Documents are part of interactive sociocultural worlds in which ethnographers can analyse topics such as power relations, social struggle, violence and secrecy. While they emerge from bureaucratic administration, apparently mundane and stagnant documents represent dynamic processes of decision-making, knowledge production and exclusion. I consider ethnographic research on documents and their production as one that offers significant insights into bureaucratic violence and the tensions between formality and informality in alternative dispute resolution in Virginia and the San Francisco Bay Area. This article discusses working with documents that are simultaneously bound by law and exist extra-legally. While documents are used to gain economic support, strengthen relationships between non-profit and government bodies, and evidence 'success', the processes have difficulties. The data demonstrate that bureaucratisation has resulted in cumbersome processes and expensive requirements that mirror the exclusion and power asymmetries of formal law itself.


Coalescence is the process whereby alleles sampled from a population can be traced back to a single ancestor. When the variation that exists between the alleles is neutral in its effect on Darwinian fitness, the analysis of expected patterns in coalescent processes is simple, due to the independence of the phylogeny of the alleles from the mutational changes that they have undergone. The structure of this genealogy can reveal whether the population has been constant in size and whether it has been geographically subdivided. It can also suggest whether selection has operated, particularly if unexpected patterns are seen at individual genetic loci, and not genome-wide. However, due to the intrinsically stochastic nature of the coalescent process, inference of demographic changes from a coalescent analysis is difficult, particularly when only one or a few loci are examined.

Key Concepts:

Allelic DNA sequences sampled from a population share common ancestry and are connected by a phylogeny.

If DNA sequence variation is neutral with respect to natural selection, and if the population has been panmictic and of constant size, the expected phylogenies of alleles are easy to predict.

The coalescent process predicts the expected level and distribution of DNA sequence variation in populations.

The expected level of variation is determined by the product of the neutral mutation rate and the effective population size.

If data from wild populations differ from the expectations of the coalescent process, possible explanations include population subdivision, changes in population size and the action of natural selection.

Recombination has the effect that the phylogenies of different genetic loci will be different, although they will be correlated if the loci are linked.

Although the demographic history of a population will influence the coalescent process and thus the variation in the alleles sampled from a population, the inherent stochasticity of the process makes it hard to infer demographic histories with confidence from genetic variation, especially if few loci are considered.

Keywords:

population genetics;
DNA;
neutral evolution;
polymorphism;
gene genealogy


This paper examines the ability of workers nearing retirement to report their expected retirement savings, where retirement savings refers to funds held in savings, checking, and investment-type accounts. Responding to such a question is likely to be difficult, even for those who are near retirement, because it requires respondents to assess when they will retire, their likely income stream between the survey date and retirement, and what portfolio choices will be made at retirement. Based on two nationally representative surveys collected two decades apart, we find that most individuals provide some response to the question, particularly when they are allowed to provide a range. Moreover, the responses that are given have substantial predictive power for actual retirement savings, even when compared to the savings in the initial wave. Despite this predictive power, there is evidence that responses do not satisfy the more stringent requirements of the rational expectations hypothesis.


In ground water flow system models with hydraulic‐head observations but without significant imposed or observed flows, extreme parameter correlation generally exists. As a result, hydraulic conductivity and recharge parameters cannot be uniquely estimated. In complicated problems, such correlation can go undetected even by experienced modelers. Extreme parameter correlation can be detected using parameter correlation coefficients, but their utility depends on the presence of sufficient, but not excessive, numerical imprecision of the sensitivities, such as round‐off error. This work investigates the information that can be obtained from parameter correlation coefficients in the presence of different levels of numerical imprecision, and compares it to the information provided by an alternative method called the singular value decomposition (SVD). Results suggest that (1) calculated correlation coefficients with absolute values that round to 1.00 were good indicators of extreme parameter correlation, but smaller values were not necessarily good indicators of lack of correlation and resulting unique parameter estimates; (2) the SVD may be more difficult to interpret than parameter correlation coefficients, but it required sensitivities that were one to two significant digits less accurate than those that required using parameter correlation coefficients; and (3) both the SVD and parameter correlation coefficients identified extremely correlated parameters better when the parameters were more equally sensitive. When the statistical measures fail, parameter correlation can be identified only by the tedious process of executing regression using different sets of starting values, or, in some circumstances, through graphs of the objective function.


The rule of k names can be described as follows: given a set of candidates for o¢ ce, a committee chooses k members from this set by voting, and makes a list with their names. Then a single individual from outside the committee selects one of the listed names for the o¢ ce. Di¤erent variants of this method have been used since the distant past and are still used today in many countries and for di¤erent types of choices. After documenting this widespread use by means of actual examples, we provide a theoretical analysis. We concentrate on the plausible outcomes induced by the rule of k names when the agents involved act strategically. Our analysis shows how the parameter k, the screening rule and the nature of candidacies act as a means to balance the power of the committee with that of the chooser.


Recent efforts have sought to theorize the legalization of the social and economic sphere that is undiminished by time. Though the context has changed over time, the project remains the same—to embed behavior control within a network of mandatory proscriptions attached in some authoritative way to the state. Corporate social responsibility has been bound up in corporate codes of behavior and related private governance standards systems. In that form, it serves as a key site for the evolution of legalization and legitimacy in governance. That evolution appears to take corporate social responsibility from its twentieth century formalist rigidity into something of a bridge between the political and social sphere. This essay considers the legalization project and its challenge to the logic and legitimacy of law and the dangers—for state and business enterprise—that flow from the fundamental ideological premises that appear to make this legalization project within the state both necessary and inevitable. These dangers include the misdirection of labeling—dismissing nonlaw as necessarily illegitimate, the obliteration of the fundamental construct of and constraints inherent in the corporate form, the error of conflating regulation with law, the unintended consequence of subverting law through the incorporation of a societal element in lawmaking, the error of denaturing the societal element of corporate codes, and the production of perversity through the formalism of law that masks inverted power relations between powerful enterprises and weak states. Paradoxically, perhaps, the project of legalization evidences how a love of ancient custom, in this case the customs and patterns of the post-Westphalian law-state, remains, while power shifts to those, enterprises included, that have brought about a revolution in the state and in the meaning of legalization in a new world order that has yet to be revealed.


Nitrogen balance of mice was affected adversely when they received protein and a carbohydrate-fat mixture at different times of day. Administration of growth hormone overcame this adverse effect, although in the dosage employed the hormone had no measurable effect when protein and carbohydrate-fat were administered simultaneously. In other experiments we showed that fat feeding reduced the loss of nitrogen. Administration of fat and growth hormone (in a dose which by itself was ineffective) reduced the nitrogen loss to minimal levels. In animals which had previously become adapted to high-fat rations, fat showed a large nitrogen-sparing action which could not be further enhanced by growth-hormone treatment. The data suggest that one function of growth hormone is to speed adaptation to efficient fat utilization which is reflected in nitrogen retention.


Paravalvular leak (PVL) is a relatively frequent complication after transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) with increased mortality. Currently, there is no effective method to pre-operatively predict and prevent PVL. In this study, we developed a computational model to predict the severity of PVL after TAVR. Nonlinear finite element (FE) method was used to simulate a self-expandable CoreValve deployment into a patient-specific aortic root, specified with human material properties of aortic tissues. Subsequently, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations were performed using the post-TAVR geometries from the FE simulation, and a parametric investigation of the impact of the transcatheter aortic valve (TAV) skirt shape, TAV orientation, and deployment height on PVL was conducted. The predicted PVL was in good agreement with the echocardiography data. Due to the scallop shape of CoreValve skirt, the difference of PVL due to TAV orientation can be as large as 40%. Although the stent thickness is small compared to the aortic annulus size, we found that inappropriate modeling of it can lead to an underestimation of PVL up to 10 ml/beat. Moreover, the deployment height could significantly alter the extent and the distribution of regurgitant jets, which results in a change of leaking volume up to 70%. Further investigation in a large cohort of patients is warranted to verify the accuracy of our model. This study demonstrated that a rigorously developed patient-specific computational model can provide useful insights into underlying mechanisms causing PVL and potentially assist in pre-operative planning for TAVR to minimize PVL.


ABSTRACT Ghana's status as a new oil producer raises questions about the developmental effects of resources, and the role of political institutions in these processes. The conundrum this paper addresses is the rather limited impact of oil exploitation in Ghana despite the country's strong democratic record and internationally acclaimed oil governance legislation. The reasons for this lie in the nature of elite-based political coalitions and we root our analysis of Ghana's hydrocarbons in the political settlements literature, which moves us beyond the 'good governance' approaches so often linked to 'resource curse' thinking. We also move beyond the instrumentalism of political settlements theory to examine the role political ideas play in shaping resource governance. We argue that inter-coalitional rivalry has generally undermined the benefits of Ghana's oil but that a crude interests-based interpretation is insufficient to explain differences between these coalitions.


The term 'resilience' is increasingly used in the context of discussion, policies and programming around climate change adaptation ('adaptation') and disaster risk reduction (DRR). It has become particularly popular to describe the intersection between these two fields and those of poverty and development as 'climate resilient development', and 'climate resilient development' is rapidly becoming a catch-all for tackling climate change impacts in a development context'. However, despite this growth in popularity, there has been little attempt to scrutinise the literature to examine how it might underpin an operational approach to resilience. This working paper reviews academic conceptualisation of the concept of 'resilience' in social, ecological and socio-ecological systems. It reviews 16 overlapping conceptualisations of resilience from the literature, outlining key characteristics and indicators of resilience. A metatable captures the key findings of the paper, including detail on indicators


We explore the systematic effects of variation in players' heterogeneity on aggregate effort in contests. We show that if costs of effort are convex, a mean-preserving increase in the variation of players' abilities can lead to an increase or decrease in aggregate effort, both in contests of complete and incomplete information, depending on the curvature of the effort cost function. Specifically, if effort costs are not too steep, aggregate effort increases in ability variation, whereas if effort costs are sufficiently steep, aggregate effort decreases in ability variation.


Transcriptional analysis by Northern blotting identified clusters of early, middle and late transcribed regions of the temperate lactococcal bacteriophage TP901-1 during one-step growth experiments. The latent period was found to be 65 min and the burst size 40 +/- 10. The eight early transcripts, all mapping in a 13 kb region adjacent to the attachment site of TP901-1, were present at maximal levels 10 min after infection. The four middle transcripts, observed at maximal levels 30 min after infection, are all located within a 2 kb region at the distal end of the early transcripts. The late class of transcripts were detected 40 min after infection and the amounts of these transcripts increased with time. The late transcripts were localized to the 13 kb region adjacent to the 2 kb middle transcribed region. The sequence of almost 4 kb of the early region was determined, allowing a detailed transcriptional map for the early region of which in total 6.4 kb was sequenced. Sequence analysis of the early region revealed two closely positioned but divergently orientated promoters, PL and PR, in accordance with the orientation of the ORFs and the transcriptional map. Nine ORFs were found, and similarities to a phage repressor, a single-stranded DNA-binding protein, a topoisomerase, a Cro-like protein and two other phage proteins of unknown function were detected. The gene arrangement in the early transcribed region of TP901-1 thus consists of two transcriptional units: one from PR containing four genes, of which at least two (the integrase gene and putative repressor) are needed for lysogeny, and the divergent and longer transcriptional unit from PL, presumably encoding functions required for the lytic life cycle. ORFs with homology to proteins involved in DNA replication were identified on the latter transcriptional unit.


Wavenumber matching is crucial to proper designs of optical devices such as ring-bus waveguides or planar cavities. In particular, the range of in-plane wavenumbers needs to be adequately determined along the coupling direction. Oftentimes, numerically intensive search is necessary for its accurate determination for surface plasmon resonances in particular nanostructures. In this paper, a method based on contour integrals is employed in order to provide a rough idea on the coupling capability of participating optical components. An example is provided for a semi-infinite metal-dielectric periodic multilayer bounded by another semi-infinite medium.


BACKGROUND
The cardiovascular reflex responses to injury and simple hemorrhage are coordinated in the central nervous system. Coincidental brain injury, which is present in 64% of trauma patients who die, could impair these homeostatic responses. The occurrence of hemorrhagic shock in the patient with head injury is also known to increase mortality. Therefore, there is a potential bidirectional interaction between traumatic brain injury and peripheral injury, which would result in an increased mortality when these two injuries coexist. Our objective was to test the hypothesis that moderate traumatic brain injury is an independent predictor of outcome in patients with multisystem trauma.

METHODS
We carried out an analysis of the UK Trauma Audit and Research Network Database. Moderate traumatic brain injury was defined as an Abbreviated Injury Scale score of 3. The study population included 2,717 patients with multisystem injury: 378 patients had a moderate brain injury with peripheral injury, and 2,339 patients had extracranial injury alone. Mortality rates for both groups were compared at increasing injury severity.

RESULTS
Moderate brain injury alone was associated with a mortality rate of 4.2%. However, when combined with extracranial injury, the risk of death was double that attributable to extracranial injury alone (odds ratio, 2.08; 95% confidence interval, 1.57-2.77).

CONCLUSION
This study confirms that the coexistence of moderate traumatic brain injury with extracranial injury is associated with a doubling of the predicted mortality rate throughout the injury severity ranges studied.


Once the 2009 financial meltdown was avoided through central banks' decisive action and governments' swift bailouts, the general consensus was that the usual recipes that took us back to prosperity and growth after each of the post war recessions should undoubtedly work again. The main tools selected by the authorities were fiscal stimulus, lowering of interest rates combined with monetary easing, politically motivated legislation and high profile chastising to keep the public satisfied that the authorities were extirpating the roots of the problem. These remedies were applied and, for a while, seemed to work: stock prices recovered, the US job market stabilized, bail out money started to be repaid and economic growth, although sluggish, appeared to be well into positive territory. However, two years later, another serious financial crisis unexpectedly struck. There seemed to be no reason for it. Indeed, this had not been the first time we faced a real estate/financial crisis. For example, in 1990, real estate prices went down even more than they have had since 2008. The amounts dedicated to the stimulus packages and monetary easing were unprecedented and imposing pieces of legislation were quickly passed. So how could this have happened? The answer to this question requires a careful analysis of the nature of the 2008 crisis, the then prevailing economic conditions and the relevance of the measures taken.


In this paper a two-dimensional numerical model for a minichannel evaporator is implemented. This model takes into account the variation of wall (fin and tube) temperature and moist air properties (temperature and humidity ratio) in both longitudinal and transverse directions. The validation of the current model is done with a well-defined analytical case, the results of both cases show a very good agreement and consistency. A case study from literature has been chosen to compare between the current model results, and the results from traditional e-NTU method with adiabatic fin-tip assumption which used generally by many authors for modeling and analyzing the evaporator performance. The tube wall temperature is varied from 1.4 C to 17 C, under constant inlet air temperature and humidity ratio. These conditions allow different scenarios for the tube and fin (totally wet, totally dry, or partially wet). Deviations in results between the current model and the traditional e-NTU approach are noticed, especially under partially wet fin condition. These deviations are mainly due to the assumptions which normally adopted by the e-NTU method and fin theory such as; no variation in moist air temperature and humidity ratio along the direction between tubes, the whole segment (tube and fin) is usually assumed to be either completely dry or wet and no accounting for partially wet scenario.


· Europe and the United States will soon begin to encounter fiscal constraints the like of which we have never seen before. Federal debt as a percentage of GDP more than doubled between 2000 and 2012. According to the US Congressional Budget Office, total national debt is expected to remain close to 100 per cent of GDP during the next decade and begin to increase thereafter as the baby-boomers fully enter retirement.· Debt levels in European Union countries have surged similarly, from 60 per cent of national income during the mid 2000s to 85 per cent of national income today. · An ageing population alone does not create greater government indebtedness as long as each generation sets aside adequate funds to meet their own future pensions and health-care costs. Instead of adopting such pre-funded retirement support systems, however, Western governments have developed unfunded social insurance programmes where retiree benefits are paid for from the taxes of the working-age population. This means that an ageing population leads to rising expenditures that cannot be covered without increasing taxes on the young. Politicians have known about population ageing for around 50 years but ignored the problems it will create for public finances.· Figures for accumulated debt are backward looking, reflecting past deficits; they do not take into account the promises that governments have made in relation to future commitments. No private sector firm would be able to present accounts in this way.· If we include commitments that have been made under Social Security and health-care programmes, the US fiscal imbalance is 9 per cent of the estimated present value of future US GDP. This means that an additional 9 per cent of GDP in tax revenues, over and above existing taxes, would have to be levied each year to ensure that all US government spending commitments could be met from taxation. Closing the fiscal gap between expected tax revenues and spending would involve more than doubling federal payroll taxes, assuming that such a rise is economically feasible.· Under the most realistic assumptions regarding future policy, the US fiscal imbalance is about seven times the total national debt held by the public. In other words, if current unfunded spending commitments to future generations of older people are included, the underlying national indebtedness of the US government is seven times the published figure.· Over two-thirds of government spending commitments not covered by current tax plans is attributable to two major programmes: Social Security and Medicare. These programmes have been hugely expanded in recent years. · All the fiscal metrics used by EU countries, for example, in the euro zone's stability and growth pact, are backward-looking measures of accumulated debt; as such, published debt measures understate true indebtedness.· The underlying fiscal situation in the EU is worse than that in the US. In EU countries, the ratio of workers to retirees currently stands at between three and four but, for most EU countries, this ratio is projected to decline to below two workers per retiree by the middle of this century. The ratio of workers to retirees will also decline for the US, but will remain considerably above the ratios in the major EU nations.· This demographic situation, combined with future pension and health-care commitments, is at the heart of the unsustainable budget positions in the EU. The use of explicit debt measures to judge policy leads to bad long-term decision making, especially in areas such as pension provision. For example, in the UK, Poland and Hungary, action has been taken to reduce short-term debt measures in ways that increase long- term state pension liabilities.· The average fiscal imbalance in the EU is 13.5 per cent of the present value of GDP. Ireland has the highest fiscal imbalance; at 31.6 per cent, the UK's fiscal imbalance is a little above the EU average; and four countries (Sweden, Cyprus, Luxembourg and Estonia) have fiscal imbalances less than 8 per cent.· A 13.5 per cent fiscal imbalance as a share of GDP in EU nations translates, on average, into a 23.2 percentage point increase in the consumption tax rate if taxes are going to fully finance spending – again assuming that such a rise is feasible. Alternatively, the fiscal imbalance could be closed by reducing health and social protection expenditure by about one half.· In the UK, total spending would have to be cut by more than one quarter or health and social protection expenditure by around one half compared with the level implied by current policy if the UK is to avoid tax increases and all spending is to be met out of tax revenue in the long run. Some measures have been planned in the UK which will address the situation, such as a proposed rise in state pension age, but these measures are being implemented slowly and are inadequate on their own.· Faster economic growth than already incorporated into fiscal imbalance estimates is unlikely to resolve governments' long-term fiscal problems. Many of the projected expenditures could increase if there is economic growth because the commitments on pension and health benefits are designed to keep pace with overall economic growth. Furthermore, if countries do not address their fiscal imbalances now, the size of the necessary adjustment will increase over time, undermining investor confidence and generally worsening the conditions for maintaining economic growth. Instead, appropriate and timely structural changes to bring the finances of public programmes into balance would be likely to spur economic growth.


We report pressure-dependent photoluminescence (PL) experiments under hydrostatic pressures up to 2.16 GPa on a mid-wave infrared InAs/InAs0.86Sb0.14 type-II superlattice (T2SL) structure at different pump laser excitation powers and sample temperatures. The pressure coefficient of the T2SL transition was found to be 93 ± 2 meV·GPa−1. The integrated PL intensity increases with pressure up to 1.9 GPa then quenches rapidly indicating a pressure induced level crossing with the conduction band states at ∼2 GPa. Analysis of the PL intensity as a function of excitation power at 0, 0.42, 1.87, and 2.16 GPa shows a clear change in the dominant photo-generated carrier recombination mechanism from radiative to defect related. From these data, evidence for a defect level situated at 0.18 ± 0.01 eV above the conduction band edge of InAs at ambient pressure is presented. This assumes a pressure-dependent energy shift of −11 meV·GPa−1 for the valence band edge and that the defect level is insensitive to pressure, both ...


Billions of dollars have been spent on pilot programs searching for ways to reduce health care costs. I study one such program, in which hospitals pay doctors bonuses for reducing the total hospital costs of admitted Medicare patients. Doctors respond to the bonuses by becoming more likely to admit patients whose treatment can generate high bonuses and sorting healthier patients into participating hospitals. Conditional on patient health, however, doctors do not reduce costs or change procedure use. These results highlight the ability of doctors to game incentive schemes and the risks of basing nationwide health care reforms on pilot programs.


Stock market prediction is a very noisy problem and the use of any additional information to increase accuracy is necessary. In this paper, for the stock daily return prediction problem, the set of features is expanded to include indicators not only for the stock to be predicted itself but also a set of other stocks and currencies. Afterwards, different feature selection and classification methods are utilized for prediction. The daily close returns of the 3 most traded stocks (GARAN, THYAO, and ISCTR) in Borsa Istanbul (BIST) are predicted using indicators computed on those stocks, indicators for all the other stocks listed in the BIST100 index, and indicators on the dollar-gold prices. Twenty-five different indicators on daily stock prices are computed to form feature vectors for each trading day. These feature vectors are assigned class labels according to the daily close returns. Expanding the feature space with BIST100 stocks features results in a high dimensional feature space, with possibly noisy or irrelevant features. Therefore, feature selection methods are utilized to select the most informative features. In order to determine relevance scores of features, fast filter-based methods, gain ratio and relief, are used. Experiments are performed based on individual stock features, dollar-gold features (DG), BIST100 stock features (BIST100), and a combination of BIST100 and DG with and without feature selection. Using the gain ratio feature selection with a gradient boosting machine (GBM), the movements of GARAN stock were predicted with an accuracy of 0.599 and an F-measure of 0.614. For THYAO, the relief feature selection with the GBM gave an accuracy of 0.558, and for ISCTR, the gain ratio feature selection with logistic regression achieved an accuracy of 0.581. It was found that using BIST100 stock features boosts classification results for all stocks in terms of accuracy.


Advances in 3D scanning technology allow us to create realistic virtual avatars from full body 3D scan data.

However, negative reactions to some realistic computer generated humans suggest that this approach might

not always provide the most appealing results. Using styles derived from existing popular character designs,

we present a novel automatic stylization technique for body shape and colour information based on a statistical

3D model of human bodies. We investigate whether such stylized body shapes result in increased perceived

appeal with two different experiments: One focuses on body shape alone, the other investigates the additional

role of surface colour and lighting. Our results consistently show that the most appealing avatar is a partially

stylized one. Importantly, avatars with high stylization or no stylization at all were rated to have the least

appeal. The inclusion of colour information and improvements to render quality had no significant effect on

the overall perceived appeal of the avatars, and we observe that the body shape primarily drives the change

in appeal ratings. For body scans with colour information, we found that a partially stylized avatar was most

effective, increasing average appeal ratings by approximately 34%.


Microarchitectural attacks have gained popularity lately for the threat they pose and for their stealthiness. They are stealthy as they only exploit common harmless resources accessible at lowest privilege level, e.g. timed memory and cache accesses. Microarchitectural attacks have proven successful on shared cloud instances across VMs, on smartphones with sandboxing, and on numerous embedded platforms. Further they have shown to have catastrophic consequences such as critical data recovery or memory isolation bypassing. Due to the rise of malicious code, app store operators such as Microsoft, Apple and Google are already vetting apps before releasing them. Microarchitectural attacks however still bypass such detection mechanisms as they mainly utilize standard resources and look harmless. Given the rise of malicious code in app stores and in online repositories it becomes essential to scan applications for such stealthy attacks to prevent their distribution. We present a static code analysis tool, MASCAT, capable of scanning for ever-evolving microarchitectural attacks. MASCAT can be used by app store service providers to perform large scale fully automated analysis of applications. The initial MASCAT suite is built to include cache/DRAM access attacks and rowhammer. MASCAT detects several patterns that are common and necessary to execute microarchitectural attacks. MASCAT currently has a detection rate of 96% and an average false positive rate tested in 1200 applications of 0.75%. Further, our tool can easily be extended to cover newer attack vectors as they emerge


T. S. Eliot's reputation as a critic, scholar, editor, and writer was bolstered by his role as the editor of a small literary quarterly called The Criterion. Funded initially by Lady Rothermere and later by Faber and Gwyer, the magazine, after a rocky start, became one of the premier voices of modernism until it was discontinued in 1939. (1) Vivien Eliot (2) was, from the beginning of the magazine in 1922 and up until T. S. Eliot began editing it at his office at Faber and Gwyer in 1926 as The New Criterion, an integral part of the publication. She was responsible for the name of the magazine, as Eliot reported to Pound. (3) In addition to naming the quarterly, she helped "her husband in editorial duties," corresponding with contributors, typing to dictation, and reviewing books. During 1924 and 1925, she contributed stories, sketches, reviews, letters, and a poem, which appeared under the various pseudonyms E M., Fanny Marlowe, Feiron Morris, and Felix Morrison, in addition to writing and editing collaboratively with her husband and his secretary Irene Fassett. (4) Her authorship was not widely known, although it was an open secret among the Eliots' friends, some of whom were reportedly not amused by her satirical portraits of London literary society. Although Eliot himself found his wife to possess great talent--admiring her for her "original" and "not at all feminine" mind--her work in The Criterion has drawn little serious critical notice. (5) For the most part, Vivien Eliot's writing has been received by Eliot scholars as thinly veiled autobiography, reflecting her attitude toward her husband and his friends. While Vivien was undoubtedly a dilettante writer, she was an intelligent woman and a perceptive reader, as her book reviews show. This was certainly not the case of the husband's publishing his wife, blind to the quality of her writing. Rather it was a case of Eliot's publishing a promising and emerging writer alongside established writers, a practice The Criterion was known for, as Bonamy Dobree points out in "T. S. Eliot: a Personal Reminiscence": "its outstanding virtue being its welding together of so many kinds of contributor, from Wyndham Lewis, F. M. Ford, Virginia Woolf, to lesser lights and beginners." (6) Before Vivien Eliot's authorship was generally known, Herbert Howarth favorably compared her work to a cocktail-party story by Aldous Huxley and a short piece by her husband, both published in The Criterion. (7) After her authorship was known, her publications were either resented by those parodied in them, dismissed, or mined for biographical insights. All of Eliot's biographers mention Vivien Eliot's writing, but usually only with the intent of elucidating what it reveals about the Eliots' marriage. She is given very little credit for artistic craft and is not allowed an artistic identity, not recognized as a writer with a writer's concerns. Peter Ackroyd describes Vivien's writing in The Criterion in almost purely biographical terms, although he does note one area of originality--the rhythm of her dialogue. He characterizes Vivien's writing as a pale imitation of her husband's, overseen by and influenced by him: "it seems likely that he wrote certain passages himself." What Ackroyd finds most noteworthy in Vivien's publications are the parodies or portraits of her husband, and the impression they give of the author as "a woman acutely sensitive to the external world but also nervous and withdrawn." This impression is derived from the assumption that the characters and the author are inextricable from one another, an assumption that Ackroyd does not make in his analysis of her husband's work. Clearly Ackroyd thinks Vivien had a "feminine," and therefore possibly hysterical, mind. His views on Vivien's work are marked by their reliance on the autobiographical "phallacy," a term coined and defined by Mary Jacobus as the critical gesture "whereby male critics hold that women's writing is somehow closer to their experience than men's, that the female text is the author, or at any rate a dramatic extension of her unconscious. …


Title of Document: THE DYNAMICS OF POLITICAL PARTICIPATION: AN ANALYSIS OF THE DYNAMIC INTERACTION BETWEEN INDIVIDUALS AND THEIR POLITICAL MICRO-ENVIRONMENT Stephen Wendel, Ph.D., 2012 Directed By: Professor Joe Oppenheimer, Department of Government and Politics While political choices are rarely isolated or simultaneous, the vast majority of empirical models in political science assume they are. This dissertation examines the dynamic interactions over time between individuals and their micro-environment, in which a single factor both influences, and is influenced by, the act of voting. These dynamic interactions occur in a surprisingly broad swathe of the current literature on American voting behavior, as implicit but unexamined elements of four major research traditions. When these interactions are present, they establish feedback cycles that pose both theoretical and statistical challenges if not analyzed appropriately. Researchers ignoring these cycles tend to underestimate long term influences on voting behavior, make unrealistic assumptions about changes in voting behavior over time, and produce biased results under certain conditions. I propose a methodology that can successfully identify and model these interactions: employing simulation models to represent dynamic interactions in an intuitive format, and using optimization techniques to conduct parameter estimation and hypothesis testing against empirical data. To guide the development of these simulation models, I outline a theoretical framework of the major pathways by which dynamic interactions can influence voting behavior. I then present two applications of this methodology, to study the dynamic impacts on voting of political mobilization, and of social conformity over time. In both cases, the models receive strong statistical support, in benchmark tests against existing econometric models and against empirical data on voting behavior. Both mobilization and social conformity have unstudied indirect impacts that can lead to an additional 1.7% to 4% increase in voter turnout beyond existing models. Targeted use of peer pressure can lead to even more significant increases in turnout – up to a 30% increase among otherwise indecisive voters. In the long term, targeted mobilization can create cadres of repeatedly-mobilized activists, which raises questions about whether political campaigns effectively use their mobilization funds to build their parties in the long term. These two simulation models also provide a foundation for a host of new research questions, ranging from the impact of highintensity get-out-the-vote drives on future mobilization efforts, to the effects of an aging population on turnout behavior over time. THE DYNAMICS OF POLITICAL PARTICIPATION: AN ANALYSIS OF THE DYNAMIC INTERACTION BETWEEN INDIVIDUALS AND THEIR POLITICAL MICRO-ENVIRONMENT


Human DNA topoisomerase I plays a dual role in transcription, by controlling DNA supercoiling and by acting as a specific kinase for the SR-protein family of splicing factors. The two activities are mutually exclusive, but the identity of the molecular switch is unknown. Here we identify poly(ADP-ribose) as a physiological regulator of the two topoisomerase I functions. We found that, in the presence of both DNA and the alternative splicing factor/splicing factor 2 (ASF/SF2, a prototypical SR-protein), poly(ADP-ribose) affected topoisomerase I substrate selection and gradually shifted enzyme activity from protein phosphorylation to DNA cleavage. A likely mechanistic explanation was offered by the discovery that poly(ADP-ribose) forms a high affinity complex with ASF/SF2 thereby leaving topoisomerase I available for directing its action onto DNA. We identified two functionally important domains, RRM1 and RS, as specific poly(ADP-ribose) binding targets. Two independent lines of evidence emphasize the potential biological relevance of our findings: (i) in HeLa nuclear extracts, ASF/SF2, but not histone, phosphorylation was inhibited by poly(ADP-ribose); (ii) an in silico study based on gene expression profiling data revealed an increased incidence of alternative splicing within a subset of inflammatory response genes that are dysregulated in cells lacking a functional poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1. We propose that poly(ADP-ribose) targeting of topoisomerase I and ASF/SF2 functions may participate in the regulation of gene expression.


In this study I empirically examine the impact of immigration on the dynamics of housing prices across Italian provinces from 1996 till 2007. The massive debate upon the impact of current intensive immigration flows on the wellbeing of the native Italian population and Europeans in general is mainly focused on labor market outcomes which is, however, only one of the channels though which the real income and wealth can alter. This paper contributes to our understanding of the influence that recent intensive immigration flows have on the Italian economy by estimating its impact on the housing market. Moreover, it exploits different methodological approach with respect to the approach dominating in migration literature. Using the number of valid residence permits as a measure of immigration stock and the self-reported housing values from the Survey of Households Income Wealth in Italy I find that the increase in the concentration of immigrants in the Italian provinces has a positive but declining effect on the average housing prices in provinces. The obtained results also indicate that an increase of in immigrant population leads to an increase in average housing prices. The performed Difference and System GMM estimations confirm both the positive response of average housing prices to the increase in immigrant population and the non-linearity of its response to immigrants' concentration in all specifications.


We present a visualization technique for 2D stress tensor fields based on the construction of a globally conforming lattice. Conformity ensures that the lattice edges follow the principal stress directions and the aspect ratio of lattice elements represents the stress anisotropy. Since such a lattice structure cannot be space‐filling in general, it is constructed from multiple intersecting lattice beams. Conformity at beam intersections is ensured via a constrained optimization problem, by computing the aspect ratio of elements at intersections so that their edges meet when continued along the principal stress lines. In combination with a coloring scheme that encodes relative stress magnitudes, a global visualization is achieved. By introducing additional constraints on the positional variation of the beam intersections, coherent visualizations are achieved when external loads or material parameters are changed. In a number of experiments using non‐trivial scenarios, we demonstrate the capability of the proposed visualization technique to show the global and local structure of a given stress field.


DDoS flooding attacks are one of the biggest concerns for security professionals and they are typically explicit attempts to disrupt legitimate users' access to services. Developing a comprehensive defense mechanism against such attacks requires a comprehensive understanding of the problem and the techniques that have been used thus far in preventing, detecting, and responding to various such attacks.

In this thesis, we dig into the problem of DDoS flooding attacks from four directions: (1) We study the origin of these attacks, their variations, and various existing defense mechanisms against them. Our literature review gives insight into a list of key required features for the next generation of DDoS flooding defense mechanisms. The most important requirement on this list is to see more distributed DDoS flooding defense mechanisms in near future, (2) In such systems, the success in detecting DDoS flooding attacks earlier and in a distributed fashion is highly dependent on the quality and quantity of the traffic flows that are covered by the employed traffic monitoring mechanisms. This motivates us to study and understand the challenges of existing traffic monitoring mechanisms, (3) We propose a novel distributed, coordinated, network-wide traffic monitoring (DiCoTraM) approach that addresses the key challenges of current traffic monitoring mechanisms. DiCoTraM enhances flow coverage to enable effective, early detection of DDoS flooding attacks. We compare and evaluate the performance of DiCoTraM with various other traffic monitoring mechanisms in terms of their total flow coverage and DDoS flooding attack flow coverage, and (4) We evaluate the effectiveness of DiCoTraM with cSamp, an existing traffic monitoring mechanism that outperforms most of other traffic monitoring mechanisms, with regards to supporting early detection of DDoS flooding attacks (i.e., at the intermediate network) by employing two existing DDoS flooding detection mechanisms over them. We then compare the effectiveness of DiCoTraM with that of cSamp by comparing the detection rates and false positive rates achieved when the selected detection mechanisms are employed over DiCoTraM and cSamp. The results show that DiCoTraM outperforms other traffic monitoring mechanisms in terms of DDoS flooding attack flow coverage.


To implement an education initiative on school health in the Region, PAHO and other agencies will disseminate knowledge and experiences to schools in various countries throughout the Americas, organize meetings and workshops for the purpose of strengthening institutional capacity to identify the needs of local health education systems, and put into practice strategies to promote health and strengthen schools' involvement in this area. To determine a country's ability to set up and evaluate school health programs, the rapid assessment and analysis methodology will be used. This methodology, which arose in response to the need of governments to make decisions, formulate policies, and design programs on the basis of knowledge of the individual and collective behavior of their beneficiaries, is a useful tool for decision making and facilitates coordination mechanisms between the health and education sectors. In addition, it contributes quantitative and qualitative information for program review and analysis in an average of two months. This information is obtained through the compilation of data from secondary sources, interviews with key informants, and discussions with focal groups made up of formal and informal community leaders.


Based upon the findings of a qualitative in-depth interview study with 23 women aged 23–72 years recruited from members of the general public and a psychosexual clinic, this paper explores participants understandings of the term "sexuality". The findings are set within the context of historical, prevailing and often contradictory perceptions of the term. Data were analysed thematically using the conventions of template analysis within a material discursive framework. This paper questions the assumption that sexuality is an altogether powerful and naturally occurring phenomenon. The ability to isolate and give credence to a definitive meaning of the term is, both for participants and academics alike, an arduous undertaking. Rather than focusing primarily on the material body, the extent to which ideology, culture and power intersect with the former indicate its multidimensional, constructed nature. Given the whole host of meanings evoked by the term, the paper asserts that it is more fitting to talk of multiple understandings of sexuality rather than a singular authoritative one whilst also contingent on social and historical practices. The findings have implications that should be considered when evaluating previous sexological research and conducting future research where this term is used throughout as a focus of academic enquiry.


Objective: Suicide is a public health problem and an important indicator of severe mental ill-health. Thus, identifying risk factors for suicidal ideation is a public health priority. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between employment status and suicidal ideation in Gavleborg County. Method: The study used data from the 2010 Health in Equal Terms survey, a cross-sectional survey carried out in Gavleborg County in Sweden. A total of 4,245 individuals, aged 16–65 years were included in the analyses. Descriptive and logistic regression analyses were carried out to assess the relationship between employment status and suicidal ideation. Results: Individuals outside the labour market had odds of suicidal ideation of 4.21 (CI 3.14-5.64) compared to their employed counterparts. Controlling for other covariates, reduced the risk from 4.21(CI 3.14-5.64) in model I, to 1.73 (CI 1.16- 2.57) in model IV, but remained statistically significant. In addition, other variables were associated with suicidal ideation. Conclusion: There was a statistically significant association between being out of work and suicidal ideation. The association was explained partly by demographic, socio-economic and self-reported psychological variables. Results of the study suggest the need for primary prevention strategies among those out of the labour market, especially during times of economic hardship.


This case discusses the gradual transformation of a national postal operator, from being a loss-making government agency to becoming a profitable government-owned company. It illustrates this transformation by focusing on how the company has recently diversified into mobile communications. The case should allow students to:

• gain an understanding of the particular strategic context of a highly regulated network industry, subjected to important changes in the external business environment;
• examine how a company can successfully engage in seemingly un-related diversification;
• appreciate the importance of resources and competences in market entry;
• identify alternative competitive strategies in a highly competitive market;
• understand how emergent and planned approaches to strategy may co-exist and be influenced by changes in top management.

The case has been written with a broad audience in mind, which could include advanced bachelor, master or MBA students. A number of questions for class discussion are suggested in the accompanying teaching notes, along with a related discussion. The list of questions is not exhaustive and further topics could easily be discussed, depending on the needs of the particular student audience. Questions 1, 2 and 3 should be adequate for both undergraduate and postgraduate strategy students, whilst questions 4, 5 and 6 may be more adequate for postgraduates. However, this will largely depend on the curriculum of the particular course on which it is used. The postal industry is typical of a highly regulated industry, and is in the midst of being transformed into a competitive industry. The case will thus provide an opportunity for lecturers and students to familiarize themselves with a particular context, and to apply strategic thinking to that context. This should benefit students as they will gain a richer picture of strategy and its application.


This dissertation seeks firstly to expose the fundamental difficulties associated with liberal attempts at conflict mediation, and subsequently to consider how these can be overcome through the development of post-liberalism and agonism. As highlighted by events such as the July 7th London bombings and the 2011 UK riots, values in pluralist society – such as those held by Marxist; feminist; religious; and ethnic groups - are often incompatible and incommensurable with one another. The dissertation aims to unearth liberal universalism as an aggravator of these pluralist tensions, increasing the potential for fundamentalism and the outbreak of conflict. It will argue that claims about the neutrality and universality of its principles, alongside its employment of a fixed public-private distinction, renders liberal universalism an oppressive theory that suppresses politics. Subsequent to forming this normative critique of liberal universalism, the dissertation will then examine post-liberal attempts to abandon neutrality and universality in favour of radical choice and contingency. Post-liberalism aims to provide a less oppressive alternative and to revive politics. However, I will suggest that post-liberal aspirations toward radical choice and contingency can neither overcome oppression, nor revive politics, unless it renegotiates the fixed public-private divide. The dissertation argues that agonism fills this gap by reworking the public-private distinction. It illustrates how agonism employs a similar rejection of liberal neutrality and universality, endorsing the same radical choice and contingency advocated by post-liberalism. The dissertation then considers how agonism builds on this through notions of agonistic respect and critical responsiveness, both of which allow it to renegotiate the public-private distinction. I will then discuss how renegotiation surmounts both the oppression of pluralist groups and the suppression of politics, encouraging citizens to engage publicly in the continual contestation of existing values. In so doing, the paper aspires to demonstrate how agonism builds on post-liberal advancements to offer us a less oppressive, more diverse alternative, rendering it a favourable conflict mediator to liberal universalism.


Biosorption was carried out in a batch process to test the suitability of corncob for the removal of manganese ion (Mn(II)) from aqueous solution. The amount of metal ions removed from solution depended on the metal ion-substrate contact time, ion concentration, temperature, and pH. The adsorption capacity of the biosorbent from corncob was also enhanced by treatment with acid. Kinetic modeling of the data obtained from the study showed that the biosorption of Mn(II) ions by the untreated and acid-treated corncob followed the Largergren pseudo-first order model. The adsorption capacity of the raw biomass was found to be 6.54 mg/g, while acid-treated biomass showed an adsorption capacity of 7.87 mg/g. The data obtained from this study fitted well with the Freundlich and Langmuir adsorption isotherms.


Simultaneous confidence bands enable more intuitive and detailed inference of regression analysis than the standard inferential methods of parameter estimation and hypothesis testing. Simultaneous Inference in Regression provides a thorough overview of the construction methods and applications of simultaneous confidence bands for various inferential purposes. It supplies examples and MATLAB® programs that make it easy to apply the methods to your own data analysis. The MATLAB programs, along with color figures, are available for download on www.personal.soton.ac.uk/wl/mybook.html Most of the book focuses on normal-error linear regression models. The author presents simultaneous confidence bands for a simple regression line, a multiple linear regression model, and polynomial regression models. He also uses simultaneous confidence bands to assess part of a multiple linear regression model with the zero function, to compare two regression models, and to evaluate more than two regression models. The final chapter demonstrates the use of simultaneous confidence bands in generalized linear regression models, such as logistic regression models. This book shows how to employ simultaneous confidence bands to make useful inferences in regression analysis. The topics discussed can be extended to functions other than parametric regression functions, offering novel opportunities for research beyond linear regression models.


The World Commission on Dams (WCD) has aroused debate as an innovation in global governance. I suggest that the WCD did, indeed, have many innovative features, but argue that processes such as the WCD are better suited to propagating norms than making rules at the global level. The norm setting and propagating role is critical because there are no other plausible mechanisms of debating the larger ideas that inform decision-making, in a way that credibly brings in voices of the poor and powerless. I develop this argument by looking at three aspects of the WCD: its characteristics as a global governance mechanism; how it sought to achieve legitimacy; and its role as an agent of regulative versus normative change.


Software systems that are embedded in autonomous Cyber-Physical Systems (CPSs) usually have a large life-cycle, both during its development and in maintenance. This software evolves during its life-cycle in order to incorporate new requirements, bug fixes, and to deal with hardware obsolescence. The current process for developing and maintaining this software is very fragmented, which makes developing new software versions and deploying them in the CPSs extremely expensive. In other domains, such as web engineering, the phases of development and operation are tightly connected, making it possible to easily perform software updates of the system, and to obtain operational data that can be analyzed by engineers at development time. However, in spite of the rise of new communication technologies (e.g., 5G) providing an opportunity to acquire Design-Operation Continuum Engineering methods in the context of CPSs, there are still many complex issues that need to be addressed, such as the ones related with hardware-software co-design. Therefore, the process of Design-Operation Continuum Engineering for CPSs requires substantial changes with respect to the current fragmented software development process. In this paper, we build a taxonomy for Design-Operation Continuum Engineering of CPSs based on case studies from two different industrial domains involving CPSs (elevation and railway). This taxonomy is later used to elicit requirements from these two case studies in order to present a blueprint on adopting Design-Operation Continuum Engineering in any organization developing CPSs.


Emotions influence information processing because they are assumed to carry valuable information. We predict that induced anger will increase ethnic but not gender intergroup bias because anger is related to conflicts for resources, and ethnic groups typically compete for resources, whereas gender groups typically engage in relations of positive interdependence. Furthermore, we also predict that this increased ethnic intergroup bias should only be observed among men because men show more group-based reactions to intergroup conflict than women do. Two studies, with 65 and 120 participants, respectively, indeed show that anger induction increases ethnic but not gender intergroup bias and only for men. Intergroup bias was measured with an implicit measure. In Study 2, we additionally predict (and find) that fear induction does not change ethnic or gender intergroup bias because intergroup bias is a psychological preparation for collective action and fear is not associated with taking action against out-groups. We conclude that the effect of anger depends on its specific informational potential in a particular intergroup context. These results highlight that gender groups differ on a crucial point from ethnic groups and call for more attention to the effect of people's gender in intergroup relations research.


There is a need to re-evaluate the residues generated in industrial processes for the production of new raw material, reducing the volume of waste. In this regard, the biosorption is a low-cost alternative method for treating effluents compared to conventional methods. The main objectives of this research were: the evaluation of the biosorbent capacity of six waste materials for the extraction of chromium(VI) and lead(II) ions from aqueous solutions and, the determination of the adsorption and kinetic parameters for the more efficient system. The materials evaluated were: peanut shell (Arachis hypagaea), sugarcane bagasse (Saccharum officinarum), avocado peel (Persea americana), pecan nutshell (Carya illinoinensis), wheat bran (Triticum aestivum) and banana peel (Mussa paradisiaca). The highest percentage of lead removal was obtained with wheat bran (89%). For chromium, the percentage was generally much lower compared with lead for all tested biosorbents, the banana peel being the most efficient with a 10% removal. The models that better describe the adsorption processes were: Langmuir and Freundlich. The pseudo-second order kinetic model allowed obtaining the parameters for both systems. The equilibrium time, in both systems, was reached after 60 minutes. The study of Fourier Transformed Infrared spectra and the results of desorption experiments allowed to hypothesize on the mechanisms involved in the adsorption of these metals.


The sol-gel technology offers highly interesting prospects for fiber fabrication. The main advantage is the possibility to incorporate any dopants and co-dopants soluble in a suitable solvent. Generally, these dopants are homogeneously dissolved in the matrix. The objective of this work is to produce fiber cores with the sol-gel technique, to fabricate ytterbium doped sol-gel fiber lasers, and to investigate their properties. The sol-gel route was adapted to successfully build ytterbium doped sol-gel fiber lasers. This wet chemistry process involves water and alcohol, but the hydroxyl groups of these liquids highly attenuate guided light. The fiber core deposition was therefore extended with thermal annealing at 1800 °C for vitrification and to minimize the hydroxyl group content in the fiber core. In case of a mono-mode fiber laser the core was built with three 2.7 µm layers. These layers were deposited with this intermediate vitrification applied between subsequent layers. In the case of multi-mode fibers six layers were applied similarly. After collapsing, the preforms were drawn to fibers. The produced fibers were investigated in view of structural and optical properties. The sol-gel fibers show cores with a radial structure in their cross sections. This structure is also known from the modified chemical vapor deposition (MCVD) technique. The stress distribution within sol-gel fibers is in the same range as in MCVD fibers. The fibers show losses of 31 dB/km at 1100 nm. Laser action has been demonstrated. With thresholds between 32 mW and 90 mW a slope efficiency of up to 73 % has been reached. The maximum output of 44 mW was limited by the available pump power.


Objective: The objective of the study was to evaluate effect of hydroalcoholic extract of V.trifolia Linn for anti-inflammatory activity. Methodology: Wistar rats weighing 150-200 g were used divided into four groups which were treated with the plant extracts and with indomethacin as standard drug. Acute inflammation was produced by injecting 0.1 mL of 1% homogenized carrageenan suspension in normal saline to the left hind paw of the rats. Paw volume measured using a digital plethysmometer. Sub-acute antiinflammatory studies were carried out by subcutaneous implantation of weighed pellets of compressed cotton and gross pith. Hematological and histological studies were also conducted. Results: The extract at both the doses has effectively suppressed carrageenan induced inflammation. Similarly less wet exudate formation is seen at higher dose suggesting inhibitory effect of the compounds on vascular permeability and controlled formation of dry exudate indicative of the effect on proliferative phase. Hematological parameters, lymphocyte count at both the doses and histological studies of the granuloma tissue were also performed revealing decrease in levels of macrophages, mast cells and other inflammatory mediators in groups treated with the extract as compared to animals treated in control group. Conclusion: The results suggest that the ethanolic extract of Vitex trifolia shows antiinflammatory activity on both acute and sub-acute stages of inflammation.


Diversified ranking is a fundamental task in machine learning. It is broadly applicable in many real world problems, e.g., information retrieval, team assembling, product search, etc. In this paper, we consider a generic setting where we aim to diversify the top-k ranking list based on an arbitrary relevance function and an arbitrary similarity function among all the examples. We formulate it as an optimization problem and show that in general it is NP-hard. Then, we show that for a large volume of the parameter space, the proposed objective function enjoys the diminishing returns property, which enables us to design a scalable, greedy algorithm to find the (1 - 1/e) near-optimal solution. Experimental results on real data sets demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.


Large scale land acquisitions for food and biofuel production by (mostly foreign) agro-industrial investors have surged as a substantial phenomenon in developing countries in the last 2-3 years. Already 30 million hectares or half of Europe's agricultural land are said to have been bought or leased, much of it in poor and poorly governed countries in Subsahara Africa. Although food presently seems to dominate motivations for land acquisitions, in the end food and biofuel production are two sides of the same coin if it comes to large scale land acquisitions: They fundamentally change the access of local populations to natural resources, the way resources are used, and the way production and incomes are organised, owned and distributed, not to talk about the changes of ways of live of rural populations. In addition, often production and raw materials can be easily switched between different purposes. Due to the size of these acquisitions there are justified fears that they can substantially harm rural development and food security in the affected countries. On the other hand, these investments bring desperately needed capital, innovation, market access and jobs into rural areas which are often not ideal worlds but marked by poverty, food insecurity and long-term soil mining and resource degradation. The present article discusses whether large scale land acquisition can be expected to be a long term phenomenon, which opportunities and threats exist for different actors, and which institutional challenges have to be dealt with if such investments are to be development-friendly. It is based on a case study on bioenergy potential in Namibia and an analysis of the literature. Unfortunately, the latter is of limited value for the time being because details of land acquisition deals are generally not open to public scrutiny. Thus, the key conclusion is that more transparency in this kind of deals is indispensable. In addition, existing land and user rights as well as compensation mechanisms have to be carefully respected, food security clauses have to be integrated into international trade, investment agreements and investment contracts, land use management, environmental and biosafety rules must be respected, provisions for risk management, moderation and litigation should be formulated, and overall policy coordination is important to make large scale land investments development friendly.


The Hellenic Panel Component of the Voter Study of the European Election Study 2014 (EES2014) is part of European project covering Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Greece, Austria, Britain, Bulgaria, Germany, the Netherlands Sweden, and Denmark. The research question behind this initiative is the possibility of lasting re-alignments (or de-alignments as the case may be) that may be initiated by the 2014 European Parliament election. The causes of such potential realignments are, of course, not the election itself but the sovereign debt crises and its consequences in a number of European Union member countries, plus the migration issue as a consequence of single market regulations. In order to identify such realignments, we are interested in comparing the voting behaviour of respondents in the European Parliament election of May 2014 with the subsequent 1st order national election vote ("vote" here refers to both participation and party choice).


Commitment to an activity forms an essential part of the talent development process, yet little is known about the reasons why young people commit to dance training. The aim of this study was to investigate the factors that affect young dancers' commitment to a selective dance talent scheme. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 19 committed dancers and transcripts were content analysed. Enjoyment was the most important factor relating to commitment, and stemmed from several sources such as self-expression, movement sensations and feelings associated with performing. Relationships with dance peers and teachers, parental support and the opportunities available on the scheme also enhanced commitment. While some potential barriers to participation were identified, such as concerns about injury, these seemed insufficient to affect the participants' commitment. The results of the study may help educators to develop young dancers' talents optimally by enhancing their commitment to training.


We report on our investigation into radio communications problems faced by emergency responders in disaster situations. A fundamental challenge to communications into and out of large buildings is the strong attenuation of radio signals caused by losses and scattering in the building materials and structure. Another challenge is the large signal variability that occurs throughout these large structures. We designed experiments in various large building structures in an effort to quantify continuous wave (CW) radio-signal attenuation and variability throughout twelve large structures. We carried radio frequency transmitters throughout these structures and placed receiving systems outside the structures. The transmitters were tuned to frequencies near public safety, cell phone bands, as well as ISM and wireless LAN bands. This report summarizes the experiments, performed in twelve large building structures. We describe the experiments, detail the measurement system, show primary results of the data we collected, and discuss some of the interesting propagation effects we observed.


Motivated by objects such as electric fields or fluid streams, we study the problem of learning stochastic fields, i.e. stochastic processes whose samples are fields like those occurring in physics and engineering. Considering general transformations such as rotations and reflections, we show that spatial invariance of stochastic fields requires an inference model to be equivariant. Leveraging recent advances from the equivariance literature, we study equivariance in two classes of models. Firstly, we fully characterise equivariant Gaussian processes. Secondly, we introduce Steerable Conditional Neural Processes (SteerCNPs), a new, fully equivariant member of the Neural Process family. In experiments with Gaussian process vector fields, images, and real-world weather data, we observe that SteerCNPs significantly improve the performance of previous models and equivariance leads to improvements in transfer learning tasks.


Background and aim: Labeled leukocytes with 99mTc-HMPAO are routinely used for infection imaging. Although cell labeling with 99mTc-HMPAO represents an imaging probe to detect infection sites, the diagnostic efficiency of the probe is largely influenced by cell manipulation, multidisciplinary interventions (i.e., biologist, technicians) and available technology (i.e., SPECT, SPECT/CT). The aim of the study was to assess in vitro and in vivo accuracy of a comprehensive approach for quality assessment (QA) of all steps of the procedure. Methods: Radiochemical purity (RCP), pH, labeling efficiency (LE) were measured in 320 procedures. White Cell Viability Factor (WVF) was determined in consecutive blood samples. Images (490 studies) were scored using a 5-point scale. Training program was evaluated using a Learning Questionnaire and a score system. Results: Pre/post-labelling WVF was 0.99% (max value 1%) in all blood samples. LE (mean value 72%) and RCP (>80% until 55 minutes) yielded considerably high values. The vast majority of images were scored as diagnostic by three independent observer (90% with score ≥4). Conclusions: This method appears highly reproducible and easy to use in clinical routine for leukocyte labeling, especially when standardized training and total QA system are implemented. (www.actabiomedica.it)


Background Employment is associated with health benefits over unemployment, but the psychosocial characteristics of work also influence health. There has, however, been little research contrasting the prevalence of psychiatric disorders among people who are unemployed with those in jobs of differing psychosocial quality. Method Analysis of data from the English Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey (APMS) considered the prevalence of common mental disorders (CMDs) among 2603 respondents aged between 21 and 54 years who were either (i) employed or (ii) unemployed and looking for work at the time of interview in 2007. Quality of work was assessed by the number of adverse psychosocial job conditions reported (low control, high demands, insecurity and low job esteem). Results The prevalence of CMDs was similar for those respondents who were unemployed and those in the poorest quality jobs. This pattern remained after controlling for relevant demographic and socio-economic covariates. Conclusions Although employment is thought to promote mental health and well-being, work of poor psychosocial quality is not associated with any better mental health than unemployment. Policy efforts to improve community mental health should consider psychosocial job quality in conjunction with efforts to increase employment rates.


As the number of available large and many-faceted computer models continues to increase, simulating complex systems by coupling existing models of smaller subsystems becomes more attractive because of advantages such as leveraging existing programming. Advances in computational technologies also contribute to the increased feasibility of coupled systems. Although coupled systems may be used to study new problems that their constituent models could not address, the coupling process brings its own challenges. The modeler may face the task of coupling models from a heterogeneous environment of development platforms, programming languages, and model assumptions. Moreover, the modeler may wish to allow constituent models to be replaced or upgraded without significant difficulty. We discuss a model coupling approach that attempts to address these issues. In our approach, the models run as separate executable processes and store data in a database for later retrieval by other models. While the approach does not prescribe any particular database design, we do suggest elements that are likely to appear. We describe a proof-of-concept application of the approach and evaluate how well our approach meets its goals.


The paper claims forecasting is a process during which forecasts are regularly updates and revised. Paying attention to the dynamics of expectations provides the opportunity to study changes in expectations formed by professionals, and thus give insights into how their labor unfolds. Drawing upon data from a purposely-built database of forecasts running from September 2006 to September 2017, linear and logistic regression models investigate the informational and organizational grounds of forecasts revisions. It it suggests that similar fore-casts form a consistent sequence, so that revisions mostly consist in the adjustments of 'old' forecasts with respect to newly available information. By and large, forecasting means updating former forecasts. Besides, data shows the core activity of forecasting organizations, and in turn their audience, matter to understand the extent to which they revise their forecasts: despite what forecasters claim in interviews, public institutions, among which the IMF or the OECD, tend to revise their forecasts on a wider scale than private banks or insurance companies. Eventually, scrutinizing how forecasts revisions distribute according to the years during which they are produced, stress that during major economic crises, such as the Great Recession, forecasters not only revise their former expectations downward but also upward. This hints at a Durkheim-inspired interpretation of economic crises as re-opening the future.


Abstract We present an electron backscatter diffraction, cathodoluminescence, and radiogenic U-Pb dating study of large zircon grains (0.8-1.5 mm) that show evidence of intracrystalline deformation, fracturing, grain size reduction and a large spread in U-Pb ages. The samples are from an amphibolite facies deformation zone within granulite facies anorthositic rocks (Bergen Arc, Norway). Large zircon grains show three main lattice distortion types: (I) distortions with rotations around <001> and an orientation change of ~0.3 °/μm subparallel to (100); (II) highly distorted, half circular shaped zones located at grain edges with at least 0.8-1°/μm distortions; and (III) low-angle boundary networks forming deformation zones up to 100 μm wide. Types II and III distortions exhibit significant disturbances of the otherwise homogeneous CL signature. Crystal plastic deformation with the slip system [010](100) resulted in type I distortions. Stress concentrations at grain contacts between rheologically hard grains caused localized crystal plastic deformation with minor amount of microfracturing forming type II distortions. Type III distortions formed by crystal plastic deformation often associated with inclusions using several slip systems. Distortions of types I and II show minor and moderate resetting of the original ca. 900 Ma zircon grains, respectively, due to enhanced pipe diffusion along dislocation walls. In type II distortions, accelerated lattice diffusion through the highly distorted crystal lattice, combined with exceptionally high boundary to volume ratio, caused significant chemical disturbance and age resetting to 410 Ma. Fine-grained aggregates contain grains with low internal deformation and an oscillatory zoned CL signature (Z-grains) or high internal deformation and a disturbed CL signature (D-grains). Z- and Dgrains are interpreted to have formed by heterogeneous nucleation and growth, and fracturing along strain-hardened low-angle boundaries present within types I and II, respectively. Z-grains show a clustered chemical signature with a 437 ± 11 Ma age interpreted to directly date the Caledonian amphibolite facies reworking.


Cercaria of the genus Schistosoma represents a free-swimming
developmental stage that to complete its life cycle must
contact the mammalian skin. Thereafter, it penetrates the skin
and transforms into an intravertebrate stage – the
schistosomulum. Therefore, the cercaria represents an infective
stage, a link between the intermediate (snail) and the
definitive (mammal) hosts. The cercaria lives for only a brief
time in fresh water; it apparently does not feed and if it
fails to rapidly penetrate the host and continue development
its stored energy resources become exhausted and it dies (Coles
1972; Dorsey et al. 2002; McKerrow et al. 2006). The following
account of the morphology and ultrastructure of the cercaria of
Schistosoma is based on a high number of fundamental historical
works, such as those written by, e.g., Morris (1971), Yamaguti
(1971), Stirewalt (1974), Samuelson and Caulfield (1985). Among
recent contributions in the field it is necessary to mention
comprehensive works of Dorsey et al. (2002) and Collins et al.
(2011). In addition to outlining the morphology and anatomy,
this chapter investigates dispersal of cercariae and selection
of the definitive host, temporal correlation with the host
activities, shedding (emergence) from the snail intermediate
host, longevity and infectivity of cercariae, behavior after
contact with the host and the penetration process as the key
point in host invasion. Many of the processes mentioned above
are dependent on the action of molecular factors produced by
cercariae; therefore, the data on important proteins,
saccharides and other substances and their expression in the
cercarial body will also be presented. Origin of the cercaria
from the sporocyst is briefly discussed by Yoshino et al.
(Chapter 7) and its transition into the schistosomulum by
Gobert and Nawaratna (Chapter 9).


For various reasons, Southern Africa may be considered the playground as well as the thinking tank for many theories and practices in the natural resources management field. History has contributed to reshape conservation practices through colonial times, and recent wars have led to the relocation of people from their homelands and the appropriation by people of previously protected areas due to socio-economic pressures. Contemporary practices stemming from sustainable development have not yielded the expected results in resolving critical socio-economic stresses that impact on environmental health. Furthermore, human health has deteriorated in remote rural areas due to the failures of governance systems and the perpetration of non-participatory models for natural resources management, especially conservation. This paper seeks to explore how two relatively new approaches, Disaster Risk Reduction and One Health, can together tap into the theoretical and practical gaps left by previous paradigms in order to instill a sustainable development approach that can benefit both people and natural resources in remote and poor rural areas.


Finland's economy is highly industrialised. Yet with over one-third of its territory located above the Arctic Circle, the country is largely rural and sparsely populated, except for its southern tip. With its energy-intensive industries and its cold climate, Finland's energy consumption per capita is the highest in the IEA. Finland is highly dependent on imported fossil fuels, and energy policy is at the heart of the government's concerns. The government's energy strategy aims to strengthen Finland's energy security, to move progressively towards a decarbonised economy, and to deepen its integration in the wider European market. Finland has a very ambitious renewable energy programme, with a view to producing 38% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2020. Finland is the most forested country in Europe; biomass will thus play a central role in meeting the target Finland is one of few IEA countries with plans to expand its nuclear capacity, and the Parliament has approved the construction of two more nuclear power plants. If all planned projects are completed, the share of electricity produced by nuclear could double by 2025, reaching around 60%. This would contribute to diversifying Finland's energy security and meeting its low-carbon objectives. Also, Finland participates in the Baltic Energy Market Interconnection Plan (BEMIP), which aims to further regional integration through EU-supported infrastructure projects. This review analyses the energy policy challenges facing Finland, and provides sectoral studies and recommendations for further policy improvements. It is intended to help guide the country towards a more secure and sustainable energy future.


About the Editors. About the Contributors. Series Preface. Preface. Acknowledgements. Part I: STRATEGIC APPROACHES TO DIVERSITY. 1. Developing Strategic Approaches to Diversity Policy (Gill Kirton). 2. Practice Chapter - The Importance of Diversity in Innovation (Carolann Ashton). 3. Diversity in the Context of Business Ethics (Catherine Cassell and Phil Johnson). 4. Managing Diversity: Developing a Strategy for Measuring Organizational Effectiveness (Michael L. Wheeler). Part II: LEGAL AND CULTURAL ISSUES. 5. Management of Diversity in the UK - The Legal and Psychological Implications (Jill Earnshaw). 6. Affirmative Action as a Means of Increasing Workforce Diversity (Alison M. Konrad and Frank Linnehan). 7. Principles and Practice of Gender Diversity Management in Australia (Mary Barrett and Andrew Hede). 8. Organizational Efforts to Manage Diversity: Do They Really Work? (Penny Dick). 9. Managing Diversity: Caste and Gender Issues in Organizations in India (Elisabeth M. Wilson). Part III: SPECIFIC FORMS OF DIVERSITY. 10. Gender Diversity and Organizational Performance (Deborah Hicks-Clarke and Paul Iles). 11. Analysing the Operation of Diversity on the Basis of Disability (Carol Woodhams and Ardha Danieli). 12. Managing Racial Equality and Diversity in the UK Construction Industry (Andrew W. Gale, Marilyn J. Davidson, Peter Somerville, Dianne Sodhi, Andy Steele and Sandi Rhys Jones). 13. Is Diversity Inevitable? Age and Ageism in the Future of Employment (Chris Brotherton). Part IV: DIVERSITY TRAINING AND ITS EFFECTIVENESS. 14. Designing a Diversity Training Programme that Suits your Organization (Roberta Youtan Kay and Donna M. Stringer). 15. Diversity Issues in the Mentoring Relationship (David Clutterbuck). 16. Networking and the Modernization of Local Public Services: Implications for Diversity (Jean Hartley and Lyndsay Rashman). 17. Workable Strategies and Effectiveness of Diversity Training (David L. Tan, Lee A. Morris and James Romero). Part V: RECOGNIZING STEREOTYPES, ATTITUDES AND BIAS. 18. What You See is What You Get: Popular Culture, Gender and Workplace Diversity (Alison Sheridan and Jane O'Sullivan). 19. Male Managers' Reactions to Gender Diversity Activities in Organizations (Anna Wahl and Charlotte Holgersson). 20. Bias in Job Selection and Assessment Techniques (Mike Smith). Part VI: THE FUTURE - THE MANAGEMENT OF DIVERSITY BEYOND THE MILLENNIUM. 21. Cultural Diversity Programmes to Prepare for the 21st Century: Failures and Lost Opportunities (Norma M. Riccucci). 22. Cultural Diversity in the IT-Globalizing Workplace: Conundra and Future Research (Nada Korac-Kakabadse, Alexander Kouzmin and Andrew Korac-Kakabadse). 23. The Future of Workplace Diversity in the New Millennium (Tony Montes and Graham Shaw). Index.


We outline a systematic approach to develop active catalyst materials for an electrochemical reaction. The strategy allows one to tune binding energies of oxygen reaction intermediates on a catalyst surface by taking advantage of two effects: weakening oxygen binding energies by means of thin-film overlayers, and strengthening oxygen binding energies through nanoscale effects. By engineering a core–shell nanoparticle morphology with the appropriate dimensions, that is, the thickness of the overlayer and the size of the nanoparticle, bonding properties can be modified to improve the catalytic activity of the core–shell system. We demonstrate the application of this strategy for oxygen reduction by identifying Ru@Pt as a candidate material using density functional theory calculations, and then use these calculations to guide the synthesis of active Ru@Pt core–shell catalysts. The Ru@Pt particles, synthesized using a wet chemical method, exhibit ∼2 times higher specific activity (based on electrochemical active surface area) than state-of-the-art Pt/C from TKK.


In previous research, core peacemaking criminology themes addressed by authors within the Pepinsky and Quinney reader were examined. These peacemaking criminology themes are types of crimes/social harms embedded in current social structure, types of theoretical frameworks/perspectives guiding peacemaking criminology, and types of peacemaking alternatives to confront the social injustices underlying crimes/social harms in today's society. Building on this previous research as well as a survey of peace-making authors, this article illustrates how elements of a peacemaking criminology theoretical model come into view. The article then explores the basic nature and connections of the elements in this peacemaking criminology theoretical model. The analysis concludes with suggestions of ways this peacemaking criminology theoretical model can be adapted toward future crime research and policies.


This qualitative study applied Q methodology to explore general public's perception, attitude and behavior toward obesity and overweight using Twitter's tweets. A total of 76 statements extracted from Twitter status updates mentioning 'obesity' and 'overweight' were selected as the Q-statements. Twenty-one participants attended the sorting process and completed the Q sorts. Factor analysis was then applied on the Q sorts to extract meaningful factors. Three significant factors emerged from a factor analysis of the Q sorts, including obesity stigmatization, causes of obesity, and positive attitude and sentiment toward obesity. The results reveal pervasive negative stereotypes, alienations, and negative attitude toward overweight and obesity. The findings suggest that social media can actually reinforce body satisfaction perception, selfefficacy and stained health behavior. Most importantly, obesity prevention at the individual level should focus on an individual's behavioral change and at the society level requires careful and comprehensive presentation of the issue to the public.


Electronic Participation has traditionally focused on the use of ICT for citizen involvement in political decisions and public policy making. This concept, together with the companion of Electronic Voting, has been increased over the past 10 years across a huge number of elaborations and pragmatic implementations. The ICT industry and the public sector itself have taken benefit from these experimentations in terms of stock taking, lessons learnt and the financing of both infrastructures and processes. However, there appears to be a dearth of cases were technology has been "disruptive" in terms of reversing the top-down attitude of modern governments in approaching their constituencies and/or stakeholders. In other words, the adoption of digital tools empowering policy makers, civil servants, citizens and businesses has not fostered per se the transformation of western societies in the direction of a more collaborative, open and inclusive decision-making environment. Meanwhile, the advent of open data and Web 2.0 movements has started to shifted attention towards the potential of self-organising virtual communities in driving accountability, transparency and reliability (i.e. both quality and trustworthiness) of public action. While the dimension of collective engagement can be attractive to direct democracy advocates and seem to be deployed effectively in a variety of "side domains" to political participation (such as participatory design or the co-evaluation/co-production of public services, e.g. in smart cities), the question remains open as if all this may suffice to realise the dream of "democratising democracy" in full. There is a third way, however, between the two extremes of ceremonial adoption of eParticipation solutions by the incumbent governments and the need for them to accept (or suffer) the political pressure of little known, uncontrolled and unmanageable "virtual constituencies". We posit that the extension of this undefined terrain is larger than we might expect and can be characterised as "Demand driven eParticipation". That is, fulfilling the requirement for more inclusive and empowering digital tools that respond to specific needs emerging from various "customer" categories, in such a way that conventional (i.e. non ICT supported) participatory actions could never manage in full.We provide examples of successful eParticipation trials and subsequent commissioned eParticipation solutions that have been inspired and ultimately driven by three main customer groups: individual governments, civil society groupings and unconventional "intermediaries" such as Universities and Living Labs. We analyse the drivers of adoption and the specific needs that the used tools have fulfilled and how they can be developed to increase impact and wider reach. We conclude that some of the reasons for late or slow take-up of these innovations at broader EU level may have to do with a poor awareness of the diversity of needs, lack of documented cases (both success and failure stories), and confusion of goals, instruments, and expected results.In short, a more mature approach to democracy certainly includes the appropriation of a range of eParticipatory tools that already exist on the market and have to be aligned with the solution of real (and usually tricky) problems of prospective adopters.


The post-displacement phase of Islamic migrants in the urban fabric of the United States as a democratic country creates a bicultural identity. Muslims have been concerned about their identity preservation in the United States and integrating in the surrounding host community. This paper concentrates on what type of solution I can contribute, as an architect, to help in integrating Muslim population specially migrants at the post-displacement phase in the urban fabric of the United States. How can an architect help Muslim religious commonality connect in the larger United States Context? How do religious cultural buildings preserve and integrate an Islamic cultural Identity in the general cultural context of the United States? In addition, how do public spaces located in urban fabrics serve the integration process of Islamic culture with the surrounding cultural norms in order to be identified and well accepted by the community? In order to understand displaced minorities needs and concerns interviews are conducted. A brief explanation and analysis of the main Islamic lifestyle and ancient cities planning is also an important methodology in order to understand the effectiveness of Islamic cultural buildings at the United States in the identity preservation process. Inspired by my own personal experience I will explore and compare three case studies: Saudi Arabia – a strict Islamic country, Sudan – a moderate Islamic country, and Columbus, Ohio – a western urban society in the United States that is a non-Islamic democratic country. An empirical study will compare these three case studies through the lens of democracy, diversity and religion to explore how the Islamic Culture has been reformed and how religious minorities are preserving their own identities. My proposed methodology in order to find a solution, as an architect, is to create a loose public space where all different cultures connect and


Intensive flare (>M5.0 X-ray class) associated Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs), during 2008- 2013 in solar cycle 24, are separated into two groups based on CME speed.  Group-I contains 31 CME events with speed below 900 km/s and Group-II contains 27 CME events with speed above 900 km/s.    (i) The mean CME speeds of Groups I and II are found to be  558 km/s and 1629 km/s, and the mean CME width of the Group-II  is slightly higher than the Group-I.  The CMEs of Group-II are highly decelerated than the CMEs of Group-I. (ii) The rise time and duration of intensive flares of Group-II is slightly greater than those of Group-I. (iii) While 60% of Group-I events are located on the southern hemisphere, 85% of Group-II events are located on the northern hemisphere. (iv) The number of Halos, DH type IIs, SEP events associated with Group-II are respectively 2, 3 and 6 times that of Group-I. (v) Utilizing the density models of suitably connecting the corona and interplanetary medium, the shock formation height of DH type radio bursts are found to be in the height range 2- 6 Rs and the maximum estimated distance of shock are found to be in the height range 16 -215 Rs. (vi) The mean shock speed of Group I and Group II events (599 km/s and 1359 km/s) are in agreement with the CME speed.