This article examines how nonprofit activist youth groups shape the civic and political trajectories of their adolescent members. Based on analyses of survey and semi-structured interview data gathered from low-income, racially diverse, and immigrant alumni members of grassroots youth organizing groups and from a comparison sample, findings suggest that adolescent activist groups foster high levels of civic and political participation in early adulthood. Similar to other public-oriented volunteer associations—such as student government—activist groups impart civic skills and experiences that facilitate later involvement. Yet activist groups may function as particularly intensive training grounds for future participation by developing members' political consciousness and engaging them in political processes. In spite of operating within a neoliberal context that sometimes inhibits the political activity of nonprofits, contemporary grassroots youth organizing groups, somewhat like the 1960s' civil rights groups decades earlier, can propel some young people toward ongoing engagement with social movements.


Energy RD however, while various studies have examined the determinants of R&D in the former, there are no analyses of energy R&D drivers in other industries. This paper seeks to fill this gap by examining the determinants of investment in energy R&D in non-energy industries. We focus on manufacturing industries where we can differentiate between energy and non-energy R&D related expenditure. The empirical analysis is carried out for 21 sectors in Spain for the period 2008–2013. To overcome problems of data availability, we construct a comprehensive database from several surveys. The data show the importance of taking into account the efforts devoted to energy R&D by the manufacturing sectors in order to have more complete information about the total investment made in energy R&D. The results of the estimations indicate the importance of the energy R&D developed by firms that supply the energy utilities.


Groundwater salinization is an ever increasing problem in coastal aquifers due to seawater intrusion resulting from excessive groundwater withdrawals, lithological conditions of the aquifer and industrial and agriculture pollutant loads. Identification of salinity sources is challenging and a prerequisite for the protection of coastal fresh water aquifers. The present aim of the study is to identify the salinity sources and to understand its dynamics in the central Godavari delta, Andhra Pradesh where groundwater is highly saline with total dissolved solids (TDS) of ∼5000 mg/L at shallow depths of <3 m bgl. Groundwater samples were collected from 42 representative observation wells in the area and analyzed for major ions and stable isotopes (δ18O). Different hydro-chemical mixing models and multivariate statistical techniques, including factor and cluster analysis, are applied to these data sets. The results revealed that very high salinity (∼25,000 mg/L) in pumping wells is due to up-coning of salt water and the salinity is palaeo in origin. The salinity in the wells along the drains and near the coast (∼10,000 mg/L) is due to the infiltration of marine waters resulting from backwaters and intrusion of seawater along the drains. The salinity (∼5000 mg/L) in the wells away from the coast is attributed to dissolution of evaporites in the groundwater and ion exchange process.


Uranotaenia sapphirina, Culex erraticus, and Cx. peccator were collected in an enzootic eastern equine encephalomyelitis (EEE) virus focus in central Alabama (Tuskegee National Forest) from 2001 to 2003 and analyzed for virus as well as host selection. EEE virus was detected in each species every year except 2003, when pools of Cx. peccator were negative. Most (97%) of the 130 Cx. peccator blood meals identified were from ectothermic hosts; 3% were from birds. Among blood meals from reptiles (approximately 75% of the total), 81% were from Agkistrodon piscivorus (cottonmouth); all amphibian blood meals (approximately 25%) were from Rana spp. with > 50% taken from the bullfrog R. catesbeiana. Host identifications were made from 131 of 197 Cx. erraticus, but only 3 (2%) were derived from ectothermic species. Identification of Ur. sapphirina blood meals proved difficult and only 2 of 35 hosts were determined. Both were from R. catesbeiana. Ectothermic species are possible EEE virus reservoirs in the southeastern United States where species such as Cx. peccator and Ur. sapphirina occur with large, diverse reptilian, amphibian, and avian populations such as those at the Tuskegee site.


The censored Tobit model is applied on data from the Malaysian Household Expenditure Survey (1998/99) to examine household expenditure patterns on food-away-from-home (FAFH). Results indicate that the Chinese population, the urban residents, or those with higher monthly household income have significantly higher FAFH expenditures than their non-Chinese, rural, or lower household income cohorts, ceteris paribus. In addition, other socio-demographic characteristics such as age, gender, household size, or even education do not affect total monthly household expenditures on FAFH in a statistically significant manner. Based on these findings,several observations are noted to provide policymakers and food industry analysts with a better understanding of the habits and attitudes of Malaysian households vis-à-vis FAFH.


BACKGROUND: The use of physical punishment is controversial. No studies have comprehensively examined the relationship between physical punishment and several physical health conditions in a nationally representative sample. The current study investigated possible associations between harsh physical punishment (ie, pushing, grabbing, shoving, slapping, and hitting) in the absence of more severe child maltreatment (ie, physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, physical neglect, emotional neglect, and exposure to intimate partner violence) and several physical health conditions. METHODS: Data were from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions collected in 2004 and 2005 (n = 34 226 in the current analysis). The survey was conducted with a representative US adult population sample (20 years or older). Eight past year physical health condition categories were assessed. Models were adjusted for sociodemographic variables, family history of dysfunction, and Axis I and II mental disorders. RESULTS: Harsh physical punishment was associated with higher odds of cardiovascular disease (borderline significance), arthritis, and obesity after adjusting for sociodemographic variables, family history of dysfunction, and Axis I and II mental disorders (adjusted odds ratios ranged from 1.20 to 1.30). CONCLUSIONS: Harsh physical punishment in the absence of child maltreatment is associated with some physical health conditions in a general population sample. These findings inform the ongoing debate around the use of physical punishment and provide evidence that harsh physical punishment independent of child maltreatment is associated with a higher likelihood of physical health conditions.


This paper considers Dynamic Conditional Correlations (DCC) GARCH models in which the time-varying coefficients, including the conditional correlation matrix, are functions of the realizations of an exogenous stochastic process. Time series generated by this model are in general nonstationary. Necessary and sufficient conditions are given for the existence of non-explosive solutions, and for the existence of second-order moments of these solutions. Potential applications concern the modeling of the volatility of a vector of energy prices, the model coefficients depending on the weather conditions.


In this paper, a new two-sampling scheme is proposed to con- struct appropriate confidence intervals for the lower population quantiles. The confidence intervals are determined in the parametric and nonparamet- ric set up and the optimality problem is discussed in each case. Finally, the proposed procedure is illustrated via a real data set.


Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman were not the poetic stars of their day; only a few friends knew that Dickinson wrote, and Whitman s following was minuscule, if influential. But the contemporaries who eclipsed these major poets now have largely disappeared from our literary landscape. In this distinctive anthology, Robert Bain gathers together thirteen other scholars to re-present the poetry of these former luminaries, allowing readers to rediscover them, reconstruct the poetic contexts of their age, and better understand why Whitman and Dickinson now overshadow other poets of their time. Arranged chronologically according to the birth dates of the poets, this anthology introduces each poet s work, providing biographical information and discussing the major forms and themes of the work. Each introduction places the poet in a literary and historical context with Whitman and Dickinson and provides a bibliography of secondary sources.This remarkable book recovers a part of our literary heritage that has been lost. "


Proving the value of library collections has always been a concern of collection development librarians. Librarians have devised creative methods of gathering evidence to demonstrate to university administrations the essential role that libraries play in research productivity. In an attempt to demonstrate the value of library collections, the authors from the University of Kansas (KU) Libraries conducted a citation analysis study utilizing KU science faculty publications. Using a random sampling of faculty from the departments of Physics, Environmental and Evolutionary Biology, and Geology, the authors developed lists of the citations in these faculty publications and checked to determine if KU Libraries provides access to these cited materials. In addition, a random sampling of the citations from the faculty publications was also examined to determine if the citations could be accessed through aggregator full-text databases, electronic journal packages, or print journals and monographs. The authors also compared journal and monograph use and utilized the data collected as a method of justifying budget allocation practices. Finally, the monograph citations were analyzed to determine the effectiveness of the approval plan profile by identifying the ratio of books that were purchased on the approval plan compared to books that were selected by subject librarians. The authors will share their findings and discuss how they used the citation analysis to demonstrate the value of the library collections and inform collection development decisions.


A motion picture coding algorithm using motion-compensated interframe prediction and the adaptive discrete cosine transform (DCT) encoding technique is proposed. High coding efficiency is obtained by the adaptive DCT encoding technique in which encoding parameters are fitted to widely varying characteristics of the interframe differential signal. Segmented DCT subblocks of interframe prediction error are classified into categories based on their coefficient power distribution characteristics. The adaptation gain results from using a suitable variable word length code set designated by the above classification for encoding each quantization index of DCT coefficients. In addition, a new coding parameter control method is introduced based on the information rate estimation of the current frame. This classification promotes high stability because good estimation accuracy of bits consumption for each DCT subblock is obtained by utilizing the category indexes. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithm has enough coding efficiency to transmit videoconferencing motion pictures through a 384 kbit/s channel.


Abstract This study investigated preservice elementary teachers' pictorial representations of how they envision their future classroom and describe their own actions as well as those of their students. Drawings were analyzed for the preservice teachers' self-perceptions and for the language used in descriptions to refer to the teacher in the drawing for indicators of teacher-centeredness vs. student-centeredness. The drawings revealed that 82% of the preservice elementary teachers drew a female teacher and that 71% of them do not yet identify themselves as the teacher. Findings also showed that the majority of preservice elementary teachers still envision a classroom that is more teacher-centered than student-centered despite efforts of teacher preparation programs to effect a change in thinking. Introduction Preservice teachers come into teacher preparation programs with firmly established beliefs, attitudes, and perceptions about teaching that are born out of and nurtured by their previous experiences in school (Minor, Onwuegbuzie, Witcher, & James, 2002). Moreover, these beliefs, which can be held from early childhood (Goodman, cited in Thomas, Pederson, & Finson, 2001) and which are resistant to change, tend to direct teachers' classroom practice (Hart, 2002). As preservice teachers proceed through professional education programs, they are given opportunities, typically though journal writing and assembling their education portfolios, to examine their reasons for choosing to be a teacher, to explore what it means to be a good teacher, and to reflect upon their teaching beliefs and attitudes. Some researchers have offered them another avenue by which they may reflect upon their attitudes. Some researchers have offered them another avenue by which they may reflect upon their attitudes about teaching--by drawing their perceptions of what a teacher looks like. Thomas, Pederson, and Finson (2001), recognizing and acknowledging their disparity between the traditional, information-laden, teacher-centered science education experiences that preservice teachers bring with them and the contemporary, inquiry-based, student-centered science teaching that preservice teachers experience in teacher preparation programs, have validated the Draw a Science Teacher Test (DASTT). The DASTT was fashioned after Chambers' Draw-A-Scientist-Test (DAST) (as cited in Thomas, Pederson, & Finson, 2001) which was guided by Goodenough's Draw-A-Man-Test (DAMT) and Goodenow's Draw-A-Person-Test (DAPT) (as cited in Chambers, 1983). While the DAMT and DAPT were designed as intelligence instruments in the case of the former, or as indicators of the drawer's self-image in the case of the latter, Chambers (1983) developed the DAST in order to determine at what age and to what degree children first develop definite images of the scientist. Moseley and Norris (1999), recognizing that preservice teachers could not be expected to invest themselves in science education reform if they will held the traditional, even stereotypical image of a scientist, i.e. white, male, wearing lab coat, eyeglasses, and facial hair, surrounded by lab equipment and books, administered the DAST to preservice teachers. They found that the preservice teachers' perceptions of scientists were similar to those of children, so the DAST became a springboard for discussion between teacher educators and preservice teachers, aimed at adjusting the lens through which preservice teachers view science and the scientific community, widening the focus to a more diverse image. According to Thomas, Pederson, and Finson (2001), the DASTT gives preservice teachers the opportunity to place themselves into a visual image of their future classrooms, whereby they can "(a) picture themselves as elementary science teachers, (b) place themselves along a teaching theory continuum, and (c) consider the ways in which they developed their own science teaching beliefs" (p. …


In the classical versions of "Best Choice Problem", the sequence of offers is a random sample from a single known distribution. We present an extension of this problem in which the sequential offers are random variables but from multiple independent distributions. Each distribution function represents a class of investment or offers. Offers appear without any specified order. The objective is to accept the best offer. After observing each offer, the decision maker has to accept or reject it. The rejected offers cannot be recalled again. In this paper, we consider both cases of known and unknown parameters of the distribution function of the class of next offer. Two optimality criteria are considered, maximizing the expected value of the accepted offer or the probability of obtaining the best offer. We develop stochastic dynamic programming models for several possible problems, depending on the assumptions. A monotone case optimal policy for both criteria is proved. We also show that the optimal policy of a mixed sequence is similar to the one in which offers are from a single density.


Oral exams deliver distinct advantages over written exams; however they are often criticized because of their poor standardization. In anatomical teaching they offer the opportunity to assess the practical capability of students within the context of real human specimens. The purpose of this study was to find out which format of oral examination students find most favourable and to analyze how this preferred examination format affects the result of the examination process. A comparative study was performed with students from consecutive summer terms. The five oral examinations during the dissection course were either performed in front of the entire group (approximately 20 students) or in front of small groups of 2-4 students. They were conducted by "their" lecturer (the person who instructed these students throughout the dissection course) or by an examiner unknown to the students. The majority of students in both cohorts preferred examination in small groups (2009: 71%, 2010: 62%) and felt uncomfortable when examined in large groups. 78% of the students in 2009 preferred taking exams by different lecturers. In 2010, only 21% favoured the rotation model whereas more than one half preferred taking exams by a single lecturer. In general students valued transparency and fairness such as clear communication of the results and comprehensible decisions by the examiners, higher than the actual format of the oral examination. Examination in small groups and by a single lecturer resulted in a clear reduction in the number of students who failed and helped to improve oral examination in context of academic teaching.


Objectives To determine whether implementation of a noise reduction policy followed by the addition of direct audit and feedback reduces noise levels in a tertiary-level neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Study design Noise level data was collected in three phases: (1) baseline (preintervention), (2) immediately postimplementation of our noise reduction policy, (3) postunveiling of direct audit and feedback mechanism. Setting A level 3 NICU in Ontario, Canada. Interventions Noise reduction policy and a direct audit and feedback mechanism. Main outcome measures Average noise level. Results The baseline level of noise in our unit consistently exceeds guidelines with an average baseline noise of 49 dB (±1.4). Our intervention resulted in a significant reduction in noise levels for one of the four areas in our NICU [−1.06 dB (−1.52, −0.6)], with a trend towards reduction in a second area (−0.21 dB (−0.6, 0.18)). Unexpectedly, two other areas experienced a significant increase in noise (2.05 dB (1.18, 2.94); 0.85 dB (0.11, 1.59)). Conclusions The baseline noise in the NICU consistently exceeds guidelines, but reductions in noise levels are achievable. Nonetheless, more work is needed to find the optimal NICU design and noise reduction strategy.


The non-enforcement of existing property laws is not logically separable from the issue of unfair and unjust state deprivations of property rights at which the Constitution's Takings Clause takes aim. This Article suggests, therefore, that takings law should police allocations resulting from non-enforcement decisions on the same "fairness and justice" grounds that it polices allocations resulting from decisions to enact and enforce new regulations. Rejecting the extant majority position that state decisions not to enforce existing property laws are categorically immune from takings liability is not to advocate that persons impacted by such decisions should be automatically or even regularly entitled to the Takings Clause's constitutional remedy. Rather, it simply suggests that courts should resist the temptation to formulaically and categorically prohibit non-enforcement takings claims in favor of assessing those claims on the merits.


100Base-T, IEEE 802.12, 100VGAnyLAN, packet switching, IEEE 802.3, CSMAlCD, demand priority Three recent LAN technologies look set to satisfy the ever-increasing demand for LAN bandwidth. Two of these technologies are 100Mb/s shared medium LANs: 100Base-T (aka IEEE 802.3 Fast Ethernet) and IEEE 802.12 (aka 100VG-AnyLAN or 100VG). The third technology is packet switching, which is really an extension of existing LAN bridge technology, but which offers excellent performance gains at very low cost. In this paper we describe the three technologies and provide a comparison between the two 100Mb/s LANs. We also present results that compare the measured performance of 100 Mb/s shared medium LANs with switched LANs. Given the ''holy wars" between 100Base-T and 100VG-AnyLAN we have worked hard to present the technologies on an equal footing. One of the authors is from HP, and served on the 802.12 committee. The second author is the chairperson of an IEEE 802.3 subcommittee. We hope we have achieved our goal of presenting a balanced view of these technologies.


More than half of U.S. states have passed amendments to their constitutions excluding same-sex couples from civil marriage. The impact of these ballot initiatives and debates on lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) individuals has been underresearched. Extending research on racial and ethnic minority groups, as well as research on LGB groups, the study discussed in this article hypothesized that LGB individuals would encounter more negative messages, be at risk for negative psychological effects, and increase their political activities, including voting, during elections with marriage amendments on the ballot. A national cross-sectional online survey of 1,824 LGB participants conducted postelection in November 2006 confirmed these hypotheses.


A barrier to the adoption of non-Cartesian parallel magnetic resonance imaging for real-time applications has been the times required for the image reconstructions. These times have exceeded the underlying acquisition time thus preventing real-time display of the acquired images. We present a reconstruction algorithm for commodity graphics hardware (GPUs) to enable real time reconstruction of sensitivity encoded radial imaging (radial SENSE). We demonstrate that a radial profile order based on the golden ratio facilitates reconstruction from an arbitrary number of profiles. This allows the temporal resolution to be adjusted on the fly. A user adaptable regularization term is also included and, particularly for highly undersampled data, used to interactively improve the reconstruction quality. Each reconstruction is fully self-contained from the profile stream, i.e., the required coil sensitivity profiles, sampling density compensation weights, regularization terms, and noise estimates are computed in real-time from the acquisition data itself. The reconstruction implementation is verified using a steady state free precession (SSFP) pulse sequence and quantitatively evaluated. Three applications are demonstrated; real-time imaging with real-time SENSE 1) or k-t SENSE 2) reconstructions, and 3) offline reconstruction with interactive adjustment of reconstruction settings.


In 2008 the United Arab Emirates (UAE) adopted an official policy on the evaluation and potential development of peaceful nuclear energy. It was based on a study of viable options to meet future energy needs, and it focused on the potential benefits of nuclear power for the UAE people, the environment, and the economy. The policy included commitments to the highest standards of safety and security, complete operational transparency, and nonproliferation. It outlined a process for working with the International Atomic Energy Agency, foreign governments and nuclear companies, and expert organizations to develop a nuclear energy program. In less than four years, the UAE has established an independent Nuclear Regulatory Authority and the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation, selected a site for construction of its first nuclear power plant, and broken ground. The progress to date has proven that, with strong commitment and vision, safe and secure nuclear energy can be developed and sustained. The UAE's program is on schedule to meet the growing energy needs of the country. But more important, it has become a model program for ensuring that safety, security, and nonproliferation are top priorities.


[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] MEMPHIS "How many of you know what a lynching really is?" The tour guide at the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis is speaking to a high school group, mostly African American. "Well, here's a picture of one." She points to a grim, grainy photograph. No doubt, most in the group could have defined "lynching," but how many had ever seen a photograph of one? From the looks on their faces, very few. The group moves on, but several boys hang back to examine the photograph in silence. An Amish family from central Illinois passes by--men with long squared-off beards, girls in white lace bonnets, long modest dresses, and black wool stockings. The Amish do not drive motor vehicles; they travel as little as possible. What brought them here? A member of the group explains that they've come to Memphis so that one of their children can receive treatment for colon cancer. Yet in spite of this pressing personal mission, they've asked a friend to drive them to the National Civil Rights Museum. "Our people know what it means to be persecuted," their driver says. We're standing in front of a large projection screen displaying news footage of Birmingham police blasting demonstrators with fire hoses. "You know, the Amish trace their roots to the Reformation. They called us Anabaptists then and treated us like enemies of God. We admire Dr. King because he believed in non-violence. Back at the time of World War I, they drafted our boys, but we were conscientious objectors. Folks took it pretty hard when we refused to fight--there were quite a few beatings." His words compete with the din of Birmingham: whooshing hoses, crackling police radios, the shouts of scattering demonstrators. "You look at this," the Amish driver says, "and you can see those police are not thinking as people--as individuals, I mean. They've become a mob. They're not acting like people of conscience." The National Civil Rights Museum is housed in the Lorraine Motel, where Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated. The front of the historic motel remains intact: every visitor must pass beneath the balcony where Dr. King was slain. To someone like myself, who remembers the Civil Rights Movement vividly and whose own life was changed by those times, it's bewildering to see that events of my youth are already "history," that people are gathering up images and artifacts and narratives from those days to present them in institutes and museums scattered throughout the South. What are these museums like? What effect do they have on the people who visit them? That's what I've come to find out. "I'm from Bartlett County," Jill Crumpton says. "We're in the suburbs, and you can see that my students are mostly white. I bring them here every year." Her ten-and eleven-year-olds are clean cut and extremely attentive--and they're getting an earful from their guide. "... After they hung Nat Turner, they left him hanging there. Then they peeled his skin off and boiled it down for oil--and they used the oil to grease wagon wheels. Now, why would they do that to a man they'd already killed?" [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "To punish him," one child responds. "But he already was punished," the guide prompts. "He was dead." "To show blacks they were slaves and to let them know their masters could do what they wanted to them." "He killed fifty-four whites," a tow-haired boy adds, "so maybe they wanted to scare the other slaves--but I bet they were scared too." "We try to do a lot with black history," Jill Crumpton says. "But I'll tell you, we still have some parents who won't let their children come to the museum. They may say they're worried about Memphis, about coming to the 'big city,' but you can tell when it's something else. Their children are missing a valuable educational experience." "This is the thing I think I'll remember," Rachel observes. …


Search spam is an attack on search engines' ranking algorithms to promote spam links into top search ranking that they do not deserve. Cloaking is a wellknown search spam technique in which spammers serve one page to search-engine crawlers to optimize ranking, but serve a different page to browser users to maximize potential profit. In this experience report, we investigate a different and relatively new type of cloaking, called Click-Through Cloaking, in which spammers serve non-spam content to browsers who visit the URL directly without clicking through search results, in an attempt to evade spam detection by human spam investigators and anti-spam scanners. We survey different cloaking techniques actually used in the wild and classify them into three categories: server-side, client-side, and combination. We propose a redirection-diff approach to spam detection by turning spammers' cloaking techniques against themselves. Finally, we present eight case studies in which we used redirection-diff in IP subnetbased spam hunting to defend a major search engine against stealth spam pages that use click-through cloaking.


From Tennis Court to Opera House The thesis is divided in three volumes. Volume I contains the narrative relating the reconstruction of three theatres, the Duke's Theatre in Lincoln's Inn Fields, the New Theatre in Lincoln's Inn Fields and the Queen's Theatre in the Haymarket. Volume II contains the graphic material, the plates that illustrate the narrative, and the Appendix. Plans and other related drawings are placed within the text in Volume I. Volume I is in three parts and includes the bibliography. Volume I, part 1, contains a projected reconstruction of the Duke's Theatre in Lincoln's Inn Fields, (LIF I and LIF II), which existed from 1661 down to 1714. Volume I, part 2, contains a reconstruction of the Duke's Theatre in Lincoln's Inn Fields, 1718-1745. Volume I, part 3, contains a reconstruction of the Queen's Theatre in the Haymarket, 1705-1709. In each part which is devoted to an individual theatre, the plot on which the theatre was built is established. This is followed by a limited discussion of the managerial difficulties encountered by the entrepreneurs against the background of contemporary theatrical activity. The section then concludes with a projected reconstruction of that particular theatre in the light of an analysis of graphic and textual evidence. The theatre is described verbally and in graphic form, each reconstruction being accompanied by plans and elevations of the theatre under consideration. Part 1 traces the conversion by Sir William Davenant of Lisle's Tennis Court into the Duke's Theatre, Lincoln's Inn Fields which is considered to be the first modem theatre in England, A reassessment of the land leases for the plot on which the theatre stood shows that it was considerably larger than had been thought. On this revised plot the reconstruction is projected. Part 2 presents new evidence that establishes the site and structure of the third theatre that was built on the site of Lisle's Tennis Court, the New Theatre in Lincoln's Inn Fields, (LIP III), built by Christopher Rich. Within this structure a projected reconstruction is offered of the theatre that operated between 1714 and 1745. Part 3 contains an analysis of designs by Sir James Thornhill. This pictorial evidence provides material allowing a projected reconstruction of the original theatre, the Queen's Theatre in the Haymarket, built by Sir John Vanbrugh. The account and reconstruction of this theatre is limited to the years 1705-9, for these were the years during which it retained its original form. The state of the theatre following the alterations of 1709 is already well documented. This section concludes with a brief account of the influences upon Vanbrugh's theatre architecture and assesses his achievement. This collection of reconstructions can be read in two ways; either as an account of theatre architecture arranged historically, tracing the development through Lincoln's Inn Fields I and II and then diverging by two paths following first that pursued by Thomas Betterton and the Lincoln's Inn Fields Company who moved into the Queen's Theatre, and then moving on to study Lincoln's Inn Fields III; or alternatively, one may trace the series of theatres built in Lincoln's Inn Fields and then return to the building activities of 1705 and the Queen's Theatre.


Aims: To characterise and analyse ocular manifestations associated with acute murine typhus (MT), an infectious disease caused by Rickettsia typhi. Methods: Nine consecutive patients (18 eyes) with serologically confirmed MT at the acute stage were enrolled in this prospective, non-comparative study. All patients underwent complete ophthalmic examination, including dilated biomicroscopic fundus examination, fundus photography, fluorescein angiography (FA) and indocyanine green (ICG) angiography. Results: Of nine patients, eight (88.9%) had bilateral ocular involvement related to MT, with (n = 3) or without (n = 5) associated ocular symptoms. Findings included mild vitreous inflammation (10 eyes; 55.6%), white retinal lesions (nine eyes; 50%), retinal haemorrhages (four eyes; 22.2%), retinal vascular leakage (seven eyes; 38.9%), hypofluorescent choroidal dots on FA and/or ICG angiography (11 eyes; 61.1%), optic-disc swelling (two eyes; 11.1%), optic neuritis (one eye; 5.6%) and optic-disc staining (11 eyes; 61.1%). All ocular findings had a self-limited course. Conclusion: Ocular involvement is frequently observed in acute MT. A systematic fundus examination, complemented by angiography in selected cases, may be helpful in establishing an early clinical diagnosis of the disease while serological testing is pending.


Experimental spinal cord injury (SCI) causes a morphological and functional deterioration of the heart, in which the renin–angiotensin system (RAS) might play a role. The recently discovered non-canonical axis of RAS with angiotensin-(1–7) and its receptor Mas, which is associated with cardioprotection could be essential to prevent damage to the heart following SCI. We investigated the cardiac consequences of SCI and the role of Mas in female wild-type (WT, n = 22) and mice deficient of Mas (Mas–/–, n = 25) which underwent spinal cord transection at thoracic level T4 (T4-Tx) or sham-operation by echocardiography (0, 7, 21, and 28 days post-SCI), histology and gene expression analysis at 1 or 2 months post-SCI. We found left ventricular mass reduction with preserved ejection fraction (EF) and fractional shortening in WT as well as Mas–/– mice. Cardiac output was reduced in Mas–/– mice, whereas stroke volume (SV) was reduced in WT T4-Tx mice. Echocardiographic indices did not differ between the genotypes. Smaller heart weight (HW) and smaller cardiomyocyte diameter at 1 month post-SCI compared to sham mice was independent of genotype. The muscle-specific E3 ubiquitin ligases Atrogin-1/MAFbx and MuRF1 were upregulated or showed a trend for upregulation in WT mice at 2 months post-SCI, respectively. Angiotensinogen gene expression was upregulated at 1 month post-SCI and angiotensin II receptor type 2 downregulated at 2 month post-SCI in Mas–/– mice. Mas was downregulated post-SCI. Cardiac atrophy following SCI, not exacerbated by lack of Mas, is a physiological reaction as there were no signs of cardiac pathology and dysfunction.


ISBN 978-3-16-149790-2 sewn paper 74,00 € Published in English. Birke Häcker explores the English and German law on impaired consent transfers of movable property and their reversal in comparative perspective, paying particular attention to the interaction – within each legal system – between the rules and principles of contract law, property law, and the law of unjust(i ed) enrichment. In two-party situations, the author focuses on the relationship between contract and conveyance and the closely related question of the transferor's position in the event of the transferee's insolvency. While German law resolves these issues by reference to the well-established principles of separation and abstraction, the relevant English law is still unsettled. The author argues for a generalized power model of so-called 'proprietary restitution' and seeks to demonstrate that conveyances by delivery are best regarded as abstract in English as well as in German law, but explains why English law nevertheless lacks the gist of abstraction à la BGB. Building on this analysis, the author then goes on to examine three-party situations. She looks rst at the position of third parties who have acquired the object in question before the transferor has had a chance to reclaim it (raising issues of bona de purchase and 'leapfrogging') and thereafter at the extent to which the transferor can assert rights to the object's traceable substitutes. As far as English law is concerned, the author shows that the supposed 'third party rights bar to rescission' is not only unnecessary, but misconceived, and that it ought to be abolished.


The rapid growth of renewable generation and its intermittent nature has modified the role of combined cycle power stations in the energy industry, and the key feature for the operational excellence is now flexibility. Especially, the capability to start an installation quickly and efficiently after a shutdown period leads to lower operational cost and a higher capacity factor. However, most of existing thermal power stations worldwide are designed for continuous operation, with no special focus on an efficient start-up process. In most current start-up procedures, the gas turbine controls ensure maximum heat flow to the heat recovery steam generator, without feedback from the steam cycle. The steam cycle start-up controls work independently with as main control parameter the limitation of the thermal stresses in the steam turbine rotor. In this paper, a novel start-up procedure of an existing combined cycle power station is presented, and it uses a feedback loop between the steam turbine, the boiler and the gas turbine start-up controls. This feedback loop ensures that the steam turbine can be started up with a significant reduction in stresses. To devise and assess this start-up methodology, a flexible and accurate dynamic model was implemented in the Simulink environment. It contains >100 component blocks (heat exchangers, valves, meters and sensors, turbines, controls, etc.), and the mathematical component submodels are based on physical models and experimental correlations. This makes the model generally applicable to other power plant installations. The model was validated against process data related to the three start-up types (cold start, warm start, hot start). On this basis, the optimization model is implemented with feedback loops that control, for example, the exit temperature of the gas turbine based on the actual steam turbine housing temperature, resulting in a smoother heating up of the steam turbine. The optimization model was used to define the optimal inlet guide vanes position and gas turbine power output curves for the three types of start-up. These curves were used during real power station start-ups, leading to, for cold and warm starts, reductions in the start-up time of, respectively, 32.5% and 31.8%, and reductions in the fuel consumption of, respectively, 47.0% and 32.4%. A reduction of the thermal stress in the steam turbines is also achieved, thanks to the new start-up strategy.


Athletes are subject to the same arrhythmias as the general population, but the frequency and significance of the arrhythmias may be different. Cardiovascular conditioning slows the heart rate and may make athletes more vulnerable to neurocardiogenic syncope and atrial fibrillation. Tachyarrhythmias may be precipitated by vigorous exercise and more severe rate-related symptoms may result because of the high sympathetic drive during sports activities. For those with pre-existing cardiovascular abnormalities, athletic activity may be beneficial in some cases, but dangerous and even life-threatening in others. A review of the subject and recommendations based on our personal experience and a recent consensus conference are provided.


BACKGROUND
Persistent nasal carriers have an increased risk of Staphylococcus aureus infection, whereas intermittent carriers and noncarriers share the same low risk. This study was performed to provide additional insight into staphylococcal carriage types.

METHODS
Fifty-one volunteers who had been decolonized with mupirocin treatment and whose carriage state was known were colonized artificially with a mixture of S. aureus strains, and intranasal survival of S. aureus was compared between carriage groups. Antistaphylococcal antibody levels were also compared among 83 carriage-classified volunteers.

RESULTS
Persistent carriers preferentially reselected their autologous strain from the inoculum mixture (P=.02). They could be distinguished from intermittent carriers and noncarriers on the basis of the duration of postinoculation carriage (154 vs. 14 and 4 days, respectively; P=.017, by log-rank test). Cultures of swab samples from persistent carriers contained significantly more colony-forming units per sample than did cultures of swab samples from intermittent carriers and noncarriers (P=.004). Analysis of serum samples showed that levels of immunoglobulin G and immunoglobulin A to 17 S. aureus antigens were equal in intermittent carriers and noncarriers but not in persistent carriers.

CONCLUSIONS
Along with the previously described low risk of infection, intermittent carriers and noncarriers share similar S. aureus nasal elimination kinetics and antistaphylococcal antibody profiles. This implies a paradigm shift; apparently, there are only 2 types of nasal carriers: persistent carriers and others. This knowledge may increase our understanding of susceptibility to S. aureus infection.


In Early Palaeozoic time northern Scotland occupied a 120° promontory between the Appalachian and Greenland Iapetus-facing margins of Laurentia. It is proposed that this originated at a triple rift (RRR) jundion between Laurentia and two other continents, possibly Baltica and West Gondwana. The third arm is marked by trans-Caledonoid extensional lineaments that controlled Vendian sedimentation and MORB-type volcanicity in the Grampians. The model accounts for the huge scale of the SE-prograding Moine-Dalradian clastic wedge as compared with Neoproterozoic sequences elsewhere on the E Laurentian margin where an extensional regime persisted throughout the Grenville-Caledonian interval. Evidence currently cited for Precambrian orogeny in the Highlands needs to be reappraised from that viewpoint. Major stretching events are inferred at c. 750 and 600 Ma; anorogenic 'older granite' magmatism was associated with the latter, which culminated in the opening of Iapetus.


The neural basis of parallel saccade programming was examined in an event-related fMRI study using a variation of the double-step saccade paradigm. Two double-step conditions were used: one enabled the second saccade to be partially programmed in parallel with the first saccade while in a second condition both saccades had to be prepared serially. The intersaccadic interval, observed in the parallel programming (PP) condition, was significantly reduced compared with latency in the serial programming (SP) condition and also to the latency of single saccades in control conditions. The fMRI analysis revealed greater activity (BOLD response) in the frontal and parietal eye fields for the PP condition compared with the SP double-step condition and when compared with the single-saccade control conditions. By contrast, activity in the supplementary eye fields was greater for the double-step condition than the single-step condition but did not distinguish between the PP and SP requirements. The role of the frontal eye fields in PP may be related to the advanced temporal preparation and increased salience of the second saccade goal that may mediate activity in other downstream structures, such as the superior colliculus. The parietal lobes may be involved in the preparation for spatial remapping, which is required in double-step conditions. The supplementary eye fields appear to have a more general role in planning saccade sequences that may be related to error monitoring and the control over the execution of the correct sequence of responses.


Eight schools, located in Scotland were involved in this study. Four different types of data were collected in the following order: first, 183 semi-structured interviews with a range of staff and pupils across the schools, the interviews covering questions relating to health education, promotion and ethos including quality of relationships; second, a school audit of health education and health promotion in all schools; third, Researcher observations for all schools; and, fourth, questionnaire data collected from 446 pupils across the schools. The Health Promoting School (HPS) concept is based on the belief that schools have the potential to influence their students' health and health behaviour through the school's social organisation, culture and physical environment, as well as through the formal curriculum. To date, there is little empirical evidence to test the effectiveness of the HPS, at least evidence that adjusts for known predictors of the behaviours, a standard set by the more advanced area of 'school effects' research on educational outcomes. This thesis will add to that evidence base. The aims of this study have three main components: first, to quantify 'school effects' on a range of pupils' health behaviours comprising current smoking, weekly alcohol drinking, ever tried drugs and physical activity: second, to assess the extent to which the health behaviour profile of schools are related to health promotion activity as evidenced by an audit: third, to select and analyse qualitative data from three case study schools. The purpose of the second and third aims is to investigate the extent to which school processes are associated with 'school effects' on pupils' health behaviours, triangulating data from different methodologies. The questionnaire data indicated that a strong school effect existed for smoking and drinking to a lesser degree, but not for drugs or physical activity. This addressed the first aim of this study and, in addition, provided the means by which three case study schools were selected. These were the two schools with the lowest (added value) and highest odds (lost value) for smoking after adjustment for known predictors of the health behaviours. Plus, a third school which was significantly different from the school with lowest smoking and located in the same town, as this eased interpretation of the results. Relating to the second aim, the pattern of the 'school effects' on smoking were triangulated with data from three different data sources. First, in the audit, higher levels of action on health education and health promotion were associated with lower (adjusted) rates of smoking. Second, the three case study schools were used to explore the Researcher's observations; the school with added value for smoking was rated more highly than the two with lost value. Regarding the third aim, based on qualitative data from a range of staff and pupils, the analysis showed that the school with added value had progressed furthest towards functioning as a whole school, performing best across all the areas explored. These findings theoretically triangulated with the schools low smoking rates according to the HPS concept. These results confirm the importance of school processes on students' health behaviour, particularly smoking, and support a school-wide or "Health Promoting School" approach to improving health behaviours.


Cystinosis is an autosomal recessively inherited disorder which leads to an aminoalkanoic acid crystals accumulation in tissues. In eyes, crystals accumulate within the tissue layer inflicting photophobia and eventually sightlessness, requiring anaplastic. During this research, we have a tendency to represent 2 cases, which were reported in patients with identification of Nephropathic Cystinosis and ocular manifestations, from identification through medical care and prognosis.


This research is an empirical study of companies engaged in the cement industry sectors listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange. The title of this research is "Empirical Tests of Operating Exposure to Some companies in the Cement Industrial Sector Registered at Indonesia Stock Exchange". The purpose of this research is to determine whether the companies engaged in the cement industry sector has to bear the exposure does not cover operations or operations exposures. Company-related companies are PT Holcim Indonesia Tbk, PT Indocement Tunggal Prakasa Tbk, PT Semen Gresik Tbk. This kind of research is descriptive research is data collection for testing hypotheses or answers about the final status of research subjects due to a descriptive study sought to obtain a complete description and accurate from a situation, and have quantitative data is the data measured in a numerical scale (number). Analysis tools used for analysis in this research is to use empirical testing including multiple linear regression technique, determination and keofisien f and t test, whereas data collected include the statements of cash flows and foreign exchange rates for seven years (2002-2008). The results of this study indicate that the independent variables (USD, SGD, EURO, JPY and AUD) are not affected by the independent variables together to bound variables.


Recent research has recognized interpretability and robustness as essential properties of trustworthy classification. Curiously, a connection between robustness and interpretability was empirically observed, but the theoretical reasoning behind it remained elusive. In this paper, we rigorously investigate this connection. Specifically, we focus on interpretation using decision trees and robustness to $l_{\infty}$-perturbation. Previous works defined the notion of $r$-separation as a sufficient condition for robustness. We prove upper and lower bounds on the tree size in case the data is $r$-separated. We then show that a tighter bound on the size is possible when the data is linearly separated. We provide the first algorithm with provable guarantees both on robustness, interpretability, and accuracy in the context of decision trees. Experiments confirm that our algorithm yields classifiers that are both interpretable and robust and have high accuracy. The code for the experiments is available at https://github.com/yangarbiter/interpretable-robust-trees .


Two hundred years ago Europe was going through a vibrant and turbulent period. In Europe, the Napoleonic wars were in full swing. Napoleon was losing more troops to malnutrition and food poisoning, than to military injuries. He recognised that a constant supply of good quality nutritious food was important for his troops and so, in 1795, offered a 12 000 Franc reward (a substantial amount in those days) for anyone who could provide him with a solution.


Regulation in high risk industry is not considered as a characteristic for resilience. This article identifies issues surrounding the introduction of a new regulation in an ultra safe system that is designed to build more resilience into the system. The development and implementation of Pilots' Crew Resource Management regulation within the French Civil Aviation Authority is reviewed. Interviews and questionnaires form the basis for the analysis of the intent and practices of those in charge of high level decisions, those having the knowledge of human factors discipline, and those whose job it is to implement this regulation. However the gap between the regulation as imagined, and the regulation as implemented, illustrates the resistance of the system towards this approach to regulation and the potential drifts. The article presents the findings as characteristics of the regulatory process concerning the introduction of resilience. The lack of internal expertise and lack of implementation monitoring explain the present shortcomings of regulatory authorities and ultimately questions the role of regulation regarding the engineering of resilience. At a time when high profile regulations are enacted that aim for adaptive solutions in aviation, the presented retrospective offers insights into present and future issues.


PSM Instrumentation Ltd. (PSM), a UK firm specialising in instrumentation for liquid level measurement for the marine industry, and the University of Brighton are currently collaborating in a 2 year Knowledge Transfer Partnership. Its aims include introducing new-to-company technologies into PSM, such as alternative manufacturing methods and design tools, and to use them to design products which could be taken from concept to commercialisation. The development of Computer Aided Engineering (CAE) design and modelling tools has transformed how research and development is carried out over the last decade. CAE platforms speed up development of new products by using computer models, generally based on Finite Element Analysis (FEA), which allow for the analysis of different physics such as thermal, stress and electromagnetic. This result in more robust designs whilst also reducing the number of prototype iterations needed, which reduces development costs. Open source CAE platform, are now able to offer SMEs sophisticated and competent capabilities at zero capital cost, although indirect cost such as learning how to use the tools would be initially incurred. Therefore, open source tools pave the way to a scalable alternative to commercial packages, such that CAE capabilities could be embedded within an SME as a result of a KTP. This presentation describes a mechanical design flow using open source tools including: the creation of 3D models for visualisation purposes;  finite element analysis (FEA) for the calculation of thermal and mechanical stresses;  visualisation of FEA result;  the generation of parts manufacturing drawings. The development of a pressure transducer at PSM will be used as a case study to demonstrate how open source tools were used in its development.


Public spending in the UK in 2008/9 amounted to over £10,000 per person or about 43% of national income (Crawford, Emmerson and Tetlow 2009) while net receipts from tax and social security contributions exceeded £8,000 per person or about 35% of national income. These transfers of resources between individuals and the state, either as cash payments or as supply of goods, affect individual standards of living and do so in ways that differ markedly between different households. Assessing the impact of government activity on the distribution of household living standards is essential to the evaluation of public service provision but raises challenging conceptual issues that we discuss in this report.


Parturition events in cetaceans are difficult to observe in nature and scarcely described in detail. Observations from animals in captivity offer the possibility to follow complete gestations and to obtain a precise description of the series of events pertaining to pregnancy and parturition. After a gestation period of 11 mo, the parturition of a harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) was observed for the first time at the Danish research facility Fjord & Bœlt on 8 August 2007. Five prepartum signs useful to predict the onset of parturition were identified: (1) decrease in appetite (from 5,064 Kcal/d to 907 Kcal/d at 2 d before birth [B-2]), (2) unusual behavior (disinterest in training sessions, seeking of physical contact with the trainers, restlessness), (3) decrease in body temperature of 1.6o C at B-1, (4) swollenness in the genital area, and (5) increase in the inter-mammary distance (from 5 to 8 cm at B-1). During labor, three stages described for other mammals in literature were observed and each stage's duration recorded: Stage 1 was characterized by uterine contractions and dilation of the cervix (between 2 h 19 min and 7 h 39 min), Stage 2 started with the rupture of fetal membranes (1 h 42 min at least), and Stage 3 comprised the expulsion of the fetus and its membranes (7 h). The total duration of the parturition was at least 16 h 21 min as there is an uncertainty in regards to the exact beginning of the labor. The sequence of visible events occurring during parturition was as follows: apparition of the amniotic sac, apparition of the calf's flukes, apparition of the peduncle, delivery of the calf, and expulsion of the left horn of the placenta followed by the right horn. As described for other cetaceans, the delivery was caudal. Contractions seemed to be longer and more frequent during the first stage and during the beginning of the second stage of labor. The contractions then shortened and became more regular during the expulsion of the calf. We observed that the expulsion of the calf was not provoked only by contractions but helped at the end by a violent rotational movement of the mother that broke the umbilical cord. The female's breathing rate increased dramatically towards the end of the expulsion of the calf.


Extensive Spanish cattle ranching boasts a strong, deeply rooted tradition: the use of completely black sheep, the offspring of white mothers, as magical elements to protect flocks from bad luck. Conditions are very specific, so they are unique, exceptional animals. These characteristics make them special, sacred sheep that are kept in the herd with special care until their death. There is an explanation for this symbolic and magic practice: it has existed to sustain, before Mendel discovered the laws governing genetics, the purity of white wool in sheep by isolating mutations in black ones. In this text we examine the scope of this practice and analyse it from the perspective of the anthropology of symbolism.


This study aims to analyze the extent of the influence of service quality, price, and location of customer satisfaction. The population in this study is that all cafe customers Chamber Semarang. The number of samples is about 100 respondents. The data used in this study is the primary data using questionnaires. Analysis of the data which is used multiple linear regression analysis. Hypothesis testing using t test with the test results indicate that the quality of service, price, and location of positive and significant effect on customer satisfaction. Jointly testing using the F test showed that together the quality of product, price, and location have a significant effect on customer satisfaction. Coefficient of determination value of 0.768 or 76.8%. This means that the variable product quality, price and location have contributed as much as 76.8% of customer satisfaction. While the rest of 23.2% is affected by other variables not included in the study. Limitations of this study is the only study using a questionnaire as a data source does not use actual data, such as variable rates using the actual price. This study is limited by using a variable service quality, price, and location of the study should be conducted with a combination of other variables Key words: service quality, price, location, customer satisfaction.


We exposed Pacific oysters Crassostrea gigas to the harmful algal species, Chattonella marina and C. antiqua, at various initial algal cell densities for up to 24 h. None of the oysters died, even after exposure to high cell densities of both Chattonella species. Oysters filtered Chattonella from the aquarium water within 24 h, depending on initial algal cell densities. The oyster clearance rates peaked at a specific cell density for each algal species (about 100 cells ml -1 for C. marina and about 10 cells ml -1 for C. antiqua). However, because of differences in cell sizes between the algal species, the algal biovolume per unit water volume varied widely at the same cell density. The rela- tionships between clearance rates and biovolumes of exposed algae were similar between the 2 algal species; clearance rates by the oysters peaked at about 1.0 × 10 6 μm 3 mm -3 . The filtration activity of the oysters was fundamentally affected by their exposure to algal biovolume and not algal cell density. No histological lesions were found after the oysters were exposed to either Chattonella species. Furthermore, immunohistological observations of the digestive glands of the oysters and analysis of their phytopigment content revealed that Chattonella cells that were cleared from the water during exposure entered the cytoplasm of the oyster digestive glands by phagocytosis.


The potential for leakage of injected CO2 at carbon sequestration sites is a significant concern in the design and deployment of long-term carbon sequestration efforts. Effective and reliable monitoring of near-surface environments in the vicinity of these sites is essential to ensure the viability of sequestration activities as well as long-term public and environmental safety. Identification of geologic features (such as faults, fracture zones, and solution enhanced joints that might facilitate release of injected CO2 back into the atmosphere) is a key step in this process. This study reports on near-surface geologic and geophysical characterization efforts conducted at the Department of Energy National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) West Pearl Queen carbon sequestration pilot site in southeastern New Mexico, USA, and their use for uncovering possible mechanisms associated with escape of small amounts of perfluorocarbon tracers injected with the CO2.


The notion that trainee teachers are anxious at the prospect of standing before their first class is as commonplace as it is understandable. This small-scale study, carried out with a group of aspiring Further Education (FE) lecturers on a Stage One Initial Teacher Education (ITE) programme in 2007, is the first of a series of three articles which promises to inform pedagogical practice in the context of ITE in the Learning and Skills Sector (LSS). Using a multimethod approach, the study examines trainees' confidence and anxiety levels at the start of the course, evaluates their confidence levels following a 'crash course' in managing challenging behaviour and analyses the biographical features which may be perceived as influential in their confidence levels. Working within the concept of action research, the study seeks to identify ways in which the programme and trainee preparedness can be improved for current and future entrants to the teaching profession to the benefit of their learners. The findings of the study, in contrast to much of the available literature, advance an initial argument for better preparation of trainees prior to teaching placement, particularly so when young female trainees are preparing to teach at Entry level.


This paper explores the contexts and motivations that underpin the uptake of Australia's National Broadband Network (NBN). The findings are drawn from a mixed-methods research study of households using surveys and interviews conducted in 2011 and 2012 in an early release site of the NBN rollout. Whilst use and non-use have traditionally been treated as questions of digital access, inequality and exclusion, there is evidence for emerging forms of non-use characterized by more critical and discriminating approaches. We contribute to this evidence, but our findings suggest that use and non-use of high speed broadband do not occur in isolation or as an expression of individual choice, but as part of increasingly dense household media ecologies of digital infrastructures, devices, services and knowledge.


One basic work of the IIASA project on Environmentally Compatible Energy Strategies (ECS) is a detailed assessment of specific technologies that might play a role in scoring well, with respect to the conflicting objectives of development and environmental protection. The result of this assessment is a technology inventory, labeled CO2DB (Messner and Strubegger, 1991). CO2DB is a data base, implemented on personal computers, including technology descriptions, their environmental and economic characteristics as well as information on technology diffusion (temporal and geographical) and transfer. Currently, CO2DB contains information on more than 1,400 technologies.

A recent synthesis of ECS work in the past years was the creation, in collaboration with the World Energy Council (WEC), of long-term global energy scenarios (IIASA-WEC 1995). Among others, the IIASA-WEC scenarios aim to assess how these technologies might be put into widespread use, to minimize the emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs), and to serve the development of all world regions. This paper describes selected results of the IIASA-WEC scenarios, and summarizes the basis on which they are built. In this way, readers can form their own opinion on the results. We begin by analyzing past energy demand and supply, together with its most important determinants. The main aspect of their scenarios is that (i) fear of exhaustion of resources seems to have been exaggerated in the wake of the oil price hike of the 1970s and (ii) each link of the causal chain between greenhouse gas emissions, climate change, and subsequent damage is not sufficiently understood to allow precise forecasting, and it seems wise for policy-makers to act on the principal of making mid-course corrections to their chosen energy strategies on the basis of new knowledge and R&D for energy-efficient technologies.


ABSTRACT The paper analyses the 'energy savings plan for existing buildings' (EBB) introduced in Sweden after the first oil crisis of 1973, and how effects of policies on the built heritage were perceived and communicated to a wider public. A conflict between conservation aims and energy efficiency was constructed for the first time in Sweden. The programme was a huge investment made by the government to reduce the import of oil. At first, little consideration was taken to the fact that heritage values might be at risk when giving property owners financial incentives to retrofit their houses. Soon increasing knowledge about the existing building stock showed that older houses were not necessarily energy inefficient. An information campaign launched by protagonists of building conservation encouraged property owners to direct measures to the interiors of buildings, thus saving the exterior character of not just single buildings but also complete neighbourhoods. Towards the end of EBB, the field of conservation had become a more articulated voice when it came to influencing measures aiming at increased energy efficiency. Finally, the paper discusses how values constituted in the 1970s affect policy and practice today.


Complexities in digital spaces problematize virtual-identity construction. Online commercialization trends that often take the form of native advertisements, including identity quizzes featured on websites such as BuzzFeed, exploit incentives for a branded self and the immaterial labor of users to create and share messages. Thus, identity politics are often depoliticized amid virtual environments that rely on ties between identity and consumption in either native advertisements or copy designed to draw users to advertisements. This article analyzes sponsored and unsponsored quizzes from BuzzFeed and resulting commentaries, arguing that in these cases, identity is often circumscribed around digestible, consumption-based "results." This article also considers how the quiz phenomenon reflects trends in viral native advertising as it pertains to constructing virtual selves.


The Software Product Lines (SPL) paradigm has arisen for taking advantage of existing common aspects between different products, while also considering product-specific features. The architecture of a SPL comprises a model that will result in product architectures, and may include solutions leading to bad (architectural) design. One way to assess such design decisions is through the identification of architectural bad smells, which are properties that prejudice the overall software quality, but are not necessarily faulty or errant. In this paper, we conduct an exploratory study that aims at characterizing bad smells in the context of product line architectures. We analyzed an open source SPL project and extracted its architecture to investigate the occurrence or absence of four smells initially studied in single systems. In addition, we propose a smell specific to the SPL context and discuss possible causes and implications of having those smells in the architecture of a product line. The results indicate that the granularity of the SPL features may influence on the occurrence of smells.


Occam's razor, attributed to the fourteenth century English philosopher William of Occam, states: "plurality should not be assumed without necessity." The machine learning interpretation of Occam's razor is that if two models have the same performance on the training set, choose the simpler. Decision tree learning widely uses Occam's razor. Popular decision tree generating algorithms are based on information gain criterion which inherently prefers shorter trees (Mitchel 1997). Furthermore, decision tree pruning is common regardless of the splitting criterion. Experiments suggest that shorter trees indeed have better generalization accuracy (GA), typically estimated by a validation set prediction accuracy. However, some case studies show evidence apparently against Occam's razor. Recently, Webb (1996) has built C4.5X, a version of C4.5 decision tree classifier (Quinlan 1993) with a postprocessor, which adds more nodes and branches to the tree generated by basic C4.5. He showed that though C4.5 and C4.5X have identical training set accuracies, the generalization accuracy over some datasets is better for C4.5X. But Webb's argument is based on the traditional syntactic complexity measure (number of nodes) of decision trees. In this paper, we explore a non-syntactic measure of decision tree complexity using the notion of Kolmogorov Complexity (Kolmogorov 1965) and show that in this measure the complexity of C4.5X tree is less than that of C4.5 tree on average. Hence, according to our measure of complexity, C4.5X does not violate Occam's razor.


Background: The perspective of the patient in measuring the outcome of their hand treatment is of key importance. We developed a hand-specific patient-reported outcome measure to provide a means to measure outcomes and experiences of care from the patient perspective, that is, HAND-Q. Methods: Data were collected from people with a broad range of hand conditions in hand clinics in six countries between April 2018 and January 2021. Rasch measurement theory analysis was used to perform item reduction and to examine reliability and validity of each HAND-Q scale. Results: A sample of 1277 patients was recruited. Participants ranged in age from 16 to 89 years, 54% were women, and a broad range of congenital and acquired hand conditions were represented. Rasch measurement theory analysis led to the refinement of 14 independently functioning scales that measure hand appearance, health-related quality of life, experience of care, and treatment outcome. Each scale evidenced reliability and validity. Examination of differential item functioning by age, gender, language, and type of hand condition (ie, nontraumatic versus traumatic) confirmed that a common scoring algorithm for each scale could be implemented. Conclusions: The HAND-Q was developed following robust psychometric methods to provide a comprehensive modular independently functioning set of scales. HAND-Q scales can be used to assess and compare evidence-based outcomes in patients with any type of hand condition.


A particular reaction to a given predator is dependent on the level of danger perceived by an animal. American Goldfinches (Carduelis tristis) are preyed upon by highly threatening predators that commonly attack songbirds at feeders (feeder predator) and less threatening predators that rarely attack songbirds at feeders (non-feeder predators). This study measured the behavioral and vocal reactions of American goldfinches to these different levels of predatory threat and examined the effect of threat level on the trade-off between foraging and anti-predatory behaviors (vigilance). We hypothesized that if goldfinches respond to predatory cues based on the level of threat associated with a particular predator species, then goldfinches should respond more strongly (i.e. become vigilant, feed less, abandon feeder) to feeder predators than non-feeder predators. We observed goldfinches at two established feeders and used playbacks of two predator types (feeder predators = high risk and non-feeder predators c::: lower risk) and control species (non-predators) recordings to measure behavioral and vocal responses to auditory predator cues by counting the number of seeds consumed, the time a goldfinch spent vigilant, and whether or not a bird fled the feeder. We planned to measure fluctuations in number and type of calls (e.g., contact versus alarm calls), but no vocal responses were produced by the goldfinches during the trials. We found no difference in behavioral reactions to predator types, and our hypothesis that responses to predators would differ with threat level was not supported. However, vigilance increased significantly from control (unthreatening) species to predator species (F=0.27, p= 0.0008) which decreased seed consumption (F""l .4, p""0.25), indicating that vigilance is greatly increased when birds forage for food under predatory pressure. This trade-off is a major consequence of predation and is a driving force in organizing avian communities such as flocks. Degree Type Open Access Senior Honors Thesis


Service robots are mobile, embodied artefacts that operate in co presence with their users. This is a challenge for human-robot interaction (HRI) design. The robot's interfaces must support users in understanding the system's current state and possible next actions. One aspect in the design for such interaction is to understand users' preferences and expectations by involving them in the design process. This thesis takes a user-centered design (UCD) perspective and tries to understand the different user roles that exist in service robotics in order to consider possible design implications. Another important aim in the thesis is to understand the spatial management that occurs in face-to-face encounters between humans and robotic systems. The Cero robot is an office "fetch-and-carry" robot that supports a user in the transportation of light objects in an office environment. The iterative, user-centered design of the graphical-user interface (GUI) for the Cero robot is presented in Paper I. It is based upon the findings from multiple prototype design- and evaluation iterations. The GUI is one of the robot's interfacing components, i.e., it is to be seen in the overall interplay of the robot's physical design and other interface modalities developed in parallel with the GUI. As interaction strategy for the GUI, a graphical representation based upon simplification of the graphical elements as well as hiding the robot system's complexity in sensing and mission execution is recommended. The usage of the Cero robot by a motion-impaired user over a period of three months is presented in Paper II. This longitudinal user study aims to gain insights into the daily usage of such an assistive robot. This approach is complementary to the described GUI design and development process as it allows empirically investigating situated use of the Cero robot as novel service application over a longer period of time with the provided interfaces. Findings from this trial show that the robot and its interfaces provide a benefit to the user in the transport of light objects, but also implies increased independence. The long-term study also reveals further aspects of the Cero robot system usage as part of a workplace setting, including the social context that such a mobile, embodied system needs to be designed for. During the long-term user study, bystanders in the operation area of the Cero robot were observed in their attempt to interact with it. To understand better how such bystander users may shape the interaction with a service robot system, an experimental study investigates this special type and role of robot users in Paper III. A scenario in which the Cero robot addresses and asks invited trial subjects for a cup of coffee is described. The findings show that the level of occupation significantly influences bystander users' willingness to assist the Cero robot with its request. The joint handling of space is an important part of HRI, as both users and service robots are mobile and often co-present during interaction. To inform the development of future robot locomotion behaviors and interaction design strategies, a Wizard-of Oz (WOZ) study is presented in Paper IV that explores the role of posture and positioning in HRI. The interpersonal distances and spatial formations that were observed during this trial are quantified and analyzed in a joint interaction task between a robot and its users in Paper V. Findings show that a face-to-face spatial formation and a distance between ~46 to ~122 cm is dominant while initiating a robot mission or instructing it about an object or place. Paper VI investigates another aspect on the role of spatial management in the joint task between a robot and its user based upon the study described in Papers IV and V. Taking the dynamics of interaction into account, the findings are that users structure their activities with the robot and that this organizing is observable as small movements in interaction. These small adaptations in posture and orientation signify the transition between different episodes of interaction and prepare for the next interaction exchange in the shared space. The understanding of these spatial management behaviors allow designing human-robot interaction based upon such awareness and active handling of space as a structuring interaction element.


Abstract. The eucoiline genus Zaeucoila Ashmead is revised. Following a reevaluation combining previously published phylogenetic data and new specimens, Agrostocynips Díaz is synonymized with Zaeucoila. All species included in Zaeucoila are systematically treated, and now amounts to twelve, seven of which are described as new here: Zaeucoila bitiburculata new species, Z. fidalgoii new species, Z. infuscata new species, Z. johnsonii new species, Z. lignys new species, Z. normae new species, Z. patera new species. The following new combinations are proposed and species redescribed: Zaeucoila grenadensis (Ashmead), new combination; Z. robusta (Ashmead), new combination; Z. flavipes (Ashmead), new combination. Agrostocynips diastrophi (Ashmead), Agrostocynips clavatus Díaz, and Agrostocynips enneatoma (Díaz) are new synonyms of Zaeucoila robusta. Zaeucoila incompleta (Kieffer), Z. triangulifera Kieffer, and Z. unicarinata Ashmead are redescribed. Zaeucoila is an unusual genus of Zaeucoilini in its wide distribution area: it can be found from southern Argentina well into the eastern United States and southern Canada; no other zaeucoiline genus shows such a pattern. Host records and geographic data for Zaeucoila are brought up to date, as well as a key to species. Zeucoila are primary parasitoids of Agromyzidae, including Liriomyza trifolii and other species that are notable economic pests of agriculture. Tropideucoila fulvonotata (Kieffer) is transferred to Marthiella (new combination).


Leakage of water into the semi-confined Memphis aquifer near the Sheahan well field in Memphis, Tennessee, has been suggested by many studies extending back to the 1960s. A leakage pathway from Nonconnah Creek to the Sheahan well field was investigated over a 1-year period using multiple approaches: (1) stream discharge data, (2) hydraulic head data, (3) geochemical and environmental tracer (3H/3He and chlorofluorocarbon) studies, and (4) geochemical modeling. The stream loss data strongly support the conclusion that losses from the creek contribute at least 2,600 m3/d to the shallow aquifer, and hydraulic head data consistently indicate the majority of this infiltrated surface water flows within the shallow aquifer toward the Sheahan well field. Tritium-3He data from shallow aquifer monitoring wells within the Sheahan well field are composed of modern water with ages that generally increase with distance from the creek toward the well field. The leakage pathway from the creek to the well field is interpreted to involve seepage of creek waters into the shallow aquifer, mixing with other water sources and chemical reactions as the infiltrated waters flow in the shallow aquifer along a paleovalley toward the Sheahan well field, as well as leakage from the shallow to the Memphis aquifer through a hydrologic window in the upper Claiborne confining unit. The results of this work emphasize the utility of multiple investigative approaches in studies of groundwater flow to well fields, but they also illustrate the complexity of groundwater flow and groundwater vulnerability in a stressed water-supply aquifer system.


Sodium chloride promotes the production of pathogenic TH17 cells and exacerbates autoimmune disease. In addition to contributing to the immune response against pathogens, helper T (TH ) cells that produce the cytokine interleukin-17 (IL-17) also contribute to autoimmune diseases. Maintenance of both normal and pathogenic TH17 cell activities depends on activation of the IL-23 receptor (IL-23R). By performing transcriptional profiling and network analysis of transcriptional changes in wild-type and Il23r–/– mouse T cells that were activated and induced to differentiate into TH17 cells, Wu et al. identified serum glucocorticoid kinase 1 (Sgk1) as a key node downstream of IL-23R. In vitro differentiation of naïve T cells from Sgk1–/– mice revealed that SGK1 was not required for primary TH17 cell differentiation but was required for maintenance of TH17 cells and continued signaling through IL-23R. Analysis of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a mouse model of multiple sclerosis, in Sgk1–/– animals showed that these mice had reduced incidence of disease, severity of symptoms, and production of IL-17 compared with EAE in wild-type animals. In vitro experiments were consistent with a model in which SGK1 phosphorylates the transcription factor Foxo1 to repress its ability to indirectly activate Il23r expression. SGK1 mediates sodium (Na+) homeostasis by modulating the activity of epithelial Na+ channels, so the authors tested the effect of Na+ on TH17 cell differentiation. Increasing the concentration of NaCl in the culture medium increased expression of Sgk1, Il23r, Il17, and other genes associated with TH17 differentiation in wild-type, but not Sgk1–/–, T cells that had been activated but not treated with factors to influence their development into a particular type of TH cell. Compared with a normal diet, a high-salt diet increased the number of TH17 cells in the guts of wild-type mice but induced a milder increase in the abundance of TH17 cells in Sgk1–/– mice. In the EAE model, mice on a high-salt diet showed increased severity of disease compared with those fed a normal diet. However, a high-salt diet had a much milder effect on disease symptoms in Sgk1–/– mice. In a related study, Kleinewietfeld et al. differentiated naïve human T cells in culture conditions that mimicked the interstitial fluid of animals fed a high-salt diet and found that the additional NaCl promoted differentiation of TH17 cells that expressed markers consistent with autoimmune activity. Further experiments indicated that this effect was mediated by the kinase p38, the transcription factor and p38 target NFAT5, and the NFAT5 target Sgk1. In vivo experiments performed in this study were consistent with those reported by Wu et al. These studies suggest that production of the pathogenic TH17 cells that contribute to autoimmunity may be exacerbated by dietary salt. Commentary by O'Shea and Jones considers the implications and limitations of these findings in the context of autoimmune disease. C. Wu, N. Yosef, T. Thalhamer, C. Zhu, S. Xiao, Y. Kishi, A. Regev, V. K. Kuchroo, Induction of pathogenic TH17 cells by inducible salt-sensing kinase SGK1. Nature 496, 513–517 (2013). [PubMed] M. Kleinewietfeld, A. Manzel, J. Titze, H. Kvakan, N. Yosef, R. A. Linker, D. N. Muller, D. A. Hafler, Sodium chloride drives autoimmune disease by the induction of pathogenic TH17 cells. Nature 496, 518–522 (2013). [PubMed] J. J. O'Shea, R. G. Jones, Rubbing salt in the wound. Nature 496, 437–439 (2013). [PubMed]


The goal of this research is to mitigate the risk of highway accidents (crashes) and fatalities in work zones. The approach of this research has been to address the mitigation of work zone crashes through the creation of a formal risk management model to be utilized during the construction management and administration of highway projects for all stages of the project life-cycle. The result of these efforts is realized through the design of an integrated risk management model. A standard risk management model has three components: risk identification, risk analysis, and risk response. The risks are identified by the factors that contribute to work zone crashes. The risk analysis involves understanding the tendency of a hazard to influence the frequency or severity of a loss, and the risk response relates to the appropriate countermeasures to the factors that contribute to work zone crashes. The number of hazards and mitigation strategies corresponding to work zone crashes can be substantial. The intent of this research is to develop a formalized risk management plan to identify potential hazards on plans, designs, or jobsites and to cue a risk response to the hazards. Mitigation strategies may take the form of a mitigation "method" (alert motorist, assist worker/motorist, control motorist, inform motorist, and protect worker/motorist). The results of this research will be a formal step-by-step methodology to be utilized by managers and decision makers. Each stage of the project life-cycle (or Project Development Process) will provide a checklist of hazards and mitigation strategies. This research will also provide a qualitative method to assess the likelihood and severity of a hazard or multiple hazards on a roadway work zone. This research is intended to provide a holistic approach to risk management that is to be integrated into the existing corporate structure and not to be considered a standalone program. This integrated approach will allow a formalized procedure to be utilized by any member of an organization during all phases of the construction project life-cycle.


Embedded real-time systems often have to support the embedding system in very different and changing application scenarios. An aircraft taxiing, taking off and in cruise flight is one example. The different application scenarios are reflected in the software structure with a changing task set and thus different operational modes. At the same time there is a strong push for integrating previously isolated functionalities in single-chip multicore processors. On such multicores the behavior of the system during a mode change, when the systems transitions from one mode to another, is complex but crucial to get right. In the past we have investigated mode change in multiprocessor systems where a mode change requires a complete change of task set. Now, we present the first analysis which considers mode changes in multicore systems, which use global EDF to schedule a set of mode independent (MI) and mode specific (MS) tasks. In such systems, only the set of MS tasks has to be replaced during mode changes, without jeopardizing the schedulability of the MI tasks. Of prime concern is that the mode change is safe and efficient: i.e. the mode change needs to be performed in a predefined time window and no deadlines may be missed as a function of the mode change.


Education is increasingly being framed by a competence mindset; the value of knowledge lies much more in competence performativity and innovation than in simply knowing. Reaching such competency in areas such as astronomy and physics has long been known to be challenging. The movement from everyday conceptions of the world around us to a disciplinary interpretation is fraught with pitfalls and problems. Thus, what underpins the characteristics of the disciplinary trajectory to competence becomes an important educational consideration. In this article we report on a study involving what students and lecturers discern from the same disciplinary semiotic resource. We use this to propose an Anatomy of Disciplinary Discernment (ADD), a hierarchy of what is focused on and how it is interpreted in an appropriate, disciplinary manner, as an overarching fundamental aspect of disciplinary learning. Students and lecturers in astronomy and physics were asked to describe what they could discern from a video simulation of travel through our Galaxy and beyond. In all, 137 people from nine countries participated. The descriptions were analysed using a hermeneutic interpretive study approach. The analysis resulted in the formulation of five qualitatively different categories of discernment; the ADD, reflecting a view of participants' competence levels. The ADD reveals four increasing levels of disciplinary discernment: Identification, Explanation, Appreciation, and Evaluation. This facilitates the identification of a clear relationship between educational level and the level of disciplinary discernment. The analytical outcomes of the study suggest how teachers of science, after using the ADD to assess the students disciplinary knowledge, may attain new insights into how to create more effective learning environments by explicitly crafting their teaching to support the crossing of boundaries in the ADD model.


During the years 1942-1949 investigations were made on the fauna of the greenhouses of several Botanic Gardens in the Netherlands, on the initiative of Dr. A. D. J. Meeuse; material was also collected in greenhouses belonging to other institutions and in those kept for commercial purposes. A list of publications based on the results of these investigations has been given by Van der Hammen (1969). In a number of greenhouses the terrestrial amphipod, Talitroides alluaudi (Chevreux), was collected. This paper reviews the distribution of this species in Dutch greenhouses, and gives a survey of the occurrence of terrestrial species or the genus Talitroides in Europe. The genus Talitroides was erected by Bonnier (1898) for a species later named T. bonnieri by Stebbing (1906). Many authors consider Talitroides to be no more than a subgenus of Talitrus Bosc, but as the genera within the superfamily Talitridae can by no means be said to be settled, and as the representatives of Talitroides form, at least ecologically, a dearly defined complex, the name Talitroides will here be used. It is probable that this species-complex will have to be broken up into several genera, as the structural differences between the species (e.g. in the reduction of pleopods and 3rd uropods) are very considerable. The members of this genus form a characteristic element of the leaf-mould fauna of tropical and southern subtropical countries, chiefly in the Indo-Pacific area (cf. Hurley, 1959, 1968), but several species have been accidentally transported by man and have established themselves in greenhouses throughout the world, especially before the widespread use of modern insecticides. The terrestrial leaf-hoppers do not tolerate low temperatures and require a high, constant humidity


The individual amino acid contacts responsible for peptide binding to DRB1*0101 and/or DRB1*0401 were defined using a quantitative binding assay. The differential contribution of each amino acid in two well studied T cell determinants, HA307-319 and RMBP 90-102, was delineated by comparing the IC50 values of analogues of varying length. This analysis confirmed the importance of a hydrophobic amino acid located near the amino-terminus for binding to both alleles and revealed that the contribution of the carboxyl-terminal amino acids differed between DRB1*0101 and DRB1*0401. Taking advantage of previous experiments demonstrating that all of the residues could be replaced with alanine, with the exception of the key hydrophobic amino acid, simplified analogues composed of polyalanines were used to prove 1) optimal binding depended on the position of the hydrophobic side chain relative to the amino- and carboxyl-termini; 2) aromatic amino acids were superior to aliphatic side chains at this position; and 3) a significant amount of free energy of binding arises from hydrogen bonding between the class II binding site and the amide bonds of the ligand. The role of each carbonyl and amide nitrogen was measured by assaying analogues containing reduced peptide bonds or N-methyl amino acids. Serine, but not glycine, could be used as a framework amino acid for peptide ligands, indicating that the beneficial aspects of these simplified structures was the combination of retaining the correct orientation of the peptide bonds, the restriction of the conformational freedom by limiting the possible phi/psi angles of the peptide, and avoidance of deleterious side-chain contacts. Collectively, these data were consistent with the peptide binding in a nonrepeating conformation with the vast majority of the free energy of binding arising from hydrogen bonds with the peptide backbone and a single, key hydrophobic side chain interacting in a conserved pocket in both DRB1*0101 and DRB1*0401.


Fully master the basic principles and applications of abdominal ultrasound Praise for this book: This book appears to be a useful tool for different levels of users -- not just physicians. The topics provide information on best approaches for beginners while the illustrations better define acquisition data and may be helpful to individuals with more experience. The book would be useful for students and technologists in all disciplines and specialties to help understand sonographic imaging. -- Kathleen Drotar, Radiologic Technology, July/August, 2012 Designed to be kept close at hand during an actual ultrasound examination, Abdominal Ultrasound: Step by Step, Second Edition , provides the tools, techniques and training to increase your knowledge and confidence in interpreting ultrasound findings. Its clear, systematic approach shows you how to recognize all important ultrasound phenomena (especially misleading artifacts), locate and delineate the upper abdominal organs, explain suspicious findings, apply clinical correlations, and easily distinguish between normal and abnormal images. This second edition includes the new Sono Consultant, a systematic, two-part framework for helping the examiner evaluate specific ultrasound findings and make an informed differential diagnosis. In the first part, Ultrasound Findings, the examiner notes an abnormality at ultrasound, lists all findings, and suggests possible interpretations. In the second section, Clinical Presentation, the examiner starts off with a possible diagnosis (e.g. heart failure, splenomegaly) and then extracts the maximum possible information available on ultrasound to confirm, support, or differentiate the diagnosis. Features: * More than 670 ultrasound images and 240 drawings that enhance the text *3-D diagrams that depict complex anatomical structures and spatial relationships * Clear and concise learning units for easy mastery of material Providing a logical, structured foundation for performing a successful ultrasound examination, this practice-oriented teaching guide is essential for all students and residents building their skills in ultrasonography.


The genome of Cryptosporidium parvum contains a relatively small number of introns, which includes the beta-tubulin gene with only a single intron. Recently, it was observed that the intron was not removed from some of the beta-tubulin transcripts in the late life cycle stages cultured in vitro. Although normally spliced beta-tubulin mRNA was detected in all parasite intracellular stages by RT-PCR (e.g. HCT-8 or Caco-2 cells infected with C. parvum for 12-72 h), at 48-72 h post-infection unprocessed beta-tubulin transcripts containing intact introns started to appear in parasite mRNA within infected host cells. The intron-containing transcripts could be detected by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) using an intron-specific probe. The intron-containing beta-tubulin transcripts appeared unique to the in vitro-cultured C. parvum, since they were not detected in parasite-infected calves at 72 h. As yet, it is unclear whether the late life cycle stages of C. parvum are partially deficient in intron-splicing or the intron-splicing processes have merely slowed, both of which would allow the detection of intron-containing transcripts. Another possible explanation is that the decay in transcript processing might simply be due to the onset of parasite death. Nonetheless, the appearance of intron-containing transcripts coincides with the arrest of C. parvum development in vitro. This unusual observation prompts speculation that the abnormal intron-splicing of beta-tubulin transcripts may be one of the factors preventing complete development of this parasite in vitro. Furthermore, the presence of both processed and unprocessed introns in beta-tubulin transcripts in vitro may provide a venue for studying overall mechanisms for intron-splicing in this parasite.