Widely exploited in the industry, amplitude-variation-withoffset (AVO) inversion techniques are based on weak-contrast approximations of the plane-wave reflection coefficients. These approximations are valid for plane waves reflected at almost flat interfaces with weak contrasts in seismic parameters and for reflection angles below the critical angle. Regardless of the underlying assumptions, linearized coefficients provide a simple and physically adequate tool to accurately invert AVO data for seismic parameters at precritical angles. However, the accuracy of linearized coefficients drastically decreases with increasing incidence angle. Limitations occur around and beyond the critical ray, where the effect of wavefront curvature becomes prominent and thus can no more be neglected. The effective reflection coefficients generalize the plane-wave reflection coefficients for waves generated by point sources and reflected at curved interfaces. They account for the wavefront curvature and are adequate at any incidence angle. Our previous studies have shown that including the reflections around and beyond the critical angle in the AVO inversion significantly improves the accuracy of estimated parameters. However, the interface curvature also must have its contribution to the longoffset AVO inversion. We find that the interface curvature affects the energy propagation along the ray tube and the energy diffusion across the ray tube. The energy propagation along the tube is characterized by the geometrical spreading, which is strongly affected by interface curvature. The transverse diffusion is captured by the effective reflection coefficients which are less influenced by interface curvature. The long-offset AVO inversion is thus sensitive to interface curvature through a combination of several wave propagation factors.


In this paper, we present a document visualization technique for data analysis based on the semantic representation of text in the form of a directed graph, referred to as semantic graph. It is derived using natural language processing as follows. Firstly subject– verb – object triplets are automatically extracted from the Penn Treebank parse tree obtained for each sentence in the document. Secondly, the triplets are further enhanced by linking them to their corresponding co-referenced named entity, by resolving pronominal anaphors as well as attaching the associated WordNet synset. Starting from the document's semantic graph and the list of extracted triplets we automatically generate the document summary, for which we also derive the semantic representation.


The last decades a new type of business environments has evolved characterized by rapid and volatile demand changes, short product life cycles, and high levels of customized products. The competitiveness of a business in these environments is mostly determined by its responsiveness. This is characterized by the ability to quickly scale up or down the production volume, the presence of an innovative and fast product development, and the quick incorporation of customer requirements into the product development. This paper employs a descriptive single case study approach to illustrate how product development is structured and executed in an international manufacturing company, seeking to realize an innovative, predictable, and efficient product development. The objective is to increase the understanding of how product development and product life-cycles are connected to Supply Chain Management (SCM). Case study findings reveal that the case company after implementing a strategic and structured Product Creation Process (PCP) has improved the efficiency and effectiveness of product development. Findings also reveal that the case company has not yet developed any linkages between product development and SCM. Still, the case company has become aware of this issue due to problems associated with the lack of integration between product development and SCM.


This thesis presents the findings obtained from a comprehensive investigation into experimental techniques for producing conducting and semiconducting colloidal sols, of carefully controlled particle size and narrow size distribution. Particle size distributions were determined using Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM)and Image Analysis software. Evidence for the loss of bulk metal and semiconducting properties caused by the onset of quantum size effect, as energy levels become discrete and quanti sed, was monitored using optical spectroscopy, and then equated with the corresponding particle size distribution.
Semiconducting iron disulphide was produced in nanometer dimensions using a novel synthetic route. Intensive studies into earlier investigations, alongside our own methods, revealed discrepancies in the literature. The control of colloidal FeS2 within reverse micelles, using sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate and heptane as the reverse micellar solution, was also found to be an unreliable technique for cluster size control.
Monodisperse silver sols were found to be difficult to form. Optical properties and particle size relationships were found when poly (ethylene glycol) was employed as a stabilising agent. However, the study showed a randomness associated with silver sol formation and a minimal correlation between experimental conditions and resultant particle sizes was found. Gold sols displayed greater relationships between reagent conditions and particle size, as well as between particle size and the associated optical properties. Gold sols stabilised with poly (vinylpyrrolidone) formed well defined gold particles, displaying quantum size effects.
Studies into the mechanisms for colloidal nucleation and growth provided further evidence for the different processes involved for gold and silver sols. Stopped-flow kinetic apparatus was utilised to observe the changing optical spectrum of the particles, as a function of time. Gold sol kinetics' showed a process for rapid nucleation and slow growth, with an absorbance versus time profile similar to previous gold investigations explained by the Organiser Theory. Silver sols had optical lineshape suggesting continuing nucleation and aggregation. Computer simulations were carried out, demonstrating the different mechanisms. The gold sol profile has been reproduced using simple steady state treatment, rather than using the rather complex Organiser Theory. Hence, a new hypothesis has been proposed to explain the formation of gold sols. The silver sol kinetics spectra-have also been reproduced based upon models involving aggregative cluster reactions.
Conduction Electron Spin Resonance (CESR) studies were performed upon dehydrated sols of silver, gold, and platinum. Quantum size effects were observed for Pt, with border-line quantum/classical effects displayed by gold and silver samples. All observed lineshapes were consistent with the literature, and could be rationalised in terms of the theory. The asymmetrical lineshapes and temperature effects have been accounted for using calculated simulations based upon a new model which allowed for quantum behaviour of the linewidth and the classical behaviour of the g-shift. Flaws were shown in earlier calculations for the asymmetric lineshape of colloidal silver.


Unsymmetrically substituted phthalocyanines were synthesized by the well-known statistical condensation method using two differently substituted precursors, 4-tert-butylphthalonitrile and 4-(4-pyrrol-1-yl)phenoxyphthalonitrile. Spin-coated thin films of these compounds were subsequently exposed to varying concentrations of methanol, ethanol and butanol between 25 and 150 ppm in order to investigate the effects of the number of carbon atoms in the alcohol vapors. The results of this preliminary investigation indicated that sensor performance parameters such as sensitivity, response and recovery time strongly depend on the number of carbon atoms in the analyte molecules. It was found that the sensitivity of the sensors decreases with increasing number of carbon atoms. Electrochemistry studies of CoPc and MnClPc were carried out with cyclic and square wave voltammetry methods. Both complexes illustrated metal and ring-based electron transfer reactions. While CoPc underwent only one metal-based reduction ([CoIIPc2-]/[CoIPc2-]1-), two metal-based reductions ([Cl-MnIIIPc2-]/[Cl-MnIIPc2-]1- and [Cl-MnIIPc2-]1-/[Cl-MnIPc2-]2-) were observed with MnPc. Color changes during the in situ spectroelectrochemical measurements illustrated the versatility of the compounds for display technologies. Pyrrole-containing substituents of the complexes triggered their electropolymerization on the working electrode, which enhances their value as functional materials for modified electrodes.


User marketing is a key focus of consumer-based internet companies. Learning algorithms are effective to optimize marketing campaigns which increase user engagement, and facilitates cross-marketing to related products. By attracting users with rewards, marketing methods are effective to boost user activity in the desired products. Rewards incur significant cost that can be off-set by increase in future revenue. Most methodologies rely on churn predictions to prevent losing users to make marketing decisions, which cannot capture up-lift across counterfactual outcomes with business metrics. Other predictive models are capable of estimating heterogeneous treatment effects, but fail to capture the balance of cost versus benefit. We propose a treatment effect optimization methodology for user marketing. This algorithm learns from past experiments and utilizes novel optimization methods to optimize cost efficiency with respect to user selection. The method optimizes decisions using deep learning optimization models to treat and reward users, which is effective in producing cost-effective, impactful marketing campaigns. Our methodology demonstrates superior algorithmic flexibility with integration with deep learning methods and dealing with business constraints. The effectiveness of our model surpasses the quasi-oracle estimation (R-learner) model and causal forests. We also established evaluation metrics that reflect the cost-efficiency and real-world business value. Our proposed constrained and direct optimization algorithms outperform by 24.6% compared with the best performing method in prior art and baseline methods. The methodology is useful in many product scenarios such as optimal treatment allocation and it has been deployed in production world-wide.


The transmission performances of the wavelength-division-multiplexed passive optical networks based on directly modulated self-seeded reflective semiconductor optical amplifiers (RSOAs) are investigated and analyzed. The impacts of signal extinction ratio (ER), stable seeding power, pattern length dependency, bandwidth and shape factor of the wavelength multiplexer within the self-seeding cavity, and length of the self-seeding cavity on the transmission performance are investigated. The ER is optimized to bring the best receiver sensitivity when the loss of the self-seeding cavity is fixed. The optimal ER and the corresponding receiver sensitivity are improved with the stable seeding power which decreases with the loss of the self-seeding cavity. Compared to the Gaussian-shaped pass band, the wavelength multiplexer with a flat-top pass band brings better transmission performances and enables error-free transmission with a smaller pass band bandwidth. The transmission performance of the directly modulated self-seeded RSOA is robust against the phase perturbation induced by the micro change in the cavity length but is degraded remarkably when the cavity length is extended to several kilometers. Nevertheless, error-free transmission is achieved when the cavity length is extended to 4 km. The findings of this paper provide a better understanding of the mechanism of the directly modulated self-seeded RSOAs and also guidance on designing the WDM-PON systems using the self-seeded RSOAs.


Prospective memory, which involves remembering to perform intended actions, is essential for independent daily living especially as we grow older. Yet, majority of everyday memory failures are due to prospective memory lapses. Memory strategy training can help to tackle such lapses. We present Prospero, a wearable virtual memory coach that guides users to learn and apply a memory technique through conversation in natural language. Using physiological signals, Prospero proactively initiates practice of the technique during opportune times where user attention and cognitive load have more bandwidth. This could be a step towards creating more natural and effective digital memory training that could eventually reduce memory decline. In this paper, we contribute with details of its implementation and conversation design.


State-of-the-art assessments of current research into the human dimensions of global environmental change and promising directions for future advancements. The colossal human ecological footprint now threatens the sustainability of the entire planet. Scientists, policymakers, and other close observers know that any understanding of the causes of global environmental change is a function of understanding its human dimension-the range of human choices and actions that affect the environment. This book offers a state-of-the-art assessment of research on the human dimensions of global environmental change, describing how global threats to sustainability have come about, providing an interpretive framework for understanding environmental change, reviewing recent work in the social and ecological sciences, and discussing which paths for future advances in our knowledge may prove most promising. The chapters, by prominent North American and European authors, offer perspectives on population, consumption, land cover and use, institutional actions, and culture. They discuss such topics as risk, the new Structural Human Ecology approach to analyzing anthropogenic drivers of global environmental change, recent progress in understanding land use change, international environmental regimes, the concept of the commons, and the comparative vulnerability of societies around the world. Contributors Ulrich Beck, Thomas Dietz, Carlo C. Jaeger, Svein Jentoft, Jeanne X. Kasperson, Roger E. Kasperson, Bonnie J. McCay, Emilio F. Moran, Eugene A. Rosa, B. L. Turner II, Richard York, Oran R. Young


Children who enter kindergarten bring to the school environment, a wide range of abilities in reading. Prior literacy experiences in the home and the wider community have been shown to contribute towards these wide ranging abilities (Cairney & Munsie, 1992; Cairney & Ruge, 1997; Brown, 1998; Brooker, 2002; McNicol & Dalton, 2002; Manzo & Robelen, 2003). Our society today, though, is changing rapidly. Our task, therefore, as educators is to prepare our children to function in a future civilization created by the biggest leap in technology since the Industrial Revolution two centuries ago. We have entered a time when advances in technology are having an important effect on literacy development (Snyder, 2001; Leu, 2002; Cloonan, 2005). This study set out to explore the nature of kindergarten children's multi-literate practices in their homes. In paper-based materials, the study explored the frequency of storybook reading, the activities parents participated in during storybook reading, the reading activities that young children initiated, and other reading activities apart from storybook reading. In technology, the study explored the frequency of use of different techno-literacies (Snyder, 2001) and parents' views on the role of these techno-literacies in learning to read and write. It was found that while there was a wide range of multi-literate practices in the homes of kindergarten children that comprised both paper-based and techno-literacies, parents held different views about the role that techno-literacies played in learning to read and write. These views seem to mirror those of early years teachers, namely that print and paper-based skills are more highly valued for young emergent readers and writers. INTRODUCTION Reading and writing – both of these words, but especially reading, invoke emotive responses from parents, educators and the wider community. Many discussions and media articles focus on how reading should be taught, and 'The Great Debate' (Adams, 1990) that has raged in the public domain since the 1960s is testament to the controversy that exists as to which method


Black Studies, as a self-defined academic discipline, has its origin in the sociopolitical struggle of the 1960s when scholarly activists fought to establish the study of the Black experience in the university curriculum. Over time, Black Studies has become a multifaceted discourse that examines the philosophy and praxis of African people, covering a range of topics that include history, politics, sociology, psychology, economics, and religion. Within this interdisciplinary framework, Karenga, a pivotal scholar in the discipline, argues that Africans, both on the continent and in diaspora., are a religious people who have demonstrated a concern for spiritual realities from ancient times to the present day. Upon studying the history and theology of African religion, Karenga and other Black Studies advocates consistently begin with the traditions of the Ancient Nile Valley and continue with an examination of more recent belief systems, like those of the Dogon of Mali. (Adams 1979; Asante 2002; Diop 1974, 1991;Griaule 1978; Griaule and Dieterlen 1965; Karenga 1990, 2002; Painter 2007). However, as these scholars publish on this topic, they typically overlook a profoundly important religious tradition that reveals the political astuteness and theological acumen of African people. They fail to appreciate the paramount significance of Christianity as a counter-hegemonic ideology employed by believing Africans as an instrument of liberation in their struggle against European domination in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. To illustrate, Baum, in his article "African Religion," which appears in Africana: The Encyclopedia of the African and African American Experience, devotes the major part of his discussion to various points of theology, including Supreme Beings, Lesser Spirits, Religious Expression and Instruction, and Evil and Suffering. Although he comments on the historical influence of western Christianity on African culture, he makes not reference to the counter-hegemonic use of Christianity by believing Africans as they strove to liberate themselves from western colonialism. Researchers like Baum fail to recognize such African Christian subversives as Simon Kimbangu (1889-1951) who opposed Belgian imperialism in the Congo as a special envoy of Jesus Christ and leader of the Church of Jesus Christ on This Earth, founded in 1921. They also tend to overlook his contemporary, Enoch Mgijima (1858-1929), a former Christian minister, who led his believing converts in confronting the racist government of South Africa as pastor of the Church of the Children of Israel (Davidson 1989, Mazrui 1993). In addition, these scholars frequently neglect such Christian oriented nationalist movements as Ethiopianism, which was based on Psalm 68:31 of the Old Testament and inspired counter-imperialist resistance in the late nineteenth and early to mid-twentieth centuries in South, Central, and West Africa (Labode 2005; Moorhouse 1973; Omoniyi, 1908). I address this omission by examining Kwame Nkrumah's and the Convention People's Party's use of Christianity as a source of anti-colonial ideology in their struggle to liberate Gold Coast (present-day Ghana) from British colonization between 1948 and 1966. I argue that this is simply one example of the political and theological ingenuity of African leaders as demonstrated by their use of Christianity as a counter-hegemonic ideology in their fight against European domination throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Hence, this research emphasizes the astuteness of African people in a way that contributes distinctively to the existing research on the religious history of Africa as produced by Black Studies advocates. I develop this argument by first surveying the use of western Christianity by Great Britain as an instrument of imperialism in early Gold Coast history (1800-1915). I then examine in detail the African employment of Christianity as an anti-colonial philosophy and the ingenuity of Nkrumah in utilizing religion to create political solidarity during Ghana's early struggle for freedom (1947-1966). …


Aneka is a platform for deploying Clouds developing applications on top of it. It provides a runtime environment and a set of APIs that allow developers to build .NET applications that leverage their computation on either public or private clouds. One of the key features of Aneka is the ability of supporting multiple programming models that are ways of expressing the execution logic of applications by using specific abstractions. This is accomplished by creating a customizable and extensible service oriented runtime environment represented by a collection of software containers connected together. By leveraging on these architecture advanced services including resource reservation, persistence, storage management, security, and performance monitoring have been implemented. On top of this infrastructure different programming models can be plugged to provide support for different scenarios as demonstrated by the engineering, life science, and industry applications.


Weak value amplification and other postselection-based metrological protocols can enhance precision while estimating small parameters, outperforming postselection-free protocols. In general, these enhancements are largely constrained because the protocols yielding higher precision are rarely obtained due to a lower probability of successful postselection. It is shown that this precision can further be improved with the help of quantum resources like entanglement and negativity in the quasiprobability distribution. However, these quantum advantages in attaining considerable success probability with large precision are bounded irrespective of any accessible quantum resources. Here we derive a bound of these advantages in postselected metrology, establishing a connection with weak value optimization where the latter can be understood in terms of geometric phase. We introduce a scheme that saturates the bound, yielding anomalously large precision. Usually, negative quasiprobabilities are considered essential in enabling postselection to increase precision beyond standard optimized values. In contrast, we prove that these advantages can indeed be achieved with positive quasiprobability distribution. We also provide an optimal metrological scheme using three level non-degenerate quantum system.


Ever-increasing scientific literature enhances our understanding on how toxicants impact biological systems. In order to utilize this information in the growing field of systems toxicology, the published data must be transformed into a structured format suitable for knowledge modelling, reasoning, and ultimately high throughput data analysis and interpretation. Consequently, there is an increasing demand from systems toxicologists to access such knowledge in a computable format, here biological network models. The BEL Information Extraction workFlow (BELIEF) automatically extracts biological entities and causal relationships from any text resource and converts them into a formalized language, the Biological Expression Language (BEL). BEL is a machineand human-readable language that represents molecular relationships and events as semantic triples: subject–relationship–object. In addition to the automatic extraction through text mining, BELIEF also features a curation interface to verify and modify the proposed triples and benefits from BEL's human-readability. The curation interface facilitates this curation task by providing relevant information to ensure high curation accuracy and fast processing. The resulting BEL triples are then assembled to biological network models that represent specific biological processes for a given context, e.g., organism, tissue type, disease state. These biological network models can then be verified in a crowd-based approach utilizing a collaborative web-based platform before finally sharing them through a publicly available and specialized repository. In this strategy paper, we summarize over various solutions to challenges in the knowledge-based systems toxicological assessment. Keywords-component; text mining; BEL; knowledge management; network models; curation; systems toxicology.


Abstract Dealing with endogenous regressors is a central challenge of applied research. The standard solution is to use instrumental variables that are assumed to be uncorrelated with unobservables. We instead allow the instrumental variable to be correlated with the error term, but we assume the correlation between the instrumental variable and the error term has the same sign as the correlation between the endogenous regressor and the error term and that the instrumental variable is less correlated with the error term than is the endogenous regressor. Using these assumptions, we derive analytic bounds for the parameters. We demonstrate that the method can generate useful (set) estimates by using it to estimate demand for differentiated products.


Two species groups can be distinguished in the evolution of Pseudolioceras s.l. The first ranges through most of the Toarcian (and? earliest Aalenian) and makes up the circum-Boreal Pseudolioceras s.s. The second extends through the Aalenian and earliest Bajocian of the Bering Province and constitutes the subgenus Tugurites, of considerable chronostratigraphic importance.


Abstract. Coastal areas are vulnerable to the accumulation of semivolatile organic compounds, such as PAHs, OCPs and PCBs from atmospheric inputs. Dry particulate and wet depositions, and air-water diffusive exchange in the Singapore's south coastal area, where most of chemical and oil refinery industries are situated in, were estimated. Based on a yearly dataset, the mean annual dry particulate deposition fluxes of ∑16-PAHs, ∑7 OCPs and ∑21 PCBs were 1328.8±961.1 μg m−2 y−1, 5421.4±3426.7 ng m−2 y−1 and 811.8±578.3 ng m−2 y−1, and the wet deposition of ∑16-PAHs and ∑7 OCPs were 6667.1±1745.2 and 115.4±98.3 μg m−2 y−1, respectively. Seasonal variation of atmospheric depositions was influenced by meteorological conditions. Air-water gas exchange fluxes were shown to be negative values for PAHs, HCHs and DDXs, indicating Singapore's south coast as a sink for the above-mentioned SVOCs. The relative contribution of each depositional process to the total atmospheric input was assessed by annual fluxes. The profile of dry particulate deposition, wet deposition and gas exchange fluxes seemed to be correlated with individual pollutant's properties such as molecular weight and Henry's law constant, etc. For the water column partitioning, the organic carbon-normalized partition coefficients between particulate and dissolved phases (KOC) for both PAHs and OCPs were obtained. The relationships between KOC of PAHs and OCPs and their respective octanol-water partition coefficient (KOW) were examined. In addition, both adsorption onto combustion-derived soot carbon and absorption into natural organic matter for PAHs in marine water column were investigated. Enrichment factors in the sea-surface microlayer (SML) of the particulate phase were 1.2–7.1 and 3.0–4.9 for PAHs and OCPs, and those of dissolved phase were 1.1–4.9 and 1.6–4.2 for PAHs and OCPs, respectively. These enrichment factors are relatively higher than those reported for nearby coastal areas, which are most likely due to more organic surfactants floating in the south coastal surface of Singapore.


ABSTRACT This study presents the findings of a laboratory-based experiment testing hypothesised processes implicated in the prevention of violent radicalisation through counter-narratives. The central aims of the study were to contribute to counter-narrative theory, whilst highlighting the value of experimental methodologies that can be deployed in this area of scientific enquiry. Two counter-narrative strategies were evaluated against a dominant terrorist narrative. Considering the role of cognition in the processing of narrative-related information, participants' (n = 150) Cognitive Reflection and Need for Cognition were measured before they were randomly assigned to a narrative that legitimized terrorist violence, one of two counter-narratives, or a control. Returning autonomy to the target by having them actively counter terrorist rhetoric themselves was found to be more effective than offering generic counter-narratives. Notwithstanding the challenges and limitations associated with measuring violent radicalization-related constructs, the findings of the experiment demonstrate the extent to which individuals vary in their susceptibility to violent, terrorist narratives, as well as attempts to counter them.


This paper presents a hierarchical design methodology based on the inversion factor (IF) as a key design parameter and the equations of the EKV MOS Model. A structured design approach is used to allow high flexibility. The efficiency of the methodology is demonstrated through the design of a fully differential folded-cascode OTA with gain boosting. Firstly, the partitioning into basic blocks is done. Then, each block is designed independently. The performance of the whole circuit is verified.


Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of removing corn dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS) at increasing intervals before harvest on finishing pig performance and carcass characteristics. For Exp. 1, 985 finishing pigs [initially 219 ± 5.5 lb body weight (BW)] were used in a 28-d growth study. There were 12 pens per treatment with 19 to 21 pigs per pen. There were four treatments decreasing in duration of withdrawal of DDGS from diets before final marketing: 28, 21, 14, or 0 d withdrawal. Regardless of treatment, pens of pigs were topped according to a typical summer marketing strategy with one top prior to final barn dump. All pens were topped by removing the 17% heaviest pigs on d -21 resulting in a final barn dump of approximately 83% of starting barn inventory. Overall, there was no evidence for effects of DDGS withdrawal time on final BW, average daily feed intake (ADFI), or feed efficiency (F/G; P > 0.111); however, as withdrawal time increased, average daily gain (ADG) linearly increased (P = 0.022) and iodine value decreased (linear, P = 0.001). There was no evidence for treatment differences for hot carcass weight (HCW) or loin depth (P > 0.106); however, dressing percentage was linearly increased (P = 0.001) with increased withdrawal time. Backfat depth was also decreased (quadratic; P = 0.019) and percentage lean increased (quadratic; P = 0.033) as DDGS withdrawal time increased. Feed cost and gain value were increased (linear, P < 0.020) resulting in a marginally significant (P < 0.100) increase in income over feed cost (IOFC) with increased withdrawal duration. In Exp. 2, 1,158 finishing pigs (initially 232 ± 4.3 lb BW) were used in a 35-d growth study. There were 15 pens per treatment with 17 to 21 pigs per pen. Similar to the first experiment, there were four treatments decreasing in duration of withdrawal of DDGS from diets before final marketing: 35, 28, 14, or 0 d withdrawal. All pens were topped according to a typical winter marketing strategy with two marketing events prior to the final barn dump. All pens were marketed by removing the 15% heaviest pigs on d -28, the 28% heaviest pigs on d -14, and a final barn dump of approximately 57% of starting barn inventory. There was no evidence that final BW, overall ADG, or overall F/G differed across treatments with increasing DDGS withdrawal times (P > 0.116). Overall average daily feed intake increased (linear, P = 0.015) as time withdrawn from DDGS before final marketing increased. Iodine value decreased (P < 0.022) and dressing percentage increased (linear; P = 0.034) with increasing withdrawal time. Lastly, feed cost and feed cost per lb of gain increased (linear, P < 0.003) with increasing DDGS withdrawal time. In conclusion, these experiments demonstrate that longer feeding duration of DDGS before harvest decreases carcass yield and increases iodine value. Feed cost is reduced with longer feeding of DDGS, yet the gain value and IOFC responses varied depending on the marketing strategy.


Distinguished from traditional historical narrative by its balanced portrayal of wartime experiences both at home and on the battlefield and flavored by its vivid portrayal of a divided Appalachian community, Ashe County's Civil War: Community and Society in the Appalachian South breaks new ground in Southern social, political, and economic history.Martin Crawford contends that the experiences of Ashe County's men and women during the Civil War era were shaped as much by their membership in the wider American society as by uniquely local factors. Through a thoughtful blending of family correspondence, local and state historical documents, and the broader news of the divided country, Crawford re-creates the lives of Ashe County's citizens. Among them are teenager Selina Howell, whose suicide draws the reader into an intimate portrayal of kin and community dynamics, and Tom Crumpler, the young lawyer-politician who made the ultimate sacrifice for a cause he initially opposed. These people and their stories bring to life the very human side of the Civil War, carrying Crawford's narrative well beyond ordinary social history.


Using differential quadrature method (DQM), this study investigated pull-in instability of beam-type nano-switches under the effects of small-scale and intermolecular forces including the van der Waals (vdW) and the Casimir forces. In these nano-switches, electrostatic forces served as the driving force, and von-Karman type nonlinear strain was used to examine nonlinear geometric effects. To derive nonlinear governing equations as well as the related boundary conditions for the nano-beam, variation method was used. Besides, to study the influence of size effect, the nonlocal elasticity theory was employed and the resulting governing equations were solved using DQM. Finally, the pull-in parameters were studied using the nonlocal theory and the results were compared with the numerical results of the classical continuum theory as well as experimental results contained in the references. Results demonstrated that taking into consideration the von-Karman type nonlinear strain increases the beam stiffness and hence, the pull-in voltage. Besides, use of the small scale, compared with the classical theory of elasticity, yields results much closer to experimental results.


The rate of rent default in rental properties is on the increase with its antecedent implications on real estate investment. This study investigates tenants' characteristics and their tendencies for rent default in Akure residential property market. Data on characteristics of 496 tenants were obtained from "acquaintance form" submitted to 19 firms of Estate Surveying and Valuation in Akure, Ondo State of Nigeria. Both descriptive and inferential statistical analyses were applied to arrive at the findings of the study. Binary Logistic regression modelling techniques revealed that prospective tenants' occupation, availability of guarantor, recommendation letter, marital status, household size, level of education, and tenant' tribe were found significant. The strongest predictor of rent default tendencies was household size, recording an odd ratio of 15.96. It was recommended among others that landlords and their agents should intensify efforts in minimizing rent default situation through tenants' screening devoid of sentiments.


This study examined the role of oral corrective feedback in the context of ESL (English as a second language) in one Malaysian state. Recent studies have provided empirical evidence to support a positive role for feedback in students' second language development. However there has also been evidence that suggests that oral corrective feedback is used in only a limited way in the Malaysian context.
In seeking to understand this limited use of oral corrective feedback, Malaysian teachers' views were gained and their classroom teaching behaviours were investigated. The students' views on oral corrective feedback were also gained, particularly in relation to their attitudes and feelings towards the oral corrective feedback used by their teachers. While most studies have only examined the teachers' perspective, it was a feature of the design of this study to also include the students' perspectives in order to provide a more comprehensive approach to understanding the limited use of oral corrective feedback in this context.
The study data were gained from a mixed methods approach of surveys, semi-structured interviews and classroom observation sessions, collected over five months in 42 secondary schools in the state of Penang, Malaysia. Of the 172 lower secondary school English teachers who responded to the questionnaire, 6 also participated in the interviews and classroom observations. The students' survey was completed by 1843 lower secondary school students. The analysis of the qualitative data was based on a constructivist approach which utilised grounded theory and coded strategies by thematic analysis; the quantitative data were analysed using standard statistical analysis procedures (SPSS) to provide descriptive statistics of frequency distributions, median scores and Chi-square tests.
The main finding from data on the teachers' perspective was that they shared similar views on issues related to the use of oral corrective feedback in classroom lessons. Interestingly, the choice of oral corrective feedback by the teachers in the observation sessions did not seem to depend on the student oral language error types, as previous studies had shown. However, there were some variations evident in the types of oral corrective feedback used for certain error types. A second main finding of the study was that students actually perceived oral corrective feedback positively. They felt positive attitudes and feelings towards the error correction received from their teachers and they were keen to receive more teacher correction.
This study contributes to both the theory and practice of English teaching and learning within a lower secondary ESL classroom context. It has provided insights into how English teachers might attend more usefully to their students' English learning needs, particularly by extending their use of oral corrective feedback.


A new species of Lejeuneaceae collected in Guadeloupe and Dominica, Prionolejeunea grollei, is described and illustrated. The main diagnostic characteristic of the species is the obconical perianth with cristate keels formed by long ciliae and laciniae restricted to the apex. Additionally, it is recognized by asymmetrical-ovate leaves with acute to acuminate apex, large median leaf lobe cells and leaf margins usually slightly crenulate. The new species is morphologically related to P. decora (Taylor) Steph. and P. guadalupensis (Lindenb.) Steph.; a comparison between the three taxa is presented.


A 2-year budget agreement pushes back the threat of sequestration but leaves scientists still wondering how much money the U.S. government will spend this year on research. Appropriations panels in both the House of Representatives and the Senate must now divvy up the additional money available for all civilian and defense agencies, and one science analyst forecasts a 2.7% boost for research and development.


The mammalian protein responsible for Ca2+ release-activated current (Icrac) may be homologous to the Drosophila protein designated trp. Thus the activity of trp, and another Drosophila protein designated trp-like or trpl, may be linked to depletion of the internal Ca2+ store via the so-called capacitative Ca2+ entry mechanism. To test this hypothesis, the effect of thapsigargin, a selective inhibitor of the endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ pump, on trp- and trpl-induced whole cell membrane current was determined using the baculovirus Sf9 insect cell expression system. The results demonstrate that trp and trpl form Ca(2+)-permeable cation channels. The trpl encodes a nonselective cation channel that is constitutively active under basal nonstimulated conditions and is unaffected by thapsigargin, whereas trp is more selective for Ca2+ than Na+ and is activated by depletion of the internal Ca2+ store. Although evaluation of cation selectivity suggests that trp is not identical to the channel responsible for Icrac, these channels must share some structural feature(s) since both are activated by thapsigargin. A unique proline-rich region in the COOH-terminal tail of trp, which is absent in trpl, may be necessary for capacitative Ca2+ entry.


The global trade slowdown and the public resistance against attempts to stimulate trade through mega-regional trade deals are placing the role of non-tariff measures (NTMs) in the limelight of public discussions. In this paper, we examine the question how different types of non-tariff measures affected global trade during the period 1995-2014. We use information on NTMs notified to the WTO from the Integrated Trade Intelligence Portal (I-TIP), which allows us to differentiate between various NTM types, including technical barriers to trade (TBTs) and sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures. The two main contributions of this work are the amendment of the I-TIP database to suit econometric analysis and the estimation of trade effects of NTMs at the HS 6-digit product level for more than 100 countries with a gravity approach. Roughly 60% of all estimates point towards a trade-impeding effect of NTMs. Aggregates by NTM-imposing countries and targeted products suggest that the positive effect on the demand side compensates the negative impact on the surging costs of the supply side for SPS measures. TBTs overall appear to be trade-impeding, in particular for high-income countries in Europe and Central Asia.


A correct estimation of the future power production is of capital importance whenever the feasibility of a future wind farm is being studied. This power estimation relies mostly on three aspects: (1) a reliable measurement of the wind resource in the area, (2) a well-established power curve of the future wind turbines and, (3) an accurate characterization of the wake effects; the latter being arguably the most challenging one due to the complexity of the phenomenon and the lack of extensive full-scale data sets that could be used to validate analytical or numerical models. The current project addresses the problem of obtaining a volumetric description of a full-scale wake of a 2MW wind turbine in terms of velocity deficit and turbulence intensity using three scanning wind LiDARs and two sonic anemometers. The characterization of the upstream flow conditions is done by one scanning LiDAR and two sonic anemometers, which have been used to calculate incoming vertical profiles of horizontal wind speed, wind direction and an approximation to turbulence intensity, as well as the thermal stability of the atmospheric boundary layer. The characterization of the wake is done by two scanning LiDARs working simultaneously and pointing downstream from the base of the wind turbine. The direct LiDAR measurements in terms of radial wind speed can be corrected using the upstream conditions in order to provide good estimations of the horizontal wind speed at any point downstream of the wind turbine. All this data combined allow for the volumetric reconstruction of the wake in terms of velocity deficit as well as turbulence intensity. Finally, the predictions of a 3D analytical model [1] are compared to the 3D LiDAR measurements of the wind turbine. The model is derived by applying the laws of conservation of mass and momentum and assuming a Gaussian distribution for the velocity deficit in the wake. This model has already been validated using high resolution wind-tunnel measurements and large-eddy simulation (LES) data of miniature wind turbine wakes, as well as LES data of real-scale wind-turbine wakes, but not yet with full-scale wind turbine wake measurements. [1] M. Bastankhah and F. Porte-Agel. A New Analytical Model For Wind-Turbine Wakes, in Renewable Energy, vol. 70, p. 116-123, 2014.


The spread of modern information and communication technologies (ICTs) in the present economic context has led to new ways of carrying out commercial activities. A large body of research has shown the high potential of ICT applications for agrifood products, in particular for highly differentiated products. Wine, in particular, is an ideal product to exploit these opportunities thanks to its intrinsic characteristics, namely it is a product of "experience" and is highly differentiated and marketed internationally. This paper, starting from an analysis of the important role that modern information and communication technologies have in the agrifood sector, and more specifically in the grape growing sector, aims at examining the role that Internet and web marketing could play in promotional and communication strategies of wine companies in the Campania Region, by examining these tools as the combination of strategic factors essential to acquire a competitive position in the virtual market.


Tufa (spring) deposits in the Tecopa basin, California, reflect the response of arid groundwater regimes to wet climate episodes. Two types of tufa are represented, informally defined as (1) an easily disaggregated, fine-grained mixture of calcite and quartz (friable tufa) in the southwest Tecopa Valley, and (2) hard, vuggy micrite, laminated carbonate, and carbonate-cemented sands and gravels (indurated tufa) along the eastern margin of Lake Tecopa. High δ18OVSMOW (Vienna standard mean ocean water) water values, field relations, and the texture of friable tufa suggest rapid nucleation of calcite as subaqueous, fault- controlled groundwater discharge mixed with high-pH, hypersaline lake water. Variations between δ18OVSMOW and δ13CPDB (Peedee belemnite) values relative to other closed basin lakes such as the Great Salt Lake and Lake Lahontan suggest similarities in climatic and hydrologic settings. Indurated tufa, also fault controlled, formed mounds and associated feeder systems as well as stratabound carbonate-cemented ledges. Both deposits represent discharge of deeply circulated, high total dissolved solids, and high p CO2 regional groundwater with kinetic enrichments of as much as several per mil for δ18OVSMOW values.

Field relations show that indurated tufa represents episodic discharge, and U-series ages imply that discharge was correlated with cold, wet climate episodes. In response to both the breaching of the Tecopa basin and a modern arid climate, most discharge has changed from fault-controlled locations near basin margins to topographic lows of the Amargosa River drainage at elevations 30–130 m lower. Because of episodic climate change, spring flows may have relocated from basin margin to basin center multiple times.


Social Entrepreneurship is an all-encompassing nomenclature, used for depicting the process of, bringing about social change on a major and impactful scale compared to a traditional Non-Governmental Organization (NGO).  It is an increasingly important concept in the study of voluntary, non-profit and not-for -profit organizations. Earlier, organizations addressing key social issues were assumed to be idealistic, philanthropic with entrepreneurial skills. Social Entrepreneurship in India is emerging primarily because the government is very keen on its promotion, not necessarily by funding it or by advising on it but by enabling it. The Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) of the private sector with clearly earmarked funds and full-fledged action teams have played an important role in sprucing up the image of Social Entrepreneurship. The focus of the paper is to study the growing trends of Social Entrepreneurship in India and the new initiatives taken by various Social Entrepreneurs. It also gives a brief idea of different Theories of Social Entrepreneurship . Efforts are made to provide information and an exploratory study, related to the support activities of Social Entrepreneurship and Social Entrepreneurial ventures in India . This may be beneficial in future empirical studies of the subject. Keywords:  Entrepreneurship, Social Entrepreneurship, Social Entrepreneur, NGO, Corporate Social Responsibility, India.


Anti-liver-specific protein (LSP) antibody and liver membrane autoantibody (LMA) have been evaluated in 88 patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV)-induced chronic liver disease by means of radioimmunoprecipitation and immunofluorescence. Among our patients, 38 presented circulating HBe antigen while 43 had HBe antibody and seven were negative for both. Anti-LSP was mainly found in HBeAg positive chronic active hepatitis (CAH), anti-HBe in positive CAH and in anti-HBe positive chronic persistent hepatitis (CPH). Similar prevalences of LMA (range 13-33%) were detected in the various groups studied. Taking into account the histological diagnosis of disease activity (periportal inflammation and piecemeal necrosis) no significant differences were found between active and inactive patients. Taking into account the HBeAg/anti-HBe status, no significant differences were found between the patients positive for 'e' antigen or 'e' antibody. Humoral autoimmune reactions may also play a role in HBV-induced chronic (active) liver disease irrespective of HBeAg/anti-HBe status and hence of the viral replication activity of the patients.


It is known that so-called scaling-law sources generate fields whose normalized spectrum in the far-zone is the same as the normalized source spectrum. We show that such spectral invariance holds also in the paraxial region and in the far-zone when the field propagates through the turbulent atmosphere.


The majority of girls in Nigeria no longer study Mathematics and the few who do continue to have averagely lower achievement scores than boys. Apart from the cognitive factors, which have been studied extensively, affective factors have been identified as contributing to the relatively poor performance of girls in Mathematics.
This study was therefore an attempt to investigate one of the affective factors, the factor of gender, in some secondary school Mathematics textbooks. Materials for the study included seven Mathematics textbooks that are commonly used in secondary school in Nigeria. The test items and illustrations in the textbooks were categorised as male-related, female-related, or neutral tasks. By using simple percentages and chi-square analysis, significant differences were observed on the number of items and illustrations that are male or female-related.
The results show that the textbooks contain high percentages of male-related tasks than female-related ones.


ABSTRACT Brambilla, W.; van Rooijen, A.; Simeone, S.; Ibba, a.; DeMuro, S., 2016. Field observations, coastal video monitoring and numerical modeling of coastal processes at Poetto Beach, Italy. In: Vila-Concejo, A.; Bruce, E.; Kennedy, D.M., and McCarroll, R.J. (eds.), Proceedings of the 14th International Coastal Symposium (Sydney, Australia). Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue, No. 75, pp. 825–829. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. This work presents an analysis of hydrodynamics and morphological evolution during one year at Poetto Beach (South Sardinia, Gulf of Cagliari - Italy). The results, in the form of a numerical model, Delft3D, were validated using data obtained from a very reproducible low-cost video monitoring system. Subsequently, the model was used to study local hydrodynamics (Delft3D) during wave events. Poetto Beach is a wave-dominated urban beach system characterized by an inner shelf with Posidonia oceanica meadows. Bathymetric and topographic surveys were carried out every three months in order to understand the beach morphology. Sediment grain samples were taken alongshore/cross-shore in correspondence with the main morphologies. The Delft3D model was used to simulate waves and hydrodynamics. The numerical simulation (Delft3D) showed good agreement with the field data and video image analyses for the distribution and direction of the rip and longshore currents. This approach, which can be easily replicated on other urban beaches, could provide beach managers with useful information on how to prevent and minimize the effects of storms and flooding.


This article seeks to explore the history, ideology and tactics of various radical Islamist organizations inspired by the al Muhajiroun-style of activism that have operated in various Western European countries over the last twenty years. It devotes a particular focus to their complex relationship with violence. Finally, it also looks at how European authorities have dealt with these groups over time.


A letter to Mary Moore from her sister, Bettie Franklin, and her mother, Matilda Dodd. In the letter, Franklin and Dodd discuss the state of the family and of the farm and animals. Franklin informs Moore that there have been many deaths in town, including Mallie Donnell, Mrs. Holder, and Tom Berry's wife. Franklin and Dodd both ask Moore to visit soon. Franklin closes by sending her regards to Moore's husband, Charles B. Moore.

Included with this item is the envelope in which the letter was mailed. The letter, postmarked May 22 from Gallatin, Tennessee, is addressed to Mrs. Mollie Moore in McKinney, Collin County, Texas, Box No 12.


DOI : 10.5152/hsp.2019.478060   Objective : The present study was planned with the aim of identifying the perspectives of women toward sexism, their conception to women-related honor and violence against women, and the interrelations among these notions. Materials and Methods : The descriptive study addressed the conceptions and attitudes of 1518 students attending a university who had consented to participating in the study. The relevant data were collected via the "Attitude Scale for Women-Related Conception of Honor" (ASWRCH), "Attitudes toward Violence against Women in the Name of Honor Scale" (AVWNHS), and "Ambivalent Sexism Scale" (ASS). Data analysis was undertaken through percentage distribution, Pearson's correlation analysis, ANOVA, and an independent two-sample t-test. Results : Students living in extended and broken families, married students, male students, and students with professional mothers were found to hold a more positive attitude toward violence against women in the name of honor and a higher level of protective and hostile sexism (p<0.05). With respect to women-related honor conception, students showed a higher affinity toward an egalitarian attitude in terms of their grade (4th grade), sex (female), family type (nuclear), number of siblings (1 or 2 siblings), residential location (district), area of study (health, social), mother's profession (qualified profession), parental attitudes (non-authoritative, relaxed), and relationship status (flirt) (p<0.05). A negative correlation was established between ASWRCH and AVWNHS and between ASWRCH and ASS and a positive correlation existed between AVWNHS and ASS. Conclusion : As the women-related honor conception moves toward an egalitarian attitude among students, they exhibit more of a negative attitude toward violence against women and a lower level of protective and hostile sexism. The presence of a positive attitude toward violence leads to a heightened level of protective and hostile sexism. Cite this article as : Demirel G, Kaya N, Ertekin Pinar Ş, Degerli B, Gokmen E. University Students' Attitudes Toward Sexism, Honor, and Violence Against Women. Journal of Health Science and Profession 2019; 6(3): 479-90.


Frank Reisner, a Hungarian-born, American educated chemical engineer, turned a youthful passion for cars into one of the most famous small production sports car building companies in the world. From modest beginnings based in the automotive mecca of Turin, Italy throughout the 1960s and into the 1970s, Intermeccanica conceived, designed and produced a dozen different models that shook the motoring world and went on to find homes in museums and collections from Europe to the United States to Japan. Most notable of these models are the Apollo, the Italia and the Indra. From there it was on to California, where Reisner revolutionised the Porsche replicar market with his groundbreaking fibreglass Speedster design, followed by the Roadster RS, which the company continues to produce at its Vancouver, BC, Canada headquarters. Along the way, Reisner and Intermeccanica dealt with, and in one case sued, the largest automotive manufacturers in the world, all the while maintaining an independent streak and maverick spirit that would come to define the man and his company.


Economic globalisation together with rapid technological change is producing deep and accelerated industrial and social change around the world. These same forces also offer new opportunities to advance city and regional development through the growth of innovative industries, services and the deployment of new technologies. To date policies have been singular in their purpose. This approach has produced the required impact but with unintended, often deleterious side effects. In the face of such rapid development, a multi-dimensional approach based on a composite exercise that addresses environmental, economic and social issues smoothly and compositely is proposed. Composite exercises are used by personal trainers to simultaneously exercise more than one muscle group to achieve increased muscle tone and various other side benefits. One example is doing squats. Various muscle groups in the bottom (gluteals), upper-leg (quadriceps) and abdominal muscles are toned at the same time. Other side benefits include greater stability of balance and increased tone in an inner lower abdominal muscle which contributes to the control of incontinence. Governments likewise need to realise that their actions are not linear but like personal training, are composite in effect. Taking consideration of such an outcome this paper examines the use of information communication technologies as a composite driver to assist regional communities express their vision for sustainable environmental, economic and social development in the twenty-first century.


Innovation in information and communication technology (ICT) fuels the growth of the global economy. How ICT markets evolve depends on politics and policy, and since the 1950s periodic overhauls of ICT policy have transformed competition and innovation. For example, in the 1980s and the 1990s a revolution in communication policy (the introduction of sweeping competition) also transformed the information market. Today, the diffusion of Internet, wireless, and broadband technology, growing modularity in the design of technologies, distributed computing infrastructures, and rapidly changing business models signal another shift. This pathbreaking examination of ICT from a political economy perspective argues that continued rapid innovation and economic growth require new approaches in global governance that will reconcile diverse interests and enable competition to flourish. The authors (two of whom were architects of international ICT policy reforms in the 1990s) discuss this crucial turning point in both theoretical and practical terms.


The lack of architecturally-significant mechanisms for aspectual composition might artificially hinder the specification of stable and reusable design aspects. Current aspect-oriented approaches at the architecture-level tend to mimic programming language join point models while overlooking mainstream architectural concepts such as styles and their semantics. Syntax-based pointcuts are typically used to select join points based on the names of architectural elements, exposing architecture descriptions to pointcut fragility and reusability problems. This paper presents style-based composition, a new flavor of aspect composition at the architectural level based on architectural styles. We propose style-based join point models and provide a pointcut language that supports the selection of join points based on style-constrained architectural models. Stability and reusability assessments of the proposed style-based composition model were carried out through three case studies involving different styles. The interplay of style-based pointcuts and some style composition techniques is also discussed.


The uranium-series isotopic compositions of soils and sediments evolve in response to time and weathering conditions. Therefore, these isotopes can be used to constrain the timescales of river sediment transport. Catchment evolution depends on the sediment dynamic timescales, on which erosion imparts a major control. Erosion rates in tectonically stable catchments are expected to be lower than those in tectonically active catchments, implying longer sediment residence times in tectonically stable catchments. Mineralogical, elemental and isotopic data are presented for modern channel sediments, alluvial and colluvial deposits from the Murrumbidgee River, a large catchment in the passive margin highlands of south-eastern Australia and three of its tributaries from the headwaters to the alluvial plain. Low variability in Si-based Weathering Index indicates that there is little chemical weathering occurring in the Murrumbidgee River during sediment transport. However, quartz content increases and plagioclase content decreases downstream, indicating progressive mineralogical sorting and/or physical comminution with increasing transport distance. U-series isotopic ratios in the Murrumbidgee River trunk stream sediments show no systematic downstream variation. The weathering ages of sediments within the catchment were determined using a loss-gain model of U-series isotopes. Modern sediments from a headwater tributary, the Bredbo River at Frogs Hollow, have a weathering age of 76 ± 30 kyr but all other modern channel sediments from the length of the Murrumbidgee River and its main tributaries have weathering ages ∼400 ± 180 kyr. The two headwater colluvial deposits have weathering ages of 57 ± 13 and 47 ± 11 kyr, respectively. All the alluvial deposits have weathering ages similar to those of modern sediments. No downstream trend in weathering age is observed. Together with the soil residence time of up to 30 kyr for ridge-top soils at Frogs Hollow in the upper catchment area of the Murrumbidgee River (Suresh et al., 2013), the current results indicate, for the first time, that sediments in the Murrumbidgee catchment are stored in hill slope for long time (∼200 kyr) before carried by the river. The long residence times of sediments indicate a low erosion rate from the catchment. The sediment transport timescales estimated are up to two orders of magnitude higher than those reported for tectonically active catchments in Iceland (Vigier et al., 2006) and in the Himalayas (Granet et al., 2007), indicating the influence of tectonism on catchment erosion. Disciplines Medicine and Health Sciences | Social and Behavioral Sciences Publication Details Suresh, P. O., Dosseto, A., Hesse, P. P. & Handley, H. K. (2014). Very long hillslope transport timescales determined from uranium-series isotopes in river sediments from a large, tectonically stable catchment. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 142 442-457. This journal article is available at Research Online: http://ro.uow.edu.au/smhpapers/2629 1 Very Long Hillslope Transport Timescales Determined from Uranium1 Series Isotopes in River Sediments from a Large, Tectonically Stable 2 Catchment 3


BACKGROUND
The anti-apoptotic properties of melatonin have been demonstrated previously in several in vivo and in vitro studies. Previous reports have shown increased apoptosis during puromycin aminonucleoside nephrosis (PAN). The aim of this study was to determine if melatonin (MEL) can prevent apoptosis and modify oxidative stress, an apoptosis inducer, in this experimental model.

METHODS
Rats were injected intraperitoneally with puromycin aminonucleoside. In addition, by the intragastric route they received 1 mg/kg/day of MEL or vehicle 3 days before puromycin injection and throughout the experiment. Animals were sacrificed at weeks 1 and 2 of nephrosis and frozen renal sections were studied for apoptosis by TUNEL, for apoptosis-associated proteins by monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies, and for superoxide anion (O(2)(-)) by a histochemical method. Nitric oxide (NO), malondialdehyde (MDA) and reduced glutathione (GSH), and the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase were measured in homogenized kidney tissue by appropriate biochemical and enzymatic methods.

RESULTS
Increases in apoptosis, p53, Fas and Fas-ligand were observed in nephrotic animals. MEL treatment decreased apoptosis at weeks 1 and 2 in the glomerular, interstitial and tubular compartments. This was accompanied by decreased expression of p53 (glomerulus, week 1; tubules, weeks 1 and 2), Fas (glomerulus and interstitium, week 2; tubules, weeks 1 and 2) and Fas-ligand (interstitum and tubules, week 2). Increased expression of Bcl-2-positive cells was observed at week 2 in all renal compartments in MEL-treated animals. High levels of O(2)(-) and NO generation and lipid peroxidation (MDA) were found in nephrotic animals. SOD and GSH remained unchanged, and only decreased catalase activity (week 1) was observed in PAN animals. Tendencies toward decreased values of O(2)(-) and MDA content along with recovery of catalase activity (week 1) were observed in MEL-treated nephrotic animals, but were insignificant in magnitude. MEL, however, did significantly downregulate pro-apoptotic genes and upregulated anti-apoptotic genes.

CONCLUSIONS
The data demonstrate that, in PAN, melatonin has anti-apoptotic effects, which might in part be independent of the modulation of the oxidative status.


Questions of belief are essential in analysing protocols for the authentication of principals in distributed computing systems. In this paper we motivate, set out, and exemplify a logic specifically designed for this analysis: we show how various protocols differ subtly with respect to the required initial assumptions of the participants and their final beliefs. Our formalism has enabled us to isolate and express these differences with a precision that was not previously possible. It has drawn attention to features of protocols of which we and their authors were previously unaware, and allowed us to suggest improvements to the protocols. The reasoning about some protocols has been mechanically verified. This paper starts with an informal account of the problem, goes on to explain the formalism to be used, and gives examples of its application to protocols from the literature, both with shared-key cryptography and with public-key cryptography. Some of the examples are chosen because of their practical importance, whereas others serve to illustrate subtle points of the logic and to explain how we use it. We discuss extensions of the logic motivated by actual practice; for example, to account for the use of hash functions in signatures. The final sections contain a formal semantics of the logic and some conclusions.


The hippocampus is critical for forming new long-term memories, but the contributions of the hippocampal commissure (HC) to memory function and hippocampal synaptic plasticity are unclear. To shed light on this issue, we characterized behavioral memory and hippocampal synaptic plasticity in two inbred mouse strains. BALB/cWah1 mice display a range of corpus callosal defects and an intact HC, whereas 9XCA/Wah mice exhibit a complete absence of corpus callosum and a greatly reduced HC. No differences between strains were found in long-term potentiation (LTP) within two synaptic pathways in hippocampal slices. However, paired-pulse facilitation was deficient in area CA1 of slices from 9XCA/Wah, and it was rescued by decreasing extracellular [Ca2+], suggesting that presynaptic calcium dynamics may be altered in this strain. In addition, contextual fear extinction was impaired in 9XCA/Wah mice, but performance on cued fear extinction and on 24 hr memory tests for cued and contextual fear conditioning were not significantly different between strains. Thus, an intact HC is critical for normal extinction of contextual fear. Intact interhemispheric connectivity is not required for acquisition or expression of cued and contextual fear conditioning. LTP was normal in slices from mice that lacked an intact HC, and this was correlated with normal performance on fear conditioning tests. In contrast, impaired short-term synaptic plasticity was correlated with defective contextual memory extinction in mice lacking an intact HC. Thus, the HC in mice is vital for particular aspects of memory function and for short-term synaptic modification in specific hippocampal circuits.


In 1942, RAF flight controller Robert Wyse became a Japanese prisoner of war on the island of Java in Indonesia. Starved, sick, beaten, and worked to near-death, he wasted away until he weighed only seventy pounds, his life hanging in tenuous balance. There were strict orders against POWs keeping diaries, but Wyse penned his observations on the scarce bits of paper he could find, struggling to describe the brutalities he witnessed. After cleverly hiding his notes in a piece of bamboo next to his bed, in December of 1943, he carefully hid his notes inside a bottle beneath his prison hut. After the war, he wrote to the Dutch authorities, asking them to dig up his diary and return it to him. In this detailed and frank portrayal of life under Japanese occupation, Wyse reveals the both the best and the worst of human nature. He criticized his fellow soldiers for botching the defence of Java and Sumatra and admonished his captors for their brutality. Yet, Wyse also describes the selfless efforts of the Dutch civilians who helped the prisoners by doing whatever they could as well as his first-hand observations of acts of self-sacrifice among the prisoners themselves.Bamboo Cage is volume 13 in the New Brunswick Military Heritage Series.


Water is one of the important needs for living things, especially humans. Almost all human activities need air, especially drinking water. Lack of human awareness of air pollution and a great deal is needed to distribute clean air to the community with an optimal pipeline to minimize costs. Optimizing the distance of pipelines can be done by searching for a minimum spanning tree. In this study, tree trails were searched with a minimum network of PDAM Tirta Dharma Lamongan using the Kruskal Algorithm. The results obtained in this study are pipe networks that have the shortest distance. The distance between the primary pipeline network installed with the minimum spanning tree primary pipeline network is 14,243.6 meters.


Background Reported prevalence, penetrance and expression of deleterious mutations in the mismatch repair (MMR) genes, MLH1, MSH2, MSH6 and PMS2, may reflect differences in the clinical criteria used to select families for DNA testing. The authors have previously reported that clinical criteria are not sensitive enough to identify MMR mutation carriers among incident colorectal cancer cases. Objective To describe the sensitivity of the criteria when applied to families with a demonstrated MMR mutation. Methods Families with an aggregation of colorectal cancers were examined for deleterious MMR mutations according to the Mallorca guidelines. All families with a detected MMR mutation as of November 2009 were reclassified according to the Amsterdam and Bethesda criteria. Results Sixty-nine different DNA variants were identified in a total of 129 families. The original Amsterdam clinical criteria were met by 38%, 12%, 78% and 25% of families with mutations in MSH2, MSH6, MLH1 and PMS2, respectively. Corresponding numbers for the revised Amsterdam criteria were 62%, 48%, 87% and 38%. Similarly, each of the four clinical Bethesda criteria had low sensitivity for identifying MSH6 or PMS2 mutations. Conclusion Amsterdam criteria and each of the Bethesda criteria were inadequate for identifying MSH6 mutation-carrying kindreds. MSH6 mutations may be more common than currently assumed, and the penetrance/expression of MSH6 mutations, as derived from families meeting current clinical criteria, may be misleading. To increase detection rate of MMR mutation carriers, all cancers in the Lynch syndrome tumour spectrum should be subjected to immunohistochemical analysis and/or analysis for microsatellite instability.


The UN General Assembly has declared that we have just over a decade in which to act to limit greenhouse gas emissions so as to avert the worst effects of climate change.1 Yet, in the face of this looming crisis, state actors exhibit a shocking lack of ambition in their efforts to structure legal and political responses to climate change. Despite nearly three decades of international legal developments, at the state level the rule of law around climate change remains sparse. Even in the most recalcitrant of states, the expanse of the legal void cannot be attributed to a lack of understanding of the scale of the problem. In the United States, for example, the Trump Administration's emphatically sceptical stance on climate change and near-absolute opposition to domestic action on climate change masks the reality that the risks of climate change have been firmly recognized in US law for more than a decade. Nonetheless, even in the face of overwhelming evidence that the 'United States has reached a tipping point crying out for a concerted response', the state 'presses ahead toward calamity. It is as if an asteroid were barreling toward Earth and the government decided to shut down our only defenses ... bluntly insist[ing] that it has the absolute and unreviewable power to destroy the Nation.'2 The failures of state actors are undeniable. The United States is simply one very obvious and very important case in point. With very few exceptions, heads of state and national legislatures demonstrate little interest in leading efforts to address climate change. The leadership void is immense. The task of filling it falls to the judiciary.


One of the most fundamental principles of our common law in criminal matters is that a person can only be found criminally liable if his conduct was accompanied by some blameworthy mental state. For a very long time in our law it has been recognized as being completely pointless and unjust to impose punishment tinder the criminal law if no moral blameworthiness^-^ attached to the conduct.of an accused because, not only is it taken that he lacks intention, but also that there is no negligence on his part. He describe a situation, therefore, which is
devoid of any moral blameworthiness on the actor's part as one of blameless inadvertence.


5-Hydroxytryptamine (5-HT; serotonin) is a potent vasoconstrictor and smooth muscle mitogen. Substances that produce similar responses also stimulate production of superoxide. We sought to determine whether 5-HT stimulates production of superoxide. 5-HT can be metabolized by cytochrome P450 to nitric oxide (NO), which scavenges superoxide. Thus, we hypothesized that inhibiting cytochrome P450 would potentiate 5-HT-induced contraction and reveal 5-HT-stimulated superoxide. In isolated tissue bath experiments using endotheliumintact rat aorta, the cytochrome P450 inhibitor ketoconazole (KTZ; 1–50 μM) caused a maximum 8-fold leftward shift in the 5-HT concentration-response curve that was not observed when aorta were stimulated with phenylephrine or KCl. 5-HT did not stimulate concentration-dependent increases in superoxide levels as measured by a lucigenin-enhanced chemiluminescent superoxide assay. KTZ (10 μM) did not reveal 5-HT-stimulated superoxide. The NO inhibitor Nω-nitro-l-arginine (l-NNA) (100 μM) with or without KTZ (10 μM) potentiated 5-HT-induced contraction independently of NADPH oxidase-derived superoxide but also did not reveal 5-HT-stimulated superoxide. Metabolism of 5-HT to NO depends on catalase, but the catalase inhibitor 3-amino-1,2,4-triazole (50 mM) attenuated 5-HT-induced contraction. Removal of endothelium did not alter the effects of KTZ on 5-HT-induced contraction, and, in endothelium-intact aorta, KTZ did not decrease acetylcholine-induced relaxation. Unlike KTZ, the cytochrome P450 inhibitors 1-aminobenzotriazole (0.5 mM) and clotrimazole (10 μM) did not potentiate 5-HT-induced contraction. Moreover, 14,15-epoxyeicosa-5(Z)-enoic acid (10 μM), an epoxyeicosatrienoic acid antagonist, caused a small rightward shift in the 5-HT concentration-response curve. These data suggest KTZ acts by a potentially novel mechanism to potentiate 5-HT-induced contraction.


Model-based clustering techniques have been widely used and have shown promising results in many applications involving complex data. This paper presents a unified framework for probabilistic model-based clustering based on a bipartite graph view of data and models that highlights the commonalities and differences among existing model-based clustering algorithms. In this view, clusters are represented as probabilistic models in a model space that is conceptually separate from the data space. For partitional clustering, the view is conceptually similar to the Expectation-Maximization (EM) algorithm. For hierarchical clustering, the graph-based view helps to visualize critical/important distinctions between similarity-based approaches and model-based approaches. The framework also suggests several useful variations of existing clustering algorithms. Two new variations---balanced model-based clustering and hybrid model-based clustering---are discussed and empirically evaluated on a variety of data types.


A graph-oriented approach to deadlock avoidance, which treates both shared and exclusive locking, has been described [6]. The method is particularly suited for database systems. With enhancements introduced here, the problem of indefimite delay, i.e., the possibility that a process will not run to completion (will be delayed indefinitely) can be eliminated. The approach taken is to partition the resource system into subsystems, each of which can be scheduled independently. Indefinite delay is avoided by the construction of subsystems that guarantee the completion of a process or the granting of a resource request. Further, we show how the subsystem approach can be applied systematically so as to approximate FIFO scheduling of resource requests, while avoiding deadlock and indefmite delay. Other scheduling disciplines can also be realized. A lock manager program utilizing the FIFO method has been implemented.


In explorative data analysis, the data under consideration often resides in a high-dimensional (HD) data space. Currently many methods are available to analyze this type of data. So far, proposed automatic approaches include dimensionality reduction and cluster analysis, whereby visual-interactive methods aim to provide effective visual mappings to show, relate, and navigate HD data. Furthermore, almost all of these methods conduct the analysis from a singular perspective, meaning that they consider the data in either the original HD data space, or a reduced version thereof. Additionally, HD data spaces often consist of combined features that measure different properties, in which case the particular relationships between the various properties may not be clear to the analysts a priori since it can only be revealed if appropriate feature combinations (subspaces) of the data are taken into consideration. Considering just a single subspace is, however, often not sufficient since different subspaces may show complementary, conjointly, or contradicting relations between data items. Useful information may consequently remain embedded in sets of subspaces of a given HD input data space. Relying on the notion of subspaces, we propose a novel method for the visual analysis of HD data in which we employ an interestingness-guided subspace search algorithm to detect a candidate set of subspaces. Based on appropriately defined subspace similarity functions, we visualize the subspaces and provide navigation facilities to interactively explore large sets of subspaces. Our approach allows users to effectively compare and relate subspaces with respect to involved dimensions and clusters of objects. We apply our approach to synthetic and real data sets. We thereby demonstrate its support for understanding HD data from different perspectives, effectively yielding a more complete view on HD data.


The topographies of Africa and Antarctica form patterns of interlocking swells. The relationship between topography and gravity indicates that these swells are dynamically supported by mantle convection, with swell diameters of 1850 ± 450 km and full heights between 800 and 1800 m. The implication is that mantle convection not only supports swells surrounding hotspots but also influences topography across the entire surface areas of Africa and Antarctica. We investigate whether dynamically supported swells are also observed throughout the geological record, focusing on intensively studied Mesozoic–Cenozoic sedimentary rocks around Britain and Ireland. Vertical motions of Britain and Ireland, a typical piece of continental lithosphere far from a destructive plate boundary, have been demonstrably affected by dynamic support for over half of the past 200 Ma period. The diameters and maximum heights of the Mesozoic British swells and the modern African and Antarctic swells are similar. The ancient British swells grew in 5–10 Ma and decayed over 20–30 Ma, suggesting vertical motion rates comparable with those estimated from geomorphological studies of Africa. Igneous production rate and swell height are not correlated in the modern and the geological records. Mantle convection should be considered as a common control on regional sea level.


In this paper, we design two laboratory experiments to analyze the causal effects of competition on step-by-step innovation. Innovations result from costly R&D investments and move technology up one step. Competition is inversely measured by the ex post rents for firms that operate at the same technological level, i.e. for neck-and-neck firms. First, we find that increased competition leads to a significant increase in R&D investments by neck-and-neck firms. Second, increased competition decreases R&D investments by firms that are lagging behind, in particular if the time horizon is short. Third, we find that increased competition affects industry composition by reducing the fraction of sectors where firms are neck-and-neck. All these results are consistent with the predictions of step-by-step innovation models. Philippe Aghion Department of Economics Harvard University 1805 Cambridge St Cambridge, MA 02138 and NBER firstname.lastname@example.com Stefan Bechtold ETH Zurich Rämistrasse 101 8092 Zürich, Switzerland email@example.com Lea Cassar University of Zurich Rämistrasse 71 8006 Zürich, Switzerland email@example.com Holger Herz University of Zurich firstname.lastname@example.com An online appendix is available at: http://www.nber.org/data-appendix/w19987


Second language acquisition (SLA) research has traditionally relied on elicited experimental data, and it has disfavoured natural language use data. Learner corpus research has the potential to change this but, to date, the research has contributed little to the interpretation of L2 acquisition, and some of the corpora are flawed in design. We analyse the reasons why many SLA researchers are still reticent about using corpora, and how good corpus design and adequate tools to annotate and search corpora can help overcome some of the problems observed. We do so by describing how the ten standard principles used in corpus design (Sinclair 2005) were applied to the design of CEDEL2, a large learner corpus of L1 English – L2 Spanish (Lozano 2009a).


Background Nanoparticle albumin-bound paclitaxel (nab-paclitaxel) is a protein-bound derivative of paclitaxel with improved solubility over conventional paclitaxel. This allows a shorter infusion time, reduces the risk of hypersensitivity reactions and eliminates the need for premedication with dexamethasone, dexchlorpheniramine and ranitidine. Purpose The aim was to determine the off-label use and evaluate the toxicity of, and tolerance towards, nab-paclitaxel in patients with metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Materials and methods Retrospective observational study of two patients with metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma treated with nab-paclitaxel. Data were collected from the cytostatics software Oncofarm, patient histories and record of tests performed with Omega3MIL software. Results Patient 1: A seventy-six year-old woman, diagnosed with pancreatic adenocarcinoma cT3cN0M1 (hepatic cells) in February 2011, started first-line treatment with gemcitabine-oxaliplatin x 5 cycles. In April 2011, biochemical and hepatic progression, second-line treatment with capecitabine-erlotinib x 3 cycles. In July 2011, biochemical and clinical progression, third-line treatment with nab-paclitaxel 100 mg/m2 and gemcitabine 800 mg/m2 days 1, 8 and 15 every 4 weeks. Received 3 cycles in total until progression of the disease in October 2011. The patient developed second-degree lymphopenia and anaemia. Patient 2: A fifty-eight year-old man, diagnosed with pancreatic adenocarcinoma pT3pN1(7/19)M1 (lung, retroperitoneal ganglion and hepatic cells). Head-pancreaticoduodenectomy was performed. In December 2009, first-line treatment with gemcitabine-oxaliplatin x12 cycles followed by gemcitabine monotherapy x11 cycles. In December 2010, progression in lungs and liver. Started second-line treatment with capecitabine-erlotinib x5 cycles. In May 2011, pulmonary and hepatic progression. Started third-line treatment with nab-paclitaxel 100 mg/m2 days 1, 8 and 15 every 4 weeks. The patient had received 5 cycles and was continuing treatment at the time of writing. First-degree anaemia was observed. Conclusions The patients tolerated the treatment well. They did not develop any severe adverse reactions associated with nab-paclitaxel. Peripheral neuropathy, neutropenia and hypersensitivity reactions were not observed. No doses of the drug needed to be omitted or postponed.


In 2019, cyber security is considered one of the most significant threats to the global economy and national security. Top U.S. agencies have acknowledged this fact, and provided direction regarding strategic priorities and future initiatives within the domain. However, there is still a lack of basic understanding of factors that impact complexity, scope, and effectiveness of cyber defense efforts. Computer security incident response is the short-term process of detecting, identifying, mitigating, and resolving a potential security threat to a network. These activities are typically conducted in computer security incident response teams (CSIRTs) comprised of human analysts that are organized into hierarchical tiers and work closely with many different computational tools and programs. Despite the fact that CSIRTs often provide the first line of defense to a network, there is currently a substantial global skills shortage of analysts to fill open positions. Research and development efforts from educational and technological perspectives have been independently ineffective at addressing this shortage due to time lags in meeting demand and associated costs. This dissertation explored how to combine the two approaches by considering how human-centered research can inform development of computational solutions toward augmenting human analyst capabilities. The larger goal of combining these approaches is to effectively complement human expertise with technological capability to alleviate pressures from the skills shortage.Insights and design recommendations for hybrid systems to advance the current state of security automation were developed through three studies. The first study was an ethnographic field study which focused on collecting and analyzing contextual data from three diverse CSIRTs from different sectors; the scope extended beyond individual incident response tasks to include aspects of organization and information sharing within teams. Analysis revealed larger design implications regarding collaboration and coordination in different team environments, as well as considerations about usefulness and adoption of automation. The second study was a cognitive task analysis with CSIR experts with diverse backgrounds; the interviews focused on expertise requirements for information sharing tasks in CSIRTs. Outputs utilized a dimensional expertise construct to identify and prioritize potential expertise areas for augmentation with automated tools and features. Study 3 included a market analysis of current automation platforms based on the expertise areas identified in Study 2, and used Systems Engineering methodologies to develop concepts and functional architectures for future system (and feature) development.Findings of all three studies support future directions for hybrid automation development in CSIR by identifying social and organizational factors beyond traditional tool design in security that supports human-systems integration. Additionally, this dissertation delivered functional considerations for automated technology that can augment human capabilities in incident response; these functions support better information sharing between humans and between humans and technological systems. By pursuing human-systems integration in CSIR, research can help alleviate the skills shortage by identifying where automation can dynamically assist with information sharing and expertise development. Future research can expand upon the expertise framework developed for CSIR and extend the application of proposed augmenting functions in other domains.


The ability to accurately track hand movement provides new opportunities for human computer interaction (HCI). Many of today's commercial hand tracking devices based on gloves can be cumbersome and expensive. An approach that avoids these problems is to use computer vision to capture hand motion. We present a complete real-time hand tracking and 3-D modeling system based on a single camera. In our system, we extract feature points from a video stream of a hand to control a virtual hand model with 2-D global motion and 3-D local motion. The on screen model gives the user instant feedback on the estimated position of the hand. This visual feedback allows a user to compensate for the errors in tracking. The system is used for three example applications. The first application uses hand tracking and gestures to take on the role of the mouse. The second interacts with a 3D virtual environment using the 3D hand model. The last application is a virtual DJ system that is controlled by hand motion tracking and gestures.


Thomas Frank's book What's the Matter with Kansas? sparked a lively academic debate about the political attitudes and voting behavior of the white working class. Frank writes of a "Great Backlash" in which the white working class, once a pillar of the New Deal coalition, left the Democratic Party and joined the Republican Party as conservatism shifted away from its early emphasis on "fiscal sobriety" toward a more recent emphasis on "explosive social issues" such as abortion and gun control (2004, 8). This argument follows on the work of several other scholars and political observers who also have argued that social and cultural wedge issues alienated white working-class voters from the Democratic Party (Cook 2008; Edsall and Edsall 1991; Freedman 1996; Huckfeldt and Kohfeld 1989; Judis and Teixeira 2002; Ladd and Hadley 1975; Phillips 1969; Rieder 1989). However, Larry Barrels, in his provocative article "What's the Matter with What's the Matter with Kansas?" (and later his 2008 book Unequal Democracy), challenges the premise that white working-class voters are preoccupied with social issues, and that they shifted their allegiance to the Republican Party (see also Brewer and Stonecash 2001, 2007; Stonecash 2005). Barrels finds that Republicans have made their most significant gains with middle-and upper-income voters since the 1950s, and that any major losses of white working-class voters from the Democratic Party have come primarily in the South (2006, 209-11). He further notes that cultural wedge issues were not a high priority to most white working-class voters in 2004, and concludes that the "statistical analysis continues to demonstrate that material economic concerns rather than cultural wedge issues were of primary importance to Frank's working-class white voters" (2006, 218). The starkly different descriptions that Frank and Barrels offer of the white working class point to the need for some added clarity on this subject. In this study, we contend that both analyses overlook the critical influence of labor unions. This omission is understandable given that rates of union membership have fallen sharply over several decades, dropping from a high of 32.5% in 1953 to just 12.4% in 2008 (Troy and Sheflin 1985; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics 2009). Yet despite declines in union membership, several studies suggest that organized labor remains an influential force in American politics (Asher et al. 2001; Dark 1999; Francia 2006). Union households, for instance, have been a significant voting bloc for more than a half century, typically falling in the range of at least one-fifth of the national electorate in most presidential elections, including in 2004, when they made up 24% of all voters (Francia 2007). Organized labor's influence in the 2004 election, therefore, seems deserving of scholarly inquiry, particularly with respect to any analysis of the white working class--a favorite target of union organizing efforts. Moreover, there are good theoretical reasons to expect union membership to have an influence on the white working class. As research on the benefits of participation in organizations suggests, labor unions can help foster in workers a sense of belonging to a larger community that stimulates interest, knowledge, and participation in politics (see, e.g., Radcliff and Davis 2000; Uhlaner 1989; Verba, Schlozman, and Brady 1995). Unions promote active citizenship in workers by helping them learn and develop political skills (Asher et al. 2001; Dark 1999; Francia 2006). They also distribute political information to their membership with a message that typically focuses on workers' economic concerns, which can help give rise to class consciousness (Dixon, Roscigno, and Hodson 2004; Fantasia 1988). Indeed, in 2004, some 92% of union members in battleground states reported that they had received political information from their union in the form of a pamphlet, flyer, or letter, while 88% reported that they had received political information from a union newspaper, magazine, or newsletter (Hart Research Associates 2004). …