It was six o'clock in the evening when she finally passed the wind turbines. There, at last, stood Lake George, where long-woolled sheep grazed the field and to the west the Brindabella mountain range was coloured grey and pink by the setting sun. On she drove along an ink-black strip of road where, on either side, tall green-grey eucalypts had formed a welcoming archway. The way flattened out then curved into a narrow empty road. Not one person did she see, not one building, just a handful of brown-bellied cows and later a group of kangaroos standing formidable and still in the headlights. The turn for Watson wasn't clearly sign-posted but she felt confident in turning east along the row of liquidambers in autumn bloom that took her to the cabins...


No matter how good you are there is always room for improvement. In a busy school library, where staff are focused on day-to-day operations, how can we effectively and meaningfully confirm that we are still on track?
How can we be sure that as technology, education, and our respective schools' expectations change, we continue to have a positive impact? And, how can we provide our school administration with compelling and meaningful data to confirm that we are delivering an effective library service efficiently?


Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) is one of the causal agents of viral diseases that infected mint (Mentha spp.). CMV is a member of the cucumovirus genus in Bromoviridae family. The virus is naturally transmitted by aphids in a non-persistent manner.During growing season 2007-2008, leaf samples from plants of mint fields with symptoms of viral disease were collected in mint fieldas in Tehran province. The polyclonal antibodies were used to the samples by DAS-ELISA . Some of the tested samples, showed positive reaction against cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) specific antibody. Some of the positive samples which are mechanically inoculated on test plants.Some leaf samples from mint plants with symptoms of yellows and mosaic were showed positived reaction against cucumber mosaic virus specific antibody.To confirm the identify of the virus detected using a specific primer pair of CMV which amplify part of coat protein of CMV . A fragment about 700bp was amplified in Immunocapture reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction.(IC-RT-PCR).


Increasing demands on neuroprosthetic bioelectrodes have created a need for electrode materials that can support the safe and sustainable delivery of electrical stimulation to excitable tissues. Conducting polymers have become a focal point of research into next-generation electrode materials due to their superior electrical properties for charge transfer in biological environments. Perhaps the greatest potential of conducting polymers within neural applications is their ability to accommodate biofunctionality through the incorporation and controlled release of bioactive molecules. Incorporation of neurotrophic factors, cell adhesion molecules and various drug compounds within conducting polymers has been shown to assist in the development of higher quality tissue–electrode interfaces. However, limitations associated with drug loading and the impact of adding biological molecules on mechanical and electrical properties of biofunctionalised conducting polymers restrict their use in medical device applications. This chapter assesses the role of conducting polymers as bioelectrode materials, means of biofunctionalisation and the resultant challenges and limitations. Furthermore, this chapter evaluates the strategies developed to overcome these limitations in the pursuit of the development of high quality neural interfaces.


Interest in the use of "big data" in the social sciences is growing dramatically. Yet, adequate methodological research on what constitutes such data, and about their validity, is lacking. Scholars face both opportunities and challenges inherent in this new era of unprecedented quantification of information, including that related to political actions and attitudes. This special issue of the International Journal of Sociology addresses recent uses of "big data," its multiple meanings, and the potential that this may have in building a stronger understanding of political behavior. We present a working definition of "big data" and summarize the major issues involved in their use. While the papers in this volume deal with various problems - how to integrate "big data" sources with cross-national survey research, the methodological challenges involved in building cross-national longitudinal network data of country memberships in international nongovernmental organizations, methods of detecting and correcting for source selection bias in event data derived from news and other online sources, the challenges and solutions to ex post harmonization of international social survey data – they share a common viewpoint. To make good on the substantive promise of "big data," scholars need to engage with their inherent methodological problems. At this date, scholars are only beginning to identify and solve them.


Traditional electrophilic bromination follows long established "rules": electron-withdrawing substituents cause bromination selective for meta positions, whereas electron-donating substituents favor ortho and para bromination. In contrast, in the [PhSiO1.5]8,10,12 silsesquioxanes, the cages act as bulky, electron withdrawing groups equivalent to CF3; yet bromination under mild conditions, without a catalyst, greatly favors ortho substitution. Surprisingly, ICl iodination without a catalyst favors (>90%) para substitution [p-IC6H4SiO1.5]8,10,12. Finally, nitration and Friedel-Crafts acylation and sulfonylation are highly meta selective, >80%. In principle, the two halogenation formats coupled with the traditional electrophilic reactions provide selective functionalization at each position on the aromatic ring. Furthermore, halogenation serves as a starting point for the synthesis of two structural isomers of practical utility, i.e. in drug prospecting. The o-bromo and p-iodo compounds are easily modified by catalytic cross-coupling to append diverse functional groups. Thereafter, F-/H2O2 treatment cleaves the Si-C bonds replacing Si with OH. This represents a rare opportunity to introduce hydroxyl groups to aromatic rings, a process not easily accomplished using traditional organic synthesis methods. The as-produced phenol provides additional opportunities for modification. Each cage can be considered a nanoreactor generating 8-12 product molecules. Examples given include syntheses of 4,2'-R,OH-stilbenes and 4,4'-R,OH-stilbenes (R = Me, CN). Unoptimized cleavage of the Br/I derivatives yields 55-85% phenol. Unoptimized cleavage of the stilbene derivatives yields 35-40% (3-5 equivalents of phenol) in the preliminary studies presented here. In contrast, meta R-phenol yields are 80% (7-10 mol per cage).


Binary codes have been widely used in radar and communication areas, but the synthesis of Binary codes with good Merit Factor is a nonlinear multivariable optimization problem, which is usually difficult to tackle. To get the solution of above problem many global optimization algorithms like genetic algorithm, simulated annealing, and tunneling algorithm were reported in the literature. However, there is no guarantee to get global optimum point. In this paper, a novel and efficient VLSI architecture is proposed to give a real time signal processing solution for the generation and identification of the Binary Pulse Compression Sequences with good Discrimination Factor. The VLSI architecture is implemented on the Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) as it provides the flexibility of reconfigurability and reprogramability. The implemented architecture overcomes the drawbacks of non guaranteed convergence of the earlier optimization algorithms


Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) is a new paradigm in routing architectures which has changed the way Internet Protocol (IP) packet is transferred in a Network. MPLS ensures the reliability of the communication minimizing the delays and enhancing the speed of packet transfer. One important feature of MPLS is its capability of providing Traffic Engineering (TE) which plays a vital role for minimizing the congestion by efficient load, balancing and management of the network resources. The performance evaluation is done considering the network parameters latency, jitter, packet end to end delay, and packet delay variation. Integration of QoS with the MPLS-TE network may enhance the performance of the network. Various scheduling algorithms can be used for implementing QoS on a network, which may vary the performance of the network. In our study, QoS is implemented on top of the MPLS-TE network using Differentiated Service (DiffServ) architecture. Different basic scheduling algorithms are used for the implementation of QoS and to check their impact on the network and to identify the suitable one among them. Performance evaluation is done considering the network parameters latency, jitter, packet end-to-end delay, and Packet Delay Variation. The simulation was done using OPNET modeler 16.0 and the results were analyzed. The simulation result shows that using TE along with QoS in MPLS network decreases the latency, jitter, packet delay variation and end to end packet delay compared to using TE alone for voice traffic.


During the past few decades, the landscape of the world economy has changed. New trade patterns reflect the globalization of the supply chain and intra-industry trade, and increasing flows between neighboring countries and trading blocs with similar factor endowments. Similarly, the approach to production, trade, and transportation has evolved incorporating freight logistics as an important value-added service in global production. This integrated approach have become essential, and as such, both the trade agenda and freight logistics are beginning to converge providing an unparalleled opportunity for countries to deepen their integration with neighboring countries and their national performance in transport related services. Consequently, developing countries are finding themselves hard-pressed to adjust their policy agendas to take into account costs not covered in past rounds of trade negotiations. This paper focuses on the importance of freight logistics in trade facilitation measures, examines the transport and logistics cost in international trade, addresses logistics performance in Latin America and the Caribbean and regional initiatives to advance the integration process and finally, exchanges views on the potential for trade logistics to impact the regional agenda and to deepen integration. JEL Classification: F15 ADBI Working Paper 233 Guerrero, Lucenti, and Galarza


The use Web 2.0 technologies and specifically blogs has become increasingly prevalent within the Higher Education (HE) sector within recent years as educators begin to maximise the opportunities such tools can provide for teaching and learning and to experiment with their usage in a wide range of context. The use of such technologies has been shown to promote learning (Garcia, Brown & Elbeltagi, 2012) however currently the manner in which these tools can be best used to promote teaching and learning is not entirely clear. It is within this context that Connectivism, a learning theory for the digital age (Siemens, 2004) has been developed as a theory which aims to provide a model through which teaching and learning using digital technologies can be better understood and managed. Connectivism is however as yet still a relatively new learning theory and not without criticism. Therefore this theory must be considered more fully before it can be accepted fully as a learning theory for the digital age. Within this research a case study of collective blog usage by students studying at an HE institution within the United Kingdom is utilised in order to explore the extent to which Connectivism can be considered to provide a sound theoretical model in which to base future teaching and learning activities of this sort. The views of academic staff and students are utilised in order to explore the extent to which the model of Connectivist learning can be applied to this case and demonstrate the complexities of considering teaching and learning in this way. The results of this study would suggest that Connectivism as a learning theory for the digital age is worthy of consideration and a number of elements of the theory can be seen within the activities undertaken however these are not seen universally across all groups involved within this project.


We obtained four pointings of over 100 ks each of the well-studied Wolf–Rayet star WR 6 with the XMM-Newton satellite. With a first paper emphasizing the results of spectral analysis, this follow-up highlights the X-ray variability clearly detected in all four pointings. However, phased light curves fail to confirm obvious cyclic behavior on the well-established 3.766 day period widely found at longer wavelengths. The data are of such quality that we were able to conduct a search for event clustering in the arrival times of X-ray photons. However, we fail to detect any such clustering. One possibility is that X-rays are generated in a stationary shock structure. In this context we favor a corotating interaction region (CIR) and present a phenomenological model for X-rays from a CIR structure. We show that a CIR has the potential to account simultaneously for the X-ray variability and constraints provided by the spectral analysis. Ultimately, the viability of the CIR model will require both intermittent long-term X-ray monitoring of WR 6 and better physical models of CIR X-ray production at large radii in stellar winds.


The Minimum Interoperability Specification for PKI Components (MISPC) supports interoperability for a large scale public key infrastructure (PKI) that issues, revokes and manages X.509 version 3 digital signature public key certificates and version 2 certificate revocation lists (CRLs). To the extent possible, this document adopts data formats and transaction sets defined in existing and evolving standards, such as ITU X.509 and the IETF's Internet Public Key Infrastructure Using X.509 Certificates (PKIX) series. In this specification a PKI is broken into five components: certification authorities (CAs) that issue and revoke certificates; organizational registration authorities (ORAs) that vouch for the binding between public keys and certificate holder identities and other attributes; certificate holders that are issued certificates and can sign digital documents; clients that validate digital signatures and their certification paths from a known public key of a trusted CA; and repositories that store and make available certificates and CRLs.The MISPC supports both hierarchical and network trust models. In hierarchical models, trust is delegated by a CA when it certifies a subordinate CA. Trust delegation starts at a root CA that is trusted by every node in the infrastructure. IN network models, trust is established between any two CAs. The MISPC specifies the use of X.509 v3 extensions in certificates to explicitly manage trust relationships.This specification consists primarily of a profile of certificate and CRL extensions and a set of transactions. The transactions include: certification requests, certificate renewal, certificate revocation, and retrieval of certificates and CRLs from repositories.


Phineas Gage's story is typically offered as a paradigm example supporting the view that part of what matters for personal identity is a certain magnitude of similarity between earlier and later individuals. Yet, reconsidering a slight variant of Phineas Gage's story indicates that it is not just magnitude of similarity, but also the direction of change that affects personal identity judgments; in some cases, changes for the worse are more seen as identity-severing than changes for the better of comparable magnitude. Ironically, thinking carefully about Phineas Gage's story tells against the thesis it is typically taken to support.


Background. Humans use voluntary eye movements to actively gather visual information during many activities of daily living, such as driving, walking, and preparing meals. Most stroke survivors have difficulties performing these functional motor tasks, and we recently demonstrated that stroke survivors who require many saccades (rapid eye movements) to plan reaching movements exhibit poor motor performance. However, the nature of this relationship remains unclear. Objective. Here we investigate if saccades interfere with speed and smoothness of reaching movements in stroke survivors, and if excessive saccades are associated with difficulties performing functional tasks. Methods. We used a robotic device and eye tracking to examine reaching and saccades in stroke survivors and age-matched controls who performed the Trail Making Test, a visuomotor task that uses organized patterns of saccades to plan reaching movements. We also used the Stroke Impact Scale to examine difficulties performing functional tasks. Results. Compared with controls, stroke survivors made many saccades during ongoing reaching movements, and most of these saccades closely preceded transient decreases in reaching speed. We also found that the number of saccades that stroke survivors made during ongoing reaching movements was strongly associated with slower reaching speed, decreased reaching smoothness, and greater difficulty performing functional tasks. Conclusions. Our findings indicate that poststroke interference between eye and limb movements may contribute to difficulties performing functional tasks. This suggests that interventions aimed at treating impaired organization of eye movements may improve functional recovery after stroke.


Twenty-four patients with Parkinsonism were treated with levodopa for up to one year. Ten were aged under 65, 12 were aged 65 or over, and two were specifically included because they were considered to have arteriosclerotic Parkinsonism. These two patients showed no response to treatment. The 10 younger patients showed less clinical evidence of arteriosclerosis than the older ones, and responded significantly better to treatment with levodopa. Mean improvement was 61% in the younger group after 12 months' treatment and 28% in the older group. Improvement was greatest within three months of starting treatment. Abnormal movements which resulted from treatment with levodopa could be reduced with only slight loss of therapeutic benefit by the addition of tetrabenazine.


Globalization is a fact in a lot of businesses today, something that is also relevant in the real estate industry. The currency differs depending on where investments are made and as a result of this real estate investors also face currency risks in addition to all other real estate related risks they already need to manage. The management of currency risk can have different forms, and the purpose of this thesis is to find out how, if and why real estate investors, especially Swedish, hedge this risk. To create an understanding of the issue, a summary of some theories on the currency market and real estate market can be found in the thesis. Only a small amount of research exists on the subject in Sweden and the theories are mainly from foreign studies and the currency risk management from other business sectors. These theories, combined with the research questions, have formed the questions for the interviews this study is made of.Debt in the local currency of where the investment is made can be seen as a natural hedge for the currency risk. Reduced loan-to-value (LTV) ratios from banks for real estate investments have led to a situation where loans, which can cannot be used to the same extent. That makes it more interesting to find out which other instruments are being used to avoid the currency risk and if the real estate investors wants to avoid it at all. The purpose of this thesis is to find the answers to these questions.The interviewed consultancy firms and banks as well as the investors themselves state that the currency risk is a risk that should not occur in Swedish real estateinvestments on markets with a different currency. The reason for this is that the real estate assets should be the primary focus of the business. To hedge this risk, bank loans and currency futures are the most frequently used instruments by Swedish real estate investors.


This study aimed to assess whether a daily supplementation with Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) can alter the body composition as well as bone turnover and the mechanical properties of the bones in systemic immunodeficiency. For this, we use an in vivo model of severe combined immunodeficient (scid) mice supplemented daily with LGG over 8 weeks period. After 8 weeks of the treatment, the animals were assessed by DEXA and then the blood was collected from the hepatic portal vein for bone turnover biomarkers; post-mortem, the caecum was removed for isolation and enumeration of the gut bacteria, while femurs/tibiae were excised for the assessment of their mechanical properties. LGG treatment affected the composition of the gut microbiota at the order level, and it decreased (P = 0.002) total adipose tissue content. Moreover, LGG treatment decreased the stiffness (N/mm) of both femurs (P = 0.008) and tibiae (P = 0.011). To conclude, this study shows that dietary supplementation with LGG in immunodeficient animals can alter mechanical properties of the long bones and concomitantly it can modify host's total adiposity level.


Importance Severe visual impairment is one of the major symptoms in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), but functional network reorganization induced by the diminished sensory input has not been investigated thus far. Objective To examine adaptive visual network connectivity changes in NMOSD. Design, Setting, and Participants In this cross-sectional study, data were collected from May 1, 2013, through February 31, 2016, from 31 patients with aquaporin-4 antibody–positive NMOSD and 31 age- and sex-matched healthy control individuals at the Department of Neurology and NeuroCure Clinical Research Center at Charité–Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany. Main Outcomes and Measures Visual function (high-contrast visual acuity and contrast sensitivity), optical coherence tomography (peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer and ganglion cell layer thickness), and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (functional connectivity of large-scale brain networks). Results Thirty-one patients with NMOSD (mean [SD] age, 48.2 [13.9] years; 28 women and 3 men) and 31 healthy controls (mean [SD] age, 47.2 [15.3] years; 28 women and 3 men) participated in the study. Patients had a selective and pronounced increase of functional connectivity in the primary and secondary visual networks. Increased primary visual network connectivity correlated with reduced high-contrast visual acuity (r = −0.39, P = .006), reduced low-contrast sensitivity (r = −0.33, P = .03), and more severe retinal damage measured by optical coherence tomography (r = −0.4, P = .01). Furthermore, visual functional connectivity was significantly higher in patients with a history of optic neuritis compared with patients without optic neuritis (mean [SD] regression coefficients, 50.0 [4.3] vs 34.6 [5.6]; P = .04). Conclusions and Relevance Impaired visual function and retinal damage are associated with selective reorganization of the visual network in NMOSD. These findings advance the understanding of visual system dysfunction in NMOSD and, more generally, provide insight into pathophysiologic responses of the visual system to impaired visual input.


Modern deep learning frameworks provide imperative, eager execution programming interfaces embedded in Python to provide a productive development experience. However, deep learning practitioners sometimes need to capture and transform program structure for performance optimization, visualization, analysis, and hardware integration. We study the different designs for program capture and transformation used in deep learning. By designing for typical deep learning use cases rather than long tail ones, it is possible to create a simpler framework for program capture and transformation. We apply this principle in torch.fx, a program capture and transformation library for PyTorch written entirely in Python and optimized for high developer productivity by ML practitioners. We present case studies showing how torch.fx enables workflows previously inaccessible in the PyTorch ecosystem.


The literature on the gender dimension of far-right politics has established the constitutive role of gender and women's involvement in the far right. However, knowledge about how far-right women negotiate and condition their agency within their parties and how they relate to gender, gender equality and feminism remains limited. This article builds on literature on conservative and far-right women's agency, and on feminism's employment by the far right. Based on interviews with female politicians and seasoned activists of the Greek Golden Dawn and the Greek-Cypriot National Popular Front, it examines how highly engaged far-right women construct their political agency at the intersections of often contradictory discourses and how, in doing so, they impact understandings of gender, gender equality and feminism. The analysis of the interview material identifies three different formulations of political agency the participants refer to: radical motherhood; female political militancy/political militant femininity and troubling of far-right gender roles. I argue that these different formulations of political agency show how, by using elements of feminism, far-right women construct flexible and versatile far-right gender discourses, which challenge gender essentialist positions that their parties convey. Moreover, they challenge delineations of far-right women's political agency based on the compliance/(feminist) resistance dichotomy and expose the processes through which far-right women contest feminism by drawing on it. The article further argues that these formulations of political agency and far-right gender discourses may contribute to the far right's appeal among women with diverse views on gender, gender equality, feminism and politics, as they may respond to an array of interests and demands that can be made from many different positions. Therefore, beyond contributing to discussions about the role of women, gender and feminism in far-right politics, the article demonstrates the importance of studying far-right women's views for gaining a well-rounded understanding of this issue.


The paper presents a pair of new conformant planners, CPApc and CPAph, based on recent developments in theory of action and change. As an input the planners take a domain description D in action language AL which allows state constraints (non-stratified axioms), together with a set of CNF formulae describing the initial state, and a set of literals representing the goal. We propose two approximations of the transition diagram T defined by D. Both approximations are deterministic transition functions and can be computed efficiently. Moreover they are sound (and sometimes complete) with respect to T. In its search for a plan, an approximation based planner analyses paths of an approximation instead of that of T. CPApc and CPAph are forward, best first search planners based on this idea. We compare them with two state-of-the-art conformant planners, KACMBP and Conformant-FF (CFF), over benchmarks in the literature, and over two new domains. One has large number of state constraints and another has a high degree of incompleteness. Our planners perform reasonably well in benchmark domains and outperform KACMBP and CFF in the first domain while still working well with the second one. Our experimental result shows that having an integral part of a conformant planner to deal with state constraints directly can significantly improve its performance extending a similar claim for classical planners in (Thiebaux. Hoffmann, & Nebel 2003).


We compared oxygen isotopic profiles from authigenic calcite in nine freeze cores from Lake Turkana, Kenya, with the historical record of lake levels for the past 105 years. 210Pb dating of the cores indicates that sediment in two of the cores spans the complete historical record. We observed spatial variability in δ18O and δ13C values between cores and an offset from expected isotopic equilibrium values in several of the cores. Both of these characteristics can be explained by proximity to river input. In model calculations of lake level, we muted the spatial variability of the S1*O dataset by using a normalized and stacked record. There is good agreement between the lake level history modeled using the normalized and stacked record and the historical record of lake level. The lake level record derived from the δ18O data indicates that lake level fluctuated by 15 m during the last century. Our model calculations indicate that δ18O records can be used to generate quantitative lake level curves even using datasets with significant spatial variability.


Volume changes of the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets have the potential to significantly contribute to global sea-level changes in future warmer climates. The most crucial aspects are how climatic changes will affect the ice sheet's mass balance and how ice dynamics will react to the imposed environmental forcing. This is in addition to the longer-term background trend from adjustments as far back as the last glacial period. Here we focus on model predictions for the 20th and 21st centuries using 3-D thermomechanical ice sheet/ice shelf models driven by climate scenarios obtained from AOGCMs. We scaled high-resolution patterns from the ECHAM4 and HadAM3 time slice integrations with time series from a variety of lower-resolution AOGCM runs to obtain the spread of results for a similar emission scenario. Particular attention is paid to the technique of pattern-scaling and on how GCM based predictions differ from older ice-sheet model results based on more parameterised mass-balance treatments. As a general result, it is found that the effect of increased precipitation on Antarctica clearly dominates over the effect of increased melting on Greenland for the entire range of predictions, implying that both polar ice sheets combined would contribute more negatively to sea-level in the 21st century than often thought. The results are very similar for both time-slice patterns driven by their underlying time evolution series, with most of the scatter in the results provided by the variability in the lower-resolution AOGCMs. These findings will be discussed in the broader framework of current-day model results and of the IPCC TAR sea-level predictions in particular.


To many Americans, modern marches by the Ku Klux Klan may seem like a throwback to the past or posturing by bigoted hatemongers. To Kelly Baker, they are a reminder of how deeply the Klan is rooted in American mainstream Protestant culture. Most studies of the KKK dismiss it as an organization of racists attempting to intimidate minorities and argue that the Klan used religion only as a rhetorical device. Baker contends instead that the KKK based its justifications for hatred on a particular brand of Protestantism that resonated with mainstream Americans, one that employed burning crosses and robes to explicitly exclude Jews and Catholics. To show how the Klan used religion to further its agenda of hate while appealing to everyday Americans, Kelly Baker takes readers back to its "second incarnation" in the 1920s. During that decade, the revived Klan hired a public relations firm that suggested it could reach a wider audience by presenting itself as a "fraternal Protestant organization that championed white supremacy as opposed to marauders of the night." That campaign was so successful that the Klan established chapters in all forty-eight states. Baker has scoured official newspapers and magazines issued by the Klan during that era to reveal the inner workings of the order and show how its leadership manipulated religion, nationalism, gender, and race. Through these publications we see a Klan trying to adapt its hate-based positions with the changing times in order to expand its base by reaching beyond a narrowly defined white male Protestant America. This engrossing expos looks closely at the Klan's definition of Protestantism, its belief in a strong relationship between church and state, its notions of masculinity and femininity, and its views on Jews and African Americans. The book also examines in detail the Klan's infamous 1924 anti-Catholic riot at Notre Dame University and draws alarming parallels between the Klan's message of the 1920s and current posturing by some Tea Party members and their sympathizers. Analyzing the complex religious arguments the Klan crafted to gain acceptability and credibility among angry Americans, Baker reveals that the Klan was more successful at crafting this message than has been credited by historians. To tell American history from this startling perspective demonstrates that some citizens still participate in intolerant behavior to protect a fabled white Protestant nation."


Interfacial engineering of polymer solar cells is regarded as an effective method to enhance the photovoltaic performance of polymer solar cells. In light of this, we prepared a novel organic–inorganic hybrid electron transport layer (ETL) composed of polyethyleneimine ethoxylate and a lithium quinolate complex, and investigated its effect on device performance. The properties of the hybrid ETL that are favorable for solar cell applications include solution processability, high optical transparency, smooth film morphology and work function tunability, which resulted in improved charge generation and suppressed charge recombination. Devices employing the hybrid ETL generated a promising power conversion efficiency of 10.10% with high ambient stability. Furthermore, the hybrid ETL showed good mechanical properties with high reproducibility at a large active area. Thus, the hybrid ETL is a promising candidate ETL for high performance polymer solar cells.


The concept of strategic innovation has evolved nowadays into a 'hot topic'. This is, due to its importance and the impacts the recent economic downturn had on organisations, enforcing them to explore its adoption as a way out. Still, the evident competitive advantages gained by firms that implement different innovative management approaches are not met in combination within current literature, whereas their aid to organisations in overcoming the recent recession is surface explored. Thus, this study aims to identify the aforementioned concept, explore its significance for European manufacturing organisations, evaluate the combined competitive advantages gained by firms, and analyse their assistance to companies in overcoming the recent economic crisis. For this reason, a literature review has been deployed analysing in-depth the concept of innovation as a strategy, along with its significance for firms. Moreover, a quantitative method of research was adopted consisting of questionnaires, distributed to European organisations, using techniques like hand by hand, emails and social media. This resulted in a sample of 54 managers, analysed using SPSS and Excel. In this way, this research's effort in evaluating the competitive advantages gained by the combined adoption of Lean, 6 Sigma, BSC, and BIM, as well as their aid in overcoming the recession, was assisted by experienced managers involved in the decision making policy of the firms they work for. According to the study's findings, the vast majority of European organisations adopt innovation within their activities, highlighting its significance. Moreover, economic and time benefits have been identified as the main gains of the combined usage of Lean, 6 Sigma and BSC, as BIM's adoption by the manufacturing industry was validated slow and its beneficial aid to firms couldn't be effectively assessed. Still, the aforementioned benefits were also evident after the economic crisis, assisted additionally by organisational gains and sustainability. Thus, all objectives have been met, leading to an overall fulfilment of this study's primary aim.


PURPOSE
The saltatory pattern, characterized by wide and rapid oscillations of the fetal heart rate (FHR), remains a controversial entity. The authors sought to evaluate whether it could be associated with an adverse fetal outcome.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
The authors report a case series of four saltatory patterns occurring in the last 30 minutes before birth in association with cord artery metabolic acidosis, obtained from three large databases of internally acquired FHR tracings. The distinctive characteristics of this pattern were evaluated with the aid of a computer system.

RESULTS
All cases were recorded in uneventful pregnancies, with normal birthweight singletons, born vaginally at term. The saltatory pattern lasted between 23 and 44 minutes, exhibited a mean oscillatory amplitude of 45.9 to 80.0 beats per minute (bpm) and a frequency between four and eight cycles per minute.

CONCLUSIONS
A saltatory pattern exceeding 20 minutes can be associated with the occurrence of fetal metabolic acidosis.


OBJECTIVE
We present results of a feasibility test of a sequential treatment strategy using continuation phase cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) to prevent relapse in youths with major depressive disorder (MDD) who have responded to acute phase pharmacotherapy.

METHOD
Forty-six youths (ages 11-18 years) who had responded to 12 weeks of treatment with fluoxetine were randomized to receive either 6 months of continued antidepressant medication management (MM) or antidepressant MM plus relapse prevention CBT (MM+CBT). Primary outcome was time to relapse, defined as a Childhood Depression Rating Scale-Revised score of 40 or higher and 2 weeks of symptom worsening or clinical deterioration warranting alteration of treatment to prevent full relapse.

RESULTS
Cox proportional hazards regression, adjusting for depression severity at randomization and for the hazard of relapsing by age across the trial, revealed that participants in the MM treatment group had a significantly greater risk for relapse than those in the MM+CBT treatment group (hazard ratio = 8.80; 95% confidence interval 1.01-76.89; chi = 3.86, p =.049) during 6 months of continuation treatment. In addition, patient satisfaction was significantly higher in the MM+CBT group. No differences were found between the two treatment groups on attrition rate, serious adverse events, and overall global functioning.

CONCLUSIONS
These preliminary results suggest that continuation phase CBT reduces the risk for relapse by eightfold compared with pharmacotherapy responders who received antidepressant medication alone during the 6-month continuation phase.


We formulate the error propagation in a slope-type zonal wavefront reconstruction with the eigenvalues of the wavefront reconstruction normal matrix. With an optimized indexing order, we show that the Southwell's configuration with an odd-number of grid-dimension is the optimal grid geometry for minimizing error propagation and thus optimizing reconstruction accuracy.


As a cognitive ability computational thinking describes a specific way of algorithmic reasoning building on concepts and processes derived from computer programming/coding. Recently, computational thinking was argued to be a fundamental and educationally relevant 21st century skill that should be fostered already in childhood. Accordingly, we developed three life-size board games – Crabs & Turtles: A Series of Computational Adventures – aimed at providing an unplugged and low-threshold introduction to computational thinking. In particular, the games aimed at introducing basic coding concepts and computational thinking processes to 8 to 9-year-old primary school children. In the current study, we first describe the design of the games in detail to explicate the development process and allow for reproducibility. We then report on a first empirical evaluation of feasibility and user experience of our educational board games in a two-phase approach. We conducted quantitative analyses of player experience and qualitative feedback of adult student participants (Phase 1) and a sample of gamification experts and teachers (Phase 2). We examined users' game experience with an adult population to ensure the game's appropriateness. Results indicated overall positive game experience for all three games. Future studies would be desirable, which should evaluate player experience and learning outcomes in the primary target population of children.


Plastic use has increased by twenty fold since the 1950s and so has the amount of plastic waste generated. Although legislation promotes reuse and recycling, still over 50% of Europe's plastic waste is still disposed of into landfills. Therefore, millions of tonnes of plastic end up in the environment, provoking severe harm, wasting tonnes of resources (i.e. fossil fuels), and generating the need for advanced treatments, i.e. pyrolysis. Commonly, only a small amount of monomer (i.e. ethylene (C2H4)) and a large amount of waxy products, i.e. aliphatic hydrocarbons that require further refinement, are recovered by conventional pyrolysis of high density polyethylene (HDPE). Therefore, direct conversion of HDPE waste into high value added products would be more desirable. In this study, experiments were carried out using cold plasma assisted pyrolysis of waste HDPE for valorisation. With the assistance of cold plasma, up to 22–25 wt% ethylene was recovered from HDPE waste, up to 55 times higher than that obtained in conventional pyrolysis of waste HDPE. Catalytic cold plasma pyrolysis showed that the addition of only 3–10 wt% HZMS-5 or sulphated zirconia doubled the gas (up to 41 wt%) and subsequently the ethylene yield at low temperatures. This study opens up opportunities to valorise unsorted waste into intermediates for chemical processes via a simple process.


Cervical ectopic pregnancy is rare. Cervical implantation is a serious obstetric condition that can lead to mutilation if not promptly diagnosed and treated. The clinical diagnosis consists in physical examination, ballooned cervical canal, dilated cervix, and hourglass-shaped uterus detected by internal examination. Ultrasonography confirms the diagnosis by visually detecting cervical implantation below the internal orifice. Magnetic resonance imaging and three-dimensional ultrasonography validates the diagnosis. Conservative treatment proposed: cerclage, vasopressin, Foley catheter with hemostatic cervical ligation, cervical canal balloon, embolization of uterine artery, hysteroscopy, laparoscopic ligation of the uterine artery, and curettage by suction catheter. Shortcomings of conservative management are high, and a number of cases result in hysterectomy. Drug management is a thera-peutic option to avoid mutilating surgery, and the most commonly used is systemic methotrexate (MTX). Local treatment with MTX and potassium chloride injection guided by transvaginal ultrasound is used when the embryo is alive.


Single crystals of the newly discovered borate YBa3B9O18 with dimensions up to 13 × 8 × 4 mm3 were successfully grown by the Czochralski pulling method. X-ray excited luminescence measurements of the YBa3B9O18 showed a broad emission band in the wavelength range from 350 to 500 nm with a peak center at 400 nm. The light yield is about 6−7 times larger than that of PbWO4 measured at nearly the same conditions. The results show that borate can also exhibit attracting scintillation properties. A narrow temperature range for growth and drastic anisotropy of the growth rates are the main difficulties in growing large crystals. The crystal growth and properties of denser isostructural REBa3B9O18 series (RE = Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb) deserve further investigation.


This thesis analyzes and argues how implementing lean principles and tools affect an organization's architectural innovation. Introducing new product architectures and modifying existing architectures is often difficult for companies. Architectural innovation requires extensive company resources for experimentations and new learning. Applying lean principles and tools in an innovative organization often make difficulties since innovation focus on active exploration for new solutions within a constantly changing environment (high risks). Whereas, lean focus on eliminating all kind of waste in the system (low risks). Little is known about how lean principles and tools might affect architectural innovation in organizations. Therefore, this research explores the relationship between lean and architectural innovation in manufacturing industries.The data sample use for this study is Swedish manufacturing companies in seventeen different industry types. The types of industries consist on system level product type such as electrical or/and mechanical integrated products. Results suggest that in lean principles and tools, standardization, value stream and human resource management (HRM) have significantly positive effect on organization's architectural innovation capability. Whereas, lean design for manufacturability (DFM) has no significant effect on an organization's architectural innovation capability.This study's findings suggest companies that have not implemented lean thinking and practices yet can adopt lean concepts not only for efficiently utilizing the resources but for improving the architectural innovation also. Furthermore, lean companies should increase their focus on customer involvement in product development as well as in cross-functional training of employees and on job training programs to improve the architectural innovation. Findings suggest that those companies that have strategic focus on architectural innovation can adopt lean concepts and procedures from manufacturing and production departments in order to dramatically increase the architectural innovation.


The majority of the structural failures of mechanical structures and systems are found in joints rather than continuous material. Joints have historically consisted of assemblies involving nuts, bolts, screws, etc. and the design and analysis of these joints can be quite challenging. This work provides two baselines on the finite element modeling (FEM) methods and analysis of a nut and bolt joint. The first baseline involves a basic modeling method using linear calculation of 2D plates and bar elements, and the second baseline involves one of the more complex methods using non-linear calculation of 3D solids. The two methods are described for modeling of a joint for two test conditions, namely the double shear joint in tension with two different bolt sizes and two plate thicknesses. First, the simplified method of rigid elements and equivalent strength beam elements is considered. This technique lacks the simulation of bearing stresses, stress concentration at the bolt hole location, and bending stiffness of the bolt. The second method, uses 3D models that provides the actual nut and bolt surfaces, bearing stresses are introduced in the joint modeling. Classical hand calculations are carried out on the static tests and compared with the FEM results. Additionally, the effects of element mesh refinement on the nut and bolt contact surfaces, and types of contacts are analyzed for the 3D models. A parametric study is carried out on the stresses developed and stress concentration factors.Copyright © 2011 by ASME


Exposing Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm grown on the inner surface of Teflon and silicone tubes to UVC light (265 nm) from light emitting diodes (LED) has previously been shown to substantially reduce biofilm growth. Smaller UVC fluencies were required to disinfect Teflon tubes compared to silicone tubes. Light propagation enhancement in tubes can be obtained if the refractive index of the intra-luminal saline solution is higher than that of the polymer. This condition is achieved by using Teflon tubes with a low refractive index (1.34) instead of the polymers with a high refractive index (1.40–1.50) normally used for tubing in catheter production. Determining whether or not UVC light exposure can disinfect and maintain the intra-luminal number of colony forming units (CFUs) at an exceedingly low level and thus avoid the growth and establishment of biofilm is of interest. The use of UVC diodes is demonstrated to be a preventative disinfection treatment on tubes made of Teflon, which enhances the UVC light propagation, and on tubes made of a softer material, ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), which is suitable for catheters but much less suitable for UVC light propagation. Simulating an aseptic breach (∼103–104 CFU ml−1), the UVC disinfection set-up was demonstrated using tubes contaminated with planktonic P. aeruginosa. After the tubes (10–20 cm) were inoculated with the bacterial solution for 3 h, they were emptied and filled with saline solutions (0.9–20%). Next UVC fluencies (0–21 mJ cm−2) were applied to the tubes 3 h after inoculation. Colony counts were carried out on liquid samples drawn from the tubes the first day after UVC treatment and liquid and surface samples were collected and analyzed 3–4 days later. A fluence of approximately 1.0 mJ cm−2 was noted as being sufficient for no growth for a period of 3–4 days for the Teflon tubes. Determining the fluence threshold for the EVA tubes was not possible. Almost all of the UVC-treated EVA tubes were disinfected simply by filling the tubes with a saline solution. Direct UVC treatment of the contaminated EVA tubes revealed, however, that a fluence of 21 mJ cm−2 killed the bacteria present in the tubes and kept them disinfected for a period of 3–4 days.


In 1955, Paris Police Commissioner Guy Isnard curated the exhibition Le Faux dans l'art et dans l'histoire at the Grand Palais in Paris. Featuring a wide variety of forgeries, most notably counterfeit sculptures and paintings, the exhibition was an occasion to showcase the anti-counterfeiting efforts of the National Police. But in the broader context of the politically and economically weakened Fourth Republic, more was at stake. In the immediate postwar period, French society was steeped in uncertainty and a growing fear of inauthenticity, fueled by rumors of currency manipulation by foreign powers, the perceived corruption of the French language by an increasingly influential English, and anti-Americanism in intellectual and political circles. In this environment, the organizers of the exhibition called upon culture, and art in particular, to reaffirm a strict distinction between truth and falsity while also establishing France as the uncontested guardian of truth. This essay shows that Le Faux dans l'art et dans l'histoire constituted a crucial threshold moment in twentieth-century French history, both as an attempt to preserve a rapidly fading vision of truth and originality and as a prefiguration of aesthetic and philosophical debates to come.


This chapter deals with quantitative analysis, and especially description and inference. It introduces the reader to the principles of quantitative research and offers a step-by-step guide on how to use and interpret a range of commonly used techniques. The first part of the chapter considers the building blocks of quantitative analysis, with particular emphasis on different ways of summarizing data, both graphically and with tables, and ways of describing the distribution of one variable using univariate statistics. Two important measures are discussed: the mean and the standard deviation. After elaborating on descriptive statistics, the chapter explores inferential statistics and explains how to make generalizations. It also presents the concept of confidence intervals, more commonly known as the margin of error, and measures of central tendency.


Phase diagrams for the assemblage forsterite+enstatite+CO_2 in MgO-SiO_2-CO_2 show that a subsolidus carbonation reaction intersects the solidus near 44 kb–1530°C and stabilizes the carbonate molecule in the liquid, causing CO_2 solubility to increase from about 5 to 10 wt percent to about 40 wt percent. A similar increase occurs in the system CaO-MgO-SiO_2-CO_2 near 25 kb–1200°C for the liquid coexisting with forsterite+orthopyroxene+ clinopyroxene. The CO_2 solubility in diopside and enstatite liquids remains relatively low, because these are not involved in carbonation reactions at this pressure. This accounts for contrasted CO_2 solubilities in silicate melts reported in recent experimental studies. Magmas generated in a CO_2-bearing mantle below a depth of 80 km may contain up to 40 wt percent dissolved CO_2. CO_2-rich, SiO_2-undersaturated magmas can coexist with mantle peridotite through a wide temperature range. These could represent either primary carbonatite and kimberlite magmas or the carbonated alkali ultrabasic magmas cited by many petrologists as parents for the derivation of continental volcanic and plutonic associations of highly alkalic rocks.


Major General Orde Wingate was a highly controversial figure in his time and remains so among historians. However, his eccentric and colourful personality has drawn attention away from the nature of his military ideas, the most important of which was his concept of long-range penetration, which originated from his observations of his operations in Italian-occupied Ethiopia in 1941, and evolved into the model he put into practice in the Chindit operations in Burma in 1943–44. A review of Wingate's own official writings on this subject reveals that long-range penetration combined local guerrilla irregulars, purpose-trained regular troops and airpower into large-scale offensive operations deep in the enemy rear, with the intention of disrupting his planning process and creating situations regular forces could exploit. This evolved organically from Major General Colin Gubbins' doctrine for guerrilla resistance in enemy occupied areas, and bears some resemblance to the operational model applied by US and Allied forces, post September 2001.


We study the economic cost of dementia in Chile, and its variation according to socioeconomic status (SES). We use primary data from a survey of 330 informal primary caregivers who completed both a RUD-Lite and a socio-demographic questionnaire to evaluate the severity of dementia and caregiver's burden. The costs of dementia are broken into three components: direct medical costs (medical care, drugs, tests); direct social costs (social service, daycare); and indirect costs (mostly associated to informal care). The average monthly cost per patient is estimated at US$ 1,463. Direct medical costs account for 20 per cent, direct social costs for 5 per cent and indirect costs for 75 per cent of the total cost. The mean monthly cost is found to be inversely related to SES, a pattern largely driven by indirect costs. The monthly cost for high SES is US$ 1,083 and US$ 1,588 for low SES. A multivariate regression analysis suggests that severity of dementia and caregiver's burden account for between 49 and 70 per cent of the difference in the indirect cost across SES. However, between one-third and one-half of the variation across SES is not due to gradient in severity of dementia. Direct medical costs increase in higher SES, reflecting differences in purchasing power, while indirect costs are inversely related to SES and more than compensate differences in medical costs. Moreover, in lower SES groups, female caregivers, typically family members who are inactive in the labor market, mostly provide informal care. The average annual cost of dementia in Chile (US$ 17,559) is lower in comparison to high-income countries (US$ 39,595) and the proportion of cost related to informal cost is higher (74 per cent compared to 40 per cent). SES is a key determinant in the cost of dementia. In the absence of universal access to treatment, part of the social cost of dementia potentially preserves or increases income and gender inequality.


This study examines the role of the Pennsylvania National Guard during the years between the railroad strike of 1877 to its mobilization for the Great War in 1917. An analysis of the labor disputes and strikes that took place during these years indicates that the Guard was used sparingly and with great reluctance by state authorities. Out of the hundreds of strikes during those years following the 1877 railroad strike, the Guard was deployed only six times. The Guard was a tool of last resort that was dispatched by Pennsylvania governors only after all other means to suppress violence and restore order in affected areas were exhausted. During its rare use in industrial disturbances the Guard was not at the disposal of corporate interests and certainly did not take orders or direction from factory and mine owners. On the contrary, the Guard proved such an unreliable "ally" that corporations increasingly turned to, and relied upon, private police forces such as the Pinkerton Detective Agency and the Coal and Iron police to engage the forces of organized labor. The Commonwealth authorities finally relieved the Guard of strike-related duties by creating the cost-effective and efficient Pennsylvania State Constabulary in 1905. Rather than serving as a "policeman of labor" during this period, the Pennsylvania National Guard had initiated significant reforms in structure, training, and discipline that brought it into greater conformity with the standards of the Regular Army. Years before the Root reforms and the Dick Act, the Pennsylvania National Guard had initiated its own program of reform that moved it toward higher standards of military efficiency and professionalism. The Pennsylvania National Guard had consciously fashioned itself to serve as a first-line reserve for the Regular Army, and its excellent performance in the Spanish-American War and the Mexican Border Campaign proved its value to the nation.


In this article I consider the relationship between different types and methods of conducting research in the context of community development. In particular I will consider the degree to which different approaches contribute to core objectives of community development to empower communities and promote social justice by engaging the most excluded. The contents will draw on a dialogue within my own agency, the Scottish Community Development Centre (SCDC).


The International Commission on Radiological Protection provides guidance for the protection of people living in long-term contaminated areas after nuclear accidents or radiological emergencies in ICRP Publication 111 (Ann. ICRP 2009, 39(3)). The prolonged exposures resulting from such events are defined as existing exposure situations and the driving principle for managing exposure situations is the optimization of protection. In conjunction with optimization, the Commission recommends the use of reference levels to restrict individual doses. To be effective, protection strategies to maintain and reduce exposure as low as reasonably achievable should include actions implemented by public authorities and private businesses, but also by the affected population itself. The process through which inhabitants living in a contaminated environment identify problems and apply their own protective actions has been named 'self-help protection' by the Commission. Such a process supposes that affected individuals are fully aware of the situation and are well informed. It is the responsibility of the authorities to establish programmes for continuous radiation monitoring, information and education of the population. The involvement of local professionals and inhabitants in the definition and implementation of protection strategies is a key factor for the sustainability of long-term rehabilitation programmes.


The long warming transition from the Last Ice Age into the present Interglacial period, the last deglaciation, holds the key to our understanding of future abrupt climate change. In the last decades, a great effort has been put into deciphering the linkage between freshwater fluxes from melting ice sheets and rapid shifts in global ocean-atmospheric circulation that characterized this puzzling climate period. In particular, the regional expressions of climate change in response to freshwater forcing are still largely unresolved.This projects aims at evaluating the environmental, hydro-climatic and oceanographic response in the Eastern North Atlantic domain to freshwater fluxes from the Scandinavian Ice Sheet during the last deglaciation (~19,000-11,000 years ago). The results presented in this thesis involve an overview of the regional representations of climate change across rapid climatic transitions and provide the groundwork to better understand spatial and temporal propagations of past atmospheric and ocean perturbations.Specifically, this thesis comprises i) a comparison of pollenstratigraphic records from densely 14C dated lake sediment sequences, which provides insight into the regional sensitivity of North European vegetation to freshwater forcing in the Nordic Seas around the onset of the Younger Dryas stadial (~12,900 years ago); ii) a reconstruction of North European hydro-climate, which, together with transient climate simulations, shed light on the mechanisms and regionality of climate shortly prior to the transition into the Younger Dryas stadial; iii) studies of a ~1250-year long glacial varve chronology, which provides an accurate timing for the sudden drainage of proglacial freshwater stored in the former ice-dammed Baltic Ice Lake into the North Atlantic Ocean; iv) a 5000-year long terrestrial-marine reconstruction of Eastern North Atlantic hydro-climate and oceanographic changes that clarifies the hitherto elusive relationship between freshwater forcing and the transient behaviour of the North Atlantic overturning circulation system. The results presented in this thesis provide new important temporal constraints on the events that punctuated the last deglaciation in Northern Europe, and give a clearer understanding of the ocean – atmosphere – ice-sheet feedbacks that were at work in the North Atlantic. This increases our understanding of how the Earth climate system functions in more extreme situations.


Topics include: Electronic Components and Circuits. Electronic Systems, Physical Sciences, Materials, Computer Programs, Mechanics, Machinery, Fabrication Technology, Mathematics and Information Sciences, and Life Sciences


This article provides an in-depth analysis of the Supreme Court's recent decision in Gonzales v. Raich. The Court rejected by a margin of 6-3 a Ninth Circuit holding that the federal Controlled Substances Act would probably be found unconstitutional as applied to intrastate users of marijuana who were in conformity with California's Compassionate Use Act. Although the majority, and Justice Scalia concurring, found the case to present a relatively straight forward problem in the application of Commerce Clause doctrine, the three dissenters (Justice O'Conner joined by Chief Justice Rehnquist, and Justice Thomas) sounded sharp notes decrying a betrayal of New Federalism principles as well as an abandonment of United States v. Lopez and United States v. Morrison. The article begins with a detailed analysis of the four different opinions that the case generated in the Supreme Court, as well as a look at the Ninth Circuit decision. This decision's willingness to prefer state law over federal, as well as the strong federalism themes of the dissent, represent an important data point in any overall consideration of where national power under the Commerce Clause is headed. The article also devotes substantial attention to the use by Justices Stevens and Scalia of Wickard v. Filburn. Wickard, with its aggregation principle, has long been a sore point for conservatives. However, no Justice in Raich called for its overruling, and the Wickard-based analysis of class of activities statutes emerged stronger than ever. The second section of the article discusses the potential impact of Raich on the current Court's New Federalism initiative, or perhaps initiatives. I contend that to adopt the view of the Ninth Circuit would have constituted a substantial advance of that set of precepts. However, the fact that Raich came out the way it did does not necessarily constitute a rollback for the New Federalism. In particular, Justice Stevens' insistence on the need for an economic/commercial subject of regulation as the overall test of validity of statutes with a purported effect on interstate commerce represents a reaffirmation of Lopez and Morrison. The open question is whether his lack of reference to the non-attenuation or noninfinity arguments of the majority in those cases represents any form of retreat. In the third section I consider some implications of Raich for the federal criminal law. The article presents the case as vindicating the view that the American system will continue to be noteworthy for the presence of two largely overlapping sets of criminal statutes. The article also examines specific issues such as the use of jurisdictional elements, as-applied challenges, and the reach of federal criminal law at the outer boundaries of national authority. The cases involving federal prosecution for child pornography are used to illustrate this latter problem as well as to provide a further elucidation of the general discussion of the current status of federal criminal laws, particularly those passed under the Commerce Clause.


To understand the origin of Pantepui montane biotas, we studied the biogeography of toucanets in the genus Aulacorhynchus. These birds are ideal for analyzing historical relationships among Neotropical montane regions, given their geographic distribution from Mexico south to Bolivia, including northern Venezuela (Cordillera de la Costa), and the Pantepui. Analyses were based on molecular phylogenies using mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences. Topology tests were applied to compare alternative hypotheses that may explain the current distribution of Aulacorhynchus toucanets, in the context of previous hypotheses of the origin of Pantepui montane biotas. Biogeographic reconstructions in RASP and Lagrange were used to estimate the ancestral area of the genus, and an analysis in BEAST was used to estimate a time framework for its diversification. A sister relationship between the Pantepui and Andes+Cordillera de la Costa was significantly more likely than topologies indicating other hypothesis for the origin of Pantepui populations. The Andes was inferred as the ancestral area for Aulacorhynchus, and the group has diversified since the late Miocene. The biogeographic patterns found herein, in which the Andes are the source for biotas of other regions, are consistent with those found for flowerpiercers and tanagers, and do not support the hypothesis of the geologically old Pantepui as a source of Neotropical montain diversity. Based on the high potential for cryptic speciation and isolation of Pantepui populations, we consider that phylogenetic studies of additional taxa are important from a conservation perspective.


Patients who search for a better treatment, an increased quality of life, or even a chance to preserve life itself may claim to have an interest in accessing investigational medicinal products (IMP), particularly when no validated treatment for their disease or condition exists. For many, awaiting the uncertain and time-consuming process of converting an IMP into an approved drug may not appear a realistic option, as prognoses may be grim and a dramatic outcome may seem hard to avert. Gaining access to an IMP, however, often proves to be a difficult enterprise with a highly uncertain outcome. In addition, the process of seeking access to IMP is surrounded by various ethical issues that will be explored in this article. This paper explores the ethical concerns in two potential tracks of seeking access to IMP for minors: on an individual basis, or collectively, as a patient organisation. In this discourse, several unique ethical and regulatory concerns related to the direct negotiation of access to IMP for minor patients are identified, with a focus on product safety, the recruitment of research subjects, the unnoticed entry of market mechanisms in the recruitment of research subjects, and the sidelining of third parties in the recruitment process. The paper concludes with a concise reflection on the way forward. The quest for access to investigational drugs is particularly relevant to paediatric practice, in which a significant share of the drugs prescribed has never been tested in children or labelled for use in the paediatric population.


Online class imbalance learning deals with data streams having very skewed class distributions in a timely fashion. Although a few methods have been proposed to handle such problems, most of them focus on two-class cases. Multi-class imbalance imposes additional challenges in learning. This paper studies the combined challenges posed by multiclass imbalance and online learning, and aims at a more effective and adaptive solution. First, we introduce two resampling-based ensemble methods, called MOOB and MUOB, which can process multi-class data directly and strictly online with an adaptive sampling rate. Then, we look into the impact of multi-minority and multi-majority cases on MOOB and MUOB in comparison to other methods under stationary and dynamic scenarios. Both multi-minority and multi-majority make a negative impact. MOOB shows the best and most stable G-mean in most stationary and dynamic cases.


A broadband microstrip-to-waveguide transition has been studied and tested for low-cost microwave circuits on FR4 multilayer boards having an internal thick metal plate (1). It is obtained, at first, milling a slot in a thick metal plate. Subsequently the PCB is built up, using standard PCB process, inserting the thick metal plate as the second layer. In this way the slot results filled with FR4 prepreg. A further simple milling process removes the lower layers up to the thick metal plate and creates a part of the waveguide transformer and an area for plate to metal housing connection. The transition integration in the multilayer is obtained just fixing the board on the metal housing which includes the rest of the transformer and the waveguide. Moreover, as the transition shows low sensitivity to manufacturing tolerances, the above process is characterised by high reliability and reproducibility.


Written by a leading team of internationally-distinguished political communication scholars, this book offers the most comprehensive account on comparative political communication research in the context of European Parliamentary elections to date. Divided into four sections, experts begin by tracing the historical and political background of European Parliamentary elections, paying close attention to trends in turnout and the changing institutional role of the European Parliament (EP). Focusing mainly on the 2009 elections and using original data throughout, the next two sections are devoted to campaign communication strategies and the overall media coverage of EP elections in both established and newly-accessioned members of the European Union. The concluding section focuses on the macro- and micro-level effects of European parliamentary campaigns in a comparative perspective to illustrate how campaign strategies and media coverage were received by voters in EU member states. This insightful account on the interaction between political actors, the media, and voters allows readers to develop a global understanding of political and media system interdependencies and on comparative political communication research more generally. Essential reading to students and scholars in political science, media studies, European politics, and political communication, as well as policy makers within the European Union.


The wood, leaf and seed extracts of Apodytes dimidiata, Turraea floribunda and Turraea obtusifolia were examined. Two new limonoids belonging to the Toonafolin group were isolated from the seeds, two known havanensin-type limonoids were isolated from the leaves and both stigmasterol and sitosterol were isolated from the wood of Turraeafloribunda. Sitosterol as well as a limonoid which could not be characterised were isolated from the seeds, phytol, melianone and a protolimonoid similar to saPelin-F were isolated from the leaves and three protolimonoids: melianodiol, melianotriol and 7,8-dihydroturraeanthin 3-acetate were isolated from the wood of Turraea obtusifolia. An ester was isolated from the seeds of Apodytes dimidiata. Appropriate reactions were Perfonned, where possible, on the compounds isolated.


Eu3+ and Dy(3+)-doped YVO4 nanocrystallites were successfully prepared at 400 degrees C in equal moles of NaNO3 and KNO3 molten salts. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, transmission electronic microscopy (TEM), photoluminescence (PL) spectrum and lifetime were used to characterize the nanocrystallites. XRD results demonstrate that NaOH concentration and annealing temperature play important roles in phase purity and crystallinity of the nanocrystallites, the optimum NaOH concentration and annealing temperature being 6:40 and 400 degrees C respectively. TEM micrographs show the nanocrystallites are well crystallized with a cubic morphology in an average grain size of about 18 nm. Upon excitation of the vanadate group at 314 nm, YVO4:Eu3+ and YVO4:Dy3+ nanocrystallites exhibit the characteristic emission of Eu3+ and Dy3+, which indicates that there is an energy transfer from the vanadate group to the rare earth ions. Moreover, the structure and luminescent properties of the nanocrystallites were compared with their bulk counterparts with same composition in detail.


This thesis examines how to export liberal theories of Multicultural Citizenship (MC) to post-violent conflict contexts, applying Kymlicka's theory of MC to the case of Cyprus. The thesis modifies Kymlicka's normative theory in order to make it applicable to contexts beyond those of its inception, focusing on cases where cultural identities are highly politicised and securitised. It provides a new theory of MC, a methodological approach for applying normative theories to different contexts, and a multicultural constitutional alternative for Cyprus.

To facilitate the modification of Kymlicka's MC and its application to Cyprus, the thesis develops a methodological approach called the Reciprocal Model (RM). The RM provides a systematic method for the re-examination of the fundamental assumptions of normative theories, using input from empirical cases. The RM also provides the conceptual tools for extracting policy-relevant suggestions from normative political theories.

Through an immanent critique of Kymlicka's theory of MC, a new multicultural theory is developed that has an internationally facilitated process of recognition at its core. The theory defended in this thesis adopts an ethnically-blind role for the state that dismisses reified notions of culture while also rejecting the exceptional treatment of cultural identities. It places culture on a level playing field with other individual identities and defends group-differentiated rights to minority groups on the grounds of equality of opportunity, replacing the autonomy-based defence of Kymlicka.

The revised theory of MC, advanced through the application of the RM to the case of Cyprus, allowed for the development of a constitutional model for Cyprus based on multicultural citizenship. The multicultural constitutional model is defended as an alternative to Bizonal Bicommunal Federation – the bicommunal constitutional model underpinning the negotiations for a comprehensive solution to the Cyprus problem.


Capritec is a company devoted to dissemination of technology in the form of courses, consulting, lectures and events for producers, students and technicians involved with goat production. Capritec headquarters are located in Espirito Santo do Pinhal, in the state of Sao Paulo , in Southeastern Brazil . In the state of Sao Paulo , dairy goat production is well developed. Meat goat production is more modest, but has increased steadily in recent years. The main objective of Capritec is to transfer technology a) to enable interested producers, students, technicians and entrepreneurs to invest in goat production, b) to give them the necessary tools to avoid business failures in these enterprises and c) to contribute to the development of Brazil goat production. The company's owners and collaborators have extensive experience with goats in the areas of animal production, reproduction and food processing. Between 2003 and 2006, 58 extension courses were offered, attended by 422 participants. The courses themes were goat production for beginners (4 courses), meat goat production (9 courses), dairy goat production (5 courses), goat milk processing into cheese (12 courses), yoghurt, ice cream and sweets from goat milk (1 course), cosmetics from goat milk (2 courses), artificial insemination (7 courses), ultrasonography (2 courses), semen quality examination and fresh semen processing (2 courses), general handling practices (7 courses), preparation and economical evaluation of projects (6 courses), and goat health (2 courses). Courses emphasize practical hands-on activities and are taught in small groups. Women were in the minority, accounting for 23.51% of course participants, whereas men accounted for 71.49%. Between 2003 and 2006, 4 extension workshops were organized, attended by 826 participants. After each event, the participants were invited to answer a questionnaire, to mention the strengths and weaknesses of the course, and to score and give suggestions for future courses. The ratings and suggestions were evaluated at meetings with the instructors to improve the quality of the courses. The ratings, on a scale from 0 to 10, were above 9, on average, indicating the high level of satisfaction of the participants.


Objective Estimate the incidence of placenta accreta and describe risk factors, clinical practice and perinatal outcomes. Design Case–control study. Setting Sites in Australia and New Zealand with at least 50 births per year. Participants Cases were women giving birth (≥20 weeks or fetus ≥400 g) who were diagnosed with placenta accreta by antenatal imaging, at operation or by pathology specimens between 2010 and 2012. Controls were two births immediately prior to a case. A total of 295 cases were included and 570 controls. Methods Data were collected using the Australasian Maternity Outcomes Surveillance System. Primary and secondary outcome measures Incidence, risk factors (eg, prior caesarean section (CS), maternal age) and clinical outcomes of placenta accreta (eg CS, hysterectomy and death). Results The incidence of placenta accreta was 44.2/100 000 women giving birth (95% CI 39.4 to 49.5); however, this may overestimated due to the case definition used. In primiparous women, an increased odds of placenta accreta was observed in older women (adjusted OR (AOR) women≥40 vs <30: 19.1, 95% CI 4.6 to 80.3) and current multiple birth (AOR: 6.1, 95% CI 1.1 to 34.1). In multiparous women, independent risk factors were prior CS (AOR ≥2 prior sections vs 0: 13.8, 95% CI 7.4 to 26.1) and current placenta praevia (AOR: 36.3, 95% CI 14.0 to 93.7). There were two maternal deaths (case fatality rate 0.7%). Women with placenta accreta were more likely to have a caesarean section (AOR: 4.6, 95% CI 2.7 to 7.6) to be admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU)/high dependency unit (AOR: 46.1, 95% CI 22.3 to 95.4) and to have a hysterectomy (AOR: 209.0, 95% CI 19.9 to 875.0). Babies born to women with placenta accreta were more likely to be preterm, be admitted to neonatal ICU and require resuscitation.


This study uses a choice experiment to investigate consumer preference for beef when faced with a tradeoff between increased animal welfare and lower levels of environmental impact. Results were obtained via an online survey consisting of 1,559 participants from the U.S. in Summer 2019. Participants were shown one of three presentation designs, as well as one of three information treatments (control, pro-environment, and pro-animal welfare). Consumers were shown to have significantly higher WTP for animal welfare attributes than environmentally friendly characteristics. \par Participants which were shown the purely informational design regarded only price and whether the beef was grassfed and free of added growth hormones when choosing. The second presentation used sizing and coloring to convey environmental impact, producing higher WTP for environmental attributes and slightly lower WTP for animal welfare qualities. Participants in the third design were shown packages of ground beef with labels in place of the attribute levels. These participants had the least variance between attribute WTP and had 1.5-2 times greater WTP for a meat option than the other presentation treatments. \par Pro-animal welfare information had the highest effect within the informational design, which had the highest overall WTP for animal welfare attributes. The visual presentation was influenced most heavily by the pro-environment information. Information treatments had no effect on the labels presentation.\par While improvements in farm animal welfare might coincide with environmental improvements, the two issues can often come into conflict, particularly when it comes to greater intensification of production systems. This study aims to determine consumer preferences for ground beef when faced with a tradeoff between increased animal welfare and lower levels of environmental impact. A discrete choice experiment was conducted with over 1,500 U.S. consumers in mid-2019. Because of the high degree of consumer unfamiliarity likely associated with animal welfare and environmental impacts of beef production, we sought to determine the sensitivity of results by systematically varying how attributes were presented (textually, visually, or via labels) and what information was available to respondents (control, pro-environment, or pro-animal welfare). If shown only textual attribute information, consumers were unresponsive to environmental impacts such as land use, water use, and greenhouse gas emissions; these issues were more impactful when communicated visually or via labels. Using pictures of ground beef with labels significantly increased the odds one of the meat options was chosen relative to treatments that presented choices in tabular form. Avoidance of the use of added growth hormones was one of the preferable seven attributes studied. Providing pro-environment or pro-animal welfare information had small, but statistically significant impacts on consumer choice. Overall, results suggest consumers are willing to trade environment for animal welfare, but the extent of this tradeoff strongly depends on how the attributes are presented.


Chiral Perturbation Theory is a useful tool to aid in performing the various extrapolations needed in lattice QCD calculations of physical quantities. These include extrapolations in quark mass, finite lattice spacing and finite size of the lattice. Especially the latter will becomemore important when the quark masses on the lattice become smaller. Here we develop the needed two-loop integrals at finite volume to do the calculations for masses and decay constants for all general mass cases. I will present results based on an expansion in Bessel functions as well as on a version using theta functions and compare their efficiency. Work is in progress to combine these results with two-loop ChPT calculations.


When life-threatening, critical events occur in the operating room, the fast-paced, high-distraction atmosphere often leaves little time to think or deliberate about management options. Success depends on applying a team approach to quickly implement well-rehearsed, systematic, evidence-based assessment and treatment protocols. Mobile devices offer resources for readily accessible, easily updatable information that can be invaluable during perioperative critical events. We developed a mobile device version of the Society for Pediatric Anesthesia 26 Pediatric Crisis paper checklists-the Pedi Crisis 2.0 application-as a resource to support clinician responses to pediatric perioperative life-threatening critical events. Human factors expertise and principles were applied to maximize usability, such as by clustering information into themes that clinicians utilize when accessing cognitive aids during critical events. The electronic environment allowed us to feature optional diagnostic support, optimized navigation, weight-based dosing, critical institution-specific phone numbers pertinent to emergency response, and accessibility for those who want larger font sizes. The design and functionality of the application were optimized for clinician use in real time during actual critical events, and it can also be used for self-study or review. Beta usability testing of the application was conducted with a convenience sample of clinicians at 9 institutions in 2 countries and showed that participants were able to find information quickly and as expected. In addition, clinicians rated the application as slightly above "excellent" overall on an established measure, the Systems Usability Scale, which is a 10-item, widely used and validated Likert scale created to assess usability for a variety of situations. The application can be downloaded, at no cost, for iOS devices from the Apple App Store and for Android devices from the Google Play Store. The processes and principles used in its development are readily applicable to the development of future mobile and electronic applications for the field of anesthesiology.


Measurements of surface velocity, ice deformation (at 42 and 89% ice depth) and proglacial stream discharge were made at Haut Glacier d'Arolla, Switzerland, to determine diurnal patterns of variation in each. Data are analysed in order to understand better the relationship between hydraulically induced basal motion and glacier ice deformation over short timescales. The data suggest that hydraulically induced localized basal 'slippery' spots are created over diurnal cycles, causing enhanced basal motion and spatially variable glacier speed‐up. Our data indicate that daily glacier speed‐up is associated with reduced internal deformation over areas previously identified as slippery spots and increased deformation in areas located adjacent to or down‐glacier from slippery spots. We interpret this pattern in terms of a transfer of mechanical support for basal shear stress away from slippery spots to adjacent sticky areas, where the resulting stronger ice–bed coupling causes increased ice deformation near the bed. These patterns indicate that basal ice is subjected to stress regimes that are variable at a high spatial and temporal resolution. Such variations may be central to the creation of anomalous vertical velocity profiles measured above and down‐glacier of basal slippery zones, which have shown evidence for 'plug flow' and extrusion flow over annual timescales. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Self Determination Theory (SDT) asserts aspirations (life goals) of personal growth, relationship, community and health (intrinsic aspirations) support optimal functioning including in employees and leaders, whereas aspirations for wealth, image and fame (extrinsic aspirations) are detrimental. Furthermore, the pursuit of extrinsic aspirations has been associated with the undermining of leadership capabilities, as well as negatively related employee's wellbeing, and the wellbeing of wider society. Consequently, leaders can be viewed as being concerned with self interest and the pursuit of extrinsic aspirations, or viewed as acting with concern for others and intrinsic aspirations. While we understand that aspirations are important, little is understood about the influence intrinsic and extrinsic aspirations have towards job burnout. The following study explores seven dimensions of aspirations on a sample of 386 New Zealand leaders towards emotional exhaustion and cynicism. Data was collected in two waves (1=predictors and 2=outcomes) and structural equation modeling was used to test the influence. Two models were tested. In model 1 (direct effects only), findings showed that, in general, extrinsic aspirations were positively related to job burnout and intrinsic aspirations were negatively related. Wealth and image aspirations were significantly and positively related to emotional exhaustion and cynicism, while fame aspirations (an extrinsic aspiration) were found to be significantly and negatively related to both outcomes. Similarly, personal growth and health aspirations were found to be significantly and negatively related to both emotional exhaustion and cynicism, while community aspirations (an intrinsic aspiration) were found to be significantly and positively related to both outcomes. Aspirations towards relationships were not related to either dimension of job burnout. Overall, aspirations accounted for moderate amounts of variance (25% for emotional exhaustion and 22% for cynicism). A mediation model (model 2) was also tested and found to be significantly superior to model 1, with aspirations influencing emotional exhaustion which in turn influenced cynicism. In model 2, wealth and image aspirations were significantly and positively related to emotional exhaustion, while health aspirations were significantly and negatively related. Emotional exhaustion was significantly and positively related to cynicism. Model 2 showed that emotional exhaustion fully mediated the influence of intrinsic and extrinsic aspirations towards cynicism. Furthermore, while model 2 accounted for slightly less variance towards emotional exhaustion (19%), it accounted for significantly greater amounts towards cynicism (59%). Overall, extrinsic aspirations generally acted as expected, with leaders with life goals focused on themselves (e.g. wealth and image) leading to greater emotional exhaustion. Similarly, leaders with life goals focused on intrinsic aspects (e.g. health) had less emotional exhaustion, and ultimately this is important because emotional exhaustion played a large part in influencing cynicism. This study shows the importance that life goals can play towards job burnout and encourages further exploration of SDT dimensions towards similar outcomes.


Pre-crystallization kinetic study of the Ge15 Te85-x Inx system(where x = 6 and 8 at. %) has been carried out under non-isothermal conditions. Two endothermic peaks have been detected in the DTA traces of the system where each peak is characterized by an onset temperature (To) and peak temperature (Tp). Five models have been used to analyze our results. The apparent activation energy of glass transition at the onset temperature (Eo) and at the peak temperature (Ep) have been carried out by means of three methods (Kissinger,Mahadevan and Ozawa-Chenmodels), whileMatusita and JMA models were used to deduce(Eo) and (Ep) by means of the area analysis method of the endothermic peaks. The results indicated that (Tp) was the most suitable temperature to deduce the apparent activation energy of glass transition when Kissinger, Mahadevan and Ozawa-Chen models were applied. KissingerÂ's model was found to be the most suitable one to analyze our resultswhen the former three methods were applied, while Ozawa-Chen model was the most suitable model when all the five models were considered. Avrami index (n) and the reaction factor (Ko) were deduced, where two and one dimensional regimes of growth for the first and second endothermic peaks respectively were found.


To provide our students with practical experience in power electronic design they undertake an assignment that involves a model solar car race. The students are required to design, build and demonstrate a dc-dc converter that matches the output from a 10W solar panel to a permanent magnet DC motor. The converter must step down the output voltage from the panel from 15V to 3V. This is a team-based assignment in which their mark is determined from an inspection, written report and a race. Such a project is important to stimulate the student's interest in power electronics as well as providing them with some practical power electronic design skills.


Interactive architecture is deemed as a real-time narrative medium, able to reconnect and renew the relationships between participants (users) and the surroundings to help the explore the irown motivations,inspirations decisions,and outcomes.The sensor based, human-computer (machine) integrated architecture can transform and uplift people's daily life in entirely new ways, by strategically unlocking the potentials that technological innovations bring. This paper intends to provide a platform for further research and experimentation in the realm of interactive architecture, to encourage rethinking of the relationship between human desires and responsive space (physical or intangible) through a brief introduction to interactive architecture, and to explain the original interdisciplinary teaching methods utilized in the thesis project. By reviewing conceptual and practical cases and related theories, the readers can have a primary understanding of the particular subject and may also change their way of thinking and doing architecture. As interactive architecture is still in its beginning stage, many explorations and related methodologies need to be put in a theoretical framework. Therefore, the author of this paper strongly suggests formulating a comprehensive framework in order to guide the future generation of architects for sustainable urban development.


With the imminent threat of a global health crisis of obesity and diabetes or "diabesity" as it is referred to today, healthcare professionals urgently need an effective range of treatment options for management of these two epidemics. After many decades in obscurity, bariatric surgery has emerged as an impressive treatment of obesity and type 2 diabetes. The field of bariatric surgery has seen a rapid evolution over the last 30 years and current procedures are safe, effective, less invasive, and relatively cost- effective. Bariatric procedures produce durable weight loss, long -term remission of type 2 diabetes, and beneficial effects on other comorbidities; they lead to a significant reduction in mortality in the long term. The adverse events after surgery are not uncommon but in majority of cases are not fatal. Bariatric surgery is costly, but cost-efficacy analysis consistently shows that the additional years of lives gained through bariatric surgery can be obtained at a reasonable and affordable cost. However, universal surgical treatment of obesity is not achievable with the world's current healthcare and surgical resources. The conclusion of this review is that although bariatric surgery is a good addition to management of obesity and diabetes, these epidemics must be addressed by more comprehensive and long-term health policy efforts and appropriate research to determine the most effective ways of prevention and nonsurgical alternatives to treat obesity and type 2 diabetes.


This paper investigates an economic problem of a firm that provides online game service. Besides pricing and fine-tuning of its game design, the firm should consider a virtual economic environment of its service, for the policy on this respect can influence its profitability. Among virtual economic issues, Real-money Trading (RMT) emerges as the most important one in online game business, which is defined by players' unofficial transactions between in-game virtual objects such as in-game currencies, weapons, armors, and money in the real world. This paper addresses impact of RMT on the profitability of the firm. This paper addresses theoretical cases that RMT enhances firm's profit. This shows why RMT is likely to be tolerated by the firm despite the fact that RMT may violate contractual agreements between the firm and players. To keep track of reality in online game business, we examine impacts that two variants of RMT have on firm's profit additionally. By comparing four different regimes to price an online game, conditions that each regime earns highest profit are identified.


there exists the real possibility of change in the partisan control of either or both houses of Congress, which makes each potentially competitive race important to national policy and politics. This situation lends itself to looking at the election as a series of horse races and the overall outcome as the Triple Crown of politics. As a result, respective partisan fortunes are expected to dominate political discussion during the next 60 days. This is unfortunate. Our analysis offers a different perspective. Although the horse race aspect of this year's electoral contest is interesting, the preoccupation with partisan details obscures broader, more important aspects of the national policy mood and the health of our political system. In this study, we examine the attitude of Americans toward big government, the declining competitiveness of our elections, and some mistaken conventional wisdom about American democracy. Contrary to conventional wisdom, across America there exists a measurable popular preference for less, rather than more, government intervention. Therefore, in the fall of 2002, the electorate will favor candidates who support defense spending, civil liberties, and smaller government outside of defense. At the same time, the political system's health is seriously weakened by a lack of competition. Unfortunately, the mismeasurement of, and preoccupation with, voter participation serves only to divert attention away from the pressing problem of an uncompetitive political system. An election that either ushers in a new era of expanded government or further cements the advantages of incumbency will serve neither the representative nor democratic functions of our political system. Election 2002 and the Problems of American Democracy