Acacia ataxacanta leaves were screened for possible constituents, and the antimicrobial properties of the leaves were tested against 18 isolates of Escherichia coli O157:H7. The leaves were aseptically collected and crude extracts were prepared by cold maceration in 98% methanol. Phytochemical analysis for bioactive constituents revealed that it contained carbohydrates, cardiac glycosides, steroids, saponins, triterpenes, tannins, flavonoids and alkaloids. Partitioning of the crude extract yielded n-hexane, ethyl acetate and aqueous fractions were evaluated with their minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC). The various concentrations of the crude extracts (600, 500, 400, 300, 200, 100, 50, 25, 12.5 and 3.15 mg/ml) were tested on the isolates. The crude extract demonstrated antibacterial activity against E. coli O157:H7 isolates with zones of inhibition ranging from 15.67±0.3 to 18.67± 0.3 mm at concentrations of 300 to 600 mg/ml. Ethyl acetate fraction was identified as the most potent of the fractions with bacteriostatic activity displayed as wide zone of bacterial growth inhibition of 18 and 13 mm at 200 mg/ml against the isolates. The aqueous fraction produced comparatively lower zones of bacterial growth inhibition of 12 and 15 mm at higher concentrations of 300 to 600 mg/ml. The MIC for the extracts was 100, 200 and 300 mg/ml for the crude extract, ethyl acetate and aqueous fractions respectively. It is therefore concluded that A. ataxacantha leaves tested contains bioactive constituents which are of high medicinal value. It is necessary that the extract should be further purified and exploited for toxicological use to confirm its safety in disease therapy, using higher molecular techniques.


We demonstrate a method to directly demodulate closed-fringe interferograms using a kind of active contour called a snake. This method can be used to demodulate a single closed-fringe interferogram when its background illumination and/or contrast terms have a spatial frequency similar to the spatial frequency of the equivalent normalized interferogram. Among other cases, this problematic usually appears in interferometry when spurious reflection appears in the interferogram. In these situations, typical Fourier-based methods are of no help. We show a set of simulations and experimental results that prove the effectiveness of the proposed method.


A stunning oversized collection of our most sacred guardians, "The Glory of Angels", begins by organizing angels by their closeness to God. Illustrations, short stories, and quotes highlight the importance of guardian angels and archangels including Michael, Gabriel and Raphael. Special features explore such topics as the use of music as the voice of angels, angels in mythology, and angels and the last judgement. They explore how angels guide us by protecting and warning us of danger, healing and comforting us, and urging us to follow God's path. In-depth essays reveal the stories of fallen angels, angels in disguise, and angels who have given in to temptation. There are also inspiring accounts of those who have been visited by angels - Joan of Arc, King Lear, Willaim Blake, Lot, Daniel, Jacob - and how each eventually overcame his hardship with the help of an angel. A full reference section is included in the back of the book, along with a visual glossary of images and illustrations describing each piece of art in detail and noting the name, date, location and artist. Designed as a keepsake with beautiful gatefolds throughout, "The Glory of Angels" is a perfect holiday gift and an inspiration to return to and reflect on time and time again.


Abstract We present information on the use of trees by Elaphe obsoleta (Texas Ratsnake) in a mesic pine-hardwood forest in eastern Texas. Using radiotelemetry, seven snakes (3 females, 4 males) were relocated a total of 363 times from April 2004 to May 2005, resulting in 201 unique locations. Snakes selected trees containing cavities and used hardwoods and snags for a combined 95% of arboreal locations. Texas Ratsnake arboreal activity peaked during July and August, well after the peak of avian breeding activity, suggesting arboreal activity involves factors other than avian predation.


Title BACTERIOLOGICAL STUDIES ON STREPTOCOCCI FROM BOVINE UDDER I. : SEROLOGICAL AND BIOCHEMICAL OBSERVATIONS ON GROUP-B STREPTOCOCCI AND A GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF STREPTOCOCCI FROM BOVINE MILK IN HOKKAIDO Author(s) SHIMIZU, Kiheiji Citation Japanese Journal of Veterinary Research, 6(4), 209-225 Issue Date 1959-01-30 DOI 10.14943/jjvr.6.4.209 Doc URL http://hdl.handle.net/2115/1739 Type bulletin (article) File Information KJ00002373196.pdf


Everyone occasionally experiences anxiety. In fact, an appropriate level of anxiety allows for the optimal performance of any task. There are times, however, when anxiety becomes problematic, undermining one's confidence and ultimately his or her performance. For teachers, there is a specific anxiety, teaching anxiety, which can lead to long term struggles in the classroom. Teaching anxiety appears to be a predicament for a significant number of post-secondary educators; yet little data were found on the subject. The purpose of this study was to systematically examine perceptions regarding the sources and effects of teaching anxiety among two-year college faculty. The aim was to assemble details about those college faculty members' insights through an assessment of their perspectives on the sources and effects of teaching anxiety. The study was directed by the following central research question: What do twoyear college faculty members perceive as the sources and effects of teaching anxiety? The following subquestions further clarified the direction of the study: (1) How do the participants describe their own or their colleagues' experiences with teaching anxiety? (2) What do the participants understand about both the immediate and long-term effects of teaching anxiety? (3) How do those participants cope with teaching anxiety if they experience(d) it? To propose a grounded theory, this study utilized partially structured one-on-one interviews with two-year college faculty to illuminate the intrinsic properties of their perceptions about teaching anxiety. A conceptual model of inter-related perceptions concerning the sources and effects of teaching anxiety emerged from the data.


This study calculates Robert Allen's "welfare ratio" for eleven cities in Japan, Korea, Manchuria, and Taiwan from 1900-39. Although considerable gap in prices and nominal wages existed, real wages remained roughly comparable in the 1910s in different cities of East Asia outside Manchuria, where unskilled workers enjoyed substantially higher living standards. Interwar decades saw real wage grow at different speeds in East Asian cities, causing both convergence, e.g. between Dairen and Tokyo, and divergence, e.g. between Beijing and Taipei. Workers in various cities of East Asia fared differently, primarily because productivity advanced at distinct speeds depending upon the amount of human capital available.


Based on our reliable high-power picosecond laser source with high beam qualities, we designed a compact and efficient third harmonic generation scheme by cascading a frequency doubling and a sum frequency generation using LBO as the nonlinear material. A maximum output of 39.1 W with a repeat rate of 1 MHz at 355 nm was obtained, which implied a pulse energy of 39.1 μJ, which was the highest picosecond UV pulse energy with an all-solid-state setup so far. The total conversion efficiency from infrared to UV was up to 46%. And the output UV has excellent beam qualities with an M-square factor less than 1.1.


Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of cycling fatigue on co-activation of knee muscles during running in novice triathletes. Methods: Twelve novice male triathletes aged 23.7±2.1 years participated in this quasi experimental study. Surface electromyographic activity from gastrocnemius, rectus femoris, vastus medialis, vastus lateralis, biceps femoris and semitendinosus were recorded during support and non-support phases of running before and after cycling fatigue protocol. General and directed co-activation of the knee muscles were calculated. Paired t-test was used to analyze the data(P≤0.05). Results: General co-activation was significantly reduced in propulsion sub-phase, total support and non-support phases after fatigue (p=0.001), but there were not any differences in heel contact and midstance sub-phases. Fatigue only altered directed co-activation of medial and lateral knee muscles during heel contact sub-phase (p=0.034). Extensor and flexor directed co-activation during non-support phase of running significantly decreased after fatigue (p=0.011). Conclusion: Changes in the co-activation during running after cycling fatigue can alter running pattern and reduce the knee function consequently, causing injuries to the lower limbs in novice triathletes.


Background and purpose: Studying the expression of P16 gene which is a tumor suppressor in breast cancer is beneficial for clinical and pathological studies. The purpose of this study was to determine the expression of P16 gene in breast cancer samples using histological and immunohistochemical analyses. Materials and methods: This descriptive analytical research was conducted in 100 breast cancer samples obtained from Eemdad Shhid Beheshti Hospital in Sabzevar, Iran. The samples were fixed in formalin and sections were processed, then, the slides were stained. The diagnosis was made by two pathologists. Data analysis was done in SPSS V16 using Chisquare test. Results: A total of 100 specimens was studied in which the overexpression of P16 gene was detected in 82 (82%), while in 18 (18%) malignant samples no overexpression was found. Overexpression of the gene was not found in normal samples too. There were significant relationships between high grade tumors and stage of tumors with overexpression of P16 (P<0.001, P<0.46, respectively). Conclusion: In current study, the P16 overexpression was observed more in patients with high grade tumors. Therefore, the overexpression of this gene indicates a poor prognosis in breast cancer.


The Hailar River, a first-grade tributary of the Erguna River that borders China and Russia, is the main water source for the local industry and agriculture. However, because there are only 11 flow gauging stations and those stations cannot monitor all runoff paths, it is hard to directly use the existing flow data to estimate the annual runoffs from all subbasins of interest although such estimation is needed for utilization and protection of the water resources in the Hailar River. Thus, this study implemented an indirect approach (i.e., regional regression model) by correlating annual runoff with annual rainfall and water surface evaporation as well as hydrologic characteristics of the 11 subbasins monitored by the gauging stations. The study used 51 years (from 1956 to 2006) data. The results indicated a significant correlation (R2 > 0.87) between annual runoff and the selected subbasin characteristics and showed the model to be robust because the predicted runoffs for the validation period are compatible with the corresponding observed values. In addition, this model was used to estimate the annual runoffs for the subbasins that are not monitored by the 11 flow gauging stations, which adds new information to existing literature.


Aim: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of post-exercise passive heating strategies (sauna suit and hot water immersion) on VO2max, economy, and lactate threshold. Methods: Following recruitment, participants were randomized into one of three groups: 1) exercise training alone – control (N=10), 2) exercise training with post-exercise hot water immersion (N=10), and exercise training with post-exercise sauna suit (N=10). At baseline and post-program participants completed a running economy protocol and maximal exercise testing protocol to measure VO2max and lactate threshold. The running economy protocol consisted of three consecutive 5-minute stages: stage 1 = 4.6 mph, stage 2 = 5.0 mph, and stage 3 = 5.4 mph. Ventilatory thresholds (VT1 and VT2) were also obtained during the maximal exercise testing protocols. The running economy and maximal exercise testing protocols were performed two times (at both baseline and post-program) to quantify the biological variability of VO2max, economy, and lactate threshold. Results: After 3wk, mean VO2max changes in the sauna suit and hot water immersion groups were significantly greater (p < 0.05) when compared to the control group. Similarly, following the 3wk intervention, lactate threshold changes in the sauna suit and hot water immersion groups were significantly more favorable (p < 0.05) when compared to the control group. In the hot water immersion group, there were significant within-group improvements (p < 0.05) in economy between baseline and 3wk for all three stages. In the control group, 50% (4/8) of individuals were categorized as responders (change in VO2max (Δ > 3.2%)) and 50% (4/8) were categorized as non-responders (Δ ≤ 3.2%). In the hot water immersion and sauna suit groups, the incidence of VO2max responders were significantly (p < 0.05) greater when compared to the control group. In fact, there were 100% VO2max training responsiveness (7/7 and 9/9) in the hot water immersion and sauna suit groups, respectively. Conclusions: Both post-exercise passive heating strategies were equally effective at increasing VO2max and lactate threshold values. In addition, post-exercise hot water immersion was a more effective strategy at improving running economy relative to wearing a sauna suit after exercise.


Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the biopolitical trade-offs inherent to contemporary capitalism are cascading down to higher education. Based on insights derived from theories of digitalized capitalism, this article argues that the emergency shift of educational activities online has much potential to heighten the expropriation of digital academic labour. The net result is an intensification of the master process of digitally driven academic proletarianization. At the same time, the reopening of campuses in countries and regions with high infection rates demonstrably puts academics and others at risk. Both of these developments provide reasons, the article maintains, to support the introduction of universal basic income (UBI). After drawing the crucial distinction between UBI as an emergency response and UBI as an institutionally frame-breaking initiative, the latter – non-emergency UBI – is advocated as a solution to the increasingly binaristic choice between work and life in the neoliberal university and beyond.


SUMMARY The hypothesis of oxygen limitation of thermal tolerance proposes that critical temperatures are set by a transition to anaerobic metabolism, and that upper and lower tolerances are therefore coupled. Moreover, this hypothesis has been dubbed a unifying general principle and extended from marine to terrestrial ectotherms. By contrast, in insects the upper and lower limits are decoupled, suggesting that the oxygen limitation hypothesis might not be as general as proposed. However, no direct tests of this hypothesis or its predictions have been undertaken in terrestrial species. We use a terrestrial isopod (Armadillidium vulgare) and a tenebrionid beetle (Gonocephalum simplex) to test the prediction that thermal tolerance should vary with oxygen partial pressure. Whilst in the isopod critical thermal maximum declined with declining oxygen concentration, this was not the case in the beetle. Efficient oxygen delivery via a tracheal system makes oxygen limitation of thermal tolerance, at a whole organism level, unlikely in insects. By contrast, oxygen limitation of thermal tolerances is expected to apply to species, like the isopod, in which the circulatory system contributes significantly to oxygen delivery. Because insects dominate terrestrial systems, oxygen limitation of thermal tolerance cannot be considered pervasive in this habitat, although it is a characteristic of marine species.


Male dominance rank, physical strength, indices of reproductive success, and indices of reproductive potential are correlated with masculine characteristics in many animal species, including humans. Accordingly, men generally perceive masculinized versions of men's faces and voices to be more dominant than feminized versions. Less dominant men incur greater costs when they incorrectly perceive the dominance of rivals. Consequently, it may be adaptive for less dominant men to be particularly sensitive to cues of dominance in other men. Because height is a reliable index of men's dominance, we investigated the relationship between own height and men's sensitivity to masculine characteristics when judging the dominance of other men's faces and voices. Although men generally perceived masculinized faces and voices to be more dominant than feminized versions, this effect of masculinity on dominance perceptions was significantly greater among shorter men than among taller men. These findings suggest that differences among men in the potential costs of incorrectly perceiving the dominance of rivals have shaped systematic variation in men's perceptions of the dominance of potential rivals. Copyright 2010, Oxford University Press.


BACKGROUND
Glioblastoma multiforme, a World Health Organization grade IV glioma, has a poor prognosis in humans despite current treatment options. Here, we present magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data regarding the regression of aggressive rat F98 gliomas and human U87 glioma xenografts after treatment with the nitrone compound OKN-007, a disulfonyl derivative of α-phenyl-tert-butyl nitrone.

METHODS
MRI was used to assess tumor volumes in F98 and U87 gliomas, and bioluminescence imaging was used to measure tumor volumes in F98 gliomas encoded with the luciferase gene (F98(luc)). Immunohistochemistry was used to assess angiogenesis (vascular endothelial growth factor [VEGF] and microvessel density [MVD]), cell differentiation (carbonic anhydrase IX [CA-IX]), hypoxia (hypoxia-inducible factor-1α [HIF-1α]), cell proliferation (glucose transporter 1 [Glut-1] and MIB-1), proliferation index, and apoptosis (cleaved caspase 3) markers in F98 gliomas. VEGF, CA-IX, Glut-1, HIF-1α, and cleaved caspase 3 were assessed in U87 gliomas.

RESULTS
Animal survival was found to be significantly increased (P < .001 for F98, P < .01 for U87) in the group that received OKN-007 treatment compared with the untreated groups. After MRI detection of F98 gliomas, OKN-007, administered orally, was found to decrease tumor growth (P < .05). U87 glioma volumes were found to significantly decrease (P < .05) after OKN-007 treatment, compared with untreated animals. OKN-007 administration resulted in significant decreases in tumor hypoxia (HIF-1α [P < .05] in both F98 and U87), angiogenesis (MVD [P < .05], but not VEGF, in F98 or U87), and cell proliferation (Glut-1 [P < .05 in F98, P < .01 in U87] and MIB-1 [P < .01] in F98) and caused a significant increase in apoptosis (cleaved caspase 3 [P < .001 in F98, P < .05 in U87]), compared with untreated animals.

CONCLUSIONS
OKN-007 may be considered as a promising therapeutic addition or alternative for the treatment of aggressive human gliomas.


The strategy layer is an important architectural component in both Content-Centric Networking (CCN) and Named Data Networking (NDN). This component introduces a new forwarding model that allows an application to configure its namespace with a forwarding strategy. A core mechanism in every forwarding strategy is the decision of whether to retransmit an unsatisfied Interest or to wait for an application retransmission. While some applications request control of all retransmissions, others rely on the assumption that the strategy will retransmit an Interest when it is not satisfied. Although an application can select the forwarding strategy used in the local host, it cannot guarantee the selection of the same strategy in other nodes in the network, especially in shared resource environments. In some scenarios, a developer must bind the implementation of the application to the details of the deployed forwarding strategy to guarantee the correctness of his application. In this paper we discuss the core mechanisms of a forwarding strategy in NDN, and we explore the importance and impact of in-network retransmissions on the application's performance and correctness. We propose and implement a simple forwarding strategy abstraction that allows the application to decide whether a network retransmission is required, and differentiate application retransmissions from network retransmissions. We show that in some scenarios, such as multiple producers application or multipath consumerproducer service, the proposed abstraction can significantly reduce the percentage of unsatisfied Interests.


Today's smart city agendas are the latest iteration of urban sociotechnical innovation. Their aim is to use information and communication technologies (ICT) to improve the economic and environmental performance of cities while hopefully providing a better quality of life for residents. Urban planners have a long-standing tradition of aligning technological innovation with the built environment and residents but have been only peripherally engaged in smart cities debates to date. However, this situation is beginning to change as iconic, one-of-a-kind smart projects are giving way to the 'actually existing' smart city and ICT interventions are emerging as ubiquitous features of twenty-first century cities. The aim of this thematic issue is to explore the various ways that smart cities are influencing and being influenced by urban planning. The articles provide empirical evidence of how urban planners are engaging with processes of smart urbanisation through projects, practices, and politics. They reveal the profound and lasting influence of digitalisation on urban planning and the multiple opportunities for urban planners to serve as champions and drivers of the smart city.


The corporate objective, namely, in whose interests should a company be run, is the most important theoretical and practical issue confronting us today, as the core objectives animate or should animate every decision a company makes. Despite decades of debate, there is no consensus regarding what the corporate objective is or ought to be. Contrary to the widely held belief that the corporate objective should be shareholder wealth maximization (SWM), this article seeks to demonstrate that SWM is unsuitable by exploring its main problems. As an antithesis to SWM, the stakeholder theory generally emerges and develops to be an alternative. Justifications will be offered from different aspects. In particular, its advantages in solving short-termism and externalization compared with SWM will be focused on.


We investigate the role of augmented reality (AR) as a new kind of handheld interface to enhance navigation. We integrate AR with other more common interfaces into a handheld navigation system, and we conduct an exploratory study to see where and how people exploit the AR interface. Based on previous work on augmented photographs, we hypothesize that AR is more useful as a support for wayfinding at static locations just before road intersections. In partial contradiction with our hypotheses, our results show that AR is used mostly while walking, usually shortly before and after road intersections. Our results help drawing considerations informing both the design of AR interfaces and the development of tracking technologies.


Abstract. Currently, the anthropogenic perturbation of the biogeochemical cycles remains unquantified due to the poor representation of lateral fluxes of carbon and nutrients in Earth system models (ESMs). This lateral transport of carbon and nutrients between terrestrial ecosystems is strongly affected by accelerated soil erosion rates. However, the quantification of global soil erosion by rainfall and runoff, and the resulting redistribution is missing. This study aims at developing new tools and methods to estimate global soil erosion and redistribution by presenting and evaluating a new large-scale coarse-resolution sediment budget model that is compatible with ESMs. This model can simulate spatial patterns and long-term trends of soil redistribution in floodplains and on hillslopes, resulting from external forces such as climate and land use change. We applied the model to the Rhine catchment using climate and land cover data from the Max Planck Institute Earth System Model (MPI-ESM) for the last millennium (here AD 850–2005). Validation is done using observed Holocene sediment storage data and observed scaling between sediment storage and catchment area. We find that the model reproduces the spatial distribution of floodplain sediment storage and the scaling behavior for floodplains and hillslopes as found in observations. After analyzing the dependence of the scaling behavior on the main parameters of the model, we argue that the scaling is an emergent feature of the model and mainly dependent on the underlying topography. Furthermore, we find that land use change is the main contributor to the change in sediment storage in the Rhine catchment during the last millennium. Land use change also explains most of the temporal variability in sediment storage in floodplains and on hillslopes.


This dissertation examines the reasons for which a seller may decide to conduct a multi-unit auction sequentially rather than simultaneously. It analyzes the manner in which the information generated during a sequential auction can affect bidding to the seller's benefit and demonstrates the requirement of intertemporal commitment to the auction rules.When the seller cannot commit not to alter the reserve price over time, the bidders are reluctant to reveal their valuations. Therefore, with single-unit demands, a symmetric monotone equilibrium exists only in a sequential Dutch auction. In the earlier rounds of this auction, because of the anticipation of lower reserve prices in the future, some buyers prefer not to submit a bid, although their valuations exceed the requested reserve price. Furthermore, any buyer submitting a bid shades it sharply. Consequently, under imperfect commitment, the optimal sequential auction results in lower expected revenue than its simultaneous counterpart.In the presence of allocative and informational externalities, in particular, in a sale of two oligopoly licenses, a sequential auction succeeds in eliminating some of the payoff uncertainty by allocating the licenses in an ordered manner, according to the bidders' strength. Therefore, the weaker oligopolist can acquire his license at a lower price than the one he would pay in a simultaneous auction. In addition, he can avoid overpaying. Conversely, the stronger oligopolist pays a higher price, so that, when the bidders' production costs are independent, the two auction schemes generate the same expected revenue. Therefore, without affecting the seller's revenue or efficiency objectives, the sequential auction results in a more equal distribution of the wealth generated by the oligopoly.Finally, when the preparation or submission of bids is costly, so that a buyer will not enter the auction unless he expects a substantial gain from it, low prices in the earlier rounds of a sequential sale trigger stronger participation, and, consequently, higher prices in the later rounds. A sequential auction, therefore, may result in higher expected revenue than a simultaneous sale, especially when the number of potential bidders is large, the participation cost small, or the distribution of valuations convex.


Abstract The environmental history of Big Willum (Waandriipayn) Swamp and the surrounding landscape is reconstructed for the last 8000 years through the analysis of pollen, charcoal and mineral magnetics. The data provide a Holocene record of vegetation and fire in an area where few records exist. Swamp initiation at Big Willum began prior to 8000 cal. BP, with swamp–like conditions maintained until 2200 cal. BP, after which it became a permanent deep water body, reaching its present day extent between 600–400 cal. BP. From 7000–1200 cal. BP the surrounding woodland was essentially stable. Fire is present throughout the record, with only one period of pronounced burning outside of the historic period, at around 1000 cal. BP, leading to a slightly more open understorey/woodland. The hydrological change at 2200 cal. BP that led to Big Willum becoming a more permanent water body overlaps with the end of the most intensive period of shell mound formation and the commencement of earth mound building at nearby Wathayn. This is suggestive that change in, or diversification of, mound types may in part be linked to environmental transformations in the late Holocene. One possibility is that greater water security allowed for increasing and more permanent exploitation of inland locations.


A test facility has been designed to provide a reproducible environment for combustion of flares and measurement of the resultant particles. The facility provides a simulation of the environment that a flare would encounter from an aircraft.  The facility was used to evaluate the concentrations, sizes and chemistry of many flares with different chemical formulations. Earlier studies of particle sizes produced by the South African flares indicated that a cooler burning flare could potentially produce larger particles. However, initial field studies in 2002 did not support this hypothesis. Small particles were dominant at both the beginning and end of the flare burn, when the burn was coolest,. In addition, comparison of the Ice Crystal Engineering (ICE) 65% and 70% potassium perchlorate- containing flares indicates that the 70% flare produced larger particles, despite having more oxygen present to yield a hotter burn.  The main characteristic of the production of particles by the flare during a burn is that the variations in the total concentration of the particles are small. However, the concentrations of larger particles (>1μm diameter) varies substantially during the individual flare burns and from flare to flare. The latter variations seems to be due to the manufacturing process, including variations in the chemical composition (mesh size, purity, reactions within chemical species, etc) and the cover tube the flare material is compressed in. These changes in the particle size need to be explored further.  Comparisons among the particle spectra from the ICE 65, 70 and 80% KClO4 hygroscopic flares showed that an increase in the amount of the hygroscopic salt (KClO4) seem to slightly increase the number of larger particles. The larger proportion of the oxidizing salt gives a higher burning temperature, shifting the final size distribution towards larger particle sizes. Based on Scanning and Transmission Electron Microscopy (SEM and TEM) analyses of the ICE 70% flare it seems that the larger particles produced by the flares are composed of aggregate mixtures of KCl and Ca(Cl)2 and are not single particles. Aggregation or coagulation of particles is thus the primary mechanism producing larger particles.  Based on parcel modeling studies, the new ICE 70% flare produces substantially more drizzle drops at shorter times than the South African flare. After 1 minute, the new ICE flare initiates drizzle and concentrations of drizzle water reach a maximum, when the South African flare just starts producing drizzle size drops. In addition, the drizzle results in a more effective coalescence process, forming rain. Once drizzle is formed, the transformation to rainwater proceeds faster than with the original South African flares. After approximately 10 minutes, the new ICE flare produces nearly two orders of magnitude more drizzle water than the South African flare.


Cryptosporidium parvum presents a significant problem for the water industry and public health officials because of its prevalence in sources of drinking water and its resistance to chlorine-based disinfectants; there is an urgent need for alternative, more effective disinfection strategies. Therefore, developing and evaluating methods for assessing the infectivity and inactivation of C. parvum oocysts are of paramount importance. Infectivity assays based on in-vitro cell culture have been developed as alternatives to human and animal-based assays to overcome ethical, cost, and practicality issues. Data obtained over a two-year period with an HCT-8 cell culture/RT-PCR infectivity assay generated an ID50 of 99 oocysts (95% CI: 84-117) and demonstrated that the cell culture assay was equivalent to the standard CD-1 mouse model for measuring infectivity of C. parvum oocysts. Aggregate data generated over two years using the HCT-8 cell culture/RT-PCR assay to measure UV disinfection of C. parvum demonstrated that 2.4 mJ/cm2 and 4.9 mJ/cm2 were necessary to achieve 1-log10 and 2-log10 inactivation, respectively. This work demonstrated that an HCT-8 cell culture-based infectivity coupled with RT-PCR for detecting C. parvum infections is a practical tool that can provide valuable information about the efficacy of disinfectants and the infectivity of oocysts in environmental waters.


This paper focuses on the question of whether the magnitude of long-established environmentally related taxes (ERT) is related to countries environmental performance. While environmental taxes efficiencies have previously been discussed, those taxes contribution to reducing pollution and improving environmental quality has not been fully explored. This paper therefore analyzes the effectiveness of environmental taxes by examining the environmental performance of 50 countries from all regions in association with the amount of revenues from environmentally related taxes each country collects. Using a cross-section regression and a panel dynamic regression, the paper finds that countries with higher revenues from these types of taxes also exhibit higher reductions in CO2 emission, PM10 emissions, and energy consumption and production from fossil sources.


The study of factor analytic models often has to address two im- portant issues: (a) the determination of the "optimum" number of factors and (b) the derivation of a unique simple structure whose interpretation is easy and straightforward. The classical approach deals with these two tasks separately, and sometimes resorts to ad-hoc methods. This paper proposes a Bayesian approach to these two important issues, and adapts ideas from stochastic geometry and Bayesian finite mixture modelling to construct an ergodic Markov chain having the posterior distribution of the complete col- lection of parameters (including the number of factors) as its equilibrium distribution. The proposed method uses an Automatic Relevance Determi- nation (ARD) prior as the device of achieving the desired simple structure. A Gibbs sampler updating scheme is then combined with the simulation of a continuous-time birth-and-death point process to produce a sampling scheme that efficiently explores the posterior distribution of interest. The MCMC sample path obtained from the simulated posterior then provides a flexible ingredient for most of the inferential tasks of interest. Illustrations on both artificial and real tasks are provided, while major difficulties and challenges are discussed, along with ideas for future improvements.


Upper Permian to Middle Triassic sedimentary rocks in the Youjiang Basin, SW China, record a change from a within-plate mafic-dominated source to the NW, to a mixed source involving magmatic arc and recycled orogenic detritus that lay to the west and east. Upper Permian and some Lower Triassic sedimentary rocks are characterized by relatively high contents of TiO2 and Nb, and low ratios of Al2O3/TiO2 and Th/Nb. Detrital zircons yield U–Pb ages of c. 260 Ma and have geochemical affinities to those crystallized from the within-plate type magmas. These features, combined with extensive basaltic lithic fragments and plagioclase grains in the sandstones, imply a sedimentary source dominated by the Emeishan Large Igneous Province exposed to the NW of the basin. The Early and Middle Triassic marked a significant change in sediment provenance, with rocks displaying geochemical affinity to upper continental crust. U–Pb ages and trace elements of detrital zircons from this material show input from multiple sedimentary sources including the subduction–collision rocks related to the Indosinian Orogeny to the west of the basin and the recycled Precambrian–early Palaeozoic sedimentary and granitic rocks in the South China hinterland to the east of the basin. The Early Triassic change in the nature of the source supplying detritus to the Youjiang Basin, together with regional sedimentary and tectonothermal events, suggests a tectonic transition from the Emeishan Plume to the Indosinian Orogeny in SW China. Regional stratigraphic correlation and provenance data suggest that the Emeishan basalts provided a large sediment influx for the riverine–littoral–marine systems in the Late Permian. This basaltic particulate and dissolved input may have contributed significant unradiogenic Sr to the Late Permian seawater. Supplementary material: Details of sample preparation, analytical procedure and results, and additional figures are available at www.geolsoc.org.uk/SUP18698.


Sliders are often used to enable users to easily enter preferences for continuous data. Although efforts have already been made to enrich and improve these interaction tools with additional information and visualizations, only rather basic variants of sliders are commonly used in online shops or databases. However, these sliders often provide users only with very limited information about underlying data. We describe and evaluate three different slider designs, which enrich the tools with information in various ways, enabling users to efficiently explore the space of available items and to choose items in an informed manner. In one of the described slider designs we propose a new approach that integrates item recommendations directly into the slider, enabling users to see suitable items within the selection tool. In two user studies we show that these enhancements, both visualizations and recommendations, are powerful methods to directly support users in their searches.


Bulbophyllum is probably one of the largest genera in the orchids with Pantropical occurence, but the dis- tribution is not homogeneous across the world. The Paleotropics is the richest area and there are hundreds of species in Asia (Vermeulen 1991). The genus was described by Thouars in 1822, and the first Neotropical species was described only in 1838 ( B. setigerum Lindl.) from a plant collected in Guayana by George Loddiges and sent to John Lindley. Until today, one hundred and ten species names were pub- lished for the Neotropics, however only ca. 70 species could be recognized in five sections supported by phy- logenetic studies based on nuclear and chloroplast genome sequence data (Smidt unpubl. data).


An Increase of The Yield of Paddy Rice with Application of The Site-Specific NutrientFertilization (SSNF) through Evaluation of The Nutrient Soil Status. Agricultural landincluding paddy fields decreases every year due to land conversion and decreasing of waterresources for irrigation. However, the need for food (rice) increases simultaneously with theincreasing of population growth. Although inorganic fertilizer and improved varieties of ricehave been intensively used, however, expected rice production has not been achieved.Fertilization based on site-specific nutrient might require for solving the problems. Researchconcerning of the site-specific nutrient fertilization (SSNF) have been carried out at Megati,District of Selemadeg Timur Tabanan Regency from April to October 2015. The objective ofthe research was to find out the effects of several types of fertilization with differentcomposition on the growth and yield of rice. The treatments were Kd0P0 (without fertilizer),Kd0P1 ( without organic fertilizer ; 100 kg urea, 25 kg SP36,and 25 kg KCl ha-1), Kd0P2(without organic fertilizer ; 150 kg urea, 50 kg SP36 and 50 kg KCl ha-1), Kd0P3 (withoutorganic fertilizer; 200 kg urea, 75 kg SP36 dan 75 kg KCl ha-1), Kd1P1 ( 5 tons of organicfertilizer ha-1; 100 kg urea, 25 kg SP36,and 25 kg KCl ha-1 ), Kd1P2 ( 5 tons of organicfertilizer ha-1; 150 kg urea, 50 kg SP36 and 50 kg KCl ha-1 ), Kd1P3 (5 tons of organicfertilizer ha-1; 200 kg urea, 75 kg SP36 and 75 kg KCl ha-1 ), and SSNF (5 tons of organicfertilizer ha-1; Rainbow NPK 200 kg ha-1 and 75 kg urea ha-1). The results showed that theplant height and the highest number of productive tillers was obtained from Kd1P3 treatment.The highest yield was obtained from the SSNF treatment. The SSNF treatment produced 9.12ton dried grain ha-1.


Last year we introduced the Subspace Gaussian Mixture Model (SGMM), and we demonstrated Word Error Rate improvements on a fairly small-scale task. Here we describe an extension to the SGMM, which we call the symmetric SGMM. It makes the model fully symmetric between the "speech-state vectors" and "speaker vectors" by making the mixture weights depend on the speaker as well as the speech state. We had previously avoided this as it introduces difficulties for efficient likelihood evaluation and parameter estimation, but we have found a way to overcome those difficulties. We find that the symmetric SGMM can give a very worthwhile improvement over the previously described model. We will also describe some larger-scale experiments with the SGMM, and report on progress toward releasing open-source software that supports SGMMs.


The smart grid systems that utilize the telecoms network infrastructure, to facilitate electricity distribution more efficiently, represent win-win prospects for the power and telecoms sectors as well as the planet earth. A modern digital (smart) energy grid could trim India's transmission and distribution (T&D) losses by 30%, reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 95 MtCO2e, and result in energy savings of $10.5 billion by 2020 and carbon costs of 1.9 billion ($2.9 billion). For the telecom operators, smart meters, a sub set of smart grids, alone present a revenue opportunity of Rs87 billion per annum. A full-scale smart grid deployment should result in further better opportunities for the operators.


CONTEXT
Use of atypical antipsychotics for neuropsychiatric symptoms of dementia increased markedly in the 1990s. Concerns about their use began to emerge in 2002, and in 2005, the US Food and Drug Administration warned that use of atypical antipsychotics in dementia was associated with increased mortality.

OBJECTIVE
To examine changes in atypical and conventional antipsychotic use in outpatients with dementia from 1999 through 2007.

DESIGN
Time-series analyses estimated the effect of the various warnings on atypical and conventional antipsychotic usage using national Veterans Affairs data across 3 periods: no warning (1999-2003), early warning (2003-2005), and black box warning (2005-2007).

SUBJECTS
Patients aged 65 years or older with dementia (n = 254 564).

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Outpatient antipsychotic use (percentage of patients, percentage of quarterly change, and difference between consecutive study periods).

RESULTS
In 1999, 17.7% (95% confidence interval [CI], 17.2-18.1) of patients with dementia were using atypical or conventional antipsychotics. Overall use began to decline during the no-warning period (rate per quarter, -0.12%; 95% CI, -0.16 to -0.07; P < .001). Following the black box warning, the decline continued (rate, -0.26%; 95% CI, -0.34 to -0.18; P < .001), with a significant difference between the early and black box warning periods (P = .006). Use of atypical antipsychotics as a group increased during the no-warning period (rate, 0.23; 95% CI, 0.17-0.30; P < .001), started to decline during the early-warning period (rate, -0.012; 95% CI, -0.14 to 0.11; P = .85), and more sharply declined during the black box warning period (rate, -0.27; 95% CI, -0.36 to -0.18; P < .001). Olanzapine and risperidone showed declining rates and quetiapine showed an increase during the early-warning period, but rates of use for all 3 antipsychotics declined during the black box warning period. In the black box warning period, there was a small but significant increase in anticonvulsant prescriptions (rate, 0.117; 95% CI, 0.08-0.16; P < .001).

CONCLUSIONS
Use of atypical antipsychotics began to decline significantly in 2003, and the Food and Drug Administration advisory was temporally associated with a significant acceleration in the decline.


Differing approaches to adjudicating abusive or neglectful parents have resulted in an expansion of practice opportunities for mental health counselors. In this article we describe the two most prevalent approaches practiced by court systems: (a) the traditional dependency litigation process, and (b) the newly emerging dependency mediation process now being implemented by many court systems. In addition, the potential roles for the mental health counselor participating in these different forms of dependency adjudication process are highlighted. Child abuse and neglect are some of the most vexing social problems in the United States. In an effort to change the behavior of abusive and neglectful parents, courts now bring legal action against parents accused of endangering their children. This has resulted in a large volume of dependency cases being dealt with through litigation in state court systems. In Florida, for example, 8,900 child dependency petitions were filed in 1997 alone as a result of child abuse investigations, with approximately 1,740 of those cases resulting in termination of parental rights (Davis, 1998). However, this litigational approach to protecting the welfare of children is not without its flaws. Many professionals working in the courts and in social service systems report that the adversarial nature of this process results in many abused children and their families losing faith in the legal system, experiencing a loss of control, and becoming oppositional or openly defiant in following court mandates or protective service directives (Libow, 1993; Saunders, Baker-Jackson, Flicker, & McIsaac, 1991; Shear, 1996). Consequently, a search has begun for less adversarial approaches to helping families improve their capacity to care for their children. One alternative now gaining popularity in many judicial and social service systems is that of dependency mediation. Because this approach to dependency adjudication creates a structure for negotiation between the parents and the legal and social service systems, it affords a new opportunity for mental health counselors, who judge the traditional adjudication process to be of questionable value in working with these families. In this article we describe these differing approaches to working with abusive or neglectful parents and the expanded practice opportunities emerging from them for mental health counselors. First, the traditional dependency litigation process and its concomitant effects on families and mental health professionals is described. Second, the newly emerging dependency mediation process now being implemented by many court systems is described. Finally, the potential roles for the mental health counselor participating in dependency mediation is highlighted. THE TRADITIONAL DEPENDENCY ADJUDICATION PROCESS The dependency adjudication process typically begins when the investigation into a child abuse or neglect report reveals that the child's living environment presents a substantial and immediate danger to the child. Although there is no nationally agreed-upon process of dependency adjudication, most states have enacted statutes that outline similar legal procedures. These procedures depict three distinctive stages of legal decision-making: (1) an exigency stage during which the court provides a shelter hearing to determine if the child is in likely need of immediate state intervention; (2) an investigative stage during which the courts provide an adjudication hearing; and (3) a conclusive stage when the court provides a disposition hearing and treatment plan objectives for the family are solidified. While efforts are being made to accelerate the process (G. Firestone, personal communication, February 9, 2000), on average, the dependency court adjudication transpires over a course of 18 to 24 months and typically results in the family's reunification. Exigency Stage When a child is removed from her or his home because of a report of abuse or neglect, a dependency petition is filed by the local child protective services agency within 24 hours. …


We offer evidence that legalized abortion has contributed significantly to recent crime reductions. Crime began to fall roughly 18 years after abortion legalization. The 5 states that allowed abortion in 1970 experienced declines earlier than the rest of the nation, which legalized in 1973 with Roe v. Wade. States with high abortion rates in the 1970s and 1980s experienced greater crime reductions in the 1990s. In high abortion states, only arrests of those born after abortion legalization fall relative to low abortion states. Legalized abortion appears to account for as much as 50 percent of the recent drop in crime.


A large body of research suggests that individuals are accurate at subjectively judging
their own alcohol intoxication when assessed relative to blood alcohol concentration. Although
caffeine's ability to antagonize alcohol-induced intoxication is generally regarded as a myth, it is
often consumed with alcohol in preparation for tasks such as driving. Currently, however, few
studies have directly examined the effect of caffeine consumption on subjective alcohol
intoxication.
The purpose of the present study was to investigate the interaction of alcohol and caffeine
on subjective intoxication. A screening survey was used to recruit light to moderate drinking
males between the ages of 21 and 30 years of age. The subjective effects of alcohol (water,
placebo, .04 and .08) with eight ounces of coffee (0, or 2.0 mg/kg caffeine) were measure in 133
subjects. Subjectively, a cup of caffeinated coffee increased perceptions of intoxication for .04-
alcohol condition, but did not effect perceived intoxication in other conditions.


Playful Palettes are a recent innovation in how artists can mix, explore, and choose colors in a user interface that combines the benefits of a traditional media painter's palette with non-destructive capabilities of digital tools. We present a technique to generate a Playful Palette that best represents the colors found in an input image, allowing the artist to select colors from the image's gamut, while maintaining full editability of the palette. We show that our approach outperforms recent work in terms of how accurately the image gamut is reproduced, and we present an approximation algorithm that is an order of magnitude faster with an acceptable loss in quality.


Abstract A volumetrically-loaded ultra-high-density deuterium cluster material is described here for use as a deuteron beam source in laser matter interactions. Due to high volumetric loading, the material has potential to provide enough deuteron beam flux for the inertial confinement fusion (ICF) fuel ignition, avoiding depletion problem encountered by current proton-driven fast ignition (FI). In addition, accelerated deuterons can fuse with the ICF fuel (both D and T) to provide extra "bonus" energy gain, which further relaxes the laser-driver energy needed. Preliminary TRIDENT sub-Petawatt Laser experiments have provided some encouraging results showing that our cluster foils with a relative low packing fraction, can achieve a high yield of the accelerated deuterons even in the presence of an unwanted surface contaminant.


In this paper, a new efficient optimization algorithm called Teaching-Learning-Based Optimization (TLBO) is used for the least weight design of trusses with continuous design variables. The TLBO algorithm is based on the effect of the influence of a teacher on the output of learners in a class. Several truss structures are analyzed to show the efficiency of the TLBO algorithm and the results are compared with those reported in the literature. It is concluded that the TLBO algorithm presented in this study can be effectively used in the weight minimization of truss structures.


OBJECTIVE
After failure of pharmacological treatment, sinus surgery is the recommended alternative treatment for chronic sinusitis with or without nasal polyps. During post-operative healing, adequate local neutrophil activation plays an important role in the repair process. This pilot study aimed to systematically explore the participation of circulating neutrophils in early-phase wound repair of the nasal and paranasal mucosa after sinus surgery, with a special focus on neutrophil recruitment and activation patterns.

METHODOLOGY
We conducted a single-center outcome study of patients undergoing sinus surgery. Whole blood samples were collected from eleven patients before surgery and at post-surgical time points of 1 hour and 1, 7, 14, and 30 days. Hematological analysis was conducted to count circulating neutrophils and evaluate their overall activation status. Using flow cytometry, neutrophil expression of membrane CD11b, CD11c, and CD15 was also measured, and oxidative burst analysis was performed.

RESULTS
After sinus surgery, neutrophilia increased by 1 hour after surgery, reached a maximum at Day 1, and showed a gradual return toward baseline by Day 30. The oxidative burst initially decreased during the first hours after surgery, increased at Day 14, and returned toward normal by Day 30. Lewis X factor and the expression of CD11b and CD11c exhibited a bimodal change over time, in an inverted phase compared to the oxidative reaction.

CONCLUSIONS
Circulating neutrophils are involved in the first phase of wound healing after sinus surgery as indicated by increased abundance, early membrane changes, and the modulation of their oxidative capacities.


Food loss and waste in Timor-Leste has been identified as a critical factor contributing to human undernutrition. Our project enhances natural scavenging systems by improved poultry production, with improved management, vaccination against Newcastle Disease (ND) and logistical support. We are working with the University of Sydney to implement the sustainable use of heat tolerant ND vaccine, administered as eye drops triennially by trained paraveterinarians. The Australian Department of Agriculture and Water Resources conceived and jointly manages the project with the TimorLeste Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries. They provide training in national biosecurity and biosecurity practices applicable to village poultry. Management systems are supported with locally made shelter to protect from predation. With the help of Berrimah Veterinary Laboratory we are improving cold chain management and vaccine potency verification. The project is funded by the Australia Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Increased poultry production with these improved systems leads to improved scavenging systems – more hens equals more effective searching for scraps, insects and other invertebrates as they fend for themselves with minimal carbohydrate input provided by their owners. In return more hens are available to produce eggs for sale or chickens for consumption. Each of these activities results in better availability of balanced protein and bioavailable micronutrients for growing and lactating humans. Once households observe that their flock dynamics are no longer subject to dramatic decreases, the consumption of eggs becomes an option rather than prioritising them for hatching to obtain replacement birds.


This authoritative edition was originally published in the acclaimed Oxford Authors series under the general editorship of Frank Kermode. It brings together a unique combination of Sidney's poetry and prose - all the major writing, complemented by letters and elegies - to give the essence of his work and thinking. Born in 1554, Sir Philip Sidney was hailed as the perfect Renaissance patron, soldier, lover, and courtier, but it was only after his untimely death at the age of 31 that his literary accomplishments were truly recognized. This collection ranges more widely through Sidney's works than any previous volume and includes substantial parts of both versions of the Arcadia, The Defence of Poesy and the whole of the sonnet sequence Astrophil and Stella. Supplementary texts, such as his letters and the numerous elegies which appeared after his death, help to illustrate the whole spectrum of his achievements, and the admiration he inspired in his contemporaries. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.


A student is engaged in (non-routine) problem solving when there is no clear pathway to the solution. In contrast to routine problems, non-routine ones cannot be solved through the direct application of a standard procedure. Consider the following problem: In a quiz you get two points for each correct answer. If a question is not answered or the answer is wrong, one point is subtracted from your score. The quiz contains 10 questions. Tina received 8 points in total. How many questions did Tina answer correctly? The complexity of this problem lies neither in the size of the numbers nor in the execution of the appropriate calculations. What makes this problem perplexing for primary school students is that it requires keeping track of several interrelated values. Introducing such problems in primary school serves a two-fold role: firstly, to offer students opportunities to develop problem solving skills and reasoning, and secondly, to provide entry points to the development of algebraic thinking; therefore, we call these problems early algebra problems. In this thesis we investigated the ability of Dutch upper primary school students to solve early algebra problems and ways to support this ability. The results of the first study with 152 high achievers from grade 4 revealed that their performance in problem solving lagged behind their general mathematical performance and that they often lacked essential problem solving skills. To shed light on the students' low performance we investigated the cognitive demand of the tasks in the mathematics textbook series for grade 4. This analysis showed that challenging non-routine tasks are rare and are mostly found outside the main book of the textbook series. Subsequently, we aimed to address the difficulties students encounter when solving non-routine problems by providing an environment for experiencing the interdependency of values. A dynamic interactive computer game called Hit the target was developed for this purpose. In this environment the students can observe how the score varies as they manipulate the values of the hits, the misses, or the game rule. After piloting the game with 24 high achievers from grade 4, we conducted a large-scale study with 785 students from grades 4, 5, and 6. The students of the experimental group were asked to solve a series of problems at home using an online version of the game. The analysis of the data for grade 6 showed that the intervention had a significant effect on students' problem solving performance. Furthermore, although girls put more effort in the online activity than boys, their achievement gains were the same as for boys. A closer analysis of student activity in the online environment showed that they applied various strategies, ranging from trial-and-error to strategies implying exploring relations between variables. In conclusion, the interactive dynamic character of the computer environment and the variation in the series of problems had a significant role in supporting students' reasoning when dealing with early algebra problems. The above-mentioned findings lead to suggestions for educational practice.


Professor R. M. Shackleton commented that a central feature of the authors' interpretation is that the Peruvian Batholith owes its linearity to the presence of a deep-fault or basement lineament, up which the magmas rose. While it is clear that at the present level of erosion the granites are associated with, and are often limited by, important faults, it seems that these faults are probably the effect and not the cause of the linear distribution of the granites. The thickening of the crust under the Andes and the recent rapid uplift must be attributed to large accessions of material from the mantle, since crustal shortening during Mesozoic and Tertiary times was clearly trivial and could not account for the thickening. Additions from the mantle are to be expected as a result of melting from a downgoing slab. A linear array of plutonic intrusions parallel to a trench is a general feature of subduction zones and is surely the result of melting at a critical depth rather than ascent along deep faults for which there is no seismic evidence. Uplift pressures exerted by the rising magma would cause faulting in the upper crust, although closer to the surface such pressures would not be in evidence. The fact that granites of different ages form separate linear arrays is further evidence against deep fault control since different faults would be needed to explain each array. The trench-arc gap is normally sharply defined. Therefore, the trench-side limit of plutons or volcanoes is itself sharply


One of the major constraints of wireless sensor networks is limited energy available to sensor nodes because of the small size of the batteries they use as source of power. Clustering is one of the routing techniques that have been using to minimize sensor nodes' energy consumption during operation. In this paper, A Novel Clustering Algorithm for Energy Efficiency in Wireless Sensor Networks (ANCAEE) has been proposed. The algorithm achieves good performance in terms of minimizing energy consumption during data transmission and energy consumptions are distributed uniformly among all nodes. ANCAEE uses a new method of clusters formation and election of cluster heads. The algorithm ensures that a node transmits its data to the cluster head with a single hop transmission and cluster heads forward their data to the base station with multi-hop transmissions. Simulation results show that our approach consumes less energy and effectively extends network utilization.


Title of thesis: PROVABLE SECURITY FOR CRYPTOCURRENCIES Andrew Miller, Doctor of Philosophy, 2016 Thesis directed by: Professor Jonathan Katz and Professor Elaine Shi Department of Computer Science The past several years have seen the surprising and rapid rise of Bitcoin and other "cryptocurrencies." These are decentralized peer-to-peer networks that allow users to transmit money, to compose financial instruments, and to enforce contracts between mutually distrusting peers, and that show great promise as a foundation for financial infrastructure that is more robust, efficient and equitable than ours today. However, it is difficult to reason about the security of cryptocurrencies. Bitcoin is a complex system, comprising many intricate and subtly-interacting protocol layers. At each layer it features design innovations that (prior to our work) have not undergone any rigorous analysis. Compounding the challenge, Bitcoin is but one of hundreds of competing cryptocurrencies in an ecosystem that is constantly evolving. The goal of this thesis is to formally reason about the security of cryptocurrencies, reining in their complexity, and providing well-defined and justified statements of their guarantees. We provide a formal specification and construction for each layer of an abstract cryptocurrency protocol, and prove that our constructions satisfy their specifications. The contributions of this thesis are centered around two new abstractions: "scratch-off puzzles," and the "blockchain functionality" model. Scratch-off puzzles are a generalization of the Bitcoin "mining" algorithm, its most iconic and novel design feature. We show how to provide secure upgrades to a cryptocurrency by instantiating the protocol with alternative puzzle schemes. We construct secure puzzles that address important and well-known challenges facing Bitcoin today, including wasted energy and dangerous coalitions. The blockchain functionality, FBLOCKCHAIN, is a general-purpose model of a cryptocurrency rooted in the "Universal Composability" cryptography theory. We use this model to express a wide range of applications, including transparent "smart contracts" (like those featured in Bitcoin and Ethereum), and also privacy-preserving applications like sealed-bid auctions. We also construct a new protocol compiler, called Hawk, which translates user-provided specifications into privacypreserving protocols based on zero-knowledge proofs.


© Oxford University Press, 2008. All rights reserved. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is becoming an increasingly important tool for investigating the neurological basis of language. This article reviews the history of language studies that span a range of TMS methodologies. TMS offers a powerful tool for investigating the effects of brain damage. It answers questions of recovery mechanisms and methods to improve outcomes. In language studies, the most commonly used form of TMS is to generate 'virtual patients' by temporarily disrupting cortical processing. This article explains how TMS studies not only confirm but also clarify the specific regional contributions to semantic and phonological processing. There has been little work with regard to the role of TMS in the area of neurobiology of reading and reading disorders. The number of existing TMS techniques have not been applied to language, despite their obvious potential but this field is bound to grow in the field of language research.


Abstract. Concentrations of PM10, PM2.5 and PM1 were monitored at 24 CAWNET (China Atmosphere Watch Network) stations from 2006 to 2014. The highest particulate matter (PM) concentrations were observed at the stations of Xian, Zhengzhou and Gucheng, on the Guanzhong Plain and the Huabei Plain (HBP). The second highest PM concentrations were observed in northeast China, followed by southern China. According to the latest air quality standards of China, 14 stations reached the PM10 standard, and only 7 stations, mainly rural and remote stations, reached the PM2.5 standard. The ratios of PM2.5 to PM10 showed a clear increasing trend from northern to southern China, because of the substantial contribution of coarse mineral aerosol in northern China. The ratios of PM1 to PM2.5 were higher than 80 % at most stations. PM concentrations tended to be highest in winter and lowest in summer at most stations, and mineral dust influenced the results in spring. A decreasing interannual trend was observed on the HBP and in southern China for the period 2006 to 2014, but an increasing trend occurred at some stations in northeast China. Bimodal and unimodal diurnal variation patterns were identified at urban stations. Both emissions and meteorological variations dominate the long-term PM concentration trend, while meteorological factors play a leading role in the short term.


This article examines the emergence of new, inter-local spaces of news production and consumption, drawing on extensive fieldwork and interviews with community reporters trained by a community reporter organisation based in the north of England. Practices of news production and content generation are focused on people's own communities and they are underpinned by an ethos of production, which is grounded in a critical consumption of news and collective processes of skill acquisition. Through an analysis of motivations and practices, we account for the values that sustain community reporter communities and discuss how such practices, while emerging from the place of local community, also extend across wider communities of interest. It is suggested that an evolving practice of skill sharing and mutual recognition could potentially stimulate the regrowth of democratic values.


Truth and Reconciliation Commissions (TRCs) have investigated human rights violations and abuses in a wide range of countries and communities over the last thirty-five years. Created by people who believe finding truth through an examination of the past is necessary to build social and political trust, the goal of these processes has been to make findings and recommendations in order to strengthen or aid the transition to democracy, reduce conflict and create a basis for long term reconciliation, facilitate some form of transitional or restorative justice, and begin the process of change needed to avoid similar human rights violations in the future. Each of the approximately forty commissions provides different lessons on how investigating and testifying about past abuse can lead to healing and change. I have participated in two of the more remarkable truth and reconciliation processes. First, from 1996 to 1998, I observed what is probably the most well-known TRC process: an examination of the apartheid era in South Africa. Then, from 2004 to 2006, I was an advisor for the first TRC process in the United States that took place in Greensboro, North Carolina. It was a much narrower and less publicized process that looked at one incident in Greensboro's past in order to help bridge the city's existing class and racial di vides. In both instances, I had the opportunity to interview key staff members and witnesses in addition to ma king my own observations. As a result of these experiences, I have been able to analyze several of the key problems facing TRCs, such as how they should be constructed, what needs to be included in their mandates, what is the best way to engage in fact finding, and how they can maximize the impact of their final reports including the implementation of their recommendations. This Article focuses on the narrower question of whether these processes can effectively remediate human rights violations suffered particularly by women. In order to create a framework for this analysis, it is important to note the somewhat obvious point that truth commissions impact people to varying degrees depending on how closely they are connected to the events in question. Thus, the persons most affected are the actual participants in the events, i.e., the targets and perpetrators of the human rights violations or abuse that is being investigated. Next in terms of impact are the secondary survivors, who include the family members of those who were hurt and others who knew or witnessed people involved in the abuse. Then there is the larger community of people who were either alive at the time of the events and were living where they took place, or people who now live in the city, town, or country where the violations occurred and who have to deal with their ongoing impact. These community members may have been impacted directly by aspects of the abuse, like the victims of apartheid in South Africa or the victims of racial discrimination in Greensboro, but at a minimum, they are impacted by the silence or the lack of understanding about what occurred. Finally, there are people not directly involved in any way who nevertheless learn about the process and engage with it. Such engagement may come from attending public hearings or seeing them unfold on television, talking to those involved, watching a movie, or reading about the process in the media or in the final report. The impact on this group becomes significant when, after learning about what transpired elsewhere, including the abuses that occurred, the motives behind them, and the pain of the survivors, these observers are able to relate those events to ones locally in a way that helps promote reconciliation in their community. An analysis of the impact that TRCs have had on human rights violations committed against women needs to include how women have been affected at each of these levels of contact. Because almost all TRCs have ultimately omitted the abuses suffered by women from their findings or, more importantly, their recommendations, feminist scholars have become some of the most visible critics of their efforts. Part II begins with a review of those critiques, which makes it possible to identify the factors that lead to the disregard of human rights violations against women. It also demonstrates how the failure to focus on women turns what were supposed to be gender-neutral processes into male-centered ones. Part III describes particular truth commission efforts with a primary focus on South Africa and its failure with regard to remediating the harms to women. Part IV discusses the Sierra Leone process, which best addressed women's concerns, and three others, including Greensboro, which fall somewhere in the middle. Part V addresses how these problems can be remedied in the future, including a plan for how to establish a TRC designed to specifically investigate violence against women.


In Chapter 1 I develop a simple model, that builds upon some previous work on financial innovation processes, to account for the main stylized facts observed during extreme hyperinflations. The modeling device used here helps to reconcile some conflicting views on the causes, development and end of a hyperinflation without departing from the rational expectations assumption. Specifically, it is shown that the effectiveness of a future orthodox reform to preclude the occurrence of a hyperinflation, either speculative or fundamental, is an endogenous outcome which depends on a wide array of policy choices (fiscal and monetary) and structural features of the economy. In Chapter 2 I examine the postulates of the Fiscal Theory of the Price Level (FTPL) under an interest rate peg. I show that the usual definition of a non-Ricardian plan involves a non-credible government policy commitment, thus confuting the interpretation of the FTPL as a policy-based equilibrium selection device. Then I identify the set of necessary conditions for the implementation of non-Ricardian fiscal plans that result in a unique equilibrium. A critical necessary condition for the credibility of a fiscalist plan is that the equilibrium level of seigniorage must be non-positive. I argue that the fiscalist stock-analogy is only meaningful, precisely, when money enters into the government constraint as a destination of funds, rather than as a source. In Chapter 3, I extend Buiter's (2001, 2002) criticism (non-Ricardian plans are generally non-implementable whenever the monetary authority sets a non-contingent sequence of money supplies) to an infinite horizon economy. In particular, it is shown that a fiscalist deflation involves the violation of a household's optimality condition and that the notion of a fiscally-induced speculative hyperinflation cannot be rationalized invoking a symmetry between the problem of pricing a potentially fiat non-convertible asset (like money) and that of pricing the stock of a private firm as advocated by the FTPL.


This paper presents my firsthand experience as a participant in a community based learning experience in the Dominican Republic and my reflections about developing an educational praxis that prepares students to meet Ignatius' goal of overcoming all evils that beset humankind. In particular, five pedagogical lessons in service of this goal are presented: (1) educators should take the student perspective to facilitate more effective classrooms; (2) students engaging in action will develop a much broader understanding than students learning in a passive manner; (3) contrary to popular belief, confusion is one of our most valuable and underutilized teaching tools; (4) incorporating opportunities for students to develop genuine relationships within educational settings catalyzes a higher level of engagement and; and (5) if our classrooms are designed to allow students opportunities to make the world a better place, more often than not, they will succeed. My experience allowed me to better understand both the Jesuit educational mission and develop pedagogical tools that will meet this mission. I encourage all educators (teachers, staff, and administrators) to engage in their own unique community based learning experiences, as it will change their opinion of what is possible with education.


BACKGROUND
Many Vitamins and minerals for dietary supplements lack a standard scientific and regulatory definition that accurately reflects the bioavailabilities in humans. Especially the bioavailability of natural compounds in complex mixtures, where the different ingredients may interfere with each other, is unknown.

METHODS
To learn more about the bioavailability of the ingredients in the complex compound LaVita® we examined blood levels of subjects, who ingested the multivitamin and trace element composition for 6 month continuously. Blood samples for the analysis of the ingredients were taken before, during, and after administration.

RESULTS
Our data indicated a significant increase of most ingredients after 3 month, and additional three months, except for Vitamin (B9 Folic acid). The semivitamins Q10 and carnitine increased in the first 3 month (both p<0.001). While carnitine dropped during the second term, Q10 levels increased further slowly. After three months a significant increase was observed for iron (serum p=0.039; blood cells p=0.025), Selenium (serum p=0.048; cells p=0.006), and chromium (serum p=0.029). Zinc - known to interfere with the iron resorption - increased slowly in the first term of 3 months, but was raised significantly after 6 months (serum and blood cells, each p<0.001). The Copper/Zink ratio dropped accordingly (p<0.001).

CONCLUSION
We conclude that resorption interference between specific ingredients, and after resorption redistribution of specific ingredients to various tissue compartments precludes a linear increase of the respective serum parameters. We observed no deleterious resorption competitions for individual compounds. No parameter reached critical levels. We conclude that the test substance (LaVita®) is a sufficiently safe composite for long term consumption.


Missing data are prevalent and present daunting challenges in real data analysis. While there is a growing body of literature on fairness in analysis of fully observed data, there has been little theoretical work on investigating fairness in analysis of incomplete data. In practice, a popular analytical approach for dealing with missing data is to use only the set of complete cases, i.e., observations with all features fully observed to train a prediction algorithm. However, depending on the missing data mechanism, the distribution of complete cases and the distribution of the complete data may be substantially different. When the goal is to develop a fair algorithm in the complete data domain where there are no missing values, an algorithm that is fair in the complete case domain may show disproportionate bias towards some marginalized groups in the complete data domain. To fill this significant gap, we study the problem of estimating fairness in the complete data domain for an arbitrary model evaluated merely using complete cases. We provide upper and lower bounds on the fairness estimation error and conduct numerical experiments to assess our theoretical results. Our work provides the first known theoretical results on fairness guarantee in analysis of incomplete data.


The paper presents an integrated environment for designing object-oriented enterprise models. The conceptual framework it is based on recommends a multi-perspective approach. Two views are of outstanding importance: the static object model and a dynamic model. First it is demonstrated how conceptualizing an object model is guided by the Object Model Designer. Object models are represented using a graphical notation that is enhanced by a structured description of classes and associations which are modelled as classes as well. Then a methodology and a tool related to it the Office Procedure Designer to develop dynamic models of office domains are presented in detail. The tool allows for a graphical representation of office procedures that is illustrative for business people and takes into account the requirements of object-oriented analysis and design at the same time. In interaction with the Object Model Designer it supports identification, specification and refinement of objects (classes). It also provides means to analyze the effectiveness of business procedures. The environment supports the integration of different steps within the development process from analysis to prototypical implementation. Is also allows to specify features of user interaction which are used to generate prototypical user-interfaces.


In The Feeling of Kinship , David L. Eng investigates the emergence of "queer liberalism"—the empowerment of certain gays and lesbians in the United States, economically through an increasingly visible and mass-mediated queer consumer lifestyle, and politically through the legal protection of rights to privacy and intimacy. Eng argues that in our "colorblind" age the emergence of queer liberalism is a particular incarnation of liberal freedom and progress, one constituted by both the racialization of intimacy and the forgetting of race. Through a startling reading of Lawrence v. Texas , the landmark legal decision overturning Texas's antisodomy statute, Eng reveals how the ghosts of miscegenation haunt both Lawrence and the advent of queer liberalism.

Eng develops the concept of "queer diasporas" as a critical response to queer liberalism. A methodology drawing attention to new forms of family and kinship, accounts of subjects and subjectivities, and relations of affect and desire, the concept differs from the traditional notions of diaspora, theories of the nation-state, and principles of neoliberal capitalism upon which queer liberalism thrives. Eng analyzes films, documentaries, and literature by Asian and Asian American artists including Wong Kar-wai, Monique Truong, Deann Borshay Liem, and Rea Tajiri, as well as a psychoanalytic case history of a transnational adoptee from Korea. In so doing, he demonstrates how queer Asian migrant labor, transnational adoption from Asia, and the political and psychic legacies of Japanese internment underwrite narratives of racial forgetting and queer freedom in the present. A focus on queer diasporas also highlights the need for a poststructuralist account of family and kinship, one offering psychic alternatives to Oedipal paradigms. The Feeling of Kinship makes a major contribution to American studies, Asian American studies, diaspora studies, psychoanalysis, and queer theory.


After reflecting on the reluctance of modern theology to engage in eschatological speculation, the author argues that plenty of traditional Catholic beliefs warrant a rich exercise of the eschatological imagination. The life of the blessed dead provides a test case for such speculation, with Jesus' own resurrected life in the Gospels invoked as an interpretive measure for the resurrected life of believers.


The Khayelitsha Commission revealed that areas that are predominantly populated by people who are poor and black are systematically allocated only a small fraction of the average per capita allocation of police personnel in the Western Cape. These areas also suffer among the highest rates of murder and serious violent crime in the province. The allocation of human resources to policing impinges on various constitutional rights. Given the inequity and irrationality apparent in the allocation of police personnel, the Khayelitsha Commission recommended that this method be urgently revised. This article reviews the evidence heard on the allocations and the method currently used to allocate police personnel, suggests an alternative method, and calls on the government to heed the recommendation of the Khayelitsha Commission that the state urgently revise its method of allocation of policing resources.


Ischaemia reperfusion injury and nephrotoxicity are the common insults of acute kidney injury. Drug induced nephrotoxicity can also lead to an ischaemic phenomenon. The key mediator to both insults is oxidative injury caused by reactive oxygen species, and prolonged injury can result in irreversible kidney fibrosis and chronic kidney disease. This thesis developed a simulated ischaemia reperfusion injury in an in-vitro model to investigate whether amino acid supplementation may facilitate human proximal tubule cell recovery and protect from H2O2 damage following starvation and whether this was mediated by pH. The findings showed that resupply of amino acids at pH 7.5 under H2O2 injury after starvation exacerbated cell death. The mammalian target of rapamycin was also activated in response to amino acids in a concentration dependent manner even if under H2O2 damage, but the link between mammalian target of rapamycin activation and endoplasmic reticulum stress leading to cell death was not yet identified in this thesis. The constant expression of chaperone protein Grp78 may suggest the persistent cellular stress caused by starvation. While amino acids at pH 6.4 failed to activate the mammalian target of rapamycin and potentially reduced protein synthesis, it still exacerbated cell death under H2O2 damage. It also inhibited Grp78 expression, but the link between Grp78 inhibition and cell death was unclear. Moreover, this thesis established an aristolochic acid induced nephrotoxicity in mice and investigated whether another putative nutrient, sodium nitrite, could be renoprotective. However, the therapeutic effects of sodium nitrite remain to be confirmed, as aristolochic acid did not induce any injury in this animal model. Overall, this thesis implicated that the return of circulating amino acids may be detrimental for ischaemia reperfusion injury and that antioxidant therapy may be the priority for acute kidney injury.


Tetrabenazine has been studied with a variety of hyperkinetic movement disorders, but there is limited and empirical literature on the potential efficacy of tetrabenazine in children with dyskinetic cerebral palsy (DCP). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of tetrabenazine in a sample of children with DCP using the Movement Disorders—Childhood Rating Scale 4–18 Revised (MD-CRS 4–18 R). The study is a multicenter retrospective longitudinal study in which the participants were selected from the databases of each Center involved, according to detailed inclusion criteria. The study was performed on 23 children and adolescents (19 male and 4 females; mean age 8.28 years, SD 3.59) with DCP having been evaluated before starting the treatment (baseline), after 6 and 12 months of treatment and in a sub-cohort after >2 years follow-up. A linear mixed model was used to evaluate the effects of the different timings on each MD-CRS 4–18 R Index (Index I, Index II, and Global Index) adding age and type of movement disorder as random effect. A significant clinical improvement related to a reduction of MD-CRS 4-18 R Indexes was detected between the baseline and after 6 and 12 months of treatment. Findings support the efficacy of tetrabenazine in children with DCP through a standardized outcome measure (MD-CRS 4–18 R) and confirm the use of this scale as a suitable tool to detect changes in further randomized clinical trials.


This Essay recounts how feminist theorists and activists managed to write their ideals into the fabric of French law and culture, and how non-feminists began to appropriate those ideals. Parite, the 2000 law that requires half of all candidates for public office be women, saw French feminists first engineer a change in French universalism to respect sex difference; although not wholly successful, Parite advanced women's political inclusion. Then, like a drop of water in a pond, these feminist ideas disappeared in plain sight: they became intrinsic to French state norms and public values. As they became woven into state norms, however, politicians began to use them to promote exclusions: first excluding Muslims from full participation in the Republic with veil and burqa bans; then supporting exclusions of sex and class with a corporate board quota (CBQ); most recently feminist ideas have been called upon to exclude French Muslims with proposed burkini bans.


Motivated by recent experimental results, we demonstrate that the ubiquitous pulse propagation equation based on a single generalized nonlinear Schrödinger equation is incomplete and inadequate to explain the formation of the so called negative-frequency resonant radiation emitted by optical solitons. The origin of this deficiency is due to the absence of a peculiar nonlinear coupling between the positive and negative frequency components of the pulse spectrum during propagation, a feature that the slowly-varying envelope approximation is unable to capture. We therefore introduce a conceptually new model, based on the envelope of the analytic signal, that takes into account the full spectral dynamics of all frequency components, is prone to analytical treatment and retains the simulation efficiency of the nonlinear Schrödinger equation. We use our new equation to derive from first principles the phase-matching condition of the negative-frequency resonant radiation observed in previously reported experiments.


Much of the work done in energy research involves an analysis of the costs and benefits of energy-saving technologies and other measures from the perspective of the consumer. The economic value in particular depends on the price of energy (electricity, gas or other fuel), which varies significantly both for different types of consumers, and for different regions of the country. Ideally, to provide accurate information about the economic value of energy savings, prices should be computed directly from real tariffs as defined by utility companies. A large number of utility tariffs are now available freely over the web, but the complexity and diversity of tariff structures presents a considerable barrier to using them in practice. The goal of the Tariff Analysis Project (TAP) is to collect andarchive a statistically complete sample of real utility tariffs, and build a set of database and web tools that make this information relatively easy to use in cost-benefit analysis. This report presentsa detailed picture of the current TAP database structure and web interface. While TAP has been designed to handle tariffs for any kind of utility service, the focus here is on electric utilities withinthe United States. Electricity tariffs can be very complicated, so the database structures that have been built to accommodate them are quite flexible and can be easily generalized to other commodities.


Most work on Predictive Representations of State (PSRs) has focused on learning and planning in unstructured domains (for example, those represented by flat POMDPs). This paper extends PSRs to represent relational knowledge about domains, so that they can use policies that generalize across different tasks, capture knowledge that ignores irrelevant attributes of objects, and represent policies in a way that is independent of the size of the state space. Using a blocks world domain, we show how generalized predictions about the future can compactly capture relations between objects, which in turn can be used to naturally specify relational-style options and policies. Because our representation is expressed solely in terms of actions and observations, it has extensive semantics which are statistics about observable quantities.


Endodontic diagnosis is challenging and depends on the organisation of information from the patient history, clinical examination and analysis of the pulp, radiographic and histopathological assessment. A 35-year-old man was endodontically treated for radiolucency in relation to the roots of maxillary central incisors as it was a provisionally diagnosed case of radicular cyst. Since the palatal swelling persisted, the lesion was re-evaluated using relevant diagnostic aids and a diagnosis of nasopalatine duct cyst (NPDC) was made, which was missed during the initial assessment. An erroneous interpretation of cystic radiolucency in relation to maxillary central incisors can often lead to inappropriate treatment planning. This case highlights the relevant aspects in the diagnosis of NPDC when it is mistaken for a radicular cyst and emphasises the need for thorough clinical examination and relevant investigations for periapical radiolucencies of questionable origin before initiating endodontic therapy.


PURPOSE
To determine the frequency characteristics of the x-ray scatter signal in mammography and breast tomosynthesis projections.

METHODS
Dedicated breast computed tomography images of 19 patients were classified into skin, adipose, and glandular tissue using a previously validated, automatic classification method. The segmented breasts underwent simulated mechanical compression to mimic breast compression during mammographic and tomosynthesis acquisition. Using Monte Carlo methods, simulated projection images of the primary and scatter x-ray signals were generated for each patient breast with the x-ray source located at both zero and thirty degrees. The noise power spectra (NPS) of the scatter and total (primary + scatter) signals were obtained for each patient image and projection angle. The resulting NPS were radially averaged and the results for all patients combined. As validation, the total NPS were fit to the expected power-law relationship NPS(f) = k/f^ β to compare the value of β with previous published reports. The scatter NPS were inspected visually and a power-law fit was also performed. Results The values of β for the total NPS fit were 3.39 and 3.35 for the zero and thirty degree projection angles, respectively. As expected, the power of the scatter signal decreases rapidly with spatial frequency, with a reduction of four orders of magnitude at 0.1 lp/mm, beyond which the random white noise due to the statistical nature of the Monte Carlo simulations dominates. The power-law fit for the x-ray scatter signal were 6.10 and 6.42 for the zero and thirty degree projection angles, respectively.

CONCLUSION
Although it is known that the x-ray scatter signal in mammography and breast tomosynthesis is dominated by low frequencies, quantitative evaluation of its frequency characteristics had not been undertaken before. This characterization will allow for more accurate software-based scatter reduction algorithms for mammography and breast tomosynthesis. Funding Support: This research was supported in part by National Institutes of Health (NIH) Grants Nos. R01CA156775 (PI: B. Fei), R01CA163746 (PI: Sechopoulos), Georgia Cancer Coalition Distinguished Clinicians and Scientists Award (PI: Fei), Emory Molecular and Translational Imaging Center (NIH P50CA128301), SPORE in Head and Neck Cancer (NIH P50CA128613), and Atlanta Clinical and Translational Science Institute (ACTSI) that is supported by the PHS Grant No. UL1 RR025008 from the Clinical and Translational Science Award program. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Cancer Institute or the National Institutes of Health. Disclosure: Institutional Research Grants, Fuji (Sechopoulos).