Curriculum development during early childhood is informed through an understanding of the cognitive skills that develop concurrently in the earliest years. Extending previous work, this study examined the relationship between early mathematics and phonological awareness (PA) skills for 37 children (14 girls; overall mean age = 47.6 months, SD = 11.17) attending centre or home-based child care. Assessments included the Peabody picture vocabulary test – third edition (PPVT-III), test of early mathematics ability-3 (TEMA-3), and phonological awareness literacy screening. Letter sounds (LS) and name writing (NW) significantly mediated the relationship between PPVT and TEMA, while letter awareness (LA) approached significance as a mediator (p = 0.06). These findings support LeFevre et al.'s [(2010). Pathways to mathematics: Longitudinal predictors of performance. Child Development, 81, 1753–1767] claim that the linguistic pathway is in use for certain components of mathematical performance. Our results suggest a developmental pathway with TEMA skills linked with LA and LS for three- and four-year-olds and NW for four-year-olds. As children develop new skills, changes take place in both domains.


Osmotic stress elicits hypertonic NaCl secretion and promotes structural and biochemical differentiation in avian salt glands. In addition to cholinergic control, Cl- secretion is stimulated by vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), suggesting that the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) may be present and that its expression may be regulated by chronic salt stress. Anion efflux, assayed by 6-methoxy-N-(3-sulfopropyl)quinolinium fluorescence changes in single cells, was stimulated by VIP or 8-(4-chlorophenylthio)adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate. Immunoblots with a COOH-terminal peptide antibody to human CFTR revealed approximately 170- and approximately 180-kDa bands in lysates from control and salt-stressed glands, respectively. Both variants reduced to approximately 140 kDa after N-glycanase digestion and gave identical tryptic phosphopeptide maps after immunoprecipitation and phosphorylation by protein kinase A. CFTR was localized to apical membranes by immunofluorescence and, additionally, to subapical vesicles by immunoelectron microscopy. Salt stress induced an approximately twofold increase in CFTR abundance/cell protein (approximately 5-fold/cell) and intensified apical membrane immunofluorescence. For comparison, Na+ pump expression increased approximately fourfold per cell protein with little change in actin. Thus differentiation induced by salt stress is accompanied by alteration in CFTR abundance and glycosylation. Upregulation of CFTR likely contributes to increased efficiency of Cl- secretion.


An in-line optofluidic refractive index (RI) sensing platform is constructed by splicing a side-channel photonic crystal fiber (SC-PCF) with side-polished single mode fibers. A long-period grating (LPG) combined with an intermodal interference between LP01 and LP11 core modes is used for sensing the RI of the liquid in the side channel. The resonant dip shows a nonlinear wavelength shift with increasing RI over the measured range from 1.3330 to 1.3961. The RI response of this sensing platform for a low RI range of 1.3330-1.3780 is approximately linear, and exhibits a sensitivity of 1145 nm/RIU. Besides, the detection limit of our sensing scheme is improved by around one order of magnitude by introducing the intermodal interference.


This Article is about some of the schemas and scripts that form and define our lives. It is about the knowledge structures that shape how we view the world and how we understand the limitless information with which we are always confronted. This Article is also about the "evolution of ideas" underlying corporate law and all of modern policymaking. It is about the ways in which schemas and scripts have influenced how policy theorists, policymakers, lawyers, and many others (particularly in the West) understand and approach policymaking generally and corporate law specifically. It is about both the invisibility and blinding effect of those schemas. It is about the battle over those schemas and the prizes of victory. And, finally, it is about how the now-dominant schemas render us the "unwitting puppets of the intellectual forces that have been undermining the basis of a free society these past decades." We begin our discussion in Part II with the dominant knowledge structures underlying modern policymaking, describing the emergence of what we term the "meta script" of policymaking - or the schemas that frame our approach to policy analysis today. Part III turns to the law regulating large commercial interests - specifically, corporate law - and examines the emergence and dominance of the new "macro script" of corporate law. It examines the schemas that identify and legitimate the purpose of the law. Parts IV and V highlight the signs of illusion in those schemas and then begin to unveil the situational magician behind those illusions. Corporate law works, as all illusions work, by relying on a set of schemas that guide our attention and inferences and play into our intuitions and motives. Yet the outcome and response that this Article suggests is neither so benign nor light-hearted as that of a magic show. While its analysis is concentrated on corporate law, the Article's implications reach each of us, from law student to legal scholar, citizen to policymaker, and reveal something unsettling: all of us are susceptible to schematic sleight-of-hand, tricks that render us vulnerable to dangerous illusion. Where many have heretofore tended to see magic, this Article reveals the illusion of law and some of the unseen mechanisms that make it possible. This project's larger ambition, it should be noted, is not to encourage disillusionment with the purported goals of the law, but to provide insights that help tailor our means and to narrow the gap between our ends and our outcomes.


On board of satellites traditionally Travelling Wave Tube Amplifiers (TWTAs) together with standard waveguide technology were used for transmitters in telecommunication payload systems. With the advent of Solid State Power Amplifiers (SSPAs) printed circuit board (PCB) technology became also attractive for the output stages of these high-power transmitters with the advantage of smaller size, lower weight and higher integration density. In a power combining circuitry the PCBs have to be interconnected by phase stable coaxial cable assemblies with suited connectors. Although SMA RF connectors are preferred in space telecom missions because of their light weight and small size this type of connector has serious limitations in terms of the required RF power handling. Therefore in these high power sections, one is still forced to use the often bulky TNC connectors. Under the ESA activity "High Power SMA Connectors" a European consortium has been created for the investigation of small size high power coaxial connectors that will be optimized with regard to RF-breakdown, Corona, Multipactor and PIM effects as well as thermal power dissipation making them applicable in satellite transmitter stages. The goal is the development of a new family of high power SMA connectors capable to withstand power levels of at least 50W CW in space environment to match the levels delivered by the new generation of Solid State Power Amplifiers. The research is manifold: First, suitable theories of PIM, corona discharge und multipactor in coaxial structures have to be established or adapted from known similar (waveguide) problems. Second, the power limiting effects in SMA connectors like the internal air gap have to be identified and eliminated by appropriate changes of the connector design. Third, suitable materials for the individual parts and the manufacturing process of the new high power SMA connectors have to be analysed and selected. The activity started with a deep literature research of the state of the art of the interesting phenomena followed by first suggestions of the basic design of a high power SMA connector. At the workshop we will report on the status of the project and on the achieved results.


User studies are increasingly considered important in research on recommender systems. Although participants typically cannot consume any of the recommended items, they are often asked to assess the quality of recommendations and of other aspects related to user experience by means of questionnaires. Not being able to listen to recommended songs or to watch suggested movies, might however limit the validity of the obtained results. Consequently, we have investigated the effect of consuming suggested items. In two user studies conducted in different domains, we showed that consumption may lead to differences in the assessment of recommendations and in questionnaire answers. Apparently, adequately measuring user experience is in some cases not possible without allowing users to consume items. On the other hand, participants sometimes seem to approximate the actual value of recommendations reasonably well depending on domain and provided information.


Examining the reform process of the old age pension system in Russia, from its Soviet origins to the Putin era, Shocking Mother Russia adds significantly to the growing body of literature on comparative social policy and the political challenges of pension reform. Andrea Chandler explains why Russia's old-age pension system went into decline after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, even though it was a prominent issue in the political arena at the outset of the post-communist transition. While tracing the roots of the system's difficulties to the Soviet Union's first efforts to establish a national social welfare system after 1917, Chandler nonetheless devotes the bulk of her study to the period from 1990 to 2001. While political factors impeded reform for much of this eleven-year period, ultimately Russia's striking policy reversals provide a case study for developing nations. In 1990, a new Russian pension law was adopted during the Soviet reform process of perestroika. The system was again significantly altered in 2001 when a market-reform-oriented package of pension legislation was passed. Shocking Mother Russia places the Russian experience in comparative perspective, and suggests lessons for pension reform derived from analysis of the Russian case.


Objective Although current UK policy argues that schools have a key role in raising health standards, emphasis on the core curriculum restricts teachers' opportunities to undertake health promotion activities. The challenge is to design effective health promotion interventions that minimize pressures on teaching staff and curriculum space. Here we consider teachers' perspectives of an effective peer-led, school-based smoking intervention, implemented by external trainers. Design The intervention, during which influential Year 8 students identified through a whole-year peer nomination process were trained to reduce smoking uptake through informal interactions with students in their year group, was evaluated by a pragmatic randomized controlled trial (ASSIST: A Stop Smoking In Schools Trial). An integral process evaluation examined the context, implementation and receipt of the intervention. Setting Thirty secondary schools in south-east Wales and the west of England. Methods Teachers in all intervention schools completed questionnaires at key stages of the intervention. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken in four schools at baseline and immediately post-intervention. The method of constant comparison, derived from grounded theory, was used throughout the analysis. Results The intervention was successfully implemented in a wide range of schools; recruitment and retention rates were good; and outcome data showed a reduction in smoking levels. Some teachers expressed concern about the participation of challenging students, external trainers setting standards of discipline, and communication over timetabling. Conclusion Overall, teachers showed commitment to the ASSIST intervention and felt it was compatible with the Year 8 curriculum. If implemented more widely, the importance of peer nomination should be stressed.


A feeding trial was carried out to evaluate the effects of replacing fish meal (FM) with Tra Catfish (Pangasius hypophthalmus) by-product protein hydrolysate (TPH) on performance and carcass quality in pigs. Forty crossbred castrated (Yorkshire x Landrace) male pigs with an initial average bodyweight of 22.8 ± 1.5 kg were allocated to 40 individual pens in a randomized complete block design with eight replications. The pigs were fed a control diet (TPH0) with FM as sole protein supplement. In the experimental diets, 100% (TPH100), 75% (TPH75), 50% (TPH50) and 25% (TPH25) of the crude protein (CP) from FM was replaced by the CP from TPH. The results showed no significant differences in average daily feed intake (ADFI) in all treatments during the growing and finishing phases. However, daily weight gain (ADG) was higher in TPH75 (655 g/day) and TPH100 (663 g/day) than in TPH0 (639 g/day). Feed conversion ratio (FCR) was improved with higher inclusion of TPH in the diets. Carcass yield and dressing percentage were not affected by treatments, but abdominal fat and backfat thickness were higher and in the loin-eye area lower in TPH100 compared with TPH0. Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), ether extract (EE) contents and meat colour values a* (redness) in the longissimus dorsi muscle increased with TPH replacement level. Feed costs were 10% lower in TPH100 compared with TPH0. In conclusion, replacing FM with TPH improved the performance, but resulted in an increase in backfat thickness and fat content of meat. However, because of reduced feed costs, complete replacement of FM would still be profitable for pig producers in Vietnam.


Models devoid of strong economic underpinnings are seldom useful for practical real-world investment decisions. Models that differ in subtle ways in their underlying assumptions yield significantly conflicting results. Ignoring the fundamental relation between demand and supply dynamics can produce results that fail to hold in actual markets, and that often give but false comfort in risk measurement systems and inaccurate valuations. A parsimonious model of the term structure can incorporate economics without sacrificing theoretical rigor. Its risk-neutral term structure model parameters have a strong basis in widely followed macroeconomic variables, enabling extension to other markets such as the credit market.


Abstract Background: Cochlear implantation (CI) is the gold standard therapy for profound or severe sensorineural hearing loss. It is a safe surgical procedure but, because of the proximity of the cochlea and vestibule, postoperative vestibular disorder may occur. Our hypothesis is that the video head impulse test (vHIT) may be a good tool to achieve a topographic diagnosis of dizziness in the early postoperative period after CI. Aims/Objectives: To evaluate patients with instability, imbalance and vertigo between 7 and 14 days after CI procedure. Material and methods: A total of 31patients scheduled for unilateral CI were included in this study. vHIT for horizontal semicircular canal was performed before CI and between days 7 to 14 after the surgery. Results: Six subjects had dizziness complaints after CI: instability (N = 2), imbalance (N = 2) and vertigo (N = 2). The postoperative vHIT test turned abnormal only in subjects with vertigo as compared to the preoperative vHIT test results. Conclusion and significance: vHIT is a good vestibular function test during the first 2 weeks after CI surgery when vertigo is the main complaint


ABSTRACT In an attempt to explore the microbial content of functionally critical niches of the mouse gastrointestinal tract, we targeted molecular microbial diagnostics of the crypts that contain the intestinal stem cells, which account for epithelial regeneration. As current evidence indicates, the gut microbiota affects epithelial regeneration; bacteria that are likely to primarily participate in this essential step of the gut, microbiota cross talk, have been identified. We show in this article that only the cecal and colonic crypts harbor resident microbiota in the mouse and that regardless of the line and breeding origin of these mice, this bacterial population is unexpectedly dominated by aerobic genera. Interestingly, this microbiota resembles the restricted microbiota found in the midgut of invertebrates; thus, the presence of our so-called "crypt-specific core microbiota" (CSCM) in the mouse colon potentially reflects a coevolutionary process under selective conditions that can now be addressed. We suggest that CSCM could play both a protective and a homeostatic role within the colon. This article is setting the bases for such studies, particularly by providing a bona fide—and essentially cultivable—crypt microbiota of reference. IMPORTANCE Metagenomic typing of the whole-gut luminal microbiome was recently provided, revealing great opportunities for physiological and physiopathological analysis of the host-microbiota interface. On this basis, it appears increasingly important to analyze which niches of the gut exposed to a particular microbiota are of major functional importance, specifically focusing on the crypt, which accounts for permanent epithelial renewal, and to analyze how this microbiota compares to its luminal counterpart in composition and quantity. Crypt-specific core microbiotas may show themselves as important elements regarding crypt protection and homeostasis of its functions. Metagenomic typing of the whole-gut luminal microbiome was recently provided, revealing great opportunities for physiological and physiopathological analysis of the host-microbiota interface. On this basis, it appears increasingly important to analyze which niches of the gut exposed to a particular microbiota are of major functional importance, specifically focusing on the crypt, which accounts for permanent epithelial renewal, and to analyze how this microbiota compares to its luminal counterpart in composition and quantity. Crypt-specific core microbiotas may show themselves as important elements regarding crypt protection and homeostasis of its functions.


Aluminum-silicon alloys are the most common aluminum casting alloys produced due to their fluidity characteristic and mechanical and light weight properties. However, there are several issues concerning application of Al-Si hypoeutectic alloys such as strength, which may be improved by refining grain size of the alloy and modifying silicon precipitates. Furthermore, precipitation of Fe-bearing intermetallics such as the so-called beta phase has a detrimental effect on tensile and ductility properties of Al-Si hypoeutectic alloys. Although various methods have been proposed to mitigate the effect of beta phase, the understanding of the mechanism of growth may be useful to reduce its detrimental effects. The objective of this study is to establish the relationship between the cooling rate and morphology features in Al-Si hypoeutectic alloys. In real casting condition, cooling rate is one of the factors that is not easy to predict, because it is related to the geometry of the parts and to the casting process itself. Changes in cooling rate affect the solidification process, and this is made apparent by the changes in the characteristic temperatures of cooling curves recorded in different locations of a part. The relation between these characteristic temperatures and grain size and eutectic silicon modification are presented. Furthermore, the present study also includes the effect of cooling rate on the morphology of beta phase in the case of a ternary Al-Fe-Si alloy. An attempt to characterize the growth of beta phase was performed through post-mortem and in-situ tomography. In addition, some variations from usual solidification features such as script monoclinic phase and rosettes were observed and are discussed.


Abstract Despite a wide international literature on the effect of vocational and general education on school-to-work transition, relatively little is known about the role of having studied specific subjects in explaining inequalities in young people's labour market outcomes. This paper aims to fill this gap by examining differences in employment chances of young people who left education early, either at the end of compulsory schooling or at the end of secondary school. Using data from the Scottish Longitudinal Study, a large-scale linkage study created using data from administrative and statistical sources, we found little gender differences but strong parental background differences in school leavers' employment status and type of occupation entered. Social inequalities in labour market outcomes were only partly explained by curriculum choices. Moreover, after controlling for social origin and grades, only history and business for lower-secondary leavers and maths for upper-secondary leavers were associated with a reduction in the chances of being unemployed/inactive.


This document provides framework and requirements for Network
Virtualization over Layer 3 (NVO3) Operations, Administration, and
Maintenance (OAM). This document for the most part gathers
requirements from existing IETF drafts and RFCs which have already
extensively studied this subject for different data planes and
layering. As a result this draft is high level and broad. We begin to
ask which are truly required for NVO3 and expect the list to be
narrowed by the working group as subsequent versions of this draft are
created.


Can children genuinely create new knowledge, as opposed to merely carrying out activities that resemble those of mature scientists and innovators? The answer is yes, provided the comparison is not to works of genius but to standards that prevail in ordinary research communities. One important product of knowledge creation is concepts and tools that enable further knowledge creation. This is the kind of knowledge creation of greatest value in childhood education. Examples of it, drawn from elementary school knowledge-building classrooms, are examined to show both the attainability and the authenticity of knowledge creation to enable knowledge creation. It is mainly achieved through students' theory building, and it is a powerful way of converting declarative knowledge to productive knowledge.


Updated version featuring all new material. If you have ever looked for P-values by shopping at P mart, tried to watch the Bernoulli Trails on "People's Court," or think that the standard deviation is a criminal offense in six states, then you need The Cartoon Guide to Statistics to put you on the road to statistical literacy. The Cartoon Guide to Statistics covers all the central ideas of modern statistics: the summary and display of data, probability in gambling and medicine, random variables, Bernoulli Trails, the Central Limit Theorem, hypothesis testing, confidence interval estimation, and much more-all explained in simple, clear, and yes, funny illustrations. Never again will you order the Poisson Distribution in a French restaurant!


We propose a new model to describe precipitation-induced permeability reduction during chemical diagenesis of sandstones. The model has two parts: (1) geochemical model for determining the expected mass of precipitates and (2) physical model relating how a given mass of precipitates affects permeability. The model is used to study the experiments reported by Tenthorey et al. [this issue], where reactions involving dissolution of quartz and feldspar and precipitation of authigenic minerals were observed to cause drastic permeability reduction in feldspathic sandstone. We find that the geochemical evolution of the system dictates permeability evolution, and thus permeability dependence on temperature and stress is related to geochemical responses to these variables. The model predictions for the experimental system of Tenthorey et al. provide a very good fit to the experimental permeability curves over all times, stresses, and temperatures within the experimental range. Following the experiments and model, we suggest that precipitation of secondary mineral phases is an extremely efficient method for permeability reduction but one that depends critically on the system's approach to equilibrium. The reaction products of chemical diagenesis observed in rocks are the consequence of chemical reactions that occur in natural systems as they approach equilibrium, and we predict extensive and rapid permeability reduction as a result of such reactions.


In recent computer vision research, the advent of the Vision Transformer (ViT) has rapidly revolutionized various architectural design efforts: ViT achieved state-of-the-art image classification performance using self-attention found in natural language processing, and MLP-Mixer achieved competitive performance using simple multi-layer perceptrons. In contrast, several studies have also suggested that carefully redesigned convolutional neural networks (CNNs) can achieve advanced performance comparable to ViT without resorting to these new ideas. Against this background, there is growing interest in what inductive bias is suitable for computer vision. Here we propose Sequencer, a novel and competitive architecture alternative to ViT that provides a new perspective on these issues. Unlike ViTs, Sequencer models long-range dependencies using LSTMs rather than self-attention layers. We also propose a two-dimensional version of Sequencer module, where an LSTM is decomposed into vertical and horizontal LSTMs to enhance performance. Despite its simplicity, several experiments demonstrate that Sequencer performs impressively well: Sequencer2D-L, with 54M parameters, realizes 84.6% top-1 accuracy on only ImageNet-1K. Not only that, we show that it has good transferability and the robust resolution adaptability on double resolution-band.


Objective Circumferential pulmonary vein isolation (CPVI) has been considered the cornerstone of radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) for atrial fibrillation (AF). However, it is unclear whether linear ablation in addition to CPVI improves clinical outcome. Design Prospective randomised study to compare the efficacy of CPVI and CPVI with additional linear ablation in patients with paroxysmal AF (PAF). Setting University hospital. Patients This study enrolled 156 patients (male 76.3%, 55.8±11.5 years old (mean±SD)) who underwent RFCA for PAF. Interventions CPVI (n=52), CPVI+roof line (CPVI+RL; n=52) and CPVI+RL+posterior inferior line (CPVI+PostBox; n=52). Main outcome measures Procedure time, ablation time and clinical outcome. Results (1) The CPVI group showed shorter total procedure time (180.4±39.5 min vs 189.6±29.0 min and 201.7±51.7 min, respectively (mean±SD); p=0.035) and ablation time (4085.5±1384.1 s vs 5253.5±1010.9 s and 5495.0±1316.0 s, respectively; p<0.001) than the CPVI+RL and CPVI+PostBox groups. (2) During 15.6±5.0 months of follow-up, the recurrence rates 3 months after RFCA were 11.5% in CPVI, 21.2% in CPVI+RL and 19.2% in CPVI+PostBox (p=0.440). (3) The achievement rate of CPVI was 100.0%, and bidirectional block rate was 80.8% in CPVI+RL and 59.6% in CPVI+PostBox. The clinical recurrence rates with or without achieving bidirectional block were not significantly different from each other (p=0.386). Conclusion In patients with PAF, linear ablation in addition to CPVI did not improve clinical outcome, regardless of bidirectional block achievement, while it prolonged the total procedure and ablation time.


Looking back at the beginnings of academic research on terrorism just over 40 years ago, it is extraordinary to see that what was once a marginal subject for social science has developed into a full-fledged program of "terrorism studies." In fact, recently a sociologist considered the subject of sufficient importance to write a doctoral dissertation and then a book on the "social construction" of the field (Stampnitzky 2013). This essay highlights some examples of the contributions scholars from different disciplines have made to understanding terrorism. There is no consensus on any general theoretical laws of terrorism (there is no equivalent of a democratic peace theory, for example), but researchers have defined key concepts and deepened explanations of cause, effect, and process.What follows identifies four interrelated areas of explanatory inquiry into terrorism that have emerged over years of research: the effectiveness of terrorism as a strategy of opposition, the determinants and consequences of counterterrorism policies, how campaigns or waves of terrorism end, and how analysis of terrorism can be situated in a broader theoretical framework rather than treated as a phenomenon sui generis. Particular emphasis is placed on studies that are comparative and/or that situate the specific case of terrorism in a general theoretical perspective.


A cursory glance at the literature on water governance reveals that stakeholder engagement has long been considered an integral part of sound governance processes. However, a closer look at the literature reveals that, beyond this general assertion, there is a lack of evidence-based assessment on how engagement processes contribute to water governance objectives. This article addresses this research gap by presenting key findings and policy guidance from a study by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) on "Stakeholder Engagement for Inclusive Water Governance". This study employed comprehensive methods, including a survey administered to 215 stakeholder groups worldwide and separately, 69 case studies of specific stakeholder engagement initiatives on water management. This article also shares the experiences and lessons that have emerged from engaging stakeholders in the OECD Water Governance Initiative—an international multi-stakeholder policy forum created in 2013 to share policy and practical experiences on water governance at different levels. We hope this research will be used to stimulate and enrich discussions about the necessary conditions for results-oriented stakeholder engagement, and to guide decision makers accordingly.


Terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) is often used to monitor landslides and other gravitational mass movements with high levels of geometric detail and accuracy. However, unstructured TLS point clouds lack semantic information, which is required to geomorphologically interpret the measured changes. Extracting meaningful objects in a complex and dynamic environment is challenging due to the objects' fuzziness in reality, as well as the variability and ambiguity of their patterns in a morphometric feature space. This work presents a point‐cloud‐based approach for classifying multitemporal scenes of a hillslope affected by shallow landslides. The 3D point clouds are segmented into morphologically homogeneous and spatially connected parts. These segments are classified into seven target classes (scarp, eroded area, deposit, rock outcrop and different classes of vegetation) in a two‐step procedure: a supervised classification step with a machine‐learning classifier using morphometric features, followed by a correction step based on topological rules. This improves the final object extraction considerably.


In Africa, health systems are often not very responsive. Their resilience is often tested by health or geopolitical crises. The Ebola epidemic, for instance, exposed the fragility of health systems, and recent terrorist attacks have required countries to respond to urgent situations. Up until 2014, Burkina Faso's health system strongly resisted these pressures and reforms had always been minor. However, since late 2014, Burkina Faso has had to contend with several unprecedented crises. In October 2014, there was a popular insurrection. Then, in September 2015, the Security Regiment of the deposed president attempted a coup d'état. Finally, on 15 January 2016, a terrorist attack occurred in the capital, Ouagadougou. These events involved significant human injury and casualties. In these crises, the Burkinabè health system was sorely tried, testing its responsiveness, resiliency and adaptability. We describe the management of the recent terrorist attack from the standpoint of health system resilience. It would appear that the multiple crises that had occurred within the previous 2 years led to appropriate management of that terrorist attack thanks to the rapid mobilisation of personnel and good communication between centres. For example, the health system had put in place a committee and an emergency response plan, adapted blood bank services and psychology services, and made healthcare free for victims. Nevertheless, the system encountered several challenges, including the development of framework documents for resources (financial, material and human) and their use and coordination in crisis situations.


Fast Fourier transform (FFT) coprocessor, having a significant impact on the performance of communication systems, has been a hot topic of research for many years. The FFT function consists of consecutive multiply add operations over complex numbers, dubbed as butterfly units. Applying floating-point (FP) arithmetic to FFT architectures, specifically butterfly units, has become more popular recently. It offloads compute-intensive tasks from generalpurpose processors by dismissing FP concerns (e.g., scaling and overflow/underflow). However, the major downside of FP butterfly is its slowness in comparison with its fixed-point counterpart. This reveals the incentive to develop a high-speed FP butterfly architecture to mitigate FP slowness. This brief proposes a fast FP butterfly unit using a devised FP fused-dotproduct-add (FDPA) unit, to compute AB CD E, based on binarysigned-digit (BSD) representation. The FP three-operand BSD adder and the FP BSD constant multiplier are the constituents of the proposed FDPA unit. A carrylimited BSD adder is proposed and used in the three-operand adder and the parallel BSD multiplier so as to improve the speed of the FDPA unit. Moreover, modified Booth encoding is used to accelerate the BSD multiplier. The synthesis results show that the proposed FP butterfly architecture is much faster than previous counterparts but at the cost of more area.


This session will discuss three aspects of the use of ICT in improving classroom instruction, a framework for e‐learning platforms and use of technology to establish school based computerized management information system (MIS). The aim is to unpack the challenges and promise of large‐ scale use of ICT in education.

ICT is becoming a core tool of business in India, even in small and medium sized enterprises. This trend is expected to accelerate over time. Young people joining the labour market should therefore expect to be able to use a computer; and not just for basic computer tasks, but as a tool to enhance productivity of work activities. Beyond this, however, there is much hope that computers can transform the education process and through transformation improve student learning outcomes and reach previously‐excluded populations.

Educational planners face difficulties in pursuing investments in ICT. The research on learning impact is scarce, and provides contradictory conclusions as to whether there is a positive impact. There is very little guidance on how to scale up to the system level successful small scale interventions or pilots. The majority of the research to date has been conducted in high‐income countries. The technology changes faster than institutions, so there is a risk of out‐ of‐date implementation. Teachers remain central to the effectiveness of ICT use in the classroom, but usually have only weak skills.


Outcome of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in adults with central nervous system (CNS) disease at diagnosis is unclear. We treated 1508 de novo ALL patients with 2-phase induction and then high-dose methotrexate with l-asparaginase. Patients up to 50 years old in first remission (CR1) with a matched related donor (MRD) underwent an allogeneic stem cell transplantation (SCT); the remainder in CR1 were randomized to an autologous SCT or intensive consolidation followed by maintenance chemotherapy. Philadelphia chromosome (Ph)-positive patients were offered a matched unrelated donor (MUD) allogeneic SCT. Seventy-seven of 1508 (5%) patients a median age of 29 years had CNS leukemia at presentation; 13 of the 77 (17%) had Ph-positive ALL. Sixty-nine of 77 (90%) patients attained CR1. Thirty-six patients underwent transplantation in CR1 (25 MRD, 5 MUD, and 6 autografts). Eleven of 25 patients with MRD transplantation remain alive at 21 to 102 months, 2 of 5 with MUD at 42 and 71 months, and 1 of 6 with autologous SCT at 35 months. Seven of 27 treated with consolidation/maintenance remain in CR1 56 to 137 months after diagnosis. Overall survival at 5 years was 29% in those with CNS involvement at diagnosis versus 38% (P = .03) for those without. CNS leukemia in adult ALL is uncommon at diagnosis. Adult Ph-negative ALL patients, however, can attain long-term disease-free survival using SCT as well as conventional chemotherapy.


Discrete-time grouped duration data, with one or multiple types of terminating events, are often observed in social sciences or economics. In this paper we suggest and discuss dynamic models for flexible Bayesian nonparametric analysis of such data. These models allow simultaneous incorporation and estimation of baseline hazards and time-varying covariate effects, without imposing particular parametric forms. Methods for exploring the possibility of time-varying effects, as for example the impact of nationality or unemployment insurance benefits on the probability of re-employment, have recently gained increasing interest. Our modelling and estimation approach is fully Bayesian and makes use of Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) simulation techniques. A detailed analysis of unemployment duration data, with full-time job, part-time job and other causes as terminating events, illustrates our methods and shows how they can be used to obtain refined results and interpretations.


Learning analytics (LA) and Educational data mining (EDM) have emerged as promising technology enhanced

learning (TEL) research areas in recent years. Both areas deal with the development of methods

that harness educational data sets to support the learning process. A key area of application for LA and EDM

is learner modelling. Learner modelling enables to achieve adaptive and personalized learning environments,

which are able to take into account the heterogeneous needs of learners and provide them with tailored learning

experience suited for their unique needs. As learning is increasingly happening in open and distributed

environments beyond the classroom and access to information in these environments is mostly interest-driven,

learner interests need to constitute an important learner feature to be modeled. In this paper, we focus on

the interest dimension of a learner model and present Wiki-LDA as a novel method to effectively mine user's

interests in Twitter. We apply a mixed-method approach that combines Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA),

text mining APIs, and wikipedia categories. Wiki-LDA has proven effective at the task of interest mining and

classification on Twitter data, outperforming standard LDA.


University, UK) for his valuable papers, kind words, and suggestions. Last but not least, I would like to convey my most sincere gratitude to my friends and colleagues who have contributed directly or indirectly towards this research. Nonlinear optimal control problems are problems involving real world situations where the objectives are the maximization of the return from, or the minimization of the cost of, the operation of physical, social, and economic processes. Algorithms used to solve these problems are expected to satisfy the objectives consistently and since time translates into cost, must also be fast. An algorithm that definitely can satisfy the objectives is the Dynamic Integrated Systems Optimization and Parameter Estimation (DISOPE) algorithm. However, this algorithm has an inherent problem of slow convergence due to its gradient descent type updating mechanism. Hence, the purpose of this study is to overcome this convergence problem by modifying the mechanism. Two approaches were chosen for this purpose. The first is the use of momentum terms and the second is the parallel tangent method. Two new algorithms named DISOPE-MOMENTUM and DISOPE-PARTAN sprouted from these modifications and extensive simulations were performed to observe their performances. To strengthen the findings, theoretical analyses were done on each algorithm. These include optimality, stability, convergence, and the rate of convergence analyses. Based on the results of these simulations, we compared the number of iterations needed by each algorithm to arrive at the optimal solution and the CPU time taken for each algorithm to execute the search. From the theoretical analyses, comparisons were done on the speeds of contraction of the algorithms. Both new algorithms managed to arrive at the optimum in fewer numbers of iterations and in shorter CPU times than DISOPE without compromising on the accuracy of the solutions. The new algorithms also boast faster contractions. Both new algorithms performed better than DISOPE. This study succeeded in overcoming the problem of slow convergence and with the modifications, the new algorithms become more efficient in solving the optimal control problems.


Background and purpose: Dyes in textile wastewater are amongst the main sources of environmental pollutants that are harmful for environment and human health. This study was designed for experimental evaluation of Reactive Blue 19 absorption from aqueous solutions by dried powder, modified powder, and modified carbon derived from Azolla aquatic plant carbon filiculoides, as a low cost adsorbent. Materials and methods: In this experimental laboratorial study the effects of various parameters (initial dye concentration, contact time, pH and, amount of adsorbent ( on the dye removal efficiency was investigated. Then the isotherm, kinetic, and thermodynamic equations were done. Measuring the amount of dye concentration was determined using a spectrophotometer at a wavelength of nm 594. Adsorbent characteristics were analyzed using SEM, FTIR, and BET techniques. Statistical analysis was done by Excel software. Results: The highest absorption capacity were 4.83 mg/g by modified powder, 4.55 mg/g by dried powder, and 4.15 mg/g by modified carbon which were observed in optimum conditions: pH=2, equilibrium time of 60 min, 10 g/L of adsorbent, and initial dye concentration of 5 mg/l. The absorption efficiency of Azolla filiculoides increased by increasing the adsorbent dose and contact time, and decreasing the initial concentration of dye. It was found that the adsorption process followed Lungmuir isotherm and the kinetic model of pseudo second-order. The maximum absorbance of dye occurred by modified powder of Azolla filiculoides. Conclusion: According to our results, adsorption process by Azolla aquatic plant is an efficient and affordable method for removal of dyes from textile industry wastewater.


Design patents protecting electronic designs, including computer-generated imagery (CGI), have rapidly become an important and valuable intellectual property asset class. Designs for CGIs have enjoyed design patent protection since 1996, when the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) reversed its original position that CGI were not design patent eligible. Previously, the USPTO consistently rejected design applications claiming CGI for failure to meet the "design for an article of manufacture" requirement of 35 U.S.C. § 171. This USPTO policy change proved prescient and important, as the focus of design innovation has shifted from traditional, tangible articles of manufacture to designs, such as CGIs, intended mainly for evanescent, electronic display. However, the USPTO's allowance of CGI design patents continues to be hotly debated among design patent practitioners and scholars. Remarkably, no court has directly upheld the USPTO's determination that CGI can qualify under the "article of manufacture" requirement of § 171. Furthermore, granting design patent protection for CGI has introduced tensions into the intellectual property protection for visual subject matter law by altering the balance that had previously prevailed among copyright, trademark, and design patent protection. This Article reexamines the USPTO's 1996 determination to permit design patents claiming CGI, considers the relative benefits and costs attending the pre- and post-1996 policies, compares the treatment of CGI under the design protection laws of other countries, and analyzes whether or not design patent law allows protection for electronic (and other evanescent) designs, such as CGI. It explores the policy rationales behind the "design for an article of manufacture" requirement in § 171, and undertakes a comprehensive review of historical cases interpreting the metes and bounds of the requirement. Then, it analyzes problems raised by CGI design patents in contemporary cases, with a particular focus on Apple v. Samsung. The Article concludes by considering whether design patent protection is a socially beneficial mechanism for incentivizing and regulating innovation in electronic designs, especially CGI.


Are you wishing you knew how to better communicate science, without having to read several hundred academic papers and books on the topic? Luckily Dr Craig Cormick has done this for you!
This highly readable and entertaining book distils best practice research on science communication into accessible chapters, supported by case studies and examples. With practical advice on everything from messages and metaphors to metrics and ethics, you will learn what the public think about science and why, and how to shape scientific research into a story that will influence beliefs, behaviours and policies.


The performance of international courts has traditionally been judged against criteria of compliance and effectiveness. Whilst these are clearly desirable objectives for litigants before Africa's international courts, this book shows that we must look beyond these criteria to fully appreciate the impact of African international courts. This book definitively shows how litigants in these courts use their participation in international litigation to achieve other objectives: to amplify political disputes with their governments, to build their movement, to educate the public about their cause, and to challenge the status quo. Chapters in this collection show these courts acting as coordination points for opposition political parties to name and shame dominant parties for violation of their organizational rights. Others demonstrate how Africa's international courts serve as transitional justice mechanisms in which truth telling about ongoing conflict and authoritarian governance receives significant attention. This attention serves as a platform to galvanize resistance against continued authoritarian rule, especially from outside the conflict countries. Ultimately, the book shows that these courts must be judged against new and broader criteria, and understood as increasingly important venues for waging political, social, environmental, and legal struggles.


Nonobese diabetic (NOD) mice develop an autoimmune form of diabetes, becoming hyperglycemic after 3 months of age. This process was accelerated by injecting young NOD mice with CD4+ islet-specific T cell clones derived from NOD mice. Overt diabetes developed in 10 of 19 experimental animals by 7 weeks of age, with the remaining mice showing marked signs of the disease in progress. Control mice did not become diabetic and had no significant pancreatic infiltration. This work demonstrates that a CD4 T cell clone is sufficient to initiate the disease process in the diabetes-prone NOD mouse.


Introduction: Patients with hydrocephalus, which is the most pediatric neurological disorder, undergo Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) diversion through third ventriculostomy or ventriculo-peritoneal shunt. Up to date, the optimal hydrocephalus treatment modality is not clear. Aim: We compared the outcome of endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV) versus ventriculo-peritoneal shunt (VP shunt) as a second surgical intervention in management of Infant hydrocephalus concerning success rate and complications. Patients and Methods: We conducted an observational study of 52 children with hydrocephalus (congenital or acquired) in whom CSF diversion was performed using either ETV or VP shunt in randomized control trial. Results: During the period examined, 52 children, 26 underwent ETV and 26 underwent VP shunt. The mean age was 11.0 ± 4.3 months in ETV and 11.3 ± 4.7 months in VP shunt. Postoperative infection in the ETV group was lower than in the VP shunt group (23.1% vs. 53.8% P = 0.045). Regarding operating time, In ETV group operation duration was 46.9 min and 64.3 min in the V-P shunt group (P = 0.13). There was no statistically significant difference between the two study groups regarding the rate of obstruction, change in occipital frontal circumference (OFC) or the need of revision surgery. One year survival for VP shunt group vs. ETV group was 46.2% vs. 65.4% respectively. Conclusion: ETV associated with lower rates of postoperative infection and shorter operation time with no significant difference in rates of obstruction, change in OFC and revision surgery in comparison to VP shunt.


This study examined the association and directionality of effect between mental wellbeing and depressive symptoms in Australian adolescents. Data were collected on two occasions 21 months apart. At Time 1, 1,762 10- to 14-year-old adolescents from a range of socio-economic status areas participated. At Time 2 (T2), 1,575 participated again. On both occasions, the Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (SWEMWBS) and the Children's Depression Inventory 2 (CDI 2) were administered via online survey. Cross-lagged, longitudinal path analyses demonstrated a negative association between earlier symptoms of depression and later positive mental wellbeing, and that the reverse was also true, though weaker. The model accounted for 20% of the variance in males' T2 CDI 2 depressive symptom scores (26% for females) and 21% of the variance in males' T2 SWEMWBS mental wellbeing scores (23% for females). Depressive symptomatology and mental wellbeing were highly correlated, but symptoms of depression were more strongly associated with later mental wellbeing than vice versa. This has implications for educational psychologists, teachers, health professionals, and policy makers seeking to reduce depressive symptoms or promote mental wellbeing. Focusing solely on the promotion of mental wellbeing, without intervening to reduce symptoms of depression, may limit the potential outcomes that might be achieved.


STUDY OBJECTIVES
We assessed whether the synchrony between brain regions, analyzed using electroencephalography (EEG) signals recorded during sleep, is altered in subjects with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and whether the results are reproducible across consecutive nights and subpopulations of the study.

METHODS
Seventy-eight combat-exposed veteran men with (n = 31) and without (n = 47) PTSD completed two consecutive laboratory nights of high-density EEG recordings. We computed a measure of synchrony for each EEG channel-pair across three sleep stages [rapid eye movement (REM) and non-REM stages 2 and 3] and six frequency bands. We examined the median synchrony in nine region-of-interest (ROI) pairs consisting of six bilateral brain regions (left and right frontal, central, and parietal regions) for ten frequency-band and sleep-stage combinations. To assess reproducibility, we used the first 47 consecutive subjects (18 with PTSD) for initial discovery and the remaining 31 subjects (13 with PTSD) for replication.

RESULTS
In the discovery analysis, five alpha-band synchrony pairs during non-REM sleep were consistently larger in PTSD subjects compared to controls (effect sizes ranging from 0.52 to 1.44) across consecutive nights: two between the left-frontal and left-parietal ROIs, one between the left-central and left-parietal ROIs, and two across central and parietal bilateral ROIs. These trends were preserved in the replication set.

CONCLUSION
PTSD subjects showed increased alpha-band synchrony during non-REM sleep in the left fronto-parietal, left centro-parietal, and inter-parietal brain regions. Importantly, these trends were reproducible across consecutive nights and subpopulations. Thus, these alterations in alpha synchrony may be discriminatory of PTSD.


Understanding tumor invasion and metastasis is of crucial importance for both fundamental cancer research and clinical practice. In vitro experiments have established that the invasive growth of malignant tumors is characterized by the dendritic invasive branches composed of chains of tumor cells emanating from the primary tumor mass. The preponderance of previous tumor simulations focused on non-invasive (or proliferative) growth. The formation of the invasive cell chains and their interactions with the primary tumor mass and host microenvironment are not well understood. Here, we present a novel cellular automaton (CA) model that enables one to efficiently simulate invasive tumor growth in a heterogeneous host microenvironment. By taking into account a variety of microscopic-scale tumor-host interactions, including the short-range mechanical interactions between tumor cells and tumor stroma, degradation of the extracellular matrix by the invasive cells and oxygen/nutrient gradient driven cell motions, our CA model predicts a rich spectrum of growth dynamics and emergent behaviors of invasive tumors. Besides robustly reproducing the salient features of dendritic invasive growth, such as least-resistance paths of cells and intrabranch homotype attraction, we also predict nontrivial coupling between the growth dynamics of the primary tumor mass and the invasive cells. In addition, we show that the properties of the host microenvironment can significantly affect tumor morphology and growth dynamics, emphasizing the importance of understanding the tumor-host interaction. The capability of our CA model suggests that sophisticated in silico tools could eventually be utilized in clinical situations to predict neoplastic progression and propose individualized optimal treatment strategies.


A case-controlled study of previously mobile female patients with Alzheimer's disease who had sustained a proximal femoral fracture was carried out to determine the influence of the degree of mental impairment on the prospects of regaining independent mobility after treatment. Matched groups of 46 female patients (one group remaining immobile a month after surgery, the other successfully remobilizing) were evaluated for the degree of mental impairment by means of the Blessed Mental Test Score. Patients with severe mental impairment were 17 times (95% confidence interval, 10-27) more likely to remain immobile as compared with those with moderate impairment scores. Two-thirds of the severely impaired had failed to remobilize a month after surgical treatment of their proximal femoral fracture. For patients with severe mental impairment who came from residential care, failure to remobilize was of major importance in precluding return to the same home. Current results of treatment are poor in this group of patients if measured by the return of mobility and the chances of being relocated on leaving hospital.


This collection addresses two key questions. What was the place of sport in British upper-class life? How far have the upper classes contributed to sport in British society more generally? To begin to address such questions is important, not least because in a century far less conducive to aristocratic life, the sporting lives of the monarchy, aristocracy, gentry and other upper-class groups have been unappreciated and largely neglected. So we need to constantly remind ourselves that they were the aboriginal sporting group in Britain, at least in terms of having most time to devote to sport, and made a significant contribution to British sporting culture. Not only did sports play a key role in their own social and cultural worlds, but the male upper classes, their gentlemanly sons and (less often) their wives and daughters were deeply implicated in the shaping of British sporting leisure, and its dominant cultural images, up to and beyond the inter-war years. Their sporting interests have helped to shape the British sporting calendar, the rural landscape, sporting culture and the high status of particular events and organizations. Britain is still a class-based society, and the aristocracy are still much with us, even if largely not in the House of Lords. While class analysis has merged with cultural insights, and the exploration of a wider mix of people's identities, such as gender, generation, race and ethnicity, the current reworking and defences of its utility still demonstrate class's continued importance. (E.g. Neville Kirk, 'Decline and fall, resilience and regeneration: A review essay on social class', International labor and working-class history 57 (2000), pp. 88–102.) Reassessments of the position of social history also make frequent reference to the need to revive social class as a corrective to the quirkiness of the linguistic and cultural turns, though in a context which recognizes structure, agency and perception. (See, for example, the fall 2003 issue of the Journal of Social History.) So it seems timely to readdress, in more revisionist form, the contribution of the upper class, and place them once again firmly within the historiography of sport.


An attempt is made for a first general study of the relation between high/very high concentrations of nitrogen dioxide and ozone with the discomfort index (DI) values. The nitrogen dioxide data of «Patision» station and ozone data of «Liosia» and «Marousi» station have been analysed. The relation between air pollution episodes and the corresponding values of DI during the period 1993-1995 have been examined for the Greater Athens Area (GAA). For the warm period of the year, the frequency of the DI values for different levels of air pollution in the GAA is also examined.


Most of the technological developments relevant to water supply and wastewater date back to more than to five thousand years ago. These developments were driven by the necessity to make efficient use of natural resources, to make civilizations more resistant to destructive natural elements, and to improve the standards of life, both at public and private level.

Rapid technological progress in the 20th century created a disregard for past sanitation and wastewater and stormwater technologies that were considered to be far behind the present ones. A great deal of unresolved problems in the developing world related to the wastewater management principles, such as the decentralization of the processes, the durability of the water projects, the cost effectiveness, and sustainability issues, such as protection from floods and droughts were intensified to an unprecedented degree.

New problems have arisen such as the contamination of surface and groundwater. Naturally, intensification of unresolved problems has led to the reconsideration of successful past achievements. This retrospective view, based on archaeological, historical, and technical evidence, has shown two things: the similarity of physicochemical and biological principles with the present ones and the advanced level of wastewater engineering and management practices.

Evolution of Sanitation and Wastewater Technologies through the Centuries presents and discusses the major achievements in the scientific fields of sanitation and hygienic water use systems throughout the millennia, and compares the water technological developments in several civilizations. It provides valuable insights into ancient wastewater and stormwater management technologies with their apparent characteristics of durability, adaptability to the environment, and sustainability. These technologies are the underpinning of modern achievements in sanitary engineering and wastewater management practices. It is the best proof that "the past is the key for the future".

Evolution of Sanitation and Wastewater Technologies through the Centuries is a textbook for undergraduate and graduate courses of Water Resources, Civil Engineering, Hydraulics, Ancient History, Archaeology, Environmental Management and is also a valuable resource for all researchers in the these fields.

ISBN: 9781780404851 (eBook)

ISBN: 9781780404844 (Print)


What happens to a society that has too many men? In this provocative book, Valerie Hudson and Andrea den Boer argue that, historically, high male-to-female ratios often trigger domestic and international violence. Most violent crime is committed by young unmarried males who lack stable social bonds. Although there is not always a direct cause-and-effect relationship, these surplus men often play a crucial role in making violence prevalent within society. Governments sometimes respond to this problem by enlisting young surplus males in military campaigns and high-risk public works projects. Countries with high male-to-female ratios also tend to develop authoritarian political systems.Hudson and den Boer suggest that the sex ratios of many Asian countries, particularly China and India -- which represent almost 40 percent of the world's population -- are being skewed in favor of males on a scale that may be unprecedented in human history. Through offspring sex selection (often in the form of sex-selective abortion and female infanticide), these countries are acquiring a disproportionate number of low-status young adult males, called "bare branches" by the Chinese.Hudson and den Boer argue that this surplus male population in Asia's largest countries threatens domestic stability and international security. The prospects for peace and democracy are dimmed by the growth of bare branches in China and India, and, they maintain, the sex ratios of these countries will have global implications in the twenty-first century.


The biocrystallization process and the prescence of manganese in sagitta otoliths is described for the first time via electron paramagnetic spectroscopy. Spectra of Mn2+ are applied to verify inter-species differences in 12 Sciaenidae species and geographic variations among three stocks of banded croaker Paralonchurus brasiliensis and rake stardrum Stellifer rastrifer. Similar spectra shape and zero-field splitting D (22.4 mT) indicated that the biocrystallization process is the same for all fish species, at any stage of development and under different environmental conditions, corresponding to Mn2+ in the aragonite (CaCO3). Inter-species differences in Mn2+ concentration were detected regarding the otolith shape. Elongated otoliths have higher manganese concentrations compared to rounded otoliths. Geographic variations among stocks of P. brasiliensis and S. rastrifer could be detected. Fish stocks under riverine influence have less Mn2+ concentration than ones under marine influence. Manganese detection via electron paramagnetic spectroscopy is a non-destructive approach that can be useful in fish stocks studies.


Glutamine is the most abundant free amino acid of the human body. Besides its role as a constituent of proteins and its importance in amino acid transamination, glutamine has regulatory capacity in immune and cell modulation. Glutamine deprivation reduces proliferation of lymphocytes, influences expression of surface activation markers on lymphocytes and monocytes, affects the production of cytokines, and stimulates apoptosis. Moreover, glutamine administration seems to have a positive effect on glucose metabolism in the state of insulin resistance. Glutamine influences a variety of different molecular pathways. Glutamine stimulates the formation of heat shock protein 70 in monocytes by enhancing the stability of mRNA, influences the redox potential of the cell by enhancing the formation of glutathione, induces cellular anabolic effects by increasing the cell volume, activates mitogen-activated protein kinases, and interacts with particular aminoacyl-transfer RNA synthetases in specific glutamine-sensing metabolism. Glutamine is applied under clinical conditions as an oral, parenteral, or enteral supplement either as the single amino acid or in the form of glutamine-containing dipeptides for preventing mucositis/stomatitis and for preventing glutamine-deficiency in critically ill patients. Because of the high turnover rate of glutamine, even high amounts of glutamine up to a daily administration of 30 g can be given without any important side effects.


Because topoisomerase (topo) I- and topo II-targeting agents exert their principal effects on the two major classes of enzymes involved in regulating DNA topology in the cell, there has been considerable interest in evaluating combinations of these classes of agents. In preclinical studies of inhibitors of topo I and topo II in combination, drug scheduling and sequencing have been critical determinants of antitumor activity, with a greater magnitude of cytotoxicity generally occurring when treatment with the topo I inhibitor precedes treatment with the topo II-targeting agent. The underlying mechanism that has been proposed to explain this schedule dependency is compensatory up-regulation of topo II and, therefore, enhanced cytotoxicity of topo II inhibitors in cells treated initially with topo I inhibitors. The feasibility of sequentially administering the topo I inhibitor topotecan (TPT) followed by the topo II inhibitor etoposide to patients with advanced solid malignancies was evaluated in this Phase I and translational laboratory study. Fifty patients with solid neoplasms were treated with TPT doses ranging from 0.17 to 1.05 mg/m2/day as a 72-h continuous (i.v.) infusion on days 1-3 followed by etoposide, 75 or 100 mg/m2/day as a 2-h i.v. infusion daily on days 8-10. The combined rate of severe neutropenia and thrombocytopenia was unacceptably high above the TPT (mg/m2/day)/etoposide (mg/m2/day) dose levels of 0.68/100 and 0.68/75 in minimally and heavily pretreated patients, respectively, and these dose levels are recommended for further disease-directed evaluations of TPT/etoposide on this administration schedule. Successive biopsies of accessible tumors were obtained for quantitation of topo I and II levels prior to and immediately after treatment with TPT and prior to and immediately after treatment with etoposide in seven patients. The results of these limited studies in tumors did not fully support the proposed mechanistic rationale favoring the development of this particular sequential TPT/etoposide regimen, because only two of the six patients' tumors in whom topo I was successively measured had either modest or substantial decrements in topo I levels following treatment with TPT, and the principal effect of interest, up-regulation of topo II following treatment with TPT, was clearly documented in the tumors of only one of six subjects in whom successive measurements of topo I were performed. Even in view of the notable objective antitumor activity in three subjects, including a complete response in a patient with colorectal carcinoma and partial responses in one patient each with non-small cell lung and gastric carcinomas, the toxicity and ancillary laboratory results do not provide substantial evidence that sequential treatment with TPT and etoposide might be more advantageous than either TPT or etoposide administered as a single agent.


Statistics are curious things. They afford one of the few examples in which the use, or abuse, of mathematical methods tends to induce a strong emotional reaction in non-mathematical minds. This is because statisticians apply, to problems in which we are interested, a technique we do not understand ... It requires more equanimity than most of us possess to acknowledge that the fault is in ourselves.


From the late fifteenth century to the present day, the New World has been plundered and pilfered for its many 'treasures' and 'wonders' and as a consequence, many of its natural and cultural productions have been scattered around the world, often hidden in libraries, museums and private collections. New World Objects of Knowledge: A Cabinet of Curiosities gathers a fascinating sampling of these scattered objects in forty richly illustrated essays written by world-leading scholars in the field. We discover the secret, often global, itineraries of such things as Aztec codices and Inca mummies, colonial paintings and indigenous maps, giant tortoises and precious hummingbirds.


Fusion frames consist of a sequence of subspaces from a Hilbert space and corresponding positive weights so that the sum of weighted orthogonal projections onto these subspaces is an invertible operator on the space. Despite extensive literature on fusion frames, and several construction methods for unit-weight fusion frames with prescribed subspace dimensions and fusion frame operator spectra, there do not exist such constructions for prescribed non-unit weights. There are also very few constructions which allow one to control geometric properties among the subspaces. First we will adapt a flexible construction technique known as spectral tetris to provide the first constructions of the most general classes of fusion frames: fusion frames with arbitrary non-unit weights. Moreover, we provide for the first time necessary and sufficient conditions for when a fusion frame can be constructed via spectral tetris methods. Then we present a new alternative construction leveraging Naimark complements to build a large class of fusion frames whose principal angles between any two subspaces are constant. Changing focus to frame partitions, the celebrated Rado-Horn theorem is an often-applied tool which provides a tight bound on the minimal number of linearly indpendent sets in a partition of vectors. This theorem has been rediscovered many times over, but no existing results describe how to find such partitions. We present an alternative proof of the Rado-Horn theorem and then adapt our proof's ideas to capture much more spanning and independence information compared with existing Rado-Horn results. We further describe how to build partitions with these properties.


An Internet survey revealed that day-of-the-week (DOW) stereotypes (i.e., "Monday blues", "Wednesday hump day", "TGIF", etc.) were pronounced when subjects predicted their moods for each day of the upcoming week, less obvious when they remembered their moods from each day of the preceding week, and least apparent in the momentary moods they actually experienced on each day. In a second study involving 2-hour, in-home interviews, subjects reporting looking forward to weekends because of the lack of structure and discipline and the freedom to choose activities, yet much of their weekend time was spent fulfilling a need to be productive, which often involved activities that, in many ways, simulated paid work. The content of these interviews suggested that people tend to overvalue future discretionary time on the weekend, assuming that two days of uninterrupted idle time will be more enjoyable than it actually is. In a more general sense, these results suggest that the predicted and remembered moods in the initial survey were driven by DOW stereotypes, which facilitated rapid judgements given the simple scaled response format. However, the depth interviews revealed that moods experienced throughout the week are more nuanced in terms of how they are remembered, described, and linked to recently passed, current, and immediately anticipated events, perhaps explaining why DOW stereotypes were less obvious in the reported momentary moods.


Sources of the research: The Mandaean holy books and scriptures in addition to old Moslem writers and contemporary western scholars' works. The purpose of the research: The research aims to translate the Mandaean Story of Creation, directly from the Mandaean manuscript. Four other Ginza manuscripts from the Oriental and India office at the British Library in London were used to compile a critical apparatus of variants. Book three, or the Book of Creation, is the largest tractate of the Mandaeans' holy book the "Ginza Rba". The Ginza names this tractate as raza usidra qadmaia d-Suta haita qadmaita "The Mystery and the First Book of the First Living Doctrine". This tractate includes the cosmogony the origin of the World of Light and the World of Darkness, the rise of the First Great Life, the Second Life (Yosamin), the Third Life (Abatur) and the Fourth Life (Ptahil) the Demiurge who created the cosmos and Tibil (the earthly world). It also narrates the creation of the Mandaean redeemer Manda d-Hiia ("Gnosis of Life") and his descent to the Underworld and his triumph against the forces of darkness. It narrates the creation of Adam and Eve and the descent of the niSimta (soul) into the 'tfona (the human body). Tractate three also includes an elaborate description of the demonic Ruha and her planetary sons and her attempts to seduce Adam in order to entrap him in the world. The research consists of three parts: (1) The introduction: The Mandaeans and the Question of Their Origin, The Mandaean system, The Main Characteristic Rituals of the Mandaeans, The Mandaean manuscripts. (2) Analysis of the narrative: The First Account of the Story of Creation, The Second Account of the Story of Creation, The Third account of the Story of Creation. (3) The Transcription and Translation of the Manuscript.


: This paper studies the role played by factors that are considered central to the concept of smart specialization on firm performance in a European context. The focus is on the type of spatial spillovers that occur at the firm level, which are connected to technological relatedness and knowledge externalities. The influence of such externalities is studied using firm-level data on firms located across Europe and unobserved heterogeneity and spatial dependencies are modelled by employing a multilevel model. Diverging patterns across the urban-rural range are studied by applying a regional typology. Findings indicate that measures thought to reflect smart specialization are positively associated with firm performance. It is also found that indicators of smart specialization do not affect firm performance homogenously across the studied regions.


Directed testing methods, such as functional or structural testing, have been criticized for a lack of quantifiable results. Representative testing permits reliability modeling, which provides the desired quantification. Over time, however, representative testing becomes inherently less effective as a means of improving the actual quality of the software under test. A model is presented which permits representative and directed testing to be used in conjunction. Representative testing can be used early, when the rate of fault revelation is high. Later results from directed testing can be used to update the reliability estimates conventionally associated with representative methods. The key to this combination is shifting the observed random variable from interfailure time to a post-mortem analysis of the debugged faults, using order statistics to combine the observed failure rates of faults no matter how those faults were detected.


The last 10 years has seen an explosion of genetic studies aimed at improving the understanding of the origins and genetic characteristics of livestock genetic resources. Although the focus of most of this work has been Europe, remarkable progress has also been made in the developing world, thanks to the support of development agencies. Since 1995, ILRI has developed, in collaboration with National Agricultural Research Systems in developing countries, a dynamic program on the molecular genetic characterisation of indigenous livestock of Africa and Asia. Molecular diversity information on cattle, sheep, goat, chicken, yak and Old World Camelidae are now partly available at country, regional and/or continental levels. The results show that the origin of the present day livestock diversity is more complex than previously thought with evidences for multiple origins or domestications. Livestock also show different patterns of geographic distribution of diversity in relation to the history of the domesticated species. These finding have direct applications to the design of strategies aiming to conserve diversity to maximise future utilisation. We have now the tools to understand the diversity of the genetic make-up of a livestock breed or population with direct applications to on-farm and on-station breeding programs. Genetic characterisation may also provide a genetic signature for breed uniqueness within the context of intellectual property rights. Examples of applications of molecular diversity studies in livestock conservation and utilisation are illustrated by results obtained from the ILRIled research. We present three studies: (i) the identification of cattle diversity hotspots and priority breeds for conservation in sub-Saharan Africa; (ii) dromedary breed identification in Kenya; and (iii) the possible application of phylogenetic studies for improvement of disease resistance in cattle and sheep populations.


At the roots of the worst recession since the Great Depression were unaffordable home mortgages packaged into securities, sold to investors, and used as capital assets by financial institutions. The process of securitization, as well as financial institution over-leveraging associated with it, has been well documented and explored. However, there is one company that was a party to more questionable loans and foreclosures than any other and yet has received virtually no attention in the academic literature. Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc., commonly referred to as "MERS," is the recorded owner of over half of the nation's residential mortgages. MERS operates a computer database designed to track servicing and ownership rights of mortgage loans anywhere in the United States. But, it also acts as a proxy for the real parties in interest in county land title records. Most importantly, MERS is also filing foreclosure lawsuits on behalf of financiers against hundreds of thousands of American families. This Article explores the legal and public policy foundations of this odd, but extremely powerful, company that is so attached to America's financial destiny. It begins with a brief explanation of the origins of the county real property recording systems and the law governing real property liens. Then, it explains how MERS works, why mortgage bankers created the company, and what MERS has done to transform the underlying assumptions of state real property recording law. Next, it explores controversial doctrinal issues confronting MERS and the companies that have relied on it, including (1) whether MERS actually has standing to bring foreclosure actions; (2) whether MERS should be considered a debt collector under the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act; and (3) whether loans recorded in MERS' name should have priority in various collateral competitions under state law and the federal bankruptcy code. The article culminates in a discussion of MERS' culpability in fostering the mortgage foreclosure crisis and what the long term effects of privatized land title records will have on our public information infrastructure. The Article concludes by considers whether the mortgage banking industry, in creating and embracing MERS, has subverted the democratic governance of the nation's real property recording system.


In 2012, the University of Huddersfield Press presented a paper at the 16th International Conference on Electronic Publishing on its new open access journals platform. At the time, the Press was one of the only New University Presses (NUP) in the UK and one of the first to publish open access journals, open access monographs and sound recordings. This article discusses a number of emerging business models for NUPs before developing Hahn's programme and publication level business plan, which is then related to the sustainability of the Press at Huddersfield. The article will demonstrate how the Press is able to show value to the University in order to secure funding. The paper will conclude with a discussion around the need for collaboration between library-led NUPs. Although this paper concentrates on the experiences of the University of Huddersfield Press, it will be relevant to other emerging or planned NUPs.


BACKGROUND: The Australian Organ Donor Register (AODR) was established as a way to facilitate the dissemination of posthumous organ donation wishes to next of kin. Unfortunately, young Australian adults are substantially less likely to have recorded their donation wishes on the AODR than older cohorts. AIM: The aim of this thesis was to examine the decision-making processes used by young Australian adults aged 18-24 years when considering whether to record their organ donation wishes on the AODR. METHODS: In Study 1, a meta-synthesis of the qualitative findings from 24 studies was conducted to identify the beliefs that members of the general community could potentially have towards organ donation. In Study 2, a dimensional salience approach was used to examine the salience and prevalence of the beliefs identified in Study 1 among a sample of 352 Australians aged 18 to 24 years. The processes that underpin the decision to become a registered organ donor were then examined further using an augmented multi-component theory of planned behaviour (TPB) framework. RESULTS: Eight themes, each encapsulating a set of beliefs about organ donation, emerged through the qualitative meta-synthesis. These themes centred on issues associated with: religion; death; benevolence; personal relevance; the body; the family; the medical profession; and transplant recipients. The salience of the beliefs associated with these themes was then examined in Study 2. Using a dimensional salience approach, five beliefs were found to be differentially salient for individuals who were either willing or undecided about becoming a registered organ donor. These beliefs were that organ donation: (i) saves or improves the lives of others; (ii) ensures that organs do not go to waste; (iii) helps the community; (iv) risks having the body treated with disrespect; and (v) is upsetting to family members. The dimensional salience approach was also found to resolve the 'expectancy-value muddle', a statistical issue that has invalidated previous efforts to incorporate belief-based expectancy-value models within the TPB. Using this dimensional salience approach, a modified expectancy-value framework was found to explain 21% of the variance in both attitude and intention towards becoming a registered organ donor. Finally, the predictive utility of an augmented multi-component TPB framework was evaluated. The descriptive norm and self-efficacy components of the multi-component TPB could not be discriminated from injunctive norm and intention, respectively. As a result, descriptive norm and self-efficacy were not examined further. The remaining multi-components, namely affective attitude, instrumental attitude, injunctive norm, and controllability, were found to account for 58% of the variance in registration intentions. Inclusion of anticipated regret and self-identity to this abridged multi-component TPB model increased the proportion of explained variance to 67%. CONCLUSIONS: Many young Australian adults appear to be undecided about whether to record their organ donation wishes on the AODR. Approaches for encouraging the registration of donation wishes among this population were considered, and potential areas for future research discussed.


The Routledge Companion to Sound Studies is an extensive volume presenting a comparative and historically informed understanding of the workings of sound in culture, while also mapping potential future directions for research in the field. Experts from a variety of disciplines within sound studies cover such diverse topics as politics, gender, media, race, literature and sport. Individual sections that consider the importance of sound in an increasingly mediated world; the role that sound media play in the construction of experience; and the ways in which sound has been theorized to produce a distinctive sensory contribution to knowledge.

This wide-ranging and vibrant collection provides a rich resource for scholars and students of media and culture.


Historically, individuals living with cystic fibrosis (CF) gathered strength and support attending summer camps, support groups, and community events. However, in 2003, medical guidelines recommended stringent separation of individuals with CF to reduce the risk of cross-infection and disease progression. This study seeks to examine the impact of these recommendations on the social experiences of young adults with CF. A qualitative, exploratory, grounded theory approach was employed to understand the experience of young adults living with CF, with specific emphasis on the impact of social connection and isolation on their lives. Semi-structured individual interviews were conducted with ten young adults aged 18 – 25 diagnosed with CF. An interview guide was used to elicit information about how individuals with CF understand, experience, and perceive contact and social isolation from others with CF, ways in which they experience their social worlds, and the impact isolation from others with CF has on their medical and psychosocial development during the young adult years. Interviews were digitally recorded, transcribed verbatim, and coded using grounded theory's constant comparative method. Analysis identified the importance of social connection and isolation as a common theme, supported by young adults' use of social media, familiarity with the infection prevention and control guidelines, relationships with their siblings, the value of their friendships, and supported autonomy. Participants struggled to define normal in their daily lives. Increased social work practitioners' awareness of ways to support young adults with chronic illness to engage with the CF community may improve health and mental health outcomes. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Social Work (DSW) First Advisor Allison Werner-Lin, PhD Second Advisor Maya Doyle, PhD Third Advisor Michael S. Schwartz, MD


The purpose of this study is to examine the validity and reliability of the questionnaire which serve as a research instrument.The validity of the instrument can be viewed by using the content validity that is conducted during pre-test which involves evaluation by experts in the subject area of study While, the reliability of the instrument can be seen through pilot study. Pilot study involved with a small scale of respondents where it is used to determine whether the instrument are reliable, whether the respondent has a clear understanding on questions in the questionnaire and it is conducted prior to real study.A total of 50 sets of questionnaire had been distributed to investigators from Inland Revenue Board of Malaysia (IRBM) in Jalan Duta branch. Out of these, only 21 completed questionnaires were returned.The data then was keyed in and analysed using SPSS software version
21. The results from reliability analysis revealed that Cronbach's alpha value for all variables (attitudes towards achieving goals, experience, ethical ideologies, managerial control and tax auditors' conciliatory style) are more than cut-off point that is 0.70. This can be concluded that the instrument is reliable and none of the items have to be deleted.


As the New York Yankees' star centre fielder from 1936 to 1951, Joe DiMaggio is enshrined in America's memory as the epitome in sports of grace, dignity, and that ineffable quality called 'class'. But his career after retirement, starting with his nine-month marriage to Marilyn Monroe, was far less auspicious. Writers like Gay Talese and Richard Ben Cramer have painted the private DiMaggio as cruel or self-centred. Now, Jerome Charyn restores the image of this American icon, looking at DiMaggio's life in a more sympathetic light. DiMaggio was a man of extremes, superbly talented on the field but privately insecure, passive and dysfunctional. He never understood that for Monroe, on her own complex and tragic journey, marriage was a career move; he remained passionately committed to her throughout his life. He fell into the web of Morris Engelberg, who turned him into a sports memorabilia money machine. In the end, unable to define any role for himself other than 'Greatest Living Ballplayer', he became trapped in 'a horrible kind of minutia'. But where others have seen little that was human behind that minutia, Charyn in Joe DiMaggio presents the tragedy of one of American sports' greatest figures.


In his work De beneficiis, Seneca deals with the topic of generosity from several points of view, including the legal one. This paper treats a fragment of Seneca, benef. 3,15,1-4, which reports "strange" notarial practices in Italy. The philosopher wishes the central role of fides in the Roman "law in action" to be preserved - but times changed and written documents came to be preferred in every-day business transactions. According to Seneca, there were striking tensions between stipulation and consensual contracts, pacta and documentary texts. Because sealing was usual in Roman tabulae, and was a common proof in legal procedure, sealed tablets seem to have been generally trusted; there was more trust in sealing rings than in men's consciences. The central role of written tablets in legal matters soon gave rise to forgery, too. Tacitus reports a famous testamentary forgery in Roman high society in 61 AD. It seems very likely that it was because of this case that the Senatus Consultum Neronianum was introduced in 62 AD. The Senate ordered that legal documents be prepared and sealed in a particular way (Suet. Nero 17): "It was then against forgers that no tablets should be sealed unless they were bored through and a string passed three times through the holes ... ." In this paper I look at possible connections between Seneca's complaints, the SC Neronianum and documentary practice as recorded in the archive of the Sulpicii.


Slk19p is a member of the Cdc-14 early anaphase release (FEAR) pathway, a signaling network that is responsible for activation of the cell-cycle regulator Cdc14p in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Disruption of the FEAR pathway results in defects in anaphase, including alterations in the assembly and behavior of the anaphase spindle. Many phenotypes of slk19Δ mutants are consistent with a loss of FEAR signaling, but other phenotypes suggest that Slk19p may have FEAR-independent roles in modulating the behavior of microtubules in anaphase. Here, a series of SLK19 in-frame deletion mutations were used to test whether Slk19p has distinct roles in anaphase that can be ascribed to specific regions of the protein. Separation-of-function alleles were identified that are defective for either FEAR signaling or aspects of anaphase spindle function. The data suggest that in early anaphase one region of Slk19p is essential for FEAR signaling, while later in anaphase another region is critical for maintaining the coordination between spindle elongation and the growth of interpolar microtubules.


Northern labyrinths are stone constructions of different shapes, dating back to III-I century BC. They mainly appear on capes on peninsulas and islands up to 13-25 metresabove the sea level. Their area begins from Scilly Isles (England) and in the White Sea (Russia). Opinions of scientists concerning their designation are controversial. Assumptions about their practical meaning haven't been proved: no burials have been found underneath; fishing equipment cannot be located so far from the area of tides. Most of the scientists link labyrinths with the sphere of spiritual culture: sanctuaries, altars, sacred places, schemes of rituals and magical centers. Assumptions about calendar designation link the picture of labyrinth with schemes of orbits of the Sun, the Moon, planets and stars. However they do not explain the application of this technology. The author's concept is based on the opposite astronomical alignment by the shade of gnomon and considers peculiarities of the geographical space of Northern regions (polar days and white nights). The aim of the research is to prove that the key to decoding the picture of a classic Northern labyrinth is a gnomon located in the centre of the construction. Field research has been conducted on Zayztskiy Island in Solovetskiy Archipelago. Experiments of imitation modeling have been done, analysis of linguistic and toponymic materials, archeological, astronomical, ethnographical and mythological and other sources has been implemented. The research has proved that observations of the shade can help to create a calendar in a shape of a bispiral labyrinth. The structure of labyrinth is convenient for defining the North, dividing daytime and defining geographical altitude of the observation point. Orientation in space and time has become the basis for navigation frame of the territory. A set of stone instruments is the key of a navigation frame of the territory. Life-essential stages of the yearly lighting are reflected in specific geometry shapes of shades. They have been preserved in mythological images of the Sun, solar symbols and modern sign systems. Languages, alphabets, numeric systems can be considered as models of geographical space and have evolved thanks to observations of the light movement. Key results of the research: 1) in the past the Sun used to play the leading role in navigation in the North because reference points of the dark sky were not available for observation; 2) Northern labyrinths have been created and used thanks to gnomon; 3) gnomon has been in the sphere of sacred knowledge for a long time, it was integrated as sundial 2.5 thousand years ago; 4) most symbols of the Sun and the Time are connected with gnomon and labyrinth; 5) the Sun, observation tools and results of observations are reflected in models of the world around—navigation, linguistic, toponymical, mythological, sacral and semiotic; 6) The universal sense of Time helps to understand a wide range of meanings of a sign of a labyrinth: birth; life stages (status, transitions initiations); space time order; reproduction of the benefits, fertility, abundance; knowledge and forecast; management: law and order; eternity-revival; 7) Use of solar navigation in formation of information systems is based on steady ratios "natural process—a geometrical sign (the sum of shadows in one day or year)", universal opportunities of existential parameters for designation of objects, general availability and vital need of this knowledge.


New approaches are needed to think about audiences, subcultures, and publics in the context of increasing attention to the pluralistic nature of modern societies. Subgroup differences influencing reactions to technological change abound but may not correspond neatly to national boundaries. Often attributed to the influence of media messages, these differences are more clearly associated with message interpretation than with uniform media effects. In other words, reactions are better understood as a function of what audiences bring to the interpretation of news and information than as a function of exposure to message content itself. As an example, this article considers persistent differences between the US and Canada in opinions about technology that can be traced through comparative survey data collected by the Canadian government in 2003, 2004 and 2005. Previous research by the author has suggested, based on the data from the 2004 survey, that these differences can be accounted for by differential distributions within each country of subgroups with different perspectives on the inherent value of science, on whether decisions in this area should be driven by ethics or by utilitarian concerns, and on who should make those decisions. Here, comparative Canada‐US survey data from January 2005 are used to explore explanations based on media consumption, source credibility, and perceived social distance (from developers) characteristic of these groups, as well as to extend the analysis from biotechnology to nanotechnology as well. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.


The article provides an overview of the essential features of the Latvian and Lithuanian constitutional review models. In light of the fact that both countries only restored their independence at the end of the 20th century after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the institution of constitutional review is playing a very important role in implementing the main values of democratic society and the rule of law. With the help of comparative analysis, the authors present the historical background of establishing both constitutional courts and the main regulation of the constitutional review bodies; they discuss the appointment, independence and inviolability of justices, and uncover the main aspects of constitutional litigation. At the end the article, the authors conclude that despite several differences, the constitutional review systems in Latvia and Lithuania have a lot in common. Both systems are developing rapidly and serving as effective instruments for preserving supremacy of law in society, which should be evaluated as an important achievement in the circumstances of constitutional crises that several European countries are facing.