This paper focuses on the infrastructure that was developed to coordinate research activities among the participants of the Iquito Language Documentation Project (ILDP), a team-based project involving both graduate students and trained community members, aimed at documenting Iquito, a highly endangered language of Peruvian Amazonia. The ILDP was designed to document Iquito during six eight-week field periods between 2002 and 2006. To compensate for these short field periods, fieldwork was carried out by a team of researchers. Additionally, the project was designed to rely on graduate student researchers, thereby tapping this large pool for endangered language documentation. Concomittantly, the ILDP was intended to test methods for team-based language documentation, the focus of the present talk. Team-based research faces two challenges not faced by a lone linguist: a synchronic coordination problem and a diachronic one. The synchronic problem arises from the holistic character of linguistic fieldwork, and the fact that knowledge gained by any one researcher on a team is relevant to the work of the other researchers. In order to avoid duplication of research, overlap in research topics must be avoided, and data and analyses need to be shared rapidly among researchers. The diachronic problem concerns documentation of the findings of one season's research team for use by the following one. To address these issues, we developed the module-and-seminar model, which consisted of domain-specific project coordinators, modules, a module schedule, and daily seminars. Briefly, modules were week-long research projects assigned to individual researchers, focusing on a particular part of the grammar; these were written up in reports that were presented to the rest of the team during the daily seminar. The revised modules were subsequently included in a project-internal volume of that season's findings, for use in following years. In order to provide continuity in the project, two coordinators were selected, one who coordinated text and pedagogical materials preparation, and another who coordinated dictionary and module preparation. The latter coordinator also prepared each season's module schedule, in consultation with participating researchers. In this talk I discuss the overall success of this model, especially in addressing the synchronic coordination problem, and its potential replicability in other field contexts. I also discuss the few difficulties faced by this model, principally with respect to diachronic coordination, as new students were challenged to rapidly assimilate previous findings in order to contribute to new descriptive work.


Important to Kuhn's account of scientific change is the observation that when paradigms are in competition with one another, there is a curious breakdown of rational argument and communication between adherents of competing programs. He attributed this to the fact that competing paradigms are incommensurable. The incommensurability thesis centrally involves the claim that there is a deep conceptual gap between competing paradigms in science. In this paper I argue that in one important case of competing paradigms, the Aristotelian explanation of the properties of bodies in terms of matter and form as opposed to the Cartesian mechanist paradigm, where the properties of bodies are explained on the model of machines, there was no such conceptual gap: the notion of a machine was as fully intelligible on the Aristotelian paradigm as it was on the Cartesian. But this does not mean that the debate between the two sides was conducted on purely rational terms. Rational argument breaks down not because of Kuhnian incommensurability, I argue, but because of other cultural factors separating the two camps.


Abstract Purpose: Grounded in agency and entrenchment theories, this study assumes that CEOs' propensity to entrench themselves can affect firm performance. The purpose of this article is to investigate the relationship between dimensions and mechanisms through which managers entrench themselves and influence firm performance. Methodology: The article uses OLS regression to explain the assumed relationships between managerial entrenchment and firm performance. The study is based on a sample of 55 Moroccan listed companies over the period 2010–2015. Findings: Taken together, the findings contribute to a better understanding of the effect of several entrenchment pathways on firm performance. These findings imply that managerial entrenchment is not necessarily detrimental, as suggested by some governance theories. On the contrary, it can have a beneficial effect on wealth creation. Research limitations/implications: This study faces several limitations. The first appears in the sample size of its quantitative element. The second is related to the variables used to measure managerial entrenchment. The current research explores the effects of the most commonly used measures and some non-retained measures could be pertinent in verifying the assumed relationships. Originality/value: This analysis is one of the few studies conducted in the African countries that scrutinize the impact of managers' entrenchment determinants (ownership, duality, age, and tenure) on firm performance.


Abstract This article summarises the teaching and learning experiences of students in higher education with regard to the use of computer conferencing. The on-line unit was designed and implemented within a social constructivist framework, which promoted interaction, collaboration and experiential learning. Students who undertook this unit were practising science and mathematics teachers. They ranged in their experience of on-line learning from inexperienced users to seasoned, on-line learners. However, common among the participants is their novel exposure to being a part of a learning community where interaction and communication took precedence over individual learning. This article looks at the learning experiences from the perspectives of the facilitator and three on-line learners, based on the participants' personal stories specifically in terms of: (a) concerns associated with the implementation of the on-line learning; (b) the differences encountered when using technology for the first time to learn; (c) the difference in perspective, before and after the on-line learning experience; and (d) the differences in the learning experience in light of exposure to a new theoretical framework and a new mode of delivery. The conclusions from the stories suggest that the interaction and the social presence of others grew from the use of a social constructivist approach to teaching and learning, within the context of computer-mediated communication technologies. The role of the facilitator in this setting was to provide a context for social learning and to maintain a student-centred approach. Alternatively, the role of the students was to proactively engage in peer learning.


Neural decoders were shown to outperform classical message passing techniques for short BCH codes. In this work, we extend these results to much larger families of algebraic block codes, by performing message passing with graph neural networks. The parameters of the sub-network at each variable-node in the Tanner graph are obtained from a hypernetwork that receives the absolute values of the current message as input. To add stability, we employ a simplified version of the arctanh activation that is based on a high order Taylor approximation of this activation function. Our results show that for a large number of algebraic block codes, from diverse families of codes (BCH, LDPC, Polar), the decoding obtained with our method outperforms the vanilla belief propagation method as well as other learning techniques from the literature.


Lafora disease (LD) is a fatal and the most common form of adolescent-onset progressive epilepsy. Fulminant endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-associated depositions of starch-like long-stranded, poorly branched glycogen molecules [known as polyglucosans, which accumulate to form Lafora bodies (LBs)] are seen in neuronal perikarya and dendrites, liver, skeletal muscle and heart. The disease is caused by loss of function of the laforin dual-specificity phosphatase or the malin E3 ubiquitin ligase. Towards understanding the pathogenesis of polyglucosans in LD, we generated a transgenic mouse overexpressing inactivated laforin to trap normal laforin's unknown substrate. The trap was successful and LBs formed in liver, muscle, neuronal perikarya and dendrites. Using immunogold electron microscopy, we show that laforin is found in close proximity to the ER surrounding the polyglucosan accumulations. In neurons, it compartmentalizes to perikaryon and dendrites and not to axons. Importantly, it binds polyglucosans, establishing for the first time a direct association between the disease-defining storage product and disease protein. It preferentially binds polyglucosans over glycogen in vivo and starch over glycogen in vitro, suggesting that laforin's role begins after the appearance of polyglucosans and that the laforin pathway is involved in monitoring for and then preventing the formation of polyglucosans. In addition, we show that the laforin interacting protein, EPM2AIP1, also localizes on the polyglucosan masses, and we confirm laforin's intense binding to LBs in human LD biopsy material.


This article focuses on recent advances and developments of field effect transistor (FET) devices for detecting DNA recognition events such as hybridization, SNP genotyping and primer extension. The unique features of FET biosensors highlight the potential advantages for high-throughput detection of DNA molecules in a label-free manner. In particular, FET devices represent a potential platform for the development of the next-generation DNA sequence instruments based on semiconductor technology. We also review an emerging class of FET devices that use nanomaterials such as silicon nanowires and single-walled carbon nanotubes as a gate channel for the ultrasensitive detection of biological analytes.


We experimentally demonstrate the existence of an optimal decision threshold in an optical code-division-multiple-access (O-CDMA) system and show its relation to the number of active users. Our results show that tuning the decision threshold in an O-CDMA receiver to an optimal point based on the number of active users improves receiver sensitivity by > 3 dB. We also demonstrate a monitoring scheme to estimate the number of active users in an O-CDMA system using harmonics of RF clock tones.


The context of this thesis is Brazilian Amazonia and the subject is the discussion of labour force mobility and immobility as well as environmental degradation following current occupation process of this natural resource frontier. The overall aim is to identify the forms and mechanisms of the capitalist occupation process which has taken place in Amazonia in the 1960-1990 period. I consider the issues of increasing labour force mobility and environmental degradation as a question of changes in the relationship between people-nature. These changes in Brazilian Amazonia relate to an expansion of the territorial limits of capital and are a consequence of the occupation process encouraged by the Brazilian State. The central research question of this thesis is why and how does a regional development policy for Brazilian Amazonia, designed with the aim of promoting the occupation of the empty spaces of the frontier, lead to a progressive expulsion of the previous inhabitants of those areas. In the same way, why did government programmes not ensure a settling of the new colonists (landless migrants) on the land in these frontier areas where, by definition, we would suppose there are huge expanses of land available. The argument is that the Brazilian State, taking it for granted that the Northern frontier areas should be occupied, promoted a sort of occupation in which the frontier was to be expanded following a pattern of urbanised jungle, where the urban space was the support of this process. According to this strategy, the circulation (mobility) of the labour force was seen to be more relevant than the settlement of small landless producers. In this way, migration (as a mechanism in producing the labour force) played a crucial role in creating a regional labour market in frontier areas. Moreover, this thesis will discuss the Extractive Reserve model presented by the so-called traditional inhabitants as a proposal for rainforest productive conservation and counter-mobility of the labour force in Brazilian Amazonia. The present study analyses specific spaces in the Amazonia: the Pre- Amazonia Maranhense (Eastern Amazonia), considered an earlier frontier area from the 1960s, and the Acre River Valley (Western Amazonia), that represents a newer frontier area from the 1970s and 1980s.


The ethnographic study of organisational dynamics and bureaucratic process in an Indian Health Service mental health clinic and a tribal alcohol rehabilitation programme is approached through a reframing of dichotomous notions of function and dysfunction and order and disorder. Bureaucratic stricture in healthcare protocol contrasts with the rapacious 'dysfunctionality' that propels team relations, which are variously broached by staff through bureaucratic complaints procedures, strategic manipulation and witchcraft accusations. Bureaucracy and group (dys-)function represent modes of processing post-colonial discontent while also manifesting the carnivalization and hybridisation of cultural mores. The projective dynamics that are apparent in historical developments and that continue to feed current intercultural relations remain largely unacknowledged. They become evident however in the conceptualisation of hierarchy and its responsibilities, in attitudes towards bureaucracy, and in particular around the cultural construction of alcohol and 'Indian Drinking'. Alcohol is a mutable spirit, an 'object of desire' and a destructive foe: it offers cathartic release, empowerment and occasion for hedonistic enjoyment. By some of the survivors of colonialism it is also perceived in effect as a biological weapon: a colonially imported, intentionally employed inter-generationally active toxin that has invaded and corrupted Native genes. The notion of corruption, loss and change is explored in the context of how culture, 'traditions' and language are shaped, reduced, manipulated and mediated in ways that conveniently fit into the strictures and structures of contemporary official frameworks. In its conclusion the study proposes a relational theory of 'adversarial intimacy', an idea inspired by Roger Caillois' exploration of mimicry as symbiotic drive akin to sympathetic magic, where rivalrous organisms are propelled towards a compulsive emulation of each other in homage to the greater system they are part of.


This article explores how thinking about the time of childhood through the lens of US slavery forces us to rethink both phenomena. According to many of the people who lived through it, enslaved childhood was a shifting, episodic phenomenon that had multiple points of definition. Throughout the nineteenth century, as their adult selves looked back on their early years, formerly enslaved people adopted a number of different strategies to understand and narrate how they came to be who they were and what their formative experiences meant in terms of the trajectory of their lives. They wrote within a literary culture that was itself partially responsible for creating (and certainly was instrumental in promoting and perpetuating) the temporal understanding of childhood as unidirectional, progressive, and only tangentially connected to material reality. But they also described quite different temporal patterns for slave childhood. These patterns are the focus of my analysis here: how African American narrators negotiated their vexed relationship to childhood as both never- and always-children in order to challenge the growing consensus on how childhood could and should be staged in literary texts. My primary sources are narratives by formerly enslaved people, written, as most slave narratives were, primarily but not exclusively for white readers.


This is the only comprehensive and up-to-date analysis of the political economy of the five Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden). Five studies have been written within a project, and are based on thorough discussions on a common framework within which the distinct features of the economic policies of each separate country are analysed in a comparative perspective. The studies are accompanied by an extensive comparative discussion - written collectively by the members of the project team - that locates the Nordic model(s) within the wider map of capitalist varieties in the contemporary Western world. This book emphasizes the variety of experiences within the Nordic realm, from the dramatic collapse of Iceland's economy as the financial bubble burst in 2008 to the full-employment oil-economy of Norway that proved virtually unaffected by the financial instabilities of 2008. It also identifies certain common transformations (particularly linked to the politics of immigration and integration, the persistent role of the unions, and new opportunities created by national systems of innovation).


An efficient and accurate computational method is developed for analyzing finite layers of crossed arrays of circular cylinders, including woodpile structures as special cases. The method relies on marching a few operators (approximated by matrices) from one side of the structure to another. The marching step makes use of the Dirichlet-to-Neumann (DtN) maps for two-dimensional unit cells in each layer where the structure is invariant in the direction of the cylinder axes. The DtN map is an operator that maps two wave field components to their normal derivatives on the boundary of the unit cell, and they can be easily constructed by vector cylindrical waves. Unlike existing numerical methods for crossed gratings, our method does not require a discretization of the structure. Compared with the multipole method that uses vector cylindrical wave expansions and scattering matrices, our method is relatively simple since it does not need sophisticated lattice sums techniques. © 2009 Optical Society of America OCIS codes: 050.5298, 000.4430.


J Pathol Transl Med 2015; 49(6): 472-480. http://dx.doi.org/10.4132/jptm.2015.09.11

Editors, Journal of Pathology and Translational Medicine

Several issues related to the authorship, research materials, and protocols have been raised with the above article published in the Journal of Pathology and Translational Medicine (2015; 49: 472-80) [1]. The first author of the article has duely admitted that he is mainly responsible for the misconduct. Thus, the editors and publication board of the JPTM have decided to retract the article.


Six cases heroin abusers, during withdrawal, were given iv normal saline and dynorphin-(1-13), respectively. After saline a slight placebo effect was noticed. When dynorphin-(1-13) given iv, withdrawal scores were lowered significantly. This result suggests that dynorphin-(1-13) can suppress withdrawal syndrome. The side effects due to dynorphin-(1-13) were very minimal.


Convolution and deconvolution algorithms play a key role in digital processing applications. They involve many multiplication and division steps and consume a lot of processing time. As such, they play a vital role in determining the performance of the digital signal processor. Convolution and deconvolution implemented with Vedic mathematics proved fast as compared to those using conventional methods of multiplication and division. This paper presents a novel Verilog implementation of convolution and deconvolution algorithm with multiplier using radix-256 booth encoding to reduce the partial product rows by eight fold and carry propagate free redundant binary addition for adding the partial products, thus, contributing to higher speed. The design had been implemented for 32 bit signed and unsigned sequences. The delay was reduced by 18.27%. The entire design was implemented in Xilinx ISE 14.7 targeted towards Spartan 3E.
Keywords: Convolution and deconvolution, Radix-256, Redundant binary (RB) addition, Xilinx ISE.


This paper explores the design and fabrication of Micro-Electro-Mechanical capacitors based on vertical carbon nanotube arrays. The devices are realized in vertically single-clamped parallel plate configurations using a dense array of vertically grown MWCNTs on metal lines. The capacitance tuning is performed by electrostatic actuation. From the pull-in voltage value, based on novel analytical model of single-clamped vertical CNT membranes, we extract an equivalent Young modulus of the CNT array ranging in the 10's of MPa. S-parameter measurements combined with an equivalent circuit model enable the demonstration of a capacitors with values of 50-200fF with a tuning range of the order of 19%.


The evanescent wave theory (ewt) is extended to treat modal propagation along a general graded-index optical-fiber structure surrounded by a uniform cladding. A step or a valley may be present at the core–cladding interface. The fiber core may be specified in a more general form than was the case for untruncated profiles. The reformulation of the original ewt method uses the uniform corrective method, developed by Arnold for WKB calculations, iteratively to specify nonintegral radial mode numbers for the clad index profile. The integral radial mode numbers of the unclad profile are used as first approximations. Our method gives corrected values for propagation constants and group delays of guided modes and complex propagation constants of leaky modes. Numerical results show good agreement with a numerical solution for a parabolic-core fiber. For other profiles they specify accurate asymptotic upper and lower limits for the cladding influence. For leaky modes of a truncated near-parabolic profile we show agreement with results of a simple WKB formulation. A valley, present at the core–cladding interface, causes a reduction in the maximum intermodal group-delay difference from 3.1 to 1.9 nsec/km because of a strong attenuation of high-order (leaky) modes.


BACKGROUND Fewer than half of individuals with a mental disorder seek formal care in a given year. Much research has been conducted on the factors that influence service use in this population, but the methods generally used cannot easily identify the complex interactions that are thought to exist. In this paper, we examine predictors of subsequent service use among respondents to a population health survey who met criteria for a past-year mood, anxiety or substance-related disorder. METHODS To determine service use, we use an administrative database including all physician consultations in the period of interest. To identify predictors, we use classification tree (CART) analysis, a data mining technique with the ability to identify unsuspected interactions. We compare results to those from logistic regression models. RESULTS We identify 1213 individuals with past-year disorder. In the year after the survey, 24% (n=312) of these had a mental health-related physician consultation. Logistic regression revealed that age, sex and marital status predicted service use. CART analysis yielded a set of rules based on age, sex, marital status and income adequacy, with marital status playing a role among men and by income adequacy important among women. CART analysis proved moderately effective overall, with agreement of 60%, sensitivity of 82% and specificity of 53%. CONCLUSION Results highlight the potential of data-mining techniques to uncover complex interactions, and offer support to the view that the intersection of multiple statuses influence health and behaviour in ways that are difficult to identify with conventional statistics. The disadvantages of these methods are also discussed.


Abstract This paper analyses the profound structural transformations that took place in Norway's horticulture industry between 1999 and 2010. The aggregate industrial outputs from the industry remained stable in this period. However, the number of horticulture farms dropped by 40.5% and the remaining farms became accordingly larger. We analyse how this development was related to changing labour strategies on Norwegian farms during this period, in part affected by labour market deregulation following the EU enlargements in 2004 and 2007. The analysis utilises Agricultural Census data covering the full population of horticulture farms in Norway in 1999 (N=5,105) and all farms in the country in 2010 (N=46,624, of which 3036 now were horticulture farms). Results suggest that the enhanced availability of inexpensive and flexible global labour is strongly associated with a stepwise proletarisation of Norwegian horticulture. Family labour is being systematically replaced by wage labour and domestic workers are being replaced by lowwage migrant workers.


Systematic measured profiles on a regional scale are used to document the distribution of noritic and amphibolitic sills (787 in total) in the largely sedimentary latest Archaean–early Proterozoic succession of the Transvaal Supergroup in northeastern South Africa. An aggregate thickness of over 2.2 km of sills intruded this 12 km thick succession. The proportion of sill to sill plus sedimentary rock increases upward (average 16%), towards the overlying mafic phase of the Bushveld Complex. The average thickness of sills is 34 m, but increases in the same sense. The emplacement level of the Bushveld Complex transgresses across some 5 km of the stratigraphy of the upper formations of the Transvaal Supergroup. A node of maximum intensity of noritic sill intrusion is developed in these uppermost strata adjacent to the location where the transgressive relationship is most pronounced. The structural styles of the Transvaal Supergroup strata influence intensity of sill intrusion. Other factors being equal, maximum intrusion intensity is associated with areas of shallow homoclinal dip (<20°) and minimum intensity with areas of steeper dip and folding. A lithological control on sill emplacement is also documented, with quartzite- and shale-dominated formations being more heavily intruded than dolomite and basaltic lava. Supplementary material: A spreadsheet including all 440 formation traverses including grid references, formation thicknesses, and number and thicknesses of every sill therein is available at http://www.geolsoc.org.uk/SUP18807.


Nowadays, mobile devices provide new possibilities for gesture interaction due to the large range of embedded sensors they have and their physical form factor. In addition, auditory interfaces can now be more easily supported through advanced mobile computing capabilities. Although different types of gesture techniques have been proposed for handheld devices, there is still little knowledge about the acceptability and use of some of these techniques, especially in the context of an auditory interface. In this paper, we propose a novel approach to the problem by studying the design space of gestures proposed by end-users for a mobile auditory interface. We discuss the results of this explorative study, in terms of the scope of the gestures proposed, the tangible aspects, and the users' preferences. This study delivers some initial gestures recommendations for eyes-free auditory interfaces.


Hose's leaf monkey Presbytis hosei is endemic to Borneo and occurs only in tall forest. In recent decades Borneo has lost a large part of its forest cover, mostly in low-lying coastal regions. Large intact tracts of forest remain in the interior, but these are by and large inhabited by tribes that subsist in part by hunting. The combined effects of habitat disturbance and hunting on the densities and biomass of Hose's leaf monkey were studied in Kayan Mentarang National Park in Borneo's far interior. Over four months, data on densities and hunting were collected by transect walks in four forest types. Hose's leaf monkeys were hunted to deter crop-raiding, for their meat, and to obtain bezoar stones (visceral secretions used in traditional medicine). Hose's leaf monkeys occurred in single male groups of 7-8 individuals in densities from 0.8 to 2.3 groups km-2. Densities of Hose's leaf monkeys were positively correlated with certain vegetation characteristics, e.g. tree height and height of first bough, and negatively correlated with distance to the nearest village. Biomass of Hose's leaf monkeys declined considerably as a result of habitat disturbance and hunting from 92 kg km-2 in primary hill forest inside the reserve to 38 kg km-2 in old secondary forest and 31 kg km-2 in young secondary forest near villages. A review of the few studies conducted on the effects of habitat disturbance and hunting on Hose's leaf monkeys reveal inconsistent trends in biomass and density responses.


What does the level of real interest rates tell us about where the economy, or our portfolio, is headed? The answer depends on one's estimate of the "equilibrium" value of real interest rates, a measure that is not directly observable in the marketplace. This article provides a brief overview of some approaches to defining and measuring equilibrium real rates, and introduces a novel method based on yields on the U.S. Treasury's inflation-indexed securities (TIIS). A simple framework for analyzing TIIS yields illustrates how to use them to gauge the stance of monetary policy and overall economic prospects.


We study the effect on savings of an increase in the capital risk of the investment opportunities when the representative consumer is allowed to optimally choose her portfolio. Sandmo (1970) and Levhari and Srinivasan (1969) prove that individuals with high risk-aversion and time-separable, power utility increase their optimal savings when capital risk increases holding constant the expected return of the risky asset. We obtain the opposite effect when the consumer chooses her portfolio allocation optimally.


In this 2004 book, Professor Amerasinghe examines the local remedies rule in terms of both historical and modern international law. He considers both the customary international law as well as the application of the rule to, among others, human rights protection and international organizations. Material includes bilateral investment treaties and state contracts. The law is dealt with in the light of state practice and the jurisprudence of international courts and tribunals. The book also ventures into important areas such as the incidence of the rule, limitations, the burden of proof and the application of the rule to procedural remedies, in which the law is less clear. It adheres to the requirements of juristic exposition and analysis where the law has been determined, but at the same time Amerasinghe offers criticisms and suggestions for improving the law in the light of modern policy considerations.


A new method to control the free spectral range (FSR) of a long-period fiber grating (LPFG) is proposed and theoretically analyzed. As the refractive index decreases radially outward in the silica cladding by graded doping of fluorine, waveguide dispersion in the cladding modes was modified to result in the effective indexes change and subsequently the phase-matching conditions for coupling with the core mode in a LPFG. Enlargement of the FSR in a LPFG was theoretically confirmed.


Changes in the strength of the transport barrier at the edge of the stratospheric polar vortex can affect the rate at which air descends through the vortex, as well as the chemical composition of the stratosphere. We investigate methods for determining the strength of this barrier in the middle stratosphere using reanalysis data. Firstly, we develop two quantitative measures related to the strength of the barrier, which are based on a recently introduced method known as the function M derived using the path lengths of Lagrangian trajectories [de la Camara et al. 2012], and show that they are both potentially worthwhile at isentropic levels of 600-900 K. The first of these is a measure of vortex strength and permeability and the second is a measure of vortex barrier area. These measures are both calculated using an isentropic Lagrangian trajectory model based on wind velocity data from the MERRA reanalysis. We also investigate the use of satellite data for identifying the location of the polar vortex by dividing measurements of CO and N2O into clusters corresponding to intraand extra-vortex air in tracer-tracer space using two different clustering schemes. This method is tested in the middle stratosphere at 700-1250 K against a potential-vorticity based method, and also against the CO probability distribution function (PDF) based method detailed in McDonald and Smith [2013]. By using different combinations of chemicals, such as CO/water, this method could be extended into the upper stratosphere, where reanalysis data becomes less reliable but chemical tracer data from satellites such as the AuraMLS (Microwave Limb Sounder) is readily available. No clear evidence is found that this method identifies vortex air more accurately than the CO PDF-based method. However, it is shown that this method is particularly good at identifying air located outside the vortex.


Background Aggressive patients can be either distracting to the participants, and often their behaviour can be attributed to personality traits. However, it is common knowledge amongst medical healthcare professionals that it is potentially a symptom of an organic cause. Therefore, in a complex and stressful environment, such as a ward round, how likely is a medical student to identify the potential of a serious illness in an aggressive patient? Methodology We ran a simulated ward round at the university of Edinburgh involving final year medical students (n=290). We used five patient scenarios with numerous distractors such as phone calls, being asked to perform other tasks, and requesting investigations, as well as being a part of the ward round. Two of the scenarios used were around one patient with acute pancreatitis and another with sepsis and airway compromise. Both these simulated patients were instructed to be aggressive. We measured the time between the patient expressing symptoms to the time of considering a possible cause of the patient's symptoms, and also the number of prompts from faculty and the patients required to do so. Results There were a significant number of missed sessions where the diagnosis was missed die to distractions. The required number of prompts was higher in patients and nurse than those of consultants, reflecting the effect of hierarchy. During the debrief, the importance of understanding and acquisition of non-technical skills are an important factor is diluting distractors and avoid potentially disastrous outcomes were discussed. Work around the subject should be continued in the future as part of the undergraduate curriculum. Conclusions Distractors on a busy ward round are to be taken seriously by medical staff. It is crucial to stop, delay or manage the distractors as appropriately to avoid serious mistakes.


Research on violent television and films, video games, and music reveals unequivocal evidence that media violence increases the likelihood of aggressive and violent behavior in both immediate and long-term contexts. The effects appear larger for milder than for more severe forms of aggression, but the effects on severe forms of violence are also substantial (r = .13 to .32) when compared with effects of other violence risk factors or medical effects deemed important by the medical community (e.g., effect of aspirin on heart attacks). The research base is large; diverse in methods, samples, and media genres; and consistent in overall findings. The evidence is clearest within the most extensively researched domain, television and film violence. The growing body of video-game research yields essentially the same conclusions. Short-term exposure increases the likelihood of physically and verbally aggressive behavior, aggressive thoughts, and aggressive emotions. Recent large-scale longitudinal studies provide converging evidence linking frequent exposure to violent media in childhood with aggression later in life, including physical assaults and spouse abuse. Because extremely violent criminal behaviors (e.g., forcible rape, aggravated assault, homicide) are rare, new longitudinal studies with larger samples are needed to estimate accurately how much habitual childhood exposure to media violence increases the risk for extreme violence. Well-supported theory delineates why and when exposure to media violence increases aggression and violence. Media violence produces short-term increases by priming existing aggressive scripts and cognitions, increasing physiological arousal, and triggering an automatic tendency to imitate observed behaviors. Media violence produces long-term effects via several types of learning processes leading to the acquisition of lasting (and automatically accessible) aggressive scripts, interpretational schemas, and aggression-supporting beliefs about social behavior, and by reducing individuals' normal negative emotional responses to violence (i.e., desensitization). Certain characteristics of viewers (e.g., identification with aggressive characters), social environments (e.g., parental influences), and media content (e.g., attractiveness of the perpetrator) can influence the degree to which media violence affects aggression, but there are some inconsistencies in research results. This research also suggests some avenues for preventive intervention (e.g., parental supervision, interpretation, and control of children's media use). However, extant research on moderators suggests that no one is wholly immune to the effects of media violence. Recent surveys reveal an extensive presence of violence in modern media. Furthermore, many children and youth spend an inordinate amount of time consuming violent media. Although it is clear that reducing exposure to media violence will reduce aggression and violence, it is less clear what sorts of interventions will produce a reduction in exposure. The sparse research literature suggests that counterattitudinal and parental-mediation interventions are likely to yield beneficial effects, but that media literacy interventions by themselves are unsuccessful. Though the scientific debate over whether media violence increases aggression and violence is essentially over, several critical tasks remain. Additional laboratory and field studies are needed for a better understanding of underlying psychological processes, which eventually should lead to more effective interventions. Large-scale longitudinal studies would help specify the magnitude of media-violence effects on the most severe types of violence. Meeting the larger societal challenge of providing children and youth with a much healthier media diet may prove to be more difficult and costly, especially if the scientific, news, public policy, and entertainment communities fail to educate the general public about the real risks of media-violence exposure to children and youth.


Developments in e-government are resulting in fundamental reorganizations of the ways in which democratic governments operate as well as in the ways in which citizens relate to their own and other governments and to each other. Of special relevance here are the manners in which institutions and citizens are becoming interconnected into a complex 'Web of governance' via largely uncoordinated information networks. This paper examines how this Web of governance is simultaneously producing changes in individual citizen's senses of identity and challenges to conventional notions of accountability in liberal democratic systems. Together, it is argued, these suggest moving focus from e-government (the institutions of government) to e-governance (the larger Web of formal and informal institutions, organizations, norms, traditions, authority structures, groups and behaviors within which individuals and groups live their lives). Such a refocusing holds the promise of developing citizen capacity and identity in balance with formal governmental transformations. Specific illustrative examples are provided including Seoul Metropolitan Government's OPEN System.


Abstract A new model for making probability forecasts of accumulated spot precipitation from weather radar data is presented. The model selects a source region upwind of the forecast spot. All pixels (horizontal size 2 × 2 km2) within the source region are considered, having the same probability of hitting the forecast-spot. A pixel hitting the forecast spot is supposed to precipitate there a short time (about 10 min.). A drawing is performed, and a frequency distribution of accumulated precipitation during the first time step of the forecast is obtained. A second drawing gives the frequency distribution of accumulated precipitation during the first to second time step, a third one during the first to third, and so on until the end of the forecast period is reached. A number of forecasts for 1-h accumulated precipitation, with lead times of 0, 1, and 2 h, have been performed and verified. The forecasts for 0-h lead time got the highest Brier skill scores, +50% to 60% relative to climatological forecasts f...


In this chapter, recent advances in scanning/transmission electron microscopic techniques and their applications to nanomaterials are highlighted. Aberration corrected electron microscopy is now routinely employed to study carbon nanomaterials, nanoparticles, 2D materials, alloys and heterostructures, etc. However, there have been several significant achievements in employing this technique towards the study of the various nanostructures. Aberration corrected TEM/STEM imaging tends to be very successful in identifying new nanoalloys, enables understanding of the growth mechanisms as well as the behaviour of supported atoms/clusters towards catalytic reactions, etc. HAADF-STEM imaging in combination with spectroscopy is an essential tool for the characterization of new 2D materials, such as borophenes and phosphorenes. At the same time, it provides insights into the structure of hetero-interfaces as well as enables identifying defects and new phases associated with these materials. It is now possible to go down in accelerating voltages upto 15 kV in both TEM/STEM modes and image specimens with minimal damage. It is foreseen, that these new developments in advanced electron microscopic techniques will provide significant possibilities for unravelling new phenomena, as well as explore novel properties of nanomaterials enabling new applications.


The benefits of a college education are well documented. However, the majority of existing research focuses on students who matriculate soon after high school graduation. There is little empirical evidence illustrating whether a college degree is similarly beneficial to those already in the workforce, particularly individuals over 50. Nonetheless, the coming years will see the dramatic growth of older individuals, many of whom will continue to be active in the labor force, and policymakers would benefit from effective strategies to improve the labor market outcomes of older individuals. This research proposes to evaluate the labor market outcomes of individuals in Georgia who obtain a bachelor's degree at age 50 or older by merging state-level individual level labor force (Dpt of Labor) with individual level educational data from the University System of Georgia (USG). Specifically, we explore whether these later-age degrees result in employment opportunities with higher wages and increased retention in the labor force beyond the traditional retirement age of 65 than those who do not attain a bachelor's degree. The results will provide policymakers across the United States with information to make informed decisions regarding higher education incentives and policies for older students. Comments DOI https://doi.org/10.23889/ijpds.v3i5.1073 This presentation is available at ScholarlyCommons: https://repository.upenn.edu/admindata_conferences_presentations_2018/1 Returns to Later-Age Degrees Sally Wallace, PhD Dean, Andrew Young School of Policy Studies November 2018


It is sometimes difficult for people to understand that they are contributing to non-point source pollution because it is by definition diffuse and it is difficult to visualize. Over the past several years, the Agricultural Pollution Prevention program of the University of Georgia, College of Agricultural and Environmental Science, Cooperative Extension Service has used hands-on educational tools to show people the connections between everyday activities and water quality problems. These tools include: groundwater models illustrating the connections between septic tanks, wells, lakes, and groundwater; a table-top rainfall simulator comparing erosion on soils with different amounts of cover; in-stream water quality monitoring with high school and community groups; and on-farm workshops demonstrating wholefarm management practices to reduce non-point source pollution. These tools have been effective in helping people identify sources of non-point source pollution and understand practices they can use to reduce impacts. A demonstration during the exhibits will showcase several of these tools as a companion to this paper. The Agricultural Pollution Prevention program has these tools available for people to use in educational programs.


Community Conversations at Pikes Peak Library District is a new series of monthly events that invites the public to discuss current events and issues impacting the Pikes Peak region. We want to promote civil dialogue and greater understanding of different


Organic amnesia is the loss of memory due to biological factors such as brain disorders, tumors, strokes, degenerative diseases, or any other of a multitude of other disruptions of neurological function. Memories are stored throughout the brain, and as a result damage to any localized brain region only causes limited memory deficits. Even in itself, organic amnesia can present in a variety of impairments across numerous memory systems within the brain. Several kinds of amnesia will be reviewed, including details of the corresponding deficits and suggestions of the likely affected memory system.


ABSTRACT Cantos Cautivos (Captive Songs) is a recently launched online archive of songs created, performed and listened to in the context of political detention and torture in Pinochet's Chile (1973–1990). This article contextualizes the project, provides an overview of the archive's current materials, outlines a selection of challenges, and highlights its contributions of music, accounts and documentation.


E-learning in higher education has changed the conventional way of learning due to the rapid development of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) over the past decades. To successfully adopt e-learning in higher education institutions, it is vital to examine and consider the factors for implementing e-learning. Recently, the Libyan government has provided some initiatives to move towards the implementation of e-learning in higher education institutions. However, there are many obstacles and challenges that need to be addressed for the implementation of an effective e-learning system in Libya. It is the purpose of this research to investigate the feasibility of adopting e-learning in Libyan higher education. The objectives of this study is to investigate the factors affecting the implementation of e-learning in Libyan higher education. In order to study the adoption of e-learning for teaching and learning in Libyan higher education, the conceptual model, namely the Technology Accepting Model (TAM), was used in this study. The research strategy used here is that of survey research and the questionnaire is the tool used for data collection. A sample size of 400 students and 400 teachers were selected from four Libyan universities. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was carried out to examine the predictive behaviour of the proposed factors of the research models.

The student model shows that both 'Perceived Ease of Use' and 'Perceived Usefulness' of e-learning were significantly influenced by Social Networking Media, Social Influences and Mobile Devices. In addition, the teacher model also shows that both 'Perceived Ease of Use' and 'Perceived Usefulness' of e-learning were significantly influenced by Perceived Enjoyment, Social Networking Media and Mobile Devices. Moreover, for both students and teachers, 'Perceived Ease of Use' and 'Perceived Usefulness' considerably influenced the attitude towards the utilisation of e-learning. As such, the attitude towards using e-learning has positively influenced the intention to use it.

Finally, in both models, the results suggest that individuals who believe in the usefulness of Social Networking Media and Mobile Devices, will have more intention to use e-learning technology, when these platforms and gadgets are simple and easy to use.


The article describes the experience of distance learning of specialists of the press-services of government bodies. Distance course "communication management" is aimed at training of press for the under-secretaries of state and municipal authorities, departments, agencies, district administrations and other structures. Despite the fact that professional activity in the field of public relations (including public sector) provides Federal State educational standard of higher education with respect to the "Advertising and public relations", for many practitioners in this area the most relevant is short-term (up to 6 months) program for retraining and improvement of professional skill. In this connection, it became necessary to develop such a course. This article provides review of the implementation of course "Communication management" for employees of press services of state and municipal authorities. Training program, technical means, methodical and didactic technologies and techniques, indicators of satisfaction of trainees according to program results, self-assessment of effectiveness course by instructors and organizers of learning are considered. The experience of the implementation of the distance course "Communication Management" made it possible to analyze the strengths and weaknesses in the training of press officers of state authorities, revise and update its content, improve the technical and technological part, improve the learning process as a whole.


The thesis intends to explore struggles over the content of musical
knowledge and musical meaning within the music education system, in
relation to overall social political change. The research focuses on music
education in Hong Kong, with reference to the transfer of Hong Kong's
political sovereignty from the United Kingdom of Great Britain to the
People's Republic of China in 1997.
Part One (Socio-political and cultural heritage) traces the
interrelationship between China, Britain and Hong Kong in the content of
Hong Kong music education during the period of British administration.
This includes the following: Chapter One introduces the research problem,
theoretical orientation and main argument of the thesis. Chapter Two
examines patterns of the historical context of Imperial China, modern
China and colonial Hong Kong music education. Chapter Three is an
analysis of the rise of Hong Kong indigenous popular and serious (classical)
music outside the school environment.
Part Two (Impact of the 1984 and 1989 political events) describes the
significance of these two events on Hong Kong music education. This
includes the following: Chapter Four is a comparison between formal Hong
Kong music education, the changing socio-political configuration and other
social institutions under the influence of the 1989 Tiananmen Square
3
Incident. Chaptet: .five is a comparison between music education and other
parts of the education system in Hong Kong as a consequence of the 1989
Tiananmen Square Incident.
Part Three (Tensions of Hong Kong music education) highlights the
dilemmas of Hong Kong music education. This includes the following:
Chapter Six focuses on the struggles of Hong Kong music education within
the socio-political, cultural and economic arenas. Chapter Seven is an
investigation of music teachers' opinions about Hong Kong secondary music
education.
Part Four (Music as a social construction) is the conclusion of the
thesis in Chapter Eight which reviews the patterns of Hong Kong music
education by treating music as a socio-political construction, and attempts
to apply the broader implications of the thesis.


Real innovation for a more sustainable and inclusive food system requires collaboration based on resilient relationships between a diverse range of community partners and across socio-economic boundaries. SNAP incentive programs at farmer's markets are bridging gaps in food access and sovereignty for thousands of individuals across the country, but what are the far reaching implications of these programs in terms of a sustainable food system, especially in an uncertain economic landscape? Using the findings of a quantitative, interdisciplinary and community inclusive research project of the Community Supported Farmers' Markets (CSFM), a SNAP incentive program organized by Food and Medicine in Brewer, Maine, this study will explore the role of solidarity between SNAP participants and market vendors as a means of not only gauging the sort of relationship that is being formed between the program's stakeholders, but also of exploring the implications solidarity has for building community around local food. Is the incentive purely economic, or is this program fostering community ties that can persist through fiscal changes and allow for the collaborative progression of the local food economy? Drawing from a rich literature of the solidarity economy and social capital, this study demonstrates the important role social relationships can play in supporting SNAP incentive programs as the survey results indicate social capital exists between the market vendors and CSFM participants. Though complications with these findings will be discussed, the data highlight important findings that illustrate the importance of market and nonmarket factors that influence and construct people's food


This study analyzes the social and economic correlates of air pollution exposure in U.S. cities using a unique dataset created as a by-product of the EPA's Risk-Screening Environmental Indicators model and finds evidence of disproportionate exposure to environmental hazards in communities with higher concentrations of lower-income people and people of color. We improve on previous studies of environmental inequality in three ways. First, where previous studies focus on the proximity to point sources and the total mass of pollutants released, our measure of toxic exposure reflects atmospheric dispersion and chemical toxicity. Second, we analyze the data at a fine level of geographic resolution. Third, we control for substantial regional variations in pollution, allowing us to identify exposure differences both within cities and between cities. We combine 1998 data on toxicity-adjusted exposure to air pollution with 1990 Census block group data for urbanized areas. We find that blacks tend to live both in more polluted cities in the U.S. and in more polluted neighborhoods within cities. Hispanics live in less polluted cities on average, but they live in more polluted areas within cities. We find an extremely consistent income-pollution gradient, with lower income people significantly more exposed. Our findings highlight the importance of controlling for interregional variation in pollution levels in studies of the demographic correlates of pollution.


The pregnancy project sought to expose the existence, and challenge the validity, of stereotypes about Hispanic women. The charade explored the underlying motivations of the many who responded with a wide range of reactions. The specific objectives of this regional study are: to establish a thorough description of the magnitude of the issue and its potential implications for social advancement; to advance the understanding of the risk factors, motivations and impacts at the household level-as a determinant of poverty and a cause of intra-and intergenerational poverty traps; to illuminate the coping mechanisms and their individual and social implications; to highlight the gender-related issues that have historically provoked asymmetric costs to boys and girls; and to provide elements that support specific policies on this matter. In the last decade, Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) have been moving in the right direction and the region has experienced important gains in gender equality of endowments (assets) and economic opportunities. In most LAC countries, girls have been achieving gender parity in primary school enrollment and even outperforming boys at the secondary and tertiary level. The present report reviews the factors associated with teenage pregnancy and early childbearing and builds a framework to explore these issues systematically, towards the design of effective policy interventions in LAC. Teen pregnancy and early childbearing remain a challenge in the region, particularly given the association of these phenomena with poverty and lack of opportunities, and the concern that it may prevent women from taking full advantage of their human development assets and opportunities. The main message of the report is that poverty and lack of opportunities are key factors associated to early childbearing.


This article covers a timely set of issues concerning the relationship between intellectual property rights ("IPRs") associated with foreign investments, state-authorized compulsory licenses, trade law (in particular, the TRIPS Agreement), and claims for indirect expropriation that might be brought in investment arbitration. I focus, as a case study, on compulsory licenses and claims of indirect expropriation. Compulsory licenses bear an inherently contentious character. This government authorized license often presents a clash between significant opposing interests – on one side, the legitimate expectations of patent based foreign investors founded on the international investment agreement ("IIA") and a patent regime that, for well established reasons, provides relatively strong protection during the patent's term, and on the other side, the strength of the public interest in exceptional cases, such as a public health crisis. The circumstances that may be commonly associated with the issuance of a compulsory license, in which an investor's existing IP rights and investment position are severely impacted, provide the seeds for a dispute and strong incentive for the investor to seek recourse through available means of dispute settlement. In this context, the compulsory license in relation to IP based investments and claims of indirect expropriation illustrates two levels of complexity for international investment law. First, the tension between investor's rights and government action in the area of compulsory licensing is but a specialized example of a broader recurrent public policy issue in international investment law. The broader question concerns the appropriate balance between the rights and responsibilities of investors and those of governments. The investor is entitled to have its legitimate expectations with regard to the operation and return on its investment respected by the host state. However, the host state must be able to pursue legitimate regulatory goals without risk of 'regulatory chill.' The investment dispute context for a compulsory license brings these countervailing interests to a head, as these issues coalesce around questions of how much leeway governments should have to take actions that may interfere with IPRs and IP-based investments, whether these actions contravene the standards of protection established for foreign investors under national patent laws and IIAs, and whether such measures are otherwise defensible as consistent with non-investment law treaty provisions, such as Article 31 of the TRIPS Agreement. The reference to the TRIPS Agreement raises the second point of complexity: the compulsory license provides a case in point to show the interplay between two different treaty-based regimes. A compulsory license-based claim for indirect expropriation against a host state under an IIA may implicate several strands of public law that can be complimentary or competing, integrated or overlapping. International investment law as channeled through the IIA confronts intellectual property law as established through national law or the TRIPS Agreement. The compulsory license brings this confluence of competing legal regimes into stark focus. If a foreign investor believes that a host state has improperly authorized a compulsory license with respect to its patent-based investment, it may face not only a choice of forum in which to vindicate its rights, but also choice of law issues in making out a claim of indirect expropriation. Because investment agreements such as bilateral investment agreements (BIT) stand side-by-side with the WTO multilateral trading system, these respective regimes may afford different levels of protection and different remedies to the foreign investor in a dispute where the investor's home State and the host State are both members of the WTO, or where the IIA itself makes reference to the TRIPS Agreement. While there has been ample scholarly examination in the areas of investment arbitration and international trade law and related public health issues, much less has been written about intellectual property issues arising under BITs, and even less so in relation to intellectual property (including compulsory licenses) in the context of investor-State arbitration. For this reason I believe my article offers an interesting case study, and makes an important scholarly contribution that would be of interest both to academics and to the broader international dispute settlement community.


Of late an increasing number of publications about glucagon, a hormone that once enjoyed center stage with insulin but for several decades has been sitting in the wings, have appeared. The primary function of this islet α-cell product is to regulate hepatic glycogenolysis to supply increased endogenous glucose production. Clinically, this is a critical role. Release of this hormone is triggered by hypoglycemia, and it rescues patients with type 2 diabetes from hypoglycemia when too much insulin is used for glycemic control. Sadly, patients with type 1 diabetes do not have this luxury. In the absence of functional β-cells, the α-cell does not respond to hypoglycemia. The central relationship between these two cells is that the β-cell, by its own response to stop secreting insulin during hypoglycemia, provides an essential signal to the α-cell to release glucagon. This chain reaction only happens during hypoglycemia, so it takes both signals (hypoglycemia and an insulin decrement) to activate the α-cell. This phenomenon has been variably termed the intraislet insulin hypothesis (1) or the insulin switch-off signal (2).

A major stimulus for refocusing on glucagon has been an increasing number of intriguing studies from basic electrophysiological, biochemical, and animal physiology laboratories involving other regulators of α-cell function, including zinc, GABA, glutamate, somatostatin, ghrelin, and the autonomic nervous system (rev. in 3 …


This thesis is divided into two sections: -
a) The development and application of a new method for
the analysis of the ultrasonic relaxation spectra of molecules undergoing conformational changes.
The analytical technique described has the advantage
over previous methods of treating ultrasonic relaxation data
on conformational systems, in that for the first time, enthalpy differences which are consistent with those obtained from spectroscopic techniques can be derived.
b) A study of the binding of ions and small molecules
to macromolecules using the resonance interferometric technique.
The ultrasonic resonance method has been used to study
proton transfer to the c-amino group of poly-L-lysine as a
function of pH and polypeptide concentration. The relaxation data, obtained by several workers and relating to proton transfer in a range of amino-acids has been analysed using the Debye-Smoluchowski - Eigen equations in an attempt to explain the observed absorption behaviour. This work was extended to study a similar phenomenon involving the interaction between a
number of sodium alkyl sulphates and N-polyvinylpyrrolidone, a synthetic polymer, in aqueous solution at detergent concentrations above and below the surfactant critical micelle concentration.
Finally, counterion-polyion binding has been studied in
solutions of a number of polyelectrolytes including a range of kappa carrageenans, sodium alginate and sodium carboxymethylcellulose.


Evidence is required to guide the redesign of health care for older people who require hospital admission.

 We assessed the clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of geriatrician-led admission avoidance hospital at home with comprehensive geriatric assessment, the experiences of older people and their caregivers, and how the services differed.

 A multisite, randomised, open trial of comprehensive geriatric assessment hospital at home, compared with admission to hospital, using a 2 : 1 (hospital at home to hospital) ratio, and a parallel economic and process evaluation. Participants were randomised using a secure online system.

 Participants were recruited from primary care or acute hospital assessment units from nine sites across the UK.

 Older people who required hospital admission because of an acute change in health.

 Geriatrician-led admission avoidance hospital at home with comprehensive geriatric assessment.

 The main outcome, 'living at home' (the inverse of death or living in a residential care setting), was measured at 6-month follow-up. Secondary outcomes at 6 months were the incidence of delirium, mortality, new long-term residential care, cognitive impairment, ability to perform activities of daily living, quality-adjusted survival, length of stay and transfer to hospital. Secondary outcomes at 12 months were living at home, new long-term residential care and mortality.

 Participants were allocated to hospital at home (n = 700) or to hospital (n = 355). All reported relative risks (RRs) were adjusted and are reported for hospital at home compared with hospital. There were no significant differences between the groups in the proportions of patients 'living at home' at 6 months [528/672 (78.6%) vs. 247/328 (75.3%), RR 1.05, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.95 to 1.15; p = 0.36] or at 12 months [443/670 (66.1%) vs. 219/325 (67.4%), RR 0.99, 95% CI 0.89 to 1.10; p = 0.80]; mortality at 6 months [114/673 (16.9%) vs. 58/328 (17.7%), RR 0.98, 95% CI 0.65 to 1.47; p = 0.92] or at 12 months [188/670 (28.1%) vs. 82/325 (25.2%), RR 1.14, 95% CI 0.80 to 1.62]; the proportion of patients with cognitive impairment [273/407 (67.1%) vs. 115/183 (62.8%), RR 1.06, 95% CI 0.93 to 1.21; p = 0.36]; or in ability to perform the activities of daily living as measured by the Barthel Index (mean difference 0.24, 95% CI –0.33 to 0.80; p = 0.411; hospital at home, n = 521 patients contributed data; hospital, n = 256 patients contributed data) or Comorbidity Index (adjusted mean difference 0.0002, 95% CI –0.15 to 0.15; p = 0.10; hospital at home, n = 474 patients contributed data; hospital, n = 227 patients contributed data) at 6 months. The varying denominator reflects the number of participants who contributed data to the different outcomes. There was a significant reduction in the RR of living in residential care at 6 months [37/646 (5.7%) vs. 27/311 (8.7%), RR 0.58, 95% CI 0.45 to 0.76; p < 0.001] and 12 months [39/646 (6.0%) vs. 27/311 (8.7%), RR 0.61, 95% CI 0.46 to 0.82; p < 0.001], a significant reduction in risk of delirium at 1 month [10/602 (1.7%) vs. 13/295 (4.4%), RR 0.38, 95% CI 0.19 to 0.76; p = 0.006] and an increased risk of transfer to hospital at 1 month [173/672 (25.7%) vs. 64/330 (19.4%), RR 1.32, 95% CI 1.06 to 1.64; p = 0.012], but not at 6 months [343/631 (54.40%) vs. 171/302 (56.6%), RR 0.95, 95% CI 0.86 to 1.06; p = 0.40]. Patient satisfaction was in favour of hospital at home. An unexpected adverse event that might have been related to the research was reported to the Research Ethics Committee. At 6 months, there was a mean difference in NHS, personal social care and informal care costs (mean difference –£3017, 95% CI –£5765 to –£269), and no difference in quality-adjusted survival. Older people and caregivers played a crucial role in supporting the delivery of health care. In hospital at home this included monitoring a patient's health and managing transitional care arrangements.

 The findings are most applicable to patients referred from an acute hospital assessment unit.

 Comprehensive geriatric assessment hospital at home can provide a cost-effective alternative to hospitalisation for selected older people. Further research that includes a stronger element of carer support might generate evidence to improve health outcomes.

 This trial is registered as ISRCTN60477865.

 This project was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Health and Social Care Delivery Research programme and will be published in full in Health and Social Care Delivery Research; Vol. 10, No. 2. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information.


Functional annotation of human genes is fundamentally important for understanding the molecular basis of various genetic diseases. A major challenge in determining the functions of human genes lies in the functional diversity of proteins, that is, a gene can perform different functions as it may consist of multiple protein coding isoforms (PCIs). Therefore, differentiating functions of PCIs can significantly deepen our understanding of the functions of genes. However, due to the lack of isoform-level gold-standards (ground-truth annotation), many existing functional annotation approaches are developed at gene-level. In this paper, we propose a novel approach to differentiate the functions of PCIs by integrating sparse simplex projection---that is, a nonconvex sparsity-inducing regularizer---with the framework of multi-instance learning (MIL). Specifically, we label the genes that are annotated to the function under consideration as positive bags and the genes without the function as negative bags. Then, by sparse projections onto simplex, we learn a mapping that embeds the original bag space to a discriminative feature space. Our framework is flexible to incorporate various smooth and non-smooth loss functions such as logistic loss and hinge loss. To solve the resulting highly nontrivial non-convex and non-smooth optimization problem, we further develop an efficient block coordinate descent algorithm. Extensive experiments on human genome data demonstrate that the proposed approaches significantly outperform the state-of-the-art methods in terms of functional annotation accuracy of human PCIs and efficiency.


This volume includes the complete texts of two of John Stuart Mill's most important works, Utilitarianism and On Liberty, and selections from his other writings, including the complete text of his Remarks on Bentham's Philosophy. The selection from Mill's A System of Logic is of special relevance to the debate between those who read Mill as an Act-Utilitarian and those who interpret him as a Rule-Utilitarian. Also included are selections from the writings of Jeremy Bentham, founder of modern Utilitarianism and mentor (together with James Mill) of John Stuart Mill. Bentham's Principles of Morals and Legislation had important effects on political and legal reform in his own time and continues to provide insights for political theorists and philosophers of law. Seven chapters of Bentham's Principles are here in their entirety, together with a number of shorter selections, including one in which Bentham repudiates the slogan often used to characterize his philosophy: The Greatest Happiness of the Greatest Number. John Troyer's Introduction presents the central themes and arguments of Bentham and Mill and assesses their relevance to current discussions of Utilitarianism. The volume also provides indexes, a glossary, and notes.


In my view, the key to successful teaching and learning is relationships. As Bernard et al. (2004) suggest, "Instructionally relevant contact with instructors and peers is not only desirable, it is probably necessary for creating learning environments that lead to desirable achievement gains and general satisfaction with DE [distance education]" (412). In online courses, developing meaningful relationships requires different strategies. Although this philosophy is familiar, especially to experienced online instructors, the five roles I describe below provide a useful rubric for thinking about how an instructor can promote community.


Climate warming affects permafrost soil carbon pools in two opposing ways: enhanced vegetation growth leads to higher carbon inputs to the soil, whereas permafrost melting accelerates decomposition and hence carbon release. Here, we study the spatial and temporal dynamics of these two processes under scenarios of climate change and evaluate their influence on the carbon balance of the permafrost zone. We use the dynamic global vegetation model LPJmL, which simulates plant physiological and ecological processes and includes a newly developed discrete layer energy balance permafrost module and a vertical carbon distribution within the soil layer. The model is able to reproduce the interactions between vegetation and soil carbon dynamics as well as to simulate dynamic permafrost changes resulting from changes in the climate. We find that vegetation responds more rapidly to warming of the permafrost zone than soil carbon pools due to long time lags in permafrost thawing, and that the initial simulated net uptake of carbon may continue for some decades of warming. However, once the turning point is reached, if carbon release exceeds uptake, carbon is lost irreversibly from the system and cannot be compensated for by increasing vegetation carbon input. Our analysis highlights the importance of including dynamic vegetation and long-term responses into analyses of permafrost zone carbon budgets.


Differences in case marking and auxiliary selection in Basque intransitive verbs (Levin 1983; Ortiz de Urbina 1989; Hale & Keyser 1993; Laka 1995) seem sufficient grounds for changing the current typological classification of Basque from ergative (Dixon 1994; Primus 1999) to split-intransitive. One subset of intransitive verbs is morphologically on a par with transitives. This subset has been identified as the unergative class in the Unaccusative Hypothesis (Perlmutter 1978). The morphological split rests on the key assumption that unergatives are intransitive in Basque (Alcazar 2008). In this paper I show that Basque unergatives pattern with transitives in the absolute construction and reduced relative clauses. This novel evidence tips the scale towards an ergative analysis of Basque and questions the universality of unergatives as syntactically intransitive.


Words such as cognition, motivation and emotion powerfully guide theory development and the overall aims and goals of behavioral neuroscience research. Once such concepts are accepted generally as natural aspects of the brain, their influence can be pervasive and long lasting. Importantly, the choice of conceptual terms used to describe and study mental/neural functions can also constrain research by forcing the results into seemingly useful 'conceptual' categories that have no discrete reality in the brain. Since the popularly named 'cognitive revolution' in psychological science came to fruition in the early 1970s, the term cognitive or cognition has been perhaps the most widely used conceptual term in behavioral neuroscience. These terms, similar to other conceptual terms, have potential value if utilized appropriately.We argue that recently the term cognition has been both overused and misused. This has led to problems in developing a usable shared definition for the term and to promotion of possiblemisdirections in research within behavioral neuroscience. In addition, we argue that cognitive-guided research influenced primarily by top-down (cortical toward subcortical) perspectives without concurrent non-cognitive modes of bottom-up developmental thinking, could hinder progress in the search for new treatments andmedications for psychiatric illnesses and neurobehavioral disorders. Overall, linkages of animal research insights to human psychology may be better served by bottom-up (subcortical to cortical) affective and motivational 'state-control' perspectives, simply because the lower networks of the brain are foundational for the construction of higher 'information-processing' aspects of mind. Moving forward, rapidly expanding new techniques and creativemethods inneuroscience alongwithmore accurate brain concepts,mayhelp guide the development of new therapeutics and hopefully more accurate ways to describe and explain brain-behavior relationships. © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.


Conservative Policy Iteration (CPI) is a founding algorithm of Approximate Dynamic Programming (ADP). Its core principle is to stabilize greediness through stochastic mixtures of consecutive policies. It comes with strong theoretical guarantees, and inspired approaches in deep Reinforcement Learning (RL). However, CPI itself has rarely been implemented, never with neural networks, and only experimented on toy problems. In this paper, we show how CPI can be practically combined with deep RL with discrete actions, in an off-policy manner. We also introduce adaptive mixture rates inspired by the theory. We experiment thoroughly the resulting algorithm on the simple Cartpole problem, and validate the proposed method on a representative subset of Atari games. Overall, this work suggests that revisiting classic ADP may lead to improved and more stable deep RL algorithms.


Abstract STUDY QUESTION What are young men's attitudes towards the Danish fertility campaign 'How's your sperm?' and how do they want to receive fertility information in the future? SUMMARY ANSWER The young men found that the campaign had limited impact because it was not relevant to their current life situation and they believed general fertility awareness should be a mandatory part of education, while more targeted information would be helpful through web-based venues when it was more relevant to their lives (e.g. when ready to have children). WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY It is estimated that 16–26% of the Danish population who want children will experience infertility at some point in their lives. In Denmark, 25% of young healthy men have decreased sperm quality, and 20% of 50-year-old men are childless. Men play an important role in the fertility decision-making of couples, thus, it is important to target men and ensure that they have sufficient fertility knowledge. However, fertility awareness is limited among men and there have been few fertility awareness initiatives targeting men. In October 2018, the Municipality of Copenhagen launched the campaign 'How's your sperm?' as a tool to increase fertility knowledge among men. To identify potential barriers for the effect of fertility campaigns targeting men, evaluations of such campaigns are needed. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION This study was a cross-sectional, qualitative study of six focus groups including a total of 27 currently childless young men from the Capital Region of Copenhagen, Denmark. Data collection took place between April and October 2019. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS The interviewed young men were currently childless and were all residents in the Capital Region of Copenhagen. They were between 23 and 32 years old with an average age of 26 years, and almost all were university students or had a university degree. The focus group discussions were audiotaped, anonymized and transcribed in full. Data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE Overall, the campaign had limited influence on the young men because they believed the campaign was not relevant to their current life situation. Furthermore, the young men were confused about the aim and message of the campaign, as they thought it encouraged them to have their sperm quality tested. The young men also criticized the campaign for making a link between sperm quality and masculinity. They recognized the importance of knowledge about reproductive health but they wanted access to accurate information about fertility and risk factors for infertility. According to the young men, future initiatives should prioritize clear communication of accurate, reliable and understandable fertility information in web-based venues. In addition, the young men suggested that general fertility information should be a mandatory part of the (sexual) education curriculum in primary and secondary schools. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTIONS Participants were young and highly educated; thus the findings cannot be generalized to all men of a similar age group or to men at older ages. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS Different strategies that are relevant to the lifespan are needed to increase fertility awareness in the male population. The young men's responses underscored that any fertility awareness strategy or campaign must convey respect for the individual's autonomy. The findings highlight that how information is communicated and the quality or type of information that is disseminated are both important in acceptability by target users. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S) No funding was received for this study. No conflicts were declared for all authors. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER N/A.


Of the many admiring reviews, Bram Stoker's "Dracula" received when it first appeared in 1897, the most astute praise came from the author's mother, who wrote her son: 'It is splendid. No book since Mrs. Shelley's Frankenstein or indeed any other at all has come near yours in originality, or terror.' A popular bestseller in Victorian England, Stoker's hypnotic tale of the bloodthirsty Count Dracula, whose nocturnal atrocities are symbolic of an evil ages old yet forever new, endures as the quintessential story of suspense and horror. The unbridled lusts and desires, the diabolical cravings that Stoker dramatized with such mythical force, render "Dracula" resonant and unsettling a century later.


- When we compare with hard segmented processes,we observe that a sample belongs to a fuzzy segmented technique or clusters which allow patterns to belong to all clusters with differing levels of membership. We have seen that this is very important in areas such as sentence segmented, since a sentence is probably going to be regarding a number of theme or topic existing inside a record or set of documents. In this paper we presented a novel fuzzy segmented algorithm that works on relational input information; i.e., statistics inside the type of a similarity matrix of pairwise similarities between statistics related objects. The algorithm makes use of a graph illustration of the facts, and operates.In the Probability estimation framework wherein the graph centrality of an item inside the graph is interpreted as a opportunity. End result of making use of the fuzzy dependent estimation algorithm to sentence segmentation duties exhibit that the algorithm is successful of determining overlapping clusters of semantically associated sentences, and that it is for this reason of potential use in many different textual content mining duties. We also comprise final result of making use of the algorithm to benchmark datasets in a range of other domains.


The complex formation of two crown ethers with colored alkali metal salts was investigated by UV/Vis spectroscopy. Complexation was accomplished with free benzo-15-crown-5 (B15C5) and 15-crown-5 bonded to a diblock copolymer (Poly15C5). The diblock copolymer was synthesized by two controlled polymerization techniques and copper(i)-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition. Depending on the inserted cation, 1 : 1- or 1 : 2-complexes are formed. A significant difference of the stability constants was determined by concentration dependence solvent extraction with sodium or potassium salt. For Poly15C5 the stability constants increase for both salts compared to the stability constants of B15C5, which suggests a more effective complexation. Evaluation of the thermodynamics (ΔH, ΔS, ΔG) of cation complexation was achieved by temperature dependence phase extraction on the basis of established thermodynamic equations. Remarkably, in all cases the entropic gain seems to be the major propulsion facilitating the complexation between alkali metal salts and crown ethers. Indeed, by using Poly15C5 a more pronounced dependency of enthalpy and entropy on the complex formation is calculated.


A majority of Ardisia species harbour Burkholderia sp. bacteria within specialized leaf nodules. The bacteria are transmitted hereditarily and have not yet been cultured outside of their host. Because the plants cannot develop beyond the seedling stage without their symbionts, the symbiosis is considered obligatory. We sequenced for the first time the genome of Candidatus Burkholderia crenata (Ca. B. crenata), the leaf nodule symbiont of Ardisia crenata. The genome of Ca. B. crenata is the smallest Burkholderia genome to date. It contains a large amount of insertion sequences and pseudogenes and displays features consistent with reductive genome evolution. The genome does not encode functions commonly associated with plant symbioses such as nitrogen fixation and plant hormone metabolism. However, we identified unique genes with a predicted role in secondary metabolism in the genome of Ca. B. crenata. Specifically, we provide evidence that the bacterial symbionts are responsible for the synthesis of compound FR900359, a cyclic depsipeptide with biomedical properties previously isolated from leaves of A. crenata.


We studied breccia beds in lacustrine sediments within the active Dead Sea basin. The beds were deformed by M >5.5 earthquakes during the past 60 k.y. Our new analysis considers both the thickness of breccia beds and the lithology of beds directly overlying them in order to identify 11 M >7 earthquakes that originated within the Dead Sea pull-apart between 54 and 16 ka. The resulting time series is a unique long record of earthquakes in a well-constrained segment of a fault system in which the time interval between consecutive earthquakes increased from hundreds of years to a background recurrence interval of ∼11 k.y. since ca. 40 ka. Since this recurrence interval is similar to the M ≥7.2 recurrence interval in the Dead Sea basin, as extrapolated from present seismicity, we suggest that the present seismic regime in the Dead Sea basin, as reflected in its magnitude-frequency relation as well as in its deficiency in seismic moment, has been stationary for the past ∼40 k.y. Since the increasing interval between consecutive earthquakes in the studied segment of the Dead Sea fault is time-logarithmic, it may be a result of healing of the brittle crust as well as a diminishing strain rate following the first strong earthquake in the sequence.


Herein, we reported a novel plasma-sulfonation process for carbon materials in dilute sulfuric acid within a few tens of minutes. The total acidic and –SO3H densities of the sulfonated carbon were 4.4 mmol g−1 and 2.2 mmol g−1, respectively. The glucose selectivity during cellulose hydrolysis using a sulfonated carbon catalyst was 83.9% and retained 98% of its performance after recycling.


Autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved intracellular system that selectively eliminates protein aggregates, damaged organelles, and other cellular debris. It is a self-cleaning process critical for cell homeostasis in conditions of energy stress. Autophagy has been until now relatively overlooked in skeletal muscle, but recent
data highlight its vital role in this tissue in response to several stress conditions. The most recognized sensors for autophagy modulation are the adenosine monophosphate (AMP)-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and the mechanistic target of rapamycin (MTOR). AMPK acts as a sensor of cellular energy status by regulating several intracellular systems including glucose and lipid metabolisms and mitochondrial biogenesis. Recently, AMPK has been involved in the control of protein synthesis by decreasing MTOR activity and in the control of protein breakdown programs. Concerning proteolysis, AMPK notably regulates autophagy through FoxO transcription
factors and Ulk1 complex. In this chapter, we describe the functioning of the different autophagy pathways (macroautophagy, microautophagy, and chaperonemediated autophagy) in skeletal muscle and define the role of macroautophagy in response to physical exercise, a stress that is well assumed to be a key strategy to counteract metabolic and muscle diseases. The effects of dietary factors and altitude exposure are also discussed in the context of exercise.


In deep-tissue photoacoustic imaging, optical-contrast images of deep-lying structures are formed by recording acoustic waves that are generated by optical absorption. Although photoacoustics is perhaps the leading technique for high-resolution deep-tissue optical imaging, its spatial resolution is fundamentally limited by the acoustic wavelength, which is orders of magnitude longer than the optical diffraction limit. Here, we present an approach for surpassing the acoustic diffraction limit in photoacoustics by exploiting inherent temporal fluctuations in the photoacoustic signals due to sample dynamics, such as those induced by the flow of absorbing red blood cells. This was achieved using a conventional photoacoustic imaging system by adapting concepts from super-resolution fluorescence fluctuation microscopy to the statistical analysis of acoustic signals from flowing acoustic emitters. Specifically, we experimentally demonstrate that flow of absorbing particles and whole human blood yields super-resolved photoacoustic images, and provides static background reduction. By generalizing the statistical analysis to complex-valued signals, we demonstrate super-resolved photoacoustic images that are free from common photoacoustic imaging artifacts caused by band-limited acoustic detection. The presented technique holds potential for contrast-agent-free microvessel imaging, as red blood cells provide a strong endogenous source of naturally fluctuating absorption.


The Budyko curve is an empirical relation among evapotranspiration, potential evapotranspiration and precipitation observed across a variety of landscapes and biomes around the world. Using data from more than three hundred catchments and a simple water balance model, the Budyko curve is inverted to explore the ecohydrological controls of the soil water balance. Comparing the results across catchments reveals that aboveground transpiration efficiency and belowground rooting structure have adapted to the dryness index and the phase lag between peak seasonal radiation and precipitation. The vertical and/or lateral extent of the rooting zone exhibits a maximum in semi‐arid catchments or when peak radiation and precipitation are out of phase. This demonstrates plant strategies in Mediterranean climates in order to cope with water stress: the deeper rooting structure buffers the phase difference between precipitation and radiation. Results from this study can be used to constrain land‐surface parameterizations in ungauged basins or general circulation models.


This thesis describes novel reaction protocols for the synthesis of diaryliodonium salts and also provides an insight to the mechanism of α-arylation of carbonyl compounds with diaryliodonium salts. The first chapter gives a general introduction to the field of hypervalent iodine chemistry, mainly focusing on recent developments and applications of diaryliodonium salts. Chapter two describes the synthesis of electron-rich to electron-poor diaryliodonium triflates, in moderate to excellent yields from a range of arenes and iodoarenes. In chapter three, it is described that molecular iodine can be used together with arenes in a direct one-pot, three-step synthesis of symmetric diaryliodonium triflates. A large scale synthesis of bis(4-tert-butylphenyl)iodonium triflate is also described, controlled and verified by an external research group, further demonstrating the reliability of this methodology. The fourth chapter describes the development of a sequential one-pot synthesis of diaryliodonium salts from aryl iodides and boronic acids, furnishing symmetric and unsymmetric, electron-rich to electron-poor diaryliodonium tetrafluoroborates in moderate to excellent yields. This method was developed to overcome the regiochemical limitations imposed by the reaction mechanism in the protocols described in the preceding chapters. Chapter five describes a one-pot synthesis of heteroaromatic iodonium salts under similar conditions described in chapter two. The final chapter describes the reaction of enolates with chiral diaryliodonium salts or together with a phase transfer catalyst yielding racemic products. DFT calculations were performed, which revealed a low lying energy transition state (TS) between intermediates, which is believed to be responsible for the lack of selectivity observed in the experimental work. It is also proposed that a [2,3] rearrangement is preferred over a [1,2] rearrangement in the α-arylation of carbonyl compounds. The synthetic methodology described in this thesis is the most generally applicable, efficient and high-yielding to date for the synthesis of diaryliodonium salts, making these reagents readily available for various applications in synthesis.


Objective We examined how assessments of risk of bias of primary studies are carried out and incorporated into the statistical analysis and overall findings of a systematic review. Design A cross-sectional review. Sample We assessed 200 systematic reviews of randomised trials published between January and March 2012; Cochrane (n=100), non-Cochrane (Database of Reviews of Effects) (n=100). Main outcomes Our primary outcome was a descriptive analysis of how assessments of risk of bias are carried out, the methods used, and the extent to which such assessments were incorporated into the statistical analysis and overall review findings. Results While Cochrane reviews routinely reported the method of risk of bias assessment and presented their results either in text or table format, 20% of non-Cochrane reviews failed to report the method used and 39% did not present the assessment results. Where it was possible to evaluate the individual results of the risk of bias assessment (n=154), 75% (n=116/154) of reviews had ≥1 trial at high risk of bias; the median proportion of trials per review at high risk of bias was 50% (IQR 31% to 89%). Despite this, only 56% (n=65/116) incorporated the risk of bias assessment into the interpretation of the results in the abstract and 41% (n=47/116) (49%; n=40/81 Cochrane and 20%; n=7/35 non-Cochrane) incorporated the risk of bias assessment into the interpretation of the conclusions. Of the 83% (n=166/200) systematic reviews which included a meta-analysis, only 11% (n=19/166) incorporated the risk of bias assessment into the statistical analysis. Conclusions Cochrane reviews were more likely than non-Cochrane reviews to report how risk of bias assessments of primary studies were carried out; however, both frequently failed to take such assessments into account in the statistical analysis and conclusions of the systematic review.


We propose an improved photonic crystal (PC) cladding design for existing air-guiding photonic bandgap (PBG) fibers whose cladding airholes are arranged in a triangular lattice pattern. By increasing the sizes of concentrated silica regions in the cladding PC, we can have a larger degree of freedom in controlling the cladding bandgap regions. We predict that a fiber made from this type of cladding would perform better in terms of the PBG-guiding wavelength range, radiation loss owing to finite cladding size, and the ability to avoid surface mode problems.


We present exact analytical expressions of all the energy eigenstates and eigenvalues in terms of an unknown parameter λ for the model describing interactions among three bosonic modes without using the assumption of the Bethe anzatz. We also derive the explicit expression of a polynomial whose roots give the concrete values of the parameter λ.


The UK, with France, initiated the European, today Common, Security and Defence Policy (ESDP/CSDP) in 19989. A strong consensus on the need to address capability shortfalls, which the UK accepted to attempt under the EU flag, however masked the lack of consensus about the extent to which the EU would also make policy and launch operations (which would require permanent planning and conduct structures). This debate about the degree of EU autonomy vis-a-vis NATO and the US is one of the reasons why Europeans collectively have no strategic vision on the regions and scenarios for which they should assume responsibility, as the Libyan crisis demonstrated. But also on the capability side, the UK in the end never fully committed, withholding the necessary budget to allow the European Defence Agency to operate as intended and resisting moves towards military integration, such as Permanent Structured Cooperation, in favour of bilateral arrangements such as the 2010 agreement with France. Meanwhile, however, the US came to demand that Europe take charge, autonomously, of crisis management in its own neighbourhood. British policy now seems to have struck a dead end. London has managed to slow down the CSDP. NATO has seen even fewer results in capability development, but when it comes to operations, in the absence of US leadership NATO is equally blocked by the lack of a collective European strategic vision. London, with Paris, remains the only European actor able and willing to engage in crisis management and war, but cannot mobilize many other capitals to join in. Unlike the US, the UK does not have the means to go in alone if necessary. A fundamental revision of policy is needed if the UK wants to maintain its level of influence in security and defence.