Creativity is rising. As China's economy develops, government and public interest in creativity and innovation has never been higher, but Chinese literature about creativity is comparatively limited, and there is no website specifically focused on promoting basic information and knowledge about creative studies in China. The Creativity Thoughts project is a long-term project that works on integrating the website, blog, Weibo (a microblogging website similar to Twitter), and mobile app into a digital platform of knowledge exchange to introduce basic information and knowledge to Chinese readers who are interested in this field. The core of this project is the growing Creativity Thoughts database that is mainly composed of this author's original writing, academic notes or translations of English materials into Chinese. Besides literature, this database also includes pictures that help to visualizing creativity and creative events. The materials of the database will be published at the official website of this project and author's blog. The content of this blog will be converted into a mobile app for the Android mobile system. At the same time, the Weibo feed will synchronize with the blog and build more interaction between the author and readers. After a one-month experiment, the effectiveness and meaning of this project was positively proven.


Background: The development of fibrosis is pathognomic in the potentially malignant oral disorder, oral submucous fibrosis (OSF). Strong evidence exists to implicate the chewing of areca nut in the pathogenesis of the lesion. The constituents of areca nut activate several pro-fibrotic cytokines, chiefly transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-β1), which leads to an increased deposition and decreased degradation of extracellular matrix and collagen. TGF-β1 probably represents the major pathway in the deposition of collagen fibers in this condition. The present study aims to identify and correlate the expressions of TGF-β1 immunohistochemically on paraffin sections of various stages of OSF. Materials and Methods: The expression of TGF-β1 antibody was detected immunohistochemically using the anti-TGF-β1 mouse monoclonal antibodies (8A11-NovusBio USA) on paraffin sections of 58 cases of OSF, 10 cases of normal buccal mucosa tissue and 5 cases of scar tissue. The site, extent, and intensity of expression and quantification of TGF-β1 were noted and a comparative evaluation between various grades of OSF. Scar tissue and normal oral mucosa was made using image analysis software (Jenoptik optical system-ProReg ® Capture Pro 2.8.8 software [2011]). Results: Cells of spinous layer of the epithelium showed more intense staining in all grades of OSF, Grade II showed the highest percentage of expression, same as that of keloid (17%) but less than that of normal mucosa (12%). Positive staining was seen around blood vessels, muscles, fibers in the submucosa and perimuscle fibers. Highest expression was in the muscle in Grade III (80%) compared with normal oral mucosa (37%). Conclusion: These results suggest that the pathogenesis of OSF and scar/keloid could be linked through the TGF-β1 pathway. Interventions directed at the TGF-beta pathway may hold the key in the future management of this oral potentially malignant condition.


A hierarchical high-performance electrode with nanoacanthine-style polyaniline (PANI) deposited onto a carbon nanofiber/graphene oxide (CNF/GO) template was successfully prepared via an in situ polymerization process. The morphology analysis shows that introducing one-dimensional (1D) CNF could significantly decrease/inhibit the staking of laminated GO to form an open-porous CNF/GO architecture. Followed with in situ facial deposition of PANI, the as-synthesized PANI modified CNF/GO exhibits three-dimensional (3D) hierarchical layered nanoarchitecture, which favors the diffusion of the electrolyte ions into the inner region of active materials. The hierarchical free-standing electrodes were directly fabricated into sandwich structured supercapacitors using 1 M H2SO4 as the electrolyte showing a significant specific capacitance of 450.2 F/g at the voltage scan rate of 10 mV/s. The electrochemical properties of the hierarchical structure can be further improved by a reduction procedure of GO before the deposition of PANI.


Development of technologies in the field of neuroimaging brought an increase interest in the quantification of cortical folding (gyrification), notably for neurogenetic and psychiatric disorders that may result from an early abnormal cortical development. For example, gyrification has been reported altered in schizophrenia (Kulynych, 1997; Harris, 2004), autism (Hardan, 2004), and Williams syndrome (Schmitt, 2002). Algorithms traditionally used to quantify gyrification measure the cortical perimeter on two-dimensional coronal sections of the brain, as first proposed by Zilles (Zilles, 1988). We propose here a new method inspired of the classical equation that takes into account the inherent 3-dimensional nature of the cortex. Brain MRI images were acquired for 30 typically developing individuals (6-30 years old) using a 1.5T scanner. Images were subsequently imported into the software Freesurfer (http://surfer.nmr.mgh.harvard.edu/), for removal of extra-cerebral structures, tissue segmentation and reconstruction of the cortical surface. Resulting cortical surfaces were analyzed using Matlab (http://www.mathworks.com/). For each brain's lobe, 3D Gyrification Index (3D-GI) was defined as the ratio of the area of the total folded cortical surface over its convex hull. 3D-GI were then analyzed on two bases. First, we compared 3D-GI to those obtained with classical 2D algorithms for each subject. Then, we analyze the relationship between 3D-GI with variables that are known not to be correlated with GI, like age, weight, gender (Armstrong, 1995). We propose that the three-dimensional method will better detect small change in gyrification. Ultimately, such tools may improve our comprehension of cortical complexity in neurogenetic and psychiatric disorders.


Tin monoxide has garnered a great deal attention in the recent literature, primarily as a transparent p-type conductor. However, due to its layered structure (dictated by non-bonding dispersion forces) simulation via density functional theory often fails to accurately model the unit cell. This study applies a PBE0-vdW methodology to accurately predict both the atomic and electronic structure of SnO. Empirical van der Waals corrections improve the structure, with the calculated c/a ratio matching experiment, while the PBE0 hybrid-DFT method gives accurate band gaps (0.67 and 2.76 eV for the indirect and direct band gaps) and density of states which are in agreement with experimental spectra. This methodology has been applied to the simulation of the native intrinsic defects of SnO, to further understand the conductivity. The results indicate that n-type conductivity will not arise from intrinsic defects and that donor doping would be necessary. For p-type conduction, the Sn vacancy is seen to be the source, with the 0/−1 transition level found 0.39 eV above the valence band maximum. By considering the formation energies and transition levels of the defects at different chemical potentials, it is found that the p-type conductivity is sensitive to the O chemical potential. When the chemical potential is close to its lowest value (−2.65 eV here), the oxygen vacancy is stabilized which, whilst not leading to n-type conduction, could reduce p-type conduction by limiting the formation of hole states.


Games between staff and people with intellectual disabilities serve to promote social engagement and inclusion. However, when the person has limited and idiosyncratic communicative abilities, it may be hard to gauge what his/her own view of the matter is. We examine video-taped records of two episodes in which a staff member of a group home prompted a resident with profound intellectual disabilities to play a verbal and a non-verbal 'game'. We examine how the staff member in these two cases designs her actions to solve the dilemma she faces between, on the one hand, abandoning an activity when the resident does not provide clear indications that she/he wants to continue or, on the other hand, persisting with it until the resident begins to enjoy it or, at least, participate more fully. The solution lies in a pervasive institutional practice: treat resistance or ambiguity as temporary reluctance. We discuss these interactions as examples of how principles of empowerment, inclusion and independence play out in the details of everyday interaction.


With conventional generation capacity being constrained on environmental grounds and renewable alternatives carrying capacity uncertainties, increasingly accurate forecasts of demand are likely to be required in future power systems: highly distributed renewable generation penetrating low voltage networks must be matched to small dynamic loads, while spinning reserves of conventional generation that are required to maintain security of supply, must be reduced to more efficient margins. Domestic loads, likely to form significant proportions of the loads on islanded power systems such as those in remote rural communities, are currently modeled with homogenous and coarse load profiles developed from aggregated data. An objective of AMR deployment is to clarify the nature and variability of the residential LV customer. In this paper, an algorithm for tracking the consistency of the behavior of small loads is presented. This would allow them to be assessed for their availability to provide demand services to the grid. In the method presented, significant changes in behavior are detected using Bayesian changepoint analysis which tracks a multivariate Gaussian representation of a residential load profile on a day to day basis. A hypothetical single phase feeder, representative of an islanded rural power system, is used to illustrate the detected heterogeneity of load behavior consistency.


Social media has drastically improved the way we can reach target audiences and serve our customers. Like its financial counterpart, the social media audit (SMA) can be described as a formalized review of anorganization's social media activities. However, contrary to financial audits, social media audits are not guided by government regulations or a set of professional rules and standards. This book will address social media marketing issues using a cost benefit approach, while presenting a systematic approach to review the organization's social media activities. Using the checklists and templates provided in this book will enable readers to conduct an audit that helps identify target areas for performance improvement and recommendations for how to achieve these objectives. Social media platforms discussed include: Facebook, LinkedIn, Google Plus, Twitter, Tumblr, and Xing.


Biological invasions provide unique opportunities for studying life history trait changes over contemporary time scales. As spatial spread may be related to changes in parasite communities, several hypotheses (such as the evolution of increased competitive ability (EICA) or EICA-refi ned hypotheses) suggest immune changes in invasive species along invasion gradients. Although native hosts may be subject to similar changes in parasite selection pressures, their immune responses have been rarely investigated in invasion contexts. In this study, we evaluated immune variations for invasive house mice Mus musculus domesticus , invasive black rats Rattus rattus and native rodents Mastomys erythroleucus and Mastomys natalensis along well-characterised invasion gradients in Senegal. We focused on antibody-mediated (natural antibodies and complement) and infl ammatory (haptoglobin) responses. One invasion route was considered for each invasive species, and environmental conditions were recorded. Natural-antibody mediated responses increased between sites of long-established invasion and recently invaded sites only in house mice. Both invasive species exhibited higher infl ammatory responses at the invasion front than in sites of long-established invasion. Th e immune responses of native species did not change with the presence of invasive species. Th ese patterns of immune variations do not support the EICA and EICA refi ned hypotheses, and they rather suggest a higher risk of exposure to parasites on the invasion front. Altogether, these results provide a fi rst basis to further assess the role of immune changes in invasion success.


The pnmary purpose of this research study was to establish factors influencing harassment at workplace by determining the extent personality trait of the victim, personality trait of the perpetrator, organizational culture and work environment influences workplace harassment so as to enable organizations understand potential causes and prevent and counteract the problem. The target population was 400 Allpack Industries Ltd employees and a sample size of 120 was considered for the study. The sample size was stratified into senior management, middle level management, factory staff and support staff. This study used both primary and secondary data. Primary data was collected through structured questionnaire while secondary data was collected from review of archival material. Thirty employees from each stratum were chosen at random and given questionnaires to complete. The collected data was analyzed using descriptive statistics where frequencies were determined. The researcher also undertook content analysis by cross checking patterns and themes through analysis of archival material. The analyzed data was presented in terms of frequency tables, percentages and graphs. Based on data analysis the least contributing factor to workplace harassment was personality trait of the victim followed by the personality trait of perpetrator. Organizational culture was the greatest influencing factor followed by characteristics of work environment. The researcher recommends that organizations need to come up with clear human resource policies and procedures on how victims can report harassment and clear grievance and disciplinary procedures on how to deal with those who harass their colleagues. Also, since according to the findings organizational culture was the greatest influence factor to workplace harassment, the researcher recommends that organizations should work towards adoption of clan and adhocracy cultures which had the least influence to workplace harassment. Organizations should also discourage poor interpersonal relationships and competition work environment. For future studies, the researcher suggests that future studies to be done to assess the prevalence and types of workplace harassment, determine effective intervention and prevention programmes and on how workplace violence impact on a victim's personal life and the effectiveness of the various intervention and violence rehabilitation programmes.


Stem cell-based therapies have demonstrated improved outcomes in preclinical and clinical trials for treating cardiovascular ischemic diseases. However, the contribution of stem cells to vascular repair is poorly understood. To elucidate these mechanisms, many have attempted to monitor stem cells following their delivery in vivo, but these studies have been limited by the fact that many contrast agents, including nanoparticles, are commonly passed on to non-stem cells in vivo. Specifically, cells of the reticuloendothelial system, such as macrophages, frequently endocytose free contrast agents, resulting in the monitoring of macrophages instead of the stem cell therapy. Here we demonstrate a dual gold nanoparticle system which is capable of monitoring both delivered stem cells and infiltrating macrophages using photoacoustic imaging. In vitro analysis confirmed preferential labeling of the two cell types with their respective nanoparticles and the maintenance of cell function following nanoparticle labeling. In addition, delivery of the system within a rat hind limb ischemia model demonstrated the ability to monitor stem cells and distinguish and quantify macrophage infiltration. These findings were confirmed by histology and mass spectrometry analysis. This work has important implications for cell tracking and monitoring cell-based therapies.


ABSTRACT Expression of sexuality by older people, particularly those with dementia, can be challenging and confronting for aged-care staff. Education on this topic is often a low priority area for aged-care organizations, and there appears to be limited training programs available. Results from our study highlighted the value of an eLearning education intervention that significantly increased aged-care staff and nursing students' level of knowledge relating to older people's sexuality. It also improved their attitudes and permissiveness towards late life sexuality and the expression of sexuality by people with dementia. Furthermore, respondents reported the importance of existing workplace policy (if any) on the expression of sexuality, the overall signs of wellbeing and ill-being exhibited by people with dementia, and the need for guided discussions with family members. Significant improvements in staff understanding and response towards the expression of sexuality by people with dementia may enable the facilitation of a care environment that is supportive of the verbalization and expression of sexual preference, need, and desire by people with dementia. This can, in turn, improve quality of life, health, and wellbeing for people with dementia as well as reduce potential tensions between staff-resident-family when sexual expression is considered to be inappropriate.


Abstract. Aerosols from open-land fires could significantly perturb the global radiation balance and induce climate change. In this study, Community Atmosphere Model version 5 (CAM5) with prescribed daily fire aerosol emissions is used to investigate the spatial and seasonal characteristics of radiative effects (REs, relative to the case of no fires) of open-fire aerosols including black carbon (BC) and particulate organic matter (POM) from 2003 to 2011. The global annual mean RE from aerosol–radiation interactions (REari) of all fire aerosols is 0.16 ± 0.01 W m−2 (1σ uncertainty), mainly due to the absorption of fire BC (0.25 ± 0.01 W m−2), while fire POM induces a small effect (−0.05 and 0.04 ± 0.01 W m−2 based on two different methods). Strong positive REari is found in the Arctic and in the oceanic regions west of southern Africa and South America as a result of amplified absorption of fire BC above low-level clouds, in general agreement with satellite observations. The global annual mean RE due to aerosol–cloud interactions (REaci) of all fire aerosols is −0.70 ± 0.05 W m−2, resulting mainly from the fire POM effect (−0.59 ± 0.03 W m−2). REari (0.43 ± 0.03 W m−2) and REaci (−1.38 ± 0.23 W m−2) in the Arctic are stronger than in the tropics (0.17 ± 0.02 and −0.82 ± 0.09 W m−2 for REari and REaci), although the fire aerosol burden is higher in the tropics. The large cloud liquid water path over land areas and low solar zenith angle of the Arctic favor the strong fire aerosol REaci (up to −15 W m−2) during the Arctic summer. Significant surface cooling, precipitation reduction and increasing amounts of low-level cloud are also found in the Arctic summer as a result of the fire aerosol REaci based on the atmosphere-only simulations. The global annual mean RE due to surface-albedo changes (REsac) over land areas (0.03 ± 0.10 W m−2) is small and statistically insignificant and is mainly due to the fire BC-in-snow effect (0.02 W m−2) with the maximum albedo effect occurring in spring (0.12 W m−2) when snow starts to melt.


Transportation systems are inherently uncertain because of random disruptions; nevertheless, real-time information can help travelers make better route choices under such disruptions. The first revealed-preference study of routing policy choice is presented. A "routing policy" is defined as a decision rule applied at each link that maps possible realized traffic conditions to decisions to be made on the link next. The policy represents a traveler's ability to incorporate real-time information not yet available at the time of decision. Two case studies are conducted in Stockholm, Sweden, and in Singapore. Data for the underlying stochastic time-dependent network are generated from taxi GPS traces through map-matching and nonparametric link travel time estimation. An efficient algorithm to find the optimal routing policy in large-scale networks is first presented, which is a building block of any routing policy choice set generation method. The routing policy choice sets are then generated by link elimination and simulation. The generated choice sets are first evaluated on the basis of whether they include the observed traces on a specific day, or coverage. The sets are then evaluated on the basis of "adaptiveness," defined as the capability of a routing policy to be realized as different paths over different days. A combination of link elimination and simulation methods yields satisfactory coverage. The comparison with a path choice set benchmark also suggests that a routing policy choice set could potentially provide better coverage and capture the adaptive nature of route choice.


In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, to be English and Catholic was to face persecution, financial penalties, and sometimes death. Yet some English Catholics prospered, reconciling their faith and loyalty to their country. Among the most prominent was George Calvert, a talented and ambitious man who successfully navigated the politics of court and became secretary of state under King James I. A conforming Protestant from the age of twelve, Calvert converted back to Catholicism when a political crisis forced him to resign his position in 1625. The king rewarded Calvert by naming him Baron of Baltimore in Ireland. Insulated by wealth, with the support of powerful friends, and no longer occupied with court business, Baltimore sought to exploit his land grants in Ireland and Newfoundland. Seeking to increase his own fortune and status while enlarging the king's dominions, he embarked on a series of colonial enterprises that eventually led to Maryland. The experiences of Calvert and his heirs foster our understanding of politics and faith in Jacobean England. They also point to one of the earliest codifications of religious liberty in America, for in founding Maryland, Calvert and his son Cecil envisioned a prosperous society based on freedom of conscience. In English and Catholic, John D. Krugler traces the development of the "Maryland Designe," the novel solution the Calverts devised to resolve the conflict of loyalty they faced as English Catholics. In doing so, Krugler places the founding and early history of Maryland in the context of pervasive anxieties in England over identity, allegiance, and conscience. Explaining the evolution of the Calvert vision, Krugler ties together three main aspects of George Calvert's career: his nationalism and enthusiasm for English imperialism; his aim to find fortune and fame; and his deepening sense of himself as a Catholic. Skillfully told here, the story of the Calverts' bold experiment in advancing freedom of conscience is also the story of the roots of American liberty.


OF DISSERTATION VOTER IDEOLOGY, TAX EXPORTING, AND STATE AND LOCAL TAX STRUCTURE State and local governments play an important role in financing and delivering public services in the United States. In 2008, state and local governments collected 57 percent of total federal, state, and local revenue (Urban Institute and Brookings Institution, Tax Policy Center, 2009). The decentralization of fiscal responsibility has enabled a high degree of variation in state and local tax structures to emerge. This dissertation presents two empirical studies that extend the positive literature on state and local tax policy. The extant literature contains evidence of a direct relationship between voter ideology and state and local tax progressivity. However, the measures of voter ideology that were used either did not capture differences in the intensity of voter liberalism across states, did not vary over time, or were beset with other limitations. This study uses the measure of average voter liberalism developed by Berry et al (1998). I find that average voter liberalism is significantly and positively-related to progressivity. However, the effect is small in magnitude. The ethnic congruence between the poor and the non-poor is positively-related to progressivity and the effects are economically significant. The degree of tension between ethnic groups, measured with an index of ethnic residential segregation, is significantly and inversely-related to progressivity. Both variables are statistically significant even with average voter liberalism held constant. It is possible that the ethnic demographic context reflects aspects of voters' redistributive preferences that are not captured by measures of ideology. Researchers have found relationships between states' tax exporting capacities and the tax structures they adopt. Chapter 4 is the first study to examine the relationship between state tax exporting capacities and the business sales taxes. I find that the effective sales tax rate that governments impose on business purchases is not significantly influenced by a state's capacity to export business taxes. It is, however, significantly and positively affected by a state's ability to export taxes on households through the deductibility of state and local taxes under the federal income tax. A decrease in this offset is predicted to lead to an increase in the effective business sales tax rate, ceteris paribus.


The Menninnie Dam Pb - Zn - Ag deposit is located on the northern Eyre Peninsula of South
Australia, approximately 1-2 km south of the main mass of the Gawler Range Volcanics. The
deposit has no surface expression and was located by drilling of aeromagnetic anomalies in
deeply weathered, flat lying terrain. Mineralisation occurs over= 3 km strike and is hosted by
upper amphibolite facies (= 700°C and 7 kbars) marbles and diopside-rich calc-silicate
lithologies, correlated with the Katunga Dolomite and lower units of the Cook Gap Schist of
the Middleback Subgroup, a subdivision of the Hutchison Group (1964- 1845 Ma.). The
Katunga Dolomite is bound to the west by a shear zone(> 50 m wide) formed during the latter
stages of the Kimban Orogeny (1740- 1710 Ma.). Syn-deformation granite dykes intruded
into the shear zone, and, to a lesser extent, into the Katunga Dolomite and Cook Gap Schist.
Late tectonic pegmatite dykes intruded into the Katunga Dolomite and lower units of the Cook
Gap Schist, where they produced zones of K-feldspar- calc-silicate metasomatism.
Previous researchers have incorrectly suggested that the Menninnie Dam Pb - Zn - Ag deposit
is a Broken Hill-type. However, Pb - Zn - Ag mineralisation post-dates metamorphism,
deformation and metasomatism and has replaced the host marble, and to a lesser extent,
diopside-rich calc-silicate lithologies. On the basis of lithologic relationships, most
mineralisation formed within 100 - 600m of the palaeosurface, and resulted in a central zone
of stockwork and matrix to marble and calc-silicate breccias, flanked by veins. Sulphide and
gangue minerals consist of a simple assemblage of pyrite, quartz, sphalerite, galena and CaMn-
Mg-Fe carbonate, with accessory chalcopyrite, chlorite, adularia, sericite, fluorite,
rhodonite, talc, phlogopite, dolomite, hematite and matildite. Three paragenetic stages of
mineralisation are present with an early pyrite stage, followed by a sphalerite galena, and late
pyrite stages. Metal abundances have a bell-shaped distribution along the length of the deposit
and the highest values are associated with the zone of stockwork and breccia mineralisation.
Post metamorphic, porphyritic rhyolite intruded the Hutchison Group, and interacted with
(heated?) groundwater resulting in explosive fragmentation of the host rocks and formation of
polymictic breccia pipes. Some of these erupted onto the palaeosurface and formed layered
polymictic breccias. Rhyolite continued to intrude through polymictic breccia pipes, and
resulted in formation of peperite at the margins. Some rhyolite intrusions erupted onto the
palaeosurface and formed volcanic breccias and rhyolite lavas. Polymictic breccias contain
clasts of paragenetically early sulphide and gangue minerals, and have an altered matrix that
includes paragenetically late sulphide minerals, indicative of syn-mineralisation emplacement.
U-Pb zircon dating of the rhyolite intrusions constrains the timing of mineralisation to I 594 ±
7 Ma. which is indistinguishable from that determined for the Hiltaba Suite granitoids and comagmatic
Gawler Range Volcanics. Modelling of regional gravity and aeromagnetic data indicates the Menninnie Dam deposit lies
near the north-western margin of a::::: 20 km diameter Hiltaba Suite granite that intruded to
within I - 3 km of the palaeo-surface. Lead was derived from the underlying Hiltaba Suite
granite and leached from Cook Gap Schist. Lead isotope ratios have a spatial distribution on a
prospect scale, and the least radiogenic ratios correspond with the highest metal values and the
central zone of stockwork and breccia style mineralisation, consistent with a single zone of
fluid up-flow. Carbonate gangue is interpreted to have precipitated via interaction of the
mineralising fluid (o18Q = -2.0%o; o13C = -6.9%o) in equilibrium with H2C03(aq) (> 0.01
molal) and the host marbles (o18Q = 15.5 to 21.09%o; o13C = -1.1 to 1.6%o) between 200°
and 125°C. Hydrous phyllosilicates associated with mineralisation have calculated fluid
values of o18Q = -0.7 to -2.0%o and oD = -43 to -48%o, indicative of a mixed meteoric - .
magmatic origin for the mineralising fluids. Sulphide o34S values range from -3.0 to 8.2%o,
with most between 4 to 6%o. The lack of evidence for sulphur isotope fractionation between
different sulphide minerals is consistent with non-equilibrium precipitation of sulphides from a
reduced fluid, low temperature kinetic effects and l or a H2S : metal ratio ~ 1. Sulphur was
sourced from either the magma, the country rocks, or a combination of both.
Primary fluid inclusions hosted by sphalerite and quartz have a range of trapping temperatures
and salinities interpreted to have resulted from mixing of=140°C and =27 wt.% NaCI
equivalent Na-Ca-K-Cl brine with a = 180°C dilute chloride water. Thermodynamic
modelling has shown that sufficient concentrations of Pb and Zn (> 1 ppm) can be transported
together with reduced sulphur CIS = 0.002 molal) in a low temperature (150°C) saline brine
(=6 molal) to form the Menninnie Dam deposit. The physiochemical attributes of the
mineralising fluid at 150°C are estimated to have been log f02 = -46 and pH= 4.6. Dilution
through mixing with heated groundwater was a possible base metal depositional mechanism
but is predicted to have been less effective than the pH increase that resulted from dissolution
of the host marbles.
Soon after cessation of the mineralising event, the stratigraphy was mantled by a single
cooling unit> 260m thick of lithic-rich(45% and up to 20m across) welded ignimbrite
(MD ignimbrite). The thickness, abundance and size of lithic clasts in the MD ignimbrite, and
shallow intrusion of granite are consistent with an intracaldera setting. Following welding and
cooling of the MD ignimbrite, the lower part of the MD ignimbrite and the Hutchison Group
near the southern end of the Menninnie Dam deposit were partially altered to a texturally
destructive quartz - chlorite - carbonate - calc-silicate assemblage by a hot, low salinity water
(190- 356°C and 0- 3 wt. % NaCI equiv.). Carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen isotopes are
consistent with a meteoric water that had undergone partial isotopic exchange with igneous
rocks. Mineral textures, whole rock geochemistry, lead and sulphur isotope data are
consistent with the Menninnie Dam Pb- Zn- Ag mineralisation being partially dissolved and
reprecipitated by this event, with no addition of metals or sulphur.


The crisis in immigration court adjudication is well-documented. This Article contends that critiques of immigration adjudication are incomplete and understated, because they have failed to account for the following reality: the vast majority of persons ordered removed never step foot inside a courtroom. Even when cases commence before the immigration courts, a substantial number result in removal orders without adjudication of the merits of the case. Removal in what this Article calls the "shadows of immigration court" have far eclipsed standard removal proceedings. The Article provides a descriptive account of five types of removal orders that comprise immigration court's shadows: (1) expedited removal at the border, (2) reinstatement of prior removal orders, (3) administrative removal of non-lawful permanent residents with aggravated felony convictions, (4) stipulated removal orders following waivers of the right to a court hearing, and (5) in absentia orders for failure to appear in immigration court. The Article identifies several concerns that apply to mainstream immigration court proceedings, and asserts that those critiques are amplified in such shadow proceedings. It concludes by arguing for more sustained inclusion of shadow proceedings in reform proposals directed at improving immigration adjudication.


Satellite rainfall measurements, nowadays commonly available, provide valuable information about the spatial structure of rainfall. In areas with low‐density rain gage networks, or where these networks are nonexistent, satellite rainfall measurements can also provide useful estimates to be used as virtual rain gages. However, satellite and rain gage measurements are statistically different in nature and cannot be directly compared to one another. In the present paper, we develop a methodology to downscale satellite rainfall measurements to generate rain‐gage‐equivalent statistics. We apply the methodology to four locations along a strong rainfall gradient in the Kalahari transect, southern Africa, to validate the methodology. We show that the method allows the estimation of point rainfall statistics where only satellite measurements exist. Point rainfall statistics are key descriptors for ecohydrologic studies linking the response of vegetation to rainfall dynamics.


Highlighting the pluralist nature of the Indian nation and its struggle for independence, this reader discusses all the debates related to the nationalist movement in India. The essays in this book - some of them classics, others more recent - will help to familiarize readers with these debates and are divided into eight sections: making of modern nationalism, role of Mahatma Gandhi, peasants and Gandhian mass movements, Muslim identity and political participation, nation, region, and caste, women in nationalist movement, capitalists, working class and nationalism, and the last years of British rule. The introduction provides a broad historical outline of the nationalist movement , highlight its various complexities and internal contradictions, and discuss the historiographical debates to contextualize the essays included in the volume. The volume also carries an annotated bibliography.


Text mining presents us with new possibilities for the use of collections of documents. There exists a large amount of hidden implicit information inside these collection, which text mining techniques may help us to uncover. Unfortunately, these techniques generally requires large amounts of computational power. This is addressed by the introduction of distributed systems and methods for distributed processing, such as Hadoop and MapReduce. This thesis aims to describe, design, implement and evaluate a prototypical system for distributed text mining in a MapReduce/Hadoop environment, called TextMiner.


Ultrasound has become a widely used form of medical imaging because it is low-cost, safe, and portable. However, it is heavily dependent on the skill of the operator to capture quality images and properly detect abnormalities. Training is a key component of ultrasound, but the limited availability of training courses and programs presents a significant obstacle to the wider use of ultrasound systems. The goal of this work was to design and implement an interactive training system to help train and evaluate sonographers. This Virtual Training System for Diagnostic Ultrasound is an inexpensive, software-based training system in which the trainee scans a generic scan surface with a sham transducer containing position and orientation sensors. The observed ultrasound image is generated from a pre-stored 3D image volume and is controlled interactively by the user's movements of the sham transducer. The patient in the virtual environment represented by the 3D image data may depict normal anatomy, exhibit a specific trauma, or present a given physical condition. The training system provides a realistic scanning experience by providing an interactive real-time display with adjustable image parameters similar to those of an actual diagnostic ultrasound system. This system has been designed to limit the amount of hardware needed to allow for low-cost and portability for the user. The system is able to utilize a PC to run the software. To represent the patient to be scanned, a specific scan surface has been produced that allows for an optical sensor to track the position of the sham transducer. The orientation of the sham transducer is tracked by using an inexpensive inertial measurement unit that relies on the use of quaternions to be integrated into the system. The lack of a physical manikin is overcome by using a visual implementation of a virtual patient in the software along with a virtual transducer that reflects the movements of the user on the scan surface. Pre-processing is performed on the selected 3D image volume to provide coordinate transformation parameters that yield a least-mean square fit from the scan surface to the scanning region of the virtual patient. This thesis presents a prototype training system accomplishing the main goals of being low-cost, portable, and accurate. The ultrasound training system can provide cost-effective and convenient training of physicians and sonographers. This system has the potential to become a powerful tool for training sonographers in recognizing a wide variety of medical conditions. …


Carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) is being used in increasing quantities particularly in the transport industry to reduce carbon emissions through weight reduction and in the energy industries for renewable technologies, such as wind turbines. As a high value and energy intensive material to manufacture a good case can be made for recovering and reusing carbon fibre from waste material. A number of companies in Europe and the USA are now in the early stages of commercial operation, but the focus is upon the recycling of clean, uncontaminated scrap from manufacturing processes and it is recognised that CFRP that is mixed with other materials eg. sandwich panels, metal inserts, painted surfaces and composites made from toughened polymers are more difficult to recycle effectively with existing commercial processes. The fluidised bed process developed at the University of Nottingham for recovering carbon fibre from waste composite material has the potential to process mixed and contaminated CFRP waste. The oxidising conditions allow full removal of any organic materials and the fluidised bed effectively separates the carbon fibres from other incombustible materials, such as metals. The process has now been developed to a scale representative of commercial operation and a waste CFRP comprising intermediate modulus carbon fibre and toughened epoxy resin has been processed successfully and good quality recycled fibres recovered. This paper will present the results and discuss the quality of the carbon fibre recovered from the process. A discussion of some of the key requirements to build a viable fluidised bed plant will also be presented.


This article offers strategies for a peace pedagogy that is informed by combining techniques from feminist theory and peace studies with the digital humanities. Here we describe how the first-year Writing Seminar "Peace Testimonies in Literature & Art," taught in Spring 2017 at Haverford College, collaborated with the activist organization the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) to participate in the collection and curation of oral histories projects. In this class, students conducted oral history interviews of peace activists at the 2017 AFSC symposium "Waging Peace: AFSC's Summit for Peace and Justice" (April 20-23 in Philadelphia, PA), and then analyzed the videos of these interviews through OHMS (Oral History Metadata Synchronizer) and the video editing software Camtasia. Here we discusses how feminist, digital, and peace pedagogies can be combined to help students recover the lost histories of pacifist activism.


One aspect of leadership strategy is the need to account for the core values of the organization. The purpose of this case study was to explore the tribal gaming leader strategies used toward sustainability, an action that leads to tribal economic development and stability. The conceptual framework of situational leadership theory was used to guide the scope and analysis of this study. Six tribal gaming leaders from Oklahoma participated in a focus group session; 7 additional tribal gaming leaders from the same gaming organization participated in individual interview sessions. Member checking was used to strengthen the credibility and trustworthiness of the interpretation of the participants' responses. Additionally, company documents were reviewed to triangulate the data. Four emergent themes were identified after data analysis: business value, which was attributed to tribal leaders' alignment to their mission; strategic vision, which included their marketing and overall business environment; collaboration, which was evident wherein the tribal gaming leaders utilized internal and external partnerships to improve local communities and maintain competitive advantage; and communication, which was emphasized for its importance as a daily skill for information sharing.


We present a research proposal concerning the instrumented investigation of anomalous light phenomena that are apparently correlated with particular mind states, such as prayer, meditation or psi. Previous research by these authors (1, 2) demonstrate that such light phenomena can be monitored and measured quite efficiently in areas of the world where they are reported in a recurrent way. Instruments such as optical equipment for photography and spectroscopy, VLF spectrometers, magnetometers, radar and IR viewers were deployed and used massively in several areas of the world. Results allowed us to develop physical models concerning the structural and time-variable behaviour of light phenomena, and their kinematics. Recent insights and witnesses have suggested to us that a sort of "synchronous connection" seems to exist between plasma-like phenomena and particular mind states of experiencers who seem to trigger a light manifestation which is very similar to the one previously investigated. The main goal of these authors is now aimed at the search for a concrete "entanglement effect" between the experiencer's mind and the light phenomena, in such a way that both aspects are intended to be monitored and measured using appropriate instrumentation. In order to reach this task the test subject would be checked by using portable neurophysiologic instruments such as an interactive brain visual analyzer (IBVA), a brain holotester and a skin conductance detector. These measurements are intended to be carried out in optimal simultaneity with a high-resolution digital camera for photometry and photography, a videocamera, a low-resolution holographic grating for spectroscopy, a VLF-ELF computer-assisted spectrometer, a triaxial magnetometer, and a computer controlled random event generator (REG). At the same time a high-precision timing is intended to be set up in order to check the level of simultaneity of both the brain phenomenon and the light phenomenon, and the temporal and morphologic evolution of both phenomena. In both cases redundant calibrations and background noise extraction procedures are planned. This is a quantitative research project in the field of both photonic/plasma physics and biophysics, and it is based on very well tested previous experimental research on plasma light-phenomena and on a theoretical biophysics background concerning the brain electric activity. Of most importance, a correlation between VLF-ELF data and bioelectric activity is searched. This group has already at their disposal at least one "test subject" who is very willing to participate to this kind of experiments. The goal of this research project is twofold: a) to verify quantitatively the existence of one very particular kind of mind-matter interaction and to study in real time its physical and biophysical manifestations; b) to repeat the same kind of experiment using the same test-subject in different locations and under various conditions of geomagnetic activity.


This thesis investigates the history of the debate about the limits to economic
growth. It asks how it came about that the emerging concerns of natural scientists
and physical modellers were scorned by economists and, at least after 1980, largely
ignored by governments and policy-makers world-wide.
The unprecedented character of economic growth in the twentieth century is
examined and its roots, scale and relationship to cheap energy is analysed, as well
as the conflict between the pre-analytic assumptions of the two disciplines most
concerned with the debate-economics and the natural sciences. The increasingly
self-conscious pursuit of economic growth is explored as is the process by which
growth was adopted as the self-evident solution to all social problems, .displacing
ideas about equity and fairness.
It is argued that the newly consolidated corporations that emerged in the US at the
tum of the twentieth century progressively banded together to sell not just their
products but 'free enterprise' itself, a system tied to ever-continuing growth. That
investigation gives rise to a history of corporate ideological campaigns against
organised labour, democratic oversight and government 'interference', especially
regulation and taxation-campaigns readily adapted to resisting environmental
priorities.
The thesis examines how these established techniques-propaganda and the
straightforward buying of influence-were augmented after 1970 by the
construction of a vast research apparatus dedicated to business interests and values,
and designed to exert determinate influence over government policy. Its sources of
funding and expertise are explored. It is argued that this institutional expansion has
been instrumental in naturalising and strengthening the economic paradigm,
'mysteriously' detached from the physical world on which it relies, giving
economists pre-eminent influence within governments and bureaucracies and
turning the pursuit of economic growth into everyday common sense.


In this stunning act of synthesis, Abraham Edel captures the entire range of Aristotle's thought in a manner that will prove attractive and convincing to a contemporary audience. Many philosophers approach Aristotle with their own, rather than his, questions. Some cast him as a partisan of a contemporary school. Even the neutral approach of classical scholarship often takes for granted questions that reflect our modern ways of dissecting the world. Aristotle and His Philosophy shows him at work in asking and answering questions. Abraham Edel fashions a sound comparative way of using current analysis to deepen our understanding of Aristotle rather than argue with or simply appropriate him. Edel examines how Aristotle's basic ideas operated in his scientific and humanistic works, what they enabled him to do, what they kept him from doing, and what in turn we can learn from his philosophical experimentation. The purpose of this volume is twofold: to provide a comprehensive introduction to Aristotle's thought, and to throw fresh light on its patterned and systematic character. First, tracing the pattern in Aristotle's metaphysical and physical writings, he then explores the psychology, epistemology, ethics and politics, rhetoric and poetics. In the process, Edel discusses the way interpretations of Aristotle are built up and how different philosophical outlooks--Catholic, Hegelian, Marxian, linguistic, naturalistic, and pragmatic--have affected the reading of Aristotelian texts and ideas. The new introduction probes the general problem of interpreting a philosophy, and suggests how working through the different interpretations can contribute to a fuller understanding. This methodological self-consciousness makes Aristotle and His Philosophy markedly different from other studies of Aristotle. Martha C. Nussbaum of Brown University has described Edel as having "philosophical sensitivity and good sense throughout. His scholarship is comprehensive, but handled with grace and clarity."


Abstract All but ignored by historians of rhetoric, Quintilian 's meditations on improvisation not only allow us to situate the Institutio Oratoria more firmly in its historical context but also require us to confront issues of performance, issues which (again) have been largely overlooked in historical studies of rhetoric. Quintilian's many references to extemporaneous speech participate in a broader argument the author advances against what he sees as the unscrupulous activities of the delatores (informers working in the service of the Emperors) and the theory of oratory implicit in their oratorical practices. In particular, Quintilian uses the topic of improvisation as an argumentative vehicle to reject the dependence of the delatores on natural ability, to parody their artless attempts at extemporization, and to promote his own educational program based on study, training, and art. Quintilian's discussion of improvisation also invites consideration of oratorical performance: the occasions upon which an orator should switch from a scripted to an improvised mode of performance, the psychological and affective experience of the orator who speaks extemporaneously, and the response of listeners who (according to Quintilian) regard the extemporized oration as more credible, more engaging, and more authentic than the one prepared in advance. For Quintilian, improvisation is the mode of performance to which all oratory should aspire.


Robert Rauschenberg on tour in 1964 and the early globalization of the art world. In 1964, Robert Rauschenberg, already a frequent transatlantic traveler, became even more peripatetic, joining the Merce Cunningham Dance Company as costume and set designer for its first world tour. Rauschenberg and the company visited thirty cities in fourteen countries throughout Europe and Asia. During the tour, he not only devised sets and costumes but also enacted his own performances and created works of art, often using local materials and collaborating with local art communities. In The Great Migrator, Hiroko Ikegami examines Rauschenberg's activities abroad and charts the increasing international dominance of American art during that period. Unlike other writers, who have viewed the export of American art during the 1950s and 1960s as another form of Cold War propagandizing (and famous American artists as cultural imperialists), Ikegami sees the global rise of American art as a cross-cultural phenomenon in which each art community Rauschenberg visited was searching in different ways for cultural and artistic identity in the midst of Americanization. Rauschenberg's travels and collaborations established a new kind of transnational network for the postwar art world-prefiguring the globalization of art before the era of globalization. Ikegami focuses on Rauschenberg's stops in four cities: Paris, Venice (where he became the first American to win the Grand Prize at the Venice Biennale), Stockholm, and Tokyo. In each city, she tells us, Rauschenberg's work encountered both enthusiasm and resistance (which was often a reaction against American power). Ikegami's account offers a fresh, nonbinary perspective on the global and the local.


Abstract: Zircon and monazite laser-ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry U–Pb geochronological data for two metasediment samples from the Westing Group, northern Shetland Islands, Scottish Caledonides yield ages between 938 ± 8 and 925 ± 10 Ma (Tonian) for upper amphibolites-facies metamorphism. Texturally early metamorphism is recorded by a migmatitic garnet + sillimanite + plagioclase + muscovite + biotite assemblage, which formed at c. 650–700 °C and 7 kbar. Subsequent reworking resulted in the growth of a secondary garnet + kyanite + plagioclase + muscovite + biotite assemblage at c. 650 °C and 8–9 kbar. In situ electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) U–Th–Pb chemical dating of monazite hosted within garnet grains and the matrix of one sample also give Tonian ages, apparently indicating that all the metamorphism occurred during the Neoproterozoic. However, the dominant structural fabrics appear to have formed during the Ordovician–Silurian Caledonian orogeny, suggesting that the reworking was substantially younger despite the apparent absence of Caledonian monazite or zircon ages. Detrital zircons are consistent with Laurentia–Baltica provenance. Deposition of the Westing Group is constrained to between c. 1030 and 930 Ma. The timing of Tonian metamorphism suggests possible correlations with sequences elsewhere in the northern Caledonides, including the Krummedal Succession of East Greenland and Laurentian-derived successions in Svalbard and northern Norway. Supplementary material: U–Pb LA-ICPMS and EPMA data are available at http://www.geolsoc.org/SUP18379.


Heavy physical work can result in physiological stress and suppressed immune function. Accordingly, long-distance migrant birds that fly for thousands of km within days can be expected to show immunosuppression, and hence be more vulnerable to infections en route. The red knot Calidris canutus Linnaeus is a long-distance migrant shorebird. We flew red knots the equivalent of 1500 km over 6 days in a wind tunnel. The humoral and cell-mediated immune responses of the flyers were compared to those of non-flying controls. Humoral immunity was measured as antibody production against injected diphtheria and tetanus antigens, and cell-mediated response as phytohemagglutinin-induced wing-web swelling. Blood corticosterone levels, which may modulate immune function, were measured in parallel. The long flights had no detectable effects on humoral or cell-mediated immune responses, or on corticosterone levels. Thus, flight performance per se may not be particularly stressful or immunosuppressive in red knots. Some birds assigned as flyers refused to fly for extended periods. Before flights started, these non-flyers had significantly lower antibody responses against tetanus than the birds that carried out the full flight program. This suggests that only birds in good physical condition may be willing to take on heavy exercise. We conclude that these long-distance migrants appear well adapted to the work load induced by long flights, enabling them to cope with long flight distances without increased stress levels and suppression of immunity. Whether this also applies in the wild, where the migrating birds may face adverse weather and food conditions, remains to be investigated.


Bryan Caplan's The Myth of the Rational Voter popularizes the "near-neoclassical" demand curve for irrationality. This article attempts to show that there is a demand for irrationality at prices higher than zero. This may change policy implications. Many instances of consumer behavior, such as paying a premium for locally produced and "fair trade" goods, the use of local currencies, and the failure to vaccinate children, are other instances of the means-ends irrationality that Caplan observes in political markets.


Sustainable growth organizations that create environmental and social efficiency in the development of economic performance would become highly competitive and strengthen their reputation in the eye of stakeholders and marketplaces. In contrast, companies lacking sustainability perspectives would be faced with difficulty in responding to government regulations, supporting stakeholders' and the public's demands, and complying with environmental and social performance disclosures. The study is motivated by the current practice of activity based costing (ABC) which, to date, has not recognized environmental and social costs and/or separated them from overheads to create more accurate cost information for decision-making and sustainability reporting initiatives.

The literature review also demonstrates that there is a need for a conceptual model or theoretical framework for environmental management accounting (EMA) and social management accounting (SMA) to be developed for more accurate cost accounting data on environmental and social impacts. Without further research, companies appear to lack a system that accurately captures costs and provides information to support internal decision making and external disclosure initiatives. There is a need for an accounting framework or conceptual model to measure costs of improvements in society and the environment, while adding value to organizations and making them more sustainable.

This study, therefore, designed a sustainability management accounting system (SMAS) combining environmental management accounting (EMA) and social management accounting (SMA) concepts and practices as a new conceptual model for sustainable growth organizations. A SMAS is also designed to expand on activity based costing (ABC) application using a cost allocation and analysis approach to create more accurate cost information while fully costing for effective decision-making and external reporting initiatives. In establishing an appropriate conceptual model, the study used mixed methods combining quantitative and qualitative research approaches to collect and analyse data to triangulate findings. Three theories—deep ecology, Marx's labour theory of value, and stakeholder theory—were fused to examine ethical and moral obligations in identifying cost accounting data of environment and social impacts to support internal decision-making and address stakeholders' concerns.

The results of this study indicate that companies were looking for ways to improve cost identification and measurement of environment and social impacts. Companies were intending to change to new management accounting practices to separately identify and measure these costs for more effective decision-making. A Sustainability Management Accounting System (SMAS) conceptual model designed by this study would support companies to meet data accuracy needs. Applying ABC application in a design of a SMAS creates more accurate cost information, thus fully costing products to effectively enhance internal management decisions and develop tracking and reporting systems. By adopting such a system, it would support companies in becoming strong, sustainable growth organizations capable of creating economic, environmental and social value both immediately and in the future, whilst complying with government regulations and external reporting initiatives such NGER or GRI.

Further research is suggested in terms of identifying effective management accounting practices for environmental and social cost dimension in service manufacturing companies to meet sustainability objectives. Further research is also suggested in terms of financial management accounting for more precise financial disclosures in addressing the concerns of stakeholders and the public.


Background: Certain enzymatic biomarkers such as matrix metalloproteinase (MMPs) are instrumental in the breast cancer. Hence, they are viewed as predictive biomarkers in the primary prognosis of this type of cancer. Furthermore, they enjoy a predictive value in the evaluation of the disease, recurrence of tumor, invasion of tumor cells to other areas as well as therapeutic outcomes. The present study aimed to determine the association between the expression of the three tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases-1 (TIMP1), MMP2, and MMP9 genes and axillary lymph nodes involvement in patients with breast cancer. Methods: Patients in this study were categorized into two groups, first with axillary lymph nodes involvement (as the case group) and second group without the involvement of axillary lymph nodes (as the control group) referred to Cancer Institute at Imam Khomeini Hospital in Tehran in 2016. The gene expression was assessed using the reverse transcription polymerase-chain reaction technique. Results: There was no significant difference in the mRNA level of MMP2 and MMP9 genes between the cancer tissues with and without axillary lymph node metastasis in comparison with normal samples. However, the mRNA level of TIMP1 gene was considerably higher in the cancer tissue with axillary lymph node metastasis as compared to the samples without metastasis. In other words, the presence of axillary lymph node metastasis induced a 77.8-fold increase in mRNA expression when compared to condition without metastasis. Conclusions: The expression of TIMP1 gene is strongly associated with axillary lymph node metastasis in breast cancer patients.


We show that the introduction of a new asset affects the prices of previously existing assets in a market. Using data from 254 IPOs in emerging markets, we find that stocks in industries that covary highly with the industry of the IPO experience a larger decline in prices relative to other stocks during the month of the IPO. The effects are stronger when the IPO is issued in a market that is less integrated internationally, and when the IPO is big. The evidence supports the idea that the composition of asset supply affects the cross-section of stock prices.


AbstrA ct The thriving commercial trade in rattan and rattan products is worth an estimated US$10 million per annum in Central Africa alone. Although the harvest and use of rattan products provides income and employment to many people reliant on forest products, their uncontrolled exploitation, coupled with habitat loss, has led to considerable resource depletion. Recent attempts to improve rattan sustainability in West and Central Africa have focused on farmer-based trials aimed at product intensification through on-farm cultivation. Our findings show that although the cultivation of these resources has proven economic and ecological potential, particularly in multi-strata agroforestry systems, farmer adoptability has, up until now, proven to be low due to the influence of a wide range of socio-economic factors, notably land and resource tenure issues and the reluctance of farmers to try new, untested, crops. While the rattan resource continues to be a valuable source of income for rural livelihoods, with continued exploitation the long-term prospects for sustainable harvest of the resource itself remain uncertain.


During hypoglycemia, cerebral blood flow (CBF) does not increase significantly until peripheral glucose levels are very low (2.0 nmol/l), that is, well below the blood glucose threshold for impairment of cognitive function (3.0 nmol/l). Because increased rates of cerebral blood flow will increase glucose transport, a failure of flow to rise earlier, before brain function is threatened, might be considered maladaptive. To examine the influence of inducing an earlier rise in CBF during hypoglycemia, eight healthy volunteers participated in three studies using a randomized, placebo-controlled design. In all three studies, a hyperinsulinemic (60 mU · m2 · min−1) clamp was used to maintain blood glucose levels at 4.5 nmol/l for 60 min. Thereafter, for EUGACZ, blood glucose was maintained at 4.5 nmol/l from 60 to 170 min and at 90 min from the start of this study, and 1-g acetazolamide i.v. was given to induce an early rise in CBF; for HYPO-ACZ, glucose was lowered over 20 min to 2.8 mmol/l and kept at that level for 90 min, and acetazolamide was given 90 min from the start of this study; and for HYPO-CON, glucose was treated as in HYPO-ACZ, and matching placebo was given in place of acetazolamide. Injection of acetazolamide was associated with a 30% rise in right (95% CI24–34%) and left (20–32%) middle cerebral artery velocity (an index of CBF) during euglycemia without any change in hypoglycemia awareness or counterregulatory hormone levels. When glucose was lowered to 2.8 nmol/l, acetazolamide caused a similar rise in middle cerebral artery velocity in the HYPO-ACZ study. However, all subjects were less "aware" of hypoglycemia, had fewer adrenergic symptoms (sweating, palpitations, tremors; all P < 0.05), and had lower plasma epinephrine levels (1,026 vs. 1,790 pmol/l; –764 [437 to 1,097] pmol/l, point estimate of difference [95% CI]; P < 0.001), compared with the HYPO-CON study, whereas levels of other counterregulatory hormones and norepinephrine were similar. Cognitive function (latency of the P300 evoked response) was unaffected by increasing CBF. In conclusion, enhanced rates of cerebral blood flow at the onset of systemic hypoglycemia are associated with diminished perception of low blood glucose levels and attenuation of the epinephrine counterregulatory response. These findings suggest that augmenting cerebral blood flow leads to an enhanced rate of substrate delivery to the central nervous system.


Symposium No. 2 on Technical Library Techniques, Division of Chemical Education of the American Chemical Society, 107th meeting, Cleveland, Ohio, April 4, 1944.


A bidirectional data signal input scheme of a semiconductor optical amplifier--Mach-Zehnder interferometer (SOA-MZI) wavelength converter was proposed and experimentally verified for a nonreturn-to-zero (NRZ)-format signal. Theoretical analyses reveal that it is possible to mitigate the patterning effect induced by cross-gain modulation (XGM) by utilizing the difference of the ratio between the XGM and cross-phase modulation on the injection directions of data signals. A hybrid integrated SOA-MZI all-optical wavelength converter, in which the coupling loss between the SOA and the silica waveguide was as small as 1 dB owing to a unique active alignment technique, was used for the experiment. We have verified the superior characteristics of the proposed operation scheme for the first time. Error-free wavelength-conversion operation for an NRZ signal at 40 Gb/s was confirmed


Glaucoma often requires an individualized treatment, combining pharmacotherapy (topical and sometimes systemic), with laser treatment and surgery. Prostaglandin analogues, beta‑blockers and adrenergic agonists are still the gold standard in glaucoma therapy, as single agents or combined. The modern therapy of glaucoma involves combinations of drugs with neuroprotectors of the optic nerve, Rho kinase inhibitors, vasopressin receptors agonists, monoclonal antibodies, agonists of adenosine receptors, and serotoninergic drugs. A modern trend in glaucoma treatment highlights new technologies using stem cells and gene therapy: thus, the administration of genes, gene ablation and stem cell transplant are promising approaches in the management of glaucoma.


Background: Special care dentistry, also known as special needs dentistry includes treating patients who are physically disabled (congenital, traumatic, and/or physiological), medically compromised (systemic, genetic, and/or acquired), and cognitive deficit (mental, sensory, emotional, and/or behavioral) who experience barriers to preventive and routine dental care. Aim: The purpose of this study was to assess the quality of treatment received by the patients in the special care dentistry department using SERVQUAL model. Setting and Design: This descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted at the special care dentistry department, Unit of Oral Medicine and Radiology department. Materials and Methods: The study population consisted of 384 patients treated in the Special care dentistry department from December 2017 – December 2019. Each participant's demographic data and reason for referral was recorded. Participant or the participant's caregiver was asked to fill the expectation questionnaire of the SERVQUAL model and required dental treatment was provided. Post treatment, the participant was asked to fill up the perception questionnaire. Each question was assessed using a 5-point Likert scale. Multiple statistical analyses was done to calculate the discrepancy between perception and expectation scores which is denoted by the statistical term "Gap value." Results: Most patients belonged to the age range of 51–60 years. The commonest reason for referral was being medically compromised. All five domains of the SERVQUAL model showed high expectation, perception scores, and positive gap values. Conclusion: The SERVQUAL model has been validated as an effective service assessment tool. In our study, this SERVQUAL model which was employed in the special care dentistry, Unit of Oral Medicine Department for patients with special needs showed positive expectation and perception scores in all five domains which denotes effective patient care.


Lesion detection in brain Magnetic Resonance Images (MRI) remains a challenging task. State-of-the-art approaches are mostly based on supervised learning making use of large annotated datasets. Human beings, on the other hand, even non-experts, can detect most abnormal lesions after seeing a handful of healthy brain images. Replicating this capability of using prior information on the appearance of healthy brain structure to detect lesions can help computers achieve human level abnormality detection, specifically reducing the need for numerous labeled examples and bettering generalization of previously unseen lesions. To this end, we study detection of lesion regions in an unsupervised manner by learning data distribution of brain MRI of healthy subjects using auto-encoder based methods. We hypothesize that one of the main limitations of the current models is the lack of consistency in latent representation. We propose a simple yet effective constraint that helps mapping of an image bearing lesion close to its corresponding healthy image in the latent space. We use the Human Connectome Project dataset to learn distribution of healthy-appearing brain MRI and report improved detection, in terms of AUC, of the lesions in the BRATS challenge dataset.


Extended product warranties, leasing, and pay-per-use schemes are few examples of how manufacturing companies are shifting their focus from selling products to offering "solutions", combining products and services to maximise customer value. The idea of optimising a system towards the best 'value' is both "intuitive and sensible", and processes such as Value Driven Design (VDD), have been proposed to supplement traditional engineering design methodologies. Yet, value-driven initiatives struggle to communicate their benefits and to demonstrate how value models can solve actual problems. The aim of this paper is to shed light on the evolution of the VDD toolbox, mapping research clusters, applications and case studies from the perspective of how much (and how well) recent contributions have answered the five top-level questions of the VDD research agenda published in 2012. The results of the systematic literature review reveal the emergence of innovative modelling constructs, methods, and tools that help VDD in taking a leap forward in supporting organizations and teams in achieving the long-sought objective of designing for 'value'.


The relationship between growth in white crappie, Pomoxis annularis Rafinesque, and climate, lake morphometry and population density was studied in 103 Texas reservoirs. Growth of age-0 through age-3 white crappie was significantly (P≤0.05) related to latitude, growing season and surface area. Growth of age-1 through age-5 white crappie also was related to annual precipitation. Multiple linear regression models with precipitation and mean catch per unit effort (CPUE) of white crappie as independent variables explained 14–22% of the variation in growth of age-0, -1 and -2 white crappie. By contrast, growth of age-3, -4 and -5 white crappie was unrelated to CPUE. Apparently, between age 2 and 3, the density of white crappie in Texas reservoirs falls below a density-dependent growth threshold beyond which growth is no longer related to density. This density-dependent threshold was most likely related to angler harvest of larger, older white crappie.


The endemic goby Sicyopterus stimpsoni is unique among five species of Hawaiian freshwater fishes because it undergoes rapid metamorphosis of cranial structures during postlarval development These fishes are amphidromous and return after a prolonged stay in the ocean to streams where they are confined to estuaries until completion of cranial restructuring. Within 48 hours after entering fresh water, head width increases significantly, while total length and head length remains unchanged. Weight decreases by approximately 15% during this period. The upper lip enlarges greatly, and the mouth position shifts from terminal to nearly ventral. Shape analysis of radiographs taken from a sequence of fish preserved at two-hour intervals after entering fresh water revealed drastic reallocation of the premaxilla-maxilla complex and dentary. The cranium and most dorsal and caudal structures of the skull remained unchanged. Microscopic observations showed development of a buccal velum, a ridge on the lower lip, and a greatly enlarged upper lip during metamorphosis. In the second half of metamorphosis, tooth buds develop, and a gland in the upper lip becomes prominent After completion of metamorphosis, Sicyopterus stimpsoni is able to climb waterfalls by alternating use of the pelvic sucking-disk and mouth, with which it also is able to scrape diatoms from rock surfaces by rapid rostrocaudal movement of the upper-jaw complex. Anatomical analysis of adult fish suggested a four-bar-linkage model for feeding and climbing; it consists of the (1) cranium, (2)a. hyomandibular-quadrate-triangle, b. lower jaw complex, (3) upper jaw complex, and (4) palatine-ectopterygoid axis. The premaxilla-ethmoidal ligament and interopercular-articular ligament provide elasticity to the model. Non-linear, highly dynamic cranial development with extensive reallocation of cranial function has not been described previously for fishes, and the analysis provides a unique example for the theory of terminal addition during ontogeny of an organism. A relatively small change in structure at the end of larval development has


Rudy Ricciotti has become world-famous thanks to his projects related to transitional zones: first of all, they are bridges and cultural centers with transparent lace facades blending in the urban environment and letting this environment inside the buildings. In the works by this poetic master, the city interior is gradually and unnoticeably flowing into the interior of the building, and the bridges link the fragments of the city like interior doors.A contemporary citizen living in the man-made environment perceives the urban space beyond their apartment or office as a relatively natural environment, which is not subject to full human control. There can be snow, rain, not fully domesticated animals, birds and plants in the city space… The works by Ricciotti blur the boundary between a totally artificial environment of the building interior and a city interior, which is only partially artificial.Probably, as the city environment becomes more controlled by man and the longing for naturalness grows, the discoveries made by Rudy Ricciotti will gain more vital importance and demand in our urbanizing world.


Received on: 12.07.2018 Revised on: 06.01.2019 Accepted on: 09.01.2019 Benzofuranone derivatives are of great interest in medicinal chemistry and have drawn considerable attention due to their diverse pharmacological profiles including anticancer activity. Similarly, chalcones, which are common substructures of numerous natural products belonging to the flavonoid class, feature strong anticancer properties. A novel series of 5.6dihydroxy-2-phenyl-1-benzofuran-3(2H)-one derivatives were designed, synthesized, and characterized. In vitro antitumor activities of the newly synthesized (VA-F) were determined by using human skin cancer cell lines. Antitumor properties of all compounds were determined by 5.6-dihydroxy2-phenyl-1-benzofuran-3(2H)-one (MTT) assay. Cell viability assay for the tested flavone compounds was performed, and the values of the compounds were calculated after 24-hour treatment. Our results indicate that the tested benzofuranone compounds show antitumor activity against human skin cancer cell lines.


AIM
To evaluate if human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) population is getting adequate screening for colon cancer in the highly active anti-retroviral treatment (HAART) era with improved longevity, and the prevalence of polyps and adenomas in this population, when compared with the general population.

METHODS
We conducted retrospective chart review of average-risk HIV population for colon cancer attending our infectious disease clinic. Individuals who underwent diagnostic colonoscopy were excluded. We extracted various demographic, HIV disease-specific and colonoscopy data including histo-pathological reports in the last 10 years. Total population was divided into a study group, who underwent screening colonoscopy and a control group who did not. We analyzed data using standard statistical methods and software.

RESULTS
We found that 25% of average-risk HIV-infected population was screened for colon cancer using colonoscopy. There was no difference in gender and ethnic distribution between the groups. We found wider distribution of age (50-84 years with mean 56 years) in the control group when compared to (50-73 years with mean 58 years) the study group. However, there were 89% of subjects with well-controlled HIV disease measured by HIV RNA copies of < 75 in the study group when compared with 70% in the control group (P < 0.0001). We noticed polyp detection rate of 55% and adenoma detection rate of 32% in HIV population.

CONCLUSION
It is unclear whether HIV or HAART medications play a role in increased prevalence of adenomas. We suggest that when estimating the risk for colonic neoplasms, HIV population should be considered as a high-risk group and screened accordingly.


Training deep neural networks for automatic speech recognition (ASR) requires large amounts of transcribed speech. This becomes a bottleneck for training robust models for accented speech which typically contains high variability in pronunciation and other semantics, since obtaining large amounts of annotated accented data is both tedious and costly. Often, we only have access to large amounts of unannotated speech from different accents. In this work, we leverage this unannotated data to provide semantic regularization to an ASR model that has been trained only on one accent, to improve its performance for multiple accents. We propose Accent Pre-Training (Acc-PT), a semi-supervised training strategy that combines transfer learning and adversarial training. Our approach improves the performance of a state-of-the-art ASR model by 33% on average over the baseline across multiple accents, training only on annotated samples from one standard accent, and as little as 105 minutes of unannotated speech from a target accent.


Dimethyltryptamines are hallucinogenic serotonin-like molecules present in traditional Amerindian medicine (e.g. Ayahuasca, Virola) recently associated with cognitive gains, antidepressant effects and changes in brain areas related to attention, self-referential thought, and internal mentation. Historical and technical restrictions impaired understanding how such substances impact human brain metabolism. Here we used shotgun mass spectrometry to explore proteomic differences induced by dimethyltryptamine (5-methoxy-N, N-dimethyltryptamine, 5-MeO-DMT) on human cerebral organoids. Out of the 6,728 identified proteins, 934 were found differentially expressed in 5-MeO-DMT-treated cerebral organoids. In silico systems biology analyses support 5-MeO-DMT's anti-inflammatory effects and reveal a modulation of proteins associated with the formation of dendritic spines, including proteins involved in cellular protrusion formation, microtubule dynamics and cytoskeletal reorganization. Proteins involved in long-term potentiation were modulated in a complex manner, with significant increases in the levels of NMDAR, CaMKII and CREB, but a reduction of PKA and PKC levels. These results offer possible mechanistic insights into the neuropsychological changes caused by the ingestion of substances rich in dimethyltryptamines.


The measurement of surface and sub-surface settlements and surface horizontal movements caused by the construction of a 3M internal diameter tunnel in loose fill material comprising mainly ash and domestic rubbish is described. The maximum ground surface settlement was 81mm recorded over the centre-line of the tunnel and the cross-sectional area of the settlement trough represented 16 per cent of the area of the tunnel face. Sub-surface settlement measurements show that compaction within the fill caused three-quarters of the total surface settlement. Maximum horizontal movements recorded were about 20mm. (Author/TRRL)


. The safety and healthy of pregnant women and their babies is very important. An anticipatory action should be prepared as early as possible to prevent or reduce the high risk of pregnancy. The Poedji Rochjati Score Card (PRSC) is one of the methods that can be used to know the pregnancy risk used by doctors and midwives. This research proposed modeling PRSC using artificial neural network (ANN) method and select the most important factor in determining the pregnancy risks using ReliefF algorithm. The results of early pregnancy risk detection using ANN is expected to assist the process of checking the risk of pregnancy, either by pregnant women or by health workers. Experiment show that the best configuration was using 4 neighborhood parameter of ReliefF algorithm and 5 hidden neuron parameter of Neural Network. And the significant feature are bleeding during pregnancy, baby dies in uterus, never failed pregnancy, had caesarean section, too late pregnant, first pregnancy when age 35 th , age<= 16th, too soon pregnant again, diabetes, blood deficiency, had given birth and was given infusion / transfusion, age> = 35th, pregnant twins 2 or more.


How readily can we move from writing or talking "about the artist", to talking "in the presence of the artist"? Without the presence of the artist, do we not condemn ourselves to outdated representations, in the third person? In "Jottings on Signature...", I ask what exactly the name of the artist means, and whether or not we should not understand the name invoked to stand for a body of creative work which is unfinished, dynamic, driven, and im-pressed with signature marks that are - paradoxically - recognisable, always new, qualitatively transformed, and likely to surprise? "Signature" fell out of favour - in theory - in the later decades of the 20thC, yet those who invoke the name of the artist, and who thereby reference a body of work, are always also identifying signature marks and their effects.


The exploitation of the relationship between the chemical and physical properties of materials is the hallmark of advancing science throughout the world. The basic understanding of how and why molecules react and interact with each other in different environments allows for the discovery and implementation of new materials and devices that not only advance the state of human life but continually change the planet. The work described in this dissertation generally falls under three diverse categories: functionalization of fullerenes, investigation of host/guest interactions in solution, and the synthesis and characterization of ion containing polymers. The separation and functionalization of fullerenes is a recent and exciting area of research. The separation methods outlined are intended to increase the availability of endohedral metallofullerenes by decreasing their cost of production. Functionalized fullerene species were achieved through Bingel and Prato reactions to provide materials with novel functional groups. These materials may be further utilized in photovoltaic or other organic electronic devices. The characterization of noncovalent interactions between different molecules in solution is the focus of supramolecular chemistry. Isothermal Titration Calorimetry stands out as one of the best, among the many methods used to elucidate the characteristics of these systems. The binding of bisimidazolium and paraquat guests with macrocyclic host molecules has been explored in this work. The measurements of the association constants for these systems will aid in the ongoing synthesis of new host/guest systems. Ion containing polymers were synthesized and characterized for their use in electroactive devices. Imidazolium containing polymers with bulky anions were synthesized on low glass transition polymer chains. These materials had enhanced ion conductivity and may eventually be used in electronic actuator materials.


In this paper, we consider the problem of estimating a parameter α that can be expressed as a nonlinear function of sample means. We develop a jackknife estimator for α that is appropriate to computational settings in which the total computer budget to be used is constrained. Despite the fact that the jackknifed observations are not i.i.d., we are able to show that our jackknife estimator reduces bias without increasing asymptotic variance. This makes the estimator particularly suitable for small sample applications. Because a special case of this estimator problem is that of estimating a ratio of two means, the results in this paper are partinent to regenerative steady-state simulations. INFORMS Journal on Computing, ISSN 1091-9856, was published as ORSA Journal on Computing from 1989 to 1995 under ISSN 0899-1499.


Wrongful birth claims are negligence actions brought on behalf of children born with disabilities or genetic disorders that were not properly diagnosed before the child's birth. The plaintiffs, typically the parents of the afflicted child, argue that without the defendant's negligence, the parents would have had the opportunity to prevent the child's birth and subsequent condition by choosing to terminate the pregnancy. A number of states have responded to the growing prevalence of wrongful birth claims by enacting legislation that bars plaintiffs from bringing wrongful birth actions. These statutes, however, pose a threat to the parental rights of disabled or terminally ill children, as they diminish abortion rights and bar parents from recovering the enormous medical and emotional damages of giving birth to the afflicted child. States should not prohibit this cause of action and, instead, the merits of these claims should be decided through


Atlantic humpback dolphins Sousa teuszii are a priority for research due to their restricted geographic range, narrow ecological niche and the paucity of existing information. The distribution and behaviour of S. teuszii off Flamingos, southern Angola, was investigated during summer and winter 2008 using boat- and shore-based surveys. In all, 71 S. teuszii sightings were recorded, ranging from one to eight animals. Sousa teuszii inhabited shallow, nearshore waters throughout the region, with the exception of southern areas adjacent to fishing villages. Small bays, sheltered waters behind reef-breaks and areas off dry river mouths were used for foraging/feeding behaviour, whereas most travelling occurred along exposed coast. Ten individual S. teuszii were photo-identified. Multiple resightings (and absence of unmarked animals) indicate that all individuals present at the time of the surveys were photocaptured, exhibited high site fidelity and had year-round occurrence. Association indices of 0.77-1.0 indicated strong social affiliation between eight individuals, particularly in winter. Off Flamingos, S. teuszii occurs in small numbers and exhibits high site fidelity to a relatively small stretch of nearshore habitat, making the species vulnerable to local extirpation. Wider-scale surveys and development of a management plan are crucial to ensuring the long-term conservation of S. teuszii off Flamingos.


We are on the verge of the nation's worst nursing shortage in history. Dedicated nurses are leaving hospitals in droves, and there are not enough new recruits to the profession to meet demand. Even hospitals that were once very highly regarded for the quality of their nursing care, such as Boston's Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, now struggle to fill vacant positions. What happened? Dana Beth Weinberg argues that hospital restructuring in the 1990s is to blame. In their attempts to retain profit margins or even just to stay afloat, hospitals adopted a common set of practices to cut costs and increase revenues. Many strategies squeezed greater productivity out of nurses and other hospital workers. Nurses' workloads increased to the point that even the most skilled nurses questioned whether they could provide minimal, safe care to patients. As hospitals hemorrhaged money, it seemed that no one-not hospital administrators, not doctors-felt they could afford to listen to nurses. Through a careful look at the effects of the restructuring strategies chosen and implemented by Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, the author examines management's efforts to balance service and survival. By showing the effects of hospital restructuring on nurses' ability to plan, evaluate, and deliver excellent care, Weinberg provides a stinging indictment of standard industry practices that underestimate the contribution nurses make both to hospitals and to patient care.


In this PhD-thesis new synthetic approaches towards new azetidinone derivatives are described. In particular, 4-alkyliden-β-lactams were used as starting materials for the preparation of new biologically active compounds.

The carbapenem Thienamycin has got a broad spectrum of activity as antibiotic. It has got 3 stereocenters and apart of one epimer, all isomers have been synthesized. Using the 4-alkyliden-β-lactam benzilyc ester as precursor, we developed a synthesis for this missing epimer, which is described in chapter II. Biological tests in order to establish its biological activity are under way.

The Hunsdiecker-Borodine reaction was extensively studied for the preparation of the mono halogenated and – surprisingly – the dihalogenated derivative from the 4-alkyliden-azetidinone carboxylic acid. The herein described synthetic procedures allowed the preparation of chloro-, bromo- and iodo derivatives in good to excellent yield. Furthermore, the reaction mechanism was investigated by NMR-experiments and is described in detail in chapter III.
In chapter IV, synthetic approaches towards new β-lactam derivatives for inhibition of the histone deacetylase enzymes (HDACs) are reported. In collaboration with the company Sigma-Tau (Rome), 14 new β-lactams were synthesized. The new β-lactams were evaluated for the activity showing a promising activityparticulary, 10 of the β-lactams synthesized were evaluated for the in vitro inhibitory activity against the 11 human HDACs isoforms and they showed a selective inhibition of HDAC6 or HDAC8 in micromolar range.

Finally, preliminary studies were conducted for the employment of 4-alkyliden-β-lactams as precursors for the synthesis of chiral β-amino acids by an opening of the β-lactam ring. In chapter V is described the ring opening reaction catalyzed by the enzyme lipase Cal-B. Preliminary results have shown that the enzyme not only catalyzes the ring opening of the β-lactam precursor, moreover, it leads to the formation of a cyclic dimer by the reaction of two molecules of β-amino acid obtained.


Water infiltration rate (WIR) into the soil profile was investigated through a comprehensive study harnessing spectral information of the soil surface. As soil spectroscopy provides invaluable information on soil attributes, and as WIR is a soil surface-dependent property, field spectroscopy may model WIR better than traditional laboratory spectral measurements. This is because sampling for the latter disrupts the soil-surface status. A field soil spectral library (FSSL), consisting of 114 samples with different textures from six different sites over the Mediterranean basin, combined with traditional laboratory spectral measurements, was created. Next, partial least squares regression analysis was conducted on the spectral and WIR data in different soil texture groups, showing better performance of the field spectral observations compared to traditional laboratory spectroscopy. Moreover, several quantitative spectral properties were lost due to the sampling procedure, and separating the samples according to texture gave higher accuracies. Although the visible near-infrared–shortwave infrared (VNIR–SWIR) spectral region provided better accuracy, we resampled the spectral data to the resolution of a Cubert hyperspectral sensor (VNIR). This hyperspectral sensor was then assembled on an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to apply one selected spectral-based model to the UAV data and map the WIR in a semi-vegetated area within the Alento catchment, Italy. Comprehensive spectral and WIR ground-truth measurements were carried out simultaneously with the UAV–Cubert sensor flight. The results were satisfactorily validated on the ground using field samples, followed by a spatial uncertainty analysis, concluding that the UAV with hyperspectral remote sensing can be used to map soil surface-related soil properties.


Interview with Robert Bean, a veteran who was wounded in action during World War II from Kirbyville, Texas. The transcript includes a list of questions, which focus on Bean's service with the 12th Armored Infantry Division of the U.S. Army in France and Germany, including his injuries and experience liberating two concentration camps.


With an increasing number of mobile devices and their high accessibility, protecting the implementation of cryptographic functions in the presence of physical adversaries has become more relevant than ever. Over the last decade, a lion's share of research in this area has been dedicated to developing countermeasures at an algorithmic level. Here, masking has proven to be a promising approach due to the possibility of formally proving the implementation's security solely based on its algorithmic description by elegantly modeling the circuit behavior. Theoretically verifying the security of masked circuits becomes more and more challenging with increasing circuit complexity. This motivated the introduction of security notions that enable masking of single gates while still guaranteeing the security when the masked gates are composed. Systematic approaches to generate these masked gates – commonly referred to as gadgets – were restricted to very simple gates like 2-input AND gates. Simply substituting such small gates by a secure gadget usually leads to a large overhead in terms of fresh randomness and additional latency (register stages) being introduced to the design. In this work, we address these problems by presenting a generic framework to construct trivially composable and secure hardware gadgets for arbitrary vectorial Boolean functions, enabling the transformation of much larger sub-circuits into gadgets. In particular, we present a design methodology to generate first-order secure masked gadgets which is well-suited for integration into existing Electronic Design Automation (EDA) tools for automated hardware masking as only the Boolean function expression is required. Furthermore, we practically verify our findings by conducting several case studies and show that our methodology outperforms various other masking schemes in terms of introduced latency or fresh randomness – especially for large circuits.


: This study investigates how familiarity and initial contact with species can be explained by social-demographic variables in an arid environment of Argentina. Our main objectives were to investigate which species children are familiar with, and analyse the effect of place of residence, sex and age on students' knowledge and initial contact with species. In total, 1746 students between 7 and 18 years old participated in the study, from 25 urban and 19 rural schools. Students were asked to write down ten animals and ten plants, and to indicate where they had seen them for the first time. Children were able to name an important number of species but they were mostly acquainted with exotic ones. Familiarity with species and the use of different sources of information can be explained by interactions between the studied factors, while place of residence was not as significant as we expected. Sex was an important explanatory variable, likely influenced by differences in roles and children activities' preferences. It is necessary to improve the knowledge on native species, particularly those with conservation problems by using information sources close to nature, without neglecting the knowledge of the exotic species that children showed more familiarity from everyday life. ABSTRACT This study investigates how familiarity and initial contact with species can be explained by social-demographic variables in an arid environment of Argentina. Our main objectives were to investigate which species children are familiar with, and analyse the effect of place of residence, sex and age on students' knowledge and initial contact with species. In total, 1746 students between 7 and 18 years old participated in the study, from 25 urban and 19 rural schools. Students were asked to write down ten animals and ten plants, and to indicate where they had seen them for the first time. Children were able to name an important number of species but they were mostly acquainted with exotic ones. Familiarity with species and the use of different sources of information can be explained by interactions between the studied factors, while place of residence was not as significant as we expected. Sex was an important explanatory variable, likely influenced by differences in roles and children activities' preferences. It is necessary to improve the knowledge on native species, particularly those with conservation problems by using information sources close to nature, without neglecting the knowledge of the exotic species that children showed more familiarity from everyday life.