Protease inhibitors (PIs) are the second- and last-line therapy for the majority of HIV-infected patients worldwide. Only around 20% of individuals who fail PI regimens develop major resistance mutations in protease. We sought to explore the role of mutations in gag-pro genotypic and phenotypic changes in viruses from six Nigerian patients who failed PI-based regimens without known drug resistance-associated protease mutations in order to identify novel determinants of PI resistance. ABSTRACT Protease inhibitors (PIs) are the second- and last-line therapy for the majority of HIV-infected patients worldwide. Only around 20% of individuals who fail PI regimens develop major resistance mutations in protease. We sought to explore the role of mutations in gag-pro genotypic and phenotypic changes in viruses from six Nigerian patients who failed PI-based regimens without known drug resistance-associated protease mutations in order to identify novel determinants of PI resistance. Target enrichment and next-generation sequencing (NGS) with the Illumina MiSeq system were followed by haplotype reconstruction. Full-length Gag-protease gene regions were amplified from baseline (pre-PI) and virologic failure (VF) samples, sequenced, and used to construct gag-pro-pseudotyped viruses. Phylogenetic analysis was performed using maximum-likelihood methods. Susceptibility to lopinavir (LPV) and darunavir (DRV) was measured using a single-cycle replication assay. Western blotting was used to analyze Gag cleavage. In one of six participants (subtype CRF02_AG), we found 4-fold-lower LPV susceptibility in viral clones during failure of second-line treatment. A combination of four mutations (S126del, H127del, T122A, and G123E) in the p17 matrix of baseline virus generated a similar 4-fold decrease in susceptibility to LPV but not darunavir. These four amino acid changes were also able to confer LPV resistance to a subtype B Gag-protease backbone. Western blotting demonstrated significant Gag cleavage differences between sensitive and resistant isolates in the presence of drug. Resistant viruses had around 2-fold-lower infectivity than sensitive clones in the absence of drug. NGS combined with haplotype reconstruction revealed that resistant, less fit clones emerged from a minority population at baseline and thereafter persisted alongside sensitive fitter viruses. We used a multipronged genotypic and phenotypic approach to document emergence and temporal dynamics of a novel protease inhibitor resistance signature in HIV-1 matrix, revealing the interplay between Gag-associated resistance and fitness.


In this paper we will construct a lattice-based public-key cryptosystem using non-commutative quaternion algebra, and since its lattice does not fully fit within Circular and Convolutional Modular Lattice (CCML), we prove it is arguably more secure than the existing lattice-based cryptosystems such as NTRU. As in NTRU, the proposed public-key cryptosystem relies for its inherent security on the intractability of finding the shortest vector in a certain non-convolutional modular lattice, yet it is efficient and cost effective, contrary to cryptosystems such as RSA or ECC. The detailed specification of the proposed cryptosystem, including the underlying algebraic structure, key generation, encryption and decryption process and also the issues regarding key security, message security, and probability of successful decryption are explained. We will further show, based on the existing results for lattice-reduction algorithms, that the proposed cryptosystem with a dimension of 41 will have a security equal to NTRU-167. c © 2011 ISC. All rights reserved.


In an age of increasing globalization, it is interesting to note the plethora of regional and subregional groups which exist in international law and society today. These groups exist to further a variety of purposes, from general well-being and cooperation within the designated region to business and trade promotion to military alliances. Within these groups, the Organization of American States (OAS) and the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) are among the most comprehensive in purpose and regional membership. These organizations are also among the oldest and best established regional groups, having been created in 1948 and 1967 respectively. Because of their standing within the regions they attempt to serve, the OAS and ASEAN serve as key policy making and enforcement entities in a variety of areas, including those addressing environmental protection and, as a corollary, sustainable development.In light of the prominence of these groups and their history of seeking to address the environmental issues which concern and affect their membership, this article examines the environmental policies of the OAS and ASEAN during the time period from pre-UN Framework Convention on Climate Change to the present day. This examination necessarily includes an evaluation of the impact of the Kyoto Protocol on the policies and practices of these groups and also considers the potential impact of the Bali road map on the extant policies maintained by these groups. This article concludes that, while there is an overlap in reference to environmental protection and sustainable development issues, the regional organizations involved have been far more adept at addressing the core issues which face their members - namely, poverty eradication, access to resources, education, and promotion of industries such as tourism, which showcase the already existing natural resources of each country - in ways which are at once more comprehensive than any of the UN documents and yet also more palatable to the concept of sovereignty retained by the member states. This conclusion, the author posits, is the result of the inherent understandings and commonalities associated with regional organizations and their constituent members, as well as the legal similarities in the legal structure and philosophies which underlie the members of the OAS and ASEAN respectively. It is in these similarities and their demonstrated ability to form a consensus regarding sustainable development and environmental issues that the studied regional organizations derive a strength which is uncommon in the global international system. In the author's view, the future of a successful global attempt to combat issues surrounding protecting the environment and sustainability should look to regional organizations as opposed to global organizations for legal and practical solutions because the regional commons are more powerfully understood than the idea of a global good.


OBJECTIVES. Our goal was to determine why women stop breastfeeding at various times during their infant's first year. METHODS. We analyzed self-reported data from 1323 mothers who participated in the Infant Feeding Practice Study II. Mail questionnaires were sent to mothers ∼2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10½, and 12 months after their child's birth, in which they were asked to rate the importance of 32 reasons for their decision to stop breastfeeding. We applied exploratory factorial analysis to extract meaningful constructs of mothers' responses to the 32 reasons. We then compared the percentages of mothers who indicated that each reason was important in their decision to stop breastfeeding among various weaning ages and used multiple logistic regression models to examine sociodemographic differences in the most frequently cited reasons for stopping breastfeeding. RESULTS. The perception that their infant was not satisfied by breast milk alone was cited consistently as 1 of the top 3 reasons in the mothers' decision to stop breastfeeding regardless of weaning age (43.5%–55.6%) and was even more frequent among Hispanic mothers and mothers with annual household incomes of <350% of the federal poverty level. Mothers' concerns about lactation and nutrition issues were the most frequently cited reasons for stopping breastfeeding during the first 2 months. Starting from the third month, self-weaning reasons were increasingly cited as important, with the statements "My baby began to bite" (31.7%), "My baby lost interest in nursing or began to wean himself or herself" (47.3%), and "Breast milk alone did not satisfy my baby" (43.5%) cited as the top 3 reasons at ≥9 months of age. CONCLUSIONS. Our findings about the major reasons why mothers stop breastfeeding at various times during their child's first year should be useful to health professionals when attempting to help mothers overcome breastfeeding barriers and to health officials attempting to devise targeted breastfeeding interventions on those issues prominent for each infant age.


With a title derived literally from the explorations of the French in the Pacific and metaphorically from classroom encounters with another culture—both of which form important subsections to the volume—Explorations and Encounters in French actively seeks to unite those fields of enquiry sometimes seen as separate, namely, culture and language.

The essays selected for inclusion in Explorations and Encounters in French bring together many of the current research strands in French Studies today, tapping into current pedagogical trends, analysing contemporary events in France, examining the Franco-Australian past, while reviewing teaching practice and the culture of teaching.

Collectively, the essays reflect the common engagement with language, culture and society that characterizes the community of French teachers and scholars in Australia and abroad.


In this work we consider two non-equilibrium models, the random average process and the diffusion with resetting. Both of these models have very interesting features and are relevant for a variety of fields.

The random average process is defined on one-dimensional periodic lattice and equipped with nearest neighbor interaction. The state of the system is described by continuous variables that are called masses. We focus here on totally asymmetric and discrete time dynamics. This means that at each time-step an asymmetric mass exchange between neighboring sites takes place. The fraction of the transported masses is defined by the probability density function $\phi$ which we call fraction density.

We start by introducing a special case of the random average process with state-dependent fraction density, the truncated random average process. We will give here a short overview over the different properties of three distinct truncated models with finite lattice size.

A new kind of random average process is introduced in this work that is characterized by the fact that only sites, who have a mass that is above a certain cutoff, can give a fraction of this mass to their neighboring sites. A special property of this model is the existence of a steady state that is an absorbing state. We determine analytically the exact form of this absorbing state in the thermodynamic limit by a canonical ensemble approach. This exact form also holds for systems that are partial asymmetric. Furthermore the provided single site distribution function is a good approximation for finite size systems.

The second class of models studied in this work are diffusive search processes with resets. The fact that random resetting may reduce the mean duration of a diffusive search process is rather intriguing. Here we re-evaluate this positive effect of resetting for the special case of stochastic processes that take place in bounded domains.

It will be shown here that for a diffusion process taking place in one-dimensional domain with reflecting boundaries an optimal resetting rate can be found. The exact value of this optimal value is provided by the solution to the Laplace Transform of the Fokker-Planck equation. Additionally we are in the position to calculate the non-equilibrium steady state for this process.

Finally we consider a diffusion search process inside a two-dimensional circular domain that switches between two phase of motion while also having the property of resetting to the initial position. We calculate the mean time to absorption for several variations of this procedure by determining the corresponding survival probability. From the derived results we can define for which parameter values resetting is still beneficial for this kind of diffusive search.


Indian culture, dispensed through colorful musicals of Bollywood, remains a common thread of emotional connection for the Indian diaspora spread around the globe in more than 100 countries. Indo-Fijian diaspora, unlike its counterpart in the developed nations where Indians migrated of their own choice, and often hold white collar jobs, is formed of a varied group that almost replicates India in the range of jobs they hold. Despite that similarity, old Indian diaspora remains missing from the Bollywood content that it consumes. This article, through data collected in the Fiji Islands, illustrates the concrete practices that Indo-Fijians engage in to access, and experience Bollywood.


This article explains what sustainable development would mean for cities and other communities in the United States, describes U.S. efforts toward sustainable communities between 1992 and 2002, and recommends actions for the next decade. While the connections between environment and development are often abstractions at the national and international levels, they are perhaps nowhere more clear than the places where people live, work, and play. Municipalities should work with each other and with other levels of government to integrate their decision making processes for environment and development, using a strategic planning process and setting goals. Between 1992 and 2002, a small number of local governments addressed sustainable development in some comprehensive way. Sustainable community efforts were most visible on specific issues such as brownfield redevelopment; public access to information, participation, and justice; land use; transportation; housing; public health services; and education. In the coming decade, local governments should adopt and implement sustainable development strategies in coordination with nearby municipalities, and that states and the national government support such efforts. Sustainable development can and should be the organizing principle for improving quality of life and opportunity in our communities. The article also includes recommendations on specific issues.


─ Breast cancer is one of the most common kinds of cancer, as well as the leading cause of decease among women. Early detection and diagnosis of breast cancer increases the chances for successful treatment and complete recovery for the patient. Mammography is currently the most sensitive method to detect early breast cancer; however, the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the most attractive alternative to mammogram. Manual readings of mammograms may result in misdiagnosis due to human errors caused by visual fatigue. Computer aided detection systems (CAD) serve as a second opinion for radiologists. A new CAD system for the detection of breast cancer in mammograms is proposed. The discrete wavelet transform (DWT), the contourlet transform, and the principal component analysis (PCA) are all used for feature extraction; while the support vector machine (SVM) is used for classification.The system classifies normal and abnormal tissues in addition to benign and malignant tumors. A further investigation was implemented using electromagnetic waves instead of the classical MRI approach. A breast model was generated and near field data of electromagnetic waves were extracted to detect the abnormalities in the breast, especially the masses. Index Terms ─ Contourlet transform, discrete wavelet transform, electromagnetic waves, principal component analysis, and support vector machine.


This paper explores the cross-disciplinary approaches adopted in coaching research, coaching education and coaching practice. Coaching is a young discipline which has attracted researchers and practitioners from a variety of different disciplines and professions. Focusing on coaching in organisational contexts, the paper explores the research approaches adopted in the papers published in two peer-reviewed journals dedicated to coaching research, the International Journal of Evidence-Based Coaching and Research, and Coaching: an International Journal of Coaching Theory, Research and Practice. The paper next examines the curriculum content and pedagogical approaches in selected postgraduate coaching programs. Finally the paper looks at some of the approaches adopted by coaching practitioners and the support for an eclectic approach. The paper argues that conversations between researchers, educators and practitioners are important in taking the discipline forward, that more empirical research is needed, and that interdisciplinary or transdisciplinary research would be beneficial.


Much attention has been paid to cacti for their distinctive characteristics. The nopal Opuntia ficus-indica and related species are found in arid and semi-arid regions around the world. O. ficus-indica shows considerable variability in response to environmental conditions through variation of areola and spine attributes, among other traits. Therefore, the present study sought to morphologically identify some cactus pear plants in two areas of Algeria (Bejaia and Souk-Ahras) in order to evaluate the cactus pears by optimizing the extraction conditions of the phenolic compounds of the cladode, to evaluate the antioxidant activity of these compounds, to measure the total flavonoid content, and to compare the yields among three Opuntia spp. (O. ficus-indica, O. megacantha and O. amyclae) from the sites within the study regions. These three Opuntia spp. were subjected to extraction of polyphenols using a conventional method, and an ecofriendly process using ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) technique. Once the extractions was completed, the total phenolic content and flavonoids of the extracts were characterized. In addition, the antioxidant capacity of the total phenolic compounds (TPC) was determined. The UAE was better than conventional extraction for the recovery of TPC. The use of a solvent mixture (50% water/ethanol, v/v) improved the TPC extraction efficiency. These results show that UAE was a useful tool for the extraction of phytochemicals from cactus pear cladodes. Other factors and conditions that influence the optimization of TPC extraction should also be studied, such as pH, ultrasound frequency as well as ecological factors that could possibly influence extraction efficiency.


Software Product Line Engineering (PLE) exploits systematic reuse by identifying and methodically reusing software artifacts to develop different but related software systems. Developing Product Lines requires analysis skills to identify, model, and encode domain and product knowledge into artifacts that can be systematically reused across the development life-cycle. As such, Knowledge plays a paramount role in the success of the various activities of PLE. The objective of KOPLE is to bring together SPL researchers and practitioners from academia and industry to investigate the role of Knowledge in PLE. Knowledge is usually encapsulated in PL architectures in a tacit or implicit way, and this may appear to be sufficient for industry to implement successful product lines. Nevertheless, KOPLE also aims to become a discussion forum about techniques and methods to convert from tacit to explicit Knowledge in PLE and to process and use this Knowledge for optimizing and innovating PLE processes. Keywords-Knowledge Engineering; Software Product Line Engineering


Autumn maize intercropped with tropical forages can raise the amount of crop residues and improve nutrient cycling, favoring subsequent soybean crop. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of forms of implementation of intercropping of irrigated autumn maize with tropical forages on yield, decomposition, nutrient accumulation and release, and on the ratio of lignin/total N of forage residues, yield components, and grain yield of subsequent soybean, and on soil physical and chemical properties, under no-tillage in lowland Cerrado. The experiment was arranged in randomized blocks in a factorial (4 × 3 + 1) design with one control and four replications. The treatments consisted of four forages: Palisade grass, Congo grass, and two Guinea grass cultivars (Tanzânia and Aries); and three methods of sowing intercrops of forage-autumn maize: forage sown simultaneously with maize in the sowing furrow, mixed with fertilizer; forage sown by broadcasting on the day of maize sowing; and forage seeds mixed with fertilizer broadcast on maize in growth stage V4; plus a control (maize monoculture). The decomposition and nutrient release rate of the forage residues were evaluated by the litter bag method, 30, 60, 90, and 120 days after desiccation. Sowing the forages in the furrow and by broadcasting raise the total amount of maize residues compared to method V4. Regardless of the forage type and sowing methods, intercropping increases the amount of residues compared to maize monoculture. The forages and sowing methods had no influence on nutrient accumulation in the residues at the time of desiccation and at the lowest lignin/total N ratio in Congo grass residues, and a logarithmic decay was observed. Forage and sowing methods did not influence the macronutrient release rate from crop residues for 120 days after desiccation; the release of N, P, K and Mg is logarithmic and the release of Ca and S exponential. Forage and sowing methods do not influence yield components and grain yield of subsequent soybean. However, intercropping increased grain yield of subsequent soybean compared to soybean after maize monoculture, and preserved the soil chemical and physical properties.


This article is talking about the structure of legal culture in the sense of philosophical and anthropological approach. General values of the society are presumed to be a basic, main part of legal culture; and legal values are supposed to be just modified common cultural values; thus, legal ideas are a form of common mindset rationalized with law. So, the author proposes to identify the basis of legal culture by eliciting predominant nucleus of common culture of the society.The last part of the research contains the author's suggestions about an establishment of two-level structure of legal culture that should consist both of folk and state legal cultures. To understand the goal of this differentiation and combination we need to invoke etymology of the studied notion and remember that culture is a method of a nation's self-identification. The author suggests that only legal culture that comprises both of the stated blocks coexisting in harmony and complementing one another is a real mirror of legal life in any society. Observing and taking into consideration such legal culture, we can achieve the goals of the whole legal regulation: make almost all people who belong to the particular society understand and accept laws created by the public authority.


For a Web service composition to satisfy a user's needs, it must not only provide the desired functionality, but also have nonfunctional properties (e.g., reliability, availability, cost) that are acceptable to the user. In the recent past, several techniques have been developed and deployed to identify a composite service that conforms to the functional requirements and is also optimal with respect to the user-defined preferences over non-functional properties. However, these composition techniques are limited to using one formalism for specifying the required functionality, in short, the existing techniques cannot identify optimal (w.r.t. non-functional properties) composite services that are required to satisfy functional requirements described in multiple formalisms. We have previously proposed a meta-framework for service composition that involves decomposing the required functionality into a boolean combination of atomic requirements, which are expressed using different formalisms. This meta-framework supports the use of multiple formalisms and their corresponding composition algorithms within a single scenario. In this paper, we integrate support for unconditional preferences over nonfunctional requirements into this composition meta-framework. We show that for a large class of problems, local selection of preferred service(s) can yield the most preferred composite service that satisfies the desired functional requirements.


Ecosystems can undergo regime shifts that potentially lead to a substantial decrease in the availability of provisioning ecosystem services. Recent research suggests that the frequency and intensity of regime shifts increase with growing anthropogenic pressure, so understanding the underlying social-ecological dynamics is crucial, particularly in contexts where livelihoods depend heavily on local ecosystem services. In such settings, ecosystem services are often derived from common-pool resources. The limited capacity to predict regime shifts is a major challenge for common-pool resource management, as well as for systematic empirical analysis of individual and group behavior, because of the need for extensive preshift and postshift data. Unsurprisingly, current knowledge is mostly based on theoretical models. We examine behavioral group responses to a latent endogenously driven regime shift in a laboratory experiment. If the group exploited the common-pool resource beyond a certain threshold level, its renewal rate dropped drastically. To determine how the risk of such a latent shift affects resource management and collective action, we compared four experimental treatments in which groups were faced with a latent shift with different probability levels (0.1, 0.5, 0.9, 1.0). Our results suggest that different probability levels do not make people more or less likely to exploit the resource beyond its critical potential threshold. However, when the likelihood of the latent shift is certain or high, people appear more prone to agree initially on a common exploitation strategy, which in turn is a predictor for averting the latent shift. Moreover, risk appears to have a positive effect on collective action, but the magnitude of this effect is influenced by how risk and probabilities are communicated and perceived.


We present a novel integrated circuit for a biosensing data acquisition chain. The circuit controls and reads out five bimolecular sensors as well as pH and temperature sensors for biosensor calibration. The IC supports both chronoamper-ometry (CA) and cyclic voltammetry (CV) measurements, which are commonly used in biosensing. Different voltage waveforms are generated to control CV by using a single configurable waveform generator and programmable constant voltage levels are produced to enable CA. To reduce the area and power consumption of the interface electronics, a unified circuit is designed for CV, CA and pH readout. The biosensors produce currents that are converted by a 13.5-bit sigma delta analog to digital converter. The circuit has been designed and realized in 0.18 μW technology. It consumes 711 μW from a 1.8 V supply voltage, making it suitable for remotely powered and implantable applications.


It has already been thoroughly validated that the efficiency of direct online motors is susceptible towards certain power quality parameters such as voltage unbalance or harmonic voltage distortion. It can be assumed that electrical generators are also susceptible to these parameters, but to the author's knowledge this effect has not yet been evaluated in scientific studies. This paper starts from the well studied additional loss mechanisms inside induction motors and consequently efforts are presented to translate these effects to stand-alone synchronous generators. Subsequently, the paper presents extensive measurements related to the effect of unbalanced and non-linear loading on the energy efficiency of 2 different 4kVA stand alone generators.


Groundwater Planning in Texas: Paradigm Shifts and Implications for the Future. (December 2007) Vanessa Christine Kelly, B.S., Texas A&M University Chair of Advisory Committee: Dr. Ronald Kaiser Senate Bill 1 and HB 1763 have greatly changed Texas water planning. With SB1 the planning process became a bottom-up approach that allowed 16 regional water planning groups (RWPGs) to create a plan that would be combined to form the state plan. Then in 2005, HB 1763 gave groundwater conservation districts (GCDs) the authority to determine groundwater availability instead of regions. The purpose of this research is to explore the overall impact of the regional planning process and how the change in groundwater availability determination will affect regional water planning. The findings of this research can serve as a guide for legislative changes to improve the process. This is crucial if Texas expects to meet the needs of a doubled population in less than 50 years. In order to collect opinions from water planners across Texas, a survey was sent to all 322 members of the 16 RWPGs. Also, all 72 members from 10 Groundwater Conservation Districts (GCDs) were selected in Region G. All statements were based on a Likert Scale ranging from strongly agree to strongly disagree. The modified Dillman procedure was used with a response rate of 57%. Independent t-tests and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) were used to measure differences between regions, interest groups, and level of experience. Overall respondents agreed that water issue awareness, communication, and regional project support improved except for reservoirs and transfers. Also all thought GCDs were the most appropriate entity to lead groundwater planning and believed that the new process would result in greater resource protection. Several statements in the survey resulted in high levels of uncertainty. This suggests that water planning for water user groups whose future supplies are from groundwater should carefully consider broadening their strategies both in terms of quantities and sources to take this uncertainty into account.


This case study is one of six evaluations of the implementation of the World Bank's 1991 Forest Strategy. This and the other cases (Cameroon, China, Costa Rica, India, and Indonesia) complement a review of the entire set of lending and nonlending activities of the World Bank Group and the Global Environment Facility. The World Bank has clearly diminished its lending presence in the Amazon in the past decade. It has moved from the "big projects" era of the 1960s through the 1980s and strong economic and sector work to a more careful approach at the end of the century with attempts once again to focus on strategic issues and smaller projects, including pilot activities. This seems due both to the poor performance of earlier projects-which prompted a more risk-adverse Bank strategy following the intense international scrutiny and criticism contributing to the cautious approach urged by the 1991 Forest Strategy-and to a lack of demand in Brazil for Bank funds. Brazil's macroeconomic difficulties-its balance of payments and fiscal deficits-have led the government to be selective as well as to shift lending to quick-disbursing activities. This is evident in the most recent land reform programs. Controlling deforestation is not easy given the large number and level of national and global forces and actors affecting it. If the Bank is to be a facilitator for balancing the needs of stakeholders (i.e., the poor and the indigenous people) and national and global interests, it must be seen as an objective bystander. The 1991 Forest Strategy emphasizes the primacy of the rights of the indigenous people-and by implication their rights have primacy over those of the local poor. But the Bank cannot be a facilitator unless it is viewed by both parties as not serving the interests of only one party.


Why was the European Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), initially expected to be easily approved, ultimately rejected? Losey examines the role of civil society organizations in influencing this outcome. He describes how a small core group of national and transnational civil society organizations, supported by a range of communications technologies, played critical roles at different times, often acting more as network nodes than as traditional leaders. They successfully disrupted the ACTA negotiation process, which was seen as an attempt to push previously rejected provisions into law through a different avenue. This article documents the advocacy process beyond the more visible uses of digital media by social movements, and analyzes the less visible networks of civil society organizations in information policy debates.


The functional complexity of hardware and software systems is growing exponentially. This demands an integration of system validation in the design phase to guarantee that a concrete implementation conforms to the modeled requirements. System validation process involves use of advanced systematic techniques and tools. In this report we present design patterns of timed automotive systems and a method for validating the real-time behavioral patterns of control intensive applications. The real-time behavioral patterns of embedded controllers are modeled using Statechart diagrams of Unified Modeling Language. Concrete implementation of the Statechart diagrams consists of active objects in Java programming language with synchronous communication. In the implementation using specified timed annotations, we validate the real-time constraints to be satisfied by embedded controllers. We shall illustrate the validation process with an example of a gear controller used in automobiles, and furthermore, provide an algorithmic solution.


Early in May, a friend in her late 70s here in KZN needed investigation and assessment for an abdominal cancer. She was able to access care in the private sector, and had a CT scan within 4 days; the appropriate management plan was begun in 7 days. During the same week, the home-based carers in our small hospice found a 39-year-old mother of 4 children who was in great pain at home. She was on HAART, and had been diagnosed with cancer of the cervix 7 months previously in the district hospital. She was assessed by the Oncology Unit in our tertiary hospital 4 weeks later, and put on the waiting list for radiotherapy.


Propagation properties of polarized four-petal Gaussian beams along the optical axis of uniaxially anisotropic crystals were investigated. Based on the paraxially vectorial theory of beam propagation, analytic expressions of the diffraction light field were obtained. The effects of the anisotropy on the polarization properties of the diffracted four-petal Gaussian beams have also been explained by numerical method. The results elucidate that the linear polarization state and the symmetry of the incident beams cannot be kept during propagation in anisotropic crystals.


The Sancho Dam was built in 1962 and is fed by the Meca River, which receives water from subsidiary tributaries affected by acid mine drainage (AMD), mostly generated by the abandoned Tharsis mining complex. This study focuses on the hydrochemical relations observed between the water at the entrance of the reservoir and a point located further away, specifically at the dam. The main aim is to analyze the water parameters in both monitored points, in order to evaluate possible attenuation processes and to propose a spatial evolution model of the pollutants' load by using cross-correlation functions. Concentrations of metals and sulfates put in evidence their contamination by acid mine drainage, with greater pollution load at the entrance of the reservoir than in the dam, due to the reduction of the same in the course between the two points. This attenuation results from the precipitation of iron oxyhydroxysulfates produced by the increase in the pH as well as by dilution and sorption phenomena. The cross-correlation functions show the close relationship between the two sampling points with a transit time of contaminants less than 1 week ( t = 0) for most cases, due to the small distance between the two points (about 300 meters).


Early Farmers? What was the role of the eastern Fertile Crescent (which includes southeastern Turkey, northeastern Iraq, and western Iran) in the transition from foraging to farming? Riehl et al. (p. 65; see the Perspective by Willcox) investigated an archaeobotanical assemblage from Chogha Golan, in modern Iran over an apparently continuous occupation of the site over 2000 years, which captures the transition from foraging to farming. The rich archaeobotanical remains suggest the use of a wide array of plant species, including the progenitors of key crop plants (wheat, barley, and large-seeded legumes). Residents of the eastern Fertile Crescent thus appear to have been involved in plant management and possibly in the domestication of wild crop plants. An archaeobotanical assemblage spans the transition period from foraging to farming in the Near East. [Also see Perspective by Wilcox] The role of Iran as a center of origin for domesticated cereals has long been debated. High stratigraphic resolution and rich archaeological remains at the aceramic Neolithic site of Chogha Golan (Ilam Province, present-day Iran) reveal a sequence ranging over 2200 years of cultivation of wild plants and the first appearance of domesticated-type species. The botanical record from Chogha Golan documents how the inhabitants of the site cultivated wild barley (Hordeum spontaneum) and other wild progenitor species of modern crops, such as wild lentil and pea. Wild wheat species (Triticum spp.) are initially present at less than 10% of total plant species but increase to more than 20% during the last 300 years of the sequence. Around 9800 calendar years before the present, domesticated-type emmer appears. The archaeobotanical remains from Chogha Golan represent the earliest record of long-term plant management in Iran.


Two commercial hydrophobic coatings: StaClean™ with a water droplet contact angle of 101°and Wearlon® Super F1-Ice with a contact angle of 115°and one superhydrophobic coating: HIREC 1450 with a contact angle of 152° were studied combined with a thermoelectric anti-icing system under icing conditions. All coatings and the reference surface were tested under glaze and rime ice. The deicing tests were conducted in the Anti-icing Materials International Laboratory's (AMIL) low speed closed loop Icing Wind Tunnel with 0.4 g/m3 liquid water content, a 26.7 ± 2.6 μm water droplet median volumetric diameter, 21 ± 0.5 m/s air speed and temperatures of -5 and -20 ± 0.5°C. For these tests, a 4′ chord NACA 63-415 airfoil 2D blade box-section of 10′ covered with a thin aluminum sheet protected at the leading edge and on the bottom by a thermoelectric anti-icing system composed of two ′ × 10′ heating elements with a power density of 40 W/in2, was used. The superhydrophobic coating showed excellent results with a power reduction of 13% for rime ice and 33% for glaze ice. Hydrophobic coatings performed at a lower level than the superhydrophobic coatings with a power reduction of about 8% for rime ice and 13% for glaze ice, but their effect was still significant. Also, the coatings significantly improved the runback water, most probably due to their hydrophobic nature. For the superhydrophobic coating, the surface was mostly free of ice due to the fact that drops roll over the surface to the trailing edge and for hydrophobic coatings, the runback back water froze outside the protected area; with time, a barrier developed which stopped runback water and ice accumulation increased with time. For rime and glaze ice accretion, the higher the contact angle, the more effective the coating; which suggests that a superhydrophobic surface with a high contact angle could significantly reduce the anti-icing power required.


Background: The waiing list for outpaient Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) appointments exceeded 12 months. This paper discusses the development and implementaion of a bespoke mental health assessment process that improved the imeliness of assessments for referred children and adolescents. Aim: To introduce a new system of managing referrals to reduce the waiing list for children and their families. Methods: Acion research methodology was used as an approach to engage praciioners and facilitate change within a mulidisciplinary CAMHS in the UK. The methods used to generate data about the intervenion were semi structured interviews with families referred to the services and with praciioners working in the team, as well as an examinaion of waiing list data and a survey of referrers to the service. Findings: As a result of the implementaion of a triage approach, the waiing ime for a referred child to receive an iniial CAMHS assessment was reduced from 12 months to all children being assessed within one month of referral. Referrers to the service and families involved valued the quick response from CAMHS. Conclusions: This was a bespoke process that combined a brief clinical interview, the use of psychometric measures and a team review meeing to create an efecive mechanism for conducing brief, robust mental health assessments. Implicaions for pracice: • It was possible to glean sufficient detail about the nature of a child's mental health difficulties from a brief assessment or triage process • A brief assessment process might be useful in a number of mental health fields to enable screening, triage or a gateway assessment to be conducted • Action research was a useful approach to engage practitioners as collaborating partners during organisational change in a way that promoted sustainability for that change


In this paper, we propose a basic technique to minimize the computational time in executing the infinite-stage dynamic programming (DP) on a GPU. The infinite-stage DP involves computations to probe whether a value function gets sufficiently close to the optimal one. Such computations for probing convergence become obvious when an infinite-stage DP is executed on a GPU, since those computations are not necessary for finite-stage DPs, and hide behind loops for updating state values when a DP is executed on a CPU. The heart of the proposed technique is to suppress those computations for probing by thinning out them. By the proposed technique, differences between state values before and after being updated are periodically transferred to the main memory, then are checked to probe convergence. This intermittent probing makes contrast to ordinary methods in which computations for probing are processed every time. The technique also proposes a formulation to determine optimal periods for probing based on simple statistics given by preliminary experiments. The effectiveness of the proposed technique is examined on two problems; the one is a kind of the animat problem in which an agent moves around in a maze to collect foods, and the other is the mountain-car problem in which a pow- erless car on a slope struggles to pass over a higher peak. Computational results display that a method with the proposed technique decreases computational times for both problems compared to methods in which computations for probing convergence are processed every time, and the degree of decreasing seems remarkable when the state space is larger.


Political and legal debates over the value of official silence in the aftermath of civil wars are inconclusive. On the one hand, official silence is considered disrespectful to the memory of the victims and an impediment to establishing a culture of accountability and respect for human rights. On the other, silence is regarded as instrumental to achieving peace. Yet, longitudinal analysis of the dynamics of official silence in Mozambique demonstrates that, in this post-conflict country, as in others, silence has not in fact been achieved. Official silence in politically pluralistic environs can also offer opportunities for political elites to use memories as weapons to settle accounts with former wartime foes. In post-civil war Mozambique, Frelimo and Renamo over time have moved away from the initial strategy of official quiescence. Both parties appropriated the official silence to wage fierce political battles where memories of the violent past are used as the principal weapon. The interruption of silence through manipulative appropriations of the grisly past take place in dispersed political activities; however, the most confrontational and violent eruptions of memory occur in the Mozambican national parliament. These political confrontations signal the necessity in this politically pluralistic society for complex readings of memory against the prevailing monolithic official history.


Many adaptive optics applications require wavefront corrections with a high stroke, and at a high bandwidth. Often, these two requirements cannot be met by a single wavefront corrector, and, instead, the combination of a low-bandwidth, high-stroke woofer and a high-bandwidth low-stroke tweeter is used in a so-called woofer-tweeter architecture. The optimal (minimum residual phase variance) way to split the correction between the woofer and the tweeter in the context of a linear-quadratic-Gaussian (LQG) controller has been addressed previously. However, the necessity to fold the temporal characteristics of the woofer and tweeter into the LQG controller significantly increases its complexity. In this Letter, this optimal strategy is compared to a simpler, ad hoc approach, which consists in optimizing the LQG controller as if it were controlling a high-bandwidth, high-stroke corrector and splitting the correction using first-order high- and low-pass temporal filters. In the case of tilt correction for NFIRAOS on the Thirty Meter Telescope, it is found that the ad hoc approach, which is already used or planned for several systems, holds the same overall correction performance compared to the optimal strategy.


The subtotal feature in Excel allows you to generate summary information, such as subtotals, averages, record counts, and maximum and minimum values for groups of records in a database. When you generate the summary information, Excel adds summary and grand total rows to the worksheet, labels each row, and outlines the records in each group. By clicking on the outline minus and plus symbols, you can quickly hide and show the details for each summarized group of data. The subtotal feature also allows you to remove and replace summary information.


Abstract This article examines the effectiveness of personal narratives on novice and aspiring teachers' professional identity development. It does so by looking specifically at the preprofessional program at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and discusses how one professor used life-stories in conjunction with prepracticum experiences to enhance her students' perceptions about the teaching profession. This study finds that using reflective narratives as texts caused participating education majors to think more deeply and realistically about their newly chosen profession and to adjust their initial beliefs and assumptions about the role of teachers in classrooms. Introduction There are widespread misgivings regarding the efficacy of teacher education programs within our institutions of higher education. Course work is often perceived to be impractical, redundant, and removed from the realities of the life of a professional teacher. Complaints regarding the bureaucratic nature and time consuming structure of licensure programs are also prevalent within the profession. In addition, education is viewed, by society as a whole, to be an occupation that attracts the least able individuals (Clifford & Guthrie, 1988). Research literature supports the widespread existence of these attitudes, finding that veteran teachers consistently report feeling that their college preparation was inadequate or deficient, especially when these educators reflect on the applicability of university curricula to practice (Clifford & Guthrie, 1988; Grant & Murray, 1999; Lampert & Ball, 1999). Despite attempts by colleges of education, nationwide, to ground the development and learning of new and aspiring teachers within the practice itself, attitudes toward university-based education programs remain negative. This pessimistic attitude dominates the profession, despite some evidence suggesting that some campus-based courses are effective, sometimes more so than immersion or alternative licensure programs (Fullan, 1993; Kennedy, 1999; Lampert & Ball, 1999). However, current findings also suggest that university-based programs must respond to their critics by becoming more inclusive of faculty innovation, responsive to K-12 reform, supportive of multiple methodologies, and creative in their use of action research. In addition, they must assist students in making useful real-life connections between theory and practice on an ongoing basis by supporting the idea that teachers are involved in life-long learning processes (Ayers, 1990; Ethell & McMeniman, 2000; Lampert & Ball, 1999). In light of these conclusions, Ball & Cohen (1999) recommend altering teacher education programs by reworking content at both the pedagogical and practical level. They also suggest that higher education develop a new "pedagogy of professional development," one that supports educational reform and innovative practices. Toward this goal, the professorate must take a deeper look at how their instruction models best practice, engages students, supports professional goals, and provides guidance on how to create inclusive and tolerant classrooms. In addition, faculty must educate aspiring educators by constructing forums for experimentation and critique that investigate how teachers and students interact in classrooms on a daily basis. The PreProfessional Core With the second largest teacher education program in the state, the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater (UW-W) has begun to address some of these issues by offering an initial preprofessional curriculum that every student, aspiring to be an elementary school teacher, must complete. As a fundamental experience it is both foundational to, and a prerequisite for, admission to the professional licensure program offered within the College of Education. The group of courses that make up this core, known euphemistically as "the block," includes an initial field experience (course title: Observation and Participation in Urban Schools) as well as courses in diversity and human development. …


Abstract The existence of an exact Walrasian equilibrium in nonconvex economies is still a largely unexplored issue. This paper shows that such an equilibrium exists in nonconvex economies by following the 'nearby economy' approach introduced by Postlewaite and Schmeidler (Approximate Walrasian Equilibrium and Nearby Economies, 1981) for convex economies. More precisely, the paper shows that any equilibrium price of the convexified version of a nonconvex economy is an equilibrium price also for a set of 'perturbed' economies with the same number of agents. It shows that in this set there are economies that differ from the original economy only as regards preferences or initial endowments.


Background: One of the major uses of large number of laboratory animals in manufacturing the vaccines is the quality control testing of vaccines, particularly potency testing of vaccines containing the tetanus toxoids by either lethal challenge or serum neutralization tests. Recently, because of various difficulties to obtain quality laboratory animals and in adequate environmental conditions, a lot of efforts have been made (such as those of World Health Organization's) to attempt to limit the use of animals (in vivo) in the research in routine quality control of human and veterinary vaccines by in vitro assays such as Toxin Binding Inhibition (ToBi) assay. ToBi assay is based on the inhibition of the binding of toxin to an antitoxin-coated ELISA plate which detects the free toxin into the toxin-serum mixtures. In this study we tried to demonstrate and setting up the parameters of ToBi assay for the tetanus toxoid potency determination compared with serum neutralization test. Methods: Groups of mice were immunized with several of dilutions of reference or test tetanus toxoid vaccines and groups of guinea pigs were also immunized (for Serum Neutralization test) with the dose of half of total human dose of tetanus toxoid vaccines manufactured by Razi Vaccine & Serum Research Institute. Serum samples were pooled and titrated for levels of tetanus antitoxin by toxin binding inhibition (ToBi) test and by the serum neutralization (SN) test in mice. The ToBi test was carried out by making of Serum dilutions and a fixed amount of tetanus toxin added to each serum dilution. After incubation, the mixtures were transferred on to ELISA plate coated with purified equine anti-tetanus IgG. Then free toxin is detected by addition of HRP labelled equine anti-tetanus IgG. Results: The results were shown to be significantly correlated. The consistency between the ToBi test derived from the in vitro data and from the in vivo data were reliable. The results ranged from 1.8 to 5.3 IU/ml for tetanus toxoid vaccines by ToBi test and 3.3 to 6 IU/ml for tetanus toxoid vaccines by SN in mice. The ToBi test may able to distinguish between highly potent and less potent vaccines. Conclusion: It is concluded that the ToBi test is an alternative to the in vivo neutralization procedure in the immunogenicity test of the tetanus component in adsorbed vaccines. A substantial refinement and a reduction in use of animals can be achieved. The ToBi test offers distinct advantages in relationship to serum neutralization in mice and lethal challenge tests.


Purpose
The purpose of this study is to evaluate factors that contribute to black male school leaders' career progression and sustenance within the teaching profession. This, because the progression of black and minority ethnic (BME) teachers in Britain has been the subject of much debate. Fewer BME teachers are in leadership roles in education, and there are only 230 BME headteachers of approximately 24,000 primary and secondary headteachers.

Design/methodology/approach
The headteachers' professional lives are explored through the lenses of critical race theory and interpretivism. In doing so, it illuminates the journey towards and the realities of a group whose views are currently unrepresented in research on school leadership or that of the experiences of male BME teachers in England.

Findings
This study finds that whereas personal agency and determination are largely responsible for keeping these black headteachers in post, "White sanction" (Miller, 2016) has played a significant role in career entry and early career development. Furthermore, participants experience both limiting and facilitating structures as they negotiated their roles into headship and as headteachers. Limiting structures are those which constrain or hinder progression into leadership, whilst facilitating structures enabled participants to navigate and negotiate gendered racism, make progress in their careers and achieve success in their respective roles. Both limiting and facilitating structures include personal agency and contextual factors.

Research limitations/implications
The paper also makes the point that more research is needed on current BME school leaders to examine the factors that motivate and enable them. Additionally, more research is needed on the limiting and facilitating structures identified in this study and on the potential generational differences that may exist between more established and newly appointed male BME school leaders. Studying generationally different school leaders may help to illuminate the salience of race and racism across an increasingly diverse population.

Practical implications
Furthermore, this paper also suggests that more BME school leaders are needed, thereby making the leadership teams of schools more representative, as well as raising aspirations and interest among BME teachers and therefore making black leadership sustainable.

Originality/value
This paper is an original piece of research that adds fresh insights into not only how black school leaders get into teaching and leadership but also significantly what keeps them there.


Voting is a frequent and popular decision making process in many diverse areas, targeting the fields of e-Government, e-Participation, e-Business, etc. In e-Business, voting processes may be carried out e.g. in order management, inventory management, or production management. In this field, voting processes are typically based on direct voting. While direct voting enables each eligible voter to express her opinion about a given subject, representative voting shifts this power to elected representatives. Declarative or proxy voting (based on liquid democracy) is a voting process situated in between these two approaches and allows a voter to delegate her voting power to a so called proxy, who actually casts the votes for all the represented voters. The most interesting aspect of this approach is that voters have the opportunity to skip the direct involvement when they trust the proxy to act within their best interest. Liquid democracy and proxy voting has been implemented in various software tools that facilitate the voting process. However, the current systems lack security features typically required by electronic voting systems. Therefore, we present a system that integrates cryptographic functionality and relies on qualified signatures created by the Austrian citizen card to solve the current security issues. This system can support e-Business processes and applications in decision making, enabling the delegation of votes.


The 21st century was marked by the "internal audit explosion" in all sectors of the global economy. However, very little is known about its origins, characteristics, scale and impact on public sectors. This thesis advances the emerging and poorly understood field of public-sector internal auditing (IA) by providing the first comprehensive examination of the public-sector reforms that led to IA explosion from the dynamic and comparative analytical perspectives.
The thesis argues that public-sector IA explosion is a manifestation of a paradigmatic shift in the global IA profession, led by the global Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA), and dubbed by the author as a "Value-Added Management Partner Paradigm" (VAMP). The methodology is based on the author's conceptual framework for the analysis of IA policy dynamics and variation, based on adaptation of Howlett and colleagues (2009) meta-theory of policy making as an over-arching research philosophy, and incorporating a range of mid-level theories, frameworks, and concepts from three fields of knowledge: public policy, business administration, and IA profession.
The study produced several important findings. First, the source of VAMP genesis - the modern IA industry - went through three professional paradigms during 1941-2017, the last of which became a global best-practice blueprint for the IA activity and IA reforms. Second, VAMP was strongly recognized and advocated by the key supra-national institutions, because it fit with their international regimes and agendas. Third, there is strong evidence that over the last two decades a global adoption of the VAMP model of IA activity occurred in the public sectors across the world, leading to a high degree of convergence in the IA practices. Fourth, case studies on IA reforms in the national Westminster governments of the UK, Australia, and Canada as early adopters of VAMP, demonstrated that while the VAMP has taken the firm ground in the IA sectors there, the countries vary with respect to the established legislative and normative base and design of the IA governance regimes.
The major implication is that VAMP-inspired public-sector IA reforms are still work-in-progress and their outcomes are difficult to assess.


A liquid crystal on silicon (LCoS) panel for projector applications is developed using a new digital driving method to increase the gray scale of the projected image without increasing the driving frequency. The LCoS panel, which has a wide video graphics array (WVGA) resolution, is fabricated using 0.18 μm CMOS process technology with an area of 9600 μm × 5800 μm. The projection system is successfully demonstrated using the fabricated LCoS panel and the proposed digital driving method. The measured results of the projection system show that the proposed driving method achieves an 8-bit gray scale at a driving frequency of 75.6 MHz, which is less than 13.7% of the frequency in previously reported methods such as frame rate control and pulse width modulation.


Structural frames are widely used in sectors such as residential, education, commercial, health, retail, leisure etc. and the selection of a structural frame appropriate to a building s function and client needs is a key decision with significant short- and long-term implications. There is a wide choice of structural frame materials for building projects, i.e concrete, steel, timber, or masonry. Although many options are available, these tend to be based on structural steel or reinforced concrete for the simplest buildings. The nature of concrete frame buildings has developed significantly with the emergence of new technologies and innovations particularly in formwork, concrete as a material, and reinforcement developments. As a result, concrete frame construction has become a faster, more sustainable, and safer form of construction. However, competition from other framing materials such as steel have proved challenging. This research was initiated in response to this challenge and represents one organisation s attempt to deliver improvements in order to promote concrete in the UK structural frames market. The organisation is strongly focused on the continued development of concrete through design inspiration and construction efficiency, research strategy, education and training, new product and process innovation and the achievement of best performance of concrete in practice. The research programme was established to address issues that are considered by decision makers when choosing the optimum frame solution for a building project, and to identify how such decisions are made in practice. Both quantitative and qualitative research methods have been adopted during the EngD research including a literature review, industry questionnaire survey and case study.
From an initial set of interviews, ten key issues were identified at the early stage of the research as being the most important affecting the structural frame selection for a building project. The structural engineer was found, unsurprisingly, to be the most influential decision-maker in the choice of frame at each stage of design process from a subsequent survey of cost consultants, project managers and clients. The survey also revealed that Design-Build is the preferred procurement route amongst developers of building projects, ranging from complex, high quality projects to simple buildings which suggested that most contractors must be getting involved earlier in the design process and thus could be influencing major decisions, such as the selection of a structural frame. Four case study project teams were examined, from which it was clear that contractors could be influential in the frame selection process if they had the willingness to build in a particular frame type (provided that the frame type selected meets the client s requirements). Key findings on the choice of frame in a Design-Build project and the various actions taken by the contractor were highlighted by the research, including the important role played in the decision-making process by more informed clients, who are much more likely to be influential in deciding on the frame type. Further work could be carried out to assess the specific benefits of early contractor involvement, the factors that affect the extent to which contractors get involved with structural frame decision making and the risk relationship between client and contractor. The findings of this work have been presented in five peer-reviewed papers.


For nearly two decades the architecture firm Weiss/Manfredi has practiced outside the traditional boundaries of architecture. Their work with complex sites and programs benefits from an interdisciplinary approach and a dynamic integration of architecture, art, infrastructure, and landscape design. "Surface/Subsurface" presents nine major projects that have been completed since their first monograph "Site Specific," published in 2000. Their design processexemplary of the best contemporary architectural practicesreveals potential in subsurface conditions with the goal of generating an entirely new language for the surface. Projects include the Olympic Sculpture Park in Seattle, which wanders over a highway and train lines; the Museum of the Earth in Ithaca, New York, which manipulates the movement of water, cars, and visitors; and the Smith College Campus Center in Northampton, Massachusetts, whichtransforms the brick campus into a luminous terracotta surface. Each project is fully documented through project photographs, drawings, details, and texts.


Learn about the key technologies and understand the state of the art in research for full-duplex communication networks and systems with this comprehensive and interdisciplinary guide. Incorporating physical, MAC, network, and application layer perspectives, it explains the fundamental theories on which full-duplex communications are built, and lays out the techniques needed for network design, analysis and optimization. Techniques covered in detail include self-interference cancellation and signal processing algorithms, physical layer algorithms, methods for efficient resource allocation, and game theory. Potential applications and networking schemes are discussed, including full-duplex cognitive radio networks, cooperative networks, and heterogeneous networks. The first book to focus exclusively on full-duplex communications, this is an indispensable reference for both researchers and practitioners designing the next generation of wireless networks.


Closed to conventional passage, the Arctic Ocean and peripheral seas have nevertheless known European explorers since the sixteenth century. Systematic observation, however, dates only from the last years of the nineteenth century, with the epic drift of Fridtjof Nansen's ice ship Fram (1893-1896), the first scientific expedition of the modern era. Twentieth-century technology-the icebreaker, radio transmission, nuclear power, and aircraft-opened the Arctic for survey, basic research, and observation. World War II saw the inhospitable circumpolar Arctic transformed into a theater of military operations. The Cold War and the missile age saw governments staking further claims, because only a relatively short arc of maritime boreal waste separated North America and Eurasia. The complex interactions of air, ice, and water that drive circumpolar systems also serve as engines of oceanic and atmospheric circulation. As a result, meteorology, oceanography, geophysics, and many other areas of scientific research in the region soon became acutely linked to the economic, political, and particularly the politico-military interests of the Soviet Union, the United States, Canada, and the other Arctic nations. In response, both superpowers established"drift stations"-that is, isolated camps based on nomadic ice floes-to conduct crucial scientific research. During the Cold War, they were the objects of suspicion, particularly the Soviet stations, which often stood accused as bases for espionage. Today, with the world's climate system and global warming under study, Russian expertise, data, geography, and stewardship are crucial to the world community.


The benefits of exposure to nature for health and wellbeing have been demonstrated across multiple disciplines. Recent work has sought to establish one "dose" or type of nature exposure that is universally beneficial, which has proven difficult. We use the principles of psychopharmacology to look beyond the use of dose as a concept for prescribing nature. Instead, we posit a multidimensional model of bioavailability of nature to shift the focus beyond universal effects, and instead consider the relationship between health and nature as dynamic, changeable, and heavily contextual. We propose that the bioavailability of nature interactions is constructed through understanding route of administration, dose, and concentration. By delineating the mechanisms of health benefit derived from the type of behavioural interaction (through being, doing, living), the route of administration of nature interactions may be highly variable not just between, but also within, individuals. We propose concentration as being a meeting between the subjective aspects of the individual and the subjective qualities of the nature at that specific time and place. We use a "green equation", for mapping the processes and pathways that belie the interaction between the person and their environment. Here, the nature/health association as a dynamic interaction, and we operationalise this within a multidimensional construct of bioavailability. We provide an overview of this testable model, and summarise with preliminary evidence as well as a research agenda for the future.


We empirically characterize the performance of discriminative and generative LSTM models for text classification. We find that although RNN-based generative models are more powerful than their bag-of-words ancestors (e.g., they account for conditional dependencies across words in a document), they have higher asymptotic error rates than discriminatively trained RNN models. However we also find that generative models approach their asymptotic error rate more rapidly than their discriminative counterparts---the same pattern that Ng & Jordan (2001) proved holds for linear classification models that make more naive conditional independence assumptions. Building on this finding, we hypothesize that RNN-based generative classification models will be more robust to shifts in the data distribution. This hypothesis is confirmed in a series of experiments in zero-shot and continual learning settings that show that generative models substantially outperform discriminative models.


Programmed cell death (PCD) is a major mechanism for patterning of a variety of complex structures. Cells are initially organized into fairly loose patterns; then, selective death removes the cells between pattern elements to create the correct structures, as a sculptor removes some material to reveal the hidden image. The life or death of a cell is mostly affected by extracellular signals because the intracellular machinery responsible for PCD is constitutively expressed in most animal cells. The optic vesicle originates during gastrulation when the endoderm and mesoderm interact with the adjacent prospective head ectoderm to create a lens. To be formed correctly, the lens must have a precise spatial relationship with the retina. Ganglion cells are the first neurons to be differentiated in the retina. Vertical networks in the inner and outer retina are later interconnected when bipolar cells are formed and connections with ganglion cells are established. This sequential pattern of retinal circuit development is common across vertebrate species. During development of the retina, far more neurons are generated than are ultimately needed with almost one half of them undergoing PCD shortly before establishing meaningful contacts within their targets. However, apoptosis in other eye tissues is not a key event but rather a refinement. Thus, for the final development of the cornea, the control of keratocyte proliferation is more important than cell death events. The molecular mechanisms underlying apoptotic cell death have been conserved throughout evolution; however further investigations are needed to understand the key mechanisms of PCD in different tissues during development.


We live in an era of growing economic inequality. Luminaries ranging from the President to the Pope to economist Thomas Piketty in his bestselling book Capital in the Twenty- First Century have raised alarms about the disparity between the haves and the have-nots. Overlooked, however, in these important discussions is the reality that economic inequality is not a uniform experience; rather, its effects fall more harshly on women and minorities. With regard to gender, American women have higher rates of poverty and get paid less than comparable men, and their workplace participation rates are falling. Yet economic inequality is neither inevitable nor intractable. Given that the government creates the rules of the market, it is essential to analyze the government's role in perpetuating economic inequality.This Article specifically examines the role of the Supreme Court in contributing to gender based economic inequality. The thesis is that the Supreme Court applies oversimplified economic assumptions about the market in its decision-making, thereby perpetuating economic inequality on the basis of gender. Applying insights of feminist economic theory, the Article analyzes recent Supreme Court jurisprudence about women workers, including Wal-Mart v. Dukes (denying class certification to female employees who were paid and promoted less than men), Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. (granting business owners the right to deny contraception coverage to female employees on religious grounds), and Harris v. Quinn (limiting the ability of home health care workers to unionize and thereby improve their working conditions). In these cases, the Court elevates its narrow view of efficiency over more comprehensive understandings, devalues care work, upholds harmful power imbalances, and ignores the intersectional reality of the lives of low-wage women workers. The Article concludes that the Court is eroding collective efforts by women to improve their working conditions and economic standing. It suggests advocacy strategies for reforming law to obtain economic justice for women and their families.


Small firms account for a substantial proportion of employment in advanced economies; yet understanding of the quality of jobs in them remains poor. Studies using national-level data find that indicators such as autonomy are high but find it hard to say why. Analyses within small firms stress the structuring of jobs and not size as such. Data from 384 employees in small firms from three contrasting sectors are used to test three hypotheses. 1) There is a pure size effect; such an effect was found in such areas as good relations with managers, and explained in terms of the informality of small firms. 2) Size is in fact a proxy for other influences; there was little evidence of this. 3) Factors not associated with size are more important; features such as autonomy and work pressure reflected sectoral differences and not size. Overall, qualified size effects were found, suggesting the continuation of traditional small-firm relationships.


World trade has followed an average annual growth rate of 10.1% that increased global exports to USD 13.9 trillion in 2007 from USD 0.06 trillion in 1949. In the past eight years, exports grew on average 2.7 percentage points faster than real gross domestic product. The pattern of international shifted with the increased participation of newly emerging market economies dominating the growth of world trade, and Chinese exports dominate developed countries imports (especially the US).In this economic note, we trace the changing global trade patterns according to the data from the World Trade Organization and the implications for the region, especially the GCC. The data, (available till 2007) reflects the inflated commodity prices that increased rapidly at the start of 2007. The faster rise in commodity prices in 2008 (including the phenomenal rise of oil prices to cross $145 a barrel) has however not been reflected in the available data. But given the aftermath of the financial turmoil and historical evidence of the fall in commodity prices during downturns, the decline in trade volume and value is likely in both 2008 and 2009 in line with growth projections for the world economy).Detailed analysis of GCC trade data reveals a shift in trading partners with EU and Asia emerging as the major partners with the US share declining. While fossil fuels remain the most important exports from the GCC, there is evidence of trade diversification towards non-oil products. While intra-GCC trade has picked up, there exists potential for sustained intra-regional trade growth, which pales in comparison to regions like Europe (71.2%) or Asia (57.4%). In this context, the GCC should aim to reduce trade barriers (both tariff and non-tariff barriers) impeding regional trade and expedite negotiations with its more important trading partners to facilitate trade. Additionally, the GCC Single Market initiated in 2008 and the expected launch in 2010 of the Gulf Monetary Union and common currency will help GCC to strengthen regional trade and leave a mark on the global trade map.


To build a research on undocumented migrants implies working on a field already saturated by a multiplicity of contradictory and controversial discourses: political, journalistic, activist, and coming from related social sciences. In order to have access to the retention places - where undocumented migrants are confined waiting for their deportation - I became a volunteer for an NGO providing legal assistance. Starting a research usually requires to get rid of those pre-existing discourses, especially in overinvested realities. But during this fieldwork, I had to occupy a specific place in the framework I was studying. This specific place comes with a particular point of view and specific tools of action - mostly the law - in order to help undocumented migrants avoid removal. Undocumented migrants' everyday life is characterized by disquiet and anxiety. In order to explore this reality, can the long-term fieldwork and the ethnographical uncertainty help us get rid of those pre-existing discourses and particularly the NGO situated point of view?

In this presentation I want to raise the question of this double engagement on the field - academic and linked to community life - not from an ethical perspective but trying to understand the epistemological issues it raises. The question is no longer whose side we should choose but what kind of anthropology we can do when we have chosen our side.


1. Bladder stones composed of calcium hydrogen phosphate dihydrate, calcium oxalate mono- and di-hydrate and magnesium ammonium phosphate hexahydrate (struvite) were successfully induced in rats by various dietary manipulations and by implanting zinc pellets in the bladder. 2. The effect of a diphosphonate, disodium ethane-1-hydroxy-1,1-diphosphonate (EHDP), given in the drinking water at concentrations of 0·0025, 0·05 and 0·5% (w/v), on the size and composition of these stones was examined. 3. All the concentrations of EHDP decreased the weight of the calcium oxalate calculi. In contrast, only the highest concentration of EHDP inhibited calcium hydrogen phosphate stone formation and the magnesium ammonium phosphate stones were unaffected. 4. The difference between the effects on calcium oxalate and magnesium ammonium phosphate stones is consistent with the finding that EHDP inhibited the precipitation of calcium oxalate from solution in vitro but had only a slight effect on magnesium ammonium phosphate precipitation. 5. It is suggested that EHDP might be of use in the prevention of some types of urinary stones in man.


This essay argues that the World Trade Organization should not become a forum for global governance in non-trade matters. It responds to those, like Professor Andrew Guzman, who believe that the WTO's success suggests that the organization should be transformed into a forum for "cross-issue" regulatory bargains among member nations on issues, ranging from the environment to human rights, that are not easily resolved in existing international fora. We show that the current focus of the WTO - the reduction of barriers to international trade and the resulting promotion of private contracts - does not require the organization to face the agency problems inherent in regulatory structures. By contrast, global regulatory "deals," even more than domestic legislation, may serve as vehicles for interest-group transfers. We also explain how the WTO's rigorous enforcement mechanism might actually inhibit cross-issue bargaining among member nations. Substantive regulatory bargains would necessarily increase the discretion exercised by WTO dispute settlement tribunals. This increased discretion would entail a lack of predictability that could well be intolerable for WTO members, particularly developing countries. We end by arguing that the WTO can best contribute to the long-run improvement of regulatory standards by deepening its commitment to reducing barriers that prevent trade among the nations of the world.


Abstract Sediments deposited from the Permian–Triassic boundary (~252 Ma) until the end-Smithian (Early Triassic; c. 250.7 Ma) in the Sonoma Foreland Basin show marked thickness variations between its southern (up to c. 250 m thick) and northern (up to c. 550 m thick) parts. This basin formed as a flexural response to the emplacement of the Golconda Allochthon during the Sonoma orogeny. Using a high-resolution backstripping approach, a numerical model and sediment thickness to obtain a quantitative subsidence analysis, we discuss the controlling factor(s) responsible for spatial variations in thickness. We show that sedimentary overload is not sufficient to explain the significant discrepancy observed in the sedimentary record of the basin. We argue that the inherited rheological properties of the basement terranes and spatial heterogeneity of the allochthon are of paramount importance in controlling the subsidence and thickness spatial distribution across the Sonoma Foreland Basin.


This paper argues for continuing diversity in the training of childcare practitioners. It considers childcare training from the perspective of a group of mature women entering the sector as parents, revealing how some drift into childcare work because it is convenient, allowing them to extend their personal and professional lives whilst continuing to care for their own children. Although the commitment to a childcare career may be a gradual one, the research shows how the women's broader experience of life and of motherhood enriches the lives of the children with whom they work, supporting the creation of strong community ties; a form of localized social capital rarely acknowledged but vital to children, to families and to society.
The contemporary focus within the UK early years sector is on professionalization of the workforce but this paper takes a sociological perspective and travels in the opposite direction. It asks policy makers to stop for a moment and consider what might be lost if an instrumental approach to raising standards is relentlessly pursued. It is not arguing against higher quality provision, quite the reverse, but seeking to reveal some of the hidden benefits arising when women are allowed a less direct route into the profession, one that integrates their personal and family needs, and allows them simultaneously to be part-time mothers, students and workers.
The paper is based on a doctoral study that collected background information by questionnaire from 150 students who trained over a ten-year period. It invited a sample of 33 to explore what adult education meant to them personally. The research used informal interviews but also close listening and focused intervention to clarify meaning. Considerable attention was paid to hesitations, juxtapositions and contradictions in the narratives, during the interviews and on transcription, to make visible tacit understandings.
Students were specifically asked to reflect on the expectations, experiences and consequences of enrolment on a Diploma in childcare, and, given the vocational nature of the course, it was anticipated that the interviews would be career-oriented. However, in practice they demonstrated a focus on present lives that suggests that childcare training can do far more than develop subject-specific skills. The students' focus on their current 'beings' and 'doings' led to the adoption of Amartya Sen's capability approach as this is framework concerned with daily living, particularly the exercise of individual choice. The application of this concept added depth to the understanding of the broader outcomes from childcare training, allowing a conclusion that learning to work with children is important to the students themselves, their families, the local community and the wider society but that ultimately these additional benefits also advantage the children attending day-care.


Early stage detection of lung cancer is important for successful controlling of the diseases, also to offer additional chance to the patients in order to survive. So , algorithms that are related with computer vision and Image processing are extremely important for early medical diagnosis of lung cancer. In current work () computed tomography scan images were collected from several patients Classification was done using Back Propagation Artificial Neural Network ( ).It is considered as a powerful artificially intelligent technique with training rule for optimization to update the weights of the overall connections in order to determine the abnormal image. Several pre-processing operations and morphologic techniques were introduced to improve the condition of the image and make it suitable for detection cancer.Histogram and () Gray Level Co-occurrence Matrix were applied toget best features extraction analysis from lung image.Three types of activation functions(trainlm ,trainbr ,traingd) were used which gives a significant accuracy for detecting cancer in  scan lung image related to the suggested algorithm. Best results were obtained with accuracy rate 95.9 % in trainlm activation function.. Graphic User Interface ( ) was displaying to show the final diagnosis  for lung.


Orifice plate meters are popular for being relatively simple, reliable and inexpensive. Their principles of operation are relatively easily understood. However, traditionally there has been no orifice meter self diagnostic capabilities. In 2008 & 2009 a generic Differential Pressure (DP) meter self diagnostic methodology [1,2] was proposed. In this paper these diagnostic principles are applied to orifice meters and proven with experimental test results. The diagnostic results are presented in a simple graphical form designed for easy use in the field by the meter operator.


This paper deals with a flexible production system modeled by re-entrant queueing network; a system decomposed into two fundamental multi-productive stations and three classes, a part follows the route fixed by the system, where each one is processed first by station 1 for the first step, then by station 2 for the second step, and again by the first station for third and last step before leaving the system. We assume that there is an infinite supply of work available, so that there are always parts ready for processing step 1, and that the first station gives preemptive priority to buffer 3. Several performance measures have been used to evaluate the system performances considering two scenarios; high priority with service conservation and high priority with loss of parts. So, performances due to varying its parameters are investigated through expanded Monte Carlo simulations.


For over sixty years, the National Labor Relations Board has followed the "laboratory conditions" doctrine in its regulation of representation elections. According to the doctrine, the Board must provide workers with an electoral "laboratory" in order to determine the "uninhibited desires" of the employees. Elections are vacated and conducted anew if the winning party violated the laboratory conditions. The laboratory conditions doctrine suggests an active and vigorous role for the Board in providing employees with the proper election environment. However, the Board's regulation has largely focused on keeping out electoral impurities and has done little to make sure employees have enough information to make the most efficient decision. In this contribution to the symposium "Whither the Board? The National Labor Relations Board at 75," I examine how the Board could use a mandatory disclosure regime to provide information to employees when making their representation decision. The essay first examines the extent to which critical information is already disclosed through the NLRA as well as the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act (LMRDA or Landrum-Griffin Act) and federal securities laws. The essay then outlines how the Board could pair this information with a limited scheme of information disclosure to provide a base level of election-related information to employees. The base level of disclosure will provide an informational foundation for employees in making their representation decisions.


There is an urgent need to cultivate grain corn on a large scale in
Malaysia to meet the growing demand. Before attempting to do this a
thorough evaluation of environmental effects on the growth and yield
of the crop has to be undertaken. One way of doing this is by using
simulation models. Therefore the main objective of this thesis is to
adapt the MACROS (crop growth) model for the simulation of potential
and rainfed production of corn cultivar Suwan I.
A field experiment was set up at Serdang for the establishment of
the crop data for corn cultivar Suwan I. The crop data were partitioning
of assimilates to the different organs, specific leaf weight constant and
crop development rates. They were then used to adapt the MACROS model for simulating potential yield of corn with the L1D module and
subsequently the rainfed yield of the crop, the latter using the SAHEL module for the water balance.


This article examines the ambivalent relationships between classical texts and post-colonial literatures in English, with special reference to the work of Derek Walcott and Seamus Heaney. It is argued that analysis of the formal, discursive and contextual relationships between ancient and modern in poetry and drama reveals significant correspondences as well as important differences between the literary and political role of the Classical Tradition in Caribbean and Irish writing. These can be revealed and explained by the writers' balance between ideas of consolation, redress and new beginnings. This in turn opens the way to re-assessment of some of the models of appropriation, creativity and dialogue which have been used in recent research into both Reception Studies and Post-Colonial Literatures.'


Plants rely on the Calvin-Benson (CB) cycle for CO(2) fixation. The key carboxylase of the CB cycle is ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RubisCO). Efforts to enhance carbon fixation in plants have traditionally focused on RubisCO or on approaches that can help to remedy RubisCO's undesirable traits: its low catalytic efficiency and photorespiration. Towards reaching the goal of improving plant photosynthesis, cyanobacteria may be instrumental. Because of their evolutionary relationship to chloroplasts, they represent ideal model organisms for photosynthesis research. Furthermore, the molecular understanding of cyanobacterial carbon fixation provides a rich source of strategies that can be exploited for the bioengineering of chloroplasts. These strategies include the cyanobacterial carbon concentrating mechanism (CCM), which consists of active and passive transporter systems for inorganic carbon and a specialized organelle, the carboxysome. The carboxysome encapsulates RubisCO together with carbonic anhydrase in a protein shell, resulting in an elevated CO(2) concentration around RubisCO. Moreover, cyanobacteria differ from plants in the isoenzymes involved in the CB cycle and the photorespiratory pathways as well as in mechanisms that can affect the activity of RubisCO. In addition, newly available cyanobacterial genome sequence data from the CyanoGEBA project, which has more than doubled the amount of genomic information available for cyanobacteria, increases our knowledge on the CCM and the occurrence and distribution of genes of interest.


Due process as a notion of basic fairness has deep roots and broad intuitive appeal. It is a guarantee, stretching back at least to Magna Carta, that government's most feared impositions on those within its reach — using coercive powers to take away our lives, our liberty, or our property — can only be accomplished through processes that have qualities of regularity and impartiality under rules adopted through mechanisms that historically carried the hallmarks of legitimacy, generality, and neutrality. The same instincts that underlie due process guarantees also inform the structural protections that are the central features of our Constitution. The goal under either label is to protect liberty by regulating the way government goes about setting and applying legal rules.
The intuitive appeal of the notion of "due process," however, at times has obscured the limited reach of the core concept, which is restricted in both what it applies to and what it requires. Transformation of due process from that core to a looser constraint that can be shaped to fit particular notions of good governance has produced serious failures, both encouraging episodes of judicial adventurism that invade space reserved to electoral-representative processes (the story of "substantive due process") and weakening protections against inappropriate exercises of official discretion.
Reliance on softer notions of due process may be especially problematic in respect to questions of administrative process, which often lie outside the ambit of appropriate due process constraints. Even where due process does apply, other legal rules strongly influence the degree to which administrative processes work and frequently provide better avenues for constraining them. Addressing directly the problematic nature of many delegations of authority to administrators and of inappropriate judicial deference to administrative determinations by and large will be preferable to due process challenges to administrative action. Due process can be a complement to reinvigorated delegation constraints and reformed deference rules or a partial substitute — used to compensate for failure to properly reform those doctrines — but it is at best a "second best" option.


Rapid house price appreciation during the housing boom significantly influenced homebuyer selection of adjustable-rate mortgages over fixed-rate mortgages. In markets with high house price appreciation, house price gains directly influenced mortgage choice. But in markets with less appreciation, price gains did not influence borrower choices between adjustable or fixed-rate mortgages. In addition, the influence of fundamental drivers of mortgage choice, such as mortgage interest rate margins, tended to be muted in markets with high price appreciation.


The conventional maximum power point tracking (MPPT) techniques can hardly track the global maximum power point (GMPP) because the power-voltage characteristics of photovoltaic (PV) exhibit multiple local peaks in irregular shadow, and therefore easily fall into the local maximum power point. These conditions make it very challenging, and to tackle this deficiency, an efficient Iteration Particle Swarm Optimization (IPSO) has been developed to improve the quality of solution and convergence speed of the traditional PSO, so that it can effectively track the GMPP under irregular shadow conditions. This proposed technique has such advantages as simple structure, fast response and strong robustness, and convenient implementation. It is applied to MPPT control of PV system in irregular shadow to solve the problem of multi-peak optimization in partial shadow. In order to verify the rationality of the proposed algorithm, however, recently the dynamic MPPT performance under varying irradiance conditions has been given utmost attention to the PV society. As the European standard EN 50530 which defines the recommended varying irradiance profiles, was released lately, the corresponding researchers have been required to improve the dynamic MPPT performance. This paper tried to evaluate the dynamic MPPT performance using EN 50530 standard. The simulation results show that iterative-PSO method can fast track the global MPP, increase tracking speed and higher dynamic MPPT efficiency under EN 50530 than the conventional PSO.


Purpose: Reports on non-financial data include elements identified in the structure of intellectual capital, whose proper valuation is a challenge for business. The purpose of this study is to show the legal framework of the analysis, reporting and valuation of intangible assets and practical applications of selected methods of intellectual capital valuation on the example of the brewing industry. Design/Methodology/Approach: The methods selected for the purposes of this case study are the market value to book value ratio, the calculated intangible value index, the Tobin's q ratio and the value-added intellectual coefficient. Calculations were made based on data from reports of a selected joint-stock company from the brewing industry. Findings: The carried out intellectual capital valuation has confirmed that applying only one valuation method does not give a fair view of intangible assets, and the lack of considering context in the valuation makes the obtained data lose its decision-making value. Practical Implications: A new approach to the process of intellectual capital valuation, based on long-term integration of selected valuation methods as well as on consideration the context of the analyzed numbers, has been proposed. Originality/Value: The results are original because they can be used to develop future intellectual capital valuation scenarios. They constitute a kind of "guide" for intellectual capital managers.