On the banks of the Potomac River, Mount Vernon stands, with its iconic portico boasting breathtaking views and with a landscape to rival the great gardens of Europe, as a monument to George Washington's artistic and creative efforts. More than one million people visit Mount Vernon each year-drawn to the stature and beauty of Washington's family estate. Art historian Joseph Manca systematically examines Mount Vernon-its stylistic, moral, and historical dimensions-offering a complete picture of this national treasure and the man behind its enduring design. Manca brings to light a Washington deeply influenced by his wide travels in colonial America, with a broader architectural knowledge than previously suspected, and with a philosophy that informed his aesthetic sensibility. Washington believed that design choices and personal character mesh to form an ethic of virtue and fulfillment and that art is inextricably linked with moral and social concerns. Manca examines how these ideas shaped the material culture of Mount Vernon. Based on careful study of Washington's personal diaries and correspondence and on the lively accounts of visitors to his estate, this richly illustrated book introduces a George Washington unfamiliar to many readers-an avid art collector, amateur architect, and leading landscape designer of his time.


A young mother presents with her 12 week old son, complaining that he "cries all the time." She also has a three year old daughter who was "never a problem."

Elicit the mother's views--What does she think the problem might be? Take seriously any specific concerns she has. How experienced is she? For example, does she appreciate that the duration and frequency of crying can vary considerably between infants and at different times in the same infant? How is she coping? Is she depressed? Ask about what sources of support she has at home or among her wider circle of friends and relatives and whether she needs any additional help.

Nature of the crying--Excessive crying is defined medically as crying that lasts at least three hours a day, for three days a week, for at least three weeks. Is there …


Weakly Aggregative Modal Logic (WAML) is a collection of disguised polyadic modal logics with n-ary modalities whose arguments are all the same. WAML has some interesting applications on epistemic logic and logic of games, so we study some basic model theoretical aspects of WAML in this paper. Specifically, we give a van Benthem-Rosen characterization theorem of WAML based on an intuitive notion of bisimulation and show that each basic WAML system Kn lacks Craig Interpolation.


The Sierra de Pie de Palo (SPP, Western Sierras Pampeanas) shows evidence of two regional metamorphisms: one Mesoproterozoic attributed to the Grenvillian orogeny and other of Ordovician age related to the Famatinian orogeny. The Neoproterozoic-to-Cambrian sedimentary successions that cover the Grenvillian basement only record the Ordovician event. One staurolite-schist from the Ediacaran Difunta Correa Metasedimentary Sequence collected in the southeastern side of the SPP allows to constrain, by means of pseudosections, a prograde evolution from ca. 3 kbar and 515 ºC up to ca. 9 kbar and 640 ºC corresponding to a high P/T gradient. The SPP and the immediately east Loma de Las Chacras outcrop were part of the famatinian forearc which shows a progressive decrease of P (from ca. 13 kbar to 6 kbar), T (from ca. 900 ºC to 450 ºC), and P/T gradient (from ca. 85 ºC/kbar to 35 ºC/kbar) towards the active continental margin on the west. The Caucete Group, in the western side of the SPP, represents the westernmost part of the forearc, near to the active continental margin. Metamorphism was apparently coeval with the Famatinian magmatism and with ductile underthrusting at ca. 470-465 Ma, which led to burial of the forearc beneath the magmatic arc.


IN BRIEF

In today's Total Quality Management environment, the purchasing function is not only responsible for securing vital production and facilitating resources for its organization, it is also charged with providing quality service to its internal customers. To date, the purchasing profession does not have a widely accepted instrument to measure the dimensions of service quality within a purchasing context. This research attempts to address this void by applying SERVQUAL, an instrument that has traditionally been used to assess retail consumer perceptions of service quality, to purchasing performance within a service organization. Initial results indicate that SERVQUAL does provide the purchasing function with a useful method for obtaining feedback from its internal customers.


Dual-energy computed tomographic (DECT) technology offers enhanced capabilities that may benefit oncologic imaging in the abdomen. By using two different energies, dual-energy CT allows material decomposition on the basis of energy-dependent attenuation profiles of specific materials. Although image acquisition with dual-energy CT is similar to that with single-energy CT, comprehensive postprocessing is able to generate not only images that are similar to single-energy CT (SECT) images, but a variety of other images, such as virtual unenhanced (VUE), virtual monochromatic (VMC), and material-specific iodine images. An increase in the conspicuity of iodine on low-energy VMC images and material-specific iodine images may aid detection and characterization of tumors. Use of VMC images of a desired energy level (40-140 keV) improves lesion-to-background contrast and the quality of vascular imaging for preoperative planning. Material-specific iodine images enable differentiation of hypoattenuating tumors from hypo- or hyperattenuating cysts and facilitate detection of isoattenuating tumors, such as pancreatic masses and peritoneal disease, thereby defining tumor targets for imaging-guided therapy. Moreover, quantitative iodine mapping may serve as a surrogate biomarker for monitoring effects of the treatment. Dual-energy CT is an innovative imaging technique that enhances the capabilities of CT in evaluating oncology patients.


PubMed is a free interface for searching MEDLINE, the most popular bibliographic database in the health and medical sciences. It contains references to millions of journal articles from biomedical journals and is updated daily.


Changes in Swedish food consumption patterns during recent decades are studied, together with some possible future changes of importance for increasing resource efficiency. The increased consumption of meat and a more global food supply have contributed negatively. An increased interface with foreign food cultures through travelling and immigration are the main causes of these consumption changes. Meat consumption may decline while the consumption of organic and convenience foods may increase in the future. Environmental and health reasons will be the main causes, together with an increased acceptance among younger people of food cultures with vegetarian ingredients. Lack of time and skills for cooking and an increased supply of convenience foods are other causes. The environmental consequences of changes in food cultures may be beneficial, but that depends partly on the locations of food industries and producers as well as on methods used in farming and the food industry.


The present study used scanning electron microscopy to characterize the organisms colonizing marine plastic debris collected from pelagic and benthic habitats across Mediterranean coastal waters of Greece, Italy and Spain. A total of 42 fragments of plastic were collected during the COMSOM experimental cruise, 16 from the seafloor and 26 from surface waters. The results showed that diatoms were the most abundant organisms on both pelagic and benthic plastics. The diatom Ceratoneis closterium , frequently observed on surface plastics (73%), is a harmful microalgae associated with mucilage events in the Mediterranean. The abundance of marine plastic in coastal and oceanic waters may provide new habitats that offer an easy substrate for these invasive organisms. Furthermore, the colonization of these new environments might reduce the success of life strategies, or drive the organisms out of their essential habitat by dispersion and rafting phenomena. The results of the present work highlight the need to increase our knowledge of the consequences of colonization of plastics introduced into the marine environment, and the need to raise awareness of the potential impacts of debris accumulation on biodiversity of marine ecosystems.


The only authorized Lab Manual for the Cisco Networking Academy Connecting Networks course in the CCNA Routing and Switching curriculum Each chapter of this book is divided into a Study Guide section followed by a Lab section. The Study Guide section offers exercises that help you learn the concepts, configurations, and troubleshooting skills crucial to your success as a CCNA R&S exam candidate. Each chapter is slightly different and includes some or all the following types of exercises: Vocabulary Matching Exercises Concept Questions Exercises Skill-Building Activities and Scenarios Configuration Scenarios Packet Tracer Exercises Troubleshooting Scenarios The Labs & Activities include all the online course Labs and Packet Tracer activity instructions. If applicable, this section begins with a Command Reference that you will complete to highlight all the commands introduced in the chapter.


Past research suggests that natural preferences for leisure influence the ways in which federal judges carry out their work. We consider the extent to which incentives for leisure reduce the speed with which judges work and the quality of their output. We take advantage of a natural experiment caused by an annual sporting event that creates differential distractions across judges. Using a difference-in-differences design, among federal courts of appeals judges we show that a judge's alma mater's participation in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Men's Basketball Tournament both slows the rate at which opinions are drafted and ultimately undermines the opinions' quality, even accounting for the additional time judges spend writing them. The findings suggest that incentives for leisure influence important normative concerns for swift and high-quality justice.


On behalf of the International Test Commission and the European Federation of Psychologists' Associations a world-wide survey on the opinions of professional psychologists on testing practices was carried out. The main objective of this study was to collect data for a better understanding of the state of psychological testing worldwide. These data could guide the actions and measures taken by ITC, EFPA, and other stakeholders. A questionnaire was administered to 20,467 professional psychologists from 29 countries. Five scales were constructed relating to: concern over incorrect test use, regulations on tests and testing, internet and computerized testing, appreciation of tests, and knowledge and training relating to test use. Equivalence across countries was evaluated using the alignment method, four scales demonstrated acceptable levels of invariance. Multilevel analysis was used to determine how scores were related to age, gender, and specialization, as well as how scores varied between countries. Although the results show a high appreciation of tests in general, the appreciation of internet and computerized testing is much lower. These scales show low variability over countries, whereas differences between countries on the other reported scales are much greater. This implies the need for some overarching improvements as well as country-specific actions.


Fluctuating asymmetry has become a common measure of developmental instability (the inability of individuals to buffer their development from environmental stresses). Here we investigate the symmetry of palatine marking (maculation) in the European badger Meles meles, with regard to the developmental impacts of coccidial endo-parasites. We ask whether maculation is a selected trait, and estimate its heritability. We examine the potential utility of palatine marking as a diagnostic tool for individual identification, and examine its stability over time. The palatine maculations of badger cubs with the highest intensity of endoparasitic infection were relatively more asymmetrical than those of their less severely infected contemporaries. This weak relationship persisted and strengthened into adulthood, indicating a lasting developmental relationship between physiological challenge and the symmetry of palatine melanin deposition. We did not detect selection for the pattern of maculation. Although size of the maculated area was heritable (h 2 = 0.72 � 0.19), its symmetry was not. There was, however, a positive relationship between pair-wise co-ancestry and spatial similarity of these markings. There are no methods currently available to specifically calculate the heritability of 2D traits. Our findings highlight the need to develop new theoretical techniques, potentially elaborating upon the analysis presented. Maculation showed a quadratic trend with age: up to 4 years of age the area of palatine maculation increased in size, but decreased in symmetry; thereafter, in older individuals, size decreased while symmetry increased. Furthermore, despite our evidence for extrinsic factors having some capacity to influence the pattern of maculation over time, these markings were sufficiently stable to facilitate the recognition of individuals in a restricted badger population (o50 individuals). Such proxies for previous life-history events may provide indicators of the developmental stresses experienced by individuals or populations, informing our understanding of animal societies and the effectiveness of conservation measures.


This research project explored the use of new wearable and mobile technologies to support independent living and social interactions in the community for people living with dementia and their carers, more safely and for longer. The three key aims of the project were to: • Assess the potential acceptability, and usability of a mobile phone App and wearable wristband solution • Test the use of the technological in the everyday life contexts • Evaluate the usability and utility of a mobile phone App and digital wristband to reduce social isolation and improve health outcomes The research project had two stages: Stage 1 - Acceptability, utility and usability of the devices This stage of the project focused on developing initial understandings of the ways in which the proposed technological solutions work and potentially meet the needs of people living with dementia and their carers. This was achieved through: - Technology testing by the project team members. This gave the team a better understanding of the device used in the project. - Interviews with people with dementia and their carers, and with health and social care professionals. The interviews explored whether participants were receptive to, and what they thought about, the proposed solutions. Any concerns they had about the tracking technology in general or about the technology used in the project were also examined. Stage 2: Real world testing of the wristbands and smartphone App Research participant's trialled the technology, as part of their everyday lives, for up to three months. During this period the research team worked closely with them to provide training and technological support and used a multi-method data collection focused on semi-structured interviews and observation to capture their experiences of using the technology. The participants living with dementia and their carers were given the opportunity to choose the technology that best suits them, either a wristbands or a smartphone application. Key findings In summary, through the interviews and focus groups and real world technology testing the research team and SME partners found there are issues around: - the use of technology for people living with dementia and their carers – for some people it was seen as a real benefit, others did not want to engage with the technology or have others know where they were. - education, information and support for people living with dementia and their carers to use new technologies; even when delivered via familiar technologies this can be challenging and needs support and time - support for family/other carers who are key to the support of mobile and wearable technologies. - support for people who do not have a local or remote family carer who can support the use of new technologies needs to be considered. - current GPS technologies not being accurate as a stand alone way of finding someone who may be lost or needing support. - safeguarding – which needs to take an holistic approach and include more traditional and 'paper based' safeguarding systems such as the Herbert protocol, - emerging and new technologies, which are developing constantly but a national approach is still missing; - the challenges for unpaid carers and people living with dementia to around exploring options around new technologies and deciding what are the best/cost effective options for their situations. - wearable and mobile technologies which can support people to be more independent in the community, but the technologies need to be: introduced early; affordable and be more easily supported by family and professional care givers as appropriate.


BACKGROUND. One response to the decline in interest among medical students in residency training in primary care has been the offering, by residency programs and hospitals, of financial recruitment incentives to medical students during their residency interviews. Few data on the breadth and effectiveness of this practice have been available. METHOD. To gain insight into how hospitals and/or programs offered incentives, the authors compared 1990 and 1992 survey data on this topic from the members of the Association of American Medical Colleges' Council of Teaching Hospitals (AAMC/COTH) with 1992 data from the members of the Association for Hospital Medical Education (AHME), employing responses to identical questionnaire items. Complementary data on students' experiences with recruitment incentives in 1991 and 1992 were also analyzed. These data have been collected since 1991 in the Medical School Graduation Questionnaire (GQ) of the AAMC's Section for Educational Research, but little or no information had been available on medical students' perceptions of the effectiveness of these incentives. Therefore, one of the authors surveyed members of the classes of 1992 at four Midwestern medical schools about their residency interviewing experiences, including their reactions to financial incentives they encountered. RESULTS. The outcomes from these surveys indicate that, as expected, family practice, internal medicine, and pediatrics were the specialties most likely to offer financial incentives; that a wide variety of recruitment incentives was available to students; that the proportion of programs and hospitals offering such incentives was increasing (e.g., from 37% in the 1990 COTH survey to 54% in the 1992 survey); and that a large majority (79%) of students who encountered these incentives viewed them as at least somewhat effective in persuading them to consider matching with the programs that offered them. CONCLUSION. The prevalence and persuasiveness of financial incentives raise a number of serious questions, including whether competition for residents will divert funds from improving educational quality to recruitment.


Kristina Jansson, Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Gothenburg University Box 426, SE-405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden The DNA glycosylase MutYH is highly conserved throughout evolution, and homologs are found in most eukaryotes and prokaryotes examined. MutYH functions as a base excision repair DNA glycosylase that excises adenines misincorporated opposite 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-oxodG), one of the most stable products of oxidative DNA damage. Germline mutations in MutYH in humans predispose to MutYH-associated polyposis (MAP), characterised by multiple colorectal adenomas and carcinomas. Oxidative stress and susceptibility to carcinogenesis involve additional pathways, such as the glutathione/glutathione S-transferase detoxification system. The role of the base excision repair enzyme MutYH in DNA damage repair and checkpoint control in fission yeast is here shown not to be restricted to oxidative damage. The fission yeast gene encoding MutYH, myh1, displays a strong interaction with the checkpoint gene rad1. UV irradiation of myh1 rad1 double mutants results in severe chromosome segregation defects and visible DNA fragmentation, and a failure to activate the checkpoint control. The myh1 rad1 double mutants furthermore display hypersensitivity to genotoxic compounds MMS and HU. Additionally, myh1 rad1 double mutants exhibit morphological defects in the absence of DNA damaging agents. Fission yeast MutYH (Myh1) has a role in DNA repair after treatment with DNA crosslinking and strandbreaking chemotherapeutic agents. Myh1 contributes to survival upon genotoxic stress, particularly in a rad1 mutant background, and relocalises to the nucleus after exposure to the DNA crosslinking agent cisplatin or following oxidative stress. An asymmetric function of the 9-1-1 checkpoint sensor complex is conceivable in MutYH-mediated base excision repair, and further extends the view of MutYH function in DNA damage checkpoint control and DNA repair. Phylogenetic distribution and sequence analysis of the MutY, MutM, and MutT homologs, enzymes involved in repair of 8-oxodG, indicate highly conserved protein domains and evolutionary loss of individual 8-oxodG repair components, predominantly within the fungal domain of eukaryotic life. The MutM homolog is the most prevalent 8-oxodG repair enzyme among eukaryotes. This likely indicates the MutM component as the major repair enzyme in removal of 8-oxodG damage. S. cerevisiae mutants lacking glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) display a number of phenotypic defects under different stress conditions. The phenotypes of single and multiple mutants defective in GSTs, exposed to oxidants and other toxic agents, indicate the importance of yeast GSTs in protection against oxidative stress. A complex relationship most likely exists between different GSTs in general protection against oxidative stress and in specific protein redox regulation.


WHEN a country possesses monopoly power in the international markets in which it trades, a competitive free trade situation will be characterized by a disparity between the domestic and foreign rates of transformation. Achievement of an optimal solution requires that this disparity be eliminated in a manner which does not simultaneously destroy the equality between the domestic rate of substitution and the domestic rate of transformation. To this end, the theory of optimum tariffs provides a criterion for appropriate intervention in foreign trade by means of duties and subsidies on trade. A tax-cum-subsidy policy of intervention in domestic production, on the other hand, is not appropriate, because in removing the existing distortion it creates a new inequality between the domestic rate of substitution in consumption and the domestic rate of transformation. Consequently, a tax-cum-subsidy policy of intervention is necessarily inferior to an optimum tariff…


Pharmacology is one of the main disciplines under Biomedical Science and the pharmaceutical industry. There are many disciplines within the Biomedical sciences. Pharmacy is related to health sciences. It is the profession responsible for the preparation, dispensing and appropriate use of medication and which provides services to achieve optimal therapeutic outcomes. A Pharmacists job is to prepare, mix, compound or dispense drugs and medicines, ointments, powder, pills, tablets and injections on the prescription of a medical practitioner, dentist or veterinarian. In detail, they are concerned with production of pharmaceutical products, development of the methods or processes of production and quality control. Those in research concern themselves with synthesis of new drugs (what is commonly referred to as molecules), new processes, clinical testing of the effects of such drugs on animals and humans, and obtaining the required License from the drug control authorities. A pharmacist is required to explain the mode and precautions regarding the use of medicines dispensed in a hospital pharmacy, prepare special formulations normally not available in the market, assist the physician in rendering necessary information about various drugs, their contra-indications, incompatibility etc. There are over 225 programs in Pharmacy conducted by different universities in India. The main courses in Pharmacy are the 2 years Diploma in Pharmacy (D.Pharm), 4 years Bachelor of Pharmacy (B.Pharm), 2 years Master of Pharmacy (M.Pharm) and Ph.d programmes. The main courses in Pharmacy are the 2 Key words : ADHD, Child, Cognitive Therapy, Hyperactivity, Behavioural


Thomas Paine's loyalties were with universal and self-evident principles rather than with a particular group or nation, and it is this dimension that informed his most important works. This Norton Critical Edition shows how Paine's fury at the British Empire, including its injustices to South Asians and Africans, shaped his first best seller, Common Sense, and how his direct involvement with the French Revolution pushed his ideas toward a unique form of democratic radicalism. Together with his rejection of organized religion, Paine's radicalism resulted in his being one of the most hated men in both monarchial Britain and republican America. This volume includes J. M. Opal's introduction, "Thomas Paine and the Revolutionary Enlightenment, 1770s-90s," which provides essential biographical and historical details across three tumultuous decades. Paine's most important works-from Common Sense (1776) through Agrarian Justice (1796)-are reprinted and are accompanied by explanatory annotations. Supporting materials include a wide range of documents from the turbulent years following the publication of both Common Sense and the Declaration of Independence. These include Pennsylvania's gradual emancipation statute of the 1780s, an ex-slave's impassioned call for revolutionary violence against European imperialists and masters, and a British conservative's witty rejoinder to Paine's vision of a brave new world. Four major interpretations of Paine's work are provided by Nathan R. Perl-Rosenthal, Robert A. Ferguson, Gary Kates, and Gregory Claeys. A Selected Bibliography is also included.


The Danish government's vision about Denmark as a society independent of fossil energy has initiated several Danish energy and climate action plans during 2009-2010 with visions and measures for a 30-40 year time perspective. The paper analyses differences and similarities in action plans from the Danish Society of Engineers, a renewable energy NGO, an environmental NGO and a national climate change commission. The aim is to identify shared and contested elements, which need to be addressed in attempts to establish alignment around transition efforts towards a fossil free Danish society. The analyses are conducted as part of a project about sustainable transitions towards a low carbon society. The plan from the renewable energy NGO is an energy plan, while the other plans are climate plans, which include non-energy related greenhouse gasses from land use changes and use of fertilizers in agriculture. The plans differ with respect to whether and how agricultural production and Danish food consumption should change as part of transitions towards a low carbon society. All four plans agree about a significant increase in Danish wind turbine capacity and stronger energy saving efforts in Danish production and consumption activities. The plans differ with respect to how big reduction of energy consumption it is possible to obtain and how big the future energy consumption will be. This has implications for how big wind turbine capacity the plans assume is necessary and possible to build, ranging from 200% to 500% increase. The different the future energy need and the wind turbine capacity imply also big differences in the future role of biomass as energy source, ranging from 50% to 250% increase of the present consumption, which could imply quite different ecological and climate impacts. The plans build upon different scenarios for the overall Danish energy system concept, which have implications for investment needs in energy system infrastructure. The national commission's plan describes a system continuously exchanging energy with other countries through a transnational grid, while the other plans build upon scenarios for a more independent national energy system, where wind turbine energy mainly is used in


Aluminium is used extensively in the transportation, architecture, electronic and packaging industries. Aluminium presents particular characteristics such as low density, high ductility and a highly protective natural oxide film. However, formability, corrosion resistance, weldability, adhesion and surface aspect depend on the chemistry and microstructure of the metal surface. Properties of particular importance include the oxidation state, the degree of hydration and surface modifications induced by transformation and storage. For surface finishing processes it is necessary to determine the nature of chemical species created and their interactions with the substrate. Modern methods of surface characterization are extensively applied to solve these issues. Techniques such as X - ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Auger microscopy, secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) and electron microscopy (TEM and SEM) are used routinely. In addition novel approaches are starting to be used systematically for industrial research (X - ray absorption spectroscopies, time of flight static SIMS and atomic force microscopy) after an initial phase of development in university laboratories. The use of these methods combined with studies of adsorption of model compounds leads to a better understanding of interfacial phenomena. For surface analysis to successfully contribute to R&D programmes, the representativity and data quantitation have to be assured. Use of several, complementary, methods enables interpretations to be confirmed. The principal applications of aluminium involving a high degree of surface technology are reviewed together with recent examples of the use of the aforementioned methods, in particular concerning the optimization of aluminium surfaces before subsequent surface finishing.


GeO(2) - SiO(2) thin glass films were prepared by the rfsputtering deposition method. Changes in the refractive index of -3% and in the volume of +18% were induced in the film by irradiation with excimer-laser pulses. Bragg gratings a (periodic surface-relief pattern with a sinusoidal wave) have been written in the film by irradiation through a phase mask.


The debate on trade wars and currency wars has re-emerged since the Great recession of 2009. We study the two forms of non-cooperative policies within a single framework. First, we compare the elasticity of trade flows to import tariffs and to the real exchange rate, based on product level data for 110 countries over the 1989-2013 period. We find that a 1 percent depreciation of the importer's currency reduces imports by around 0.5 percent in current dollar, whereas an increase in import tariffs by 1 percentage point reduces imports by around 1.4 percent. Hence the two instruments are not equivalent. Second, we build a stylized short-term macroeconomic model where the government aims at internal and external balance. We find that, in this setting, monetary policy is more stabilizing for the economy than trade policy, except when the internal transmission channel of monetary policy is muted (at the zero-lower bound). One implication is that, in normal times, a country will more likely react to a trade "aggression" through monetary easing rather than through a tariff increase. The result is reversed at the ZLB.


The lumen-to-cell transport, cellular accumulation, and toxicity of ionic cadmium (109Cd2+) and cadmium-cysteine conjugate (Cys-S-109Cd-S-Cys) were studied in isolated perfused S2 segments of the proximal tubule of the rabbit kidney. All perfusion solutions were HEPES buffered and contained 3H-L-glucose which functioned as a volume and leak marker along with 250 nM FD & C Green dye as a vital dye. When ionic cadmium, 0.73μM Cd2+, or 0.73μM cadmium-cysteine conjugate (Cys-S-109Cd-S-Cys) containing solution was perfused through the lumen of the tubule there was no visual evidence of toxicity such as blebbing of the luminal membrane, cellular vital dye uptake, and cellular swelling. Ionic Cd2+ transport was temperature dependent (87% reduction at 22°C and 100% at 11°C) and inhibited by FeCl2 (42% reduction at 10μM) and ZnCl2 (48% reduction at 20μM), and high Ca2+ concentrations (27% reduction at 1.95mM and 69% at 2.6mM). The ionic Cd2+ transport was not affected by verapamil and diltiazem. The cadmium conjugate (Cys-S-Cd-S-Cys) transport was also temperature dependent (76% reduction at 22°C and 100% at 11°C) and inhibited by the amino acids L-cystine and Larginine (55% and 50% respectively), stimulated by L-methionine (56%), but not affected by L-aspartate, L-glutamate and Gly-Sar. 2, 3-Dimercaptopropane-1-Sulfonate (DMPS) co-perfused with Cd2+ decreased absorption of 20μM Cd2+ (39% reduction at 30 μM and 94.6% reduction at 200 μM), while DMPS added to the bathing solution has no effect on the luminal transport of Cd2+. DMPS co-perfused with 20 μM Cys-S-Cd-S-Cys substantially reduced Cd2+ transport (62% reduction at 30 μM). We conclude that cadmium can be transported at the luminal membrane of the S2 segment of the proximal tubule by multiple mechanisms, depending on the form which it is presented to membrane. Ionic cadmium appears to be transported by iron (DCT1), zinc (ZTL1) transporters and some kind of calcium-selective channel while cadmium conjugate of Lcysteine appears to be transported by L-cystine transporters (system b0+). Dipeptide transporter is not involved in the transport of cadmium. DMPS appears to be a chelator for cadmium.
Index words. Cadmium, Luminal Membrane, Transport, Proximal Tubule, Kidney, Iron, Calcium, Zinc, Sulfhydryl-Containing Amino Acids, Cysteine, Cystine, Dipeptide, DMPS, Isolated Perfused Tubule


This article analyses the perception and application of corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices in a sample of 499 micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the city of Santa Marta (Colombia) following the theory of Stakeholders. Specifically, the interdependence technique of exploratory factor analysis was used to determine the most influential Stakeholders in the execution of CSR practices. It was found that Stakeholders related to the value chain, the environment and corporate management favour social responsibility actions in local MSMEs. In contrast, community and government have less influence on the development of social responsibility practices in MSMEs. Additionally, it was found that the size of the business acts as an important moderator of the development of the CSR. Given that there is a distinctive influence of Stakeholders in the development of responsible practices in the MSMEs of Santa Marta, it is suggested that comprehensive training programs on social responsibility be promoted in smaller companies.


Transformers are ubiquitous in Natural Language Processing (NLP) tasks, but they are difficult to be deployed on hardware due to the intensive computation. To enable low-latency inference on resource-constrained hardware platforms, we propose to design Hardware-Aware Transformers (HAT) with neural architecture search. We first construct a large design space with arbitrary encoder-decoder attention and heterogeneous layers. Then we train a SuperTransformer that covers all candidates in the design space, and efficiently produces many SubTransformers with weight sharing. Finally, we perform an evolutionary search with a hardware latency constraint to find a specialized SubTransformer dedicated to run fast on the target hardware. Extensive experiments on four machine translation tasks demonstrate that HAT can discover efficient models for different hardware (CPU, GPU, IoT device). When running WMT'14 translation task on Raspberry Pi-4, HAT can achieve 3× speedup, 3.7× smaller size over baseline Transformer; 2.7× speedup, 3.6× smaller size over Evolved Transformer with 12,041× less search cost and no performance loss. HAT is open-sourced at https://github.com/mit-han-lab/hardware-aware-transformers.


Cortical transit time (CTT) has recently been shown to be a useful parameter in the management of children with pelviureteric junction obstruction (PUJO). The aim of this study was to assess intraobserver and interobserver variations in the qualitative and quantitative assessment of CTT in children with PUJO. A retrospective study was performed, and99mTc-MAG3 renogram images of all children with PUJO performed from January 2016 to December 2017 were retrieved. The images were assessed by three observers at two different time points. CTT was qualified as delayed if CTT was more than 3 min else; it was noted as normal. The intraobserver and interobserver variations in the results of the CTT of the normal kidney and affected kidney both before and after surgery were studied. The kappa statistic was used to compare the interobserver variation of qualitative interpretation of CTT. The Bland–Altman plot was used to evaluate the intraobserver and interobserver variations of the quantitative interpretation of CTT. A total of 5799mTc-MAG3 renal scintigraphies were evaluated. Overall, 114 renal units were evaluated with 51 normal renal units and 63 renal units with PUJO. Of these, 63 renal units with PUJO, 31 renal units had been operated upon, whereas the remaining 32 renal units had no intervention at the time of the study. The kappa statistic in the normal, affected operated, and affected unoperated kidneys was interpreted as almost perfect, substantial to almost perfect, and moderate to substantial level of agreement, respectively. The Bland–Altman plot revealed a large mean difference and wide 95% limits of agreement in affected kidneys (both operated and unoperated). The study concludes that the qualitative CTT interpretation in the affected renal unit which is most commonly used in recent studies is a reliable and reproducible parameter in children with PUJO. The quantitative measurement had wide inter- and intraobserver variation for clinical use.


PURPOSE
This multicentered phase III trial was designed to compare an emulsion containing trolamine against the usual supportive care within each participating institution for patients with head and neck cancer undergoing radiation therapy.

PATIENTS AND METHODS
Patients with biopsy-proven squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity, oropharynx, hypopharynx, or larynx were randomly assigned to one of the following treatments: prophylactic trolamine emulsion, interventional trolamine emulsion, or declared institutional preference. The primary outcome was the reduction in grade 2 or higher skin toxicity, as per National Cancer Institute Common Toxicity Criteria version 2.0. Secondary outcomes included patient-reported quality of life (QOL).

RESULTS
From October 2000 to April 2002, 547 patients from 51 institutions were entered onto the trial. The average age was 59 years. Patients were predominately male (79%) and most continued to use tobacco products (52%). The rates of grade 2 or higher radiation dermatitis were 79%, 77%, and 79% in the prophylactic, interventional, and institutional preference arms of the study, respectively. No significant differences in QOL were found.

CONCLUSION
The results of this trial demonstrate no advantage for the use of trolamine in reducing the incidence of grade 2 or higher radiation dermatitis or improving patient-reported QOL. The use of 15 different local standards of care highlights the need to continue research that will result in evidence-based recommendations to reduce the burden of radiation dermatitis.


The French Riviera has witnessed a succession of E-W trending compressions during the Oligocene period and a N-S trending compression during the Mio-Pliocene. The presence of the Ligurian Sea and drifting of the Corsica block are due to a NW-SE trending Oligo-Miocene extension. The markers of each compression are recognizable from the geological maps and they have been studied extensively in the literature. However, markers of the Ligurian Basin opening have never been described on land in the French Riviera. The structural study of the Cap-Ferrat Peninsula, at the South edge of the Nice arc, shows normal and inverse fault clusters. Their chronological relationships and the main trend of their respective stress tensors agree with the different known tectonic events and allow identification of the missing Oligo-Miocene extension on land.


The Centre for Higher Education Internationalisation (CHEI) was initiated by UCSC in 2011 to stimulate the enhancement and understanding of the internationalisation process and activities of Universita Cattolica. This publication is the result of its first Seminar and by that also its first publication. The book is written by members of the Scientific Committee and Management Board of CHEI, and provides an informative introduction to the key issues and trends in higher education internationalisation in three parts. The first part deals with internationalisation, meaning and rationales, and includes three conceptual articles introducing the concept of internationalisation in the context of the global knowledge society we life in, as well as two chapters giving concrete examples of international strategies from Northern America. The second part deals with internationalisation of the curriculum and contains four chapters on different aspects of how to improve the internationalisation of our curriculum. In the final part of this book the focus is on internationalisation and Italian higher education. One chapter deals with the important question of how Italian employers value international education. Another chapter outlines a model of analysis of the drivers of inbound student mobility and considers the Italian case against other European countries. The third chapter discusses the current state of internationalisation at Universita Cattolica within the context of higher education globalisation, indicating that to compete with outstanding universities at the global level, additional actions should be taken. The CHEI and this publication are intended to contribute to that objective.


The stability of Alfvén eigenmodes (AEs) is studied experimentally in the JET tokamak by observing the plasma response to antenna-driven frequency-sweeping perturbations at the plasma edge. During the 2008/9 experimental campaigns, the complete set of the new antennas was operated and AEs with toroidal mode numbers (n) in the intermediate-n range were excited under various plasma conditions. In this paper, we describe the results of the work achieved on the technical aspects of the diagnostic. The antenna currents have been optimized to improve the antenna–plasma coupling. The mode-tracking system has been upgraded for real-time targeting of modes with specific n. As an example of the optimized performance of the diagnostic, the paper concludes with a report on the damping rates of n = 3–5 toroidal AEs that were measured dynamically while the background plasma parameters were evolving in time.


This dissertation seeks to expose the relationships between State and Violence in the cases of extrajudicial executions that occurred massively during Alvaro Uribe's Presidential tenure, showing how Democratic Security policy represents the framework of such legitimization. In this sense, it puts at stake the classical definitions of the State concerning the monopoly of the use of force by posing the following question at the center of the debate: Is it just the legal force what the State controls? For so doing, it will develop a case study of extrajudicial executions occurred in Eastern Antioquia region and then it will analyze the discourses given by different state agents in front of the cases, for showing the patterns for the creation of a combat scenario for the illegal killings and the official responses as denial discourses regarding the cases nationwide. Data have been collected from newspapers, magazines, reports from State agencies, NGOs and from Nations Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial executions. Both the above patterns as State responses show how legality is constructed and legitimized in violent ways in regarding extrajudicial executions cases in Colombia: by silencing the context, dealing with bodies and how they are got and counted, denying the facts, and denying the victims.


The Euclidean minimum spanning tree (EMST), widely used in a variety of domains, is a minimum spanning tree of a set of points in space where the edge weight between each pair of points is their Euclidean distance. Since the generation of an EMST is entirely determined by the Euclidean distance between solutions (points), the properties of EMSTs have a close relation with the distribution and position information of solutions. This paper explores the properties of EMSTs and proposes an EMST-based evolutionary algorithm (ETEA) to solve multi-objective optimization problems (MOPs). Unlike most EMO algorithms that focus on the Pareto dominance relation, the proposed algorithm mainly considers distance-based measures to evaluate and compare individuals during the evolutionary search. Specifically, in ETEA, four strategies are introduced: (1) An EMST-based crowding distance (ETCD) is presented to estimate the density of individuals in the population; (2) A distance comparison approach incorporating ETCD is used to assign the fitness value for individuals; (3) A fitness adjustment technique is designed to avoid the partial overcrowding in environmental selection; (4) Three diversity indicators—the minimum edge, degree, and ETCD—with regard to EMSTs are applied to determine the survival of individuals in archive truncation. From a series of extensive experiments on 32 test instances with different characteristics, ETEA is found to be competitive against five state-of-the-art algorithms and its predecessor in providing a good balance among convergence, uniformity, and spread.


This ESRC funded CASE studentship PhD project provides a comprehensive investigation into the referral allocation process within an NHS Trust's adult mental health facilities, known as Single Point of Access (SPA) meetings. These meetings provide a multidisciplinary environment in which mental health practitioners consider client referrals in the form of letters from, primarily, General Practitioners (GPs) and direct them to appropriate services and interventions. Participants in these meetings can be seen as gatekeepers authorising access to other mental health services. The study was formally identified by NHS Research Ethics procedures as a service evaluation. From an academic perspective it is sociological research heavily informed by Glaserian Grounded Theory (GT) methodology. This approach has uncovered an internal Basic Social Process (BSP) underpinning SPA meetings. It has been named "Handling Role Boundaries", and it describes how SPA meeting attendees endeavour to work together as they make crucial decisions about clients. Initial research plans included the collection and evaluation of quantitative data which would assess the relative validity of SPA meeting decisions. Unfortunately the quality of available data proved insufficient for this purpose. This provided brief insight into tensions between administrative systems and the real life mechanisms of SPA meetings. Overall, the unfulfilled evaluative purposes of the study provided an opportunity to focus more on clarifying the BSP underpinning SPA meetings. Also explored is how this BSP has wider implications for an understanding of how "mental health difficulties" are framed and provided for. The thesis concludes that Handling Role Boundaries is a highly innovative theory offering major contributions to understanding one social space of mental health professionals. Furthermore, it offers plentiful scope for further research and will be appropriate for many avenues of dissemination.


Red blood cells (RBCs) in the cardiovascular devices are exposed to varying degree of the shear stress from all the directions. However the RBCs' deformability or the deformation capability under such a shear stress is not well understood. In this study, we designed and built a system that can induce a cyclically reciprocating shear stress to a RBC suspension. The arm of the cyclically reciprocating shear stress device was attached to the upper piece of the parallel glass plates between which a suspension of human RBCs (1% hematocrit whole blood diluted in a 32 weight% dextran phosphate buffer solution) was contained. The cyclic reciprocating motion of the upper glass plate of 3.0 mm stroke length was produced using a slider-crank shaft mechanism that was linked to an eccentric cam-motor system. Each rotation of the motor produced a 3.0 mm stroke each in the forward and backward direction of the slider block. The clearance between the two glass plates was adjusted to 30 micrometer. The cyclic reciprocating glass plate apparatus was attached to a light microscope stage (IX71 Olympus with x40 objective lens) for illumination with a 350 watt metal halide light source. A high speed camera (MEMREMCAM fx-K3 Nac, 5000 frames per second with shutter kept open) was attached to the microscope to capture the deformation process of the RBCs under cyclic shear stress. The preliminary result indicated that the correlation between the amplitude of the maximum shear stress and the RBCs' deformability. This indicates a potential application of the cyclic reciprocating device to evaluate the temporal response of the RBCs deformability prior to its destruction. The future study will focus on the study of the relative velocity of the erythrocytes with respect to the velocity of the reciprocating plate.


One challenge that organizations face nowadays is to agilely react to changes in their business, adapting their business processes and technologies to new possibilities. To do so, organizations must be capable of separating the definition of their business processes from their technical implementation, which most are currently streaky. Applying the Service Oriented Computing (SOC) and Business Process Management (BPM) paradigms in conjunction, is an important but not trivial, step to take, involving different visions of business and technological challenges. The Model Driven Development (MDD) paradigm is also applied to serve as a bridge between business process models and technical models of the software to implement them. In this paper, the further work done on a service oriented methodology defined years ago is presented, considering business processes as the centre of software development. From business process models, software services are derived in a straightforward way, which will be automated by model transformations using the OMG service profile.


Objectives Based on single-arm trial data (BOLT), sonidegib was approved in the US and EU to treat locally advanced basal cell carcinomas (BCCs) ineligible for curative surgery or radiotherapy. Vismodegib, the other approved targeted therapy, also was assessed in a single-arm trial (ERIVANCE). We examined the comparative effectiveness of the two drugs using a matching-adjusted indirect comparison (MAIC) versus an unadjusted indirect comparison. Methods After comparing trials and identifying potential prognostic factors, an MAIC was conducted to adjust for differences in key patient baseline characteristics. Due to BOLT's small sample size, the number of matching variables was restricted to two. Efficacy results for sonidegib were generated so that selected baseline characteristics matched those from ERIVANCE and were compared with published ERIVANCE results. Results Matching variables were baseline percentages of patients receiving prior radiotherapy and surgery. After weighting, sonidegib objective response rate (ORR) and median progression-free survival (PFS) were effectively unchanged (prematched versus postmatched ORR and PFS, 56.1% versus 56.7% and 22.1 versus 22.1 months, resp.). Vismodegib's ORR and PFS were 47.6% and 9.5 months. Conclusions Comparative effectiveness of sonidegib versus vismodegib remains unchanged after adjusting BOLT patient-level data to match published ERIVANCE baseline percentages of patients receiving prior surgery and radiotherapy.


The ratings of economic and political institutions are well-known and widely used in the Social Science literature. These ratings are heavily relied on Experts' evaluations with subjective ordinal ranking (i.g., from -10 to 10 points). Such evaluations can be occasionally driven by ideological considerations. Much worse – they are essentially incompatible with each other, and therefore inapplicable in a comparative study at some one specific point in time chosen for observation (i.e., for a cross-section analysis). In this paper we propose two new indicators of institutional quality for 154 countries. These indicators are constructed in a way that minimizes the subjectivity of the evaluations. Only the presence or absence of a particular institutional phenomenon is identified. This puts much less weight on possible bias and makes it easy to verify. We show that these indices predict economic growth at least not worse, than those commonly used. The indicators proposed, include information about institutions that has been accumulated over a period of approximately two centuries and our expert's evaluations are less vulnerable to political bias and provide better compatibility of the estimations of various experts for various countries.


Assessing the quality of a delivered system has been one of the major challenges for researchers as well as for the practitioners (organizations). There is the need of a multidimensional instrument capable of measuring the quality of an information system, that instrument would provide valid information that helps an organization to take decisions in order to improve and assure the quality of its information systems. On the other hand, the majority of IS researchers are still not sufficient validating their instruments and there is the need of empirical findings. This research-in-progress paper proposes a model to measure the quality of an information system and uses the statistical approach Partial Least Squares (PLS) for its validation.


The willingness of humans to take psychoactive drugs may reflect an unconscious optimism bias, where users focus on desired aims rather than actual consequences. A series of in-depth interviews will illustrate the experiences and explicit knowledge of recreational Ecstasy/MDMA users. Next an unpublished empirical study will be described, where four subgroups of Ecstasy users reported that MDMA loses its efficacy over time, while drug-related distress increased. As this cost-benefit ratio deteriorates, users take MDMA less frequently, before quitting permanently. The in-depth personal knowledge of experienced Ecstasy users might be useful for drugs education packages, since it could replace unconscious optimism with greater conscious awareness.


Softback zine laser printed in colour on cream and white paper. A5 size with 20 printed pages, saddle-stitched. Yellow card cover in laserprint black with hand-stamped red logo. Includes free 1000 Dollars (for Heaven). Brighton, Feb 2015, edition size of 30.


Approximately 3% of Canadians have been diagnosed with environmental sensitivities, and many more are somewhat sensitive to traces of chemicals and/or electromagnetic phenomena in the environment. People experience neurological and numerous other symptoms, and avoidance of triggers is an essential step to regaining health. The Canadian Human Rights Commission commissioned this report to summarize scientific information about environmental sensitivities. For those interested in the original scientific and technical literature, an annotated bibliography is available on request from email@example.com This report addresses issues such as the definition and prevalence of environmental sensitivities; recognition by medical authorities; education and training within the medical community; origins, triggers and symptoms of sensitivities; impact of environmental sensitivities in the workplace; government policies and standards for building codes, air quality and ventilation as they affect individuals with environmental sensitivities; and guidelines for accommodation within the workplace. For people with environmental sensitivities, their health and ability to work rests with the actions of others, including building managers, co-workers and clients. Accommodating people with environmental sensitivities presents an opportunity to improve workplace environmental quality and workers' performance, and may help prevent the onset of sensitivities in others.


The Eulerian and particle tracking approaches, two commonly utilized numerical methods, were evaluated for modelling drinking water ozone disinfection systems. The Eulerian approach predicts disinfection performance by solving an advection-diffusion equation. Alternatively, the particle tracking (Lagrangian) approach calculates disinfection efficiency by numerically introducing particles into the flow and predicting their trajectories through a spatially varying field of ozone residuals. The two approaches were used for modelling two hypothetical ozone reactors and a full-scale operating ozone contactor. For ozone reactors with plug flow characteristics, the two approaches match well in evaluating disinfection efficiency (represented by the C T value). For reactors with non-ideal hydraulic performance, the particle tracking model predicted slightly lower CT values than did the Eulerian approach. This may be due to the trapping of particles in the dead zones of non-ideal reactors, and the limitation on the particle numbers that could be used for data processing. The results of a full-scale contactor study further confirmed these observations. The study also found that the effect of particle size (1-100 μm) used in this study on the particle tracking method was negligible. The Schmidt number has minor impacts on the Eulerian approach modelling results.


A narrative approach was adopted to explore the experiences of 13 women who pursued academic careers. Analysis of the personal reflective narratives uncovered themes common to the participants, also the authors of this study, which focused on striving to have work-life balance, personal and professional costs associated with being unwell, and the impact of academic work on families. Findings highlighted suggestions for being well in academia such as choose to engage in work and leisure activities that are enjoyable and maintain relationships. Suggestions for universities included: provide clear promotion and tenure processes, examine workload expectations, promote wellness, and facilitate mentorship.
About Memorial University's Faculty of Education Writing Group
In 2009, a group of members from a Faculty of Education began meeting to share their writing and discuss the writing process. We meet regularly and each member takes a turn hosting the meeting. There are no strict deadlines and action items for the meetings; instead, each member takes a turn checking in with the group and asking for feedback or advice on their writing. It is a relaxed and open setting where networking and socializing are as welcome as producing results. The group deliberately set forth to create an environment of non-criticism—we can give feedback but not criticism and we agree to promote support, rather than competition. Through this process, the writing group has served to foster a sense of belonging.


The holiday tradition continues as Sacramento State's University Choirs, led by Donald Kendrick, present the popular "Procession of Carols" on Dec. 1-2 at Sacred Heart Church, 39 and J streets. Performances are at 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 1; and 2 and 7 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 2. Candlelit processions, narrations and organ, as well as beautiful music from the University's Choral Program make this a festive occasion every December. This year's program includes the Austrian carol "Still, Still, Still" and fresh new settings of "Jingle Bells" and "The Snow Lay on the Ground." The audience will be invited to share in some of the music to brighten holiday spirits. The "Procession of Carols" regularly sells out, so advance tickets are strongly recommended. Tickets are $15 general, $10 seniors and $5 for students, and are available at the Sacramento State Ticket Office, (916) 278-4323. For more information on the Choral Program, visit www.csus.edu/music/choral. For media assistance, call Sacramento State's Public Affairs office at (916) 278-6156.


Recent geophysical surveys were designed to investigate the breakup process between India and East Antarctica and the effect of igneous activity on the formation of the Antarctic passive margin and the crust between the Kerguelen Plateau and Antarctica in the Princess Elizabeth Trough (PET). The Kerguelen Plateau marks one of the two most voluminous Large Igneous Provinces (LIP) in an oceanic setting and is attributed to a mantle hotspot emplaced at 120 Ma ago, about 15 m.y. after the previously suggested onset of seafloor spreading between India and Antarctica. Geophysical data analyses and modeling reveal a wide zone of highly extended continental crust on the Antarctic margin of Mac.Robertson Land. The partial continental affinity of the Southern Kerguelen Plateau, as indicated by earlier seismic data and ODP drill samples further north, continues to the southernmost limit of the plateau. Here, the continental crust must have been enormously thinned and fragmented as part of the rifting process between India and Antarctica. Ocean-bottom seismograph data indicate a narrow corridor of oceanic-type crust beneath the PET. Magmatic accretion to the crust is widely observed on both the plateau and the PET region.


Nothing seems to have divided international lawyers as much in recent years as the question of humanitarian intervention. Discussions on the subject seem to produce an explosive mixture of ethics, politics, and law; and it is not always clear where scholars are drawing the dividing lines among the three, if at all. I. USE OF FORCE The United Nations Charter envisages lawful use of force in only two cases: (i) in individual or collective self-defense; (1) or (ii) as a result of a mandate from the United Nations Security Council ("Security Council") acting under Chapter VII of the Charter. (2) Some international lawyers have claimed that a state may also use force to rescue or evacuate its nationals who are in danger abroad. (3) Further, a standard textbook on international law advocates that international use of force without Security Council mandate may be justified: (i) in self-defense (which includes collective self-defense, protection of a state's nationals abroad under certain conditions, and possibly anticipatory self-defense) (4), (ii) with the genuine consent of the territorial state, (5) or (iii) in necessary and proportionate response to an unlawful but small-scale armed action by another state. (6) The author in question, however, does not consider legally permissible the use of force to stop atrocities within other states. (7) It has, nevertheless, been argued by some that interfering by force in the internal affairs of another state to prevent an overwhelming humanitarian catastrophe is justified. (8) According to this argument, international law is not set in concrete and must adapt to meet new situations. The U.N. Charter cannot cover every eventuality that occurs and individual states must have the legal power to intervene to prevent genocide or widespread crimes against humanity until such time as the Security Council takes control. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) intervention in Kosovo in 1999 was said to be justified on the grounds of such a humanitarian crisis coupled with non-compliance by the parties with Security Council Resolutions. (9) Other scholars are more skeptical. They maintain that the U.N. Charter allows for no exceptional cases. Further, they claim that because the "enforcers" of the law have a right of veto in the Security Council, international law is controlled by the whim of the few. That procedure is said to amount to a new form of imperial colonialism. (10) Regardless of these viewpoints, the peace agreement secured between the NATO states and Yugoslavia following the Kosovo intervention was later ratified by the Security Council in Resolution 1244 of June 10, 1999. Admittedly, the concepts of self-defense, consent of the territorial state, and "atrocities" can be very subjectively interpreted and thus used as a pretext for intervention for other reasons. Such conduct would be an abuse of law. The potential for abuse, however, is not a reason to say that the right does not exist as a matter of law. II. UNITED NATIONS CHARTER Article 2, paragraph 4, of the Charter provides: "All Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any State, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations." (11) Does this provision mean that one can threaten or use force for other purposes? (12) The International Court of Justice has answered this question in the negative. It held that the United Kingdom's forcible intervention in Albanian waters violated Article 2, paragraph 4, rejecting the United Kingdom's argument that its actions did not threaten the territorial integrity or political independence of Albania. (13) Article 2, paragraph 7, goes on to provide: "Nothing contained in the present Charter shall authorize the United Nations to intervene in matters which are essentially within the domestic jurisdiction of any State . …


Biliary tract cancer encompasses tumors of the gallbladder, bile duct and ampulla of Vater. Gallbladder cancer is more common in women, whereas bile duct cancer is more common in men, suggesting that sex hormones may play a role in the etiology of these cancers. The intracellular action of estrogens is regulated by the estrogen receptor (ESR); thus, we examined the role of common genetic variants in ESR genes on the risk of biliary tract cancers and stones in a population-based case-control study in Shanghai, China (411 cancer cases, 895 stone cases and 786 controls). We genotyped six single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), four in ESR1 (rs2234693, rs3841686, rs2228480 and rs1801132) and two in ESR2 (rs1256049 and rs4986938). In all participants, the ESR1 rs1801132 (P325P) G allele was associated with excess risks of bile duct [odds ratio (OR) = 1.7, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.1-2.8] and ampulla of Vater cancers (OR = 2.1, 95% CI 0.9-4.9) compared with the CC genotype. The association with bile duct cancer was apparent among men (OR = 2.8, 95% CI 1.4-5.7) but not among women (P-heterogeneity = 0.01). Also, the ESR2 rs4986938 (38 bp 3' of STP) GG genotype was associated with a higher risk of bile duct cancer (OR = 3.3, 95% CI 1.3-8.7) compared with the AA genotype, although this estimate was based on a small number of subjects. None of the other SNPs examined was associated with biliary tract cancers or stones. False discovery rate-adjusted P-values were not significant (P > 0.1). No association was found for ESR1 haplotype based on four SNPs. These preliminary results suggest that variants in ESR genes could play a role in the etiology of biliary tract cancers, especially bile duct cancer in men.


The Complete Black Book of Russian Jewry is a collection of eyewitness testimonies, letters, diaries, affidavits, and other documents on the activities of the Nasiz against Jews in the camps, ghettoes, and towns of Eastern Europe. Arguably, the only apt comparism is to The Gulag Archipelago of Alexander Solzhenitsyn. This definitive edition of The Black Book, including for the first time materials omitted from previous editions, is a major addition to the literature on the Holocaust. It will be of particular interest to students, teachers, and scholars of the Holocaust and those interested in the history of Europe. By the end of 1942, 1.4 million Jews had been killed by the Einsatzgruppen that followed the German army eastward; by the end of the war, nearly two million had been murdered in Russia and Estern Europe. Of the six million Jews who perished in the Holocaust, about one-third fell in the territories of the USSR. The single most important text documenting that slaughter is The Black Book, compiled by two renowned Russian authors Ilya Ehrenburg and Vasily Grossman. Until now, The Black Book was only available in English in truncated editions. Because of its profound significance, this new and definitive English translation of The Complete Black Book of Russian Jewry is a major literary and intellectual event. From the time of the outbreak of the war, Ehrenburg and Grossman collected the eyewitness testimonies that went into The Black Book. As early as 1943 they were planning its publication; the first edition appeared in 1944. During the years immediately after the war. Grossman assisted Ehrenburg in compiling additional materials for a second edition, which appeared in 1946 (in English as well as Russian). Since the fall of the Soviet regime, Irina Ehrenburg, the daughter of Ilya Ehrenburg, has recovered the lost portions of the manuscript sent to Yad Vashem. The texts recovered by Ms. Ehrenburg include numerous documents that had been censored from the original manuscript, as well as items that had been hidden by the Grossman family. In addition, she verified and, where appropriate, corrected the accuracy of documents that had already appeared in earlier editions of The Black Book.


Industrial heritage sites in cities are highly complex structures, they are fields that are still occupied by abandoned structures but already lost their original functions. Like an isolated island in the urban environment exists in the present urban environment but far away from the daily city life. Even through industrial heritages had been once treated as negative elements in cities, their positive meanings have been noticed with the growing knowledge of them. Industrial Archaeology, which originated in the 1950's in the UK, regards industrial heritage research as a comprehensive discipline and started to face its multifaceted value. While the understands of them has become more and more comprehensive with the development of research, the discussion on the protection of their value and the reuse of resources is a topic that has received more and more attention in recent years. This is also in line with the humanism prevailing culture and sustainable development concept that is popular in recent years. Urban morphology is a discipline that focuses on the transformation process from the birth of object forms, through a multidisciplinary analysis of the effects and influencing factors in the process to understand the intrinsic meaning of form and helps to guide the future development in a continue story. Urban morphology research could cover different levels from the whole city to the single construction elements, and observe the target field from many different directions of views. The application of it into industrial heritage research can adapt to the complexity of an industrial heritage field, contribute to find its story along the time coordinates, and its situation in urban environment. This paper explores the possibility of the application of urban morphology in industrial heritage studies. The first part is stating industrial heritage research and Urban morphology separately, and then taking Shougang Industrial Field in Beijing, China as an example by analyzing this abandoned industrial field from urban, plot and single element levels with morphological research method. While, the second part is firstly summarizing a general idea of current industrial heritage protection, and then trying to propose some guiding rules of the regeneration in Shougang Field based on the analysis result at the first part.


Sagittal MR imaging was used to investigate cerebral sulci bordering the functionally important areas on the lateral suprasylvian surface. The aim of the study was to identify characteristic relationships of the inferior precentral sulcus to nearby sulci and gyri. MR findings in 20 healthy volunteers were compared with those in 62 intact postmortem hemispheres. MR techniques are described for the direct identification of the anterior ascending ramus of the sylvian fissure and the inferior precentral sulcus. These sulci, which border Broca's area and the primary motor area, can be reliably identified with sagittal MR. Four different types of sulcus topography were recognized. Most frequently, the inferior precentral sulcus is the sulcus posterior to the anterior ascending sylvian ramus (95% in the MR study, 87% in the anatomic study). Occasionally, an additional sulcus is interposed (5%, 10%), or an ascending ramus is absent (0%, 3%). Identification of these landmarks is important for the exact preoperative localization of cortical lesions as well as for the intraoperative interpretation of individual sulcus patterns.


This is a study of the views that leading representatives of Pentecostal denominations in Russia and Belarus have regarding the roles of men and women in church and at home. Their views may be deemed traditional; they are convinced that women and men have unique roles given them by God. Ordained leadership positions in the church are reserved for men, and every husband is called to be "priest in the home". While Pentecostals present the latter teaching as Biblical, I trace it back to St. Augustine. Russian Pentecostal gender roles are colored by Russian culture, but they differ from the surrounding culture in that Pentecostals give men greater responsibilities to care for their family. This may help explain the appeal of Pentecostalism to women, who are overrepresented in the denominations studied.


Electromagnetic wave theory is used to predict the radiation forces exerted upon a micrometer-sized spherical particle illuminated by evanescent waves penetrating across a dielectric interface. These forces are quantified for two incident beam polarizations (p and s polarization) and for different refractive-index media. The electromagnetic formalism that we use is based on theoretical studies of Barton et al. [ J. Appl. Phys.64, 1632 ( 1988);J. Appl. Phys.66, 4594 ( 1989)]. The novelty of the present research is to apply this general formalism to the calculation of forces when the evanescent field is identified with the incident field. Our theoretical results for the horizontal and vertical force components are shown graphically in nondimensional form as functions of the size parameter of the sphere. Moreover, our results are found to be in reasonable agreement with recent experimental findings of Kawata and Sugiura [ Opt. Lett.17, 772 ( 1992)].


Lake Erie, one of the Great Lakes in North America, has witnessed recurrent summertime low oxygen dead zones for decades. This is a yearly phenomenon that causes microbial production of the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide from denitrification. Complete denitrification is a microbial process of reduction of nitrate to nitrogen gas via nitrite, nitric oxide, and greenhouse gas nitrous oxide. After scanning the microbial community in Lake Erie, Pseudomonas aeruginosa is decided to be examined, not because it is abundant in Lake Erie, but because it can perform denitrification under anaerobic conditions. This study focuses on a mathematical model of the metabolic network in Pseudomonas aeruginosa under denitrification and testable hypotheses generation using polynomial dynamical systems and stochastic discrete dynamical systems. Analysis of the long-term behavior of the system changing the concentration level of oxygen, nitrate, and phosphate suggests that phosphate highly affects the denitrification performance of the network. This work was partially supported in part by the Ministry of Education in Turkey.


Psychotherapy and "scientific" research - Some problems of the relationship between psychotherapy and scientific research are examined. The following aspects are discussed: the theory of demarcation between science and non-science, the problem of replicability, "hard" and "soft" sciences, complexity and chaos theory, the levels of probability and indeterminacy, the inductive-deductive circle, abduction, etc. Clinical material is presented in order to exemplify the issues under discussion. Some of the problems met by empirical research in psychotherapy (for example the manualization of psychotherapy techniques) are described, and the phases of the history of psychotherapy research movement are summarized. (This intervention is a discussion of the paper by the physicist Ferdinando Bersani "Replicability in science: Myth or reality?". Psicoterapia e Scienze Umane, 2009, XLIII, 1: 59-76). [KEY WORDS: science, psychotherapy research, epistemology, replicability, psychoanalytic research]


This dissertation examines the topic of insomnia in British and American modernist literature, focusing primarily on the ways in which the condition of insomnia and the identity category of the "insomniac" intersect with other aspects of subjectivity, such as gender, occupation, race, and social class. Through examining insomnia from a narratological perspective, using fictional, philosophical, psychological, sociological, and medical literature, I discuss the discursive function of both this disorder and identity category during the Modernist period. It also explores the relationship between insomnia and Modernism itself, regarding both the discursive production of knowledge of insomnia and the insomniac during this period and the ways that the modernist literary text discusses, interprets, utilizes, and structurally reproduces phenomenological aspects of insomnia. Further, I argue that insomnia shapes identity, and therefore, perception, in a dialectical manner; as such, insomnia is a device of character and plot development. I consider the questions, "Why did those during this period, in America and the United Kingdom, need to define and interpret insomnia and the insomniac in the ways they did, and what are the literary and discursive implications of these interpretations?" My introduction lays out my theoretical framework, arguing that sleep habits, behaviors, and practices (including insomnia) constitute a type of self care that intersects with other expected behaviors relating to one's identity, sometimes creating or revealing a conflict between expected and "normal" behavior based upon generalized assumptions and individual will and desire. Further, I argue that while the diagnosis of insomnia and the label "insomniac" subject the individual to disciplinary and normalizing measures, this condition and label provide the individual with a means of exposing and resisting assumed identity categories and the power to garner resources, time, and space for personal development and reflection. I explore the ways in the insomniac body reveals and challenges norms and normative procedures. Additionally, I provide an etymological inquiry into the origins of the word insomniac, and situate this term and its use historically—a produced identity belonging to a particular time and place with implications regarding the production of knowledge about individuals and the motivations behind producing such knowledge. Finally, I explain the relationship between the phenomenological and ontological experience of insomnia to the phenomenological and ontological experience of World War I in order to justify the war as a key turning point in the discursive production of the insomniac. The second chapter traces the production of knowledge of insomnia and, eventually, the insomniac through the nineteenth century until today, in an effort to further elucidate the significance of this condition and figure historically and currently. It considers questions of the origins of the modernist figure of the insomniac and the implications of this figure today. The subsequent chapters focus on the intersection of insomnia with other aspects of subjectivity. Chapter three discusses the insomnia of soldiers and war workers during World War I, using the fictional texts Parade's End by Ford Madox Ford, A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway, and Memoirs of an Infantry Officer by Siegfried Sassoon. This chapter argues that the experience of insomnia is, in significant ways, akin to the experience of participating in World War I, thus provides a useful device through which to discuss war experience and its related anxieties. Chapter four compares the diagnosis, perception, and treatment of insomnia in those with differently gendered bodies. In this chapter, I argue that insomnia is a form of bodily inscription, revealing cultural norms and beliefs, as well as allowing the individual to expose and resist these norms. This chapter focuses on the Pilgrimage series by Dorothy Richardson, The Soul of a Bishop by H. G. Wells, and The Last September by Elizabeth Bowen. The fifth chapter explores the relationship between insomnia and social status, specifically regarding class, occupation, race, and citizenship. As I argue in this chapter, insomnia is simultaneously demonized as a form of resistance to capitalist work ethics, represented as a marker of social privilege, and lauded as a time and space of insight and reflection. Further, insomnia reveals an anomic tension within the individual insomniac, indicating a conflict between his or her desires and capabilities within a given social structure. The literary texts covered in this chapter are F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Beautiful and Damned, Waldo David Frank's Holiday, and E. M. Forster's A Passage to India. The final chapter discusses the relationship between insomnia and authorship, describing the ways in which the experience of insomnia is translated into the experience of creating and reading literature. The texts covered in this chapter are Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita, James Joyce's Ulysses, and Richard Wright's Black Boy. In this chapter I argue that an affinity exists between the condition of insomnia and the structure of the modernist text, and a reading of the modernist text, to an extent, recreates the experience of insomnia in the reader. Essentially, this dissertation looks at insomnia as a battleground between various elements of one's identity and subjectivity and explores the ways in which this battle both affects and is expressed in the literature of the Modernist period.


Over the past 50 years, songbirds have become a valuable model organism for scientists studying vocal communication from its behavioral, hormonal, neuronal, and genetic perspectives. Many advances in our understanding of vocal learning result from research using the zebra finch, a close-ended vocal learner. We review some of the manipulations used in zebra finch research, such as isolate housing, transient/irreversible impairment of hearing/vocal organs, implantation of small devices for chronic electrophysiology, head fixation for imaging, aversive song conditioning using sound playback, and mounting of miniature backpacks for behavioral monitoring. We highlight the use of these manipulations in scientific research, and estimate their impact on animal welfare, based on the literature and on data from our past and ongoing work. The assessment of harm-benefits tradeoffs is a legal prerequisite for animal research in Switzerland. We conclude that a diverse set of known stressors reliably lead to suppressed singing rate, and that by contraposition, increased singing rate may be a useful indicator of welfare. We hope that our study can contribute to answering some of the most burning questions about zebra finch welfare in research on vocal behaviors.


Urea has the highest demand among all solid nitrogenous fertilisers within the agriculture industry. In this paper, a mathematical model and an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) technique are proposed for the simulation and optimisation of the urea plant in an industrial petrochemical company. The developed mathematical model consists of complex vapour–liquid equilibria for the NH3–CO2–H2O–(NH2)2CO system in thermodynamic and reaction frameworks. The smart technique (e.g. ANN) considers the CO2 conversion in terms of temperature and the molar ratios of NH3/CO2 and H2O/CO2 in the liquid phase. The ANN predictions were compared with the real data and results obtained from the mathematical model. An acceptable agreement was attained between deterministic methods. Through implementation of a systematic sensitivity analysis, it was found that a temperature of 191°C, a pressure of 132 atm and a NH3/CO2 ratio of 2.7 are the optimum process conditions for the urea production. It is concluded that the developed ANN (or connectionist) technique is an efficient tool for modelling complex phase equilibria with reaction in the industrial urea plant.


Many real world graphs, such as the graphs of molecules, exhibit structure at multiple different scales, but most existing kernels between graphs are either purely local or purely global in character. In contrast, by building a hierarchy of nested subgraphs, the Multiscale Laplacian Graph kernels (MLG kernels) that we define in this paper can account for structure at a range of different scales. At the heart of the MLG construction is another new graph kernel, called the Feature Space Laplacian Graph kernel (FLG kernel), which has the property that it can lift a base kernel defined on the vertices of two graphs to a kernel between the graphs. The MLG kernel applies such FLG kernels to subgraphs recursively. To make the MLG kernel computationally feasible, we also introduce a randomized projection procedure, similar to the Nystro m method, but for RKHS operators.


Late Quaternary volcanic activity at three major alkaline composite volcanoes in Marie Byrd Land, West Antarctica, is dominated by explosive eruptions, many capable of depositing ash layers as regional time-stratigraphic horizons in the West Antarctic Ice Sheet and in Southern Ocean marine sediments. A total of 20 eruptions at Mount Berlin, Mount Takahe, and Mount Siple are recorded in lava and welded and nonwelded pyroclastic fall deposits, mostly peralkaline trachyte in composition. The eruptions, dated by the 40Ar/39Ar laser-fusion and furnace step-heating methods, range in age from 571 to 8.2 ka.

Tephra from these 40Ar/39Ar-dated Marie Byrd Land eruptions are identified by geochemical fingerprinting in the 1968 Byrd Station ice core. The 74 ka ice-core record contained abundant coarse ash layers, with model ice-flow ages ranging from 7.5 to 40 ka, all of which were previously geochemically correlated to the Mount Takahe volcano. We identify a one-to-one geochemical and age correlation of the youngest (ca. 7.5 ka) tephra layer in the Byrd ice core to an 8.2 ± 5.4 ka (2sigma uncertainty) pyroclastic deposit at Mount Takahe. We infer that the 20–30 ka tephra layers in the Byrd ice core actually were erupted from Mount Berlin, on the basis of age and geochemical similarities. If products of these youngest, as well as the older 40Ar/39Ar-dated eruptions are identified by geochemical fingerprinting in future ice and marine cores, they will provide the cores with independently dated time horizons.

More than 12 40Ar/39Ar-dated tephra layers, exposed in bare ice on the summit ice cap of Mount Moulton, 30 km from their inferred source at Mount Berlin, range in age from 492 to 15 ka. These englacial tephra layers provide a minimum age of 492 ka for the oldest isotopically dated ice in West Antarctica. This well-dated section of locally derived glacial ice contains a potential "horizontal ice core" record of paleoclimate that extends back through several glacial-interglacial cycles. The coarse grain size and density of the englacial tephra (mean diameters 17–18 mm, densities 540–780 kg/m3), combined with their distance from source, indicate derivation from highly explosive Plinian eruptions of Mount Berlin.


This thesis argues that Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) agreements, no matter how fair and equitable, ultimately help to destroy traditional knowledge rather than protect it. ABS agreements are promoted and implemented as one of the key mechanisms for the protection of traditional knowledge from illegitimate appropriation by pharmaceutical companies or other actors. However, because they dominantly treat traditional knowledge as intellectual property in need of protection from misappropriation, they have the effect of expanding capital into a previously noncapitalist domain. The thesis argues that it is in the domain of subsistence that traditional knowledge is developed and reproduced; but the expansion of capitalism destroys people's autonomous subsistence and thus the very foundations of traditional knowledge. In order to make this argument, the thesis combines two main strategies. First, a critical understanding of Karl Polanyi's notion of the double movement of capital is integrated with the autonomist Marxist idea of capital as value practice, and the concomitant understanding that alternative value practices constitute an 'outside' of capitalism. This theoretical framework guides discussion of the way in which the protection of traditional knowledge constitutes a form of capital expansion. Second, a detailed ethnographic presentation of a bioprospecting project and its ABS negotiations in the Ecuadorian Amazon is considered in political and historical context. This reveals the way in which traditional knowledge protection introduces market valuations into an area of life which had theretofore been oriented by different values. In conclusion, the thesis points to the importance of engaging in value practices which create and re-create the 'outside' of capitalism as a counter-hegemonic form of traditional knowledge protection which actually safeguards the conditions in which traditional knowledge can flourish.


Current reporting practices for unrealized asset impairments are inconsistent. To address this problem, in December 1990 the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued a discussion memorandum, followed in November 1993 by an exposure draft, Accounting for the Impairment of Long-Lived Assets. Given the considerable costs of implementing such a standard, some have asked if the disclosures the FASB might require are worthwhile. If the net cost of these disclosures is significant, companies would be penalized and performance might suffer. This article explores the costs and benefits of providing asset impairment information to see if such disclosures might impair a company's performance. THE CONCEPT Of IMPAIRMENT If an asset's value declines, the asset has suffered economic impairment. If its value in place (the net present value of remaining cash flows) falls below its abandonment value (the amount that could be obtained through sale or other disposal), the asset should be abandoned and an impairment realized. If an asset is disposed of for less than book value, a realized loss will be recognized. If the asset's value in place declines but remains greater than its abandonment value, the asset should be retained. This type of impairment is unrealized because there is no disposal. As long as an asset's value in place remains above book value, no loss is recognized. However, if the asset's value under such circumstances declines so it is worth less than book value, a loss may be recognized, even though there is no disposal. DEFINING AN ASSET'S VALUE Several valuation bases were described in the FASB DM, including the present value of future cash flows, the sum of undiscounted future cash flows, current market value and net realizable value. Future cash flow measures are theoretically superior but subject to substantial uncertainty and potential manipulation. However, current market value and net realizable value are sometimes difficult to obtain and may be inappropriate benchmarks for some company-specific assets. Another difficulty inherent in evaluating impairment is specifying the appropriate level for the analysis. In many cases, it is impossible to estimate cash flows for specific assets; evaluation must then be based on the narrowest group of assets for which sound cash flow estimates are available. Unfortunately, such aggregation allows companies to group poorly performing assets with high performers to avoid the impairment charge. The potential requirements of the standard raise the possibility that significant--and costly--changes in a company's accounting system will be necessary. Many companies' information systems cannot break out actual cash flows, even for groups of assets. In addition, basing valuation on future cash flow measures means a company must generate and validate formal, consistent forecasting models. Further, if companies are required to consider writedowns annually for a large number of assets (or asset groups), the yearend burden on both internal staff and external auditors could increase substantially. Increasing impairment disclosures at first glance may seem far too costly and, hence, a poor allocation of company resources. POSTAUDITING Reporting on writedowns, however, is not an independent process; impairment cannot be considered in isolation. More specifically, a substantial amount of the related analysis already is performed routinely by many companies' financial management systems. This process often is called postauditing (also tracking and monitoring) of capital expenditures. Postauditing is the evaluation of independent assets or groups of assets on a regular basis to decide whether to keep or abandon them. In practice, there are varying levels of sophistication in companies with such systems. Studies show that while many companies lack sophisticated postauditing systems, more than 75% of large industrial companies have institutionalized some kind of a postaudit process. …


Monomer topology has been implicated in domain-swapping, a potential first step on the route to disease-causing protein aggregation. Despite having the same topology (β1-α1-β2-β3-β4-β5), the cysteine protease inhibitor stefin-B domain swaps more readily than a single-chain variant of the heterodimeric sweet protein monellin (scMn). Here, we computationally study the folding of stefin-B and scMn in order to understand the molecular basis for the difference in their domain-swapping propensities. In agreement with experiments, our structure-based simulations show that scMn folds cooperatively without the population of an intermediate while stefin-B populates an equilibrium intermediate state. Since the simulation intermediate has only one domain structured (β3-β4-β5), it can directly lead to domain-swapping. Using computational variants of stefin-B, we show that the population of this intermediate is caused by regions of stefin-B that have been implicated in protease inhibition. We also find that the protease-binding regions are located on two structural elements and localized in space. In contrast, the residues that contribute to the sweetness of monellin are not localized to a few structural elements but are distributed over the protein fold. We conclude that the distributed functional residues of monellin do not induce large local perturbations in the protein structure, eliminating the formation of folding intermediates and in turn domain-swapping. On the other hand, the localized protease-binding regions of stefin-B promote the formation of a folding intermediate which can lead to domain-swapping. Thus, domain-swapping can be a direct consequence of the constraints that function imposes on the protein structure.


Thesis (M.S.)--Joint Program in Applied Ocean Science and Engineering (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science; and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), 1994.


We present two recently released R packages, DiceKriging and DiceOptim, for the approximation and the optimization of expensive-to-evaluate deterministic functions. Following a self-contained mini tutorial on Kriging-based approximation and optimization, the functionalities of both packages are detailed and demonstrated in two distinct sections. In particular, the versatility of DiceKriging with respect to trend and noise specifications, covariance parameter estimation, as well as conditional and unconditional simulations are illustrated on the basis of several reproducible numerical experiments. We then put to the fore the implementation of sequential and parallel optimization strategies relying on the expected improvement criterion on the occasion of DiceOptim's presentation. An appendix is dedicated to complementary mathematical and computational details.


The positive health benefits associated with tea are made possible by the antioxidant activity of phenolic compounds present in tea. The total phenolic content and antioxidant activity of bush tea (Athrixia phylicoides DC.) and special tea (Monsonia burkeana) were studied.  The extractions were done in triplicate using cold water (5, 10 and 15 minutes), hot water (5, 10 and 15 minutes), 95% acetone, 95% methanol and 95% hexane. The experiments were arranged in a complete randomised design (CRD), and samples were extracted in triplicates in each treatment. Results demonstrated that total phenolic content ranged from 2.83 mg GAE / 100 g to 4.93 mg GAE / 100 g for bush tea and 2.60 mg GAE / 100 g to 6.24 mg GAE / 100 g for special tea. The  ABTS antioxidant activity ranged from 34.41 µmol TE / g to 58.34 µmol TE / g in bush tea and 86.49 µmol TE / g to 197.46 µmol TE / g in special tea. The DPPH antioxidant activity in bush tea ranged from 59.87 µmol TE / g to 77.17 µmol TE / g and in special tea from 93.78 µmol TE / g to 109.13 µmol TE / g. Special tea had significantly higher total phenols and antioxidant activity (p<0.05) than bush tea. Hot water extractions were found to be comparable to chemical solvent extractions. This suggests that the potential benefits associated with consumption of beverages containing phenolic compounds can be expected from the consumption of these teas.