the BRA optimal content should be about 2.0 to 2.5 % of the total weight of the asphalt concrete mixture or more. In the second part of the testing, asphalt concrete mixture samples were prepared with the Pen60/80 asphalt binder and with binders containing 50 and 100 % of BRA by weight of the Pen60/80 binder (BRA: Pen60/80 = 0.5:1 and BRA: Pen60/80 = 1:1, respectively). For comparison purpose, styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS) modified asphalt concrete mixture samples were also prepared and were subjected to the same tests. Results from the rutting tests indicated that the BRA modified asphalt concrete mixtures had better rutting performance as compared to the control asphalt concrete mixture sample. The immersion Marshall test and the freeze-thaw splitting tensile test were performed on the samples to evaluate the influences of the BRA and SBS on water stability of the various asphalt concrete mixtures. Results showed that the BRA modified asphalt concrete mixture had similar water stability as the SBS modified asphalt concrete samples and both were better than unmodified asphalt concrete mixture. The fatigue life of the BRA modified asphalt concrete mixture was longer than that of the unmodified and the SBS modified asphalt concrete mixture samples, as determined by the semi-circular bending test.


In this letter, we report an experimental realization of distributing entangled photon pairs over 100 km of dispersion-shifted fiber. In the experiment, we used a periodically poled lithium niobate waveguide to generate the time-energy entanglement and superconducting single-photon detectors to detect the photon pairs after 100 km. We also demonstrate that the distributed photon pairs can still be useful for quantum key distribution and other quantum communication tasks.


Running since 1997 and continuing today, the Townsend Thai Project has tracked millions of observations about the economic activities of households and institutions in rural and urban Thailand. The project represents one of the most extensive datasets in the developing world. Chronicles from the Field offers an account of the design and implementation of this unique panel data survey. It tells the story not only of the origins and operations of the project but also of the challenges and rewards that come from a search to understand the process of a country's economic development. The book explains the technical details of data collection and survey instruments but emphasizes the human side of the project, describing the culture shock felt by city-dwelling survey enumerators in rural villages, the "surprising, eye-opening, and inspiring†responses to survey questions, and the never-ending resourcefulness of the survey team. The text is supplemented by an epilogue on research findings and policy recommendations and an appendix that contains a list and abstracts of published and working papers, organized by topic, using data from the project. Social and economic policies are too often skewed by political considerations. The Townsend Thai Project offers another basis for policy: accurate measurement based on thoroughly collected data. From this, a clear template emerges for understanding poverty and alleviating it.


Prepared by the Highway Innovative Technology Evaluation Center, a CERF Service Center. This report describes the HITEC evaluation plan for Bondade, made by Transpo Industries, a spray-applied, water-based solution that binds pothole repair materials to the pavement surface. The evaluation is designed to determine the effectiveness of Bondade in extending the service life of pothole repairs based on a comparison of the relative survival rates of repairs made with and without Bondade in a two-year field experiment. Although this evaluation plan was tailored to one product, as a service to public sector transportation officials the report was expanded to provide a reference document that includes guidelines that can be adapted for use with other types of pothole repair products. In addition to the evaluation plan, this manual contains research and background material that explain how to set up a well-controlled field evaluation that includes different pothole repair techniques, mixtures, and service environments.


Nonintervention has been a particularly important and occasionally disturbing principle for liberal scholars, such as John Stuart Mill and Michael Walzer, who share a commitment to basic and universal human rights. On the one hand, liberals have provided some of the strongest reasons to abide by a strict form of the nonintervention doctrine. It was only with the security of national borders that peoples could work out the capacity to govern themselves as free citizens. On the other hand, those very same principles of universal human dignity when applied in different contexts have provided justifications for overriding or disregarding the principle of nonintervention. In explaining this dual logic I present an interpretive summary of s'Mill famous argument against and for intervention, presented in his "A Few Words on Non-Intervention" (1859), that illustrates what makes Mill's "few words" both so attractive and alarming to us. We should be drawn to Mill's arguments because he is among the first to address the conundrums of modern intervention. The modern conscience tries simultaneously to adhere to three contradictory principles: first, the cosmopolitan, humanitarian commitment to assistance, irrespective of international borders; second, respect for the significance of communitarian, national self-determination; and, third, accommodation to the reality of international anarchy, which puts a premium on self-help national security. I stress, more than has been conventional, the consequentialist character of the ethics of both nonintervention and intervention. Comparing Mill's "Non-Intervention" and Walzer's Just and Unjust Wars (1977) links two classic statements on just wars of intervention. I conclude that interventionist arguments should go beyond the three paradigmatic cases Walzer explores in Just and Unjust Wars. But while they can draw on Mill's "Non-Intervention," they need to offer a more convincing set of criteria for when such interventions are likely to do more good than harm


The small hive beetle, Aethina tumida Murray (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae), is a significant pest of managed honeybees in the USA and eastern Australia. The beetle damages hives by feeding on hive products and leaving behind fermented wastes. The beetle is consistently associated with the yeast Kodamaea ohmeri (Etchells & Bell) Yamada et al. (Saccharomycetales: Metschnikowiaceae), and this yeast is the presumed agent of the fermentation. Previous work has noted that the small hive beetle is attracted to volatiles from hive products and those of the yeast K. ohmeri. In this study, we investigated how the volatile compounds from the fermenting hive products change depending upon the source of the hive material and also how these volatiles change through time. We used gas chromatography–mass spectrometry and choice‐test behavioural assays to investigate these changes using products sampled from apiaries across the established range of the beetle in eastern Australia. The starting hive products significantly affected the volatile composition of fermenting hive products, and this composition varied throughout time. We found 61.7% dissimilarity between attractive and non‐attractive fermenting hive products, and identified individual compounds that characterise each of these groups. Eleven of these individual compounds were then assessed for attractiveness, as well as testing a synthetic blend in the laboratory. In the laboratory bioassay, 82.1 ± 0.02% of beetles were trapped in blend traps. These results have strong implications for the development of an out‐of‐hive attractant trap to assist in the management of this invasive pest.


Schistosomes are parasitic worms that can survive in the hostile environment of the human bloodstream where they appear refractory to both immune elimination and thrombus formation. We hypothesize that parasite migration in the bloodstream can stress the vascular endothelium causing this tissue to release chemicals alerting responsive host cells to the stress. Such chemicals are called damage associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) and among the most potent is the proinflammatory mediator, adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Furthermore, the ATP derivative ADP is a pro-thrombotic molecule that acts as a strong activator of platelets. Schistosomes are reported to possess at their host interactive tegumental surface a series of enzymes that could, like their homologs in mammals, degrade extracellular ATP and ADP. These are alkaline phosphatase (SmAP), phosphodiesterase (SmNPP-5) and ATP diphosphohydrolase (SmATPDase1). In this work we employ RNAi to knock down expression of the genes encoding these enzymes in the intravascular life stages of the parasite. We then compare the abilities of these parasites to degrade exogenously added ATP and ADP. We find that only SmATPDase1-suppressed parasites are significantly impaired in their ability to degrade these nucleotides. Suppression of SmAP or SmNPP-5 does not appreciably affect the worms' ability to catabolize ATP or ADP. These findings are confirmed by the functional characterization of the enzymatically active, full-length recombinant SmATPDase1 expressed in CHO-S cells. The enzyme is a true apyrase; SmATPDase1 degrades ATP and ADP in a cation dependent manner. Optimal activity is seen at alkaline pH. The Km of SmATPDase1 for ATP is 0.4 ± 0.02 mM and for ADP, 0.252 ± 0.02 mM. The results confirm the role of tegumental SmATPDase1 in the degradation of the exogenous pro-inflammatory and pro-thrombotic nucleotides ATP and ADP by live intravascular stages of the parasite. By degrading host inflammatory signals like ATP, and pro-thrombotic signals like ADP, these parasite enzymes may minimize host immune responses, inhibit blood coagulation and promote schistosome survival.


This paper presents a multi-scale and multidisciplinary study of large, late Pleistocene or early Holocene slumps in Eocene sedimentary rocks at Mount Burnaby, just east of Vancouver, British Columbia (BC). Airborne LiDAR and field data were integrated into a GIS to understand the origin, kinematics, and subsequent history of the landslides. Products derived from the bare-earth LiDAR data include an engineering geomorphology map, shaded relief maps, and several LiDAR slope profiles. To understand the landslides better, we analyzed discontinuities and structural lineaments. The structure of the Eocene rocks underlying Mount Burnaby was compared with trends of local lineaments, and the shape of the coastline of Burrard Inlet and Indian Arm, and trends of regional faults and lineaments identified by previous researchers working in southwest BC. Two main joint systems likely played a key role in conditioning the north slope of Mount Burnaby for failure. The landslides probably happened during or soon after deglaciation of the area at the end of the Pleistocene on the steep north face of Mount Burnaby after a 200-m fall in relative sea level caused by glacio-isostatic uplift of the crust.


Background and Objective: Most of the dyes used in the textile industries can be toxic and carcinogenic. One of the suitable technologies to remove them is advanced oxidation processes. The main purpose of this study was to investigate the positive effect of adding oxidant Na2S2O8 to the photocatalytic process using TiO2 nano-particles immobilized on concrete and UV radiation for removal of Direct Blue71 dye. Materials and Methods: Concrete was covered by 40 g/m2 of TiO2 nanoparticles using SSP method. After selecting suitable oxidant concentration and optimum pH, initial dye concentration, UV irradiation intensity, and time, the efficiency and rate of dye removal and breaking amounts of benzene rings and COD variation were investigated in two systems of UV/TiO2 and UV/TiO2/ Na2S2O8. Results: in UV/TiO2 system, 50.48 percent dye removal was observed at initial dye concentration of 100 ppm, pH 9, and 90 Watt UV lamp after 55 minutes and for UV/TiO2/Na2S2O8 system, initial dye concentration of 200 ppm, pH 6.9, and 0.24 g/L oxidant under the same abovementioned conditions resulted in 88.65 percent dye removal. Conclusion: Oxidant addition increased the dye removal efficiency and decreased total time for complete decolorization indicating the positive effect of oxidant on photocatalytic process in dye removal.


A perfect irrotational fluid with the equation of state of dust, Irrotational Dark Matter (IDM), is incapable of virializing and instead forms a cosmoskeleton of filaments with supermassive black holes at the joints. This stark difference from the standard cold dark matter (CDM) scenario arises because IDM must exhibit potential flow at all times, preventing shell-crossing from occurring. This scenario is applicable to general non-oscillating scalar-field theories with a small sound speed. Our model of combined IDM and CDM components thereby provides a solution to the problem of forming the observed billion-solar-mass black holes at redshifts of six and higher. In particular, as a result of the reduced vortical flow, the growth of the black holes is expected to be more rapid at later times as compared to the standard scenario.


After protracted and difficult negotiations, agreement was recently reached on the dimensions of a South African-EU free trade deal. Because of South Africa's prominence in the sub-region, implementation of this agreement will have an impact not only on South Africa, but on all the SADC economies. This paper traces how this impact may be felt over time, using a multi-region model constructed to focus on the determination of sectoral and geographic trade patterns. By separatelymodeling South Africa and the rest of southern Africa, the model can be used to evaluate how alternative SADC regional trade strategies can influence how the EU deal affects the region's economies; by distinguishing among major trading partners (EU, North America, East Asia), the simulations can help illuminate how the trade deal will likely affect current trade patterns The empirical results lead to a number of conclusions: (1) trade creation dominates trade diversion for the region under all FTA arrangements; (2) the rest of southern Africa benefits from an FTA between the EU and South Africa — the recently signed bilateral agreement is not a "beggar thy neighbor" policy; (3) the rest of southern Africa gains more from zero-tariff access to EU markets than from a partial (50 percent) reduction in global tariffs; and (4) the South African economy is not large enough to serve as a growth pole for the region. Access to EU markets provides substantially bigger gains for the rest of southern Africa than does access to South Africa.


Advancements in medical technology coupled with a more thorough comprehension of oncologic diseases has resulted in a burgeoning number of aggressive treatment options available to cancer patients and a gradual loosening of the association between cancer and timely death. With the advent of extended life expectancies, however, the need to investigate the human and overall life impact of cancer diseases and treatments has increased dramatically (Langenhoff et al., 2001). This need to examine considerations of quality of life becomes even more essential in the context of high-risk treatments, such as cytoreductive surgery plus hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (CS+HIPEC), an extensive procedure offered to select candidates with peritoneal carcinomatosis from a variety of primary origins (Levine et al., 2007). A biopsychosocial model of research and clinical care (e.g. Wilson & Cleary, 1995) underscores the many levels and interrelationships of clinical, demographic, and psychosocial variables impacting survivors of such an invasive medical procedure, yet a paucity of methodologically sound psychosocial studies with these long-term CS+HIPEC survivors exists. The purpose of this investigation was to enhance our understanding of the multidimensional quality of life (QOL) and sleep quality of survivors who have lived 12 or more months post-CS+HIPEC. Additionally, the contributions of surgical and biological variables to long-term QOL were examined, as were changes in QOL scores over time in a subset of the sample. This descriptive data acquired enriches our knowledge of CS+HIPEC survivors' quality of survivorship, informs prospective candidates' treatment decision making processes, and enhances the standard of care by serving as a foundation for future psychosocial interventions.


A suitable climate, varied scenic terrain, and proximity of communities along Ontario's system of 39,742 km of snowmobile trails have provided for domestic and international snowmobile tourism. Outdoor winter tourism in many parts of the world has been identified to be at risk to changes in global climate. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in its Fourth Assessment Report (AR4) reported a global increase of temperature of 0.74 degrees Celsius for the period 1906 to 2005 and estimates that by the end of the 21 century the global mean temperature will increase between 1.8 degrees Celsius to 4.0 degrees Celsius. Temperature increases of only a few degrees may contribute to variances in snow-based tourism reliant on the reliability of natural snow cover. This study examines the spatial and temporal impacts of climate change scenarios upon snowmobile season length and operations within the snowmobile industry in the Province of Ontario Canada to six climate change scenarios for the 21 century. Snowmobile trail operations in Ontario are reliant upon a minimum natural snow cover of 15 cm for smooth terrain trails and 30 cm to 60 cm for rough terrain trails, temperatures less than 0 degrees Celsius and, human and financial capital. Three or more consecutive snowmobile seasons with ≤ 28 days have been identified as having serious implications for human and financial capital necessary to develop and maintain the snowmobile trail system. As early as the 2020s, north eastern snowmobile districts are projected to be least vulnerable to changes in climate with the longest snowmobile seasons > 28 days, while south central snowmobile districts are projected to be the most vulnerable to changes in climate with the shortest snowmobile seasons of < 28 days. Snowmobile trail managers identified possible strategies to adapt to a changing climate (2020s to 2080s) including: pre-season preparation of the terrain including early season packing of snow cover, re-location of the most vulnerable snowmobile trails, and strengthening inter-district alliances.


The implementation of mammographic screening programmes in many countries has been linked to a marked increase in early detection and improved prognosis for breast cancer patients. Breast tumours can be detected by assessing several features in mammographic images but one of the most common are the presence of small deposits of calcium known as microcalcifications, which in many cases may be the only detectable sign of a breast tumour. In addition to their efficacy in the detection of breast cancer, the presence of microcalcifications within a breast tumour may also convey useful prognostic information. Breast tumours with associated calcifications display an increased rate of HER2 overexpression as well as decreased survival, increased risk of recurrence, high tumour grade and increased likelihood of spread to the lymph nodes. Clearly, the presence of microcalcifications in a tumour is a clinically significant finding, suggesting that a detailed understanding of their formation may improve our knowledge of the early stages of breast tumourigenesis, yet there are no reports which attempt to bring together recent basic science research findings and current knowledge of the clinical significance of microcalcifications. This review will summarise the most current understanding of the formation of calcifications within breast tissue and explore their associated clinical features and prognostic value.


Diffuse panbronchiolitis (DPB) is a bronchiolar inflammatory process that is chronic, progressive, and seen almost exclusively in Asian patients. It usually occurs between the second and fifth decades of life, and two-thirds of the patients have no history of smoking. Symptoms include exertional dyspnea, cough with expectoration that in many cases exceeds 50 ml/day, sinus affectation, and dry rales. The typical radiological findings are bilateral diffuse micronodules, "tree-in-bud" pattern, and on occasion there may be bronchiectasis. The main histologic finding is the accumulation of foamy macrophages in the walls of respiratory bronchioles.1 The levels of cryoagglutinins, IgA, and RF are frequently altered and the lung function tests may show obstructive, restrictive, or mixed pattern. We present the case of a 56-year-old Caucasian woman who has never been a smoker and has no notable family, work, or pharmacological history. For the past 2 years, she has experienced daily persistent productive cough and dyspnea upon moderate exertion. Physical examination revealed bibasilar dry rales. The basic analytical data were normal, except for rheumatoid factor 53 IU/ml (normal <20 IU/ml) and immunoglobulin A 484 mg/dl (normal 82–453 mg/dl). Chest radiograph (Rx) showed small


Fluorescein dye is a synthetic organic compound available as a dark orange/ red powder soluble in water and alcohol. Fluorescein dye has an absorptionmaximumat 494 nmand emissionmaximumof 521 nm(inwater), the color of its aqueous solution varies from green to orange. In this study, fluorescein dye has been synthesized by the condensation of phthalic anhydride with resorcinol through a novel route of microwave irradiation technique under solvent free condition in high yields within a period of minutes in the presence of zinc chloride via the Friedel-Crafts reaction. The light fastness of the dyes was found to depend on the mobility of electrons through conjugated system from donating electron (OH) to electron withdrawing in (COO-) afforded a good value of light fastness. The structure of the dye is characterized and confirmed by melting point, elemental analysis, infrared, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV/VIS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) data. This dye was used for dyeing wool and nylon 6 inmicrowave. Dyeingwool and nylon 6 with the prepared fluorescein dye using microwave irradiation was investigated. Moreover fastness properties of the dyed fabrics were found to be better as comparable with conventional dyed fabrics which saving time, energy and decreasing liquor ratio in both synthesis of dye and its application to dye wool and nylon 6 were achieved.


Research about comparison on Pilkada political reality construction in local media based on statement by Farid M. Ibrahim on his article ?Media Massa, Pilkada? (Tribun, 17/07/207) says that model of journalism which dominates local mass media in Pilkada is horse race journalism; where media focuses on the horses without giving attention to the public needs. Intentionally or not, local media has done setting agenda which force people to get away from ?healthy? political process. Start from this reality, it?s important to examine the comparison on Pilkada political reality construction of local mass media which they have shown on the news around Pilkada Batu 2007, especially related to the mayor candidates of Batu City who joined Pilkada. As one of the new city, but had faced hard force from medias, of course the ?battle? is had not only by the candidates but also the local medias in Batu City. Here, we need to look on the media?s objectivity in guarding local democracy. So, that is why the researcher interests to know: (1) How is Batu City Pilkada political reality construction in local mass media in daily newspapers; Malang Post, Radar Malang, and Surya Malang Edition October 19-Novemer 5, 2007, and (2) How is the comparison of Batu Pilkada political reality construction in the news around it which were shown on those three newspapers. The research method that is used here is Analisis Wacana Kritis (Critical Discourse Analysis-CDA). The use of CDA here is meant to show the unity between text analysis, production process analysis, consumption and text distribution, and sociocultural which had spread around that issue. So, the unit which is analyzed is focused on the news around campaign by the candidates that were shown by those three newspapers. In this research, the units which were analyzed are not only on text structure, but also on how the text is made. Furthermore, in getting suitable research result with the statement problems and the research goal, researcher used collecting data technique by documenting and interviewing. The result of this research showed that those three Medias had involved on one-sided political claims about the mayor candidates which were reported. It was influenced by several factors just like economic factor, close relation factor (Malang Post); economic factor, politics (Radar Malang); economic factor, idealism (Surya Malang). So, there is a clear vision that economic factors had played the important role here. Political construction which was built through the news on those three Medias seemed unfitted if it was seen on the function of mass media itself as guard of democracy, but it was seemed as a supporter of one candidate only. So, in other words, it can be said that local press is still on chronicle point. It means press is still just like when it was in New Order (became slave of the authority) and now it does not totally change yet. Local newspaper obedience (even for national newspaper) are still on two sides; the authority (political will), and industrialists (economic will). Keyword : Konstruksi Realitas Politik; Pilkada; Media Lokal LInk terkait : http://skripsi.umm.ac.id/files/disk1/257/jiptummpp-gdl-s1-2008-hidayatulw-12816-pendahul-x.pdf


Drilling at Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Site U1381 on the Cocos Ridge offshore Costa Rica recovered 67 primary Miocene (ca. 8 Ma to ca. 16.5 Ma) marine fallout ash layers. Geochemical, volcanological, and geological criteria link these ashes to Plinian eruptions that carried ash to at least 50–450 km from the Galapagos hotspot. These ash layers are the first documentation of highly explosive Miocene Galapagos hotspot volcanism. This volcanism is bimodal with two-thirds of the tephra layers generated by basaltic magmas (glass compositions <57 wt% SiO2) and one-third by rhyolitic magmas. The temporal distribution of the tephra layers, inferred from sediment accumulation rates calibrated by 40Ar/39Ar and biostratigraphic ages, reveals a distinct increase in eruption frequency and hence increased volcanic activity of the Galapagos hotspot after 14 Ma which we interpret in the context of dynamic interaction between the Galapagos plume and spreading ridge.


Between criticism and affirmation: The action group Banat. Contributions towards German-Romanian literature in the 1970s
At the beginning of the 1970's a group of authors constituted the Aktionsgruppe Banat in Timisoara. The work of this group has decisively influenced contemporary German Literature in Romania. Because of the Aktionsgruppe Banat German-language writing from Romania became also an integral part of German literature. Its members made the respective social, political and cultural environment an important premise of their understanding of their role as writers. Working within a circle of friends with a shared sense belonging to a German-speaking minority in the Banat, and a shared sense of opposition to, petty bourgeois narrow-mindedness and to the Romanian regime at the time, these authors evince common strategies in their writing.


The total area covered by forest in Pakistan is 4.8%. Forest resources directly contribute to 80% of livelihood of people living in extreme poverty. Important NTFPs are; morels, honey, fruits and nuts, vegetable, condiments and spices, mazri palm, silk cocoon, and many other. 17 species of mushrooms are reported during the study and about 34% of local people are dependent on NTFPs for income generation from these products. Local people rely on their indigenous knowledge for collection, processing, packing, drying, marketing and consumption of various Non Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) especially mushrooms. Mushrooms, after collection and processing are sold to the middleman who then sells into main market. More than 65% of the product is lost during the way to main market with finished product. About 532280 kg were produced in 1997-98. There are problems like lack of awareness about collection and processing of various products and knowledge about marketing among local collectors. Extensive research is needed to study market trends and monopolies, wastage and unsustainability during different steps of processing, and govt. attitude toward NTFPs etc. Studies to be conducted through bottom-up approach for proper planning, better levels of production, sustainable income through sustainable utilization, training and capacity building of related personals, sustainable marketing and community for conservation.


An identical house in a different location is not priced the same. This is because a home-buyer does not pay only for the physical construction but for a lot of externalities like location, amenities, etc. Many authors have pointed out that most home-buyers have to make a trade-off, such as location for the size of the house, etc. In this paper, the researcher has tried to explore which segment of the urban home-buyers, give priority to which factor. The Hypotheses are that Price is the most important influencing factor for buyers of a small house ( 1 Bedroom + Hall + Kitchen), Location is the most important influencing factor for a moderate size house ( 2 Bedrooms + Hall + Kitchen) and Amenities is the most important influencing factor for a large house ( 3 Bedrooms + Hall + Kitchen). The study was carried out in Pune ( in India). A sample of 600 home-buyers ( 200 of 1 BHK, 200 of 2 BHK and 200 of 3 BHK, who had recently purchased a house were administered a structured questionnaire and the empirical analysis proved that for 1 BHK and for 2 BHK, the hypotheses were proved correct, but for 3 BHK the Product characteristics were the most important influencing factor instead of the amenities.


DAVIS, HARRY LYMAN (25 Jan. 1878 - 21 May 1950), 4-term mayor of Cleveland (1916-20, 1933-35) and governor of Ohio (1921-23), was born in NEWBURGH to Evan and Barbara Jones Davis. He left school at 13 to work in the steel mills, studying at home and night school. At 21, he became a solicitor for the Cleveland Telephone Co., and 3 years later founded the Davis Rate Adjustment Co., selling telephone securities. He later established the Harry L. Davis Co., selling insurance. He married Lucy V. Fegan in 1905 and had a son, Harry L., Jr. Davis was elected Republican city treasurer in 1909. In the 1915 mayoral election, the preferential election process used (see HOME RULE) gave his opponent, PETER WITT, more first-place votes; however, Davis won with a plurality of over 2,800 on a combination of first, second, and other choice votes. Davis established the MAYOR'S ADVISORY WAR COMMITTEE, and was reelected for 2 more terms, but resigned in May 1920 to campaign successfully for governor. During his term, he restructured the executive branch to include a cabinet of 7 directors to help administer state affairs. He did not run in 1922, but campaigned in 1924, losing to incumbent Vic Donahey. Returning to Cleveland, Davis opposed the CITY MANAGER PLAN, and worked unsuccessfully for passage of an amendment to abolish it in 1927, 1928, and 1929. He took little part in the successful 1931 attempt, although afterwards he was again elected mayor (1933-35). Davis died in Cleveland. Harry L. Davis Papers, WRHS.


First published in 1926. Don Juan was a Persian Moslem who became a Spanish Roman Catholic. His description of Persia and his account of the wars waged by the Persians during the sixteenth century considerably add to modern day knowledge of the history of the period. The book describes the Safavi rule as first established, and the system of government set up in the prime of Shah 'Abbas, as well as being an account of the long journey from Isfahan to Valladolid. Guy Le Strange's comprehensive introduction places the book in its historical context, as well as providing important information on how the book was written. Many of the inaccuracies of the original text are corrected in translation with references and notes added to the index to guide the reader.


A lidar system has been built to measure atmospheric-density fluctuations and the temperature in the upper stratosphere, the mesosphere, and the lower thermosphere, measurements that are important for an understanding of climate and weather phenomena. This lidar system, the Purple Crow Lidar, uses two transmitter beams to obtain atmospheric returns resulting from Rayleigh scattering and sodium-resonance fluorescence. The Rayleigh-scatter transmitter is a Nd:YAG laser that generates 600 mJ/pulse at the second-harmonic frequency, with a 20-Hz pulse-repetition rate. The sodium-resonance-fluorescence transmitter is a Nd:YAG-pumped ring dye laser with a sufficiently narrow bandwidth to measure the line shape of the sodium D(2) line. The receiver is a 2.65-m-diameter liquid-mercury mirror. A container holding the mercury is spun at 10 rpm to produce a parabolic surface of high quality and reflectivity. Test results are presented which demonstrate that the mirror behaves like a conventional glass mirror of the same size. With this mirror, the lidar system's performance is within 10% of theoretical expectations. Furthermore, the liquid mirror has proved itself reliable over a wide range of environmental conditions. The use of such a large mirror presented several engineering challenges involving the passage of light through the system and detector linearity, both of which are critical for accurate retrieval of atmospheric temperatures. These issues and their associated uncertainties are documented in detail. It is shown that the Rayleigh-scatter lidar system can reliably and routinely measure atmospheric-density fluctuations and temperatures at high temporal and spatial resolutions.


Gas transfer velocities across the air-water interface are correlated with wind speed, friction velocity, and radar backscatter from the surface in a large wind-wave tank in Delft, the Netherlands. The rates of sulfur hexafluoride and nitrous oxide exchange were measured at wind speeds ranging from 3.5 m/s to 20 m/s, and with mechanically generated waves in the 100 m long, 8 m wide, and 0.7 m deep tank. Gas transfer velocities were related to wind speed with a power law dependence. Gas transfer showed a linear dependence with friction velocity. An exponential relationship between gas transfer and average radar backscatter cross section fits the wind tunnel data well for microwave units operating at 13.5 and 35 GHz in VV and HH polarization. The relative rates of gas exchange of the two gases confirm an inverse square root dependence on the Schmidt number at intermediate wind speeds. A slight enhancement of sulfur hexafluoride exchange compared to nitrous oxide exchange was evident when breaking waves were present.


Background Left ventricular mass (LVM) is more closely associated with volume load than pressure load. We assessed whether part of the genetic heritability of LVM can be explained by stroke volume (SV) inheritance. Methods Echocardiographic LVM, SV and peripheral resistance were measured in 527 families with at least two relatives from the HyperGEN study (51% African–American, 43% men, 44% obese, 53% hypertensive). Included were 1792 subjects without prevalent cardiovascular disease, diabetes and renal failure. Ethnic-specific genetic correlations were estimated using a variance components procedure (SOLAR). Results Significant genetic correlations existed between LVM and SV after adjusting for age, sex, race, field center, systolic blood pressure, number of antihypertensive medications, and body mass index (ρg = 0.93 in African–Americans and 0.70 in Caucasians; both P < 0.0001). Urinary Na+ excretion or serum creatinine did not influence these correlations. After adjusting for covariates, heritability of LVM was greater (h2 = 0.46 in African–Americans and 0.47 in Caucasians; both P < 0.0001) than that for SV (h2 = 0.18 in African–Americans and 0.29 in Caucasians; both P < 0.02). Heritability of LVM slightly decreased in African–Americans (h2 = 0.34), but not in Caucasians (h2 = 0.45; both P < 0.0001) when SV was added to covariates. Heritability of SV almost disappeared by addition of LVM into the model in African–Americans (h2 = 0.04, P = not significant), whereas it was slightly reduced in Caucasians (h2 = 0.20, P < 0.005). Conclusion LVM and SV share a common genetic profile, but with only a modest reciprocal influence. Variability of LVM has some effect on calculated heritability of SV, especially in African–Americans, whereas the role of heritable volume load in determining the variability of LVM was modest only in African–Americans.


We report the discovery with the Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) of mHz X-ray brightness oscillations from the "clocked burster" GS 1826−238. NICER observed the source in the periods 2017 June 20–29, July 11–13, and September 9–15, for a total useful exposure of 34 ks. Two consecutive dwells obtained on 2017 September 9 revealed highly significant oscillations at a frequency of 8 mHz. The fractional, sinusoidal modulation amplitude increases from 0.7% at 1 keV to ≈2% at 6 keV. Similar oscillations were also detected at lower significance in three additional dwells. The oscillation frequency and amplitude are consistent with those of mHz QPOs reported in other accreting neutron star systems. A thermonuclear X-ray burst was also observed on 2017 June 22. The burst properties and X-ray colors are both consistent with GS 1826 being in a soft spectral state during these observations, findings that are confirmed by ongoing monitoring with MAXI and SWIFT-BAT. Assuming that the mHz oscillations are associated with blackbody emission from the neutron star surface, modeling of the phase-resolved spectra shows that the oscillation is consistent with being produced by modulation of the temperature component of this emission. In this interpretation, the blackbody normalization, proportional to the emitting surface area, is consistent with being constant through the oscillation cycle. We place the observations in the context of the current theory of marginally stable burning and briefly discuss the potential for constraining neutron star properties using mHz oscillations.


Housing co-ops are very important for the housing sector in Switzerland (about 5% of housing supply in Switzerland and almost 20% in Zurich). Nevertheless, although they enjoy a positive image and they are supported by the public authorities, they face several challenges in their daily business. One major challenge is dealing with the decreasing motivation of their members to assume responsibilities inside the co-op and to participate actively. However, a high level of member participation is crucial, because this is what turns a housing co-op into a civil society organization and what allows lower rents (cost-induced rents) and public funding. In the end, the members themselves, which are the owners as well as the tenants of the apartment, differentiate co-ops from profit-oriented landlords. Furthermore, only a living housing co-operative provides the benefits co-ops are known for. Therefore, it is essential for every co-op to make its values and benefits visible to its members in order to strengthen its commitment and bond. The present paper presents an interdisciplinary approach to identify the member value of housing co-ops and examine the best practices of their management.


In the present study, the structure and mechanism of two assembly chaperones of Rubisco, Raf1 and RbcX, were investigated. The role of Raf1 in Rubisco assembly was elucidated by analyzing cyanobacterial and plant Raf1 with a vast array of biochemical and biophysical
techniques. Raf1 is a dimeric protein. The subunits have a two-domain structure. The crystal structures of two separate domains of Arabidopsis thaliana (At) Raf1 were solved at resolutions of 1.95 A and 2.6–2.8 A, respectively. The oligomeric state of Raf1 proteins was investigated by size exclusion chromatography connected to multi angle light scattering (SEC-MALS) and native mass spectrometry (MS). Both cyanobacterial and plant Raf1 are dimeric with an N-terminal domain that is connected via a flexible linker to the C-terminal dimerization domain.
Both Raf1 poteins were able to promote assembly of cyanobacterial Rubisco in an in vitro
reconstitution system. The homologous cyanobacterial system resulted in very high yields of active Rubisco (>90%), showing the great efficiency of Raf1 mediated Rubisco assembly. Two distinct oligomeric complex assemblies in the assembly reaction could be identified via native PAGE immunoblot analyses as well as SEC-MALS and native MS. Furthermore, a structure-guided mutational analysis of Raf1 conserved residues in both domains was performed and residues crucial for Raf1 function were identified. A new model of Raf1 mediated Rubisco-assembly could be proposed by analyzing the Raf1-Rubisco oligomeric complex with negative stain electron microscopy. The final model was validated by determining Raf1-Rubisco interaction sites using chemical crosslinking in combination with mass spectrometry. Taken together, Raf1 acts downstream of chaperonin-assisted Rubisco large subunit (RbcL) folding by stabilizing RbcL antiparallel dimers for assembly into RbcL8 complexes with four Raf1 dimers bound. Raf1 displacement by Rubisco small subunit (RbcS) results in holoenzyme formation.
In the second part of this thesis, the role of eukaryotic RbcX proteins in Rubisco assembly was investigated. Eukaryots have two distinct homologs of RbcX, RbcX-I and RbcX-II. Both, plant and algal RbcX proteins were found to promote cyanobacterial Rubisco assembly in an in vitro reconstitution system. Mutation of a conserved residue important for Rubisco assembly in cyanobacterial RbcX also abolished assembly by eukaryotic RbcX, underlining functional similarities among RbcX proteins from different species. The crystal structure of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii (Cr) RbcX was solved at a resolution of 2.0 A. RbcX forms an arc-shaped dimer with a central hydrophobic cleft for binding the C-terminal sequence of RbcL. Structural analysis of a fusion protein of CrRbcX and the C-terminal peptide of RbcL suggests that the peptide binding mode of CrRbcX may differ from that of cyanobacterial RbcX. RbcX homologs appear to have adapted to their cognate Rubisco clients as a result of co-evolution. Preliminary analysis of RbcX in Chlamydomonas indicated that the protein functions as a Rubisco assembly chaperone in vivo. Therefore, RbcX was silenced using RNAi in Chlamydomonas which resulted in a photosynthetic growth defect in several transformants when grown under light. RbcX mRNA levels were highly decreased in these transformants which resulted in a concomitant decrease of Rubisco large subunit levels. Biochemical and structural analysis from both independent studies in this thesis show that Raf1 and RbcX fulfill similar roles in Rubisco assembly, thus suggesting that functionally redundant factors ensure efficient Rubisco biogenesis.