Deterministic performance is desirable for many distributed applications, from vehicle control systems to financial networks. The trouble is that infrastructure for these applications must incorporate multiple independent timing sources, because uniform distribution of timing signals is only possible at small scales, such as for integrated circuits. To formally reason about the behavior of concurrent computations in large distributed systems, the nondeterminism created by independent timing must be eliminated. This dissertation proposesmetasynchronization , a technique to uniformly time division all resources in distributed systems that span multiple timing domains. This allows for deterministic execution of and interaction between distributed computations, analogous to the deterministic behavior of components in synchronous integrated circuits. Such determinism allows formal correctness verification of computations with strict performance requirements. It also allows perfect virtualization of distributed resources, meaning a system where computations are unable to determine if they are executing on raw physical resources or within a virtualized environment. Nondeterminism makes perfect virtualization impossible for conventional systems. Metasynchronization creates the necessary determinism, and this dissertation proposes an execution model called hierarchical provisioning, which incorporates perfect virtualization, and thereby allows distributed computations to share resources deterministically. Importantly, metasynchronization creates uniform timing without distributing a centralized timing signal. Instead, all timing domains reach agreement on shared time in a fully decentralized self-stabilizing manner that requires no communication overhead, but does depend on small buffers and simple ongoing numerical computations for each communication link. Because of its decentralization, metasynchronization is highly robust, tolerating multiple simultaneous malicious (Byzantine) failures under normal circumstances.


Organizational learning is a means to improve the chances of the organization surviving in today's highly competitive global marketplace. Organizational knowledge creation and knowledge transfer represent imperative for attaining and sustaining a competitive advantage in a global business environment. Yet, organizations are unable to learn unless the individuals in the organizations are committed to the learning process. Curiosity provides the platform for global managers to inquire into why things happen and what can be done to effectively meet the goals of the organization. Learning managers with curiosity need to heed the importance of their level of 'mindfulness' (i.e., focusing curiosity to meet goals) so that curiosity is an effective tool to learn and solve problems. This paper explores the concept of curiosity by linking individual curiosity and learning style to organizational learning. The traits/characteristics of 'knowledge activists' are discussed as a means to cultivate organizational learning. Introduction In support of companies' (see Ernst and Young, PricewaterhouseCoopers, 3M, and FritoLay among others) talent searches, the global talent management literature (see Collings & Mellahi, 2009; Guthridge & Komm, 2008; Schuler, Jackson, & Tarique, 2011) posits curiosity, a managerial attribute, as a pivotal component of individual and consequently organizational learning. Inquisitiveness is a competence not many organizations are willing to sacrifice in a managerial candidate, as evidence has shown organizations' dependency upon such capabilities in order to attain and sustain a competitive advantage in the global marketplace. In today's global marketplace, the global organizational context is typified by an increased propensity to question existing norms and seeking alternative explanation to problems. It is precisely the lack of experience and level of formal training relative to global issues that may hamper global decision-making self-efficacy (Harvey, Novicevic, Leonard, & Payne, 2007), and thus trigger the need for global management with curious minds. The literature has articulated the need for clever, creative, and constantly curious individuals (Isabella & Spekman, 2001), whereby curiosity [has been] conceptualized as a "positive emotional-motivation system associated with the recognition, pursuit, and self-regulation of novelty and challenge" (Kashdan, Rose, & Fincham, 2004, p. 291). Curiosity is assumed to be one of the vital components of organizational learning. While most theorists acknowledge that organizational learning cannot occur without individual knowledge creation and knowledge sharing, how this might occur or what role individuals might play in this process has not been systematically investigated (Simon, 1991). Little support has been provided that speaks to the viability of curiosity as a driver of individual learning. This manuscript sets out to explore the following: What are the mechanisms by which individual learning is stimulated? Moreover, how may we capitalize on these mechanisms to foster greater levels of organizational learning? The manuscript adopts Nonaka and Takeuchi's (1 995) SECI (socialization, externalization, combination, and internationalization) framework for creating organizational knowledge. Extending their assertions, the manuscript posits that human capital and the development of individual knowledge is pivotal in the global organizational learning process. Kolb's (1984) assists in making this claim. Kolb's learning theory suggests that learning per se is the result of the interaction of two matters: 1 .) the individual; and 2.) their surrounding environment. KoIb specifically proposed a process model of learning and classification scheme of types of learners, whereby learning is suggested to occur somewhere along the continuum from active experimentation through reflective observation and concrete experience through abstract conceptualization. …


Context: Determining attribute correspondence is the most important, time consuming and knowledge intensive part during databases integration. It is also used in other data manipulation applications such as data warehousing, data design, semantic web and e-commerce. Objectives: In this thesis the aim is to investigate how to find the types of correspondence between the attributes of heterogeneous datasets when schema design information of the data sets is unknown. Methods: A literature review was conducted to extract the knowledge related to the approaches that are used to find the correspondence between the attributes of heterogeneous datasets. Extracted knowledge from the literature review is used in developing an instance based approach for finding types of correspondence between the attributes of heterogeneous datasets when schema design information is unknown. To validate the proposed approach an experiment was conducted in the real environment using the data provided by the Telecom Industry (Ericsson) Karlskrona. Evaluation of the results was carried using the well known and mostly used measures from information retrieval field precision, recall and F-measure. Results: To find the types of correspondence between the attributes of heterogeneous datasets, good results depend on the ability of the algorithm to avoid the unmatched pairs of rows during the Row Similarity Phase. An evaluation of proposed approach is performed via experiments. We found 96.7% (average of three experiments) F-measure. Conclusions: The analysis showed that the proposed approach was feasible to be used and it provided users a mean to find the corresponding attributes and the types of correspondence between corresponding attributes, based on the information extracted from the similar pairs of rows from the heterogeneous data sets where their similarity based on the same common primary keys values.


An optical fiber containing longitudinal holes adjacent to the core has been used to detect and collect fluorescent particles from a solution. Excitation light was launched through the fiber and fluorescence signal was guided back to a detector system. As a proof of principle, green and red fluorescent polystyrene beads were detected and selectively collected from a water solution containing a mixture of red and green fluorescent beads.


Nicholas Negroponte, the MIT Media Labs 'onlie begeter' and one of digital techonologies most
persuasive salespersons, has a new project. With undeniable logic and unimpreachable intentions he
wishes every Third World child to be given a laptop. His reasoning is that without education, all other
attempts at development are doomed to fail and that since education can be accomplished by computers,
the way to make good its grievous failings in the South is with computers. He has therefore developed
an elegant device of considerable sophistication but great ease of use – a brightly-coloured, plasticencased
clockwork-powered computer which costs (or rather, he promises, will cost) around $100. This
contrivence, a toy in appearance but a serious machine in operation, is what he intends to give away in
millions and, according to his own publicity, he has already apparently had great success both in
persuading Southern governments – Rwanda, Libya, Uraguay – and manufacturers – Quanta Computers --
to back his scheme. Negroponte's website is somewhat coy about how much money the initiative will
involve but the budget is clearly in the order of billions: two billion children in the developing world x $100
a machine. Seed money alone -- from the likes of eBay, Google and Norstar, all at $2 million each --
would seem to exceed $12 million .


To define activation-specific sequences in human peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL), a cDNA library was constructed by subtractive hybridization using resting and stimulated PBL pairs. Stimulation of PBL was achieved by triggering with mitogenic anti-CD2 (T11) monoclonal antibodies. Differential library screening with cDNA probes derived from stimulated versus resting PBL led to identification of two novel sequences, termed HC11 and HC14. The predicted primary and secondary structure of HC11 deduced from the translated nucleotide sequence suggests that the gene encodes a secreted protein of 99 amino acids (aa), including a 23 aa residue leader sequence. Surprisingly, Northern blot analysis demonstrated that HC11 mRNA is induced predominantly in peripheral blood non-T cells. Subsequently, we observed that the HC11 mRNA is induced in macrophages and the monocytic line U-937 by gamma-IFN, raising the possibility that T cell-derived gamma-IFN induced upon anti-CD2 stimulation activated monocytes to express HC11 RNA. In support of this notion, neutralizing anti-gamma-IFN monoclonal antibody inhibits the induction of HC11 mRNA in PBL activated through anti-CD2 antibodies. These findings suggest that there is a molecular cascade involving T cell-produced lymphokines and monokines which serve as a means for intercellular communication. Transient expression of HC11 cDNA results in a readily detectable specific set of protein bands in SDS-PAGE analysis of supernatants from radio-labeled COS cells, consistent with HC11 encoding a secreted product(s). Protein sequence comparison reveals homology with other members of a recently described inducible cytokine family whose functions are yet to be defined.


Background: Percutaneous central venous cannulation (CVC) in infants and children is a challenging procedure, and it is usually achieved with a blinded, external landmark-guided technique. Recent guidelines from the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) recommend the use of ultrasound guidance for central venous catheterization in children. The purpose of this study was to evaluate this method in a pediatric and neonatal intensive care unit, assessing the number of attempts, access time (skin to vein), incidence of complication, and the ease of use for central venous access in the neonatal age group. Methods: After approval by the local departmental ethical committee, we evaluated an ultrasound-guided method over a period of 6 months in 20 critically ill patients requiring central venous access in a pediatric intensive care unit and a neonatal intensive care unit (median age 9 (0–204) months and weight 9.3 (1.9–60) kg). Cannulation was performed after locating the puncture site with the aid of an ultrasound device (8 MHz transducer, Vividi General Electrics® Burroughs, USA) covered by a sterile sheath. Outcome measures included successful insertion rate, number of attempts, access time, and incidence of complications. Results: Cannulation of the central vein was 100% successful in all patients. The right femoral vein was preferred in 60% of the cases. The vein was entered on the first attempt in 75% of all patients, and the median number of attempts was 1. The median access time (skin to vein) for all patients was 64.5 s. No arterial punctures or hematomas occurred using the ultrasound technique. Conclusions: In a sample of critically ill patients from a pediatric and neonatal intensive care unit, ultrasound-guided CVC compared with published reports on traditional technique required fewer attempts and less time. It improved the overall success rate, minimized the occurrence of complications during vein cannulation and was easy to apply in neonatal and pediatric patients.


Dominoes is a full-colour, interactive readers series that offers students a fun reading experience while building their language skills. With integrated activities, and exciting, fully dramatized audio for every story, the new edition of the series makes reading motivating for students while making it easy for you to develop their reading and language skills. Listen along with downloadable MP3 Audio.


The lysosomal aspartic protease cathepsin D (cath-D) is often
over-expressed in breast cancer and acts as a mitogen on both
cancer and stromal cells. The ability of cath-D to stimulate
cancer cell migration remains controversial. To determine
whether cath-D expression modulates breast cancer cell
migration in vitro, we performed a real-time analysis of
MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell migration using novel methodology
based on impedance measurement that enables continuous
monitoring of the transition of the cells through a microporous
membrane [xCELLigence equipped with CIM-plate 16 (Roche)]. We
observed that altering cath-D level by either siRNA or cDNA
tranfections significantly affected migration of MDA-MB-231
cells. Tumor cells have often impaired classical
caspase-dependent apoptosis pathway and may be therefore more
sensitive to agents that trigger alternative cell death
pathways. Targeting lysosomes represents a method of choice as
many human tumors have increased levels of lysosomal proteases.


Intrinsic and innate immunity play pivotal roles in limiting the replication of invading viral pathogens. Intrinsic immunity is constitutive and mediated by pre-existing host cell restriction factors (e.g., promyelocytic leukemia-nuclear body (PML-NB) constituent proteins) which directly confer antiviral properties. On the other hand, innate immunity is inducible and upregulated in response to infection. Pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) (e.g., interferon gamma inducible protein 16 (IFI16)) sense pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) and induce downstream signaling cascades leading to the induction of Interferon-stimulated gene (ISG) products that confer antiviral properties. These two arms of immunity represent the first line of intracellular defense to HSV-1 infection. Indeed, rapid recruitment of intrinsic and innate immune factors to viral DNA (vDNA) has a significant bearing on the outcome of infection. However, the spatial and temporal regulation of this recruitment remains poorly defined due to the technical challenges associated with vDNA detection at multiplicities of infection (MOI) that do not saturate intrinsic host factors. Utilizing 5-Ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU) labeling of HSV-1 DNA in combination with click chemistry, we directly visualized input viral genomes under low MOI conditions (MOI of ≤ 3 PFU/cell) at 30-90 minutes post-addition of virus (mpi). This protocol is sensitive, specific, and compatible with indirect immunofluorescence (IF) staining protocols, providing a valuable assay to investigate the temporal recruitment of immune regulators to infecting vDNA.

Upon entry of vDNA into the nucleus, PML-NB associated restriction factors (e.g., PML, SP100, and Daxx) were rapidly recruited to infecting viral genome foci. This process occurred in a PML-dependent manner and led to genome entrapment and silencing within PML-NBs. Interestingly, genome entrapment was observed during both wild-type (WT) and ICP0-null mutant (ΔICP0) HSV-1 infection. During WT HSV-1 infection, ICP0 induced PML degradation and the dispersal of PML-NB restriction factors, highlighting the importance of ICP0 to release viral genomes entrapped within PML-NBs to stimulate the onset of lytic HSV-1 replication. During ΔICP0 HSV-1 infection, vDNA remained stably entrapped within PML-NBs leading to a repression in viral gene expression and a restriction in plaque formation. Importantly, IFI16 was not stably recruited to vDNA entrapped within PML-NBs, and ISG expression was not induced under low MOI conditions that do not saturate PML-NB intrinsic host defenses. These data demonstrate that vDNA entry into the nucleus alone is not sufficient to stimulate the induction of innate immunity.

Saturation of intrinsic host defenses under high MOI conditions stimulated the stable recruitment of IFI16 to infecting viral genomes, and induced ISG expression in a PML-, IFI16-, and Janus-associated kinase (JAK)-dependent manner. The induction of this innate immune response was dependent on the onset of vDNA replication, as treatment of the infected cell monolayers with phosphonoacetic acid (PAA), a vDNA polymerase inhibitor, inhibited ISG induction in a dose-dependent manner. Unlike PML depletion, inhibition of JAK signaling failed to relieve the plaque formation defect of ΔICP0 HSV-1, but instead significantly enhanced virus yields.

Collectively, these data, for the first time, demonstrate a temporal and sequential induction of intrinsic and innate immunity during HSV-1 infection. Intrinsic immunity is induced within minutes of nuclear infection to restrict the initiation of viral gene transcription and the onset of lytic replication. Escape from this intrinsic repression and initiation of vDNA replication, which takes several hours, triggers the induction of innate immunity. ISG products establish an antiviral state within infected and neighboring uninfected cells to constrict viral propagation and limit the spread of infection. We identify dual roles for PML in the regulation of intrinsic and innate immunity to HSV-1 infection. However, these host defenses are counteracted by the viral ubiquitin ligase ICP0, which targets PML for degradation to promote vDNA release from PML-NBs in order to evade intrinsic viral genome silencing from the onset of nuclear infection.


The repair of injured epithelium involves a complex interaction between epithelial cells and the underlying extracellular matrix. We studied the effects of sublethal concentrations of cigarette smoke extract (CSE) and two volatile components of cigarette smoke, acetaldehyde and acrolein, on bovine bronchial epithelial cell (BBEC) attachment and migration in vitro. After short-term exposure (2 and 6 h) to CSE, BBEC attachment to fibronectin-coated dishes was decreased, and migration to fibronectin was unchanged. After a longer period of exposure, 24 h, attachment was increased and migration was unchanged. Exposure to a peptide containing the amino acid sequence arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD) reduced attachment equally well for control and smoke-exposed cells. BBEC sheet migration was reduced over 72 h after exposure to CSE. Acrolein reduced BBEC migration to fibronectin but had no effect on attachment. Acetaldehyde had no effect on either attachment or migration. We conclude that exposure to CSE has important effects on bronchial epithelial cell migration and attachment, and that these effects change over time.


Rocky landforms dominate large portions of the world's coast. Cliffs and shore platforms form spectacular landscapes, yet when compared to other landforms they are relatively unstudied with many contemporary controversies dating back to the mid-nineteenth century. The past decade has seen a reinvigoration of research driven by advances in technology that now enable precise measurements of erosion to the micron scale and quantification of wave energy onto and through cliff edifices to be made, as well as being able to directly date rock surfaces. In order to integrate this diverse range of research this volume's regional approach first integrates the latest data with longstanding theory and then analyses this research through the boundary conditions that exist in each area. The volume brings together the research leaders in the field; includes chapters on nearly all the major rock coasts of the world and identifies future research needs.


Beginning to teach in a primary school means establishing a whole new set of relationships - with your class of course, but also with the other adults who work in the school. These include teachers and teaching assistants, support staff of various kinds from the visiting educational psychologist to the essential school secretary and parents, both as helpers in the school and as the major influences on their children's lives outside school. This book is designed to give students and newly qualified teachers a taste of what they can expect and to help them to get the most out of these relationships both for themselves and for their children. Throughout, it draws upon the experiences of new teachers, often in their own words, but it also uses the voices of other 'primary school people' to show students the view from the other side. Throughout, the text is supported by points for discussion, questionnaires and check lists to help new teachers to define and analyse their own situation.


The Southern Hills Aquifer located in southeastern Louisiana has provided residents of Baton Rouge and surrounding communities with high-quality, fresh drinking water for many decades. However in recent years increasing pumping rates, evidence of saltwater intrusion, and concerns about the equitable and sustainable use of the aquifer have led residents and researchers to begin to examine more critically how groundwater is managed in this area. Louisiana is one of only six states without a groundwater management plan, and to date, the officials in charge of monitoring the Southern Hills Aquifer have not developed any guidelines for limiting withdrawal. This thesis presents a detailed case study of the use and management of the Southern Hills Aquifer in Baton Rouge. Specifically, these research questions will be addressed:

1) What is the state of the Southern Hills Aquifer system concerning salt-water intrusion?;

2) What is the current State management structure for the aquifer?

3) How may a new organization based on the principles of collaborative environmental planning improve the structure of groundwater management in Baton Rouge?

A review of technical reports by the US Geological Survey and others indicates that saltwater intrusion into the aquifer has occurred and is spreading at an increasing rate. The state groundwater management structure includes two organizations. Legal responsibility for management of the aquifer lies with the Louisiana State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) through the Office of the Commissioner of Conservation, while the Capital Area Groundwater Conservation Commission appears to function as a permanent task force, holding quarterly public meetings concerning groundwater issues.

In 2011, a small group of residents formed the Baton Rouge Citizens to Save Our Water, Inc. The group seeks to promote collaborative environmental planning principles and, as a first step, is working to disseminate technical information about the Aquifer and to encourage residents to lobby for a groundwater management plan that limits industries' use of the water. The case study includes a detailed timeline of the interactions between the citizens group and state groundwater officials. A review of subsequent public statements by the officials indicates that the citizen group has been successful in moving the policy debate toward a more comprehensive groundwater management plan.


Title of Document: ALTERATIONS IN THE PRIMARY STRUCTURES OF RIBOSOMAL PROTEINS IN ACQUIRED DRUG RESISTANCE Karen Lynn Lohnes, PhD, 2012 Directed By: Professor Catherine Fenselau, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry Acquired drug resistance is a multifactorial process that is one of the major causes for cancer treatment failure. The anticancer drug, mitoxantrone, was recently determined to inhibit ribosome biogenesis. Changes in ribosomal protein composition and efficiency with which the ribosomes incorporate 35 S-methionine has been noted in a mitoxantrone resistant MCF7 cell line when compared with a drugsusceptible parental cell line. This dissertation evaluated three proteomic workflows in order to successfully characterize the changes in the primary structures of cytoplasmic ribosomal proteins isolated from a mitoxantrone resistant breast cancer cell line that could serve some functional significance to the resistance when compared with a parental drug-susceptible cell line. A combination of the data from the three workflows allowed for the identification of 76 of the 79 human ribosomal proteins with an average sequence coverage of 76%. The N-terminal ends of 52 of the ribosomal proteins were identified using bottom-up and middle-down mass spectrometric approaches. An additional 7 N-terminal fragments were identified by top-down high resolution mass spectrometric analysis. Forty of the 52 N-terminal peptides were observed to have lost their N-terminal methionine and 19 were acetylated. Identification of the Nterminal peptides was most successful using the middle-down approach. Internal acetylations (on lysine) and phosphorylations were only noted with trypsin in-gel digestion and HPLC fraction analysis. Gel arrays of the two ribosomal populations illustrated differences in the protein compositions. Comparative densitometry imaging software indicated the presence of two novel protein spots in the drug resistant cell line as well six additional spots with increased and decreased abundances. High coverage bottom-up mass spectrometric analysis allowed for these protein spots to be assigned as isoform pairs of RPS3, RPS10, RPL11 and RPL23A. Molecular masses and top-down analyses were used to define the alterations in the ribosomal proteins in conjunction with high coverage bottom up and middle-down analyses. The change in the primary structures of these four ribosomal proteins is believed to alter access to the mRNA tunnel in the ribosome. This suggests that these ribosomes may participate in differential selective translation to allow for the cell to produce the necessary proteins during cellular stress. ALTERATIONS IN THE PRIMARY STRUCTURES OF RIBOSOMAL PROTEINS IN ACQUIRED DRUG RESISTANCE


Simple algebraic formulas have been developed for the third-order aberrations of a single-element lens having a radial refractive-index gradient, plane faces, and object plane at infinity. Such formulas have some advantages over previous methods of analysis that require ray tracing and that are well suited to multielement lens systems. The derivation technique adopted in the present paper can be extended to deal with a finite object distance, but the formulas are somewhat more complicated.


This history of African slavery from the fifteenth to the early twentieth centuries examines how indigenous African slavery developed within an international context. Paul E. Lovejoy discusses the medieval Islamic slave trade and the Atlantic trade as well as the enslavement process and the marketing of slaves. He considers the impact of European abolition and assesses slavery's role in African history. The book corrects the accepted interpretation that African slavery was mild and resulted in the slaves' assimilation. Instead, slaves were used extensively in production, although the exploitation methods and the relationships to world markets differed from those in the Americas. Nevertheless, slavery in Africa, like slavery in the Americas, developed from its position on the periphery of capitalist Europe. This new edition revises all statistical material on the slave trade demography and incorporates recent research and an updated bibliography.


Problems in chemical engineering, like most real-world optimization problems, typically, have several conflicting performance criteria or objectives and they often are computationally demanding, which sets special requirements on the optimization methods used. In this paper, we point out some shortcomings of some widely used basic methods of multiobjective optimization. As an alternative, we suggest using interactive approaches where the role of a decision maker or a designer is emphasized. Interactive multi-objective optimization has been shown to suit well for chemical process design problems because it takes the preferences of the decision maker into account in an iterative manner that enables a focused search for the best Pareto optimal solution, that is, the best compromise between the conflicting objectives. For this reason, only those solutions that are of interest to the decision maker need to be generated making this kind of an approach computationally efficient. Besides, the decision maker does not have to compare many solutions at a time which makes interactive approaches more usable from the cognitive point of view. Furthermore, during the interactive solution process the decision maker can learn about the interrelationships among the objectives. In addition to describing the general philosophy of interactive approaches, we discuss the possibilities of interactive multi-objective optimization in chemical process design and give some examples of interactive methods to illustrate the ideas. Finally, we demonstrate the usefulness of interactive approaches in chemical process design by summarizing some reported studies related to, for example, paper making and sugar industries. Let us emphasize that the approaches described are appropriate for problems with more than two objective functions.


Supervised learning depends on annotated examples, which are taken to be the \emph{ground truth}. But these labels often come from noisy crowdsourcing platforms, like Amazon Mechanical Turk. Practitioners typically collect multiple labels per example and aggregate the results to mitigate noise (the classic crowdsourcing problem). Given a fixed annotation budget and unlimited unlabeled data, redundant annotation comes at the expense of fewer labeled examples. This raises two fundamental questions: (1) How can we best learn from noisy workers? (2) How should we allocate our labeling budget to maximize the performance of a classifier? We propose a new algorithm for jointly modeling labels and worker quality from noisy crowd-sourced data. The alternating minimization proceeds in rounds, estimating worker quality from disagreement with the current model and then updating the model by optimizing a loss function that accounts for the current estimate of worker quality. Unlike previous approaches, even with only one annotation per example, our algorithm can estimate worker quality. We establish a generalization error bound for models learned with our algorithm and establish theoretically that it's better to label many examples once (vs less multiply) when worker quality is above a threshold. Experiments conducted on both ImageNet (with simulated noisy workers) and MS-COCO (using the real crowdsourced labels) confirm our algorithm's benefits.


Nano-crystalline ZrO2 was prepared by sol -gel method and deposited on glass substrate by dip-coating technique method in the room temperature. ZrOCl2 was dissolved in a solvent mixture composed of H2O2 and ammonia. The dissolving reaction produced a colorless, transparent peroxozirconium complex solution. The mean nanocrystalline size was about 7.55 nm. The zirconium film thus obtained was transparent 90% with 5.03 eV band gap. Atomic force microscopy (AFM), X -ray diffraction and (UV-Vis) used to determine the properties of the thin film. The asdeposited thin film was of high purity of ZrO2 and good adhesion to the substrate. The annealing was caused crystallization of tetragonal and monoclinic phase present in the zirconia at 550°C in air. The film showed very flat surfaces consisting of nanoparticles with particle size of ranging (2-10 nm).


In an age of constitutional revolutions and reforms, theory and practice are moving in opposite directions. As a matter of constitutional practice, human dignity has emerged in jurisdictions around the world as the organizing idea of a groundbreaking paradigm. By reconfiguring constitutional norms, institutional structures and legal doctrines, this paradigm transforms human dignity from a mere moral claim into a legal norm that persons have standing to vindicate. As a matter of constitutional theory, however, human dignity remains an enigmatic idea. Some explicate its meaning in abstraction from constitutional practice, while others confine themselves to less exalted ideas. The result is a chasm that separates constitutional practice from a theory capable of justifying its innovations and guiding its operation. By expounding the connection between human dignity and the constitutional practices that justify themselves in its light, Jacob Weinrib brings the theory and practice of constitutional law back together.


We investigated the effects of anoxia and contractile activity on glucose uptake and the intracellular location of hexokinase in cardiac muscle of the American eel Anguilla rostrata. Uptake of 2-deoxyglucose (2-DG) by ventricle strips at 15 °C was increased by 45 % by anoxia and by 85 % by contractile activity over basal conditions. The anoxia- and contraction-induced increase in basal 2-DG uptake was inhibited completely by 25 µmol l-1 cytochalasin B, suggesting that facilitated glucose transporters are involved. Maximal activity of hexokinase in whole homogenates (approximately 10 µmol min-1 g-1 tissue) was 200 times higher than the maximal rate of 2-DG uptake measured in vitro (46 nmol min-1 g-1 tissue). Only 2025 % of hexokinase activity was localized to the mitochondrial fraction, and this was not altered by perfusion of the hearts with anoxic media. It is therefore unlikely that anoxia-induced stimulation of 2-DG uptake is mediated by intracellular translocation of hexokinase. As in the case of mammalian muscle, glucose 6-phosphate is a potent inhibitor of hexokinase in eel cardiac muscle (IC50=0.44 mmol l-1). In summary, anoxia and contractile activity significantly increase 2-DG uptake in cardiac muscle of American eels, and glucose transport may be rate-limiting for glucose utilization. Increased utilization of glucose during anoxia or contractile activity may involve the recruitment of facilitative glucose transport proteins to the cell surface of myocytes or an increase in the intrinsic activity of glucose transporters already residing at the cell surface.


"Ways with Words" presents interpretive essays by scholars from different disciplines on seven core, premodern classical Chinese texts. The remarkable diversity of these works - drawn from literature, philosophy, religion, and art history - challenges the presumption of a monolithic Chinese tradition that has been promoted by scholars and popular culture alike, both in China and the West. The texts themselves include a poem from the "Classic of Poetry" compiled in the sixth century b.c.e.; passages from "Mencius and Zhuangzi"; the "Heart Sutra"; a poem by Du Fu and the "Biography of Yingying" by Yuan Zhen, both written during the Tang dynasty; and "Notes on the Method for the Brush", a tenth-century text attributed to Jing Hao.Both the original Chinese versions and the translations are provided for each primary text. There are at least two essays - when possible from scholars in different fields - on each work. The volume as a whole demonstrates the various ways in which the modern Western reader can confront the impressive variety of texts from the classical Chinese tradition.


Readmissions to health care facilities are undesirable outcomes that indicate the quality of the care transitions. Although there is a growing evidence-base for preventing readmissions, the focus has been on acute care. Postacute care (PAC) patients are often excluded from these studies, and thus there is limited evidence guiding practitioners' efforts to facilitate an effective community transition after PAC rehabilitation. To provide direction for PAC research and clinical practice, this scoping review summarizes current community transition interventions and identifies practices that facilitate successful community discharge. Thirteen care processes emerged from 35 studies, of which 5 were included in at least 60% of the studies, including coaching on the care transition process, medical self-management, medication self-management, scheduling follow-up medical services, and telephone follow-up. These findings can inform the development, evaluation, and implementation of PAC community transition interventions.


[Extract] Tourism is one of Australia's fastest growing industries. It is a major source of foreign exchange, gross domestic product, income and employment; in 1991-92 tourism expenditure amounted to an estimated $26.2 billion, equivalent to 5.5 per cent of GDP. During the last decade, a trend emerged world wide for nature-based tourism and ecotourism. This study reveals that Australia's tourism industry is a major user of biological resources. In addition to nature-based and ecotourism in Australia, many aspects of tourism, through both marketing and actual experience, are dependent on Australia's natural environment. The health of Australia's biodiversity will be a major factor in determining the expansion of the tourism industry. In turn, the tourism industry can be a major force in the conservation of Australia biodiversity.

This report is the result of a study commissioned by the Biodiversity Unit in the Environmental Strategies Directorate of the Commonwealth Department of the Environment, Sport and Territories to investigate the potential for integrating biodiversity conservation with ecotourism. Its main objective is to identify and where possible assess the potential long-term benefits and opportunities of strategically integrating biodiversity conservation requirements with the future needs of the nature-based and eco-tourism industry. It presents a national approach to formulating and implementing strategic plans to enable this integration.

The need for an integrated approach, based on regional planning for biodiversity conservation and the development of tourism, has been recognised in a number of important policy documents, including the National Strategy for Ecologically Sustainable Development, the Final Reports of the ESD Working Groups (in particular Tourism), the National Ecotourism Strategy, the National Rural Tourism Strategy and the draft National Strategy for the Conservation of Australia's Biological Diversity.

All States and Territories have produced policy documents on ecotourism or tourism, and have assessed the state of their environment in relation to biodiversity conservation to some degree. They generally recognise the fundamental importance of natural resources to tourism. Some have also recognised that tourism based activities have a basic requirement to channel some of the revenue gained from using natural resources into the management and sustenance of those natural resources.

While the policy and administrative mechanisms for placing values on the use of natural resources are mostly in place, the challenge will be to design and implement systems that will link the growth of tourism with biodiversity conservation.

The approach recommended in this report is based on the relationship between nature-based tourism and ecotourism, and tourism generally, and the identification and management of key bioregions throughout Australia. The report argues for a detailed assessment of the ecological characteristics and natural features that attract tourists to special areas.

In meeting this challenge, the report finds that too much debate has revolved about the term 'ecotourism'. We argue for a more flexible approach to the interrelationships between tourism and biodiversity conservation. This approach will necessarily embrace many different aspects of the tourism industry, not just nature-based tourism and ecotourism (NBE), therefore providing many different levels of experience of nature and traditional culture. Our reference to 'NBE' throughout this report implies this broader view.

Profiles and preferences of tourists are not well analysed nor understood at this point in time. Although some initiatives have been commenced, better information is needed on tourists' desires, expectations and needs. More precise information is needed on tourist activity and fulfilment, across the tourism spectrum.

The links between the tourism trade and the need for environmental management in key bioregions can be analysed in terms of benefit-cost studies and regional economic models. The report presents abundant evidence to demonstrate the economic value of natural areas to tourism, and the regional implications for employment, investment and income.

There is a need for industry and governments to improve the marketing and conduct of the tourism trade as it relates to Australia's natural resources, and for the tourism industry to be better informed about its environmental responsibilities.

One of the major impediments to more effective protection of biodiversity is a lack of funds for research and management purposes. The report notes a wide range of funding mechanisms and economic instruments that could be introduced to support biodiversity programs.

Tourism is often used as a political, economic and social justification for reservation and retention of areas of natural habitat, but this is usually an ad hoc process, reflecting the politics of the day.

This report proposes mechanisms whereby tourism can be an effective force in the conservation of biodiversity, both for the benefit of the industry and for the intrinsic and economic values of biodiversity. Recognising that a large proportion of tourism depends directly on natural resources, and that much is focused on protected areas, tourism is identified as a key industry sector which has a legitimate right and an obligation to contribute to the debate about, policy formulation for, and implementation of biodiversity conservation measures.

This report recognises that all of tourism must be ecologically sustainable, and that, for this to be successful, it must contribute to the long-term maintenance of ecosystems and species. Simply to 'minimise impacts' is not enough since, with tourism growth, this will result in incremental damage and inevitable environmental deterioration. There can be no net environmental deterioration if the industry is to be ecologically sustainable. Active management which requires resources is needed in all situations. Tourism has a significant responsibility to contribute to the management of the natural resources on which it is dependent.

The ecologically sustainable development (ESD) process must be revitalised through the accelerated implementation of the National Strategy for Ecologically Sustainable Development. It has advanced considerably Australia's commitment to become ecologically sustainable, and the ESD process has the support of all major industry sectors, including tourism. Industry support was an achievement in itself.


Abstract Telomeres are copied and reassembled each cell division cycle through a multistep process called telomere replication. Most telomeric DNA is duplicated semiconservatively during this process, but replication forks frequently pause or stall at telomeres in yeast, mouse and human cells, potentially causing chronic telomere shortening or loss in a single cell cycle. We have investigated the cause of this effect by examining the replication of telomeric templates in vitro. Using a reconstituted assay for eukaryotic DNA replication in which a complete eukaryotic replisome is assembled and activated with purified proteins, we show that budding yeast telomeric DNA is efficiently duplicated in vitro unless the telomere binding protein Rap1 is present. Rap1 acts as a roadblock that prevents replisome progression and leading strand synthesis, but also potently inhibits lagging strand telomere replication behind the fork. Both defects can be mitigated by the Pif1 helicase. Our results suggest that GC-rich sequences do not inhibit DNA replication per se, and that in the absence of accessory factors, telomere binding proteins can inhibit multiple, distinct steps in the replication process.


Chicken anaemia virus (CAV) isolate BL-5 VP3 gene was amplified, sequenced and expressed in E. coli as a fusion protein together with a six-histidine tag. The deduced amino acid sequence of VP3 was identical to other CAV isolates Cux-1, A2 and CIA-1 except for a single amino acid substitution at position 12. SDS-PAGE and Western blot analysis indicated that the expressed protein is insoluble and was found primarily from the cell lysate fraction. Expression of the protein was detected as early as 1 h, with maximum expression (~12% of the total protein) at 6 h post induction with IPTG. This study indicates that VP3 protein is highly expressed in insoluble form in E. coli. However, the biological function of the protein remains to be studied


The notion "risk governance" refers to an integrated concept on how to deal with public risks in general, and so-called complex, ambiguous and uncertain risks in particular. These ideas have been informed by interdisciplinary research drawing from sociological and psychological research on risk, Science and Technology Studies (STS) and research by policy scientists and legal scholars. The notion of risk governance pertains to the many ways in which many actors, individuals and institutions, public and private, deal with risks. It includes formal institutions and regimes and informal arrangements. The paper will first develop an adaptive and integrative framework of risk governance and applies this model to the risks of urban planning. After a short summary of the roots of risk governance, key concepts, such as simple, uncertain, complex and ambiguous risks, will be discussed. The main emphasis will be on each of the five phases of risk governance: pre-assessment, interdisciplinary assessment, risk evaluation, risk management and risk communication. The paper will explain how these phases of risk governance can be applied to the area of urban planning and improve the dynamic sustainability of cities.


Background: Long-standing essential hypertension can initiate changes in renal size and alteration in renal function which can be assessed using ultrasound and biochemical tests, respectively. Ultrasound is a noninvasive and affordable investigative modality that is readily available. Patients and Methods: One hundred and fifty patients consisting of 54 (36%) males and 96 (64%) females with essential hypertension attending cardiology outpatient clinic were recruited and investigated after obtaining an informed consent. Renal volume was calculated from ultrasound measurement of renal dimensions. Blood sample was assessed for serum creatinine and estimated glomerular filtration rate calculated using the Cockcroft and Gault (CG) and modification of diet in renal disease (MDRD) formulae. Data analysis was performed using Statistical package for Social Sciences version 17.0. Results: The mean renal volume was 115.7 ± 29.2 cm3 on the right and 132.4 ± 40.2 cm3 on the left. The mean renal volumes for males were 126.1 ± 27.9 cm3 and 141.1 ± 40.6 cm3 while values for female patients were 109.9 ± 28.2 cm3 and 127.5 ± 9.4 cm3 on the right and left, respectively. Differences in renal sizes on both sides were not statistically significant, P = 0.120 and 0.063. Values were significantly higher in male patients compared to the female patients, for both sides (P = 0.001 and 0.046 on the right and left, respectively). Mean serum creatinine was 0.9 ± 0.03 mg/dl. Conclusion: Male hypertensive patients had significant higher renal volume values than females. However, renal volume did not correlate with duration of hypertension for all the patients. There was no correlation between renal volume and renal function using CG and MDRD formula.


The goal of this paper is to increase the estimation performance of an Extended Kalman Filter for a nonlinear differentially flat system by planning trajectories able to maximize the amount of information gathered by onboard sensors in presence of both process and measurement noises. In a previous work, we presented an online gradient descent method for planning optimal trajectories along which the smallest eigenvalue of the Observability Gramian (OG) is maximized. As the smallest eigenvalue of the OG is inversely proportional to the maximum estimation uncertainty, its maximization reduces the maximum estimation uncertainty of any estimation algorithm employed during motion. However, the OG does not consider the process noise that, instead, in several applications is far from being negligible. For this reason, this paper proposes a novel solution able to cope with non-negligible process noise: this is achieved by minimizing the largest eigenvalue of the a posteriori covariance matrix obtained by solving the Continuous Riccati Equation as a measure of the total available information. This minimization is expected to maximize the information gathered by the outputs while, at the same time, limiting as much as possible the negative effects of the process noise. We apply our method to a unicycle robot. The comparison between the novel method and the one of our previous work (which did not consider process noise) shows significant improvements in the obtained estimation accuracy.


A multipurpose fiber fluorescence–reflection spectrometer with multiwave excitation is intended for biomedical studies, including studies in autofluorescence light. For this use, it is equipped with an LED-based illuminating system possessing a number of technical features: fluorescence excitation by radiation with wavelengths 365, 405, and 450 nm, synchronized switching of blocking filters at the excitation wavelength, and rapid switching of illumination with white light and the exciting radiation. This device makes it possible to observe changes of living objects from diffuse reflection and fluorescence spectra recorded virtually simultaneously. The possibilities of the device are illustrated by using it to study how the autofluorescence-excitation conditions affect the metabolic status of myocardium.


This paper proposes a view on epistemic relativism that arises from the problem of the criterion, keeping in consideration that the assessment of criterion standards always occurs in a certain context. The main idea is that the epistemic value of the assertion "S knows that p" depends not only on the criterion adopted within an epistemic framework and the relationship between said criterion and a meta-criterion, but also from the collaboration with other subjects who share the same standards. Thus, one can choose between particularist and methodist criteria according to the context of assessment. This position has the advantage of presenting a new perspective concerning both the criterion problem and the problem of inter-contextuality in the evaluation of different epistemic frameworks.


Substructure composition can determine the activity of compounds. To understand the potential factors affecting the compound activity, users need first to analyze patterns and how substructures interact with each other. In addition to the traditional statistical approach, interactive visualization can bring significant value with intuitive analysis and involvement of human judgment. This research study presents an interactive visualization system for visual pattern analysis. With various visualizations and data manipulation, the system enables users to explore patterns and their relationships, as well as discover how substructures interaction may affect the activity of compounds. Users will be able to derive insights and better understand the data effectively and potentially benefit from the analysis in fields such as drug discovery.


The deployment of electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid vehicles on the premise of using low-carbon power sources (renewable energy and nuclear power) is expected to not only contribute to a stable energy supply by lowering dependence on oil (dependence on foreign supply sources) as fuel but also help to reduce CO2 emissions. Moreover, the use of night-time electricity is likely to help spread the use of electric vehicles for commuter use by reducing energy cost. However, it is important to remember that if conventional electricity, mainly generated by coal-fired power plants, is to be used as a power source, the deployment of electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid vehicles may not necessarily be effective in reducing CO2 emissions. It is also true that compared with vehicles powered by an internal-combustion engine, electric vehicles still have some shortcomings, such as their short driving range, some 100 km on a single charge of the battery, and the long battery-recharging time. To significantly increase the use of electric vehicles in the future, the key will be to develop a low-cost, high-performance battery. It will also be necessary to further reduce the cost of wind and photovoltaic power generation. As the use of electric vehicles spreads, it will become necessary to conduct a quantitative study on the optimization (cost minimization) of the power source mix (cost minimization), including additional power sources for automobiles.


Inverse parameter estimation of process-based models is a long-standing problem in many scientific disciplines. A key question for inverse parameter estimation is how to define the metric that quantifies how well model predictions fit to the data. This metric can be expressed by general cost or objective functions, but statistical inversion methods require a particular metric, the probability of observing the data given the model parameters, known as the likelihood. For technical and computational reasons, likelihoods for process-based stochastic models are usually based on general assumptions about variability in the observed data, and not on the stochasticity generated by the model. Only in recent years have new methods become available that allow the generation of likelihoods directly from stochastic simulations. Previous applications of these approximate Bayesian methods have concentrated on relatively simple models. Here, we report on the application of a simulation-based likelihood approximation for FORMIND, a parameter-rich individual-based model of tropical forest dynamics. We show that approximate Bayesian inference, based on a parametric likelihood approximation placed in a conventional Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) sampler, performs well in retrieving known parameter values from virtual inventory data generated by the forest model. We analyze the results of the parameter estimation, examine its sensitivity to the choice and aggregation of model outputs and observed data (summary statistics), and demonstrate the application of this method by fitting the FORMIND model to field data from an Ecuadorian tropical forest. Finally, we discuss how this approach differs from approximate Bayesian computation (ABC), another method commonly used to generate simulation-based likelihood approximations. Our results demonstrate that simulation-based inference, which offers considerable conceptual advantages over more traditional methods for inverse parameter estimation, can be successfully applied to process-based models of high complexity. The methodology is particularly suitable for heterogeneous and complex data structures and can easily be adjusted to other model types, including most stochastic population and individual-based models. Our study therefore provides a blueprint for a fairly general approach to parameter estimation of stochastic process-based models.


Abstract. We conducted long-term network observations using standardized Multi-Axis Differential optical absorption spectroscopy (MAX-DOAS) instruments in Russia and ASia (MADRAS) from 2007 onwards and made the first synthetic data analysis. At seven locations (Cape Hedo, Fukue and Yokosuka in Japan, Hefei in China, Gwangju in Korea, and Tomsk and Zvenigorod in Russia) with different levels of pollution, we obtained 80 927 retrievals of tropospheric NO2 vertical column density (TropoNO2VCD) and aerosol optical depth (AOD). In the technique, the optimal estimation of the TropoNO2VCD and its profile was performed using aerosol information derived from O4 absorbances simultaneously observed at 460–490 nm. This large data set was used to analyze NO2 climatology systematically, including temporal variations from the seasonal to the diurnal scale. The results were compared with Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) satellite observations and global model simulations. Two NO2 retrievals of OMI satellite data (NASA ver. 2.1 and Dutch OMI NO2 (DOMINO) ver. 2.0) generally showed close correlations with those derived from MAX-DOAS observations, but had low biases of up to ~50%. The bias was distinct when NO2 was abundantly present near the surface and when the AOD was high, suggesting a possibility of incomplete accounting of NO2 near the surface under relatively high aerosol conditions for the satellite observations. Except for constant biases, the satellite observations showed nearly perfect seasonal agreement with MAX-DOAS observations, suggesting that the analysis of seasonal features of the satellite data were robust. Weekend reduction in the TropoNO2VCD found at Yokosuka and Gwangju was absent at Hefei, implying that the major sources had different weekly variation patterns. While the TropoNO2VCD generally decreased during the midday hours, it increased exceptionally at urban/suburban locations (Yokosuka, Gwangju, and Hefei) during winter. A global chemical transport model, MIROC-ESM-CHEM (Model for Interdisciplinary Research on Climate–Earth System Model–Chemistry), was validated for the first time with respect to background NO2 column densities during summer at Cape Hedo and Fukue in the clean marine atmosphere.


I was asked to present one of the keynote addresses for this important symposium, Behind Bars: The Impact of Incarceration on Women and Their Families, sponsored by the Women's Rights Law Reporter at Rutgers University School of Law in Newark. I am happy to write the introductory essay for this meaningful publication which arose from that symposium. This is a particularly hospitable and appropriate environment for this publication given Rutgers University's important place in feminist scholarship and discourse - both in its graduate and undergraduate programs and in its publication arm - Rutgers University Press. Historically,the Women's Rights Law Reporter has been a critical site for conversation and dialogue on significant and emerging issues in feminist scholarship. This essay addresses why it is imperative to reclaim the discourse about women in prison and discusses how the other papers that appear in this issue aid in that project.


Heart rate variability (HRV) has been used as a non-invasive marker of the activity of the autonomic nervous system and its spectrum analysis gives a measure of the sympatho-vagal balance. If short segments are used in an attempt to improve temporal resolution, autoregressive spectral estimation, where the mode] order must be estimated, is preferred. In this paper we compare four criteria for the estimation of the 'optimum' model order for an autoregressive (AR) process applied to short segments of tachograms used for HRV analysis. The criteria used were Akaike's final prediction error, Akaike's information criterion, Parzen's criterion of autoregressive transfer function and Rissanen's minimum description length method, and they were first applied to tachograms to verify (i) the range and distribution of model orders obtained and (ii) if the different techniques suggest the same model order for the same frames. The four techniques were then tested using a true AR process of known order p = 6; this verified the ability of the criteria to estimate the correct order of a true AR process and the effect, on the spectrum, of choosing a wrong model order was also investigated. It was found that all the four criteria underestimate the true AR order; specifying a fixed model order was then looked at and it is recommended that an AR order not less than p = 16, should be used for spectral analysis of short segments of tachograms.


Street food plays a recognized socioeconomic role, offering opportunities of employment particularly for women and providing cheap food to lower income people. West Africa is characterized by a great diversity of traditional foods, widely consumed but poorly investigated. Ata is a fried dough made of cowpea flour, very popular in Benin. In Southern Italy, popizza is prepared in a very similar way as ata, but using wheat flour. This work aimed at comparing the main physicochemical characteristics of ata and popizza, from the raw material to the end product. Cowpea flour showed significantly higher levels of proteins (23.25 vs. 13.48 g 100 g−1 on dry matter), total phenolic compounds (0.73 vs. 0.41 mg g−1 of ferulic acid d.m.), antioxidant activity (2.84 vs. 0.86 μmoL Trolox g−1 d.m.), as well as higher water absorption capacity (1.01 vs. 0.61 g water per gram flour) and particularly higher water solubility index (23.01 vs. 6.69 g 100 g−1) than wheat flour. The two flours showed different pasting characteristics: starch swelling occurred at a lower temperature in cowpea than in wheat flour and produced a less viscous gel. Due to absence of gluten and limited viscosity of starchy fraction, ata was less porous and more springy than popizza. Moreover, ata showed higher oil uptake than popizza (22.2 vs. 14.1 g oil 100 g−1 product) and was also characterized by a browner surface than popizza. Knowledge about the quality features of these traditional foods and their raw material could enhance their marketing, with positive effects on local economy.


Neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF1) is an autosomal dominant disorder caused by constitutional inactivation of the NF1 gene. NF1 is associated with extreme phenotypic variability and results in an increased risk of developing benign and malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumours (MPNSTs). The molecular mechanisms that underlie NF1 tumorigenesis are poorly understood although inactivation of additional loci in conjunction with NF1 mutations is postulated to be involved. A combinative approach encompassing genetic, epigenetic and functional analysis was employed to dissect the molecular mechanisms responsible for tumorigenesis and progression to malignancy in NF1. Genetic analysis of benign cutaneous neurofibromas from NF1 patients with a high tumour burden was undertaken involving PCR, sequencing, Loss of Heterozygosity (LOH) and Multiplex Ligation-dependent Probe Amplification (MLPA) at the NF1 locus. In addition, Microsatellite Instability (MSI) analysis and molecular analysis of the TP53, RB1, CDKN2A and MMR genes was performed in a subset of these tumours. It was revealed that a small proportion of tumours from such patients harbour LOH of the TP53 and RB1 genes, a novel finding which indicates that additional modifying loci may underlie the development of multiple cutaneous neurofibromas in patients with a high tumour burden. Furthermore, Schwann cell culture and Laser Capture Microdissection were used to enhance the somatic mutation detection rate in the NF1 gene. Pyrosequencing methylation analysis was employed to determine whether NF1 gene methylation was associated with NF1 tumorigenesis. Promoter methylation of potential modifying genes RASSF1A and MGMT was also assessed. Results of this study demonstrate that methylation of the NF1 and MGMT genes is unlikely to contribute to NF1 tumorigenesis. RASSF1A promoter methylation was significantly higher in tumour samples in comparison to controls. RASSF1A promoter methylation was correlated with a reduction in RASSF1A gene expression, as evidenced by 5aza2dc treatment. Non-synonymous missense mutations account for 15% of lesions in the NF1 germlihe and somatic mutational spectrum although without a suitable functional test, their pathogenicity cannot be defined with certainty. Site directed mutagenesis, a Ras ELISA and bioinformatic analysis were utilised to develop a novel functional assay to assess the potential pathogenicity of NF1 gap related domain (GRD) missense variants. Of the 16 mutations functionally analysed, 11 were found to be pathogenic. A panel of 14 candidate genes were found to be aberrantly expressed in 14 tumours and 5 MPNST tumour-derived cell lines by relative quantification. A number of genes in the Rho-GTPase pathway including RAC1 and ROCK2 are over-expressed in these tumours, suggesting that these genes might be critical for survival of MPNST cells. ShRNA (short hairpin RNA) for RAC1 and ROCK2 were used in adhesion, migration, invasion and wound healing assays on control an d MPNST derived cell lines. RAC1 and ROCK2 knockdown in MPNST cell lines resulted in a significant increase in cell adhesion and a reduction in wound healing, migratory and invasive activity. The cMET gene was also over-expressed in MPNSTs. Treatment of MPNST cell lines with cMET inhibitors also resulted in a reduction of cell growth and migration. This study has identified several novel therapeutic targets for NF1-associated malignancies.


We examine the differential effects of financial status and exporting activity on the likelihood of survival for firms in the UK and France - two countries with different financial systems. We aim to answer two main questions: What is the direct impact of financial characteristics and different facets of exporting activity on the likelihood of survival? Do the sensitivities of survival incidence to financial variables vary with the exporting status of firms? We find strong evidence that continuous exporters face a higher probability of survival compared to starters, continuous non-exporters and firms exiting the exporting market. Further, important sensitivities of survival prospects to financial indicators are observed for the UK firms which might be explained by the "market based" economy. Finally, a within and across countries comparison reveals that the survival of exporting groups varies substantially depending on firms' financial status, the financial system and the prolonged participation in the export market.


Financial services and products have become increasingly accessible, complex and sophisticated in recent decades. There is now a huge variety, not only of financial service providers from whom to choose, but also of actual products and services. This transformation of financial services and the level of interaction required means that an individual now needs increased levels of understanding and knowledge of the sector to make decisions appropriate to their needs and circumstances. This thesis emphasises the importance of ensuring that the teaching of financial education is embedded in the New Zealand school system to enable all students to leave school prepared for the rights and responsibilities of adult life. Financial literacy, like reading and writing, affects the well-being of every individual. It is important to recognise that inadequate financial knowledge can be a substantial obstacle. This is not a minor issue or a side issue. Ultimately financial education is a decisive issue because it is a measure of whether an individual understands the forces that significantly affect the quality of their life.


The researcher examined the peer-editing patterns that De La Salle University-Manila first-year college students exhibited when editing the essays of their classmates. She attempted to answer the following questions: (1) What peer-editing patterns are used by college freshman students when editing the compositions of their classmates? (2) What ratings on form and content do these compositions obtain in the different peer-eating patterns used? (3) Are there significant differences among the peer-editing patterns used in terms of ratings on form and content? (4) Are there significant gains between drafts in both the ratings on form and content of compositions using different peer-editing patterns? Fray students belonging to one class analysed four model essays which were corrected using four editing patterns. They were instructed to choose one pattern which they were to use when editing the essays of their peers. Ten out of 40 students were allowed to choose one pattern. The last ten students who belonged to another class were not shown any of the four model essays to prevent them from being influenced by the patterns used by the other four groups. The respondents were asked to write an essay following a prompt. Their essays were edited by their peers using any of the patterns that they chose Those that were not shown any pattern edited the papers using their own strategy. Findings of the study proved that some form of editing resulted in considerable improvement in the student" argumentative essays. In addition, it was found that there was no significant difference in the mean gain scores among all the tnatment groups which means that there is no one best pattern that results in significantly improved writing.


This Article offers an empirical answer to a question of interest among scholars of comparative international law: why do American views about international law appear at times to differ from those of other countries? We contend that part of the answer lies in legal education. Conducting a survey of the educational and professional backgrounds of nearly 150 legal academics, we reveal evidence that professors of international law in the United States often lack significant foreign legal experience, particularly outside of the West. Sociological research suggests that this tendency leads professors to teach international law from predominantly national and Western perspectives, and thus socialize generations of future government elites, activists, legal experts, and private practitioners to internalize views about "international law" that are not always truly international. After discussing and analyzing the new evidence, the Article identifies arguments for and against the current pattern.


In 1999 the FDA was prompted to allow a health claim on food labels stating that a daily diet containing 25 grams of soy protein, also low in saturated fat and cholesterol, may reduce the risk of heart disease. This is about 4 daily servings of whole soy ‐ not supplements. There are many soybean products on the market that contain protein: Miso (MEE-soh) is a fermented soybean paste that can be included in dips, marinades, sauces, and soups. Three tablespoons of miso has the same protein and carbohydrate content as one half cup of kidney beans ( about 15 grams of carbohydrate, 10 grams of protein, and 0-1 gram of fat). Soy milk is a non-dairy drink made from cooked soybeans. The vitamin and mineral content of soy milk will vary with the brand so read the label. A 1-cup serving equals a 1-cup serving of fat-free milk for carbohydrate and protein content (about 12 grams of carbohydrate and 8 grams of protein). Tempeh (TEHM-peh) is a mixture of soybeans and a grain, like rice, which is then fermented into a cake. It can be added to casseroles or grilled. One-fourth cup of tempeh equals one ounce of a medium fat meat (0 grams of carbohydrate, 7 grams of protein, and 5 grams of fat). Tofu (TOH-foo) is a curd made from soybean milk and pressed into cakes. It can be added to casseroles or stir fry dishes. Four ounces or one-half cup of tofu equals 1 ounce of a medium fat meat (0 grams of carbohydrate, 7 grams of protein, and 5 grams of fat). Whole soybeans can be added to soups or stews. One-third cup equals 1 ounce of a medium fat meat and additional carbohydrate (7 grams of carbohydrate, 7 grams of protein, and 4 grams of fat). An edible whole soybean on the market is edamame (sometimes spelled edemame).


Models of nova outbursts suggest that an X-ray flash should occur just after hydrogen ignition. However, this X-ray flash has never been observationally confirmed. We present four theoretical light curves of the X-ray flash for two very massive white dwarfs (WDs) of 1.380 and 1.385 and for two recurrence periods of 0.5 and 1 yr. The duration of the X-ray flash is shorter for a more massive WD and for a longer recurrence period. The shortest duration of 14 hr (0.6 days) among the four cases is obtained for the WD with a 1 yr recurrence period. In general, a nova explosion is relatively weak for a very short recurrence period, which results in a rather slow evolution toward the optical peak. This slow timescale and the predictability of very short recurrence period novae give us a chance to observe X-ray flashes of recurrent novae. In this context, we report the first attempt, using the Swift observatory, to detect an X-ray flash of the recurrent nova M31N 2008-12a (0.5 or 1 yr recurrence period), which resulted in the nondetection of X-ray emission during the period of 8 days before the optical detection. We discuss the impact of these observations on nova outburst theory. The X-ray flash is one of the last frontiers of nova studies, and its detection is essential for understanding the pre-optical-maximum phase. We encourage further observations.


The present Anglo-American system of corporate control is said to be a random result of market forces, the strong influence of which resulted from a weak state, and undefined principles in the state's economic policy until the 1930s. In contrast, in Continental Europe, strong states with a tendency to interfere with market forces were established. The events resulting in these two divergent systems must be analysed in order to understand what predominant factors catalyzed the development of the current corporate governance structures. Though values other than religious principles are likely to prevail today, this paper posits that religious foundations provide a sound explanation for the developmental path of corporate governance in Anglo-America and Continental Europe. Further, it assesses the impact of such an ethical theory of corporate governance history on contemporary convergence debate. In particular, it asserts that ethical restraints may explain path dependency, and that such an ethical path dependency is more likely in times of economic decline than in times of economic growth. Finally, it holds that, in homogeneous societies, ethics can in many respects substitute for good law.


The Dark Tower beckons Roland, the Last Gunslinger, and the four companions he has gathered along the road. And, having narrowly escaped one world, they set out on a terrifying journey across the scarred urban wasteland to brave a new world where hidden dangers lie at every junction: a malevolent computer-run monorail hurtling towards self-destruction, Roland's relentlessly cunning old enemy, and the temptation of the wizard's diabolical glass ball, a powerful force in Roland's first love affair. A tale of long-ago love and adventure involving a beautiful and quixotic woman named Susan Delgado. And the Tower is closer...


The necessity of measurement and quality control of key parameters in industry is significantly
important. Therefore, techniques not requiring sample preparation are gaining market shares, since
they offer reduction in costs and decrease the amount of time needed for analysis. By the use of
rotational viscometers it is possible to control viscosity parameters relevant for optimised process
control reducing analysis time significantly, and furthermore ensuring the repeatability and
reproducibility of the results obtained.
This study has been proposed by a company, which manufactures adhesives. The aim of the
company was to improve their quality control processes for measuring viscosity. With that, the
company pretends to save time within the analyses, therefore save time in production processes,
triggering into a reduction of the cost of the global process. To this end was necessary to
acquire knowledge of adhesives; hence, different analyses have been done to know their chemical,
thermal and also mechanical and physical properties. In addition to it, for this thesis it has been
necessary to be able to quantify the rheological phenomena occurring in those complex flows that
take part in adhesives. So, knowledge on rheological behaviour was needed for setting the right
product analyses, such as temperature and flow rate.
The majority of the analyses have been done in the company that has proposed the thesis; and the
rest took place in Barcelona, in the Polytechnic University of Catalunya. Moreover, this study
includes a theoretical part where some aspects referred to adhesives are explained, supporting the
experimental work carried out.


Major internet companies routinely perform tens of thousands of A/B tests each year. Such large-scale sequential experimentation has resulted in a recent spurt of new algorithms that can provably control the false discovery rate (FDR) in a fully online fashion. However, current state-of-the-art adaptive algorithms can suffer from a significant loss in power if null p-values are conservative (stochastically larger than the uniform distribution), a situation that occurs frequently in practice. In this work, we introduce a new adaptive discarding method called ADDIS that provably controls the FDR and achieves the best of both worlds: it enjoys appreciable power increase over all existing methods if nulls are conservative (the practical case), and rarely loses power if nulls are exactly uniformly distributed (the ideal case). We provide several practical insights on robust choices of tuning parameters, and extend the idea to asynchronous and offline settings as well.


Radical changes in the energy system, at the lower network level, will require integration of smart houses in the smart grid in order to realize the full potential. Introduction of renewables, an increase of distributed generation, and the trend towards an all-electric infrastructure lead to an increase in complexity, system management effort and cost that the smart grid should provide an answer for. This calls for houses that are pro-active and flexible participants in the smart grid. The home will no longer be an extension of a utility or energy service provider, but serve as an autonomous building block in a smart grid and determine autonomously how and to whom it will accept from and deliver energy services on the smart grid.


The Hall thruster is a type of plasma propulsion system for space vehicle applications. The thrust produced by this device is derived from the momentum of ions, which are accelerated to high exit velocities by the action of an electric field sustained within the plasma. The advantage of the Hall thruster compared to conventional chemical rocket propulsion is a significantly higher exhaust velocity, which leads to better utilization of propellant mass. Since the early days of Hall thruster research, experiments have suggested that the mobility of electrons along the axis of the thruster, perpendicular to an imposed magnetic field, is higher than can be explained by classical collision transfer processes alone. A lack of understanding regarding the mechanism for this enhanced mobility has proved a significant challenge toward the development of reliable simulations capable of predicting the performance of these devices. This thesis examines the role of high frequency plasma oscillations on the electron mobility using a combination of experimental studies on a laboratory Hall thruster, and numerical simulations capable of capturing these oscillations and quantifying their impact on the electron mobility. Two high frequency oscillations were consistently observed in the experiments: a 10MHz mode which appeared strongest in the vicinity of the anode, and a 4.5MHz mode which was strongest in the mid-channel region of the thruster. These were relatively low wave number (long wavelength) oscillations: approximately 6cm for the 4.5MHz oscillation and 3cm for the 10MHz oscillation. The angle of these waves varied considerably depending on the operating conditions of the thruster. They were found to be closely aligned to the axis of the thruster for experiments conducted with Xenon propellant, and were aligned with the circumference of the thruster (in the direction of electron drift) for experiments conducted with Krypton. A Hall thruster simulation, formulated in the axial-azimuthal coordinates of the thruster, was able to capture high frequency oscillations in reasonable agreement with experimental findings: 13MHz near the anode and 5MHz in the mid-channel region of the thruster for 160V discharge conditions. The simulation results demonstrated the crucial role of these oscillations in regulating the electron transport. In the vicinity of these oscillations the electron mobility was increased by a factor of five or more. The central finding of this thesis is that high frequency oscillations in the range 1 - 50MHz can account for the observed discrepancy between classical and experimental electron mobility in the Hall thruster.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate whether self-control moderates the effect of media influences on tobacco and alcohol use among youth and if so how this effect occurs.

DESIGN
In Study 1, a regional sample of 10-year olds (N = 290) was interviewed in households; attention to tobacco/alcohol advertising was assessed. In Study 2, a national sample of youth ages 10-14 years (N = 6,522) was surveyed by telephone; exposure to tobacco/alcohol use in movies was assessed. Good self-control was measured in both studies.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Willingness to use substances and affiliation with peer substance users (Study 1); involvement in smoking or drinking (Study 2).

RESULTS
In Study 1, the effect of tobacco/alcohol advertising on predisposition for substance use was lower among persons scoring higher on good self-control. In Study 2, the effect of movie smoking/alcohol exposure on adolescent tobacco/alcohol use was lower, concurrently and prospectively, among persons scoring higher on good self-control. Moderation occurred primarily through reducing the effect of movie exposure on positive smoking/alcohol expectancies and the effect of expectancies on adolescent use; some evidence for moderation of social processes was also noted. Covariates in the analyses included demographics, sensation seeking, and IQ.

CONCLUSION
Good self-control reduces the effect of adverse media influences on adolescent tobacco and alcohol use. Findings on the processes underlying this effect may be useful for media literacy and primary prevention programs.


This note elaborates upon this difference of opinion as it relates to the issue of retreat and self-defense. Of the two perspectives, I am more in agreement with Professor Horowitz. The law could profitably use finer distinctions, and the line between justification and excuse would be far more useful if it were clearer. To explore the issues raised by the question of retreat, this note will examine the evolution of the "retreat rule," from its origins in the medieval common law of England through contemporary applications of it and its twin in the decisions of American courts. For the sake of focus, the inquiry will center purely on the issue of the duty to retreat. Equally important questions -- such as the possibility of an exception to the duty when a person is attacked in his or her dwelling, and the extremely controversial "co-tenant" exception to this "castle doctrine" -- will of necessity be slighted in the present inquiry.Part II will discuss the historical roots of the retreat rule as formulated in the common law of England. Part III will show how the rule was modified in the United States during the nineteenth century, drawing on leading cases to illustrate the roots of the American rule of "no retreat." Part IV will particularize the interpretive strategies American courts have evolved in their application of the new American jurisprudence, then illustrate these strategies by analyzing selected cases in three court systems: the United States Supreme Court, which adopted the "no retreat" rule in 1895 but has been ambivalent in its subsequent applications of the rule; Alabama, which adopted the retreat rule from the common law in 1847 and has remained officially faithful to it ever since, elaborating upon its meaning in an unusually rich jurisprudence; and Illinois, which in 1902 followed the lead of the Supreme Court in adopting the American rule of "no retreat" and has consistently been counted as a "no retreat" jurisdiction ever since. The conclusion will tentatively suggest specific reforms to contemporary jurisprudence of retreat and self-defense.


In their recent article, The Black Hole Problem in Commercial Boilerplate, Professors Stephen Choi, Mitu Gulati, and Robert Scott identify a phenomenon found in standardized contracts they describe as "contractual black holes." The concept of black holes comes from theoretical physics. Under the original hypothesis, the gravitational pull of a black hole is so strong that once light or information is pulled past an event horizon into a black hole, it cannot escape. In recent years, the theory has been reformulated and now the hypothesis is that some information can escape, but it is so degraded that it is virtually useless. In their article, Choi, Gulati, and Scott apply the black hole concept to certain standardized contractual boilerplate provisions. Although the focus of their article is on the contractual black hole nature of pari passu clauses that are used in sovereign debt contracts, Choi, Gulati, and Scott note that "[s]tandard insurance contracts appear to be another area with the potential for terms that have lost meaning." They are correct that insurance policies are an area in which contractual black holes would appear quite likely to develop.
In this essay, to test the hypothesis that insurance policies potentially are, or contain, contractual black holes, four policy provisions found in commercial insurance policies are considered: 1) "Sue and Labor" Clauses, 2) "Ensuing Loss" Clauses, 3) "Non-Cumulation" Clauses, and 4) the "Sudden and Accidental" Pollution Exclusion. An examination of these provisions demonstrates that some policy provisions have become contractual black holes, some provisions are only apparent contractual black holes, and other provisions on their way to becoming contractual black holes were saved before the original meaning of such provisions crossed the event horizon.


East Africa which traditionally consisted of Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania has practised a system of centralisation for several decades following independence. This had the effect of weakening institutions resulting in them being incapable of delivering services. The capacity issues are critical as the lack of professional staff is a challenge. The meagre allocations to the development budget implies that there is limited or no development. Local government has in this context broad experienced financial and staffing challenges and lacked autonomy to make decisions. The underdevelopment of the rural areas relative to infrastructure is a challenge and there has to be rural transformation in this regard. New Public Management has influenced reform strategies and more specifically decentralisation. The reform strategies did impact positively on implementation of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). However, the quest for a sound economy and a reduction in poverty levels is yet to materialise. Despite these challenges, East Africa is comparatively better off than the other regions on the Continent.


Ocean acidification, as a result of the increased concentration of carbon dioxide in the ocean, poses a threat towards marine ecosystems through lowered pH and altered seawater chemistry. The marine copepod Calanus finmarchicus is an ecologically and socioeconomically important species. In this study C. finmarchicus collected in Trondheimsfjorden was exposed to a CO2 concentration relevant for year 2300 (~2080 ppm) for two consecutive generations in the laboratory. The ability of C. finmarchicus to acclimate towards a pCO2 scenario relevant for year 2300, as well as the genetic contribution to this ability, was investigated in the study. Individuals exposed to elevated CO2 concentrations for two generations had significantly higher LC50 values than individuals kept under ambient CO2 concentrations, which indicates that C. finmarchicus has the ability to acclimate to a pCO2 scenario of 2080 ppm. Microsatellite analyses on the animals revealed a tendency of lower genetic diversity, measured as allelic richness and expected heterozygosity, in the populations exposed to high CO2 concentrations compared to the control populations, although the difference was not significant. The microsatellite analysis thus indicated that some of the observed increase in tolerance among the CO2 exposed animals may be due to genetic adaptation, but this needs to be further studied. The present study indicated that C. finmarchicus may be tolerant towards the direct effects of a pCO2 scenario relevant for year 2300.


This book argues for the intersection of anarchist theory, modernist writers, and aesthetic innovations under the sign of "the bomb." Individual chapters concern such figures as Joseph Conrad, Richard Wagner, Henry Adams, Andrei Bely, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Upton Sinclair, John Dos Passos, and Katherine Ann Porter, as well as collectivities like the Surrealists and the Dadaists. Anarchists such as Peter Kropotkin, Emma Goldman, and Michael Bakunin are also important to the text. The original version of this text was produced as a dissertation at the University of California Berkeley. Committee members were Carolyn Porter, Ann Banfield, and the late Michael Rogin. Three chapters--those on Conrad, Wagner, and the Sacco-Vanzetti case--were published in refereed academic journals. A synopsis of the argument was published in The Turn of the Century, Walter Pape, editor (Berlin and New York: Walter de Gruyter) 1995. Dynamite had been approved for publication in the Atopia series of Stanford University Press when major changes at the press resulted in the abolition of the series.


Abstract This article examines if and how access to electricity has contributed to women's empowerment in the broader context of the political economy of gender and energy in rural Naryn, Kyrgyzstan. Earlier literature has pointed to how electricity provided through development interventions has facilitated a range of desirable services, conditional for children's education, communication technologies and economic growth. Access to electricity has been linked to gender equality and women's empowerment via providing women new opportunities for agency and income. The context of this article is rural Kyrgyzstan where electricity has been available since the 1970s as a service delivered by the centralized Soviet state. This study provides important insights into how this has affected local development and gender relations in a post-socialist country. It reveals the complexity of energy access and challenges the assumptions that access to modern energy such as electricity will lead to fulfillment of SDG#7 on affordable and clean energy, or increased economic activity and abandonment of traditional energy use. The findings demonstrate that electricity provides an important resource for communication, income generation and household chores. However, the lack of reliability and affordability of electricity in rural areas in the larger context of post-Soviet transitional challenges and changing gender norms, has undermined women's potential empowerment and has worked to maintain gender inequalities.


We measure the complete electric field of extremely complex ultrafast waveforms using the simple linear-optical, interferometric pulse-measurement technique, MUD TADPOLE. The waveforms were measured with ~40 fs temporal resolution over a temporal range of ~3.5 ns and had time-bandwidth products exceeding 65,000. The approach is general and could allow the measurement of arbitrary optical waveforms.


Ethnic grievances, memories of earlier conflicts and national identities account for the intensity of feelings and support for nationalist collective action, but fail to explain its timing and trajectories. Like other social movements, nationalist movements emerge in response to changes in political context and their development and outcomes largely depend on their protest strategies and location in broader waves of mobilization, in which they are usually embedded. The evidence from local media sources and interviews with participants suggests that the grass roots mobilization of Kosovo Serbs pre-dated the rise of Milosevic (Milosevic). Despite interaction, even co-operation with the authorities and dissident intellectuals, the movement remained an autonomous political factor and had a disproportionate impact on political developments in Yugoslavia between 1985 and 1988 - Nebojsa Vladisavljevic


In a previous study, others have hypothesized that the variance in vertical errors that occurs while throwing at visual targets is caused by changes in any of three throw parameters: hand location in space, hand translational velocity, and hand orientation. From an analysis of skilled throwers, those authors concluded that vertical error is best correlated with variance in hand orientation, which in turn is related to the timing of ball release. We used a vertical prism adaptation paradigm to investigate which of these throwing parameters subjects use when adapting to external perturbation. Our subjects showed no correlation between hand position or hand translational velocity and ball impact height in normal, over-practiced throwing. However, video-based motion analysis showed that modifications both of position and speed of the hand play an important role when subjects are forced to compensate for a vertically shifting prism perturbation during a dart-like throw (these factors contribute approximately 30% of the adaptation). We concluded that, during adaptation, more degrees of freedom and more sources of potential error are modified to achieve the gaze-throw recalibration required to hit the target than are employed in this type of throw during normal conditions.


In this article we may try to track down the use and the presence of Jerusalem in Jacques Derrida works. Between the real city and the word that designates it, the jerusalemite topic rises in Derrida's writing as a bazillionth symptom of a self-confessed obsession. The Jewishness of the father of Deconstruction is one of the most decisive signs in his relationship with texts and words and, in the case of the thrice holy city it serves to explain one of the speech acts that perhaps he more committed with. Promise, as well as forgiveness and confession, is a paradoxical speech act where its conditions of possibility turn into impossible. Far from any calling related to truth or falseness, the city and the word, the town and the concept, will serve us to follow some of the most decisive trail in the biography and the work of one of the most outstanding thinkers of our philosophical tradition.


Structural identity is a concept of symmetry in which network nodes are identified according to the network structure and their relationship to other nodes. Structural identity has been studied in theory and practice over the past decades, but only recently has it been addressed with representational learning techniques. This work presents struc2vec, a novel and flexible framework for learning latent representations for the structural identity of nodes. struc2vec uses a hierarchy to measure node similarity at different scales, and constructs a multilayer graph to encode structural similarities and generate structural context for nodes. Numerical experiments indicate that state-of-the-art techniques for learning node representations fail in capturing stronger notions of structural identity, while struc2vec exhibits much superior performance in this task, as it overcomes limitations of prior approaches. As a consequence, numerical experiments indicate that struc2vec improves performance on classification tasks that depend more on structural identity.