As 98 percent of shoppers do not make a purchase on the first visit, we study the problem of predicting whether they would come back for a purchase later (i.e., conversion prediction). This problem is important for strategizing "retargeting", for example, by sending coupons for customers who are likely to convert. For this goal, we study the following two problems, prediction of market and predictability of customer. First, prediction of market aims at identifying a conversion rate for a given product and its customer behavior modeling, which is an important analytics metric for retargeting process. Compared to existing approaches using either of customer or product-level conversion pattern, we propose a joint modeling of both patterns based on the well-studied buying decision process. Second, we can observe customer-specific behaviors after showing retargeting ads, to predict whether this specific customer follows the market model (high predictability) or not (low predictability). For the former, we apply the market model, and for the latter, we propose a new customer-specific prediction based on dynamic ad behavior features. To evaluate the effectiveness of our methods, we perform extensive experiments on the simulated dataset generated based on a set of real-world web logs and retargeting campaign logs. The evaluation results show that conversion predictions and predictability by our approach are consistently more accurate and robust than those by existing baselines in dynamic market environment.


Abstract. The Fengyun-4A (FY-4A) is a relatively new geostationary satellite launched by the National Satellite Meteorological Center of China in 2016. With its Advanced Geosynchronous Radiation Imager (AGRI) instrument, FY-4A was able to provide a Fire and Hotspot product (FHS). This study explored the use of the FHS product in detecting wildfires and was compared to the similar fire detection product of the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) with the goal of assessing its effectiveness in the early detection and monitoring of wildfires. The FY-4A FHS and the VIIRS fire detection products have spatial resolutions of 2 km and 375 m, and temporal resolutions of 15 minutes and 12 hours, respectively. The results of the comparative study showed that the FY-4A FHS product generated false negative results for detecting wildfires smaller than 20 pixels of VIIRS data (∼2.82 km2), at less than 4 MW of radiative power, and brightness temperature lower than 330 K. The FY-4A FHS product was also shown to be 50% accurate (1 correct and 1 false negative out of 2 samples) in detecting large wildfires (>2.5 km2) with high radiative power (>4 MW) and high brightness temperature (>330 K). Lower accuracy may also be attributed to the presence of clouds that tend to obscure satellite images leading to an even lower accuracy of wildfire detection. For future studies, it is recommended that a comparison of the FY-4A FHS product be made with a more similar instrument, for example, the Advanced Himawari Imager 8/9 (AHI 8/9). It is also recommended to improve the fire and hotspot algorithm by incorporating a Normalized Brightness Temperature Difference Index (NBTDI) or by incorporating diurnal temperature cycle modelling for the older FY-2G data. Lastly, if available, a more reliable accuracy assessment can be done using FHS products of higher spatial resolution (at least 500 m).


The life cycle of a solar park made using organic photovoltaic (OPV) technology is assessed here. The modules have been fabricated in a pilot scale plant and they have been installed together with other components to evaluate the balance of system, in a solar park located in Denmark. Three possible waste management practices have been contemplated for the end of life of the solar park: recycling, incineration or the average local mix. The assessment of the environmental impacts of such a system reveals that silver used in the electrodes is overall the largest source of impacts, such as chemical pollution and metal depletion. The establishment of resource recovery systems for the end-of-life management of the OPV modules is therefore crucial to reduce overall environmental impacts. Liability on the manufacturers or on the operators should be implemented. The electricity produced from OPV solar parks yields similar footprints to other traditional energy technologies; e.g. coal and natural gas. However, when the efficiency of the OPV modules is increased from 1% to 5% they are comparable to other mature PV technologies already on the market. The effects of outsourcing or exporting the production of the OPV modules from Denmark to China have additionally been studied to determine the most advantageous configuration. The stakeholders should aim at anchoring the manufacturing of solar parks in countries with stringent emission standards and/or high technology efficiencies, e.g. Denmark, and at deploying them in countries with high solar radiation to maximise the environmental benefits of the PV technology.


A dynamic light scattering technique is implemented using optical coherence tomography (OCT) to measure the change in intracellular motion as cells undergo apoptosis. Acute myeloid leukemia cells were treated with cisplatin and imaged at a frame rate of 166 Hz using a 1300 nm swept-source OCT system at various times over a period of 48 h. Time correlation analysis of the speckle intensities indicated a significant increase in intracellular motion 24 h after treatment. This rise in intracellular motion correlated with histological findings of irregularly shaped and fragmented cells indicative of cell membrane blebbing and fragmentation.


An increasing number of programming languages, such as Fortran 90 and APL, are providing a rich set of intrinsic array functions and array expressions. These constructs which constitute an important part of data parallel languages provide excellent opportunities for compiler optimizations. In this paper, we present a new approach to combine consecutive data access patterns of array constructs into a composite access function to the source arrays. Our scheme is based on the composition of access functions, which is similar to a composition of mathematic functions. Our new scheme can handle not only data movements of arrays of different numbers of dimensions and segmented array operations but also masked array expressions and multiple sources array operations. As a result, our proposed scheme is the first synthesis scheme which can synthesize Fortran 90 RESHAPE, EOSHIFT, MERGE, and WHERE constructs together. Experimental results show speedups from 1.21 to 2.95 for code fragments from real applications on a Sequent multiprocessor machine by incorporating the proposed optimizations.


Recent progress on probabilistic modeling and statistical learning, coupled with the availability of large training datasets, has led to remarkable progress in computer vision. Generative probabilistic models, or "analysis-by-synthesis" approaches, can capture rich scene structure but have been less widely applied than their discriminative counterparts, as they often require considerable problem-specific engineering in modeling and inference, and inference is typically seen as requiring slow, hypothesize-and-test Monte Carlo methods. Here we present Picture, a probabilistic programming language for scene understanding that allows researchers to express complex generative vision models, while automatically solving them using fast general-purpose inference machinery. Picture provides a stochastic scene language that can express generative models for arbitrary 2D/3D scenes, as well as a hierarchy of representation layers for comparing scene hypotheses with observed images by matching not simply pixels, but also more abstract features (e.g., contours, deep neural network activations). Inference can flexibly integrate advanced Monte Carlo strategies with fast bottom-up data-driven methods. Thus both representations and inference strategies can build directly on progress in discriminatively trained systems to make generative vision more robust and efficient. We use Picture to write programs for 3D face analysis, 3D human pose estimation, and 3D object reconstruction - each competitive with specially engineered baselines.


This research focuses on the development of the profession of the judicial officer (or bailiff) and the impact of these developments on their education. The Dutch judicial officer developed from humble servant to self-conscious professional. This independence of the profession is visible in the Gerechtsdeurwaarderswet (2001). The judicial officer is considered to be an independent professional with private liability, which has no connection to the court, but works as an independent professional with its own profession. The judicial officer is a practically oriented legal professional. His profession is regulated by law (Gerechtsdeurwaarderswet), and has its own public organization since 2001, the 'Koninklijke Beroepsorganisatie voor Gerechtsdeurwaarders (KBvG)'. Judicial officers are also subject to disciplinary law with both professional and behavioral rules. A judicial officer has specialized knowledge and expertise. He is an expert in seizure law and serving summonses. The judicial officers also have an autonomous and responsible position. They have a monopoly position on the issue of summons, and enforcement law, and thus exert government coercion. The judicial officer aims for the realization of values. In a constitutional state they act as gatekeepers of civil procedure (through issuing subpoenas) and the enforcement of court judgments. He acts from an independent position from which he represents both the interests of the creditors and of the debtors. The legal practice was first isolated from the market to protect the objectivity and to assume social responsibility, but the law of 2001 introduced liberalization: the release of rates for clients and the letting go of the district boundaries. Several published commentaries and interviews clearly show that introduction of market forces has had an profound effect on the daily work of the judicial officer. 1. The relationship between the judicial officers changed. They became competitors rather than colleagues. 2. The relationship with clients changed. The clients of judicial officers also increased their scale, making major clients increasingly powerful. Interviewees spoke about working below cost and for them risky constructions of pre-financing. They also confirmed the existence of no-cure-no-pay contracts and other performance based agreements. Almost all interviewees indicated that the commercialization increasingly entailed risks for the judicial officer. 3. The relationship with the debtors changed. It resulted in less attention to the debtor. The current self-image is hardly determined by an ethical dimension and the collegiate organization. The public interest is thus served less, and their own moral identity disappears. The interviews with the (candidate) judicial officers and other stakeholders confirm this. In this context it is of great importance for the education of candidate-judicial officers to focus on the core values, because due to market forces, de focus on values has decreased and sometimes even appears to disappear. It also shows that a reinforcement of profession ethics is required in to maintain the core values of the profession in a market driven environment. Even the European statute mentions the importance of a high standard of professionalism and ethical values. The core values of the judicial officer are responsibility, independence, objective and integrity.


Noise monitoring using Cirrus sound level was carried out for 30 min at a height of 1.5 m and 1 m away from the chest during October, 2002 covering 73 locations of ~781 MW power plant. Event Leq and LN cycle were studied to identify the noisy machines and to generate baseline data. Lowest avg. noise 70.37 dB(A) was found at control room while the highest avg, 95.91 dB(A) at F. D. Fan with average 88.04± 6.08 dB(A). Compressors generate second highest noise, 89.98 dB(A). Operators of F.D. Fans are having a fare chance of exposure with >90 dB(A) i.e., beyond the prescribed standard. Noise may not jeopardize employee's life immediately but might be the cause of neurobehavioral change, psychological stress and unhappiness in daily life without showing the symptoms of chronic /acute diseases. Measured data has been compared with TLV of American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists. The quality of life of industrial worker is one of the prime factors for production; hence it should not be neglected. Revision of occupational Indian noise standard is recommended at par with International / European standards. Noise-reducing options are also described. This investigation may help the implementing authority to adopt better policy for better work environment.


Intact, electrically excitable fibre bundles were isolated from the fast and slow myotomal muscle of the bullrout ( Myoxocephalus scorpius L.). Power output was measured under conditions simulating their activity in a fish swimming at different speeds. Preparations were subjected to sinusoidal length changes of ±5% of resting length, and stimulated briefly during each cycle. The number and timing of stimuli were adjusted at each cycle frequency to maximise power output. Maximum power was produced at 5–7 Hz for fast fibres (25–35 W kg−1) and 2 Hz for slow fibres (5–8 Wkg−1). Under these conditions, pre-stretch of active muscle provides an important mechanism for storing potential energy for release during the shortening part of the cycle.


A thick sequence of Quaternary laminated silt and clay, sand, gravel, and diamict has recently been proven at Llandudoch (St Dogmaels), west Wales. Most of these deposits accumulated in a tributary valley of Afon (River) Teifi, that formed prior to the last glaciation. The laminated silt and clay occur up to 103 m above present sea level, and are considered to have been deposited in Llyn (Lake) Teifi—a large ice-dammed lake that developed in the Teifi valley as the Irish Sea ice sheet impinged onto the Welsh mainland during the late Devensian. Rhythmic units are interpreted as annual varves, whose composition was determined by the distance from the sediment discharge point. Short-term climate fluctuations during the summer months are evident in some of the varve units. Stratigraphic variations within the laminated deposits are considered to reflect different levels of Llyn Teifi, which varied according to the position of the Irish Sea ice sheet in the Teifi valley and the elevations of three overspill channels. The overlying diamict, sand and gravel deposits are thought to have accumulated close to the ice front as it encroached into Llyn Teifi. During the final retreat of the Irish Sea ice sheet a series of kamiform sand and gravel deposits formed along the margins of the glacier.


A geochemical surfacewater survey, focused on 2nd and 3rd order streams, was carried out in the Oppdal/Berkåk area in Norway. Stream water was collected at 168 sample sites, covering a 1500-km2 survey area. Electrical conductivity, pH, alkalinity and temperature were recorded in the field. Electrical conductivity and pH were also determined once more in the laboratory. The cations Br, Cl, F, NO2, NO3, PO4 and SO4 were determined by ion-chromatography (IC) on unacidified, laboratory filtered samples. Inductively coupled plasma quadrupole mass spectrometry (ICP-QMS) was used to analyse field filtered and acidified samples for 63 elements. In addition, inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) was used to determine 27 elements. One aim of the survey was to test whether today's ICP-QMS analyses are sensitive enough to directly use surface water efficiently for gold prospecting. The two known gold occurrences in the area are marked by low level Au anomalies in stream water (0.006 µg/l). These values are just above the detection limit of 0.001 µg/l and it must be concluded that today's detection limits are still not low enough to use stream water for routine Au (and In) prospecting. The anions as determined by IC were most problematic in terms of number of samples below detection limit. Increased anthropogenic activities in the lowlands are marked by slightly enhanced NO3 values in the streams. An As, Mo, Sb, V anomaly marks the main skiing area near Oppdal but is probably geogenic. In general surface water geochemistry of, for example, Ca, Ce, Cu, K, La, Rb, SO4 and Sr reflects the geology of the area well. Methodological tests indicate that it should be sufficient to take unfiltered samples in the field and to filter and acidify these in the evening at home base. The dataset provides a good overview of background concentrations and variation of almost 70 chemical elements in stream water from a remote northern European survey area. Supplementary material: Table S1 showing the analytical program, isotopes measured and detection limits, Table S2 with analytical results of the international reference materials used for quality control and Fig. S1 with geochemical maps for all elements are available at: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.4012885


Robots and other artificial intelligence-based technologies are increasingly outperforming humans in jobs previously thought safe from automation. This has led to growing concerns about the future of jobs, wages, economic equality and government revenues. To address these issues, there have been multiple calls around the world to tax the robots. Although the concerns that have led to the recent robot tax proposals may be valid, this Article cautions against the use of a robot tax. It argues that a tax that singles out robots is the wrong tool to address these critical issues and warns of the unintended consequences of such a tax, including limiting innovation. Rather, advances in robotics and other forms of artificial intelligence merely exacerbate the issues already caused by a tax system that under-taxes capital income and over-taxes labor income. Thus, this Article proposes tax policy measures that seek to rebalance our tax system so that capital income and labor income are taxed in parity. This Article also recommends non-tax policy measures that seek to improve the labor market, support displaced workers, and encourage innovation, because tax policy alone cannot solve all of the issues raised by the robotics revolution. Together, these changes have the potential to manage the threat of automation while also maximizing its advantages, thereby easing our transition into this new automation era.


Abstract Objectives This systematic review aims to provide insight into the outcome of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) and invasive mechanical ventilation use in critically ill COVID-19 patients. Data sources Electronic databases PubMed Central and PubMed were searched from January 2020 to June 2020 for published studies about ECMO and/or invasive mechanical ventilation use in COVID-19 patients. Data Extraction and Study Selection: The search strategy retrieved 766 articles, of which 19 studies consisting of 204 patients fulfilled the inclusion criteria and were included in the analysis. Data synthesis Primary outcomes evaluated were discharge and/or clinical improvement and mortality rate. Secondary outcomes evaluated included reported complications and the mean number of days of hospitalization for survivors. Weighted averages of included studies were calculated, and data were pooled in forest plots. Nearly, 68.1% of the patients received invasive mechanical ventilation without ECMO support, and 31.9% were placed on ECMO. Also, 22.5% of the patients were discharged and/or clinically improved and 51.5% died. Twenty-six percent of the study population deteriorated but remained alive or experienced no improvement in clinical condition. And 75.2% of those who died belonged to the non-ECMO group and 24.8% to the ECMO group. The mortality rate in the non-ECMO group was 56.8% compared to 40% in the ECMO group. Conclusion The utility of ECMO during a pandemic is uncertain as it is a resource-intensive modality, especially when the mortality rate in severely ill patients infected with COVID-19 virus is already known to be high. How to cite this article Nagraj S, Karia R, Hassanain S, Ghosh P, Shah VR, Thomas A. Role of Invasive Mechanical Ventilation and ECMO in the Management of COVID-19: A Systematic Review. Indian J Crit Care Med 2021;25(6):691–698.


Implantable devices are widely used for a large number of sensing and stimulating applications. However, majority of implantable devices are faced with reliability issues that limit their long-term usability. For example, in implantable glaucoma drainage devices (GDD) that remove excess aqueous humor (AH) from the anterior chamber, the microscale channel of GDDs often gets obstructed due to biofouling and requires additional surgical intervention. Moreover, Platinum (Pt)-based microscale neurostimulation electrodes often corrode during its usage due to irreversible electrochemical reactions, which can diminish their long-term charge-injection performance and damage the surrounding neural substrate. In this work, I will demonstrate methods to mitigate these major challenges of biotic and abiotic nature towards highly reliable and superior implantable transducers. As a proof-of-concept, I will share our latest attempts to develop a smart "self-clearing" GDD by integrating magnetically-powered microactuators inside the drainage tube of GDD to combat biological occlusions. The magnetic microactuators can be controlled using externally applied magnetic fields to mechanically clear biofouling-based obstruction, thereby eliminating the need for additional surgical intervention. I will show that the microactuators are effective in removing proteinaceous film deposited on device surface as well as on the inner surface of the microchannel, which supports our hypothesis that a smart self-clearing GDD may be possible. As a second example, I will demonstrate that a monolayer of graphene can be used to virtually suppress Pt dissolution while maintaining excellent electrochemical functionality. The results of our work to date suggest that graphene can serve as an excellent diffusion barrier that can ameliorate the concerns for Pt dissolution in chronically implanted neurostimulation microelectrodes. In the future, I plan to evaluate the performance of our devices in vivo to demonstrate that our smart self-clearing GDD and graphene-coated Pt microelectrodes can be chronically and reliably implanted while maintaining their superior functional performance.


The method for phase retrieval from a set of intensity measurements is described and thoroughly investigated. This method is based on application and further minimization by gradient procedures of the functional of reconstruction error in all the planes of recording. The method is shown to result in the well-known Gerchberg–Saxton algorithm [ Optik (Stuttgart)35, 237 ( 1972)] if two intensity measurements (in the pupil and the focal planes of a lens) are used. Numerical simulation revealed the following advantages of the method: the convergence of iterative procedures is improved, the range of reconstruction turns out to be wider, and the stability of procedures with respect to the additive noise in intensity measurements is enhanced. Experimental data confirming the conclusions of numerical simulation are presented. A nonlinear optical spatial filter is also described. The possibility of applying this filter to the problem of recovering phase from intensity measurements in the input and the output planes of the filter is shown.


Despite the low concentrations in the atmosphere relative to nitrogen or oxygen, carbon dioxide (CO2) plays a significant role in the Earth's life cycle and in controlling the global climate. The positive and negative feedback mechanisms associated with the exchange of atmospheric carbon with the ocean and organic material found on the land surface (called the terrestrial biosphere) appear to have been relatively well balanced for most of humankind's existence. Since the beginning of the industrial era, however, humans have been extracting fossil carbon from the Earth's interior and combusting it for energy production. Much of this fossil carbon is converted to CO2 gas and released into the environment where it is altering the carbon balance between the atmosphere, ocean and terrestrial biosphere. Recent changes observed in the global climate are consistent with the predicted response to increasing CO2 and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

Key Concepts:

Carbon is an essential component of life on Earth.

Atmospheric CO2 concentrations varied considerably in the distant past depending on the balance of several geochemical processes.

Geochemical evidence suggests that atmospheric CO2 levels dropped below 300 ppm approximately 20 million years ago and have remained below that level until the beginning of the twentieth century.

The atmosphere, terrestrial biosphere and the ocean are the only systems that have natural exchanges of carbon on time-scales relevant to human society.

Humans are in the process of altering the global carbon cycle at a rate that is unprecedented in Earth's history through land-use practices and the burning of fossil fuels.

As we change the balance of the carbon cycle it is clear that the global climate is changing, but it is not clear how global ecosystems might respond.

Keywords:

carbon dioxide;
greenhouse gas;
terrestrial biosphere;
oceans;
atmosphere;
feedback mechanisms


This essay, appearing as a chapter in FEMINIST LEGAL HISTORY: ESSAYS ON WOMEN (N.Y.U. PRESS 2011), uncovers groundbreaking court innovations employed by Judge Anna Moscowitz Kross. To date, Kross's work has gone largely unexamined by legal historians and court reformers. This essay describes how Kross, one of the nation's first women judges, sought to rethink the role and goals of criminal courts in order to meet and address social realities. Beginning in the 1930's she expanded the boundaries of criminal courts to permit female volunteer caseworkers and lay probation officers, as representatives of the larger community, to play a role in court operations. Her lay volunteer armies, which were seen as controversial and at times came under official scrutiny, continued their efforts over the course of several decades. What is more, many courts across the country replicated Kross's experiment without crediting her for her ideas. While this essay celebrates this largely forgotten historical figure and her work as an early judicial innovator, it also warns that social engineering efforts in criminal courts at the hands of lay counselors, both then and now, raise important questions that are worthy of further exploration. This essay, therefore, concludes by suggesting that today's criminal justice reformers might learn important lessons from Kross's attempts at judicial creativity that relied on private funding and private citizen participation in criminal court proceedings.


Abstract. The Global Ocean Data Analysis Project (GLODAP) is a
synthesis effort providing regular compilations of surface to bottom ocean
biogeochemical data, with an emphasis on seawater inorganic carbon chemistry
and related variables determined through chemical analysis of water samples.
This update of GLODAPv2, v2.2019, adds data from 116 cruises to the previous
version, extending its coverage in time from 2013 to 2017, while also adding
some data from prior years. GLODAPv2.2019 includes measurements from more
than 1.1 million water samples from the global oceans collected on 840
cruises. The data for the 12 GLODAP core variables (salinity, oxygen,
nitrate, silicate, phosphate, dissolved inorganic carbon, total alkalinity,
pH, CFC-11, CFC-12, CFC-113, and CCl4) have undergone extensive quality
control, especially systematic evaluation of bias. The data are available in
two formats: (i) as submitted by the data originator but updated to WOCE
exchange format and (ii) as a merged data product with adjustments applied
to minimize bias. These adjustments were derived by comparing the data from
the 116 new cruises with the data from the 724 quality-controlled cruises of
the GLODAPv2 data product. They correct for errors related to measurement,
calibration, and data handling practices, taking into account any known or
likely time trends or variations. The compiled and adjusted data product is
believed to be consistent to better than 0.005 in salinity, 1 % in oxygen,
2 % in nitrate, 2 % in silicate, 2 % in phosphate, 4 µmol kg−1 in dissolved inorganic carbon, 4 µmol kg−1 in total
alkalinity, 0.01–0.02 in pH, and 5 % in the halogenated transient
tracers. The compilation also includes data for several other variables,
such as isotopic tracers. These were not subjected to bias comparison or
adjustments. The original data, their documentation and DOI codes are available in the
Ocean Carbon Data System of NOAA NCEI
(https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/ocads/oceans/GLODAPv2_2019/, last access: 17 September 2019). This
site also provides access to the merged data product, which is provided as a
single global file and as four regional ones – the Arctic, Atlantic, Indian,
and Pacific oceans – under https://doi.org/10.25921/xnme-wr20
(Olsen et al., 2019). The
product files also include significant ancillary and approximated data.
These were obtained by interpolation of, or calculation from, measured data.
This paper documents the GLODAPv2.2019 methods and provides a broad overview
of the secondary quality control procedures and results.


The Role of Social Work Norms in Job Searching and Subjective Well-Being Social norms are usually neglected in economics, because they are to a large extent enforced through non-market interactions and difficult to isolate empirically. In this paper, we offer a direct measure of the social norm to work and we show that this norm has important economic effects. The stronger the norm, the more quickly unemployed people find a new job. This behavior can be explained by utility differences, probably due to social pressure. Unemployed people are significantly less happy than employed people and their reduction in life satisfaction is the larger, the stronger the norm is. JEL Classification: F22, J61


We examined three hypotheses in a nutrient dose and application frequency study installed in juvenile (aged 2–6 years old) Pinus stands at 22 sites in the southeastern United States. At each site, eight or nine treatments were installed where nitrogen was applied at different rates (0, 67, 134, 268 kg ha−1) and frequencies (0, 1, 2, 4 and 6 years) in two or four replications. Phosphorus was applied at 0.1 times the nitrogen rate and other elements were added as needed based on foliar nutrient analysis to insure that nutrient imbalances were not induced with treatment. Eight years after treatment initiation, the site responses were grouped based on texture and drainage characteristics: soil group 1 consisted of poorly drained soils with a clayey subsoil, group 2 consisted of poorly to excessively drained spodic soils or soils without a clay subsoil, and group 3 consisted of well-drained soils with a clayey subsoil. We accepted the first hypothesis that site would be a significant factor explaining growth responses. Soil group was also a significant factor explaining growth response. We accepted our second hypothesis that the volume growth-cumulative dose response function was not linear. Volume growth reached an asymptote in soil groups 1 and 3 between cumulative nitrogen doses of 300–400 kg ha−1. Volume growth responses continued to increase up to 800 kg ha−1 of cumulatively applied nitrogen for soil group 2. We accepted our third hypothesis that application rate and frequency did not influence the growth response when the cumulative nitrogen dose was equivalent. There was no difference in the growth response for comparisons where a cumulative nitrogen dose of 568 kg ha−1 was applied as 134 kg ha−1 every two years or as 269 kg ha−1 every four years, or where 269 kg ha−1 of nitrogen was applied as four applications of 67 kg ha−1 every two years or as two applications of 134 kg ha−1 every four years. Clearly, the sites examined here were limited by nitrogen and phosphorus, and applications of these elements to young stands effectively ameliorated these limitations. However, there were differences in the response magnitude that were related to soil texture and drainage. Juvenile fertilizer applications resulted in high stocking levels early in the rotation; this condition should be considered when undertaking juvenile fertilization programs.


ABSTRACT Women are still in the minority in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields in many countries, including Japan. Parental gender role attitudes are a potential influence on whether high school girls choose STEM fields and which fields they choose. However, this has not yet been closely examined in the Japanese context. We used an online questionnaire to investigate whether parental agreement regarding girls' choice of STEM fields was affected by stereotypical parental gender role attitudes. We found that Japanese parents with egalitarian gender role attitudes generally agreed with girls' freedom to choose their field of study (not just limited to STEM fields). Parents that agreed thought that girls could find employment across all fields. However, parents that disagreed expressed a variety of reasons, including negative perceptions of STEM fields such as lack of employment opportunities (biology, mathematics, physics and information science) and unsuitability for women (engineering). These results suggest that improving such field-specific negative perceptions may contribute to increase parental support for girls' choice of STEM fields.


AIM
To evaluate the clinical relevance of each cofactor on clinical presentation of chronic hepatitis B.

METHODS
Out of 1366 hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) positive subjects consecutively observed in 79 Italian hospitals, 53 (4.3%) showed as the only cofactor hepatitis D virus (HDV) infection [hepatitis B virus (HBV)/HDV group], 130 (9.5%) hepatitis C virus (HCV) (group HBV/HCV), 6 (0.4%) human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) (group HBV/HIV), 138 (10.2%) alcohol abuse (group HBV/alcohol); 109 (8.0%) subjects had at least two cofactors and 924 were in the cofactor-free (CF) group.

RESULTS
Compared with patients in group CF those in group HBV/alcohol were older and more frequently had cirrhosis (P < 0.001), those in group HBV/HDV were younger (P < 0.001), more frequently resided in the south of the country and had cirrhosis (P <0.001), those in group HBV/HCV were older (P < 0.001) and more frequently had cirrhosis (P < 0.001). These cofactors were all independent predictors of liver cirrhosis in HBsAg positive patients. Multivariate analysis showed that an older age [odds ratio (OR) 1.06, 95% CI: 1.05-1.08], alcohol abuse with more than 8 drinks daily (OR 2.89, 95% CI: 1.81-4.62) and anti-HDV positivity (OR 3.48, 95% CI: 2.16-5.58) are all independently associated with liver cirrhosis. This association was found also for anti-HCV positivity in univariate analysis, but it was no longer associated (OR 1.23, 95% CI: 0.84-1.80) at multivariate analysis.

CONCLUSION
Older age, HDV infection and alcohol abuse are the major determinants of severe liver disease in chronic HBV infection, while HCV replication plays a lesser role in the severity of hepatic damage.


Resin-based dental restorative materials contain allergenic methacrylate monomers, which may be released into saliva after restorative treatment. Monomers from resin-based composite materials have been demonstrated in saliva in vitro; however, studies analyzing saliva after restorative therapy are scarce. The aim of this study was to quantify methacrylate monomers in saliva after treatment with a resin-based composite filling material. Saliva was collected from 10 patients at four start points--before treatment, and 10 min, 24 h, and 7 d after treatment--and analysed by combined chromatography/mass spectrometry. The monomers bisphenol-A diglycidyl methacrylate (Bis-GMA), 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA), and urethane dimethacrylate (UDMA) were detected and quantified in the samples collected shortly (10 min) after treatment. The amounts detected ranged from 0.028 to 9.65 μg ml(-1) for Bis-GMA, from 0.015 to 0.19 μg ml(-1) for HEMA, and from 0.004 to 1.2 μg ml(-1) for UDMA. Triethyleneglycol dimethacrylate (TEGDMA) was detected in four of the samples. Ethoxylated bisphenol-A dimethacrylate (Bis-EMA) was not detected. Monomers were not detected in saliva samples collected before treatment, or 24 h or 7 d after treatment, with the exception of one sample, 24 h after treatment, in which HEMA was detected. In conclusion, monomers from the investigated resin-based composite and adhesive system were present in saliva shortly after treatment. One week after treatment, no monomers could be detected in patients' saliva samples.


SUMMARY 1. Total and nutritional flow in the fingertip were investigated during reflex sympathetic nerve stimulation (total body cooling) or adrenergic nerve transmitter administration. Nutritional flow was measured by the disappearance rate of a local depot of Na13'I, and total fingertip flow by venous occlusion plethysmography. 2. With body cooling the decrease in nutritional flow was not significant, but total and therefore arteriovenous shunt flow decreased significantly. 3. Norepinephrine infused into the brachial artery decreased total and nutritional flow significantly although total flow decreased more than nutritional. 4. It is concluded that sympathetic nervous system activity exerts a greater effect on finger arteriovenous shunt flow than on nutritional flow. Therefore nutritional flow is not adversely affected.


Richard Quinney's The Social Reality of Crime remains an eloquent and important statement on crime, law, and justice. At the time of its appearance in 1970, Quinney's theory not only liberated the field from a recitation of the practices of the police, courts, and corrections, it also represented a marked departure from traditional analysis which viewed criminal behavior as pathological. Quinney not only advanced criminological thought, he inspired scores of students of crime and criminal justice to reorient their perceptions of the justice system. The Social Reality of Crime swept the criminological community and motivated an entire generation of researchers to question definitions of crime and labels of criminality. The book's popularity quickly turned Quinney into a criminologist with an international reputation. Excerpts from the book's first chapter, which is devoted to the theory of the social reality of crime, are now routinely reprinted in anthologies on criminology and deviant behavior. The theory itself is discussed in most criminology textbooks. This new edition of The Social Reality of Crime will renew inspiration for Quinney's unique critical-social constructionist perspective that has been so significant to the development of theoretical work in the fields of criminology, social problems, and the sociology of law.


The Bushveld Complex contains large ore deposits of platinum-group elements (PGE), V, and Cr. Understanding how these deposits formed is in part dependent on estimates of the compositions of the magmas that filled the Bushveld chamber. Over the past 20 years, estimates for the major oxides and some trace elements in the magmas have been made using the marginal rocks of the intrusion. However, data for most of the trace elements have not been available. This paper presents the results for a full range of trace elements, including the platinum-group elements.
The marginal rocks of the Lower and lower Critical zones (B-1 magmas) are tholeiitic Mg-rich basaltic andesites with Mg# 71. It had been suggested that they are boninites but their mantle-normalized incompatible lithophile trace element patterns (spidergrams) resemble those of the upper continental crust and the concentrations of the elements are much higher than those of boninites. The patterns resemble siliceous high magnesium basalts. An unusual feature is that the Pt/Pd ratios are >1.5. The Pt contents of the B-1 rocks (15–25 ppb) are slightly higher than those observed in most primary mantle melts, suggesting that the high Pt/Pd ratio is due to Pt enrichment rather than Pd depletion. The crystallization order and composition of the minerals formed in equilibrium with the B-1 magma matches that of the Lower and lower Critical zones and thus this magma appears to be representative of the parental magma of these zones.
The marginal rocks to the upper Critical zone (B-2) are tholeiitic basalts in terms of major element composition, with Mg# 55. The spidergrams show some similarities with E-MORB; however, the B-2 rocks have strong positive Ba and Pb anomalies and negative P, Ti, Hf, and Zr anomalies, and thus they more closely resemble lower continental crust. The B-2 rocks have lower and more variable Pt + Pd contents than the B-1 magma, suggesting that some of the samples have experienced sulfide saturation, but in common with the B-1 magmas, the Pt/Pd ratios are high, in excess of 1.5. The crystallization order of the Upper Critical zone cannot be modelled by the B-2 magma alone. However, mixtures of B-2 magma and B-1 magma satisfy the crystallization order and mineral composition of the upper Critical zone.
The marginal rocks of the Main zone (B-3) are also tholeiitic basalts in terms of major element composition but have a higher Mg# (62) than the B-2 rocks. Trace element patterns in part resemble those of B-2 magmas but are depleted in most incompatible elements with large positive Ba, Pb, and Eu anomalies and negative Nb, Ta, Hf, and Zr anomalies, suggesting the rocks contain a plagioclase component. The PGE contents of the B-3 rocks are lower than those of the B-1 magma and less variable than those of the B-2 magma, but in common with both the other magmas, they have high Pt/Pd. The crystallization order and composition of the minerals in equilibrium with the B-3 magma matches that of the Main zone.
Two processes have been suggested to explain the compositions of the Bushveld magmas: mixing of primitive mantle melts with partial melts of continental crust and mixing of primitive mantle melts with melts derived from the subcontinental lithospheric mantle (SCLM). The trace element concentrations of the magmas can be modelled by crustal contamination. This interpretation is supported by oxygen isotopes, initial 87Sr/86Sr ratios and ɛNd of the cumulate rocks. However, the high Pt/Pd ratios of all of the magmas and the overall higher than normal Pt concentrations of the B-1 magma are difficult to explain by mixing of primary mantle melt with crustal components. The SCLM has high Pt/Pd ratios and mixing of primary mantle magma with SCLM-derived magma could account for the high Pt concentrations and high Pt/Pd ratios. This interpretation is supported by recent work on Os isotopes of the Kaapvaal SCLM. It should be kept in mind that the two processes are not necessarily exclusive. A magma with a SCLM component could have been emplaced into the crust and subsequently have been contaminated by partial melts of the crust.


Have you ever wondered how the internal space of our brain connects with the external space of society? Drawing on hermeneutics and neuroscience Stephen Reyna develops an anthropological theory that explains the relationship between the biological and the cultural. Recent popular interest in the brain is evident, and now social anthropologists are starting to consider connections between science and anthropology. Reyna is an anthropologist prepared to tackle big and difficult questions. This accessibly written book will cause quite a stir in anthropology, and will appeal to those interested in the mysteries of the brain.


In today's computer paper printing, cross and edge perforations are done only by mechanical perforators. The mechanical perforation process works fine since the width of the bridges and the length of the holes to be perforated remain large. Concerned with improvements in quality, printers have introduced microperforations. The holes and bridges of the perforation pattern are so small that after the user has torn off the sheet of computer paper along the perforation pattern, the edges of the document are very smooth and clean. Unfortunately, microperforations are reaching the limits of what can be achieved by the mechanical perforators. Because of the physical contact between the perforating tool and the paper, the perforation pattern is damaged. The tensile strength of the microperforation pattern decreases significantly and the paper often jams in the computer printers. Mechanical perforator dies wear and may even break.Therefore, holes are incompletely perforated or missing, so that the document is likely to be damaged when it is torn off along the perforation pattern by the user. Imcomplete or missing perforations increases the tensile strength of the perforation pattern. Therefore, the printer can increase the quality of a perforation pattern by reducing its variability in tensile strength. This thesis studies the perforation of computer paper by laser beam. It is demonstrated through a microscopic study that laser perforations are free of all the defects which are inherent to the mechanical perforation process. It has been found that laser perforated holes remain open while mechanically perforated holes close back just after being perforated. The tests which have been carried out show that using a laser instead of a mechanical perforator to do microperforations reduces the variability in the tensile strength from 0.694 kilograms to 0.0751 kilograms. This improvement is significant. However, using a laser instead of a mechanical perforator to do large-size perforations reduces the variability in tensile strength only from 0.0421 kilograms to 0.0338 kilograms. This improvement is not significant. A mathematical model expressing the relationship between the tensile strength of a perforation pattern, the width of the bridges, and the number of bridges per inch has been established. The correlation found between the model and the experimental values is high (r = 0.98). This mathematical model is a simple method which allows the printer to adjust the tensile strength of a laser perforation pattern to the desired value. This model requires only simple calculations, and the knowledge of one basic characteristic the tensile strength of the paper. As a conclusion, the laser beam is a very valuable tool which can achieve very high quality microperforations on computer paper. However, it seems not worth using a laser to do large-size perforations on computer paper since the decrease in tensile strength variability over the mechanical perforation process is not significant. The fact that laser perforated holes remain wide open could improve high speed folding and piling in the press deliveries by allowing the air trapped between the sheets of computer paper to escape through the perforated holes. This property has also already found an interesting application for cigarette filter paper. Chapter


This study used a prospective adoption design to investigate effects of prenatal and postnatal parent depressive symptom exposure on child hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) activity and associated internalizing symptoms. Birth mother prenatal symptoms and adoptive mother/father postnatal (9-month, 27-month) symptoms were assessed with the Beck Depression Inventory in a sample of 192 families as part of the Early Growth and Development adoption Study. Child morning/evening cortisol levels and child symptoms of internalizing disorders (according to mother/father report on the Child Behavior Checklist) were assessed at 54 months, and birth mother diurnal cortisol was measured at 48 months postnatal. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to test main effects and interactions of parents' symptoms predicting child cortisol, controlling for birth mother cortisol. Prenatal exposure to birth mother symptoms predicted lower child cortisol (main effect), as did postnatal exposure to adoptive parent symptoms (interaction effects). Adoptive mother 9-month symptoms exacerbated cortisol-lowering effects of both concurrent paternal symptoms and later (27-month) maternal symptoms, and the effect of birth mother cortisol. Lower child cortisol, in turn, was associated with higher child internalizing symptoms. Implications are discussed with respect to the intergenerational transmission of depression risk.


Innate immunity provides some form of defence against pathogens in all multicellular organisms but with cartilaginous and bony fish, although the lowest group of jawed vertebrates, the addition of a classic adaptive immune response becomes apparent. This provides the refinements of specificity for antigen recognition and memory. The T- and B lymphocytes are the effector leucocytes, acquiring their antigen-specific receptors (immunoglobulin for B cells and T-cell receptor for T cells) in the anterior kidney (bone marrow being absent) and thymus. The B cells are responsible for the production of antibodies that function as different immunoglobulin classes, whereas subsets of T lymphocytes are capable of killing target cells or helping with B- and other T-cell functions. Knowledge of these mechanisms is important for the use and design of vaccines, now so essential for the aquaculture industry, whereas studies of fish immunology contribute to the understanding of the evolution of adaptive immunity.

Key concepts:

Fish possess innate and adaptive immune responses, with classical adaptive immunity present only in jawed vertebrates.

Adaptive immunity allows memory of prior exposure to foreign molecules (antigens), so that on subsequent contact protective mechanisms are more rapidly mobilized: the basis of vaccination.

Lymphocytes mediate adaptive immunity and have surface receptors that recognize antigens, initiating the production of circulating antibodies and the activation of cell-mediated responses.

The functions of the immune system are similar in fish and mammals although there are differences due to the aquatic physiology and ectothermic nature of fish that provide evolutionary interest.

Leucocyte–antigen interactions take place in immune sites, such as the kidneys, spleen, gills and intestine. Bone marrow and lymph nodes are lacking.

Knowledge of fish immunology is proving essential for the development of vaccines for the expanding aquaculture industry.

Keywords:

fish;
haematopoiesis;
immunology;
inflammation;
vaccines


We describe the design of a transaction facility for a language that supports higher-order functions. We factor transactions into four separable features: persistence, undoability, locking, and threads. Then, relying on function composition, we show how we can put them together again. Our "Tinkertoy" approach towards building transactions enables us to construct a model of concurrent, nested, multi-threaded transactions, as well as other non-traditional models where not all features of transactions are present. Key to our approach is the use of higher-order functions to make transactions first-class. Not only do we get clean composability of transactional features, but also we avoid the need to introduce special control and block-structured constructs as done in more traditional transactional systems. We implemented our design in Standard ML of New Jersey.


Multiphase flow simulation using Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH)
has gained interest during recent years, mostly due to the inherent
flexibility of the method and the physically rather intuitive
formulation of extra constitutive equations needed when dealing with
for instance non-Newtonian flows. In the work presented here,
simulations based on an SPH model implemented in the flow solver
IBOFlow has been used for simulation of robotic application of sealing
material on a car body. Application of sealing materials is done in
order to prevent water leakage into cavities of the body, and to
reduce noise. In off-line programming of the robots in the automotive
paintshop it is of great interest to predict shape and appearance of
sealing material without having to resort to trial and error
procedures.

The flow of sealing material in the air between applicator and target
(car body) is relatively uncomplicated, as the material mostly moves
at constant velocity until impact on target. The flow of the material
on the target is however more complex, applied material flows at the
target surface due to inertia, gravity and pressure and in order to
predict the appearance of the applied material, flow equations for a
non-Newtonian fluid with an open surface needs to be solved. The
sealing material is both thixotropic and viscoelastic; the material is
shear thinning but needs to be sheared for some time before the
structure of the material is broken down. Conversely, the regain of
structure of the material, and thereby also the increase of viscosity
when shearing is stopped or reduced, is also connected to a delay
time. In the model used, the local viscosity is considered obeying a
first order differential equation where the stationary limit is
determined by a Bingham relation.

The simulation model was built by comparing simulations and
experiments at three different stages of complexity. In the most
fundamental stage the material properties were determined. Using a
rotational rheometer, yield stress, plastic viscosity and thixotropy
time constant was determined and implemented in the simulation model.
To verify the numerical behaviour of the rheology, simulated rheometer
experiments were carried out and compared with the physical
experiments. In the second stage, simulation of application of sealing
material with a stationary hollowcone nozzle was carried out. To
verify the simulations, the resulting thickness, width and shape of
applied material as a function of time were compared to experiments.
In the third stage a moving applicator of the same type was
considered, here thickness width and shape of applied material as a
function of applicator to target distances were compared between
experiments and simulation. At all three stages the number of SPH
particles, /i.e./ grid points, in the simulations was varied in order
to verify that the simulations were resolution independent.

Results of the simulations show good agreement between experiments and
simulations in all stages using no artificial tuning of the models,
that is, all parameters used in the models are based on physical
considerations. Furthermore, simulation time on a desktop computer
indicate that computational power required for industrially relevant
cases is not prohibitively large, for the most complex cases in this
work simulation time did not exceed six hours.


Animal pole cells (AC) and vegetal pole cells (VC)
dissociated from early Xenopus gastrulae
were intermingled, and the cell sorting process occurring within the aggregate
was analyzed. The overall process of cell sorting was found to morphologically
consist of two steps, "concentrification" and "polarization", as designated
here. First, AC and VC clusters emerged at random positions in the aggregate,
and the individual clusters gradually assembled themselves by 5 hours in
culture (5 hC), forming a concentric arrangement, in which the AC cluster was
enveloped by the VC cluster. This concentrification step is essentially
consistent with the descriptions in earlier studies. As the next step, the AC
and VC clusters moved up and down from 7.5 to 12 hC, resulting in
the vertical polarization, namely, a serial array just like in vivo. Immunohistochemical analyses
showed that AC expressed both C- and E-cadherins, while VC only expressed
C-cadherin, as in vivo, suggesting
the normal participation of cadherin system. On the other hand, the actin
localization showed that the actin bundles accumulated at the edge of the AC
cluster until the concentrification was completed, and gradually decreased
during the polarization step. Another important finding was that AC cluster
could generate cartilage tissues during the long-term (7 days) culture,
evidence for a healthy inductive interaction between the AC and VC. Taken
together, the present experimental system allows the AC and VC to be viable and
grow into an embryo-like organization.


Zinc chloride is used as a source of zinc in various pharmaceutical/nutraceutical formulations. The aim of the current study was to investigate the impact of The Trivedi Effect® - Consciousness Energy Healing Treatment (Biofield Energy Treatment) on physical, structural, thermal, and behavioral properties of zinc chloride using PXRD, PSD, FT-IR, UV-vis, and DSC analysis. Zinc chloride was divided into two parts – one part was control, while another part was treated with The Trivedi Effect® - Consciousness Energy Healing Treatment remotely by twenty renowned Biofield Energy Healers and defined as the Biofield Energy Treated sample. A significant alteration of the crystallite size and relative intensities of the PXRD peaks was observed in The Trivedi Effect® treated sample compared with the control sample. The average crystallite size of the treated sample was significantly increased by 16.43% compared with the control sample. The particles size values of the treated sample at d10 was decreased by 2.42%, whereas at d50, and d90 it was increased slightly by 0.43%, and 0.57%, respectively compared to the control sample. Therefore, the surface area of the treated sample was increased by 1.63% compared with the control sample. The FT-IR spectroscopic analysis revealed that Zn-Cl stretching in the control sample was found at 511 cm-1, whereas it was shifted downward to 508 cm-1 in the treated sample. The UV-vis analysis exhibited that wavelength of the maximum absorbance (λmax) of the control and treated samples were at 196.4 nm and 196.2 nm, respectively. The DSC analysis exhibited that the melting temperature was not altered significantly, while the decomposition temperature was increased by 0.45% in the treated sample compared to the control sample. The latent heat of fusion of the treated sample (402.09 J/g) was significantly increased by 29.78% compared with the control sample (309.83 J/g). Similarly, the enthalpy of decomposition of the treated sample (243.13 J/g) was significantly decreased by 61.18% compared with the control sample (626.37 J/g). This indicated that the thermal stability of the treated sample might be improved compared to the control sample. The current study anticipated that the Consciousness Energy Healing Treatment might lead to produce a new polymorphic form of zinc chloride, which would be more soluble, bioavailable, and thermally more stable compared with the control sample. Hence, the treated zinc chloride would be very useful to design better nutraceutical/pharmaceutical formulations that might offer better therapeutic response against immunological disorders, inflammatory diseases, stress, aging, cancer, etc.


Background/Purpose: The Development of mini-implant as a mean of maximum anchorage achieved outspread scope for enhancing better orthodontic outcomes, and their success is highly influenced by their primary stability. The aims of this study were the evaluation and comparison the primary stability of three various companies with different shapes and dimensions and to evaluate the effect of the dimensions of the miniscrew on the primary stability. Methods: The study sample of this study consisted of sixty orthodontic mini-implants (self-drilling) from three various manufactures (KJ Meditech, Hubit, and Dentos), each sort of these mini-implants was presented in two different lengths, 8 mm and 10 mm, and two different diameters, 1.4 mm and 1.6 mm. All the orthodontic mini-implants were inserted into simulated artificial bone of anterior region of the maxilla manually. Insertion torque (IT), and the pullout strength values were recorded and compared using ANOVA and Tukey honestly significant difference tests. Results: The results showed that the mean values of the pullout strength of KJ Meditech mini-implants were greater than those of Hubit and Dentos mini-implants respectively, and there was highly significant difference among these various manufactures. Furthermore, the mean values of pull out test were higher for mini-implants with dimensions 1.6 mm × 10 mm, and then followed by 1.6 mm × 8 mm, 1.4 mm × 10 mm, and 1.4 mm × 8 mm. Conclusion: The primary stability was greater in KJ Meditech mini-implants than Hubit and Dentos mini-implants respectively. Moreover, the length and the diameter had direct relation with the primary stability, and the diameter achieved higher effect on the primary stability than the length.


A pitch spelling algorithm predicts the pitch names (e.g., C♯4, B♭5 etc.) of the notes in a
passage of tonal music, when given the onset-time, MIDI note number and possibly the duration
and voice of each note. A new algorithm, called ps13, was compared with the algorithms of
Longuet-Higgins, Cambouropoulos, Temperley and Chew and Chen by running various versions
of these algorithms on a 'clean', score-derived test corpus, C, containing 195972 notes, equally
divided between eight classical and baroque composers. The standard deviation of the accuracies
achieved by each algorithm over the eight composers was used to measure style dependence (SD).
The best versions of the algorithms were tested for robustness to temporal deviations by running
them on a 'noisy' version of the test corpus, denoted by C'.A version of ps13 called PS13s1 was the most accurate of the algorithms tested, achieving
note accuracies of 99.44% (SD = 0.45) on C and 99.41% (SD = 0.50) on C'. A real-time version
of PS13s1 also out-performed the other real-time algorithms tested, achieving note accuracies
of 99.19% (SD = 0.51) on C and 99.16% (SD = 0.53) on C'. PS13s1 was also as fast and easy
to implement as any of the other algorithms.New, optimised versions of Chew and Chen's algorithm were the least dependent on style
over C. The most accurate of these achieved note accuracies of 99.15% (SD = 0.42) on C and
99.12% (SD = 0.47) on C'. It was proved that replacing the spiral array in Chew and Chen's
algorithm with the line of fifths never changes its output.A new, optimised version of Cambouropoulos's algorithm made 8% fewer errors over C than
the most accurate of the versions described by Cambouropoulos himself. This algorithm achieved
note accuracies of 99.15% (SD = 0.47) on C and 99.07% (SD = 0.53) on C'. A new implementation
of the most accurate of the versions described by Cambouropoulos achieved note accuracies
of 99.07% (SD = 0.46) on C and 99.13% (SD = 0.39) on C', making it the least dependent on
style over C'. However, Cambouropoulos's algorithms were among the slowest of those tested.When Temperley and Sleator's harmony and meter programs were used for pitch spelling,
they were more affected by temporal deviations and tempo changes than any of the other algorithms tested. When enharmonic changes were ignored and the music was at a natural tempo,
these programs achieved note accuracies of 99.27% (SD = 1.30) on C and 97.43% (SD = 1.69)
on C'. A new implementation, called TPROne, of just the first preference rule in Temperley's
theory achieved note accuracies of 99.06% (SD = 0.63) on C and 99.16% (SD = 0.52) on C'.
TPROne's performance was independent of tempo and less dependent on style than that of the
harmony and meter programs.Of the several versions of Longuet-Higgins's algorithm tested, the best was the original
one, implemented in his music.p program. This algorithm achieved note accuracies of 98.21%
(SD = 1.79) on C and 98.25% (SD = 1.71) on C', but only when the data was processed a voice
at a time.None of the attempts to take voice-leading into account in the algorithms considered in this
study resulted in an increase in note accuracy and the most accurate algorithm, PS13s1, ignores
voice-leading altogether. The line of fifths is used in most of the algorithms tested, including
PS13s1. However, the superior accuracy achieved by PS13s1 suggests that pitch spelling accuracy
can be optimised by modelling the local key as a pitch class frequency distribution instead
of a point on the line of fifths, and by keeping pitch names close to the local tonic(s) on the line of fifths rather than close on the line of fifths to the pitch names of neighbouring notes.


Evidence about the effect of exports on welfare at the local level is scarce. Using a unique dataset of international trade and poverty maps for almost 2,000 Mexican municipalities between 2004 and 2014, the study presented in this paper provides new evidence on the impact of a significant rise in exports on poverty and inequality at the local level. The analysis implements an instrumental variable approach that combines the initial structure of exports across municipalities with global trends in exports from developing to developed countries by sector. The results show that a 10 percent increase in the ratio of exports to workers reduces income inequality measured by the Gini coefficient by 0.17 points (using a 0 to 100 scale), but no significant effects on poverty reduction or average household incomes are identified. The lack of impacts on average incomes is driven by a rise in the supply of labor at the local level because municipalities with higher export growth experienced an increase in labor force participation and attracted more net migration, particularly of unskilled workers. Therefore, while total labor incomes grew in response to an increase in exports, average labor incomes per worker did not change. Declining remittances also blunted the effect of growing exports on household incomes.


This paper evaluates the transmission of financial crises to Malaysia by analyzing the stock market integration of United States, United Kingdom, Japan, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Korea, China, and Hong Kong for the period 1990-2011. We explore empirically the effect of crisis on the integration and co-movement and whether the cross-market linkages between these markets change due to crisis. We employ correlation analysis, cointegration test, Granger causality and variance decomposition analysis in our methodology. The sample period is divided into eight sub-periods to correspond with major bull and bear market conditions such as the Asian Financial Crisis1998 and Global Financial Crisis 2008. We find that Malaysian stock market is integrated with major global markets (US, UK and Japan) and major regional markets in Asia (Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Korea) in the long-run. The Shanghai Composite Index of China is integrated of different order and does not share a common long-run relationship with the rest of our sample markets. The Granger Causality Test reveals that HSI, JCI, Kospi, SET, STI Granger-cause Malaysia stock market, which indicates a higher regional causality. Our findings suggest that geographic distance is an important factors contributing to a greater influence on Malaysia. During the period 1991-1997, there is little evidence of cointegration between the Asian, US and UK markets. Our results also indicate that causality is affected by financial crisis. Between years 2001-2007, the increase in the degree of exogeneity of Malaysia could have been due to the imposition of capital controls that have led to a reduction of the effect of foreign influences. No cointegrating relationship is found before and during the global financial crisis of 2008.


This paper relates to an investigative strand of a research commission undertaken on behalf of the Design Council . Some interesting issues have emerged from the research that we believe may provide some important clues to our understanding of design activity in the curriculum. These concern: the nature of the activities prescribed in the National Curriculum ; how we might classify them for greater clarity ; and how we develop a more consistent and shared understanding of them. Designing is about doing , and hence the focus of the r esearch is on the verbs (the doing words) t hat occur in the National Curriculum Orders . The conundrum raised through the r esearch is that whilst we may be developing a shared design vocabulary , t here is reason to believe that we still lack a shared understanding of what this vocabulary means.


The dissertation at hand is divided into three chapters. Chapter 1 presents an impact evaluation of a widely spread conditional cash transfer in Brazil called "Bolsa Familia". We analyze the impacts of the program on two educational outcomes: enrollment and attendance. In our analysis we consider the heterogeneous effects of the program. Chapter 2 and 3 study the influence of leaders' identity on the group dynamics. Chapter 2 focuses on the effect of leaders' identity on cooperation while Chapter 3 studies the dynamics of embezzlement or what we call elite capture.
Chapter 1 conducts an impact evaluation of Brazil's Conditional Cash Transfer Program "Bolsa Familia". The program provides grants to households below the poverty line conditioned to school attendance and medical care. Reaching more than 13 million families, this is one of the biggest programs of its kind in the world. Yet research on its impact is limited. To deal with the non-experimental nature of the program we use Propensity Score Matching (PSM). The use of an ample Brazilian household survey - Pesquisa Nacional de Amostra de Domicilio (PNAD) - makes it possible to match beneficiaries and non beneficiaries on a large set of observable characteristics. In this way we are able to present convincing causal inference. Moreover, thanks to the richness of the data set, we can study the impacts of the Program by age, gender and regions. Our results point to a significant increase in Enrollment rates and Attendance among recipients. Furthermore, when different groups and regions are compared, we find that recipients in less developed regions benefited more from program participation than groups in less developed regions, indicating that the program was able to close the gap in education between more and less developed areas.
Chapter 2 studies the effect of leader's identity on cooperation. Due to the increasing demands of more competitive markets traditional producer cooperative leaders often need to be replaced by managers with specialized skills. While managers can bring technical expertise that leads to better economic outcomes, the loss in representativeness of members' interest might risk the sustainability of the organization.
Using a laboratory experiment, we test the impact of leader's skills and identity on groups' cooperation. Our design uses a three stage procedure in groups formed by 4 subjects. In the first stage we generate identity in the lab allowing participants to interact for 10 minutes while solving a joint task and competing with other groups. The second stage is instrumental and is designed to measure participant's ability in a real effort task. The last stage consists on a modified public good game in which participants have to decide which proportion of their endowment they allocate to the group account and the individual account. Investments in the individual account are multiplied by 1 while investments in the group account are multiplied by a factor M<1 that is an increasing function of the leader's outcome of a real-effort game. The more the Leader works, the higher the multiplier, M. In the experiment we use a 2X2 design that combines two levels of skills of the leaders and shared or non-shared identity of the leader and the group members. Our hypothesis is that leaders who share the same identity as the group members are more motivated and work harder in the real effort task than out-side leaders. We expect that group members will anticipate it and contribute less when led by an out-side leader than by an inside leader. Leaders with higher skills are expected to perform better in the real effort task and hence attract more cooperation. However it is not clear whether the gains of higher skills are negatively affected by the lack of identity of the out-side leader. Our findings show that the lack of identity decreases leaders' productivity, while members successfully anticipate it and cooperate significantly less. When leaders' skills and social identity are directly compared, we find that the gains in cooperation levels due to leaders' skills, is just enough to make up for the loss in identity. We do find, however, that out-group skilled leaders were able to sustain cooperation over time, while groups led by random in-group presented a continuous cooperation decrease over time.
Chapter 3 analyses a negative aspect of social identity. Small communities in developing countries (such as tribes, smallholders' association and cooperatives for example), who share language, ethnicity and culture, are often inclined to suffer from an abusive behavior from their local leaders. This abusive behavior often occurs during long periods of time becoming even close to be an accepted political norm. In Chapter 3 we question if the high social identity condition in the community can be the cause of abusive behavior being hence the trigger to a perpetuation mechanism of power abuse in the community. We investigate two channels of how such a perpetuation mechanism can occur: trust and willingness to monitor. We hypothesize that groups who share the same identity with the leader trust him more, and would hence be less willing to pay for a monitoring mechanism. As trust decreases scrutiny, leaders would feel free to increase embezzlement.
To do that, we present a laboratory experiment where groups formed by three subjects playing a three-stages game. In stage one subjects solved a group task similar to the group task presented in Chapter 2. In stage two, one subject was randomly assigned as group leader and other two subjects as group members. To allow members' payoff to be dependent on leaders' performance, we implemented the effort task followed by a trust game. The effort task was to sum 5 two digit numbers during 30 seconds. A minimal performance of 1 correct sum by the leader generated a multiplier A which would take a value between 0.8 and 1.9. The non-achievement of the minimal performance would set A=0.8. Members received 20 points as endowment, which they could decide to keep, where it would be multiplied by 1, or to pass it to the leader, where it would be multiplied by A. Leaders received a fixed amount of 20 points plus the amount of points leaders decided to take from each group member. In stage three subjects played a lottery game. We use a 2X2 design combining in- and out-group treatments with monitoring and without monitoring possibility.
Our findings show that members led by in-group leaders were less willing to monitor while this lack of scrutiny significantly increased amount captured. We did not however find that trust by itself is significantly higher in homogenous groups, which questions the identity as a cause of perpetuation mechanism.


In situ real time spectroscopic ellipsometry measurements were made during electron cyclotron resonance plasma etching of radio frequency biased GaAs and AlGaAs samples. Gas mixtures used were CH4/H2/Ar, pure H2, and pure Ar. Ellipsometry provided information about damage to the surface region and AlGaAs epilayer thickness. For the methane mixture GaAs etch, damage appeared in the form of redshifted and broadened E1 and E1+Δ1 critical point features in a surface layer several tens of nm thick. The damage layer began forming within a few seconds after the start of etching, and stabilized within 1 min. Hydrogen etching caused a thicker damage layer with greater redshifting and broadening, while argon caused relatively little damage. Possible mechanisms for the redshifting are discussed. During etching of an AlGaAs/GaAs heterostructure with the methane mixture, the same redshifting and broadening effects were seen in the AlGaAs critical point structure. The AlGaAs thickness was determined from the real time ...


Sound empirical research suggests that we should analyze software metrics from a theoretical and practical perspective. This paper describes the result of an investigation into the respective merits of two cohesion-based metrics for program slicing. The Tightness and Overlap metrics were those originally proposed by Weiser for the procedural paradigm. We compare and contrast these two metrics with a third metric for the OO paradigm first proposed by Counsell et al. based on Hamming Distance and based on a matrix-based notation. We theoretically validated the three metrics using the properties of Kitchenham and then empirically validated the same three metrics; some revealing properties of the metrics were found as a result. In particular, that the OO-based metric was the most stable of the three; module length was not a confounding factor for the Hamming Distance-based metric; it was however for the two slice-based metrics supporting previous work by Meyers and Binkley. The number of module slices however, was found to be an even stronger influence on the values of the two slice-based metrics, whose near perfect correlation with each other suggests that they may be measuring the same software attribute. We calculated and then compared the three metrics using first, a set of manufactured, pre-determined modules as a preliminary analysis and second, approximately nine thousand functions from the modules of multiple versions of the Barcode system, used previously by Meyers and Binkley in their empirical study. The over-arching message of the research is that a combination of theoretical and empirical analysis can help significantly in comparing the viability and indeed choice of a metric or set of metrics. More specifically, although cohesion is a subjective measure, there are certain properties of a metric that are less desirable than others and it is these 'relative' features that distinguish metrics, make their comparison possible and their value more evident.


Through the introduction and popularisation of e-books and e-readers, the way books are read is changing. This paper aims to investigate the reading habits of five Swedish-based Kindle users to understand their reading ecologies and what place the Kindle has in their reading ecologies. The Kindle proves an interesting research focus as it is one of the most sold e-readers in the world, but has yet to establish itself on the Swedish market. The research focuses on three main themes: the reading ecologies and habits of the interviewees; why they use the Kindle; and how they use reviews on Kindle Store. The research uses the methods of communicative ecology mapping and qualitative interviews for collecting empirical data, which is then contextualised and analysed through the theories of communicative ecology, mediatization, and media as practice. The research shows that the interviewees prefer reading on digital devices, and that particular practices of reading are done in specific spatial dimensions. Three practices of reading are visible in the interviewees' reading ecologies: news-reading, social media-reading, and Kindlereading. The interviewees use the Kindle as a replacement of the physical book, which is shown in the way the interviewees list the e-ink technology and lack of backlit screens as motivations for using the device, in addition to the vast amount of niched literature available on Kindle Store. Moreover, reviews on Kindle Store are valuable to the interviewees when buying books, but the type of book changes how much validity the reviews hold. The reviews, no matter if they are being read or written by the interviewees, are viewed as helping the community of readers who use Kindle in finding 'good' literature.


Active control of sound is a technique for altering acoustic fields to wanted ones
in aimed domains by introducing controllable active secondary sound sources called
controls. This thesis describes an active shielding methodology based on difference
potentials for the control of noise and preservation of sound in domains. The main
feature of this methodology is its ability to automatically preserve "wanted" sound
within a domain while cancelling "unwanted" noise from outside the domain. This
method of preservation of the wanted sounds by active shielding control is
demonstrated with various broadband and realistic sound sources such as, human
voice, music, etc in multiple domains in a one dimensional enclosure. Unlike many
other conventional active control methods, the proposed approach does not require
the explicit characterisation of the wanted sound to be preserved. The controls are
designed based on the measurements of the total field on the boundaries of the
shielded domain only, which is allowed to be multiply connected, and the
controls are placed on the boundaries only. The cancellation and preservation
can be achieved globally over a large area of the domain. The method is tested in a
variety of experimental cases. The typical attenuation of the unwanted noise is found
to be about 20 dB over a large area of the shielded domain and the original wanted
sound field is preserved with errors of around 1 dB and less below through a broad
frequency range up to 1 kHz. This thesis reports on the results of the validation for
the methodology in detail, with particular emphasis on the volumetric noise
cancellation and wanted sound preservation offered by the proposed methodology,
which are unique features compared to other techniques available in the literature.


Two operating modes, independent self-mode-locking and cross-mode-locking, are presented in a two-beam-pumped double-cavity dual-wavelength femtosecond Ti:sapphire laser. Synchronization of femtosecond and picosecond laser pulses is achieved by properly adjusting the cavity length matching and distributing the pump laser powers in the two laser cavities, and moreover, a timing jitter of 517 fs between femtosecond and picosecond pulses is obtained, with wavelength tuning ranges around 36 and 22 nm in the femtosecond and picosecond cavities, respectively.


Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) is a critical tool for biological research investigators but recently it also has been making a significant impact in clinical, veterinary and agricultural applications. Plasmonic PCR, which employs the very efficient heat transfer of optically irradiated metallic nanoparticles, is a simple and powerful methodology to drive PCR reactions. The scalability of next generation plasmonic PCR technology will introduce various forms of PCR applications ranging from small footprint portable point of care diagnostic devices to large footprint central laboratory multiplexing devices. In a significant advance, we have introduced a real time plasmonic PCR and explored the ability of ultra-fast cycling compatible with both label-free and fluorescence-based monitoring of amplicon production. Furthermore, plasmonic PCR has been substantially optimized to now deliver a 30 cycle PCR in 54 seconds, with a detectable product. The advances described here will have an immediate impact on the further development of the use of plasmonic PCR playing a critical role in rapid point of care diagnostics.


A key area in the research agenda of modelling argumentation is to accurately model argumentation on the social web. In this paper we propose additional extensions to our ontology for argumentation on the social web (which integrates elements of the Argument Interchange Format and the Semantically Interlinked Online Communities project) for the purposes of modelling social and rhetorical tactics used in eristic or irrational arguments. We then present a review of these extensions from a panel of experts in the fields of argumentation modelling, web science, philosophy and open and linked data and discuss the value of modelling social argument, the challenges faced to create usable and accurate models and the completeness, clarity and consistency of our proposed additions.


Are we about to witness fundamental changes to established work practices or just the addition of 'non-standard' options to a fundamentally outdated system? – Observers of recent work-related regulations of the Japanese government are divided on whether the country really is on its way to a place where women and other 'atypical' employees can shine, or whether the latter are just supposed to stabilize a system that always treated them as second-rate members. In this panel, we bring together a German and a Japanese expert on diversity issues in order to evaluate current political and societal trends towards a more diverse work force and, by extension, a more diverse society. By contrasting insider and outsider perspectives as well as academic and practical views both speakers will provide the audience with new insights on the opportunities and risks growing diversity entails for Japanese companies, employees, politics, and the country at large.


In a recent article, G. Malle and G. Navarro conjectured that the $p$-blocks of a finite group all of whose height 0 characters have the same degree are exactly the nilpotent blocks defined by M. Broue and L. Puig. In this paper, we check that this conjecture holds for spin-blocks of the covering group $2.{\mathfrak A}_n$ of the alternating group ${\mathfrak A}_n$, thereby solving a case excluded from the study of quasi-simple groups by Malle and Navarro.


This paper uses the concept of teaching and learning regimes (TLRs) to help explore a set of questions about why some academic staff in universities thrive on and benefit from accredited programmes designed to improve HE learning and teaching practices ("educational development programmes") whilst others experience periods of resistance or some drop out altogether. "TLR" is a shorthand term for a constellation of rules, assumptions, practices and relationships related to teaching and learning issues in higher education. These include aspects of the following salient to teaching and learning, each of which we elaborate and illustrate in the paper: identities in interaction, power relations, codes of signification, tacit assumptions, rules of appropriateness, recurrent practices, discursive repertoires, implicit theories of learning and of teaching. The argument presented here is that academic staff on educational development programmes ("participants") bring to programmes sets of assumptions and practices rooted in TLRs. Educational development programmes themselves instantiate TLRs which may be more, or less, compatible with those of individual participants. Where there are incongruities between the two they need not be fatal if participants are able to, or are encouraged to, surface and reflect on previously tacit assumptions embedded in their TLRs. Similarly, there may not be a problem if participants are able to exercise discretion over the application of aspects of different regimes; applying them in different contexts as appropriate. Evidence from participants' writing, participant observation, secondary sources and data from eight interviews inform the paper and form the basis for illustrative vignettes.


Background Estrogen and androgen have been linked to the regulation of circulating hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), an adipose tissue-derived cytokine. It is possible that the CYP19A1 gene which alters sex hormones production may influence HGF levels. We examined the association between the CYP19A1 gene variants and plasma HGF concentrations. Design We evaluated 45 common and putative functional variants of CYP19A1 and circulating levels of HGF among 260 postmenopausal women who later developed colorectal cancer from the Women's Health Initiative Observational Cohort. As the distribution of HGF levels was highly skewed, we transformed HGF concentrations for all women into a log-, ranked-, or normal score-scale value. Multiple linear regression with adjustment for age was used to evaluate the associations. Results We observed an association between the rs7172156, rs1008805, rs6493494, rs749292, and rs11636639 variants and HGF levels in ranked and normal score scales (corrected p values ≤0.02), although the association of these 5 SNPs with log-scale HGF was not significant (corrected p values ≥0.16). The associations remained unchanged after additional adjustment for hormone therapy use and estradiol levels. These 5 SNPs, which were in linkage disequilibrium (pairwise D′≥97%, r2≥56%), constituted a block with 2 common haplotypes accounting for 82% frequency. The most common haplotype, TCCCA, was associated with lower ranked- or normal score-transformed HGF levels (corrected p values ≤0.001), whereas the second most common haplotype, CTTCA, was associated with higher ranked- or normal score-transformed HGF levels (corrected p values ≤0.02). Conclusion Our findings of a potential association between the CYP19A1 variants and circulating HGF levels warrant confirmation in studies with larger sample size.


If you were born to dance, but are having difficulty with the first steps to stardom, this is the book for you. From finding the right training to getting an agent, from performing in music videos to working on the West End stage, this is a down-to-earth source book of tips that will inspire and encourage beginners and help those already in the profession to take their careers to the next level. Combining years of experience with quotes and advice from many successful names in the business, the authors will help you discover, develop and market your own unique performance style and abilities. With sections on choosing a career path, handling auditions, promoting yourself and managing the business side of your career, this book contains everything you need to achieve your goals.


Extracted from text ... Introduction
This paper reflects on major political events
that took place in the Democratic Republic of
Congo (DRC) in 2003 and which have significantly
shaped the peace process in the DRC,
as well as the politics of the Great Lakes
Region. It concludes with observations drawn
from the events.
The review
The year 2003 was a year of remarkable
achievement and a turning point for the people
of the DRC, as it marked the beginning of
what many would call 'the road to peace' after
close to five years of war.
When in January the UN Security Council
unanimously ..


In this first full-scale attempt to reconstruct the chemical evolution of the Earth's atmosphere and oceans, Heinrich Holland assembles data from a wide spectrum of fields to trace the history of the ocean-atmosphere system. A pioneer in an increasingly important area of scholarship, he presents a comprehensive treatment of knowledge on this subject, provides an extensive bibliography, and outlines problems and approaches for further research. The first four chapters deal with the turbulent first half billion years of Earth history. The next four chapters, devoted largely to the Earth from 3.9 to 0.6 b.y.b.p., demonstrate that changes in the atmosphere and oceans during this period were not dramatic. The last chapter of the book deals with the Phanerozoic Eon; although the isotopic composition of sulfur and strontium in seawater varied greatly during this period of Earth history, the chemical composition of seawater did not.


Cloud Computing is the modern invocation being recited by the IT industry, and has set an example for accessing as well as configuring large-scale distributed computing applications across the clusters in datacenters. Today, it is in control of the greater percentage of computing quite recently, subsequently physical assets are being over-stacked. In-order to manage and assign tasks for the physical or virtual resources, techniques of clustering, scheduling and load balancing are being used. The current techniques are profoundly complex for non-pre-emptive tasks, which has remained as an irrecoverable restraint on the part of scheduling mechanism. In recent times, researches have implemented nature-inspired algorithms into the field of computing to solve the problems associated to complexity and to provide optimal solutions. In this paper, our focus lies in computing the makeSpan and costs incurred for resource management in the task scheduling process with a new methodology. We are proposing a heuristic approach namely Q-aware algorithm which takes the decisions based on analytical scheming. It works by forming a cluster of VMs using K means algorithm based on the memory, CPU, and band-width. This proposed technique uses a pool of nature-inspired algorithms namely SA,GA,IWO,PSO,ABC for the scheduling of tasks. This experiment is performed using cloudsim as simulator in-order to create a datacenter environment and schedule the tasks onto the virtual resources. The results show that the proposed system successfully performs the hyper-analytical scheming and measures the makespan, and calculates the resource utilization during the process.


If the UK is to avoid the catastrophic impacts of climate change a low-carbon transition (LCT) must be achieved, whereby our energy infrastructure and economy dramatically reduce carbon-dioxide emissions. The thesis argues that the UK construction sector is key to the success of the LCT and proposes some longer-term skills forecasts to assess whether future supply will meet demand.

The thesis uses secondary data to examine features of the UK construction sector which make it essential to achieving the LCT by building and installing the low-carbon infrastructure. Existing construction skills forecasting methodologies are reviewed to determine the required properties for the long-term projection. A novel model where underlying activity, technical change and institutional change co-evolve is developed to frame forecasts of the demand and supply of skills necessary for the LCT and identify if any potential skills shortages could disrupt it.

To predict long-term UK growth patterns a new approach - Multi-channel Singular Spectral Analysis - is employed, using educational and demographic forecasts and incorporating business cycles. Technical change is explored using four Government produced 2050 pathways, each proposing a differing bundle of technologies to deliver the LCT. The skills demand for each pathway is then forecast and evaluated. Additional forecasts cover other potential demands and the impact of institutions. In particular, the additional impacts of adaptation measures and the possibility of building more dwellings to meet growing demand are evaluated.

The results suggest that given appropriate policies and if the impacts of recessions are minimalised, and the number of new construction workers continues to grow, shortages can be avoided. UK skills policy and training, currently based on an employer-led philosophy, is evaluated to determine if it can provide a timely response to the increased demand for construction skills or whether a more proactive approach is required.

The thesis argues that, if a more proactive engagement by the construction skills institutions and policy makers is adopted, the supply of skills could be sufficient to achieve the LCT. However, the higher levels of adaptation measures combined with building sufficient dwelling to meet demand could produce destabilising addition demand on the construction sector leading to problems with the LCT.


From the author of the acclaimed `Mr. China' comes another rollicking adventure story - part memoir, part history, part business imbroglio - that offers valuable lessons to help Westerners win in China. In the twenty-first century, the world has tilted eastwards in its orbit; China grows confident while the West seems mired in doubt. Having lived and worked in China for more than two decades, Tim Clissold explains the secrets that Westerners can use to navigate through its cultural and political maze. Picking up where he left off in the international bestseller `Mr. China', `Chinese Rules' chronicles his most recent exploits, with assorted Chinese bureaucrats, factory owners, and local characters building a climate change business in China. Of course, all does not go as planned as he finds himself caught between the world's largest carbon emitter and the world's richest man. Clissold offers entertaining and enlightening anecdotes of the absurdities, gaffes, and mysteries he encountered along the way. Sprinkled amid surreal scenes of cultural confusion and near misses are smart myth-busting insights and practical lessons Westerns can use to succeed in China. Exploring key episodes in that nation's long political, military, and cultural history, Clissold outlines five Chinese rules, which anyone can deploy in on-the-ground situations with modern Chinese counterparts. These Chinese rules will enable foreigners not only to co-operate with China but also to compete with it on its own terms.


In the autumn of 1995 the Haymarket Theatre, Leicester, UK, staged two plays which offer a dramatic treatment of the politics of motherhood: Timberlake Wertenbaker's The Break of Day (Haymarket Mainhouse, first performance 26 October 1995) and Ruth Carter's A Yearning (Haymarket Studio, 31 October to 4 November 1995). Neither play had significant box-office success, and The Break of Day received poor and hostile reviews from (male) critics, many of whom, like Paul Taylor for The Independent, commented on the play as a dramatization of 'how the maternal drive can cause women to betray orthodox feminism'. My counter argument is that by addressing infertility as a feminist issue for the 1990s, both plays index the need to re-conceive a politics of motherhood in an international arena, highlighting the ways in which the biological contours of women's lives are globally mapped with the specificities of social, material and cultural geographies.