This Article is a revisionist history of the ratification of the Twenty-Fifth Amendment, which establishes procedures for remedying a vice presidential vacancy and for addressing presidential inability. During the Cold War, questions of presidential succession and the transfer of power in the case of inability were on the public's mind and, in 1963, these questions became more urgent in the shadow of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Traditional legal histories of the Amendment argue that President John F. Kennedy's assassination was both the proximate and prime factor in the development of the Amendment, but they do not account for the pervasive nuclear anxiety inherent in American politics and culture at the time. Oral interviews of key actors, such as former Senator Birch Bayh of Indiana, the Amendment's architect, as well as examination of the Lyndon B. Johnson papers, the files of the Subcommittee on Constitutional Amendments, and other previously unexamined archives, offer new insight into the anxiety and thought processes of the President, Congress, and state legislators. With the ratification of the Twenty-Fifth Amendment on February 10, 1967, the nuclear anxiety of the era became ingrained in the Constitution itself. The framers of the Amendment adjusted America's foundational document not as dictated by a momentary whim but by the exigencies of the times. With the goal of expanding the field of legal history by examining cultural and political factors, this Article argues that nuclear anxiety provides another important explanation for the incorporation of the Amendment.


The European Economy between the Wars, (OUP, 1997) has become the definitive economic history of Europe in the inter-war period. Placing the Great Depression of 1929-33 and the associated financial crisis at the center of the narrative, the authors comprehensively examined the lead-up to and consequences of the depression and recovery. Peter Temin and Gianni Toniolo (their former co-author, Charles H. Feinstein, has died) now expand their scope to include the entire world economy, and have created a new edition: The World Economy between the Wars. New material focuses on the structure of the world economy in the 1920s, including a special focus on the United States, Japan, and Latin America. In addition, chapters that discuss the post-depression recovery now cover The New Deal and recovery in general in the United States and Japan. This new edition is a necessary update, and invaluable resource for those who desire an overview of the inter-war area beyond the usual discussion of the 1929 stock market crash. The book's broad geographic coverage, as well as its clarity and chronological execution, will appeal to students of economic history, as well as those academics in other fields whose research involves the inter-war period. Available in OSO: http://www.oxfordscholarship.com/oso/public/content/economicsfinance/9780195307559/toc.html


Background : Breastfeeding problems are common during the early period but can often be prevented or overcome with adequate support. Child-health nurses meet almost all children during their first weeks of life and play an important role in promoting breastfeeding and in strengthening parents' confidence and their belief in their own ability. It is, therefore, important to gain more knowledge about child-health nurses' experiences. Objective : To describe child-health nurses' experiences of providing breastfeeding support. Methods : This qualitative study is descriptive with an inductive approach. A purposive sample of eight child-health nurses recruited from district health care centers participated. Data were collected through focus group interviews and analyzed with content analysis. Results : Child-health nurses consider it to be important to provide early breastfeeding support and that early hospital discharge following birth can complicate breastfeeding. Furthermore, the introduction of infant formula and tiny tastes given to the baby can be a barrier to breastfeeding. Parents' confidence had an effect on breastfeeding, and breastfeeding is promoted by confident parents. Trends and cultural differences have an influence on parents' attitudes toward breastfeeding. Child-health nurses stated the importance of having a consensus breastfeeding policy. Conclusion and Recommendation : A number of factors affect breastfeeding, and breastfeeding support from child-health nurses is important in the early stages after birth. To conclude, the support must be individually tailored with a focus on the parents' needs. There is a need for greater cooperation between the maternal care and child-health care staff in order to provide adequate and continuous breastfeeding support throughout the care chain.


Incomplete contract theory recognizes that contracts cannot be comprehensive and that state law necessarily has to fill in gaps when conflicts arise. The more complex the transaction, the more that lawyers face practical constraints that force them to limit the scope of drafting and broadly rely on legal defaults and open ended terms to plug holes and address contingencies. In theory Delaware law serves as lawyers' preferred jurisdiction and forum for merger and acquisition (M&A) transactions and other high end corporate deals because of the state's superior default rules for corporate law and its judiciary's expertise in discerning the "hypothetical bargain" of the parties.

This paper sets out to examine whether lawyers' professed confidence in Delaware defaults actually shows up in the drafting of merger and acquisition agreements. Lawyers may base deals in Delaware law because of their familiarity with its provisions, or Delaware's appeal may reflect the substantive adding of value in filling contractual gaps. Our premise is that the best proxy for examining lawyers' reliance on a jurisdiction's defaults is the extent of brevity in legal drafting, which is closely related to reliance on standards rather than rules. Incomplete contract theory predicts that reliance on defaults should broadly translate into implicit (and explicit) references to existing defaults that conserve time and space in drafting, especially through the use of parsimonious standards rather than prolix rules. To the extent to which comparable contracts grounded in different jurisdictions have systematic differences in length, this finding would serve as evidence that lawyers are placing greater reliance on the defaults of one jurisdiction compared to another.

In this paper we compare the length of public company merger and acquisition (M&A) agreements between Delaware transactions and those governed by the law of other jurisdictions. To the extent practitioners regard Delaware law as more comprehensive, more precise, or more settled (due to the Delaware General Corporation law, case law, or the judicial system) compared to other jurisdictions, then we would expect that Delaware M&A agreements would be more concise because of greater reliance on defaults and open ended terms.

We found agreements governed by Delaware law are no shorter, and in fact are generally longer than agreements governed by the law of other states even when we accounted for a spectrum of control variables including the deal structure, the quality of law firms, deal complexity, and the size of the transaction. This finding held true even when we identified and controlled for the textual source of the precedent documents. Our results challenge the conventional wisdom about contracting parties' placing greater reliance on Delaware law.

Our findings suggest that a gap exists between the Delaware legal system's outsized reputation and the actual practice of lawyers in drafting M&A agreements who appear to place no more reliance on the defaults of Delaware law than on the defaults of other jurisdictions. This finding calls into question why Delaware's statutory and judicial defaults do not appear to matter in the contracting context in which the Delaware difference compared to other states should be the most apparent. Lawyers' confidence in Delaware may be genuine when it comes to steering incorporations and M&A litigation to Delaware. But if lawyers rely on the defaults of Delaware contract law no more (and perhaps less) in contract drafting than that of other jurisdictions, then it suggests that Delaware's reputation for corporate law exceeds its substance. We conclude that the text is likely influenced far more by fortuitous events in the drafting process, such as the precedent chosen, than by the default rules of the jurisdiction.


As service user involvement in health and social care research has become more firmly embedded in health policies, both in the UK and internationally, there is increasing interest in evaluating its potential benefits and outcomes. Impact studies have highlighted a range of different types of service user involvement, using diverse research methods, within various research topics and involving different stakeholders. Potential benefits to research, researchers and the service users actively involved in research have been identified, along with the possibility of some negative consequences. Many impact studies have been criticized for being based on informal retrospective accounts of researchers and service users working together. Few have been underpinned by conceptual models, and there is a paucity of detailed accounts of the process of involvement that would enable replication. This paper reports an account of a prospective, qualitative exploration of service user involvement within a study, where the aims of the evaluation were agreed beforehand. Reflective discussions about the process and progress of service user involvement at different stages of the study were recorded, transcribed and analysed. The qualitative analysis identified perceived benefits to research, researchers and service user researchers that endorsed previous findings. The analysis also highlighted subjective and interpersonal aspects of service user involvement that have seldom been reported. This evaluation demonstrates the benefits of allowing time for structured reflection and adds to the understanding of the process and meaning of service user involvement in research.


Arbitrary electromagnetic shaped beams may be described by using expansions over a set of basis functions, with expansion coefficients containing subcoefficients named "beam shape coefficients" (BSCs). When BSCs cannot be obtained in closed form, and/or when the beam description does not exactly satisfy Maxwell's equations, the most efficient method to evaluate the BSCs is to rely on localized approximations. One of them, named the second modified localized approximation, has been presented in a way that may be found ambiguous in some cases. The aim of the present paper is to remove any ambiguity on the use of the second modified localized approximation.


This work is the introduction to a series of volumes that will make available over 2,000 documents from the registers of Jaume the Conqueror at the Crown Archives in Barcelona the most impressive archives of this kind outside the papal series, and the first extensive use of paper by a European government. Originally published in 1985. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.


Hyperspectral imaging (HSI) represents a powerful tool for measuring both the spatial and spectral components of a target. It has a wide variety of uses in marine science, but has previously been restricted to either large spatial scales or laboratory studies. Here, a portable imager is used in field research on biological camouflage and coral/dinoflagellate symbiosis. Mats of the pelagic macroalgae Sargassum represent a complex environment for the study of marine camouflage at the air-sea interface, where endemic organisms have convergently evolved similar colors and patterns. Using HSI, spectral camouflage of two crab species (Portunus sayi and Planes minutus) was assessed. Crabs matched Sargassum reflectance across blue and green wavelengths (400-550 nm) and diverged at longer wavelengths, with maximum discrepancy in the far-red (i.e., 675 nm) due to Chlorophyll a absorption in Sargassum. Predator visual modeling showed that both species have effective color matching against blue/green sensitive dichromat fish, but are discernible to red sensitive, tetrachromat birds. The two species showed opposing trends in background matching with relation to body size. Held in a naturalistic light regime, P. sayi displayed a distinct diel cycle of dark/pale color change not observed under constant illumination. Individuals changed color in response to monochromatic black, grey, and white backgrounds, as integrated reflectance (ΣR) of crabs generally followed background Brandon James Russell – University of Connecticut, 2016 albedo. Dynamic color change in this species may play a photoprotective role, with possible use in enhancing cryptic color matching. The imaging technology and methodology utilized in studying camouflage in the Sargassum environment was then applied to a different area of optical marine science. For stony corals, reflectance is driven by the pigments of photosynthetic endosymbionts. The warm inshore bays and cooler offshore reefs of Palau share a variety of coral species with differing symbiotic dinoflagellates (genus: Symbiodinium). Hyperspectral imagery revealed that coral integrated reflectance (ΣR 400 – 700 nm) had an inverse correlation to symbiont cell density. As hypothesized, coral colonies from offshore (Clade C symbionts) showed greater bleaching response to experimental heating than inshore counterparts with thermally resistant S. trenchii. Although no unique reflectance features were found to distinguish symbiont species, differences related to symbiont density could prove useful in field and remote sensing studies. This dissertation demonstrates the suitability of portable hyperspectral imaging for a variety of field studies in marine science. This includes a unique at-sea use of HSI to study


The medium density fibreboard (MDF) industry is facing shortage of wood resource and tends to utilize non-wood as main raw material. Kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.) has been recognized as one of the potential lignocellulosic
materials to replace wood in this industry. Kenaf consists of two major parts :bast and core, and there were identified have greatly different properties in term
of anatomy, physical and chemical content. Due to these differences, both parts are refined separately and the behaviour of these fibres were observed.
In this study, MDF were manufactured from bast and core fibres of kenaf using various refining conditions from thermo-mechanical pulping (TMP). The fibres were refined at three different digestion pressures of 3, 5 and 7 bar and at temperatures of 140, 160 and 180°C, respectively. Two heating refining times of 3 and 5 minutes were used. The fibre morphology, surface, buffering capacity and size distribution were evaluated. The resulting fibres were used to manufacture MDF panesl at a target density of 700 kg/m3 and using 12% of urea-formaldehyde as binder. The panels were than evaluated according to Malaysian Standard 1787.
Generally, the TMP condition affects the fibre properties of bast and core fibres. Bast produced longer and wider fibres with high aspect ratio compared to core. At highest pressure (7 bar), the waxy surfaces of bast fibres melted while core contained more fines. The pH of core was more acidic compared to bast after refining, where the core was more sensitive to acid and bast was more sensitive
to alkaline.
Among the three refining conditions, the fibres from bast refined with 5 bar pressure for 5 minutes resulted in better mechanical and physical properties of the panels. The panel recorded highest modulus of rupture (MOR) of 22.9 MPa,modulus of elasticity (MOE) of 2113 MPa and internal bonding (IB) of 0.17 MPa. The panel properties were affected by the fibre length and the presence of wax
on fibre surfaces. For core panel, fibres refined at 7 bar pressure for 5 minutes resulted in better mechanical and physical properties with the value of 30.3, 3619 and 0.66 MPa for MOR, MOE and IB, respectively. The bending strength of the panels were availability of more fines produced at higher pressure. The bonding was affected by the properties of the core that was sensitive towards acid, resulted in the sufficient curing between the fibres and adhesive during pressing, thus was producing panels with good bonding properties. The dimensional stability of core panels were more stable compared to bast panel as indicated by the low values in thickness swelling and water absorption. The overall results indicated that bast and core fibre can be used as raw material for MDF manufacture, with right selection of TMP conditions. Panel from core fibre produced better panel properties than bast panel. Thus, core fibre is suitable to be used in the fibreboard productions.


Known exoplanets not only provide excellent targets for students who are learning to acquire data with remote observatories and to process the data but also fulfill a scientific need for repeated measurements to determine the stability of known parameters. We present recent measurements taken by undergraduate students with a remotely accessed telescope at the Dark Skies Observatory Collaborative in West Texas on two well-studied exoplanets. WASP 43b has a published orbital period of 0.81347753 days and its host K7V star has a visual magnitude of 12.4. HD 189733b has a published orbital period of 2.21857312 days around its K1V star of visual magnitude 7.67. Both planets orbit within the corona of their host stars and, as such, appear to experience changes in their orbital periods, transit timings, and other parameters. We examined the historical trends, combined them with our measurements in the mid-transit timings for the stars, and determined there are significant changes. Astronomers– from college students to professionals–need this continued monitoring in order to keep system models up to date.


This paper examines child welfare workers' use of resilience-based knowledge and intervention in a public child welfare system in a county in California. The data for the study were collected from child welfare workers who worked with out-of-home care children (n= 102). Descriptive analysis including chi-square tests was carried out. Findings show that a significant majority of child welfare workers are able to correctly identify risk and protective factors that are central to the concept of resilience. Although a significant majority recognizes the importance of using a resilience-based approach, most workers without a degree in social work are not familiar with it and are not currently using it in their practice. In terms of familiarity with and in the use of resilience-based assessment and interventions, significant differences were found to exist between workers with degrees in social work and workers without degrees in social work. Implications for social work education, agency training, and practice in child welfare are discussed.


The paper starts with the argument that in order to present the EU as a case in comparative regionalism a more inclusive understanding of regions has to be developed. When looking at region building as a social process of institutionalization we get a more encompassing understanding of the robustness of regionalism in different parts of the world and of the particularities of the European system. From this point of view it is not so much the outcome of the Intergovernmental Conference that counts but the political decisions and the daily practise of decentralized actors that shape the institutional setup of the European multilevel system. Apart from theoretical reasoning empiric evidence from several not yet published research projects is presented to support the claim that the EU as a "social construct" is firmly embedded in the ideas of political elites. The EU is, however, and will for a longer future stay a "Europe with states" and though member states institutions are affected by the process of Europeanization, national and even regional policy styles and routines of interest intermediation and policymaking are very stubborn to change


The Monterrey Consensus agreed at the UN summit on Financing for Development in 2002 promised a breakthrough in terms of donor generosity, aid effectiveness and new means of financing. However, the development orientation of world leaders proved to be short-lived. This is even though our evaluation reveals progress since Monterrey in some areas, notably debt relief and private (FDI) flows. Calls for substantially scaling up regular aid had little effect, and financial innovations contributed only marginally to overall development financing so far. There is not much progress either from the perspective of critics focusing on the quality of aid. In particular, we find that the targeting of aid according to need and merit leaves much to be desired. The gap between words and deeds continues to be wide with regard to aid proliferation and donor coordination, too.


Coastal communities are becoming increasingly aware of the risks to local infrastructure from more frequent and severe flooding, more extreme storm surges, and sea-level rise. As local governments are responsible for the lion's share of land use decision-making and infrastructure development in coastal communities in the United States, local governments in the coastal zone will play a key role in adapting to the changing climate.
Local decision-makers are facing hard questions about whether to build new infrastructure, adapt existing infrastructure to new standards, continue maintaining existing infrastructure as is, or abandon infrastructure altogether. Monroe County, Florida, for example, has begun to factor sea-level rise considerations into decisions related to road improvement projects, creating specific design standards addressing elevation and working to weigh the benefits and costs of different adaptation options such as elevating roads. Local governments are making these decisions in the context of increasingly unreliable and aging road systems, all while meeting current stormwater criteria which may require drainage improvements. Local decision-makers also are recognizing that crucial infrastructure decisions that directly affect their adaptation success are sometimes out of their control. In the case of the City of Tybee Island, Georgia, for example, tidal flooding restricts access to U.S. Highway 80 on an ever-increasing basis—yet the highway, the only road leading to the island, is not under the city's jurisdiction but that of the Georgia Department of Transportation. To further complicate matters for local governments, both taking action and failing to act could result in either tort or "takings" liability in cases where a poorly maintained road results in harm to life or loss of property value from diminished access. Using the duty of state and local governments to maintain roads as a focus, this Article explores the complexity of adaptation at the local level as the impacts of climate change become more pronounced.
Specifically, this Article presents an analysis of coastal communities in four South Atlantic states—Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina—that are currently facing questions about how to protect property and infrastructure as sea levels rise and flooding increases. This Article distills the findings of an interdisciplinary research project funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ("NOAA"), Florida Sea Grant, Georgia Sea Grant, South Carolina Sea Grant Consortium, and North Carolina Sea Grant. It also consists of a regional analysis comparing how tort and local government law can both further and hinder climate change resilience planning and climate adaptation efforts across these four states. Given that the federal government has offered little in terms of legislation, policy, or funding to direct or support climate adaptation activities, local efforts—and the litigation that inevitably results—are on the forefront of establishing the framework for defining adaptation policy more broadly and influencing the contours of tort and land use law. This Article, therefore, fills an important research gap in existing climate change literature, as it discusses how increased flooding at the local level is putting pressure on traditional conceptions of government duties, immunities, and authorities. This Article also uses roads as a case study to explore how sea-level rise is altering planning, maintenance, and funding for public infrastructure.
This discussion focuses on local duties and responsibilities to build, rebuild, modify, or maintain existing roads for two primary reasons: (1) it is a widely shared function among jurisdictions and is the most obvious and visible type of infrastructure to the public, and (2) roads and highways, which are crucial to trade, defense, and nation-building, have long been under the purview of government regulation and funding in the United States.  Recently, roads have also become a focal point in local government efforts to address rising sea levels and increased flooding.  While sea-level rise may seem like a distant threat, many of its effects are being felt now, as low-lying coastal areas such as Norfolk, Virginia; Brunswick, Georgia; and Monroe County, Florida are experiencing increased nuisance or "sunny day" flooding occurring during seasonal or average high tides. Such flooding typically affects roads, temporarily closing them and increasing maintenance and repair costs. Residents who rely on these roads, often find themselves cut off from their homes, businesses, workplaces, schools, and local hospitals. In this way, sea-level rise and the flooding associated with it have become increasingly familiar and imminent, making roads the "climate change canary in the coal mine" for local governments.
Part I of this Article briefly discusses recent sea-level rise issues and coastal science most relevant to the South Atlantic states—North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. Part II analyzes and compares each state's road ownership and maintenance duties, first by addressing the threshold question of ownership and jurisdiction, and then by explaining the multi-step analysis that governments must take to evaluate their duties to maintain roads in order to avoid liability. Part II also outlines the wide differences among the four states in our study area and observes a common thread, namely, that in almost each instance, local governments are faced with conflicting pressures that are likely to reward inaction over action and favor short-term political compromises over strategic investments in adaptation. This Part then details how counties and municipalities can discontinue their duties to maintain roads through the process of abandonment and how abandonment can lead to takings liability. Part III offers three proposals for encouraging coordinated adaptation action and protecting local governments that take action to address climate impacts: (1) redefining the scope of the duties that define reasonable conduct for governments in making decisions about public infrastructure in an era of rising sea levels; (2) defining the scope of sovereign immunity protections in a way that encourages innovative and creative decision-making in an era of climate uncertainty; and (3) calling for consistent adaptation duties and authorities at the state level as a crucial first step in mending the regulatory patchwork that currently exists at the state, county, and city levels in our four-state study area. Part IV concludes with a summary of observations and recommended next steps.


Glutathione biosynthesis catalysed by GCL (glutamate-cysteine ligase) and GS (glutathione synthetase) is essential for maintaining redox homoeostasis and protection against oxidative damage in diverse eukaroytes and bacteria. This biosynthetic pathway probably evolved in cyanobacteria with the advent of oxygenic photosynthesis, but the biochemical characteristics of progenitor GCLs and GSs in these organisms are largely unexplored. In the present study we examined SynGCL and SynGS from Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 using steady-state kinetics. Although SynGCL shares ~15% sequence identity with the enzyme from plants and α-proteobacteria, sequence comparison suggests that these enzymes share similar active site residues. Biochemically, SynGCL lacks the redox regulation associated with the plant enzymes and functions as a monomeric protein, indicating that evolution of redox regulation occurred later in the green lineage. Site-directed mutagenesis of SynGCL establishes this enzyme as part of the plant-like GCL family and identifies a catalytically essential arginine residue, which is structurally conserved across all forms of GCLs, including those from non-plant eukaryotes and γ-proteobacteria. A reaction mechanism for the synthesis of γ-glutamylcysteine by GCLs is proposed. Biochemical and kinetic analysis of SynGS reveals that this enzyme shares properties with other prokaryotic GSs. Initial velocity and product inhibition studies used to examine the kinetic mechanism of SynGS suggest that it and other prokaryotic GSs uses a random ter-reactant mechanism for the synthesis of glutathione. The present study provides new insight on the molecular mechanisms and evolution of glutathione biosynthesis; a key process required for enhancing bioenergy production in photosynthetic organisms.


We present an annularly distributed phase-only mask that generates an axial irradiance distribution identical to the point spread function of the Dowski-Cathey lens [Appl. Opt. 34, 1859 (1995)]. This apodizer has an ambiguity function with a bow-tie effect, and consequently its axial modulation transfer function varies slowly with spherical aberration.


Entrepreneurship is often used as a synonym for starting up a new business. Existing SMEs — from purchasing to succession — are all too often left out of the picture. This booklet tells the stories of those involved in handing over their businesses to the next generation. It's an honest and straightforward account of incumbents and their young successors. Ten case studies show the complexity of the succession process from a range of perspectives. The new generation of business owners show that they are go-getters who aim for growth and are eager to renew the firm. With some support they are capable to run the business — often to the surprise of the incumbents. Being better educated the successors bring in new abilities, like digital skills, recognize new opportunities and markets and seem to have a stronger strategic orientation. Incumbent often value their contributions, but sometimes the new ideas lead to tensions. It seems special programmes and graduation projects on business acquisitions and family succession help to ensure hand-overs more quickly. The first step though is to start a dialogue with the current owner — that will often be the current boss or the parents. Incumbents often give their successors some freedom, but they expect initiatives to come from the younger generation and a strong commitment. Because running a business isn't just a part of your life — it is your life.


Economic theory says that participants in 401(k) plans should gradually rebalance their portfolios away from stocks and toward less risky bonds as they approach retirement. Conventional target date funds attempt to do so by automatically rebalancing the household's portfolio periodically, but they take account of only one aspect of the individual: his expected retirement age. This paper investigates whether plan providers could improve on this "one-size-fits-all" approach by making use of information that is known to the employer, namely each employee's income, 401(k) balance, and saving rate. Using a stochastic dynamic optimization model, incorporating both labor- and financial-market risk, it calculates the compensation a household following an optimal portfolio allocation would require for adopting three alternatives: a typical, a "one-size-fits-all," or a "semi-personalized" portfolio allocation.


[Back Cover] Supramolecular chemistry deals with the organisation of molecules into defined assemblies using non-covalent interactions, including weaker and reversible interactions such as hydrogen bonds, and metal-ligand interactions. The aspect of stereochemistry within such chemical architectures, and in particular chirality, is of special interest as it impacts on considerations of molecular recognition, the development of functional materials, the vexed question of homochirality, nanoscale effects of interactions at interfaces, biocatalysis and enzymatic catalysis, and applications in organic synthesis. Chirality in Supramolecular Assemblies addresses many of these aspects, presenting a broad overview of this important and rapidly developing interdisciplinary field. Topics covered include:

Origins of molecular and topological chirality

Homochirogenesis

Chirality in crystallinity

Host-guest behavior

Chiral influences in functional materials

Chirality in network solids and coordination solids

Aspects of chirality at interfaces

Chirality in organic assemblies

Chirality related to biocatalysis and enzymes in organic synthesis

This book is a valuable reference for researchers in the molecular sciences, materials science and biological science working with chiral supramolecular systems. It provides summaries and special insights by acknowledged international experts in the various fields.


Xenomelia is the oppressive feeling that one or more limbs of one's body do not belong to one's self. We present the results of a thorough examination of the characteristics of the disorder in 15 males with a strong desire for amputation of one or both legs. The feeling of estrangement had been present since early childhood and was limited to a precisely demarcated part of the leg in all individuals. Neurological status examination and neuropsychological testing were normal in all participants, and psychiatric evaluation ruled out the presence of a psychotic disorder. In 13 individuals and in 13 pair-matched control participants, magnetic resonance imaging was performed, and surface-based morphometry revealed significant group differences in cortical architecture. In the right hemisphere, participants with xenomelia showed reduced cortical thickness in the superior parietal lobule and reduced cortical surface area in the primary and secondary somatosensory cortices, in the inferior parietal lobule, as well as in the anterior insular cortex. A cluster of increased thickness was located in the central sulcus. In the left hemisphere, affected individuals evinced a larger cortical surface area in the inferior parietal lobule and secondary somatosensory cortex. Although of modest size, these structural correlates of xenomelia appear meaningful when discussed against the background of some key clinical features of the disorder. Thus, the predominantly right-sided cortical abnormalities are in line with a strong bias for left-sided limbs as the target of the amputation desire, evident both in our sample and in previously described populations with xenomelia. We also propose that the higher incidence of lower compared with upper limbs (∼80% according to previous investigations) may explain the erotic connotations typically associated with xenomelia, also in the present sample. These may have their roots in the proximity of primary somatosensory cortex for leg representation, whose surface area was reduced in the participants with xenomelia, with that of the genitals. Alternatively, the spatial adjacency of secondary somatosensory cortex for leg representation and the anterior insula, the latter known to mediate sexual arousal beyond that induced by direct tactile stimulation of the genital area, might play a role. Although the right hemisphere regions of significant neuroarchitectural correlates of xenomelia are part of a network reportedly subserving body ownership, it remains unclear whether the structural alterations are the cause or rather the consequence of the long-standing and pervasive mismatch between body and self.


In order to test the adaptability of a homogenization scheme originally developed for dry granular media, a micromechanical constitutive law for three-dimensional monodisperse wet foam is developed. The advantage of the homogenization scheme is that it provides a link between the discrete bubble-scale microstructure and the continuum quantities of stress and deformation. Furthermore, the resulting constitutive law is in terms of physical material properties (e.g., fluid viscosity, surface tension, and bubble radius) rather than the more phenomenological parameters, such as power-law indices, etc. Hence, predictions of the continuum model can be, and are, compared directly to experiments and simulations. Many of the general features of foam behavior are reproduced, including small-strain elasticity, dependence on gas fraction, and Bingham plastic type deformation rate dependency. However, the current micromechanical continuum model substantially overestimates the static shear modulus and yield stress of foams in comparison to simulations and experiments. This discrepancy is due to the adoption of a mean-field assumption for the deformation in the current model. It is then argued that future micromechanical continuum models for foams cannot neglect the nonaffine motions associated with bubble rearrangements. Finally, for both foams and granular materials, our study indicates that the uniform deformation assumption is only valid near the critical packing of monodisperse spherical particles.


ABSTRACT The aim of this article is to discuss and assess the tension between ideas that underpin the revolution in military affairs (RMA) and the changing nature of post-Cold War conflict with specific reference to the nature of low-intensity conflict (LIC). The United States' (US) view of an RMA is used as a point of departure as it forms part of the mainstream thinking on the debate. It is argued that the conventional and inter-state war paradigm in the current RMA-debate seems largely irrelevant to the nature of LIC, which is the most probable type of conflict strong powers will face in future. The terror attacks on the US on 11 September 2001 reinforced this critique of the RMA vision and indicated the rise of asymmetric strategies. Hence this article discusses the tension between RMA-thinking and the nature of LIC, also considering the impact of September 11. It addresses the preparation for certain scenarios, existing national values, operational thinking and the use of military instruments. 1. INTRODUCTION The success of the United States (US) military during the 1991 Gulf War and the performance of American high-technology weapons, as well as Respectively academic assistant and lecturer in the Faculty of Military Science, University of Stellenbosch. This article was written before the 2003 war in Iraq. the pace of innovation in computers and sensors have convinced many military analysts that the US is on the verge of a revolution in military affairs (RMA). (1) The US Department of Defence has, however, not embraced all the drastic changes proposed by some RMA-advocates to bring about revolutionary change. Therefore, change within the US military will most probably remain evolutionary in kind. (2) The optimism surrounding the RMA-thesis in the US is focused on advances in precision munitions, data processing and other modern technologies judged to transform the nature of future war. (3) Although many countries partake in the debate on RMA-issues, the US military is the leader in this field and continues to define the direction of mainstream thinking. (4) The RMA-thesis has however been questioned in terms of feasibility and its relevance in dealing with future security challenges (even in Europe). (5) The conventional military focus of the RMA-debate in the face of the remaining prominence of low-intensity conflict (LIC) after the Cold War became an object of criticism. The current RMA-debate acknowledges LIC, but it does not elaborate upon it. (6) This negation is the result of current strategic thinking and preparation for future inter-state wars whilst national values and other societal variables play a role as well. The first section of the article discusses the changing nature of conflict in the post-Cold War era and highlights the prominence of LIC, especially within the Third World. The following section deals with the lack of consensus among scholars and states on the meaning of the concept RMA, and what qualifies as an RMA. In conclusion, the influence of the terror attacks on 11 September 2001 is assessed with specific reference to the tension between the ideas of an RMA and the realities of LIC. 2. THE CHANGING NATURE OF POST-COLD WAR CONFLICT According to Hippler, military conflicts can be ordered in a three tiered conflict spectrum. (7) The lowest level of conflict is the shortest in duration and has the lowest levels of force and input. The highest level of conflict is a strategic nuclear war. Total wars, such as the Second World War, are placed in the category of high-intensity conflict, while the Korean and Vietnam Wars are referred to as medium-intensity conflicts. The conflicts below the high and mid-level conventional wars are referred to as low-intensity conflicts. In this context, LIC is defined as "politico-military confrontation between contending states or groups below conventional war and above the routine peaceful competition among nations. …


"Hypertension is increasing rapidly in most low and middle income countries. The actual burden of Hypertension in urban and rural India is often under estimated. There is a felt need to define actual burden of the disease and to determine the geographic dif-ferences in the prevalence of hypertension and the risk factors associated.
Methodology: The present study was a across-sectional study conducted in Mysore district. Study included a total of 793 subjects. Individuals greater than 30 years of age were included. Data regarding basic demographic characteristics were collected along with anthropometric measurements including height and weight.
Results: Prevalence of hypertension was 31.4% and 25.0% from urban and rural area respectively & was statistically significant (p=0.04). Factors such as salt intake, tobacco consumption, alcohol consumption, stress had a significant association (P < 0.05).
Conclusion: The prevalence of hypertension was high in urban area (31.4%). Though prevalence of hypertension in rural area is low when compared to urban, it can be observed that it is increasing over time to match the urban rate. Present study emphasizes the fact that various risk factors are associated with the prevalence of hypertension."


A test which partitions subjects into those who appear to use an algorithmic model of program execution and those who do not has been automated. Experiments have been conducted in a UK school with a year cohort of students aged 13-14 and in a Mexican university with a cohort of novice computer scientists. In the school about a third of subjects appeared to use an algorithmic model, which we find surprisingly many; in the university there were around half in the same category, which is in line with university results in the UK. Operation of the online test and the analysis tool is described. Interviews with subjects in the school revealed some ways in which the algorithmic classification may be expanded. End-of-course results are not yet available for the test subjects, so statistical associations have not yet been explored.


In this paper, we generalize some existing results on Boolean functions to the q-ary functions defined over Zq, where q ≥ 2 is an integer, and obtain some new characterization of q-ary functions based on spectral analysis. We provide a relationship between WalshHadamard spectra of two p-ary functions f and g (for p a prime) and their derivative Df,g. We provide a relationship between the Walsh-Hadamard spectra and the decompositions of any two p-ary functions. Further, we investigate a relationship between the Walsh-Hadamard spectra and the autocorrelation of any two q-ary functions.


Non-paired nucleotides stabilize the formation of three-way helical DNA junctions. Two or more unpaired nucleotides located in the junction region enable oligomers ten to fifteen nucleotides long to assemble, forming conformationally homogeneous junctions, as judged by native gel electrophoresis. The unpaired bases can be present on the same strand or on two different strands. Up to five extra bases on one strand have been tested and found to produce stable junctions. The formation of stable structures is favored by the presence of a divalent cation such as magnesium and by high monovalent salt concentration. The order-disorder transition of representative three-way junctions was monitored optically in the ultraviolet and analyzed to quantify thermodynamically the stabilization provided by unpaired bases in the junction region. We report the first measurements of the thermodynamics of adding an unpaired nucleotide to a nucleic acid three-way junction. We find that delta delta G degrees (37 degrees C) = +0.5 kcal/mol for increasing the number of unpaired adenosines from two to three. Three-way junctions having reporter arms 40 base-pairs long were also prepared. Each of the three reporter arms contained a unique restriction site 15 base-pairs from the junction. Asymmetric complexes produced by selectively cleaving each arm were analyzed on native gels. Cleavage of the double helical arm opposite the strand having the two extra adenosines resulted in a complex that migrated more slowly than complexes produced by cleavage at either of the other two arms. It is likely that the strand containing the unpaired adenosines is kinked at an acute angle, forming a Y-shaped, rather than a T-shaped junction.


ABSTRACT Stimulated by Italian philosopher Giorgio Agamben's thought-provoking claim that the 'state of exception' is becoming the dominant paradigm of government, this article explores what role, if any, the exception plays in the law of the global economy. The article first develops the conceptual lens to examine the complex legal arrangements governing cross-border economic relations. It then examines two examples to assess the explanatory power of the state of exception paradigm in spatially defined sites for the production and export of manufactured goods, and in insulated contractual regimes governing the extraction of natural resources. The findings point to the relevance of debates about the exception to the structuring of transnational economic relations, but in configurations that significantly depart from Agamben's theories. The findings provide insights for reconceptualising the relationships between rule and exception, between the global and the national, and between territory and sovereignty.


The neurodevelopmental toxicity of isoflurane has been proved by many studies, which makes it essential to explore the underline mechanisms and search for protective agents to attenuate its neurotoxcity. Accumulating evidence showed that L-theanine had neuroprotective effects on injured neurons and the developing brain. The present study was designed to investigate whether L-theanine could attenuate isoflurane-induced damage in neural stem cells and cognitive impairment in young mice, and to discuss the role of Akt/GSK-3β signaling pathway in this process. Multipotential neural stem cells (NSCs) and C57BL/6J mice were treated with either gas mixture, isoflurane, or L-theanine 30 min prior to isoflurane exposure, respectively. NSC viability was detected by CCK-8 assay. NSC proliferation and apoptosis were assessed by immunofluorescence and TUNEL assay, respectively. The levels of cleaved caspase-3 and p-Akt and p-GSK-3β in NSCs were tested by Western blotting. Cognitive function of mice was tested by Morris Water Maze at postnatal day (P) 30-35. The results indicated that isoflurane exposure inhibited NSC viability and proliferation, promoted NSC apoptosis as well as increased caspase-3 activation and down-regulated the expressions of p-Akt and p-GSK-3β in NSCs, and that isoflurane exposure on neonatal mice would induce late cognitive impairment. Pretreatment with L-theanine could attenuate isoflurane-caused damage in NSCs and cognitive deficits in young mice. Addinonally, the protective effects of L-theanine on isoflurane-injured NSCs could be reversed by Akt inhibitor Triciribine. Our data showed that pretreatment with L-theanine eliminated the NSC damage and cognitive impairment induced by isoflurane exposure, and that the neuroprotective effect of L-theanine was associated with the Akt/GSK-3β signaling pathway.


Simple evapotranspiration models with few data requirements and Penman reference evapotranspiration for grass ( E ref ) limiting the actual evapotranspiration are often used to estimate chemical fluxes in ecosystems. The aim of this paper is to show how much the interception loss might exceed E ref in a wind-exposed Danish Sitka spruce stand and to demonstrate the importance of the evaluation of model performance, here represented by throughfall measurements and chemical fluxes. Precipitation, throughfall, soil moisture and soil water chemistry were measured monthly for 1.5 years. Model input was daily precipitation, E ref , leaf area index, root distribution and plant available water. The model interception loss was calculated using an empirical relationship between precipitation and interception loss that was calibrated against the measured interception loss. Interception loss was found to be unusually high, on average 58% of precipitation, which was supported by measurements from two other years with interception losses from 62–68% of precipitation. Transpiration and evaporation from soil were constrained by E ref . The modelled percolation was compared to percolation calculated by a chloride mass balance based on measured values. The percolation was only about 20% of precipitation due to the exceptionally high interception loss, which exceeded E ref by almost 50%. Therefore, in wind-exposed forest stands the interception loss should be modelled separately, as done here, and be calibrated on measured values.


Throughout the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, multiple waves of variants of concern have swept across populations, leading to a chain of new and yet more contagious lineages dominating COVID-19 cases. Here, we tracked the remarkably rapid shift from Omicron BA.1 to BA.2 sub-variant dominance in the Swedish population during January-March 2022. By analysis of 174,933 clinical nasopharyngeal swab samples using a custom variant-typing RT-PCR assay, we uncover nearly two-fold higher levels of viral RNA in cases with Omicron BA.2. Importantly, increased viral load in the upper pharynx upon BA.2 infection may provide part of the explanation why Omicron BA.2 is more transmissible and currently outcompetes the BA.1 variant across populations.


The popular BFGS quasi-Newton minimization algorithm under reasonable conditions converges globally on smooth convex functions. This result was proved by Powell in 1976: we consider its implications for functions that are not smooth. In particular, an analogous convergence result holds for functions, like the Euclidean norm, that are nonsmooth at the minimizer.


A large number of optimization problems have been identified as computationally challenging and/or intractable to solve within a reasonable amount of time. Due to the NP-hard nature of these problems, in practice, heuristics account for the majority of existing algorithms. Metaheuristics are one very popular type of heuristics used for many of these optimization problems. In this paper, we present a novel parallel-metaheuristic framework, which effectively enables to devise parallel metaheuristics, particularly with heterogeneous metaheuristics. The core component of the proposed framework is its harmony-search-based coordinator. Harmony search is a recent breed of metaheuristic that mimics the improvisation process of musicians. The coordinator facilitates heterogeneous metaheuristics (forming a parallel metaheuristic) to escape local optima. Specifically, best solutions generated by these worker metaheuristics are maintained in the harmony memory of the coordinator, and they are used to form new-possibly better-harmonies (solutions) before actual solution sharing between workers occurs; hence, their solutions are harmonized with each other. For the applicability validation and the performance evaluation, we have implemented a parallel hybrid metaheuristic using the framework for the task scheduling problem on multiprocessor computing systems (e.g., computer clusters). Experimental results verify that the proposed framework is a compelling approach to parallelize heterogeneous metaheuristics.


This paper presents M-Planning, a mobile tool to support collaborative planning, and its conjunction use with the IX Process Panels. M-Planning works like an intelligent mobile panel for agents on the move. The tool permits agents' interaction, visualisation and manipulation of information related to collaborative processes of planning. The architecture of the M-Planning tool is integrated with the I-X System, and based on some of its concepts. The relevant I-X concepts for this work are discussed in the paper. M-Planning is intended to be used in real world domains and applications. To motivate and illustrate MPlanning use, a mixed initiative planning application is described in a fictitious scenario of disaster relief operations.


Scala is a modern programming language for the Java Virtual Machine (JVM) that combines the best features of object-oriented and functional programming languages. Using Scala, you can write programs more concisely than in Java, as well as leverage the full power of concurrency. Since Scala runs on the JVM, it can access any Java library and is interoperable with Java frameworks. Scala for the Impatient concisely shows developers what Scala can do and how to do it. In this book, Cay Horstmann, the principal author of the international best-selling Core Java, offers a rapid, code-based introduction thats completely practical. Horstmann introduces Scala concepts and techniques in blog-sized chunks that you can quickly master and apply. Hands-on activities guide you through well-defined stages of competency, from basic to expert. Coverage includes Getting started quickly with Scalas interpreter, syntax, tools, and unique idioms Mastering core language features: functions, arrays, maps, tuples, packages, imports, exception handling, and more Becoming familiar with object-oriented programming in Scala: classes, inheritance, and traits Using Scala for real-world programming tasks: working with files, regular expressions, and XML Working with higher-order functions and the powerful Scala collections library Leveraging Scalas powerful pattern matching and case classes Creating concurrent programs with Scala actors Implementing domain-specific languages Understanding the Scala type system Applying advanced power tools such as annotations, implicits, and delimited continuations Scala is rapidly reaching a tipping point that will reshape the experience of programming. This book will help object-oriented programmers build on their existing skills, allowing them to immediately construct useful applications as they gradually master advanced programming techniques.


Despite concentrated research and important legislative milestones on gender equality over the past quarter-century, gender-related disparities in science, technology, and math careers persist into the 21st century. This persistence sustains a troubling state of gender inequity in which women are not sharing in the salary and status advantages attached to scientific and technical careers. In this landmark volume, editors Watt and Eccles, both well known for their research contributions in this area, compile a rich source of longitudinal analysis that places the problem in context.Experts from different countries in the fields of developmental and social psychology, human development, biology, education, and sociology draw on multi-wave longitudinal data on the gender-related variables that influence occupational outcomes. Together, the studies bring a variety of perspectives, theoretical models, and cultural settings to bear on the book's central questions. Further, the book examines the implications these results have for policy, suggesting which circumstances may be most conducive to promoting a more comprehensive and realistic understanding of gender differences in career choice and persistence. Detailed explanations of study design will serve as a resource for future researchers in this area.


When the armies of King William of Prussia crushed the field forces of Austria one of Europe's leading powers, in Bohemia in 1866, they paved the way for German Unification. It was to take place in 1871 after another stunning victory over the French army, which had been considered to be the finest in the world. Both victories came as a surprise to the contemporaries. Even until today they seem to require an explanation.

It is assumed that the Prussian army underwent a series of drastic reforms immediately before the Wars of German Unification. Besides a reorganization of the army structure the main elements of this "military revolution." were the rise of the modern general staff, the introduction of the needle—gun, the beginning of the military use of railways and telegraphs, reforms in military education, and in strategy and tactics.

Modern historiography, however, has to ask whether that concept of a military revolution in Prussia immediately before the Wars of Unification really makes any sense. With good reason, one can as well argue that the political circumstances of the founding of the Second German Empire were responsible for the creation of a myth we still adhere to.


OBJECTIVES
Few social ecological studies have considered the joint effects of intrapersonal and environmental influences on physical activity. This study investigated the interaction of self-efficacy and perceived neighborhood walkability in predicting neighborhood-based physical activity and how this relationship varied by gender and body mass index.

METHODS
Data were derived from a cross-sectional investigation of environmental and psychosocial correlates of physical activity among adults (n = 585). Participants completed a detailed 7-day physical activity log booklet, along with a questionnaire that included measures of neighborhood walkability, self-efficacy, and several sociodemographic items. Factorial analysis of variance tests were used to examine the main effects of and interaction between walkability and self-efficacy.

RESULTS
In predicting neighborhood-based physical activity, significant interactions were observed between self-efficacy and neighborhood walkability for females (but not for males) and for overweight/obese participants (but not for healthy weight individuals). Women and overweight/obese individuals with low self-efficacy demonstrated substantially greater physical activity when living in a high walkable neighborhood.

CONCLUSIONS
Physical activity research and promotion efforts should take into account both environmental and personal factors and the interrelationships between them that influence active living.


A novel method for impregnating extractants to a polymeric porous membrane of hollow-fiber form was suggested to collect metal ions at high rate by permeating a metal-ion-containing solution through the pores of the extractant-impregnated porous membrane. The extractants, such as HDEHP, Cyanex 272, TOPO, and Aliquat 336, were impregnated to the polymer chain grafted onto the pore surface of the porous membrane via a hydrophobic interaction between the hydrophobic moiety contained in the extractant and the long alkyl chain introduced into the graft chain. The amounts of extractants impregnated ranged from 1.2 to 2.1 mole per kg of the GMA-grafted porous membrane, which was comparable to and higher than those of conventional extractant-impregnated beadous resins. For the impregnation of the neutral and basic extractants, the diol and carboxypentylamino groups, respectively, coexist-ing with hydrophobic groups of the graft chain worked well to retain the permeability after impregnation and to increase the amount of the extractant impregnated. The extractants impregnated to the graft chain were found to bind the metal ions efficiently, i.e., at a molar binding efficiency of 100%. In addition, no deterioration of the amount of metal ions adsorbed after the repeated uses of adsorption and elution procedures revealed that the leakage of the extractants from the graft chain was negligible.


The low cost simplified method for implementation of pressure-assisted osmotic (PAO) backwash (BW) for spiral wound reverse osmosis (RO) membrane module is presented in this work. The effect of membrane design and an operating parameter concerning the efficiency of PAO membrane BW is analyzed. The following design and operating parameters are considered in this study: (i) spacer thickness, (ii) dimension of the permeate channel, (iii) number of leaves, and (iv) BW water pressure. The performance of PAO BW with respect to membrane cleaning efficiency is analyzed for three different high recovery RO systems by purifying 1,500 liters of water. The membrane cleaning efficiency is measured by examining the rate of permeate quality and quantity decline using ASTM D4516 method. Finally, to quantify the membrane fouling with respect to different high recovery configurations, the thickness, and composition of foulants present in the used membrane's surface are measured by using field emission scanning electron microscope with energy dispersive X-ray (FESEM-EDX). The result concludes that the RO membrane operated at high recovery with PAO BW is found to have less fouling deposits than membrane without PAO BW.


Although there is increasing evidence of risky consensual sex among young people in developing countries, non-consensual sexual experiences among them have rarely been studied and few interventions have been designed to protect them from the risks of such experiences. However, what is available suggests that coercion and unwantedness may play a considerable role in the sexual relations of young people — girls and young women but also boys and young men. The implications of non-consensual sexual experiences for young people's rights, their health and development and the risks they pose in the transition to adulthood are enormous. This review collates what is known about non-consensual sexual experiences of young people — those aged 10–24 — in developing countries, synthesises from this a profile of the magnitude and correlates of sexual coercion, and draws lessons for the implementation of appropriate programmes. Notwithstanding significant methodological limitations, the few available studies provide several common insights and have suggested that although definitions, study populations and study designs may differ, making comparison difficult, nonconsensual sex is indeed experienced by disturbing proportions of young people in all settings from which data were drawn. Non-consensual sex is experienced largely by girls and women, but also by boys and men. While studied largely among the unmarried, there is evidence that it is commonplace among married couples as well. It occurs largely among individuals who are acquainted with each other. It covers a continuum of behaviours ranging from unwanted verbal advances to unwanted touch to assault and forced sex, as well as sex in exchange for money, gifts, food or protection. The consequences of sexual coercion are formidable: they are short and long-term; and have physical, psychological and social effects. Sexual health manifestations range from unintended pregnancy, abortion and infection to risk-taking behaviours, including early onset of consensual sex, multiple partner relations and non-use of condoms. Psychological outcomes range from symptoms of anxiety and depression to suicide attempts. School performance can also be affected. A number of obstacles inhibit adolescents from protecting themselves from non-consensual sexual relations and from taking action against a perpetrator or to withdraw from a coercive relationship. Gender double standards and expectations of women and men in the sexual arena dominate these obstacles. Communication and negotiation on sexual matters, moreover, tend to be difficult and are often replaced by actions that include force and violence to resolve differences. The lack of a supportive environment and trusted adults and peers to consult on sexual health matters may also enhance young people's (and particularly young women's) vulnerability to coercive sexual relations. And finally, perceptions of institutional indifference — at the community, school, crime and health sector levels — can inhibit help-seeking both among victims as well as others who may wish to seek counselling on how to confront a potentially threatening situation. We conclude with a discussion of programmatic and research priorities.


The hydrochemical characterization of the Amazon river and its main tributaries was used to avaluate the chemical erosin and silicate weathering study in the drainage basin. The geochemical model used was based on the stoichiometry dissolution and hydrolysis of different minerals associated with the comsumption of atmospheric/soil CO2 by the rock weathering. This study confirms the important role of the Andes in the solute riverine transports of dissolved and particulate material by the Amazon, and it shows that the silicate weathering rate and the atmospheric/soil CO2 consumed are higher in the Andes than in the rest of the Amazon Basin. The average silicate weathering rate estimated for the whole Amazon basin (14,8 m/My) and the average specific fluxes of atmospheric/soil CO2 consumed in the process (331x10 3) moles/km2.y) is comparable to other estimations made for other tropical-equatorial environments.


The aim of this article is to investigate the relationship between values and white-collar crime. The analyses draw on pooled survey data covering 14 European countries. The value constructs are derived on the basis of the theory of basic human values and seven value constructs are tested in relation to three types of white-collar crime: tax evasion, insurance fraud and bribery. The results show that a majority of the value constructs are statistically significantly related to white-collar crime in the expected direction. The relationships between values and white-collar crime are particularly clear-cut regarding tax evasion and insurance fraud but more mixed regarding bribery. The value constructs 'universalism/benevolence', 'power/achievement' and 'stimulation' yield consistent results across all three crime types. 'Universalism/benevolence' levels are negatively associated, while 'power/achievement' and 'stimulation' levels are positively associated, with odds of having committed white-collar crime. The results suggest that values are relevant predictors when trying to account for variation in white-collar offending.


Even the youngest children in primary schools are now required not only to make art, but also to study it, developing an understanding of the huge variety of art and craft from different times and places. But how do teachers actually tackle this, when most have not studied art themselves? This collection brings together case studies to show how a variety of teachers have used one particular art collection as a focus for practical art. Throughout, the voices of the children involved show us how they react to their encounters with art objects. This wealth of first hand evidence and practical experience will benefit all teachers.


The rosy apple aphid, Dysaphis plantaginea Pass., is a major pest in apple orchards in Belgium. Two micro-hymenopteran parasitoids Aphidius matricariae Haliday and Ephedrus cerasicola Stary are potentially capable of controlling this pest. However, when released in orchards the adult parasitoids tend to disperse. Based on the results of previous work it is proposed that the reason is that the artificial diet in which they are raised does not contain the odors that enable the parasitoids to identify the habitat where there are suitable aphid hosts. To optimize the control and make it economically effective it is important to reduce dispersal. This might be done by conditioning parasitoids during rearing by exposing them to the odors associated with orchards. The odor used in this study was a hydrodistillate of apple leaves, the main host-plant of the targeted aphid. Two methods of conditioning were used: 1) soaking mummies of the parasitoid in pure hydrodistillate, 2) including a defined concentration of hydrodistillate in the artificial diet used for rearing the parasitoid. They were exposed to either a dilution of 100x, 200x and 1000x in two consecutive generations. The response of adult parasitoids to odors was determined using a dual choice olfactometer. Of the E. cerasicola conditioned by soaking the mummies 70-75% of individuals were attracted to the odor of plants infested with D. plantaginea compared to the 55-60% in the controls. The A.matricariae that were conditioned by feeding them artificial diets containing different concentrations of apple odor for one or two generations, showed no preference for the odor of apple leaves. Second generation adults of E. cerasicola exposed to a 200 times dilution of pure hydrodistillate showed a more marked response to apple odor.


This paper uses inequality decomposition techniques in order to analyse the consequences of entrepreneurial activities to household income inequality in southern Ethiopia. A uniform increase in entrepreneurial income reduces per capita household income inequality. This implies that encouraging rural entrepreneurship may be favourable for both income growth and income distribution. Such policies could be particularly successful if directed at the low-income, low-wealth, and relatively uneducated segments of the society.


Czestochowa University of Technology, Institute of Internal Combustion Engines and Control Engineering, ul. Armii Krajowej 21, 42-201 Czestochowa, Poland Results of a research study into the velocity field in combustion chamber of internal combustion engine are presented in the paper. Measurements of fresh charge flow velocity in the cylinder axis and near the cylinder squeezing surface were performed. The hot-wire anemometer was used. The measurement results were used for analysis of turbulence field in the examined combustion chamber. It turned out that in the axis of cylinder the maximum of velocity occurs 30 deg before TDC and achieves 6 m/s. In the studied combustion chamber, the maximum value of turbulence intensity was close to 0.2 and it was achieved 35 deg BTDC. Additionally, the maximal velocity dispersion in the following cycles of the researched engine was at the level of 2 m/s, which is 35% of the maximum value of flow velocity. At a point located near the squeezing surface of the piston, a similar level of turbulence, but a the smaller value of the average velocity was achieved. The turbulence field turned out to be inhomogeneous in the combustion chamber.


Focused gas and fluid flow of cold seep ecosystems is often characterized by carbonate precipitation processes fueled by hydrocarbon-rich fluids and microbial activity. In various geological settings the seabed leakage is methane dominated and accompanied by the formation of long-lasting hard substrates and open channels. These fluid pathways are connecting deeper levels of the sediment column with the bottom water, bridging the diffusive processes at the sediment/water-interface. Understanding and quantifying feedback mechanisms between hydrocarbon-sources, ocean chemistry, and climate requires detailed data about the dynamics of seafloor methane emanation
throughout geological time. Authigenic carbonates from these ecosystems represent in many cases unique archives of marine methane emanation by their geobiological, geochemical, mineralogical, and structural inventory. Precise and high resolution geochronology of these archives provides new insights into the rate and duration of precipitation processes, the related microbial activity and a base for the reconstruction of paleoactivity of natural seepage. The actual data set of our compilatory study is spanning a wide range in space and time. It covers different geological circum-Pacific settings (South China Sea, Costa Rica & Nicaragua, Chile, New Zealand), including more than 200 thousand years old archives (Hydrate Ridge, off Oregon) and recent methane-related carbonates from Black Sea and Mediterranean Sea. Special emphasis is actually given to new insights into growth structures, emplacement processes, mineralogy and high resolution geochemistry of mud mound and escarpment related carbonates from the Central American Forearc as well as to new findings on seep systems off Chile (cruise Sonne 210) applying a ROV-operated diamond chain saw sampling system.
In a rather complex case study carbonate drill cores decipher the late stage evolution of mound
growth and related methane enriched fluid emanation during the last 70 000 years off Costa Rica. A broad range in &13C from -22 to -36‰ (mounds) and -43 to -56‰ (escarpment) is covered, reflecting different hydrocarbon sources and/or varying fluid/seawater-ratios. Whereas the &18O signatures indicate a systematic variation between 3.8 - 5.3‰ (mounds) and 4.2 - 5.1‰ (escarpment) in close correlation with their ages (U-Th geochronology [1]) and the record of seawater evolution. Combining high resolution observations of growth structures (fluorescence microscopy) and analyses of Cl-S-C distribution pattern (electron microprobe) decipher multiple phases of carbonate precipitation separated by micrometer scaled layers of residual organic matter (e.g. 50 alternations on 3 mm). The latter are interpreted to be attached onto crystal surfaces during phases of rather stagnant or low fluid flow, respectively. On long time scales, the circum-Pacific data set indicates sea level decrease as an important enhancement factor for focused fluid flow via increasing pore water buoyancy, destabilization of gas hydrates and related fluxes from underlying free gas deposits upon hydraulic pressure release. Data from tectonically highly active settings imply structural changes as major control on initiation and position of cold seeps and their activation on short time scales [2, 3].
References: [1] Hammerich et al. (2007) Terra Nostra. [2] Kutterolf et al. (2008) Geology, doi: 10.1130/G24806A [3]
Liebetrau et al. (2010) MG, doi:10.1016/j.margeo.2010.01.003.


Abstract. There are three main activities of General Directorate of Land Registry and Cadastre. These are Mapping, Land Registry and Cadastre. Geomatic Department is responsible for mapping activities. The most important projects like TUSAGA-Aktif (CORS-Tr), Metadata Geoportal, Orthophoto Production and orthophoto web services and preparation of Turkish NSDI Feasibility Report have been conducted and completed by this department's specialists since 2005. TUSAGA-Aktif (CORS-Tr) System, serves location information at cm level accuracy in Turkey and TR Nortern Cyprus in few seconds, where adequate numbers of GNSS satellites are observed and communication possibilities are present. No ground control points and benchmarks are necessary. There are 146 permanent GNSS stations within the CORS-Tr System. Station data are transferred online to the main control center located in the Mapping Department of the General Directorate of Land Registry and Cadastre and to the control center located in the General Command of Mapping. Currently CORS-Tr has more than 9000 users. Most of them are private companies working for governmental organization. Providing data communication between control center and both GNSS station and users via trusted and good substructure is important. Additionally, protection of the system and data against cyber attacks from domestic and foreign sources is important. This paper focuses on data communication and security issues of GNSS network named TUSAGA-Aktif.


The PETRA facility at the Tritium Laboratory Karlsruhe (TLK) has finished its useful life and the glove box and auxiliary systems are being refurbished. During the lifetime of PETRA the glove box became contaminated with a small amount of tritium but the source has not been positively identified. Removing large redundant components would be hazardous as this would require removing the glove box panels and thus exposing the inner surfaces to moist air which would release tritium. Over several months defined amounts of water have been introduced into the glove box daily which has liberated significant quantities of tritium which has subsequently been absorbed by the in-built tritium retention system. This technique has slowly reduced the tritium liberated at each step. The large components, such as a getter bed, catalyst bed and a permeator, have been detritiated as far as possible in-situ in readiness for disposal once it is safe to remove them from the glove box.


During the nineteenth and early twentieth century, a new and particularly widespread type of exhibition practice occurred all over the Western World, namely "living exhibitions". They were characterized by the display of indigenous and exotic-looking peoples in zoological gardens, circuses, amusement parks, various industrial expositions, and major international expositions where representatives of indigenous and foreign peoples from all over the globe performed their everyday life in reconstructed settings. Entire milieus were recreated by bringing along dwellings, animals, objects, etc. Eventually this would also become the dominant trope of display in folkloric exhibitions. Nevertheless, the living exhibitions have not been regarded as in uential to this development. Instead, the trope has most commonly been accredited to the Swedish folklorist Artur Hazelius. In this article, I stress the importance of situating his display techniques and museological ideals within a wider context, most importantly the living exhibitions. The emphasis will be on the display of Sami.


Improving functioning of children with disabilities is the main focus of paediatric rehabilitation services. This functioning is determined by a complex interaction between the health condition and contextual factors as described in the ICF-model. The most important contextual factor for young children is the family. The functioning of the child is widely influenced by the functioning of the family, and vice versa. Therefore, family-centered services are increasingly being promoted. In order to be able to shift focus from child-centered towards family centred services, it is important that parents are empowered to be involved in the healthcare process. In order to be involved and participate in healthcare and decision-making, parents need information, skills and opportunities. There is much variation in parental preferences and experiences considering the care for their children. Moreover, parents and families show large differences in their family needs, and these needs change in time. Concrete assessment of family needs and the way these needs are addressed is needed, especially in times of transition, where there are changes in care needs and preferences. Besides medical information, experience-based knowledge is deemed very important by parents. Parents search for information on the Internet, and compare information from different sources. This knowledge is used by the parents to take control of their situation. Both medical and experience-based knowledge help enable parents to play a role in decision-making and thus in the process oftheir empowerment. In an extensive literature review and by interviewing parents and professionals, we mapped possible family needs of families of children with disabilities. This resulted in a list of 189 unique family needs. Many needs were information-needs on a wide range of topics. In order to help parents explore their needs, find information and consult the appropriate professional, in close collaboration with parents we designed a digital tool called the WWW-roadmap. We proposed that using this tool for preparing the consultation with the rehabilitation physician could help parents in the process of empowerment. In a sequential-cohort study we explored differences between 74 parents who used the tool prior to the consultation with the physician and 54 parents who did not. We found no differences in parental empowerment, patient and physician satisfaction, self-efficacy and perceived family-centredness of care. However, qualitative analyses showed that using the tool helped parents in finding information, the feeling of being better able to formulate questions, awareness of the possible roles in the consultation and maintaining a comprehensive picture of their situation and family needs. The WWW-roadmap can be useful for parents to identify their needs and to search for information. This can provide parents with an opportunity to meet their information needs themselves. They then may be more easily inclined to discuss these questions and needs with the professionals. However, as 'it takes two to tango', it is not only the parents who should be supported, but professionals should also be trained and supported to become sufficiently aware of parental and family needs and specifically ask about them, bringing family-centred care one step closer to realisation.


If we are to vindicate moral reasoning in politics, Elisabeth Ellis argues in this original and provocative work, we must focus on the conditions of political discourse rather than the contents of any particular ethical system. Written in an engaging, direct style, Provisional Politics builds on Ellis's prize-winning interpretation of Kant's theory of provisional right to construct a new theory of justice under conditions of agency and plurality. She develops this new perspective through a series of cases ranging from the treatment of AIDS widows in Kenya to the rights of non-citizens everywhere, as well as the clash between democratic decision-making and the politics of species conservation. The book concludes with a sobering discussion of the probable limits of political agency.


Abstract. Sea surface temperature (SST) in the Pacific Ocean is a key component of many global climate models and the El Nino–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phenomenon. We shall analyse SST for the period November 1981–December 2014. To study the temporal variability of the ENSO phenomenon, we have selected a subregion of the tropical Pacific Ocean, namely the Nino 3.4 region, as it is thought to be the area where SST anomalies indicate most clearly ENSO's influence on the global atmosphere. SST anomalies, obtained by subtracting the appropriate monthly averages from the data, are the focus of the majority of previous analyses of the Pacific and other oceans' SSTs. Preliminary data analysis showed that not only Nino 3.4 spatial means but also Nino 3.4 spatial variances varied with month of the year. In this article, we conduct an analysis of the raw SST data and introduce diagnostic plots (here, plots of variability vs. central tendency). These plots show strong negative dependence between the spatial standard deviation and the spatial mean. Outliers are present, so we consider robust regression to obtain intercept and slope estimates for the 12 individual months and for all-months-combined. Based on this mean–standard deviation relationship, we define a variance-stabilizing transformation. On the transformed scale, we describe the Nino 3.4 SST time series with a statistical model that is linear, heteroskedastic, and dynamical.


The rise in within-group consumption inequality in response to the increase in within-group income inequality over the last three decades in the U.S. is puzzling to expected-utility-based incomplete market models. The two-sided lack of commitment models exhibit too little consumption inequality while the standard incomplete markets models tend to predict too much consumption inequality. We show that a model with two-sided lack of commitment and chance attitudes, as emphasized by prospect theory, can explain the relationship and can avoid the systematic bias of the expected utility models. The chance attitudes, such as optimism and pessimism, imply that the households attribute a higher weight to high and low outcomes compared to their objective probabilities. For realistic values of risk aversion and of chance attitudes, the incentives for households to share the idiosyncratic risk decrease. The latter effect endogenously amplifies the increase in consumption inequality relative to the expected utility model, thereby improving the fit to the data.


We present a quantitative geometric rigidity estimate for special functions of bounded deformation in a planar setting generalizing the result by Friesecke, James, M\"uller obtained in nonlinear elasticity theory and the piecewise rigidity result by Chambolle, Giacomini, Ponsiglione for brittle materials which do not store elastic energy. We show that for each deformation there is an associated triple consisting of a partition of the domain, a corresponding piecewise rigid motion being constant on each connected component of the cracked body and a displacement field measuring the distance of the deformation from the piecewise rigid motion. We also present a related estimate in the geometrically linear setting which can be interpreted as a `piecewise Korn-Poincar\'e inequality'.


A key indicator of traffic activity patterns is commuting distance. Shorter commuting distances yield less traffic, fewer emissions, and lower energy consumption. This study develops a spatial error seemingly unrelated regression model to investigate commuting distance, and how various influential factors affect commuting distances in ten counties across the United States. By integrating datasets from the Census Transportation Planning Product (CTPP) and Smart Location Database (SLD), this study acquires rich employment and residence information at the census block group (CBG) level. Patterns of commuting distance, characterized by mean and standard deviation, of three industry sectors are calculated. A set of jobs-residence metrics is created to represent the degree of matching between residence and employment. Variables characterizing the trip origins, such as income level and road network connectivity, are also controlled in the model. Results confirm that a high jobs-residence ratio is beneficial for commuting patterns. Short commuting distances are also associated with clustered industry sector distribution, and dense road networks with few intersections. In addition, sprawled regions should control car ownership to shorten commuting distances. Income and payment level have a county-specific effect, and related policies should be proposed on a case-by-case basis. Spatial autocorrelation is also found to be significant in many counties, confirming the need to consider spatial effects in commuting distance studies. This study contributes to the existing literature by providing valuable insights into the influence of a jobs-residence balance on commuting patterns, applying a more efficient econometric model, and comprehensively investigating multiple cases.


Thionins are cysteine rich, basic and toxic proteins that are assumed to be involved in
the defense against pathogens. Two partial cDNA clones encoding for putative
thionin in rice were isolated from endosperm (Rth-l) and shoots (Rth-2). The
nucleotide sequences encoding for thionin precursor were further identified from the
amplification of the 3' -end of the cDNA. The amino acid sequence for JRth-l
isolated from endosperm showed 72% homology to barley leaf thionins DB4
(Bohlmann and Apel, 1987), 68% to pKG1940 (Gausing, 1987), 51% to
hordothionin Hth-1 (Rodriguez-Palenzuela et 01., 1988), 50% to purothionin Pur-AI
(Ohtani et 01., 1977), 33% to crambin Thi2Ca1 (Teeter et 01., 1981) and viscotoxin
Vis A3 (Samuelsson et 01., 1974).
The homologies for JRth-2 at the amino acid level were 83% to barley leaf thionins
DB4 (Bohlmann and Apel, 1987), 71% to pKG1940 (Gausing, 1987), 46% to the
hordothionin Hth-l (Rodriguez-Palenzuela et 01., 1988) and purothionin Pur-AI
(Ohtani et 01., 1977), 41% to crambin Thi2CaI (Teeter et 01., 1981) and 33% to the
viscotoxin Vis A3 (Samuelsson et 01., 1974). Like other thionin precursors, the
putative rice thionin has an N-terminal domain characteristic of a signal peptide and an acidic C-terminal extension. In the expression studies, rice thionins mRNA were
found to accumulate abundantly in endosperm and shoots only with a transcript size
of around 600-700 bp. In both of these tissues, the expression of the thionin genes
was strongly repressed by the exposure to light. Southern analysis showed that the
rice thionin seemed to be coded by 1-2 genes.


The publication analyses the concept of child-friendly justice within the context of law‑enforcement practices with regard to international and European Union law. The work is based on the premise that a child's rights are human rights of the child. One of the fundamental rights of every child is the right to a friendly legal environment, which includes the right to grow up in an environment free from the harmful effects of crime. The discussion presented is based on several years of international research by the author, who concludes that harmful effects of crime can be manifested readily in cases wherein a child violates the law, becomes a victim of crime, or witnesses a crime. The author concludes that such harmful experiences for a child can be eliminated in practice through application of the recommendations of international law.


Are We Safe Enough? Measuring and Assessing Aviation Security explains how standard risk analytic and cost-benefit analysis can be applied to aviation security in systematic and easy-to-understand steps. The book evaluates and puts into sensible context the risks associated with air travel, the risk appetite of airlines and regulators and the notion of acceptable risk. It does so by describing the effectiveness, risk reduction and cost of each layer of aviation security, from policing and intelligence to checkpoint passenger screening to arming pilots on the flight deck. Quantifies the risks, costs and benefits of various aviation security methods, including policing, intelligence, PreCheck, checkpoint passenger screening, behavioral detection, air marshals and armed pilotsFocuses on security measures that reduce costs without reducing security, including PreCheck, Federal Flight Deck Officer program and Installed Physical Secondary BarriersFeatures risk-reduction insights with global applications that are fully transparent, and fully explored through sensitivity analysis


In this paper, a two-level path planning algorithm that deals with map uncertainty is proposed. The higher level planner uses modified generalized Voronoi diagrams to guarantee finding a connected path from the start to the goal if a collision-free path exists. The lower level planner considers uncertainty of the observed obstacles in the environment and assigns repulsive forces based on their distance to the robot and their positional uncertainty. The attractive forces from the Voronoi nodes and the repulsive forces from the uncertainty-biased potential fields form a hybrid planner we call Voronoi Uncertainty Fields (VUF). The proposed planner has two strong properties: (1) bias against uncertain obstacles, and (2) completeness. We analytically prove the properties and run simulations to validate our method in a forest-like environment.


Title of Document: THE TENNESSEE WILLIAMS/NEW ORLEANS LITERARY FESTIVAL AS A THEATRICAL EVENT Carolyn Bain, Ph.D., 2007 Directed By: Professor Franklin J. Hildy, Ph.D., Department of Theatre Co-Directed By: Professor John Fuegi, Ph.D., Department of Comparative Literature On December 29 of 1938, Tennessee Williams (Thomas Lanier Williams), little known American playwright, encountered the city of New Orleans. Through his engagement with the city's culture of multiple morés, Williams discovered in himself a personal freedom and theatrical productivity that changed the landscape of dramatic literature for the twentieth century. The phenomenon associated with Williams's identity and his experience with New Orleans as participant and spectator did not end with Williams's death, February 23, 1983; it continues today through the Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival, drawing thousands of attendees and celebrating its 21-anniversary March 28 through April 1, 2007. This dissertation consists of six chapters accompanied by three integral videotexts that evidence a framework for understanding the theatrical contexts that inform the festival's processes and outcomes. The dissertation investigates the festival as a case study of the notion of theatrical eventness. The concept of eventness emerged in theatre studies discourse through an international colloquium, the Theatrical Event working group, within the International Federation for Theatre Research (FIRT/IFTR). This dissertation represents an approach to bringing the study of festival into theatre studies through a discussion of its multi-layered communications and its creative outcomes. Chapter One situates the object of study as the Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival and questions how theatricality frames communication among attendees while it informs the identity of the festival. Accompanying Chapter One is a videotext summarizing the festival's origins and events. Chapter Two reviews the extra-theatrical influences on theatre studies and the development of the concept of festival as a theatrical event. Chapter Three examines the theatrical context of Williams's encounter with New Orleans. In Chapter Four, the "Stella Shout-off" contest mediates the past and present by eventifying a moment from theatrical history. A videotext evidences the theatricality of the contest. Chapter Five looks at performance and theatrical communications evident in the panels and the master classes. Accompanying the text, a video substantiates the theatricality of Williams's legacy through his relationship with Maria St. Just. In Chapter Six, the dissertation concludes by focusing on the festival's outcomes as the result of the festival's theatrical eventness. THE TENNESSEE WILLIAMS/NEW ORLEANS LITERARY FESTIVAL AS A THEATRICAL EVENT


We revisit a framework for designing peer-based intelligent tutoring systems motivated by McCalla's ecological approach, where learning is facilitated by the previous experiences of peers with a corpus of learning objects. Prior research demonstrated the value of a proposed algorithm for modeling student learning and for selecting the most beneficial learning objects to present to new students. In this paper, we first adjust the validation of this approach to demonstrate its ability to cope with errors in assessing the learning of student peers. We then deepen the representation of learning objects to reflect the expected time to completion and demonstrate how this may lead to more effective selection of learning objects for students, and thus more effective learning. As part of our exploration of these new adjustments, we offer insights into how the size of learning object repositories may affect student learning, suggesting future extensions for the model and its validation.


Well-preserved acritarchs and prasinophyte algae recovered from the Lower Wenlock of Gotland (Sweden) were used to test the effects of centrifuging in heavy liquid, treatment with nitric acid to remove pyrite, and the loss of material through a 7 μm sieve during washing of a sample. The centrifuge test showed that the relative proportions of different genera stabilized after three heavy liquid separations and the number of acritarchs extracted fell consistently by about 35% at each separation. Treatment with nitric acid yielded a slightly lower number of acritarchs per gram of sediment, but it appears to have yielded more herkomorph and sphaeromorph acritarchs. Treating samples with nitric acid renders them more comparable with those not containing pyrite. The loss of specimens whilst washing through a 7 μm sieve proved to be minimal. It was concluded that three heavy liquid separations should routinely be carried out, in conjunction with treatment with nitric acid and regular tests to examine material passing through a 7 μm sieve.


Fantasy literature in the 1980s underwent a revisionist change, which resulted in the emergence of a number of subgenres that challenged the dominant Tolkien model of fantasy writing. One such subgenre, which continues in popularity today, is urban fantasy (UF). UF is distinguished by real-world urban settings unsettled by the presence of the supernatural and the non-rational. The exemplary writers in this genre are Emma Bull (War for the Oaks, 1987), China Mieville (King Rat, 1998) as well as Laurell K. Hamilton (in her prolific series: Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter), Patricia Briggs (Mercy Thompson Series) and Suzanne McLeod (Spellcrackers.com Series), among others. The classification of UF has predominantly been commercial or industry-based, with little critical or theoretical evaluation undertaken to define or establish its parameters. Within a limited frame of reference this thesis aims to fulfil a twofold purpose: first, to explore the evolution of UF from its roots in fantasy, urban realism and other antecedent genres so as to better establish its inherited characteristics; and, second, to offer a classificatory framework that identifies the distinctive elements of UF's thematic concerns and protagonists. An exploration of UF highlights that it is a unique subgenre that comments on our inherent fears and anxieties of contemporary urban life. Furthermore, UF draws attention to culture's disturbing fascination with the brutal, monstrous, facets of human life and, as a femalecentric subgenre, challenges us to rethink our received perceptions of the female hero.