A general theory of optically compensated varifocal systems is discussed in this paper. It is shown that n alternately stationary and relatively fixed (to each other) movable lens components can be arranged to produce an optical system which will have an over-all focal length variable continuously between any two predetermined values upon a displacement of the movable components from their reference position. While the movable interconnected system is being displaced from one extreme position to the other to change the over-all focal length the final image of the system will pass n times through the same position in space; the deviation of the image plane from a predetermined reference plane will be zero in n predetermined positions of the movable components and will not exceed a predetermined value at intermediate positions. The minimum number n of required components is determined by the desired operating range of focal lengths and the tolerable limit of the image plane deviation. The 2n − 2 Gaussian parameters of the n-lens system are then found from a system of 2n − 2 equations and inequalities.


Vernonia anthelmintica Willd. (Asteraceae) is an annual herb used conventionally for the management of diabetes, fever, wound, malaria, cancer, acne and stomach disorder. As the plant is of ethnopharmacological relevance and has been used in a number of polyherbal formulations, therefore, pharmacognostical studies were carried out to confirm the identity and quality of V. anthelmintica fruits. Also, the plant has been used as a remedial measure for skin ailments and oxidative stress also triggers skin ailments, therefore, antioxidant potential of the plant was explored using DPPH assay. Methanol extract of the plant showed maximum DPPH scavenging effect (90.4%) at a concentration of 90 μg/ml, whereas the standard drug ascorbic acid showed maximum DPPH scavenging effect (94.8%) at 40 μg/ml.


As private secretary to the Emperor Hadrian, the scholar Suetonius had access to the imperial archives and used them (along with eyewitness accounts) to produce one of the most colourful biographical works in history. "The Twelve Caesars" chronicles the public careers and private lives of the men who wielded absolute power over Rome, from the foundation of the empire under Julius Caesar and Augustus, to the decline into depravity and civil war under Nero and the recovery that came with his successors. A masterpiece of observation, anecdote and detailed physical description, "The Twelve Caesars" presents us with a gallery of vividly drawn - and all too human - individuals.


A planned electric utility substation supplying the single-phase traction load at New Haven, CT, USA was evaluated with regard to several important aspects of power quality. Harmonics: the trains are non-linear and time-varying loads. Harmonic current levels were measured at a nearby single-phase traction substation, which serves the same line as the future New Haven substation. These results show that the third harmonic current and the total demand distortion (TDD) exceed the limits recommended in IEEE Standard 519-1992, IEEE (1993), hereafter referred to as IEEE 519. Voltage unbalance: the traction load is supplied by two 15-MVA single-phase transformers, each connected across phases A–C of the 115-kV line. Measurement results at a nearby 115-kV substation indicate a voltage unbalance of less than 1%, which is well within acceptable limits. Calculations for the New Haven substation location similarly show a voltage unbalance of less than 1%, with a 15-MVA load. Voltage fluctuations: the variable traction load can introduce flicker, a voltage fluctuation, which produces annoying visual changes in the intensity of electric lights. The measurement results at the nearby 115-kV substation show both the short-term (Pst) and long-term (Plt) flicker indicators are well below the recommended limits of 1.0 and 0.8, respectively.


Background: Effects of consanguineous marriage on human population are known. However, the inherited susceptibility to dental caries is unfortunately quite limited. Aim: This study aimed to assess the dental caries status (DMFT/deft [decayed-missed-filling teeth/decayed-extracted-filled teeth] index) in children born out of consanguineous and non-consanguineous marriages. Design: Household survey using a cross-sectional study design was planned, with a sample size of 2000 comprising (1600 non-consanguineous and 400 consanguineous) children, aged 6–9 years. Household survey was also planned using a systematic random sampling. Researcher conducted the study by visiting every 10th household of every 10th ward of Aligarh city, Uttar Pradesh, India. Information of risk factors for dental caries (sociodemographic, birth order, oral hygiene, feeding practices) was recorded on a pretested questionnaire with clinical examination of DMFT/deft index. Analysis: Student t test for equality of means and multivariate logistic regression were used. Results: By Student t test for equality of means, D component (P = 0.003), d component (P < 0.001), and deft score (P < 0.001) were statistically significant in the consanguineous group. Multivariate logistic regression did not deduce any association of either of the study groups, but a significant association of risk factors with dental caries was observed. Conclusion: Dental caries that has multifactorial etiology, both environment and genetic factors, had an influence on the causation of dental caries in this study.


This study was aimed to unravel the inheritance pattern of sex-linked trait (eye colour) and the feeding and sexual behaviour of Drosophila melanogaster. D. melanogaster was collected and identified the wild and mutant type flies; were kept in the culture vial and designed mating was done at a ratio of 1:5 male and female. In this experiment, the inheritance pattern of sex-linked trait (eye colour) was studied. The resulting offspring were counted and recorded, and chosen for further mating and study. Total number of wild type flies was higher than the mutant type flies. Moreover, the mutant type male flies were decreased in number in the subsequent generation due to selection against mutant type in each generation. It was observed that the desirable gene (wild type gene) frequencies were increased and undesirable gene (mutant type gene) frequencies were decreased significantly from 1st to 3rd generation. The feeding and sexual behaviour was observed by naked eye in different time interval. The larvae always attached with the culture and took the culture media as food up to pupa stage. However, the adults were stayed away from media; they were in media for half an hour after one to two hours interval. In case of mating behaviour, it was observed that the males tried to attract females by vibrating their wings as well as licking the female genitalia. After accepting the male by female drosophila, successful mating was observed for approximately 15 to 20 minutes.


Originally discovered in the dissimilatory metal-reducing bacterium Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 (MR-1), key components of the Mtr (i.e. metal-reducing) pathway exist in all strains of metal-reducing Shewanella characterized. The protein components identified to date for the Mtr pathway of MR-1 include four multihaem c-Cyts (c-type cytochromes), CymA, MtrA, MtrC and OmcA, and a porin-like outer membrane protein MtrB. They are strategically positioned along the width of the MR-1 cell envelope to mediate electron transfer from the quinone/quinol pool in the inner membrane to Fe(III)-containing minerals external to the bacterial cells. A survey of microbial genomes has identified homologues of the Mtr pathway in other dissimilatory Fe(III)-reducing bacteria, including Aeromonas hydrophila, Ferrimonas balearica and Rhodoferax ferrireducens, and in the Fe(II)-oxidizing bacteria Dechloromonas aromatica RCB, Gallionella capsiferriformans ES-2 and Sideroxydans lithotrophicus ES-1. The apparent widespread distribution of Mtr pathways in both Fe(III)-reducing and Fe(II)-oxidizing bacteria suggests a bidirectional electron transfer role, and emphasizes the importance of this type of extracellular electron-transfer pathway in microbial redox transformation of iron. The organizational and electron-transfer characteristics of the Mtr pathways may be shared by other pathways used by micro-organisms for exchanging electrons with their extracellular environments.


In the history of cognitive science, there have been two competing philosophies regarding how people reason about the world. In one, people rely on rich, generative models to make predictions about a wide range of scenarios; while in the other, people have a large "bag of tricks", idiosyncratic heuristics that tend to work well in practice. In this paper, we suggest that rather than being in opposition to one another, these two ideas complement each other. We argue that people's capacity for mental simulation may support their ability to learn new cuebased heuristics, and demonstrate this phenomenon in two experiments. However, our results also indicate that participants are far less likely to learn a heuristic when there is no logical or explicitly conveyed relationship between the cue and the relevant outcome. Furthermore, simulation—while a potentially useful tool—is no substitute for real world experience.


The spread of coastal hypoxia is a pressing global problem, largely caused by substantial nitrogen (N) exports from river basins to the coastal ocean. Most previous process‐based modeling studies for investigating basin management strategies to reduce river N exports focused on the impacts of different farming practices or land use, used watershed models that simplified many mechanisms that critically affect the state of N storage in land, were limited mainly to fairly small basins, and did not span multiple climate regimes. Here we use a process‐based land‐river model to simulate historical (1999–2010) river flows and nitrate‐N exports throughout the entire drainage network of South Korea (100,210 km2), which encompasses varying climate, land use, and hydrogeological characteristics. Based on projections by using multiple scenarios of N input reductions and climates, we explore the impacts of various ecosystem factors (i.e., N storage in basins, climate and its variability, anthropogenic N inputs, and basin location) on river nitrate‐N exports. Our findings have fundamental implications for reducing coastal hypoxia: (1) a small reduction of N inputs in basins, including intensively utilized human land use, can have a greater improvement on water quality; (2) heightening climate variability may not increase long‐term mean river N exports yet can significantly mask N input reduction effects by producing N export extremes associated with recurring coastal hypoxia; and (3) N exports to the coastal ocean can be most efficiently reduced by decreasing N inputs in subbasins, which are receiving high anthropogenic N inputs and are close to the coast.


Motivation The goal of fine-mapping in genomic regions associated with complex diseases and traits is to identify causal variants that point to molecular mechanisms behind the associations. Recent fine-mapping methods using summary data from genome-wide association studies rely on exhaustive search through all possible causal configurations, which is computationally expensive. Results We introduce FINEMAP, a software package to efficiently explore a set of the most important causal configurations of the region via a shotgun stochastic search algorithm. We show that FINEMAP produces accurate results in a fraction of processing time of existing approaches and is therefore a promising tool for analyzing growing amounts of data produced in genome-wide association studies. Availability FINEMAP v1.0 is freely available for Mac OS X and Linux at http://www.christianbenner.com. Contact: firstname.lastname@example.com, email@example.com


We find that the asymmetry of power between the Internet giants and the users, prevalent in the digital era, is deeply problematic in China in that the two key players of big data—the Internet giants and the government—are interested in exploiting the potential of big data, but the regulation of the use and application of user data is an obstacle to their goal. The Internet giants do not value the provision of transparent privacy policies and the enforcement of the policies, while the government, being an investor in and consumer of big data services, is neither interested in nor technologically capable of regulating big data technology. Moreover, there is no unified Internet governance system to solicit cooperation within the government to regulate Internet privacy. These contextual characteristics facilitate the building of the social credit system that pays limited attention to user privacy. The findings suggest that in the discussion about the political consequences of ICT development in China, we should focus on the Internet giants and their unchecked technological power instead of only the government.


The educational context requires a renewal of paradigms. Profound changes in the roles and functions of teachers and students are particularly vital. More active, cooperative and participative methodologies of learning must be privileged, breaking with magisterial education and the mere 'transmission' of knowledge. Informatics tools can become a major element in the educational context, promoting significant and self-regulated learning for the student, always under the adequate orientation of the teacher. In this context, the Mathematics Education Project (PmatE) was created in the University of Aveiro, with the main objective of identifying and counteracting the causes of school failure in mathematics in an innovative approach. However, the PmatE platform has not yet been subjected to the kind of systematic evaluation, especially in higher education, that would allow us to understand in what conditions the goals can be achieved. Thus, the question underlying this explanatory research is: "What impact does the platform of assisted education developed by PmatE have in the process of learning math subjects at university level?" A previous analysis (still ongoing) of the data collected through several techniques – inquiry, documental analysis and participant observation – suggests there are interesting and innovative alternatives to the dominant pedagogies in higher education (where teaching assumes almost exclusively a magisterial form), with significant advantages for the construction of knowledge and for the development of the students' capabilities .


Multi-trait mixed models have emerged as a promising approach for joint analyses of multiple traits. In principle, the mixed model framework is remarkably general. However, current methods implement only a very specific range of tasks to optimize the necessary computations. Here, we present a multi-trait modeling framework that is versatile and fast: LIMIX enables to flexibly adapt mixed models for a broad range of applications with different observed and hidden covariates, and variable study designs. To highlight the novel modeling aspects of LIMIX we performed three vastly different genetic studies: joint GWAS of correlated blood lipid phenotypes, joint analysis of the expression levels of the multiple transcript-isoforms of a gene, and pathway-based modeling of molecular traits across environments. In these applications we show that LIMIX increases GWAS power and phenotype prediction accuracy, in particular when integrating stepwise multi-locus regression into multi-trait models, and when analyzing large numbers of traits. An open source implementation of LIMIX is freely available at: https://github.com/PMBio/limix.


Schizophrenia is the most common of the severe mental illnesses. Working with chronic and severely mentally ill people is challenging. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of training program on knowledge and performance of nurses working with psychiatric patients. A quasi-experimental study was conducted at Benha Governmental Hospital for Mental Health on a sample of 60 nurses working with schizophrenic patients. Data were collected using a knowledge questionnaire and a performance checklist before and after implementation of a training program. The results revealed that psychiatric nurses' knowledge about schizophrenia is deficient, while they have better knowledge of their role with psychiatric patients. Also, their performance seems to be more authoritative rather than considering patients' views. The implementation of the training program is effective in improving their knowledge and their performance, which showed general decreases in the scores of communicating own perception and increases in the scores of changing patient view. The changes in nurses' post-program knowledge and performance scores are influenced by some of their personal characteristics as age, gender, qualification, experience years, previous work in psychiatric hospital, and feeling satisfied with work in psychiatric nursing. Hence, the program achieved its goal of improving nurses' knowledge and performance. The study recommends adoption of the developed program and further research to assess the effectiveness of combined nursing and patients family interventions in the management of psychiatric patients. [Rehab Fathy Abdel Hady Ghaith; Sorayia Ramadan Abd El-Fattah; Youser Mohammed Elmasri and Manal Mohamed El-KayaL. Training Program to Improve Knowledge and Performance for Nurses Working with Psychiatric Patients. J Am Sci 2013;9(3):229-236]. (ISSN: 1545-1003). http://www.jofamericanscience.org. 31


Cancer-derived matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are proposed to be essential for tumor stromal invasion and subsequent metastasis. To explore the role of MMPs in cancer progression, we examined the expression of various MMPs and tissue inhibitors of MMPs in precancerous and cancerous lesions of the uterine cervix. Immunohistochemical studies demonstrated that MMP-2 and MMP-9 were expressed in >90% of squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) and 83–100% of high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSIL), but were less frequently expressed in lowgrade squamous intraepithelial lesions and normal squamous epithelium (13%). MMP-1, MMP-14, and MMP-15 were detected in 55–81% of SCC cases, and MMP-1 was detected in 39% of HSIL. The tissue inhibitors of MMPs were weakly expressed in SCC (10–61%). By direct analysis of enzyme activities in microdissected specimens, we found that the gelatinolytic activity of MMP-9 was significantly higher in HSIL and SCC than in normal cervix (P < 0.01). The levels of active-form MMP-2 increased progressively from HSIL to SCC of stage I and more advanced stages (P < 0.01). The gelatinolytic activity of MMP-9 and active-form MMP-2 in SCC were strongly correlated with lymphovascular permeation and subsequent lymph node metastasis (P < 0.02). Moreover, the gelatinolytic activity and immunoreactive percentage of both MMP-2 and MMP-9 were significantly higher in SCC cases who had a recurrence than in those who remained free of disease (P < 0.001). Thus, our data demonstrate progressively up-regulated expression of MMP-2 and MMP-9 with SCC progression, and significant associations among their gelatinolytic activity and stage, nodal metastasis, and recurrence.


Objectives: To explore the impact of a community neonatal service on high risk infant survivors in the first year of life. Design: Retrospective multicentre survey. Postal questionnaires were sent to selected parents. Setting: Thirty two neonatal units in England and Wales. Patients: Inclusion criteria: infants over 12 months of age with birth weight ≤1500 g, or who received level I intensive care for at least 48 hours. Exclusion criteria: multiple births, infants who had died or had severe congenital abnormalities. A total of 3367 eligible infants were selected, and their parents were sent a questionnaire; 65% responded. Main outcome measures: Length of stay on the neonatal unit from birth to initial discharge. Readmission to hospital during the first year of life. Results: The median length of stay in units with a community neonatal service was 35 days compared with 37 days in units without. When adjusted for infant and parent characteristics, the median length of stay was reduced by 12.6% where a community neonatal service was provided (95% confidence interval 5.3% to 19.3%). The readmission rates were 44.6% in units with a community neonatal service and 43.5% in units without. There was no significant reduction in the adjusted odds of readmission. Conclusions: The retrospective nature of this study means that these findings cannot be definitely attributed to the presence of a community neonatal service. However, the results suggest that community neonatal services may reduce the length of stay without any subsequent increase in readmission.


Background & Aim: Corrosion is one of the most complicated and costly problems related to the drinking water supply that can influence the health of consumers, the general acceptance of a water resource, and the costs of water supply. Scaling also causes problems such as clogging and head loss in drinking water networks. The aim of this study was to determine the chemical quality and stability indicators (scaling and corrosion potential) of rural drinking water supplies of Taybad city in 2015-2016. Methods: In this descriptive/cross-sectional study, 96 water samples (from 8 wells) were gathered within 12 months and analyzed for physicochemical parameters. Then scaling and corrosion potential of water supplies was determined based on Langelier saturation Index (LSI), Ryznar Stability Index (RSI), Aggressive Index (AI), and Puckorius Scaling Index (PSI). Results: The results showed that the quality of some wells was below the acceptable limits in terms of TDS and hardness. However, other parameters such as fluoride, nitrite, and nitrate, were in standard range. In addition, the sampling stations were 50% corrosive and 50% scaling based on LSI, 50% corrosive and 50% neutral based on RSI, 25% scaling 75% neutral based on AI, and 37.5% corrosive, 25% scaling, and 37.5% neutral based on PSI. Conclusion: According to the findings, water in the study region is not in neutral state; thus, stabilizing the water before entering the distribution network is recommended as an important measure to control scaling and corrosion phenomenon.


Purpose: The aim of this research is to analyze empirical evidence of the effect of entrepreneurial orientations on SMEs' business performance. The previous study found that entrepreneurial orientation became an important key for an entrepreneur to enhance business performance. This study also examined the role of relational capabilities as an intervening variable to achieve business performance. Methodology: The sample in this study was the furniture SMEs in the region of central Java with a sample size of 208 SMEs. This study used purposive sampling methods. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was used to test results of the data analysis with the help of software AMOS/Amos Graph. Findings: The results of the study showed that entrepreneurial orientation has a significant positive effect on business performance. Entrepreneurial orientation has a significant positive effect on relational capabilities. Relational capabilities are mediated the positive relationship between entrepreneurial orientation and business performance significantly. Implications for theory and practice: The results of this study indicate the effect of entrepreneurial orientation on business performance and relational capabilities and mediating role of relational capabilities. Therefore, SMEs ought to develop relational capabilities with SMEs networks through strengthening entrepreneurial orientation to achieve SMEs' performance. Originality and value: The main contribution of the study from the combination of entrepreneurial orientation and relational capabilities of SMEs to enhance business performance.


There is broad consensus that the main problem facing fisheries globally is too many boats chasing too few fish. Unfortunately it is also possible to argue that there are too many proposed solutions and not enough practical answers to improving fisheries management. There is a deepening divide between those who propose alternative regulatory controls on fishers, including establishing large areas permanently closed to fishing, and those who argue for better alignment of incentives combined with broad participation of resource users in fishery management decisions (in simple terms, between top down and bottom up systems of governance). However despite the choice of policy instruments used, a consistent outcome is that resource users behave in a manner that is often unintended by the designers of the management system. Hence whilst uncertainty is broadly recognized as a pervasive feature of fisheries management, to date most of the attention has focussed on only part of that uncertainty - scientific uncertainty about the status of exploited resources. The effect of uncertainty generated on the human side of fisheries science and management has received much less attention. However, the uncertainty generated by unexpected resource user behaviour is critical as it has unplanned consequences and leads to unintended management outcomes. Using empirical evidence of unexpected resource user behaviour and reviewing current responses to unexpected management outcomes, we identify different approaches that both improve prediction of human behaviour in fisheries systems and identify management measures that are more robust to these sources of uncertainty. However, unless the micro scale drivers of human behaviour that contribute to macro scale implementation uncertainty are communicated effectively to managers and considered more regularly and in greater depth, unanticipated responses to management actions will continue to undermine management systems and threaten the sustainability of fisheries.


The active region of the dissolution of zinc in flowing electrolyte
has been examined. In certain circumstances the active dissolution is
extended indefinitely when silicate ion is present.
Double-layer capacitance measurements have been made and the
results confirm earlier observations that it is possible to study the
electrode/electrolyte solution interphase free from the intrusion of
adsorbed anions. It is also shown that the silicate ion is adsorbed
at the electrode at potentials close to the dissolution potential.
The exchange reaction has been studied and improvements made to
earlier reported data. A proposed mechanism consistent with the new
kinetic data appears to be satisfactory. [Continues.]


'Regardless of how you define or measure it, globalization is real and its impact on state power is significant', says the globalist. 'But how do you know?' replies the sceptic. In this opening interchange one sees the origin of a controversy that after almost a decade shows few signs of abating. Globalists continue to maintain that there are big, fin-de-siècle transformations under way in the world at large, which can be laid at the door of something called globalization. This new era—popularized as a 'world without borders' and symbolized by the dismantling of the Berlin Wall—ostensibly came into its own where the Cold War left off. Globalists of all shades see a new world order in the making, marked by the de-territorialization of economic and political affairs, the ascendance of highly mobile, transnational forms of capital, and the growth of global forms of governance. By the same token, globalization sceptics, scrutinizing very similar empirical terrain, continue to pose the same insistent question. The dispute between globalists and sceptics is not about the reality of change; it is about the nature and significance of the changes under way as well as the driving forces behind them. 'There is something out there', agree the sceptics, but it is not necessarily, or even primarily, responsible for what is going on 'in here'. The changes that fundamentally interest globalists are usually less economic than political. That is to say that their efforts to analyse or demonstrate economic change—the extent to which national economies have become more interconnected through trade, production, finance, and the growing web of international rules and institutions—are often a prelude to the political project.


In this paper, we perform the first comparison of a large variety of connectivity measures in detecting causal effects among observed interacting systems based on their statistical significance. Well-known measures estimating direction and strength interdependence between time series are compared: information theoretic measures, model- based multivariate measures in the frequency domain, and the time domain, and phase-based measures. At the same time the phase locking index is used to consider phase relationship between signals, where the phase locking value implies that the response is delayed with respect to drive at some frequency. The performance of measures is tested on simulated data from three systems: three coupled Hénon maps; a multivariate autoregressive (MVAR) model with and without EEG as an exogenous input; and simulated EEG. No measure was consistently superior. Measures that model the data as MVAR perform well when the data are drawn from that model. Frequency domain measures perform well when the data have a clearly defined band of interest. When neither of these is true, information theoretic measures perform well.


Neuropharmacological effects deals with the influence of drugs on nervous system which harvest the changes in mood, behavioral action of an individual. The drugs are characterized by the chemical substances that communicate with the neurons which have different impacts on nervous system. It may either conducts the abusive or pleasure response which depends on the neural chemicals activity and concerns with the licit and illicit drugs. The elucidation of drugs via LC/MS shows its exertion on the brain components. The computational model helps in the identification of signaling pathways that trigger or inhibit the neurotransmitters. The licit drugs have indisputable responses on CNS. It imparts neuroprotection by either stimulating or inhibiting the receptor, by down regulation yield antinociceptors. However, the illicit drugs have negative acknowledgment on the body as in nicotine the fewer amounts provides benefits but in higher amount mimics the activity of brain receptors and replaces it. Many other drugs induce neurodegenerative disorders. Due to advances in field of neuropharmacology innumerable drugs are available for feasible treatment. The main objective of this review is neuropharmacological consequences in correlation to licit and illicit drugs that what type of responses generated by using these drugs, the neurodegenerative disorders, and their restoration via current treatment.


Three distinct adjudicatory processes are found in appellate courts: decisional adjudication (applying principles), procedural adjudication (choosing among principles), and diagnostic adjudication (defining and developing principles). The Supreme Court of Canada has traditionally used procedural adjudication, in which the adversary process frames issues and generates supporting material. However, the Court's decreased caseload, its increased discretion to select cases, and the arrival of a new wave of issues under the Charter of Rights has shifted the Court's work to diagnostic adjudication. As judgment becomes less a choice problem and more a creative exercise, both the degree and kind of judicial involvement changes. Thusfar, however, the Court's administrative responses to the pressure of its work have had limited success. To be effective, reforms in the way the Court organizes and processes its work must derive from an analysis of the requirements of diagnostic adjudication. The paper concludes by suggesting an overall approach and making specific proposals.


Graph theory is an important topic in discrete mathematics. It is particularly interesting because it has a wide range of applications. Among the main problems in graph theory, we shall mention the following ones: graph coloring and the Hamiltonian circuit problem. Chapter 1 presents basic definitions of graph theory, such as graph coloring, graph coloring with color-classes of bounded size b, and Hamiltonian circuits and paths. We also present online algorithms and online coloring. Chapter 2 starts with some general remarks about online graph covering with sets of bounded sizes (such as online bounded coloring): we give a simple method for transforming an online covering algorithm into an online bounded covering algorithm, and to derive the performance ratio of the bounded algorithm from the performance ratio of the unbounded algorithm. As will be shown in later chapters, this method often leads to optimal results. Furthermore, some basic preliminary results on online graph covering with sets of bounded size are given: for every graph, the performance ratio is bounded above by 1/2 + b/2 and for b = 2, this bound is optimal. In the second part, online coloring of co-interval graphs is studied. Based on two industrial applications, two different versions of this problem are discussed. In the case where the intervals are presented in increasing order of their left ends, we show that the performance ratio is 1 in the unbounded case and 2 - 1/b in the bounded case. In the case where the intervals may be presented in any order, we show that the performance ratio is at most 3 in the bounded case. Chapter 3 deals with online coloring of permutation and comparability graphs. First, we give a tight analysis of the First-Fit algorithm on bipartite permutation graphs and we show that its performance ratio is O(√n), even for some simple presentation orders. For both classes of graphs, we show that the performance ratio is bounded above by (χ+1)/2 in the unbounded case and that the performance ratio of First-Fit is equal to 1/2 + b/2 in the bounded case. In the second part of this chapter, we study cocoloring of permutation graphs. We show that the performance ratio is n/4 + 1/2 and we give better bounds in some more restricted cocoloring problems. Chapter 4 deals with an application of online coloring: the online Track Assignment Problem. Depending on the assumptions that are made, the Track Assignment Problem can be reduced to coloring permutation or overlap graphs online. We show that when a permutation graph is presented on a latticial plane, from west to east, then the performance ratio is exactly 2 - (min{b,k})-1, where k is the best known upper bound on the bounded chromatic number. We also show that, when a permutation graph is presented on a latticial plan, starting from the origin and growing, simultaneously or not, towards west and east, then the performance ratio is exactly 2 - 1/χ. We also show that online coloring overlap graphs does not have a performance ratio bounded by a constant, even if the overlap graph is bipartite and presented in increasing order of the intervals left ends. In this special case, we show that First-Fit has a tight performance ratio of O(√n). We consider coloring overlap graphs online where the intervals have a bounded size between 1 and a given number M. In this case, we show that the performance ratio can be bounded above by 2√M if M ≤ M0, and by log M (⎡log M / log log M⎤ + 1) if M > M0, M0 being defined by the equation 2√M0 = 3 log(M0). For large values of M, the ratio is O(log2 M / log log M). Chapter 5 is about online coloring of trees, forests and split-graphs. For trees, we show that the performance ratio of online coloring is exactly ½log2(2n) in the unbouded case and at most 1 + ⎣log2(b)⎦/χb in the bounded case. For split-graphs, we show that the performance ratio of online coloring is exactly 1 + 1/χ in the unbounded case and is at most 2 + 1/χb + 3/b in the bounded case. In Chapter 6, we present a class of digraphs: the quasi-adjoint graphs. These are a super class of both the graphs used for a DNA sequencing algorithm in (Blazewicz, Kasprzak, "Computational complexity of isothermic DNA sequencing by hybridization", 2006) and the adjoints. A polynomial recognition algorithm in O(n3), as well as a polynomial algorithm in O(n2 + m2) for finding a Hamiltonian circuit in quasi-adjoint graphs are given. Furthermore, some results about related problems such as finding a Eulerian circuit while respecting some forbidden transitions (a sequence of two consecutive arcs) are discussed.


This book presents a new theoretical framework for understanding the regulation of international trade. For this purpose, it analyses a series of integrated studies of relations between the EU, the WTO and China. It consists of three main parts. Part I introduces the basic concepts. It surveys the literature on law and globalisation, introduces the concept of sites of governance and the theory of global legal pluralism and sketches the foundations of global legal pluralism. It shows that each site of governance has both a structural dimension, consisting of institutions, norms and dispute resolution processes, and a relational dimension, comprising its relations with other sites of governance. The totality of sites of governance constitutes a new form of global legal pluralism. Part II analyses global legal pluralism in action in relations between the EU, the WTO and China. It examines the construction of relations between sites, ways in which relations between sites give rise to new legal concepts or transform the character of rules, the tension between regionalism and international integration and the governance of international production networks. It emphasises the reciprocal interaction between the structural features and the relational features of sites. Part III explores new directions in global legal pluralism. It first analyses regional trade agreements as a way of creating new sites of governance, focusing on agreements involving China. Then it considers how to enhance ethical values in international trade regulation. Based on an institutional analysis of relations between the WTO and other sites of governance, it proposes ways in which global legal pluralism can be used to reform the WTO, today the predominant institution in the regulation of international trade, including trade between the EU and China.


Malignant rhabdoid tumours (MRTs) represent an aggressive paediatric cancer with limited treatment options. Although MRTs mainly arise in the kidney and brain of patients under the age of 8 years, they may appear in other major organs as well as in soft tissues. Remarkably, these tumours possess few mutations other than the ones that inactivate the SNF5/INI1 gene, the smallest member of the SWI/SNF chromatin-remodelling complex. In addition, these cancers lack other hallmarks of adult malignancies including genomic instability, aberrant karyotypes and abnormal regulation of cellular stress-response pathways. Their major defect appears to arise from epigenetic instability, presumably through changes in nucleosome positioning due to defective chromatin-remodelling activity. Recent reports have shown that SNF5 loss affects key signalling pathways such as cell cycle regulation, deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) damage repair and gene transcription. Thus, MRTs offer a unique model for studying the role of epigenetics in driving tumourigenesis and for the development of novel treatment approaches.

Key Concepts:

Malignant rhabdoid tumours are rare and aggressive paediatric cancers.

MRT was the first tumour in which mutations in the SWI/SNF chromatin-remodelling complex were identified.

Inactivation of the SNF5/INI1 tumour suppressor gene drives MRT development.

MRTs often show no changes in copy number or karyotype.

The key mechanisms by which SNF5/INI1 loss induces MRT development remain unclear.

MRTs offer a unique model for epigenetic-driven tumourigenesis.

Keywords:

malignant rhabdoid tumour;
SWI/SNF complex;
SNF5;
INI1;
chromatin remodeling;
epigenetics


Transition metal carbides have unique properties such as high hardness, high melting temperatures, high thermal conductivity, and highchemical stability. In this report,we investigate the electrochemical oxidation of a series of metal carbidesincluding NbC,Nb 2 C, TaC, Ta 2 C, VC, VCrC, TiC and TiCrC in neutral, basic, or acidic aqueous solutions. Cyclic voltammetry and elemental analysis demonstrated that many of these metal carbides can be electrochemically oxidized at low electrode potentials to produce soluble metal ions in the solutions. Carbon in the metal carbides remains on the electrode substrates and forms porous carbide-derived carbon (CDC). The surface morphology of the CDC and specific surface area depend on the metal carbide precursors and the electrochemical oxidation conditions. © The Author(s) 2018. Published by ECS. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (CC BY, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted reuse of the work in any medium, provided the original work [DOI: 10.1149/2.0171804jes] Focus on Processes at


While breastfeeding is associated with health benefits for both mothers and children, it may also make it difficult for mothers to return to the labor market early. Maternity and parental leave regulations have been developed to mitigate this conflict. In 2007, Germany passed a reform introducing a new parental leave benefit (Elterngeld). In this paper, we address the question of whether the new parental leave benefit impacts breastfeeding initiation and duration in Germany. We use the reform as an exogenous policy variation to obtain causal evidence on breastfeeding behavior, applying a difference-in-differences approach. Mothers in particular benefit from the reform especially if they were employed prior to childbirth or if they have a household income above the income threshold of the previous parental leave scheme (treatment group). The reform did not bring significant changes within the first year of a child's life for all other mothers (control group). We draw on representative survey data from the Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) study. Three breastfeeding measures are used for the 2004 to 2009 cohorts: (1) breastfeeding at birth; (2) breastfeeding for at least 4 months; and (3) breastfeeding for at least 6 months. We find no effect of the Elterngeld reform on breastfeeding initiation but do observe an effect on breastfeeding duration. Our results are robust over various sensitivity tests, including placebo regressions, the application of matching approaches, and controlling for regional indicators, among others. Thus, our empirical results provide evidence that the reform's goal of allowing parents to spend more time with their children during the first year of life also impacted breastfeeding behavior.


This volume is the first ever economics handbook on a single African country focused on the theme of structural transformation. It is intended to serve as a major reference book on the Ethiopian economy for university students, researchers, and policymakers. Part I, covering the period 1890–2017, deals with the transition from a traditional to a modern economy, from the period of Imperial rule under Emperor Haile Selassie, through the Derg regime to the post-1991 government of the EPRDF. Issues including land tenure, ethnic federalism, the constitutional framework, and legal institutions are assessed extensively. Part II deals with economic policies for structural transformation in the post-1991 period, covering topics such as the development of the financial sector, trade and infrastructure policies, poverty reduction strategies, and the focus on green and climate-resilient transformation. Part III focuses on social policy and development, with attention to growth, poverty and inequality, the shifting debate on demography, child nutrition, social protection, education, employment creation, and food security. Part IV examines progress in transforming Ethiopian agriculture and the remaining challenges of upgrading technological innovations to harness the value-added potential of the sector. Part V discusses the processes and policy adaptations undertaken by the government for late industrialization in Ethiopia with special reference to the garment and textile industry. The impact of urbanization on growth and transformation is also considered. Part VI situates the Ethiopian state-led development model in the larger debate of the significance of the East Asian development model to other developing countries such as Ethiopia.


Emergence of multi-drug resistant microorganisms such as pan-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa has recently created a therapeutic challenge in ICU patients worldwide. New antipseudomonal antibiotics, like ceftolozane/tazobactam have been developed to meet this challenge. This drug does not demonstrate cross-resistance with other antimicrobial classes, like carbapenems, because of its enhanced binding affinity to the penicillin-binding proteins. A Phase III, multicenter, prospective, randomized, double blind study has been initiated to evaluate the safety and efficacy of ceftolozane/tazobactam in ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). We present a case of VAP due to pan-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa in a patient with advanced multiple sclerosis. He was treated with ceftolozane/tazobactam in combination with colistin and rifampin for synergistic effect. Within 2 weeks of treatment, he had significant improvement in his leukocytosis and chest infiltrates, and his ventilator settings were adjusted to their baseline settings. This case illustrates the importance of using this novel antipseudomonal antibiotic to treat bacteria that are resistant to a wide spectrum of antibiotics, including carbapenems. Other antibiotics, like colistin and rifampin, can be used for synergism until more data are collected from trials evaluating the efficacy of monotherapy with this novel antibiotic for VAP.


Article history: Received March 5, 2015 Received in revised format August 16 2015 Accepted October 22 2015 Available online October 26 2015 Liquidity of the stock exchanges plays essential role on investment decisions and it is one of the factors that may influence on stock price. The easier one can buy/sell shares of a firm, the higher liquidity the firm has. In fact, lack of liquidity may lead investors to sell their assets at cheaper prices and it could influence negatively on overall market. The primary objective of this paper is to study the effect of stock liquidity on the risk of falling stock prices. The study chooses historical information of 70 selected firms listed on Tehran Stock Exchange over the period 2006-2012. The results of this survey have indicated that there was a negative and meaningful relationship between stock liquidity and stock price decline. Growing Science Ltd. All rights reserved. 5 © 201


The development of quantum dot cascade lasers has been proposed as a path to obtain terahertz semiconductor lasers that operate at room temperature. The expected benefit is due to the suppression of nonradiative electron-phonon scattering and reduced dephasing that accompanies discretization of the electronic energy spectrum. We present numerical modeling which predicts that simple scaling of conventional quantum well based designs to the quantum dot regime will likely fail due to electrical instability associated with high-field domain formation. A design strategy adapted for terahertz quantum dot cascade lasers is presented which avoids these problems. Counterintuitively, this involves the resonant depopulation of the laser's upper state with the LO-phonon energy. The strategy is tested theoretically using a density matrix model of transport and gain, which predicts sufficient gain for lasing at stable operating points. Finally, the effect of quantum dot size inhomogeneity on the optical lineshape is explored, suggesting that the design concept is robust to a moderate amount of statistical variation.


Abstract. Single-particle mass spectrometry has proven a valuable tool for gaining information on the mixing state of aerosol particles. With the Aerodyne aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS) equipped with a light-scattering probe, non-refractory components of submicron particles with diameters larger than about 300 nm can even be quantified on a single-particle basis. Here, we present a new method for the analysis of AMS single-particle mass spectra. The developed algorithm classifies the particles according to their components (e.g. sulphate, nitrate, different types of organics) and simultaneously provides quantitative information about the composition of the single particles. This classification algorithm was validated by applying it to data acquired in laboratory experiments with particles of known composition, and applied to field data acquired during the MEGAPOLI summer campaign (July 2009) in Paris. As shown, it is not only possible to directly measure the mixing state of atmospheric particles, but also to directly observe repartitioning of semi-volatile species between gas and particle phase during the course of the day.


Abstract Within the field of applied sport psychology, there is an increasing appreciation for diversity of training models, research methodologies, and therapeutic approaches. For example, psychodynamic formulations and interpretations have begun to appear more frequently in the sport psychology literature. In keeping with emerging psychodynamic viewpoints, we believe the time is right to introduce a qualitative sport-specific projective instrument: the Athlete Apperception Technique (AAT). The AAT represents a new technique based on psychodynamic theory and established projective test construction principles. It was designed primarily as a clinical tool for practitioners and not as an instrument for quantitative research into personality. It does, however, have potential research applications, especially in clinical sport case study research and narrative analysis investigations. The AAT produces an idiographic understanding of athletes' characteristics, anxieties, and motivations (both conscious and unconscious). We briefly review the literature on the development of projective techniques, explain the rationale underlying the development of the AAT, and present three sequential studies to explain the AAT image selection procedures that led to the final product.


A collection of the most famous cases faced by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's peerless creation, "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" and the "Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes" contains an introduction by Iain Pears and notes by Ed Glinert in "Penguin Classics". This collection includes many of the famous cases - and great strokes of brilliance - that made the legendary Sherlock Holmes one of fiction's most popular creations. With his devoted amanuensis Dr Watson, Holmes emerges from his smoke filled room in Baker Street to grapple with the forces of treachery, intrigue and evil in such cases as "The Speckled Band", in which a terrified woman begs their help in solving the mystery surrounding her sister's death, or "A Scandal in Bohemia", which portrays a European king blackmailed by his mistress. In "Silver Blaze" the pair investigate the disappearance of a racehorse and the violent murder of its trainer, while in "The Final Problem" Holmes at last comes face to face with his nemesis, the diabolical Professor Moriarty - 'the Napoleon of crime'. In his introduction, Iain Pears discusses characterization, the key themes of the stories and Victorian methods of deduction. This edition also includes a chronology, further reading and explanatory notes by Ed Glinert, author of "The London Compendium". Edinburgh-born Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) took a degree in medicine at Edinburgh University before becoming a doctor in Southsea. He began writing detective stories to supplement his income and "A Study in Scarlet" (1887) introduced his finest creation, the hawk-eyed detective, Sherlock Holmes. If you enjoyed "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes", you might like Wilkie Collins' "The Moonstone", also available in "Penguin Classics". "Arthur Conan Doyle is unique ...Personally, I would walk a mile in tight boots to read him to the milkman." (Stephen Fry).


A new kind of tunable optical filter is proposed for DWDM optical communication application. It is based on cascaded polarization interference filter (PIF). The period and bandpass width of each PIF are decided by its optical path difference between o-ray and e-ray (OPDOE). When their OPDOEs are proportionately designed, the tuning range and bandpass width depend on OPDOE in the first and the last PIF, respectively. The tuning range, bandpass width and crosstalk are independent each other. The crosstalk is related to the OPDOE ratios among PIFs and can be suppressed by designing the PIF's OPDOE. A set of OPDOE is suggested that are l_1, 2* l_1, 2^2* l_1, 2^3* l_1, 2^4* l_1, ..., 2^{N-4}* l_1, 15*2^{N-7}* l_1, 10*2^{N-6}* l_1 and 2^{N-2}* l_1 from the first to the last. This suggested OPDOEs can yield -50-dB crosstalk for any tuning range and bandpass width. The insert loss is less than 1 dB. As its loose alignment requirement, there is no limitation on cascaded PIF number. When 11 PIFs are cascaded, it can achieve 170-nm tuning range, -50-dB crosstalk, bandpass width applicable to 25-GHz channel spacing and 1 dB insert loss.


This paper examines a number of recent empirical studies of local-level decision-making in relation to development planning and, especially, the allocation of state development funds in Papua New Guinea. The discussion is framed by the extensive theoretical and Papua New Guinea literature on patronage politics and political culture, by the recent history of decentralisation reforms, and by the frequently articulated, but largely anecdotal, observations about the functioning of district and local-level governance processes.In contrast to the anecdotal vision of widespread and chronic dysfunctionality, the studies considered here paint a picture of considerable spatial and regional variation. We offer some tentative hypotheses to explain this variation, while flagging the need for more empirical work. We outline how these preliminary findings have informed a program of research that is currently being undertaken at the district and local government levels with a view to gaining a better understanding of the extent and nature of spatial variation in the local-level governance of state development funds in Papua New Guinea.


In the wake of the contentious 2000 federal census, many issues involving the question of race remain and others have arisen. As a result of an increasingly multicultural and multiracial society, Americans ponder what it means to be white and who falls into this category. Indeed, third ward Chicago alderman Dorothy Tillman, who is African American, recently questioned the racial and minority status of Chicago's "Hispanic" residents. In a discussion with a local reporter over ward remapping, Tillman claimed "Hispanics can be white - I can't," referring to the census categorization of "Hispanics" as white. Tillman continued, "How can they be all races and still get a ward? They should be told, 'If you're Hispanic be Hispanic! Don't be all those other things." Seemingly supporting Alderman Tillman's comments in the popular imagination, the famous professional golfer Eldrick "Tiger" Woods has received criticism for not clearly identifying with a specific racial group. His father is African American while his mother is Thai American. Woods also claims Native American and European-American ancestry.1 Certainly, the question of race in twenty-first century American life is complex, as ethnic, racial, national, and language groups struggle to define themselves racially, culturally, and politically. Who is white? Who is not? How is power apportioned according to racial status? These questions did not arise overnight. They have a long history of vexing Americans. Using Chicago's Southeast Side as a case study and focusing on the Trumbull Park housing riots of the 1950s, one can examine the way in which southern and eastern European and Mexican immigrants, African Americans, and native-born Americans have historically struggled with these questions and answers. Moreover, the 1950s serves as a crucial transition time in the urban racial landscape, as the civil rights movement took its first steps while working-class, naturalized immigrants and their children struggled to find their place in the capitalist abundance of the nuclear age. From the 1880s to the 1980s, southeastern Chicago (including the community areas of South Chicago, South Deering, East Side, and Hegewisch) was a major steel producing area. The South Works steel mill in South Chicago, Wisconsin Steel in South Deering, and nearby Republic Steel were the industrial giants of the region. As a result of once plentiful jobs, numerous immigrant groups-including Mexicans, Serbs, Lithuanians, Greeks, Swedes, Germans, Croats, Slovenes, Italians, Hungarians, Poles, Slovaks, Jews, and Irish-have made this area home. By the 1930s, African Americans also began to move into this area, also finding employment in the mills. This heterogeneity during most of the twentieth century makes Chicago's Southeast Side an ideal place to study racial group formation and these immigrants' roles in it. This essay will explore how Serbs and other southern and eastern European immigrants became white during the 1920s and 1930s and how they defended their newly won white status in the decades immediately following World War Two. Most importantly, this essay will also investigate how Mexicans inhabited a racial middle ground between Black and White, using the Trumbull Park riots as a backdrop.2 From the 1880s to the 1930s, Serbs and other southern and eastern European immigrants, Anglo-Americans believed, constituted an "immigrant problem," presenting a challenge to accepted Anglo-American, democratic, and Protestant norms. Immigrants who came to the United States from southern and eastern Europe during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries generally were not Protestant. They were typically Roman or Greek Catholic, Orthodox Christian, or Jewish. This diversity of faiths presented a major religious problem for the predominantly Protestant American majority. These immigrants also did not speak English, which reformers believed threatened English as the American lingua franca. …


Background: Adherence to hand hygiene (HH) guidelines reduces the incidence of hospital-acquired infection, however, little research has been conducted on factors that influence healthcare students' HH practices. Methods: A questionnaire was administered to 1721 nursing and medical students from 20 universities in Australia, Sweden, Greece and Italy to determine their HH knowledge, beliefs, practices, education and assessment. Results: The mean score on the HH quiz was 66%. Self-reported HH compliance was 86%. Knowledge scores were significantly influenced by the frequency of HH assessment and the number of methods used to teach HH (p = .04). HH practices were significantly influenced by HH beliefs, knowledge, the frequency of assessment, number of teaching methods used, perceptions of the importance of HH as an infection control measure and the importance given to HH in the curriculum (p < .01). Hand hygiene beliefs were significantly influenced by HH knowledge, and by students' perceptions of the importance given to HH in the curriculum, by supervisors and facilities, and the importance of HH as an infection control measure (p < .01). Conclusions: There was room for improvement in healthcare students' HH knowledge, particularly in relation to the use of alcohol-based hand rubs.


Abstract The Grenville Province forms the exhumed remnants of a 1.1 Ga collisional orogeny that telescoped an older continental margin. Terranes with distinct crustal formation ages can be mapped using Nd isotopes, revealing a ramp–flat thrust structure. The ramp is identified by the presence of retrogressed eclogites, and its trajectory is refined using Nd model ages. The main allochthon is locally overlain by the Parry Sound klippe, but is also underlain by a tectonic duplex. Northwest-directed nappes represent remnants of a corrugated thrust sheet, but a ring-shaped remnant was also preserved where the thrust sheet was down-buckled under the dense rocks of Parry Sound domain.


BACKGROUND
Young children of pre-school age may find a minimal intervention (fluoride varnish application) difficult to tolerate.

AIM
To determine the significant predictors for refusing a fluoride varnish application from child, parental and nurse behaviour factors.

DESIGN
Data included videos from 238 children (52% female, aged 3-5 years) receiving a fluoride varnish application in a Scottish nursery school setting. The St Andrews Behavioural Interaction Scheme (SABICS) was used for video coding and retrieved child refusal status, initial anxious behaviour, and nurse behaviour. A parental survey collected parent's dental anxiety [Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS)] and the child's home behaviour [Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ)]. Child demographics, dental status, and previous varnish application experience were recorded. Multivariate binary logistic regression was applied to predict child refusal of the varnish application.

RESULTS
The response rate was 79%. Twelve children refused. The significant predictors of varnish refusal included initial anxious child behaviour (β = 5.14, P = 0.001), no previous varnish application (β = -3.89, P = 0.04), and no nurse praise (β = -1.06, P = 0.02). Information giving (P = 0.06) and reassurance (P = 0.08) were borderline significant.

CONCLUSION
Initial anxiety behaviour, previous varnish experience, and not using praise by the nursing staff predicted fluoride varnish application refusal.


This study examines the implications of messages within a fragmented media environment for public opinion about net neutrality. Drawing on media effects theory and an analysis of media messages, it argues that different forms of media use—including consumption of traditional news, partisan cable news, political satire, and streaming video services—can exert distinctive effects on public familiarity with and support for net neutrality. Moreover, it extends research on information subsidy and intertextuality to argue that political satire use can interact with other forms of media use in shaping public responses to complex policy issues such as net neutrality. Using original data from national telephone surveys conducted in 2014 and 2015, the analyses reveal that various forms of media use predicted familiarity with and support for net neutrality. The findings also suggest that exposure to political satire can shape the translation of information obtained from other sources into opinion.


In both the carotid and foreleg vessels of the dog the whole of the aortic pulse seemed propagated at a uniform velocity. In the upper carotid and axillary arteries, a narrowed systolic peak developed in transit; this peak was reached at the same time through the length of the elastic vessels. In the muscular brachial artery, the peak was propagated without clear change. Occlusions of various branches of the leg bed gave no firm clue to the origin of this narrowed peak, for they tended simply to induce pressure oscillations in the axillary vessel which usually obscured the normal pulse form. A similar pulse mapping in a common carotid artery occluded 12–15 cm from its origin sometimes showed evidence of a propagated reflected wave. At other times, as much as 6 cm of the vessel acted as a single vibrating unit, with identically timed waves. Length of the occluded carotid artery could not be told from the peak-to-peak intervals seen on the pulses.


Spring 2018 No.42 34 Abstract | Sustainability is a concept that become remarkable due to the environmental restrictions and problems. Sustainability analysis in all its three aspects (economic, social and environmental) and criterion codification has been subjected for many researches in architecture and urbanism. The decisions of the architects and urban designers have been known as important parts of promoting sustainability around the world. Different institutes and people have defined the parameters that have been involved in sustainability. Many theories have benefited the principles of sustainability as an approach to improving the quality of the environment and communities. The concept of sustainability and environmental assessment models have also been provided by formal and informal organizations that will be discussed in the research. Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) organization is one of the recognized institutes that has provided a check list for quality evaluation in the scale of neighborhoods, building and indoor spaces. The scores for energy saving, easy access to public transportation, collecting wasting water and water saving are the aspects that have been considered by this institute. In Iran country growing urbanization and the expansion of communities is happening so fast but studying the quality of this development is something that has been received less attention. In this research explains a short review of history and experts' opinions about sustainability concept. In addition, selects, the LEED-ND (the LEED scale for neighborhood) evaluating system to assess the quality of life in the case study. This system is based on five main parts which each one has consists of subcategories that are used as measures to check the neighborhood's points. "Faraz" neighborhood is used as a contemporary typical Iranian neighborhood and checked with the parameters of LEED evaluation system to indicate the adaptation of a new residential neighborhood with environmental sustainability factors. This result will confirm the success of such neighborhoods to create high quality environment for their residents.


The growth and performance of top-illuminated metamorphic In(0.20)Ga(0.80)As p-i-n photodetectors grown on GaAs substrates using a step-graded In(x)Ga(1-x)As buffer is reported. The p-i-n photodetectors display a low room-temperature reverse bias dark current density of ~1.4×10(-7) A/cm(2) at -2 V. Responsivity and specific detectivity values of 0.72 A/W, 2.3×10(12) cm·Hz(1/2)/W and 0.69 A/W, 2.2×10(12) cm·Hz(1/2)/W are achieved for Yb:YAG (1030 nm) and Nd:YAG (1064 nm) laser wavelengths at -2 V, respectively. A high theoretical bandwidth-responsivity product of 0.21 GHz·A/W was estimated at 1064 nm. Device performance metrics for these GaAs substrate-based detectors compare favorably with those based on InP technology due to the close tuning of the detector bandgap to the target wavelengths, despite the presence of a residual threading dislocation density. This work demonstrates the great potential for high performance metamorphic near-infrared InGaAs detectors with optimally tuned bandgaps, which can be grown on GaAs substrates, for a wide variety of applications.


The outcoupling of light in organic light-emitting devices is one of the limiting parameters for obtaining a high external efficiency. A simple geometrical model is presented that allows one to estimate the importance of optical parameters such as mirror reflectivity, scattering probability, and device structure. The model allows the derivation of analytical expressions for the outcoupling efficiency in some simplified cases.


Public school leaders might be more likely to support private school voucher programs if they are enacted alongside public school deregulations. We use a survey experiment to examine the effects of public school deregulations on actual public school leaders' support for a hypothetical private school voucher program in California. We do not find evidence to suggest that public school deregulations affect public school leaders' support for private school vouchers overall. However, we unexpectedly find that deregulations related to teacher certification and administration of standardized tests further decrease support for private school choice for leaders of large public schools. This unexpected result may be explained by expected adjustment costs or regulatory capture.


ABSTRACT Educational issues in relation to ethnicity and language education policies have been underexplored in Asian contexts. In particular, issues related to ethnic and linguistic minority students have not received much attention in the post-colonial context of Hong Kong. This paper highlights challenges and tensions faced by Nepali ethnic minority students in two Hong Kong schools arising from language policies adopted by the post-colonial government. Based on data arising from interviews with 28 secondary school Nepali students in 2013 and 2014, and an observation of two schools with a sizeable population of Nepali ethnic minority students over a period of more than two years, this paper investigates how students face the pressures of learning through the medium of either English or spoken Cantonese and written Chinese. Analysis of the data reveals that these students face inequities in schools due to neglect of attention to their overall educational development, discrimination in the institutional settings, and lack of opportunities to maintain their own heritage language and identity. Based on the findings, this paper proposes a multilingual education model for ethnic minority students, drawing on the models set out in Adamson and Feng (2014. "Models for Trilingual Education in the People's Republic of China." In Minority Languages and Multilingual Education, edited by D. Gorter, V. Zenotz, and J. Cenoz, 29–44. Dordrecht: Springer), which has potential to redress the balance.


A multihop relaying system is analyzed where data sent by a multi-antenna source is relayed by successive multi-antenna relays until it reaches a multi-antenna destination. Assuming correlated fading at each hop, each relay receives a faded version of the signal from the previous level, performs linear precoding and retransmits it to the next level. Using free probability theory and assuming that the noise power at relays- but not at destination- is negligible, the closed-form expression of the asymptotic instantaneous end-to-end mutual information is derived as the number of antennas at all levels grows large. The so-obtained deterministic expression is independent from the channel realizations while depending only on channel statistics. This expression is also shown to be equal to the asymptotic average end-to-end mutual information. The singular vectors of the optimal precoding matrices, maximizing the average mutual information with finite number of antennas at all levels, are also obtained. It turns out that these vectors are aligned to the eigenvectors of the channel correlation matrices. Thus, they can be determined using only the channel statistics. As the structure of the singular vectors of the optimal precoders is independent from the system size, it is also optimal in the asymptotic regime.


Niveoscincus "snow skink" is the largest genus of lizards in Tasmania, but little literature is available on the ecology of the seven species discussed here. They were examined by studying the vegetation associations and natural history of all Niveoscincus species except N palfreymani. Most were found to be primarily either ground-dwelling, saxicolous or arboreal, although a few species, such as N microlepidotus, showed a combination of these habits. Saxicolous and heath/rock-dwelling species were restricted to more open habitats.
Ground-dwelling species, on the other hand, were widespread and found in many different habitats but not in open rocky areas. Arboreal species were found in a wide range of forest habitats from sea-level to the tree line. The species studied were found to have significantly different, although partially overlapping habitat preferences.


The Indian subcontinent remains one of the few regions of the world that lacks an established biostratigraphical framework for the Cambrian. As a step towards realizing this goal, this revision of reportedly Cambrian material previously described as hyolith from the Himalaya permits the recognition of Sulcavitus wynnei (Waagen) from informal Cambrian Stage 4 and possibly as low as upper Stage 3, and Nganki namak sp. nov. from the lower part of informal Cambrian Stage 4 in the Khussak Formation of the sub‐Himalayan Salt Range of Pakistan, and aff. Nitoricornus sp. from informal Cambrian Stage 5 in the Tethyan Himalayan Parahio Formation of the Parahio Valley, northern India. Other previously reported regional hyolith material is either non‐hyolith, questionably assigned to the group, indeterminate or not available. The range of S. wynnei may have local biostratigraphical utility in the late early Cambrian, and the occurrence of the genus Nganki, previously known only from Australia, is consistent with other faunal evidence of biogeographical linkage between India and Australia at that time. Revision of these hyoliths completes a synoptic review of previously described and newly recovered trilobites, brachiopods and hyoliths from the Cambrian of the Indian subcontinent.


Abstract A new payment system, the diagnosis-related group (DRG) system, and Korean diagnosis procedure combination (KDPC, per-diem) payment system were officially introduced in 2002 and in 2012, respectively. We evaluated the impact of payment system change from per-case to per-diem on high severity patient's length of stay (LOS). Claim data was used. A total of 36,240 case admissions and 72,480 control admissions were included in the analysis. Segmented regression analysis of interrupted time series between cases and controls was conducted. Hospitals that consistently participated in the DRG payment system and changed to the KDPC payment system were defined as case hospitals. Hospitals that consistently participated in the DRG payment system were defined as control hospitals. LOS increased by 0.025 days per month (P = 0.0055) for 3 surgical diagnosis-related admissions due to the bundled payment system change. LOS among emergency admissions also increased and showed an increasing tendency under the KDPC. The LOS increase was observed specifically for complex procedure admissions and high severity cases (CCI 0, 1: 0.022, P = 0.0142; CCI 2, 3: 0.026, P = 0.0288; CCI ≥ 4: 0.055, P = 0.0003). Although both payment systems are optimized to decrease LOS, incentives to reduce LOS are stronger under the DRG system than under the KDPC system. It is worth noting that too strong incentive for reducing LOS is suitable to high severity cases.


This article highlights a systemic aspect of the liberal peace that has been underemphasized by the existing literature. It argues that the liberal peace is constructed in part by the active efforts of a variety of liberal states and international organizations to promote democracy within states. This article examines the collective defense of democracy regime in the Americas to illustrate this political dynamic and applies Immanuel Kant's original formulation of the liberal pacific union to understand the contemporary inter-American system. The combination of a stronger Organization of American States built on a liberal democratic consensus among member-states, increasing trade interdependence, and a more liberal regional hegemony has transformed the inter-American system. One of the principal manifestations of this enhanced liberalism is that states in the Americas have agreed to intervene collectively in the domestic affairs of member-states to ensure the continuation of democratic regimes. For elected leaders and economic elites throughout the region and US policymakers, this support for democratic rule reflects material self-interest more than liberal idealism. While this collective defense of democracy regime, codified in the `Santiago Commitment' of 1991, clearly reflects the increasingly liberal character of the inter-American system, this regime also challenges the principled commitment to self-determination that was essential to Kant's original formulation of the liberal pacific union. We examine the regional response to the first three overt challenges to the Santiago Commitment, in Haiti (1991), Peru (1992), and Guatemala (1993) to show how the collective defense of democracy has become a crucial element of how liberalism shapes international politics in the Americas.


Background: How to define poor growth response in the management of short growth hormone (GH)-treated children is controversial. Aim: Assess various criteria of poor response. Subjects and Methods: Short GH-treated prepubertal children [n = 456; height (Ht) SD score (SDS) ≤–2] with idiopathic GH deficiency (IGHD, n = 173), idiopathic short stature (ISS, n = 37), small for gestational age (SGA, n = 54), organic GHD (OGHD, n = 40), Turner syndrome (TS, n = 43), skeletal dysplasia (n = 15), other diseases (n = 46) or syndromes (n = 48) were evaluated in this retrospective multicenter study. Median age at GH start was 6.3 years and Ht SDS –3.2. Results: Median [25–75 percentile] first-year gain in Ht SDS was 0.65 (0.40–0.90) and height velocity (HtV) 8.67 (7.51–9.90) cm/year. Almost 50% of IGHD children fulfilled at least one criterion for poor responders. In 28% of IGHD children, Ht SDS gain was <0.5 and they had lower increases in median IGF-I SDS than those with Ht SDS >0.5. Only IGHD patients with peak stimulated growth hormone level <3 µg/l responded better than those with ISS. A higher proportion of children with TS, skeletal dysplasia or born SGA had Ht SDS gain <0.5. Conclusion: Many children respond poorly to GH therapy. Recommendations defining a criterion may help in managing short stature patients.


This document defines a mechanism by which two entities can make use
of SDP arrive at a common view of a multimedia session between them.
In the model, one participant offers the other a description of the
desired session from their perspective, and the other participant
answers with the desired session from their perspective. This
offer/answer model is most useful in unicast sessions where
information from both participants is needed for the complete view of
the session. The offer/answer model is used by protocols like SIP.


This article examines the historical period represented within Ben Jonson's play, The Case is Altered (1598), and compares it to the chronology of events in the outside world. By untangling the different historical layers (iconospheres) invoked intertextually by the play and charting their transformation (as chronomorphs) into a new cultural context, the paper rediscovers some of the immediacy that the play may have had for contemporary audiences (particularly through its resurfacing of the figure of Sir Thomas More). In this way, it demonstrates how tools deriving from the field of Cultural Imagology may be used to enhance our diachronic understanding of literary communication.


Benzodiazepines (BDZ) are among the most widely prescribed drugs known to date. However, their broad spectrum of behavioral activity and lack of specificity circumscribe their effectiveness as drugs. With the goal of designing more selective benzodiazepine receptor ligands, Dr. Loew's research group has contributed to literature over the years with both experimental and computational studies. We report here a summary of the most recent computational work carried out in our laboratory on 21 structurally diverse benzodiazepine receptor ligands, using as a data set their in-house experimental results of activity at the anxiolytic, sedative, and hyperphagic endpoints. The chemical and geometric determinants common to the overlapping binding regions of benzodiazepine agonists, antagonists, and inverse agonists were identified at each of these three behavioral endpoints. The three resulting 3D pharmacophores did not encompass all the molecular requirements for recognition and activation of GABAA/BDZ receptors. They provided instead a means of obtaining accurate bioactive conformations for use in statistical studies, such as quantitative structure-activity relationship and multivariate discriminant analyses. These studies can serve as a guide to predict both ligand affinities and activities. In the present work, multivariate discriminant analysis of global physicochemical properties is performed to provide new hypotheses for activation selectivity at the sedation endpoint. Although this analysis relies on a relatively small set of compounds, its results can still aim at compound screening and future identification of novel selective benzodiazepine receptor ligands. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem 88: 56-64, 2002


Background: Novel oral anticoagulant (NOAC) use has significantly reduced Intracerebral Hemorrhagic (ICH) risk compared to standard anticoagulant treatment. Increased ICH hematoma expansion (HE) is a known predictor of mortality in warfarin associated ICH. Little is known about ICH expansion in patients using NOACs.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective chart review of patients with ICH admitted to CSMC from Oct 2010 through March 2015. We identified patients with concomitant administration of either a NOAC or warfarin and collected data including the following: reason for agent prescription, time to brain imaging, evidence of HE on imaging, and discharge status and mRS at discharge. We defined HE as either relative expansion (≥ 33% increase) or absolute expansion (≥ 12 mL). We compared outcomes of patients with and without HE.

Results: Out of 642 patients admitted with ICH within this time period, we identified 7 patients with concomitant NOAC use and a sample of 14 matched patients on warfarin. Patients on NOACs vs warfarin patients had no significant differences in NIHSS or ICH score on presentation (median [IQR] 21 [11,22] vs 16 [5,26] and 2 [1,4] vs 2 [1,2]). 4 out of 7 coagulopathic NOAC patents demonstrated HE, compared to 5 out of the 14 warfarin patients that demonstrated HE, with no significant difference. Of the NOAC subset, the median NIHSS on presentation was 21 [13,23.5] and the median ICH score on presentation was 2 [2,4]. There were no significant differences in mRS on discharge in NOAC patient with HE vs without or warfarin patients with HE vs without (5 [4,6] vs. 5.5 [4.5,6] and 4 [3.5,6] vs 3 [3,5.5]).

Conclusions: In our coagulopathic NOAC patient population, HE continues beyond 6 hours in 57% of patients. To our knowledge, this is the largest case series reporting on HE with concomitant NOAC use. This case series was not statistically powered to show significant differences between groups, although outcomes in patients suffering from HE appear to be poor in general. Expansion of the initial hematoma is a possible target for medical intervention. The better outcomes in warfarin patients in our cohort are likely related to the targeted reversal of coagulopathy.


Mountains have a diverse array of microclimates arising from their varied topography. Due to the diversity of altitudes, climates and landscapes, they support a high diversity of plants, including many endemic and rare species. The objective of the project was to investigate the impact of climate, altitude and edaphic factors on the floral diversity in Hunza valley (Northern Areas, Pakistan), and further to investigate the changes in endogenous stress hormone (abscisic acid), sugar and proline (as osmoregulant) in plants with respect to variation in altitude.

Five field areas viz. Ultar, Sheshpar, Updegar, Batura and Chupursan were selected for vegetation surveys, measurement of air temperature and humidity during summer, determination of chemical characteristics of the soils and ethnobotanical studies of selected flora. To record the important plants used as curatives by Brusho tribes of Hunza valley an ethnobotanical survey was conducted. Thermo- hygrograph with hair element and bimetal were installed for the measurement of temperature and humidity. Soil moisture determination was made by jet filled tensiometers. High Performance Liquid Chromatography was used for determination of a plant stress hormone abscisic acid whereas, sugars, protein and proline were determined spectrophotometerically. The Ultar pasture was chosen as the area for detailed study, because of its easy access and high plant species diversity. Chemical characteristics of soil were determined using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer, as and where applied.

The total number of identified species from the field areas of Sheshpar, Ultar, Batura, Updeger, and Chupursan was 218, belonging to 47 families. The important families were Asteraceae (37 species), Papilionaceae (20 species), Poaceae (14 species), Lamiaceae (11species) and Rosaceae (10 species). The observed species richness pattern in the field areas showed that Sheshpar with 116 species had the highest species richness while Chupursan with 82 species inhabit minimum number of species.

The number of observed species at one to five sites and the number of commonly occurring species differed significantly whereas, the number of rare species showed no significant difference in the five field areas.

Species like Anaphalis nepalensis, Thymus serpyllum and Aristida showed a greater range of altitudinal limits as compared to other plant species observed in the areas of Ultar and Updegar. There was a significant difference in the number of species growing in the range of 0-300 m in the field areas of Ultar and Updegar.

The yearly average maximum and minimum temperatures and humidity recorded from April to September at Ultar and Chupursan showed that 2002 was a relatively warm year than 2001. A decreasing trend of humidity patterns was observed from south (Ultar) to north (Chupursan), showing adequate moisture availability at Ultar as compared to Chupursan.

The observed species richness was higher at Ultar as compared to Chupursan. Data showed that the soils of Ultar and Sheshpar are more acidic as compared to the other field areas. Values for K, Mn, P and N03 - N were observed to be highest at Ultar as compared with other field areas. Chupursan soil showed significantly higher Fe content, lower EC values and lower value of N03 - N content as compared to other areas.

Endogenous sugar, protein, proline and abscisic acid content of leaves were higher in all the species collected at 3,500 m a.s.l. as compared to 3,000 m a.s.l. Higher average soil moisture values were recorded on north facing slope than south facing slope at Ultar.

Over-gazing reduced the diversity of flora, and changed species composition, by depleting species at Ultar pastures. Stocking densities at Ultar pastures for three consecutive years (2000, 2001 and 2002) showed a general trend of increasing number of animal units. The increase in abscisic acid, protein, sugar and proline contents appeared to be correlated with the increase in altitude in all the plant species.


A right only has any value if there is a remedy providing for the acknowledgement and enforcement thereof. An increase in medical malpractice claims can be expected in South Africa in view of the fact that the public is becoming more and more aware of its rights in respect of health services and health care. The public opinion calls for development of dispute resolution proceedings. The fact that the law is not accessible to everyone in South Africa is a matter of concern. High litigation costs, coupled with the time consuming protracted, formal and complicated process, call for a transformation towards an alternative, non-judicial process that is suitable for a particular dispute and apposite to the parties involved. Selection panels, the medical ombudsperson and arbitration clauses incorporated in doctor/patient agreements, are ADR mechanisms that have been proved by American law as suitable for resolution of medical malpractice claims. In this particular article attention is paid to screening panels as pre-trial mechanism with the exclusive purpose to select malpractice disputes, discourage unfounded disputes and to encourage an early settlement in case of a prima facie case. Several objections have been raised by critics in this regard, for instance, a screening panel infringes on: the right of equal protection/the right of access to the courts/the right to a jury trial/the right to a due process as well as on the trias politica doctrine. These so-called infringements are attended to and eventually a positive conclusion regarding screening panels is made: medical screening panels (consisting generally of a medical doctor, a lawyer and a member of public), based on the American experience, is indeed an appropriate dispute resolution method.


Upon falling onto the water surface, most terrestrial arthropods helplessly struggle and are quickly eaten by aquatic predators. Exceptions to this outcome mostly occur among riparian taxa that escape by walking or swimming at the water surface. Here we document sustained, directional, neustonic locomotion (i.e. surface swimming) in tropical arboreal ants. We dropped 35 species of ants into natural and artificial aquatic settings in Peru and Panama to assess their swimming ability. Ten species showed directed surface swimming at speeds >3 body lengths s−1, with some swimming at absolute speeds >10 cm s−1. Ten other species exhibited partial swimming ability characterized by relatively slow but directed movement. The remaining species showed no locomotory control at the surface. The phylogenetic distribution of swimming among ant genera indicates parallel evolution and a trend toward negative association with directed aerial descent behavior. Experiments with workers of Odontomachus bauri showed that they escape from the water by directing their swimming toward dark emergent objects (i.e. skototaxis). Analyses of high-speed video images indicate that Pachycondyla spp. and O. bauri use a modified alternating tripod gait when swimming; they generate thrust at the water surface via synchronized treading and rowing motions of the contralateral fore and mid legs, respectively, while the hind legs provide roll stability. These results expand the list of facultatively neustonic terrestrial taxa to include various species of tropical arboreal ants.


Stress shadows generated by California's two most recent great earthquakes (1857 Fort Tejon and 1906 San Francisco) substantially modified 19th and 20th century earthquake history in the Los Angeles basin and in the San Francisco Bay area. Simple Coulomb failure calculations, which assume that earthquakes can be modeled as static dislocations in an elastic half-space, have done quite well at approximating how long the stress shadows, or relaxing effects, should last and at predicting where subsequent large earthquakes will not occur. There has, however, been at least one apparent exception to the predictions of such simple models. The 1911 M>6.0 earthquake near Morgan Hill, California, occurred at a relaxed site on the Calaveras fault. We examine how the more complex rate-and-state friction formalism based on laboratory experiments might have allowed the 1911 earthquake. Rate-and-state time-to-failure calculations are consistent with the occurrence of the 1911 event just 5 years after 1906 if the Calaveras fault was already close to failure before the effects of 1906. We also examine the likelihood that the entire 78 years of relative quiet (only four M≥6 earthquakes) in the bay area after 1906 is consistent with rate-and-state assumptions, given that the previous 7 decades produced 18 M≥6 earthquakes. Combinations of rate-and-state variables can be found that are consistent with this pattern of large bay area earthquakes, assuming that the rate of earthquakes in the 7 decades before 1906 would have continued had 1906 not occurred. These results demonstrate that rate-and-state offers a consistent explanation for the 78-year quiescence and the 1911 anomaly, although they do not rule out several alternate explanations.


The internal architecture of the 2006 block‐and‐ash flow deposits of Merapi volcano (Java, Indonesia) was investigated using data collected from 27 stratigraphic sections measured immediately after flow emplacement, and after one and two rainy seasons of erosion. Identification of different depositional units and their longitudinal and lateral facies variations provide detailed information about: (i) the distribution, volumes and sedimentological characteristics of the different units; (ii) flow types and mobility as inferred from associated deposits; and (iii) changes in the dynamics of the different flows and their material during emplacement. Two main types of block‐and‐ash flows (short‐runout to medium‐runout block‐and‐ash flows and long‐runout block‐and‐ash flows) are defined based on flow generation mechanism, flow volume, travel distance, deposit morphology, distribution, lithology and grain‐size distribution. Conceptual models for the transport and depositional mechanisms of these two types of block‐and‐ash flows are presented. Variations in the runout distances observed for short‐runout to medium‐runout block‐and‐ash flows are linked directly to different initial flow volumes, degree of fragmentation and material properties of the moving mass during transport, with the largest and finer grained flows having the greatest mobility. Deposition occurs only over a narrow range of basal inclinations close to the angle of repose for pyroclastic material, indicating that such flows behave in a similar way to granular‐free surface flows on unconfined planes. The flow mechanisms of long‐runout block‐and‐ash flows at Merapi are interpreted to be similar, in many respects, to unsteady, cohesionless grain flows with an inertial flow regime where collisional forces largely overcome frictional forces. Flow unsteadiness causes the main body to be segmented into different pulses that run closer to each other as the flow moves downslope. Deposition occurs stepwise, with rapid aggradation of stacked sub‐units from different parts of the major flow pulses. In such a model, the arrival of each flow pulse front at selected sites in the main river valley controls the generation and development of highly mobile, unconfined pyroclastic flows outside valley regions and their associated overbank deposits.


Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is an important disinfectant and bleach and is currently manufactured from an indirect process involving sequential hydrogenation/oxidation of anthaquinones. However, a direct process in which H2 and O2 are reacted would be preferable. Unfortunately, catalysts for the direct synthesis of H2O2 are also effective for its subsequent decomposition, and this has limited their development. We show that acid pretreatment of a carbon support for gold-palladium alloy catalysts switches off the decomposition of H2O2. This treatment decreases the size of the alloy nanoparticles, and these smaller nanoparticles presumably decorate and inhibit the sites for the decomposition reaction. Hence, when used in the direct synthesis of H2O2, the acid-pretreated catalysts give high yields of H2O2 with hydrogen selectivities greater than 95%.


A 31 March ruling from the International Court of Justice in The Hague, the Netherlands, found that Japan9s justification for killing thousands of minke whales in the Southern Ocean since the mid-1990s didn9t pass scientific muster. Japan, which signed a 1982 ban on commercial whaling, said it had a right to conduct the kills under the research provisions of a 1946 whaling agreement, and argued the lethal studies were needed to understand whale populations and marine ecosystems. But the government of Australia challenged that view in a 2010 lawsuit, arguing that the research was a cover for continued commercial whaling. By a 12 to four vote, the court agreed, finding that Japan had used flawed and nonscientific methods to justify the cull, and had produced little scientific knowledge. It isn9t clear, however, whether the ruling will deter Japan from whaling; it applies only to the Antarctic hunt, and not to future hunts or to a similar Japanese program in the North Pacific.