Notions of teacher quality, character and identity are debated worldwide. It is
commonly held that the voices of 'new' teachers are largely underrepresented in such
debates (Kompf, 2005). By engaging teachers in research into their own determinations of
teacher quality, their dialogue can provide insights into the personal and individual
processes of becoming a teacher within a broader socio-political framework (Frid and Reid,
2003). The earlier phase of teaching can be described as one of 'survival' and 'discovery'
(Huberman, 1992), signifying the 'reality shock' new teachers face. Researchers (Day,
1999; Graham and Phelps, 2003; Bleach and Rhodes, 2004) emphasise the need for
teachers to be properly supported at the earlier phase of their career; a requirement also
identified for migrant or Overseas Trained Teachers (Miller, 2006).
This paper discusses findings on teacher identity as regard the experiences of Overseas
Trained Teachers (OTTs) from the Caribbean in the course of their employment in
London. Through teaching in London, OTTs have experienced both negative and
positive impacts. On the one hand, these impacts have undermined previously held
value positions resulting in some degree of confusion and turbulence. On the other hand,
OTTs have navigated conflicting discourses and have combined past experiences with
present knowledges to produce a form of localised 'teacher identity'.


Abstract This essay considers a range of artistic and intellectual responses to the Algerian War of Independence that foregrounded the problem of extreme violence. It homes in on the suggestive nexus between anti-colonial solidarities in the metropole and the obsessive concern of artistic, literary, and philosophical avant-gardes with the thought of the Marquis de Sade. It explores how the returns to and of Sade that punctuated the French intellectual scene over the twentieth century could serve as a prism through which to politicize, represent and challenge the manifestations of extreme state and para-state violence in a colonial setting.


This paper reports experimental results showing the effect of mean retinal illuminance on the modulation transfer function (MTF). The line spread function of the human visual system was computed. The test pattern in which the luminance varied sinusoidally in the horizontal direction was generated on the face of an oscilloscope by modulating the intensity of the beam.The behavior of the system changes with the mean retinal illuminance. At the highest mean retinal illuminance (1000 td) the MTF shows two peaks which gradually disappear at lower mean retinal illuminances. The line spread function of the entire visual system also exhibits a change in shape dependent on the mean retinal illuminance. In particular, what are deemed inhibitory influences become less prominent at lower mean retinal illuminance. From the line spread function of the optical part up to the retina, the line spread function of the physiological part of the visual system is also evaluated.A common asymptote appears at high frequencies when the characteristics are plotted in terms of absolute deviation from the mean versus spatial frequency for threshold perception. The asymptote provides an upper bound for the behavior of visual acuity at any retinal illuminance.


Polycomb/Trithorax Response Elements (PREs) are epigenetic elements that can maintain established transcriptional states over multiple cell divisions. Sequence motifs in known PREs have enabled genome-wide PRE prediction by the PREdictor and jPREdictor, using combined motif occurrences for scoring sequence windows. The EpiPredictor predicts PREs by using the method of Support Vector Machines (SVM), which enables the construction of non-linear classifiers by use of kernel functions. Aspects of using SVMs for PRE prediction can be investigated, such as setting of SVM parameters, using SVM decision values for scoring and using alternative feature sets. The PRE prediction implementation presented in this thesis, called PRESVM, uses SVM decision values to score sequence windows. PRESVM implements the feature sets used by (j)PREdictor and EpiPredictor, as well as feature sets using relative motif occurrence distances and periodic motif occurrence. Grid search and Particle Swarm Optimization are supported for setting SVM parameters. For evaluating PRE predictions of multiple classifiers against experimental data sets, an application called PREsent has been implemented. For a similar configuration for PRESVM and jPREdictor, PRESVM predicted a larger number of candidate PREs, which were more sensitive to but had lower Positive Predictive Values against experimental data considered than those of jPREdictor. A formal relationship was established between the PRESVM and jPREdictor decision functions for this configuration. The trade-offs make it difficult to conclude that either classifier is superior. Many configurations remain to be tested, and the results encourage further testing.


Security threats, dynamic business environments and the ambiguous multi-jurisdictional arrangements governing Internet businesses often impose urgent change demands on businesses operating on the Internet - demands which are not well handled by existing Web development approaches. The paper proposes a lightweight Web maintenance methodology for small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) which is designed to effectively handle urgent change requests such as emergency situations that are common to Web systems. The methodology involved analysing the Web maintenance states and classifying these into three distinct states. The proposed process can be integrated with the normal evolution of Web systems. The methodology is underpinned by: a set of core values that emphasise collaboration between chief developer and the business executives; minimal feedback loops; close involvement of business executives; and rapid design focusing on identified critical features. Two rapid prototyping approaches are proposed as part of the methodology. The Critical Feature Matrix and Normal Feature Matrix are introduced to replace the onerous conventional documentation.


This thesis investigates the cost of electricity generation using bio-oil produced by the fast pyrolysis of UK energy crops. The study covers cost from the farm to the generator's terminals. The use of short rotation coppice willow and miscanthus as feedstocks was investigated. All costs and performance data have been taken from published papers, reports or web sites. Generation technologies are compared at scales where they have proved economic burning other fuels, rather than at a given size. A pyrolysis yield model was developed for a bubbling fluidised bed fast pyrolysis reactor from published data to predict bio-oil yields and pyrolysis plant energy demands. Generation using diesel engines, gas turbines in open and combined cycle (CCGT) operation and steam cycle plants was considered. The use of bio-oil storage to allow the pyrolysis and generation plants to operate independently of each other was investigated. The option of using diesel generators and open cycle gas turbines for combined heat and power was examined. The possible cost reductions that could be expected through learning if the technology is widely implemented were considered. It was found that none of the systems analysed would be viable without subsidy, but with the current Renewable Obligation Scheme CCGT plants in the 200 to 350 MWe range, super-critical coal fired boilers co-fired with bio-oil, and groups of diesel engine based CHP schemes supplied by a central pyrolysis plant would be viable. It was found that the cost would reduce with implementation and the planting of more energy crops but some subsidy would still be needed to make the plants viable.


AOP languages are continuously evolving, for example (1) pointcut languages are becoming increasingly powerful with respect to the expressiveness of the pointcut language itself, (2) new program properties can be used as a selection criterion in pointcut designators, or (3) new types of program elements can be introduced by means of a crosscut specification. In this paper we investigate the consequences of these trends. To this end, we focus particularly on the usage of meta-data annotations: several recent (versions of) AOP languages support the use of annotations as a selection criterion in pointcut designators or the introduction of annotations, or both. We investigate the introduction of annotations through the use of expressive pointcut languages; explain why introduction of annotations is useful, and in particular, why and how annotations can be derived from other annotations.We explore the issues that arise due to the inter-dependencies between annotation introductions. We investigate when such dependencies may cause ambiguities, and we present an algorithm that resolves the dependencies when possible, and detects ambiguous cases that cannot be resolved. The solution we propose is implemented within the Compose* tool, which supports the introduction of meta-data annotations.


Machine Type Communication (MTC) is becoming an integral part of the Long Term Evolution - Advanced (LTE-A) cellular network. Challenges arise when some of the MTC devices, due to the nature of their applications, are deployed in low signal locations. As per 3GPP requirements, there is a need for additional coverage enhancement up to 20 dB in comparison with LTE category 1 UE for MTC devices. In the previous works reported till now, Repetition Coding is proposed as an effective technique to achieve the required coverage enhancements at cost of longer decoding time. In low signal conditions where many repetitions are required to build the SNR needed, the decoding delay may be unacceptable. For a LTE-A MTC UE, Physical Broadcast CHannel (PBCH) decoding has a very important role and fast, efficient decoding of PBCH will help to improve the device performance. In this paper, we propose to use well established technique called Reduced Search (RS) Viterbi to improve PBCH decoding performance without compromising the time-to-decode. RS Viterbi technique utilizes a priori knowledge of transmitted bits to reduce the size and complexity of trellis, which in turn also reduces probability of choosing incorrect path, i.e., error. Up to 2.2 dB SNR gain is seen in simulation using the RS Viterbi decoding against the conventional Viterbi decoding, which will contribute in improving the sensitivity of MTC devices for better reachability.


In recent decades, the federal government has greatly expanded its use of contractors to perform services, and now purchases more than $260 billion in services every year. The government has increasingly turned to contractors to accomplish its programmatic goals, and contractor personnel are now performing tasks that in the past had been performed by government employees. While government employees are subject to strict ethics standards, most of these standards do not apply to contractor personnel. If a federal employee makes a recommendation on a matter that could affect her financial interest, she could be subject not only to administrative discipline but also to criminal prosecution. In most cases, a contractor employee who has that same financial interest and makes the same recommendation is not subject to any consequences. In fact, the government does not have any systematic way of even finding out when contractor personnel have such conflicts of interest. The personal conflicts of interest of contractor personnel are largely unregulated. This article the disparity between the strict regulation of employees and the lax regulation of contractor personnel; explores possible explanations for the wide disparity in standards for these two groups; and suggests several research questions that should be answered prior to deciding whether to impose strict financial conflict standards on contractor personnel.


Life sciences research that uses genetic resources is increasingly collaborative and global, yet collective action remains a significant barrier to the creation and management of shared research resources. These resources include sequence data and associated metadata, and biological samples, and can be understood as a type of knowledge commons. Collective action by stakeholders to create and use knowledge commons for research has potential benefits for all involved, including minimizing costs and sharing risks, but there are gaps in our understanding of how institutional arrangements may promote such collective action in the context of global genetic resources. We address this research gap by examining the attributes of an exemplar global knowledge commons: The DNA barcode commons. DNA barcodes are short, standardized gene regions that can be used to inexpensively identify unknown specimens, and proponents have led international efforts to make DNA barcodes a standard species identification tool. Our research examined if and how attributes of the DNA barcode commons, including governance of DNA barcode resources and management of infrastructure, facilitate global participation in DNA barcoding efforts. Our data sources included key informant interviews, organizational documents, scientific outputs of the DNA barcoding community, and DNA barcode record submissions. Our research suggested that the goal of creating a globally inclusive DNA barcode commons is partially impeded by the assumption that scientific norms and expectations held by researchers in high income countries are universal. We found scientific norms are informed by a complex history of resource misappropriation and mistrust between stakeholders. DNA barcode organizations can mitigate the challenges caused by its global membership through creating more inclusive governance structures, developing norms for the community are specific to the context of DNA barcoding, and through increasing awareness and knowledge of pertinent legal frameworks.


This thesis evaluates the concept of characterization process of ultra-high vacuum
system, known as SEA5 Serial Expansion Apparatus at RISE Research
Institutes of Sweden.

To produce precisely known pressures in the medium, high, and ultra-high
vacuum range for gauge calibrations, the volume expansion system is often
used for that purpose. There are different methods to determine the volume or
the expansion ratios in such system. The two methods used during the characterization
process are the spinning rotor gauge and the gas accumulation, by
measuring the pressure before and after an expansion.

Furthermore, implementing the methods in the control software developed
in LabView for fully automated characterization process. The achieved results
by the methods where not completely in agreement with each other, that caused
by different reasons.


INTRODUCTION Boids kept as exotic pets nowadays has increased in recent decades [1]. Its popularity has increased in Indonesia. Without proper husbandry, snakes have higher risk for infection, such as respiratory infection. Respiratory infections are common in captive snakes that could cause severe illness leading to death [2]. Many etiologies say respiratory infection in snakes, are mainly caused by bacteria. Microbiology test is one of the diagnostic method which could be performed to diagnose for a better treatment to identification the cause of the infection. API 20NE kit is a choice. Burkholderia cepacia is a bacterial infection which could occur in pythons. This case reports Burkholderia cepacia finding in a Python reticulatus that had respiratory infection.


High levels of cannabis use persist in Aboriginal communities in Arnhem Land, Northern Territory 594 K S Kylie Lee, Alan R Clough, Katherine M Conigrave A national survey of medical morning handover report in Australian hospitals 595 Erwin Loh 595 Matthew J Fassett, Terry J Hannan, Iain K Robertson, Steven J Bollipo, Robert G Fassett MIMS is not a stand-alone resource 596 James L Mallows 596 David T Graham International conferences on rare diseases: initiatives in commitment, patient care and connections 597 Yvonne A Zurynski, Katie N Reeve, Elizabeth J Elliott Drowning and three-wheel strollers 597 Roger W Byard, Neil Matthews Herpes compunctorum: cutaneous herpes simplex virus infection complicating tattooing 598 Catherine S Marshall, Felicity Murphy, Shannon E McCarthy, Allen C Cheng Driving assessment and rehabilitation after stroke 599 Zoe A Allen, Julie Halbert, Lydia Huang


A Bi2O3 in β-MnO2 composite cathode material has been synthesized using a simple hydrothermal method and cycled in a mixed KOH–LiOH electrolyte with a range of concentrations. We show that, at a KOH:LiOH molar ratio of 1:3, both proton insertion and lithium insertion occur, allowing access to a higher fraction of the theoretical capacity of the MnO2 while preventing the formation of ZnMn2O4. This enables a capacity of 360 mAh/g for over 60 cycles, with cycling limited more by anode properties than traditional cathodic failure mechanisms. The structural changes occurring during cycling are characterized using electron microscopy and in situ synchrotron energy-dispersive X-ray diffraction (EDXRD) techniques. This mixed electrolyte shows exceptional cyclability and capacity and can be used as a drop-in replacement for current alkaline batteries, potentially drastically improving their cycle life and creating a wide range of new applications for this energy storage technology.


On 15 December 2009 the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights ('the African Human Rights Court, or 'the court') sitting in Arusha, Tanzania delivered its first ever judgment. The purpose of this article is to reflect and comment on several issues and principles found in this first ever case to be filed before the court. In the course of discussion, the article will present the conclusion reached by the court and the Separate Opinion of Judge Fatsah Ouguergouz. At first, a discussion is on the arguments raised by the applicant, Mr Michelot Yogogombaye against Senegal in respect of the on-going legal proceedings instituted in Senegal against Hissene Habre, former President of Chad, charging him with crimes against humanity, particularly torture committed in Chad between 1982 and December 1990. Then, a discussion is on Senegal's preliminary objections to the application touching on the lack of jurisdiction by the court on the basis that Senegal has not made a declaration under article 34(6) of the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights on the Establishment of an African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights (the Protocol) allowing individuals to institute cases against it before the court.Although the judgment of the court did not go into the merits of the case, this article discusses the implications that the judgment would have had on the developments of international law in Africa, had it gone into merits and substance of the case. It examines several key issues that had been raised by the applicant before the court. These include 'functional immunity' of former heads of state in relation to serious human rights violations as alluded to by the applicant; the principle of 'universal jurisdiction'; retroactivity of penal laws; status of a political asylee under the law on refugees; issues of access to the court by individuals under the concept of personal jurisdiction (jurisdiction ratione personae) as reflected in article 5(3) of the Protocol, and whether the court may 'receive' applications from individuals against a state which has not made an express declaration under article 34(6) of the Protocol. In this connection, the article follows the interpretation of the words 'receive' and shall' as found in articles 5(3) and 34(6) of the Protocol, and offers its own interpretation of 'individuals' as used in the same provisions of the Protocol. Further, it examines the possibility of the court's judgment to suspend the decision of the Assembly of the African Union (AU) mandating Senegal to try Hissene Habre. The article further examines whether the court had been seized with an opportunity to develop its own jurisprudence on international law in Africa, in line with the provisions of the Protocol. In addition to the questions raised, the article also examines whether the applicant in the case had indeed understood some of the principles he contended that Senegal has violated in prosecuting Hissene Habre or his arguments are simply a mockery of international law and obligations of states in the prosecution and punishment of individuals who commit human rights violations. To understand the context of the judgment of the court, it is necessary that the application and preliminary objections as well as statement of defense filed before the court be discussed as a whole. But, before attempting to discuss the judgment of the court, it is necessary to consider the pre-existing legal proceedings against Mr Hissene Habre and Senegal before different legal and judicial institutions in the world. These proceedings will inform the readers about the context within which the present judgment of the court came into being. For brevity reasons, it suffices to highlight here that Hissene Habre sits at the centre of various legal proceedings before national and international judicial bodies. The prior legal proceedings that had been instituted against Mr Hissene Habre in Senegal and Belgium, as well as against Senegal before the United Nations Committee against Torture (CAT) and the International Court of Justice (ICJ) are the ones that also have an impact on the first case before the African Human Rights Court. What follows below is now a discussion on the judgment in the first case before the African Human Rights Court and its implications in Africa.


Introduction The use of pesticides in the Indonesian vegetable farming is common. The conventional and traditional methods of pesticides used are mostly dangerous nor safe. This study investigated the impact of health promotion intervention on safe use of pesticides among farmers in Sumowono Village, Semarang District, Indonesia. Methods The researchers conducted a multi-year's approach to conduct a training on safe use of pesticides as a health promotion intervention. In 2013, the researcher approached the community health centre staff to gather their understanding on unsafe pesticides used among farmers. The researchers made a collaboration with one nurse and one midwife to be part of the field coordinator team. The actual training session was conducted in 2015. Results The farmer's community agreed with the idea of participating in the Focus Group Discussion and training on safe use of pesticides. Selected farmers of 136 persons participated in the training. It was tailored to find a solution on un-safe use of pesticides according to participants daily practices. Knowledge and attitude of pesticides use were improved after joining the training session. The adoption of expected behaviour on safe use of pesticides was evaluated one year after the training. A significant behaviour change was seen on drinking water after working with pesticides. In addition, the practice of taking a painkiller medicine was no longer available since the training participants gained knowledge on dehydration, pesticides intoxication, and the benefit of water intake to expedite the excretion of pesticides from the body. Conclusion Health promotion interventions involving the local health workers were effective. A three years approach in health promotion delivery was useful in strengthening to the adoption of the expected healthy behaviours.


Business Process Redesign (BPR) helps rethinking a process in order to enhance its performance. Practitioners have been developing methodologies to support BPR implementation. However, most methodologies lack actual guidance on deriving a process design threatening the success of BPR. In this paper, we suggest the use of a case-based reasoning technique (CBR) to support solving new problems by adapting previously successful solutions to similar problems to support redesigning new business processes by adapting previously successful redesign to similar business process. An implementation framework for BPR and the CBR's cyclical process are used as a knowledge management technical support to serve for the effective reuses of redesign methods as a knowledge creation and sharing mechanism.


In  this  paper  we  make  use  of  the  first  and  second  waves  of  the 2008  and 1998  cohorts  of  the  Growing  Up  in  Ireland  study,  to  develop  a  multidimensional  and  dynamic  approach  to understanding the impact on families and children in Ireland of the Great Recession. Economic vulnerability is operationalised as involving a distinctive risk profile in relation to relative income, household  joblessness  and  economic  stress.  We  find  that  the  recession  was  associated  with  a  significant increase in levels of economic vulnerability and changing risk profiles involving a more prominent  role  for  economic  stress  for  both  the  2008  and  1998  cohorts.  The  factors  affecting  vulnerability outcomes were broadly similar for both cohorts. Persistent economic vulnerability was  significantly  associated  with  lone  parenthood,  particularly  for  those  with  more  than  one  child, lower levels of primary care giver (PCG) education and, to a lesser extent, younger age of PCG  at  child's  birth,  number  of  children  and  a  parent  leaving  or  dying.  Similar  factors  were  associated  with  transient  vulnerability  in  the  first  wave  but  the  magnitude  of  the  effects  was significantly weaker particularly in relation to lone parenthood and level of education of the PCG. For entry into vulnerability the impact of these factors was again substantially weaker than for persistent and transient vulnerability indicating a significantly greater degree of socioeconomic heterogeneity among the group that became vulnerable during the recession. The findings raise policy and political problems that go beyond those associated with catering for groups that have tended to be characterized by high dependence on social welfare.


Originally hailing from Latin America, dulce de leche (DL) is one of the most widely manufactured dairy products in South America, where it is marketed as a paste or bar. Due to DL's low moisture content, the product can be safely stored at room temperature, which facilitates storage and transportation logistics. The primary ingredients used to manufacture DL are milk, sucrose, and an acidity reducer. Needless to say, the raw materials must be of good quality from reliable suppliers in order for the final product to have the desired characteristics. The milk used to make DL must be microbiologically safe, remain stable during thermal processing, and preferably exhibit a high solid content. Dulce de leche is defined as a product made with or without the addition of other food substances that is obtained from milk or reconstituted milk and added sucrose (either partially substituted or not by monosaccharides and/or other disaccharides) via concentration and heat action at normal or reduced pressure. This chapter aims to explore the chemistry, processing technology, and most common industrial practices for manufacturing DL in South America.


OBJECTIVE: To determine whether childhood antianaerobic antibiotic exposure is associated with the development of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). METHODS: This retrospective cohort study employed data from 464 UK ambulatory practices participating in The Health Improvement Network. All children with ≥2 years of follow-up from 1994 to 2009 were followed between practice enrollment and IBD development, practice deregistration, 19 years of age, or death; those with previous IBD were excluded. All antibiotic prescriptions were captured. Antianaerobic antibiotic agents were defined as penicillin, amoxicillin, ampicillin, penicillin/β-lactamase inhibitor combinations, tetracyclines, clindamycin, metronidazole, cefoxitin, carbapenems, and oral vancomycin. RESULTS: A total of 1 072 426 subjects contributed 6.6 million person-years of follow-up; 748 developed IBD. IBD incidence rates among antianaerobic antibiotic unexposed and exposed subjects were 0.83 and 1.52/10 000 person-years, respectively, for an 84% relative risk increase. Exposure throughout childhood was associated with developing IBD, but this relationship decreased with increasing age at exposure. Exposure before 1 year of age had an adjusted hazard ratio of 5.51 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.66–18.28) but decreased to 2.62 (95% CI: 1.61–4.25) and 1.57 (95% CI: 1.35–1.84) by 5 and 15 years, respectively. Each antibiotic course increased the IBD hazard by 6% (4%–8%). A dose-response effect existed, with receipt of >2 antibiotic courses more highly associated with IBD development than receipt of 1 to 2 courses, with adjusted hazard ratios of 4.77 (95% CI: 2.13–10.68) versus 3.33 (95% CI: 1.69–6.58). CONCLUSIONS: Childhood antianaerobic antibiotic exposure is associated with IBD development.


Dynamical systems comprising of multiple components that can be partitioned into distinct blocks originate in many scientific areas. A pertinent example is the interactions between financial assets and selected macroeconomic indicators, which has been studied at aggregate level---e.g. a stock index and an employment index---extensively in the macroeconomics literature. A key shortcoming of this approach is that it ignores potential influences from other related components (e.g. Gross Domestic Product) that may exert influence on the system's dynamics and structure and thus produces incorrect results. To mitigate this issue, we consider a multi-block linear dynamical system with Granger-causal ordering between blocks, wherein the blocks' temporal dynamics are described by vector autoregressive processes and are influenced by blocks higher in the system hierarchy. We derive the maximum likelihood estimator for the posited model for Gaussian data in the high-dimensional setting based on appropriate regularization schemes for the parameters of the block components. To optimize the underlying non-convex likelihood function, we develop an iterative algorithm with convergence guarantees. We establish theoretical properties of the maximum likelihood estimates, leveraging the decomposability of the regularizers and a careful analysis of the iterates. Finally, we develop testing procedures for the null hypothesis of whether a block "Granger-causes" another block of variables. The performance of the model and the testing procedures are evaluated on synthetic data, and illustrated on a data set involving log-returns of the US S&P100 component stocks and key macroeconomic variables for the 2001--16 period.


The spectra of ytterbium have been investigated above and below the first ionization threshold using two different techniques, single photon excitation via synchrotron radiation and multi step resonance ionization spectroscopy. In the synchrotron radiation based experiments, the photoabsorption spectrum in the wavelength region 1200 - 2000 A was recorded in the first order of a 3 meter spectrograph equipped with a 6000 line/mm holographic grating. More than two hundred new levels of YbI are observed, which are interpreted as inner shell transitions 4f446s2 --+ 4f13(2Fs5/2,7/2) nd, ng and doubly excited transitions, 4f446s2 --+ 4f44 5d (2D3/2. 5/2) np, nf and 4f446s2 --+ 4f14 6p(2P1/2 3/2) ns, nd series. All the observed levels lie above the first ionization threshold which are ordered into Rydberg series converging on to six limits. The interchannel interactions between the overlapped series have been parametrized using multichannel quantum defect theory (MQDT).

The laser based stepwise excitation experiments on ytterbium are performed using narrow band width dye lasers pumped by a Nd: YAG laser. The thermionic diode which has a very high gain, high sensitivity and good linearity is used for the ion detection. Four different experiments are employed to investigate the high lying odd and even parity levels. First three experiments are performed to record the principal and inter-combination series. Three colour or three photon spectra are compared with the two color three photon spectra below the first ionization. Moreover, we confirmed the different intermediate levels resulting from the single photon and two photon excitations. It is observed that the relative intensities of levels varies in each experiment, revealing strong influence of perturbers. In the other experiment, we have observed the even parity autoionizing resonances in the range of 70700 - 72000 cm-I using three color four photon excitation technique. More than 40 new levels attributable to the inner shell excitation corresponding to the 4f446s2nl Rydberg series are detected. The spectra are analyzed guided by the spectral line shape, parent ion limit and quantum defect approach.


Treatment of medically intractable focal epilepsy (MIFE) by surgical resection of the epileptogenic zone (EZ) is often effective provided the EZ can be reliably identified. Even with the use of invasive recordings, the clinical differentiation between the EZ and normal brain areas can be quite challenging, mainly in patients without MRI detectable lesions. Consequently, despite relatively large brain regions being removed, surgical success rates barely reach 60-65%. Such variable and unfavorable outcomes associated with high morbidity rates are often caused by imprecise and/or inaccurate EZ localization. We developed a localization algorithm that uses network-based data analytics to process invasive EEG recordings. This network algorithm analyzes the centrality signatures of every contact electrode within the recording network and characterizes contacts into susceptible EZ based on the centrality trends over time. The algorithm was tested in a retrospective study that included 42 patients from four epilepsy centers. Our algorithm had higher agreement with EZ regions identified by clinicians for patients with successful surgical outcomes and less agreement for patients with failed outcomes. These findings suggest that network analytics and a network systems perspective of epilepsy may be useful in assisting clinicians in more accurately localizing the EZ. AUTHOR SUMMARY Epilepsy is a disease that results in abnormal firing patterns in parts of the brain that comprise the epileptogenic network, known as the epileptogenic zone (EZ). Current methods to localize the EZ for surgical treatment often requires observations of hundreds of thousands of EEG data points measured from many electrodes implanted in a patient's brain. In this paper, we used network science to show that EZ regions may exhibit specific network signatures before, during and after seizure events. Our algorithm computes the likelihood of each electrode being in the EZ and tends to agree more with clinicians during successful resections and less during failed surgeries. These results suggest that a networked analysis approach to EZ localization may be valuable in a clinical setting.


Disruptive off campus behavior by college students in recent years has been unrelated to social causes or the public interest. The unruly behavior following athletic events or spring festivals has been damaging to the communities in which the students reside and has included rioting, property destruction, noise, littering, over extension of police resources, and interference with quality of life. While incidents of unruly student behavior have occurred in college communities, large and small, located throughout the nation, this article looks at efforts made by three Pennsylvania communities to curb the problems. These efforts include passing ordinances requiring reimbursement for police costs, seeking injunctive relief to control the size and conduct at large parties, and installing public video cameras at student housing. The article explores the constitutional and public policy problems posed by the measures enacted by the communities, and concludes that the measures are either unlikely to withstand judicial scrutiny, or may create more dangerous problems than they were designed to combat. I. BACKGROUND OF THE PROBLEM-A BRIEF HISTORY OF STUDENT UNREST College student unrest is not new in the United States. The college years historically have been associated with rebellious behavior ranging in intensity from harmless pranks, to defiance of social mores and organized dissent from mainstream political ideology. As early as the mid-1800s, responding to the stern discipline of the religious/paternalistic college system and amid claims that their "natural rights" were being suppressed, students at many eastern colleges rioted causing extensive property damage to their campuses.1 One of these riots at the University of Virginia resulted in the death of a professor.2 In the 1960s and 70s the civil rights movement and opposition to the Vietnam War resulted in widespread intentional lawbreaking and violence both on and off campuses.3 Thousands of criminal cases were brought against students for protests borne out of their desire for social change.4 While student unrest is not a recent phenomenon, what seems to be new on college campuses is the amount of purposeless destruction in which students are engaged.5 This destruction often spills over the gates of the ivy covered towers into the communities in which the colleges reside. On March 31, 2001 a melee broke out in West Lafayette, Indiana following Purdue's loss to Notre Dame in the NCAA women's basketball championship. Students broke store windows, damaged cars and stoked fires with piles of furniture.6 That same weekend in College Park, Maryland, after the University of Maryland (U.M.) lost to Duke in the Final Four of the NCAA men's basketball tournament, students rioted, ransacked privately owned homes, set bonfires which destroyed cable lines and tore down street signs resulting in $500,000 of property damage.7 The U.M. students' destructive behavior can't be explained by disappointment at their loss. Their behavior didn't improve the following year when U.M. won in the Final Four. Following the victory, students broke windows, vandalized police cars, threw bottles at officers and set more bonfires.8 College students' destructive acts have not only followed sporting events. Each July, the Borough of State College, Pennsylvania hosts the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts. The event, which has been held for 37 years, lasts for 5 days and attracts about 100,000 artisans and patrons of the arts.9 For reasons no clearer than "too much alcohol" and "a good natured celebration turned sour"10 during the festival in 1998 Penn State students destroyed parked cars, ripped down street lights and signs, broke windows of businesses, set bonfires, and threw kegs from balconies causing at least $50,000 in damages and numerous injuries to police and students alike." Halloween mischief has evolved into annual melees at many campuses including Ohio University, Kent State and Southern Illinois University (S. …


This study was conducted in the Diana Turbay state school with students of one eighth grade class with a low English level. The group was chosen because of their special characteristics within this public institution: their number (just eighteen students) and their interest in and motivation for learning English as a foreign language. The motivation they show allowed the researchers to observe and collect more specific information for this study and for future research on reading comprehension. Data collection was conducted using many different techniques, such as open observations, diary, surveys, students' self-evaluation and field notes. All these techniques provided information as authentic as possible. The purpose of the study was to determine if students improved their reading comprehension in English by applying specific reading strategies. Results showed that students from state schools can achieve good comprehension of English texts through adequate training despite the fact that they start their English learning so late. Further research on this topic should study the relationship between reading comprehension in Spanish and in English. It would also be necessary to study how students can acquire language structures through reading activities.


In this paper a compressive sensing (CS), sub-Nyquist, non-uniform deterministic sampling technique is considered in conjunction with a computationally efficient power spectrum estimation approach for frequency domain output-only system identification of linear white noise excited structural systems. The adopted CS sensing spectral estimation approach assumes multi-band input random signals/stochastic processes without posing any signal sparsity requirements and therefore it is applicable to linear structures with arbitrary number of degrees of freedom and level of damping. Further, it applies directly to the sub-Nyquist (CS) measurements and, thus, it by-passes the computationally demanding signal reconstruction step from CS measurements. Numerical results pertaining to the acceleration response of a damped structure with closely-spaced natural frequencies are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the considered approach to provide reliable estimates of natural frequencies by means of the standard frequency domain peak-picking algorithm of operational modal analysis using up to 90% fewer measurements compared to the Nyquist rate sampled data. It is envisioned that this study will further familiarize the structural dynamics community with the potential of CS-based techniques for vibration-based structural health monitoring and condition assessment of engineering structures.


Objective: To evaluate if self-efficacy (SE) and financial incentives (FI) mediate the effect of health behavior on weight loss in a group of overweight and obese nursing-home employees participating in a 16-week weight-loss intervention with 12-week follow-up. Methods: Ninety nine overweight/obese (body mass index [BMI] > 25) employees from four nursing-homes participated, with a mean age of 46.98 years and BMI of 35.33. Nursing-homes were randomized to receiving an incentive-based intervention (n = 51) and no incentive (n = 48). Participants' health behaviors and eating and exercise self-efficacy (Ex-SE) were assessed at week 1, 16, and 28 using a self-reported questionnaire. Mediation and moderated mediation analysis assessed relationships among these variables. Results: Eating self-efficacy (Eat-SE) and Ex-SE were significant mediators between health behaviors and weight loss (P < 0.05). Incentives significantly moderated the effects of self-efficacy (P = 0.00) on weight loss. Conclusions: Self-efficacy and FI may affect weight loss and play a role in weight-loss interventions.


Population genetic structure was studied in paddyfield warblers Acrocephalus agricola breeding in NE Bulgaria, SE Russia and S Kazakhstan. We were particularly interested in the degree of genetic differentiation and gene flow of the Bulgarian population due to its geographical isolation, recent origin and unique migratory strategy. Analyses of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) showed that there was no divergence between Bulgarian and Russian populations (F-ST = 0.007), whereas those in Kazakhstan differed significantly from the European breeding populations (Russia: F-ST = 0.058; Bulgaria: F-ST = 0.114). The degree of differentiation between populations at nuclear markers (five microsatellite loci; F-ST approximate to 0) was weaker than for mtDNA. We suggest that this relatively weak differentiation over the range of this species reflects a recent postglacial expansion, and results from mismatch distribution analyses and Fu's F-S tests are in agreement. Preservation of small and geographically isolated populations which may contain individuals with unique adaptive traits, such as the studied Bulgarian population of paddyfield warbler, is valuable for the long-term conservation of expanding migratory bird species [Current Zoology 57 (1): 63-71, 2011]. (Less)


Sheet pile wall system is considered one of the oldest common earth retention systems used in civil engineering projects. The common methods used in the design of sheet pile walls were based on the limit equilibrium approach using active and passive earth pressures. These methods based on force and moment equilibriumdon't consider wall deformations, which are very important for achieving serviceability. An extensive parametric study through the finite element program, PLAXIS version 8.6 was carried out to investigate the behavior of inclined anchored sheet pile walls, studying the effect of varying the inclination of tie, and effect of elevation of tie for different sand soil types, wall height, effect of ground water table to show the effect on horizontal wall displacements, maximum wall bending moments, and anchor force for all cases. The minimum values of the wall penetration depth, unbonded length and bonded length were set to satisfy the requirements of the instructions of (FHWA). Analyses were performed using the finite element method. The analysis results show that the increase in the inclination of tie (Θ) up to 20° decreases the maximum bending moments and maximum horizontal displacements of wall, but slightly increases the anchor force. After that, by increasing the inclination of tie (Θ) the maximum bending moments, the horizontal displacements of wall and the anchor force increase. Generally, its recommended that the angle of inclination of tie doesn't exceed 20 degrees and for best angle of inclination 20 degrees is recommended. From observations of studying variation of tie elevation, it was concluded that increasing the elevation of tie (d/H) from the top of wall generally enhances the performance of the structure Maximum Wall Bending Moment and Maximum Horizontal Displacement decrease but increases the anchor force. And also, it was concluded that the best elevation of tie for bending moments is between 0.2 H 0.3H from the top of the wall.


Ingrid Baumgärtner has been Professor of Medieval History at the University of Kassel since 1994. She previously taught at the University of Augsburg (1983–1992) and was a Heisenberg Fellow of the DFG and Visiting Scholar in Princeton, Stanford, and at the Villa I Tatti in Florence. She served as vice-president of the Centro Tedesco di Studi Veneziani, as faculty dean at Kassel University, and as a member of the presiding committee and scientific board of the Mediävistenverband. Her publications explore medieval canon law and Roman law, the city of Rome, gender and women's history as well as social space, cartography, and travel reports. Geographically, her focus is on Germany, Italy, and the Mediterranean world. Her latest books discuss the sixteenthcentury cartographer Battista Agnese (WBG 2017, Stuttgart 2020).


The Environmental Stewardship Scheme (ESS) provides payments to farmers for the provision of environmental services based on forgone agricultural income. Consequently, farmers with a relatively low opportunity cost of agricultural land will be particularly attracted to apply for entry into the ESS within a given payment region. This article tests whether there exists a significant relationship between Higher Level Stewardship (HLS) Scheme entry and agricultural yields. Empirically, HLS participation is found to be negatively related to cereal yields at the farm level. This could be associated with 'auspicious selection' of land into the Scheme, with greater 'value for money' provided by the higher entry of land with lower agricultural forgone income but higher environmental benefit within the region.


We have studied oscillating glycolysis in the strain BY4743 and isogenic strains with deletions of genes encoding enzymes in glycolysis, mitochondrial electron transport and ATP synthesis. We found that deletion of the gene encoding the hexokinase 1 isoform does not affect the oscillations while deletion of the gene encoding the hexokinase 2 isoform results in oscillations with smaller amplitude. The latter is associated with an almost 50% decrease in hexokinase activity. Deletions in the genes encoding the α‐ and β‐subunits of phosphofructokinase abolish the oscillations entirely. This loss in oscillatory activity is associated with a fourfold decrease in phosphofructokinase activity. Deletions of genes encoding subunits of the F1F0 ATPase also inhibit the oscillations in accordance with earlier studies using for example inhibitors. Finally, we identified an apparently new control point involving the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase. The latter is difficult to explain as oscillatory activity entails 100% inhibition of this enzyme. The mitochondria of this strain seem to have normal F1F0 ATPase activity. Overall these results support earlier experimental and model studies suggesting that in addition to processes within glycolysis also processes outside this pathway contribute to the control of the oscillatory behaviour.


Our purpose was to study the safety, distribution, pharmacokinetics, immunogenicity, and tumor response of intraperitoneal 212Pb-TCMC-trastuzumab (TCMC is S-2-(4-isothiocyanatobenzyl)-1,4,7,10-tetraaza-1,4,7,10-tetra(2-carbamoylmethyl)cyclododecane) in patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor type 2 (HER-2)–expressing malignancy. Methods: In a standard 3 + 3 phase 1 design for dose escalation, 212Pb-TCMC-trastuzumab was delivered intraperitoneally less than 4 h after administration of trastuzumab (4 mg/kg intravenously) to patients with peritoneal carcinomatosis who had failed standard therapies. Results: Five dosage levels (7.4, 9.6, 12.6, 16.3, and 21.1 MBq/m2) showed minimal toxicity at more than 1 y for the first group and more than 4 mo for others. The lack of substantial toxicity was consistent with the dosimetry assessments (mean equivalent dose to marrow, 0.18 mSv/MBq). Radiation dosimetry assessment was performed using pharmacokinetics data obtained in the initial cohort (n = 3). Limited redistribution of radioactivity out of the peritoneal cavity to circulating blood, which cleared via urinary excretion, and no specific uptake in major organs were observed in 24 h. Maximum serum concentration of the radiolabeled antibody was 22.9% at 24 h (decay-corrected to injection time) and 500 Bq/mL (decay-corrected to collection time). Non–decay-corrected cumulative urinary excretion was 6% or less in 24 h (2.3 half-lives). Dose rate measurements performed at 1 m from the patient registered less than 5μSv/h (using portable detectors) in the latest cohort, significantly less than what is normally observed using nuclear medicine imaging agents. Antidrug antibody assays performed on serum from the first 4 cohorts were all negative. Conclusion: Five dose levels of intraperitoneal 212Pb-TCMC-trastuzumab treatment of patients with peritoneal carcinomatosis showed little agent-related toxicity, consistent with the dosimetry calculations.


A method of model evaluation is presented which utilises a comparison with a benchmark model. The proposed benchmarking concept is one that can be applied to many hydrological models but, in this instance, is implemented in the context of an in-stream water quality model. The benchmark model is defined in such a way that it is easily implemented within the framework of the test model, i.e. the approach relies on two applications of the same model code rather than the application of two separate model codes. This is illustrated using two case studies from the UK, the Rivers Aire and Ouse, with the objective of simulating a water quality classification, general quality assessment (GQA), which is based on dissolved oxygen, biochemical oxygen demand and ammonium. Comparisons between the benchmark and test models are made based on GQA, as well as a step-wise assessment against the components required in its derivation. The benchmarking process yields a great deal of important information about the performance of the test model and raises issues about a priori definition of the assessment criteria.


Christmas fern (Polystichum acrostichoides (Michx.) Schott) is a ubiquitous wintergreen herb found in the forests of the Appalachian Mountains, yet it is distributed asymmetrically on the landscape, favoring north-facing slopes and shady stream banks. In late autumn, the fronds of Christmas fern undergo an irreversible reorientation, bending at the base of the stipe and lying flat on the forest floor. These fronds maintain high chlorophyll concentrations throughout winter and are photosynthetically active on warm winter days and in early spring before canopy emergence. In three populations in the Appalachian State University Biological Preserve, I prevented fronds from reorienting using wooden dowels and floral wire, artificially holding them up over winter. The fronds that were prevented from reorienting to a prostrate position suffered severe photoinhibition characterized by extensive leaf necrosis coupled with significant declines in light-saturated gas exchange, chlorophyll fluorescence (Fv/Fm), and total chlorophyll, while a control group showed little or no declines as winter progressed. "Surrogate ferns" were constructed and mounted with light sensors in order to characterize the light environment at the leaf level on north- and south- facing slopes. Inclined fronds experienced much higher light levels than prostrate fronds (oriented horizontally), on both slopes, and the sensor on the south-facing slope experienced 22 days in which light exceeded 500 µmol m-2 s-1 and the air temperature at the leaf level was below freezing. Conversely, on the north-facing slope, these conditions only occurred on one day. This result suggests that frond reorientation is sufficient to prevent photoinhibition in overwintering fronds of Christmas fern by reducing winter light, and may be a significant factor limiting its distribution on south-facing slopes where it is bright and cold during winter. Christmas ferns demonstrated remarkable resilience in a controlled dry-down, with little physiological decline as midday water potentials exceeded -1.0 MPa and soil water content approached 0%. Presently, it is unclear how fern water relations contribute to frond reorientation or distribution on the landscape, but the microclimate data suggest that south- facing slopes are not dry enough to induce significant physiological stress on Christmas fern, and that winter light may have more influence. Forecasted changes in local climate may alter the range and distribution of Christmas fern. Our results provide insight into how this species might be affected, with significant ecological implications for understory herbs in our region.


The research was conducted at the Center for Technology and Development of Agricultural Area (PAPTKP) Universitas Andalas, which was located at Jorong Galagah, Solok District from December 2016 to March 2017. The purpose of this study was to determine the interaction between indigenous rhizobacteria and plastic mulch, and the effect on growth and yield of potato. The method used was Randomized Block Design (RBD) with 2 factors (2x5) in 3 replications. The first factor was the use of plastic mulch (with and without plastic mulch) and the second factor was the indigenous rhizobacteria isolates (A1.1a1, A3.2a2, A3.2b1, BT1.2a2, and without rhizobacteria). The variables observed were morphological and physiological characteristics of indigenous rhizobacteria, plant height, tubers number, tuber weight per plant, and tuber diameter. The data were analyzed by using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Duncan's New Multiple Range Test (DNMRT) at a significant level of 5%. The results showed that there was no interaction between plastic mulch and indigenous rhizobacteria isolates on growth and yield of potato. The plastic mulch increased tuber weight and tuber diameter but the A3.2b1 isolate of indigenous rhizobacteria tended to increase plant height and increased significantly tuber weight of potato.


The Kingdom of Morocco, which has no oil and gas, has shifted to renewable energy as early as 1960, giving priority to hydroelectricity and the construction of dams. However, most of the country's power plants were and remain powered by diesel or gas, which has a heavy impact on its balance payments. Since then, the demand for electricity has continued to grow due to the country's development on the one hand and, as a result of the use of desalination facilities on the other hand, which consume a lot of electricity, to meet the constantly increasing drinking water needs. Since 2009, and at the initiative of King Mohammed VI, renewable energy has become a reign-long project, with the objective of covering 42% of the electricity produced by 2020. To achieve this goal, three branches will be used to contribute an equal share of 14% each: hydropower, wind energy and solar energy. This study shows that this objective should be achieved at the cost of considerable investment, with a focus on state-of-the-art technologies. Over and above this statistical success, Morocco will also be able to export the know-how learned, particularly in the solar and wind fields, a success which should give hope to emerging economies deprived of fossil energy, in search of development and sustainable development.


A strong edge-colouring of an undirected graph $G$ is an edge-colouring where every two edges at distance at most~$2$ receive distinct colours. The strong chromatic index of $G$ is the least number of colours in a strong edge-colouring of $G$. A conjecture of Erd\H{o}s and Ne\v{s}et\v{r}il, stated back in the $80$'s, asserts that every graph with maximum degree $\Delta$ should have strong chromatic index at most roughly $1.25 \Delta^2$. Several works in the last decades have confirmed this conjecture for various graph classes. In particular, lots of attention have been dedicated to planar graphs, for which the strong chromatic index decreases to roughly $4\Delta$, and even to smaller values under additional structural requirements.

In this work, we initiate the study of the strong chromatic index of $1$-planar graphs, which are those graphs that can be drawn on the plane in such a way that every edge is crossed at most once. We provide constructions of $1$-planar graphs with maximum degree~$\Delta$ and strong chromatic index roughly $6\Delta$. As an upper bound, we prove that the strong chromatic index of a $1$-planar graph with maximum degree $\Delta$ is at most roughly $24\Delta$ (thus linear in $\Delta$). The proof of this result is based on the existence of light edges in $1$-planar graphs with minimum degree at least~$3$.


The study investigated how teachers' conceptual errors influenced secondary school students understanding of concept of respiration. The sample comprised 40 out of 72 biology teachers and 432 out of 2049 biology students drawn from 10 secondary schools in Awka Education zone of Anambra State. Two research questions and one null hypothesis guided the study. Date was collected using three instrument developed by the researchers. The result of the study indicated that student's error and misconceptions of respiration were partly contributed by the teacher's and partly by students' lack of understanding of the conceptual areas of respiration themselves. The result was discussed and its implication to biology education was given.


Interpreting the rapidly increasing amount of experimental data requires the availability and representation of biological knowledge in a computable form. The Biological expression language (BEL) encodes the data in form of causal relationships, which describe the association between biological events. BEL can successfully be applied to large data and support causal reasoning and hypothesis generation. With the rapid growth of biomedical literature, automated methods are a crucial prerequisite for handling and encoding the available knowledge. The BioNLP shared tasks support the development of such tools and provide a linguistically motivated format for the annotation of relations. On the other hand, BEL statements and the corresponding evidence sentences might be a valuable resource for future BioNLP shared task training data generation. In this paper, we briefly introduce BEL and investigate how far BioNLP-shared task annotations could be converted to BEL statements and in such a way directly support BEL statement generation. We present the first results of the automatic BEL statement generation and emphasize the need for more training data that captures the underlying biological meaning.


The World Bank's new Program for Results (PforR) instrument is only the third instrument approved by its Board and the first to directly link disbursements to results. Designed to support programs of service delivery, the program is still in its early stages. This paper provides an overview of the approach and some of the debates on the design of the instrument, including the approaches to safeguards and to "results", which encompass the strengthening of systems of service delivery as well as the actual delivery of services. It develops a classification of Disbursement-Linked Indicators (DLIs) that can be used to situate the results-based instruments in the context of investment loans (IL) and development policy loans (DPLs) and applies this to the first four PforR operations. Some are shown to approach other results-based formulations (for example COD Aid) while others have a larger overlap with DPLs. The paper notes a number of features of the operations, including the still-modest use of system performance indicators, as opposed to action-based indicators, to link disbursements to systems reform, and the implications for the PforR approach. While it is far too early to judge the success of PforR and its various design features, the paper considers some of the implications, including the meaning of "success" for a results-based operation.


This paper describes the development and requirement specification of a platform for design and operation of microgrids. The goal is to have a flexible platform based on open standards that can be used to efficiently solve current and future engineering problems for distributed energy sources and storage systems. By basing it on a unified architecture, collaboration and efficient work flows are enabled. In this work we investigate the requirements on the model and on the tool side. We also demonstrate how an energy storage system can be designed to reduce the maximum peak power and how it can be operated in the most economic efficient way, taking into consideration constraints and limitations of the system. This work is based on Modelon's web-based modeling and simulation platform and its Modelica library Microgrid.


In this commentary I discuss the integration of mindful procedures in cognitive therapy of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and attempt to answer questions concerning the effects of mindfulness on information processing and on mechanisms purported to maintain GAD in the metacognitive model of this disorder. Different techniques that promote mindfulness can be identified, including mindfulness meditation and attention training. These techniques are intended to disrupt repetitive styles of dysfunctional thinking. I argue that the effect of mindfulness strategies on information processing in emotional disorder can be conceptualized in metacognitive terms as (a) activating a metacognitive mode of processing; (b) disconnecting the influence of maladaptive beliefs on processing; (c) strengthening flexible responding to threat; and (d) strengthening metacognitive plans for controlling cognition. Although mindfulness meditation may have general treatment applications, the metacognitive model of GAD suggests caution in using this treatment in GAD. It is unclear which dimension of worry should be targeted, and mindfulness meditation does not contain information that can lead to unambiguous disconfirmation of erroneous beliefs about worry.


Subtidal sea level fluctuations in the Sea of Marmara, their interactions with neighbouring seas (Black Sea and Aegean) and relations to wind forcing were examined over a three-year (1992-1994) period. Although the dominant sea level fluctuations occurred at time scales greater than 10 days, there are shorter period fluctuations occurring between 3-8 days. Subtidal sea levels for Sea of Marmara are highly coherent for all subtidal frequencies. There is no cross coherency for periods greater than 2.5 days between Sea of Marmara and Black Sea, while there are some coherent fluctuations in subtidal band between Sea of Marmara and the Aegean Sea. Local wind forcing is important for the Sea of Marmara and most of the sea level change is driven by NE-SW wind for Erdek and Fenerbahce. However, at longer time scales, nonlocal contribution is important.


The natural killer (NK) cell receptor LY49H was recently identified as being responsible for rendering certain strains of mice resistant to mouse cytomegalovirus (MCMV). Infection with the virus should alter host proteins that interact with LY49H and lead to NK cell activation. Unexpectedly, Arase et al. (see the Perspective by Vivier and Biron) found that the ligand for LY49H is a type I-anchored glycoprotein encoded by the virus itself. In mice that are resistant to MCMV, the protein m157 activated LY49H+ NK cells, but m157 bound an inhibitory LY49 NK receptor in a susceptible strain of mice. NK cell inhibition through direct interaction between a viral protein and host receptor may have evolved as a viral evasion strategy, which was followed by the evolution of an activatory protein. H. Arase, E. S. Mocarski, A. E. Campbell, A. B. Hill, L. L. Lanier, Direct recognition of cytomegalovirus by activating and inhibitory NK cell receptors. Science 296, 1323-1326 (2002). [Abstract] [Full Text] E. Vivier, C. A. Biron, A pathogen receptor on natural killer cells. Science 296, 1248-1249 (2002). [Summary] [Full Text]


This dissertation aims at developing a theoretical framework for the signal and noise in helioseismic holography which is mathematically rigorous and physically meaningful. A main focus of this dissertation is modeling the Porter-Bojarski (PB) integral, a well-established method used in the field of acoustics to locate subsurface sources and scatterers. We test and validate the potential application of the PB integral to probe the Sun's internal structure and dynamics.

In the first study, we compare the PB integral with the `egression', the current imaging technique used in helioseismic holography, in a homogeneous medium. This proof of concept shows that the two imaging methods can locate subsurface sources of acoustic waves, which have a similar spatial resolution. However, the egression suffers from artificial signals located away from the source, whereas the PB integral does not. This suggests that the PB integral can potentially improve the current imaging capability of helioseismic holography.

The next study implements the PB integral for a realistic solar model, and a theoretical framework is developed to investigate its signal and noise.
Solar oscillations are formulated into the solution of a scalar Helmholtz equation with the background sound-speed and density taken from a standard solar model, and are excited by a stationary and spatially uncorrelated random source function. We then apply the first-order Born approximation to relate scatterers such as sound-speed heterogeneities, density, and flows to PB integrals. The example computations show that PB holographic measurements are diffraction limited, i.e., the spatial resolution is half the local wavelength. We also investigate noise due to the random nature of wave excitation. We find large variations in both signal and noise at low frequencies due to contributions from individual long-lived modes of solar oscillations, and low signal-to-noise ratios for measurements above the frequency cut-off.

With the theoretical framework in hand, we then investigate the optimal flow-measuring strategy for helioseismic holography. Two different approaches are investigated and compared, the traditional method that measures directional phase shifts using pupils in a quadrant geometry (method #1); a new method that correlates the estimated wave field at two nearby locations in the solar interior using all observed waves (method #2).
We find that method #2 is consistently superior to the traditional method. Specifically, it reaches the diffraction limit of acoustic waves (half the local wavelength) and has a much higher signal-to-noise ratio than the traditional method. Furthermore, it is much less susceptible to the leakage from the solar surface. Therefore, we conclude that method #2 will improve the imaging of solar subsurface flows using heliosemic holography, and hence should be used in future applications.


News of the Court of Appeal's unanimous decision on fixed and floating charges in the test case, National Westminster Bank plc v Spectrum Plus Ltd & Ors, is now a little stale, but incredulity over the result persists. Few lawyers had correctly predicted the outcome. If Lord Phillips MR is right a bank's charge will be fixed so long as the proceeds obtained by the debtor from any sale of the charged assets are paid into the debtor's account with the lending bank. How the account is then operated is immaterial. In particular, the debtor is free to use the account in the ordinary course of its business, subject only to any contractual restrictions the bank cares to impose. Put like this, the decision is astonishing. All the post-insolvency advantages of fixed security can be obtained without any of the pre-insolvency disadvantages: the debtor can sell the charged assets in the ordinary course of its business, pay the proceeds to the bank, and then use the account at will; if the debtor defaults, the bank can realize its fixed security over the charged assets without a thought for statutory floating charge invalidity provisions, or for the claims of preferred or general unsecured creditors. For banks, the Court of Appeal decision suggests the floating charge has all but disappeared. If a bank wants a floating charge, perhaps for control rather than for financial security, it will need to take some rather odd steps to ensure that its security falls outside this new expanded class of fixed charges. This note respectfully suggests that the Court of Appeal decision is unsupportable, and that the case well merits the forthcoming appeal to the House of Lords.


This paper presents analysis of optical images of films obtained by evaporation (293 K) of a thin layer of low-concentrated (1% wt.) aqueous soot suspensions in a Petri dish. Suspensions of wood, fullerene and diamond-containing (after detonation synthesis) soot were prepared using hydrodynamic dispersion in a cavitation mixer with a wedge-shaped cavitator with the rotor's angular velocity of rotation being 10000 rpm. The components of the hydrodynamic dispersion process are turbulent micro-mixing and bubble cavitation. As a result of intense turbulence, carbon suspensions assumed properties of non-equilibrium systems. The images of an optical microscope revealed self-organized dissipative micron-sized structures in the dried films being present there in the form of chain, branched and ring-shaped cluster fractals of various dimensions that look very similar to nanotubes. The self-assembling effect was identified for all the types of suspensions under study. The EPR method was used to study the change in the electronic structure of soot resulting from the exposure to high temperatures and pressures that occur when the cavitation bubbles collapse (cavitational activation). The dynamics of changes in dissipative structures in the process of film drying was monitored.


This article presents a corpus-based contrastive study of word clusters and reformulation markers in Chinese and English, and discusses the implications of the findings for translation universal hypotheses. The study is based on three balanced comparable corpora which represent British English, native Chinese and translational Chinese in addition to an English-Chinese parallel corpus which provides a basis for comparing native and translated English and investigating explicitation in translation. Our results show that word clusters are substantially more common in translated Chinese, suggesting a tendency in translations to use fixed and semi-fixed recurring patterns in an attempt to achieve improved fluency. The more frequent use of word clusters, especially those of high frequency and high coverage in translational Chinese, is also likely to be a result of the influence of the English source language because word clusters are significantly more prevalent in native English in relation to native Chinese. Chinese and English tend to use reformulation markers of different styles while on the other hand, reformulation markers are generally more common in both translated English and translated Chinese than in their native counterparts, suggesting that reformulation markers function as a strategy for explicitation in translations, which tend to use oral, stylistically simpler forms than non-translated texts.


Dugongs (Dugong dugon) are marine mammals that obtain nutrients through hindgut fermentation of seagrass, however, the microbes responsible have not been identified. This study used denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and 454-pyrosequencing to profile hindgut bacterial communities in wild dugongs. Faecal samples obtained from 32 wild dugongs representing four size/maturity classes, and two captive dugongs fed on cos lettuce were screened using DGGE. Partial 16S rRNA gene profiles of hindgut bacteria from wild dugong calves and juveniles were grouped together and were different to those in subadults and adults. Marked differences between hindgut bacterial communities of wild and captive dugongs were also observed, except for a single captive whose profile resembled wild adults following an unsuccessful reintroduction to the wild. Pyrosequencing of hindgut communities in two wild dugongs confirmed the stability of bacterial populations, and Firmicutes (average 75.6% of Operational Taxonomic Units [OTUs]) and Bacteroidetes (19.9% of OTUs) dominated. Dominant genera were Roseburia, Clostridium, and Bacteroides. Hindgut microbial composition and diversity in wild dugongs is affected by ontogeny and probably diet. In captive dugongs, the absence of the dominant bacterial DNA bands identified in wild dugongs is probably dependent upon prevailing diet and other captive conditions such as the use of antibiotics. This study represents a first step in the characterisation of a novel microbial ecosystem-the marine hindgut of Sirenia.


Weldability is a function of three major factors: base material quality, welding process, and design. This article focuses on base-metal weldability of aluminum alloys in terms of mechanical property degradation in both the weld region and heat-affected zone, weld porosity, and susceptibility to solidification cracking and liquation cracking. It provides an overview on welding processes, including gas metal arc welding, gas tungsten arc welding, resistance spot and seam welding, laser beam welding, and various solid-state welding processes. A review on joint design is also included, mainly in the general factors associated with service weldability (fitness). The article also provides a discussion on the selection and weldability of non-heat-treatable aluminum alloys, heat treatable aluminum alloys, aluminum-lithium alloys, and aluminum metal-matrix composites.


Purpose
Silencing behavior among project team members (PTM) poses a potential threat to project results. Hence, breaking silence in projects is critical to motivate team members and beneficial for project outcomes. The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between transformational leadership (TL) of project manager (PM) and silence behavior of PTMs. It proposes a mediating role of feeling trusted (FT) to fill this gap by conducting an empirical research.

Design/methodology/approach
A theoretical model was developed and a series of hypotheses were proposed based on existing literature. Then, regression analysis was conducted on a sample of 219 team members of a diverse set of projects in China.

Findings
The paper empirically shows that TL of PM is significantly negatively related to team members' defensive and prosocial silence (PS), but not with their acquiescence silence. In addition, the study also discovered that team members' FT mediates the effects of TL on team members' defensive and PS.

Research limitations/implications
This study contributed to the project management literature by showing that feeling trusted link the relationship between TL of PM and PTMs' silence. The studies' findings also contribute to the silence theory in project context through discussions of the rationale behind the main effects. Practical implication is provided for PMs that making the most of TL can reduce the silence of PTM, through building trusted feelings. The limitation to this study is the research setting regarding culture-related issues that focused only on projects in China.

Originality/value
This research is one of the early studies that address the issue of silence behavior in project context, which is a contribution to the coordination and communication in project management.


This chapter presents the USUS evaluation framework for the user-centered assessment of interaction scenarios with humanoid robots based on the factors Usability, Social Acceptance, User Experience, and Societal Impact . It consists of (1) a theoretical factor-indicator framework and (2) a methodological framework. Each of the four theoretical evaluation factors is split up into several indicators, which are extracted and justified by literature review. The methodological framework is based on a method mix derived from various disciplines. It proposes the most feasible method for each indicator to be addressed in a human-robot interaction study. This chapter concludes with a validation and application process of the framework and a discussion and outlook on future work with the proposed USUS evaluation framework.


Introduction: Many species of Syzygium are known to have antiseptic activity. Australian Syzygium species had roles as traditional bush medicines for Australian Aborigines although their antiseptic potential has not been rigorously studied. Methods: Methanol extracts of leaves from Syzygium forte, Syzygium francissi, Syzygium moorei, Syzygium puberulum and Syzygium wilsonii were tested for antimicrobial activity by disc diffusion assay. Antibacterial strength was measured by MIC determination. Toxicity was determined using the Artemia franciscana nauplii bioassay. Results: S. forte, S. francissi, S. moorei, S. puberulum and S. wilsonii leaf methanolic extracts inhibited the growth of 5 (36%), 3 (21%), 3 (21%), 5 (36%) and 2 (14%) of the 14 bacteria tested respectively. Both Gram-positive and Gram- negative bacterial growth was inhibited by the Syzygium extracts, although Gram-positive bacteria appeared slightly more susceptible. With the exception of S. forte, all Syzygium leaf extracts tested also displayed low toxicity (LC 50 > 1000 µg/ml) in the Artemia fransiscana bioassay. S. forte had a 48 h LC 50 of 392.4 ± 33.0 µg/ml, making it slightly more toxic than Mevinphos (495.0 ± 35.1 µg/ml) and approximately 28 fold less toxic than potassium dichromate (14.0 ± 2.4 µg/ml) at 48 h. Conclusions: The antibacterial activity and low toxicity of the Syzygium spp. validate their medicinal usage by Australian Aborigines and indicate their potential as antibacterial medicinal agents.


Reflections on the International Conference on Healthy Lifestyles and Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) in the Arab World and the Middle East held in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on 10–12 September, 2012.

The Ministry of Health in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in collaboration with the World Health Organisation's East Mediterranean Regional (EMR) Office and FIFA, organised an International Conference on Healthy Lifestyles and Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) in the Arab World and the Middle East as part of the Regions follow-up to the United Nations (UN) Political Declaration on the prevention of NCDs.i Participants included international scientific experts, representatives from Ministries of health of all Arab countries as well as non-health sectors of government, representatives from UN funds, programmes and agencies and other key international and regional organisations and stakeholders from the civil society.

Attended by over 300 delegates, the 3 days included plenary presentations on the burden of NCDs globally and in the region, and a specific focus on the key common risk factors. There was a strong focus throughout the meeting on addressing the causes and identifying tangible actions. Plenary sessions and separate Round Table Forums were held to discuss how to scale up necessary actions required to address tobacco control, unhealthy diets and physical inactivity.

The Eastern Mediterranean Region is particularly interesting in terms of both health gains as well as projected burden of NCDs. Reports from the WHO indicate that life expectancy in the Middle East has increased from 51 years in 1970 to almost 70 today representing the greatest gain of any region in the world. In the same period of time, infant death rates have plummeted. These are surely good signs of public health success and economic developments. However, in conjunction with this demographic transition, EMR has experienced an epidemiological transition marked by a sharp rise …


Uniform random 3-SAT at the solubility phase transition is one of the most widely studied and empirically hardest distributions of SAT instances. For 20 years, this distribution has been used extensively for evaluating and comparing algorithms. In this work, we demonstrate that simple rules can predict the solubility of these instances with surprisingly high accuracy. Specifically, we show how classification accuracies of about 70% can be obtained based on cheaply (polynomial-time) computable features on a wide range of instance sizes. We argue in two ways that classification accuracy does not decrease with instance size: first, we show that our models' predictive accuracy remains roughly constant across a wide range of problem sizes; second, we show that a classifier trained on small instances is sufficient to achieve very accurate predictions across the entire range of instance sizes currently solvable by complete methods. Finally, we demonstrate that a simple decision tree based on only two features, and again trained only on the smallest instances, achieves predictive accuracies close to those of our most complex model. We conjecture that this two-feature model outperforms random guessing asymptotically; due to the model's extreme simplicity, we believe that this conjecture is a worthwhile direction for future theoretical work.


This chapter reviews the use of low pressure microwave plasmas as a processing technology for both sintering and controlling the surface chemistry of porous ceramic coatings. A particular advantage of microwave processing is its ability to penetrate the surface of the workpiece; enabling rapid volumetric heating and thus reducing the need for external heat sources. The microwave plasma treatments have the ability to sinter materials in minutes rather than the hours taken using conventional furnace processing. This study provides examples of the use of these plasmas to sinter both nickel and titanium nanoparticles. These are used in the fabrication of electrodes for use in dye sensitized solar cells. Further applications of the microwave plasma treatments investigated is for their use in heat treatment to control crystalline phase transitions, as well as a rapid technique to oxidize metal surfaces.


In 1988, the first edition of Orest Subtelny's Ukraine was published to international acclaim, as the definitive history of what was at that time a republic in the USSR. In the years since, the world has seen the dismantling of the Soviet bloc and the restoration of Ukraine's independence - an event celebrated by Ukrainians around the world but which also heralded a time of tumultuous change for those in the homeland. While previous updates brought readers up to the year 2000, this new fourth edition includes an overview of Ukraine's most recent history, focusing on the dramatic political, socio-economic, and cultural changes that occurred during the Kuchma and Yushchenko presidencies. It analyzes political developments - particularly the so-called Orange Revolution - and the institutional growth of the new state. Subtelny examines Ukraine's entry into the era of globalization, looking at social and economic transformations, regional, ideological, and linguistic tensions, and describes the myriad challenges currently facing Ukrainian state and society.


In modern India of 2016, the question as to whether caste is still a moral issue or a political tactic is fiercely debated. The ruling political party and their supporters insist that caste is no longer a relevant issue today, whereas others say that caste affects every aspect of their lives. Debates about caste in India have been happening for at least a hundred years, but this is a pressing issue today for those that feel they have been downtrodden and discriminated against. Into this backdrop, Dr. A. J. Baptist wrote this book, looking at feminism and " Dalit ("down-trodden") Feminism," and advocating for a "Dalit Feminist Biblical Scholarship" to be accepted and championed by the nations. He looks at traditional ways of looking at certain texts, and then, teaching about "subaltern hermeneutics," looks at the same text from the point of view of oppressed women. He also looks to combat the notion that the Bible is necessarily anti-women, looking again at texts from two different viewpoints. Also included are stories of oppression that modern Dalit women do face. In general, though a few sections do seem to not match the theme of the rest of the book, this work advocates for giving voices to "the voiceless," and allowing them to thrive. It seems that it would be especially pertinent to Indologists, missiologists, theologians, feminist advocates, and advocates for Dalit rights.


Multicultural counseling has become an important discipline and a primary source for explaining human development and functioning (Lee, 1997; Pedersen, 1991); therefore, cultural differences should be actively considered in mental health interventions. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of culture on group behavior and on outcomes. Specifically, the study compared self-disclosure, group interaction, and outcomes in counseling groups for Arab (Moslem and Druze) and Jewish adolescents in Israel. MULTICULTURALISM IN THE ISRAELI CONTEXT Arabs in Israel encompass several ethnic groups, among which Moslems and Druze are examined in the present study. Both groups share a basic Arab culture characterized as collectivist and authoritarian (Dwairy, 1998). Religion, tradition, and family are central components in this culture (Barakat, 1993; Dwairy, 1998; Jackson, 1997). Accordingly, social relationships are built on duty and faithfulness to family and friends rather than on self-needs. The individual is dependent on his or her family at large (Nydell, 1987), and the family's reputation depends on the individual member's behavior. The concepts of self-esteem and respect are interdependent in Arab families, which operate as close units--cohesive, loving, and warm, but at the same time suppressing personal feelings, opinions, experiences, and needs. As a result, the Arab individual typically avoids overt emotional expression (El-Rufaie & Absood, 1993). The need to conform to collective norms has led to "pleasing" as a major coping mechanism (Griefat & Katriel, 1989). Within this common Arab culture, there are cultural variations between groups, depending on their degree of acculturation (Lee, 1997). Dwairy (1998) has identified three major groups among Arabs: traditional, bicultural, and Westernized. Traditional Arab identity is the common cultural identity of Arabs in rural areas, where people live with traditional collectivist values and norms within their extended families and social life. Bicultural identity is common among middle-class, educated Arabs, but even in this category Westernization is evident, mainly in the emphasis on materialistic aspects of living rather than on their social relationships (Al-Sabaie, 1989). The Westernized group is usually composed of Arabs who immigrated to Western countries. The major difference between Moslems and Druze is the level of acculturation. Close to 1 million Moslems live in Israel, and most of them may be considered bicultural. The Druze, in contrast, numbering about 94,000 in Israel, are known as an ethnic group that is furthest removed from the mainstream lifestyle in Israel and considered to have the greatest solidarity in the Middle East. They differ from the Moslems in their religion, ethnicity, geography, and political stands. They are a minority in several Arab countries in the Middle East, including Israel, and believe that keeping up with their tradition is the basis for their survival (Dana, 1998). Therefore, they are very strict in their socialization of the young generation (Phalet & Claeys, 1993). The differences between Arab (Moslem, Druze) and Western cultures are reflected also in Arab attitudes toward counseling. Arabs tend to believe in external natural factors or supernatural factors as causes for pathology (Timimi, 1995). On the whole, only extreme cases of pathology are treated, in an attempt to avoid stigmatizing, and Arabs wait a longer time before seeking help (Dwairy, 1998; Okasha, 1993). When they do pursue counseling, they expect it to be direct, to be short-term, and to offer advice. The traditional focus on verbal exchange and insight is often experienced as intrusive. Therefore, outreach counseling and short-term, goal-oriented, systematic eclecticism is offered for counseling Arabs (Budman, Lipson, & Meleis, 1992; Dwairy, 1998). Yet, owing in part to social oppression, social change, and family transformation, Arabs tend to display high levels of psychosocial disorders (Ibrahim & Ibrahim, 1993; Okasha, 1993). …


Stroke is the third leading cause of morbidity and mortality in Thailand accounting for a significant and increasing share of hospital costs. The purpose of this project is to study the epidemiology of the prevalence and its predicting factors of working aged hemorrhagic stroke (HS) patients admitted at a tertiary teaching hospital in Chiang Mai, Thailand. We conducted a five-year retrospective descriptive study. The subjects in this study were patients diagnosed with HS, between 15-59 years of age, and admitted to a tertiary teaching hospital in Chiang Mai, Thailand from January 2009 to December 2013. A total of 404 working aged adults who had HS were admitted to the hospital during this review period; 60.9% males and 39.1% females. Nearly 70% of patients were between 46-59 years of age (M = 47.5, SD = 9.8). Of the patients admitted to the hospital, 76.7% were transferred there from other hospitals. Intracerebral hemorrhage was present in 59.7% of patients. Severe HS occurred in 35.9% of the patients with a Glasgow Coma Score from 3-8. Approximately 69% of the working aged HS patients required surgery. The top five identified risk factors for HS were hypertension (83.4%), hyperlipidemia (38.9%), alcohol consumption (21.5%), smoking (15.3 %), and drug non-adherence (14.9%). We found significantly associated risk factors in working-aged HS by multivariate analysis among male gender (p < .001), drug non-adherence (p = .047), and hypertension (p = .048). Raising awareness to reduce risk behavior and health promotion in the community are the keynotes for health care providers in working-aged HS


With dozens of Jovian and super-Jovian exoplanets known to orbit their host stars in or near the stellar habitable zones, it has recently been suggested that moons the size of Mars could offer abundant surface habitats beyond the solar system. Several searches for such exomoons are now underway, and the exquisite astronomical data quality of upcoming space missions and ground-based extremely large telescopes could make the detection and characterization of exomoons possible in the near future. Here we explore the effects of tidal heating on the potential of Mars- to Earth-sized satellites to host liquid surface water, and we compare the tidal heating rates predicted by tidal equilibrium model and a viscoelastic model. In addition to tidal heating, we consider stellar radiation, planetary illumination and thermal heat from the planet. However, the effects of a possible moon atmosphere are neglected. We map the circumplanetary habitable zone for different stellar distances in specific star-planet-satellite configurations, and determine those regions where tidal heating dominates over stellar radiation. We find that the "thermostat effect" of the viscoelastic model is significant not just at large distances from the star, but also in the stellar habitable zone, where stellar radiation is prevalent. We also find that tidal heating of Mars-sized moons with eccentricities between 0.001 and 0.01 is the dominant energy source beyond 3–5 AU from a Sun-like star and beyond 0.4–0.6 AU from an M3 dwarf star. The latter would be easier to detect (if they exist), but their orbital stability might be under jeopardy due to the gravitational perturbations from the star.


Project selection is one of the most important decisions for an organisation to achieve its goals and manage its resources effectively. This study aims to develop a project evaluation method using the balanced scorecard (BSC) dimensions. Although the BSC technique has been used in combination with other methods in various fields, such as supplier qualification and project evaluation, the dimensions of the BSC method have not been defined as parameters in the mathematical model of a knapsack problem. By doing so and considering time and budget constraints, the developed mathematical model selects the most suitable projects using the weighted sum of parameters. The performance of the developed model was tested with randomly generated sample data. Sixteen alternatives were assessed to determine the impact of varying dimension coefficients, budgets, project durations and labour requirement constraints to be established by organisations. The model generates consistent results and can be used by organisations at the project and investment evaluation step.


INTRODUCTION Simply put, we know more than ever how illegal adult obscenity contributes to violence against women, addiction, harm to children, and sex trafficking. This material harms individuals, families, and communities and the problems are only getting worse. As you know, adult obscenity is not protected by the First Amendment. Congress has for decades passed laws seeking to curb the production and distribution of obscene pornography, including on the Internet. A consistent and strong commitment to enforcing these laws can have a significant impact. (1) In 2001, Esquire magazine described "the pornographication of the American girl" (2) in its profile of a former pornographer. Four years later, author Pamela Paul testified before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution about how our lives, relationships, and families have become "pornified," a term that became the title of her recently published book. (3) More recently, the Boston Globe described the "pornification of America" this way: Not too long ago, pornography was a furtive profession--its products created and consumed in the shadows.... What is new and troubling, critics suggest, is that the porn aesthetic has become so pervasive that it now serves as a kind of sensory wallpaper, something that many people don't even notice anymore. (4) Some say that because of shifts in culture and technology, "pornography has already won." (5) Sadly, pornography "is so commonplace that for many it is merely an annoyance." (6) It may indeed be "the new metaphor" and "the new universally shared experience." (7) But pornography is not simply a matter of taste; It is a matter of harm that is magnified because today's pornography is more extreme and more readily available than ever. Limiting its negative impact on individuals, families, and communities requires a comprehensive approach. This Article focuses on something that both federal and state government can do as part of the solution. Government can enforce existing laws that prohibit obscenity, a defined category of pornography that is not protected by the Constitution. These laws have not been seriously enforced for a long time. The 1986 Attorney General's Commission on Obscenity and pornography noted that, "with few exceptions the obscenity laws that are on the books go unenforced." (8) During the Clinton administration, federal prosecutions fell by more than half, with only twenty cases in the year 2000. (9) The National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences noted in 2002 that, "obscenity prosecutions have been relatively rare." (10) In April 2011, a bipartisan group of forty-one Senators joined me on a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder urging stronger enforcement of federal obscenity laws. (11) A few weeks later, he told the Senate Judiciary Committee that "since we have been in office, seven obscenity cases have been brought that have involved only adult pornography." (12) The excerpt from our letter to Attorney General Holder quoted at the beginning of this Article captures the case for such enforcement. These laws should be enforced because this illegal material is harmful. I. ADULT OBSCENITY IS ILLEGAL The First Amendment prohibits Congress from making any law "abridging the freedom of speech." (13) This guarantee was the first clause of the Bill of Rights that the Supreme Court applied to state and local governments. (14) In Roth v. United States, the Supreme Court cited cases dating back to 1877 to show that this Court has always assumed that obscenity is not protected by the freedoms of speech and press." (15) The Court thus held in Roth that "obscenity is not expression protected by the First Amendment" (16) and has reaffirmed this principle many times. (17) A content-based restriction on expression that is protected by the First Amendment is "presumptively invalid. …