The support resources available to e-coaching vary greatly from organization to organization, and even within organizations, remaining a critical factor in the long-term success of any organization. Lately, like never before, organizations are increasingly challenged to discover new and efficient approaches to support and enhance their performance. In this context, e-coaching stands as a significant approach for enhancing organizational performance. In Romania, e-coaching is emerging as a relatively new field, in spite of its' being used by organizations from other countries for quite some time. This paper describes current empirical findings regarding the use of an e-coaching set of measures which combines phone coaching and internet-based (virtual) coaching. The current research particularly studies how sustainable coaching is, through the analysis of customers' satisfaction regarding self development, but also related to the coaching reasons as well as the degree of goal attainment, after the end of the three coaching sessions. The study focuses mainly on coaching effectiveness. Within this study, a professional coach provided three coaching sessions to 28 customers. A quantitative analysis was conducted, data being therefore collected by questionnaire. Findings suggest that participants are satisfied by both technological procedures (telephone and internet-based coaching). The paper also highlights the advantages and the limits of the e-coaching approach in organizational practice, by comparing it to face-to-face coaching. In addition, findings also prove that a blended approach, which supposes that combination of the technology-mediated coaching sessions with the traditional face-to-face coaching approach, can deliver positive outcomes. The purpose and objectives of this study are to shed light on the academic research focusing on telephone coaching combined with an internet-based (virtual) coaching.


The Archean sub-seafloor has been proposed as an environment for the emergence of life, with septate clusters of titanite microtextures in pillow lava rims argued to be the earliest traces of microbial microboring. Here we use nanoscale secondary ion mass spectrometry (NanoSIMS) to test possible geochemical traces of life in ca. 3.45 Ga pillow lavas of the Barberton Greenstone Belt, South Africa. Sulfide inclusions in the titanite microtextures record strongly negative sulfur isotope fractionations of δ 34 S VCDT –39.8‰ to –3.2‰ (VCDT—Vienna Canyon Diablo Troilite). These represent the largest range and most negative δ 34 S values so far reported from the Archean, and are consistent with an early biogenic origin for the sulfides. Extensive in situ elemental mapping did not find any organic linings associated with the microtextures, despite the high spatial resolution and sensitivity of the NanoSIMS. The absence of organic linings thus excludes a key line of evidence previously used to support the biogenicity of the microtextures. In contrast, in situ sulfur isotope analysis of basalt-hosted sulfides provides an alternative approach to investigating the existence and nature of an Archean subseafloor biosphere.


Premaxillary tooth count tends to be stable amongst toothed dinosaurs, and most theropods have four teeth in each premaxilla. Only one case of bilaterally asymmetric variation is known in theropod premaxillary dentition, and there is no record of ontogenetic or individual variation in premaxillary tooth count. Based on these observations, a tyrannosaurid left premaxilla with three teeth (TMP 2007.20.124) is an interesting deviation and represents an unusual individual of Daspletosaurus sp. with a developmental abnormality. The lower number of teeth is coupled with relatively larger alveoli, each of which is capable of hosting a larger than normal tooth. This indicates that tooth size and dental count vary inversely, and instances of reduction in tooth count may arise from selection for increased tooth size. On the other hand, the conservative number of premaxillary teeth in most theropods implies strong developmental constraints and a functional trade-off between the dimensions of the premaxillary alveolar margin and the size of the teeth. In light of recent advances in the study of tooth morphogenesis, tooth count is a function of two parameters: dimensions of an odontogenic field for a tooth series, and dimensions of tooth positions. A probable developmental cause for the low tooth count of TMP 2007.20.124 is that the dimensions of the alveoli expanded by approximately a third during tooth morphogenesis. Numerical traits such as tooth count are difficult to treat in a phylogenetic analysis. When formulating a phylogenetic character, a potential alternative to simply counting is to rely on the morphological signature for developmental parameters that control the number of the element in question.


This dissertation investigates the physical mechanics of collective cell migration in monolayers of epithelial cells. Coordinated cell motion underlies a number of biological processes, including wound healing, morphogenesis and cancer metastasis, and is controlled by the interplay of single cell motility, cell-cell adhesions, cell-substrate interaction, and cell contractility modulated by the acto-myosin cytoskeleton. Here we examine the competing roles of these mechanisms via a continuum model of a tissue as an active elastic medium, where mechanical deformations are coupled to and feed back onto chemical signaling. We begin in Chapter 1 with a brief review of cell migration at both the single-cell and many-cell levels, and of the experimental tools used to probe the mechanical properties of cells and tissues. In Chapter 2 we formulate our minimal continuum model of a tissue as an overdamped active elastic medium on a frictional substrate. The model couples mechanical deformations in the tissue to myosin-based contractile activity and to cell polarization. Two new ingredients of our model are: (i) a feedback between the on-off dynamics of myosin motors and the active contractile stresses they induce in the tissue, and (ii) the coupling of cell directed motion or polarization to tissue strain. In the following two chapters we employ this model to describe collective cell dynamics in expanding (Chapter 3) and confined (Chapter 4) tissues and compare with experiments. In expanding monolayers, as realized for instance in wound healing assays where an initially confined tissue is allowed to expand freely on a substrate, our model reproduces the propagating waves of mechanical stress observed in experiments and believed to play a key role in controlling the transmission of information across the tissue and mediating coordinated cell motion. Combining analytical and numerical work we construct a phase diagram that identifies various dynamical regimes in terms of single-cell properties, such as contractility and stiffness. In Chapter 4, we use our model to describe collective dynamics of cells confined to a circular geometry. In this case the propagating waves are replaced by standing sloshing waves guided by both contractility and polarization. The work on confined tissues was carried out in collaboration with the experimental group of Jeff Fredberg at the Harvard School of Public Health. By combining theory and experiment we can provide a quantitative understanding of how contractility and polarization regulate the mechanics of the tissue by renormalizing the tissue elastic moduli and controlling the frequency of oscillatory modes. Continuum Models of Collective Migration in Living Tissues


This paper investigates a Modified Uniform Triangular Array (MUTA) to support online space-time MIMO-CDMA location based services with full azimuthal coverage via JADE-MUSIC algorithm. A new space-time lifting preprocessing (STLP) scheme is introduced as a decorrelating process of coherent signals through the dense/NLOS multipath MIMO channel before applying the JADE-MUSIC estimator. Uniform- H-Array (UHA) and Uniform-X-Array (UXA) geometries are established for performance comparisons with the proposed MUTA. Computer simulations under environment Matlab are described to illustrate the performance of online joint angle/delay estimation with MUTA-MIMO base station applying JADE-MUSIC in conjunction with STLP scheme in 360° azimuth region.


The aim of this work was to investigate the influence of the number of regeneration cycles on the removal of ammoniacal nitrogen from aqueous solutions with zeolite clinoptilolite (in its sodium or homo-ionic form). In addition, the obtained results were correlated with the physicochemical properties of regenerated homo-ionic zeolites. A unifactorial experimental design, balanced with permanent effects, was applied to assess the removal of ammoniacal nitrogen with homo-ionic zeolites presenting 0-10 sodium regeneration cycles (ZO-Z10). The experimental conditions of trials were as follows: pH 7, contact time was 30 min, stirring speed was 100 rpm, in completely mixed batch reactors. Samples of natural zeolite (ZN without sodium homo-ionization) and homo-ionic zeolites (Z0-Z10) were used to determine their surface properties by using the BET-N 2 method (surface area (m 2 /g), pore volume (cm 3 /g) and pore diameter (A)). Other determined properties were the zeta potential (by micro-electrophoresis), percentage of elements (by the X-ray disperse spectrometric method) and particle morphology by scanning electronic microscopy. The results have shown that homo-ionic zeolites had a high removal capacity of ammoniacal nitrogen; this and other properties did not change in a significant way, even after a number of regeneration cycles as high as 10.


Objective: This study investigated the influence of different surface treatments on zirconia surface energy, roughness and microshear bond strength. Material and Methods: Forty eight slices of Yttria-stabilized tetragonal zirconia polycrystal (Y-TZP- VITA In-Ceram® YZ for inLab®) (6.4 x 3.2 x 1.6 mm) were divided into 3 groups according to the surface treatment (n = 16): YTZP_control -untreated; YTZP_plasma -surface treatment with non-thermal oxygen plasma; YTZP_primer - coating with ceramic primer. Surface energy (n = 6) was measured with a goniometer; and surface roughness (n = 10) was analyzed with a 3D profilometer were performed over zirconia surface. On the same specimens of surface roughness, on the treated zirconia's surface, resin cement (PANAVIA V5 - Kuraray Noritake Dental) was built up by inserting the resin cement into Tygon tubes (1 mm of internal diameter X 1 mm length).  After 24 h storage, microshear test was assessed. Data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA and Tukey post-hoc test ( p < 0.05). Results: Non-thermal oxygen plasma treated specimens exhibited higher statistically significant surface energy ( p = 0.00) and bond strength ( p = 0.00) when compared to control and primer groups. Roughness test ( p = 0.897) could not detect statistical difference among the tested groups. Conclusion: Non-thermal oxygen plasma should be a suitable alternative for zirconia surface treatment prior to luting hence it improved microshear bond strength and provided higher surface energy without affecting surface roughness. Keywords    Adhesion; Non-thermal plasma; Surface treatment.


Market has long been used as a benchmark for economic value in various areas of law. However, a crucial question has received less than adequate attention: what type of market should be used in the market benchmark? More specifically, given all of the "imperfections" one typically finds in the day-to-day markets, how "perfect" does a market have to be in order to qualify as a benchmark for economic value? This Article discusses this question using the countervailing duty law as a case study. The countervailing duty law allows the United States to impose countervailing duties on imported merchandise to offset "subsidies" conferred by foreign governments upon such merchandise. In identifying and measuring subsidies, the countervailing duty law utilizes a market benchmark, i.e., whether the government action under investigation is on terms more favorable than those available in the market. After tracing the evolution of the market benchmark analysis in the countervailing duty law, I demonstrate that the market benchmark analysis, as currently formulated in the countervailing duty law, envisions a "perfect" or "near-perfect" market, i.e., a market that is "undistorted" by the government action under investigation. I further demonstrate the pitfalls of this perfect-market approach by critiquing the basis on which a market is rejected as distorted, the basis on which alternative benchmarks are selected, and the fundamental disconnect between the perfect-market approach and the purpose of the countervailing duty law.


By combining cloud computing and Peer-to-Peer computing, a P2P storage cloud can be formed to offer highly available storage services, lowering the economic cost by exploiting the storage space of participating users. However, since cloud severs and users are usually outside the trusted domain of data owners, P2P storage cloud brings forth new challenges for data security and access control when data owners store sensitive data for sharing in the trusted domain. Moreover, there are no mechanisms for access control in P2P storage cloud. To address this issue, we design a ciphertext-policy attribute-based encryption (ABE) scheme and a proxy re-encryption scheme. Based on them, we further propose a secure, efficient and fine-grained data Access Control mechanism for P2P storage Cloud named ACPC. We enforce access policies based on user attributes, and integrate P2P reputation system in ACPC. ACPC enables data owners to delegate most of the laborious user revocation tasks to cloud servers and reputable system peers. Our security analysis demonstrates that ACPC is provably secure. The performance evaluation shows that ACPC is highly efficient under practical settings, and it significantly reduces the computation overheads brought to data owners and cloud servers during user revocation, compared with other state-of-the-art revocable ABE schemes.


The precise relationship between transportation and land use continues to elude us. It seems self-evident that transportation facilities and services have enormous effects on land use patterns. We've all observed developments occur around freeway interchanges, and we all know the history of automobile-oriented suburban development. However, when we look beyond broad generalizations, we see far more complex and uncertain relationships, as well as a cluster of unsubstantiated beliefs.


Background
It is predicted that the end of the Multi-Fibre Agreement (2005) and consequent competition from the Far East will be detrimental to the European Textile and Fashion Industry.
Discussion about standardisation of garment sizes has led to debate over bespoke clothing .(Berry, 2000) Research in the USA reveals that larger sized consumers seek better fitting, comfortable clothing; customisation's underlying principle.(Berry, 2000) It is possible that the declining British knitting industry (Orton, Gurdeep and Courtney, 2004) can move into associated niche markets.
The 'outsize' clothing market is expanding; currently twenty four million adult Britons are overweight , whereas in 1980 only 2.5 million were classed as such. (Laurance, 2004) The average British woman has a proportionally larger stomach and waist than her 1950's counterpart, and is a size 16. Paradoxically, women of size 16 and above find clothes shopping frustrating, humiliating and fruitless. (Shabi, 2004) This contiguity presents an interesting and novel area of investigation.
UK consumers spend £23 billion a year on clothing , when viewed in the context that two thirds of British women are overweight (Laurance, 2004) , a picture develops of a dissatisfied yet growing market.

Aims and Outcomes
Is the primary value of knitted fabric on larger bodies its inherent stretch? This research questions whether such a method of achieving fit is satisfactory by exploring shaping methods in combination with direct body shape data. It also challenges the 'norm' of the size 12 woman, (disproved by SizeUK findings) and the horror of fat which is demonstrated from haute couture (Evans, 2003, p85-96) to the high street (Shabi, 2004).
Outcomes are anticipated to include creating a vocabulary common to both designers and technicians, thereby enabling the production of bespoke knitwear for larger women.

Methodology
Case study, qualitative methodologies allow multi-method, reflexive and evolving research within a selected participant group, whilst siting the question in its real-world setting. (Marshall and Rossman, 1999) A pilot study has commenced, the results of which will be available by June 2005.
An electronic survey, derived from the Heath Carter endomorphic somatotypes, (Carter, 1980) is gathering additional body shape information.

Measuring
Measuring the body is by traditional methods and exact body 'clones' of the participants facilitate experiments. Measurements are between pre-established landmarks; negative spaces are gauged and stance documented, establishing the body's proportional girth and silhouette. Drawings, photographs and video provide a visual record and data for knit prototyping.

Knitting
Samples are knitted on a 12gge Shima Seiki 102ff machine and SDS1 system at the University of Brighton. This versatility pursues a thread of the research; enabling bespoke knitwear through a dynamic, digital relationship with the consumer.
Consistency of yarn is established, which pre-supposes the price point of custom made knitwear will initially justify a quality fibre. (Berry, 2000).
Single jersey is the selected structure; it is supple and not as complex to 'read' as other structures when shaped around the body. Purl fabric constructions provide permanent surface-pattern-to-stitch ratios to show distortion. (Smirfitt, 1975), (Spencer, 1983) Narrowing, increasing, stitch quality, gathering, progressive doubling and flechage will add three dimensional shape.
Tests of knitted shapes on the body will make particular note of wrinkling, strain, bulk, flare and drape.

Conclusion
Relationships between body shape and fabric is currently found to be the most contentious over protruding parts of the body, specifically bust, hips, stomach and particularly around the shoulders. Space between body and knitting over concave body areas is directly influenced by the degree of ease introduced elsewhere. The investigation of ease and its application to specific areas represents the ongoing practical content of the research.


Na-Ca-Cl-(HCO3) type waters of Cl content ranging from a few hundred mg/l to more than twice that of seawater widely distribute in the studied area. From the chemical and isotopic compositions and reservoir rock types, these waters are classified into the Arima brines (Type I, Arima-type brine of Matsubaya et al., 1973), dilute carbonated waters from Paleozoic sedimentary rocks (Type II), and those from Cretaceous to Paleogene acidic igenous rocks (Type III). Arima brines are highly saline (Cl = 1, 000 ∼ 36, 000mg/l) and are considered to be mixtures of a unique deep brine of δD = -32‰, δ18O = +10‰ and Cl = 54g/l and bicarbonate-rich dilute waters of meteoric origin. From the chemical and isotopic data presented in this paper and in the light of the high 3He/4He ratios observed in gases of Arima brines (Sano and Wakita, 1985; Nagao et al., 1981), it is likely that the deep brine originates from deep-lying magma underneath the Arima Spa or from sedimentary rocks during metamorphism induced by the magma. Most waters of Types II and III are often carbonated waters of meteoric origin. Chemical compositions of these waters suggest that both of them are formed by interaction between CO2-bearing meteoric water and wall rocks. Among the waters of these groups studied, only the Tojo water (Cl = 6, 380mg/l) exhibited clear evidence of contribution from Arima brines. Other waters have no such sign or are too dilute to find any relation with Arima brines.


The increasing computer power in modern manufacturing machines has given the possibility to integrate advanced computer based control systems. In this work a simulation model for active control of machine-tool vibration in turning operations is described. The model contains both the mechanical structure and the control system. The simulation is done with and without active control. The structure vibration is suppressed by simulating actuators. The simulation is done to get a first indication of the potentials of a proposed new tool holder design and to test the usability of such multidisciplinary simulations as a supporting tool for product development. The results show that it is possible to simulate the total system. The vibrations of the tool holder tip could be decreased significantly by using reasonable forces. The software used was found to be very user friendly and to be able to perform such coupled simulations in this way during product development must be considered to be a great advantage.


We report a case of a six-year-old girl with frequent diarrhea episodes associated with ferroprive anemia from 6 months of age, normal neuromotor development and partial seizures initiated in her 3rd year which was controlled with carbamazepine. CT scan in her 5th year of age demonstrated gyral calcifications in the occipital and posterior parietal regions bilaterally. MRI has shown low signal areas in the axial T2 sequences corresponding to the gyral calcifications evident on the CT. Blood investigation for coeliac disease with antigliadin, endomysial and transglutaminase antibodies was positive and the intestinal biopsy has showed villous atrophy associated with an increased number of intraepithelial lymphocytes and hypertrophic criptae compatible with coeliac disease.


Analyses of the rise of violent vigilantism in Africa have focused increasingly on the 'uncivil' character of African society. This article challenges the recourse to cultural or instrumentalist explanations, in which vigilantism is portrayed as a reversion to violent indigenous institutions of law and order based on secret societies and occultist practices, or is viewed as a product of the contemporary institutional environment of clientelism and corruption in which youth struggle for their share of patronage resources. The social and political complexities of contemporary African vigilantism are revealed through an account of the rise and derailment of the infamous Bakassi Boys vigilante group of south-eastern Nigeria. Based on extensive fieldwork among the shoe producers of Aba who originally formed the Bakassi Boys in 1998, this article traces the process through which popular security arrangements were developed and subsequently hijacked by opportunistic political officials engaged in power struggles between the state and federal governments. Detailing the strategies and struggles involved in the process of political hijack, this inside account of the Bakassi Boys reveals the underlying resilience of civil notions of justice and public accountability in contemporary Africa.


Acquisition of English language skills is vital for the successful integration of children into English-medium Education. Newcomer children who are not proficient in the language of instruction may be left vulnerable to exclusion in the classroom and long-term educational failure (McEachron 1998, Paradis 2005). Targeted linguistic support can increase access to education by prioritizing the development of core linguistic skills such as vocabulary and grammar. 'Language Made Fun', is a joint Ulster University-Barnardos initiative that was developed to investigate English vocabulary and grammar development in a group of newcomer children from various language backgrounds. To address the needs of these children, we developed an individually tailored language intervention programme to facilitate English language development as part of a wider Barnardos family support programme for newcomer pupils and their families. Trained undergraduate student volunteers from both Linguistics and Speech and Language Therapy delivered the interventions for the children. We used formal and informal assessment tools to measure language progress. Main positive outcomes included improvements in receptive vocabulary, morphology, receptive and expressive syntax including an increase in sentence length and complexity. These findings indicate the potential value of an intervention programme such as 'Language made fun', which could be implemented more widely in educational contexts to help support newcomer pupils and their families and teachers.


This paper investigates the effect of the lockdown on COVID-19 infections. After the 22nd of March 2020, the Italian government shut down many economic activities to limit the contagion. Sectors deemed essentials for the economy were, however, allowed to remain active. We exploit the distribution of the density of essential workers across provinces and rich administrative data in a difference in difference framework. We find that a standard deviation increase in essential workers per square kilometre leads to an additional daily registered case per 100,000 inhabitants. This is a sizeable impact, and it represents about 18% of the daily increase in COVID-19 cases after the 22nd of March. Back of envelope computations suggest that the about one third of the cases considered could be attributed to the less stringent lockdown for essential sectors, with an additional 107 million Euros in direct expenditure. Although this assessment should be taken with caution, this suggests that the less stringent lockdown came at moderate public health related economic costs. In addition, we find that these effects are heterogeneous across sectors, with services having a much larger impact than Manufacturing, while there are only small differences across geographic areas. These results are stable across a wide range of specifications and robustness check.


Room temperature atmospheric pressure
microplasma (APM) was deployed for the first time for the in situ synthesis of
anti-bacterial silver nanoparticle / chitosan (AgNP/CS) nanocomposites. The
plasma induced liquid chemistry plays a role in the in situ formation of AgNP,
the size distribution of which depends on the silver salt precursor
concentration. The microplasma process has also simultaneously tailored the
physical properties of the composites, rendering more crosslinked chitosan polymer
network with shorter molecular chains. The formation of AgNP within the in situ modified chitosan has led to
nanocomposites with overall improved mechanical properties and better stability
in simulated body fluid. Our plasma synthesized AgNP/CS nanocomposites also
demonstrate effective antibacterial properties against E. Coli and S. Aureus
bacterial strains, showing their promise in potential antimicrobial
applications.


The goal of Occupational Health and Wellness is to integrate health promotion and disease prevention strategies. This supports a culture of health and well-being within the University community. The University of Guelph is committed to supporting the well-being of the whole person for all University of Guelph staff and faculty through a comprehensive, integrated, evidence-informed workplace health promotion strategy. For more information please visit Wellness@Work [1].


Hungary has been an IMF member since May 1982 and has since benefited from the IMF's lending instruments on 11 occasions. The IMF loans supported economic transformation (in the period between 1988 and 1993), facilitated Hungary in overcoming the transformation recession (in 1996) and helped to tackle economic crisis (in 2008). This paper analyses the two latter IMF loans in order to provide background context to Hungary's IMF negotiations, ongoing since November 2011.Ever since 1982, Hungary could always count on the efficient support of the IMF and – should this be necessary – this may be the case in the future as well. The Monetary Fund is a 'lender of last resort'; it is never a good sign when a country is forced to turn to the IMF instead of market financing. This can only be avoided with an adequate economic policy that allows the country to find permanent and continuous external financing 'with acceptable terms and conditions'.


Abstract Until the early 1980s, the composition and distribution of the asteroid (starfish), ophiuroid (brittle star) and holothurian (sea cucumber) bottom fauna of the southeastern Weddell Sea was virtually unknown. This southernmost part of the Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean is a typical high-latitude Antarctic region located in the circumpolar permanent pack-ice zone. It became accessible for large-scale scientific surveys only through the availability of modern ice-breaking research vessels, such as the German RV "Polarstern". Here, we describe a dataset of the faunal composition and abundance of starfish, brittle star and sea cucumber assemblages in this area, based on collections from trawl catches carried out during three "Polarstern" cruises in 1983, 1984 and 1985. The set comprises a total of 4,509 records of abundances of 35 asteroid species (with a total of 2,089 specimens) and 38 ophiuroid species (with a total of 18,484 specimens) from 34 stations, as well as of 66 holothurian species (with a total of 20,918 specimens) from 59 stations including zero-abundances (absences). A synthesizing zoogeographical community analysis confirms the presence of three distinct assemblages of asteroids, ophiuroids, and holothurians with highest species richness on the eastern shelf. Overall, starfishes, brittle stars and sea cucumbers were present at all sites investigated in the study area but composition and abundance of asterozoan (asteroids and ophiuroids together) and holothurian fauna varied considerably. A synthesizing zoogeographical community analysis confirms the presence of three distinct assemblages of asteroids, ophiuroids, and holothurians with highest species richness on the eastern shelf. In the case of asterozoans, water depth and latitude seemed to be the most important drivers of assemblage distribution and composition. One of the holothurian assemblages was part of the rich macrozoobenthic community dominated by a diverse and abundant epifauna, mainly sponges and gorgonians. Another one was mainly composed of vagrant deposit-feeding species inhabiting a predominantly non-colonised substratum. In addition, a mixed holothurian assemblage was identified.


The Decision Support (DS) topic of the Network Enabled Capability for Through Life Systems Engineering (NECTISE) project aims to provide organisational through-life decision support for the products and services that BAE Systems deliver. The topic consists of five streams that cover resource capability management, decision management, collaboration, change prediction and integration. A proposed architecture is presented for an Integrated Decision Support Environment (IDSE) that combines the streams to provide a structured approach to addressing a number of issues that have been identified by BAE Systems business units as being relevant to DS: uncertainty and risk, shared situational awareness, types of decision making, decision tempo, triggering of decisions, and support for autonomous decision making. The proposed architecture will identify how either individuals or groups of decision makers (including autonomous agents) would be utilised on the basis of their capability within the requirements of the scenario to collaboratively solve the decision problem. Features of the scenario such as time criticality, required experience level, the need for justification, and conflict management, will be addressed within the architecture to ensure that the most appropriate decision management support (system/naturalistic/hybrid) is provided. In addition to being reliant on a number of human factors issues, the decision making process is also reliant on a number of information issues: overload, consistency, completeness, uncertainty and evolution, which will be discussed within the context of the architecture.


In an emerging "blue economy," the use of large multipurpose floating platforms in the open ocean is being considered. Such platforms could possibly support a diversified range of commercial activities including energy generation, aquaculture, seabed mining, transport, tourism, and sea-based laboratories. A Markov Decision Process (MDP) framework is proposed to deal with operations and maintenance issues that are inevitable; challenges arise from the complex stochastic weather conditions that need to be accounted for. Using data as well as contrasting synthetic simulations of relevant weather variables, we demonstrate the robustness/versatility of the MDP model. Two case studies-one involving constant and another involving time-dependent downtime costs-are conducted to demonstrate how the proposed MDP framework incorporates weather patterns from available data and can offer optimal policies for distinct metocean conditions (i.e., temporal variations in the weather). A realistic example that illustrates the implementation of the proposed framework for multiple O&M issues involving salmon net pens and wave energy converters demonstrates how our optimal policies can minimize O&M costs and maximize crew safety almost as if the true future were known for scheduling.


"What a splendid book! Reading it is a joy, and for me, at least, continuing reading it became compulsive. . . . Chandrasekhar is a distinguished astrophysicist and every one of the lectures bears the hallmark of all his work: precision, thoroughness, lucidity."-Sir Hermann Bondi, "Nature" The late S. Chandrasekhar was best known for his discovery of the upper limit to the mass of a white dwarf star, for which he received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1983. He was the author of many books, including "The Mathematical Theory of Black Holes" and, most recently, "Newton's Principia for the Common Reader. "


To evaluate progress on political biodiversity objectives, biodiversity monitoring provides information on whether intended results are being achieved. Despite scientific proof that monitoring and evaluation increase the (cost) efficiency of policy measures, cost estimates for monitoring schemes are seldom available, hampering their inclusion in policy programme budgets. Empirical data collected from 12 case studies across Europe were used in a power analysis to estimate the number of farms that would need to be sampled per major farm type to detect changes in species richness over time for four taxa (vascular plants, earthworms, spiders and bees). A sampling design was developed to allocate spatially, across Europe, the farms that should be sampled. Cost estimates are provided for nine monitoring scenarios with differing robustness for detecting temporal changes in species numbers. These cost estimates are compared with the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) budget (2014-2020) to determine the budget allocation required for the proposed farmland biodiversity monitoring. Results show that the bee indicator requires the highest number of farms to be sampled and the vascular plant indicator the lowest. The costs for the nine farmland biodiversity monitoring scenarios corresponded to 0·01%-0·74% of the total CAP budget and to 0·04%-2·48% of the CAP budget specifically allocated to environmental targets. Synthesis and applications. The results of the cost scenarios demonstrate that, based on the taxa and methods used in this study, a Europe-wide farmland biodiversity monitoring scheme would require a modest share of the Common Agricultural Policy budget. The monitoring scenarios are flexible and can be adapted or complemented with alternate data collection options (e.g. at national scale or voluntary efforts), data mobilization, data integration or modelling efforts.


The main goal of this study was to evaluate the effect of captivity upon morphological characteristics and body growth rates of the Morelet's crocodile (Crocodylus moreletii). The studied individuals are currently reared in the Management Unit for Wildlife Conservation (Cacahuatal), located at Veracruz, Mexico. Four populations were compared: individuals from 2 of them were born in wild conditions, whereas individuals from the other 2, were born in captivity. Morphology was similar among populations and between sexes. Body growth rates were significantly different among populations, those individuals born in natural conditions grew faster than those born in captivity. We conclude that captivity does not seem to affect the morphological expression of C. moreletii in comparison with a significant effect upon the rate of body growth. These results show that different populations of C. moreletii can exhibit differential body growth patterns depending on the conditions experienced in captivity.


The report gives results of an evaluation of the comparative economics of utility ash disposal by five conceptual design variations of ponding and landfill for a 500-MW power plant producing 5 million tons of ash over the life-of-project. For a basic pond disposal without water reuse, the total capital investment from hopper collection through 1-mile sluicing and pond disposal is $/52/kW (1982$). Comparable total system investment using trucking to a landfill is $/30/kW. (All disposal site construction costs were fully capitalized in in both cases; this convention affects the comparison of annual revenue requirements). First-year annual revenue requirements for the ponding system are 1.85 mills/kWh (1984$); those for the landfill system are lower (1.66 mills/kWh). On the other hand, levelized annual revenue requirements are 2.26 and 2.42 mills/kWh, respectively. Disposal site costs are the major element in all types of disposal and constituted the major difference in cost between pond and landfill disposal. Reuse of sluicing water and additional provisions for the disposal of self-hardening (high calcium oxide) ash added relatively little to costs.


The market demands that software systems be adaptable to changes in requirements. Software must be evolvable to solve slightly different problems over time. The transition from real-world requirements to software is a human-intensive and potentially complex process that provides limited automated support for the analysis of alternative designs with respect to their evolvability. In this paper, we propose an analytical software design approach to localize changes to control flow requirements. We present an analytical and "heuristically good" design approach to generate control components that localize change and reduce the computational complexity of an optimal approach. We apply our heuristic to an example and summarize the results. Lastly, we propose future research and summarize our ideas.


ABSTRACT Aim: Successes with PD-L1 drugs and adoptive immunotherapy demonstrate the efficacy of leveraging the immune system to fight cancer. However, host-tumor interaction is complex and difficult to characterize with immunohistochemistry or flow cytometry. Capturing spatial relationships of immune phenotypes in and around tumor is enabled by multiplexed immunofluorescence labelling and multispectral imaging, potentially forming the basis of assays to guide therapy and monitor response. Here we present a multi-marker, computer-aided method for analysing the distributions of CD3/FOXP3 (Treg) and CD3/CD69 (Tact) T cells in follicular lymphoma sections using a multispectral imaging (MSI) and automated analysis approach. Methods: A single section of a tissue microarray containing triplex follicular lymphoma cores from 40 subjects was stained for CD3, FOXP3, CD69 and hematoxylin. Each core was imaged using MSI and the individual staining of each marker separated from each other using spectral unmixing. CD3+ TILs were located using automated image analysis. The FOXP3 and CD69 status of each CD3+ TIL was then determined and the spatial distributions of each were used as input into the spatial distribution analysis. Results: Kaplan-Meier analysis demonstrated favourable outcome with higher numbers of CD3 + , CD3 + /FOXP3+ and CD3 + /CD69+ cells. HID analysis demonstrated the association of favourable outcome with high entropy, representative of a diffuse spatial pattern, of FOXP3+ and CD69+ positive T cells. Conclusions: In this study we report that higher Treg cell counts in a diffuse pattern was associated with favorable prognosis. This supports the importance of Tregs in the tumour microenvironment. It is pertinent to mention that contradictory findings are routinely reported from studies investigating the role of Tregs in solid and haematological malignancies. This is due to the complex interactions between pro-/anti- tumour immune factors present in the tumour microenvironment. The resultant effects are due to the summation of the activities of these factors. It is therefore even more relevant that a method such as exhibited here, capable of defining and measuring the effect on patient outcome of the spatial patterns of multiple cellular phenotypes in the tumor microenvironment is available. Disclosure: R. Lloyd and J.R. Mansfield: Employee of PerkinElmer. All other authors have declared no conflicts of interest.


Humor permeates every aspect of society and has done so for thousands of years. People experience it daily through television, newspapers, literature, and contact with others. Rarely do social researchers analyze humor or try to determine what makes it such a dominating force in our lives. The types of jokes a person enjoys contribute significantly to the definition of that person as well as to the character of a given society. Arthur Asa Berger explores these and other related topics in An Anatomy of Humor. He shows how humor can range from the simple pun to complex plots in Elizabethan plays. Berger examines a number of topics--ethnicity, race, gender, politics--each with its own comic dimension. Laughter is beneficial to both our physical and mental health, according to Berger. He discerns a multiplicity of ironies that are intrinsic to the analysis of humor. He discovers as much complexity and ambiguity in a cartoon, such as Mickey Mouse, as he finds in an important piece of literature, such as Huckleberry Finn. An Anatomy of Humor is an intriguing and enjoyable read for people interested in humor and the impact of popular and mass culture on society. It will also be of interest to professionals in communication and psychologists concerned with the creative process.


The emergence of novel database applications has resulted in the prevalence of a new paradigm for similarity search. These applications include multimedia databases, medical imaging databases, time series databases, DNA and protein sequence databases, and many others. Features of data objects are extracted and transformed into high-dimensional data points. Searching for objects becomes a search on points in the high-dimensional feature space. The dissimilarity between two objects is determined by the distance between two feature vectors. Similarity search is usually implemented as nearest neighbor search in feature vector spaces. The cost of processing k-nearest neighbor (k-NN) queries via a sequential scan increases as the number of objects and the number of features increase. A variety of multi-dimensional index structures have been proposed to improve the efficiency of k-NN query processing, which work well in low-dimensional space but lose their efficiency in high-dimensional space due to the curse of dimensionality. This inefficiency is dealt in this study by Clustering and Singular Value Decomposition - CSVD with indexing, Persistent Main Memory - PMM index, and Stepwise Dimensionality Increasing - SDI-tree index.
CSVD is an approximate nearest neighbor search method. The performance of CSVD with indexing is studied and the approximation to the distance in original space is investigated. For a given Normalized Mean Square Error - NMSE, the higher the degree of clustering, the higher the recall. However, more clusters require more disk page accesses. Certain number of clusters can be obtained to achieve a higher recall while maintaining a relatively lower query processing cost.
Clustering and Indexing using Persistent Main Memory - CIPMM framework is motivated by the following consideration: (a) a significant fraction of index pages are accessed randomly, incurring a high positioning time for each access; (b) disk transfer rate is improving 40% annually, while the improvement in positioning time is only 8%; (c) query processing incurs less CPU time for main memory resident than disk resident indices. CIPMM aims at reducing the elapsed time for query processing by utilizing sequential, rather than random disk accesses. A specific instance of the CIPMM framework CIPOP, indexing using Persistent Ordered Partition - OP-tree, is elaborated and compared with clustering and indexing using the SR-tree, CISR. The results show that CIPOP outperforms CISR, and the higher the dimensionality, the higher the performance gains.
The SDI-tree index is motivated by fanouts decrease with dimensionality increasing and shorter vectors reduce cache misses. The index is built by using feature vectors transformed via principal component analysis, resulting in a structure with fewer dimensions at higher levels and increasing the number of dimensions from one level to the other. Dimensions are retained in nonincreasing order of their variance according to a parameter p, which specifies the incremental fraction of variance at each level of the index. Experiments on three datasets have shown that SDI-trees with carefully tuned parameters access fewer disk accesses than SR-trees and VAMSR-trees and incur less CPU time than VA-Files in addition.


OBJECTIVES: Anxiety is an emotional state experienced by people, and is not readily modeled in animals. In order to extend till now ethologically derived paradigms used in the evaluation of anxiety and fear in rodents, a modified openfield was designed. METHODS: Spontaneous behavior of male rats was investigated in the elevated arena; the bottom was divided by inter-space of different width (2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 cm) into two identical parts. Anxiolytic effects of diazepam (DZP) at doses 0.5, 1.0, 2.5 and 5.0 mg/kg were investigated in the newly designed device and compared with the effects of similar doses in a large circular open-field arena. RESULTS: In Experiment 1 the progressive extension of the inter-space prolonged the first passing, decreased the total number of passing, and increased the interspace sniffing in intact animals. In Experiment 2 DZP at doses 1.0, 2.5 and 5.0 mg/kg significantly enhanced the readiness to cross, the frequency of passing the inter-space and decreased inter-swpace sniffing as compared to controls. In Experiment 3 we found that DZP at doses 0.1 and 0.3 mg/kg increased behavioral activity both along the perimeter and in the center of the arena, thus indicating lower level of anxiety. CONCLUSION: The presented modified open-field test is a useful paradigm to investigate risk assessment behavior in rats, and may provide a sensitive novel model of anxiety and fear level.


Fast retrieval methods are increasingly critical for many large-scale analysis tasks, and there have been several recent methods that attempt to learn hash functions for fast and accurate nearest neighbor searches. In this paper, we develop an algorithm for learning hash functions based on explicitly minimizing the reconstruction error between the original distances and the Hamming distances of the corresponding binary embeddings. We develop a scalable coordinate-descent algorithm for our proposed hashing objective that is able to efficiently learn hash functions in a variety of settings. Unlike existing methods such as semantic hashing and spectral hashing, our method is easily kernelized and does not require restrictive assumptions about the underlying distribution of the data. We present results over several domains to demonstrate that our method outperforms existing state-of-the-art techniques.


Epidemiologic findings strongly suggest that cancer rates are influenced by environmental factors that can be mitigated to a great extent, for example by a diet rich in polyphenolic/flavonoid compounds. Among natural products, honeybee propolis has been applied for centuries in traditional medicine as well as in diets and supplementary nutrition. Honeybee propolis and its polyphenolic/flavonoid compounds have been known to exhibit biological activity including immunopotentiation, chemopreventive and antitumor effects. In this review we consider the inhibition of tumor growth by honeybee propolis and their polyphenolic/flavonoid compounds as well as the mechanisms involved based on in vivo and in vitro studies. Results have shown that propolis and its polyphenolic compounds exerted an anti-metastatic and antitumor effect in mice and rats and considerable cytotoxicity without cross-resistance in both wild-type and chemoresistant human tumor cell lines. These findings suggest that propolis and their polyphenolic/flavonoid components may serve as a potent adjunct to chemotherapy and radiotherapy in the treatment of cancers. However, further in-depth studies including clinical trials are needed to fully evaluate the value of flavonoids in combination with chemotherapeutic agents for the treatment of human cancers.


Targeting comprises defining the part of the business environment that corresponds to organizations' strategic objectives and priorities. Targeting is not an easy process because it includes the interaction of managers who come from different organizational units that might have a fragmentary and blurred understanding of the overall issue. Through an action research, we designed and evaluated a GSS to help managers target strategic scanning in fuzzy contexts. Evaluations through interventions in 10 French organizations allowed both participants to achieve relevant targets and researchers to propose four major improvements to targeting activities: 1) use suggested lists of actors and topics as starting points to trigger and facilitate discussions, 2) define actor and topic importance to produce useful targeting results, 3) evaluate the organization's perceived capacity to be informed early enough, and 4) define a mechanism to signal scanning relevancy in the short, mid-, or long term. From a management perspective, our results help managers in their strategic scanning activity by 1) identifying information needs for strategically scanning fuzzy subjects, 2) reducing risk of strategic scanning failure, 3) enabling organizations to assess their scanning capabilities, 4) identifying scanning priorities according to a temporal horizon, and 5) fostering teamwork participation.


Across angiosperm species, the longevity of individual flowers can range from fixed to highly plastic. The orchid family is noteworthy for frequent reports of species in which flower lifespans are greatly prolonged if flowers are not pollinated. Less dramatic cases of pollination-induced senescence of anthesis have been reported for various species in other families, but such reports are scattered. Frequently, such findings are peripheral components of more general pollination studies. Because pollination-dependent plasticity can ameliorate phenological dislocations between plants and pollinators, it is worthwhile to conduct systematic surveys of its magnitude and taxonomic distribution. As a start, we report a set of experiments comparing the active lifespans of pollinated flowers to those of unpollinated controls in a set of nine species from a local subalpine flora. In all species, unpollinated flowers had longer mean times of receptiveness than pollinated ones, although the differences in means were often small. Three species exhibited significantly extended floral longevity in the absence of pollination.


According to legal principles, a driver who negligently breaks a pedestrian's leg should pay the same damages as a doctor who negligently breaks a patient's leg. According to economic principles, however, the driver should pay more than the doctor. Non-negligent drivers impose risk on others without being liable for it. When liability externalities are mainly negative as with driving, liability should increase beyond full compensation to discourage the activity. Unlike pedestrians, patients contract with doctors for treatment and willingly submit to the risk of harm. Imperfections in medical markets cause some kinds of doctors to convey more positive than negative externalities on their patients. Increasing liability for these doctors would discourage an activity that needs encouragement. The argument for decreasing doctors' liability is especially strong when doctors must choose among risky procedures, such as cesarean or vaginal delivery of a baby, which we call a "mandatory choice". Given equal benefits, the doctor ought to choose the least risky alternative. If the doctor negligently chooses a more risky alternative and harm materializes, courts award damages equal to the harm suffered by the patient. Even without the doctor's faulty choice, however, the patient would have been exposed to the least risky alternative. Economic efficiency requires reducing the doctor's liability below the victim's actual harm, which current legal rules usually prohibit. We propose that legislatures give courts the choice of lowering tort damages for doctors in well defined circumstances, and for their mandatory choices in particular, and we suggest some principles for doing so.


The leading cause of hazardous materials releases in railroad transportation over the 5 years prior to this research was burst frangible disks on tank cars. These burst disks occur as a result of pressure surges in the tank car safety vent during transportation. More than a dozen different surge pressure reduction devices (SPRDs) have been developed to protect the frangible disk from these surges. A statistical analysis of tank cars in service indicated that cars equipped with SPRDs experienced a lower rate of leakage due to burst frangible disks than similar cars without SPRDs. This analysis, however, did not provide sufficient resolution to determine the relative effectiveness of the different SPRD designs. A series of controlled experiments was conducted to determine the surge reduction effectiveness and the flow performance of different SPRDs. These tests showed that there were significant differences in the performance of the various surge pressure reduction devices in both surge reduction and flow rate. The results of these tests will help tank car builders, owners, and operators improve the safety performance of tank cars by installing SPRDs that will reduce non-accident-caused releases of hazardous materials and still function adequately to relieve pressure when necessary. The results also will provide a basis for setting SPRD performance and testing requirements and identify promising design elements for new SPRDs.


Existing forms of social change in coastal communities Paciran Village is a lot of change towards the negative direction. It can be seen with the shift of norms or rules of either religious norms, moral norms, as well as legal norms. And behavior ditinjukan by coastal communities Paciran Village today many heading towards negative, such as: drinking, gambling, promiscuity among young men and women, hostile to neighbors, pecekcokan between husband and wife because of economic affairs. This is the role of a teacher of Islam as a figure who has the authority and charismatic to control and prevent such actions. The formulation of the problem in this research is how the role of religious scholars of social change, the people of coastal villages Paciran and how the forms of social change in coastal communities Paciran Village Village Paciran and purpose in this study is how the role of religious scholars of social change, the people of coastal villages and to know the shape Paciran -shape changes soial Paciran Village coastal communities. In this research used theory is the theory of symbolic interactionism (Mead Goerge) which states that human action is based on the grounds symbol.Metode used in this study is a qualitative method, the location of the coastal area of research is housed in the Village District Paciran Paciran Lamongan, the population is a coastal community Paciran Village community leaders, and three caregivers boarding school, the sample used in this study was purposive sampling and data collection techniques in this study were interviews, observation, and documentation, and technical analysis is a descriptive qualitative data. After the data is analyzed, it can disumpulkan that during the third leadership Kyai are: KH Abdurrahman Syamsuri, KH Ridlwan Sarqowi, KH Azhuri persisir Village community Sarqowi Paciran obey the command of religion, diligent follow Islamic religious studies held by the three religious scholars, the mutual help and mutual help others, as well as coastal communities Paciran Village always obey the rules that have been banned by the three scholars, so if want to do an act that does not comply with Islamic religious teachings they will remember the message or embarrassed by the presence of Kiai-kiai these scholars. There is compliance and trust mesayarakat Paciran on Kyai-Kyainya, comes the charisma that is owned by the third Kyai. And third is daring scholars directly combat any act prohibited by the coastal communities Paciran village in violation of Islamic religion. While scholars now plays an essential role in the advancement of education, but in controlling the rural coastal communities Paciran acts that violate religious teachings of Islam are still lacking.


A metal-bearing coordination network synthesised from Re(2,2′-bipyridine-5,5′-dicarboxylate)(CO)3Cl bridging ligands and Cu(II) nodes, [{Cu(DMF)(H2O)[LRe(CO)3Cl]}·DMF]∞ReCu, undergoes an irreversible photoinduced charge transfer process. We demonstrate using time-resolved IR spectroscopy the nature of this photoinduced process and how, under suitable conditions, it is possible to initiate irreversible modification of the crystal through induction of the charge transfer process. As a result we are able to use the photoinduced process, which arises purely as a result of the structure of the coordination network, to write on crystals.


This study analyzes the vulnerability of cotton farmers to climate change in a cotton growing district in Zimbabwe. The vulnerability indicators studied include cotton output and farmers' livelihoods from cotton farming. In order to examine climate variability and change, a time series analysis of two variables: temperature and rainfall was done for a period of 30 years, resulting in graphs of any climate anomalies. Correlation tests between the independent variable (the climate) and the dependent variable (cotton output) were assessed in order to examine the nature and the magnitude of the relationship between the two. The opinions of 100 randomly sampled farmers were analysed in an attempt to verify the climate scenarios and cotton production trends, as well as to understand their adaptation to climate change. Negative rainfall deviations from the long-term mean and positive temperature deviations dominated the climate trend scenarios' results. Cotton production levels declined as precipitation decreased and temperatures increased across the district. The survey revealed that a significant number of farmers believed that temperatures were increasing and precipitation was declining. Farmers' perceptions on whether the climate was changing were greatly influenced by incidences of drought and changes in the seasonal timing of rainfall, and in few cases unusual floods. The majority believed the frequency of droughts was increasing. While farmers were prepared to adapt to changes in climate, their options were very limited. The results show that farmers are highly vulnerable to climate change and that there is a need to invest in climate adaptation strategies, including policies on irrigation and early warning systems to help farmers to cope better and to reduce their vulnerability to climate change.


Objective – To present a rare case of female genital tuberculosis and its appearance on magnetic resonance imaging. Case report – A sixteen year old girl, presenting with appetite and weight loss, pelvic pain, headache, shortness of breath and secondary amenorrhea, was admitted to hospital with a suspected ovarian tumor. Clinical examination, laboratory analysis and radiological procedures were performed. Chest X-ray showed minimal pleural effusion on the left hand side. Voiding cystourethrography and intravenous urography were without abnormalities. Abdominal and pelvic ultrasound examination revealed the presence of an ovarian mass and ascites. Abdominal MRI showed mesenteric lymphadenomegaly, ascites with peritoneal nodular implants that showed diffusion restriction and post-contrast enhancement. Pelvic MRI showed heterogeneous masses involving both ovaries, free fluid in the cul-de-sac, nodular peritoneal implants with diffusion restriction and pathological post-contrast enhancement. Cytological analysis of the peritoneal fluid was undertaken. Laparoscopy and pathohistological analysis of the peritoneal specimen obtained were performed. Genital tuberculosis was confirmed. Conclusion – In this case it is stressed that even though MRI is the most sensitive diagnostic procedure, it is not sufficiently specific. The correct diagnosis was established by pathohistological examination. Adequate diagnosis and treatment are essential because the untreated disease causes severe morbidity, including sterility.


Vibration problem during metal cutting is a degrading reality in the manufacturing industry and have a negative impact on the productivity which increases the over all production costs. Sometimes it's also impossible to achieve the required tolerances. Different methods can be applied to reduce the vibrations, for example by using passively tuned damper or active control. This paper examines the dynamic properties of a boring bar with passive tuned damper, aiming on enhanced vibration con-trol combining passive control and active control. By combining these two methods it is likely that the performance of the passive tuned damper will be enhanced in the sense of wider working range with respect to cutting parameters and materials of workpieces. However, implementation of effi-cient and stable methods requires in-depth knowledge concerning the dynamic properties of the tooling system. The examination of the passive boring bar covers a wide range of cutting parame-ters and the main classes of workpiece materials. This is the first step in the development of a bor-ing bar involving two technologies complementing each other, that is, passive tuned damper and active control which is an already patented technology.


Background: Women of lower educational attainment tend to have poorer quality diets and lower food involvement (an indicator of the priority given to food) than women of higher educational attainment. The present study reports a study of the role of food involvement in the relationship between educational attainment and quality of diet in young women. Methods: The first phase uses six focus group discussions (n = 28) to explore the function of food involvement in shaping the food choices of women of lower and higher educational attainment with young children. The second phase is a survey that examines the relationship between educational attainment and quality of diet in women, and explores the role of mediating factors identified by the focus group discussions. Results: The focus groups suggested that lower food involvement in women of lower educational attainment might be associated with negative affect (i.e. an observable expression of negative emotion), and that this might mean that they did not place a high priority on eating a good quality diet. In support of this hypothesis, the survey of 1010 UK women found that 14% of the effect of educational attainment on food involvement was mediated through the woman's affect (P £ 0.001), and that 9% of the effect of educational attainment on quality of diet was mediated through food involvement (P £ 0.001). Conclusions: Women who leave school with fewer qualifications may have poorer quality diets than women with more qualifications because they tend to have a lower level of food involvement, partly attributed to a more negative affect. Interventions to improve women's mood may benefit their quality of


We herein propose a highly efficient method for the synthesis of polyvinyl butyral (PVB), an important resin material used for laminated glass in vehicles. The condensation reaction between polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and n-butanal was successfully implemented in a reaction system containing a membrane dispersion microreactor and an aging vessel reactor, allowing the energy costs associated with cooling and mixing of the reactant solutions to be reduced. Upon changing the original reactant from a PVA–butanal emulsion to a PVA–HCl solution, the microreactor system allowed the development of a new recycling technology for the reuse of HCl, water, and excess n-butanal present in the product solution. In addition, with the aid of a two-step n-butanal feeding method, the developed recycling technology resulted in a 98.7% n-butanal utilization ratio, while the consumption of HCl and water during the reaction process was reduced by 85.6%. These results indicate that our novel process represents a more environmentally friendly approach to the PVB synthesis.


Frequency tuning characteristics of a THz-wave by varying phase-matching angle and pump wavelength in a noncollinear phase-matching THz-wave parametric oscillator (TPO) are analyzed. A novel scheme to realize the tuning of a THz-wave by moving the cavity mirror forwards and backwards is proposed in a noncollinear phase-matching TPO. The parametric gain coefficients of the THz-wave in a LiNbO3 crystal are explored under different working temperatures. The relationship between the poling period of periodically poled LiNbO3 (PPLN) and the THz-wave frequency under the condition of a quasi-phase-matching configuration is deduced. Such analyses have an impact on the experiments of the TPO.


This article addresses a central question in property theory: In a world where an owner can exercise the right to exclude third parties from his resource in any of several ways, what causes him to adopt a particular exclusionary strategy? Orthodox property scholarship has focused a great deal of attention on those exclusion rights that arise under trespass law. This paper suggests that much can be gained from thinking about exclusion with a bigger tent approach, one that is sensitive to the ways in which non-trespass-based exclusion rights substitute for in rem, trespass-based rights. Non-trespass-based exclusion rights include exclusionary vibes, which are communicative signals that make undesirable third parties feel unwelcome, as well as exclusionary amenities, which impose a disproportionate tax on the undesirable by bundling permission to use a resource with an obligation to pay for a separate, polarizing resource. It turns out that information asymmetries often drive owners' decisions about what exclusion strategies to adopt. Where third parties seeking to use property possess private information about their own preferences, behaviors, and intentions, and the owner cannot discover this private information at a low cost, the owner is likely to delegate the exclusion function to the would-be entrants by employing non-trespass-based exclusion strategies. By contrast, where there is little private information involved, or private information can be discovered by the owner at a low cost, the owner is more likely to employ trespass-based exclusion rights. This relationship between information asymmetries and the choice of exclusion strategies suggests new possibilities for creative government intervention in those settings where particular exclusion strategies conflict with public policy interests. It is well understood that the government can impose outright prohibitions, proscribing some forms of exclusion and permitting other forms. This is the strategy the government has adopted in the housing discrimination arena. Alternatively, the government can adopt subtler but equally effective strategies that regulate access to private information as a means of altering owners' incentives to exclude. Megan's Law is the most prominent and far-reaching example of the subtle approach, although many aspects of information privacy law affect owners' incentives in much the same way. In short, by rendering private information public or public information private, the state can alter, sometimes radically, the mix of exclusion strategies that resource owners employ.


Abstract
This thesis examines the changing boundaries between the elite and the vernacular landscape during the fifteenth, sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. The study takes an explicitly individualistic approach, considering the careers, allegiances, relationships and ambitions of the people who created and inhabited elite landscapes. By including historicised biographies within the framework of a regional landscape study it has been possible to look beneath broad cultural and social themes and identify some of the motives and ambitions that may have influenced the development of exclusivity at particular locations. For the purposes of this thesis exclusivity refers to the process of expanding the area of demesne in order to create consciously orchestrated elite landscapes. This thesis will argue that a range of scenarios expressed the exclusivity of the elite landscape and demarcated it from the vernacular. The ability to control and direct movement around and through elite landscapes was an important aspect of exclusivity, access to some areas being denied, whilst being actively encouraged where status-display was the paramount concern. Impressions of rank and superiority were conveyed by the careful management of potential interaction with various social groups, different messages being presented to audiences depending on their perceived position in society.
The period under consideration is usually divided between the specialisms of medieval and early modern history and is rarely considered as a unity. However, by dismissing conventional periodisation it has been possible to examine the processes that gradually changed the relationship between residences, elite households and their surroundings. The research presented here traces the rise and decline of families and their houses as they responded to the challenges and opportunities offered during a time of momentous change. Detailed micro-studies have been combined with a synthesis of evidence from a multiplicity of sources and set within the context of the transition from medieval to early-modern society. The adoption of the Landscape Approach has provided a framework within which theoretical concepts could be tested by empirical research. The resulting thesis argues that the expansion of exclusivity promoted the development of landscapes that were designed to legitimise the status and authority of the people who created them and provide them with idealised settings for their residences.


Review of Three Documentary Films from First Run/Icarus Films: Caught in the Crossfire: Arab Americans in Wartime; Cul de Sac: A Suburban War Story; and CultureJam: Hijacking Commercial Culture As each examines a facet of contemporary life in the United States, and in the case of Culturejam, in Canada as well, these three almost-one-hour documentaries are interesting investigations of several off-the-radar aspects of turn-of-the-century North American culture. Although each is well made, and all are strikingly similar in their relatively conservative, nearly formulaic approach to documentary filmmaking, some are more compelling and rewarding than others. Each uses frequent intercutting among numerous interviews with "talking head" subjects and commentators, footage of subjects involved in work and family life, and newsreel and TV news footage to convey its story and make its point. Although earnest, and despite its potentially volatile subject matter, Caught in the Crossfire is the least controversial and least compelling of the three; Culturejam, the only film to deal explicitly with the issue of culture per se, is both the edgiest and the most entertaining. Caught in the Crossfire delves into the lives of three Arab Americans in New York City six months after 9/11 to make the simple point that Arab Americans and the Arab American community are also victims of "the incident"-in their personal reactions to it and via the backlash harassment to which they are subject-and that they, like other Americans, are immigrants who love their adopted country -while retaining strong attachments to their countries of origin. However, this documentary is extraordinarily tame in presenting its worthwhile but limited message while avoiding any direct consideration of either the contentious political issues (some of which are raised) surrounding 9/11 or any examination of extremist viewpoints. Interviews with the three Arab Americans featured in this documentary-Ahmed Nasser, a New York City police officer who emigrated from Yemen in 1986; Khader ElYateem, Christian pastor of the Salam Arabic Lutheran Church who emigrated from the Palestinian Territories in 1992 because he was reassigned by his bishop; and Raghida Dergham, a female journalist and CNN commentator who emigrated from Lebanon in 1970 - are intercut with Arabic-language and American-network coverage of 9/11 and subsequent news from the Middle East, shots of life in NYC's Arab American neighborhoods, and footage of the subjects at work and with their families. Much of the documentary, including Arabic-language TV news clips, is in Arabic with English subtitles. El-Yateem, who was detained without charges and tortured for fifty-five days by Israeli secret police in 1989, discusses 9/11 with parishioners who feel that "the incident . . . took from all of us, especially our kids . . . the sense of security"; with members of the Islamic Society of Bay Ridge who are concerned that visiting Arabs holding visas are being detained and deported without any opportunity to contact Arab Americans; and with his visiting parents. An element of personal drama enlivens El-Yateem's segments: he does not want his parents to return to the Palestinian Territories where they "can't do anything," but they finally decide to return home even though "there's nothing left." Dergham, who is shown interviewing British Foreign Minister Jack Straw, attempting unsuccessfully to secure an interview with Yasser Arafat, and reporting on Fox News, sees herself as a journalist who "tries my best to see both sides" and to "put it in perspective" by explaining what took place on 9/11 on Arabic-language TV, while also explaining the mindset of people in the Middle East to the American public on CNN and Fox. An immigrant at seventeen because she felt "the United States was the key that would bring about my freedom, my independence, the life I imagined I would lead," she addresses the conundrum of Arabs who are against terrorism yet champion the right of "people under occupation [the Palestinians]" to "organize resistance. …


A muffled conversation escaped the drawn curtain, but pressed for time, I needed to interrupt. "Excuse me. Excuse me please. I am your anesthesiologist. May I disturb you?" With permission, I breached the paltry barrier and found my patient lying on a hospital gurney, surrounded by three other adults. The four were joined together in a circle of eight hands. It was obvious that I had interrupted something. The principal man of the group invited me in. He extended his hand. "Your job is so important. Will you share a prayer with us?" When I was in medical school in the 1970s, the vogue academic concept was the "sexual history." We were taught that for too long our medical profession had neglected the sexual lives of patients. To prepare new physicians for a career of unabashed inquiry, we were told to cleverly slip into an inventory of sexual questions sometime during the "social history" portion of our examinations. Sigmund Freud would have been dumbfounded by our maladroit interviews. Today, two thirds of American medical students are being taught to perform a "spiritual history." They are being told that our medical profession has neglected the role of spirituality and religion in the healing of their patients. Some schools are encouraging their students to adopt a set of questions to be used for patient interviews. Harold G. Koenig's book, Spirituality in Patient Care: Why, How, When, and What, provides medical students and physicians with several inventories from which to choose for inquiring about spiritual matters. Koenig also provides some guidance on what might be appropriate spiritual inquiry and what might be proper religious intervention. He also offers a defense for medicine's recent embrace of spirituality. In his summary of the medical literature on spiritual matters, Koenig lists the articles that he believes best support the positive influence that spirituality and religion have on health and well-being. Interestingly, Koenig considers 5 of the top 30 articles to be ones that he either authored or coauthored. Richard P. Sloan's Lancet and New England Journal of Medicine articles that challenge the veracity of data supporting the efficacy of spirituality are mentioned only superficially. Spirituality in Patient Care is written by one who is a "true believer." Although intended for physicians, its evangelistic tone resembles books that are available in the popular press, including Koenig's Is Religion Good for Your Health? Although he possesses scientific credentials as Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Medicine at Duke University Medical Center, to my knowledge, Koenig has not had formal theological training. This deficiency is perhaps apparent by the manner with which he avoids the theological quandary that this mixture of medicine and spirituality fosters. Coauthor Keith G. Meador of Heal Thyself: Spirituality, Medicine, and the Distortion of Christianity originates from the same Department of Psychiatry as Harold G. Koenig. However, their approaches and their conclusions are vastly different. Meador is Professor of Pastoral Theology and Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the School of Medicine at Duke University. The lead author, Joel James Schuman, is Assistant Professor of Theology at King's College in Pennsylvania. I found no credentials to indicate that either Schuman or Meador is a physician. Their book does not provide inventories of questions on spiritual matters or a defense on the positive influence that religion has on well-being. What Heal Thyself does offer is an honest address to the challenges generated by medicine's embrace of spirituality and vice versa. Schuman and Meador recognize postmodern society's embrace of individualism and consumerism as having had revolutionary effects on both medicine and religion. The authors see a medical delivery system that has been contorted by a combination of American society's limitless expectations and limited resources. They perceive a new American religion that is no longer community based but individual based, and a new American spirituality that is no longer selfless but narcissistic. Schuman and Meador believe that medicine has co-opted spirituality (and spirituality has done the same with medicine) to create an "idolatry of health," in which both patients and physicians are worshipers. In Heal Thyself, the repudiation of the attempts to verify the efficacy of spirituality in healthcare go beyond the issues raised by Richard Sloan. Schuman and Meador claim that confining God to a randomized control trial, or determining divine intervention by a P value of 0.05, is heresy. They argue that to operate within the confines of an empirical trial, a god would need to be automated and reproducible, and therefore could not be God. Despite their readily apparent differences, like Koenig, Schuman and Meador are "true believers." However, the authors of Heal Thyself witness the effects of God's intervention through the community of believers as they care for those who are sick and suffering. In such a paradigm, efficacy cannot be captured by statistics of patient survivability or tumor reduction. The value of this brand of spirituality can only be appreciated by observing or participating in the act of caring. Unfortunately, Schuman and Meador were unwilling or unable to extend their epiphanic concepts beyond the Christian faith. Certainly, other religious traditions could provide rich opportunity for analogous insights. How would a physician respond to an invitation to pray with a patient before surgery? Whether we are "true believers" or not, it is time that we consider such a scenario. Koenig, Schuman, and Meador have considered this issue, and the result is two books from one institution with seemingly divergent viewpoints. As we entertain opinions as diverse as these, we will begin to discern through the real-life encounters of clinical practice what is true for ourselves and ultimately best for our patients.


This book provides both basic and advanced information on the clinical presentation, imaging findings and treatment of sinonasal diseases. For each specific disease, the rationale underlying the treatment strategy is discussed and the imaging findings critical to the decision-making process are identified. This is an original approach and reflects the constant team effort at the editors' institute over the past 15 years to integrate clinical and radiological information with the aim of establishing the most appropriate treatment, Special emphasis is placed on the identification of clinical and imaging data that allow selection of an endonasal or an external approach in surgical candidates. The value of planning an integrated endoscopic and radiological follow-up in different diseases is also thoroughly reviewed. This book will acquaint radiologists and clinicians with each other's world and serve as an invaluable guide to the selection of imaging techniques.


The purpose of this study was to establish the nature and extent of scientific literacy (SL) themes coverage in Zambian national high school biology curriculum. The three data sources are biology textbooks, biology syllabi, and grade twelve national biology examination papers for a five-year period (2000–2004). These data sources were analyzed using the framework and procedure developed by Chiappetta, Fillman, and Sethna. The framework has four themes of SL namely: Science as a body of knowledge; Science as a way of investigating; science as a way of knowing; and Interaction between science, technology and society. The results show that the biology textbooks and syllabi content objectives emphasized basic knowledge of science while the biology examination papers, and the syllabi aims and assessment objectives emphasized science as a way of knowing. The interaction between science, technology and society theme was the least represented in the biology course. The results also suggest lack of curriculum and instructional validity in biology examinations with respect to the four themes of SL. The inadequate coverage of interaction of science, technology and society theme in the curriculum materials may be a barrier to a better preparation of scientifically literate citizens. Some recommendations have been made.


Distraction osteogenesis is a method of bone healing and regeneration widely used to correct bone malformations, shortenings, and other bone defects. Despite its benefits, it is a long-duration therapy with considerable physical and psychological morbidity. Treatment optimization is fundamental and monitoring techniques are being studied. This chapter discusses monitoring methods with a focus on ultrasound evaluation of distraction osteogenesis.


We propose the first fully-adaptive algorithm for pure exploration in linear bandits---the task to find the arm with the largest expected reward, which depends on an unknown parameter linearly. While existing methods partially or entirely fix sequences of arm selections before observing rewards, our method adaptively changes the arm selection strategy based on past observations at each round. We show our sample complexity matches the achievable lower bound up to a constant factor in an extreme case. Furthermore, we evaluate the performance of the methods by simulations based on both synthetic setting and real-world data, in which our method shows vast improvement over existing methods.


Damping of power system oscillations with the help of proposed optimal Proportional Integral Derivative Power System Stabilizer (PID-PSS) and Static Var Compensator (SVC)-based controllers are thoroughly investigated in this paper. This study presents robust tuning of PID-PSS and SVC-based controllers using Genetic Algorithms (GA) in multi machine power systems by considering detailed model of the generators (model 1.1). The effectiveness of FACTSbased controllers in general and SVC-based controller in particular depends upon their proper location. Modal controllability and observability are used to locate SVC–based controller. The performance of the proposed controllers is compared with conventional lead-lag power system stabilizer (CPSS) and demonstrated on 10 machines, 39 bus New England test system. Simulation studies show that the proposed genetic based PID-PSS with SVC based controller provides better performance.


A class of simple climate models including those of the Budyko-Sellers type are formulated from a variational principle. A functional is constructed for the zonally averaged mean annual temperature field such that extrema of the functional occur when the climate satisfies the usual energy-balance equation. Local minima of the functional correspond to stable solutions while saddle points correspond to unstable solutions. The technique can be used to construct approximate solutions from trial functions and to carry out finite-amplitude stability analyses. A spectral example is given in explicit detail.


This article argues that the quantity theory of money is not supported by the evidence. Contrary to the quantity theory, the article says, the value of money depends primarily on how carefully it is backed. That is, the rate of inflation depends more on underlying fiscal policies than on rates of money growth. The evidence for this argument comes from a close look at the way in which the colony of Massachusetts ended a severe long-term inflation in 1750. Other British North American colonies endured similar episodes, all of which parallel some periods of severe inflation in the 20th century United States. The 18th century evidence thus contains lessons for modern monetary policy. ; Reprinted in Quarterly Review, Fall 2002 (v. 26, no. 4)


This article addresses a series of questions connected to the material presented in the exhibition "Return of the Buddha", which could not be dealt with in the catalogue proper. It consists of three parts. The first part discusses the reasons for the extraordinary public and scholarly interest in Buddhist art of the pre-Tang period since the early 1990s. It connects the rise in public awareness towards this formerly neglected topic to a changing political landscape and to the development of a national art market in mainland China. Part two discusses one surprising observation. From the 520s onwards the area of Shandong appears to have been the leading center of Buddhist art production, especially of the production of stone sculpture of highest artistic quality. However, over the preceding three centuries barely any stone sculpture was made in this area. Stone masonry was not a developed art form. The article argues that the sudden surge in sponsorship and sculpture production followed the forced dislocation of parts of the Shandong elite to Pingcheng, the core area of Northern Wei, and later to the new capital Luoyang between 470 and 520 and their conversion to Buddhism. A new form of Buddhist devotion developed in Luoyang at that time, the so-called "Luoyang Piety", which favored direct individual veneration of the Buddha by lay believers, placed Buddha images at the centre of religious activity. The new religiosity as well as skilled stone masons were brought back to Shandong when the Wei capital Luoyang was ransacked and destroyed during political uprisings and civil war in the 520s and 30s. Part three explores how sculptures were conceived in the 6th century. For this, the text of a stelae commemorating the donation of images to the temple in 573 is analysed.


This paper reports on a diode-pumped picosecond passively mode-locked Yb:SSO laser. Pulses as short as 2.3 ps with a repetition rate of 53 MHz were generated, without extra negative dispersion elements. The output power achieved 1.87 W at a pump power of 11.5 W. Continuous-wave operation and wavelength tuning were examined. The CW operation achieved 3.55 W output power with a slope efficiency of 44.5%; its tuning can cover the range of 1034.0-1089.7 nm.


The April 25,1992, Cape Mendocino earthquake (Ms 7.1) uplifted ∼24 km of the northern California coast at the southern end of the Cascadia subduction zone, uplift which resulted in coastal emergence that caused extensive mortality of intertidal organisms between Cape Men docino and Punta Gorda. We estimated the amount of uplift by measuring the vertical extent of mortality of 14 sessile intertidal species on rocky sections of shore. The uplift profile along the coast is generally parallel to the strike of the earthquake focal mechanism and forms a broad, flat-topped arch ∼24 km long with a gentle south limb and a steeper north limb. The maximum uplift of 1.4 ±0.2 m is near the center of the profile. The profile is a manifestation of the more widespread domal upwarp produced by slip on an east-dipping buried thrust fault along or near the Cascadia megathrust. Small, new emergent terraces have formed where wave-cut intertidal platforms have been elevated. The new terraces resemble raised late Holocene benches that probably record paleoearthquakes similar to the 1992 event. However, several of the late Holocene terraces are broader and more continuous. These terraces, which extend several tens of kilometres north and south of the 1992 uplift, suggest that some paleoearthquakes were much larger than magnitude 7.


Objectives Contact with Urtica ferox (ongaonga) causes an intense pain with subsequent sustained numbness. While all factors responsible for the initial painful response are known, the compound(s) responsible for the sustained numbness remain unidentified. There is a need for new therapeutics to treat chronic pain and the yet-to-be identified compounds in Urtica ferox may provide a novel topical treatment for chronic pain. Methods A collection expedition in Kahurangi National Park, New Zealand, was conducted. Urtica ferox trichomes were collected and a water extraction performed. Primary hippocampal neurons and NT2 cells were treated with extract to characterise toxicity. A small animal model was used to assess functional response to extract exposure. Results The extract of Urtica ferox induces a dose-dependent selective toxicity to neurons with morphologic characteristics of apoptosis. Evaluation of extract exposure in the small animal model suggest a direct and specific, effect on neurons. Preliminary characterisation of the active compound indicates a relatively small entity with phenolic ring structure. Conclusions Initial evaluations of the Urtica ferox extract indicate the presence of a compound(s) with promising characteristics. Specifically, a compound that selectively effects neurons that is small and water soluble. This unidentified compound will be characterised using metabolomics.


Conilurine rodents are the most speciose and ecologically diverse rodent group within Australia. Previous research has demonstrated that conilurines are members of a larger Australasian Murid tribe, the Hydromyini, and are generally thought to be an endemic Australian radiation with a fossil history dating to the mid Pliocene. However, monophyly of conilurines is not well established due to the distant placement of some genera in recent systematic studies. I investigated the evolution of conilurine rodents using a combination of molecular and ecological techniques. I examined phylogenetic relationships among all Australian rodent genera using the mitochondrial control region and a nuclear intron (DHFR 1). These results suggested that conilurines are monophyletic, and that unresolved generic relationships within the group are the product of an early savannah radiation. Building on the results of systematic studies, I examined patterns of speciation and population divergence in model species and species groups. Bioclimatic range modelling and some ecological studies were performed to aid interpretation of molecular evolution within these groups. The overall goal of this thesis is to provide a detailed account of some evolutionary processes affecting an interesting group for which such information is lacking, and to highlight the potential of conilurines for evolutionary study in an Australian context. A more specific goal is to investigate the effect that species ecology has on altering the evolutionary response of different species to the same environmental stimuli.
Molecular studies identified a number of taxonomic issues within the group. The genera Notomys, Mastacomys and Pseudomys formed a monophyletic group identified by previous studies. Mastacomys was placed within Pseudomys, with which it was recently synonymised, and Notomys was not clearly separable from Pseudomys. Both Notomys and Mastacomys should be recognised as genera. As a result, Pseudomys was split into several smaller genera. These included resurrection of the genus Thetomys for P. gracilicaudatus and P. nanus, and creation of a new genus Phorolithomys for the recently described pebble-mound mice. A further three groups are apparent within Pseudomys, but splitting of these at the generic level is contingent on further resolving the placement of several species among them. Some individuals previously described as P. delicatulus from north-western Australia appear to be a morphologically cryptic species, and were placed outside the P. delicatulus/ novaehollandiae group in phylogenetic trees. The subspecies P. delicatulus mimulus has no genetic basis. Pseudomys laborifex is probably a subspecies of P. johnsoni, which is an unexpected result given the distribution of P. laborifex in the Kimberley, a region anticipated to contain the sib-taxon to the Top End P. calabyi.
Phylogeographic studies of variation in the mitochondrial control region revealed significant differences in the evolution of species groups as result of their differing ecologies. This contrast centres on the morphologically similar pebble-mound mice and delicate mouse group. These are the largest species groups within the current genus Pseudomys. Pebble-mound mice are characterised by the fact that they require pebbly habitat for breeding, and have therefore speciated in allopatry due to erosion and fragmentation of that habitat. Climatic change has also affected pebble-mound mice, and has driven recurrent extinction processes, in part re-enforced by the inability of pebble-mound mice to track climatic change across pebble-free habitats.
The delicate mouse group have distributions primarily determined by climate. This means they are periodically isolated and bottlenecked, but also experience secondary contact when conditions permit range expansion. A major finding was that there is no taxon corresponding to Pseudomys pilligaensis, and that individuals of both P. delicatulus and P. novaehollandiae have been included within that species. The genetic distinctness of P. novaehollandiae from P. delicatulus was no greater than that among individuals of P. delicatulus. Whether P. delicatulus and P. novaehollandiae represent sib-species or subspecies was not resolved, but evidence of clinal morphology and probable interbreeding suggests that they have not yet speciated. Pseudomys hermannsburgensis, an arid zone member of the delicate mice, showed little genetic variability, and no geographical structuring across a very large distribution. This result is consistent with ecological studies that show the species possesses morphological adaptations to aridity and exists in relatively mobile populations. A similar result was found for the co-distributed P. desertor. Patterns of genetic structuring are not predictable based on crude habitat preference. It was thought a priori that Zyzomys argurus was a taxon with a similar habitat preference to pebble-mound mice and that it would also exhibit deep genetic structuring between allopatric populations found in rocky habitats across northern Australia. Previous isozyme studies did not find such a relationship, and this was confirmed by mtDNA sequencing. Unlike most other study species, there was no signal from the last glacial maximum, despite the fact that Z. argurus would not have been able to track climate change as many species did. A broad climatic tolerance and good dispersal ability seem to explain the lack of population structuring.
Amplification of nuclear copies of the mitochondrial control region hampered efforts to study the chestnut mice, P. gracilicaudatus and P. nanus. However, three clean control region sequences were obtained that apparently confirmed currently recognised species boundaries. Nuclear copies were also amplified from the pebble-mound mice, but primers were designed that prevented their hindrance of phylogeographic studies.
The characterisation of evolution among conilurine rodents presented here reveals that species ecology clearly accounts for many differences in patterns of population divergence and speciation. I suggest that ecological interpretation of evolutionary pattern can be extended to a general contrast between the entire conilurine assemblage and marsupials.