This thesis considers the roles and nature of the participation of women in the Lollard movement of early fifteenth-century England. It examines the experiences, religious beliefs and textual practices of two fifteenth-century lay-women caught up in Bishop Alnwick's 1428–1431 campaign of prosecutions in the diocese of Norwich.

The historiography of fifteenth-century England and Lollard dissent has, in the most part, failed to consider the involvement of ordinary Lollard women in a comprehensive or meaningful way. For those scholars that have taken an interest, the contributions of ordinary women tend to be regarded as 'lesser', 'secondary' or 'marginal' in comparison to those of their male counterparts. For historians, indicators of the subordinate status and peripheral role played by women derived from their physical and intellectual ties to the home and to feminine and familial-based roles, as well as from their poor literacy and education levels. This study shows that, far from being a source of marginality, inferiority and limitation, ordinary women's roles in and relationships to feminine and familial and household-based spaces and activities were both an important source of theological meaning and identity, and the means by which Lollard women performed important roles within the movement. This study also challenges ideas about female illiteracy as a sign of women's relegation to the periphery of Lollard activity.

The primary sources for this thesis are the 1977 publication of documents relating to the trials, translated and edited by Norman P. Tanner, and John Foxe's 1563 Book of Martyrs, which also provides an account of some of the proceedings. These sources provide a body of material in which the words, beliefs and actions of these Norwich Lollard women and their community, while mediated, may be accessed. Applying techniques of close textual analysis to the primary sources reveals important aspects of the practices and beliefs of the Lollard women. These sources also provide evidence of a level of anxiety and interest held by the Norwich community and its Orthodox Church leaders, which shaped the textual and religious activities of the women.

This study argues that the nature of the religious participation and textual practices of the two women analysed was intensely experientially based and that it derived meaning and understanding from the everyday, ordinary feminine and familial spaces and roles that the women occupied in the community. The implication of their religious beliefs and activities is that they reveal individuals intimately, directly and personally engaged with Christ and the Bible; deriving and shaping the meaning of both based on their own experiences and understandings of the world. The danger for Orthodox Christianity and Church leaders was that in this independent relationship with Christ and the Bible, the Church no longer had an intermediary role to play.

This thesis contends that the two fifteenth-century female subjects discussed here were not marginal or insignificant. Rather, they made meaningful and valuable contributions to the Lollard movement and to their own religious experiences, and are subjects worthy of greater and more considered historical focus.


The paper reports on the experiences of designing the interface of a mobile learning game. Three system versions were presented to discuss design issues and the results of three trials (the largest with more than 100 users). Eight design implications resulted from those trials. 1) Base the navigation interface on maps designed for walking. 2) Precise zooming is adequate for standing use only; button based coarse zooming is adequate for walking. 3) Good navigation support does not only cover the current situation, but also captures the past and supports planning. 4) Visualise imprecision of location information appropriately. 5) Chat-based communication is inadequate for many game situations. Carefully designed oral communication would be more appropriate in many situations. 6) Embed competitive awareness into the other channels. 7) Design explicitly for standing and walking use. 8) Design systems for user pairs. The design approaches discussed in this paper can also be applied to other mobile applications such as mobile learning in museums, emergency support or tourism.


IZA DP No. 15036 JANUARY 2022 Optimal Taxation with Multiple Incomes and Types We analyze the optimal nonlinear income tax schedule when taxpayers earn multiple incomes and differ along many unobserved dimensions. We derive the necessary conditions for the government's optimum using both a tax perturbation and a mechanism design approach, and show that both methods produce the same results. Our main contribution is to propose a numerical method to find the optimal tax schedule. Applied to the optimal taxation of couples, we find that optimal isotax curves are very close to linear and parallel. The slope of isotax curves is strongly affected by the relative tax-elasticity of male and female income. We make several additional contributions, including a test for Pareto efficiency and a condition on primitives that ensures the government's necessary conditions are sufficient and the solution to the problem is unique. JEL Classification: H21, H23, H24, D82


Colloidal fluids interacting via effective potentials which are attractive at the short range and repulsive at the long range have long been raising considerable attention because such an instance provides a simple mechanism leading to pattern formation even for isotropic interactions. If the competition between attraction and repulsion is strong enough, the gas-liquid phase transition is suppressed, and replaced by the formation of mesophases, i.e., inhomogeneous phases displaying periodic density modulations whose length, although being larger than the particle size, cannot nevertheless be considered macroscopic. We describe a fully numerical implementation of density-functional theory in three dimensions, tailored to periodic phases. The results for the equilibrium phase diagram of the model are compared with those already obtained in previous investigations for the present system as well as for other systems which form mesophases. The phase diagram which we find shows a strong similarity with that of block copolymer melts, in which self-assembly also results from frustration of a macroscopic phase separation. As the inhomogeneous region is swept by increasing the density from the low-density side, one encounters clusters, bars, lamellae, inverted bars, and inverted clusters. Moreover, a bicontinuous gyroid phase consisting of two intertwined percolating networks is predicted in a narrow domain between the bar and lamellar phases.


A 277-km network of high-resolution seismic-reflection profiles, supplemented with a sidescan-sonar mosaic of the lake floor, was collected in Bear Lake, Utah–Idaho, in order to explore the sedimentary framework of the lake's paleoclimate record. The acoustic stratigraphy is tied to a 120 m deep, continuously cored drill hole in the lake. Based on the age model for the drill core, the oldest continuously mapped acoustic reflector in the data set has an age of about 100 ka, although older sediments were locally imaged. The acoustic stratigraphy of the sediments below the lake indicates that the basin developed primarily as a simple half-graben, with a steep normal-fault margin on the east and a flexural margin on the west. As expected for a basin controlled by a listric master fault, seismic reflections steepen and diverge toward the fault, bounding eastward-thickening sediment wedges. Secondary normal faults west of the master fault were imaged beneath the lake and many of these faults show progressively increasing offset with depth and age. Several faults cut the youngest sediments in the lake as well as the modern lake floor. The relative simplicity of the sedimentary sequence is interrupted in the northwestern part of the basin by a unit that is interpreted as a large (4 (cid:1) 10 km) paleodelta of the Bear River. The delta overlies a horizon with an age of about 97 ka, outcrops at the lake floor and is onlapped by much of the uppermost sequence of lake sediments. A feature interpreted as a wave-cut bench occurs in many places on the western side of the lake. The base of this bench occurs at a depth (22–24 m) similar to that (20–25 m) of the distal surface of the paleodelta. Pinch-outs of sedimentary units are common in relatively shallow water on the gentle western margin of the basin and little Holocene sediment has accumulated in water depths of less than 30 m. On the steep eastern margin of the basin, sediments commonly onlap the hanging wall of the East Bear Lake Fault. However, no major erosional or depositional features suggestive of shoreline processes were observed on acoustic profiles in water deeper than about 20–25 m. D


This document describes the use of a single RSVP (Resource ReSerVation Protocol) reservation to aggregate other RSVP reservations across a transit routing region, in a manner conceptually similar to the use of Virtual Paths in an ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode) network. It proposes a way to dynamically create the aggregate reservation, classify the traffic for which the aggregate reservation applies, determine how much bandwidth is needed to achieve the requirement, and recover the bandwidth when the sub-reservations are no longer required. It also contains recommendations concerning algorithms and policies for predictive reservations.


Over the past several years, while visible protests against the World Bank and the I.M.F. made front-page news, there has been a growing field of scholarship that looks at the role of globalization for national and international state identities. The first truism of globalization--that we live in an increasingly interconnected world, one in which it is impossible to separate the fate of one nation from that of the others--was dramatically illustrated on September 11, 2001, when the seemingly distant effects of a civil war in Afghanistan so murderously interrupted life in the United States.Implicating Empire is the first book to look at four crucial dimensions of globalization: first, its role vis-a-vis the current war; second, the impact of globalization on domestic U.S. policy; third, how globalization will necessarily alter national security, both in its definition as well as how it is pursued, and, finally, the future of globalization. Including original essays by Stanley Aronowitz, Ahmed Rashid, Tariq Ali, Manning Marable, Michael Hardt, and Ellen Willis, among others, Implicating Empire will set the agenda for how globalization is debated--and resisted--in the future.


In the last years the fast growth of bioinformatics field has atracted the attention of computer scientists. At the same
time, de exponential growth of databases that contains biological information (such as protein and DNA data) demands great efforts to improve the performance of computational platforms. In this work, we investigate how bioinformatics applications benefit from parallel architectures that combine different alternatives to exploit coarse- and fine-grain parallelism. As a case of analysis, we study the performance behavior of the Ssearch application that implements the Smith-Waterman algorithm (SW), which is a dynamic programing
approach that explores the similarity between a pair of sequences. The inherent large parallelism of the application
makes it ideal for architectures supporting multiple dimensions of parallelism (thread-level parallelism, TLP; data-level
parallelism, DLP; instruction-level parallelism, ILP). We study how this algorithm can take advantage of different parallel machines like the SGI Altix, IBM Power6, IBM Cell BE and MareNostrum machines. Our study includes a qualitative analysis of the parallelization opportunities and also the quantification of the performance in terms of speedup and
execution time. These measures are collected taking into account the specific characteristics of each architecture. As
an example, our results show that a share memory multiprocessor architecture (SMP) like the PowerPC 970MP of Marenostrum machine can surpasses a heterogeneous multi-
processor machine like the current IBM Cell BE.


This study proposes a model predictive control (MPC)-based home energy management system for residential microgrid (RM) in which all related information such as the time-varying information of the load demand, electricity price and renewable energy generations, are all taken into account. A novel finite-horizon mixed-integer linear programming problem is iteratively formulated to investigate the optimal control actions of the RM under an MPC framework. Three case studies are conducted to discuss the technical and economic impacts of the responsive electrical and thermal loads, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, and electrical and thermal energy storage units. Moreover, a sensitivity analysis is performed to demonstrate the superiority of the proposed approach when forecasts of related information are imperfect.


The powdery mildew of butternut squash ( Cucurbita moschata Duchesne ex Poiret) caused by Podosphaera xanthii (Castagne) U. Braun and Shiskoff is the most severe disease in Botswana. The disease causes a significant reduction in quality and quantity of butternut fruits. Greenhouse experiments were conducted during 2007 and 2008 at the Department of Agricultural Research Station, Sebele, Botswana to evaluate the efficacy of locally available protectant and systemic fungicides on the control of the powdery mildew of butternut squash. In 2007 treatment trial included a protectant fungicide, chlorothalonil and two systemic fungicides, benomyl and bupirimate which were used separately, and tank mixes of each of the systemic fungicide with the protectant fungicide. Fungicidal treatment in 2008 included an additional protectant fungicide, mancozeb which was used alone and also tank mixed with systemic fungicides used in 2007. Chlorothalonil and mancozeb when used alone were not effective in controlling the disease with the disease severity (DS) of 23.52% and 9.43% respectively over 31.45 % disease severity in non-treated plants. Out of the two systemic fungicides, bupirimate (1.21% DS) was more effective over benomyl (2.89% DS). The data on systemic - protectant fungicide treatment were not significantly different (P<0.05). Bupirimate when combined with protectant fungicide either chlorothalonil (0.46% DS) or mancozeb (0.34% DS), and tank mixes of benomyl with chlorothalonil (0.91% DS), and with mancozeb (0.34% DS) proved to be very effective in the control of powdery mildew of butternut squash as compared to all other fungicidal treatments.


Although distributed threads on distributed shared memory (DSM) provide an easy programming model for distributed computer systems, it is not easy to build a high performance system with them, because a software DSM system is prone to page-thrashing. One way to reduce page-thrashing is to utilize thread migration, which leads to changes in page access patterns on DSM. In this paper, we propose thread scheduling methods based upon page access information and discuss an analytical model for evaluating this information. Then, we describe our implementation of distributed threads, PARSEC (Parallel software environment for workstation cluster). Using user-level threads, PARSEC implements thread migration and thread scheduling based upon the page access information. We also measure the performance of some applications with these thread scheduling methods. These measurements indicate that the thread scheduling methods greatly reduce page-thrashing and improve total system performance.


The prospect of a new, rapidly rising China poses both opportunities and challenges for regional community building in Asia Pacific. In this book, intellectual leaders from the region present their perspectives on China's development. Four chapters by Chinese authors analyze the domestic dynamics related to the country's political and economic development as well as its external economic and political/security relationships. Contributors from Japan, Korea, member-countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and Australia/New Zealand cover the growing political influence of China in the region, its influence on security in the region, and the implications of China's continuing economic growth. Five final chapters examine China's regional strategy toward Asia Pacific, Japan-China cooperation on regional community building, taking a greater role in regional security arrangements and the regional economic order, and the cultural implications for the region of the rise of China. Contributors include Yang Guangbin (Renmin University, Japan), Men Honghua (Central Party School, China), Wang Rongjun (Chinese Academy of Social Science), Ni Feng (Chinese Academy of Social Sciences), Takahara Akio (Rikkyo University, Japan), Ohashi Hideo (Senshu University, Japan), Lee Geun, (Seoul National University, Korea), Jwa Sung-Hee (Korea Economic Research Institute), Morada Noel (Institute for Strategic and Development Studies, Philippines), Mari Pangestu (former executive director, Center for Strategic and International Studies), Greg Austin, (European Institute for Asian Studies, Brussels, and Australian National University), Jusuf Wanandi (Center for Strategic and International Studies, Indonesia), Chia Siow Yue (Singapore Institute of International Affairs and EADN), and Wang Gungwu, (East Asian Institute, Singapore).


In this paper, I use a Wilberian integral futures approach to examine visions of the future within the climate action movement and identify sources of agreement and contention. I argue that the Wilberian approach is particularly valuable in drawing out diverse futures associated with differing levels of consciousness. Applying this approach to the climate action movement, I identify a likely future in which the continued promotion of a particular set of ecological values limits the appeal of the movement and reduces its effectiveness. An alternative future sees movement leaders working from or adopting more diverse value positions to develop movement visions that have broader appeal and support more effective results.


Young researchers of today will shape the field in the future. In light of current debates about social psychology's research culture, this exploratory survey assessed early-career researchers' beliefs (N = 88) about the prevalence of questionable research practices (QRPs), potential causes, and open science as a possible solution. While there was relative consensus that outright fraud is an exception, a majority of participants believed that some QRPs are moderately to highly prevalent what they attributed primarily to academic incentive structures. A majority of participants felt that open science is necessary to improve research practice. They indicated to consider some open science recommendations in the future, but they also indicated some reluctance. Limitation and implications of these findings are discussed.


The Public-Private Partnership (PPP) concept was introduced and hailed as an effective mechanism to increase the efficiency of the public infrastructure provision as well as to achieve cost-effectiveness. However, the growing literature on PPP finds that the implementation of the PPP approach in infrastructure provision is costly and needs a high amount of state financial support. This study examines the cost of financing of the Malaysian PPP tolled highways, and the existence of government financial support to the concession companies. The results of this study show that private financing in the provision of infrastructure projects is more costly as opposed to public financing and a substantial amount of financial support from the government is required in implementing the PPP projects.


Östgård-Ybrandt, H. (2003). Self-concept, inner residue of past relationships, and social functioning in adolescence: A study of age and gender differences in groups of normal and antisocial adolescents. Doctoral dissertation from the Department of Psychology, Umeå University, SE-901 87, Umeå, Sweden: ISBN 91-7305-595-6. This thesis presents several studies of normative development in adolescence, focusing specifically on internalized perceptions of parents' early behavior and how these perceptions affect the self-concept and social functioning during adolescence. Questions of possible age and gender differences in relation to perceptions of self-concept and early parental behavior are addressed. The patterns found in a normal adolescent group are compared with those in a group of adolescents with antisocial problems. Two hundred seventy-seven normal adolescents aged 12 to18 and 30 adolescents with antisocial problems aged 13-19 were investigated. The following self-administered instruments were used: self-concept assessments, the Structural Analysis of Social Behavior (SASB) introject questionnaire, perception of early parental behavior assessment, the SASB mother/father questionnaires, and the EMBU (A Swedish acronym for "own memories of upbringing"). The Youth Self Report checklist (YSR) was used to assess internalizing and externalizing problems. The incidence of problem behavior in the group of adolescents with antisocial problems was assessed using DICA-R, Diagnostic Interview for Children and Adolescents. Studies I and II showed that the normal adolescent self-concept and perception of early parental behavior were positive and that there were no age or gender differences. The antisocial group of adolescents, and particularly the antisocial girls, showed a more autonomous and negative self-concept and more negative perceptions of early parental behaviors. Study III showed that a positive self-concept was related to a positive perception of parent's early behavior. Study IV showed that an adolescent's positive self-concept was influenced by a mix of mother acting positively and father acting with control. Adolescent self-control was indirectly influenced by parental control behavior mediated through self-affiliation. Study V showed that a positive self-concept was important for adjustment. A negative self-concept combined with female gender was a risk factor for internalizing problems. Self-control had only a small effect on social adjustment in adolescence. The relationship between a negative self-concept and externalizing problem behavior was stronger for adolescents aged 15 to 16 than for younger or older adolescents. Internalizing problem behavior influenced externalizing problems. The results presented in this thesis support a modified "storm-and-stress" view of adolescence and highlight the importance of promoting a positive self-concept in every adolescent in various psychosocial contexts.


In this work we present a novel method to automate the computation
of global constraints cost for local search. The method is based on
the representation of a global constraints as graph properties on a
binary constraint network. This formulation simplifies the
implementation of global constraints in local search, and provides a
cost that can be readily compared to one obtained for subproblems
using binary constraints exclusively. The cost obtained can be
efficiently updated during the search using incremental methods. The
representation of a global constraint as outlined above can also be
used for generation of suitable neighborhoods for the constraint.
This is done using simple repair functions applied on the elementary
constraints in the global constraint graph.
We show the usability of our approach by presenting formulations of
global constraints in non-overlapping and cumulative scheduling.


The Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890 broadly prohibits contracts, combinations, and conspiracies in "restraint of trade" and makes it unlawful "to monopolize" any line of commerce. (1) The open-textured nature of the Act vests the judiciary with considerable responsibility for interpretation. In a 1966 article published in the Journal of Law and Economics, then-Professor Robert H. Bork examined the legislative history of the Act. (2) Bork was candid about the "difficulties inherent in the very concept" of legislative intent. (3) Nevertheless, Bork thought the undertaking was justified by the need to counter the judiciary's repeated invocation of values that were unrelated to the debate that had informed congressional enactment of the Sherman Act and, lacking any legitimate economic rationale, were likely to produce real economic harm. For example, in Fashion Originators' Guild of America v. FTC, (4) the Supreme Court had counted among the policies underlying the Sherman Act protection of "the freedom of action of [Guild] members [not] to reveal to the Guild the intimate details of their individual affairs." (5) No lesser light than Judge Learned Hand had asserted that the Congress intended the Sherman Act to achieve certain sociopolitical aims, such as minimizing the "helplessness of the individual" (6) and ensuring the "organization of industry in small units." (7) Obviously, such policies are highly malleable; they can be invoked (or not) to justify almost any result in any situation. Indeed, as Bork pointed out, Judge Hand went so far as to state that in enacting the Sherman Act, the Congress had "delegated to the courts the duty of fixing the standard for each case." (8) Bork's examination of the text and structure of the Sherman Act against the background of preliminary proposals and draft legislation, statements by Senators and Representatives, and contemporaneous understandings of constitutional and common law led him to conclude: "The legislative history ... contains no colorable support for application by courts of any value premise or policy other than the maximization of consumer welfare." (9) By "consumer welfare," Bork meant "the maximization of wealth or consumer want satisfaction," (10) known today as allocative efficiency--a concept he thought the framers of the Sherman Act clearly grasped even though they did not "speak ... with the precision of a modern economist." (11) Bork also explained that maximization of consumer welfare is the common denominator underlying the central prohibitions of the Act, that is, the condemnation of cartel agreements, monopolistic mergers, and predatory business practices. (12) He explained that legislators used the term "monopolize" to refer only to those three prohibited activities, as opposed to a "monopoly," which might arise from superior efficiency. (13) According to Bork, "[o]nly a consumer-welfare value which, in cases of conflict, sweeps all other values before it can account for Congress' willingness to permit efficiency-based monopoly." (14) When Bork's article was first published in 1966, his thesis was novel; by 1977, it had become the conventional wisdom of the federal courts. That year, the Supreme Court, in Continental T. V., Inc. v. GTE Sylvania Inc., (15) repudiated the position it had taken only 10 years before in United States v. Arnold, Schwinn & Co. (16) In the earlier case, the Court had held that a nonprice vertical restraint imposed by a manufacturer on a distributor after "title, dominion, or risk" had passed was a per se violation of the Sherman Act, (17) that is, regardless of its actual--and possibly efficient--economic effect. In GTE Sylvania Inc. v. Continental T. V., Inc., (18) a retailer of televisions claimed that a manufacturer's limitation upon the locations at which the retailer could sell its televisions was a per se violation of the Sherman Act. (19) The Ninth Circuit expressly adopted Bork's thesis and rejected the multiplicity of "values" the Supreme Court had been reading into the Sherman Act for decades. …


Migration concerns a variety of private and
collective choices, which are of immense value to the
functioning of the market economy. This book provides
theoretical clarification to the issue with special
emphasis on the effects of migration of people. Three
types of analytical frameworks are used. The
Microeconomic Framework is based on a synthesis of
the classical models of labour migration and trade
policy. The short-run effects of taxation are
examined in close scrutiny. The Macroeconomic
Framework applies the Neo-Keynesian macroeconomic
model to the analysis of factor migration paying
attention to the market adjustment mechanism. In
examining the effects of local policies, the long
disgraced Adaptive Expectations Hypothesis is given
fresh interpretations. In the Club Theoretic
Framework, welfare in a locality depends on its size.
The competitive dynamics of the system is a product
of people's exit-type migration choices and their
collective voice-type choices. The need for
centralized policy intervention is also analyzed. The
leading intuition of the book is that migration
should be a vital element of spatial resource
allocation in the real-world context.


Nowadays, pursuing postgraduate study abroad after completing a Medical Doctor (MD) degree in their home country is common among Vietnamese doctors. There are several challenges in studying overseas that international students need to overcome to ensure a favorable outcome of their learning journey. The presenting paper mainly discussed about the challenges related to English and academic writing skills and aimed to provide some tips for studying effectively in developed countries. Based on his own experiences as a postgraduate international student in Australia, the author found that a successful learning journey could be facilitated by (1) feeling free to ask, (2) making friends with the locals and other international students, (3) exploring the local life, (4) learning and using a reference management software, and (5) attending all free academic skills workshops and consultations provided by the university.


3D urban models are valuable for urban map generation, environment monitoring, safety planning and educational purposes. For 3D measurement of urban structures, generally airborne laser scanning sensors or multi-view satellite images are used as a data source. However, close-range sensors (such as terrestrial laser scanners) and low cost cameras (which can generate point clouds based on photogrammetry) can provide denser sampling of 3D surface geometry. Unfortunately, terrestrial laser scanning sensors are expensive and trained persons are needed to use them for point cloud acquisition. A potential effective 3D modelling can be generated based on a low cost smartphone sensor. Herein, we show examples of using smartphone camera images to generate 3D models of urban structures. We compare a smartphone based 3D model of an example structure with a terrestrial laser scanning point cloud of the structure. This comparison gives us opportunity to discuss the differences in terms of geometrical correctness, as well as the advantages, disadvantages and limitations in data acquisition and processing. We also discuss how smartphone based point clouds can help to solve further problems with 3D urban model generation in a practical way. We show that terrestrial laser scanning point clouds which do not have color information can be colored using smartphones. The experiments, discussions and scientific findings might be insightful for the future studies in fast, easy and low-cost 3D urban model generation field.


This pioneering book presents a history and ethnography of adventure comic books for young people in India with a particular focus on vernacular superheroism. It chronicles popular and youth culture in the subcontinent from the mid-twentieth century to the contemporary era dominated by creative audio-video-digital outlets.

The authors highlight early precedents in adventures set by the avuncular detective Chacha Choudhary with his 'faster than a computer brain', the forays of the film veteran Amitabh Bachchan's superheroic alter ego called Supremo, the Protectors of Earth and Mankind (P.O.E.M.), along with the exploits of key comic book characters, such as Nagraj, Super Commando Dhruv, Parmanu, Doga, Shakti and Chandika. The book considers how pulp literature, western comics, television programmes, technological developments and major space ventures sparked a thirst for extra-terrestrial action and how these laid the grounds for vernacular ventures in the Indian superhero and superheroine comic genre. It contains descriptions, textual and contextual analyses, excerpts of interviews with comic book creators, producers, retailers and distributers, together with the views, dreams and fantasies of young readers of adventure comics. These narratives touch upon special powers, super-intelligence, phenomenal technologies, justice, vengeance, geopolitics, romance, sex and the amazing potentials of masked identities enabled by navigation of the internet.

With its lucid style and rich illustrations, this book will be essential reading for scholars and researchers of popular and visual cultures, comics studies, literature, media and cultural studies, social anthropology and sociology, and South Asian studies.


An optical system consisting of a convex reflective sphere or cylinder and a collimating lens is proposed to produce a collimated beam of solar radiation whose direction of propagation varies only slightly over the course of a day. Called a passive optical solar tracking (POST) system, a spherical version of the proposed device has limited usefulness for daylighting applications due to the inverse relationship which is shown to exist between collimated beam directional stability and contained flux. A cylindrical version of the system exhibits greater promise for solar illumination of building interiors. Other applications for the device are proposed for the fields of solar research, education, and artistic design.


This paper examines the development of fiscal federalism in Somalia to reveal the challenges this unique country is facing and, based on the findings, propose and agenda for reform. Interviews, direct observation, and case studies were the key tools utilized in this study. The study interviewed 12 different fiscal experts (mid-level decision-makers and technical-level experts) involved in fiscal federalism issues in Somalia, and two practitioner experts experienced in various Sub-Saharan states' fiscal policies with respect to federalism. The study also analyzed the observed situation regarding fiscal-federalism issues among the federal government and member states. Two case studies of federalism are examined, showing how Nigeria and Ethiopia fared in the process of their fiscal decentralization, functions and expenditure assignments, tax-raising power, transfer policy, natural-resources management, and revenue-sharing mechanisms.


PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
The aged care industry experiences high rates of staff turnover. Staff turnover has significant implications for the quality of care provided to care recipients and the financial costs to care agencies. In this study, we applied a model of intention to quit to identify the contextual and personal factors that shape aged care staff's intention to quit.

DESIGN AND METHODS
A sample of 208 aged care staff, including nurses, personal care assistants, allied health professionals, and managers completed a self-report questionnaire. The questionnaire assessed intention to quit, organizational commitment, job satisfaction, self-esteem, stressors, stress, and supervisor support.

RESULTS
The findings largely supported the model. Specifically, job commitment, job satisfaction, and work stressors directly influenced intentions to quit, although work stressors and supervisor support demonstrated numerous indirect associations on quitting intentions.

IMPLICATIONS
The findings suggest that aged care service providers can modify aged care workers' intentions to quit by reducing job stressors and increasing supervisor support.


We study the problem of constructing multi-source extractors in the quantum setting, which extract almost uniform random bits against quantum side information collected from several initially independent classical random sources. This is a natural generalization of seeded randomness extraction against quantum side information and classical independent source extraction. With new challenges such as potential entanglement in the side information, it is not a prior clear under what conditions do quantum multi-source extractors exist; the only previous work is [KK12], where the classical inner-product two-source extractors of [CG88] and [DEOR04] are shown to be quantum secure in the restricted Independent Adversary (IA) Model and entangled Bounded Storage (BS) Model.
In this paper we propose a new model called General Entangled (GE) Adversary Model, which allows arbitrary entanglement in the side information and subsumes both the IA model and the BS model. We proceed to show how to construct GE-secure quantum multi-source extractors. To that end, we propose another model called One-sided Adversary (OA) Model, which is weaker than all the above models. Somewhat surprisingly, we establish equivalence between strong OA-security and strong GE-security. As a result, all classical multi-source extractors can either directly work, or be modified to work in the GE model at the cost of one extra random source. Thus, our constructions essentially match the best known constructions of classical multi-source extractors.
We also apply our techniques to two important problems in cryptography and distributed computing --- privacy amplification and network extractor. We show that as long as the sources have certain amounts of conditional min-entropy in our GE model (even with entangled quantum side information), we can design very efficient privacy amplification protocols and network extractors.


This state-of-the-art report presents fundamental and practical aspects of modern wind engineering practice as it relates to structural design. The first chapter includes information on the wind environment. Differences among various types of storms are noted that are of interest in extreme wind climate studies. Elements of engineering micrometeorology included in the chapter consist of descriptions of mean wind profiles for various types of terrain, and of the turbulence structure in the atmosphere. Elements of extreme wind climatology are presented for regions dominated by extratropical storms, hurricane-prone regions, and tornado-prone regions. Information is provided on estimates of extreme winds from short records. The second chapter reviews notions of aerodynamics, structural dynamics, aeroelasticity, and wind tunnel testing. The remainder of the book provides information pertaining to low buildings, tall buildings, slender towers with circular cross-section, hyperbolic cooling towers, and bridges. References are included to numerous primary sources and to pertinent standards and textbooks.


North American Indigenous literatures use what I call the relational word bundle, a rhetorical structure that is exceptional both in form — it functions as synecdoche writ large — and origin — it derives from the holophrase (one-word sentence), a significant Indigenous language structure. This article explores the rhetoric of the relational word bundle, from the perspective of both classical rhetoric and Indigenous rhetorics, focusing particularly on Canadian contexts. In the spirit of the exceptionality of the relational word bundle, the article takes the form of a fictional dialogue between two critics. Their conversation points to the relational word bundle as the rhetorical embodiment of Indigenous notions of community and storytelling. Tracing the story of the relational word bundle's evolution, this dialogue also explores the ethics of reading, thus foregrounding questions often lingering in the background: what do critics do, how, and why do they do it?


This paper uses the work of John Richardson, an eighteenth-century brewing theorist, to explore the view that physical quantities, though they appear 'natural' or 'given', are actually contingent entities constructed to serve particular aims. It focuses on the pounds-per-barrel extract, a brewery-specific quantity which, in a reversal of the familiar position, seems self-evidently constructed to the general reader yet came to be accepted as 'natural' among its users. Central to Richardson's work in achieving this acceptance was an instrument, the saccharometer, which, by providing measurements of the quantity, legitimated it. Richardson presented both instrument and quantity as tailored to serving the particular needs of his fellow brewers, at the same time emphasizing their separateness from parallel work in distillery assessment, which had made Richardson's innovation possible but now threatened his projected consensus. Richardson's overall project encompassed the direct proportionation of material costs, retail prices and Excise duties to extract values as defined by the saccharometer, which he sought to monopolize. The scheme was not wholly successful, yet Richardson's quantity remained in brewery use into modern times. The end result, I contend, shows how a quantity, by becoming naturalized, may survive the loss of its initial theoretical underpinning.


Adolescents' well-being is an important indicator of their successful development. Educational success is a likely but little investigated source for well-being. This paper will examine whether different components of educational success in the transition from lower-secondary to post-obligatory education affect young people's well-being in late adolescence. Based on the Swiss Survey of Children and Youth COCON, including a birth cohort of adolescents who were between 15 and 18 years old at the time points of data collection (2006-2009; N = 952), results of structural equation and multiple linear regression models show that educational success does indeed affect well-being at the age of 18.


The article deals with the description of the experimental results of static radial deformation characteristics measurement for the selected tire and its impact on the size of the contact area, contact pressure and rolling resistance on a solid support. The measurement was carried out on the diagonal tire Mitas TS05 10.0/75-15.3 PR10 in the area of the test soil channel. The radial deformation characteristics of the tire in question were determined for inflation pressures of 300 kPa, 220 kPa, 160 kPa, and 100 kPa, with a radial load of the tire varying in the range from 567.9 kg to 1025.09 kg. At the same time, the treadmarks of the tire contact area were made for the corresponding inflation pressure and the corresponding radial load. The size of these treadmarks was subsequently measured using the digital Koizumi KP-90N polar planimeter. The mean contact pressure values on a solid support were subsequently calculated from the values of the tire radial load and the obtained contact surfaces. The calculated static radial stiffness value was obtained through the linearization of the measured deformation characteristics according to Jante. Rolling tire resistances on a solid support were verified by pulling the test wheel using the auxiliary winding system of the test equipment, the soil channel, along the concrete surface after removing the container with soil.


An array camera assembles multiple images into a super-resolution image. The array camera collects images of a scene from both a monochrome and a color image sensor as well as depth information about the scene. Typically, small movements by a camera operator diminish the clarity of the recorded images for conventional cameras. The array camera, however, models the rotational and translational movement of the array camera and combines the depth information to construct a three-dimensional representation of the scene. Using the threedimensional representation and the modeled movements of the array camera, the array camera assembles a super-resolution image from the lower resolution images recorded by each sensor.


The way school Health and Physical Education (HPE) is conceptualized and taught will impact on its ability to provide equitable outcomes across gender, sexuality, ethnicity, religion and social class. A focus on social justice in HPE is pertinent in times when these ideals are currently under threat from neoliberal globalization. This paper draws on data from the initial year of an international collaboration project called 'Education for Equitable Health Outcomes – The Promise of School Health and Physical Education' involving HPE and Physical Education Teacher Education researchers from Sweden, Norway and New Zealand. The data in this paper record the researchers' presentations and discussions about issues of social justice and health as informed by school visits and interviews with HPE teachers in the three different countries. The analysis of the data is focused on what is addressed in the name of social justice in each of the three countries and how cross-cultural researchers of social justice in HPE interpret different contexts. In order to analyse the data, we draw on Michael Uljens's concepts of non-affirmative and non-hierarchical education. The findings suggest that researching social justice and health (in)equality across different countries offers both opportunities and challenges when it comes to understanding the enactment of social justice in school and HPE practices. We conclude by drawing on Uljens to assert that the quest for social justice in HPE should focus on further problematizing affirmative and hierarchical educational practices since social justice teaching strategies are enabled and constrained by the contexts in which they are practised.


By exploiting the presence of abundant carboxylic groups (–COOH) on graphene oxide (GO) and using EDC–NHS (1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide hydrochloride–N-hydroxysuccinimide) chemistry to covalently conjugate protein molecules, we demonstrate a novel electrochemical immunosensor for detection of antibody–antigen (Rabbit IgG–AntiRabbit IgG) interactions. The interactions were verified using Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS). Although GO is known to be a poor conductor, the charge transfer resistance (RP) of a GO modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) was found to be as low as 1.26 Ω cm2. This value is similar to that obtained for reduced graphene oxide (RGO) or graphene and an order of magnitude less than bare GCE. The EIS monitored antibody–antigen interactions showed a linear increase in RP and the overall impedance of the system with increase of antibody concentration. Rabbit IgG antibodies were detected over a wide range of concentrations from 3.3 nM to 683 nM with the limit of detection (LOD) estimated to be 0.67 nM. The sensor showed high selectivity towards Rabbit IgG antibody as compared to non-complementary myoglobin. RGO modified GCE showed no sensing properties due to the removal of carboxylic groups which prevented subsequent chemical functionalization and immobilization of antigen molecules. The sensitivity and selectivity achievable by this simple label free technique hint at the possibility of GO becoming the electrode material of choice for future electrochemical sensing protocols.


U–Pb sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe data together with geochemical and Nd isotope analyses obtained in the basement complex of the Sierra de la Ventana Fold Belt indicate that the Early Palaeozoic passive margin history of the basin followed Cambrian magmatism related to rifting in a 600 Ma Neoproterozoic crust. The Cambrian episode started with intrusion of 531 ± 4 and 524 ± 5 Ma A- and I-type granites derived from a dehydrated infracrustal source (εNd530 −3.1 to −5.9), and culminated with eruption of high-Zr peralkaline spherulitic rhyolites derived from an undepleted lithospheric mantle (509 ± 5 Ma; εNd509 +0.5 to +1.0). These rift-related magmatic rocks were covered by shelf sediments deposited along a once-continuous passive margin, encompassing the Sierra de la Ventana Fold Belt, the Cape Fold Belt, the Falkland/Malvinas microplate and the Ellsworth Mountains block in Antarctica. The Cambrian rifting event defined the outline shape of the southern part of Gondwana, and can be regarded as the initiation of the supercontinent stage, which lasted until Jurassic break-up. The conjugate continental fragments separated from Gondwana during the Cambrian rifting could be the source for microcontinents with c. 1000 Ma basement rocks that collided with the proto-Andean margin during Ordovician–Silurian times.


International Political Theory (IPT) focuses on the point where two fields of study meet - International Relations and Political Theory. It takes from the former a central concern with the 'international' broadly defined; from the latter it takes a broadly normative identity. IPT studies the 'ought' questions that have been ignored or side-lined by the modern study of International Relations and the 'international' dimension that Political Theory has in the past neglected. A central proposition of IPT is that the 'domestic' and the 'international' cannot be treated as self-contained spheres, although this does not preclude states and the states-system from being regarded by some practitioners of IPT as central points of reference. This Handbook provides an authoritative account of the issues, debates, and perspectives in the field, guided by two basic questions concerning its purposes and methods of inquiry. First, how does IPT connect with real world politics? In particular, how does it engage with real world problems, and position itself in relation to the practices of real world politics? And second, following on from this, what is the relationship between IPT and empirical research in international relations? This Handbook showcases the distinctive and valuable contribution of normative inquiry not just for its own sake but also in addressing real world problems. The Oxford Handbooks of International Relations is a twelve-volume set of reference books offering authoritative and innovative engagements with the principal sub-fields of International Relations. The series as a whole is under the General Editorship of Christian Reus-Smith of the University of Queensland and Duncan Snidal of the University of Oxford, with each volume edited by a distinguished pair of specialists in their respective fields. The series both surveys the broad terrain of International Relations scholarship and reshapes it, pushing each sub-field in challenging new directions. Following the example of the original Reus-Smit and Snidal The Oxford Handbook of International Relations, each volume is organized around a strong central thematic by a pair of scholars drawn from alternative perspectives, reading its sub-field in an entirely new way, and pushing scholarship in challenging new directions.


John Goldberg and Ben Zipursky's civil recourse theory purports to be descriptive and unitary. It cannot be both. According to this theory, as a positive matter, tort law is unified by wrongs and is not designed to be used as an instrument for purposes such as compensation and deterrence. In this article, I argue that civil recourse theory does not offer a complete description of twenty first century tort law. Tort law is not just about civil recourse; at least part of tort law's purpose is instrumental. The extent of routinization in tort law, particularly in automobile accident claims, demonstrates a gap between civil recourse theory and the tort law it is supposed to describe. In the trenches, insurers and plaintiffs' lawyers are concerned about the profitability of their portfolio of cases as a whole. Insurers and many plaintiffs' lawyers, therefore, routinize the claims system, increasing its administrability and the compensation of claimants, but reducing or eliminating the importance of wrongs in a large portion of cases. Civil recourse theory fails as a descriptive unitary theory of tort law because it does not accurately describe automobile accident claims, constituting a majority of tort claims and three-quarters of tort payments.


[1] The study describes the development, testing and applications of site-specific tsunami inundation models (forecast models) for use in NOAA's tsunami forecast and warning system. The model development process includes sensitivity studies of tsunami wave characteristics in the nearshore and inundation, for a range of model grid setups, resolutions and parameters. To demonstrate the process, four forecast models in Hawaii, at Hilo, Kahului, Honolulu, and Nawiliwili are described. The models were validated with fourteen historical tsunamis and compared with numerical results from reference inundation models of higher resolution. The accuracy of the modeled maximum wave height is greater than 80% when the observation is greater than 0.5 m; when the observation is below 0.5 m the error is less than 0.3 m. The error of the modeled arrival time of the first peak is within 3% of the travel time. The developed forecast models were further applied to hazard assessment from simulated magnitude 7.5, 8.2, 8.7 and 9.3 tsunamis based on subduction zone earthquakes in the Pacific. The tsunami hazard assessment study indicates that use of a seismic magnitude alone for a tsunami source assessment is inadequate to achieve such accuracy for tsunami amplitude forecasts. The forecast models apply local bathymetric and topographic information, and utilize dynamic boundary conditions from the tsunami source function database, to provide site- and event-specific coastal predictions. Only by combining a Deep-ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunami-constrained tsunami magnitude with site-specific high-resolution models can the forecasts completely cover the evolution of earthquake-generated tsunami waves: generation, deep ocean propagation, and coastal inundation. Wavelet analysis of the tsunami waves suggests the coastal tsunami frequency responses at different sites are dominated by the local bathymetry, yet they can be partially related to the locations of the tsunami sources. The study also demonstrates the nonlinearity between offshore and nearshore maximum wave amplitudes.


Income Tax The Tax Group has substantial expertise in income tax planning for individuals, corporations, partnerships, limited liability companies, and other business entities. We advise business clients in connection with the tax aspects of acquisitions, reorganizations, liquidations, redemptions, and debt restructurings. Working closely with members of the Corporate and Real Estate Groups, we structure roll-ups, like-kind exchanges, joint ventures, and other real estate transactions in the most tax-efficient manner. Our individual clients often seek our advice on the tax consequences of executive compensation, divorce, and investment transactions. In addition, we are experienced at structuring the settlement of complex litigation matters. We are able not only to provide sophisticated tax analysis, but to draft and negotiate the appropriate agreements to implement the desired arrangements, including buy-sell agreements, partnership agreements, LLC operating agreements, deferred compensation agreements, and tax indemnification agreements. Where appropriate, we will provide formal opinion letters on the tax consequences of specific transactions, or we will file ruling requests with the Internal Revenue Service in order to obtain definitive tax guidance.


The reduction of hydrogen peroxide on a silver nanoparticle modified boron doped diamond electrode in a neutral solution is shown to proceed through a CE mechanism. Hydrogen peroxide undergoes a disproportionation reaction to form oxygen (and water) on the silver surface, creating a diffusion layer of oxygen, which, at a sufficiently biased electrode, is then reduced to hydrogen peroxide. Voltammetry and a full mechanistic simulation are undertaken to confirm the mechanism, showing at short times a dependence of the reductive signal on waiting time prior to voltammetric analysis reflecting the extent of the disproportionation step which occurs prior to voltammetric analysis.


extract] The view expressed in Ashburner's Principles on Equity was the traditional interpretation of the relationship of law and equity. Under this approach, a court exercising jurisdiction in both law and equity was required to maintain the separation of equitable doctrine from common law rules (and vice versa). Proponents of this traditional approach have greeted any attempt to rationalise and integrate legal and equitable causes of action and remedies with suspicion and have described these attempts as examples of the 'fusion fallacy'. However recent case-law indicates that, in at least some areas, the traditional approach enunciated in Ashburner's Principles of Equity and firmly held by some eminent commentators is now open to question.


The 2010 debate over extending the 2001 and 2003 Bush tax cuts often focused the fairness of the tax distribution in the United States. Unfortunately, discussions of tax fairness rarely take into account the distribution of the overall tax system, typically focusing only on the federal income tax or on federal taxes without consideration of the state and local tax system. This paper updates a 2003 analysis (Roach, 2003) to present a current assessment of the distribution of all components of the U.S. tax system, including recent trends. The results show that the overall federal tax system is quite progressive. But when state and local taxes are included as well, the overall U.S. tax system is only slightly progressive. Further, most of the progressivity of the overall tax system occurs in the lower half of the income spectrum. At upper-income levels, progressivity levels off and actually reverses at the highest income levels. Medianincome taxpayers pay about 25% of their total income in taxes, while taxpayers in the top 1% pay about 31% of their income in taxes. Thus claims that America has a "highly progressive" tax system do not appear to be valid. There is no clear long-term trend in the progressivity of the federal tax system – it is about as progressive now as it was in 1979 with progressivity generally declining in the 1980s and rising since then. The limited data on state and local tax progressivity also fail to indicate a trend in either direction over the last 15 years. Relative stability in tax progressivity stands in stark contrast to rising economic inequality. Since 1979, lower-income households have seen their real incomes stagnate, median households have experienced modest gains, while those in the top 10%, and in particular to the top 1%, have realized dramatic gains. While changes in tax progressivity could have partially offset the rise in income inequality, this has not been the case. Analysis of the compromise plan to extend the Bush tax cuts shows that the progressivity of the plan is much closer to the original Republican proposal than President Obama's proposal that would have eliminated the Bush tax cuts for high-income households.


Programmed cell death (apoptosis) can occur as a result of p53-dependent or p53-independent mechanisms. Now new evidence indicates that the p53-related protein p73 plays a direct role in p53-independent apoptosis mediated by the transcription factor E2F-1. Irwin et al. showed that the transcription factor E2F-1 activated a p73 promoter-driven gene reporter. Induced expression of E2F-1 in p53-deficient cells led to increased levels of p73 transcripts and protein; conversely, agents that lowered the levels of E2F-1 in cells, also reduced p73 levels. A p73 mutant (p73DD), that bound to wild-type p73 but did not support oligomerization, blocked p73-dependent transcription and apoptosis, even in the presence of increased amounts of E2F-1. Similar results on apoptotic inhibition were demonstrated in p73-/- mouse embryo fibroblasts. Lissy et al. examined p53-independent T cell receptor-mediated apoptosis and found that cell death occurring at the late G1 checkpoint was E2F-1-dependent. Onset of T cell receptor (TCR)-mediated apoptosis led to an abundance of increased p73, and was dependent on the presence of wild-type p73. Splenocytes from p73- or E2F-1-deficient mice were blocked from undergoing apoptosis, suggesting that p73 and E2F-1 work in the same pathway to mediate TCR-mediated apoptosis. Irwin, M., Marin, M.C., Phillips, A.C., Seelan, R.S., Smith, D.I., Liu, W., Flores, E.R., Tsai, K.Y., Jacks, T., Vousden, K.H., and Kaelin, Jr., W.G. (2000) Role for the p53 homologue p73 in E2F-1-induced apoptosis. Nature 407: 645-648. [Online Journal] Lissy, N.A., Davis, P.K., Irwin, M., Kaelin, W.G., and Dowdy, S.F. (2000) A common E2F-1 and p73 pathway mediates cell death induced by TCR activation. Nature 407: 642-645. [Online Journal]


Abstract: The thyroid involvement is very significant feature of fluorosis due to fluoride accumulation in soft tissues. The participation of long term consumption of fluoride in drinking water on thyroid hormone status and deiodinating enzymes in fluorotic patients selected randomly from various parts of fluoride endemic areas, was elucidated. Type I (D1) activity was depressed significantly (P<0.001) in all fluorotic study groups in comparison to control, while type-II (D2) activity was lowered significantly (P<0.05) only in study group A-III (8.01-12.00 mg/L) and A-IV (12.01-16.00 mg/L). Serum TSH level was significantly (P<0.001) increased in fluoride exposed groups in comparison to control group whereas the level of rT3 showed a stepwise elevation with increase in water fluoride concentration. Decreased triiodothyronin (T3), thyroxine (T4), free T3 (FT3), free T4 (FT4) levels in serum were noted in all the fluorotic study groups (P<0.01) in comparison to the control. Pearson's bivariate correlation analysis revealed significant (P<0.05-0.001) negative relationship between serum F vs D1 (r= -0.93); serum F vs D2 (r= -0.95); serum F vs T3 (r= -0.84) and serum F vs T4 (r = -0.87). There was direct correlation between serum F and rT3 (r = 0.84, P<0.004). Partial correlation analysis exhibited positive relationship between T3 and D1 (r= 0.96) and negative relationship between rT3 and D1. The regression coefficient of activity of D1 and serum F in all fluorotic paients revealed that water F being the strong predictor of involvement in depletion of D1 activity and increased levels of serum F. The lower activity of both D1 and D2 contribute to decrease in conversion of T4 toT3 and increased conversion of T4 to rT3. The depressed activity of D1 results in reduced conversion of rT3 into T2 and thereby allowing rT3 to accumulate in the body, resulting in hypothyroidism in fluoride intoxication.


The achievement of the internal market for energy is going ahead in the EU 15 since a model is emerging for "coupling the national markets for electricity". For about 15 years the EU 15 was made up of national markets open to each other through rules of access to the grids while organized market pricing was kept national. The main exception was in the Nordic countries (Sweden, Finland and Denmark plus Norway –not a member of the EU). In this region the coupling of national markets is obtained through a single Power Exchange being a common subsidiary of the Nordic transmission system operators (TSOs). This single PX runs a single Day Ahead market pricing zone when the grid is not constrained and splits itself into different pricing areas when structural constraints arise. This model is known as "market splitting". The Netherlands, Belgium and France did later create a less centralized single pricing mechanism by "coupling" their three national PXs with a common pricing algorithm coordinating the price formation among the three national exchanges. The empirical success of this new model has validated it as an EU model for other regional markets. A counter-model has been experimented between Germany and Denmark. It consisted of a coupling of "volumes" linking the quantities offered and demanded in the two exchanges while keeping the price formation in these two markets separated. That experiment failed and started to work again only when elements of price coupling have been introduced. Having now three workable models of market coupling, the European Union (at least EU 15) should be able to successfully achieve one layer of its internal market soon. However, several further questions are kept open such as how to successfully bridge several regional markets all over the EU 15 or how to integrate more and more PXs having different regulatory frames. A centralized approach (known as CMU) is advocating creating a single pan-European trading entity by a mandatory restructuring of all existing PXs plus a clubbing of all TSOs and the extensive harmonization of all existing national regulatory frames. An alternative approach is the one known as PCR ("Price Coupling of Regions"). It allows building a less demanding common pricing mechanism to coordinate existing PXs in a decentralized network. It is permitting grid access and trading to keep a national flavour when requested by particular local preferences.


Throughout the world, people who inject drugs (PWID) are all too familiar with stigmatization, vulnerability, marginalization and high risk for HIV. The situation is even worse for women who inject drugs (WID), who are often ignored and invisible within the larger drug-using population. National and international research, services, guidelines, training programmes and surveillance concerning people who inject drugs remain overwhelmingly gender-neutral or male-focused. Partly as a result, limited data exist on the role women play among those who inject drugs, and their specific challenges and needs are rarely recognized or understood.


The first version of the three-step test emerged at the 1967 Stockholm Conference for the Revision of the Berne Convention. With the inclusion of versions of the test in the TRIPS Agreement of April 1994, the two WIPO "Internet" treaties of December 1996, the more recent Beijing Treaty on Audiovisual Performances of June 24, 2012, and the Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons Who Are Blind, Visually Impaired, or Otherwise Print Disabled (VIP Treaty) of June 27, 2013, the test has taken on the central function of allowing and enabling tailor-made solutions at the national level.The three rather abstract criteria of the test offer room for different interpretations. Various alternative approaches have been developed in the legal literature and applied by national courts, including an understanding of the test's factors as elements of a global balancing exercise; and a reverse reading of the test starting with the last, most flexible criterion. There are also parallels between factors in Anglo-American fair use and fair dealing legislation and the three step test.The study herein concludes that the three-step test in international copyright law does not preclude flexible national legislation allowing the courts to identify individual use privileges case-by-case and that the three-step test can serve as a source of inspiration for national law makers seeking to institute flexible exceptions and limitations at the domestic level.


Introduction: There is a recent recognition that diabetes mellitus (DM) has the potential to reach epidemic proportions, with related implications for visual impairment, in India. A quarter of the world's blind population is estimated to be in India, about 9 to 12 million. Awareness about the eye complications of diabetic retinopathy can play an important role in encouraging people to seek timely eye care and help to reduce the burden of visual impairment. Material and methods: We conducted a survey using a 20-point questionnaire among 1,000 diabetics who attended our outpatients department between October 2001 and March 2002. The questionnaire was devised to assess awareness about the eye complications of diabetes and to seek the opinion of patients about how awareness can be increased. Results: 86% of patients were aware that DM could affect many organs in the body and 84% knew that DM could affect the eye. Among those who were aware that DM could affect the eye, 36% came to know through the media, 32% from other eye specialists and 30% from their general practitioners or physicians. Among those who were aware that DM could affect the eye, 51% did not know exactly which part of the eye is affected, 28.3% thought that cataract was the main eye disease due to DM, and 19% thought that DM affects mainly the 'nerves in the eye' (presumably retinopathy). 50.8% of the patients knew that routine eye check ups are necessary in spite of good control of DM, while the rest thought that if DM is well controlled, routine eye examination is not necessary. To increase knowledge, 36.8% suggested more media coverage, 32.7% suggested more information from treating physicians, 19.8% suggested more information from eye specialists and 10.7% suggested more information from health and paramedical workers. Discussion: It is very important to differentiate between 'awareness' and 'knowledge'. Having just heard about a problem is 'awareness' and having an understanding about the problem or disease is 'knowledge'. 84% of the patients were aware that DM could affect the eye. This shows that awareness about the complications of DM is quite high. But knowledge is comparatively less, since only 46.9% of the persons interviewed knew that retinopathy was related to control of DM while only 40.3% knew that it was related to duration of DM. This is also evidenced by the fact that among those who were aware that DM could affect the eye, 51% did not know what exactly the eye complications of DM are. It has been shown that population-based screening is not the ideal method for diseases with low prevalence like diabetic retinopathy. Diabetic retinopathy may occur in 23% of diabetics but only in 1.78% of the general population. Currently, in India, the approach to the problem of diabetic retinopathy should be case detection and not populationbased screening. For case detection, awareness and knowledge among diabetics are very important so that they come forward for routine eye examination. This survey is an attempt in this direction. Maintaining eye care services during times of conflict


Background: EMILIN2, elastin microfibril interface located protein 2, is expressed during cardiovascular development, by cardiac stem cells, and in adult animal models of heart disease. In humans, the EMILIN2 gene is located on the short arm of Chromosome 18, and patients with partial or complete deletions of this chromosome region have cardiac malformations. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether the Emilin2 deficient mice have cardiac defects. Methods and results: Cardiac malformations were assessed in adult Emilin2, Emilin1 (EMILIN2 homologue) deficient mice, and Emilin2:Emilin1 double deficient mice. The primary malformation in Emilin2 deficient mice was ventricular septal defects. Although EMILIN1, is also expressed during cardiovascular development,the primary cardiac anomalies in Emilin1 deficient mice were valve insufficiency (pulmonary, aortic and mitral). Only half of the expected Emilin2:Emilin1 double deficient offspring were weaned, indicating embryonic and perinatal lethality. Surviving Emilin2:Emilin1 double deficient mice had both ventricular septal defects and regurgitation of valves. There was a trend for anterior wall thinning and left ventricular dilation in Emilin2:Emilin1 double deficient mice. In embryonic Emilin2:Emilin1 double deficient mice complete arterioventricular canal defects and ventricular septal defects were identified. A potential mechanism for development of cardiac defects in Emilin2 deficiency may be reduced mobilization of stem cells during heart development. Conclusions: Emilin2 deficient mice express cardiac anomalies, primarily ventricular septal defects, and Emilin1 mice exhibit primarily valve abnormalities including pulmonary regurgitation, whereas in Emilin2: Emilin1 double deficient mice, both anomalies occurred, suggesting that Emilin2 and Emilin1 have differential roles in cardiac development. Emilin2 deficient mice have cardiac malformations similar to individuals with deletions of the short arm of Chromosome 18. Emilin2 deficient mice may be an informative model to investigate the consequences of cardiac anomalies in subjects with deletions of the short arm of Chromosome 18, 18p


PURPOSE OF REVIEW
The current review draws attention to the need for longer term management of multiple conditions in older adults with cancer.

RECENT FINDINGS
Older people living with and beyond cancer are more likely than younger people to have higher prevalence of multimorbidity leading to an overall increase in illness and treatment burdens, limiting health-related quality of life (QoL), and capacity to self-manage. Older age presents a higher risk of cancer treatment side-effects and development or progression of other conditions, leading to worsening health, long-lasting functional problems, and social isolation. Although many prioritize functional independence and continuance of valued activities over survival, older people living with multimorbidity are more likely to experience poor physical functioning during and beyond cancer treatment.

SUMMARY
Cancer treatment decisions and survivorship plans should be developed in the context of other conditions and in line with the individual's priorities for continued QoL. More research is needed to guide service development and clinical practice in this important area.


The reform of the Serbian competition law enforcement mechanism was marked by the adoption of the new Law on Protection of Competition. Present paper analyzes the changes introduced by the new legislation in the view of the preceding law enforcement activities carried out by the Serbian competition authority, as well as competition law enforcement in the neighboring countries, which like Serbia have been continuously adapting their competition laws to the EU standards. The discussion focuses around the new legal concepts and definitions, merger control regime, and the procedural rules governing the investigations, decision-making and judicial review of the decisions taken by the competition authority. While the new legislation accords more powers to the competition authority, which should enhance the efficiency and expediency of the law enforcement, some of the concepts and procedures have been regulated in a way that raises concerns regarding consistency and legal certainty in their application.


Eutrophication remains a challenge for water quality, and leaching of phosphorus (P) from agriculture remains usually the determining factor as point source emissions of sewage are mainly under control. The Morsa watershed, southeast of Oslo, is a case in point. In spite of abatement actions during the past 20 years, the total concentration of P in the lake has decreased less than expected, causing growing frustration and scepticism among farmers. Hydro-biochemical interactions between phosphate (PO4) and calcium, aluminium and iron in soil and water have produced unexpected results. Decline in acid rain deposition over Norway has reduced the leaching of aluminium into water. This has caused a loss of an important fixation and removal of P by sorption to precipitating aluminium oxy-hydroxides. The combination of more precipitation and higher winter temperatures causes more flushing of P from surface soil horizons. Furthermore, water-logged soil loses much of its ability to hold PO4 in that iron is reduced, thereby allowing more P to escape. Farmers proved to have good agronomical knowledge and are taking part in an active network for spreading of agricultural practices. Reducing the amount of P in fertilizers was accepted fairly easily, whereas minimal autumn tillage has been a much harder task to implement. Therefore, just applying economic incentives will not do; developing basic environmental literacy with an ability to understand feedback loops and rebound effects is necessary. Following this, interaction between science and stakeholders is required, calling for trans-disciplinary research and trans-disciplinary processes.


Neurodegeneration with brain iron accumulation encompasses a heterogeneous group of rare neurodegenerative disorders that are characterized by iron accumulation in the brain. Severe generalized dystonia is frequently a prominent symptom and can be very disabling, causing gait impairment, difficulty with speech and swallowing, pain and respiratory distress. Several case reports and one case series have been published concerning therapeutic outcome of pallidal deep brain stimulation in dystonia caused by neurodegeneration with brain iron degeneration, reporting mostly favourable outcomes. However, with case studies, there may be a reporting bias towards favourable outcome. Thus, we undertook this multi-centre retrospective study to gather worldwide experiences with bilateral pallidal deep brain stimulation in patients with neurodegeneration with brain iron accumulation. A total of 16 centres contributed 23 patients with confirmed neurodegeneration with brain iron accumulation and bilateral pallidal deep brain stimulation. Patient details including gender, age at onset, age at operation, genetic status, magnetic resonance imaging status, history and clinical findings were requested. Data on severity of dystonia (Burke Fahn Marsden Dystonia Rating Scale—Motor Scale, Barry Albright Dystonia Scale), disability (Burke Fahn Marsden Dystonia Rating Scale—Disability Scale), quality of life (subjective global rating from 1 to 10 obtained retrospectively from patient and caregiver) as well as data on supportive therapy, concurrent pharmacotherapy, stimulation settings, adverse events and side effects were collected. Data were collected once preoperatively and at 2–6 and 9–15 months postoperatively. The primary outcome measure was change in severity of dystonia. The mean improvement in severity of dystonia was 28.5% at 2–6 months and 25.7% at 9–15 months. At 9–15 months postoperatively, 66.7% of patients showed an improvement of 20% or more in severity of dystonia, and 31.3% showed an improvement of 20% or more in disability. Global quality of life ratings showed a median improvement of 83.3% at 9–15 months. Severity of dystonia preoperatively and disease duration predicted improvement in severity of dystonia at 2–6 months; this failed to reach significance at 9–15 months. The study confirms that dystonia in neurodegeneration with brain iron accumulation improves with bilateral pallidal deep brain stimulation, although this improvement is not as great as the benefit reported in patients with primary generalized dystonias or some other secondary dystonias. The patients with more severe dystonia seem to benefit more. A well-controlled, multi-centre prospective study is necessary to enable evidence-based therapeutic decisions and better predict therapeutic outcomes.


Introduction: Cholecystokinin (CCK) is a 33 amino acid peptide that is produced by endocrine cells in the small intestine, a variety of neurons in the gastric intestinal region and the central nervous system. CCK hormone plays an effective role in lose weight. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of devil's claw extract on serum levels of the hormone CCK and body weight in male rats. Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, 40 male Wistar rats weighing 180–200 g were divided randomly into 5 groups of 8 animals (control, experimental groups receiving devil's claw extract in concentrations of 150, 300, and 600 mg/kg of body weight). Devil's claw extract was administered orally to animals for 28 consecutive days. One day after the last injection, the mice were weighed, and after blood collection and serum separation, hormone CCK concentration was measured by special ELISA kits for male rats. Data analysis was performed with SPSS software (version 21) by one-way ANOVA and Duncan test. Results: Doses of 300 and 600 mg/kg devil's claw extract caused a significant increase in the hormone CCK as well as decreased body weight than the control group (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Devil's claw extracts reduce body weight by increasing the CCK hormone.


This scientific commentary refers to 'Differential influence of hippocampal subfields to memory formation: insights from patients with temporal lobe epilepsy', by Coras et al. , (doi.10.1093/brain/awu100).

Memory is one of the core cognitive abilities that shapes our sense of self-identity and we strive to maintain and improve our memory function throughout our lives. Memory impairments are a key component of a number of neurological and psychiatric diseases, and represent a large part of the disease burden in many patients. The hippocampus has been central to the study of human memory, having been implicated in episodic and long-term memory, novelty detection, sleep-dependent memory consolidation, the ability to imagine the future, as well as spatial navigation and the binding of temporally and spatially distributed representations (Bartsch, 2012). What's more, the hippocampus is also involved in neurobiological mechanisms beyond memory formation such as the regulation of emotion, fear, anxiety, and stress. Notably, the hippocampus displays a particular vulnerability to hypoxic, ischaemic, or neurotoxic insults, and is thought to be involved in the pathophysiology of various neurological and psychiatric diseases including epilepsy and neurodegeneration, as well as ageing. In this issue of Brain , Coras et al. use the memory performance of patients undergoing surgery for the treatment of temporal lobe epilepsy to obtain new insights into the anatomical basis of memory formation (Coras et al., 2014).

The hippocampus has an intriguing anatomy, although …


The discovery of insulin revolutionised the management of diabetes mellitus. Since its discovery in 1921, many improvements have been made to insulin preparations, and insulin delivery systems have undergone considerable progress. Because of the inconvenience of insulin injections, various approaches have been attempted to formulate insulin for administration by noninvasive routes. Several new and alternative routes such as oral, pulmonary, transdermal, nasal, buccal, ocular, rectal, and vaginal/ intrauterine have been investigated for their significant potential in the treatment of diabetes mellitus. This article reviews the different routes available for insulin administration and the many successful developments that have taken place in recent years for convenient and effective insulin delivery.


"The manufacture of doubt" refers to a speaker's strategic efforts to undermine factual assertions that threaten its self-interest. This strategy was perhaps most famously employed by the tobacco industry in its longstanding campaign to contest mounting medical evidence linking cigarettes to a wide range of health risks. At its best, the government's speech can counter such efforts and protect the public interest, as exemplified by the Surgeon General's groundbreaking 1964 report on the dangers of tobacco, a report that challenged the industry's preferred narrative. But the government's speech is not always so heroic, and governments themselves sometimes seek to manufacture doubt and protect their own interest at the expense of the public's.

In this symposium essay, I examine how the government sometimes seeks to manufacture doubt about factual assertions it perceives as inconsistent with its policy or partisan preferences. I start with some background on the history of government speech in the United States, a history that reveals the diversity and complexity of the government's expressive choices. Drawing from historical and contemporary examples, I then identify at least three expressive strategies through which the government can manufacture doubt: through its lies and misrepresentations, through its attacks on individuals and institutions that challenge its preferred narrative, and through its choices to bury or deny access to information that it finds inconvenient or dangerous. I close by briefly considering possible responses to these strategies.

The government's speech can serve, or instead threaten, deliberative democracy. At its best, the government's voice speaks truth to power both public and private, and supports or amplifies the voices of the powerless. But government is not always at its best. Our history and continuing experience reveal a variety of ways in which the government's expressive choices can manufacture doubt, distort the truth, and frustrate key constitutional values. In this essay, I seek to identify some of these patterns (both longstanding and new) in hopes that we can better recognize and challenge them when they arise.


Abstract. Information on the relationship between cumulative fossil CO2 emissions and multiple climate targets is essential to design emission mitigation and climate adaptation strategies. In this study, the transient response of a climate or environmental variable per trillion tonnes of CO2 emissions, termed TRE, is quantified for a set of impact-relevant climate variables and from a large set of multi-forcing scenarios extended to year 2300 towards stabilization. An  ∼ 1000-member ensemble of the Bern3D-LPJ carbon–climate model is applied and model outcomes are constrained by 26 physical and biogeochemical observational data sets in a Bayesian, Monte Carlo-type framework. Uncertainties in TRE estimates include both scenario uncertainty and model response uncertainty. Cumulative fossil emissions of 1000 Gt C result in a global mean surface air temperature change of 1.9 °C (68 % confidence interval (c.i.): 1.3 to 2.7 °C), a decrease in surface ocean pH of 0.19 (0.18 to 0.22), and a steric sea level rise of 20 cm (13 to 27 cm until 2300). Linearity between cumulative emissions and transient response is high for pH and reasonably high for surface air and sea surface temperatures, but less pronounced for changes in Atlantic meridional overturning, Southern Ocean and tropical surface water saturation with respect to biogenic structures of calcium carbonate, and carbon stocks in soils. The constrained model ensemble is also applied to determine the response to a pulse-like emission and in idealized CO2-only simulations. The transient climate response is constrained, primarily by long-term ocean heat observations, to 1.7 °C (68 % c.i.: 1.3 to 2.2 °C) and the equilibrium climate sensitivity to 2.9 °C (2.0 to 4.2 °C). This is consistent with results by CMIP5 models but inconsistent with recent studies that relied on short-term air temperature data affected by natural climate variability.


Six hard red (2137, Jagalene, Jagger, OK101, Stanton, and Thunderbolt) and six hard white (Burchett, Lakin, NuFrontier, NuHills, NuHorizon, and Trego) winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) varieties were evaluated for grain yield and quality in southwestern Kansas in 2004 and 2005. Cattle commonly graze wheat in this region from late November to mid March in a dual-purpose system. The experimental design was a randomized complete block with split-plot treatment arrangement. Main plots were grazed or ungrazed, and subplot treatments were wheat varieties. Yield was not affected by color. Yield was reduced 23% when grazed beyond wheat jointing. NuHorizon yielded less when grazed. Test weight was 4 kg m ―3 greater among red varieties in 2004 and 4 kg m ―3 greater among white varieties in 2005. Grazing did not affect test weight. Color and grazing did not affect protein concentration. White varieties sprouted more than red varieties, but Burchett sprouted less than Stanton. Grazing did not affect sprouting. Kernel diameter was 0.1 mm greater among red than white varieties. Grazing reduced kernel diameter 0.1 mm in 2004. Kernel hardness was 4% greater among white than red varieties. Grazing increased kernel hardness 3% in 2005. Seed weight was 5% greater among red than white varieties. Grazing reduced seed weight 4%. Both red and white wheat can be used in a dual-purpose system with no substantial affects on yield or quality. Producers should select varieties on the basis of their system and environment because certain varieties responded better to grazing and environmental conditions than others.


Medium supplementation and process alternatives for fuel ethanol production from dilute acid lignocellulose hydrolysate were investigated. Dilute acid lignocellulose hydrolysate supplemented with enzymatically hydrolysed wheat flour could sustain continuous anaerobic cultivation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae ATCC 96581 if further supplemented with ammonium sulphate and biotin. This medium composition allowed for a hexose utilisation of 73% and an ethanol production of 36 mmol l−1 h−1 in chemostat cultivation at dilution rate 0.10 h−1. Three different methods for cell retention were compared for improved fermentation of supplemented lignocellulose hydrolysate: cell recirculation by filtration, cell recirculation by sedimentation and cell immobilisation in calcium alginate. All three cell retention methods improved the hexose conversion and increased the volumetric ethanol production rate. Recirculation of 75% of the bioreactor outlet flow by filtration improved the hexose utilisation from 76% to 94%. Sedimentation turned out to be an efficient method for cell separation; the cell concentration in the reactor was 32 times higher than in the outflow after 60 h of substrate feeding. However, chemostat and continuous cell recirculation cultures became severely inhibited when the dilution rate was increased to 0.20 h−1. In contrast, an immobilised system kept producing ethanol at a stable level also at dilution rate 0.30 h−1. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2007; 98: 80–90. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


Objective – To outline the collaborative development of an online course addressing academic integrity by a university's library system and writing centre.

Design – Case study.

Setting – A public research university in the Midwestern United States.

Subjects – 1650 students who completed the online module.

Methods – Oakland University (OU) Libraries and the Writing Centre began to collaborate on the development of a new online course on academic integrity in 2011. It was felt that an existing online library tutorial on plagiarism no longer met the needs of students and faculty. The development of the course was informed by the Association of College and Research Libraries' Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education (2000) as well as a research study investigating students' use of sources in their scholarly writing across several institutions. Moodle, the institution's learning management system (LMS), was used to develop the learning object.

Main Results – OU Libraries and the Writing Centre launched the six-part online course entitled "Using and Citing Sources" in January 2012. They developed modules around learning outcomes in five broad categories: defining academic integrity and plagiarism; the use of sources in academic writing; paraphrasing; quoting; and citation. The final module provided students with an opportunity to practise lessons learned in the first five modules. The use of the LMS to design and host the course limited the tutorial to registered students, but provided developers with access to additional course functionality without labour-intensive coding. It also allowed Writing Centre staff to access students' performance data on the modules prior to their appointments. Improvements over the previous online tutorial included expanded content on academic ethics and referencing, more active learning elements, video content, and the opportunity for students to choose discipline-specific examples. In the first four months of its availability, 1650 students completed the course, with 3330 attempts overall.

Conclusion – The diverse perspectives and expertise that individuals from OU Libraries and the Writing Center brought to their collaboration greatly informed the development of the course. The time and effort saved by using the university's existing LMS to develop interactive content and the focus on providing students with opportunities for active learning within the course contributed to the project's success.


Abstract Four relatively intense and broad absorption bands centred at ~12500, ~19500, ~21500 and ~23000 cm−1 were recorded in polarized electronic single-crystal spectra of natural, optically uniaxial and pleochroic hydrogarnets with henritermierite contents ranging from 35 to 97 mol.%. These absorption bands arise from spin-allowed electronic d-d transitions in trivalent Mn located at the axially distorted six-coordinated site of the tetragonal hydrogarnet structure. The crystal field stabilization energy (CFSE) for trivalent Mn at the Mn site, as derived from band energies, is ~185 kJ/mol. This considerably higher CFSE for Mn3+ in tetragonal hydrogarnets as compared to cubic garnets (130−145 kJ/mol) explains the natural occurrence of close to end-member tetragonal Mn3+-hydrogarnets while only limited Mn3+-substitution is observed in natural cubic garnets. The fact that incorporation of Mn3+ at intermediate concentrations stabilizes the tetragonal hydrogarnets indicates the potential natural existence of a number of new, partially Mn3+-substituted, hydrogarnets, e.g. tetragonal Mn3+-bearing 'hydroandradite'.


Climate change and security of supply policies are driving us towards a decarbonization of the electricity system. It is in this context that smart grids are being discussed. Electricity grids, and hence their regulatory frameworks, have a key role to play in facilitating this transformation of the electricity system. In this paper, we analyze what is expected from grids and what are the regulatory tools that could be used to align the incentives of grid companies and grid users with what is expected from them. We look at three empirical cases to see which regulatory tools have already been applied and find that smart grids need a coherent regulatory framework addressing grid services, grid technology innovation and grid user participation to the ongoing grid innovation. The paper concludes with what appears to be a smart regulation for smart grids.


[1] This study analyzed 95-GHz radar/lidar data collected from the R/V Mirai over the tropical western Pacific to characterize the vertical distribution of ice cloud effective radius reff, ice water content IWC, and in-cloud vertical velocity of the region in conjunction with weather regimes classified by International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP) cluster analysis. Ice clouds observed from the Mirai were roughly consistent with the ISCCP weather regimes; more convectively active regimes had larger amounts of high cloud consisting of deeper cloud with larger ice water path (IWP) and precipitating ice fraction. Ice cloud microphysics of the Center for Climate System Research, National Institute for Environmental Studies, Frontier Research Center for Global Change atmospheric general circulation model (AGCM) was then evaluated using the radar–lidar simulator and ISCCP weather regimes for comparison of the statistics at different scales. The model tended to produce a high cloud fraction that was two times larger in the cirrus regimes but 50% lower in the deepest convective regime. The simulated IWP could only weakly reproduce the observed variety and generally underestimated the observed values despite the weather regimes. Cutoff in the simulated grid mean IWC around 0.1 g−3 was too small, especially above 11 km. The AGCM successfully predicted the observed frequency distribution for reff above 11 km, but produced large overestimation in the peak value below 11 km due to the excessively large fraction of reff ∼100 μm. Establishing a cutoff for cloud ice at reff > 120 μm was found to be quite reasonable, although it would miss some of the larger particles that were observed.


The rhetoric of the virtual stubbornly clings to digital culture, even though our experience of working within it is of a resisting medium that only behaves in certain ways. The persistence of the virtual demands attention: why do we cling to such a description even while we quite willingly recognise the interpenetration of the world beyond the monitor and that represented on it? In education we're encouraged to use Virtual Learning Environments, as if somehow these spaces are not as real as classrooms; we participate (or read about others participating) in virtual worlds such as Second Life or World of Warcraft, places that imitate the real world, providing access to fantasies that are underpinned by very real economics; and we exploit the World Wide Web, believing in its textual metaphors (pages, hypertext) while ignoring its presence as a medium. In my contribution to this forum I want to suggest that our insistence on the immateriality of digital culture enforces an ontological distinction that overdetermines the materiality of the world beyond the monitor while misrecognizing the new things that are displayed upon it. Rather than continue to use the virtual as a category, I would like to argue using an alternative term, the apparition.1 Unlike the virtual, which foregrounds its effect of the real with reality itself present only as absence, apparition has two meanings: the first is an immaterial appearance, a ghostly presence that, like the virtual, can signal an absent materiality; the second is simply the appearance of something, specifically the emergence of something into history. It is this latter meaning, I suggest, that permits materiality to re-enter digital discourse.


One of the most effective ways of increasing voluntary tax compliance is by improving tax morale. Several studies have been undertaken to examine why some individuals pay taxes while others do not. While many of these studies have been conducted at the national level, there is an increasing body of research at the subnational level. Three main methods are used to study tax morale: surveys, simulation exercises and field experiments. In this paper, we describe each of these methods, highlighting their strengths and weaknesses. We also examine their usefulness to tax administrators and policymakers wishing to increase tax compliance. We conclude that to get a better understanding of the factors that affect tax morale at the subnational level, more studies need to be undertaken. This should include studies that use qualitative methods to understand taxpayer behaviour. Lastly, studies should also investigate the variations between categories of individuals.