Background. A recent review of research into students' approaches to learning suggested there was good evidence of meaning and reproducing orientations to study. In the former the student seeks the underlying meaning in study material, while in the latter attention is directed towards reproducing the text itself. The most widely used inventories of learning approaches also include a factor for an achieving approach and one contains another factor too.

Aims. The study aimed to examine the discrepancy between the dimensionality inherent in the design of instruments measuring approaches to learning and that indicated by subsequent factor analyses.

Methods. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to examine the dimensionality of approaches to learning. Seven models were fitted to parallel data sets from the Study and Learning Process Questionnaires.

Samples. The sample used for SPQ analysis was 4843 university students from Hong Kong universities. The LPQ data was drawn from a representative selection of 20 secondary schools in Hong Kong. The total number of usable questionnaires for the LPQ was 3254.

Results. For both sets of questionnaire data, the best fit was achieved by a model with two factors: meaning and reproducing orientation. The achieving motive and strategy subscales were significant indicators of both factors.

Conclusions. The results suggest that approaches to learning are described better by a two-factor model than the three- or four-factor ones on which the inventories are based.


Ferreira-Borges, C., Endal, D., Babor, T., Dias, S., Kachiwiya, M., & Zakeyu, N. (2014). Alcohol policy process in Malawi: Making it happen. The International Journal Of Alcohol And Drug Research, 3 (3), 187 – 192. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.7895/ijadr.v3i3.156 Aims: This paper presents the recent history of alcohol-policy development in Malawi, describing changes in the policy process, initiatives to expand the involvement of relevant stakeholders, and efforts to limit the role and influence of vested commercial interests. We also note the challenges that remain for alcohol-policy formulation in Malawi. Design: We used a holistic, single case-study design to illustrate the process, using information generated from a combination of direct and indirect observations, document reviews, media analysis, and in-depth and semi-structured interviews. Findings: Alcohol policy development in Malawi reflects a complex combination of political and social processes, fraught with numerous stakeholder conflicts and political power plays. Despite the influence of the alcohol industry in the agenda-setting and consultative process, when adequately resourced and supported, civil society organizations can play an important and productive role in steering policy developments in a sound public-interest direction. Conclusions: Documenting this type of practical "natural experiment" provides an important opportunity for learning. The Malawi case study reinforces the need for more regular policy analysis of similar initiatives—in particular, in low-income developing countries—and for additional study of the alcohol-policy development process and policy implementation.


Determining strategies for success within the urban environment is necessary for Cooperative Extension to accomplish its mission, particularly given the large percentage of Americans who now reside in or near cities. Three levels of needs exist within a system such as Extension: primary user, service provider, and system resources. A needs assessment was conducted in 2017 to assess the system resources of UF/IFAS Extension in the counties of one of Florida's four metropolitan areas, as perceived by the county faculty and staff working there. Counties tended to agree that the highest priority needs were to establish guidelines for reporting collective impact efforts in their annual appraisals, and ensuring agents have equal benefits regardless of the county in which they work. A strong emphasis was also placed on making urban Extension visible to stakeholders in the metropolitan environment. UF/IFAS Extension will need to acquire new resources or reallocate existing resources to better equip its agents to be successful serving urban clientele, which may require adopting new funding models to ensure the future viability of the organization.


A number of studies such as Omari (2014) have established that age has a statically non significant relationship with employee performance. This has initiated the need to find possible factors that may influence this relationship as age alone is not sufficient to determine employee performance. This study sought to investigate the influence of employee competence on the relationship between employee age and employee performance in Kenyan state corporations. The study was anchored on Expectancy and Human capital theories. Expectancy theory posits that, performance depends not only on the magnitude of efforts exerted but also on other factors such as individual abilities and traits. Human capital theory posits that widespread investment in human capital in terms of education and training creates in the labor force a skill base indispensable for economic growth. The philosophical foundation adopted for this study was logical positivism. A descriptive cross sectional survey research design was used to explore the relationship between the study variables. Employee performance was dependant variable, employee age was independent variable and employee competence was a moderating variable. A sample population of 384 was established using the Webster (1995) formula. The number and type of respondents were picked by use of stratified simple random sampling techniques. Primary data was collected on employee age, employee competence and employee performance using a structured questionnaire comprising a five point likert type scale. Data was analyzed by use of both descriptive and inferential statistical techniques. Both correlation and regression analysis techniques were used. Pearson Product Moment Correlation (r) was used to assess direction (positive or negative) and strength of the relationship between the study variables. Stepwise regression analysis was used to test the hypothesis that relationship between employee age and employee performance is moderated by employee competence. Results indicated that employee competence moderated the relationship between employee age and employee performance. The result implies that State corporations in Kenya, when making decisions involving employee's age, such as hiring, placement, promotion, compensation, retirement and termination, should bear in mind the fact that the influence of employee age on his or her performance is affected by his competence. They should come up with age and competence management practices to tap the full potential and enhance the performance of various age categories of their employees. The study extents the body of knowledge in age management practices. Policy makers in Kenyan State Corporations will use the findings to effectively undertake organization decisions on age and competence management practices in aligning them to policies that will enhance the corporations' prosperity through increased performance. There is need to have a similar study in private sector firms and NGOs to determine how the relationship between employee age and employee performance can be influenced by other variables and how the organizations compare with the State Corporations.


This paper presents an outline of the so-called Shift-Share Regression and an application of this method to the analysis of employment development. The method used is not a deterministic decomposition such as the classical Shift-Share-Analysis, but a powerful, yet simple and flexible econometric tool to test theory-related hypotheses, which can be applied as a 'work-horse' in studies of many kinds. Classical deterministic Shift-Share-Analysis has often been criticised, since it does not permit a model-based analysis. The detection of causal effects is at least problematic and the inclusion of additional explanatory variables is possible only in special cases. A major problem is the nature of the method as a deterministic procedure which excludes significance tests. Shift-Share Regression is able to overcome all these critical points. In a basic version it was introduced by Patterson (1991) as a method for analysing and testing regional industrial developments. In contrary to the deterministic Shift-Share-Analysis employment development was examined in a linear model. In Patterson's analysis the industrial sector structure was used as the sole determining factor alongside the location effects and the national trend. We extend this basic structure further: In our case, the effects of sectoral structures, establishment size, qualification structures and locational determinants on employment growth are studied. The regional units used are districts of Western Germany ('Landkreise' and 'kreisfreie StA¤dte'), especially in the present context the districts of the federal State of Bavaria. The analysis is motivated by theoretical considerations of different sources. The most important one refers to theoretical analyses of structural change. According to a specific theorem, the employment effect of technological progress depends on the elasticity of product demand. If demand is inelastic the direct labour saving effect of technological progress is dominating and the effect is negative. Then it is profitable for a firm to reduce its labour force. If, however, demand is elastic a compensating effect dominates. In this case price decreases following higher productivity lead to an extension of product demand which (over-)com¬pensates the direct labour saving effect. Then, it is profitable for a firm to increase the size of its labour force. It can be assumed that in different industries of an economy different demand elasticities are dominating. Therefore, an empirical analysis of employment effects should focus on the industries of an economy. In the paper the sources of different regional employment development in Bavaria are presented, analysed by Shift-Share Regression.


This PhD thesis consists of four papers analyzing the impact of competition and innovation on Swedish manufacturing firms' performance. Paper [I] (co-authored with Patrik Gustavsson Tingvall) analyse determinants of firm R&D using matched Swedish employer-employee data spanning the period 1990-1999. We explore if predictions from the model of creative destruction are supported by data. Using various measures of competition, results indicate that competition is likely to contract rather than expand firm R&D expenditures. In addition, firm R&D is positively correlated with its own export and to the R&D-intensity of other firms within the same concern, indicating the existence of knowledge spillovers. Paper [II] investigates the association between total factor productivity growth and the R&D expenditures of Swedish manufacturing firms in the presence of domestic- and international R&D spillovers. The paper assumes that the principal channel of transmission of new technology is through I/O relations. Econometric evidence suggests that international as well as domestic inter-industry R&D spillovers are important determinants of firms' productivity growth in the long run. The R&D spillovers generated within the industry and following I/O links seem to be of minor importance in explaining productivity growth. It seems likely that within-industry productivity spillovers follow other channels than I/O flows, such as horizontal spillovers through copying of new products and processes, or labour turnover. The use of a convergence parameter is one way to check for such within-industry technology flows. Our results indicate that a catch-up process exists by which the non-frontier firms in the Swedish manufacturing sector absorb knowledge spillovers from the leading firms in the industry. Finally, a firm's own R&D efforts are found to be more or less positively correlated with the TFP growth, maybe the contribution from R&D efforts in some sense are underestimated. Paper [III] (co-authored with Patrik Gustavsson Tingvall) examines whether predictions of the Aghion and Howitt (2004) model are supported by firm level data. In particular, we analyze if there is an inverted U-shaped relation between competition and R&D. Results show that the inverted U-shaped relation is supported by the Herfindahl index but not by the price cost margin. Using the Herfindahl index results suggest that breaking up monopolies increases R&D while further increases in competition most likely leads to reduced R&D. Comparing different estimators, we find that time-series based estimators typically result in less clear-cut results, probably driven by a lack of time series variation in measures of competition. Paper [IV] examines the direct and indirect effect of firm R&D on total factor productivity growth. The R&D efforts do not only stimulate innovation but also enhance firms' ability to assimilate outside knowledge. We assume that the principal channel of transmission of new technology is through I/O relations. Econometric evidence suggests that in addition to a firm's own R&D expenditures, R&D spillovers embodied in traded goods within the industry, others imported from abroad, and technology spillovers transferred from the technological frontier within an industry are important determinants of firms' productivity growth. Results suggest that domestic R&D spillovers following the I/O links between industries are of minor importance in this respect. We also analyze whether firms' absorptive capacity matters for productivity growth. Analyzing absorptive capacity is particularly important for assessing the effective contribution of spillovers from other firms. The effect of a firm's absorptive capacity is found to interact positively with imported R&D spillovers, domestic rents spillovers seem to play a minor role for productivity growth.


Objectives: The objectives of our study were to (1) illustrate a public health workforce assessment process in a medium-sized city or county health department and (2) demonstrate the insights gained by moving from the use of aggregate department-level and competency domain-level training needs results to more granular division-level and skills-level results when creating a workforce development plan. Methods: We used a 130-question needs assessment to guide the creation of a workforce development plan for the Lincoln Lancaster County Health Department (LLCHD) in Nebraska and its 7 divisions. Using SurveyMonkey, we administered the survey to 128 (of the 129) LLCHD public health staff members in June 2015. Using a Likert scale, respondents indicated (1) the importance of the skill to their work and (2) their capacity to carry out 57 skills in 8 domains of the core competencies for public health professionals. We identified training needs as those for which the percentage of respondents who perceived moderate-to-high importance was at least 15 percentage points higher than the percentage of respondents who perceived moderate-to-high capacity. Results: LLCHD as a department had training needs in only 2 competency domains: financial planning and management (importance-capacity difference, 15 percentage points) and policy development and program planning (importance-capacity difference, 19 percentage points). The Health Promotion and Outreach division had training needs in all 8 domains (importance-capacity difference range, 15-45 percentage points). Of the 57 skills, 41 were identified by at least 1 of the LLCHD divisions as having training needs. In 24 instances, a division did not qualify as having training needs in the overall domain yet did have training needs for specific skills within a domain. Conclusions: When performing public health workforce assessments, medium-to-large public health departments can obtain detailed workforce training needs results that pertain to individual skills and that are tailored to each of their divisions. These results may help customize and improve workforce development plans, ensuring that the workforce has the necessary skills to do its job.


PURPOSE: The new situation arising from the COVID-19 pandemic has brought many difficulties for companies worldwide. To combat the pandemic, governments have enforced lockdown and closure of businesses, and in response, companies have developed various reactive strategies to ensure their survival. The purpose of this study is twofold: to examine the impact of COVID-19 on firms and examine firm reactions towards the COVID-19 crisis. The study analyses the impact of COVID-19 on firm size, ownership type, and industry characteristics. Secondly, to analyze firm reactions based on four components: technological preferences, strategic behavior, management practices, and social networks. METHODOLOGY: This study employs a quantitative method, using a survey of 320 firm owners and managers conducted in Kosovo by the Institute of Entrepreneurship and Small Business. FINDINGS: Findings suggest that income dropped significantly for SMEs based on the firm size. Based on industry characteristics, findings show that all industries have been influenced negatively. Regarding the ownership type, findings suggest that family firms are more affected by COVID-19 than non-family firms. Factor analysis suggests that the technological preferences, managerial practices and strategic behavior, and social networks effectively responded to the crisis derived from COVID-19. Findings also suggest that firms did not employ a single reaction (e.g., technological change) but combined several reactions where one reaction led to another reaction that proved effective and led to firm survival during the crisis. IMPLICATIONS: The implications of this study are as follows: firstly, this study examines the impact of COVID-19 and, at the same time, firm reactions to the crisis; secondly, contrary to previous studies, this study shows that all industries have been influenced negatively, including all SMEs; thirdly, this study shows that ownership type was an important factor concerning the impact of COVID-19, where family firms were influenced more than non-family firms; this is due to the distinct characteristic of organizational structure that family firms have, including the involvement of members of family firms. Last, this study shows that a single reaction of firms does not lead to survival, but the chain of reactions combined with dimensions shown above. ORIGINALITY/VALUE: Despite growing theoretical and empirical literature about COVID-19 and firms, this study shows the impact and firm responses towards the crisis of COVID-19. Furthermore, focusing on the context of Kosovo, the study contributes to the challenges that firms face in different cultural and institutional settings.


Nephrotic syndrome is one of the important diseases of childhood. Although
physiopathology of the disease is not well understood but vast majority of patients have a benign
course with good response to steroids. In this retrospective study, we reviewed clinical feature and
course of 104 children with idiopathic nephrotic syndrome during 2001-2011.
Materials & Methods: The data including age at presentation, gender, response to steroid, results of
renal biopsy, frequency of end stage renal disease and adjuvant drugs were collected from patients'
medical records. Patients completed at least a 6 month follow up. period
Results: The range of age at presentation was 1-16 years (mean 5.57 {3.9} years). Patients included 63
(60.5%) male and 41 (39.5%) female. Twenty-six patients were steroid resistant, 78 steroid responsive
and 39 frequently relapser/steroid dependent. Nineteen patients underwent needle renal biopsy.
Pathologic examination revealed minimal change disease in 9, focal segmental sclerosis in 5,
mesangial proliferation in 2 and other findings in 2 patients. Course of disease ended to end stage renal
disease in 3 (2.9%).
Conclusion: A vast majority of children with idiopathic nephrotic syndrome had complete remission
with primary course of steroid. However, relapse was common and a considerable number of patients
experienced steroid dependency or frequent relapses. Long term follow up is necessary.


Lowland Scotland underwent massive changes between 1750 and 1850. Agrarian improvement and land enclosure changed the way Scottish farmers and laborers used and thought about the land. This, in turn, had a major impact on industrialization, urbanization, and emigration. Predominantly, those in charge of implementing these wide-reaching changes were middle-class tenant farmers seeking to improve their social status. The power of these estate partitioners, or overseers, increased in the Lowlands throughout the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. They were integral to the improvement process in the Lowlands. They often saw both sides of agrarian reform, documenting it as such. By 1850, Lowland Scotland was one of the most industrialized and enlightened sectors of Europe; a century earlier it had been one of the least. It was not simply the work of wealthy landowners who brought these changes to fruition. The role of middle-class partitioners was great, and would significantly influence the evolution of land tenantry patterns across the whole of Scotland.


Abstract: This study tests the presence of differential preservation in the Devonian Malvinokaffric fauna from the Chapada Group (Paraná Basin, Brazil). Results of EDXRF, EDS, Raman Spectroscopy, and petrographic analyses show differential preservation of shells that were originally calcite as hematite and goethite fossils, while organisms with original calcium phosphate shells tend to be preserved inside phosphatic concretions. Both preservation types are commonly associated with pseudoframboids, while calcium sulfate minerals are commonly associated with hematized fossils. From this evidence, a diagenetic model for these fossils is proposed. The model includes an early diagenetic phase (characterized by anaerobic sulfate reduction and precipitation of pyrite and carbonate-fluorapatite) and a second, near-surface chemical weathering phase (characterized by the oxidation of pyrite and precipitation of iron oxyhydroxides and calcium sulfates). Acidic conditions in both phases may account for the dissolution of less stable minerals compared to calcium phosphate. It is considered that this model may assist in understanding other similarly preserved biotas, as well as enhancing understanding of the taphonomic overprint that may occur within this important and endemic Devonian biota.


Groundwater contaminant modeling presents several challenges to the mathematician. Among these are the need to compute accurate water velocities and difficulties arising from fine-scale heterogeneities and sharp concentration fronts. This paper presents parallelizable numerical methods that address these challenges. For groundwater flow, mixed finite-element models yield velocities comparable in accuracy to computed heads. However, large variations in hydraulic conductivity can cause iterative matrix solvers to converge slowly. The fine grids needed to resolve heterogeneities aggravate the poor conditioning. A parallelizable, multigrid-based iterative scheme for the lowest-order mixed method largely overcomes both sources of poor behavior. For Contaminant transport, iinite-element collocation yields high-order spatial accuracy. The timestepping scheme combines a modified method of characteristics, which reduces temporal errors when advection dominates, with an alternating-direction formulation, which is "embarrassingly parallel" and has a favorable operation count.


Least-squares reverse time migration (LSRTM) overcomes the shortcomings of conventional migration algorithms by iteratively fitting the demigrated synthetic data and the input data to refine the initial depth image toward true reflectivity. It gradually enhances the effective signals and removes the migration artifacts such as swing noise during conventional migration. When imaging the subsalt area with complex structures, many practical issues have to be considered to ensure the convergence of the inversion. We tackle those practical issues such as an unknown source wavelet, inaccurate migration velocity, and slow convergence to make LSRTM applicable to subsalt imaging in geologic complex areas such as the Gulf of Mexico. Dynamic warping is used to realign the modeled and input data to compensate for minor velocity errors in the subsalt sediments. A windowed crosscorrelation-based confidence level is used to control the quality of the residual computation. The confidence level is further used as an inverse weighting to precondition the data residual so that the convergence rates in shallow and deep images are automatically balanced. It also helps suppress the strong artifacts related to the salt boundary. The efficiency of the LSRTM is improved so that interpretable images in the area of interest can be obtained in only a few iterations. After removing the artifacts near the salt body using LSRTM, the image better represents the true geology than the outcome of conventional RTM; thus, it facilitates the interpretation. Synthetic and field data examples examine and demonstrate the effectiveness of the adaptive strat-


How to automatically capture a significant portion of relevant background knowledge and keep it up-to-date has been a challenging problem encountered in current research on logic based information retrieval. This paper addresses this problem by investigating various information inference mechanisms based on a high dimensional semantic space constructed from a text corpus using the Hyperspace Analogue to Language (HAL) model. Additionally, the Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) algorithm is considered as an alternative way to enhance the quality of the HAL matrix as well as a mechanism of infering implicit associations. The different characteristics of these inference mechanisms are demonstrated using examples from the Reuters-21578 collection. Our hope is that the techniques discussed in this paper provide a basis for logic based IR to progress to large scale applications.


We describe a source-model technique for the analysis of the strictly bound modes propagating in photonic crystal fibers that have a finite photonic bandgap crystal cladding and are surrounded by an air jacket. In this model the field is simulated by a superposition of fields of fictitious electric and magnetic current filaments, suitably placed near the media interfaces of the fiber. A simple point-matching procedure is subsequently used to enforce the continuity conditions across the interfaces, leading to a homogeneous matrix equation. Nontrivial solutions to this equation yield the mode field patterns and propagation constants. As an example, we analyze a hollow-core photonic crystal fiber. Symmetry characteristics of the modes are discussed and exploited to reduce the computational burden.


While conducting empirical work, researchers sometimes observe changes in outcomes before adoption of a new treatment program. The conventional diagnosis is that treatment is endogenous. Observing changes in outcomes prior to treatment is also consistent, however, with anticipation effects. This paper provides a framework for comparing the different methods for estimating anticipation effects and proposes a new set of instrumental variables that can address the problem that subjects' expectations are unobservable. The paper uses this framework to analyze the effect of tort reform on physician supply and finds that accounting for anticipation effects doubles the estimated effect of tort reform.


We propose a new method for investigating the exclusion statistics of quasiparticles in conformal field theory (CFT) spectra. The method leads to one-particle distribution functions, which generalize the Fermi-Dirac distribution. For the simplest SU (cid:115) (cid:110) (cid:100) invariant CFTs we find a generalization of Gentile parafermions, and we obtain new distributions for the simplest (cid:90) (cid:78) -invariant CFTs. In special examples, our approach reproduces distributions based on "fractional exclusion statistics" in the sense of Haldane. We comment on applications to fractional quantum Hall effect edge theories.


Effective project management comes from controlling cost, time, and quality on a project. As construction projects become more complex, changes in the original contract documents will arise due to the nature of human error. How a project manager documents and addresses change events can alter the successfulness of a project. This study attempts to look at senior level construction management major student's understanding of the change order management process. The goal of the study is to ascertain how well the students feel the construction management curriculum prepared them to manage change events in industry. Students were asked to demonstrate their understanding of key aspects to the change order process – requests for information, potential change orders, change order requests, time & material pricing, negotiations and impacts to the schedule. Results indicated that students would like to see the introduction of modules into existing lab curricula to gain a better understanding of change order processes.


The land snail genus Amphidromus Albers, 1850 and its subgenus Syndromus Pilsbry, 1900 (family Camaenidae) in Laos are revised. Fourteen species from various habitats of deciduous forest and limestone areas throughout Laos are confirmed. The classification is revised and discussed, based on material examined from Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand and after comparison with the type specimens in many museums. Two new species, A. (Amphidromus) syndromoideus Inkhavilay & Panha sp. nov., from central Laos, and A. (Syndromus) xiengkhaungensis Inkhavilay & Panha sp. nov., from northern Laos, are described and discussed.


According to Julius Caesar, of all the gods Celts revered Mercury the most, regarding him as the inventor of all arts. The cult of Mercury became widespread not only in Roman Gaul, which was one of the most thoroughly Romanised provinces of the Empire, but also in Roman Britain — the farthest western area governed by the Roman Empire. In both provinces Mercury was worshipped as the patron of commerce, which befitted him as the Roman god of trade and profit. At the same time, in both Gaul and Britain Mercury was syncretized with the Celtic horned god of fertility. Archaeological findings from these regions also suggest that the Mercury worshipped in Britain and Gaul during the Roman rule was also the guardian of military affairs — a role absolutely untypical of the original Roman god, but necessary for the supreme god of Celts who was the divine warrior-patron of Celtic tribes. Besides, the magical-chthonic aspect of Celtic Mercury likened him to Hermes, the god of eschatological and mystical endeavour of humankind in the religion of the Ancient Mediterranean.


The bus driver scheduling problem involves assigning a set of drivers to cover all available bus work such that every bus is assigned a driver, the number of duties is minimised and each duty conforms to the rules governing them regarding maximum driving time and so on. Generally this problem is solved using mathematical programming methods. The University of Leeds has developed a driver scheduling system, TRACS-I I, that solves the bus driver scheduling problem by first generating a large set of potential duties and selecting a subset of these via the associated set covering ILP to form the schedule. The size of the set of potential duties used by TRACS-I I is directly related to the number of relief opportunities present in the original bus schedule. Each relief opportunity potentially serves as a handover point between two bus shifts. A bus schedule containing many relief opportunities can have a very large set of potential shifts generated to cover the buswork. The complexity of the ILP is related to the number of relief opportunities present in the bus schedule. This thesis describes a pre-processing stage for the TRACS-I I scheduling system. The pre-processor selects potentially useful relief opportunities from the bus schedule. The shifts generated by TRACS-I I are restricted to the subset of relief opportunities made available to it by the pre-processor. The reduction of the number of relief opportunities serves to reduce the complexity of the resulting set covering problem by reducing the number of variables and constraints in the ILP. The pre-processor itself uses constraint programming to find several possible ways of selecting relief opportunities from the morning and evening portions of the bus schedule. This is done by exploiting useful properties found in good driver schedules, specifically the chaining together of driver duties such that when one driver takes a break another driver finishing a break continues on the same bus. The pre-processor described has been shown to be effective on a wide variety of schedules in that the minimum number of drivers is almost always used and, in some cases, cheaper schedules can be produced.


Using surface elasticity theory, this article first analyzes the surface effect on the elastohydrodynamic lubrication (EHL) line contact between an elastic half-plane and a rigid cylindrical punch. In this theory, the surface effect is characterized with two parameters: surface elastic modulus and residual surface stress. The density and viscosity of the lubricant, considered as Newtonian fluid, vary with the fluid pressure. A numerical iterative method is proposed to simultaneously deal with the flow rheology equation, Reynolds equation, load balance equation, and film thickness equation. Then, the fluid pressure and film thickness are numerically determined at the lubricant contact region. Influences of surface elastic modulus, residual surface stress, punch radius, resultant normal load, and entraining velocity on the lubricant film thickness and fluid pressure are discussed. It is found that the surface effect has remarkable influences on the micro-/nano-scale EHL contact of elastic materials.


Although the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) primary mission observed the northern and southern ecliptic hemispheres, generally avoiding the ecliptic, and the Kepler space telescope during the K2 mission could only observe near the ecliptic, many of the K2 fields extend far enough from the ecliptic plane that sections overlap with TESS fields. Using photometric observations from both K2 and TESS, combined with archival spectroscopic observations, we globally modeled four known planetary systems discovered by K2 that were observed in the first year of the primary TESS mission. Specifically, we provide updated ephemerides and system parameters for K2-114 b, K2-167 b, K2-237 b, and K2-261 b. These were some of the first K2 planets to be observed by TESS in the first year and include three Jovian sized planets and a sub-Neptune with orbital periods less than 12 days. In each case, the updated ephemeris significantly reduces the uncertainty in prediction of future times of transit, which is valuable for planning observations with the James Webb Space Telescope and other future facilities. The TESS extended mission is expected to observe about half of the K2 fields, providing the opportunity to perform this type of analysis on a larger number of systems.


Abstract Objective. To evaluate the association between the number of teeth and cognitive functions adjusted for age and education level in a cohort of older adults living in Sweden. Materials and methods. The study employed a cross-sectional design in which 1147 individuals between 60–96 years underwent a clinical oral examination. The cognitive functions were assessed using Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Clock-test. The level of education was obtained from a questionnaire. Data were subjected to Chi-square tests and multivariate logistic regression analyses were employed, grouping the different variables into pre-determined categories. Results. The co-variables age and education were significantly associated with the number of teeth (p < 0.05). The multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that the association between the number of teeth and the cognitive functions persisted even after adjusting for age and level of education. Conclusions. The findings suggest that the presence of teeth may be of importance for cognitive abilities in older adults.


PURPOSE
This study simulated regular QA procedures in order to examine relationships between offsets in beam-shaping devices and delivered dose. The goal was to provide insight into the cause of potential QA irregularities, and to investigate whether current QA procedures are adequate to detect equipment misalignments.

METHODS
The Monte Carlo package Topas, based on Geant4, was used to simulate scattering nozzle QA procedures. Scoring volumes in the nozzle geometry mimic online treatment verification devices including ion chambers and a multi-layer faraday cup range verifier, as well as weekly and monthly measurements of SOBP depth-dose curves and beam profiles. The study then examined the relationship between geometric perturbations to the Monte Carlo model and changes in scoring outputs. Small movements of equipment including scatterers, ion chambers, and range modulators were considered.

RESULTS
A number of different insights have come from our investigation. Of particular note, we found that the measurement of beam profile skewness in an upsteam ion chamber is inadequate to use for beam steering to correct for asymmetries in the delivered dose. Skewness alone cannot distinguish between an asymmetric beam due to scatterer misalignment and a simple offset in the ion chamber location. For misalignments in the range modulator, typically no significant change is seen in online measurements before a change occurs in the output factor or modulation width, reinforcing the need for regular measurement of standard beams to verify these quantities. Comparing simulation and measurement can give hints at actual misalignments of nozzle hardware.

CONCLUSION
Monte Carlo techniques can give useful insight into potential QA pitfalls. Through simulation we found that while ion chamber skewness can detect beamline asymmetries, it is inadequate to use for beam steering to correct a tilted beam profile. Standard online measurements have difficulty detecting longitudinal dose abnormalities compared to frequent direct measurement.


OBJECTIVE
The aim of the present study was to evaluate the autonomic modulation of the cardiovascular system in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR), evaluating baroreflex sensitivity and arterial pressure and heart rate variability.

METHODS
Male SHR were divided in control (SHR) and diabetic (SHR+DM, 5 days after STZ) groups. Arterial pressure (AP) and baroreflex sensitivity (evaluated by tachycardic and bradycardic responses to changes in AP) were monitored. Autoregressive spectral estimation was performed for systolic AP (SAP) and pulse interval (PI) with oscillatory components quantified as low (LF:0.2-0.6Hz) and high (HF:0.6-3.0Hz) frequency ranges.

RESULTS
Mean AP and heart rate in SHR+DM (131+/-3 mmHg and 276+/-6 bpm) were lower than in SHR (160+/-7 mmHg and 330+/-8 bpm). Baroreflex bradycardia was lower in SHR+DM as compared to SHR (0.55+/-0.1 vs. 0.97+/-0.1 bpm/mmHg). Overall SAP variability in the time domain (standard deviation of beat-by-beat time series of SAP) was lower in SHR+DM (3.1+/-0.2 mmHg) than in SHR (5.7+/-0.6 mmHg). The standard deviation of the PI was similar between groups. Diabetes reduced the LF of SAP (3.3+/-0.8 vs. 28.7+/-7.6 mmHg2 in SHR), while HF of SAP were unchanged. The power of oscillatory components of PI did not differ between groups.

CONCLUSIONS
These results show that the association of hypertension and diabetes causes an impairment of the peripheral cardiovascular sympathetic modulation that could be, at least in part, responsible for the reduction in AP levels. Moreover, this study demonstrates that diabetes might actually impair the reduced buffer function of the baroreceptors while reducing blood pressure.


After months of speculation about the British Prime Minister's specific demands in terms of the "renegotiation" of the UK's relationship with the EU, David Cameron has bowed to pressure from the heads of state or government of the other EU member states and committed himself to setting out the UK's specific "concerns" in writing by early November. While we cannot be certain of the contents of David Cameron's missive to the EU, his recent pronouncements before Parliament set out an agenda whose contours have become quite clear.

In this Commentary the authors consider how far the other EU member states might be willing to accommodate Cameron's demands and provide him with the political capital he seeks to lead the 'in' campaign. They distinguish four different attitudes among EU countries, and advocate a constructive approach that sets the scene for a Convention after 2017 – one that opens the treaty for a revision that could accommodate both the British demands for an 'opt-out' from ever closer union and gives leeway to those who wish to integrate further. Putting emphasis on strengthening the single market in the more immediate term would allow the Prime Minister to show his home audience that he is a leading reformer and that the EU gives oxygen to the British economy.This is an obvious area where he might be able to seal deals during the UK's Presidency of the Council of the EU in the second half of 2017.

The authors also consider what the European Council Conclusions on the UK's wish list for EU reform might look like, given that any treaty revision before the time set for the UK referendum is unattainable. They present the results of a two-day simulation exercise involving a cross-section of national experts and present mock European Council Conclusions on the areas of ever closer union; the role of national parliaments; competitiveness; economic and monetary integration; and the free movement of labour.


Abstract: This article addresses the issue of referential choice in Latin, more in particular the anaphoric use of the demonstrative pronoun ille ('that', 'that one'). Ille is usually considered as a relatively 'heavy' anaphoric device, which is typically used in environments of participant interference and topic discontinuity, i.e. in cases of problematic accessibility. On the basis of a corpus of Classical Latin narrative texts, it will be argued that this is too simplistic a view, and that in order to explain a considerable number of 'deviant' instances of ille, it is necessary to take not only the linear structure of the text into account, but also the global, hierarchical discourse structure. In this context the article will focus especially on the type of structure that is imposed on a text by the alternation of so-called discourse modes. More in general, it shows how ille's specific deictic value of 'remoteness' can be traced in all of its anaphoric uses.


Pharmaceuticals are considered as emerging pollutants of particular concern due to their continuous release into the environment and the potential impact on aquatic organisms. The selection of the target compounds for evaluation in fish tissue was based on physico-chemical properties, bioaccumulation potential and the results of the screening of pharmaceuticals in the effluent of WWTP Sevnica in March 2015. We chose tramadol, risperidone, desipramine, carbamazepine, irbesartan, naproxen, valsartan, atorvastatin, triclosan, simvastatin and diclofenac. The method was developed on muscle tissue and is based on the tissue homogenization with stainless steel beads, followed by extraction with acetonitrile, centrifugation and sample clean-up with solid-phase extraction (SPE). The instrumental analysis was performed with LC-MS/MS. The best and the most reproducible recoveries were observed for the samples that were diluted to 25 mL with 50 mM phosphate buffer pH 7. The method was validated and the linearity range was established, which was in the range of 0.1 – 1000 ng/g, depending of the compound. The recoveries for the target pharmaceuticals were in the range of 24.0 – 108.5 %, with good reproducibility as the relative RSD values for all compounds were below 7.5 %. LOQ values for the compounds were in the 0.1 – 50 ng/g range. We applied the method to the fish tissue samples from the river Sava and from the aquaculture establishment. We chose muscle, liver, skin and kidney tissue samples. The results showed presence of tramadol and carbamazepine in some tissue, but the concentrations were below the LOQ.


ABSTRACT:We evaluate the large-scale pilot program of an innovative and major welfare intervention in Colombia, which combines home visits by trained social workers to households in extreme poverty with preferential access to social programs. We use a randomized control trial and a very rich data set collected as part of the evaluation to identify program impacts on the knowledge and take-up of social programs and the labor supply of targeted households. We find no consistent impact of the program on these outcomes, possibly because the way the pilot was implemented resulted in very light treatment in terms of home visits. Importantly, administrative data indicate that the program has been rolled out nationally in a very similar fashion, suggesting that this major national program is likely to fail in making a significant contribution to reducing extreme poverty. We suggest that the program should undergo substantial reforms, which in turn should be evaluated.


The purpose of this document is to propose and demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of substituting an open flame biomass cooking process with a closed system with the capabilities of sustaining an adequate fire. Clay ovens or "chulhas" are the traditional piece of cooking equipment used in poorer areas of the world. They are often built inside cramped one-room housing units with little or no ventilation. The emissions released from burning fuel sources such as wood, coal, or animal waste bring with them detrimental and often fatal health problems and results in approximately 1.3 million deaths per year. The proposed method for validating the closed system involves burning a set amount of wood exposed to the environment, then attempting to replicate the burn time and temperature inside a closed steel box with appropriately designed ventilation holes. The closed steel box will have one opening to allow the necessary air for combustion to enter, and another such opening to let the exhaust leave the box. A thermodynamic model of wood combustion was used to determine the amount of air needed to enter the box, and thus the overall design of the inlet and exhaust openings. The closed box design will be deemed sufficient if the fire inside burns as long and hot or longer and hotter than the open flame process. If these conditions are met, the fire is assumed to be satisfactory for cooking and this design may lead to further advances in targeting the issue of indoor air pollution. Future work may entail padding the exhaust opening with filtering materials to capture the harmful constituents of the exhaust gases, thereby leading to a complete solution. The entire project was based on the assumption of keeping the solution simple, cheap and leading to minimal change in human behavior.


Abstract. Compound plasmonic resonances arise due to the interaction between discrete and continuous metallic nanostructures. Such combined nanostructures provide a versatility and tunability beyond that of most other metallic nanostructures. In order to observe such resonances and their tunability, multiple nanostructure arrays composed of periodic metallic gratings of varying width and an underlying metallic film should be studied. Large-area compound plasmonic structures composed of various Au grating arrays with sub-100 nm features spaced nanometers above an Au film were fabricated using extreme ultraviolet interference lithography. Reflection spectra, via both numerical simulations and experimental measurements over a wide range of incidence angles and excitation wavelengths, show the existence of not only the usual propagating and localized plasmon resonances, but also compound plasmonic resonances. These resonances exhibit not only propagative features, but also a spectral evolution with varying grating width. Additionally, a reduction of the width of the grating elements results in coupling with the localized dipolar resonance of the grating elements and thus plasmon hybridization. This newly acquired perspective on the various interactions present in such a plasmonic system will aid in an increased understanding of the mechanisms at play when designing plasmonic structures composed of both discrete and continuous elements.


The dominant approaches for named entity recognitionm (NER) mostly adopt complex recurrent neural networks (RNN), e.g., long-short-term-memory (LSTM). However, RNNs are limited by their recurrent nature in terms of computational efficiency. In contrast, convolutional neural networks (CNN) can fully exploit the GPU parallelism with their feedforward architectures. However, little attention has been paid to performing NER with CNNs, mainly owing to their difficulties in capturing the long-term context information in a sequence. In this paper, we propose a simple but effective CNN-based network for NER, i.e., gated relation network (GRN), which is more capable than common CNNs in capturing long-term context. Specifically, in GRN we firstly employ CNNs to explore the local context features of each word. Then we model the relations between words and use them as gates to fuse local context features into global ones for predicting labels. Without using recurrent layers that process a sentence in a sequential manner, our GRN allows computations to be performed in parallel across the entire sentence. Experiments on two benchmark NER datasets (i.e., CoNLL2003 and Ontonotes 5.0) show that, our proposed GRN can achieve state-of-the-art performance with or without external knowledge. It also enjoys lower time costs to train and test.


The cell cycle is the fundamental process of cell populations, it is regulated by environmental cues and by intracellular checkpoints. Cell cycle variability in clonal cell population is caused by stochastic processes such as random partitioning of cellular components to progeny cells at division and random interactions among biomolecules in cells. One of the important biological questions is how the dynamics at the cell cycle scale, which is related to family dependencies between the cell and its descendants, affects cell population behavior in the long-run. We address this question using a "mechanistic" model, built based on observations of single cells over several cell generations, and then extrapolated in time. We used cell pedigree observations of NIH 3T3 cells including FUCCI markers, to determine patterns of inheritance of cell-cycle phase durations and single-cell protein dynamics. Based on that information we developed a hybrid mathematical model, involving bifurcating autoregression to describe stochasticity of partitioning and inheritance of cell-cycle-phase times, and an ordinary differential equation system to capture single-cell protein dynamics. Long-term simulations, concordant with in vitro experiments, demonstrated the model reproduced the main features of our data and had homeostatic properties. Moreover, heterogeneity of cell cycle may have important consequences during population development. We discovered an effect similar to genetic drift, amplified by family relationships among cells. In consequence, the progeny of a single cell with a short cell cycle time had a high probability of eventually dominating the population, due to the heritability of cell-cycle phases. Patterns of epigenetic heritability in proliferating cells are important for understanding long-term trends of cell populations which are either required to provide the influx of maturing cells (such as hematopoietic stem cells) or which started proliferating uncontrollably (such as cancer cells).


The stereotypical character of Walk on Water (Israel, 2004) has represented a severe obstacle for many viewers, who have been quick to denounce it as both trite and superficial. This article argues instead that the film's clearly intentional and self-conscious recycling of numerous clichés concerning Germans and Israelis alike points to its deeper meaning and purpose. In particular, it shows that these clichés constitute the essential infrastructure with which the film engages and attempts to resolve the problematic German–Israeli, and by extension Christian–Jewish, relationship in the aftermath of the Holocaust. It further suggests that the film offers its own "final solution" to this vexed relationship—a "messianic" deliverance from the respective traumas of each party—in the form of an allegorical synthesis of Jewish and Christian theology, directly reflected in the contrasts and evolving relationship between its two primary characters. Itself highly stereotypical, the theology upon which the film draws facilitates its critique of German and especially Israeli attitudes toward power and violence.


The activities of glutathione dependent antioxidant enzymes were measured in subcellular fractions of whole brain homogenates prepared from ovariectomized (OVX) female rats, untreated or treated 2 h or 24 h prior to sacrifice with a single dose of 2 mg progesterone (P) or 5 micrograms estradiol benzoate (EB). Glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity was not changed following systemic administration of EB, but P increased GSH-Px in the brain of OVX rats 24 h after the treatment. The activity of glutathione reductase (GR) was suppressed by EB short time, only 2 h following treatment, whereas P increased the enzyme activity 24 h after treatment. On the other hand, the activities of catalase (CAT) and glutathione-S-transferase (GST) were not changed following systemic administration of EB or P. The present work was carried out to study the involvement of ovarian steroids, especially P, in the control of GSH-Px and GR activities, and our results suggest that oxidative stress in the brain of female rats may be modulated by the level of progesterone.


Crop insurance is an appropriate way to overcome the risk in agricultural production sector and increase farmer's peace of mind for their future income. In the agricultural sector of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer Ahmad, the risk of production is high due to the substantial losses of crops and other diseases and so is the income risk. Since most local farmers have low incomes and livelihoods, natural disasters and diseases can cause irreparable damages on their livelihood. In this regard, crop insurance is one of the most supportive mechanisms to reduce instability and confronting to the unpredictable nature of these risks. But insurance can be effective on the production and income only if factors affecting insurance demand by farmers are identified and it covers a wide range of farmers. The aim of this study is to investigate factors affecting the development of insurance acceptance by ornamental flowers producers in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer Ahmad province. In this study, data were collected by a questionnaire randomly and logit model was evaluated with an emphasis on the production of ornamental flowers. Results reflect the influence of multiple economic and social factors on demand and acceptance of insurance by farmers.


The off-resonant hyperpolarizability is calculated by using the dipole-free sum-over-states expression from a randomly chosen set of energies and transition dipole moments that are forced to be consistent with the sum rules. The process is repeated so that the distribution of hyperpolarizabilities can be determined. We find this distribution to be a cycloidlike function. In contrast to variational techniques that when applied to the potential energy function yield an intrinsic hyperpolarizability less than 0.71, our Monte Carlo method yields values that approach unity. While many transition dipole moments are large when the calculated hyperpolarizability is near the fundamental limit, only two excited states dominate the hyperpolarizability—consistent with the three-level ansatz. We speculate on the character of the Hamiltonian that is needed to optimize the intrinsic hyperpolarizability.


The R sound exhibits considerable variability both across and within Arabic dialects; one that covers place and manner of articulation, as well as the notorious emphatic-plain distinction. Some R phones are in contrastive distribution, while others are contextually conditioned or free variants. This article aims to establish the underlying R phonemes in the spoken varieties of Arabic, evidence of which is sought in R's dialect-specific phonological behavior: in minimal pair contrasts, distributional phenomena, loanword phonology, and phonological processes that target or are triggered by R. Investigation of such evidence reveals four major patterns based on the nature and number of R phonemes, consequently classifying Arabic dialects into four types: the split-R dialects (primarily Maghrebi and Egyptian dialect groups), the emphatic-R dialects (the Levantine group), the plain-R dialects (the Gulf group together with most peripheral dialects), and the uvular-R dialects (the qeltu-dialects of Mesopotamia). The analysis employs a minimalist, contrast-based model of feature geometry to characterize aspects of the attested R's – such as emphatic-ness, coronality, dorsality, and sonority – and shows that the typology is directly mirrored in the representation. This has theoretical implications as well. Diverse rhotic representations within closely related language varieties demonstrate that distinctive features should not be interpreted as rigidly as is often assumed, and call attention to the semi-arbitrary relationship between phonetics and phonology.


Abstract. A new data set of landslides that caused loss of life in Latin America and the Caribbean in the 10-year period from 2004 and 2013 inclusive has been compiled, providing new insight into the impact of landslides in this key part of the world. This data set indicates that in the 10-year period a total of 11 631 people lost their lives across the region in 611 landslides. The geographical distribution of the landslides is highly heterogeneous, with areas of high incidence in parts of the Caribbean (most notably Haiti), Central America, Colombia, and southeast Brazil. There is significant interannual variation in the number of landslides, with the El Nino/La Nina cycle emerging as a key control. Our analysis suggests that on a continental scale the mapped factors that best explain the observed distribution are topography, annual precipitation and population density. On a national basis we have compared the occurrence of fatality-inducing landslide occurrence with the production of locally authored research articles, demonstrating that there is a landslide research deficit in Latin America and the Caribbean. Understanding better the mechanisms, distribution causes and triggers of landslides in Latin America and the Caribbean must be an essential first step towards managing the hazard.


The optimum age for early selection of eucalypts in breeding to minimise the total cost of producing kraft pulp was investigated.
The effect of future changes in density and pulp yield on the cost of converting roundwood to unbleached kraft pulp was modelled by defining cost functions for each stage of the kraft pulping process. The pulping cost function was combined with cost functions for growing, harvesting, and transporting plantation-grown eucalypt wood to derive a production function for the total cost of kraft pulp production in relation to the biological traits of growth rate, stem form, basic density and pulp yield. The economic value of trait improvement was combined with assumed genetic parameters to determine expected gain towards the objective for a given breeding effort in each trait. Density and growth were shown to be the most important traits for breeding, followed by pulp yield and stem form, with relative values of 3.6, 3.2, 1.9 and 1 respectively. Breeding to improve only density and growth was demonstrated to achieve 95% of the gain possible from breeding for all four traits.
Pith-to-bark density profiles were determined for 588, 7-year-old plantation grown Eucalyptus nitens trees. Results were aggregated to derive age-age correlations for density which were shown to be high. Age-age correlations for growth were determined across a greater sample using height measured at 20 months and diameter at 1.3 m measured at four years and seven years. Based upon dual trait selection for density and growth, the optimum economic age for early selection, the selection age where the present value of all future gains is maximised, was determined to be three years. The optimum biological selection age, the selection age where average annual gain is maximised, was determined to be four years.
Assessing wood properties is expensive and time consuming, reducing considerably the use of these traits in selection programs. The thesis demonstrated the application of the Pilodyn in the indirect selection of density in E. nitens, with very high genetic correlation (rg=-0.92) between Pilodyn penetration and density. The application Near Infrared Reflectance Analysis (NIRA) in the indirect selection of pulp yield was explored, however problems with calibration left results inconclusive.
This thesis clearly points to an increasing emphasis on wood properties, in particular wood density, in selection decisions and to a reduction in selection age to as early as three years of age. Such practices are expected to impact significantly on the overall costs of producing eucalypt kraft pulp in Australia.


Objective: Our study has validated the Automatic thoughts Questionnaire among Syrian multiple sclerosis patients. The Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire-18 item-Multiple Sclerosis-Arabic has included both the version of the 8-item Negative Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire and 10 positive items from the Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire-Revised.
Method: A total of 65 Syrian multiple sclerosis patients have been recruited in Damascus Hospital and Ibn Alnafees Hospital for validation of Automatic Thought Questionnaire-18 item-Multiple Sclerosis-Arabic.
Results: The internal consistency reliability (alpha>0.70) and the split-half reliability were very good. Exploratory factor analysis (accounted for 72.28% of total variance) indicated 3 factors for the Automatic Thought Questionnaire-18 item-Multiple Sclerosis-Arabic: negative thought, positive thought (emotional), and positive thought (cognitive). The Negative Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire was positively related to depression, stress and anxiety (p<0.01), and negatively related to self-esteem and life satisfaction (p<0.01). The Positive Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire subscale score was negatively related to depression, stress and anxiety (p<0.05), and positively related to self-esteem and life satisfaction (p<0.01).
Conclusion: This study is the first research that examines the positive and negative cognitions in multiple sclerosis patients and confirms the internal and external validity of the Automatic Thought Questionnaire-18 item-Multiple Sclerosis-Arabic. This study suggested that an examination of both the positive and negative dimensions of thoughts contribute to understanding of the depression in multiple sclerosis. Clinical implications: The validation of a tool (Automatic Thought Questionnaire-18 item-Multiple Sclerosis-Arabic) has three important clinical implications: deposit a valid research instrument in multiple sclerosis. Ability to evaluate two style of thinking, negative and positive and study their role in the initiation, maintenance and treatment of depression in multiple sclerosis patients. Automatic Thought Questionnaire-18 item-Multiple Sclerosis- Arabic minimizes the diagnostic false for evaluate the depression in multiple sclerosis patients. Examination of both the positive and negative dimensions of cognition might contribute to a greater understanding of the psychopathology of depression in multiple sclerosis.


Arctic haze has a distinct seasonality with peak concentrations in winter but pristine conditions in summer. It is demonstrated that the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL) atmospheric general circulation model AM3 can reproduce the observed seasonality of Arctic black carbon (BC), an important component of Arctic haze. We use the model to study how large-scale circulation and removal drive the seasonal cycle of Arctic BC. It is found that despite large seasonal shifts in the general circulation pattern, the transport of BC into the Arctic varies little throughout the year. The seasonal cycle of Arctic BC is attributed mostly to variations in the controlling factors of wet removal, namely the hydrophilic fraction of BC and wet deposition efficiency of hydrophilic BC. Specifically, a confluence of low hydrophilic fraction and weak wet deposition, owing to slower aging process and less efficient mixedphase cloud scavenging, respectively, is responsible for the wintertime peak of BC. The transition to low BC in summer is the consequence of a gradual increase in the wet deposition efficiency, while the increase of BC in late fall can be explained by a sharp decrease in the hydrophilic fraction. The results presented here suggest that future changes in the aging and wet deposition processes can potentially alter the concentrations of Arctic aerosols and their climate effects. 9


A thesis submitted to the Department of Physics, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree
of
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
(Solid State Physics). 2015


The aim of this thesis is to examine twelfth-century Cistercian and Premonstratensian texts in order to discern teachings about charity, action and contemplation. Previous scholarship has differentiated Cistercian and Premonstratensian attitudes towards teaching, action and contemplation. This thesis anlayses texts to discern whether there are differences between Cistercians and Premonstratensians in terms of their attitudes towards charity, action and contemplation, and whether they connect these terms. Building on conclusions reached by previous scholarship, this thesis proceeds by providing context and detailed analyses of these works. The first chapter examines the history of monasticism from the third until the twelfth century: the origins of monasticism, Western monastic development with particular regard to Cistercians and Premonstratensians, medieval rules, as well as medieval education and exegesis. The second chapter views Cistercian teachings within De consideratione by Bernard of Clairvaux and The Mirror of Charity by Aelred of Rievaulx. It first introduces the life and works of Bernard and Aelred, then provides the context for each text. Texts are analysed in terms of content, structure, themes, as well as claims and justifications concerning charity, action and contemplation, using the Latin text in order to discern where authors use such terms as "caritas", "contemplatio" and others. The third chapter proceeds in the same manner, viewing Premonstratensian texts: Epistola apologetica and Book One of Anticimenon by Anselm of Havelberg; On the Knowledge of Clerics by Philip of Harvengt and Sermon XII by Adam Scot. This thesis draws several conclusions: charity is an underlying concept in all the texts. Discussing meditation or reading may imply contemplation. Teachings


Because of the field's foundational concerns with both social power and media, communication scholars have long been at the center of scholarly thought at the intersection of social change and technology. Early critical scholarship in communication named media technologies as central in the creation and maintenance of dominant political ideologies and as a balm against dissent among the masses. This work detailed the marginalization of groups who faced restricted access to mass media creation and exclusion from representational discourse and images, alongside the connections of mass media institutions to political and cultural elites. Yet scholars also highlighted the ways collectives use media technologies for resistance inside their communities and as interventions in the public sphere.
 Following the advent of the World Wide Web in the late 1980s, and the granting of public access to the Internet in 1991, communication scholars faced a medium that seemed to buck the one-way and gatekeeping norms of others. There was much optimism about the democratic potentials of this new technology. With the integration of Internet technology into everyday life, and its central role in shaping politics and culture in the 21st century, scholars face new questions about its role in dissent and collective efforts for social change. The Internet requires us to reconsider definitions of the public sphere and civil society, document the potentials and limitations of access to and creation of resistant and revolutionary media, and observe and predict the rapidly changing infrastructures and corresponding uses of technology—including the temporality of online messaging alongside the increasingly transnational reach of social movement organizing. Optimism remains, but it has been tempered by the realities of the Internet's limitations as an activist tool and warnings of the Internet-enabled evolution of state suppression and surveillance of social movements. Across the body of critical work on these topics particular characteristics of the Internet, including its rapidly evolving infrastructures and individualized nature, have led scholars to explore new conceptualizations of collective action and power in a digital media landscape.


This article maps and develops—theoretically and empirically—the field of civilizational analysis in international relations (IR). In particular, it teases out a more explicit "civilizational politics" line of research, which builds upon latent and underdeveloped themes in the civilizational turn in IR. "Civilizational politics" offers an avenue for theoretically inclined, empirically minded scholars to explore how social and political actors have come to understand, change, and construct world politics as if plural civilizations existed and their relations mattered. The article anchors "civilizational politics" research to a modernist-constructivist approach to IR and structures it around two key steps. The first step is to recover and interpret subjective and intersubjective meanings through participants' discourse. The article proposes an understanding of civilizations as "imagined communities" narrated by political and intellectual elites: as essentialized or non-essentialized entities; and as clashing/conflicting or dialoguing/engaging with each other. The second step outlines three causal pathways that explain how narrated civilizational imaginaries affect world politics and turn civilizations into social facts: by guiding and structuring social action; by shaping and becoming embedded in formal institutions and patterned practices; and by bestowing recognition and socially empowering actors claiming to speak for civilizations. The empirical import of a "civilizational politics" line of research is demonstrated through a re-reading of Turan Kayaoglu's article "Constructing the Dialogue of Civilizations in World Politics: A Case of Global Islamic Activism."


Over the last few years, I have demonstrated how modern business-entity statutes, particularly LLC statutes, can give software the basic capabilities of legal personhood, such as the ability to enter contracts or own property. Not surprisingly, this idea has been met with some resistance. This Essay responds to one kind of descriptive objection to my arguments: that courts will find some way to prevent the results I describe either because my reading of the business-entity statutes would take us too far outside our legal experience, or because courts will be afraid that robots will take over the world, or because law is meant to promote human (versus nonhuman) rights. As I demonstrate in this essay, such objections are not correct as a descriptive matter. These arguments make moral and policy assumptions that are probably incorrect, face intractable line-drawing problems, and dramatically overestimate the ease of challenging statutorily valid business structures. Business-entity law has always accommodated change, and the extensions to conventional law that I have identified are not as radical as they seem. Moreover, the transactional techniques I advocate for would likely just need to succeed in one jurisdiction, and regardless, there are many alternative techniques that, practically speaking, would achieve the same results.


For a given mechanical equipment, knowing its modular topology has the advantage of facilitating its maintenance. Indeed, during a maintenance problem, we will not act on the whole product except on the failed module (product subsystem) and we would also gain time to detect, diagnose and compensate for the observed failure. On the other hand, the clustering algorithm, which has served as a reference for several works has several limits. It generates much more complex and more expensive modules in terms of coupling costs, which could require more resources, more intervention time and more maintenance work. This has worse consequences for product maintenance, because the more complex the product modules are, the more expensive the maintenance is. We therefore propose an improved clustering algorithm which has the advantage of reducing maintenance costs by reducing the coupling and decoupling costs (Disassembly and reassembly costs) of the modules, generated by the reference algorithm for good maintainability (dis-assemblability). The application is made on a soy roaster. The approach followed in the proposed algorithm consists first of all in defining a DSM (Design Structure Matrix) which will make it possible to define the correction coefficients of the coupling cost, then in formulating an objective function to reduce the coupling costs, and finally to take into account the integrating elements to reduce the size of the modules. The result achieved is the proposal for a modular topology (modular architecture) leading to a significant reduction in maintenance costs. The developed algorithm also allows an economy of scale in reducing the complexity of the modules, promoting good maintainability.


In this classic work of sociology, Doug McAdam presents a political-process model that explains the rise and decline of the black protest movement in the United States. Moving from theoretical concerns to empirical analysis, he focuses on the crucial role of three institutions that foster protest: black churches, black colleges, and Southern chapters of the NAACP. He concludes that political opportunities, a heightened sense of political efficacy, and the development of these three institutions played a central role in shaping the civil rights movement. In his new introduction, McAdam revisits the civil rights struggle in light of recent scholarship on social movement origins and collective action. "[A] first-rate analytical demonstration that the civil rights movement was the culmination of a long process of building institutions in the black community."--Raymond Wolters, Journal of American History "A fresh, rich, and dynamic model to explain the rise and decline of the black insurgency movement in the United States."--James W. Lamare, Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science


The Indian Ocean tsunami (IOT) of December 2004 has uncovered a till then widely unacquainted tsunami risk for the west coast of southern Thailand. To limit loss of life and damage due to potential future events, data about the frequency and magnitude of tsunamis in Thailand over a longer time period is needed. Since modern and historical tsunami recording in the Bay of Bengal is limited to the last 300 years, details about the long-term hazard have to be drawn from geological evidence of prehistoric tsunami flooding by (i) identifying new palaeotsunamis, (ii) dating and (iii) correlating spatially distinct evidence, and (iv) establishing the magnitude and the intensity of these events. For this, sediments from near-shore geoarchives in the coastal areas of Phang-nga province and Phuket (Thailand) have been sampled and analysed sedimentologically (granulometry, geochemistry, mineralogy, fauna, sedimentation modelling) and chronologically (optically stimulated luminescence and radiocarbon dating).

Evidence of multiple prehistoric coastal flooding events in the form of allochthonous sand beds was identified in the coastal plain of Ban Bang Sak. The layers are assigned to high-energy events of marine origin, either tsunamis or tropical storms, by means of the sediment characteristics. The distinction between tsunamites and tempestites is mainly based on comparison of the palaeoevent beds with the local deposit of the IOT 2004, which revealed similarities regarding spatial extent and sediment properties. Furthermore, the radiocarbon age of the youngest palaeoevent correlates with contemporaneous tsunami evidence from India and Sumatra. Hence, the youngest event, dated to 500-700 cal BP, is related to a basin-wide tsunami, while several older events that took place between 2000 and 1180 cal BP preliminary are treated as tsunami candidates.

Since the application of radiocarbon for dating tsunamites on Phra Thong Island is limited by the scarcity of datable macro-remains and the contamination by young roots, here, the potential of optical dating (OSL) is evaluated by applying the method to a suite of tsunamigenic and littoral deposits for which independent age control is available. Small aliquots of coarse-grained quartz were used for measurements, and processed statistically by means of appropriate age models. Cross-checking with independent radiocarbon data showed good agreement for littoral deposits and only insignificant residuals of less than 40 years for the poorly bleached deposits of the IOT 2004. These results legitimate the use of OSL to determine ages of palaeotsunamis in the same setting. Therefore, the established luminescence procedure was applied as a tool to correlate the spatially distinct sand sheets of prehistoric tsunamis that are preserved in the swales of Phra Thong's beach-ridge plain. At least three palaeoevents – being 490–550, 925–1035 and 1740–2000 years old – are distinguished and correlated between the swales of Phra Thong (as an indicator for inundation distances), as well as within the Bay of Bengal (as an indicator for the impact areas).

For the interpretation of onshore tsunami deposits in terms of magnitude and impact on coastal systems, the boundary conditions at the time of prehistoric tsunami events have to be taken into account. Pre-existing sea-level curves for the Malay-Thai Peninsula postulate a mid-Holocene maximum of 1-5 m above present sea level, whereas the exact timing and magnitude of the Holocene highstand in Thailand remained to be defined. By the use of fixed biological and geomorphological sea-level indicators a Holocene maximum of +2.6 m in the south and +1.5-2.0 m in the north of the study area is assessed for c. 5500 years ago. In addition, Holocene changes of palaeogeography and their influence on local tsunami records are studied. While the patterns of palaeotsunamis recorded on Phra Thong and at Ban Bang Sak can be explained by the onset of back-barrier swamp formation, the existence of only one prehistoric tsunami deposit at Pakarang Cape is in conflict with the persistence of a back-reef lagoon, which provided favourable conditions for preservation over millennia.

Although the IOT 2004 had a strong short-term impact on infrastructure, housing, ecosystems and coastal morphology in Thailand, the damaged systems have almost completely recovered after less than 10 years. For prehistoric tsunamis, the long-term impact is assessed based on variations of the sedimentary environments before and after the events. It can be shown that all recorded palaeotsunamis had only insignificant impact on the ecosystems and the geomorphology of Phra Thong Island, Ban Bang Sak and Pakarang Cape.

To deduce transport processes and hydrodynamic parameters of tsunami events from the onshore deposits found at Ban Bang Sak, as an estimate of palaeotsunami magnitude, two different ap-proaches are applied. (i) The maximum offshore sediment source is determined using granulometry, geochemistry, mineralogy, and foraminifera of tsunamites and reference samples from various marine and terrestrial environments. (ii) By means of sedimentation modelling, onshore flow velocities and flow depths of the associated tsunami waves are estimated. The approach is evaluated by means of the IOT 2004, for which modelled flow velocities and onshore flow depths, as well as the deduced sediment source are in good agreement with quotations based on survivor videos and post-tsunami field surveys. For the 500-700 year old predecessor with modelled flow velocities and flow depths of 4.1-5.9 m/s and 7.0 m, respectively, a magnitude similar to the IOT 2004 is reconstructed. The deposits of the three tsunami candidates dated to 1180-2000 cal BP partly indicate source areas equal to the IOT 2004, suggesting events of comparable size, and partly indicate a much shallower sediment source, pointing to a storm origin or tsunamis of a lesser magnitude.

In conclusion, a recurrence interval of 500-600 years for tsunamis in southwest Thailand is estimated on the basis of sedimentary evidence. Since all tsunamis recorded in Thailand are triggered by mega-ruptures of the Sunda Arc with similar magnitude and geometry as the 2004 earthquake, which have not only local but basin-wide impact, the data from Thailand provide valuable information for the assessment of future tsunami risk in other countries around the northern Indian Ocean, as well.


The process by which an athlete is attuned to their affordances for action in a given environment is known as perceptual-motor calibration. However, given that athletes operate in dynamic, fluid environments, they must be able to recalibrate to account for perturbations, such as fatigue or load carriage. PURPOSE: To examine the independent and interactive effects of low intensity to fatiguing exercise and load carriage on perceptual-motor calibration PROCEDURES: 23 participants (Age (yrs) = 25.26 ± 3.26) completed an incremental fatigue protocol, with stages of low, moderate, high, and fatiguing intensities, on two separate occasions (loaded/unloaded). At baseline and the end of every stage, subjects made perceptual-motor judgements for maximal jump distance, and the accuracy of judgements (ACC) and reaction time (RT) were calculated. 2x5 ANOVAs, or nonparametric equivalents, were utilized to test for mean differences in ACC and RT across exercise intensity and load carriage conditions. RESULTS: No interaction of exercise intensity and load carriage was detected, or main effect of load carriage. A main, quadratic effect of exercise intensity was detected on RT (F = 18.587, p < 0.001), with RTs decreasing through the moderate stage (Mean Difference (ms) = -38.25) and increasing through post-fatigue (Mean Difference (ms) = 38.817), however no effect was detected on ACC. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that exercise has a significant effect on perceptual-motor calibration, with improvements through moderate intensity exercise, and decrements with higher intensities, necessitating recalibration. However, load carriage appears to not have a significant impact on perceptual-motor calibration.


Duration: September 2004 - September 2006

This evaluation concerned seven community rapid HIV testing pilot interventions separately funded by the Department of Health (four sites) and gsk (three sites) and delivered by Terrence Higgins Trust (THT) with collaborators in local genito-urinary medicine (GUM) clinics. We use the fasTest brand name to refer to the intervention. This research was funded by Department of Health and Terrence Higgins Trust (on behalf of gsk sites).

The intervention was exploratory and continued to develop throughout the pilot evaluation period. At the time of the evaluation THT described their aims in delivering this intervention as:
• to reduce levels of undiagnosed HIV,
• to provide greater access and choice for individuals,
• to provide results at point of testing,
• to establish a fast-tracking procedure into treatment & care for those testing positive.

The fasTest service was also assumed to increase HIV testing capacity in localities where it was delivered.

Our aims for the evaluation were to:
• describe the entire population who tested at each site, including demographic profiles, sexual history and sexual health needs.
• Identify how the population who tested at each site might vary from attendees of other clinical sexual health services. The key aim was to assess whether (and why) target groups were more likely to access services based in community settings compared to other settings.
• Evaluate the acceptability of the interventions to gay men and African communities (from surveys and interviews).
• Evaluate the effectiveness of the interventions in screening an at-risk population including their capacity to identify new cases of HIV.

The evaluation was written-up in two seperate reports based on the funding of the pilots and their evaluation. The reports describe the data collected using three methods: monitoring of service provision and follow-up through standard HIV care services; our 4 page questionnaire completed by fasTest users; and follow-up telephone interviews with those tested positive. Both final reports include summary evaluation conclusions.

Report one was called Evaluation of the Department of Health funded fasTest HIV testing in the community pilot.

Report two was called Evaluation of the gsk funded fasTest HIV testing in the community pilot.


Control of public spending and revenues is increasingly being left to states and localities. In order to understand the consequences of such a movement on the distribution of social spending, it is necessary to understand how fiscal distress will affect state and local budgets. This paper exploits the large and unexpected negative shock to county budgets imposed by the presence of capital crime trials, first to understand the real incidence of the cost of capital convictions, and second to uncover the effects of local fiscal distress on the level and distribution of public spending and revenues. I show that these trials are quite costly relative to county budgets, and that the costs are borne in part by reducing expenditures on highways and police and in large part by increasing taxes. The results highlight the vulnerability of county budgets to fiscal shocks: each trial causes an increase in county spending of 1.8 percent and an increase in county revenues of 1.6 percent, implying an increase of more than $1.6 billion in both expenditures and revenues between 1982 and 1997. Using these trials as a source of exogenous variation to examine inter-jurisdictional spillovers, I find significant spillovers of both spending and revenues between counties.


Abstract Recent work has led to the suggestion that biologically-mediated redox processes might be important in the regulation of dissolved trace element concentrations in rivers, especially with regard to manganese. Here, we focus on the removal of dissolved Mn from lower Mississippi River water. Experiments indicate that dissolved Mn can be rapidly removed from lower Mississippi River water on a timescale of days or less and that Mn oxides are formed. However, demonstrating a biological origin for this removal is problematic. Experiments reveal that commonly used microbial controls, including NaN3 mixtures, HgCl2, heat sterilization, and sonification all affect fluvial particulate Mn through dissolution, disaggregation, interference with adsorption, or particle ageing. Thus, these microbial controls may affect abiotic as well as biological processes. Evidence supporting microbial removal of dissolved Mn from lower Mississippi River water includes a temperature optimum for the process (∼30°C), a lower activation energy than reported for heterogeneous inorganic Mn oxidation, and a faster rate than reported for autocatalytic inorganic Mn oxidation. This rapid Mn oxidation process occurs at essentially the same rate in the dark as well as the light. Observation of Mn removal at similar rates in a blackwater river in addition to the lower Mississippi, suggests that this is a common phenomenon in fluvial systems. If, as has been shown by other lab studies, the freshly biologically precipitated Mn oxides have a high specific surface area, then our observations provide a potential link between microbial activity, Mn cycling, and the cycling of other particle-reactive trace elements in rivers. Our results also indicate that unfiltered river water samples for dissolved Mn analysis should be filtered as soon as possible or at least stored cold if immediate filtration is not possible.


Hacked Electronic Records of Climate Scientists at the University of East Anglia's Climate Research Unit (UEA/CRU) led to worldwide publicity during the December 2009 Copenhagen climate change convention. UEA is conducting a formal investigation to determine whether UEA scientists manipulated or suppressed data or otherwise acted unprofessionally. My reading of the vast scientific literature on climate change is that our understanding is undiminished by this incident; but it has raised concern about the standards of science and has damaged public trust in what scientists do.


An increasing number of papers on statistical process control (SPC) has emerged in the last fifty years, especially in the last fifteen years. This may be attributed to the increased global competitiveness generated by innovation and the continuous improvement of products and processes. In this sense, SPC has a fundamentally important role in quality and production systems. The research in this paper considers the context of technological improvement and innovation of products and processes to increase corporate competitiveness. There are several other statistical technics and tools for assisting continuous improvement and innovation of products and processes but, despite the limitations in their use in the improvement projects, there is growing concern about the use of SPC. A gap between the SPC technics taught in engineering courses and their practical applications to industrial problems is observed in empirical research; thus, it is important to understand what has been done and identify the trends in SPC research. The bibliometric study in this paper is proposed in this direction and uses the Web of Science (WoS) database. Data analysis indicates that there was a growth rate of more than 90% in the number of publications on SPC after 1990. Our results reveal the countries where these publications have come from, the authors with the highest number of papers and their networks. Main sources of publications are also identified; it is observed that the publications of SPC papers are concentrated in some of the international research journals, not necessarily those with the major high-impact factors. Furthermore, the papers are focused on industrial engineering, operations research and management science fields. The most common term found in the papers was cumulative sum control charts, but new topics have emerged and have been researched in the past ten years, such as multivariate methods for process monitoring and nonparametric methods.


In this paper, we describe a miniature climbing robot, 96 x 46 x 64 [mm3], able to climb ferromagnetic surfaces and to make inner plane to plane transition using only two degrees of freedom. Our robot, named TRIPILLAR, combines magnetic caterpillars and magnets to climb planar ferromagnetic surfaces. Two triangular tracks are mounted in a differential drive mode, which allows squid steering and on spot turning. Exploiting the particular geometry and magnetic properties of this arrangement, TRIPILLAR is able to transit between intersecting surfaces. The intersection angle ranges from -10° to 90° on the pitch angle of the coordinate system of the robot regardless of the orientation of gravity. A possible path is to move from ground to ceiling and back. This achievement opens new avenues for mobile robotics inspection of ferromagnetic industrial structure with stringent size restriction, like the one encountered in power plants.


State-of-the-art nanophotonic devices based on semiconductor technology use total internal reflection or the photonic bandgap effect to reduce the waveguide core dimensions down to hundreds of nanometers, ensuring strong optical confinement within the scale of the wavelength. Within the framework of this thesis, we investigate the light propagation in such devices by direct experimental reconstruction of their dispersion relation ω (k), where ω is the optical frequency and k the wave vector of the supported modes. Knowledge of the dispersion relation provides us with comprehensive information about the guided field, including the number of supported modes, their phase and group velocity as well as the higher order dispersion. As a principal characterization tool, an original experimental technique referred as Fourier-space imaging is used. It is based on far-field analysis of optical signal radiated out of the plane of the structure, which makes it possible to retrieve accurately, non-invasively and in one step the complex dispersion of both the leaky and the truly guided optical modes. The latter is feasible provided that the device is equipped with vanishingly weak grating probes that scatter a small part of the guided light into the light cone. The Fourier-space imaging technique was applied to study the optical properties of a large number of nanophotonic devices, ranging from simple nanowire waveguides to complex photonic crystal structures. In the first part of the work, silicon-on-insulator slot waveguides, coupled ridge waveguides and nanowire waveguide arrays are addressed. Besides the phase and group index dispersion, we investigate the phenomenon of mode splitting in coupled systems, being able to probe the coupling lengths with an accuracy of ±50 nm. In the case of waveguide arrays, beam steering using both thermo-optic effect and wavelength tuning was demonstrated. Concerning the photonic crystal devices, we primarily focus on the phenomenon of slow light propagation in line-defect and coupled-cavity photonic crystal waveguides. The latter represent a special type of a waveguide, which allows for substantial optical signal retardation by evanescent coupling along a chain of photonic crystal cavities. The main motivation was to accurately measure the group index of the slow light modes and recognize the main factors limiting its maximum achievable value. Among others, experimental observation of dispersion curve renormalization, enhanced out-of-plane and back-scattering as well as light localization due to residual disorder were reported. Finally, a detailed experimental study of hollow-core photonic crystal structures intended for optical sensing applications is presented.


We provide a static data structure for distance estimation which supports {\it adaptive} queries. Concretely, given a dataset $X = \{x_i\}_{i = 1}^n$ of $n$ points in $\mathbb{R}^d$ and $0 < p \leq 2$, we construct a randomized data structure with low memory consumption and query time which, when later given any query point $q \in \mathbb{R}^d$, outputs a $(1+\epsilon)$-approximation of $\lVert q - x_i \rVert_p$ with high probability for all $i\in[n]$. The main novelty is our data structure's correctness guarantee holds even when the sequence of queries can be chosen adaptively: an adversary is allowed to choose the $j$th query point $q_j$ in a way that depends on the answers reported by the data structure for $q_1,\ldots,q_{j-1}$. Previous randomized Monte Carlo methods do not provide error guarantees in the setting of adaptively chosen queries. Our memory consumption is $\tilde O((n+d)d/\epsilon^2)$, slightly more than the $O(nd)$ required to store $X$ in memory explicitly, but with the benefit that our time to answer queries is only $\tilde O(\epsilon^{-2}(n + d))$, much faster than the naive $\Theta(nd)$ time obtained from a linear scan in the case of $n$ and $d$ very large. Here $\tilde O$ hides $\log(nd/\epsilon)$ factors. We discuss applications to nearest neighbor search and nonparametric estimation.
Our method is simple and likely to be applicable to other domains: we describe a generic approach for transforming randomized Monte Carlo data structures which do not support adaptive queries to ones that do, and show that for the problem at hand, it can be applied to standard nonadaptive solutions to $\ell_p$ norm estimation with negligible overhead in query time and a factor $d$ overhead in memory.


Household housing decisions are usually taken early in life and therefore have significant welfare consequences. There are two types of loans available for households: Fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) contracts and adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) contracts. We investigate the welfare effects of fixed-rate and adjustable-rate mortgage contracts on Czech households by calibrating and solving a life-cycle model used for this purpose by Campbell and Cocco (2003). We compare the distribution of utility in simulations under FRM and ARM and find that FRM is preferred to ARM. This result is in conflict with findings that Campbell and Cocco (2003) report for U.S. households, probably due to higher inflation and real interest rate uncertainty in the Czech Republic.