Viscous crustal flow can exhume once deeply buried rocks in postorogenic metamorphic core complexes (MCCs). While migmatite domes record the flow dynamics of anatectic crust, the mechanics and kinematics of solid‐state flow in the deep crust are poorly constrained. To address this issue, we studied a deeply eroded and particularly well‐exposed MCC in the southern Western Gneiss Region of Norway. The Gulen MCC formed during Devonian transtensional collapse of the Caledonian orogeny in the footwall of the Nordfjord‐Sogn detachment zone. We developed a semiquantitative mapping scheme for ductile strain to constrain micro‐ to megascale processes, which brought eclogite‐bearing crust from the orogenic root into direct contact with Devonian supradetachment basins. The Gulen MCC comprises different structural levels with distinct metamorphic evolutions. In the high‐grade core, amphibolite‐facies structures record fluid‐controlled eclogite retrogression and coaxial flow involving vast extension‐perpendicular shortening. Detachment mylonites formed during ductile‐to‐brittle noncoaxial deformation and wrap around the core. We present a sequential 3‐D reconstruction of MCC formation. In the detachment zone, the combined effects of simple shearing, incision/excision, and erosion thinned the upper crust. Internal necking of the ductile crust was compensated by extension‐perpendicular shortening within the deep crust and resulted in differential folding of distinct crustal levels. We identify this differential folding as the main mechanism that can redistribute material within solid‐state MCCs. Our interpretation suggests a continuum of processes from migmatite‐cored to solid‐state MCCs and has implications for postorogenic exhumation of (ultra‐)high‐pressure rocks.


The objective of this paper is to give a review of solar and stellar activity, from the observationnal constraints to dynamo models. I first review solar observations and insist on the various scales. Then I describe the photospheric magnetic structures (from spots and plages to the magnetic network and internetwork magnetic fields) and the energetic events in the chromosphere and corona, such as prominences, flares and coronal mass ejections. It is mostly photospheric observations (in addition to the results obtained with helioseismolohy concerning the internal rotation) which are providing the important constraints for dynamo models, that are reviewed. However the energetic events can also be used as tracers of solar activity and have a significant impact on earth. Stellar activity is then reviewed, including results on differential rotation. I insist on the comparison with solar properties. I then come back on the constraints these stellar observations bring to dynamo models.


This thesis presents a study of Surface Plasmon Polaritons (SPPs) inhybrid metal-dielectric waveguides. The embedding of metal in nanostructuredphotonic components allows for manipulating and guidinglight at the subwavelength scale. Such an extreme confinement enhancesthe nonlinear response of the dielectric medium, which is importantfor applications in optical processing of information, but ispaid in terms of considerable ohmic loss in the metal. It is, however, possible to embed externally pumped active inclusions in the dielectricin order to compensate for the metal loss. A novel perturbativetheory for Maxwell equations is introduced and applied to variousnonlinear metal-dielectric structures, deriving the propagation equationfor the optical field. The nonlinear dispersion law for amplifiedSPPs, filamentation and dissipative plasmon-soliton formation havebeen studied, revealing intrinsic core and tail instabilities that preventsolitons to propagate over long distances. Stable propagation ofplasmon-solitons can be achieved in insulator-metal-insulator structureswith active and passive interfaces. The active SPP is coupledwith the passive SPP, which absorbs the perturbations destabilisingthe zero background of the soliton. Theoretical modelling of opticalpropagation in metal-dielectric stacks predicts a modified two-bandstructure, allowing for gap/discrete plasmon-soliton formation. Lossand nonlinear parameters in subwavelength nanowire waveguides areevaluated and compared to the results obtained by other researchgroups. In all calculations, particular attention is paid in consideringboundary conditions accounting for loss and nonlinear corrections,which contribute to the propagation equation with a surface term thatbecomes significant in the subwavelength regime.


In Nollan v. California Coastal Commission, 483 U.S. 825 (1987), and Dolan v. City of Tigard, 512 U.S. 374 (1994), the Supreme Court held that an agency could not, consistent with the Takings Clause, condition a permit on a land exaction unless the exaction bears an "essential nexus" and "rough proportionality" to the harms the government seeks to mitigate. Then, in Koontz v. St. Johns Water Management District, 133 S. Ct. 2586 (2013), the Court extended Nollan and Dolan to exactions that were never completed because the property owner refused to acquiesce to the demand. Nevertheless, the Court held that such property owners suffer a "constitutionally cognizable injury" under the unconstitutional conditions doctrine because the government has significantly burdened their right not to have property taken without just compensation. Because the case arose under a Florida statute, the Court did not decide what the proper federal remedy would be in these "failed exaction" cases.This Article argues that failed exaction plaintiffs should be entitled to actual damages under the federal civil rights statute, 42 U.S.C. § 1983. Because failed exactions do not involve a completed taking, the Just Compensation Clause is not the proper remedy. But a recognized constitutional injury cannot go uncompensated. Limiting the remedy to invalidation of the offending condition suffers from two faults. First, it fails to provide property owners with adequate compensation. Second, it does not serve as a deterrent to agencies. An invalidation remedy standing alone gives permitting agencies a "do-over" and encourages them to use to permitting process to prevent development through the use of unconstitutional conditions. On the contrary, a damages remedy is supported by Section 1983 and serves the twin aims of deterrence and compensation. Courts should hold that property owners bringing a failed exaction claim under Koontz are entitled to their actual economic damages.Along with that federal damages remedy, the Article argues that these plaintiffs should be able to bring their claims directly in federal court. Because failed exaction plaintiffs have not suffered a taking, they cannot seek Just Compensation. Therefore, the ripeness rule for federal takings claims established in Williamson County Regional Planning Commission v. Hamilton Bank, 473 U.S. 185 (1985), which generally requires property owners to seek just compensation in state court to "ripen" a takings claim, does not apply to failed exactions. Property owners suing under a Koontz theory should be able to assert their federal constitutional rights directly in federal court.


In contrast to traditional employment, where employers provide health and retirement benefits, workers in nontraditional jobs have to seek out other options for health insurance coverage and retirement saving. How successful are they at finding alternatives? This study uses the Health and Retirement Study to examine older workers ages 50-64, who are both the largest cohort of workers in nontraditional jobs, and probably the group most in need of consistent health coverage and the ability to save for their imminent retirement. The study finds that about one-third of older workers in nontraditional jobs are uninsured, with the majority finding coverage through a spouse's employer or a past employer of their own. The Affordable Care Act has also helped these workers find coverage, most often through Medicaid; the study finds that workers in nontraditional employment in states that expanded Medicaid saw greater increases in coverage (especially public coverage) than similar workers in non-expansion states. While policy reform has helped increase health insurance coverage, workers in nontraditional jobs are largely left without convenient, tax-deferred retirement saving options, in part because their spouses in traditional employment do not tend to save more to compensate. These results suggest that policies such as auto-IRA plans may be especially useful to workers in nontraditional employment.


Many current applications in data science need rich model classes to adequately represent the statistics that may be driving the observations. Such rich model classes may be too complex to admit uniformly consistent estimators. In such cases, it is conventional to settle for estimators with guarantees on convergence rate where the performance can be bounded in a model-dependent way, i.e. pointwise consistent estimators. But this viewpoint has the practical drawback that estimator performance is a function of the unknown model within the model class that is being estimated. Even if an estimator is consistent, how well it is doing at any given time may not be clear, no matter what the sample size of the observations. In these cases, a line of analysis favors sample dependent guarantees. We explore this framework by studying rich model classes that may only admit pointwise consistency guarantees, yet enough information about the unknown model driving the observations needed to gauge estimator accuracy can be inferred from the sample at hand. In this paper we obtain a novel characterization of lossless compression problems over a countable alphabet in the data-derived framework in terms of what we term deceptive distributions. We also show that the ability to estimate the redundancy of compressing memoryless sources is equivalent to learning the underlying single-letter marginal in a data-derived fashion. We expect that the methodology underlying such characterizations in a data-derived estimation framework will be broadly applicable to a wide range of estimation problems, enabling a more systematic approach to data-derived guarantees.


This book was funded by the EU 7th Framework Programme (7FP), DIGIFACT 625637 Project (http://cordis.europa.eu/project/rcn/187953_ en.html) and ADS3DV 625636 Project (http://cordis.europa.eu/project/ rcn/187952_en.html). The book will be Open Access, thanks to FP7 post-grant Open Access (https://www.openaire.eu/postgrantoapilot).


Introduction: The use of machine learning tactics such as the Moran process and evolutionary finite state machines have the potential to outperform classic strategies for the iterated prisoner's dilemma.
Methods: Applying a genetic algorithm approach to the iterated prisoner's dilemma while modeling strategies with finite state machines proved to be an efficient method in which the produced strategies were able to cooperate unilaterally with their opponents.
Results: Varying parameters in the evolution process such as the amount of generations, population size and bottleneck size were shown to directly contribute to the success of the strategies produced. In comparing various optimization methods, the genetic algorithm utilizing finite state machines outperformed the Moran process with respect to the highest scoring strategies produced by each.
Discussion: These results can be explained due to the benefits of genetic recombination that was made possible with the use of finite state machines, where crossing over of state / action pairs resembling choices to make depending on the state environment occurred from generation to generation. Due to natural selection and recombination, the genes of the strategies with the highest fitness levels were bred into the next generations. Population bottlenecks and gene mutation tactics were used to recreate the naturally occurring phenomenon of gene variation, resulting in the creation of new species (which are iterated prisoner's dilemma finite state machine strategies) within the generations.
Conclusion: Tangible tactics can be extracted from these strategies, which were evolved using standard genetic algorithm tactics utilizing gene crossover and mutation techniques.


Abstract The walnut twig beetle (WTB), Pityophthorus juglandis Blackman (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), vectors a fungus, Geosmithia morbida Kolařík, Freeland, Utley, and Tisserat (Ascomycota: Hypocreales), which colonises and kills the phloem of walnut and butternut trees, Juglans Linnaeus (Juglandaceae). Over the past two decades, this condition, known as thousand cankers disease (TCD), has led to the widespread mortality of Juglans species in the United States of America. Recently the beetle and pathogen were discovered on several Juglans species in northern Italy. Little is known about the extra-generic extent of host acceptability and suitability for the WTB. We report the occurrence of both the WTB and G. morbida in three species of wingnut, Pterocarya fraxinifolia Spach, Pterocarya rhoifolia Siebold and Zuccarini, and Pterocarya stenoptera de Candolle (Juglandaceae) growing in the United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service, National Clonal Germplasm Repository collection in northern California (NCGR) and in the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden in southern California, United States of America. In two instances (once in P. stenoptera and once in P. fraxinifolia) teneral (i.e., brood) adult WTB emerged and were collected more than four months after infested branch sections had been collected in the field. Koch's postulates were satisfied with an isolate of G. morbida from P. stenoptera, confirming this fungus as the causal agent of TCD in this host. A survey of the 37 Pterocarya Kunth accessions at the NCGR revealed that 46% of the trees had WTB attacks and/or symptoms of G. morbida infection. The occurrence of other subcortical Coleoptera associated with Pterocarya and the first occurrence of the polyphagous shot hole borer, a species near Euwallacea fornicatus Eichhoff (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), in Juglans are also documented.


Introduction: Skin expansion is a physiological process defined as the ability of human skin to increase its superficial area in response to a stress or given deformation. In reconstructive surgery, skin expanders are implanted beneath the skin and periodically infiltrated with a saline solution to provide an extra flap of skin. When the prescribed internal volume of the expander is reached, reconstructive surgery is performed. Methods: A semiautomatic and portable device was developed and built to facilitate a skin expansion procedure. The device aims to simplify the infiltration process, providing mobility and independence to the patient and assuring the physician of the infiltration quality and precision. The device also enables continuous expansion in hospitalized patients. Results: Using a code, the doctor accesses the menu of the device and sets the maximum pressure and/or value for each expander of the patient. The patient can control the infiltration velocity and reverse or stop the operation. All data are recorded on a simcard and include date, time, initial and final volumes, and initial and final pressures of each procedure for each expander. Conclusions: The device motorizes and optimizes the expansion, allowing the doctor to prescribe a maximum infiltration pressure or volume. All data are recorded to provide an important database of skin behavior related to sex, race, age, and expansion site.


Research Summary: We examine how competitive tensions and cooperative motivations together shape firms' interactions and group‐level outcomes during technology coordination activities in multifirm settings. Analyzing the communication and voting behavior of 115 firms across three subcommittees of a computing industry technology standards‐setting organization over 14 years, we find that existing product‐market positions influence how firms with highly overlapped technological resources differ in their interactions: when their product‐markets are more competitive, they exhibit greater support for the emerging standard, as evidenced by positivity and certainty of interaction tone; but when they possess a broader array of complementary products, support is tempered. At the subcommittee level, after accounting for aggregate competitive tensions in prior interactions, heterogeneity in both firms' relational influence as well as their prior multiparty experience improve consensus. Managerial Summary: In innovation ecosystems, competing firms are often obligated to collaborate with each other in large multifirm forums to develop the technical standards that enable interoperability between their products. We show how the networks of technical and commercial relationships between firms shape such standards activities in two steps. First, firms who share many common technology interests with others communicate their support for new standards more vigorously when they participate in more competitive product‐markets, but less vigorously when they possess more complementary products. Second, communities find broader support for standards when there is greater imbalance across both firms' prior collaborative experiences as well as their pattern of relationships. We demonstrate these results in a study of 115 firms participating in computer peripherals standards development over 14 years.


Global biodiversity patterns in deep time can only be understood fully when the relative preservation potential of each clade is known. The relative preservation potential of marine arthropod clades, a diverse and ecologically important component of modern and past ecosystems, is poorly known. We tackled this issue by carrying out a 205‐day long comprehensive, comparative, taphonomic experiment in a laboratory by scoring up to ten taphonomic characters for multiple specimens of seven crustacean and one chelicerate species (two true crabs, one shrimp, one lobster, one hermit crab, one stomatopod, one barnacle and one horseshoe crab). Although the results are preliminary because we used a single experimental setup and algal growth partially hampered observations, some parts of hermit crabs, stomatopods, swimming crabs and barnacles decayed slowly relative to other parts, implying differential preservation potentials within species, largely consistent with the fossil record of these groups. An inferred parasitic isopod, manifested by a bopyriform swelling within a hermit crab carapace, decayed relatively fast. We found limited variation in the decay rate between conspecifics, and we did not observe size‐related trends in decay rate. Conversely, substantial differences in the decay rate between species were seen after c. 50 days, with shrimps and stomatopods decaying fastest, suggesting a relatively low preservation potential, whereas the lobster, calico crabs, horseshoe crabs and barnacles showed relatively slow decay rates, suggesting a higher preservation potential. These results are supported by two modern and fossil record‐based preservation potential metrics that are significantly correlated to decay rate ranks. Furthermore, we speculate that stemward slippage may not be ubiquitous in marine arthropods. Our results imply that diversity studies of true crabs, lobsters, horseshoe crabs and barnacles are more likely to yield patterns that are closer to their true biodiversity patterns than those for stomatopods, shrimps and hermit crabs.


OF DISSERTATION THE DEVELOPMENT OF NOVEL NON-PEPTIDE PROTEASOME INHIBITORS FOR THE TREATMENT OF SOLID TUMORS The proteasome is a large protein complex which is responsible for the majority of protein degradation in eukaryotes. Following FDA approval of the first proteasome inhibitor bortezomib for the treatment of multiple myeloma (MM) in 2003, there has been an increasing awareness of the significant therapeutic potential of proteasome inhibitors in the treatment of cancer. As of 2017, three proteasome inhibitors are approved for the treatment of MM but in clinical trials with patients bearing solid tumors these existing proteasome inhibitors have demonstrated poor results. Notably, all three FDA-approved proteasome inhibitors rely on the combination a peptide backbone and reactive electrophilic warhead to target the proteasome, and all three primarily target the catalytic subunits conferring the proteasome's chymotrypsin-like (CT-L) activity. It is our hypothesis that compounds with non-peptidic structures, non-covalent and reversible modes of action, and unique selectivity profiles against the proteasome's distinct catalytic subunits could have superior pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic properties and may bear improved activity against solid tumors relative to existing proteasome inhibitors. In an effort to discover such compounds we have employed an approach which combines computational drug screening methods with conventional screening and classic medicinal chemistry. Our efforts began with a computational screen performed in the lab of Dr. Chang-Guo Zhan. This virtual screen narrowed a library of over 300,000 drug-like compounds down to under 300 virtual hits which were then screened for proteasome inhibitory activity in an in vitro assay. Despite screening a relatively small pool of compounds, we were able to identify 18 active compounds. The majority of these hits were non-peptide in structure and lacked any hallmarks of covalent inhibition. The further development of one compound, a trisubstituted pyrazole, provided us with a proteasome inhibitor which demonstrated cytotoxic activity in a variety of human solid cancer cell lines as well as significant anti-tumor activity in a prostate cancer mouse xenograft model. We have also evaluated the in vitro pharmacokinetic properties of our lead compound and investigated its ability to evade crossresistance phenomena in proteasome inhibitor-resistant cell lines. We believe that our lead compound as well as our drug discovery approach itself will be of interest and use to other researchers. We hope that this research effort may aid in the further development of reversible non-peptide proteasome inhibitors and may eventually deliver new therapeutic options for patients with difficult-to-treat solid tumors.


Field observations of bromide transport in the unsaturated zone are used to constrain simulations that provide estimates of bulk porosity and permeability for the Cerros del Rio. The Cerros del Rio basalt is of particular interest because it underlies many of the potential waste sites at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. A highly simplified model is able to capture the general behavior of the breakthrough data. The simplifying assumption is that the basalt can be modeled as a homogeneous continuum with high permeability and low porosity. We estimate that the permeability of the bulk rock is 10−11 to 10−12 m2, whereas the porosity is estimated to lie between 0.001 and 0.01. The porosity estimates from this study are particularly useful for kilometer‐scale simulations that include flow and transport through the Cerros del Rio basalt because estimates based on other methods, such as core testing, are highly scale dependent and should not be extrapolated to larger scales. Although this model does not include the complex physics of flow in the fractured basalt, it is useful for simulations on the kilometer scale that require averaging of rock properties and optimization of computational speed. The porosity and permeability values obtained from this analysis will help to weight probability distributions used in the kilometer‐scale simulations of contaminant transport.


PURPOSE
To identify the disease locus associated with autosomal dominant Fuchs corneal dystrophy (FCD) in a large family and to compare the progression of severity in families mapped to the FCD1 and FCD2 loci.

METHODS
Seventeen individuals in a large family were examined by slit lamp biomicroscopy. Blood samples were collected, DNA was extracted, and a genome-wide scan was performed with a microarray SNP chip. After initial generation of a genome-wide, two-point LOD score, linkage was confirmed and the critical interval was established by genotyping of short tandem repeat (STR) microsatellite markers.

RESULTS
A genome-wide linkage scan localized the disease interval to the long arm of chromosome 5, with a maximum two-point parametric LOD score of 3.41. Haplotype analyses refined the critical interval to 5q33.1-q35.2, spanning a 27-Mb (29-cM) region. Clinical examination of affected individuals in this family revealed an early onset of FCD at approximately age 40, after which progression of the disease was significantly attenuated compared to the FCD1- and FCD2-linked families.

CONCLUSIONS
Late-onset FCD is linked to a novel locus on 5q33.1-q35.2 and is associated with a milder severity in age at onset and rate of progression than the FCD1 and FCD2 loci. Correlation of individual genotypes with unique rates of disease progression will provide important tools for disease management, as well as for identifying the underlying genetic lesion, offer insight into the pathomechanism of FCD.


Though the renminbi is not yet convertible, the international monetary regime has already started to move towards a 'multipolar' system, with the dollar, the euro and the renminbi as its key likely pillars. This shift corresponds to the long-term evolution of the balance of economic weight in the world economy. Such an evolution may mitigate some of the flaws of the present (non-) system, such as the rigidity of key exchange rates, the asymmetry of balance of-payments adjustments or what remains of the Triffin dilemma. However it may exacerbate other problems, such as short-run exchange rate volatility or the scope for 'currency wars', while leaving key questions unresolved, such as the response to capital flows global liquidity provision. Hence, in itself, a multipolar regime can be both the best and the worst of all regimes.
Which of these alternatives will materialise depends on the degree of cooperation within a multilateral framework.


The primary topic of this work is a method for dealing with bounda ry element formulations of nonhomogeneous terms in Poisson type equa tions. A concise presentation of boundary integral techniques and the corresponding fundamental solutions plays an important role in this de velopment. Using Monte Carlo quadrature theory, an algorithm for the construction of a two-dimensional BEM Poisson equation analyzer is de rived, A FORTRAN program based upon this algorithm is presented as a novel device that solves the general Poisson equation in two-dimensional and axisymmetric geometries without domain discretization. In the axi symmetric case, Monte Carlo integration is also used to effectively compute the integrals of the singular functions corresponding to some diagonal terms of the assembly matrix. Sample analyses of several en gineering problems are performed with the computer program and the re sults are compared with solutions obtained by other means. The fine quality of the results implies that the program is generally viable for obtaining solutions to the Poisson equation. It is concluded that while the theory is applicable to transient analyses, the technique is not practical in such cases because of the large amounts of computer time needed to assemble the matrices. It is also concluded that exten sions of the theory to general three-dimensional geometries pose no special problems; these are possible by drawing a simple analogy with the two-dimensional algorithm.


Security systems today are built on increasingly strong cryptographic algorithms that foil pattern analysis attempts. However, the security of these systems is dependent on generating secret quantities for passwords, cryptographic keys, and similar quantities. The use of pseudo-random processes to generate secret quantities can result in pseudo-security. The sophisticated attacker of these security systems may find it easier to reproduce the environment that produced the secret quantities, searching the resulting small set of possibilities, than to locate the quantities in the whole of the number space. Choosing random quantities to foil a resourceful and motivated adversary is surprisingly difficult. This document points out many pitfalls in using traditional pseudo-random number generation techniques for choosing such quantities. It recommends the use of truly random hardware techniques and shows that the existing hardware on many systems can be used for this purpose. It provides suggestions to ameliorate the problem when a hardware solution is not available. And it gives examples of how large such quantities need to be for some applications.


The Ipomopsis aggregata complex comprises diploid, perennial, montane herbs, dis- tributed across western North America. We used chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) restriction site variation to examine phylogenetic relationships among the three species in the complex, I. aggregata, I. arizonica and I. tenuituba, and several related species. Twenty-one restriction site mutations and four length mutations were used to reconstruct a phylogenetic tree by cladistic methods. With -a few exceptions, patterns of cpDNA variation within I. aggregata were consistent with current taxonomy and reflected the geographic distributions of subspecies and populations. However, cpDNA-based relationships among species were not congruent with a pre-1992 taxonomy of the group. Ipomopsis tenuituba did not form a distinct clade; two populations of this species had the same "primitive" cpDNA as I. arizonica and I. rubra, whereas two other populations emerged on branches within I. aggregata, and one population (of I. tenuituba subsp. macrosiphon) shared mutations with I. thurberi. It is not clear whether this pattern is the result of cpDNA transfer during periods of hybridization or the "ten- uituba" morphology has arisen independently more than once. Ipomopsis tenuituba subsp. macrosiphon has subsequently been segregated as a species. The level of sequence divergence among species was similar in magnitude to that among populations within each species, consistent with patterns of recent divergence and subsequent hybridization among the three species in the complex. In addition, relationships based on cpDNA variation reflected taxonomy and geographic distribution more congruently than did allozymes. The results from this study suggest that evolution of the I. aggregata complex has involved cases of chloroplast DNA transfer between taxa, convergent evo- lution for certain floral characters, or both.


Introduction : The goal was to evaluate the results of fixation of compound fractures of distal tibia using a delta external fixator and to analyse the results vis-à-vis functional outcome, soft tissue healing and fracture union. Compound fractures of distal tibia produce a challenge to manage, especially when associated with significant soft-tissue injury. Although a variety of options are available to treat these fractures, timing of definitive surgery is crucial with respect to the condition of the soft tissues. Despite the advances that have been made in managing these fractures, new developments in the field continue to lead to better outcomes. Ankle spanning external fixation has become the initial treatment of choice for complex tibial pilon fractures [1].Material: Between 2006 and 2010, 25 patients, three lost in follow up, net 22 (17 men and five women) with compound tibial fractures were treated with delta external fixator using a two staged protocol at the Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology ,government medical college jammu. The average age of the patients was 35.5 years. The fractures, evaluated by the AO classification, included 14 AO43A2, 5 AO43C1, 1 AO43B3, 1 AO43C2,1 AO43C3.There were 5 type I, 9 type II, 6 type IIIa, 2 type IIIb open fractures according to the Gustilo-Anderson Classification [2]. In 13 patients the fracture was associated with multiple traumas and in 12 it was a single injury. The injury was due to a high-velocity motor vehicle accident in 18 and a fall in three patients. Method: All the patients were treated by debridement followed by Ankle spanning Delta external fixator, with or without fibular plating/ Kwire fixation of articular elements.All the patients were assessed clinically and radiographically for an average follow-up of 7.5 months using American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society score (AOFAS). RESULTS: The evaluation, based on clinical and radiographic findings and subjective complaints of the patients, was made with the use of the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society score (AOFAS). 22 patients were followed up, three failed to turn up. AOFAS scoring: excellent in 81% (18/22).Average hospital stay: 28.6 days .Non union: one case, delayed union: two case.Mean time to union 5.5 months (3-16 months). Conclusion: Delta type of external fixator is a safe and useful modality in compound tibial fractures as definitive modality, however caution is advocated as cohort is short.


By the end of the 20th Century a major global social issue had become the movement of people fleeing countries affected by war, religious persecution, ethnic tension, political repression and poverty. Large numbers of people were claiming asylum under the international Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees (1951). Since the mid-1990s the Australian government progressively hardened its attitude to asylum seekers and implemented one of the harshest responses in the Western world. Although the policies implemented have been held to breach a variety of international human rights conventions, they have received popular support. The dominant discourse about asylum seekers in Australia was characterised by fear, ignorance and rejection.

This research challenges the dominant discourse and is an expression of my commitment to social justice. It involved the design and implementation of a 6-week community education programme on asylum seekers for Australian residents. Through the project I explored how a diverse group of Australian residents experienced and responded to a pedagogy that went against the grain of the dominant discourse about asylum seekers. Using critical pedagogy, critical postmodernism, cultural studies, popular education and feminist pedagogies, I sought to create a transformative pedagogy. Through the empirical data generated I developed situated theory that would be of use to social change educators. The research embodies the cyclical process of action and reflection/practice and theory informed by the tradition of critical social research.

The participants in the research who attended the community education programme were largely from the dominant cultural group (White, Anglo-Celtic Australians) but their attitudes to asylum seekers and refugees covered the broad range found in the community. Their participation in the programme thus resulted in a wide range of responses. To locate and describe the participants I created three categories based on the competing ideological positions held: monoculturalist, multiculturalist and globalist.

The notion of pedagogical space created through the transformative pedagogy was theorised under the categories of safe, social, dialogical, democratic and empathetic spaces. The dissertation highlights the importance of self-awareness, reflexivity and listening in all of these spaces. It moves on to examine how the participants responded to the new knowledge that was generated through ideology critique. The significance of challenging the 'commonsense' of the dominant discourse through credible alternative sources of information emerged from the data. However, the monoculturalist participants actively resisted the challenge implicit in the pedagogy. The ways in which this resistance occurred are analysed. Notwithstanding the resistance, their levels of fear, misinformation and acceptance of the harsh treatment of asylum seekers decreased through their participation. For those participants already challenging the dominant discourse, the ways in which they used the experience of the community education programme to strengthen their position are analysed. How they acted as agents to engage in a more profound way with the issue emerged during the programme.

The research concludes with two important theoretical developments. The first is located within the tension that exists between the pedagogy's striving for greater moments of freedom and the normativity of all pedagogical processes. It explores the question of whether social change educators should discuss their social justice vision and ideological positions within the educative process. The second theoretical development comes from using the notion of 'privilege' to analyse the social justice issue of asylum seekers. The notion of globally privileged citizenship is developed as a way forward and a tool that can be used by social change educators.


Further agglomeration tests were conducted in a series of tests designed to determine the effects of various parameters on the size and structure of the agglomerates formed, the rate of agglomeration, coal recovery, and ash rejection. For this series of tests, finely ground Pittsburgh No. 8 coal has been agglomerated with i-octane in a closed mixing system with a controlled amount of air present to promote particle agglomeration. The present results provide further evidence of the role played by air. As the concentration of air in the system was increased from 4.5 to 18 v/w% based on the weight of coal, coal recovery and ash rejection both increased. The results also show that coal recovery and ash rejection were improved by increasing agitator speed. On the other hand, coal recovery was not affected by a change in solids concentration from 20 to 30 w/w%.


In this tutorial, we describe a workflow to ensure long-term reproducibility of R-based data analyses. The workflow leverages established tools and practices from software engineering. It combines the benefits of various open-source software tools including R Markdown, Git, Make, and Docker, whose interplay ensures seamless integration of version management, dynamic report generation conforming to various journal styles, and full cross-platform and long-term computational reproducibility. The workflow ensures meeting the primary goals that 1) the reporting of statistical results is consistent with the actual statistical results (dynamic report generation), 2) the analysis exactly reproduces at a later point in time even if the computing platform or software is changed (computational reproducibility), and 3) changes at any time (during development and post-publication) are tracked, tagged, and documented while earlier versions of both data and code remain accessible. While the research community increasingly recognizes dynamic document generation and version management as tools to ensure reproducibility, we demonstrate with practical examples that these alone are not sufficient to ensure long-term computational reproducibility. Combining containerization, dependence management, version management, and dynamic document generation, the proposed workflow increases scientific productivity by facilitating later reproducibility and reuse of code and data.


We compare the production of four biofuels – ethanol, butanol, fatty acid ethyl ester (palmitate ethyl ester, PEE), and hydrogen from renewable carbohydrate (glucose) based on the energy-retaining efficiency that is greatly influenced by thermodyanimcs, bioenergetics, and product separation. Ethanol and butanol are produced in anaerobic fermentations; PEE is produced in semi-aerobic fermentation; hydrogen is produced by cell-free synthetic enzymatic pathway biotransformation (SyPaB), where enzymes are produced from carbohydrate by microbial fermentations. A decreasing order in theoretical energy efficiency determined by thermodynamics is hydrogen, ethanol, butanol, and PEE. Bioenergetics analysis suggests that a small fraction of carbohydrate (e.g., 5–15%) is allocated to the synthesis of cell mass in anaerobic fermentations (e.g., ethanol and butanol), a significant fraction (e.g., 20–30% or higher) has to be allocated to the synthesis of cell mass for semi-aerobic fermentations (e.g., PEE production), and a very small fraction (e.g., less than 1%) is used to produce the enzyme mixtures. A decreasing order in product separation energy is hydrogen, secreted PEE, ethanol, butanol, and intracellular PEE. Hydrogen production by SyPaB would be most appealing because its energy-retaining efficiency is � 49% higher than ethanol, � 55% higher than butanol, and � 87% higher than PEE, even without considering higher hydrogen-fuel cell efficiency than those of biofuel-internal combustion engines. Our analysis suggests that it may be difficult to produce some advanced biofuels economically through aerobic fermentations due to low energy efficiency, as compared to ethanol, butanol, and hydrogen.


The research is dealt with in three sections: (1) Analysis of « volo ut sis » of Scotus with specific reference to the nature of « voluntas iustitiae », as the place of relationship, which every individual is called to establish with the other beyond self, in the overcoming of the logic of « voluntas commodi ». (2) Synthesis of the main implications of ethics as « phi-losophia prima » according to Levinas, as a privileged passage towards the transcendence and defence of the incomprehensible richness of the other insofar as other. (3) Individuation of possible convergences, besides the evident divergencies, between the two views, both of which are concerned with protecting the undefended face of the other insofar as other.


This book is devoted to the study of the problem of speech enhancement whose objective is the recovery of a signal of interest (i.e., speech) from noisy observations. Typically, the recovery process is accomplished by passing the noisy observations through a linear filter (or a linear transformation). Since both the desired speech and undesired noise are filtered at the same time, the most critical issue of speech enhancement resides in how to design a proper optimal filter that can fully take advantage of the difference between the speech and noise statistics to mitigate the noise effect as much as possible while maintaining the speech perception identical to its original form. The optimal filters can be designed either in the time domain or in a transform space. As the title indicates, this book will focus on developing and analyzing optimal filters in the Karhunen-Loeve expansion (KLE) domain. We begin by describing the basic problem of speech enhancement and the fundamental rinciples to solve it in the time domain. We then explain how the problem can be equivalently formulated in the KLE domain. Next, we divide the general problem in the KLE domain into four groups, depending on whether interframe and interband information is accounted for, leading to four linear models for speech enhancement in the KLE domain. For each model, we introduce signal processing measures to quantify the performance of speech enhancement, discuss the formation of different cost functions, and address the optimization of these cost functions for the derivation of different optimal filters. Both theoretical analysis and experiments will be provided to study the performance of these filters and the links between the KLE-domain and time-domain optimal filters will be examined. Table of Contents: Introduction / Problem Formulation / Optimal Filters in the Time Domain / Linear Models for Signal Enhancement in the KLE Domain / Optimal Filters in the KLE Domain with Model 1 / Optimal ilters in the KLE Domain with Model 2 / Optimal Filters in the KLE Domain with Model 3 / Optimal Filters in the KLE Domain with Model 4 / Experimental Study


Two-phase flow of gases and liquids or vapors and liquids in pipes, channels, equipment, etc. is frequently encountered in industry and has been studied intensively for many years. The reliable prediction of pressure drop in two-phase flow is thereby an important aim. Because of the complexity of these types of flow, empirical or semiempirical relationships are only of limited reliability and pressure drops predicted using leading methods may differ by up to 100%. In order to improve prediction methods, this work presents an experimental and analytical investigation of two-phase pressure drops during evaporation in horizontal tubes. The goal of the experimental part was to obtain accurate two-phase pressure drop values over a wide range of experimental conditions. The existing LTCM intube refrigerant test loop has been modified and adapted to the new test conditions and measurement methods. Two new test sections have been also implemented into the modified test rig. The new test section consists of two zones: diabatic and adiabatic. This configuration allows tests to be run that obtain experimental two-phase pressure drop values under diabatic and adiabatic conditions simultaneously. The experimental campaign acquired 2543 experimental two-phase pressure drop values. Based on a comprehensive state-of-the-art review and comparison with two-phase frictional pressure drop prediction methods, it is proven that none of these methods were able to accurately, reliably predict the present experimental values. In the second part of this work, an analytical study was undertaken in order to develop a new two-phase frictional prediction method. It has been shown in the literature that the so called "phenomenological approach" tends to provide more accurate and realistic predictions as the interfacial structure between the phases is taken into account. Based on that, a phenomenological flow pattern approach was chosen in the present study. The recent Wojtan-Ursenbacher-Thome [155] map was chosen to provide the corresponding interfacial structure. The new model treats each flow regime (i.e. interfacial structure) separately and then ensures a smooth transition in between, being in agreement with the experimental observations. Another important feature of the proposed model is that it matches the correct limits at x = 0 (single-phase liquid flow) and x = 1 (single-phase gas flow). Based on a statistically comparison, it is concluded that the new two-phase frictional pressure drop model based on flow pattern map successfully predicts the new experimental data. The present work completes the fourth basic step in LTCM's flow pattern based work on two-phase flow and heat transfer inside horizontal round tubes: (i) generalized flow pattern map, (ii) flow boiling heat transfer model, (iii) convective condensation model and (iv) two-phase frictional pressure drop model.


ABSTRACT: Objective: This study was intended to investigate the efficacy of PVC pipe method for split-root experiment in rice ( Oryza sativa L.) using soil medium at all the growth stages of rice. Methods: Rice seeds were sown in small PVC pipes and allowed to grow for one month, which were then transferred to split-root setup by equally splitting the roots of these seedlings into two halves and were allowed to grow for different time periods of their growth stages to analyze their health and stability. Results: We report an easy split-root study for rice grown in soil. Unlike the field grown plants, the efficient PVC tube method enables simple and systematic growth and harvesting for proper analysis of the plant samples without damaging the tissue. In our experiments, although the rice plants were transferred to the split-root setup by splitting their roots, they were healthy and stable after 7days, 15 days, 70 days and even at 120 days (maturity) of growth in split-root condition. Conclusion: Morphology and anatomy of plants can be easily and efficiently studied at any growth stage using PVC tube method as opposed to field method where sample harvesting requires inconvenient process of uprooting the plant while losing and damaging the tissue.


The Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) was first published in 1999, by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), to be the standard for multimedia transfers. SIP is a peer-to-peer signaling protocol that is capable of initiating, modifying, and terminating media sessions. SIP utilizes existing Internet Protocols (IP) such as Domain Name Service (DNS) and the Session Description Protocol (SDP), allowing it to seamlessly integrate into existing IP networks. As SIP has matured and gained acceptance, its deficiencies when functioning as a multipoint communications protocol have become apparent. SIP currently supports two modes of operation referred to as conferencing and multicasting. Conferencing is the unicast transmission of session information between conference members. Multicasting uses IP multicast to distribute session information. This thesis proposes an extension for the Session Initiation Protocol that improves functionality for multipoint communications. When using conferencing, a SIP user-agent has limited information about the conference it is taking part in. This extension increases the awareness of a SIP node by providing it with complete conference membership information, the ability to detect neighboring node failures, and the ability to automatically repair conference partitions. Signaling for conferencing was defined and integrated into a standard SIP implementation where it was used to demonstrate the above capabilities. Using a prototype implementation, the additional functionality was shown to come at the cost of a modest increase in transaction message size and processing complexity. IP multicast has limited deployment in today's networks reducing the usability of this useful feature. Since IP multicast support is not guaranteed, the use of application layer multicast protocols is proposed to replace the use of IP multicast. An efficient means of negotiating an application layer protocol is proposed as well as the ability to provide the protocol with session information to begin operation. A ring protocol was defined and implemented using the proposed extension. Performance testing revealed that the application layer protocol had slightly higher processing complexity than conferencing, but on average had a smaller transaction message size.


We describe the development of a simulation framework for anomalous change detection that considers both the spatial and spectral aspects of the imagery. A purely spectral framework has previously been introduced, but the extension to spatio-spectral requires attention to a variety of new issues, and requires more careful modeling of the anomalous changes. Using this extended framework, we evaluate the utility of spatial image processing operators to enhance change detection sensitivity in (simulated) remote sensing imagery.


As both demand and supply for information about companies' sustainability performance continues to grow, many investors complain that the ESG data universe is getting too complex and confusing. Several studies have shown how rating agencies and data vendors display very little agreement on how to construct and use ESG measures. While commending these findings, we argue that only studying how data diverges is missing the insights of a more substantial question about the why of this divergence. Taking a lens of "social construction", we thus set out to explore the differences between ESG measures as a function of (a) data vendors' diverse social origins and (b) their necessity to create a unique profile in a maturing market. Examining five cases of eight interconnected ESG data vendors and rating agencies, we thus show how the origin of each company (their founding principles, legal status, purpose, etc.) strongly influences its conception of sustainability, definition of materiality, and by extension, the way ESG issues are measured and sold. We find that data vendors can be characterized into groups of value-vs values-based organizations, and that dynamics of consolidation on the ESG market and the mainstreaming of ESG data use are linked to a shift from values-to value-driven investors in the ESG space. Finally, the paper highlights pathways into a new ESG research agenda which explores the impact of the here examined origins of metrics.


This study aimed to assess the imaging appearances of focal liver reactions following stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) for small hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and to examine relationships between imaging appearance and baseline liver function. We retrospectively studied 50 lesions in 47 patients treated with SBRT (30-40 Gy in 5 fractions) for HCC, who were followed up for more than 6 months. After SBRT, all patients underwent regular follow-ups with blood tests and dynamic CT scans. At a median follow-up of 18.1 months (range 6.2-43.7 months), all lesions but one were controlled. 3 density patterns describing focal normal liver reactions around HCC tumours were identified in pre-contrast, arterial and portal-venous phase scans: iso/iso/iso in 4 patients (Type A), low/iso/iso in 8 patients (Type B) and low/iso (or high)/high in 38 patients (Type C). Imaging changes in the normal liver surrounding the treated HCC began at a median of 3 months after SBRT, peaked at a median of 6 months and disappeared 9 months later. Liver function, as assessed by the Child-Pugh classification, was the only factor that differed significantly between reactions to treatment showing "non-enhanced" (Type A and B) and "enhanced" (Type C) appearances in CT. Hence, liver tissue with preserved function is more likely to be well enhanced in the delayed phase of a dynamic contrast-enhanced CT scan. The CT appearances of normal liver seen in reaction to the treatment of an HCC by SBRT were therefore related to background liver function and should not be misread as recurrence of HCC.


With the rapid proliferation of smartphones and tablet computers, search has moved beyond text to other modalities like images and voice. For many applications like Fashion, visual search offers a compelling interface that can capture stylistic visual elements beyond color and pattern that cannot be as easily described using text. However, extracting and matching such attributes remains an extremely challenging task due to high variability and deformability of clothing items. In this paper, we propose a fine-grained learning model and multimedia retrieval framework to address this problem. First, an attribute vocabulary is constructed using human annotations obtained on a novel fine-grained clothing dataset. This vocabulary is then used to train a fine-grained visual recognition system for clothing styles. We report benchmark recognition and retrieval results on Women's Fashion Coat Dataset and illustrate potential mobile applications for attribute-based multimedia retrieval of clothing items and image annotation.


Mobile personalization is frequently discussed, and has been shown in relation to a number of usage scenarios. However, this research has focused mainly on technology development. There have been few studies of mobile user experience, and personalization in sports. This paper is devoted to the new field of studying the user experience related to mobile personalization at large sports events (LSE). In order to support and enrich the user experience at LSE with mobile personalization, this study investigates the current audience experience at stadiums and derives the usage patterns that device personalization could usefully support in this context.


Coker 716, a hexaploid oat cultivar resistant to both oat mosaic virus (OMV) and oat golden stripe virus (OGSV) was crossed to three susceptible cultivars (Brooks, Madison, and Tech) to form three individual populations. Individual breeding lines were derived from each cross in the F2 generation and tested in plots consisting of equally spaced individual hills in OMV- and OGSV-infested soils and non-infested soils to evaluate resistance and yield loss of individual lines. Foliar symptoms, harvest index, and yield loss were examined as selection criteria for resistant genotypes. The study was conducted over 2 years at two North Carolina locations that differed in soil type and climate. Multiple regression models describing yield loss in each cross due to rating, year, and location were calculated. Coefficients of multiple determination in these models ranged from 0.39 to 0.51. Yield loss ranged from 39 to 60% among different crosses. Infection by OMV and OGSV accounted for the majority of yield loss in two of the populations. Disease severity varied widely over years and locations. The results suggest that selection of lines with symptomatic tissue of 10% or less, or selection of tolerant lines, is needed for breeding progress.


Nadine Gordimer's first novel, published in 1953, tells the story of Helen Shaw, daughter of white middle-class parents in a small gold-mining town in South Africa. As Helen comes of age, so does her awareness grow of the African life around her. Her involvement, as a bohemian student, with young blacks leads her into complex relationships of emotion and action in a culture of dissension.


Background & Aim : Each group of staff has their individual career goals in work place. The aim of the study was to determinate mediational role of personal career goals attainment in relation to organizational justice, work engagement and positive organizational behavior. Material & Methods: It was a correlational study. The statistical population was all female nurses working in Isfahan Alzahra hospital in 2013. Among them 208 nurses were recruited by stratified proportion to size random sampling method. The research instruments were organizational justice inventory (Niehoff & Moorman, 1993), Utrecht Work Engagement scale (2002), a researcher made personal career goals attainment tool and positive organizational behavior (Nguyen & Nguyen 2011). The direct and indirect effects were examined using Normal distribution test and Bootstrap procedure in Preacher and Hayes (2004) SPSS Macro program (2004). Results: The findings indicated direct and indirect effects of career goals attainment in relation to organizational justice, work engagement and positive organizational behavior (P<0.05). Conclusion: The results have significant implications for managers of hospitals toward establishing organizational justice and consequently, creating career engagement and positive organizational behavior among the nurses. The organizational justice is related to positive organizational behavior (hope, optimism, self-efficacy, and resiliency) and work engagement through the personal career goals attainment. Therefore, hospital managers can benefit from all profits of positive organizational behavior and work engagement.


In this article the authors develop a Monte Carlo backtesting procedure for risk premium strategies and employ it to study time-series momentum (TSM). Relying on time-series models, empirical residual distributions, and copulas, the authors address two key drawbacks of conventional backtesting procedures. They create 10,000 paths of different TSM strategies based on the S&P 500 and a cross-asset-class futures portfolio. The simulations reveal a probability distribution that shows that strategies that outperform buy-and-hold in-sample using historical backtests may (1) exhibit tail risks and (2) underperform or outperform when out-of-sample. The results are robust to using different time-series models, time periods, asset classes, and risk measures. TOPICS: Statistical methods, simulations, big data/machine learning Key Findings • Historical backtests suffer from the problem that they contain few tail events which may be an important driver for the performance of risk premium strategies. • We develop a Monte-Carlo procedure that uses a combination of copulas, time-series models, and empirical residual distributions to overcome this problem. • Applied to time-series momentum, we find that this strategy may (1) exhibit tail risks (2) underperform or outperform in the long run.


In part I of this paper set, Volk and Bloom discuss the reasons why metapatterns are important in biological and cultural contexts. Here, in part II, we show how metapatterns can be applied to an important problem in qualitative educational research: the difficulties in elucidating fundamental patterns of interaction. In meeting this challenge we provide a metapatterns-based framework for analyzing and interpreting qualitative data. We begin by acknowledging the importance of context, the setting within which any system under investigation can be expected to exhibit metapatterns as functional components that are vital for the maintenance of that specific system within a particular context. We follow this discussion by defining three dimensions of our proposed analytical framework. The first dimension, which we call depth, examines the various metapatterns involved in the particular system under investigation. Extent is the second dimension, which involves extending to other contexts the interacting sets of metapatterns found in the investigation of depth. The third component is abstraction, which involves generating overarching principles or models from the analytical results of the first and second dimensions (i.e., depth and extent). We recommend that these three dimensions should be used recursively to meet the challenge named above. We demonstrate the framework through an example of a classroom discussion involving children arguing about the concept of density. We conclude with a discussion of the implications of this analytical framework, along with a list of fundamental principles of this framework and a list of questions that can guide qualitative research.


We present a detailed analysis of the intrinsic X-ray absorption in the Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 4151 using Chandra High Energy Transmission Grating Spectrometer data obtained in 2002 May as part of a program that included simultaneous ultraviolet (UV) spectra using the Hubble Space Telescope Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph and the Far Ultraviolet Spectrographic Explorer. Previous studies, most recently using Advanced Satellite for Cosmology and Astrophysics (ASCA) spectra, revealed a large (>1022 cm-2) column of intervening gas, which has varied both in ionization state and total column density. NGC 4151 was in a relatively low flux state during the observations reported here (~25% of its historic maximum), although roughly 2.5 times as bright in the 2-10 keV band as during a Chandra observation in 2000. At both epochs, the soft X-ray band was dominated by emission lines, which show no discernible variation in flux between the two observations. The 2002 Chandra data show the presence of a very highly ionized absorber, in the form of H-like and He-like Mg, Si, and S lines, as well as lower ionization gas via the presence of inner-shell absorption lines from lower ionization species of these elements. The latter accounts for both the bulk of the soft X-ray absorption and the high covering factor UV absorption lines of O VI, C IV, and N V with outflow velocities ≈500 km s-1. The presence of high-ionization gas, which is not easily detected at low resolution (e.g., with ASCA), appears common among Seyfert galaxies. Since this gas is too highly ionized to be radiatively accelerated in sources such as NGC 4151, which is radiating at a small fraction of its Eddington Luminosity, it may be key to understanding the dynamics of mass outflow. We find that the deeper broadband absorption detected in the 2000 Chandra data is the result of both (1) lower ionization of the intervening gas due to the lower ionizing flux and (2) a factor of ~3 higher column density of the lower ionization component. To account for this bulk motion, we estimate that this component must have a velocity ≳1250 km s-1 transverse to our line of sight. This is consistent with the rotational velocity of gas arising from the putative accretion disk. While both thermal wind and magnetohydrodynamic models predict large nonradial motions, we suggest that the latter mechanism is more consistent with the results of the photoionization models of the absorbers


This article addresses how "crime mapping" technology has the potential to reshape Fourth Amendment protections in designated "high crime areas." In the past few years, the ability of police administrators to identify and officially label "high crime areas" has rapidly expanded. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and crime mapping technology has simplified the collection and analysis of crime statistics. These GIS crime mapping technologies can produce almost perfect information about the level, rate, and geographic location of crimes in any given area. While effective policing tools, these technologies have constitutional consequences that are only now being considered. Under existing Supreme Court precedent, Illinois v. Wardlow, the fact that an area is designated a "high crime area" has Fourth Amendment implications. Such a finding in a suppression hearing can affect a court's determination about whether law enforcement officers had "reasonable suspicion" to stop an individual suspected of a crime. As a result, in thousands of cases post-Wardlow, the designation of an area as a high crime area had a constitutional effect on the liberty interests of individuals living in those areas as well as a practical effect on courts analyzing the reasonableness of a Fourth Amendment stop. Two questions frame this article. First, how does GIS crime mapping technology alter Fourth Amendment reasonable suspicion analysis? Or more pointedly, will this technology result in an implicit "high crime area exception" to the Fourth Amendment? Second, how does this technology alter police-citizen encounters in officially designated "high crime" areas? These foundational questions lead to a reevaluation and rethinking of the concept of high crime areas as understood by the courts. In answer to these questions, this article proposes a redefinition of the term that is consistent with existing crime mapping technologies. Part one of this article sets out the history and development of GIS crime mapping technologies. Part two provides a brief overview of the technical requirements of GIS and explains how the technology works in practice, using three real world examples. Part three examines how courts have used (or not used) existing crime mapping technologies to address the Fourth Amendment "high crime area" question. Part four looks at the intersection of crime mapping technologies and the Fourth Amendment, exploring how these technologies shape our understanding of reasonable suspicion and restructure police-citizen encounters in these official "high crime areas." Part five proposes a new framework for addressing the "high crime area" question, that suggests replacing the existing terminology with a more particularized and specific understanding of crime patterns in an area driven by GIS crime mapping technologies. The result will be a particularized assessment of specific crime patterns that will replace the "high crime area" terminology. Part six addresses some of the concerns with the use of any crime mapping technologies in terms of transparency, accuracy, fairness, equality, and ultimately the legitimacy of GIS crime mapping techniques. The article concludes with a proposed solution that rejects the "high crime area" terminology and replaces it with a more particularized and targeted framework for Fourth Amendment analysis.


With more and more information disclosed online and with open-access policies on the rise, legal academic research is becoming more accessible. The potential impact of this development is enormous, particularly in areas or jurisdictions where offline information is scarce and where access to subscription-based journals or books is limited or non-existing. Because the current literature lacks materials that guide researchers who conduct legal research while relying on open access, this article discusses where and how to find and select relevant academic books, journal articles and working papers in the open-access world. The resources, selection tools and search strategies explained in this article focus on finding open-access sources in English. Consequently, this article aims to assist researchers who rely on materials that are freely accessible because they lack access to books and to subscription-based journals outside of their own jurisdiction. The section on search strategy is relevant for researchers who aim to identify sources in an effective and efficient way.


Commonly shared conceptualizations of resources are scant in academic management research which strikes as somewhat peculiar since resources and their allocation thereof have long been recognised to be at the heart of the competitive advantage and performance of a firm. The research literature considering resources as basis for competitive advantages has further faced contemporary criticism for the vagueness of the fundamental definition of the resource concept. Therefore, this paper empirically studies the representation of resource concept in academic management research literature. The paper reports results on the state of conceptualisations of organisations' resources found in two distinct sources of research literature, namely ScienceDirect's database and ISI's top management journals, resulting in two data sets of a total of 457 articles. The findings illustrate the two-dimensional conceptual farrago in the conceptualisations; on the definitions of the resource concept itself and on the internal structure and the level of analysis when the concept is considered. In addition, the paper sheds light on the temporal evolution of the discourse explicitly considering resources. Finally, the paper considers several remedies for these deficiencies in order both to aid future theory development in management studies and to help increase the practical impact of the research in assisting managerial decision-making.


STUDY QUESTION
What are the pregnancy outcomes for women with a twin pregnancy that is reduced to a singleton pregnancy?

SUMMARY ANSWER
Fetal reduction of a twin pregnancy significantly improves gestational age at birth and neonatal birthweight, however at an increased risk of pregnancy loss and preterm delivery.

WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY
Women with a multiple pregnancy are at increased risk for preterm delivery. Fetal reduction can be considered in these women.

STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, AND DURATION
Retrospective cohort study of 118 women with a twin pregnancy reduced to a singleton pregnancy between 2000 and 2010.

PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, AND METHODS
We compared the outcome of pregnancy in consecutive women with a dichorionic twin pregnancy that was reduced to a singleton pregnancy to that of women with a dichorionic twin pregnancy that was managed expectantly and women with a primary singleton pregnancy. Reductions were performed between 10-23(6/7) weeks' gestation by intracardiac or intrathoracic injection of potassium chloride, mostly for congenital anomalies. We compared median gestational age, pregnancy loss <24 weeks, preterm delivery <32 weeks, neonatal birthweight and perinatal deaths.

MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE
We studied 118 women with a twin pregnancy that was reduced to a singleton, 818 women with an ongoing dichorionic twin pregnancy and 611 women with a primary singleton pregnancy. Loss of the entire pregnancy <24 weeks and preterm delivery occurred significantly more in the reduction group compared with the ongoing twin group (11.9 versus 3.1% <24 weeks, P< 0.001 and 18.6 versus 11.5% <32 weeks, respectively, P < 0.001). In the reduction group, the percentage of women without any surviving child was significantly higher compared with the ongoing twin and primary singleton group (14.4, 3.4 and 0.7%, respectively, P < 0.001). Median gestational age was 38.9 weeks (interquartile range (IQR) 34.7-40.3) for reduced pregnancies, 37.1 weeks (IQR 35.3-38.1) for ongoing twin pregnancies and 40.1 (IQR 39.1-40.9) for primary singletons (P < 0.001 for all comparisons).

LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION
The main limitations of the study were its retrospective character, and the fact that indications for reduction were heterogeneous.

WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS
In women with a dichorionic twin pregnancy fetal reduction increases median gestational age only at considerable risk of complete early pregnancy loss.

STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTERESTS
The study was not funded. None of the authors has conflicts of interest.


Practical applications of machine learning often involve successive training iterations with changes to features and training examples. Ideally, changes in the output of any new model should only be improvements (wins) over the previous iteration, but in practice the predictions may change neutrally for many examples, resulting in extra net-zero wins and losses, referred to as unnecessary churn. These changes in the predictions are problematic for usability for some applications, and make it harder and more expensive to measure if a change is statistically significant positive. In this paper, we formulate the problem and present a stabilization operator to regularize a classifier towards a previous classifier. We use a Markov chain Monte Carlo stabilization operator to produce a model with more consistent predictions without adversely affecting accuracy. We investigate the properties of the proposal with theoretical analysis. Experiments on benchmark datasets for different classification algorithms demonstrate the method and the resulting reduction in churn.


This final classic collection of stories reveals Somerset Maugham's unique talent for exposing and exploring the bitter realities of human relationships. Brilliant tales of love, infidelity, passion and prejudice, the stories range from 'The Lotus Eater' in which a man has a vision of a life of bliss in the Mediterranean, to the astringent tales of 'The Outstation' and 'The Back of Beyond' in Malaya and South East Asia. Largely set in favourite Maugham country, this colourful collection brilliantly evokes the numbered days of the British Empire.


This article investigates the question of the licensing of null arguments in the so-called pro-drop languages. By focusing on the licensing of null subjects in the different types of -T(Z)E nominalizations in Basque, it aims at defining in a precise way the crucial feature that makes pro-drop possible in a clause. The central claim is that what licenses subject-drop is the assignment of structural Case. That is, it is argued that a subject can be null if and only if it is assigned structural Case. Different aspects of T(Z)E nominalizations are also explored, which show that even if these clauses are similar on the surface, they can be syntactically very different and furthermore, that infinitive clauses marked with the same nominalizing morpheme can also have diverging structures.


Energy security is a central pillar energy policy in all East Asia Summit countries. Self-sufficiency of energy supply forms the basis of energy security, and many policy options are available to improve it. Enhanced oil production, increased use of domestically available renewable energy, and improved energy efficiency are examples of effective policies. Meanwhile, each EAS government is requested to utilise its tax income in an economically effective manner. Since each policy option has different costs and effects, a careful assessment is required before choosing policies to gain the maximum utility under the limited budget. This study assesses the cost and effect of different policy options, and compares them with each other to provide an indication for more economically effective policy options. This assessment is expected to help policymakers choose better policy options to improve the self-sufficiency of energy supply for the country's energy security.


ABSTRACT Plant breeding programs aimed to increase the production through creating new chili hybrid. The genetic parameters information which is also known as genetic variability and heritability should be know before start the selection. Research aimed to identify the agronomic trait inheritance of chili as selection criteria that tolerance in peatlands. The experiment was conducted in peatlands Rimbo Panjang village, Kampar Regency. The experiment lasted from November 2012 to April 2013. Research was arranged experimentally using Randomized Block Design (RBD) consists of seven genotypes of chili that IPB C- 5, IPB C- 111, 1PB C- 120, IPB C- 159, IPB C- 159 x IPB C- 5, IPB C- 159 x IPB C- 111 and IPB C- 159 x IPB C- 120, with 3 replications. Parameters observed are flowering date, harvesting date, plant height, height of dichotomous, stem diameter, crown width, fruit length, fruit diameter, fruit stalk length, weight per fruit and weight per plant. Results showed that genotype IPB C- 159 x IPB C- 120 has higher value on length of fruit and fruit stalk length compared than 3 tested genotypes. While the genotype IPB C- 159 x IPB C- 5 has higher value on fruit diameter, weight per fruit and weight per plant 3 other genotypes. Character flowering date, fruit length, fruit stalk length and weight of fruit is recommended as selection criteria for peatlands because it has a wide genetic variability and high heritability. Keywords : Chili, inheritance, genetic variability, heritability, peatlands.


Introduction: Medical education today, encourages modification of traditional didactic lectures with innovations to promote active learning strategies to enhance integration of knowledge and critical thinking skills among students. Learning independently is challenging in year 1 of the undergraduate medical curriculum. However, defining the learning goals clearly by the instructor to the students will make them appreciate it and mould them into successful learners with deep approach.
Aim: To enhance self-directed learning skills and to promote concept mapping ability to integrate the study of various metabolic functions and fundamental concepts in biochemistry.
Materials and Methods: First year MBBS Student volunteers (n=127) in their second semester having an experience of over 30 weeks of learning biochemistry in an integrated systemwise approach were involved in this study. They were exposed to a self-directed active learning strategy for a period of 10 weeks, for linking important biochemical terms from the current learning objectives to various concepts and topics learnt earlier in the year. Student's perspective regarding the above activity was documented by obtaining their responses in a closed ended questionnaire using Likert scale and was expressed as percentage.
Results: Majority of the students (n=100, 79%) opined that it was a unique way of learning biochemistry and that they (n=111, 87%) were required to read up previous portions. Many students (n=100, 79%) felt that it made them more than mere rote learners and were able to integrate biochemistry topics more efficiently (n=109, 86%). Many students also felt that it helped them to improve their test scores (n=79, 62%).
Conclusion: Active participation in the current study has made them learn the concept building skills in biochemistry and has proved to be an effective exercise of revisit to topics learnt throughout the year. Innovative curriculum delivery strategies should be designed to teach preclinical subjects in a medical school so that they shall infuse integrated learning approach in students. Concept building activities in a lecture set up shall generate curiosity in the process of learning and transform students into deep approach learners.


The suicidal deaths of Phoebe Prince, Jon Carmichael, Jamey Rodemeyer, Eric Mohat, Kenneth Weishuhn, Jr. and Jessica Logan caught the nation's attention between the years 2007-2012. The common cause in all of these cases; each young person was bullied by their peers. Jon Carmichael endured being stripped, tied and placed upside down in a trash can as well as having his head placed in the toilet bowl as it was flushed numerous times; all because he was small in size. Phoebe Prince was followed, taunted, had cans thrown at her and harassed online; all because of a boy she dated. Jessica Logan was harassed relentlessly by hundreds of girls; all because an ex-boyfriend sent nude photos of her through his phone. In all of these cases, only Phoebe Prince's resulted in local authorities bringing charges against those involved. Should individuals who directly bully people be charged as criminals or are they victims as well? When a person is subjected to physical violence such as kicking, slapping, and/or punching, or subjected to threats and name calling they are being directly bullied. (Carpenter & Ferguson, n.d., para. 1) If an adult uses physical violence or makes threats against another human being they can be charged by law with assault or battery of varying degrees. Assault is defined as threatening someone with harm while battery is the actual physical violence against a person ("Assault and battery," n.d., para.1). Even legislation includes bullying under the terms harassment or assault with 25 states defining bullying together with harassment and/or intimidation (as cited in Brubacher, Fondacaro, Brank, Brown & Miller, 2009). Using these definitions it seems the logical step would be to charge a child who directly bullies as a criminal. Schools seem to be agreeing with this mindset. Recently all states except Montana have taken steps to enforce anti-bullying laws. Of these, eighteen states provide a means for the victim to seek legal ramifications and nine states mandate that schools report bullying incidents to the police (Toppo, 2012). In 2011 New Jersey passed what is being touted as the toughest anti-bullying law in the nation. The "Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights" requires students to be expelled or suspended, places responsibility on administrators and employees to report all incidences whether they occur in school or not or face discipline issues as drastic as losing their license, mandates a "school safety team" in all schools, requires superintendents to report detailed incidents to the state twice a year and the State Education Department posts grades on how each school is doing (Freidman, 2011). More and more zero tolerance laws are being enforced in schools, but what would that look like statistically? The U.S. Government Accountability Office recently analyzed four federal surveys on bullying and created the report School Bullying: Extent of Legal Protections for Vulnerable Groups Needs to Be More Fully Assessed. Analysis of HBSC 2005/2006: Estimates of Youth Who Reported Being Bullied for Certain Types of Bullying Behaviors show that 31.5 % of students were made fun of, called mean names and/or teased; 13.1% were called mean names because of their race or color; 8.5% were called mean names because of their religion; and 12.8% were physically hurt or locked indoors (GOA, 2012). Based on these statistics, it seems that a large percentage of students in at least eighteen states would have a population of students in juvenile detention or jail. Not all anti-bullying advocates believe this is the answer. While it is true that bullying is an issue, jail is not necessarily the answer nor is it necessarily the child who should be held responsible. Russlyn Ali, assistant secretary for civil rights for the Department of Education believes that reporting bullying incidents to the police should really be thought out by school officials because of the harm it might bring to the school culture (as cited in Toppo, 2012). …


Although recent English-language Vietnam War scholarship has devoted considerable attention to reassessing the Ngo Đinh Diệm era, contemporaneous South Vietnamese interpretations of the president's tenure have been largely overlooked. Contrary to prevailing assumptions that his influence ended abruptly with his 1963 murder, Ngo Đinh Diệm was a hotly debated figure long after his death. Moreover, his contested legacy came to symbolize South Vietnam's enduring political, regional and religious schisms, contributing to and reinforcing his country's profound social fragmentation. The fluid and ambiguous memory that Vietnamese had of his time in office had a substantial impact on subsequent political developments, establishing patterned dynamics of political conflict that endured throughout the Second Republic and providing conceptual yardsticks against which subsequent politicians and political developments were measured. Ngo Đinh Diệm's fraught symbolic resonance and significant posthumous political impact are therefore crucial dimensions to consider in evaluating his legacy.


The aim of this paper is to explore the relationship between female employment and gender equality, with a special focus on care and family policies shaping women's potential labour market participation in ageing European societies. The paper maps how different care regimes, family policy constellations and gender equality policies directly and indirectly affect female employment in the European Union member states. It combines macro-level quantitative statistical analysis with a qualitative approach to the main mechanisms shaping gender equality in the field of care. The selected four EU member countries (Italy, Poland, Sweden and the United Kingdom) represent different European welfare and care regimes, and the comparison thus also sheds some light on broader socio-economic policy impacts on care-related female employment as well as on the gender equality impacts of care policy changes. Our findings indicate that the public provision of formal care services and the combination of dual-earner and dual-carer policy incentives favour female employment simultaneously with decreasing gender inequalities. The different forms of informal employment in the field of care services, however, may produce new forms of gender inequalities, especially when they rely on unregulated cheap immigrant female labour.


A bstrAct Aim and objective: The aim and objective of this article was to focus on long-term complications after bariatric surgery, which are usually managed by general surgeons in the emergency department. Background: Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGBP) is one of the most commonly performed bariatric techniques in the world. Gastric remnant complications after this procedure are infrequent and poorly known. Furthermore, the diagnosis of this pathology may be challenging. Case description: We present the case of a 54-year-old woman with intense epigastric pain and history of uncomplicated laparoscopic RYGBP 18 years ago. After clinical, laboratory, and radiological examinations, the patient was diagnosed with a gastric remnant perforation. Laparoscopic surgery was performed, and the perforation was successfully repaired with primary suture and omental patch. Conclusion: Gastric remnant perforation after bariatric surgery is not frequent and usually appears several years after the procedure. This type of pathology is presented without specific clinical manifestations and with few analytical alterations. Complementary radiological studies, such as computed tomography (CT) scan, should be performed. However, pneumoperitoneum and extravasation of oral contrast are usually absent. Depending on the size of the defect, primary suture or gastric remnant resection may be performed. Nevertheless, surgical treatment should not be delayed. Clinical significance: Long-term complications after bariatric surgery are in many circumstances managed by general practitioner surgeons. The low incidence and scarce manifestations make the diagnosis of this pathology challenging. Furthermore, bariatric surgery is progressively increasing its presence all over the world. Complications after this procedure must be known and kept in mind because an early diagnosis is crucial to give a proper treatment and reduce morbidity and mortality.


A heightened focus on demonstrating development results has increased the stakes for evaluating impact (Stern 2015), while the more complex objectives and designs of international aid programmes make it ever more challenging to attribute effects to a particular intervention (Befani, Barnett and Stern 2014). Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) is part of a new generation of approaches that go beyond the standard counterfactual logic in assessing causality and impact. Based on the lessons from three diverse applications of QCA, this CDI Practice Paper by Florian Schatz and Katharina Welle reflects on the potential of this approach for the impact evaluation toolbox.1


Over the last thirty years, China has undergone comprehensive and profound social and economic transformation. The rapid development of urbanization, marketization, informatization and globalization has brought China a series of major challenges. These include how to adjust the relationship between the state, market and society; how to narrow the gap between rich and poor; how to build and improve the social welfare system; how to protect and improve the ecological environment; and how to reform and innovate the system of government and governance. At the same time, Britain, on the other side of the world, faces serious problems: such as its departure from the EU, declining trust in government, refugee crises and problems of social integration, and the retrenchment of the social welfare system. As a popular adage says, "To learn from others' experience can better oneself". In the era of globalization, China's road of modernization is not only inseparable from the experience of developed countries, but also provides the world with a unique insight on development and welfare: one with a 'Chinese flavour'. International academic exchanges and cooperation are important parts of the internationalization process. In order to promote academic exchange and cooperation between China and Britain, scholars from the Institute of Sociology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences – led by Dr Xiao Lin - and the School of Social Science of Cardiff University, led by Professor Sin Yi Cheung, successfully secured funding from the British Academy under the CASS-BA Newton Advanced Fellowship scheme in 2016. The broad theme of the project was 'Social Welfare and Local Governance: A comparative perspective between China and Britain'. Along with Social Policy and Local Governance: Developments in Europe and China (社会政策与地方治理:欧洲和中国的经验, Social Science Academic Press, Beijing, 2019), the four papers in this publication are key outputs from the CASS-Cardiff University collaboration. Written by leading 4 CASS scholars, each paper provides new insights into issues of welfare, development and urbanization in contemporary China. By engaging with these issues, the chapters in this volume provide a timely, empirically grounded engagement, with a raft of social theory. Foremost is the burgeoning body of academic work on 'governance'. Towards the end of the twentieth century, new ways of governing emerged in Western countries that involved greater use of non-state actors. The term 'governance' is now employed to capture the idea that governing does not rest on the authority and sanction of government alone (Gouldson and Bebbington, 2007; Bevir, 2013). This results in various forms of public-private-voluntary collaboration, including the use of private market and civil society actors for the delivery of social goods. These are variously captured in the associated literature on 'welfare pluralism' (Chaney and Wincott 2014) and 'new public governance' (Osbourne, 2010). Importantly, work on 'multi-level' (Bache and Flinders, 2004) and 'multi-spatial' governance (Jessop, 2016) underlines how the form and function of governance varies according to geographical scale: ranging from international, national and sub-national (or regional) processes to those operating at the local or community level. The prevailing mix of governance styles can also differ across policy sectors and countries, as well as change over time (Baker, 2018). This is evident in the allied literature on welfare state theory (Pierson and Castles, 2000; Leibfried and Mau, 2008), which provides critical insight into the role of the state in promoting citizen wellbeing and the provision of social welfare. This literature, however, has been largely dominated by studies of Western states (Arts and Gelissen, 2002; Chau and Sam, 2011), especially where strong neoliberal belief in the effectiveness and efficiency of markets shapes the mix of governance styles used (Newman and McKee, 2005). In response, this volume analyses developments in the East. China presents an interesting and important case, where civil society is less autonomous from the state (Hsu and Hasmath, 2017). Although civil society in China cannot 5 be understood in conventional terms, the drive towards economic reform and modernization in the past 30 years has created new opportunities for citizen participation (Kerr, 2015). Here, new participatory practices socialize people into an ethic of citizenship, such as through the provision of social care at the community level (Ringen and Ngok, 2013). Yet the case of China also exhibits strong similarities to the West, where the state continues to act both as a coordinator and facilitator, while retaining its traditional regulatory and oversight roles (Carrillo Garcia, Beatriz, Hood, and Kadetz, 2017). The evidence from our empirical work on China shows how, as this change in governmentality plays out in practice, the opening-up of social spaces can both strengthen the bonds between the state and the polity, while simultaneously enhancing the capacity of the state to deliver on social goods (Sander et al, 2012). The research also points to the complexity of the relationship between civil society and the state and the need to think differently about how it is forged and developed outside Western contexts. These articles reflect the finished product after months of hard work of the CASS team and helpful comments and advice from senior colleagues of the Cardiff team. The editing and publishing of these working papers stand among the concrete achievements of our three years' communication and cooperation. We hope to use it as an opportunity to contribute our humble effort to promote international exchange and expand our academic horizons in related fields.


Character recognition has defined a lot of attention in the field of pattern recognition due to its various applications. Many researches can be carried out for online characters. An offline handwritten alphabetical characters recognition system using artificial neural network (ANN) is described in this paper. Here handwritten character recognition is done for languages like Tamil, Malayalam and English. The recognition rate is varied for different languages. In this paper the techniques like auto encoder support vector machine is used for extracting the feature of the handwritten alphabets. Handwritten Character Recognition (HCR) is useful in bank-cheque processing, signature verification, handwritten postal adders resolution and many more. In coming days, character recognition system might serve as a key function to create paperless environment by digitizing and processing existing paper documents.


The experiment was conducted to observe the response of O. niloticus in terms of carcass composition and consumer acceptability when fed on diets prepared using different agro-industrial by-products. Four diets were formulated containing: wheat bran; pito mash; rice bran; and groundnut bran and fed to O. niloticus. A biochemical analysis of the carcass of O. niloticus showed that different by-products impacts differently on fish flesh quality. Crude protein was significantly higher in fish fed on pito mash (71.15% ± 0.07) and lowest for fish fed on rice bran (63.86% ± 0.26). Ether extract was significantly higher in fish fed on rice bran (10.58% ± 0.05) and lowest for fish fed on wheat bran (7.74% ± 0.01) crude fibre was significantly higher for fish fed on wheat bran (0.33% ± 0.00) and lowest for fish fed on pito mash (0.21% ± 0.00). Sensory analysis flesh quality of the test fish did not affect consumer acceptance. The results showed no significant differences in colour and odour liking in fish fed on pito mash and groundnut bran; and on wheat bran and rice bran. These by-products could be used to improve growth of fish as well as enhance flesh quality of fish without adversely affecting consumer acceptance.


As long as there is government and regulations, there will be a system of building a shelter. There are experts who have a different perspective about techni cal, political, economical, aesthetical, functional, etc. issues. On the other hand, there are also individuals who have another thought of their own living-styles. The question is then more related with building a shelter but how and with what. In ''informal settlements''; settlers build their own houses, connect their utility lines and organise their physical arrangements. There are many problems in these settlements; but there is also a self-build and develop process. Thus we can also relate these spontaneously built settlements with the vernacular. Within this context, firstly the subjects informality and vernacular will be defined interrelatedly and as a solution to informal settlements, the participation process will be opened up to discussion reading through three actors which has a different role in the process. Relating these actors, the opportunities of incremental housing in informal settlements will be evaluated connectively which presents a participation process solution for informal housing.


This research paper is based on assessment of community toilet blocks in urban slums of Lucknow and Kanpur, UP, India. The objective of the research was to assess the current set of practices and usages from perspective of financial sustainability and affordability of services to urban poor. Economic analysis shows that low-income households are currently paying 3 to 6 times the UN standard for accessing affordable sanitation, and 104 times that of an affluent household with a household latrine. Financial and managerial structures vary across facilities, with observed under-budgeting resulting in poor sanitation access and services. The lessons learnt include developing existing community toilets as WASH Resource Centers through diversification service, major role of women in managing these to ensure gender inclusive model and city or sub city -level cluster based management through a federation of Community toilet blocks, ensuring financial and operational sustainability.