Taking a cue from the "SuLE" colloquium theme "Sustainable Learning Environments and Social Justice", this paper reflects on the South African educational gains and challenges that still undermine full attainment for targets enunciated in diverse policies. It deploys metaphors (orchestral ensembles and entropy) as tools for critical engagement to understand the genesis of some of these challenges and identify plausible interventions to address the situation.
The paper has identified the following as key challenges that should be addressed to complete the country's unfinished educational transformation agenda: (a) giving basic education a uniquely South African identity; (b) halting recursive curriculum overhauls that have not yielded quality performance and an efficacious system of education; (c) deploying a competitive teacher training and development programme to attract the best talent into the profession; (d) deploying educational norms and standards that are comparable with international benchmarking regimes; (e) accelerating the robust transformation of the higher education landscape; and (f) entrenching excellence in academia and the research ethos. The paper concludes with plausible recommendations that can deepen democracy and entrench social justice practices across the education sector.


Purpose of the study: to examine the costs and cost-effectiveness of 'second-generation' telecare, in addition to standard support and care that could include 'first-generation' forms of telecare, compared with standard support and care that could include 'first-generation' forms of telecare. Design and methods: a pragmatic cluster-randomised controlled trial with nested economic evaluation. A total of 2,600 people with social care needs participated in a trial of community-based telecare in three English local authority areas. In the Whole Systems Demonstrator Telecare Questionnaire Study, 550 participants were randomised to intervention and 639 to control. Participants who were offered the telecare intervention received a package of equipment and monitoring services for 12 months, additional to their standard health and social care services. The control group received usual health and social care. Primary outcome measure: incremental cost per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) gained. The analyses took a health and social care perspective. Results: cost per additional QALY was £297,000. Cost-effectiveness acceptability curves indicated that the probability of cost-effectiveness at a willingness-to-pay of £30,000 per QALY gained was only 16%. Sensitivity analyses combining variations in equipment price and support cost parameters yielded a cost-effectiveness ratio of £161,000 per QALY. Implications: while QALY gain in the intervention group was similar to that for controls, social and health services costs were higher. Second-generation telecare did not appear to be a cost-effective addition to usual care, assuming a commonly accepted willingness to pay for QALYs. Trial registration number: ISRCTN 43002091.


The tones of existing instruments are simulated in the time domain by means of standard finite difference methods. The string model previously applied to the guitar [A. Chaigne, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. Suppl. 1 88, S188 (1990)] and more recently to the piano [A. Chaigne, A. Askenfelt, and E. Jansson, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 89, 1878(A) (1991)] has been extended to the violin, the xylophone bars, and tympani membranes. The general procedure, which is similar for each type of instrument, will be presented. It consists first in deriving a numerical scheme from the continuous differential equations governing the motion of the vibrating systems including the interaction with an exciter (hammer, bow, mallets,...). In a second step, the mathematical properties of these discrete approximations are evaluated with special emphasis laid on stability, accuracy, and dispersion problems. Simulated waveforms are computed with realistic values of the parameters derived from measurements on existing instruments. These waveforms as well as their spectral contents are then systematically compared with those of real tones. This time‐domain approach is used in order to test the influence of various physical parameters on the transients of strings and percussive sounds in which the nonlinear effects are essential. The paper will be illustrated by sound synthesis examples of various instruments obtained with this technique.


Patch-based methods such as Non-Local Means (NLM) and BM3D have become the de facto gold standard for image denoising. The core of these approaches is to use similar patches within the image as cues for denoising. The operation usually requires expensive pair-wise patch comparisons. In this paper, we present a novel fast patch-based denoising technique based on Patch Geodesic Paths (PatchGP). PatchGPs treat image patches as nodes and patch differences as edge weights for computing the shortest (geodesic) paths. The path lengths can then be used as weights of the smoothing/denoising kernel. We first show that, for natural images, PatchGPs can be effectively approximated by minimum hop paths (MHPs) that generally correspond to Euclidean line paths connecting two patch nodes. To construct the denoising kernel, we further discretize the MHP search directions and use only patches along the search directions. Along each MHP, we apply a weight propagation scheme to robustly and efficiently compute the path distance. To handle noise at multiple scales, we conduct wavelet image decomposition and apply PatchGP scheme at each scale. Comprehensive experiments show that our approach achieves comparable quality as the state-of-the-art methods such as NLM and BM3D but is a few orders of magnitude faster.


This study describes the present day processes which are building and modifying a system of cliff-top dunes on the mid-western Portuguese coastline (Costa Azul). The site is made up of approximately 4 km of coast consisting of intermediate/reflective beaches with a sandstone cliff 50-6Om high, which as a result of the 1755 earthquake, has been set back 4O-5Om from the back shore. On top of this rests both old and recent cliff-top dunes, those nearest the cliff edge being presently active. Initial results from field work, ground observation, aerial photography and sand grain analysis, show a complex sediment cycle within the active part of the system. This results in the nett aeolian inland movement of sediment from the beach, up over the cliff head and into the cliff-top dune field. A certain degree of negative feedback in the system arises from the downslope gravitational movement of debris eroded from the sandstone cliff-face. Future management of the area requires a more thorough investigation into the dynamics of the system. The current picture of events leads to a note of caution, as factors such as increased vegetation density obstructing inland sediment movement and a detrimental human influence may lead to damage of an important and rare site.


The South African Quality Institute (SAQI) has come a full circle since moving to the campus of the Department of Trade and Industry (the DTI) in 2004. Today SAQI is operating once again from the CSIR in Pretoria which was its home before moving to the DTI Trade Village in Sunnyside, Pretoria. This recent move offers SAQI the ideal launch pad for its quality initiatives and provides a focal point where likeminded, quality thinking people can come together to help develop nationwide quality programmesand systems and thus add value to the nation's economy.


U.S. practices of coercive interrogation and torture since 2002 have called into question the efficacy of traditional structural constraints on executive power. Few dispute that the most egregious abuse of detainees in U.S. custody was unlawful, yet neither congressional oversight nor law-making functioned to check such treatment. This Article first considers why and how torture and abuse became such a pervasive problem post-9/11 despite affirmative laws prohibiting them. It then argues that the tools that were at all effective in checking executive power emerged from less classically "democratic" sources: a highly professionalized military and intelligence community; the media and organizations of non-governmental civil society; and actively engaged courts. While it is true that core democratic structures (particularly congressional oversight) failed to constrain executive operations in prisoner detention and treatment, these other levers of power saw at least modest success in changing the course of executive policy.


Experimental fishing and visual censuses were conducted at nine Posidonia oceanica sites off Minorca exposed to different levels of fishing intensity to assess the effects of recreational fishing on the species that dominate the catch. Total catch per unit effort (CPUE) was highly seasonal and a statistically significant interaction term existed between the season and the level of fishing intensity. CPUE decreased everywhere at the end of the fishing season (autumn), but such a reduction was more intense at those sites exposed to the highest level of fishing. Visual censuses confirmed that there was a lower abundance of vulnerable fish in autumn. Differences vanished in spring probably because fish reshuffled between the considered sites throughout the winter, when the level of fishing intensity was extremely low. Although the average total lengths of Serranus scriba and Diplodus annularis were unaffected by the level of fishing intensity, the average total length of Coris julis was smaller at the most heavily fished sites. In conclusion, recreational fishing has a relevant impact on most of the exploited species and some of the seasonality reported for the Posidonia oceanica fish assemblages might be caused by the seasonality of the fishery.


Analysis based on models of (i) matching, (ii) network externalities, (iii) trade fragmentation, and (iv) resource supply on technological progress, shows that longer-term trends set in motion, from new technology enabled global sourcing, improve equity. Firms in emerging markets gain more access; labour markets become more inclusive. Global sourcing has the potential to raise the mobility and market access of virtual labour to match that of capital, despite continuing restrictions on migration. It makes a wider menu of jobs available to labour categories that were earlier excluded because of their higher transaction costs of reaching markets. It improves labour's exit options and therefore bargaining power. Trade fragmentation or splitting of the production chain across countries reverses earlier tendencies for trade to be confined to countries with similar industry structure. Further induced technological progress reduces wage inequalities within and across nations. Government policy initiatives and firms' strategies to boost and utilize these trends are examined.


Generative adversarial networks (GANs) have recently found applications in image editing. However, most GAN based image editing methods often require large scale datasets with semantic segmentation annotations for training, only provide high level control, or merely interpolate between different images. Here, we propose EditGAN, a novel method for high quality, high precision semantic image editing, allowing users to edit images by modifying their highly detailed part segmentation masks, e.g., drawing a new mask for the headlight of a car. EditGAN builds on a GAN framework that jointly models images and their semantic segmentations, requiring only a handful of labeled examples, making it a scalable tool for editing. Specifically, we embed an image into the GAN latent space and perform conditional latent code optimization according to the segmentation edit, which effectively also modifies the image. To amortize optimization, we find editing vectors in latent space that realize the edits. The framework allows us to learn an arbitrary number of editing vectors, which can then be directly applied on other images at interactive rates. We experimentally show that EditGAN can manipulate images with an unprecedented level of detail and freedom, while preserving full image quality.We can also easily combine multiple edits and perform plausible edits beyond EditGAN training data. We demonstrate EditGAN on a wide variety of image types and quantitatively outperform several previous editing methods on standard editing benchmark tasks.


This paper considers online learning with imbalanced streaming data under a query budget, where the act of querying for labels is constrained to a budget limit. We study different active querying strategies for classification. In particular, we propose an asymmetric active querying strategy that assigns different probabilities for query to examples predicted as positive and negative. To corroborate the proposed asymmetric query model, we provide a theoretical analysis on a weighted mistake bound. We conduct extensive evaluations of the proposed asymmetric active querying strategy in comparison with several baseline querying strategies and with previous online learning algorithms for imbalanced data. In particular, we perform two types of evaluations according to which examples appear as ``positive"/``negative''. In push evaluation only the positive predictions given to the user are taken into account; in push and query evaluation the decision to query is also considered for evaluation. The push and query evaluation strategy is particularly suited for a recommendation setting because the items selected for querying for labels may go to the end-user to enable customization and personalization. These would not be shown any differently to the end-user compared to recommended content (i.e., the examples predicated as positive). Additionally, given our interest in imbalanced data we measure F-score instead of accuracy that is traditionally considered by online classification algorithms. We also compare the querying strategies on five classification tasks from different domains, and show that the probabilistic query strategy achieves higher F-scores on both types of evaluation than deterministic strategy, especially when the budget is small, and the asymmetric query model further improves performance. When compared to the state-of-the-art cost-sensitive online learning algorithm under a budget, our online classification algorithm with asymmetric querying achieves a higher F-score on four of the five tasks, especially on the push evaluation.


of a dissertation at the University of Miami. Dissertation supervised by Professor Amie Thomasson. No. of pages in text. (168) Serious ontology is the view that metaphysical debates about existence are deep, theoretical, quasi-scientific debates about the nature and constituents of reality. Serious ontology has been the dominant metaontology for the last few decades, but recently it has come under attack. Eli Hirsch's Quantifier Variantism is one of the most compelling criticisms of serious ontology. According to Hirsch many ontological debates are merely verbal because the alleged rivals in these debates can each agree that the other side is saying something true given the meanings of the existential quantifier in their own language, and none of those quantifier meanings is objectively privileged. The most well developed response to skeptical metaontologies such as Quantifier Variantism is due to Theodore Sider's (2011) Writing the Book of the World. Sider agrees that the meaning of the existential quantifier may vary in different languages. However, he argues that even though the quantifier variantist might be right that both parties to the debate make true existential claims, the debate might still be substantive. On Sider's view it is substantive if one of the languages is objectively better than the other, where it is better if the quantifiers in the language map the structure of reality or carve perfectly at the world's logical joints. I argue that Sider's defense of serious ontology does not succeed, as he overlooks a very important assumption about the comparative evaluation of different languages. On my view, different languages could be comparatively evaluated only on the condition that they are introduced for the same purpose(s). Consider, for example, two countries, Leftia and Rightland, which share a border. The border is close to an inclined fault line according to which all Leftia and a very small part of Rightland in the region are on a lower wall and the almost all of Rightland is on a higher wall. Which language, geological or political, is objectively better at describing the region? It seems clear that the question 'Which language is better?' is incomplete without saying anything about the purpose of the description. But once we specify the purpose the answer seems to be fairly obvious. If the purpose of the description is to state geological facts (perhaps one of the two countries is planning to build a nuclear power plant in the region) then obviously the geological language is better, whereas if we aim to lay out the political facts (perhaps there is a significant archeological discovery on the border) then, of course, we should choose the political language. Hence, in order to claim that one language is better than the other they must serve the same purpose. If they do not have the same purpose we are not able to compare them at all. I argue that in most ontological debates, if not all, putatively rival languages are put forward for different purposes, and thus Sider's way of reinstating serious ontology in the face of the threat of Quantifier Variantism fails. I consider the ontological debate over the existence of ordinary objects as a case study. I argue that in this debate between people like Lynne Baker and Trenton Merricks, putatively competing languages don't have the same set of purposes; they are meant to do different things. Assuming that they are successful with respect to their purposes, we simply cannot deny either ontology on the grounds that one is objectively better than the other. I conclude, pace Sider, that there are many different books of the same world, and that, given that these different books are written for different purposes, they cannot be compared. For all we know it can be the case that different languages such as the language of economics, biology, physics, or sociology could mark the objective similarities and differences in the world equally well. So perhaps we need not a book of the world, but an ever-growing encyclopedia, to serve our ever-expanding purposes. The way ontologists can contribute to the writing of this encyclopedia, I argue, is not by engaging in debates about the complete inventory of what there is, but instead asking questions about the natures of the things that there are. By looking at both linguistic and non-linguistic practices concerning the objects in question, ontologists can answer questions such as under what conditions these kind of objects come into existence, how they persist, or how and on which entities their existence depends. Therefore, the conclusion is not that we should eliminate ontology altogether, but rather reorient its questions. In an appendix to my dissertation I give an example of how ontology may proceed along these lines, by taking up these questions for software where I argue that software is a kind of abstract artifact.


The current demand for food means that large quantities of chemical fertilizers are used in horticultural production systems, leaving soils deteriorated with little fertility in the long term. Thus, the objective of this research was to evaluate organic and inorganic sources of nutrition combined with biofertilizers in their ability to provide nutritional elements to melon crop and in yield and quality responses compared to chemical fertilization. The evaluated treatments were T1 = 140 UNE; T2 = 120 UNE; T3 = 80 UNE+B; T4 = 60 UNE+B; T5 = 80 UNQ+B; T6 = 60 UNQ+B and T7 = 120-80-00 based on chemical fertilizer. A completely randomized blocks design with three repetitions was used, finding that T3 and T5 reduced the application of chemical fertilizer by 33% with respect to the recommended dose used in the Lagunera Region and improved yield by 11 and 9% respectively. Therefore, organic or chemical fertilizers mixed with biofertilizers can be a viable alternative to maintain and/or increase melon yield and reduce the use of chemical fertilizers in vegetable production systems at the same time.


Abstract. We investigate for the first time the loss and alteration of past atmospheric information from air trapping mechanisms under low-accumulation conditions through continuous CH4 (and CO) measurements. Methane concentration changes were measured over the Dansgaard–Oeschger event 17 (DO-17,  ∼  60 000 yr BP) in the Antarctic Vostok 4G-2 ice core. Measurements were performed using continuous-flow analysis combined with laser spectroscopy. The results highlight many anomalous layers at the centimeter scale that are unevenly distributed along the ice core. The anomalous methane mixing ratios differ from those in the immediate surrounding layers by up to 50 ppbv. This phenomenon can be theoretically reproduced by a simple layered trapping model, creating very localized gas age scale inversions. We propose a method for cleaning the record of anomalous values that aims at minimizing the bias in the overall signal. Once the layered-trapping-induced anomalies are removed from the record, DO-17 appears to be smoother than its equivalent record from the high-accumulation WAIS Divide ice core. This is expected due to the slower sinking and densification speeds of firn layers at lower accumulation. However, the degree of smoothing appears surprisingly similar between modern and DO-17 conditions at Vostok. This suggests that glacial records of trace gases from low-accumulation sites in the East Antarctic plateau can provide a better time resolution of past atmospheric composition changes than previously expected. We also developed a numerical method to extract the gas age distributions in ice layers after the removal of the anomalous layers based on comparison with a weakly smoothed record. It is particularly adapted for the conditions of the East Antarctic plateau, as it helps to characterize smoothing for a large range of very low-temperature and low-accumulation conditions.


Professional sports leagues enjoy a unique justification in defending their seemingly anticompetitive practices under the antitrust laws: They allegedly need to maintain competitive balance. According to the argument, sports leagues need to do anticompetitive things to enhance their competitive standing vis-a-vis other sports leagues or other forms of entertainment. The argument is on the leading side of a circuit split, with only the D.C. Circuit rejecting it. Additionally, sports leagues have been adept at getting this argument into public discourse and legislative consideration. This Article argues that antitrust should reject the competitive balance argument on its face. The competitive balance argument makes the assumptions that there can only be one championship competition per sports league, that leagues can and will engineer balance in that unique competition, and that fan interest is directly related to that singular competition. This Article draws on comparative data and recent economic research to conclude that each of these assumptions is wrong and that judicial endorsement of the competitive balance argument may simply be an aesthetic preference without empirical support. Instead, a solution lies in reconceiving the league competition envisioned by the competitive balance argument. In particular, a sports league can be subject to several different "competing competitions" among its constituent teams; it could thus maintain fan interest even in the absence of competitive balance. This view draws support from the experience of the decade-old English Premier League and also helps to illuminate Major League Baseball's litigation attempting to expand its intellectual property rights to limit fantasy baseball league operators.


Surveys were carried out between 1987 and 1989 on Maatsuyker I. and nearby Needle Rocks off southern Tasmania to establish the status and identification of the seals present. New Zealand fur seals, Arctocephalus forsteri, were found on Maatsuyker I. There were at least 15 pups born on the island in 1987/88. Australian fur seals, Arctocephalus pusillus doriferus, use the islands as a haulout site but do not breed here. The distribution of New Zealand fur seals can now be amended to include Tasmanian waters. Records discussed here also alter aspects of the status of Australian fur seals because the Maatsuyker group is not a breeding site for this species and breeding colonies are therefore restricted to Bass Strait waters.


This article discusses how the emerging trend of using literary arts and dialogue, along with reflective and creative writing, referred to by the author as transformative narratives, can be used to help unpack and re-script assumptions, attitudes, values, and biases of leaders as they operate in systems of privilege. When leaders read, write, and dialogue about their own and others' cultural and social group identities, they increase self-awareness and improve interaction with others. These skills prove effective in building emotional intelligence that is linked to competencies of high performing leaders who create strong financial performance in their organizations. Specific applications are provided throughout the article.


Lately, several studies have looked at how Muslims are represented in film. This article takes a Scandinavian perspective on the topic and presents an analysis of masculinity and Islam in the Danish action drama Go with Peace Jamil. First an introduction to Islam in film in the western world in general and in Scandinavia in particular is presented, after which Go with Peace Jamil is discussed as a film that affirms some of the problematic images of Muslim men in film, but also challenges these images. As in so many other western films, Muslim men in Go with Peace Jamil come across as violent and aggressive, but in this film, in contrast to many Hollywood productions, we are introduced to many kinds of Muslims and varying ideas of Muslim masculinity.


While intrusion detection systems are becoming ubiquitous defenses in today's networks, currently we have no comprehensive and scientifically rigorous methodology to test the effectiveness of these systems. This paper explores the types of performance measurements that are desired and that have been used in the past. We review many past evaluations that have been designed to assess these metrics. We also discuss the hurdles that have blocked successful measurements in this area and present suggestions for research directed toward improving our measurement capabilities.


The effects of insulin and glucocorticoids on carbohydrate, fat and protein metabolism of various isolated tissues have been summarized. Insulin is required for maximum glucose utilization by liver, muscle and adipose tissue, but is not required by the brain and nervous tissue. Glucocorticoids do not oppose or antagonize the primary effect of insulin which is to increase the permeability of cells to glucose. However, glucose phosphorylation by muscle is decreased by the presence of pituitary and adrenal cortical hormones in the absence of insulin. Insulin and the glucocorticoids do appear to play opposing roles in the mobilization of fatty acids (FFA). Many hormones promote FFA release from adipose tissue; however, the full lipolytic effect is not achieved in the absence of the adrenal cortex. Insulin, on the other hand, inhibits the lipolytic effect of catecholamines, glucagon, and ACTH. Ketosis is not observed in experimental diabetes if FFA mobilization is prevented by removal of the adrenals or pituitary. On the other hand, mobilization of FFA does not lead to ketosis if adequate insulin is available. An important aspect of glucocorticoid action in diabetes is probably in the area of FFA mobilization and ketone body production. However, the role of the adrenal cortex in protein catabolism and gluconeogenesis is of equal concern. Overproduction as well as under-utilization of glucose remains the central problem in attempting to regulate the diabetic patient.


Spatial reasoning tasks in multi-agent environments such as event prediction, agent type identification, or missing data imputation are important for multiple applications (e.g., autonomous surveillance over sensor networks and subtasks for reinforcement learning (RL)). StarCraft II game replays encode intelligent (and adversarial) multiagent behavior and could provide a testbed for these tasks; however, extracting simple and standardized representations for prototyping these tasks is laborious and hinders reproducibility. In contrast, MNIST and CIFAR10, despite their extreme simplicity, have enabled rapid prototyping and reproducibility of ML methods. Following the simplicity of these datasets, we construct a benchmark spatial reasoning dataset based on StarCraft II replays that exhibit complex multi-agent behaviors, while still being as easy to use as MNIST and CIFAR10. Specifically, we carefully summarize a window of 255 consecutive game states to create 3.6 million summary images from 60,000 replays, including all relevant metadata such as game outcome and player races. We develop three formats of decreasing complexity: Hyperspectral images that include one channel for every unit type (similar to multispectral geospatial images), RGB images that mimic CIFAR10, and grayscale images that mimic MNIST. We show how this dataset can be used for prototyping spatial reasoning methods. All datasets, code for extraction, and code for dataset loading can be found at https://starcraftdata.davidinouye.com/.


Abstract Writing in a language, whether the target or native, is regarded as a complex activity operating on multiple cognitive levels. This study aimed to uncover the factors which motivate teacher trainees of English to write in English in an EFL context. The study also investigated the differences in the ways teacher trainees are motivated in terms of some variables such as gender and the engagement in reading and writing activities in English outside of the classroom. A total of 270 Turkish trainee teachers of English participated in the study. The data obtained through a two-part questionnaire revealed that a great majority of the participants (n=203) read in English, compared to only half of them (n=108) preferred to write outside the classroom. Based on the findings, the study suggests that prospective English teachers need to be systematically supported and motivated to write in English both in and outside the classroom.


After rhinoplasty, many patients report numbness of the nasal tip. This is primarily because of injury to the external nasal nerve. It is imperative that surgeons performing rhinoplasty be familiar with the anatomy and the common variations of this nerve. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to present an anatomical study of the external nasal nerve. Twenty external nasal nerves were examined by dissecting 10 fresh cadaver noses within 48 hours of death. On dissection, the exit of the nerve between the nasal bone and upper lateral cartilage was identified. The distance from the point of exit to the midline of the nose and the size of the nerve were measured. The course and the running plane of the nerve were investigated. The nerve branchings were also classified into three types: type I, only one nerve without any branch; type II, one nerve proximally and then splitting into two main branches at the intercartilaginous junction; and type III, two main branches from the point of exit. The point of exit of the external nasal nerve from the distal nasal bone was located 6.5 to 8.5 mm (7.3 +/- 0.6 mm) lateral to the nasal midline. The average diameter of the nerve at the point of exit was 0.35 +/- 0.036 mm. Most of the nerves (95 percent) passed through the deep fatty layer directly under the nasal superficial musculoaponeurotic layer, all the way down to the alar cartilages. In terms of the branching type, type I was observed in 10 of 20 nerves (50 percent), type II was observed in six of 20 (30 percent), and type III was seen in four of 20 (20 percent). On the basis of the results of this study, the following precautions are suggested during a rhinoplasty to minimize the chance of injury to this nerve. First, it is best to avoid deep intercartilaginous or intracartilaginous incisions so that the deep fatty layer is not invaded and the dissection is maintained directly on the surface of the cartilage (deep to the nasal superficial musculoaponeurotic layer). Second, dissection at the junction of the nasal bone and upper lateral cartilage area of one side should be limited to within 6.5 mm from the midline. Lastly, when the nasal dorsum is augmented by an onlay graft, implants or grafts less than 13 mm wide at the rhinion level should be used.


Mammalian cells are known to respond to the elastic modulus of the surface to which they adhere. Consequently, there is interest in developing strategies to control the elastic moduli of materials, including hydrogels. One way of controlling modulus in hydrogels is to introduce reinforcing agents such as inorganic materials, for example hydroxyapatite (HA). Although several authors have reported the reinforcement of hydrogels with ceramic particles, there have not been any studies to investigate the effect of size and crystallinity of HA particles on the mechanical properties of hydrogel. In this study, synthetic Calcium phosphate of two different crystallite sizes: one on the nano-scale (∼50 nm) and the other on the micro-scale (∼150 nm) have been used to manufacture HA/gellan gum (GG) composites. It was shown that while nano-scale HA (nHA) reinforced the hydrogel structure, the micro-scale HA (mHA) material acted to weaken it (2.5 wt% HA). Furthermore, it was found that by increasing the content of the nHA in the composite to 50 wt%, the yield strength and bulk modulus was increased by four- and nine-fold, respectively. The reinforcing effect of nHA was attributed to its higher association with the GG coil structure when compared with the mHA, which disrupted gel structure.


In recent years, MALDI imaging mass spectrometry, also known as MALDI imaging or MALDI MSI, has been getting wider recognition thanks to an increasing number of studies devoted to various tumor markers, comparing 2D mass maps of healthy and diseased tissue sections. By determining the spatial distribution of markers in the tissue we step forward to clarify the physiological processes in tumors and to better understand them. Moreover, by combining 2D mass maps with microscopic photos of the sections from histology, we get a more comprehensive picture of the distribution of the examined analytes. However, one of the disadvantages of MALDI imaging is a complicated ionization of analytes in a complex matrix of tissues and thus low detection limits. In this paper we report on the current state of MALDI imaging in oncology research. Development option of this method in the near future is outlined according to authors' opinion.


A simple device is presented that serves as a secondary source of light with prescribed polarization properties. The technique employed is based on the Schmidt purification of a mixed quantum state. Such a purification can be applied to quantum and to classical polarization states. The device presented here can be used with both classical and quantum primary sources of light. It allows controlling the degree of polarization as well as the Stokes vector that enters the decomposition of a light beam in a fully unpolarized and a fully polarized component.


Background and Purpose— Estimates of risk of stroke recurrence are widely variable and focused on the short- term. A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to estimate the pooled cumulative risk of stroke recurrence. Methods— Studies reporting cumulative risk of recurrence after first-ever stroke were identified using electronic databases and by manually searching relevant journals and conference abstracts. Overall cumulative risks of stroke recurrence at 30 days and 1, 5, and 10 years after first stroke were calculated, and analyses for heterogeneity were conducted. A Weibull model was fitted to the risk of stroke recurrence of the individual studies and pooled estimates were calculated with 95% CI. Results— Sixteen studies were identified, of which 13 studies reported cumulative risk of stroke recurrence in 9115 survivors. The pooled cumulative risk was 3.1% (95% CI, 1.7–4.4) at 30 days, 11.1% (95% CI, 9.0–13.3) at 1 year, 26.4% (95% CI, 20.1–32.8) at 5 years, and 39.2% (95% CI, 27.2–51.2) at 10 years after initial stroke. Substantial heterogeneity was found at all time points. This study also demonstrates a temporal reduction in 5-year risk of stroke recurrence from 32% to 16.2% across the studies. Conclusions— The cumulative risk of recurrence varies greatly up to 10 years. This may be explained by differences in case mix and changes in secondary prevention over time However, methodological differences are likely to play an important role and consensus on definitions would improve future comparability of estimates and characterization of groups of stroke survivors at increased risk of recurrence.


Financing the Paris Agreement commitments would require trillions of dollars per year, and most of that would need to come from private sources. Despite huge potential, climate finance flows remain constrained by many barriers, key among them the lack of financial viability of climate-focused projects. Despite several initiatives and innovative financing solutions to incentivize private finance—such as blended finance to leverage public finance and risk mitigation solutions to enable commercial climate investments—private investments in green projects are limited. To a large extent, the regulated financial system of banking and capital markets and the extant regulations do not align well with the goals of climate finance. A major shift is required in the existing trajectory of the current targets for climate-focused investments to be met, both by lending institutions and capital markets. One approach to addressing the concern about adequate finance for green projects focuses on factoring climate risks into investment and lending decisions (that is, into pricing and capital allocation) through banking regulation. These alternatives are discussed in this article. Another concern, the risk associated with the greening financial markets themselves, could be countered by offering a risk subsidy for banks and financial institutions that finance climate investments; this strategy would include subsidizing the cost of financing green projects through a reduction in the risk premium or capital charges of the project. Risks could be priced by using the mechanism of trading and pricing carbon emissions, and resources from a carbon tax also could be allocated to pay for the subsidy. This article discusses a structure to make a blended finance option effective. Both of these approaches—enabling regulations and blended finance to lower the cost of capital—can unlock substantial financing opportunities for climate projects. Institutional commitment is paramount to facilitate both the financing of green projects and the greening of the financial sector. TOPICS: ESG investing, real assets/alternative investments/private equity, risk management, legal/regulatory/public policy Key Findings ▪ A major shift is required in the extant regulated financial system if the current targets for climate focused investments are to be met. ▪ For greening of the financial sector, climate risks need to be factored in for pricing and capital allocation through banking regulations. ▪ A blended option, where risks are priced using carbon markets and resources from a carbon tax are used to pay for the subsidy, is proposed.


Passing an acid test Calcifying marine organisms will generally find it harder to make and maintain their carbonate skeletons as increasing concentrations of atmospheric CO2 acidify the oceans. Nevertheless, some types of organisms will be damaged more than others, and some may even benefit from higher CO2 levels. Coccolithophores are a case in point, because their photosynthetic ability is strongly carbon-limited. Rivero-Calle et al. show that the abundance of coccolithophores in the North Atlantic has increased by up to 20% or more in the past 50 years (see the Perspective by Vogt). Thus, this major phytoplankton functional group may be able to adapt to a future with higher CO2 concentrations. Science, this issue p. 1533; see also p. 1466 Coccolithophores may be able to adapt to a world with higher levels of carbon dioxide. [Also see Perspective by Vogt] As anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions acidify the oceans, calcifiers generally are expected to be negatively affected. However, using data from the Continuous Plankton Recorder, we show that coccolithophore occurrence in the North Atlantic increased from ~2 to more than 20% from 1965 through 2010. We used random forest models to examine more than 20 possible environmental drivers of this change, finding that CO2 and the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation were the best predictors, leading us to hypothesize that higher CO2 levels might be encouraging growth. A compilation of 41 independent laboratory studies supports our hypothesis. Our study shows a long-term basin-scale increase in coccolithophores and suggests that increasing CO2 and temperature have accelerated the growth of a phytoplankton group that is important for carbon cycling.


This short essay in the Texas Law Review's on-line companion, See Also, responds to Professor Ernest Young's important article, "Treaties as 'Part of Our Law'." Young defends the Roberts Court's recent decisions on the U.S. legal status of treaties and argues that treaties should have roughly the same status as federal statutes. I applaud Young's effort to put treaties and statutes on roughly equal footing, but I take issue with his analysis on several points, including whether federal courts should give some deference to the decisions of foreign courts, the relevance of the specificity or vagueness of human rights treaties to the question whether a treaty is self-executing, the existence of rights of action to enforce treaty provisions, and the reasons why not all treaty provisions are self-executing despite the sweeping language of the supremacy clause. I also suggest that Young's defense of the Roberts Court's decisions requires him to rewrite or re-reason the Court's opinions, and I note that this need to rewrite is something common to defenders of those decisions.


The Chinese ideogram chi is far richer in connotation than the equivalent English verb "to eat." Chi can also be read as "the mouth that begs for food and words." A concept manifest in the twentieth-century Chinese political reality of revolution and massacre, chi suggests a narrative of desire that moves from lack to satiation and back again. In China such fundamental acts as eating or refusing to eat can carry enormous symbolic weight. This book examines the twentieth-century Chinese political experience as it is represented in literature through hunger, cooking, eating, and cannibalizing. At the core of Gang Yue's argument lies the premise that the discourse surrounding the most universal of basic human acts—eating—is a culturally specific one.

Yue's discussion begins with a brief look at ancient Chinese alimentary writing and then moves on to its main concern: the exploration and textual analysis of themes of eating in modern Chinese literature from the May Fourth period through the post-Tiananmen era. The broad historical scope of this volume illustrates how widely applicable eating-related metaphors can be. For instance, Yue shows how cannibalism symbolizes old China under European colonization in the writing of Lu Xun. In Mo Yan's 1992 novel Liquorland , however, cannibalism becomes the symbol of overindulgent consumerism. Yue considers other writers as well, such as Shen Congwen, Wang Ruowang, Lu Wenfu, Zhang Zianliang, Ah Cheng, Zheng Yi, and Liu Zhenyun. A special section devoted to women writers includes a chapter on Xiao Hong, Wang Anyi, and Li Ang, and another on the Chinese-American women writers Jade Snow Wong, Maxine Hong Kingston, and Amy Tan. Throughout, the author compares and contrasts the work of these writers with similarly themed Western literature, weaving a personal and political semiotics of eating.

The Mouth That Begs will interest sinologists, literary critics, anthropologists, cultural studies scholars, and everyone curious about the semiotics of food.


The ventilated façade (VF) system is a double-wall construction, comprising an external lightweight cladding panel and the building's existing façade, which is used to increase indoor comfort levels (e.g. temperature, humidity) in buildings. During a fire event, VF systems may contribute to fire spreading on the facade, representing a significant risk to the upper floors of a building, especially in the case of emerging externally venting flames. Aiming to investigate the fire behaviour of a typical VF system, a large scale compartment-facade fire test is carried out. An extensive set of sensors is installed both inside and outside the test compartment, aiming to record the temporal variation of several important physical parameters, such as gas and wall surface temperatures, gas velocities and fuel mass loss rate. Emphasis is given on the estimation of the thermal characteristics of the externally venting flames, emerging close to the facade, since these are the main physical parameters affecting the heat exposure of the VF system. A commercial VF system is employed; no thermal insulation is used, aiming to investigate the main aerodynamic and thermal phenomena affecting the flow of hot gases and flames in the air cavity. In addition, no fire barriers are installed on the VF system, thus representing a "worst case" scenario for a VF system with no combustible materials. Analysis of the experimental data suggests that even though gaseous combustion products may manage to penetrate into the air cavity of the VF system, no consistent flaming conditions are established. In addition, wall surface temperatures on the unexposed side of the system remain constantly below 180C throughout the duration of the fire test.


ABSTRACT Rift Valley fever (RVF) is an emerging zoonosis in Africa which has spread to Egypt, the Arabian Peninsula, Madagascar, and Comoros. RVF virus (RVFV) (Bunyaviridae family, Phlebovirus genus) causes a wide range of symptoms in humans, from benign fever to fatal hemorrhagic fever. Ruminants are severely affected by the disease, which leads to a high rate of mortality in young animals and to abortions and teratogenesis in pregnant females. Diagnostic tests include virus isolation and genome or antibody detection. During RVFV infection, the nucleoprotein encapsidating the tripartite RNA genome is expressed in large amounts and raises a robust antibody response, while the envelope glycoproteins elicit neutralizing antibodies which play a major role in protection. Much less is known about the antigenicity/immunogenicity of the nonstructural protein NSs, which is a major virulence factor. Here we have developed a competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) enabling detection of low levels of NSs-specific antibodies in naturally infected or vaccinated ruminants. Detection of the NSs antibodies was validated by Western blotting. Altogether, our data showed that the NSs antibodies were detected in only 55% of animals naturally infected by RVFV, indicating that NSs does not induce a consistently high immune response. These results are discussed in light of differentiation between infected and vaccinated animals (DIVA) tests distinguishing naturally infected animals and those vaccinated with NSs-defective vaccines.


The aim of present research is to highlight the role of three variables of attitude, motivation and classroom anxiety towards English language learning at Intermediate level in Pakistan. These factors play an important role to show the problems and aptitude (liking-disliking) related to second language (L2) learning process. The present research provides an account of gender based students' approach of motivation, attitude and anxiety towards English language learning in multilingual context. The research is based on a close ended survey questionnaire on 5-point Likert scale, which describes about the ratio of students' attitude, motivation and classroom anxiety during English language learning process of grade 12 class students in a well-known college of Faisalabad, Pakistan. This research presents the affirmative views of equal number of 112 students both male (56) and female (56). The findings of the research show that the females have higher level of motivation and attitude towards English language while males have higher level of anxiety as compared to the females. It is suggested that the teachers should motivate the students towards English learning to promote their positive attitudes towards English. Satisfactory English medium at grass root level will be more effective because mostly students in Pakistan belong to ruler areas and their medium is Urdu. Students must provide better listening programs related to English language learning to facilitate and enhance the interest of students.


Introduction: Jasada Bhasma is the well known potent zinc formulation commonly used in 'Ayurveda' medicine system. Its extensive usage in the health care sector is proved to be successful in the treatment of certain illness and is considered to be popular in its stability, lower dose, and its availability.
Aim: To evaluate the toxicity profile of Jasada Bhasma with primary emphasis on haematological, biochemical and histopathological changes in Wistar albino rats.
Materials and Methods: For toxicity study, Wistar albino rats of either sex, weighing from 150-225 gm of body weight were used, and they were divided into three groups, ten rats in each group. Group-I administered with carboxymethyl cellulose and considered as vehicle control. Group-II and III were administered with two levels of Jasada Bhasma, i.e., 10.8 mg/kg (Therapeutic dose) and 54 mg/kg (Five times of therapeutic dose) respectively for 28 consecutive days. On the 28th day, the animals were sacrificed. Blood sample and vital organs were collected for haematological, biochemical and histopathological examinations.
Results: The repeated administration of Jasada Bhasma on Wistar albino rats didn't produce remarkable toxicity changes at both the dose levels in most of the haematological parameters tested except there was a significant (p<0.01) increase in the mean cell haemoglobin concentration. Biochemically, the significant increase (p<0.01) in the serum creatinine but decrease in urea level has been shown in both levels of administration. The significant rise in potassium and total protein levels were also evident. Histopathologically, sections of liver and kidney showed pathological cytoarchitecture at both level dose exposures. However, sections of spleen showed mild to moderate increase in white pulp proportionate the five times of therapeutic dose level.
Conclusion: The repeated administration of test drug Jasada Bhasma at therapeutic dose was relatively safer; however, at higher dose level it produces some functional changes in histopathological sections of kidney and liver.


This paper examines the part Situational Awareness (SA) plays in counter-air operations, focusing on the utility of future Unmanned Combat Air Systems (UCAS) in gaining control of the air in 2040. Current UCAS development focuses on Intelligence, Surveillance, Targeting, Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) and Suppression of Enemy Air Defence (SEAD) roles. If a UCAS cannot control the airspace in which it is operating in, and unless control can be gained by other means, then manned fighter aircraft will be required to achieve this task. This would seem somewhat perverse, largely negating the purpose of utilising UCAS in the first place. Could a UCAS gain control of the air in 2040? The author believes that such a system could; UCAS should not be viewed in isolation, but rather as part of a system of systems, that aid, it can be argued, the most critical component of warfare - SA. The importance that SA plays in warfare, particularly in control of the air, is not only vital, but will be the critical node in enabling this to be achieved.


Set in the academic world of Harvard and Cambridge, this novel dramatizes the plight of the embattled American liberal in the 1950s. Its central character is Edward Cavan, a brilliant English professor, who commits suicide. His death sets off a shock wave among Cavan's friends -- and changes things for some of them forever."It is impossible not to be interested in (Sarton's characters) and concerned with what concerns them". -- The New Yorker


This paper describes the state of the art in land mine detection technology and algorithms. Landmine detection is a growing concern due to the danger of buried landmines to people's lives, economic growth and development. Most of the injured people have no connection with the reason why the mines were placed. There are 50–100 million landmines in more than 80 countries around the world. Deactivation is estimated at 100 000 mines per year, against the nearly 2 million mines laid annually. In this paper we describe and analyse sensor technology available including state‐of‐the‐art technology such as ground penetrating radar (GPR), electromagnetic induction (EMI) and nuclear quadrupole resonance (NQR) among others. Robotics, data processing and algorithms are mentioned, considering support vectors, sensor fusion, neural networks, etc. Finally, we establish conclusions highlighting the need to improve not only the way images are acquired, but the way this information is processed and compared.


Poultry manure in Iowa is primarily used for row crop production. However, producers question the proportion of total manure N that is available for plant uptake under local conditions and using local manure types. The objectives of this study were to estimate the first-year supply of plant-available N to corn (Zea mays L.) from three poultry manure types under producer crop management conditions across environments in Iowa, and to evaluate alternative soil and plant parameters as tools to assess N availability of poultry manure. Manure was applied at two rates, a low and high rate based on total N analysis of the manure (intending to supply approximately 84 and 168 kg total N), in addition to a no-manure control. The study was conducted at 18 locations from 2004 to 2006. Fertilizer equivalency determined from four rates of fertilizer N was used to estimate first-year poultry manure N availability. Across all manure types and sites, and using grain yield (GY) response, statistical confidence intervals indicated 38 to 55% of the total N applied with poultry manure was available to corn, with a mean 46% plant-available N. Analysis of postmaturity lower corn stalk NO 3 - -N concentrations indicated 41 % N availability, while leaf chlorophyll meter (CM) readings may be unreliable for estimating plant N availability as results indicated only 34% N availability. Soil NO 3 - -N concentrations in early June appeared to vary with added NH 4 + -N from the manure. This on-farm field study provided estimates of poultry manure plant-available N to corn with producer management systems and would include any volatile N losses during or after land-spreading.


A Fourier-based method is adopted to determine the permeability of periodic porous media made up of a rigid skeleton saturated by viscous fluid. The flow, induced by a prescribed macroscopic gradient of pressure, adopts the Stokes equations with incorporating a condition of adherence at the surface of the solid. The permeability is determined by solving a linear problem on a unit cell for which we determine the local velocity fields due to a prescribed gradient of pressure. The method uses the Fourier Transformation and exact expressions of the periodic Green tensor in the Fourier space. It is shown that the resolution of the problem requires an introducing of undetermined forces acting within the solid phase.


A low field AC magnetic susceptibility has been measured for a superconducting bulk YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7- d sample with an AC excitation field superimposed with a DC field. The effects on the susceptibility due to either type of field have been interpreted without any assumption regarding the presence of vortices in the material. From the in-phase susceptibility data, saturation values show that increasing the AC field strength causes a decrease in shielding ability and a persistence of intergranular losses to lower temperatures. The intergranular loss peaks in the out of phase susceptibility data show shifting to lower temperature in accordance with the in-phase data. Increasing the DC field strength does not cause the saturation values to decrease, but rather, saturation values remain at the same level for the in-phase susceptibility data, showing consistency in the sample's shielding ability. However, increasing DC field strength increases the peak height for the intergranular loss peaks, but the peak does not shift to lower temperatures, thus greater energy is expended to shield the DC excitation, but without causing losses to persist to lower temperatures.


This work presents new application of the random field theory in medical imaging. Results from both integral geometry and random field theory can be used to detect locations with significantly increased radiotracer uptake in images from positron emission tomography (PET). The assumptions needed to use these results are verified on a set of real and simulated phantom images. The proposed method of detecting activation (locations with increased radiotracer concentration) is used to quantify the quality of simulated PET images. Dependence of the quality on the injection dose (amount of applied radiotracer) and patient's body parameters is estimated. It is used to derive curves of constant quality determining the injection dose needed to achieve desired quality of the resulting images. The curves are compared with the formula currently used in medical practice.


Significant progress has been made in various aspects of synthesis of nanostructured materials. The nanostructured materials, with their grain sizes or phase dimensions in the nanometer size regime, are produced by a wide variety of synthesis and processing methods. Nanomaterials are characterized by their small grain sizes (1-100 nm) and high volume fraction of grain boundaries, which often gives rise to unique physical, chemical and mechanical properties compared with those of their cast counterparts. These properties have been found particularly useful in corrosion protection applications. The application of nanotechnology in the field of corrosion prevention of metals attracts the attention of researchers. nanostructures promote selective oxidation, forming a protective oxide scale with superior adhesion to the substrate. A polymer nanocomposite coating can effectively combine the benefits of organic polymers, such as elasticity and water resistance to that of advanced inorganic materials, such as hardness and permeability. The nanostructured silica coating showed comparable or better performance than hexavalent chrome passivation. Mild steel is protected by an eco-friendly nanostructured conducting polymer/oil polyurethane composites


In this research project the behaviour of strain-hardening cement-based composites (SHCC) subjected to low and high strain rates was studied. Uniaxial tension tests on dumbbell-shaped SHCC specimens were performed at rates ranging from 10 -5 s -1 to 50s -1 . For the tests performed at strain rates of 10 -2 s -1 and below, SHCC yielded a moderate increase in tensile strength and simultaneous decrease in strain capacity with increasing strain rate. When tested for higher strain rates from 10 to 50s -1 a considerable increase in tensile strain and strain capacity was measured. Microscopic investigation of the fracture surfaces showed that almost no fibre failure and an average pullout length of 2.5mm were found in the high strain rate test. This observation is in contrast to that of rapid quasi-static testing, where the average fibre pullout length of 300μm was much shorter. Furthermore, the fibres on the fracture surfaces produced in the high rate tests exhibited pronounced plastic deformations. Finally, quasi-static and high-speed tension tests on individual fibres and single fibre pullout tests were performed. While the increase in the tensile strength of the fibre was only moderate in the range of strain rates investigated, a considerable increase in bond strength between fibre and matrix was determined.


Peganum harmala Linn. is an important medicinal plant and traditionally used as analgesic, antihelmintic, antimicrobial and anticancer agent. As the herb is used widely in the traditional systems of medicine, it was thought worthwhile to undertake the standardization. The present study designed for determination of physico-chemical parameters, phytochemical screening and also its antioxidant activity. The quality control parameters like extractive of plant with different solvents, ash values, foreign organic matter, loss on drying and pH of aqueous solution were determined. The antioxidant activity was determined by DPPH free radical scavenging method. The results obtained from preliminary pharmacognostic standardization of seeds of P. harmala are very helpful in determination of quality and purity of the crude drug and its marketed formulation. The ethanolic, hydro-alcoholic and aqueous extracts of seeds of P. harmala showed potent DPPH free radical scavenging activity.


The aim of the study was to explore if recall of words and recognition of sentences orally presented was affected by a background noise. A further aim was to investigate the role of working memory capacity in performance in these conditions. Thirty-two subjects performed a word recall and a sentence recognition test. They repeated each word to ensure that they had heard them. A reading span test measured their working memory capacity. Performance on the word recall task was impaired by the background noise. A high reading span score was associated with a smaller noise effect, especially on recall of the last part of the word list.


A multifluid infiltrated input/output coupler for efficient light transmission from a slow light hole-type hexagonal photonic crystal waveguide (PCW) was designed based on the optofluidic technique. The structure of the coupler is similar to a regular PCW, with a little difference in the two innermost rows, which are filled with different fluids. This coupler allows light to experience a step-by-step change in its group velocity as it reaches and passes the central slow light PCW. Simulation results reveal a transmission improvement of more than 75% with the use of a three-fluid infiltrated coupler compared to a conventional PCW, in which the light is inserted directly to the slow light PCW, with a transmission efficiency of about 10%.


Background: The treatment (tx) landscape for patients (pts) with metastatic melanoma (MM) has changed dramatically from systemic chemotherapy (chemo) to novel therapies, including targeted therapies (TT) and immunotherapies (IO mono- and combination therapy) in recent years. Healthcare resource utilization (HCRU) and cost data are needed to further evaluate tx in a value-based healthcare system. The study aimed to describe HCRU and total cost of care among first line (1L) US MM pts treated with IO, TT, or chemo. Methods: A retrospective observational study was conducted using a U.S. claims database. Adults with ≥2 claims for melanoma and ≥1 claim for metastasis between January 1, 2012 and June 30, 2017 were identified. Pts had pharmacy and medical enrollment ≥6 months pre and ≥3 months post 1L tx start. Per pt per month (PPPM) HCRU and costs were calculated by 1L tx drug class: PD-1, CTLA-4, CTLA-4+PD-1, mono-TT, combo-TT, and chemo. Adjusted odds ratios (OR) for HCRU were estimated by logistic regressions, and adjusted costs were estimated by generalized linear models to control for differences in pt characteristics across groups. Results: Among 1,599 MM pts (255 PD-1, 555 CTLA-4, 88 CTLA-4+PD-1, 210 mono-TT, 102 combo-TT, 389 chemo), mean age ranged from 59–68 years across tx groups, and the majority was male (62%). Any hospitalization during 1L was less frequent among PD-1 (26%) compared to 35%–46% of all other groups (all P<.05). CTLA-4, CTLA-4+PD-1, and combo-TT had increased odds of hospitalization compared to PD-1 (adjusted ORs: 2.10, 2.35, 2.15, respectively; all P<.05). Total adjusted PPPM costs were significantly lower for PD-1 compared to CTLA-4, CTLA-4+PD-1 and combo-TT and higher compared to mono-TT and chemo (Table 1). Conclusions: Hospitalizations represent an important healthcare resource for MM pts and were lowest among PD-1. Total monthly costs varied substantially across 1L regimens and were significantly lower in PD-1 compared to CTLA-4, CTLA-4+PD-1, and combo-TT. HCRU and costs differentiate 1L MM regimens.


Energy efficient bipedal locomotion is one of the research areas of the Robotics and Mechatronics
(RAM) group at the University of Twente. This MSc project continues that research with the
optimization of bipedal walking gaits and the application of that optimization to a bipedal walker
with constant knee stiffness.
Previous students investigated bipedal walking gaits with the spring loaded inverted pendulum (SLIP)
model. A swing leg was added to the model [1] and the swing leg trajectories were chosen by an
educated guess. The hip and swing leg trajectories of the segmented-SLIP (S-SLIP) model were
used as references for the control of a bipedal robotic walker [2] [3]. Simulations showed that the
gait cycle behaviour of the SLIP and S-SLIP model was not similar to that of the robotic walker.
Therefore, using SLIP or S-SLIP trajectories as references for the control of a robotic walker did not
seems like a viable idea. One of the recommendations in [3] indicated the need for higher quality
reference trajectories.
The paper, presented in section 2, proposes a novel optimization method for the bipedal walker
gaits with constant knee stiffness. Power of the used optimization method is that it optimizes over
the state variables and inputs for the complete gait at once [4]. The bipedal walker has two legs,
both with an upper and lower leg. There is a torsion spring on the knee. The parameters of the
spring, the spring constant and the equilibrium position, are constant during walking. However, the
spring parameters are part of the optimization.
The walker is optimized in three steps, the distinction between the three is how the knee spring is
used in the optimization. First, the knee spring constant is set to zero. Second, the knee spring
constant is part of the optimization. Third, the knee spring constant and equilibrium position are
part of the optimization.
The optimizations show that the torque that is needed for a walking gait is reduced by adding
the knee springs to the bipedal walker. Remarkable is that it also reduces the input torques to
the hip joint that has no spring. The optimizations also show that the shape of the swing foot
trajectories change with increasing gait velocities. So, imposing trajectories that have the same
shape for different velocities, as was done before, will thus not result in optimal gaits with regard to
energy efficiency.
Section 3 presents details of the optimization that are needed for the implementation of the
optimization. The conclusions of the MSc project are in section 4. Final recommendations are
reported in section 5.


The next generations of large-scale data-centers and supercomputers demand optical interconnects to migrate to 400G and beyond. Microring modulators in silicon-photonics VLSI chips are promising devices to meet this demand due to their energy efficiency and compatibility with dense wavelength division multiplexed chip-to-chip optical I/O. Higher order pulse amplitude modulation (PAM) schemes can be exploited to mitigate their fundamental energy–bandwidth tradeoff at the system level for high data rates. In this paper, we propose an optical digital-to-analog converter based on a segmented microring resonator, capable of operating at 20 GS/s with improved linearity over conventional optical multi-level generators that can be used in a variety of applications such as optical arbitrary waveform generators and PAM transmitters. Using this technique, we demonstrate a PAM-4 transmitter that directly converts the digital data into optical levels in a commercially available 45-nm SOI CMOS process. We achieved 40-Gb/s PAM-4 transmission at 42-fJ/b modulator and driver energies, and 685-fJ/b total transmitter energy efficiency with an area bandwidth density of 0.67 Tb/s/mm2. The transmitter incorporates a thermal tuning feedback loop to address the thermal and process variations of microrings' resonance wavelength. This scheme is suitable for system-on-chip applications with a large number of I/O links, such as switches and general-purpose and specialized processors in large-scale computing and storage systems.


Background The burden of ill-health due to inactivity has recently been highlighted. Better studies on environments that support physical activity are called for, including longitudinal studies of environmental interventions. A programme of residential street improvements in the UK (Sustrans 'DIY Streets') allowed a rare opportunity for a prospective, longitudinal study of the effect of such changes on older adults' activities, health and quality of life. Methods Pre–post, cross-sectional surveys were carried out in locations across England, Wales and Scotland; participants were aged 65+ living in intervention or comparison streets. A questionnaire covered health and quality of life, frequency of outdoor trips, time outdoors in different activities and a 38-item scale on neighbourhood open space. A cohort study explored changes in self-report activity and well-being postintervention. Activity levels were also measured by accelerometer and accompanying diary records. Results The cross-sectional surveys showed outdoor activity predicted by having a clean, nuisance-free local park, attractive, barrier-free routes to it and other natural environments nearby. Being able to park one's car outside the house also predicted time outdoors. The environmental changes had an impact on perceptions of street walkability and safety at night, but not on overall activity levels, health or quality of life. Participants' moderate-to-vigorous activity levels rarely met UK health recommendations. Conclusions Our study contributes to methodology in a longitudinal, pre–post design and points to factors in the built environment that support active ageing. We include an example of knowledge exchange guidance on age-friendly built environments for policy-makers and planners.


The African region represents the weak point of the world economy. Many African countries have still not finished the process of transforming their economy. Agriculture represents only a minor portion of their economies' performance – however it is still a key sector of the economy (especially considering the number of people working in agriculture or people representing the agricultural population). The agricultural sector in many sub-Saharan countries is extremely sensitive and its stability affects the stability of the whole region. A very good example representing sub-Saharan Africa is the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). It is a country with a lot of potential, but it is classified among the poorest countries in the world. Its economy is extremely weak (despite its significant share in total GDP formation value), and underdeveloped. The share of agriculture in total GDP formation is over 42.5%. The number of people living in rural areas represents over 45 million out of a total of 75 million. The number of people working in agriculture is over 60% of the total economically active population. The economy of the country is extremely poor and fragile, mainly because of political instability. The aim of this paper is firstly to specify the position of agriculture in the DRC economy, and also to specify the production and trade commodity structure in relation to other African countries. The paper's ambition is to identify the most perspective commodities (groups of commodities), both for production and also for trade, and to recommend such a production and trade profile which would allow the DRC the possibility of improving its competitiveness not only in relation to other African countries, but also in relation to the global market. The production and trade commodity structures are analysed through the application of the BCG method and competitiveness analysis. In relation to these objectives, the paper provides the following conclusions. The position of agriculture in the DRC economy is stable one. Furthermore, agriculture probably represents the most stable part of the DRC economy. According to the portfolio and competitiveness analyses, the most important commodity items for the DRC are the following: Rice paddy, Maize, and Cassava. The most competitive trade items are particularly Coffee, Tea, and Cocoa, and Sugar Raw centrifugal. The most notable weakness of DRC agriculture is the production of Wheat, Beverages, Poultry Meat, and Fixed Vegetable Oils.


Our times are often described as 'post-factual', which shows in an incessantly increasing amount of lies in politics. Discussing Hannah Arendt's writings (especially her essay Truth and Politics), this paper analyzes four types of political lies. They differ in their impact on the political sphere, on the facts, and the world based on them. Referring to influential political lies in recent history, it is shown that (1) 'classical lies' disguise particulars and common facts, (2) while 'subliminal lies' limit the validity of facts in general. (3) 'Organized lies' attack the foundation of political discussion and participation, in a radical, violent, and all-embracing way. (4) Only 'transparent lies' do not struggle with the facts and realities that underlie our political life, since facts are their basis and the foundation of their forming the world, as a way of Hannah Arendt's 'acting-in-concert'.


This paper addresses the joint quantization and control problem for hidden Markov chains with variable-length block-coding. The aim is to understand the impact of communication bandwidth and information delay (due to block-coding) on the control performance. A heuristic algorithm is developed to solve the dynamic programming (DP) equation through the introduction of a metric on the discrete observation space. Numerical results are presented demonstrating the attention division in block-coding and the tradeoffs between control performance and communication bandwidth.


We model a three-pillar pension system and analyse in this context the impact of exogenous shocks on an open economy, using an overlapping generations model where individuals live for two periods. The three-pillar pension system consists of (1) a PAYG pension system, (2) a defined benefit pension fund, and (3) private savings. The economy is exposed to an ageing trend, inflation and a stock market crash. We show that in the three-pillar pension system the impact of these shocks on the economy is mitigated when compared to a two- pillar system, since each shock has a different impact on the three pillars. In order to illustrate the working of the model with respect to the impact of these shocks, both in magnitude and the development over time, we provide simulation results for the Netherlands.


Snakes frequently exhibit ontogenetic and sexual variation in head dimensions, as well as the occurrence of distinct colour morphotypes which might be fitness-related. In this study, we used linear biometry and geometric morphometrics to investigate intraspecific morphological variation related to allometry and sexual dimorphism in Vipera seoanei, a species that exhibits five colour morphotypes, potentially subjected to distinct ecological pressures. We measured body size (SVL), tail length and head dimensions in 391 specimens, and examined variation in biometric traits with respect to allometry, sex and colour morph. In addition, we analysed head shape variation by recording the position of 29 landmarks in 123 specimens and establishing a low-error protocol for implementing geometric morphometrics to European vipers. All head dimensions exhibited significant allometry, while sexual differences occurred for SVL, relative tail length and snout height. After considering size effects, we found significant differences in body proportions between the sexes and across colour morphs, which suggests an important influence of lowland and montane habitats in shaping morphological variation. By contrast, head shape did not exhibit significant variation across sexes or colour morphs. Instead it was mainly associated to allometric variation, where the supraocular and the rear regions of the head were the areas that varied the most throughout growth and across individuals. Overall, this study provides a thorough description of morphological variability in Vipera seoanei and highlights the relevance of combining different tools (i.e. linear and geometric morphometrics) and analyses to evaluate the relative contribution of different factors in shaping intraspecific variation.


The physical impacts of overtraining, sport specification, and burnout are well documented in the literature; however, the state of the student-athlete's (SA's) mental health is something that needs to be investigated more comprehensively. Literature on SA mental health has gained prevalence within the last 5 years. The combination of pressure from sport and academics, as well as the stigmatization of clinical mental health treatment, can have a significant effect on the SA's psyche. This review explores the prevalence of mental health conditions (MHCs) in high school and collegiate SAs. This includes signs and symptoms of mental health diagnoses to include substance- and alcohol-related addictive disorders and risk factors of such. A systematic review of the CINAHL, ERIC, SPORTDiscus, APA PsycINFO, and Rehabilitation & Sports Medicine resource databases was conducted. The initial search yielded 855 results. Following double screening, 22 studies were included, all of which were deemed medium to high quality. The findings indicate an alarming presence of MHCs ranging from risk factors of alcohol use and major depressive disorders among SAs. There was a high prevalence of mental health issues among SAs who are Black, Indigenous, people of color (BIPOC), and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer (LGBTQ). In most cases, participation in competitive athletics (varsity) did not contribute to additional MHCs for SAs. Sport psychologists should play a role in mental health programming within athletic departments. Athletic departments should develop proactive, targeted strategies to address MHCs for SAs.


In this paper I am going to explore some of the major theoretical concepts and ideas in Luca Fantacci's work devoted to the history of money. As a historical check on Fantacci's theory I will present various moments in Russian monetary history interpreted in the light of the ideas of the La moneta: storia di un'instituzione mancata. I will compare Fantacci's theory of division between the unit of account and the medium of exchange with those of Walther Eucken and the Austrian School as well as of some other contemporary authors. A new institutional reading of the evolution of money "money as an institutional compound" is proposed. JEL code: B52, E42, N10


This paper describes hardware and behavior implementation of a miniature robot in size of a match box that simulates the behavior of cockroaches in order to establish a social interaction with them. The robot is equipped with two micro-processors dedicated to hardware processing and behavior generation. The robot can discriminate cockroaches, other robots, environment boundaries and shelters. It has also three means of communication to monitor, log, supervise the biological experiment, and detect the other robots in short range. The behavioral model of the robot is a mixture of fusion in low-level and arbitration in high-level. In arbitration level a stochastic state machine selects the proper subtask. Then in fusion level, that subtask is decomposed to a hierarchy of sub-tasks. Each sub-task generates a potential field. The resultant force is then mapped to an action.


Inhibition of the serotonin transporter is a principal target of many antidepressants. Using genetic and pharmacological strategies, Ansorge et al. (see the news story by Holden) show that the serotonin transporter acts during development to establish normal emotional and anxiety-related behavior later in life. Transient exposure to fluoxetine (Prozac)--the most commonly used antidepressant--during early development produces abnormal emotional behavior in adult mice that mimics the behavior of mice lacking the serotonin transporter. M. S. Ansorge, M. Zhou, A. Lira, R. Hen, J. A. Gingrich, Early-life blockade of the 5-HT transporter alters emotional behavior in adult mice. Science 306, 879-881 (2004). [Abstract] [Full Text] C. Holden, Prozac treatment of newborn mice raises anxiety. Science 306, 792 (2004). [Summary] [Full Text]


Income tax systems in some countries follow primarily schedular models that classify income by type, match it with deductions from the same class, and compute a separate tax on each class. The United States income tax uses a global tax model under which it taxes citizens and permanent residents on their worldwide income without regard to source or character. The United States system is not purely global but includes schedular elements. This Article exposes embedded schedularity in the United States income tax in the three principal areas of investment income, personal services income, and tax free income. The Article tests whether that schedularity enhances or undercuts the tax principles of horizontal and vertical equity that underlie the development of both global and schedular tax systems in advanced economies. Horizontal equity is a straightforward principle and seems an indisputable precept. It requires that like taxpayers incur like tax burdens. The principle of vertical equity is more nuanced and departs from the principle that as one's income increases, one can and should contribute ever larger percentages of that income to supporting governmental services. Vertical equity assumes that the wealthier one is, the less likely it is that an increased tax burden will diminish the individual's welfare in any material way. Conversely, the less wealthy one is, the more likely it is that an increased tax burden will diminish the individual's welfare materially. The vertical equity principle led to the development of the progressive rate structures. While the Article observes that Congress uses schedular elements to accomplish distributional policy goals, initially in order to protect progressivity, more recently schedularity has tended to increase overall regressivity in taxation. The Article concludes that United States taxation seems to be moderately schedular and that schedularity in the United States contributes to regressivity in taxation.


Wind energy, being easily accessible, environmentally friendly, and cost effective, has become one of the world's popular growing renewable energy sources of electricity generation. To spread this technology to mankind it is necessary to develop turbines in this way that people can use it individually and comfortably. This kind of thinking accelerates the advancement of integration of wind turbine with Nano grid concept. Although significant progress has been achieved in the wind technology, there is still scope to reduce the cost and improve the performance of small-scale wind turbines. Moreover, low wind velocity also needs to be utilized properly to achieve saturated energy production. So, concentration is going to small scale wind. Small scale wind energy systems such as Small Scale Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines (SSHAWT), and Vortex Blade-Less (VBL) wind generators can provide a clean, prospective and viable option for energy supply. Moreover, this energy consumption system can also be utilized as one of the reliable power sources of Nano grid. To design efficient wind technologies a smooth and continuous development process is required. The first part of the current study focused on the aerodynamic design and performance analysis of small-scale horizontal axis wind turbine blade using the blade element momentum (BEM) method with the most updated and corrected model. In this case, the blade was designed with a single airfoil. Results show that the maximum coefficient of performance is 0.446 at the tip speed ratio 6.5 which is very good indication in preliminary stage power prediction. The 2 part of the study concentrated on improving blade performance by modifying the blade with a combination of three airfoils. After that, a comparative study was done between "Blade-Element-Momentum" (BEM) analysis and "Computational-FluidDynamics" (CFD) analysis of mixed airfoil small-scale horizontal axis wind turbine blades. In CFD analysis, k-ω "Shear-Stress-Transport" (SST) model was conducted for three-dimensional visualization of turbine performance. The pitch is considered as fixed and rotor speed is variable for both of the studies. However, the best coefficient of performance was observed at 6 angle of attack. At this angle of attack, in the case of BEM, the highest coefficient of performance is 0.47 whereby CFD analysis, is 0.43. Both studies show good performance prediction which is a positive step to accelerate the continuous revolution in the wind energy sector. However, as an extension of continuous study on small-scale wind energy systems, the aim of the 3 part is to investigate the possible extraction of power from wind energy by using new conceptual vortex bladeless wind generators. In this work, design parameters were selected based on the Von Karman effect. After that, a mathematical model was developed to get maximum lift force generated by the designed body. Finally, a complete model was recommended by fluid-structure interaction (FSI) simulation to get a clear idea of extracted vibration energy from vortex bladeless wind generator for further conversion to electricity generation. INDEX WORDS: Renewable energy, Wind energy, Wind turbine, Small scale, BEM, CFD, Vortex Bladeless, Von-Karman, FSI. DESIGN AND PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS OF SMALL-SCALE HORIZONTAL AXIS WIND TURBINE FOR NANO


Abstract. Tardigrades represent one of the most abundant groups of Antarctic metazoans in terms of abundance and diversity, thanks to their ability to withstand desiccation and freezing; however, their biodiversity is underestimated. Antarctic tardigrades from Dronning Maud Land and Victoria Land were analysed from a morphological point of view with light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy, and from a molecular point of view using two genes (18S, 28S) analysed in Bayesian inference and maximum-likelihood frameworks. In addition, indel-coding datasets were used for the first time to infer tardigrade phylogenies. We also compared Antarctic specimens with those from Italy and Greenland. A combined morphological and molecular analysis led to the identification of two new evolutionary lineages, for which we here erect the new genera Acanthechiniscus, gen. nov. (Echiniscidae, Echiniscoidea) and Mesobiotus, gen. nov. (Macrobiotidae, Macrobiotoidea). Moreover, two species new to science were discovered: Pseudechiniscus titianae, sp. nov. (Echiniscidae : Echiniscoidea) and Mesobiotus hilariae, sp. nov. (Macrobiotidae : Macrobiotoidea). This study highlights the high tardigrade diversity in Antarctica and the importance of an integrated approach in faunal and taxonomic studies. http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:8AAB42BF-B781-4418-A385-DC80C18EC31D


Adequate assessment and management of landscape patterns and processes need proper representation and quantification of gradients of ecosystem biochemical and structural properties. Discrete land cover mapping approaches represent landscapes as classified entities with "hard" boundaries. On the other hand, continuous field representations of land cover or ecosystem parameters offer the potential to overcome the limitations of classified entities that can often not reproduce the full range and variability of land surface properties. This paper presents a concept to generate continuous fields (CF) maps of ecosystem parameters in an alpine environment. The concept is exemplarily presented on a high mountain ecosystem's total (above ground) water content and is performed in the upper Trupchun valley (Val Trupchun) in the Swiss National Park (SNP). It is applicable to further parameters. Airborne Prism EXperiment (APEX) imaging spectrometer (IS) data collected over the SNP in June 2010 and 2011 are used for CF mapping of water content. Abundance maps of predominant land cover classes are derived from linear spectral mixture analysis (SMA). They are then combined with individual thematic water content information of the respective land cover originating from either spectral indices or a physically based approach. The resulting product depicts a spatially continuous representation of total water content. The availability of APEX IS data from two consecutive seasons allows studying differences in ecosystem water content over time. CF maps can be generated for a wide range of ecosystem parameters. If multi-temporally available, such products can be useful for explaining ecological patterns such as animal grazing patterns in SNP.


The dispersion characteristics of asymmetric double-negative material slab waveguides have been investigated by using normalized parameters. The results show that the dispersion characteristics of these material waveguides differ dramatically from conventional guided waves, and they possess a number of unusual properties, including the absence of fundamental modes, propagation of the first-order mode within narrow frequency ranges, and the existence of modes for imaginary transverse wave numbers, for example. In particular, for one fast wave mode, near cutoff, one normalized frequency corresponds to two possible propagation coefficients.


The impact of climate change on agriculture and poor groups' livelihoods are one of the greatest potential threats to development and a key challenge in climate change agenda. The North Africa region is particularly vulnerable to climate change due to geographic and ecological features. The situation is aggravated by the interaction of multiple economic and social sources of stress and further compounded by low adaptive capacity. This paper describes the interaction between climate change, economic development, and social stability in the North African region. An empirical-statistical crop climate model is used to measure the possible impact of climate change on agriculture sector.


The article recounts the history of Arizona's securities laws and the distinctly non-federal approach to civil liability that exists under Arizona securities law. Arizona's first securities legislation was a 1909 bucket-shop act that prohibited betting on price changes in securities and commodities. Three years later, in 1912, Arizona became the second state to enact a blue-sky law. Arizona supplemented the 1912 Act with two more blue-sky laws in 1917 and 1921. These early statutes included registration, licensing, and criminal provisions, but they did not provide for civil liability. In 1951, Arizona's legislature replaced the blue-sky laws with an entirely new securities act that included statutes that expressly provide for civil liability. The 1951 Act was enacted in the aftermath of highly publicized securities frauds for which existing securities laws provided inadequate civil remedies and criminal penalties. At the federal level, Congress has passed laws that curtail civil actions for securities fraud. Concurrently, the U.S. Supreme Court has repeatedly issued decisions that use strict-statutory interpretation and judicially identified policy considerations to curb civil liability for securities fraud. By contrast, Arizona's courts have interpreted Arizona's securities laws to expand civil liability. In interpreting Arizona's securities laws, the state's appellate courts have refused to follow federal securities law interpretations that do not advance the policy of investor protection that prompted passage of the 1951 Securities Act.


ABSTRACT We analyze the dynamics of post-glacial coastal margin (CM) productivity and explore how it affected the emergence of six complex CM societies. Following deglaciation, global relative sea level stabilized after ∼7000 BP and CM productivity significantly increased in many areas. Primary and secondary productivity (fish) likely increased by an order of magnitude or more. Aquatic animals were readily available in the CM providing sources of polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acids, high-quality protein, and nutrients, especially essential to human nutrition. In all six case studies, mature CMs appear to have been occupied by Neolithic agricultural and fishing villages within ∼500 years of sea-level stabilization. Within a few hundred years population densities increased and roughly a millennium later social ranking and monumental architecture appeared. Sea-level stabilization and increased CM productivity in conjunction with agricultural intensification in lower alluvial floodplains were major contributors to the origins of many complex CM societies.


This paper examines the commonly used constant deceleration method of rollover reconstruction in light of detailed analyses of actual rollover tests. By comparing methods used in the field to detailed experimental observations this paper will provide an understanding of the accuracy and limitations of those methods. The underlying data that provide the foundation for this article are derived from two high-speed, soft-surface dolly rollover tests of sport utility vehicles. Research focusing on automotive rollovers has garnered a great deal of attention in recent years. Substantial effort has been directed toward the evaluation of rollover resistance. Issues related to crashworthiness, such as roof strength and restraint performance, have also received a great deal of attention. Much less research effort has been directed toward a more detailed study of the rollover dynamics from point-of-trip to point-of-rest. The reconstruction of rollover crashes often requires a thorough examination of the events taking place between point-of-trip and point-of-rest. Increasing demands are placed on reconstructionists to provide greater levels of detail regarding the roll sequence. Examples include, but are not limited to, roll rates at the quarter-roll level, CG trajectory (horizontal and vertical), roll angle at impact, and ground contact velocity. Often the detail that can be provided in a rollover reconstruction is limited by a lack of physical evidence. However, there are many cases where the physical evidence - both on the vehicle and the ground - allows for detailed re-positioning of the vehicle during the roll sequence. Using such a high level of detail would lead one to believe that the reconstruction of the rollover dynamics will be an accurate representation of the actual event. But, just how accurate will it be?


Problem, research strategy, and findings: Local governments' minimum street-width standards may force developers to oversupply, and residents to pay excessively for, on-street parking in residential neighborhoods. Such oversupply is often presumed to both encourage car ownership and reduce housing affordability, although little useful evidence exists either way. This article examines the impact of street-parking supply on the car ownership of households with off-street parking in the New York City area. The off- and on-street parking supply for each household was measured through Google Street View and Bing Maps. The impact of on-street parking on car ownership levels was then estimated in an innovative multivariate model. The unique set-up of the case study ensures 1) the weak endogeneity between parking supply and car ownership and 2) the low correlation between off-street and on-street parking supply, two major methodological challenges of the study. Results show that free residential street parking increases private car ownership by nearly 9%; that is, the availability of free street parking explains 1 out of 11 cars owned by households with off-street parking. Takeaway for practice: These results offer support for community street standards that make on-street parking supply optional. They also suggest the merits of leaving the decisions of whether, and how many, on-street parking spaces to provide in new residential developments to private markets rather than regulations. Research support: This project was supported by grants from the University Transportation Research Center (Region 2) and the Wagner School Faculty Research Fund.


The Theater of Truth argues that seventeenth-century baroque and twentieth-century neobaroque aesthetics have to be understood as part of the same complex. The Neobaroque, rather than being a return to the stylistic practices of a particular time and place, should be described as the continuation of a cultural strategy produced as a response to a specific problem of thought that has beset Europe and the colonial world since early modernity. This problem, in its simplest philosophical form, concerns the paradoxical relation between appearances and what they represent. Egginton explores expressions of this problem in the art and literature of the Hispanic Baroques, new and old. He shows how the strategies of these two Baroques emerged in the political and social world of the Spanish Empire, and how they continue to be deployed in the cultural politics of the present. Further, he offers a unified theory for the relation between the two Baroques and a new vocabulary for distinguishing between their ideological values.