Abstract Our strategy for heart valve tissue engineering is the use of autologous cells to populate appropriate template matrices. In this context, an important goal is to devise a suitable biomimetic scaffold that supports proper cell growth and cell-matrix interactions by reproducing the specific anisotropic fibrillar structure of valves extracellular matrix (ECM). A novel type of highly porous anisotropic nanobrillar matrices was developed and evaluated with regards to structure, mechanical properties and ability to support human adipose derived stem cell (hADSC) colonization, growth and ECM production in vitro. Nanofibrillar structures were obtained by jet-spraying poly (e-caprolactone) dissolved in chloroform on a variably rotating drum. Morphological evaluations of the structures were performed using scanning electron microscopy while porosity was calculated from polymer density, weight and volume. Elastic modulus of dry scaffolds (10x6x1 mm, n=5) was measured with a planar biaxial test bench with displacement rate of 0.05 mm/s. Human adipose derived stem cells (500,000) were top and rotary seeded on nanofibrillar discs (diameter 1 cm and thickness 0.8 mm) and cultured in 10 ml of complete medium under rotation (10 rpm) for 18 days. Histology (DAPI staining), DNA quantification and immunohistochemistry were used to characterize the resulting cellularized structures. The speed of drum rotation was adjusted up to 3000 rpm to produce highly aligned fibres (600 nm of average diameter) from the sprayed polymer. In conjunction with fibres anisotropy, the scaffolds Young's modulus was simultaneously increased (from 0.3 to 0.7 Mpa) and decreased (from 0.3 to 0.01 Mpa) longitudinally and orthogonally to fibre alignment, respectively. In addition, fibre alignment further increased scaffolds porosity from 97 % (isotropic) to 99%. Anisotropic matrices allowed a more extensive cellular invasion than isotropic scaffolds, possibly linked to their higher porosity and therefore open structure. hADSC proliferated significantly (up to 6-fold DNA increase), bridged the entire scaffolds thicknesses after 10 days and produced their own ECM as evidenced by collagen I production. This study highlights the potential of a newly developed highly porous anisotropic nanofibrillar matrices as substrate for tissue engineering, and in particular for heart valve engineering.


The main goal of this study is to develop a scientific method for designing a teaching methodology used in a basic digital signal processing (DSP) course. The proposed method is based on concept-mapping techniques, which applies multivariate statistic analysis to summarize the experience and knowledge of teachers involved in basic DSP teaching. As a result, a set of teaching methodologies is obtained. This result, as well as other information obtained related to the relative importance of the concepts to be covered, has been used to program the course. Moreover, different teaching tools have been developed to implement the proposed teaching methodology. Finally, the reliability of the method has been compared with similar studies to validate the proposed methodology.


The condition of cleft lip/palate (CLP) in children is psychologically stressful for family members and debilitating for the patients themselves. These children must undergo a series of major invasive surgeries following birth, including cleft lip repair surgery, cleft palate repair surgery, bone grafting surgery, and dental implant surgery. Unfortunately, the clinical significance of otitis media with effusion (OME), a complication associated with CLP, is often overlooked, and very few studies have explored this condition in depth. This chapter reviews pathogenesis, clinical manifestations, consequences, exami‐ nation, and diagnosis related to OME in children with CLP. Controversies surrounding the treatment of OME in CLP children are also discussed. We also provide a flowchart for management guidance in OME in children with CLP.


Clear step-by-step recipes for building impressive rich internet applications using the Ext JS JavaScript library Master the Ext JS widgets and learn to create custom components to suit your needs Build striking native and custom layouts, forms, grids, listviews, treeviews, charts, tab panels, menus, toolbars and much more for your real-world user interfaces Packed with easy-to-follow examples to exercise all of the features of the Ext JS library Part of Packt's Cookbook series: Each recipe is a carefully organized sequence of instructions to complete the task as efficiently as possible In Detail Using Ext JS you can easily build desktop-style interfaces in your web applications. Over 400,000 developers are working smarter with Ext JS and yet most of them fail to exercise all of the features that this powerful JavaScript library has to offer.Get to grips with all of the features that you would expect with this quick and easy-to-follow Ext JS Cookbook. This book provides clear instructions for getting the most out of Ext JS with and offers many exercises to build impressive rich internet applications. This cookbook shows techniques and "patterns" for building particular interface styles and features in Ext JS. Pick what you want and move ahead.It teaches you how to use all of the Ext JS widgets and components smartly, through practical examples and exercises. Native and custom layouts, forms, grids, listviews, treeviews, charts, tab panels, menus, toolbars, and many more components are covered in a multitude of examples.The book also looks at best practices on data storage, application architecture, code organization, presenting recipes for improving them--our cookbook provides expert information for people working with Ext JS. What you will learn from this book Work with different browsers, platforms, and the DOM, as well as determine and understand the different ExtJS data types Create your own custom Ext JS data types as you extend their functionality Build great-looking and friendly forms by using client and server-side field validation, form loading, submission, field customization, and layout techniques Explore the different layouts provided by the Ext JS library as well as create your own, and understand their common uses Display, edit, and group tabular data generated by the server using Grid Panels Explore the advantages and the efficiency tradeoffs of widgets such as Combo boxes Use the drag and drop features of the grid component, data editing with the new RowEditor Class, and the new lightweight ListView component Explore multiple ways of displaying master-details relationships Group components or information under the same container to build hierarchical views of information by using TabPanel components Use patterns to build a solid and flexible application architecture and implement additional design patterns such as auto-saving form elements, component state management, and code modules to build robust and flexible applications with Ext JS Build your own custom components on top of the Ext framework and enhance the custom components created by the Ext JS users' community Approach The Ext JS Cookbook contains step-by-step instructions for Ext JS users to build desktop-style interfaces in their own web applications. The book is designed so that you can refer to it chapter by chapter, or you can look at the list of recipes and read them in no particular order. Who this book is written for The Ext JS Cookbook is for Ext JS users who want a book of useful techniques, with explanations, that they can refer to and adapt to their purposes. Developers who are already familiar with Ext JS will find practical guidance and numerous examples covering most of the library's features and components that can be used as a solid foundation to build upon when creating rich internet applications.


Cloud computing is attracting large base of users and organisations. However, lack of trust in public cloud providers, especially their legal responsibility towards the legislation in the countries of their origin sometimes complicates the move to the public cloud. Organisations, and communities such as research, education, government, and healthcare incline towards private or community cloud solutions. In those cases organisation, or the members of the community take role of the cloud provider. Similarly to the traditional IT infrastructure, cloud platforms also suffer from potential security related incidents. Regardless of the incident being internal, external, malicious, or accidental, it should be investigated, understood, and prevented from happening again in the future. However, underlying architecture of cloud introduced new challenges in digital forensics and made majority of the traditional forensic tools, and techniques irrelevant. Providers of private and community clouds are often kept in dark, with very limited ability to collect relevant evidence from their platforms. Cloud users on the other hand rely fully on the cooperation of the provider to provide the relevant data. This led to substantial research in the area of cloud forensics over last few years, trying to identify the efficient ways to successfully perform cloud forensics either as a end user, or a provider.

Focus of this thesis is to provide Self-service Forensic Framework for IaaS platforms, and determine the importance of volatile memory forensics in Cloud environment. Our framework allows cloud users, and cloud providers to extract disk, and memory images for forensic investigation in efficient, effective, and secure way.


Electronic evidence has been explicitly enumerated as direct evidence since the promulgation of the amended Civil Procedure Law of China in 2013. However the Law does not provide a practical standard for the admissibility of e-evidence, particularly regarding those forms of e-evidence generated by new technologies. In this article Dr Jiong He provides an analysis of the admissibility of such e-evidence generated by Telnet technology, which is often submitted by software owners in copyright infringement cases. Index words: China; electronic evidence; Telnet technology; burden of proof test; admissibility of evidence; software copyright infringement


This paper explores the novel context of using bend gestures as a primary method of interaction for the blind. Our preliminary study assesses if this more tactile experience could enhance the usability and accessibility of technology for blind users, by comparing bend and touch interactions with simulated blind participants. Both input techniques showed similar results, indicating that bend gestures have potential in this context. We identify results that can help shape future research in this accessibility area, and potentially increase the overall interaction experience for screen reader based smartphones.


Energy is a big challenge in the coming decades. The global population is increasing steadily. Not only are there more people in the world, but the worldwide drive to increase living standards have increased individual energy demands. Growing energy needs were typically met by finding new sources of fossil fuels. People have fortunately begun to realize the adverse environmental impact of burning fossil fuels and that this practice cannot be maintained indefinitely, leading to renewed interest in photovoltaic technologies. The discovery of the photoelectric effect brought hope to the objective of helping to fill the world energy needs with an already continuously delivered source. The discovery of the photoelectric effect was the birth of the idea, but it was the development of the crystalline silicon cell that marked the birth of the industry. The cost and inefficiency of these solar panels have prevented them from becoming an economically competitive form of everyday power generation. Cost was reduced with the introduction of amorphous silicon thin-film cells despite slightly lower efficiencies. Their lower manufacturing costs have allowed solar energy to be included in more applications; the costs have not been reduced enough to compete with current grid rates. The current trend in research suggests that the application of nanotechnology may be the awaited break needed to crack this cost barrier. Nanotechnology promises to reduce cost because they require less controlled conditions, which will greatly reduce the cost per cell, and the initial cost of a new cell type. Nanoscience and nanotechnology are being researched and developed to help solve problems that have prevented the use of other promising technologies, and improving efficiencies of those technologies that have been developed. The addition of nanoparticles to the matrix is a possible way to improve electron transport, and nanotubes could be used in conjunction with nanoparticles. The science of interactions and addition of nanoparticles and their function in solar photovoltaic cells is known, but still developing. Nanoscience has produced proof-of-concept photovoltaic cells made of small perfect crystals, rather than large, perfect silicon crystals that are more expensive to produce. However, the step-up to larger scale, practical photovoltaic cells have not been reproduced efficiently and at a reasonable cost for small, perfect crystals not made of silicon. Nano-whiskers are being experimented as new antireflective coating. Sensitizing dyes are being used to increase the range and location of the wavelengths that can be absorbed to be more favorable to sunlight, allowing the use of materials that lack this key characteristic. Quantum dots could be an improvement to these dyes, as the smaller particles will have the added benefit of having multiple electrons created per photon without impeding electron transfer. Recent research has also shown a method to transform optical radiation into electrical current that could lead to self-powering molecular circuits and efficient data storage. The many possible applications of nanotechnology make photovoltaic cells as promising pursuit.Copyright © 2011 by ASME


Self-desiccation is the major source of autogenous shrinkage and crack formation in low water-binder ratio (w/b) concretes which can be reduced by internal curing. In this paper performance of high strength self consolidating concrete (HS-SCC) with w/b of 0.28 and 0.33 including autogenous shrinkage, drying shrinkage, compressive strength, and resistance to freezing-thawing was investigated. Then, for the purpose of internal curing, 25% of normal weight coarse aggregate volume was replaced with saturated lightweight aggregate (LWA) of the same size; and its effects on the material properties was studied. Two modes of external curing, moist and sealed, were applied to test specimens after demoulding. Autogenous shrinkage from 30 minutes to 24 hours after mixing was monitored continuously by a laser system. The initial and final setting time were manifested as a change of the slope of the obtained deformation curves. Shrinkage after initial setting was 860 and 685 microstrain (µe) for 0.28 and 0.33 w/b mixtures, respectively. The saturated LWA reduced these values to 80 and 295 µe, respectively. By LWA Substitution the 28day compressive strength of 0.28 w/b mixture was reduced from 108 to 89 and 98 to 87 MPa for moist and sealed cured specimen, respectively. The corresponding values for 0.33 w/b mixture was 84 to 80 and 82 to 70 MPa. Shrinkage of 0.28 w/b mixture without LWA after moist and sealed cured specimen dried for 3 weeks was about 400 µe. Shrinkage of moist and sealed cured specimen containing LWA was reduced 9% and 25%, respectively. On the contrary for 0.33 w/b mixture an increase was noticed. Freezing-thawing resistance was improved by sealed curing, decreasing w/b and substituting LWA.


The homology concept and its recognition criteria are introduced and discussed, with the importance of transformational (primary) homology assessment in phylogenetic analysis emphasized. We use an ontogenetic approach to explore the setal transformational homology in polychaetotic entomobryid genera (Collembola), where tergal chaetotaxy is usually the most informative character for taxonomy. The postembryonic development of setae on terga of three species in the Sinella-Coecobrya group, Sinella curviseta, Coecobrya tenebricosa and C. aokii are studied following Szeptycki's principle. Different chaetotaxic patterns of each tergite are homologized and classified for more than 50 species of the two genera. The taxonomi cal significance of chaetotaxy of abdomen V, which has been rarely studied, is evaluated and affirmed here. The system pre sented here is a revised and updated from Szeptycki's system.


This work describes the use of some multivariate statistical methods for retrieving the information present in a typical dataset coming from a biomonitoring study applied to trace metals measured on Patella caerulea and Monodonta turbinata samples. These samples were collected at five stations in Linosa Island in the Sicilian Channel (Mediterranean Sea) and the multivariate statistical methods applied were Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Hotelling T² test and Discriminant Analysis by means of Mahalanobis Distance (DAMD). Using PCA it is possible to have in a single and fast step, a direct insight into the structure of data, and thus obtain peculiar information that allows the different accumulation characteristics of the two types of mollusc to be seen. PCA also gives information about the metals that cause the peculiar accumulation characteristics of each mollusc. Hotelling's T² and DAMD are other important multivariate methods that confirm the results of PCA and also give complementary information for the interpretation of experimental data.


In Exiled Home , Susan Bibler Coutin recounts the experiences of Salvadoran children who migrated with their families to the United States during the 1980–1992 civil war. Because of their youth and the violence they left behind, as well as their uncertain legal status in the United States, many grew up with distant memories of El Salvador and a profound sense of disjuncture in their adopted homeland. Through interviews in both countries, Coutin examines how they sought to understand and overcome the trauma of war and displacement through such strategies as recording community histories, advocating for undocumented immigrants, forging new relationships with the Salvadoran state, and, for those deported from the United States, reconstructing their lives in El Salvador. In focusing on the case of Salvadoran youth, Coutin's nuanced analysis shows how the violence associated with migration can be countered through practices that recuperate historical memory while also reclaiming national membership.


Metal cutting is a common process in the manufacturing industry. Vibration problem during metal cutting is a reality for these manufactures. The vibration level depends on many different parameters such as material type, dimensions of the workpiece and boring bar, cutting data and operation mode. Internal cutting is one of the most troublesome operation modes, without any continuous monitoring and control from an operator grave vibration levels quickly arises. From the industry point of view this is an expense in the production line. The reduced tool life and the coarse surface finishing caused by the large vibration will force the operator to stop the cutting process, either to change tool when it is broken or change cutting data like decreasing the cutting depth. Any interference like this increases the working time for each component tremendous. These problems have been located and examined in an industry producing and renovating components using a lathe. One lathe was chosen for further investigation by experimental modal analysis and analysis during operational mode. The examination was done in an environment with machining processes in full operation mode and also during non-working ours. After analyzing the problem different solution where scrutinized and a first prototype where constructed. The solution to the problem is an active boring bar. This paper will present the procedure from analyzing a problem in industry to the test of the first prototype of the solution.


Computed tomographic (CT) scans were evaluated in 11 patients with acute hypertensive encephalopathy. Hypertensive encephalopathy is characterized by an acute, severe rise in blood pressure associated with headache, nausea, vomiting, altered mental status, and focal neurologic deficits, and rapid improvement after control of blood pressure. The systolic blood pressure range is 200-280 mm Hg; diastolic is 130-170 mm Hg. The most common CT finding was white-matter edema, diffuse or focal, affecting the supratentorial compartment in all cases and the infratentorial compartment in eight. These changes resolved after the blood pressure was lowered in all six patients studied by follow-up CT. Permanent areas of infarction were demonstrated in three patients. These abnormalities are correlated with the neuropathologic findings in hypertensive encephalopathy.


Thus far the views of experts of Islamic jurisprudence regarding homosexuality have been very clear in forbidding it. The Alqur'an, Hadith and Ijma' are the bases of the prohibition on marriages of this kind, although jurists differ in their views on the punishment for homosexual behaviour. Malik, ash-Shafi'i and Ahmad equate the punishment for homosexual acts with that for adultery, whereas Abu Hanifah views it as a ta'zir punishment (one determined by the government). Meanwhile, the· view of some that homosexuality is a natural and predetermined phenomenon presents its own challenges: how will Islamic law respond to the claim that homosexuality is a part of our basic human rights that must be protected?


In this paper the author introduces the concept of various viewpoints (process, practitioner, and disciplinary) and describes how theories of communication can be used to understand business processes from the point of view of communication and coordination. This paper serves the dual purpose of being an introduction to a panel of the same name, while providing an argument concerning the significance of theories of communication in "process" orientation. In serving the second purpose, the discussion will employ literature and examples from systemic functional linguistics and social semiotics; these are used for illustrative purposes only and the reader is invited to consider their own preferred theories and approaches to these issues


Abstract. Due to atmospheric accumulation of anthropogenic CO2 the partial pressure of carbon dioxide (pCO2) in surface seawater increases and the pH decreases. This process known as ocean acidification might have severe effects on marine organisms and ecosystems. The present study addresses the effect of ocean acidification on early developmental stages, the most sensitive stages in life history, of the Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus L.). Eggs of the Atlantic herring were fertilized and incubated in artificially acidified seawater (pCO2 1260, 1859, 2626, 2903, 4635 μatm) and a control treatment (pCO2 480 μatm) until the main hatch of herring larvae occurred. The development of the embryos was monitored daily and newly hatched larvae were sampled to analyze their morphometrics, and their condition by measuring the RNA/DNA ratios. Elevated pCO2 neither affected the embryogenesis nor the hatch rate. Furthermore the results showed no linear relationship between pCO2 and total length, dry weight, yolk sac area and otolith area of the newly hatched larvae. For pCO2 and RNA/DNA ratio, however, a significant negative linear relationship was found. The RNA concentration at hatching was reduced at higher pCO2 levels, which could lead to a decreased protein biosynthesis. The results indicate that an increased pCO2 can affect the metabolism of herring embryos negatively. Accordingly, further somatic growth of the larvae could be reduced. This can have consequences for the larval fish, since smaller and slow growing individuals have a lower survival potential due to lower feeding success and increased predation mortality. The regulatory mechanisms necessary to compensate for effects of hypercapnia could therefore lead to lower larval survival. Since the recruitment of fish seems to be determined during the early life stages, future research on the factors influencing these stages are of great importance in fisheries science.


Abstract The application of the acetolactate synthase (ALS)–inhibiting herbicide metsulfuron on greenhouse- and field-grown black nightshade and greenhouse-grown ladysthumb resulted in progressive inhibition of the level of carbon dioxide (CO2) fixation, the relative quantum efficiency of electron transport through photosystem I (ΦPSI) and II (ΦPSII), and the leaf chlorophyll content. Photosynthetic-related measurements, measured 2 to 4 d after treatment (DAT) at photon flux densities of 400 to 500 μmol m−2 s−1, provided valuable information before the visual symptoms that first appeared at 7 to 10 DAT with the herbicide. Measurements of the quantum efficiency for electron transport by photosystem II and the loss in leaf chlorophyll content appeared to be two of the most practical parameters to use when designing an early detection method to assess the toxicity of metsulfuron. The use of chlorophyll fluorescence would require a comparison of steady-state ΦPSII measurements for control and treated plants, which could be realized by either measuring in time (before/after application) or space (treated/untreated patch). Nomenclature: Metsulfuron; black nightshade, Solanum nigrum L. SOLNI; ladysthumb, Polygonum persicaria L. POLPE.


Remittances to Pakistan have increased annually for the past decade, reaching 18 billion USD in 2014. This paper draws on interviews with Pakistani taxi-drivers in Barcelona and Oslo to analyze the implications of their differing migration-trajectories for remittance sending. The findings underscore the significance of length of emigration and location of family members, as key determinants of remittance-sending. Second, the paper explores intersections of remittance-sending and crisis, through analysis of the ways in which the protracted electricity crisis in Pakistan affects the motivations and practices of remittance-senders. Remittance-sending from Pakistani taxi-drivers in Europe is shown not only to be shaped by the usual determinants of remittances, but also by the protracted electricity crisis, mitigation of which is sought through remittances. We argue that while the protracted electricity crisis in Pakistan increases migrants' motivations for – and actual – remittance-sending, the fact that remittances are spent on costs associated with generators and means of fueling these, detracts from other uses, such as savings or investments. Remittance-sending in the context of the protracted electricity crisis – a 'constant crisis'–is revealing of how a clear distinction between normality and crisis can be hard to identify, as crisis becomes normalized.


Childhood obesity is associated with stress. However, most treatment strategies include only dietary and physical activity approaches. Mindfulness may assist in weight reduction, but its effectiveness is unclear. We assessed the effect of mindfulness on stress, appetite regulators, and weight of children with obesity and anxiety. A clinical study was conducted in a pediatric hospital. Eligible children were 10–14 years old, BMI ≥95th percentile, Spence anxiety score ≥55, and who were not taking any medication or supplementation. Participants were assigned to receive an 8-week conventional nutritional intervention (CNI) or an 8-week mindfulness-based intervention plus CNI (MND-CNI). Anthropometry, body composition, leptin, insulin, ghrelin, cortisol, and Spence scores were measured at baseline and at the end of the intervention. Anthropometry was analyzed again 8 weeks after concluding interventions. Log-transformed and delta values were calculated for analysis. Thirty-three MND-CNI and 12 CNI children finished interventions; 17 MND-CNI children accomplished 16 weeks. At the end of the intervention, significant reductions in anxiety score (−6.21 ± 1.10), BMI (−0.45 ± 1.2 kg/m2), body fat (−1.28 ± 0.25%), ghrelin (−0.71 ± 0.37 pg/mL), and serum cortisol (−1.42 ± 0.94 µg/dL) were observed in MND-CNI children. Changes in anxiety score, ghrelin, and cortisol were different between groups (P < 0.05). Children who completed 16 weeks decreased BMI after intervention (−0.944 ± 0.20 kg/m2, P < 0.001) and remained lower 8 weeks later (−0.706 ± 0.19 kg/m2, P = 0.001). We concluded that mindfulness is a promising tool as an adjunctive therapy for childhood obesity. However, our findings need confirmation in a larger sample population.


The reservoir potential of the Upper Palaeozoic carbonates in the Barents Sea area is primarily controlled by early diagenetic processes. Upper Bashkirian to Asselian shallow platform carbonates deposited in warm, arid to semi-arid climates were dominated by aragonitic organisms and mineralogically unstable aragonite and high-Mg calcite cements and mud. A reservoir model for these carbonates involves extensive dolomitization and dissolution of metastable carbonate during repeated subaerial exposure. The reservoir model is confirmed by drilling and is accordingly regarded as low risk. Artinskian and Upper Permian shallow water carbonates deposited in a cold temperate climate were dominated by calcitic organisms and silica sponges, and associated with calcite cements and mud and chert. A reservoir model for these carbonates involves either preservation of primary porosity in carbonate build-ups or extensive dissolution of build-up marine cement during prolonged subaerial exposure. This model is not confirmed by drilling and is regarded as high risk.


The analysis of trauma to the skeleton is an important aspect of forensic case work, but most pathology references devote limited attention to this topic. This paper describes various aspects of gunshot wounds, including entrance and exit patterns, angle and path, range of fire and velocity, and caliber of the bullet, based on observations of a series of known cases. Skeletal remains of 21 victims of gunshot wounds were studied. In most cases, there was documentation of the investigation, autopsy, and victim's identity. Each case was analyzed in terms of wound location, shape, size and exit/entry surface area ratio, beveling, and direction of shooting Skull entry wounds were most often round or oval. Unusual shapes were observed in bones like the mandible and mastoid process, but were also found to be triangular, nearly rectangular or irregular. Tunneling was observed in the mastoid process. The expected internal beveling was obvious in all but one skull. External beveling of an entry wound was only observed in one case (parietal bone). Exit wounds were roughly round, oval, square, and rectangular and were always more irregular than entry wounds. External beveling of exit wounds was observed in most vault bones, but there was none in the orbit, maxilla, greater wing of the sphenoid, temporal, or left occipital bone. Tangential gunshot wounds were seen in a mastoid process, zygomatic process, mandibular ramus and condyle, and occipital condyle. Most of the exit to entry surface area ratios (cm2) varied from 1.4 to 2.0. In four cases the ratio indicated that entrances were larger than exists. In conclusion, understanding of gunshot wound characteristics is an important matter to interpret distance, velocity, direction and sometimes caliber size. Assessment of this nature of gunshot wounds helps reconstruct events surrounding the death.


The CODESRIA Monograph Series is published to stimulate debate, comments, and further research on the subjects covered. The series serves as a forum for works based on the findings of original research, which however are too long for academic journals but not long enough to be published as books, and which deserve to be accessible to the research community in Africa and elsewhere. Such works are usually case studies, theoretical debates or both, but they also incorporate significant findings, analyses and critical evaluations of the current literature on the subjects covered.


This article presents the proceedings of a symposium entitled "The Tipsy Terminal: Presynaptic Effects of Ethanol" (held at the annual meeting of the Research Society on Alcoholism, in Santa Barbara, CA, June 27, 2005). The objective of this symposium was to focus on a cellular site of ethanol action underrepresented in the alcohol literature, but quickly becoming a "hot" topic. The chairs of the session were Marisa Roberto and George Robert Siggins. Our speakers were chosen on the basis of the diverse electrophysiological and other methods used to discern the effects of acute and chronic ethanol on presynaptic terminals and on the basis of significant insights that their data provide for understanding ethanol actions on neurons in general, as mechanisms underlying problematic behavioral effects of alcohol. The 5 presenters drew from their recent studies examining the effects of acute and chronic ethanol using a range of sophisticated methods from electrophysiological analysis of paired-pulse facilitation and spontaneous and miniature synaptic currents (Drs. Weiner, Valenzuela, Zhu, and Morrisett), to direct recording of ion channel activity and peptide release from acutely isolated synaptic terminals (Dr. Treistman), to direct microscopic observation of vesicular release (Dr. Morrisett). They showed that ethanol administration could both increase and decrease the probability of release of different transmitters from synaptic terminals. The effects of ethanol on synaptic terminals could often be correlated with important behavioral or developmental actions of alcohol. These and other novel findings suggest that future analyses of synaptic effects of ethanol should attempt to ascertain, in multiple brain regions, the role of presynaptic terminals, relevant presynaptic receptors and signal transduction linkages, exocytotic mechanisms, and their involvement in alcohol's behavioral actions. Such studies could lead to new treatment strategies for alcohol intoxication, alcohol abuse, and alcoholism.


The Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code does not regulate on-pack claims describing the amount of whole grain in foods. In July 2013, The Grains & Legumes Nutrition Council™ (GLNC) established a voluntary Code of Practice for Whole Grain Ingredient Content Claims (the Code) providing guidance for whole grain claims, with cut-off values and suggested wording ≥8 g, ≥16 g, and ≥24 g per manufacturer serve (contains; high and very high in whole grain), based on a 48 g whole grain daily target intake. The aim of this impact assessment was to report the uptake of the Code by manufacturers, changes in numbers of whole grain products, and claims on-pack since 2013, including compliance. The impact assessment was undertaken in August 2019, comparing current registered manufacturers ("users") and their products to the total number of products in the market deemed eligible for registration through GLNC product audits since 2013. Reporting included breakfast cereals, bread products, crispbreads, crackers, rice/corn cakes, rice, pasta, noodles, couscous, other grains (e.g., quinoa, buckwheat, freekeh), and grain-based muesli bars. As of 30 June 2019, there were 33 registered users and 531 registered products in Australia and New Zealand representing 43% of the eligible manufacturers and 65% of the eligible whole grain foods. Three-quarters (78% and 74%) of the eligible breakfast cereals and bread products were registered with the Code in 2019, followed by 62% of grain-based muesli bars. Only 39% of crispbread, crackers, rice/corn cakes, and rice, pasta, noodles, couscous, and other grains were registered. From 2013 there has been a 71% increase in the number of whole grain foods making claims, demonstrating strong uptake by industry, with clearer, more consistent, and compliant on-pack communication regarding whole grain content.


Pattiaratchi, C.B. and Collins, M.B., 1984. Sediment transport under waves and tidal currents: a case study from the northern Bristol Channel, U.K. Mar. Geol., 56: 27--40. Bed-load transport under tidal currents and waves, and waves alone, is predicted from near-bed self-recording current-meter data and observations from a wave-rider buoy. Transport rates and paths are derived using seven different unidirectional transport formulae and those of Bagnold (1963), Bijker (1967) and Madsen and Grant (1976)for combined flows. Predicted rates are compared with the results of a fluorescent sand tracer study. The data are available from Swansea Bay, a high tidal- and wave-energy embayment on the British continental shelf. Sediment transport paths in this region had been determined previously using a variety of techniques, including bedform orientation and sea-bed drifter recovery patterns. Transport is enhanced under the superimposed effect of waves and, in some circumstances, the direction of the resultant vector is altered. Such storm-induced catastrophic transport is different to that predicted under tidal currents alone; this could provide a mechanism for long-term sediment supply. In some areas, there is correspondence between bedform orientation and storm-induced transport paths; in others, there is opposition.


Hungary lies entirely within the Carpatho-Pannonian Region (CPR), a dominant tectonic unit of eastern Central Europe. The CPR consists of the Pannonian Basin system, and the arc of the Carpathian Mountains surrounding the lowlands in the north, east, and southeast. In the west, the CPR is bounded by the Eastern Alps, whereas in the south, by the Dinaridic belt. (...)


This paper presents a new eHealth platform incorporating humanoid robots to support an emerging multidimensional care approach for the treatment of diabetes. The architecture of the platform extends the Internet of Things to a Web-centric paradigm through utilizing existing Web standards to access and control objects of the physical layer. This incorporates capillary networks, each of which encompasses a set of medical sensors linked wirelessly to a humanoid robot linked (via the Internet) to a Web-centric disease management hub. This provides a set of services for both patients and their caregivers that support the full continuum of the multidimensional care approach of diabetes. The platform's software architecture pattern enables the development of various applications without knowing low-level details of the platform. This is achieved through unifying the access interface and mechanism of handling service requests through a layered approach based on object virtualization and automatic service delivery. A fully functional prototype is developed, and its end-to-end functionality and acceptability are tested successfully through a clinician-led pilot study, providing evidence that both patients and caregivers are receptive to the introduction of the proposed platform.


Here we demonstrate for the first time the interrogation of a mechanical link made of catenane rings at the single molecule level. We used AFM-based single molecule force spectroscopy to address the mobility of the rings in a catenane unit of the benzylic amide family. To interface the catenane with the AFM probe, we connected a polymer chain to each of the macrocycles of the [2]catenane. Force–extension profiles in different solvents were then recorded. We show that the catenane ring motions can be detected at the single molecule level and that the ring rotation can be locked or unlocked depending on the solvent.


Systems based on artificial neural networks (ANNs) have achieved state-of-the-art results in many natural language processing tasks. Although ANNs do not require manually engineered features, ANNs have many hyperparameters to be optimized. The choice of hyperparameters significantly impacts models' performances. However, the ANN hyperparameters are typically chosen by manual, grid, or random search, which either requires expert experiences or is computationally expensive. Recent approaches based on Bayesian optimization using Gaussian processes (GPs) is a more systematic way to automatically pinpoint optimal or near-optimal machine learning hyperparameters. Using a previously published ANN model yielding state-of-the-art results for dialog act classification, we demonstrate that optimizing hyperparameters using GP further improves the results, and reduces the computational time by a factor of 4 compared to a random search. Therefore it is a useful technique for tuning ANN models to yield the best performances for NLP tasks.


In recent years, there has been a dramatic increase in scientific publications across the globe. To help navigate this overabundance of information, methods have been devised to find papers with related content, but they are lacking in the ability to provide specific information that a researcher may need without having to read hundreds of linked papers. The search and browsing capabilities of online domain specific scientific repositories are limited to finding a paper citing other papers, but do not point to the specific text that is being cited. Providing this capability to the research community will be beneficial in terms of the time required to acquire the amount of background information they need to undertake their research. In this thesis, we present our effort to develop a citation linkage framework for finding those sentences in a cited article that are the focus of a citation in a citing paper. This undertaking has involved the construction of datasets and corpora that are required to build models for focused information extraction, text classification and information retrieval. As the first part of this thesis, two preprocessing steps that are deemed to assist with the citation linkage task are explored: method mention extraction and rhetorical categorization of scientific discourse. In the second part of this thesis, two methodologies for achieving the citation linkage goal are investigated. Firstly, regression techniques have been used to predict the degree of similarity between citation sentences and their equivalent target sentences with medium Pearson correlation score between predicted and expected values. The resulting learning models are then used to rank sentences in the cited paper based on their predicted scores. Secondly, search engine-like retrieval techniques have been used to rank sentences in the cited paper based on the words contained in the citation sentence. Our experiments show that it is possible to find the set of sentences that a citation refers to in a cited paper with reasonable performance. Possible applications of this work include: creation of better science paper repository navigation tools, development of scientific argumentation across research articles, and multi-document summarization of science articles.


This thesis examines the effect of varying income levels on the attachment of men and women to friends and their spouse. It is hypothesized in this thesis that family income will impact men and women differently. Additionally, it is hypothesized that the income categories will show different attachment issues among spousal attachments and friendships. Through analysis of data collected in the year 2000, contained in the The Marital Instability Over the Life Course Study wave 6, part one of a two-part series entitled Work and Family Life Study, I examine the relationship between family income and attachment in both men and women, and explore the implications of these patterns for the individuals. The results show that individuals in different income brackets are prone to different marital and friendship troubles. Further, the data shows men and women within the same income bracket can display differences in how income impacts their friendships and marriage. This thesis serves as a first step to identify the impact of income on individual relationships and highlights multiple correlates which deserve more in-depth analysis in the future.


Evolutionary Algorithms are search algorithms based on the Darwinian metaphor of "Natural Selection". Typically these algorithms maintain a population of individual solutions, each of which has a fitness attached to it, which in some way reflects the quality of the solution. The search
proceeds via the iterative generation, evaluation and possible incorporation of new individuals based on the current population, using a number of parameterised
genetic operators. In this thesis the phenomenon of Self Adaptation of the genetic operators is investigated.
A new framework for classifying adaptive algorithms is proposed, based on the scope of the adaptation, and on the nature of the transition function guiding the search through the space of possible configurations of the algorithm. Mechanisms are investigated for achieving the self adaptation of recombination and mutation operators within a genetic algorithm, and means of combining them are investigated. These are shown to produce significantly better results than any of the combinations of fixed operators tested, across a range of problem types. These new operators reduce the need for the designer of an algorithm to select appropriate choices of operators and parameters, thus aiding the implementation of genetic
algorithms. The nature of the evolving search strategies are investigated and explained in terms of the known properties of the landscapes used, and it is suggested how observations of evolving strategies on unknown landscapes may be used to categorise them, and guide further changes in other facets of the genetic algorithm.
This work provides a contribution towards the study of adaptation in Evolutionary Algorithms, and towards the design of robust search algorithms for "real world" problems.


Cross-linguistic analysis of stuttering allows researchers to determine what aspects of stuttering are universal and what aspects are language-specific. Ujihira (2011), Smith and Howell (2013) and LaSalle and Huffman (2015) have all advanced cross-linguistic research fluency disorders by researching stuttering in Japanese. Continuing the research of stuttering in Japanese, this preliminary study had two objectives: (1) to investigate if there is a consistent utterance-initial or near-initial effect in Japanese individuals who stutter, and (2) to investigate the presence of stuttering on Japanese function words related to the utterance-initial position. Speech samples from 10 Japanese males who stutter between the ages of 3;11 and 48;2 years (Mdn age = 10;4 years) were analyzed for two different word-level measures: utterance position and word class. Preliminary results suggest that an utterance-initial effect (i.e. stuttering on or within the first word of an utterance) is not a characteristic of Japanese stuttering, with only two participants demonstrating statistical significance in binomial tests which compared the proportion of utterance-initial words to the proportion of disfluent words at the utterance-initial position. However, an utterance-near-initial effect (i.e. stuttering within the first three words of an utterance) may in fact be a characteristic of Japanese children who stutter with approximately 88% of disfluent events occurring within the first three words of participants ages 3;11 to 11 years.


This book presents the most current scientific understanding behind most common pain disorders. Clinical scientists involved in pain science will gain a basic understanding of the causes of many types of pain and will be able to discuss various therapies with patients. Researchers new to pain science will gain an overall understanding of pain pathophysiology and targets for pain treatments. Covering every major aspect of pain science, from molecular and cellular pathways of pain to pain disorders and their treatments, Science of Pain bridges basic and clinical research like no other book on the topic. Edited by world-renowned pain scientist and Editor-in-Chief of the journal PAIN, Allan Basbaum, this book is an in-depth reference for basic and clinical scientists in pain research who must understand the basic science of pain, and help develop new treatment strategies for pain disorders. * Presents the most current scientific understanding of neuroscience of pain, written by the world's leading experts * Integrates basic neuroscience research and clinical aspects of pain disorders * Covers both neurobiological basis and clinical treatment for a pain disorder (e.g., migraine, fibromyalgia, neuropathic pain, post-stroke pain) * Covers pain pathways and mechanisms both in text and in full-color illustrations * Includes topics specific to gender and age group addressing the trend in research toward developing individualized treatments


Empirically based theories are generally perceived as foundational to science. However, in many disciplines, the nature, role and even the necessity of theories remain matters for debate, particularly in young or practical disciplines such as software engineering. This article reports a systematic review of the explicit use of theory in a comprehensive set of 103 articles reporting experiments, from of a total of 5,453 articles published in major software engineering journals and conferences in the decade 1993-2002. Of the 103 articles, 24 use a total of 40 theories in various ways to explain the cause-effect relationship(s) under investigation. The majority of these use theory in the experimental design to justify research questions and hypotheses, some use theory to provide post hoc explanations of their results, and a few test or modify theory. A third of the theories are proposed by authors of the reviewed articles. The interdisciplinary nature of the theories used is greater than that of research in software engineering in general. We found that theory use and awareness of theoretical issues are present, but that theory-driven research is, as yet, not a major issue in empirical software engineering. Several articles comment explicitly on the lack of relevant theory. We call for an increased awareness of the potential benefits of involving theory, when feasible. To support software engineering researchers who wish to use theory, we show which of the reviewed articles on which topics use which theories for what purposes, as well as details of the theories' characteristics


Zirconia-based ceramics have long been used to provide thermal protection to the structural components of modern gas turbine engines. Economic and environmental considerations have motivated higher engine operating temperatures (>1200oC), thereby demanding more reliable performance of such thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) over an even wider temperature range. Recent work has shown that, in these temperature regimes, microstructural and phase evolution may limit the performance of commonly employed TBC systems, such as yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ). However, lessons learned from the YSZ system can be applied to optimize novel TBC material systems. Development of these systems hinges upon collective improvement of an array of intimately coupled materials properties. Of these, phase stability is key to maximizing both longevity and engine operating temperature. Current schemes for improving phase stability without sacrificing other important materials properties, like toughness, will be explored.


A correct description of fine (diameter <1µm) and ultrafine ( <0.1µm) aerosol particles in urban areas is of interest for particle exposure assessment but also basic atmo- spheric research. We examined the spatio-temporal variabil- ity of atmospheric aerosol particles (size range 3-800 nm) using concurrent number size distribution measurements at a maximum of eight observation sites in and around Leipzig, a city in Central Europe. Two main experiments were con- ducted with different time span and number of observation sites (2 years at 3 sites; 1 month at 8 sites). A general obser- vation was that the particle number size distribution varied in time and space in a complex fashion as a result of interaction between local and far-range sources, and the meteorological conditions. To identify statistically independent factors in the urban aerosol, different runs of principal component (PC) analysis were conducted encompassing aerosol, gas phase, and meteorological parameters from the multiple sites. Sev- eral of the resulting PCs, outstanding with respect to their temporal persistence and spatial coverage, could be associ- ated with aerosol particle modes: a first accumulation mode ("droplet mode", 300-800 nm), considered to be the result of liquid phase processes and far-range transport; a second accumulation mode (centered around diameters 90-250 nm), considered to result from primary emissions as well as ag- ing through condensation and coagulation; an Aitken mode (30-200 nm) linked to urban traffic emissions in addition to an urban and a rural Aitken mode; a nucleation mode (5- 20 nm) linked to urban traffic emissions; nucleation modes (3-20 nm) linked to photochemically induced particle forma- tion; an aged nucleation mode (10-50 nm). Additional PCs represented only local sources at a single site, or infrequent phenomena. In summary, the analysis of size distributions of high time and size resolution yielded a surprising wealth of statistical aerosol components occurring in the urban atmo- sphere over one single city. A paradigm on the behaviour of sub-µm urban aerosol particles is proposed, with recommen- dations how to efficiently monitor individual sub-fractions across an entire city.


Grooming handclasp (GHC) behaviour was originally advocated as the first evidence of social culture in chimpanzees owing to the finding that some populations engaged in the behaviour and others do not. To date, however, the validity of this claim and the extent to which this social behaviour varies between groups is unclear. Here, we measured (i) variation, (ii) durability and (iii) expansion of the GHC behaviour in four chimpanzee communities that do not systematically differ in their genetic backgrounds and live in similar ecological environments. Ninety chimpanzees were studied for a total of 1029 h; 1394 GHC bouts were observed between 2010 and 2012. Critically, GHC style (defined by points of bodily contact) could be systematically linked to the chimpanzee's group identity, showed temporal consistency both within and between groups, and could not be accounted for by the arm-length differential between partners. GHC has been part of the behavioural repertoire of the chimpanzees under study for more than 9 years (surpassing durability criterion) and spread across generations (surpassing expansion criterion). These results strongly indicate that chimpanzees' social behaviour is not only motivated by innate predispositions and individual inclinations, but may also be partly cultural in nature.


The Supreme Court decision finds an employer privileged not to bargain with the union over a decision to eliminate a portion of operations (by not renewing a contract with a particular customer), undertaken entirely for economic reasons turning not at all on labor costs, and without animus to the union. No such case has ever been presented to the National Labor Relations Board, and interviews with the principals reveals that these were not the facts of First National Maintenance either. The case was a carefully-constructed hypothetical that omitted key facts, such as the employer's history of illegal conduct to avoid recognizing the same union at other locations. Subsequent Board cases reveal that all real-world examples of employers that refuse to bargain over downsizing, also involve some combination of union animus, planning to do the work at another location, or attempts to avoid bargaining over clearly bargainable issues. The application of FNM to such cases remains conjectural. The drafting of the opinion is traced through Supreme Court memoranda and drafts and reveals no clear decision on the issues that actually arise. Issues that arise today involving union representation of janitors arise outside the FNM framework, notably whether to follow Canadian practice and typically find janitors employed, jointly or individually, by the owners of the building they clean.


This paper examines the potential for developing a macadamia nut value chain within Southern Africa, while also exploring the potential for incorporating smallholder producers into the macadamia nut industry. Using the country case studies of South Africa, Mozambique and Malawi, the paper examines the development of the macadamia nut sector in each country, highlighting the challenges faced and positive developments made in incorporating smallholders into the sector, and examining the role of African markets and producers in the international trade in macadamia nuts. The paper concludes with an understanding of the specific requirements policymakers would need to implement if a regional value chain were to be developed for the macadamia nut industry.


Abstract: As the names 'Facebook' and 'YouTube' suggest, we are increasingly experiencing our being via technologies of mediation. Brian Rotman has expressed this phenomenon as a process of 'becoming beside ourselves,' which suggests the displacement of fixed notions of being by processual notions of becoming, and the way in which these processes are taking us beyond defined notions of selfhood. In this paper I want to explore McLuhan's foundational theories of mediation as they pertain to the increasingly relational sense of being emerging from the mediascape, and what the implications are for our ideas of learning, taking as my point of departure McLuhan's comment that media are effecting 'an evolutionary [shift] from biology to technology' in which 'the body becomes the old hardware environment,' and 'media [the] means of extending and enlarging our organic sense lives into our environment.'


Seagrass communities are a vital component of estuarine ecosystems, but are threatened by projected sea level rise (SLR) and temperature increases with climate change. To understand these potential effects, we developed a spatially explicit model that represents seagrass (Zostera marina) habitat and estuary-wide productivity for Barnegat Bay-Little Egg Harbor (BB-LEH) in New Jersey, United States. Our modeling approach included an offline coupling of a numerical seagrass biomass model with the spatially variable environmental conditions from a hydrodynamic model to calculate above and belowground biomass at each grid cell of the hydrodynamic model domain. Once calibrated to represent present day seagrass habitat and estuary-wide annual productivity, we applied combinations of increasing air temperature and sea level following regionally specific climate change projections, enabling analysis of the individual and combined impacts of these variables on seagrass biomass and spatial coverage. Under the SLR scenarios, the current model domain boundaries were maintained, as the land surrounding BB-LEH is unlikely to shift significantly in the future. SLR caused habitat extent to decrease dramatically, pushing seagrass beds toward the coastline with increasing depth, with a 100% loss of habitat by the maximum SLR scenario. The dramatic loss of seagrass habitat under SLR was in part due to the assumption that surrounding land would not be inundated, as the model did not allow for habitat expansion outside the current boundaries of the bay. Temperature increases slightly elevated the rate of summer die-off and decreased habitat area only under the highest temperature increase scenarios. In combined scenarios, the effects of SLR far outweighed the effects of temperature increase. Sensitivity analysis of the model revealed the greatest sensitivity to changes in parameters affecting light limitation and seagrass mortality, but no sensitivity to changes in nutrient limitation constants. The high vulnerability of seagrass in the bay to SLR exceeded that demonstrated for other systems, highlighting the importance of site- and region-specific assessments of estuaries under climate change.


The aim of this study was to assess the preoperative thickness lateral trochanteric wall as a predictor of postoperative lateral wall fracture in intertrochanteric fracture treated by dynamic hip screw fixation. A Radiograph based Comparative study involved 66 patients with intertrochanteric fracture treated by dynamic hip screw fixation.
All patients had an intact lateral wall preoperatively and were AO/OTA 31 A1 and AO/OTA 31 A2 fractures. Mean age of the patients was 75 years. All patients were followed up with x-ray at 1 month and 6 months postoperatively. Age, gender, side of fracture, type of fracture as per AO/OTA classification, the pre-operative thickness of the lateral trochanteric wall, the tip-apex distance and the status of the trochanteric wall after 6 months from surgery were subjected to analysis. Radiographs were retrieved from the Picture Archive and Communication System and thickness of the lateral wall calculated. Measurements were corrected for magnification using the radiological magnification factor. Of the 66 patients, a fracture of the lateral wall occurred in 26 patients (39.39%). The lateral was intact in 40 patients (60.61%). The mean pre-operative thickness of the lateral wall of the 26 patients with a lateral wall fracture was 17.8 mm (SD-6.45) compared to 26.9 mm (SD-6.93) in 40 patients without a lateral wall fracture.
The mean thickness of trochanteric wall in 39 patients with A1 fracture was 27.5 mm (SD=7.17) whereas the mean thickness in A2 type fracture (27 cases) was 17.3 mm (SD=4.88).74.07% of patients with A2 type fracture developed a fracture of the lateral wall whereas only 15.38% of A1 type fracture had a fracture of lateral wall after a six months follow-up. Factors like age at the time of operation, gender, side of fracture, tip-apex distance (if less than 25 mm) has no significant relation with development of post-operative lateral wall fracture.
In summary, when the lateral wall thickness is less than 20.55 mm there is significantly high chance of lateral wall getting fractured if fixed with a DHS alone.


In this study, a methodology has been suggested to monitor patient dissatisfaction in hospitals. The proposed methodology uses the service quality (SERVQUAL) scale and statistical process control charts, namely standardised u-control chart. An empirical research including 618 random samples is conducted to show how the proposed methodology works in practice. A survey study based on the SERVQUAL scale is performed to obtain patient dissatisfaction level with respect to five major criteria, namely tangibility, reliability, responsiveness, assurance and empathy, in a public hospital in Istanbul, Turkey. This study extends the current limited researches related to monitoring and obliterating patient dissatisfaction in hospital services. The current study also contributes to the literature on health-care research in the context of service business by proposing a methodology to monitor patient dissatisfaction in hospitals. The findings show that the proposed methodology can be easily and efficiently conducted in practice.


ABSTRACT Mole-rats are known to use their protruding, chisel-like incisors to dig underground networks of tunnels, but it remains unknown how these incisors are used to break and displace the soil. Theoretically, different excavation strategies can be used. Mole-rats could either use their head depressor muscles to power scooping motions of the upper incisors (by nose-down head rotations) or the lower incisors (by nose-up head rotations), or their jaw adductors to grab and break the soil after penetrating both sets of incisors into the ground, or a combination of these mechanisms. To identify how chisel-tooth digging works, a kinematic analysis of this behaviour was performed based on high-speed videos of 19 individuals from the African mole-rat species Fukomys micklemi placed inside transparent tubes in a laboratory setting. Our analysis showed that the soil is penetrated by both the upper and lower incisors at a relatively high gape angle, generally with the head rotated nose-up. Initially, the upper incisors remain approximately stationary to function as an anchor to allow an upward movement of the lower incisors to grab the soil. Next, a quick, nose-down rotation of the head further detaches the soil and drops the soil below the head. Consequently, both jaw adduction and head depression are jointly used to power tooth-digging in F. micklemi. The same mechanism, but with longer digging cycles, and soil being thrown down at smaller gape sizes, was used when digging in harder soil. Summary: During digging, mole-rats anchor their upper incisors in the soil while the lower incisors are lifted through the soil. A quick, nose-down rotation of the head finishes an excavation cycle.


In the present study a mathematical model is developed in order to examine the effects of heat and mass transfers on removal efficiency of particulate matters in venturi type scrubbers. The governing equations including the variations of the particulate concentration, gas temperature, droplet temperature, diameter, and velocity are obtained based on the conservation laws and are solved numerically. In order to validate the model, necessary data was measured and collected in a commercial cement plant that uses these types of scrubbers in air pollution control applications. A good agreement between plant data and the model predictions is noticed in general. The results obtained from the model reveal that the existance of temperature difference between the gas and the liquid droplets decreases the overall removal efficiency of particulate matters. This is due to sudden reduction of relative velocity between the gas and droplets which is resulted from the existence of heat and mass transfers between the two fluids, especially in the throat section. In addition, the effects of various operating parameters on the extent of reduction in the removal efficiency are examined. This study confirms that in most industrial applications of venturi scrubbers it is necessary to use a direct or an indirect cooling tower in order to decrease the gas temperature before entering the venturi.


Many of the central concerns of international relations—war, diplomatic relations, international trade and investment, and alliance politics—are also central to the state-making processes that are essential for the survival of states. The overlap between international relations and state making is profound but largely unrecognized. I present a framework emphasizing connections across these currently disparate areas of scholarship, thereby providing a more comprehensive basis for IR research. The framework I advance emphasizes the pursuit of capacity and legitimacy throughout a state's existence, suggests new research topics, and raises new concerns about research design.


Treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) was revolutionized during the last decade with the development of new biologic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) enabling the targeting of immune cells and cytokines other than tumor necrosis factor (TNF). Subcutaneous formulations of the newer biologic DMARDs facilitate not only patients' emancipation from the hospital, but reduce both societal and medical costs. Intravenous tocilizumab (TCZ) in RA has an efficacy and safety profile similar to anti-TNF in both the short and long-term. However, TCZ can be administered in monotherapy without loss of efficacy when patients do not tolerate methotrexate or synthetic DMARDs. TCZ is consistently found superior to methotrexate and possibly superior to adalimumab in monotherapy in randomized controlled trials. Subcutaneous administration of TCZ is as effective and safe as its intravenous administration in RA patients during the first year of treatment. Similar to intravenous TCZ, patients' weight and possibly previous use of anti-TNF influence the efficacy of subcutaneous TCZ. Additionally, combination with synthetic DMARDs seems to expose RA patients to more adverse events independently of its administration route. Pharmacokinetics of different administration routes could potentially lead to differences in efficacy, adverse events, and auto-immunogenicity. The concentration of free TCZ before new TCZ dose (C trough) is higher in the subcutaneous route, while the maximal concentration of free TCZ is higher in the intravenous route. The subcutaneous dosages of TCZ 162 mg every week, and every 2 weeks in RA patients with low body weight (<60 kg) work well. Nevertheless, dosage and intervals of subcutaneous TCZ administration could be adjusted during the course of treatment since 80% of non-Japanese RA patients with usually higher body weight achieved similar efficacy with the low TCZ dosage in combination with a synthetic DMARD. Patients want effective, easy-to-administer therapy with sustained prolonged efficacy without the need of polypharmacy and with minimal to no side effects. Subcutaneous TCZ in RA patients in monotherapy seems to live up to patients' expectations.


The one-dimensional non-equilibrium flow of a pure monatomic plasma in a deLaval nozzle has been numerically calculated. The plasma has been considered as a mixture of perfect gases whose components are reacting chemically with finite reaction rates. Two simultaneous differential equations describing the gas dynamic behavior, coupled with non-equilibrium chemistry, have been derived. A general recombination coefficient which allows variation of both temperature and density dependence has been used. The numerical integration was started from an equilibrium flow of helium for which the stagnation temperature = 28,522 °K, the stagnation degree of ionization = .50, and the critical mass flow rate = 1.35951 gm/sec. The nozzle used was quasi-conical with a half angle of 30 degrees and a throat area of 1/8 inch. The gas used was helium. The assumptions were that the flow was steady, inviscid, adiabatic, and one-dimensional; that there were no body forces present; that diffusion currents were negligible; and that chemical reactions with the nozzle walls were negligible. The results obtained specifically indicate that if the integration is started from an equilibrium flow in which the frozen Mach number is less than unity, there is a unique starting point for which the flow will become supersonic. The results also indicate that the effects of density dependence of the reaction rate can be significant.


Recent studies on oil market demonstrate endogeneity of oil price by modeling it as a function of consumption and precautionary demands and producers' supply. However, studies analysing the effect of oil price uncertainty on investment, do not disentangle uncertainties raised by underlying components playing a role in oil market. Accordingly, this study investigates the relationship between investment and uncertainty for a panel of U.S. firms operating in oil and gas industry with a new approach. We decompose oil price volatility to be driven by structural shocks that are recognized in oil market literature, over and above other determinants, to study whether investment uncertainty relationship depends on the drivers of uncertainty. Our findings suggest that oil market uncertainty lowers investment only when it is caused by global consumption demand shocks. Stock market uncertainty is found to have a negative effect on investment with a year of delay. The results suggest no positive relation between irreversible investment and uncertainty, but interestingly, positive relation exists for reversible investment. This finding is in line with the option theory of investment and implies that irreversibility effect of increased uncertainty dominates the traditional convexity effect.


This PhD thesis addresses the legal system of European water management and more specifically the role of transboundary water pollution in this system. It focuses on the question of whether the system ensures that the beneficial uses of international river basins are shared in a reasonable and equitable manner among riparian states, without negatively affecting water quality. Neither international law nor European legislation defines what exactly constitutes reasonable and equitable distribution and no independent criterion exists based on which a certain distribution can be declared to be fair or unfair in advance, and using which such a distribution can be made. For this reason, this study uses a procedural fairness concept, based inter alia on the UN Watercourses Convention: if the riparian states involved use a certain fair procedure to determine the distribution and if this includes certain explicitly defined factors such as geography, the environment and socio-economic needs, the result of this procedure is considered to be reasonable and equitable. European law apparently decided to have Member States themselves determine this distribution in mutual consultation: it is true that the EU imposes requirements for water quality, but it includes no instructions on how the resulting 'pollution allowance' (verontreinigingsruimte) should be distributed among the riparian states in a river basin. The Member States are obliged, however, to cooperate with the other riparian states in the river basin. Although a large number of instruments is available for cooperation on both the local and regional level as well as on the level of the Member States, so far international management plans governing the Dutch river basins include no arrangements regarding the distribution of pollution allowance or regarding the restriction of transboundary pollution, which for the Netherlands remains a significant problem. One of the causes of this patchy cooperation is the difference in organisational structures on either side of the border and the fact that European legislation does not actually require cooperation to result in distribution arrangements regarding pollution allowances. The fact that transboundary pollution is not countered by cross-border cooperation poses some serious threats to water management authorities, as they are bound by European law to various obligations of result and obligations of best efforts regarding the required water quality. Although international law, European law and national law offer legal instruments to enforce reasonable and equitable sharing of the pollution allowance, and – if enforcement fails – allow for damages to be paid, these instruments only really work if such a distribution is determined up front. This thesis concludes that the current system of European water management is incomplete since it doesn't provide for a reasonable and equitable sharing of the beneficial uses of international river basins, leaving too much room for transboundary pollution and thereby endangering water quality. This thesis also contains recommendations to change the system and ensure that a reasonable and equitable distribution is made.


This paper presents a duality theory for
solving concave minimization problem and nonconvex quadratic
programming problem subjected to nonlinear inequality
constraints.
 By use of the canonical dual transformation
 developed recently, two canonical dual problems are formulated, respectively.
 These two dual problems are perfectly dual
 to the primal problems with zero duality gap.
 It is proved that the sufficient conditions for global minimizers and
 local extrema (both minima and maxima) are controlled
by the triality theory discovered recently [5].
 This triality theory can be used to develop certain useful
 primal-dual methods for solving difficult nonconvex minimization problems.
 Results shown that the difficult quadratic minimization problem with quadratic constraint
 can be converted into a one-dimensional dual problem, which can be solved completely to
 obtain all KKT points and global minimizer.


We investigate the effect of search frictions on labor market sorting by constructing a model which is in line with recent evidence that employers collect a pool of applicants before interviewing a subset of them. In this environment, we derive the necessary and sufficient conditions for sorting in applications as well as matches. We show that positive sorting is obtained when production complementarities outweigh a force against sorting measured by a quality-quantity elasticity. Interestingly, we find that the required degree of production complementarity for positive sorting is increasing in the number of interviews: it ranges from square-root-supermodularity if each firm can interview a single applicant to log-supermodularity if each firm can interview all its applicants.<br>


The 1950s - Liberty bodices, suspender belts, little blue waxed paper twists of salt in packets of crisps, black Bakelite phones, and Ford Populars, Sooty puppets and Meccano sets. The 1960s - Ready Steady Go, Radio Luxembourg, 'going to work on an egg', Lambrettas, mini cars and skirts, Biba and The Beatles. If these allusions evoke a wave of nostalgia, then you are undoubtedly a 'baby-boomer', a child of 1950s Britain who grew up in the best of times and lived, loved and laughed your way through adolescence to adulthood in the changing times of the 1960s. Alison Pressley has collected personal reminiscences from all over the country and from widely different backgrounds. The funny, poignant, sometimes sad vignettes will take you back to the 1950s childhood innocence and the fab days of the 1960s that we thought would never end.


Adolescents constitute a large percentage of the population, have a distinct pattern of health and illness, and are one subset of the population that has experienced little or least improvement in overall health status over the past 40 years.

In most developed countries young people aged between 10 and 20 years account for 13-15% of the population. The World Health Organization classifies young people as 10-24 year olds, with adolescence (10-19 years) and youth (15-24 years) overlapping within that age range. There were 7.6 million adolescents aged 10-19 years in the United Kingdom in mid-2000, making up 12.7% of the population. Projections suggest that the numbers of adolescents will grow by 8.5% between 1998 and 2011.

Causes of death in 15-19 year olds in United Kingdom, 1997

Health problems among adolescents seem to be increasing. This partly reflects a rise in the proportions of black and other ethnic minority groups in the adolescent population. Ethnic diversity is greater in young people than in the general UK population, and minority ethnicity is linked to poor health outcomes in adolescence, such as suicide, teenage pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections, and mental disorders; the most plausible link is through socioeconomic disadvantage.

UK population by age, mid-2000

Disease and health behaviours in adolescents have patterns that are distinct from those of children or adults. In particular, adolescent mortality and morbidity rates show worrying trends in national priority areas such as mental health—for example, male suicide, sexual health (teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections), and cardiovascular risk (obesity and type 2 diabetes).

Age distribution of ethnic groups in United Kingdom, 2001-2

The considerable recent improvements seen in mortality in 1-4 year olds have not been matched in adolescents, and death rates among 15-19 year olds are now higher than in the 1-4 year age group. This …


If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life, it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast. "It's great, hey? It's a feast, Paris." "Yes, I said, "but it's a sort of moveable feast, isn't it? It leaves you with memories so powerful that you can never really forget them. They stay with you forever." --Satterthwait, Masquerade (242) In the passages above, Ernest Hemingway's celebrated metaphor for Paris has traveled from the title page of A Moveable Feast to settle into the dialogue of a contemporary detective novel, Masquerade, by Walter Satterthwait. In the course of the trip, moreover, Ernest Hemingway has been transformed into a fictional character whose words serve to prompt the remark now attributed to the novel's female hero. Of course, Hemingway's seminal story of Paris in the 1920s was written years later in America, and immediate and ongoing questions were raised about its accuracy as memoir. Indeed, by the writer's own prefatory admission, A Moveable Feast is, as its title suggests, uneasily contained within traditional generic boundaries: "If the reader prefers, this book may be regarded as fiction. But there is always the chance that such a book of fiction may throw some light on what has been written as fact." (1) Similar complexity characterizes the current cultural and literary phenomenon that within the last 15 years has once again led a remarkable number of contemporary American writers to turn their attention to France. A body of work initially dominated by cultural historians, anthropologists, sociologists, and journalists (for example, Richard Bernstein, Robert Daley, Richard Kuisel, Jean-Philippe Mathy) has of late increasingly included the output of essayists (for example, Adam Gopnik, David Sedaris), memoirists (for example, Art Buchwald, Edmund White), and, especially, novelists (for example, Diane Johnson, Claire Messud, Edmund White, Lily King).The contributions of these last mark the emergence of what can be considered a cultural counterpart to a process of globalization that has too frequently been seen as predominantly economic and political in nature. The novels in question also suggest that contemporary American fiction set in France is generally characterized by aspects of postmodern writing (see Durham). That detective novels and mysteries should constitute a distinctive and substantial subcategory of this corpus is in no way surprising; even Peter Mayle, whose best-selling nonfictional books about Provence have helped to create an audience for contemporary English-language texts about France, has lately turned his attention to light-hearted romantic mysteries. The plotlines and characters of what Carolyn Dever and Margaret Cohen see as the most popular genre of the twentieth century frequently appear in mainstream fiction about France as intertextual allusions (23-24; see, for example, Johnson). Moreover, within postmodern theory, the mystery novel or detective story has come to represent an international and hybrid art form, one that transcends both geographic and generic boundaries (see, for example, Collins and Hutcheon). In an introduction to the work of the French novelist Estelle Monbrun, whose own recent examples of the Franco-American polar (detective novel) traverse national and aesthetic boundaries, Pierre Verdaguer stresses the thematic and stylistic flexibility of the form: "It allows every kind of mixture and can sometimes support the juxtaposition of cultural registers usually deemed incompatible" (356). Within the "mixture" of recent American detective novels about France--which include Cara Black's new series of murder mysteries set in 1993-94 in different quartiers of Paris and Sarah Smith's trilogy of historical mysteries set in America and France in the first decade of the twentieth century--I want to focus on a group of three texts whose similarities cannot be attributed to the particular vision of a single author. …


The topic of this dissertation is the Ergativity in Basque. The author adopts the Chomsky" Minimalist Program framework (1993), and it exhibits three related empirical domains: the nature of subjects, the dative case and the Split Ergativity. @@ The ergative case system is different form the more familiar nominative/accusative system in that it exhibits different markings of transitive and intransitive subjects: transitive subjects are marked for the Ergative case and intransitive subjects for the Absolutive case, like transitive objects. Following Bobaljik (1993) and Laka (1993) (but see Murasugi (1992) for a different proposal). The author propose the theory that the Ergative is indeed the case of subjects in Basque, in contrast to the nominative/accusative subject which bears the Absolutive case. @@ The author differs from Bobaljik"s proposal concerning non-finite sentences. In control-type nonfinite sentences (Ortiz de Urbina, 1986), the intransitive subject has to be null, just the same as the transitive one. To account for this phenomenon, the author proposes that non-finite Tense checks an obligatorily activated null case. Therefore, both transitive and intransitive subjects are realized as PRO. @@ In the framework assumed, structural cases are checked in the Specifier of Agreement heads. This structural requirement is visible in Basque as an overt agreement for Ergative and Absolutive. Since the Inflection also grees with Datives, Basque Dative is analyzed as a structural case (cf. Cheng & Demirdache, 1993; Lopez & Austin, 1995). This increases Chomsky"s (1993) crossing paths problem by adding a third A-movement path. @@ In the proposal defended by the author, this problem does not arise. The author proposes that the functional head licensing Absolutive is situated lower down in the structure than the position where the subject is base-generated; i.e., the Absolutive is checked in a functional Spec between VP-shells. This proposal has also been independently formulated by Collins & Thrainsson (1993). @@ Apart from the general pattern sketched above, Basque shows a phenomenon known as the Split Ergativity. Typologists (Dixon, 1994), which proposes the concept of a Split Ergativity if a language combines properties of ergative and nominative/accusative systems. Basque has two kinds of Split Ergativity. One is based on the semantic nature of the predicate, the other one on the semantic nature of the NP arguments. @@ The split based on predicate types is analyzed as ephiphenomenal: the apparently exceptional behavior of unergative predicates is believed to proceed from an underlyingly transitive representation in Lexical Relational Structure (Hale & Keyser, 1993). If the object is incorporated in the lexicon, the predicate behaves as an intransitive in syntax and its only syntactic argument is assigned Absolutive case. If the object does not incorporate in the lexicon, it is visible in syntax (incorporating at Logical Form), and the predicate behaves as a transitive licensing Ergative case. @@ Bound vs. free split (Dixon, 1994) concerns the semantic nature of NP arguments. In the past tense, first and second person subjects carrying Ergative agree with an Absolutive prefix in the auxiliary, if the object is a third person. Concerning these configurations, I propose that the Ergative argument does not check its features in the canonical way. Instead, it moves towards an Absolutive agreement and to an Ergative case position. The Absolutive argument only checks its case, but no agreement. I call this mechanism Split checking of nominal-features


We propose and analyze a new estimator of the covariance matrix that admits strong theoretical guarantees under weak assumptions on the underlying distribution, such as existence of moments of only low order. While estimation of covariance matrices corresponding to sub-Gaussian distributions is well-understood, much less in known in the case of heavy-tailed data. As K. Balasubramanian and M. Yuan write, "data from real-world experiments oftentimes tend to be corrupted with outliers and/or exhibit heavy tails. In such cases, it is not clear that those covariance matrix estimators .. remain optimal" and "..what are the other possible strategies to deal with heavy tailed distributions warrant further studies." We make a step towards answering this question and prove tight deviation inequalities for the proposed estimator that depend only on the parameters controlling the "intrinsic dimension" associated to the covariance matrix (as opposed to the dimension of the ambient space); in particular, our results are applicable in the case of high-dimensional observations.


The recognition that Web 2.0 applications and social media sites will strengthen and improve interaction between governments and citizens has resulted in a global push into new e-democracy or Government 2.0 spaces. These typically follow government-to-citizen (g2c) or citizen-to-citizen (c2c) models, but both these approaches are problematic: g2c is often concerned more with service delivery to citizens as clients, or exists to make a show of 'listening to the public' rather than to genuinely source citizen ideas for government policy, while c2c often takes place without direct government participation and therefore cannot ensure that the outcomes of citizen deliberations are accepted into the government policy-making process. Building on recent examples of Australian Government 2.0 initiatives, we suggest a new approach based on government support for citizen-to-citizen engagement, or g4c2c, as a workable compromise, and suggest that public service broadcasters should play a key role in facilitating this model of citizen engagement.


In 1706, Samuel Clarke, Newtonian and theologian, engaged in a debate with Anthony Collins, deist and country gentleman, over the nature of the soul and matter. Both men were responding to the work of Henry Dodwell, who earlier that year suggested that the soul was a substance naturally mortal, which was given immortality by God alone. While historians have long noted this debate, the underlying assumptions and intellectual debts of both Clarke and Collins have not been fully explored. Clarke's arguments clearly revealed his Newtonianism and, what is more, it is now evident that he shared Newton's conception of the soul. Collins followed a deist interpretation of both the soul and matter, a view first proposed by the deist John Toland. This article brings these assumptions to light and in so doing, demonstrates that Clarke was even more Newtonian than was previously thought and that deists shared more of a worldview than the denial of revelation.


The tacit assumption that increased product modularity is associated with advantageous increases in organizational modularity underlies much of the literature on modularity. Previous empirical investigations of this assumption, few in number, have faced numerous confounding factors and generated conflicting results. I build a causal model for the relationship between product and organizational modularity, which I test using a distinctive empirical setting that controls for confounding factors present in previous studies. I find support for only part of the assumed relationship, showing that modularity is a more multi-faceted concept than previously recognized. In particular, increased product modularity enhances reconfigurability of organizations more quickly than it allows firms to move activities out of hierarchy. The paper contributes to the emerging stream of research that focuses on the previously under-appreciated costs of designing and maintaining a modular organization.


Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) have now earned the reputation as "artificial receptors" or "plastic antibodies". As the mimics of natural receptors, MIPs are reminiscent of some basic functions of natural receptors in living systems, e.g., the ability to interact with or recognize cells. The latest decade has witnessed a great advance in MIPs from simple molecular extraction to efficient cell recognition, implying that MIP-based synthetic receptors are approaching to be perfectly functioning replicates of their natural counterparts. With the most emerging development in molecular imprinting, MIP-mediated cell recognition has now shown great promise in cell biology research, theranostics and regenerative medicine. This tutorial review provides a panoramic view of current MIPs for both microorganism and mammalian cell recognition. The most representative developments of MIP-mediated cell recognition, from initial imprinting strategies to eventual bio-related applications, are highlighted.


Chlorination of drinking water has eradicated most waterborne disease epidemics. However, small water-supply systems struggle to maintain water quality and aging water-distribution systems are prone to contamination. By the year 2025, California's projected population of 48 million will demand between 1 trillion and 5 trillion gallons per year. Municipal demands clearly will exceed the currently available supply of tap water, forcing conservation and reuse. Future regulations are expected to focus on the quality of the water flowing from the user's tap, rather than the quality exiting the water-treatment facility. As little as 16% of the water treated and conforming to drinking-water health standards is likely to come into direct contact with humans, such as for bathing and drinking. Development of dual water-distribution systems would separate water destined for human consumption from that destined for firefighting, toilet flushing and other domestic uses. As industry manufactures new compounds for drugs, antibiotics, household products and so on, water treatment must be modified to remove or neutralize these new contaminants. Monitoring for new and chlorine-resistant pathogens is also needed.


Using the sensitive high resolution ion microprobe (SHRIMP), U-Pb ages have been determined for zircons separated from rhyolitic obsidian from the Tardree (Sandy Braes) Rhyolite Centre and granites of the Mourne Mountains and Slieve Gullion central igneous complexes of the British Tertiary Volcanic Province. These ages (Tardree, 58.4 ±0.7 Ma; Mourne, 56.4 ±1.4 Ma and 55.3 ± 0.8 Ma and Slieve Gullion, 56.5 ±1.3 Ma) are in close agreement (within error) with results from independent dating methods (Rb-Sr, K-Ar and 40Ar/39Ar) and are interpreted as crystallization ages. The euhedral, clear, bipyramidal nature of all separated zircons is indicative of a magmatic origin and, combined with the paucity of zircon grains with any history of inheritance, has implications for granite petrogenesis. When considered with recently published high-precision 40Ar/39Ar ages for sanidine separates from the Hebrides, these data help to establish a timeframe for Tertiary magmatism in the NW British sector of the North Atlantic Tertiary Volcanic Province and show that central complex magmatism in NE Ireland was confined to the later stages of activity.


In automated negotiation systems consisting of self-interested agents, contracts have traditionally been binding. Leveled commitment contracts | i.e. contracts where each party can decommit by paying a predetermined penalty | were recently shown to improve Pareto ef-ciency even if agents rationally decommit in Nash equilibrium using innated thresholds on how good their outside ooers must be before they decommit. This paper operationalizes the four leveled commitment contracting protocols by presenting algorithms for using them. Algorithms are presented for computing the Nash equilibrium decom-mitting thresholds and decommitting probabilities given the contract price and the penalties. Existence and uniqueness of the equilibrium are analyzed. Algorithms are also presented for optimizing the contract itself (price and penalties). Existence and uniqueness of the optimum are analyzed. Using the algorithms we ooer a contract optimization service on the web as part of eMediator, our next generation electronic commerce server. Finally, the algorithms are generalized to contracts involving more than two agents.


Remote patient monitoring (RPM) of physiological measurements can provide an efficient method and high quality care to patients. The physiological signals measurement is the initial and the most important factor in RPM. This paper discusses the characteristics of the most popular sensors, which are used to obtain vital clinical signals in prevalent RPM systems.

The sensors discussed in this paper are used to measure ECG, heart sound, pulse rate, oxygen saturation, blood pressure and respiration rate, which are treated as the most important vital data in patient monitoring and medical examination.


To help determine the measurable impact of counterterrorism laws on humanitarian action, the Counterterrorism and Humanitarian Engagement (CHE) Project at the Harvard Law School Program on International Law and Armed Conflict collected data from humanitarian actors demonstrating the impact (or lack thereof) of counterterrorism laws and regulations on humanitarian organizations and their work. The Pilot Empirical Survey Study on the Impact of Counterterrorism Measures on Humanitarian Action (by Jessica S. Burniske and Naz K. Modirzadeh, March 2017) captures the resulting initial attempt at a pilot empirical study in this domain. Modirzadeh wrote a Comment on the Study (March 2017). That Comment raises considerations for states and donors, for humanitarian organizations, and for researchers.


Pastor and Stambaugh's (PS 2003) aggregate liquidity innovations can be closely replicated, as can their traded factor based on historically estimated liquidity betas, which performs even stronger out of sample. This factor's performance is highly sensitive to construction details, however, and exhibits significantly weaker performance when rebalanced at its natural monthly frequency, or when constructed using either more or less extreme sorts. Their predicted liquidity risk factor is more difficult to replicate, and difficult to interpret because characteristics chosen to predict liquidity risk introduce mechanical relations to other known anomalies. Contrary to the claims of PS, liquidity risk appears essentially unrelated to momentum. JEL classification: G11, G12.