Aims. Currently, methylphenidate (MPH, trade name Ritalin) is the most widely prescribed medication for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). We examined the ability of repeated MPH administration to produce a sensitized appetitive eagerness type response in laboratory rats, as indexed by 50-kHz ultrasonic vocalizations (50-kHz USVs). We also examined the ability of MPH to reduce play behavior in rats which may be partially implicated in the clinical efficacy of MPH in ADHD. Design. 56 adolescent rats received injections of either 5.0 mg/kg MPH, or vehicle each day for 8 consecutive days, and a week later received a challenge injection of either MPH or vehicle. Measurements. Both play behavior (pins) and 50-kHz USVs were recorded after each drug or vehicle administration. Results. MPH challenge produced a substantial 73% reduction in play behavior during the initial treatment phase, and during the last test (1 week post drug), 50-kHz USVs were elevated approximately threefold only in animals with previous MPH experience. Conclusions. These data suggest that MPH treatment may lead to psychostimulant sensitization in young animals, perhaps by increasing future drug-seeking tendencies due to an elevated eagerness for positive incentives. Further, we hypothesize that MPH may be reducing ADHD symptoms, in part, by blocking playful tendencies, whose neuro-maturational and psychological functions remain to be adequately characterized.


Glioma, a common type of adult primary brain tumor and also the most dreaded, often presents to the clinic with seizures. These seizures are usually difficult to control with the standard anti-epileptics. Some of the patients presenting with medically refractory epilepsy due to a low grade glioma, achieve seizure control by surgical resection but some remain symptomatic despite surgery. Excitability in the human CNS is predominantly mediated by glutamate and recent compelling evidence points to the role of glutamate in excitotoxic damage resulting in seizures as well as maintenance and invasion of malignant glioma (1). Furthermore, recent studies have shown that excitotoxicity favours glioma preservation, progression and invasion in cases of malignant glioma (2-4). For instance, necrosis in glioblastoma was reported to result due to glutamate excitotoxicity through inhibition of system XC- (SXC), which normally exchanges intracellular glutamate with extracellular cystine, causing deficient intracellular cystine or through change in calcium homeostasis eventually leading to cell death resulting from reactive oxygen species damage (5). Thus, targeting excitotoxicity in glioma patients not only helps in symptomatic management of the seizures but may, possibly, play a role in altering the underlying tumor pathogenesis.


The study examined the impact of corporate governance practices on the performance of SMEs in Ghana. Both descriptive and correlational research design were employed for the study. Convenience sampling technique was used to select one hundred (100) SMEs from two regions in Ghana. The study utilised the annual reports of the SMEs from 2012 to 2016 financial years. Net profit margin (NPM) and return on assets (ROA) were used as proxies for performance and Ordinary Least Square (OLS) regression model was used to estimate the level of impact of corporate governance on the performance of SMEs in Ghana. The study found empirical evidence to support the view that the board size (BS) has a negative impact on NPM, though insignificant. In addition, the evidence obtained indicate that board gender (BG) and management ownership (MO), all have positive impact on NPM. The evidence also showed that role difference for CEO and board chairman (DR) has a negative and positive impact on both ROA and ROE. Similarly, the results showed that board size (BS) has an insignificant negative impact on ROA. Additionally, it was ascertained that board gender (BG) and management ownership (MO) have positive impact on ROA, though the level of impact of board gender (BG) and management ownership (MO) are statistically insignificant. The results further provide evidence that the control variables: firm age (Fage) and industry of the firms (FInd) have a significant positive impact on both NPM and ROA. Generally, the evidence obtained show that corporate governance has positive but insignificant impact on performance of SMEs.


ABSTRACT Albanerpetontids are an extinct clade of superficially salamander-like lissamphibians that range from the Middle Jurassic (Bathonian)-Early Pleistocene and have a primarily Laurasian distribution. The best Cenozoic record for the clade is in Europe, where two species in the type genus Albanerpeton Estes & Hoffstetter, 1976 occur in over 40 localities of early Oligocene-Early Pleistocene age in Austria, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, and Serbia. From the post-evaporitic Messinian (5.41-5.33 Ma or latest Miocene) succession at Moncucco Torinese, in the Piedmont Basin, northwestern Italy, here we describe isolated albanerpetontid jaws and vertebrae referable to A. pannonicum Venczel & Gardner, 2005. This Italian occurrence extends the temporal record for A. pannonicum from the Early Pleistocene and Pliocene back into the latest Miocene and it narrows the temporal gap between that species and its European congener, A. inexpectatum Estes & Hoffstetter, 1976 (early Oligocene-late Miocene).


The paper describes two approaches for deriving the mean, standard deviation and probability density function of the method uncertainty for an axial pile capacity calculation method. The focus of this paper is on estimating the statistical description of the method uncertainty parameters for a pile design method on the basis of performance of the method in predicting the capacities of high-quality pile load tests. The method uncertainty can have a strong influence on the safety level associated with the foundation design. Establishing the statistics of the "error" in a calculated capacity prediction (Qc) from the measured values of capacity (Qm) in pile load tests requires careful consideration of several factors. In particular, case studies demonstrated that only the pile load tests where the pile capacity method overpredicts the actual (measured) capacity are of interest. Therefore, with method uncertainty defined as Qm/Qc, the part of the cumulative distribution function where Qm/Qc < 1 should be fitted as well as possible. The possible dependence of the standard deviation of method uncertainty on pile penetration depth was also investigated in the derivation of method uncertainty statistics.


In the UK the public discourse on separated families is rich with the stereotypes of 'deadbeat dads' and 'obstructive mums'. It is the author's view that these stereotypes are also common in public service social work with families, in part encouraged by uncritical approaches to assessment perpetuated by mandated tools such as the Framework for Assessment of Children in Need and their Families (DH, 2000), the Common Assessment Framework (2005) and the Integrated Children's System (2005). There are continuing concerns about the quality of assessments and that good practice in this regard is inhibited by managerialist and bureaucratic approaches.

One negative outcome of this, particularly for children in contested contact proceedings, is denied familial and cultural experiences and lost identity. The myth of the 'deadbeat' and 'obstructive' parent means that many non-resident parents are anonymous in practitioner's minds and records, not helped as many children's stories are reduced to a 'cut and paste' approach to assessment. Such anonymity means that possibilities offered by the non-resident parent's family, culture and community are denied and unavailable to the child.
The authors believe that a Framework for Intervention is necessary of which assessment would be one part. This paper critiques contemporary public social work practice with children and their families in the UK and explores the possibilities of better outcomes for children offered by Framework for Intervention.


No living foreigner has shaped contemporary U.S. attitudes toward a single country more than Aung San Suu Kyi. As the seemingly vulnerable international avatar of democracy, she has effectively determined the parameters of possible U.S. policy choices. Although her Burma/Myanmar specific goals and those of the U.S. overlap, they are not contiguous. That country is a "boutique" issue in U.S. politics – important but not of the highest priority. The U.S. will face difficult policy decisions toward Burma/Myanmar following the formation of the new Burmese administration after the elections of November 7, 2010.


We report the domain structure of spontaneously occurring beams (subharmonics) in photorefractive bismuth silicon oxide with an applied electric field from 1 to 6 kV/cm and a running grating. The subharmonic beams are generated in a pattern of domains that evolve dynamically as they move through the crystal. We find that the domains move as a whole with a speed approximately equal to that of the primary grating, but in the opposite direction. The domains are separated by narrow boundary regions, where the phase of the subharmonic waves changes by π. The domain motion is consistent with the group velocity for running space-charge waves.


In this study, a method was developed to extract and methylate total fatty acids (TFA) from soils and sediments using an acid-catalyzed esterification-transesterification approach; the TFA method was compared with other methods in common use for fatty acids in soils. The developed method was significantly more successful in the extraction and methylation of total soil and sediment fatty acids than other methods. It also extracted long-chain hydrocarbons from soils and sediments. The TFA method is relatively simple and rapid, has high reproducibility, substantially reduced solvent use, and can easily accommodate a large number of samples at the same time. The optimized TFA method is based on a combined "one-step" acid-catalyzed approach often used for biological tissues, oils, feedstuff, and leafy materials. Acid-catalyzed methylation is effective under many conditions, and methylates all fatty acids, including free fatty acids, fatty acid esters and amides, and fatty acid salts via both esterification and transesterification pathways. Used in conjunction with other methods, the TFA method can help to provide information about the distribution of ester-linked fatty acids and free fatty acids or fatty acid salts in soils and sediments.


Nuclear energy remains a controversial issue for public policies on energy and the environment because of arguments concerning radioactive waste, reactor accidents, nuclear proliferation and economic competitiveness. The issues of climate change and supply security have provided a new rationale for its reappearance on the international political agenda. Recent national policy directions in some countries show that such a comeback is not just wishful thinking by the nuclear establishment. Energy technologies ought to be considered in terms of their potential to contribute to goals of sustainability, including climate change prevention and supply security support. This implies a balanced judgement of their environmental, economic and social risks. Considering nuclear energy in terms of sustainability goals has so far been largely avoided, because many scientists and policy makers either exclude this option by definition or consider the nuclear issue outside their domain of competence, given the dominant role of public opinion. This article attempts to fill this hiatus by reframing the question of the sustainability of nuclear energy in a dynamic way. Clearly, nuclear energy possesses risk characteristics that are very distinctive from those of fossil fuels, and are much more apparent than they are for most renewables. We point out, however, that one of the reasons for the latter is that renewables have so far not yet been applied on any major global scale. We confirm that nuclear energy does not meet some essential requirements for establishing sustainable energy paths. Still, we point out how nuclear energy can play a transitional role towards establishing sustainable energy systems. During this transitional phase, some of nuclear's more problematic aspects might be rendered significantly more sustainable, giving nuclear energy a potential role beyond this transitional period.


This guide will walk you through the C.R.A.A.P. test to help you discover whether or not the information you are looking at is "good" or not.


There are two kinds of math: the hard kind and the easy kind. The easy kind, practiced by ants, shrimp, Welsh Corgis and us is innate. But what innate calculating skills do we humans have? Leaving aside built-in mathematics, such as the visual system, ordinary people do just fine when faced with mathematical tasks in the course of the day. Yet when they are confronted with the same tasks presented as "math," their accuracy often drops. If we have innate mathematical ability, why do we have to teach math and why do most of us find it so hard to learn? Are there tricks or strategies that the ordinary person can do to improve mathematical ability? Can we improve our math skills by learning from dogs, cats, and other creatures that "do math?" The answer to each of these questions is a qualified yes. All these examples of animal math suggest that if we want to do better in the formal kind of math, we should see how it arises from natural mathematics. From NPR's "Math Guy," The Math Instinct is a real celebration of innate math sense and will provide even the most number-phobic readers with confidence in their own mathematical abilities.


The purpose of this article is to explore the meaning of palliative care in the context of the caring relationship described by nurses providing such care in the home. Eleven nurses were interviewed, and the transcripts were analyzed using the hermeneutic narrativism method. The study found that the nurses'' narrative account of a caring relationship can be represented by a metaphor: an inevitable journey by train, characterized by the three themes of transit points, time, and guidance. Each journey passes through the same four points in chronological order. Time always moves forward, but the duration of the journey can be either long or short. Having more time creates better conditions for developing a caring relationship. The nurse provides guidance through a journey that she has made before, although each journey is unique. A caring relationship signifies commitment and involvement.


When we place Nathaniel Hawthorne9s The Scarlet Letter (1850) in the context of the literary debates of the 1840s and 1850s, it becomes apparent that the novel inhabits a conventional moral position that affiliates it with, rather than distinguishes it from, the best-selling domestic novels of the era. The Scarlet Letter shares a common moral framework and pattern of imagery with many works by nineteenth-century female novelists. Like these writers, Hawthorne uses his characters to emphasize the destructive consequences of allowing personal desire to overrule community law. The portrayals of Arthur Dimmesdale and Hester Prynne critique the traits of the eighteenth-century seduced heroine and privilege the qualities of the nineteenth-century protagonist of domestic fiction. Hawthorne9s hapless minister is depicted in the physically drooping, ethically weak image of the eighteenth-century heroine; while his "fallen woman" possesses the strength, selflessness, and positive influence attributed to the nineteenth-century protagonist. This powerful iconography allows Hawthorne to reinforce the social values most often advocated in the public discourse about fiction, while still avoiding the explicit didactic remarks that critics condemned. The Scarlet Letter9s "moral" closely links it to the conservative worldview of antebellum middle-class culture and popular fiction.


Spacecraft anomalies are often induced by surface charging and resultant discharging arcs. We are developing a quick estimation method of spacecraft surface potential for the Space Environment Customized Risk Estimation for Spacecraft (SECURES) of the space weather forecast Project for Solar-Terrestrial Environment Prediction (PSTEP). We create lookup tables of the surface potential of the target spacecraft for combinations of plasma temperatures and densities using a spacecraft charging analysis software in advance and/or observational results. By interpolation from the lookup tables, we can estimate the surface potential on demand for any given on-orbit plasma environment. The spacecraft risk assessment can be accomplished by additional information about the experimental discharging differential potential of the surface materials. We will introduce the current status of development of our method.


Diameter-dependent electrical properties of InN nanowires (NWs) grown by chemical vapor deposition have been investigated. The NWs exhibited interesting properties of coplanar deflection at specific angles, either spontaneously, or when induced by other NWs or lithographically patterned barriers. InN NW-based back-gated field effect transistors (FETs) showed excellent gate control and drain current saturation behaviors. Both NW conductance and carrier mobility calculated from the FET characteristics were found to increase regularly with a decrease in NW diameter. The observed mobility and conductivity variations have been modeled by considering NW surface and core conduction paths.


The author explored social factors that contribute to participation or non-participation in honors program to further understand the achievement gap that exists at the collegiate level. Parents' education, race, and gender (independent variables) were explored in relation to GPA, participation in an honors program, unpaid, out-of-class work experience with a professor, and working for pay (dependent variables). Data was collected via interviews with students and officials within the honors program. Also, statistical testing was completed via the SPSS software to run crosstabs. The researcher found that all the tables, except out-of-class work experience with a professor by gender and race produced values that were significant. However, certain relationships (e.g. parents' education by GPA, participation in an honors program, and working for pay) can be considered strong factors that may encourage participation. Research should continue to be explored on honors programs and factors encouraging or deterring participation.


The single cell-thick intestinal epithelium forms a crucial barrier between the host and environment, and is modeled in vitro by a monolayer of polarized, highly differentiated T84 epithelial cells impermeable to most macromolecules because of functional intercellular tight junctions. Absence of a permeability defect across the monolayer, either transcellular or paracellular, is indicated by development of a transepithelial electrical resistance of > or = 1000 ohm-cm2, reported to be markedly diminished by exposure to a T lymphocyte cytokine, IFN-gamma. We sought to define this phenomenon in four ways by determining its duration and reversibility; the uniqueness of type II (gamma) IFN as opposed to type I (alpha) IFN; the surface of the polarized columnar epithelium likely involved in responding to IFN-gamma; and whether a specific surface membrane receptor on the epithelial cell participates in the response. Using a special apparatus that allows differential cytokine exposure of monolayer surfaces, our data demonstrate 1) only the monolayer's basolateral surface is IFN-gamma responsive, whereas the apical (microvillous) surface is no; 2) the alteration in electrical resistance of epithelium is prolonged (5 days), even after a single (24 h) exposure to IFN-gamma, but nevertheless is reversible; 3) the effect is likely receptor-ligand mediated, because it can be partially blocked by IFN-gamma receptor-specific monoclonal Ig; 4) an alteration in tight junction function (a paracellular pathway) rather than cell necrosis or a transcellular pathway is responsible for IFN-gamma-induced monolayer dysfunction because permeability to a 44,000-Da macromolecule (horseradish peroxidase) did not increase, and intracytoplasmic T84 cell enzymes were not released into the media; and 5) the biologic phenomenon could not be induced by a species (alpha) of class I IFN, making IFN-gamma reasonably unique in this regard. Given the proximity; activation status, and capacity of T lymphocytes for cytokine production in mucosa, we suggest that IFN-gamma-induced changes in epithelial permeability may be a major cause of altered intestinal barrier function in vivo.


Inconsistencies in accounting treatment across countries are a major obstacle for global equity investment. Adoption of a single accounting standard (IFRS) has been received with much excitement, where apples to apples comparison across countries will become easier. However, adopting a global accounting standard may not necessarily mean that financial reporting in all countries will become standardized. Taking an example from HOLT, a private sector that offers standardized data for global portfolio investment, the case examines i) HOLT's adjustment process for differences in local accounting standards and ii) how IFRS adoption could change HOLT's global valuation framework. The case offers an interesting setting to examine how harmonizing accounting standards can affect global equity valuation.


Desert Channels is a book that combines art, science and history to explore the 'impulse to conserve' in the distinctive Desert Channels country of south-western Queensland. The region is the source of Australia's major inland-flowing desert rivers. Some of Australia's most interesting new conservation initiatives are in this region, including partnerships between private landholders, non-government conservation organisations that buy and manage land (including Bush Heritage Australia and the Australian Wildlife Conservancy) and community-based natural resource management groups such as Desert Channels Queensland.

Conservation biology in this place has a distinguished scientific history, and includes two decades of ecological work by scientific editor Chris Dickman. Chris is one of Australia's leading terrestrial ecologists and mammalogists. He is an outstanding writer and is passionate about communicating the scientific basis for concern about biodiversity in this region to the broadest possible audience.

Libby Robin, historian and award-winning writer, has co-ordinated the writings of the 46 contributors whose voices collectively portray the Desert Channels in all its facets. The emphasis of the book is on partnerships that conserve landscapes and communities together. Short textboxes add local and technical commentary where relevant. Art and science combine with history and local knowledge to richly inform the writing and visual understanding of the country.

Conservation here is portrayed in four dimensions: place, landscape, biodiversity and livelihood. These four parts each carry four chapters. The '4x4' structure was conceived by acclaimed artist, Mandy Martin, who has produced suites of artworks over three seasons in this format with commentaries, which make the interludes between parts. Martin's work offers an aesthetic framework of place, which shapes how we see the region.

Desert Channels explores the impulse to protect the varied biodiversity of the region, and its Aboriginal, pastoral and prehistoric heritage, including some of Australia's most important dinosaur sites. The work of Alice Duncan-Kemp, the region's most significant literary figure, is highlighted. Even the sounds of the landscape are not forgotten: the book's webpage has an audio interview by Alaskan radio journalist Richard Nelson talking to ecologist Steve Morton at Ocean Bore in the Simpson Desert country. The twitter of zebra finches accompanies the interview.

Conservation can be accomplished in various ways and Desert Channels combines many distinguished voices. The impulse to conserve is shared by local landholders, conservation enthusiasts (from the community and from national and international organisations), Indigenous owners, professional biologists, artists and historians.


Action research in education has gained increasing attention in the past 20 years. It is viewed as a practical yet systematic research method that enables teachers to investigate their own teaching and their students' learning. However, the ethical issues unique to this form of insider research have received less attention. Drawing on several professional associations' principles for research practice, the authors identify a series of potential ethical issues inherent in action research in K–12 schools and the corresponding difficulties that action researchers encounter with the policies and procedures of institutional review boards. The authors conclude with recommendations for future practice addressed to three groups: institutional review boards, K–12 school professionals and teacher educators, and national professional and representative organizations.


Reduced-form tests of scale effects in markets with search, run when aggregate matching functions are estimated, may miss important scale effects at the micro level, because of the reactions of job searchers. A semi-structural model is developed and estimated on a Brit ish sample, testing for scale effects on the offer arrival rate and the wage offer distribution. When contrasting London with the rest of the country we find scale effects in wage offers. But the larger market delivers higher realized wages and not more matches, because the scale effects on matches are offset by the response of reservation wages.


Bank Indonesia demands that the national banks should improve their transparency of financial condition and performance for public in line with the development of their products and activities. Furthermore, the banks' financial statements of Bank Indonesia have become the basis for determining the status of their soundness. In fact, they tend to practice earnings management in order that they can meet the criteria required by Bank Indonesia. For internal purposes, the initiative of earning management has a positive impact on the performance of management. However, for the users of financial statements, it may differ, for example for the value of company, length of time the financial audit, and other aspects of tax evasion by the banks. This study tries to find out 1) the effect of GCG on Earnings Management, 2) the effect of earning management on Company value, the Audit Report Lag, and Taxation, and 3) the effect of Audit Report Lag on Corporate Value and Taxation. This is a quantitative research with the data collected from the bank financial statements, GCG implementation report, and the banks' annual reports of 2003-2013. There were 41 banks taken using purposive sampling, as listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange. The results showed that the implementation of GCG affects the occurrence of earning management. Accounting policy flexibility through earning management is expected to affect the length of the audit process and the accuracy of the financial statements presentation on public side. This research is expected to provide managerial implications in order to consider the possibility of earnings management practices in the banking industry. In the long term, earning management is expected to improve the banks' competitiveness through an increase in the value of the company. Explicitly, earning management also affects the tax avoidance; therefore, the banks intend to pay lower taxes without breaking the existing legislation Taxation Provisions. DOI :  https://doi.org/10.21632/irjbs.8.3.197-207  Keywords: Good Corporate Governance (GCG), Earnings Management, Audit Report Lag, Company Value, Tax Avoidance


This paper tests the causal relationship between financial development and economic growth in Namibia for the period 1980 to 2007. The analysis shows that there is evidence which points that financial development causes economic growth. It also shows that economic growth causes financial development. This suggests that Namibia should promote financial development or financial deepening as a strategy to enhance economic growth. At the same time, the country should also develop its real sector in order to promote economic development.


Histopathological classification and grading of biopsy specimens play an important role in early cancer detection and prognosis. Nottingham Grading System (NGS) is one of the standard grading procedures used in breast cancer assessment, where three parameters, Mitotic Count (MC), Nuclear Pleomorphism (NP), and Tubule Formation (TF) are used for prognostic information. The grading takes into account the deviations in cellular structures and appearance between tumour and normal cells, using measures such as density, size, colour, and regularity. Cell structures in tissue images are also known to exhibit multifractal characteristics. This research focused on the multifractal properties of several graded biopsy specimens and analysed the dependency and variation of the fractal parameters with respect to the scores pre-assigned by pathologists. The effectiveness of using multifractal techniques on breast cancer grading was measured with a set of quantitative evaluations for MC, NP, and TF criteria. The developed method for MC scoring has obtained 82.87% true positive rate on detecting mitotic cells. Furthermore, the overall positive classification rates for NP and TF analysis were 67.38% and 71.82%, respectively, while obtaining 30.26% of false classification rate for NP analysis and 27.17% for TF analysis. The results have shown that multifractal formalism is a feasible and novel method that could be used for automatic grading of biopsy sections.


Carbon nanotubes, graphene and fullerenes are actual nanomaterials with many applications in different industrial areas, with increasing potentialities in the field of nanomedicine. Recently, different proactive approaches on toxicology and safety management have become the focus of intense interest once the industrial production of these materials had a significant growth in the last years, even though their short‐ and long‐term behaviors are not yet fully understood. The most important concerns involving these carbon‐based nanomaterials are their stability and potential effects of their life cycles on animals, humans, and environment. In this context, this mini review discuss the biodegradability of these materials, particularly through redox‐enzymes, micro‐organisms and cells, to contribute toward the design of biocompatible and biodegradable functionalized carbon nanostructures, in order to use these materials safely and with minimum impact on the environment. © 2012 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 2013


As an alternative food source to wild fisheries, aquaculture shows a great potential to help meet the growing demand for seafood and animal protein. The expansion of aquaculture has been achieved partly by system intensifica- tion, which has drawn vast criticisms of aquaculture for its environmental, social and economic sustainability issues. Life cycle assessment (LCA) has become the leading tool for identifying key environmental impacts of seafood production systems. A LCA evaluates the sustainability of diverse aquaculture systems quantitatively from a cradle-to-grave perspective. It provides a scien- tific basis for analysing system improvement and the development of certifica- tion and eco-labelling criteria. Current efforts focus on integrating local ecological and socio-economic impacts into the LCA framework. A LCA can play an important role in informing decision makers in order to achieve more sustainable seafood production and consumption. This article reviews recent applications of LCA in aquaculture, compares the environmental performance of different aquaculture production systems, explores the potential of including biodiversity issues into LCA analysis and examines the potential of LCA in set- ting criteria for certification and eco-labelling.


Abstract Living fossils are taxonomic groups surviving for a long time without any remarkable morphological change. Most of them retain low taxonomic diversities. Although some of them have survived in refuges to avoid predators and competitors, not all living fossils live in refuges. The survival of these groups, therefore, should be discussed in the context of biological interaction. I carried out computer simulations of a model food web system, in which each species feeds on others according to its feeding preference. The system evolves via evolution of species. In the simulation, some clades, like "living fossils," survived for a long time with low species diversities. Such clades consisted of species with low evolutionary rates, which result in high predation pressure and intraclade competition for food. Nevertheless, the clades sustainably utilize prey clades and are consequently provided with sufficient food. In addition, because of the low species diversities of the clades, predators of the clades soon become extinct through lack of food. This study strongly suggests that in an evolving food web system, the low evolutionary rates of living fossils allow the long survival of those groups with low taxonomic diversities.


The other primitives for switch management and control are borrowed heavily from the specified protocol. They include priority for switch configuration port and switch management VP management and permanent measurement. The protocol was implemented and integrated with the OPNET platform. Without going into specifies of the protocol we describe its design principles and show how it has affected in the protocol. Traditional connection switches include an embedded processor that implements both the switch control and network signaling. The objective of CAC is to keep the network load moderate to achieve a performance objective associated with QOS. Cell loss ratio a key QOS parameter in ATM networks is essential for proper network resources dimensioning, congestion control , bandwidth allocation and routing. Keywords : Quality of Service, Servicing Monitoring


The most vital factor in the application of precision agriculture technology is the cost of the required high-technology equipment. The equipment cost is the major obstacle in adopting the precision agriculture. GPS receiver is one of the most essential tools with high initial costs in this technology. The aim of this study was to evaluate a low-cost GPS receiver in 3 different tests including static, dynamic circular area, and dynamic straight line tests. It was observed that the tested low-cost GPS receiver yielded a deviation of less than 1.50 m, 1.60 m, and 1.48 m in static, circular area, and straight line tests, respectively. It can be concluded that the low-cost GPS receiver without differential correction can be used for variable fertilizer application and soil and yield mapping since it has an appropriate accuracy values for these applications. On the other hand, it would not be suitable for some precision agriculture applications that require an accuracy of less than 1 m such as variable herbicide application and row crop planting. Instead, a GPS receiver with differential correction service should be employed for such applications. In addition, the mean percent error values were -1.3% and -0.5% in all tests in the circle area calculation. These values can be considered to be acceptable for the field area calculation studies.


Vertical taking off and landing (VTOL) drones started to emerge at the beginning of this century, and finds applications in the vast areas of mapping, rescuing, logistics, etc. Usually a VTOL drone control system design starts from a first principles model. Most of the VTOL drones are in the shape of a quad-rotor which is convenient for dynamic analysis. In this project, a VTOL drone with shape similar to a Convair XFY-1 is studied and the primary focus is developing and examining an alternative method to identify a system model from the input and output data, with which it is possible to estimate system parameters and compute model uncertainties on discontinuous data sets. We verify the models by designing controllers that stabilize the yaw, pitch, and roll angles for the VTOL drone in the hovering state. This project comprises of three stages: an open-loop identification to identify the yaw and pitch dynamics, an intermediate closed-loop identification to identify the roll action dynamic and a closed-loop identification to refine the identification of yaw and pitch action. In open and closed loop identifications, the reference signals sent to the servos were recorded as inputs to the system and the angles and angular velocities in yaw and pitch directions read by inertial measurement unit were recorded as outputs of the system. In the intermediate closed loop identification, the difference between the reference signals sent to the motors on the contra-rotators was recorded as input and the roll angular velocity is recorded as output. Next, regressors were formed by using a coprime factor structure and then parameters of the system were estimated using the least square method. Multiplicative and divisive uncertainties were calculated from the data set and were used to guide PID loop-shaping controller design.


Political scientists are rarely able to study presidents from inside the White House while presidents are governing, campaigning, and delivering thousands of speeches. It's even rarer to find one who manages to get officials such as political adviser Karl Rove or presidential counselor Dan Bartlett to discuss their strategies while those strategies are under construction. But that is exactly what Martha Joynt Kumar pulls off in her fascinating new book, which draws on her first-hand reporting, interviewing, and original scholarship to produce analyses of the media and communications operations of the past four administrations, including chapters on George W. Bush and Bill Clinton. Kumar describes how today's White House communications and media operations can be at once in flux and remarkably stable over time. She describes how the presidential Press Office that was once manned by a single presidential advisor evolved into a multilayered communications machine that employs hundreds of people, what modern presidents seek to accomplish through their operations, and how presidents measure what they get for their considerable efforts. Laced throughout with in-depth statistics, historical insights, and you-are-there interviews with key White House staffers and journalists, this indispensable and comprehensive dissection of presidential communications operations will be key reading for scholars of the White House researching the presidency, political communications, journalism, and any other discipline where how and when one speaks is at least as important as what one says.


Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), otherwise known as a proinflammatory cytokine, turns out to be active on a continual basis in the nervous system. Beattie et al., studied synaptic function in cultured hippocampal neurons and hippocampal brain slices and showed that TNF-α promotes expression of a neurotransmitter receptor on the cell surfaces at synapses. TNF-α is required continuously, suggesting that it may contribute to rapid adjustment of receptor levels at a synapse. TNF-α is supplied by affiliated glial cells, once again reminding us that the glial cells, previously thought to be rather passive support partners, are important behind-the-scenes participants in neuronal function. E. C. Beattie, D. Stellwagen, W. Morishita, J. C. Bresnahan, B. K. Ha, M.Von Zastrow, M. S. Beattie, R. C. Malenka, Control of synaptic strength by glial TNF-α. Science 295, 2282-2285 (2002). [Abstract] [Full Text]


Age-Related Macular Degeneration (ARMD) is the most common cause of legal blindness in the elderly in the western world. One of the earliest signs of aging is the accumulation of lipid rich debris within and underneath the Retinal Pigmented Epithelium (RPE) cells, known as "drusen". The disease is poorly understood - mainly because it occurs late in life as well as the lack of appropriate cell and animal models. RPE lipo-toxicity (the increased content of lipids within the RPE cell) is suggested to be a major factor affecting both the molecular mechanisms and the metabolic responses of the RPE cells leading to changes associated with drusen formation and ARMD pathology. To investigate this phenomenon, aged ARPE-19 cultures were induced to long term lipid loading with a free fatty acids (FFAs) mixture to ensures the increase of the intra-cellular lipid level within the cells. The accumulation of lipids was found to correlate with a destruction of the ARPE-19 monolayer integrity, an increase in VEGF-A secretion in media and most importantly the production of sub-RPE deposits positive for apolipoprotein E, vitronectin and Amyloid beta 1-42, all of which are prominent constituents of drusen, supporting the hypothesis of lipo-toxicity. To further investigate the effect of inflammation in ARMD, we introduced the aged ARPE-19 cell cultures to long term complement activation in the presence and absence of lipid loading. Complement activation showed protective response suggesting that the complement system plays a secondary modulating response role to a primary destructive initiator "lipid loading". These findings suggest the use of aged ARPE-19 cell culture as a promising model for ocular aged related diseases study including drusen deposition mechanisms, while the use of ARPE-19 lipo-toxicity model will facilitate the analysis of molecular and cellular characteristics of ARMD pathogenesis, augmenting the therapeutic strategies for dry ARMD.


Abstract. This study analyzes the added value of a regional climate model hindcast with respect to snow water equivalent (SWE) for Siberia when compared to SWE estimates from forcing NCEP-R. In addition, we examine the discrepancies of simulated SWE to several recent reanalysis products (NCEP-R2 NCEP-CFSR, ERA-Interim). We apply the regional climate model COSMO-CLM (CCLM) to a 50 km grid spacing using NCEP-R1 as driving force to obtain a 63 yr (1948 to 2010) gridded dataset of historical SWE. Simulated regional climate data is necessary because of the absence of station data in that region. To perform large-scale assessments we use the satellite-derived daily SWE product of ESA DUE GlobSnow from 1987 to 2010. Russian station SWE data is used for cross-checking the findings. In January (mid-winter), the SWE hindcast is in good agreement with GlobSnow, whereas it overestimates SWE during the melting season. CCLM shows a clear added value in providing realistic SWE information compared to the driving reanalysis. The temporal consistency of CCLM is higher than that presented by ERA-Interim and NCEP-R2.


Climate change is a major global concern that greatly affects people, including their source of living. In 2010, the Asian Development Bank reported that Vietnam is one of the five countries most severely affected by climate change. About 70 percent of the country's total population lives along coastal areas and in islands. This study aimed to (1) evaluate the impacts of climate change on aquaculture in Phu Vang district (Thua Thien Hue province, Vietnam), and (2) develop a climate change adaptation model for aquaculture. Data on impact of climate change to aquaculture production were gathered through participatory rural appraisal tools, while spatial changes in water quality were determined through Geographic Information System (GIS). Experimental polyculture models were set up in the five study-site communes to determine the aquaculture practices that could be disseminated to small farmers. It was found out that Phu Vang had suffered heavy losses from climate change brought about by a combination of droughts and prolonged heat waves, and cold weather that lasted longer. Floods and typhoons have likewise occurred with stronger intensities, and tide amplitude has changed drastically. All these affected agricultural activities, especially aquaculture, which is considered as one of the most vulnerable sectors to climate change impacts. As a result, many households shifted from intensive to extensive culture, and some even left their ponds for other jobs. The limited understanding and capacity of people on climate change aggravated the situation, affecting their ability to respond and mitigate negative impacts. Water quality, specifically for aquaculture, was also affected as a result of rising temperature, prolonged droughts, rainfall, flooding, and salinization, which in turn reduced productivity and yield. Meanwhile, polyculture models of aquaculture implemented for this study brought high economic returns, and could be promising to replicate in various communes of Phu Vang district. The following are the primary recommendations to mitigate climate change impact in aquaculture and to facilitate sustainable livelihood for coastal people: capacitate communities and government in climate change adaptation and mitigation; expand promising aquaculture practices, area, infrastructure, and marketing of produce; and implement policies to mitigate damages of climate change to aquaculture and the community as a whole.


The evolution toward emerging active distribution networks (ADNs) can be realized via a real-time state estimation (RTSE) application facilitated by the use of phasor measurement units (PMUs). A critical challenge in deploying PMU-based RTSE applications at large scale is the lack of a scalable and flexible communication infrastructure for the timely (i.e., sub-second) delivery of the high volume of synchronized and continuous synchrophasor measurements. We address this challenge by introducing a communication platform called C-DAX based on the information-centric networking (ICN) concept. With a topic-based publish-subscribe engine that decouples data producers and consumers in time and space, C-DAX enables efficient synchrophasor measurement delivery, as well as flexible and scalable (re)configuration of PMU data communication for seamless full observability of power conditions in complex and dynamic scenarios. Based on the derived set of requirements for supporting PMU-based RTSE in ADNs, we design the ICN-based C-DAX communication platform, together with a joint optimized physical network resource provisioning strategy, in order to enable the agile PMU data communications in near real-time. In this paper, C-DAX is validated via a field trial implementation deployed over a sample feeder in a real-distribution network; it is also evaluated through simulation-based experiments using a large set of real medium voltage grid topologies currently operating live in The Netherlands. This is the first work that applies emerging communication paradigms, such as ICN, to smart grids while maintaining the required hard real-time data delivery as demonstrated through field trials at national scale. As such, it aims to become a blueprint for the application of ICN-based general purpose communication platforms to ADNs.


Mr. Sidak and Professor Spulber extend here the analysis in Deregulatory Takings and Breach of the Regulatory Contract, published last year in this Review. They respond to comments and criticisms raised not only by Professors Baumol and Merrill, but also by Judge Williams and Professor Williamson in their Comments published last year. Sidak and Spulber begin by exploring the constitutional limitations on the government's ability to redefine the public purpose to which a regulated utility has dedicated its private property. Then, the authors examine whether the government has made givings that implicitly compensate the regulated firm for its diminution in value owing to the imposition of policies mandating network unbundling at regulated prices. Sidak and Spulber refine the limiting principles for the recovery of stranded costs that they articulated in their earlier article and show how those principles reconcile with the actual treatment of losses from deregulation in disparate industries. Next, they expose the economic fallacies in the notion of forward-looking costs as that term has been used by the Federal Communications Commission and state public utility commissions to set prices for mandatory network access under the Telecommunications Act of 1996. The authors analyze the Supreme Courts 1996 decision in United States v. Winstar Corp. and argue that the reasoning employed by seven Justices in that case comports not only with earlier decisions of the Court construing the regulatory contract with public utilities, but also with the contemporary economic analysis of why the regulatory contract is essential and efficient. Sidak and Spulber explain how transition bonds may solve the stranded cost conundrum in the telecommunications and electric power industries by permitting the securitization of stranded costs in a manner that restores investors' faith in the state's ability to make credible commitments. Finally, the authors examine the significance of the Eighth Circuit's 1997 decision in Iowa Utilities Board v. FCC for the debate over deregulatory takings and breach of the regulatory contract.


Dynamic analysis of large linear systems is usually performed adopting the well-known modal analysis along with modal truncation of higher modes. However, in the case in which the contribution of higher modes is not negligible, modal correction methods have to be introduced to improve the accuracy of the dynamic response either in the case of deterministic or stochastic excitation. Aim of this paper is to propose a new computationally competitive method for the stochastic analysis of large linear system vibrating under fully non-stationary Gaussian excitations. The method is based on the extension of the mode-acceleration method and its variant, the stochastic mode-acceleration method, for the evaluation of the non-geometric spectral moments of the non-stationary response. Numerical results from the study of a large MDoF structure show the accuracy and the efficiency of the proposed technique.


We report on results from high-energy spectroscopic measurements on CeFe2, a system of particular interest due to its anomalous ferromagnetism with an unusually low Curie temperature and small magnetization compared to the other rare-earth iron Laves phase compounds. Our experimental results, obtained using core-level and valence-band photoemission, inverse photoemission and soft x-ray absorption techniques, indicate very strong hybridization of the Ce 4 f states with the delocalized band states, mainly the Fe 3 d states. In the interpretation and analysis of our measured spectra, we have made use of two different theoretical approaches: The first one is based on the Anderson impurity model, with surface contributions explicitly taken into account. The second method consists of band-structure calculations for bulk CeFe2. The analysis based on the Anderson impurity model gives calculated spectra in good agreement with the whole range of measured spectra, and reveals that the Ce 4 f -Fe 3d hybridization is considerably reduced at the surface, resulting in even stronger hybridization in the bulk than previously thought. The band-structure calculations are ab initio fullpotential linear muffin-tin orbital calculations within the local-spin-density approximation of the density functional. The Ce 4 f electrons were treated as itinerant band electrons. Interestingly, the Ce 4 f partial density of states obtained from the band-structure calculations also agree well with the experimental spectra concerning both the 4 f peak position and the 4 f bandwidth, if the surface effects are properly taken into account. In addition, results, notably the partial spin magnetic moments, from the band-structure calculations are discussed in some detail and compared to experimental findings and earlier calculations.


Paper documents are still an integral component of our everyday working lives, and are likely to remain so for the foreseeable future. Fortunately, advances in electronic technology in recent years have made it possible to develop digital systems that better integrate paper and digital document management. However, as far as we are aware, none of these integrated document management systems have been evaluated to demonstrate whether the users would indeed find them valuable for managing paper documents. In this paper we present a user study of one such system, called SOPHYA, that provides a means of linking the management of real world document artefacts (e.g., folders) with their electronic counterparts, so that document management activities such as locating, retrieving, and filing documents can be better supported, especially for large collections. The study is in the form of a laboratory-based evaluation, in which participants with experience in document management used the system to perform several tasks, such as locating and retrieving folders, and provided feedback based on their own experience. The results of this study show that users are able to apply software functionality they use for storage and retrieval of electronic documents to effectively manage paper documents as well. Our study has also identified a range of other potential benefits that the users envisage for such a technology in their diverse work environments.


This study examines honor killing attitudes amongst a sample of sixty graduate and undergraduate students in the Department of Justice Studies at San Jose State University and offers a systematic review of published academic literature on honor killings. It hypothesizes that students who strongly adhere to patriarchal traditionalism are more likely to endorse legitimacy of honor killings, controlling for gender, education, family size, religion, religiosity/religious conviction, and female chastity expectations. Descriptive findings suggest that the majority of respondents disagree that honor murders are justified, regardless of circumstances, dependent variable honor killing attitudes. Respondents also report negative attitudes toward authority and obedience, resistance to change, and patriarchal entitlements, independent variable patriarchal traditionalism. Female respondents report stronger opposition to honor killings and patriarchal traditionalism than males, which is in agreement with results of existing research; respondents' gender explains some of the variance in attitudes toward honor killings. The study's limited sampling parameters do not allow for generalization of calculated statistical data and results. Implications and further research suggestions are discussed.


Shaw, Liane. Fostergirls . Toronto: Second Story Press, 2011. Print. The first-person narrator of this novel, Sadie, tells the story of her placement in a group home for girls with few options left open to them. She has lived with several foster parents over the years, and knows nothing about her birth family, other than that she has a brother, and they were both abandoned by their mother. Now Sadie is 15, and due to problems with her latest "pseudofamily," as she calls them, has been moved to a small town, living in a group home with two workers and five other girls. Sadie is cynical about the move, and cynical that the move will bring any positive changes to her life; she is biding time until her next birthday, when she can apply for emancipation. Sadie's voice reads as authentically adolescent in tone and language, with the exception of the lack of actual swearing, which I find always renders teenage characters as unrealistic.  There is a density to the writing as well, in which Sadie's thoughts are immediately followed by her explanation of those thoughts. This serves to tell too much about Sadie's feelings, rather than allowing space for readers to interpret Sadie's reactions on their own. In this way, the novel at times can read didactically, directing readers towards understanding; it would have benefited from more space for the writing and the characters to emerge without being pushed by the text. Novels about marginalized characters require a more delicate touch, in order to avoid presenting as heavy-handed. Overall, the novel is an honest effort to shine a light on some of the difficulties and stigma that foster kids face, which will likely be interesting for readers who have not had these experiences, and may very well appeal to those who have. Recommended: 3 out of 4 stars Reviewer: Allison Sivak Allison is the Assessment Librarian at the University of Alberta Libraries. She is currently pursuing her PhD in Library and Information Studies and Elementary Education, focusing on how the aesthetics of information design influence young people's trust in the credibility of information content.


The multiple traveling salesman problem (MTSP) involves scheduling m > 1 salesmen to visit a set of n > m nodes so that each node is visited exactly once. The objective is to minimize the total distance traveled by all the salesmen. The MTSP is an example of combinatorial optimization problems, and has a multiplicity of applications, mostly in the areas of routing and scheduling. In this paper, a modified hybrid metaheuristic algorithm called GA2OPT for solving the MTSP is proposed. In this algorithm, at the first stage, the MTSP is solved by the modified genetic Algorithm (GA) in each iteration, and, at the second stage, the 2-Opt local search algorithm is used for improving solutions for that iteration. The proposed algorithm was tested on a set of 6 benchmark instances from the TSPLIB and in all but four instances the best known solution was improved. For the rest instances, the quality of the produced solution deviates less than 0.01% from the best known solutions ever.


Women will recognise the emotional and domestic labour of the festive period from cooking Christmas dinner, to sending cards, and buying and wrapping presents. In Ireland this weekend there's a celebration of 'Women's Christmas' - based on a tradition that appreciates the work done by women at this time. It's a holiday that's seeing growing support so where does the idea originate and what's its significance today? Women's history researcher Gillian Kenny and author Mary Morrissy discuss.

A man guilty of the manslaughter of two women he'd been in relationships with will be sentenced today for the murder of a third woman who had ended their relationship. How was Theodore Johnson able to kill again? Forensic criminologist Dr Jane Monckton-Smith says more must be done to protect women at risk from partners who are abusive or controlling - key factors in domestic homicide.

Beth Underdown's debut novel is based on the life of the 1640's witch-finder Matthew Hopkins. The story is narrated by Matthew's fictional sister, Alice, who is forced against her will to help Hopkins in identifying and prosecuting witches. Hopkins' instigated witch trials which led to the death of at least one hundred women across Eastern England. Beth joins Jenni to talk about collective madness, witches, women's rights and a particularly turbulent period in English history.

Presenter: Jenni Murray
Interviewed Guest: Gillian Kenny
Interviewed Guest: Mary Morrissy
Interviewed Guest: Jane Monckton-Smith
Interviewed Guest: Beth Underdown
Producer: Anne Peacock.


Little urban ecological research has been done in South Africa. The papers in the Ecology and Society special feature Urban Ecological and Social-Ecological Research in the City of Cape Town make, therefore, an important contribution to the development of urban ecology locally and globally. Different approaches have been used in the study of urban ecology of different urban areas in South Africa. Cape Town is situated in a biodiversity hotspot and is the only South African city which includes a national park. As a result the urban ecological studies were mainly driven by urban nature conservation concerns. In other cities such as Durban, open space planning and environmental management were the major issues which focused ecological studies on urban areas whereas other studies of urban areas in the Eastern Cape and North-West provinces included private and public open spaces and man-made habitats. We reflect on the Cape Town studies in a South African context and highlight conservation of biodiversity, protection of ecosystem services, management of control measures, and the conflict between humans and nature. A brief synthesis has also been given of South African urban ecological research in general.


Marred by political tumult and violent conflict since the early twentieth century, Gaza has been subject to a multiplicity of rulers. Still not part of a sovereign state, it would seem too exceptional to be a revealing site for a study of government. Ilana Feldman proves otherwise. She demonstrates that a focus on the Gaza Strip uncovers a great deal about how government actually works, not only in that small geographical space but more generally. Gaza's experience shows how important bureaucracy is for the survival of government. Feldman analyzes civil service in Gaza under the British Mandate (1917–48) and the Egyptian Administration (1948–67). In the process, she sheds light on how governing authority is produced and reproduced; how government persists, even under conditions that seem untenable; and how government affects and is affected by the people and places it governs.

Drawing on archival research in Gaza, Cairo, Jerusalem, and London, as well as two years of ethnographic research with retired civil servants in Gaza, Feldman identifies two distinct, and in some ways contradictory, governing practices. She illuminates mechanisms of "reiterative authority" derived from the minutiae of daily bureaucratic practice, such as the repetitions of filing procedures, the accumulation of documents, and the habits of civil servants. Looking at the provision of services, she highlights the practice of "tactical government," a deliberately restricted mode of rule that makes limited claims about governmental capacity, shifting in response to crisis and operating without long-term planning. This practice made it possible for government to proceed without claiming legitimacy: by holding the question of legitimacy in abeyance. Feldman shows that Gaza's governments were able to manage under, though not to control, the difficult conditions in Gaza by deploying both the regularity of everyday bureaucracy and the exceptionality of tactical practice.


Undergoing a large structural shock, labor markets may become less inclusive. We test for this thesis analyzing the behavior of adjusted gender wage gaps in a wide selection of transition countries. We estimate comparable measures of adjusted gender wage gaps for a comprehensive selection of transition countries over a period spanning nearly three decades. We combine these estimates with measures of labor market reallocation in transition economies to uncover the relation between worker flows and the gender wage gap. Results indicate that in periods of reallocation, the adjusted wage gaps increase. Distinguishing between flows according to their contribution to structural transformation reveals the distinctive role paid by separations from the state-owned manufacturing sector, usually leading to greater adjusted gaps. The emerging new sectors in the economy tend to be more inclusive in the short run, associated with a lower adjusted gender gap. In the medium run, the adverse effect of greater separations from the old sector is even more pronounced, while the emergence of the new sector is less relevant.


Excavations at the Early Iron Age site of Khirbet Qeiyafa (Israel), directed from 2007 to 2011 by Yosef Garfinkel and Saar Ganor under the auspices of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Israel Antiquities Authority, have attracted considerable scholarly and media attention since the very second season, when the discovery of an inscribed ostracon sparked controversies over the site's historical significance and nature. Located at the entrance of the Elah Valley, protected by a casemate wall and two monumental gateways, the settlement of Qeiyafa existed for barely half a century. Its dating and the correlation of the archaeological evidence with the regional history, not least the rise of an early Judahite monarchy, have become matters of intense academic debate. Resulting from a colloquium of the Swiss Society for Ancient Near Eastern Studies, this volume offers a condensed report by main excavator Yosef Garfinkel as well as several in-depth studies on archaeological, historical, epigraphical, iconographical and biblical issues.


С. П. Бажанов — ФГБУ Саратовский НИИТО Минздрава России, отдел инновационных проектов в нейрохирургии и вертебрологии, старший научный сотрудник, кандидат медицинских наук; В. Ю. Ульянов — ФГБУ Саратовский НИИТО Минздрава России, отдел инновационных проектов в нейрохирургии и вертебрологии, старший научный сотрудник, кан- дидат медицинских наук; И. А. Норкин — ФГБУ Саратовский НИИТО Минздрава России, директор института, профессор, доктор медицинских наук; Д. А. Гуляев — ФГБУ Российский НИНХИ им. проф. А. Л. Поленова Минздрава России, нейрохи- рургическое отделение № 2, старший научный сотрудник, доктор медицинских наук. Objective: To study the cellular and humoral immunity in patients with malignant tumors of the upper cervical spine. Material and methods: The study included 22 patients with malignant tumors of the craniovertebral junction and upper cervical spine. To assess the function of the immune system the methods of population and subpopulation immuno- phenotyping of peripheral blood lymphocytes have been applied. Cytokine parameters and functional status (cytotoxic) activity of NK-cells have been studied using immunofermental methods. The indices have been presented in absolute and relative terms. All the patients have been subjected to the adjuvant therapy. Results: Correction of cellular immunity has led to significant increase in CD3 + (T-lymphocytes) and CD3 + CD8 + (T-killers). Cytokine levels in the groups studied in the dynamics have not been significantly altered. The changes of cytotoxic (functional) activity of NK-cells in the first group after the combined treatment have been considered to be higher than before the treatment. Cytotoxic index of (functional) activity of NK-cells in the second group under the study after the combined treatment has been determined to be lower than before the treatment. Conclusion: It has been found out that the application of complex treatment accompanied by immunotropic therapy may positively influence the immune status.


The use of a single antenna which can cover a wide range of frequencies is a desirable feature for future wireless communications systems. The emerging self-organising and ad-hoc networks require more than an octave of bandwidth to facilitate multiband operation. A shorted planar monopole antenna is optimised for future wireless networking bands by suitable choice of planar dimension and feedgap separation. The antenna offers a return-loss greater than 10 dB from 1.60 GHz to 5.90 GHz. The radiation pattern is shown to be quasi-omnidirectional within the 10 dB return-loss bandwidth. Antenna properties are compared with the simple planar monopole.


Preventing cancer, downstaging disease at diagnosis, and reducing mortality require that relevant research findings be translated across scientific disciplines and into clinical and public health practice. Interdisciplinary research focuses on using the languages of different scientific disciplines to share techniques and philosophical perspectives to enhance discovery and development of innovations; (i.e., from the "left end" of the research continuum). Community-based participatory research (CBPR), whose relevance often is relegated to the "right end" (i.e., delivery and dissemination) of the research continuum, represents an important means for understanding how many cancers are caused as well as for ensuring that basic science research findings affect cancer outcomes in materially important ways. Effective interdisciplinary research and CBPR both require an ability to communicate effectively across groups that often start out neither understanding each other's worldviews nor even speaking the same language. Both demand an ability and willingness to treat individuals from other communities with respect and understanding. We describe the similarities between CBPR and both translational and interdisciplinary research, and then illustrate our points using squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus as an example of how to deepen understanding and increase relevance by applying techniques of CBPR and interdisciplinary engagement.


Among the books, manuscripts, and printed music donated to Boston University by the renowned Haydn scholar H. C. Robbins Landon is a manuscript collection of music for the Ordinary of the Mass. The volume is a compendium, most likely from the Veneto, created in the mid-eighteenth century by extracting pages from three manuscripts copied earlier in the century or late in the previous century. The four cantus-fractus Ordinary cycles that introduce the volume (presumably contemporaneous with its creation) and most of the sixteen cantus-fractus Credos seem to be unica . The compendium assembles a practical repertory of monophonic Ordinary chants in plainsong and cantus fractus for the celebration of Mass in a parish church or a religious community. Rubrical notes added to the manuscript prescribe liturgical assignments, specify starting pitches that frequently signal transposition, and call for the participation of the organ, either in alternation with the choir or as accompaniment. The compendium not only augments the known repertoire of cantus-fractus melodies and chants for the Ordinary of the Mass, but it also provides insights into the performance style of chant in eighteenth-century Italy.


Link design, while relatively easy in the past, can become quite cumbersome with complex channel plans and equipment configurations. The task of designing optical transport systems and selecting equipment is often performed by an applications or sales engineer using simple tools, such as custom Excel spreadsheets. Eventually, every individual has their own version of the spreadsheet as well as their own methodology for building the network. This approach becomes unmanageable very quickly and leads to mistakes, bending of the engineering rules and installations that do not perform as expected. We demonstrate a comprehensive planning environment, which offers an efficient approach to unify, control and expedite the design process by controlling libraries of equipment and engineering methodologies, automating the process and providing the analysis tools necessary to predict system performance throughout the system and for all channels. In addition to the placement of EDFAs and DCEs, performance analysis metrics are provided at every step of the way. Metrics that can be tracked include power, CD and OSNR, SPM, XPM, FWM and SBS. Automated routine steps assist in design aspects such as equalization, padding and gain setting for EDFAs, the placement of ROADMs and transceivers, and creating regeneration points. DWDM networks consisting of a large number of nodes and repeater huts, interconnected in linear, branched, mesh and ring network topologies, can be designed much faster when compared with conventional design methods. Using flexible templates for all major optical components, our technology-agnostic planning approach supports the constant advances in optical communications.


We compare the methods of Cohen (1971) and of Baraniuk and Jones (see Proc. IEEE ICASSP-93, p.320-323, 1993) for obtaining joint distributions for arbitrary variables. We show that the two methods produce identical results for variables whose associated operators are obtained via a unitary transformation of the time and frequency operators. In addition, we generalize this result and show that all pairs of variables connected by a unitary transformation have joint distributions that are identical in functional form. This result shows how pairs of variables can be grouped into classes whose joint distributions are functionally equivalent and, therefore, share equivalent properties.<<ETX>>


Regardless of its origin, in the near future the challenge will not be how to generate data, but rather how to manage big and highly distributed data to make it more easily handled and more accessible by users on their personal devices. VELaSSCo (Visualization for Extremely Large-Scale Scientific Computing) is a platform developed to provide new visual analysis methods for large-scale simulations serving the petabyte era. The platform adopts Big Data tools/architectures to enable in-situ processing for analytics of engineering and scientific data and hardware-accelerated interactive visualization. In large-scale simulations, the domain is partitioned across several thousand nodes, and the data (mesh and results) are stored on those nodes in a distributed manner. The VELaSSCo platform accesses this distributed information, processes the raw data, and returns the results to the users for local visualization by their specific visualization clients and tools. The global goal of VELaSSCo is to provide Big Data tools for the engineering and scientific community, in order to better manipulate simulations with billions of distributed records. The ability to easily handle large amounts of data will also enable larger, higher resolution simulations, which will allow the scientific and engineering communities to garner new knowledge from simulations previously considered too large to handle. This paper shows, by means of selected Discrete Element Method (DEM) simulation use cases, that the VELaSSCo platform facilitates distributed post-processing and visualization of large engineering datasets.


The Christian ascetic way of life clustered mainly around the Mediterranean and roughly covered the period between 350 and 800. It is determined by norm and exercise. But what are norm and exercise with regard to Christian asceticism? Whatever renunciations may be required in order to practice a given ascetic regimen, no goal can be achieved without a specific technique (or a set of exercises) and without following a principle of order (or a norm). This implies an intense dialectic which sometimes seems to resolve into a perfect identity: regula et vita, "rule and life", or, in a more neutral language, "norm and exercise". This set of papers addresses this crucial point and thereby challenges the usual chronological as well as geographical divisions in the history of early Christianity. As a result, the categories of norm and exercise are presented as a new solution to put the available sources in order.


In the fall of 2004, Russia's national executive launched a major reform that affects the development of center-region relations in the country. The pivotal component of the reform is a move to replace direct elections of the regional executives with a new system under which the executives will be 'endowed with powers' (nadeliat'sia polnomochiiami) by regional legislatures, with the prerogative to nominate candidates for such endowment being held solely by the president of Russia. The technicalities of the proposed reform are not to be discussed here if only because it may so happen that the bill will be amended while moving through the chambers of the Federal Assembly. The essence of the reform is, however, clear and quite unlikely to change: regional executives will be appointed. Regional legislatures will provide some additional legitimacy for the appointees without ever really being involved in the selection process, which is guaranteed by a provision that they can be dissolved if they choose not to approve the nominee twice in a row. This system, if implemented, will strongly push the Russian statehood in the direction of centralism. The officially vocalized reason for the reform was to increase state capacity against the terrorist threat. Without discussing the validity of this claim, this paper seeks to explicate additional incentives for the reform by analyzing developments in the regional political arenas from December 2003 through October 2004. The evidence for the analysis will be derived largely from the regional elections held throughout the period.


The student protests of 2015 precipitated a renewed interest in the decolonisation of the university in South Africa, and by association the decolonisation of the university curriculum. The decolonisation of the curriculum is an important conversation, and long overdue, given that the Western model of academic organisation on which the South African university is based, remains largely unchallenged. In this article I add to the conversation by discussing what decolonisation entails, why the need for decolonisation, the importance of rethinking how curriculum is conceived, and outlining some possible ways of decolonising the university curriculum. The purpose is not to provide a set of answers but to open up ways of (re)thinking the university curriculum.


In a provocative article, Heine et al. concluded that self-esteem needs are less important in collectivistic, East Asian countries than in individualistic, Western ones. Their conclusion was based, in part, on evidence that: (i) self-esteem scores are less positively biased in Japan than in Western countries; and that (ii) low self-esteem is less predictive of psychological distress in Japan than in Western countries. The present research examined whether these cultural differences occur in another collectivistic culture: The People's Republic of China. Two meta-analyses were conducted. Study 1 found that, for young and old alike, self-esteem was positively biased, with most participants reporting high levels of self-esteem. Study 2 found that low self-esteem in China is associated with three indicators of psychological distress: depression, anxiety and low subjective well-being. These findings are consistent with results in Western samples and suggest that high self-esteem may indeed be a universal psychological imperative.


Objectives Defects in regulatory T cell (Treg) biology have been associated with human systemic autoimmune diseases, such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). However, the origin of such Treg defects and their significance in the pathogenesis and treatment of SLE are still poorly understood. Methods Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from 61 patients with SLE and 52 healthy donors and in vitro IL-2 stimulated PBMC were characterised by multicolour flow cytometry. Five patients with refractory SLE were treated daily with subcutaneous injections of 1.5 million IU of human IL-2 (aldesleukin) for five consecutive days, and PBMC were analysed by flow cytometry. Results Patients with SLE develop a progressive homeostatic dysbalance between Treg and conventional CD4+ T cells in correlation with disease activity and in parallel display a substantial reduction of CD25 expression on Treg. These Treg defects resemble hallmarks of IL-2 deficiency and lead to a markedly reduced availability of functionally and metabolically active Treg. In vitro experiments revealed that lack of IL-2 production by CD4+ T cells accounts for the loss of CD25 expression in SLE Treg, which could be selectively reversed by stimulation with low doses of IL-2. Accordingly, treatment of patients with SLE with a low-dose IL-2 regimen selectively corrected Treg defects also in vivo and strongly expanded the Treg population. Conclusions Treg defects in patients with SLE are associated with IL-2 deficiency, and can be corrected with low doses of IL-2. The restoration of endogenous mechanisms of immune tolerance by low-dose IL-2 therapy, thus, proposes a selective biological treatment strategy, which directly addresses the pathophysiology in SLE.


This survey examines the popularity of LIS-Forum email discussion forum among Library and Information Science professionals in India. This study sort out the limitations of this email based discussion forum on the basis of perceptions of LIS-Forum users. LIS-Forum community also recommended new features and suggestions to improve the service in the context of web 2.0 phenomenon.


The Middle East issue and the question of Iraq have increasing been the focus of attention in the international arena. In Turkey, the debate is even more relevant and intense because we happen to be in the immediate vicinity of these problems. Whatever course of action is taken on either issue, Turkey will be significantly affected. Turkey has been seriously victimized by events and circumstances beyond its control over the past decade. During the same period, no other country in the world has had to cope with so many internal and external challenges in so many different directions. If the past ten-year period can be characterized as one of conflicts, the opening years of the new millennium have been no less troubling. The tectonic shift in the geopolitical landscape caused by the September 11 attacks has led many other countries to reevaluate their priorities and revisit their strategies for dealing with the common challenges faced by the humanrace. The growing awareness of asymmetrical threats like terrorism, transnational crime of all types and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction is, in itself, very important. An equally important fact is that humanity can only be effective in dealing with these problems if it responds to them in a cooperative spirit and collectively. If we hope to deal a decisive blow to forces of evil, remedy the ills that afflict our societies and resolve the conflicts that threaten our own well-being, we must act together, try to forge coalitions and build as strong a consensus as possible about how to tackle such issues. The same approach should also prevail with regard to the complex problems of the Middle East.


This issue of NASET's IEP Component series was written by Dr. John Nikolaros. The paper specifies critical measures required by the Section 504 of Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) for students with special needs. The author explains and offers successful strategies in special education. The specific benchmarks that are examined consist of the process leading up the Individual Education Program (IEP) meeting, the impact of the special education chair, and the least restrictive environment (LRE). The purpose of this paper is to inform the audience of practices in special education that lead to consistency and successful implementation.


While Java is a popular general-purpose programming language, there are certain
areas where the syntax of Java is lacking for the task at hand. One of them is in the
area of layout handling, i.e., the task of placing controls in a Graphical User Interface
(GUI) with regard to their relative position and size. This is because the syntax of
Java is targeted towards imperative programming, where code is written in the form
of a list of instructions. A list of instructions does not adequately mirror the
hierarchical structure of a layout.
To overcome that weakness, this thesis describes and evaluates a new domainspecific
programming language designed specifically for layout handling, named
Swing GUI Layout Language (SGLL). One of the primary features of SGLL is the
use of combinators, a concept used in functional languages. We propose that
combinators are a more intuitive concept compared to the approach taken by Java,
which involves adding controls to a layout m anager. Furthermore, we suggest that
e li mination of clutter and better s upport for the abstractions in layout handling can
provide an increase in programmer productivity and understandability of the source code. In this thesis, we focus on the GridLayout manager class, since it is rather easy
to understand and provides a good starting point.
To validate our approach, we evaluated Java and SGLL in both productivity and
understandability. We found out that SGLL does provide a significant improvement
in productivity and understandability for the task of layout handling.


Abstract. Increasing evidence suggests that secondary organic aerosol (SOA) is formed through aqueous phase reactions in atmospheric clouds. In the present study, the aqueous oxidation of methyl vinyl ketone (MVK) and methacrolein (MACR) via OH radical were investigated, with an emphasis on the composition and variation of small-molecular-weight organic products. In addition, high-molecular-weight compounds (HMWs) were found, interpreted as the ion abundance and time evolution. Our results provide, for the first time to our knowledge, experimental evidence that aqueous OH-oxidation of MVK contributes to SOA formation. Further, a mechanism primarily involving radical processes was proposed to gain a basic understanding of these two reactions. Based on the assumed mechanism, a kinetic model was developed for comparison with the experimental results. The model reproduced the observed profiles of first-generation intermediates, but failed to simulate the kinetics of most organic acids mainly due to the lack of chemical kinetics parameters for HMWs. A sensitivity analysis was performed in terms of the effect of stoichiometric coefficients for precursors on oxalic acid yields and the result indicates that additional pathways involving HMWs chemistry might play an important role in the formation of oxalic acid. We suggest that further study is needed for better understanding the behavior of multi-functional products and their contribution to the oxalic acid formation.


Direct random phase approximation (RPA) correlation energies have become increasingly popular as a post-Kohn-Sham correction, due to significant improvements over DFT calculations for properties such as long-range dispersion effects, which are problematic in conventional density functional theory. On the other hand, RPA still has various weaknesses, such as unsatisfactory results for non-isogyric processes. This can in parts be attributed to the self-correlation present in RPA correlation energies, leading to significant self-interaction errors. Therefore a variety of schemes have been devised to include exchange in the calculation of RPA correlation energies in order to correct this shortcoming. One of the most popular RPA plus exchange schemes is the second order screened exchange (SOSEX) correction. RPA + SOSEX delivers more accurate absolute correlation energies and also improves upon RPA for non-isogyric processes. On the other hand, RPA + SOSEX barrier heights are worse than those obtained from plain RPA calculations. To combine the benefits of RPA correlation energies and the SOSEX correction, we introduce a short-range RPA + SOSEX correction. Proof of concept calculations and benchmarks showing the advantages of our method are presented.


Pricing content-providers for connectivity to end- users and setting connection parameters based on the price is an evolving model on the Internet. The implications are heavily debated in telecom policy circles, and some advocates of "Network Neutrality" have opposed price based differentiation in connectivity. However, pricing content providers can possibly subsidize the end-user's cost of connectivity, and the consequent increase in end-user demand can benefit ISPs and content providers. This paper provides a framework to quantify the precise trade-off in the distribution of benefits among ISPs, content-providers, and end-users. The framework generalizes the well-known utility maximization based rate allocation model, which has been extensively studied as an interplay between the ISP and the end-users, to incorporate pricing of content-providers. We derive the resulting equilibrium prices and data rates in two different ISP market conditions: competition and monopoly. Network neutrality based restriction on content-provider pricing is then modeled as a constraint on the maximum price that can be charged to content-providers. We demonstrate that, in addition to gains in total and end- user surplus, content-provider experiences a net surplus from participation in rate allocation under low cost of connectivity. The surplus gains are, however, limited under monopoly conditions in comparison to competition in the ISP market.


In the 1890s, Spanish entrepreneurs spearheaded the emergence of Cordoba, Veracruz, as Mexico's largest commercial center for coffee preparation and export to the Atlantic community. Seasonal women workers quickly became the major part of the agroindustry's labor force. As they grew in numbers and influence in the first half of the twentieth century, these women shaped the workplace culture and contested gender norms through labor union activism and strong leadership. Their fight for workers' rights was supported by the revolutionary state and negotiated within its industrial-labor institutions until they were replaced by machines in the 1960s. Heather Fowler-Salamini's Working Women, Entrepreneurs, and the Mexican Revolution analyzes the interrelationships between the region's immigrant entrepreneurs, workforce, labor movement, gender relations, and culture on the one hand, and social revolution, modernization, and the Atlantic community on the other between the 1890s and the 1960s. Using extensive archival research and oral-history interviews, Fowler-Salamini illustrates the ways in which the immigrant and women's work cultures transformed Cordoba's regional coffee economy and in turn influenced the development of the nation's coffee agro-export industry and its labor force.


Purpose: The paper presents the results of the study into competitiveness of the organic food market in the EU by looking closely into the policy which impacts the development of the organic food market in one of its Member States – Poland. Design/Methodology/Approach: The research presented is divided into two parts. First, it serves as a diagnosis of the EU agriculture and the organic food market competitiveness. It then looks closely into the case of the Polish organic food market and tackles the following question: to what extent has the policy contributed to its development and competitiveness? The research employs data from various sources which provide information on agriculture, the organic food market, and the Common Agricultural Policy. Findings: The situation on the organic food market in EU Member States varies greatly. Poland is an example of one of its newest states in which the organic food market has been expanding but does not seem to be closing the gap between the European leaders and itself with regard to competitiveness. Productivity is one of the issues that calls for rethinking of the current approach to interventions on the analyzed market. Practical Implications: Data suggests that despite various efforts the Polish organic market cannot seem to overcome obstacles to its further development. Policy makers should focus their attention on how to boost productivity on this market. Another practical implication which was not anticipated until the phase of data gathering is that data quality and availability leaves much to be desired. Originality/Value: The paper adds to the discussion on the development of the organic food market in the EU and, more precisely in Poland. It broadens knowledge on the relationship between financial support within the CAP and organic food market competitiveness.


In this paper, we examine how typical transmission systems can be made tunable in datarate, up to 100 Gb/s, through modulation-format versatility. We investigate through extensive numerical simulations the available reach versus datarate, taking in particular into account the nonlinear interaction between channels in this mixed-format context. We show how these versatile transmission systems can be used to design a so-called elastic optical network in which the datarate of a wavelength is adapted to both the traffic that needs to be transported and the amount of physical impairments that need to be overcome. We examine the benefits of such elastic optical networks in the case of a European backbone network, showing that elastic architectures outperform fixed-rate networks by up to 21% in terms of required number of opto-electronic interfaces.


This paper studies the issues arising in the reconfiguration phase of broadcast optical networks. Although the ability to dynamically optimize the network under changing traffic conditions has been recognized as one of the key features of multi-wavelength optical networks, this is the first in-depth study of the tradeoffs involved in carrying out the reconfiguration process. We develop and compare reconfiguration policies to determine when to reconfigure the network, and we present an approach to carry out the network transition by describing a class of strategies that determine how to retune the optical transceivers. We identify the degree of load balancing and the number of retunings as two important, albeit conflicting, objectives in the design of reconfiguration policies, naturally leading to a formulation of the problem as a Markovian decision process. Consequently, we develop a systematic and flexible framework in which to view and contrast reconfiguration policies. We show how an appropriate selection of reward and cost functions can be used to achieve the desired balance among various performance criteria of interest. We conduct a comprehensive evaluation of reconfiguration policies and retuning strategies and demonstrate the benefits of reconfiguration through both analytical and simulation results. The result of our work is a set of practical techniques for managing the network transition phase that can be directly applied to networks of large size. Although our work is in the context of broadcast networks, the results can be applied to any wavelength-division multiplexing network where it is necessary to multiplex traffic from a large user population into a number of wavelengths.


The aims of this thesis are threefold: (i) to investigate empirically the political and economic determinants of income inequality, paying particular attention to the role of institutions and institutional development; (ii) to determine the impact of macro-shocks (such as financial crises) on some of the most widely used human well-being indicators, such as poverty and mortality; (iii) to assess the importance of institutions and institutional change, investigating the impact of key aspects of institutional change in former communist countries (rapid privatization programmes) onto human well-being (mortality). Fulfilling these aims is important in its own right, but also from a policy point of view. In terms of income inequality, an enhanced understanding of its determinants, will help facilitate the adoption of policies aimed at reducing it. This is particularly important, since a reduction in income inequality could have positive spill-over effects on other human well-being indicators such as health or education. Finally, a deeper understanding of the impact of financial crises helps to facilitate immediate policy responses that might better shelter those that suffer the most during periods of macroeconomic shocks. The overall findings of the thesis support the notion that financial (and economic) crises carry negative consequences for the most vulnerable parts of society. Vis-a-vis the determinants of inequality, the thesis finds that economic determinants carry more weight than political ones (and some of the determinants, for example, financial sector development, have an inverted U-shaped relationship with inequality). Finally, the thesis finds no evidence in support of the claim that rapid privatization in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the former USSR was associated with increases in mortality rates, further shedding light onto the social implications of the transition process.


We study the situation where two point like mirrors are placed in the vacuum state of a scalar field in a two-dimensional spacetime. Describing the scattering upon the mirrors by transmittivity and reflectivity functions obeying unitarity, causality and high frequency transparency conditions, we compute the fluctuations of the Casimir forces exerted upon the two motionless mirrors. We use the linear response theory to derive the motional forces exerted upon one mirror when it moves or when the other one moves. We show that these forces may be resonantly enhanced at the frequencies corresponding to the cavity modes. We interpret them as the mechanical consequence of generation of squeezed fields.


Abstract Hyperlipidaemia is a major cause of atherosclerosis and related CVD and can be prevented with natural substances. Previously, we reported that a novel Bacillus-fermented green tea (FGT) exerts anti-obesity and hypolipidaemic effects. This study further investigated the hypotriglyceridaemic and anti-obesogenic effects of FGT and its underlying mechanisms. FGT effectively inhibited pancreatic lipase activity in vitro (IC50, 0·48 mg/ml) and ameliorated postprandial lipaemia in rats (26 % reduction with 500 mg/kg FGT). In hypertriglyceridaemic hamsters, FGT administration significantly reduced plasma TAG levels. In mice, FGT administration (500 mg/kg) for 2 weeks augmented energy expenditure by 22 % through the induction of plasma serotonin, a neurotransmitter that modulates energy expenditure and mRNA expressions of lipid metabolism genes in peripheral tissues. Analysis of the gut microbiota showed that FGT reduced the proportion of the phylum Firmicutes in hamsters, which could further contribute to its anti-obesity effects. Collectively, these data demonstrate that FGT decreases plasma TAG levels via multiple mechanisms including inhibition of pancreatic lipase, augmentation of energy expenditure, induction of serotonin secretion and alteration of gut microbiota. These results suggest that FGT may be a useful natural agent for preventing hypertriglyceridaemia and obesity.


The migration towards Cloud environments is still hindered by several barriers. One of them is the low portability of the applications that are consuming Cloud services. This paper intends to provide an image of the state of the art in this particular topic and to identify the potential paths to follow in order to solve the problem. The main concerns are the portability reasons, scenarios, taxonomies, measurements, requirements, and current technical solutions (through open standards, open application programming interfaces, semantics and model-driven engineering). A research agenda is following the current analysis of the state of the art.