ABSTRACT In the era of high speed trains, it is very important to ensure the stability of rail tracks under adverse conditions including the fouling of ballast. Fouling of ballast from unstable and saturated soft subgrade soil is one of the major reasons for track deterioration. The reported results of a number of large-scale laboratory experiments on the shear behaviour of ballast and fouled ballast are analysed, herein. It was observed that fines have a significant influence on the shear behaviour of ballast. Shear strength increases and dilatancy decreases with the addition of fines. In this paper, a semi-empirical mathematical model has been proposed to capture the dilatancy of ballast fouled with fines during shearing. The empirical constants a, b and c proposed in the model are a function of the fines content Void Contamination Index (VCI). The results of the model have been compared with the laboratory experiments and are found to be in good agreement.


Introduction: Acute enhancements of muscle contractile properties and performance subsequent to a maximal or near maximal conditioning contraction are often termed post activation potentiation (PAP). Although still controversial, PAP is commonly linked to enhancements in the myosin regulatory light chain phosphorylation, leading to improvements in the excitation–contraction coupling. The PAP seen after a conditioning task often coexists with fatigue and is known to depend on strength level, muscle fiber type and age. Less is known about how factors such as static and dynamic changes in muscle length affect PAP, and on the relative contribution of contractile and tensile components to PAP.Aim: To enhance our understanding of how, and under what conditions, a single maximal isometric contraction affects plantar flexor muscle contractile performance, and other muscle tendon properties, in power athletes.Methods: Supramaximal twitches were evoked via electrical stimulation of the tibial nerve of athletes before and on several occasions after a 6-second maximal voluntary isometric contraction (6-s MVIC) in both static muscle, and during passive muscle lengthening and shorting at different angular velocities. Several contractile variables were measured from the twitches. The effects of a 6-s MVIC on Achilles tendon stiffness was calculated from torque and ultrasonography based measurements of tendon length at two submaximal contraction intensities. Overall stiffness index was calculated by analyzing the passive lengthening torque/angle curve.Results: A single MVIC enhanced muscle contractile properties and electromechanical delay for up to 5 minutes. Plantar flexor twitch variables such as peak twitch, rate of torque development and rate of torque relaxation were enhanced during shortening compared to lengthening muscle actions, and in an extended as compared to a flexed knee position. Achilles tendon stiffness and overall stiffness index were not significantly modulated by a single 6-s MVIC.Conclusion: The results of this thesis imply that functional enhancements from a 6-s conditioning MVIC would mainly come from improvements in contractile rather than tensile components. Stiffness changes should be monitored in future PAP-related studies since they may still occur after more extensive conditioning protocols than the current one. Improvements in contractile components subserving muscle strength after a conditioning MVIC suggests that enhancements in muscle power after a conditioning task should be greatest in fast concentric muscle actions, though still present in muscle lengthening. Conditioning should be performed in a position where full activation is easy to achieve and tailored to mach an athlete or group of athlete's current status and characteristics, maximizing performance in a specific sport event.


ABSTRACT Parliamentary youth quotas have been adopted by nine countries, mainly African autocracies. They have also attracted the attention of international organisations, which consider them indicators of democratic progress. Why were these quotas adopted? This article challenges the long-standing regime survival thesis by explaining quota adoption as the result of the convergent strategies of actors placed inside and outside the regime. It also provides new theoretical arguments that point to the transformation of representative linkages in hybrid regimes and shows how this is justified in the light of empirical evidence grounded on qualitative methodology and extensive fieldwork. By connecting the broader historical and socio-political context where youth quotas emerged – Africa – to the micro-level processes of quota adoption – based on the Moroccan case – this article provides a dynamic picture of how political representation is claimed and mobilised in contemporary Africa while shedding some light on the inclusive limits of quota policies.


The Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) considers all youth less than eighteen years of age trafficking victims without a showing of force, fraud, or coercion. The presumption is that minors cannot legally consent to sex and thus are always victims. Being characterized as a victim helps youth access support services and avoid prosecution in certain circumstances. However, local and state governments struggle to provide all youth with comprehensive resources. Additionally, legal and advocacy interventions fail to substantively engage racialized vulnerabilities that serve as pathways into the sex trade and the juvenile justice system.Black girls are disproportionally prosecuted for prostitution offenses yet their narratives are seldom heard. Controlling images of Black womanhood, as unvirtuous, immoral, and blameworthy, impact interactions between Black girls and the juvenile justice system, as well as, service providers. By overlooking race, the TVPA and antitrafficking advocates do not anticipate and remedy the complexity of applying a victim standard to Black girls and other marginalized youth.Consequently, the TVPA and antitrafficking discourse fail to respond to the economic forces driving sexual exploitation and sexual exchange. Rather, interventions to address the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC) have put forth a limited narrative — magnifying sensationalized depictions of violence and force — and focus primarily on strengthening law enforcement apparatuses, which reinforce racial profiling and oversurveillance in low-income communities of color.Therefore, this Comment challenges the use of victim rhetoric in antitrafficking interventions and confronts the absence of racial discourse when devising next-steps. Centering the unique experiences of Black girls reveal the limitations of current narratives and strategies deployed in antitrafficking policies, which include failing to create nonjudgmental services and viable alternatives to sex work for youth.


We measured the baseflow concentration and composition of seston and suspended particulate organic carbon (POC) over a 1‐yr period in White Clay Creek, a third‐order stream in the southeastern Pennsylvania Piedmont, to assess temporal variability in seston concentration and quality at seasonal and diel timescales. Each month, we sampled stream water under baseflow conditions every 1.5 h over a 24‐h period and measured seston and POC concentrations, carbon composition, pigment content, and 13C isotopic ratios. Seston and POC concentrations exhibited a strong diel pattern; nighttime concentrations exceeded daytime concentrations by 80% and 43%, respectively. Suspended chlorophyll a concentrations did not exhibit a diel pattern. We attribute the diel pattern of seston concentration to bioturbation by the nocturnal stream community, including crayfish, amphibians, eels, and macroinvertebrates. Seasonally, carbon content of seston increased from 9% throughout most of the year to 15% during November, December, and March, while seston δ13C was depleted in the late fall and enriched in early spring months relative to the rest of the year. Chlorophyll a and pheophytin a concentrations in seston peaked during the early spring. Seasonal patterns in seston and POC composition reflect cycles of autumnal leaf litter inputs and vernal algal production. Bioturbation and shifts in organic carbon inputs mediate changes in POC quality and fluxes, which affect the bioavailability of POC and ultimately influence rates of heterotrophic respiration.


Lockyer et al. have identified and characterized a new member of the Ras guanosine triphosphatase (GTPase)-activating protein (GAP) family that is regulated by calcium and thus, named Ca2+-promoted Ras activator (CAPRI). Capri has structural similarity (a pleckstrin homology domain, a GAP-related domain, and a Bruton's tyrosine kinase motif) to members of the Ras GAP1 subfamily, but unlike other members of the subfamily, CAPRI has functional calcium-binding C2 domains. The redistribution of CAPRI to the plasma membrane in transfected cells was stimulated by increases in intracellular Ca2+ (either by treatment with a calcium ionophore or activation of the purinergic G protein-coupled receptor that activates phospholipase C leading to increased intracellular Ca2+ owing to production of inositol trisphosphate). Unlike other members of the GAP1 family, CAPRI was not sensitive to changes in phosphatidylinositol lipids in the membrane. Increases in intracellular Ca2+ were required to activate the GAP activity of CAPRI. In transfected cells, activation of CAPRI attenuated calcium-induced activation of the Ras-mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway. Expression of a dominant negative form of CAPRI enhanced phosphorylation of the MAPKs ERK1 and ERK2. Thus, CAPRI may be an off switch that helps to regulate the output of calcium-mediated activation of the Ras-MAPK pathway. P. J. Lockyer, S. Kupzig, P. J. Cullen, CAPRI regulates the Ca2+-dependent inactivation of the Ras-MAPK pathway. Current Biol. 11, 981-986 (2001). [Full Text]


Data mining techniques are useful in medical science to analysis medical data and diseases contents. The regional disease like heart disease. The heart disease is the main cause of death worldwide. It is a very complex task to predict the disease like heart disease because it requires more knowledge and experience. In the medical sector contains lots of hidden information that is used in making decisions. There is some data mining algorithms and techniques like Apriori algorithm, ANN, Naive bayes, decision tree, support vector etc. are used for prediction purpose like heart disease. Basically the research results shows prediction accuracy at higher level which is 98% to 99%.Data mining provide methodology and technology for making a decision. Data mining techniques will result a quick prediction of disease with high accuracy. Data mining is an advanced technology. Keyword: Data Mining; Classification; Association; Regional disease (heart disease)


The Saccharomyces cerevisiae COX5b gene contains a small intron that is unique in two respects. First, it interrupts the ATG codon that initiates translation of the COX5b product. Second, it contains a sequence at the 5' splice junction (5'-GCATGT-3') that differs from the highly conserved yeast hexanucleotide (5'-GTAPyGT-3') and from the 5'-GT found at the corresponding position in nearly all introns of eucaryotic protein-coding genes. We have analyzed both the transcripts derived from the COX5b gene and the splicing of its intron. We show here that an unspliced mRNA precursor constituted a minor fraction of the total COX5b message, even when the gene was overexpressed. We also show that both major transcripts derived from COX5b had been spliced. Our results suggest that at least in the case of COX5b, a 5'-GC can function as efficiently as the highly conserved 5'-GT in the splicing reaction.


While much remains unknown about seamount communities, scientific evidence suggests that high seas bottom trawling may have significant and irreversible impacts on the diversity and ecology of seamounts and other similar hard bottom communities. The points below explain the reasons and give more information on seamount ecology.


We study a class of individual-based, fixed-population size epidemic models under general assumptions, e.g., heterogeneous contact rates encapsulating changes in behavior and/or enforcement of control measures. We show that the large-population dynamics are deterministic and relate to the Kermack-McKendrick PDE. Our assumptions are minimalistic in the sense that the only important requirement is that the basic reproduction number of the epidemic $R_0$ be finite, and allow us to tackle both Markovian and non-Markovian dynamics. The novelty of our approach is to study the"infection graph"of the population. We show local convergence of this random graph to a Poisson (Galton-Watson) marked tree, recovering Markovian backward-in-time dynamics in the limit as we trace back the transmission chain leading to a focal infection. This effectively models the process of contact tracing in a large population. It is expressed in terms of the Doob $h$-transform of a certain renewal process encoding the time of infection along the chain. Our results provide a mathematical formulation relating a fundamental epidemiological quantity, the generation time distribution, to the successive time of infections along this transmission chain.


Authenticated denial of existence allows a resolver to validate that a
certain domain name does not exist. It is also used to signal that a
domain name exists but does not have the specific resource record (RR)
type you were asking for. When returning a negative DNS Security
Extensions (DNSSEC) response, a name server usually includes up to two
NSEC records. With NSEC version 3 (NSEC3), this amount is three. This
document provides additional background commentary and some context
for the NSEC and NSEC3 mechanisms used by DNSSEC to provide
authenticated denial-of-existence responses.


Purpose The human cerebellum plays an important role in functional activity cerebrum which is ranging from motor to cognitive activities since due to its relaying role between spinal cord and cerebrum. The cerebellum poses many challenges to magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) due to the caudal location, the susceptibility to physiological artifacts and partial volume artifact due to its complex anatomical structure. Thus, in present study, we propose a high-resolution MRSI acquisition scheme for the cerebellum. Methods A zoomed or reduced-field of view (rFOV) metabolite-cycled full-intensity magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) at 3T with a nominal resolution of 62.5 μL was developed. Single-slice rFOV MRSI data were acquired from the cerebellum of 5 healthy subjects with a nominal resolution of 2.5□×□2.5□mm2 in 9□minutes 36. Spectra were quantified with LCModel. A spatially unbiased atlas template of the cerebellum was used for analyzing metabolite distributions in the cerebellum. Results The high quality of the achieved spectra enabled to generate a high-resolution metabolic map of total N-acetylaspartate, total creatine, total choline, glutamate+glutamine and myo-inositol with Cramér-Rao lower bounds below 50%. A spatially unbiased atlas template of the cerebellum-based region of interest (ROIs) analysis resulted in spatially dependent metabolite distributions in 9 ROIs. The group-averaging across subjects in the Montreal Neurological Institute-152 template space allowed to generate a very high-resolution metabolite maps in the cerebellum. Conclusion These findings indicate that very high-resolution metabolite probing of cerebellum is feasible using rFOV or zoomed MRSI at 3T.


Development of an Experimental Phased Array Feed System and Algorithms for Radio Astronomy Jonathan C. Landon Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, BYU Doctor of Philosophy Phased array feeds (PAFs) are a promising new technology for astronomical radio telescopes. While PAFs have been used in other fields, the demanding sensitivity and calibration requirements in astronomy present unique new challenges. This dissertation presents some of the first astronomical PAF results demonstrating the lowest noise temperature and highest sensitivity at the time (66 Kelvin and 3.3m/K, respectively), obtained using a narrowband (425 kHz bandwidth) prototype array of 19 linear co-polarized L-band dipoles mounted at the focus of the Green Bank 20 Meter Telescope at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) in Green Bank, West Virginia. Results include spectral line detection of hydroxyl (OH) sources W49N and W3OH, and some of the first radio camera images made using a PAF, including an image of the Cygnus X region. A novel array Y-factor technique for measuring the isotropic noise response of the array is shown along with experimental measurements for this PAF. Statistically optimal beamformers (Maximum SNR and MVDR) are used throughout the work. Radio-frequency interference (RFI) mitigation is demonstrated experimentally using spatial cancelation with the PAF. Improved RFI mitigation is achieved in the challenging cases of low interference-to-noise ratio (INR) and moving interference by combining subspace projection (SP) beamforming with a polynomial model to track a rank 1 subspace. Limiting factors in SP are investigated including sample estimation error, subspace smearing, noise bias, and spectral scooping; each of these factors is overcome with the polynomial model and prewhitening. Numerical optimization leads to the polynomial subspace projection (PSP) method, and least-squares fitting to the series of dominant eigenvectors over a series of short term integrations (STIs) leads to the eigenvector polynomial subspace projection (EPSP) method. Expressions for the gradient, Hessian, and Jacobian are given for use in numerical optimization. Results are given for simulated and experimental data, demonstrating deeper beampattern nulls by 6 to 30dB. To increase the system bandwidth toward the hundreds of MHz bandwidth required by astronomers for a fully science-ready instrument, an FPGA digital backend is introduced using a 64-input analog-to-digital converter running at 50 Msamp/sec and the ROACH processing board developed at the University of California, Berkeley. International efforts to develop digital back ends for large antenna arrays are considered, and a road map is proposed for development of a hardware correlator/beamformer at BYU using three ROACH boards communicating over 10 gigabit Ethernet.


While DNA/graphene oxide (GO) conjugates have been widely used for DNA detection, they suffer from non-specific DNA displacement by proteins, making their application in biological samples difficult. To find new materials tightly adsorbing DNA but not proteins, we screened seven metal oxide nanoparticles, all interacting with the phosphate backbone of DNA, while DNA uses its nucleobases to interact with GO. In this regard, DNA is a Janus polymer orthogonally adsorbing GO and metal oxides. The DNA adsorption affinity ranks CoO > NiO > Cr2O3 > Fe2O3 > Fe3O4 > TiO2 > CeO2 based on a phosphate displacement assay. Among them, CoO is nearly fully resistant to protein displacement, while NiO has the best limit of detection of 0.24 nM DNA. This study provides fundamental insights into the biointerface chemistry of DNA, and reveals new materials useful for bioanalytical chemistry, DNA separation, and DNA-directed assembly.


In Latin America, there is a trend toward holding transnational companies legally accountable for activities that cause damage in Latin America. Latin American courts have developed new causes of action, enforced blocking statutes, and rendered large money verdicts against U.S. companies. This means that an FNC dismissal in the U.S. will not necessarily signify the end of an action. As plaintiffs achieve victories in Latin American courts, more judgment enforcement cases are likely to find their way to U.S. courts. U.S. courts need to respond to these developments by closing the enforcement loophole between an FNC dismissal and the subsequent foreign money judgment enforcement action. Otherwise, significant judicial resources will be needlessly spent on boomerang litigation, and fundamental unfairness may result. Transnational litigation is not a mere passing fad; it is the future. Now is the time for the courts to engage in a more comprehensive analysis of the pitfalls of boomerang litigation with an eye to developing workable solutions.


Background Sustained social withdrawal in infancy may have organic and nonorganic causes and could hinder normal development. The Alarm Distress Baby (ADBB) scale is a widely validated screening tool of social withdrawal in children 2–24 months. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the full and modified ADBB in Nepalese infants in a community-based study. Methods We enrolled 600 infants who were video recorded during a pediatric examination. The 36 infants first enrolled were scored by an expert rater, and the subsequent 64 infants were scored by two trained staff with the full ADBB scale. Of the 600 enrolled infants, 597 videos (including the 100 infants scored with the full ADBB) were scored with the modified ADBB (m-ADBB) scale by the trained staff, with 7% double scoring. We measured the interrater agreement and psychometric properties of both scales. Results In the 64 infants scored with the full ADBB by two raters, the concordance correlation coefficients (CCCs) indicated poor interrater agreement. For the m-ADBB, the CCCs were better indicating acceptable agreement between raters. The greatest lower bound (GLB) for reliability coefficient for the full ADBB scored by an expert rater indicated good internal consistency, whereas the GLB coefficient for the m-ADBB indicated poorer internal consistency. The Spearman correlation coefficient between the total scores of the two versions was 0.82 (P < 0.001). Among the infants scored with the full ADBB, 25% had a score above cutoff (≥5). Scored with the m-ADBB in the full sample, 11.4% of the infants had a score above the suggested cutoff (≥2). In both versions, children achieved high scores on vocalization. Conclusion Our findings suggest that the m-ADBB is an acceptable approach to achieve adequate interrater agreement in a large community-based study in Nepal. Results indicate high prevalence of social withdrawal in this population. There are, however, uncertainties on the internal consistency of the scales in this setting, and the validity of the scales needs to be investigated further. More effective training strategies for administration and additional cultural-specific instructions could be important measures to explore before implementing the scale further in this setting.


Many worldwide efforts have been made recently in restructuring teacher education programs. Prospective teachers must be better prepared for the ever-changing world in which, technology plays a prominent role in their training. General computer applications such as Word Processing, Database, Spreadsheets, Presentation and Programming/Authoring software are part of most curricula for training future teachers. As fresh graduates begin to implement technologies in classrooms and examine its role in education, they recognize and appreciate the importance of the integration of technology in education. This paper provides an example of how Intercollege fourth year early childhood students incorporated technology in Fairy Tale curriculum. They created and delivered animated Aesop's Fables using Presentation Software Microsoft Power Point XP. Aesop's Fables are known worldwide, popular, simple, instructive and their characters are archetypes. Centuries later, Aesop is a source of inspiration for educators through rewritings and adaptations (Papanicolaou-Tsilimeni, 1998) Furthermore this work, presents the preparation of activities that are based on the Fables. Microsoft Power Point can be used to introduce a Fable's concept or to reinforce a concept that has been introduced through the traditional method. Also, these are creative activities which aim to develop critical thinking skills as well as children's cognitive capabilities. The results of designing and using developmentally appropriate materials for delivering an Aesop's Fable in practical application case studies are reported.


Identical allelic loss in invasive and adjacent in situ ductal breast carcinoma (DCIS) on chromosome 11q13 has been previously reported, providing molecular evidence for the progression of DCIS to invasive tumor. In this study we analyzed loss of heterozygosity (LOH) on 11q13 (PYGM, INT-2) in atypical ductal hyperplasia (ADH) and various histological types of in situ carcinomas of the breast in patients without invasive cancer. Twenty-four cases of in situ carcinoma and twelve cases of ADH were studied. Tissue microdissection of normal, hyperplastic, and tumor cells from fixed, paraffin-embedded sections was performed, and DNA was extracted for polymerase chain reaction. In situ tumors included both high- and low-grade DCIS. LOH was identified in six of twenty-two (27.3%) in situ tumors and in one of eleven (9%) ADH cases. Within in situ carcinomas, LOH was identified in six of seventeen (35%) high-grade DCIS but in none of six low-grade DCIS. The present results show that LOH at 11q13 occurs in an appreciable proportion of high-grade DCIS, although the rate is substantially less than in patients with concomitant DCIS and invasive tumor. LOH was identified less frequently in low-grade in situ tumors and ADH, suggesting that a putative tumor suppressor gene(s) located on chromosome 11q13 may be involved in the transition from early preneoplastic lesions to invasive breast cancer.


Today's modern world affords many benefits, one of which is the ability to have near-instantaneous interactions with groups and cultures other than our own. Though advantageous in many situations, one challenge for these groups is navigating what they perceive to be right and wrong in a cooperative manner despite having different modes of morality. Moral foundations theory holds groups use the same moral foundations to guide their judgments and decision making, but there has been little research on how the perception of these foundations differs within and between groups. Thus, the current study examined how moral foundations operate from a group perspective and potential outgroup moderators of moral foundations. Participants rated the extent to which various groups used moral foundations in one of two conditions. Each condition contained an ingroup and three outgroups that conformed to the quadrants of the stereotype content model. Results showed significant differences in the harm, fairness, and loyalty foundations between ingroups and outgroups. Moreover, the type of outgroup significantly influenced moral foundations scores. These findings demonstrate the importance of considering moral foundations at the group level.


This is a review essay that examines Professor Edward McCaffery's important book, 'Taxing Women.' It argues that while McCaffery provides a detailed and nuanced analysis of the feminist and economic issues, his work is problematic in several ways. First, it is not clear that the optimal theory of taxation leads to the policy reform he proposes-it may be both underinclusive and overinclusive. Second, even if McCaffery has identified a clear economic rationale for taxing married women at a lower rate than men and single women, feminists may object to this proposed tax structure on a number of grounds. Finally, McCaffery's theoretical arguments for tax reform ignore the political problems associated with implementing legal change in the real world. As a number of political theorists have noted, legislators tend to pursue policies and programs that advance their own interests even when it entails rejecting public-regarding policy proposals. Despite these shortcomings, however, McCaffery's indepth and interdisciplinary analysis represents an important advance in this area of the law. Taxing Women is a book that will be of interest to a wide range of theorists and policymakers.


Rethinking Federal and State Policies Affecting Kinship Care The extended family has long played a role in caring for children whose parents were unable to do so--a practice commonly referred to as kinship care. In contrast, child welfare agencies' reliance on kin to act as foster parents is relatively new. When the Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act of 1980 was passed, forming the basis of federal foster care policy, it was very rare for a child's relative to act as a foster parent. Today, child welfare agencies increasingly consider kin as the first placement choice when foster care is needed and kin can provide a safe home. Yet very little information is available on the extent to which kin serve as foster parents and how this practice varies across states. Thus, it has been difficult for federal and state policymakers, as well as advocates and practitioners, to evaluate how well kinship care ensures children's safety, promotes permanency in their living situations, and enhances their well-being--three basic goals of the child welfare system. Nonetheless, both federal and state governments continue to implement kinship care policies--both explicitly and implicitly. Despite having limited information on the use of kin foster parents, it is time for policymakers to step back and reflect on when the use of kin is consistent with the best interests of children, the goals of using kin as foster parents, and whether existing policies support such goals. DEFINING KINSHIP CARE Traditionally kinship care has been described as either "informal," meaning that such caregiving arrangements occurred without the involvement of a child welfare agency, or "formal," meaning that kin act as foster parents for children in state custody. Unfortunately, the use of the terms informal and formal to describe the range of kinship care arrangements may be misleading and inaccurate. For example, referring to kinship caregiving outside the purview of the child welfare system as informal may incorrectly imply that such arrangements are short term or tenuous. Some informal kinship caregivers have legal custody of related children through adoption or guardianship, and others have legal decision-making authority through a power of attorney. In short, some informal kinship care arrangements are more formal than others. Likewise, as discussed below, kinship care arrangements designated as "formal" vary in the extent to which they are publicly supported and monitored. Neither informal nor formal kinship care describes instances in which child welfare agencies help arrange the placement of a child with a relative but do not seek court action to obtain custody of the child. For example, during or after a child protective services investigation, a caseworker may advise a parent to place a child with a relative; both the parent and the relative know that if the parent refuses, the agency may petition the court to obtain custody of the child. Many child welfare experts have argued that these so-called "voluntary" kinship care placements are common (Takas, 1993). Given the limitations of the terms formal and informal, I refer to all kinship care arrangements that occur without the child welfare agency's involvement as private kinship care and all kinship care arrangements that occur with child welfare contact as either kinship foster care or voluntary kinship care. CHILDREN IN KINSHIP CARE In 1997, approximately 2 million children were living with neither of their parents, 1.7 million of these were living with relatives. [1] The vast majority of children who lived with relatives (1.3 million) were in private kinship care; 194,000 were in kinship foster care and 284,000 children were in voluntary kinship care. In 1983-85 and l992-93, [2] the number of children in private kinship care grew slightly faster than the number of children in the United States as a whole, 8. …


Integral imaging is a three-dimensional (3D) imaging technique that allows the displaying of full color images with continuous parallax. Its commercial potential has been increased, due to its ability of presenting to the viewers smooth 3D images, with full parallax, in a wide viewing zone. Being able to extract the inherent 3D information from the planar integral images and produce 3D reconstructions, offers advantages in various applications of immersive entertainment and communications. On this scope, this paper addresses the problem of accurate depth estimation in integral images. The proposed method, relying on the assumption that a pixel is the projection of a 3D imaging ray, aims to specify the first intersection of each pixel's projection ray with the 3D scene in order to assign to it the corresponding depth value. This task is formulated as an energy optimization problem and the graph cuts approach is utilized to solve it. The energy term is twofold; its first part aims to restrict the desired solution to be close to the observed data, i.e., the integral image, while the second one enforces regional smoothness in the depth estimation. This combination offers an accurate and spatially smooth scene structure. The novelty of the paper lies on the framework's formulation as one single optimization procedure and on the way that this optimization is constrained by a set of reliably estimated 3D surface points, called the "anchor points". Anchoring the optimization results in enhanced depth estimation accuracy, while decreasing the optimization processing burden. The proposed algorithm is evaluated in both synthetic and real integral images consisting of complicated object scenes. A comparison against other state-of-the-art algorithms proves the superiority of the proposed method in terms of depth estimation accuracy.


It is widely believed that refactoring improves software quality and developer productivity. However, few empirical studies quantitatively assess refactoring benefits or investigate developers' perception towards these benefits. This paper presents a field study of refactoring benefits and challenges at Microsoft through three complementary study methods: a survey, semi-structured interviews with professional software engineers, and quantitative analysis of version history data. Our survey finds that the refactoring definition in practice is not confined to a rigorous definition of semantics-preserving code transformations and that developers perceive that refactoring involves substantial cost and risks. We also report on interviews with a designated refactoring team that has led a multi-year, centralized effort on refactoring Windows. The quantitative analysis of Windows 7 version history finds that the binary modules refactored by this team experienced significant reduction in the number of inter-module dependencies and post-release defects, indicating a visible benefit of refactoring.


Book abstract: This landmark collection looks at the role reception plays, or could play, within the modern discipline of classics, and presents a wide variety of viewpoints on its value, use and theoretical underpinnings.Contributions by scholars from Europe, the UK, and the USA illustrate a range of different approaches and methodological commitments, and employ material from many different fields, from translation studies to the visual arts, and from politics to performance. Each chapter constitutes a theoretical exploration or a demonstration of the productive use of reception for the discipline of classics, or both. The collection is framed by a provocative position statement from William Batstone and a response by Duncan Kennedy.The volume as a whole offers readers an enriched theoretical understanding of reception and its uses, and makes the case for reception constituting a vital part of classics in the future.


State tax revenue growth slowed in 2001 and nominal tax revenue actually declined in 2002, the first decline in at least 30 years. The personal and corporate income tax and the sales tax all yielded lower revenues in 2002 than in the previous year. Three characteristics of the tax structure have been important factors in the revenue decline. First, the corporate income and sales tax bases are eroding, and this process accelerated during the past several years. Second, state tax structures are pro-cyclical. Third, except for the personal income tax, state taxes are inelastic. States could have lessened the impacts of the significant revenue slowdowns by building larger rainy day funds in the 1990s, when revenues were growing faster than personal income.


ABSTRACT Five colleges and universities in Upstate New York, United States, created the 'Route-90 Collaborative' to support faculty implementing the Institute of Medicine's (IOM) Framework for Educating Health Professionals to Address the Social Determinants of Health. The two courses described herein used a flipped classroom approach in which students from 14 different nations were responsible for facilitating individual classes. This descriptive study used an educational intervention in two interprofessional courses – reproductive health and global health – based on the IOM Framework into two courses. The evaluation used quantitative and open-ended text response data from students. Course evaluations indicated the students found the courses helped them to learn more about health issues and service delivery in various countries, expand their knowledge base on sociocultural and ecological influences on health care, and broaden their perspectives on various health topics so they will be able to provide higher quality healthcare. Although this is the first effort of our Collaborative to implement the Framework, given the student feedback, we believe implementing the Framework in various courses has the potential to enhance healthcare service delivery and reduce the negative impact of social determinants of health.


Endothelial dysfunction (ED) is an early event in atherosclerotic disease, preceding clinical manifestations and complications. Increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) have been implicated as important mechanisms that contribute to ED, and ROS's may function as intracellular messengers that modulate signaling pathways. Several intracellular signal events stimulated by ROS have been defined, including the identification of two members of the mitogen activated protein kinase family (ERK1/2 and big MAP kinase, BMK1), tyrosine kinases (Src and Syk) and different isoenzymes of PKC as redox-sensitive kinases. ROS regulation of signal transduction components include the modification in the activity of transcriptional factors such as NFkB and others that result in changes in gene expression and modifications in cellular responses. In order to understand the intracellular mechanisms induced by ROS in endothelial cells (EC), we are studying the response of human umbilical cord vein endothelial cells to increased ROS generation by different pro-atherogenic stimuli. Our results show that Homocysteine (Hcy) and oxidized LDL (oxLDL) enhance the activity and expression of oxidative stress markers, such as NFkB and heme oxygenase 1. These results suggest that these pro-atherogenic stimuli increase oxidative stress in EC, and thus explain the loss of endothelial function associated with the atherogenic process.


To secure food supply for the increasing population there is an urgent need to intensify the agricultural production especially in less developed countries of the tropics. There, soils are frequently poor and not suitable for intensive sustainable agriculture because low organic matter contents and minerals with low cation exchange capacity favor nutrient leaching. Under such circumstances, mineral fertilizers such as NPK have shown to be of low value. Recent investigations gave evidence that carbonized materials from incomplete combustion of organic substances (pyrogenic carbon, Cpyr) are a key factor for maintaining high levels of soil organic matter in Chernozems of North America and Germany. Also anthropogenic soils of the Brazilian Amazon region (Terra Preta do Indio) contain high amounts of Cpyr. They contain high amounts of nutrients, whereas the surrounding Ferralsols and Acrisols are less fertile. In this paper we inform about the Cpyr contents in Chernozems and in Terra Preta soils, secondly we present some experimental results, carried out to test the hypothesis that pyrolyzed organic matter stabilizes inorganic nutrients such as N, P, and K via cation exchange and sorption and contributes in combination with inorganic fertilizers such as NPK and/or organic manure sustainably to plant production.


Oscar Wilde's definition of a cynic was of a person who knew the price of everything and the value of nothing. The turbulent state of global financial markets in recent past has resulted in an enormous number of instances where it has not been possible to be reasonably certain about either. This represents a substantial challenge to scholars and practitioners of finance and related disciplines. While understanding the sources and dimensions of value consistently represents a deep intellectual challenge, the extraordinary volatility and uncertainty evident in financial markets in recent past has served to materially increase the difficulty of this fundamentally important form of enquiry. The contents of this edition of JARAF have been crafted with this in particular in mind.This volume commences with an article by Professor Damodaran on the problem of leasing obligations in the context of valuation. Some problems are perennial, market volatility or not and this article provides comprehensive insights into the process of adjusting key firm financial measures to take account of the presence of off-balance sheet leasing arrangements. By contrast, the second article in this edition covers a problem brought into particular relief by the global financial crisis, the inherent difficulty of estimating cost of capital in such an environment. Roger Grabowski's article examines this problem in considerable detail and should be of enormous practical assistance to readers. The third article in this volume, authored by Professor Lonergan, also deserves careful scrutiny, particularly amongst the practitioner community. In this detailed and forensically argued piece, the highlights a series of important technical issues relating to the application of pre and post tax discount rates to streams of cashflows in the context of valuation. As the journal enters its fourth year, we are delighted to be able to report that the rate at which manuscripts published in the journal are accessed by readers continues to grow substantially. We are also enormously pleased to announce the expansion of our editorial board to include Professor Aswath Damodaran of the Stern School of Business, New York University, Professor Pablo Fernandez of IESE Business School at the University of Navarra and Professor Stewart Jones of the Faculty of Economics and Business at the University of Sydney.We express our sincere gratitude to all editorial board members for their continued work in support of JARAF and to each of the authors who have entrusted their thought leadership to the journal.


Freshwater clams (Corbicula fluminea) have long been used as a folk remedy in Chinese tradition. Their hot-water extract has been commercialized as a functional drink for liver protection. The objective of this study was to develop a product of the residual clam meat (FCR) and assess its functional compounds. The ethanol extract of FCR, designated FCRE, was identified to comprise phytosterols, polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and carotenoids. FCRE significantly reduced lipid accumulation and cell death in HepG2 cells via decreased fatty acid synthase (FAS) activity and increased activities of carnitine palmitoyltransferase (CPT) and acyl-CoA oxidase (ACO), indicative of suppressed lipogenesis and increased β-oxidation of fatty acids. In tilapia fed with high-fat diet (HFD), FCRE mitigated nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), which was evidenced by decreased levels of plasma aspartate transaminase (AST) and alanine transaminase (ALT), in addition to reduced total cholesterol and accumulation of triacylglycerols, particularly those of saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids. FCRE also suppressed stearoyl-CoA desaturase-1 (SCD-1) index, increased the PUFAs' n3/n6 ratio, and reduced prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and inflammatory infiltrates in tilapia liver. Tilapia fed with HFD for 2 weeks displayed NASH symptoms, while mice took 10 weeks to display NASH symptoms. No previous study has been reported on the potential use of tilapia as an NASH model for pre-screening hepatoprotective-functional foods.


Longleaf pine savannas have declined throughout the southeastern United States due to land-use change. Fortunately, natural resource professionals are currently restoring these ecologically and economically important savannas. Although efforts are underway to restore longleaf pine savannas, little information exists on female eastern wild turkey Meleagris gallopavo silvestris population dynamics in these systems. Therefore, we evaluated survival and cause-specific mortality of female eastern wild turkeys in two longleaf pine savannas in southwestern Georgia. We radio-marked 126 female wild turkeys during 2010–2013 and monitored their survival; 66 (52.4%) radio-marked females died during the study. We estimated causes of death for 37 mortality events with predation serving as the leading known cause of mortality, with 35.1% of mortalities attributed to mesocarnivore predation (e.g., bobcat Lynx rufus, coyote Canis latrans, and gray fox Urocyon cinereoargenteus) and 18.9% to great-horned owl Bubo virginianus predation. One female (2.7%) was hit by a vehicle. Seasonal survival estimates varied from a high during fall (Ŝ = 0.94; 95% CI: 0.86–1.00) to a low during spring (Ŝ = 0.76; 95% CI: 0.68–0.87). Survival of incubating females was 0.82 (95% CI: 0.71–0.93) and survival of nonincubating females was 0.67 (95% CI: 0.52–0.87). Annual survival was 0.55 (95% CI: 0.44–0.67). To ensure sustainable wild turkey populations in longleaf pine savannas, we suggest managers monitor relationships between survival and population productivity.


1. To assess whether diazoxide-induced sodium retention is due to a direct renal action of the durg, independent of its systemic haemodynamic effects, diazoxide was infused directly into one renal artery of hydropenic rats. During the infusion period there was a small fall in mean systemic arterial blood pressure. There were no significant changes in the clearances of inulin or p-aminohippurate by either kidney. 2. Absolute and fractional excretion of sodium were unchanged on the non-infused side. On the side of infusion, there was a significant increase in absolute and in fractional sodium excretion. 3. Thus natriuresis rather than sodium retention seems to be the direct renal effect of diazoxide and may be related to its vasodilator properties.


Autonomous driving presents one of the largest problems that the robotics and artificial intelligence communities are facing at the moment, both in terms of difficulty and potential societal impact. Self-driving vehicles (SDVs) are expected to prevent road accidents and save millions of lives while improving the livelihood and life quality of many more. However, despite large interest and a number of industry players working in the autonomous domain, there still remains more to be done in order to develop a system capable of operating at a level comparable to best human drivers. One reason for this is high uncertainty of traffic behavior and large number of situations that an SDV may encounter on the roads, making it very difficult to create a fully generalizable system. To ensure safe and efficient operations, an autonomous vehicle is required to account for this uncertainty and to anticipate a multitude of possible behaviors of traffic actors in its surrounding. We address this critical problem and present a method to predict multiple possible trajectories of actors while also estimating their probabilities. The method encodes each actor's surrounding context into a raster image, used as input by deep convolutional networks to automatically derive relevant features for the task. Following extensive offline evaluation and comparison to state-of-the-art baselines, the method was successfully tested on SDVs in closed-course tests.


Background: Acute drug poisoning remains an important public health problem and represents the second most frequent accidental disease in children. In this study, we identified epidemiological and clinical features of children admitted for acute drug poisoning and related factors associated with suicidal poisoning. Methods: We conducted a retrospective study in the Department of Pediatrics, the Military Hospital, Tunis, over a period of 8 years (2008-2014). Children aged less than 16 yr and admitted for acute drug poisoning were included. Cases of drug addiction were excluded. Two groups were compared: accidental poisoning / suicidal poisoning. Results: We collected 150 cases. The ratio male / female was 1:1.2. The mean age was 4.3 yr. Poisoning was due to one drug in 82% of cases. Children were asymptomatic in 39% of cases, had digestive and neurologic symptoms respectively in 30% and 20% of cases, respectively. Psychotropics came in the first place (20%) followed by paracetamol (16%). Two groups were identified: accidental poisoning (74 %) and suicidal poisoning (26%). Four factors were significantly associated with suicidal poisoning: age P< 0.001, OR= 16.25, 95% IC : [6.44-40.95]), female gender (P=0.011, OR= 5.4, 95% IC: [2.09-13.91]), multiple drug intake (P < 0.001, OR= 9.42, 95% IC: [3.05-29.03]) and use of psychotropics (P= 0.003, OR=4.81, 95%IC: [2.06-11.26]) . Conclusion: Two groups had to be distinguished: accidental and suicidal drug poisoning. The identification of their characteristics and their predisposing factors is necessary in order to take appropriate preventive actions.


Well-prepared personnel and an effective emergency response plan are essential components of any emergency command center. Unfortunately, evaluating emergency preparedness is often difficult until a disaster actually occurs. For example, unexpected events may develop during an emergency that were not considered during the planning phase. Also, the command center may need to cooperate with organizations that it has not worked with previously. Preparation can be especially difficult for smaller or remotely located command centers, or those with limited resources to conduct mock drills. This paper explores the potential of using the Internet to teach and evaluate command center skills. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is developing an Internet-based, computer simulation training package for the mining industry. Trainees will play the role of command center leaders at a mine, while the actions of other individuals and organizations are simulated. Trainees will be able to test their emergency response plans and learn valuable lessons from past mine emergencies. Nationally recognized experts will be able to create new training scenarios and make them available to mines throughout the U.S. This product should better prepare command center personnel for large-scale disasters such as fires and explosions. plan.


Alpine zooplankton are exposed to a variety of stressors in their natural environment including ultraviolet radiation. Physiological coping mechanisms such as the accumulation of photoprotective compounds provide these zooplankton protection from many of these stressors. Elevated levels of carotenoid compounds such as astaxanthin have been shown to help zooplankton survive longer when exposed to ultraviolet radiation presumably due to the strong antioxidant properties of carotenoid compounds. This antioxidant capacity is important because it may ameliorate natural and anthropogenic stressor-induced oxidative stress. While previous researchers have shown carotenoid compounds impart increased resistance to ultraviolet radiation in populations of zooplankton, little work has focused on the toxicological implications of PAH induced phototoxicity on zooplankton containing high levels of carotenoid compounds. This thesis discusses research studying the role that carotenoid compounds play in reducing PAH induced phototoxicity. By sampling different lakes at elevations ranging from 9,500' to 12,700' in the front range of the Colorado Rocky Mountains, copepod populations containing different levels of carotenoid compounds were obtained. These populations were then challenged with fluoranthene and ultraviolet radiation. Results discussed include differences in survival and levels of lipid peroxidation among populations exhibiting different levels of carotenoid compounds, and the toxicological and ecological implications of these results.


Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is endemic in more than 80 countries worldwide and it causes skin ulcers and disfigurement. Leishmania major causes CL in Kenya and its drugs are expensive, toxic and require prolonged use. Multidrug combination therapy prevents drug resistance and reduces toxicity. Herbal extracts can be safe and cheaper. This study investigated in vitro and in vivo efficacy of single and blends of crude aqueous and methanolic extracts from Moringa stenopetala, Callistemon citrinus, and Allium sativum against L. major. Controls were contemporary Leishmania drugs pentostam and liposomal amphotericin B, and phosphate buffered saline. Dry ground test materials were soaked in H2O at 70C for 11⁄2 hours, filtered, and freeze dried. Similarly, ground test materials were soaked in 500 ml of analytical grade methanol for 72 hours at room temperature, filtered and concentrated using rotary evaporator. T-test and ANOVA were used for data analysis. P-value of < 0.05 was considered significant. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of aqueous extracts of M. stenopetala (A), C. citrinus (B), and A. sativum (C) ranged from 3 to 5mg/ml while IC50 from 297.79 to 575.75μg/ml against L. major promastigotes as compared to MICs of 12.50 and 6.25μg/ml and IC50 of 0.26 and 0.82μg/ml for pentostam and liposomal amphotericin B respectively. MICs of methanolic extracts of M. stenopetala (H), C. citrinus (G), and A. sativum (F) ranged from 1 to 5mg/ml with IC50 of 572.69 to 1752.92μg/ml against L. major promastigotes. The extracts's cytotoxicity against vero cells ranged from 467.11 to 2105.93μg/ml as compared to 60.95μg/ml and 108.58μg/ml for pentostam and liposomal amphotericin B respectively. Methanolic extracts of C. citrinus and aqueous A. sativum extracts stimulated production of 20μM nitric oxide in BALB/c mice peritoneal macrophages signifying their immuno-modulatory role. Blends of M. stenopetala & C. citrinus (AB), M. stenopetala & A. sativum (AC) and C. citrinus & A. sativum (BC) at concentrations based on MICs of individual extracts, were active at ratios 1:1, 1:9 and 1:1 with promastigotes' viabilities of 33.82%, 17.41% and 60.74 % respectively. The ratios and promastigotes viabilities for methanolic blends were, FG (1:1; 31.32%), FH (1:9; 34.59%) and GH (9:1; 7.44%). The IC50 for any blends of two extracts ranged from 174μg/ml to 1314μg/ml against L. major promastigotes. There was strong synergistic (1:9) and additive (1:1 and 2:8) interactions for the blend AC. Blend BC interacted additively at ratio 1:1. Blend AC at 125μg/ml had infection rate (IR) of 71% and multiplication index (MI) of 48.20% for L. major amastigotes in vitro, and compared well to pentostam at 12.50μg/ml with IR of 67% and MI of 47.51%. Methanolic blends of three different extracts were more efficacious with MIs of 33.48 to 38.24%. Oral aqueous and methanolic A. sativum extracts (A and F) reduced the foot pad lesion sizes significantly (P < 0.05) in infected BALB/c mice. Oral blend BC reduced the footpad lesion size significantly (P < 0.05) like Leishmania control drugs. Oral blends BC and AC reduced spleen amastigotes in mice by 48.33% and 60.94% corresponding to total LDUs of 6.35±0.66 and 4.80±0.95 respectively. Oral/ip blend HGF (2:2:1) had amastigotes inhibition rate of 63.95% compared to 66.40% and 60.62% for pentostam and liposomal amphotericin B respectively. In conclusion, aqueous and methanolic crude extracts of C. citrinus, A. sativum and M. stenopetala were less toxic but active against L. major in vitro and in vivo and their blends that had additive or synergistic interaction lowered L. major survival. This study recommends that Kenyatta University in collaboration with relevant stakeholders to consider developing natural products based on these results for the management of CL in poverty stricken leishmaniases endemic areas of Kenya.


Three dimensional (3d) point data is used in industry for measurement and reverse engineering. Precise point data is usually acquired with triangulating laser scanners or high precision structured light scanners. Lower precision point data is acquired by real-time structured light devices or by stereo matching with multiple cameras. The basic principle of all these methods is the so-called triangulation of 3d coordinates from two dimensional (2d) camera images.

This dissertation contributes a method for multi-camera stereo matching that uses a system of four synchronized cameras. A GPU based stereo matching method is presented to achieve a high quality reconstruction at interactive frame rates. Good depth resolution is achieved by allowing large disparities between the images. A multi level approach on the GPU allows a fast processing of these large disparities. In reverse engineering, hand-held laser scanners are used for the scanning of complex shaped objects. The operator of the scanner can scan complex regions slower, multiple times, or from multiple angles to achieve a higher point density. Traditionally, computer aided design (CAD) geometry is reconstructed in a separate step after the scanning. Errors or missing parts in the scan prevent a successful reconstruction. The contribution of this dissertation is an on-line algorithm that allows the reconstruction during the scanning of an object. Scanned points are added to the reconstruction and improve it on-line. The operator can detect the areas in the scan where the reconstruction needs additional data.

First, the point data is thinned out using an octree based data structure. Local normals and principal curvatures are estimated for the reduced set of points. These local geometric values are used for segmentation using a region growing approach. Implicit quadrics are fitted to these segments. The canonical form of the quadrics provides the parameters of basic geometric primitives.

An improved approach uses so called accumulated means of local geometric properties to perform segmentation and primitive reconstruction in a single step. Local geometric values can be added and removed on-line to these means to get a stable estimate over a complete segment. By estimating the shape of the segment it is decided which local areas are added to a segment. An accumulated score estimates the probability for a segment to belong to a certain type of geometric primitive. A boundary around the segment is reconstructed using a growing algorithm that ensures that the boundary is closed and avoids self intersections.


Iron, the fourth most abundant element in the Earth's crust, has four naturally occurring stable isotopes: 54Fe (5.84%), 56Fe (91.76%), 57Fe (2.12%), and 58Fe (0.28%), and the natural, mass-dependent isotope variations of Fe in the rock record span a range of ~4 per mil (‰) in 56Fe/54Fe ratios (Fig. 1⇓). The field of Fe isotope geochemistry is relatively new but has received considerable attention because it may allow us to gain a better understanding of how Fe is cycled in different environments. Iron typically occurs as either reduced ferrous Fe in oxygen-poor environments, or as oxidized ferric iron in oxygen-rich environments. Notably, only the reduced species is soluble in oxygenated aqueous solutions, unless the pH is low. In the Archean and Early Proterozoic, the earth may have been relatively oxygen-poor (e.g., Kasting et al. 1979; Grandstaff 1980; Holland 1994), suggesting that there may have been significant quantities of Fe (0.9 millimolar) dissolved in the oceans as Fe(II)aq (e.g., Ewers 1983; Sumner 1997). The extensive iron formations of Archean to Early Proterozoic age may have been deposited from such Fe(II)-rich oceans (e.g., Beukes and Klein 1992). In the modern oxic oceans, however, Fe contents are exceedingly low, <1 nanomolar in the open oceans (e.g., Martin and Gordon 1988; Bruland et al. 1991; Martin 1992; Johnson et al. 1997), and it is now recognized that marine productivity is Fe-limited in parts of the open oceans (e.g., Martin and Fitzwater 1988; Martin et al. 1989, 1994). The differences in the behavior of Fe with redox state, and the significant isotope fractionations (1‰ or more in 56Fe/54Fe) that are associated with redox conditions, suggests that Fe isotope studies will be extremely useful for tracing …


In order to achieve a rapid transition to electric vehicle driving, a highly reliable and easy to use charging infrastructure is critical to building confidence as consumers shift from using familiar gas vehicles to unfamiliar electric vehicles (EV). This study evaluated the functionality of the charging system for 657 EVSE (electric vehicle service equipment) CCS connectors (combined charging system) on all 181 open, public DCFC (direct current fast chargers) charging stations in the Greater Bay Area. An EVSE was evaluated as functional if it charged an EV for 2 minutes or was charging an EV at the time the station was evaluated. Overall, 72.5% of the 657 EVSEs were functional. The cable was too short to reach the EV inlet for 4.9% of the EVSEs. Causes of 22.7% of EVSEs that were non-functioning were unresponsive or unavailable screens, payment system failures, charge initiation failures, network failures, or broken connectors. A random evaluation of 10% of the EVSEs, approximately 8 days after the first evaluation, demonstrated no overall change in functionality. This level of functionality appears to conflict with the 95 to 98% uptime reported by the EV service providers (EVSPs) who operate the EV charging stations. The findings suggest a need for shared, precise definitions of and calculations for reliability, uptime, downtime, and excluded time, as applied to open public DCFCs, with verification by third-party evaluation.


During August 1982 a full-scale experiment was begun with the aim of studying the effect of the permittivity of bitumen on the texture depth of heavily-chipped Marshall-designed rolled asphalts. Seven sections of asphalt were laid and, apart from the differences in permittivity, the asphalts were nominally identical. The experimental sections were laid in all three lanes of Motorway M4, Wiltshire. The changes in texture depth and skidding resistance at the three traffic intensities will be monitored for at least 5 years. (Author/TRRL)


How did MIT become MIT? The Massachusetts Institute of Technology marks the 150th anniversary of its founding in 2011. Over the years, MIT has lived by its motto, "Mens et Manus" ("Mind and Hand"), dedicating itself to the pursuit of knowledge and its application to real-world problems. MIT has produced leading scholars in fields ranging from aeronautics to economics, invented entire academic disciplines, and transformed ideas into market-ready devices. This book examines a series of turning points, crucial decisions that helped define MIT. Many of these issues have relevance today: the moral implications of defense contracts, the optimal balance between government funding and private investment, and the right combination of basic science, engineering, and humanistic scholarship in the curriculum. Chapters describe the educational vison and fund-raising acumen of founder William Barton Rogers (MIT was among the earliest recipients of land grant funding); MIT's relationship with Harvard--its rival, doppelganger, and, for a brief moment, degree-conferring partner; the battle between pure science and industrial sponsorship in the early twentieth century; MIT's rapid expansion during World War II because of defense work and military training courses; the conflict between Cold War gadgetry and the humanities; protests over defense contracts at the height of the Vietnam War; the uproar in the local community over the perceived riskiness of recombinant DNA research; and the measures taken to reverse years of institutionalized discrimination against women scientists.


Nitrogen isotope ratios (Δ15N) of sediment and formalinߚfixed fish specimens (Isaza fish, Chaenogobius isaza, Tanaka), which had been collected and preserved over 40 yr, were used to provide a new methodology to reconstruct recent eutrophication and historical changes in the nitrogen cycle in Lake Biwa. Δ15N records of Isaza fish collected in the north basin of Lake Biwa, a lake that had been rapidly eutrophicated in the last several decades, showed a rapid increase from the early 1960s to 1980s with an overall amplitude of >3‰. The same trend was simultaneously observed from that of sedimentary nitrogen. We evaluated several factors controlling Δ15N of Isaza fish and sediments during the 20th century and concluded that an increase of Δ15N was either associated with an increase in loading nitrate with high Δ15N values from the watershed or enhanced denitrification in the lake.


The number of chromosome sets contained within the nucleus of eukaryotic organisms is a fundamental yet evolutionarily poorly characterized genetic variable of life. Here, we mapped the impact of ploidy on the mitotic fitness of baker's yeast and its never domesticated relative Saccharomyces paradoxus across wide swaths of their natural genotypic and phenotypic space. Surprisingly, environment-specific influences of ploidy on reproduction were found to be the rule rather than the exception. These ploidy–environment interactions were well conserved across the 2 billion generations separating the two species, suggesting that they are the products of strong selection. Previous hypotheses of generalizable advantages of haploidy or diploidy in ecological contexts imposing nutrient restriction, toxin exposure, and elevated mutational loads were rejected in favor of more fine-grained models of the interplay between ecology and ploidy. On a molecular level, cell size and mating type locus composition had equal, but limited, explanatory power, each explaining 12.5%–17% of ploidy–environment interactions. The mechanism of the cell size–based superior reproductive efficiency of haploids during Li+ exposure was traced to the Li+ exporter ENA. Removal of the Ena transporters, forcing dependence on the Nha1 extrusion system, completely altered the effects of ploidy on Li+ tolerance and evoked a strong diploid superiority, demonstrating how genetic variation at a single locus can completely reverse the relative merits of haploidy and diploidy. Taken together, our findings unmasked a dynamic interplay between ploidy and ecology that was of unpredicted evolutionary importance and had multiple molecular roots.


Performance and total cost of ownership (TCO) are key optimization metrics in large-scale data centers. According to these metrics, data centers designed with conventional server processors are inefficient. Recently introduced processors based on low-power cores can improve both throughput and energy efficiency compared to conventional server chips. However, a specialized Scale-Out Processor (SOP) architecture maximizes on-chip computing density to deliver the highest performance per TCO and performance per watt at the data-center level.


Domestic sewage sludge or biosolids and lake-dredged materials are examples of materials that can be used to cut fertilizer costs in pasture-based animal agriculture. Sustainable biosolids and lake-dredged materials management is based upon controlling and influencing the quantity, quality and characteristics of these materials in such a way that negative impacts to the environment are avoided and beneficial uses are optimized. This article examines the following two key questions. Is the use of these materials in an agricultural setting harmless and sensible? Is the use of biosolids secure in all climates, in all soils and is it sustainable over the long term? Recycling biosolids and lake-dredged materials to pasture-based animal production is quite productive as alternative nutrient sources for forage production. Perennial grass can be a good choice for repeated applications of biosolids and lake-dredged materials. Although biosolids and lake-dredged materials supply some essential plant nutrients and provide soil property-enhancing organic matter, land-application programs still generate some concerns because of possible health and environmental risks involved. Repeated applications of biosolids and lake-dredged materials indicate no harmful effects on soil quality and forage quality. Beneficial uses of biosolids and lake-dredged materials are both economical and environmental. The concentrations of soil nitrogen and phosphorus following repeated application of biosolids were far below the contamination risk in the environment. The residual effect of biosolids over the long term can be especially significant in many forage-based pastures where only 50% of the million hectares of pastures are given inorganic nitrogen yearly. Long-term studies have demonstrated the favorable and beneficial effects of added lake-dredged materials on the early establishment of bahiagrass in sandy pasture fields. Often these materials can be obtained at little or no cost to the farmers or landowners. Lake-dredged materials can be used as soil amendments (lime and fertilizer) for early establishment of bahiagrass in beef cattle pastures. Bahiagrass in plots that were treated with biosolids and lake-dredge materials had significantly higher forage yield and crude protein content when compared with those bahiagrass in the control plots or untreated plants.


This paper evaluates the extent to which the explanatory power detected in the term structure in different markets and countries can actually be used to produce sensible forecasts of future short-term interest rates. Specifically, in spite of the forecasting connotation of the unbiasedness property of forward rates, actual evaluation of their forecasting performance has received scant attention in the literature on the term structure. This study uses monthly data for 1978–1998 on interest rates on Eurodeposits on the US dollar, yen, Deutsche mark, British pound, Spanish peseta, French franc, Italian lira and Swiss franc, comparing forecasts obtained from forward rates to those obtained from univariate autoregressions. By themselves, forward rates produce better one-step ahead forecasts, as well as better once-and-for all forecasts of 1-month interest rates over a full year horizon than those obtained from the own past of interest rates. The gain in one-step ahead forecasting disappears for longer maturities, although forward rates still produce better once-and-for all predictions of 3- and 6-month interest rates than univariate autoregressions for a number of currencies.


Shareholders, consumers, homeowners, borrowers, employees and other citizens were harmed, in some cases substantially, by the business practices of individuals at various financial firms leading up to the 2008 financial crisis. Unlike after other crises in the financial markets, such as the 2001 accounting fraud scandals, the public was not treated to the catharsis of criminal prosecutions or even large civil judgments and settlements. Instead, financial firms that incurred large losses on behalf of its shareholders repeatedly withstood attempts at legal redress in the courts by those shareholders. Shareholders were turned away from the courthouse door in cases involving federal securities law claims and claims of breaches of state law fiduciary duties. Scholars and commentators have focused on one area of fiduciary duty that seemed to fit: a claim that the board of directors of a firm failed to exercise its oversight duty to monitor firm-wide financial risk. However, this claim was also unsuccessful in the courts as judges viewed the duty to monitor risk as repackaging of the duty of care, which is significantly shielded from judicial review. Therefore, shareholders were left without a cause of action for admittedly "boneheaded" decisions of managers in light of changing economic circumstances.This Article argues that the failure of the short life of the duty to monitor risk is not a bad development, but a logical and reasoned one. To say that shareholders, and by extension, courts, should not second-guess business decisions of boards of directors that are the result of a rational process, but to say that shareholders can second-guess the supervision of boards of those same decisions is inconsistent with decades of corporate governance jurisprudence. To make room for this duty within the duty of oversight or to create a separate duty to monitor financial risk would have the consequence of opening a side door to the questioning of all kinds of legal business decisions that have within them an element of business risk, political risk, currency risk, environmental risk, and legal risk. Though the oversight duty had before been cabined to holding directors responsible for the crimes and wrongful acts they should have known were being perpetuated by firm employees, the duty to monitor risk would subject legal but risky actions to judicial scrutiny. This eventuality would in effect reduce the business judgment rule to a nullity.


As the severity of the problems facing the federal deposit insurance funds become more obvious, the chorus of support for some form of market value accounting is growing. Proponents cite the benefits of increased disclosure and the discipline such accounting would bring about. Opponents argue that market value accounting is infeasible because it would be too costly and too inaccurate to be worth the effort.


In light of the large number of studies published since the 2004 update of Schizophrenia Patient Outcomes Research Team psychopharmacological treatment recommendations, we conducted an extensive literature review to determine whether the current psychopharmacological treatment recommendations required revision and whether there was sufficient evidence to warrant new treatment recommendations for prespecified outcomes of interest. We reviewed over 400 articles, which resulted in 16 treatment recommendations: the revision of 11 previous treatment recommendations and 5 new treatment recommendations. Three previous treatment recommendations were eliminated. There were 13 interventions and/or outcomes for which there was insufficient evidence for a treatment recommendation, and a statement was written to summarize the current level of evidence and identify important gaps in our knowledge that need to be addressed. In general, there was considerable consensus among the Psychopharmacology Evidence Review Group and the expert consultants. Two major areas of contention concerned whether there was sufficient evidence to recommend specific dosage ranges for the acute and maintenance treatment of first-episode and multi-episode schizophrenia and to endorse the practice of switching antipsychotics for the treatment of antipsychotic-related weight gain. Finally, there continue to be major gaps in our knowledge, including limited information on (1) the use of adjunctive pharmacological agents for the treatment of persistent positive symptoms or other symptom domains of psychopathology, including anxiety, cognitive impairments, depressive symptoms, and persistent negative symptoms and (2) the treatment of co-occurring substance or medical disorders that occur frequently in individuals with schizophrenia.


Social learning—the ability to learn from observing the decisions of other people and the outcomes of those decisions—is fundamental to human evolutionary and cultural success. The Internet now provides social evidence on an unprecedented scale. However, properly utilizing this evidence requires a capacity for statistical inference. We examined how people's interpretation of online review scores is influenced by the numbers of reviews—a potential indicator both of an item's popularity and of the precision of the average review score. Our task was designed to pit statistical information against social information. We modeled the behavior of an "intuitive statistician" using empirical prior information from millions of reviews posted on Amazon.com and then compared the model's predictions with the behavior of experimental participants. Under certain conditions, people preferred a product with more reviews to one with fewer reviews even though the statistical model indicated that the latter was likely to be of higher quality than the former. Overall, participants' judgments suggested that they failed to make meaningful statistical inferences.


In the study of many groups of animals, morphological analysis can be facilitated by the application of established statistical methods and criteria. In the case of Dendraster excentricus, a Pacific Coast sand dollar, quantitative analysis served to clarify the differences between two forms from dissimilar environments, and to provide a criterion by which a taxonomic decision may be reached. The use of similar techniques in paleontology can also lead to clarification of taxonomic difficulties.


Economists have contributed to the measurement of racial and ethnic discrimination in consumption and to the identification of its causes, especially in housing markets and car sales. To test the hypothesis that discrimination exists, economists have turned to regression analysis and to audits, a matched-pair survey technique. Economists also have developed audit-based measures of the incidence and severity of discrimination. Audit studies find continuing high levels of discrimination against minorities in the marketing of available housing and in car prices. Audit studies also find that discrimination can be caused both by economic agents' prejudice and by their search for profits.


Extensive high-severity wildfires have driven major losses of ponderosa pine and mixed-conifer forests in the southwestern United States, in some settings catalyzing enduring conversions to nonforested vegetation types. Management interventions to reduce the probability of stand-replacing wildfire have included mechanical fuel treatments, prescribed fire, and wildfire managed for resource benefit. In 2011, the Las Conchas fire in northern New Mexico burned forested areas not exposed to fire for >100 yr, but also reburned numerous prescribed fire units and/or areas previously burned by wildfire. At some sites, the combination of recent prescribed fire and wildfire approximated known pre-settlement fire frequency, with two or three exposures to fire between 1977 and 2007. We analyzed gridded remotely sensed burn severity data (differenced normalized burn ratio), pre- and post-fire field vegetation samples, and pre- and post-fire measures of surface fuels to assess relationships and interactions between prescribed fire, prior wildfire, fuels, subsequent burn severity, and patterns of post-fire forest retention vs. conversion to non-forest. We found that Las Conchas burn severity was lowest, and tree survival was highest, in sites that had experienced both prescribed fire and prior wildfire. Sites that had experienced only prescribed or prior wildfire exhibited moderate burn severity and intermediate levels of forest retention. Sites lacking any recent prior fire burned at the highest severity and were overwhelmingly converted to non-forested vegetation including grassland, oak scrub, and weedy, herbaceous-dominated types. Burn severity in the Las Conchas fire was closely linked to surface woody fuel loads, which were reduced by prior wildfire and prescribed fire. Our results support the restoration of fire regimes via prescribed fire and resource benefit wildfire to promote the resiliency of forest types vulnerable to fire-mediated type conversion. The application of prescribed fire to reduce surface fuels following wildfire may reduce forest loss during subsequent fire under more extreme conditions. These findings are especially relevant given likely increases in vulnerability associated with climate change impacts to wildfire and forest dynamics.


Student surveys are widely used to evaluate university teaching and increasingly adopted at the K-12 level, although there remains considerable debate about what they measure. Much disagreement focuses on the well-documented correlation between student grades and their evaluations of instructors. Using individual-level data from 19,000 evaluations of 700 course sections at a flagship public university, we leverage both within-course and within-student variation to rule out popular explanations for this correlation. Specifically, we show that the relationship cannot be explained by instructional quality, workload, grading stringency, or student sorting into courses. Instead, student grade satisfaction—regardless of the underlying cause of the grades—appears to be an important driver of course evaluations. We also present results from a randomized intervention with potential to reduce the magnitude of the association by reminding students to focus on relevant teaching and learning considerations and by increasing the salience of the stakes attached to evaluations for instructor careers. However, these prove ineffective in muting the relationship between grades and student scores.


Already a classic and widely used text, this second edition has been wholly revised and updated in the light of the many discoveries made since its first publication. Michael Rice's bold and original work evokes the fascination and wonder of the most ancient period of Egypt's history. Covering a huge range of topics, including formative influences in the political and social organization and art of Egypt, the origins of kingship, the age of pyramids, the nature of Egypt's contact with the lands around the Arabian Gulf, and the earliest identifiable developments of the historic Egyptian personality. Egypt's Making is a scholarly yet readable and imaginative approach to this compelling ancient civilization.


Background Antibodies are important in the control of blood stage Plasmodium falciparum infection. It is unclear which antibody responses are responsible for, or even associated with protection, partly due to confounding by heterogeneous exposure. Assessment of response to partially effective antimalarial therapy, which requires the host to assist in clearing parasites, offers an opportunity to measure protection independent of exposure. Methods A cohort of children aged 1–10 years in Kampala, Uganda were treated with amodiaquine+sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine for uncomplicated malaria. Serum samples from the time of malaria diagnosis and 14 days later were analyzed for total IgG to 8 P. falciparum antigens using a quantitative indirect ELISA. Associations between antibody levels and risk of treatment failure were estimated using Cox proportional hazard regression. Results Higher levels of antibodies to apical membrane antigen 1 (AMA-1), but to none of the other 7 antigens were significantly associated with protection against treatment failure (HR 0.57 per 10-fold increase in antibody level, CI 0.41–0.79, p = 0.001). Protection increased consistently across the entire range of antibody levels. Conclusions Measurement of antibody levels to AMA-1 at the time of malaria may offer a quantitative biomarker of blood stage immunity to P. falciparum, a tool which is currently lacking.


Boundary control to damp the undesirable vibrations in a Timoshenko beam is considered. For this purpose, controllability and wellposedness of the system are examined. Performance index is defined with regards to the dynamic response of the beam that is defined as a weighted quadratic functional of the displacement and the velocity at terminal time and expenditure of the control energy added as a penalty term. In order to obtain the optimal control function, an adjoint variable satisfying the adjoint equation corresponding to state equation is introduced. The maximum principle is formulated and optimal control function is obtained. Also, by using maximum principle, control problem is transformed into solving a system of partial differential equations including state and adjoint variables with initial, boundary and terminal conditions. MATLAB is used to obtain the solution of the system. Numerical results are given in tables and graphical forms.


The thesis describes an exploration and analysis of the nature of strategic decision-making processes (SDMP) in Libyan Commercial Banks. The role of 'rationality', 'intuition' and 'political behaviour' in five strategic decisions of very high importance were explored in this study, by conducting sixteen face-to-face interviews with senior decision-makers, all closely involved with the decisions, from three commercial banks. Other observations of SDM behaviour and documentary information were also recorded. Field work enabled analysis and interpretation of the perceived influence of `decision importance` on the process, as well as an exploration of the three key influencing factors on the SDMP.
Consistent findings for the nature of the process were found for all five decisions. Rationality was a key factor of the process. Considerable efforts were made by key staff to gather and analyse information, discuss issues, as well as engage consultants and seek advice from Commercial Banks outside Libya. This finding appeared to reflect the high importance of the decisions coupled with the inexperience of the senior management group. This lead to some anxiety and, as a consequence, risk-reducing activities. The SDs were based on analysis, advice and past experience, rather than on personal judgement. None of the banks exhibited strong political or intuitive behaviour in their DMPs. Instead there was constructive consultation in making decisions. DM was driven by clear decision motives, the importance attached to the decision, and a committed effort to minimize uncertainty and risk. Other factors considered were that the decisions were financially rewarding, delivered customer satisfaction and employee welfare, as well as being socially acceptable.
Analysis of the data has enabled the development of a model which is consistent with an interpretation that places 'anxiety' in the senior management group as the dominant factor driving the adoption of a rational approach to DM, with low intuitive or political activity. Anxiety is derived from the crucial importance of the decision, the relative inexperience of the senior management group, and some policy pressure from the Central Bank of Libya to change and modernize banking methods. The availability of resources and time to the senior group, in a generally munificent environment, also made it feasible for senior staff to adopt rational methods of analysis for DM, and as a consequence reduce their degree of anxiety.


Drought, one of the most destructive natural disasters is projected by numerous studies to become more severe and widespread under climate change. These water limitations will have profound effects on terrestrial systems across the globe. Yet, most of the existing drought monitoring indices are based on drought stress derived from environmental conditions rather than ecosystem responses. Here, we propose using a new approach, the Normalized Ecosystem Drought Index (NEDI), coupled with modified Variable Interval Time Averaging (VITA) method, to quantify drought severity according to ecosystem transitional patterns with water availability. The method is inspired by Sprengel's and Liebig's Law of the Minimum for plant nutrition. Eddy covariance measurements from 60 AmeriFlux sites that cross 8 International Geosphere–Biosphere Programme (IGBP) vegetation types were used to validate the use of NEDI coupled to VITA. The results show that NEDI can reasonably depict both drought stress posed by the environment and drought responses presented by various ecosystems. Water availability becomes a dominant limiting factor for ecosystem evapotranspiration when NEDI falls below zero, and normalized evapotranspiration strength generally decreases with decreasing NEDI under this regime. The widely used self-calibrating Palmer Drought Severity Index (sc-PDSI) and Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) have difficulty capturing ecosystem responses to water availability, although they can reasonably represent drought conditions detected in the environment. The normalization feature employed in NEDI makes it feasible to compare drought severity over different regions, seasons and vegetation types. The new drought index also provides a valuable tool for irrigation and water distribution management practices which may enhance water conservation efforts as drought conditions become more prevalent.


The recent invasion of the red alga Heterosiphonia japonica in the western North Atlantic Ocean has provided a unique opportunity to study invasion dynamics across a biogeographical barrier. Native to the western North Pacific Ocean, initial collections in 2007 and 2009 restricted the western North Atlantic range of this invader to Rhode Island, USA. However, through subtidal community surveys, we document the presence of Heterosiphonia in coastal waters from Maine to New York, USA, a distance of more than 700 km. This geographical distribution spans a well-known biogeographical barrier at Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Despite significant differences in subtidal community structure north and south of Cape Cod, Heterosiphonia was found at all but two sites surveyed in both biogeographic provinces, suggesting that this invader is capable of rapid expansion over broad geographic ranges. Across all sites surveyed, Heterosiphonia comprised 14% of the subtidal benthic community. However, average abundances of nearly 80% were found at some locations. As a drifting macrophyte, Heterosiphonia was found as intertidal wrack in abundances of up to 65% of the biomass washed up along beaches surveyed. Our surveys suggest that the high abundance of Heterosiphonia has already led to marked changes in subtidal community structure; we found significantly lower species richness in recipient communities with higher Heterosiphona abundances. Based on temperature and salinity tolerances of the European populations, we believe Heterosiphonia has the potential to invade and alter subtidal communities from Florida to Newfoundland in the western North Atlantic.


Many people know about Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs) which, along with profit-sharing and pension plans, are treated as deferred compensation plans under Section 401 and related sections of the Internal Revenue Code. ESOPs have been established by thousands of American corporations, including some of the largest, and cover millions of employees. There is a national trade association (The ESOP Association), that is now celebrating its 50th year in existence, and other organizations established to support employee ownership, including the Ohio Center for Employee Ownership that first published this article in its publication entitled Owners At Work (2006/2007)Most people aware of ESOPs, however, do not realize that ESOPs are part of a broader approach to expanded capital ownership, broader prosperity, and economic justice known as binary economics. Binary economics was first advanced by Louis Kelso, who is also widely known as the inventor of the ESOP. But Louis Kelso's approach to economic theory is only partially reflected in the present ESOP legislation. Binary economics offers a plan for more widespread economic prosperity for all people (not limited to employees) than is presently offered by mainstream economics. Once ESOP participants understand binary economics, they may choose to advocate legislative reforms that will better serve their own economic interests and also the economic interests of their companies and the country as a whole. These reforms would transform ESOPs into much more powerful Super ESOPs in a full binary economy of the future. The Super ESOP will empower employees to acquire shares of stock in their companies entirely with the earnings of capital and on much more favorable terms than at present. Moreover, the Super ESOP will empower employees and others to acquire a diversified portfolio of shares in other credit-worthy companies entirely with the future earnings of the shares they acquire. This article briefly describes the binary economics and its important connection with the ESOPs. For a fuller explication if binary economics, see the following four articles which can be downloaded for free from SSRN.COM: (1) Binary Economics - An Overview, (2) Binary Economics and the Case for Broader Ownership, (3) Capital Democratization, and (4) Memo on Binary Economics to Women and People of Color Re: What Else can Public Corporations Do for Your Clients?.


The development of a simulation environment for the study of signal processing algorithms is discussed. The project was divided into two parts. The first and the major part was the development of MATLAB, a matrix manipulation program, into a suitable simulation environment for studies in signal processing. The second part used the software tools developed by the first in performing a simulation study involving the use of state space models in parameter estimation. Developing software tools in MATLAB included expanding the original inbuilt set of tools to enable the users to write their own functions effectively. This meant creating a set of sophisticated tools and adding these to the source of the MATLAB program. The method for adding functions to the MATLAB library for use by the whole programming community has been detailed. A large set of signal processing functions have been added to the MATLAB library, thus increasing the power of MATLAB as a signal processing simulation environment. The problem of approximate realization which constitutes the second part of the project, has been dealt with at the simulation stage. Starting out with noisy data, the aim was to develop a state space model which approximated this data. Different ways of arriving at a solution have been considered. The results of the simulation studies are detailed.


Probabilistic topic models are a popular tool for the unsupervised analysis of text, providing both a predictive model of future text and a latent topic representation of the corpus. Recent studies have found that while there are suggestive connections between topic models and the way humans interpret data, these two often disagree. In this paper, we explore this disagreement from the perspective of the learning process rather than the output. We present a novel task, tag-and-cluster, which asks subjects to simultaneously annotate documents and cluster those annotations. We use these annotations as a novel approach for constructing a topic model, grounded in human interpretations of documents. We demonstrate that these topic models have features which distinguish them from traditional topic models.


Abstract
The evolution of the South Atlantic in space and time is in general presented as a two plate system, where the separation of the two continent might be caused by the Tristan Hotspot. Evidence for massive subaerial and submarine volcanism is found on both margins and adjacebt basins. Namely, the Parana (Brasil) and Etendeka (Namibia) flood basalts onshore, and the Walvis Ridge and Rio Grande offshore are evidences for a long term volcanism related to the rift/drift of both continents. In science it is currently under debate, if hotspot volcanism is the driving force for the continental breakup or are e.g. the above mentioned features a by-product of the anyhow moving plates.
Aeromagnetic investigations along East Antarctica show that from the beginning of the Gondwana breakup the South American and Africa plates moved in different directions and with different speeds. This most likely caused rifting along old zone of weakness between South America and southern Africa. The ridge in combination with the large igneous provinces (Etendeka and Parana) in South America and Namibia is today considered to be a classical model for hotspot driven continental break-up. For understanding the role of mantle plumes during continental breakup a large-scale geophysical experiment in 2011 on/offshore Namibia was conducted to investigate the crustal/upper mantle structure both under the Walvis Ridge and northern Namibia. Several seismic profiles in the strike and across the Walvis Ridge with in total more than 160 oceanbottom seismometers, magnetic telluric station were deployed. Onshore the number of instruments was more than 300 to map in detail the continent-ocean transition zone to enhance our understanding on how the crust was modified by the thermal anomaly. In addition, a larger number of seismological stations are operated both on- and offshore to investigate the structure of the upper mantle. Here, we reported the first results of this experiment and discuss some implications.